Mornings always came too early. At least that is what Adeliona thought once again as she got up and got ready for yet another day of school. As she got dressed into her school uniform, she couldn't help but think that the school uniform was seriously outdated. In fact, it hadn't changed a bit since her mom and dad's days attending The Bartley Montessori Private Academy. The only things that had changed since her parents' days attending the same school was the fact that her granddad had bought the school outright during her mom's freshman year. It had been given a new name and all the buildings had been updated or replaced to fit the ever-evolving building code standards that were mandatory for the safety of those with a secondary gender.
She herself had a secondary gender, like most of her family did. She was an omega. A female omega that carried something called a sigma gene, but she wasn't one of the lucky few in her family that were blessed with the tertiary gender that identifies them as certified geniuses, like her parents are. She simply had a recessive genome that meant that her future children might have that tertiary gender of full sigma, being either a sigma omega like her mom, or a sigma alpha, like her dad.
Brushing her shoulder length strawberry red hair, she imagined what it would be like to be good at things like her entire family. She wasn't smart like her siblings and was just average if not below average at most of her studies.
Applying her makeup, she highlighted her blue-green tourmaline eyes that she had inherited from her grandparents. Her grandma on her dad's side had ice-blue eyes, while her granddad on her dad's side had jade green eyes. In fact, most of her looks took after her dad's side of her family. Even the freckles she hated, she got from her dad. Covering them up, she applied her foundation and highlighted her high cheekbones that she had at least inherited from her mom. That was about as much as she had inherited from her mom's genetics. Her mom had dark auburn hair, while her dad had strawberry blond hair. Her strawberry hair was more red than her dads, which she chalked up to her German-Irish heritage that she again had gained from her dad's side of the family.
As she mused this, she finished getting ready for school and headed downstairs. Her dad was in the kitchen like usual and her mom was home for once, sipping a cup of coffee in the dining room. Her mom was the best damn baby doctor this side of the world, and that left her in high demand and uber busy with her career. She was often called to the hospital at odd hours to help deliver a patient's baby, so she was rarely home or if she was home, she was rarely awake in the morning. Her siblings, all four younger than her and all of them being a set of twins, were what greeted her after she grabbed a cup of coffee from the kitchen and gave her dad a good morning hug.
"Morning Mom. Morning brats!" Liona greeted her two younger brothers that were two years younger than her and her little sisters that were three years younger than her. She was 17 and was blessed with sharing her beloved grandfather's birthday and had been named after him and her dad. She couldn't say that she liked being born on St. Patrick's Day, but it had its benefits over the years, like getting her favorite charm of a four-leaf clover always as a gift from somebody. Not only that, but she was often told how lucky she was to be born on a lucky day, but it's not like she felt any luckier for it. If she had been lucky, then she wouldn't be so average.
"Liona! For the last time, we aren't brats!" Her younger brothers, Noah and Nolan both said as they looked up from their phones. "We're gonna be 15 in a few months, we can hardly be considered brats anymore!"
"Fine, then I'll just refer to you both as monsters. That make you feel any better?" She may tease her younger siblings, but she did love them in her own way. Especially since they were both of an age now that they minded their own business and stopped following her around everywhere like they had done when they were younger.
"Much better!" They laughed as they were likely texting their friends over the breakfast table, while her mom, Vivian, just ignored the surrounding conversation. Then she realized that her mom had her earbuds in and wasn't even paying attention to them because she was likely watching the news on her tablet rather than reading like she originally thought.
"Are you two gonna be so childish forever?!" Liona's two little sisters, Ariel and Aurora asked their older brothers.
Before things could turn into an argument, Leon, Liona's dad and part of her namesake walked into the dining room with breakfast.
"Alright, children, that's enough arguing. Electronics away please!" Leon said, halting the argument that would undoubtedly turn worse if he or Vi didn't intervene.
Setting the spread of bacon, scrambled eggs, toast, jams, and sausages; on the table for the kids to help themselves from the serving tray he had used to bring it in, he turned to lean over Vi's head, casting a shadow over her tablet until she looked up at him.
"Vi, breakfast, my love." He said once she smiled up at him and took her earbuds out.
"Sorry, I was reviewing a complicated case I've got today along with three normal deliveries and a c-section for a breech presentation, Leo, Honey." Vivi said as she set her tablet and earbuds aside.
"I know, that's why I only used a gentle reminder today. I know your job is important, but we do need to set an example for the kids, no matter how busy we may be."
"You're correct as always, Leo." Vivi sighed as she helped herself to what was left of her husband's cooking now that the kids, the horde of starving locusts they were, had finished grabbing all they wanted to eat off the serving tray.
"Is your case really bad, Mom?" Liona asked. She wasn't too keen on babies but knew that her mom had an important job.
"Yes. I've got a stage three terminal patient that is fighting tooth and nail to keep his baby as long as possible and in the meantime is refusing treatment for his own health, just because his facts about his illness and the effect of treatment on his baby came from the internet. I have to wrack my brain trying to figure out a way to save them without losing one or both due to his armchair sleuthing. I'll tell you all this, if any of you ever decide to get your facts from anywhere but legitimate sources, I'll make you all write a paper on the reasons that misinformation is harmful! Especially you, Adeliona! I saw your report card for last semester. Can't you put in just a little more effort in your English Literature class?" Vivi sighed.
"But I am, Mom!" Liona said indignantly. She hated to study, she wasn't good at it like some of her siblings and she wasn't a genius like her parents either.
"Liona, we're not asking for A's. We're only asking that you put in just enough effort to make at least a C so that you don't fail and get held back. If you're struggling, let your Aunt Emm know so that we can discuss an alternative lesson plan that doesn't get you held back a year. At the rate you're going, you're heading straight for summer school, young lady!" Leon scolded as well.
Liona huffed and shoved a piece of marmalade covered toast in her mouth before shoving in bacon and sausage as well before turning to her brothers and sisters to see if she could make them laugh.
After breakfast, Liona kissed her mom's cheek and hugged her dad goodbye before hopping in her car and heading for school. She sat back browsing a fashion site on her phone for the couple minute ride while her car drove itself. The days of driving yourself were over in her parents' era of learning to drive. Now it was almost unheard of to actually take the wheel of a car. In fact, most cars that were made now, didn't even have a steering wheel. You just programmed your destination into the nav, and it did the rest. Traffic snarls and rush hour traffic problems were such a thing of the past, it gave her an idea to write that overdue essay she had for her history class.
At school, she waved hi to her two friends, Chloe and Allison, as she headed for her classroom. The virtual display of her desk was already lit up with a tardy notice that was counting down. If she didn't take her seat and put in her biometrics before it reached zero, it would be an automatic detention since she had used up all her warnings already for the term. Good thing finals were next week, and this was dead week so it would soon reset for next term.
Putting in her biometrics, it confirmed she was here and that no one else was trying to bypass the sensor in the seat when you sat down. Now all she had to do was survive a few more months of school hell before the sweet freedom of summer vacation arrived.