At the Tamaran Castle, the afternoon silence was interrupted by firm knocks on the princess's bedroom door.
toc toc
— I'm coming! — Blackfire replied, getting up from the bed.
She walked to the door and gently opened the door. On the other side, there was only a royal guard, motionless, standing in formal position, holding a sealed letter in his hands.
— Miss, excuse me for bothering you. I have a letter addressed to you — he said, in a neutral voice.
— A letter… for me? — Blackfire asked, surprised.
— Yes. The sender is a boy. We performed all safety tests against poison and contamination. The result was one hundred percent pure. And don't worry: the content was not read.
— Alright… thank you.
The guard handed her the envelope.
— The sender's name is Clark — he added.
Clark…? Blackfire thought, holding the letter with curiosity.
— If you'll excuse me, princess, I'll take my leave.
— Thank you.
She closed the door and walked to the bed, sitting on the edge while opening the envelope. The letter was simple, handwritten, with common ink.
"Blackfire, it's me, Clark. I wanted to know if we could start our sleepover today, if you want. My mom gave me money so we can buy some things to eat. I'll be waiting for you in front of Tamaran's main market at 3 PM."
— Well, I need to get ready to go out then. — Blackfire said as she stored the letter in the first drawer of the dresser.
At the agreed time, Blackfire met Clark at the central market. He looked excited, holding a small empty bag.
— Finally! I thought you weren't coming.
— I wouldn't leave you alone. — she replied.
They entered the market laughing, looking at stalls, arguing about which sweets to buy, and grabbing too many things without realizing it. Clark insisted on buying strange fruits "just to try," while Blackfire complained about the weight of the bag.
After shopping, Blackfire and Clark decided to look for more things around the center, weaving through the stalls. In the middle of it, a merchant called out to them, distressed, saying that someone had been stealing her fruits every day.
— There's a child stealing my fresh fruits during the time I go to the bathroom. — said the merchant.
— A child? — Clark asked, curious.
— Yes, I've caught them stealing twice already, but unfortunately my eyesight isn't very good, so I don't know if it's a boy or a girl. — explained the old woman.
— It's alright, ma'am, we'll try to help you. — Blackfire replied with a hopeful smile.
Clark just nodded.
The two headed toward the less crowded areas of the center, walking around, checking alleys and streets, but they didn't find anyone suspicious.
— Komand'r! Clark! — a girl shouted.
Blackfire and Clark turned together to see who the voice belonged to.
— How are you? — Judha asked.
— Ah, Judha! — Blackfire said.
— We were buying some things for a sleepover. — Clark said.
— Right, right. You know, I asked the school principal if I could change classrooms. And he said I can transfer after the first exam period. — Judha commented with a smile on her face.
— Really?! That's awesome! — Blackfire said with a bright smile.
— Now we can all stay together — Clark added.
— Yes, yes. — Judha said.
— By the way, Judha, what are you doing here? Do you live around here? — Blackfire asked curiously.
— Ah… I came to buy new supplies for home. — Judha said while trying to look around, searching for new excuses.
— I see. Well, we're going now, we need to leave before my parents get furious. — Clark replied, cutting off the subject.
— Alright, that's fine… I'll see you both at school. — Judha said.
— Bye, Judha!
On the way, Blackfire and Clark returned and spoke to the merchant.
— Sorry… we didn't find anyone — Clark said to the woman.
— But we'll report it to Tamaran's security — Blackfire added.
Later, already at Clark's house, they spent hours playing Jenga on the living room floor. Clark won every match, celebrating loudly, while Blackfire said the game was "clearly against her."
— I hate this game — Blackfire said, disappointed.
— You hate it because you lost. — Clark replied with a smile.
The house lights went out.
— Kids, it's time to go to sleep, go to bed now, it's already late. — said Elara (Clark's mother).
Clark prepared a mattress on the floor of his bedroom.
— You take the bed — he said.
— W-What?... Why? I can sleep on the mattress with no problem at all! — Blackfire said, surprised.
— You're the guest, you need more comfort. And I'd feel bad letting you sleep on a mattress while I stay in the bed. — Clark replied.
— Then you can feel free and sleep there — Clark said, already lying down to sleep.
Blackfire stayed quiet and lay down as well, staring at the ceiling, until she fell asleep.
During the night, the cold became intense because of the open window. Clark woke up to the sound of Blackfire's teeth chattering. He got up silently, closed the window, and stood there for a few seconds watching her sleep. Her face was smooth, her mouth slightly open, breathing through it without making a sound. She looked so defenseless, and so cute, that Clark froze. A few seconds passed, but felt like hours… Clark noticed a strand of her hair had fallen over her mouth. Carefully, he moved it aside, trying as much as possible not to wake Blackfire. He froze again, feeling shy. Clark was captivated by Blackfire's beauty under the moonlight. Embarrassed, he grabbed another blanket and wrapped her up better, leaving himself without one.
He returned to the mattress and lay down, thinking about what he had seen. Clark closed his eyes, his heart racing. After a while, the room returned to silence.