3 ANOTHER HAUNTED LIBRARY

CHAPTER 3 ANOTHER HAUNTED LIBRARY Is that the library?" Little John asked from inside Claire's water bottle. The Seattle Public Library didn't look like any other building the ghosts had ever seen before. It was all glass, and parts of it stuck out in weird shapes and angles. "Must be," Kaz said as Claire and Maddie went inside. "Wow. This place is huge!" There was a bright yellow escalator in front of them. Three elevators slightly to the left. A long checkout desk to the right. And rows of bookshelves beyond the checkout desk. Kaz also noticed a strange machine that carried books from the outside book drop, up some sort of

conveyor belt that disappeared through an opening in the ceiling. "Does Andrea still work here?" Claire asked Maddie as they walked over to the elevators. "She was my favorite librarian." "Andrea is everyone's favorite librarian," Maddie said. "You want to go say hi to her before we visit the ghost?" Claire nodded eagerly. "Okay. We can find out if any more kids have signed up for the Halloween party while we're there, too," Maddie said. The girls walked past a table where a lady security guard sat watching three computer screens, then continued around a glass wall that said CHILDREN'S CENTER in purple letters. "Wow! Look at all the books," Kaz said. There were more books in this room than there were in their whole library back home. "Look at all the toys!" Little John stared at a large play area behind a desk where two librarians

sat. A group of solid boys and girls played at a table with a large train set. Others were spread out around the floor with puzzles and blocks. Parents and grandparents sat on benches around them. Before Kaz could stop him, Little John passed through the bottle. He exp-a-a-a-a-a-nded, then wafted over to the play area. "Now what are you doing?" Kaz asked. He passed through the bottle and exp-a-a-a-a-a-nded, too. "Just looking around," Little John replied. Kaz drifted up above the desk, where he could keep an eye on Little John and on Claire and Maddie. "Hi, Andrea," Claire said to the dark-haired librarian at the desk. The librarian looked up. "Oh my goodness!" she said with a big smile. She turned to the other librarian. "Do you know who this is, Lynette?" "No," the other librarian said, barely looking up from her magazine.

"This is Claire Kendall," Andrea said. "She always attended our programs, but she moved away a year or so ago. Are you back, Claire?" "Just for a visit," Claire said. "I'll be here for the Halloween party!" "Oh good," Andrea said. Lynette scowled. "We've never had an overnight party in the library before," she said, turning the page in her magazine. "I don't know why we need to have one now."

Andrea looked surprised. "Because it's fun for the kids," she said. "Wouldn't you have enjoyed spending the night in the library when you were a kid?" "Not really," Lynette said. "Do we have enough people signed up for the party?" Maddie asked. "I think so." Andrea rifled through some papers on her desk, found the one she wanted, and pulled it out. "We've got fifteen kids signed up. That's not a lot, but it's enough. The party's still three days away. Maybe we'll get a few more signed up by then." "Yay!" Claire and Maddie slapped high fives. "Guess that means I'll be working Friday night," Lynette grumbled. "Don't pay any attention to Lynette," Maddie whispered as she led Claire away from the desk. "I don't know why she's a children's librarian. I don't think she likes kids very much. Let's go find the ghost."

"Little John?" Kaz called as Claire and Maddie headed for the door. "We're leaving." "I don't want to," Little John said, his eyes focused on a solid girl who was driving a train around the track. She had long dark braids, and she looked like she was around his age. "You can't stay here by yourself," Kaz said, hands on his hips. "Can... I... play... with... you...?" Little John wailed at the girl with the braids. Kaz gasped. "Little John! You did not just wail at that solid girl!" Claire stopped in the doorway. She motioned for Maddie to stop, too. All the other solid children looked around. They couldn't see Little John, but they could hear him. "I'm... right... here...," Little John wailed some more. Then he started to glow. "Little John!" Kaz cried. Now all the solid people could see his brother, too. If they were looking.