People streamed in with returns and disappeared into the stacks, looking for a new read. Children’s story hour was at one, but moms brought their kids in early so they could pick out a new picture book. Teenagers came in to “study,” which more often than not meant playing footsie under the table with their study buddy. Today was especially busy because so many people came in to gossip. As Charlie had suspected, it seemed that virtually all of the Independents had decided to join the army. The recruiters had set up shop in an empty storefront just off the town square. The gossip surrounding people with powers had gone from suspicious to approving so fast it made Charlie’s head spin. Normally, all the noise and activity in his beloved library made Charlie crazy. But this morning, it didn’t bother him. He was in love. It made him love the whole town. When the first televisions started to appear in Highledge, Hester had been convinced that it was the death of reading. He was sure she had said the same thing when the movie theater opened, or when the first radios started to make an appearance.
