Pangaea: Unsettled Land

Chapter Two

Thirteen years later

The snow finally melted, marking the year’s beginning of spring in the Northern Third. Slade took a deep breath of the clear air while leaning on the rail of his thirty-fifth-floor balcony. He exhaled deeply. He was disappointed and still unhappy about what lie ahead. It only worked for actors in the movies he guessed. A day of classes at Burrow University loomed over him like a dark cloud. He hadn’t completed his assignments and hated to go unprepared. There was no choice but to go; however, he still hoped he could skate through what was sure to be a long day.

He saw the university not too far off in the distance. In the early spring scenery , even he couldn’t deny its beauty. Its main tower stretched high with stone , reaching to scrape the sky. The tower was flanked by an east and west wing that was just as intimidating as it was enthralling. Just ahead of it were yards of freshly sprung green grass protected in spots by full trees swaying with the wind. Slade looked at the other students below walking to and from class. Some had almost tumbled out of one of the surrounding dormitory buildings trying to get to class on time. Others just enjoyed the scenery, walking hand-in-hand. Slade felt a pang of envy as he saw this. They found love and were just fine with where life was taking them. How? He quickly turned his attention back to the scenery of the campus in an effort to free his mind of negativity. He especially loved the view of Lake Maesus to his far left.

The tinny chime of his communicator snapped him back to reality. He turned from the balcony and reentered his apartment. The glass sliding door closed behind him, giving the thin, white drapes on either side one last flap of air. His black, silk pajama bottoms were his only source of covering and he felt the snap of cool air against his brown, toned back. His shoulders sat back, perfectly straight, as he walked barefoot on the cool wood floor towards the side of his bed. The sensation on his feet found relief as they touched the thick carpet on which his king-sized bed sat. He glanced at the face of his comm. and smiled as he saw who was calling. He grabbed the device, put it to his ear and spoke in a smooth tenor, “Hi, Mom.”

“Good morning, Slade. Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, what do you mean?”

“Well, I just haven’t heard from you in a few days.”

“Mom, there’s no emergency if I don’t call you.”

“I know. I just know you weren’t doing so good a few days ago and I haven’t spoken to you since.”

Slade sat down on the edge of his bed. “I’m good,” he began. What was really on his mind and what had caused him to be unprepared for class was the end of a hard-to-define relationship he’d experienced a few weeks ago with his friend, Mason. They were drawn together by their commonalities. Both were from the same hometown, and before Mason transferred back home, they both attended Burrow University. Mason was very popular back home in Reor as well as in Burrow. What had started as a friendship began to evolve into something more intimate, or so Slade thought . Mason would touch Slade on the shoulder, obliterate his personal space and hold long eye-contact when talking. When discussing their aspirations, he’d even make promises like, “I’m taking you with me.” Once, he even asked Slade to comment on his looks. All of this from Mason with no steps to take it further confused Slade. He constantly began to wonder, Are we just friends, or something else? So, when Slade asked him and Mason withdrew his friendship, he got his answer: neither. Slade tried reaching out, but Mason never spoke to him again, and now he was back in Reor. Slade closed off his feelings a bit after being hurt like that. He figured Mason’s flirting was just a type of mind control to keep a loyal follower. And Slade did not appreciate being fooled. He had mentioned this situation to his mother once when it happened but tried to move on by not speaking about it.

“Okay,” his mother said. “When you find the right one, you bring him to me first.”

Slade saw he couldn’t fool his mother.

She continued, “You know I don’t like it when you get down on yourself. Get through this last year and come home.”

“Yeah. I will.”

“Speaking of coming home, we are going to see you during spring break, right?”

“Of course; I can’t wait.” This was only half-true. He treasured the time he spent with his family, but it was the only choice he had. It was his last year and he’d never experienced the fun of spending a vacation with friends. He settled on the fact that it would never happen. With the exception of Mason and one other friend , he never really got close to anyone. His status as a noble was a barrier between him and most of the other students for any connections beyond surface level.

“Your sister called me the other day. Even she’s going to come this time. Crazy girl. I think she’s bringing her mystery boyfriend along with her.”

“Good for her. How’s Dad?”

“He’s good. He just left for work. How’s school?”

He groaned. “Fine, I guess. I have to go to class in like twenty minutes.”

“Okay. Well, I’ll let you go and get ready.”

“I don’t wanna go ,” he said feigning dread.

His mom laughed. “I’m letting you go, Slade. Get to class. You’ll never be able to work for the queen if you don’t pass. Bye, baby.”

“Bye, Mom .” He dropped his hand to his lap and stared at the comm. Working for the queen in any capacity was regarded as a great honor and was something the Maxwell family had done for generations as nobles. It was because of his mother’s work with the queen that he had all that he had: the big penthouse, the most expensive technology, and the nicest clothing. He was next in line to find a position as part of the government of the Middle Third , but he constantly questioned whether that was what he wanted. He wanted something new, some adventure, to experience different cultures all around the world. Working at a desk for the queen wasn’t going to do that.

He looked at the time on his comm. Class began in fifteen minutes. He sighed and found enough willpower to slowly push himself off of the bed and get ready to go to school.