Héctor smiled at both of them. “Maybe I’m overreacting. Maybe this will be here tomorrow, and we’ll just laugh at how paranoid I am.”

A silence fell over the Room as the three of them looked at one another.

“We should exchange phone numbers or something,” said Juliana. “Just in case.”

“Yes!” said Héctor. “I thought of that before, but I keep forgetting to bring it up!”

They all traded their contact information. But as soon as they’d done that, the silence returned.

“Is this it?” Sal asked. “I’ll see you two again, won’t I?”

Héctor scoffed at them. “Of course! I’m sure of it.”

Sal rushed into Héctor’s arms for a hug anyway. If this really was the last time Héctor was going to see Sal, he would miss them. Their hugs. Their voice.

Sal hugged Juliana before heading to the door. “Don’t be a stranger,” they said. “I know we didn’t get off on the best foot, but I promise to be a friend to you.”

“Thank you, Sal,” she said. And then: “I believe you.”

They opened the door.

Closed it.

And when Juliana and Héctor turned back to the Room, the library was gone. No more shelves, no more books, none of the comfy high-backed chairs either. Wow, Héctor thought. Sal is really gone.

He didn’t want to believe it, but he still felt a lump forming in his throat as he looked around the Room.

“I think you might be right, Héctor,” said Juliana. “I guess this is it.”

“We have our phones,” he said.

“True.” She sighed. “Still. This all feels so sudden. This can’t really be coming to an end, can it?”

He shook his head. “Nah,” he said. “I think it’s the start of something new and exciting. At least I hope so.”

The two of them hugged long and hard.

“Thank you,” said Juliana. “For everything.”

“Right back at ya,” said Héctor.

He watched her open the door.

Step out.

Close it.

As he moved forward, he heard the Room shifting behind him. The light dimmed until the closet was illuminated by a single bulb that hung from the ceiling. He turned back.

It was nothing more than a janitor’s closet.

A single closet, full of cleaning supplies, an intricate web in the corner . . .

And him. One boy, who had somehow changed his life for the better.

Héctor waved goodbye to King Ferdinand.

He reached for the door.

“Thank you,” he said aloud. “I don’t know if there’s a person behind this, or if it’s just some weird magic, but . . . thank you. You gave me friends and a place to feel safe.”

He grasped the handle.

“You gave me what I needed.”