Elias grabbed my hand tight. “This way,” he whispered urgently. “Don’t make a sound.”
My heart raced as he pulled me deeper into the dark stacks. We moved fast but careful, stepping around carts and avoiding loose books on the floor. The flashlight beams from the power crew swept across the far end of the basement. Voices echoed.
“Anyone down here? Maintenance check!”
Elias led me behind a tall row of old reference books, the kind nobody touched anymore. We squeezed into a narrow gap between two heavy shelves. My back pressed against one. His body shielded me from the front. We were so close I could feel his chest rising and falling fast.
I opened my mouth but he covered it gently with his hand. His breath was warm in my ear. “Stay quiet, Lila. Let them do their sweep and leave.”
I no
