The twins stared in shock, but their shock turned to fascination.
“Wow, that is so cool,” Alana said. “This is way exciting. Beats swim practice.”
College students milled around campus, clutching bags stuffed with books and laptops, while seagulls and pelicans swooped overhead, diving past the cliff to the sea in search of food. The college was famous for its marine biology department. Shelly had always dreamed of going there when she got older. Feeling a stab of anxiety, she pulled her sleeves down farther. Never in a million years had she imagined that her first trip to the science library would be . . . like this.
Enrique glanced around to make sure nobody was watching. The students were too busy rushing to class to notice a few kids in hoodies who looked way too young to be enrolled there. They hurried across campus to the science library, a modern and sleek two-story building.
Shelly turned to Attina and Alana. “You two wait out here and keep watch, okay?”
“Text us if anybody gets suspicious,” Enrique added. “Or if you spot my brother. Hopefully he won’t notice that I swiped his ID card and come looking for me.”
“We’re on it!” the twins said together, settling on a nearby bench. They pulled books from their backpacks and tried to blend in with the students around them.
Satisfied that their lookouts were in place, Enrique swiped his brother’s ID through the scanner o
n the door. Shelly glanced out at the ocean, where it looked like a storm was brewing. She held her breath, praying the ID card worked. “Come on, unlock,” she said in a low voice, “before Ursula catches on to what we’re doing. She won’t like it.”
After what seemed like an eternity, the scanner finally beeped and turned green.
The door unlocked with a click.
Enrique glanced back at the ocean. “Yeah, that storm doesn’t look natural.”
“It’s her,” Shelly said ominously.
“Let’s hurry.” Enrique yanked the door open, and they slipped inside. The artificial cold of air-conditioning hit them. The corridor was well lit, but that made it worse. They weren’t supposed to be in there.
“This way,” Enrique said, taking her hand. Her scaly green skin was sensitive. A shiver ran up her spine at his touch. He pulled her down the hallway. Signs on the wall directed them toward the archives. They reached a door printed with a sign that read:
RESTRICTED COLLEGE STUDENTS & STAFF ONLY
Shelly felt a jolt when she read it. She glanced down the hallway, but it was deserted.
“Here goes nothing,” Enrique said, swiping his brother’s ID in the scanner.
It unlocked with a beep and admitted them into the library. They slipped inside, hurrying past the check-in desk before anyone could ask for IDs. Fortunately, the librarian was too busy checking in books to notice. The library was lit with pools of light spilling down from chandeliers overhead. Bay windows spanned the entire wall, overlooking the sea. It was a stunning room built from old wood paneling and filled with rows of shelves, stacked to the ceiling with books.
A few students, absorbed in research, huddled over their laptops at desks that were piled high with messy stacks of books. A general hush seemed to envelop the room.
It was eerie. Just the tap-tap-tap of fingers hitting keyboards.
“Hurry up. Come with me,” Enrique said, pulling her toward the back of the library.
They wound their way down rows and rows of shelves. The farther back they went, the dimmer the light grew and the dustier the stacks became. Shelly sneezed twice in quick succession. That area of the library looked like it got little traffic, like nobody had touched the shelves in ages. Enrique came to a halt in front of another door marked by a bronze placard:
TRITON BAY HISTORICAL ARCHIVES
“This is it,” Enrique said, swiping the ID card in the scanner.
The door beeped and unlocked. The lights inside were off, but the second they entered, a sensor triggered them to flicker on. Shelly felt a tickle in her nose and the urge to sneeze again. This room smelled even more like dust and decaying paper. It smelled ancient. The books in there appeared far older than the books in the main library. Tables were positioned around the room, displaying under thick glass books that featured old maps of Triton Bay. She ran her fingers over the glass, taking in the beautiful images. They looked hand-drawn and -inked.
She followed Enrique over to a bank of computers labeled DIGITAL ARCHIVES. The prompt demanded a username and password. Shelly frowned at the blinking cursor. “How’re we going to log in?”
Enrique arched his eyebrow, then sat down at the computer. His fingers flew over the keyboard. He typed in his brother’s first initial and last name, then entered a password.
“Here goes nothing,” he said, hitting RETURN.
They both held their breath.