The New World

Theo never believed in magic, but he did believe in books. Books were predictable. They had covers, chapters, and endings. They didn't change overnight or rewrite themselves when you weren't looking. At least that's what he thought. Until he started working at the Apple Valley Library. The library was old. The kind of old that smelled like paper and dust, where every wooden shelf groaned under the weight of knowledge. Theo had taken the job as a part-time clerk, thinking it would be quiet.