Chapter Five
"I do trust that all of you read the required summer reading books. I hope that you did so, because you all have a theme paper to be turned in for a grade, due at the end of this week," droned Professor S'aahai. " Well, nice of you to join us, Mr. Narundi. I'm certainly glad you decided to get a head start on your exemplary attendence record! You have detention with me this afternoon."
Noaa'lan handed him the yellow piece of paper that his father had handed him, and took his seat next to K'aashi.
"Oh, I suppose I'm required to excuse your lateness, just because you had to escort some freshman around here! Well, after practically living here for the past Fifteen years of your life, you should know your way around well enough to be on time. This is a sheet of paper saying you're a guide. It's not a hall pass. I'll see you this afternoon, Your Highness."
Noaa'lan sighed as K'aashi laughed quietly at him from behind his stack of books.
"Now, for those of you who weren't here, Noaa'lan, we were discussing what your first theme paper will be about. This year, if you've read your summer reading, you'd notice a very obvious recurring theme. That theme is "forbidden love". Hopefully, you'll be able to draw enough information about this theme, from the books, Mr. Taa'lani, to write your paper. It's due by the end of this standard week. Any questions?"
"Yeah, Is there a sequel to "D'aanea and Paatr'lan"? I really enjoyed that storyline. They were just so romantic!" said a girl from the back row.
"Why no, S'aalia, but I agree with you that there should have been. The ending does lend itself to a sequel. Does anybody have any comments about the relationship between those two characters?" asked the Professor.
"What makes their relationship so forbidden? I mean, they seemed so perfect for each other! Long live true love, that's the way I see it!!" K'aashi exclaimed.
"Maybe if you actually read the book, you'd know that they were cousins, K'aashilan." Professor S'aahai said, openly amused.
A soft giggle erupted from the back of the room, and K'aashi turned around to see the brown haired girl in the back row smiling at him.
He smiled back at her and gave her a slight wave. She beamed at him as she shyly brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. Then, K'aashi turned to Noaa'lan, and raised his eyebrows at him. He scribbled something down on a piece of paper, and handed it to Noaa'lan.
Noaa'lan opened up the note. "What do you think of her?" it read.
"She's pretty." Noaa'lan wrote back.
"Do you think she'd go for me?" wrote K'aashi.
Noaa'lan rolled his eyes at his friend. "Think of something else other than girls, K'aashi." he wrote.
"Answer my question and I will!" was scrawled across the paper.
Noaa'lan sighed and turned around. The young girl was still looking at K'aashi, but quickly turned away when she saw Noaa'lan look at her. He smiled and scribbled his reply. K'aashi reached out and grabbed the piece of paper.
"I think that might be a possiblity. She's staring at you." wrote Noaa'lan.
K'aashi grinned at his friend, and then he turned around again. The girl was staring ahead at the board again, but when she felt K'aashi's eyes on her, she turned to look at him. Her brown eyes stared into his blue ones, as if to say-
"What are you looking at, K'aashi?" asked the Professor.
K'aashi abruptly turned around to face the front of the room. He sat straight up, giving the professor his greatest attention.
"Think of the grades you could get, if you paid as much attention to your studies as you did to girls like my niece, Mr. Taa'lani," said Professor S'aahai with a smirk.
Now it was Noaa'lan's turn to laugh. K'aashi just glanced at his friend, with a look of disbelief on his face. It was hard to believe that Master S'aahai had any family. If he had any family, K'aashi had always believed that they were mutants, not this pretty girl in the back row. He stared straight ahead, baffled by this new discovery.
K'aashi's thoughts were cut short by the bell, and he followed Noaa'lan as he bolted out of his chair, and raced into the hall. He could faintly hear Professor S'aahai reminding them of their paper that was due by the end of the week. He had almost caught up to Noaa'lan, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
K'aashi spun around to see the young brown-haired girl smiling at him. He smiled back, and introduced himself.
"I think I caught your name, K'aashi. My uncle certainly said it enough times during class today." the girl said with a giggle.
"Wow. So, he really is your uncle? That's. . .interesting," K'aashi said sardonicly.
"Why? Is it too hard to believe that he might have had a brother who married?" asked the girl sharply.
"No, it's too hard to believe that that brother was even remotely human, that's all. Professor S'aahai and I go back a long way. So, what's your name again?"
"S'aalia S'aahai. I know, the name sounds funny-"
"No, not at all. I must say, you're awfully beautiful to be the niece of Professor S'aahai," said K'aashi, and then he paused for a second. " You know, there's a Welcome Back dance coming up, and I was looking for a date. Are you doing anything this weekend?"
"Not that I know of. I'll have to think about it, K'aashi," she said with a smile.
"Hey, that's cool. So, I'll see you around, I guess." he said, beaming back at her. At that moment, Noaa'lan walked up to him.
"Ready to get to our next classes?" he asked.
"Ready. What happened to J'aa'nalia? I thought you had to take her with you." asked K'aashi.
"Well, while you were flirting, I managed to drop her off, and get back here."
"Jeez! Did you even talk to the poor girl!!? That's awful fast!" exclaimed K'aashi.
"Wrong. You talked for longer than you thought you did. The bell's about to ring," Noaa'lan said.
K'aashi nodded, and followed his friend, thinking only of S'aalia. This was certainly going to be a wonderful year.
"I do trust that all of you read the required summer reading books. I hope that you did so, because you all have a theme paper to be turned in for a grade, due at the end of this week," droned Professor S'aahai. " Well, nice of you to join us, Mr. Narundi. I'm certainly glad you decided to get a head start on your exemplary attendence record! You have detention with me this afternoon."
Noaa'lan handed him the yellow piece of paper that his father had handed him, and took his seat next to K'aashi.
"Oh, I suppose I'm required to excuse your lateness, just because you had to escort some freshman around here! Well, after practically living here for the past Fifteen years of your life, you should know your way around well enough to be on time. This is a sheet of paper saying you're a guide. It's not a hall pass. I'll see you this afternoon, Your Highness."
Noaa'lan sighed as K'aashi laughed quietly at him from behind his stack of books.
"Now, for those of you who weren't here, Noaa'lan, we were discussing what your first theme paper will be about. This year, if you've read your summer reading, you'd notice a very obvious recurring theme. That theme is "forbidden love". Hopefully, you'll be able to draw enough information about this theme, from the books, Mr. Taa'lani, to write your paper. It's due by the end of this standard week. Any questions?"
"Yeah, Is there a sequel to "D'aanea and Paatr'lan"? I really enjoyed that storyline. They were just so romantic!" said a girl from the back row.
"Why no, S'aalia, but I agree with you that there should have been. The ending does lend itself to a sequel. Does anybody have any comments about the relationship between those two characters?" asked the Professor.
"What makes their relationship so forbidden? I mean, they seemed so perfect for each other! Long live true love, that's the way I see it!!" K'aashi exclaimed.
"Maybe if you actually read the book, you'd know that they were cousins, K'aashilan." Professor S'aahai said, openly amused.
A soft giggle erupted from the back of the room, and K'aashi turned around to see the brown haired girl in the back row smiling at him.
He smiled back at her and gave her a slight wave. She beamed at him as she shyly brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear. Then, K'aashi turned to Noaa'lan, and raised his eyebrows at him. He scribbled something down on a piece of paper, and handed it to Noaa'lan.
Noaa'lan opened up the note. "What do you think of her?" it read.
"She's pretty." Noaa'lan wrote back.
"Do you think she'd go for me?" wrote K'aashi.
Noaa'lan rolled his eyes at his friend. "Think of something else other than girls, K'aashi." he wrote.
"Answer my question and I will!" was scrawled across the paper.
Noaa'lan sighed and turned around. The young girl was still looking at K'aashi, but quickly turned away when she saw Noaa'lan look at her. He smiled and scribbled his reply. K'aashi reached out and grabbed the piece of paper.
"I think that might be a possiblity. She's staring at you." wrote Noaa'lan.
K'aashi grinned at his friend, and then he turned around again. The girl was staring ahead at the board again, but when she felt K'aashi's eyes on her, she turned to look at him. Her brown eyes stared into his blue ones, as if to say-
"What are you looking at, K'aashi?" asked the Professor.
K'aashi abruptly turned around to face the front of the room. He sat straight up, giving the professor his greatest attention.
"Think of the grades you could get, if you paid as much attention to your studies as you did to girls like my niece, Mr. Taa'lani," said Professor S'aahai with a smirk.
Now it was Noaa'lan's turn to laugh. K'aashi just glanced at his friend, with a look of disbelief on his face. It was hard to believe that Master S'aahai had any family. If he had any family, K'aashi had always believed that they were mutants, not this pretty girl in the back row. He stared straight ahead, baffled by this new discovery.
K'aashi's thoughts were cut short by the bell, and he followed Noaa'lan as he bolted out of his chair, and raced into the hall. He could faintly hear Professor S'aahai reminding them of their paper that was due by the end of the week. He had almost caught up to Noaa'lan, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
K'aashi spun around to see the young brown-haired girl smiling at him. He smiled back, and introduced himself.
"I think I caught your name, K'aashi. My uncle certainly said it enough times during class today." the girl said with a giggle.
"Wow. So, he really is your uncle? That's. . .interesting," K'aashi said sardonicly.
"Why? Is it too hard to believe that he might have had a brother who married?" asked the girl sharply.
"No, it's too hard to believe that that brother was even remotely human, that's all. Professor S'aahai and I go back a long way. So, what's your name again?"
"S'aalia S'aahai. I know, the name sounds funny-"
"No, not at all. I must say, you're awfully beautiful to be the niece of Professor S'aahai," said K'aashi, and then he paused for a second. " You know, there's a Welcome Back dance coming up, and I was looking for a date. Are you doing anything this weekend?"
"Not that I know of. I'll have to think about it, K'aashi," she said with a smile.
"Hey, that's cool. So, I'll see you around, I guess." he said, beaming back at her. At that moment, Noaa'lan walked up to him.
"Ready to get to our next classes?" he asked.
"Ready. What happened to J'aa'nalia? I thought you had to take her with you." asked K'aashi.
"Well, while you were flirting, I managed to drop her off, and get back here."
"Jeez! Did you even talk to the poor girl!!? That's awful fast!" exclaimed K'aashi.
"Wrong. You talked for longer than you thought you did. The bell's about to ring," Noaa'lan said.
K'aashi nodded, and followed his friend, thinking only of S'aalia. This was certainly going to be a wonderful year.
