Day 3 2667

Samantha tried to relax at least he found the door to be distasteful. Still it showed just how out of place they were. For all it was just bad paint, it still would never have been allowed in any of her old schools. That color was not to be seen in places that served the lower classes, which they were, but then it was looking like the classes didn’t matter out here, which was confusing for those classes were how she had navigated the up until then. Those rules helped her know where she was to be and where she wasn’t permitted. It was how she had been taught the world was structured. Without them there was no order no safety, or so the Laws said. It was that lack of structure as well as the threat posed by animals that made the fences necessary. Perhaps the fact that they didn’t have the fences here meant they likewise didn’t see the need for the classes. It was just too confusing, clearly there was a lot to get used to. I mean Edith said her father was a doctor and even as one that treated Adsons that would make her upper middle and so it wasn’t right that she talked to me as though we were the same, yet she had. Samantha shook her head to try and clear it as she looked around the office for some sign of where she should be, but there was nothing. It was so strange not to see a division. There was just one set of chairs in forint of the desk and a matching chair behind it. She looked at her father, and waited unsure of what to do. It would seem they were meant to take the chairs in front of the desk, but that would have gotten them fined back east, as those spots were for the higher classes, being padded and matching the one behind the desk and education staff was a all middle class, which was why her mother couldn’t get a job in a school, in spite of having the degrees needed. Steven smiled at them. “Go on in and sit, I just need to get your records and will be with you. Now nothing in there will bite, no need to look so scared.” Just why was the office troubling her? There shouldn’t be anything alarming in it, but she seemed frozen in the door. Just why would a desk and chairs be troubling? Grant nodded and moved to a chair. “Sam, come on, you need to sit a bit then I am sure he won’t care if you look closer at the books. He doesn’t look like the type to yell because you are looking at them. Books attract her more then sweets ever do, but she got in trouble for looking at the wrong shelves in her elementary school and since then she tends to be a bit to careful about it, so was most likely remaindering herself not to look.” Steven said. “I can’t see why you would get in trouble for looking at books, I assure you there are no wrong shelves here, if you see something you want to read go right ahead. No one is going to stop you.” Samantha said. “I fear that around books I tend to forget to watch the sings and wonder into the higher classes sections, which is why I am not to go to a library or book store alone. I am a bit confused as there doesn’t seem to be any such divisions here. It is a bit hard to get used to.” There that should let them know what her problem was without embarrassing them to much. She was shaking a bit as she sat, still expecting trouble, for all it was clearly not coming. Steven shook his head. “I can see dividing the books by difficulty but not stopping a person from looking at them. That is not something you need to worry about here.” Grant coughed and looked a bit embarrassed. “I didn’t even think of that and should have. No, if it had of been that it would have been better, but every thing out east is divided by the social class you are placed in. We were considered low so looking at anything in any other area would get her in trouble. It was fine to look below but never was it actable to look above. Sam there is no such divisions out here. I should have explained that to you before we got here, but I didn’t even think of it. The others often ignored them and so don’t miss them, but where you couldn’t of course you would be missing the indictors.” Samantha said. “I was thinking that, but well. It is hard to put aside seventeen years worth of lessons that tell me s not right to act like I am equal. Then where my Adsons is out of control that means there was even more regulations that I had to be able to repeat before I could leave the hospital. It is just a bit scary to not have them, to not know where I should be.” Grant nodded, understanding her fear. “I realize that now but I didn’t even think about it. No one out here is going to insist you be locked up for walking on the wrong side of a road or going into a store. I am sorry I failed to explain that sooner.” Sam relaxed more and Steven shook his head starting to understand that he had missed a lot. “No wonder my brother said that I had best not visit him as I would likely just find trouble. No we don’t segregate anything out here. Please ask when you are confused about something. There is bound to be a lot that is strange to you. Likely your questions will cause us to ask a few of our own, but it will help everyone to understand better why there is such a divide between the east and west. By all means sit where ever you want, just let me get your file, and I will be back.” He left still shaking his head a bit. That must be why they insisted that the ones who went to take the exams to teach the government classes be land owners as well as have clean tests. As well as why Stewart had found it necessary to say that Sam was his nephew that he was raising. Though it did explain why he hadn’t warned us what it was like out there. It had to have been rough on them to be there last year, but it would be far easier to have him teaching the government class then trying to keep track of an outsider. When he left Sam looked at her dad and flushed a bit. “I did realize it, yet seeing the one set of chairs just threw me. I’m sorry, it is just strange. The lack of the fence is fine, but I find the lack of signs troubling. It is just hard to believe that no one cares. They really don’t control Adsons? What do they mean it stabilizes? I thought it was always rewriting code if left unchecked. That is why I am such a danger.” Grant flinched wondering just what she had been told when he wasn’t there to hear. It had seemed best they come out here and get the house set up as she recovered enough strength to travel, but now he was regretting that choice. “Likely the doctor will be able to tell you more, but as I understand it there is an end point. It seems that there is a reason for the changes but no one aggress what it is. Therefore it can not be classified and tamed so the east feels it should be confined, as they try to confine the parts of nature they haven’t tamed. Where the west fails to see the need oh that taming they like wise seem to be less scared of the mystery that Adsons presents. Some say that is because they know what it does, but that secret is one that they hid away before bowing to the east and joining the union. I thought that was rubbish, as they have had monitors to see they were in compliance up until these last five years. However seeing how little effect those monitors had it is looking a bit more possible that they could have hid any number of secrets. The point is you don’t need to be afraid, they do not keep the care homes out here.” If only I hadn’t of let my fear stop me we could have been out here ten years ago and you wouldn’t be as ill as you are. However I let my parents convince me it would cause harm to move, that it was unsafe. I let the old sties control me even as I was saying there was more myth then truth to them. At least I was able to act before they locked you in one of those places. He got out the copy of the records he had brought as well as the list of the medications she was actually taking. Steven came back in and moved to the desk. “All right this is what we have worked out from what reached us, so let’s see about getting it filled it.” Grant said. “I have her report cards and a list of the medications she is on here. I thought I had those she was allergic to as well, but don’t see that sheet here. Still this should make it a bit easier.” Steven nodded. “If we split it up we should have it up to date soon. I will take the report cards, if you will just fill in the medicine here and Samantha you mind checking this list and filling in any allergies we missed? That should still give you time to get a better look at the books as I get your class recorded and see what we need to change. I fear given the different requirements you will have two years of high school, for all this looks like it would be your last year out east. Most of your classes will be dull credit so you won’t be to far behind, it is just some differences in regulations. Do you have a major in mind?” Samantha took the papers and said. “I wasn’t considered college martial do to my class and how server my Adsons is. Given this latest there was a good chance that I would be consider to much a danger to be admitting into a high school, but had I been allowed to complete the program there would have been a year of trade instruction included. East thought I might be able to handle office tasks so had me slated for those classes.” Steven just looked at her for a bit. “The more I hear the gladder I am that I have never been east. It sounds like I would have found a lot of trouble and I had best see that you get in a career planning class so you can see just what there is. There are no limits on you out here, so best see you get a better idea of what is out there.” Grant said. “That would likely be a good idea. The east has gown increasingly class ordered and freighted of things that can not be easily fit into a category, I regret that it took me so long to move my children out of that mess. I kept thinking it would change and giving to much wait to bad advice. I fear that Samantha is going to be lost for a bit as she adjust to absence of the restrictions she is used to.” Steven nodded. “I am starting to see that now and will do my best to see she has help with adjusting. I am glad you are here Samantha, you are going to be able to help us understand how life is in the east as we help you adjust to being here. There are some of the required readings that just make no sense out here, but I bet you have the better perspective on.” He turned his focus on the papers and they worked in silence for a bit. When he looked up to ask Samantha a question he had to shake his head as she had set her papers down but was trying to look at the books without getting up. Still best to approach it slowly so he just went with what had him look up in the first place. “I see here that you excelled in your English and writing courses. However those all appear to be technical. Would you care to take a creative write class and a class on literature instead of just non-fictional writings for a change? I think you would do well in them, and might find it a help.” The stories might be able to help her more then there words did as a lot of the writings had heroes who had Adsons, so might help her to believe she wasn’t limited by having it. Mythical studies would help as well, if it didn’t completely convince her she was a monster. It was likely to be rough but she did need the class. She needed to know what it really meant, what the government was hiding from her, even if she decided to ignore it. Samantha said. “That does sound interesting. I haven’t seen many works of fiction, many just stories about the heroism of the Founders and their struggles against untamed nature, and a few of those got me into trouble before I understood it wasn’t acceptable to laugh at killer kittens or evil trees. We did have trees in the cities, if not cats so I didn’t understand why anyone could believe in evil trees. I did get the kittens a bit better as they likely didn’t know what a real kitten looked like. I shouldn’t have, but have always been attracted to books and would climb anything to get to them, so was able to get a hold of Dad’s text books that had a few pictures of animals that were different from those in the government approved age appropriate texts.” Steven said. “I am glad to know you found them funny, we do out here which greatly upsets the monitors. I think that is one reasons they have given up on trying to place outside ones. It was just too hard to get them to stay a full year.” Samantha said. “Just picture the story being read out loud in a class full of five year olds as the images from the book are shown on the screen. Laughing really didn’t go over well, but well they are silly. I still can’t make it though Iaven and the killer kitten without laughing, though I can do better now with Jack and the forest on Nothing. This was after I had mad her mad by reading as I was too young to know how. It was a stressful year, I was glad when we moved that summer.” Steven shook his head. “I am glad I am getting this chance to know you. Go on and look at those books. I fear it is mostly just education texts and regulations, but you might find a few worth a closer look. We should be done here in a bit.” Samantha laughed but did go look at the books. Steven had to admit it was going to be a challenge. She was so different from the children he was used to. She was far too well behaved. Not something he was used to thinking, but Sam should help with that soon enough.