Tale 1: The Diviner's Curse

Chapter 2

Robin sighed as she waited impatiently in her family's Solarium. She didn't like waiting. She had been sitting in the same spot for about twenty minutes and she was already getting feisty. Today was not a very good day for her to wait; why her mother insisted on her wearing a dress on the hottest day of the week was a mystery to her, but she'd never hear the end of it if she found her youngest walking around the academy in a loose blouse in some slacks.

"Where are they?" she asked her furry companion, Rune. She had woken the six-legged creature from its slumber, and it looked up at its owner in irritation before falling back asleep. Robin sighed.

"Calm down, Robin," her older sister, Abigail, said. A picture of poised beauty, the Sylph girl fanned herself as she silently suffered in her high-necked taffeta gown, her auburn curls hovering her shoulders like a russet curtain. Though she loathed to admit it, her sister was sinfully stunning. Only she could pull off being so sweaty without looking like a hot mess. "They'll show up eventually."

"But classes have never started this late before!"

"They'll show up," Abigail repeated "Why all the fuss, anyway? Don't tell you've taken interest in one of those cadets." When she didn't answer, the Sylph scoffed snootily. "Honestly, Robin. Why don't you just mingle with the young men at Daddy's socials? There are always plenty of suitors who are willing to court you."

"I'm not going to settle, and I'm definitely not interested in being courted."

"Not yet. I'm sure once you're over your childish dreams of becoming a spacer, those cadets will look like little boys compared to the progeny of Daddy's constituents."

Robin rolled her eyes. "You should talk, Abigail. Don't think I didn't notice you saw you flirting with the baker's son the other day when we were out with Mother."

Abigail stopped her fanning and glared at her sister. Runa snickered in her sleep. "I-I was just being polite!"

"By feeling his biceps?"

"No!"

"I wonder why someone so hefty would work as a baker?"

"His parents own the bakery. And they need someone with his strength to knead the dough."

"You know he has another eye on his forehead, right? It's just hidden under his bangs."

Abigail slammed her fan on the arm of her chair, making Rune jump. "You little pest—!"

Robin almost broke the arm of her chair. "Pompous b—!"

"Shame on you girls!" The girls stopped their bickering when their mother entered the Solarium. Much like her eldest, Marie Smyth was a picture of absolute eloquence. Her ashen blonde hair was tied up in an elegant chiffon bun. Her maroon gown made her pallid skin tone glow under the rays of the blazing star that lit up the room. Her mauve eyes pierced the girls with a scathing look. In her arms was a shaking ferret with fur white fur speckled with brown spots along its back, its paws, ears, and the tip of its tail completely russet. The diamond pattern on her forehead stood out as every hair on her body stood on end. "Now look what you've done. Poor Rune is scared stiff."

Robin ran over to her mother to retrieve her six-legged friend. "Ah, did big, bad, ol' Abby scare you, Rune?" she cooed. "My poor baby." She stroked her smooth hide until she fell asleep.

Abigail huffed. "It's not my fault. Robin won't learn to stop being a—"

"Shut up, Abigail!"

"Isabel!" She winced at her mother's scolding tone. She never used her real name unless she was really upset. "What did I tell you about speaking to your sister that way?" She just huffed under her breath. Her mother placed as hand on her shoulder. "Dear, why are you so upset?"

"She's just cranky because her boyfriend won't show up."

"Abby…" The Sylph girl smirked victoriously as their mother looked at Robin charily.

"Abigail that's enough." She makes Abigail leave so she can speak with her youngest alone. "Dear, were you spying on those cadets in the training field, again?" Marie asked.

"I'm only watching them, Mother." Robin walked back to her spot near the balcony. She pulled back the translucent drapes and peeked outside. Seeing that the training field was still empty, she sighed somberly and slumped into a cushioned chair.

Her mother joined her on the chaise lounge. "Darling, these students are training to become spacers; they'll be traveling places beyond even the Etherium. Their lives will be filled with peril; the last thing your father and I want is for you to suffer the same fate."

Robin sighed irately. She'd always wanted to go out into the Etherium ever since she was young, but her parents wouldn't allow it. She hated the rules her parents set for her, and she couldn't stand being treated like she was some sort of spoiled princess, even though she basically was. But she didn't like being spoiled. She wanted to live a life of adventure, to live by her own rules and travel to far off places, just like the cadets who eventually left the Academy. She stroked Rune's thin coat sadly as she thought about it.

Her mother patted her shoulder dolefully. "I'm sorry, dear. But your father and I are just thinking about what's best for you."

"I know." She didn't like it, but she understood. She was grateful to have parents that were so protective of her, but it got on her nerves sometimes. Even though she wouldn't ever be able to go out into the Etherium, it still wouldn't change the way she felt.

Suddenly, Robin felt a tingling feeling in the back of her skull. Recognizing the sensation, she wasn't able to warn her mother in time before she slipped into darkness.

The dark room in which she is taken suddenly becomes very cramped. The space is so tight she can barely move. It makes her feel claustrophobic. She can't breathe. Something dirty and dry is shoved down her throat, preventing her from screaming for help. When she breathes through her nose, she smells nothing but rancid air. It nearly makes her vomit.

The darkness suddenly turns into a dim light, revealing a large shadowy figure.

"We've finally find it, boys," a dark, nasty voice says. "The Treasure of Divinia."

"—Robin!"

She gasped audibly when her mother breaks her out of her stupor. It takes her a few seconds to remember where she was. "Wha—huh?"

"Robin," her mother said. She held her hand in both of her larger, delicate ones. "Did you…?"

"No!" She snatched her hand from her mother's grasp and backed away to the curtain. "I—I need some fresh air. I'll be outside!" She disappeared behind the curtain before her mother could say anything else.

Robin did find it easier to breathe once she was outside. She inhaled deeply before letting it out and continued to do so until she could breathe normally again. She put a hand on her forehead, which hot and clammy, but it was no longer from the heat. She had never felt so scared before, and she had never felt so relieved that she was within the boundaries of the Interstellar Academy's walls. What she saw was a warning, and she had never taken these warnings lightly.

Her trusty companion Rune climbed onto her shoulder and nuzzled against her neck, sensing her distress. "I'm alright, Rune. It was nothing." The ferret made a clicking sound, which tickled Robin's neck.

"Cadets, line up!"

They both paused when they heard the severe voice of the field lieutenant. "Oh! It's starting!" Robin ran up and leaned over the balcony. She saw the uniformed cadets lined up, saluting the lieutenant. Her face fell when she saw that this was a different class, and then it quickly lightened up when a late cadet showed up. He ran up to the deputy and gave him a slip of paper. The rock man read it quickly before saluting the young boy, allowing him to leave. Then, for a brief moment, he looked up at her, gave her an apologetic smile, and covertly saluted her before running off to his next class.

Her eyes traced over him dreamily and slowly over her multi-legged ferret, who looked at her suggestively. "What?" She knew what she was getting at; Rune was just like her sister. She didn't watch the cadets just because of him (though that one had caught her eye for some time now). She liked watching them do their regular routine in the morning. She liked closing her eyes and putting herself in their shoes as they ran laps around the building and sparred against one another in preparation for future combat. But as soon as she opened her eyes, the fantasy was ruined as she was reminded of her eminent fate, and she continued to watch the cadets enviously from the balcony. In six months, they would be out there, traveling the Etherium and discovering worlds she could only dream of.


Jim wasn't normally late. But the discussion he had with the Headmaster, his mother, and the Doppler family kept him longer than he thought.

The Headmaster had given him a chance to go home for his birthday, but he had refused. He didn't want to fall behind in any of his classes. Not that he didn't want to spend his birthday with his family, but he wanted to graduate without any repercussions. So, to compensate for skipping out on their celebration, he spent breakfast with his family, which cost the time he had left to get to his first class on time.

When he arrived at the training field, he appeared to be late—so late, that he was in the wrong class. Luckily, Headmaster Smyth liked him enough to write up an excuse for his tardiness, which his lieutenant accepted. The rock man—a meticulous man who he feared due to past experiences and memories that still haunted him to this very day—saluted him, giving him permission to leave for his next class. As a bonus, he caught a glimpse of her before he left.

The blonde-haired maiden stood on the balcony of the private estate that stood next to the Academy. No one could really see the balcony unless they tried really, really hard, but Jim had always had a keen eye and he'd spotted the protruding structuring from day one. The first time he saw her, his teenage hormones got the best of him. When he asked his friends about "the pretty blonde on the balcony", Eddie started laughing at him, and Richard was kind enough to properly explain who she really was and why courting her was definitely an impossibility. As soon as he was told she was the Headmaster's youngest daughter, he almost decided to give up. Almost.

For some reason, the fact that she was off limits, especially from the cadets, made him want her more; Jim had never been one to follow the rules. Of course, he was never able to approach her, so he waited for the right opportunity to get her attention, which was especially challenging when her schedule was so unpredictable. It wasn't until one summer morning last year when he was walking the grounds he saw her talking to someone on the balcony. She looked extremely bored, so her gaze shifted towards the ground where she found him watching from afar. As soon as their eyes met, it was like… a spark.


"Mom, you said this story wasn't going to be mushy."

"Tim, I said it wasn't going to be too mushy, and the story's only started."

"But you've only been talking about Jim and this girl. When is it going to get exciting? When are the pirates going to show up? Are there really pirates in this story?"

"Don't worry, there are pirates."

"But what about—"

"Calm down, Tim. I'm getting there.


After that first moment of eye contact, he'd seen her every morning since, until this morning, that is. All he could do was salute her and smile ruefully. Luckily, she didn't seem to take it personally.

When he arrived at his next class, his friends didn't hesitate to give him a hard time.

"So, why so late, Jim?" Eddie asked him.

"You're usually one of the first ones here," said Richard.

"Sorry, I was caught up—"

"Doing what?" Eddie inquired.

"… Eating breakfast," Jim whispered sheepishly.

"WHAT!?"

"Mr. Gilligan and Mr. Smollet!" All three heads popped up. Their professor, Mr. Xavier Crustaceius, a man with a squid-like head and tentacle arms and legs to match. His beady eyes glared at the two boys who interrupted his class. "Is there something you'd like to share with the rest of the class?"

"No, sir!"

"Then stop your jibber-jabber and pay attention! From what I recall, Mr. Gilligan, your grades in this class have begun to plummet. You need all the help you can get."

The class laughed and Eddie blushed in embarrassment. He slumped back in his chair as the class quieted down. When Mr. Crustaceius began teaching again, Eddie whispered to the brunette, "We'll talk about this later."

Jim shrugged it off. He called Eddie's bluff and figured he would just forget about it.

After their astronomy class, Jim skipped his free period and went back to his dorm. On his way there, he accidentally bumped into a tall, black, muscular figure. "Oh, um, hey Lionel." The black panther only glared and sniffed at the young man. Lionel, Headmaster Smyth's most diligent and trustworthy steward, made sure the inside of the Academy was in tip-top shape, mostly attending to the dormitories of those who were on his trouble list. Jim did his best to stay out of trouble, but since Eddie was his friend and next door neighbor, seeing the tall Feralis Felinid near his door wasn't very uncommon. "Well, I'll see you later, big guy."

Jim slipped past the panther and into his dorm without another word. As soon as he entered, Morph attacked his face and continually licked his face. "Morph! S-Stop!" He tried pushing the little blob away, but this only temporarily ruined his amorphous form. He heard footsteps stomp by and grabbed his friend. He waited until they disappeared before releasing a breath he didn't know he was holding in. "That was close." He released Morph, who was also gasping for air. "We almost got caught by Lionel. We could get into serious trouble if you keep messing around. You've got to stay put, got it?"

The little blob nodded and morphed into a miniature Lionel. Jim laughed. "Don't worry, Morph. Once I graduate, we'll be out of here and in the Etherium in no time. And you'll never have to hide from Lionel again." Jim had his whole future planned out. Once he graduated from the Interstellar Academy, he'd be able to work with Captain Amelia as her first mate so he could get the firsthand experience of being a captain and attaining to a ship. And then, with his very own crew, he'd look for his long lost friend, Long John Silver. But, for the time being, Morph hid in the depths of Jim's dorm due to the no pet policy of the Academy.

At the moment, Morph was having fun shifting into a little black kitten version of the mentioned panther man. This made Jim laugh harder. "Knock it off!"

A knock came from the door. "Jim, it's Richard!"

"Richard?" He grabbed the tiny Lionel-kitten and put him in one of his dresser drawers before answering the door. It slid open to reveal his whiskered friend. "What is it?"

"All senior cadets are being called to meet in the field."

"For what?"

Richard shrugged. "They didn't say. Come on!"

Jim didn't rush. He had a feeling he knew what was really going on, as he recalled what the Headmaster told him this morning:

"A few of my men saw a pirate ship in the ionosphere. I don't know what they're doing or what they want, so I decided to lockdown the Academy for a while. I didn't want to inform the students until it was confirmed, but now that you're here, I didn't think it would hurt to tell you first. But don't tell the other students until it's confirmed."

He thought about going against the Headmaster's order and telling Richard but then thought better of. He and the other cadets would find out soon enough.


Later that night, as she got ready for bed, Robin stayed alert and ready for anything that could happen. Ever since she saw that vision, she hadn't tried to sneak out of the facilities like she usually would (she'd always get caught by Lionel, anyway). She didn't want to press her luck. Anything could happen, and she didn't want to jinx herself by doing something risky.

A knock from her door made her jump and nearly fall off her bed. Rune scurried under one of the pillows in fright. The door opened to reveal the panther man. "Oh, Lionel! Thank God!"

"Is something wrong, miss?" His baritone voice echoed deeply with suspicion.

"No, no. I was just… Is there something you need, Lionel?"

"My nightly shift, Miss."

She paused for a moment and then laughed. "Oh, right." She had nearly forgotten that the Feralis Felinid checked on her and her sister every night. It was one of those things that made her feel like a spoiled princess, but then she remembered how grateful she was to have the panther watch over her. "Goodnight, Lionel."

"Goodnight, Miss."

When he left, the young woman let out a huge breath. Rune crawled from under the pillow and jumped in her lap, clicking her tongue spitefully. "I know, I know. I'm overreacting, but if you saw what I saw, you'd be freaking out, too!"

Another series of clicks shortly followed.

"I don't know when I'm going to see good things! Having the gift of foresight isn't so fun, you know!"

Rune stuck her tongue and scurried right back under the pillow. "You're no help at all right now, you know that?"

"Robin?" she heard her mother from the other side of the door. "Are you alright?"

"Y-Yeah!" she squeaked.

"May I come in?"

"Sure!"

Marie graciously came in with a concerned look on her face. Her daughter had been acting weird all day, and she was really worried something might've happened to her. When she heard the peculiar outbursts from her room, it made her very anxious.

"Dear, who were you talking to?"

"Um… just Rune."

"I see… You seem a bit uneasy."

"I'm fine, Mother," she insisted. "Honest. There's nothing wrong."

She could tell her mother was still doubtful, but thankfully she let it go. "Alright, then. Goodnight, dear."

"Goodnight, Mother."

As soon as her mother left, Robin fell back on her bed in relief. She dodged a bullet today, but she knew as soon as she was woke up the next morning, her mother would be full of more questions.

She decided to go to sleep then. She didn't want anybody else stopping by while she was awake, and she didn't want to think about her admonition anymore. She doubted what she saw would happen to her tonight, anyway.

She didn't know how wrong she was.


Rune = "secret" in German

R&R!