Inyanga's Star and Other Constellations

Circles Part 3 - Mingxia's Star

Constellations Glossary

ante lucem

noun. Before light, before dawn, from Latin.

Sol

noun. The sun, singular, from Latin. Plural: sols, from Spanish.

ayudante

noun. Helper, teaching assistant, from Spanish.

Novae

1. noun. One who is new, as in a new student, from Latin.

2. adjective. New.

Secundae

noun. Second year student, from Latin.

Days of the week — Derived from Latin dies: day, singular

dies Solis, day of the Sun
dies Lunae, day of the Moon
dies Martis, day of Mars
dies Mercurii, day of Mercury
dies Iovis, day of Jupiter
dies Veneris, day of Venus
dies Saturni, day of Saturn

I'm not going to tell you which days they are, guess! (Would this be more fun if I scrambled them??)

Circles Part 3

"Sit with us tomorrow if you want," Inyanga had told Mingxia.

Tomorrow couldn't come soon enough. Which was why Mingxia went to bed soon after sunset, woke naturally before it rose, and was getting out of bed ante lucem.

Because Inyanga and Amafu always sat near the front, and if Mingxia wanted to sit with them, she would need to get to class early.

As her watched ticked away the last minutes of the night, she beamed with confidence that she would make it early enough to sit in Inyanga's row.

Thirty minutes to prima lux, Ma took off and drove over a twilit city, street light turned up, and most any other kind of light still off.

Slamming the moto door with a "Bye Ma, sorry Ma," when the moto landed, Mingxia even ran, sprinting across the grass lit by the moon, which was a reflection of Sol's light, and the effervescent light of al-Maysan hall, which was probably a reflection of the light of infinite sols.

A few solidae in her pocket jangled and only when she heard the clamor did she worry that she might have dropped a coin or two. Too dark to go looking anyways, she ran on. Not to al-Maysan, though; their first class was in Sanxing Hall (which she overheard many students pronounce Sank-sing but Ma said San-shing).

Though the building was landed, an old edifice planted and rooted into the ground, link portals were open to each lecture hall — and out of the link to Novae Magical Economics extended, not a line per se . . . but a procession. A moving queue. A march. Getting into the procession at the end, Mingxia felt a little bewilderment, and she tromped slowly now (partially relieved to be able to catch her breath) after the backs of the students ahead.

Filing into the lecture hall, the marchers descended, row after row, toward the front. From up high Mingxia could already scout, though she continued down the stairs at the end of the aisle anyway, that every seat in the first several rows was taken.

In the second row, every seat next to them full, Amafu and Inyanga were bunkered down, bags and textbooks spread across the desk in front of them. No spot saved for new friends, not in this stars damn competitive school.