Lost in the Evensongs

8/6/2019 Lost in the Evensongs

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Lost in the Evensongs

by

C.R. Cummings

Scribd Edition

Copyright 2011 C.R. Cummings

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Pii is a child prodigy, his best friend is the heir to the planets, he shares his home with a warrior

and a ballerina, and to top it off he s in lo!e with a "ipsie, could his life get any more strange#

$he school year is %ust starting on the spar&ling crystal planet at 'iula College and Pii is about to

learn %ust how bi(arre it can get. ) small drop of blood changes his and his friend s li!es fore!er.

) gripping ad!enture into fantasy, as eight young college students find their way into the

E!ensongs, and disco!er a power beyond their imaginations.

________***________


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"Stars OF Light, Points OF Five,

Give us the guidan e to Learn and Serve.

!at h over us as e e#$ound on the origina%,

See& the !ondrous 'n&no n,

(nd )ee$ the Faith o our +asters.

!e oin ith the Light o -e ness

o )ee$ the En%ightenment /reathing,

o ontinue the !isdom here Found.

o /e One 'nder the Suns."

Vow of Assent for

Niula College of Higher Learning

________***________

C0(P ER 1

Second bells rang dully throughout the passageways as he hurried towards the doorway

that lead to the "ateway antechamber. )s the bells dictated the time, the young man bro&e into arun, cursing under his breath. )s he rushed forward a side door was abruptly hea!ed opened and

fi!e large bodies barreled out and into him, their laughter and banter a raucous, unwelcome

in!asion of the *uiet. $hey sho!ed at him and %ostled him rudely.


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)ttempting to continue on his way he mumbled an apology, winding through the mass of

bodies going their own ways. +e found his arm sei(ed, his body %er&ed brutally bac&wards.

+ey, dweeb,- a rough !oice spat into his ear. hadda ya thin& you re doing/-

Pii loo&ed up into the face of his captor a typical %oc&. $he young man was a head taller

than Pii, his body o!ersi(ed with fat and muscles. +is head seemed to sit directly on his

shoulders no nec& could be seen. Pii loo&ed around at the rest of the loutish group. $hey all

seemed to ha!e similar appearances as the first one clones, almost. $he hand holding him

s*uee(ed his arm and pulled him slightly up.

as&ed you a *uestion, cream puff,- the bul&y man demanded again as he s*uee(ed

harder on Pii s arm. +is mouth twisted in a smir& as he loo&ed to his cronies for appro!al. $he

small group laughed and pushed each other, yelling out %eers and insults, cheering their leader

on. heard you. Please let loose of my arm,- Pii answered calmly. +is demeanor was one of

impatience, if anything, as he wiped his shaggy un&empt hair out of his eyes with his free hand.

Right,- the lout said, dragging the word out moc&ingly as he grinned at the others. +e

loo&ed down at the young man he held capti!e. $he &id s body was thin, lan&y, not nearly as tall

as him. +e had a head full of wild sandy blond hair that hung in disarray around his face on his

thin frame he wore a non3descript t3shirt that had seen better days and wrin&led &ha&is. $he &id

loo&ed adolescent an underclassman to be sure. 4ut his eyes were unsettling. $hey were deep

blue and showed no fear, only annoyance which irritated his aggressor.

)nd %ust who is going to ma&e me# 5ou#- +e snorted contemptuously. )s he spo&e, a

spray of spit was let loose, and Pii pulled bac& as far as he could so as to not be hit.

6m in a bit of a hurry, so 6ll as& you again to please let go of me,- Pii said in a flat

!oice, loo&ing around at the sneering faces. 7ust one day he6d li&e to not be hassled. $hat was all

he as&ed.

8h9you are#- the large one e:claimed, feigning concern, his grin increasingly more

ridiculing. $he group was snic&ering, prodding each other on, as a figure entered, unnoticed

through the still open doorway. $he large brute found his own arm une:pectedly gripped,

pinched so hard he let loose of his prey.


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+ey, what the9- he called out, then caught sight of his assailant. 8h, it s you. e !e

%ust ha!ing some fun.- +e glowered, struggling in protest. ;idn t see you at try3outs, what s

up# 5ou in%ured or something#-

'o, Brad , ha!e better things to do with my time than running around the field with you

animals,- he replied, emphasi(ing the name as if it were a foul word.

8ne of the others called out, 5eah, heard you !e been dancin6 with the girls,- laughing

with ridicule. Putting his finger on his head, he swirled around in an unbalanced circle while the

others hooted with laughter. $he large young man only watched them, his face remaining

composed.

5es, wor&ed with the 4allet troupe this summer,- he responded unflappably. $he

group e:ploded with laughter.

8oh la la/- one called out.$he new one regarded them with disdain before turning his focus to Pii, who was rubbing

his arm. Red hand mar&s were apparent where the lout had gripped him.

5ou o&ay, Professor#- he as&ed with real concern, putting emphasis on the last word for

the others6 benefit. $he struggling of the one "enni held ceased, and their sneers abruptly died

off. Shoc& stretched o!er all their faces.

5es, than& you, "enni. 5ou can let this oaf loose.- "enni smiled cheerily at the one he

had detained, then whispered something in his ear that the others couldn t hear.


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$he two watched them until they were out of sight. $hen Professor Pii s rescuer loo&ed

down at him with a big smile. 'ice bumping into you, Pii. 5ou always seem to add an e:citing

flair to my life.-

5es9well it seems to happen too often for my li&ing,- he replied, beginning to wal&

down the hallway with his friend.

ell you do loo&9- "enni ran his eyes o!er his friend s frame. =h9rather un3

professor li&e.- ) sly half smile played on his lips. )nd you &now as well as do that you loo&

li&e an underclassman.-

ell that s because if was normal d be an underclassman,- was the smart retort.

'othing normal about you, that s for sure,- he said as he playfully pulled Pii into a head

loc& and &nuc&le3rubbed his head.

Stop that/- Pii yelped as he laughed and pulled away. ith "enni wal&ing beside himhe pic&ed up his pace and hurried along the hall. So9.)ly tal&ed you into it, did she#- he as&ed

in good humor.

5eah, can t say no to her. 8h be still my heart when she flitters around me %ust go

all mushy. )ll summer brea& wor&ed with them. 4asically %ust stood there li&e a tree and

lifted the little flying forms as they came at me. >ind of fun really.- Pii laughed at his friend s

confession. 'ow, don t you go telling )ly that. li&e her trying to &eep me happy so ll do it

again.- Pii could only grin at him. "enni loo&ed li&e a soldier conser!ati!ely cut blac& hair and

a body of steel. $he thought of him standing in the middle of the floc& of ballerinas was %ust too

entertaining. +e wished he could ha!e seen some of the performances.

hy are you going so fast#-

;awn said they were coming in by 2?00 and ...crap, m so late,- he yelled, brea&ing into

a run. "enni followed suit.

)ly messaged me that she and her friend were coming in with ;awn. didn6t understand

it, something about a surprise#-

ho s her friend# Someone &now#- Pii huffed with a bit of concern.

+er name is "race $ioua. She wor&ed bac&stage for the troupe. +er and )ly hit it off

right away.-

;id you do the !etting#-


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8f course. ;o you thin& d let )ly spend time with anyone didn t &now#- he said,

glancing o!er his shoulder at his friend and spea&ing between breaths. did the normal

bac&ground stuff. She was all clean, but she had tra!eled...a lot. sent in*uiries around the

planets she d been on. "ot a lot of reports bac& about her family@they were not li&ed. $here

was some trouble with the law but it loo&ed li&e "race split from them and went out on her own.

Aostly ad!enturing it loo&ed li&e hi&ing, staying in remote !illages, mountain climbing, stuff

li&e that. She left *uite an impression behind, e!eryone li&ed her. !e spent a lot of time with her

this summer? her and )ly. 'ice girl, good friend to )ly. li&e her.- +e shot his friend a sly

smile? thin& you will li&e her, too.-

Pii didn t catch the loo& "enni threw him, but felt better about the news now. ) little bit

at least. +e wasn t good with new people and they usually were not good with him. 4ut if "enni

said she was o&ay then he d let it be, he didn t want anything to mess up his surprise.$hey hurried along until they came to a wide e:panse of space and turned right to face an

arched doorway. $he large doors already opened out to re!eal the antechamber of the Ser!ice

"ateway. t was used primarily for large items coming in supplies, o!ersi(ed loads and such.

$here were a few wor&ers mo!ing pallets into the large lifts.

$he room wasn t as ornate as the others, but it was immense. $here were two o!ersi(ed

lifts that together ser!iced all the le!els in the college and the mountain city. Rows of !arious

de!ices for mo!ing hea!y loads were lined up neatly on one side. $he "ateway doors were four

times the si(e of the ones for %ust passengers. $his wasn6t the largest of the shipping "ateways.

$he biggest ones were located on the !alley floor, for !ehicles and other larger items. 4ut this

one ser!ed its purpose e:tremely well.

$he walls and floor were common stone wor&, polished, but nothing grand. ) couple of

chairs sat near a wide e:panse of windows that loo&ed out o!er the !alley and the outside city.

$hey were high up on the mountain, pro!iding them with a breathta&ing !iew.

) terminal was positioned ne:t to the "ateway doors with an attendant sitting on a stool

in front of it. $he young man turned as they entered, a huge smile erupting on his face.

+ello, Professor9"enni,- the uniform3clad attendant said in greeting.

+ey 4eci, didn6t &now you were wor&ing this shift also,- replied Pii.

5ep. "otta pay for my classes somehow. t s not bad, %ust boring down here. li&ed

wor&ing the main one better. Aore people to tal& to.-


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Pii thought to himself that that was why he li&ed using this "ate less people around the

better, he thought.

Pii loo&ed at the time display mounted on the wall ne:t to the gate. t was well pass 2?00

now? they should ha!e arri!ed already. Stumped, he as&ed, ;id we miss them# ;awn said to

meet her at 2pm.B

'ope. "ate s not due 6til 2? 0, so we ha!e another few minutes or so.- 4eci glanced at

his terminal, "enni leaning o!er his shoulder to read the screen. )s the two began tal&ing about

logistics and weights, Pii, uninterested, strolled o!er to the windows.

+e6d seen the !ista more times than he could remember, but it still astounded him this

wonderful world they li!ed on. $hey were part of the second half of the Pearl "ala:y, a

wonderful cluster made up of two separate gala:ies that had merged part3way and stayed that

way. Prime" was a spiral gala:y, whereas Sil!er" was a star gala:y. Prime"6s solar systemswere made up of hundreds of planets all thri!ing with ci!ili(ation, and it wasn6t until groups

began spreading out to coloni(e the larger stars in Sil!er" that the e:istence of this uni*ue set of

planets had e!en been disco!ered.

)rthur 'iula had lead a team of colonists to what they thought was one planet, only to

disco!er that it was really fi!e connected in an almost orbital system, an e:ceptional find in that

there was one planet they considered primary for its si(e, and four others that were 6attached6 to it

gra!itationally. $he fi!e planets formed a ring, held together by the uni*ue properties of the main

globe.

)rthur 'iula, along with his team, landed on the primary planet, and soon disco!ered that

their new home, which at first was thought to be !olcanic in nature, did not resemble it in the

least.

$he planet was formed of crystals, roc& being its secondary building bloc&. E!ery shape,

si(e, type, and color of crystal &nown, and un&nown, to man was found, more to this day being

disco!ered. 4ut one, christened )maranthine, was distincti!e in ways ne!er encountered before.

t acted biotic, but not ali!e in the sense that a plant was ali!e but with thoughts, reasoning and

purpose.

$he deep ca!es and ca!erns that riddled e!ery part of planet were co!ered with crystals

howe!er the rare purple crystal was illusi!e. t was if it wished to stay hidden, and once found it


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wouldn6t be there the ne:t time they loo&ed. $he other crystals were not so shy the ground,

waterways and e!en the air spar&led with minuscule flec&s of the gems.

;isco!ery after disco!ery too& place on the 'iula Duintettes@or 'iulaD as the newer

generations called it. 'ew colonies were not allowed to bring technology from Prime" planets or

any other populated worlds. $hey had to show they could be self3sufficient before they were

allowed to utili(e tech from their prior home worlds.

$he 'iulaD didn6t ha!e any issues with that directi!e. )d!anced electro3optic materials,

de!ices, and technology de!eloped *uic&ly in the system.

$he "ateways were still by far the most e:ceptional. 'owhere else were these to be

found. )maranthine, once found and tamed, could be directed, creating an unseen portal. ho

thought to set an )maranthine up as a 4eacon on the highest mountain how or why it e!en

stayed in place was lost in history. $hey only had to find the strongest 6pull6 areas on each of theother D planets and wal& into it, to find themsel!es standing on another of the Ds. E!entually

"ateways were built around such areas to encase them. $he tra!els routes became &nown and

worn, as it became an e!ery day e!ent to tra!el from one planet to another.

'iula was a wonderland of disco!eries. )ll of the mountains on 'iula main were

peppered with tunnels, ca!es, and huge chambers, which the crystals had bore through. Aan had

enhanced them, creating this city and the college scrupulously added more into the roc&s and the

surrounding lowlands.

...=ntil one day a ten year old boy had the inno!ati!e idea to see if there was a way to

gi!e the crystals commands as a science pro%ect for his th grade class pro%ect. +e found a way

to input the information into the crystal to grow a scale model of a house. $he go!ernment had

stepped in, remo!ed the 10 year old prodigy from his home world and transplanted him into the

$ech


10/38

year. 8r that he had made the mista&e, early on, of telling anyone that would listen that he

could hear music coming from the )maranthine crystals.

Pii sighed without caring to &now he did so. t had been so lonely, but oh how he lo!ed

it here. $he freedom to create, dream, and ponder without the guilt that he wasn6t pulling his

full weight for his family. 'ot that they weren6t ta&en care of he had seen to that. )nd the

isolation at the college had e!aporated the day he had met ;awn. Remembering that first day

brought a nostalgic loo& to his face. +e had gone home for the summer of his 1Hth year, and

with a hea!y heart had been returning to the college. hen he was here he didn6t miss them,

much.

;awn had been standing with a group of others in the arri!al room when the doors had

opened and he had e:ited. +e wasn6t e:pecting anyone there to greet him@there ne!er had been.

She had glanced up %ust as he had seen her, and their eyes met. She watched him for a bit, then,wal&ing with sure purpose, she had come to stand in front of him, stopping him from mo!ing

away. Putting out her hand she had introduced herself?

'I'm a new freshman. Racelle Dawnily,' she had said in a solid, confident !oice, 'but my

friends call me Dawn.'

+e hadn t been sure of himself, but his *uic& brain had mo!ed words to his mouth before

he could stop himself. +e had as&ed, 'How many are your friends?'

She laughed, not at him, but with true feeling and had answered. 'Two now.' She had

loo&ed behind her where a tall young man had stood, watching them both cautiously, but with a

soft grin. She had motioned with her head to him and said. 'That's Genni, my other friend.'

+e had disco!ered he was still holding her hand. Ao!ing his hand to her other one, she

had turned and said, 'Come on, let's find somethin to eat.' She had ta&en his suitcase, handed it

to "enni, and started wal&ing out of the chamber. +e found himself pulled along in stunned

ac*uiescence. She told him that they would be the best of friends, and she had ne!er let him

down. ith her beside him his life at the college had changed. Suddenly he had two friends and

they collected more along the way.

) bell chimed thinly in the chamber, brea&ing Piis6 inner thoughts. $urning from the

glittering landscape, he saw "enni pointing at the "ateway as a red light started to blin& abo!e

its doors.


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+er red hair was tied bac& in a loose ponytail that bounced as she wal&ed. She was

wearing %eans that were cuffed %ust below her &nees, with soc&less tennis shoes and a blue

o!ersi(ed t3shirt. She wasn6t o!erly attracti!e no ma&eup, no piercings and tons of frec&les

spattered o!er her nose and chee&s she had a more practical loo&. +e li&ed her. She had an

energetic stride and seemed to be fairly comfortable in a new place. She stopped when she came

to where all of them were standing and smiled e:pectedly at them.

BE!eryone, this is "race,B )ly bubbled as she pulled the redhead forward. B"race, this is

e!eryone/ ell you &now "enni.B She hugged him again, Band you met ;awn at the departure

"ateway, and this...this is our Pii.B $he redhead loo&ed him o!er he could feel her eyes ta&ing in

his dishe!eled appearance. She must ha!e found him acceptable because she smiled, somewhat

uncertainly and held out her hand. She had a strong grip and loo&ed amused as he met her grip

with a sturdy one of his own. She came %ust to his shoulder and she was wearing the largest bac&pac& he had e!er seen.


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)fter seeing that all their belongings were accounted for, the girls too& off down the

hallway. Pii held bac& until he was sure "enni and the others couldn6t hear him, then called

bac& to 4eci.

B5ou and Jon coming tonight#B he as&ed hopefully.

4eci said something else into his handset, then called bac&. B5ou bet. e are all pac&ed

and ready. Can6t wait...B +e wa!ed as a !oice came o!er his handset again, demanding his

attention.

"race and )ly were wal&ing at a good pace and he had to almost run, pushing the cart, to

catch up. "enni had pulled up aside the two girls and was easily &eeping up with them. ;awn

lingered, waiting for him as "enni and )ly wal&ed ahead with "race.

BSo, Pii. 5ou6!e been wor&ing out ha!e you#B ;awn whispered, not too softly, as she

gripped his bicep in good humor.ithout consent he could feel his face turning red he was slightly embarrassed that she

had noticed, while he was at the same time pleased that she had.

B5ou6!e grown taller too,B she said, watching the tips of his ears redden, then she pulled

him to a stop. B5ou can6t be/B she e:claimed as she pulled him close and did a head measure with

him. BSuns, you are, you are taller than me now. Ay little Pii has finally grown up,B she said

smugly as she lin&ed her arm through his, somewhat hampering his ability to push the cart.

B$han&s...momB he said sarcastically bac& at her she grinned.

BSoooo, what6s the surprise# )nd why, may as& did ha!e to come in through the

Shipping "ate#B she in*uired nonchalantly, as she strolled beside him. +er heels clic&ing on the

stone floor.

B ell, it6s easier for me to get around here for one...B he answered with a smir&.B)nd...

oh... wait a minute.B +e stopped pushing the cart. $hey had come to a for& in the hallways. $he

main hall lead to a lift into the main part of the city, whereas a small hallway to the side lead

down to little used sections, employed for storage mostly. B+ey guys, hold up, you6!e gone too

far/B he yelled to the others, who had almost reached the lift. $hey turned at the sound of his

!oice, surprise coloring their e:pressions.

C0(P ER 2


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;awn and Pii waited for the others to come bac& to where they were. $hey had stopped

when he yelled, but they certainly too& their time bac&trac&ing. hen they got close Pii pointed

a thumb down the little3used hallway.

$his way, guys,- he said, letting a light grin tug loose on his face.

4ut this is the way to get to the college there6s nothing down there....is there#-

*uestioned ;awn, a pu((led e:pression on her face.

ell, said had a surprise for you all.- t was silent as he continued. 5ou &now how

the Structural Engineers submitted plans to e:pand the college and li!ing areas#B )ll but "race

nodded she wore a baffled loo&. ell, the new inlaid schematics wor&ed, and all the labor was

completed during the summer. Kor the last few months the city planners ha!e been going o!er

the mountain and ha!e decided which older parts should be rebuilt, and which to abandon for a

later date. $hey disco!ered that under this le!el there was an e!en older one. So we did somesur!eying, and what we found was pretty cool.- +e paused and scanned their faces it was

ob!ious they had no idea what he was tal&ing about. "enni motioned with his hand for him to go

on. Somewhat imploringly, he continued? $hey had the area scheduled for bloc&ing off, since it

was so old. 4ut li&ed it. So... ac*uired the rights to it.B $hey all %ust stared at him.

B8h come on, this is really ace/B +e was so e:cited that he started to wa!e his arms

around. "enni wa!ed his hands in the air forcefully, mimic&ing his friend.

)nd# So#B he as&ed uncomprehendingly. 4ut ;awn was beginning to understand.

ait, you ac*uired the rights to a le!el...all to yourself. hat, some underground ca!e

thing#B she as&ed s&eptically, but he could see that "race seemed to li&e that idea.

5eah...no...B he started. B5eah it6s a le!el, &ind of. t was a little run down, but fi:ed the

hallways and closed off all the catacombs. did lea!e a couple of really awesome ones that

loo&ed li&e they would be fun to e:plore.B $hey all only stared at him li&e he had lost his mind@

all but "race. $hen ;awn started to laugh. ) little at first, then it built, with )ly and "enni

%oining in. $hey had finally understood what he was...and was not saying.

n good humor, "enni slapped him on his bac&. B8nly you Pii, only you.B +e shoo& his

head in ama(ement. B ay cool.B

ay/- e:claimed ;awn after him, turning a beaming face to her friend. So, do we get

new rooms there#-


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4etter... anyway thin& so,- Pii said, grinning. $here was a wing that must ha!e been

li!ing *uarters at one time. fi:ed it up.B +e waited, wanting to build the tension.

5es, sooooo#- ;awn drew the word out beseechingly.

$here are eight sleeping rooms, fi!e baths, our own &itchen and li!ing areas/-

"enni, )ly and ;awn burst out as one?

'o/-

Really-

8h my Suns, our own wing/-

"race %ust loo&ed from one to another, not really understanding e!erything e:cept that

they were going to get their own rooms@and not ones in the dorms.

5es9 really,- he proclaimed proudly. B4ut wait...there6s more/B

$here s more#- "enni said, eyes widening. 'o way.-B5ep, there6s a small gym, a laundry room and...you ready for it#B ;awn %ust about

tac&led him. B8&ay, o&ay,- he said, laughing. B$here6s a really cool pool with a waterfall/B )t

that all of them cheered, e!en "race.

+e started pushing his cart down the unused hallway. $he others followed, letting him

lead. )s he wal&ed he said, put in lifts %ust for us there is one from this le!el straight to our

hallway. )nd we can ta&e any lift and it will ta&e us there also.- +e whispered this, e!en though

no one else had been seen since they left the "ateway chamber.

"ood Suns, Pii, you are beyond incredible,- ;awn said, sha&ing her head, the little braid

of hair dancing merrily about her shoulders.

&now. 6m awesome.B +e smiled broadly at her as he reached o!er his shoulder and

patted himself on the bac&.

;awn rolled her eyes at "enni. )nd he s soooo humble too/-

B4ut how would a lift on...say le!el 12 ta&e us down to our hallway#B as&ed )ly, who

was dancing from foot to foot in glee, almost as if she really needed to use the bathroom.

B;on6t as& how...it %ust will,- he entreated, smiling at her as he came to halt before an

o!ersi(ed lift door. B8ur side of the lift is o!ersi(ed, so if you need to bring large things down,

use any of the shipping lifts, it will wor&,B he informed them as he pushed the button for the

doors to open.


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$he main doors opened to a small !estibule, then a short hallway. 7ust off the hallway

was a co(y little room, with stone benches built in and hoo&s mounted into the stone walls. )s

"enni po&ed his head into it, Pii said. $hat6s a 6coat6 room. Some place to throw our things as we

come in.B

$he hallway opened into a good si(ed room, shaped li&e an 6


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"enni and ;awn ran to him and pounced, the three ending up in a wrestling match on the

carpet. )ly had grabbed "race by the hand and ran off with her to e:plore, while the three close

friends roughhoused.

Soon they collected themsel!es and continued to e:plore their new home. Each new find

was filled with e:citement. $he stone walls were smooth and polished the grand room had a

wood floor that if possible was glossier than the walls. Kire bearing sconces lined the walls,

flic&ering gently. $here was a multitude of paintings and mirrors leaned up against the walls in

the hallways, and Pii e:plained he didn6t &now who wanted what where. $hey had to climb o!er

rolled carpets and tapestries that bloc&ed their way.

$he bedrooms turned out to be more li&e apartments, each ha!ing a large room and a

smaller one with poles for clothes. )ll had windows, some small, others floor to ceiling with the

same arch and stained glass at the top. $here were two hallways that branched off, with four bedrooms in a row on each one.

$hey found )ly down the left hall, scampering from room to room. )ll the rooms on this

hall were the same si(e and configuration. Aattresses and ornate bed frames were laid on the

floors waiting to be assembled. ;ressing tables, dressers and trun&s were distributed in the rooms

and hallway mismatched to be sure, but all were real wood and loo&ed handmade.

B here did you get these#B )ly chirped when she saw Pii come down the hall, gesturing

at the furniture. B$hey are delicious...this whole place is delicious. feel li&e 6m in a castle from

a fairytale/B she proclaimed as she spun around cheerfully, ending up in "enni6s arms. +e

hugged his little dancer tight, then too& her hand and together went to in!estigate the rooms. Pii

%ust loo&ed at ;awn and shrugged.

B5ou thin& she li&es it#B he as&ed ;awn. She %ust grinned and followed them. $hey

found "race in the last room on the hall, standing at the large windows. She turned when they

came in.

B e can really stay here#B she as&ed in a manner of concern and disbelief. B don6t thin&

can afford this place... barely could the dorms.B

B5es we can really stay here all of us. )nd you don6t ha!e to worry about credits. t6s all

been ta&en care of. $here6s room for e!eryone,B Pii said, smiling.

B ow,B she said, loo&ing about the room. B+ow about the furniture#B She glanced at the

mattress in the middle of the floor.


19/38

B guess we will need to figure out who wants what we %ust hauled it all in. $here6s more,

but we didn6t ha!e time to get it all and we weren6t sure what else e!eryone might need.B

B ait a minute,B ;awn said, hands resting on her hips. B7ust who is 6we6. was

wondering how you got all this stuff in here.B

B5eah, was wondering that myself.B "enni6s deep !oice bro&e in from the doorway as

)ly duc&ed under his arm and darted o!er to "race, her face all smiles.

Pii had been wondering when they would thin& to as&, or if they e!en would. B ho do

you thin Jon and 4eci helped. Jon installed all the appliances and stuff. +e helped with the

bathrooms too@there was plumbing things didn6t want to figure out and he thin&s stuff li&e that

is fun. put in our own power and heating sources.B +e pointed at a dresser already positioned in

the room. BSome things were already here, but the rest 4eci and sal!aged from other rooms in

this le!el. ait til you see the table we found in the &itchen. 8h and they are mo!ing inalso....tonight.B

B as that the guy at the "ate#B "race as&ed, trying to remember what he loo&ed li&e.

B5eah. Jon6s his twin. $hey thought this was a grand lar& and wanted to be a part of it.

Jon helped with some of the remodeling plans. +e really did most of the bathrooms, so yell at

him if you don6t li&e them.B +e went to the door, "enni mo!ing out of his way as his friend

pointed to doors across the hall. B$here6re two bathrooms on each hall. e will ha!e to share, but

there6s enough so the girls can ha!e their own. $here6s also one by the dining room.B

$he others had followed him and were loo&ing o!er his shoulder. ;awn swept him aside

to go o!er to the closest door and opened it. She gasped. $he others hurried o!er to her, while Pii

stood bac& from them grinning widely.

$he bathroom was huge, with a long counter on one side installed with two sin&s. $he

counter loo&ed li&e marble, as did the floor and walls. Aounted abo!e the sin&s was the largest

mirror any of them had e!er seen. )t the far end was an open area, sun& lower in the floor with a

shower head mounted on each side. 4eside it was a bathtub that loo&ed more li&e a small

swimming pool four could fit easily. $he wall was lined with built3in cabinets, that when

opened re!ealed stac&s of towels and necessities for the bathroom. Pii smugly wal&ed o!er to the

showers and called out. arm water, hard spray,- and water began shooting out of the wall to

the surprise of e!eryone behind him. ater off,- he said, and wal&ed o!er to a wide door past

the wall of cabinets. =pon opening it, he swept his arm wide and bowed.


20/38

BAay present the commode,B he declared in grand style. Peering inside they saw a co(y

room with one toilet and a little sin&.

B ow,B said )ly B ait... need to say it again. ow.B She was breathless as she loo&ed

around the room. B)re they all li&e this#B she said, eyes wide.

B)ll the ones on the hallways are. Jon and decided we didn6t need to get fancy.B he

said, trying for sober. t didn6t wor& as ;awn punched him again.

B ill you please stop that#B he yelped. B bruise easily.B ;awn punched him again as she

wal&ed stately from the room and started down the hall.

B


21/38

4y the time they had finished chec&ing out the bedrooms, they had pretty much decided

on which rooms they were going to ta&e. )ly declared that her and "race would ta&e the last two

on the left hallway, "enni ta&ing the one ne:t to )ly. ;awn too& the last one on the same row.

$hat left Pii alone with the twins on his hallway. Pii thought it wor&ed since Jon and 4eci could

not be any better at house&eeping than he was@that, and the twins did tend to get loud, a lot.

Pii showed them the dining room that he had turned into a study room for them. +e6d

found des&s and more boo& cases that he had set up against the walls. $his is where he had spent

most of his time, ma&ing sure that there were terminals for them to use. +e had already

connected them to the "rid, their 6on6 lights already glowing.

8ur !ery own study hall,- Pii e:plained, as ;awn huffed about him thin&ing she would

actually study.

$he &itchen was the last stop on their tour. Aore gasps escaped as they entered the space.)lthough the walls were stone, it was a modern &itchen with all the most up to date appliances.

$he sin& was ancient it loo&ed more li&e a trough than a sin&. t had two parts, both deep and

stained, but new fi:tures were attached. $here was a wide counter that di!ided the room one

side being the sin& and sto!e, with two large built in o!ens set in the stones.

$he other side of the counter had stools lined up along it. $he rest of the space was ta&en

up by the strangest table they had e!er seen. t was formed from plan&s of wood, wide and long.


22/38

BSorry, ha!en6t found all the right homes for the things yet. 4ut thin& we got e!erything

we might need,B he said, noticing for the first time the loo& of shoc& on ;awn s face.

Really#- she answered sarcastically.

B8&ay, may not be good at putting things away, and do go o!erboard a bit...but loo& at

this,B he said as he opened up more cabinets that held canned and pac&aged foods. $hen he

mo!ed to a large metal door with a long sil!er handle and opened it. B$his was here, but not in

wor&ing condition so Jon and fiddled with it and it wor&s fine now.-

Cold air blasted out at the group as they all too& turns loo&ing inside. B"ee( Pii did you

clean out the &itchens#- "enni said as he loo&ed around. t was a good si(ed room? there were

shel!es along the wall piled high with food containers, storage buc&ets lined up underneath and a

rac& of di!erse drin&s was set up to the side.

;awn came o!er to Pii with a smir& on her face and threw her arm loosely around hisshoulder. ell we ha!e food any of you &now how to coo- she as&ed, not e:pecting an

answer. $hey all were surprised when "race *uietly answered.

do... some.-

ell, guess you are pic&ed to teach the rest of us then,- )ly piped in cheerfully,

hugging her friend.

$hey loo&ed around some more, then found their way into the li!ing room. $hey were

%ust ma&ing themsel!es comfortable when the front door was heard opening and then slamming

shut loudly.

here is e!eryone#- yelled two !oices in unison as they entered. ere you

surprised#- bellowed 4eci as he romped into the room, his arms loaded with bo:es. +is twin was

*uic& to follow him in.

hatcha all thin- Jon said ecstatically. )ly %umped up and ga!e Jon a tangled hug,

&noc&ing his glasses awry. Jon grinned croo&edly, his face turning an interesting shade of red.

;id you see the baths#- he stammered, as he pushed his glasses up and grinned sheepishly.

did that, did Pii tell you#-

$hey re wonderful, Jon...ama(ing/- she said, hugging him tightly, while he loo&ed

unsure of what to do with his arms.

hen she let him loose and bounced bac& to her seat, Jon was left standing with a

slightly da(ed loo& on his face. 4eci smac&ed the bac& of his head as he dropped his load and


23/38

sat in the first chair he came to. Jon followed suit and soon they all seemed to be tal&ing at

once.

"race had watched the twins come in. She recogni(ed 4eci, and &new she would ha!e

recogni(ed his brother also. $hey loo&ed almost identical both a!erage height, with shaggy

brown hair hanging %ust below their ears. "ood loo&ing, she supposed, if you li&ed the type.

hen they smiled their high chee& bones were defined and they seemed to smile a lot, showing

sets of wide white teeth. $hey loo&ed li&e boys you d e:pect to see at a college, full of nonsense,

but li&eable. $he only differences she could see were that 4eci was tanned, while Jon was more

fair s&inned and wore glasses.

E!entually she found her way into the con!ersations and felt more at ease. $his was an

interesting group of friends )ly had, for sure.

________***________

Pii, wa&e up/ C mon, you can t sleep all day.-

Ku((ily ;awn s demand registered in his mind. +e too& a second to contemplate, and

decided maybe she would lea!e him alone if he pretended not to be awa&e. t didn t wor&. She

sat on him...hard9in the middle of his stomach. ) grunt of pain erupted from him as he opened

his eyes and %er&ed upright.>new you were awa&e,- she teased as she rolled off onto the floor. Pii saw that

e!eryone else was lying around the room fast asleep...li&e he wanted to be. Jon and 4eci were

sprawled on the floor in front of the fireplace that now held a cheerful fire, rolled up in sleeping

bags. "enni and )ly were curled up together in one of the arm chairs, while "race was sleeping

in the other.

Rubbing the sleep out of his eyes he as&ed, hat time is it#-


24/38

Pii was now wide awa&e. +e hadn t forgotten really maybe he %ust wanted to forget. +e

hated these things. t always ended up with him feeling e!en more of a curiosity, being paraded

up on stage for the entire freshman class to see. +e &new the reasons first it was bragging rights

that he was here at the college the second was so there would not be any mista&es by students

about who he was. $his year should be different...he hoped. Kinally he was the same age as most

of the incoming freshman and he didn t loo& li&e a little &id anymore. +e pulled himself up,

smiled wea&ly at ;awn and went to freshen up. +e noticed that ;awn didn t waste any time

ta&ing his place on the couch.

Pii groaned as he loo&ed at his timepiece. +abits too hard to brea& he stumbled bac&

down the hall to his room. +e noted that he had slept in his clothes...again. t didn t seem

possible, but they were e!en more wrin&led. $elling himself to %ust do at it, he headed to the

bathroom instead.t didn t ta&e him long to shower and brush his teeth. +e thought about sha!ing, but it

seemed pointless? e!en at nineteen there wasn t much there. rapping a towel around his waist

he pic&ed up his soiled clothes and went bac& to his room. t too& some searching, but he finally

found a clean pair of pants and a not too wrin&led shirt. +e sniffed it, thin&ing it wasn t too bad

and put it on.

+e dug around in the mess until he located his note bag. +e turned a chair upright in front

of a small des&, and swept miscellaneous litter off the surface. Sitting down, he rummaged

around inside the bag until he found his notes. ith a deep sigh he pulled them out and went

o!er them *uic&ly, ma&ing changes e!ery now and then.

>eeping an eye on the time, he finally decided he needed to eat something before he too&

off. Stuffing the notes bac& in the bag and slinging it o!er his shoulder, he snatched up his blue

robe and went off in the search of sustenance.

t was still *uiet e!eryone must still be asleep. +e noted with a ping of %ealousy that they

could slumber while he had to wor&. )s he neared the &itchen his stomach started to growl at the

aroma of food. "ee(, he must really be hungry? he must be smelling food that had been left out

o!ernight. $urning the corner he stopped, startled. "race s bac& was to him, as she stood at the

sto!e, coo&ing. She turned with a s&illet in her hand as he entered, a blasL e:pression on her face.

Aornin -

"ood morning,- he stammered. hat are you doing up#-


25/38

heard ;awn wa&ing you up for the freshman orientation today. !e got to go too and

don t &now my way around, so thought d tag along with you.- Pointing at a stool she said,

Sit, made you scrambled eggs.-

'e!er one to say no to food, Pii climbed onto the stool and saw a plate and for& had been

laid out. +e watched in mar!el as she filled the plate with a good si(ed pile of eggs, then buttered

toast.

;o you drin& coffee#- she said as he pic&ed up the for& and too& a bite he nodded his

affirmation. She went o!er to another counter and poured him a mug. Cream, sugar#- she as&ed

without turning.

Am hmm,- he said, between mouthfuls. +e watched as she fi:ed the drin&, bringing it

o!er to him and sitting it down by the plate. She &ept rubbing her forehead and her smile wasn t

reaching her eyes.$his is good/ 5ou do &now how to coo&.- t was a proclamation along with a *uestion.

)ren t you going to eat#-

)lready did as was coo&ing it.-

)re you o&ay#- he as&ed as she rubbed the bac& of her nec& absently.

!e %ust got a &iller of a headache. too& an aspirin it will go away soon,- she

answered casually, and watched the food disappear. +is hair was wet, and uncombed. +is shirt

was crumpled, with spots of something brown down the front. +e had a tie hanging loose around

his nec& that didn t match the shirt he had on and the blue %ac&et thing he laid on the stool ne:t to

him didn t loo& all that clean either.

$han& you, that was really good. So much better than the mushy ones they ser!e in the

cafeteria,- he said as he finished.


26/38

Pii watched as "race *uic&ly pic&ed up the dirty dishes, wrote a note to )ly and grabbed

a sweatshirt, pulling it o!er her head. +e retrie!ed his own items and together they headed out to

the lift.

hen they got to the doors they entered the lift as one. +e had to e:plain the codes for

where they were going today and promised to write it all down so she could understand the

le!els and points in the city better. )s he pushed the code in and the lift started to mo!e he

noticed "race putting her hand to one ear, as if to bloc& out something, with a loo& of pain on

her face.

)re you alright# 5ou re worrying me,- he reflected concernedly.

Sure, %ust a headache is all maybe the pressure is different here or something,- she

replied with a wea& smile. She was loo&ing down and noticed his shoes. ;irty tennis shoes with

frayed laces it loo&ed li&e the soles wouldn t stay on much longer and she smiled to herself.+e too& them by the shortest route he could find, ha!ing the lift stop on the main

underclassman le!el hallway. Aost of the freshmen would spend their entire year on this le!el.

Kew might ta&e some of the more ad!ance classes higher up, but the ma%ority would dwell on

this le!el and the one between this and the ne:t one up. $he commons and lunchrooms were

there, as were a couple of libraries, study halls and terminal labs for homewor&.

)s the lift doors opened they were met with a sea of bodies and sounds. Pii started out

and saw that "race was hesitating, loo&ing out at the mass of students. She loo&ed at him

*uestioning with her eyes, trying hard not to be intimidated by the amount of motion before

them. Students of all shapes, si(es, s&in colors and genders were mo!ing, almost as one, pass the

door. Entering the flow loo&ed tric&y at best she thought, although at least the headache was

fading a bit now.

+e loo&ed down at the robe he still held in his hand. t was now or ne!er, he conceded, as

he dropped his bag on the floor and *uic&ly donned his robe. +e didn6t bother buttoning it, but

instead pic&ed bac& up his bag and loo&ed at her. She was watching him with interest.

BKollow me it won6t be so bad.B +e began to mo!e out again, then stopped and glanced

at her. B &now we didn6t tal& about it last night, but you do understand our rooms are pri!ate,

right#B he as&ed in a whisper.

BSure,B she answered uncertainly.

B)nd whate!er say or do, %ust play along, alright#B


27/38

She wasn6t sure what he was tal&ing about, but nodded, and followed him out of the lift.

nstantly the flow of bodies abated and made space for them. t was as if an in!isible bubble had

enclosed them and e:panded as they wal&ed. $he other students were gi!ing them a wide berth.

'ow and then as they wal&ed, she heard someone say, BAorning, Professor,B or B$hat6s him.B

Eyes seem to follow them as he lead and she followed behind. )s they neared the doors into the

amphitheater she saw others wearing the same type of blue robe that Pii had put on. 4ut they

were all adults...no, she corrected herself...teachers. )s she made the correlation, she ga!e an

audible gasp. Pii turned to loo& at her. +er eyes were wide...stunned...then *uic&ly changed to

outrage. $hey narrowed with anger as she loo&ed at him.

#$ell, that was interestin %, he thought as he watched emotions play across her face. +e

continued on, and using his body to stem the flow through the door, ma&ing a path for her. BCan

you find a seat o&ay# need to sit with the others.B +e felt as if she had physically hit him, hereyes boring into his as she passed by, unspea&ing. B8&ay, well ll find you afterwards,- he

finished lamely as he mo!ed o!er to where the other professors were gathered.

"race made her way to the first seat she saw open. 8h she was mad...and horrified...and

astounded. She sat down da(ed, not noticing as other students scrambled o!er her to reach their

own seats. +e should ha!e told her, not letting her thin& he was a student. She went o!er

e!erything she had said to him wondering %ust how humiliated she should be, followed by her

practical brain &ic&ing in. )ly had said something about her friend Pii being really smart...he did

ha!e an awesome home. Really, hadn6t she wondered how a &id could afford that# ell, maybe

he was rich, but that thought ne!er really went anywhere, besides, didn6t he say he was from a

farm# Duestions and their possible answers flew threw her mind until she felt sic& from

di((iness.

$he bac&ground noises around her started to filter in. Kinally she started to ta&e notice of

the goings3ons surrounding her. $he place was filling up fast. She really had no idea that the

freshman class was this big. #&ust how bi is this lace?% she wondered as she scanned the room.

'o matter what planet she ended up on the &ids were always the same, as were the cli*ues. She

smiled to herself as she categori(ed the groups around her %oc&s and cheerleaders were easy to

spot. $he first few rows loo&ed li&e the studious ones, academic o!erachie!ers. She &new if she

spent some time she could e!en put them in sub3categories. $hen there were the tough crowd,

boys and girls, though it was hard to tell which was what. She had to force herself not to stare


28/38

some of them were so in&ed6n holed that they didn6t loo& human. $here was a popular crowd in

the bac&. She didn6t e!en ha!e to turn around to tell where they were. $heir !oices carried bits of

con!ersations. B hat a nerd.B B hat was she thin&ing wearing that#B B planet3hopped all

summer...B and on and on.

She could pic& out the religious groups, the arties, the nature nuts the ones in $he )rts.

She found herself capitali(ing the words in her own mind and smiled to herself as she did. She

recogni(ed a few from the dance troupe and wa!ed when they saw her also. She imagined the

room of different types of creatures that always drifted together.

+er entire life was formed of drifting her family did and she did. 8n the other worlds

they were called gipsies, the wanderers. She thought of herself as a $ommie a girl that didn6t

care about her hair, clothes nails. +owe!er, she really didn6t li&e to put labels on people? in her

own family she had seen where that had lead. +er family was !ery sensiti!e to the names the planets ga!e them. $hey could ne!er understand why e!eryone found it so odd that they %ust

li&ed to tra!el and had to impart a more sinister reason for it.

B+ey Red, mo!e your behind o!er/B a hot breath yelled rudely into her ear. She pulled

away as she loo&ed up into the face of@what else#@a %oc&. #(ore li)e a no nec),% she thought.

$he guy was large, loo&ing to be formed from more fat than muscles. She loo&ed to the other

side of her and saw that the row had condensed into the middle. Aumbling an apology she got up

and mo!ed in fi!e seats.

'o3nec& and his clones sat down in the now empty seats. Complaints from those behind

them, not being able to see started up, but were *uic&ly s*uelched by the !iolent reactions from

the group. She pulled as far away as possible from the group, the guy s arm and shoulder ta&ing

up close to half of her space. +is body odor was repulsi!e she wor&ed hard at not allowing her

face to display her disgust, &nowing it would be seen and cause more discomfort for her.

She ad%usted herself and searched for Pii. 'ow that she had had time to ta&e it all in, she

had to admit she was pretty impressed. $onight she would get the whole story out of him she

was sure it was a good one. +er eyes met his when she loo&ed towards the front he was sitting

with other teachers wearing the blue robes. Pii had his tie done, not too straight, and his robe

buttoned. +e didn6t loo& !ery happy to her. She smiled wea&ly at him and she could see his lips

twitch in a tight smile bac&. $hen it was gone. 8ne of the teachers said something to him,

leaning close. She watched Pii nod in agreement.


29/38

$he lights flic&ered a couple of times and the assembly started to *uiet. 'ot so ne:t to

her? the %oc&s were ma&ing uncouth comments about some girl a few rows forward. 8ne of the

teachers approached the podium center stage, coming to stand there as the lights flic&ered again.

$he teacher tapped the mi&e a couple of times, a loud echo re!erberating throughout the room.

B"ood morning, students. elcome to the 'iula College of +igher


30/38

sure she too& notes. She only had until tomorrow to finali(e her classes since she was a late

registor. Calculating her meager sa!ings she &new she would need to find a part time %ob which

meant she only could pic& a short list of classes.

hen +alby was done, there was a succession of professors who spo&e on different

sub%ects dorms, schedules, ad!isors, regulations at the college and more. $he guys to her right

were growing more restless with each spea&er until the entire room was being disrupted by their

inconsiderate beha!ior. Kinally one of the professors who had already spo&en came up to their

row and told them to *uiet down or they would need to lea!e. $hey *uieted down some, but as

soon as the professor left they %ust continued in lower tones. "race wanted to mo!e, but she

would ha!e to climb onto each of their laps to do as. $heir legs were so big they were pushed

tight against the seats in front of them, lea!ing no room for someone to wal&, or e!en s*uee(e

by.Kinally, when e!en "race had heard more than she wanted to, Professor Ailler came to

the podium. B'ow there is someone else we would li&e to introduce to you. )s many of you are

aware, 6m sure, a few years ago a new disco!ery was made that changed technology in our

worlds fore!er.B $he assembly grew in tempo as the students started to tal& e:citedly among

themsel!es. B$his of course was the disco!ery of "rowth Crystals. would now li&e to introduce

the scientist that made this disco!ery, the recipient of the 'iula $ech )ward he holds Ph;6s in

Aath, Physics, "eology, 4iology and Chemistry and a few others 6!e forgotten. $he +ead of the

$heoretical and Practical Studies of Crystals...B he paused to build the tension as the crowd s

chatter died down a bit. B am proud to introduce to you Professor PiiKield/B $he professor

started clapping with the assembly as Pii stood, his shoulders straight, his stride sure, and wal&ed

up to the podium.

)s the students reali(ed that this young man was Professor PiiKield the applause dimmed

some, but "race wasn6t one of them. n fact she had stood and was applauding with all her might,

as were many others. Suddenly she was yan&ed down roughly into her seat, her slee!e ripping in

the process. "laring at her was the %oc& beside her.

BSit your butt down he6s a monstrosity. ;on6t you &now anything# $he guy6s creepy,B he

hissed at her, his bad breath gagging. She stayed seated, but now was aware of others in the

audience that were saying the same sorts of things, none too *uietly. 5oung people and adults

ali&e were tal&ing about Pii. 8ne of the professors, Aar&um she thought his name was, loo&ed


31/38

li&e he wanted to !omit, his face twisted as if in pain.


32/38

$he crowd had not thinned much as they stood around in groups tal&ing. She found a few

she &new and went to say hi before ma&ing her way to the door to loo& for Pii. 4y the time she

got there he was nowhere in sight. =nruffled she started out down the hallway bac& to the lift

they had arri!ed on, hoping to find him on the way. $he hallways were %ust as pac&ed, but she

was small and agile enough to wea!e her way through until she came to a %unction of corridors.

She %ust happened to glance down the one to her right, seeing the creep that she had to sit by and

his band of %oc&s. $hey were standing in a tight circle and loo&ed li&e they were pushing

someone. She could hear their rough !oices from here, words tra!eling o!er the heads of the

others around her.

#*dd,% she thought and started to wal& closer to see what they were up to. $hen she

noticed their feet? in middle of theirs was another pair of shoes. She &new them dirty tennis

shoes and a glimpse of a blue robe told her all she needed to &now. +er instincts told her to runand beat the snot out of them...but she paused and calmed herself. BPlay along,B he had said...

#$or) it out Grace, she told herself. +e6s a professor she is a student and a girl. 7ust how

would it help him if a girl came to his rescue# Someone brushed by her and she loo&ed down at

her arm. +er slee!e was ripped...then she had it. al&ing as fast as she could, she mo!ed

directly to 6no nec&6, reached up and grabbed his ear lobe with all of her might, digging her

fingernails in deep, and pulled bac& hard.

B5ou ripped my sweatshirt/B she screamed in her best 'I'm a "ain irl and you ruined my

clothes "oice' , and she added a nice whine %ust for good measure. $he large %oc& was no match

for her. +e had to fall bac&wards or lose part of his ear.

B


33/38

that loo&ed at her oddly as she ran, but she didn6t stop until she came to the lift door and cried out

for anyone who was nearby.

B8h Professor PiiKield, 6m sorry didn6t &now you had this one. can wait,B she said, her

!oice breathless.

B'o, that6s *uite alright,B he said in his Professor !oice. She stepped in and stood beside

him as he allowed the doors to close, then touched his finger to the hidden button. t was only

then that the headache returned, but she had started laughing so hard tears were running down

her face and the pain once more was forgotten.

C0(P ER 4

;awn wo&e to a sore bac& and loud snoring. 4eci and Jon both were laying flat on their

bac&s, mouths wide open and snoring almost in symphony. "race was gone, as were )ly and

"enni. She hoped that Pii had got to the orientation on time. She &new how much he hated those.

Pushing the blan&et off her, she reached down for her heels and went to find "enni. She

needed his muscles to get her room in order. She found him and )ly putting a bed frame together

in her room. f she wasn6t so tired and frumpy feeling she would ha!e hugged him. She blew a

&iss instead as she found her ma&eup case, and some clean clothes and sauntered off to the

bathroom.

hen she immerged she felt li&e a human again. $hat shower was grand and she totally

en%oyed her hair cut. She could wash it with or without the braid in, towel dry it and go. hy she

had ne!er cut it before was beyond her. She had pulled on her fa!orite shirt, the $3Shirt with the

&itten saying B don6t do morningsB and a pair of faded %eans. She wal&ed barefoot into her room,

laying the soiled clothes neatly on a pile at the end of the newly assembled bed. "enni and )ly

were gone, but she could hear furniture being pulled across the stone floors in another room.Kinding them in "race6s room she too& o!er helping "enni put things to rights, lea!ing

)ly to go pounce on the twins. Soon all of them were helping and it wasn6t long before there was

a bed in e!ery room set up and at least one dresser. ;awn let )ly ta&e the only sit down dressing

table it was a little too cutesie for her taste, but )ly lo!ed it. $here were car!ings of flowers and

birds across the drawers and around the mirror. t suited the little dancer.


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)ly was concerned about "race s whereabouts until they found the note she had left in

the &itchen. $hey figured that it might be a good thing for neither of them to be alone anyway.

;awn too& one loo& at Pii6s room when they set his bed up and turned and wal&ed out, lea!ing it

to the guys. 8nce the relocation of the furniture was completed they retrie!ed all their trun&s and

bo:es from the carts in the hall, deposited them in their correct rooms, then the twins hurried to

get the carts bac& to the shipping area before they were missed.

hile the boys were gone the rest of them unpac&ed, starting to organi(e their rooms.

;awn was in complete hea!en. She really lo!ed this place her room was spacious and had a

huge closet. She was able to hang up most of her clothes, and neatly arrange the rest in the

dresser drawers. $hat emptied two of the large trun&s and a couple of bo:es. $he other trun&

held her bedding and bath stuff.

She painsta&ingly made the bed, remembering all the times Aother had got on her casefor not doing so. ell, this was different. It%s my ownhome ,% she thought pri!ately

@ #well...+ii's ,% she corrected herself, trying not to blur the difference, and chastising herself %ust

a bit for not recogni(ing that her Aother had probably had the same feelings about their home.

She fluffed the pillows and plopped a couple of stuffed cats on the bed, then stood bac& to

admire the effect.

Kinally a place they could really be themsel!es, without anyone watching. ) place where

they could be together, all the time. ) weight seemed to lift from her the same time tears she

didn6t &now she had been holding cho&ed her throat. Slowly she lowered herself to the bed, and

let them come. She hugged one of the pillows, and reflected o!er all the responsibilities, all the

stress that was finally washing away. +er whole life had been one of holding her head up, being

who her Aother needed her to be. She had wor&ed hard at it, ne!er rebelling, ne!er *uestioning

it was %ust the way her life was. t was lonely most of the time.

Aother tried to ma&e sure she had friends, but the children were from their social class

rich, spoiled, arrogant. n all those early years she had ne!er met anyone she could trust,

someone that she could pull bac& the !eil and be...;awn. She was Racelle to e!eryone, the

daughter of the most powerful family in the Si!er" system, the heir.

She had finally con!inced Aother that she had to go to college, had to spend time with

normal people, or how was she to ta&e o!er# +ow was she to understand their needs, or the real

world# She had spent e!ery day since birth closed up tight in a bo: of security. 'e!er going


35/38

anywhere without "uards, their !ery presence forcing regular people to shy away from her.

Pri!ate tutors from all the worlds had been found to educate her? she had lac&ed for nothing, sa!e

normality.

She needed to be in an en!ironment of her peers, as if she were one of them, she had

argued. t had ta&en months, but ;awn was no one if not her Aother6s daughter. She had started

well in ad!ance, planned out her arguments, and tried to foresee any ob%ections Aother would

come up with. Kinally, against the ad!ice of the +igh Counsel, Aother had relented with only

one re*uirement. She must ha!e a "uardsman with her, always he could loo& li&e a student also,

but he would li!e in the "rand Suites, ta&e the same classes, and sociali(e with the same people.

;awn had been so happy that Aother had said yes that she had agreed to it *uic&ly.

$hat had started the search for the right "uardsman. hat her Aother wanted was clear,

one that could ha!e the ability that a full company of "uards would command. ;awn s weremore basic he had to be close enough to her age to not stand out and she had to li&e him. t had

ta&en months of inter!iewing one after another to find one suitable. ;awn would see them first,

and if they passed her test, then Aother and the +igh Counsel would meet with them. Kew got

past her and none had met with the other6s appro!al. ;awn was about to lose hope when they

were sent one more. ) young man, who had been raised in the "uard, completed his training in

Special Korces and his commander thought he would be able to handle anything that came his

way.

$he minute "enni had stepped into the room she had li&ed him. +e reminded her of a

teddy bear she had as a child, a teddy bear with a huge smile. +e wasn6t aw&ward around her,

was at ease with Aother and the +igh Counsel, answering e!eryone6s *uestions *uic&ly with

pure and steady confidence. $hey had e!en tested him in moc& up scenarios, seeing how he

handled protecting her while not 6damaging6 other students that might be in the way. +e had

passed with flying colors. $ogether they spent her few wee&s still at home getting used to one

another, ta&ing trips off world together, sightseeing and shopping. ;awn was so ecstatic that no

one seemed to reali(e who she was when it was %ust two teenagers out for the day. t was

freedom.

$hey had arri!ed at the college for the start of the freshman summer program. She d been

e:cited, hoping to ma&e friends and become part of college social life. t hadn6t gone as she had

imagined though. Sure people were drawn to her, but they all had ulterior moti!es. Some wanted


36/38

to rise in their own social status others wanted the prestige of being her friend, some %ust wanted

credits. $he guys were either arrogant louts or sons of others in her social class whose families

were trying to push them together hoping for a marriage contract between their families. t was

horrible. She couldn6t stand any of them and soon found herself and "enni alone most of the

time.

$hen she had met Pii. She had heard about him e!eryone had. +e was the tal& of her

social gatherings as soon as he had been disco!ered, pulled from his family and installed in the

bowels of the labs. +e was thought of as little more than a pet, their own special item to increase

their own standing in the hierarchy of the worlds.

hen she saw him coming out from the "ateway that day, a scrawny aw&ward youth

with a loo& of profound isolation coupled with a resignation for his lot in life, her heart had gone

out to him. She &new that loo&, &new what it was li&e and had instantly &nown that they weremeant to be friends.

+er life had ne!er been the same since. Sure, they couldn6t dorm together, or spend much

time alone, but she had a friend. Slowly, together, they had made others. )ly was the first. $he

three of them had ta&en in a performance of the arts, and there was little )ly flitting across the

stage li&e a butterfly. t was apparent from the first time they met her bac&stage that "enni and

)ly were meant for each other the teddy bear and the butterfly. "enni6s social life de!eloped in

other ways, ta&ing on his role of a normal college %oc& with ease. $hey had gone to sporting

e!ents to see him play, accepting the fact that it meant ha!ing normal security around them. Pii

had his own that followed him e!erywhere@the &id had it worse off than she did since e!ery

word he spo&e, e!ery paper he wrote was ta&en and stored, worried that someone would steal his

ideas that they wanted to &eep for themsel!es.

t had gotten better for him and her also, when he had turned 1G and with her help started

to stand up for himself. $he Professorship had helped also. Pii was growing up, asserting

himself. $his place showed how far he had come, she thought. She wondered what the +igh

Counsel and Aother thought of him buying it. 8r did they e!en &now#

B;awn/...;awn, you !e got to come see these.B 4rea&ing her thoughts, she heard )ly6s

merry cries from outside her door. Scrubbing away her tears and ma&ing sure she was

presentable, she went out to see what her friend wanted. She found "enni and )ly in the hall

loo&ing through the paintings and other decMr leaning against the walls. She wasn6t surprised


37/38

when )ly choose a couple with bright flowers and "enni had disco!ered a few with old Earth

medie!al battle scenes and one of a sword. She searched through them also, finding a few she

thought would loo& good in the li!ing room. $here was a remar&able mirror that was so massi!e

she didn6t &now how they had e!en mo!ed it in, but she decided it should go in the li!ing room

also, maybe %ust propped against the bac& wall, across from the windows. ;awn decided she had

to organi(e better, so, grabbing a notepad and pencil, she went into each room and made lists of

what they might need.

hen the twins returned they met up in the &itchen, ransac&ing it until they found the

ma&ings for sandwiches. $hey had all slept through brea&fast and it was getting close to the noon

hour. $a&ing their lunches with them 4eci lead the way to where he and Pii had found most of

the furniture. $he girls pointed out items, ;awn &eeping a close eye on her list for things they

really needed. 4ut it was li&e finding buried treasure. )ly found some things she thought "raceand Pii might li&e. 4oo&cases were always necessary if Pii was around. Jon found a room filled

with charts and diagrams that could only be of 'iula6s waterways that he refused to lea!e behind.

4y the time they were done it too& se!eral trips to get it all in and arranged, and they d e:hausted

all their !i!acity.

4eci announced he was going for a swim, and the others hurried to %oin him. $hey all

grabbed their suits and wrote a *uic& note for "race and Pii before heading out. )ly was riding

piggy bac& on "enni and Jon and 4eci raced down the hall to the door leading to the pool,

punching each other along the way. ;awn followed morosely behind them, en%oying their

company but feeling left out. She wished Pii would hurry up.

NEnd of Sample Chapters of


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http? www.ama(on.com gp product 400I R482S or at Smashwords.com

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$han& you / C.R. Cummings

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Lost in the Evensongs

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