Free Tethered 01 - Catalyst by Jennifer Snyder

finger on.
    He was older, probably in his early to middle forties with short-cropped hair slightly speckled by gray. His eyes, a deep green, were fixated on me in a way that made my skin prickle with goose bumps. I didn’t like it. It was almost as though he were staring at some incredibly fascinating animal that was supposed to be extinct when he looked at me. A large black cat caught my attention as it jumped from on top of a bookshelf behind him and into a chair before hopping down to the floor and strutting to the desk at the back of the store.
    “I get my sneakiness from her, I guess.” He pointed in the direction of the cat and then folded his arms across his chest. “That’s Sage; she’s sort of like the store mascot.” His steady eyes dropped to the book I was holding. “I haven’t read that one yet, but I’ve heard good things about it,” he said, pointing to the book.
    I glanced down to see what book I’d grabbed. A cover with a girl dressed in a black dress with feathers floating all around her gleamed up at me. “Oh, you read these types of books?” I asked, his confession striking me as odd. I didn’t know why though. He obviously worked in a bookstore. Of course he read the stuff he sold.
    “How else would I be able to recommend books similar to others if I didn’t at least make an attempt to read some of the books I sell?” He grinned like I was some small child asking a stupid question regarding why the sky was blue.
    “Well, that makes a lot of sense, I guess.” I put the book back on the shelf and readied myself to ask for an application.
    “You aren’t going to get it?”
    I shook my head. “It’s one I’ve wanted to read for a while now, but I actually came here because of the ad in the paper.”
    His eyes lit up, but in a weird way. “Really?”
    “Has the position already been filled?” I asked, praying silently that it hadn’t. I loved the ambiance of this place.
    “No, it hasn’t. In fact, I just put the ad in the other day. You’re the first person to apply,” he informed me and then headed toward the desk in the back. “Follow me and I’ll get you an application.”
    I followed him to the desk and then stood, wondering where I should put my hands, wishing I’d just worn shorts or at least a skirt with pockets. My eyes swept over the novelties resting along the edge of the desk—colorful bookmarks with tassels, dozens of those little lights that attached to e-readers, pens, magnets with what looked like a picture of his cat with a little saying written in the same scrolling script as the signs above the selves. I picked one up and read it.
    Books are word windows… Open one and see where its magick may take you.
    “My name is Admer, by the way. I own this little place,” he said as he continued to riffle through stacks of paperwork and books littering his desk. “I don’t really need you to fill out an application. I just need it so I can ask you a few questions and get all of your general information.”
    I didn’t understand what he meant. “Oh, okay.”
    He paused in his search and glanced up at me, his eerily steady eyes meeting mine. “I’m saying you got the job.”
    My pulse spiked as a sudden lightness centered in my chest and then spread outward, making my limbs tingle. “I got the job?” I asked unnecessarily, unable to believe I’d gotten it so easily.
    “Of course.” He nodded with a small smile and then resumed his search. “I need someone who enjoys reading …which seems to be you. Ah—here it is…” He held up a piece of white paper. “And besides, you were the first person to ask about the position… I’m a firm believer in the old saying first come, first serve .”
    I smiled. “Well, thanks.”
    “All right, now let me ask you some boring questions regarding your address and such.” He pulled out a hard case from in his front pocket and retrieved a pair of small-circled, wire-rimmed glasses. “Oh wait, I didn’t let you