Will we still remember everything we learned in school

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It's been a weird journey. 2013 and Agatha Prenderghast, eleven going on twelve, seem so far away. There's a frankly embarrassing array of photographs of herself on tables and place settings, some of which she doesn't even remember being taken. The little girl in some of the oldest ones is her but Aggie feels like she can only barely remember being her.

Six years is a long time to change. It's a long time to learn her powers, to stop being afraid, to get angry, to feel unbelievable joy, to find people, to lose them. She's gained several pets, a few piercings, a lot of different shapes of family, but she's here. Aggie Prenderghast is at her own graduation party, surrounded by family and friends. There's music playing on a speaker, food made at home and brought by guests, and a guestbook parked next to her open year book, surrounded by permanent markers to sign.

Underneath the shade of their trees, the hot day turns into a balmy evening and Aggie watches the fireflies start to blink in and out and feels like she's really accomplished something. She's made it.

Now onto the next milestone.

Comments

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"Are you going to cry? You better not cry," Aggie says, plopping into a seat next to Krem. Just to be annoying, she's drinking out of a chipped novelty mug that still says 'World's Okayest Dad.' Krem will probably forgive her, if only because this is one of those types of days where he has to.

"If you cry, then I'll cry, and then someone else will probably get in on it...It'll be a mess."

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"I promise I won't cry. This time." Krem smiled endearingly. He didn't feel particularly close to tears at the moment, but it was overwhelming. Watching her actual graduation had been a nightmare, but he was managing the party well enough.

He kissed her forehead, smiling about the mug. "Drinking anything good? Getting your friends drunk yet?"

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"I still can't believe you cried at all," she says. Her tone is soft though, not teasing. Aggie had glanced into the audience and seen Krem and been in disbelief that she could inspire that much emotion in anyone, especially when the ceremony itself had been really boring. If he looks at her and starts crying now, she's doomed.

"I'm not getting them drunk until it's dark and we can set off illegal fireworks," she replies primly. "What kind of host do you think I am?"

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"It's a big step," Krem protested, knowing she was teasing but feeling the need to defend his honor in this case. Of course the ceremony was boring. Ceremonies tended to be. But this was yet another milestone for the both of them.

They'd been through quite a few of those now. But he could hold himself together for the moment.

He kissed her hair gently. "Don't startle the sheep and goats," he protested. "Do your fireworks out in the front."

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"I was going to go on top of the roof," Aggie says, giving Krem as deadpan serious a look as she can. As if she'd really do such a thing; Aggie might be invulnerable and reckless because of it but she's not stupid. And it would upset the animals.

"I'll put the dogs in their calming shirts too. Do you need one as well?"

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Krem gave Aggie a returning deadpan look, but there was laughter in his eyes. He knew that Aggie wasn't going to do anything off the roof, though her and all of her friends were ridiculous and reckless and gloriously young. Krem was as well--well, not the young part, but ridiculous and reckless. But Aggie was also kind and considerate.

"I have one all the time, why do you think you get away with so much." There was no point lifting or moving his shirt to tease Aggie, her embarrassing transgender father and his brightly colored, fashionable binders.

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Aggie snorts and pokes Krem in the ribs. "I kind of figured that was Gannicus' doing." It probably is, to an extent, though she makes a point of not imagining such things and an even greater point of feigning disgust at any such mention.

"People keep asking me about the 'future' and I still don't know yet."

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"No one's denying that he has some kind of an affect," Krem said primly. Gannicus did much for Krem's nerves, at times, and there was a reason they'd settled so comfortably into each other, and Aggie understood that. Nobody wanted her thinking about it, but she had seen all parts of Krem's wobbling before he'd settled into Gannicus and Hild.

"Do you need to?" He shrugged. "You could always just come work at one of the shops. Or take time to just...be."

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"Well, I got into Barton." She knows there's no reason she can't take classes for whatever indeterminate period she likes but the thought of going about aimlessly is unappealing. "I know I can't change my mind or something but..." Well. Krem knows her, doesn't he? She's not that sort.