IIFIRST DAY OF SCHOOL for that second year of torture. And since we had roughly the same last name, we were assigned seats in order and wound up in the back of the room by each other. And that meant we had to collaborate on class projects. Chemistry. Another yawning class to endure. Until what? Until the day was over. Then we had homework and then we went to sleep and then woke up and started over. A gigantic baby-sitting service to raise their kids to get jobs like they did. And have kids. And let them get raised like us, like our parents were. "Some gigantic conspiracy." That guy sitting in the next row over mumbled. "What?" I asked. "Just a way to keep us all amused until we get our scrap of paper saying we did learn to write our dots and dashes just so, and we are approved to go

