Jade Moon (Celestial War Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

away...so, how do we know what is real? What if the whole world is simply a creation of your own mind? What if you are floating in a void of nothingness simply imagining me and this place and these things?”
    “Well, my senses tell me this is all real. I pinch myself and it hurts.”
    “But, what if you are only imagining your senses? What if you are only dreaming of that pinch?”
    I sighed, not really in the mood for a philosophy lesson. “I believe that the simplest answer is most likely the correct answer. The simplest answer about the existence of the world I perceive is that, because I see it, it exists. It is far too complex for my mind to have created and things continue to exist even when I’m not thinking about them. I guess I have to trust my own experiences and have faith that the world is real. Plus, if I were making this all up, things would be much cooler. The world would be full of magic and dragons.”
    He chuckled. “Very good. I see you read the Parmenides I gave you.” He seemed proud which made me glow with happiness. “I told you the pre-Socratic monists were too simplistic. Though your ideas about magic suggest you need to read some William Butler Yeats. As Yeats said, ‘The world is full of magic things, patiently waiting for our senses to grow sharper.’”
    “Magic exists, I just can’t perceive it yet?” I gave him my full on skeptical scowl.
    “Just so.” Mr. Silver smiled. “In the mean time, here’s your next assignment.”
    He produced a book like a slight-of-hand magician. The book was quite a change from all the ancient Greek stuff he’d been giving me. I ran my hands over the embossed cover. Pressed into the soft leather was an image of the sun and moon, intertwined. Though I’d seen many similar images, something about this one was different.
    The moon was awash in blood and I almost expected real light to shine from the sun. Above it in simple calligraphy is said, World Religions.
    “World Religions?” I asked.
    “That’s right. For a change of pace. It’s got some amazing detail about religions I’d wager you’ve never heard before.”
    I ran my hand over the cover. “This was written by Martin Silver. Is that you?”
    He just smiled.
    Mr. Silver’s book was the reason things went totally wrong.
    ***
    When I left school that afternoon, I completely spaced and forgot Mr. Silver’s book in my locker. That night, my evil friend insomnia reared her ugly head. Some nights my brain just won’t turn off. Back in Belize I could get up and go for a walk or there were always chores to be done.
    But, in Virginia I was stuck in bed, staring at the white ceiling. Finally, at 3AM, I thought to myself, who would possibly notice if I made a quick trip to school? I’ll fly like the wind and be back here in two hours.
    Sure, you might think, won’t the school be locked? Didn’t your own mother tell you to stay inside? But I figured I’d be like some kind of super-sneak-monkey that would move through the night like a shadow.
    But of course, when I got there, the building was locked down like a high-security prison. It was ass-cold and my thin Goodwill coat wasn’t doing much. My teeth began to chatter as I walked slowly around the school searching for a cracked window or something.
    The building really was strange. I’d been inside a hundred times and still couldn’t have told you what shape it was. Walls jutted off at strange angles, little rooms seemed to stick out of the sides here and there. In the full moon, it felt like the thing went on forever with nary a window ajar. But then, in a little nook, I found the fire ladder.
    Maybe there was a way inside from the roof? Though most of the school was a single level, the ladder hung off a spot where it rose to three stories. Which is a lot further up than you might think. As the ground got further and further away, my throat got smaller and smaller until I was practically squeaking the spit down when I swallowed. At around