"I guess we started with the wrong first impressions, then."

I sighed and sat on the chair beside him. 

Illuminated by the yellow light of the lamp inside the public library, I noticed many things about the so-called ghost. First, he isn't a ghost, which is a relief. Second, he's been doing this for quite some time to gain his reputation. Third?

"You haven't finished your cookies yet, Mr. Library Ghost."

True enough, since I caught him in the act, he unconsciously stopped munching on those chocolate chip cookies, even when it was obvious that he liked them. I stared at the plate of half-eaten cookies and pushed it towards him. To my surprise, the Library Ghost hung his head in shame, as if those cookies were something that he had stolen.

I found myself smiling at the strangeness of this situation.

"Think of it as payback for leaving me a cookie last night."

The Library Ghost lifted his head to look at me quizzically. How he slightly tilted his head reminded me of an owl quietly assessing someone he had just met.

Ah, right. That was an "apology cookie".

I didn't know why I wanted to explain, but I did.

I shrugged, not wanting to dive deeper into it. It's no big deal, after all.

"You don't need to apologize for reading my essay without my consent." I suddenly remembered his note, which I still kept neatly folded inside my bag. "A lot of people do worse things on a daily basis. I'm used to it by now."

"And they don't apologize. That's why many people get away with their wrongdoings, thinking they don't affect other people around them. Our society shouldn't normalize that behavior," he suddenly responded. "Simply saying sorry is basic human decency, no matter how big or small a mistake is made."

I stared at him for a moment too long. Soon enough, I found myself laughing.

"A ghost talking about human decency? That's new."

"I can also talk about prose and poetry if you want. Literature is always more interesting than human behavior."

"That would be great," I said, leaning back on the chair. "That would be helpful with my upcoming assignment. I'm not much of a reader, I confess."

The Library Ghost seemed to feel comfortable enough to continue his midnight snack. Well, it's not midnight yet, but whatever. We just sat there in a comfortable silence, with him offering me the plate of cookies. I politely declined, not in the mood for sweets or for any food, for that matter.

Externally, I kept a cool head. Nonchalant and acting as if nothing is out of the ordinary.

Internally? I wanted to kick myself for getting into the craziest situations.

The silence was soon interrupted when we heard footsteps coming from the lobby, outside the door of the main entrance of the library. The ghost and I exchanged worried looks. Damn, I completely forgot about the night guard!

"What are we going to do now?" I whispered as we hid under the table, my heart pounding inside my chest. I haven't been in Eastwood for long, but the idea of getting in jail or, worse, contacting my parents and letting them know their brilliant child is now sneaking in libraries past curfew hours is enough to make me nervous as hell.

I'm screwed.

As the first beam coming from the guard's flashlight came into view, I felt a warm hand gently take mine.

The Library Ghost looked at me as if asking permission.

"I know someplace we can hide."

Confused, I barely gave him a nod and let him guide me into the vast unknown. The thrill of the moment---running away from the study lounge, trying our best not to get caught or make a sound---caught up to me in no time. Not long after, I found myself being led into the backmost portion of The Eastwood Archives, beyond the towering rows of bookshelves, silently witnessing our escapade.

"Where are you taking me?" I whispered, looking over my shoulder to make sure the guard didn't follow us.

But with the distance we ran and the secluded area, I doubt he even caught up to us in this labyrinth of books.

"In here. We'll be safe here, I promise." The Library Ghost urged me to follow him past a narrow wedge between shelves. "I... this is my hiding spot. No one goes to this side of the library anyway."

"Because just walking here feels like a marathon?"

He chuckled. It was a beautiful sound. "No. Because people don't like old and dusty history books anymore." Then, still, with that distracting white blanket over his head, the library ghost went in first.

I know I should probably be alarmed at this point. Ghost or not, who knows if he's a bad person? And I'd be stupid to trust him anyway.

But my gut feeling tells me I'm not in danger. No, strangely enough, I don't even feel uncomfortable around him.

'Maybe I should take my cousin's advice and see that therapist she was recommending,' I made a mental note to myself before following the Library Ghost inside. It took me a while to navigate through the tight and dark space, with occasional sneezing from the dust collected over the old books. He wasn't kidding when he said these were old! It feels like the world has already forgotten about this area of the library.

A moment later, I emerged on the other side.

That's when I saw the soft, warm glow of the fairy lights decorating a mini-fortress made of stacked books. It was built against the corner of the building, swith white blankets spread on the floor, bottles of Gatorade and packets of food, and several paper cranes neatly stuck on the wall opposite from it, casting long shadows that made them look like they were flying away from this place.

It was a little kingdom inside the library.

Among them, the Library Ghost ruled and patiently waited for me as he sat down on the floor, offering me a cookie he probably took before we dashed out of the lounge like criminals.

I smiled, breaking it in half, before deciding to sit beside him.

The Library Ghost and I sat in silence as we ate our cookies in the confines of his introverted territory.

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