I was dragged away by the Principal, and taken to the nursery area.
Even before we entered the nursery, I could hear shrieks and cries.
...Absolutely terrifying.
"Ehem, the nursery takes care of kids from ages 3 and under. Some of them already know how to control some of their powers, some are unstable, so good luck."
When we slid open the door, the first thing I saw was a diaper. Right. In. Front. Of. My. Face.
And the worse thing was that it was coming nearer.
Fortunately, I dodged in time and the stink bomb hit the wall behind me.
I turned to look and the disgusting matter was slowly sliding down the wall, creating a suspicious brown trace as it slid down.
"Haha, they're just playing with you. They must like you! You can get started tomorrow. I have some forms for you to fill out and you'll need to read them, even the fine print. Also, I'll get you the notes the previous headteacher left behind on each of the children."
"What happened to the headteacher?"
"Well, she broke her arms while a kid she was carrying suddenly got heavier because of his unstable powers. No worries, she's safe and all good."
It sure doesn't sound safe and all good...
"Until you sign forms, I can't really let you take care of these kids. It's gotten stricter because the chief's looking over everything. I know he recruited some office workers, but they don't do a thing but go over procedures. I heard from Secretary Jing that some of them actually increased workload instead."
My blood silently boiled at the amount of work that people were putting on Yu Ge.
Although he wanted to create this place as a paradise for selected people, it shouldn't make him suffer this much. He'd sleep at 2 AM at the very least and always wake up at 6 AM. And although it shouldn't take a toll on him physically, mentally it was starting to get to him.
One time he mentioned briefly that home was heaven. I might have thought too deep into it, but doesn't that sound like something a corporate worker who'd work overnight shifts say?
"Soon to be nursery caretaker Shui Lai, don't make such a dreadful face. You're going to scare the children off."
I got out of my thoughts of bashing the worthless office workers' heads to their desks and turned to look at the children who were now silently shivering and crouching away from me. One kid even tried to run away but stumbled and fell, resulting in the start of a chorus of tears.
"I'm not sure if you should take up this job."
Exactly my thought!
"It's alright, they'll get used to you. Besides the nursery section, Shui Jing has asked me to explain to you about our curriculums. Rather than the subjects that everyone had to learn, we're steering away from the traditional learning system. There will be a series of exams that will test students' individual learning formats, and what they are talented and interested in. It will be a vocational type of schooling afterward. Some children here are geniuses and others are talented in various things."
"Well, that seems quite interesting. So stupid people don't need to learn science and math but veer towards physical education or art-type stuff? And smart people go into math, tech, science, etc.?"
"...That's one way to put it. Anyway, we will also frequently have them go into internships monthly in different jobs that are required and vital in the base when they turn 16. We'll also take them for field trips outside the base since they have to go outside starting from 14 due to new laws," Mr. Principal, although he said all this in a polite manner, looked like he was complaining.
As we were walking through the hallways and peeking into some classrooms, a timid looking man quickly rushed past us and threw something at the Principal.
"Who's that?"
"That should have been our new counselor. He handed his resignation form in just now. I was hoping he could last longer. He was the 3rd one to last two months. Now I'll have to go look for another counselor. How troublesome."
Wait, this is my chance!
"Let me try. I'd rather be a counselor than a nanny."
"You're too young," Principal Ying shook his head.
"It's the apocalypse! Who cares about age as long as they get the work done! I don't even need pay! Just hire me!"
"You don't need pay? Alright, you can start tomorrow! There are more forms for you to fill out, let me go get them, wander around and go into some classrooms to get a feel of how the school's like. I'll just message you after I'm done sorting out some stuff and print out your forms."
"Ok, thank you." I sounded really nonchalant right now, but seriously, counseling sounds so much better than babysitting!
The first classroom I entered was a 2nd graders classroom. It reminded me of my 2nd grader life when Yu Ge took care of all of us and actually had the time to do so.
Then I went upstairs and went to the 7th graders' classroom. The bell rang suddenly and everyone started rushing out. I didn't bother trying to go through the swarm and stood there, dodging whenever a kid was close to bumping into me.
How nostalgic. But I wouldn't want to experience it again.
I did wander around for quite a while, and I got lost.
Eventually, the message from Principal Ying came and he came to find me.
"Here are the forms. I brought a pen and a red ink pad. Just sign your name, fill out the oath, and stamp your thumbprint."
I didn't really bother looking at the long list of fine print. I mean who would?
I would regret it deeply after.
-------------
Not long after, Principal Ying got a call from Di Li Feng, his boyfriend.
I could hear a frantic voice and Principal Ying looked at me several times during the call.
He calmed his hysterical and worried boyfriend down and then dragged me along to his car.
"Your brother is giving birth, we should get to the hospital."
I knew it was bound to happen, so I nodded calmly and got in.
I wasn't worried. The base had the technology and could counter every mishap that could happen.
And Jing Ge was strong.
I waited outside quietly as Jing Ge and Yu Ge were struggling for 4 hours.
My brother-in-law looked anxious. He didn't pace around, but he kept on tapping his foot and had his face covered with both hands. When he was allowed to see Jing Ge, he rushed in anxiously. I wondered what the baby would look like and waited patiently.
When I was allowed to see the baby, I cried.
This little girl was surrounded with such love even before she was born, and there was no doubt that she would be loved for her whole life by her parents and other family members.
And I loved her too. Her little fingers fumbled and grabbed at me. And her innocent vulnerable appearance was something that I wanted to deeply protect.
'If I can't have love, I'll just give it.'