I still felt like it looked like this valley where the school sat was the large bottom field but my idea was quickly nullified.
“Though this may look like the land we now sit on, below the SkyJumps land, it is not. Researchers have scoured over the mountains and found no land that looks as such, even with magic they have not found a trace.” Jean turned back to the class from looking at the map. “But the land given to the SkyJump was a special land. Not only did the Mages make it hidden, but it was almost sacred to tread on considering it was said to be where so many SkyJumps had lost their lives. Only a SkyJump could feel the voices of the past echo through the wind,” she said and looked over the room.
For once, I felt this was something new. My father always taught me that the land of the SkyJumps was sacred but I had never before heard something like this. She looked over the room and glanced at me and then back to the map.
“What was the place called, Jean?” A girl asked, lowering her hand in the slight darkness.
I froze as I knew Jean had just considered saying exactly what the girl asked.
“The place was named something very sacred to the SkyJumps,” Jean said, and again glancing at me I almost caught a small question lingering in her eyes as I wanted to hide under the table. “It was called, Equila, meaning peace giving.” She said.
Zac and Alissa looked at me intently when the bell rang. Mr. Jacobsen thanked Jean, but even I found more than just my friends glances changing in my direction. I now knew I was dead in the water, I may as well have stuck a bull’s eye to my chest.
The moment the room was freed to leave, Alissa and Zac jumped at me.
“Did you know about that, Quil?” They both asked, for once I decided I could put on a face as I felt I had nothing left I could do.
“I had no idea! My parents named me that because it means ‘peace giver,’ but I don’t think they had any clue it was the name of the SkyJump land.” I said and I felt slightly over the top, but at any rate I felt I was toast so who cared at this point?
When both Alissa and Zac went on without hesitation or question, we walked to the next class. I felt absolutely amazed. Had they really bought it so easily? Was I really somehow safe even after that?
The glances I got for the rest of the walk, and in Mr. Sheplar’s class, told me that I was not completely kept from speculation by everyone.
When lunch finally came around I felt relieved and slightly calm. A rumor had started spreading that the whole thing the girl had heard was just the principal wanting to get the students interested in history and was starting to fade faster than my fear was.
“Equila!” A voice called as I was walking down the steps to get back to the table with Alissa and Zac.
The voice made my heart skip, yet my name sounded different then normal as I turned.
“Keten!” I said and smiled as he sauntered over with a tray of food piled slightly higher than normal.
He nodded and gave a half smile hiding his dimple, which depressed me.
“Where have you been?” I asked with a smile, stepping closer to him as he watched me.
Seeming to come out of thought he looked to his tray.
“Just caught up helping around and busy with homework.” He said and nodding as we started down the stairs.
“Well, I’m just glad to see you haven’t vanished.” I joked, but he seemed caught off by guard by my joke and nodded with a grin.
“Yeah, right.” He breathed and I considered that he might not be feeling well if he was not joking back with me.
Coming to the table, Alissa was pushing Zac away from her plate as he reached for her bag of potato chips.
“Come on, it’s not like you’re eating them.” Zac said with her hand on his mouth making his voice muffled.
Sitting down I tilted my head at Zac.
“You realize there is more food you could go walk and get, right Zac?” I asked with a smile and a slant of my brow.
Zac thought about it for a second as Alissa fought to keep him away from her plate.
“Her’s are better.” He said with her hand still covering his mouth as he stopped thrashing.
Alissa rolled her eyes to the ceiling,
“Why can’t you just do what Quil said...” Alissa’s voice trailed off as she huffed out a sigh not wanting Zac’s answer.
Smiling, I was about to start eating when I realized Keten still stood looking over at Alissa and Zac with a slight fog in his eyes.
“Keten, you going to sit?” I asked, and as if pulled back from the fog he looked over to me and smiled an apologetic smile revealing his dimple as he sat down.
I watched him as he set his plate down.
“Are you feeling alright?” I asked him and suddenly fear crept into me that somehow, someone could have poisoned Keten because he knew me!
My thought was overruled by the logic of my mind. Keten put a hand to his head and looked to me with his smile intact.
“Sorry, I guess helping clean the halls last night took its toll and now I’m a zombie.” He said and stuck out his tongue for emphasis.
I giggled.
“It’s all good. I got sleep and I still feel tired.” I mused and the whole table broke into soft laughter.
When we had quieted, Alissa glanced at Zac and then to me and Keten with a cat like grin.
“What are you planning, Alissa?” I questioned, slightly nervous.
She shrugged.
“Me and Zac are going to go and check out the atrium tonight after dinner and I was going to ask if you guys wanted to come, if you’re both not sleeping by then.” She said excitedly.
I had to use everything within me to keep myself from grabbing for my arm though my hand shifted to it and Keten glanced over at me as I did and I prayed he did not notice anything.
“I think that sounds great. I may be late because I need to help with a class for Mr. Sheplar, but other than that I’ll make it.” Keten said and looked to me.
I smiled and gulping down the frog hopping in my throat from my uncertainty. Thinking about the fact I would not be a SkyJump and it would be casual to go.
“Sure, like I have anything better to do.” I scoffed and Alissa snapped her finger.
“Great! Quil, we’ll meet you at dinner and go. Keten show up at any time and we will try to stay by the market room wall until you come.” Alissa nodded and with a smile she added, “besides, I want to scope out where we will be dancing.” She said dreamily with her elbows on the table.
Zac rolled his eyes and Keten glanced to me with his strong face and dark hair framing it all.
“Who are you going with?” Keten asked with a grin.
I laughed.
“Considering I’m sitting next to him, you may know.” I laughed and Zac and Alissa joined in.
Keten hesitated before he joined us and in that moment, I thought he might have been serious that he didn’t know who he was going with.
I considered, it was just Keten being Keten as he came back with a witty smirk.
“I’m just making sure you still wanted to go is all.” Keten said laughing as Zac fist bumped Keten.
After that, it had been a pleasant talk about classes and Alissa telling how Clara had won another SkyJumping competition over the weekend. I promised her I would write a letter to congratulate her sister on the success. Alissa shook her head and said if I wanted to it would only heighten her ego. With a laugh, I assured her a letter would be to her before the next week to send with her weekly family letters.
The rest of my classes felt boring and I had considered skipping more than just math, but knew I had to keep going to the classes to have the perfect grade. Besides, it gave me time to consider how off Keten had seemed today. I had seen him on off days, but he seemed more quiet than usual. Even how we parted today, with him simply saying later to us all as we went our separate ways, felt strange.
I glanced from my desk to the bulletin board on my wall, with Keten’s smiling, laughing face, a smile
crossed my lips as I remembered when he had helped me study. We all had off days.
Taking a deep breath, I glanced around my room realizing I had time to kill. My eyes passed my green Victorian dress, that awaited the formal, to my guitar case and with a bite of my lip I glanced at the wall keeping me from Lucy. Maybe after talking with Jean she would not turn me in as she had backed off so readily the past few days.
Walking to my guitar, I put my ear to the wall and waited. For once I did not hear a murmur of noise beyond the slight chant of my breathing. Stepping back, a side smile held on my lips and I looked around my small and ever homier feeling room as I opened my guitar’s case.
The moment my hands pulled the instrument from the case I felt my breath taken in. All I wanted was to forget about what my father had written or the healing abrasion on my arm. I just wanted to forget it all for a moment as I sat on my plush rug.
Lacing my fingers over the strings I plucked out a melody and slowly replayed it until my mind felt completely at ease. My fingers seemed to move over the strings of their own will, but as if knowing where they were to play after a moment, the canter of the beat became that of the SkyJump melody my father taught me.
It felt strange to think, like turning into a SkyJump beast, how I had let time slip by and not handled this object of calming sound. For a time, I plucked the strings in low soft volumes and soon I was lost to the magic of the music.
Pounding on the wall broke the magic instantly.
My fingers slipped and I looked up to the wall as a voice called through
“I CAN HEAR YOU, IDIOT! ONE MORE PLUCK AND I”M GETTING YOU SENT HOME, EQUILDA.” Lucy said from the other side of the wall.
I held my tongue from lashing out and asking if she asked me to play louder, it would do no good.
Putting away the instrument I went to my homework and went through my math test and before I knew it, dinner was here.
Grabbing my bag, I glanced at the picture of my father and clung to my bracelet before I, with my trusty bag and camera, went off to dinner.
Once I found Alissa and Zac, we got our food and sat down. It felt strange to think time had gone by as fast as it did. I considered that playing my guitar was the trick, it made me fall away from really noticing much. In a way, I had always enjoyed how it could almost numb my mind into seeing clearly when I played.
My father always said he knew if something was wrong when I played the chorus of the Skyjump melody over and over as it was something I could become lost in.
“So, we planning to find a Skyjump.” Zac said, slightly startling me out of thought.
I looked up to him while Alissa tilted her head and I looked him over knowing with days of SkyJump talk going around, I was becoming better at finding things to say and slide under everyone’s notice.
“I think you might need something like a big net to catch a Skyjump.” I said rolling my eyes.
We were all finishing up our food and walking to the door as Zac grinned.
“If the Skyjump is in human form, I’ll tackle him or her.” He said and both Alissa and I looked at him with a shake of our heads.
“Zac, how would you know if they’re a SkyJump or not if they are not a horse creature.” Alissa said as we walked, turning down halls to reach the atrium.
Starting down the hall to the market room, Zac nodded his head as if he had come to a real conclusion to the answer.
“I’d race after the SkyJump beast and jump on it’s back and ride it.” He said as if it was the most logical thing in the world.
In my mind, I saw him being bucked off and gored to death in a second, but I kept the thought to myself as we all turned to the wall of shifting water-like film.
“You just let us know how that goes when you end up with a broken neck, kay.” Alissa said and without a thought she walked through the film and Zac and I raced in after her.
The moment we came through I felt the moist air. Even now that we were in the lush environment it looked like the mist was less than it had been before. I wondered if it was in fact a way to see things easier than before.
“Wow, this place always amazes.” Alissa said putting her hands on her hips.
I nodded and took a deep breath.
“I know what you mean, I love the smell in here.” I said and Zac and Alissa glanced over at me.
“You act like you’ve been in here before.” Zac questioned and I froze.
“I, just meant it’s nice!” I said fumbling horridly over my stupid slip up.
Alissa and Zac laughed lightly and Zac pushed my arm as Alissa grinned.
“Quil, he’s such a kidder, you can’t let him get to you that easy.” She said and with a laugh we were back to the light misty air of the atrium.
Though we had to wait for Keten, we looked around and I had to admit that coming back, I noticed more of the flowers and clovers that grew as I decided to sit down and just enjoy the scene.
Taking another deep breath, Alissa and Zac came down beside me, though Zac sounded more like he just flopped onto the ground.
“Look out, we have a nature lover.” Zac warned and both Alissa and I shoved him back from sitting up.
Smiling, we all watched the shifting mist.
“Quil?” Alissa asked slightly perplexed.
I looked over to her and she tilted her head as Zac was playing a game on his glass.
“What?” I asked, chewing slightly as with an earthen flavor in my mouth.
“Did you just…” she considered, “…eat grass?” She asked with a look that hoped it was not the truth.
In my absence of watching what I was doing I realized that the lovely flavor in my mouth was in fact grass. It was something I did all the time and even my father would occasionally pick up a strand of grass and eat it.
“No… it was candy strings.” I said shaking as I gulped down the last of the grass in my mouth.
I had become better at offhand answers but I still feared how much people believed them.
Zac looked at Alissa,
“You’re such an over reactor.” He said and with a wide-eyed frown she punched him squarely in the shoulder toppling him to the grass.
He heaved out sharp breaths and before he could come back up she spoke like a child folding her arms and sticking her tongue at him.
“You deserved it.”
At the same moment a hand graced my shoulder and I nearly jumped as I found Keten standing behind us.
“Don’t do that to me! Goodness, you almost gave me a heart attack!” I said to him, putting a hand to my heart that was rapidly beating.
You need to calm down more Quil, I scolded as Keten looked apologetic coming to sit at my side.
“Sorry, thought you wouldn’t jump, but I guess I know how to scare you now.” He teased and we all smiled as the atrium started to get dark.
Zac sat up and put away his glass,
“So, wanna go check out this place with it getting all dark. I hear there’s a ghost that lives in the atrium and haunts the maze.” He said but my mind stopped the moment he said haunted.
“Ghost?” I asked looking to him with a slight fear in my eyes as red piercing eyes made my heart stay at an erratic pace.
Alissa stood up.
“He’s just messing around, Quil. There are no ghosts at all.” She said and swiped at the air as if to add that there was none.
Looking out at the vast, darkening, misted landscape I looked to Keten who looked out over the land too.
“I think I’m good, besides I have letters I need to write.” I said and Alissa rolled her eyes but nodded as I looked to Keten, “Would you mind just walking me back to the girl’s wing?” I asked Keten, suddenly afraid of wandering the halls alone.
Turning to me, Keten seemed taken back for a moment before he nodded and stood up.
“Of course, Quil.” He said kindly and held down a hand to help me up.
I took his offered hand and his grip slightly hurt for one moment before I stood. Hi
s smile dissolved any notion of the slight harsh pull he had done.
“Alright you two, catch ya later!” Alissa said and started off and before she could get into a jog Zac was passed her and stuck his tongue out as they ran off.
I yelled goodbye and was left with Keten as he motioned for me to go first. Walking back to my room was silent and it felt strange. Keten always kept me talking, but now he seemed quiet.
Glancing over to him, he looked to be in deep thought with his brow drawn in a way that made me want to get him out of whatever seemed to be troubling him.
“Thinking deep about something, are we?” I asked with a wispy laugh.
Keten came out of thought with a grin, glancing over to me with a soft smile.
“I am sleep walking is all.” He said as we reached the door to the girl’s wing.
I nodded to him, putting a hand to his arm that seemed to go slightly stiff at my touch.
“Go and get some rest then.” I said and then I did the most unbelievable thing I had ever done.
I leaned over to him and kissed him on the cheek. I did not even turn back and see his expression as my cheeks were nearly red and I felt like a child as I dashed off, leaving him standing stiff in the hall.
Once I was back in my room I felt sick, slightly floating, if it was possible, and not even thinking about the letters I needed to write.
I got ready for bed as if in a trance with a smile on my lips and the occasional giggle escaping my notice before I found myself in my hammock of a bed falling asleep to dreams of running through fields with Keten.
Chapter 25
“Time flies by with deepening whys?”
The following days after kissing Keten seemed to stretch out while he seemed to have vanished.
One night, when Zac had to study for a test and left early in the middle of our game, I found myself slightly off focus.
Sky Jump Page 32
