The elevator finally reaches level 88 and the doors start to open. I quickly tug on Emmett’s hand to keep him with me, and instead of getting out, I say, “Oh, sticks! I totally forgot my bag down in the lobby. You guys go ahead—we’ll see you in there.”

Jennie gives me another side-eye of suspicion but eventually relents and steps out of the elevator with David. And when the doors finally close again, Emmett and I both breathe out the biggest sighs of relief. That was hella awkward, as Jennie would say.

Thankfully, the second time around, we manage to get to the basement without being caught. “That was close,” I whisper to Emmett as the doors open.

I haven’t forgotten what Jennie said—about there being Miru guards patrolling the library’s entrance. We’ll need to be super stealthy. I also haven’t forgotten that our disguises won’t last much longer. Cosette said we’d only have an hour or so. We’ll have to move fast.

But as we step out of the elevator and survey our surroundings, a wave of confusion washes over me.

“I thought you said the gifted library was on this floor,” Emmett says, scratching his head. “This just looks like a laundromat.”

I frown. It’s bigger than any laundromat I’ve ever seen, with rows and rows of humongous washers and driers. But it’s definitely a laundromat. It even has, at the end of each row, those funny ironing contraptions that look like standing coatracks with vacuum hoses. A brightly lit vending machine selling single-use boxes of detergent and fabric softener is tucked into one corner, and next to the familiar brands is a detergent I’ve never seen before called Pure and Divine. Its slogan says it’s tough enough for even the holiest of stains and the price is an astronomical twenty dollars per box. What a rip-off!

“Maybe the guests from the Godrealm need somewhere to do their washing?” I say. “But I’m sure Auntie Okja said it was on this floor….” I’d assumed the library’s entrance would be protected somehow—perhaps with a Gumiho glamour or something. But this is the last thing I was expecting. The only good news is that there are no Miru guards around. In fact, there’s no one here at all.

Emmett walks over to one of the washers. “Aw, look, Rye! It’s a cute little horsey statue.” He reaches up and pats the head of a small black stone horse that’s sitting on top of the machine. “And wow, it’s nice being tall for a change,” he says, stretching Adeline’s long arm as high as it can go. “I can reach everything.”