738PM (Evening after the first day of classes)
Rhys sat at the desk in his room, working on an assignment that was given to him during his first day. His desk was clean, nothing was on it besides the notebook he was writing in and the pen he was writing with. His school bag laid on the floor, the rest of his belongings peeking out due to its angle. Rhys was not the most motivated when it came to school, but he knew that if he and Dawn were going to become part of Solart's defense force he would need to do well in his classes to keep his grades up. As he was working he heard a knock on his bedroom door.
Rhys: "Come in." He said, not looking away from his notebook.
After he answered, Margit slowly opened the door before walking in.
Margit: "How was your first day at the academy?" She said as she plopped herself onto the edge of Rhys' bed.
Rhys: "It was certainly a change in pace, that's for sure." He finished what he was writing, before setting his pen down and turning to face his sister. Her eyes had a tired look to them, as did her posture. "How was your first day back to primary?" He asked.
Margit: "Nothing special, apart from the fact that basically all of my teachers suck." She joked while also being serious.
Rhys: "Doesn't get much better at the academy unfortunately." He joked back. "You look tired, did you join a sports club or something?"
Margit shook her head before speaking: "Just a rough day in general. Some boys at school were telling me that I was too skinny and it hurt my feelings a little, but I'm alright." She gave a small, half-assed smile.
Rhys: "What are their names, first and last?" His tone became serious like a brother should when hearing his sister is being picked on.
Margit waved her arms: "That isn't necessary, really! They got suspended already." She said while sounding alarmed.
Rhys: "That does not change the fact that they hurt your feelings." He stood up, walking over to take a seat next to her. "Don't let anyone make you feel like you aren't good enough, or that you need to change something about yourself. You are a little brat, but you are a Sharpe." He reminded her, giving her a brotherly pat on the head.
Margit: "You're right." She looked reassured by the head pat. "Thank you, Rhys."
Rhys: "Anytime, now get off my bed." He demanded.
Margit sighed before getting up, then turned around to look at Rhys.
Margit: "You never do school work, what's wrong?" She looked back and forth between him and his open notebook.
Rhys: "I just finally found the motivation to work hard in school I guess." He stood back up as well. "Plus, I need to graduate so I can join the defense force with Dawn."
Margit: "The defense force? Like the defense force?" She seemed a little shocked, Rhys never had ambitions.
Rhys: "Yes. It will help him find Imogene, plus it sounds fun." He sat back at his desk.
Margit: "Well don't overwork yourself, okay?" She said as she walked to the door.
Rhys: "I won't, you know me." He let out a chuckle.
Margit chuckled along as she walked out, closing the door to Rhys' bedroom behind her.
That night Rhys finished his work for class, and an additional onslaught of notes to get ahead in every class. He did not sleep that night, just so he could be on top of everything for a solid month in advance. He read the textbook chapters and searched for information that would prove to be helpful later down the road just so that he could make sure to do well in school. So that he and Dawn could join the defense force. So that Dawn could have a chance at being happy again.
One month later, The Firework Show
The Solart Firework Show was an event held in the city once a year, where the people of the city gathered on a hill to watch fireworks set off by the Chief and his family. This year was the same as all the other years. People get to the hill, the fireworks go on for 10 minutes, everyone shares food and drink over conversation, and a few hours later everyone goes home. It truly was a fun event to attend, especially for Margit. Margit loved fireworks, but even more so, what they reminded her of.
Dawn: "The fireworks were really good this year, or maybe I just liked it more because Dusan messed it up at the start." He let out a light chuckle, Rhys joining in.
Margit: "That was great, and I think the budget was a little bigger this year. I noticed that some of the fireworks were a lot bigger than usual." Her face reflected the state of awe she was in after watching the fireworks explode, painting color across the night sky.
Rhys: "If the damn Chief wasn't so stingy all of the fireworks would be that way, instead Solart's money goes to making the Upper First more fancy than it already is." He scoffed, the thought of rich people misusing money made him sick.
Dawn: "Well whatever the case may be, the fireworks were great. I think we can all agree on that." He nudged Rhys' arm.
Rhys: "Yes, they were great!" He snapped to his senses after remembering how much his sister loved the fireworks show.
Margit did not catch Rhys' bickering as she was too focused on replaying the show in her head while she stared at the night sky. Her beautiful navy blue hair being carried by the slight breeze caught Dawn's eye. He knew that she loved fireworks, but he never knew why.
In Margit's mind, every single firework resembled the way her heart felt about Dawn. From the moment 4 years ago, when he told her that they reminded him of her, she always thought about him whenever a firework erupted in the sky. This single night, every year since the first time her family went with him, was her escape from her everyday life. An escape from her classmates telling her that she was too skinny, or reminding her that her family was not as wealthy as theirs. Not that money mattered as much as the comments about herself. She was very much like Dawn in the sense that she never shared how she was feeling with others. She understood him. She also knew how much pain he was going through, which made it easy to relate to him. It was hard for her to be around people other than her family because she was always so afraid that they might be looking at her and judging her, but when she was around Dawn she never felt that way. He never looked at her the way everyone else did. She knew that she was in love with him, but never found the courage or confidence in herself to say anything even though it tore her apart. She thought that she was not even close to being good enough to even have the right to love someone like Dawn. Someone who was beyond perfect in her eyes, but for her, the fact that he thought about her when he looked at fireworks, or even at all, was enough for her to keep going.
Monday afternoon, after the events at the supply port
Dawn and Warin had taken Margit back to the attic that Dusan had shown them so that she could rest. While she rested, they went to buy as much food and water as they could with the money they had brought, which was not much at all. After scouring the markets in Camcourt, the two decided to return back to the attic so they could split the food and water up to replenish their strength to make the walk back home. Once the two made it to the ladder that led to the attic, they noticed a piece of paper on the ground next to the ladder. Dawn picked up the piece of paper, noticing that it was from one of the crates in the attic. The piece of paper was folded with writing clearly on the inside of the crease. Dawn unfolded the piece of paper to read what it said:
Dear Dawn and Warin,
I hope that you both know none of what happened today was either of your fault. My brother knew what he was getting into when he came, and he died while fighting for what he believed was the right thing. Warin, do not resent Dawn for the deaths of Elias and Rhys. Dusan's death was also not his fault, so please do not hold it against him. Dawn, do not beat yourself up over what happened. None of it was because of you, and you did everything you could, so thank you. I hope that this letter gets to you before you find me, and if it does, know that I cherish you both. Especially you, Dawn. I never had the courage to tell this to you, but just know that I loved you. I am glad that when you see fireworks you think of me, and I hope that you always think of me when you see one. - Margit Sharpe
After reading the letter, Dawn dropped everything in his hands, including the letter, and quickly climbed the ladder. Once he reached the top, he saw Margit, and what seemed to be one of Soe's daggers straight through her heart, the heart that loved Dawn more than anything in the universe.
Solart Academy, Classroom 3-B
As Professor Masao watched over the students of class 3-B, making sure that none of them were cheating on the exam, he noticed that the two students that needed a passing grade the most were not there. Dawn and Rhys' seats were empty. As Masao stared at their seats, he could not help but to wonder why they had skipped, and what they were up to.