Chapter 4

When mother got home, I had to explain to her the incident with Lucas, and why her favorite vase is shattered. She only sighed and went to sleep. What was I going to say? 'I was chucking knives for fun!'? I decided to clear my mind by going for a stroll through the park, like the times when I was younger, and more energetic.

As I kicked at a rock, I hear shuffling in a nearby bush, and then a giggle.

"Hello?" I called out. No answer...

I shrugged it off, and then went on with my evening walk. This always seems to calm me down, and erase my mind. I can hear the crickets chirping, the wind blowing... and giggles? I stopped and turned around, but saw nothing, and then continued on. I forced myself to forget about the redundant giggling. As I turned the corner, I came face to face to a girl. The same girl from before.

As I rounded the same corner, I pretended like the girl was there. I mimicked the same face and gasp. Only, to top it off, there actually WAS a girl there.

"Oh... Hello." She said shyly.

I was grasping for words, "Uh.. Heh... Hi... Do I, um, know you?".

She smiled, embarassed. I could tell she looked familiar, but I couldn't tell if it was the same girl on that particular night. She was very beautiful, as she walked away. She walked elegantly, as if she were a princess. I missed my chance. I should have asked her if she comes around the park often. I stomped my foot in frustration, and then continued my walk.

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As I fiddled with my shirt sleeve, the Battlemaster finally appeared.

"Good morning, pupils!" He bellowed, "Today we will be learning about the specific posture to use when escorting a royal figure."

There was a lot of snickering and pointing. Obviously, some people aren't "wealthy" enough to be a royal escort.

"Zack! You must know something, for you always do. Tell me, how do you speak to the figure?" He questioned.

Caught off guard, I came up with a quick answer, "You, er, speak politely. And only when spoken to. Right?"

He snorted with laughter, "Looks like we have an escort on our hands!"

I shrugged, and went to the back corner, that made me less of a staring target. After class, I hobbled over to the cafeteria, and bought a steak with milk. As I sat down, I heard a soft voice, "So, you go here to?"

I whipped around, and came face to face with the same exact girl from the night before.