I Remember Everything

Waking up on the day I was to head out for my new school, I looked toward my bedroom window. The birds chirping outside my window greet me with a pleasant morning song, and I look toward the window to see them playing tag with the squirrel that lives in the tree next to my window. After a few moments, I sigh. It's time to get up. The sounds of movement in the rest of the house came faintly to my ears as I approached the chair where my clothes were stored. All the rest of my belongings had already been packed up and sent to the boarding school.

After getting ready, I went downstairs for breakfast. My Father was already at the table with my Mother, eating breakfast. They didn't even bother waiting for me, but that was nothing new. The housekeeper calmly helped me into the chair and set a plate of eggs and bacon with some toast in front of me. I said thank you and started in.

The silence at the table was just like always. No talking at the table was one of the many rules that had to be followed. Just as I finished, Father spoke. "You are to conduct yourself at school as if you were here. I don't want to be called to hear that you are in trouble. You are expected to maintain your grades and uphold your dignity. If I hear differently, your allowance will be deducted. Do you understand?"

"I understand, Father."

Mother chimed in at this moment: "We will see you on Holidays and in the Summer, but other than that, you will be at school, so if you need anything, text a message and let me know." 

"Yes, Mother."

Then they got up, and the housekeeper came over to help me down, and I went to finish washing up. It's not too long now. 

Knowing that I was not a discarded child in this life warmed my heart slightly. That had happened more times than I would like to admit.

In this life, I am a son of two very successful lawyers. So we are upper-middle class. They realized early on how intelligent I am, so I had tutors and teachers from the time I was three. I don't talk a lot because that would give away the fact that I know more than any six-year-old should. The curse of remembering sometimes makes my head hurt. I also have nightmares and dream of my past lives. So, sleep is not very restful for me. 

To counter that, I am thankful for one of my previous lives where I was a monk in China. They taught me mental compartmentalization. How to create a mental palace in my mind to catalog everything. This requires meditation and discipline. So, for the first year after my birth in this life, all I did was eat, sleep, and meditate.

In the second year, I started practicing my speech, making sounds, stretching, and exercising my vocal cords. While doing that, I was also working my new arms and legs to gain strength. Remembering everything would enable me to do all of these things immediately and automatically. However, I need to train this new body to move in the way I remember, and that takes time.

By the third year, I was talking in complete sentences and moving with controlled purpose. Shortly after that, I was given a tutor nanny who showed me what my parents thought I needed to know about the life I am now living. How to draw, how to read, how to work maths, etc. Most things we learn in life or remember must be converted to muscle memory if we are to perform them effectively. Knowing what to do and how to do it is vastly different from actually doing it physically.

By year six, I was a little adult in my parents' eyes. So they decided I needed a special school—one for prodigies like me. I was allowed one caretaker or maid to accompany me to school to take care of my needs, as I was too short at six to reach most countertops and things without help or a stool. The school would provide everything else for a price, of course. I tried not to get too attached to those around me because with my unique mind, I know how fleeting life can be.

As I head to the car that will take me to my new school, all of these thoughts run through my mind. 

The world has advanced significantly since my earliest memory. Back then, it was so different from now. It was wild and untamed. Trees for miles and miles. Villages and farms so far apart that you spent weeks trying to get to others, and most of the time, your immediate family and the town you lived in were all you knew from your first breath to your last. Now it takes only minutes to reach the next town or city, and hours to travel to the next continent. 

Finally, we stopped at the school's gate. The Evergreen Academy. The guard at the gate verified our identities and let us through. As the gate closed behind the car, I looked in front to see the massive building in the distance. It looked like a modern building with three floors above ground and a winding road leading up to the front. The lawn and garden appeared to be well-maintained, and the building itself was constructed with brick and featured columns in front. 

We pulled up to the main entrance and slowly got out. I stood to the side, looking around, while my parents instructed the maid on her duties to me during my stay. I heard footsteps approaching and turned to the front doors to see two older women walking toward us.

"Mr and Mrs Phoenix, welcome," she said with a smile. "And this must be your young master Asher," looking at me. "Welcome to Evergreen Academy. I am Sharon Tate. Headmaster of this school. This is my Assistant Mandy Donavan, and it's a pleasure to meet you." She turned back to my parents and said, "If you will follow me, there are some papers that still need your signature, and while we do that, my assistant will take the young master Asher to his new room and show him around our facilities. Mandy, if you would please."

I followed Mandy as she headed back into the school, turning left as we entered. at the same time, my parents followed Ms. Tate to her office on the right. Mandy was a slim woman. About 5 feet 7inches tall with brown hair tied into a bun and wearing a grey linen suit. As we walked, she pointed out many features around us. " The main floor holds all the classrooms and offices of the staff. The second floor features the gym, cafeteria, and library, as well as study rooms, workspaces, and a community area. The third floor, where we are going, is the dorm rooms and the lounge area. Out back, we have a tennis court and track, along with the greenhouse and garden." She said, handing me a map of the grounds. She also gave me a folder, saying, " This is all the information you will need for your stay here. It holds your access card, which will allow you to enter your room and all the designated areas. The map shows in green all the places you are allowed to enter. The list is the listing of the classes you are assigned to attend, along with the time you need to be there. Any time in between is your free time to do as you like; however, the areas in red you must not enter without an adult to accompany you, and any infringement of the rules will have consequences. These are also listed. You will receive your schoolbooks from each classroom that you attend, and any necessary supplies can be obtained from the supply room located next to the office on the first floor. We want to encourage you to visit there first before classes start to pick up your starter kit." While speaking, we arrived in front of a door marked with 317 and my name in gold print. "This will be your room. Please use your card on the reader panel next to your name. The only people with access to your room are the headmistress, you, and your maid."

There were two cards in the front of the folder. One had my name on it, the other had just the name of the school and the room number on it. That one must be Amy's, the maid. I handed Amy her card then took mine out and placed it against the square panel by the door knob. There was a click, and the door popped open a crack. I pushed it further and walked in. 

It was a rather large room with a couch and desk alongside a bookshelf. There were three doors leading off from the room, and I went to the first one and opened it. It was a bathroom equipped with a shower, toilet, and sink. I close the door. the went to the next one. This was the bedroom. It had a bed and a closet, along with a small side table in front of a small window with a view of the outside forest. My clothes were already in the closet—mostly just my school uniform and shoes. The dresser was built into the lower half, containing my everyday clothes, underwear, and socks. I then went to the last room, but Mandy stopped me. "This one is for your maid." Amy opened the door, and through the doorway I could see a small bed, a clothes stand, and a retractable table under a wall-mounted lamp for reading. It was no larger than a large closet, and it had no window. I retreated to the main room and went to the big window at the back. The curtains were open to let in the light from the morning sun, and the view overlooked the front of the school driveway. 

Ms. Mandy cleared her throat and said. " Classes start in one week. You're a little early; most students won't arrive for another two days. Meal times are at 6:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., and 5:00 p.m. There is a small refrigerator nearby to store snacks and beverages. Pointing to a cabinet to the right of the table in front of the window. Along with an electric kettle for tea or coffee." Any Questions?"

I shook my head no. 

"Well then, I will leave you to explore for yourself. Could you read your booklet on the rules? There is something for both of you. See you at lunch, you can ask me anything that might come up at that time. Listen for the bells. They will tell you the time. See you later then." With that, she left, closing the outer door behind her.

I walked over to the couch and sat down. Opening the folder again, I removed the first page with the introduction and saw that the booklet was marked 'Staff Rules'. Picking it up, I handed it to Amy. She accepted it and went over to the table by the window to read it. I turned back to the folder and picked up the booklet marked 'Student Rules'. I read through it quickly. It was straightforward and clear-cut. I had seen similar ones throughout my many lives. Essentially, it stated, these are the rules; these are the consequences if you disobey them.

Mandy had covered them all during the walk-through of the building. Such as where I could go, where I couldn't go, etc. 

After the booklet was a list of the school supplies that came in the starter kit, along with a list of additional items I might need, depending on the classes I was assigned. The following page lists food items that were allowed in my room and those that must be kept in the cafeteria. 

The last page was a list of my classes, including their times and rooms. I looked at this more intently.

1st bell is at 5 am 

2nd bell 6 am - Breakfast

3rd bell 7 am - Gym 

4th bell 8 am - Math

5th bell 9 am - Spelling and vocabulary structure

6th bell 10 am - self-study

7th bell 11:30 am - Lunch

8th bell 1 pm - History/social studies

9th bell 2 pm - Health/Science

10th bell 3 pm - Workshop/Art *

11th bell 4 pm - Self-study/Homework

12th bell 5 pm - Dinner

13th bell 6 pm - Free time

14th bell 9 pm - Lights out

The library is open from 10:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

The Supply room is open from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Teacher question/help time is 7 pm to 8 pm.

* Workshop and Art classes

Mondays - Wood

Tuesdays - Metal/mechanics

Wednesdays - Gardening

Thursdays - sewing/tailoring

Fridays - Painting/sculpting 

Saturdays - Nature/survival (optional)

Sundays - Religion (optional)

"I like the way this is set up." I thought to myself. I put the folder down next to me and got up to look out the window. There, in the front, was the car I had come in, still sitting there. Then, just as I moved to leave, I saw movement. My parents were heading for the car. My phone pinged with a message. and I opened it. "We are leaving. See you during winter vacation. Don't forget your card. I put enough money on it to last awhile. If you need anything, text me. Be good."

"I understand, and thank you, I will," I replied.

"Amy. You can look around by yourself. I'm going to go to the supply room and then the Library. I'm sure that you need to see where your duty areas will be."

"Thank you, young master," Amy replied.

With that, I left the room.