Chapter 25
Becca pulls back, her brain whirring with the familiar words. She scoots away from him as he looks at her with confusion.
“What’s wrong?” He asks, and looks behind him.
“Nothing!” She says a little too loud. “Nothing…”
Eduard gives her another look of confusion and shakes his head slightly. “Are you sure?”
Becca nods as her back touches the wall at the head of the bed. What if she’s wrong about Banshee? What if it’s not Banshee writing the notes, but it’s Eduard? Is that possible? Could she be right about that?
“Are you gonna go back to sleep?” He asks.
She hesitates before nodding, her body stiff as he watches her, his face full of concern. She feels her trust for him deplete. Suddenly, she wants him gone. She doesn’t want him around her.
But what if she is wrong?
But what if I’m right? She asks herself, staring at Eduard wide-eyed.
“Well, um, okay then… I’ll be right here if you need me. Just wake me up if something happens or if you have a bad dream or something, okay?” Eduard says as he stands up to walk back over to his little pallet on the floor.
Becca nods again and gulps, her saliva making her dry throat tingle.
She doesn’t know if telling him everything is a good thing or a bad thing anymore.
Eduard walks over to his sheets and pulls the covers up over his body. Becca sits still as time seems to drag on. She can’t go back to sleep. She couldn’t if she tried.
Her brain wanders to different things, different situations to see if Eduard is the bad guy or not. That train of thought brings her to the book somehow, making her wonder what’s hidden inside the pages, hidden inside the box.
She moves, finally, her body aching from staying in that position for so long, and grabs her backpack, her eyes flitting to the box on the floor. She pulls the bag up onto the bed and tucks her legs beneath the covers, her feet starting to get cold.
The zipper seems so loud in the perfectly silent room and she tries to slow it down to make it a bit quieter. She gives up on that notion and decides to rip it open in one go, praying she doesn’t wake up the boys.
She slips her hand inside and takes hold of the book, stuck behind the sheets that had been hastily crammed into the bag. It slides out with a sound like the wind or brushing past someone’s ears, a low, swishing sound.
The mask on the cover looks back at her in the dark and she runs her hand over it. Hopefully it’ll hold what she’s looking for.
She opens up the book.
- Chapter 6: What is the Leader of the Clans?
The Leader of the Clans runs the city he/she is placed in. He/she decides how the city is run, due to this fact. Some have a cabinet, where he/she appoints other people to help thing run smoothly in their city, and so they do not fall to the pressures of running a city. Others run the city alone.
The Leader of the Clans responsibilities (Chapter 2) and roles (Chapter 1) differ tremendously from the Leader of the State and the Leader of the Nation. Those positions are listed in my other books, The In’s and Out’s of the Leader of the State, and The In’s and Outs of the Leader of the Nation.
Becca turns back to the first chapter, scolding herself momentarily for not reading the book in order. Things would probably make more sense, should she have done that in the first place.
She continues where she had left off in the library.
I will talk briefly about each one.
Number one: he/she must choose carefully and wisely for the next Leader of the Clans. I will explain this further in chapter seven, but for now, I will tell you what the Leader of the Clans must look for in the child he/she is finally chooses.
This child must teeter between his/her good and bad side. His/her good behavior must be equal to his/her bad behavior, due to the fact that he/she must be in control of both clans and understand what goes on in each of his/her peoples’ lives and minds. Without this trait, there could be corruption within the government, as well as the possibility of falling to anarchy.
Another trait would include a leadership quality. The child must take charge, but in a subtle way, meaning they take charge almost instinctively, rather than purposefully. Without this trait, the Leader, in a position of power, could again corrupt the government and try to, eventually, take over the nation and succeed. Of course, those are the extremes.
Does Becca have these traits? She thinks about her actions to see if she does, but humbleness strikes her a bit, not letting her see completely through herself. Maybe she’s just overthinking the whole chosen thing. She can’t be that special.
Can she?
She skims over the rest of the book, learning more and more about Quill’s position, when she finally reads the last page before the author’s note at the end.
Her brain swells with knowledge, almost giving her a headache. There are so many things the Leader of the Clan has to do, that she wonders how he has any time to breathe.
She turns the page.
- Author’s Note
So, you made it. You read (or skimmed) all of the way through this book. Amazing what the Leader of the Clan does, isn’t it? It’s far more interesting than the Leader of the State or the Leader of the Nations, which is probably a reason why most Leaders of the Clans are nicer than the other two positions.
I’m sure you had a reason to pick this up, and a reason to actually search for it, because there are only ten printed copies, one of them owned by me.
The reason for the sheer lack of books is because, depending on where you live, you could get into some trouble for just holding this book. If you are holding this now, and got it from a library or a shop, it’s either it had been hidden well within the other books, or it is freely available to you. However, just because it had been in the place you have it in or got it from, doesn’t mean that it’s safe. The only states the book is knowingly accepted by the Leaders are Kentucky, Texas, Wyoming, and Oklahoma. So if you aren’t in one of these states, hide this book well and don’t let anyone see you with it.
The Leaders of the Clans don’t like their business out there, just like the rest of the Leaders. They like to be secretive, which is why children do not learn about them until they need to, if they ever do learn about them. I learned about all of this through my own experience, which is another story for another time.
One thing is for sure though: they like to hide behind their masks, no pun intended.
And whatever you needed this book for, I hope I was able to answer some of your questions or doubts. Now, please go hide this book wherever you can, as soon as you can. The range of punishments is wide for knowing so much about the government.
That’s why the Leaders aren’t the only ones that hide behind a mask.
Or a name.
Becca finishes reading the last sentence and shuts the book. How could reading something like this be punishable? How could someone get in trouble for reading it?
And hiding behind a name? How could someone hide behind a name?
Just like you did, when you took Belle’s mask, Becca thinks to herself, answering her own question. You pretend.
She puts the book back into the backpack, her eyes drooping, wanting sleep. The sun is just starting to break over the horizon, and Becca tells herself she needs to get as much sleep as she can before she faces tomorrow—today. Before she faces today.
Becca’s eyes drift to the box on the floor, unmoved and still on its lid.
She pulls herself forward on the bed and reaches down to pick it up before her brain makes her chicken out. The dark wood is cool against her hand as she sits up and moves the covers that have crumpled uncomfortably beneath her.
This time there is no lock on the shiny gold piece placed on the front.
She lifts up the lid of the box, her heart pounding and racing in anticipation.
Becca’s breath catches in her throat and her chest s
tarts to hurt as she stares down, startled, at the melted, sparkly, bloody surface of her old mask.