Do they actually call the Neopian language English? Ah well, they do here.

The Month of Swimming (July) Age 8

Week 1

It wasn't my fault that I got caught, you know. It had to do with a lot of things, involving the little kids, fists, and just plain bad attitude…Sorry, lost my train of thought. Maybe I should start from the beginning.

Okay, I admit it. Kanrik's compliment made the entire thing- lying to the twins, working with Kayley, groveling to Razor- worthwhile. I hope I'm not becoming a teacher's pet; that would be awful. Still, I couldn't help but be a tiny bit upset that he'd ignored me for most of the week. We still had the little kids, which was fine by me. It'd be horrible to just leave Timmy without saying good-bye. But I had other problems.

Razor was sulking. As promised, Kanrik didn't tell about his involvement in his escape, though when word got out that he was a Swindler, Nort probably put two and two together. He was still pretty popular, though, but I'm guessing not for much longer. Before, there used to be a possibility that Nort might keep Razor around just to spite me even though the Language Course was over, but now there was no chance. When final exams kick in after next week, I had a feeling that he would be in serious trouble.

Worse, he blamed it on me. Said that I poisoned him with lies. Right. So that's how I ended up in the marketplace instead of the park, babysitting both Timmy and Brandon. Brandon was a little Ruki, and Razor's little kid. He said to pay him back I have to take him for the day, unless I didn't want the Kyrii to know that the twins took Timmy last month. You know, he really is turning into a jerk. But I guess a teeny bit of me still had pity for him. If I didn't, I'd have told him to go ahead and tell. That was an essential part of breaking Kanrik out, and I doubted that I could have gotten that much trouble for it.

So, Timmy and Brandon were become a bit too lively. Now that it's officially summer for them, they want to do loads of things- like for example, bust a few thieves outta jail. Now where did that come from? Even the playground wouldn't settle anymore. They practically dragged me away from there, complaining that they were bored. That was a shame, since I wanted to talk to Charlie and maybe Mrs. Daley. The best I could do was send a message through the rest of the class who weren't coming with us. Instead, we went to the marketplace.

I figured out already that Brynn's patrol was only week two of each month, so I relaxed. After all, she was the only one who could, and who I would let, catch me. So I let the kids scurry around in the souq with ease, just strolling around and daydreaming. Then a hand clamped over my shoulder.

It was that Lupe again! I could have run- in fact, I was prepared to- when he said, "You really gonna leave your pipsqueaks behind?" His gang got Brandon and Timmy.

If it was just Timmy, I still could have gotten away. Maybe if he bit the guy's hand, we could've blended with the crowd or something. But Razor was cautious with Brandon and didn't let him get anywhere near something dangerous, so he probably wouldn't have known what to do if we had to run for it. The only choice was to surrender. It sucked.

"Sorry I caught you?" He mocked. "See? Miss Goody Two Shoes isn't the only one who can catch a thief."

"If you're so much better than Brynn, then why'd they give you your patrol like a year after her?" I countered. "Ah well, I guess they had to let out the buffoon-head sometime." Probably not the best thing to say, but I was getting battered anyhow. Might as well go down with sarcasm.

His mouth curled. "We'll see whose laughing once I'm through with you."

"Uh, Harry…why are we tackling a kid?" Someone asked. I haven't seen him before when I punched the guy a long time ago, so he either must be new or just recently joined the gang. He was a red Kyrii and looked more decent than the rest of the bloodthirsty group.

Harry glared at him. "What did I say about questioning me, Sam?" He rolled his eyes. "Anyway, this little troublemaker gave me a bit of….inconvenience a long time ago."

"Still," he pressed. "What is he- like, seven?"

"Eight," I corrected.

"Eight. Are we actually going to fight with an eight year old?" There was something soothing in his voice, something that made people want to listen. A lot of the gang members were blinking, maybe wondering whether they should let us go. That was good, but…I don't know, it was a little creepy too.

Harry growled and seemed to be about to pound Sam himself- then stopped. His voice changed to silky and sweet, with a poisonous edge. Like venom. I had to admit, he could be pursuasive if he wanted to too."This guy is a thief, Sam, no matter how old he is. Judging from how he hit me last year, he's already been taught their brutal ways."

"Brutal ways?" I spluttered, but I was surprised to see Sam appearing to be as mad as me.

"Thieves are people," he said angrily. "As in all kinds of jobs, some are good, some are…just plain evil."

"Sam, he's definitely the latter. That's my final word on the subject. You either clobber him with us, or you're out."

Sam was suddenly uneasy. "Hey, I didn't mean it that way-"

"Good. Now hold him up so he can get what's coming to him."

He bit his lip, and I could tell that he really didn't want to do it. I guess I understood, in a way. Besides, it wasn't really his fault. But there was one thing that I wanted to get cleared up before I met my doom. I stared at him pleadingly, then at the little kids. Thankfully, he got the hint. "At least let these young ones go. They didn't do anything wrong- and you can't argue with that."

Harry looked like he did want to argue with that, but he was halted by a chorus of agreements. Nobody wanted to hurt children who aren't even three yet. It'd just be wrong. Harry groaned and just waved them away. When the guards let them go, they didn't need to be told twice. Timmy hesitated half-way, and turned around with a fearful face. I just shook my head, indicating for him to go on.

Without warning, Harry punched me hard in the stomach. With no one behind me, I fell, scraping my hands badly. I felt sick. Black spots dotted my vision, as if I was about to pass out. Now that I thought about it, Kayley pouncing last year wasn't so bad. "And that's just the beginning," Harry taunted, as he pulled his fist in for another one. I closed my eyes.

Nothing came. I opened an eye, and saw a Draik that I recognized to be Brynn's teacher. He was holding Harry's wrist, stopping him from hitting me. "You are supposed to be capturing thieves," he told him sternly. "Not beating them up."

"B-but you were over there-" Harry glanced at the Draik's usual post near a jewelry stall. I glimpsed at Timmy hiding behind a shopkeeper. Woah, he was good.

"It doesn't matter whether I'm watching or not. The point is that you treat all captives with respect and mercy," he scolded. He turned to me. "Are you alright, son?" He spoke kindly, but there was a small sharpness. Even he didn't protect a crook.

"Um, I'm okay," I mumbled. I didn't trust myself to say very much- I'd probably vomit all over the place.

He sighed at Harry. "Can you to take him to the dungeons without causing him anymore grief?"

NO! I wanted to yell, but again, I had to keep my mouth shut. Harry grinned evilly, seeing a chance to get his revenge after all. "You can count on me."

"And if I find that you've harmed him again, you'll have to pay with one months' worth of detentions," the Draik called after him as he went back. Harry grumbled about this as he seized my arm. He pulled it roughly, not like Brynn's gentle but firm touch.

He went to where my usual cell was- but didn't stop there. He kept going until he reached one usually reserved for Master Thieves. With a chill, I realized that it was the one that Vlade and Zida had occupied. They were probably already zombies in Darigan Citadel now. "Hey, wait a minute!" I rasped in my disgustingly weak voice. "You can't lock me up in here!"

He smirked. "Oops; it appears that I've already did." With that, he shut the door loudly, making everything seem pitch-black. Pretty soon after that, I collapsed. Boy, he could really pack a punch (and not in a good way).

I woke up groggily. I didn't know how many hours I've slept, but all I knew is that my parents would be worried by now. I usually got out maybe a few minutes, an hour at the most, when I get captured. It took Kanrik nearly eight months to get out of here. What would happen to me? Well, I guess that Brynn would help if she knew I was here, or at least transfer me to a different cell. I still felt bad in taking the keys from her last month, although she probably didn't know that she helped me.

Just as I thought that, somebody whirled the door open and slammed it again. I only saw a flash of reddish brown fur. Brynn was breathing deeply, leaning against the portal as if hiding from something.

"Hello," I said cheerily. My voice was back to normal. Although I'd have preferred not to have taken that nap, it made feel me better. "I was waiting for you. I knew you'd show up."

She stood rigidly, scanning the darkness with alarm. From how she was acting, she was running away from something. "Brynneth," I called louder, so that she'd recognize my voice.

She walked over to my cell slowly and stared. Then she frowned and crossed her arms. That familiarity was oddly comforting.

"Stop acting like you're not pleased to see me." I grinned.

"I'm not pleased to see you!" She lied. Though maybe it was little bit genuine, too; that she wasn't pleased to see me in jail.

"And after I got beaten up so badly by that guy too," I remarked, studying my fingernails. I didn't have to say anymore; she knew who that guy was.

"You look fine," she insisted. I held up my hand. My fingers were course and red, probably bruised from the scraping earlier. "See?" She gasped. A very guilty expression appeared on her face.

I didn't mean for her to be that concerned; it wasn't her fault. I quickly changed the topic. "So enough about me, how's the book?" I referred to the one I'd distracted her with last month.

"Finished," she answered flatly, still gaping at my palm.

"Was it a good book?" I urged her to talk some more. She seemed like she needed it; first being chased by you-know-who, then me shocking her. "Because when I saw it in your bag the other day, I thought…"

She reached into her rucksack and tossed it to me. Did she carry that thing everywhere? I caught it.

Then the bell rang, and she had to go. I cursed in my head; all thoughts about asking her for help had flown out the window, and now it was too late. But I decided to look on the bright side. "At least I've got something to do now! Thanks!" I added the last part remembering Mrs. Daley telling me that saying thank you is important to a lady. She was right; I glanced at Brynn smiling as she closed the door.

Week 2

To describe my feeling, I only have to use three words: I. Was. Bored. Can you blame me? This was the longest I've been stuck in prison, with only a book for company. Oh, and I finally figured out why it looked so familiar. It was my ancient-language textbook. In English. If only I had my school stuff, I'd be able to figure out all the codes without Razor's help.

I finished the story. No, I am not one of those crazy-fast readers who get through with a five-ton book in a week, but I literally had nothing else to do. It was pretty far-fetched, to tell you the truth. I mean, great kingdoms falling, evil sorceresses? When does that happen in real life? Besides that, it was a pretty good tale.

So yeah, I mostly stared at a blank wall, trying to find my way out of this. I had a feeling of deep despair, but one of Kayley's rules in escape training was never to give in to it. Or else she'd pound me into mush. All I could think of was that day when I secretly 'visited' Kanrik in jail in February. I remembered my old plan, that the adults should knock the person who was giving them food out and then grab the keys from the right-side pocket. Maybe I could still do that. I didn't have a grown-up's strength…but I did have a heavy tome.

A Lenny came over and handed me a meal. Before I could lose my nerve, I slammed the volume against his head; not seriously, but just enough to get him out cold. Then I snatched the keys from his pocket, hardly believing my luck. I pried open the lock. It worked!

Tucking the book under my arm, I nearly pushed the door to someone's face. "Brynn!" For a minute, I had a nice thought; was she coming to see me? Then I remembered that she probably wasn't because she was a guard and all that. But that didn't stop her earlier. Then again, she was being followed. My head spun round and round in that mental argument, but I ignored it. "Wonderful book, loving it so far," I commented.

"But…." She looked confused as I felt a bit earlier. I smirked.

"Well, gotta dash!" I said before she could regain her wits. "You tend to be the only person here who's actually nice to me." Then I heard heavy footsteps of an adult. I ran.

The Draik, the one who defended me last week, was trying to catch me. I grinned and raced faster, loving the feeling of being free at last. I managed to jump over the small moat as they were lowering the drawbridge up, losing him.

I headed towards headquarters. It wasn't that late, and they were probably still having class. To my surprise, it was a very subdued one, with them all just looking plain miserable. The Kyrii was trying to cheer them up. "Come on, everyone, we can get a move on without Hanso."

"But what if something terrible happened?" The twins said in unison. They glared at each other. Apparently even me being missing didn't calm down their fight yet.

"He's probably just in a cell," the Kyrii assured them. "He'll break out soon."

"If he was, he'd have done it sooner. I think that something happened," Kayley asserted. "We should go look for him!" The ferocity and determination in the last sentence stunned me.

Worst of all was Razor. He looked ready to have a nervous breakdown, probably blaming himself. His eye kept twitching, his hands fidgeting. "It's my fault."

"Now don't be silly!" The Kyrii exclaimed. "I can assure you, he's-" He glimpsed at the door, and his jaw dropped open. "He's right there!"

Their heads shot up. Within moments, I was tackled in a hug not so different than the one I got from the first field trip. Again, Kayley didn't join in- though there was something in her expression that made me see she was glad that I was alright.

"What happened?" She asked me later, cornering me after class.

The Kyrii asked me the same question earlier, and I gave them the same answer. "It was an accident; I wasn't quick enough." Razor's eyes widened when he heard me say that- though he was back to being scornful, determining me to have just done it for attention.

Like the Kyrii, Kayley didn't buy it. "Not fast enough," she snorted. "I taught you escape training myself, and you were plenty fast." So I admitted the whole thing to them both, leaving out Brandon and the tome being the same as the textbook. Kayley's face hardened when I mentioned that Brynn 'helped' me escape. "She didn't mean to."

"But she did," I pointed out. "Whether she knows it or not, she did."

She rolled her eyes. "That doesn't count," she muttered, storming away. I guess she's not glad to see me after all.

Week 3

All week was spent on studying the English and the Ancient-Language textbook. It took some work, but at some point I stopped comparing them and started knowing what they were without the translations. I reread most of it without the English one. When I finally finished, it was half-way through the week. That's when it occurred to me that I should teach Kayley, too.

Annoying and strict as she may be, she's a good ally to have on your side. Even if you don't need one, then you have to remember that she's a very bad enemy, too. Later, I offered to help teach her.

"I thought you said you didn't know how."

"Well, now I do," I answered.

She looked suspicious. "How?"

"Um…" I decided to come clean. "Brynn's book is the same as the textbook, but in English. I kind of got the hang of comparing each word, and remembering the meaning…"

"Stop right there. I will not be taught anything that has been touched by a guard," she declared.

"Suit yourself," I told her. "But if you want a passing grade…"

She was torn. I could see her having a mental argument with herself like I was last week. Finally, her shoulders slumped. "Fine. But you teach me, not some volume belonging to a guard."

"Alright." Then I recalled everyone else. "Maybe I should invite Julius and Juliet. They'll want to pass, and Razor's not teaching them either."

"If you can get them in the same room," she replied.

It wasn't as hard as I thought. The problem came when I actually began teaching. For starters, I'm a horrible instructor anyway, and having them trying to up stand each other was not helping.

"Hey, Hanso, what does 'dida' mean?" Juliet asked.

"It's like another word for stupid."

Later…

"No, you idiot, that means 'sister'!" She hissed at him. "Not 'evil'!"

"Then I was right," Julius said.

"You weren't!"

"You calling me stupid?"

"No, I'm calling you 'dida.'" Julius demanded to know what it meant later, and I was forced to tell him. I refused, though, to give each other more words to insult with. In the end I just taught Kayley, and she taught Julius. I partnered up with Juliet.

They all caught on pretty quickly, to my relief. But judgment day was coming.

"Hanso, read aloud the passage from page thirty four and tell me what it means," the Kyrii commanded. Razor stared at me, with a few signs of fault on his face. But mostly it was triumph; that he was better than me at something. He was astonished when I recited the whole thing fluently and gave the meaning without batting an eye. The rest of the class smiled.

Kayley, Julius, and Juliet managed it all perfectly (luckily, the word 'dida' didn't appear in any of the text that the twins did). Razor was still astounded by how good we were- so much that he stumbled over a few phrases, earning him a few marks off. I shouldn't have felt bad for him. After all, he did take this upon himself. The rest of the class agreed whole-heartedly and shot him many gloating faces.

"Where'd you learn that?" He asked me when we were the only ones left in the schoolroom.

"From a book."

"There aren't any Ancient-Language books in the library."

"I stole one, then," I said. It was technically true; I don't think that Brynn intended me to borrow it outside jail. But I was going to give it back the next possible chance.

"It's way too heavy to steal," he replied. "Tell me how you got it or-"

"Or you'll threaten me again? You know I'm not scared." I crossed my arms, challenging him. "Fine, I'll tell you; A real friend lent it to me. That's all you need to know." With that, I walked out of the classroom, feeling strangely empty.

Week 4

We had the little kids again, and I had the opportunity to thank Timmy for the rescue a few weeks back. Who knows how much Harry would have beat me up if the Draik didn't step in? I expected Timmy to be like, Don't worry Hanso, forget about it. It was nothing compared to you taking care of me! Stuff like that. But noooo, he wanted a reward.

"Fine. What do you want?" At that point, I'd steal him the crown jewels if I had to.

"Story!" He yipped. Oh, brother.

Then I had an idea. "Alright, kid. I'll read you a story. It's called Darkest Nights…"

Soon, the other kids joined in, wanting to hear the tale. I got a bit worried as we started on to the gory pieces- it might give them nightmares, and I didn't want that. But they begged for more, so I continued. All the while, Razor was watching from the doorway.

When the pipsqueaks left, he came over to me. He looked the same as before he joined Nort- weak and unnoticeable. "As soon as tests were over, they went right back to bullying me," he stated in a monotone voice. I was getting a bit worried.

Then he burst into tears. Just like that. Just like the time when we first became friends, in the Illusen's Day Festival. I patted his shoulder awkwardly, but all I could say was, "Um, yeah….Sorry."

"Sorry?" He barked a laugh. "Ever since Day One all you've ever been was nice to me, even when I was being so mean. And you're saying sorry?"

"What am I supposed to say?" I asked, smiling slightly.

"Taunt me. Ridicule me. But you being so kind….it's unbearable."

I shrugged. "I'm not the type to hold grudges. You know that, Big Gu- uh, I mean Razor."

"Does that mean you forgive me?" He croaked.

"I've done that a long time ago," I promised. "You just have to forgive yourself. And wait for the rest of the class to do so, I guess."

He wiped his face with a hanky. "I liked being popular. It made me feel…secure."

"It was just an illusion. Made by the Man to fool us," I joked.

He gave me a small grin. "You have a good heart, Hanso. You know that, right?"

"So they all say," I answered. "The thing is, I'm not sure whether that's okay or not."