Read Darkness Before Dawn for Free Online Page B

back in A.D . 61.”
    â€œToo long ago for me to care,” Jalani said.
    â€œNo, this woman was really pretty cool,” I tried to explain. “Even though her mama was stupid enough to give her a dumb name like Boudica!” We both laughed.
    â€œHey, what’s up, my name is Boudica!” Jalani couldn’t stop laughing.
    â€œShe sure wouldn’t have made it in
our
school,” I agreed, giggling at the image of a girl having to live with a name like that. “Anyway, she had long, flowing red hairdown to her knees, with a deep voice and a huge body. She was over six feet tall and could beat up a man!”
    â€œWith a name like Boudica, she probably had to beat up everybody!” Jalani still couldn’t stop laughing.
    â€œShe was a woman who could kick some butt if she really had to. And she had to.”
    â€œWhat happened?” Jalani asked, intrigued, wiping her eyes.
    â€œWhen the Romans came to England to take over her people, they took her captive, beat her up, and raped her two daughters.”
    â€œRaped?”
    â€œYeah. Raped.” I shuddered. Our laughter had died suddenly.
    â€œAnyway, when they released the women, Boudica was so angry that she went around the countryside, gathered up both men and women, and formed a little army all her own.”
    â€œYou go, girl,” Jalani said. “So did she chase the Romans out?”
    I sighed. “She killed hundreds of them!” Me and Jalani smacked hands in a high-five to celebrate Boudica’s brief victory. “The fight lasted for almost a year, it says here. Then the Romans, of course, killed her.”
    â€œOf course.” Jalani sighed.
    â€œBut for one brief moment in history, she showed the men what power really was,” I said proudly.
    â€œIs that who you’re doing your report on?” asked Jalani.
    â€œYeah, there’s no other woman who stands out like that for several centuries.”
    â€œI’m sure they existed. But nobody wrote about them in the books.”
    â€œBecause the writers were all men!”
    Jalani sighed again and turned back to her computer screen. “OK, I’m inspired now. Let me find something as cool as you did. I’m going to download one of these pictures and see if I can make a sample dress like it. That way I can do my homework and learn a new design, too!” She went back to the screen cheerfully, printed out what she needed and, pleased with her idea, started planning how she would present her findings to the class.
    I downloaded all I could find on Boudica, printed it out, and stretched as I got ready to finish for the day. “Jalani, are you about ready?”
    â€œYeah, let’s raise up. Let’s get a pizza on the way home, bet?”
    I told her that was cool, so the two of us headed out of the library, past the security bars and cameras. Jalani’s pager tripped off the security alarms, and after getting it checked and having our backpacks double-checked by the security guard, we headed into the large revolving doors, giggling about our double trip around the circular doorway in the same compartment, when we noticed someone in the other revolving compartment.
    It was Jonathan Hathaway. He smiled broadly and circled back around so that he was standing outside the library with us.
    â€œDone with your homework, ladies?” he asked cheerfully.
    â€œJust a little research for Mrs. Blackwell. Our idea of funis going to a mall; her idea of fun is going to a library!” I noticed that he was walking with us as we headed for my car. “Weren’t you going into the library as we were leaving?” I asked.
    â€œI just have to pick up a book I have on reserve,” Jonathan answered quickly. “You don’t mind if I walk you to your car, do you? It gets dark so early now, and I’d hate to see anything happen to either of you.”
    â€œThat’s sweet of you, Mr. Hathaway,”