Read Sound of Sirens: (Tales of Skylge #1) for Free Online

on the table next to our front door, cocks its head and observes me with its yellow eyes. When I extend my hand to offer the animal a bit of pancake, it hops backward and lets out a soft screech, almost as if to say: “Really?”
    “Fine. Go catch some fish, then,” I reply, stuffing the rest of the pancake into my mouth.
    The albatross lifts off and swoops around the house in a majestic circle before taking off in the direction of Stortum. My destination before I go to school.
    By daylight, I feel much more confident on my way to the old village. If I bump into someone I don’t trust, I’ll just dish up some story about doing research for a history project. In fact, Mr. Buma still needs me to pick a topic. I might just as well do my essay about Stortum so I’ll have a reason to hang around here all the time.
    I get off my bike next to the hut and swallow down my nerves.
    From the outside, the shack looks as though it has fallen into disrepair, but when I gently push the door open and peer inside, it’s totally different. Neat and modern – very Current. I see a strange device on the table that is clearly electric, and my eyes linger on the two shelves lining the walls next. The books on them are antique. Is this some kind of secret library? And what’s with that thing on the dinner table?
    No sign of anyone living here. Sytse’s mysterious friend must have left after him. I take a few hesitant steps inside and gawk at the book spines. These volumes were printed a long time ago. Some of them even seem to be hand-written. A leather tome with gilded lettering on the spine catches my eye. “From A Watery Grave,” it reads in the old Skylger tongue. I pull out the book and almost drop it because it is far heavier than I expected. I don’t think this is paper. The pages are more like the old parchment I saw once, at the museum in Brandaris.
    When I open the book, I see that the handwriting looks ancient, too. This old-fashioned alphabet is no longer used by anyone. The Skylgian text in this tome must be at least three hundred years old, if not older.
    A tiny tremor of excitement runs through me. I want this book. Just like I want to listen to the forbidden LP and hang out with a boy that’s out of my league. I want to be brave.
    With trembling hands, I slip the book into my school bag and hoist it onto my back. Wincing, I wriggle my shoulders to make the weight more comfortable, but that’s pointless. The best thing would be to drop it off at home before going to school, but I’m running out of time. I’ll have to drag it with me to Brandaris and hide it in my room later.
    “So, did you study your vocabulary lists?” Dani inquires when I hit the brakes and stop next to her. She’s eating an apple while balancing a German textbook on the left handle bar of her bike. Her forehead is creased with worry. “I think I’m gonna flunk this one.”
    Great. I haven’t even opened the book last night, so that means I’m going to get a bad grade too. “Well, I tried,” I half-heartedly lie.
    Dani shoots me a sideward glance. “Why are you blushing?” she inquires, perceptive as ever. Sometimes I hate my best friend.
    I look away. “I’m not.”
    “Yes, you are!” She stares at me and I feel the red on my cheeks intensify. “What’s up? Enna! Did you brush me off for a date without telling me?”
    I shake my head. “It wasn’t a date.”
    “Then what?”
    My voice catches in my throat. The book in my bag suddenly seems to weigh a ton. “Promise me you won’t tell anyone,” I whisper at last, even though there’s no one around to overhear.
    “Of course.” Dani’s eyes widen with eager anticipation. She loves gossip and secrets, but she’s true to her word – if she says she won’t tell, she’ll keep her mouth shut. That’s why she’s my best friend.
    “You know Royce?”
    She nods gingerly, her brown eyes suddenly alarmed. “Duh. Did you... don’t tell me...”
    “He wanted Sytse’s gift,”