“There’s something I don’t understand, Sal. If it’s as you say … that you get sick if your actions are evil, how come only Ecco got sick and died back then, and not me? We did it together. We both killed another human being.”
Salomon leans back a bit but doesn’t let go of her hand. He nods and bites his lower lip a little.
“I’ve always wondered why I could kill Kop’s murderers without getting sick. But when I later planned to revenge Kop on everyone around me, in my mind, then my body and heart started reacting.”
He leans forward towards her and continues: “Back then … did you want to hurt the boys? Did you want them to die? Like you wanted to hurt Flo?”
Skye shakes her head and her eyes dilate.
“No! I didn’t want to hurt them, and I told Ecco we should leave instead, leave them alone, but he didn’t want to.”
Salomon answers: “See, I think that makes the difference. The things you did back then weren’t something you’d chosen to do yourself, but you did it because Ecco said so. It was his thoughts that led to the attack. I know that you loved him, but it was his heart that was damaged. It was infected by mistrust, envy, and lust for power. You were never true to his mission, but you were forced to follow him like when a child blindly follow its parents. It’s what you do, because normally they know best. But your heart was untouched and intact all the time and that’s why you didn’t become sick …”
Skye listens to Salomon’s words and suddenly it all makes sense.
He goes on: “But you felt pain in your heart when you tried to ‘kill’ Flo with your wooden spear, didn’t you? In your mind you wanted to hurt her … When I watched you without you knowing it, I saw how you felt bad and you had to stop. How you reached for your heart and started coughing. I know that feeling only too well.”
She nods and is suddenly embarrassed by her intention towards Flo. No matter how angry and unfairly she feels she’s been treated, it doesn’t justify wanting another person dead or hurt.
Salomon keeps explaining: “That’s how it’s connected. If you act on your evil thoughts then the sickness doesn’t spare you. Like me. I was hit by the sickness because in my mind I wanted to hurt everybody around me, but I didn’t die because I regretted it and stopped before I carried out my actions. Because deep inside I didn’t have that kind of evil in me. But I’ll forever be marked by the black and dark intentions that filled my mind and heart for a short while. I later found out that the sickness doesn’t punish you if justice is carried out.”
Skye looks at him, puzzled.
“How do you know?”
Salomon answers: “Several times I’ve punished someone for their disgusting acts. I have people’s lives on my conscience, but there’s always been a good reason for killing them, or watching them die without helping them. They’d caused others unnecessary pain for their own gain, out of greed or lack of compassion. Like the man who pushed Kop into the arena and did it for entertainment or a bet. Or the young Slaveborn who kept whipping the animals to make them fight, to attract more people and to make more money. Or … others like him …”
He stops in the middle of a sentence but quickly goes on: “I think that they would’ve died of the sickness no matter what, but I managed to punish them first. And I’m glad I did.”
His eyes are shining with the thought of justice, and Skye can almost feel the satisfaction in him. It scares her, but it makes her feel safe at the same time. Maybe they’re more alike than she wants them to be.
Suddenly they feel a small wet nose pressing against their hands and they both start laughing.
“I think that Friend thinks we should stop being so serious. Let’s eat some food before it becomes dry and boring.”
They let go of each other’s hands and stat preparing the food.
CHAPTER 39
Dagwood sits by the fire, staring into the air. He misses Skye and wonders where she is and how she’s doing. The thought of her being alone and scared physically pains him, and he nervously wrenches his hands. The day’s turning into night and he looks longingly at the moon. It’s only half full, and he finds it hard to stand the thought of how long it will be before she can return to the camp again.
“I’ve collected some berries for you. You look hungry.”
Flo sits down next to him with a smile and she passes a bowl to him. “Thank you, Flo. That’s sweet of you, but I’m not hungry. You eat them instead …” They haven’t spoken very much since Skye left the camp, and Dagwood can’t help blaming Flo for her harsh punishment against Skye. He knows that she’s been extra sweet and attentive since then, but he finds it hard to accept her remorse. Flo pulls the bowl back and her smile disappears.
Dagwood feels guilty for turning down her gesture and quickly says: “You know what, I think I might eat some of them after all. Do you want to share?”
Flo smiles happily and moves closer to him. She eagerly starts telling him about her day, but he can’t really concentrate on the things she’s saying. With a smile he nods at her as she talks, and she doesn’t seem to notice his mental absence. The only thing he can hear is the sweet voice of Skye. He thinks about her cute laugh and her teasing comments and his smile grows at the thought. He’s not noticed that Flo has put her hand over his.
“I think that more rain is coming tonight.”
Their conversation is interrupted by Axton who heads for the fire with Lark.
He goes on: “I don’t know whether the channels are deep enough to carry all the water away from the hut. Maybe we should dig some more?”
Dagwood gets up and Flo lets go of his hand. The two boys walk to the hut as they keep talking.
Lark sits down next to Flo. She smiles lightly and asks curiously: “Are you two … together? I saw that you were holding hands.”
Flo turns her head to her and says in a firm tone: “Dagwood and I have a special bond between us. He means everything to me.”
Lark looks at Dagwood, who’s reached the hut.
“He really is an amazing person, Flo. Both on the inside and the outside. I’m happy for you.”
Flo feels warmth filling her body, and she breathes deeply as she eats the last berry in the bowl.
CHAPTER 40
The sky’s muddy and dark clouds are covering the night’s stars. Skye and Salomon lie in the den with Friend by their feet. The forest is quiet around them. Once in a while they can hear the sound of one of the mighty birds of the night, who move through the air hunting for long-ears and others small rodents. Large drops of rain start pounding against the bark of the tree, shutting out all other sounds. Soon the pounding of the rain drops grows louder, and the drops turn into a massive curtain of rain. The drops of rain soon dribble through the cracks in the bark and drip on their faces.
Salomon pulls the blanket over their heads to keep the rain out. Skye lies close to him, and he can hear her calm breathing. She looks like she’s asleep. He feels like touching her cheek, holding her, but he can’t move his arm. It feels as if it’s tied to the side of his body even though nothing’s holding it down.
A small bug crawls across her neck and he instinctively stretches his hand towards it. The invisible string that held his arm down before is gone. He carefully puts his finger down to the little crawler, which quickly runs up his hand. Gently he strokes Skye’s slender, naked neck, and for a moment he forgets the small bug, which eagerly crawls further up his fingers. She moves slightly in her sleep from his touch, and Salomon quickly removes his hand again and releases the small bug under the blanket.
He closes his eyes, but he doesn’t feel like sleeping. Not because he’s afraid of the dark dreams of the night, but because he’s afraid of losing this moment with Skye. In his thoughts he’s holding her tightly. So tight that they can feel each other’s hearts beating.
For the first time since he lost Kop, he doesn’t feel alo
ne anymore. He feels that he’s found the part of himself that he needs to survive without fear, shame and loneliness. But he can’t move or hold her. He knows that she doesn’t feel the same way he does. He knows that her heart belongs to Dagwood. He knows that he doesn’t deserve her.
Skye wakes up slowly to the sounds of the early morning’s songbirds. The rain’s stopped and she feels warm and rested. Having Salomon’s body close to hers has kept them both warm during the night, and she smiles at the thought of him still lying next to her. She turns her face to him. His black hair has fallen across his face and hides his scars.
He reminds her of Ecco, but the feeling of looking at him is still completely different. Often she’d wake up Ecco by teasing him with a small twig or piece of straw, and she contemplates doing the same thing to Salomon. But she prefers to look at him in his sleep. His face is peaceful and relaxed, and it doesn’t look like he’s dreaming or having a nightmare. The feeling of him looking familiar passes through her head once again, but she still doesn’t know whether it’s her mind playing tricks on her or not.
Carefully she stretches her hand towards his face, removing the hair from his cheek. He opens his eyes and the turquoise blue eyes light up his face. They look at each other for a long time without speaking.
Suddenly Friend stretches itself, yawning, and Skye quickly leans in over Salomon and kisses his cheek.
“Good morning.”
She gets up and follows Friend out of the den.
Salomon packs his things but leaves the extra blanket he brought with him. He’s given up lighting a fire after the night’s heavy rain, and he’s afraid that Skye won’t be able to keep warm.
She looks at him in despair, and says: “I wish that you could stay a little longer …”
He smiles at her.
“I have to go back to the camp before they start thinking that I’ve been gone too long. They’re used to me sleeping in the forest once in a while, but I’ve already been gone for several days, searching for you. I don’t want to give them any reason to be suspicious, and Flo is more on guard than usual.”
Skye nods.
“Come back soon. Please?”
Skye’s voice sounds sad and desperate, and Salomon quickly answers: “I’ll be back as soon as I can. I promise.”
He turns around and starts walking away, and it feels like everything around her is suddenly darker and colder than before. The few rays of sun that found their way through the treetops earlier are gone, and the dark clouds on the sky are back.
Skye sits down by the cold and wet fire, hiding her face in her hands. Suddenly it feels worse to be alone than it did before Salomon came. She’s missing him and the others more than ever before, and the thought of being alone again feels unbearable. Her hatred of Flo slowly grows again, and she feels a small sting in her heart. She gets up and looks at Friend.
“Okay, no more dark thoughts, right, Friend? It’s as much my fault as it is Flo’s that I’ve ended up here completely alone. And I’m not completely alone – fortunately I’ve got you.”
She fetches her spear from the den and starts walking to the river.
“Come on, Friend. Let’s catch some swimmers!”
She throws the small swimmer on the ground next to the fire. The water is cold and the current stronger than usual, and she’s finding it hard to stand in the water for long without freezing or being taken by the powerful stream. In several places small piles of leaves and branches have gathered, creating shelter for the little animals of the river, and it was easy for Skye to catch the little swimmer.
“We’re back to raw fish, Friend. I hope it’s okay with you.”
She looks down at the small furry animal, who sits with its tail around its feet looking back at her. Suddenly it raises its ears and turns its eyes towards a sound behind her. Skye smiles and her heart starts beating faster. Salomon’s come back again!
With a big smile she turns around and says: “Right in time for mealtime …”
rom the corner of her eye she suddenly sees Friend jumping up and growling, and at the same moment she feels a hard blow to her head. Everything turns dark.
Her head hurts, and she tries to open her eyes, but she can’t see anything. She’s struggling to breathe and feels that something heavy is on top of her, pressing her chest down. Desperately she tries to push it away, but she loses consciousness once again.
She hears him breathing heavily. His mouth is next to her ear and his cheek rubs up and down her face. The stones and branches on the ground tear her skin, making it bloody, and the cold wind feels close to her body. Her upper body is almost naked and her shirt torn open. With one hand he’s holding her neck while the other fondles her body. An unpleasant smell from his greasy hair hits her nostrils, and she frantically tries to turn her face away from the disgusting stench and his greedy mouth and lips.
She’s woken from her unconsciousness and suddenly sees and senses everything around her. With both hands she tries to push the person on top of her away, but he’s too heavy. She tries to scream but no sound comes out of her mouth.
A deep, hoarse voice whispers in her ear: “Lie still.”
Soon after, she feels a hand next to her hip. It tries to pull down her pants, but the rope holding them up is too tight. The hand still finds its way under her pants and between her legs. His breathing quickly becomes faster and heavier, and he tries to open his own pants, but he can’t get them open either. His hand still holds her neck. Suddenly he lets her go and gets on his knees while he frantically tries to untie his pants, but the knot is too tight.
Skye looks at him and sees a wretched and filthy boy with blond hair. His face is expressionless and if he hadn’t been on top of her, forcing her down with violence, she wouldn’t even have noticed him.
As he struggles to get his pants open, she tries to wiggle away from him, but he squeezes his legs around her and holds on. He lets go of the rope and presses his hand against her chest as he hisses: “Lie still, I said!”
All of a sudden she feels pain everywhere on her body, in her head, her back, her abdomen. And she’s cold. He starts untying the rope in his pants again, but Friend jumps up and bites him on the arm. With its teeth bared, it attacks him over and over. Without luck he tries to strike it as he screams into the air. He moves back and forth over her in his attempts to catch Friend, and every movement he makes pains her. Suddenly he gets hold of the neck of the small animal and he slams its head to the ground. It squeaks loudly and falls over motionless.
He turns to her again and grabs her face with his hand and holds it. His face comes closer and he presses his lips towards Skye’s mouth while he tries to stick his tongue into her mouth. She feels like she’s choking and she can’t get away. She’s desperate. His hands are all over her body and the rough fingers are like dry bark against her skin.
A thousand thoughts race through her head, but she doesn’t have the time to think any one of them through before the next one takes over. The pressure on her chest is unbearable and she struggles to breathe in small hectic gasps. She can’t go on much longer without losing consciousness, and she begins feeling tired.
Just when she’s about to give up, the boy stops moving and starts coughing. The mucus from his mouth hits her face and she closes her eyes in disgust. Suddenly, the pressure on her lungs lifts and the boy tries to get up. The coughing is getting stronger and he falls to the ground next to her. His leg is still crossed over her body but she quickly crawls away from him as she kicks it away.
She hurries to Friend and lifts it up. The animal is still lifeless but not dead. Skye runs away as fast as she can, away from the boy and his disgusting hands, but all of a sudden she stops running. She turns around and looks at him. His coughing echoes through the forest and he’s still lying on the ground. She sees that he tries to get up, but he’s still affected by the cough and his movements are wob
bly.
Carefully she puts Friend on the ground and runs back to her attacker. Their eyes meet and the wildness in his eyes tells her that he hasn’t finished with her yet. He reaches for her, but she calmly takes a step back and he falls to one the side. Slowly, she walks around him as he desperately tries to follow her movements.
Suddenly he starts speaking to her. His voice is low and hoarse.
“Help me up, please. I mean you no harm. Honestly. I’m just so lonely …”
Skye stops and listens to his words. He sounds sorry and scared and a sting of mercy hits her. But then she feels the pain in her head and her body again, and she looks at Friend, who lies hurt and unconscious on the ground.
“I don’t believe you!”
She takes a step towards him as she speaks.
“And if this is how you make new friends, I understand why you’re lonely … I’ve enough of friends already. I don’t need any more.”
She swiftly lifts her leg and treads her foot down as hard as she can against his ankle, which lies exposed on the ground. It snaps, and the boy screams painfully into the air. Skye sees that the ankle is broken and she knows he won’t be able to follow her. Relieved, she rushes to Friend who’s coming to.
As she reaches Friend she hears a branch breaking and voices behind her. In a panic she gets up and sees more figures between the trees heading her way. The boy on the ground shouts at them as he points frantically in her direction. She grabs Friend and starts running, and this time she doesn’t stop.
Skye runs along the river. She knows that it’ll lead her back to the camp. All her senses are sharpened, but at the same time the pain weakens her in her chest and her head. Blood runs down through her hair from the wound she got when the boy knocked her unconscious. He must’ve hit her with something hard, like a stone or a stick, and it bleeds more than it should. But there’s no time to stop. She has to keep moving forward.
Friend lies like a little furry ball under her shirt. It’s not torn up so badly that she doesn’t feel dressed, but you can glimpse her bare breast behind the torn garment. Her heart beats uncontrollably, and the blood in her head thumps so violently that she can hardly hear the noises of the forest.
The Dawn of Skye (The Someday Children Book 1) Page 29