Sweet Showdown

What was that?

'Didi... Zane... Get up!' shouted Carissa, who was at the bottom of the stairs waiting for an answer.

'I'm coming!' replied Didi, as she joyfully hobbled out of her room. With Zane, however, there remained silence.

'Zane? Are you awake? Mom called out, did you hear her? Zane?' Still no sound or movement came from his room. Didi opened the door and saw a small spark of light under Zane's sheets.

'What are you doing?' Still no answer came. Didi carefully pulled the sheet off Zane's face and saw him sleeping with the jewel beside him.

'Zane! Have you been staring at that jewel all night?'

Zane awoke wearily and answered slowly. 'I need to know where the rest is, and where it came from. Do I have to get up now? It's so early...'

'Sure you have to get up! It's our first day of school, and we need to make a good impression,' Didi said, sliding open the curtains, blinding Zane with the sunlight.

'Ugh! Okay, okay. I'm getting up already. But you don't have to act like Mom.'

'Thanks, I'll see you downstairs,' Didi said cheerfully, leaving the room.

'Good morning!' said Didi, as she sat down at the table.

'How early you are awake,' said Carissa, who was preparing an omelet.

'I can't wait! I'm going to make new friends who love fashion, and then we can talk about fashion shows, the latest trends, and maybe even boys! I'm so excited!' said Didi, almost falling off her chair with joy.

'Hi...' muttered Zane, slowly coming down the stairs.

'Goodness, did you sleep badly? You look as tired as a dog,' Carissa said worriedly, watching Zane cling to the kitchen chair to keep his balance. Didi kept her mouth shut, not wanting Carissa to discover that Zane had been awake all night investigating the jewel.

'I just slept badly. That's all...' Zane replied without looking at anyone.

Carissa put the omelet and bacon on the table. Everyone ate and then got ready for school.

'Are you sure you're going to survive the whole day? You look really tired,' Didi asked worriedly, brushing her hair in front of the mirror.

'I'll be fine. As long as I don't have to do anything intense, I'll be fine,' Zane said, yawning as he reached for his toothbrush.

'Well, if it doesn't work out, you can come to me. I'll help you,' Didi said, putting her brush away.

'Okay, I'm ready. Shall we go?' said Zane as he nearly fell asleep rinsing off his toothbrush.

'Zane, Didi! Are you guys coming? We're leaving!' shouted Carissa as she searched for her handbag.

'We're coming!' they shouted in chorus. Once downstairs, they grabbed their backpacks, put their books in them, and left for school.

On the way to school, Zane fell asleep in the car. Didi giggled as she watched his eyes slowly close. Once at school, she woke Zane, and they stepped into the new school together.

'I don't know if I'll see you today, but shall we meet after school by the tree at the gate?' asked Didi nervously in the playground.

'Sounds good!' said Zane, though his eyes were already closing again.

'Zane! Stay awake! Are you sure you can make it through today?'

'Huh? Uh, yeah, I'll be fine!' said Zane, looking at Didi, confused but trying to seem excited.

'If you need me, you know where I am. I'll see you later!' Before Zane could answer, Didi had disappeared. Here he was, at a new school, with no idea where to go or who the people around him were. He took a look at the class assignment board to figure out where to go.

'Hi, are you new here?' asked a girl behind him.

'AH! You startled me! Where did you suddenly come from? And yes, I'm new. Why do you ask?'

'I just wanted to know if we're in the same class. My name is Altana. What's yours?'

'I have no idea what class I'm in; I just got here. But uh... my name is Zane.'

'Nice to meet you! You look tired. What's your last name?' asked Altana curiously.

'Why do you want to know so much? Have I done something wrong?' Zane asked, taking a step back.

'Oh no, I just want to find your name on the board,' she said, looking at the list. 'What's your last name?'

'Zane Peachstool,' Zane said, still feeling a bit shy.

'Peachstool? What a pretty last name.' Altana scanned the board. 'Oh, how nice! We're in the same class! Will I see you in line later? Then you can be sure you're in the right place. I'll see you in a minute!' Before Zane could say anything, she was gone.

The bell rang, and everyone walked to their row. Zane, still dazed, began to hurry. Suddenly, he noticed a strange figure sitting on the roof.

'Huh, what's that?' Without thinking, Zane walked closer to get a better look. Just when he was almost there and could see the figure clearly, it suddenly disappeared.

'Huh, did I dream this? I swear I saw someone on that roof...'

The second bell rang, and Zane was still not in line. As fast as he could, he ran to his row.

'Where were you now? I thought you'd never come again!' said Altana worriedly, as Zane came to stand beside her, breathing heavily.

'Sorry... I had to run. I'll explain later.'