* * *
“Truly, what a shock this be,” Master Slew said as he crossed his arms. “I never was to think you would be a late one for class, Aly.”
No one in the classroom made a peep as the mastra looked around to see if anyone was going to explain why she was late. Nobody spoke up. Not even Catty.
“Well, let us not delay, dearest,” Slew said as he brushed his white tents back. “I am pleased to see that you arrived. What is more, I suppose I may grant your tardiness due to your generosity, yes? Your friends told me that you offered to carry their scrolls for them.”
Aly forced a nod.
“Uh huh, I see.” Slew tried to keep himself from looking at her “friends.” He made a mental note to keep a better eye on that group of mastras from now on. “Go on to your seat, Little One.”
Aly noticed that Catty had kept a desk free beside her. She took the seat, but intently avoided eye contact with her. Catty tapped Aly’s desk with a finger, and Aly ignored her by pulling out her writing tools.
The children were disappointed when they headed to the sparring grounds later on. No dankerballs, no nets, not even padding beneath the trees. They didn’t rush into their lines as quickly as they usually did when Teacher told them to fall in.
“I know this is indeed an odd thing,” Teacher said as he stood in front of the Little Ones with his hands behind his back. “You lot usually begin school days here, yet I fear I am to present some adjustments. It was my plan to continue your reflex training, yet there has been an apparent change in your schedule. I have two items to show you.”
The master pulled a scroll from behind his back so the class could get a look, though he didn’t hold it up for long since he knew they wouldn’t be able to read the lettering. Goolians had a more formal form of their hieroglyphs – like cursive – but that form of writing wasn’t taught to younger people. Some Young Ones didn’t even know how to read it yet. Besides, most of the Little Ones were still learning the basic forms even now.
“Exciting news, Little Ones.” Teacher patted the scroll in his hand. “Overseer Greagen himself has commanded all classes to speed up the current curriculum by another two months.”
“Truly, the overseer of the entire planet wrote to our tribe?” Catty whispered to Aly. “Is that not grand?”
“It is,” Aly answered, figuring it was okay to talk to her again. “I wonder what he is to look like. Why, I wish I could meet him!”
“What be a cur-i-cu-lum?” Joquin asked Teacher as he raised a hand.
“It be what we have already planned to teach you. Now, we know not why he has made such a request, yet this means you lot get to do one-on-one combat now.”
“Yay!” the Little Ones squealed.
“I knew you would approve.” Teacher placed the scroll into his back pocket. “Yet that was not the only order given from His Honor. We were expecting your class to take part in the Evaluations in another twelve years, yet that has been altered as well. You shall have your course in the tests in nine years, instead.”
Aly and Catty both gasped. A letter from the overseer and being evaluated sooner than expected had to be a joke. Then again, they didn’t even care why they were getting a head start on things. The Evaluations were more important than ever before, especially to Aly. Her time frame for learning how to control her being was just cut down drastically.
The Evaluations were a rite of passage of sorts to Goolians, with it being the only chance one could prove his/her worth of serving as a true Goolian in all three areas: fighting, learning, and finally, working. By the time they took part in them, Goolians were in their late teens, already being well-versed with a basic education and working the fields. In that sense, the two quotas of working and learning were covered.
The main part of the Evaluations, however, covered fighting and defending one’s tribe. Small teams would travel the unknown wilderness for days and see how long they could endure the wild without the aid of Adult supervision, while trying to eliminate other teams by bettering them in combat. The fighting was never lethal, but the assessments had thorough reasons for alarm, even to a five-year-old.
Aly gulped. The sparring grounds were supposed to prepare Goolians for the test, and now she had three less years to do so. Even so, while time was speeding up too fast for her, nine years still felt like a lifetime to others. And how couldn’t it? The Little Ones’ tentacles didn’t even have a hint of color to them yet.
“Now, we are ready for some true fun, yes?” Teacher asked, dismissing the children’s sudden silence.
“Truly!” the class shouted.
“Very good, then! Now, prior to my sending you lot with partners, we shall have an example of how this shall go, very good? Thus, who shall I pick?”
Every arm shot into the air. Some jumped and shoved so Teacher could see them better.
“Are you well, Aly?” Catty said as she waved her hand. “You look troubled.”
“Truly, I would be troubled as well if I was just told that I had three less years to learn how to control my being,” Requai said. “You best hurry up, Aly. Otherwise you shall be of no use to anyone when we form groups.”
No use to anyone. Aly never thought she’d find herself in such a predicament. If she didn’t contribute to the tribe on all three methods, she would bring shame to the Alytchai name. What would her pappai say? What was her late mammai thinking while she watched the failure she was turning out to be? No, Aly couldn’t fall behind anymore. She just had to show her worth. With that in mind, she stretched her raised hand even higher.
“Mastra Cattalice the Younger,” Teacher said as he pointed at Catty. “You shall truly offer a good example, I am sure, yes? Approach, I beg.”
The class cheered as the star student marched up to the front. Catty’s smile was as big as her wave to her friends. The other six, with the exception of Aly, waved back.
“And who shall be this one’s opponent?” Teacher asked.
The Little Ones were even louder, knowing this was their final chance. Teacher laughed as he told everyone to calm down.
“Very well. Then I shall call upon...” The master lowered his finger. “Nay. Better yet, Alytchai, approach, I beg.”
The Little Ones whined as they glared at Aly. She was just as shocked as they were, since she didn’t even raise her hand that time. Then again, she had been called out before for not doing so. Grown-ups were a confusing bunch. Requai shoved the mastra when she took too long analyzing Mature Aged Goolians.
“Enough of that, Requai,” Teacher ordered. “Come, Aly. Let us not delay.”
Aly hurried up to the front and stood beside Catty, who was still smiling. Teacher then had the mastras stand across from each other, only a meter separating them.
“Now then, place your arms here, as such.” Teacher raised the mastras’ hands, placing Aly’s outside of Catty’s. “This shall serve as an extension of reflex training. Truly, I fear this is perhaps a little early, yet we shall make due, yes? The rules are of ease. Whoever strikes the other in the cheek first wins. Very good? Yet, I beg, play nice and show proper respect.”
The two nodded as they spaced their legs apart. Teacher stepped back and gave them the go-ahead, and thus the stare down commenced. The class got quiet as they watched, not knowing who was going to flinch first.
Catty examined her opponent’s confidence. Aly looked nervous, and that gave her assurance. So, she went in for the kill, and yelped when Aly slapped her cheek with the back of her palm.
The class laughed, but Teacher didn’t look surprised at all when the mastra looked over to him.
“Very good, Alytchai,” he said. “Again.”
Catty was already in her stance the second she heard the order. Aly took her time placing her forearm against hers. She stiffened her muscles, not realizing Aly could feel the flexing.
“Ow! Aly!” Another slap. Catty stomped the ground as the class laughed again.
Teacher rubbed his face so the Little Ones w
ouldn’t see him smile. Catty saw her opponent’s confidence rise by the look in her eyes and knew she needed to turn the tides the next round. The two of them went back into their stances again. Catty flinched and Aly slapped her again, this time on both cheeks.
“Aly,” was all Teacher needed to say.
“Apologies,” the mastra said with a smile. She got into her stance again.
Catty hopped back into position, only to have the other mastra pop her in the temple for what felt like the hundredth time. The mastra hissed as she broke form and lunged for Aly. Teacher would have interjected, but Catty was flipped over the mastra’s shoulder.
The crowd went insane. Aly’s eyes lit up with delight as her audience cheered her name.
Teacher went and helped Catty up. “You managed that technique extremely well, Mastra. I cannot deny my being impressed for such thorough movements for the first time, when I have yet to show you the such.”
“My thanks, yet if I may, Teacher, my pappai has taught me a few things over the weekends.”
“Then you are to cheat?” Catty asked.
“Catty, you know very well that there be little wrong in doing work beyond the learning board and sparring grounds.” Teacher placed a finger on her forehead and nudged it back. “No whining, very good? I shall not tolerate such traits in this class, especially from one of your nobility.”
“Apologies, Teacher.”
“Good. Class, the rest of you lot shall partner up and practice as well, yes? Hurry along with it, now. Be of haste. Aly, Catty, you shall remain paired, very good?”
“Very good, Teacher,” the two said as the rest of the class broke off.
Aly waited on Catty as she checked her form and breathing. By the look of her composure, her opponent had settled down. Time to get serious again.
The glares lasted for five seconds before Aly ducked underneath Catty’s swing. She countered by swatting back, but only caught wind as Catty leaned away. That round was a draw, but as far as Aly was concerned, it was a win for Catty. The next three sets were more draws, but Catty grew closer to a victory with each session. This one adapts quickly.
The other Little Ones laughed and joked whenever they slapped the other, but not these two. Aly knew Catty wouldn’t leave this conflict without a win and the thought actually scared her. She had never seen her friend look so upset before. She hated it.
The thought of losing on purpose crossed the Little One’s mind for a fraction of a second after the two got into position for the eighth time. Even so, when Catty swatted her hand at Aly’s face, she slapped it away. She wasn’t expecting Catty to trip her with one leg, however. Aly fell flat on her rear and got up just as quick.
“You are a cheat,” Aly hissed as she pointed.
“I only countered as you did,” Catty snapped back.
“Nay, you only grow mad since you cannot beat me.”
“Can too!”
The two didn’t argue often, so they didn’t know how to close growing conflicts that well. They didn’t say anything else as they returned to their fighting stances.
“Do not trip me again,” Aly said.
“Or what? Shall you cry as a baby?”
Aly whacked Catty with the back of her hand, then slapped her other cheek. She then shoved the Little One to the ground and the rest of the class grew quiet when they saw the crime.
“What nonsense goes on over there?” Teacher barked as he marched over to the mastras.
Catty’s face went blue with rage. She screamed and charged. Aly was too surprised to do anything beyond stand, even though her nervous system hollered for her to take heed of her opponent’s left hand. It was that hand that burst into a yellow ball of energy as Catty ran.
“Cattalice!” Teacher turned his walk into a sprint. “Nay! Stand down! Stop!”
Had he run sooner, Teacher could’ve stopped her. Instead, Catty had just enough time to plow her fist, charged with being, into Aly’s chin before Teacher tackled her. Aly’s scream made the silas fly out of their nests. The Mature Aged grabbed Catty by the arm and made her sit up.
“Are you crazed?!”
Catty was too terrified to say anything, so her voice cracked when something vocal was supposed to come out. Teacher let the Little One go and crawled over to Aly. She was rolling around in the dirt, holding her chin and crying.
“Hold still.” Teacher forced the Little One’s hand away from the wound so he could examine it.
The right side of her chin was pink and swelling. Teacher pressed a hand over her burn and tried to calm her down. Aly kept crying and calling for her pappai when the pain didn’t go away.
“Nay, you are well,” Teacher said. “The burn is only minor.”
The Little One shut her eyes so she wouldn’t cry in front of everyone anymore. That was more important than the pain in her face. It was already bad enough that she called out to Shanvi in front of the other kids.
Inner being was pure energy at its fullest, and the best of Goolians could utilize it by what seemed to be countless means. It could be used to exhort a ball of plasma or even circulate enzymes that needed an extra push. Like Shanvi, Teacher was a person that could do this, which was one of the reasons why he was given the occupation.
Teacher took a breath and shut his eyes. The palm covering Aly’s chin glowed with a blue aura so bright that the mastra’s veins and jawbone were visible. Since the burn was only a first degree, the master didn’t have to exert too much being into it. He then helped Aly sit up and checked her face when a few seconds passed.
“Better, yes?” he asked.
Aly rubbed the wounded area. The skin was smoother than before, but at least the pain was gone. She couldn’t tell the healing had gone beyond that, however. The chin was as good as new. Teacher picked the Little One up and set her back on her feet. When Aly kept rubbing her face, he forced her hand down.
“Nay, the area still may get infected.” He looked at Catty, who was still sitting on the ground. “You, come here.”
The class didn’t make a peep as Catty stood up and walked over to Teacher. She folded her hands and bowed.
“I know not what to say to you at this instant due to my anger,” Teacher said. “Be that as it may, your parents shall be told of your dealings this afternoon, very good?”
“Very good, Teacher.”
“Go and help her clean her face, now.”
Aly looked like she was in as much trouble as Catty by the way she headed to the nearby creek. Both of them heard the whispering from the rest of the class. Some were poking fun at Aly for being such a baby, while others said Catty was probably just giving her opponent a lesson.
Regardless, the two didn’t say a word once they made it to the stream that was still within eye distance from Teacher. Aly cleaned her face from the dirt and tears without looking at Catty.
The other mastra dipped her hands into the crystal clear water and held it up to Aly’s cheek. Aly, however, swatted her hand away, and the water splashed into the other mastra’s lap. Catty’s ears flopped down as her lips quivered. She scooted away, and left the ticking time bomb to herself.