The rungs of the metal ladder clanked with each step Riley took upwards. They fell together into a steady stream of noise, and even Nina stopped her squirming and was content to dangle under Riley's arm, looking for all the world asleep. Then, she reached the top, and encountered the rounded door. "Hold still," Riley muttered, and tucked Nina into her other arm. With her free hand, she reached up and felt the trapdoor. It was solid metal, and with a little push, revealed the tiniest of cracks, barely visible enough to see light on the other end. Nina suddenly sprang to life, bounding off of Riley into the crack, and squeezing through. Riley felt her balance give way, and for a few frightful seconds, she was dangling by one arm, legs scrambling for purchase, near dropping into the dark abyss below. Then, she found two rungs for her feet, and clung to them best she could. Again, she reached out for the trapdoor, and this time pushed with all her might, leaving a hole for her to exit through.

"Bad girl! don't do that again," she chastised, as she joined Nina up there. The little animal sat on her haunches, gazing up at the giant room before her. Riley soon joined in, transfixed by the scene. Each book must be as tall as she is, and they stacked together higher than the hotels on the Scarborough shore. One of the books caught her eye, glittering in the light. She couldn't quite make out the title, but it must be useful somehow. She started planning another ascent up the bookshelf, sure of her actions. She remembered spending hours climbing the highest of trees, fending off defensive birds, all the while looking for the elusive fairies she had never found. Perhaps had she known they were all hiding under the lake . . .

Another book tumbled from its perch down to the far-away ground. Riley quickly found another place for her free hand and continued. As the book got closer, she could finally recognize the title. On the spine, in shining words, read [i]House of Roses[/i]. She stretched to her full potential length up to it, and pulled it out with a grunt. It tumbled, like the rest of them, down to the little pile at the bottom. The book struck ground, and opened up to a page. Riley quickly scrabbled down, eager to read the contents.