Monet face mirrored Oliver’s, as he grinned at her suggestion. She knew it was dangerous and extremely stupid, but it would be loads of fun. She got up from her seat and followed Oliver over to a bookcase, still smiling. How wrong she had been when she thought nothing could make her day better. Oliver began to take books off the shelf, explaining that they would probably need foot holes. Monet nodded. This was sensible, even if the act itself was not. She went beside him and began to remove books from strategic places. “What about the books near the top?” she said, in a whisper so as not to draw attention to them. They couldn’t possibly reach them from the ground. Perhaps they would just have to cross that hurdle when it came.

Once she felt like she had taken enough books out, Monet stood back to survey their conquest. The bookcase looked solid enough, but she knew she’d have to be careful where she put her weight. The last thing she needed was to start off a chain of bookcase dominoes; that would definitely get the librarian’s attention.

“Wanna race?” Monet said, feeling very childish and very happy. “First one to the top wins!” She went up the case and felt out her first foot and hand hole. The wood felt cold and slippery, not the best material to be climbing. “On your marks, get set, go!” Monet hissed. She began to hoist herself up. It was harder than she expected. She looked over at Oliver. “How does this compare to climbing trees?” she asked, as she pulled herself up another level.