Chapter 3 An Owl-ful Sneeze

Great. I was stuck outside, it was almost dark, I was allergic to a cat that was now hopelessly in love with me, and I had no food or anywhere to sleep.

But one thing was certain. I wasn't giving up. That reward was mine!

"I will wait right here for you! Do you hear me?!" I shouted at the building.

My eyes scanned the area for a shady spot where I could sit and wait for him.

I found a small, sheltered nook beneath some woven wisteria vines beside the library walls.

I crawled into it.

Minutes melted into hours. The golden light of sunset was swallowed by heavy, dark clouds. It grew bitterly cold, and there was still no sign of Calvin leaving the building.

"Please come out... for love's sake," I muttered, shivering as I curled my knees to my chest and tried to shield myself from the wind. "It's so cold..."

That was the last thing I remembered saying before darkness took over my vision.

Sometime in the dead of night, I felt a strange warmth. It felt as though I was being lifted off the frozen ground and placed into something incredibly soft. A thick, heavy blanket was gently tucked around my shoulders.

I blinked my eyes open and caught the fading shadow of a guy who looked remarkably like Calvin.

When I opened my eyes the next morning, the sun was already shining. I wasn't lying on the hard ground anymore. Instead, I was nestled inside a beautiful hammock made of woven vines that hadn't been there the night before.

Wrapped tightly around me was a thick, brown wool blanket. Even the lovestruck cat was gone.

Could it really have been Calvin?

No, absolutely not. He was far too cold to offer that kind of warmth. It must have been a kind passerby.

I stood up, dusted off my clothes, and took a deep, steadying breath.

It was time to try again.

I marched back into the library. Calvin was sitting at his usual desk, his eyes buried in a strange, ancient-looking book.

"What do you want?" he asked without even looking up.

"This is a library, isn't it? I'm here for books, of course," I snapped.

I leaned my hand against a nearby shelf to look casual, but my palm slipped, knocking a heavy row of encyclopedias straight to the floor with a loud thud.

He finally raised his eyes, locking his icy gaze onto mine.

"My library is not open to someone like you," he said simply.

Before I could even blink, a flash of purple light blinded me, and I was standing outside on the sidewalk again.

Fury bubbled up my throat.

How dare he! If he knew a few spatial magic tricks, he should practice them on someone else!

I tried again.

The sidewalk and I became close personal friends, thanks to one generic response.

"I do not tolerate nuisances in my library," his echoing voice drifted through the shut doors.

I pulled at my hair in absolute frustration. I was going insane. How was I supposed to complete my mission if he wouldn't even let me breathe the same air as him?

I slumped against the wall.

Maybe I should just abort the mission and return to the Cupid Realm... but then I'd never earn what I wanted most.

I couldn't let one grumpy librarian stop me.

Just then, I spotted a fancy wooden signboard advertising an assistant position.

An idea popped into my head.

This time, I entered the library and headed straight for his desk, my face set with determination.

"Hello." I waved with a forced smile. "Fancy meeting you in your own chair."

Calvin didn't blink. He simply gave me an exhausted look.

"What do you really want from me? First, you fell on me. Second, you entered my library and scattered my books. What now?"

He paused, his eyes suddenly turning cold.

"It seems you need to be taught a lesson."

No, no... I'd heard magicians could be dangerous when angry.

"I'm here for the assistant position," I lied. "I want to be your assistant."

A sharp laugh escaped his lips.

"You? My assistant? And who told you I needed an assistant who couldn't even practice basic magic without crashing into people?"

"Who told you I couldn't practice magic?!" I challenged, crossing my arms. "I can cast incredibly powerful spells."

"Just get out. You are not the type of person I want around here." He waved me off.

"Why are you judging me based on a first impression? Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'Don't judge a book by its cover'?"

He said nothing.

I reached over and blindly grabbed a small novel from a nearby display cart. The title on the spine read Meow.

"For example, look at this book," I said, trying to sound highly intellectual. "Just because it's called Meow, you can't assume that everything inside is going to be—"

"Open it," Calvin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose in exhaustion.

I flipped the book open.

Every single page was covered in rows of the exact same word.

Meow. Meow. Meow.

An incredibly awkward smile froze on my face.

"Okay, so maybe this specific book actually turned out that way. But you still need to give me a chance! How about I show you a real magic trick?"

He scoffed, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms, silently daring me to try.

This was it. My perfect opening to cast the love-bond spell so I could progress with my mission.

I squared my shoulders, pointed my index finger directly at his chest, cleared my mind, and began chanting the ancient Cupid love-bond incantation.

"Ana, love... ro, zo, zinnias..."

Suddenly, a tickle exploded in my nose.

A stray cat hair from the porch must have gotten stuck to my gown. The irritation was violent and unstoppable.

"...ow—ow—ACHOO!"

Instead of the final binding words, a massive sneeze ripped through my body, twisting the magical syllables into a completely different word.

Owl.

BOOM!

A thick, violent cloud of brilliant blue smoke erupted over the desk, completely blinding us both. A fit of violent coughing burst from my chest.

I waved my hands frantically to clear the air, panic gripping my chest.

That was definitely not supposed to happen. The smoke was supposed to be pink, not blue!

As the smoke finally dissipated, Calvin was nowhere to be seen.

His clothes lay loosely piled on his leather chair, and sitting right on top of his folded shirt was a small, fluffy, speckled brown bird.

Its two furious, intelligent grey eyes stared directly into mine.

The bird opened its curved beak, and Calvin's sharp, masculine voice echoed through the room.

"What did you just do to me?!"