Abiegni’s Letter to Her Mother
Metadata
Reference Number: BICI/SSP/CRJ1004/010
Title: Abiegni’s Letter to Her Mother
Author: Abiegni
Date: Written approximately 14/02, Year 5607 A. o. W.
Extent: One letter, two pages long
Mom,
The Branding Ceremony is less than a month away. Can you believe it? My final test is in two weeks, but my mentor says I’ll pass no problem. He says I’ve been ready for a few months now. There are so few Trainee Embers these days that he’s surprised I had to wait so long. I wonder why they delayed it in the first place…
I guess I can wait a few more weeks. I’ve been here for three years, after all.
Honestly, I’m more excited to go home than I am to pass my exam. I don’t know if I’ll be assigned to Strinarre immediately, but I hope so. If I get assigned somewhere else, I’m gonna ask for some time off to come visit. I want to see you! I want to see my friends! I can’t believe Vanille is already getting married. Make her delay the wedding until I’m back! I’ll be so pissed if she gets married without me.
I want to see Bori, too. Isn’t his birthday soon? I’ll try to get him a gift. What does he like? He’s turning what… two? Does it really matter what I get for a baby? Though I guess he doesn’t really count as a baby anymore…
Warmth above, I’ve never even seen him before. Sorry Mom, but Dad’s not a very good artist. I want to see Bori for myself. Does he look more like you or Dad? I have your nose and Dad’s chin. Does he, too?
Anyways, tell him and Dad I said hi. And that I’ll see them both soon, hopefully.
Oh, and clean up my room, please! It’s fine if half of my room is storage, but please put my bed down, at least. I don’t want to sleep in Bori’s room! His crying will keep me up all night.
Speaking of keeping me up all night… Do you remember how I said I was getting a new bunkmate? Well, I got her. And she’s a freak. First off, she’s old. REALLY old. Twenty-one. I’ve NEVER heard of a twenty-one year old Trainee Ember before. Can she even be taught anything if she’s that old?
Next, she hates it here. Completely does not want to be here. There’s being homesick, and then there’s whatever she is. I asked if she was homesick once, and she was all, “Oh, I don’t deserve to go home.” Are you kidding me? What’s THAT supposed to mean?
I tried being nice, but… ugh. Mom. She has SO many issues. And she somehow gets special treatment. I have no idea why. Her mentor is the Overseer. THE OVERSEER! They hadn’t accepted a new Trainee in a YEAR before I arrived, and the Overseer didn’t bother to speak to me for my first three months. And then she shows up out of nowhere, and suddenly he’s mentoring HER?
I hate dorming with her. She keeps me up at night. She gets horrible nightmares. Cries all the time. Sometimes I wake up to the sight of her sitting at the edge of her bed like a statue. She stares off into nothing. It’s so creepy. I’ll take her crying in her sleep over the staring any time.
She’s also a freak about her weapon. We’re trained to keep them at our bedsides. Once we’re out in the world, we’ll never know when aberrations could attack. We need to be prepared just in case they strike in the middle of the night. So of course I keep my bow right by my bed. I told her to do the same thing, but she never does. Sometimes, when I’m feeling especially nice, I’ll put it by her bedside when she forgets.
Then I wake up, and the sword is on the other side of the room. I get she’s bad at using it, but it’s like she’s afraid of it.
So stupid.
Anyways, I’ll stop here. I can hear you scolding me for being rude in my head. It’s not rude, Mom. It’s called being honest. If you met her, you’d understand.
I might not send you another letter before the Branding Ceremony. But I’ll see you soon, Mom!
Love,
Abie