The Prodigies [First Draft]

Eleven

  Color led Kenny out of a blue door at the end of the hallway and into the cool November afternoon. She began to follow a pale path that wove itself through the short, green grass that surrounded the academy. Trees scarcely populated themselves on AGC's campus, which meant few leaves scurried around on the clear walkway whenever a breeze came in. Color gave Kenny a moment to admire the day before she spoke.

"Sorry about your nickname. It's not very nice."

Kenny frowned at Color, confused. What was wrong with her nickname? The young girl liked the name Kenny, even though it was considered boyish by many. Then she realized that she had never told Color her name or her nickname. Color had to be talking about something else. But what other name did Kenny have?

"Just focus on the positives: the man is a really smart physicist. It could be thought of as a compliment."

Kenny took out two of her index cards and held them up next to each other. What are you talking about? My name is Kenny.

"That name Einstein just called you in the hallway?" Color inquired. "Hawking? I'm pretty sure that's your new nickname, and you probably won't be able to change it."

Kenny's eyebrows furrowed, and Color struggled to explain herself.

"It's...it's difficult to explain." The teen's face lit up, and she pointed to something in the distance. "My friend Fins will probably do a better job than I can. There he is. Come on!"

Color took Kenny's hand and ran towards her friend. However, rather than feeling a warm hand wrap around her own, Kenny felt her hand being enveloped in rubber. She looked at Color's arm and noticed something odd about the girl beside her.

Color wore an elbow-length rubber glove on her left arm.

Before Kenny could think of a way to ask Color what her glove was for, the female stopped beside a boy and greeted, "Hi, Fins!" The boy Kenny presumed to be Fins waved back, gasping like a fish out of water. His skin was tinged a light shade of blue, and he didn't seem to be getting enough oxygen no matter how many breaths he sucked in. However, Color acted as if this was a normal occurrence.

"Hi...Color! Who...is this?" The boy wheezed. He seemed like he could pass out any second.

"This is Hawking. Hawking, meet Fins."

"I'm assuming you're named after Stephen Hawking? So you have the Gift of Enhanced Intelligence, then, or something of that sort." Fins offered Kenny his hand, and the young girl shook it tentatively.

Enhanced Intelligence? Kenny was becoming increasingly muddled. Gift?

"I was just trying to tell her how the nicknames work. Can you explain it?"

"I'll try. But can we stop walking for a moment? I can't breathe, and it's worse than usual." Fins paused to catch his breath for a moment before he began to speak.

"Hawking, right? Here at AGC, we don't use each other's names. We nickname each other based on our Gifts, and personality when two people have the same Gift. My name isn't really Fins, and Color's name isn't really Color. I don't even know Color's real name. I don't need to know yours, either, because for as long as you stay here, your name is Hawking."

"And you're not going to be able to change your nickname, no matter how hard you try," Color added. "The first nickname you get is the one you keep. But you're not alone. No one can change their nickname, and it doesn't go well when anyone tries to. Like when Fins tried to change his name to Fish, and all hell broke loose."

"Hey! It wasn't that bad!"

Kenny frowned to herself while the two conversed (or argued; she couldn't tell which). The young girl disliked the nicknames and the fact that everyone was going to call her Hawking just because Einstein had done it. Why couldn't everyone just call each other by their real names?