Chapter 6
The sound of footsteps approaching down the concrete corridor froze them in place. Maya instinctively pulled her hands back from the open ledger, her eyes widening as she exchanged a silent, panicked look with Leo. The light overhead flickered once, casting long, distorted shadows across the metal shelving units that lined the aisle.
"Hide the ledger," Maya whispered urgently, her voice trembling slightly despite her best efforts to maintain composure.
Leo didn't hesitate. With practiced speed, he grabbed the heavy leather-bound volume, hoisted it back onto its designated shelf, and pushed it flush against the bookends just as a pair of polished leather shoes rounded the corner of aisle ten.
Maya stepped quickly into the shadows of the shelving unit, pulling her canvas tote bag close to her side. She adjusted the collar of her white patterned blouse, forcing her breathing to remain slow and shallow. Leo leaned casually against the end of the shelf, pulling the hood of his dark blue hoodie slightly forward over his forehead to obscure his face, attempting to look like an ordinary, bored teenager waiting for a friend.
A security guard in a dark navy uniform appeared at the entrance of the aisle, holding a heavy-duty flashlight. He shone the beam directly across the floor before raising it to illuminate Leo’s face. The guard narrowed his eyes, recognizing the uniform code of the local high school visible on the hem of Leo's dark hoodie.
"What are you two doing down here?" the guard asked, his voice echoing authoritatively off the damp concrete walls. "The municipal archives have been closed to the public since five o'clock. This area is restricted."
Leo didn't flinch, maintaining a calm, unbothered demeanor that completely masked his racing pulse. "We're working on the historical centennial exhibition for school, sir. Mr. Henderson from the administration office gave us verbal permission to check the physical zoning logs before the weekend."
The guard crossed his arms over his chest, his gaze shifting suspiciously from Leo to the darkened aisle where Maya stood half-concealed behind the shelf. "Mr. Henderson left for his cabin in the mountains three hours ago. Try again, kid."
Maya stepped out from the shadows into the fluorescent light, keeping her hands steady at her sides. She adopted a polite, respectful tone, using her natural composure to defuse the confrontation. "We apologize for overstaying our welcome, officer. We lost track of time verifying the dates for the nineteenth-century boundary dispute maps. We were just packing up to leave."
The guard looked closely at Maya, recognizing her family resemblance immediately. The sharp line of her jaw and the distinct color of her eyes were identical to the portraits of the city council members hanging upstairs in the main atrium. The hostility in the guard’s posture softened just a fraction as the implicit weight of her last name registered in his mind.
"Vance," the guard muttered, his tone shifting from suspicion to cautious irritation. "Your uncle is going to have my head on a spike if he finds out teenagers are wandering through the sub-level archives unsupervised. Pack your things and head straight up the north stairwell. No detours."
May you like
"Yes, sir. Thank you," Maya said smoothly, grabbing her tote bag from the sorting table.
Leo nodded curtly, keeping his hands safely inside his hoodie pockets where the vintage water board documents rested securely against his chest. Together, they walked past the guard without running, maintaining a controlled, measured pace until they reached the heavy metal exit door leading out of the basement.
