I push through the people, dodging elbows and briefcases. I have five minutes to get to my job or I’m fired for sure. I run across the street and trip on something on the ground. I dust off my pants and check my watch. Three minutes. I kick aside the red book I tripped over and keep walking. Right before I walk into Inside Scoop, the ice cream shop I work, I have this sudden urge to go back. Retracing my steps, I search the ground for the book. Finding it, I shove it into my purse and run up the sidewalk. I push through the doors of Inside Scoop right as my watch ticks to 8:30.

“Right on time, Skye,” Anna, my boss, tells me as she pulls her blonde hair up into a ponytail and adjusts her baseball hat with Inside Scoop embroidered on the top.

“Sorry, car trouble,” I fib, hanging up my coat and grabbing my apron.

“Scoop duty,” Anna says, throwing me my baseball hat.

“Got it,” I reply, adjusting the hat on my head.

I spend the next three hours scooping peoples’ ice cream and taking their money. Finally, it’s 11:30, my lunch break. I grab my purse and coat then rush out the door to a deli across the street. After I order my sandwich, I pull the book out of my bag. It has a red cover, no title. As I lift the cover, there is a blinding flash of light. Once I can see again, there is a person sitting across from me. Weird enough, all the other people keep eating, not reacting to the person who just appeared out of thin air.

“Hi!” the girl exclaims. She has long red hair and her pretty blue top shimmers and stands out against her pale skin.

“Hi,” I say. “Who are you?”

“I’m Josephine, but you can call me Jo,” She tells me.

“Hi Jo,” I say. “Why are you here?”

“This book is one of the three Books of Kayzar,” she places her hand on the red book, “And I’m the guardian of them all. The other two books were stolen and you have to find them,” she sees the look of shock on my face and adds, “With my help of course.”

“Why do I have to do this?” I ask, as a waitress sets down my sandwich. “Well, I kind of, um, lost the books,” Jo mumbles.

“You just told me that they were stolen!” I exclaim.

“Kind of both,” Jo says.

“How can something be lost and stolen?” I ask, already exasperated with my new friend, Jo.

“Well, actually it’s a funny story. I was taking the books to The Librarian, who works here in the mortal world. But then a woman stole the bag I was keeping them in. It was a mortal woman! Well, at least I think she was mortal,” Jo tells me. “I also need your help, otherwise I wouldn’t be here.”

“Why do you need me? I mean, there are at least a hundred professionals in Atlanta whose job is to find other people’s stuff. Why did you come to me?” I ask.

Jo looks shocked. After she gets over her shock she explains, “I didn’t really want to tell you this until we found the books but,” She stops talking at looks down.

“Tell me!” I cry, earning glares from the people around us.

“Well, there is this prophecy. It says that a woman will help the princess of Kayzar find something that she lost,” Jo explains.

“What does this have to do with me?” I ask.

“Well I’m the princess and I lost the Books of Kayzar,” She tells me.

“I feel like you’re leaving something out,” I comment.

“Because I am,” Jo sighs. “I really didn’t want to tell you this but here goes. The prophecy states that the woman, the one helping the princess, will have to sacrifice herself for the princess. That’s basically all the prophecy says.”

I don’t say anything. I can’t believe it. I don’t have any experience in finding things. Why me?

“How do you know that it’s me who’s the finder person?” I ask after a long pause.

“I’ve kind of been following you around since I lost the books. When I lost the books last week I was drawn to you. I’ve been coming to Inside Scoop all week. I know that it’s you. I don’t know why, but I have this weird sensation that you are the one who has to help me,” Jo explains.

“What about the whole me sacrificing myself for you part?”

“I honestly don’t know what we’re going to do about it,” Jo smiles sadly.

“There’s no way around it I guess. I have to do this right?” I ask.

“Yes. The prophecy also says that once the  princess finds the Searcher, that’s you, the Searcher can’t get out of the job until she finds the lost thing.”

“Since there’s no getting out of it now, what did this woman look like?” I ask, getting us back on track.

“She was tall and had wavy blonde hair that fell to her shoulders. She was wearing a grey jacket and jeans,” Jo explains.

“Did she have glasses? Was she carrying a purse or bag? If so, what color? Did it seem like she was in a hurry?” I fire off some basic questions I learned from my favorite TV show, Caught in Action.

Jo furrows her brow and closes her eyes. “Yes, tortoise shell glasses. Dark brown leather purse. She walked by me, grabbed the bag from my hand, then ran away. I do remember bright red lips, like fire engine red lipstick.”

“Do you remember anything else? A birth mark? Weird shoes? Anything?” I press for details.

“Wait, I feel like there is something more.” Jo’s eyes are scrunched shut. After about five minutes she says, “Star! She had a star shaped birthmark on her left hand.”

“Okay. Was there anything else that  stuck out?”

“When she turned around and ran I saw a bit of pink. I don’t know what it was from,” Jo says.

“Did it look like it was on the edges of her hair? Kind of like dip dyed?”

“I don’t know. Wait! I have an idea. Here” She puts out her hand. I tentatively put my hand in hers and the room disappears from view. I try to pull my hand from Jo’s put she keeps a firm grip. Then, as if a switch is flicked I’m suddenly standing outside on the street. I see a person walking towards me then I feel a something being tugged from my hand. A woman runs away from me, holding a tote bag in her hand. As she leaves I catch a glimpse of her pink edged hair fluttering in the breeze and my eyes are drawn to the design on the bottom of her shoe. Then as quickly as this vision came, to goes.

“What was that?” I exclaim, once I’m back in the deli.

“That was my memory of when the books were taken,” Jo explains.

“Weird but cool,” I say. “The girl’s hair was dyed pink on the ends and there was this design on the bottom of her shoe.” I grab a notebook and pen from my purse and sketch out a design.

“Does this mean anything to you?” I shove the paper at Jo.

“Yes! That’s the symbol of the Vida Morte. They are a rebel group from my kingdom. I don’t know why they’d want the Books of Kayzar though. So, so far we know that this woman is tall, has long blonde hair, tortoiseshell glasses, leather purse, wears red lipstick, a star birthmark on her left hand and pink edged hair,” Jo explains.

“I think I know who we’re looking for, but I’m not certain. The person I’m thinking of almost fits the description except for the pink hair and birthmark.”

“Who is it? Do you know where she lives? Do you know where she works?” Jo asks excitedly.

“Let’s go.” I slap a ten dollar bill onto the table and grab Jo’s wrist.

“Where are we going?” Jo asks me, shaking her wrist from my grip.

“You’ll see,” I  say as we cross the street.

I push open the door to Inside Scoop and Jo follows me in. We walk past the counter and Jo watches me as I hang up my purse and coat, pull on my apron and adjust my hat.

“Hey Skye!” Anna says. “Who’s this?” She gestures to Jo.

“This is Jo,” I explain to Anna as Jo gives a little wave. “She’s my cousin and is staying with me for a bit. I was wondering if she could help out here until she has to go back home.”

“Sure!” Anna tells me as she pulls her hair into a ponytail. Jo gasps as she sees the pink edges of Anna’s hair.  “I’m taking my lunch break, be back soon!”

She grabs her dark brown, leather purse, showing off her left hand which has a star birthmark causing another gasp from Jo.

TO BE CONTINUED. . .