The Missing Books
1094 Words
Inside Madam Seraphine’s mansion, the atmosphere had completely changed.
T.L lay quietly on a bed inside one of the mansion rooms while Bianca, Sophie, Gabriel, Nonke, and Gwen moved around nervously.
Madam Seraphine stood near the window with her arms folded.
Her expression was calm…
But her eyes were sharp.
“Explain exactly what happened,” she said firmly.
Sophie immediately stepped forward.
“We were in the study room,” she began quickly. “And T.L was asking questions about the books on the shelves.”
Bianca nodded.
“Then she asked about two other books hanging separately on their own.”
Madam Seraphine’s eyes narrowed slightly.
“And?”
Nonke answered this time.
“She touched them.”
He swallowed.
“And then she jerked suddenly… like electricity ran through her body.”
Gabriel folded his arms tightly.
“She started stumbling after that.”
Sophie nodded quickly.
“We thought she was okay.”
Her voice became softer.
“So we continued reading…”
She looked toward T.L lying unconscious on the bed.
“Then suddenly she collapsed.”
Silence filled the room briefly.
“And she hasn’t woken up since,” Sophie finished quietly.
“Oh, T.L…”
Madam Seraphine slowly nodded her head.
Then suddenly—
T.L moved slightly.
Everyone froze instantly.
Her fingers twitched.
Then slowly—
Her eyes opened.
Bianca gasped.
“T.L!”
T.L blinked repeatedly as the blurry faces around her slowly became clear.
Then she suddenly saw everybody staring directly at her.
She slowly sat up.
“What…”
She looked around awkwardly.
“Why is everyone staring at me like I just resurrected from the dead?”
Sophie immediately laughed loudly in relief.
“T.L!”
She rushed forward and hugged her tightly.
Bianca quickly joined the hug too.
“You scared us!”
Madam Seraphine stepped closer.
“You’re awake.”
T.L looked confused.
“Yeah…”
She scratched her head slowly.
“Um… did I miss something?”
Madam Seraphine answered calmly.
“You fainted.”
T.L blinked.
“I did?”
“Yes,” Sophie answered quickly. “You did.”
Nonke suddenly spoke emotionally.
“I thought I lost you.”
Everyone slowly turned toward him.
Nonke froze awkwardly.
“I mean—”
He cleared his throat quickly.
“We thought we lost you.”
Gabriel smirked immediately while Gwen tried not to laugh.
Madam Seraphine noticed the tension and smiled slightly before looking back at T.L.
“Come with me.”
T.L blinked.
“Where?”
“Show me the books you touched in our library.”
T.L narrowed her eyes suspiciously.
“So your books ARE enchanted.”
Madam Seraphine gave a faint smile.
“Well… in their own way.”
Then calmly added—
“But no. Our books are not enchanted.”
T.L hummed softly.
“Hmmm.”
She slowly stood up from the bed.
“I still think something weird happened.”
Sophie immediately followed behind as Madam Seraphine led T.L back toward the study room.
The room was exactly the same as before.
Shelves.
Books.
The study table.
Everything normal.
But the moment T.L reached the shelf—
She froze.
Her eyes widened.
“What?”
Madam Seraphine looked at her carefully.
T.L stepped closer to the shelf.
“The books…”
She looked around in confusion.
“They were right here.”
Sophie frowned.
“What?”
T.L pointed directly at the empty spot on the shelf.
“The two books I touched.”
Her breathing slowed slightly.
“Where are they now?”
Sophie immediately shook her head.
“None of us touched any book.”
Then suddenly she paused.
“Wait…”
Madam Seraphine looked sharply at her.
“What?”
Sophie pointed slowly at the empty shelf.
“I saw the names.”
Madam Seraphine’s expression changed slightly.
“You did?”
Sophie nodded.
“Yes.”
She scratched her head trying to remember.
“I was curious.”
Then finally—
“It was…”
She paused again.
“LATOT SECOND DIVISION.”
The room became quiet instantly.
“And LATOT THIRD DIVISION.”
Madam Seraphine froze.
Completely.
Slowly…
She turned toward T.L.
Her eyes studied the girl differently now.
Not like before.
But like she was looking at something dangerous.
Or valuable.
Inside her thoughts—
So this is why the girl felt special…
She might truly have the bloodline of a Total.
But what type?
Mini Total?
Half Total?
Quad Total?
Her eyes narrowed slightly at T.L.
Or perhaps…
Full Total.
A slow realization entered her mind.
Imagine training her from this young age…
Imagine molding her into my greatest defense.
We would become unstoppable.
A small smile almost appeared on her lips.
I just need to discover what type she is first.
“Madam Seraphine?”
Sophie’s voice suddenly interrupted her thoughts.
“Madam Seraphine?”
She snapped back to reality immediately.
“Hmm?”
Sophie looked confused.
“You were zoning out.”
Madam Seraphine quickly regained composure.
“Ah… yes.”
Then she looked at T.L calmly.
“You should go back and relax with the others.”
T.L blinked.
“What about the books?”
“I will sort this one out.”
T.L nodded slowly.
“Okay… ma.”
Sophie and T.L turned and walked out of the study room together.
Madam Seraphine stood there silently until they disappeared from sight.
Then slowly—
Her expression changed.
Cold.
Calculating.
She reached into her pocket and pulled out a phone.
Then dialed a number.
After a few seconds—
A voice answered.
“Yes?”
Madam Seraphine spoke quietly.
“I think I just found a Total.”
Silence.
Then the voice asked—
“Type?”
Madam Seraphine slowly looked toward the empty shelf.
“I don’t know yet.”
Her eyes darkened.
“But our advantage right now…”
She smiled faintly.
“…is that she’s still young.”
She began walking slowly across the room.
“A teenager.”
Her smile widened slightly.
“And children are vulnerable.”
Her voice lowered dangerously.
“They can be controlled.”
The voice on the phone became serious.
“You have forty-eight hours to discover what type of Total she is, Agent Seraphine.”
Madam Seraphine nodded slowly.
“I will not fail you.”
The call ended.
Silence filled the room again.
Madam Seraphine slowly lowered the phone.
Then—
A dark smile spread across her face.
“Things…”
She whispered softly.
“…just became more interesting.”
- Writer
