Headmaster Thomas entered his vast office after Daniel had been once again situated in one of the large leather chairs facing his mahogany desk. "My apologies, Mr. Jackson. I had hoped that we'd be able to have this discussion before you attended your first classes. Mrs. Johnson, though, indicated she had a very demanding schedule today and could not delay our conference. So, how were your first two classes?" Headmaster Thomas gazed at the young boy waiting for an answer.

Daniel attempted to keep his head up to respond to the question. "Good, sir. I think I like Professor Baird very much, sir." His indifference to Sister Mary Ignatius should not be revealed, he thought.

Headmaster Thomas chuckled at the response. "Then you might be the first student ever to admit that! You will find he is a strict grader and a tough teacher. Most of the students who come in here complaining about their teachers are his. Something about bringing down their averages." Headmaster Thomas grabbed a file out of his desk and his face turned serious. "So, I presume Mrs. McPherson explained your transportation situation and attendance policies?"

Daniel began to nod, but paused after a moment. "Mrs. McPherson did explain that the school and my grandfather arranged for a driver. She also explained that I'm responsible to get out of the house on time so that the driver isn't late dropping me off." Daniel dropped his head a bit. "She said though that I would not be punished for tardiness that I did not cause."

"Very good, Mr. Jackson. You are correct. You should not be punished for circumstances beyond your control. But you should be held accountable for circumstances you cause that would result in your tardiness. Now, technically this is not the responsibility of the school, but your particular situation demands a bit of extra attention. I have made personal guarantees to your grandfather that we will handle your education from here on out with the greatest of care, even if that means stepping into situations that family would otherwise handle. I'm also expecting extra diligence on your part." The headmaster stood up from behind his desk and sat next to Daniel in the other large leather chair. "Mrs. McPherson informs me you prefer to go by Daniel, is that correct, Mr. Jackson?" Daniel nodded with a small smile. At least he wouldn't have to explain that one again.

"Daniel, this may not be an easy discussion, but I need you to pay careful attention here." Daniel looked into his eyes and nodded, shifting to the side of his chair to get a better view without craning his neck. "It probably doesn't take much to guess that you are the only student here in the foster care system. The annual tuition alone supercedes whatever stipend your host family receives for your care. You are very lucky your grandfather is concerned for your education. I understand that public school hasn't been very kind to you, has it?" Daniel only shook his head in response, but the headmaster's silence demanded a verbal explanation.

"No, sir. I've changed schools every time I've been removed or placed into a home. Older kids don't like a geek like me in their classes. I never went to school when I was with my parents." Mr. Thomas regarded Daniel for a moment. He noticed that Daniel never talked about the physical altercations he was involved in, nor did he expound on the teachers who did nothing to stop the verbal abuse going on in their classrooms, both of which were noted by Mrs. Johnson that very morning.

"Daniel, you don't have to hide what happened from me. I've been fully informed by Mrs. Johnson on your case. I know about everything, even what happened two years ago at the Humanitarian and Social Sciences Library downtown. I want to be very clear with you. I want you to come and talk to me if you are ever uncomfortable with the way you are being treated by your classmates. Your advances in school make you an easy target, even for the young ladies and gentlemen here at St. Antholian's." Headmaster Thomas looked into Daniel's eyes to make sure he had his full and undivided attention. "I seriously doubt my students will try to harm you physically; we have strict standards of how our students are to behave. But that doesn't mean that envy may not strike down upon an unfortunate soul now and then. You are not the only student here who has skipped a grade. Several of our students have, in fact. You are the only to have passed over three, but as I will talk to you about in a moment, not all your classes are on a freshman level. We've specifically designed this curriculum to help you grow spiritually, physically, and intellectually."

Mr. Thomas handed a small packet of papers to Daniel, the first of which had his daily schedule. "Based on your records, we've placed you at grade level for Literature, Social Sciences, Biology, Catechism, and Mathematics. You will be joining other sixth graders for physical education, art and music. We've placed you in these three classes that we feel will help you better socialize with other students your age. Before you ask, Mr. Jackson," Headmaster Thomas raised a finger in expectation of an objection, "Your graduation does not depend on you taking extra classes in these subjects. They are required for each student every year, but they are not content specific." The headmaster smiled at Daniel's expression of relief. "This leaves us with Latin. As we are a Catholic school, we demand all of our students learn the language of the Church. As I have no records of you taking any formal classes in foreign languages, I've also placed you in Latin I, which is also at the sixth grade level. Extra classes will be necessary to have you graduate at grade level for this. I'm certain you are up to the challenge, Mr. Jackson."

Daniel thought of objecting; his mother had taught him quite a bit of Latin. She thought it was as necessary to know Latin and Greek, as it was Ancient Egyptian. She explained that the victors of war write history; and the Romans and the Greeks won many battles. Daniel did find it prudent to alert the headmaster to his familiarity though. "Headmaster, my mom did teach me some Latin when I was very young, but I don't know how much I know or if it is what you teach. She taught me parts of several languages; she was a linguist."

The professor gave Daniel a curious look. "I'm pleased to hear you at least know a little bit. But I still want you to start at the beginning and next Monday, after you've got a grasp at what level you might be at, we'll sit down with Sister Mary Alphonsus and determine where you really belong. Is that okay with you?" Daniel nodded, satisfied with the compromise. "While we are on languages, which ones are you fluent in, Mr. Jackson?"

Daniel's face lit up with the chance to really talk about his skills at language. "My parents raised me to speak Arabic in the household. My father was an Egyptologist, so we spent most of our time outside of Cairo. I learned Ancient Egyptian from their work on the archaeological digs at Sakkara and Memphis. We spent a summer in Athens when I was five, and we had a housemaid who introduced me to some Greek. Mother continued with it even after we left there. My parents spoke English, but I think they used it only when they didn't want me to know of what they are talking. I didn't really speak much of it until after their funeral." Daniel's head dropped again and he forced himself not to release the threatening tears.

Noticing the change in emotion in Daniel, Headmaster Thomas quickly returned the conversation to a more positive light. "So that makes, what, five languages, right? Arabic, Egyptian, Latin, Greek, and English." He counted out the list on his fingers. "I'm impressed Mr. Jackson! I can only speak four. French, Spanish, Latin, and English." He caught Daniel in a proud smile. "Are you interested in learning more languages? We only require Latin, but we do teach French and Spanish you can take as electives during your Junior and Senior year."

Daniel stared at him incredulously through his circled lenses. To think someone was already planning his education for future years was unheard of in public school. He wasn't in the same school long enough to think of his curriculum the following year. His heart leapt in anticipation of so many things, he couldn't catalog them all. And for the first time, Daniel was appreciative he had a grandfather again.

The bell for the end of the third period rang long before Headmaster Thomas had finished talking about everything he had on his agenda. Before shuffling Daniel out to his biology class, he requested another meeting at the end of the school day. "Mr. Jackson, I want to let you know ahead of time that this afternoon's meeting will be including a few faculty and staff members I want you to meet. As most of our students enter at the primary level, they work through the system learning this as they progress in their education. You are getting the quick and dirty introduction, so let me know if this is overwhelming for you at any time, okay?" Daniel nodded and thanked the headmaster for his time and ran off to his next class, book bag in tow. Daniel never noticed it directly, but the man to whom he just finished speaking didn't seem to be the same stern headmaster he met this morning. He wasn't nearly as nervous about meeting him again this afternoon as he was just an hour before.