I was awake at 5:30.
The ceiling of room X-134 had a warm feel to it, and the courtyard outside my window was dark and completely quiet. I stared up at it for a moment, thinking about the second and third grade schedules I still didn't have.
'Why didn't I ask anyone yesterday?'
Because I had been too busy learning that my home city was built from a material so rare the rest of the world treated it like a myth. That was a reasonable excuse, but it didn't fix the problem.
I put on my uniform, clipped the gem to my chest, took the notebook with the pen attached to the side, and walked out.
The corridors at this hour had the particular quality of spaces that were designed for a lot of people and currently held none of them. Paintings and strange angular statues stood along the main passage, and my footsteps were the only sound.
I reached the cafeteria and sat at a table near the entrance to wait.
