Mr. Beckwith led us into the assembly, where Amelia, Mr. Arrow and Kira stood on the stage again.
Seeing them up there made me sense that something was wrong as I sat with my class.
Once everyone taken their seats, Kira spoke. "We have gathered here again because...because..."
She struggled to speak, but broke into tears instead.
As Mr. Arrow comforted her, Amelia took the stand while glaring at me, then continued what Kira was going to say next.
"...because His Majesty, King Goobot has..." She stopped to clear her throat, then went on. "...passed away."
All who were assembled gasped at what they were hearing, while the Imaginaries hung their heads in sadness, for they were graciously handed out their jobs by the King.
"A tragic loss, indeed." proceeded Amelia. "But, as you may recall, Goobot has chosen young Nathan to take the throne."
She turned to lift Goobot's crown from a nearby cushion, saying. "So, it is with a heavy heart that..."
But as Amelia spoke, she saw that I already left the assembly.
Taking notice of my abscence as well, Mr. Beckwith made his way through those standing beside him, saying. "Excuse me. Pardon me."
The Imaginaries glanced at each other, then followed Mr. Beckwith to the library, where he found me sitting the corner across Mrs. Klein's desk, asking. "You OK?"
I looked up at him, asking. "Was this...my fault?"
"Your fault?" Mr. Beckwith asked back. "Now, how can this be your fault?"
"Because I didn't want to be King when he asked me to!" I said. "Then, there's this project and middle school and..."
I tried to speak, but I turned away, hiding my tears.
Mr. Beckwith kneeled beside me, placing an arm on my shoulder, saying. "The King didn't die because of you, Nathan. He died because he was getting old. It's all part of the circle of life. We're born, we live, we die.
"And even if you do take the position, know this." he added. "Being king isn't about wearing some jewel-encrusted crown or sitting some massive throne. It's about protecting those you love. And you've shown that when you saved us all from the Alphas, whether you're king or not."
Tears started trickling down my cheeks as Mr. Beckwith spoke.
"It's OK." he said, hugging me. "It's OK, I'm here. I'm here.
"Come on, let's get back to class." he, then, said, leading me out of the library.
