Beanni's eyes glittered with the light that danced at the front of the history classroom.

"Now, what you are about to see is a scene that Luchinda Fiosolim, Queen Astrid the first's royal advisor and aunt, recorded from her own memory and stored in this very box," the history teacher informed her students, then turned towards the tiny wooden box sitting on her desk. She slid a decorated, silver key into its lock with a click that resonated within the quiet room. The lid opened and a tiny glimmer of violet light shone its way out of its humble prison and joined the white light that resembled swirling smoke in the air. It then proceeded to stretch and transform into what Luchinda Fiosolim had once seen. The tiny light managed to expand and take the shape of countless trees and a cloaked girl walking between them.

"According to Luchinda Fiosolim, this is what she had seen one day whilst smoke-gazing. She saw Astrid the first herself on the day she woke up in the non-magical realm with no memory of her life in Natanstrelle." The teacher's eyes reflected the light that was performing in front of her as she spoke. She then blinked and turned towards her mesmerised students. "Can anyone tell me who found her that day?"

"Her father, Jameh-Lius Fiosolim," a boy sitting behind Beanni answered after just one beat.

"That's right, Ken," Nani Fiosolim nodded and glanced back at the scene. "Now watch as it begins to change."

As soon as those words left her mouth the violet light gathered all the elements suspended in the air to make a close up of, what Beanni guessed to be, Queen Astrid's face. A look of worry and fear plagued her violet eyes and her pink lips trembled. The hushed sound of her laboured breaths filled the otherwise silent room.

"Meow!" The yowl of a cat made Beanni, and others around her, jump. The light display began to dim, the violet eyes darkened to black and with a guttural roar Astrid's mouth opened wide revealing two rows of pointed fangs. A surprised scream took over the room as the light display plunged into darkness.

A hearty chuckle was then heard from the front of the class as a soft white light began to fill the room again.

"I'm sorry everybody, I should have pre warned you, but I couldn't resist," Nani Fiosolim struggled to get her words out through relentless giggles. "It gets students every time!"

She then took in a deep breath through her nose and let it out with a long blow. Beanni glanced towards Lola, her desk partner, with a raised brow.

"Alright, serious now." The giddy teacher managed to compose herself, as she returned the small sliver of violet light back into the wooden box it must always be kept in when not in use. "What you just witnessed was exactly how confusing the smoke could be. To the untrained eye, or to an individual only willing to see darkness, this vision would be misleading to the point of being harmful."

"Then why did the Fiosolim smoke-gaze at all?" Lola piped up with a question that plagued Beanni's thoughts also.

"That's exactly what Astrid the first thought and is the main reason for her banning the practice," Nani Fiosolim answered in her voice of expertise. "She debated with her aunt about the matter for a long time. Luchinda argued that taking away smoke-gazing completely would be like throwing the baby out with the bathwater." The teacher glanced across the classroom before sending out another question to the whole student body. "Why did she say that, do you think?"

"Because Illuminare-Trabem spoke through the smoke and you could get revelations from Him as long as you used discernment," Ken answered, making Beanni spin in her seat to look at him.

He seems to know a lot about it, she thought to herself.

"He's a Fiosolim, Nani's son," Lola whispered into her ear, as if the petite Slànacus could read her mind.

"Ah okay, that explains it," Beanni replied under her breath as she turned back to face the front. Then a thought entered her mind and she raised her hand.

"Beanni?" the teacher called on her.

"If Luchinda was arguing for the practice of smoke-gazing, why did she record that memory? Wouldn't she want to record a positive memory to help persuade the Queen?"

"An excellent question, that is in fact a key factor that made the majority agree with Astrid's view," Nani answered with an impressed smile upon her lips. "That vision was the best memory Luchinda could muster, for all smoke-gazing visions would be seen as such to those who were unsuccessfully trained with encountering the smoke, and only a handful of Fiosolim had the capacity to gaze with full discernment."

"If only a handful of people could smoke-gaze properly, how could other Natanstrelleans know what is truly from Illuminare-Trabem? I mean, couldn't they lie about what they saw for personal gain?" Beanni couldn't hold back, but fortunately the teacher did not mind.

"That also was what Queen Astrid thought," she responded with a wink then moved on with the rest of the lesson.

"I reckon Nani loves you." Lola nudged Beanni in the side as they made their way out of the Academy building at the end of the school day.

"Why do you say that?" Beanni asked, her eyebrows pulled into a confused scowl.

"Because you're a teacher's pet!" Lola giggled.

"Oh, by the stars!" Beanni muttered, her cheeks burned as she glanced towards her walking feet.

"I'm only kidding, but seriously, you always seem to know the perfect thing to say! You're going to have no trouble passing history class!" Lola said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

"You'll pass too," Beanni reassured her friend, who gave her a doubtful shrug in response.

"I don't know," Lola sighed.

"I do! I won't let you fail!" Beanni nudged her desk partner and nearly made her lose her footing on the steps.

"Woah! By the stars, Beanni!"

"Sorry, but trust me! Together, we'll get through history class and you'll be more than ready to train in healing when you turn fifteen. You mustn't worry about a thing!"

Hope lit up Lola's emerald eyes.

"Thank you Bay, you're the best."

"Hey, Bay." Dillan appeared at his sister's side.

"Oh hi, finally ready to walk me home?"

"Yeah, about that, I am not going home. The Sprèintis lads have invited me to go to Deastolis. Will you be okay walking on your own?"

"Erm..." Beanni wavered but turned towards her friend when she felt her hand on her shoulder.

"I need to get going, see you on Fìorday," Lola said, trying her hardest not to be too intrusive.

"Sure, see you then," Beanni replied and watched the small blond-haired Slànacus skip off towards her home within Central City, before looking back towards her brother with worry etched on her brow.

"But, Dillan, what if Biabs come after me?"

"They won't, I overheard them talking, they're harvesting their root vegetable crop today," Dillan reassured her whilst glancing over his shoulder towards his friends that were waiting with impatient looks on their faces.

"Oh, okay..." Beanni muttered as she stared into nothingness, her stomach tossed and turned inside her as anxiety wrestled for its place of dominance.

"You'll be alright, come on, Bay, don't be awkward," Dillan pleaded as he stood tapping his foot.

"Fine! I'll walk home alone..."

"Thanks Sis, you're the best!" Dillan flung his arms around Beanni's stiffened shoulders and gave her a quick squeeze, before running towards his friends.

"So I hear..." Beanni mumbled to herself as she watched them walk the opposite way that she needed to go.

With a deep sigh she shrugged her shoulders and started on the path towards her home in Iarest.

Beanni couldn't relax as she walked. Every sound that graced her ear was potential danger and she didn't dare let her guard down. She couldn't believe how irresponsible her brother was being, especially after what they had experienced only two days before. The brightly lit streets of Central City seemed dark to her as fear plagued her mind. Each corner was filled with eyes staring at her. She decided to pick up the pace.

"Hey! Draoicis..." A lad's voice spooked her and she began to sprint.

She ran, but had no idea where the voice had come from. Not daring to stop or turn around, she kept her legs moving, her canvas shoes slapping the cobbled streets, until she crashed into something solid and fell back onto the hard ground.

"Ow..." the same lad's voice grumbled. Beanni saw him amble towards her and she rushed to her feet, but before she could start running again the lad gripped her arm.

"Hey! Let go!" she cried in panic.

"What's the matter with you? It's just me," said a much gentler voice than she was expecting. The lad's assertive, yet soothing tone caused her to calm down and she finally allowed herself to focus on his face.

"Prince Oslac," she said with a sigh of relief. "It's you!"

"Yes, it's me. Why did you run?"

"I thought you were a Biab, err... Biabus-Lus."

"Oh, that makes sense," the Prince said, letting the hand gripping onto her arm fall to his side.

"Yeah," Beanni said, catching her breath. "What are you doing here?" she asked him, but then a more pressing question entered her mind, "Wait, were you following me?"

"No! I - I was just in the City and saw you, that's all!" Prince Oslac answered in a raised, defensive tone.

"Right..." she replied with a smirk that displayed how much she believed the Prince's rushed explanation.

"Where were you running to, may I ask?" the Prince hurried to swing the subject back onto her.

"Just home," Beanni answered without hesitation.

"Do you have to get home so soon or could you walk around with me for a while?" Prince Oslac spoke in an entitled way, which only a Royal could get away with.

"Do I have a choice in the matter?"

"Of course you do! All you have to say is yes or no," the Prince said with a confident air, then added in a whisper, "I hope you say yes though."

"Why?"

"Just because! So, will you walk with me?" Prince Oslac pressed.

"Okay," Beanni answered, which made a large beaming grin spread across the Prince's handsome face.

"Great! Come on!" He grabbed her hand and began to lead her along the streets of Central City.

"Prince Oslac?"

"Call me Oz, please," Oz answered, feigning a pained look at the sound of his full title being uttered. "I like friends to call me Oz."

"We're friends?"

"Why not?" Oz replied with a wink, making Beanni's cheeks flush a bright pink. "And what should I call you?"

"W-well I guess, if we're to be friends, you should call me Bay."

"Bay? That's short for Beanni, right?"

"Right!" Beanni beamed. "You remembered my name!"

"Well your name is hard to forget, it's not exactly common is it?"

"No, I suppose not. Actually, there are some who react strangely to my name," Beanni pondered aloud, then stopped in her tracks, making the Prince halt at her side. "Even you did, the other day."

"Well it's quite a significant name, isn't it?" Oz responded with a knowing smirk.

"I've heard that before. Nobody ever tells me why."

"Wait, so you don't know?" the Prince turned towards the girl standing by his side.

"Know what?"

"Your name is attached to a prophecy."

"A pr- wait... No. You can't trick me your Highness!"

"Trick you? I'm not tricking you," Oz replied with an innocent look in his eyes.

"You are an amazing actor, I'll give you that!" Beanni forced a nervous giggle when the Prince's steady gaze did not break. "But, stop it! There can't be a prophecy! There are no such things as prophecies! Smoke-gazing has been banned for decades!"

"I never said its a recent prophecy. This prophecy is old, it pre-dates Astrid the first even!"

"Okay, so what is this prophecy then?"

"I..." the Prince hesitated and a look that Beanni found difficult to read swept across his face.

"Well?"

"It's not my place to tell you..." the Prince's voice had an awkward tremble in it.

"What?"

"Forget it. Forget I said anything..."

"I knew it! There is no prophecy!" Beanni said with a triumphant grin.

"Okay, fine, think what you want," the Prince muttered with a dismissive shrug and began to walk again. Beanni jogged to catch up to him, as a heavy silence took over.

To banish the awkwardness that began to take root, she looked up at the Prince's young handsome face, then with a hint of a smile, piped up and said, "You know what, Oz? I like walking with you."

She wasn't quite sure why that was what had come out of her mouth, and by the look on the Prince's face as he glanced down at her, he was just as confused.

"You do?"

"Yeah, you are an interesting person, Oz."

"As are you, Bay," the Prince said with a smile. A calmness draped over his tensed shoulders. "As are you."