Chapter Text
"Momma, when I see grandpa today, are we going to the big house?"
Mom sat behind me, gently brushing my hair into braids, weaving her favorite green ribbons in. She told me that these were her favorite when she was a kid, and it's always fun when we go to the big house.
"Yes, honey, it's your cousin Mira Jane's seventh birthday and we were invited. You remember Mira Jane, right?" She ties one braid off with a black hair tie and works on the next section of hair. Vika runs into the room holding daddy's hand, her own hair in messy pigtails and yellow footy pajamas. Nabile runs in after them in his own pajamas and tugs on dad's shirt pointing back to the living room.
"You ladies look very lovely. The babysitter is getting their milk ready and we should be ready to go soon," he says, a smile on his face. Vika tugs on mom's skirt then holds her arms out for a hug. Mom leans her head down, fingers still mixed into my hair, and kisses Vika on the cheek. Nabile kisses mom on the cheek before the two of them run out of the room, past dad's legs, into the living room where their playful screeching could be heard.
Mom ties off my second braid with another hair tie and the three of us are ready to go see grandpa and cousin Mira. Dad picks me up, holds a hand out for mom and the three of us walk out to the car together, saying our mild goodbyes to Vika and Nabile. The car ride is long but quiet except for the sound of the ocean and the jumble of songs from the radio. The moon is already in the sky and the stars are starting to fade a bit into the expanse of purple sky. By the time we get to the big house, I'm already tired. The weight of the frills on my dress weigh me down into the car seat while the lights of the big house stab into my eyelids, tens of cars rolling around the gravel driveway to the front door.
"Oren, when the car stops, you and mommy are gonna go inside and wait for me by the left staircase, okay? Daddy has to park behind the house."
I nod at him in the mirror and soon enough, mommy is unbuckling me from the carseat. We wave to daddy as he drops us off on the green velvet rug that leads us in through the doors. From there, mom and I are escorted down the hall to the last doors that open and reveal the chatter of hundreds of people. Soft music, probably from a violin or cello, play into the large space and the light from the chandelier floods my eyes as soon as we cross into the room. Just as dad said, there were about five staircases and mom held my hand tightly as we weaved our way through the crowd to stand by the staircase directly on the left.
Countless people pass by us, stopping to stare for a few seconds or blatantly talking about us as if we weren't there. Did you see their hair color? It's silver. Why is she here? Wasn't she disowned from the family?
I didn't quite get what they meant but it's obvious they were talking about me and mommy. When daddy came in, he picked me up and held me tightly to his chest. He leaned towards mom and started saying something but it was so quiet I couldn't hear anything. "Honey, we're going to say hello to grandpa really quick and head out for dinner. Do you want-"
Before dad could finish his sentence, the music stopped and two doors opened at the top of the staircase in the middle. "Shit," I heard dad say and watched as a little girl walked out with a sage green dress. When she reached the bottom of the staircase, a man with gray hair like mommy's grabbed her hand and took her to the center of the room where a dancing mat had been set up and began to twirl with her to a fast paced orchestral song. When they finished, the girl was offered a hand by another boy and soon, couples of all sorts were whizzing around the stage.
Daddy started moving and mommy was behind us, brushing away little bangs out of my eyes. When we stopped, dad put me down in front of Grandpa Marvin. We were in a small room close to the big dance room because I could still hear the faint sound of music playing. Due to the circumstances, I only get to see him during the Summer Festival because he works a lot. He always sends lots of presents for my birthday, too. He lets out a deep laugh as he bends down to pick me up. His beard is a bit ticklish when he hugs me but he laughs with his hug.
"Oh, Oren! I'm so happy you're here! I missed you lots," he says, patting my head.
Momma smiles warmly at the interaction while dad stands straight as a pole, a worried look on his face. "I missed you, too, Grandpa! Momma said we were gonna see you today so I dressed up! Do you like my dress, Pa-Pa?"
"Very much, Ren. See, I brought you a little present and I think it would look lovely in your hair."
He handed me a small box and opened it, revealing a golden beret with a little opal on the end. "Wow, Pa-Pa, it's so pretty! Thank you very much."
He let out a jolly laugh, whispering a small "you're welcome" and letting me down. Mommy held my hand as grandpa went to the other side of the small room to stare out the window.
"You know, Moni, I love you and I value you and your family's independence. I know that I wasn't exactly the most supportive when you married Nigel, but I want to be more involved with my grandkids anyway that I can. I was furious that you two went off behind my back but I fully accept you now. If you need help with the kids, you can drop them off anytime. I was offered tutoring services by Javier Poliozo so if you want, I can set up a meeting with him for Oren."
My mother laughed under breath, her hand wandering to the top of my head. "Father, I- Thank you but tutors like that are for kids trying to go into Tealwood or Dalmerwicke or- you get the point. I intend to live a quiet life with Nigel and the kids. We don't need the glamor or the extreme wealth to insulate us from being out there and experiencing the real world. We live comfortably by ourselves. Nigel, let's go-"
"Honey, your father has a point. I'm not- we might not be around long enough to take care of our kids or see them fully grow up. I think the boss has some merit to what he's saying," dad breathed out, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not saying we have to send them to the academy or have them become doctors, but don't we want what's best for them? They can get a better education and have hobbies like dance or violin only if they want to."
Mom sighed, eyes looking down at mine before standing straight and nodding. "Fine. Let me know where to bring her for the intake, dad. Let's go Renny." We leave thee room and find ourselves in front of an escort and the same man that was dancing with that girl earlier.
"Melios, what a... pleasant surprise," daddy says, picking me up from the floor. Mommy pulls her shawl closer to her before saying her greetings.
"Moni, I'm so glad you could make it. We'll be cutting cake soon, can't you stay for a few?"
"Maybe next time. We promised the little lady here a nice dinner to ourselves. Tell Mira Jane we wish her a lovely birthday." We walked past him and down the hallway towards the gravel driveway. The car was parked near the end of it so luckily, we didn't have to go too far. Then, the three of us drove into the night.
About a month after we went to the big house to see grandpa, on a day when daddy was working, mommy took me out of school for the day. We waved Vika and Nabile off when we dropped them off at the daycare and continued on. We live in a suburban area of New Patella on the north side and every minute we spent in the car, the closer we got to the heart of the city.
Mom drove down a busy street and turned near the very end where a thin road led down to a barred gate in front of a small house. Mom rolled her window and put in a code into the machine to which the gates automatically opened for us. We parked and before we stepped out of the vehicle, momma let out a sigh.
"Oren, you're a smart girl. Don't let this test make you believe otherwise. I... should have explained long ago but this person you're about to meet is going to help you with your education. He's going to push you incredibly hard. He's going to want you to go to extreme lengths to go to a fancy school. Even if he wants you to go to those schools, you are not obligated to. But, I just want to say that believe in you no matter what you decide in the future. Just try your best, okay?"
"Yes, momma."
"Okay, sweetheart." She places a kiss on my forehead and pets my head before stepping out of the car. I do the same. I grab a hold of her hand as we step up the porch, the bustling sounds of the city behind us. The door swings open after mom knocks to an older gentleman and a dude about mom's age with long hair swept back into a ponytail, a stubbled chin, and squared frames on his nose.
"Welcome, Monique and Oren. Lenard, please take their coats and have them meet me in the library," the younger man says and glides off down the hallway into a room near the back. Lenard, the older man, takes mom's fur jacket and my pink rain coat before escorting us down the same hallway. "This way, my ladies. Would either of you like anything to drink?"
"Water, if you don't mind," mom says. Lenard nods at the request and turns to me. "Um, can I have a lemonade, please?" My mom looks at me with bulging eyes, as if I did something wrong. "I-if that's okay!"
Lenard gives me a small smile and a bow, before saying "of course," and leaving without a hitch.
I turn to face the younger gentleman, clutching onto my skirt the entire time. I was nervous beyond belief.
"Moni, it's been a long time. What a pleasure to see you again. Welcome to my house," he says, sipping on some tea from his little cup.
"Likewise, Javier. Thank you for this... offer, although I realize that I may not have been the ideal recipient on behalf of my father since Melios' kids are already in the system. This is my oldest child, Oren. She's seven this year."
I smile and stick a hand out to the gentleman, Javier. "Hi! I'm Oren. Nice to meet you!"
He laughs a bit before moving to shake my hand with his own. "Hello, Oren, I am Javier Poliozo."
I didn't quite see what mom was so worried about. Sure, he was really intimidating but he was friendly enough and didn't seem to pose any real threats.
"Oren, please have a seat here. Moni, if you'd like, Lenard can take you to the study to wait while I do the intake. Thank you for bringing her here, she seems like a good kid."
"Thank you, Javier." Mom smiles and takes her leave, going out to the hallway. Javier stays at the door, taking a glass from Lenard and then shutting it behind him with his foot. He places the glass in front of me and then takes a seat in the seat across from me at the table. From his position, he reaches down the table and pulls a leather folder towards him and pulls a pen out from behind his ear. I take a sip from the straw in the glass and taste a sweet yet sour lemonade just like mom makes it.
"Alright, Oren, I'm just going to ask you a series of questions and then you're going to take a little quiz for me like you would at school. Don't worry, these questions aren't going to be super hard to answer. Just be honest. Okay?" He looks at me and I nod, tugging at my skirt and fidgeting with my fingers under the table.
"What is your full name?"
"Oren Yivanne Riviera the third."
"How old are you and when is your birthday?"
"I'm seven years old and I was born September 12th."
"What are your parents names and your sibling's names?"
"My daddy's name is Nigel and mommy is Monique. My brother's name is Nabile and my younger sister's name is Vika."
"What school do you currently go to?"
"Third Isle Primary."
"What year and class are you currently in?"
"I'm in first year and I'm currently in class one."
"Okay, good to know," he stops and makes a few notes in his notepad, circling certain areas and underlining others. He puts the folder down to take a sip of his tea and I reach for my glass to sip from the straw. "Let's continue. What subjects are your favorites and which are your least favorite?"
"My favorite subject is probably english. I like P.E. too. I don't really like science or math."
He nods at this and jots a few things in his notebook before tapping at the pad and then looking back at me. "And how do you feel about history?"
"Uhm... I don't mind it, I guess. It's okay. We don't really learn that much history at our school. They always focus more on writing and math." I take another swig from my lemonade and then sit back into the chair, peaking under the table to look at his shoes while he writes down my answer.
"Okay, and how do you feel about extracurriculars? If I were to tutor you in the future, I wouldn't be teaching you these things but I can help you strengthen other areas to make those subjects easier for you. Like art, for instance. I could teach you art history, art theory, et cetera, but I can't help you develop your own art style. Does that make sense?"
I nod my head. I sit and think for a bit before answering.
"Our school does music and art once every week. Music isn't that bad but it's pretty boring. I do like painting and drawing, though."
He nods, recording my answer and then looks at me again.
"You said you like P.E. before. What about it do you like? Do you like running and jumping or is there a particular sport you've caught a liking to?"
"I like dancing! Also archery was quite fun, too! Running is also fun when it's around the track. Every thing else is okay, I guess."
"Hm, okay. Understood," he mumbles. "Now, these questions pertain more to your home life. If you don't feel comfortable answering or don't know the answer, don't worry, we can simply skip over it."
"Okay."
"Alright, now, Oren, do your parents work, and what are their jobs?"
"Daddy works for a big company but I don't really know what he does. Momma works at a bookstore on the weekends and usually stays at home with Vika, Nabile and I."
"What do you usually eat in a week? How often do your parents cook at home or eat out at a restaurant?"
"Um, we usually eat at home every day. Mom and dad make dinner most nights. The last time we went to a restaurant was about a month ago but... we never really go out to eat anywhere."
"Do you have a nanny or butler at home that live with you?"
"N-no. We have a babysitter for Friday nights but she's only there for a few hours."
"Have you had a tutor before?"
"No."
"Have you had any classes for etiquette or behavioral lessons?"
"No."
"Okay. Do you have any pets?"
"We have a few koi fish in the pond and a fish tank inside but daddy's allergic to fur so we don't have a cat or dog."
"How often do your parents sit down to do homework with you and who usually helps you?"
"Usually mommy helps me after school every day, but some days, when mommy's not home, I wait for daddy to get home to help me. Daddy's really good at math so he usually double checks my math homework every night, though."
"Do you do any activities outside of school like play an instrument or sport? Maybe a book club, or something of the sort?"
"I go to mommy's baking club every Thursday and her yoga classes on Tuesday. Daddy usually does a baseball game once every month that he brings me but other than that, nothing on my own."
"How often do you read by yourself?"
"It depends on what I'm reading. Sometimes I read a lot of books in a couple of days and other times I focus more on other things like arts and crafts or playing outside."
He takes a few minutes to write everything down, flipping back through the last pages and then pulling out a bunch of stapled papers from his folder.
"Here you go. This is your test. The way it works, the farther you get into the test, the harder these questions get. Now, to pass this test, you need to answer everything on the first four pages and everything after that can be left blank if you want to. You can also attempt at solving or answering those more difficult questions but in the end, those first four pages are the most important so focus on those. Good luck."
"Thank you," I whisper back to him as he slides the test in front of me with a pencil he pulled out of nowhere. The packet seemed incredibly dense which makes me wonder who this packet is given to. Javier stands up from his seat with the folder tucked under his arm and his tea cup in his hand. He moves across the room to a couch with a stack of books next to it and he immediately sits down and opens his folder back up to write in it.
Remembering back to my little conversation in the car, I breathe in and out, preparing myself for whatever is on the test. Mom said to do my best and I am going to give it my all.
I put my name at the top and start reading through each page, scanning the types of questions I'm being asked. At the top of each page is a number with a dash and a letter next to it. I flip through most of the packet to the end where every few pages the number and letter changes to something different.I'm not really paying attention to the questions at this point but I also start to notice that the questions get longer and more space is added to answer the question. Some of the questions also include diagrams or pictures which intrigues me. The last page has a simple question that even I could answer and I notice that the letter and number change back to one of the lower values.
The question asks what a line was. I answer it quickly enough so I wouldn't forget and turn the packet over to the front and officially begin the first four pages.
The first page is simply math questions like addition and subtraction. One of the questions at the bottom asks about multiplication and since it was a simple problem, I solve it easily enough. The next page is full of questions about history like dates for the Black Plague and questions about Rome and Caeser. The next page is a writing page which is mostly prompts for sentences and spelling, like "Write a short rhyming poem using the words 'blank' and 'blank'" or "Spell five words that start with the letter R and end with an -ing". The last page asks about science questions like plants and mammals and ecosystems. It seemed simple enough and I move onto the fifth page which was more math, just like the first page but with multiplication.
Although we weren't learning multiplication yet at school, dad had sat down with me and began doing the tables and helping me memorize them in my free time so it wasn't too difficult to answer a page full of multiplication and division questions. The next page was also another page of history. Some of it, I hadn't quite learned but I did my best in answering what I did know with details. The next page was only two questions but they each required me to write a summary for a small piece of text on the top of the page, one that described the main character and the other that described the setting of the text. The last page was more science but because I didn't really know any of the answers, I moved on and continued on with the next page of math. Before I knew it, I was already on the tenth page, answering more questions about the history of the Civil wars and Pacifica's independence.
At that point, I decided to go back and check my answers on the other pages, adding more detail to any answers that seemed too lacking. When I finished, I took a big sip from my lemonade and stood up, tip-toeing over to Javier who was leaning back in his chair and grading a paper. When he noticed me, he looked up and put the pen down.
"Are you finally finished?"
"Yes. I did my best to answer as many questions as I could. I got to page ten but didn't fill out one page because I didn't really know any of the questions," I replied honestly. I held the test out shakily, waiting for him to grab it. When he did, the first thing he did was flip it over to the back and smile. He immediately clicked his pen and put a little star next to it. He flipped it back over and went through the packet, adding little stars and lines here and there. When he finally finished, my legs were sore from standing in front of him for so long. He stood and stretched he arms a bit before leaning down and patting me on the head.
"What a pleasant surprise, Miss Oren. Even though you just started school, you're already doing third year work. Who taught you multiplication and division? Their teaching really paid off."
"My dad did."
He laughs deep in his chest, before a wide smile stretches across his face.
"Nigel Riviera, huh? Who knew. I knew your old man when we went to the academy together. He was really bad at everything but math. Well, you certainly are your father's daughter. You passed with flying colors. I'm going to talk with your mother and see if I can start tutoring you. Please sit in here for a few minutes. Lenard will be in shortly to wait with you."
Javier saunters out of the room, shaking his head and tapping on the test with a slight huff. I move back to my spot at the table and sip at my lemonade when Lenard comes back in with another drink in hand and a smile on his face.
"Here you go, Miss Oren. Your mother told me to give you some water instead of lemonade, so my deepest condolences if you would rather not drink it."
"Oh, no, thank you, mister Lenard! Water is just fine," I reply, gladly taking the water from him and moving my straw from my empty lemonade cup to the water. Lenard takes his place near the entrance of the room and I take this time to look around the library. There's one big window on one side of the room with a bench built into the wall below it. An entire wall adjacent to the door is just a bookcase, endless rows of books, one after the next. The table I'm sitting at is in the middle of the room, right in front of the window. Behind me is a smaller bookcase with a few recliners and lamps. On the wall with the door is the couch Javier was sitting on with a little night stand and a lamp on one side of it. The room is cozy and warm which is probably due to the fact the ceiling is pretty low and the floor is carpeted.
By the time I'm finished with my drink, the sun is beaming right into the room and mom and Javier finally come back.
"Thank you both for stopping by. Oren, I look forward to seeing you next week. Have a safe trip back home, ladies," Javier says and mother reaches a hand for me. Lenard is already at my side and picking up my empty cups as I stand from my chair and to mom.
"Thank you, Javier. Same time for next week or later?"
"Earlier, actually. I realize she has school, but I can write them a note and she'll be excused. There's nothing to worry about."
"Okay, good to know. Let's get going, Oren, okay?"
"Yes, momma."
The two of us venture down the hall where Lenard trails behind us and opens the door while we put our coats on.
"Safe travels, my ladies."
"Thank you." The door shits behind us as we step out to the porch.
In the car, mom kisses my forehead.
"I am so proud of you. You're very, very intelligent, my little darling. When we get home, we have to talk about a schedule for the rest of the year and we have to call your grandpa, okay?"
"Okay," and she starts up the car, letting the sound of the radio speak for us the entire ride back home.