“Your father is the Director?” Lenora gasped.
“Yep!” announced the girl with obvious pride.
“I see,” said Lenora. She didn’t want to say anything about her opinion of the Director to this girl, who seemed so happy and proud, so instead she said, “Are you sure you don’t need any help? The Chief—I mean, the Assistant Answerer told me you did.”
“Nope,” said the girl. “Although … I suppose I’m a little bored. There’s not much to do around here.”
Not much to do in the Library?!? thought Lenora. Then again, since so many books had been replaced by screens showing the Director giving speeches, the girl might be right. And Malachi had told her to help the girl, so perhaps giving her something interesting to do was exactly what the Chief … rather, Assistant Answerer meant.
“How about you come with me, then?” Lenora said. “I’ve got a patron who needs to know what the largest number is. You can help me find out.”
“The largest number is infinity,” said the girl.
“Infinity’s not really a number,” said Lenora. “It’s more complicated than that.”
“Really?” said the girl, putting her fist to her chin as though deep in thought. “We could just ask Daddy. He knows everything.”
“Maybe,” said Lenora hurriedly, “but don’t you think it might be more fun to find out ourselves? Finding answers around this place generally is.”
The girl brightened. “That’s a great idea! Okay! But I—” And then she stopped.
Lenora, somehow, knew exactly why. She turned around slowly to see a young woman, dressed in a suit—but it was not a young woman at all, Lenora knew. And she was glaring at Lenora with a twisted face.
“Princess,” said the “woman” in a voice dripping with bile, “you are to come with me immediately. And you are not to associate with this—girl—ever again.”
Princess? thought Lenora.
Princess stomped one of her extremely large platform shoes. “I’m not going anywhere with you! I’m going with her and we’re going on a mission to find out—”
“A secret mission…” muttered Lenora.
“To—to find out something,” Princess finished weakly.
The woman fixed Lenora with a vile look that felt like it could punch a hole in the wall, but Lenora held her ground. She’d seen worse, and she responded with a firm and calm face that let the woman know exactly that.
“The Director will hear about this,” snapped the woman, and with a whoosh of air and a popping sound, she vanished.
Princess shivered. “I don’t like those people.”
“Neither do I,” replied Lenora, which hardly covered it.
“But don’t worry,” Princess said. “They all work for Daddy, and Daddy gives me anything I want. They won’t hurt us.”
Lenora was not so sure about that, not so sure about that at all. She thought it would be a very good idea to get out of there as quickly as possible. But first—
“Princess?” Lenora said. “Princess of what?”
“Oh, I’m not a princess,” said Princess. “That’s just what Daddy always calls me, and so everyone else does, too.”
“Well, I’m not calling you Princess,” said Lenora. “What’s your real name?”
“I hate my real name,” said the girl.
“Then pick something else,” said Lenora. “Just be quick about it. I don’t think we should stick around here much longer.”
“Anything?” said the girl, smiling wide. “Wow. No one ever let me do that before, no matter how much I complained! How about … how about Lucy? She’s my favorite character from the book I read.”
The book you’ve read? thought Lenora. This girl had read only one book? Lenora had so many questions, but now was not the time. Taking Lucy by the hand, she headed for the Tube station, and the girl came along eagerly.
Luckily, Lucy was small enough that she could squeeze into the cracked leather seat right beside Lenora. Lenora scanned the slots, hoping that the one she wanted hadn’t gone dark. But then she found it, and slid her key into place.
“Googology?” said Lucy as the tube took off with a swoosh. “What’s that?”
“The study of large numbers,” said Lenora. “I figure that’s the place to start.”