Blue and Magenta

Chapter Two

One week later, Magenta made the first move when the sun rose.

The birds started singing morning songs as the first rays of sunlight illuminated the campus. Most people were still asleep, but the kitchens and cleaners were already up, as well as the practicing soccer team.

Blue and Jasper were on the soccer team and they had practice every other morning in the early hours of the day. Blue was mid-center attack and Jasper was on defense. Soccer was Blue's passion, and he never wanted to give it up, despite knowing his parents didn't approve that soccer was his biggest interest.

Their coach Mr. Hames was a stickler for rules, and made them get onto the field at six am on the dot, or else they had to do laps every minute late. It just so happened that day Blue missed his alarms and got onto the field five minutes late.

"You know what to do, Harrison," Mr. Hames said.

Blue groaned, trying to get the sleep dust out of his eyes before he started jogging around the field. Jasper wanted to do his announcer thing but decided against it, seeing as Coach Hames was watching him like an angry eagle.

While the boys were at practice in the early hours of the morning, Magenta and Shelby snuck over to Blue's room, their feet padding against the concrete. Magenta knew why Blue missed his alarms. Not because he overslept, but because Jasper agreed to help her tamper with his clock.

The junior boys dorms were next to the swimming pool, up a few flights of stone steps. Surrounded on either side by green plants and bushes, Magenta's favorite flowers were the honeysuckles. When she was in sixth grade, she would go right up to the honeysuckle bush by the pool. Then when she thought nobody was looking, she would pluck some honeysuckles and suck the honey from them. She knew how to do this because some seniors showed her, and ever since then she loved honeysuckles. But one day, there were no more honeysuckles and Magenta realized she'd taken them all.

Moral of the story: do not steal honeysuckles from bushes, or they just might all be gone in the blink of an eye. Magenta glanced at the place where the honeysuckle bush used to be, as they moved past the stairs and arrived at the boys dorms. They tiptoed over to Blue's room, which thankfully was not in the main block or else they would have to sneak and get past tens and tens of other smelly boys.

Magenta hopped on one leg and linked arms with Shelby. As Magenta hopped, she slipped over a rough bumpy part on the pavement, and Shelby caught her, hands splayed out to catch Magenta from landing on her face.

"Figures," Shelby said, puckering her lips, ever the mother guardian for her best friend.

Shelby ushered Magenta forwards, "just be careful, Mag!"

Magenta said sorry sheepishly, touching the back of her neck.

Magenta got the key from Jasper the night before who gave her his copy of spare keys when she promised to include him and pay for planning Shelby's upcoming birthday surprise.

Jasper looked like a stone gargoyle as Magenta explained her prank. Jasper was thin with an athletic build, but he struck an imposing form when he chose to be intimidating. He squinted and assessed Magenta as she looked at him with puppy eyes.

"Fine! As long as I get to see what happens," Jasper approved.

Magenta and Shelby neared the door outside Blue's room. The sounds of others snoring in the main building could be heard even here. Shelby stopped in her tracks, the wheels in her head rotating.

"Wait, what if it's locked?" Shelby asked.

"Oh, I have my ways," Magenta said with a glint of mischief in her eyes.