Note: This story was dynamically reformatted for online reading convenience. Mg* ped 1st cons rom inc preg anal oral mc ScFi Author: YAWN - Yet Another Writing Newbie. Copyright 2010-2011 YAWN Electronic distribution permission granted to asstr.org. Permission for any other use must be obtained by contacting the author via asstr.org. If you can't tell this is fiction from the copyright date and the story dates, you're either not old enough or not smart enough to be reading it. ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Monday, 31 August 2015 05:20 Brrt! Brrt! Brrt! Brrt! Why is the alarm going off this early? Oh, it's the first day of school - and the first day to start watching Rose for signs of pregnancy. Time to get them up and fed, then all of us to class. "Daddy, turn off the alarm! I wanna go back to sleep!" "Me too, Poppy!" "No more sleeping - this is the first day of school. Get dressed and scoot to the kitchen to eat." "Good morning, Papa." "Good morning, Thinker. Did you sleep OK?" "Like I was wrapped up in love." "You also get dressed and go eat." "We will." "We?" "Me and my baby." "How do you know you're pregnant?" "I've been checking my temperature 3 times a day so this is the right time. You can have Dr. Chambers check, but I already know I'm pregnant." "She wants you girls to come by her office after school today, so I'll wait for her opinion." "OK. But I know I'm right." "Finish dressing and go eat. It would be a bad example if the teacher and his kids were late on the first day of school." "OK. Cathy and me will get dressed and go eat." "Cathy?" "My little girl. Her name is Cathy. Molly and Sarah may not have names picked out yet, but I do. And my next baby will be Miranda." "You're planning a long way ahead, aren't you?" "Just a year. Dr. Chambers said we could have 2 babies a year." "Then you two go eat while I shave." "Yes, Papa." How can she possibly know? None of the other girls did, yet Rose is calmly, unquestionably, absolutely certain. Maybe Willa can give me an answer today. "We're done, Daddy. You need to eat too." "I'm coming, Honey." "You did that last night, Papa." "They already know." "I want to be sure they know. They worked hard to make it happen." "That they did." "We all have different names for you, Poppy. What do we call you at school?" "Mr. Wilson, the same as the other kids, including Sheila and Lily." "Why?" "Because we don't want the other kids to feel someone is getting special treatment because they're family." "But we do get special treatment." "Only at home, Sarah, not at school. Lessons will be adapted to each girl's needs and abilities but no special favors for anyone. Each student will have to work for her grades." "Will the other kids know that?" "We'll talk about class rules after everyone has been introduced. The three of you know some of the other kids, but some of them don't know anyone outside their families. The daddy-daughter dance helped some of those kids meet others, but there are still kids who don't know each other." "You're right, Papa. I saw Dr. Trang's daughter at the dance but I don't know her name." "That's why we'll spend time getting to know each other today - the usual questions: what's your name, how old are you, where did you come from, what's your favorite food, things like that. Brush your teeth and we'll go." """OK.""" "Sarah, remember to check the temperature of the hydroponic tanks. Ms. Williams will be here at 11 to give the first lesson." "They're both at 20." "Thank you, Sarah." +.No 'Sweetie'? +Not in class. I'll use your first names as I do with the other kids. Remember that I won't do anything in class that shows favoritism. +.OK, but you better make up for it when we're home. +I will. "Colonel Wilson?" "Good morning, Dr. Trang." "This my daughter, LeiLyn." "Good morning, LeiLyn. How old are you?" "Good morning, venerable teacher. I'm six years old. This is my first year in school." "LeiLyn, the other children call me Mr. Wilson. Please use that name for me. You're in the blue desk. Until all the children arrive, you may explore the room." "You not very formal, Colonel Wilson." "Only as formal as needed, Dr. Trang. I'm honored to be called 'venerable teacher', but the only teaching experience I have is teaching the finer points of war to soldiers. This is the first time I've taught children. If I teach them well this year, then perhaps 'venerable teacher' could apply." "Only great teacher hesitate to accept title. LeiLyn learn much from you. Thank you for teaching." "You're welcome, Dr. Trang. I hope to live up to your praise." "Mr. Wilson, where do I sit?" "Good morning, Lacey. The purple desk next to the blue one. The girl in the blue desk is LeiLyn. She's six and this is her first year in school. Would you help her feel comfortable here?" "Yes, Mr. Wilson. How did you know I liked purple?" "Maybe from your shirt and the ribbon in your hair?" "Oh, I forgot about those. I like you, Mr. Wilson. You're fun." "Thank you, Lacey. Have you seen Beth and Jane?" "Their Daddy is taking Jane to her class and Beth wanted to see it." "Then Beth should be here soon." Twelve kids. Twelve! How did I get in this situation? Oh yes, something about one little girl wanting me to teach her so school will be fun. +It will be, Daddy. +.It sure will, Poppy. +:I think so too, Papa. +Good job keeping your 'voices' down. Only Lily and Sheila noticed we were 'talking' and that's because they're family. Ding! Ding! "Good morning, Class. I'm Mr. Wilson. I'll be teaching grades 1 through 3 this year. Starting the school day with the ringing of a bell is an old tradition. Your first assignment is to research which countries used a bell for this purpose and what other methods were used to mark the start of the day. This assignment is due tomorrow. You should ask a parent for help, as they may know of things in your family's history. You may then use the terminal in your quarters to research our electronic library for how this was done in the country of your ancestors." "Mr. Wilson, will you always give long explanations like that?" "If I think it's appropriate, LeiLyn. My daughters seem to like the long explanations." "Your daughters? They're the triplets?" "Good guess, Martha, but they're actually cousins. I want each of you to tell me something about yourself and your family and maybe how you came to be here. My girls will go first so you can learn how they came to be in the same family. Molly?" "My name is Molly Wilson and I'm from California. When my parents were killed in car wrecks, my Uncle George adopted me, so I'm his first daughter." "My name is Molly Wilson and I'm from North Carolina. My Daddy was killed trying to protect me from the people that took us hostage. When Colonel Wilson rescued us, Molly wanted me to be in their family because we were just alike, so Colonel Wilson adopted me. Having two girls named Molly in the same family would be confusing, so I'm Sarah." "My name is Molly Wilson and I'm from Virginia. My Daddy was killed and I didn't have anyone. Molly wanted me to be part of their family so Colonel Wilson adopted me. Having three Molly's in the same family would even be confusing for us girls, so I'm Rose." "Everyone, please give me your attention." +:How'd you get us all quiet without yelling? +Tell you later. +.He was a drill sergeant, Rose. "I know it seems very odd to have three people who look alike and have the same name, but this happens often in the people who were selected for the Survival Buildings. Molly, Sarah, and Rose are distant cousins - they have a common ancestor about 100 years ago. The surprises aren't over. Next girl?" "My name is Molly Wilson and I'm from Florida. I was staying with my grandparents in Durham while my Dad was in England. Then Yellowstone erupted and the air was so bad my grandparents were in the hospital. I thought I was alone but Molly, Sarah, Rose and Colonel Wilson met me there the night my Grandma and Grandpa died. They took me to their quarters to stay until my Dad was found. He was in a hospital in England but they found a way to get him back here. Having another Molly in the class would be confusing so I'm Lily. I'm also a cousin to Molly, Sarah, and Rose." That generated more discussion than ever. I'll give them a couple of minutes, then continue the introductions. "Everyone, let's continue the introductions." +.He did it again. +:He's supposed to, he's the teacher. "Next girl?" "My name is Lacey Mason and I'm 7 years old. I'm here with my grandfather, Colonel Mason. Molly and Sarah didn't tell you because they won't boast, but they are soldiers. They're the first two Ninja Mind Warriors." Not sure if I'm happy that she mentioned that. I wanted them to be accepted because each was 'just another kid'. Maybe they can shrug it off. Someone is asking about what they've done and both of them are downplaying the their contributions. "What's neat is what Beth and Sheila did. They flew the escape pod thingy that Lily's Dad traveled in from England. They used their minds to lift it and steer it through all the ash and stuff and it went really fast." +Thank you, Molly. You diverted attention from yourself and Sarah and you just made Beth's day. If her smile gets any bigger, I think her ears might touch behind her head. +.You're silly, Poppy. +I know, I get it from my daughters. "Class, we have some more people to meet. Next girl?" "My name is Su Zhing and I'm 7 years old. My father was a scientist at Duke University, but now he also works in the cafeteria with my aunt Su Ling." "Dr. Zhing invented the tex-mex chicken pizza." +Good work, Sarah. Almost all the kids have tried that pizza and loved it. "Next girl?" "My name is LeiLyn Trang and I'm 6 years old. This is my first year in school. I'm here with my father. He's also a scientist at Duke." "Dr. Trang fixes the 'snake' dish that tastes like chicken enchiladas." +Thank you, Rose. The kids can relate to trying that and finding how good it really is. By the time we finish the girls here and the group at Dover, Melody will be here for the hydroponics lesson. Knock! Knock! "Linda, would answer the door?" "Hi, Mommy." "Class, this is Ms. Williams. She will be teaching you about hydroponics. Raise your hand if you know what that word means?" "Everyone has her hand up. Did Mr. Wilson tell you what 'hydroponics' means?" "Mommy, 'hydroponics' was on the board with a bunch of other words and Mr. Wilson told us we would get reward points if we knew the definitions of those words when he asked us after lunch. One of the rewards we can get with the points is 'flying' lessons like the girls did in the 'Origins' movie!" "It seems that you do make learning fun, Colonel, or at least there's enough 'sugar to make the medicine go down'." "What does 'sugar to make the medicine go down' mean, Mommy?" "Linda, if your mother knows the song that line came from, we can have a music lesson after lunch and you can learn a fun song." "How did you know I sang?" "An educated guess. That song has been around a long time but typically only children and singers know it. The kids because it's fun and the singers because they always have a song for kids in this age range." "I sang in a chorus at college and was a member of the Durham Community Chorale. I didn't expect a soldier to be knowledgeable in all areas, but it seems you are. Class, before the days of flavored medicines, people would give kids a spoonful of sugar with the medicines that tasted bad - which was most of them. Kids would swallow the medicine to get the spoonful of sugar. Doing vocabulary words probably isn't your favorite thing, but most of you would do them for a chance to learn 'flying' from Sheila and Sarah. Did you notice where they are sitting?" "They're in the air! Sheila's upside down!" "Do you think they can teach you things you don't yet know about 'flying'?" "Mr. Wilson, I wrote out my definitions." "Here's my list!" "Here's mine!" That worked out even better than I had hoped. I'll plan a few more surprises like that. "Everyone, please sit down." "How do you control them without yelling!" "I was a drill sergeant; I can make myself heard. Class, Ms. Williams has the floor." The possibility of growing some of the fresh foods we no longer have is an attention-getter. I see some are taking notes; that's good. I know that some don't need much in the way of notes - like Molly and her internal calendar: "I marked that for 2 on Saturday." I'll know who does or doesn't need notes by the end of the week. Even the mental note-takers might be helped by some organization. That's something to explore next Monday. "Class, time for lunch. We don't have an exact 'lunch time' because I won't interrupt learning experiences that are going well. After lunch, you get to learn a new song." And I'm very happy that we can include music. After Melody sees how excited these kids are about learning a new song, I'll ask her to do something similar for Bill Jackson's class. Maybe vocal music won't be a lost art after all. "Mr. Wilson?" "Yes, Beth?" "What happened to all the people at the base we lived at?" "They moved into the caves that are under the base. They have water from springs in the caves and they took all the food they had with them. They are also growing some mushrooms to fill out their diets." "Then they didn't all die?" "No, they're OK. Their food may be boring but they do have food to eat and a safe place to stay." "I'm glad. I was worried about the kids I knew." That's one of the more interesting meal time questions I've had. Beth seems to care about everyone. I wonder if there's a care-giver family somewhere in her lineage? Molly found at least one medical family in her research. I'll ask her to check if that family and Beth's family have any connections. I delegate as much to a group of six year olds as I once did to a squad of trained soldiers - what could an army of these kids do? "Class, come sit by the piano." "Isn't that an ancient instrument?" "Yes, Linda, the design is ancient. Variations of the piano have been made for several hundred years. There are electronic pianos that sound almost as good as the best mechanical ones, but you'll learn more about how things work from this instrument than you would from a new electronic piano. This piano will also be a project for you. Later this year you will make drawings of the parts and explain how they work together." "You did the long explanation again!" "It seems that this class likes long explanations." "We do!" "Ms. Williams, I printed a copy of the sheet music from our library. The kids also have copies. You're free to explain music symbols and terminology or just to teach the song. Your choice." "At one point I considered being a music teacher, so I'll do the explanations after we sing. Class, this song is from an old story called 'Mary Poppins'. Have any of you read it?" "My Dad read it to me and I remember the part about sugar and medicine. I didn't know there was a song." "They made a movie of that story and the song was in the movie. I'll play through the music and sing one verse, then you can join in." She has a great voice and the kids are caught up in the magic of music. We need to make her a permanent part of the school staff. "That was fun! Can we do it again tomorrow?" "I don't know what Colonel Wilson has planned." "I was hoping they would ask you so you'd find it harder to say 'no'. I can arrange time for music as many days as you are available." "Since I'll be here three days a week for the hydroponics lessons as part of my job, I can add 30 minutes or an hour to that for music." "Thank you. I'll schedule other things so they don't conflict with music time. Bill Jackson's class would probably enjoy music as well. He's three doors down on the other side of the hall." "I've just been 'volunteered' by an expert, Colonel. Would now be a good time to speak with him?" "Yes, and here are more copies of the song." "How did I get into this situation?" "You volunteered to give hydroponics lessons." "So I did. This group is the most interested and attentive class I've ever had - and they asked some of the best questions I've received. Thanks for asking me." "Thank you for coming and we look forward to seeing you again on Wednesday." "If you haven't turned in your list of definitions, you have 10 minutes until school ends today." "But we haven't been here very long!" "Lacey, look at the clock and tell me how long you've been here." "Almost 7 hours? But it didn't seem that long." "You did interesting things so you didn't notice how long you were here. I can't promise every day will be this much fun, but I'll try to have something fun for part of every day." Ding! Ding! "We have to find out about the bell for tomorrow." "Thank you, Mr. Wilson." "You're welcome, Molly in Oregon." Thanks and hugs on the first day of school? Maybe I am in the right place. We'll know more when the standardized testing is done later in the school year. The only comparisons will be between the classes here and those at the other Survival Buildings - I guess that may be as much an evaluation of the teachers as of the students. We'll be doing the three R's plus some 'new' geography - from the satellite images, much of California is now an island and Louisiana is mostly under water, as are parts of the East Coast. "Daddy, can we go workout in the weight room?" "Not today. All three of you have appointments with Dr. Chambers. After that, at least two of you must rest." "At least two of us, Poppy? Is Rose pregnant?" "She tells me that she is, although neither you nor Molly had any signs in the first 12 hours. Dr. Chambers can answer that for us." "I am and it's a little girl. Her name is Cathy." "You already have a name picked out?" "Yes, Molly - and my next child will be named Miranda." "Sarah, me and you gotta pick out names for our babies!" "We can do that while we rest. I got a book '1000 Names for Baby' from the library." "Inside, girls." "Hello, Colonel. I see you have the whole group with you. Anything I need to know?" "Rose told me this morning that she's pregnant, it's a little girl, and the baby will be named Cathy." "Rose, I like the name 'Cathy' - it was my mother's name. If you are pregnant, it will take a while for me to verify that this early in the pregnancy. I need a urine sample - here's a cup and there's the restroom. When you finish, I'll get a blood sample. Those can be tested while I check Molly and Sarah." "OK, but I already know." "George, is she always that sure of herself?" "She's usually quietly confident, but she appears to be absolutely certain about this. That's why she's here." "Dr. Chambers, here's the pee cup." "Thank you, Rose. I need to stick the vein in your arm for this." "Hold my hand, Papa? I don't like needles." "Of course, Rose." "That didn't hurt like I thought it would." "Maybe I did a proper stick or maybe having someone holding your hand makes a difference." "Maybe both." "Molly, you come on back with me. George, you should know all that's going on with her." "Right behind you." "Your ultrasound looks good, Molly. I thought you might be putting on weight from inactivity but the babies are growing much faster than we expected. You'll probably be on bed rest in a couple of weeks." "But you said 3 months." "That was before we knew how fast your babies would grow - or that you would have 3 babies in you. Three babies makes things much more complicated. We have to take all the babies at the same time because it wouldn't be safe for you to have two C-sections a couple of weeks apart. That means the single baby will not be as developed as the twins and will need more care, probably spending a couple of weeks in the NICU until she's mature enough to be cared for at home." "What's a Nick You?" "N I C U is an acronym for Neo-natal Intensive Care Unit. It's a special place in the hospital for babies who need extra care." "Won't I miss school if I'm in bed all day?" "No, Honey. We'll set up a TV link like the one we use with the kids in England. You'll be another remote student, you'll just be 'remote' in the same building." "But I wanna be in class and do all the stuff the other kids do!" "Whose choice was getting pregnant, Molly?" "Mine, Daddy. I remember, you told me things might not work out perfect. Will I have to stay on remote school to take care of the babies?" "No, Molly. We've arranged for nurses to help with the care of all the babies so their mothers can go back to regular school. Since your body won't be ready to breast feed the babies, you won't have to be there for every feeding. There will also be nurses to handle the night feedings - we want our young mothers to do well in school and they need their sleep to do that." "Wow, Dr. Chambers, you do the long explanations like Daddy does!" "He told me that you girls seem to like long explanations." "We do." "Your Daddy can plan for the changes needed in your schedule to allow for you to be a remote student." "Sarah, your turn." "OK, Poppy." "Your little girl is also growing very fast, but I think you might make 4 months before delivery." "Rose, your turn." "Yes, Papa." "Let me pull up the lab results. Hmm, that's interesting. Let me check you with the ultrasound, Rose." "Not there, Dr. Chambers, over here." "You're right, Rose. You are pregnant, it's probably a little girl, and you knew exactly where to find her." "How did she know, Willa?" "I'm not sure how she knows, George, but she's absolutely correct. Is there a chance she has connections to a medical family?" "I don't know, but her quiet time today can be spent doing some family research. Molly and Sarah did some related research earlier, so Rose will have some names to look for." "Molly, Sarah. Rose is.." ""We know!"" "I though you would, but wanted to be sure." "But how did you know so soon, Rose? And how did your know exactly where the baby is?" "Papa thinks I may have a connection to a medical family. That's my 'quiet time' project today." "Good luck keeping their 'quiet time' quiet with this to explore, George. I'll expect Rose to have the same morning sickness as Molly and Sarah, so here's the anti-nausea medication and she needs these prenatal vitamins." "I'll do what I can to keep 'quiet time' quiet, Willa. I'm reasonably sure this will stay in the immediate family until Rose can no longer keep it 'under wraps'." "Boo on your joke, Poppy." "I like Papa's joke. It applies to you too, Sarah." "I know." "To our quarters and your quiet times, girls. You may have fruit or milk as a snack." """Both?""" "Since each of you is eating for at least two people, yes." "Molly, Sarah. Who were the medical people you found?" "It's on this list, Rose." "Thanks, Molly. Alex Johnson? Funny name for a girl." "Short for Alexandra. She kinda reminds me of Sarah - her hair is reddish blonde. Same for her little sister, Carlotta. Alex told me they were named for their great-grandmothers. I have their family tree on this sheet." "Father Wilbur Johnson, mother Maude Williams. His parents are Albert Johnson and Hannah Wilson. Her parents are Jason Williams and Marian Bradford. I'll look for Hannah Wilson. She's the daughter of Howard Andrew Wilson - he's Sarah's great-grandfather. Alex is family too, isn't she Daddy?" "She's your second cousin. Sarah, do you know the maiden names of your mother and grandmother and so forth?" "My Momma was Lucy Johnson. Her parents were Samuel Johnson and Heidi Adams. His parents were Alec Johnson and Abigail Williams. Mommy told me that my grandpa had reddish blonde hair before he went bald and he was a medic in the Army. Wait - Alex Johnson has reddish blonde hair and she's medical. I have a grandpa that was medical and he had reddish blonde hair. Am I medical too?" "Very possibly, Sweetie. Who were Albert Johnson's parents?" "Alec Johnson and Abigail Williams - I'm cousin to Alex and Carlotta twice. How do we find out if I have medical skills?" "Since you're such a strong communications and situation management person, the medical side may never have had a chance to show itself. Tomorrow we'll ask Alex how she found out she had medical skills." "Why not tonight?" "Because you need to eat, do your homework, and get ready for bed. Before you say anything, remember that I told you I wouldn't show any favoritism to family. That includes homework: you have the same rules as the other kids." "But Poppy..." "No buts - or you won't get yours rubbed." "You're mean!" "No, just being a parent who enforces the rules." "I don't like it, but I won't argue and lose my butt rub." "Alex will be in class tomorrow. I think I'll ask the girls who didn't mention a skill to tell us what they've found out about themselves and when or how they found out. Once again, I'll start with you three. I also want Molly to tell about 'reading' the skills of the younger kids and that some of the skills don't show up immediately. Beth was 7 before she moved anything with her mind - although her first move was a big one. If someone asks you to, you can 'read' them for their skill - or maybe more than one, since it's possible that Sarah has more than one skill. Because Alex has Johnson and Wilson ancestors, she might also have a skill in addition to medical. Maybe an officer in charge of a medical unit?" "I love the long explanations, Poppy!" "If you girls aren't tired of the pot pie you made - this is day three - we eat it tonight or it goes into the compost bin tomorrow." """Tonight.""" "Then our meal is easy and you'll have time to do homework." "Papa, you said we could ask a parent and use the library. Can we all ask you?" "Yes, little Thinker, you all may ask me - I seem to be the only parent here." """You're silly!""" "That too. Scoot to the kitchen and I'll heat our leftovers. While we eat, I'll tell you what I know about bells being used in schools. Then you can use the terminal to access the library - each of you will do her own research. I want each of you to find something different about bells being used in schools in the US." That went well - each choosing a different century to research. "Daddy, Rose slept with you last night. Whose turn tonight?" "Didn't you girls make out a schedule once before?" "But that was when Lily was here and we thought it would be two of us each night. What will the schedule be now?" We talked about this - the first day of school seems to have tired them more than I expected. Sorry to disappoint them, but they all need to be asleep as soon as possible. "Girls, we had this discussion and you made a schedule - one of you each night Monday through Saturday and I sleep by myself on Sunday night. You also need to make a schedule that includes Sheila if you want her to stay with us. It appears that all of you are too tired to think clearly tonight, so it's snuggles and back rubs to put you to sleep. No arguments - my usually smart girls are barely functioning right now. I'm putting 'other stuff' on hold until you all get accustomed to the early start and busy day of being back in school. I think Sheila and Linda were also tired at the end of school today - neither asked to come home with us." """Whatever you say.""" That was easier than I expected - they're too tired to argue. "Get your jammies. brush your teeth and get in your own beds. I'll give goodnight kisses and backrubs to each of you. Molly first, then Sarah, then Rose. If you're this tired tomorrow night, your afternoon rest will be expanded to a 30 minute nap followed by quiet time." """OK.""" This is the earliest they've been asleep in days. I have time to do a little research of my own on the Wilson / Johnson line. I'm almost certain there is a reddish blonde ancestor in my direct line. Back to that computer. Search for hair color. Interesting. I think I'll hold this information until the right situation presents itself. I'll treat myself to a cup of chamomile tea then I'll be off to bed as well - me in bed before midnight? I guess this was a tiring day for all of us.