Chapters 3-4 by shivaree

ACT WITH CAUTION
CHAPTER 3

The days in school became easier for Myu academically speaking, but the more she knew of other things the more she was depressed at the lack of knowledge here. She was also frightened by the blind devotion she saw. True, sometimes a government needed to keep a secret or two, for safety of the civilians and those who worked for the government, but such a false facade under the guise of public service was destructive to what all their followers thought their goals were.
What was worse about blind devotion, was the choice of blinding oneself to the rights of others. Not saying that Myu was against capital punishment in some select cases, but the more she heard of The War, so glorified in the public sector, from Mr. Linden the more she wondered if anything she knew was true. Mr. Linden had no family left due to The War – and the casualties were not from enemies but their own people. They spoke against a decision of The Leader, they never came home.

Myu had heard that the other nations, which were never truly taught in school (only The Nation mattered) had been involved in The War. But, according to Mr. Linden the countries dropped out of the fight one by one, leaving fewer nations fighting. Then, in the other fighting countries, people would shout about how it wasn't their war, how there were civilian deaths because of them; and, under pressure, finally the last country dropped out.

Myu knew, in her heart she could not acknowledge openly, that The Nation could have been great, and that the cost would have been worth it. Now her dreams were haunted by the photographs of Mr. Linden's family and what could have been. Mr. Linden warned her that sometimes knowledge could harm a person's peace of mind. He warned her how words, printed or otherwise, could keep one up at night. He had warned her about the book. Now it was too late.

One day when Myu arrived home, thinking of all the ways that a single book had changed her, she walked to the couch where her book bag was and looked inside for the book. Her heart stopped. It wasn't there. It wasn't there! Where was it!? Myu tried to calm herself and closed her eyes, thinking about where it could be, and the answer came to her. She had left it in school. She had lost the one thing that could destroy her, her family, and Mr. Linden.

Myu ran to the entry way in her house and flung open the closet and pulled her coat on quickly, slipped her feet in her boots, and ran for school. By the time she was there her lungs were on fire but she didn't stop running, she had to find it before anyone else did. She ran to the room she had had her last class of the day and bounded to where her desk was. Tears of relief poured from her eyes when she found it, she clutched it to her chest and knelt on the floor for a long while before putting it in her book bag and leaving school.

DELIVER US
CHAPTER 4

Myu was walking down the main hallway of her school, thinking all would be alright, when the first evidence that things had gone horribly wrong appeared. She saw two of The National Police Team, in their black swat suits and long black guns by their side, talking to her principal and home room teacher.

Someone had found out. Someone had discovered her book. Wryly, she found it oddly humorous that they had responded so quickly. I must be high on the priority list. Red alert, sixteen year old, five foot four inches. Be careful, she's dangerous, she has a book! Myu promptly turned around and ran, as quietly as possible, to the back exit.
It was getting to be late in the evening, the sky was already dark since it was winter. Myu knew she had to get home to warn her family, and do a lot of fast explaining. However, what she found was far from what she expected. Her house was in ashes, the ambulance and police cars had their sirens blaring, and somehow, Myu knew what had happened to her parents and siblings. Myu closed her eyes, the bitter tears stinging her eyes.
Myu recalled something about religion that Mr. Linden had told her. Before The Nation the people here could pray freely to whatever God they wished. Long before the days The Nation became a religion onto itself. There used to be a prayer ... how did it go ... deliver us from evil.
Yes, religion would come in handy about now. At the very least, a little hope. First things first. Okay, they just know it's my book and there is, no matter how I want to change this, nothing I can do for my family. I can save Mr. Linden. I have to save Mr. Linden. Without him, well, I'll be alone.