It was just turning 12.30 Professor Kathrine Black arrived at the school gates and made her way to the reception desk to ask for Ms Tran. Joan Smith who as luck would have it happened to be passing the office at that moment offered to take the Professor to Lương’s classroom.
“I am a great fan of your work Professor I just wished I would have been able to see your lecture yesterday.” Joan excitedly told Katherine as they walked along the hallways.
“Why thank you, my dear. It is always a shame when I hear that someone who likes my work misses out on one of my lectures. I will be back this way in a few weeks if you give me your details I will make sure that you don’t miss the lecture.” Katherine advised the excited history teacher who walked beside her.
“Can I ask why you are visiting Ms Tran? Is it something to do with your writing?" Joan asked.
“Why yes I need Ms. Tran's expertise in chemistry with a problem that I have come across. She was highly recommended to me.” Katherine lied to Joan.
“Well, here we are,” Joan told the professor as they reached Lương’s room.
“Why thank you my dear but I am afraid that what we have to discuss must be in private,” Katherine informed Joan
Joan took the hint reluctantly and sadly walked to her classroom. Katherine knocked softly on Lương’s door and walked inside.
Lonna was walking as fast as she could down the hallways of the school to meet up with the two older women. She walked rather than run as she didn’t want to get into any trouble by being found by a teacher running in the hallway. Much like Katherine had down just a few minutes before she knocked on the door to the chemistry classroom and walked inside.
“Ah good we are all here now,” Katherine said as Lonna entered the room and after turning towards Lương she locked the door behind her.
“Sorry my last class was at the other end of the school it took me a few minutes to get here” Lonna explained.
“Well, at least you are here,” Lương said as she and Lonna turned towards Katherine.
“I can see there have been some more changes overnight,” Katherine said to the two women in front of her.
“Yeah, I am now a teenager again as well as my race changing,” Lonna informed the other two women.
“And what about you young lady?” Katherine asked turning towards Lương.
“Well, I am now 33 and have had my name change again,” Lương answered.
“I know that this may sound strange but I want you to both answer the questions on these pieces of paper before we proceed,” Katherine told the two of them before handing them each a sheet of A4 paper with some writing on it.
Both Lonna and Lương looked at each other strangely but they figured that the professor knew what she was doing.
Lonna took a seat next to the window and started to answer the questions on it.
Full Name Lonna Joanne Rodriguez
Age: 18
D.O.B: March 29, 2006
Race: Mixed – Caucasian/ Vietnamese
Mothers Name: Dalia Rodriguez
Place of birth: Los Angeles
Lương sat behind the teacher's desk and found although she didn’t know it at that point that her piece of paper had the same questions as Lonna’s which she began to answer.
Full Name: Lương (Lauren) Trần
Age: 33
D.O.B: February 06 1991
Race: Vietnamese
Mothers Name: Diễm Trần
Place of birth: Hanoi
Once the two of them had finished they handed the questionnaires back to Katherine at strangely the same moment.
“Good, good. Now I need you to drink this before we continue.” She said handing them a small bottle of blue liquid each.
Once again the two of them looked at each other.
“What is this?” Lương asked the older woman standing in front of her.
“All in good time my dear. However, it is safe to drink I swear.” Katherine told her.
Lương turned to see Lonna open hers and sallow it one go. She seemed to suffer no ill effects and something deep within her told her that she could trust Professor Black so a second later she did the same thing.
“Now take your sheet and read it out aloud. Lonna, you start please if you don’t mind?” Katherine asked her.
As Lonna started to read out the information that she had written a few minutes before Lương realized just how much she had lost to her former teacher. Her family, her friends, her boyfriend as well as 15 years of her life. Was it really Lonna’s fault she to had been part of the argument on Monday morning, so she was as much to blame as Lonna was she thought as Lonna finished
“Now Lương could you read yours please,” Katherine asked the teacher.
Lonna now stood there listening to Lương reading out her answers and as much as her counterpart had she now noticed what she had lost. She had lost that exotic quality that she had from being something other than Caucasian like the majority of people around her. Well, maybe she hadn’t quite lost that but most of it she thought. She had lost her aunt. The woman could be annoying, yes but she was family. She had been the closest thing to a mother she had known. Then there was Mary who had become a good friend over the last few years. Lương finished with hers’.
“Now I need you both to read this out loud please” Katherine instructed them while once more handing them a piece of paper each.
“This is my life now and forever until the fates or their agents decide otherwise.” Both women read aloud and in sync with one another.
“And we are done. Any questions?” Katherine asked.
“Yes, what was that all about?” Lương asked the professor. Lonna nodded as if to confirm that was her question as well.
“Well, ladies I said I had something that may help with your situation and that was it. Two rituals in one go. The first one was a mental ritual and the second one was The Ritual of Stability we spoke about,” Katherine told them.
“What was the mental ritual you didn’t say anything about that?” Lonna asked.
“That one was the Ritual of Unforgetfulness. It means you don’t lose your memories of your old lives but allow you to use your new ones but at the same time and make it as bearable as possible for you to have both sets. When we parted I told you I would see what I had that may help you and I found this.” Katherine informed them.
“How does this ritual help us?” Lương asked.
“Simple. I know that you will continue to look for a way back to your old lives and in that endeavor, I wish you all the luck in the world I really do. However, if we had only done the stability ritual then I am not sure if that would have been possible. Now you can have your cake and eat it so to speak.” Katherine told them.
As the three women stood there, there was a knock at the of the classroom.
“Ms Tran, am I too early for class?” Both Lonna and Lương turned to each other and said “Zoey”
“Time for me to go then,” Katherine said the two of them as she started to walk to the door.
“Come back at the end of School,” Lương said to Lonna as she went to unlock the door to allow Lonna and Katherine to leave.
