The Librarian (Book Two: Unhappily Ever After) (16 page)

DOROTHY'S WAS A shallow grave: nothing more than loose dirt and rock. The Scarecrow had taken some straw from beneath his shirt to mark the grave with the farm girl's name, but the wind had blown most of that away in the days since.

Taylor stood beside Wes. Dorothy's companions were on the opposite side of the grave. As they paid their respects, a terrible reality was setting in for Tay. There was a real danger here. Any one of them could end up in a grave just like this one. She looked to Wesley, and her chest tightened.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Wesley asked the Lion.

"P-please! It was d-dreadful," the Lion said. "The worst thing I ever s-s-saw! Ever! W-w-we..."

"It's okay. I'll tell them," the Scarecrow said. "We left Emerald City for the Witch's castle. You see? I have no brains."

"And I, n-n-no courage."

"But the Wizard, he told us if we killed the Witch he would give us the brains and the courage we lack. So that's what we set off to do."

"He can give you such things?" the Tinman asked.

"I suppose so," the Scarecrow answered. "Why would he promise us something he couldn't give?"

The Tinman looked at Wesley. "Do you think he might help give me the heart I need to love my fiancé again?"

"You never know," Wesley said.

"Maybe this
is
my destiny." The Tinman turned to his new friends. "I'm sorry," he said. "Go on."

"I don't know
how
, but the Witch saw us coming. She sent wolves and crows, anything she thought might stop us." The Scarecrow hung his head. "And then, she sent the bees."

"Th-they s-stung her to d-d-death!" The Lion leaned forward and hid face behind large paws. "I know I'm a c-coward. Everyone says I'm afraid of my shadow, but it was the w-worst thing I ever s-saw. I don't want to go back. I can't!"

"We have to," the Scarecrow said. "For Dorothy." He lowered his gaze to the young girl's grave. "She was the bravest girl. I wish I were smart enough to explain what she was like. She was so special."

"I wish I could have met her," the Tinman said.

Taylor watched the characters converse as if they were lifelong friends. "Can you think of a way you might have helped?" she asked the Tinman. "A way we can beat the Bees if they come again?" She was leading the Tinman with her question, but she needed to get him working on a solution now. The Tinman was their only hope against the Bees, and they would only get one shot at this.

"Hmm," the Tinman began, "I only know that the Bees won't be able to sting me as I am made of tin." He stopped to think. "And won't they die if their stingers break off?"

"I don't rightly know," the Scarecrow said.

"I think I've heard that before."

"P-perhaps we can convince the b-bees to sting you first. B-b-but how would we d-do that?" Talk of the Black Bees sent a wave of panic surging through the Lion all over again.

"We have time to come up with something," Taylor said.

"Tay's right," Wesley added. "I'm sure we'll figure it out on the way."

"
You
aren't going, Wes. We decided. Remember?"

Taylor started to walk away. Wesley looked over at Hope, and she encouraged him to keep going with a nod in Taylor's direction.

"No, we didn't," Wesley said as he went after her.

Taylor turned. "What?"

"
You
decided. It's not the same thing. You never asked me if I was okay with it."

"You didn't
say
anything."

"Would it have mattered?" he asked sharply.

"Well... I..."

"I mean, I said I didn't want to free the Tinman. Remember that? It didn't matter
then
, why would it matter
now
?"

"This isn't some backyard adventure, Wes. You might have died if—"

"If you didn't save me?"

She prickled at his tone. There was loathing in his voice. He'd never talked to Taylor like this before. Never.

"What's
wrong
with you?"

Wesley blew out a quick laugh. "What? Did you think I was only going to stand up to
some
of the bullies in my life? At least when Randy bullies me he's up front about it."

"What are you talking about?!" Taylor blurted, finally meeting him in the center of the ring. She couldn't believe her ears. Was this really what Wesley thought about her? "I'm always the first one to stand up for you when Randy's around!"

"Yeah? And
why's that
?"

"What?"

"You don't do it for
me
. You do it so you'll have another story to tell." He looked around at the others and shifted his tone to mock Taylor. "Hey! Look everyone! I just saved Wesley Bates from the big, bad bully! Isn't he lucky to have me?"

The others seemed embarrassed. They shifted their feet and looked at the ground with no idea how to respond.

"Wes, I never—"

"You don't
have
to say it, Taylor. You act like you're better than
everyone
. You're always telling me what's right, what's wrong, what I should have done. Well, you know what? This time
you
should have listened to
me
!"

There'd been a special chemistry between them once. Something new and exciting that felt electric. Now, it was different. Instead, every word out of his mouth was a painful shock to her system, lashing out, probing, looking for the perfect place to strike.

"I... I... I'm sorry. I don't... it's just..." Taylor gestured toward Dorothy Gale's grave. "She
died
, Wes."

"Yeah?" he sneered. "And whose fault is that?"

His words crackled, finally striking where Taylor would feel it most – her guilty heart.

Strangely though, this was exactly what she needed. She'd known all along that Wesley should stay behind, but selfishly, she'd allowed him to tag along. He made her feel strong, like she could take on anything Oz threw at her. But not anymore. Now, all she wanted to do was run away and leave him behind. He would hate her, but at least he'd be safe. She'd been feeling the tug-o-war conflict between right and wrong since they'd left school, but it was finally over. The rope had snapped. No one had won. There was no right or wrong decision, only what Taylor knew she had to do. Wesley was right. Sometimes you've got to break the rules to do the right thing.

"You're right," she whispered. "I should have listened. None of this would have happened if we'd done what you said. I just... I don't want anyone else to get hurt because of me. You know? Especially..." Her words trailed off. If she told him why she wanted to leave him behind every emotion would come spilling out of her and she wouldn't be able to finish.

"I know, Tay. It's not like I don't feel the same way."
 

His tone was softening. She could see Wesley already regretted the things he'd said and how he'd said them. He wouldn't apologize, but the look on his face said enough. It was what she would hold onto after she was gone.

"We've got to do this together, right? Like always."

Taylor forced a smile. "Yeah," she said. "Like always."
 

TAYLOR WAS LYING on a woven blanket and staring up at the night sky. She found that if she kept her eyes on the heavens she could almost forget she was still trapped in her nightmare.

The Tinman was propped up against a tree nearby, sitting upright while he slept. The Cowardly Lion was curled up near the dying fire, snoring so loudly Taylor wondered how anyone was sleeping at all.

Taylor sat up and saw Wesley had fallen asleep beneath a large oak. It had been several hours since their fight, but his words had cut like a knife and the wounds still felt fresh. Her emotions had been on a roller coaster ride ever since. There were times she wanted to hug him and apologize, but there were moments when she felt like punching him in the face. Through it all, she felt sick to her stomach, just as she had after her father's outburst in the kitchen.

Only this was worse.

A few weeks after his move to Astoria, Wesley had made Tay watch an old, black-and-white movie called
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
where aliens kidnapped humans then replaced them with look-a-likes that acted nothing like the originals. That's how her father had been: snatched. He looked the same, but everything inside – all the important stuff – was different.

Only Wesley's body hadn't been snatched. He hadn't changed on Tay like everyone else. He'd been with Taylor when the library shifted. This was the real Wesley Bates; and the real Wesley Bates thought Taylor was a self-centered bully. She had never cared what anyone thought. She'd heard all the names whispered behind her back – teacher's pet, goodie-goodie, snob – but only this one hurt, and it hurt because it had come from him. It had come from Wes.

She rose to her feet, dusting off her shorts before quietly walking over to the spot where Wesley slept. She stood there in silence, watching her friend sleep. Were they still friends? Strangely, it was only now that he seemed to hate her that she realized she wanted something more than friendship from him. A lot more.

"Why are you up?"

Taylor turned to find Hope standing just a few feet behind her. The moonlight shone through the trees and cast a web of dark shadows across Hope's face so that she went largely unseen.

"Don't wake him," Taylor pleaded.

"You're leaving, aren't you?"

Taylor looked down at Wes as she answered. "Tell him I'm not mad. He'll think that's why I left, but..."

Her sadness wouldn't let her finish.

Wesley rolled onto his back so that Taylor could see his face. He looked lost in a bad dream. Taylor knelt beside him. His face seemed to glow in the pale moonlight. She saw his glasses were folded neatly on top of the backpack beside him.

"He looks so mature without his glasses," Taylor whispered. She pushed the hair from Wesley's face, making sure not to wake him. "I like him better with them on, though. Don't you?" Hope didn't answer. "I wish I would have told him that."

Taylor came to her feet.

"Take him home," she said. "Wait in the library like you said. I never should have let you guys come this far."

"Are you sure this is what you want to do?"

Taylor looked back at Wesley, still asleep. "He just got his life together. I don't want anything happening to him."

Hope tried to smile but it wouldn't come. She watched Taylor walk over to the Cowardly Lion where she began to gently stroke his golden mane. A few seconds later, he woke and nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Shh!" Taylor said. "Were you having a bad dream?"

"That's all I ever have," the beast whimpered. "Is it time to go?" Taylor nodded. The Lion stood on all-fours, arching his back and baring his teeth in an exaggerated yawn.

"Can you wake the Tinman?"

The Lion gave a slight nod then padded away.

"Remember to be quiet," Taylor reminded him. "We don't want to wake anyone."

ROUGH PRESSURE ON Wesley's neck pulled him from sleep. He woke to find Hope glaring down at him.

"What's wrong?" he asked groggily, stretching as he wiped the sleep from his eyes. "Is everything—"

Hope stormed away before Wesley could finish.

Wesley scrambled to his feet. "What's wrong?" he repeated. "Where's—"

A flash of morning light glinted off something in Hope's hand and grabbed Wesley's full attention. The librarian's amulet was dangling from her closed fist. Wesley moved a hand to his chest, making sure it was
his
amulet she was carrying. It was. The metal bookmark that had been hanging from his neck since they left the library was now gone.

"Hey!" Wesley said. "What are you doing?"

"I tried to do this the easy way," Hope explained. "The two of you just wouldn't listen."

"Where's Taylor?"

Hope threw a bag over her shoulder, ignoring the question. "C'mon," she said. "Get your things together. We're going back."

"Did you hear me?
Where's Tay?
"

Hope sighed. "She went on without us. Just like she said she would."

"No... she... she said she wasn't going to do that."

"Grow up, Wes. Even
the Scarecrow
knew she was lying."

Wesley sprinted up the small hill that lay ahead of them hoping he would see Taylor on the other side. He didn't.

"Can you blame her for leaving?" Hope asked. "I can't believe the things you said to her. That's how you treat your friends?"

Wesley glared at her through accusatory eyes. She'd put those thoughts in his head.

"Hey," Hope began, "there's nothing I said you weren't already thinking. All I wanted was for you to show a little backbone so that she didn't get us all killed."

He began to replay his argument with Taylor in his head. Why had he said those things? He hadn't meant any of them. It felt like a punch to the gut knowing those were the last things he'd said to her.

"We're going after her," Wesley said. "Get your stuff." He hurried to put on his backpack. Hope didn't move. "Did you hear me?!"

"If only you could have stood up to
her
like this."

"Fine," Wesley said. "Give me that. I'll go myself."

He marched toward Hope and tried to snatch the amulet from her grip, but she held it above her head and out of reach.

"How's she supposed to get back?!"

Hope thought before answering.

"
Mr. Stanford
will bring her home."

"Mr. Stanford? Why would Randy's dad..."

Wesley didn't finish. He'd spent so much time focused on the puzzle that was Oz, he'd neglected their own story. Regardless, the pieces had fallen into place without him: Hope's erratic behavior, her use of a cell phone in Oz, her constant criticism of Tay and how she'd used those ideas to drive a wedge between the two friends, her obsession with the librarian's amulet. Alone they had revealed little, but now, together, those pieces were painting a focused picture that was hard to deny.