It had been a whole day since Tristan and Loraura had worked at Mr. Barnes' store. Since then, both of them had stayed at the temple, continuing to clean and make it more and more like home.
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Loraura stood outside, sweeping the front porch of the temple. Her eyes rested on the brown leaves littering the ground, but her mind was elsewhere.
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She thought back to last night, to her talk with Janice. She remembered her warning and her saddened eyes.
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"What did she mean?" Loraura asked herself as she stopped sweeping. "Tristan, who exactly are you?"
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***
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Tristan, standing in his room, was busy organizing a stack of papers that rested on the wooden desk against the wall. He wore a worried look as he carefully read each one, making sure everything was perfect.
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"Okay, it looks all good."
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Tristan smiled as he put the papers in a small black binder and, without wasting time, placed them in his black backpack that rested on his bed. He let out a small sigh.
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"After missing two days of class, I really hope I can still keep up."
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Tristan slung the bag over his shoulder and began to walk out of the room, closing the door behind him. Deep down, he wished that the day would pass smoothly.
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***
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Loraura looked up from her task as she noticed movement out of the corner of her eye.
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"Tristan?" she said, surprised.
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"Morning, Loraura." Tristan smiled as he stepped into the backyard.
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Loraura smiled back. "Morning... Um, are you going somewhere?" she asked, noticing the bag on his back.
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"School," Tristan said with a weary smile. "The greatest enemy of my life."
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Loraura dropped the broom and ran towards Tristan, stopping a few inches away from him.
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"Tristan, is your life in danger?" she yelled in panic. "If so, then please let me protect you!"
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"Um, no, no, you misunderstand," Tristan said. "I'm just saying that I really hate school. My life isn't in danger."
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"Oh..." Loraura said, calming down. "Um..."
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"What's wrong?" Tristan asked, seeing Loraura's concerned face. "You want to come with me, don't you?"
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Loraura nodded, "Yes."
***
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Tristan and Loraura walked side by side down the street, a sense of unease settling in his stomach. He couldn't shake the worry about how he would explain Loraura's presence to his teachers. She wasn't a student, and the last thing he wanted was to get into trouble for bringing someone who wasn't supposed to be there.
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"So, where exactly is this school?" Loraura asked, her eyes wide with curiosity as she ventured out into the world again. She looked around at the bustling streets filled with people heading in different directions, her eyes filled with wonder.
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"Just a few blocks away," Tristan replied, trying to sound more confident than he felt. "It's not too far, but..."
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Before he could finish his thought, he suddenly felt a weight crash into him from behind, knocking him forward slightly as an arm wrapped around his neck.
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"Dylan!" Tristan yelled, recognizing his friend instantly as he looked up. Dylan had orange hair and was wearing a sleeveless red shirt paired with black shorts that showed off his toned arms.
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"Tristan, my sworn rival, where the hell have you been!?" Dylan yelled, smiling down at Tristan.
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Tristan broke free from Dylan's chokehold. "Just... uh, dealing with some stuff," he said nonchalantly. "Nothing for you to worry about."
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Dylan shrugged and began to smile. "Okay, Tristan, what's going to be today's challenge, huh?" Dylan asked with excitement. "Maybe a foot race, a handstand competition."
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"Will you give it a rest!"
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Dylan's head was forced downward as a hand slammed against the back of his head.
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"Whitney, good morning," Tristan said, looking at a man with glasses, wearing a white button-down shirt and black pants.
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"Tristan, good to see ya," Whitney said with a small smile. "And... who is this beauty?" Whitney said, walking toward Loraura and grabbing both of her hands with his own.
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"How do you do?" Loraura said as she looked down at Whitney.
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Whitney straightened his glasses as he fell on one knee. "Oh, I'm doing just fine, better than fine after I've met you."
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"Oh boy," Tristan said, shaking his head. His friend was doing it again.
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"Will you please bless me with your name?" Whitney asked, his eyes shining.
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"Her name is Loraura," Tristan said, grabbing hold of Whitney's right arm. "And she doesn't want what you have to offer."
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"Oh..." Whitney said, sweating profusely as he looked at his right arm that was shaking from Tristan's grip. "Um, sorry."
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Loraura chuckled softly, amused by the interaction.
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"What a close friendship," Loraura said, observing the banter between the boys.
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Tristan let go of Whitney's arm. "Loraura, these are my friends Dylan Moore and Whitney Anderson. You can forget their names if you want."
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Loraura bowed her head. "It's nice to meet you both," she said.
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"Loraura, what a lovely name," Whitney said with excitement.
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"Nice to meet ya," Dylan said with a small wave. "Now Tristan, let's do this!"
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Tristan rolled his eyes. "Come on, Dylan, do we have to compete with one another every time we meet?"
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"Of course!" Dylan said with a confident smile. "After all, we're men, and men should show off their strength whenever they have a chance."
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"Uh huh, okay, what do you want to do this time?" Tristan asked.
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Dylan put his hand on his chin as he thought. "Well, we're going to the university anyway, so how about a race?"
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"A race, huh? Sounds good," Tristan said with a smile.
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Loraura watched as both men began to stand right next to one another.
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"What's happening?" she asked.
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"Oh, don't mind them," Whitney said with a laugh. "They're just having their 95th competition."
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"95th?" Loraura asked in surprise.
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"Yeah, since they first met, those two couldn't help but always compete with one another. And when I say those two, I mean Dylan wanting to challenge Tristan," Whitney explained. "You know the funny thing is, even though they have competed so many times, Dylan has never beaten Tristan. I don't know why he doesn't just give up."
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Loraura giggled. "There's something admirable about persistence."
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"Ready?" Dylan called out, crouching slightly in anticipation.
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"Ready," Tristan replied, mirroring his stance.
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Whitney stepped back, raising his hand. "On your marks, get set... go!"
***
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Author notes: Please support my work on Patreon for early access to new chapters. https://patreon.com/DarkMatteromniverse
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and then Add to home screen.