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Chapter Text

There was a student who was looking around like a country mouse visiting a big city for the first time. He is wearing a white hoodie with red orange accents, a white t-shirt with a blue ocean wave design, khaki shorts, brown sandals, and a necklace with pearls and a jade emblem shaped like three fish circling. He was clutching a suitcase that had the colors of the ocean in one hand and wearing a navy backpack on his back.

“Nervous to start a new school, Chu Yunqing?” a voice that came from a teenage girl asked.

The teenage boy, who is named Chu Yunqing, turned around fast to see two teenage girls and another teenage boy standing behind him. He smiled at them as a sign of relief that they are kids he knows back where he lives.

“A little bit, Pei Jin.” Chu Yunqing said, “What about you, Wen Lengxiang, and Xie Cheng?”

“I’m a bit nervous, too.” Pei Jin said, “I’m so used to being homeschooled, it feels weird to start a school and be surrounded by people other than my master Jiang Zhen and Dugu Zhang.” 

“I wish I could finish being homeschooled like my brother did.” Xie Cheng said, “But my parents insisted that I attend a school because it would benefit me as one holding the honor of the Xie family. And it doesn’t help that they made that decision in the middle of the school year.” He rolled his eyes at the idea.

“I’m actually looking forward to starting a new school.” Wen Lengxiang added, “But I will miss my friends from the Chang’an Institute for Girls.” She frowned as she reminisced about her time at her old school.

“As nervous as we are,” Chu Yunqing said with a smile, “I trust that we will all like it here.”

“Well, let’s go!” Pei Jin replied excitedly, “I can’t wait to see our rooms!”

 The four friends entered the dormitory to be greeted by a boy and a girl dressed in preppy clothing and a tiny fairy with glowing antennae, pink wings, hair in the color of snow, and dressed in a matching dress.

“Welcome to the Story Kingdom Academy!” the fairy said with a smile, “I’m Isabel, principal of this school.”

“I’m Marie Antoinette,” the preppy girl said, “President of the student council.”

“And I’m Louis Auguste,” the preppy boy added, “Vice President of the student council. Here are your class schedules and locker and dorm room assignments.”

He and Marie handed Pei Jin, Chu Yunqing, Xie Cheng, and Wen Lengxiang four pieces of paper, and the four new students took one. 

“Pei Jin and Wen Lengxiang,” Principal Isabel said, “Follow Marie to the girls’ dorm rooms. They’re on your left. Xie Cheng and Chu Yunqing, follow Louis to the boys’ dorm rooms. They’re on your right.”

Pei Jin and Wen Lengxiang followed Marie upstairs to the girls’ dorm rooms, and Xie Cheng and Chu Yunqing followed Louis to the boys’ dorm rooms.

As Xie Cheng and Chu Yunqing followed Louis, Chu Yunqing whispered to Xie Cheng,

“So, who are you rooming with this year?”

Xie Cheng looked at the paper that showed his class schedule and locker and dorm room assignment and whispered back,

“I’m rooming with someone named Laurence. What about you?”

Chu Yunqing looked at his paper and replied,

“I’m rooming with Apollo. I hope I’ll get along with him.”

As Louis stopped walking, so did Xie Cheng and Chu Yunqing.

“Well, these are the dorm rooms.” Louis said, “Please, make yourselves at home. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask me or any of the members of the student council.”

“Thank you.” Xie Cheng replied with a smile.

“Thank you.” Chu Yunqing repeated.

 As Louis departed to his room, Xie Cheng and Chu Yunqing entered their rooms, which were right across from each other.

As Chu Yunqing entered his room, he caught a whiff of a strong fragrance of pomegranate and laurel that nearly made him faint. He saw that half of the room was decorated like a Greek palace bedroom, from laurel wreaths hanging on the wall to stones with ancient Greek carved onto them on top of the dresser.

“Hey!” a boy said with so much enthusiasm, “You must be my new roommate! I’m Apollo! Pleased to meet you!”

He took Chu Yunqing’s hand and shook so hard, Chu Yunqing’s upper body shook along with his hand. Apollo had hair in the color of sunshine accessorized with a gold headband wrapped around his forehead. His white t-shirt with sky blue accents was tight enough for him to show off his well-defined muscles, and his white jeans were accessorized with a brown leather belt with a bronze buckle with a sun engraved into it.

“Uh,” Chu Yunqing said, overwhelmed by how energetic his roommate was, “Hi, Apollo. I’m Chu Yunqing. I’m new here.”

“Well,” Apollo replied with a beaming smile, “It’s not everyday you meet a new kid at school. I’d say this calls for a celebration!”

“But,” Chu Yunqing said sheepishly, “Can I get settled in, first? I have to unpack and make myself at home here.”

“Right.” Apollo answered, “I’ll let you get to it then.”

This is gonna be an interesting semester. Chu Yunqing thought as he opened his suitcase.

Chapter Text

As Chu Yunqing walked to his first class, a student bumped into him, making him stumble. The student turned around and said,

“Watch it!” 

Chu Yunqing looked confused.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “But I think you’re the one who bumped into me.”

The student who bumped into Chu Yunqing had short brown hair and a scar near his left eye, and he was wearing an outfit that looked like it had been worn out after a long time being outdoors. He sneered and grabbed Chu Yunqing by the collar.

“Don’t try me, newbie.” he growled, “Or you’ll regret it.”

When the gruff student noticed Chu Yunqing has blue fins behind his ears, he called,

“Hey! Ferdinand!”

A student standing by his locker turned around when he heard his name called. He had spiky hair and was dressed in the color of mustard.

“Yeah, Tybalt?” he asked.

“Is it just me, or is there something ‘fishy’ about this new guy?” Tybalt asked.

“Fishy?” Ferdinand snickered, “That’s funny!”

Tybalt joined in as he shoved Chu Yunqing to the floor. Chu Yunqing felt his heart tighten in pain. He remembered how his sisters would tease him for his fins, but they were never this cruel to him.

Then, a student grabbed Tybalt and Ferdinand by the shoulder and firmly  said,

“Hey! What do you think you two are doing? Leave him alone, or I’ll report both of you to Principal Isabel!”

“Why? Because you’re part of the student council, cousin?” Tybalt taunted.

“No.” his cousin said quietly with his arms crossed.

Tybalt’s cousin had short hair that was in a lighter shade of brown than Tybalt’s, and he was wearing a gray blazer with maroon accents and gold buttons, a white dress shirt, black trousers, and brown dress shoes. 

“Because I don’t like how you and your friend treat other students.” he continued, “It’s unacceptable, and I’m asking you to let this student be. And get to class before you’re late.” 

Tybalt and Ferdinand rolled their eyes, but didn’t argue any further with Tybalt’s cousin and went off to their classes.

Tybalt’s cousin stretched out his hand for Chu Yunqing to grab and pulled him back up on his feet.

“Thanks.” Chu Yunqing said.

“I’m really sorry.” Tybalt’s cousin said, “Please don’t let my cousin and his friend get to you. I never understood why they’re so rude to everyone.”

“It’s fine.” Chu Yunqing said, shaking his head, “I’m used to being teased for my fins. But it wasn’t as harsh as this time. My sisters are more playful than harsh when they tease me for my fins.”

“Fins?” Tybalt’s cousin asked, “You mean…?” 

“Yes,” Chu Yunqing said, “I’m a merman. It’s hard for me to hide it because my fins and scales give it away. The only people who know I’m a merman are my friends Pei Jin, Wen Lengxiang, and Xie Cheng.”

Chu Yunqing waited for Tybalt’s cousin to laugh at him. Instead, he smiled.

“There’s no need to be shy.” Tybalt’s cousin assured Chu Yunqing, “There are plenty of students and faculty who have special abilities, too.”

“Seriously?” Chu Yunqing asked with excitement.

“Yes.” Tybalt’s cousin said, “Story Kingdom Academy is the most magical school here because of that.” 

“Well, I have to get to my history class.” Chu Yunqing said, “I don’t want to be late.”

“Who’s your history teacher?” Tybalt’s cousin asked.

“Mister Sinbad.” Chu Yunqing answered.

“I have him as my history teacher, too.” Tybalt’s cousin said, “I actually have him first. We can go to his class together.” 

“Okay.” Chu Yunqing said, “I’m Chu Yunqing, by the way.”

He stretched out his hand, and Tybalt’s cousin shook it.

“Welcome to Story Kingdom Academy, Chu Yunqing.” Tybalt’s cousin said, “I’m Julius.”

He and Chu Yunqing continued to talk as they walked to their first class.

It was lunchtime, and Chu Yunqing was putting away his school stuff in his locker before heading to the cafeteria. As he closed his locker, he turned to see a boy leaning against the lockers with his arms crossed.

The boy was shorter and tanner than Chu Yunqing, he had curly black hair tied back with wooden beads and eyes so blue, it couldn’t be his natural eye color, and he’s wearing a sky blue v-neck, a royal blue scarf, a gold watch on his left wrist, white capri sweatpants, and royal blue slip-on sneakers.

“Hi?” Chu Yunqing said with uncertainty.

“Looks like I have a new locker neighbor.” the blue boy said.

“Yes.” Chu  Yunqing said, “You’re quite observant.”

“I’m just saying that I’m glad to not have a locker next to Apollo’s.” the blue boy replied, “He would drive me crazy by saying ‘Hi, locker neighbor!’ every. Single. Day! It got old WAY too fast.”

“You know Apollo?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“Yeah.” the blue boy answered.

Weren’t you even listening?

“He’s my roommate.” Chu Yunqing pointed out.

The blue boy’s eyes widened. He then closed his eyes, shook his head, and said,

“Best of luck to you. If he’s perky as a locker neighbor, he’d be even perkier as a roommate.”

“What do you know about Apollo?” Chu Yunqing asked as he and the blue boy walked towards the cafeteria.

“Apollo’s like the biggest flirt in this school!” the blue boy said, “He would just flirt with every girl he finds pretty. I don’t know why, but his flirting stopped when he met Helen. I really hope he’s finally found a girl to legitimately fall in love with.”

“Okay…” Chu Yunqing said, unsure what to make of the blue boy.

Deciding to change the subject, Chu Yunqing asked,

“Would you like to sit with me and my friends? I’m sure they would love to see you.”

The blue boy remained silent before giving an answer.

“Thanks, but I already have a table to sit at.” he said bluntly, “Maybe next time.”

As the blue boy strided away from the lockers, Chu Yunqing called out,

“Can I least know your name? We can probably hang out somewhere else.”

“Call me Light.” the blue boy replied, “That’s what my friends call me.”

You mean you have another name, but you prefer to be called Light? Chu Yunqing thought. However, he brushed it off, not wanting to come out as a nosy new student.

“And that won’t be necessary.” the blue boy added, “We will only be seeing each other in the classrooms, anyway.”

Chu Yunqing sat down at the table Jin, Lengxiang, and Xie Cheng were sitting at. He told them about his first impression of Apollo, his first meeting with Julius, and his encounter with Light. Wen Lengxiang was the first person to respond.

“What a peculiar boy.” she said, “He’s the first one to reject your invitation. Nobody has ever said no to you before.”

“It’s just a brief first meeting.” Chu Yunqing said, shaking his head, “I don’t blame him if he doesn’t want to sit with me, yet.”

“I had breakfast with my roommate Laurence.” Xie Cheng said, “He’s told me some good things about Julius, but I could tell he’s hiding something that’s against Julius. I don’t know if it's suspicion or jealousy.”

“He shouldn’t harbor such feelings, though.” Wen Lengxiang said, “After all, Julius defended Chu Yunqing from bullies. How Tybalt and Ferdinand treated Chu Yunqing was awful!”

“As for Apollo,” Pei Jin said, “I had breakfast with my roommate Signy as well as two other girls named Romy and Helen. Helen told me that Apollo appears to be a nice guy, but boys would accuse him for being too friendly with girls. She even said there’s something he’s not telling her.”

“Hmm…” Chu Yunqing said.

Meanwhile, Light was sitting at another table with a boy and a girl who had tan skin like him. The girl was wearing a white dress with a red cardigan with flowing sleeves and a white bandana wrapped around her hair. The boy was wearing a cream-colored sweater with a matching beanie and a golden scarf.

“Light, again?” the girl asked, “You really need to make friends.”

“I already told you, Gina.” Light said, “I’m happy with having you and Kahir as friends. I don’t need anybody else.”

“But a lot of our classmates aren’t as bad as you think.” the boy whose name is Kahir said, “Why don’t you give them a chance?”

“I already have a problem with two of our classmates, Kahir!” Light snapped, “I don’t want to get to know them or have anything to do with them!”

“What happened between you three was only a misunderstanding!” Gina said sternly, “Can’t you just let it go and find a way to get along with them?”

“No!” Light remarked.

Then, the school bell rang, meaning lunch is over, and it’s time to go back to class.

   “So,” Apollo spoke as he strummed his lyre, “How was your first day at Story Kingdom Academy?”

His question caught Yunqing off guard.

“There were a few bumps during my first day.” Chu Yunqing finally answered, “But, it was pretty good.”

Chu Yunqing told Apollo about how his day went. Apollo listened before he said,

“Julius? I’ve heard a lot about him, but I’ve never talked to him before. I find him a rather strange person.”

“Why is that?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“He’s the heir of the wealthy Capulet family, but he doesn’t have any airs about him. In fact, he’d take small jobs, even though his family’s rich. Sometimes he works at a restaurant, sometimes he works at the public library, and sometimes he works at a clothing store. In fact, he works as a model for his go-to clothing store called Designer Works. Not only that, both students and teachers love him and consider him a model student. He’s even a member of the student council.”

“I think that’s great that Julius takes small jobs, even though he’s rich.” Chu Yunqing said, “That means he’s learning how to be responsible, independent, and grounded. I’ve seen too many news reports on rich kids getting into trouble with the law because their parents spoiled them for their entire lives.”

Apollo fell silent and pondered what Chu Yunqing said.

“You could be right, Chu Yunqing.” he said, “But there’s more.”

Apollo walked quickly to the door and placed an ear to it to hear a few boys chatting on the other side. He walked back to Chu Yunqing and said in a low whisper,

“I’ve heard rumors of Julius secretly dating Romy, the daughter of the wealthy Montague family. They had to keep a low profile while they’re off campus because their families don’t like each other.”

Chu Yunqing’s eyes widened. He never thought someone as sensible as Julius could have a rebellious side. But he shook his head and said,

“I can’t make a judgment on Julius based on rumors alone. I should talk to him about that to find out if that’s true.”

“You’re a good person, Chu Yunqing.” Apollo said with a chuckle.

“Now, what do you know about Light?” Chu Yunqing asked.

Apollo’s smile turned into a straight line once Chu Yunqing said the name Light.

“Light?” he asked flatly, “He’s a loner, except he has only two friends Gina and Kahir. Even though he plays for the soccer team for our school, I’ve heard the coach said Light is rather distant from his teammates. Whenever someone other than Gina and Kahir approaches him, he would brush them off, kind of like how he did to you. To put it shortly, he has his own group of friends, and I have mine. It’s best if it remains that way.”

Chu Yunqing felt like he couldn’t agree with Apollo. However, he remained silent before changing the subject.

“How about you?” Chu Yunqing asked, “How was school for you?”

“Pretty good.” Apollo said.

He told Chu Yunqing about his day until they decided to get started on their homework.

Chapter Text

It is Saturday morning, meaning the school week is done, and the weekend has begun. Chu Yunqing decided to make use of the Story Kingdom Academy pool. So, he changed into his white swimming trunks with ocean waves stitched onto the cuffs that reached his knees. in the locker room and entered the aquatic center, where the pool is. He climbed onto one of the eight diving boards, and dove into the water. Yunqing resurfaced and looked down at his legs as they merge into one to form a long, scaly tail that’s in the same color as his ear fins.

“Feels so good to make use of this again.” he said to himself, flipping his tailfin.

Chu Yunqing swam for at least thirty minutes when all of a sudden, his LanternPhone started playing a ringtone with sounds of waves crashing and seagulls calling. He picked up his phone to see it was Julius calling. They exchanged numbers when Chu Yunqing decided to go into the common room and happened to bump into Julius there. Chu Yunqing pressed the green button and put his phone up to his ear.

“Hello?” he said.

“Hey, Chu Yunqing.” Julius said over the phone, “I’m meeting up with a friend for lunch, and he asked if you would like to join us.”

“Sure.” Chu Yunqing answered happily, “I just need to shower and change first after I’m done swimming. What time are we meeting?”

“We’re meeting at noon.” Julius clarified, “We’re going to the Inu-hariko.”

“Okay.” Chu Yunqing said, “I’ll see you there.”

“See you there.” Julius said before hanging up.

Chu Yunqing hung up before pushing himself out of the pool to sit on the floor and grabbed his towel to dry himself off until he gained back his legs. After taking a bath and getting changed into a red t-shirt, brown shorts and blue sneakers, Chu Yunqing left his room and headed towards the bus stop. He got onto the bus that takes students to the Summer Boulevard, a town where students go to dine outside the school, shop, and enjoy some entertainment. Once the bus arrived at the stop at the Summer Boulevard, Chu Yunqing stepped off and saw the restaurant just one block away. He walked towards the restaurant to see Julius talking to a boy wearing an ivory long sleeve with gold yellow accents, khaki trousers, and brown dress shoes and had his black hair tidied up with product.

Julius turned to see Chu Yunqing and waved at him.

“Chu Yunqing!” he said with a smile, “You made it!”

“Hi, Julius.” Chu Yunqing said, returning the smile, “Did I keep you waiting?”

“Actually,” Julius said, “You’re right on time.”

He gestured a hand towards the boy in ivory and gold.

“Chu Yunqing,” Julius said, “This is my friend Aldous. Aldous, Chu Yunqing.”

“Hi, Chu Yunqing.” Aldous said as he shook hands with Chu Yunqing, “Nice to meet you.”

“You too, Aldous.” Chu Yunqing said.

He, Aldous, and Julius entered the Inu-hariko and sat at a table near a tank filled with koi goldfish. After placing their order, Aldous asked,

“So Chu Yunqing, how was your first day at the Story Kingdom Academy?”

“It wasn’t too bad.” Chu Yunqing answered, “Apollo and I are getting along very well. He’s still overly energetic, but he’s still a cool guy. I met my old friends’ roommates, and they were all really nice.”

“That’s great, Chu Yunqing.” Aldous said with a smile, “I’m glad you enjoyed your first day.”

After the food was served, the three boys continued talking about how school went for them yesterday as they ate. Julius paid the bill before he, Chu Yunqing, and Aldous left the restaurant. As they walked toward the bus stop, Julius asked,

“So, what are you gonna do for the rest of the weekend, Chu Yunqing?”

“I don’t know, Julius.” Chu Yunqing answered, “I didn’t have much homework. So, I got it all done for Monday. Maybe I should make a list of activities to do on campus after getting my homework done.”

“That’s a good idea.” Aldous said as he and his friends got on the bus, “I wish I could take advantage of the school activities, but I’m always busy with school, work, and student council duties.”

“Both of you are part of the student council?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“Yes.” Aldous said, “That’s where Julius and I met and became friends. It’s exhausting to be busy all the time, but it can be a nice distraction from my brother. He would just drive me crazy. All. The. Time!”

“Who’s your brother?” Yunqing asked.

“You’ll see.” Aldous said with a look that told Chu Yunqing to be prepared.

Once the bus came to a stop at the school, the three boys got off and walked toward the dormitory.

“Thanks for inviting me to lunch, guys.” Chu Yunqing said with a smile.

“Of course.” Julius said, returning the smile, “We’re glad you could join.”

Just then, a loud roar revved through the parking lot. Aldous squeezed his eyes shut and threw his head back, saying with exasperation,

“Here we go, again.”

A shiny, black motorcycle approached near where Aldous, Julius, and Chu Yunqing were standing. The biker removed his black helmet to reveal a boy who looked no more than seventeen with ebony hair that covered his nape, and he was wearing ripped jeans, black leather boots and jacket, and a solid burgundy t-shirt.

“Hey, guys!” the biker said with much cockiness, “Look what I’ve got!”

“Okay, Audwin!” Aldous said with obvious annoyance, “We get it! You got the motorcycle you wanted! Now, can you stop showing it off? It’s gotten old!”

“C’mon, brother!” Audwin retorted, patting his motorcycle, “Show some appreciation to Big Crow!”

Oh, great. Aldous thought, He’s given a name for it, too.

“Chu Yunqing,” he said aloud, “Meet my brother, Audwin.” 

“Hi, Audwin.” Chu Yunqing said with hesitation, “So, you got a motorcycle and named it Big Crow? That’s cool.”

“See, Aldous?” Audwin said, “The new kid’s impressed.”

“I have a name!” Chu Yunqing exclaimed, “I’m Chu Yunqing.”

“Don’t worry, Chu Yunqing.” Julius said, patting Chu Yunqing on the back, “Audwin’s just being...Audwin.”

“Who else would I be, Jules?” Audwin said, standing up from his bike, “I certainly don’t want to be that loudmouth of an egomaniac Ferdinand!”

He stuck his tongue out at the name of his sworn enemy.

“Then don’t be like him.” Julius replied, rolling his eyes, “And don’t call me Jules. It’s not even a nickname.”

Aldous let out a long sigh and asked,

“Audwin, what are you planning?”

“Nothing for today.” Audwin innocently answered, “But someday, I’ll take Signy for a ride on Big Crow.”

“If you’re gonna do that,” Aldous said, “You better ride safely and have a helmet for Signy.”

“Don’t worry, Aldous.” Audwin said, holding up a lavender helmet, “I won’t put Signy in danger on the road.”

As Aldous and Audwin continued with their brotherly chat, Chu Yunqing and Julius nodded at each other to say they both wanted to go back into the dormitory. After notifying Aldous, the two walked into the dormitory.

“So,” Chu Yunqing said, “Aldous and Audwin are brothers?”

“Not just brothers.” Julius corrected, “Twins. But they’re complete opposites. Aldous is very focused on his academics, all the teachers like him, and he’s considered the model student of the school. Because he gets straight As and follows all the rules, he was considered eligible for the student council, and he took part in it. Audwin, on the other hand, is more laid back and less serious about school. He would prefer to ride his motorcycle and play his guitar. However, he’s a very talented artist and shows promise in art, music, and drama classes.”

“Do they quarrel often?” Chu Yunqing asked, “I know I quarrel with my sisters sometimes.”

“You have no idea.” Julius said with a long, deep breath, “They would try to one up each other every day. The only things they have in common are that they both have a crush on Signy and dislike Ferdinand.”

Then, Julius’s LanternPhone rang. Julius pulled it out of his pocket and answered,

“Hello?”

“Hey, Julius!” a female voice called over the phone, “Are you still up for our date tonight?”

“Yes, Romy.” Julius answered, “But the park’s a public place. Are you sure nobody will spot us there?”

“I’m certain of it.” the girl answered, “Besides, we attend a boarding school. We don’t have to worry about sneaking out of our houses. As long as we’re careful with who we tell about us, our parents won’t find out.”

“I trust you.” Julius said, “I’ll see you tonight.”

“See you tonight.” the girl replied.

After Julius turned off his phone, Chu Yunqing asked,

“Who was that?”

Julius hesitated. He wanted to tell his new friend about his secret romance, and yet he’s not sure if he could trust him with the secret just yet.

“I’ll tell you about it later.” Julius replied, “Anyway, I gotta go and get ready. Enjoy the rest of your Saturday.”

As Julius got on the elevator to his room, Chu Yunqing was left thinking,

What a strange Saturday. And the girl Julius was on the phone with was Romy. Was Apollo right about them having a secret relationship? I’ll ask Julius about it later.

Chapter Text

On Monday, Chu Yunqing made it to his drama class and saw that Audwin, Apollo, Julius, and Light were in that class, too.

How come I’ve never talked to them in this class, before? Chu Yunqing asked himself, This is my third period class as well as theirs. I guess I’ve been so focused on getting familiar with Story Kingdom Academy, I never thought to talk to them.

“Is everything okay, Chu Yunqing?” Julius asked, interrupting Yunqing’s thoughts.

Chu Yunqing snapped back into reality and looked back at Julius.

“Oh, yes.” he said quickly, “I was just thinking about what a coincidence it is to see you, Light, Apollo, and Audwin in this class.”

“How so?” Julius asked.

Before Chu Yunqing could respond, Light said to Apollo,

“I don’t have time for your ‘Hi, locker neighbor’ shenanigans, anymore, Blondie!”

“What’s so wrong with that?” Apollo asked casually,

“They drive me crazy! That’s why!” Light said, gritting his teeth, “Sometimes, I just want to punch you in your perfect teeth!”

“When are you gonna accept the fact you’re not tall enough to reach, Half-Pint?” Audwin spoke up.

“Stay out of this, Bird Brain!” Light spat at Audwin, “You know what? Both you and your goody two shoes brother are bird brains!”

“It wasn’t funny the previous times you called us that,” Audwin spat back, “And it’s still not funny, now!”

Chu Yunqing looked at Light, Audwin, and Apollo, who were still quarreling.

“Do they always fight like that?” he asked Julius.

“Let’s just say they didn’t first meet under good circumstances.” Julius answered.

All of the students quieted down once the drama teacher Fumiyo Shiratori entered the classroom. With her preppy yet perky outfit, she appeared as stern as a mother warning her child as well as gentle as a mother comforting her child. 

“Good morning, class.” Shiratori said with a voice as sophisticated as a proper noble, “This week, you’ll be put into groups of five to work on a project for Performance Friday. You can do a scene from a movie, TV show, or play, a dance routine, a music performance, or make your own skit. Once again, no lip sync. I want to see real talent from real people.”

Some of the students groaned in response to not being able to lip sync for their project.

Shiratori counted the students by pointing her finger towards them before saying,

“This should be easy, since there are twenty students. d’Eon, Akira, Franklin, Christine, and Romy will be Group 1. Vincent, Jo, Yuko, Caroline, and Erik will be Group 2. Gina, Helen, Signy, Bellona, and Meg will be Group 3. Chu Yunqing, Julius, Audwin, Light, and Apollo will be Group 4.”

“What?!” Light, Apollo, and Audwin exclaimed in unison.

“There must be a misunderstanding, Ms. Shiratori.” Audwin said, “Can I just be in Signy’s group, instead?”

“I’m sorry, Audwin.” Shiratori answered, “My hands are tied. Besides, you’ve been Signy’s partner or in her group multiple times already in this class. It’s time you work with new people.”

Audwin made a long face.

“But why would I want to work with Blondie and Bird Brain?” Light asked with a grumble.

“Light,” Shiratori said sternly, “We’ve talked about this nickname business. And if you can’t get along with Audwin and Apollo, I will have to make you three sit out on this project. Agreed?”

“Agreed.” Light replied with a heavy sigh.

“Now gather into your groups and discuss what you’re going to do for your Performance Friday project.” Shiratori said with her attention toward the whole class, “Good luck.”

Julius and Chu Yunqing walked towards Apollo, Audwin, and Light as other students gathered in their groups. The five boys were all silent before Chu Yunqing said,

“So, now that we’re in a group, let’s talk about what to do for our project.”

“Before you can say anything, Apollo,” Audwin said, “We’re not doing anything from Disney, again.”

“Well,” Apollo replied hastily, “We’re certainly not doing any of your choices of movies, Audwin.”

“Guys…” Julius began to speak before Audwin interrupted with,

“You have no taste!”

“Disney’s Hercules is a masterpiece.” Apollo said.

“Both of you have terrible taste.” Light said bluntly.

“Okay,” Chu Yunqing said, breaking the tension, “How about we start by saying something nice about each other. I’ll go first.”

He turned his attention towards Audwin.

“Audwin,” Chu Yunqing said pointing at Audwin’s black leather jacket, “Cool jacket. Now, it’s your turn.”

“Are you always this perky?” Audwin asked.

“I hope not.” Light said, crossing his arms, “It makes it harder for you to feel sorry for yourself when you’re perky all the time.”

“How is it a bad thing, Light?” Chu Yunqing asked, “I heard you are always making puns. Can I hear them all?”

“Trust me, Chu Yunqing.” Audwin said, “You don’t want to hear Light’s puns. They’re terrible. The only people who’d find them funny are toddlers.”

“Then,” Light said, “You have a sick sense of humor, Bird Brain!”

“You call me that one more time…” Audwin said, gritting his teeth.

“I think both of you have a sick sense of humor.” Apollo said, taking a turn to be blunt.

“What makes you think I care about your opinions, Blondie?” Light asked sassily.

“Call me Blondie again…” Apollo said, narrowing his eyes.

“Enough!” Julius said firmly, “We need to figure out what to do for our project. This class is supposed to be an easy A, but if we continue to argue like this, we will fail.”

“Stay out of this, Capulet.” Light said, his voice hard as stone, “This is between me, Audwin, and Apollo.”

“Have you boys figured out what you’re going to do for your project?” Shiratori asked, walking towards Audwin, Apollo, Light, Chu Yunqing, and Julius.

“Not yet—” Julius said politely before Chu Yunqing interrupted.

“Yes!” Chu Yunqing said excitedly, “We’re thinking about singing a song together!”

“What?!” Julius, Apollo, Light, and Audwin asked in unison.

“Well,” Shiratorti said, “That took less time than I expected. I’m very impressed. Remember, you have until Friday to practice your performance.”

“Okay, Ms. Shiratori.” Chu Yunqing said with a smile.

As Shiratori walked away to check on another group, Chu Yunqing turned around to see his group looking at him like he’s grown a second head.

“What?” he asked, “We only have until Friday to work on this. I don’t want us to spend it arguing over what to do for our project. So, I thought we could do something we can all enjoy doing.”

“Okay,” Light said with an exasperated sigh, “I suppose we can sing a song together, but it better not be a sappy love song like the ones Blondie likes.”

“Well I don’t want to sing one of those rock songs that have people screaming at the top of their lungs!” Apollo said, crossing his arms and sticking his nose up at the ceiling.

“Hey!” Audwin said with eyes like burning embers, “At least it’s better than those hip hop dance remixes Shorty dances to. Those rappers rap so fast, I can’t even understand what they’re saying!”

Light’s jaw dropped in offense.

“Why you—!”

The bell rang for the end of the class, and as the five boys exited the classroom, Chu Yunqing asked,

“How about we can continue discussing what we should do for our project after school?”

“Yeah, sure.” Apollo mumbled.

“Whatever.” Light said, rolling his eyes.

“Tsk.” Audwin said.

“Come on, guys.” Julius said, “Can we just agree on this?”

“No!” Audwin, Apollo, and Light said in unison.

Julius facepalmed.

In the common room of the dormitory, Julius and Chu Yunqing were sitting at a booth with a notebook on the table, while Apollo was sitting in a couch with his lyre in his hands, Audwin was sitting at another booth with his guitar leaning against the table in the case, and Light was sitting in another couch, playing a game on his phone.

“Okay.” Julius said, standing up, “Chu Yunqing and I have come up with some ideas.”

He walked toward Light.

“Wanna join in the discussion?” Julius asked.

“No.” Light said, pointing at Apollo and Audwin, “If they’re gonna join, I’m not interested.”

“And I’m too busy working on a song for Helen.” Apollo said, not looking at any of the four boys.

Audwin abruptly stood up, grabbed his guitar, and walked toward the elevators.

“Where are you going?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“Away from here and those two imbeciles.” Audwin said in a low voice.

“I just have the same idea.” Light said, standing up and putting his phone in his pants pocket. As he walked toward the elevators, Apollo stood up and walked toward the door to the boys’ dorm rooms.

“Apollo, come on.” Julius said, “Don’t you want to do this?”

“Only if they would stop annoying me.” Apollo answered, “It’s like I’m dealing with two Hermes, except one’s emo and the other’s an annoying jock.”

Once Apollo’s in the boys’ dorm hall, Chu Yunqing asked,

“Who’s Hermes?”

“Apollo’s half-brother.” Julius answered, “It’s a long story.”

He let out a long, heavy sigh before speaking again.

“There’s got to be a way of getting our group together and agree on what to do for our project. If we don’t do it before Friday, we’re totally going to fail.”

“I just don’t understand why they don’t like each other so much.” Chu Yunqing said.

“They fight the same way my cousin and I would fight when we were little kids.” Julius added, “Don’t even get me started on the times my dad put us in time out.”

“I really want to be friends with all four of you.” Chu Yunqing said, “But it’s really hard when Light, Apollo, and Audwin can’t stand each other. How can we make all three of them happy?”

Before Julius could answer, his LanternPhone vibrated. He picked it up to see a text message from Romy that read,

I’m outside.

Julius texted,

Okay. I’ll be right there.

After sending the text message, Julius got up and said,

“I’m sorry, Chu Yunqing. I’m meeting up with a friend. Maybe I can talk to her and ask if she can help us resolve the tension between Light, Apollo, and Audwin.”

“Okay.” Chu Yunqing said before Julius headed toward the elevator.

He’s probably having another secret rendezvous with Romy. Chu Yunqing thought, I really need to talk to him about it. However, I need to solve the problem about Apollo, Light, and Audwin first. 

“Hey, Chu Yunqing.” Pei Jin said, walking toward Chu Yunqing.

Chu Yunqing snapped back into reality when he heard Pei Jin.

“Oh,” he said, “Hi, Pei Jin.”

“I heard about what happened in your drama class.” Pei Jin said, fiddling with her emerald earrings, “I’m sorry you were put in such a group.”

“It’s not so bad, Pei Jin.” Chu Yunqing said, shaking his head, “I’m more concerned about the relationship between Apollo, Audwin, and Light. I want everyone in my group to be friends, but I don’t know how to solve this feud Apollo, Audwin, and Light have.”

“Hmm…” Pei Jin said, looking down. She looked back at Chu Yunqing with a smile and said,

“Maybe I can help. How about we talk more about this over dinner?”

“That sounds great.” Chu Yunqing said happily.

Chapter Text

“Thanks for agreeing to meet for dinner, Pei Jin.” Chu Yunqing said.

“Of course, Chu Yunqing.” Pei Jin said.

After they placed their orders, Chu Yunqing explained the situation to Pei Jin. Pei Jin sat and listened quietly before she spoke.

“So,” she said, “Julius told you the reason Apollo, Audwin, and Light have a problem with each other is because they didn’t meet on good terms? Did he tell you anything other than that?”

“No, Pei Jin.” Chu Yunqing said with a sigh, shaking his head, “Maybe he didn’t go into detail because he thinks it’s not his story to tell.”

“Julius is a thoughtful person.” Pei Jin said, nodding her head, “But given how Apollo, Audwin, and Light fight, it’ll make it more difficult for you to work on your project since you five are in a group together.”

“It’s just so frustrating!” Chu Yunqing complained, “The way they fight just reminds me of my sisters! They would argue and refuse to speak to each other after that. And whenever Apollo, Audwin, and Light spoke to each other, it immediately turned into an argument!”

Chu Yunqing took a deep breath like he just had an argument with someone before continuing.

“I want to be friends with my group a lot. But with three of them not getting along, it’s so difficult! I feel like if I hang out with any of them, they would get angry and say I’m not allowed to hang out with them.”

Out of nowhere, Pei Jin started laughing like Chu Yunqing just told her the funniest joke ever.

“Why are you laughing, Pei Jin?!” Chu Yunqing asked, obviously upset with Pei Jin’s reaction, “It’s not funny!”

Pei Jin became breathless. Once she caught her breath she replied,

“Chu Yunqing, I’m not laughing at you. I’m laughing because I had the same dilemma you’re having.”

“You did?” Chu Yunqing asked.

Pei Jin nodded.

“Remember when you and Xie Cheng first met?” she asked.

“Oh, yeah!” Chu Yunqing said with a smile, “I remember I was plucking an elderly man’s hair until he grew a head full of black hair. Someone else wanted me to do it for him, but I kept telling him to wait his turn. But, he didn’t. So, he ended up with green hair. I guess I didn’t realize Xie Cheng saw everything and chased me down because he thought I was trouble.”

“From then on, you two couldn’t stand each other.” Pei Jin pointed out, “Whenever I come to see both of you, you refuse to talk to each other. And when you two did talk to each other, it was always an argument. I tried to talk some sense to you and Xie Cheng, but neither of you would listen. One day, the drama got to the point when you and Xie Cheng told me I wasn’t allowed to hang out with either of you, which was SO unfair to me.”

“Looking back on that, that was unfair of me.” Chu Yunqing said, rubbing the back of his head, “I’m sorry, Pei Jin.”

“I’ve already accepted both your and Xie Cheng’s apologies, Chu Yunqing.” Pei Jin said before taking a sip of her soda, “Anyway, I was so frustrated with both of you that I decided to go to my master for help. She told me if I tried to talk to both you and Xie Cheng at the same time, it would still cause problems.”

“So, what did she suggest to you?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“She suggested I talk to you two individually.” Pei Jin answered, “I should tell both of you how I feel and listen to what you have to say. And once things calm down, I must have you talk to each other about why you don’t like each other. It wasn’t easy, but that’s what I did. And it worked like a miracle. Now, you and Xie Cheng are great friends.”

“I must admit,” Chu Yunqing said, “After hearing his story, Xie Cheng wasn’t such a bad person after all. He just has a lot of things on his shoulders because of the mantle he has to carry because his older brother isn’t in the condition to be in charge.”

“Indeed.” Pei Jin said, nodding her head again.

“So, the best approach to the situation with Apollo, Audwin, and Light is to talk to them individually?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“Yes.” Pei Jin answered, “Tell them how you feel and listen to what they have to say. Give them time to themselves after talking to them. And once things calm down, let them talk to each other and figure out why their relationship is so rocky.”

“I don’t know how much time that will take.” Chu Yunqing said, shaking his head again, “We won’t be able to do our project if it takes beyond Friday to help Apollo, Audwin, and Light to find common ground.”

“Chu Yunqing,” Pei Jin said with a sigh, “I think it’s more important to help your friends navigate this vulnerable state than fretting over getting a good grade.”

“I guess you’re right, Pei Jin.” Chu Yunqing said, “It’s just been so much for me, and I’m still new to Story Kingdom Academy.”

“Time will solve everything.” Pei Jin said, patting Chu Yunqing’s hand, “You’ll see.”

Chu Yunqing looked at Pei Jin’s hand on his, and a dusting of pink formed on his cheeks.

“Thanks, Pei Jin.” he said before taking a bite out of a pork dumpling to try to ignore the blush threatening to bloom like a flower.

After they finished their dinner, Pei Jin and Chu Yunqing made their way to the dorms. As they walked together, Chu Yunqing thought,

I wonder how I got so lucky to have a friend like Pei Jin? What was that feeling I just had when she touched my hand? Am I…falling in love with her? Only time will tell. But first, I need to talk to Julius about how to help Apollo, Audwin, and Light.

Chapter Text

The next day, Chu Yunqing met up with Julius at the cafeteria for breakfast. Chu Yunqing told Julius the advice Pei Jin gave him, and Julius said,

“A friend of mine suggested the same thing Pei Jin suggested. But, are you sure we can get them to talk to each other before Friday? Ms. Shiratori expects all of the groups to perform on Friday. She may be a nice teacher, but she can be stern when she needs to be.”

“This has to work.” Chu Yunqing pointed out, “If Apollo, Audwin, and Light keep on fighting, we won’t be able to work on our project. We have to at least give it a try. If we can hear their point of views and allow them to share them with each other, they’ll take the first step in getting along for the first time. It’ll be great if they become friends because I thought they would be great friends.”

Julius sank deep into thought before speaking up.

“Well,” he said, “This should be easier because this has been going on for only two years.”

“Easier?” Chu Yunqing asked, “You mean there’s a situation more difficult because it’s been going on for more than two years?”

“Yes.” Julius said with a sigh, “You have heard rumors about me secretly dating Romy Montague going around in the school, no?”

“I have.” Chu Yunqing answered, “But I wanted to ask you about them because they’re about you and Romy. I won’t come to a conclusion until I talk to you about those rumors.”

“Thank you for being considerate, Chu Yunqing.” Julius said with a smile, “I must tell you those rumors about me and Romy are true. We are dating in secret.”

“But why?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“It’s our families.” Julius replied, “The Montagues and the Capulets hate each other. This family feud started two hundred years ago when Master Montague and Lady Capulet died because they lost all hope of being together.”

“Why couldn’t they be together?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“Lady Capulet was engaged to someone else.” Julius said, “She and Master Montague tried to persuade their parents to call off the engagement, but they refused. So, the two lovers tried to elope, but their plan was exposed to their families. And when the Montagues and the Capulets found out about their deaths, the parents blamed each other, and the feud went on ever since.”

“That’s sad.” Chu Yunqing said with a sorrowful frown.

“It was.” Julius said, “There were always insults and duels between servants that ended in bloodshed, competition between businesses the two families own, even the lords would challenge each other to a duel from time to time again. The Montagues and the Capulets were rivals to the core. Romy and I are the only Montague and Capulet who get along.”

“Maybe what started this feud must be a misunderstanding.” Chu Yunqing said, “Surely, there’s a way to fix it.”

“I wish it were that simple.” Julius said, shaking his head, “But once a seed of hatred is planted, it’s hard to take it out of the ground. That’s why Romy and I have to keep our relationship a secret. Both she and I wish our families can make amends and have a peaceful relationship. We just don’t know how.”

“Well,” Chu Yunqing said, “Both of you can be the ones to take the first step and tell your close ones one at a time. And with time, you can tell your parents about it.”

“And what should Romy and I do if our parents don’t approve of our relationship?” Julius asked.

“Then tell them to find a new heir to the Montague and Capulet families.” Chu Yunqing strongly encouraged, “If you and Romy truly love each other, then that love is worth fighting for. You shouldn’t let the family feud get in the way of being happy.”

Julius looked at Chu Yunqing with wide eyes.

“I never thought someone could be so resolute with something as difficult as choosing between your family’s expectations and your own desires.” he said, “Thank you for your suggestion.”

“It’s your life, Julius.” Chu Yunqing said with a smile, “Take charge.”

“I will!” Julius said confidently.

“Hey, Julius!” a girl called as she entered the cafeteria.

The girl had ginger hair tied into a braid with a ribbon in the color of an emerald that matched with her dress, and her outfit was accessorized with jewelry made with gold and pearls.

“Romy!” Julius said, standing up to give the girl a hug, “You made it! I want to introduce you to my new friend Chu Yunqing. Chu Yunqing, this is Romy, my girlfriend.”

“Nice to meet you, Chu Yunqing.” Romy said with a smile.

“You too, Romy.” Chu Yunqing smiled back.

“Chu Yunqing gave me some advice nobody has ever given to me before.” Julius said to Romy, “I should share it with you.”

 “What’s that?” Romy asked.

Julius whispered Chu Yunqing’s advice in Romy’s ear, and Romy’s eyes widened.

“That’s so bold!” she said before breaking into a smile, “I love it!”

“Laurence will think you’re being reckless if you take it to heart, though.” Julius said.

“Who cares?” Romy asked, “I’m not a little girl anymore. Laurence needs to loosen up a bit and let me make my choices.”

“Laurence?” Chu Yunqing asked, “Xie Cheng’s roommate?”

“Yeah.” Romy said to him, “He’s my childhood friend. He knows about my relationship with Julius,  but he isn’t really happy about it. I swear, he worries about everything .”

“I’m sure Laurence will see that Julius is a good boyfriend to you, Romy.” Chu Yunqing, “You and Julius have my support.”

“Thanks, Chu Yunqing.” Julius said to Chu Yunqing, “It’s a relief to finally tell someone.”

“I don’t mean to change the subject,” Romy said, “But Julius told me about your situation with Apollo, Audwin, and Light.”

“Romy suggested the same thing Pei Jin suggested.” Julius explained, “But, I think you’re the one who can talk to Apollo, Audwin, and Light.”

“Me?” Chu Yunqing asked, “But, didn’t you try to talk to them? I think you’re more capable. You’re a student council member, after all.”

“They got all defensive when I tried to talk to them last night for that exact reason.” Julius said, shaking his head, “But you’re a gentle guy, Chu Yunqing. They might listen to you better.”

“Are you sure?” Chu Yunqing asked.

Julius nodded.

“We’ll split up.” he suggested, “You go talk to Apollo, Audwin, and Light, and I’ll make a list of songs that I think we’ll enjoy singing together for our project.”

“Alright.” Chu Yunqing said, nodding his head, “If you really think I can help Apollo, Audwin, and Light, I’ll do it. Our project counts on it.”

Then, the school bell rang.

“Oh, dear.” Romy said, “It’s time for me to go to my English class.”

“See you later, Romy.” Julius said as Romy left the cafeteria.

“I guess we’ll have to make our way to our history class.” Chu Yunqing class.

“Yeah.” Julius said, “Let’s go.”

Chapter Text

At the end of the school day, Chu Yunqing decided to go look for Apollo and talk to him in private. But when he entered his dorm room, he saw that Apollo wasn’t there.

Strange. Chu Yunqing thought, I thought he’d be in here.

He went back into the common room of the dorm to look around for Apollo, but Apollo was nowhere to be seen. As he was about to head to the elevator, he accidentally bumped into a girl with long, beautiful chocolate hair who was wearing a lavender dress.

“Oh!” the girl exclaimed, “I’m sorry! I didn’t see you.”

“It’s okay.” Chu Yunqing said, “But, you look like you’re running away from someone.”

“I’m trying to get away from Achilles.” the girl explained, “He’s been acting as my hall monitor and thinks I can’t go anywhere where he can’t follow.”

“Achilles?” Chu Yunqing asked, “Isn’t he the quarterback of the football team?”

“Yes.” the girl said, “He’s also my childhood friend. He eventually became my bodyguard when I started working as a model for my Aunt Cassandra’s fashion designs. I get he worries about my safety when it comes to getting a lot of attention from people who have seen me in magazines, but I’m still a normal girl who needs her personal space.”

It dawned on Chu Yunqing as he remembered seeing a girl on the cover of a fashion magazine that looked like the one standing before him.

“You must be Helen.” Chu Yunqing said with a smile, “Your mom is the hair stylist Leda over at the Golden Apple Salon, right?”

“Yes.” Helen said, “And you must be Chu Yunqing. Apollo told me a lot about you.”

Chu Yunqing was about to ask Helen how she knew Apollo when the elevator bell rang. Helen’s eyes widened.

“It must be Achilles!” she said in a frightened whisper, “Quick! We have to hide!”

Before Chu Yunqing could ask why, Helen pulled him toward one of the couches and hid behind it. Chu Yunqing peeked around to see a tall, muscular boy with a great tan, short brown hair with a scarlet streak on the front. He was wearing a solid tight T-shirt in the same color as the hair streak, a pair of ebony sport shorts, and sneakers.

So, that’s Achilles. Chu Yunqing thought, I would also be intimidated by a guy with a physique like that.

Chu Yunqing hid behind the couch and asked in a hushed tone,

“Anyway, you know Apollo?”

“Yes.” Helen whispered, “He and I became friends when he was a new student here. Achilles, however, wasn’t really happy with it. Whenever Apollo approaches me, Achilles would glare daggers and stand between him and me.”

“Goodness.” Chu Yunqing said.

He was enjoying talking to Helen, he nearly forgot what he was supposed to do.

“I don’t mean to change the subject,” Chu Yunqing said, “But I’m actually looking for Apollo. I want to talk to him, but he isn’t in our room or anywhere in the common room. Do you know where he is?”

“I don’t.” Helen answered, “But I do know he loves outdoor activities. Whenever he wants to be alone, he would go for a hike in the forest near the school called Mirage Forest. Try looking for him there.”

“Okay.” Chu Yunqing, “Thank you, Helen.”

Chu Yunqing made his way to the elevator while Helen remained quiet in her hiding place, so Achilles wouldn’t find her.

Chu Yunqing made his way to the entrance of the Mirage Forest. By the entrance was a map of five hiking trails color coded and named. There was the Lotus Lantern trail drawn in yellow, the Pine Bonsai trail drawn in green, the Eternal Snowflake trail drawn in blue, the Spider Lily trail drawn in pink, and the Cloud Mirror drawn in purple. Chu Yunqing looked at the map and asked himself,

“Which hiking trail would Apollo take?”

“His favorite is the Cloud Mirror trail.” spoke a voice that sounded female.

Chu Yunqing turned to see a girl with silvery white hair pulled back in a high ponytail wearing a dress that was in a color that looked like a mix between light blue and gray and jewelry with moon-shaped charms.

“Hi.” Chu Yunqing said, “I’m Chu Yunqing. I’m Apollo’s roommate.”

“Hello, Chu Yunqing.” the girl said with a smile, “I’m Artemis. I’m Apollo’s sister. I just came from hiking the Cloud Mirror trail.”

“You were looking for Apollo, too?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“Yeah.” Artemis said, “I found him, but our conversation didn’t go as well as I hoped.”

“What happened?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“All I wanted was to make sure he’s okay.” Artemis answered with a heavy sigh, “He said he doesn’t want to go home for the summer. I tried to tell him that we must, but he snapped and said he doesn’t want to deal with family drama anymore.”

Chu Yunqing didn’t say anything. He silently listened as Artemis continued,

“I just wish he would understand that as his sister, I want what’s best for him. He thinks I don’t understand what he’s going through when in reality, I know it all too well.”

“Sounds really serious.” Chu Yunqing said, “I’ll go find Apollo and try talking to him. I’m sure one day, he’ll understand that you want to help him go through this tough situation.”

“Thanks, Chu Yunqing.” Artemis said, “You’ll find Apollo at the waterfall, where the Cloud Mirror trail ends. Good luck.”

Chu Yunqing started his hike on the Cloud Mirror trail as Artemis made her way back to the school. Chu Yunqing followed the trees with purple rectangles painted on top, so he wouldn’t lose his way. He shivered as a soft breeze blew. However, he much preferred to hike in slightly chilly weather than in the sweltering heat. Sweat always made his scales itch.

Once he made it to the end of the trail, Chu Yunqing beheld a huge waterfall roaring as the water poured into the river at the bottom. As the sun shone on the falling water, a rainbow appeared in the rising mist.

No wonder Apollo likes taking this hiking trail. Chu Yunqing thought. 

Then, he saw Apollo staring at the waterfall. But when he approached him, Chu Yunqing noticed that Apollo showed no sign of enjoying the beautiful sight.

“Hey.” Chu Yunqing said.

Apollo turned his head to look at the merman.

“Hey.” Apollo said, “How did you find me?”

“It was pretty easy.” Chu Yunqing said, covering up the fact that he had help from Helen and Artemis.

The two boys remained silent for a moment before Chu Yunqing spoke up again.

“Are you doing alright?” he asked.

“I’m just fine.” Apollo said with a forced smile. 

Chu Yunqing didn’t buy it.

“No, you’re not.” he said bluntly, “I can tell there’s something on your mind.”

“Chu Yunqing,” Apollo said abruptly, “I appreciate that you want to keep me company and talk to me, but I’m not in the mood. I already told you and Julius that I’m not interested in working on this project with Light and Audwin.”

“I’m not here to talk about our project, Apollo.” Chu Yunqing replied, trying to keep his cool, “I’m here to talk about you.”

“Me?” Apollo asked, “Why?”

“I know we know each other for only a few days.” Chu Yunqing answered, “But I still care about you. Why is there such tension between you, Light, and Audwin? What happened that made you dislike them?”

Apollo’s eyes widened. Then, he closed his eyes as he let out a sigh as long as the Cloud Mirror hiking trail.

“I actually don’t dislike them.” he answered, “I think both Light and Audwin are really cool dudes. All I ever wanted to talk to them and become their friend. But all I got from them were negative responses. As the negativity continued, I started being negative in return. Why can’t they understand that I want to not only make them happy but myself happy, as well?”

“So, you actually like Light and Audwin, but they were being defensive toward you because you simply wanted for them to be happy, so you can be happy.” Chu Yunqing said, getting the facts straight.

“Yes.” Apollo said with another long sigh, “My home on Mount Olympus isn’t as glamorous mortals think it is. Imagine having countless half-siblings because your father had countless love affairs, and they hate each other because of that.”

Mount Olympus? Chu Yunqing thought, Half-siblings from the father’s love affairs?

Then, it dawned on Chu Yunqing.

Apollo isn’t mortal! he thought, He’s the Greek god of the sun, archery, music, and healing. That means his sister Artemis is the goddess of the moon and hunting. His father is the king of the gods Zeus. While Zeus is the most powerful of the Greek gods, he certainly isn’t the most faithful husband or lover.

“You mean…” Chu Yunqing said.

“Yes.” Apollo said before Chu Yunqing could finish his sentence.

“But why did you come to Earth, pretend to be mortal, and go to school here?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“It’s the only place I could think of to get away from the family drama.” Apollo answered, trying to keep his tears hidden, “I also thought if I could make friends here, I would have a better family and won’t feel abandoned again. I still remember my father saying that he loved me, he loved my sister, and he loved my mother. Until one day, he left us for some other woman. I still feel hurt and ashamed from that because I also learned that wasn’t the first time my father left a family for somebody else. I thought I would be the only god who would try to start a new life on Earth as a human, until Artemis came along. She kept telling me we had to go home for the summer, but why can’t she understand that I don’t want to go back?”

Chu Yunqing didn’t say a word as Apollo let the tears that were welling up in his eyes stream down his face. If Chu Yunqing tried to push Apollo further, Apollo would just push him away.

“I’m sorry, Chu Yunqing.” Apollo said, wiping his tears, “I never wanted people to see me suffering. I’m supposed to be a powerful god, and now I’m breaking down over family issues.”

“Apollo,” Chu Yunqing said gently, “It’s okay to cry.”

He took a deep breath before continuing.

“I’m really sorry that you had to go through that. But I don’t want you to think you’re all alone in this. I’m sure you have family members who truly love you, like your sister.”

“Really?” Apollo asked, “But all Artemis and I do is fight.”

“That’s what siblings do.” Chu Yunqing explained, “I know because I have sisters. But our arguments never kept us from loving each other. The same thing applies to you and Artemis.”

“But why does she insist on going home, even though I’ve already told her that I don't want to?” Apollo asked.

Chu Yunqing opened his mouth to answer but closed it, unsure what would be the best answer to Apollo’s question. Then, he remembered his small chat with Artemis outside the Mirage Forest.

“I don’t know.” Chu Yunqing said, shrugging his shoulders, “But I’m sure your family situation hurts her as much as it hurts you. Maybe she wants to find a way to solve it, but feels like she can’t do it alone.”

“You think Artemis wants me to help her?” Apollo asked.

“Yes.” Chu Yunqing said.

Apollo looked down at the ground and thought about what he and Chu Yunqing talked about.

“It looks like Artemis and I need to talk about this.” he said, “But, I don’t know how.”

“It’s okay, Apollo.” Chu Yunqing said, “Just remember, it’s okay to talk about it.”

“To be honest, Chu Yunqing,” Apollo said, “This is something I’d rather not talk about. But, what else could I do to get it off my chest?”

“Again,” Chu Yunqing said, “It’s okay to talk about it.”

“Thanks, Chu Yunqing.” Apollo said with a smile, “I found it as a relief to finally tell someone. I’m glad to have you as a roommate.”

Chu Yunqing and Apollo hugged.

“No problem.” Chu Yunqing said, “Are you ready to head back to the school?”

“Yes.” Apollo said.

As the roommates walked back to the school, Chu Yunqing pondered how he was going to talk to Light and Audwin.

Chapter Text

“Finally…done!” Chu Yunqing whispered to himself as he finished writing his answer to the last question on his English homework. He carefully put his homework in the folder that held his assignments for his English class.

I hope I can get a good grade on this assignment. Chu Yunqing thought, I remember how my classmate Jo would complain about how Mr. Dashwood always criticizes her work. My tutor wasn’t as picky when she reviewed my reading and writing assignments.

“Done with homework already?” Apollo asked.

“Yep.” Chu Yunqing said, “I’m going to look around the school. I’ve always been rushing my way from one class to another, I never really got to see what the school looked like.”

“Okay.” Apollo said, “But don’t get lost.”

“I won’t.” Chu Yunqing said, walking out the door.

He headed for the elevator and took it to the dorm lobby. Once he’s in the lobby, he exited the dormitory and headed for the school building.

I remember a girl named Gina saying that Light doesn’t go to the dormitory right away after the school day ends. He would much prefer to stay in the school building, so he can have time for himself as he does his homework.

Once Chu Yunqing entered the school building, he started walking around trying to find which area of the school he would find Light in. 

“Hey, Chu Yunqing!” called a voice.

Chu Yunqing turned around to see his classmate from drama class Gina walking toward him.

“Hi, Gina.” he said.

“What brings you here?” Gina asked, “Not many people would return to the school building between the last bell and dinnertime.”

“I’m looking for our classmate Light.” Chu Yunqing explained, “Have you seen him?”

“Light?” Gina asked, “Why are you looking for him?”

“I want to talk to him.” Chu Yunqing said, “I want to understand why he’s so…distant from others.”

Gina let out a heavy sigh and said,

“Kahir and I have been trying to get Light to make friends, but he always refuses to do so. I just wish that he would understand that just because one friendship broke doesn’t mean he can’t be friends with someone else.”

“Light had a friendship that was broken?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“Yes,” Gina answered, “But that’s not my story to tell. Since you want to see Light, I suggest you try looking in the gym.”

“The gym?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“Light is a very sporty guy.” Gina explained, “He does breakdancing, gymnastics, soccer, and basketball.”

“That’s awesome!” Chu Yunqing said with a smile, “Is he on a team for one of those sports?”

“No.” Gina said, shaking her head sadly, “He never joins a team because he ‘works alone.’ It’s the same excuse every time Kahir and I try to get him to try out.”

“He will, Gina.” Chu Yunqing said, “Maybe he needs more persuasion other than that he’ll make friends.”

“Maybe you’re right, Chu Yunqing.” Gina said, “I wish you the best of luck on talking to Light.”

“Thanks, Gina.” Chu Yunqing said.

Gina made her way out of the school while Chu Yunqing made his way to the gym. The gym was almost the average size of a blue whale. It was made up with six basketball hoops, spectator seats that were all pushed back for gym classes, and doorways to the boys and girls’ locker rooms. The basketball hoops were lowered for students to practice basketball on their own outside of practice sessions or play just for fun. The gym was so empty, Chu Yunqing could hear the sounds of a basketball bouncing and shoes squeaking on the floor echoing through the entire gym as he entered.

Chu Yunqing immediately spotted Light dribbling a basketball before attempting to shoot a goal. However, when Light threw the basketball, it hit the metal ring and bounced back to him.

“Another miss!” Light grumbled, slamming the basketball onto the floor out of frustration, sending it bouncing across the gym. He stomped toward his backpack he left leaning against a wall and grabbed his water bottle that was in the side pocket to take a swig of water.

“Light?” Chu Yunqing said hesitantly, slowly approaching Light, “Do you have a minute?”

Light let out a frustrated sigh and asked,

“What do you want, Chu Yunqing?”

Chu Yunqing took and deep breath and replied,

“I just want to know what the problem is.”

“Does it matter?” Light said, irritation bubbling up inside him, “I’m just tired of people poking their noses into my business! Do they not care about my privacy?”

“What if I told you that the people who were poking into your business are doing that because they care about your well-being?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“How would you know that?” Light asked in return.

“Because I’m one of those people who poke their noses into your business.” Chu Yunqing said bluntly.

Light looked at Chu Yunqing like he’s grown a second head.

“You don’t even know me!” he snapped.

“Does that make a difference?” Chu Yunqing said, trying to keep his cool despite the frustration rising in him.

Light opened his mouth to make another remark. However, not a single word came out. He tried to think of the best answer to Chu Yunqing’s question, but nothing came to his mind.

Chu Yunqing wanted to say something else to add to his point. He decided to remain silent instead in hopes of getting Light to open up.

“Alright.” Light said with a long sigh, “You win. I guess I can’t avoid talking about it anymore, no matter which person approaches me.”

He sat down on the gym floor with his legs crossed, and Chu Yunqing sat down in the same position.

“Before I met Gina and Kahir,” Light began, “I used to go by my first name Arslan. Light is actually my last name. Back then, I had a friend named Ghiyath. We’ve been friends since we were little kids. He was like a brother to me, and his family was friends with my family. We would play sports together, have lunch together, and study together.”

Chu Yunqing remained silent and listened to Light’s story.

“But one day,” Light continued, “Our friendship changed for the worse when I found out that Ghiyath was practicing dark magic. When I saw him trying to create a magic circle to manipulate space and time, I immediately asked him why. His reason broke my heart. He told me he was jealous of how powerful I am because I was training as a fire magician. So, he wanted to upstage me by learning space-time magic. I was furious at Ghiyath for attempting such dangerous spells, not to mention that any form of dark magic is strictly forbidden because it corrupts those who use it.

“I tried to assure him that he and I are equals. He then told me that if I really do see him as an equal, I need to join him and help him finish the magic circle. I refused to go against my principles and rejected his proposal. It made Ghiyath really angry, and he cast a spell that wounded me and nearly destroyed me.”

Light turned around and lifted the back of his shirt to reveal a wicked scar on his back. Chu Yunqing’s eyes widened. He couldn’t imagine how painful it was to reveal such a scar from a so-called friend, physically and emotionally.

“After Ghiyath cast that spell,” Light added, turning back around to face Chu Yunqing, “It took a toll on him, and he fell into a deep sleep. Our fathers found us, and they started to hate each other because of what happened to me and Ghiyath. As I was taken to the witch doctor for treatment, a war between my family and Ghiyath’s family claimed my home. I was free from the dark enchantment, but the scar remained on my back. When I went to search for my family, they were all dead. I was devastated that all of that happened because of Ghiyath’s jealousy.

“I thought I had nowhere else to go, until Kahir found me and took me in to live with his family. I later learned that he and I are cousins, and his family was searching for me after the battle between my family and Ghiyath’s family ended. I was so happy to have a family again. When Kahir introduced me to his friend Gina, I was slightly wary of her. But over the next few months, I began to take a liking toward her, and she and I became friends.

“Even though I have a new family and a new friend, I’m still wary about making friends again. I just don’t want to be betrayed again and lose my family because of a friend’s betrayal. So, whenever I walk from one class to another, I try to ignore the students around me. Then, Apollo came along when I discovered my locker was next to his. I could tell he wanted to be my friend, but I always brushed him off. As for Audwin, he simply bumped me, but he refused to apologize to me when I tried to get him to do it.”

Light’s story made Chu Yunqing very sad. Such betrayal can make anyone feel like they can’t trust other people anymore. But when Light mentioned his problems with Apollo and Audwin, Chu Yunqing immediately became confused.

“So, you’ve been having problems with Apollo and Audwin because you refused to make any friends?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“Yes.” Light said simply.

Chu Yunqing took a deep breath and said,

“You’re right about one thing, Light. It hurts to receive a stab in the back from someone who’s supposed to be very close to you, and we think it’s better to not have any friends at all. But, you’re letting your past fear rob you the joy of friendship. If you keep avoiding making friends, you might only just exist in the world. Friends allow us to live our lives to the fullest. Our most precious memories are the ones of the times spent with our close ones, especially our friends and families.”

“But what if I made a friend, and they betray me?” Light asked.

“Then, just let them go.” Chu Yunqing answered, “They’re not worth spending your life with. True friendship means having a shoulder to lean on through both the good times and the bad times. Isn’t that something Kahir and Gina have been doing for you?”

Light’s eyes widened at Chu Yunqing’s question.

He’s right. he thought, Gina and Kahir were being true friends to me by always being by my side through the good and the bad. I should’ve been grateful to them for looking out for me. Instead, I’ve been pushing them away.

“Guess you know me better than I thought.” Light said, “Maybe if I had just smiled at Apollo and Audwin for once, there wouldn’t be a problem. Well, I know Apollo would want to be friends with me. I don’t know about Audwin.”

“I’m sure Audwin wants a friend.” Chu Yunqing said, nodding his head.

“But he seems such a loner.” Light said, “Why do you think he wants a friend?”

“I don’t know.” Chu Yunqing replied, shrugging his shoulders, “But I’m certain he’s not a bad person. He’s just unhappy. Unhappy people are the people who need friends the most.”

“I guess I’ve been unhappy for so long that I sabotaged my opportunities to be happy.” Light said, nodding his head. 

“It’s not too late to try again.” Chu Yunqing said.

He pointed at the basketball that was now far away from him and Light and added,

“How about we play a round of basketball together before we head for dinner?”

“Do you know how to play?” Light asked.

“No.” Chu Yunqing said with a smile.

“Then, it’s time that you learned.” Light said, smiling back.

He stood up and ran across the gym almost as fast as a cheetah and retrieved the basketball. Chu Yunqing stood up and walked toward Light.

“Okay.” Light said, “Watch me carefully.”

Then, he and Chu Yunqing started playing basketball and laughed with enjoyment.

Chapter Text

After Chu Yunqing and Light had their one-on-one basketball match, it was time for dinner.

“Hey, Chu Yunqing,” Light said, putting the basketball back in the bin that contained basketballs in the gym storage, “Would you like to join me, Gina, and Kahir for dinner tonight? And it would be great if your friends Pei Jin, Xie Cheng, and Wen Lengxiang joined, too.”

“I thought you’d never ask.” Chu Yunqing said with a beaming smile as he texted to his three old friends, “And you better show me that secret maneuver you invented for soccer.”

“Sure.” Light replied, “But don’t blame me if I use it to win a one-on-one soccer match in the future.”

“You want to make it a challenge?” Chu Yunqing asked, cocking a brow, “Okay, I’ll show you my secret maneuver for beach volleyball. Just don’t blame me if I use it to win a one-on-one beach volleyball match.”

“Now, you’re just underestimating me!” Light said, laughing.

“Really?” Chu Yunqing asked, smirking, “I could say you’re saying the same thing to me.”

Both of the boys laughed as they walked their way to the cafeteria. Once they made it there, they saw Gina and Kahir sitting at a table they saved for the group.

“Hey, Light!” Gina called with a smile, waving at the two boys approaching her and Kahir. 

“Hey, Gina.” Light said with a smile.

He nodded at Chu Yunqing and added,

“I’m sure you’ve met Chu Yunqing, our classmate from drama class.”

“Yes, Light.” Gina said, nodding her head, “Chu Yunqing’s a nice person. I’ve heard that there are girls that are growing attached to him. Pei Jin even admitted to me that she’s jealous as we walked our way from our chemistry class.”

“Don’t tease me, Gina.” Chu Yunqing said, his face turning beet red.

“Anyway,” Light continued, clearly uncomfortable with Gina telling Chu Yunqing that a lot of girls like him, “ Chu Yunqing, this is my cousin Kahir Fatih. He’s a member of the student council. Kahir, this is Chu Yunqing. He’s in my drama class.”

“Hi.” Kahir said, “Nice to meet you.”

Chu Yunqing shook hands with Kahir and said,

“Hi. Nice to meet you, too.”

“Chu Yunqing!” a female voice called, “Hi!” 

Chu Yunqing turned around to see Pei Jin, Xie Cheng, and Wen Lengxiang approaching him, Light, Kahir, and Gina.

“Hey, guys.” Chu Yunqing said, waving at his friends.

He gestured his hand toward them and said,

“Gina, Light, and Kahir, these are my old friends Pei Jin, Wen Lengxiang, and Xie Cheng. Pei Jin, Wen Lengxiang, and Xie Cheng, these are Gina, Light, and Kahir. We’ll be eating dinner with them tonight.”

“Hi.” Wen Lengxiang said.

“Nice to see you.” Kahir said.

The seven students continued talking as they grabbed their dinners and sat down and ate.

“Did Light really tell you he’ll show you his secret soccer maneuver?” Gina asked.

“Yes, he did.” Chu Yunqing answered.

“Light,” Kahir laughed, “I thought you said a good soccer player never reveals their secrets. Why did you decide to teach him something secret?”

“Well,” Light explained, tilting his head toward Chu Yunqing, “This merman had the guts to make it fair by telling me he’ll show me his secret beach volleyball maneuver.”

“I thought you’d never reveal that to anyone, Chu Yunqing.” Pei Jin said.

Chu Yunqing only shrugged his shoulders and smiled.

“Never thought merfolk would have a competitive streak.” Xie Cheng.

“Oh, we can be competitive whenever we want, Xie Cheng.” Chu Yunqing explained, “You should’ve seen my sisters’ dolphin race.”

“You race dolphins?” Gina asked.

“Yeah.” Chu Yunqing answered, “It’s one of my kind’s favorite pastimes.”

The seven continued to laugh and talk until they were finished with dinner.

“That was fun.” Gina said, “We should do this again someday.”

“I agree.” Pei Jin replied.

“I wish we can continue this,” Wen Lengxiang said, “But I need to get back on my homework. Next week is baking demonstrations in home ec class, and we are supposed to do it all in memory without any notes or recipes.”

“Now, that’s a challenge!” Kahir said, nodding his head.

“What are you going to make, Wen Lengxiang?” Gina asked.

“Mooncakes.” Wen Lengxiang answered with a smile, “It’s a traditional Chinese pastry.”

“Ooh.” Gina, Kahir, and Light said in unison.

“May we try them after your home ec class?” Light asked.

“Of course.” Wen Lengxiang replied.

“Remember to save some for me, Xie Cheng, and Chu Yunqing, too.” Pei Jin added, “In the meantime, I’m going back to my room to get ready for bed.”

“Looks like we’re going our separate ways for the rest of the night.” Kahir said, shrugging his shoulders, “I have to discuss things regarding the student council with Marie.”

“I’m just gonna look around the school a bit more.” Chu Yunqing said, suddenly remembering he still needed to talk to Audwin.

“Okay.” Xie Cheng, “But don’t take too long. We have curfew here.”

As the seven friends parted ways, Chu Yunqing made his way down the hallway in search of Audwin. As he walked, he saw someone he hasn’t seen since the past weekend.

“Aldous?” Chu Yunqing asked.

Aldous was walking around the corner where the lockers were. He turned his head when he heard Chu Yunqing called his name.

“Oh, hello, Chu Yunqing.” Aldous said with a smile, “What wind has blown you here?”

“Ah, I just finished dinner with my friends.” Chu Yunqing answered, shrugging his shoulders, “Right now, I’m looking for Audwin. Do you know where he is?”

Aldous let out a heavy sigh before answering Chu Yunqing’s question.

“I know whenever he wants to be alone,” he said, “Audwin would go to the rooftop of the school building, especially at night.”

“You can go up to the rooftop?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“Yes.” Aldous answered, “Some students would go up there to study or hang out whenever the weather is good. But it’s been quite chilly lately. I don’t know why Audwin would go up there in such weather.”

“Have you been up there recently?” Chu Yunqing asked.

Aldous let out another long sigh, his eyes cast down onto the floor.

“I did see Audwin up there recently.” he said, “We had another argument about why we’ve been distant ever since I’ve become a member of the student council. I’ve been trying to understand, but Audwin said I would never understand him, as usual.”

“You two argued about that before?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“Audwin and I were close once.” Aldous explained, “But something went wrong, and it took that away. I’ve been trying to understand what it was, but Audwin would just push me away.”

Chu Yunqing’s heart tightened as he listened to Aldous’s short story. He couldn’t imagine having his relationship with his sisters torn apart like how Aldous’s relationship with his brother did.

“Do you think I can talk to him?” Chu Yunqing asked, “That’s why I’m looking for him.”

“Chu Yunqing,” Aldous said, “You can certainly try. I hope you can help him with what he’s going through.”

Chu Yunqing nodded before parting ways with Aldous. Chu Yunqing found an elevator that takes students to the rooftop of the school building. Once he made it to the rooftop, he was greeted by a patio with picnic tables and porcelain pots of small trees. Then, Chu Yunqing saw an amazing view of the campus.

Wow! he thought, I can understand why students would go up to the rooftop. 

Chu Yunqing shivered and rubbed his arms with his hands as the wind blew.

Goodness! he thought, It’s much colder up here than it is on street level.

Then, Chu Yunqing perked up as he faintly heard music playing. He walked toward the direction of the music to get a better sound of the song playing. Then, Chu Yunqing could make out the lyrics to the song.

How many nights does it take to count the stars?

That’s the time it would take to fix my heart

Oh baby, I was there for you

All I ever wanted was the truth

Yeah, yeah

Chu Yunqing then froze, and his eyes grew wide when he saw something he never expected to see.

Audwin?! he thought.

Audwin was doing a pirouette before extending his leg in front of him and bending his back with his arms out to the side. He was wearing a solid black tank top, black sweatpants, and black ballet shoes. Beside him at a good distance was a cylinder-shaped speaker playing music from his LanternPhone.

Audwin dances ballet? Chu Yunqing thought.

Chu Yunqing had seen Audwin ride a motorcycle, play his guitar, and draw before. He even thought Audwin was quite talented. But Chu Yunqing never expected a bad boy like Audwin to do something as elegant as ballet. 

He’s a bit busy at the moment. he thought, I should wait until he’s done.

Chu Yunqing hid behind a potted tree and peeked around it, so he could continue watching Audwin dance. The way Audwin danced to the music reminded Chu Yunqing of a black swan, as graceful but more mysterious than a white swan. Then, Chu Yunqing felt a light tickle in his nose and let out a sneeze. He tried to keep it silent, but it came out like a train whistle. Chu Yunqing immediately turned around to hide himself completely, but he was already spotted.

Audwin stopped dancing when he heard a sneeze. He walked toward his phone and paused the music before walking toward where the sneeze came from. He froze when he noticed Chu Yunqing hiding behind the potted tree.

“Chu Yunqing,” Audwin said, crossing his arms, “I know you’re there. How long have you been standing there?”

Chu Yunqing sheepishly came out of his hiding place and said,

“Since I got here. I…didn’t expect to see you dancing.”

“Y-you saw?!” Audwin asked, looking like a child caught stealing a cookie.

“Don’t worry, Audwin.” Chu Yunqing said with a small smile, “I think you’re a talented dancer. I just want to ask you how long you’ve been dancing ballet.”

Audwin looked at Chu Yunqing, expecting some kind of trick.

“You think it’s cool that I dance ballet?” he asked, “Normally, people would criticize me for dancing ballet. Do I look like the kind of person who dances ballet?”

“If I may be honest,” Chu Yunqing answered, “You certainly don’t look like someone who loves ballet, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dance ballet. The real question should be do you love ballet?”

“Yes…” Audwin said, still unsure if Chu Yunqing’s trying to trick him.

“Then, what’s there to be ashamed of if you love ballet?” Chu Yunqing asked.

Audwin opened his mouth to reply. Instead, he shook his head and said,

“Look, I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but I’m not interested.”

Audwin was about to head back inside to take the elevator down, but Chu Yunqing stopped him by blocking his way.

“I just wanted to speak to you.” Chu Yunqing answered, “Do you think I came up here to do nothing but watch you dance your cares away?”

Audwin let out a mocking laugh.

“Why would you want to talk to me, Chu Yunqing?” he asked, “Here’s my advice to you. Everyone here has their secrets. It’s best not to try to uncover them. Otherwise, there will be gossip you don’t want to hear.”

“What if keeping secrets is the reason there is gossip spreading across Story Kingdom Academy?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“What are you trying to say?” Audwin asked, cocking a brow.

“I may still be new to this school,” Chu Yunqing explained, “But that doesn’t mean I don’t know what’s going on.”

“You shouldn’t know too much, Chu Yunqing.” Audwin said with a straight face, “There are consequences for being too curious.”

“Maybe.” Chu Yunqing said, “But I know enough that you’re unhappy. Instead of talking to someone, you would rather take out your frustrations by dancing where nobody’s looking.”

Audwin froze. He opened his mouth again to say something, but not a single word came out. Instead, a lump formed in his throat as his eyes became glossy with tears threatening to fall. Audwin walked away from Chu Yunqing not toward the door to the elevators, but to one of the picnic tables. He sat down and put his head down.

“Audwin?” Chu Yunqing asked, walking toward a trembling Audwin.

“Leave me alone!” Audwin cried, “I don’t want you to bother with talking to me! You wouldn’t understand me, anyway!”

Chu Yunqing clenched his fists in frustration. He had enough of Audwin being one of those goth kids who refuse to talk to others whenever they’re upset because they think no one would understand them. But Chu Yunqing refused to let his frustration cloud his judgment and make him do something that could hurt Audwin more. He took a deep breath and unclenched his fists.

“Audwin,” Chu Yunqing said calmly, sitting next to Audwin, “It’s okay to not be okay. But if you keep on refusing to talk to someone about your problems, how can they help you go through them?”

Audwin groaned and lifted his head.

“If you’re so insistent on talking to me,” he said, wiping his tears with his hoodie sleeve, “I’ll tell you. My brother Aldous and I used to be super close when we were little kids. We would play with our childhood friend Signy often enough to have our parents drag us back inside to get cleaned up and have dinner. Those were the best memories I’ve ever had.

“But as we got older, we started to grow distant from each other. Aldous started getting all the attention from our parents because of his perfect grades and other academic achievements. As for me, I never had the top grades, but I became interested in the arts. But whenever I showed my parents my artistic achievements, their reactions were always mediocre. They always said they’re not disappointed, but that always made me disappointed. I want my parents to be as proud of me as they are proud of Aldous.

“When Aldous became a member of the student council of Story Kingdom Academy, I felt like he’s all of a sudden far away from me. I miss talking to my brother, and all I want is to tell him I feel lonely without him. But whenever I approach him, he always says he’s busy with the student council. I even wonder if he wonders that whenever he says that, it only breaks my heart.”

Chu Yunqing felt a lump form in his own throat as he listened to Audwin’s story.

“One day, I met a student in my year named Erik. He wore a mask to hide the half of his face that was deformed. He, too, felt unloved by his own family. Having this in common, we became friends. We enjoyed getting into trouble together, even if it meant detention.

“However, there was a day when our friendship began to fall apart. Erik knew about my complicated relationship with Aldous and decided that we should play a prank on Aldous to show him what it’s like to live in someone else’s shadow. I wanted Aldous to know how I feel being upstaged by him, but I couldn’t bring myself to prank him. That would only make the space between us grow wider. So, I refused Erik’s offer, which made him furious.

“The next day, Erik came knocking on my dorm room door and acted like he had no hard feelings for what happened the previous night. He invited me to his party over at the campus all-purpose house, and I accepted without hesitation. Signy and Aldous discouraged me from going because Erik is a delinquent who does things a high school shouldn’t do. But my desire to have someone who understands me blinded me, and I went anyway. Little did I know, that was the night I would see Erik’s true colors.

“When I came to the party, Erik greeted me with a hug and offered me a soda to drink. I was having a great time, until my stomach started to hurt. I went to the bathroom to relieve myself from the stomachache and called my last roommate Edward to come and drive me back to the dorm before passing out. And when I woke up, my stomachache was gone, but I had a splitting headache. When I came back to my senses, I realized that Erik turned his back on me with the soda he gave me. I was devastated to learn that a friend of mine betrayed me like that.

“Now, I couldn’t bring myself to talk to Aldous or Signy about it because I was afraid that if I did, Aldous would think I’m a sorry excuse of a brother, and Signy wouldn’t want to be friends with me anymore. If I can’t be good enough for anyone, I won’t be good enough at all.”

Chu Yunqing was shocked to learn that Audwin went through such painful moments, from not being acknowledged by his parents to being betrayed by a friend. He couldn’t help shedding a tear that when one did, it solidified into a pearl and clinked onto the floor. He collected himself and gently placed a hand on Audwin’s shoulder.

“I have that same feeling all the time.” Chu Yunqing confessed, “But, that isn’t true. Those who truly love would say you are good enough because you’re enough for them. It’s perfectly fair to feel like you are waiting in the wings when one of your close ones is in the spotlight. But not talking about it to them is not how you deal with those feelings. If you keep bottling them up, you’ll break.”

“But is it really okay to talk to Aldous and Signy about me and Erik?” Audwin asked.

“Yes.” Chu Yunqing said, “Does it ever cross your mind that they miss you, too? Pei Jin told me how Signy, her roommate, would talk about how much she misses spending time with you and wonders why you’ve become distant toward her.”

Audwin’s eyes widened. He’s been so lost in his own pain, that he didn’t realize it was causing the ones he should’ve held close to hurt, too.

What have I done? Audwin thought, Have I been a bad friend to Signy? Is Aldous really the bad brother, or am I the bad brother?

“Chu Yunqing,” he said out loud, “I’m sorry. I never thought keeping my feelings to myself has been hurting everyone else.”

“It’s okay, Audwin.” Chu Yunqing said with a smile, “We all tend to think nobody understands us when we’re hurting. But if you just look around, you’ll find plenty of people who went through the same things you did.”

“Thanks, Chu Yunqing.” Audwin said, also smiling, “Since you think it’s cool that I dance ballet, would you like to see me dance again before we head back to the dorms?”

“I’d like that.” Chu Yunqing said, “And remember, as long as you love ballet, you should never be ashamed of dancing it.”

Audwin nodded and stood up to go turn the music back on. He rewinded the song he was dancing to back to the beginning before he started dancing. And Chu Yunqing watched him with amazement.

Chapter Text

On Wednesday, Chu Yunqing and Julius met up again at the cafeteria for breakfast to talk about how to help Apollo, Audwin, and Light clear up the misunderstanding between them.

“So,” Julius said, “How did it go with Apollo, Audwin, and Light?”

“Better than I thought.” Chu Yunqing said, “I’m glad they were willing to listen to me. I hope they will be willing to listen to each other.”

“How can we get them together and talk it out?” Julius asked.

Chu Yunqing shook his head.

“I think it’s better we let them do that on their own.” he replied, “If we intervene, they’ll think we’re doing it for the sake of our project. This isn’t about getting our project done. It’s about making amends with the people who didn’t meet on good terms.”

“I agree.” Julius said, “But they need to do it soon. Performance Friday is two days away.”

“If we can’t perform a song on Friday,” Chu Yunqing said, shrugging his shoulders, “We can tell a story.”

“A story?” Julius asked.

Chu Yunqing nodded.

“After talking to Apollo, Light, and Audwin,” he explained, “I’ve written down an idea of a story about how important it is to open up to others whenever we’re hurting. When we are hurting, we tend to think nobody understands our pain. But that’s not true at all. There are plenty of people who share the same pain we do. If we just look around, we’ll find them everywhere.”

Julius was silent for a moment, pondering Chu Yunqing’s idea before speaking up.

“Well, if Apollo, Audwin, and Light can share their pain with you, then I can share mine.” he said, “I lost my mother when I was a little kid. She was the only person closest to me before I met Romy. We would spend the afternoon tending to the garden at my home together. Roses were her favorite, and she would tell me the different kinds of love each color of rose represented.

“My father and I were close when my mother was alive. We were much happier, too. But after my mother passed, my father and I became slightly distant. I even felt alone when my father refused to share his grief with me. One day, I gave up on trying to get my father to share his grief and decided to not bother him about it anymore. I thought it would make things better, but it only made me and my father become more distant.”

Chu Yunqing’s heart sank like a ship that hit an iceberg. Julius’s story was similar to Light, Apollo, and Audwin’s stories. They all became rather distant toward other people because of a painful memory.

“Julius,” he said, “We all think it is better to leave our loved ones alone when they refuse to share their pain with us or to close ourselves to them whenever we’re suffering. But the longer we keep it up, the worse it gets. Sometimes, we just need to have the nerve to bother others until they will talk to us and vice versa. We need a community, Julius. A true community helps us know that no matter what, we’re never alone.”

Julius perked up.

“Do you really think I should keep trying to get my father to open up about his grief?” he asked.

Chu Yunqing nodded his head.

“You just need to tell him how you feel about him refusing to share his grief with you.” he answered, “Then, he will realize that it’s not only unfair to you, it’s unfair to himself, too.”

Julius smiled.

“Thanks, Chu Yunqing.” he said, “To be honest, I think your arrival at Story Kingdom Academy is the best thing that’s happened.”

Chu Yunqing chuckled.

“You flatter me, Julius.” he said, “I was only trying to be a listening ear to those who need it most.”

“Still,” Julius said, “You’re the right person who came to the right place at the right time. And Gina was right about you. You really are popular with the girls.”

“Ha ha.” Chu Yunqing said sarcastically, “Hilarious.”

“No, I’m serious.” Julius said, pointing at the window.

Chu Yunqing turned around to see a group of girls standing by the window and waving at him with much admiration. He couldn’t help blushing and waving back.

“Did Gina tell you, too?” he asked in a whisper.

Julius only nodded while trying to stifle his laughter.

“Okay, I get it.” Chu Yunqing said, shaking his head, “Let’s just make our way to class.”

Meanwhile, in the common area of the dormitory, Audwin was strumming his guitar and singing softly to himself,

I’m not afraid to fall

If you’re the one who catches me

Tell me that you’ll be there when I’m 

About to lose it all

‘Cause you’re the one who helped me see

That sometimes it’s okay to fall

Apollo was about to head to the elevator to go get breakfast at the cafeteria when he heard Audwin playing and singing. He paused and thought to himself,

Should I stay and try to talk to Audwin, or should I leave him alone and move along?

Then, Light came into the common area and saw Apollo and Audwin in the same spot. He rolled his eyes and walked toward them.

“Well, well, well,” Light said, “Two troublemakers in the common area? Do you have room for one more?”

Audwin stopped singing and strumming his guitar and looked up to see Apollo and Light standing near the couch he’s sitting on.

“You’re here, too?” Audwin asked after letting out a frustrated sigh, “What do you two want?”

“Okay,” Apollo said with a hand up to tell Audwin and Light to listen, “Before we get into another argument, I want to say that I don’t want us to continue arguing like how we’ve been anymore.”

“What are you saying, Apollo?” Light asked.

“I never disliked either of you.” Apollo answered, “All I wanted was to be friends with both of you.”

Light and Audwin looked at Apollo with astonishment.

“But I want to ask both of you one question.” Apollo added, “Why do you two not want to be friends with me? If I did something to upset you, I’m sorry. I won’t do it again. Is there anything I can do to make it right?”

Light and Audwin remained silent for a moment before Light spoke up first.

“Apollo,” he said with a heavy sigh, “It’s actually not your fault that we have such a rocky relationship. The last time I had a friend, I was betrayed and lost my family.”

Light told Apollo and Audwin his story about how his former friend Ghiyath Chapur betrayed him and how he lost his family. Apollo and Audwin listened silently before it was Audwin’s turn to talk.

“Betrayed by your best friend?” he asked, shaking his head, “I’ve been there. I was friends with Erik because we both felt unloved by our parents. However, I ended our friendship when I learned he’s a bad influence.”

Light and Apollo’s eyes widened.

“You mean Erik du Phantom?” Apollo asked, “That guy is nothing but bad news to Story Kingdom Academy!”

Audwin only shrugged his shoulders.

“I don’t blame you, though.” Apollo said with a sad sigh, “I also feel unloved by my family, especially my father. His departure made me feel ashamed and hurt because it wasn’t the first time he did it.”

Apollo told Audwin and Light about his story about how his father Zeus left him, Artemis, and their mother for some other woman and the fact Apollo and Artemis had countless half-siblings. Neither Light nor Audwin were surprised to hear Apollo’s story.

“That’s your father Zeus, alright.” Light said, shaking his head.

“I always thought the gods in mythology are awesome.” Audwin confessed, “But when you study mythology more, you realize they are not as glorious as you think they are. No wonder people always say never meet your heroes.”

“Darn right.” Apollo replied.

Then out of the blue, Light started laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Audwin asked, starting to rebuild the wall around his heart.

“After all this time of quarreling,” Light answered, “We actually have more in common than we thought. And do you want to know something else? I actually miss hearing Apollo saying ‘Hi, locker neighbor’ to me.”

“You do?” Apollo asked, “Two days ago, you said you found it annoying.”

“I once thought you’re doing it to get on my nerves.” Light explained, rubbing the back of his head, “I didn’t think you’d want to be friends with me. In fact, every time you said ‘Hi, locker neighbor,’ it made every day better for me.”

“Thanks.” Apollo said, not sure what to make of it, “I also have something else to share. I saw Audwin dance ballet once.”

Audwin’s eyes widened.

“You what now?” he asked.

Light tried to stifle a laughter.

“You dance ballet, Audwin?” he asked.

Audwin’s face was like a tomato.

“Yes,” he answered, mustering up the courage to express his interest in his hobby, “And I love it. I’m not ashamed of dancing ballet because of that.”

Light’s laughter faded. He certainly didn’t expect Audwin to confess that one of his favorite hobbies was dancing ballet.

“And you know what, Audwin?” Apollo asked, “I honestly think that watching you dance ballet is the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.”

Audwin’s blush reappeared on his face.

“Thanks.” he said, “I think.”

The three were silent for a moment before Audwin spoke up again.

“Listen, Apollo and Light.” he said, “About everything I’ve said and done to you, I’m sorry.”

“You’re not the only one being stubborn and resentful, Audwin.” Light said, “I’m sorry, too.”

“I’m sorry, as well.” Apollo said, “I’ve been trying too hard to befriend you two that I never was considerate about your feelings.”

“Well,” Light said, “Do you think we can be friends?”

Both Audwin and Apollo nodded. The three shook hands, officially clearing up the misunderstanding they had of each other and starting a new friendship.

“How about we go down to the cafeteria and have breakfast together?” Apollo asked.

Light looked at his watch, and his eyes bugged out.

“Shoot!” he exclaimed, “We missed breakfast, and we only have ten minutes to get to class!”

“No worries, Light.” Audwin said, taking a plastic box from underneath the couch and opening it, “How about a muffin? I made them myself.”

“You bake, too?” Light asked, taking a muffin, “You’re full of surprises.”

“Thanks, Audwin.” Apollo said, taking a muffin.

The three enjoyed their muffins together before dashing their way toward the elevator, hoping they wouldn't be late for their first classes.

Chapter Text

After the last bell rang, Chu Yunqing left his last class with Pei Jin. As they walked down the hallway, Pei Jin asked,

“Do you think Apollo, Audwin, and Light will want to work on the project with you and Julius?”

“I hope so, Pei Jin.” Chu Yunqing replied, “I really do.”

“Friday is fast approaching, Chu Yunqing.” Pei Jin pointed out, “You five may not have as much time to practice.”

“What truly matters is that we can work together as a team and possibly become friends.” Chu Yunqing said.

“I’m glad you were able to talk to Apollo, Light, and Audwin.” Pei Jin said with a smile, “I’m certain they will start seeing each other in a new light.”

“I want to thank you for that, Pei Jin.” Chu Yunqing, “If you hadn't given me that advice, I wouldn’t know what to do. I’ve learned a lot about the human world, but I still have much to learn.”

“Hey, Chu Yunqing!” someone called from afar.

Chu Yunqing turned his head to see Apollo pace walking toward him.

“So, you must be Chu Yunqing’s roommate Apollo.” Pei Jin said once Apollo caught up to her and Chu Yunqing.

“Yes.” Apollo said, “And you’re Chu Yunqing’s friend Pei Jin. Pleasure to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too.” Pei Jin said.

She looked down at Apollo’s hand and saw a piece of paper.

“What’s that?” Pei Jin asked, “Is that a new song you’re writing? Chu Yunqing

told me you have a talent in songwriting.”

Apollo looked at the paper and said,

“Oh, this? No, it’s something I just found on the door of my locker.”

He showed it to Chu Yunqing and Pei Jin. It was a picture of his rival Achilles that

looked like it was drawn by a kindergartener. Beneath the picture was a caption written like Achilles was late for football practice and did it at the last minute.

“‘Achilles is watching you?’” Pei Jin read with squinted eyes.

“I had a brief meeting with Helen yesterday.” Chu Yunqing said, “I can see why

she’s been trying to avoid him.”

“I get that Achilles worries about Helen’s safety because she’s a model for her

aunt’s fashion line.” Apollo said, shaking his head, “But why doesn’t he trust me? I never did anything bad to Helen. I simply like her, and I want to spend time with her.”

“What if that’s the point?” Pei Jin asked, “Achilles knows you like Helen, and he’s jealous because he likes her, too.”

Apollo and Chu Yunqing looked at Pei Jin with blank faces. Pei Jin just rolled her eyes and let out an exasperated sigh.

“I’m simply stating my theory.” she said, “Though, I have no doubt that it’s true. Now if you excuse me, I need to head to the library. I’m meeting there with Helen to study for tomorrow’s algebra II test.”

Once Pei Jin was out of sight, Apollo said,

“So, Chu Yunqing, about you and Pei Jin…”

“Apollo.” Chu Yunqing said with raised eyebrows.

“What?” Apollo asked with his hands up in defense, “I’m just asking if you like her.”

“Funny, Apollo.” Chu Yunqing said bluntly, rolling his eyes.

“No, seriously.” Apollo said before he started moving his eyebrows repeatedly, “Do you like Pei Jin, if you know what I mean?”

Chu Yunqing’s face became like a tomato.

“I…” he began to say before he saw Light running toward him and Apollo.

“Hey!” Light said, “What did I miss? Am I late?”

“No, Light.” Apollo answered, “I was just asking Chu Yunqing about his feelings for Pei Jin.”

“Okay, Apollo.” Chu Yunqing chuckled, “That’s enough.”

“We’re talking about our crushes?” Light asked, “Apollo, everyone knows you like Helen, but you never asked her out because you’re scared of her bodyguard Achilles.”

“I’m not scared of Achilles, Light.” Apollo said with a frown and arms crossed, “I just want him to trust me. I already know about your crush on Gina, but you never asked her out, either.”

“That’s because she can’t say three sentences without mentioning Kahir.” Light said, rolling his eyes, “It’s obvious she’s so charmed by him, and I can see why. I won’t be surprised if Gina wants to be Kahir’s girlfriend.” 

Audwin overheard Chu Yunqing, Light, and Apollo’s conversation as he was walking away from his locker.

“Well, if it isn’t the new kid and the two troublemakers.” he said, walking up to Light, Apollo, and Chu Yunqing.

“Says the guy who’s a troublemaker himself.” Light laughed.

“And I wouldn’t consider myself as new anymore.” Chu Yunqing pointed out, “I’ve been attending Story Kingdom Academy for almost a full week now.”

“Oh hey, Audwin!” Apollo said with a beaming smile, “You came just in time! We’re just talking about the girls we like. However, Chu Yunqing is trying to avoid talking about his feelings for Pei Jin.” 

“Apollo, please!” Chu Yunqing said, covering his face with one hand.

“Oh, really?” Audwin asked, “Well Chu Yunqing, is it true that you like Pei Jin in a way Apollo thinks you do?”

Chu Yunqing uncovered his face. He sighed and said with a smile,

“Yes.”

“See?” Audwin asked, “It’s not that hard to admit that you like Pei Jin as long as your heart feels it.”

“What about you, Audwin?” Chu Yunqing asked, “Do you have a crush on someone?”

“Well,” Audwin said, rubbing the back of his head, “I really like Signy. As cheesy as it sounds, I have had a crush on her since we were little kids.”

“Then, why don’t you ask her out?” Apollo asked.

“I would, naturally.” Audwin replied, “But my obstacle is Aldous because he likes Signy, too.”

“Ooh.” Apollo said.

“Awkward.” Light said.

Audwin nodded his head.

“What’s going on?” someone asked.

Apollo, Audwin, Chu Yunqing, and Light turned around to see Julius walking toward them.

“I was going to look for all four of you.” Julius explained, “It looks like you four found each other, instead.”

“Wow.” Light said, rolling his eyes, “Thanks, Captain Obvious.”

“Let me guess.” Apollo said, “You’ve come to join the conversation and admit you’re dating Romy in secret.”

“Congratulations, Apollo.” Julius said with a forced smile, “You’ve let the cat out of the bag. But, there’s no need to hide it from all of you anymore. Yes, I’m secretly dating Romy Montague.”

“I never thought a student council member could be so rebellious.” Audwin said.

“You think I’m doing it for fun, Audwin?” Julius asked with raised eyebrows, “Romy and I are secretly dating because our parents hate each other. It’s hard for us to keep our relationship a secret because we want to tell our friends about it, but we don’t know who we can trust with this secret.”

Apollo and Audwin’s faces became cherry red and looked down at the floor in shame.

“Gossip can look like something fun to talk about.” Julius pointed out, “But gossip can hurt those it is about, whether it is true or false. That’s why you shouldn’t judge others based on rumors alone.”

“I’m sorry, Julius.” Apollo said, looking Julius directly in the eyes, “That was very mean of me to force you into telling us your secret. I should also confess that I’ve been joining the discussions on the rumors about you and Romy instead of asking you two about them when I first heard them.”

Julius eyed Apollo suspiciously for a moment. Then, he smiled and said,

“I accept your apology, Apollo. And thank you for telling me the truth.”

“I’m sorry, too, Julius.” Audwin said, meeting eyes with Julius, “I always thought you’re the perfect model student, but I never thought you had to carry such a heavy secret to maintain your family’s expectations from you. I guess even student council members aren’t perfect.”

“I accept your apology, too, Audwin.” Julius said with a smile, “Just remember that nobody is perfect.”

“I have something to confess, too, Julius.” Light said.

“What is it, Light?” Julius asked.

“I once saw you and Romy kissing by the fountain in the Immemorial Resonance Gardens when I was out jogging.” Light said, blushing, “That’s how I found out the rumors about you and Romy are true. I figured you’d be upset if I told anyone about it. So, I kept silent until now.”

Julius’s eyes widened at Light’s confession. But he smiled and said,

“Thank you for your honesty and for not telling anyone what you saw, Light.”

Julius turned to Chu Yunqing and said,

“And Chu Yunqing, thank you for asking me about the rumors and for keeping my secret.”

“A promise is a promise, Julius.” Chu Yunqing said with a smile.

“So, we’re cool, then?” Light asked, “Can we let bygones be bygones?”

“Yes, Light.” Julius said, “Now, let’s head back to the dorm.”

As the five boys walked their way to the dorm, Apollo asked,

“So, should we talk about what we should do for our project?”

“You really want to work on it?” Julius asked, “We only got today and tomorrow to practice if we’re going to sing a song for Performance Friday.”

“Absolutely.” Apollo said with anticipation.

“If Apollo’s in, I’m in.” Light said.

Audwin patted his guitar that was secure in its case and said,

“I got my guitar. I can play it for our project.”

“Great!” Julius said, “Once we get to the dorm, we can talk about what song we want to sing.”

“Actually Julius,” Light said, “Apollo, Audwin, and I have been talking about it before drama class started, and we’ve picked out the song to sing.”

“What song did you pick?” Julius asked.

“It’s a song I wrote myself.” Apollo answered, “It’s a solo right now, but I can make it into something for all five of us to sing. Here, let me show you.”

Apollo pulled out his songbook out of his shorts pocket, flipped through the pages, and showed Julius the chosen song. Julius read through it and said,

“This song is brilliant, Apollo! What do you think, Chu Yunqing?”

Chu Yunqing read through the song and said,

“Let’s rock and roll!” 

Chapter Text

Once Apollo had arranged his song to make it work for him, Chu Yunqing, Audwin, Julius, and Light to sing, he made copies for all five of them to look at as they practiced. They arranged to meet in the music classroom to practice their song the next day after school. 

“Should we have instruments for our project?” Light asked, “This song we’re playing is an original, after all.”

“You make a good point, Light.” Apollo said, “I know there are some instruments in the storage we can use. We just need to get permission from the band teacher, though.”

“I actually got permission from Ms. Shiratori on the day we’re assigned to put together a performance.” Julius said, “She may be the drama teacher, but the theater department has its share with musical instruments, especially for spring musicals.”

“You’re way ahead of us, Julius.” Apollo said with a smile, “Glad you thought of that beforehand.”

“I already got my guitar.” Audwin said, showing his shiny black guitar with a silver owl printed on it to the other four boys, “What instruments will the rest of us play?”

“I can play the keyboard.” Julius said, “Laurence and I have learned to play it since we were kids. He’s more into the organ while I’m more into the piano and electric keyboard.”

“Awesome!” Apollo said, “I play the lyre for leisure time and songwriting, but I can play guitar, too. How about this, Audwin? I’ll play the bass guitar, and you’ll play the lead guitar.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Audwin said as he and Apollo shook hands on it.

“I can play the drums.” Light said, “I never had formal training in them, but I’ve learned to play from street performers ever since Kahir’s family took me in.”

“Cool!” Apollo said before turning to Chu Yunqing, “Chu Yunqing, what instrument do you want to play?”

“I’ve learned to play guitar myself.” Chu Yunqing said, “I never had formal training in it, either, but I’ve learned from a lounge musician who plays at the Ruyi Teahouse. Can I play rhythm guitar?”

“Sure!” Apollo said, “Now, does everyone have their copies?”

Julius, Light, Chu Yunqing, and Audwin held their copies of the song up, and Apollo gave them all a thumbs up.

“Should we highlight our parts of the song, so we will know what to play?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“That’s a great idea, Chu Yunqing.” Julius answered.

The five boys grabbed a highlighter from their backpacks and marked their parts in the song.

“Everyone got their parts highlighted?” Julius asked.

Chu Yunqing, Audwin, Light, and Apollo gave Julius a thumbs up to tell him that they’ve highlighted their parts.

“Alright.” Julius said, walking toward the keyboard. “Let’s get started.”

The five boys tried to play together, but the song was all over the place. Every time they tried to play together, someone was going at a slower or faster tempo, someone is either sharp or flat on their guitar or voice, or they’re stumbling on the words.

“Okay, this isn’t working.” Audwin said with his arms to the side in exasperation.

“If we keep playing horribly, we’ll flunk this project big time.” Light added, “There’s no way Ms. Shiratori will take us not getting along in the beginning as an excuse for failing Performance Friday. It’s a totally lame excuse.”

“We will get a good grade on this, guys.” Julius said, “Maybe we should take it slowly and listen to each instrument at a time and learn the lyrics.”

“Okay.” Audwin said, “Which instrument should we listen to first?” 

“Let’s listen to the keyboard first.” Chu Yunqing answered, “It's the first instrument to play, and it will help us count to when we have to start singing.”

“That makes perfect sense, Chu Yunqing.” Apollo said, nodding his head, “Julius, take it away.”

Julius started playing the keyboard and sang along to it. Whenever he made a mistake, Apollo pointed them out until Julius could play his part perfectly.

“There we go.” Julius said with a smile, “Light, how about we listen to you on the drums next?”

“Sounds good to me.” Light said with a smile beaming with confidence.

However, Light’s feeling of confidence began to slip as he tried to play his part in the song. He tried again and again until he let out a frustrated sigh and said,

“Playing an original song is harder than I thought.”

“It’s okay.” Apollo chuckled, “I had a hard time figuring out the notes and chords for the song when I was writing it. Here, let me show you.”

Apollo guided Light through his part in the song. Then, Light was able to play the drum part on his own.

“Now, how about we listen to the keyboard and the drums being played together?” Julius asked.

The other four boys agreed, and Julius and Light played their instruments together. The boys smiled as they listened to the two instruments being played in sync with each other.

“This is coming along great.” Julius said happily, “We just need to add the guitars, and then we can finally play the song together.”

“Which guitar should we focus on next?” Chu Yunqing asked, “Should we listen to bass, rhythm, or lead first?”

Audwin looked at his watch, and the hands indicated it was 6:00.

“How about we take a dinner break, and we can continue working on the song?” he asked.

“Good idea, Audwin.” Julius replied.

Apollo, Chu Yunqing, and Light nodded in agreement, and the five boys made their way to the cafeteria for dinner.

Chapter Text

It was finally Friday, which meant that the weekend was right around the corner once again. It also meant that it was Performance Friday in Ms. Shiratori’s drama class. Chu Yunqing, Julius, Light, Apollo, and Audwin were sitting together as they talked about their project.

“Are you all ready for this?” Julius asked.

“Oh yeah.” Light said with a smile.

All of their classmates were looking at them with a lot of interest. They were still not used to Light, Apollo, and Audwin sitting together.

“I’m glad to see that Audwin is finally getting along with Light and Apollo.” said the girl with chocolate hair tied back into a braid.

“I also find it a relief, Signy.” Gina said, “I’m really happy that Light chose to give friendship a second chance.”

Helen only shook her head and said,

“Boys. Think they know everything when in reality, they can be too stupid to let go of their pride. Maybe that’s why Apollo couldn’t get along with Light and Audwin in the first place.”

“I heard that, Helen!” Apollo said from across the classroom.

Helen only replied with laughter. Gina and Signy laughed with her.

“You sure love to roast Apollo and Achilles, Helen.” Gina said.

“They can be a pain in the rear.” Helen said, shrugging her shoulders, “But, I love them, anyway.”

“That’s exactly what I think about Aldous and Audwin.” Signy said.

Once Ms. Shiratori entered the classroom, all of the students stopped talking and turned their attention toward her.

“Hello, everyone.” Ms. Shiratori said with a smile, “Welcome to Performance Friday. I’m sure all of you have been doing well on practicing for your projects throughout this week. Without further ado, let’s get started.”

The drama teacher picked up a piece of paper that listed the groups.

“First up is Erik’s group.” she said, “Let me see your amazing talents.”

Erik was the student who wore a mask to cover up half his face. While he showed promise in the theater department, Erik was a known delinquent in Story Kingdom Academy. He had trouble making friends because of his insanely jealous and insecure behavior. Although he was dating his classmate Christine, there were rumors that turned out to be true about how toxic their relationship was. It became obvious once Christine started coming to class trying to cover up her unhappiness with a smile.

Erik’s group performed an original dialogue that was written by two of his group members Jo March and Vincent Savile. It was a simple dialogue about two young ladies discussing their husbands over coffee served by Jo’s character. Yuko’s character was complaining about her husband being unmotivated ever since he’s been laid off from his job, and Caroline’s character gives her a piece of wise advice that her husband just needed a wife who helps him at his worst. The scene ended with Vincent’s character picking Caroline’s character up with a bouquet of flowers in hand and Yuko’s character going back to Erik’s character to encourage him to start anew.

After the class applauded, Ms. Shiratori looked at her list again and said,

“Next is Signy’s group. Girls, take it away.”

Signy, Helen, Gina, and two other girls whose names were Meg and Bellona performed a dance routine to a song called “Come Alive” from the popular movie musical The Greatest Showman . It started with Signy walking through her group who were all standing as still as statues and when she tapped them on the shoulder one at a time, the girls began to move. Then, all five girls danced together as the chorus was sung one more time and struck a pose as the song came to an end. They really looked like a dancing circus act with their poses.

“Next up is Romy’s group.” Ms. Shiratori said after the class applauded, “Break a leg!”

Romy’s group performed a scene from the Disney Pixar movie The Incredibles where the Parr family were having dinner. Romy was telling Franklin that Akira got sent to the office again because he put a thumb tack on the teacher’s stool during class. After Franklin leaves the dinner table, Akira starts teasing Christine about her crush, and they break into a huge fight. Romy and Franklin tried to get Akira and Christine to stop fighting, and they did when they heard d’Eon ring the doorbell.

Everyone burst into laughter as they watched their performance and applauded them for a job well done. Ms. Shiratori looked at her list one more time and said,

“Last, but not least, is Julius’s group. Boys, give it your all.”

Julius, Chu Yunqing, Apollo, Light, and Audwin walked toward the center of the classroom and set up their instruments and microphones. They all nodded at each other to tell each other that they’re ready. Julius started their song by playing the intro on the keyboard. As Light joined in with the drums and later Audwin, Apollo, and Chu Yunqing on their guitars, Julius started singing.

Mic check

Can you hear me?

Gotta know if I’m coming clearly

Static from the speakers

In a second, your heart will be fearless

Taken for granted

Right now, you can’t stand it

Break down

It’s a showdown

Got to scream it out loud

Everyone started bobbing their heads to the song. Well, almost everyone. Julius continued singing.

‘Cause I’m not faking

Girl, I’m just saying

And Chu Yunqing, Audwin, Apollo, and Light joined Julius in the chorus.

Hey you, hey you

Now we’re into something new

Hey you, hey you

Now you’re feeling like I do

Come on, shout it

Let’s leave the past behind us

Come on, shout it out

Hey you

All of the boys’ classmates, except for one, were tapping their toes or patting their knees to the beat of the song as Apollo took the next verse.

Not open to suggestions

I’m dreaming of you and me dancing

No one’s interfering

Got to do it ourselves

We don’t need them

Long as we’re together

We won’t want nobody else, baby

Tell me if you’re ready

‘Cause tonight you will see

The class, except one student, began to snap their fingers or clap their hands to the song as Apollo continued.

That I’m not faking

Girl, I’m just saying

Then, Julius, Audwin, Light, and Chu Yunqing joined him in the chorus.

Hey you, hey you

Now we’re into something new

Hey you, hey you

Now you’re feeling like I do

Come on, shout it

Let’s leave the past behind us

Come on, shout it out

Hey you

Everyone, except for one student, were dancing in their seats and rocking along with the boys as Chu Yuning sang the bridge.

You doubted me

And you trusted me

And I made you see

How to find your relief

I don’t know what to say

Get on your way

I gotta hear you scream

Audwin, Light, Julius, and Apollo joined Chu Yunqing in the chorus.

Hey you, hey you

Now we’re into something new

Hey you, hey you

Now you’re feeling like I do

Come on, shout it

Let’s leave the past behind us

Come on, shout it out

(Hey you)

Hey you, hey you

Now we’re into something new

Hey you, hey you

Now you’re feeling like I do

Come on, shout it

Let’s leave the past behind us

Come on, shout it out

Hey you

The whole class erupted in cheer for the five boys. Even Ms. Shiratori was applauding with excitement. The only person in the classroom who didn’t rock along or cheer was Erik. If his face could turn into any color, it would be green with envy.

“Well done, class!” Ms. Shiratori said, smiling like a mother who’s proud of her child for getting straight A’s, “I’m very impressed with all of your performances!”

Once the bell rang, the class made their way out the door to their next classes. But before Chu Yunqing, Julius, Apollo, Light, and Audwin left the classroom, Ms. Shiratori called out to them,

“Boys, I would like to talk to you for a moment, please.”

The five boys turned around and walked toward their drama teacher.

“Yes, Ms. Shiratori?” Julius asked.

“I am very impressed with your performance.” Ms. Shiratori said, “Is that song an original?”

“Yes!” Audwin said excitedly, clamping a hand on Apollo’s shoulder, “This guy wrote it himself.”

“Audwin…” Apollo said with an embarrassed chuckle.

“You all have amazing talent.” Ms. Shiratori said with a smile, “Not only you all have earned yourselves an A on the project, you have also earned an offer to audition for the school talent show next month!”

“Really?” the boys asked in unison.

The teacher nodded.

“We’d love to audition!” Chu Yunqing said with glee.

“Wonderful!” Ms. Shiratori said, “I look forward to seeing what you’ve come up with for the audition. You’re free to go, now.”

As the boys left the classroom, Apollo said,

“Can you believe it? We were offered to audition for the talent show next month!”

“Were we really that good?” Light asked.

“I always thought Ms. Shiratori was hard to impress.” Julius said.

“But, here we are.” Audwin said.

“Let’s celebrate getting a good grade on our project and an audition offer!” Chu Yunqing said with a beaming smile.

“This calls for dinner at a Summer Boulevard restaurant!” Julius declared.

“Yeah!” the other four boys cheered.

Chapter Text

“OMG! Did you see them perform in our class?” a student from their drama class would ask.

“I never thought the boys who never got along would become friends after discovering they all share a love for music.” a student who knew about Apollo, Audwin, and Light’s past drama would say.

“They’re so talented!” another student would say, “I wonder if they will ever make it big in music.”

It’s been a week since Apollo, Audwin, Chu Yunqing, Julius, and Light performed their song for Performance Friday in their drama class. It has become the talk of the school, making the boys popular among their peers. Students in their dormitory would take a break from their homework and listen to the boys play music whenever they’re all done with their homework. Students would even ask them to play a certain song for them. It would be a lie to say that the boys were overwhelmed by all that.

It was the weekend, and the five boys were hanging out together in the common room. Audwin was drawing a picture for his art class, Julius was reading a novel, Apollo was strumming his lyre while looking at his songbook, Light was playing a video game on his LanternPhone, and Chu Yunqing was simply munching on apple slices.

“Okay,” Audwin said as he stopped drawing, “I must admit we did a good job on our project, but was it really that good for our classmates to talk to everyone about it and have them ask us to perform another song? We’re high school students, not a boy band who made it to the top of the music charts.”

“I’m very flattered myself, Audwin.” Julius said, shrugging his shoulders as he put down his book, “I’m still astonished that Ms. Shiratori gave us an offer to audition for the talent show.”

“Well, I would never miss the chance to perform in the talent show.” Light said with a confident smile as he turned off his phone after completing a level on his game, “So, I signed us all up for it during lunch.”

“We all saw that, Light.” Julius said, “We can read all of our names written down on that sign-up sheet.”

Chu Yunqing finished eating an apple slice and asked,

“Speaking of talent shows, Apollo, have you thought of a song for us to sing for the talent show next month?”

Apollo shook his head and said,

“I’ve looked through my songbook, but nothing seems to be jumping out at me.”

“May we take a look?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“Sure.” Apollo said, handing out his songbook to Chu Yunqing.

Chu Yunqing, Julius, Light, and Audwin took turns looking at Apollo’s songbook to see what song they wanted to sing for the talent show.

“All of these songs are great.” Audwin said, “But we’ve sung all of them at least twice already.”

“That’s why none of them seem to be jumping out at me.” Apollo said.

“I see your point, Apollo.” Light said, nodding his head, “When you’ve already done something before, what’s the point of doing it again?”

“Well,” Chu Yunqing said, “If none of us want to sing a song we’ve already sung during our freetimes, why not write a new song for the talent show?”

“I’ve been considering that, Chu Yunqing.” Apollo replied, “But I don’t have any ideas for a new song.”

“We can help.” Julius said with a smile, “Since it’s the weekend, how about we go around the campus area, and go places and do things that will get us inspired to create?” 

“That’s a great idea, Julius!” Apollo beamed, “Where should we go?”

“I know!” Light said excitedly, “How about we go to Summer Boulevard? That’s where I get my inspiration when it comes to my break dance routines!”

“That’s a good suggestion, Light.” Julius said, “We could also go to the Immemorial Resonance Gardens. That’s where I get my inspiration for my poetry and short fiction.”

“And how about Mirage Forest?” Apollo asked, “I get my inspiration there, especially when I admire Forest Fairyland Falls at the end of Cloud Mirror trail.”

“That’s good, too, Apollo.” Julius said, “How about you, Chu Yunqing and Audwin? Where do you get your inspiration?”

“I did a lot of community theater while growing up.” Audwin answered, “There’s a theater we regularly perform in. I also did some volunteer work there, too. We can pay that theater a visit to gain inspiration.”

“As for me,” Chu Yunqing said, “I do a lot of volunteer work helping animals, children, and the elderly. We can visit a park or the beach. I heard there’s a beach not too far from campus.”

Julius wrote down all of their ideas of places to go for inspiration and said,

“Looks like we have a lot of ideas on where to find inspiration for a song. Let’s start with Summer Boulevard and see what we can find there.”

After getting off the bus from the school to Summer Boulevard, the five boys walked down the street, passing by restaurants, stores, and entertainment venues. They looked around the area to find a certain place to look into to gather inspiration for a new song. As they walked, the boys saw people looking at them like they saw them before and whispering to each other.

“Why is everyone staring at us?” Chu Yunqing asked, “Do we have something on our clothes or our faces?”

“I hope not.” Audwin said, looking at his black leather jacket to find any dirty spots, “I’ve been keeping this jacket clean every day. It’s my favorite.”

“And I've been using zit cream to keep my acne under control day and night.” Light added, “Sweat makes me break out a lot since I play sports.”

“Hi, boys!” a female voice called out.

The five boys turned around to see Pei Jin, Signy, Romy, Helen, and Gina carrying shopping bags and walking toward them. 

“Hey, girls.” Julius said, “What’s up?”

“Just doing a little shopping.” Romy answered, “What about you?”

“We’re looking for inspiration for a song to write for the school talent show.” Apollo said.

“Speaking of songs,” Gina said, “Did you see the latest MirrorTube video?”

“No, we didn’t, Gina.” Chu Yunqing replied, “Why?”

Gina pulled out her phone, entered the MirrorTube website, and showed the boys a video of them performing the song they sang for Performance Friday in the common area of their dormitory. Julius, Light, Chu Yunqing, Apollo, and Audwin were astonished.

“We’re on MirrorTube?” Light asked.

“Yes!” Pei Jin said excitedly, “Someone filmed you in secret and posted it on MirrorTube! The video already has a million views!”

All of the boys’ jaws dropped.

“Everyone at Story Kingdom Academy won’t stop talking about you!” Gina added, “You’re famous, now! Online and at school!”

“So that’s why everyone here was staring at us.” Chu Yunqing said, “They’ve seen the MirrorTube video.”

“There’s more.” Helen pointed out, “A lot of our classmates and friends are asking if your band has a name.”

The boys froze. 

“We never thought of a name for our band.” Audwin said, shaking his head.

“Well, you should.” Signy said, “Who knows? Maybe the teachers who will be observing the talent show auditions will ask you what your group name is.”

The boys looked at each other. They’ve been so focused on what to write for their song, a name for their band never crossed their minds.

“Well,” Romy said, “The girls and I are heading back to school. We’ll see you later.”

“Okay.” Chu Yunqing said, “Bye.”

As the girls walked the other direction, Audwin said,

“Looks like we should look for inspiration for two things: a song for the talent show and a name for our band.”

“I’m still wrapping my head around the fact that we’re MirrorTube famous.” Julius said, “Who filmed us and posted the video online?” 

“I’m sure the answer will be revealed when the time comes.” Chu Yunqing said, shrugging his shoulders, “But for now, let's continue looking for ideas for a song.”

He, Julius, Audwin, Light, and Apollo continued walking down the street and looking around. They all stopped when they heard something that sounded like wooden sticks beating on metal garbage cans. The boys looked across the street to see street performers playing garbage cans as makeshift drums.

“Hey,” Light said, pointing at the street performers, “Check that out.”

After making sure it’s safe, the five boys walked across the road and watched the street performers play. They even clapped their hands and stomped their feet to the rhythm of the garbage can drums. Then, Light started breakdancing, performing awesome handstands and flips combined with hip hop moves. Audwin, Julius, Chu Yunqing, Apollo, and the street performers cheered Light on as he danced.

“Go Light! Go Light! Go Light!” they all chanted.

Light ended his dance routine with a single-handed handstand with his free hand on his chin like he’s checking out a girl, preferably Gina.

“That was awesome!” Chu Yunqing said to Light as they, along with Julius, Apollo, and Audwin walked back to the bus stop. 

“You should do that for the talent show!” Audwin said.

“Thanks, guys.” Light said with a light chuckle, “I can do something like that if our song had a dance break in it.”

“Speaking of,” Audwin said, “Apollo, did you come up with anything for it?”

“The street performers gave me a great idea for the rhythm of the song.” Apollo answered, “But the song should have a melody, too.”

“How about we take a hike on the Cloud Mirror trail in Mirage Forest?” Julius asked, “Maybe when we listen to the sounds of nature, it can inspire you to create a brand new melody.”

“I’ve been meaning to take a hike on that trail and see Forest Fairyland Falls.” Light said, “I usually take the Spider Lily trail. There are a lot of blueberry bushes and cherry trees at the end of that trail.”

“Looks like I need to hike all of the trails in Mirage Forest just to see what surprises await at the end of each of them.” Chu Yunqing said with a smile.

“The forest always has surprises for those who hike in it, Chu Yunqing.” Audwin replied, “That’s the beauty of it, after all.”

“Since we all want to go to Mirage Forest for a hike,” Apollo said, “Let’s do that!”

Apollo, Audwin, Chu Yunqing, Julius, and Light were hiking the Cloud Mirror Trail in Mirage Forest after they took the bus back to school. As they walked down the trail, they listened to the sounds of the wind blowing through the leaves on the trees, birds chirping, crickets fiddling, and frogs croaking. None of the boys were talking because they wanted to focus on listening to nature to find inspiration for the melody of the song. It was a very “stop and smell the roses” type of moment for them. The moment became better when they heard the sound of water rushing. The boys’ jaws dropped in wonder as they’re greeted with the sight of a waterfall, the sun shining through the trees, and a rainbow appearing in the mist as the waterfall poured into a river with water as clear as a crystal chandelier.

“Wow.” Julius whispered, “Forest Fairyland Falls.”

“I wish I brought my sketchbook.” Audwin said, “So much inspiration from this view.”

Light didn’t say a word. He simply pulled out his phone and snapped a picture of the waterfall.

“Hmm…” Apollo said as he pulled out his lyre.

He started playing a few chords that didn’t sound like they’re in the right order of playing at first. Then, after trying out a few different orders, Apollo played them in the order that sounded right.

“This is it!” he said happily, “This is the melody for the song!”

Audwin smiled and pulled out his acoustic guitar and started playing along with Apollo. The chords he played complemented with the chords Apollo played on his lyre.

“That sounds really good, Audwin.” Julius said with a smile, “Is that supposed to be the harmony?”

“Yes.” Audwin answered, “A song should have both a melody and a harmony.”

With the snap of his fingers, Light conjured a rhythm box and sat on top of it. As he played it, Apollo and Audwin kept time with him and felt the rhythm move them. Chu Yunqing and Julius bobbed their heads to the music and smiled with anticipation.

“We got the music down.” Apollo said, “But we need words for the songs.”

Then, Chu Yunqing started humming the bars of the newly created song before he started softly singing.

Young hearts 

I believe if we are not far

From becoming who we truly are

Love is on its way

Apollo, Audwin, Julius, and Light looked at Chu Yunqing with wide eyes. But they all grinned, and Julius sang,

Dreamers

You see everything in color

While the world is getting darker

Love is on its way

Then, all five of the boys sang,

So, hold on to another day

‘Cause love is on its way

You’ll find it’s gonna be okay

‘Cause love is on its way

It’s alright, you’ll find a brighter day

‘Cause love is on its way

The five boys beamed.

“That’s it!” Apollo said gleefully, “That’s the song we should sing for the talent show! I just need to write it down for all five of us, and it’ll be ready for singing!”

“We audition, and we continue rocking this school!” Audwin said with a snap of his fingers.

“We still need to come up with a name for our band, though.” Julius pointed out, “Any ideas?”

All of the boys shook their heads. Then, Light said,

“You know what will help me think of a band name? A little fun in the water!”

He pointed at a narrow pathway and added,

“There’s a path that leads to the bottom of the waterfall! Last one there is a rotten apple!”

He ran down the pathway as Julius called,

“Light! Wait!”

Julius, Chu Yunqing, Apollo, and Audwin ran after Light and saw he was right about the pathway. They made it near the waterfall, and the sound of it pouring into the river was louder up close.

“Wow!” Audwin shouted over the rushing water sound, “I never thought water could make such loud sounds!”

“It sounds like a storm at sea!” Chu Yunqing shouted.

“Yeah!” Light shouted, “Isn’t it great?!”

He kicked off his shoes and removed his shirt before emerging himself in the water dumping on his head.

“This is awesome!” Light shouted.

Apollo was next to remove his shirt and shoes and go into the water. As he felt the waterfall pour what looked like gallons of water on him, he shouted,

“Why didn’t I think of this?! This is the best way to finish a hike in the forest!”

“Hey!” Audwin shouted with a wide grin as he removed his shirt and shoes, “Let me have my share of the fun!”

He jumped into the river and swam up to the rock Apollo and Light were standing on.

“Heh.” Chu Yunqing said, shrugging his shoulders with a smile, “I would never pass up the chance to swim with my friends on the weekend.”

He removed his shirt and shoes and submerged himself into the water. When he resurfaced, his legs transformed into a blue fishtail. When the other four boys saw Chu Yunqing’s tail, their jaws dropped in wonder.

“Woah.” they all said.

“Your tail is awesome, Chu Yunqing!” Apollo said.

“Thanks!” Chu Yunqing said with a smile.

“Man!” Audwin said, “I’m sure having a fishtail is cool, but I don’t know if I can turn into a merman, even though I can do shapeshifting magic.”

Julius shook his head and laughed.

“Well,” he said, “If you can’t beat them, join them.”

Julius removed his shirt and shoes and joined Chu Yunqing, Audwin, Light, and Apollo in their fun in the water. He even started a splash fight, and they all laughed, swam, and splashed to their hearts’ content. Eventually, they all laid down on the wet rock to rest.

“I never had this much fun since I was younger.” Julius said, “I can feel my heart beating as loud as the waterfall.”

“Wait a minute.” Light said, “Chu Yunqing said that the waterfall is as loud as a storm at sea, and you said your heartbeat is as loud as the waterfall. Heartbeat…storm…”

“What is it, Light?” Apollo asked.

“I think I’ve figured out a name for our band.” Light answered, “But it may sound cheesy.”

He whispered it in Apollo’s ear, and Apollo’s eyes widened.

“That really is a cheesy band name.” Apollo said.

But he grinned and added,

“But that’s actually a great name!”

Apollo told Audwin, Chu Yunqing, and Julius the name Light came up with for their band, and they all gave their approval.

Chapter Text

For the next two weeks, Apollo wrote the song for him, Light, Audwin, Julius, and Chu Yunqing to sing for the school talent show. Once he finished writing it, the boys spent the two weeks practicing the song individually and as a group. Before they knew it, it was finally the day of the talent show auditions.

“Gosh!” Chu Yunqing said, looking at all the students in front of him and his group, “That is quite a line!”

The line of students auditioning for the talent show stretched from the doors to the auditorium all the way to the doors of the drama classroom. It was moving slowly as the judges were letting everyone in one act at a time. They started with individuals and have group acts next.

“The school talent show is very popular in Story Kingdom Academy, Chu Yunqing.” Julius explained, “A lot of students want to perform their talents, from dancing to magic.”

“It’s a lot of fun.” Light said, “It would’ve been more fun if it wasn’t a competition.”

“You mean it is?” Chu Yunqing asked.

Julius, Light, Apollo, and Audwin nodded their heads.

“That doesn’t sound right.” Chu Yunqing said, shaking his head, “A talent show is supposed to be an opportunity for students to show others what they love doing. It shouldn’t be a challenge to see who has the best performance.”

“Unfortunately, it’s a tradition in Story Kingdom Academy.” Audwin said, shrugging his shoulders.

“But remember,” Apollo said, “It’s not winning the talent show, it’s taking part of it that counts.”

“I disagree, Apollo.” said a voice.

Apollo, Audwin, Chu Yunqing, Julius, and Light turned around to see Erik standing in front of them in line with a girl with curly brown hair wearing a dusty blue dress adorned with a small pink bow.

“What do you want from us, Erik?” Audwin asked through gritted teeth.

“Nothing.” Erik said bluntly, “I’m just stating that I’m here to win. First place is mine.”

“Do you always have to be the winner?” Chu Yunqing asked, “There are plenty of people who deserve to be number one other than you.”

Erik’s eyes narrowed at Chu Yunqing.

“You know nothing, newbie.” he said, “It takes more than performing on stage to beat me and my beloved Christine. Am I right, Christine?”

The girl standing next to Erik opened her mouth to express her opinion, but Erik beat her to it.

“See?” Erik asked, “Christine agrees. No matter what you do to try to beat us, you will always be losers.”

The five boys were all dumbfounded by Erik’s harsh words and how he didn’t give Christine a chance to speak.

“Erik du Phantom and Christine Daae!” Ms. Shiratori called as she opened the door to the auditorium. 

“We’re up.” Erik said, “Good luck to you five. You’re gonna need it.”

He gave the five boys another glare before entering the auditorium with Christine.

“It’s just a talent show.” Chu Yunqing said, shrugging his shoulders, “Is Erik that angry that we were given the opportunity to audition for it?”

“Let’s put it this way.” Audwin explained, “Nobody has ever beaten Erik and Christine in a talent show since kindergarten.”

“That long?!” Chu Yunqing asked with wide eyes.

“Yeah.” Light said, crossing his arms.

“And that girl Christine…” Chu Yunqing said.

“She’s Erik’s girlfriend.” Apollo answered, “Their relationship is…not a very healthy one.”

Chu Yunqing’s jaw dropped. Before he could ask a question about Erik and Christine, Ms. Shiratori opened the auditorium door and called,

“Apollo Zeuson, Audwin Byrd, Arslan Light, Julius Capulet, and Yunqing Chu!”

The five boys nodded their heads before Julius said,

“It’s not our story to tell, Chu Yunqing. Right now, we have to audition. And never mind what Erik said. He’s just trying to get into our heads.”

The boys’ minds were still on Erik’s mean words as they entered the auditorium. But they tried to set it aside once they got on stage.

“Introduce yourselves.” Ms. Shiratori said.

“Hi,” Julius said with a smile, “I’m Julius Capulet.”

“I’m Chu Yunqing.” Chu Yunqing said.

“I’m Apollo Zeuson.” Apollo added.

“I’m Arslan Light.” Light said.

“And I’m Audwin Byrd.” Audwin said, “And we’ll be performing an original song

‘Love Is On Its Way.’” 

“Good luck.” Ms. Shiratori said with a smile.

Julius started playing the piano, Apollo on electric guitar, Audwin on acoustic guitar, Light on drums, and Chu Yunqing on tambourine. Then, Chu Yunqing started singing,

Young hearts 

I believe if we are not far

From becoming who we truly are

Love is on its way

Next, Julius sang,

Dreamers

You see everything in color

While the world is getting darker

Love is on its way

Then, Audwin sang,

So, hold on to another day

‘Cause love is on its way

You’ll find it’s gonna be okay

‘Cause love is on its way

It’s alright, you’ll find a brighter day

‘Cause love is on its way

After the boys finished their audition, Ms. Shiratori said with a smile,

“Thank you, boys. Now, can you tell us what your group name is? We all think your group deserves a name.”

Julius, Light, Audwin, Apollo, and Chu Yunqing looked at each other and smiled before they announced their group name together,

“Heartbeats of a Storm!”

Chapter Text

Apollo, Audwin, Chu Yunqing, Julius, and Light had been waiting for the results of the auditions for the talent show for a week. They checked the billboard in the school hallway, the school website, and their school emails for any updates. Unfortunately, no news about the auditions had been released yet.

“It’s been a whole week since we auditioned for the talent show!” Light complained, laying on the couch in the common room, “Why haven’t they posted on who made it?!”

“Light,” Julius said with a sigh, putting down his book, “These things take time, remember? I’m sure the judges have seen a lot of good auditions, and making a decision on who will be in the talent show is not easy.”

“Julius is right, Light.” Audwin said as he stopped strumming his guitar, “Besides, he, Apollo, Chu Yunqing, and I want to know as badly as you do.”

Light simply crossed his arms and pressed his lips into a scowl.

“Look,” Audwin added, “None of us like waiting, either. But, we have no choice. Plus, if we made it to the talent show, great. If not, there’s always next year.”

“I think we’ve been worrying about the talent show too much.” Apollo said, shrugging his shoulders, “How about we grab dinner at the Inu-hariko?”

“Sounds like a plan.” Chu Yunqing said, putting down his pencil after finishing his homework, “My brain is already fried from staring at those numbers and solving those equations. You know, there are some things that can’t be solved with an equation.”

“You even said not everything is solved with science when we were working on our chemistry homework together.” Apollo laughed.

“It’s true.” Chu Yunqing said, “That is why science and magic don’t mix.”

“Okay, guys.” Light said, “Can we go to the Inu-hariko? My stomach is growling like a tiger.”

The other four boys agreed, and they headed toward the bus stop to go to Summer Boulevard.

“Are you sure you want to eat sushi, Chu Yunqing?” Light asked.

The five boys were at the Inu-hariko, enjoying a dinner that came with sushi, egg rolls, and entrees from chicken fried rice to chicken hibachi. Chu Yunqing had his eyes on the sushi, but Light was questioning him if he really wanted to eat it because sushi has fish.

“For goodness sake, Light!” Chu Yunqing said, rolling his eyes, “You know how much I wanted to try the rainbow roll in this restaurant.”

“I thought merfolk don’t eat fish.” Light said with his hands up in surrender.

“Just pass the fish, please.” Chu Yunqing said, shaking his head.

Light pushed the plate of colorful sushi toward Chu Yunqing, and Chu Yunqing picked up a roll with his chopsticks before taking a bite.

“Don’t blame Chu Yunqing for wanting to eat sushi, Light.” Apollo said, grabbing an egg roll, “You know how much I love Inu-hariko's pork egg rolls.” 

“To be honest, Apollo,” Julius said before taking a sip of his soda, “The food here is excellent.”

“I know a really good restaurant in Chang’an.” Chu Yunqing said, “It’s called Ruyi Teahouse. My friend Wen Lengxiang works there, and the tea she makes is incredible!”

“We should definitely go there someday.” Julius said.

Light, Apollo, and Audwin nodded in agreement. 

“Hey, look!” a voice called, “It’s Fish Boy and the four losers!”

“Let’s teach ‘em a lesson!” another voice said.

Chu Yunqing, Julius, Light, Apollo, and Audwin turned their heads and groaned when they saw Tybalt and Ferdinand walking toward them. 

“What brings you here, Ferdinand and Tybalt?” Julius asked with a crooked smile.

“We came here to give you five some advice.” Tybalt said, pulling on one of his biker gloves.

“What kind of advice?” Audwin asked, quirking a brow.

“We want to remind you to stay out of Erik’s way.” Ferdinand answered, “You know he doesn’t like it when someone is more talented than him and Christine.”

“Also,” Tybalt added, glaring at Chu Yunqing, “You need to separate fantasy from reality.”

“What are you talking about?” Chu Yunqing asked, “What’s wrong with turning a fantasy into a reality?”

“You know what I mean.” Tybalt snapped.

“You don’t have a chance with the girls you like.” Ferdinand pointed out, “So, don’t get your hopes up that you will get together with them.”

He turned to Audwin and said quietly,

“Signy will be mine.”

“Yours?” Audwin asked, standing up from his seat, “You don’t deserve her!”

“And you do?” Ferdinand asked with a mocking laughter, “I’ve heard your story, Bird Brain. Do you honestly think that Signy would want to date a guy with a troubled past like you? I’m not saying that she should be with your good for nothing brother, either. Neither of you stand a chance.”

Audwin’s face turned as red as a tomato, and he began to growl like a wolf. He stopped when he felt Apollo put a hand on his shoulder. Audwin looked and saw Apollo shaking his head with an unusually serious expression on his face. Audwin took a deep breath to calm himself down.

“Well,” Chu Yunqing said, “I got some advice for you two.”

He took a sip of his soda and as he spit it on Ferdinand and Tybalt, the soda was shooting at both of them. The two bullies exclaimed in disgust as their shirts got wet from Chu Yunqing’s soda.

“Put on a dry shirt.” Chu Yunqing said bluntly after spewing soda on Tybalt and Ferdinand.

As he and Tybalt stormed out of the restaurant, Ferdinand said, 

“Okay, but we’ll warn you again! Erik was not happy when he saw the list of acts that made it to the talent show!”

After Tybalt and Ferdinand left, the five boys were left confused about what Ferdinand said.

“Are the results posted?” Apollo asked.

Julius pulled out his phone and entered the school website. He tapped onto the link to the list of acts in the talent show and began reading it. Julius rolled his eyes when he saw Erik and Christine’s names on the list, but he broke out a smile shortly after.

“What is it, Julius?” Light asked.

Julius didn’t say a word and showed the other four boys the list. They read it and beamed when they saw their group’s name on it.

“We’re in!” Light said excitedly.

“Awesome!” Audwin said with his fists in the air, “Talent show, here we come!”

The boys cheered as they left the restaurant. As they were making their way to the bus stop, they heard a voice calling,

“Audwin! Julius! Light! Chu Yunqing! Apollo! Wait up!”

The five boys turned around to see a sharply dressed boy around their age with neatly groomed golden hair and amethyst eyes.

“Jesse?” Julius asked, “What brings you here?”

Jesse Lindvall was the youngest son of a banker in London. He was very popular in school, and a lot of girls wanted to date him.

“I’ve been looking for you.” Jesse explained, “I saw you on MirrorTube, and you are amazing musicians!”

“Thank you.” Chu Yunqing said, unsure what to make of the situation.

“I was wondering if you would like to play at my birthday party.” Jesse added.

“You want us to play at your party?” Apollo asked.

“Totally!” Jesse said with a smile, “My birthday party is tomorrow at 6:00 in the evening. Do you want to come?”

“We’d love to!” Julius said with a smile.

“And we’d love to play at your party!” Audwin added enthusiastically.

“Brilliant!” Jesse said, “I can’t wait for tomorrow!”

“Neither can we.” Light said happily.

The boys were back in their dorm, pondering everything that happened ever since they performed together for Performance Friday.

“This is nuts.” Apollo said, raking his hand through his hair, “First, we became MirrorTube famous out of the blue, and now we are invited to play for a birthday party.”

“It’s like we’re in some kind of dream where we are suddenly celebrities.” Light said, “Everyone wants to hang out with us, they want our autographs, and our pictures are everywhere we go.”

“But Erik is our biggest rival, now.” Audwin pointed out, “Shouldn’t we be on the lookout for him?”

“No.” Apollo said, “Erik should be on the lookout for us. He’s probably scared that we will steal the spotlight from him.”

“But the talent show isn’t about who gets to have the spotlight.” Chu Yunqing explained, “It’s about showing everyone what we love doing.”

“Then we shall show him that music, teamwork, and fun are what truly matter once it’s time for us to perform in the talent show.” Apollo said with a fist of confidence.

“But first,” Light said, “We have a party to go to.”

Chapter Text

At the campus all-purpose house, many students were gathered for Jesse’s birthday party. The house was decorated with ribbons, balloons, a disco ball, and a sign that read “Happy Birthday, Jesse!” The tables were covered with plastic tablecloths, and on the buffet table, there were pizza, chips, pretzels, sodas, and a cake being served. There was even a table where students leave their birthday presents for Jesse and another table for the guests to sit at with paper plates and plastic cups set up for them. The only thing that was missing was the music.

“Where are Heartbeats of a Storm?” Kahir asked, “Aren’t they supposed to be playing music for the party?”

“Don’t worry, Kahir.” Gina assured, “They will come soon. They’re probably just getting ready.”

“I just don’t understand why everyone wants Heartbeats of a Storm to play music for them.” Achilles said, rolling his eyes, “What’s so great about them, anyway, especially that blondie Apollo?”

“Achilles!” Helen scolded, “Apollo is a talented musician, and he’s playing music with his new friends. I’m proud of all of them for that.”

“How many sentences do you have to say before you mention Apollo?” Achilles asked, “This is why I was insistent on going to this party with you, Helen. I’m certain he would try to take advantage of you just like how a bunch of thugs tried to do when you went out so late at night without me.”

“But, Achilles!” Helen exclaimed, rolling her eyes.

“Everyone, relax!” Jesse called, “Heartbeats of a Storm will be here in a minute. They may be running a little late.”

Then, all the guests heard the doors fly open and saw Light, Audwin, Apollo, Julius, and Chu Yunqing enter the all-purpose house with their instruments.

“They’re here!” Signy called happily.

“Sorry to be late.” Julius said, “We were practicing for the talent show and preparing what songs to sing for the party.”

“Of course,” Chu Yunqing added, “Everyone is welcome to make requests for songs they want to hear.”

“So,” Light said, “Let’s get this party started!”

All of the guests cheered as Heartbeats of a Storm set up their instruments on the stage and began playing the song they chose to start the party. As the boys played, all of the guests danced and sang along. There was no doubt that everyone was having a great time.

When the first half of the party was done, Heartbeats of a Storm decided to take a break in time for everyone to enjoy the cake. So, all of the guests sat down at the table after helping themselves to pizza, snacks, and soda. After Light used his magic to light up the candles, he, Audwin, Apollo, Julius, and Chu Yunqing led the birthday song. All of the guests, aside from Jesse, who was the birthday boy, sang,

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday to you!

Happy birthday to Jesse!

Happy birthday to you!

Everyone applauded after Jesse blew out the candles. Everyone got in line to help themselves to a slice of cake.

“Thank you so much for coming to play at my party, guys.” Jesse said to Heartbeats of a Storm.

“It’s an honor to play at your party, Jesse.” Apollo said with a smile, “Thank you for inviting us.”

“So, Heartbeats of a Storm,” Romy said, “What’s it like to be famous at Story Kingdom Academy?”

“To be honest, Romy,” Julius said, “We are very flattered to hear people saying we’re famous. We’re still guys who go to school together, and we’re simply doing what we love together.”

“Oh, don’t be so modest, boys.” Gina said, giggling, “You were offered to audition for the talent show, you became MirrorTube famous, and you’re now playing for Jesse’s birthday party! You are like celebrities at this school!”

“Do you think you have a chance at winning the talent show?” Pei Jin asked.

“Well…” Chu Yunqing said, rubbing the back of his head.

“I think they do!” Signy said confidently.

“So do I!” Helen said with a beaming smile.

“Me, too!” Kahir added.

Many of the guests voiced their agreements on the band’s chances of winning the upcoming school talent show. Heartbeats of a Storm only smiled. They were very happy to hear that many of their classmates believed they were going to win the talent show.

“Well,” Audwin said, “Who’s ready for us to perform a second act for the party?”

All of the guests cheered for Heartbeats of a Storm to perform another act. So, the band got back on stage and began to play more music for the guests to dance and sing along.

Meanwhile, there were a few students at Story Kingdom Academy who did not take Heartbeats of a Storm’s popularity happily. Tybalt, Ferdinand, and Erik were sitting at a table in the cafeteria with sour frowns on their faces. They weren’t invited to Jesse’s party because of how they mistreated many of their peers, and knowing that Jesse invited Heartbeats of a Storm made the three hate the band more than they already did.

“Ugh!” Tybalt growled, slamming a fist onto the table, “I just can’t stand my cousin and his pathetic little friends! They’re just playing music, gaining popularity from our peers, and being so happy!”

“First, they got an offer to audition for the talent show,” Erik said with a sneer, “Next, they became MirrorTube famous. Then, they made it to the talent show. Now, they’re playing music for Jesse Lindvall’s birthday party! They’re stealing the spotlight I share with my beloved Christine! They’re messing with the wrong guy!”

“I say we gotta do something about it.” Ferdinand pointed out.

“Exactly, Ferdinand.” Erik said, “But, what can we do?”

“Well,” Ferdinand said, “We weren’t invited to Jesse Lindvall’s party. So, maybe it’s time we paid a little surprise visit for your rivals, Erik.”

“Are you suggesting that we should crash the party?” Erik asked.

“Not only that,” Ferdinand added, holding up a large bucket of water, “We would also give them a big surprise that will knock them and everyone at the party down.” 

“That sounds despicable, Ferdinand.” Tybalt said with a smirk, “I love it!”

“I love it, too.” Erik said, “Now, let’s go. We got a party to go to.”

He, Ferdinand, and Tybalt left the cafeteria and made their way to the all-purpose house, where they saw colored lights shining through the windows. They could even hear music playing from the house, although it was muffled by the walls.

“This is the place.” Erik said, “Let’s go get back at those so-called heartthrobs.”

Ferdinand and Tybalt laughed in a mean way as they and Erik entered the party with the swing and bang of the doors. Heartbeats of a Storm stopped playing, and all the guests stopped dancing and singing. Everyone looked at the three uninvited guests in silence until Jesse broke it.

“Ferdinand, Erik, and Tybalt?” he asked, “What are you doing here? You three weren’t invited.”

“We came to talk to the band who you hired to play at your party, Lindvall.” Tybalt sneered.

“I’m sorry.” Jesse said, shaking his head, “You can’t come in. Only invited guests are allowed. Rules are rules.”

“Get out of our way!” Erik growled, shoving Jesse to the side.

All of the guests gasped as he, Tybalt, and Ferdinand walked toward Heartbeats of a Storm. Audwin, Light, Apollo, Julius, and Chu Yunqing put away their instruments and walked toward the uninvited guests.

“What do you want, Tybalt, Ferdinand, and Erik?” Apollo asked through clenched teeth.

“Oh, not much.” Tybalt said with a forced sweet tone, “We just wanted to give you something to congratulate you on how famous you became all because of your project for Performance Friday and to welcome the new kid to Story Kingdom Academy. We greatly apologize for not doing so sooner. We’ve been…busy lately.”

“First of all, my name is Chu Yunqing.” Chu Yunqing said with a glare as sharp as a dagger, “And second, why should we believe that you have good intentions on crashing Jesse’s party?”

“Come on, Chu Yunqing.” Ferdinand said slyly, “You don’t want to offend someone who’s giving you a gift by refusing the gift.”

“Don’t buy into it, Chu Yunqing.” Julius whispered in Chu Yunqing’s ear, “They’re trying to play with your emotions.”

Chu Yunqing nodded and said,

“Listen, you three. Audwin, Apollo, Light, Julius, and I don’t know what you want from us, but we don’t want you to do something that’s going to ruin Jesse’s birthday. So, I suggest you listen to the birthday boy and leave the party. Like what he said, you weren’t invited. Now, if you’ll excuse us, my friends and I would like to keep the party rocking.”

As the band turned away and began to walk toward the stage, Erik, Ferdinand, and Tybalt’s faces turned red with rage because the band refused to give in to their trick. So, they went with Plan B: giving the band the gift by force. Ferdinand and Tybalt grabbed the bucket and together, they tossed the water inside the bucket onto Chu Yunqing, making a huge splash that soaked the rhythm guitarist and the floor. Chu Yunqing’s eyes widened as the water hit him. He tried to make his way to the door, but the all-purpose house was too crowded. Then, Chu Yunqing fell onto the ground as his legs transformed into a long, blue fishtail. Tybalt, Erik, and Ferdinand burst out laughing and pointed at the poor merman.

“Now that’s what I call a fish out of water!” Ferdinand said, laughing.

“A fish out of water!” Tybalt laughed along, “Good one, Ferdinand!”

Naturally, Chu Yunqing was completely embarrassed that he transformed into a merman in front of all of the party guests. Thankfully, Pei Jin and Wen Lengxiang worked together to carry Chu Yunqing out of the all-purpose house, while Julius, Audwin, Light, and Apollo excused themselves from the party as they confronted the bullies alone. 

“Tybalt, Ferdinand, and Erik!” Julius shouted, his face like a flaming pepper, “How could you do that to Chu Yunqing?! He didn’t do anything to you!”

“He’s been a girl magnet for far too long, cousin!” Tybalt growled, “It’s time to teach him a lesson that he can’t have every girl at Story Kingdom Academy! Plus, he hasn’t been here that long, and he got so much attention from the girls!”

“Chu Yunqing’s is a very nice guy!” Apollo protested, “And girls like boys who are kind to everyone!”

“You know nothing about that, Apollo!” Erik sneered, “You only steal girls’ hearts just by using your good looks!”

“And do you want to know something else?” Tybalt asked, “I know all about your relationship with that Montague girl, cousin!”

“What?!” Julius asked with wide eyes. 

“What other reason did you have for sneaking out?” Tybalt asked, shrugging his shoulders, “You know Uncle would never approve of your relationship with her.”

“Don’t even think about telling Dad about it!” Julius begged, “I was planning on telling him!”

“Don’t worry, cousin.” Tybalt said, smirking, “I won’t say a word to Uncle on one condition.”

“And what’s that?” Julius asked.

“You disband Heartbeats of a Storm and forget about performing the talent show.” Tybalt suggested.

Julius, Audwin, Apollo, and Light were outraged.

“You think we’re gonna do that?!” Light asked in pure fury, “We’ve been working hard to perform well in the talent show, and you want us to let it go to waste?!”

“Not to mention we’re a team!” Apollo added, “We’re never gonna quit on each other! You have no right to do this to us!”

“Heartbeats of a Storm is nothing but an obstacle that wants to get in the way of my championship!” Erik yelled, “I can’t have anyone else have the spotlight!”

“Why, you oughta—!” Audwin said with clenched fists before Julius gently put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

“Simmer down, Audwin.” Julius said.

“And another thing,” Ferdinand said, “Tybalt and I wanted to get revenge on Chu Yunqing for soaking our best shirts. And our word remains clear. You’re nobodies, you don’t have a chance for the girls you like, you’ll lose the talent show, and you’ll always be losers!”

“That’s it!” Audwin shouted, “I can’t take it anymore!”

Black smoke swirled around Audwin, and he transformed into a large black bear. He began swiping at the bullies, who became terrified at the huge beast. Audwin finally pinned them to the ground and gave out a loud roar. The bullies struggled to get out of the bear’s grasp, but Audwin was just too strong, nearly crushing the bullies to death.

“Audwin!” Light cried, “You’re hurting them! Stop!”

He, Julius, and Apollo tried to pull Audwin away from the bullies, but the black bear just ignored their pleas to stop and flung them back, knocking them to the ground. He continued attacking Ferdinand, Tybalt, and Erik when a female voice called,

“What is going on here? Audwin Byrd! Let Ferdinand, Erik, and Tybalt go and turn yourself back this instant!”

All seven of the boys turned their heads to see Principal Isabel with a look of pure irksomeness on her face. Audwin let go of Erik, Ferdinand, and Tybalt and turned himself back into a human.

“Audwin!” Principal Isabel said sternly, “That was very bad! You could’ve hurt someone!”

“But they started it!” Audwin protested, pointing at the bullies who were trembling in fear, “They insulted my friends and even blackmailed us to disband!”

“That is still no excuse for turning yourself into an animal and attacking others.” Principal Isabel said, shaking her head, “While it is okay to feel angry when someone is being mean to you or your friends, using magic and attacking them is not how you deal with your anger. On Monday, you will be serving detention. Again.”

Principal Isabel phrased the last word with annoyance, knowing this wasn’t the first time she had given Audwin detention. Audwin wanted to protest again, but Julius, Light, and Apollo looked at him seriously and shook their heads. Audwin gave a sad sigh, slumped his shoulders, and said,

“Yes, Principal Isabel.”

“Erik, Tybalt, and Ferdinand,” Principal said, looking down at the three bullies, “Go inside and get yourselves cleaned up in the boys’ room. After you’re done, come back outside. I need to talk to you, too. Julius, Apollo, and Light, you’re free to go. I suggest you go and comfort Chu Yunqing. He’s very upset. Meanwhile, I’m going to go find Jesse and ask him to end the party early.” 

As the bullies and Principal Isabel went inside the all-purpose house, Julius, Light, and Apollo found Pei Jin and Wen Lengxiang comforting a crying Chu Yunqing, whose fishtail was turned back into human legs. There was a pile of pearls at his feet. Chu Yunqing then wiped his tears and balled one of his hands into a fist.

“I’ve had enough!” he exclaimed, “I’m just sick and tired of those guys bullying me for being different! If I hadn’t spewed soda on Tybalt and Ferdinand, none of this would’ve happened!”

Julius, Light, Apollo, Pei Jin, and Wen Lengxiang looked at Chu Yunqing and at each other. All five of them wished they knew what to say or do to make the poor merman feel better. But, they only sat with him in silence, with Pei Jin hugging him. They all had come to Jesse’s party to have fun, but their fun was broken by the three meanest boys at Story Kingdom Academy.

Chapter Text

Monday was a quiet day for Heartbeats of a Storm. After the incident at Jesse Lindvall’s birthday party, none of the members felt like doing anything, including talking. Still emotionally wounded by the Tybalt, Ferdinand, and Erik bullying him, Chu Yunqing began meeting with Ms. Petal, the student counselor at Story Kingdom Academy. The other members of Heartbeats of a Storm supported him all the way and even visited him in his and Apollo’s room. Audwin informed Chu Yunqing, Apollo, Julius, and Light he had detention that day, and they all decided to not practice for the school talent show for the day. Not only that, they decided to spend the afternoon after the last bell alone without each other.

Instead of making rhythm on the drums, Light decided to shoot some basketball in the gym by himself. However, no matter how many baskets he shot, Light still couldn’t shake the sadness he felt for his friends. As he made another basket, Gina and Kahir came into the gym.

“Hey, Light.” Gina said, walking toward her downcast friend.

Light caught the basketball and looked up at Gina and Kahir. 

“Hey, guys.” he said with a heavy sigh, “I know you’re gonna ask me how I’m doing, and I must answer honestly, I’m not doing all that great.”

“Do you want to sit down and talk about it?” Kahir asked, pointing at the bleachers.

Light was about to refuse, until he remembered what Chu Yunqing told him when they talked about Ghiyath’s betrayal.

It’s not too late to try again.

“Sure.” Light said.

He, Gina, and Kahir sat on the bleachers. Light took a deep breath and said,

“I’m just really sad to see Chu Yunqing being bullied and angry with Tybalt, Ferdinand, and Erik for bullying Chu Yunqing. I can’t stand them being cruel to him. Audwin was right to be angry with them, too, but I wish he didn’t have to use magic to lash out at them. Julius, Apollo, and I tried to stop him. I didn’t want Audwin to do something he would soon regret. Now, he’s in detention. It’s been a rough weekend and a long Monday.”

Then, he began to laugh as he continued,

“It’s funny how fate works out. I used to have a problem with Apollo and Audwin. Now, I’m really happy to have them as friends. Thank you, Gina and Kahir.”

Gina and Kahir looked at Light confused.

“For what?” Gina asked.

“For always being there for me ever since you took me in.” Light said with a smile, “I should’ve thanked you in the first place as well as told you the truth.”

“What do you mean, Light?” Kahir asked.

“Remember when you took me in, and I told you I came to the Full Moon Kingdom to look for work?” Light asked.

Both Kahir and Gina nodded, still unsure where Light was going with the conversation.

“I lied.” Light added, “I’m actually from the Full Moon Kingdom. When I first met you two, I had nowhere to go. I lost my father and my brothers when my former friend Ghiyath Chapur betrayed me.”

Then, Light told Gina and Kahir the whole story he told Chu Yunqing. Gina and Kahir listened silently until Light finished telling his story. Then, Gina said,

“For goodness sake, Light. How could you go through that all on your own? To be fair, Ghiyath was a fool to betray you like that.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you two earlier.” Light said, looking at his feet, “I thought if I told you the truth, you would kick me out.”

“Nonsense, Light.” Kahir said, shaking his head, “You’re my family. I would’ve still taken you in if you had told me the truth in the first place.”

Light lifted his head up as Kahir said that. He smiled and said,

“Thanks, guys. I’m glad I met you and that there will always be friends who will stay by my side. I also feel relieved to finally tell you why I’ve been reluctant to make friends. Plus, a very wise friend told me it’s not too late to try again to make friends.”

He, Gina, and Kahir hugged before Kahir said,

“I gotta go. I don’t want to be late for the student council meeting.”

“See you tomorrow, Kahir.” Gina said as Kahir stood up and walked out of the gym.

Once Kahir was out of the gym, Gina turned to Light and said,

“Light, there’s a restaurant on Summer Boulevard called Verona’s Nocturne. It’s an Italian restaurant that has an interior that depicts the city of Verona at night. I know you’ve been wanting to try it. Do you want to go there for dinner tonight with me?”

Light smiled playfully.

“Is it a date?” he asked.

“Well,” Gina said, giggling, “If you want it to be a date.”

“I’d love to.” Light said with a beaming smile.

Apollo decided to go for a hike in the Mirage Forest after the last bell rang. He, of course, hiked his favorite trail up to the waterfall at the end of the forest. As he admired the waterfall, he heard footsteps walking toward him. Apollo turned around to see his sister Artemis.

“Hey, Artemis.” he said with an awkward smile, “What brings you here?”

“Hi, Apollo.” Artemis said, “I came to say I’m sorry.”

“Sorry for what?” Apollo asked, his eyebrows knit together.

“For pushing you into coming home with me for the summer.” Artemis answered, “I know you don’t want to go home with me because there is always family drama. If you don’t wish to go home, I’ll respect your decision. I just want you to know that I feel the same way you feel about our family drama.”

Apollo was at a loss for words. Artemis gave him a choice to either stay on Earth with his friends or return to Mount Olympus with her. He wanted to tell Artemis that he reconsidered his choice on staying, but he didn’t know how. He never talked about his feelings to his sister before, but the wise words of his friend Chu Yunqing came to his mind.

It’s okay to talk about it.

“Actually, Artemis.” Apollo said, “I’ll go home with you.”

Artemis's eyes widened.

“Are you sure?” she asked.

“Yes.” Apollo said, “I’m the one who’s being selfish, not you. I wanted to avoid going home because I wanted to avoid the family drama.”

Apollo then told Artemis everything he told Chu Yunqing about how he felt when his father left them and how ashamed he was that it wasn’t the first time his father cheated. Artemis listened to her brother until he finished sharing his feelings.

“Apollo,” Artemis said with a smile and watery eyes, “Thank you for telling me the truth. That means a lot to me. I feel what you feel, too. I just thought if someone in our family took the first step in uniting our family peacefully, we wouldn’t have family drama again. I certainly want to do it, but I don’t know if I can do it alone.”

“I’ll help you, Artemis.” Apollo said with a smile, “A wise friend told me that you need someone to help you achieve your goal. So, I’ll go home with you and help you bring peace to our family.”

“Thanks, brother.” Artemis said.

The two siblings hugged.

“By the way, shouldn’t you be getting ready for your date with Helen?” Artemis asked.

“Right.” Apollo said, smiling, “Thank you, Artemis.”

The two siblings returned to the dorms, where Helen waited for Apollo to return and pick her up for their date. But before they went out, Achilles came into the common area and said,

“Oh, no! I’m not letting you go out by yourself, Helen! Not after what happened last time you did so!”

“Achilles, I went out with some girls after the incident.” Helen said, “How is going out with Apollo any different?”

“I don’t trust him, Helen.” Achilles answered, shaking his head, “Who knows what he plans to do with you when you go out.”

Helen face palmed and said,

“For the love of Aphrodite, Achilles! Apollo is not a bad guy! Sure, going out alone was a mistake, but it was my mistake. When a group of thugs tried to hit on me, do you know who defended me? Apollo! If it weren’t for him, the unthinkable would’ve happened!”

Achilles’s eyes widened and looked at Apollo.

“Is that true?” he asked.

Apollo nodded.

“I care about Helen’s well-being as much as you do, Achilles.” he said.

Achilles’s shoulders relaxed and offered Apollo his hand. Apollo grabbed it, and he and Achilles made a firm handshake before Achilles whispered in Apollo’s ear,

“Just don’t break Helen’s heart. Or else…”

“Consider me warned.” Apollo whispered back.

After making a truce with Achilles, Apollo went out with Helen.

   The student council meeting came to an end, and as Julius walked out of the conference room located in the main office, he saw the very person he never expected to see, but wanted to see for a long time.

“Dad?” he asked.

Julius’s father, Lord Capulet, was a fine-dressed man with a graying beard. He was never seen without his cane with a hilt shaped into the Capulet family seal. But he never used it to keep his balance whenever he stood up because he was still in good health. The cane was more used as a way to represent the Capulet family dignity.

“Julius.” Lord Capulet simply said.

“You wanted to see me?” Julius asked.

“Yes.” Lord Capulet answered, “We need to have a talk.”

Julius obediently sat with his father in the conference room once all of the student council left.

“Your cousin told me that you’re dating Lord Montague’s oldest daughter last night via phone call.” Lord Capulet said in a straightforward tone.

Julius’s eyes widened.

“He did?!” he asked in a panic.

Julius knew his cousin Tybalt was a brute, but he never thought he would dare to share his secret to Lord Capulet without his consent.

“Yes,” Lord Capulet said, “But, I want to learn the truth from you.”

This is it. Julius thought, There’s no point in hiding it from Dad anymore.

“Yes, Dad.” Julius said after taking a deep breath, “It’s true. I am dating Romy Montague, and she and I were trying to keep it a secret from you and Lord Montague because we both knew you would never approve of our relationship due to the feud that was going on for two hundred years. The only people who truly know about my relationship with Romy are Laurence and Romy’s cousin Bellona.”

It was Lord Capulet’s turn to have wide eyes.

“Son,” he said, “I always knew you were hiding something from me, but I never guessed it was that you’re dating Lady Romy Montague. I’m aware Romy never took part in the feud, and neither did you.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth, Dad.” Julius said, “I really wanted to tell you, but I was waiting for the right time. If you don’t approve of my relationship with Romy, so be it. In fact, you can find a new heir. I would rather love Romy and lose my inheritance than earn my inheritance and lose Romy!”

Lord Capulet was taken aback at what his son said. He had never seen Julius being so resolute and defiant before. When Julius saw the astonished look on his father’s back, he looked down and said,

“I’m sorry. I took it too far.”

But, Lord Capulet only chuckled and said,

“No, Julius. Don’t apologize.”

Julius was astonished by his father’s reply.

“Huh?” he asked.

“The way you stood for your love for Romy Montague reminded me of how I stood for my love for your mother when I was your age.” Lord Capulet answered.

“Really?” Julius asked.

Lord Capulet nodded.

“Your grandfather did not approve of my relationship with your mother because she came from a modest background.” he said, “I told him I loved your mother, and I would give up my inheritance just to be with her. Heh. Your grandmother could see your mother and I truly loved each other and persuaded your grandfather to let me have a relationship with your mother.”

That was when Julius remembered the wise words of Chu Yunqing.

A true community lets us know no matter what, we’re never alone.

Julius gently placed a hand over his father’s and said,

“Dad, I just want you to know I miss Mom as much as you do.”

Lord Capulet looked at his son. He listened as Julius told him how alone he felt when Lord Capulet refused to share his grief with Julius.

“Julius,” he said softly, “I’m so sorry I made you feel that way. I was so lost in my grief, I neglected to see you were grieving, too.”

“It’s okay, Dad.” Julius said with a smile, “Thank you for listening.”

He and his father hugged before his father said,

“As for your relationship with Romy, you two have my support. Now, how about we have dinner. It seems we both have a lot to catch up on after your mother’s passing.”

Detention felt long for Audwin, although it only lasted an hour. Because he was light on homework, he simply sat at his desk and thought about what he did at Jesse’s party and how wrong it was for him to lose his temper as the three bullies were being mean to his friends. Audwin was not allowed to do anything he would usually do to keep himself occupied, such as drawing and playing guitar. He became so bored, he basically fell asleep at his desk.

I’m pretty sure once Aldous sees me after detention, he’s gonna lecture me on how I could lose my chances for a good college if I keep on getting detention. Audwin thought.

Then, he felt the teacher who was supervising detention gently shaking him. Audwin woke up and was told that detention was over. He thanked the teacher and left the classroom. Just as he exited the classroom, he saw his twin brother leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

“Hi, Aldous.” Audwin said with a sad sigh.

“Audwin, we need to talk.” Aldous said seriously.

Audwin remained silent and walked down the hallway with Aldous.

“Audwin, I’m very disappointed in you.” Aldous said, “I’ve heard what you’ve done at Jesse’s party.”

“I had enough of those jerks insulting my friends!” Audwin protested, “I wanted to teach them a lesson! They were just lucky that they’re not seriously hurt!”

“I’m more concerned that you will keep doing things that you will come to regret.” Aldous said, “I understand your anger, but you can’t keep doing things like that. I’ve lost track of how many detentions you've gotten ever since I joined the student council.”

“Are you telling me all this as a student council member or as a brother?” Audwin asked, stepping in front of Aldous to face him.

“Audwin, what are you talking about?” Aldous asked as he stopped walking.

“You know very well what I’m talking about, Aldous!” Audwin said with his voice full of emotion, “I don’t want a student council member! I want a brother!”

Aldous froze.

“What?” he asked.

Audwin’s lower lip quivered. He wanted to walk away because he didn’t want his brother to see him looking vulnerable. But, Audwin remembered the wise words Chu Yunqing told him.

It’s okay to not be okay.

Audwin took a deep breath and told Aldous everything he told Chu Yunqing. Aldous listened until Audwin finished talking.

“So, that’s why you’ve been avoiding me?” Aldous asked, “You went to Erik’s party, even though I told you not to?”

“Yes.” Audwin answered, “I’ve seen Erik’s true colors there, but I wish I had never gone to his party. I thought if I told you about it, you’d be embarrassed to have me as a brother.”

“Audwin,” Aldous said, shaking his head, “You did the right thing by ending your friendship with him, and I’m glad you had a roommate who took you out of the party safely. And another thing, you were never my inferior. If I ever made you feel that way, I’m sorry. And I’m sorry for not stopping to listen to you. I was so afraid of disappointing our parents, I didn’t want to get sidetracked from my schedule.”

“You were scared of disappointing our parents?” Audwin asked.

“Yes.” Aldous said with a sigh, “Our parents are always praising me for all my achievements. I’m worried if I ever slip up, they will get angry with me.”

Audwin was astonished. He was always so desperate to make his parents proud, he never thought Aldous was worried about disappointing them.

“I’m sorry, Aldous.” Audwin said, “I didn’t think of how you felt about holding up our parents’ expectations. I always thought you were fine. If I’ve been a bother to you—”

“No, Audwin.” Aldous interrupted, “I should’ve been more of a brother to you than a student council member.”

“And I should’ve let you know no matter what happens, I’ll always be proud of you.” Audwin said, “A wise friend once told me it’s always okay to not be okay.”

“Thanks, Audwin.” Aldous said with a smile.

The two brothers hugged and walked to join Signy on the rooftop of the school. Audwin shared his story about Erik’s party, and Signy thanked him for telling her. In the end, the three danced on the rooftop, just like how they used to when they were little kids.

Chapter Text

“I’m glad everything worked out between you and your friends and families.” Chu Yunqing said with a smile.

It was the day after Julius, Apollo, Light, and Audwin came clean and reconciled with their friends, and they were eating lunch with Chu Yunqing. 

“I’m just glad that my dad supports my relationship with Romy.” Julius said with a sigh of relief, “I was really nervous Lord Montague would do otherwise. But when Romy told me how she talked to him about it with some backup from Laurence and Bellona, we both know we don’t have to keep our relationship a secret anymore. We even confirmed the rumors are true and told everyone who spread those rumors not to do that anymore.”

“And I know choosing to go home with my sister is the right call.” Apollo said, nodding his head, “I’ve been selfish this whole time. It’s time I started being selfless.”

“I don’t know if there are any words to accurately express how relieved I am to tell Gina and Kahir the truth about why I was reluctant to make friends.” Light said before taking a bite out of his sandwich.

“And I’m happy to have told Aldous and Signy the truth about what happened to me at Erik’s party.” Audwin said with a smile, “I was scared, but I’m glad they both still love me.”

“Is it true that Aldous has been skipping student council meetings just to spend more time with you?” Julius asked, “I noticed he’s been absent from them lately.”

Audwin nodded.

“My parents aren’t gonna be very happy with Aldous for doing that.” he said, “But, I’m happy that Aldous and I are making up for lost time.”

“By the way, Light,” Chu Yunqing said, “I heard you went on your first date with Gina. How was it?”

Light smiled.

“It was fun.” he said, “We both really enjoyed the restaurant we went to. We’re actually planning to go on another date.”

“Attaboy, Light!” Apollo said, giving Light a high five.

“What about you, Apollo?” Light asked, “How was your date with Helen?”

“It was an amazing date.” Apollo said, smiling, “We went on a rowboat ride at Swan Lake.”

“That’s great, Apollo!” Julius said with a smile.

“That leaves you, Chu Yunqing and Audwin.” Apollo said with a small smirk.

“What are you talking about, Apollo?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“Well,” Apollo said, “Have you two asked Pei Jin and Signy out on a date yet?”

“No…” Chu Yunqing answered, unsure where the conversation was going.

“You don’t have to worry about asking them on a date.” Light said, shaking his head, “I didn’t ask Gina on our first date. She asked me.”

Apollo, Audwin, Chu Yunqing, and Julius’s eyes widened.

“Well, that’s very bold of her.” Audwin said.

“That’s what I like about Gina.” Light replied, shrugging his shoulders, “Plus, this is the twenty-first century. Girls can ask guys out. Guys don’t always have to make the first move.”

Then, the bell rang, indicating that it was time for students to head to their next classes.

“Well,” Julius said, standing up, “Time for our next classes. Shall we meet up after school to practice for the talent show?”

“Yeah!” Apollo, Audwin, Chu Yunqing, and Light said in unison.

A few weeks passed, and it was finally time for the school talent show. Heartbeats of a storm were dressed in their signature styles that were suitable for a stage performance. Julius wore a white short-sleeved dress shirt with a maroon vest, gray dress pants, black dress shoes, and a maroon fedora. Chu Yunqing wore a white polo shirt with blue and green ocean wave patterns, khaki shorts, and teal slip-on sneakers. Apollo wore a white and gold muscle shirt with blue jeans, white sneakers, and a gold headband that wrapped around his head. Light wore a sky blue polo shirt with a royal blue scarf, white jeans, and blue sneakers. And Audwin wore a rock band tank top with a black leather jacket, black jeans, and black biker boots.

“Are you nervous?” Julius asked Chu Yunqing.

“A little bit.” Chu Yunqing answered, shrugging his shoulders.

“It’s okay.” Audwin said, placing a hand on Chu Yunqing’s shoulder, “We’ve been practicing for a month already. We’re gonna do great.”

“And we’re a team.” Light said, “Win or lose.”

“We’re Heartbeats of a Storm.” Apollo said, holding his arm out, “Heartbeats over heartbreaks.”

Julius, Chu Yunqing, Light, and Audwin looked at Apollo quizzically.

“Heartbeats over heartbreaks?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“Where did you get that from, Apollo?” Audwin asked.

“I just made that up.” Apollo said, shrugging his shoulders, “I thought it could be our band’s motto.”

“Heartbeats over heartbreaks…” Light said thoughtfully.

He beamed.

“I love it!” Light said with a smile.

“Then, let’s make the motto official.” Julius said, smiling as well.

The five boys stretched an arm out, their hands joining in the center of their circle.

“Heartbeats of a Storm!” they said in unison, “Heartbeats over heartbreaks!”

They threw their arms up after saying the band motto.

“Let’s rock!” Audwin said, and he and the rest of the band made their way from their dorm to the auditorium.

In the backstage of the auditorium, the performers were getting ready for the school talent show. The dancers were stretching their legs and feet, the musicians were tuning their instruments, the singers were warming up their voices, and the actors were quietly going through their lines. Heartbeats of a Storm came with the guitars for Apollo, Audwin, and Chu Yunqing. However, when they went to make sure the piano for Julius and the drums for Light were set, they were nowhere to be seen backstage.

“Where’s the piano?” Julius asked.

“Where are the drums?” Light asked.

“I thought the student council had everything set up for the talent show.” Chu Yunqing said as baffled as the rest of the boys are.

“Let’s go see if they’re in the instrument storage.” Apollo said.

“We better hurry, though.” Julius said, “It won’t be long before it’s our turn to perform.”

As the audience applauded for the number that just ended, Heartbeats of a Storm quickly made their way to the instrument storage. Luckily, the doors were unlocked for the student council to gather all the instruments needed for the performers who were playing instruments for the talent show. When the boys opened the doors, they found the piano and the drums.

“There they are!” Audwin said, pointing at the two large instruments, “Why are they in the storage?”

“I don’t know, Audwin.” Julius said, shrugging his shoulders, “But, I’m glad they’re here. Could you and Chu Yunqing help me with the piano?”

“Sure.” Audwin said, walking toward the piano.

“Do you need any help rolling the drums onto the stage, Light?” Apollo asked.

“Yes, please.” Light said, nodding his head.

As the boys gathered to help each other roll the piano and drums out of the storage, they heard the doors close.

“Who just closed the doors?” Julius asked.

Chu Yunqing ran toward the doors and tried to push them open. No matter how hard he pushed, the doors wouldn’t budge.

“Tell me we’re not locked in this storage.” Light said.

“You got that right.” a voice said from the other side of the doors.

The boys recognized the voice, and Audwin clenched his fists and teeth as he said,

“Erik! Why did you lock us in here?! Our performance is only minutes away!”

“I’ll make sure you don’t win the talent show!” Erik said with a sneer, “I’ve been upstaged by you long enough! I had Ferdinand and Tybalt help me move the piano and drums to the storage, so you won’t have any instruments to play for your number. Being the determined band you are, you had the nerve to come here to get them.”

“You set this all up!” Light shouted, “You tricked us!”

“If keeping you all locked in here is the only way to keep you from winning the talent show, I shall do it.”

“You’ve gone completely insane, Erik!” Audwin yelled, his face red with rage.

“Let us out!” Chu Yunqing shouted, banging his fist onto the doors.

“I’m afraid I can’t.” Erik said, shrugging his shoulders, “I better hurry up and get on stage, so I can show everyone who are the real stars of Story Kingdom Academy.”

The five boys continued to yell at Erik as he walked to meet up with his partner Christine backstage again, so they could perform their number.

“Great!” Light exclaimed, throwing his arms up in surrender, “We’re stuck in the storage, and we lost our chance at performing in the talent show!”

“Now, wait just a minute, Light.” Apollo said, shaking his head, “The four of us have magic. We should use it.”

“Apollo’s right.” Julius said, “Do any of you know a spell that can unlock doors?”

“I do.” Audwin said.

He pointed his finger at the doors and chanted something that sounded like some form of ancient Germanic language. Then, the boys heard a click after Audwin finished chanting. Chu Yunqing pushed the doors, and they opened up.

“Yes!” the boys whispered as they walked out of the storage.

They froze when they heard a muffled applause coming from the auditorium.

“Erik and Christine are already done with their performance. It’s our turn now!” Julius said in a panic, “We need to get on stage! Now!”

“Wait!” Chu Yunqing said, his hands out to halt the other four boys.

He chanted a spell that was in Chinese, and the piano and the drums disappeared.

“Dude!” Light exclaimed as he, Chu Yunqing, Audwin, Julius, and Apollo ran to the stage, “What did you do to the piano and drums?”

“Don’t worry.” Chu Yunqing said, “I teleported them to the stage.”

Heartbeats of a Storm just made it backstage as Principal Isabel finished announcing their number. The audience applauded as the boys walked on stage and just as Chu Yunqing said, the piano and drums were on stage in their positions. Julius said by the piano, and Light sat by the drums. After they adjusted their microphones, the boys were ready to play. Light tapped his drumstick onto one of the cymbals of the drums to start the song. Julius began playing the piano, Chu Yunqing began playing the rhythm on his electric guitar, and Apollo played the chords on his bass guitar. Then, Chu Yunqing sang,

Young hearts 

I believe if we are not far

From becoming who we truly are

Love is on its way

Then, Julius sang,

Dreamers

You see everything in color

While the world is getting darker

Love is on its way

Then, Audwin began playing his acoustic guitar and sang,

So, hold on to another day

‘Cause love is on its way

You’ll find it’s gonna be okay

‘Cause love is on its way

It’s alright, you’ll find a brighter day

‘Cause love is on its way

The audience began to smile and sway from side to side to the music as Light sang,

Leaders

Show us how to love each other

It could help us to recover

Love is on its way

Next, Apollo sang,

Lonely

I believe if you find me

Then together we will truly see

Love is on its way

Yeah

Then, all five of the boys sang,

So, hold on another day

Cause love is on its way

You'll find it's gonna be okay

Cause love is on its way

It's alright, you'll find

A brighter day

Cause love is on its way

The soft, romantic tune turned upbeat as Chu Yunqing took the lead with his electric guitar, and Light began playing the drums. During the instrumental break, Audwin cast a spell to make it rain rose petals. The audience’s jaws dropped in awe of the simple, yet dazzling spectacle. Then, the boys sang,

Yeah

Hold, on another day

Cause love is on its way

You'll find it's gonna be okay

Cause love is on its way

It's alright, you'll find

A brighter day

Cause love is on its way

Cause love is on its way

Cause love is on its, way

Then, the boys played softer and softer, ending the song. After the boys stopped playing, the audience applauded and even stood up as they did so. The boys bowed and walked off stage, letting Isabel announce the next performer and their number. After all the performers did their numbers for the talent show, it was time to announce the results. The judges for the talent show were Miss Shiratori, Mrs. Scheherazade Fatih, and Vice Principal Parven.

“Thank you so much for coming to our annual talent show!” Isabel said through the microphone, “The judges will now announce the top three performers!”

Vice Principal Parven, Miss Shiratori, and Mrs. Fatih walked on stage, and Vice Principal Parven was the first judge to have the microphone.

“For third place,” he said, “We have…Signy Forrest and her ballet dance to ‘Swan Lake!’”

The audience applauded as Signy walked on stage to accept her green third place ribbon with a smile. Then, it was Mrs. Fatih’s turn to have the microphone.

“For second place,” she said, “We have…Heartbeats of a Storm and their song ‘Love Is On Its Way!’”

The audience applauded again as Chu Yunqing, Apollo, Audwin, Julius, and Light walked on stage to accept their red second place ribbon with a smile. Finally, it was Miss Shiratori’s turn to have the microphone.

“And last, but certainly not least,” she said, “For first place, the winner of the talent show is…Erik du Phantom and Christine Daae and their song ‘The Phantom of the Opera!’’

The audience applauded for the third time as Erik and Christine walked on stage to accept their blue first place ribbon. Erik had a smile on his face that expressed his satisfaction of his victory. Christine on the other hand, had a smile on her face to cover up her feeling of reluctance. Signy and Heartbeats of a Storm simply rolled their eyes at the fact Erik and Christine won. Again.

“Let’s hear it for—!” Principal Isabel started to say before she heard footsteps on stage.

“Wait!” a voice called.

All eyes were on the person running on stage. It was Romy. Principal Isabel and the judges didn’t seem very pleased with her interrupting the show.

“Romy Montague,” Principal Isabel said sternly, “You must have a good reason for interrupting the results announcements.”

“Erik and Christine can’t win the talent show!” Romy declared, “Look!”

Signy gave Romy a subtle thumbs up, and Romy showed Principal Isabel and the judges her phone. On her phone was video footage of Ferdinand and Tybalt moving the piano and drums, Erik stealing keys from one of the janitors and locking Julius, Light, Chu Yunqing, Apollo, and Audwin in the instrument storage. Principal Isabel and the judges gasped as they watched the video.

“Cheating!” Principal Isabel said with anger in her eyes as she took the blue ribbon from Erik, “There is no place for cheating in talent shows! Erik du Phantom, you’re now stripped of all your previous ribbons and position of president of the drama club, disqualified from the talent show, and expelled from Story Kingdom Academy!”

“No!” Erik cried as beads of sweat formed on his forehead, “I won fair and square! Montague is lying! She made that video up! I can explain what really happened!”

“I believe the video did enough of that!” Miss Shiratori said firmly.

Then, a group of doctors in scrubs came, and one of them said,

“Erik du Phantom, come with us.”

“What is this?!” Erik asked, his eyes like burning embers.

“Erik du Phantom!” Christine shouted, “You’ve finally gone too far! You need help! I know what you did to Apollo, Audwin, Chu Yunqing, Julius, and Light, but you told me to keep quiet about it because you said it’s a shame for me to perform with someone who cheats at a competition! But, no! What is shameful is being an insanely insecure egoist like you!”

Christine gave Erik a slap in the face and said,

“We’re done, Erik! I never want to see you again!”

Two of the doctors grabbed Erik by the arms and gently walked him out of the auditorium.

“No!” Erik cried, “Christine! Please! You can’t do this to me!”

But, Christine had had enough.

“I’m sorry, Erik.” she said quietly, “But this is for your own good as well as mine.”

The auditorium fell silent after Erik was taken away by the doctors.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Principal Isabel said through the microphone, “We apologize for the abrupt interruption. We will return with new results for the talent show.”

Principal Isabel left the stage to talk to Tybalt and Ferdinand. As punishment for jeopardizing the talent show, they had to serve detention until the last day of school. The judges left the stage to discuss the results for the talent show again. Then, the judges and Principal Isabel returned to the stage to announce the new top three performers. Third place went to Priscilla and her ventriloquy performance, and second place went to Signy and her ballet performance.

“And last, but certainly not least,” Miss Shiratori said through the microphone, “In first place, the new winner of this year’s talent show is…Heartbeats of a Storm and their song ‘Love Is On Its Way!’”

The audience applauded as Heartbeats of a Storm walked on stage and accepted their blue ribbon with giant grins on their faces.

“Let’s hear it for our top three performers!” Principal Isabel proclaimed.

As the audience stood up and applauded, Heartbeats of a Storm high-fived for their victory, hard work, and teamwork. 

Chapter Text

It’s been a week since the talent show, and many students celebrated Heartbeats of a Storm’s victory. The only students who did not take their victory happily were Tybalt and Ferdinand. Knowing that the band won the talent show made them feel more upstaged than they already were. However, there was nothing they could do because they had to serve detention until the school year was over. As for Erik, the doctors who took him away from the school took him to a hospital where they could help him recover from his terrible mental health. Christine could not have been any happier about being free from that tyrant of a boyfriend. As she got counseling at school, Christine had support from her best friend Meg and her childhood friend and crush Raoul.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, Julius, Chu Yunqing, Apollo, Light, and Audwin were at the Boston Cafe enjoying some steaming hot coffee and freshly baked pastries.

“This is a very interesting choice for a hangout spot, Chu Yunqing.” Audwin said before taking a sip of his coffee.

“Indeed.” Light said, “Boston Cafe has a very studious atmosphere.”

“I know it is an interesting place for us to hang out.” Chu Yunqing said with a smile, “But, I just want to have a quiet moment with my four new best friends before we have to study for final exams and prepare for our end of the year concert.”

“I can’t believe how insistent our classmates were about us performing a concert to celebrate the end of the school year.” Light laughed.

“We just need to figure out how to balance studying and practicing.” Julius said before taking a bite out of his apple cinnamon scone.

“Don’t forget dating.” Audwin said with a confident smirk, “Signy and I are going for a motorcycle ride later today.”

“Awesome, Audwin!” Light said, giving Audwin two thumbs up.

“And Pei Jin and I are going to the movies tonight.” Chu Yunqing said with a smile.

“That’s great, Chu Yunqing!” Apollo said cheerfully.

“I don’t know how we got so lucky.” Audwin said, shaking his head, “First, we got an offer to audition for the talent show after we performed our project for Performance Friday. Next, we got MirrorTube famous. Then, we were invited to play for a birthday party. Later, we performed in the talent show and won. Now, we all got the girls we really like.”

“It’s been a full week, and everyone’s still talking about the talent show.” Apollo pointed out.

“I must admit,” Light said, shrugging his shoulders, “It was definitely a talent show nobody will forget. I still wonder how Romy caught Erik, Ferdinand, and Tybalt.”

“Romy told me that she, Signy, Pei Jin, Gina, and Helen knew they would try to sabotage our performance.” Julius replied, “So, they joined forces to make sure those guys don’t get away with it.”

“The girls were one step ahead of them.” Apollo said with a smile, “They were even one step ahead of us.”

“Going back to talking about luck,” Julius said, shaking his head, “I don’t know if everything that happened to us was because of luck. But, what I do know is that it is a blessing that Chu Yunqing came to Story Kingdom Academy. If it weren’t for him, we wouldn’t be sitting here together.”

“And Audwin, Light, and I would’ve never realized we share an interest in music and become friends.” Apollo said.

“And the four of us would’ve never figured out what to do to reconcile with our friends and families.” Audwin added.

“Yeah!” Light said, nodding his head, “We owe it all to you, Chu Yunqing.”

“You all flatter me.” Chu Yunqing chuckled, “I simply wanted to help you.”

“But Julius was right.” Apollo said with a beaming smile, “You really are the right person who came to the right place at the right time.”

“There is something we all wanted to ask you for some time, though.” Audwin said.

“What’s that?” Chu Yunqing asked.

“Why did you want to help us?” Audwin asked, “We’ve never received any advice as wise as yours.”

Chu Yunqing sighed, looking down at his empty coffee cup, and said,

“I once had a problem as similar as all four of yours. I’m not just an East Sea merman. I’m the prince of the East Sea merfolk.”

Julius, Apollo, Light, and Audwin looked at Chu Yunqing with astonishment but remained silent for him to continue.

“The first time I came to the human world,” Chu Yunqing continued, “I didn’t just come here to see what life is like here. I wanted to get away from my father’s nagging. Shortly after I turned sixteen, my father insisted I get married for the good of the throne and listed the names of mermaids he suggested for me to choose as my bride. I don’t know any of them, and none of them know me. I refused to be married because I’m not ready to make such a commitment. So, I decided to swim away from home and explore the human world. That’s how I met Pei Jin, Xie Cheng, and Wen Lengxiang.”

“I tried to hide my merman identity, but it was difficult to hide my fins and scales. So, I just told them I’m a merman, and I came to the human world to see what it’s like to live as a human. However, I couldn’t help feeling guilty for hiding the truth from them. I wanted to tell them the truth, but I was worried they would accuse me of being irresponsible. But there was a very wise woman who opened my eyes.

“One day, I was helping a little boy named Mingzhu care for his grandmother Granny Tian while his father Yu Danggui was off to serve in the military. I talked to Granny Tian about my situation, and she told me that I should tell Pei Jin, Wen Lengxiang, and Xie Cheng the truth because as my friends, they deserve to know through her story about her family. I thought she was right and thanked her for the wise words. I saw Pei Jin, Xie Cheng, and Wen Lengxiang again and told them the truth. Instead of chastising me, they thanked me for telling them the truth and encouraged me to return to the East Sea to talk to my father about how I feel about the arranged marriage. So, that’s what I did.

As soon as I returned to the East Sea, I talked to my father about how I felt about the arranged marriage. I thought he was going to push it further. Instead, he apologized and told me he thought it through. He said I don’t have to get married if I’m not ready and allowed me to go visit the human world whenever I like and even stay there as long as I want.”

“Wow, Chu Yunqing.” Light said, “Running away from home to get away from an arranged marriage? You must’ve been furious.”

“I don’t mean to be blunt,” Audwin said, crossing his arms, “But, your father was completely old-fashioned, pushing you into an arranged marriage like that.”

“And sixteen?” Julius asked, “That’s too young for marriage. For me, at least.”

“I was definitely unhappy.” Chu Yunqing said, “But, I’m glad everything worked out.”

“Not only that,” Apollo said, placing a hand on Chu Yunqing’s shoulder, “You got to go to school with us, and I got myself the best roommate ever!”

 Jo March, the boys’ classmate in drama class and waitress at the Boston Cafe, walked toward the boys and asked,

“Do any of you want a refill on your coffee?”

All the boys accepted, and Jo poured fresh coffee into their cups. As Jo walked away, Julius picked up his cup and raised it high as he said,

“I would like to make a toast to our hard work being paid off for the talent show.”

Audwin raised his cup, too, and said,

“I would also like to make a toast to justice being served, thanks to the girls’ quick thinking.”

Apollo was the third to raise his coffee cup and said,

“I would like to make a toast, too, to music bringing us together.”

Chu Yunqing raised his cup and said,

“I would like to make a toast to our friendship helping us through our journey from Performance Friday to the talent show.”

Light raised his cup and said,

“And I would like to make a toast to a bright future for our band.”

“To Heartbeats of a Storm.” Julius said with a smile.

“To Heartbeats of a Storm!” Light, Chu Yunqing, Apollo, and Audwin said in unison.

The boys clinked their cups together, marking the beginning of a new journey for Heartbeats of a Storm.