Muted Trilogy: Mute Part 6

Feeling her cheeks warm, Jemma gestured to the computer for Cecily to see.

"Who's that?" she asked, and Jemma pointed up to the balcony as Jack approached it, waving. When Cecily had dipped her head in acknowledgment, Jack went back to his table. "I'm glad we haven't lost all our regulars."

"A lot of them have still been coming in," wrote Jemma. "Just not this week."

"They'll be back," typed Cecily. "I'm sure of it. You and I can work out a schedule to return to normal hours. I've been unable to reach Susan. Her sister had her cell phone when I texted it, and she said Susan and her husband went on one of those end-of-the-world cruises, but I wasn't able to confirm, and the dratted things don't have return dates. I wanted to get in touch with you, too, of course, but the employee roster hasn't been updated since you started. I only knew your work email, and as I mentioned, I had no idea you were already back." Cecily looked at her watch before she continued typing. "There's an event downtown tonight for the library directors. Come to it; you've been serving as an interim director, after all. I doubt we can change your pay rate for the past couple of weeks, but you'll certainly be more than welcome tonight."

Jemma rubbed the back of her neck before reaching for the tablet again. "What sort of an event?"

"It's a casual dinner at the main library. It's a fairly regular occurrence. It helps management stay on the same page without having to pay us overtime." Cecily's lips twitched, some of her formal demeanor slipping. "I insist. You wouldn't argue with LeVar Burton, now would you?"

Jemma chuckled soundlessly. "I suppose not."

Cecily smiled. "It starts at six, but you can come after you close, unless you had something else planned. I'd like to discuss something with you and Jessica."

Jemma nodded, and Cecily reached out her hand. They shook, and then Cecily left. Jemma scratched her head. Seeing her immediate supervisor use the patron entrance was odd. Her computer chimed again with another message from Jack.

CapJack284: Didn't mean to intrude. You should come sit up here some time while the tablet is speaking. It's almost as loud up here as it is right next to it. Must be something about the shape of the building.

LibraryOneWest: It's all right.

CapJack284: Not really. I think that's twice now I've probably come across as a bit oblivious to boundaries. We're here a lot, and I would hate to make you uncomfortable, he sent. With that electronic voice, I couldn't tell whether she was upset with you or not. No inflection. She seems like a fine person, but she's not often complimentary. I HAVE heard her sarcastic, though, so... I just thought it might help.

LibraryOneWest: I appreciate it.

Jemma glanced at the lower right of the screen.

LibraryOneWest: We close in an hour.

CapJack284: Aye, aye ;) She switched back over to her spreadsheet, finis.h.i.+ng it quickly and running the evening reports, logging the small amount of foot traffic in the appropriate book. At quarter of five, her computer chimed again, twice in quick succession.

CapJack284: I bet she wants to talk to you about a promotion.

CapJack284: I'm sorry. Boundaries. You'll let me know if I cross them?

She smiled and responded.

Don't worry, you'll know if you do.

CapJack284: Actually, can you tell me BEFORE I cross your boundaries? I suspect upsetting my librarian could be traumatizing. I might be permanently affected by the scolding.

LibraryOneWest: Ha! Okay, sure, I'll let you know if you get close to making me uncomfortable.

CapJack284: Whew. That's a relief.

CapJack284: Also, I'm glad you didn't say "LOL." That might have damaged my trusting nature, saying you're laughing out loud when you're silent.

LibraryOneWest: That would be unfortunate.

Jemma felt a little off-balance. She bantered like this with her sister, but she never had with a patron. She held her hands over the keys for a moment before she sent another message.

LibraryOneWest: What are people saying now, anyway?

CapJack284: Well, it depends. I've seen LS (laughing silently), LOTI (laughing on the inside), and WLOL (would laugh out loud). I don't really frequent a lot of sites with those acronyms though, honestly. I just try to keep up with technical slang since I feel a bit like a poser if I don't know them.

LibraryOneWest: Makes sense. I do the same thing with books I have no interest in. My patrons might need me to know.

CapJack284: Exactly.

Jemma glanced at the clock again. Closing time.

CapJack284: Yes ma'am.

Before she could respond, there was a notification that he'd gone offline. She shut down her computer, and he came down the stairs. They left the library together, and he waved and walked to his car while she locked the door. When she started walking to her own car, he waved again and drove off. She was watching him pull out in his little station wagon, reaching for her door handle when she heard a clattering noise from the far end of the parking lot. As had been the case the other night, when she looked, she saw nothing. Unsettled, she got in her car, locking the doors and heading toward the downtown library as soon as she'd gotten buckled.

CHAPTER NINE:.

Moving Up After settling her nerves from the unexpected noise, Jemma turned her mind toward the upcoming meeting and gathering. What did Cecily want to talk to her about? Jack's suggestion of a promotion was a possibility, and certainly one of the only options she could think of that made much sense, but now that Cecily had returned, Jemma didn't think that was the case. It was possible this was just to discuss a policy change, but Jessica could have easily used email for that.

She considered and discarded a dozen possibilities on her drive, some more far-fetched than others. When Jemma finally entered the main library, Cecily gestured to her from Jessica's office. Jemma joined her, sitting next to Cecily on the other side of Jessica's desk. Jessica was on her computer, and two tablets with keyboards were opened up to an instant messenger on the nearer side of the desk. Jemma waved at Jessica and Cecily, then set down her purse and turned her attention to the screen in front of her.

JessicaTLibrary1: I've set up a conference so we can speak.

LibraryLibrarian011: It's for the three of us.

LibraryLibrarian012: Hi, Cecily. Hi, Jessica. How are you doing this evening?

Jemma watched the other two as they typed their responses to her question. They seemed themselves, best she could tell.

LibraryLibrarian011: Just as well as I was when I saw you last, thank you.

JessicaTLibrary1: I am doing well. I hope you can help me be even better.

LibraryLibrarian012: How can I help?

Cecily started typing while Jessica watched, letting her answer the question.

LibraryLibrarian011: The events of the past couple weeks have made me reevaluate my life. I still want to work, still want to stay at the library, but I'm no longer comfortable devoting the vast majority of my waking hours to work. I'll not admit to being old for many years yet, but I AM increasing in age. I'm missing things in my grandchildren's lives, missing seeing them grow up.

JessicaTLibrary1: We were hoping that you could take over, officially, as director of the west branch.

LibraryLibrarian011: I will, of course, retain my position until we find another suitable candidate, if you are unwilling to a.s.sume the position.

JessicaTLibrary1: But you've been doing such an excellent job that you were the logical first choice.

Jemma looked between the two women, unsure. It wasn't that she hadn't been enjoying the job, but...

LibraryLibrarian012: I've only been working for the library for a few months. Surely there's a seniority issue?

Jessica shook her head.

JessicaTLibrary1: With the staffing shortage, the city has given me free rein to hire the person best suited to the job, regardless of whether they meet our typical requirements. You may be new, but you have never been lacking. After this event and your ability to work through it and compensate for it, I can't think of a single person better suited.

LibraryLibrarian011: Especially after seeing how comfortable you seemed today, I fully agree. This branch has been nearly deserted, too, since telepathy developed, so I don't believe you are at all responsible for this week's decline, and you've already got plans in place for helping the number grow again.

Jemma ran her hand through her hair, avoiding eye contact while she thought. While this had been one of the things she'd considered a possibility for the day, she hadn't actually thought it a serious enough option to decide what she would do. She knew there were more additional duties, things she'd helped with occasionally since they didn't have as many employees as the larger branches. Jemma would be in charge of ordering books, allotting funding, and monitoring employees, among other things.

This was a position she'd sometimes considered working toward. She'd pictured it happening years later, when she was her mother's age or older. Was there anything to prevent her accepting this now? If they thought she was capable, if she herself felt as capable as she had in recent weeks, she didn't think there was any reason not to take the position. She nodded slowly as she came to this conclusion, and she saw Jessica smiling as she typed her response.

LibraryLibrarian012: I would be happy to accept the position. There are some duties I've dealt with less than others. Cecily, will you help me get the hang of things?

LibraryLibrarian011: Of course. I have a copy of my availability. I'm willing to work between ten and twenty hours a week, preferably only as little as you need me. This will be more, at first, and I'll make sure I'm available via text for any questions that might arise while I'm not present.

Cecily stopped typing long enough to slide a folded piece of paper to Jemma, presumably her availability.

LibraryLibrarian011: I suspect you will pick everything up very quickly. You have always been curious about the needs of the library, even if they didn't fall under your list of duties. It's an excellent quality in a researcher, and it suits your new position well, too.

JessicaTLibrary1: You'll report directly to me for anything that needs approval above the level of branch director, but there shouldn't be much.

Jessica smiled, looking much more relaxed than she usually was at work.

JessicaTLibrary1: Welcome to the management team! Let's go join the others, shall we?

Jemma nodded again, and the three stood, moving to the larger staff room. The library was deserted even though there were a few minutes still left before closing time. Set up along a table was a small buffet, an a.s.sortment of burgers and hot dogs, chips and soda spread along it.

The city's library system included the main branch and six other, smaller branches or more specialized collections scattered around the county, even outside of city limits. The directors of each appeared to be present, along with spouses of the ones who were married, twelve people in total. Jemma waved at the people she knew well enough to greet, and she was treated with warm smiles in return. She found a chair at the edge of the room, taking a seat and watching.

It appeared most were communicating via text; people were mingling with phones in hand. After a few minutes, Jessica approached her carrying a piece of paper she couldn't immediately read, typing on her phone and then turning it toward Jemma.

May I share your cell number? It makes for easier socialization and communication.

Jemma nodded, and Jessica beamed, turning to the room and clapping her hands. The sudden loud noise was effective at gathering attention, and everyone immediately faced them. Jemma resisted her desire to shrink back into the wall to avoid so many eyes on her at once. Jessica held up the paper, and there was a sudden flurry of cell phone activity as people programmed their phones and then sent her texts.

Jemma's phone started vibrating and didn't stop for several minutes as a wave of h.e.l.lo, Jemmas arrived well after their senders had turned attention elsewhere. Person after person approached her one at a time, using her number for communication. When finally Cecily and her husband came to stand next to her, Jemma felt herself looking at Cecily wide-eyed, and Cecily smiled, one of the first real smiles Jemma had seen on the woman.

Don't worry, she texted Jemma. These happen just once every month or two. She c.o.c.ked her head to one side, then typed another message. You don't get overwhelmed by patrons. What makes this different?

Jemma had to think for a minute before responding. Most of the patrons don't really see us. They don't expect real responses. Everything's pretty automatic. Most of the people who try to genuinely interact are regulars, and if I know people better, I don't get quite so fl.u.s.tered.

Cecily patted her on the shoulder and nodded toward the table.

Go get yourself some food before it's all gone, she wrote. People will give you some s.p.a.ce if you don't have any free hands to type with.

By the end of the gathering, Jemma had relaxed a little. She now knew everybody by name and by library branch, and she'd gotten a feel for some of their personalities. She doubted she'd ever quite look forward to these gatherings, but she did feel optimistic that they wouldn't remain stressful or taxing.

Jemma was exhausted by the time she got home, but she knew if she went straight to bed, she'd be awake much too early the next morning. She was tired enough that she thought she might fall asleep if she curled up with a good book, so instead, she settled herself in front of the computer. She caught up on Facebook, where it seemed everyone was quite focused on who they could or couldn't Talk to, and then she switched to the news sites, where the focus seemed to be the same, for the most part. She skimmed the headlines, finally settling on an article toward the end of the page.

Advanced Telepathy or Evolved Rumors?

Despite the lack of pre-Event standard communication, rumors continue to spread just as quickly as ever. While the newsroom typically declines to comment on stories it can't substantiate, this particular one reached us via an undisclosed source who hasn't been wrong before.

According to our source, some individuals have developed an advanced form of telepathy. This isn't just to the degree of being more advanced in use of "standard" telepathy, not referring to those who can Talk across a house instead of across a room; it is referencing an entirely different cla.s.s of telepathy.

Since The Event, our lives have been a bit more unstable, as has our society. It seems extremely possible that telepathy has developed much further in some instances, but if so, why are we unable to confirm this?

Our source alleges that those who have this level of telepathy, said to have the range of a telephone rather than the range of a voice, have been disappearing as soon as they make their abilities known.

With the high number of people who continue to disappear for completely ordinary reasons, to take vacations and spend money and live the way they always meant to, one budding expert in telepathy says that this rumor is no more than the efforts of some to stir things up, to "troll" the general public and to spread conspiracy theories.

Chances are good that the expert is correct, that this is merely an attempt at sensationalism that we are making worse by reporting .

However, if this rumor proves to be true, you heard it here first.

-Katie Brink, Staff Writer Jemma clicked through a few more pages, then switched to Netflix, listening to her favorite time travel show while playing Flash games until she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer. Yawning, she got ready for sleep and then collapsed into bed, closing her eyes gratefully. She replayed her day, which had started so slowly and ended so eventfully. She sorted through her plans for the next day as she sank closer to sleep. She'd need to figure out what her newest duties were, to make a schedule for Cecily, maybe even another schedule for if Susan returned. She definitely needed to get the employee roster up to date, with contact information that was actually useful.

Finally, her thoughts slowed, spinning into comfortable darkness. Before her mind and body could take the final step into slumber, she was startled awake by an unknown male voice echoing in her mind.

"Good night."

She jerked and sat up, fumbling for the light switch next to her bed. The room lit up, the light filling a s.p.a.ce that was unoccupied save for Jemma and her furniture. She reached for her phone, opening an app that was designed to send a video stream to 911, her thumb hovering over the activation b.u.t.ton as she stood. She checked under her bed first and saw nothing. She then checked the master bathroom, again seeing nothing out of place. She went through the rest of her house, checking windows and doors as she pa.s.sed, finding everything still locked.

She was the only one in the house, so how had she heard another voice?

She closed the emergency app and made her way back to her room, sitting on the bed for a few minutes before lying back down. Jemma couldn't hear any noises out of place, no dogs barking or people shouting, no sirens blaring. The automatic lights on her house and on her neighbor's house remained off, giving no indication of someone lurking just outside. She turned the bedroom light back off and closed her eyes, opening them again almost immediately.

She'd just read that article about people who had really strong telepathy. She'd been very nearly asleep after a taxing day. The noises in the parking lot earlier must have put her on edge more than she'd realized, and she'd just been close enough to sleep that her subconscious had taken something from her evening reading and projected it at her.

It had felt so real. Even if she was wrong, though, even if it wasn't a dream and someone had just spoken to her, how? It wasn't a voice she'd ever heard before, she thought. At minimum, it wasn't a voice she was familiar with enough for there to be any possibility of the communication she shared with her immediate family.

She closed her eyes again, trying to recall the nuances of the voice, but nothing stood out that might help her identify its source if it wasn't her imagination. The accent had been unnoticeable, so probably local. It held a husky quality, as if its owner were near sleep himself. She hadn't gotten to Talk with people frequently enough to know whether this was a normal characteristic to come through the unspoken speech.

Her heart rate was still slightly elevated as she slipped closer to sleep. She made herself a mental note to look into what could be conveyed via telepathy. If it was impossible to convey whether or not one was tired enough that his throat, not involved in the process, had taken on a gravelly tone, that would confirm that the voice had been just in her imagination.

Sighing, Jemma turned her mind firmly back toward her plans for the next day, working with schedules and phantom spreadsheets until she finally fell into a restless sleep.

CHAPTER TEN:.