Children of The Shadow

chapter 7

Midterm exams were right around the corner, and Skyler let out a big sigh in frustration, slumped over her book in the school library. She'd been studying nonstop for over a week, but it still felt like she hadn't covered everything. Plus, she was sure some of the exam questions wouldn't even be in the textbook. 

"Earth to Skyler! You in there?"

Skyler's head snapped up to see a girl with long red hair sitting next to her, grinning.

"Oh, it's you," Skyler said, surprised.

Ave was one of the smartest students at school and, honestly, also one of the most popular. She was always invited to every party, and everyone seemed to have a crush on her.

"You studying, too?" Ave asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah," Skyler groaned sounding exhausted "but I feel totally stuck."

Ave tilted her head. "Want some help?"

"Umm, yeah, sure," Skyler replied. "Right now, I'm trying to figure out the whole Spain and Ina-Outa War thing, but it's confusing."

"Okay," Ave said with a smile, and then she started explaining what she knew about the war.

"So, on August 3, 1815, Spain discovered Ina-Outa. That was right when Chief Naomi Robin, the leader of Ina-Outa, passed away from some illness, so the country was weak. Spain basically took over the whole place and even put up their own flag. They also cut off trade with England, which was rough for our people. No trade, no freedom. People here were kinda losing hope."

Ave watched Skyler's face as she listened, seeing the story click together piece by piece. She continued "But then on March 24, 1820, Ina-Outa was like, 'Enough is enough!' They wanted freedom from Spain, so they started the Ina-Outa War. The fight went on for three years, and both sides lost a lot, but in the end, they basically tied. Spain finally gave up and gave Ina-Outa their independence on April 20, 1820. Big win for us!"

Skyler look at Ave she'd always thought history was just boring facts, but the way Ave explained it made it feel so real. "Thanks, Ave, you really helped me understand all these things," she said with a big smile.

"No problem,"  Ave shrugged. "But, hey, there's a whole part that textbooks don't even cover."

"Really? What else happened after the war?" Skyler asked excitedly.

"Well," Ave began, " Well, after the war, on February 14, 1823 a group of people decided they wanted a fresh new flag. They didn't vibe with the original one, so they made a new design. That flag only lasted three months, though. They realized they needed something more meaningful, so they decided to keep some of the colors from the Spanish flag as a reminder of the past, but they added their own touches. And bam that's the flag we still use today!"

"Wow!  That's amazing I didn't know that! Thank again Ave"  Skyler said.

Just as Skyler was packing up things. "You know, there's something else, too I don't think Naomi Robin died from an illness."

Skyler blinked in surprise. "What do you mean?"

Ave said "It just doesn't add up. I mean, think about it she was strong and healthy one moment, then mysteriously ill just as Spain came in? It's almost like... like they wanted her gone, you know?"

Skyler's eyes widened. "So, you think Spain did something to her?"

Ave nodded slowly. "That's my theory. There's no proof, of course, but something about it just feels off. Like Spain might've had a hand in her death to weaken the country. I bet they wanted the takeover to be easy."

Skyler leaned back, a little stunned. "Whoa that's intense."

"Yeah, I mean, it's just a theory," Ave shrugged, "but sometimes history isn't exactly what it seems, you know?" The bell rang, signaling the end of the period, and the two girls got up, heading out of the library together