A Starstruck

The clouds in the sky had been eclipsing the sun for quite some time since the prince arrived in this city. No one remembered what had happened in this academy since morning because the rumbling continued to deny all sounds. The moment his chariot had left the west, news of his presence in Great Stone spread quickly and widely like thunder.

If the news wasn't so shocking, people wouldn't have gathered behind the academy's fence, imagining the face of the prince who was still busy gathering people at the academy an hour ago. It was a shocking day for all the students near the school, seeing how wild their morning view was.

"Is today the apocalypse?" asked the librarian.

"Of course not. The apocalypse will not gather people in a place like this," the cleric straightened his books as a class had been dismissed early, "The apocalypse distances people from knowledge and spirituality. We are in an ideological experiment."

The prince completely dismantled the academy from front to back into his personal castle, whose squires comprised important people who once claimed wisdom over loyalty. These poor scholars believed under his charm that he would lead them to a prosperous teaching.

"I believe you would agree that students should be given a chance to describe their research in at least two concepts—behavioral, law, and theory. This is a personal research, isn't it?" Dion stood proudly among the teachers in the room.

"But, given my position as a student—I believe this opinion was nothing but a waste of time, am I right?"

"Of course not! Why didn't I think of that? Have we not set our research appropriately for students?" The teacher shed a tear upon hearing his wise words.

"To think someone would come here and tell us something we didn't know...Oh, I couldn't be more proud of you, Mr. Carven."

"You're welcome. Now, if you excuse me...I had a personal discussion with the others in room 1-3." He departs.

"Oh, wait! That's the janitor room...the door was right there."

"Over the old and rusty piece of wood right there? What happened with this one?"

"We're working for the best with it."

The librarian and the cleric found him at the door of the teachers with a broad smile and his chin up. How majestically he turned from the highest place in the academy as if he had mastered all knowledge. He walked towards the far corridor, seeing the empty classroom in the arms of his supporters, waiting for him to join.

"Excellent," Eve said, "Maybe I can ask if he can make some of the subjects easier for me,"

"I think that's a waste of time." Cyrus replied with his worst face.

Envy of the prince's presence to sway the people from him, the cleric saw jealousy to rival his influence. He deemed it an indescribable evil that disguises itself in the face of a god—a mad word coming from a man like him. He has never uttered lies or words like this, not when anyone could rival him.

"That man is full of himself," said the cleric, "Can you even trust a false idol like him?"

"Are you implying there's a true idol here?" Ask the librarian with tease.

"That would be anyone who stood on this land but him. I mean, have you ever seen a man so disgraceful and ill-intent just by seeing their faces?"

"I've never heard such words come out of your tongue. What gives?"

"Nothing! Only an instinct! You seem more talkative than yesterday...what gives? Hm?" Cyrus swings his head away with embarrassment.

He who stood in the room far from the cleric and the librarian was a man with a crown whose identity was unnamed by their tongues. Even the cleric felt disgusted seeing his unmatched intellect, and the librarian would laugh if she could. But the faithful man holds dearly with that jealousy.

"Please, tell us your secret, Dion! How does a boy like you could be as successful as a monarch?"

"You are odd! One in a million chances! A billionaire? Sure...but an empire descendant? Absolutely impossible."

"Please, tell us about your life in Europe! We need to know how cold that was place was!"

"Hey, hey! Settle down! Settle down! We should take this slow and steady." Dion replies, "But first, please drag this chair to the left a bit. Please?"

The prince turned this ordinary house into a castle for himself, adorning everyone but the cleric and the librarian into his servants who would never question him without looking into his eyes. The green jade and the blue ocean color sooth every doubt and trouble for him.

"You want to talk to him?" Eve bumps into Cyrus's shoulder.

"What? Me? Pfft! Why should I? I mean, sure! Let's just—get some words with him..."

A curious librarian went to look for an answer with the envious cleric at the prince, who was too busy looking for himself. Unaffected by his charm, the corridor felt like a show worth a view. For the librarian, it means a moment to see. But when the man caught the two from his throne, it meant a defiance.

"Hey!" Dion yelled, "Have you seen my—wait, are you Cyrus Beth?"

"Oh, yeah—I mean, glad to see you knew me well here—DION." Cyrus stares closer at Dion, but he slightly pushes with a tap on the shoulder.

"My! My! So the rumors are true. This school really has some popular figures! The name's Dion Carven—but I guess we already knew each other. Don't we?"

"Enough with the soft words. Give me a reason I shouldn't report you to the principal for turning this place into a Carven's hivemind." Cyrus prepares to brawl with his fist. He cracks and pushes his fists together in dominance to Dion's sovereignty.

"And why did you make a castle out of this Institute?" Eve steps in.

"Yeah, and that."

"Hivemind? What hivemind?" Dion replies, "You were talking about my drama act, mate?"

They were confused. The prince didn't resent the two, even if they were undazzled and rude to his welcoming castle. Right as he sees their arrival at his castle, he shows them his little home with passion as he reveals a secret of his.

"So, do we still use this chair, Dion?"

"I'm a Drama and Action student, and I wanted to set a new script for two weeks performance with mine. I called it—Rise of the King Carven the Third!" Dion raises his fist above, carrying awe from the others.

"You know, because that's my great great grandfather I was talking about?"

The cleric was silenced, feeling down with his jealousy, and could not describe any more words from his mouth. He sat embarrassed following the progress of the prince's plan while nodding his head down. The others looked away from him, for he selfishly threw himself. That was the first time he made a poor decision in his life.

But the librarian became intrigued by his show and made an approach even the others would not. The stage that once looked unappealing became enamoring under the prince's touch—what could've been a better day to see a man so proud and leading like him? She thought as she approached him.

"Hey, do you have time?" She asked, but the boy didn't see her.

"Hey! Hey!" She yelled.

"Hey, can you hear me? Hello??"

"Hey! Ugh—whatever..."

But she forgot that she was a shade on the floor, meant to be unseen from eyes like him. The prince was too busy handling an important matter with his head distant from an inch of her hair. Saddened, the librarian left once more like the day she left the class without a goodbye.

"Hey, Dion! Checked out this ribbon we have on the back! Maybe you would like them?"

"Gold and glimmering. I like that—huh?"He savors the soft thread on

The prince, who was distracted by how beautiful a ribbon could be in his shirt, noticed a wind so cold from his shoulder, leaving him shuddering. He never knew how sharp it could be that he had to look back and see who blew them. And there, he finds the librarian glancing away.

"What the..." Dion uttered.

"Hey, Dion! Do we—"

The long white sleeves under her blue shirt are a color the prince had never seen together. Her clothes nearly deceived his eyes, but he could see clearly from the blue striped pattern that she blended with the darkness and quietly left without permission.

"Hey!" Dion yelled, "You the blue-sleeved girl! Are you leaving me right now?"

"Huh?" She was shocked with her head back.

"Oh, Eve was here? How long have you been watching us, Eve?"

"Not cool walking without our permission!"

"Dion, don't bother with her. She's just—"

"Shush." Dion pauses.

She turns around, hearing the prince calling her name, and finds that it is not an illusion or the cleric's voice. The high man goes down by himself and approaches the librarian, astounding everyone who has not seen Eve from that corner. He walks into her face and sees her highly with a taunting face.

"You," Dion mumbled, "What's your name?"

"Eve—Eve Ainsley," She replies, "Took you that long to notice me?"

"Aren't you the one looking for me, young lady? I swear you were calling on my ears before."

"So you did notice me? Hypocrite, why do you care?" She glances angrily at him.

The people began to gossip about her and the prince, who had seemingly seen her in a dispelled eye. There was a moment that she did not seek from these people, and there was a time that the prince found her a look. But the feeling gave her bravery for what could now differ from every day.

"Because I wasn't fond of your—charm." Dion taps a flower from the pot. One whose petal was shed harshly from the body and to be placed upon Eve's forehead.

"Charm? I have no charm. I am no princess. I'm just a reader in disturb with your—personal play. May I know the ongoing of this "script" of yours that involve fireworks?" Eve replies with elegance.

"This ain't no firework! This is red lily from the East!" Cyrus yelled.

"You seems rather unique. Are you sure you're not a popular girl here?"

"I'm not a girl. I'm Eve, and popularity is for the weak."

*Shrug* *Shrug* *Shrug*

"Huh? Did you hear that?" Eve looks behind.

It must have been raining today because the librarian had felt wary for the wind to be strong. The uncountable thoughts in her head as she began to realize that today was not an ordinary day. The glances, the prince, and the mysterious guest who hasn't shown up to her yet. If only she brought a paper and a pencil to write this.

"Alright, everyone! Let's get back to the show and get our king set."

"Don't we need a queen yet, Dion?"

"Nope. The King Carven hasn't find his queen on this part yet...But he sure needs one at the last act." Dion stands proudly, hoping to be captured in a frame with a cane.

"Me! Me! Me!"

When the prince set the spell back into their eyes, the librarian saw the mindless yet again to his aid. But she cares not, for the true purpose of her meeting here was to see the ever-gracing mind of the prince, if not for his presence. At least the cleric was right about him being full of himself.

"Eve, I think you shouldn't bother with him. At least from what I've learned now." Cyrus called for her.

The librarian cares not for the cleric's words. With the prince having seen her in the void, the librarian became doubtful and curious about him. Why was the prince able and willing to pay attention to her? And how did she become the voice of the entire school? It was as if there were questions she could not answer.

"Hello? Hello!" Eve yelled at him. But Dion didn't hear anything.

"Didn't you just notice me before?"

"Hello?"

Therefore, she approached the prince without hesitation and tried to get his attention again. At first, the prince ignored her because of how distracted he was with the view of his throne—but with a breeze and a moment of silence, he immediately noticed her presence.

"Hey, are you still standing?" Dion stops her.

"W-what?"

It was truly amazing for her. What had previously made her invisible to others had now made her visible to someone else. No matter what position she took in that stand, the prince always caught her first before others. It also agitates him for her to play over his head.

"Are you done playing, young lady?"

"W-wow..." Eve replies with awe.

"I didn't know much about Carven, but—I heard you were an important person? Or your family?"

"Everyone in my family is an important figure, dear." Dion rubs his hand between his chest with pride.

"Don't call me dear."

"Carven is not just the name. It's the insignia of our ancestors who had lived long in Europe since the 15th century. Long since I even recognized that this land was part of his—uhm—what do they called it again?"

"Kingdom?" Eve guesses.

"Property," Dion replies, "If only he didn't hide the deed from us then maybe I can show you the price of this town."

The librarian couldn't believe her eyes and ears. The prince's knowledge and biography were secrets that couldn't be gleaned in this city. But she was puzzled by the choices in the story—did the prince intend to take all the western lands for himself? What would he do with all those people like her? It was an adventure for the questioning mind.

"Of course. The Carven family must be philosophers who developed knowledge beyond science and forbidden knowledge." Eve quipped Dion with an unsatisfied face.

"Actually, some literature from the Carven descendants holds knowledge about artifacts and mysticism that have been buried under the earth in all seven continents of this planet," Dion renounced.

"Indeed, no one has thought much about it because of how stupid the theory is. If these relics do contain mystical energy, do you think this city would have remained unknown for decades?"

"Hm." Eve was impressed.

Their conversation began to come together. The librarian and the prince's understanding of the concept of knowledge led to an unexpected discovery for the librarian. He who had been searching for the history and facts of the town of Gold Creek had found what an explorer would call a treasure.

As the librarian began to feel comfortable with the prince, the sun began to shine again between the gaps in the clouds, where the warmth of the day and the free time for the two lessons became small talk. As the prince shone cheerfully on the librarian, the spell began to lose its effect on the faces of the prince's followers.

"What the heck? Why is he talking to that girl??" The girl remained silent with her eyebrows lowered.

"She shouldn't be! It was supposed to be me!"

"I did the hardest job and he looks after her instead? Eve really had no manner to enter!"

"Eve!!!" A boy ran to her.

Anger and jealousy began to take over their minds. Just as the prince was about to share more for the librarian, the heartless and envied ones ambushed her from behind with their broken hearts for vengeance. The weepers looked at the prince with jealous relief, thinking they were a righteous one to do so.

"What is wrong with you??" Eve yelled.

"Stay away from him, Eve! You're not his type of friend! Right, Dion?"

"Uhm—yeah?" Dion looks displeased with his followers.

"You guys really think I wanted to befriend this guy? I was just talking with him for few things." Eve replies.

"Oh, quit it! You're not on his class, Eve. You'll have to do more than just talking to get him. Like us, who worked hard to get this whole stage for him and not just messing around."

"Dion, care to tell your "friends" to get off me??" She looks after him.

The difference between the librarian and the prince's followers was that only one of them was more understood than the other. But the prince realized again how foolish he had been to protect someone like the librarian from his more loyal followers for his choice. Because of that, he sided with those who were determined to be the prince's seat rather than those who were aware of the weakness of his authority.

"I'm afraid not, Eve." Dion replies.

"I know these are not your average disputes, but you have to know that in a specific time and place, you may are the loser that started this mess."

"I mean, nobody asked you to talk while I'm working, right?"

"Yeah!" The followers backed him.

The loyalty he had given to the librarian disappeared like a puff of dust. He didn't see the librarian the same way he used to and as the majority cheered his words towards the librarian, he and the girl were torn apart once again. In the end, nobles will always be nobles.

"Fine! Go ahead and lick those boots! You people have no common sense to begin with." Eve left.

"Good for us! That lady could suck a needle!"

"Aww..." Cyrus glances with pity.

"Don't mind her! We just have a good talk," Dion brushes indifferently towards everything he had shared with Eve with his followers, "Now, look at this place! Truly a wonder!"

"Yeah!!!"

The prince's spell was very strong on his squires. Those who lost the prince's attention were rotten with jealousy and revenge to earn their places back in his eyes. Their aspirations for the crowned one's power disturbed the librarian who still had the shame to leave with pride.

And so the librarian returned as a shade in the silence of the road and the thundering clouds. For the first time, she was able to hear someone's comment to her and answer back—and it was not the cleric who answered. Yet doubts filled her mind that the words of the prince and his pride were nothing but a facade.

Because the stage created by the prince was not for her. The librarian thought hard about his aspirations to gain fame like him, but too many questions arose in his head. Like what could he do to make them look at him? But before he could answer that question, he was intrigued by another question—such as what was that sound?

"Huh?" She looks forward.

*Shrug* *Shrug* *Shrug*

Her attention was diverted by the unfamiliar noise. They sounded like a tin can, shrill as loud as a pile of gold bars touching in a sack passing through the ground. Whoever made that noise seemed to be uninvited and had wished to bother her for a long.

*Shrug* *Shrug* *Shrug*

"Hey! Can you please calm down??" A teacher scolded Eve from another class.

"I didn't do anything!" She replied.

*Shrug* *Shrug* *Shrug*

"Miss Ainsley, you scratch this ground one more time and you'll be called to the principal!"

"I told you I didn't do anything!"

*Shrug* *Shrug* *Shrug*

"Stop yelling!!"

"You're making me yell!"

Suddenly, it was not silent here. Not because of the librarian, but because of others who had somewhat caught her in their eyes. It was like the invisibility had gone from her skin. The young blood began to look out for her.

"Who's yelling out there?"

"Hey, Eve! Long time no see! Why so loud today??"

"Does that girl just stand there yelling for no reason?"

"Wow, she's strange. I could look over her all day."

Had the prince enchanted the librarian to make his dim light shine as brightly as he did? The jarring sound for attention that she made unwillingly led to a show for herself alone in the corridor where she was once a loner with closed doors. She stood silently as she watched the chaos unfold and yelled continuing.

"What? What?? What???" She yelled over and over. But there's no answer to that question.

*Shrug* *Shrug* *Shrug*

In a twist of miracle, a star had struck upon her eyes and gave her a show which put a smile on her face. The first thing she knew was that a man could notice her from afar without her moving. The second thing is that she became more visible and seen throughout the place as a main event rather than a sideshow. And the next thing she knew was that a stone could be way more conscious and noticeable than her.

"What? What is that? Is that a walking trash can?" She mumbled, "What is wrong with this day??"