Second Chance

Chapter One: The Begining

Beep! Beep! Beep!
I stop my alarm just before it has the chance to go off again, and I put my head under the covers. A few more moments couldn't hurt, I tell myself. I probably dozed off for ten minutes at the the most, before I hear a yell from down the stairs, "Shay it's time to get up or you will be late!"
I groan in frustration. Of course it has to be Monday. Why is there even things like school to force me to get up when I could be sleeping for another three hours? Slowly, I crawl out of my sheets and look around my room. Since children aren't allowed to design any part of the house until they have one of their own, that leaves their Parent to choose how the house will look. In my case, My Parent likes a clean color of white, so my room is completely different shades of it. White bed, white furniture, white floor and ceiling,and off-white walls. I hate it so much. It's too bright, and too clean. To be honest, I really don't know how it stays so clean. I am not exactly the tidiest person, but when I come to my room every night, it seems to sparkle. I stop stalling and decide to get ready. My outfit for the day is already neatly folded on my white dresser, next to my white framed mirror. Can you guess the color of the outfit? Black. It really stands out from the rest of my room. I get up and put the outfit on, then I look to the mirror above the dresser. The black school outfit lays perfectly pressed against my body. Straight black pants and shoes, and a navy blue long sleeve shirt. I also put on my black over coat with golden buttons, and on my left sleeve, my ID code is written in a white stitch: 107035. I look back to the mirror. My eyes are very a light shade of blue, so they stood out from my outfit. My straight blonde hair was pulled neatly back into a braid. The only thing that was different about my appearance was lighter patches of skin around my eyes and arms that were different from my olive tone. Most kids didn't have that. I didn't like it. After spending a good two minutes looking at myself, I head downstairs for breakfast. The downstairs had the same off-white walls and different white furniture. To the left was a white kitchen and dining room, and to the right was a white living room. I walk to the dining room and sit at the dining table,where I find a meal of eggs and toast waiting for me. I eat quickly, knowing that I was already late for school. Across the table I could see my Parent walk out of the kitchen,
"Shay, you know that today is the worst day to be late." She said I'm a worried tone."You know what happens if you are late to school more than three times a month."
The Council. One of the worst things that could happen to a Parent and their child. First, if the child is late three times, they have to go to a councilor and talk about the "importance of school", which isn't bad, just boring. But for the Parent, it means they failed to raise a child properly, so they get Switched. It happened to a boy in my class last year, and when he came home to find that his Parent was Switched, he cried for days, and then I never saw him again.i knew it wouldn't happen today, it would only be my second time of being late. Plus, if I run, I could make it.
"Shay!" She yells, interrupted my thoughts. " We're you even listening?"
"What?" I reply, scarfing down the rest of my breakfast.
"Today is the Day of Remembering, you can't be late Shay!" She scolds me.
A rush of anxiety runs through me. I run and grab my bags and dart out the front door. Today was the day we learn about the past, and the day I become an adult, or at the least I get my own house.
"Good luck!" My Parent yells just as I open the gate at the front yard.
"Thanks!" I holler back. And right when I close the gate, I thought I heard an "I love you."