It has been one Tide since Sergge Calla disappeared. Byia is already five Tides old and she is going to school for the first time. She was eating her breakfast while staring at the empty chair in front of her. Teera noticed and rubbed the head of her little daughter with her tail.
- “I know dear, your father was supposed to take you to school on your first day. I may be a poor replacement, but I will take you there, don’t worry.”
- “No, better not. I don’t want to be called Baby Byia right on the first day. I got enough of that already from that brat, Lodon Lunn. He hates my guts ever since we were three Tides old and I won a race against him. I can go with Paullu, considering that his school is right next to mine, right, dear brother?”
Paullu raised his eyes from the book he was reading when he felt a kick under the table. He noticed Byia’s begging eyes and without knowing what she wanted, he nodded.
- “Yeah, right!”
Byia made a forced smile and turned to her mother.
- “See? All taken care of. You can go to work, I will be alright.”
Teera bited her lower lip and rubbed her daughter’s head again.
- “Ok, you are a big girl, you will be alright. Remember what I told you, if there’s a class that you know everything about, ask the Teacher to be excused, but try to be polite with that request, the Teacher or your fellow class students might think you are being full of yourself. I don’t see a point for you to be learning how to read, considering you know that already. Better to spend your time in school learning instead of getting bored, right?”
Byia nodded and continued eating while staring at the empty chair again. She missed her father so much, that she felt about to cry just by thinking on going to school without him waving at her and kissing her forehead for good luck like he used to do.
…
Byia was right in front of the entrance of her new school, with Paullu pushing her left shoulder to make her swim.
- “Go on, sis, you will be alright. I bet that you will make a lot of new friends, instead of that mocking brat, Guyi Mohryi, that likes to annoy me so much!”
From behind them, a familiar voice spoke:
- “Hey, why are you talking about the amazing me so early in the morning? I know I am pretty, but I don’t go that way, you weirdo!”
Paullu rolled up his eyes and Byia hugged her childhood friend, unaware that such sudden attack made Guyi’s heart to skip a beat.
- “I forgot you were going to school as well! Nice, we can be together during recess!”
Guyi pinched the tip of her snout.
- “What are you talking about? You are supposed to make new friends! Do you want to be stuck with an annoying brat like me for the rest of your school years? Not that I mind, but your mother wanted for you to meet some girls your age!”
Byia pointed with her left claw to a big female that was entering the school gate, with shining yellow scales.
- “Some like her? Yeah, right, like if I would ever want to be near such a big girl! You are nuts!”
Guyi shrugged and pointed with his head to every male that was looking at the yellow scaled female.
- “They don’t seem to mind if they got a chance of being next to her. Look, she already has a big group of females around her, she must be popular, I guess.”
- “Yeah, totally not my thing. I prefer to be on my corner, instead of having so many Dragons around me. Just the thought of it makes me shiver.”
Someone pushed her to the side, and Byia blankly stared at her Nemesis, Lodon Lunn, that mocked her in a loud voice while swimming away.
- “If Baby Byia is cold, you can go back home, straight to your crib! Ahahah!”
Byia clenched her fists and snorted.
- “Lodon Lunn… I total forgot he was my age and he was going to school as well… I don’t think I am going to like this school…”
Guyi put one harm over Byia’s shoulders as they entered the school.
- “Don’t worry, you have me here. See you later, Paullu big head!”
- “Bye brother, see you later!”
- “Bye Byia! As for you, you brat, one of these days...”
Paullu couldn’t complete his threat because Guyi rushed to the main building, racing Byia to enter first.
Guyi stopped in the middle of the main corridor, checking the list of names and the number of the classroom. He smiled when he noticed his name and Byia, in the same class. Byia frowned when she saw London’s name in there. Guyi pulled her left arm to look for their classroom and they entered together, sitting on an empty table, right next to each other.
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Moments later, the yellow scaled female entered, gathering every young male look upon her. Lodon Lunn arrived right after, checking her out, from top to bottom. He made a big smile when he saw Byia Calla sited next to Guyi Mohryi and swam to meet them, with a weird smile.
- “So nice of you two to join my class! I was starting to think that I would get bored but with the two morons here, things are going to be funny!”
Lodon rushed to an empty seat two tables away from Byia’s, as soon as the Teacher entered and told them to sit.
Byia noticed that the Teacher was an old female with dark brown eyes and scales. She placed her bag on top of the table and took a list from there. She began calling out names and when Byia raised her right arm, London answered:
- “Baby Byia present, Teacher!”
That caused full-out laughter because every student thought that nickname fitted Byia, considering her small size. The Teacher made the students laugh even more when she tilted her head at Byia and asked while confirming the name and age on her list.
- “Are you sure you are five Tides-old, Byia Calla? I mean…”
Byia waited for the noise of the laughter to diminish, before answering:
- “I am sure. I couldn’t enter this school if I was not.”
- “Yes, you are right. Now, silence everyone, you already laughed enough. So, next… Lodon Lunn!”
London got up and made a proud pose while flexing the muscles on his forearms.
- “The almighty London is here, Teacher!”
More laughs followed his prideful outburst, with the Teacher ending it with just a sentence:
- “I guess we found out the class clown. So, next, Nayima Fiet!”
The big female with yellow scales raised her arm and spoke with a slight smile.
- “I am here, Teacher.”
Noticing the looks of every male in the classroom, made Nayima smile even more, with the Teacher nodding.
- “And now we have the class Princess… Nice… Always the same thing, over and over… I guess that’s everyone. Now, open your Rune Book that I already put on top of your table before you entered, open page one and let’s talk about the first Rune in there, shall we?”
Byia happily grabbed her book, and when she noticed the familiar rune, she mumbled:
- “No way…”
She looked at Guyi, and he too was frowning. Byia looked to every page of the book and when she reached the last one, she put the book on the table, unable to believe what she was seeing. The Teacher noticed that Byia was blankly staring at the pile of books on her table, and after a couple of seconds, she opened another one and went through the pages. When Byia put down the last book, she was frowning a lot, and stared at Guyi, that was as puzzled as she was. He shrugged and slowly shook his head, unable to answer the question that was lingering on Byia’s eyes. The Teacher noticed those looks and asked:
- “Byia Calla and Guyi Mohryi, is something bothering you two? Why aren’t you looking at the book page like I said?”
Every gaze was upon them, and Guyi signalled his friend to answer because he always hated to have so many Dragons looking at him. Byia grabbed the Rune Book and asked:
- “Teacher, why do we have this book? I mean, what are we supposed to learn, with it?”
- “Well, you know you are in your First Tide of school, so it’s natural if you learn how to read.”
Byia grabbed the next book, that said, ‘Introduction to Magic’ and asked:
- “And this one is for what?”
- “First Tide of school, learn Magic. I don’t understand your doubts, really.”
From one table, a familiar voice shouted:
- “Maybe Baby Byia is having trouble understanding you, Teacher, she just learned how to speak a few days ago!”
A major laughing explosion followed Lodon’s words, and Byia stood there in silence, looking at the Teacher. When the laughing was stopping, Byia explained:
- “Teacher, I already know how to read and I also know many Advanced Magics. May I be excused from this class?”
The Teacher disguised laughter, but the rest of the students did not. Only Guyi was in silence, while all of their colleagues were laughing. The Teacher made a serious face and asked:
- “That is a very serious request, young one. Do you understand the implications of it? I must test you accordingly, to be sure that you can be excused.”
Byia was bright red but she nodded and opened the book on the last page of the book where the announcement of the editorial company was printed and read it aloud, without any hesitation. Everyone was speechless, waiting for the Teacher’s words. Byia felt a familiar tingling on her right paw and looked at it. It was glowing and above it, a few runes appeared, that she automatically read.
- “This is a first… ‘Embarrassment Control’. It seems I unlocked a strange Skill.”
The Teacher made a slight smile and explained:
- “I also unlocked that Skill, but I was much older than you. I used to work as a Scientist in a well-known company, but I decided to train to become a Teacher. When I told about it to my family and my co-workers, I was mocked a lot, but I went ahead. That Skill grants you the ability to do and say things without feeling a bit of embarrassment. It is a sense of freedom if one is not compelled to avoid embarrass in public.”
Byia answered while staring at her glowing hand:
- “A very dangerous Skill, in fact. Embarrass can help on deciding not to do weird or crazy things…”
- “Yes, that’s the side effect of that Skill. That’s why you must also think properly, before doing anything rash. I see that you are very proficient in Magic, to be able to unlock it, and you can easily read the Skill’s Runes. Who taught you how to read?”
- “I guess it was my older brother. I was always next to him while he was studying, ever since I was two Tides-old.”
The Teacher made a slight nod.
- “I see. What is your brother studying?”
- “To be a Healer, like our mother. I don’t know if he likes it or not, he is very difficult to understand. I guess he just went with the flow, as usual.”
- “What about Magic? It was him as well?”
Byia answered in a trembling voice, after a few moments to contain her tears that began to form:
- “No… that was… my father…”
London finally spoke, trying to be funny again:
- “Baby Byia needs a hug, she is about to cry because she misses her father that strangely disappeared during a mission for the Guild! Poor Baby Byia!”
The remark made some students do a slight smile, not exactly what London was expecting. He then noticed that every male in class was staring at Byia, with dreamy eyes. He frowned because he understood immediately why they were like that. Byia did it again. On purpose or not, every male in class was now looking at Byia and noticing the reflections of the light on her scales, her light blue eyes and small size, that always made every young male that he met, look at her like that, like if she was a damsel in distress. That was one of the reasons why he hated her so much.
On the other end of class, a yellow-scale female was frowning. Nayima always hated females that took her out of the spotlight. She had to think of a way to make that small female hide under the rock from where she came.
The Teacher tilted her head and looked at Guyi.
- “What about you? You want to be excused as well?”
Guyi slowly nodded his head.
- “I guess… I already know how to read, and I can use all sort of Magics. Byia and her father taught me.”
- “Well, I don’t have another class to send you two right now, I need to ask the Principal. Bear with this boring class for today, and tomorrow you will be put in one of the advanced classes.”
Byia nodded with a serious face.
- “Yes, Teacher, thank you for your understanding.”
- “As for the rest of you, page one!”
Byia went for her bag and took a book from there, with the title ‘Deep Water Physics’, that she started to read. Guyi did the same but he grabbed from his bag a Mathematics book and a notebook and began on solving equations. The Teacher was about to explain the uses and meanings of the first Rune when she noticed what those two were doing.
- “Byia… Why are you reading that book? Do you at least understand what is in there?”
- “Yes, I understand. I don’t agree with the principal equation that was the base for this book, because Professor Albeyrt didn’t consider the effects of the fourth and the fifth dimension in Deep Waters. I need to finish this book because he is going to give a lecture next week and I want to ask him a few things about it.”
The Teacher frowned and asked, doubting Byia’s confidence.
- “Why are you so sure that Professor Albeyrt made a mistake in that book?”
- “I never said he made a mistake. He didn’t use two dimensions that would totally change his equation. I don’t know if it was on purpose, if he forgot, or if he thought on a different approach. I wasn’t expecting that he went and wrote a new book with this equation, after the blunder he did with his previous book.”
The Teacher spoke while approaching Byia’s desk.
- “Yes, I read about that, it was all over the news, last Tide. His book was taken out of the shelves after a very young lady refuted his claims during a lecture.”
- “Yeah, not one of my best decisions, but he wasn’t answering my calls. Like he is doing lately. I wanted to talk with him about this book before he gathered so much attention upon himself again. I know he is very intelligent, but his pride stops him from thinking very carefully on the implications of his equations and theories. Scientists and Explorers can die if they believe in this equation and make a wrong decision in Deep Waters.”
The Teacher gulped after the realization that Byia was the one that caused that uproar on the last Tide. The rest of the class didn’t understand their conversation, but they could see that the Teacher was very serious. She then faced Guyi and asked:
- “What about you, what are doing with that Mathematics book?”
- “Homework. Byia asked me to re-write Professor Albeyrt’s equation but using the fourth and fifth dimension. It is a lot of work because it’s a very big equation, but I always liked Mathematics.”
The Teacher slowly stuck her tail on the ground and put her right hand on their desk. Suddenly, the entire room was spinning, and she was feeling like if she were about to faint. After a few deep breaths, she swam back to her desk while mumbling:
- “I don’t know if there’s a class in this school for these two…”