The House in the Cerulean Sea (Cerulean Chronicles, #1)

by T.J. Klune

He couldn’t believe it was only Wednesday. And it was made worse when he realized it was actually Tuesday.

Talia’s eyes were sparkling. “He’s coming. He’ll know what to do. He can find anything.” Linus took a step back, ready to grab Talia and run if needed.

“Do you think he’d be good at that, Mr. Baker?” And because Linus believed in the power of positive thinking, he said, “I don’t see why not,” even though he wondered what Chauncey could possibly be.

Again, independent of any thought, Linus felt himself reach back for his wallet. He opened it up, found a single, and handed it over. It instantly soaked through as Chauncey’s tentacle closed over it. “Wow,” he whispered as he pulled the bill close, eyes drooping on their stalks to look it over. “I did it. I’m a bellhop.”

He was as fresh-faced as the young people who came into DICOMY with their shiny degrees and ideas about how things should be done rather than how they actually were. They quickly learned to fall in line. Idealism had no place in government work.

“The world is a weird and wonderful place. Why must we try and explain it all away? For our personal satisfaction?”

But he felt lighter somehow. Like he wasn’t paint blending into the wall. He felt real. He felt present. Almost like he could be seen.

He pressed a finger against the center as lightly as he could. He pulled it away, the tip yellowed with pollen. Without thinking, he stuck his finger against his tongue. The pollen was wild and bitter and oh so alive. He closed his eyes and breathed.

His thoughts were all cerulean.