"I’ve been there before."
Melody stopped in her tracks and turned back to him. "You’ve been to the Library before? How the hell- I thought the whole point was that no one came or went."
"That is the point. That’s why I never told you."
"If you got in and got out, all the more reason for me to try, then, right? So how do I do it?"
Bird shook his head. "It’s not that easy, Mel. I don’t think I could do it again and be allowed to leave, and I don’t think you…"
"You don’t think I what?" she glared at me.
"It was a special circumstance."
"Sure it was," Melody crossed her arms over her chest. "Either you’re trying to protect me — which I hate — or I have to assume you’re a spy — which I also hate. You’re not making this easy for me, Bird."
"I know," he conceded.
"Unless you’re lying," she said, looking oddly hopeful.
He couldn’t remember the last time he’d wanted to lie as badly as he did right then. "Sorry, I can’t lie."
"Then you better either decide to help or get the fuck out before I remember what I do to spies and men who think they need to protect me."
Bird knew she had almost zero chance of succeeding without his help. He didn’t think the odds were much better with it, but he felt responsible because he'd brought it up. "Fine. I’ll get you in."
"Good." She didn’t quite smile, but she relaxed. "Look, if it’ll make you feel better, we’ll go see Destiny before I go in."
He’d heard of Destiny before. The name was familiar but he couldn't place it immediately. He had a flash of memory, the Librarian mentioning she was coming, and tea. Always tea. But there was a sense of awe he felt toward her that he couldn't deny.
"We can just go see her?" Bird asked, surprised. Here he was getting used to all the rules she explained to him, and it turns out someone held in so much regard could be visited by just anyone.
"Destiny talks to everyone," Melody answered, smiling. "Come on." It was still full daylight and he almost suggested they take the train, it was such a clear day, but Melody said it was a short walk. He felt the weight of his weapons, but he didn’t feel like he needed them. He wished daylight would last longer.
Melody lead him out into a no-man’s-land of seedy movie theaters and mysterious, shuttered shops. Though it was light in the sky, the street itself felt like dusk and he didn’t trust it. "Is it safe?" he asked her.
"As long as daylight lasts, at least."
"And Destiny lives here?" Bird wished he didn’t sound so incredulous.
"I asked her about that once. She said it suited her," Melody shrugged. Most of the theaters were closed, but she walked straight up to one with the lights on and the doors propped open. The poster frames outside were empty, but the rest of the walls were covered in a messy decoupage of bright, garish movie posters for everything from Godzilla to Gone With the Wind. There was no one in the ticket booth. He followed her inside.
"Can I get you something?" the girl at the snack bar asked. She was young and smiling, not something he’d seen a lot of lately.
"What do you have?" Bird asked her, thinking how long it had been since he’d had a chocolate bar or some good tea. Not that long, actually. It just seemed like forever.
"Everything," she answered. He looked down and realized that instead of the usual candy boxes, there were tiny scenes being played out. He was in them. As he leaned in for a closer look, Melody dragged him away.
"Don’t get distracted by Valeska, Bird. We’re here for her boss." Melody turned up a set of dark stairs and he followed. Reaching the balcony, she studied the seats for a minute and then continued ahead. Bird tried to see where he was going by the flickering light from the screen. He almost knocked into her when she stopped, but then she dropped into a seat and he did the same next to her.
"Bird, this is Manifest Destiny. Destiny, this is Bird. He’s going to help me get into the Library." Bird leaned forward, attempting to get a better look at her. All he could see was outline, but she seemed to be leaning forward to look at him. He guessed her night vision was pretty good if she hung out in dark theaters.
"So you’re Bird now, hm? Interesting choice," she said quietly, as if she didn’t want to speak over the film soundtrack playing in the background.
"Have we met?" he asked her, confused.
"Not strictly speaking," she said. It didn’t feel like much of an answer, but he could feel Melody stiffening next to him and he had a feeling this was something she’d qualify as ‘being creepy again.’ Bird let it go, and after a minute, Melody spoke again.
"He’s nervous about taking me into the Archives. I figured coming to see you would make him feel better," she explained.
"Sure of yourself, aren’t you?" Destiny asked. "You’re not afraid of what I might tell you."
Melody shook her head. "No. I know this is the way."
Destiny sat back and looked ahead. Bird turned to the screen and noticed what was playing on it for the first time. It had seemed like an action movie, then a horror flick, and then an old comedy pratfall. He realized it wasn’t just one movie, but different scenes. After a moment, the picture jumped again, and this time Melody was on the screen. He recognized the scenery around her as the Reading Room of the Library.
"See, Bird? I told you it’d be fine."
"I don’t think–" he started to argue, but she stood up and pushed past him toward the aisle.
"Thank you, Destiny. I appreciate it. Come on, Bird." She left without turning back to him.
He looked over at Destiny. "It’s not getting in that I’m worried about, you know."
She leaned across the now-empty seat between them as the screen went white. In the brighter lighting, he could see that her eyes were actually closed. "I know. But you don’t appear on my screen. I can’t see you."
"Open your eyes, then. I’m right in front of you."
She did, lids sliding up to reveal that her eyes were completely blue, with no white or iris or pupil, only static flickering across their surface. The screen went dark, but her eyes glowed softly at me.
"When I say I can’t see you," she said in a very sharp voice, "I mean it. I told Libris once that I couldn’t see you, and it’s still true."
Bird nodded, uncomprehending.
"She’s waiting for you."
He stood, stumbling over the seat and groping his way blindly down the row to the aisle. Melody was waiting for him in the lobby.
"Feel better now?" she asked him.
He almost said no, but stopped himself. All she wanted was to get in there, and she would. Beyond that... maybe it would work out. Maybe.
"Good enough," he said, and let her lead him back outside.