-7-
THE FLICKERING candle in my hand casts eerie shadows on the wall. I bite my lip as the door to the little room squeaks on its hinges. Very slowly, I push it open and slip inside.
The Book is on the table. It has a hardcover, a spiral binding at the side, and an image of Luke on the front. He is our ancestor, one of the first men to have lived on the island. He’s wearing a white outfit and he’s holding some sort of weapon that doesn’t exist anymore. Next to him is his sister Leia, who I’m named after. Her sword emits light because she’s a firm believer in the Force, so the story goes. On the other side of Luke is his friend Han. He also has a luminous sword, wielding it to protect the twins. Too bad Saul – derived from Han’s second name Solo – isn’t exactly living up to his ancestor’s good name.
And all the way at the top is a man wearing a black mask - Dark Father, who betrayed his children and used his powers to do evil.
I shiver and reverently touch The Book, running a hand over its cover. This is the only book on the island with a different kind of cover – glossy and smooth. All the books in the library are bound with raw threads and have soft covers made out of bark, paper or leather, and this feels so different. This is the first time I’m actually touching The Book. Of course I’ve seen the front of this book many times, because Saul always parades down the rows of people listening to his speeches while he’s reading from it. He carries it around like a symbol of his power.
I have always been proud of having been named after one of the legendary twins who once lived on this island, but at the moment, I feel anything but brave and strong. My heart still slams against my ribcage, causing me to put down the candlestick with a trembling hand.
I open The Book.
My eyes take in the words on the very first page. They were written by Luke.
“They have abandoned us,” I quietly read out. “My mom and dad said they’d come for us, but they lied. Most children are still waiting at the dock. Night and day. They are stupid. They are fools. Our parents will never come back. We have to save ourselves.”
His full name is written underneath. Luke Skywalker. There are lines around it, like he wanted to draw a radiant sun around the letters.
The next page features a simple drawing of the manor house. All white and shiny, no ivy covering the walls. New and clean. Luke’s story continues underneath, but I can’t risk reading everything. It would take me hours – time I don’t have. I skim through the pages, looking at drawings of primitive bows and arrows, weapons, a spinning wheel.
A picture of the sea catches my eye. Dark, ominous clouds at the horizon. The clouds we still fear today. But these clouds have a peculiar shape I have never seen before. They look a little bit like mushrooms. One single word is written underneath.
“Poison,” I whisper.
Suddenly, I hear voices echoing in the corridor next to the library. “How the hell should I know who has the damn key?” Ben shouts, sounding frustrated. “You left your key ring in the door, not me.”
They’ve already found out. I quickly slip The Book into the waistband of my pants. There’s no time to tear out pages of incriminating evidence – besides, I haven’t found any yet. I storm out of the door, looking frantically around me. The library has two exits, but they both lead to the corridor where Saul and Ben are currently biting each other’s heads off. The only other way to get out of here is the window.
I reach the window in three giant steps, crawling onto the windowsill and opening the window as fast as I can. I have to jump down two floors if I want to get away without being seen. And I have to make absolutely sure I won’t be seen – if Saul finds out I’ve been reading The Book, I’ll be locked up in the beer cellar for all eternity, just like that Fool.
There’s no time to waste. I close the window behind me, push off and try to bend my knees at the right moment to absorb the shock of hitting the lawn. Pain shoots through my calves, but I have to ignore it if I want to keep going. I stagger away and hide behind a bush a few steps away from the house.
Holy Luke. I’ve just stolen the most important object in the entire manor. I hold the power to end Saul’s terrible leadership, and Saul knows it all too well.
What am I supposed to do? Hiding The Book in my tent is out of the question – Saul will probably single-handedly dismantle the whole camp and turn every tent and hut upside down in a frantic search for The Book. And if they find it on me, they will punish Colin too. Siblings are held accountable for each other’s actions under Saul’s insane rule.
And here I am, still cowering behind the shrubs, which is none too smart. Any moment now, they‘ll come crashing through the door, and yet I remain frozen. I need a plan. Fast.
I look up at the night sky. There’s no moon, so I might make it out of here without being spotted if I cover my face with the black scarf I’m wearing and run from bush to bush. I should climb the fence around the manor house and run all the way to the border of our territory. The area close to the Wall might have some good hiding places. I’ll stash The Book there and return later so I can read more. Maybe Colin and Mara can join me tomorrow.
Not waiting for Saul and Ben to appear, I disappear into the night. If I’m quick, they won’t ever notice I was gone in the first place.