I Never Knew How Much I Missed A Peaceful Morning

“Okay… There we go.”

The most important I had to resolve were the issues that came from me having two consciousnesses merge together. At the moment, I could tell that my old world consciousness carried more weight—perhaps because it had more than double the memories and life experience of the new world’s. I could also tell that my new world’s memories hadn’t fully assimilated. Many parts were foggy, but I had a general overview of my life up until now. Many parts were similar, in fact.

To get things sorted out, I tried to write down as much as I could on a piece of paper.

“So… in the new world, I live on a special artificial island in the Pacific. Termon Island… And then… It’s got a long bridge that connects it to Japan and the Hawaiian Islands… And also a bridge that connects to Lysa… Because I placed Lysa in the Pacific.”

Okay, that part made sense. Unfortunately, I didn’t have information on the origins of the island. The best that I could make out from my foggy memories was that it was a neutral island where all the people of all the merged worlds came together. This was something I needed more info on. Understanding the origins of the island would only help.

“Next… the date is August 29, 2020. The gods got me just shy of four months away from the Winter Solstice… That was more than I expected… Thanks guys. This puts me in the first year of highschool, but I don’t know the date school starts. I don’t even have an inkling of it. Is it because of the mental fog, or is it because New World Me didn’t care? Speaking of that guy…”

I closed my eyes and took stock of myself.

“He wasn’t getting along with Mom and Dad… I feel resentment of having to come to this island. We’ve only lived here for a year or so… We got here because of Dad’s job and Mom’s pedigree… But… I remember the old world clearly and I remember that around this time in the old world…”

I trailed off as I started comparing the feelings I had across worlds. In the old world, right around the time I was entering highschool, I wasn’t getting along with my parents either. I can’t even remember why, but I knew I was moody at that time.

“So, even though the environment changed, I was still a moody teenager…” I reclined against my desk’s chair. “Yeah… I need to get a lay of the land.”

“Ven! Sweetie, food’s ready… You’re coming down, yeah?”

“Be right down, Mom!” I shouted back.

***

Breakfast was lovely but quiet. Now that I had reacquainted myself with my new world self’s feelings toward my parents, I could understand why my parents were so timid and cautious.

I’ll make up for what I put you guys through, I thought to myself.

“So, Mom, let’s talk seriously.”

Mom stiffened up, dropping her fork and looking right at me with wide eyes. “Y-Yes? What’s wrong?”

“First, the pancakes and eggs are amazing. Dad, do you agree?”

Dad looked at me, his jaw loose. He looked more surprised than a deer in headlights. Slowly, his lips turned upward and then a chuckle came out of his throat.

“Totally. I totally agree.” He smiled at Mom. “You outdid yourself, Stella! I can really taste the love this time!”

Mom went red and got bashful. “Oh stop,” she said. “I just made them like I usually did.”

“Secondly—”

“Yes?” Mom responded, stiff again.

“I need to know when school starts… Also, what school am I going to?” My parents looked at me, blank-faced. “There are a lot of schools on the island, right?”

“Ven, you’re interested?” Mom asked, looking like she was holding onto a sliver of hope for dear life.

“I, uhh, yeah—I am… Is there an info pack?”

Dad shot up from the table. “I’ll go get it right now! I put it back together and have it in my office!” Dad ran out of the room and I heard him bump into many pieces of furniture as he went down the hall.

I looked at Mom. “He put it back together?”

“Yeah…” She wore a nervous smile. “You ripped up some of the pages, remember?”

“Holy crap, what a brat.”

“Huh?”

“Oh.”

It had slipped out. But now that it was said, I had to play it off.

“Wow, Mom. Sorry that I was such a handful… Yeah, sorry, I just had a lot going on… You know, it’s even a blur. I feel like I’m waking up from a fever dream”

Mom’s confusion turned to joy and reassurance. “Oh, don’t worry! I read that stress can really mess with a young person’s head. It’s okay! I’m just happy you’re letting me know!”

Dad ran back into the room, panting. “I have the info package right here!” He put the red binder on the table and opened it up as he sat down.

I brought it closer and opened it up. “Mom, can you summarize what I’m about to read?”

Dad winced. “Summarize—”

“Of course I can!” she excitedly shouted. “We thought it would be nice to enroll you in Seven Stars High School. There are a few other specialized high schools on the island, but Seven Stars is the premiere school. Well-funded, well-managed, and incredibly accommodating to all races. They offer many programs that could let you attend the other high schools as well if you want to purse a very specialized subject or field.”

Dad waved at me. “And if you want to do that, Ven, let us know. We can apply for some scholarships or throw our weight around.”

“Thanks guys,” I said as I paged through the packet. “Who’s the principal—Oh, hold on.” My eyes landed on the page with the principal’s picture. “Drelda?”

“That’s the Headmistress, Drelda. Or the Principal. Either term works.”

I recognized her. She was the second-in-command of Paradisio after the goddess herself.

“Is… Is she really just a Principal?”

“Why do you ask that, Ven?”

I looked up to see both of my parents with weird looks on their faces.

“It’s just… She doesn’t look the type to just be a principal.”

Dad looked at Mom and nodded. Then he looked at me. “Well, she’s a principal, but the role of Principal at Seven Stars is actually extremely important and touches many areas. Since Seven Stars is the most important school for the Unification Endeavor, Drelda personally oversees it so that she can better guide the future of our unified world here. She’s also the former leader of Paradisio—though that fact isn’t known to a lot of people outside of Paradisio.”

“Former on paper,” Dad added. “I’m pretty certain she still leads it. Anyway, Drelda sits on may boards and she’s probably one of the top people on this island. If she’s not the one on top of it all, she’s within four places of the top.”

“Okay… Let’s be clear here,” I said. “How secret is what you just told me?”

“Very secret,” Dad replied. “Please don’t talk about it too much.”

“And why did you share it with me?”

“This is the most you’ve talked to me in months, Ven. Forgive me for being a little flustered here.”

Mom giggled. “He even told work he’d be in late this morning.”

I looked at Dad astounded, and he looked away while scratching the back of his head. I could have said something, but I didn’t know what to say. So instead, I smiled and carried on.

“Thanks for telling me… The school looks interesting. So, it’s a school that’s trying to bring together all the races in one environment?”

“Yes,” Mom replied. “We’ve all shared the world for 200 years now, but a lot of times, we were separated by our borders and oceans. Termon Island was the first step toward truly cooperating with each other, and Seven Stars High represents the next step. It’s a place where kids can come together and learn from each other. It’s hoped that the next generation will be more unified than the ones that came before—”

“And that way, progress can happen faster… Everyone working together and with less biases…” I followed.

“Yes! Exactly!” Mom laughed. “I love it here, Ven! This is the only place in the world where I can have a debate with an angel then go down the hall and have a chess match with a garuda while listening to a lamia talk about philosophy. This island is the home of progress!”

“And it’s been around for eight years? Termon Island too?”

Dad shook his head. “No. Termon Island has existed for 150 years. It was established in secret by humanity’s sages and other notable, pro-peace people from the other realms. After then, it became a place of refuge. Once things started calming down, it became a military research-and-development island—one geared toward advancing technologies to deal with some of the anti-unification threats that were popping up. It opened to the public twenty years ago with a new initiative based on unification of our cultures, and then Seven Stars High opened eight years ago and they’ve only been getting bigger and better run since then.”

“That’s a lot. Refugees, threats, military development… Is this stuff in history books?”

“Most of what I said is. Though I don’t know how much more is hidden below the surface.”

“Is there reason to believe there’s more?”

“Definitely. People always have secrets, Ven.”

“Astute,” I replied. “Thanks for the info… So, I’m going to this school, huh?” I looked at Mom. “Hey, I don’t know where this place is… Could you drive me to the school?”

Mom lit up again. “I would love to.” Then she cocked her head. “But why? It’s not open yet.”

“I want to meet the Principal myself. I want to talk to her about something. You know, make a good impression and make sure she knows my face.”

My parents looked at each other, a little confused, but then exchanged smiles.