April 5, 2238

Keirn,

I've always wanted to be part of something greater, but I find it difficult-- at best-- to believe that my mail is being caught in a temporal flux of some sort and sent to the future. Amazing things don't happen to girls like me, and Proper Young Ladies don't get to have Grand Adventures. I gave up on that dream long ago, when I got my first hair-comb and became a Young Lady. Mother made sure of that.

You live on Eraea? Oh, I hope you're not fooling with me, because I hope so badly that this succeeds. I am afraid to hear what you've got in your history books about my father. He is a good man, and I couldn't bear to hear that something had gone wrong. It is just as hard knowing that even if it does end up going horribly wrong, and you do know about it, you cannot tell me because of Time Streams.

I am not a silly young miss who knows nothing other than her parents, and I do realize that as we actually live here, more must be going on than lessons. That does not make this any easier to bear. I miss my home, and my friends. I miss my pets. We have a Dog, you know. They're exceedingly rare anywhere besides Original Earth, and I consider myself incredibly lucky to have one. They are amazing companions, and they always make things better. It broke my heart when Diana left, and Dog made it better. (Our Dog is named Dog. I was young, when I named him.) Are Dogs still rare in your time?

The trouble with this school is that everyone is so aware of Status. They know that I outrank them, and therefore they ignore me. It matters not that I have told them that I do not care what their parents do. It matters not that I explained that with my father away, I have no true status. What matters to them is that my father was a Governor and is a Colonizer, and therefore I am too important to require things as basic as Friends. How does one get past that? I am at my wit's end, trying to be friendly, trying to be nice, trying to be interesting. Being myself didn't work and I cannot come up with a ploy that will work, either.

So, Keirn, it seems that you and Diana are as close to friends that I have, and you are both eternities away. Her in space, and you in time. It is terrible to not have friends close by. So please, tell me what you can about Eraea. At least I know my father's mission will be a success, but how is it? Is it as beautiful and green as we have hoped?

Yours,
- Cass

27 March 2418

How peculiar! It takes long'r to get your way than my way. I'd've thought it'd be the other way roun', truthf'ly. Then, like I said, temporal holes are just a side project o'mine, so maybe that's jus' some naive perception. Also, why'r'ya fighting so hard that I'm obviously just stealing your Diana's mail? Don't you want t'be part of somethin' bigger than that? I do, I always have, Cass. This is the firs' fantasti' thing that's ever happen'd to me, somethin' I've wanted my whole life. I'm not about to lie 'bout it to cushion your worries.

That is my address, by the way. 1717 Westmoreland Drive, West New England, Eraea 179305033-221165. I did take a peek in the histor-e-book, and found your Pa listed as a prope' founde' of my home planet. Nothin' specific about you and yours otherwise though, just a passive remark 'bout leaving family behind on the old home.

Also, what are you trying to say 'bout boarding school anyhow? That there's no chance you'll fall in love with a girl? I promise, they're not so bad, girls. I mean, a bit too cagey sometimes for my pleasure since few girls my age understand what it means to have this thin' in your pants that has absolutely no courtesy for what you are doing and what amount of time you have or that you're in class and the headmaster is looming over your shoulder with a massive yardstick. But still, you don't 'pect me to think that you're actually convinced the boarding school is learnin' all the time, d'ya? I wasn't born yesterday, I know how boarding school works. Y'get time to yourself for a bit at a time.

Novels have the bit 'bout dormitories all wrong, for the record. Few folks piss where they sleep, if y'know what I mean. Why would you harass som'un who you live with? It's a fool thing to do really, somethin' that'll get you kicke' out o' most schools. So if you're left wit' just meeting new people, it's not such a bad thing. Worse than just stayin' put, but not so bad. Y'may yet meet someone more interestin' than me.

Your friend in time,

Keirn Whiting