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The Spiral Society
The Spiral Society is the first novel in The Chronicles of the Sacred Rulix Crystal written by American science fiction novelist Uzoma Peter Lane. The story focuses on the adventures of eight year old Alexander Lightarrow, a mute orphan being raised by Hannah Bennett, a friend of his late mother. It describes how he becomes a pawn in the budding war between a secret organization and its most advanced creations and how that war engulfed the city of Miriam forcing many of its children into hiding.

The book was published on 28 March 2008 by The Pocket Revolution and has since become a mild success. Readers have compared the book to the Harry Potter series, the X-Men comic books, and Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Themes of the novel include secrecy, bullying, war and the classic battle of good versus evil. The story begins the Chronicles in medias res, in the middle of things, and is actually the thirteenth story in the series.

Plot
Before the start of the novel a woman named Alma Priest is kidnapped by the secretive Mental Energy Research Institute (MERI) and is experimented upon. She later discovers that the trials have given her new abilities but by the time she escapes all she wants is a normal life. Keeping her powers a secret she returns to the world, marries Peter Lightarrow, a police detective, and has a son, Alexander.

Three years later, just before Christmas, two Elements (people with powers like Alma's)come to Miriam, where Alma lives. They have been sent by MERI to kill Peter and Alma and kidnap Alexander. When they show reluctance to do this a third Element appears to remind them they'll be killed otherwise. The day after Christmas there is a knock at the door during dinner.When Alma answers it she is killed by one of the Elements, eight year old Nicholas. The other Element, a young woman named Emilie, kills Peter and begins to kidnap his son. She is halted by Nicholas who is overcome with emotion and swears to hate her forever if she proceeds. The two escape and hide from MERI and Alexander is raised by Hannah Bennett, a family friend present at the dinner.

Eight years later Alexander has become mute and suffers from horrible nightmares that cause him to wake up screaming each morning. He feels guilty about the stress he is bringing upon his guardian and fearful of the old woman in his building who tries to attack him over the noise he makes each day. Alexander take a dangerous alternate route to school because the normal way is lined with bullies and a horrible illusion. His path runs through Arcadia Park, the city's idyllic playground. Alexander is tempted to stay and skip school but he presses on in order to see his teacher who he has a crush on.

In school April Rainer, a mean girl with an English accent, bullies him and breaks his glasses for which she looses recess privileges and is given a week's detention. His teacher, Aries Washington, then introduces the class to a new student-her niece, Judith, who just lost her parents to violence. During class she tries to form a friendship with Alexander but he is suspicious of her and mesmerized by his teacher. Jealous, Molly, the closest person Alexander has to a friend, taps him on the ear and reminds him he's done no work so far. At lunch, an Element named Helen, the adopted daughter of the Vice Principal, punishes April for not carrying out her bullying with more tact and reminds the bully that she is useless in detention. Across from them Judith gives Alexander a note, which he reads and replies to, further upsetting Molly.

At recess Alexander hides in a large tree he calls Cradle and ponders Judith's request that they be friends. He is suspicious because everyone he knows is a bully and he was tricked with a similar proposal in the past. He decides to risk it and starts to set out when he hears Judith screaming and runs to her. He discovers she is badly injured and runs for her aunt. Aries is furious and demands April, who was named in the attack, be punished and the playground monitor who saw and heard nothing be fired. Vice Principal Bellerose explains there isn't enough evidence and the monitor shows Aries a red spiral on her wrist. She has seen the symbol before on an organized bunch of troublemakers many of the teachers had come to fear but wondered what a teacher would be doing wearing it and why she wasn't afraid of being fired. A loud crash ends her reverie and she notices Alexander is still in her class even though school ended fifteen minutes before. He is crying out of guilt at not getting to Judith sooner and she agrees to take him to the hospital, where Judith is staying and his mother works as a nurse, to cheer him up. Downstairs Aries find her car totaled and marked with a spiral so she and Alexander must walk. At the hospital Judith has taken on Alexander's symptoms and it is discovered she has a spiral on her person. The nurses want to know if Alexander has a comparable one and Aries tricks him into complying. When they discover he does they run a series of uncomfortable tests, which cause him to realize his teacher has been using his feelings for her to make him an obedient, model student and for the first time he turns his back on her.