Total pages in book: 210
Estimated words: 200837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1004(@200wpm)___ 803(@250wpm)___ 669(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 200837 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1004(@200wpm)___ 803(@250wpm)___ 669(@300wpm)
But this is not a transaction, it’s a true gift from a man who knows I have nothing to give in return. So I do not take this one for granted and I hold it up again so I can take in all the details, feeling truly happy in a way I never expected, I squeal as I kick my feet against the footstool like a new Little Sister who just got her first look at the dorm.
This kicking sends the footstool tipping over backwards. And this tipping of the footstool is how I accidentally discover Tyse’s first secret. Because the top of the footstool flips open to reveal a hidden compartment inside. I place the dress on the freshly made bed and get down on my knees to have a peek.
Inside the footstool is a wooden box about the size of my palm. I pick it up, find it to be heavy, and weigh it in my hand as I deliberate the pros and cons of looking at the contents.
If I look, my curiosity will be satisfied and I will undoubtedly learn more about Tyse.
But then his warning comes back to me. You might not like what you find.
Fuck it. I open the box and find stacks and stacks of gold coins tightly packed together with a clear piece of glass, or something like it, over the top of them. They are packed so tight I get the impression that the box was made to hold coins specifically, because they do not jiggle at all. Not even after the box was tipped over with the stool.
The only other thing inside the box is a small circular silver disc, even smaller than a coin, that has been taped to the inside of the lid.
I huff. Well, this was a bust. But that’s when I notice that the little disc has writing on it. I squint, but the tape obscures the message just enough so I can’t read it. So I carefully peel the tape off and grasp the outer edges of the disc between the tips of my forefinger and thumb as I hold it up to the light. It says ‘Capt. T. Jarvinen’ on the first line and the numbers one-seven-one-seven-two-three on the second line.
Immediately, my face scrunches up into a frown. “Well, this is yet another a big fat nothing.” Then I pinch the flat sides of the disc, ready to put it back, when a spark shoots through my body, forcing me to stand up and release it.
My mouth is open in stunned surprise as I watch the little metal disc roll across the floor and into the kitchen, where it teeters and falls over on one side.
“What the hell?” I look down at myself, checking to see if I’m OK, then draw in a long breath as I try and work out what just happened.
That thing shocked me. With some kind of power. I can still feel a tingle in my fingertips from where I touched it. But when I look down at my hand, there’s no sign of a burn or anything.
“Static,” I say out loud. Even in my world we have static. Little bits of power that hide in the air and collect on windy days. So when you touch certain things—like fabrics—the little bits of power are released and a tiny shock can be produced.
But this was more than a tiny shock. It was… a jolt.
Immediately, Rodge’s words from this morning come back to me. “The gentlemen on the other side of the tower can collect the spark from the air and package it into potent jolts and even stronger jumps.”
That’s how they sell the spark.
This must be one of those. A jolt or a jump. And Tyse must’ve been saving it up for something, that’s why it was in the box.
Shit, I hope I didn’t just use it all up. Rodge said it’s all very pricey. That’s all I need, more debt to Tyse. It’s already gonna take me forever to pay him back if I’m only getting one coin a day.
I need to put it back and pretend I never found this box or his secret hiding place. That way, he’ll never know it was me who used his jolt.
Stepping away from the footstool, I eyeball the disc cautiously. How do I pick it up without shocking myself again? This is when I realize the edges must be insulated. Because it didn’t shock me when I held it on edge between my fingertips. Only when I pressed the pads of them on the flat sides to put it away.
Is that the secret to holding a jolt? Touch it only on the edges?
Should I go down to Rodge and ask?
But Prisha said the day was over so he’s probably gone. And even though I wouldn’t admit it to Tyse, I am a little bit scared of the people in the tower. Especially that guy down the hall. I would not want to run into him again without Tyse or Rodge with me.