Ashlin was staring out of the small schoolhouse's window when she saw the young boy approach.
"He is coming!" she whispered, signaling the other girls.
Three or four young females came from a different room to observe the boy about a block away who was the expected new student in the village schoolhouse.
"He is so handsome!" Kayla whispered, peering through the dirty glass.
"I wish I had a beautiful dress to impress him with," Sarah sighed, watching also.
"Girls! What do you think you're doing? Come back to the classroom! It is barely afternoon!"
But even the teacher was distracted with curiosity at what the girls were watching.
The whole room was absolutely silent, right up until they all saw the girl running up to the boy. The tension in the room rose, and four young hearts dropped suddenly.
"Ben! Wait on me!"
She laughed as she ran up behind the young boy.
"Its not my fault that your shoes are not made for travel, milady. This is nothing compared to..."
Benjamin stopped joking while Tarra caught up.
"What's wrong?" she whispered, curious at his sudden change in mood.
Whispering, he answered, "Do not look, but there are people… waiting for us at the schoolhouse..."
Forgetting his warning, Tarra looked anyway, and was surprised to see the girls in the window, all watching intently--directly at them.
"Who are they?" she asked.
"We will find out soon enough..." Ben mumbled, but he said it with a feeling that told Tarra that he was used to this situation, as if it had happened before.
They walked the last few strides and stopped at the door.
After questioning glances, Ben shrugged and Tarra knocked on the tall wooden door.
Slowly it opened, and a tall, blond, fragile woman peered out.
"Are you our new students?"
The two friends nodded, feeling a bit out of any known comfort zones. The women only let her eyes linger on Tarra for a few seconds, but that time showed her surprise, and to Tarra's dismay, her disapointment.
"Well, then! In you go."
With a sudden rush of surprised expectancy, they were led to a small room that would serve as a classroom.
"You may sit beside Kayla, and you are to sit by Jacob."
The woman pointed Tarra to a short,normal girl with a long, plain blue dress that matched a small dirty ribbon in her hair.
Her shoes, she noticed, were made of inexpensive leather, and they seemed sewn together carelessly. She also noticed the girl's face, which was plain and a bit dirty, though pleasant nonetheless.
"I am… T-erra." I said, switching names at the last second.
The girl nodded, suddenly not interested, but watched Ben sit down beside the stout young boy.
Suddenly looking at me, the girl stared at my face with a jealous longing in her eyes.
"Do you know him well?"
Confused, I only realized too late that the girl meant Ben.
"I hear rumors. They say that he travels back and forth, as a lonely, handsome boy, who has made more mistakes than all his admirers placed and counted together." I watched her face, which seemed far off somewhere else.
"Admirers?" I asked.
She nodded. " You wouldn't think so, but many boys see him as a future figure—as someone to look up to, you know. They all dream of causing havoc, sadly, and they wish to also make fresh starts in new towns every so often. He is a sort of fugitive, I should say. But he is dreamy, don't you think? I wonder how many hearts he has broken."
I suddenly stared at Ben across the room. He was sitting with the other boy, looking more comfortable than I would have thought. Maybe he did fit in well, no matter what his surrounding was. But could that really make him…
"Well?"
I realized that the girl had asked me a question.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"Don't you think he is beautiful? He must be the handsomest boy in town right now. How I wish to have him, if not just once."
Taken aback at her last spoken thought, I shuddered to think what she actually meant. Could this girl really be shallow enough to give herself to any handsome boy who crossed her path? Yet she didn't seem that type of person. She seemed sad, though, as if she could never actually be who she would like to be.
"I heard someone talk about his intentions. With the princess, you know. Could he really like that snob? She is rather gorgeous, at leastI have heard, but he couldn't dream of such a thing. Do you envy her sometimes?"
The girl, who seemed about my age, rambled on aimlessly about her opinions out loud. Was I really a snob? What intentions did she speak of?
Finally, I answered. "I believe that every girl must envy a princess at some time. But it is not royalty that makes a person, just as poverty does not label a human weak and against life. Every person should have a chance of being their own self, don't you think?"
Kayla, staring at me suddenly, seemed to have just realized that I was sitting beside her.
"Do you love someone, Kerra? Is that what makes you a caring person? Or is love just a stupid idea that doesn't exist? I don't even know anymore. You look very well off, maybe the daughter of some wealthy duke somewhere. But if you were really rich, you wouldn't be at this school. I suppose your family is loosing its wealth, and that is why you are here…" The girl suddenly turned her head, looking very depressed.
"I don't remember who the last boy I was intimate with was, though I remember faces. Do all men just use us, and then dispose of us? I don't understand this world."
I watched her, now thinking deeply myself. Was this girl serious? She seemed younger than myself, yet asintelligent as I am, yet she had more experience that I ever would have.
"Don't blame all men for the actions of one, Kayla. You will find love…" What was I saying? I stopped listening to myself speak. Why did I always have to play counselor? That was the job of another, not myself. I shouldn't worry about others as much as I do, but I couldn't help it. Suddenly we were torn out of your conversation.
"Boys and girls, we are ready. Today's lesson deals with thenouns and parts of speechsome more, as a continuation of our previous lesson. Can anyone recite theterms for me?"
I sat, blankly watching the children around me, all in different age groups. 'Nouns? I learned those more than six years ago!'
Stunned, I saw that no one could recite them. Were these children really this far behind? The teacher continued her lesson, as if she hadn't even asked the class a question. I let my mind wonder, away from the lesson and back on Ben. Suddenly looking up, I watched him carry on a conversation with the boy beside him, absolutely ignoring the teacher. But she didn't do anything against these actions; she even ignored them back. How strange the world outside the palace really was...
Later, after the class was over, there was a short recess that seemed to also be a lunch break combined. I was about to go talk to Ben when all of the oldest girls crowded around him, blocking my view. They flooded him with questions, and it seemed as far as I saw that he was enjoying the attention. As hard as I tried, I could not get through the crowed to talk to him. Giving up, I turned and sat down, only to be surrounded by the youngest of children there at the school. One little girl, who seemed about five, grinned at me with a large gap in between her two front teeth.
"Did your mommy make you that pretty dress? I wish I had something that pretty to wear. My mommy says I shouldn't be jealous of others, but I can't help it. Are you jealous of me?"
Absolutely confused, I didn't answer the girl, but directed my attention back to Ben and his admirers. The girls, who were obviously flirting with him, seemed to be shameless in their body language.
"I… uh…" watching them, I was suddenly jerked out of my trance, as someone holding on to my sleeve pulled me out of the room and out of the schoolhouse. "What are you doing?" I yelled, but a hand muffled my yells and I was suddenly very dizzy, while being dragged away by someone unknown. Screaming, suddenly I became dazed, and a feeling of sleepiness washed over me once again as I lost consciousness.
I am so very sorry! I don't even really need to say why, because you are all very mad at the delay, and for good reason. I have had writers block the entire summer! If you think thats annoying, think about how I feel! Thank you to everyone for your kind reviews! Every single one helped make me write. Sorry about he cliffhangers though, but they do have reasons for being,I swear! I will start writing the new chapter soon. Thanks, and please continue to read!
-Tati