((And I'm back from vacation! Here's the next chapter :) ))

10th Chapter: Class, Rank and Memories (1)

Being five was a very different thing. At five, formal schooling began. At five, the social rules were implemented, simply because five years old, unlike three year old children, could understand such things.

Mentally they had developed to a point that would allow them to become what made humans human. It was only a question of accumulating knowledge and understanding, seeing and hearing and reading and practicing.

I had a hunch why all those horrible things had happened to Fern and Magnolia now. I understood things about the crib none of us was supposed to know or suspect so early. And even with my high intelligence I never would have guessed if it wasn’t for that stream of information and feelings pouring into me every night.

There were lives inside of me. Several lives. And the rules of the world in those lives were different from the rules in my life now.

But that was only part of the changes.

There were nearly ten thousand children between the ages of five and six. Half were third rate students. They studied in groups of 100 children per class for four hours in the morning. About 4500 were second rate students who studied for six hours in the morning, with activities they could choose in the afternoon. Their classes only held between 20 and 40 students depending on the subject and level of the class. One of them was Yaupon, another my sister Azalea and then Willow.

And then there was us. Me and White Ash. We were two of 500 children our age who made it to the highest rank in the crib, for the next year at least.

On that first day we tried to go to the library together, to see which books that place the nurses had told us so much about held. Azalea was clinging to Magnolia as we walked, but I felt too awkward after my first impulsive outburst that was quickly interrupted when my nurse lifted me up and wouldn’t let go.

But now we were together. We passed, even if Magnolia, who I wasn’t supposed to call by her name or call sister anymore, only made it to the third level, like so many newcomers.

Oh, yes.

There had been a lot more children who had been born the same day as me in that room, children who had been raised by their mothers before and the tests had been different. Well, except the one who tested our Meditation levels or whatever she was looking for. She still pointed, said what she wanted and left.

And, again, all those with their birth on the same day were brought to the same door, though when the educator who held my hand and Ash’s entered we saw that there was a kind of play room with more doors behind it.

The educator brought me and Ash to the door on the other side of the room and led us to a short hallway with three more doors.

“One room for each of you. Please get changed, young ladies. Children who have turned five have to wear the rank uniform at all times. There are several sets in your wardrobes.” She told us as she handed a key to each of us, pretty silver keys on slim silver necklaces. “As Ladies of the first rank you can tell any of the other girls to clean your room or do other things for you, but you can play with anyone you like.” The last thing sounded rather strange to me when I thought about the way the adults sometimes disliked it when we played with each other, especially me or Azalea with Yaupon.

My room, my own room, was rather big. There was a very wide bed with light curtains, a wardrobe and a low table. The rest of the room was open and held nothing but a beautiful carpet. Apparently we would be able to decorate ourselves later on.

I changed quickly and then took a look at White Ash’s room, which was identical. White Ash had just finished changing and grinned at me, pretty in her new white dress with the brooches on her shoulder.

“This room is amazing!” She said with a happy look at the bed. I could only agree.

“Mine’s the same.” I told her. “But I bet Willow’s already going through the roof because she wants to see the library. And…”

“You want to talk to your sister.” White Ash filled my awkward silence. “I think you should wait though. She…didn’t look comfortable. Give her a little space until she comes to you.”

Maybe it was good advice, but I really wanted to talk to her about what happened.

White Ash, as usual, guessed my thoughts. Somehow she was more my sister than any of my real sisters. “I think being here probably brought up enough bad memories.” Her tone was soft even if her words were strict.

So, reluctantly, I nodded.

To my left there was a very pretty little girl called Daisy. And Cherry Blossom, the other girl who had decided to stay in our room, was just as beautiful.

Whatever was pouring into my head told me that the ratio of beautiful girls was unnatural. That even Yaupon, who was considered kind of rough and ugly, was actually rather pretty. And judging by all I knew this whole place was not the kind of thing children usually grew up in. Children were not supposed to be judged and trained constantly, at least not so young.

This clan was driving me crazy sometimes.

Pine and the other girls who had come that day were quietly following us, looking at everything with curiosity. But they were only hallways and bedrooms and classrooms.

Finally my curiosity became too much.

Before, when Yaupon had been gone she had been too young to leave her mother’s house and did not know a thing about the world outside. As for Magnolia…she would talk to us when she was ready. She had yet to say a word to anyone and could only enter the crib because of her dancing skill and the way she could play the harp. Combined with her beauty…the nurses had called her good material for a future Gift.

And I did not want to know what my foreign memories said about her future.

So I asked Pine, the new girl who had turned five just like me.

“How is it, outside?” I asked quietly.

Pine looked a bit scared when I talked to her. Her dress was bright blue while mine was white, the sign of our new social classes. My memories suggested that somebody had taught her to respect those above her. And I, apparently, counted as one.

White Ash helped, fortunately. She smiled at the other girl and nodded encouragingly.

“Uhm…my mommy lives in a clan house. Everyone I know lives in that clan house. We had a pretty garden to play there, but the garden here is much bigger.” She started to speak, but stared at us as if we were going to punish her if we disliked anything she said. Which we could. The educators who had replaced the nurses had told us so.

“How many stories did this clan house have?” White Ash asked as curious as I was. The upper stories of the crib were all boarding rooms and practice rooms, plus the largest classrooms.

“Only thirteen.” She answered with a hesitant smile. “Not like the Crib. My Mommy said it was in a town, not a real city, but I was almost never allowed on the upper stories.”

“The pats for the younger kids around here are all on the first floor.” Willow interjected. “None of us had ever seen stairs before we came to this part of the house.”

“There aren’t that may babies and toddlers here.” I interjected. “Besides, in our room we have 27 kids now who were all born the same day and the educator said that it was normal to have anything between 25 and 30 children in a dorm room. There are 356 dorm rooms on our level, so one for every day of the year.”

“Plus it says our birthday and the week we entered on the sign. The schedules for classes all put the kids from the same week into one class.” Willow said thoughtfully, going off topic.

I elbowed her. I really wanted to know more about the outside.

“Have you ever been to the town?” Ahh, I love White Ash. She could stay on topic.

Unfortunately Pine shook her head. “I had to study every day because my Mommy wanted me to get into the educational line here.” Her hand touched the brooch on her shoulder. It was the same as Willow’s, a picture of a brush.

Azalea on the other hand had the Art brooch, which was a colorful piece of smooth glass. And Yaupon’s showed a sword, I found when I looked at them.

Nobody had explained that part to us, but now that I thought about it it was obvious.

“Lady, which course are you in?” Pine asked after a moment.

I looked at my own shoulder. There were three brooches. One was the brush, another showed the sword. The third one was a little mirror. “I got Education, Martial Arts and Chi classes.” I answered.

White Ash, who had done the same as me, only had two brooches I noticed. There was an additional, tiny pin added to the Chi Mirror which also showed a sword though I didn’t really understand why yet.

The background of Yaupon’s sword brooch was a kind of milky mirror too though.

While I still pondered this Pine went pale. “You’re witches!” She gasped.

Yaupon poked Pine from behind. “What’s a witch?”

Pine’s eyes first fell on Yaupon’s blue dress and then on her shoulder. Her brows knitted. “You’re…a potential Sword Witch?” She asked.

Well, to say it bluntly I was thoroughly confused now. “What’s a Sword Saint? And why potential?”

Apparently Pine’s mother had told her a great deal about the courses and hierarchies nobody had bothered to teach any of us. Or maybe we were supposed to find it out ourselves.

“Well, my Mommy says that a mirror means somebody could be a witch, somebody who can fly with chi and destroy boulders and make illusions and such. They’re rare and special she says. But if the mirror is milky it means they haven’t reached the level where they can really start using it. Usually nobody our age has a mirror, but a few have milky mirrors. I think.” Pine explained, apparently proud to have the full attention of our whole group of fifteen girls now. “If she had another talent or got a real mirror behind her sword she could have a room to herself and wear white and get to eat special food, too.”

Willow started grinning. “So if I managed to learn that I wouldn’t have to room with Yaupon, Willow and you?” She asked.

But Pine shook her head. “If you don’t get at least a milky mirror you don’t have the talent.”

I could see that Willow was disappointed, but I already had the perfect cure for that. More questions!

“So, not everybody has a room of their own?” I asked, very curious now.

Pine smiled, happy to teach us apparently. “The third rates have to wear simple grey dresses and all of them have the same room. They only get mattresses. The second rates like me have fine blue linen dresses and four of us share a room with two story beds, a desk for each of us and a huge wardrobe that takes up a whole wall, with four doors. And the Ladies each get their own room.”

That was her second lecture that day…

I was a bit shocked by the differences, but my foreign memories said that that was normal. Unlike me the others were speechless though. They had never really known differences in rank, I guess. This was their first time…

To get away from possible arguments I grabbed Willow’s hand and started dragging her towards the library that was now in sight.