The Dreamtime Guards E-Book

Elias J. Connor

• Herausgeber: FINN Books Edition FireFly
• Kategorie: Fantasy und Science-Fiction
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Kitty and her adoptive sister Jojo are annoyed. Her mother has a new boyfriend, and then her strange aunt Missy, who was missing for years, suddenly shows up. At the same time, a recurring nightmare haunts all children in Lantyan. What luck that Kitty and Jojo have just received a message from Naytnal. The star of the empires, as Naytnal is also called, needs Kitty's and Jojo's help. Kitty and Jojo have a difficult mission ahead of them as the gloomy threatens to haunt the star of the empires. The nightmares come here too, and the evil spreads quickly. Kitty and Jojo are faced with a great mystery. Only the secret, legendary dream time guards can help. But whether they actually exist is the big question ... Fantasy literature from the pen of Elias J. Connor. Immerse yourself in the world of Naytnal. This is the second novel in the Naytnal series.

Leseprobe

Elias J. Connor

The Dreamtime Guards

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Dedication

Chapter 1 - A woman not that long ago

Chapter 2 - The longest day of the year

Chapter 3 - Lantyan is no longer sleeping

Chapter 4 - In the kingdom of a thousand nights of sleep

Chapter 5 - More colors than a rainbow

Chapter 6 - The secret island

Chapter 7 - The silver knights

Chapter 8 - The battle in the valley of the Schor'zeen

Chapter 9 - The realm of dreams

Chapter 10 - Decision at the golden imperial tower

Chapter 11 - The banishment

Chapter 12 - On the Yayasom River

Chapter 13 - Jojo's new exam

Chapter 14 - Return to the floating islands

Chapter 15 - Kitty's toughest battle

Chapter 16 - Jojo's revelation

Chapter 17 - The final fight of the dreamtime guards

Chapter 18 - At the end of an eternal path

Impressum

Dedication

For Nadja.

When the world of Naytnal came into being, you were born into it.

You brought her to life.

For Liam Elias.

You came into our world.

Your dream lives in our stories.

For Jana.

We go our ways together.

I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Chapter 1 - A woman not that long ago

  A branch moved gently in the wind, and its leaves made a gentle rustle. When a bird sat on it, the branches rocked back and forth a few times, causing some leaves to fall from the tree to which it belonged. The bird seemed completely out of breath. In any case, it almost looked like he was taking a deep breath.

  The bird looked around a few times. Then he twittered happily. After sitting there for a few minutes, he padded around on the branch, a bit clumsy. Finally he saw some flowers. He darted up quickly - moving his wings so fast that he stopped like a dragonfly in midair. He then put his long, thin beak into one of the flowers and drank its nectar.

  Only now could it be seen that the little bird was a hummingbird, colorful and graceful like a butterfly. And as gracefully as he was just hanging in the air and drinking flower nectar, he floated down again and sat down next to a root of the big tree.

  On the horizon, behind the hills, the sun was slowly rising. A soft dawn spread over the whole valley, and in the far east one could still see a star, the only one that still managed with its glow against the beginning sunlight.

  Only a few small clouds floated across the sky. And it was pretty warm for it was only about five in the morning. The whole valley could certainly look forward to a wonderful day.

  When the hummingbird saw a squirrel, which was just crawling out from under the roots of the tree, it quickly flew up again and sat on a branch very high up. The tree then lost some leaves that were already dead. And one of them hit the little squirrel. It looked puzzled along the tree. Then it shook its head and started looking for something in the earth.

  Suddenly the squirrel was frightened. A rattle could be heard and it spread gently through the valley. The distant hills echoed again. The squirrel quickly hid under a large root and then peered out curiously to determine the cause of the rattle.

  A girl in a short summer dress was slowly riding a bicycle down a path that led past the tree. When she saw the squirrel, the girl stopped her bike and dismounted. It carefully brushed its light brown hair from its face and pushed two small, beautifully plaited pigtails behind its ears.

  The girl might be around 14 years old. It had a modern hairstyle and its dress was very fashionable too.

  It ran slowly towards the tree under which the squirrel had hidden. Once there, it went very slowly to its knees and held out a hand. When the squirrel peeked out curiously, the girl smiled at it.

  And then the squirrel forgot his fear. Skillfully it padded out from under the roots and with one leap jumped into the girl's hand. Then it slipped over his arm and sat on his shoulder.

  The girl then carefully rummaged in a pocket of his dress and took out some peanuts. When it held one of them out to the squirrel, it took it and ate it. Then the girl held out a second peanut, and the squirrel took it too. It also accepted a third nut that the girl gave the squirrel.

  And at the very top of the tree sat the hummingbird and looked in amazement at the scene with the girl and the squirrel.

  Suddenly there was a loud bang that suddenly disturbed the calm in the entire valley. The hummingbird was startled. In a flash it soared and flew away quickly. And the squirrel, too, was so frightened that it quickly hopped off the girl's shoulders and disappeared into the ground.

  The girl could hardly breathe from the shock. It took hold of its heart. Then it slowly turned ... and couldn't believe what it was seeing behind it. Faster than a bolt of lightning, the girl ran back to her bike, sat on it and began to pedal as hard as it could. What on earth had frightened the hummingbird, the little squirrel and the girl so much that they all ran away in no time?

  Suddenly, out of nowhere, a huge wall of fog appeared in the valley. It was several hundred meters high and wide, and it seemed so dense that you couldn't see through it. In the gray of dawn the wall of fog looked absolutely ghostly, even creepy. And it made the whole valley appear in a strange, bizarre light.

  The wind moved the mist. Like a huge curtain hanging in front of an open window, the wall of smoke slowly swayed to and fro. And with every movement the white flashed in strange, strange shines of light - as if the entire wall of smoke consisted of thousands of white colors. And the light of the rising sun, which was reflected in the fog, supported this effect even more. You could almost say that the whole structure looked like auroras by day - but that couldn't be, because you can only see auroras at night, and besides, they never existed in the areas where this great valley was.

  Suddenly there was a strange sounding noise that apparently also came from the fog. It was tinny and metallic. It sounded like a hum, a very, very low hum. So deep, almost, that you could barely notice it.

  All of a sudden - and that happened within a few seconds - the whole wall of smoke suddenly opened. It split into two separate parts, as if someone had neatly separated them with a giant knife. And with it the metallic noise, the humming, got louder and higher. It changed into louder and higher frequencies. Until it almost sounded like the scream of a bat.

  At the bottom of the smoke screen, on the floor, suddenly ... a person stepped out. Slowly and in step.

  The person was a woman. A very pretty woman. She was blond-haired, had shoulder-length hair and wore strange pants and an even stranger jacket. The jacket was black and had a strange sheen, as if it were streaked with silver. The pants had a similar pattern to the jacket. And she had painted a white lightning bolt on each pant leg. A flash of lightning, as seen on the back of the jacket.

  The strange woman took a few steps forward. Finally she stopped and then turned around - to where she had just stepped out: the smoke screen.

  But no sooner had the woman turned around and looked ... the whole fog suddenly disappeared in a strange way. As mysterious as it just appeared, so mysteriously did it disappear again into nothingness. As if the whole smoke screen wasn't there.

  The woman didn't seem surprised. She may have seemed to have expected this to happen. Or maybe she didn't even think about it.

  The valley fell silent again. Only the rustling of the wind and the rustling of the leaves could be heard.

  The woman shook her head briefly. She seemed to have sand in her hair, which she was now wiping out with her hand. Then she took a brush from a bag she was carrying. After she had brushed her hair, she saw a small wooden bench further ahead, which was right next to a fountain. Slowly - and now it looked almost difficult - the woman shuffled to the well. She pulled the pump lever a few times until some water came out of the tap. Then she put her hands under it. She took several sips of the water and finally wet her face. When she finished, she sat on the bench and rested for a while.

  The woman might have been in her mid-forties, you couldn't say that exactly. She looked younger in her strange clothes. She breathed exhausted.

  Everything suddenly seemed to be as before, when the sun finally emerged from behind the horizon, and the light of the last bright star of the night also disappeared. The faint chirping of birds came out of the nearby trees - apparently the birds that fled from the fog wall have now come back.

  And lonely and alone the strange woman was still sitting on the wooden bench, lost in thought, marveling at and listening to the scenery of that morning.

  Suddenly she got up again. Now she had obviously gained enough strength. She closed her bag, put it on again, and then she spied a path to her right that wound its way through innumerable large willows. She ran to the path. And then it started slowly. Slowly and steadily. And tired. Something must have happened to her that made her so out of breath, seem so tired, and feel so weak.

  And when the hummingbird and the squirrel came back to the tree where they were before, the mysterious, strange woman had already disappeared behind the first hill.

Chapter 2 - The longest day of the year

  The firs and pines around the courtyard were huge. But a tree has towered over her for ages. It was the big fir tree that stood in the middle of the courtyard. When they built this complex back then, some of them wanted to tear down the big fir tree. But then they put it under nature protection without further ado - and so it stopped and a bench was built around it.

  The place out here by the fir tree was cozy. Lots of people just sat here during breaks. Or they learned. Or the teachers were preparing their next lesson. In the afternoons, many people just took a little rest here. And in the evenings there were often parties, barbecues and other parties, now that it was finally summer.

  In the early morning hours of this wonderful day it was really warm here, but it was still obviously much too early to meet someone at the big fir tree in the middle of the school yard. And even for a boarding school, where it was said that many get up early, just before half past seven was just too early.

  The wind, even if it was blowing gently, made the big fir sway imperceptibly. You could see it if you looked at the very top.

  In the early morning hours of that day it was of course correspondingly quiet in the whole yard for the time. And quietly. So quiet that you could even hear wolves howling or the roar of deer all the way here.

  But the calm was then suddenly interrupted. A girl riding a bicycle suddenly shot out from behind a bush with a monkey tooth and then drove into the middle of the yard. There it turned a few aimless circles.

  The bays for the bicycles were located near a staircase that led to the tennis courts. Countless bikes were parked there. The girl now slowed down. As she sauntered on, she looked for a free corner for her bike. Finally she found one, and then the girl dismounted.

  It skilfully steered its bike into the holder provided for it. Just as skilfully it mounted the bike lock on it and then locked the bike.

  As soon as the girl was finished with it, she let out a deep breath. It must have been going fast. Or very long, you couldn't see that exactly. In any case, the child seemed pretty exhausted. It stood still and looked at the sky. His eyes were big. And his hair was light brown, shoulder length and cut cheekily. Two cool braids hung in two red highlights behind the ears. That is, one of the two strands was concealing the girl's face for the moment. It gently pushed the strand from her face.

  Apparently the girl was thinking about something in particular. In any case, it shook its head, then made its way into the large wooden house that bordered the large courtyard.

  Lantyan - the most mysterious of all boarding schools. Anyone who came here could consider themselves very proud. Almost all children from America wished they could spend a year here. Of course, with such a long waiting list, the requirement to come in here is very high. You have to take difficult tests. You have to be interested in science - because Lantyan is a very science-oriented school with a focus on physics, math, American history and the like. You'd think that would put the kids off, but the fact was that more and more kids wanted to go to Lantyan. Even kindergarten children wanted Santa Claus to spend a night in Lantyan.

  It wasn't just science that drew the children here. It is said that Lantyan has a great secret. And that's exactly what draws the children here. That is exactly why so many wanted to come here. But only very few actually managed to pass the tough entrance exams. And somehow it should be a good thing that not everyone was allowed to know the secret of Lantyan.

  The youth with the dark blonde hair now ran to a large entrance, which was in the middle of the huge building complex. The two large glass doors were surrounded by a beautifully decorated wooden frame. And all the windows of this house had similar ornate frames. And beautiful shutters. The building was cut like a U, and in the middle was the courtyard with the big tree. And in front of every window there were small balconies with small flower boxes in bloom.

  She came down a large stairwell. Pleasant light shone into the large windows above, which fully illuminated it. She trudged slowly upstairs. And she pulled herself along the banister.

  A few other children were about to go into the large breakfast room that was to the right of the stairwell. It was now a quarter to eight and school doesn't start until nine o'clock. But if the children were up earlier, why shouldn't they have breakfast? In any case, you could have breakfast every morning from seven o'clock, even on weekends.

  As she stepped into a hallway, three or four other children came running towards her on the red carpet, one of whom bumped into her.

" Oh ... sorry, Sydney," the 13 year old boy apologized immediately. Apparently he knew the girl. “I'm in a hurry. Total hunger. ”And already he was buzzing away again.

  Sydney had to grin briefly. But then she ran on. Here in the hallway the room doors had numbers, like in a hotel. But the names of the residents were also on it. When Sydney got to a door labeled Sydney Loona and Natalie Cox, she opened the door and went inside.

" Hey, Sydney!" Said a delighted girl who was sitting on her bed doing strange looking aerobic exercises. "There you are. Where have you been?"

" Don't ask." Sydney threw herself on the bed and stretched all fours out.

  Like Sydney, Natalie was 14 years old and Sydney's best friend. The two of them had been sharing the room here on Lantyan for some time. Sydney only came here three months ago. She was lucky to get a place in the middle of the school year. And she had been friends with Natalie since she was here. Well, yes, it actually took a few weeks before they became friends. Because Natalie was so far the most popular student in the class. With her long, light brown hair, she turned the heads of her classmates. And when Sydney arrived, it quickly became Natalie's competitor. But in the end they pulled themselves together. And then they became inseparable.

" Did you sleep badly again?", Natalie asked while she got up and took a math book out of her pocket.

" Bad?" Sydney looked over at her friend. “Not at all!” She emphasized. “Around midnight I thought I was going to get some fresh air. By three o'clock I was already out on my bike in the fields. And then I drove and drove. Until suddenly ... "

  Natalie listened to her intently. But Sydney didn't go on talking.

" Until what? Tell me! “, Natalie urged.

" Oh, nothing."

  Natalie couldn't understand that. They have never kept secrets from each other. And now there was something Sydney had apparently seen or experienced that she didn't want to tell Natalie.

" Are you still studying for your exam?" Sydney tried to distract Natalie instead. The maneuver seemed to work.

" Yes," answered Natalie. Then she lifted her shoulders briefly. "I can't do it after all."

" We just have to try."

  Sydney knew Natalie's problem. And she had the same thing, just not in math, but in Latin. And if nothing more happens during the inspection, Sydney and Natalie would have to repeat the year.

" Did you study all the time?" Asked Sydney.

" No, only three or four hours."

" From when?" Sydney gave Natalie a stern look - but what should she tell her? After all, she was out all night herself. So she wasn't angry that Natalie just ignored the question.

  Finally Natalie closed her book and put it away. "What the heck," she said. "Let's go to breakfast."

  A little later Natalie and Sydney stomped into the now well-frequented corridor and ran down to the dining room.

  There were three small huts located near the large building complex. They were actually wooden houses, but they were called huts in the Colorado valleys. They were big enough to live with five or six people.

  One of the huts looked slightly dirty. The caretaker lived in her. He had a lot of manual work to do, and most of it he did right in his garden. It goes without saying that scrap metal, wood, dust and sawdust are piled up in his garden.

  In the other cabin lived Mr. Templeton, the former headmaster, but who still taught as a teacher. His house looked clean, and now in the summer there were many plants in bloom in his garden. Mr. Templeton collected exotic flowers. Unfortunately, here in Colorado, even if the village was in a large valley, it was already quite cold in winter, and so some plants simply refused to sprout.

  But now it was summer, as I said. And in front of the terrace of the third and largest hut sat a young person, maybe 14 or 15, in shorts and a funny t-shirt. She was holding a book in her hand and seemed to be very absorbed in it. The whole time she looked frozen. Like painted. Only her medium-length hair, which shone golden in the morning sun, waved now and then in the breeze. Sometimes the wind blew her hair in front of her eyes, then she had to pull it away. But she just sat there and read the whole time.

  There was a strange motif on her t-shirt. She didn't know why she liked it so much, because the picture was actually a bit creepy. It showed a castle surrounded by two huge swords. The castle was dark red. Like sandstone, only much redder.

  The book the girl was holding was a light blue book. Its title was "The American History of Modern Times" and denounced in large, dark letters on the cover.

  When she wanted to turn a page, she tried to do so with little effort, and if possible without moving. She put the book on her knees and blew on it so that a page would automatically turn. But apparently she had forgotten the laws of gravity - because suddenly the book fell down to the floor. In the middle of the sand that spread all over the porch.

  At the same moment a woman came out of the house. She smiled. She had her blonde hair tied in a ponytail. And her bright, stylish suit seemed to reflect the sunlight.

" My goodness ...", the woman stammered when she saw the sand on the porch. "Jojo, honey, I thought you had cleaned up."

" Yes, Mom," the girl replied without looking up. "I mean, let's do it."

" What are you reading there?" The woman asked frantically. "Didn't I tell you not to always do your homework at the last minute?"

" Yes, Mom," said Jojo, embarrassed. And then finally she looked at her mom with a smile.

“ Breakfast will be served soon, honey. Where's Kitty? "

" I don't know." Jojo put away her book and got up. "Wow, mom, you look great today."

" Thank you", Jojo's mom smiled sheepishly.

  Jojo then went into the kitchen of the two-story cabin, followed by her beautiful mom. She grabbed two toast and a bowl of cereal. Then she sat down at the round wooden table and poured herself another glass of orange juice.

  A little later another girl came rushing down a flight of stairs. She had long, blonde hair that she tied into a ponytail with a hair tie while running. The girl was wearing a really cool, very nice dress. It was green and even had ruffles at the bottom.

  Suddenly the girl stopped. Then it looked up the stairs with its big eyes. It ran upstairs again quickly, rummaged in her drawer and finally found what she was looking for - a small, blue ball. It put it in her pocket and tumbled happily down the stairs again.

  If you had slowed the girl's hopping down, you would have noticed that a beautiful chain dangled from her neck. A much nicer pendant hung from it, which shone silver, almost bluish. The pendant showed a very mysterious motif: a kind of crescent moon shone wonderfully above a screw shell. And there were two feathers on the shell. They were only connected to the shell with a very thin, almost invisible piece. But something made the trailer so tight that it could never have broken apart.

  A mirror hung in front of the kitchen door, on the shelf of which lay some make-up utensils. As the girl hopped past him, she quickly grabbed a lipstick and just quickly painted his lips. Now it looked really cool.

" Kitty!" A woman's voice called, friendly but firm, from the kitchen. "Come on now. You have to go in ten minutes. "

  Kitty hopped into the kitchen. When she saw her mom, she jumped over and put both arms around her violently. Then she hugged her tightly.

" It's good, honey," said Kitty's and Jojo's mom Leonie. "What's the matter with you?"

" Oh, nothing, Mom," said Kitty. "I just wanted to squeeze you."

" So, go ahead, okay?"

" Hey, Kitty ...", Jojo wondered when she looked at her.

" What is it? Doesn't that suit me? "

" Sure," smiled Jojo. "Looks amazing." Jojo then shook her head questioningly and raised her arms. "I just thought you don't care about clothes and make-up."

" Jojo, how old am I now?" Asked Kitty.

" Well ... you will be 14 years old next month."

" Exactly," Kitty clarified. "Then it is high time I started doing it."

" Children," interjected Leonie, who was just about to clear the breakfast table of things that were currently no longer needed. "Take a look at this," she said as she picked up some sheets of paper. “You know all the school bands. Don't you feel like looking through these applications for the summer party in three days and choosing a band that will play that evening? You could do that this afternoon. "

" Sure," said Jojo.

" We'll be happy to," Kitty agreed.

  At that moment the door of the hut opened and a boy of maybe 14 years entered the house. He was handsome - tall, nice hair, more eighties, but I guess he liked it that way - and he was wearing a nice suit.

" Morning, Mrs. Linnore," he greeted Kitty and Jojo's mom. "Tomorrow Jojo, tomorrow honey. Ready for school? "

" And I already know who will help us", Kitty finished her sentence with a grin. "Hello Dennis."

  Kitty stormed up to him, gave him a big hug and kissed him.

" Help with what?", Dennis asked puzzled.

“ You will see that. This afternoon, ”Kitty explained. Dennis just looked at her and grinned and shook his head.

  Dennis was Kitty's friend. For a very long time - for over half a year. Dennis had lived here on Lantyan for just as long. And since he got here - actually before - he and Kitty had been inseparable. He was Kitty's first great love, and she was his too.

  Leonie Linnore still had her hands full today - and not just to organize the upcoming school festival. Leonie was the director of Lantyan, the elite boarding school in Colorado / USA. And she was glad that her two children and her boyfriend Dennis helped her a little to prepare for the summer party. The school holidays began in two days and still not all certificates had been discussed. For today and tomorrow that means once again: Endless testimony conferences.

  Leonie had only lived here for half a year. And just as long had she been in the fantastic position of headmaster. It goes without saying that some tasks still didn't work out as they should. Shortly before Christmas of last year, Leonie bought the beautiful little house on the school grounds between the school yard and the tennis courts. And here she lived now with Kitty and Jojo.

  It was half an hour before school started today. Kitty, Jojo and Dennis slowly made their way into the large school building. Her class was in the west wing, where the fifth through eighth grades were. Kitty and Jojo's class had a strange but beautiful name: Class 6 Faylon. Kitty had given the class that name. She didn't know why. Nor did she know what Faylon meant. But somehow, for some reason, she liked that word. Dennis's class was here too. He went to school one grade above Kitty and Jojo. His class was called Class 7 Evandor. There were also the Lythin or Myraley or Snoorulph classes and many more - and the children made up all the names.

  Dennis, Kitty and Jojo were just walking past the large fir tree in the middle of the school yard. Many children have already sat under her. Most of them played or chatted together. It was getting really crowded in the schoolyard.

  Teachers also ran around. Lantyan was anything but strict. The children had a lot of freedom here. They were often able to organize their time themselves. But they had to perform well. Because too many other children wanted to come here who couldn't make it.

  Kitty then finally got her blue ball, which she was packing earlier at home, out of her pocket. Jojo then positioned himself a few meters from her.

" Come on, Kitty," she said. "Throw!"

  And Kitty threw the ball. It shot up in Jojo's direction. But suddenly - as if by magic - the ball just ... stopped. In the middle of the air. And in the process he made a wondrous rustling noise.

  Immediately some children stood around Kitty and Jojo. They followed their game with astonished looks.

  The ball flew on after about a minute, right in Jojo's hand.

" I've gotten a lot better, haven't I?" Said Kitty.

  Jojo laughed. Then she lifted her arm and tossed the little blue ball into the air ... and again it just stopped high above them in the air. The children were amazed without a word. All the children who were around here looked spellbound at the ball.

  Suddenly he flew on and Kitty caught him.

" Not quite half a minute," smiled Dennis, who was standing next to Jojo. "You have to practice a little more, Jojo."

" I've already managed three minutes," said Jojo.

" Three minutes?" Kitty shook her head. "Nobody can do three minutes."

" I probably have." Jojo put her hands on her hips. “Let's do a little tournament. At the festival. "

" All right," laughed Kitty.

  Then Jojo had to laugh too and put his arm around her sister in a friendly way. The other children began to whisper. “Strange ball,” you heard one say. "I knew it was true," whispered another child.

  Much has been heard of the rumors of Lantyan's great secrets. But never before had a child who lived here actually seen anything of it.

  Leonie had actually not allowed Kitty and Jojo to take the Tajunas' ball to school. The other children would ask questions, and there is a reason that only very special children can open the secret gate. The rules are set that way, and not just by those who live here on Lantyan.

  Kitty and Jojo had a lot more things that were even stranger than that little ball. And Dennis had those things too. Because Kitty and Jojo were among those special children for whom the secret gate that everyone was talking about was open. However, they had to have a very, very important reason to go through.

  And Dennis - he wasn't just one of those special kids. Dennis was someone who came here from the other side of the secret gate. He never liked advertising it, just like Kitty and Jojo. They enjoyed being normal children too much. But whenever another child needed help, they would turn to her with confidence.

  The doorbell rang for class. Most of the children now ran into their classes. Dennis had already gone to his class. But Kitty and Jojo were still dawdling in the yard.

" Do you think Leonie scolds when we do a tournament with the Tajuna ball at the party?"

" I don't think so," said Kitty. "Hey, Jojo ... why do you still call her Leonie sometimes?"

" I don't know either," smiled Jojo. “All of this is still far too beautiful. Sometimes I'm afraid that I will get used to it too quickly. "

" Well, the faster the better, sister," Kitty quipped. Jojo smiled at her.

  Half a year ago Leonie had adopted Linnore Jojo. Half a year ago, Kitty was finally able to hug her mom Leonie again. For the first time in over eight years. Until then, Leonie didn't know that Kitty was living here at Lantyan boarding school. And when Kitty finally got her mom back, she got a sister in her best friend Jojo.

  In the hallway that led to their classroom, Kitty and Jojo suddenly saw two girls sitting around as they went in. They held each other in their arms. They looked very sad, as if something very bad had broken into them. Kitty and Jojo approached her carefully.

" What do you guys have?" Kitty asked nicely.

  One girl looked up at her and tucked one of two braids behind her ear. Without a word she looked at Kitty with her big eyes.

" Can we help you?"

  The girl didn't answer. The other girl said nothing either.

  Kitty patted them amicably on the shoulder. Then she and Jojo went on.

  Mr. Templeton, the class teacher of 6 Faylon, was already standing at the teacher's desk in the class when Kitty and Jojo entered the room.

" Well, you two?" He said. "Have we dawdled around again?"

" Sorry," said Jojo. "We ... well, yes ..."

  Fortunately, Mr. Templeton did not expect any further explanation. He wasn't a strict teacher. But he was fair. And the fact that Kitty and Jojo were the school principal's daughters did not give them the right to special treatment. They both knew that too.

  Jojo and Kitty went to their seats. Girls and boys used to be taught separately in Lantyan. And many things were very different here than they are now. But that was a long time ago, as people say. Only Kitty and Jojo know that it wasn't that long ago. But they don't like to talk about this time, which they experienced themselves.

" Well, let's go to the report card," announced Mr. Templeton. “I can say with great satisfaction that all of you made it through to seventh grade. And I am very happy to be your class teacher again in the coming school year after the holidays. "

  There was cheering and applause in the class. Also because nobody stayed seated. Perhaps some had feared it, including Jojo, because she was just lousy in history.

“ Our class,” Templeton began again, “may expand by two students in the coming year. I expect that you will then accept our new classmates in a friendly manner, regardless of the reason why they come to our class. "

  Not much was done in school three days before the holidays. Almost all of the exams were over - only the re-exams for those who might have remained seated were still pending in the first two school hours.

  Then the doorbell rang at break. Kitty and Jojo intended to play something with their Tajuna ball in the schoolyard, but Dennis advised them not to. And so the three of them sat at the big fir tree and let the sun shine on their faces.

“ The party is going to be huge,” said Jojo.

" Well, I'm looking forward to it too," confirmed Dennis. "Especially on the barbecue."

" Not me at all," said Kitty playfully stressed. "I have to help with the cooking."

  Suddenly Kitty discovered on the other side of the fir tree that there were the two girls who were so sad this morning.

" Come on, Jojo, let's go to you," Kitty asked her sister. And then she and Jojo ran to the two girls. They sat there sadly and held hands.

" Well, you?", Kitty spoke to her. "Do you want to talk to us now?"

" Thank you," said one girl. "Is not necessary."

" What's your name actually?" Asked Jojo.

" I'm Sydney Loona," said the girl with the two pigtails in her hair.

" My name is Natalie Cox," introduced the other girl.

" You're from Seventh, aren't you?" Kitty then asked.

" Not much longer," said Sydney, completely distraught. "We both just beat up our re-examination."

" As if the world depends on math," cried Natalie.

" Oh, you shit," Jojo slipped out. "Then ... then you stay seated?"

  The girls nodded in tears.

" Hey," said Kitty suddenly. “Then you are the two who will come to our class in the next school year. Crazy."

  Jojo nudged Kitty lightly in the side.

" So ... Templeton is super okay," Kitty explained.

" Yes", Jojo tried to comfort Sydney and Natalie. “Kitty and I were late this morning. And he didn't say anything. "

" I've only been here three months," said Sydney. "And already I have such a failure."

" But it can get better again," Kitty consoled her. She sat next to Sydney while Jojo sat next to Natalie. Kitty patted Sydney lightly on the shoulder. "You're in a great class, you'll see."

" Kitty ..." Sydney mused suddenly. "Are ... are you Kitty and Jojo Linnore?"

" Caught!" Kitty had to admit.

" It's not always easy as the director's children," interjected Jojo.

" Is it really you?" Sydney then asked softly. She looked at Jojo, then again at Kitty. “Are you the only ones who have passed through the secret gate? Have you seen the other world? The ... Empress from the Star of the Rich and her deputy? "

  Jojo was almost breathless. Kitty looked at Sydney with questioning eyes. They always tried to keep it a secret. Some knew. But no one ever spoke directly to her about it.

" How do you know?" Kitty finally asked.

" Then it's true," concluded Natalie.

" Well, yes ... yes," Kitty finally admitted.

" We heard so much from you," reported Natalie. “They tell each other that you are special children. My goodness - I always knew that these weren't just rumors. "

" It's true," said Jojo. "But please don't run around with it right now, okay?" Jojo seemed slightly sensitive to the fact that she was being addressed directly on the subject for the first time in a long time.

" No, definitely not," Natalie said apologetically. "But ... it's just that ..." She then turned to Sydney. "Tell them about your nightmares."

" Nightmares? What nightmares? ”, Kitty was interested now.

" Oh ... nothing more. I just sleep badly. And when I sleep, I keep dreaming this stupid nightmare. "

" And ... what is happening there?"

“ Is difficult to describe. I can't put it into words. "

  The bell rang for the next lesson, and the children all jumped up and ran to their classes.

" What do you think if Jojo and I come to visit you tomorrow afternoon?" Asked Kitty.

  Sydney and Natalie gratefully accepted the offer before they and also Kitty and Jojo went back to their classes.

  Leonie was visibly exhausted as she hurried down from the staff room into the dining room to have a quick iced tea. At lunchtime it was already pretty full here. Leonie stood in line in front of the drinks counter.

" Hi, Mrs. Linnore," she was greeted by a colleague. "Do you want to have lunch too?"

" No, just have a quick drink," Leonie explained. "I'll have to do the preparations for the party in a moment."

" Oh, yes," said the colleague. "I know that. I also have a few things to do. By the way, you don't happen to know when the tent builders are coming? "

" Yes," said Leonie in a hurry. "They'll be there around eight o'clock the day after tomorrow."

  Leonie then spotted an empty seat and settled down after picking up and paying for her iced tea. As soon as she was seated, she took some folders out of her teacher's case and began to look through them. Leonie was a little annoyed that a total of seven students failed to make the transfer this year. The testimony conference she had been going through with her colleagues since the early hours was tough and nerve-wracking. And Leonie would have liked to have enabled all of the students to advance. Unfortunately there was no more chance for seven children. Shaking her head, Leonie lifted her mug and took a sip.

  Suddenly a stranger ran past her whom she had never seen before. With a tray in hand, he was desperately looking for an empty seat. Leonie's gaze followed him.

  The man was in his late forties, tall and handsome. He seemed muscular, but not in a way that made it look over the top. When he passed Leonie again, she noticed his aftershave.

  Then he suddenly turned to Leonie and gave her a friendly look.

" Good morning, miss," he greeted her politely.

" Good morning", Leonie greeted him embarrassed.

" May I sit down with you? My goodness, it's full here at this time, ”the man asked.

" Yes, of course", Leonie asked him. She smiled at him. "Just sit down."

" Thank you," said the man. Then he took a seat across from Leonie and put down his tray. "My name is Trent," he introduced himself and frantically held out the hand to Leonie, which she took. “Trent Thorn. I'm new here as of today. "

" Leonie", Leonie introduced herself. “Leonie Linnore. I am the principal. And at the same time a physics and biology teacher. "

" Really?" Trent looked at her happily. “I'm assigned to be the head of Lantyan's physics department. That's great, then we'll be working in the same area. "

" Great," said Leonie happily.

  Trent then ate some of the salad he'd gotten. Then he took a sip of his Coke.

“ What is your department in physics?” Leonie then asked him.

" The molecular structure," Trent said with his mouth still half full. He seemed a little absent-minded, but that was exactly what Leonie found so likable about him. "You know," continued Trent, "when I eat salad, I try to analyze what it's made of."

" Well, I think, made from lettuce leaves and a delicious dressing," laughed Leonie.

" You're right," laughed Trent. “I think too much about work. Tell me what is your specialty? "

" Oh, a lot," said Leonie then. “I teach in the higher grades. And as a director I also have to ... "

" Leonie Linnore?" Trent interrupted her suddenly. "Are you the famous anthropologist called the dinosaur hunter?"

" Right," said Leonie, a little proud.

" I've read your books," Trent said with interest. "They are part of my compulsory reading."

" Interesting," said Leonie.

“ I think it's great that you are here now. I bet your two children are just as happy. "

" Have you already met Kitty and Jojo?"

" No, not yet," Trent replied. "But, to be honest, I heard one or the other rumor ... about this other world during the briefing."

" Oh, yes?", Leonie smiled. "Oh well..."

" Mrs. Linnore ..." Trent began.

" Leonie!", Leonie asked him to call her by her first name.

“ Leonie, I think a lot would not have been possible here without your children. Without this other world, and the special thing that it contains. "

" We owe a lot to Kitty and Jojo," admitted Leonie proudly. "And I especially, as you may already know .." Leonie took a thoughtful pause and took a sip of iced tea. Then she continued, “The secrets Lantyan holds are what make this boarding school so special. We shouldn't challenge it too much. "

" No, no." Trent gestured apologetically. “I have no intention of exploiting or uncovering the secrets of Lantyan. I'm only interested in interesting, inexplicable phenomena. "

" And some phenomena should simply remain unexplained," said Leonie seriously.

  Trent understood, and then he stopped philosophizing about the subject.

" Are you also preparing for the school festival?" Leonie then asked him.

" Not exactly," Trent replied.

“ Well, maybe you want to give me a hand. Why don't you come by my house later, then I could explain more to you. "

" Yes," smiled Trent Thorn. "I will be very happy to visit you."

  After she had finished her iced tea, Leonie said goodbye to her new colleague and ran down the stairwell next to the dining room. She ran up to the third floor. The staff room was located there.

  When Leonie entered, two colleagues were still packing up their things.

" Hi, Mrs. Linnore", greeted a young woman with glasses on her nose Leonie.

" Hello, Loreen," greeted Leonie.

  Loreen was looking for something in a filing cabinet when Leonie sat down at a desk.

" Loreen," said Leonie after a few minutes. “Have you already met this new colleague? Trent Thorn? "

" Oho ... Mrs. Linnore ...", Loreen made with a grinning face.

" It's not what you think," stressed Leonie. But it didn't help. Loreen saw through it long ago.

" He looks good, doesn't he?"

“ I'm only interested in his work,” explained Leonie.

" Of course," Loreen smiled. Then she left the room.

  Leonie then called a number. She picked up a pen and put an empty pad in front of her.

“ What?” She was heard saying when she apparently had a connection. "Three thousand? But yesterday you said two and a half. Where am I supposed to get the rest of it from quickly? Yes, there is sure to be a raffle. No, we said wood, not plastic. Sorry? Which regulation? Of course we checked. Listen, just come over here tomorrow, then you can get an idea, okay? "

  Leonie then slammed the phone down. Finally she packed her things and ran out of the staff room. She trudged hastily over the stairwell, ran to the front door that leads to the courtyard, then crossed the courtyard and finally arrived at her hut.

  Trent was already sitting there on the little bench that was on the edge of the terrace. He looked around a little clumsily and looked at the roof of the house. In doing so, he stretched his head back so far that he almost dislocated it. Leonie had to laugh at this sight.

“ Trent! That was fast."

" Oh ... hi again, Leonie," said Trent. "You have a nice roof."

" Thank you." Leonie sat down next to him on the bench and took out some papers. She gave one of them to Trent.

" See," she said. "That's the planning."

  Finally she gave him the other pieces of paper.

“ These are the actions. You can see that not all colleagues have been entered yet. You are taking part in the summer festival? "

" It's Witches' Night," said Trent. "Of course I'll take part."

" Good," said Leonie happily. “The areas of yard supervision, disco supervision and stage and timetable organization would still be free. Which one could you imagine doing? "

  Trent put on cool looking sunglasses, a little awkwardly. Then he looked at the papers.

" Well, my hobby is fireworks," he explained. “Do you still have a free space for this? I know a lot about building firecrackers. "

" Very nice," said Leonie with a smile. “You can organize the fireworks. But that includes the campfire as well.

  When Leonie got close to Trent, he paused and looked at her.

" You smell good, Leonie," Trent said suddenly. Leonie looked at him in surprise, but smiling.

" Thank you," she replied politely. "You are very charming, Trent."

  Trent put an arm around her, but Leonie gently pushed him away again.

" You know, you have the look of a loyal dog," said Leonie. Immediately afterwards, before Trent could answer, his sunglasses flew off. Leonie had to laugh.

" Really, it's totally weird, Leonie ..." Trent began. "Well, I could swear I had a dream about you the other day."

" How is that?" Leonie leaned against him, laughing. "You didn't even know me."

" Well, yes ... dreams mean a lot more than we can imagine," Trent said. And now Leonie allowed him to hug her.

" How do you know that?"

" Let's say I had something to do with something like that."

" What? For real? It's interesting. "

  At that moment, Kitty and Jojo were trudging out from behind the house. They were off school an hour ago, but they were still playing with the Tajuna ball behind the house, unnoticed by their mom.

" Hello, children," said Leonie, her eyes fixed on Kitty and Jojo. And with a jerk, Leonie and Trent released their embrace.

  Kitty met Trent's eyes seriously. Jojo shook her head.

" This is Mr. Thorn", Leonie introduced him. "He's helping me a little with the preparations."

" Sure," said Jojo.

  And Kitty gave him a quick nod, then ran into the living room. Jojo then hurried after her.

" What was that?" Asked Jojo.

" Well, he seems to be your new type," Kitty said thoughtfully.

" Oh, Kitty, that hasn't been said yet."

  Kitty sat on the sofa. She thoughtfully put her head in her hands, which she rested on her knees.

“ But if you do? Didn't you see how she looked? "

" Would that be so bad if?" Jojo sat down next to Kitty.

" But ... what if she wants to marry him?"

" You don't even know him, maybe he's nice."

" Jojo," said Kitty, and a tear ran gently down her cheek. “But what about my dad? I miss him so much, Jojo. What if Mom doesn't love him anymore? "

  Jojo took Kitty in her arms. "She sure did," she said.

  Kitty's dad died when Kitty was just four years old. He was in a car accident at the time. When Leonie found out about his death, a world collapsed for her, and so she began to throw herself into work. But the worst of all was that Leonie had believed at the time that her little daughter Kitty had also died in this accident. They brought Kitty here to Lantyan that time. But they didn't tell Leonie. And so Kitty had believed for years that Leonie was not interested in her. All the years. It wasn't until eight years later - that was half a year ago, just before Christmas - that Leonie finally found out that Kitty was still alive. She immediately rushed to Lantyan and promised Kitty that she would stay with her forever from now on.

  Kitty, Jojo and Leonie - just like Kitty's friend Dennis - of course know the real reason why Kitty and Leonie finally found each other again. Because the real reason is this secret world that people kept talking about here on Lantyan. Kitty and Jojo were there. And Dennis ... even came from there. From the legendary star of the empires, which was also called Naytnal.

  Kitty, Jojo, Leonie and Dennis were really very, very special people. Especially kitty. Most of them didn't know. But some do. And Sydney Loona and Natalie Cox - the seventh grade girls who would stay seated - had approached Kitty directly about it this morning.

" Come on, Kitty", Jojo said finally. “Let's listen to the other demo tapes. OK?"

  Kitty then smiled again. "All right, Jojo," she said. "Let's listen to music."

  Then she and Jojo ran up to their room. They got a portable CD player - actually it was almost a little ghetto blaster - and with it they ran out into the fields behind the school grounds.

  The fields behind the school were ideal for such activities as choosing a band for the school festival. There was no place here near Lantyan. The next town was a good 10 kilometers away, so Kitty and Jojo didn't bother anyone here.

  After about an hour - Kitty and Jojo seemed to be attentively listening to music, because they just sat there and said nothing - Dennis suddenly came running across the fields to them. He waved to Kitty and Jojo with a smile. Dennis had changed. While he was wearing a fashionable, light-colored suit earlier, he was now wearing short, red trousers and a light-colored T-shirt.

" Hey guys," he called as he ran.

" Hi, Dennis," said Jojo.

  And Kitty immediately jumped up and ran into her boyfriend.

" Kitty ... what's up, mouse?" Dennis asked as he patted Kitty's hair.

" Oh, Dennis ..." said Kitty.

" Tell me, Kitty."

" It's ... it's because of my mom ..."

" We saw how she was flirting with such a new colleague today," Jojo explained, because Kitty tears welled up again and she was sobbing.

" You're sad about your dad, aren't you?" Dennis asked Kitty.

  Kitty nodded.

" Look," said Dennis. “I think your mom could never love someone as much as you. And she would never love anyone more than your dad. "

" But what if they do fall in love?" Kitty buried her head in Dennis' shoulder.

" Just wait and see, mouse," Dennis consoled her.

" Well, yes ... I must," Kitty stammered. Then the three children lay back on the grass and continued to listen to the music.

" What are you doing here anyway?" Dennis wanted to know after a while.

“ We're looking for a band for the school festival the day after tomorrow,” Kitty explained to him.

" Do you know Flash Beyond?", Jojo hooked him straight away. "I think that's the best so far."

" Is that what they are?" Asked Dennis. Jojo nodded.

" Dennis ..." said Kitty suddenly. "Do you know what happened today?" She sat up and when Dennis rolled over on his back, she put her hands on his stomach.

“ What?” Dennis asked curiously.

“ You noticed that with these two girls who sat there so sadly. So ... their names are Sydney and Natalie, ”Kitty reported. "Imagine, they knew the secret."

“ The secret? For real?"

" They knew the secret of Lantyan," Jojo confirmed. "I swear."

  Dennis turned a questioning look on Kitty.

“ You knew about the other, secret world?” Dennis asked curiously. "With the star of the rich?"

  Kitty nodded.

" Did you also know that you are the Empress of Naytnal?" Dennis looked deeply into his girlfriend's eyes. "And ... do you know about the secret gate?"

" I don't know if you know about the gate," Kitty explained. "But they knew that I was Naytnal's empress."

“ It's okay, I think. So long ... ”Dennis paused and took a deep breath. "As long as they don't find out about the mysterious key of power."

  Kitty felt the beautiful pendant on a gold chain around her neck. It shone softly in the sun. Its shimmer was bluish, almost like the shimmer of an ocean. And its shape was unique and incomparably beautiful.

  The mysterious key of power - the most mysterious relic that Kitty had from the star of empires, which she brought with her after she was there and was made empress there. Her mysterious medallion that has helped her in so many difficult situations and which has saved her life more than once. This secret relic was so mysterious that nobody knew what it was all about, except for Leonie, Jojo and Dennis. And of course Kitty.

  The mysterious key of power - the medallion that contains the entire power of the star of empires. As Empress, Kitty was the only one allowed to wear it. As Empress, she was allowed to use his power when necessary. However, this trailer had its own rules. And one of them says, for Kitty's safety, that no one else outside of Naytnal may ever find out what secret this key holds.

“ They didn't say anything about the mysterious key,” Kitty recalled. "I can't imagine where Sydney and Natalie should know his secret from."

" Well," mused Dennis. “The gate is always open. It is possible that someone could actually only manage to get in touch with Naytnal by accident "

  Dennis sat up. Jojo stretched out her arms.

" I thought it required a spell - and also the rock-solid conviction that the Star of the Realms actually exists if you want to come into contact with it," puzzled Jojo. "How can someone come up with it by chance?"

" That wouldn't be too bad ..." said Dennis. "But what would be bad is if someone with bad thoughts contacts the Star of the Realms."

" That won't happen," Kitty said confidently. "The mysterious key protects us from it."

" Hey - Sydney and Natalie said something like that about nightmares ..." Jojo suddenly remembered.

" Yes ..." Kitty looked thoughtfully at the sky and then held a hand over her eyes. "Wait a minute ... Sydney said she sleeps so badly. And whenever ... then she always dreams this stupid nightmare. "

" Always the same dream?" Asked Dennis. Kitty shrugged her shoulders and motioned to Dennis that she didn't know.

“ We wanted to visit them tomorrow. In the afternoon when it's a little quieter in the main building, ”said Kitty.

" Very nice," said Dennis. "It will certainly do them good to make new friends."

  The three children then slowly finished work and trudged back to the boarding school. Dennis ran to his room in the main building, and Kitty and Jojo ran to their hut.

  Kitty and Jojo could always rely on Dennis. He was very wise and knew a lot. And not just because it came from the Star of the Empires. He had this special flair for certain things. And when he said that Sydney and Natalie needed new friends, it was certainly true - especially since Sydney had only been in Lantyan for three months.

  The sun was already hanging on the deep western horizon and was already slowly going down. Kitty and Jojo were busy preparing dinner while Leonie was going through a pile of papers in the living room.

" Do you know what I think?", Jojo asked to Kitty. "Mom loves her new job."

" Yes. She takes it very carefully, ”laughed Kitty.

“ Listen, mice,” Leonie then called out of the living room. "Will you please put on a fourth place setting? Mr. Thorn is coming to dinner tonight. "

  Kitty gestured wildly with her hands and made a sound like a curse. "Well, great!" She said then.

  Jojo just shook his head.

  About half an hour later the doorbell rang ... and Trent Thorn came in. He greeted Kitty and Jojo politely, whom he had already met briefly at noon.

" Well, did you find a band for the school festival?" Trent asked nicely.

" Yes," said Jojo. "We decided on Flash Beyond."

" Sounds very interesting," said Trent.

" How do you know her?" Kitty asked sullenly. "You've only been here for a day."

" Kitty!" Leonie admonished her.

  Finally Kitty and Jojo served the meal. There was spare ribs with baked potatoes. When Kitty, Leonie, Jojo and Trent sat down to eat and started, Kitty suddenly began to imitate Trent. A couple of times she got a dirty look from her mom for this.

" Tell me, Kitty," Trent then turned to her. “How about you in physics? In terms of grades, I mean. "

" Not good," Kitty replied with an angry look. "Interestingly, I mean."

“ Kitty!” They heard Leonie say. "That can be done more politely."

" And I understand you're very interested in science," Trent asked.

  That was finally too much for Kitty. Angrily, she slapped the table and almost knocked the chair behind her when she got up.

" I don't think it's any of your business!" She snorted, and then quickly left the room.

" Sorry," said Leonie frantically and hurried after her daughter.

  Upstairs in her room, Kitty lay on her bed crying. She looked at the window. It would just snow now. If only it was now six months before - the day her mom finally got here. Everything was so great, so beautiful back then. And Kitty was so happy. And now? Now, for the first time since they lived here together, she had an argument with her mom. Kitty hated the feeling, and it really hurt her.

  When Leonie opened the door violently and came into the room, Kitty turned on her stomach and buried her head in the pillow.

" Kitty, you go down to Trent immediately and apologize," Leonie asked.

" No," Kitty replied without lifting her head.

" I said immediately."

" I don't want to!" Yelled Kitty, her head still buried.

  Then Leonie did something that Kitty hadn't expected at that moment: She sat down next to her on the bed and stroked her hair.

" Kitty, my child ... what's the matter with you?"

" I don't want you to be in a relationship with Trent," Kitty said tearfully.

" But Kitty," replied Leonie calmly. “Who says I'm going to do this? Trent is a teacher. We are colleagues. "

" But if it gets more ..." Kitty turned around and looked at her mom sadly. "Mom ... did you forget Daddy? Don't you love him anymore, even if he's no longer there? "

" Kitty", Leonie began smiling. "Now please listen to me: first of all, there will never be someone who can replace your daddy. Just as he loved us both, no one else will ever love us. And second, if I ever want to enter into a relationship again, I'll ask you beforehand. And Jojo too. Okay?"

  Kitty snuggled into her mom's arms, sobbing.

" So, little one," said Leonie. “Now please apologize to Trent. Don't forget, you could get him as a teacher in the coming school year. "

  Kitty padded back down nicely and apologized to Trent for her insolence. Later that evening, Kitty and Jojo actually found out that Trent was a pretty funny, funny guy. Kitty then decided that either way she would give him a chance.

  The next morning finally came. It was the penultimate day of school. And in Lantyan there were basically holidays already. Not too much was done in class, because the exams were all over and most of the certificates had already been discussed and written. Only individual testimony reviews were still held in the college today.