I woke up the next morning to a single loud tone. I sleepily turn to the side and turn off my… alarm clock? Since when did I use an alarm clock, and where was my phone? I look around and realize that that wasn’t the only difference. Everything in my entire room was gray. Everything except my hair and the clothes I had on. My room was so plain.
Soon, I walked out of my room and immediately my mom screamed, “Noah, what are you wearing?!” I looked down at my shirt and jeans.
“A T-shirt and jeans, what’s wrong with it?” I ask, confused
“You know you’re not allowed to have color. Go shower and dye your hair back to gray. Then go burn those clothes.” She said in a dangerous tone.
“Okay, okay,” I say, realizing something was wrong and deciding that I should just play along for now. I changed my clothes and hid my old ones in a drawer away from my mother. I then looked in the bathroom and saw that my old cans of orange spray paint were instead gray, so I took it out and sprayed my hair to a light gray color.
The time eventually came to head to school and I climbed in my mom’s car and she drove me to school. We didn’t talk at all on the way there. However, while we were driving, I looked out the window and saw that my house wasn’t the only thing lacking color. Everything around the neighborhood was gray and colorless.
Soon, we arrived at school and I silently climbed out of the car and walked into the building. Everything was so, different. It was strange, seeing the same walls and classrooms, but everything being dark and dull. I arrived at my classroom, and again, all my friends were there, but it was different.
“Um, guys, what’s going on…” I asked tentatively.
“No talking!” Mrs. Stine shouted from across the room. Everyone turned to look at me. “Just because you’re our school’s gem doesn’t mean you get to break the rules!” She continued angrily. ‘Our schools gem?’ I wondered. I wasn’t the star student. Nate, Mikey, and Kara were all smarter than I was and they each had another skill set to go along with it. I was the just the tagalong with a knack for writing…
“Yes mam,” I said quietly as I rushed to my seat. I looked down at the assignment on my desk and it was the same one from yesterday… except it wasn’t a group assignment. The rest of the period went by wordlessly. No one said a word and it was driving me insane. After an eternity, the bell rang for the end of first period and I raced out and into the hallway, where students were all in single file lines on their way to classes, except for a few who were in a separate line toward the office. Slowly I made my way to my next class, Biology. In biology, we have black square desks and sit facing each other. This was the first time I really got to look at my friends.
First I saw Kara, her brick red hair was cut shorter and had been dyed the same color gray as mine and everyone else’s. Her shirt with dark gray with 1A written on it. She wore gray jeans as well, seemingly the uniform of the school now.
Next there was Mikey. Mikey’s normal unruly hair was neatly combed and dyed gray as well. Usually he could never sit still, but now here he was, still as stone.
Finally, there was Nate. Nate’s silver hair was dulled and his eyes no longer had the mischievous light that they’d always had. It was like someone had taken my friends, taken everything that made them, well, them, and then put them back.
The rest of the day was excruciatingly slow. Only the teachers were allowed to speak. All I did was quietly work on whatever was set in front of me. This barely changed in piano class.
“Class, work on your projects,” Mr. Sands said simply before typing on his computer. I first assumed he meant Für Elise, but that’s not what everyone was playing. Well, it was, but it was in the minor key. I tried, but I kept making mistakes, since I was used to hearing it in major.
“Quit fooling around, Connors,” Mr. Sands shouted at me after a particularly awful mistake.
“Yes sir,” I said tentatively. Suddenly, Nate moved over and hit a button on my keyboard. It began playing Für Eliseperfectly in the minor key. I look over at him and momentarily see the usual spark in his eyes again, but then it goes away and he returns to playing.
Eventually the bell rings and Mr. Sands rushes out of the classroom. I took longer to pack up than most of the others, so Nate and I were the last one’s left in the room, but as I got up to leave, I heard Nate playingSmalland turned around surprised and he slid a book toward me and motioned for me to leave with his head, apparently not wanting to talk to me. However, on my way out of school, I see a page sticking out of the book. The page said “Meet me afterschool. Same place as always.”
Soon, I walked out of my room and immediately my mom screamed, “Noah, what are you wearing?!” I looked down at my shirt and jeans.
“A T-shirt and jeans, what’s wrong with it?” I ask, confused
“You know you’re not allowed to have color. Go shower and dye your hair back to gray. Then go burn those clothes.” She said in a dangerous tone.
“Okay, okay,” I say, realizing something was wrong and deciding that I should just play along for now. I changed my clothes and hid my old ones in a drawer away from my mother. I then looked in the bathroom and saw that my old cans of orange spray paint were instead gray, so I took it out and sprayed my hair to a light gray color.
The time eventually came to head to school and I climbed in my mom’s car and she drove me to school. We didn’t talk at all on the way there. However, while we were driving, I looked out the window and saw that my house wasn’t the only thing lacking color. Everything around the neighborhood was gray and colorless.
Soon, we arrived at school and I silently climbed out of the car and walked into the building. Everything was so, different. It was strange, seeing the same walls and classrooms, but everything being dark and dull. I arrived at my classroom, and again, all my friends were there, but it was different.
“Um, guys, what’s going on…” I asked tentatively.
“No talking!” Mrs. Stine shouted from across the room. Everyone turned to look at me. “Just because you’re our school’s gem doesn’t mean you get to break the rules!” She continued angrily. ‘Our schools gem?’ I wondered. I wasn’t the star student. Nate, Mikey, and Kara were all smarter than I was and they each had another skill set to go along with it. I was the just the tagalong with a knack for writing…
“Yes mam,” I said quietly as I rushed to my seat. I looked down at the assignment on my desk and it was the same one from yesterday… except it wasn’t a group assignment. The rest of the period went by wordlessly. No one said a word and it was driving me insane. After an eternity, the bell rang for the end of first period and I raced out and into the hallway, where students were all in single file lines on their way to classes, except for a few who were in a separate line toward the office. Slowly I made my way to my next class, Biology. In biology, we have black square desks and sit facing each other. This was the first time I really got to look at my friends.
First I saw Kara, her brick red hair was cut shorter and had been dyed the same color gray as mine and everyone else’s. Her shirt with dark gray with 1A written on it. She wore gray jeans as well, seemingly the uniform of the school now.
Next there was Mikey. Mikey’s normal unruly hair was neatly combed and dyed gray as well. Usually he could never sit still, but now here he was, still as stone.
Finally, there was Nate. Nate’s silver hair was dulled and his eyes no longer had the mischievous light that they’d always had. It was like someone had taken my friends, taken everything that made them, well, them, and then put them back.
The rest of the day was excruciatingly slow. Only the teachers were allowed to speak. All I did was quietly work on whatever was set in front of me. This barely changed in piano class.
“Class, work on your projects,” Mr. Sands said simply before typing on his computer. I first assumed he meant Für Elise, but that’s not what everyone was playing. Well, it was, but it was in the minor key. I tried, but I kept making mistakes, since I was used to hearing it in major.
“Quit fooling around, Connors,” Mr. Sands shouted at me after a particularly awful mistake.
“Yes sir,” I said tentatively. Suddenly, Nate moved over and hit a button on my keyboard. It began playing Für Eliseperfectly in the minor key. I look over at him and momentarily see the usual spark in his eyes again, but then it goes away and he returns to playing.
Eventually the bell rings and Mr. Sands rushes out of the classroom. I took longer to pack up than most of the others, so Nate and I were the last one’s left in the room, but as I got up to leave, I heard Nate playingSmalland turned around surprised and he slid a book toward me and motioned for me to leave with his head, apparently not wanting to talk to me. However, on my way out of school, I see a page sticking out of the book. The page said “Meet me afterschool. Same place as always.”
