That Complicated Connection, Part 4

Fall 2032 - Arcadia, North Carolina

Pine State University - Yori Hayashi is 23

This semester is the hardest he's ever had in his university life. Kat, Violet, and Baine are all gone now, graduated and moved on to the next part of their lives. And yet, Yori is still here on his own because he failed one class needed.

 

He's able to cook on his own, but sometimes when the dorm appliances break it seems like the repairperson will take forever to come fix it. And so Yori uses his mechanical knowledge to fix them himself. At least that gives him something else to think about between classes.

Kat has taken a job in Evergreen Harbor, Mississippi. A fifteen hour drive apart.

He misses her more and more every day. 

He does try to focus on his class and assignments, but it is hard.

Even doing actual work on the class rocket model is hard to focus on.

But not much longer. He's hoping it won't be much longer. 

***

 

Windenburg, Germany

Windenburg University - Lily Gates-Watson is 22

 

This fall is Lily's second year far from her family and Ethan. Life in Windenburg has been good. She has two close friends and she's getting the chance to see a city so different than the one she's always known. She wouldn't change anything about coming here.

 

But she does miss everyone. As much as she loves Windenburg, she also can't wait to go back home during the break between semesters.

Lily knows the truth about Ethan's family. Ethan trusts her enough that he's explained his dad's green skin isn't the result of a rare medical skin condition that no one has heard of. It's proof that his dad is half alien, making Ethan himself a quarter alien. He said all he knows is that the alien part of his dad's paternity came from a far planet called Sixam. There's nothing else that the Earthling part of the family can explain. They don't know anyone else with the same heritage.

Which is why one of the new dormmates this year catches her attention.

Corrine. Lily only knows her name because she's heard other people talk to her. But she has that green skin just like Ethan's dad and uncle. She can't be just another person hiding the truth by claiming to have some unknown skin condition. Lily knows there has to be more than Corrine is telling anyone.

"Do you know much about Corrine?" Lily asks Lana one afternoon between classes. 

"Our new roomie on the second floor?" she asks as she studies her next move. "I know who she is, but not much about her. I think she's from your area. San Myshuno? New York? Is that near your hometown?"

Lily laughs. "Not even close." She can't blame Lana for not knowing the distance between San Myshuno, New York, and Arcadia, North Carolina. Lana grew up in Forgotten Hollow, Ireland, and Lily doesn't know how far that might be from any other city in Ireland unless she looks it up on her phone's map.

 

"So do you know anything else about Corrine?" Lily asks.

"She has some skin condition," Lana says. "That is what makes her green. I forgot what it's called. Now, what move should I make to win this time?"

Lily wants to talk to Corrine, find out more about her, but there's never a quiet moment in their dorm or between classes. And she doesn't want to seem like she's trying to find out all of this girl's secrets.

But then one evening after leaving class, Lily finds herself crossing paths with Corrine as they head toward their dorm.

"Hey," Corrine says. "I don't think we've really met, have we?"

"Oh," Lily says, trying to look friendly and as if she doesn't have a million thoughts and questions in her head. "No, we haven't. I'm Lily."

"Corrine." Her accent reveals that she is American, and is from farther north than the southern accents that Lily knows.

"We've been in the same dorm for almost three months and haven't even talked to each other," Corrine says, grinning wide. "Sorry about that."

"It's okay," Lily says. "This school keeps me busy too. But I have wanted to talk to you."

"Oh?" Corrine sounds nervous, as if she's used to people talking with words like this, like they might have questions she doesn't want to answer.

"I'm not trying to get too much into your business," Lily says quickly. "And you don't have to respond to anything I might say. It's just...I don't usually see...people like...you." She realizes how it sounds as soon as she says it. "I'm sorry! I mean, my boyfriend's dad. His skin is the same color as yours. My boyfriend's uncle and cousin both have that skin color too. And I know...I know it's not just a disease. Is that...is that true about you too?"

Corrine looks as if she won't answer. Finally, she says, "It might be...interesting to meet your boyfriend's family."

 

"They're back home in the United States," Lily tells her. "In North Carolina. You're from San Myshuno? My boyfriend's cousin has actually moved up there. Ethan--my boyfriend--he told me that his cousin has met a man from Sixam. Do you know that planet?"

 

Corrine nods. "My dad is from Sixam. He's been here for over twenty years."

Corrine looks around. The sun is sinking in the horizon and there are other people along the paths back to their dorms or the local cafes. It doesn't look like Corrine wants to keep talking about other planets and Lily doesn't blame her for that.

 

"I'm sorry," Lily says quickly. "I don't want to get all into your personal business. I was interested in what your background might be, if maybe you're like my boyfriend's family. I haven't met anyone else like them."

 

"It's okay," Corrine says. "But maybe we shouldn't talk about this out in the open. Let's go find a place we can be alone to talk."

--------------------

An F for both of them. Ugh. But Lily at least made an A in her other class, so her GPA kept her from being suspended. Yori, however, was not so lucky. He needs to pass this last class so he can leave campus and move in with Kat in Evergreen Harbor. One more semester for him. Hopefully.

I didn't plan for Lily to meet an alien, but Corrine moved into the dorm on her own. So I thought it would make sense for Lily to be drawn to her and interested in knowing more about Corrine's life. My storyline now has that Corrine is the daughter of the alien that Ethan's cousin Sam met in San Myshuno, though Lily hasn't made that connection yet.

This is the last of the university updates for this round. Four posts to get through the different households! When Yori graduates that will be the end of the PSU updates. I really don't think I'll be using that campus anymore. It was set up before the Discovery University EP's release and so I was doing college on my own made up rules. After this, I'll be sticking to just University of Britechester and Foxbury Institute, with the occasional college experience at my made up campus in Windenburg. There is also the community college system I've planned that is done at home during that family's scheduled play session. A few households in Britechester alone is busy enough to try to keep up with!