alone in Kyoto

April 2043 - Cynthia Kim is 46, Julie Kim is 9 (Robert Kim is 46, Justin Kim is 19).

Over spring break Julie and her mother take a trip to Takemizu Village. Cynthia wanted Justin to come too, but he refused. Julie wasn't sure she would go, but her father thought it would be a good idea for her to spend time with her mom.

Cynthia has been making lots of changes to the house. She's been talking about moving here after the divorce is finalized. "What do you think of the house? I bought some new artwork for the walls, and I got some new furniture. I'm still working on it, so let me know if there's something specific you'd like for your room."

Lowell College: Spring 2043

Spring 2043 - Juniors: Nate Centowski, Theo Centowski, Opal Raymond; Sophomores: Christian Andrews, Ellie Fairchild, Justin Kim, Meg Stanton, Aimee Wheeler; Freshmen: Isaiah Gavigan, George Smith, Tina Traveller, Riley Wilder, Curtis Wren.

There are a lot of relationship changes this semester. Curtis Wren and Ellie Fairchild are dating, although both of them insist it's not serious.

raised by wolves

November 2042 - Cynthia and Robert Kim are 46, Julie is 9 (Grayson Wheeler is 16).

Cynthia never thought she would be just another suburban mom. She was an actress and then a best-selling novelist. But her last TV role was over a decade ago, and its been years since she published a book. She met with her editor last month to discuss a new book, but she hasn't had any time to write. School has started, and her days are full of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, driving the carpool, and helping with homework. Even when Julie is at school, Cynthia can't focus on her writing. She hasn't seen Grayson in months, but she still can't stop thinking about him.

Lowell College: Fall 2042

Fall 2042 - Juniors: Nate Centowski, Theo Centowski, Opal Raymond; Sophomores: Christian Andrews, Ellie Fairchild, Justin Kim, Meg Stanton, Aimee Wheeler; Freshmen: Isaiah Gavigan, George Smith, Tina Traveller, Riley Wilder, Curtis Wren.

Lowell College finished construction on the townhouses this summer, and Nate, Theo, and Opal are some of their first residents. They share a three bedroom unit laid out on two floors; Opal and Theo share a room, and they use the empty room which would have been Matt's as a study. Nate has the downstairs bedroom and his own bathroom.

love story

May 2042 - Georgia London, Alison Cameron, Harper Myers, and Toby Wright are 16.

Warning: This story is intended for mature readers and contains sexual situations.

Since Alison had her baby, Georgia has been spending most of her time with her friends in Bridgeport. Her parents aren't thrilled with her going into the city on school nights, but they're so busy with work it isn't hard for her to sneak out. Her friends in the city don't have cars, but they have access to their parents' credit cards to rent a town car for the night.

Lowell College: Spring 2042

Spring 2042 - Senior: Phoebe Centowski; Sophomores: Nate Centowski, Theo Centowski, Matt Ottomas, Opal Raymond; Freshmen: Christian Andrews, Ellie Fairchild, Justin Kim, Meg Stanton, Aimee Wheeler.

This semester Matt has been trying to patch things up with Meg.

"So what do you think of college so far?"

"It's good. My classes are interesting, and I've met lots of cool people."

"I heard you're dating Christian."

"Yeah, I am. What about you? Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Uh not really. You know..."

"Yeah."

Lowell College: Fall 2041

Fall 2041 - Senior: Phoebe Centowski; Sophomores: Nate Centowski, Theo Centowski, Matt Ottomas, Opal Raymond; Freshmen: Christian Andrews, Ellie Fairchild, Justin Kim, Meg Stanton, Aimee Wheeler.

This year Lowell College has a big freshman class. Justin, Meg, and Ellie are all freshman and live in Cabot Hall, along with their friends Christian Andrews and Aimee Wheeler from Bridgeport.

total eclipse of the heart

May 2041 - Ellie Fairchild, Meg Stanton, Justin Kim, Christian Andrews and Aimee Wheeler are 17; Isaiah Gavigan, George Smith, and Riley Wilder are 16 (Sandy Fairchild is 56).

It's been more than a month since Meg and Matt Ottomas broke up, and Ellie is pretty tired of consoling her heartbroken best friend.

"You just need to meet a new guy," she says.

kaze wo atsumete

April 2041 - Cynthia and Robert Kim are 44, Justin is 17, Julie is 7 (Aimee Wheeler is 17).

For spring break the Kim family takes a trip to their vacation home in Takemizu Village. They haven't been there since before Julie was born, and Robert and Cynthia want to have a family vacation there before Justin leaves for college.

family affair

February 2038 - Anne and James Smith are 37, George is 13, John and Tom are 9, Jamie is 6, Alex is 4 (Justin Kim and Meg Stanton are 14, Riley Wilder is 13).

Alex loves playing with his big brothers and sister, and with four older siblings, there's always someone to play with.

teenager

May 2036 - Robert Stanton is 36; Meg, Christian Andrews, and Justin Kim are 12; Libby is 7; Jodie and Sadie are 4.

Meg has started spending a lot of time in the bathroom admiring herself in the mirror and putting on makeup. Her mother helped her pick out a new wardrobe and gave her a makeover in honor of her starting seventh grade.

buildings and mountains

February 2036 - Cynthia and Robert Kim are 39; Justin Kim, Christian Andrews, and Aimee Wheeler are 12; Julie Kim is 2.

For years Cynthia, Robert, and Justin Kim were the stars of a sci-fi TV show. When the show was cancelled, and Cynthia, Robert, and Justin spent the next few years traveling between the city and Takemizu Village. But after Julie was born, Cynthia and Robert decided they should settle down in Providence. They bought a beautiful home in the Forest Hills neighborhood.

Robert loves living out in the country. They have an enormous house and yard. The house includes an underground garage, a basketball course, a swimming pool, and a sauna.

Cynthia likes the quiet and the isolation because it helps her write. A few years ago she sold her first book, a science fiction novel called Contact, and she's working on a sequel called Invasion.