The plan was not going as well as Melissa and I had hoped. Sheena was steadfastly refusing to go on a vacation without her boyfriend.

"Are you listening for the News?" Zane asked me when I started to climb up a tree in my backyard.

"Yeah, do you want to know something?" I asked.

"No, not really. I was just wondering. It must be nice to know all the notes." Zane replied.

Our way of getting news across all of Burgayia was unlike anything ever heard of. Each night, we would sit in a tree, and at exactly the moment the sun went down, music swelled up from all over. You had to listen to each different piece to get anything out of it.

Different notes meant different things. Like playing in the high notes means greatest happiness, and low notes meant deepest sorrow. But to learn the notes you had to go to school.

"Zane. . . If you want, I could teach you a few notes," I said quietly. Zane turned towards me from his path on the way home.

"You would? But it's against our laws. . ." Zane trailed off.

"Zane, trust me, if we play our cards right, no one will find out," I continued as he climbed up into the tree with me.

"Thank you, Arina. You will never know how much this means to me." Just then, the music started to sound among the treetops. ZAne stayed quiet as I listened to each separate portion.

In two hours, I learned that I needed to speak with Queen Mother Shaetora, who was my grandmother. I also learned that the Lesu were recruiting. Something about great evil. I'm not completely sure of the notes, as they were lower than I'd ever heard before.

"The Lesu's recruiting, are you going to join?" I asked Zane.

"Arina, they will never accept me. I am male, they are females. Besides, I would probably be the only guy there." Zane refused. I agreed, but it was worth a try.

"Zane, after school tomorrow, I'm going down to the fish pond behind my house. Would you like to join me?" I asked nicely, winking at him. He got the message.

"Yes, of course. I'll be there waiting." Zane and I climbed down from the ongoing music in the treetops, and went our different ways. I knew that the music would last all night. I was just too tired to listen.