Solstice by Jane Redd Read Free Book Online

Burning.
    “Because of these false teachings, society spun out of control,” the lesson continued, forcing itself through the turmoil in my mind. “Freedom of religion turned humans into nothing better than wild dogs, ravishing each other, plundering their neighbors, cheating their own friends.”
    At that moment, I felt like a wild dog, too, wishing I could tear out of the classroom and erase all evidence of the book.
    Jezebel, you must control yourself, Naomi said in my mind.
    I am. I am. I am.
    I imagined an inspector entering my dorm and searching through the room. He’d discover the book in an instant beneath my mattress. It would be taken to the High Inspector’s office; Rose’s words would be read, condemning her a second time. But now, I’d be the one facing sentencing.
    It wasn’t until Sol’s hand reached across the space between our desks and gripped my fingers that I realized I was shaking. I wanted to tell him everything, how afraid I was, how I should have never even opened the book, but the room was full of students who were only too eager to get any competitor out of the way. And I didn’t want to condemn Sol along with me.
    To my horror, tears filled my eyes. I tried to blink them away, but they collected faster and faster. I pulled my hand from Sol’s and wiped my cheeks before anyone could notice, but he’d seen them.
    He leaned toward my desk, watching me carefully. He’d caught a glimpse of what I had tried so hard to suppress for so long, and now he would know I was weak and didn’t belong in A Level society.
    He glanced at the others, heads bent over their consoles. “What happened?” he whispered.
    “David left me a book,” I said as quietly as possible. “They’ll find it during the inspection.”
    The silver in his eyes hardened to black, and I wanted to disappear. He must hate me. He had shared his memories, and now he certainly regretted it. He suddenly stood and crossed to the metal door. “Let me out! Let me out!” he shouted as he rammed his shoulder against the door.
    Earbuds popped out as the entire class watched him in stunned silence. It looked as if the brilliant prodigy had gone insane.
    But I knew he hadn’t. Hot and cold twisted in my stomach.
    The alarms blared, and within seconds the metal door slid open. Two inspectors waited on the other side and Sol ran into them. “I have to get out of here!” he yelled, appearing every bit like a madman.
    The inspectors cuffed him and he didn’t fight back—maybe not so crazy after all.
    My tears started again as he was taken away and I knew he’d done it for me. Sol had just created the perfect distraction to help me hide my crime.

Eight
    We learned in Ancient Religion Myths 12 that hell is a place where wicked people burn in an eternal fire. But no one who claimed to come back from the dead ever admitted to actually seeing the place. They’d all seen bright lights, heard angels who sang in perfect tune, or had joyful reunions with deceased relatives. Did that mean only good people came back from the dead? Was it possible to be alive and exist in hell at the same time?
    Whatever the ancients believed about it, when Sol disappeared down the corridor with the inspectors, hell became my reality. I couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t move. Every part of me was on fire while at the same time colder than ice.
    The classroom door remained open while the students talked among themselves. I knew that in a few minutes order would be restored and things would be back to normal, but those few minutes might give me just enough time. My heart hammered, letting me know that I needed to move now or not at all.
    I slipped out of the classroom, thinking up excuses in my mind if I was stopped by an inspector. The halls were empty as I hurried through them and out the door, flinching at every sound, expecting to be caught at any moment.
    By the time I made it inside my dorm room, I was out of breath with fear. I rushed to the mattress and