x

The work conducted at the Astronomers' Club was nothing short of amazing. They were few but dedicated to the cause of mapping and exploring the night sky by any means available. Augustus spoke freely about his theory on extraterrestrials without ever being mocked. He only had his ideas constructively challenged in a way that made it easier to think of his approach in new ways or even strengthening his ideas. Isa had spent most of their first days listening to what the members discussed. When he was asked for an opinion he'd fumble for an answer while fearing that his ignorance would make him an uninteresting addition to the group, but his perspective seemed to interest his newfound friends. At least while Augustus was present. Polite smiles and stern gazes were trademark signs of people keeping a watchful distance. Isa would have to earn their trust.

Three weeks in and school had become one of the greatest things to happen to him. The occasional name calling and mocking glares his way was something he expected from townspeople, but now he had a place where he could air his believes and observations of the night sky. His cheeks ached from smiling. He could feel his brain light up like the sky at dawn with everything that he was learning. Just thinking about how much more there was left to learn had him hold back a squeal of glee as he hurried back to Lea's place after a meeting that had run late. Isa hurried to his room to leave his bag and freshen up before dinner. Everyone was already seated when he walked into the dining room.

Mr. Ferris gestured for Isa to sit down on his seat next to Lea and smiled kindly.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I was delayed at school," Isa explained as he sat down.

"No worries, Isa. I'm glad you've taken such a keen interest in your studies. I've heard good things about you from your teachers. They are all pleasantly surprised. Dr. Even, too, which is a miracle in and of itself." Mr. Ferris laughed heartily. "You should invite Augustus over for studying since Lea seems to have forgotten about his old friend."

Lea gripped his fork tightly and glanced at Isa from the corner of his eye.

"Daddy, I got an A on my art project," Eve chimed in and got a smile from Mrs. Ferris.

"I know, sweetheart. Your mother told me. It's been awhile since we had an artist in the family. It is long overdue." Mr. Ferris gave his daughter an approving nod before he turned to Lea with a serious expression. Lea clearly knew why as he immediately turned his attention to his plate. "What do I have to do to talk you out of stalking those rats, Lea?"

"Guinea pigs. And if I didn't stalk them, they'd starve. The group that has them now has no experience in taking care of animals. I had no choice."

"You broke into the classroom like some common burglar, Lea. Help me save face." Mr. Ferris looked like he had run out of options and was begging Lea to help him say the right thing.

"Not at the cost of innocent lives, dad."

Lea's solemn expression at revealing to his dad that there was no chance of compromise in this situation made Isa smile. He looked down on his plate, saved by the servants bringing in dinner.

Mrs. Ferris put a calming hand on her husband's arm while Eve stared intensely at her father from behind the napkin she was toying with. Silence lay heavy between them. Lea inched closer to Isa until their hands nearly brushed against each other. Isa looked around to try to read their faces, but wasn't given a chance when Mr. Ferris suddenly raised his glass to toast to the accomplishments of the children in his household. Isa drank to it gladly, the heavy air gone and replaced by the cheerfulness Isa had come to associate with Lea and his family.

After dinner, Lea grabbed Isa by the wrist on their way back to their rooms and led him to the kitchen and out to a small patio that faced a small service road.

"Lea, where are we going? I have homework to do," Isa said with a yawn. The feasts that Lea's family called dinner always left Isa longing for a nap, but with his schedule full, it was hard to find time for proper sleep.

Lea held Isa's hand absently and ran his thumbs over Isa's knuckles and sighed in relief when he couldn't find any indications of punishment. It was an odd habit Isa had gotten used to already.

"Let's hang out for a bit," Lea said. "It feels like a barely see you anymore. You've caught up with schoolwork already, right? I mean, if Dr. Even hasn't anything bad to say about you, you've done pretty good. You don't have to excel so early on. It makes them expect things of you, and if they start expecting things, you'll end up fighting to become what they want you to be."

"Who are 'they'? And what do 'they' expect?" Isa asked with a sideway-glance at Lea.

"The extraterrestrials that run this place. And they want to make you a part of their master plan." Lea grinned at Isa's eye roll. "Let's go for some ice cream."

"We just ate and we had dessert."

"Fried banana is not a dessert." Lea made a face and shuddered. "Maybe for extraterrestrials, but not for me."

"You're an idiot," Isa sighed when Lea brought him in closer by throwing his arm around his shoulder.

Lea had taken a liking to seasalt ice cream after having treated Isa to all other ten ice creams available for purchase in Radiant Garden but gotten nothing but negative feedback on all of them. All of them except for the seasalt ice cream. Isa hadn't been over the moon for it. He enjoyed the mix of sweet and bitter and also the coolness of it, which was great in the late summer when the heat became near insufferable in the city where the buildings closed the heat in and made it difficult for sea breezes to make it through the narrow roads. He had finished it, and that was all the positive feedback Lea needed to make sea salt ice cream an indispensable symbol of affection.

"I'm gonna tire of this ice cream one day," Isa said once they sat on top of a deteriorating part of the wall around the castle, looking at the courtyard where the Royal Guards gathered for combat practice.

"I wouldn't bet on it," Lea said smugly and took a bite of his ice cream.

"I'm telling you, I will. It's not even that good."

Lea laughed.

"Not that good," he parroted. "You close your eyes every time you have a bite. You go like," Lea sat up straight and brought the ice cream to his mouth while scrunching his face. He took a small bite, smiled, and wiggled his head slightly in feigned delight. "Just like my granny when I snuck her toffees."

Isa cheeks flushed red.

"I do not!"

"You do. As someone who watches you eat, I assure you, you do." Lea chuckled. "It's cute."

Lea fell silent, his focus shifted to the courtyard where the guards were practicing close combat. He cleared his throat as if he was going to say something but instead he just swung his legs restlessly. He picked at the moss that was growing between the stones of the wall, glancing at Isa like he had done at the table until he finally spoke.

"So, you're in the same class as Augustus? You talk at all?"

"Yeah. He's great. Not at all as I thought he'd be. And you were right about him being the chairman of the Astronomers' Club. Augustus has been incredibly helpful and he's started a campaign of protest against the discrimination against girls in private tutoring on advanced level."

Isa had avoided telling Lea anything about his newfound friendship with Augustus. Lea always seemed to get annoyed at the mentioning of his name, and though Isa was curious to know why, he had never asked.

"He hasn't said anything about me, right?" Lea asked nervously. "He has a thing for badmouthing me. Make stuff up and whatnot."

"Augustus?" Isa asked, surprised. "He doesn't mention you at all. Generally, we talk about astronomy, books, homework - the other day he was telling me that he had gotten a big vivarium for his yellow Python that's grown to the size of a monster. He's invited us over to see it tomorrow."

"You're going to his place tomorrow?" Lea took a deep breath. "When?"

"After school. We'll only be there for a little while. I can ask if you can come, too."

"No, it's fine. You go and see the snake. Don't let it swallow you whole. It's a constrictor. It'll wrap itself around you and crush you into snack-size if you're not careful."

"I don't think it's grown that big."

Lea smiled wearily and looked down on his left knee where his ice cream had dripped.

"Lea, are you alright? What is it?" Isa inched in closer and placed his hand over Lea's and squeezed it gently.

"I don't know," Lea admitted with a huff and shrugged. "It's just, I've been thinking about stuff, maybe too much. It's like time is passing me by so quickly and I don't know what to focus on. My birthday's in a few weeks' time. That means that within a year I have to propose to Madeleine. Then finish school, prepare for a year of army training, marriage, kids, work. My whole life is laid out in front of me, and I know that it's the right way to go to be remembered, to become immortal, but what if I fail? Will that be it? Will I just fall into oblivion and break a chain of greatness?" Lea's voice trembled and he swallowed hard. "You know what would be great? If we could go back to the beginning of summer. It was just you and me out in the middle of nowhere."

"You were scared out of your wits," Isa reminded him.

"Only at night and I was well within my right to be scared out my wits. The spiders out there were the size of my hand."

Isa smiled.

"I thought you were looking forward to getting engaged and growing up, Lea."

"I was."

"What changed?"

"I don't know. It just seems to me that being a grown up is suffocating. Grown-ups make rules and hide behind them to set order to everything and everyone around them. Some things are wrong, others aren't, even if deep, deep, down it doesn't feel wrong, you have to blindly trust what the grown-ups say. I want to do things my way. I wanna see if there is a 'my way'."

"Re-invent the wheel?" Isa offered, clearly remembering what Lea had told him the first night on their hike.

"Yeah," Lea chuckled and shoved Isa slightly. "Re-invent the wheel. See what I come up with."

"For what it's worth, whether you fail or not, I'll always remember you, Lea. I won't forget you. I'll learn how to draw and paint properly, and I'll do a painting of you and I'll hang it up on a wall for all to see. I'll ask Eve to tutor me."

"Don't tell her what it's for or she'll refuse 'til she's blue in the face." Lea smiled, holding Isa's hand tightly with his sticky ones. "Mind if I go with you on your reindeer pilgrimage next summer?"

"You'll upset my grandad."

"When is he not upset, though?" They both chuckled. Lea took another deep breath. "I'll get my knuckles bruised in your stead, Isa. Just let me go with you, before it all starts."

"Hmmm," Isa began, pretending to think about it, his amused expression giving him away. "I do need a pack mule for all the bananas I have to bring for dessert."

"Don't you ever grow tired of teasing me?" Lea laughed.

"Never."

They sat on the stone wall, casually watching the guards train as the sun slowly set at the horizon and turned the sky a brilliant orange. Lea's plea would ring softly in the back of Isa's mind on occasion. If forever was an option for them, Isa would choose it without a doubt.

-x-

Lea's birthday party was a big event, a chance for his parents to show off their house and to invite and mingle with the elite of Radiant Garden. No one wanted to miss one of Mrs. Ferris' great parties known for the delicious coffee and extraordinary pastries. Isa had attended plenty of Mrs. Ferris gatherings. Whether they were small or big, Mrs. Ferris loved to splurge and pamper her guests. Her love for attention reminded Isa of Lea and he wondered if Lea would be inclined to have lavish parties just like his mother.

When there were as many invited people as there were now, Isa would make sure to follow Lea to 'safe spots' where they wouldn't have to engage with the invited as much, but since Lea was the center of attention, Isa had decided to stand back and wait for the party to be over to properly congratulate Lea on his fifteenth birthday. Isa sat by the table after most guests had gone up for a walk in the room. The dinner had been exquisite, complete with a small dessert that was to be followed by a surprise birthday cake no one but Mrs. Ferris and the staff had seen. The guests had been granted a small break to make room for the cake. A small orchestra played classical pieces from a corner in the room, and some had taken to dancing.

"Hi, Isa," Augustus said shyly and raised his hand for a quick wave. "Mind if I sit next to you?"

"No, not at all." Isa smiled. "Did you just get here?"

"No, I was just sat on the other end of the table. Mr. Ferris must have forced Lea to invite me."

"Why would you say that? You're friends. Of course Lea would invite you."

Augustus pursed his lips.

"It's been awhile since we were friends. But let bygones be bygones. I'm just happy that I found a kindred soul amongst all these people. Have you had a look in the book I lent you?" Augustus eyes brightened at the change of subject and he pushed his glasses up his nose to not lose focus on Isa.

"I did! I'm amazed that book even exists." Isa clasped his hands and spoke in a low voice.

"There were five copies," Augustus said. "Three of them were burned. I found my copy by accident, and I'm pretty sure Dr. Even has the fifth copy. I hope he does. I've heard that he has a private library full of writings that would be condemned by the Church should he be found out. A safekeeper of science, that's what Dr. Even is. What did you think about it?"

"I'm not sure I understood all of it, but what I gathered was that there's a theory about being able to anticipate a supernova explosion? What was it called - neutrinos? They're so small and weak that it can pass through everything, and a visible supernova explosion is two percent of the energy released while neutrinos make up ninety-eight percent. They're like ghosts, the soul of a massive star scattered around the universe." Isa's heart started to beat faster as he talked and he smiled at the thought. Nothing dies, only converts.

"Theoretically, we could be able to detect neutrinos and predict when a supernova is about to explode. Since neutrinos start to pour out as the star collapses in on itself, maybe the same could be true for us. We don't die, or rather, our energy doesn't die, it just transforms. Imagine being able to tell that to people instead of instilling the fear of God in them with threats of Hell."

The book Augustus had lent Isa was one of the many books of the Church's list of forbidden readings. In the time before theirs, before the Church took over with its teachings, science had flourished. Scientists studied the skies and tried to figure out what lay beyond their world, certain that there had to be life out there. A dangerous pursuit, the Church said and burned all trace of such research and everything else they could get their grubby hands on.

Augustus played with the stalk of a cherry someone had left on their plate and smiled sheepishly at the fascinated look in Isa's eyes. "I hope you plan on pursuing an academic career, Isa. You make a good sounding board. You have sound ideas, unique perspectives. I must say that I envy your access to clear skies. You may discover extraterrestrials before I do."

"I'd tell you if I found any," Isa said, a bit ashamed at remembering how he had wanted to win against Augustus back when he thought of him as insolent.

"Do you think I could ever come and visit you when you go back to your grandfather? Don't feel obliged. I know of your situation and I don't blame your grandfather for being wary of people like me, but I would really like to see you in your element. I r-really would." Augustus leaned back on his chair as soon as he realized that he had been leaning forward to hear Isa talk, and he insistently played with the stalk as his cheeks flared red, much like Lea's did whenever Madeleine was in the room. Augustus was nothing like Lea. Though intelligent, he lacked Lea's social skills, his charm, and stumbled over his words when he was in company that he didn't know or who were not at all interested in the same subjects. A small step out of his comfort zone and Augustus became a walking disaster. Maybe that was the plague of intelligent people.

"I make no promises, but I'll talk to my grandfather and let you know how it goes. Deal?"

"Deal!" Augustus eagerly grabbed the hand Isa offered him and shook it, his hold gentle and warm. "Isa, I…"

Their attention was diverted by the suddenly cooing crowd that gathered around what had become a dancefloor. The small orchestra played a familiar waltz and the crowd clapped. Curious, Isa went to see what was happening, and just as he made his way through the crowd, he saw Lea elegantly swoosh by, leading Madeleine with him in a graceful dance. Impressive was just the first of it. Lea had never struck Isa as one to be able to move rhythmically. They had had many sessions of combat training where Isa tried to teach Lea how to fight, but Lea would almost always forget the moves and have Isa show him over and over again. There was none of that clumsiness now. Only delicate, rhythmic dancing.

Isa caught Lea's eye from across the room. Isa smiled softly, but Lea's face darkened. It wasn't until Augustus put his hand on Isa's shoulder softly that Isa understood why. He sighed, wondering if it wasn't about time for someone to tell him what had happened between the two.

As soon as the waltz ended, the servants brought in the cake. The cake was a marvelous rendition of the castle, complete with towers and mosaic windows with religious themes. It was a reminder that Lea was in God's grace and that with hard work he would be led down the road to this magnificent castle where he could work for the people and forever immortalize himself in becoming part of the foundation of their beloved city. Lea was more thrilled by the cake being chocolate inside than by the dream it represented. He chopped up his piece with his dessert fork until the dark of the chocolate had made all colors of the castle disappear before he ate it.

For the cake and coffee, everyone was allowed to sit wherever they pleased. At an event like this, Isa wouldn't have minded his old spot, but Lea wanted to gather all the invitees of his age and have them sit by the fireplace on the colorful ottomans his mother had bought from a travelling salesman.

"I heard from Catherine that you were planning some kind of protest against the School Board?" Madeleine said to Augustus. She seemed intrigued, her clear eyes wide with eagerness.

Isa looked away from Lea who was currently preoccupied with stabbing his cake. The conversation took an interesting turn after having been nothing but gossip about who was most likely to marry whom and who was most likely to end up burning in Hell for recently committed sins. With all of their reviewing, discussing and evaluating, Isa imagined they left very little work to their God.

"Yes. We are planning a protest to have the School Board remove the limit of admittance for girls to advanced courses in science. The idea was Isa's and I'm just happy to be a part of it." Augustus smiled and put his hand on Isa's shoulder, just like he had done before. "We're currently recruiting as many members as we can to our cause. The more the merrier. We have quite a few girls with us, although most have been reluctant to participate, afraid what it will do to their reputation. If you were to join, Madeleine, I'm certain many would follow your suit."

"So, we would get to participate in, say, Dr. Even's classes?" Madeleine said 'we', but subconsciously brought her hand to her chest as if to point to herself.

"That's the plan. I know for a fact that Dr. Even doesn't mind teaching girls, but the conservative School Board ties his hands and doesn't allow him to admit girls in class on the grounds that girls aren't prone to science and that it would be a waste of time. We say that is a discriminatory approach to have, do we not, Isa?"

"Yes, we do," Isa agreed.

"What would I have to do?" Madeleine asked. "Are there meetings?"

"You could come by our Astronomers' Club meeting and we will sign you up and give you some literature. There will be some important dates announced and such. We are trying to keep it hush-hush for now to diminish the risk of being shut down."

"There's literature?" Lea finally spoke and glared at Augustus. "You're not afraid they'll hang you in the gallows for spreading propaganda?"

"Fear is but a fool's excuse to do nothing," Augustus said firmly and met Lea's glare without cowering away. "I've learned many things listening to Isa," Augustus told Madeleine, continuing as if he had not been deterred by Lea at all. "The most important thing being that I would rather die fighting for my rights and the rights of others than live my life on my knees, protecting nothing but wealth taken through bloodshed." Augustus glanced at Lea discreetly, a small, proud smile on his lips when Lea clenched his jaw, staring at him with a glare that promised murder.

Lea stood up. For a second, Isa was certain that Lea was going to punch Augustus in the jaw, but he walked up to Isa and pulled him up to his feet.

"Isa, a word," Lea said before he led Isa out of the room, to the kitchen and out to the small patio they used to get out of the house, unnoticed. The kitchen was full of servants and caterers that looked after them at seeing the birthday boy leaving his own party with Isa right behind.

Lea stood with his back to Isa while he tried to catch his breath. He turned around before he had and pulled Isa in for a tight embrace, burying his face into the nape of Isa's neck. Chills ran down Isa's spine at feeling Lea's warm breath so close to his skin. The shrilling accusation his mother had made against him rang in his ears and he hesitated in returning the hug until Lea pressed closer against him. Lea's breathing evened out, but he didn't let go.

"Happy birthday, Lea," Isa said at last.

"It's not yet," Lea chuckled and stood back slightly, letting his arms fall to his sides with a defeated sigh. "I've got something for you."

"For me? But it's your birthday."

"So it is."

Lea walked over to a small gravel box that stood under a big apple tree. He opened it and swiped away some of the gravel at the top to pull out a fairly large, oblong, wrapped gift. Isa stared in awe, thinking that there was no way he could give Lea the small present he had for him in his pocket.

"Lea…"

"Open it."

Isa looked at the flowery pattern of the wrapping paper. The question 'why' lingered on his tongue amongst many other questions. Lea's generosity was a double-edged sword. It wasn't free of terms and conditions. Lea gave to be liked. With the years they had spent together, Isa thought that Lea would have an inkling as to how much he liked him already. The gift lay exposed to the late summer air and Isa could only gape at it while Lea looked at him expectantly.

"What do you think? Nice, huh?" Lea beamed.

"It's… a telescope? Lea," Isa blinked, thinking the gift would transform into something else in his hands. "This is - I mean, I can't -"

"Of course you can. You'll be out bustin' extraterrestrials in no time and I'll be your sidekick. We'll blow their cover and free everyone from their evil regime." Lea smiled weakly and glanced down on his black, shiny shoes. "If anything, you'll look up at the sky, study the stars and think of me."

Had fate allowed, Isa would have taken Lea's hands in his and looked him in the eye as he admitted to always thinking of Lea, reassuring him that he would always be present in his thoughts. No one could replace Lea, for Lea was his pillar, his guiding light, the sun in his sky. But fate didn't allow it, and the words that Isa yearned to say died in his mouth at the sight of Mr. Ferris.

"Lea," Mr. Ferris said solemnly, his brow knitted and his stare cold. "What manners are these?"

No other words were spoken. Lea followed his father back into the party while Isa stayed behind, holding Lea's gift in his arms, confused. An insistent ache lingered in Isa's chest. Isa didn't see Lea for the rest of the night, instead he spent it in Augustus' company, half-heartedly discussing issues while thinking on the telescope in his room and the birthday gift he had yet to give Lea. Before Isa went to bed that night, he snuck into Lea's bedroom. He had wrapped the gift in a checkered tablecloth Isa had packed and he placed the small gift underneath Lea's pillow.