“Alright, if you’re going to be non-compliant, I’ll just have to bring you along with me.” The man reached down to grab Garrett by the collar of his shirt and tugged him upright.
With his decision to remain quiet, Garrett was forcibly dragged through the reference room, the tunnel, and outside of the restricted room altogether. To his dismay, the man continued to escort him all the way to the entrance of the building to where the rest of his class was already gathered.
Luckily, the man just threw him out and didn’t say anything to Miss Harrigan. She was looking in the other direction, so Garrett quickly joined the group, and searched for Opal.
She found him first, grabbing his arm and jerking him around to face her. “Garrett, where were you? It doesn’t take that long to go to the bathroom.”
Garrett shrugged off the inquiry. “I had an upset stomach.”
Tilting her head to the side and pursing her lips, Opal fixated her green eyes on her friend’s brown ones.
Garrett knew that look all too well. “What?”
“I know you’re lying. Tell me the truth.”
“All right, class. We’ll be returning to the academy now. The academy transporter will be arriving soon to pick us up, so please be ready.” Miss Harrigan raised her arms and waved them to get everyone’s attention as she spoke.
Leaning over to whisper in Opal’s ear, Garrett said, “I’ll tell you later.”
Opal turned to him and narrowed her eyes. Unable to read his expressionless face, she ceased trying as the soft purr of the transporter reached her ears. For now, she’d let him get away with it, but she’d obtain her answers later whether he liked it or not.
Opal slid her interwave into her pocket and reached for the door handle to the outside of her house. “Mom, I’m going to Garrett’s to work on the occupational tours report with him. I’ll probably be gone a while, so I’ll eat dinner over there.”
“Okay, honey. I’ll see you later,” her mom responded from upstairs.
Opening the door, Opal walked out and closed it behind her. The streetlamps remained bright as always, illuminating the city in a white glow. Glancing toward the two moons hanging low in the sky as they began their ascent to the apex of the cityscape, Opal took in a deep breath and exhaled.
Something was definitely going on with Garrett. Everything was normal until they arrived at the Cultivating Grounds, then he began acting funny. Opal knew he had to be feeling some sort of emotion about the upcoming Submission Day. Whether it was fear, annoyance, or simply indifference, she didn’t know, but his aberrant behavior concerned her.
Quickening her pace, she hurried down the remaining two blocks of houses to Garrett’s home. Each block sported different styles of homes, but within each block, the houses had the same style, only different colors. Garrett’s house was a two-story like Opal’s, but the entire house was a dark shade of green with a front porch on it that Opal’s lacked.
Arriving in front of the green house, Opal took the short walkway framed on either side by flowers and strode to the front door. With a knock, she announced her presence and didn’t have to wait long for a reply.
“Opal, my dear, it’s so nice to see you!” Garrett’s mom, Raya, reached out and pulled Opal into a tight hug, kissing her cheek. “How are you doing? I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“Sorry, I’ve been really busy finalizing my Life Plan.”
Mrs. Gibbons’ face outshined the two rising moons outside. “How nice; I just wish I could get Garrett to do the same. I’ve been hounding him for months and he just continues to brush it off. Can you try to convince him to do it?”
Opal sighed; she’d been trying for longer than Mrs. Gibbons to convince him to start writing his Life Plan. “I’ll try, Mrs. Gibbons. He hasn’t been listening to me much either.”
“Ah, that boy.” Mrs. Gibbons cupped her hand against her forehead, the red hanging sleeves of her red blouse nearly smacking Opal in the face as she swept her arm out. “Well, come on inside. He’s up in his room.”
With a small smile, Opal entered the family room of the house. She’d always liked Garrett’s house. His parents decorated it with bright, energetic colors. Everywhere one looked there was a bright red, orange, green, or yellow somewhere in the house—except for Garrett’s room. Proceeding through the living room to the wall separating it from the kitchen, Opal ascended the staircase into the narrow, bright green hallway leading to the four bedrooms. Garrett’s room was the first one on the right. Noticing that his door was slightly cracked, Opal knocked soundly, causing the door to swing open a bit.
“Come in,” called out Garrett.
Opening the door, Opal saw Garrett lying on his bed with a book spread open atop his pillow. He’d already changed out of his academy clothes into blue shorts and a dull green sleeveless shirt. “Hey, Garrett.”
Looking up from the book, Garrett’s mouth dropped for a second as he closed the book and sat up. “Hey, Opal. I thought you were my mom. I didn’t realize you were coming over.”
Opal closed the door and walked the few steps to the comfortable gray mushroom chair in Garrett’s room. Sitting down and crossing her legs, Opal got straight to the point. “How could you not, Garrett? I told you I wanted to know what happened today. Half the day you were acting weird. Not to mention you disappeared for most of the field trip to the Cultivating Grounds. What is
