Wil P.O.V
I sat up in my bed and yawned. It was completely silent, except for the faint sound of someone charging down the hallway. It must still be dawn, I thought. Miss Ellorie never started her work until seven.
Eyelids heavy, I stretched my legs and sat up straight in my box. 'Hmm.' I stared blankly at the ceiling, scratching my neck. Something was wrong. Then I realized, I was able to sit up whole inside my box! "What?" I exclaimed to myself. I wasn't inside my box! Flustered, I looked
Ah. I forgot. I realized I was in the camp dormitories, the same exact place I fell asleep yesterday. How silly of me. Shaking my head at my own stupidity, I walked to the desk where all my new clothes were folded neatly. Hmm, let's take a look. I flipped through the pages of the booklet I received at the orientation yesterday. "Blue...uniform." I read out loud.
Suddenly, a light-blue beam shot out of nowhere. "Gah!" I yelped and jumped back. The blue rays parted into many beams of light, forming a pattern of shapes on the wall. 'Whoah. Well, that's new.' Pulling myself together, I approached the timetable organized by the Box headquarters. Algebra on seven, geometry on eight, graph studies on nine... and so on. I guess we do nothing but study.
I put my shirt on and tied a blue ribbon around my neck. It was getting near seven. I looked over to the place where the door had disappeared. The wall glowed a bright white and melted down to reveal a busy hallway full of students.
I stepped out of my room. Students were rushing down the corridor, desperate to get to their classes. Every student was wearing the same shirt, the same trousers, and the same ribbon. I checked my first schedule. I had to get to class 1A by seven-thirty. Pushed by other kids, I arrived at class 1A.
***
"Uh...hi."
I tried talking to a boy about my age. He ignored me completely. I sat next to him anyway. I was solving some math problems 30 seconds away from class when a shadow drew up on me.
"Who are you? And why are you sitting in my seat?"
A girl with bluish-black hair stared back at me. She had a darker blue collar on her uniform.
Her deep black eyes had a commanding vigor to it. There was a confident but serious quality to her. Like she owned the place.
Everybody was looking at her..almost in respect.
I could feel that she had power over the room. She raised her head and motioned everyone to sit.
They did as they were told.
Her black eyes glared down at me. "You're in my seat new boy."
Who was this girl? Was she the leader here or something?
I got up and quickly found another seat in the second row. It was then that I realized that your name was written on the top of the desk where you were supposed to sit. Shit.
At my left sat a boy who looked to be Asian. Luckily, he nodded at me friendly.
"I'm Robin. And you are?" he whispered.
He had a lisp. Not too voluntary but still showing. He was probably the skinniest boy I had ever encountered. The collar of his uniform was as dark as the girl's.
"Wil. One L. What is it with the collar of the uniforms?" I whispered back.
Robin glanced back to the front as if someone was going to come soon. "The darkness of it shows our status.
"The darkest means the head of the blues. That's Ashley. The girl at the front."Robin pointed to the girl whose seat I had accidentally sat on.
I was right. She was the leader of this place.
Ashley was looking at her pile of papers. Next to her papers was a cup of something...silver?
Robin continued. "Mine is the second darkest. Vivian and Quinn have it too. It's like a deputy of some sort."
"What is the lightest blue mean?" I asked, looking down at my own collar.
"Well, that just means you're one of the blues. Everyone except the deputies and the leader has it." Robin shrugged. "Leaders make decisions for the blues. Also kind of like an apprentice for Miss April. Deputies-" He straightened his arms proudly. "Help the leader. And also is in charge of everything else the leader doesn't do."
"Whose Miss April?" I had heard that name before.
Before Robin could answer, a woman walked into the room.
The sound of her heels was the only thing filling the room. Almost like a rhythm as she walked briskly to the front of the class. She wore a white coat like the people from the lab. Her dark brown hair was tied up into a low bun. Her features were sharp and nothing about her seemed to be out of order.
"That is Miss April." Robin whispered.
