I headed away from Charlie and Damon adding an extra little wiggle in case Damon happened to be paying attention. I saw myself in old man Han's book store window and cringed. The wiggle seemed more like a spasm and less sexy than I hoped. Damon permeated magic. I just didn't know what kind or what one of the worlds he came from. The one time I got him to open up a little he said he needed to punish evil people and his job working for the council let him do that.

"If only I could be a little evil and less charming?"

The sign read closed in beautiful calligraphy and more than one language I couldn't read.

Trust me, I took pride in my language skills too. Old man Han had me beat on two counts. Linguistics and his love of books. One wall of my flat was dedicated to them. I had all kinds, comics, novels, magazines, world books, national geographic, books from other worlds, the cheep ones that they couldn't care less about. I loved them. In another life I would have had a book shop of my own. A quiet corner smelling of ink and paper. The good smell that makes you smile when you crack a spine.

You either know what I'm talking about or don't. It's something that possesses you. I'm convinced it's magic in its own right. Something ancient that humans mastered a long time ago. Authors create worlds and the readers give them life. If that's not magic I don't know what is.

"Mr Han?" I knocked on the door turning the handle just in case. It didn't budge. I couldn't see any movement past the glass.

"Mr. Han, I'm going to reorganize your romance section if you keep pretending not to hear me." I grinned.

Of all the sections he took care of the romance was his most treasured. We spent many an evening discussing the finer points of love and war. I argued they had remarkable similarities and he would just shake his head and get more tea.

A light came to life in the back of the store and I turned the knob again. This time it opened with ease. The old man had magic but we never talked about it. People have their secrets in this crazy world and I wanted to respect it. Han didn't pry into my past and I could got to him for the hard questions. Like Pizza or Burgers for dinner?

I wound around the dust free shelves and gave the antique globe a soft spin. It didn't match my knowledge of my Earth in the multiverse. A few of the countries were larger than I remember Lila teaching me. Like Japan and a few other countries I would probably never get to see. Planes don't fly anymore. Too many other beasties in the sky these days for commercial travel.

"Ms. Katherine, what brings you to my humble shop?"

"Good morning Mr. Han, I just wanted to see if you got any new books for my collection?" It's not like I could tell him I was worried...

His wrinkled face formed a kind smile.

"Of course, I got a new delivery just yesterday. I'm sure we can find something. I'll make us some tea as you browse."

He gestured to a few stacks on his back counter. I'm not sure how he does it but he is still able to find books.

My fingertips grazed the covers, reading the titles, and waiting for the sizzle that came from fated recognition.

There. I took a few books off the top of the stack and set them down without making a sound. It looked old, the writing something I felt a familiarity with but couldn't read. Sometimes that happened when you read in more than one language. The book was only about the size of my hand. I opened it a let out a small gasp. The seemingly painted illustrations moved telling a vivid story. Battles and love flashed across the pages as tears fell from my eyes. The world ablaze and families torn apart. I couldn't stop I had to see what happened.

"Mrs. Katherine, I need you to hand me the book. That isn't meant for you and I'm not sure how it got into the pile. Please let me take it."

I blinked and met his eyes. His gaze fell to the book and I released my grip. My fingers tingled as the blood rushed back.

"I'm sorry... I don't know what came over me."

He somehow heard the whisper of my words and placed a arthritic hand on my shoulder.

"Nothing to worry about. This one belongs in the back room. Have some tea and some cookies while I put it in its proper home."

I sat down on the couch and studied the tray sitting on the antique table. The surface of the tea drew my interest as I steadied my breathing. Practicing the technique Stella had taught me long ago. In and out... closing my eyes I pictured Luna and Lila, thought about the first taste of coffee in the morning and my favorite romance novel. Distantly the tinkling of keys sounded and then silence.

I opened my eyes and watched Mr. Han take a seat across from me and lift his cup to his lips. I followed like a mime still not completely myself.

The bitterness hit my tongue followed by floral undertones. The tea was always gentle warming me.

"Mrs. Katherine, I heard about the woman they found. Are you alright?"

I nodded.

"Good, it's a shame to see life end at such a young age. An officer came to check on me and apprised me of the situation. That alley seems to be an area for bad luck. It attracts various things to the area. But don't worry. I have an acquaintance looking into protections."

"Thank you for the tea. Did the officer say anything else?"

"No he was a quiet fellow. I've seen him in the area but don't have the pleasure of personally knowing him."

"Thank you Mr Han, I'll be going. I'll come check out some of the new stock later. Please pull any you think I might like."

"Of course Mrs. Katherine, Where are you headed?"

"I'm going to the Daily Gossip to see how they knew about the body before the cops did."

"Very good, Be careful out there. I sense some darkness coming from the alley. The sooner the culprit is found the better."

I tipped my chin and headed out listening for the lock behind me. The click sent me on my way and down the alley opposite Lila and Han's shops. His last words about darkness worried me. In a world full of uncountable creatures I wasn't sure I could handle the case.

A figure burst from behind a dumpster and hit me in the head. The last thing I thought before darkness claimed me, dear Holy Brad please don't let me die in an alley laying in refuse and questionable puddles of liquid...