Addison returned to school the following week, now fully recovered from her mild brush with meningitis. Along with her restored health, Addie felt she was a different person, one who somehow unexpectedly gained three years of maturity in one short week.
With her surge forward in perceived maturity, the fifteen-year-old Addison understood the advancement came with a good deal of additional responsibility. Her mums treated her as an adult, a newfound perception she loved and embraced, but going forward Addison knew that it was essential she conduct herself on a level commensurate with the trust shown, else she would make a mockery of each of her mum’s candour and trust.
In addition, Addison returned to school knowing the answer to the teasing ‘who will play Addie in the movie?’ question llhaesa asked on their first day living under their Elsrensia-imposed recovery restrictions. The answer arrived two days before, and it was that the producer agreed that Addison could play herself. Addison, a supremely talented young woman, was about to venture into professional acting.
Prior to llhaesa reclaiming her life, the process so completely changing their family, Addison was a very good student, always making honour roll while drawing praise from her instructors. When she chose to undergo removal of the genetic modification passed on to her via Tim, Addison knew she was likely to change in ways unknown, some highly visible, as well as in ways not so obvious.
Her physical appearance left her virtually a twin of llhaesa and Grandmamma Saehressa, while her schoolwork and involvement in school activities similarly blossomed along with her physical changes.
Now, on her first day back to school, Ms Lisa Grennon, Addie’s assigned guidance counsellor, summoned her to review various topics, one of which included results of class-wide standardised testing.
“Hello Addie; and welcome back to school!” Ms Grennon called out as Addison walked into her office. “Please, close the door and have a seat.”
Of moderate height and solidly built, Ms Grennon wore frameless glasses with slightly oval lenses, the design well suited to her face. The sides of the frame hid behind hair that was straight and long, reaching to the bottom of her shoulder blades. No one could remember Ms Grennon with hair any shorter than this length.
Ms Grennon was in her tenth year as a staff counsellor; highly respected by students, faculty, and parents alike. She had a knack for connecting with students and seeing their point of view.
Addison did as requested, and once seated, Ms Grennon began to share what was on her mind. “It is such a relief that you and your mum are okay, and we thank Elsrensia for assisting us with preventative measures for the remainder of the student body.
Now on to what I wish to review with you. There are, as you might suspect, numerous requests for your time, but I am putting all of those requests on hold to let you get back up to speed.”
“But I am ok, Ms Grennon, really.”
“I admire your willingness, but it is my job to guide you, and for this week, only school work flows your way. Next week, we will get you into some other things, slowly.
On another matter of note – the standardised testing you completed with the sophomore class three weeks ago. I would like to speak with your four mothers if we can arrange for all four to be here. We can do this at any point in the day, or at night. I know getting all four of them in one place and at one time might prove a daunting task, but I do believe it is essential we all chat.”
Addison felt a wave of apprehension wash over her, and she involuntarily gulped before responding. “Why, what is wrong, Ms Grennon?”
Ms Grennon smiled reassuringly. “Nothing is wrong Addie, nothing at all. I wish for you to be in attendance with your mums as well, and just prefer that the conversation involve everyone who currently guide and have responsibility for you – including you.”
“What is it you wish to discuss?”
Ms Grennon leaned back in her chair, first straightening her glasses, and then grabbing a pencil, beginning to twirl it between the fingers of both hands, pondering what she should say. “Your test results were exceptional, but then I expected them to be at the top of your class.”
“What were the results?” Addie asked, still feeling the inner apprehension lurking within.
“They surprised even me, and I am your biggest fan in this school. For the rest of the staff who are aware of the results, well, I will say it remains a significant and lively point of discussion.”
“What were the results?” Addison asked a second time.
Ms Grennon smiled mischievously. “The testing company wishes for us to retest you, but I refuse to subject you to a week of testing again. Principal Sheason disagrees with me, but I have primary say in your case, and I resist – unless you wish to retest, then I would step aside.”
“Why?”
“Because I know you, and I already know the results are accurate.”
Addison giggled as she asked her next question, for she already asked it twice in the moments before. “What were the results, Ms Grennon?”
“You finished with the highest score,” the guidance counsellor deliberately understated.
“Finishing with the highest score in the school makes the testing company request retesting? I thought you said you expected this result?”
Ms Grennon had joked with Addison long enough, and she decided it was time to share the full story. “You finished with the highest score nationwide, Addie. And it wasn’t close.”
“It wasn’t close…?” Addison, who lost the apprehensiveness somewhere in their conversation, felt it return vigorously.
“No. Essentially, you finished in a class all by yourself, so much so that it skews the results of the topmost percentile group, where you slot under their current model. No one ever achieves in a manner so separated from all of their other peers. Thus their interest in having you retest – they are uncertain what to make of this. No one has ever done this before, and it blows out their time-tested framework.”
Addison did not realise she was holding back her regular breathing rhythm, and finally exhaled such that the air blew the bangs falling haphazardly along her forehead. “I really do not know what to say. I feel like laughing, I feel like crying, I feel like screaming. I feel like running away.
Over the past week, it was as if I discovered adulthood at fifteen. I had great and candid discussions with my mothers, sharing about our lives, discussing what was on our minds. They interacted with me as an adult, and I found a level of self-confidence I never believed possible; I treasure that experience, treasure how I felt. When I walked into school this morning, that confidence carried me; I felt different, older, and wiser.
Now…now, I sit here wrestling with the emotion triggered by what you share, and as a result, I feel like I have regressed in actual time by two weeks, in emotional time by three years.”
“Addie, why on Earth, um, ah… yeah! Why on Earth would you feel this way? This is an achievement of which you can be proud, and it opens wide your future possibilities.
For instance, there is not a college on this world that would reject an admission application from you, and not when your class graduates, rather right now.”
Addison did not initially grasp Ms Grennon’s meaning, and so she moved into a reply. “That is nice, Ms Grennon, but frankly, I would like to concentrate on the over two and a half years I have left of high school.” As Addie finished, another possible meaning filtered into her mind, and as the thought formed, it instantaneously reflected in Addison’s expression, such that Ms Grennon responded with a growing smile, knowing Addison now grasped her intent. What she did not expect was Addison’s reaction.
“Wait, no, no, no. You do not mean-”
“Yes, I do Addison. You not only would be accepted now, it is something you and your parents should actively think about, and it might be in your best interest.”
Addison lost it then, felt a powerful urge to run, to run away and out of the school, to go anywhere, to be anywhere but here. She fought hard against this feeling, called upon her strength of the past week, willing herself, grasping at and for her suddenly elusive maturity, clinging, her tenuous grip losing purchase, sliding, and failing.
Spinning up and out of her chair, Addison swung her bag over her shoulder as she scurried away, not quite running, yet moving faster than a brisk walk.
“Addison! Addison!” Ms Grennon called, rising rapidly out of her chair as it slid back with a thud against the wall, moving off into the main office area on out into the hall, pursuing the student she was supposed to guide, and apparently failed miserably in the process.
Other staffers looked up as the two rushed by, while Principal Sheason came out to check on the commotion, but Ms Grennon continued running down the hall, ignoring the Principal’s repeated calls to her to stop and explain.
Addison, maintained her pace, and upon reaching the doors at the far end of the corridor, burst through, running down the outside walkway and across the parking lot, heading for the thick woods beyond.
Once Lisa Grennon reached the parking lot, it was apparent she had no ability to catch the younger and faster Addison, who continued to ignore all requests to stop.
Lisa had but one choice, and acted immediately. Reaching in her blazer jacket pocket, the counsellor retrieved her mobile phone, which stored the numbers of each of Addison’s parents. Their continuing level of interaction resulted from Addison’s various activities, and made storage of the numbers an almost necessary convenience; it saved time in the permission process. Ringing up llhaesa, Lisa connected on the third ring.
“Hello, Lisa!”
“Hello, ‘essa. Sorry to be so short, but we have an unfolding issue here, Addison has run off into the woods.”
“What!” llhaesa’s parental instincts kicked in, and she was ready to go in a nano second. “What happened?”
“She is upset over a conversation we just had, I am so sorry. I need to ask if you are feeling well enough to help.”
“I am, as is Jahrae, who is in the second week of a vacation. Ronnie has Ahrella, figuring it would help us as I recover. I will let Ronnie know, and then Jahrae and I will be right there. Do not worry, Lisa, we can track Addie. We will meet you in the parking lot presently. Stay right there.”
“Thank you!’ Lisa folded her mobile to end the call, placing it back in her blazer pocket.
Less than ten minutes later a sleek craft the size of a full sized touring bus, albeit slightly wider, alighted out of the partly cloudy sky, landing ten metres from the frantic Lisa.
The door opened, and Jahrae motioned for Lisa to join them. After the counsellor climbed in, llhaesa took Chekresu back into the sky, maintaining a shallow height roughly fifty metres off the ground.
“Which direction did she go, Lisa?” Llhaesa asked.
“Addie ran across the soccer field, roughly at midfield. I hope she did not go very far. The river is less than two kilometres away through the woods.”
Llhaesa moved Chekresu at what seemed a slow motion video speed, in reality at a runner’s pace, moving across the playing field on to the wooded area where Lisa last saw Addison.
“May I ask what prompted this?” Jahrae asked while attentively watching various screens and informational displays.
Lisa ran through the basics, ending by mentioning how “Addison was quite proud of the time spent with you last week, sharing how she felt she matured three years over that time.
Addie just felt a sense of overload as I shared what she achieved on standardised testing. She has changed so much over a year’s time, well over and above what high school students normally face as they mature into adulthood.
I am so proud of her, she is an extraordinary young woman, and I fear my pride and a sense of friendship overran my common sense and professionalism. I am so very sorry.”
Llhaesa kept face forward, though she wished to leave her seat and embrace Lisa. “Lisa, you acted in a positive, proactive way. Please do not second guess yourself.
Addison ran because of the totality of things; she is growing into a role of someone others recognise as a leader, as especially talented and or gifted.” Llhaesa drew on her school year memories before continuing. “I had the advantage of growing into the expectations through my life, while for Addie the removal of genetic masking condensed her time of adjustment to only a year or at best, two.
She will be all right; no one is to blame. We just have to work with the circumstances of her life.”
They were over the woods now; Jahrae carefully worked with and adjusted the monitoring equipment. “Llhaesa, I have acquired a signal on Addison, she is by the river, stationary. Move on a heading of 184° and hold that course for 1.5 kilometres, and then find the first place you can to set down.”
Llhaesa gave the craft a burst of speed as she adjusted their direction. “Heading now 184°; we will be there on my mark…mark. There is a small patch of field along the river about one hundred metres to my left, Jahrae. I am setting down there.”
Once on the ground, the three searchers scampered out, immediately spotting Addison sitting passively on a sizeable boulder along the normal level and flowing river, casually staring off into the distance. It was October, and the trees were resplendent in their fall finery, the colours a wonderful mix of vivid yellow, red, green, orange, and brown.
“Addison!” Jahrae called out as they wound their way along the narrow but worn-down footpath paralleling the river. They could see her clearly now, and Addison did not attempt to leave at their approach.
Jahrae and Lisa stopped about ten metres away, while llhaesa continued on to her daughter, both sensing that llhaesa was better suited to chat with Addie. “Hi sweetie!” llhaesa casually remarked as she neared the boulder, finally climbing upon it and dropping herself alongside Addie.
Addison said nothing, though she stole a quick glance over at Jahrae and Lisa holding their distance.
Llhaesa waited a minute before saying more. “This is a beautiful spot, Addison. It reminds me of places I used to go on Arrhazon. Have you been here before?”
Addie said nothing, and continued to stare ahead, not turning toward llhaesa.
Llhaesa decided to continue with her comments, hoping her words might find and stir something within Addie, perhaps offer her something with which she could identify. “This spot would have been a place that drew me when I was in school as well. The gentle whooshing of the river as it flows slowly by, the occasional rustling of the multi-coloured leaves, the happy call of birds, an occasional bright white puffy cloud sailing by. It is quite peaceful and quite conducive to contemplation when thoughts get heavy.
I never told you this, but I will now. You are at a huge disadvantage, Addie. I wish with all my being that were different, but it is reality.
You are as close to a twin of me as a child can be of their parent. When I was growing up, Grandmamma Saehressa and Grandfather Mrevan gave me the space to grow and to thrive, while they kept outside pressure away from me. I was able go through childhood and the teen years growing gradually into my talent and how others react to that talent. Not just with music, but with academic related activity as well and later with activism.
With you, you had the unfortunate circumstance to have much of you suppressed and covered over, only to have it released in a torrent, flooding across your life in but one year. Even physically, you have grown 23 centimetres in that year, your appearance completely altered.
Along with this, you discovered your family was only partially of this world, and is now the most exotic and well known on this world. Your social life reformulated right along with the changes, and now we know that there are other, hidden changes that are more important.
I do not like to talk about the intellect part as it relates to me, Addie. That you are here now is an indication we share this disdain, except you get to confront its consequences and reality in days rather than over the entirety of your early life, as I did.
I do not know how I would react to what you face now; I will never know, I only know me, that and what I see. I know you, but knowing – or thinking I know – does not mean I account for all you think or feel; that can only come from you.
My early reality is that I graded out at the highest preparatory scores ever on Arrhazon, much like you. I had over a thousand institutions clamouring for me to attend their school, for music, for science, for math; you name the field of study, and someone wished me to follow that path.
You now imminently face this same clamour, because you have similar ability, albeit you will ultimately channel it in ways that are unique to you. Do not allow others to make your choices, Addison. Not me, not mums J’har, Elsren, or Ronnie. I support, encourage, and defend your uniqueness, individuality, and your power, your right, of control over your destiny.”
Addison leaned closer and dropped her head onto llhaesa, knowing tears were on their way, tears she had no interest in stopping. You…understand.” Addie said softly, her voice breaking intermittently as she spoke. “Mum ‘essa, I am not certain I understood what I felt until just now, when you described it so well.
I…am scared. Scared that every day means I learn that I unexpectedly possess some amazing new skill set that hid away before. I revelled in the discussions of last week, in the maturity level inherent in our discussions, it felt peer to peer, even if I was with my parents. I do not mean this disrespectfully, because all of you were wonderful, and I so appreciated the respect you showed me.
With this…evaluative school element, this suggestion that I skip my last two and a half years of high school and go straight to college, well…I do not wish to leave my adolescence completely and forever; no, not yet.”
“Oh, Addie,” Llhaesa felt her heart spread out from her chest and through her arms, taking control and wrapping lovingly around Addison. “Addison, you do not have to leave school, no one can or will make you. You decide whether you do this, and no one else. You decide where you go to school. It is all within your control, and with no one else.”
“Mum?” Addison asked sweetly.
“Is it ok if we ask mum J’har and Ms Grennon to join us? Is there enough room on the rock for them as well?”
“Yes, I believe so.” Llhaesa casually motioned for the other two adults to join them. Both took care to hold their remarks, letting Addison take the lead in conversation, which she eventually did after a slight quiet period.
While neither llhaesa nor Addison shared much of what llhaesa said in confidence and in commonality with her daughter, they did share the essential points of Addison’s concerns over too much, too quickly.
The four sat upon the boulder taking in their beautiful surroundings, a serene setting actively conducive to exploration and contemplation of issues. After a long while, Addison broke the silence by sharing some of what she felt.
“Mum J’har, Ms Grennon, I ran because I am scared. I still am scared, but I understand why now, where I did not before, and that makes all the difference. I am probably more scared of me than anything else, for each day seems to bring a revelation of some hidden ability that previously lay unfound and unobserved within me.
I suppose if the standardised test results simply showed me first in the class, that…I could deal with. Ms Grennon, when you shared how I blew away the testing company’s metric model for the testing, when you mentioned my ability was of a level where I might consider college now, it was overwhelming; I did not know what to make of this. How could this be?
After talking with mum ‘essa, who achieved similar results in her school days, after hearing her private thoughts on how she felt about it then and how she feels about it now, that helped, it helped a great deal.” Addison paused, finding the courage to share thoughts that took inner feeling and formed it into what she wished to do. “Mum ‘essa, mum J’har, first, please know I love you with all of my heart, I love that I have both of you, along with mum Ronnie and mum Elsren as parents.
This is not a new thought for me, but it is the first time I share the thought with anyone. My last two years of school will be on Arrhazon, given we leave for there at the conclusion of this school year.
Since I will be there anyway, well, I…I think…no, I know I would like to apply to N’rellia. I know only seven hundred fifty out of over one hundred thousand applicants are accepted. Do you think they would consider me?”
It was llhaesa’s turn to feel an onrushing surge of emotion, this time happy tears called out a desire to flow; not once had she ever anticipated her daughter would wish to follow her path in school, and that newly expressed wish stirred something deep and wonderful within llhaesa.
The very suggestion touched her in a way that was at once wondrous and elating – her daughter found and chose her own path to follow in life, actively choosing to follow her mum, even if it partially walked some of the spaces and places of llhaesa’s school years, and llhaesa felt honoured. Addison would make it her own unique experience.
Llhaesa nodded her agreement, her elation plainly visible in her expression. “Your piano play is of a level where it, combined with your peerless academic achievement, will get you in to N’rellia, of that I am certain.”
“I suppose they would admit me because of who my parents are.”
“Actually Addie, and I say this forthrightly, but N’rellia would admit you without ever knowing who we are, even considering only one in one hundred and fifty applicants are accepted.”
Jahrae added something she was unsure llhaesa knew. “Addie, N’rellia now offers a major for another branch of performing arts – acting.”
Llhaesa looked at Jahrae, her quizzical expression evolving into one of understanding. “That…sounds perfect, J’har, just perfect.”
“I like the sound of that a lot, mum J’har.” Addison concurred, delighted with this new information.
Llhaesa felt the inspiration of an idea, and called it out as a proposal to everyone. “Suppose we all climb into Chekresu, head for the beach, walk along it, and have some ice cream?
Ms Grennon, think we can skip school for the remainder of the day?”
“I do believe we can do this, ‘essa. Shhhh…it will be our little secret – after I leave a terse message for Principal Sheason that we found Addison, that she is well, and that Addison and her parents wish spend the day conversing with me away from premises.
I also wish to say this. This family is a joy to watch interact, you are supportive and positive, empathetic, forward thinking, and life affirming.
Addison, and from what I understand, llhaesa as well, you both have strong science inclinations, yet your love is in performing arts and social justice. Some might lament your choices, but I relish them, I marvel at them, I treasure them. You choose to devote your considerable intellectual ability to things that make life worth living, to our humanity.
Shall we go for that walk and get llhaesa’s promised ice cream that I suddenly crave?”
