“Where else could your mom be?” Titus demanded. The urgency in his voice frightened Tess. This wasn't about delivering a book anymore. Something was wrong.

“She could still be in the vault,” she answered. She glanced back at the soot on the floor before running to the back. She worked her way back through the stacks under the balcony into the darkest parts of the building, relying on her memory to guide her. Without people, lights, or sounds, the marble of the stone building felt eerily like a crypt.

“It should be just up ahead.”

Tess came to an abrupt stop at the metal entrance to the vault. She pressed the chime on the intercom next to the door. The two waited in silence for a response. She jammed a finger into the button twice more, but there was no re...

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