Day 3

My Alarm woke me at the correct time, and I went about my daily morning tasks. Then headed downstairs for my chore assignment, followed by a hearty breakfast in the dining area.

Just as I was heading back to my room, I overheard Mrs. Donovan talking to someone. It could be the new student who was supposed to arrive today. I thought to myself. I slowed my pace and managed to meet them just as they reached the second floor. 

"Hello, Mr. Phoenix. This is your new schoolmate, Mr John Cromb. Mr. Cromb, this is Asher Phoenix." She introduce.

I looked up at John and said politely, "It's nice to meet you," extending my hand for a shake. He was about five inches taller than I and appeared to be a couple of years older, with black hair and a slender figure.

He clasped my hand in his and shook it gently, saying, "It's nice to meet you, too."

"I was just going to show Mr. Cromb the way to his room. Would you like to come along?" Mrs. Donovan asked.

"Sure," I said. "I was just heading that way myself. As long as Mr. Cromb doesn't mind."

"Not at all," he said. "It's always nice to meet new people."

"This way, then, Mr Cromb, Mr. Phoenix." Mrs. Donovan gestured to the way leading up.

As we started up the stairs, Mrs. Donovan continued to give John the exact instructions she had given me when I arrived. To my surprise, she led the way toward my room. " Mr. Phoenix is in the room right next to yours, Mr. Cromb."

John looked at me with a smile. There was a bit of cunning in his eyes, but I didn't know if this was going to be good or bad for me. As Mrs. Donovan showed John how to enter his room, I moved on to my room and entered. I wanted to practice my writing some more before I started working on my languages again. After about an hour, there was a knock on my door.

I went to open it, and standing there was John. "Mrs. Donovan said if I had any questions, I should ask you." I looked at him for a moment, then asked him to come in. "Would you like something to drink?" "I have juice or water." I offered.

"Nothing for me, thanks." As he took a seat on my couch. "May I ask, how old are you?"

"I'm six, but I will be seven in about three months," I responded.

"I just turned eight." Confirming my assessment of his age. 

We continued chatting for a while, then he asked me, "Would you like to come with me to the supply room to get my starter kit?"

"Sure, I have time, and I want to get a couple more things myself while I'm there." We then got up to leave. Heading downstairs to the supply room. We continued discussing our family lives and how our parents had chosen this school due to our academic achievements.

John's family was second-generation wealth. His father was the CEO of a major corporation, and his mother was a socialite who managed several charitable organizations. They didn't always have time for him either. However, since his test scores had been unusually high, they applied and got him enrolled here to learn many of the life lessons that they had not been able to teach him themselves. His grandparents had done something similar to his parents when they were younger.

Reaching the Supply room, we headed inside.

"Hello, Mr. Sam," I chirped. 

"Hello, Mr. Phoenix. Who is this with you?"

"This is John Cromb. He just arrived today."

"Ah, then you will be needing your starter kit, then."

"Mr. Sam is nice, he'll let you know what you need to know. I'll be over there, pointing at the back corner of the store where the game section is located."

"Okay"

While John talked with Mr. Sam, I walked over to the game section. I had noticed it on my first day, but I was more interested in the other items within the store at that time and completely passed it by. Now I took a better look at what this school had to offer in terms of games.

It featured a nice section of classic games, including chess, checkers, cards, cribbage, and Risk. There were also some newer board games and puzzles that looked interesting. I picked up a nice chess set, some cards, and a cribbage board, thinking that now that I had a friend to play with, it would make some free time fun. I also noticed a list of online games and puzzles that were approved by the school that I could download onto my tablet. The school provided a laptop, but it was heavily monitored, and I wanted to use it only for school classes. My tablet was a gift from my parents for my last birthday. 

I mostly used it to practice speaking with others from different nationalities and to research topics I was interested in learning about. The invention of the internet made me so happy, as I could research most of my past lives through it. Giving me an excuse to use when I said something was this way, and everyone believed it was that way until I proved them wrong. 

I could create informational tutorials on the older methods as a novelty. But that would have to wait until I was old enough to get an account that wasn't monitored constantly. Also, who would believe a six-year-old knows how to do things from a long time ago?

After I picked the games I wanted, I moved to the study book section. Here, I had noticed some old books on shorthand. I remembered that this was what court reporters used to document all court proceedings and statements before the invention of the recorder. I was close enough to calligraphy that it would make my journal entries unrecognizable and unreadable to anyone but me. Giving me another layer of protection. It would be reasonable for me to learn, since both my parents were lawyers, and I could use the excuse that I wanted to know and understand their profession a little better.

You may wonder why I have to hide behind layers and layers of deception. It was that life in Nazi Germany. It taught me a lot, including the time frame of the Spanish Inquisition. Two of my worst nightmares came to life. I never want to go through that again if I can help it. But one thing they did teach me is about the heart of humans. They prefer the illusion of a perfect life but always look for the hidden one. Because when life is too perfect, there has to be something wrong with it. 

Those who envy others will always dig deeper to see if there is something that they can exploit to bring you down to their level so that they don't feel so bad about their own lives of misery.

Careful is key. I have been building this way for a considerable amount of time. Knowing that if anyone found out about my ability, I would be taken for study and lose my freedom completely.

When building a house, you must start with a firm foundation. Otherwise, it's nothing but a house of cards and will eventually come crashing down.

I shook off the sad thoughts. I must think happy thoughts now. I'm only six now. I must act like one. 

Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst.

As I put the shorthand workbooks into my cart, John approached me.

"All done?" I asked.

"Almost, I just want to pick up some snacks for my room, then I'll be ready to go."

"Ok, while you do that, I want to order something online real quick, then I'll be done as well."

While John headed toward the snacks, I moved over to the computer ordering panel next to Mr. Sam.

I looked up games and put in Chinese Go. There were several lovely modern sets, but I opted for the older version because it was the most familiar to me.

I also ordered a revolving table so that I could play it by myself, if I couldn't get anyone to play it with me. 

Turning to Mr. Sam, I stated that I would like to have these items delivered to my room and to arrange for the delivery of my package when it arrives.

"Will do, Mr. Phoenix." Mr. Sam said with a smile.

John showed up behind me and said, "All done?"

"Yes."

"Okay, let me get my stuff and then we can go."

After we finished, John turned to me. "What do you want to do now?"

"That depends. What will your school schedule be like, and what do you want to learn in addition to those classes?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for example, I chose a morning chore at 5:30 am to 6 am picking herbs for the chef, and at night, after dinner, I am learning Aikido with Mr. Jackson. I also intend to set a time to run every day and learn how to swim."

"Hmmm, I wouldn't mind learning Aikido as well."

"Okay, let's go to the gym first and talk with Mr. Jackson."

With that, I moved down the hall to the Gym room.