4 Chapter 3

So, in short, preschool was easy. Very easy. It was not an unexpected development, I just hoped for something more challenging than arts and crafts and learning how to write simple letters. It was more of a place for me to spend the day while my parents worked rather than learn new things. Luckily one of the instructors there took pity on me and started teaching me more advanced subjects like science, math, and grammar. Her name was Ms. Carter, she was kind but stern when teaching.

Most, if not all of my peers did not interact with me, likely because I was learning things much more advanced than them. I did not mind since I had my parents and teachers' company instead. My mother, however, wanted me to have friends my own age, or at least similar in age to me. As a compromise, I asked if I could start first grade a year early. She agreed, albeit reluctantly and after much convincing. I think she was worried that I wouldn't be able to fit in since age matters a lot when you are in school. Atleast that is what my father said. It seems that age matters less to people as they get older.

When I walked into my first grade classroom on my first day at "Creek Elementary School" I realized this was true. Well, that and one other thing. No one knew if I was a boy or a girl. I, obviously, was neither, as I have always been. However they seemed to find this fact about me odd. Everyone at preschool probably thought this too, although I never really paid any attention to them.

At our lunch break, a girl came up to me and introduced herself as Leah. She looked as if she came from another part of the world, which I know because my father and mother talked to me about how people from other parts of the world look a bit different, though that doesn't make them any worse or better than us.

I introduced myself as well and we started talking about things we have learnt thus far and she said she could speak another language due to being from Japan. I was instantly enthralled with the idea of being able to speak another language, due to wanting to visit more places one day, and asked her to teach me. She shyly responded that she wasn't a very good teacher but that I could learn from her older brother who was in middle school.

I instantly thanked her gratefully and we continued talking about numerous subjects we have learnt.

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Afterschool, my mother was very pleased that I had made a friend. I discussed my day with her and father at dinner and she praised me for my efforts. I also mentioned that I wanted to learn Japanese and other languages and they agreed since they were happy I was making friends.

The day ended as usual with my parents saying "goodnight" to me and going to sleep.

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I didn't make many other friends besides Leah. Most were just acquaintances I was on friendly terms with. I did not mind since Leah was a good best friend to have. We talked a lot about school and helped each other study. She also showed me different books and book genres. I found myself liking "manga" and "comics" a lot. Most of the storylines felt the same but the art was engaging and interesting.

Leah and I talked about these things often throughout our time in school together. After first grade I had the option to skip a grade again but chose to stay in the same grade due to Leah. She had very similar grades to mine but we collectively decided to stay in the same grade to have as much time as possible together. She was going to a different middle school since her house is farther away from there than mine.

Being in second grade while learning about third grade subjects did have its perks, however. Leah and I were put into the same class this year unlike last year and our second grade teacher, Mr. Leon, knew he didn't have much to teach us. Thus we had a lot of free time to study on our own. It was quite relaxing since all we had to do was pass the tests our teacher gave us and he wouldn't make us do extra assignments.

Afterschool once every week I would go over to Leah's house to learn Japanese from her older brother, Taro. At first he was rather annoyed with teaching me, but quickly got over it seeing how easily I understood everything. He also did tutoring so this was a rather common occurrence for him.

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After second grade was third grade, and by then Leah and I were well into fifth grade material. Due to not having a teacher and self-studying we advanced much faster. The teacher usually has to go at a much slower pace so the entire class is able to get it. I was surprised that Leah was able to keep up with me so well. She did fall behind at points but she had a drive to learn new things, which I admired. We also studied during the summer together almost every day, which helped a lot.

Our teacher this year, Mrs. Brown, was informed of our current "situation" and did the same thing as our teacher last year. This gave us a lot of newfound free time once again. Obviously we still had to show up to class but we didn't really have to do anything except on test days. Mrs. Brown put us both at a table in the corner and we set to work. I got a lot of new books from my parents on our core subjects which helped us advance. We read things from the books and then did the worksheets in it until we understood it thoroughly.

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This trend continued for the next year. By fourth grade we had moved on to highschool subjects and our parents got tutors to help us afterschool. Our parents were almost scared at how fast we learned things but were very proud nonetheless.

I was able to learn a bit faster than Leah, even with the restrictions I set on myself, probably due to being a "protogenoi", a primordial deity. When covering our sixth grade social studies content I discovered something interesting. Gaia did indeed exist, albeit under the earth. There were several different stories about me as well. It seems Gaia made sure I was remembered, though not all of them are accurate. Some describe me as male, or as Gaia's parent, which I find odd.

Either way, I didn't tell Leah about who I am despite spending so much time with her. I doubt I'll tell anyone about who I am in this life. I don't want to attract unnecessary attention from others, so it's best to keep under the radar while living this life.

There were many "gods" who, from what I've read about them, wouldn't hesitate to try to kill, banish, or hurt me or those around me. I doubt I'll be able to die but I don't want to see my family in danger.

With that final thought in mind, I drifted off to sleep in my bed, ready to continue learning the next day.