//------------------------------// // Persona EG: A New Generation // Story: Timelines // by Dawn Flower //------------------------------// Saturday, August 31, 2024 / Afternoon I stand there, at the top of the hill overlooking the town, with the Sun bearing down on me. It is a cloudless day, with the clear blue sky for as far as the eye can see, save for the bright sphere in the centre of it all. It was a textbook example of a perfect summer day, fitting perhaps for the final day of summer before school begins once again, but for me, however, it does nothing to warm me up or reflect how I feel. I spare one more glance backwards at the home that I have known my whole life up until now – a tall lighthouse, with several extensions built on to it to make it feel more like a proper home. A Brighthouse, as I had called it, in a childish way of trying to make something so remote feel more like a home. Of course, it wasn’t the name that had ultimately accomplished that, but rather the people that had been there. Unfortunately, the sight of it did nothing to take my mind off of things, so I tried something else and looked at my phone to check the time. I immediately got what I had sought, but also instantly had my mind drawn back to what I was trying to keep off of by the wallpaper on the screen: a middle aged man, with calm blue skin, short black hair and light stubble, wearing a pair of glasses resting on the tip of his nose, and a calming expression on his face. In his arms, he held a young girl with bright orange skin, with her long, purple hair tied up in a long pony tail that she so loved, represented by the beaming smile on her face that she wanted to capture forever so she could look at it whenever she wanted. Me and dad. I choked up immediately upon seeing it. Dad was gone, and so recently that all of the hurt was still there, no matter how hard I tried to stay strong. For as long as I could remember, Dad was always there for me. Living this far from the city, I didn’t have many friends to interact with, aside from Hitch and Sprout – though mostly just Hitch. But through it all, Dad was always there for me, whether it was by playing with me when I was feeling down, or just talking to me and instantly putting my mind at ease. But now he was gone and I was all alone again. The thought alone was causing tears to well up in my eyes; however, my attention was instantly on something else when I felt something touch my shoulder. Looking over, I see a small, white butterfly, so light and delicate that I feel like I shouldn’t have been able to feel it, yet somehow I did. Simply looking at the small, delicate creature on my shoulder had an instant calming effect on me, halting my tears and even getting me to smile a little. My attention was again drawn away from the current moment by the sounds of an approaching vehicle. Turning in the direction of the noise, I see an approaching mid-sized sedan, of the same colour blue as the sky overhead. Since I was the only thing of note in this isolated area, I had a good feeling as to who it was, so I quickly dried the few tears that had formed in my eyes. When the car came to a stop in front of the lighthouse, the front door opened up and a man stepped out. He looked middle aged, around the same age as my dad, and with a similar light blue skin colour. His hair was a slightly darker shade of blue to stand out, short, and jutting out at the front. He looked rugged and built, with well defined, muscly arms, exposed by his short sleeved t-shirt. In all, he was what any fifteen year old girl would describe as a handsome man, and clearly someone else thought so too judging by the wedding ring on his finger. There was one thing about him that stood out, however, and that was the red fez that he wore on his head, which frankly, did not suit him at all. After exiting the vehicle, he made his way over to me. “Sunny Starscout?” He asked, in a way that implied that he already knew, so I simply nodded in affirmation. “My name is Gallus. I’m from the orphanage.” With an understanding look on his face, possibly from reading the expression that I was still trying not to show, he then knelt down so that he was at eye level with me. “I know that this is a hard time for you right now. Nobody should ever have to go through what you’re going through, especially at your age; but I promise you, things will get better. And I and other people will be there to help you. Understand?” I feel that somebody in his position has probably had to say something like this a lot, and his speech could likely have been rehearsed and used several times before; however, at the same time, he sounded so genuine that, in spite of those thoughts, I still couldn’t help but smile. I didn’t respond verbally, but I still gave him a reassuring smile and an affirmative nod. “Good,” he responded in kind, standing back up as he did so. “I know that they might sound like just words to you, but it’s the truth. I’m sure that you will be able to make the most of it, and even make some new friends. That’s probably just what you need right now.” He then stepped to the side of me. “Anyway, I’ll grab your bags, so you can get in the car and we’ll get going.” “Okay,” I said, responding verbally this time. While he was putting my bags away, I turned back towards my shoulder to see if that little butterfly was still there, but it was already gone, having disappeared as silently as it appeared. I then walked over to the front passenger seat and got in, while Gallus grabbed my bags and put them in the trunk. I only had four suitcases, containing the sum total of my possessions that I would be taking with me. Once he had put everything away, he then joined me in the front of the car, behind the driver’s seat. “The orphanage is in the city centre, quite a while away, so you can go ahead and get some sleep if you want.” “Yes, thank you,” I responded. I was already feeling calm around him, but I still wasn’t really in the mood to talk at length of what he implied was a long journey, or to sit in an uncomfortable silence, so as he turned the key in the ignition and started the car, I rested my head against the seat, getting one last look at the Brighthouse as I did so, and fell asleep. --- The world around me appeared blurry before coming into focus. As I looked around at my surroundings, I appeared to be in a circular room, with bookshelves full of books lining the walls, and each bookshelf separated by a window to the outside. However, there was nothing beyond the windows outside but a deep blue that looked like it stretched on forever. In the centre of the room, from floor to ceiling stretched a large glass tube, with a bright, colourful rainbow within it. “Welcome.” I’m immediately caught off guard by the voice. Looking directly ahead of me, I see a man, sitting on a couch before a small table, in front of the base of the glass tube. He is a short, roundish man, with bulging eyes, balding grey hair, and most noticeably, an almost comically long nose. He’s wearing a black suit with white gloves. He honestly looks a bit creepy, but not menacing. “Who are you?” I stagger out. “My apologies, allow me to introduce myself,” he begins, in a quiet and understanding tone. “My name is Igor. Welcome to the Velvet Room.” “Velvet Room?” “That is correct,” Igor continued. “While you may be alarmed and feeling uncertain right now, I can assure you that you are in no danger. Right now you are sound asleep in the real world. This room exists in the space between dreams and reality, and is shaped by the heart of those who enter. No harm may come to you while you are here.” His calm tone of voice is doing its job of reassuring me instead of, as his initial appearance may assume, though I am still confused. “However, the fact that you are here now is of the utmost importance. Therefore, before we proceed any further, you must first sign the contract.” He then waves his hand and a stack of papers appear in the air before him before floating over towards me, with a pen beside it. “Contract?” “Do not worry. It merely states that you will take responsibility for what comes next. Your future will be entirely shaped by the choices that you make from this point on, and so you must be prepared to live with the consequences.” I was still very confused about what was going on; however, if this is all just a dream, then there’s really no point in worrying about it. I then pick up the pen and sign the contract. Sunny Starscout As soon as I sign, the contract disappears. “Excellent,” Igor continues. “Now that that business is taken care of, we can see what the cards have to say.” He then picks up a deck of cards from the table in front of him and begins shuffling them. He then draws the top card and places it on the table. “The Fool,” Igor states. “The Fool represents the beginning of a journey, and just like it, you now stand at an important crossroads in your life. You will face many obstacles and difficult decisions in the coming days, but fret not, for you need not face these challenges alone. The Fool also represents untapped potential; strength inside not yet shown, power yet unleashed. You may yet also have allies to face the trials ahead. These bonds you may choose to grow may be just what you need to help you succeed, but it will be up to you to discover and nurture these bonds.” Igor was saying a lot of things, but I honestly barely understand any of it. I was about to speak up when suddenly my vision begins to fade. “Ah, it would seem that our time together is drawing to an end. You are about to wake up. Do not worry, for I am certain that we will meet again, and when we do, you will have grown stronger.” My vision continues to fade, along with my other senses, and soon all is black. --- My senses come back and I return to consciousness as I feel somebody shaking me awake. “Sunny,” I hear Gallus as I turn to face him. “Sorry to wake you, but we’ve arrived.” He then turns and leaves the car. Still feeling a bit groggy, I wake myself up, un-strap my seat belt and get out of the car. Immediately the surroundings are different from when I fell asleep, going from a coastal view of the cliff side to an urban view of grey streets and tall buildings. A thought suddenly comes to me that since I was asleep the whole way here, I don’t actually know the way back to the Brighthouse, but I suppose that doesn’t really matter. I probably won’t be going back there again or at least not for a long time. Turning around to the other side where Gallus got out, I see a smaller building, only two storey’s tall and about a hundred feet across. Directly above the doorway is a sign reading ‘Canterlot City Griffon’s Tear Orphanage’. I do know that there are a few orphanages in Canterlot City, so I wasn’t expecting it to be huge, but I still wasn’t expecting it to be this small. Not that I really had anything to compare it to. “I’ll grab your bags for you,” Gallus spoke up, already pulling them out of the trunk of the car. Seeing him carry all four bags was honestly impressive and showed that those muscles weren’t just for show. “You head on in.” Looking back to the doorway of the orphanage, the situation was suddenly hitting me all at once. This was it; no turning back now. Taking a moment – and a breath to steady myself – I entered the building that would be my new home for the foreseeable future. Inside, the building was exactly what you would think it was. The room was a dull grey, with a receptionist desk straight ahead. There were also signs pointing to the different rooms, with a cafeteria and kitchen to the right, and a living area to the left, with stairs leading up to the bedrooms from there. There was a receptionist at the desk. She was a woman, looking like she was a bit younger than Gallus – late twenties, maybe – and I was unsure about what exactly I should do next. Should I walk up to her and introduce myself? What should I even say? ‘Hi, my name’s Sunny, I’ll be living here from now on’. Fortunately, Gallus was right behind me, even with all of my bags and spoke up first. “Hey, Gabby, this here’s Sunny Starscout.” “Oh, nice to meet you, Sunny,” the receptionist, who I now knew was named Gabby spoke up in an excitable and bubbly tone. “I’ll show her to her room, so you two can get acquainted later.” He then turned to me. “That okay with you?” I simply nodded in agreement. I then followed behind Gallus to the left, through the living area and upstairs. The living area was completely deserted except for one girl who was sitting silently on the couch. We ignored her for now and kept going. I’ll probably talk to her later. Once we reached the top floor, we walked past several rooms before we reached my room at the end of the hallway and stepped inside. The room was as basic as you would expect: a bed, a desk, a window, empty walls, and a cupboard for my clothes. “Well, here we are,” Gallus said, putting my bags down. “I know it’s not much, but hey, at least you get your own room.” “It’s great, thank you.” “Don’t mention it. Anyway, dinner’s in about an hour, so maybe you can spend until then unpacking. All of the other kids are out at the moment so you probably won’t get to talk to them until dinner.” Hearing that made me think of something. “What about the girl downstairs?” Gallus looked at me for a moment before he realised who I meant. “Oh, that’s Misty. She’s...” He looked away for a moment as if considering his words. “She’s quiet and doesn’t get out much, but she’s a good kid.” He then looked back at me with a warm smile. “I hope you can become friends with her. I think that may be just what you need right now... What you both need.” After another moment, he then turned around again. “Well, anyway, I’ll leave you to it. I’ll call you when dinner’s ready.” He then left the room. Now that I was alone with my thoughts again, the reality of the situation started to sink in again. Well, I’m here now, so the least I can do is try and make this room feel more like a home. I quickly check my phone to confirm the time; yeah, I’ve got plenty of time. I then unpacked my bags and spent the next hour decorating my room. Saturday, August 31, 2024 / Evening Dinner came and by the time that it did, I was so worn out from unpacking that I didn’t have the energy left to socialise. I met the rest of the kids at the orphanage, but I didn’t really say anything besides my name. I don’t even remember any of theirs. I hope that won’t make things awkward with them in the future. Strangely, even in my tired state, I noticed that Misty wasn’t at dinner. Did she not go? Maybe she was at the same level of energy as me. That might make her more my speed. I should try talking to her tomorrow. Once dinner was finished, I made my way back to my room. I was so tired from the events of the day that I immediately fell on my bed and lost myself in unconsciousness. Sunday, September 1, 2024 / Morning I wake up the next day still feeling a bit groggy. Despite falling asleep relatively early, I still feel sleepy and don’t want to get up, however, that’s not really anything special or related to my current events; it’s just standard waking up in the morning. I can only imagine how bad it will feel tomorrow when I actually have to get up for school. Pulling myself up off of the bed, I do some stretches to try and get some energy into my body. Since I ended my day yesterday by just falling on my bed, I’m still wearing my clothes from yesterday. I’ll probably need a shower before I go out today; there aren’t that many other kids here at the orphanage so hopefully the line won’t be too long. The rumbling in my stomach, however, tells me that I should have breakfast first. I leave my room and make my way down the hall. My room is at the far end of the upper floor, so I pass by every other room on my way to the stairs. Heading down the stairs, I enter into the living room. Since I was just passing through the living room yesterday, I didn’t really spend time taking it in then. The living room was basically where the residents could hang out and pass the time, so it was set up with several amenities. There was a television in the corner of the room, with two small couches lined parallel and perpendicular to it. There was also a cupboard against the wall, filled with an assortment of books and board games. There were a few small tables lined up against the walls and windows, likely for a quiet, solitary contemplation or reading, and a larger table in the centre of the room, likely for engaging with a group. To my immediate right upon entering the room, I again see the same girl that I saw here yesterday: Misty, Gallus had called her. She was a young girl, about my age. She has dark blue skin, with an even darker blue hair, mostly pulled to one side; combined with the fact that she was huddled up, with her legs on the couch and her head down made it difficult to make out her face. She definitely looked like she didn’t want to talk to anyone. I wonder if that was how I looked to others since Dad died. Considering that she might be in a similar position to me, and Gallus had even suggested that I try to become friends with her, maybe I should try talking to her. The other kids at the orphanage are a bit too energetic for me right now, so talking to Misty might be easier. Well, here goes nothing. “H-hey there, Misty,” I manage to stutter out, still feeling a bit nervous. No response. I decide to try again. “Um, Misty?” This time she seemed to notice and turned towards me. “Who’s Misty?” That caught me off guard. Wait, did I actually get the wrong girl? “Um, isn’t that your name?” She blinks at me. “Is it?” She responds. She then looks down again. “I’m sorry. I can’t remember.” Once I saw her eyes, I saw how hollow and empty they looked, like she wasn’t all there. Combined with her monotone voice, she sounded so... She didn’t sound depressed, as her words all came out just fine; they were just... empty. Huh. “What do you mean?” She seemed to slink further down in response, dejectedly. “I can’t seem to remember anything from before I came here. And I can’t remember anything that I do learn here. I probably won’t even remember you tomorrow.” She then turned towards me again. “But I hope I do.” She then faced forward again as she was before I spoke. Misty certainly seems strange, but not bad, and I definitely feel like she is being genuine; however, I don’t think that I can talk to her properly right now. Maybe later. “Okay, well I’m Sunny. I hope we can talk later.” She didn’t say anything or move in response, but I’m sure she heard me, and hopefully she’ll remember me. I make my way out of the living room and continue towards the cafeteria. While breakfast is going on, the other kids are a lot more energetic and I can’t get a word in edgewise. Once they finish eating, they all leave in groups, likely friendships that have been built up over time and stick together now. That could potentially make things difficult in ingratiating myself into a group here, so for now I think I’ll start with trying to get closer to Misty. Besides, outside of the orphanage, I still have my friend group of Hitch and Sprout. Once I finish eating, I put my empty plates away and make my way back to the foyer, where I see Gallus. “Oh, there you are, Sunny. Now, I know it hasn’t been long yet at all, but do you think you’re starting to fit in here yet?” Gallus has been nothing but kind to me so far, so I can’t bring myself to lie to him so I decide to be honest. “Honestly, it’s hard to talk to the other kids here. I don’t think I’ve made much progress yet.” Gallus just stares back at me for a moment in silence before smirking. “Yeah, I get it.” He looks back at me full on, like I can tell he’s about to say something serious. “Listen, I’m not blind to the situation here. Kids that come here aren’t exactly in the best state of mind to be opening up and talking about things, so they’ll mostly stick to themselves. And by the time they are full of energy and talking and doing things again, it’s within a group that they’ve built up over time that they now feel comfortable in. And that’s good, but it can make it harder for those coming later, who can’t join a group easily.” He then looked down at the ground. “Trust me, I know. I’m... actually a former resident of this place myself, so I know from experience.” I don’t really know how to respond. He looks up again. “What I’m trying to say is, I know how the kids who come here feel, what they’re going through and what they might need, but also the difficulties that come along with it, so I try to give them the freedom and knowledge they need to deal with everything.” He steps forward. “I like to think that I’m helping them, anyway. This place doesn’t exactly scream ‘welcoming’ what with its grey walls inside and surrounded on all sides by tall oppressive buildings, so it’s usually deserted around here during the day since they’d rather be out having fun, and they’re full of energy when they return, so I think it’s safe to say that I’m being helpful.” I’m already smiling. I know it’s only been a day, but I can already tell that Gallus is completely genuine in everything he says. “That goes for you too,” he continues. “I want you to feel safe and have the freedom that you need to get stronger, so don’t feel like you always have to be holed up here. I just have two rules: if you leave here, always have your phone with you so that I can call you; and be back before dark. We are in the middle of the city, so it isn’t safe to be out alone at night. “Oh, and on that first point, I should get your phone number so that I can reach you at any time, right?” He says, pulling out his phone. “Yeah, you’re right,” I reply, with a smile on my face. And I meant it. I know I only just met Gallus, but I already feel that he is someone I can trust. He’s a lot like Dad, actually; not just physically, but in how he acts and talks to me. I take out my phone and exchange contact information with him. “I mean it,” he says. “If you’re ever in trouble, just call me and I’ll help.” “Thank you, I will.” I then suddenly remember the other thing he talked to me about. “Oh, yeah, I tried talking to Misty earlier, but it didn’t go well. She said that she had trouble remembering anything, even her own name.” Gallus’ expression suddenly shifted as I changed the topic of conversation. “Oh, yeah, that’s true. When she first came here, she couldn’t remember anything about herself. Not only that, but she also struggled to retain any new memories afterwards, which as you can imagine, makes it difficult for her to do pretty much anything but sit there, which of course just makes it harder for her to get better.” He went silent for a moment before speaking up again. “However, she’s not completely incapable of remembering anything. I made it a point to at least introduce myself to her every day to try and help her, and after a while, she was able to remember my name, if nothing else but through muscle memory. “I think that you can do the same for her as well. Before you came here, she was the last one to arrive, and her memory issues combined with everyone else having already established themselves in a group made it even harder for her to get better. “I think that you can help her, though; help both her and you get through this hard time.” He shook his head. “I’m not saying you have to do it all right away – I mean she probably won’t remember you tomorrow, but if you take it a little bit at a time, even if it’s just saying hello to her in the morning, I think it will eventually help her to remember you too, and maybe even help you two become friends.” That does sound like a good idea. “I think you’re right. She seemed nice enough when I spoke to her earlier; and when I saw her eyes...” Thinking back to the look she had on her face when she spoke. “I think she might be more like me than I realise, and I wouldn’t want to leave anyone in a state like that, so...” I perk up again and start smiling. “I’ll try my best.” Gallus also smiled in turn. “Well then, I’ll leave you to it. And remember, if you need anything, I’m always here.” Suddenly the front door opened and Gabby walked in. “Oh, hey everyone. What’s going on here?” “Just helping Sunny fit in,” Gallus answered. “Awww, you’re always doing that,” Gabby said as she skipped over to him. “You really are a big softie at heart, aren’t you?” She said, playfully poking at him. “I’m just doing my job, like you should be,” Gallus replied, almost turning away in embarrassment, his body language indicating that this was how these two usually spoke to each other. “Well, anyway, I’m gonna go take a shower now,” I spoke up. Gabby turned to me. “Bathroom’s upstairs, right smack dab centre of the floor... or wall as it were.” Gallus just sighed quietly and lightly whacked Gabby on the head. “Just go,” he said, addressing me. I then turned around and made my way upstairs, passing by Misty as I went. I really did want to become friends with her, for both her and my sake, but if what Gallus said is true, I have to take it slow. I could start by simply talking to her every day, but for now, I really needed a shower. The orphanage’s bathroom had all the basic necessities that I needed, including shampoo and body wash. Once I was finished, I returned to my room and got dressed. It was the first day of September and the weather had already changed accordingly from summer to fall. For now I kept things simple with a pair of blue jeans, a plain t-shirt and my favourite orange hoodie. Once I was dressed, I made my way downstairs again, saying hi to Misty as I passed, and came back to the foyer. Gabby was now sitting at her desk like yesterday. “I’m going out for the day.” “Alright, just be back before dark. You wouldn’t want Gallus to worry about you on your first day here.” “Don’t worry, I won’t,” I say, smiling back at her. I then made my way outside. I was in such a rush that it wasn’t until I was outside until I started wondering what I would actually do today. Opening up my phone, I checked my contact list and saw that I currently only had four numbers: Hitch, Sprout, Gallus and... Dad. I didn’t really notice before just how few numbers I had. Shaking my head to clear my thoughts, I click on Hitch’s name and call him. I hear a couple of automated beeps as the call went through. “Hello?” I hear a familiar voice pipe up through the phone, and it honestly makes me calm down more. “Hey, Hitch. It’s me.” “Oh, uhh, hey, Sunny. What’s up?” He sounds kind of nervous, which starts to bring back some of my nerves. “Oh, you know? I just got settled in at the orphanage.” “Oh, really? That sounds good.” “Yeah, it is. Everyone here is super nice.” I start to calm down again. “Anyway, I was just thinking that, since this is our last day of summer before school starts, maybe we could hang out today. You know, while we still can?” “Oh, uhhhh...” Hitch started. That wasn’t a good sign. “Sorry, Sunny, it’s, well... like you said, school’s starting tomorrow and I still have a lot of preparation to do to get ready, so I don’t really have time right now. B-but I will see you there tomorrow, so we can talk then, alright?” “Oh, uhh, okay,” I respond, disappointed. “Okay then, I’ll see you tomorrow then. Bye,” he spoke hastily before hanging up. Once the call had ended, I looked back at my phone. I had been really excited about hanging out with him today. Looking back at my list of contacts, the only other option I had was Sprout. I was less excited about that. The two of us had been friends since we were kids, but unlike with Hitch, we had started to drift apart recently. Since he was literally my only option right now, I decide to give him a call anyway. Thirty seconds of automated beeps, followed by a generic voicemail telling me to leave a message. He didn’t even bother recording a personal one. He was always like that; at least hadn’t changed about him. “Hey, Sprout, it’s Sunny,” I began. I started thinking about what I should say. “Listen, uhh... call me back when you can, alright? I’d really like to talk to a friend right now. Let me know, okay?” I hung up. It was just a voicemail and I could still feel the awkwardness from it. Closing my contact list, I lazily scroll through my phone looking for something, anything to occupy my time. Suddenly, I come across an app that I don’t recognise: it’s a black square, with a red P front and centre, in a wavy-looking font. Okay, that certainly looks intimidating, and I don’t remember downloading it; and a mysterious app on a phone is never a good sign. With a flick of my finger, I delete it without opening it first. It probably would have given me a virus. Well, my plans for today are completely shot. And it’s the last day of summer and I really don’t want to waste it doing nothing. Looking up from my phone and around at the unfamiliar city, I think that I still don’t know my way around or any of the sights, so I resign myself to spending the day familiarising myself with it for the future. After all, I’m likely going to be here for a long time, at least until college in three years if not later. Plus it will be useful to know my way around and what’s around for any future plans. I put my phone into my pocket and make my way through Canterlot City. Sunday, September 1, 2024 / Afternoon My day is basically filled with me learning the sights and sounds of Canterlot City, familiarising myself with the layout so that I can know it better for the future. I start with the basics, such as the nearby street signs, and a couple of Mom & Pop shops in the area. I eventually find my way to the local mall, and it is huge. There are several stores that peak my interest, including a boutique, a game store, a smoothie stand – I buy a strawberry smoothie while I’m here – and even more. I quickly end up losing track of time to the point that I can’t even see every part of the mall before it starts to get dark and I head back. I’ll have to continue my reconnaissance of the city some other day when I have free time. Sunday, September 1, 2024 / Evening I return to the orphanage just in time for dinner. This meal goes about the same as the one from last night, with everyone else keeping to their own pre-established groups while I eat alone. I also don’t see Misty as I look around the room; she probably eats on her own as well. If so, that’s just another reason why I should try and get closer to her so that neither of us will have to eat alone. Of course, I’ll have to wait until she’s able to remember me first. I eat my dinner alone. Sunday, September 1, 2024 / Night-time When I’m done eating, I make my way back to my room to pack my backpack in preparation. Tomorrow, I’ll officially be moving on from Junior High to High School. Canterlot High: a lot of people have spoken highly of that school and have encouraged me to go there. It may not be as prestigious as Crystal Prep, which boasts the highest test scores, academic performance and graduation rate in the state, but from what I have heard people say about it, it has more of a focus on helping me to make friends and deciding my future; and with how my life is going right now, I think that’s more of what I need right now. This is going to be most of my life for the next three years, so I should at least start it off right and make it a good one. Especially since Hitch and Sprout will also be going there, so I’m already starting out strong. By the time I finish packing, it’s already pretty late and I feel tired from being out and busy all day. Once my backpack is squared away for tomorrow, I put on my pyjamas, let my hair down, and crawl into bed. I’ve done enough thinking already today; I’m asleep within minutes.