No disturbances, no distractions, just the quiet hum of an overworked generator and the sound of pages brushing against each other with every turn. She liked it that way, though she knew it didn't last forever; she'd always have to return back to her world sooner or later. But the reminder that such a serene place existed always calmed her mind.
Like Narnia, for the Pevensie children. They had a magical world hiding in the back of a wardrobe where they lived as royalty, given everything they could ever have hoped and imagined. It was an upgrade from their real life which was plagued with war. 
Collins liked to think that this place was her wardrobe, except she could go anywhere she wanted. She could find herself in the 1800s caught in a tragic love affair or maybe in a wonderland having tea parties with well-dressed rabbits. What could she say? Collins was an escapist. She liked pretending that she lived in a world separate from her own.
After much searching through the library's well-stocked, but still quite limited selection, Collins had decided to try something new that day. She had a few other options but the book which sat on top of the stack was the one which stood out from the rest of her usual, whimsical, romantic, and sometimes mythical genre.
She placed the books on the counter for the librarian to check out. The old man greeted her politely, then began to scan her books. He picked the one on top and briefly examined the cover. "Treasure Island, huh? Ever read it before?"
Collins shook her head with a timid smile. "First time."
"Did you know that this is the book that set the premise for what we call the old-fashioned 'treasure hunt'? The pirates, the 'X' marks the spot, the whole shebang?"
"No, I didn't, but that's very interesting to hear." She chuckled and watched as the man began moving on to the rest of her selections. 
"Kildare has its own tale of a lost treasure. A ship called the Royal Merchant, which was said to have been hoarding millions of dollars worth of pure gold. It sunk off the coast of the Outer Banks and countless men have spent their whole lives chasing after it. It still has yet to be discovered." He finished up with the rest of her books before he slid the stack back over to her. 
"Maybe this book will give me some ideas on where to start." Collins joked, but the man just shook his head. 
"While there may not be your typical peg-legged, parrot holding, eye-patch wearing pirates sailing around anymore, they are still very much extant even in today's modern society. Any one who plans on searching for the Royal Merchant's treasure might find it best to take that into consideration first."
Taking her things into her own hands, Collins felt an eerie tension in the air as she stared back at the old librarian. His warning had sent chills up her spine, even in the summer heat. She gave him a wary nod before she slowly started to walk away, picking up her pace once she'd neared the exit.
Once she'd finally felt the humidity in the air and the sun on her skin, Collins felt for the first time that she was happy to be out of the library. The old man's words had shocked her; just in the way he'd said them and the context they were in. It was like he actually thought she was planning her own treasure hunt and was threatening her of the dangers that came with undertaking such a challenge. He was just a crazy old man who probably gets his kicks off of scaring youths is what she tried telling herself. People could resort to the most disturbing things in order to entertain themselves. 
She tried to brush it off as she walked along the sidewalk. She didn't need the additional nerves on her mind when there was a hurricane approaching, except she wasn't really worried about that deep down. It wasn't uncommon for them to have storms and they knew how to prepare. She just didn't really like the whole thunder, lightning, and 70 mile per hour winds. The encounter in itself just shook her up a bit and the aura in the air wasn't helping to calm her.