The Blackthorn Library! Awesome! I thought as I walked around the room in awe.
I was 2 and a half now, and had finally gained enough independence to explore the house without needing diaper changes or constant supervision.
Not being tall enough to reach the higher shelves, I looked at the handsome hardbound spines of books on the floor-level shelf.
There were books on nuclear physics, engineering, metallurgy and electronics.
How much of this stuff will I be able to understand? I wondered, as I pulled out Fundamentals of nuclear fission and reactor design, and opened the first chapter.
Wait a minute! I can read this! I thought in amazement as I poured over the equations and diagrams.
The contents made sense, it felt strangely familiar, as if I had known this stuff all along and just needed a refresher.
The clip-clopping of high heels told me that Nina had finally found me. I wrestled with the dilemma of whether to reveal that I understood nuclear physics or not, and finally decided to keep it to myself - for now. "There you are, master Xavier!" said Nina walking up to me.
"What's that you're reading?" She asked.
"What's this?" I asked, pointing to a diagram of a pressurized water reactor.
"I see you've found your father's books. That is what is called a nuclear reactor. It makes electricity from magic rocks" she said, simplifying the concept for me.
I decided to just nod inquisitively, since I had just 'learned' the alphabet.
"Well, come along, it is time for your lessons" she said, and led me out of the library.
----
I was five years old now, and discovered that I was left-handed, and physics and engineering concepts came almost naturally to me, while languages other than English eluded me.
Unfortunately, while I was intellectually capable, my fingers still needed to develop the dexterity required for writing down complex equations or drawing diagrams.
A raging thirst for putting my knowledge and the creative ideas that it gave me into practical applications, meant that I wanted to finish my "basic" education as fast as possible.
Moreover, I have discovered that I actually like the idea of being a powerful and ruthless industry mogul like my father.
To that end, I decided to practice writing and drawing as much as possible, much to Nina's consternation that I was becoming a "bookworm".
I was in the nursery, sitting at the small table, practicing my writing.
I had managed to progress to cursive writing, but my fine motor control still required the four lines of a notebook as a guide for forming the letters.
"Master Xavier, as much as I appreciate the seriousness with which you take your studies, you need to take a break and go out." said Nina, as she came in with a tray of cookies.
"I'll go later, Nina. I need to get my writing right." I said, as I carefully formed the letter 'g'.
"Come on Master Xavier, you need to go out and play. You can't spend all your time cooped up in here." she said, as she set the tray down on the table.
I cast her a sideways glance, appreciating her usual prim and proper look, before deciding that it was time to show her that I'n not exactly a "normal" 5-year-old.
"Have a look at this, Nina. It's something I came up with after reading one of Father's books" I said, as I handed her a sheet of paper with a very childishly drawn, but very mathematically accurate schematic for a jet engine.
Nina's looked mildly amused as she studied the drawing.
"My goodness! You even copied the calculations" she said, mistaking my calculations for an attempt at perfect replication of a technical diagram.
"Those are not mere copies. They show that my jet engine is capable of 1140 Kilo Newtons of dry thrust. If I manage to design a proper cooling system" I said coldly, as Nina's expression went from amusement to shock.
"Y-you've barely learned to read, and I haven't even started teaching you multiplication yet!" she said, her voice trembling.
"Sorry, Nina. But whenever I read one of Father's books on physics and engineering, it feels as if I have known the concepts all along. I don't know how else to explain it." I said, as I took a cookie from the tray.
Skepticism returned to Nina's face. "What's 15 times 3?" she asked.
"45" I replied.
"Alright, what's 2 to the power of 10?" she asked.
"1024" I replied.
"And how do you calculate the thrust of a jet engine?" she asked, her voice starting to tremble.
"Thrust is calculated by multiplying the mass flow rate of the engine by the velocity of the exhaust gases." I replied.
"W-what else do you know?" she asked, her voice now a whisper.
"Scientific concepts seem to come naturally to me, but languages don't. I can't seem to grasp any language other than English." I said, as I took another cookie.
Nina crumpled onto the floor, partly shocked, partly relieved, and partly curious.
"Anything else you have discovered?" she asked.
"That's pretty much it. There are still some things that I don't know, even in the science stuff." I said.
Nina sat and rubbed her temples, as she tried to process the information.
"Master Xavier, I think it's time to tell your father about this." she said.
"No need, Nina. I've already suspected that Xavier had some sort of hidden talent. I've been waiting for him to show it to me." said a voice from the doorway.
We turned to see my father standing in the doorway, a smile on his face.
"Father! You heard all that?" I asked, as I stood up.
"Yes, Xavier. I've been waiting for you to show me your hidden talent. I'm glad that you've finally shown it to me." he said, as he walked into the room.
"How did you know, sir?" asked Nina.
"Did you honestly think I wouldn't notice you sneaking into the library every night and pour over textbooks?" he chuckled, as he ruffled my hair.
"You could have thought I was just flipping through pages." I grumbled.
"Ordinarily I would have, but I've yet to see a 5-year-old come into a library every night and flip through textbooks instead of encyclopedias with pictures, or do so with such regularity." he said, as he sat down on the floor next to Nina.
"What do we do sir?" asked Nina, her voice tinged with pain.
I got up from my chair, and plonked myself on Nina's lap, surprising her.
"I still like your lap" I said, leaning back into her. She chuckled and wrapped her arms around me, glad that I still had a child-like personality.
Father chuckled, and stood up.
"I have a feeling that you have already decided what you want to do don't you Xavier?" he asked.
"I know that our business is nuclear energy, Father, and I am more than willing to take it up once I come of age, and you wish to retire. But I want to build something that is truly mine. I want to build aircraft, maybe even spacecraft." I said, as I stood up.
Father smiled, and ruffled my hair.
"Looks like I have some preparations to make then. Nina, I will be gone for a while. Make sure that Xavier gets a computer and teach him CAD software. Xavier, I expect schematics for at least a jet engine by the time I get back." he said, as he walked out of the room.