Runaway Skies


 Contents
 
 
 
 Title Page Copyright -->
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Dedication
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 1. Kai
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 2. Caleb
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 3. Kai
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 4. Caleb
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 5. Kai
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 6. Caleb
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 7. Kai
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 8. Caleb
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 9. Kai
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 10. Caleb
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 11. Kai
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 12. Caleb
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 13. Kai
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 14. Caleb
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 15. Kai
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 16. Caleb
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 17. Kai
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 18. Caleb
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 19. Kai
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 20. Caleb
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 21. Kai
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 22. Caleb
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 23. Kai
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 24. Caleb
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 25. Kai
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 26. Caleb
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 27. Kai
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 28. Caleb
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 29. Kai
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 30. Caleb
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 31. Kai & Caleb
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Are you a donor?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 About Simon Doyle
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Runaway Skies
 
 Simon Doyle
 
 
 
 SD Press
 
 
 Copyright S D Press A division of Nightsgale Books 1 3 5 7 9 10 8 6 4 2 Copyright © Simon Doyle, 2023 The right of Simon Doyle to be identified as the author of this Work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 All rights reserved First published in 2023 by SD Press, a division of Nightsgale Books, Suite 97320, PO Box 1213, Belfast, BT1 9JY Paperback ISBN 978 1 7397276 5 9 Hardcover ISBN 978 1 7397276 4 2 This publication may not be used, reproduced, stored or transmitted in any way, in whole or in part, without the express written permission of the author. Nor may it be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it has been published and without a similar condition imposed on subsequent users or purchasers All characters in this publication are fictitious and any similarity to real persons, alive or dead, is coincidental Cover by SD Press A CIP catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library and the Library of Trinity College Dublin Dedication For everyone who ever had a secret. And for all those who were brave enough to confide in it. 1 Kai “T errorist,” someone spat. Kai had been in the airport for less than five minutes when he heard the woman say the word. As a Parisian of Algerian descent, he lowered his gaze and turned away—he’d heard it all before—but she hadn’t directed the insult at him. A tall man with a turban and a thick beard was walking by and when the woman called him a terrorist he smiled at her and bowed. “Praise Jesus,” he said in perfect French. He winked at Kai as he passed. Kaiser Kateb took a deep breath. Unless you counted his trip to Algeria when he was eight months old, he’d never flown before. His parents took him over to see his grandparents for a week, and though he had no recollection of it, there was a framed photograph hanging on the wall above the kitchen table where he was perched on his grandfather’s knee. Kai couldn’t tell if the lines on the old man’s face were wrinkles or watermarks from a burst pipe that marred the image when he was six. He’d never seen his grandparents again. He looked at the ticket on his phone screen. He was booked on the 17:30 from Charles de Gaulle to Dublin and was already running behind schedule. He checked in his luggage and joined the queue that snaked through airport security. The smell of fresh coffee permeated the open area and masked the undertones of greasy fast food. And the queue inched forward. Today was the start of Kai’s new life. He was clawing his way out from under his father’s shadow—a carpenter who had been reduced to fitting shelving units in a new shopping mall south of Paris just to make ends meet—and he was on his way to freedom. Trinity College Dublin. But like any great escape, his journey was marked by fear.