The library was quiet, the air thick with the smell of old paper and silence. They gathered at a large, round table in the back, a small island of nervous energy in a sea of calm. Jake was already there when Kofi and Thea arrived, his laptop open, a complex series of charts and graphs on the screen. Ruby sat beside him, a stack of books at her elbow.
Nina arrived last, striding into the library with the focused energy of a general arriving at a command center. She dropped a large tote bag onto the table with a heavy thud.
"Alright, council is now in session," she announced, her voice a loud whisper that still managed to command the attention of the entire table. She looked at each of them in turn, her gaze finally landing on Thea, who was trying to shrink into her chair.
