Chapter 7: First Day of School

The steady beat of the horses' hooves against the beaten dirt road filled the air as the two children learned about each other, sharing their favorite memories, families, and dreams.

"When I turn fourteen, I'm going to be trained by Peter the Faithful!" Tomas declared, pointing his thumb against his chest. "He's the bravest knight there is! He saved a whole wagon full of people while it was on fire!" He looked dreamily at the far horizon. "I'm gonna be just like him someday."

"That sounds scary but exciting at the same time," Rosabella commented, gaining the boy's attention.

Tomas nodded his head, golden locks swaying, "Yep, that's why I want to be one. Anyway, what about you? Are you a princess now?"

His question took Rosabella off guard. Was she considered a princess now? She shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know. Marcus hasn't said anything like that. My stay here is only for a while."

The boy's face fell, "Oh. I was kinda hoping you would stay forever."

Rosabella blushed at his comment, "Really?"

"Yeah, the other pages don't hang around me much, even though we all sleep in the same room. That's why I was excited to meet you and become your friend. Jimmy is the only one who'll hang out with me." the page looked at the driver.

"Well, I don't know how long I'll be staying, but if I'm going to school, maybe it's for a long time." the girl reasoned.

"Maybe," Tomas hummed in agreement. "Hey, look! There's the schoolhouse right there! Do you see?"

Rosabella looked in his direction and saw a white wooden building with a large bell tower. They were still a distance away, but she could see tiny silhouettes dashing after each other in front.

The knot tightened in her stomach when she realized there was no going back. She wanted to ask if she could go home, but Tomas looked so excited, she didn't want to ruin his mood. Besides, going to school couldn't be that bad.

~~~~~

'Nevermind, it can be,' Rosabella thought miserably, as boys wrestled each other in the grass and girls judged from the sidelines. She squeaked in surprise when a boy almost barreled into her, but Tomas quickly moved her aside.

"Watch out, Sam!" Tomas yelled before directing his attention to the trembling girl, "Don't worry. If you stay by my side, I'll make sure nothing happens to you. Come on. I'll take you to meet Ms. Grote."

Reluctantly, Rosabella followed Tomas inside the schoolhouse. The schoolhouse consisted of one large room with desks in rows. The right side of the room had a burning fireplace, warming up the area. Toward the front of the classroom, the floor rose into a platform with a large desk.

A slim woman in a red plaid dress and black coat sat at the desk. A thin pair of glasses sat on her pointed nose, and her honey eyes scored over a paper. A bun kept her dirty blonde hair from falling into her eyes. Her head snapped up at the sound of their shoes. "What can I do for you?"

"Hello, Ms. Grote. I wanted you to meet Rosabella. She's new here," Tomas explained as the young woman rose from her seat.

"I've heard much about you, Rosabella. I'm so glad Mr. Hemmsworth was able to get you enrolled," the teacher greeted. "Now, is there a certain place you'd like to sit?"

"I-I'd like to sit with Tomas," Rosabella whispered, inching closer to the said boy.

Ms. Grote smiled warmly, "I think that's a wonderful idea. You can go ahead and show her."

"Yes, ma'am," the boy responded and led the girl toward the third row from the front. "Here's my seat," he gestured at the middle one, "You can sit right here, if you'd like,"

Rosabella placed her knapsack on the chair nearest to the wall. She shivered as a cool gust seeped through the window and realized her mistake. Quickly she moved the bag to the chair on the other side, closer to the aisle.

Tomas smiled sheepishly, "Sorry, I should have moved you there. No one wants to sit in the cold."

"Who's Mr. Hemmsworth?" the girl asked.

"He's the principal here and only the richest man in town, except for King Marcus," Tomas replied, settling down in his chair. "His daughter goes to this school as well, and she's the nastiest person you'll ever meet."

The bell in the tower above them rung back and forth, signaling that class was about to begin. Children began to rush inside, seeking the warmth of the fireplace. Rosabella and Tomas sat at their desks in silence as others took their chairs.

A small girl, shorter than Rosabella, sat in the front alone, her nose buried in a book. She had long wavy black hair that ran down her back. Her skin was a beautiful tan, much darker than the rest. Her dress was a simple cream plaid design with a matching jacket and shoes.

A stab of pity shot through the girl's heart when no one made any attempt to sit with her. Wasn't she alone? Rosabella knew the feeling of being alone and how sad it could be. Her thoughts were disturbed when a body blocked her view.

Her green eyes trailed up to meet another pair of green eyes. They belonged to another girl in more proper attire than the girl upfront. Quickly, she averted her gaze away from the other girl and began to study her outfit. Her dress was a light blue with many frills and layers. It reminded Rosabella of a fluffy cloud.

"Excuse me," the girl snapped, "You're in my seat,"

Rosabella looked up hesitantly at her. The other girl's green eyes were bright against her blonde curled hair. Her face was flawlessly sculpted but only because of the makeup she wore. Bright cherry red lips pursed in a scowl. "I'm sorry, I didn't know."

At that, the girl rolled her eyes, "Of course, you didn't know! You're obviously new because, if you weren't, you wouldn't be sitting there. So move aside!"

"Calm down, Lacy; besides, isn't your seat other there?" Tomas interjected, pointing toward the back where another prim girl sat.

Flustered, Lacy stuttered, "Well, of course, it is, but this is mostly my spot too!"

"You're name wasn't on it," the boy crossed his arms. His blue eyes went over to Ms. Grote, who was walking toward them. "If you don't want to get in trouble, I'd go sit down."

Huffing, the blonde girl made her way toward the back and begrudgingly sat at her desk.

"Is everything alright?" Ms. Grote asked them. "I hope Ms. Hemmsworth wasn't causing any problems for you."

"We're okay," Rosabella answered before turning toward Tomas, "You were right. Do you know why she's like that?"

"Who knows, but I think she's been given everything on a golden spoon." the boy responded, putting his hands behind his head.

"Thank you for standing up to her for me." Rosabella praised.

"Don't mention it. It's a knight's duty, after all, to stand up for those that can't." Suddenly he straightened himself up, his cheeking turning red, "Not that your weak or anything, I mean, I just,"

Rosabella giggled as he tripped over his words, "It's okay, I understand. I do appreciate your help." She opened her bag and removed a book from it as her teacher began to write on the blackboard.

~~~~~

The bell rang, and children filed out the door and into the schoolyard. Rosabella and Tomas were the last ones out, chatting amongst themselves.

"You're probably the smartest kid here. How do you know all this stuff?" Tomas asked, bewildered at the girl's knowledge.

"My mom taught me how to write the alphabet and some numbers. I can only count up to twenty." Rosabella responded, hopping down the stairs.

"I only know the alphabet and ten numbers." the boy added, catching up to her. "Where do you want to go?"

Rosabella looked around the yard. Boys were chasing each other or passing a ball around while girls were braiding each other's hair or gossiping. Quickly she moved her gaze away from Lacy, who was glaring daggers at her. "I'll go wherever you go,"

"Alright then, you wanna play tag? I promise I'll go easy on you." Tomas offered, grinning.

"Sure," she responded, walking up to him and tapping his shoulder. "Tag!" she called before dashing away. Laughter erupted from her when Tomas called out, "That's not fair," and ran harder when he quickly caught up to her.

Their game expanded out toward the other children, the majority being boys. The schoolyard rang with the chorus of screams, laughter, and tag.

Rosabella stopped at the school stairs to catch her breath. She was surprised to see the girl, who sat at the front, sitting on the stairs. A book was in her lap, and she didn't seem to notice her. Slowly, Rosabella took a seat next to her. "Hi!"

The girl's brown eyes drifted away from the pages for a moment, "Hi," she whispered.

Pleased that she responded, Rosabella continued, "My name is Rosabella. What's yours?"

The girl was silent for a few moments before responding, "That's a nice name. Mine's Nova,"

"Nova?" Rosabella tested the name. "I think that's a lovely name. How did you get it?"

"It was my grandmother's name," Nova answered, still reading the sentences.

When it seemed like their conversation was coming to an end, Rosabella spoke up, "Aren't you lonely?"

Her question caused the darker child to look up at her, "What do you mean?"

"It's just that you sit alone up in the front, and you don't play with others," the brown-haired children noted as she played with her black dress. "I don't know. It just seems sad to me. Don't you have friends here?"

The book cover closed with a lavender ribbon hanging out, "Everyone picks on me because I can read, that I'm too wise, also because of where I come from." Nova explained, looking at the girl next to her. "My parents and I came from a faraway land that much different than here. We arrived here just three months ago."

Interested in the topic of other lands, Rosabella leaned forward, her green eyes bright, "Really, what was it like there?"

"I don't remember much, but I know that it was always hot there. It was summer all year long! That's why our skin is darker than yours." Nova held her arm out next to Rosabella's, comparing them.

Rosabella observed in awe at Nova's golden tan skin next to her flesh-colored one. "Always summer! Have you ever seen snow?"

"No, only in paintings. I've read about snow in books. Did you know that every snowflake is unique?" Nova's chocolate eyes were just as bright as Rosabella's.

"Really! That's so cool! God's work is truely beautiful, isn't it?" Rosabella responded.

Nova nodded, "I can't wait for winter."

The lighter girl smiled, looking up at the sky, "Yeah,"

"It's been nice, you know, to talk to someone," Nova expressed.

Her smile grew wider, "Would you like to sit with Tomas and I? If you like talking with me, you'll get along well with Tomas. He's really nice."

Nova was silent for a few seconds before she nodded, "I think I'd like that."