Chapter 3: Magistra

Blur Tree Research Laboratories, location unknown, United States;

—Why are you telling me this at the last minute?, IA is indispensable for this project!.—

—There was an accident, that's the reason.—

—What's wrong with you?, you didn't even mention an accident!, you said IA was here, that's why I agreed!.—

—It only happened two weeks ago, we thought she would change her mind before you came, but she refuses to talk to any member of the corporation.—

—Hasn't she arrived at the airport yet?.—

—She's already waiting there, but her flight leaves in less than two hours.—

—I'll go talk to her, not as part of the corporation, just as a scientist.—

—Let them know that I will need a vehicle.—

"The most powerful country in the world", and they can't convince a single person after an accident. That "accident" is proof that she was the only one on the face of the earth capable of making matter teleportation work.

That idiot sitting at his desk doesn't understand what we feel when we're researching.

Quickly and somewhat angrily, I leave the office. These facilities are subway and almost in the middle of nowhere, but as long as IA returns they will take me with her.

International Airport;

They prepared a helicopter and a vehicle that picked me up on the outskirts to arrive on time, they must be desperate.

—Stop the car.— I say while we are moving.

—I can't, miss, the parking area is further ahead.—

—We don't have time.—

Even though the car keeps moving, I open the door and run out, it wasn't going fast enough to be a problem.

—Miss!.— The driver exclaims as I run to the entrance of the commercial airport, leaving the car door open.

I take out the notebook they gave me with her report, it also contains her physical description.

—"White hair, long to the heels, white skin, blue eyes..".. There aren't usually girls with such long hair, maybe I can find her in time.

Like in any morning airport, there are several people, but no ladies with hair like that.

—She's at gate 5.—

Just like the office guy and the driver, a man in a black suit looks at me and says the number where IA should be. They were following her, it's easy to recognize them because they all dress the same.

I run to the boarding gate, and I can see a girl with very long white hair, carrying only one suitcase and a long light blue dress.

—IA?— I ask as I approach.

Yes, it's her, she turns when I say her name.

—My name is Judy, I'm a physicist, engineer, and computer science specialist.—

—I started working at the Blur Tree research facilities. To be honest, I only accepted when I knew you were there.—

—It would be a shame if someone with your talent left this project, you were successful, IA!. It would be a pleasure to work with you!, and they'll even increase the budget for our section.—

—They also don't mind that a small accident happened, they want you, what you can do!.— I conclude.

—….They're all dead...that was...the small accident.—

—...Dead?.—

Her gaze looks soulless, her eyes tired as if she hadn't slept in days...

—Let me see your ticket, please.— Says the airport employee.

—Excellent, have a safe trip.— She adds when IA hands it over.

—IA, wait!.— I try to follow her but the lady stops me.

—Miss, you can't pass, you're not allowed to..—

7 years later, Japan;

—Mmmmh.. it's already morning.— I say lazily as I feel the light coming through the window into my closed eyes..

It's true that the light helps me know it's daytime, but it's too strong, I always forget to buy darker curtains to cover the window completely. And when I say "always forget" I mean that those curtains came with the house when I bought it... and I still haven't changed them...

Despite coming back from my vacation yesterday and not having slept very well because of the trip, I get up before the alarm sounds, it's a habit.

It was fun, the countryside has so few houses, so far apart from each other that it feels like a huge place, with fewer people than even this small town where I live.

Today will be a big day, not just any day, well, it's not like man is going to step on the moon either, but today starts a new year at the school I teach. I will have a new group, something unusual and interesting.

I must get ready because time always flies before heading to work, and ironically very slowly when you're there, typical. Although it depends on whether you like what you do or not..

First of all, I'll organize my papers to take a shower later, it'll help me wake up completely, and I like the feeling of freshness after a bath.

I stand up, looking for my briefcase and examining my notes..

The only problem with taking a shower is my hair, being so long, it takes me a long time, wetting it and lathering it with shampoo is a feat...

But, I don't deny that I like using the same brand as always, changing the category according to the season. I love walking and when I return to the same place, I can still smell a fragrance.

Flowers in spring, fruit in summer, honey in autumn, and vanilla in winter. And no, I'm not a cake... For sure a certain person I know would say something like:

—IA, you're a cake!— Hahah..

I think guys have it easy in that aspect, it takes me a lot of time to wash my hair, and I have to treat it very carefully and delicately.

I make some notes on my reports that will help me later..

And besides, I shouldn't linger even though the water is relaxing... there's a schedule to keep...

—Time to stop time!.—

Ha... as if I could...

And if I don't concentrate, I can be there for an eternity... but if I'm a girl... wouldn't that be the perfect excuse?...

—"I was late to work because I was showering".—

Then, they'll probably fire me...hahah..

It's always the same, a morning shower is nice, but when I'm showering, I think, "how lazy" and being a tall girl it takes me a long time.

Not to mention my shower looks prehistoric. When I moved in, it was pitiful the tiny amount of water it threw out...

After all, it's a somewhat old house, I bought it before they were going to demolish it to build a more modern one.

Everything's ready... my reports, my notes... my clothes, time for a shower..

***

After drying my hair, I have my teacher's uniform ready, a black pencil skirt, and a white shirt. I have almost 20 sets, and they're all the same, I call that "routine" hahah...

—7am.—

I look at my analog watch on my wrist, I'm doing fine on time.

I walk to the kitchen and leave my briefcase on the table...

I always eat the same thing in the morning: coffee, orange juice, some meat, a salad, and boiled eggs.

It's not that I'm a fan of eggs, but it's customary to prepare them, like the curtain in my room, a habit...

Since it's a simple breakfast, I can prepare it quickly.

With everything ready, I sit down, leaving the food on the table.

—....—

—This damn table that moves all over the place!!..—

When I put my breakfast on the surface, the table wobbles from one place to another..

—It's like one leg is off...—

But I never bothered to hire someone to fix it... It was a gift from a certain person... and that's why I haven't gotten rid of it…

—Lord, thank you for the food.—

And so I start eating with the occasional wobble..

Anyway, this year something unusual is going to happen at the school where I teach. I always start with a group of high school students, and we're together for the next years until they graduate. I'm the class coordinator and a physics teacher.

I earned a Ph.D. in theoretical physics from MIT and worked at a research center... but life had its own plans for me, and I ended up doing what it wanted.

I came to Japan and to this small town because of a job offer to teach at a prep school. It was a drastic change, but it's what I wanted. I'm glad I did it, I've met many different kinds of people I had never seen before.

—7:40am, it's almost time to leave.—

So, this time, I'll have a complete group for one year, one of my colleagues had to move for a while, so their class will join my schedule.

We'll only be together this once. It's strange, they're just about to graduate, and we'll meet today... I'm a little nervous.

***

—Everything's clean, teeth brushed, dishes washed, and... 8am, time to go.—

I lock the door behind me and breathe in the pure summer air.

It's not too hot, and everything is so peaceful... A small town is very different from the big city.

I open my car door and leave my briefcase on the passenger seat.

Fortunately, the school is about a 10-minute drive away. I could walk or bike, but once the sun greets me, I'll arrive at school like a melted ice cream, and my bath will have been in vain. That's why today I choose my vehicle.

Before getting into the car, I see my neighbor coming out of her house.

—Kaoru, good morning. Are you taking your daughters to school?. Good morning, Kanna, Kaede.—

Kaoru has twin daughters, they're very sweet, and they often come to my house to play and extort me... yes, extort me...

—Good morning, IA. Did you come back last night?. Classes started a day earlier for elementary kids, so I forgot, and today is a very rushed morning.—

Kaoru opens the car doors, arranging their backpacks and helping her daughters get in.

—Hahah, yes, it was a long trip, although I took the train to save time.—

Obviously, they are exactly the same and are the same age… But for some reason, Kanna is much taller, much taller. She was born a few seconds after Kaede… but currently, even though they are only 8 years old, Kanna has a completely adult body… She is even taller than me… she must be about 190cm, but her personality is that of a shy and quiet girl... something very strange indeed. Kaede, on the other hand, despite being the older sister by a few seconds, has an appearance appropriate to her age... a small elementary school girl...

—Good luck with today, but don't drive too fast... Goodbye, princesses.— I add, waving goodbye to the twins.

—Take care, IA, we'll talk later, may the Lord be with you..—

Kanna and Kaede wave goodbye from the back window of the car, they look a bit sleepy..

—Hold on tight!!!.—

—.....— And I just told her..

Kaoru pulls out of the driveway and floors it... what acceleration... I watch as she disappears from my sight in just a few seconds...

I get into my car and leave the parking lot slowly.

When I moved into this house a few years ago, Kaoru gave me a warm welcome, she even baked a cake. I liked it so much that I offered her money to make one for all special occasions, like my birthday, Christmas, New Year's, and so on...

But if we talk about calories... that's why I only eat them on "special occasions".

I start driving down the street, it's narrow, with several houses and lots of trees, nothing out of the ordinary.

There's never any traffic because of the town's size, even now, during peak hours for almost everyone, and we have people like Kaoru who step on the gas pedal to arrive on time…

A few minutes away is the park, some playground equipment, streetlights, benches, and a staircase on the south side.

It's a midpoint between my house and the school. Right now, there's no one else here except.. "Honk if you like ice cream.", What's that about?, there's a sign with that message... I honk the horn anyway...

I like ice cream, us girls are made of sugar, so it's normal for us to eat sweet things, haha... or else we'll die... or something like that... haha...

The town only has two main streets, it's not hard to find a place, and it's unlikely that someone would get lost even if it's their first time here.

...And this is the street that leads to the school... Being on a hill, there's a slope with some houses on the sides... I call it "the street of cats". I think it's too early for them, they haven't come out yet. I'd better accelerate before my luck runs out.

***

—8:14am, good timing.—

I see all my colleagues' cars as I pull into the school. There's no wall or gate indicating where the school property begins or ends, but the public road is paved up to a certain point, and one can assume that's where the school property starts.

I park my car in the last empty spot on the left side of the building. Most of my colleagues must already be at school. It's not that I like arriving at the last minute, but I also won't come at 8 am and stare at the ceiling for half an hour...

—Finally, I've arrived... I'm still a bit nervous.—

The parking lot is very small, not many teachers, just a metal frame with a tin roof to protect the cars from hail and sun.

Checking the glove compartment of my car to corroborate that I'm not forgetting anything I see a cassette tape with some songs that I have recorded....but never published.

I grab my briefcase, see my reflection in the mirror adjusting my hair, and step out of the car.

The school is surrounded by a forest, only one floor, a cafeteria, a library, and a hall that can be used for conferences or sports.

I walk on the dirt ground to the entrance, I can read the super original name the principal gave to the institution: "Did you pay the gas bill?, ssssss."...no comments..

Opening the door, there are some wooden boards, lockers, and potted plants.

—Good morning, IA!, how were your holidays?.— She asks, extending her hand cheerfully as always. With her smile, I can see the gray braces on her teeth.

—Good morning, Henrietta, it's been almost a week since we last saw each other!.— We hug and kiss each other's cheeks.

—It was a peaceful vacation. The countryside is a very calm place. I stayed at an inn until yesterday.—

We talk as we walk slowly down the hallway.

Henrietta... she's wearing a white shirt with a blue skirt, yes, like a student and not a teacher. She ordered the clothes online by writing "school uniform", and this is what she got, she didn't want to change it and kept it... To cover it up, she added a black jacket... as if it made much of a difference... The weird thing is that she's been buying the same outfit for years... She also wears a necklace exactly like mine.

—More peaceful, you say?, this town is almost ghostly... the countryside was utterly boring!.—

—What do you mean by "was"?.— I stop, looking into her brown eyes.

—Eh.— Henrietta looks frozen.

—Don't tell me... did she tell you to follow me?.— I ask.

—Supposedly, she would be busy with her brothers, and you would accompany her, or so I was told.— I add.

—Details, details, the important thing is that we're back.— She says..

—"We're", I think it's obvious that you followed me.—

—Don't change the topic, IA..— Henrietta closes her eyes with a serious expression as we continue walking.

—I didn't change the topic..—

Henrietta is one of the first people I met when I moved to this country. Back then, she wasn't a teacher and joined the school the same day as me. She's a great friend, very precious to me.

We stop to look out the window into the backyard where the trash burner is, there's just forest and more forest.

The hallway indicates that classes are starting, the reason is simple, there's no color, which means there are no students. If they were here, there would be notes, posters, events, and the like. It's "The void before the start" as I call it, very original...

—I took the train because it's faster, I didn't want to waste too much time on the journey and just focus on the place to visit. Maybe next time, I'll drive.— I say, observing the surroundings.

Henrietta slides a window and leans against the frame, a slight breeze moves her short brown hair resting on her shoulders.

I look at the mole under her right eye, her pale skin, she's very attractive. It's strange that she hasn't married... the same goes for me...

She has a requirement to meet: "I'll only marry someone who's more skilled, intelligent, strong than me and with a great heart."... I find it hard to believe that someone like that exists...