Lincoln removed the Bible from his backpack and secretly tucked it under his arm. He placed his lumpy backpack in his locker, which was decked out in superhero decor. As soon as Clyde had finished tucking his own bundle away behind the cold, metal door of a repository, the two friends linked arms and headed for the classroom.

They were met by the gentle face of Mrs. Agnes Johnson, their teacher. She seated them kindly and immediately returned to her desk. Holding out a stack of papers, she announced, "Class, as you know we have a math test today. I'm going to have you start working on it immediately after the 'Pledge of Allegiance'. If we start off while your minds are still alert, you'll be more likely to ace the test. Now, everyone stand up and face the flag."

Lincoln tucked the Bible in his desk and stood up proudly. His army figurines and play sets had opened up a whole new world of history for him. He found great joy in watching documentaries of old wars, and didn't mind the graphic detail. Whenever it came to honoring his country, he was very enthusiastic. He looked to his right and watched as Clyde put his hand over his chest. Lincoln copied his gesture and began to recite the words of the pledge:

"I pledge allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one Nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all."

For Lincoln, it was not a monotonous pledge. For others, it was exactly that. But through all the mumbling, the white-haired boy could've sworn students got tongue tied around the phrase "one Nation under God". Some pupils had recited the pledge to its fullest, while the rest had awkwardly skipped the controversial lines. What got people so worked up about it, the young boy could only ponder. For now, that didn't matter. He had a math test to complete.

"You may be seated," Mrs. Johnson finally said. "Here are your math sheets." Gingerly, she came around to the students' desks, placing a test on each. "You have half an hour to complete the test. Let today's early recess be your motivation!" Her enthusiasm didn't make the dull class any brighter. She sighed, and made her way back to her desk at the front of the room.

Lincoln wasn't of average intelligence, unlike most of his friends. In fact, he didn't even require much tutoring from Lisa. He sped through tests quickly, and somehow always managed to score above an eighty. By the time the boy finished his test, he was anxiously tapping his foot on the floor, just waiting for the recess bell to ring.

Ring!

"Finally!" Lincoln exclaimed a little more obnoxious than he'd liked to. He tucked the Bible under his arm and awkwardly hurried into crowded hallway. Clyde walked beside him.

"Hey, Buddy. How was the test?" the bespectacled boy asked, following the line of children eager to play outdoors.

"Eh, could've gone smoother. I knew about every answer, though. You?"

"Same. Though I did stumble on problem 11. I mean, what the heck was that? Calculus?!"

"I know right?" Lincoln chuckled. He followed his peers until he felt the brisk, autumn air on his skin. "Ah, this weather in perfect..."

The boys linked arms and gradually made their way over to an empty, wooden bench. They sat down, somewhat nervous. Clyde flinched as he watched Lincoln pull the Bible from under his arm and place it on the oak surface. No one made a sound.

"So," Clyde broke the silence, "who's gonna open it?"

The white-haired boy was dreading that question. Frankly, he thought he would open it himself, but Clyde seemed to suggest that either one could carry out the act.

"Well, Clyde," Lincoln stuttered nervously, "I'd say that I'd do it but... what if there's a blood-sucking spider in there?!" He kept his distance from the book.

"Or a curse!"

"Or-" Just then a violent breeze whipped through the air, flipping the Bible's thick cover open with a slap. It spooked the boys, whose eyes were shut tight, fearing what might be printed on the pages of the dreaded, black book.

Clyde held his hands over his eyes, shielding them from the unknown. "Lincoln, should we take a peek?" He was visibly shaking.

The platinum blonde shrugged. "I suppose. I mean, what's the worst that could happen? It's just your local library book, am I right?"

"No."

Lincoln couldn't take it anymore. It was now or never. Recess doesn't last forever, you know. Slowly he lowered his hands and cracked his eyes ever so slightly.

Laughter ensued.

Clyde, confused, opened his eyes to stare at Lincoln who was laughing hysterically, so much so that the Caucasian boy's face was flushing a light shade of pink. "Oh no! Lincoln was cursed with never-ending laughter!" He slammed the Bible shut. "Don't worry, I'll save you Buddy."

The laughter ceased.

"Clyde, I swear to God I'm fine." He looked at his best friend seriously. "I was only laughing because of how stupid we were to think that this book could be evil. For Pete's sake, read the first sentence. Look..." He opened the book and pointed to a page labeled Genesis.

The dark-skinned boy cleared his throat and took a deep breath. Nervously he read, "'In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth'." He tapped his chin puzzled. "What?"

"It's about a silly god! It's just a fairytale," Lincoln chuckled. "I can't believe we got so worked up about a make-believe story." He wiped some sweat from his brow.

Clyde wiped a few joyful tears from his eyes as he laughed. "So it's kinda like Greek Mythology. Like Zues and Poseidon?"

"Exactly, exactly."

"Well, what does it say next?" Clyde asked curiously, wiping his forehead with his striped shirt sleeve.

"'Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters'." Lincoln scratched his head. "I'm still trying to figure out which god this book is talking about."

"Maybe it's not a Greek god. Maybe it's a god like Buddha or... or Gandhi!"

"Clyde, Gandhi was a man. Well, what about that one guy who died and came back to life?"

"Ozzy Osbourne?"

"No!" Lincoln shook his head in frustration. "The god. The god who died on a tree or something."

"Jesus Christ!"

The white-haired boy gasped, confused eyes scanning his friend. "I didn't expect you to have an outburst like that, Clyde. I know you don't like this Bible thing and all but-"

"No, Lincoln. I mean Jesus Christ. The supposed son of a god. I read about him in a book at Dr. Lopez' office."

"Jesus Christ, you say?" Lincoln rubbed at his neck as he watched his classmates play on the playground. "I might just know exactly who to talk to."