We've all finished breakfast, combed our hair and brushed our teeth. Fletcher has a little backpack with everything he needs, and Andrew and I have almost everything we need on our omni-tools. Now we're on our way to school, Garrus taking extra time off today to make sure everything's set before we go to our classes.
"Now, I just want to make sure of one thing before we get too far." He stops just in front of the doors, kneeling down to talk to the three of us. "Are you sure you don't want to keep your names?"
"We're sure," I say with a smile. "We've talked about it, and we want it to be official. We're a family, so it'd make sense to all have the same name."
Andrew and Fletcher nod, and Garrus smiles a bit sadly before continuing.
"I just wanted to be sure... I mean, you don't have much left from your parents, but... if you do want to stay Cassie, Andrew and Fletcher Bishop, we won't be upset or offended."
"We're sure. Really." I giggle a little and hug him, as do my brothers. "We'll always have them with us in our hearts, but we can't just hang on to the past."
I feel Garrus sigh as if a weight has been lifted off his shoulders, and he chuckles.
"That's fair... Alright. Come on, you're already late enough as it is." He stands up and takes Fletchers hand before leading us through the doors. A big, wide-open reception area is just inside, a Salarian clerk behind one of the front desks. He's typing away, not paying us any attention.
"Sorry we're late," Garrus says. "Something happened at home that we had to take care of."
"Names?" He asks plainly, still not looking up.
"Cassie, Andrew and Fletcher."
"Last names?"
"Vakarian."
That got his attention. He finally looks up, wide-eyed, and nearly falls out of his chair.
"Oh... Oh! Y-yes, of course, welcome, I'm so sorry-" The Salarian rambles on for a few more seconds, becoming less and less coherent. He finally stands up, which knocks his chair over, and clears his throat.
"R-right this way," He says before walking towards the direction of the elevator that leads to our classes, but Garrus stops him, looking confused.
"They don't need anything, like a pass?" He asks, and the Salarian laughs.
"Of course not! Everything's all set, and they're ready to head right to class!"
Garrus and I look at each other as the clerk summons the elevator and ushers us in.
"Their classes should be on your Omni-tool, sir, so you can walk them to the door. I mean, you can go in if you'd like, I'm sure it'd be quite the honor to have you visit the class. Or your wife, that would be wonderful!" He turns on his toes to head back to the desk, and the last thing I see before the doors close is the clerk give a late pass to an Asari. I look up at Garrus, and he's laughing a little.
"I saw it, too. That's gonna end up happening a lot..." He admits, and I smile awkwardly.
This is gonna be great...
We make it to the floor with our classes, and we walk out of the elevator and into an empty hallway. Garrus looks at his omni-tool.
"Looks like Fletcher's class is first." He says as Fletcher grabs his hand. We start walking and make it to his class, but Fletcher doesn't want to let go.
"Can you stay?" He asks Garrus, and he kneels down.
"I wish I could, buddy. You'll do great, make some friends, have a lot of fun. Jane and I will be back to pick you up as soon as class is out, okay?" Garrus hugs Fletcher, and he nods a little before looking up at Andrew and I.
"He's right." I say, kissing his head. "Go on, Fletcher." He hugs us before waving and nervously walking through the doors. Garrus stands up and looks at us.
"Alright Andrew, you're next." I can hear my brother groan a little, and that makes me laugh as we continue walking.
"What, are you worried?" I ask, my arm over his shoulder.
"You know I'm just not a big fan of crowds..." He mutters, and I ruffle his hair.
"You were fine at the wedding, and that was a much bigger crowd."
"That's different! The attention wasn't on me... it will be as soon as I walk through the doors..."
I stop and hug him, trying to calm him down.
"Relax. You'll do great, too. At least you don't have to worry about fainting in class like I do." I say with a smile. He looks at me, a faint smile on his own lips.
"...I guess that much is right..." He sighs, and I hug him. After a couple seconds of that, he pulls away and looks up at Garrus.
"Andrew, you're a great kid. As friendly as can be and incredibly curious. Seriously, go and make some friends." Garrus insists, ruffling Andrews hair before he turns and walks into his class with a smile on his face and his head held higher than before.
"That worked... better than I expected." I admit, laughing. Garrus chuckles as well, his hand on my shoulder as we walk towards my class.
"Agreed. Now, Cassie, if anything happens, please let me know. If you faint, if you fall back into a memory, or if anyone tries to hurt you or your brothers." I start to object to that last one, but he holds up his hand. "I remember being in school. Kids can be mean, and it might just be worse considering... us."
"It can't be that bad..." I say softly, but I feel myself questioning it as I say it out loud.
"It might not be. It just can't hurt to be prepared." He says as we stop in front of my class. "Just please, promise me."
"I promise," I say with a smile, and he pulls me into a hug.
"Good. Now, don't get into any trouble, either." He laughs and I roll my eyes.
"Who, me?" I ask as I turn and wave, walking through the door and into my class.