The Meaning Of Eternity (TMOE #1)

Chapter 1: No place like home, fortunately

Lucius stared at the newsletter with disbelief.

"Another century has begun," he mumbled under his breath as he read the headline, moving on to read the rest of the letter yet another time.

And with it comes the dawn of true enlightenment with attempts to close the gap between rich and poor. Education isn't only for the wealthiest anymore, and the more people learn, the more they ask. It is a wildfire of insight even the most conservative of people have to acknowledge, and people are finally daring to speak up. They've dared to begin questioning what they'd previously believed to be facts.

Truly, humanity has reached a new peak of intellect.

"At least that's what it says..." Lucius turned his gaze away from the newsletter and sat up on his bed to look out his bedroom window.

It was one of those usual, not so special afternoons. Everything was in its rightful place. Beggars littered the shadows of the alleyways, the wealthy were out in the open and shamelessly indulging in things they could definitely do without and children Lucius' age were chasing a dog through the busy street.

And Lucius was stuck inside, like always.

He held up the newsletter in front of him, comparing the clothes it was advertising in another column with the ones people down there were wearing. As it turned out, not many had been able to buy the new fashion just yet.

His eyes fell onto his mother who eagerly walked around a market stand with new fabrics imported from Farcille. Of course she'd be down there, he thought. Oh the fancy Farcillian fashion. A small isle like Wypera could never hope to come close to the elegance of its overseas rival. Still, Wyrmdon was the place to be for the smallest glimpse of it, and anyone who was anyone had to be there.

The windowsill creaked as he leaned against it and rested his chin on the palm of his hand. He wouldn't deny the dresses in the advertisement were pretty, but he also couldn't help but think all this money could be spent somewhere else. A little more spent on fresh food, and by extension a less pickled diet for poor Lucius, would be one of those things.

Sighing, he turned away from the scene. What use was there in questioning his mother's spending anyway? They were wealthy enough not to worry about it. His father being of the esteemed Cromwells, priding themselves on their exquisite and endlessly popular violins, seemed to rake in quite the amount of money.

"Still won't bother with servants though," Lucius muttered under his breath as he lay down on his bed again. It's not like they couldn't afford them and it'd show people even more how well-off his family really was, so what was up with that? He sure wouldn't mind fewer chores and thinking back he was rather certain they'd had servants before when he was really small, so why not now?

Rolling over to reach for the books on his nightstand he frowned. He wanted to open them, read their contents, but that was the homework his parents didn't appreciate. Instead he reluctantly placed the volumes on his abdomen and took a deep breath. The books did their not-so-intended purpose and weighed him down as he breathed in. It was a cruel thing, he thought. Being forced to use the books he loved to read as tools to improve a talent he didn't even care for.

His lip curled. He never even asked for singing lessons. He thought it'd be fun once or twice to attempt singing in a choir, but it wasn't for him. His parents, on the other hand, had thought otherwise.

Still, his constant nagging about the new public school had finally convinced them to let him go, as long as he promised to put his singing first. He'd agreed of course, hoping they'd forget and eventually let the singing lessons fade away until they didn't exist in his life anymore.