The past week had been a whirlwind of bureaucracy that would've made anyone's head spin. Mrs. Maheswaran had been drowned in paperwork—submitting forms, waiting on background checks, sorting through documentation of my eligibility, and filing for my Certificate of Citizenship. I'd watched her work through it all with the kind of methodicalness that made me understand exactly where Connie got her caring, and organizational skills from. Every evening, she'd sit at the dining room table with reading glasses perched on her nose, double checking every line and signature, making sure everything was perfect.
When she finally handed me that certificate, it felt weighty like more than just paper. It was proof that I existed here.
After Mrs. Maheswaran completed her marathon of administrative work, it became my turn to tackle the next hurdle. Now that I'd actually acquired citizenship, I could finally join the same school as Connie, though unfortunately, I'd be a year behind her. The problem was self-evident, I didn't have any formal academic records or transcripts from... well, from anywhere. The government's solution in this country was to do temporary placements based on a child's age, which meant they'd thrown me all the way back into seventh grade.
Seventh grade. I wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but I wasn't that dumb either.
At least they had additional testing scheduled after some time to reassess placements. I could work with that.
Being twelve meant I was currently stuck in a lower grade than Connie despite our almost identical age, which she found both amusing and deeply concerning. We sat at the Maheswarans kitchen table, the late afternoon sun streaming through the windows. Connie had her hands folded in front of her, wearing an expression of such exaggerated seriousness that I had to bite back a laugh.
"Ethan," she began, her voice taking on the tone of a general addressing troops before battle, "school is a serious matter. You can't just walk in there unprepared. Do you understand the importance of first impressions? Of establishing yourself as a dedicated student from day one?"
I nodded slowly, trying to keep my face neutral.
"The teachers will be watching you—especially because you're a new student with an unusual situation. You need to be punctual, organized, and attentive. Always do your homework. Always participate in class discussions. And never—" she leaned forward, her eyes intense, "—never fall asleep during a lesson, no matter how boring it is."
"Connie—"
"I'm not finished!" She held up a hand. "don't worry to much, I've prepared a study schedule for you. Color-coded, and of course I can give you my last years notes. It accounts for homework time, reading time, and review sessions. I can quiz you on any subject you're struggling with. We can even do practice tests on weekends—"
"Connie."
"What?" She blinked at me, and despite the serious act, I could see the excitement practically radiating off her. She was maybe a little to thrilled that I'd be going to school with her, even if she was channeling it into full scale academic battle planning.
I could only give a small smile. "Thanks. Really."
Her stern expression cracked into a grin. "I just want you to do well. And maybe it'll be nice to have you there or even reach my grade."
Before I could respond, I heard footsteps approaching from the living room. Mrs. Maheswaran appeared in the doorway and gathered our empty plates and cups, stacking them and headed to the sink.
Connie suddenly perked up, sitting straighter. "Mom! Can Ethan and I go hang out with Steven?"
Mrs. Maheswaran paused, her lips pressing into a thin line. I could see the internal debate playing out behind her eyes, the reservation she held about "that Steven boy" warring with something else. It's likely because she's never met him. She glanced between our faces, then let out a quiet sigh.
"Alright. But be back before dinner."
"Thank you!" Connie replied already up, and practically bouncing.
We began our trek through Beach City, the late afternoon sun showering everything in a warm light. I walked with my arms folded behind my head, relaxed, sipping on one of the sodas Mrs. Maheswaran had handed us before we left.
"what are you thinking about" she asked absentmindedly, seeing my thoughtful expression.
I was currently thinking, like I actually had a future to think about. I had citizenship. I'd be starting school. I had a home, people who cared about me. what did I want to do with all of that?
I didn't really know still but—
"Hey, Connie," I chirped up, still looking up at the sky. "Want to go into business with me?"
She turned to look at me, raising an eyebrow. "Business? What kind of business?"
"Don't know yet. Just figured it might be fun. We could start small—maybe sell stuff at school, or do odd jobs around town. Save up some money."
Connie was quiet for a moment, considering. Then she shrugged, a small smile playing on her lips. "Sure. I'll do whatever you want to do."
"You might regret saying that," I teased. "I could come up with some pretty weird business ideas."
"Wouldn't be the weirdest thing that's happened to us," she shot back, and we both laughed at that before touching down onto the sand, shoes subtly sinking as we headed towards steven's house.
Coming in closer though I saw it—swift movement near the beach house, blurring figures dancing across the sand. The sharp sound of metal striking metal rang out and sand was kicking up into clouds. My eyes struggled to follow as two forms clashed, separated, and clashed again.
It was Pearl. And... Pearl?
Steven stood off to the side, completely mesmerized.
Then one of the Pearls made a final strike, and there was a burst of light—a poof—and suddenly only one Pearl remained.
"Pearl!" I called out.
Both Pearl and Steven's heads snapped toward us.
"Connie! Ethan!" they said simultaneously.
Now that we were a bit closer, I could see the pleased expression on Pearl's face. Steven was practically vibrating with excitement.
"Who were you just fighting?" Connie asked.
Pearl's expression shifted into something proud. "Oh! I'm so glad you're here to see this!" She gestured dramatically, and another Pearl materialized in a flash of light, identical but slightly translucent. "This is Holo-Pearl! A holographic training partner I can generate for combat practice."
We settled down in the sand as Pearl explained how Holo-Pearl was a solid-light construct programmed with combat knowledge, how she could adjust the difficulty level, how it was invaluable for maintaining her skills.
"So she can teach sword fighting?" I asked, watching as Pearl demonstrated a basic stance with Holo-Pearl mirroring her movements.
"Oh yes! She has all my knowledge of swordsmanship, spear work, and hand-to-hand combat."
I felt a smirk tugging at my lips and glanced at Connie. She was already looking at me, and notice my expression her eyes started sparkling with stars of excitement. She knew exactly what I was about to ask.
"Imagine, just like in the books." She said almost whispering.
I turned back to Pearl and with a slight bow I asked, "Would you be willing to teach us? The way of the sword?"
Pearl's eyes lit up like I'd just offered her the greatest gift in the universe. "Would I—? Oh, I would be honored to—"
The holographic spear pierced straight through Pearl's midsection.
"Pearl!" Connie screamed.
"No!" Steven jumped to his feet.
It looked pretty grewsome, if I didn't know any better I might shout as well.
Before Pearl could even get out a word of reassurance, her form flickered and dissolved in a puff of smoke.
A gust of wind flew over us as she poofed, much louder than I'd expected. The sound echoed across the beach, and where Pearl had been standing, only her gem remained, tumbling through the air and landing in the sand with a soft thud.
Pearl would be back, so it wasn't anything to sweat over. But these two? They looked like they'd just seen a ghost.
"Hey," I said, reaching out to place a hand on each of their shoulders. "She's okay—"
Before I could finish, there was a shimmer in the air, and Garnet appeared.
"Garnet!" Steven's voice cracked.
She walked over calmly and knelt down to pick up Pearl's gem. "Pearl's fine. When a Gem's physical form gets badly damaged, they retreat into their gemstone to heal. She'll be back soon."
Connie seemed to grasp Garnets words, her shoulders instantly relaxing. But Steven, now holding Pearl's gem after Garnet passed it to him, had panic in his eyes.
"When? When will she get better?"
"Could be a few hours. Could be longer. But she will be back, Steven."
Now I had to wait until Pearl reformed. I sighed aloud, I was hoping to learn swordsmanship as soon as possible before the plot gets into full gear, waiting a day won't be too bad but still.
Connie's attention shifted back to me. She bit her lower lip, thinking, then spoke up.
"Ethan?"
I looked at her. "Yeah?"
She pointed at Holo-Pearl, who still stood motionless on the beach. "You could use her instead. While Pearl's still away."
For a moment, I just stared at her.
"Connie, you're a genius!" I exclaimed, jumping to my feet.
More like I'm an idiot but still.
A slow grin spread across her face. Steven even perked up a little, looking between us with curiosity replacing some of the worry.
I walked toward Holo-Pearl, studying her translucent form. She stood perfectly still, waiting.
This was going to be interesting.
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Yes I know methodicalness isn't a word, bear with me here.