Let me just start by saying how amazing you all are! Thank you so much for your kind words on my authors note that I posted a couple of days ago! To be honest I never anticipated to get the feedback I did but I am over the moon! Thank you so much for your kind words Grace, pumkinking5 and Lia Potter 29. For the past chapter thank you so much to Lia, Grace and insertnamehere123. You guys really catched where I was going with the story and gave me several ideas about the next chapters so thank you so much for that!

Now parts of this chapter were quoted from the movie and I think you'll see where ;) Anyways hope you all love the story and I just managed to post this because I am leaving tomorrow! Ahh, so excited!

Saturday 26th of January
Troy's POV

Last week had been crazy for everyone. Homework, basketball and classes had all been taking up our time. After spending lunch together on Monday, I would be lying if I were not concerned about Gabriella. I do not think she knew that I noticed how little she ate or the smile she was faking.

I had seen those type of smiles one too many times.

My thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a buzzing sound coming from my phone. I sat up on the couch and reached for the phone. "Mom said yes. Meet you in half an hour?" the text from Brie read. "Great see you then." I texted her back and a smile started growing on my face. I missed spending time with Gabriella. I hated the fact that I could not spend time with her last week-end because of the meeting back home.

I should not have needed to be attending.

Pulling myself from my thoughts I looked around and frowned. I should have tidied up the house before she came. As a result, I had not done the dishes since Thursday. The dishes had been stacked a couple of plates in the sink, while the rest were in the dishwasher., which I had not done anything with either... I started by picking up clothes and other items that needed washing. Sorting through everything that I had collected I even surprised myself. It was more clothes than I anticipated. Sorting through everything I ended up with two different piles. Putting the first load into the washing machine and starting it, I headed into the kitchen. Starting by tidying the sink and loading the dishwasher, it started looking better. Placing the last two pots to dry beside the sink it did not look too bad. Entering the living room, I had papers scattered all over the coffee table. Some were from the meeting last week, while others were from Chad about basketball practice. The rest I had no idea what were. Not having enough time to go through everything I brushed my hair out of my eyes and went to answer the door.

"Hey Gabriella. Come on in," I said stepping aside. "Hey Troy," she said giving me a hug. I kissed the top of her head with a smile. She smiled as she took of her shoes and we moved into the living room. "Please ignore the mess," I mentioned vaguely waving my hand in front on the coffee table.

"I don't mind Troy. I know you have been busy," she told me smiling softly.

"Thanks. How has everything been?" I questioned her as we sat down on the couch. "Stressful. Taylor wanted another meeting with the scholastic decathlon team on Thursday which lasted way longer than it should have. I wasn't home until ten and then I had to research stuff for the project we're having. I didn't even have time to fill out the college application for Royal College of Etrea," she shared with me and upon looking at her I truly saw how exhausted she was.

"You could have asked me Brie. I would have helped you with the historiography," I told her and she sighed. "I know but I said I would handle that, and I don't feel right about using you because I know you know all of this," she explained looking at me.

"Don't think that Brie," I reassured her. "I feel like it is only natural that you ask me if you have questions about the history. I know it is not easy to find sources and if one first finds it, most of it is so dense and long. Besides, I have already helped Chad with some of what he is going to talk about," I continued to tell her and she looked a little relieved.

"Can you share how Etrea was founded because all I can find is how they are tied to China, but I don't see how. You told me how Etrea is heavily influenced by Australia and Japan then I am questioning how China came into the picture," she said obviously frustrated and I smiled a little. "Well not many know this story but once upon a time several hundred years ago during the 1350's Etrea didn't exist but were an island belonging to China named Taiyang dao meaning Sun Island," I started to tell her the story I know all too well.

"Taiyang dao used to belong to the Chinese city with the same name but today the city is the one remaining. Now this story starts in Japan with the 97th Japanese emperor named Noriyoshi. Noriyoshi was the king of Japan and he had a younger brother who were entitled the crown prince. Now king Noriyoshi did not have an heir to the throne despite his age of twenty-three. Therefor it was essential that his younger brother Saki married a woman from the Japanese upper class to ensure a strong bloodline if the king could not get an heir."

"However, what Saki had not shared was that he was in love with a woman from Australia he had met while sailing. Saki and the Japanese woman started dating to please their parents which is just how the Japanese culture are. You respect your elders. The two started seeing each other more and more until Saki finally disclosed that he had met someone else in Australia. She was surprised but happy because it turns out that she was really in love with a 'commoner' from the middle class. They ended it on good terms both deciding to pursue their real love." I stopped for a bit to see the reaction Gabriella had, and the look of fascination in her eyes were just the same as the one Araya had whenever I told her a story.

"Saki told his brother and he was furious that he had broken it off. Therefor Saki secretly planned his trip to Australia for the next month where he hoped to meet the woman he was in love with. He told his family goodbye in a letter disclosing everything about his love in Australia and his intentions. Saki also stated how he loved them but would not return because of their disapproval on his relationship interest with Eulalia. The crown prince then ventured upon the eleven day long sailing to Australia to start his search for Eulalia. To his luck she had always had this fascination of ships and were regularly seen wandering around the harbour talking to sailors or watching ships come and go. Just an hour after they had arrived they had found each other and planned their escape."

"Back in Japan the royal family had received news that the two had found each other and they immediately sent word to the Australian government. This was to no use as the two were long gone by then. The young couple fled to China and were settled on the island of Taiyang dao. They married and got a couple of kids and their story became really known amongst the population of Taiyang dao."

"Only five years after their arrival the population of Taiyang dao did not share the same views of what was best for the country as China did and they wanted a change. The people started protesting and right in the centre was the couple who fled their own countries Saki and Eulalia. After eight years of fighting the Chinese dynasty they finally gave Taiyang dao up and the country was re-named to Etrea. The people of the newly founded Etrea were so happy about the battle Saki and Eulalia first had fought home and now in Etrea that they asked them to lead the country until further notice. They both accepted and no more than six months later they learned that the Saki was actually the Japanese crown prince. So at this point Etrea became a monarchy because they did not have faith in a government or a dynasty. So as the monarchy of Etrea continued for centuries it is essentially the story of how my family came to power in Etrea. Only short of hundred years ago it was decided that Etrea were given what other people would classify as a government but we really see them as the King's advisors to run different sectors like I talked about during Christmas," I told her.

"Wow. I would never have imagined that," she told me stunned. "That is quite an enchanting story about how they came to power because of love," she continued.

"I know, I loved hearing the story as a child thinking it was a fairy-tale. It seems rather silly now thinking that it was a fairy-tale," I said as memories flooded my mind.

"No I won't say that," Gabriella defended. "It truly seems like a fairy-tale."

Monday 28th of January

"All right everyone. Settle down," Darbus started just after the bell had rung. She rose from her extravagant chair that had been placed on the small stage.

"I know we are all excited about the Wildcats win this weekend securing them a spot in the final making them play top to bottom," Darbus said and I looked down to see a note from Brie.

Meet me on the roof during free period. XOXO Brie the note read and lipstick stains from her kissing the note. I leaned back and looked at Brie, as she gave me a sweet smile.

"That will be back to back Mrs. D," Chad corrected the teacher and I smiled at him. "Whatever the case it was a grand slam," she dismissed subtly. "Well done," she said to a class who were laughing quietly.

"Great job Wildcat," I barely heard Taylor whisper to Chad.

"And now," Darbus moved on down the classroom. "our student body president and co-editor of the year book, miss Taylor McKessie has some important announcements. Taylor" Darbus said and stepped to the side in the back of the classroom.

Taylor cleared her throat quietly and stride over to the blackboard. Taylor moved the blackboard to the side revealing the notes on it.

"Senior trip committee meets tomorrow and reports Thursday to prom committee, which is headed by Martha." Taylor said using her pointer to point towards Martha. She showed everyone the poster and smiled. The whole design turned out beautiful.

"You guys can pick up your tickets from her." Taylor said her whole voice becoming softer and dreamier as she walked up towards the front.

"This year's theme is The Last Waltz. But don't be the last," Taylor snapped and slammed her pointer in Chad's desk. I immediately sat up straight as I got the feeling that she had barely missed the back of my head… "to pick up your tickets." She finished with a subtle spin as she was now facing the class.

"Graduation committee convenes Monday following year book planning. Picture deadline is on Thursday and finals study groups alter with all of the above. Questions?" Taylor said moving her pointer around as if she were at the back of the class showing the points once again.

"Yeah," Chad said leaning forward on his desk. "What's the lunch special in the cafeteria?" Chad askes seriously and the whole class laughed rather loudly.

"New York deli," Taylor said coldly with a smirk. "Ohhh," the whole class said and I turned to look at him, but he slumped down in his chair.

"Anyone else?" she questioned ignoring what had just happened.

"Moving on," Darbus interrupted and walked up to grab the stick from Taylor.

"Ms Sharpay Evans, four-term president of the drama club spring musical report," Darbus said and smiled.

"Well with prom, finals everyone is so busy, I was thinking I'd select something very modest to perform." She said sweetly as she rose from her desk looking at the class briefly before turning towards their teacher.

"Oh! Perhaps even a one-woman show." Sharpay exclaimed and Darbus looked intrigued as she held her tea cup. Looking at the class, most were excited while Ryan seemed shocked.

"Oh," Kelsi said and almost threw herself over the clipboard on her desk.

"A little light on the sign-ups, Kelsi?" Darbus questioning concern all over her face.

"Um… No…" she started slowly moving towards her teacher as she never took her eyes off the sheet. "We're actually doing pretty well," she says scribbling names as she is delivering the list to Darbus.

"Well, well, well. Almost the entire Homeroom." Darbus said overjoyed as Kelsi sunk down in her seat.

Wait, almost the entire homeroom? I never put my name on that list…

Everyone was looking at Kelsi as Sharpay stomped her foot in the ground before sitting down.

"How inspiring!" Darbus theatrically says looking at everyone again. "I will happily see all of you at free period to discuss the show."

I turned towards Gabriella confused to see her shaking her head

"And to make a very special announcement," she finished just as the bell rung and Kelsi scrambled to collect her stuff to get out of the classroom. Darbus gently tossed the basketball to Chad and he easily caught it as we all followed Kelsi out of the classroom and towards the auditorium.

"All right everyone today is the day. We are going to hear some fascinating presentations about Etrea, Australia, New Zealand and Canada," Mr. Howie told us that afternoon. "Let's just start with the presentations, shall we? Now I have written the country on a piece of paper and we are going to pick one at the time so the first one out," he said and picked up a white piece of paper. I was nervous. I wanted to be first but then again not. "Etrea," he announced looking at us and I felt somewhat relived. Okay, we can do this. Chad, Taylor, Gabriella and myself walked up to stand in front of the class.

"Hi, our project is about Etrea which is a rather large country situated in the North Pacific Ocean just north west of the small island Guam." Chad started the presentation and I took a quick look at the teacher who seemed genuinely interested.

"Etrea is ranked as the 6th largest country in the world with an area of 7 735 300 square kilometres. In terms of population, Etrea is the 10th largest country with over 128 million people and a population density of 16.5 per square kilometre. The capital is named Iwaki and is the largest town. The second largest town is Saint Germains which is a student town with up to 90% of the population being students at the various colleges there. The national bird is the owl and it is commonly seen all over Etrea," Chad said finishing his part about geography and such.

"Etrea is a country heavily influenced by culture and traditions from both Japan and Australia which we will come back to but first some background information. Etrea used to be an island belonging to China in the 14th century. The Japanese crown prince and an Australian woman fell in love and fled Australia. They were situated on the island of Taiyang dao and settled down there. Several years later the population did not see eye to eye with the Chinese dynasty and they wanted a change. After years of protesting, they became independent and the couple were asked to rule the country due to their engagement in the separation. As it became known that he was the Japanese crown prince it became natural that Etrea became a monarchy which it still is today," Gabriella told the class.

It felt weird to hear this story being spoken out loud in the class knowing that if people investigated furthered into it they could expose me. I did tell Brie that she could use the story despite her hesitation and we agreed not to be as detailed as I had been to her.

"Etrea does not have an official national day such as we have the 4th of July in America but they do have something similar. The festival is named the Flower Blossom festival. It is usually celebrated in the first week in May when the flowers and cherry blossoms are blooming. This is because the first King and Queen of Etrea married the day the flowers blossomed and they wanted to keep the event rather than the date. The festival is meant to give good luck to the people and the country and in later years some people have argued that the festival has become more of a superstition than an actual tradition. However, everyone who has celebrated it since May of 1368 is disagreeing which is the majority of the population," Gabriella finished her part about the history and sent a glance at me.

"As stated Etrea is a monarchy but they differ from a lot of the monarchies that are seen around the world today. Etrea is an absolute monarchy which means that the king holds all the power of the country and makes all the decisions. At the same time, they are a hereditary monarchy which means that the firstborn in the family will eventually inherit the throne. However, there hasn't been born a female heir since the early 1800's. The current King and Queen are Alexander and Amelia while the crown prince and princess are Lucille and Jack. They have one son, but he tends to stay away from the media attention." I barely paused looking at the class before I continued.

"The official language spoken in Etrea is English and Japanese due to the proximity and influence of the countries. Also, the history plays a vital role when the official language was determined. However, the majority of the population speaks English as their native language. About 20 percent, which equals about 26 million people, of the population, have Japanese as their native language or moved to Etrea from Japan." I shared with them. I didn't know if you could find that information online, but it would be rather easy to blame it on me being from Etrea…

"One unique thing about Etrea is the health care and benefits." Taylor started looking up from her tiny note card. "Every child is offered free vaccination up until the age of eighteen while all children under the age of sixteen receive almost free healthcare including doctor and dental care. After the child turns sixteen they have put a limit on how much one should spend before the government again pays for the healthcare. In terms of general hospitalization due to surgery the patient only pays for some specialized treatments and such. Hospitalization due to childbirth is also paid for by the government." "Now the question is how can they afford to do such? Well, everyone pay taxes based on their income and these taxes alone financials all of the benefits and no-one is excluded from receiving these benefits."

"Etrea shares most of the same education system as we do in America. Children start in day-care when they are between one and one-and-a-half-year-old. They start primary school the year they turn six and continue on from first through seventh grade. In grade 8, they start middle school which lasts for three years and they move on to high school in grade 11. High school is only two years but in return, they have some of the best-educated students in the world. Ninety-eight percent of college graduates are hired within six months of graduation." Taylor continued on and to be honest I was impressed by the details she had found. I didn't even know these numbers existed online.

"Etrea has quite a large military which supports various operations across the world," Chad started on his final part. "Despite the large population Etrea has enforced conscription but at the moment that is only applying to men. This does not mean that there are no women in the military, quite contrary in fact. The latest numbers that we found stated that twenty percent of the enlisted people were female. Salaries in Etrea differ a lot from America. They don't have a set minimum wage but they do have certain lists that is a requirement for how much they are being paid. Due to this under one percent of the population is below the poverty line which is one of the best results around the world." Taylor finished.

"Etrea is quite a fertile land which grows and export several different types of fruits and vegetables. Because of the varied climate, Etrea is ideal to grow plants such as watermelons, melons, citruses including oranges, lemon and lime. The common factor is that these need warm weather but dislike cold temperatures. Apples, banana, carrots and such fruits and vegetables like the more average temperatures such as what we have here in Albuquerque." Chad concluded our whole project. The class clapped politely and Mr. Howie smiled. "Well done, that was very informative. Next up is Canada," he said and the next group went up to present.

That was it! Love to read your feedback and I am sorry to say that I am uncertain when the next chapter will come because I will be away for the next two weeks. No worries I will probably try and type something on the next chapter on my Ipad. Hope everyone have a fantastic summer!

-FreeFlyingWriter