Ch. 2

I couldn't believe I had that dream again. The same dream I had when I was in the past. The dream that Danny had mysteriously showed up at the shop. I knew it was just a dream, but was it a sign of things to come? That couldn't be possible. I had no clue how Danny would even be able to time travel. Not just that, he's dead.

I was lost in my own world on the way to work. Emily knew I had a lot on my mind, so she didn't say much. I was grateful for that. She probably would have thought the same as me, it was just a dream.

When we got to the shop, we opened up, and almost immediately, Emily had started on research. This was her forte. All this science fiction nonsense that I never would have believed had I not experienced it for myself. She was so excited to start the research. She reveled in all of this.

The previous night, I had gone through all the places I could think of at home looking for that darn book. I couldn't find it anywhere. I knew when I fell asleep that it was left on my end table. I knew that's where I put it. I just had no idea where it went. It was like it had just vanished.

After I figured out it wasn't at home, I had decided to search the shop for another copy. We usually get multiple copies of the same book. Not just that, Ms. Leslie keeps copies of all the books in the back. She always would say, 'just in case.' I never knew what she meant by that. I knew we could always order a copy for someone if need be.

I had decided to go on search of the book. Whether it be my copy or not, I needed to read it again. Maybe a little more thoroughly than I had before. After all, when I did read it, apparently I was tired. I hadn't realized it at the time, though. I never started a book if I was that exhausted.

I had told Emily I was going to the back to search for the book. She had told me she would keep an eye on the store. She knew it was going to take me a while. Ms. Leslie had racks and racks of books. It was like it was her own personal library.

When I went into the back, I was in shock. It was empty. Why was it all of a sudden so empty? Ms. Leslie never kept this place empty. Something wasn't right. I was beginning to worry. Maybe she just decided to take inventory home with her? Yea, that had to be it. I hoped.

I was at a loss. That was my only hope in finding that book. I knew there weren't any more copies on the shelves. I knew the non-fiction section like the back of my hand. I always knew what he had and what we didn't have.

I sat down across from Emily with my head in my hands. She had books scattered all over the place, and pages of notes already. I never understood why she didn't go to college. She was always a good note taker, and so studious. I had asked her a few times about it, but she always said she couldn't stand the thought of paying for something she may never use. I couldn't agree more with her.

My head was still in my hands. I was frustrated. I was more than frustrated, I was angry. I was lost. I had no idea what my next move would be. I didn't even know where to begin. This was something I desperately needed answers to, but the one big answer I knew existed, I couldn't find. I didn't realize it, but I had been mumbling to myself the whole time I sat there. Emily had finally grabbed my attention.

"What's wrong, Ally? You've been incoherent for a minute."

I blushed. I wasn't usually like this. She knew that. I only got like this when I was completely baffled at what to do.

"Ms. Leslie must have taken the back room inventory home with her the other night. Everything's gone, Em. I don't even know where to begin looking for that stupid book. My copy just vanished. There has got to be another one around here. There always is."

I was rambling. I did this when I was flustered. I just wanted some damn answers, and I couldn't find them to save my life. At least Emily was having some luck.

"Did you ever think to check the log book? You know, just to make sure there even is another copy."

What the hell was the matter with me? Why didn't I think of that? That should have been my first move. Even before the back room. That would have been the smart thing to do. Why is this whole situation making me act like a fool?

I threw my hands up.

"Oh my God. You're right. I'll go look right now. I should be back in a few minutes."

She smiled a mischievous smile at me. She wanted to say something smart, I just knew she did. She also knew to refrain from it because of the current situation.

"Well, I'll be here. I found a couple things. We can talk later about it."

I nodded, and headed to the office.

In the office, I searched through the filing cabinets. I needed the logs for the past week. I knew that book was new. It was just published this year. I found the log books. I don't know why, but Ms. Leslie insisted on keeping things 'old school.' She didn't want a computer keeping track of all the books. She always said that it was better to keep paper records on the books. Computers crashed. She had a point.

I went through the whole week. There was nothing. I mean, there were a lot of books that had been sent that week, but the book I bought, wasn't there. It was like it never existed in reality. What the hell was going on? Things were starting to get weird.

I walked back over to where Emily was at. I flopped back down in the chair. I was angry. How could a book just mysteriously disappear like that? It was unheard of.

Emily looked up at me from her computer. I could tell she was getting aggravated with me. She sighed in frustration.

"What's wrong now, Alyssa?"

I knew she was getting mad at me. She hardly ever used my full name.

"It's not there, Em. The book's not in the logs. Why is it not there?"

She looked at me in surprise. We both knew how well we all kept records there. I knew I had put that book in the records. I was the one who stocked it that day.

"What do you mean it's not there? You did the paperwork on it, didn't you?"

I was hurt. I was angry. Why would she accuse me of not doing my job properly? She knew how I worked. I would never forget something like that.

"Yes, Emily, I did. I know for a fact I did. I clearly remember doing it."

She immediately felt bad. She knew I was a good record keeper. I always had been. Especially when it came to my job.

She put her hands up in surrender.

"Okay, okay, okay. Well, did you try looking online? Maybe you could contact the author or something. They should know something. Right?"

Once again, something I didn't think of that I should have.

I sighed again.

"Yea, you're right. I need to try that. I'll be in the office if you need me."

"Okay."

Now, Ms. Leslie didn't use the computer for record keeping, but she did have it for other things. I was glad that it was there. How else were we going to order things for the store, or for the customers?

I had searched and searched and searched until I couldn't search anymore. There was nothing online about that book. Not a single thing. Every time I typed the title into a search engine, nothing came up. At least, nothing on that book. It didn't exist at all. Something was definitely amiss. Why could I not find anything?

In the midst of my search, I heard the bell chime on the door. I didn't think anything of it. I knew Emily would take care of it. I could vaguely hear voices outside of the office, and I saw her walk away with the customer. She was probably showing them where something was. I didn't pay any mind. I was too busy.

When I finally got frustrated enough to put my research aside, I had decided to do my actual work. I had told Emily earlier, that I would presume my normal duties of the non-fiction section. She was glad to hear that.

I had opened a box of books that was delivered the previous night. They were mixed evenly with fiction and non-fiction. I had put the books I needed on a cart and headed for the non-fiction section.

I walked past the table Emily was at, and she was typing away at her laptop. She must have found something good, or had been able to get a hold of someone who knew a lot about physics and time traveling. I didn't want to bother her, so I kept on.

I was standing at one book shelf, and on the other side there was a table. Somebody was sitting at it. From the back he looked familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. I shook off the feeling of déjà vu, and went back to the job at hand. He must have looked over as soon as I looked away. Before I knew it, I heard a familiar voice talking.

"Alyssa?"