"No, I'm not saying he was a librarian," I explained as I walked up my front steps and into my apartment. "He claimed to be-"
"I'm putting you on a month's paid leave," my superior interrupted.
"A – a month on leave?" I could hardly believe my ears. "What am I going to do for a month?"
"It was a stressful mission. Take some time to relax, Colonel Baird." The voice on the other end of the phone was unrelenting. He thought I had cracked under the pressure, and he respected me enough to put me on leave instead of discharging me. I should have felt appreciative, but I had not cracked under the pressure. I was fine.
I sighed. "Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." Hanging up the phone, I resigned myself to a long, boring month. My apartment was nice, but there was nothing in it, because I was never here. I dropped my bag on the floor and my keys on the counter before opening the fridge. Inside was a lone water bottle. I shut the door and leaned against it, folding my arms across my chest. What was I supposed to do with a month on leave?
Suddenly, a white envelope slid under my front door. I walked over to pick it up. It had only my name, no address. I pulled out the card inside. The words appeared and lit up as I read, "You have been selected to interview for a prestigious position at the Metropolitan Public Library."
I stared at it for a moment. The idea was preposterous, of course. Why would I go from being the head of the NATO Counter-Terrorism Unit to working at a library? Wait... "Library?" My thoughts flickered back to the strange man in Berlin. "Librarian," I murmured.
Well, that settled it. That librarian, or whatever he was, had caused me enough trouble already. He had nearly cost me my job. If he had anything to do with this Metropolitan Public Library, I was not interested. I tossed the envelope and its contents into the trash without a second thought.
Hello there! I'm trying to get into Eve's head a little bit. Let me know what you think in the reviews. The story is complete - I'll post a chapter a day.
