Naytnal - Dust of the twilight (english version) E-Book

Elias J. Connor

• Herausgeber: FINN Books Edition FireFly
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2023

Beschreibung

Kitty and her adoptive sister Jojo are annoyed. Her mother has a new boyfriend, and then her weird Aunt Missy, who's been missing for years, suddenly shows up. At the same time, a recurring nightmare is haunting more and more residents of Lantyan. How lucky that Kitty and Jojo got a message from Naytnal just now. The Star of Empires, as Naytnal is also called, needs Kitty and Jojo's help. Kitty and Jojo have a difficult mission ahead of them, because the dark threatens to haunt the Star of Realms. Nightmares take hold here too, and evil spreads quickly. Kitty and Jojo are faced with a big mystery. Just then, in Kitty's strange dreams, a young man appears who seriously endangers the love between her and Dennis. Soon Kitty no longer knows what is real and what is not... The third volume of the fantasy series NAYTNAL penned by Elias J. Connor - dark, emotional and mysterious.

Leseprobe

Elias J. Connor

Naytnal - Dust of the twilight (english version)

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Dedication

Chapter 1 - Uncanny mist

Chapter 2 - The longest day of the year

Chapter 3 - Dreams in the twilight

Chapter 4 - Lantyan's insomnia

Chapter 5 - Intermediate world

Chapter 6 - In the kingdom of a thousand nights of sleep

Chapter 7 - Millions of colors

Chapter 8 - The secret island

Chapter 9 - Storm on the ocean

Chapter 10 - The silver knights

Chapter 11 - The battle of the Shor'zeen valley

Chapter 12 - Only love can hurt like this

About the Author Elias J. Connor

Impressum

Dedication

For Jana.

My fiancee, my muse, my inspiration.

I love you.

Chapter 1 - Uncanny mist

A branch moved gently in the wind, its leaves making a soft rustle. When a bird perched on it, the branch swayed violently several times, causing some leaves to fall off the tree it belonged to. The bird seemed completely out of breath. Anyway, it almost looked like he was taking a deep breath.

The bird looked around a few times. Then he chirped happily. After sitting like that for a few minutes, he groped around on the branch a bit clumsily. Finally he saw some blossoms. He flitted up quickly, flapping his wings so fast he stopped in mid-air like a dragonfly. He then stuck his long, thin beak into one of the flowers and drank its nectar.

Only now could you see that the little bird was a hummingbird, colorful and graceful like a butterfly. And just as gracefully as he was hanging in the air and drinking nectar from the flowers, he floated down again and sat down next to a root of the big tree.

On the horizon, behind the hills, the sun was slowly rising. A tender dawn spread across the valley, and in the far east one could see another star, the only one that still managed to shine against the dawning sunlight.

Only a few small clouds floated across the sky. And it was pretty warm considering it was only about five in the morning. The whole valley could certainly look forward to a wonderful day.

When the hummingbird saw a squirrel crawling out from under the roots of the tree, it quickly flew up again and perched on a branch very high up. Again, the tree then lost some already withered leaves. And one of them hit the little squirrel. Puzzled, it looked along the tree. Then it shook its head and started looking for something in the ground.

Suddenly the squirrel was startled. A rattle was heard, spreading softly through the valley. The hills in the distance made his echoes reverberate again. The squirrel quickly hid under a large root and then peered out curiously to determine the cause of the chatter.

A girl in a short sundress rode slowly on a bicycle along a path that passed by the tree. When she saw the squirrel, the girl stopped her bike and got off. She gently pushed her light brown hair back from her face and pushed two small, beautifully braided pigtails behind her ears.

The girl might have been about 17 years old. She wore a modern hairstyle and her dress was also very fashionable.

She walked gently towards the tree under which the squirrel was hiding. Once there, she slowly knelt down and stretched out a hand. When the squirrel peeked out curiously, the girl smiled at it.

The squirrel then forgot his fear. Skillfully it padded out from under the root and jumped into the girl's hand with one leap. Then it slipped over her arm and perched on her shoulder.

The girl then very carefully rummaged in a pocket of her dress and pulled out a few peanuts. When she gave one to the squirrel, it took it and ate it. Then the girl held out a second peanut, and the squirrel took that too. A third nut that the girl gave the squirrel also accepted.

And at the top of the tree sat the hummingbird and looked at the scenery with the girl and the squirrel in amazement.

Suddenly there was a loud bang that suddenly disturbed the quiet of the entire valley. The hummingbird then got frightened. He jumped up and flew away in a hurry. And the squirrel was so frightened that it quickly hopped off the girl's shoulders and disappeared into the ground.

The girl could hardly breathe from shock. She clutched her heart. Then she slowly turned around and couldn't believe what she saw behind her. Faster than lightning, the girl ran back to her bike, sat on it and started pedaling as hard as she could. What on earth had so frightened the hummingbird, the little squirrel and the girl that they all ran away at lightning speed?

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a huge wall of fog appeared in the valley. It was several hundred meters high and wide, and it seemed so dense that you couldn't see through it. At dawn the smoke screen looked absolutely spooky, even spooky. And she made the whole valley appear in a strange, bizarre light.

The wind stirred the fog. Like a huge curtain hanging in front of an open window, the smoke screen slowly swayed back and forth. And with every movement, the white flashed in strange, strange flashes of light - as if the whole wall of smoke were made up of thousands of white colors. And the light of the rising sun reflected in the fog further supported this effect. You could almost say the whole thing looked like an aurora by day - but that couldn't be, because aurorae are only seen at night, and besides, they never were in these climes where this great valley was located.

Suddenly there was a strange-sounding noise, which apparently also came from the fog. It was tinny and metallic. It sounded like a hum, a very, very low hum. Almost so deep that one could hardly perceive it anymore.

All of a sudden - and that happened within a few seconds - the whole wall of fog suddenly opened up. It split into two independent parts, as if someone had neatly parted it with a giant knife. And as it did, the metallic noise, the hum, grew louder and higher. It changed to louder and higher frequencies. Until it almost sounded like a bat screaming.

At the bottom of the smokescreen, on the ground, a person suddenly stepped out. Slowly and in step.

The person was a woman. A very pretty woman. She was blonde, had shoulder length hair and was wearing weird pants and an even weirder jacket. The jacket was black and had a strange sheen, as if it had silver streaks running through it. The trousers had a similar pattern to the jacket. And she had painted a white lightning bolt on each pant leg. A flash, as was also seen on the back of the jacket.

The strange woman took a few steady steps forward. Finally she stopped and then turned around - to where she had just walked out from.

But no sooner had the woman turned and looked than suddenly, in a strange way, all the fog disappeared. As mysterious as he just appeared, just as mysteriously he disappeared into nowhere. As if the whole wall of fog wasn't there at all.

The woman didn't seem surprised. She might have seemed to have expected this to happen. Or maybe she wasn't even thinking about it.

The valley was now completely silent again. Only the rushing of the wind and the rustling of the leaves could still be heard.

The woman shook her head briefly. She seemed to have sand in her hair, which she now wiped out with her hand. Then she took a brush out of a bag she was carrying. After brushing her hair, she saw a small wooden bench ahead, right next to a fountain. Slowly - and now it looked almost difficult - the woman shuffled to the well. She pulled the pump lever a few times until some water came out of the faucet. Then she put her hands under it. She took several sips of the water and finally wet her face. When she was done, she sat on the bench and rested for a while.

The woman might have been in her mid-50s, you couldn't say for sure. She looked younger in her strange clothes. She breathed wearily.

Everything suddenly seemed to be the same as before, when the sun finally peeked all the way over the horizon and the light of the last bright star of the night also disappeared. Quiet birdsong came from the nearby trees again - apparently the birds that fled from the smokescreen have now returned.

Lonely and alone, the strange woman was still sitting on the wooden bench, lost in thought, admiring and overhearing the scenery of this morning.

Suddenly she got up again. Now she had evidently gained enough strength. She closed her bag, put it back on her shoulders, and then she spied a path to her right, winding through countless, large pastures. She ran to the path. And then she slowly walked away. Slowly and evenly. And tired. Something must have happened to her that she was so out of breath, seemed so tired, and felt so weak.

And when the hummingbird and the squirrel came back to the tree where they were before, the mysterious, strange woman had already disappeared over the first hill.

Chapter 2 - The longest day of the year

The fir and pine trees around the courtyard were huge. But one tree has towered over her since time immemorial. It was the big fir tree that stood in the middle of the yard. Back when they were building this complex, some of them wanted to tear down the big fir tree. But then they put it under protection without further ado – and so it stayed and they built a bench around it.

The place out here by the fir tree was cozy. A lot of people just sat down here during breaks. Or they learned. Or the teachers were preparing their next lesson. In the afternoons, many just rested a bit here. And in the evenings there were often parties, barbecues and other parties, now that summer was finally here.

In the early morning hours of this wonderful day it was already really warm here, but it was obviously still too early to see anyone at the big fir tree in the middle of the schoolyard. And even for a boarding school, where it was thought that many people got up early, just before seven thirty was simply too early.

The wind, even if it was only gentle, made the tall fir tree sway imperceptibly. You could see it by looking at the very top.

In the early morning hours of that day it was of course also correspondingly quiet on the whole farm for the time. And quiet. So quiet that even the howling of wolves or the roaring of deer could be heard from here.

But then the silence was suddenly broken. A girl who was riding a bicycle suddenly shot out from behind a bush at breakneck speed and then rode into the middle of the yard. There she turned some aimless circles.

The bicycle bays were located near a staircase leading to the tennis courts. Countless bikes were parked there. The girl now reduced her speed. Strolling along, she looked for a free corner for her bike. Eventually she found one, and then the girl got off.

She skilfully steered his bike into the designated holder. Just as skilfully, she mounted the bike lock on it and then locked the bike.

As soon as the girl was done with that, she exhaled deeply. She must have been driving fast. Or for a very long time, you couldn't really tell from her. Anyway, she seemed pretty harried. She stood still and looked at the sky. Her eyes were big. And her hair was light brown, just below her shoulders, and cut cheekily. Two cool braided pigtails hung in two red strands behind the ears. That is, one of the two strands momentarily covered the girl's face. She gently pushed the strand of hair out of her face.

Apparently the girl was thinking about something in particular. Anyway, she shook her head, then made her way to go inside the big wooden house that bordered the big yard.

Lantyan - the most mysterious of all boarding schools. Those who came here could count themselves very proud. Almost all children from America wish they could spend a year here. Of course, with such a long waiting list, the requirement to get in here is very high. You have to go through difficult tests. You have to be interested in science - because Lantyan is a very science-oriented school with majors in physics, mathematics, American history and things like that. You'd think this would scare kids away, but the fact was that more and more kids wanted to go to Lantyan. Even kindergarten children wished Santa Claus a night in Lantyan.

It wasn't just science that drew the kids here. It is said that Lantyan hides a big secret. And that's exactly what draws the kids here. That's why so many wanted to come here. But very few actually managed to pass the tough entrance exams. And somehow it should also be a good thing that not everyone was allowed to know Lantyan's secret.

The teenager with the dark blond hair now ran to a large entrance that was in the middle of the huge building complex. The two large glass doors were surrounded by a beautifully decorated wooden frame. And all the windows of this house had similarly decorated frames. And beautiful shutters. The building was shaped like a U, and in the middle was the yard with the big tree. And in front of every window there were small balconies with small blooming flower boxes.

She entered a large stairwell. Pleasant light shone here in the large windows above, which illuminated it fully. She slowly trudged upstairs. She pulled herself along the banister.

A few other students were already making their way to the large breakfast room to the right of the stairwell. It was quarter to eight now and school doesn't start until nine. But if the students were up earlier, why not have breakfast? In any case, you could get breakfast every morning from seven, even on weekends.

As she entered a hallway, three or four children rushed her down the red carpet, one of whom bumped into her.

"Oh... sorry, Sydney," the 13-year-old boy immediately apologized. Apparently he knew the girl. "I'm in a hurry. Total hunger.” And off he went again.

Sydney had to grin briefly. But then she kept walking. Here in the corridor the room doors had numbers, like in a hotel. But the names of the residents were also on it. When Sydney came to a door marked Sydney Loona and Natalie Cox, she opened the door and went inside.

"Hey, Sydney!" exclaimed a girl who was sitting on her bed doing weird looking aerobic exercises. "There you are. Where have you been?"

"Don't ask." Sydney threw herself onto the bed, stretching her legs and arms out in front of her.

Like Sydney, Natalie was 17 and Sydney's best friend. The two had been sharing a room here on Lantyan for some time. Sydney only came here three months ago. She was lucky to get a place in the middle of the school year. And since she was here, she's been friends with Natalie. Well, yeah, actually it was a few weeks before they became friends. Because Natalie was the most popular student in the class so far. With her light brown, long hair, she turned her classmates' heads. And Sydney quickly became Natalie's competitor when she came along. But eventually they pulled themselves together. And then they became inseparable.

"Sleep bad again?" Natalie asked while getting up and pulling a math book out of her bag.

"Bad?" Sydney looked over at her friend. "Not at all!" she emphasized. "Around midnight I thought I'd go get some fresh air. By three o'clock I was out on my bike in the fields. And then I drove and drove. See you all of a sudden..."

Natalie listened intently. But Sydney didn't continue.

"Until what? Tell me!” Natalie pushed.

"Oh nothing."

Natalie couldn't understand that. They've never had secrets from each other. And now there was something Sydney had apparently seen or experienced, and she didn't want to tell Natalie.

"Are you still studying for your exam?" Sydney tried to distract Natalie instead. The maneuver seemed to work.

"Yes," Natalie replied. Then she raised her shoulders briefly. "I can't make it anyway."

"We just have to try."

Sydney knew Natalie's problem. And she had the same thing, just not in math, but in Latin. And if nothing more happened at the re-examination, Sydney and Natalie would have to repeat the year.

"Have you been studying all this time?" Sydney asked.

"No, just three or four hours."

"From when?" Sydney looked sternly at Natalie - but what should she tell her? After all, she was out all night herself. That's why she wasn't angry that Natalie simply ignored the question.

Finally, Natalie closed her book and put it away. "What the hell," she said. "Let's go have breakfast."

A little later, Natalie and Sydney trudged into the now crowded corridor and ran down to the dining room.

There were three small huts located near the large complex of buildings. Actually they were wooden houses, but in the valleys of Colorado they called cabins. They were big enough for five or six people to live there.

One of the huts looked slightly dirty. The caretaker lived in it. He had a lot of manual work to do, and most of it he did right in his garden. It goes without saying that scrap metal, wood, dust and sawdust piled up in his garden.

In the other cottage lived Mr. Templeton, the former headmaster but still a teacher. His house looked clean, and now that it was summer, many plants were blooming in his garden. Mr. Templeton collected exotic flowers. Unfortunately, here in Colorado, even though the hamlet was in a large valley, it got pretty cold in the winter, and some plants just refused to come up.

But now it was summer, as I said. And in front of the terrace of the third and largest hut sat a young person, maybe 16 or 17, wearing shorts and a funny t-shirt. She held a book in her hand and seemed to be very absorbed in it. She looked frozen the whole time. Like painted. Only her medium-length hair, which shone golden in the morning sun, swept back and forth in the breeze. Sometimes the wind blew her hair in front of her eyes, then she had to brush it away. But she just sat there and read all the time.

There was a strange motif on her t-shirt. She also didn't know why she liked it so much, because actually the picture was a bit creepy. It showed a castle surrounded by two huge swords. The castle was dark red. Like sandstone, only much redder.

The book the girl was holding was a light blue book. Its title was "Modern American History" and it was denounced in large, dark letters on the cover.

When she wanted to turn a page, she tried to do so without much effort, and if possible without moving. She put the book on her knees and blew on it so that a page would automatically turn. But apparently she had forgotten the laws of gravity - because suddenly the book fell down onto the floor. In the middle of the sand that spread all over the porch.

At the same moment a woman came out of the house. She smiled. She had tied her blond hair in a ponytail. And her light-colored, stylish suit seemed to reflect the sunlight.

"My goodness..." the woman stammered when she saw the sand on the porch. "Jojo, darling, I thought you cleaned up."

"Yes, Mom," the girl replied without looking up. "I mean, let's do it."

"What are you reading?" the woman asked frantically. "Didn't I tell you not to always do your homework at the last minute?"

"Yes, Mom," Jojo said embarrassed. And with a smile she finally looked at her mom.

"Breakfast is coming soon, honey. Where's Kitty?

"I don't know." Jojo put away her book and got up. "Wow mom, you look great today."

"Thank you," Jojo's mom smiled sheepishly.

Jojo then walked into the kitchen of the two story cabin, followed by her beautiful mom. She grabbed two pieces of toast and a bowl of cereal. Then she sat down at the round wooden table and poured herself another glass of orange juice.

A little later another girl came hurrying down a flight of stairs. She had long, blond hair that she tied into a ponytail with a hair tie. The girl was wearing a really cool, very beautiful dress. It was green and even had ruffles at the bottom.

Suddenly the girl stopped. Then she looked up the stairs with her big eyes. She quickly ran back upstairs, rummaged for something in her drawer and finally found what she was looking for - a small, blue ball. She then put it in her bag and lumbered happily down the stairs again.

If you had slowed down the girl's hopping, you would have noticed that she had a beautiful chain dangling from her neck. An even more beautiful pendant hung from her, which shone silver, almost bluish. The pendant showed a very mysterious motif: a kind of crescent moon shone beautifully over a screw shell. And there were two feathers on the shell. They were only connected to the shell with a very thin, almost invisible piece. But something must have made the pendant so strong that it could never have broken apart.

In front of the kitchen door hung a mirror with some make-up utensils on the shelf. As the girl hopped past him, she quickly grabbed a lipstick and quickly painted her lips. Now she looked really cool.

"Kitty!" a woman's voice called out friendly but determined from the kitchen. "Come on now. You have to leave in ten minutes.”

Kitty hopped into the kitchen. When she saw her mom, she jumped to her and fiercely wrapped both arms around her. Then she hugged her tightly.

"It's okay, darling," said Kitty and Jojo's mom Leonie. "What's the matter with you?"

"Oh, nothing, mom," Kitty said. "I just wanted to hug you."

"So, now do it, okay?"

"Hey, Kitty..." Jojo wondered when she looked at her.

"What is? Doesn't that suit me?"

"Sure," Jojo smiled. "Looks crazy great." Jojo then shook his head questioningly and raised her arms. "I just thought you didn't mind those clothes and makeup."

"Jojo, how old am I now?" Kitty asked.

"Well... you'll be 17 next month."

"Exactly," Kitty clarified. "Then it's about time I started."

"People," interjected Leonie, who was in the process of clearing the breakfast table of things that were no longer needed at the moment. "Take a look at this," she said, gathering up some sheets of paper. "You know all the school bands. Wouldn't you like to look through these applications for the summer festival in three days and pick a band to play that night? You could do that this afternoon.”

"Sure," Jojo said.

"Let's do it," Kitty agreed.

Just at that moment the door of the hut opened and a young man of maybe 17 or 18 entered the house. He was good looking - tall, smart haircut, more 80's style but I guess he liked it that way - and he was wearing a smart suit.

"Good morning, Mrs. Linnore," he greeted Kitty and Jojo's mom. "Morning Jojo, tomorrow sweetie. Ready for school?”

"And I already know who will help us," Kitty finished her sentence from before with a grin. "Hello Dennis."

Kitty rushed towards him, hugged him tightly and planted a kiss on his face.

"Helps with what?" Dennis asked, puzzled.

"You will see. This afternoon,” Kitty explained. Dennis just looked at her and shook his head with a grin.

Dennis was Kitty's friend. For more than half a year. Dennis has lived here on Lantyan for just as long. And ever since he got here - even before that, actually - he and Kitty have been inseparable. He was Kitty's first love and she was his too.

Leonie Linnore still had her hands full today - not just to organize the upcoming school festival. Leonie was the director of Lantyan, the elite boarding school in Colorado/USA. And she was glad that her two children, together with her boyfriend Dennis, gave her a little help preparing for the summer party. The school holidays started in two days and still not all reports had been discussed. For today and tomorrow that means again: testimony conferences without end.

Leonie has only been living here for half a year. And just as long ago she had the fantastic job of headmistress intus. Of course, some tasks still didn't work out as they should. Shortly before Christmas last year, Leonie bought the beautiful little house on the school grounds between the playground and the tennis courts. And here she lived with Kitty and Jojo.

It was still half an hour until school started today. Kitty, Jojo and Dennis slowly made their way into the large school building. Her class was in the west wing, where the tenth through twelfth grades were. Kitty and Jojo's class had a strange but beautiful name: Class 11 Faylon. Kitty had given the class that name. She didn't know why. Nor did she know what Faylon meant. But somehow, for some reason, she liked that word. Dennis' class was here too. He went to school one grade above Kitty and Jojo. His class was called Class 12 Evandor. There were also the classes Lythin or Myraley or Snoorulph and many more - and the students invented all the names.

Dennis, Kitty and Jojo just walked past the big fir tree in the middle of the schoolyard. Many children were already sitting under her. Most of them played or chatted with each other. The school yard was getting really crowded.

Teachers also walked around. Lantyan was anything but strict. The students had a lot of freedom here. They were often able to schedule their own time. But they had to perform. Because too many others wanted to come here for that and couldn't make it.

Kitty then finally pulled out of her bag her blue ball that she was packing earlier at home. Jojo then positioned himself a few meters from her.

"Come on, Kitty," she said. "Throw!"

And Kitty threw the ball. It bounced up, in Jojo's direction. But suddenly - as if controlled by a magic hand - the ball just stopped. mid air And as he did so, he made a wondrous rustling sound.

A few students immediately surrounded Kitty and Jojo. They followed their game with astonished looks.

The ball flew on after about a minute, right into Jojo's hand.

"I've gotten a lot better, haven't I?" said Kitty.

Jojo laughed. Then she raised her arm and threw the little blue ball into the air. Again he just stopped in mid-air high above them. The others were amazed. Everyone who was around here now looked spellbound at the ball.

Suddenly he flew on and Kitty caught him.

"Not quite half a minute," smiled Dennis, who was standing next to Jojo. "You'll have to practice a little more, Jojo."

"I've managed three minutes before," Jojo admitted.

"Three minutes?" Kitty shook her head. "No one can do three minutes."

"I guess I have." Jojo put her hands on her hips. "Let's do a little tournament. At the festival.”

"Fine," Kitty laughed.

Then Jojo had to laugh too and put his arm around her sister in a friendly manner. The others began to whisper. "Strange ball," someone was heard to say. "I knew it was true," whispered another student.

Much has been heard of the rumors of Lantyan's great secrets. But no resident of the boarding school had ever actually seen anything of it.

Leonie hadn't actually allowed Kitty and Jojo to take the Tajuna's ball to school. The others would ask questions, and there is a reason why only very special people can open the secret gate. The rules are set that way, and not just by those who live here on Lantyan.

Kitty and Jojo had a lot more things that were a lot weirder than that little ball. And Dennis had those things too. Because Kitty and Jojo were among those special people for whom the secret gate that everyone was talking about was open. However, they had to have a very, very important reason to go through.

And Dennis – he wasn't just one of the special people. Dennis was someone who came here from the other side of the secret gate. He never liked running commercials with it, just like Kitty and Jojo. They enjoyed being normal people too much. But when someone needed help, he turned to her with confidence.

The bell for class rang. Most of the students ran to their classes. Dennis was already in his class. But Kitty and Jojo were still hanging around in the yard.

"Do you think Leonie will scold if we do a tournament with the Tajuna ball at the party?" Jojo wanted to know.

"I don't think so," said Kitty. "Hey, Jojo... why do you still call her Leonie sometimes?"

"I don't know either," Jojo smiled. "It's all too beautiful. Sometimes I'm afraid I'll get used to it too quickly."

"Well, the sooner the better, sis," Kitty quipped. Jojo smiled at her.

Leonie Linnore Jojo had only adopted half a year ago. Only half a year ago, Kitty was finally able to hug her mom Leonie again. For the first time in over twelve years. Until then, Leonie didn't know that Kitty lived here at the Lantyan boarding school. And when Kitty finally got her mom back, she also got a sister in her best friend Jojo.

In the hallway that led to their classroom, Kitty and Jojo suddenly saw two girls sitting around when they went in. They held each other in their arms. They looked very sad, like something very bad had happened to them. Kitty and Jojo approached her cautiously.

"What's wrong?" Kitty asked nicely.

One girl looked up at her and tucked one of her two braids behind her ear. Wordlessly, she looked at Kitty with her big eyes.

"Can we help you?"

The girl didn't answer. The other girl didn't say anything either.

Kitty gave them a friendly pat on the back. Then she and Jojo walked on.

In the class, Mr. Templeton, the class teacher of the 11 Faylon, was already standing at the teacher's desk when Kitty and Jojo entered the room.

"Well, you two?" he said. "Have we been dawdling again?"

"Sorry," Jojo said. "We... well, yeah..."

Fortunately, Mr. Templeton didn't expect any further explanation. He wasn't a strict teacher. But he was fair. And just because Kitty and Jojo were the principal's daughters didn't entitle them to any special treatment. Both of them knew that.

Jojo and Kitty went to their seats. Girls and boys used to be taught separately in Lantyan. And a lot of things were very different here than they are now. But that was a long time ago, as they say. Only Kitty and Jojo know that this wasn't actually that long ago. But they don't like to talk about this time, which they experienced themselves.

"Well then, let's move on to the report card meeting," announced Mr. Templeton. “It is with great satisfaction that I can say that all of you made the promotion to the twelfth grade. And I'm very happy to be able to be your class teacher again in the coming school year after the holidays."

The class erupted in cheers and applause. Also because no one stayed seated. Maybe some feared it, including Jojo, because she sucked at history.

"Our class," Templeton began again, "will possibly add two more students in the coming year. I expect that you will then be kind to our new classmates, no matter what their reason for coming to our class.”

Three days before the holidays not much was done at school. The exams were almost all over – only the follow-up exams for those who might have failed were still pending in the first two school periods.

Then the bell rang for a break. Kitty and Jojo originally planned to play with their Tajuna ball in the schoolyard, but Dennis told them not to. And so they all three sat by the big fir tree and let the sun shine on their faces.

"The party is going to be huge," Jojo said.

"Well, I'm looking forward to it too," confirmed Dennis. "Especially the barbecue."

"Not me at all," Kitty said stressed. "I have to help with the cooking."

Suddenly Kitty saw on the other side of the fir tree that there were sitting the two girls who were so sad this morning.

"Come on, Jojo, let's go to them," Kitty asked her sister. And she and Jojo ran to the two girls. They sat there sadly, holding hands.

"Well, you?" Kitty addressed her. "Would you like to talk to us now?"

"Thanks," said one girl. "Is not necessary."

"What's your name?" Jojo asked.

"I'm Sydney Loona," said the girl with the two braids in her hair.

"My name is Natalie Cox," the other girl introduced herself.

"You're from 12th grade, aren't you?" Kitty then asked.

"Not for long," Sydney said in complete disarray. "We both just flunked our final exam."

"Like the world depends on math," Natalie cried.

"Oh, shit," Jojo slipped out. "Then... then you stay seated?"

The girls nodded in tears.

"Hey," Kitty said suddenly. “Then you are the two who will be coming to our class next school year. Crazy."

Jojo nudged Kitty slightly in the side.

"Well...Templeton is super okay," Kitty explained.

"Yes," Jojo tried to comfort Sydney and Natalie. "Kitty and I were late this morning. And he didn't say anything."

"I've only been there three months," explained Sydney. "And already I have such a failure."

"But it can get better again," Kitty comforted her. She sat down next to Sydney while Jojo sat down next to Natalie. Kitty gave Sydney a light pat on the shoulder. "You're going to be in a great class, you'll see."

"Kitty..." Sydney suddenly mused. "Are you Kitty and Jojo Linnore?"

"Caught!" Kitty had to admit.

"It's not always easy being the director's children," Jojo interjected.

"It's really you?" Sydney then asked softly. She looked at Jojo, then back at Kitty. "You are the only ones who have passed through the secret gate? Have you seen the other world? You are the Empress of the Star of Empires and her deputy?”

Jojo almost couldn't breathe. Kitty looked at Sydney with questioning eyes. They always tried to keep it secret. Some knew. But no one ever spoke to her about it directly.

"How do you know that?" Kitty finally asked.

"Then it's true," Natalie concluded.

"Well, yeah... yeah," Kitty finally admitted.

"We've heard so much from you guys," Natalie said. “They tell each other that you are special people. My goodness - I always knew these weren't just rumours."

"It's true," said Jojo. "But please don't walk around with it right now, okay?" Jojo seemed slightly sensitive to the fact that she was being asked directly about the subject for the first time in a long time.

"No, definitely not," Natalie said apologetically. "But... it's just that..." She then turned to Sydney. "Tell them about your nightmares."

"Nightmares? What nightmares?” Kitty was now interested.

"Oh... nothing more. I just don't sleep well. And when I sleep, I keep dreaming this stupid nightmare.”

"And... what's happening there?"

"It's hard to describe. I can't put it into words like that.”

Then the bell rang for the next lesson and the students all jumped up and ran to their classes.

"What do you think of Jojo and I coming to visit you tomorrow afternoon?" Kitty asked.

Sydney and Natalie gratefully accepted the offer before going back to their classes along with Kitty and Jojo.

Chapter 3 - Dreams in the twilight

Leonie was visibly exhausted when she hurried down from the staff room to the dining room to have a quick drink of iced tea. At noon it was already pretty crowded here.

---ENDE DER LESEPROBE---