Currency of the Governor: The settlement did not utilize currency; they obtained everything from the King or made it themselves. The entire world

was ruled by the King, and it was separated into sectors, each of which had a Sector Governor. The neighboring sector's governor instituted their own

currency, which was exclusive to that sector.

Torch-staff: A wooden-handled light source that emitted light like a torch. A luminous, round or teardrop-shaped crystal or glass, which emanated a

greenish-yellow light from within, was seated atop the staff. The luminous material was non-flammable and never needed to be charged.

Slate-book: A tablet-like gadget that made it possible to read books in bright light. It was extremely durable, being almost unbreakable, and it never

required charging. It was also an excellent tool for playing music.

Part 1

It was a beautiful, sunny day in the final hour of the school week. Tim looked out the window, lost in concentration as the bright fall sunlight seeped

through the leaves of the bushes.

“Tim, answer the question!” The voice of Master Ledren snapped.

Master Ledren's entire name was unknown to the locals. For nearly a decade, he had served as the settlement's elected leader and head teacher,

he became Master when Tim arrived in the village at the age of six.

Tim looked startled at the large, gray-haired man.

“Yes, Master Ledren?”

“I asked what shooting stars are!”

Tim gave a thoughtless response.

“Pebbles that fall from the sky.”

Even Master Ledren smiled as laughter erupted, but the kids became silent as he held up his hand.

“That's right, some are indeed just pieces of rock, but most shooting stars are no bigger than a grain of sand. They have several names...”

Master Ledren was a good and entertaining teacher, but Tim was more enthralled with the lovely weather outside than the session that was being

held within. Furthermore, Lia, a member of the graduating class, showed up in the courtyard of the living quarters. The girl had a slate-book in her

hands as she walked slowly along the graveled path reading, her beautiful brown hair drifting softly in the wind.

“How beautiful!” Tim let out a half-aloud groan. Master Ledren appeared at his side and gazed out the window.

“I understand that you find that girl beautiful, but concentrate on the task I just assigned! Page ten, lesson three.”

Everyone in the class laughed, and some even looked out and whistled. Master Ledren turned away from Tim at this point and moved in front of

his pupils.

“What did I say about whistling at girls?”

“It's improper and rude!” chanted the kids in unison.

Aroon, who sat closest to Tim, nudged him with his pen.

He murmured, “Just don't let Kosta find out!”

“Find out what?” Tim muttered.

“That you're mooning over Lia!”

“I am not!”

Tim instantly located the task in his slate-book. After a few minutes of completing the questionnaire, he surreptitiously peered out the window

once more. Lia, however, had already vanished from the courtyard.

As Tim walked out of the room at the end of class, his mind already racing toward Lia, the old teacher grabbed him by the elbow.

“Please stop, Tim.”

Tim's entire body tensed, and he stood anxiously in front of the senior teacher.

“Yes, Master?”

“Tim, I need more attention from you,” the teacher said. “You have a good mind, you could really succeed! You're good at crafts class, and you'll

do well in other subjects too if you focus on your studies,” he added, gesturing with a finger.

Tim gave him a startled look. Master Ledren smiled.

“Go, find the girl! May I know her name?”

“Lia,” Tim replied with a flushed face.

The old man gave a nod.

“Okay, locate Lia! She's probably at the training area.”

Tim whispered a vague ’thank you’ to the teacher before running away. He hurried to the courtyard behind the living quarters without even setting

down his suitcase. He could see Lia from a distance, who was leaning on the railing and reading her book. The graduating guys were practicing

on the field, wearing shorts and jerseys.

Tim tried to relax himself by slowing down, but his heart was racing. What should he say to Lia? But he couldn't think of anything because someone

had grasped his shoulder.

“At last, Tim! You've gathered your courage and decided to join the team. A quick sprinter like you would be very helpful on the wings.” It was Kosta,

the captain of the squad and Lia's friend. Tim desired to go.

“Yes.” He heard himself say, “Yes, I'll join,” as though someone else was saying it.

“Great! Gentlemen! Tim is going to be our winger.”

The squad paused training, waved at Tim, and some came over. After putting her slate-book aside, Lia faced them. Kosta approached the girl and

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

gave her a casual embrace, and even giving her a quick kiss on the cheek.

“Hi, sweetie!” he said as the girl drew back a little, but the burly boy wouldn't let her go.

“Are you still upset? I apologized already, didn't I?” Kosta inquired with a gentle and sympathetic voice.

“Go away from me! You had no right to touch me like that at the party, and an apology doesn't fix everything,” Lia said grumpily, her voice trembling

with anger. “I told you I wasn't ready, but you didn't listen. I need time to think about whether I can trust you again.” Kosta released her, as pleading

with a girl was starting to get embarrassing in front of the squad.

“Winger!” Kosta looked across at Tim. “We're going to train tomorrow after breakfast! We'll be here waiting.”

Tim managed to answer, “Alright,” but his eyes were fixed on Lia, the girl, however, had already left them after spotting her girlfriend. Kosta's face

took on a look of disappointment before turning to face Tim.

“Then tomorrow!” He said, “Don't be late!” and started getting dressed. Kosta unpacked his backpack, pulled out his kit, and ripped his shirt off. As

he put on the uniform, his broad shoulders and well-defined muscles moved with remarkable grace. Kosta joined the team, and they kept on

training.

Tim slowly slunk away. He looked about for Lia, but she didn't show up until nightfall. Tim didn't care about the team's yelling or Kosta's enormous

leaps. His wanderings continued till dark, when the rumbling in his stomach told him it was time to eat, so he made his way to the dining hall.

Lia was standing there in the light of the torch-staffs as yellow light streamed out from the dining hall door onto the courtyard. While her companion

was describing something in great detail, Lia glanced around in desperation and cried out to Tim as soon as she saw him.

“Winger! Eszti, I was just mentioning him! He's the newest member of the squad! What's your name, anyway?”

“Tim,” said the boy, and his tan complexion was drenched in sweat.

“Remember well what I'm about to say, Tim,” the girl said, unexpectedly linking arms with him, as they left the startled companion behind and began

to move toward the cooks. As soon as her buddy went away and searched for another victim, Lia stopped.

Staring at the boy who was a few centimeters shorter than her, she exclaimed “Finally, I got rid of her!” while tousling Tim's thick, midnight-black hair.

“I appreciate it, Tim! Be cautious of Kosta; he can be a real jerk!”

Tim stumbled over his words, having almost passed out when the girl linked arms with him, and became even more upset when she ruffled his hair.

With ease, Lia turned her back on him, proceeded to the servers of supplies, and after placing her supper on a tray, sat down to eat by herself.

“Congratulations, I saw everything!” Tim heard Kosta's voice behind him.

The boy thought the floor would give way under him as he raised his fists defensively and spun around, but his hearing had misled him, for only

Aroon stood behind him, grinning broadly.

“You have to tell me everything!” Aroon muttered. “How did you manage that?”

“What?” Tim gave him an incomprehensible look.

“This! You and your princess were strolling hand in hand.”

Tim chuckled.

“She's not my princess!”

“Then your Queen! I thought you were a loser, buddy! But you succeeded, and she noticed you! You are a King.”

Tim listened to his friend with pleasure. When Aroon described how purple Kosta's face would be if his lover dumped him, Tim straightened.

They were just about to approach the supply servers when Master Ledren emerged in the dining hall. The hall became silent.

“Students, have a good appetite! Express gratitude!” the teacher instructed those within the area.

“We are grateful to the King and the Court for the school and the supplies! May they be blessed by heaven!” the students shouted together.

Tim and Aroon also received their share, located a table and ate their dinner. After this, Tim returned to the counter and requested another full

amount, but since it was night, he only got half of it the second time, though he was rather happy, being quite hungry after all the excitement

he had been through. He accompanied Aroon to the living quarters. Tim listened to his friend in silence, hardly paying any attention.

“Did I tell you what I think will happen to Kosta?” Aroon inquired, and a suspiciously familiar voice replied.

“No! What will happen to Kosta?” came a voice as Kosta emerged from the opposite hallway.

“He'll... win the championship!” Aroon quickly covered, bringing a chuckle from Kosta.

“You think so too, winger?” he asked, making Tim flush horribly and grip his shirt awkwardly. The squad captain placed his hand on Tim's shoulder.

“Well? Is that what I'll experience?”

“Yes, we'll win!” Tim said, his voice sounding nearly squeaky like that of a tiny rodent, but Kosta only found this amusing.

“You're correct! Tomorrow, I'll see you at training,” he said before departing.

The world whirled around Aroon and Tim as they rested on the wall. When Kosta's footsteps faded in the corridor, the tension almost burst out: they

laughed loudly and freely for minutes. Once they had calmed down, Aroon gave Tim a backslap.

“That was close!”

After using the showers, they proceeded to the sleeping area. Everyone else was in bed: some were reading, others were listening to music, and

fat Tolle was already sleeping soundly. Tim thought he had overindulged, as his gut ached a bit.

“Amazing dreams! Congratulations to the Queen!” Aroon exclaimed. As sleep crept over his eyes, Tim thought warmly about the girl.