*****
10th day, 5th month, standard year 24934
It was Tahl's birthday today.
I was up all night worrying! Well, first I was worrying about the letter we sent Alex, and then I was worrying about whether my present for Tahl would be good enough.
I'd worked hard at it....it was another stone. I'd have really liked to go all the way to Alderaan or Rutan to get a real one, but I couldn't. I bought it from a shop which sells stones from all over the galaxy. The one I chose is from Naboo. It's a light purple - her favourite colour. I spent hours with a knife carving it into a perfect circle shape. When I'd finished it was a lot smaller than it had previously been. So small that the only writing I could fit on it was 'To T. From Q.'.
I found her in the Room Of A Thousand Fountains. Next to the biggest waterfall, where Nela and her sister Vell were swimming.
"Happy birthday!" I called, and handed her the stone before I got a chance to change my mind.
It looked even smaller in the palm of her hand. When she looked up she was beaming.
"It's beautiful!"
I breathed a sigh of relief.
"It must have taken you ages!"
"I wanted it to be a circle," I explained. "Because circles last forever."
"Like us," she said.
"Yes, like us."
There was a slight noise behind us. We turned to see Master Mapru.
He examined the stone in Tahl's hand. "Very nice," he said, nodding at me. "Perhaps you should put as much effort into other things as you did into that."
I reddened and turned away.
"Material pocessions shouldn't be allowed." he said, his eyes in the back of my neck. "They are distracting and unessacary."
I knew it wasn't a good idea to start disagreeing with him. What was he doing here anyway?
"I'm looking for a friend of yours," he said coldly. "Binn Ibes."
"You're not taking him as Padawan, are you?" Tahl asked, and then realised saying that had been a mistake.
"That's none of your business, young apprentice," he said venomously, and went on his way.
I know who he reminds me of. He reminds me of that man in the Ilum caves. The one who asked me if I knew what I was going to do...who said I killed them.