Chapter 7
Dysnomia hands him a paper as soon as he asks for the riddle.
"Was this prepared?"Enzo asks her dumbfounded, he absolutely won't believe she came up with a riddle in a few seconds.
"No! I did it now," Dysnomia says with a smile on her face, she notices his eyes land on her, and they look at her like she's an alien.
Dysnomia breaks the long stare and runs for her dorm room, which is painted with the colors of the rainbow, the eye color rainbow. Enzo makes his way to his room as well, and he notices that Socrates is already there, but in his excitement he opens the note given to him by Dysnomia.
"What's that?" Socrates asks as he tries to look at the contents of the note, but failing to catch a glimpse.
"Oh a game!" Enzo says hurriedly, so he can quickly get to reading and solving the riddle.
It reads, "THERE ARE COLORS RANKED AMBER, GREEN, GREY, BLUE, HAZEL AND BROWN. THE SOCIETY WE LIVE IN IS CALLED THE SEVENTH REALM, BUT NOT EVERYONE IS ACCEPTED. SIBLINGS ARE SEPARATED FROM THEIR FAMILIES, FROM BLUE TO GREEN, GREY STAYS, HAZEL STAYS, AMBER TO BROWN, BUT SOME ARE DISPERSED AMONG THEM ALL, EVEN GREEN TO AMBER. ALL THOSE YOU KNOW HAVE SOMEONE WHO'S NOT THEIR BLOOD, BUT NO ONE SPEAKS IT'S NAME. THE MEMORIES OF YOUTH (7-10) ERASED, TO CREATE THE PERFECT CHILD. THE LAWS ENLISTED 365 OF THEM. ONE RULE A DAY FOR A YEAR, IN EVERY YEAR OF EDUCATION. WE HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON, SO DO SOME OF OUR FRIENDS, BUT YET IT REMAINS HIDDEN IN A CAVE OF SECRETS."
Enzo stares at the note, his mind unable to wrap around the riddle and its meaning. The depth of Dysnomia's understanding of the laws is greater than his and he's been forced to learn them vigorously.
"Why these specific eye colors? Grey and Hazel aren't exempt from their children being taken away," Enzo mutters to himself, his brain is looking at the information like it's a thousand colorful balls of yarn entangled into a big fuzzy mess.
"What's the problem?" Socrates asks, because he notices the confused expression of Enzo as he stares at the tiny piece of paper.
Enzo looks up at him and quickly works to hide his true feelings, he then says hurriedly, "The game or riddle is too hard to understand." Enzo rubs his temples as he continues to stare at the words, but they just look like letters arranged into words that have no true meaning.
"Can I see It?" Socrates asks, because he is curious about the content of it, "I won't tell you the answer though."
Enzo nods and says, "Agreed!" Enzo then hands the note to Socrates, but he looks at his facial expressions so he can decipher what Socrates is thinking. Socrates shakes his head at the words.
"Interesting," Socrates says, because he understands and he feels like he has been enlightened as well, "the clues are obvious and clear, so you just have to think. I know Dysnomia gave it to you...and I see what she's trying to tell you. Don't let this get into the wrong hands Enzo." Socrates warns him, because he understands the severity of danger Dysnomia put herself into, just because she wants Enzo to understand her.
"Why?"Enzo asks curiously, he's also worried that this might bring Dysnomia and his downfall.
"This could destroy the society we live in and Dysnomia herself, because she spoke up about it. Her asking about escaping the test tomorrow is another clue as to why she knows so much Enzo," Socrates says as a warning, a clue and a protection.
Socrates then walks over to his Grey bed, the only really Grey thing here, and he falls into it and sleeps away. The glasses he used to read the note are tossed aside and they sleep next to him awaiting their use the next day.
The next day, everyone gathers into the assembly hall to get tested, all at the same time.
"I'm feeling so sick," Dysnomia says, her nose running, a sneeze or two coming through, a cough here and there, her eyes barely open. She walks weakly to where she is told to sit.
"Ugh! Now her results won't be accurate," one official says when he sees her sit down and blow her nose vigorously.
"Can't we do it another day for her?"the Blue-eyed nurse asks timidly, but looks at me with pity.
"No!"the official says harshly, he stares down at the nurse in a menacing way, making her shrink back without her eyes ever meeting his, "do it now and be as accurate as possible, so we can get the correct color."
"Yes sir,"the young nurse, in her early twenties, says as she gets to work on me.
Most people are finished quickly, but Dysnomia is still getting her eye check, while coughing and sneezing in a tissue every few minutes.
"Her eyes are Black!"the nurse gasps and says as she scurries away from Dysnomia hurriedly. Dysnomia keeps a calm expression on her face, if she reacts they'll think she has Black eyes, but if she doesn't than nothing will happen.
The official stomps over and says, "That's impossible! It's just dark Brown."
"Let me look," another higher official says authoritatively, and after a few minutes he says, "it's dark Brown, not Black! Stupid girl!"
The Blue-eyed nurse looks at Dysnomia apologetically, but she seems unsure of herself and of the outcome of the situation. Dysnomia sighs deeply, from relief, but she still has a coughing and sneezing fit now and then. She walks over to Enzo, who is waiting for her.
"Are you ok?" Enzo asks her, and he can see she's so sick, "how'd you get sick overnight?"
Dysnomia looks at him and smiles, a sick smile, "Happens all the time. I'm allergic to everything."
Mireille and Socrates walk over to them, because everyone was waiting for Dysnomia's test to be over.
"I can't believe she thought your eye color was Black,"Socrates says without any suspicion, until he remember the note from her to Enzo.
"Yeah me neither," Mireille agrees, "I mean it's not even one of the colors in the ranks or the flag." Mireille just stands and stares in wonder at her friend group.
"So even if it did exist it would be the lowest rank?"Enzo asks curiously, he looks to Socrates for an answer.
Dysnomia stays silent, letting them come to their own conclusions. The group is walking and discussing this topic in the school hallway, they're making their way to the field, but it is a long way away from the assembly hall.
"No," Socrates says, "the highest rank." Enzo's face scrunches, so much so that it looks smaller.
"Why? And what job would they have?"Mireille asks, curious now about the Black-eyed ones she thought were a myth only a second ago.
"It's not something Ambers like us to talk about,"Socrates says, looking to Enzo for permission.
"Say it," Enzo says, getting annoyed with this group that won't view him as a person, but only as a rank, "I'm barely an Amber anyways." Enzo is so tired of repeating to them that he's human, and the Amber life doesn't suit him as well as he used to think.
"Well Amber's moved into the position of the Black's by killing them off, but some fear the color will resurface and take them back to where they were," Socrates says, like he's telling a ghost story, "they would be the leaders, the Amber's the celebrities, the Green's the..."
Dysnomia stops him, "That's not true. There was a war, yes, but the positions were always like this, the Blacks were more like the ones who could be anything they wanted to be, and they were rebels, so they did as they pleased, married as they wished." Everyone looks at Dysnomia in disbelief.
"What?" Dysnomia asks, as she sees their jaws dropping at knowledge they know nothing about and knowledge that's never been taught to them, "it's not my fault you guys don't pay attention." Dysnomia looks back at them, because she left them trailing behind.
The next day, class had begun and everyone is sitting.
"Ok! The results, for everyone, all matched previous rankings, and I will be giving the results from the level test we took last week, which will decide which class you go into for studies only, but most activities are school-wide, "the official says with a smile, unlike the other officials, "the highest grade is from...." Socrates stands in front of the whole assembly, along with all the Grey.
"Dysnomia," the official says, he then realizes what he said and his eyes widen, "I think there's been a mistake."
"Dysnomia is Brown!"an Amber girl says, and looks at Dysnomia.
"How's that possible?"a Grey boy says, his heart aching that he isn't first.
Everyone starts gossiping about her, so she decides it's best to leave, but as she goes she hits into two very large boulders.
"Oh! Sorry, ma'am, sir," Dysnomia says, as she unknowingly comes face-to-face with the leaders, Enzo's parents.
"It's fine, this time, but aren't you supposed to be in an assembly?"Enzo's mother says, knowing the young Brown girl should be in an assembly.
Dysnomia searches for an excuse, she quickly says, "I was just going to the bathroom."
The leaders look at her suspiciously as she stands in front of them, not making any form of eye contact. The hallway seeming to get narrow by the second, as they stare into her soul, her eyes telling a tale.
"Where's Dysnomia?"the official asks on the mic.
The fear in her Brown eyes swirling, making its way to her throat, and then to her sweating palms.
"Did you ask permission?"Enzo's father asks her, seeing how small she's becoming as they stare at her, and interrogate her.
"It's an emergency,"Dysnomia says, she then darts into the nearest bathroom.
When they finally leave, she makes her way to the field that holds all the comfort the world, she lives in, can't give. Later, the officials ask about her whereabouts, from her friends. They're all gathered into the place where their fellow classmates were beat up the first day that they came.
"Mireille, Socrates, and Enzo, please come to the principle's office," the official says, because he's annoyed that the child was lost on his watch.
"Where is she?" Enzo's parents ask him consecutively, as they come closer to their son, towering over him.
"I honestly don't know mom and dad," Enzo says, as he feels his parents' gaze darken, he feels so small.
"Mireille?"the official shouts, he is now getting frustrated at the children's lack of observation skills.
"I swear sir. I have no idea about her location,"Mireille says, trying to make sure she doesn't go down for a missing Dysnomia, because she honestly has no idea where her dear friend is.
"Socrates?"the official asks, getting so annoyed that he is nearly touching Socrates face with his face.
"Sir! I don't watch where she goes,"Socrates says, holding his anger in as much as he can, because he is annoyed by the behavior of the official. The official is facing the door as he speaks.
"Dysnomia!"the official shouts and marches towards her as she comes into the door, he slaps her so hard that her friends are in shock that she's still standing. Her friends fall silent, but are boiling on the inside. They have to pick their jaws back up and look like it doesn't even phase them that she's being treated this way. Dysnomia touches her red face, causing her to flinch, and says as she looks him in his eyes, "I was in the bathroom, went to the field to get fresh air and then went to my bedroom, since I'm still sick."
Everyone stares at her in disbelief at her attitude, her anger and her courage. The explanation is accurate to the last few days' events, even Dysnomia is still coughing and sneezing occasionally.
"How dare you be disrespectful!"the official says exasperated that she looked him in the eye the entire time she was speaking her mind, he starts to go for another shot at her cheek, but he is unable to.
Enzo grabs him by his wrist and says, "How dare you slap her without an explanation?"
"Son don't get involved,"Enzo's mother says forcefully, as she gives her soon a look, which is telling him to shut up.
"Why shouldn't I?"Enzo says with anger, his heart aching at seeing his friend's anguish, he's trying to get justice in an unjust world, "she's my friend and she's helping me out. From the Amber's, I came in third place in the test for the first evaluation."
"She's a Brown, that's not possible,"Enzo's father says, questioning his sons honesty and emotions. Dysnomia just looks at Enzo and shakes her head, her eyes wide, pleading for him to not throw her under the bus that many have shoved her under already.
"I meant that she helped me ask Socrates to help me, since he got the highest score in school,"Enzo corrects innocently, acting like he made a mistake to give a measly Brown credit for a Grey's hard-work.
Enzo's parents nod and continue talking to the official for a few minutes.