The Village Princess

Chapter Seven

Everyone turned and watched as Teacher Jabari ran to the door. She opened it and groaned.

"Oh hey mother!" Lucas said, smiling as he stood at the door.

"Why didn't you just come in? What do you want?" Teacher Jabari sighed. She let Lucas in and he sat in an empty chair in the back of the class.

"I wanted to feel like a professional messenger. The king wants you, mother. That's all." He said simply, grabbing an apple that was in Teacher Jabari's basket, and took a bite out of it.

"Why didn't a real messenger or even a guard or maid come and inform me?" She asked, closing the door. Lucas took another bite, and everyone waited for him to finish and speak.

"I ran into the messenger on my way back from the kitchen." He said, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Why were you in the kitchen?" One girl asked.

"I keep some reasons to myself." Lucas said, eyeing the girl and taking another bite.

"Well I don't have all day, child! Tell me what the messenger said!" Teacher Jabari cried, throwing her hands in the air and then bringing them back down.

"Right, sorry." Lucas said, setting his apple down. "I was heading back from the kitchen, and I saw the messenger running down the hall. So I walked up to him and asked why he was running. Well, he explained to me he needed to find Jabari, and that I needed to get out of his way. So, I told him I would tell her. He agreed and ran in another direction. I guess he had multiple messages to deliver." Lucas shrugged and picked the apple up and took another bite.

"Well what's the message?" Teacher Jabari groaned. Lucas looked at her, taking many bites. They all waited...and Lucas swallowed...only to take more bites of his red apple.

"Lucas!" Jabari yelled, losing her patience.

"Oh! Duh!" Lucas said after he swallowed. "He said the king needs you to come to the council room. For what.... I dunno." Lucas said, standing up and walking over to the trash bin and tossing his apple core away. Teacher Jabari went pale. She moved her hand slowly to the door knob and twisted it slowly.

"Avery, get them their things and have them start. I'll be back soon." The teacher instructed as she slipped out of the classroom. Avery grabbed the things and distributed them amongst the girls. Then she gave them each a pattern for a dress, and left Lucas to watch them.

"But I won't know if they're doing it wrong!" Lucas argued as his sister started to close the door. Avery stuck her head back into the room and rolled her dark eyes.

"Just sit in here. You'll do great." Then she shut the door. Lucas groaned and walked to the front of the classroom, the girls watching curiously. He sat down in his mother's seat and swung his legs up and onto the desk.

"Well, don't just stare! Get to sewing, or dressmaking or whatever. Just do something so I don't get in trouble." He said, grabbing an apple that was sitting on a stack of books. He took a bite and smiled proudly as the girls got to work.

The girls worked quickly, sewing fabric together and following the pattern as best they could. They waited anxiously for their teacher to return, wanting to know what the king had wanted from her. When Teacher Jabari didn't return 30 minutes later, they began to grow impatient.

"Where is she?" Milee whispered to Jayla. Jayla turned to her friend, pricking her finger as she did. She rolled her eyes and set down her needle and thread.

"I don't know. What do you think the king would want from her?" She said, glancing at the door, waiting for the teacher to walk in.

"Hey! No talking!" Lucas warned, pointing at Jayla and Milee.