The Dawn of Skye (The Someday Children Book 1)

by E. B. Heimdal

  It was him and Knox who’d found the striped stingers’ honey store in the forest a while back, and they’d been so proud when they returned to the camp with their sweet and sticky treasure. It was rare that they found so much honey all in one go. Often the honey was too high up in the trees for them to climb up there. And, of course, it was never completely pain free stealing it. There were always some stingers who’d punish and sting them in the act for their thieving. Puk looks impatiently and with anticipation into the jar. It’s almost empty.

  “But it can’t be true …”

  He walks from the shadow into the sun to better be able to look into the dark jar. Maybe the light has tricked him? But he hasn’t seen wrong. A large lump materializes in his stomach and he can hardly hold back the tears. He turns the jar up and down to see if it has any cracks which the honey may have run out of. But there aren’t any. An icy feeling runs through his body and his heart starts beating faster. It can only mean one thing. Someone in the camp has stolen it.

  Dagwood waits for everybody to sit down around the campfire. Salomon has finally turned up, but the seat made ready for Skye is empty. She’s still lying in the hut. He didn’t want to pressure her into taking part in tonight’s events, and he’s happy about that now. He shushes everyone before he starts speaking.

  “Our celebration of life here tonight has suffered something of a blow. Precisely as we were about to celebrate that you can survive even with a broken heart and a hungry stomach, we’ve made a sad discovery. Our honey is gone. We have a thief among us.”

  A shiver flies through the air and soon turns into a choir of voices speaking at once. Dagwood looks seriously at all of them. He raises his hand to stop the agitated talk and continues in a gloomier tone.

  “We’re all capable of mistakes. We’ve all made mistakes, and its part of life, because we learn from our mistakes. We learn that mistakes hurt. Mistakes make other people unhappy. That’s why we never make the same mistake again, because we know that. I know we’ve all been hungry. We’ve been hungry for a very long time. A boy with a full stomach doesn’t get into mischief. A hungry boy does. That’s why there’s room for forgiveness this time. The person who’s taken the honey can step forward safely. He or she won’t be met with cheers and clapping but the person will be forgiven. This time.”

  It’s quiet around the campfire. No one speaks or even whispers. And no one comes forward. Unrest starts growing among them and everyone looks suspiciously at everyone else. Dagwood sees that the mistrust spreads and that it’s also taken hold of him. He feels very uneasy not knowing who the guilty clan member is, but he also knows that if they start losing trust in one another, the damage will be irreversible and the clan will be torn apart, bit by bit.

  “Stop!”

  His voice sounds louder than he meant it to, and he clears his throat a bit before he continues: “Apparently no one wants to turn themselves in right now. Let’s all think about it till tomorrow. The person can come to me and apologize for his or her actions until the day is over. That’ll also be acceptable. But don’t let this action ruin the rest of our evening. Let’s celebrate life with Puk’s good and tasty stew. There’s an extra portion for everybody.”

  Skye lies awake in the dark hut, listening. The fire has almost gone out and the cool air of the night blows in through the door. She hears the eager voices of the others outside and sees the flames from the fire throwing red cones of light back and forth across the sky. A small roundsnout has found its way into the hut and is lying with the puppies. It greedily nurses milk from the large dog as if it was one of its puppies.

  Skye is still hungry and feels like getting out of bed. The voices and the smell of hot food from the fire attract her, but she’s still afraid of going out there. She wishes Dagwood would come to her again, take her by the hand and help her meet the others. He could protect her if the situation became uncomfortable, or if her courage failed her.

  Her legs are out of control and she can barely lift them from the bed. Skye is afraid they’ll give way underneath her if she tries to get up. With both hands, she holds one leg and lifts it over the bedside. It drops limply to the floor. She straightens herself a bit and then lifts the other leg to the floor. She sits on the edge of the bed for a while before she tries to stand up. For a brief moment she stands, but then the strength in her legs fails and she falls over and lands hard on the floor. It hurts all over her body, and she remains lying on the cold floor. A sense of hopelessness overpowers her and she feels like crying, but she holds back her tears. She thinks about what she promised herself and what she promised Ecco, and her courage returns. In a labored movement she tries to get up again by pushing her hands hard against the floor, but once again she falls down.

  Suddenly she feels an arm under her and she’s lifted up on her feet again. It’s the scarred boy with the serious look who’s helped her up. Frightened, she draws away from his hands and falls onto the bed. In a clumsy movement she gets up, sits on the bedside, and looks at Salomon. He’s taken a step back in the room and has almost disappeared in the walls’ shadows, but she can still see his bright eyes. He’s looking at her, but he’s not saying anything. Skye feels uncomfortable and looks away. In a quick movement he turns around and leaves the hut, and at the same time Dagwood enters through the door. He looks, surprised, at Salomon and then comes over to Skye and sits next to her.

  “Has anything happened?” he asks, worried. Skye’s relieved to see Dagwood and smiles carefully at him while shaking her head. He returns her unexpected smile and pushes her teasingly with his shoulder.

  “That’s good. And I’m glad to see you sitting up. Does this mean you’re feeling a bit better?”

  She shrugs her shoulders but her look is aimed at the floor. She doesn’t know how to answer him because she does feel better physically, but her thoughts are still in chaos and her heart is still broken. The memory of Ecco lying dead on the ground and the terrible experience they went through towards the end fill her mind. Only for brief moments can she think of something else, but the horrible thoughts soon return.

  “It still hurts. In here.”

  Skye looks at Dagwood and touches her heart. A tear finds its way out of the corner of her eye and runs down her cheek. She quickly turns her face away from him so that he doesn’t see it, but it’s too late. He gently turns her head towards his and dries away the tear with his thumb.

  He looks at her as he quietly says: “I know … But now you’re here. With us. We can’t take away your pain, but we can help you through it. When you share the pain and the burdens, they become easier to carry. But you’ll have to let us into your heart before we can help you. Do you think you can do that?”

  For the first time in a long while, Skye feels safe and secure. For too long she’s felt scared and has been afraid of everything and everyone – even Ecco at the end. And even though she doesn’t know the boy sitting in front of her, she knows instinctively that as long as she’s with him she doesn’t have to fear anything or anyone. He’s given her faith that things will be alright again one day, that her heart will heal, and that the light will return to her thoughts. Suddenly she feels ready to meet the others and start a new chapter in her life.

  “I want to try … ”

  The day’s almost over. The last rays of sun twinkle in the tree tops. Dagwood paces back and forth by the riverbank. He waits. Waits for the honey thief to turn him or herself in before the end of the day. But no one steps forward. He sits in the grass trying to cope with his disappointment.

  Every single clan member has been under suspicion during the day, just for a brief moment, but he’s quickly discarded the thoughts again. In his heart he can’t believe that someone from the group has done it. He’s angry and sad at the same time. Sad that a friend he trusts and cares about has failed them all by stealing, and angry that this friend has put his or her own needs and greed before the needs of the
clan.

  Suddenly he hears a noise in the grass and his heart starts beating faster. He’s afraid to turn around and see who it is. The person comes closer and is now only standing a few steps away. Dagwood takes a deep breath and turns his head. It’s Salomon. A huge lump in his throat prevents him from saying anything. He can’t believe it! Salomon sits down next to him and breaks the silence.

  “Has anyone come forward yet?”

  Dagwood breathes a sigh of relief over his question and lowers his shoulders. He doesn’t want to give away that he thought Salomon was a lowlife thief for a brief moment.

  “No, and it worries me deeply. If we don’t find the guilty thief quickly, we’ll all walk around suspecting each other. Should I have tackled the situation in another way? Was I too hard last night at the fire?”

  He looks at Salomon, who shakes his head and continues: “Our group can only exist if we trust each other. Otherwise, what’s the point in sticking together? I mean if someone’s not satisfied or doesn’t like the clan … then it’s easy to get up and just go. Find someone else to live with or wander alone with no one else to answer to but yourself. No one forces you to do something you don’t want to. But if you want to stay here, there are a few simple rules. The rules we’ve decided as a group. I don’t think it’s asking a lot. Do you?”

  Salomon answers: “No, you know I don’t. Those were the terms I agreed to when you took me in back then. It’s only fair.”

  Dagwood’s picked up a stick from the ground which he’s broken several times. Obviously frustrated, he throws the pieces away.

  “I’ve tossed and turned every single thought of it not being someone from the clan but someone from the outside. How I wish it was a lonely wanderer who crossed our path during the night and stole the honey on their way! But with trip wires around the hut that’s impossible, unless you know they’re there, and a stranger wouldn’t know that. It is one of us. We can only hope it doesn’t happen again. Maybe the thief didn’t understand the seriousness until last night and is too embarrassed about his or her actions to come forward. But it’s my first, last, and only warning. I will banish him or her from the clan forever if it happens again and I find out who it is!”

  Salomon lifts his hand and gently squeezes Dagwood’s shoulder.

  “You’re a good leader, Dag. Never doubt it. You’re a bigger person than most.”

  CHAPTER 23

  Skye stands in the doorway, looking around at her new surroundings. She hasn’t been outside the hut since she woke up a couple of days ago.

  The others have all welcomed her with forthcoming and friendly looks when they’ve come to the hut at night to sleep. But no one has spoken to her yet. They’ve all left her in peace, even though their inquisitive and curious looks have been following her from a distance. Particularly the scarred boy, Salomon. She’s seen him watching her several times, but every time she’s caught him staring he’s quickly looked away. He’s never given her a smile or a friendly look, and it scares her. They have let her sleep in the best bed and she feels guilty for “stealing” someone else’s sleeping space. But Dagwood insisted on her staying there.

  The muscles in her legs are still weak after lying with Ecco in the den for so long without eating or moving, and now she’s afraid to move quickly out of fear of falling. She’s lost a lot of weight while she’s been bedridden, and she has problems keeping her pants up. The bones at her hips are sticking out from her body. She’s never been this thin before.

  She carefully starts walking towards the river, which lies a bit away from the hut. The quiet roar of the water attracts her, and she’s looking forward to finding a small spot in the sun where she can dip her feet in the water and draw in the clean air. Most of the other clan members are sitting by the fire or are doing various tasks. She tries to walk past them unnoticed. She still hasn’t got the courage to walk over and speak to them or introduce herself properly. None of them know her name yet. She still needs to be alone, but with the security of knowing that the others are close by.

  Ecco is constantly on her mind and she often forgets he’s gone. Often when one of the others enters the hut she thinks it’s him for a brief moment, and each time she’s disappointed and sad seeing that it wasn’t him after all but someone else. She feels worst right before falling asleep, because at that time reality mixes together with dreams and in her dreams Ecco is still alive. Every time she gets a shock when she realizes the truth, and the pain grips her heart so tightly she fears it’ll burst.

  Skye’s reached the water and finds a small bay between the reeds. It’s quiet and undisturbed and she sits down in the grass. She feels like going in the water, but she doesn’t feel safe enough and doesn’t want to expose herself in any way. Her memories of the last time she bathed are still there. She kneels and leans over the water to wash her face. There’s no wind, and the water surface is clear like a mirror. It’s been a long time since she’s seen her face this clearly, and the image in the water startles her so much that she pulls back at the sight.

  She leans forward and looks down at the water again. Her cheek bones are sticking out of her face and her eyes look like they’ve disappeared into two dark holes. She looks more dead than alive. All the beautiful similarities she once had with Ecco seem to have gone, sucked out of her from the lack of food and losing him. She smashes her hand into the water and destroys the revealing mirror, and she suddenly feels embarrassed that anyone has seen her looking like this.

  She hears some voices close by and quickly runs a hand through her hair so that it doesn’t stick out in every direction. It’s tangled at the ends and she struggles to get her hands through it. It’s Puk and Dagwood. And the little roundsnout. They both smile at her, and she suddenly feels foolish for thinking so much about how she looks.

  Puk takes a step towards her and asks smilingly: “Do you want to come to the fire and get some food?”

  Skye can’t help feeling a sting of joy over how kindly they’ve welcomed her. And over how sweet the long-limbed boy with the four-legged companion is. She nods and sends them a hesitant smile.

  “Yeah, that’s good,” Puk says, and offers her a hand to help her get up. She hesitates for a moment then accepts his help. Together they walk towards the campfire.

  The food tastes amazing, much better than the food Ecco and she used to make. It’s been a long time since she last had a bird’s egg, and she’s surprised that there’s enough for them all to have one. Puk sits next to her and can feel her excitement.

  “It’s our own birds who’ve laid them. Unfortunately, they don’t lay as many eggs as they used to. Before we had a handful of egg layers around the camp, but one of them disappeared suddenly a while back …”

  Fella sits on the other side of the fire and follows the conversation. He interrupts Puk with a large grin.

  “It probably got tired of you and your muddy friend!”

  Hackett starts giggling while Puk looks embarrassed at the ground. Skye can tell immediately that Puk’s upset, but she doesn’t know how she should react.

  She pushes his foot a little and whispers so low that Fella can’t hear it: “I think it’s a cute little friend you have. I wish I had one too …”

  Puk looks up at her and smiles. She looks through the flames and sees that Fella has stopped laughing and is now looking intensely at Puk, but not in a good way.

  At the same time, Dagwood gets up and the voices around the fire cease. He walks over and stands behind Skye and starts talking.

  “We all know that when you’re alone the world seems a little darker. Everything seems more overwhelming and more dangerous. We’re not made to be alone. We’re not ready to deal with all the burdens and dangers in life alone. Or carry sorrow in our hearts without the love of others. That’s why it comes natural to us to seek the company of others, because we instinctively know that together we’re stronger. Together we can help
each other through the difficult passages in life. And sometimes you have to pull a heavier load than others. Because you never know when you yourself need someone to pull the load for you. You give, and you take, and when life is at its end it’ll probably be so that you have received the same as you have given. No one is cheated. Therefore, I’m pleased that our clan has grown and been reinforced with yet another member. Or I probably better put it this way: I hope that our newly arrived guest wants to become a part of our clan. We would very much like you to become part of our family.”

  Skye’s very surprised when she hears Dagwood use the word “family,” and she tries to keep control of her body. Her hands start shaking, and she carefully hides them between her legs. She doesn’t dare look up at the others, and she feels like running away and hiding more than anything. But then she feels Dagwood’s hand on her shoulder, and she looks up. He smiles at her caringly. Her hands stop shaking and slowly she starts to relax. His hand remains on her shoulder and his eyes keep hers fixated, as he goes on as if he was only talking to her.

  “I’m so happy you’re here with us.”

  Skye smiles relieved back at him, and takes a deep breath before she answers quietly: “I’m happy to be here.”

  For a short moment no one speaks, and you can only hear the crackling of the flames.

  Suddenly, Hackett asks out loud: “Name. What name you?”

  Skye removes her gaze from Dagwood and slowly looks around at the others. Curiosity and excitement light up their eyes as they wait patiently. She swallows before speaking in a low voice.