The Unexamined Life

 

It was a perfect day. Then again, every day was perfect for Lena, who herself was a model of perfection (ask anyone). The sun was shining on North University, and it was a beautiful day. Lena was wearing a pretty white dress with blue piping around the collar and a skirt that flared marvelously when she twirled. Even the dorky class outcast that shared her room couldn’t bring Lena’s spirits down.

 

And then it happened.

 

What was once a perfect day, a day that simply couldn’t get any better, suddenly, dramatically, without warning…

 

Did.

 

Lena heard the rumor first from Nessa and Siri, her two best “friends.” The whole university was buzzing. So, naturally, Lena led the entire student body outside to see if the gossip was true, if a handsome prince really had come to North.

 

And there he was. Tall, with light brown hair and the most amazing pair of blue eyes Lena had ever seen. Lena’s heart jumped, and her pulse danced.

 

He was perfect. She was perfect. They’d be perfect together.

 

So, of course, Lena immediately went to introduce herself.

 

“Lena Thermoline, of the Panderish Thermonlines.” She gifted the young man with one of her sweetest smiles and batted her lashes at him.

 

He swept her a theatrical bow, and kissed her hand. “Miss Lena.”

 

“You may call me Lena,” she told him, her heart in her mouth.

 

“Rhys, Prince of the Methrons,” he returned. “But you can call me Rhys.” He winked.

 

Lena could hear the others girls giggling and sighing his name.

 

A bell chimed somewhere inside, startling the crowd that had gathered to greet the Prince.

 

“We have to go to class, now,” one of the Jillenik boys announced, sounding almost relieved that something had come along to take the attention off the dashing newcomer.

 

But Rhys laughed. “Class? Why bother? You know what the trouble with school is?”

 

The Jilleni (Lena thought his name was Fred, or maybe Ned) looked slightly affronted, but everyone else, Lena included, was hanging on the Methron’s every word.

 

“They try to teach us morality and discipline,” here he snickered, “I’ve been kicked out of enough to know they’re all they same!”

 

Lena and the others laughed.

 

Rhys continued. “Well, I say, that’s just a lot of stress we don’t need. Stop studying all the time, and learn to live the unexamined life!”

 

Every word Rhys spoke fell like honey from his lips, and the students drank them up. When he asked for the place in town that all the students went to for fun, it was Lena who eagerly piped up.

 

“Why, that would be Sunset Hall!” she exclaimed, mentally crossing her fingers.

 

“Sounds perfect!” he replied, and went on to regal the students with the many pros of taking life easy, or, as he said, ‘dancing through life.’

 

Ned, or Ted, who seemed to have taken up a permanent position at Lena’s elbow, hinted in a not-so-subtle way that he would wait all night to dance with her at Sunset Hall.

 

“Oh, Ted – ” she started.

 

“It’s Todd,” he corrected.

 

“Of course,” she waved a hand at him. “Oh, do you see that girl?” she gestured towards the class outcast’s geeky sister. “It would be so tragic if she couldn’t come with us. It would make me so happy if someone would invite her.”

 

“I could do it!” the Jilleni volunteered eagerly.

 

“Oh, Fred, really? Would you do that for me?” Lena smiled brilliantly at him, then turned back to Rhys before the small boy could respond.

 

“So, I’ll pick you up around seven?” the prince asked.

 

“Of course!” Lena beamed, and tossed her golden hair.

 

It looked like this ‘unexamined life’ was the way to go.

End