Dad fills a spoon with porridge and presses it to her mouth. She takes it in. Then he looks at me.
“Leo will help you with the introduction. After that, you can move on with whatever you find interesting.”
I nod.
After breakfast, we walk outside the house, where the driver is waiting for us to take us to school.
We sit in the backseat. I roll down the window as soon as I close the door. Closed spaces make my skin crawl with unease.
“Will you miss me in your new class?” Avira asks.
I look toward her and nod.
Her face falls. “I will also miss you.”
“I will meet you at lunch,” I tell her, trying to make her feel better and stop her from start crying. Because once she starts, I don’t know how to make her stop.
Matleon and Elowen meet us at the school gate. They are Mom’s brother Alessio’s and Dad’s sister Persephone’s children. Matleon is one year older than me, and Elowen is seven months older than Avira. Elowen started school late so she could begin with Avira.
The two of them wave goodbye and walk toward their class together.
Matleon watches me with a side smile. “Dad said you’re some sort of genius.”
I nod.
He takes me upstairs, then down the hall. Unlike the ground floor, where all the kids are six years old or younger, this floor is full of teenagers. Their voices echo loudly in the corridor.
I hate noises.
I start rubbing my hand around my wrist.
I roll my shoulders inward, trying to shrink myself so these noisy people can’t see me.
Matleon places his hand around me. “Relax.”
He is one head taller than me. He is strong and brave as well.
“No one can touch you here. We are the kings.”
“I’m no king.”
“My dad said everyone can become a king if he wants. If you don’t want to, then it’s your choice.”
Can I also become a king?
chapter 3
16 November 2035
Zloban
The first class Matleon takes me to is physics. In this school, after clearing the basic level, you attend all the major subjects. You get an introduction to each one either through monthly introduction classes taught by teachers or by taking help from your seniors. Leo is many years senior to me, so I can learn from him.
Since this isn’t a teacher-led class, we walk into the self-study room. It’s filled with shelves of books and equipment for experiments.
Leo picks a book titled Introduction to Physics. We find a seat in the back, away from the noisy study groups. He opens the book and starts with the first chapter: Understanding the World Around You.
We finish the chapter in half an hour. It’s about how physics explains everyday life, the difference between observation and theory, and why physics matters in every field.
