The door to the bookstore opens with a small creak as you pull it open. Almost immediately, the slightly musty smell of old paper floats through the air as you step into the building. The shop itself isn't too busy, with only a couple of customers floating about the shelves or stopped at one, looking down at a book they're in the middle of reading. You take a moment to look around before heading straight for the counter, but find it empty--or just about. A few steps away, a young woman, her back to you, stands on her toes to shelve a book at the very top shelf with a slight noise of effort. As she picks up another book from the stack next to her and shelves it, you figure she hasn't noticed you at all.
"Hello?" you say quietly as she bends over to shelve another book.
In spite of your best efforts to keep your voice low, your interruption startles the young woman, causing her to jolt upright and whirl around to meet you. "Oh!" she says, blinking rapidly and clutching her chest briefly as if struck by a sudden pain. "I'm sorry! I didn't hear you come in." She blushes faintly and looks somewhat flustered. "What can I do for you today? " she adds shyly, scurrying behind the counter.
You smile politely and nod towards the bookshelves. "Is there any chance you could help me find something? My friend told me this store had some interesting things..."
"Um, interesting things...?" the young woman says, averting her gaze as she pushes lock of her dark brown hair from her face. "Do you have anything particular in mind?"
"Not really," you say, "I figured I'd ask someone who worked here to help pick something out."
"Well, um, okay then," she says, shifting a bit, "I-I guess 'interesting things' could be in our used books section." She points towards the corner of the bookstore. "You could try checking that out."
"I was hoping you'd help me find something," you say.
She nods once again, still avoiding eye contact. "Okay, well, let's see what we've got. Um, where would you like to start?" she asks.
"How about the new releases first?" you suggest, "Something in fantasy or science fiction, maybe. Maybe even a graphic novel," you admit.
"Okay," she replies, stepping out from behind the desk and taking a moment to adjust herself. A small name tag, previously hidden by her shawl, is pinned on the breast of her sweater, reading 'Quinn'. She leads you over to the end of the row of shelves that are stacked with hardbacks and paperbacks. You follow along, looking at titles and trying not to stare too obviously.
As you walk past a few rows, Quinn stops for a minute and pulls a book off a shelf, holding it up to look at the cover. She checks the back for a second, skimming the summary. She frowns, murmuring something, and puts it back on the shelf.
"What's wrong?" you ask.
Quinn shakes her head. "It's nothing. Just one of those books you've seen a million of. I swear, they make those kinds of things in a factory. I don't know why uncle James even bothers buying it for the store. Seriously..."
"Uncle James?" you ask.
"Mm-hmm, my uncle. He owns the bookstore. Now let's see..."
She barely even looks up as her fingers skim across the spines of the books on the shelf before landing on another. She pulls it out, opening up the cover to read the summary on the dust jacket. Her eyebrows rise as she reads, and she flips through a couple pages before shutting it and turning to you.
The brightness in her eyes drops a little as her nerves seem to return. "Uh, this one's..." she holds the book out to you. "It might interest you. I think?"
You take the book from her hand and open it up, skimming the synopsis on the dust jacket. It describes a story of a young woman who wakes up to find herself in an unfamiliar world and must fight to survive.
"Hmm," you say, "It seems interesting, but not really what I had in mind." You hand the book back to Quinn. "Maybe something not in new releases?"
"Oh, a-alright," Quinn says, knitting her brow with a frown, "I guess, um, I guess there's the used...used books section or something in the back." Quinn points to a door in the far, lonely corner of the bookstore. "I'm sure you could find something there. People bring in all kinds of stuff..."
You shrug. "Couldn't hurt."
"Um, this way," she says softly and leads you to the very back of the store. Her eyes seem to sparkle like aquamarine in the dim light, her cheeks are flushed and a bit pink, and her breathing is quick and shallow. With one hand, Quinn fidgets with her hair, gripping the hem of her sweater with the other and looks away with the occasional nervous glance. Her skirt swishes from side to side as she takes her steps, quietly brushing against her legs as you follow after her. The door at the back of the store creaks slightly as Quinn pushes it open.
The dimly lit room is filled with bookshelves and stacks of paperbacks and hardcovers around the floor. There are some newer books mixed in here and there, but most of the books have to be at least several years old. Some of the shelves have books that haven't been opened in years--or perhaps opened too many times--their covers yellowed and cracked. The musty odor of pulp and old wood is even more pronounced here, making the faint lavender-y hint of what may be an air freshener or perhaps even Quinn's perfume stand out against the dusty smell. As the two of you enter the room, Quinn gently shuts the door behind you, easing it into closing with a soft click.
"Here we are, back here," Quinn murmurs, glancing about and nervously adjusting her shawl. She steps back a few paces, turning around to face you after scanning around the room as if to make sure no one else can see. "This is where uncle James keeps the old used books people sell to us. We don't usually get too much traffic in this area, I guess it's okay..."