I'm back!

So thank you scone104 for your review, again.

This is chapter 4, and it's REALLY short.

"..which then turned into a quiet word…"

Joseph could never understand his sister's fascination with books. She spent hours in the library, pouring over them, and almost always brought a few more home with her to read before bed.

To him, books were boring. They were filled with pictures, yes, but they didn't move like those on TV. And books most certainly didn't play tag with you, making them effectively useless to him.

All the same, one Sunday morning he decided he was going to figure out what exactly was so great about these books, and decided to spend the day with his sister in the library.

Kiara was surprised when Joe asked to come with her to the library that morning, but agreed anyway, curious to understand her brother's sudden request. The library was only a few blocks away, and she usually biked there, But today she decided to walk instead, and ten minutes later, they stood at the front steps.

The library was a giant building, made of white marble and looked strange and a bit scary to Joseph, who had never seen anything like it before.

"Now remember, no talking loudly, shouting or running around once we're inside, OK?", Kiara said to him as they walked through the front doors. "Yeah, I get it", he replied and she looked at him sternly until he flinched. "Good, now come on, I'll show you where all the good books are", she said, leading him to the back of the building. On the way, she waved politely to the librarians and assistants, whom she had come to know rather well from her weekly visits.

"Well if it isn't little Kiara, and who is this?", an elderly librarian asked her as she passed by. "This is my brother Joe, Mrs. Williams", she said, indicating Joseph, who waved, "I'm showing him around today". "That's wonderful! Oh and by the way, the new series you wanted to read is in today", she said and Kiara's face lit up.

"Oh my god, really?", she asked and set off running down the halls, pulling Joseph behind her.

"What happened to "no running"?", he asked when she stopped in front of a large shelf and pulled out a book from it.

"Whatever Joe, look at this!", she said, holding up the book and Joe stared at it, trying to understand what exactly she was so thrilled about.

"It's a book", he said flatly and she sighed, exasperatedly. "Yes, but it's probably one of the most beautiful stories I have ever read! Come on, I'll read it to you!", she said excitedly as she pulled him over to a stack of beanbags in the corner.

Joseph plopped down on a beanbag and made himself comfortable as Kia arranged the book on her lap. She opened it up and began to read, and soon he found himself drifting off. The library may be boring, but he had to admit, their beanbags were sure comfy, and a great place to take a nap.

Kiara read out the story, and at some point switched to reading it silently to herself, murmuring the words as her eyes passed over them. She was so engrossed in the story that she didn't look up until she had finished it, and only then noticed her brother's sleeping form on the beanbag next to her.

She sighed and considered waking him, but then thought the better of it.

He was sleeping peacefully and she would get to read the sequel to her amazing book without interruption.

It was a win-win situation, she thought as she walked back to the bookshelf. Her eyes scanned the shelves for the book she wanted, but instead landed on a different one.

"1984, by George Orwell", she read as she pulled it out, "It couldn't hurt to try".

Hope you liked it.

I will not be updating this story anymore, so I hope you enjoyed these chapters! Please check out my main story and the source of inspiration for this series, The Second Chance.

So goodbye!

-thesecondgarde