The first classes after midterms were always the most hectic ones. At least, Tala saw it that way.

It ran the same routine it always did. Whether it was her first two classes of the day, the ones after break, or their classes after lunch. At first, everyone sat on their assigned seats, waiting patiently for their teacher to call their last names. Her last name was Brillantes, which meant she was one of the first students who got up and took her paper. And once everyone got all of their papers, the teacher would have a small discussion about the test, ask everyone what the most difficult part was, and some would even contest their teachers that they did something wrong with the checking.

But once their teacher left, that was when the real chaos would begin.

A second or two passed before everyone got up and headed to their friends' seats, comparing their test papers. Tala remained seated at the front, staring at the window to her left every now and then before looking at her own paper. Behind her, her classmates' chatters became louder, especially since there was no teacher. And apart from that, everyone was with their friend group and not just their seatmate.

She looked at her test paper again. Specifically, at the upper right corner, written in red ink. A perfect fifty.

A small hum left her lips, followed by a smile. Of course it was a perfect fifty. She didn't expect anything less.

The same thing happened during their second class, and then their third. And of course, all test papers showed the same thing. A perfect fifty, or maybe a fifty-five. But the bottom line was she got a perfect score. By the time their fourth class rolled around, it was unfortunately cut short as their history teacher's homeroom class had an emergency. Which meant all of them had to stay in the room until the bell rang, and nobody was allowed outside. It made her scoff. Now that class was cut short, she had nothing else to do.

But it seemed like her classmates thought differently. She lifted her head and looked around, watching them scatter and go to their cliques. Her ears picked up the sound of the boys at the back of the room. Two of them were louder than everyone else.

"Hey, what did you get?"

"Can you explain this part to me? I don't get it."

"Gonna be honest. I don't blame Miss Isolde for giving you a two on that essay. Have you seen your handwriting? Can you even see what your hand is writing?"

"How in the stars did you score higher than me when you were just copying off of my paper?"

"Maybe you just have an issue with some of your skills."

"I'll show you an issue with skills you piece of—"

Tala sighed. At the end of the day, everyone here was still a kid.

Slowly, she got up from her seat and headed to the back. As the class rep, it was her job to separate fights like this before they could escalate and become worse. The last time she failed to do so, the front half of the classroom got covered in ice, and they had to cancel classes for the remaining day just so the Flame faculty could melt them.

She pressed her hands together, as if folding them in a prayer. A small burst of magic flowed down her veins, letting her know she could separate her hands. She stood in front of the two arguing, placing her palms on their chest and giving them a light push. Her magic should be able to calm their nerves a little bit. "Girls, girls," she began, a small smile on her face as she waved a finger. "You're both pretty. Why pit two queens against each other when you can work together?"

The one on her left, Kael, scoffed as he removed his hand from her chest. He muttered something under his breath before patting his hands. For a brief second, his brown eyes flashed, looking more like a bright amber. But when he looked at her, he crossed his arms, and the color faded away. "By the way, what's your score? Actually, dumb question. Can I see your test paper?"

"Can we see your test paper," the boy he was arguing with—Lysandre—said as he stepped away from her hand as well. He flicked Kael's temple, making the redhead next to him mutter a curse under his breath. "You're not the only one who needs a reviewer for the finals."

"Me too!"

Tala turned around. Another classmate, Cess, stood up from her seat and approached Tala. "Miss Isolde is so ruthless during the test. I need a better reviewer than my own notes."

Tala sighed, but she still smiled at them. She was used to this by now. It was one of the downsides of being a top student in her class, after all. Everyone relied on her for notes, answers, and help for projects. Even when she wasn't in their group.

Still, she nodded. There was no harm in helping people. "Sure. Let me just get my paper."

As she headed back to her seat, she managed to catch a glimpse of another student at the back. Sharp red eyes were scrolling through his own paper, before he folded and placed it in his bag. Unlike her, nobody went to him to ask for questions or help. In fact, his only companion was the wall to his right. There weren't enough seats in the classroom for him to have a seatmate to his left or right.

She turned away before he could notice.

She grabbed her test papers. And of course, Kael snatched the four of them before the others could get a peak. And with the way he was gripping it, it almost made her want to reach out and grab it back. But before she could act, Lysandre had already elbowed Kael and took her papers in a more gentle fashion. "Have you never heard of being gentle? Stars."

Once again, Kael rolled his eyes. Unlike before, he didn't argue. He just stood next to Matt so he could read her paper. "At this point, should we even say it's impressive? You always score the highest."

"Probably easy for you, too," Cess added when Lysandre passed her the papers. "My older sister's classmate is the student council president and vice president. Apparently, Starblessed can look into the past, too. Not just the future." She turned to Tala. "Is that how you study history? You just look back and rewatch Miss Isolde's classes? Or do you go back to the real thing?"

Tala chuckled, and she scratched the side of her starry black hair. "I'm impressed you think we can look back hundreds or thousands of years into the past. But no, I don't do that. And I doubt our president and VP do the same thing. I don't know how they study, but I do a method where I just read my notes and then rewrite anything I can remember. I don't stop until I do everything perfectly. But if it helps, I did struggle studying math. Memorizing formulas is more difficult for me."

"Really?" Cess asked. "How many times did you rewrite your math notes?"

She shrugged. "Around eight."

Only if that 'around eight' sounded as small as it did saying out loud. She was sure her notes were still piling on her desk. Just how much paper did she spend rewriting everything? She was lucky her cousin still had some to give her, or else she would be solving her math problems mentally. It would have been easier if they didn't have those bracelets cutting off their magic during tests. At least that way, she could write in the air.

As Lysandre took one last glance at her paper, he passed it to Tala. "You think we can do a group study with you for finals, then? My handwriting is so messy whenever I write too fast. I can barely read and understand what's in my notebook."

"A miracle you're the fourth top student," Kael said with a chuckle. "But if you're gonna do a group study, count me out. I don't wanna rewrite my notes even thrice. My hands will break if I do that."

"You mock me for being a fourth placer and yet your words are a constant reminder you're in fifth place."

"Exact—hey!"

Cess rolled her eyes, and Tala simply laughed alongside her. Cess just scoffed, waving a hand at them both. "And these two idiots wonder why they're below me..." she muttered. "But Lysandre's right, though. We could do a group study! I can even bring my friends along if they want."

Tala placed her hands behind her, gripping her dark blue vest. A group study? Wynona had a lot of friends. In fact, they were a big group. There were seven of them, and that was just the people in this class. She still had her clique in the other classes, and who knows if those friends of hers had friends of their own they wanted to bring. There was also the fact that she really didn't like the people in her group but... no, that wasn't something she should think of. Not now, at least.

"I'd love to," she replied, "but I don't think I can. I'm not a good teacher, and I don't think I have a lot of free time to do that."

"That's too bad, but I understand."

"You don't need to study." Kenneth sat on the empty seat behind him and pointed a finger to his temple. "You have this thing right here. Just use that."

Cess raised a brow. "Kah, not all of us have air in our heads. In fact, most of us have useful stuff in there."

Tala placed a hand in front of her face, stopping the burst of laughter that could have escaped. Fortunately for Kael, the lunch bell rang. Because if it hadn't, no doubt Lysandre would have added another insult.

A sigh left Tala's lips, and she looked at her test papers. Literature, language, math, and history. All four of them were with her. She folded them separately before placing them in her bag. Hopefully, her cousin and partner could find a seat in the cafeteria. Their building was closer there, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to spend half of her lunch break looking for a place to eat.

She slung her bag over her shoulders and exited the classroom. Midterms were finally, finally, over. Which meant that finals were next. The week before their midterms, she spent almost every second studying, and even still did before their test began. The adrenaline never left even after she finished their tests, nor did it leave when she saw her scores earlier. But now, she managed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Which was a shame. Because she was sure by the end of the week, that same adrenaline would return. She didn't lie when she told Cess she didn't have free time. As a Starblessed and a member of the student council, her schedule would be packed for the remainder of the year.

The first classes after midterms were always the most hectic ones. But for finals, it was going to be hectic everyday.

She was one of the last people that exited the classroom. There weren't a lot of people left in the building, so she was able to go down without having to squeeze through the crowd or teleporting in the wrong place. And once she got outside, she stretched her arms, feeling the sunlight on her skin. A beautiful and bright sunny day. At least the warmth gave her some comfort despite the jumbled thoughts in her head.

After lunch, they had one last class before their track specific classes. And as usual, she would be alone. No one would accompany her except for one of the two Starblessed teachers in the entire school. And since midterms were over, that meant they would have to focus on the most important event in both the school and throughout the entire city of Sylvaris.

The Starfell Fest.The festival a week after their finals. But more specifically, their school's Starfell Fest Dance.

And as a Starblessed, she was one of the most important people needed to plan the event. And that also meant her finals would be more hectic than everyone else's. Principal Celeste was cutthroat, and she remembered being the one who had to decorate the ceiling last year. Was she going to make decorating the event hall her finals test, like she did last year? Tala hoped she wouldn't. Especially since—

She stopped in her tracks. A chill ran down her spine, and her head was aching even more than it already was. Her thoughts were getting more and more jumbled than usual. The chill on her spine didn't help, either. She knew this feeling in her chest; she had felt it before. Despite that, she couldn't tell where that familiar itch came from. All she knew was that it felt like someone was watching her.

She turned around. There were a lot of people behind her. Either students who were just leaving their buildings or people walking around and looking for a place to sit for lunch. It wouldn't be surprising if someone was looking at her, but that stare... It felt intense. Why did it feel intense? Where have I felt this before?

No. She needed to stop thinking about this. It was probably nothing, just her headache making her feel worse. She really needed to sort her thoughts before her head exploded.

When she reached the cafeteria, it was unsurprisingly crowded. But fortunately, she spotted two familiar people sitting near the windows. Her cousin, Laura, was already eating with her partner, Florante. It was a shame they chose a seat near the window. She could have snuck in the shadows and give her a small scare again. But maybe that was why she chose the window seat. Laura didn't want that to happen again.

Tala folded her hands together. Once magic gathered in her hands, she snapped her fingers, appearing next to Laura in a flash of sparkles. "Boo."

Laura jumped slightly. She placed her hand on Tala's face, pushing her away. "Don't put your hideous face that close to me. I'll catch your ugliness."

"Hideous?" She sat down next to her and looked at Florante. "Flo, can you tell her she's wrong and I'm actually prettier?"

Florante hummed. They cupped their chin before shrugging. "Nah, I think she's right."

"I hate you both."

Laura chuckled. She placed a hand on Tala's head, giving her a pat. "You're in a good mood. Anything happened?"

"You know. Nothing special." She opened her bag and grabbed two of her test papers. "Just that I managed to get a perfect score in both math and history! Told you those papers I asked from you weren't a waste."

"Tala, you used half of the entire pad just for your notes."

"And it wasn't a waste. It's called studying."

Across them, Florante whispered. They took her papers and scanned them, nodding at each page flip. "I guess being a genius runs in the family. Wait, Miss Isolde's your history teacher? She's usually ruthless when it comes to grading, especially for essays. It really is impressive you scored perfect marks there."

"You know, I'm really surprised I never got her as my teacher during my junior years," Laura said when Florante passed her the papers. "She's a Sky Track instructor, but I never got her as my teacher. Not even as a substitute."

"Lucky you." Tala grabbed her lunch from her bag and started eating. She huffed, but the taste of spicy curry on the rice was able to soothe her. "Flo's right; she is ruthless, and I don't like her teaching. It's not that she's bad, but she likes making our lives more difficult. I had a hard time answering the essays because she wants us to be precise with our wording, and it's a minimum of one hundred and fifty words. Twice."

Florante grabbed a spoonful of their own lunch before smiling, one of their brows raised. "So... she's bad?"

"You didn't hear it from me."

Laura chuckled. Almost immediately, her deep grey eyes sparkled, and she clapped her hands together. "By the way, Tals. Flo and I were talking about the Starfell Fest Dance earlier. They haven't attended the dance before, so I'm gonna drag them along with me."

Tala blinked. "You've never been to a Starfell Fest?"

"What?" Florante shook their head. "No. I've been to a Starfell Fest. It's just the school's dance I've never been to. But if Laura's gonna drag me along, no hurt in going. I'd probably have to find a good outfit for the event, and I can't decide between a dress and a suit." They cupped their chin, and a playful smile formed on their lips. "Say, resident Starblessed. Do you make wishes on the falling stars? Is there any validity to those claims?"

"Oh, I am so glad you asked!" Tala placed her utensils down. She almost showed a projection of the first Starfell, but she lowered her hands before she could do anything. Florante wasn't asking about the first Starfell, they were just asking about the wishing part. But then again, could she really answer that without talking about the first Starfell?

She took a deep breath. "Okay, so. Back then, the first Stars and Starblessed had wish granting powers. But in order for them to grant wishes, people had to make ones from the heart. They eventually get answered sooner or later, but it being a wish from the heart was the important part. There were even records of people saying that they got the opposite of what they wanted. But the truth is it's what their heart wanted. Some Starblessed were hunted down because of it, and the Stars had to flee before they became next. That's also the reason why the art was never passed down and lost to time.

"People started wishing on falling stars because they thought it meant the first Stars were coming back. The tradition continued and even persisted until now. So while there's some validity to it, it's not entirely true. But I don't see any harm in wishing on a falling star."

Laura groaned. "Look what you've done, Flo. You made her yap. Next thing you know, you're spending the next seven hundred years of your life listening to every detailed history of the world."

However, her expression changed. It shifted from an annoyed frown to a smirk. A smirk that told Tala she should have stood up and covered her cousin's lips before the next embarrassing words could leave her lips. Alas, she was too late.

"And speaking of wishing..." She leaned forward. "You should have seen her when we were kids. Her dad's the Grand Councilor, so obviously we have to attend every Starfell Fest. And whenever it was time for wishing, she'd wish for a unicorn—"

"And there's absolutely nothing wrong with wishing for a unicorn!" Tala jabbed her fork at Laura's shoulder, making both Florante and Laura laugh. "Unicorns are majestic and beautiful creatures. They symbolize purity and innocence, so there's nothing wrong with wishing for one."

"But are you really going to waste your wish on a unicorn?" she asked with the same smug smile. Tala jabbed her fork again, but she was able to dodge it this time. "Don't you have anything else to wish for? Something that's actually worth a falling star?"

Tala blinked. A wish worth a falling star? "Are you saying a unicorn isn't worth a falling star? When was the last time you saw one, huh? That's right, never! They're worth it."

"Whatever you say." Laura hummed as she cupped her chin. "If I have something to wish for, it's probably that I won't get Miss Isolde as my teacher in any class. Ever. Not in my remaining first senior year, not in the next two."

Florante nodded. "A good wish. I'm not sure what I'll wish for. Maybe I'll know once the time comes."

A few more minutes passed with just the three of them talking. As soon as Tala finished her lunch, the bell rang again, signaling the end of lunch. She finished packing her lunch box and waved at the two. "See you at home, Ate Laura."

"See you later, Tal," Laura said with a wave.

Florante nodded. "Take care."

With one last wave, Tala turned around. Time passed by so quickly. There was one class left before everyone would be splitting up to their track specific classes.

One last class left before she would head to the class where she was the only student.

After a while of walking, she returned to her classroom. And like the other four classes before, their Understanding the Self teacher was handing back the test papers. She was just in time, as Miss Sofia had called her name as soon as she entered.

After muttering an apology for being a minute or two late, she sat back down and stared at her paper. Fifty-four. A single mistake. She scanned the test and... there it was. It was the final essay where they had to explain what they understood about themselves during the first half of the semester. She got a nine instead of a ten. Not bad. Especially since this was the only test where she made a mistake.

"Don't you have anything else to wish for? Something that's actually worth a falling star?"

Why did that question have to pop up again?

She placed her test paper on her desk and stared at the window. It was hard to believe she could still remember the days she wished for a unicorn. Wasn't she six during that time? That was eight years ago. When life was so much simpler.

Realistically, she obviously wouldn't wish for a unicorn. She would wish for...

Her brows furrowed down. What would she wish for?

She was fortunate enough to not just have both her parents, but also have them help and support her and Laura's academics. Her mother was a known scholar studying magic, and her father was the Grand Councilor, just like her grandmother before him. She had Laura, and now it seemed like Florante was joining them. She had been the top student in her class for several years in a row. She was in the student council. And if she kept this up, no doubt she would become the student council president. Being a Starblessed was an advantage she had against everyone.

Really, what was there to ask for?

Her gaze returned to her test paper. Fifty-four out of fifty-four. Maybe Florante was right. She would know her own wish once the time came.

"And I'd like to congratulate Noctis Nakagawa for having the highest score during the midterms!"

It was like someone had poured cold water over her and stabbed her in the chest. Tala's eyes widened. Her hand smacked her test, and she turned around, glaring at Noctis's seat at the back.

"He what?!"

And gadies and lentleman, we are back! Glad to see you all again! Whether you're someone who read the original To Wish Upon a Fallen Star, someone who had just seen this, or people who were asking for Untold content. What's that. Never heard of it.

As usual, to celebrate the first chapter coming out, have two fun facts. One of them being the fun fact I used in the original Wish :DD

Fun Fact #1: Florante and Laura's names are taken from a Filipino epic called Florante at Laura (Florante and Laura). In fact, Florante's last name is Balagtas, taken from the author, Francisco Balagtas. Apparently in the original file, I yapped about our school not doing a play, but I have no time to trauma dump about my school right now. I have thirty chapters of this book to do that later.

Fun Fact #2: This isn't how the original chapter went. In fact, the first three or four chapters of this book are going to be slightly different from the three chapters that were published. im so sorry if this still sounds like im yapping i was so rusty when i wrote chapter 1 all the way back in february and i fear it still affected this one. 

Anyway, thank you so much for reading this chapter, and I'll see you all in the next one!

hey wait a minute i dont have to care about the word count here waR IS OVER