"Amber. Tess. Wake up!" a voice whispers.
"Huh?" I ask groggily.
"Up! Now!" I open my eyes and see Lee and Marigold in Tess and my's room.
"What?" Tess asks, sounding concerned.
"Just get dressed and come out," Marigold urges. "Quick!"
I realize that whatever it is, it's important. So I hop out of bed and get dressed, quickly, as always.
Tess is still laying in bed, so I motion for Marigold and Lee to come over to me.
"I have an idea," I whisper. I whisper my idea to them and it puts smiles on their faces. Each of them grab their necessary items, and I grab mine.
We creep over to Tess's bed.
Marigold and Lee smack her across the face with socks, and I hit her with my pillow.
"Up! Up!" We chant.
"Okay! Okay! Enough!" Tess exclaims. "Stop! I'm getting up!"
Tess dresses quickly, and the four of us head out into the girls common area. Everyone is grouped around a portable message board, similar to the ones that are in our classrooms.
The dorms for the '56 girls are being reconfigured.
The new dorm assignments are as follows:
a: Sadie/Zoe
b: Marie/Aria
c: Paige/Erica
d: Ana/Jenna
e: Beatrice/ Maggie
f: Amber/Tess
Thank you for your cooperation in these switches. Please report to the common room after the necessary girls have moved their things. There, there will be instructions on the message board regarding the day.
Everyone seems to be puzzled by the news. I look around, but don't see Sadie out yet.
"Someone's name isn't on the list," states one of the girls from up north, either Jenna or Ana, I don't remember.
"Dawn," I say blankly. Why is she gone?
Sadie enters the room with a tear stained face. "Is it gone?" she asks, sadness evident in her voice. I guess she's referring to the message on the board.
One of the '50 girls shakes her head, and envelopes Sadie in her embrace.
Tess has left my side, and is now talking with Paige. I head over to Aria.
"So," I say. "No more Duckface."
She nods, but both of us know it's not really funny.
"But why did they switch me?" Aria asks. "I mean, they could have just moved Zoe, Paige or Marie into Sadie's dorm, but instead they did a whole bunch of switches."
"I have no idea," I say. "Kind of how I feel about a lot of things around here," I add sadly.
Aria nods in agreement. "Do you know anything about Marie?"
"I have no idea. Ask Paige, they were in the dorm together."
"I never talk to those people, remember?"
"Oh. Yeah."
Aria tried to reassure me by saying, "It's okay, Amber. Don't feel bad. I'm used to it."
YOU ARE READING
Twenty Fifty-Six
Science Fiction"I can't let fear get in the way. I know that I am a strong person, and I will do this." It is the year 2056, and Canada is a different country. Every odd year, the government requires each of the thirteen provinces and territories to send in a fo...
