 
## HUBBY HOLD

## ipam

Smashwords Edition Copyright 2020 Pamela Joan Barlow Smashwords Edition, License Notes This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Author notes:

This e-book contains over 239,000 words which is carried through 700 pages.

This e-book does not contain a chapter heading, such like, Chapter One; Chapter Two, etc.

Instead, the story unfolds in a numeric calendar date format with current time, daylight or nighttime hours, a set of current weather conditions, and the property location with character activity.

I enjoy learning parts and pieces of an unread novel before diving into the content.

From the year 425 AD, physical evidence by a team of modern-day scientist have discovered the world's first high school structure and learning system coming from the ancient and dead Byzantine Empire. The new learning atmosphere had prepared each young military leader for an aptitude of war, battle, and blood.

Probably, on the last day within the ancient Byzantine high school, each military Byzantine graduate had picked out their garrison of weapons and war soldiers for some upcoming battle maneuver.

Yeah, that sounds like fun.

Modern times, on the last day of school, each student attends a fun and final event, such like, a classroom party or a formal class graduation ceremony with all their extended family members.

Yay, that is fun, too.

Both the past and the present last school day within any school environment affects the teenly emotions, feelings, psyche, judgment, aptitude, attitude, and actions coming from each high school graduate which clings and lingers within their life-time while providing the raw elements for a fascinating fictitious novel.

I have created my very own private and personal novel rating system for each one of my books for the curious reader.

Rated G for good stuff.

Rated PG for pretty good stuff.

Rated M for mild stuff.

Rated R for really great stuff.

Rated V for vile stuff.

Rated C for cute stuff.

This storyline is Rated M for mild acts of violence. No murders. No guns. No sex acts. No curse words. Witty and silly high school humor. Daring activities. Math and science academic problem-solving skills. Boy-girl relationships.

The major character role involves a set of seventeen-year-old high school teenagers on the last day of high school that gather together inside a single auditorium structure for one long day of activities.

The major scientific breakthrough creations include a me-chee machine, which is a colorful metal robot that does not harm but aids each citizen serving as a school teacher, a diner waitress, a police officer, and other work and safety functions.

The Cubby Hole is an entertainment theme park, where each person drops down into a dark tunnel and then quickly and secretly emerges into a new park space for a fun time.

Each township is surrounded by a colorful electromagnetic barrier wall, where no other citizen enters or exits without a car.

This place is a future spot on Planet Earth, where each citizen travels in a resonant phase car, talks on a cellie device, and births and then dies within the same township.

Thanks for entering inside my imagination!

ipam
Story plot with teen drama of love, hate, life and death...

The intellect overcomes all obstacles.

Buffo and his girl Ketona are attending the last day, with the last class, in the last session, on the last year of school as a pair of seventeen-year-old schoolers.

The last day of school is called Citizenship Day.

To make the boring day fun, the graduating schoolers are required to answer the last set of academic questions inside the mysterious Cubby Hole, like their BPs, before them.

BPs means biological parents.

After answering the last set of academic questions, each schooler will graduate from the Cubby Hole and then start a new working job as a paid adult.
Present day and place and space and time

Next to last day of school

City of Colfax

06:35 pm

Payne Mountain sunset setting of different colors

Warm and humid air temperatures with no clouds

His legs squeeze on her legs as his hand tickles her belly button. She wears a yellow solid colored bikini top, a pair of cut off faked pale blue jeans and a pair of naked feet while resting on top of his naked chest with a smile and a giggle.

"Flip over," he smiles into her nose bridge. He wears a set of swimming trunks over his private parts, a naked chest, and a pair of naked feet while sweating in the heated day.

I do not obey my boyfriend but giggle with a smile. "I wanna get married here next week, right after Citizenship Day. Would your BPs be in agreement with traveling above the steel and concrete flat roads of Colfax for our marriage ceremony on top of Payne Mountain? I understand this isn't a real mountain with real green grass and tall pine trees, only a wind-blown polished cliff of golden granite. But I love the one of a kind mountain view and the sparking rainbow colors from the sun. I wanna get married in the bright sunshine of the morning too. Do you, Buffo?"

They are outstretched in a vertical pose on top of each other together, resting inside a long granite-made lounge-shaped sofa on top of the mountain. The cool breeze blows the heated sweat from both the bodies on a hot humid evening inside the city of Colfax.

He sweet breathes with a grin into her smile. "Flip over." She twists over and rests a back spine inside his body. He lifts and shields both her eyelashes with both of his hands.

"Hey," I yell out loud in surprise, reaching up and touched his hands with a smile.

He chuckles. "I got a surprise for you and do not peek. Okay?"

"Okay," I am not able to wiggle side to side. My body is trapped inside both his long legs, resting my back spine over his muscular chest. I feel his naked chest as it rises and falls like a fast sunrise and sunset with his chuckles. I feel his sweet breath on top of my black tinted hair roots too.

He softly whispers down into her eardrum with a smile, "Okay. Open your eyelashes."

I blink my eyelashes open. The sun is sitting in a half-circle on top of the evening horizon, creating a dark purple hazy from the hot day. Then I tilt my face higher seeing an array of pretty bright colorful fireworks that cover the northern skyline and point a finger at the horizon with a smile. "What is that over there inside the northwest sky and inside the northern sky and inside the northeasterly sky? I have never seen this before. What is it? I see hundreds of tiny pretty pink circles that hover inside the air waves and then spark into tiny flames like fireworks. Then they disappear from sight. Awe! I see a series of yellow tiny bubbles, maybe hundreds of them, floating up from the ground and then pop inside the air in the far, far distance away from our home city of Colfax," gasping. "Inside the northeasterly sky, orange dust sprays the sky quickly and then drifts away with the wind currents more quickly. Where do all these strings of fireworks come from? I'm not familiar with the northern towns that surround our hometown of Colfax."

He exhales with a stern face. "Colfax is the center of our universe, sorta. The pink flames come from the town of Tonkey. The yellow bubbles are located within the town named Dandine. And the town of Burrville has the orange dust..."

"I didn't know that the outer towns produced a set of sky decorations for Colfax's fun entertainment during dusk. No one told me or showed me or brought me here..."

"Yeah!" He exhales with a smile. "This is an excellent explanation of the evening's presentation. The event occurs one time per year. When the sunset is just right like now inside a purple hue, the sky decorations can be seen by the human eyeballs."

I grin at the sky decorations. "Now, I understand. The sky decorations have been there all the time which has been hidden by the bright daylight hours and then has been blinded by the dark clouds that surround our hometown of Colfax at night. I sleep well within the evening with the thunder boomers, rocking my windows, even as a child."

He exhales with a smile. "Yeah, the sound of Colfax is unique from the non-air pollution of the city's transportation solar operating tram, sliding all day and night plus the smooth metal particles of skyscraper buildings that cling to the electrical lightning. All this makes an array of pretty yellow lights within the night sky like a big star, where our folks live, work, and play. But, I enjoy the country life, too. I visit with my grandfather during the summer time session between school riding the horses and the farm plows. A plow is a rolling mechanical device that tears up the soil dirt. Then, the farmers can plant down all the tiny seeds for the growing crops. Food doesn't grow on trees. Well, some food does grow on trees, the ground, and in the sky..."

"Yeah, I know where food comes from." I admire the pretty horizon with a smile. "That's where some of the other people work also but no me or my parents."

He gently twists her cheekbone to see the other skyline with a smile. "Look at the southern horizon. There are more sky decorations for our amusement," chuckling.

I turn to the side and narrow my eyelashes. "I can barely see them above the southwestern horizon, the colors of red in the form of tiny raindrop shapes. Then, I see some good-sized royal blue flames that soar up into the air and burst out into an array of bright colors of silver and gold finally disappearing into the purple haze of the horizon. And within the southeastern sky, there are green objects that are shaped like rectangular patterns. They fly into the air and then blow toward the mountains."

"Yeah, I see all the different colored sky decorations, too. The green objects come from the town of Hamlin. The town of Montag produces the blue fireworks without any sound. And town of Albend shoots out all the little red teardrops up into the air waves, before they fall right back down onto the soil. On my grandfather's farm, you could almost touch the fireworks that hold all the vivid colors and wider arrays of geometric shapes. I enjoy resting down on the dirt all sweaty and full of food inside my stomach, watching the night sky..."

"Wow." I enjoy the pretty colors with a smile. "I learned something new for the night. It's so pretty in the sky against the dark purple almost like an artist's painting. I can't paint or draw as a talent, but I can learn any mechanical skill quickly."

He exhales with a stern face, "Yeah, the sky is pretty. Tomorrow is Citizenship Day. We become a real set of real citizens in the city of Colfax like our BPs."

I flip over and land on top of his stomach again with a giggle and a grin into his face. "I was born a citizen of Colfax. I don't understand a formal ceremony for becoming a citizen of the place, where I was birthed and reared as a southern belle," she reaches up and kisses the tip of his nose, pulling back with a grin and a giggle.

He wipes out the mouth spit and fakes a smile. "Technically, this is our last day as a schooler, so the kid has grown up into an adult, sorta. Now, each kid starts a new job for the rest of their living days. Next week, we start learning our trade for the rest of our lives, but my life will be happiest with you by my side."

I nod with grin. "That's unproblematic. I presume an internship role as a medical technician like my BPs. Aren't you assuming the learned trade as a me-chee technician like your BPs?"

He continues to fake a smile into her face, "Yeah. And it is time for us to scoot off Payne Mountain. My BPs, they are thrilling my cellie while warning me to come home for the evening period before complete darkness or face the lecturing."

I slide off his body and stand upright on top of the smooth granite stone with a giggle. He stands upright on top of the smooth granite stone with a smile also. I lean over and hug his tallness. He devours her petiteness with a chuckle.

Buffo is a tall and muscular teen with a head of brown colored cropped hair, a chin of brown colored whiskers, and a tone of pale tinted skin, wearing a goofy smile and is very smart with neurons. He exhales over her black tinted hair roots with a fake smile. "Ketona, I wanna get married right here on this spot with a curved arch of flowers below the bright sunshine rays. You and I will hold hands and say to each other that we love each other forever."

I pull back from the hug with a smile into his face. "I love you, forever, Buffo. I like the idea of flowers at our wedding ceremony here on top of the mountain. However, this is a granite mountain with no trees or plants or birds or flowers to entwine around the curved archway." He pulls his arm from behind a back spine and produces a rose flower, giving to her, leaning down to kiss her lips.

They pulled back from the kiss with a goofy grin at each other.

He nods with a smile. "I'll get a truckload of flowers hauled up here for our wedding, representing thousands of petals for each thought of you, every second of the day. I love you, darling," he leans down and kisses her again, pulling back with a worried brow. "Tomorrow is..."

"...Citizenship Day. Then, we're no longer schoolers. Yay hay! And we're getting married. Let's cheer another round of Yay, hay, too," I bounce up and down with a smile. I am a petite girl with a head of black colored waist-length hair, a tone of pale tinted skin with a set of dimples and am very smart with a good set of neurons. I rise upward on my tippy toes, kissing his face and pull back with a grin.

Buffo exhales, "Ketona, tomorrow is going to be a long day for the both of us. Promise me that you'll stick by my side during the induction into Citizenship Day."

I nod with a giggle, reaching up and kiss his chin as I am too short to reach his lips.

He leans down and kisses her lips, pulling back with a stern face, "Okay. Promise me. Say it!"

"Promise me!" I smile with a nod.

He drops an arm around her collar bone with a worried brow and twists them toward the sunset, strolling back down the mountain path to the transportation tram for their individual home.
Last day of school

07:31 am

Home of Ketona and her BPs

Private bedroom setting of Ketona

Cool temperatures with bright sunshine

I stand in front of the full-length mirror on the wall with a smile, speaking into my reflection. "I am Ketona, uh, I am Ketona, duh. I am Ketona," I reach down and lift up the necklace into my face and study the glass face on cellie with a stern brow. The cellie is attached to a long chair around my neck. I do not like sporting the device on a wrist bone or an ornament piece on my clothing.

A cellie is a communication devise for talking with people, sending typed messages, listening to music, viewing telecasts of events, and typing out my last homework assignment for my last day as a high schooler.

I read out loud my prepared speech on the cellie glass with a smile. "I am Ketona. Thank you for allowing me to come to Citizenship Day. I am very appreciative of your generous invitation. Ugh! I'm not invited there, I'm forced here," I reach down and retype on the cellie a set of the new words for my upcoming Citizenship speech.

" _Ketona,"_ the tiny voice of her mom echoes from the cellie that hangs around the neck of her daughter Ketona.

I exhale with a puff of annoyance and drop the cellie down over my small breasts to fix the speech later, sidestepping in front of the lengthwise reflection mirror with a smile and a nod for my final performance as a silly teenager, before entering the working world as a responsible adult per my BPs.

I narrow both eyelashes with a puzzled brow into the mirror. I am okay looking with a wide nose and two narrowly spaced eye sockets, a set of slightly crooked teeth, too. But my boyfriend Buffo loves me for who I am. I am short, smart, and sassy, living in Colfax, following in my BPs footsteps for a perfect career and a successful marriage too.

I wear my favorite blue jean skirt, making my short legs look tall like my high schooler friend Jara. The skirt is coupled with a white short-sleeved blouse. The blouse contains six bowties, trailing vertically down a chest, making my flat chest look like sexy Jara. I wear a pair of worn and comfortable brown colored cowgirl boots, readying to kick the butthole of Jara during Citizenship Day for some last schooler day fun, if need be.

I swing around with a giggle and a grin to face the archway of my bedroom, moving through the open archway, dashing down the stairs to see my parents.

They are inside the living room, waiting to give advice to their daughter on Citizenship Day.

Living room setting

Her mom is a petite female and is very smart, sitting down, patting an empty spot on the long sofa for her daughter inside the living room.

I prance ahead from the archway and then stops with a grin, sitting down on top of the long sofa between my mom and my dad.

Her dad is a short for an adult man but highly intelligence, sitting on the long sofa in silence.

They gently reach out and slap, attaching an arm of their daughter with love and encouragement.

Her mom clears the throat with a smile and a nod, patting Ketona's forearm. "Ketona, today is Citizenship Day. This is the last time that you will ever act or perform like a silly teenager," she turns and smiles at the nose profile of her husband.

Her dad nods in silence, since her mom does all the talking during any and all social lectures.

I turn and grin to my mom, repeating the sentence structure. "Yes ma'am. I'll have fun today, too. Tomorrow, I understand that I will assume my appropriate work job position as a medical technician like you and my dad. Will I be working with you inside the science building also?" I turn and grin to my dad. "Or will I be assigned to work with my dad inside the science laboratory first? Where do I start first, Mom?" I turn and grin at my mom, again.

Her mom exhales with a fake smile and stares at the cheekbone of her daughter. "Ketona dear, actually part of the complete Citizenship Day activities, you will be allowed to select which appropriate work job position you are extremely qualified to do first. Therefore, your dad and I would like for you to be extremely attentive of the me-chee..."

"Me-chees?" I say out loud with a confused brow. "The me-chee machines are at Citizenship Day. A me-chee machine is a mechanical electronic machine in the form of a humanoid. A me-chee man or female has two arms, two legs, and a flat torso of silver-tone metal, except the metal will change color, depending upon the job performance of the work task as set by a human trained as a me-chee technician. The metal skull of the me-chee machine appears like a human head with a set of two eye sockets, a pair of two nose holes, a mouth, and no earlobes.

"The hair is always colored rich black but styled in different arrangements, such like, a ponytail or a buzz cut or a shoulder length style with bangs or a waist-length design that is parted in the middle or cropped with left sweep or a cute pixie. The me-chee machine physical displays other human traits, too. Normally, the me-chee machine is a work machine, such like, teaching students, building structures, cleaning houses, piloting vehicles..."

Her mom exhales with a stern face to her daughter. "Yes, there will many types of me-chee at Citizenship Day mainly to corral all the numerous graduating teen schoolers coming from the outer towns, including Hamlin, Burrville, Montag, Albend..."

"Why, Mom?" I frown with puzzlement at her nose bridge. "This is our town of Colfax for celebrating Citizenship Day. Don't the outer small towns do the same thing at the same time along with their own festive celebration? I understand that we all graduated as schoolers, today."

"Have you prepared your Citizenship speech, dear?" Her dad reaches over and pats the forearm on his daughter with a smile and a nod. "When your mom and I graduated, as schoolers, we both prepared and presented almost the exact same acceptance speech when we were awarded our new work positions. She spoke first..."

I turn and frown at my dad. "You spoke second. You and my mom have told me that story over and over again, Dad. Yes, sir! I have finished my acceptation speech for being a medical technician too like you, Dad. Do you want to see and hear my great performance, Mom?" I turn and lift up with a smile my cellie necklace into my face. "I only need to tweet it with a few more words and then I'll all done."

Her mom reaches over and pats the forearm of her daughter with a smile and a nod. "Ketona, we are concerned about boyfriend Buffo..."

"Not plain old boyfriend Buffo, Mom, Buffo is the boy of my dreams, who will be my..." I look up with a puzzled brow to see her. "But, it ain't too serious..."

Her mom frowns. "The proper usage here: the situation is not serious. You must learn to speak correctly and formally, Ketona. You will be entering the adult world, not a schooler world today at Citizenship Day."

I nod with a stern face. "The situation is not what you are assuming, Mom. We like each other and like hanging with each other." I like to hang off his arm and kiss his face, when my BPs are not spying from the bedroom balcony or the living window.

Her dad clears a throat with a stern face. "We know Belliford's parents, dear. And we are very concerned about your teenage plutonic relationship with a young teen while trying to start your new career as a medical technician. Today is Citizenship Day. This is a very important day of your life, Ketona."

Her mom grins. "What is the most important element in life?"

I turn and frown at my mom. "Why are you very concerned about Buffo and me? The most important element in life is air. Or we die without breathing. I don't believe that he and I will be working the same job, once we're done with our Citizenship Day activities. He is more interested in..."

Her dad frowns. "Yes, you are correct, Ketona. Air is an important element. What else is an important element in your life, Ketona?"

I exhale. "Another important element is water for living. Or we die of thirst," giggling.

Her mom nods with a stern face. "You are very astute, Ketona. There is another important element in life also. What is it? We have reached the same final outcome as well with Belliford and his biological parents."

I exhale. "Another important element is food for living. Or we starve to death. What final outcome about Buffo? I don't understand your statement, Mom."

Her dad frowns at the rear skull of Ketona. "You are correct, Ketona. A person needs air, water, and food to survive and live within our lovely city of Colfax. But there is another important element. What is this element?"

Her mom grins. "Please, remember you are to pay extreme attentiveness from the instructions of the me-chee machine during the opening ceremony of Citizenship Day, too."

I look down with a confused brow to see my boot toes. "What is another element for surviving? I don't know and I give up. Is this a test or something? I don't understand."

Her dad smiles down at the hair roots of his daughter. "The most important element is your chosen working job within the pretty and pleasant city Colfax along with fresh air, good nutritious food, and clean water. Do you understand now, Ketona?"

I look up with a smile and a nod to see my dad, bouncing on my boot toes with excitement. "Yes, Dad. Aren't both of you coming with me to Citizenship Day and watching my academic performance? I have studied and learned for this day, since elementary school. I think," giggling.

Her dad shakes his skull. "No. This is one day only for the teens like you and Belliford. No adults are permitted inside the auditorium of Citizenship Day."

I nod with a giggle, "Yay hay! I guess that I'll greet and meet ya'll after Citizenship Day ends."

Her mom leans over and hugs her daughter, pulling back with a smile. "Yes, we will be there right before Citizenship Day ends to see you as a new citizen of Colfax. You will have great success, Ketona. We have taught and helped trained with all of your academic studies, since your birth, also."

I grin with a nod. "Yeah, I feel like my brain cells are going to explode with all my academic and book learning knowledge."

Her dad reaches over and pats the forearm of his daughter with a smile and a nod. "Intelligence is knowledge, dear."

I nod with a giggle, "Yay hay! I remember for many, many days and evenings. Intelligence is knowledge which is a wise axiom, Dad."

Her mom grins, "As an upcoming new citizen of Colfax, you must learn to give up some teen behavior and silly manners like the term: Yay, hay. We will be patiently waiting outside the lobby area of the auditorium, after your activities of Citizenship Day."

I nod with a smile, "Yay! I mean that is an excellent suggestion, Mom." My cellie tings with my departure time. I stand upright from the sofa with a grin.

Her parents stand upright from the sofa at the same time. Her dad leans over and hugs his daughter, pulling back with a nod and a smile. "Please, remember this always. Intelligence is knowledge too."

They moved ahead toward the front door and then stop. Her dad reaches out for the door knob with a stern face.

The door opens.

07:32 am

Sidewalk setting

Cool temperatures and parted clouds with bright sunshine

Buffo stands in front of the neighbor houses beside the other schoolers, who are not necessarily his school friends. The schoolers are Jara, her boyfriend Hatch, Marsilla, and Rincon.

Jara is a tall female teen with a head of waist length blond colored hair, a tone of pink tinted skin, wearing a pair of designer fashion summer high heeled sandals and a short dress. She is a sexy girl with very smart neurons too.

Hatch is a tall and muscular teen male with a head of cropped blonde colored hair, a chin of blonde colored whiskers, a tone of peachy tinted skin on an athletic body, and he is very smart too.

Marsilla is a petite female teen with a head of pixie styled brown colored hair, a tone of mint tinted skin on a slender body frame, and she is very smart also.

Rincon is a short male teen with a tone of olive tinted skin, a head of shoulder length black colored hair, a chin of black colored whiskers on a slender body frame, and he is very smart too.

Jara stands next to her boyfriend and sucks on the lips, the mouth, and the face of Hatch with loud moans and numerous kisses, ignoring Ketona and her BPs.

Rincon stares with a smile and a nod of good southern-gentleman manners at the BPs of Ketona.

Marsilla stands beside Rincon, looking down with a smile to see her wrist bone cellie, studying for the upcoming Citizenship Day tests.

I move ahead and stomp down each bricked steps with a giggle and a grin.

Buffo opens both arms with a smile, capturing his girl into a hug with a chuckle. "Happy Citizenship Day, Ketona!"

I plow into his muscular chest with a giggle and then quickly back step with a stern face, swinging around to see my parents with a smile and a hand wave, whispering into his chest. "Don't hug me in front of the BPs."

BP is a code word for "biological parents."

Buffo produces a flower with a smile from his back spine and hands to Ketona with a wink. She accepts and sniffs it into the nose holes with a smile and a giggle. He chuckles and cuddles Ketona, turning them away from her house, leading the other teen schoolers down the sidewalk.

They all slowly stroll toward the public transportation tram.

The tram is an above train car system, spinning around a set of upper bridges of rail tracks within the city of Colfax. The city of Colfax does not provide any individual vehicle for transportation due to the expensive cost of petro fuel which has almost been depleted, coming from the dirt on top of the planet. The tram runs on solar sun energy dictating a surface transportation system, coming from a bombardment of massive intense zillions of free sunrays.

They climb and load into one of the cylinder-shaped tram compartments for the trip.

07:40 am

Tram compartment setting

I sit and scoot into the chest of Buffo with a giggle and a grin on the same tram bench. He likes to slump down into the chilled window sweat as I chill inside him.

Jara and Hatch occupy a bench seat ahead of Buffo and Ketona, sucking on each other's face, ignoring the conversation and the scenery.

Marsilla and Rincon sit apart inside the same bench seat which is located behind Buffo and Ketona. Each one plays with a stern face on their individual cellie.

The tram jolts into movement, flying over the tracks toward the building for Citizenship Day.

Marsilla frowns down at the tiny screen on her cellie. "The tram will tarry and drop us at the historical structure which is called the Colfax Rotunda. The domed building was actually the home residence of the dead and dearly departed first settlers of Colfax during our civil war about three hundred years ago. Then peace ensured over war. Good show for the Borsh!"

I turn with a stern face to stare out the window on the moving tram. "You should dive more carefully into the module for the township history of Colfax. The Borsh did not win the civil war, Marsilla. The Vogue blazingly triumphed over the dull and dense rednecks that lived on the outskirts of the civilized township."

Jara surfaces from the neck of Hatch with a giggle and a grin, slapping her breasts. "Me! I'm the Vogue. We are the Vogue children from the yesteryears of the posh and pretty young adults. Our parents are the Vogue that survived, conquested, and conquered the pesky Borsh. Then, the Vogue re-established our social culture of dress, food, style..."

I frown at the window. "I find Colfax both polished and shiny like the Vogue. Each tree is spaced exactly twenty feet apart for the proper growth up and into the blue sky. Each resident home is measured exactly three blocks apart for the proper growth up and of each child at play. Each office building touches the skyline at sixty floors high, no taller. Each..."

"...one of us displays and practices academic social culture of thought, knowledge and intelligence," Marsilla continues to smile and study the tiny screen on her cellie.

Jara frowns at Ketona. "The Borsh are gone, not existing within today's society. My mom told me that once something exterminates, it is not ever seen again."

Rincon chuckles down at the tiny screen on his personal cellie. "Borsh is a hardy soup of beets, carrots, celery, potatoes, and cabbage. The tongue palate taste is bitterly sour, but very filling during any degree of wintertime for both warmth and comfort of a shivering soul."

Jara whips out and then looks down with a laugh to see the tiny screen on her personal cellie. "The poor dull Borsh, they would not able to possess mammals or manners or meats either."

Marsilla frowns down at her cellie. "The Vogue is a mentally crushing totalitarian all encompassing rule of rightness over wrongness."

The tram slows the speed and then gently halts at the final destination point in silence.

On the shared tram bench, Buffo slides off the seat and stands upright on top of the floor, extending both arms. I turn and slide off the seat, standing upright on the floor, cuddling into the open arms of Buffo.

Buffo and I slowly move ahead and follow the back spine on Jara and Hatch moving off the tram. We slow climb down a set of concrete steps from the third level tram platform and stroll over a soft patch of lovely light green manicured lawn.

Jara and Hatch lead with Buffo and Ketona behind. Marsilla and Rincon move ahead as a pair last in a third row.

Jara points with a smile at the structure. "A fairy tale castle is located down here. I wanna get married here, Hatch."

Hatch smiles with a nod at the building. "Wow! Colfax Rotunda is four-stories tall. I'm never ventured into the southern part of the town," he leans over and kisses her face, pulling back with a smile. "A fairy tale castle for my fairy tale princess bride. Yes, ma'am! We got hitched right here, after we settle into our new jobs of Colfax."

Marsilla smiles with a nod to the building. "No one comes here other than on Citizenship Day, our last official day as a schooler."

07:51 am

Me-chee Building

Warm temperatures with bright sunshine

Interior setting

The building has a round lever base floor and a round upper dome with a set of five vertical columns, holding up the front porch. The ground me-chee man machine wears a set of shoulder length black hair, bouncing over his pink-tinted metal skull without a smile. The man machine presents a permanent smirk of dark red-colored lips, vocalizing the Citizenship Day instructions to each teen. He wears a royal blue long jacket and a pair of matching trousers with a pair of dark blue cowboy boots. He stands between the two entrance ramps, pointing each metal pink naked hand at each ramp entrance and says with a permanent smirk. "The teen beau walks up the ramp on your left. The teen belle walks up the ramp on your right."

Hatch cuddles Jara, stopping with a chuckle to see and says to the me-chee man machine. "I'm ambidexterity, dude. So, I get to walk up the right side with my belle."

On the front façade of the building, the front porch holds emptiness which is not inviting for Citizenship Day. Usually, a warm friendly front porch of a family unit holds a couple of rocking chairs, one long swaying swing, and numerous colorful potted flowering plants.

On each side of a set of opened double doors, there stands each a female me-chee.

The female me-chee possesses a set of red colored vertical curls, swaying side to side around her pink-tinted metal skull without a smile. The me-chee female wears a yellow plantation dress, showing off her pink-tinted naked shoulders. Her arms sway side to side with a permanent smirk of dark red-colored lips as she says in a soft soprano to each female teen. "The teen belle enters here and halts. The teen belle enters here and halts..."

Hatch and Jara cuddle and turn to the right ramp, moving toward the step.

The male me-chee, which is dressed in a blue long jacket and a head of shoulder length black hair, reaches down and swiftly draws out a hand gun from the jacket pocket. He lifts and aims the weapon at the forehead of Hatch and then lowers the weapon down to a kneecap without a smile but the permanent smirk that is painted on his pink metal.

Hatch back steps with a worried brow, pulling and curling Jara into a chest, holding a left arm in the air for a self-defense defeat.

The man me-chee says with a baritone timber with a painted smirk to Hatch. "Good show, sport! Teen beau, please walk up the ramp on your left."

Hatch exhales with a huff of annoyance, leaning over and kisses Jara, pulling back with a sour frown and releases her body. He swings around and stomps up the left ramp, shoving the other teen males to the side with angry and annoyance, entering the entrance hall of the Colfax Rotunda.

The entrance hall is a half-circular room with an eighteen foot ceiling. The forward wall is squared shaped and closed off as an entrance point which is made of solid white paint. There is a transparent wall in the middle of the room, separating the males from the females. The right wall face holds a squared shaped archway which almost completely covers the entire wall with a set of capital letters in rich black: BELLE.

The left wall is a second squared shaped archway that reads in rich black capital letters: BEAU.

Another female me-chee, wearing an aqua colored plantation dress with a set of pink-tinted naked shoulders, swaying a set of blonde vertical curls, directs with a pink-tinted finger to the Belle opening for each female teen.

I spin around to seek Buffo and see the metal me-chee man at the BEAU archway. The male me-chee wears a spiked hairdo of brown color, a red long jacket, and a pair of matching trousers. His pink tinted finger points to the Beau opening with a permanent smirk.

Buffo turns with a smile and seeks Ketona, waving with a hand for a short farewell.

I wave back with a smile, back stepping into the entrance portal, seeing nothing. Buffo has disappeared out of eyesight, too. I sidestep and curve around the wall, stopping with a gasp.

A round room consists of a set of tall individual lockers which are made of reflective mirrors. The floor is silver-tinted with the ceiling, too.

The female me-chee wears a mint-green plantation dress with a metal head of brown vertical curls, standing in the front of the room, repeating her alto vocal instruction. "Please, select a locker and change your clothes. No cellies or personal possessions are allowed on Citizenship Day. Please, select a locker and change your clothes. No cellies or personal possessions are allowed on Citizenship Day..."

I move and prance to an unoccupied locker beside Marsilla, opening the mirrored door and rest my pretty flower and my personal necklace cellie inside the selected locker. I reach out and touch a silver one-piece cat suit, turning with a smile to see Jara.

She has stripped off all her clothes and has redressed, modeling her cat suit inside her sexy body and wears a pair of her red colored fashion heeled sandals, instead of pair of matching silver soft flat-heeled boots.

I turn and dress with a grin, exchanging the skirt and the blouse inside the cold temperature room for the cat suit, sliding back over the socked feet and my pair of worn and comfortable cowgirl boots of dull brown.

Marsilla wears the cat suit and a pair of matching silver boots with a worried brow and cuddles her cellie into the cat suit. "I can't take with me my cellie inside the next room."

A second female me-chee inside the room with a metal head of black colored vertical curls and a mint-green plantation dress whips out a metal mint-green fan as the fan expands into a set of sharp plates within her metal hand. The dangerous fan stops and points at the approaching teen girl, who plays on her cellie over the tile. The female me-chee says in a female alto. "Cellie alert. Cellie alert. Teen belle, no cellies or personal possessions are allowed into the next room. Cellie alert..."

The surprised teen back steps with an open mouth from the metal robot and swings around with a sour frown, moving back to her personal locker. The locker door opens. She leans inside and rests her personal cellie inside the metal base of the locker with a worried brow, slamming the locker door shut.

I swing around with a grin to Marsilla. "No cellies, dear." I turn and scan the room, seeing an array of unfamiliar faces of females. Then, I remember. There are other girls from the outer towns of Hamlin, Burrville, Tonkey, and whatever. I have never visited the outer towns around my town, since my BPs live inside the city Colfax with their BPs. I swung around with a smile and close the mirrored door, not wanting it to break or get into trouble as I become a good citizen of my home town of Colfax.

I swing and stroll to the unfamiliar girl with a smile and a handshake like a true southern belle. "Hello, I'm Ketona. Welcome to Colfax and Citizenship Day!"

The girl stands over the tile and struggles with the cat suit, sliding it over a plump body with a giggle and a grin, "Lamis." She pants and pulls the cat suit over both breasts. "I didn't expect a wardrobe change, today. I only prepared an exchange of warm words and some quick sweaty handshakes." Lamie is a tall and plump female teen with a tone of bronze tinted skin, a set of short blonde hair, and a pair of green eyeballs.

I turn with a smile and scan the other teens that are moving toward the archway, "Yay hay! Me, too. I've never attended any Citizenship Day before. I'm an only child, me, one kid from my BPs. Have you been to Colfax before Lamis?" I turn and smile at Lamis.

Lamis shakes her blonde curls with a puzzled brow at Ketona, "BPs?"

I grin, "Biological parents."

"No, not with my BPs. We have never visited the city of Colfax, either." She presses down the seams of the cat suit and seats on top of the bench, placing a boot over a set of naked toes.

The third female me-chee wears a purple plantation gown with a metal head of red colored vertical curls and stands on the opposite end of the room. Both of her pink tinted arms are bowed outward. The me-chee female says with a female soprano and a painted dark red colored smirk. "Please, enter here one at a time. Please enter here one at a time..."

I exhale with a puff of nervousness, feeling the butterflies flutter inside my guts for my solo presentation at Citizenship Day. My parents told me that I am required to show off my intellect today during the activities.

My new friend Lamis stands upright with a grin.

Lamis and I swing around and move ahead toward the single exit door.

Lamis enters first.

I follow behind her back spine through the open door.

08:01 am

Cubby Hole auditorium setting

Silver tinted walls, ceiling, floor, and me-chee machine

I sidestep into the metal wall from the archway of the locker room, allowing the other females inside like a good-mannered belle and scan a big auditorium.

The walls are silver-tinted inside a circular room without one single outside viewing window of a grove of trees or a set of creative, colorful art decorations or a single citizenship poster of my birth town Colfax. The ceiling reflects the same silver-tint.

In the middle of the room, there are rows and columns of silver-tinted lounging chaises that fit only one solo person. A chaise is a combination of a sitting sofa and a lying bed mattress, allowing your feet rest on top of the furniture while sleeping, eating, or watching a fun activity. Both the vertical base and the horizontal seat are comprised of solid silver-tinted metal for resting and sleeping and eating, if need be.

Buffo moves ahead with a smile and scoots, standing beside Ketona, cuddling and chuckling into her ear with amusement as he is always happy and friendly. He whispers. "What's it?"

I turn and grin at his slick cat suit of silver, too. The cat suit nicely hugs his muscular curves bulging biceps, thighs, and buttocks. I caress his chest and do not really care about the room, the chaise, and Citizenship Day.

Marsilla moves ahead and slides next to Ketona with a smile, turning to see the object. "It is a resting sofa. I hope that we get served a hot lunch in here, too."

The female is a petite teen with a head of red waist length hair in a ponytail, a tone of pink tinted skin with a set of brown freckles. She slides and stops, standing next to Buffo with a giggle and a grin, looking at the object, too, "The Cubby Hole."

Jara hangs off the collar bone of Hatch and stands next to the new petite female with a gasp turning to scan the entire room with a puzzled brow. "This is the Cubby Hole."

Marsilla frowns at each chair, "The what, the Cubby Hole?"

Jara points to each chair with a smile and a nod. "This is the Cubby Hole. I heard it as a set of hot gossip from some of the younger adults when I followed my mom around her office as a little kid, a long time ago."

Hatch turns and frowns at the room and the chairs, "The Cubby Hole! I've never ever heard of the Cubby Hole. This is Citizenship Day for completing our last day as a schooler. Tomorrow, I start to work with my dad inside the me-chee design building."

Marsilla frowns at the numerous chairs. "What did the gossip reveal about the Cubby Hole, Jara?"

Jara grins at the numerous chairs. "One of the young girls said that the Cubby Hole was something that she would never forget, ever. The other young girl just nodded. Then, they both saw me standing there and spying. Then they went back to work."

Hatch grins. "Where does your mom work, Marsilla?"

Jara reaches out and slaps his chest with a grin and a giggle. "Let's pick our sofa away from the crowd, honey," she and Hatch move ahead and scatter into the crowd, touching and pointing at the rows of stationary metal sofas. They select one and slide into the single sofa, leaning over and sucking on each other's face with a set of kisses.

"Find us a sofa, too," Buffo squeezes the hand of Ketona and stomps forward, moving to one of the sofas in the second row with a sour frown. "But I don't think that we're supposed to do what Jara and Hatch are doing."

I stop with a nod and stand next to Buffo, reaching out, touching the solid silver-tinted sofa with a free hand. The upper head rest material is smooth and silky. The seating material is soft and satiny. The base of resting body is made of hard material, not cloth. I frown. "This is all so confusing. My BPs didn't mention a catsuit, a sofa, or a lunchbox. They did tell me about the me-chees, thou. They look cute dressed in the old-fashioned historical garb with the fake swaying hair pieces. I don't really like the cat suit. I feel naked on the outside of me."

Buffo reaches down and touches his chest and then reaches over and touches her chest with a chuckle and a wink. "I like. Your cat suit makes you all shiny and pretty in sparkling tiny colors of pink, yellow, gold, and blue." He looks down to see his legs. "The slick fabric is a shimmery color tone of pink, yellow, gold, and blue." He looks up with a smile and touches the sofa. "This is a good spot which is not in the middle or not on the end or near the door or near the heated bodies."

I pat the sofa with a free hand.

Marsilla speeds by Buffo and Ketona without stopping, sliding into the sofa which is before Ketona with a giggle and a grin for Citizenship Day.

In front of the auditorium, the me-chee man machine wears a long jacket of hunter green with a pair of matching trousers, and a pair of red colored cowboy boots. The pair of boots clash violently with his pink-tinted colored metal skin. He wears a black ponytail behind the nape of its metal neck. He lifts and raises both arms with a permanently dark red painted smirk to see each teen. "Good morning, teens! You are not citizens, yet. Welcome to Citizenship Day! I am called Me-chee. I am your host of the Cubby Hole. Please, select any me-chee chair. Once every teen has seated, I will begin the instructions."

The schoolers move and scoot around, sliding and resting inside an individual sofa.

"That's a thought-machine," Buffo points at the me-chee man machine with a smile, standing beside his chosen me-chee chair, hugging onto Ketona.

Rincon shakes his curls that bounce around a set of thin shoulders, coming up behind the back spine of Ketona with a smile. "Incorrect." He stops and stands beside the nose profile of Ketona, standing in the same cat suit and height as her. He smiles at the machine. "It is a modified me-chee. You can visually see that its skull is slightly more oval shaped than the shape of a human. All me-chees are modeled after the humanoid body frame for both purpose and prettiness and for not scaring the little tikes at home. The modified me-chee wave patterns are electronically designed to feed input and outputs from each me-chee chair unit."

The me-chee host spreads both metal arms sideways with a painted smile and a tenor timber. "Please, hear me again. Each schooler needs to settle into an individual me-chee chair. No one schooler is allowed in the sharing of a single a me-chee chair. Please, find a me-chee chair, before we begin the instructions. The instructions are very important for your Citizenship Day."

Hatch stands upright and assists Jara to stand upright out from the chair with a sour frown. "Shoot fire. If that me-chee draws a pistol on me, I'm leaving and tattling to my dad," he leans over and kisses her face, pulling back with a sour frown, swinging around to the occupied chair which is next door to Jara with a sneer. He stomps a cowboy boot down on the floor at the young teen with a growl. "Scat cat! This is mine chair, now." The short teen male turns and frowns at Hatch without moving. Hatch reaches down and grabs, jerking the smaller young teen male by the neck, tossing the teen out from the chair. The teen completely falls off the smooth metal. Hatch turns and growls with a sour frown. "I am bigger and meaner, kid. Shoo, birdie!"

The male stands upright with a sour frown and swings around with a huff, moving ahead to one of the empty chairs in front of the room.

Buffo chuckles at the nasty encounter of Hatch and leans over, kissing the lips of Ketona, pulling back with a smile and licks off her cherry lip gloss with a chuckle. "A strange Citizenship Day, indeed! But I like your cat suit thou. I hope you get to keep it. We can have some fun sliding in and out of the mud puddle near my house, when it rains," he winks with a chuckle. She reaches over and slaps his chest, leaning over and kisses his soft lips for her amusement. He pulls back from the tender sweet kiss with a smile and reaches down to assist Ketona into her sofa between him and the rest of the chairs. He leans down and kisses her lips again, pulling back with a smile and a nod. "I hope that we got done early too. We can go picnicking on top of Payne Mountain, again. The weather's good and hot, today. You can sweat all over me, again. I like," he winks at her. She giggles. He swings around and moves ahead, wiggling between the silky pieces of silver-tinted fabric of his me-chee chair.

I turn and giggle at his sexy performance inside his sexy cat suit, scanning each schooler who is tucked inside a me-chee chair like a preteen girly slumber party. I exhale and relax, allowing the soft foamy cushion to engulf my body and my mind.

The me-chee host lifts and raises both arms for attention with a permanent dark red painted smile and says with a tenor timber to each teen, "Greetings, again. I am a thought me-chee machine. I am specifically designed to interact with your me-chee chair. For example, chair number one is hot wired into my computer brain along with the other chairs inside the Cubby Hole. Therefore, I can monitor the number one schooler inside the number one chair. This common rule applies to each me-chee chair. For your curiosity, there are 313 schoolers and 313 me-chee chairs..."

Buffo leans over the empty aisle into the cheekbone of Ketona with a smile and a whisper. "Is thirteen an unlucky number?" She shakes her curls with a laugh. He sits back with a laugh into his me-chee chair.

The me-chee host continues. "This is Citizenship Day. You are located inside the Cubby Hole. This is an activity of Citizenship Day. All graduating schoolers are required to attend and participate inside the Cubby Hole. The explanation of the Cubby Hole is going to be very inadequate without truly experiencing the first tone in both body and soul. There are seven tones of the Cubby Hole." A horizontal array of colors inside a boxed chart appears above his metal skull. He points up to the first colored block. "You are currently at a stationary colorful, maybe not odorless. Since, some of the younger males usually sweat profusely inside their tomcat suit." The schoolers sound with a series of chuckles.

The me-chee host continues. "You can see the pretty array extends from the color tone of silver to pink to yellow to orange to red to green to blue and finally to the last color tone of gold. The gold tone allows a schooler to select any work job at any work building, anywhere in the city of Colfax or your home town for the rest of your work career." The schoolers sound with a cheer and a smile. The me-chee host says. "From the opposite end of the colored array, an advancement position into the color of pink will represent a tub of schoolers, who are vying for the same work job at the same work building, everywhere throughout the city of Colfax or your home town, where you will not receive your desired work job for the rest of your work career." The schoolers sound with a series of boos and frowns.

The me-chee host nods with a painted smirk. "This is the purpose of the Cubby Hole. You, as a new adventurous and ambitious schooler plowing into the adult work world, determine your own fate. This is a very important piece of information. You are nothing, now. Please, view your suit. You are the color of silver. You are a perfect color match to your lounging me-chee chair and this room, too. To jump over your current color of silver and into the next colorful tone of pink, you must answer a series of academic questions. This should be a simple task for a studious graduating schooler." The teens sound with a series of mumbles and soft chuckles.

The me-chee host says. "You must not only answer the questions but beat the percentages of the task. For example, to advance out of the tone of silver color, you must answer three-fourths of the addressed academic questions. For example, if there are eight posed questions, then the math percentage of three-fourths will equal six correct answers, tallying all the posed questions. You will have ten seconds between the questions for the correct answer." The schoolers sound with a series of boos and frowns.

The me-chee host nods with a painted smirk its metal pink head and says with a tenor timber to each teen. "The tone color rules are very simple. If you address one-fourth or less correct answers of the posed questions, then you are stationary inside your current color tone. If you answer three-fourths or more of correct answers of the posed questions, then you will advance to the next color tone. I have clearly stated. If you answer the correct number of questions guarantees, then you advance to the next color tone. However, if you answer two-fourths of the posed questions with a set of incorrect answers, then you will slip back down into the previous color tone." The schoolers sound with a series of boos and frowns.

The me-chee host points up at a metal skull with a permanent dark red smirk. "I do not understand as I am a machine." The schoolers laugh. The me-chee host says. "I must emphasize here. To maintain your current color tone, you answer correctly one-fourth or less of the posed academic questions. If you attempt to answer all the posed questions and then two-fourths are incorrect, then you will slide back down into the previous tone color. The me-chee chair is programmed purposefully to dip and slip you through the color pin wheel. Therefore, the goal for an ambitious schooler is to answer all questions correctly and then advance to the next tone color with the mission to reach the gold tone color." All the schoolers sound with a series of claps and cheers.

The me-chee host says. "I will be the me-chee host, who will be voicing each academic question to you inside your individual me-chee chair. Then, you state the correct answer back to me. You must use the following prefix phrase for your selected answer. My answer is, then your vocal response. I know that some of you will need to verbally talk out loud through the solution before quoting out loud in a clear voice your answer." All the schoolers sound with a series of chuckle.

The me-chee host says. "That is part of the thought process. This mental process is allowed within a ten second time limit." The schoolers sound with a series of boos and frowns. "Ten seconds is a very long time in computer time, as well as, within human thought. You will have ten seconds to complete and voice your finale response to me, the me-chee host. A big hint, the answer is always one or two words and not an entire sentence structure for a mental grading system." All the schoolers sound with a series of cheers and claps.

The me-chee host says. "Has everyone settled into a me-chee chair with nervousness and anticipation?" He scans the room, "Excellent, teens. I see lots of pointy boot toes, a few spiky tall fashion high heels, and some bare toe bones. You make stay in your bare feet for the academic questions, also."

One of the schoolers shouts from the rear of the room, "Lunch? When's the food serviced around here, my new machine buddy?"

The me-chee host nods. "Your inquiry is a very good question. You will discover the answer shortly. Is everyone ready to begin?"

Silence lingers in the auditorium.

The me-chee host nods. "We are ready to begin," he snaps the set of metal fingers with a ping.

My me-chee chair glows with a protective shield of tinted-silver over my body like a shield. I turn with a smile to see through the tinted color a silvery figure of Buffo, the pinkish-silver me-chee, the glowing silver walls, the glittering silver ceiling, and the blurry color chart.

The me-chee host says. "You are the color tone of silver, now. You have the opportunity to advance into the color tone of pink by answering the following posed academic questions. O. I forgot to mention this. The math number of the tally of posed questions will not be provided to you in advance for each color tone. There could be a tally of ten questions which is asked within the pink color. Or a tally of twelve questions could be asked within the red color. Or sixteen questions could be asked within the yellow. Or four questions could be asked within the orange tone. This is the point of an academic test, ya'll." The schoolers laugh.

The me-chee host says. "You will not be informed, if you have given me a correct or incorrect answer for each question asked either, since it would panic your mental thought processing from the purpose of the academic session. By answering each question quickly, it allows me to provide the next question faster to your neurons. I am a machine, not a fruitcake. You will discover that providing me the answer very quickly will also provide you with a nice reward instantly. At the end of the academic questions, I am the thought me-chee in which your responses of the correct or incorrect percentages will be tabulated. Then, you will receive the proper color tone. If you turn pink, you have correctly answered three-fourths or more of the posed academic questions. And I do not accept any dumb questions or nasty comments from any individual schoolers, either. Therefore, please lower both your wiggling arms and your shaking legs. I suggest closing your eyelids, concentrating on my sexy voice with easing your anxious emotions as a set of nervous teens. I will remind, again. Please state, my answer is. Then, your vocal response to each single posed academic question. I will begin."

I close my eyelashes, shifting a body back and forth inside the soft fabric of the me-chee chair, feeling eager, grinning at my new assignment. I like academic tests and testing, doing very well in all my academic classes, since I was four years old on my first day as a schooler.

The voice of the thought me-chee echoes inside each silver-tinted enclosed cubby hole with the first question. "What is the outer skin tone color of the me-chee inside the Cubby Hole room, presently?"

I hear the first question and giggle, saying in a clear voice. "My answer is...pink."

The thought me-chee host asks. "What is the common color tint of the sky?"

I say. "My answer is...blue."

The thought me-chee host asks. "What is the common color tint of pasture grass?"

I say. "My answer is...green."

The thought me-chee host asks. "What is the common color tint of the dirt soil?"

I say. "My answer is...brown."

"What is the sum of one plus one?"

I giggle. "My answer is...two."

"What is the multiplication of 12 times 12?"

I grin. "My answer is...144."

The thought me-chee host asks. "The half-life of one isotope of radium is 1,600 years. Within this isotope, 15/16 of the radium atoms will decay over time. What is the time period?"

I pause and calculate the math inside my smart brain cells. "My answer is...6,400 years."

The thought me-chee host asks. "A body drowns in water. After a length of time, the body will surface back up onto the waves, based on the water temperature at the bottom of the lake, the depth at the location, and consumption of beverages and food preceding the body's death. Name one food item high in carbohydrates, where the bacteria will encourage a quick refloat of the death body upon the water surface?"

I frown with concentration and smile. "My answer is...potato chips."

I feel heatness underneath my skull, my back spine, and my fanny and blink open my eyelashes. My me-chee shield has turned into a pretty pink color tone as my cat suit shimmies in a candy pink color, too. I turn and grin to see Buffo. He rests his tallness comfortably inside his me-chee chair, wearing a tint of silver. I feel tightness as the fabric of my me-chee chair wraps around my entire body like a soft warm blanket, locking me inside the smooth furniture.

And then the chair and I shake side to side with a set of violent jolts and fires with heat over my body.

I feel both scared and excited as the floor underneath the me-chee chair drops open. I drop down into a dark hole, screaming with fright, flinging only my free ten finger pads that are trapped against my side inside the warm blanket with excitement.

My me-chee chair lands and halts on top of a dark platform.

I feel thrilled and nervous, speeding forward as I am trapped inside the me-chee, moving toward a bright light at the end of a dark black tunnel.

08:13 am

Pink room of mirrors setting

Cool temperatures with dull sunlight of tall trees

I slide into a well lighted rectangular shaped room and halt with a tongue biting jolt, sitting far away from a forward solid metal wall of pink. My heart starts beating again as I spit exceed lip spittle and nose mucus from my face over the flooring from my screaming fright. I turn and scan the room of pink as I am still trapped and striped down inside the me-chee chair.

Two walls of reflective mirrors are parked between Ketona and her chair inside an enclosed room. I turn with a giggle to see my smiling face reflection inside one of the mirrors.

The me-chee chair un-wraps the single protective layer of soft fabric from the body of Ketona, sucking the fabric back down into the metal sides. The fabric had kept Ketona safe, coming through the journey of the wind-channel ride, landing inside a dark tunnel.

I jump upright from the chair and twirl in a completely circle inside the pink room, stopping and stand by the me-chee chair with a giggle and a grin. I shake all the scared bones and the two weak kneecaps side to side without finding any injury to a limb and nod with a whisper. "I completely understand. I correctly addressed and answered all the academic questions first before any other schooler," I clap and bounce around with excitement. "My BPs would be so proud and happy, if I could tattle. I'm the first one here. I'm all alone inside the pretty pink shimmy room of mirrors. Where's here? What's here?" I turn, running up and down the mirrored wall, slamming accidentally into a solid metal pink tinted wall.

The wall disappears.

A lush forest of woodlands, dirt red clay, green low bushes, tall trees, colorful flowers, blue sky, yellow sunshine, and a slight breeze of a pretty day appears beyond the metal pink tinted wall.

I slowly move ahead into the bright sunshine with a smile at the pretty work of nature and stop, standing in place, reaching out and touch the tree bark with a hand. "It is real." I lean over and pick up a flower from the vine stem. "It is real." I kick the bushes with a boot toe. "It is real. This is really a nature forest of nature." I slowly scan the pretty landscape with a smile and a nod. I live in the cold hard steel cast city of Colfax. Each house of three blocks has a manicured lawn with a row of manicured flowers, and a manicured lawn service to care for the manicured lawn. I'm a teen doing nothing but studying most days when not entertaining Buffo on my very limited days.

"This is really one of the many adventure themed park places of the famous Cubby Hole." Rincon moves ahead through the open archway of the pink room of mirrors with a smile and a nod, strutting toward the back spine of Ketona.

I twist around to see Marsilla and Rincon as they stroll side by side and part into different directions. Hatch, Jara, Buffo, and my new friend Lamis exit from the new pink room of mirrors one after another.

They stop and stand in place, forming a loose huddle in the middle of the flat grass.

Rincon reaches out and gently taps the forearm of Ketona with a wink and a smile. "Congratulations, Ketona! You have successfully answered all your academic questions correctly before me. I was stumped by the last question and puzzled it out before the ten second deadline."

Buffo dashes by Rincon, capturing and cuddling Ketona and kisses her smile, pulling back with a smile. He shuffles an arm from behind a back spine with a wildflower, coming from the natural park. She accepts it and sniffs the sweet fragrance into her nose holes. He says with a smile and a nod of happiness. "I did it, too. I answered all my questions. Citizenship Day is fun. My BPs told..."

"Yes. "Rincon points up to the trees and down the grass with a smile and a nod, too. "This is our reward for answering all the academic questions inside the Cubby Hole for the color tone of pink. Our of the ultimate goals is to answer all the academic questions while attaining the color tone of gold first which will be me, of course."

I stand between the biceps of Buffo with a smile and a wink to see Rincon. "Or me, of course, too."

Marsilla holds her stomach, shaking her pixie with a sour frown. "I did not enjoy the tunnel ride. Will I and the me-chee chair take a wild ride within every color tone attained, after correctly addressing all the academic questions for a hundred percent score?"

The unnamed petite female with a red colored ponytail and a set of blue eyes moves ahead from the pink room of mirrors. She stops and slides between Buffo and Hatch with a smile and a nod of her ponytail. "Yeah, darling, the me-chee host is the transportation machine for accessing your particularly acquired theme action and adventure park place," she turns and stares at the trees, snapping the chewing gum. "This one is some type of forest-woodland park cool spot. The breeze is nice from the stuffy Cubby Hole room of heated bodies. The sun is pretty too." She leans down and spits the chewing gum out from a set of parted lips and onto the pretty natural grass.

I cringe with her non-southern belle manners and wasteful chewing gum.

Rincon turns and frowns with annoyance, looking down at the hair roots of the new girl, also. "Do you care to share your name and your knowledge with us?"

The female looks up with a smile and a wink to Rincon. "Guess so, sugar. I'm Duchie. I'm from Dandine..."

"A dookie girl," Rincon jabs a finger with a laugh of his shocking anti-social manners at the new girl.

Marsilla reaches over and slaps his arm with a sour frown, shaking her pixie with a stern face. "Where are your proper southern beau manners which were taught by your mom, Rincon? That is not a nice phrase while acknowledging a visitor to our home town of Colfax. Welcome to Colfax, Duchie! I'm Marsilla. I am birthed and reared here, if here is still in the city limits of Colfax," she turns with a worried brow to scan the landscape.

Duchie turns with a giggle and points to Marsilla, shaking her ponytail. "She don't know."

Rincon grins. "No. I suspect more than a couple of us standing inside this loose huddle doesn't know the reason either for my accurate but insensitive nickname. Please, do the honor and enlightening us, belles and beaus, Duchie."

Jara frowns at Rincon. "What? What are you referencing, Rincon? What is it that we do not know about?"

Duchie reaches over and slaps on the arm of Buffo with a giggle and a grin. "I'm from the town of Dandine. Dandine is the sewer plantation for the city of Colfax and the surrounding towns of Hamlin, Tonkey, Montag, Burrville, and Albend. People like to use that particular word for my town, my folks, and me. Don't bother me none. I'm used to it."

I cuddle with a sour frown into the chest of Buffo, staring at Duchie. "Well, it does bother me. I am not used to it. Therefore, no one is allowed saying that particular silly word around me or Duchie, if she is present around me. Yay hay! We got a new friend and survived Citizenship Day along with the silly academic questions. I mean really who is going to miss the question, what color is the sun. Okay. We're here inside the forest-woodland park place. Is that the right term to say, the park place of someplace on the planet? I don't think that we're inside Colfax any more. Since, Colfax doesn't have a forest of real live brown bark trees and green plant bushes. What are we supposed to do now?"

Marsilla turns with a smile and stares at the forest. "Let's scout about for some fun. I've never seen a real live forest with real live trees and plants. Since, I have lived my entire life inside a city of steel and concrete. Are the trees rough on your fingertips?" She advances forward and stops, standing in front of the tree, reaching out and hugs the bark. She pulls back and reached up, picking off the leaves and examines each leaf, twig, and tree limb.

Rincon shakes his locks with a sour frown. "I do believe that our best course of action would be to tarry back into the me-chee chair and entertain the next color tone of yellow. It is the next glowing gem on the color chart. Our goal is to advance as quickly as possible to attain..."

"Naw," Hatch shoves Rincon on the back spine toward the thick forest of trees with a smile. "Let's scout about for some fun like Marsilla has ordered. I've never been to a real live forest of leaves and trees, either. I saw it on my cellie," he looks up with a smile to see the blue sky and the tall trees. "You can't even see the blue colored skyline between the thick green leaves on the branches. Wow! This is really cool along with the air temperature, cooling my body, too."

Jara cuddles Hatch with a sour frown and does not want to see the trees, only Hatch. "I don't understand this park action adventure thing. I vote along with Rincon that we return back into the me-chee chair and take one more scary tunnel ride back up to the auditorium inside the Colfax Rotunda and complete the activity for Citizenship Day. Then, we go back to my house and swim in the pool or play billiards or watch some entertainment program, wasting the rest of the day, darling. Where are we actually located, geographically? I don't think that we are in Colfax, anymore, guys," she giggles.

I hold Buffo by the hand with my flower tucked behind my earlobe.

Duchie moves ahead between Hatch and Buffo, pointing to the object with a smile. "Look. It's a great big playground park for us, big teens with a set of mounted free flowing swings and a two-person seesaw and a gigantic slide. I wanna go down the slide," she runs ahead, curving around the metal slide and stomps up each prong, climbing the tall ladder. Duchie slowly eases over the flat platform and stands, dancing and waving both hands with a giggle. Her red ponytail sways side to side. She squats and leaps down on the slide, pushing off, traveling down on her stomach and screams with fright and fun. She hits the pit of soft sand at the bottom of the slide and rolls side to side with a laugh.

Buffo exhales with a huff of frustration and releases Ketona, racing ahead to Duchie with a worried brow, sliding and kneels over the sand with a smile. "Are you hurt? Did you make your nose bleed?" He reaches out and touches her cat suit, helping her to stand upright with a worried brow.

Duchie stands upright as the sand falls back down into the pit and grabs his hand with a smile. "Naw, I'm fine. Let's go down the slide, again." Buffo nods with a grin and follows her back spine around the ladder. Duchie leads and glides up and down the slide, screaming with fun, waving both arms and falls over the sand, again.

Buffo follows her feet down, landing on his feet, running into Ketona with a smile and a chuckle, twirling her body around and around with a smile.

I giggle between his chest and pull back with a wink, reaching out, grabbing his hand, moving ahead to the next piece of fun playground with a smile. "Let's play on the seesaw device."

Buffo and I stomp toward the playground equipment.

Rincon and Marsilla advance ahead and stop, sliding into a pair of swings, pushing back and forth with feet from the dirt with a set of laughs and smiles.

Hatch and Jara chase each other with a set of grins and giggles, jumping on and off the merry-go-round.

Lamis advances ahead and sits inside a single swing set, too.

I lift the lightweight seesaw panel even with the ground and slide the flat wooden seat between my legs.

Buffo drops his fanny down onto the wooden seat. Then, the seesaw flings Ketona into the air.

I scream with fear and laugh with fun.

Buffo is a tall and heavy teen, sitting on top of the wooden seat which is buried down into the sand without moving. He laughs at the funny sight.

I frown with annoyance, kicking both legs in the air as I am too short and too lightweight to shift the seesaw back down into the sand for rotating the board up and down. I shout with fury. "Bounce us up and down..."

One of the new male schoolers runs and climbs the ladder of the slide, standing on the platform, raising both arms with a yell. A second new male schooler moves ahead and advances up the ladder, shoving the first schooler down the playground slide.

The first schooler catches the side railings with both his hands, traveling down the slide on a stomach.

A new third male schooler runs and climbs the gigantic playground slide, standing on the top step beside the second schooler as they laugh and shove on each other. Then, the second male schooler punches the face of the third schooler as they fight and yell with curse words.

I turn and frown at the new set of schoolers, slowly bouncing up and down on the seesaw. "Do you know these schoolers on top of the slider, Buffo?"

Buffo turns and narrows his eyelids, studying the new males, "Naw."

A new female schooler pushes Lamis off the swing and occupies it. A new second female schooler shoves Marsilla off the swing as Marsilla is caught by Rincon.

Rincon is a peaceful teen, dragging Marsilla from the swing set toward the bushes. They stand out of the way, watching the violence of the rough new set of teen schoolers.

Three more new schoolers run and grab the merry-go-round, running with a faster speed.

Hatch growls at the schooler, hugging onto Jara as they turn and jump off the merry-go-round, stomping away from the set of mean schoolers.

Buffo says with concern. "Get off, Ketona. We're done here, playing around the equipment. I don't know who these schoolers are, but we need to find another spot to play safely." He lowers the seesaw as Ketona stands. He swings off, moving ahead, grabbing and cuddles her for love and protection.

Buffo and I spin around and move ahead to Hatch, Jara, Marsilla, Rincon, Duchie and Lamis, forming a tight huddle.

I say with shock and a stern face. "I thought Citizenship Day was supposed to be fun."

Rincon thumbs back over a collar bone between the trees with a stern face and a serious tone. "We should go back into the pink room and ride the me-chee chairs back into the Cubby Hole."

Duchie points with a smile and a nod toward the range of pretty mountains. "The nature park place seems really big. Let's scoot toward the east with the mountains and see what we find."

Jara crosses both arms with a nod and a sour frown, staring at the gang of mean schoolers. "I agree with Rincon. Let's go back for safety into the Cubby Hole. I'm kinda in shock with meeting the rude and obnoxious teens. Where are they from? I don't think they come from our home town of Colfax."

Hatch turns with a sour frown and studies the schoolers who occupy the playground equipment. "Naw, there's more fun to have here. Just let these schoolers stay here. We will find another spot for playing fun. This is Citizenship Day, our day of play and party. After this, we're done with school, becoming adults, and start our new jobs as me-chee programmers," he leans and hugs Jara with a smile and a whisper of secret words. She smiles with a nod.

I stare with a sour frown at the rude teens. "More schoolers are coming and they're fighting on top of the playground slide. Are they going to get hurt or injured or killed? I'm going to be a medical technician. If my BPs were here, they could attend the wounds of the fallen teens. However, they are not."

Duchie moves ahead and leads toward the pretty mountains with a smile and a nod. "We go east to the mountains. I don't see any teens ahead of us. Let's go and explore the nature landscape, some more."

Buffo elbows Ketona with a smile, handing her another wildflower from the flower bush. "Let's go and explore more of the park place, before we return back into the boring Cubby Hole. This is our last day of school. I wanna have some fun and see the sights before answering more stupid questions. Okay, honey?"

I accept and sniff the new flower into my nose holes with a nod and a smile. Buffo and I cuddle and follow behind the back spine of Duchie.

Hatch leads and drags Jara toward the mountains with a smile. "Buffo's right. Let's walk around nature before heading back into the Cubby Hole, finishing the boring academic tests. I wanna climb a tree and jump the limbs like monkeys, too," laughing.

Lamis stares with a confused brow at her new friends, shaking her curls, following behind the back spines of Hatch and Jara. "They are very silly teens."

Rincon exhales with a huff of defeat and follows behind the back spine of Lamis. "We should go back inside the Cubby Hole, ya'll. It is located in the opposite direction."

Marsilla shakes her pixie, following behind the back spine of Rincon, staring at the fighting teens on the playground equipment.

Duchie skips side to side down a worn pathway between the tall trees, the low plant bushes, and the rows of colorful wildflowers and stops, standing in place. She narrows her eyelashes with concern, squatting and leaning into the low bushes. "It's..."

"...a baby kitten," I see the movement underneath the low bushes and release Buffo, running and sliding into the low bushes of plants with a smile and a laugh. I see a tiny litter of baby kittens. The six-week old kittens hide and play underneath a low bush. I reach and grab one with quicker hands, feeling the pain. "Ouch!" I pull back my hand which is covered in my blood with a sour frown of annoyance. "The bushes have prickly thorns. Be careful!" I nurse my hand, wiping the blood onto the leaves. There is a nasty slice over the top of my hand. Then, I spot the kitten and grab it with my healthy hand, cuddling her into a face, tickling my chin with her tiny soft fur with happiness. "Awe, she's so soft and sweet. Her claws are tiny, too. She's so cute. Can I take her home with me for being a good citizen?" I rub the kitten with a smile as she purrs into my neck.

Buffo kneels and reaches out with a smile for the baby puppy. It hides and yelps underneath a different set of low-lying plant bushes. He yells with a sour frown. "Ouch! I got bite too by the prickly thorns. Be careful, ya'll." He ignores the bleeding tiny cut and cuddles the six-week old puppy into his chest, smelling the newness of a baby animal.

Rincon moves ahead and kneels over the grass with a smile, reaching out, patting each puppy with Hatch and Duchie. Marsilla, Jara, Lamis and I play with the tiny kittens, creating fun of smiles and giggles.

One of the new schoolers runs behind the back spine of Ketona, thumbing back over a collar bone with a smile and a yell. "Hey! There're a set of baby farm animals near the water pond. Come down here!"

I cuddle the kitten for the last time and place her back underneath the bush.

Another new schooler comes behind Ketona, sliding over the grass and grabs, cuddling the same kitten with a giggle and a grin.

I stand upright with a smile and cuddle with Buffo, back stepping and swing around, moving down a sloped hillside of pretty batches of wildflowers, numerous rows of low bushes, and a grove of tall trees. Rincon, Hatch, Jara, Lamis, Duchie and Marsilla follow behind the back spines of Buffo and Ketona, whispering with a whisper about the forestland.

I see a lake of water which is surrounded by a grove of tall trees with a fishing pier. Between the lake and the hillside, there is an assortment of baby farm animals that stand in the open field of grass and wildflowers without a fence or a corral. The baby farm animals consist of numerous chicks, lambs, colts, calves, rabbits, ducklings, and other schoolers, who smile and kneel in the grass, playing with the animals too.

I run away from Buffo with a smile and stop, squatting and touch two of the baby chicks. They're soft and fluffy. They wiggle side to side inside my hands as I feel their tiny stick legs and their sharp toes and turn, handing the solo chick to Buffo.

He accepts and strokes the chick with a smile, turning and gives the animal to Duchie. Duchie accepts and pats the baby chick with a smile, turning and hands to Rincon.

I bump elbows with some of the new teens from the other towns, crowding around one of the ten colts. I take my turn to caress his long thin legs, using a stiff brush to groom the baby horse.

It neighs, stomping its tiny hoofs as one of the teen feeds it a small crap apple from the apple tree nearby.

Buffo elbows his way through the crowd of teens and kneels beside Ketona, touching and probing the silky coat of the colt. They laugh with the fun moment.

I lean over and chase on both kneecaps through the grass after the two bunny rabbits, capturing and cuddling the soft fur into my neck. The lamb baas with noise for its mama until you feed it an apple slice and it chews, allowing you to rub its soft fur too with both hands.

Buffo and I stand upright and elbow through the crowd of teens, moving to each baby animal. They pat and giggle with silliness at the unique farm experience. I cuddle with Buffo with a nod. "I believe that we're done with the pink color forest woodland park place. Where to next?"

Hatch hugs with a sour frown on Jara. "I don't wanna leave and return and answer six more dumbo questions to attain the color of..."

Rincon stand upright from patting the baby duckling with a smile. "Yellow. It is the next color tone on the chart for reaching the gold color tone. You heard the me-chee, too. If you reach the gold color tone, then you can select any job position that you desire within Colfax."

Hatch grins. "I got a job with my dad. I'm going to be a me-chee programmer and program that me-chee with a funnier personality and a hair style, too," laughing.

Buffo points with a smile to the trees. "Let's eat the food of the forest, too. I spied a batch of pecan trees, apple trees, and low hanging blue berry bushes over yonder." He releases Ketona and shifts into the forest with Hatch, Jara, and Duchie.

Rincon scoots beside Ketona with a grin, playfully tapping her elbow. "A snack of nourishment sounds delightful before our next set of academic questions. This is a wise decision. Food is the source of both mind intelligence and body energy. We should arrange a pod of seats for our enjoyment of the gathered snacks."

I turn and work with him, Lamis, and Marsilla, shuffling around a set of numerous the broken tree limbs and loose small rocks away from a natural row of small flat boulders that form a circle of semi-short stone chairs.

Jara returns and leads with a sour frown, holding her arms over the breasts with no fruit items.

Buffo and Hatch return, stopping and stand, dropping both arms down to the ground. An array of nuts, apples, pears and berries drop down over the top of the tree bark.

The teens reach and grab handfuls of food, sitting around a non-camp fire, chewing the food.

Duchie sits next to Buffo and swallows the food with a grin. "I find it interesting that all the teens have advanced into the first color tone of pink."

Buffo chews and swallows the food with a smile. "I don't. All the questions were short and stupid. All the future questions from the me-chee host will be more short and stupid. Then, when all the shortest questions are addressed, we will be done with Citizenship Day. Yeah, I'll start my new job with my dad, next week," he reaches out and fist bumps with a chuckle and a grin to his friend Hatch.

Rincon scoots next to Ketona, chewing and swallows the food with his gracious southern beau manners, saying with a smile. "I assumed that you answered both numbers seven and eight correctly, too, Ketona."

I swallowed the food with a nod. "I answered 6,400 years for the radiation question."

Duchie frowns. "We're all vying for the same limited work jobs at the same limited work buildings here inside the Cubby Hole for advancing to the next color tone. You must answer every single academic question..."

Lamis turns and frowns at Rincon. "I couldn't figure out that answer swiftly enough. Ten seconds might be a lot of time for a machine, but my human brain needs more than ten tick tocks on the clock, especially when being quizzed and nervous. I was calculating out the math with all my hands and my fingers when my cat suit sizzled in heat and then turned the color of pink. Then, I looked up to see that my me-chee shield had turned pink, too. So, I presumed that I had gotten three-fourths of the total questions correct. Then, the chair dove down into a dark hole. I started yelling and screaming in fear and fright. But I know what to do for the next scary ride. Scream louder," I giggle.

Rincon turns and scans the landscape of the forest and then Lamis with a smile. "I concur. You must remain calm and not allow your emotions to sway your responses while calculating your correct answer. Each half-life, an average of one-half of the nuclei present will decay. Therefore, after one-half live decays, only about one-half of the radium nuclei remain. After two half-lives, the sample contains one-half of one-half or about one-fourth of the original number of radium nuclei. The number of nuclei remaining after _n_ half-lives have elapsed is one-half to the nth power. Having 15/16 of the radium nuclei decay means, having 1/16 of them remain which is one-half to the fourth power. The answer is four half-lives which is 6,400 years. That was the correct answer for addressing the scientific question which allowed me to advance from silver into pink," smiling.

Jara frowns with annoyance. "This is some non-fun time before we start our new fun working jobs. My dad's a legal technician. I'm going to be like him, too, working inside the legal building in Colfax."

Lamis chews and swallows the food with a sour frown. "I didn't get to hear the last question. What was it?"

Rincon laughs. "A dead body lying on the bottom of a lake will surface due to gas like the popping of a cork. The gas has formed and compressed inside the abdominal wall and chest cavity from the both decay and eating internal bacteria. There were numerous factors associated when a body rose to the surface which includes the length of time after drowning, the fat content, the water temperature at the bottom of the lake, the depth of the lake location, and the consumption of food before death. I didn't have readily available one food item high in carbohydrates that would quickly refloat the dead body. Then, I thought of..."

"Beer," Buff cracks open the pecan shell with a nod and a chuckle, eating the food.

I lean over and hug Buffo with a smile, alleviating some of my tension, seeing the fighting teens at cute playground park in the far distance of non-camp site. I live in a world of posh beauty and slick stones of Colfax. No one fights or yells or causes trouble. I turn and scan the forest, seeing the yellow rays of sunshine and the rows of colorful wild flowers. I sniff the fruit bushes of blue berries and raspberries, too. The landscape is pretty and pleasure. I turn and study Buffo. He eats and laughs and then chews and chuckles. I feel safe with him here inside the Cubby Hole.

Duchie frowns with disappointment. "I missed the dead body question, too. However, I did get the other answers correct, advancing me up into the pink color which was 87.5 percent. I got seven out of eight questions correct. Pfft! The next color tones will not be so easy for us."

Rincon says. "A candy bar is listed in nutritional value as high in carbohydrates. The candy would cause a dead body to rise from the bottom, too. That was my correct answer."

Lamis nods with a smile. "Well, you can always stay within your present color tone until Citizenship Day ends without advancing to another color, if you only guess two-fourths of the questions. That's fifty percent. When does it end this afternoon, this evening, before midnight? Does anyone have any datum to share with me?"

Rincon chews and swallows the food with a sour frown. "You are incorrect, as usual. The me-chee host cleared stated. If you address one-fourth or less correct answers of the posed questions, then you are stationary inside your current color tone. That is mathematically twenty five percent of the questions. For a tally of four, the correct answer is one. The me-chee host cleared stated. If you answer three-fourths or more of correct answers of the posed questions, then you will advance to the next color tone.

"I did at hundred percent, a perfect score, instead of the seventy five percent, a passing score. The me-chee host cleared stated. If you answer two-fourths of the posed questions with a set of incorrect answers, then you will slip back down into the previous color tone. To maintain your current color tone, you answer correctly one-fourth or less questions. If you attempt to answer all the questions and two-fourths are incorrect, then you will slide back into the previous tone color. This is the correct explanation." He bites into the pear and chews.

Duchie frowns with puzzlement. "I don't understand. Three-fourths is seventy five percent. I don't understand an academic test that allows a schooler to pass at seventy five percent. That is actually equivalent to the letter grade of 'D.'"

Buffo frowns with puzzlement. "The letter grade of 'D' is a passing mark, carrying the student from one grade to next grade, unless you study a little bit more and try to make a higher grade for your BPs, of course," he chuckles and chews the fruit.

Rincon frowns with confusion. "That is an incorrect analogy, Duchie. Three-fourths divided within the given formula is seventy five percent. However, we do not know the total number of questions of the denominator to multiple by the given mathematical percentage of seventy-five. Take the previous questions within the pink tone color range to attain the perfect percentage of seventy-five. You must have answered exactly six correct questions regardless of the order to receive the passing value of seventy-five. Therefore, we cannot guess the number of questions. But we can estimate based on the percentage value. If the perfect passing percentage is the number of seventy-five, then the next series of questions for the next color tone will come in the following format.

"Numeric three divided by numeric four is a perfect value of seventy five percent. The next round for the orange tone could have a maximum number of four total questions. If you receive a fifth question, then the total questions could be eight, based on a perfect value of seventy-five. Six divided by eight is a perfect value of seventy five percent, also. Nine divided by twelve is a perfect value of seventy five percent, too. If you received a ninth question, then the total amount of questions could be twelve. You see how easy it is to figure out the estimated questions for the next color tone using simple division of the math scale."

Lamis nods. "So, I'm safe if I can answer the first six questions correctly getting the 75 percentage value and then advancing to the next color tone. That's easy," smiling.

Buffo frowns with worry. "I don't think I can answer correctly nine out of twelve questions, if they all related to radiated isotopes. My schooler studies drifted more into programming specs, working with my dad rather than a varied range of mathematical formulas."

"I answered all eight questions and received hundred percent. Why didn't the chair drop me after the sixth question down here into the forest park?" I chew on the pear with a confused brow.

Rincon swallows his food with a puzzled brow. "The answer is very simple. This is also a challenge to advance to the next color tone which is yellow for all the schoolers. Any challenge, that is timed, is also listed as a competition element among the schoolers. The me-chee host is simply allowing any schooler to achieve a perfect hundred score in every color tone, since the winning object is the first-place choice of any job inside any building here at Colfax. I greatly want the first-place choice to choose my work job with my mom as a medical technician."

I gasp. "Wait! My mom's a medical technician, too. Can we both work as a medical technician in her building?"

Rincon stands upright with a sour frown. "No," he turns away from the group and moves ahead toward the pink tinted room of mirrors.

A new female schooler runs behind the non-camp fire huddle with a yell and a worried brow. "One of the male schoolers killed three of the baby rabbits. Then, another one of the male schoolers killed two of the kittens. Then, a third schooler killed one of the ducklings before they run away and swan into the water."

A row of new male teens strut behind her back spine.

I turn and gasp at the row of unfamiliar male teens. "He's wearing a necklace of baby duckling webbed feet over his naked chest. The blood still drips from the severed limbs. He killed all these poor little innocent ducklings," I sob with tears and turn to hide into the chest of Buffo. I don't want to see the other dead baby animal parts.

Buffo rubs her back spine with a sneer and a sour frown at the row of mean male schoolers.

Marsilla gasps in fright, too. "Another one of the males killed some of the puppies. He wears a necklace of bloody puppy dog tails over his naked chest."

Duchie laughs with a grin. "Cool, I liked naked chests. There's a female schooler, wearing a necklace of rabbits' feet. That's lucky for her. I wished that I had thought of that. And the shortest male has a necklace of lamb tails," she turns with a grin and stares her new friend. "Your name is Lambie, right, girly?" She giggles.

Jara frowns with disgust. "The crowd of juveniles is both mean and ugly. Each schooler has tossed his shirt and wears a long necklace of dead tiny baby animal furry paws or webbed feet or animal hoofs, dripping with red blood over their naked chests while laughing and grunting with their sick amusement," shaking her curls.

Lamis frowns with sadness. "Awful. The female schooler wears the tiny paws of the kittens..."

I gasp and turn to see the bloody paws and stand upright, back stepping from his hug and dash to the bush, where the kittens were playing. I slide into the bush and halt, dropping open a mouth and sob with my tears. The grass is covered in red glittering blood over the dark green leaves, looking really pretty but sickly gross.

The male schooler had killed the kittens here.

I reach down and into the bushes, touching the grass, hunting to save one of the kittens. I'll bring it home with me for safekeeping.

Two hands pull Ketona from the bushes, "Naw." Buffo reaches out and down into the bush, grabbing and pulling out a hunting knife which is not covered in blood. "One of the boys left their knife here, after the baby animal slaughter."

I rub my pink colored aching wound on my forearm with a gasp from the previous knife cut. I had received the wound when I tried to retrieve the kitten, the first time. I stare with a confused brow at the sharp non-bloody knife. "How did the schooler bring a knife inside the Cubby Hole? One of the belles tried to sneak inside her cellie. But, the me-chee female stopped her, sounding a noisy alarm. How could he have snuck in a steel blade of death which holds the same components as the cellie materials?"

Buffo tosses the knife back down into the bushes and stands upright, assisting Ketona into his chest with a sour frown, "Naw. The cellie wasn't allowed, so you didn't cheat on the posed academic questions. Believe me? If I had my cellie, I could've answered the questions correctly and more swiftly than my brain cells. Let's go back into the Cubby Hole and race to the gold, sweetheart," he leans down and kisses her forehead, pulling back with a smile.

They accidentally swing around and slam into bodies of Hatch and Jara.

Hatch hugs Jara, moving around Buffo and Ketona. Hatch points with a growl at the mean males. "I'll teach them nasty schoolers a lesson about forest manners," he releases and steps from Jara with a sneer.

In the distance, a running male schooler pulls out a hunting knife from the waist band and holds it in the air, dashing to the second male with a laugh. The second male whips out a hunting knife and duals with the other small blades with a laugh, too. A third male punches the face of a fourth male as they fight with both fists and boot toes. Then, more males and some females aim and punch at the other body parts, bleeding the grass with numerous rumbles.

Duchie moves ahead and stops, standing beside Buffo, pointing with a smile and a laugh to the dangerous fighting teens. "A bloody fight with fists and knives," she turns and winks to the nose profile of Buffo. "Do you like to rumble, too, handsome?"

Marsilla and Lamis turn and watch the fist fighting in silence, moving and stop beside Rincon. Rincon studies the fighting teens and swings around to face the wall opening inside the mirror room of the squat building. "I have exhausted my time here. This performance is not interesting, not entertaining, and very disgusting. I am returning to my me-chee chair for answering the next set of academic questions for the advancement into the yellow color tone."

I shiver and shake from the visual violent and the set of flashing blades. I have never seen a physical sight like this living inside my home city of Colfax.

Buffo cuddles Ketona and rubs her arms with a worried brow, back stepping from the fight, swinging around and moves back toward the pink tinted room of mirrors, also. "It's okay. Let's go and get back into the Cubby Hole."

Jara cuddles Hatch and turns away from the bloody show with a sour frown, moving toward the pink room of mirrors. "We're done here, honey. Let's go back to the me-chee man for some more questions and advance out of the pink zone."

They turn and follow behind the back spines of Buffo and Ketona.

Lamis turns with a confused brow and follows behind the back spine of Rincon. "How did you know that the next color tone is yellow?"

Rincon and Lamis move ahead over the grass. Rincon says with a stern face and a serious tone. "You must pay close attention to the me-chee host with all its important instructions. The me-chee host presented a color chart with an array of specific colors, starting at silver and then pink and then yellow..."

Duchie moves beside Buffo with a smile and a nod. "Then orange, then red, then green, then blue, and then finally the color tone of gold. I plan to reach the color tone of gold..."

"After me," Rincon stomps with a laugh and a smile into the pink room of mirrors first.

08:56 am

Pink colored room of mirrors setting

Hatch stops and stands, leaning down and kisses Jara down inside her me-chee chair, pulling back with a grin, sliding into the opposite me-chee chair of her. He stands upright with a sneer and turns with a confused brow to see the chair, rubbing his fanny with a sneer. "The seat bit me."

Rincon turns and shakes his locks with a laugh and a grin to see Hatch. "You are not electrically hot wired into that particular me-chee chair, Hatch. Where did you park your butthole before sliding off and exiting the pink room of mirrors?"

Hatch thumbs back over a collar bone with a sour frown to the me-chee chair which is behind his buddy Buffo, "Over yonder near the wall."

Rincon grins with a nod. "There, you go. You must slide back into your original me-chee chair. Everyone has a particular silky seat of body sweat and odor that is mixed into the fabric. If you can't remember your placement, then I suggest that you wait by the door until all the me-chee chairs have disappeared, leaving the pink room. However, by that time, I will have advanced most assuredly into the yellow room or beyond." He continues to watch Hatch with a chuckle and a smile.

Hatch swings around with a curse and scoots into his me-chee chair. The chair wraps the fabric around his tallness and drops him down into the open floor behind the me-chee chair of his girl Jara.

I enter the room and point to my me-chee in the middle of the room. Buffo and I halt by the pink metal. I shiver from fright and shake my curls and my hands with a worried brow, staring down with the me-chee chair. "I don't know. I don't know, if I'm ready to return back into the Cubby Hole. I must answer another set of eight questions to pass into the next color tone. I studied my academic questions, since birth. I was ready. I was happy about Citizenship Day. Now, I feel so nervous. I need to stay here and calm my nerves. I can't focus on any academic questions, right now. I feel, so sad. I saw that teen get hurt and stabbed from that knife cut. He might be hurt or killed by now. My BPs are a pair of medical technicians. I'm going to be..."

"...a great medical technician, too," Buffo leans over and hugs Ketona with a laugh and a smile. "It was all fake and fun for a good time here inside the pink park place. That's all. No kid got hurt from that falling drop of the playground slide or stabbed by a real hunting knife. I promise. However, we can't stay out here all day long and play. We gotta go back and answer and finish the questions and then move along to the next color chart. Get inside the chair..."

I shuffle away from Buffo, shaking my hands and my curls with a worried brow and a worried mind. "I don't know. I do really need a few more minutes to calm my nerve endings. I'm not in a smart frame of mind to attack more academic questions. I might fail and then not pass into the yellow color tone. I am..."

"Here," Rincon moves ahead and reaches out, gently touching the bent elbow of Ketona with a smile and a nod. "I found the exhibition horrid, too. And I, too, had felt both sad and nervousness. However, Buffo is correct. This is both fake and fun within the park place. Now, to calm your shivering neurons and shaky nerves, close your eyelashes and take three deep breathes, Ketona. The extra supply of oxygen will activate hormones to release the tension inside your brain cells for the next set of questions. Then, you will pass into the yellow color tone with me and Buffo," winking.

I turn and smile at Rincon, closing my eyelashes, exhaling and inhaling my worries from my active mind. I exhale and inhale, two more times. I open my eyelashes, seeing the rows of pretty flowers and a handsome Rincon. He nods with a smile in silence. I grin with a wink to him. "Thank you. I feel much better for continuing within the Cubby Hole."

Rincon back pedals from Ketona with a nod and a smile. "You need both your physical and psychological wits with you for the next colors tone," he spins around and scoots down inside his me-chee. The fabric wraps and tightens around his body. Then, Rincon drops down into the floor, screaming in fright.

Buffo leans over and hugs, kissing her hair roots, pulling back with a smile. "Do you feel like leaving the pink room now, darling?" She turns and nods with a smile to Buffo in silence. He leans down and kisses her lips, pulling back with a goofy grin of love, releasing Ketona. He back steps and spins around, moving ahead toward his me-chee chair to complete the rest of Citizenship Day.

I smile and slide sideways into the me-chee chair, getting another hug by the soft fabric like a set of warm arms of Buffo. I can't see Buffo, since he is behind my me-chee chair. His chair had appeared later, after Ketona had first entered inside the pink room. He took more brain time to answer all his academic questions.

I'm trapped again, not being able to hold my stomach with both hands or remove the leaking mouth spittle from my lips while screaming. My me-chee chair drops down with my stomach, and as my heart rises up and suffocates my throat for a few seconds.

The chair and I sail backward within the dark tunnel. I scream with fun and fright. Then, the me-chee chairs stops.

A bright yellowish white light hovers above my hair roots, glowing inside a pink shield of the me-chee chair. I look up with a smile to see the light and as, my me-chee chair floats up and anchors back into the Cubby Hole within the same spot inside the same auditorium room.

The soft fabric seat belt unwraps from my body. I giggle and wipe the sweat from my brow from the fun and scary ride from the pink room of mirrors and back to the Cubby Hole.

09:01 am

Cubby Hole auditorium setting

Yellow colored walls, floor, ceiling, and me-chee machine

The four walls, the floor, and the ceiling are all yellow tinted in color along with the solo yellow colored me-chee man that stands upright underneath the color chart. My cat suit and my me-chee chair are still pink tinted. I turn and scan the room with a gasp.

Some of the other me-chee chairs are missing, displaying an empty spot over the yellow tinted floor.

I immediately back flashed, thinking of the gang of mean and rude teens that had fought with hunting knives. I am guessing that the empty spots of the missing me-chee chairs belong to the set of vile male and female schoolers, who have murdered and displayed the poor innocent baby farm animal parts, without a prime purpose or a head of good sense.

I wonder, if the me-chee host will allow the gang of nasty killer teens to come back and sit within the Cubby Hole auditorium room and then to participate within the remaining Citizenship Day activity or address the color tone questions, again.

Duchie had said that she was surprised that all the schoolers passed from the color silver into the pink tone.

Now, I can understand her weird statement. Some of the schoolers are rude and exhibit a barbaric manner like a pack of cavemen. I am so relieved that I live in a place of civilized and pretty Colfax, a posh city of steel and elegance.

Rincon had said this was competition for the gold first place job choice.

Now, I understand his arrogant statement. He is planning to beat me to become the first teen inside the gold color tone. Well, I'm smarter than Rincon. We have always competed as a pair of schoolers, since four years old. And I have always out performed him, academically and socially. I will do that again today at the Citizenship Day activities, too.

Lamis had said that a schooler could stay within the present color tone.

Now, I understand her mysterious statement. The barbaric teens killing each other inside the pink color tone probably aren't interested in racing to the gold like me and Buffo.

I turn with a smile to see him through my pink shield of my me-chee chair.

Buffo turns with a smile and a hand wave to see Ketona through his pink shield of his me-chee chair.

The me-chee host stands and raises its arms and says into all the me-chee chairs. "Welcome back to the Cubby Hole, teens! I hope that you had enjoyed your fun in the sun. There is more fun to have inside the rest of the color tones. Sit back and relax. Close your eyelids. I will present the next series of academic questions for your individual answers. The time limit is still ten seconds for each posed question. To remind each schooler again for clarity of a proper verbal response, please state my answer is...then your vocal response. If you answer three-fourths or more of the academic questions correctly, you will advance into the next color of yellow. If you answer one-fourth or less, you will remain stationary inside the color tone of pink. If you incorrectly answer two-fourths of the academic questions, then you will slip back into the color of silver. The first question, what is the color tone of the me-chee host inside the Cubby Hole, presently?"

I close my eyelashes, having ten seconds to answer the question correctly or be penalized with an incorrect response. I exhale and inhale, shaking both arms and legs from the intense moment teen violence plus the fierce competition with my nemesis Rincon. I giggle at the first silly question and say with a smile. "My answer is...yellow."

"What is the common tint color of the ocean waters?"

"My answer is...blue."

"What is the product of positive 330 divided by positive 11?"

"My answer is...positive 30."

"How many bones are in a single human hand?"

"My answer is...27."

"What is the product of positive162 minus positive 73?"

"My answer is...positive 89."

"Attached to the bones of the skeletal system, there are about 700 named muscles. What is the name of the human body's functioning system?"

"My answer is...the muscular system."

The thought me-chee host asks. "The sum of the two roots of a quadratic equation is positive five and their product is negative six. What is the equation?"

I exhale, calculating my answer properly inside my head before the ten second deadline and say with a smile. "My answer is...x² - 5x - 6 = 0."

The thought me-chee host asks. "What is the nitrogenous base that occurs in RNA, but not in DNA?"

I pause with thought, working out the problem into my head and grin with happiness. "My answer is...uracil."

I feel the heat of metal underneath my bee-hind of my me-chee chair and open my eyelashes, seeing my cat suit turn into the yellow color, turning with a smile to see my boyfriend.

Buffo continues to rest inside his me-chee chair, still lingering in the pretty color of pink. His eyelids are closed with both hands over a stomach like he is sleeping and relaxed.

I drop down into the dark hole again with a scream and a gasp.

My me-chee chair halts and flings toward the lighted tunnel

I hold my breath for the quick windy trip. My me-chee chair lands over onto the side wall. I see a red face within the mirrored reflection with a giggle, turning to scan the room with a puzzled brow.

Rincon sits inside his me-chee chair before Ketona, inhaling and exhaling from the scary ride.

I gasp. He beat her into the yellow room by answering all the academic questions correctly before his nemesis Ketona. I am the second me-chee chair to land inside the new room.

The fabric of the me-chee chair unwraps from my body. I jump up and out from the chair, stomping ahead toward him, feeling intrigue and annoyance, leaning over his hair roots with a lady sneer. "Did you answer all eight questions, sir? Or did you answer only six to get the seventy five percent for a meager passing score, Rincon" exhaling with a fighting fury.

He slides out of the chair with a chuckle and stands upright with a smile, straightening out the cat suit to see Ketona with a grin. "I answered all eight perfectly. Then, I dropped swiftly down into the darkness before you, my darling," he winks with a smile to Ketona. "I can see that we will be jockeying for first and second landing spots, after completely each color tone. I hope that there is a reward for a perfect score, as well as, the number of first landing spots. So far, we are even, darling," he spins around and moves ahead to the solid yellow wall, touching it with all finger pads with a smile and a chuckle.

The solid wall disintegrates and opens up, revealing a grass park with a set of tall trees, a series of low green bushes, a row of colorful wildflowers, a bright sunshine, a blue sky, and a wooden walking pathway. The birds sing. The frogs croak inside the new woodlands park place.

I exhale with a puff of defeat and swing around, following the butthole of Rincon, moving through the new opening of a new park place. I don't know when Buffo and his me-chee chair will land inside the yellow room. He looked like he was having a tough go with the rest of the academic questions. I turn and scan the landscape with a sour frown. "Another park place themed showcase! I don't understand why I didn't drop after answering the six questions out of eight, which is a seventy five percent of the passing score. Do you, Rincon?" I run ahead and pull up beside him with a confused brow of the last testing inside the Cubby Hole.

Rincon moves ahead with a smile and a chuckle, strolling down the wooden pathway, passing the tall trees, the low plant bushes, and rows of pretty wildflowers. He stays on the wooden footpath for protection and safety from the dark thick forest on each side of the hiking trail. He smiles at the rows of pretty flowers, not Ketona. "This is a competition for the 'bestest' job within the city home of Colfax which only goes to the perfect schooler, me. If each me-chee chair dropped down into the new park place after the correct sixth question, then every schooler would be vying for the choicest job," he stops with a smile and stands, slapping a hand to the wooden table in the middle of the park that held a single brown object. "I would like to sit here and eat whatever is inside that mysterious picnic basket of good smelling food scents. All this IQ thinking is making my body hungry. I can enjoy my meal, watching the ducks waddle around the pond, before finally accepting my chosen job as a medical technician," he slides over the long sitting bench and stops in front of the basket, reaching up and opens both twin flaps of the food basket.

I turn and stare at the table, the pond, and the skyline with a smile and a nod. "Wow. This is a great place. And I get my chosen job and lunch, too." I move to the side and stop, standing on the opposite side of the picnic table and far away from Rincon, saving a sit spot for my boyfriend Buffo. I turn with a smile to see the yellow tinted room of mirrors without seeing the section of me-chee chairs. Other teens are running out from the yellow tinted opening, not Buffo.

Rincon continued to remove each item one at a time.

I turn with a worried brow and assist Rincon with the food items, spreading out a tablecloth, the numerous empty plates, and the eating utensils over the naked picnic table with a stern face.

He fiddles with the plates and the food items over the picnic table with a smile. "I always listen to the me-chee instructions from the me-chee host and you seem to only concentrate on Buffo," laughing. "The primary reason a me-chee chair does not fall, after the correctly answered sixth question out of eight question tallies, if you do say an incorrect answer, then you stay put inside the current color tone."

I hold the empty plate with a gasp, looking up with a nod and a grin to see the nose bridge of Rincon, "That's correct. I forgot about both the two-fourths and one-fourth rulings, which were quoted to me within my me-chee chair by the me-chee host. If I had missed one question out of eight, then I would pass into the yellow tone with 87.5 percent correction rate. If I had missed two questions out of eight, then I would have still passed into the yellow tone with a 75 percent correctness rate. If I had missed three questions out of eight, then I would have achieved a 62.5 percent correctness rate. Then, I would have stayed inside the pink..."

"Ketona," Buffo dashes with a shout and a hand wave toward his girl Ketona and stops, standing at the edge of the long bench, reaching out, presenting a bouquet of freshly picked colorful wildflowers from the ground with a smile, "Flowers for you and food for me. I'm starving," he slides and bumps into Ketona with a laugh, acting goofy. She accepts the bouquet and lifts, sniffing each flower into the nose holes, placing them at her side in silence. Buffo helps her unload more of the food items with a smile, "Fried chicken. Potato chips," he chuckles. "If someone kills and dumps me down into the duck pond, then I'm going to bloat then float right back up as some ugly fugly murdered evidence. So, don't bother entertaining that wicked idea, ya'll," he sits down and reaches out, grabbing and chews the chips with a chuckle.

Rincon sits down and reaches out, placing numerous food items over the empty plate with a chuckle and a smile, "Buffolo can learn." Ketona reaches out with a sour frown and kicks Rincon underneath the picnic table with a cowgirl boot for insulting her dream man. Rincon feels it and reacts with a laugh and a wink toward her frown, eating the food, chewing with a chuckle.

Jara, Hatch, Lamis, Marsilla, and Duchie move ahead from the yellow tinted room of mirrors and stop, standing and pick a different spot, sitting at the same picnic table with Rincon, Ketona, and Buffo.

Hatch smiles down at the food items and an empty plate, "Food. I'm starving," he reaches out and grabs food with his girl Jara beside him.

Marsilla reaches out and grabs, sipping on the cold beverage, turning to scan the high mountains, the sky, the pond and the green grass with a stern face. "I'm full from eating all the nature nuts, pears and apples inside the pink color park place. I'll pass on the food from the picnic basket. However, it was very kind for the me-chee host to provide more food. Where are we located geographically?"

Lamis looks up with a stern face and scans the landscape with a nod. "I would say that we are south of the outer town of Burrville. We are between the crop fields and the high mountains inside the valley."

Jara chews and swallows the food with a confused face to see each teen. "Why are there two set of walls of reflecting mirrors inside each landing pad or landing room or landing area?"

Rincon chews and swallows the food with a smile to see each teen. "Prehistoric cavemen were fascinated with a set of selfie reflections, coming from a set of glittering lake ponds and a set of small rain water puddles over the ground. But, it was the Egyptian culture that created the looking glass from an assortment of bronze, tin, or other silver earth minerals. The reflection of light is an important property of a mirror and is quantified by the ratio between the amounts of light reflected from the surface..."

"...coupled with the face of my girl Jara. The mirrors are for you to see your pretty face and your sexy body, Jara," Hatch leans over and hugs his girl with a chuckle, pulling back and grabs another food item, eating and chews with a grin.

Rincon frowns with annoyance. "That is not the only purpose..."

Marsilla nods with a stern face. "It fits our purpose now."

Lamis chews and swallows the food with a smile. "What time is it?"

Rincon looks up with a stern face to study the skyline. "Based on the position of the solar sun, it is between nine thirty and ten o'clock." He looks down with a smile and eats another food item, chewing.

I turn and gasp to Buffo. "We'll been playing inside the Cubby Hole for almost two hours. We started at eight, this morning. And we are only posed at the second color tone. Do you remember that there are six colors with four more left to conquer?" I eat and chew with a nod in silence to Buffo.

Duchie chews and swallows the food with a stern face. "It will go much faster. The questions will get harder and the time of ten seconds will lap faster, also."

Marsilla turns and frowns at the nose profile of Duchie. "How do you know that information? As a matter of fact, the questions have numbered eight with a maximum duration of two minutes and thirteen seconds. I have answered all the questions at hundred percent at a steady speedy rate of 4.6 seconds."

Buffo swallows and burps out a song of food music with a chuckle. "Two minutes and thirteen seconds? It seems like an eternal to me," he reaches over and elbows Hatch with a laugh and a grin.

Lamis turns and laughs with a smile to see the nose profile of Marsilla. "How did you figure out that your personal steady speedy rate is 4.6 seconds?"

Marsilla smiles to each teen. "The me-chee host required precisely eight seconds to ask this particular long-winded question within his mechanical rhythm. 'The sum of the two roots of a quadratic equation is five and their product is negative six. What is the equation?' I addressed the solution within 5.6 seconds, dropping my average down from 3.2 seconds to 4.6 seconds."

Rincon chuckles with arrogance. "Ha, I calculated each correct answer at a speedier rate of 2.4 seconds, which was clearly demonstrated right now, today. I landed within the room of mirrors as the first me-chee chair for the second color tone of yellow."

I frown with annoyance. "Ha, I calculated all the correct eight answers faster than 2.4 seconds than Rincon, when I landed as the first me-chee chair inside the first color tone of pink," giggling.

"Second place, now," chuckles Rincon.

I frown with annoyance, "First place, next, buddy," smiling.

Buffo leans over and hugs, kissing her forehead with love and support with a nod and a smile in silence, releasing her and grabs another food item, eating and chews with a grin.

Duchie points with a smile to Marsilla. "Is she-bot really programmed?"

Hatch chews and swallows the food with a stern face to see Marsilla. "How did you figure out that the maximum duration time of the asked eight questions is five minutes and thirty-three seconds?"

Rincon turns and nods to Marsilla. "Marsilla is correct. Each question time allotment is ten seconds. Eight questions times ten seconds is a total of 80 seconds. The me-chee host speaks one question at an average rate of six seconds. Six seconds times eight questions total 48 seconds. When you add 80 seconds plus 48 seconds, the product is 128 seconds. When you divide 128 seconds into the time standard of 60 seconds, the product is two minutes and eight seconds..."

Duchie points with a smile to Rincon and Marsilla. "A matching pair, a she-bot and a he-bot! When they marry and mate, they produce a me-chee bot baby. Now, we all know the sexual procedure, folks," laughing.

"Ouch." Jara frowns with fury and lifts a leg up and onto the long bench with a worried brow, "Dang, an ant bit its nasty two fangs into my foot."

Rincon frowns. "You're supposed to assemble your body in a pair of matching boots with your silver cat suit which would have protected your naked feet against Mother Nature's crawling critters, Jara."

Jara frowns with pain and rubs the naked foot. "Well, I didn't. I like my fashion high heels. They glowed with the silver material. I don't know that I was going to be a rotating quasar of brilliant colors. Gosh, I wished that my mom had tattled to me about freaking Citizenship Day..."

Duchie laughs. "Ketona's worn dull brown cowgirl boots clashes with the bright yellow, too."

I chew and swallow the food with a grin. "It won't clash with the pretty orange which will be my next accomplishment, soonest."

A new female schooler dashes by each picnic table toward the room of mirrors, yelling with fear. "Ants! The rear tables are covered in fire ants. Get out! Run away!"

I stand from the bench with a gasp and turn with a worried brow to see the objects. "The dirt soil is covered in a group of bright red colored ants. They are marching over the picnic tables and long benches and the picnic baskets, too."

Hatch stands from the bench with a gasp and turns with a worried brow to see the ants "Darn, those are the biggest dangest red ants that I have ever seen..."

"Yes," Duchie stands from the bench and turns with a smile to see the ants. "It is rather a pretty picture with the swarm of red that flows over each green short plant and then each brown tinted wooden picnic table. The whole picture looks rich midnight crawling blackness..."

"No," Rincon stands from the bench with a gasp and step backs from the table, shaking both hands and his curls with a worried brow. "I do not like ants."

The new female is a tall teenager with a set of short black hair, a tone of pale tinted skin, and an array of skin pierces. The skin pierces cover both ears, both nostrils, and a left eyebrow. She stands on top of her picnic table, pointing at the range of high mountains which is located behind the swarm of red ants, saying with a stern face and a serious tone. "The ants migrate down from the cool mountains and then build a series of great big tall one-story ant hills and then lay their eggs here. They hang around for about a month or two and then retreat back home with their young'uns into the cool mountain paradise. We are sitting and eating lunch within their private nesting territory," she squats down over the table surface and reaches out, burning the single fire ant that is crawling over her eating table with a lighted cigar, laughing with an evil tone. The poor ant burns in red and yellow flames and wiggles in tormenting pain.

Marsilla stands from the bench and leans over with a sour frown and a whisper to Ketona. "Who is she?"

I turn and frown at the new girl. "One of the nasty schoolers from the outer cities," I watch her fire with the lighted cigar at another crawling fire ant on top of her picnic table. The poor creature burns and wiggles in pain, too. She laughs and rebel yells with victory, watching the ant slowly die. I cringe with the mental and physical pain for the poor suffering insects.

Buffo stands from the bench and leans over, hugging Ketona with a whisper and a worried brow. "It is time to go back and finish this thing, getting our assigned new working jobs." He back steps from the bench and drags her far away from the table and the ants for love and safety. They swing away from the picnic tables and the ants, jogging ahead toward the opening of the yellow room of mirrors.

Lamis stands from the bench and frowns with fear at the ants. "It's time to leave and return to the Cubby Hole, ya'll," she back steps and swings around, running toward the room of mirrors, following behind the back spines of her new friends, also.

09:54 am

Yellow colored room of mirrors setting

The smart teens rush and race, skidding, sliding into an individual me-chee chairs. Rincon and his me-chee chair are ready and wrapped, dropping first down through the open floor into the darkness with a scream of fun.

I laugh at his chicken stew performance, entering and stop inside the open archway, panting for air from a swift jog. I swing around to see landscape. The non-smart teens are tossing a set of small rocks at each ant. I frown at the childish act.

Now, I understand.

No teen would be harmed by Mother Nature which was stated by both Buffo and Rincon. My BPs did not explain all the rules of the Citizenship Day.

I feel miffed and annoyed at the lack of datum information.

I swing around with a smile and examine the room of mirrors with a giggle, seeing an ugly red colored distorted face from sweat and fear inside the mirror. The design of the room peaks my curiosity.

I swing around to see the landscape for a second time. This specific location featuring a yellow tinted park place peaks my curiosity, too.

I spin back around to see the room of mirrors for a third time. The enclosed space of the room is smooth and warm as it is heated from a set of steaming me-chee chairs, feeling kindly familiar. The same design was duplicated inside the pink room of mirrors. So, I feel comfortable, but bored.

I swing around to see the landscape for a third time. The forest is pretty and duplicates the pink park place woodlands with a grove of tall trees, a row of colorful wildflowers, and a series of low green bushes. However, the invasion of the nasty teens inside the pink park place which is coupled with the march of the ants inside the yellow park place woodlands makes me feel scary but thrilled.

I clap with a nod and a whisper for my eardrums only. "This is a psychological test, too," then I feel the two hands around a collar bone.

Buffo leans over and hugs her body, pushing Ketona toward her me-chee chair with a stern face. "Do you need to stop and rest before dropping down into the open floor? I can stand and guard the entire opening, darling. No ant will get through here or me. I promise you." Ketona stops and stands in front of her me-chee chair with a smile of love. Buffo releases her and spins around with a smile, moving ahead and stops, blocking the front of the open archway, lifting and extends both long arms. He shuffles side to side for fun, keeping some of the worried teens from entering the room of mirrors. The annoyed teens sneer and move around his tallness with a set of curse words, looking to find a correct me-chee chair, exiting from the ant invasion, too.

I stand next to my chair with a giggle and a grin at my tall hero. "No. I feel safe from the ants, since you're here with me."

Buffo spins around with a smile and moves ahead with a nod, stopping and stands, cuddling Ketona with a kiss on her hair roots, pulling back with a grin. "Okay, I'm your protector. Are you ready to return back into the Cubby Hole?"

I point with a stern face at the landscape. "There are some non-smart teens out there still playing with the ants. Are we leaving them behind? Will they return back into the Cubby Hole, also? I don't understand. How does that work? Almost all the teens have returned back into the Cubby Hole, except for them who are out there and the other teens inside the pink park place. I saw the missing chairs..."

Buffo spins around with a stern face to see the landscape and the ants. "Well, my dad is a me-chee programmer. He told me that each teen can return by transport of their assigned me-chee chair at any time. So, let's get going. We got another set of questions to pass," he swung around with a smile and leans down, kissing her lips, pulling back with a smile and a nod in silence.

I slide down into my chair, wiggling with excitement, feeling the fabric wrap around my body. Then, the me-chee chair drops down into darkness.

I scream with fun and fright.

10:01 am

Cubby Hold auditorium setting

Orange colored walls, ceiling, floor, and me-chee machine

The four walls, the floor, and the ceiling are all orange tinted in color along with the solo orange colored me-chee host that stands underneath the color chart. My cat suit and my me-chee chair are still glowing in yellow tint. The missing me-chee chairs represent the teens that are probably fighting with the big ugly fire ants for some sick fun along with the first batch of teens, which are probably cooking and eating the dead baby farm animal meat like a pack of savage barbaric beasts.

However, I am born and reared within the pretty and posh Colfax city. I will never socialize with these savage barbaric beasts, again.

I shake both arms and legs, relieving the terrible images of the yellow and pink tone color theme park places, exhaling with a puff of worry. I turn and scan the other teens inside an individual me-chee chair, too.

The mood inside the Cubby Hole is solemn and sour from the tough competition of the series of academic questions that is coupled with the serious invasion of the nasty insects plus the nastiest teens inside the previous two park places.

I shake my curls, concentrating on my golden goal, the first choice job within the city of Colfax. I turn with a stern face and scan the room for Rincon. He is glowing yellow tint which is three me-chee chairs ahead of Ketona. I will note when Rincon drops down during the orange color tone academic event.

The me-chee host lifts both metal arms into the air, smirking with a dark red permanently painted facial expression, saying in a tenor timber into each me-chee chair and schooler. "Welcome back to the Cubby Hole, teens." He drops down both arms by the side. "I hope that you had enjoyed your fun in the sun. There is more fun to have inside the rest of the color tones. Sit back and relax. Close your eyelids. I will present the next series of academic questions for your individual answers. The time limit is ten seconds for each posed question. To remind each schooler again for clarity of a proper verbal response, please state my answer is...then your vocal response. If you answer three-fourths or more of the academic questions correctly, you will advance into the next color of orange. If you answer one-fourth or less, you will remain stationary inside the color tone of yellow. If you incorrectly answer two-fourths of the academic questions, then you will slip back into the color of pink. The first question, what is the color tone of the me-chee host inside the Cubby Hole, presently?"

I close my eyelashes, concentrating on beating Rincon as the first me-chee chair inside the orange room. I say without hesitation. "My answer is...orange."

The thought me-chee host asks. "What is the common tint color of tree bark?"

I say quickly. "My answer is...brown."

The thought me-chee host says. "What is the product of positive 100 plus positive 200?"

"My answer is...300."

"What is the product of negative 20 plus negative 8?"

"My answer is...negative 28."

The thought me-chee host asks. "What is the key virtue in Confucianism?"

I gasp and open my eyelashes to the strange question, closing my eyelashes, swiftly thinking about the correct answer. I exhale and say with a smile, "Filial piety."

"What do the two symbols of 'AD' represent?"

I say. "My answer is...anno Domini."

The me-chee host says. "The diameter and height of a right circular cylinder are equal. If the volume of the cylinder is two, what is the height of the cylinder?"

I exhale with a puff of calmness, quickly calculating the math inside my mind and say with a smile. "My answer is...1.37." I open my eyelashes with a grin, seeing that Rincon is still parked in front of me.

The thought me-chee host says. "The mass is composed of 14 percent hydrogen and 86 percent carbon. What is the compound?"

I bite my lips with my eyelashes closed, pondering the math into my mind and say with a smile. "My answer is...one part carbon and two parts hydrogen." I open my eyelashes, raising both arms in victory without hitting the yellow tinted shield inside the me-chee chair. Rincon is still parked over the yellow tinted floor and sits three me-chee chairs ahead of Ketona. And I have answered all the eight questions quicker and correctly too before him. I feel the fabric wrap over parts of my body, dropping both arms for the warm cocoon embrace.

The me-chee chair drops down into the darkness and zooms forward toward the reflection light of the mirrors.

I giggle without sickness and with giddiness from happiness as the first me-chee chair.

10:13 am

Orange tinted room of mirrors setting

I raise up from the floor and halt against the side wall of mirror again, turning to stare with a sour frown and a gasp.

Another me-chee chair sits and steams in puffs of white smoke, coming from the scary roller coaster ride, landing inside the middle of the room as number one.

I feel shock and angry.

The girl with a head of short black hair and numerous body piercings slides out from her me-chee chair, standing upright, stretching out her long limbs, turning with a wink and a grin to see Ketona.

I huff and slide out of the chair, immediately stomping toward her nostrils as I am shorter than her tallness, stopping and stand with a furious brow. "How in the heck did you answer all eight questions before me?"

She winks at Ketona and then swings around, moving ahead to see the solid orange colored wall. "I guessed each question in 1.2 seconds, doll." She stops and reaches out, touching the solid wall of orange metal.

The solid wall disappears and reveals a woodland landscape of tall trees, low green bushes, colorful wildflowers, a black angry cloudy stormy sky, and a downpour of heavy rain drops. The white lightning strikes across an angry sky.

She backs steps from the rain with a gasp and a worried brow. "Lightning bolts..."

I swing around and move ahead, standing in front of the opening with a sour frown at the rain and the thunderstorm. "Pretty lighting bolts within a massive ugly rain storm, where are we located on the freaking planet that rains like this? The sky's midnight purple. The rain's almost black within the dark green forest. I have never seen a rain." The black colored thunder storm roars with thunder and brightens the dark sky with a series of white lightning bolts. I giggle with a grin, "A vicious thunder storm."

Two other me-chee chairs raise up from the floor and halt inside the orange room of mirrors.

Rincon slides out and stands from the chair with sour frown at the violent rain storm in silence.

Marsilla is one of the other smarter schoolers, sliding out and stands next to the chair with a sour frown at the rough thunder storm, too.

I back step and point with a smile and a giggle to the opening. "Well, the adventure action park place has changed its rhythm, without any rhyme or reason. Who's got an umbrella or a rain coat or a tram hidden inside their me-chee chair?"

Marsilla scoots backward from the splashing rain drops with a sour frown and a nod. "We stay here in place and then leave the room."

Rincon points with a smile and a chuckle down at his me-chee chair. "We yell a retreat. I have seen, get splashed, and savored the moment, ya'll. It is time to return and conquer the color of gold." He slides down with a chuckle and a smile into the me-chee seat. "Ouch!" He scoots out and rubs the fanny, standing in place, looking down at the seat with a sour frown. "What the fudge...?"

The unnamed girl stares at the thunder storm with a worried brow. "You can't leave from here in your the chair until all the me-chee chairs inside the Cubby Hole have landed inside the appointed colored room, coming from addressing all the academic questions within the auditorium of the Cubby Hole."

A new me-chee rises up and halts with an array of white steam and heated smoke. Marsilla was standing too close and rushes toward the front of the opening with a shout and a worried brow. "Golly, that was too close."

Rincon stomps ahead with a puzzled brow and stops, standing beside the nose profile of the tall unnamed girl near her me-chee chair, turning with a smile to see the nose piercing of the tall and unnamed girl. "I am Rincon. You are who, again? We saw you in the last color tone of yellow on top of the picnic table, burning the poor fire ants. Tell me how do you know that the me-chee can't be reactivated? What is your name, miss?"

"She was the first chair in here." I spin around with a smile and point at the unknown girl." Rincon drops open a mouth in silence. I giggle. "Someone else is vying for the golden job...."

"I don't want the golden job. I want to survive Citizenship Day," the unnamed girl stares with a worried brow into the rain storm.

Four more me-chee chairs rise up from the floor in white steam and halt with heated smoke.

I cuddle into the mirror wall from the heated steam with a sour frown, turning with a smile, moving ahead to him, "Buffo."

Buffo stands upright from the chair and cuddles Ketona with a smile, staring with a grin into the rain, "Rainy day, here, where are we located, again? Does anyone know our location on the planet?" He moves ahead with Ketona and stops, standing near the opening as the rain flows sideways with a fierce wind and the bolts of lightning attack the dirt soil. He smiles. "When it thunders, then start your runners..."

Her me-chee chair rises up from the floor and halts in a blanket of white steam. Duchie stands upright and moves ahead from the chair, stopping and stands beside Buffo with a confused brow at the rain storm. "What? What does that mean?"

"Leave here and go and run to the cave entrance, ya'll! We gotta be first before the other me-chee chairs slam into the mirrors and steam our assets," Buffo grins and grabs the hands of both Duchie and Ketona, running into the cold raindrops down toward the ground cave.

Six more me-chee chairs rise up from the floor and halts in white steam with heated smoke.

10:23 am

Cave room interior setting

Buffo runs ahead and enters toward the dark cave, dragging the arms of two girls behind his tallness, dashing into the large opening, sliding forward on both cowboy boot soles from the wet slick stone. He falls forward first, releasing both hand gripes of the girls second and lands on both palms. He does a single pushup and flips an athletic body up and over to face the ceiling, resting on a back spine. Both Duchie and Ketona land on top of his chest.

Buffo grunts with humor and chuckles with fun, wrapping both wet arms and cuddles them for his amusement.

I lift a torso and reach over with a hand, shoving Duchie off my boyfriend with a lady sneer. "Find some wood for heat or your own heated body. This one is taken, girly." I fall down and rest with a grunt over his heated chest with a smile.

Buffo sits upright at a fitted waist and hugs Ketona with a smile. "That was really wet."

Rincon enters the cave room next with a sour frown, flinging both arms and legs with water droplets as the water splashes against the floor.

Marsilla follows behind the back spine of Rincon with a sour pout, stomping toward the stone wall and stops, standing in place, ringing the rain water from the hair and the entire body.

I reach down and touch my cat suit, feeling the dryness with a puzzled brow. "The cat suit is dry, but my boots are soaked. I hope the cow leather of my cowgirl boots doesn't rot before we get out of here."

Rincon stands near the wall and twirls in a completed circle with a smile, stopping with a chuckle. "I am perfectly dry and warm. My orange tinted tomcat suit and my matching orange tinted boots are perfectly dry and warm, too. You should always follow the directions of the me-chee host."

I exhale with a puff of annoyance inside the arms of Buffo. "Thanks for the ugly news broadcast, Rincon." I roll off Buffo and sit on the floor with a sour frown.

Buffo stands upright and leans down, assisting and cuddles Ketona into a chest, turning to scan the dark cave and back to her face. "Where's Jara and Hatch?" She turns with a confused brow and scans the cave too. He turns and calls out to each stone wall. "Hatch, are you and Jara in here with us, buddy?"

Rincon turns with a worried brow and scans the cave. "Stop it, Buffolo. There could be bats or snakes or some other nasty fanged creature in here with us, waiting and watching to attack and suck our blood."

I push away from Buffo, moving ahead, finding a spot on the dry wall and sit down, pulling off both wet boots and socks, exposing my wet feet to the warm air waves with a sigh.

Buffo moves ahead and around the darkness of the cave with a worried brow and a shout. "Hatch, are you in here with us? Yell at me. Tell me if you are okay, buddy, Hatch, Jara? Are you inside the cave with me, too?"

Rincon moves ahead and stands behind the back spine of Buffo with a sour frown. "Of course not, Buffolo! They did not land inside the orange room of mirrors with us. Then, we dashed out and ran across through all the mud puddles, avoiding a single striking deadly lightning bolt of death," exhaling.

Buffo calls out with a worried brow. "Hatch, Jara? Yeah, you're right." He swings around and moves ahead to the opening of the cave room, narrowing both eyelids, scanning the rain, the trees, the sky, and the orange room of mirrors. He clearly sees the lighted mirrors in the far distance. Now, he understands the reason for the mirrors inside each room with the associated set of me-chee chairs.

A mirror reflects light, coming from other surfaces, in this case the light, the heat, and the smoke indicates the location the orange room of mirrors. Or you would get lost inside the thick woodlands and left inside a park place forever. Or until a me-chee machine comes and hauls your butthole out from the trapped park place and back into the Cubby Hole auditorium, probably for some teen punishment.

He turns and chuckles to see his girl on the side wall of stone. "Ketona, I'm going back for Hatch and Jara. Stay here and dry out. I'll be back in a sec, honey. I love you," he moves ahead and exits out into the rain, dashing across the wet grass and the mud puddles toward the bright light of the room of mirrors with a smile.

I sit on a tailbone and whip both wet feet side to side, drying out the water droplets between the toes with a giggle, when the cold air tickles my naked feet.

Rincon claps with a sour frown. "We need to make a fire for warmth."

Marsilla paces side to side, shaking her wet curls, moving ahead into the entrance of the cave with a stern face and a serious tone. "We wait until all the me-chee chairs have safely landed and blown their heated smoke out of the orange room of mirrors. Then, we plot our escape from the cave and back through the pouring rain and then back into the room, again. Then, we reactivate our chairs and go back down through the floor and pop back into the Cubby Hole auditorium for next set of academic questions. I'm standing guard at the entrance cave and watching the other teens. There's a stream of kids, coming out the room of mirrors, now. How many are vying for the golden job, now, Rincon?"

Duchie shakes a ponytail, moving ahead and leans down, searching the floor of the cave for burning wood kindle with a sour frown. "I counted less than hundred kids left for the golden job."

Rincon spins around moves ahead, stopping and stands in the middle of the cave, pointing down to a spot on the stone floor with a smile and a nod. "This is an excellent spot for a warming and roaring fire. The wind will drag the stinky nose smell and eye burning fumes down into the darkest part of the cave. We can sit on each side of the fire while sniffing the fresh air molecules from the traveling rainstorm."

"Traveling to where? That rain storm is stationary here and raining down on us," I whip both the naked feet to the left, almost removing all the water droplets with a giggle and a grin from the tickling effect.

Buffo returns back into the cave and holds the hands of Lamis and the tall unnamed girl with the body piercings, stopping and stands near Rincon, saying with a smile and a nod. "You're safer here, honey. There's a stream of me-chee chairs, landing inside the portal bay. You could get killed in there, now. Have a seat, ladies on the dry floor?" He spins around and dashes, stopping and stands over the hair roots of Ketona, shaking the fresh water droplets over her hair roots and her naked feet with a laugh and a grin.

I stand upright with a gasp and confused brow to see Buffo. "What's wrong, baby?" I do not hug his wet body.

Buffo parks both hands on the hips with a sour frown of frustration. "I can't find Hatch. He wasn't inside the orange room, either."

Rincon spins around with a smile and points with a nod to the rain. "He's safe inside another cave, waiting out the rainstorm like us." The loud thunder roars. Then a series of yellow colored lightning bolts dances throughout the black angry clouds. He laughs. "What are going to do for fun inside an empty cave with a raging and angry thunder storm?"

Marsilla stands near the mouth of the cave with a sour frown and points with a serious tone at the lighted room of mirrors. "There are more kids, coming out of the mirrored room. How did you figure out that there were only hundred kids inside the Cubby Hole?"

Duchie swing around and moves ahead, stopping and stands near the middle of the cave, dropping down a set of smaller pieces of wood kindling onto the selected spot for the fire by Rincon. "I counted."

Lamis shakes her curls side to side, drying out her hair, standing near the wall with a puzzled brow. "You counted wrong, babe. I bet that the number is two hundred or so."

Duchie turns and frowns at Lamis. "Why does the number matter to you, sugar? You ain't making the next color tone," giggling.

Lamis stops the shake of wet curls and looks up with a sour frown to Duchie. "I will, too. I'm been studying, since I was a little girl for Citizenship Day, making my parents proud of me."

Rincon lifts both arms into the air with a laugh and a nod. "We all have been studying for Citizenship Day, since birth. But, I am sorry to forecast the bad tidings for you, not me. I will be getting the golden job."

I turn and sneer at the rear skull of Rincon, moving ahead toward the building fire over the cave floor. "I will get the golden job, since I've been studying inside my mama's womb."

Duchie turns and points with a laugh to Rincon. "I like you, Rincon, and your silly little nicknames. So, you wanna guess her nickname, too?"

Lamis frowns. "Stop it, Duchie!"

Rincon turns and frowns to Lamis. "You possess a nickname? What is it?"

Duchie slaps both hands over the cat suit with a laugh and a nod. "You called me, the dookie girl. She is named, the slaughter princess. O, I am most mistaken, the next color tone is your real color of angry flaming red, sugar," giggling.

I stomp forward with a sour frown between the Rincon and Duchie, staring at the nose profile of Duchie and Lamis, "Duchie, shut it! Lamis, what is Duchie saying, or not saying?"

Lamis looks down with a sad face to see the cave floor, up to the ceiling, over to the rain, and finally to see Ketona. "That is my nickname, where I come from. I guess."

"Why are you called, the slaughter princess? I don't understand." I frown.

Duchie thumbs back over a collar to the rainstorm with a laugh and a grin. "They don't get it, Lamis. They don't understand Citizenship Day."

Rincon squats down and strikes the tiny wood pieces together, trying to make fire with a puff of annoyance. "I can't get a fire burning in here. The wood's too wet." The tall girl stands upright from the stone wall with a sigh and moves ahead with a stern face toward Rincon, stopping and leans down, offering a box of matches in silence. Rincon turns and smiles at the box of firing matches, reaching up and grabs the dry box. He turns back and lights the fire with the match, stirring the wood around, making a nice warm blaze and hands back the match box to the unnamed girl. The tall girl accepts the box of matches and sits down on the floor near the fire, extending both her cold hands.

I move and sit next with Buffo around the fire on the cold floor in silence.

Lamis moves ahead and sits beside Ketona with Duchie on the other side of Buffo. Rincon and Marsilla sit down near the fire next to each other and Ketona.

Rincon exhales with a sour frown. "Why do they not understand Citizenship Day? Is the 'they,' referencing us for some reason?"

"There is a purpose of Citizenship Day," Lamis frowns. "I am from..." she clears a throat and stares at the fire. "Have any one of you ever been outside of Colfax to another outer township?"

Buffo smiles with a nod. "My grandparents live in Burrville. They're crop farmers. I visit them every summer for riding horses and the farm crop plows with my grandfather."

Duchie scoots closer next to Buffo with a grin and reaches out, touching his bicep. "My grandfather lived in Burrville, too. We have some much in common, sugar." I lean over with a lady sneer at Duchie. She giggles and rubs the bicep of Buffo with a grin.

Buffo leans over with a smile and a whisper into the cheekbone of Ketona. "This shall passeth," kissing her cheekbone.

Rincon clears a throat with a grin. "No, I am a Colfax kind of guy," winking at Ketona.

Buffo frowns with confusion. "This is just a silly game for fun on Citizenship Day until we start our new jobs on the first day of the work week, next Monday morning at eight am as told by my dad."

Duchie exhales. "Why do you think the color chart holds a specific color in a specific position? A real color wheel is positioned from the lightest pale shade to the darkest hue."

Marsilla nods with a smile. "The me-chee color chart does also. It goes from a faint shade of light pink to dark hue of green."

Buffo smiles, "Naw, the last color is gold. The first color is silver. These are not true colors, only strokes of mineral within the earth soil."

I frown with annoyance. "Say it, Lamis! Stop raining down on the poor drowning plants. What is the purpose of Citizenship Day beside getting wet by rain drops or getting stung by ants or getting cut by knives inside an array of hidden short plant bushes?" I reach down and wipe the dried blood from an aching hand wound from the first park place.

Lamis exhales. "Tell them, Duchie? They have right to know, also."

Duchie nods with a smile, "The me-chee color tone is in a specific order for a reason or a purpose..."

Buffo smiles with a nod. "I remembered it from Payne Mountain. The color tones are associated with the sky decorations that me and Ketona saw last night."

I turn and frown at Buffo, not understanding his statement.

Duchie turns with a wink and pats Buffo on the forearm, keeping her hand there. "You are correct, sugar. You're one of the smarter Colfaxians..."

"Payne Mountain is the tallest man-made structure inside the city of Colfax which is made of smooth pretty golden granite. What were you doing on top of a granite hill?" Rincon turns and frowns at Ketona.

The thunder roars over the clouds as a single lightning bolt strike down and hits the closest tree.

I smell the burning wood and scoot closer to Buffo with a worried brow. The girl with the body piercings squeals and stands upright, running ahead and squats down into a dark wall corner of the cave room, holding both ears from the booming sound of the thunder. I roll my eyeballs and look over with a smile to see Rincon. "Looking at the fireworks..."

Duchie rubs on the arm of Buffo with a smile and a nod. "These are not really fireworks, sugar. Does smart and handsome Buffo want to take an educated guess about the fake fireworks, darling?"

I wipe the sweat from a brow with nervousness and fling both wet hands into the air. "Please, tell us the true story! I feel that my BPs, my biological parents, have not provided me with the real story here. And please, tell us everything? Since, there seems to be another purpose here."

Duchie nods with a smile and pats on the arm of Buffo, "Alright, I'll share all my knowledge..."

"Knowledge is intelligence." I whisper for my eardrums only and exhale with puff of anticipation.

Duchie grins with a nod and pats on the arm of Buffo. "Lamis, you can add to my information if my statements are different from yours. If you ever have viewed the purple haze during the sunset, you see numerous colored brightly soaring fireworks. Well, these are not really fireworks, but right now I will address as a display of fireworks with a later explanation.

"Beginning inside the southern skyline, you will see an array of geometric shaped neon blue fireworks that soar up and into the sky and then pop out with thunderous sounds, too. The fireworks come from the small town of Montag, where all the people work for money, food, and clothes inside the city of Colfax. The people represent such like, a cake maker, a shoe maker, a clothes maker, a food maker, and the other makers of goods which provide services to the fine folks of Colfax. They drive and ride inside a set of man-made fueled old-fashioned automobiles. The blue fireworks are the flames of blue methane gasoline fumes that continue to pollute the atmosphere over the town of Montag as the people drive back and forth from their home town of Montag and then park inside the large parking lot inside the city. Then, the people take the free solar tram and ride into the posh city of Colfax..."

"Why not extend the solar tram out into the outer town of Montag?" I frown with confusion.

Duchie caresses the arm of Buffo with a smile and a nod. "Why not ask the Establishment that specific question, honey? They rule over the town of Colfax and the outers towns also. The pink flames come from the town of Tonkey. The yellow bubbles are the town named Dandine, where I live. The small town of Burrville has the orange dust..."

I wipe the sweat from a confused face and fling an arm into the air, again. "Wait a minute. I don't believe you. The firework event occurs one time per year. When the sunset is perfect with a purple hue, you can see the sky decorations with your naked eyeballs."

Lamis slaps a hand over her giggles. "She doesn't watch the sky or the stars or the moon or the heavens, poor child. She is truly deprived of life's small wonders."

Duchie caresses the arm of Buffo with a smile and a nod. "The flood lighting poles from the solar powered street poles block the purple sky, the sky decorations, and your naked eyeballs, sugar. You should get out of the house more, Ketona. I was saying. The southern fireworks are really a group of methane bubbles, coming from the automobiles of outer town of Montag, where people live, not work. Inside the southeastern skyline, you will see an array of green fireworks, coming from the outer township of Hamlin. These people clean your city streets and mow your manicured grass and dust your residential house every week here inside Colfax. Colfax is not the largest employer of workers, but the 'bestest.' At night, they recycle the green grass and the green plants into power fuel for the summertime air conditioning winds and the wintertime warm heating air within each home. The array of green bubbles, it is the toxin fumes, drifting out from the grinding machines. Inside the southwestern sky, the color of red," she turns and winks at Lamis. "Your turn!"

Lamis nods with a stern face to see each teen. "The array of bright red fireworks, it comes from each slaughter houses. When each tossed animal bleeds, its blood particles soar up and into the sky. The high winds catch the tiny bubbles of red and pop them over the clouds and then the bubbles fall back down onto the dead animals, the dry soil, and you. The outer town of Albend kills the animals for meats. Do you eat meat? Right, I do, too. I love meats. The outer township of Albend also houses all the manufacturing automated factory plants that package the meat and can the fruits and vegetables. Do you buy packages of dead cow, dead pig, dead chicken? Right, I do, too. So, all the packages and all the cans of food items end up at your local food store here in Colfax like in my home town of Albend and her home town of Dandine."

Duchie caresses the arm of Buffo with a smile and a nod to each teen. "Inside the town of Burrville, the sky is bursting with a set of orange colored dots. The dots are dust bunnies, soaring up and into the skyline. You can't see the dots during the day, only at night. I do know all this to be true, since my grandfather lived on a farm."

Buffo turns and grins at Duchie. "Does he still residence there inside Burrville, Duchie?"

The thunder roars with a set of loud sounds. Then, the lightning bolt strikes down on the ground. The unnamed girl with the numerous body piercings squeals and hides a face inside both hands with fear and fright.

Duchie frowns at the rear skull of the unnamed girl and turns with a smile to see Buffo, "Naw, he died. Thanks for asking."

I frown. "I am asking you to finish your shared information before it stops raining. What else is important for us to know about the outer towns?"

Buffo leans over with a smile and a whisper into the cheekbone of Ketona. "A brillianteth affair," he kisses her cheekbone and pulls back with a grin.

Duchie caresses the arm of Buffo and turns with a smile to see each teen. "The yellow bubbles come from the green water of deep dookie wells inside my home town which is named Dandine inside northeastern skyline. The bubbles float up and cling onto the skyline white colored group of clouds which is way high and then break open, making a pretty firework display in the skyline. The fiery pink sparklers inside the northwestern skies come from the town of Tonkey. The town of Tonkey holds all the radiation pits," she releases the arm of Buffo and slaps both hands with a giggle. The other teens jump from the sudden sound with fright. She laughs with a grin. "Radiation kills you dead. The radiation pits are mined by hand with lots of dead bodies that need lots of live bodies to continue the mining of the radiation nuggets..."

Marsilla frowns. "What is the purpose of the radiation nuggets which are inside a radiation pit? Why are people actually touching more than one radiation nugget? Everyone has learned in school that it kills even from the minor exposure level. Whatever!"

Duchie nods with a smile to each teen. "This is the real purpose of Citizenship Day."

Buffo claps with a smile and a nod. "Now, we know the purpose. I'm not worried anymore. Since the pink color tone, I have gotten six out of eight every single time with the passing 75 percent score, zooming down into the darkness and then up into the lightness," chuckling. "This last time, I got the Confucius question right which propelled me into getting six out of eight, a score of 75 percent into the color of orange. Confucius is a cool harmonious society of peace and joy. Filial piety entails for an individual to be obedient and caring toward your BPs and your elder grandparents by supporting them in their old age with their ailment problems, because you love them."

I lean over and hug Buffo with a smile and a nod in loving agreement. I'm really sweaty nervous and stomach-achy worried about Buffo and the escalating degree of complex academic questions within the Cubby Hole. Each color tone achieved gets me closer to my golden job. I will achieve my golden job as I am smart like my BPs and smarter than my nemesis Rincon.

However, I am very concerned where Buffo will land within the color tone grid. I cannot help or aid him with the correct answers. I can't cheat, either. Cheating is not within my soul.

But, I am not able to perform any type of cheating maneuver inside the colored shielding. I reach up and slap a dry forehead with a giggle, without commenting to the other teens.

Now, I understand the shield mechanism to protect your private mental thoughts with the correct academic answers to each posed question, so another teen can't steal them.

Duchie turns and frowns to each teen. "If a teen ends up trapped on purpose or accidentally inside the red color tone, then she or he will go and live inside the outer city of Albend, not here inside the fairy Colfax for the rest of their living days, killing cows, pigs, chickens..."

"No." Marsilla shakes her pixie curls with a sour frown. "You are wrong for a reason. You are lying for a purpose. She is poor and stupid, coming from Dookie Town. That's my nickname for the dookie girl Duchie, coming from Dandine."

I turn and scan the ceiling with a smile and a nod. "I agree with Duchie." I look down with a nod and a stern face to see each teen. "There are about two hundred kids inside the Cubby Hole room. So, it's time to leave and finish the golden race," smiling.

Marsilla turns and frowns to each teen. "When does Citizenship Day stop? Wait. This could go on forever for us. We left about sixty kids inside the pink color tone and twenty kids inside the yellow color tone. They must answer all the questions to make it into down the golden color tone. Is this correct? Does anyone know?"

Rincon smiles to each teen. "What happens when the first teen reaches the golden color tone? He gets the golden job."

"Citizenship Day ends," Lamis smiles.

Buffo leans over with a whisper and a chuckle into the cheekbone of Ketona. "Fate has speaketh."

"And if you are accidentally stuck inside a different color tone other than the golden one?" Marsilla frowns.

"Your new job begins, immediately. Duchie giggles with a grin.

"That's not fair. That's completely unfair. Everyone should have a chance and a right to qualify for the golden job," I nod with a stern face.

Marsilla slaps the cat suit with a nod and a smile. "You do not get it like I do, since I am brilliant. There is plenty of time for everyone to advance through the array of colors from silver all the way to gold, since the maximum time allotment is two minutes and eight seconds as stated by your smart friend, me. Everyone gets the exact same questions. No question is different whether you are from Burrville or Colfax or Tonkey. The test is fair and equal. So, you are the variable component for answering them all correctly. It becomes your own fault for not answering correctly or stupidly. Take your pick?"

Duchie frowns. "No, no, no, you are missing the point. There is only one position of the golden job for one teen, not three, not two. There is only one. The remaining teens are truly determining their own personal fate for a pre-set working job by goofing off and staying inside one of the colored tone or advancing ahead to the next colored tone. This is so fair. You determine your fate, not your mama or your daddy or your grandfather..."

"My BPs, my parents have been influencing my fate, since birth. They are medical technicians, so I am to become a medical technician, too." I nod with a smile.

Buffo leans over and elbows Ketona with a smile and a whisper. "You can be anything you want to be and you can be with me. If you win the golden chair, then you can be a me-chee programmer with me like my dad. We can live right around the street corner from my BPs. How's that sound, Ketona?"

I whisper with a grin into his smile. "That's an excellent play. We can work and marry together all at the same time."

Duchie raises both palms with a sour frown. "Stop, look, and listen to me! The teens, who fail the next round of academic questions for the red color tone, will remain here inside the current orange color tone for the permanent job of a dirt farmer. Look at the walls inside the room with the me-chee chairs! Think back, every single room had a specific color tone to remind you like little first graders, where you were playing. The color is orange. Orange dust bunnie floats out and up, coming from the putt-putt tractors of Burrville that grow and harvest all our food stuff. Do you like to eat food? Right, I do, too."

Buffo grins with a nod. "Food is important for me and the entire world. A dirt farmer is an important job in the entire world, too."

Marsilla jabs a finger at Duchie. "Dookie girl is lying through her set of yellow stained teeth that matches her yellow bubbles in Dookie Town."

Duchie slaps the cat suit with a smile and a nod. "And I got passed the yellow color tone by studying my eyeballs out of their sockets, compliments of my BPs and their primary ambition for their only child. Now, I am going to work and live in another outer town besides the city of Dandine, because I currently reside in the color tone of orange." Each mouth drops open from the other teens. She nods with a giggle. "I will never ever have to work inside Dookie Town for the rest of my life. But, some other teen will. Do you get Citizenship Day, right now?"

Lamis frowns. "I studied hard, too. I'm going to get passed the red color tone and out of Albend, without ever killing an innocent lamb. I don't eat lamb chops. When I do, I'll be working and living in a new outer town, maybe Colfax," smiling.

Buffo drops open a mouth. "Dang, I gotta tell Hatch this important information before...before...something happens," nodding.

10:48 am

Rain and thunderstorm with lightning bolts

Buffo stands upright with a worried brow and spins around, racing to the mouth of cave entrance with a worried heart, slipping out a palm into the rain. He feels the heavy teardrops and sees the blinding lightning bolts that dance across a black and angry storm sky.

I stand upright with a confused brow and swing around, dashing and hug his back spine with a worried brow, staring at the rain. "What are you doing? Where are you going? It's a pour down of heavy rain drops." The thunder roars with a set of loud sounds. Then, a lightning bolt strikes down on the soil, very close to the mouth of the cave. I exhale with a puff of fear. "You could get hit and killed with one single lightning bolt, Buffo."

He scans the rain with a worried brow, narrowing his eyelids, looking in the far distance with a worried heart. "I gotta inform Hatch and Jara of our new learneth information about the Cubby Hole and the me-chee colored chart which is actually associated with each outer township. They must continue to pass all the academic questions at seventy five percent and advance into the next color tone..."

"Wait!" I drop open a mouth in shock. "Then, I'll have more competition for the golden job."

Buffo turns and sneers at the hair roots of Ketona. "What did you say?"

I exhale. "I mean that's a good idea. We need to tell them."

Duchie stands upright from the stone floor with a giggle and swings around with a smile, dashing ahead into the rain, getting wet and swings around with a smile and a chuckle to see Buffo. "I'll help you locate Hatch and Jara, too."

Buffo points with a smile and a nod toward the wet landscape. "Thank you so much, Duchie! The orange room is located east of the cave. The cave entrance is the opposite side of the room on the west. So, I'm going south. Duchie, you head north, scouting for Jara and Hatch. Ketona, you go west along this wall of tall trees. There probably is a few more cave entrances, where Jara and Hatch are having some fun with a gang of new friends. Okay, get going!"

Duchie salutes with a giggle and spins around to face the north direction, jogging ahead inside the heavy rain with a stern face.

I grab and hold his arm with a sour frown. "Look, we can tell Hatch inside the Cubby Hole auditorium when we all return safe and dry from the crazy roller coaster ride, after leaving here. Just jump out of the chair and spit into his face..."

"Now," Buffo jerks the arm from her gripe with a sneer and moves ahead with a stern face, exiting out of the cave entrance, turning to face the southern direction with a worried brow. Ketona runs out the cave and bumps into his bicep. He stares at the grove of tall trees in the far distance with a sneer. "You're supposed to scout along the west wall, Ketona. I got the south ground landscape, which is huge. I can see for miles and miles even in the heavy rain storm."

The thunder roars with a set of loud sounds.

Buffo and I hit and slam down into the wet soil, in case of a lighting strike. If you hear the sound of thunder, then you are in danger of a lightning strike, hitting you, the ground, or a nearby object, since thunder is the sound that is caused by the sizzling lightning bolt.

I reach over and pinch his skin with a fingernail, panting with fear. "Buffo, it's raining with thunder and lightning. We're going to get struck or killed." The thunder roars with a set of loud sounds. Then, a flash and a strike with a single lightning bolt down into the thick wall tall trees. The struck trees smoke and fire in an array of sparks in red and yellow colors. The heavy rain kills the fire. I exhale with fear. "You aren't supposed to be running around during a thunder storm with lightning bolts. We could get killed," I wipe a face from the raindrops to see his worried face.

He looks up with a worried face and scans the wet landscape of trees and bushes in the thick raindrops, wiping a face from the water and stands upright with a stern face, jogging ahead and moves side to side over the wet grass. He looks for another cave with a yell and a worried brow. "And Hatch and Jara could get accidental trapped inside a color tone without our shared knowledge, requiring them to answer 75 percent of the all posed academic questions. At the present time, we all decided and determined to address the first six questions and then stop answering the rest of the questions. Then, Hatch and Jara will automatically advance into the next color tone like us."

I stand upright with a worried brow and run behind his back spine, catching up with his pair of long legs with a yell of frustration and fear. "They know that. They're here too somewhere safe and dry unlike us fools..."

Buffo stops and turns with a sour frown to see her. "What did you say?"

I stop and stand in the air, turning to stare to the side landscape and back to Buffo with a stern face. "I didn't mean to say that." Buffo spins around with a sour frown and jogs ahead toward the tall trees, scanning to the left and to the right. I move ahead and run into his bicep with a sour frown. "Wonder if..."

He jogs side to side into the bushes and the trees, looking for them with a worried brow and a serious tone. "Wonder if, what?"

I run ahead in the rain next to Buffo and exhale with a puff of worry. "Wonder if, we tell them and then they tell all the other teens about the me-chee color chart. And then everyone will advance..."

He stops and spins around with a sour frown to see Ketona. "What did you say?"

I frown. "Wonder if, they are not here, Buffo?"

He frowns. "What does that mean, Ketona?"

I exhale. "Wonder if, they did not answer six correct questions."

He spins around circles around her petite body, raising both arms in the air during the rainstorm with a sour frown. "You are smart. But I am smart, too. And Hatch and Jara are smart, three. How dare you ponder that vicious idea of arrogance for the single golden job? I am qualified. Hatch is qualified, too. Look. I don't wanna argue here. Okay? They're out here somewhere. They need to be told about the passing with a seventy-five percentage rate and then advancing into the next color tone."

Duchie shouts in the close distance, running up behind the back spine of Buffo, waving both arms in the air with a smile. "I found them," she runs into the back spine of Buffo with a giggle and a grin as he dances and cuddles her into his chest with a smile in silence. She smiles. "I found them. I found Hatch and Jara. Follow me!"

Buffo exhales with a nod and a grin, releasing the girl, following the back spine of Duchie and dashes ahead through the rainstorm with a stern face and a yell. "Pfft! That's a big relief. Are they hurt? Are they injured? Are they safe? Are there bears around here inside these caves?"

I jog ahead and run behind the two back spines of Duchie and Buffo inside the rain storm, sneering and snarling with fear, annoyance and worry.

Duchie continues to run with a grin. "No bears. But, some of the kids told me during my investigation of Hatch and Jara that the deadly lightning has killed five teens. So, stay away from the trees. The trees attract the lightning bolts."

The thunder roars with a set of loud sounds. They all fall and drop down over the wet soil, covering a skull with worry. The lightning bolt strikes down on the ground and away from the teens.

Buffo turns and frowns to Duchie on the wet grass. "Where's the other cave?"

Duchie grins. "We jog north. I scouted north."

He stands upright with a stern face and leans down, assisting Duchie up from the ground, cuddling her inside his chest with a smile. "How far is the cave entrance? Are they okay?" He starts to jog with her.

Duchie runs between his biceps with a giggle and a grin. "They're fine and dandy. We go north. This way, I lead," she jogs ahead and points toward the line of tall trees.

Buffo jogs faster than Ketona, keeping up behind the back spine of Duchie.

I jog and pass a patch of wildflowers, then a batch of tall trees, and then a cave entrance, slowing down to see the teens inside that look wet and annoyed like me.

Duchie jogs forward with Buffo on her butthole.

I jog ahead and pass a pasture of grass, a clump of tall trees, and another cave entrance, slowing down to spy on the teens inside that look mad and annoyed like me.

Duchie jogs forward with Buffo behind her and stops, extending a finger with a grin at the object. Buffo grabs it and cuddles her into his chest.

11:01 am

Orange colored barrier wall setting

I jog ahead and pass a forest of tall trees, a batch of short low green bushes, a patch of wildflower and then see a colored barrier wall.

Duchie dashes forward from him and stops, standing in the rain, bouncing up and down with a smile and jabs a finger at the barrier wall that glitters in yellow color. "I found them. I found Hatch and Jara. They are inside here. I found them inside the yellow tone color where we left the..."

"Naw," Buffo stops with a gasp with shock and stands in the rain storm, staring at a barrier wall. "The yellow tone color park place contained the thousands of giant fire ants. How can they survive in there? They can't. Hatch and Jara are gone."

Duchie jabs a finger with a smile and a nod at the yellow barrier, standing in the rain. "No. They are in there. I saw them. Come closer and see this, Buffo!"

I jog ahead and stop, standing in the rain and on the other side of Buffo, studying with a puzzled brow at the barrier wall, too.

Buffo stares with a puzzled brow at the yellow colored barrier wall. "What's this?"

I scan the wall. It slices a long shimmy yellow horizontal line, traveling east to west, cutting into the northern plain. I can see the glittering yellow shimmy for three miles in both geographically directions which is based on my excellent eye sight. I feel a light sprinkle of droplets, not the heavy hurting rain drops near the barrier wall of yellow tint.

I swing around with a puzzled brow to study the rain storm as it blows sideways and then slaps a naked face with biting pain, coming from the violent thunder storm. I look up with a puzzled brow to scan the sky as it is still mean looking in dark purple hue but peeks with a set of rays of yellow sunshine that bleed over and down into the tall yellow colored barrier.

I look down with a puzzled brow to see the two rear skulls of Buffo and Duchie, who examine the barrier wall. The yellow colored barrier wall seems to touch up and into the gray clouds, except the thunderstorm isn't as mean as it is here at the caves and the room of mirrors. I whisper for my eardrums only, "Strange physics." I move closer to the yellow barrier wall without touching it.

Duchie reaches and touches the wall with a smile and a nod. "It is a yellow barrier wall between each park places for some reason. I tried to break it without success..."

"Naw," Buffo shifts and stands closer into the barrier wall, lifting and holds both palms in the air but does not touch the wall.

Duchie shoves him into the wall with a giggle and a grin. "It's harmless, silly boy. I tested it on my prefect little hands. I wouldn't let anything happen to you, big boy. It's not cold or hot or warm or electric."

Buffo slams both arms into the wall with a grunt and leans into the solid material, narrowing his eyelids with a confused brow at the interior of wall. "I see a mountain that is covered in white snow," gasping. "And I see my buddy Hatch. He's wearing a pair of snow skis, playing inside the falling snowflakes like a little kid. He smiles and laughs. I see a female, wearing a fur coat and a pair of sunglasses that must be Jara, who is with him. The scenery is so beautiful and pretty and pleasant. I don't understand this. Is this the same yellow tone colored park place that we visited a few minutes ago? I thought it was a grass park with rows and rows of picnic tables and tons of picnic baskets. Did Hatch advance into the red tone color instead?"
I shake my curls and stare through the yellow barrier wall, too. "That's impossible. We were inside the orange walls, the ceiling, and the floor first. And all the teens were colored in yellow, not red or pink," I reach out and touch the wall in the light rainstorm. "How is this possible?"

Duchie reaches and touches the barrier wall with a smile and a nod in the light rain. "I'm guessing here. But each park place is located within the same geographically spot on the planet. However, each park place is separated or barricaded with a particular surrounding and corresponding color like here. Our park place must be showing the color of orange to the faces of Hatch and Jara. Anyways, Hatch and Jara didn't get six correct answers for the seventy five percent to advance into the orange color tone. Therefore, they were zoomed back down and then dropped back down into the yellow color tone like the me-chee host machine told us..."

"The two-fourths rule," I nod with a stern face.

Duchie says. "If they don't pass with a seventy five percent value on the next round of academic questions for advancement into the orange color tone, then they will be trapped inside the yellow tone color. The yellow color is my home city of Dandine. They will become dookie workers like my mama and daddy," smirking.

"Ah, naw!" Buffo beats on the barrier wall with both fists and a worried brow. "I gotta tell them. Hatch doesn't know that they will become a pair of dookie workers for the rest of their living days," he continues to pound on the colored yellow barrier with a yell and a worried heart. "Hatch, Hatch, Hatch, come over here. I am here, buddy. I can see ya," he back steps and waves both arms, jumping up and down from the wet soil and into the air during the light rainstorm with a yell at the barrier wall. "Hatch, we gotta warn you about the me-chee color chart and the seventy-five percentage points," he stops the wave action and back steps with a worried brow from the barrier wall, swinging around and looks down with a stern face to the ground in the rain for an object.

I wipe a face of raindrops and spun around from the wall, looking down with a stern face to see the ground for a hard rock that could help break down the yellow barrier wall and contact Hatch and Jara, my friends.

Buffo squats down and finds some bigger rocks, standing upright and swinging around to face the yellow barrier wall, running forward and slams both big rocks into the wall.

The wall does not waver.

I squat down and grab some rocks, standing with a stern face and turn, running ahead toward the wall and stop, tossing and smash with all my strength the pile of small rocks into the yellow barrier wall.

The wall does not shake.

Buffo tosses the rocks down to the ground and swings around with a stern face, marching ahead toward a small tree stump and stops, squatting down. He wraps both biceps and yanks the tree stump up and out from the soft muddy ground with his brute strength. He slowly stands and totes the tree stump into the chest with a grunt, slowly spinning around and moves toward the wall. He holds a breath and violently rams the heavy tree stump into the yellow barrier wall with a heavy grunt.

The wall does not break.

He back pedals from the wall and runs head, tossing the tree stump into the air. It rams into the barrier wall.

The wall does not bust.

Duchie back steps from the will and the tress stump, wiping the rain drops from both eyebrows with a sour frown. "Let them stay! What they don't know won't really hurt them? They'll learn the truth in about another thirty minutes, if I have calculated my math correctly," giggling.

I stand next to Duchie, reaching out and slap her arm, instead of her smug face with a sour frown. "That's mean both in mind and spirit. Jara and Hatch will be dookie farmers for the rest of their lives. They should have been told this information from their biological parents before they entered the Cubby Hole, too." I turn and stare with a sad face at the yellow barrier wall, seeing the snow-capped mountain, the snow, and the skiers.

Buffo advances forward and stops, standing and beats on the barrier until both fists turn red with blood.

I jog ahead and stop, standing and reach up and grab, jerking his arm down from the barrier wall with a sad face. "Buffo sweetheart, we will tell them upon returning back into the Cubby Hole auditorium. Right! Yeah, that is a good solid plan. We need to rush back and beat Hatch and Jara back into the Cubby Hole, so we can tell them our secret. Let's go!" He stops the beat and stares down with a sad face at the wet soil and slowly swings to her with a nod and a sad face. I lean over and cuddle him, back stepping from the wall, slowly spinning around and move back toward our cave entrance during the rainstorm.

11:16 am

Cave entrance interior setting

Dry and damp air temperatures

Buffo slowly enters the cave entrance with a sad face, staring down and watched the water drops fall from a face and down over the stone floor.

Rincon stands upright from the floor and rushes ahead with a worried brow to Ketona. "What has happened?" He stops and stands in place in front of Buffo and Ketona.

I stop and stand in place, exhaling with a puff of worry and wipe the rain from a face. "We found them. We found Hatch and Jara. They are again located inside the color tone of yellow..."

"O no." Marsilla stands upright from the floor and turns to see Ketona, dropping open a mouth. "The fire ants live there. The fire ants are mating there. How can Hatch and Jara survive in there with the biting and eating fire ants?"

I look up with a smile to see the ceiling and back to Marsilla. "Only if, they can survive snow and ice..."

Rincon shakes his curls and his hands. "What are you babbling about? The color tone for yellow was represented by the picnic tables and the horde of fire ants. The fire ants were eating the picnic baskets of food, too. They will die or worse get stung to death and then die. This is awful. This is terrible. I feel bad for them. I hate ants that bite and sting, too," he pants with a nod of fear.

I giggle with a grin. "I can't explain it."

Duchie enters the cave and stops, standing beside Buffo, wiping off the water droplets from a face and her body with a smile. "There's a colored yellow barrier between our park place and their park place. We can't break or bust it. Buffo tried and tried, without success. But we could see inside the colored shimmery yellow tone. The yellow color tone displayed a high mountain covered in white snow. It was snowing inside the barrier too. The sight was so pretty and everyone in there was snow skiing and having tons of fun," she turns and frowns at the rain. "But not in here, I can't explain it." She turns and frowns at Rincon.

Marsilla stomps forward with a sneer and stops, standing at nose bridge of Duchie. "You know the answers, the truth. Tell me!"

Lamis stands from the floor and turns, jogging with a sour frown to stand in front of Duchie. "Duchie doesn't know the answer. I don't know the reason for a snow-covered mountain inside the yellow color tone, instead of a forest park with ants. I agree it was covered in fire ants when we visited there. Now, it is not," she shrugs a shoulder with a confused brow at Duchie.

Rincon exhales with a huff of worry. "What about the status of Hatch and Jara?"

Duchie turns and stares at the nose profile Buffo, who stares down with a sad face at the cave floor with sadness. She looks up with a smile and a nod with a smile and a nod. "They are alive and snow skiing. They were having fun. We couldn't bust down the colored barrier with our human strength. We couldn't communicate with them with our human hands or our tongues, either. We tried tossing stones and bigger rocks to get their attention, but they appeared too far and away up on top of the mountain side. They did snow ski downwards looking happy and fun."

Rincon drops open a mouth. "Hatch and Jara do not know that they are trapped inside the yellow tone color, not passing all the academic questions with a value of seventy five percentage points. How will you tell them, Buffo?"

Marsilla sours with a sad frown. "Establishment does control your destiny."

Rincon shakes his locks and reaches up, tapping the temple with a smile. "You control you own destiny. I have been studying my academic subjects, since talking. My BPs has guided my education helping me to succeed. It is time to leave and test for the next color tone. Intelligence is knowledge," he back steps and scoots around the other teen with a smile, racing ahead toward the cavern mouth and into the rain, moving back toward the orange colored room of mirrors.

I drop open a mouth and look down with a sour frown to see the floor with a whisper. "Intelligence is knowledge." I swing around with a puzzled brow to see the back spine of Rincon and race ahead to catch up Rincon.

11:33 am

Orange tinted room of mirrors setting

I run through the rain and enter the room, stopping and stand all wet inside the orange room of mirrors with a pant of swift wind behind the back spine of Rincon.

No one else is in here, but Rincon and Ketona.

I reach up and wipe the rain off from a wet sour puss face with a matching tone. "My BPs told me the same thing. Why didn't they tell us about the pink sparks, the orange dust, and the other towns which are all related within the Cubby Hole? I mean within the Establishment. We should have been informed, too."

Rincon exhales with a huff of annoyance, turning to see his reflection in the mirror and Ketona. "Our BPs, they are not allowed to converse with us about the Cubby Hole or any related datum about the outer towns. This is our time to shine like a star or fizzle like a firecracker," chuckling. "I'm going to succeed. You're going to succeed, too, Ketona."

I gasp in shock. "I guess so."

He winks with a grin through the mirror at her. "I know, so," he moves ahead and spins around, sliding into his me-chee chair. The fabric wraps around the body. Then, Rincon drops down into the darkness with a scream.

I exhale with a puff of confusion, wiping the raindrops from my eyelashes and move ahead, turning and sliding down into my me-chee chair. The fabric wraps around my body for the dark tunnel ride. Then, the floor opens up. I drop down into the darkness with a giggle and a scream.

11:37 am

Cubby Hole auditorium setting

Red colored walls, floor, ceiling, and me-chee machine

I slowly rise up from the floor and halt with steam inside a red tinted room, scanning for Hatch and Jara. I am the second me-chee chair to land back inside the Cubby Hole. Rincon left a few seconds before Ketona, missing from his me-chee chair.

The fabric unwraps from my body and stores back down into the metal base of the me-chee chair.

I stand upright as the orange shield dissipates from my body. I turn and scan an empty room of red, snapping the fingers with a smile, turning with a hand wave to the see me-chee host. "May I please attend the girl's bathroom for a bathroom break?"

The me-chee host says with a nod of its silly red tinted metal skull and a smile of its silly painted smirk. "Welcome back, teen. You may be excused for three minutes and four seconds to relieve your bladder but come back for the next round of academic questions."

I spin around with a giggle and a grin to face the open archway of the female locker room.

11:38 am

Female locker room setting

I jog ahead and stomp through the empty room of red colors, veering toward one of the open bathroom stalls of red tone and stop, standing and struggling out of my tight cat suit colored in orange.

I pee and re-dress, exiting the bathroom stall. I stomp forward toward the wash sink and stop standing and washing both hands with hot wash and soap, drying them clean with a smile.

I back step and swing back to my personal locker, moving ahead and stop. I open the door and change out of the pair of wet cowgirl boots, slipping on the pair of dry and warm silver boots. Then, the boots magically change into the bright orange. I gasp and grin, figuring out that the barrier is a captured electromagnetic field that protects each park place.

So, each cat suit is somehow tied into the electromagnetic field, too. When you slide into the new park place, your cat suit changes color, too. Thus, my boots are eating the same electronic ions, coming from the dry and warm cat suit of orange.

I back step and turn, moving ahead toward the full-length mirror, stopping and staring at my beaten and dirty body. My hair is wet, partially drying. My cat suit looks very good on my short body. My boots are fitting nicely.

I cuddle the injured hand into my breasts, where the dampness and rain have wet and torn the healing pink scab open. I quickly ponder to find a first aid kit, exhaling with a puff of annoyance as I am a rough and tough city girl. A little scratch won't hurt me.

I swing around and jog through the open archway, leaving the female locker room.

11:48 am

Auditorium room setting

I enter the auditorium room with a smile and see Buffo. He walks around the room floor and passes each me-chee chair, looking with a worried brow for his buddy Hatch. I pass some females, who are taking advantage of potty break time and stop, standing inside his chest. He stops and sweet breathes over her hair roots as he is taller than Ketona. I whisper with a stern face. "They will come."

He turns with a stern face and scans the newest arrive of me-chee chairs. "They need to come, now. I gotta tell them about the seventy five percent value which advances..." he snaps the fingers and turns to smile to see Ketona. "I can use the cellie. It's inside my locker," he back steps with a chuckle and scoots around Ketona, dashing with a grin into the male locker room.

I exhale with a puff of frustration, shaking my sorta wet curls and spin around with a worried brow, moving back to my me-chee chair and stand in place, stretching up all my sore limbs and watch for Hatch or Jara, too.

Rincon enters the auditorium room with a smile from the male locker room, bouncing with a happy spring, stopping and stands beside the nose profile of Ketona. "You came in second place, again. I see."

I exhale with a puff of annoyance and turn with a worried brow to see the room. "I seem to think being the first or second sliding me-chee chair into the colored room with the mirrors or back into the Cubby Hole really doesn't matter much..."

"Winning the golden job that really does matters much."

I turn and frown at him. "Rincon, our friends Hatch and Jara are in trouble. They need assistance. You have known them your entire existence. They need to hear our new datum. Now, if they pop in, before we start the next round, you need to try to whisper the secret into their eardrums, too. Do you hear me?"

Rincon raises palms with a smile and a nod. "I hear and obey, milady," he scoots around her and moves ahead, sliding and sitting down inside his me-chee chair for the next set of academic questions.

More me-chee chairs rise up from the floor and land with a set of white steam, without Hatch or Jara.

The me-chee host stands and raises both arms with a fake painted smile and a nod. "Welcome back, teens. Please, find your assigned me-chee chair and sit down. We are beginning."

Buffo runs from the locker room and encircles his me-chee chair with nervousness for the next set of academic questions. Hatch or Jara has appeared, coming up from the darkness of the sealed floor.

I stand at the chair and scan the room, scratching the wet hair with a puzzled brow and a whisper. "I don't understand. What's happening?" Duchie raises up from the floor and halts in a set of white steam. I move ahead and stop to side of her chair, leaning over with a growl into her nose profile. "You forget to tell me something. Where are they, my friends Hatch and Jara at, located? Why are they not here? How can we start the new round without them?"

Duchie fights with the fabric inside the me-chee chair until it unwraps from her body, sitting with a head of wet hair, staring with a pretty smile at Ketona inside the me-chee chair. "I tattled all my secrets to you and other teens. However, I am smart enough to know this. One, the chairs are mechanical. Mechanics are run by computers. A mechanic me-chee chair is not going to come from one park place while a different chair is advancing into a second park place inside the single wind tunnel. Therefore, if you're dumb enough to miss your window of time, then you're dumb enough to wait for another opening as it is assigned by the operating me-chee computer. Hatch and Jara missed the window of time. Second, the me-chee computer is smart enough, unlike you, to corral like colors together as a unit, such as, the orange colored me-chee chairs and orange colored teens, who are trying to advance into the red tone color. Hatch and Jara are colored in yellow, not orange. Thus, thus they are not here ever, Ketona."

I back step with a gasp in shock.

The me-chee host says. "Please, find your assigned me-chee chair and sit down. We are starting..."

I spin around with a worried brow and jog ahead, stopping and lean into chest of Buffo with a whisper and a nod. "Buffo, we are all colored orange, not yellow. We are all advancing into the color tone of red. Hatch and Jara are colored yellow, not orange."

Buffo slaps a face with a nod, sliding down into his chair in silence.

I scoot around him and jog ahead, sliding down into my chair, leaning back into the soft head rest, feeling bad for my friends. But they have time to make up the lost color tone into orange and red, catching up with me and Buffo. I turn with a worried brow to spy on Buffo. The orange shield raises over the me-chee chair, blocking his clear figure within my eyeballs.

He is both worried and tense, wiggling side to side inside his me-chee chair. He has to relax and answer six out of eight questions correctly to pass with the seventy five percent score into the next color tone of red.

My me-chee chair glows in the color of orange again.

I close my eyelashes, exhaling and inhaling to calm a racing heart and an active mind.

The me-chee host says into each me-chee chair with an orange tone. "Welcome back to the Cubby Hole, teens! I hope that you have enjoyed your fun in the sun. There is more fun to have inside the rest of the color tones. Sit back and relax. Close your eyelids. I will present the next series of academic questions for your individual answers. The time limit is ten seconds for each posed question. To remind each schooler again for clarity of a proper verbal response, please state my answer is... then your vocal response. If you answer three-fourths or more of the academic questions correctly, you will advance into the next color tone of red. If you answer one-fourth or less, you will remain stationary inside the color tone of orange. If you incorrectly answer two-fourths of the academic questions, then you will slip back into the color tone of yellow. The first question, what is the color tone of the me-chee host inside the Cubby Hole, presently?"

I say quickly. "My answer is...red."

The thought me-chee host says. "What is the average body temperature of a healthy human?"

"My answer is...98.6 degrees Fahrenheit."

"What is the study of fish?"

"My answer is...piscatology."

The thought me-chee host says. "A vehicle averages 25 miles per gallon. The fuel costs three dollars per gallon. The vehicle traveled 2,100 miles. What is the cost of the fuel for this vehicle?"

I gasp and open my eyelashes, turning with a worried brow to see Buffo. He stares ahead at the wall, counting with his fingers and then looks down to see his fingers. I stare at him with a whisper between our double vision of orange shield. "The mileage of 2,100 is divided by 25 which equal 84 miles. The miles of 84 times three dollars and zero cents equal 252 dollars and zero cents. Come on, Buffo. Figure out the simple math." A single motion catches my right eyeball. Rincon is dropping down into the floor. "O no!" I turn and scan the room as more me-chee chairs are dropping down into the dark floor.

The me-chee host has adjusted the academic questions within the red colored Cubby Hole to the maximum tally of four questions, because the math numeric of three-fourths calculates precisely into the value of seventy five percent.

Previously, in the other color tones, the me-chee host asked eight total questions, in which, six correct answers had calculated into a perfect seventy five percent score for advancing forward into the next color tone.

Now, the me-chee is asking four total questions, in which, the schooler answers three questions that will calculate into a perfect seventy five percent score.

I exhale with a puff of relieve with a nod and a smile.

Buffo only needs three out of four correct answers for the seventy five percent score. Then, he will advance into the red color tone with Ketona. Then, they can figure out how to contact Hatch and Jara and warn about the entrapment of the Cubby Hole.

Buffo drops down into the floor next.

I missed the ten second deadline, without answering the fourth question. I don't fear it, since I have correctly answered three of the four questions for the passing 75 percent into the color tone of red.

I drop down into the floor, zooming toward the bright lights, screaming for fun. I can't wave my arms and my legs as the wrapping fabric holds my body down for safety.

12:01 pm

Red colored room of mirrors

I rise up from the floor with a giggle and a grin and halt within the steam blanket inside the red room of mirrors. I am not worried about being the first me-chee chair anymore. I worry about Hatch and Jara. They are stuck inside the yellow color tone which is two levels behind Ketona and Buffo.

I am 'number something,' still sitting inside the warm fabric among a set of numerous me-chee chairs with a smile and all alone inside the red room of mirrors. I wiggle around my body parts, releasing the tension and sorrow of the competitive and deceptive contest, turning with a smile to see no forward solid red wall.

The sun is yellow. The sky is blue. The land is flat. I smell salt within my nostrils. I feel warm heated air, slapping a face. I see teens. They walk around outside, wearing a cat suit and a pair of bare-naked feet. I slide out and stand next to my me-chee chair with a smile, moving ahead into the sunlight.

12:04 pm

Sea wall setting

Hot temperatures with bright sunlight and tons of white clouds

I move ahead and stop, turning around and jump up and sit on the top of the pretty cream and tan colored wall which is made of rounded and shiny seashells, swinging both boot toes over the air, waiting for Buffo. The hot sun is heating my naked face and my naked hands. I remove one boot, wiggling a set of naked toes to dry off the sweaty water between the skin flaps.

Then, I remove the second boot, wiggling both naked feet, exhaling with a puff of happiness and a smile, swinging both legs back and forth, peeking into the red room of mirrors for Buffo.

Duchie dashes ahead with a smile and stops, standing next to the nose profile of Ketona, without blocking the entrance of the room. "What is the study of fishies?"

"Piscatology," I swing both legs back and forth with a smile, staring into a red room of mirrors with me-chee chairs, without teens.

She plays in the white sand with the naked toes with a nod and a sour frown. "Dang, I missed that one. But I got three out of four questions for 75 percent, a passing score, and standing right beside you in the sand. So, I'm here, too. Thanks goodness. Where is here?"

I exhale with a puff of annoyance at her irritating presence. "Don't know." I swing both naked feet back and forth and watch for Buffo.

"Have you seen the cliff?"

"No," I stare into the room of mirrors.

"Have you seen the water?"

"No." I stare into the room.

"Have you seen...?"

"No." I stare into the room.

Duchie turns and frowns at the room and back to Ketona. "What are you doing?"

"I'm waiting for Buffo to land." I stare into the room.

Duchie grins. "O, I landed fourth. My me-chee chair was the fourth chair. Marsilla landed first. She was still sitting inside her steaming chair, when I landed. I think the crazy ride gives her a stomach ache. I get a little dizzy at first and then cool out for the ride. I like this game. Rincon landed second, after her. He didn't look happy as second. I guess he likes to be first. I guess he will get the golden job, since he likes to be first. That tall girl with no name, who wears all those body piercings on her ears, her nose holes, and her one eyebrow, she landed third, before me. I'm impressed with her. What's her name?"

"Don't know." I stare into the room.

"Do you know her?"

"No."

Duchies turns and jumps up, sitting next to Ketona on top of the seashell wall, swinging both naked feet back and forth, patting down on the smooth stones with a smile and a nod. "This park place is pretty. I've never seen any seashells by the sea shore." She turns and scans the sand, the sky, and the trees. "It's the 'bestest' park place, so far. There ain't no giant ants or dead baby animal necklaces or..."

"You should go and play with the other teens," I swing both feet back and forth and watch the room for Buffo.

"I sit and watch for Buffo, too." Duchie turns to stare at the room and swings both naked feet in rhyme with Ketona.

"You should go and play with the other teens," I sneer down at her naked feet.

They are both petite. She has more beauty than Ketona, if you measure, such things, like her cute button nose, her long shiny red ponytail hair, and her glowing pink skin, coming from the nasty sewer fumes.

Duchie exhales. "Did you leave before Buffo? If so, then he could still be inside the Cubby Hole room?"

"No."

Duchie frowns. "Did you leave after his me-chee chair? If so, then he is here first, before you..."

I jump down from the wall with a gasp and slap both hands down the legs with a nod and a smile. "Yes, of course, I saw him drop first. He was..." I turn and frown at Duchie. "Okay. He's with the other teens. Where are the other teens?" I scoot around her and move ahead toward the open skyline.

Duchie jumps down with a grin and turns to the side, pulling up beside Ketona with a smile and points up with a giggle to the sky. "This park place is really cool. It's a tabletop cliff that is flat and long and hot. We're almost touching the sun. I'm sweating buckets of water. You can see the entire blue sky and the entire water of blue, too."

I move ahead and nod with a smile at the new landscape. "I see the sky and water, smashing together as one. You can't see the difference in the far horizon over the placid waves." I halt and drops open a mouth, staring at the object. "Wow. This is a high cliff of white rock that leads right off into an ocean of blue. I can see the skyline forever and forever. It looks like the world is flat and I might just fall off the planet. But I can't," giggling.

Duchie halts beside Ketona with a grin and a nod at the cliff. "Some of the teens are calling it, a cliff diving platform. See? Each teen has removed the boots and then poses at the edge of the rock, holding on with their toenails and then jump up and into the sky. See? Each teen drops down from the cliff and then splashes down into the water."

I gasp with shock at the heart stopping teen maneuver. Duchie reaches out and grabs the arm of Ketona, dragging both them ahead and stops, releasing her arm and stands at the edge of the semi-round rock cliff.

I cuddle both arms around my breasts and hold a breath, slowly leaning down into the air. I feel nothing between my face and the air, but fright. My stomach drops down into my pinky toes. I whisper. "It's about forty-five feet down..."

"Naw," Duchie laughs and leans down into the nothingness air. "It's more like fifty feet straight down into the water. Rincon was the first brave soul to do it. He's a cool guy," she turns and points to Rincon on the other side of the cliff edge. "He's over there, directing the teen performance. I haven't jumped yet. I'm getting up my courage, since my nerves are hiding somewhere down near my ankles," giggling. "Did you wanna jump, now?"

I narrow my eyelashes and shade my eyeballs from the bright sun, scanning each teen for Buffo. He's tall, handsome, and muscular among the other teens. I can't miss his tallness. I exhale with a puff of worry. "I don't see Buffo. Is there another picnic area with food baskets," I giggle "Buffo likes to eat more than...." I giggle with my romantic thoughts of my dream man. I turn and frown at the nose profile of Duchie. "Is there another spot with more teens?"

Duchie points with a grin at the teens around the cliff. "Naw. All the teens are here, except for Marsilla. She's underneath a clump of shade trees. I guess her dark skin gets really heated from the hot sun. She sits against the foot of the shade tree, watching the teens jump off the cliff."

I bite my lip, scanning the teens, the sky, and the cliff rock. "Where is he?"

Duchie shades her eyelashes with a hand. "Did you say that Buffo left before your me-chee chair dropped down from the Cubby Hole auditorium floor?"

"Yes."

Duchie bits her lip with a sour frown. "Did you say that you saw him drop down from the floor of the Cubby Hole auditorium?"

"Yes."

Duchie shakes her curls with a worried brow. "Do you wanna know where Buffo is?"

"Yes."

Duchie frowns. "Do you really wanna know where Buffo is?"

I stomp both naked feet with a nod and a tongue of mouth spit. "Yes, I wanna know, Duchie. Tell me what you know about Buffo before I get violent here in the sands?"

Duchie twists both hands around with a worried brow. "Well, I missed one question and I'm really smart from studying all the time, since I was three years..."

"No." I look down with a gasp and a worried brow and kick the sand. "It can't be."

Duchie nods with a worried brow at the hair roots of Ketona. "It can be. I got three out of four questions correct. The last one, the word math problem was easy for a math person. But, the fishes one was really hard. I couldn't answer it. I didn't know the dang answer. The ten second time limit elapsed, before I could say something about fishes..."

"No." I rise and twirl both palms in a circle with a sour frown. "It can't be. I saw Buffo struggle with the word math problem. So, he might have missed one question."

"But he could have missed two..."

I stomp down on two naked feet, crossing both arms and swing around, marching back toward the shade trees, since I am burning up in physical hotness and mentally heat. Duchie turns with a worried brow and follows behind the back spine of Ketona in silence. I stop and lean a head against the tree, feeling the smooth bark of the palm tree and stare across the sands at a grove of tall trees with a set of four big long green leaves that barely shades the hot sands. I say with a worried brow to the trees. "Okay? Help me puzzle this out. If you get three-fourths of the questions, then you advance into the next color tone. Buffo was in the orange tone, but he didn't get three-fourths of the questions correct, because he isn't here with me and you. Buffo got only two of the questions correct. I saw him, struggling with the fourth question. He was having trouble with the word math solution. Then, he and his me-chee chair disappeared down from the floor of the Cubby Hole. So, Buffo received two correct answers out of four which is 50 percent. So, 50 percent is below the 75 five percent and above the 25 percent, therefore he has remained inside the orange color. I solved the puzzle. Buffo is stuck inside the orange color tone, so I'm going to..."

"Naw, he ain't," Duchie shakes her ponytail with a confused brow. "If you get one-fourth of the answers correct, you remain inside the current color tone which is twenty five percent of the right answers. The last set of academic questions tallies four, so twenty five percent times four questions is one..."

"No." I turn and stomp both naked foot with a sour frown at Duchie. "You're acting silly, Duchie. Even, a first grader can figure out that one-fourth of the total number four is the number one..."

"I got some more analysis to perform, so listen really carefully. One-fourth correct answer of the four posed questions is one correct answer, so you stay within the color of orange. If you answer two posed questions correctly, you get 50 percent, so you stay within the color of orange also. If you answer three posed questions correctly, you get 75 percent, so you advance into the color of red like us. If you got one answer wrong out of four questions, then you descend down into hell, sorry, back into the color tone of yellow." I gasp and listen.

Duchie nods with a stern face, "Because, the me-chee host stated. If you get one-fourth of the questions correct, then you remain inside the current color tone. So, you must make an assumption here, if any answer is totally wrong, then you will not remain inside the present color tone. If you keep trying to answer the question, hoping to get 50 percent or more, then you get only three answers wrong, you might descend back down into the previous color tone. Our assumption assumes a larger tally of questions. However, I will analysis the current posed questions for the red color tone. There are four questions. If you incorrectly answer two questions wrong, then you receive only 50 percent. The me-chee host stated. If two-fourths of the questions are answered wrong, then you will descend back down into the previous color tone. The me-chee host clearly stated. If you incorrectly answer two-fourths of the academic questions, then you will slip back into the color of yellow..."

I gasp with worry. Duchie moves ahead toward a new grove of palm trees. I move ahead and pull up beside her with a worried brow in silence.

Duchie frowns. "The first question was too easy and too frequent, name the color for the me-chee machine. Buffo got that one correct. He stands at 25 percent. The second question was too easy, also. Everyone knows the human body temperature is 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. So, Buffo stands at 50 percent. This is good. He got two-fourths of the four questions correct. Now, the third question was very tricky and very slick. I didn't get it right. I didn't know the answer, so I didn't say nothing."

"Nothing," I frown.

She nods. "I say nothingness. I based my quick decision on the possibility that the other remaining questions were within my academic tenure, so I could jack up my percent from 50 percent to 75 percent which would have guaranteed my advancement into the red color tone. However, Buffo does not know the true answer is piscatology like me. And Buffo says something close, but not correct, unlike me. So, Buffo has two questions right and one question wrong. This gets complicated. He has two questions out of four correct for 50 percent, but he has one question wrong out of four for 25 percent. So, the me-chee host averages the two scores. When 50 percent plus 25 five percent is added, the product is 75 percent. Then 75 percent is divided by two variables, the product is 37.5 percent, which is below the 75 percent value for advancement..."

"Ah, naw!" I stop and stomp a foot, turning with a sour frown, shaking my curls and my hands at Duchie. "Not right, not that. Wait. Let's do this analysis, again. Buffo has two questions correct for 50 percent. He missed the third question. I agree with your analysis, since Buffo isn't here with me," exhaling. "Buffo has gotten one question wrong. However, the questions are weighted exactly the same at a positive 25 percent value, Therefore, the two correct answers are a positive 25 percent each, which is a total of a positive 50 percent. The third question is 25 percent, too. So, Buffo got the third question wrong which makes the total value a negative 25 percent. Therefore, a positive 50 percent plus a negative 25 percent equals a positive 25 percent." Duchie laughs. I gasp. "So, the result of 25 percent is below the 75 percent value, making a teen descend back down into the previous color tone. The previous color tone is yellow which is the outer city of Dandine or Dookie Town." I drop a mouth with worry.

Duchie nods with a grin, "Told ya! Someone would be living and working inside Dookie, Town but not me. I'm breathing fresh sea air inside the red zone." She slaps the red tinted cat suit with a smile and a nod.

I frown with fury and calm my raw nerve endings with a grin. "However, there is a fourth answer left to address from a tally of four posed academic questions within the red color tone for the advancement." Duchie drops open a mouth in silence. I smile. "Buffo has answered the word math question correctly. It was a very simple math equation even a monkey wearing a ponytail could puzzle out." Duchie sneers. I giggle. "Buffo has three answers correct out of four responses which is 75 percent, the required value to advance into the red color tone."

Duchie laughs. "He ain't here, sugar."

I shake a finger into her smug face. "I know that fact, doll. Therefore, Buffo did not say or voice or shout out an answer for question number four. I saw him, struggling with the answer, since he was upset about Hatch and Jara. They're our friends, since forever. We live on the same city street and attend each other's birthday parties and holiday events and summer time picnics. Buffo wasn't thinking clearly, so he ran out of time, eating up the ten seconds of allotment for question four. Therefore, he didn't answer question number four. I saw his chair drop down before mine. I don't bother answering question number four either, since I got the first three correct, babe. I accomplished the 75 percent, without any more brain work. Intelligence is knowledge. My dad always quotes that good advice to me.

"So, Buffo stands at two questions correct and one question wrong. Now, the me-chee host does not use averages or percentages or mathematical relationships. The me-chee host has stated that three rules. If you answer three-fourths or more of the academic questions correctly, you will advance into the next color of red. Buffo did not answer three correct questions. If you incorrectly answer two-fourths of the academic questions, then you will slip back down into the color of yellow. Buffo did incorrectly answer one question. If you answer one-fourth or less, you will remain stationary inside the color tone of orange."

Duchie gasps. "He has remained inside the orange tone colored park place with the thunder storm, the rain, and the lightning bolts. The ocean is east. The room of mirrors is west. The south direction shows more of the ocean water and skyline, since the cliff encircles the water. That means the boundary of the barrier wall is north."

I wink at her, swinging around with a giggle, running ahead over the white sand, carrying the boots toward the north direction and move faster than Duchie.

12:22 pm

Orange colored barrier wall

I slap into the barrier wall even though I could clearly see the shimmery orange, scanning the landscape with a gasp. "Where is the rain, the thunder, the lighting bolts?" I back step and stare at the wall barrier. "It looks like the yellow one. The seam is seamless. The touch is stingless. I don't understand. There ain't no rain or thunder or lightning."

Duchie stares into the orange barrier wall with a confused brow. "There's a dry desert out there inside the orange color tone, instead of a set of wet forest of trees. How's this possible? I don't understand it."

I bang a shoulder into the barrier wall with a grunt. The wall doesn't move. I back step with a confused brow and stare at the object. "The wall is an electromagnetic creation, coming from lots of invisible beams and zillions of invisible ion particles, compliments of our planet. I can't create one, but someone can..."

"The Establishment, they control us. They dictate our lives," Duchie stares with a stern face inside the orange tone.

I bang a shoulder into the wall again and back step with a sour frown, panting for air. "I can't break or bust or bruise it."

Duchie leans over and gently touches a nose tip into the wall with a grin. "I see him."

"No, you don't. I know my guy instantly. And I can't see him. I see orange dust, running horses, and numerous teens..."

She jabs a finger into the wall with a smile. "I see him. He's over there on top of a horse. He said that his grandfather lived on a farm. He can ride a horse too. I love horses and farms. I love the smell of tulips, too."

I narrow my eyelashes, scanning all the objects. "I see running horses on the left side. I see standing teens on the right side. Where is he? I can't see him."

Duchie jabs a finger into the wall with a giggle. "Buffo is sitting on top of a black horse near the rear of the white gate. The horse is tall, since he's tall too..."

"Wow." I drop open a mouth. "The horse is running away from the gate to a barrel. Ouch. The horse hit the barrel..."

Duchie grins, "Naw. The horse and the rider are racing around the set of tall wooden barrels for fun. Each barrel holds tons of sand inside, so the barrel doesn't tip over, coming from the rider's boot or the horse's weight. Whoa, this is a mini-rodeo for the teens. Each teen is riding a horse. The horses are competing with each other within a specific time limit," giggling.

"Time is a common factor today," I frown with annoyance of Citizenship Day.

She bounces up and down with a smile and a nod. "I see Buffo. He is the next rider on the black horse. Watch him! He glides to the first barrel then slides around the second barrel and then scoots elegant around the third barrel. He whips the rump of the horse with the riding crop, making the steed go faster to beat the previous time winner. He flies out the gate. Cool. This is so much to watch. I wished that I were riding a horse, too. What do you think, Ketona?"

I exhale with a puff of annoyance, kneeling down into the sand. "I'm scooting around the sand on my knees, looking for a weapon or a tool to shatter the barrier wall into tiny cracks. If I can find a hard object, such like, a diamond or a ruby or a sapphire gem stone? They're some of the hardest mineral on the planet..."

"Yeah, I know that, too" Duchie rolls her eyeballs and looks down to see Buffo with a smile. "The park place is a sandy beach, not an underground mine of raw minerals."

I gasp and reach out for the object. "I found a very large seashell." I stand upright and rear back my arm, ramming the shell into the orange colored barrier wall. The shell shatters and breaks into an array of numerous tiny glittering particles. I sob with sadness and swing around to see the sand, dropping down over the heated whiteness again and dive both hands into the sand, searching for another weapon to use on the wall barrier. "What weapons exist on the beach? Seashells are too soft. The trees are too tall with smooth bark. Not good! I found a coconut. The outer shell is hard like a rock," I stand upright and spin around, tossing the hard coconut into the wall. The coconut breaks into a set of two halves and falls over the sand. The white milk of the coconut leaks from the cracked side. I exhale with a puff of defeat and swing around, sliding down into the sand again.

Duchie squats down and reaches over, lifting the broken half of the coconut, smelling it with a smile and slowly sips the tart coconut milk from the shell and spies on Buffo through the barrier wall.

I spread the sand with a puzzled brow. "What else is a weapon of the sea? Starfish? No. The sand. Yes." I gather two handfuls of sand and stand upright, swinging around and toss the white sand at the barrier wall. The wall doesn't sizzle or burn. I lift both hands into the air in defeat and slump down into the sand with sadness, staring through the barrier wall.

Duchie back steps from the wall with a smile and sits down with the broken coconut over the sand beside Ketona. "I don't think the ocean produces a weapon that can be used on land. I think that's why the ocean and the land have separate species and breathing methods like air versus water. So, you should dump that mental thought, since you possess a higher IQ. So, you can't shatter the barrier wall and communicate with Buffo with a set of hand signals or a puff of smoke signals from within the red color tone. However, you could talk to him face to face inside the orange color tone," grinning.

I look down with a sad face to see the pretty glittering sand, feeling the heat on my face and my hands. "I wanna, so badly. I love Buffo. We're getting married next week on Payne Mountain. My BPs..."

"Whoa. Both of you are getting married, next week. Wow. Both of you are in love."

I hold back the sobs and the tears from my eyeballs, looking down with a sad face at the sand. "Since the fourth grade, Buffo stole my lunch, while I was eating it. He was tall and mean then. I tamed his wild habits. I was short and meek but determined. I stomped to his table and parked my hands on my wrist and shouted at him. 'Give back my lunch.' Buffo stood and vomited on my hair roots..."

"Ugh. Uoo. Yuck. I did not ever need to hear that tender love story, Ketona," Duchie laughs.

I exhale with a puff of sadness. "I was impressed with his yuckiness. Buffo was impressed with my stubbornness. I didn't cry. I laughed, wiping the mouth vomit off my hair and my dress. My mom was miffed. She's a medical technician, seeing sick people all the time. Nothing bothers her..."

"But, her little girl, who is not getting the golden job..."

I turn with a gasp and drop open my mouth to see Duchie. "I will get the golden job. Me and Rincon are tied. I think..."

"I think that some of the other teens are tied with you, darling. Marsilla was first within the red color tone. You told us that you were first within the pink color tone. Rincon was first within the yellow color tone. That unnamed tall girl with the body piercings was first within the orange color tone, also. I do believe that you are tied for the golden job with three other smart teens too."

"I guess."

"I guess that you gotta figure out how to get Buffo out of the orange zone and into the red zone too."

"I can."

"I can, too."

I drop open my mouth. "How can you, too?"

Duchie stands upright and moves ahead toward the wall, stopping and stands, reaching out and touches it with all fingers and a grin. "You cannot break an electromagnetic field unless you cut the charged ions. You don't have access to the me-chee control room for that evil purpose. You can't signal Buffo. He really is too far. He is down inside a valley. You are up high on a cliff. Buffo would have to catch a beam of your face or your hand to see you way up here, if even possible, babe. But I suspect that the barrier wall works one way, since an electromagnetic field keeps people in, not out. That's why we can touch the wall, without a stinging pain or a permanent death. The beams surround the orange color tone, not inside here. Therefore, you could stand here all morning, noon, afternoon, evening and night, he will not see you. But..."

I frown with puzzlement, "But, what?"

She grins. "You go and see Buffo."

I raise both palms with a sour frown. "I can't. I'm in here. He's in there. You're making no good logical sense with your high IQ, Duchie."

She turns and smiles to Ketona. "Well, it's a good thing that I'm a sweet girl, who possesses a higher IQ, because you don't. Go back now and slide back into the me-chee chair and land inside the Cubby Hole. Then, you answer the next round of posed questions, except you get two of the questions totally wrong with a minus fifty percent which is less than numeric zero, honey. Then, you fail to advance forward into the green color tone, so instead you go backward and back down into the orange color tone."

I stand upright and race with a gasp, slamming into the wall. Buffo is slapping and laughing with some of the other teens.

Duchie stands upright and slowly moves ahead and stops, standing next to Ketona, touching the wall with a smile and a nod. "You slide back down into the orange room and run into his loving arms..."

"Right, yeah, now." I back step from the wall with a nod and a smile and spin around, running ahead, working up the sweat toward the red room of mirrors.

Duchie slowly swings around with a smirk and follows behind the back spine of Ketona lagging behind, sounding with laughter.

12:36 pm

Red colored room of mirrors setting

Hot temperatures with bright sunshine

I slam into the side wall of the red room and back step with a frown, folding at the waist, panting for more air into both healthy lungs. I wipe the sweat from both eyebrows and stand upright, slowly moving into the cool room from the heated air and scan the room which is empty of teen and contains lots of me-chee chairs.

I pass each me-chee chair and find mine, remembering where I had parked it. Hatch had learned that painful lesson swiftly for all to observe when he had sat down inside the wrong me-chee chair and got bit on his butt. So, I remember my parking spot inside every color tone.

I dance with giddiness. Buffo will be so surprised to see Ketona inside the same orange tone with the horses. Actually, this was Duchie's brilliant idea. That girl is too smart. I'm watching her, now.

Duchie appears and stands inside the wide archway of the red room of mirrors, moving out of the bright sun, panting for air, after running after Ketona.

I flip the wet hair from a face and slide down into the soft fabric, feeling a sting. "Ouch!" I scoot out and stand upright, staring down at the me-chee chair as the heat still sucks on my butthole.

"It doesn't work for some reason," Marsilla appears and stands inside the archway with a puzzled brow, staring at the me-chee chair. "I don't understand the reason, either. I tried to slide back into my me-chee chair and got stung like sizzling heat. I thought my cat suit absorbed too much heated air and hot sun from the beach sand on my fanny. So, I tried it a second time, sliding back into the me-chee chair. I got stung with sizzling heat, again. So, I touched the fabric with my hand, getting hotness on my skin, too" she lifts and cuddles the burnt hand into her chest with a worried brow. "I don't understand. It's like the chair doesn't want you to leave from here..."

"You have to do it," the unnamed tall girl with a set of body piercings appears inside the archway, moving ahead and stands inside the shaded room from the sunny heat. She waves a lighted cigar around in the air with a stern face and a nod. "You have to do it."

I turn and frown at the unnamed girl. "Do what? What do you have to do?"

The unnamed tall girl points to each me-chee chair with the lighted cigar and thumbs the sand back over a collar bone with a stern face and a serious tone. "You have to do what is required within the particular color tone," she swings around with a stern face and moves ahead toward a shade grove of thick trees.

I pretend to slap the me-chee metal chair with a sour frown and a sissy whine. "I can't leave from here. I gotta leave from here now and go back into the Cubby Hole. What is it that I gotta do to leave from here now?" I move ahead and follow the back spine of the unnamed girl with a sour frown and a shout. "Hey, you. Hey, girl. What's your name?" The tall unnamed girl stops and turns, sitting down on top the white sand, leaning back against the tree bark with a grin in silence. I run ahead and slide down into the sand, sitting across from her with a nod and a stern face. "I need to leave from here now, too. I'm hot and heated from the sun. I get sun poisoning and sick to my stomach. Hey, I never ever had trouble before leaving the color tone room. I dropped down in my chair and zoomed right back up into the Cubby Hole. What is different now inside the park place?"

12:40 pm

Sandy landscape setting

Hot temperatures and cool shade palm trees

Marsilla and Duchie move ahead out from the room of mirrors and slide down over the sand, sitting between Ketona, staring at the tall unnamed girl too.

"My name is Nephella," she flecks the burning cigar to the opposite side of the sand without a smile.

Marsilla drops open a mouth. "You're the mayor's daughter. She's the mayor's daughter. Her mom is the mayor of Colfax. She's the mayor's daughter. Why aren't you in our academic classes at school in Colfax? I've never seen your face, but I know your name. My mom works with the mayor at her legal job. My mom has met you before too," grinning.

Duchie frowns. "What do you burn that cigar? You're a teen. Do you smoke it, too?"

Nephella turns and stares at the burning cigar with a stern face. "I burn it to remember my grandfather. He died a couple of months ago," she turns and stares at each teen. "I loved to rest at his feet when he lounged inside the sitting chair, puffing funny geometric shapes of white for me as a small child. I don't smoke the lighted cigar, but I wave the good smelling odor around. I think of my grandfather. I'll extinguish it from my new friends," she smiles as her face piercings curve sideways. "I know your mom, too, Marsilla. I know of you, too, by your BPs, a silly little acronym."

"Good. You're a friend, not a foe," I turn with a sour frown and glance at Duchie with suspicion, looking back with a smile and a nod to Nephella. "What makes the me-chee chair not go-go?"

Nephella frowns. "You must jump off the cliff into the water, cliff diving..."

Marsilla stands upright with a scream and back steps, shaking her curls, moving away from the other girls. "No, no, no, I can't. I can't do that. I scared. I scare to cliff dive..."

I turn and frown at Marsilla, patting an empty spot next on the sand. "Sit down, Marsilla! We'll figure out something else for you to do." I turn and frown at Nephella. "Why must I jump off the cliff and down into the water?"

Nephella grins as her face piercings curve sideways. "Inside the pink color tone, you patted the baby animals. I bet you patted and stroked each baby animal, since I did too. They all were so cute and innocent. Then, you left the forest when the fist fight broke out and then returned back into the Cubby Hole. Inside the yellow color tone, you ate the food, coming from the picnic basket. The food was good until the ants showed up for a snack too. Then, you turned tail and ran back to the me-chee chair and landed back inside the Cubby Hole, again. Don't you see a pattern here? You did something physical inside each color tone, so far..."

"Naw," I frown with confusion. "There is no pattern. You're wrong. Inside the pink color tone, there was playground equipment, too. I played on the seesaw while other teens played on the swings. Not every teen touched the playground equipment, either, since a group of mean teens was fighting at the sight. There is no pattern here."

Nephella smiles as her face piercing curve sideways. "Ah, which created a lasting permanent deeper emotion within your neurons, touching a piece of cold steel or a part of warm fur? I didn't touch the playground equipment either, since the vile teens were having too much fun. However, the warm fur was soft and pretty, making me feel good. Then, the vile teens killed the baby animals, making me feel sad. Within the yellow color tone, eating the good food, I felt safe and seeing the big ugly ants, I felt scared. This..."

"Wait." Duchie frowns with confusion. "Inside the orange color tone, it was raining with lightning bolts. Geez, I didn't get struck by a lightning bolt just to feel dead," chuckling.

"You got wet from the down pour of the raindrops." I say. "That was the physical something that affected each teen. So, this is a high cliff over low water. We each gotta jump off the cliff..."

"No." Marsilla shakes her hand and her curls. "No, no, no, I can't. I won't. I couldn't. I am scared.

I nod with a stern face. "I scared, too, Marsilla. But, I will do it to get out of the red color tone. We have to do it to get out of here and continue to the next color tone."

Nephella smiles as her face piercing turn sideway. "She is right. Or you are trapped inside the red color tone..."

"No." Marsilla shakes her hands and her curls. "No, no, no, I didn't wanna jump. I didn't be trapped here either."

I raise a palm with a giggle and a grin. "Okay, I got it. I'm going to jump down from the cliff. Who's coming with me? I gotta go back into the Cubby Hole, now..."

"Yes." Rincon moves ahead and stops, standing over the hair roots of Ketona with a laugh and a smile. "Allow me to assist, milady," he leans down and offers a hand. Ketona grabs it and stands upright with a giggle into his biceps. Rincon grins with a nod. "I'm the non-official cliff diver instructor. Now, you need to remove your boots," he looks down to see her naked feet with a smile. "O! They're removed. Now, remove your cat suit," he chuckles. She leans and slaps his arm, not his face with a sour frown in silence. He chuckles. "That's a test. You have passed. Now, let's go and jump off the cliff." He cuddles her as they both laugh with fun.

Marsilla stands upright with a sob and holds a face down into two palms, mumbling and rocking back and forth in the sand. "I can't jump. I'm afraid. I'm afraid of heights. I'm been afraid of heights as a little kid."

Nephella turns and frowns at Marsilla, "Heights? You're afraid of heights."

Rincon turns and grins to Marsilla. "It's no big deal, Marsilla. Look, I'll toss your butthole off the cliff and then you're done," chuckling.

I reach over and slap his arm again, not his face with a giggle, too.

Duchie frowns. "I don't understand your explanation, Nephella. My mom told me nothing about performing a physical act, which in turn, is required to activate my me-chee chair to go back into the Cubby Hole."

"Yeah," Rincon turns and frowns down at the hair roots of Duchie, standing over the teen. "Nephella's right."

I point with a smile to Nephella. "Do you know her?"

Rincon turns and grins to Nephella. "She's the mayor's daughter. Hey, Nephella! Are you going to jump off the cliff, too? The cliff is all clear for a good run and leap maneuver. I think all the teens are done, but the circle of you, little chicky girls. Some of the teens are exploring the cliff. Some of the teens are exploring for fishing pole for food," laughing.

I jerk away from Rincon and sit back down into the sand. He drops down and sits beside Ketona. I turn and frown at his nose profile. "Okay, buddy, spill all your beans from the opened tin can. How do you know Nephella? How do you know that Nephella is right when you didn't hear our private conversation? And how do you know that it has to be done? What has to be done?"

Rincon exhales with a huff of truth and turns to see each girl. "You must jump off the cliff. You must perform a physical feat inside each park place within the color tone or stay within the current color tone. Upon returning into the Cubby Hole, you must pass the next set of academic questions into the new color advancement and then you must accept the new physical feat and do just it. Or you are trapped inside the current color tone. I learned this from my BPs..."

"Stop calling them that! They're your biological parents, not some two squashed initials of BP," I frown with fury.

Rincon reaches and touches the arm of Ketona with a smile, "Yes, milady."

Nephella says. "I feel both your fury and your frustration. This is a sick mind game which is being played on all the teens within the confine of the Cubby Hole."

Rincon frowns, "Naw. It is a brutal competitive game of wits, guts, and smarts."

Nephella nods. "Within each color tone, teens have exhibited violent fun. Inside the pink color tone, which was represented by the forestland of baby animals, the teens dueled with knives. Some of the teens got cut but survived. Where did those sharp knives come from?"

I gasp. "I asked Buffo the same question. He said that some of the boys carried a personal hunting knife underneath the cat suit, since the steel blade didn't activate the me-chee machine at the entrance door of the male locker room. Inside the female locker room, the cellie alarm sounded."

Duchie rubs on the tight-fitting catsuit with a confused brow. "Where do you hide a switchblade or a toothpick over the slick slim vertical lines of the cat suit? It fits like a glove on each one of us."

"Not right," Nephella shakes her curls. "Inside the yellow color tone, the giant ants attacked the food baskets, smelling the goodies. We were camping on their nesting site that had been established eons ago. Some of the teens got stung but survived too. Inside the orange color tone, the rain storm produced thunder and lightning bolts. The thunder is the song of the flying white bolt, before it strikes the soil. Some teens got broken arms, slipping over the water but survived. Now, I sit on top of a cliff and must jump to my death or be trapped here in the red color tone."

Marsilla drops open and closes a mouth. "Are you saying to me that someone wants to harm me for being a smart girl within the Cubby Hole?"

Nephella shakes her curls. "No. I'm saying that your fears will prevent you from achieving your dream or your goal, the golden job. I didn't completely understand the underlying idea within the pink color tone. But I'm afraid of lightning bolts. Lightning is my terrible fear. When I was a small child, a storm rolled in from the west. I was playing in the yard. Then, a lightning bolt struck down and killed my pet dog. The dog was running around in the rain having fun.

"From that moment and forward, I have been afraid of thunder storms, running into the house like a small child. Inside the orange color tone, I was afraid to move out into the rain. I was going to huddle near the mirror, moving away from the opening and the landing me-chee chairs and then soar back into the Cubby Hole. Then, Buffo saved me. He put his arm around my shoulder. Then, we raced directly into the rain. I was scared inside the cave every time the thunder sounded..."

I gasp. "I'm afraid of knives. During elementary school, my dad was teaching me to cut up my meat with a sharp knife. I slipped and cut my finger. I bleed out for days and ached for weeks. I cried forever. I never ate meat with the knife until I became a teen and could handle the sharp shiny blade. I find it so strange that there were knives inside the pink color tone too."

Rincon stares down at the sand with a stern face. "I'm afraid of ants. I got stung as a kid playing around the yard. I tripped my naked feet over a natural ant hill. My dad believes nature needs to live and survive too along with the humans. It was an accident, but a brutal childhood memory that hasn't gone away in my teens."

Marsilla frowns. "I'm afraid of heights, since birth. I can't jump off the cliff. I can't. I'll hit the water and die. I can't swim either. I'm trapped inside the red color tone park place here forever," she rests a face back down into the hands and sobs with her tears.

I frown with confusion. "Dang, this is sick psychological mental game."

Rincon frowns with annoyance. "This is an intelligence test for smart kids. If you fail..."

"Wait a minute." Duchie raises both palms with a confused brow. "This is just worse chance or bad luck or bad karma. How is it possible that the knives were in the pink color tone? Bad weather happened inside the orange color tone, because of the geographical location of the forest along that part of the planet. Each me-chee chair zooms us all over the planet for this stupid day long competition. This is just chance or luck like when a mommy-to-be is having a boy or a girl. You have a fifty-fifty chance."

Nephella nods with a stern face. "I wrote down my fear on the electronic application. It was a specific question that specifically miffed me off. I asked my mom. She told me to answer all the questions completely or become a radiation worker in the outer town of Tonkey. I got scared or frighten or intimidated. So, I filled it in with my true fear of lightning bolts. Then, I submitted my electronic app. Did any of you do that also?"

The skulls of the teens nod up and down also.

Duchie waves both hands with a worried brow. "Okay, okay, I wrote my fear down on the app, too. I fear snakes. Okay, I hate snakes. Some people hate spiders. Some people hate cats. Some people hate vegetables. Tell me how did the knives get into the forestland? The me-chee host placed the knives there for some sick fun. Trees limbs are cut with knives. Baby animal parts are cut with knives too. It is simply explained. The fire ants were a terrible luck for Rincon. We were roasting with food on top of their play spot. The thunder storm hits and strikes the valley between the mountains all the time which is a common weather phenomenon. It is bad karma for Nephella."

Marsilla frowns with confusion. "How do you explain the cliff diving within the red color tone? I'm afraid of heights. Gosh, I live and study inside the downstairs bedroom. I don't walk up the stairs as I am so afraid of heights. Rincon, you were supervising the other teens for fun jumping off the cliff. Was there another teen like me afraid of the height or jumping from the rock into the water?"

"Naw, just silly you," says Rincon.

Marsilla wraps both hands around her breasts, staring at the trees, the sky, and the sand. "It is like the me-chee machine is after me personally with my personal fear. I can't activate my me-chee chair and go back into the Cubby Hole, so I'm destined to stay here for the rest of the day and be afraid of jumping of the cliff, until the me-chee host machine comes and retrieves me. I landed inside the red room with the mirrors first after answering those four questions. This was the first time that I was first. I want to finish the Cubby Hole too for the golden job. This ain't fair to me," she places a face down the palms and sobs with tears again.

Nephella drops open and closes her mouth. "You landed first inside the red zone and you are afraid of heights. You landed on a high cliff for jumping off which is your fear. Gosh, I landed first in the orange zone and I'm afraid of lightning bolts."

"I landed first in the pink zone and I'm afraid of knives from my childhood terror." I drop open a mouth with a gasp.

Rincon raises both palms with a stern face. "This is not a coincidence, but purpose. I landed first inside the yellow zone with my fears of ants."

Nephella leans down and draws six boxes inside the sand, pointing with a stern face to each one. "The first box is colored pink. The color represents the town of Tonkey. The radiation pits are there. Just follow my logical first. Then, we can discuss. The color chart is in a specific order for a specific reason. I got this from my mom too. The second box is colored yellow for Dookie Town. The third box is colored orange for the farmland. The fourth box is colored red, coming from the slaughter mills. The fifth box is colored green for the gardeners. The sixth box is colored blue for the merchandise makers and teachers. Now, all the teens passed, coming from the silver color into the pink color..."

"What about the golden color?" Duchie frowns.

I turn and frown at her. "Do you wanna add something here, Duchie?"

"Naw," Duchie shakes her ponytail.

Nephella says. "I'll get to that in a moment. All the teens from the Cubby Hole are playing and having fun, patting the baby animals inside the pink colored park place. Then, someone finds a knife. The knife object comes from the fear of Ketona. You have to assume that the me-chee or the MECHanical Energy Entity machine. It quickly materializes all the sharp deadly steel knives right after Ketona answered all eight questions with the faster time. So, the knives are hidden within the thick healthy plant bushes. Then, some of the rougher teens come along and finds a knife in each bush. They start killing the animals first and then the real beast second. The really smart teens run back and leap into their personal me-chee chairs and then get dumped back into the Cubby Hole. The really smart teens answer the next set of questions and advance into the yellow color tone. The landscape is a pretty picnic table with food for eating which happens to be the fear of Rincon, who had answered all eight questions faster than any other teen also. The ants march down the mountain, killing some teens in the process for some evil reason. The smart teens run back and dump into Cubby Hole for a third time. Do you see the pattern here?

"The me-chee host is using fear to stop the teens from accessing the next advancement into the color tone. Fear is going to freeze your feet down onto the ground. After the ant attack, didn't you feel like stopping or giving up? I did, too. But, I didn't, because of my mom, mostly. Well because, I've studied hard and I want the golden job badly. Inside the orange color tone, the rain storm materialized. Actually, the me-chee machine programmed all the teens down into the valley of the thunder bolt, because I beat out all you with my swift answers to the eight questions. I got into the orange room and then froze with my personal fear."

Marsilla grins. "So, we're supposed to work together and help each other. Is this the purpose of Citizenship Day? Well, I need help through this particular hostile park place," nodding.

Nephella says. "No, I froze with fear. I almost didn't complete the physical feat of touching the rain water. Something so simple, I almost failed. Didn't you see the pattern here? The me-chee host uses fear to restrain the teens inside the color tone, unless the teen fights back. Marsilla is so afraid of her fear that she might not leave. Inside the pink color tone, all the other teens that are still having fun and laughing and eating the dead baby animal meat are going to work and live in Tonkey, the radiation pit.

"Now, if someone told me that I was going to live and work there, then I would say: Ah naw. I'll die within a year from the radiation poisoning. All the teens currently failing the academic questions and residing inside the yellow color tone are going to live and work in Dandine. All the teens inside the orange color tone are going to work in Burrville..."

"No, that's not true," I shake my curls.

Rincon nods. "Yes, all of this is very true. My mom didn't tell me either, but I figured it out when the vile teens started killing the poor animals. The Cubby Hole weeds out the smart teens from the rowdy teens using the IQ questions..."

"IQ testing, this is an IQ game. You're smart or not." Nephella points with a nod down to the boxes in the sand. "This is not about jobs. This is about keeping the same population within their same park place. The trapped teens having fun and not giving a hoot about tomorrow inside the pink zone will live, marry, and mate with another single teen at the Tonkey town square and raise a family of little tikes to come back into the Cubby Hole. If the little tike isn't smart or serious enough about his personal freedom of choice, then he is destined to be a radiation worker also. The cycle repeats."

"So, what? I've studied all my life for this day. I'm going to get the golden job," Rincon nods with a smile.

Duchie frowns with confusion. "I think it's very sad that the other teens that are already trapped inside their particular color tone doesn't know this or hasn't been given the chance to improve their personal lives and meet their dream. My parents explained to me about the color tones, the me-chee machine, the Cubby Hole, the me-chee chair, and studying. But, I didn't understand the entrapment part."

Marsilla frowns with disappointment. "This is a non-fun mind game that determines your physical job for the rest of your life. Now, I understand the order of the color chart."

Rincon says. "Look, everyone gets a chance or a run of your personal intelligence or personal luck at the golden job during Citizenship Day and the Cubby Hole."

Duchie grins. "I agree with Nephella's explanation, except..."

"I told you to spill your gust during the thunder storm, Duchie," I turn and frown at her.

Duchie grins. "I did. I will remind, again. The next set of academic questions is going to get harder, not softer. I missed the fishes one. I know some of you did too. Okay. Raise your hand, if you got it right." Ketona raises a palm alone with a giggle. Duchie frowns. "How did you get it right, Ketona?"

I grin. "My parents purchased me a fish tank. Then, I was expected to learn all about fishes, which is study of piscatology."

"Good explanation." Duchie frowns. "If I'm hit with more fishies question, then I will not advance to the next color. I've been studying academic questions for years. I missed the fishes one. I do believe that the me-chee host wants more teens to stay behind and live within the outer towns rather than the posh and pretty Colfax. Think about it! If every single teen makes it into the golden color tone spot, then Colfax would have to award every teen their dream job."

Nephella grins. "They will. They do. And they would. You're correct, Duchie."

I turn and scan each face with a confused brow. "What? They do not. Where's Lamis?"

Duchie grins. "She jumped and fled the cliff. She didn't like the jump or the water or the sun."

"She's going to grab the golden job first." Rincon gasps with a worried brow.

Nephella laughs. "Naw, there is no golden job. Every teen has an equal opportunity chance to answer seventy five percent of the posed questions correctly and advance to the gold color tone. I don't know exactly who created the nickname golden job..."

"My mom..." Rincon smiles.

Duchie grins. "This is about winning it all, including the golden job, your dream job for life, Nephella."

Nephella laughs. "Where did your BPs end up after their personal visitation into the Cubby Hole? I can answer the question for you, since we all live and play in Colfax, except for Duchie. So, Duchie is the exception here. Now, all our BPs have a good job in Colfax, too. This means that our BPs made it into the gold color tone. Why? Because, they had studied and passed the posed academic questions with at least a 75 percent pass score, too. If every BP had failed the set of questions, then we would not be here talking or living within Colfax.

"The other BPs, who did not make it into the gold color tone, current live and work inside Montag or Tonkey or Albend or the outer towns. So, the logical conclusion is. All the residents of Colfax, who are our BPs, had passed the question and stepped into the gold color tone for getting a dream job. So, every teen here can pass the questions and step into the gold color tone getting their dream job, too."

I frown with confusion. "But, some of the teens that I know are kinda far behind like one or two color tones. How can they step into the gold color tone, while I am kinda far ahead and will make it out first?"

Nephella grins. "Citizenship Day lasts until midnight. It does not end at one pm or three pm or six pm or ten pm or when the first teen reaches the gold color tone. No, no, no, I could be the first one, before Rincon. Or I could hang out here under the cool shade tree for the rest of the afternoon and then slide back into my me-chee chair and then land inside the Cubby Hole. I can answer 75 percent of the next questions and advance into the green zone, and then the blue zone, and finally into the gold zone. I have been studying, since talking too."

Duchie nods. "The questions are getting swifter and harder. My mom said that there are four questions timed at fifteen seconds each. So, a set of four questions at fifteen seconds is sixty seconds. The me-chee host says the long-winded question at a rate of six seconds. A set of four questions at six seconds is 24 seconds. If I add 60 seconds plus 24 seconds, the product is 84 seconds. There are 60 seconds in a minute. So, we got one minute and twenty-four seconds within the next appearance of the Cubby Hole. That's some swift time to address a set of four hard questions. Then you drop down and zoom your me-chee chair into the next color tone, blinking my eyelashes about 252 seconds. Since, I blink at three lashes per second," giggling.

Rincon frowns with confusion. "Nephella is half way right. Citizenship Day is almost all day long but the posed questions are finite and set and limited..."

"Yes." Nephella nods. "Each teen is asked the same academic set of questions within the Cubby Hole. It is a fair and just test, but the system sucks," she nods.

I frown with confusion. "Okay. Wait. Let's go back to some of the teens, who are behind us. Actually, there are many teens behind us and out of the red zone based on the empty spots on the floor of the Cubby Hole. For example, the teen inside the orange color tone, she is inside the Cubby Hole inside the orange color tone with the red walls for a second time, because she failed the first time. But she has the chance to advance into the red color tone for a second try. Then, his...her questions will be different from my set of questions that I original answered inside the red walls. So, the second set of questions for the failed teen will be easier. Is this correct? Does everyone agree? Then, the failed teen or the nervous teen can have a second try and pass into the new color chart while catching up with the other teens..."

"No." Rincon shakes his curls and leans down, swiping away the boxes of Nephella, drawing out a set of new boxes in the sand with his finger. "Naw, you're incorrect. Each teen receives the same set of questions whether they reside inside the red zone or the pink zone or the orange zone. I have drawn seven boxes, staring with the correct color order of silver, pink, yellow, orange, red, green, blue, not gold. Now, I will assign two teens a symbol with the designation of A and B..."

"Use another set of alphabets like X and Y." Duchie laughs. "Everyone uses A and B even my slow thinking teachers. Be creative, Rincon!"

Rincon laughs, "Yeah, creative! Okay, I will use the math number one, representing me, who races into the gold zone as first place. And I will use the math number of zero, representing the zero teen, who gets to work all their life inside Dookie Town," he turns and winks at Duchie. She giggles.

I frown with annoyance. "Finish your illustration, Rincon! I'm waiting and watching and learning nothing here so far."

Rincon chuckles, "I draw the math number zero and one underneath the first box of a pretend color hue of silver. Use your creative minds here to fool your naked eyeballs. This is your starting point. Teens 0 and 1 are asked the same eight questions. Then, the two teens pass and zoom into the second box of pink. Teens 0 and 1 are asked the same eight questions. Then, the two teens pass and zoom into the third box of yellow.

"Teens 0 and 1 are asked the same eight questions. Watch me, here! Teen 1 passes and zooms into the fourth box of orange. Teen 0 fails and stays inside the third yellow box. You see underneath my boxes. Teen 0 stays inside the third box of yellow. I have shifted Teen 1 forward into the fourth box of orange. Now, Teen 1 gets tired of playing inside the fourth box of orange, so Teen 1 drops back down into the Cubby Hole. The me-chee host asks eight questions. Teen 1 passes and zooms into the fifth box of red. Teen 0 gets tired of playing inside the third box of yellow, so Teen 0 drops back down inside the Cubby Hole. Teen 0 is asked the exact same eight questions from the me-chee host..."

"No, not right." I slap a hand into the sand with a sour frown. "Naw, Teen 0 gets a new set of questions which is much easier. Nephella said that each teen gets a chance to advance into the gold color tone for their dream job. In order to do that, Teen 0 must be to given a fair chance..."

"A fair or fairy chance, Ketona?" Duchie frowns. "Teen 0 and Teen 1 were asked the same questions at the same time inside the same space of the Cubby Hole in the same color tone. Teen 1 passed. Teen 0 failed. Now, you want Teen 0, who failed the first time to be given a set of easy questions to attain the next color, when Teen 1 studied her butthole in bright irritating red from sitting for hours and for decades to reach the gold color tone. Naw, the Cubby Hole is fair and justice. This is an IQ test. You pass or you fail? Period. The end. Goodbye!"

Rincon exhales. "Let me finish my illustration. I might be able to address your issue, Ketona. Teen 0 is inside the third box of yellow. Teen 1 has passed into the fifth box of red. Teen 0 is asked the same eight questions, so Teen 0 passes and zooms up into the fourth box of orange. Teen 1 gets tired of playing inside the fifth box of red, so Teen 1 lands back inside the Cubby Hole. Teen 1 is asked the same four questions which are harder than the questions from the pink, yellow, orange, and red colors. Teen 1 passes and zooms into the sixth box of green. Teen 0 gets tried of playing inside the fourth box of orange, so Teen 0 lands back inside the Cubby Hole. Teen 0 is asked the same four very difficult questions like Teen 1.

"This is the only way to test your strengths and weaknesses while administrating a fair and just test for intelligence. In my illustration, Teen 0 passes and lands inside the fifth box of the red. Teen 1 of the sixth box of green drops down inside the Cubby Hole and is asked four questions, so Teen 1 passes and zooms into the seventh box of blue. Teen 0 of the fifth box of red drops back down inside the Cubby Hole and is asked the same set of questions as offered to Teen 1, so Teen 0 passes and zooms into the sixth box of green. Teen 1 of the seventh box of blue drops back down inside the Cubby Hole and then nothing happens. Don't interrupt my illustration.

"Teen 0 of the sixth box of green drops back down inside the Cubby Hole and nothing happens. Teen 1 has reached the gold tone color, before Teen 0. Within the gold tone color, Teen 1 and Teen 0 are both inside the Cubby Hole, wearing their respective shimmering colors. The me-chee host will ask one single academic question to both Teen 1 and Teen 0 regardless of their currently shining color shield. The single academic question is very, very difficult with only one correct answer.

"If Teen 1 answers the single academic question correctly, then Teen 1 gets to pick out his dream job in Colfax and then work it the rest of his life. If Teen 0 answers correctly the single posed question from the same me-chee host in the same room, then Teen 0 also gets to pick out his dream job in Colfax and then work it the rest of his life. So, the Cubby Hole is fair and just. Each teen can attain the golden job which is an appropriate nickname," laughing.

"However, the single question is very, very difficult within the golden zone. In my illustration, all the smart teens dashing through the color chart do reach the gold color tone. If a blue tinted me-chee chair, holding a teen who answers incorrectly the single question, then the teen gets to pick a job from same color tone of blue. If Teen 0 of the sixth box of green answers incorrectly the single question, then the teen is stuck in the green zone, living and working as a gardener there for life. So the teens having some killing fun right now inside the pink zone can vie for their golden job by answering the dang single academic question with the Cubby Hole."

Duchie raises both palms with a sour frown. "Then, why am I working all my brain cells and worrying all my nerves about passing into the next color tone?"

Nephella grins as her face piercing curve sideways. "I concur with Rincon's explanation which is a very good presentation. You're working your neurons and worrying your nerves, because the percentage of getting the one single golden question absolutely right and correct for that one single golden job is 13.01 percent which represents all the teens, since my great-great-great grandfather's time."

Marsilla frowns. "The number thirteen is an unlucky like me, too," she places a face down into both palms and sobs with her tears.

Rincon chuckles, "Okay, the 13.01 percent is correct too. I agree. But, that's because the majority of the teens stay, play, and surrender into one of the favored park places or give up trying to compete with the tough academic IQ questions, coming from the me-chee host. Then, they live out their calculated pitiful destiny like their mamas, daddies, grandparents, cousins, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles," he stands upright with a smile and a clap. "Okay, we have two more color tones to compete and complete. At one minute and twenty four seconds each, we can wrap up this thing up in less than three minutes, right now, if we all return back into the Cubby Hole..."

"Except, I can't leave until I jump from the cliff. I can't do it. I just can't," Marsilla sobs with her tears in both hands.

Nephella points with a smile and a nod at the hair roots of Marsilla. "See? Rincon has proven my theorem that the Cubby Hole runs on both IQs and fear. The fear paralyzes the teen from advancing into the gold color tone. Then, the fearful teen is stuck living and working inside one of the outer cities like before. Colfax can't employ every single teen or adult, so the Citizenship Day is created along with the mechanism of the Cubby Hole. Each teen has plenty chances for both failures and successes within the Cubby Hole. It's up to the teen to advance based on IQ and personality and drive and ambition and other personal or emotional factors like my mom and my dad. This is about fear controlling the teens. The me-chee machines are making the decisions for the teens, without their knowledge."

"Intelligence is knowledge. My dad told me." Rincon squats down and assists Ketona to stand, cuddling her into his chest with a laugh and a smile of happiness.

I frown with worry and fear with sadness.

Buffo is trapped inside the orange color tone. He can still compete and complete the remaining academic questions and move up the color chart into the next outer town's pathway without reaching the gold zone with Ketona. However, he can also compete in the gold color tone and answer correctly the single most difficult academic question, where only 13.01 percent of all teens pass.

I turn and count the teens in silence. They are smart, consisting of Duchie, Marsilla, Nephella, and Rincon. I believe in my mind that my friends and I will reach the gold zone, then answer correctly the single most difficult question, and then select our dream job.

I believe in my heart, something different.

Duchie stands upright and shakes her ponytail. "I disagree with Nephella. Fear is not the only factor totally controlling the teens. Fun is another emotion, influencing the teens. I can prove it." She back steps and slide sideways from the huddle, moving ahead toward the north direction, strolling away from the cliff edge.

The teens stand upright and follow behind the back spine of Duchie into the hot sunlight.

01:01 pm

Orange colored barrier wall

Hot temperatures with white sands and bright sunshine

Each teen stops and stands, facing the orange barrier wall, reaching out and touches with a gasp the smooth surface.

Rincon continues to touch the wall and scans the height and width of the structure with a smile. "Wow. This is some awesome piece of advanced technology. Is it from our planet?"

Duchie rubs the wall with a smile. "Yeah, we ain't aliens, here. We're teens."

Nephella continues to touch the wall with a smile. "This is an electromagnetic wall with a set of charged ions, keeping the other teens from climbing up and over into the next color tone. We can't climb up and over into their park place, either. And it doesn't smash me with deadly electricity, either."

I stand with a sour frown and stare at the wall without touching the material. Buffo hangs with the other teens inside the horse corral. The horses are gone. But the teens have formed a camp fire. If my acute excellent vision isn't wrong, the teens are roasting food, too. I exhale with angry, fear, and sadness. I should be in there with Buffo. I need to jump off the cliff and load back into my me-chee chair. I will land back into the Cubby Hole and fail the next set of questions at fifty percent. Then I could hug and talk with Buffo inside the orange colored tone.

I swing around and stare with a worried brow at Marsilla. She sits on the sand, playing with the grains. She is too scared to jump from the cliff and then will become trapped here into the red color tone for the rest of Citizenship Day. I exhale with shared pain. I can't help her. I can't jump off the cliff for her, either. I turn and scan with a stern face to see the flat white sands and the tall green palm trees. The park place is pretty and pleasant, except for the cliff jumping part. Actually, I'm excited about cliff diving part.

Rincon did it.

If he can do, then I can do.

Duchie jabs a finger into the wall with a giggle and a grin. "See? The teens aren't terrorized with ants or spiders or thunder bolts. They're having fun, tons of fun. Before, they were riding horses around the corral with more fun..."

"How did you find the barrier, Duchie?" Rincon continues to press all fingers over the wall with a smile.

I spin around with a gasp to see the rear ponytail of Duchie. "Duchie and I were walking around, looking for some of the pretty tan and creamed colored seashells and found it. We bumped into it. We couldn't miss it. It's so long and tall and wide..."

"Right, Ketona?" Duchie grins and watches the teens inside the orange barrier wall. "We bumped into it, looking for some pretty tan and white seashells. Then we forgot all about the seashells. Right, Ketona?"

I frown at her rear skull with a sneer, "Yeah, Duchie."

Duchie smiles and stares at the teens inside the orange color tone. "I liked the theory of IQ plus fear to paralyze the silly teens into submission or whatever. But those teens are having a blast with no care in the world inside the orange color tone. And those particular teens have either failed the questions or have chosen to remain behind inside the rainstorm for some reason. Now, we learned that they didn't miss the me-chee chair calling, either. Every teen has the opportunity to advance through the color chart based on your IQ. However, you must overcome you and your buddy's personal fear element to advance through the color chart or stay entrapped."

Nephella grins and stares at the teens inside the orange color tone. "I modify my theory with the IQ plus all the emotions. Everyone knows that logic is not emotional. Emotions are complex and complicated, making teens do crazy stuff. So, I'm still right. Citizenship Day is based on the IQ and the emotion which is a deadly combination for destiny or disaster."

Rincon frowns with puzzlement into the wall barrier. "There's no rainstorm. I just noted that dramatic absence. Is this truly the original orange color tone?"

Duchie nods with a smile and watches the teen inside the orange color tone. "Yes, it is truly the orange color tone."

Rincon frowns with confusion. "Why is it not raining? Why is it dry soil and no rain inside the orange color tone?"

"I didn't know," I feel confused and sadness. Inside the orange color tone between the two park places, Buffo laughs and eats then laughs and drinks then laughs and slaps the leg of the boy next to him for fun inside the orange color tone, without Ketona.

Rincon turns and frowns at Ketona and looks back with a gasp through the barrier wall. Inside the orange color tone, the other teens are eating. "Is that...?"

I reach out and pull him close into my breasts, not wanting the other teens to know that Buffo has failed the questions for the red color tone.

He spins around with a stern face and a nod in silence to the secret of Ketona about her boyfriend Buffo.

Duchie reaches out and touches the barrier wall, her cat suit and the barrier wall again, slamming a body into the wall and back steps with a gasp and a grin. "This is an electromagnetic field."

"I said that," Nephella rubs the wall with both hands with a smile.

Duchie shakes her ponytail with a smile. "Yes, my cat suit is also an electromagnetic field, a tiny one. That's why the material can morph into the matching color of the current park place or lots of dumb teens would get confused. So, we can do it," she swings around with a giggle and moves ahead with a smile toward Marsilla. "Marsilla, we can adjust your cat suit."

Nephella frowns into the barrier wall. "No, you cannot." She swings around with a confused brow and moves ahead toward Duchie and Marsilla.

Duchie stops and kneels in front of Marsilla, slapping her cat suit with a smile and a nod. "Yeah, we can. The me-chee is a machine and blind, without the computer signals. The cat suit tracks each teen. That's how the me-chee machine knows which teen has completed all the questions, the swiftest, like me. The invisible or in this case, the colorful charged ions are sent into the me-chee machine via each cat suit on each teen. So we can adjust, alter, or modify your cat suit, not you..."

She stops and kneels beside Duchie with a sour frown. "No, you can't. We all wear our cat suits, because we're naked underneath."

Duchie giggles. "Forget her! I like being naked underneath my cat suit, but I guess some people don't like to like the body pierced girl. She's got a much lower IQ than me and you, too. My idea, you can drop your fearless material cat suit off the cliff, instead of your frightened blood and flesh body. The charged ions record that schooler teen Marsilla has leaped from the cliff rock and then your me-chee chair will re-activate. Then you can leave the red color tone and pursue the golden job or whatever into the golden tone with me," giggling.

Marsilla sobs with a face of tears with a smile, "Really? Can that really work, Rincon?"

Rincon swings around with a smile and a nod to see Marsilla. "Yes, I do believe that Duchie has developed a brilliant plan. If not, you will find out when you slide your butthole back into your personal me-chee chair and then burn it good," chuckling.

Duchie assists Marsilla to stand upright with a nod and a smile. Nephella stands with a smile next to Duchie. Duchie giggles with a grin. "Let's go back to the cliff and try out my theory. What have you got to lose, but your cat suit?" She turned with a laugh to face the sands and the cliff. All three female teens dash toward the flat cliff for the new plan.

Nephella runs beside Duchie with a grin. "I like the idea. But the cat suit is also heated with our body temperature of 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. If you stripe off the cat suit, then the body temperature will hover probably around 90 or 89 degrees Fahrenheit. The me-chee host will get suspicious of the unhealthy gadgets, coming from the cat suit and then it will send out another me-chee machine to investigate."

Duchie runs beside Marsilla with a smile and a nod. "Good problem, new solution. We leave the cat suit on top of the rock cliff and warm it back up to 98.6 Fahrenheit degrees."

Nephella continues to run with a smile and a nod. "Good plan, new problem. The cat suit records some type of heart rate like a beating heart. I know the sun is hot and heated, not beated," giggling."

Duchie giggles. "I know. We use the sea mice."

Marsilla runs beside Duchie with a confused brow, "What sea mice?"

Duchie jogs ahead and rears back a naked foot, kicking the tall sea weed with the foot. A little white mouse runs out from the wiggling tall sea weed and hides inside the second sea weed grass. She spins around and jogs, tossing both arms into the air with a grin and a giggle. "The sea mice eat the seedlings of the sea grass on top of the cliff. They got a beating heart. We capture about six or so and wrap them into her cat suit and then toss the suit down from the cliff. The cat suit will record a heated body temperature and a heart rate for the machine. Ta-da!"

Marsilla runs ahead and catches up with Duchie with a gasp and a worried brow. "I can't murder little innocent mice."

Duchie spins around and runs between Marsilla and Nephella aging with a laugh. "Then you can stay and pray for another supernatural miracle all alone here inside the red zone. I think all the smarter teens have gone and are working all the questions, coming from the me-chee host."

Marsilla runs and frowns with disgust. "I don't wanna touch the mice."

Nephella runs and smiles with delight. "I'll catch the mice and help Duchie with the overall sick plan, a true cat and mouse ploy," giggling.

Marsilla runs and frowns with sadness in silence toward the flat cliff.

I run behind the three girls, wanting to witness the jumping of the cat suit off the cliff edge.

Rincon runs up behind the back spine of Ketona and grabs her arm, man-pulling and cuddles her with a whisper and a smile into her cheekbone. "I'm so sorry. I saw Buffo behind the orange barrier wall. I didn't remember seeing him jump off the cliff either. I landed second right after Marsilla and started instructing the teens how to jump off the cliff."

Marsilla, Duchie, and Nephella dash away from Rincon and Ketona toward the cliff.

I slow my pace with Rincon, exhaling with a puff of defeat. "I wish you had landed first. Then her fear would have never materialized. But I believe that Duchie's plan will work to return Marsilla back into the Cubby Hole. Duchie is a smart female coming from Dookie Town."

"You shouldn't use that term. You're mean." Rincon exhales. "You're mean, Ketona. You found the wayward wall barrier while looking for Buffolo. He failed the questions. He failed you. Can't you see that?"

"No, I can't."

"How is Buffolo going to leap out of the orange zone and catch up?"

I nodded with a fake smile. "Nephella told us that everyone gets a chance to test for all the chart colors. Citizenship Day runs through midnight as the me-chee host waits on each returning teen. Buffo can recover beautifully then answer the rest of the academic questions and pass into each color tone. We will share the gold color tone, together. Then we pick out our dream job and live there inside the posh and pretty city of Colfax. All this has been planned by me and Buffo."

Rincon grins. "We have lived beside each other since birth. My mom and your mom are best friends. Hey, we drank from the same cup with our shared saliva until five years old..."

"Ugh, don't remind me." I giggle.

"We bathed together until three years old. I remembered you naked."

I giggle. "Ugh, don't remind me, twice."

"Me and you belong together, Ketona."

"I'm marrying Buffo, next week."

"Okay, will you live inside the outer town of Burrville, too? Buffolo cannot resident inside the posh and pretty city of Colfax as a farm boy and all. Will you commute home from your work then back to work and then back to home, too? Does the tram run that far out into the outer limits of Colfax?"

I fake a smile. "No, Buffo and I have plans and a plan. He's just a little behind by one color tone. He can catch up with me and you for the golden job, too."

He exhales. "He answered two questions correct and one question wrong then didn't answer the last question completely. The fishies question stumped me too. It was clever trick question. Duchie is correct. The questions are swifter and harder. There are two more color tones, before the gold color tone. You answer three questions correctly to advance or answer one correctly to stay or answer two questions wrong to drop back down into your destiny. We both saw the consequences of dropping out of sight. Our neighbor friends Hatch and Jara, they didn't make it into the orange color tone with us. I didn't see them there with Buffo, either. Therefore, they will be destined to live and work in Dookie Town too. Simply because, Hatch and Jara were too lazy with their academic studies, I find the Cubby Hole a fair tool of justice. If you study hard, then you are rewarded quickly. If you don't study, then you are not..."

"Buffo can pass the next academic questions."

Rincon nods. "Upon our return back into the Cubby Hole, vying for the green color tone, we all will be asked the same set of four academic questions, including Hatch, Jara, and Buffo, of course not in the same space or time. You finally realized why we didn't see the yellow colored me-chee chairs of Jara and Hatch."

I reach over and slap his arm with a sour frown. "You could have reminded me. I was upset, not thinking clearly. Then Duchie reminded me that Jara and Hatch were inside the yellow color tone inside a pair of yellow tinted me-chee chairs. Like colors stick together like buddies. This is so simple. We all are reaching for the same color chart of gold. So, you and I will go onto the green color tone. Buffo will advance into the red color tone. You and I will go onto the blue color tone. Buffo will advance into the green color tone. You and I will reach the gold color tone. Buffo will advance into the blue color tone. Then I wait for Buffo, he and I will answer the single most difficult question, and then we both advance into the gold color tone like we have planned. Easy!"

Rincon grins, "Easy for you and me, darling! Buffolo might not find it so easy. Buffolo must like riding the horses around the corral like living on a farm. Buffolo looked happy eating food around the camp like a farm setting with the other teens, who would be working on the farm too..."

"Ah, naw," I gasp with mouth spit that falls over my hand. "We have plans. We're getting married, next week. We're stepping into the golden color together..."

Rincon cuddles her with a whisper into her cheekbone. "Ketona, sweetheart, after all the discussion and the new information exchange, what have you learned, right now?"

I swallow the thick salvia with a nod and a sad face. "I learned that fifty percent failure gets you stuck inside the current color tone. I learned that you must do something physical to get out of the current color tone. And I learned that every teen can advance into the gold color tone, if they answer with a seventy five percent score."

He nods with a smile. "Excellent, I have learned those things, too. Why is Buffolo lingering inside the orange color tone? I assumed that you saw him, performing a physical activity besides eating more food around the campfire currently. Tell me? If he is the man of your dreams and you are the woman of his dreams, why hasn't he landed back into the Cubby Hole and answered the newest set of academic questions and advanced into the red color tone. We are some of the last teens hanging around here, waiting for you to jump off that cliff. It's really fun, too."

I nod with a smile. "Buffo might already have done that." I spin around and swiftly run back to the orange barrier wall, smashing into the non-burning barrier with a gasp. I sob with my tears.

Inside the orange color tone, Buffo dances with another girl with a smile, stomping around a circle with a laugh, clapping around the campfire for a good time, without Ketona.

I hiccup and hold back the flood of tears from an aching heart and a worried mind.

Rincon spins around and rushed back to the orange barrier wall, slowing down and slowly moves and stops beside Ketona, seeing through the wall with a sad face. "Buffolo is having a good time. He's a good dancer too. Buffolo did his physical feat probably riding a horse or a mule around the small corral and then loaded inside his me-chee chair and then landed back into the Cubby Hole.

"He repeated the fifty percent failure rate on the four posed academic questions, twice. The four questions are too difficult like Duchie has warned about thousand times to us, now. Buffolo can't advance any further through the color chart underneath the metal skull of the me-chee machine man. Buffolo is stuck inside the orange color tone, permanently. I admit. A farmer is better than being a radiation worker or a dookie worker or a lawn worker or a slaughter killer of meats. Buffolo has chosen wisely for his permanent career of a farmer. His grandfather was a farmer. Now, we know how that happened in past history. Buffolo has been defeated and failed you, Ketona. You're smarter than he. You're smarter than me. You deserve to your dream job and your dream man, not Buffolo."

I stare with a sad heart and a sad face of tears through the barrier wall.

Inside the orange barrier wall, Buffo dances with a smile with another teen girl.

I don't know the other teen female with Buffo. I don't recognize her face, since she is probably not from Colfax, either. I slap a face with both hands, catching the hot tears.

Rincon cuddles Ketona with a smile and a whisper into her wet cheekbone. "It's okay, sweetheart. Buffolo has his perfect peace and his park place. Be happy for him. This is probably the last time your paths will ever cross. You will not see him inside the Cubby Hole either. And you will find your peace soon. I promise. Let us go and finish the cliff diving. Then we ride both of our me-chee chairs back into the Cubby Hole. We both with success and advance into the gold color tone, achieving our dream of the perfect job and the perfect life as one."

He and I turn away from the orange barrier wall and slowly move as one being toward the cliff, hugging each other.

I sob with my tears and my heartache.

01:31 pm

Ocean cliff setting

Marsilla, Nephella, and Duchie sit on top of the short pile of loose rock, surrounding a red tinted cat suit of Marsilla.

Nephella has a head of wet hair, after jumping off the cliff, so she can activate her me-chee chair and continue the journey to reach the gold color chart.

Duchie has a wet ponytail from her jump off the cliff, too.

Marsilla wears a set of the huge green palm tree leaves over her pink panties and a pair of naked breasts.

I stop and stand in place over the flat rock cliff, dropping open a mouth at the weird scene. Rincon stops and stands with a growl beside Ketona. I reach over and slap his chest with a giggle.

Duchie stands upright from the rock with a smile and a nod, holding up the cat suit. "It's really heated from the bright hot sun which should be simulating your body temperature and fooling the me-chee machine, right this moment. We're ready. Just in time, ya'll. We're taking flight."

Nephella assists Marsilla to stand carefully and cautiously in the homemade palm tree leaf dress.

I giggle with a grin. Rincon chuckles with a growl, not upsetting Marsilla.

Duchie swings around with a smile and dashes ahead toward the edge of the cliff, folding the cat suit into a round ball.

Nephella swings around with a sour frown to see the butthole of Duchie. "Not so tight like a baseball ball, Duchie. The heated materials will double her fake body temperature. Fold it three times and then toss it into the air. Let it elegantly flutter down and then land in the water."

Duchie stops and stands at the edge of the cliff, folding the cat suit thrice, rearing back an arm with the cat suit, tossing it high from the flat rock cliff. The cat suit beautifully flies forward and then outstretches by the breeze wind into the full shape like a human. The cat suit slowly falls down in the air as the red color twinkles in the bright sun. Duchie points at the object with a giggle and a grin, jumping up and down with happiness on the edge of the cliff. "I am so smart," nodding.

They all clap and laugh with fun of the murderous act of sacrificing the tiny sea mice. But it is better than Marsilla getting hurt or killed or left behind inside the red zone as a slaughter princess for life.

Marsilla stands in place which is far enough from the edge of the cliff and watches her cat suit with a confused brow. The cat suit gently floats down, coming from the blue sky and then disappears behind the tall limestone cliff rock. She points the air with a confused brow. "How are you getting my cat suit out of the water, Duchie?"

Duchie swings around with a frown to see Marsilla, "Out of the water?"

Marsilla jabs a finger at the edge of the cliff with a confused brow. "My cat suit's falling down into the water, probably there now."

Nephella moves ahead and stops, standing on the edge, leaning down over the air molecules of the cliff with a grin and a giggle. "Not yet."

Marsilla frowns. "Duchie, how are getting my suit out from the water?"

Nephella continues to lean over the edge of the cliff with a grin and a giggle. "Almost there."

Marsilla frowns. "I have to wear my cat suit back into the Cubby Hole."

Duchie frowns, "O yeah."

Nephella continues to lean over the cliff with a grin and a giggle. "About there."

Marsilla frowns. "I need my cat suit, before I can slide back into my me-chee chair and then return back into the Cubby Hole for the next color tone and academic questions."

Duchie nods with a fake smile, "O right."

Nephella continues to lean over the cliff with a grin and a giggle. "There. Done. It is wet and drowning in the waves."

Duchie jumps up and down with a smile of happiness. "It worked."

Marsilla bounces both hands up and down in fury. "Ugh. You didn't factor into your brilliant plan a method of retrieving my cat suit, after it plunged down from the cliff all alone. I am almost naked standing here in the heat. I can't return back into the Cubby Hole, wearing a set of green palm tree leafs. The me-chee host will see and taste and smell me and then know that I have seriously cheated within the red color tone."

I laugh out loud and reach up, slapping a hand over my lips. Rincon copies the same hand slap of Ketona with a chuckle.

Duchie thumbs back over a collar bone with a smile. "Climb down and retrieve it from the water."

Marsilla sways the set of her giant palm fronds side to side with a sour frown at Duchie. "I'm afraid of heights, dumbo. That's why you came up with the brilliant plan of flying my cat suit without me, right off the top of the high cliff."

Duchie lifts and points with a smile at the temple. "O wow. Well, I'm the front man with brains, thinking up the concept."

Nephella swings around with a nod and a grin to see Marsilla. "I'm the middle man with the brains, thinking up the body temp and heart rate."

Duchie points with a smile and a nod to Marsilla. "Yeah, you're the rear man with the brains for thinking up how to get the cat suit out from the water."

"Get my cat suit now, before I beat your butthole," Marsilla lifts both arms with a scream as the palm fronds violently shift over her body. She drops both arms and hugs her breasts with a sour frown.

Duchie smiles with a nod. "Okay, done. Come on, mayor's daughter. Help me get the dang suit out from the waves of the ocean water, before the short broad does the stinky thing to my butthole." She turns to the side and moves ahead with a grin and a giggle toward a set of natural formed cliff stone steps that lead down toward the sandy shoreline. "Are you afraid of heights, mayor's daughter?"

Marsilla points with a sour frown up to the sky. "And remove all the poor dead little mice."

Duchie stomps on the top step and climbs down to the next step with a smile and a shout. "Okay, done. Do you think that we severed the electromagnetic field in the suit without her with the water?"

"Maybe not," Nephella follows behind the back spine of Duchie with a smile and a nod, helping to retrieve the cat suit.

"Do you think we murdered all the poor little sea mice?"

"Maybe so," smiles Nephella.

They continue to climb down the set of natural formed rock steps and shout out the shared conversation for all eardrums.

Duchie shouts with a smile. "Do you think it will float before it drowns in the sea water?"

"Maybe so," Nephella shouts with a smile and a giggle.

Duchie shouts with a smile. "Do you think all the dead mice guts will interfere with the electromagnetic field of the cat suit?"

"Maybe not," She shouts with a smile and a giggle.

Duchie shouts with a grin and a giggle. "I like your face piercings. Did they hurt hitting the water?"

"Maybe so," she shouts with a smile and a giggle.

Duchie shouts with a grin and a giggle. "Did you think if I got face piercing it would hurt too?"

"Maybe not, "she shouts with a grin and a giggle.

Marsilla jabs a finger with a sour frown at the empty steps, without losing the palm frond leaf dress. "I heard that, Duchie. Get my suit. I am turning and waiting next to my me-chee chair to go back into the Cubby Hole. And remove all the dead mice guts from my suit," she swings ahead with a puff and slowly moves ahead with a sour frown toward the red room of mirrors, leaving the cliff.

I laugh and fold down at my waist with the silliness, coming from the funny vocal exchange. Rincon laughs and fold down at his waist too. I lift a torso with a soft pant. He lifts up a torso with a heavy pant for air, laughing so hard at the three entertaining girls.

He shuffles and cuddles Ketona with a smile. "Duchie's entertaining. Now, it's your turn to jump. All the teens are done and gone, but you."

"Do you think the empty cat suit really fooled the me-chee machine?"

Rincon looks over a collar bone to view the direction of the red room. "I do believe that it has worked or else the cat suit would have exploded in the air. I understand that the me-chee has full control of the electrons around us here inside the Cubby Hole environment."

I smile. "Excellent. I feel happy and relieved for Marsilla."

He turns and sweet breathes in her face with a smirk. "And how's does Ketona feel now?"

I look up with a stern face to see the blue sky. "I feel..."

Rincon pulls and drags Ketona toward the edge of the cliff, stopping and stands, leaning over the air molecules, without fear. She cringes in the stationary pose, smelling the salt air. He smiles. "The water is clear. No drowning cat suits or cats," he turns and winks to her. "You always enter feet first when cliff diving down into the water. Cliff diving is one of the least complicated sporting activities for a teen. You do not need any special equipment, special clothing, or a special instructor..."

"...except a preacher-man, then he contacts all my heavenly angels to inform them that I'm coming into the Promised Land," I exhale with a puff of fear of jumping off a nice big cliff.

He drags them away from the cliff edge with a whisper and a smirk into her cheekbone. "You and your cat suit sail like a bird through the invisible air molecules from a dizzy height of fifty feet and then plunge violently down in a body of water below. Image yourself, jumping off a six-story building of fifty feet or more. I know this bit of tale, coming from the set of ancient world history books. King Kahekili had leaped off from the mountain of Kaunolu, jumping from and falling down a sixty feet cliff. He entered the water below, without causing a splash, earning him, the fancy nickname of birdman," chuckling.

I stare with a scared face at the cliff edge. "I feel really scared. I can absolutely understand Marsilla's fear."

He drags her further away from the edge and stops and stands in place with a smirk into her cheekbone. "Part of the thrill is jumping off a pretty sloped white cliff, going down into the beautiful deep blue water. It's exciting, excitement, existence. Free falling through the air in a spread-eagle formation without a parachute or a wire or a partner and all alone at a dangerous speed, the big rush of the moment. Don't blink, Ketona. Feel the excitement. Feel the rush. Feel my heart too," Rincon places her hand over his heart with a smile, winking with a smile to her.

She giggles with a smile from the impromptu romantic moment, alleviating some of her fear.

He whispers into her cheekbone. "During the three second jump, you will experience an invisible force of three gravity units when you hit the water and then decelerate. You travel at a speed of fifty-three miles-per-hour," Rincon swirls her around in a circle with a smile.

I gasp and giggle. The impromptu romantic moment alleviates my fright also.

He cuddles her with a smile and a whisper into her cheekbone. "When you jump from a cliff, you go into a free fall pose. Earth gravity is the only force, acting upon your body. You encounter no resistance from friction like ground dirt when running or snowflakes when skiing, thus suffering no air resistance," her lifts and kisses her hand. "But I can't resist you, Ketona," he winks with a smile.

I giggle with the impromptu romantic moment as it alleviates my nervousness also.

He smiles into her cheekbone. "As you fall, Earth gravity pulls you down into the water at a speed of thirty-two feet per second. The longer you fall through the air, the faster you go and then hit the water." He twirls her around in a circle.

I like the impromptu romantic moment which alleviates my worry with a grin and a giggle.

He cuddles her with a smile and a whisper into her cheekbone. "A high cliff does not accelerate your full. Acceleration is a constant during free falling. The pull of the gravity decreases very little at higher elevation of landmass. Earth gravity pulls you with an equal force down from the first tick-tock second of time of jumping until you hit the water. Jumping from ten feet, you travel seventeen miles per hour." He swirls Ketona into a circle again with a chuckle.

I giggle with his cute impromptu romantic moment alleviating my tension.

He cuddles her with a smile and a whisper into her cheekbone. "Jumping off at a height of fifty feet from this here cliff, you will travel at thirty-eight miles per hour. Then you hit the water, your velocity or speed drops to zero point zero," he leans and kisses her lips, wrapping his arms, twirling Ketona around in a circle, pulling back with a grin.

I feel happy and giddy, not nervousness or worry or sad.

Rincon extends and slides both arms down toward her hands. They twirl in a circle. He swirls her into a cuddle with both arms which are twisted and entwined with her arms and around her breasts. He sweet breathes into her ear, facing the open skyline and the dangerous cliff rock. "We are one, darling." Rincon lifts her naked feet in the air and into his side from the rock floor and rushes toward the edge of the rock, leaping them off the cliff into the air with his arms around Ketona.

I scream with fear and fright.

01:44 pm

Ocean water setting

Ketona and Rincon fly through the air and fall down from the cliff and then in the air. The air currents are softly singing into both the eardrums. The wind is gently breezing across her nose bridge. Rincon cuddles and kisses her cheekbone. They both land down into the water with a big splash.

I open my mouth, filling it with sea water and spit it out, closing a mouth with salt water, holding my breath.

They dive deeper down into the blue water from fifty-foot splash down.

My eyelashes are opened to see the dark water. I don't see a set of hard rocks, a sea mammal, a teen body, or a cat suit.

Rincon kicks both naked feet and paddles upon the surface, cuddling Ketona. They emerge into the air, spitting and coughing up sea water with a giggle and cough and spit again. He swirls her around, kissing her lips with his warm lips forever, pulling back with a smile of happiness.

Rincon turns and paddles them to the shoreline until a two pair of naked toes hit a solid sandy surface. They both stand upright from the water. He smiles into her face.

I grin and giggle with embarrassment, happiness, and relieve, wiping the water from my wet face.

Rincon and I move ahead and away from the water toward the smooth white sand with chuckles of happiness.

01:47 pm

Sandy shoreline setting

Duchie moves across the sand, shaking the water from her ponytail, waving the cat suit in the air. "Got it. It's all wet," she stops and stands in front of Rincon and Ketona with a smile. "I saw both of you leap off the cliff edge. Wow. That was a performance, Rincon. Why didn't you wrap me around your biceps, too, sugar?"

Rincon chuckles and cuddles Ketona with a wink and a grin. "I'm a one cuddle man, darling."

Nephella stands and shouts behind one of the tall rock boulders. "Help me, please! I need help over here! Someone, come over here please!"

Rincon releases Ketona and turns with a worried brow, dashing toward the rock boulders and the voice of Nephella.

Duchie winks and blocks Ketona with a smile. "What has happened here, sugar? You and Rincon are leaping off a tall object in each other arms," nodding.

I look down with a stern face to see waves of the sea over my naked ankles, wiping the water from my hair and looked up with a sour frown to see Duchie, "Buffo has. I saw him in another girl's arms through the wall barrier of the orange color tone. You saw it too. I know you did. Thanks for not saying anything to me. My heart can't take much more breakage of pain and suffering. He is there. I am here. Buffo is happy there riding horses, eating hotdogs, and dancing with the pretty girls. He failed, again, Duchie. You were right.

"The four questions are too difficult for some of the teens like Buffo. He can't answer and pass with a seventy five percent score. He's stuck inside the orange color tone forever. He will become a farmer for the rest of his days and his nights. He likes the farming life. He talked about it all the time with me when we visited Payne Mountain and the summer visits with his grandparents. I am not stopping or halting or dropping backward for him. I wanna be a medical technician like my BPs. I can't be that on a crop farm or have a cool career in the city of Colfax. Nephella is correct. If you're lazy, then you didn't get rewarded. I'm going to finish and reach the gold color tone. I wish Buffo good luck. But he doesn't really need it. He got what he really wanted." I exhale with a puff of sadness, looking down with a sad heart and a sad face to see my sandy feet, wiping off the wet water from my hair and my face.

Duchie reaches out and pats Ketona on the forearm with a sad face. "I am so sorry. I know that you loved him and were getting married..."

"...next week," I look up with a sad pout to see Duchie. "I am heartbroken. But Rincon is here for me." I turn and smile to see one of his waving arms. "We lived on the same street and beside each other's houses, since birth. My mom and his mom are best friends. We drank from the same cup with our shared saliva until five years old. We bathed together until three years old. I remembered him naked, too," giggling.

Duchie giggles with a nod. "Well, you've found true love. You're doing the right thing. You're smart like me, Ketona. And Rincon's a very fine catch for a husband. He'll be standing right next to you in the gold color tone along with me. Now, I understand. We all can live our dreams permanently. I wanted out of Dookie Town. The dookie girl has accomplished that goal. I wish you good luck with your dream job and your dream man too."

I turn and smile to her. "Thanks."

Nephella and Rincon move ahead toward Duchie and Ketona, holding a set of objects.

Nephella moves ahead with a grin. "Good news. The sea mice survived the flight, the fall, and the fishies in the ocean." Some of the mice crawl up her cat suit as she wrangles them around her body. She tosses one toward Ketona and then Duchie, "Bad news. I need help, carrying the six little creatures back up the cliff and dropping them back into their real home the sea grass."

I catch the mouse and cuddle it. It claws scratch into my suit as it whiskers brush into my face. I giggle with a grin of happiness.

Rincon pats his set of mice and winks with a smile to Ketona. "It is our time to leave here and go back into the Cubby Hole. All the kids are gone, but us. I wanna finish this thing, since I'm in the lead," he swings around with a chuckle and dashes ahead, running up the nature rocky steps of the cliff face toward the top, carrying the mice back to their sea weed home with a shout and a smile. "Don't forget your boots for the me-chee chair."

Duchie leans over with a whisper and a smile to Ketona. "Go and get him, honey!"

I turn with a gasp and dash toward the stone steps with the mouse and a smile. "I'm leader, now." I dash across the sand and hit the steps, climbing up after my new boyfriend Rincon.

02:02 pm

Cubby Hole auditorium setting

Green colored walls, ceiling, floor, and me-chee machine

The me-chee chair slowly rises up within the brightness of the tunnel, blinking a pair of eyeballs to see the infamous Cubby Hole again. I am really starting to greatly dislike the Cubby Hole and Citizenship Day along with the raw gnawing irritation of my BPs lack of verbal or written or electronic communication about my last session as a schooler.

I exhale with a puff of annoyance, surviving another round of the color chart with my old and new friends, a set of the cute white colored sea mice.

The mice are safe, live, and breathing and now are back inside their home inside a few bushes of sea weeds on top of limestone cliff buff, wherever the cliff buff is located.

I ponder the geographical locations of the last four park places and clear my mind with my eyesight. The me-chee chair shield of red dulls the bright neon puke green on the walls, the ceiling, the floor, and the silly me-chee machine host.

Marsilla's me-chee chair rests ahead of Ketona without Marsilla inside.

Rincon's me-chee chair is three chairs ahead of Ketona, without him inside too.

I had chased Rincon up the set of stone steps and over the cliff face pretty slowly, after recuperating from a heart stopping fifty feet jump off a cliff ledge and down into an ocean of cold water, where the cliff buff was located.

Rincon had dashed into the red room of mirrors first and stopped, spinning around with a smile and a hand wave for Ketona to follow.

And then I ran and entered the red room of mirrors to see disappointment.

The me-chee chair of Rincon was dropping down into the open floor and as, he wore a silly smile on a face, since the fabric of the me-chee chair glued your body down into the chair for the wind tunnel ride back into the Cubby Hole auditorium.

I gasped with both shock and rudeness.

Buffo would have never descended first down from the room, without Ketona. He would have properly secured her into the me-chee chair with his love and his protection.

The me-chee chair of Ketona halts with a tooth-jarring jolt on the top floor of the Cubby Hole floor. I turn with a sad face to see an empty spot of glowing green light, where Buffo and his me-chee chair are supposed to be posed for the next color tone array with a new assortment of academic schooler questions.

However, Buffo had failed one of the academic questions during the red color tone. Thus, he had dropped back down into the orange color tone with a fifty percent score of wrong answers. I had personally eye witnessed with my two eyeballs through the orange colored barrier wall within the red colored park place of the cliff and the sandy beach.

Buffo and his new farm friends were holding some type of horse rodeo and cowboy picnic around the campfire.

I exhale with a puff of disappointment, feeling both unhappy and happy about the quick turn events in my current day. I feel confused about both Rincon and Buffo.

I am to be married next week to Buffo and then start my new job as a medical technician, instead I do not know of my future next week. However, I find Rincon comfortable and comforting during my loss.

Rincon is cute, funny, smart, and compassionate in his own way, but he is not Buffo.

I exhale with a puff of heartache, staring at the glowing green light of Buffo's missing me-chee chair position. I miss Buffo's smile, his deep laughter, his gently hands, his big hugs, and his soft kisses.

Rincon possesses a smug smirk, a girly giggle, a pair of small hands, a loose hug, and a rough kiss.

I lift and touch my wounded lip, feeling the sealed blood, after Rincon had bitten my inner skin from his rough kiss, before rushing off the cliff tabletop.

Currently, I feel scared and brave, exhaling with a puff of frustration.

Rincon is trying to fill the boyfriend role. He is very qualified. He has known Ketona since the day after their individual births when both their BPs gathered with the two babies at an individual home. Rincon and Ketona are next door neighbors, sharing the yard, the trees, the bushes, the sidewalk, the sun, the moon, and the school. And their moms are very good friends, too.

If I remembered correctly, they had all attended Citizenship Day together as a gang of teens too.

I nod with a sour frown and an understanding of Rincon's brilliant knowledge of the Cubby Hole, the academic questions, and the park places.

Ketona met Buffo in elementary school between the class sessions, hanging around her and her girlfriends. He also sweetly protected Ketona when the bigger kids picked on her, a new hero. Ketona fell in love with his protective nature, back then.

So really, I am infatuated with his tallness, his bulging muscles, his twinkling eyeballs, and his pretty smile, not his smarts.

Buffo has proven his un-smartness, failing to pass into the next color tone with his girl Ketona.

Rincon and I are the same height on the lean side. He has a pretty smile and very smart too. And they share the same ambition, reaching the gold color tone for an individual dream job in the city of Colfax.

I nod with determination and purpose, reaching the gold color tone for my dream job to become a medical technician like my BPs. I giggle with amusement.

The new girl Duchie from the outer township of Dandine is a good new friend to Ketona. She is both smart and sassy, refreshing from a snobby Marsilla, a shy Rincon, a sexy Jara, a sneaky Hatch, and a silence Buffo.

Overall, I guess Citizenship Day has been sorta kinda pretty good.

I slap the red shielding with a hand, allowing freedom from the me-chee chair and stand upright, stretching all the curled limbs into the air, after a crazy chair ride and on a crazier cliff jump.

I turn and scan the room with a stern face and a sigh.

The unknown teens stand and separate into a set of tiny huddles, talking and laughing with fun and entertainment. No one is sitting inside a me-chee chair.

So, I guess it is break time, making an urgently urn for the bathroom stall, too. I turn and shuffle with a stern face into the female locker room, refreshing my body and my mind for the next color tone of green.

02:05 pm

Female locker room setting

I stop and stand inside the archway of the female locker room. Most of the girls are located here, duplicating my mental thoughts. I move and stroll by the first group of three females, who huddle into each other's nostrils. I slow my pace to hear.

The teen queen-sized female says to her two friends. "Okay, the electromagnetic force and the weak nuclear force are different forms which create the same force in physics. What is name of the same force?"

I whisper for my eardrums only, "The electroweak force."

The queen-sized teen female says to her two friends. "You have only fifteen seconds. So I'm timing you. One, two, three..."

I stroll by a second group of four females, who are almost kissing each other's earlobes. Then I slow my pace to hear.

The short female says with a nod to the other females in the huddle. "Strong, gravity, and what is the third force of physics?"

I whisper for my eardrums only, "Electromagnetic force."

The tall female says to her three friends. "Fifteen seconds for your response to the academic question. Go, honey! One, two, three, four..."

I stroll forward with a giggle by the rows of individual lockers which are covered in a set of pretty mirrors, seeing my ugly reflection of hard work and sweat from my past achievements inside the Cubby Hole for Citizenship Day. I turn with a stern face and stop at my personal locker, examining my petiteness, my head of black waist length hair. I have a tone of pale tinted skin, a set of cute dimples, my wide nose, a pair of narrowly spaced eye sockets, and a set of slightly crooked teeth, too. I am short, smart, and sassy, living in Colfax, following in my BPs footsteps for a perfect career and a successful marriage, too. I reach for the handle.

The locker door opens.

I lift up and study my cellie, showing a set of two texts from my BPs, exhaling with a puff of frustration, wishing the two texts from Buffo.

That is impossible.

Buffo is trapped inside the orange color tone.

I exhale with a puff of disappointment, sliding the cellie back into the locker, not bothering to read the texts, since my BPs are boring and bothersome parents, when it comes to my higher education. I really do not want them to learn of Buffo's poor performance inside the Cubby Hole either.

They will nod and grin with their two correct assumption of my boyfriend. Actually, they would also applaud my current situation with Rincon.

I toss my head back, viewing a red colored ceiling and drop a face down into my chest. I touch the cat suit, feeling dry and clean. The tiny charged color matching electrons with the barrier wall work extremely well within the cloth fabric of the cat suit.

I lift a face and back step from the locker, hearing a set of females inside another cute multiple girl cuddle next to me. I turn with a stern face and stroll by a third group of three females, who almost kissing each other's cheekbones. Then I slow my pace to hear.

The black-haired female says. "A standard coordinate plane holds x and y points, what are the coordinates of the mid-point of the line segment with the endpoints of (–3,0) and (9,4)?"

I whisper for my eardrums only. "You take the average of the each one the coordinates, finding the mid-point. So, the first coordinate is -3 + 9 equals 6. Then, the number 6 is divided by 2 equal 3. The second coordinate is 0 + 4 equal 4. Then, the number 4 is divided by 2 equal 2. The midpoint is (3,2)."

The blonde-haired female nods. "I am starting the count down from fifteen seconds to zero. One, two, three, four..."

The brown-haired female stomps a boot with a sour frown. "I need more than fifteen seconds to solve that math equation..."

Nephella is a tall and slender teen girl with a tone of pale tinted skin, a head of long black colored hair, and a set of body piercings on two earlobes, one nose holes, and one eyebrow.

Duchie is a petite teen girl with a red colored waist length long ponytail, a tone of pink tinted skin with a set of brown freckles.

Nephella and Duchie stand together in front of the long mirror bureau, combing out partially wet curls, coming from the wet waves of the cliff jumping, talking and giggling with each other.

Marsilla is a petite teen girl with a pixie styled black colored hair, mint colored skin, slender body frame and very smart. She leans down in front of the wash sink, washing out the pretty white tiny grains of sand from her dark locks. She didn't actually jump off from the cliff tabletop which would have cleaned the beach sand from her hair plus unplugged any stopped-up sinuses. She huffs then grunts then puffs and then grunts with a face and her hair roots hidden down inside the sink of water.

I giggle with amusement.

Lamis is a tall and plump teen with a tone of bronze colored skin, a head of short blonde hair, standing in front of her personal locker with the eyeballs on an academic textbook.

I stroll toward her with a smile and stop, standing at her nose profile, "Hi there, Lamis. What are you doing over here by yourself?"

Lamis exhales with a puff of worry and flips the page with a stern face. "I'm studying some of the math equations. The last question involved algebra, so I'm brushing up on the concepts."

I view the flat red colored ceiling and back to the nose profile of Lamis with a confused brow. "The last math problem was a word solution with dollars and..."

She looks up with a sneer to see Ketona. "I'm referencing the other math problem."

I view down to the red tinted floor and back to see Lamis with a smile. "O! Within the yellow color tone, the math problem with the sum of the two roots of a quadratic equation..."

She gasps with a set of wide eyelashes, "Yeah, that one."

I frown with confusion, shaking my curls. "You don't have to...to con...continue to study. Good plan, Lamis! The word, algebra, means the reunion of broken parts. I would try to remember that phrase which would help you solve the next math problem a little faster within your mind. Algebra differs from arithmetic in the use of abstractions like using letters to stand for numbers that are unknown or take on many values. The letter substitution used in the yellow color tone is called elementary algebra. There are also more branches of algebra, such as, abstract for using groups, rings, and fields of axiomatically equations, and linear algebra for properties of vector spaces and matrices..."

"What are you talking about, Ketona? I'm talking about algebra not geometry theorems," she frowns with confusion and exhales with a puff of worry. "I got all freaked out and couldn't remember my algebra equations, so I'm refreshing my memory banks for the next set of academic questions. Duchie told us that the other color tones are going to be much more difficult, with less time to response with the correct answer. If I don't pass into the gold color tone, then I don't get my dream job, and I disappoint my parents. I wanna be a me-chee design technician. I love drawing and painting on everything my walls, my clothes, my trees. I got some great ideas for creating a new me-chee machine, too." She nods with a grin.

I nod with a smile. "That's a good job both fun and challenging..."

"How would you know that?"

I drop and close open a mouth, exhaling with a puff of annoyance. "I heard the exchange information from some of the BPs. Well, good luck, Lamis!" I side step with a fake smile and a worried mind away from Lamis.

If Lamis has not already learned about the other higher branches of algebra, then she might not be able to continue to the golden color tone, answering the other difficult math problems, within the next posed color tones.

I shake my curls, clearing that sad mental thought and think of Buffo, creating more sad thoughts.

Buffo was going to be a me-chee design technician, like his BPs. Now, he will be a crop farmer like his grandfather, unless he passes out of the orange color tone, and into the red one, before the end of the race or the end of the night or the end of something, based on the poor versions from both Rincon and Nephella.

I don't know who to believe anymore. There are too many versions of the Cubby Hole rules, running out of mouth corners, and spitting off a set of tongue tips.

I move ahead and join Nephella and Duchie, stopping and stand, slapping the back muscles of Nephella, since she's taller than I. I reach out and punch Duchie on her bicep, since we're the same height. I giggle and smile with my new set of schooler friends.

Duchie turns and giggles, "Hey, Ketona."

Nephella turns and smiles at her new friend, "Hey, Ketona. You're just in time for the next bout of geometric quizzes. Okay. Duchie, you got that one correct. Answer me, this one? A right circular cylinder has a radius six and a height six. If X and Y are two points on the surface, what is the maximum possible straight-line distance between Y and Z?"

Duchie turns and smiles at Nephella. "You use the Pythagorean theorem to solve the geometry problem, which I have tired of answering all your posed academic questions, like a me-chee machine, Nephella. Where's Rincon?" She turns and winks at Ketona. "I thought you'd be hanging off his arm, being a great catch and all..."

"And all," I swing around with a gasp and exit the locker room with a blank face and a worried mind. So, I don't want either a conversation or a comparison of Rincon and Buffo for the moment.

02:16 pm

Cubby Hole auditorium setting

I stroll ahead and enter back into the auditorium, taking my sweet time, mind relaxing for the next round of academic questions.

Marsilla races by Ketona and stops, standing with an angry face in front of the me-chee machine host. She tosses both arms into the air, tilting a skull to the right, shouting in angry. "I demand a short respite. I demand to go back to my house. I demand a refreshing bathe. I can't get the sand grains out of my hair, after jumping off the cliff..."

I continued to stroll with a gasp into the middle of a partially empty auditorium. Most of other the me-chee chairs are huddled into different groupings, since the same common friends have passed through the color chart together, like me and Rincon.

Marsilla is shouting a big lie. She didn't jump from the cliff. Her cat suit did with the brilliant scientific idea of both Nephella and Duchie.

Marsilla shouts in fury, waving both arms near her angry face. "I demand stoppage. I demand a new cat suit..."

The me-chee host stands underneath the color chart with a painted blood-red smirk, clashing ugly with the bright green colored metal of the current color tone. It says. "Welcome back, teen! There is no rest or respite from the Cubby Hole. Please, return back to your me-chee chair for the next set of academic questions."

I grin with victory for the me-chee machine.

Rincon is a short teen with a tone of olive tinted skin, a head of black shoulder length colored hair, a face of black lightly dusted whiskers on a slender body frame and a bookworm. He moves ahead and stops in front of Ketona, spinning around, blocking her view of Marsilla. He looks over behind a collar bone at Marsilla and back with a smile to see Ketona. Rincon pulls Ketona from her me-chee chair and toward the wall, where a row of empty me-chee chairs used to stand at attention. He notes that the machines are empty inside the Cubby Hole auditorium, too. He pulls her close into his lips with a smile, touching her biceps. "Marsilla is a spoiled brat, always getting her way. I hope the me-chee host doesn't toss her out of the Cubby Hole on Citizenship Day."

"Me-chees are machines..."

Rincon smiles with a nod, "A me-chee is a mechanical electronic machine in the form of a humanoid. A me-chee has two arms, two legs, and a flat torso of silver-tone metal, except the metal will change color, depending upon the job performance of the work task, as set by a human, who is trained as a me-chee technician. The metal skull of the me-chee machine appears, like a human head with a set of two eye sockets, a pair of two nose holes, a mouth, and no earlobes. The hair is always colored rich black but styled in different arrangements, such-like, a ponytail or a buzz cut or a shoulder length style with bangs or a waist-length design which can be parted in the middle or cropped with left sweep or a cute pixie. The me-chee physical machine displays other human traits, too. Normally, the me-chee is a work machine, such like, teaching students, building structures, cleaning houses, piloting vehicles..."

I exhale with a puff of annoyance. "I wish that a me-chee machine could finish Citizenship Day for me."

He shakes his curls with a stern face. "Why? We both are doing an outstanding job on Citizenship Day. I've received hundred percent within every color tone on every single academic question. And you have, too, being similar in talents and intelligence to me. Intelligence is knowledge. But I would rejoice in celebration, if the me-chee host dismissed the other graduating teens from the outer townships of Hamlin, Burrville, Montag, Albend..."

"Why?" I turn and frown at the half-empty auditorium. The teens are inside the locker rooms or inside the previous park places. Then I view him with a stern face.

He leans over with a smile and a whisper into Ketona. "This is our town of Colfax for celebrating our Citizenship Day. The other outer small towns are only invited, since they lack technology advancements and proper civil behaviors. They should gather and create their own festive celebration for graduation. It is ridicule for them to participate in our fun."

I exhale. "This is not fun."

"Keep your pitch under control Ketona. You are not a dookie girl."

"I am, me."

Rincon pats Ketona on her arm with a smile. "We are living our dreams, Ketona. When our BPs graduated as schoolers from here, they were awarded with their individual dream job, too. My BPs told me, that they prepared and presented almost the exact same acceptance speech, when we were awarded our new work positions. My mom spoke first..."

I gasp. "My dad spoke second..."

"A set of parents includes one biological mother and one biological father," he chuckles. "I thought you were hundred and ten points proficient in all biology concepts, Ketona."

I exhale with frustration. Rincon enjoys talking at me, not with me. He doesn't even use the cute personal endearments, such like, doll, baby, babe, sweetie, or sweetheart when we converse, even my BPs call me, dear, being their loving daughter.

I have learned something new, again.

My BPs gave me the same exact prep rally speech, getting me excited about Citizenship Day, so I would pass into the golden circle for my dream job as a medical technician, like them.

Marsilla spins around from the me-chee host with a stern face and dashes with a smile, stopping and stands inside the tight huddle with Rincon and Ketona, seeing the nose profile of Rincon and Ketona with a grin. "Have you prepared your citizenship speech, standing inside the gold color tone as second place, Rincon," she winks at him.

He turns and grunts at Marsilla. "There is not a first or a second place finish, Marsilla. You should be wiser with your sentence structure."

Marsilla giggles. "I am wiser. At least, I didn't lie."

I gasp. "He lied."

Rincon smirks. "I didn't lie as much as I have aggregated the long truth."

I drop and close a mouth. "What, what lie?"

Rincon turns and smiles at Ketona. "Based on my previous Cubby Hole lecture inside the red colored park place of the cliff jumping, some of the components are true and some are false. There can be only five positions awarded within the gold color tone. Period."

I view the red tinted floor and back to see him with a worried brow. "Every teen has the opportunity to reach the golden color."

"Only if, each teen passes the next series of more difficult academic questions," Marsilla smiles with a nod. "We have successfully passed into the red color tone and wait for the start of the green color tone. I promise you, the next two sets of academic questions will be much harder and longer."

I exhale. "We need to warn our friends, too."

"All is fair in love and intellect, Ketona." Marsilla sneers.

I drop and close a mouth, shaking my curls. "You're a prude and a prune, Marsilla. Our friends helped you get out of the cliff jumping. If you didn't..."

Rincon moves closer into her nose bridge with a stern face and a whisper. "Listen to me, very carefully, Ketona. There are only five dream jobs, which are really five internships inside the city of Colfax, our home and our town. The outer town teens are only invited to attend, not intern," he chuckles. "That's clever. Anyways, the five internships are a medical technician, a legal technician, an administration technician, a me-chee designer, and a me-chee technician. There are not any more dream jobs available within our town of Colfax. Within the gold color tone, five teens equal five jobs. The end of the fairy tale!"

I gasp. "But there are sixty or so teens floating around here inside the Cubby Hole with us within the red color tone."

He says. "The majority which is over seventy percent will not pass through into the green color tone. They will remain inside the red color or drop back into the orange color. Me, you, and, Marsilla will assuredly advance into the green color tone. We have been studying decades and decades for today and we will succeed, together," he nods with a grin.

I frown with curiosity. "I understand the rational, not reasoning, Rincon. However, I predict that there will be six teens that will advance and stand inside the golden color with me, including you, Marsilla, Nephella, Duchie, and Lamis..."

Rincon turns with a stern face and scans the room, spying on Lamis.

Lamis sits inside her me-chee chair with both eyelashes closed, nervously waiting on the me-chee host to start the next round of academic questions.

He turns and smiles at Ketona. "I disagree. Lamis has been struggling with her academic question, since the pink color tone, the first round. She will not make it into the golden color, thus caught inside the red color forever as a slaughter princess, again. Duchie, however, she is very smart. I believe that she will succeed with us, maybe," he smirks.

Marsilla says. "I predict the same five teens, too. I will intern as a legal technician like my BPs. Rincon will be a medical technician like his BPs. Nephella is the mayor's daughter. She will intern with her mom inside the mayor's office. Duchie is very smart and annoying, all at the same thing. I'm relieved that she has selected to work as a me-chee technician. She will do very well, inside a building far away from me," she giggles. "So, Ketona gets the last dream job, a me-chee designer technician."

I gasp. "Buffo is going to be the me-chee designer technician."

He growls. "Buffolo has failed both sadly and badly. The next set of academic questions is going to be rough and tough for any and all remaining teens, trying to advance into the gold color. We will lose half the teens, who will permanently work, inside the slaughter houses and packing manufacturing plants," he chuckles. "I like to eat meat and vegetables, too, at mealtime."

I view the red tinted floor, biting my lip and look back with a stern face to see Rincon with a whisper. "That seems so unfair and un- justice."

He nods with a grin. "The Cubby Hole is completely fair and justice. You advance purely and honestly based on your intellect given a set of standard academic questions, which is distributed evenly to all the teens."

I nod with a smile. "Then Buffo has a chance of getting out of the orange color tone and then moving into the red color, until he finally reaches the gold with us. You said that there is one single question to jump directly into the golden circle. Is that another lie, Rincon?"

He nods with a smile. "It is the truth. However, you clearly heard, too. The overall historical passing percentage is 13.01 percent for the smart teens, which is not very good, Ketona."

I nod. "I..."

"...will pass, too," Marsilla giggles.

I exhale. "What happens, if Buffo and Duchie both make it into the golden circle which one gets the single me-chee technician position?"

Marsilla giggles. "The better question here, who is getting the me-chee designer technician dream job, since you and Buffo are competing, if he shows. Rincon is going to beat you, Ketona, becoming the medical technician. Rincon is so bad," she reaches out and slaps his arm with a giggle. "He forgot to add into his silly little lecture, this true fact. When the single academic question is asked for a single dream job, the first teen to answer correctly gets to choose her dream job first before the other slow thinking teens within the golden circle, which will be me, of course," giggling.

I stomp a boot with a stern face. "What else is missing from your lecture, Rincon?"

The me-chee host stands and lifted both arms into the air and as, his voice echoes into the walls. "Welcome back to the Cubby Hole, teens! I hope you have enjoyed your fun in the sun. There is more fun to have inside the rest of the color tones. The respite has completed. Please, sit back and relax into your assigned me-chee chair." He watches each teen scoot around and land inside a me-chee chair.

I exhale with a puff of worry, swinging around with a worried brow, dashing ahead toward my me-chee chair, sliding inside, wiggling side to side with nervousness. The red color shield covers Ketona and her me-chee chair like all the other teens, who are participating in Citizenship Day, today.

The me-chee host says into each me-chee chair. "Close your eyelids! I will present the next series of academic questions for your individual answer. The time limit has increased to fifteen seconds for each posed question. To remind each schooler again for clarity of a proper verbal response, please state my answer is...then your vocal response. If you answer three-fourths or more of the academic questions correctly, you will advance into the next color of green. If you answer one-fourth or less, you will remain stationary inside the color tone of red. If you incorrectly answer two-fourths of the academic questions, then you will slip back into the color of orange. The first question, what is the color tone of the me-chee host inside the Cubby Hole, presently?"

I gasp with worry and exhale with long breathes inside the me-chee chair.

Duchie, Nephella, and Rincon told that the next set of questions will be more difficult and faster, not giving much time with an extended five more seconds to meet the deadline or drop down into the previous color tone.

I giggle with confidence and then frown with sadness, turning to see the empty spot of Buffo and his me-chee chair.

I'm not worried about addressing a vocal response, since I have fifteen long seconds to answer the first question. Or I am marked with nothing.

Also, I'm not worried, if I am markedly nothing either. Since I only am required to pass with 75 percent into the green color tone, three correct questions.

So, I'm not worried either. Since I've passed from the other color tones with 75 percent or greater like a perfect hundred percent.

I feel unhappy about my present situation. I miss Buffo's tender words, gently tone, and vicious revenge on those attackers, who intimidate me like Marsilla.

However, Buffo looked so happy and content, playing with his new friends inside the orange color tone.

I wish for the feelings of happy or content, knowing one emotion is better than sad.

Then I steam with fury.

Rincon had lied, without sharing his possessed knowledge. Yet, my BPs should have told me that shared knowledge, also.

I exhale with a puff of annoyance, seeing Duchie on my left side. Duchie wiggles side to side with excitement, answering her academic questions. It reminds that the fifteen seconds are almost gone. I turn and scan the room to see Lamis.

Lamis rests inside her me-chee chair, shaking her single leg with nervousness about the questions.

I exhale with a puff of annoyance and turn with a gasp to see the empty spot of Buffo, without responding to the first question.

If I answer incorrectly the question, then I will receive a negative twenty five percent value. I need only to answer incorrectly a second question and then drop down and descend into the orange color tone with Buffo. Then I can persuade him to re-enter the me-chee chair and re-test inside the Cubby Hole.

This was my original idea inside the red color tone, when I couldn't sit down inside the chair with it, without burning my fanny.

My time is close to the fifteen seconds time limit.
I exhale with a puff of annoyance and say. "My answer is...green."

The me-chee host asks the second question. "A me-chee miniature toy is priced at $100 and then is marked down 30%. If Mary gets an employee discount of 20% off the sale price, how much does she pay for the toy?"

I gasp with shock.

Buffo could have answered this question, easily.

Rincon has lied, again.

I fume with fury, balling both hands into fists inside the chair.

Buffo could have advanced into the red color, then into the green color, and then into the blue color tone, and finally answering the golden question.

Then, we could be together and get married on Monday like we have planned.

I exhale with logic.

One-fourth correct answer out of the four posed questions is one correct answer. So, I stay within the color of red alone, without Buffo and my friends. If I answer two posed questions correctly for 50 percent position value, then I stay within the color of red also alone.

If I answer three posed questions correctly for 75 percent, then I will advance into the color of green with Rincon, Marsilla, Nephella, Duchie, and Lamis.

If I get one answer wrong out of four questions, then I advance into the green color, assuming that I have answered the other three questions, correctly.

If I keep trying to answer the rest of the questions, hoping for 75 percent or more, then I advance into the green color tone.

I do believe Rincon. Rincon says that there are only four questions for the color tones of blue and green.

If I incorrectly answer two questions wrong, then I will receive 50 percent negative. Based on the me-chee host, I will descend down into the previous color tone which is orange, where Buffo plays with his new batch of friends.

I giggle with amusement.

The first question is always too easy, too frequent, and too silly that names the current color of the machine, standing inside the Cubby Hole.

Buffo got that silly question correct inside every color tone, so he stood at 25 percent positive along with the rest of the teens.

The second question within the red color tone is too easy also.

Buffo could have answered that one for a 50 percent positive.

If I answer the second question correctly, then I will receive 50 percent positive. So I stay within the red color tone, not advancing into the green or dropping back down into the orange color tone.

So I have two more questions remaining to answer within the red color tone.

If I answer the second question wrong, then I will have only 25 percent positive. Therefore, I stay within the red color tone.

If I answer the third or fourth question wrong, then I will have 50 percent negative. Therefore, I can drop back down into the orange color tone with Buffo. So I find Buffo and encourage him to re-enter the me-chee chair and re-test for the red color tone.

I exhale with a puff of worry, turning to see the empty spot, wasting my fifteen seconds of time.

I whisper. "So 100 dollars times 70 discount percent is 70 dollars. 70 dollars is the amount paid, if the toy was marked down to 30 percent. The other discount of 20 percent is going to be 80 percent of the marked-down price. So, the toy price will be 70 dollars times 80 percent equal 56 dollars." I say out loud. "My answer is...56 dollars."

The me-chee host asks the third question inside the me-chee chair of Ketona. "Two conducting spheres are identical, except sphere A has a charge of negative 16 microcoulombs and sphere B has a charge of positive 8 microcoulombs. After the spheres collide into contact and then separate, what is the charge on each sphere in microcoulombs?"

My heart breaks with love.

I frown with my own set of raw nerve endings with both fear and disappointment. This question is a toughie hard one. So, I don't have faith in Buffo. He could not have answered it properly, if he was present with Ketona inside the red color tone.

If I answer incorrectly the question, I'm still cool, having a total of 50 percent positive. So, I answer the fourth question correctly and advance into the green color tone.

But, if I answer the third question correctly, then I will have the 75 percent needed to pass into the green color tone, without bothering with the fourth question.

However, Rincon had cautioned and encouraged to all of us, answer all the questions with a hundred percent rate, working your mind active for the final single difficult question, inside the gold color tone.

I turn with a stern face to see the outline of Lamis on my left side and in front of Buffo's me-chee chair.

Inside her me-chee chair, Lamis wiggles violently side to side, calculating the math answer inside her mind.

I turn and view the outline of Duchie on the far left-side.

Duchie calmly lies still, calculating the math solution, too.

I can't see the faces of Rincon and Marsilla, since their individual chairs are ahead of me, but I feel confident that they are both calm and calculating the math problem correctly. They will also pass into the green color tone.

I exhale with a puff of worry and turn with a stern face to see the forward wall of red tint.

I whisper. "The electric potential on the surface of the conductors is the same everywhere. If the conductors are identical, this requires an equal amount of excess charge reside on both conductors. So, (+8 + (-16)) equals the net excess charge on the two spheres, which is a product of -8. Since the charge is conserved, when the excess charge is shared with a negative eight, each sphere will carry negative four microcoulombs." I say out loud to the me-chee host. "My answer is...negative four."

The me-chee host asks the fourth question. "The alkalinity of our blood is slightly basic. What is the mathematical numeric value of slightly basic acidity?"

I whisper with a smile. "The value of 10.6 is a very basic. The value of 7 is neutral. The value of 6.4 is slightly acid and 4.6 is the most acid." I say out loud to the me-chee host. "My answer is...7.4."

The me-chee chair heats. Then the fabric lifts from the metal and wraps around Ketona. The chair shakes side to side.

I drop down into darkness and as, my eyeballs don't adjust. I zoom forward into the lightness and stop with a jolt.

02:31 pm

Green colored room with mirrors

The me-chee chair floats up into the glowing green room between the side mirrors, smoking in white steam. I blink my eyelashes from the temporary dizziness that the me-chee chair creates within my fragile little mind. My eyeballs see through the smoke and as, my neurons click.

Someone has already touched the forward green solid wall, exposing the most beautiful site of colorful flowers.

I wiggle side to side with excitement, feeling much happier, since the future park places are getting nicer and prettier and brighter, not meaner and nasty, since the pink color tone.

The fabric retracts down and stores the soft me-chee satin cloth, releasing Ketona into freedom.

I stand upright with a smile and bounce forward with a giggle into the flower garden. My boot toe stomps and kills the pretty yellow flower that grows upright from the soil ground, and then my boot heel smashes and destroys a different upright pretty pink flower behind the crunched yellow one.

The ground is literally filled with tall and short pretty rows and rows of flowers, not grass or dirt or soil or plants or bushes.

The sky is baby blue, rising into the heavens underneath a yellow sun. I feel so happy and glad. The sky is not blocked by a grove of tall trees or a sky of black rain clouds. I feel joyous and content with my decision to advance into the next color chart.

The ground soil displays every type of flower which is known inside my brain cells in every tint which is known onto the color wheel, too. I cannot see the color of the soil under all the different colors of flowers.

The flowers prettily grow over the ground, up the tree bark, over the wooden fences, and overlay each other.

I stomp over more yellow and pink flowers and move forward toward a pretty rows of upright flowers and a long continuous wooden fences which are covered in flowers, too.

I smile and clap at the pretty rows of yellow daisies, pink tulips, orange roses, purple irises, and more flora than tick-tock time will allow to pick and pat a pretty arm bouquet. I squat down with a giggle and reach out for the single pretty flower with a grin, "Awe, so cute!"

"Don't touch it!" Rincon shouts and dashes ahead, coming from the red room of mirrors and stops, standing over the hair roots of Ketona, waving both arms with a sour frown and a yell. "Don't touch it!"

I stood upright with a nod and a smile, pointing down at the garden of flowers. "This is the 'bestest' park place of them all. I love flowers, all kinds of colored flowers from yellow to red to pink to white for flower arrangements, flowering vines, and white flower bouquets. Do you know why I would like a white flower bouquet?"

"Don't touch the flowers!" Rincon leans over and cuddles Ketona with a worried brow, back pedaling from the rows of flowers and back toward the archway of the green room of mirrors.

They move away from the tree island and the flower garden, halting at the edge of the green room of mirrors.

Inside the green room of mirrors, more me-chee chairs with a teen float up from the Cubby Hole auditorium and land inside the green room. Then the same teens scoot out the chair, stepping outside the mirrored room, stomping all over the ground of pretty flowers, killing them. Dead.

I stand inside the biceps of Rincon with a smile and see the back spine of Marsilla.

Marsilla squats down over the row and picks out a flower, stabbing and arranges them into her arms, creating an arm bouquet. She studies her arm bouquet with a smile and shuffles on her kneecaps to the next section of flora. She repeats her dance, squatting, picking and arranging a new set flower within her pretty arm bouquet.

The new teens dash toward the bushes of flowers, getting lost inside the beautiful flower garden of roses, violets, lilies, and other types of flora. They touch and pick the pretty objects, making a set of cute flower designs.

I nod with a smile, not moving ahead to crash the flowery ground, wiggling inside Rincon's arms. "This park place is very unique looking. I love the flowers, so many and so pretty. I wanna arm bouquet, like Marsilla's."

He points at the object with a stern face. "There's a batch of tall trees clumped together, so tightly, that the branches and leaves are growing over each other like the flower vines. The flower vines grow up and into the tree leaves and the limbs. The color of the tree clump looks almost pitch black, not allowing a single foot path through the batch of trees. I do not believe that we are invited to tour the landscape. However, the trees form a Y-shaped pattern that is surrounded by an inlay of a set of foot path stones that are buried within the brown soil. The inlay of stones begins from the exit of the green room of mirrors, into the middle of the archway, and then expands directly into the tree line, where the stones split into two opposite pathways."

Nephella emerges from the archway, moving ahead and stops, standing beside Ketona and Rincon. She turns and slaps short Rincon on the collar bone with a smirk. The young petite couple wobbles side to side from her brute strength of a wicked deed. She squats down and picks three pink flowers, standing upright with a smile, burning the delicate petals with the end of the smoking cigar with an evil and a nod.

Rincon frowns with annoyance, wrapping both arms around Ketona, steadying them against the semi-brutal attack from Nephella. He clears a throat with a stern face and stares at the trees and the flowers. "As I was saying, one foot path goes to the right. The other goes to the left between the clumps of trees."

I point the flower with a smile. "The majority of the teens are running toward the left side with the bright colors of yellow, pink, orange, purple. The other teens that first veered toward the right side of the trees have turned around and then marched back toward the left side. The left side of flowers is beautiful. Let's go over there," I tug without success from Rincon.

Nephella releases the burning flower stems, watching them float and burn down toward the ground with a smile, "Going to the left for more torment and torture of little ones. Are you coming with me?"

"We'll go left, too. Don't burn all the flowers, Nephella." I frown with annoyance.

Nephella turns and winks at Ketona, dashing ahead toward the flowers.

I point the flowers and wiggle side to side, but Rincon continued to cuddle Ketona. I smile. "The left side displays numerous horizontal rows of different types of flowers. The smallest row starts with the tiny and round orange and yellow marigold flowers. The second row is taller with red round pansies, then a row of yellow daisies, then a row of white carnations, then white chrysanthemum. If I narrow my eyelashes, then I can see rows of blooming roses in different colors, too."

Rincon cuddles Ketona and moves ahead to the first row of flowers, staring down with a smile at the first flora. "I see _Dianthus caryophyllus._ "

I stare with a sour frown at the same flower. "Just say a carnation, okay? They're used as bouquets for a special occasion, during a special time like a..."

He moves ahead the pathway with a smile to see each flower. "The first row of ground plants flowers form into batches of orange, red, or yellow petit rounded marigold flowers. Marigold flowers are fed to chickens, giving their egg yolks a golden yellow color. Dried and ground marigold flowers are used as spice..."

"Uh, huh. Let's go and pick me a pretty bouquet, before we have to go back into the Cubby Hole." I pull toward the rows of flowers.

He cuddles her with a stern face. "Don't touch the flowers. Flowers are part of nature. Nature should always be beautiful and blooming like you, Ketona. If we touch the flower, then the bees will not pollen that particular flower, which is covered in our human germs..."

"O. Well then, I'll pick the flower, making it dead. Then it won't have worry about the birds and bees," I giggle.

He moves ahead over the pathway with a grunt. "The out of control teens are running between the rows of flowers and the vine plants, like a bunch of monkeys. I do not feel like fighting them for boot space," he turns and points to the right side of the grove of tall trees. "I suggest that we stroll along the right side. No one is present. We can have the walking path all to ourselves, admiring the flora and whispering our greatest desires to each other," he shoves Ketona toward the flowery ground with a smile, killing all the upright flowers with a pair of boot soles. He whispers with a smile into her eardrum. "Flowers can be made into herbal teas and the floral arrangements are used to decorate the dining room tables..."

"The foot path not taken," I narrow my eyelashes with a giggle at the short flowers. "Now, I understand completely the swift reaction of the other teens, fleeing this cold spot. The flowers are rich black colored flowers on top of fugly ugly plants. I've heard of black berries for eating, but black flowers for not picking. I see tiny black violas, rounded black hellebores, a batch of flowing black tulips, and finally a short row of black roses with green nasty thorns." I start to reach down to touch the black colored rose.

Rincon jerks Ketona into a chest with a stern face, cuddling her, sweet breathing into her eardrum. "Don't touch the flowers. My dad always keeps our backyard filled with tall green weeds for the rabbits, pretty colorful wildflowers for the lizards, and big orange ant hills for the birds. My backyard was a wildlife zoo." I frown with annoyance, studying the black flowers. He rubs and tickles her arm, smiling into her nose profile.

They slowly stroll over the stepping stones that are covered in dead and dried brown flower petals.

I exhale with a puff of annoyance and stare with a frown at the ugliness of the ugly flowers. "I feel like I'm attending a funeral or something sad. Are you certain that no teen get harmed during the Citizenship Day? Well, this ain't no flower, it's a black plant," I try to reach down to touch the soil.

Rincon jerks Ketona into a chest and cuddles her body, sweet breathing into her eardrum. "No teen gets hurt. That flower is the _Veratrum_ species. The flower is highly toxic with sodium ion channels, causing heart failure and then death. All parts of the flower are poisonous including the roots, the pods, and the stem. A person becomes nausea with vomiting, abdominal pain, numbness, headache, sweating, muscle weakness, and then seizures, before death. Some primitive cultures used the root juice to poison metal arrows, before a war battle combat with their enemies, making the war successful, too." He moves ahead toward the next section of flowers.

I frown with fear. "O. That's very useful for some dead bodies."

"The rich black looking flowers and plants are really a deep, deep color of purple, where the outer eyeball image appears to represent the color of black."

I eye roll and view the blue sky, moving ahead over the stained stone path with all the ugly black flowers and plants that I can't touch for fear of death. I narrow my eyelashes and point the far horizon over the blue sky, burning underneath the yellow sun. "Wow, I see forever. The rows of black flowers go for miles and miles deep into the sunset. I would guess about two miles or so. I think it's going to rain. Do you see the red angry skyline over there?" I point with a stern face behind the row of black flowers. "I think we should do 'our thing' inside the pretty park place and leave from here. Remember? The vicious rainstorm inside the orange color tone with white lightning and loud thunder."

"Yes, I agree. We should cut our footpath, walking quickly and find out what we need do to return back into the Cubby Hole. This is the green color tone. I'm so nervous and excited. We both have one more blue color tone then will be competing in the gold circle."

I view the sky with a smile and look down to see the flowers with a confused brow, stopping, standing in place. "It changed color. I mean the new section of flowers is brown colored, instead of black. What does that mean, Rincon?"

Rincon drags her further down the pathway with a stern face. "I believe this is 'our thing' to observe the flowers, since they display in different colors and shapes. This particular flower is called _Fincinia spiralis..."_

I frown at the flowers. "How do you know all the scientific names of the strange and ugly flora?"

He cuddles and tickles her rib cage away from the deadly flowers with a smile. "My dad and I would visit the countryside. Then I was required to learn the scientific name like your fish aquarium."

I study the flower with a giggle from his tickles and frown with disgust at the new flower. "A spiral shape in a set of numerous tight clusters of dark brown flowers, presenting in ugly, again."

They move ahead to the next section of flora.

I frown at the flower, "A ground covering of dark brown flowers with a short fuzzy stem."

" _Rhynchospora californica._ "

They move ahead to the next section.

I smile at the new flower. "It looks like a chocolate lily. Is it poisonous or toxic, too?"

He drags her away from the flower, shaking his curls toward the new section of flora. "No, it is not poisonous. Do not touch it. Mother Nature would greatly appreciate it. The next section of flowers is _Eremophila fraseri_..."

I frown down at the new flower, "A bush of low ground shrubbery of tiny brown leaves."

He chuckles. "The flower is called _Pomaderris hamiltonii_..."

I frown with annoyance. "A short little short tree with tiny brown leaves."

"They are brown pale flowers on the little tree plus brown leaves, too."

I point the tree with a sour frown, without touching it. "They are ugly tiny brown flowers on a short tiny tree about four feet tall. How can flowers be pale brown like these?"

They move ahead down the foot path of more flowers.

I stop and stand in place, narrowing my eyelashes, viewing the horizon. "To me, the rows of black flowers form a perfect triangle and then the rows of brown flowers form a backward triangle. Is that a significant event inside this park place, Rincon?"

He exhales with a huff of worry, studying down at the new flowers. "I concur. I am clearly seeing a triangle within both sets of flowers, within the rows and rows of flowers," he drags her toward the new section of flowers. "I suggest that we continue our stroll around the clump of trees and then return back into the green room of mirrors. Our stroll might deactivate the park place then drop us back down into the Cubby Hole."

I shrug with disappointment, not being able to create a pretty arm bouquet of picked flowers, within the green color tone. Buffo always picked flowers for me, anywhere and anytime.

Rincon chuckles, "I am quite excited with nervousness as I am so close to the gold color and my dream of the perfect job. Did you correctly answer the last question?" He swings her around to see his smile.

They both say at the same time, "Seven point four." Then they laugh as a pair of smart teens, wrapping into each arms of romance.

He reaches over and kisses her forehead, pulling back with a smile. "The alkalinity of our blood is slightly basic. What is the mathematical numeric value? The value of 10.6 is a very basic. The value of 7 is neutral. The value of 6.4 is slightly acid and 4.6 is the most acid. A studied and trained medical technician would have only correctly addressed that particular question."

I nod with a giggle. "We're going to be a great pair of medical technicians."

He frowns at Ketona. "Naw. There can be only one medical technician internship within the Establishment. Remember, honey? We discussed this sensitive topic, before sliding into our me-chee chairs inside the Cubby Hole. I'm going to be the new medical technician. You're going to be a me-chee designer, fulfilling one of the five spots," chuckling.

I exhale with a puff of disappointment and slightly nod without speaking, vividly remembering the conversation.

He looks up with a stern face to see the rest of walking stones and the new section of plants. "The stones have disappeared, maybe there're hidden within the plants," he looks over behind a collar bone with a stern face. "I assume that we have done 'the thing' for our return into the Cubby Hole."

I back step from his embrace, swinging around with a smile to study the new section of plants. "I don't think so. The newest section of plants is ragweed. They're green, tall, thin weedy stems, and fugly ugly with yellow pods. There are rows and rows of ragweed plants, not pretty, not popular with the other teens. I think we find our gold," giggling.

Rincon turns and studies the rows of ragweed with a stern face. "Ragweed flower can pollinate 400 miles out to sea and two miles up into the sky. A single ragweed plant generates a million grains of pollen-per-day."

I sneeze and then laugh.

He frowns at Ketona with concern. "Are you sick?"

I reach up and tap the nostrils with a grin and a giggle. "I pretended to possess pollinates inside my sinuses. I'm very healthy."

He frowns at her. "Pollinates? There is no such word as pollinates?"

I reach over and slap his chest, leaning over, cuddling inside his arms with a giggle. "I made it up for fun to be funnier and funny, honey. Look at that! The yellow pollen drifts up from the plants, creating a swirling blanket of pretty yellow mist high in the sky. The yellow mist floats all the way toward the sky."

"O!" He turns and frowns at the ragweed plants. "We have finished our trek. Let's go back!"

I pull back with a smile from his hug and extend both arms sideways, swinging around and run through the long row of tall ragweed plants. I collect a set of yellow pollen dust over my green cat suit, my face, my hair, and my hands with a giggle with amusement. I stop inside the middle of the row, turning to face Rincon with a smile and a nod. "See? I'm not allergic to pollen," then I spun around and run down more of the row of ragweed and turn the corner, dashing around the end row, running down the next row with a yell and a giggle. "Join me! You said within each park place the teen must do something in order to reactivate the me-chee chair. Well, we can't touch the flowers, so we gather the floating yellow pollen dust on our cat suit. We learned that the cat suit records our heated body signs and activity." I swing around and run down the next row of ragweed with a pant and stop to breathe, facing Rincon with a smile. "See? I'm another color. What does yellow and green mix into?" I look down with a giggle. "Red. I'm red tinted with the yellow pollen, covering the green glowing cat suit. I guess my face is yellow colored. Huh?" I look up with a smile to see him. Rincon nods with a stern face in silence.

I spin around with a giggle and run down the row with both arms outward for fun, collecting more yellow pollen over the cat suit with a laugh.

Rincon lifts and motions a hand with a smile. "Come on back, Ketona. Let's go back into the green room of mirrors and up into the Cubby Hole auditorium. We're almost finished with our goal of Citizenship Day..."

I run down the last row, turn the corner, and then plow into the tall green ragweed plant, hitting an object and bounce backwards, holding my nose bridge with bloody pain and a yell. "Dang, the plant hit me."

He drops open and closes a mouth with concern, dashing forward to Ketona, stopping and cuddles her and her bleeding nose with a worried brow. "What happened? You're bleeding red blood. Did you break your nose bridge? Does it hurt? Are you dizzy? Are you going to vomit?"

I hold the non-broken nose, feeling the warm blood and then toss the head backward. The back toss will stop the forward flow of blood and then clog up the sinuses. I say in a funny voice. "A small irritation," I feel the blood. It drains back down my throat and then drops a stern face, staring at the yellow dancing dust. I reach up and touch my nose bridge, feeling a small bruise, but I'm a tough teen. I frown with confusion at the yellow dancing dust and extend a hand, slowly poking around the yellow dust. My hand hits a solid object and as I gasp with shock. "There's something, here, Rincon."

He turns and blinks his eyelids, studying the yellow dancing dust, the ragweed, and back to Ketona with a worried brow, "Naw. You must've hit your face into blossomed yellow pod of the ragweed plant. The pod has some prickly thorns around the..."

"Naw," I stroll closer to the hidden object, slowly outlining it with both bloody hands, shifting my body up and down over the object with a gasp. "This is a barrier wall. I can stretch out both hands over my head and up toward the sky, without feeling an edge. If I shift both my hands down toward the soil, then I touch the soil, still feeling a solid object." I remove both hands that are covered in yellow pollen with a nod and smile to see Rincon.

He drops open and closes a mouth, reaching out and rubs the yellow dancing dust with both hands with a nod and a smile. "Yes, I feel a solid smooth object," he removes both hands and back steps from the yellow dancing dust, stopping and stands on top of the last stone inlay, narrowing his eyelids with a smile, "Amazing, I can't see the wall barrier. It is like it is covered...disguised from my eyeball view. I wonder why."

I back step with a giggle and stand next to him, reaching down to touch the ragweed. "It is not covered, on purpose. There are at least six rows of tall ragweed plants. Each plant produces yellow pollen. The yellow pollen is covering the yellow barrier wall." I gasp with my new and unshared knowledge. This is the yellow barrier wall, glowing from the yellow color tone. Jara and Hatch are both still playing inside the yellow color tone.

Rincon turns and studies the black flowers and then the brown flowers with a smile. "Do you see in the far horizon over there? I see red dancing dust. Like you, I thought it was an angry sky of bad weather. But I do believe that is the red color tone, where we just exited."

I swing to the side with a gasp to see the red dancing dust and narrow my eyelashes, studying the red powder with a stern face. "Why do think that, Rincon? I see a high batch of red dust from something."

He squats down and gathers a handful of dried dead brown flowers and leaves from a tree, crashing them into a set of small pieces, lifting a hand and tosses the pieces down into the yellow pollen. "See this? The brown particles mix with the yellow pollen, turning into a red dancing dust, the red color tone."

I turn and gasp at the sight, "A brilliant deduction, sir!"

He stands, spins around, and dashes to the corner of the yellow and red dust, stopping and stands, studying the red whirling dust. He looks up with a smile to see sky and back down to see the ground, wiping away the red colored particles on the object with a smile. "This is a wall corner connection between the two different colored wall barriers within the continuous electromagnetic wall. I bet that we can see the red color tone, here, too."

I turn with a sour frown and march ahead, standing next to him. "So? No one is in there. Everyone passed into the green color tone."

He nods with a grin. "I think not. There were sixty teens that have advanced with us into the red color tone. Well, some teen stayed behind within the red color tone, since they had failed the more difficult academic questions while electing to answer the silly first question. I admit that the last two questions were extremely difficult." He leans over and touches the red barrier wall, cupping both hands over his eyelids for a better view. "Yes, there are a group of teens still trapped inside the red color tone. They only answered one or two of the academic questions. Remember? If you answer one question correctly, then you stay inside the same color tone. If you answer three questions correctly, then you advance into the new color tone. And if you answer two questions incorrectly, then you drop back down into the previous color tone."

I exhale with a puff of confusion and lean over, wiping the red dust on the wall barrier to see with a gasp. "I see volcanoes, not teens. What happened to the white limestone cliff tabletop, the pretty white sands, the yellow sunshine, and the blue ocean? This cannot be the red barrier wall. I see big and ugly nasty volcanoes. They are all erupting and spewing orange sizzling lava down the mountain, onto the land. One, two, three...six of those ugly monsters. There are six volcanoes, spewing out hot lava. I see a set of four smoking volcanoes with plumes of white steam, probably cooling from the eruption. The sky is gray with floating ash. There are no trees, or grass or plants or animals or teens. The landscape is boiling with orange lava or black colored with cooling lava. How can any teen survive down there? Where are the teens, who have failed the academic questions? They would be hurt or killed or steamed or fried or..."

He whispers. "I don't know, either. But, this is the red barrier wall, and I'll prove it." He side steps over and stands, wiping off the yellow dust, making it dance out from the barrier wall. "This is the yellow barrier wall."

I side step and stand next to Rincon, wiping off the yellow dust, cupping both hands over my eyelashes with a gasp. "I see a desert of yellow sand. Where are the range of white snow and high mountains? When I last saw the yellow color tone, it was white snowy park place of skiing and fun. How is that all possible inside the yellow color tone, within the park place, changing from snow to hell?"

He cups both hands over his eyelids, studying inside the yellow barrier wall with a smile. "I see herded camels, tents for shelter, lots of palm trees, even an oasis of water. Wow, this is really cool."

I frown. "I see the teens. Some are eating. Some are patting the camels. Some are sitting under the palm trees."

He chuckles. "I see her. She is tall, blond hair, pink skin, wearing her high heels, too."

I gasp. "Jara, this is really the yellow color tone, within the yellow barrier wall. Where're the snow flakes and snowy mountains?"

Rincon smiles, "I do not know. But I see him, too. Hatch is tall, muscular, cropped blonde hair, blonde cat whiskers, peachy skin, athletic body build." He back steps from the barrier wall with a nod and a smile. "I am convinced that this is definitely the desert which is locked within the yellow barrier wall," he moves ahead and stops, standing and wipes a larger area on the wall with both hands. "See? This is the glowing yellow color of the electromagnetic wall." He reaches out and hits it with both hands with a nod and a smile. "Yeah, it is solid and doesn't sting or bite or break. I don't understand why the landscape has changed."

I back step from yellow barrier wall, shaking my curls with confusion, side stepping to the next wall and wipe off red dust, leaning down and cup both hands over my eye socket to see into the corner barrier wall. "Okay. This is the red barrier wall for the red color tone, where we just exited. Rincon, look over here! There is now water inside the red park place, an ocean of blue water from the sheer volume and smooth waves. This is not the red barrier wall or the red park place or the red color tone. We just eye witnessed a valley of volcanoes inside the red barrier wall, a few second ago."

He sidesteps and advances to the barrier wall, brushing aside the red dust, leaning over and cups both hands onto the wall with a smile. "Wow, there is a whale, blowing water from its hole. There is a pod of leaping pink nosed dolphins, running alongside the pod of whales. This is definitely the ocean water. But this is also the red barrier wall."

I study the ocean with a smile of excitement. "I see boats, small sailing boats. And I see some of the teens on top deck of each boat. Their cat suits look like colored glitter within the bright sunlight. Some are fishing. Some are jumping off and swimming in the ocean. Some are eating and drinking. Some are lying on the deck, watching the sun."

He back steps from the red barrier wall with a smile and a nod. "Sailing boats for fun," he looks over behind a collar bone with a sour frown at the smelly flowers and back to the barrier wall. "They always seem to get the fun park places," he side steps from both barrier walls and stands near the row of ragweed, studying the two walls with two different colors, glittering below the sun. Rincon cups a chin with a stern face and a whisper. "How can we see both the red and yellow barrier walls in the same geographical point within the planet at the same time?"

I spy on the sail boats for fun. "I don't know."

He snaps the fingers, studying the sky, the ground, and then the two barrier walls. He uses both hands to draw a series of invisible lines in the air with a smile. "This is a trapezoid, the cousin of the parallelogram."

I whisper for my eardrums only. "Buffo! I see Buffo, who is tall, muscular, brown cropped hair, brown cat whiskers, pale skin, and goofy smile. He's on the one, two...the third sailing boat. I recognize his tallness, anywhere." I gasp. "He wears his cat suit, too." I exhale with angry, whispering for my eardrums only. "He is having fun, there. I'm stuck, here."

Rincon looks up with a smile to the sky and the sun. "Inside a trapezoid, only two opposing sides are parallel to each other. Yes, this would explain the mysterious park place."

"I guess," I say and spy with more heartache.

Buffo is inside the sail boat. He is laughing and back slapping with some other teens that Ketona does not recognize, since the teens come from the farmlands. Ketona lives inside the posh city of Colfax.

Rincon back steps with a smile and a nod from the barrier wall, whipping both hands side to side in the air. "A trapezoid is a four sided shape. The red barrier wall is sloping down, coming from the southeast corner toward the north that would conform to the new trapezoid formation. Yes, that makes a perfect mathematical geometric shape..."

"I guess." I say and spy.

All the sailing boats are anchored in the water. All the teens are swimming in the water or lounging around the decks.

Rincon swings around in a circle with a smile and studies each barrier wall, whipping both hands into the air. "The yellow barrier wall is parallel to the green color tone. That's why we can see the yellow barrier wall, but they can't see us for some logic reason. So, the slope from the southwestern corner towards the north is...is..." he snaps the finger with a gasp.

I exhale with a frown of disappointment, not being in there with Buffo and then whisper for my eardrums only. "My green park place is pretty with flowers, not fun with waves. The water looks so inviting with the bright sun and calm waves. All the teens are laughing and splashing around in the water. The orange color tone looked fun also when I saw the galloping horses, and flaming campsites, and food cooking, instead of violent rainstorms." I gasp with a smile. "Buffo has advanced into the red color tone. Yay hay! He is catching up with me. I'm so happy and I'm so relieved," I bounce side to side and stop with a gasp. "No. Yes. No. Yes. No way. Yes, way!" I shake my curls and narrow my eyelashes, wiping off more of the red dust from the wall with both hands and arms, studying the female.

Through the barrier wall, the short female stands to close near Buffo on the top deck of the sailing boat. Then he reaches over and wraps an arm around her with a smile and a laugh.

I growl. "No. Yes. No. Yes. Duchie is there with Buffo. That is impossible." I swing around with a stern face and scan down at the row of pretty and ugly flowers within my park place of the green color tone. I see the back spine of Rincon.

Rincon is tossing both arms in the air and spins in a circle, scanning the sky, the ground, the sun, the flowers, and the trees. He is talking to himself about the angles of the geometric puzzle of the sun and the multiple barrier walls.

"Whatever!" I exhale with a puff of annoyance and look up to scan the room of mirrors, the trees, the sky, and the flowers. "I don't remember seeing her exit the room of mirrors here. So, how is possible that Duchie is with Buffo inside the red color tone?" I snap the fingers with a nod. "Use your brain! Remember? The order shows on the color chart as pink, yellow, orange, red, and then the green color. So Duchie met the one-fourth rule, answering correctly only one question out four academic questions. Then she stayed within the red color tone, while Buffo has passed with 75 percent of his academic questions up into the red color tone. It was completely accidently in there that they had met. Good, I puzzled out that logic.

"Buffo is getting closer to me. So, I should fail with 50 percent and then drop back down into the red color tone to be with Buffo, except I don't know what 'the thing' is here. Okay. Do the easier one! After I return back into the Cubby Hole, I should answer the first silly question from the me-chee host. Then I will stay inside the green color tone. Then Buffo can advance into the green color tone and find me, giving me a warm hug and a wet kiss. Yay hay! That's the perfect solution. I wait here for Buffo. Yay hay!" I bounce side to side with a clap and a grin and stop the bounce with a puzzled brow. "Why would Duchie stay inside the red color? The academic questions were really easy, especially for her and me. That doesn't make any sense to me or from her. She was determined to continue with the color tones, until the finally golden color tone for the most difficult question."

I exhale. "Or the other situation, Duchie failed 50 percent of her academic questions and then dropped back down from the red color tone and back into the orange color tone." I gasp. "That would mean that Buffo is still trapped inside the orange color tone. Duchie has purposefully failed and fallen into the orange color tone, too. Since, she was already located inside the red color tone.

"Duchie had the three options during the previous Cubby Hole session. One, she could stay inside the red color tone, without me. Two, she could advance into the green color tone with me. Three, she could drop back down into the orange color tone, without me, but with Buffo." I swing around with a gasp and advance to the barrier wall, leaning over and cup both hands over the wall. "There is blue water, a yellow sun, white sailing boats, and red cat suits. I think the cat suits are red. The sun is so bright that the cat suits look all red tinted. How do I figure out if this is truly the red color tone within the red park place inside the red barrier wall?" I exhale with a worried brow. "Buffo and Duchie are on the same sailing boat. She is reaching out and touches his cat suit." I growl with jealousy.

Rincon nods with a smile and stops the whirl, standing in place with a gasp. "The blue color tone, I can see the landscape of the blue tone. This is awesome. I can see the next color tone and prepare for my homecoming," he turns and dashes down the rows of ragweed plants in the opposite direction of the brown flowers, the red barrier wall, and Ketona. His hair, his face, and the cat suit glitter in glowing red dust particles.

I swing around with a stern face and a yell to see rows of ragweed. "Rincon, Rincon?" I turn and face the rows of ragweed with a yell and a worried brow. "Rincon, where are you? Have you seen Duchie inside our park place?" I gasp.

Rincon dashes toward the opposite side of the park place, leaving Ketona alone.

I dash ahead with a sneer behind the back spine of Rincon and stop, turning to spy inside the yellow barrier wall with a sour frown. "Yes, this is the yellow color tone, within the yellow park place, behind the yellow barrier wall, which is disguised by the yellow pollen dust. I see the yellow sands of the desert. And I see both Jara and Hatch riding on a camel with other teens. It is a freaking camel race. They are having a freaking fun time inside the yellow color tone." I back step with a growl and a sour frown from the wall.

02:49 pm

Green colored barrier wall

I turn and run toward the opposite side of the park place, paralleling the rows of yellow ragweed and yellow pollen.

Diagonal across from the ragweed rows, there are pretty rows of colorful flowers that grow over the ground, inside the bushes, and over short rows of wooden fence posts, consisting of orange marigolds, yellow pansies, violet red tulips, pink roses, purple irises, and other pretty flowers.

I follow the ragweed rows, until the dust changes color. I stop and stand, staring ahead at the new barrier wall, comprising a trapezoid geometric shape like Rincon has accurately deduced. It shimmies in the color of bright red, coming from the mixture of yellow ragweed pollen and the floating leaves of the greenery plants, forming a wall of red. I whisper. "The red barrier wall..."

I turn and scan the landscape for Rincon.

Rincon stops and stands on the opposite side of Ketona, almost out of her eyesight range. He touches and probes another new barrier wall.

I narrow my eyelashes at Rincon and the next wall. It shimmies in the color of bluish-indigo, coming from the mixture of yellow ragweed pollen and the floating flakes of purple irises, forming a wall of blue like the next color tone on the chart of blue. I whisper. "He's correct. This is some type of disguise or disgust, faking out the dumb teens, not the smart teens."

I exhale with a puff of annoyance and turn with a worried brow, strolling ahead toward the red dancing dust that drifts up from each row of flowers and ragweed plants and stop. I stand in place and lean over, wiping the red dust from the wall, feeling the solid object, cupping both hands.

The interior of the red color barrier is dull gray skies and dark brown soil. It is an open flat field without crops that is surrounded by a forest of thick green and brow trees.

I gasp. "Each teen throws a tomahawk at the tall bark tree having fun again." I growl with jealousy. "I'm having misery, double portions. The teens are laughing, dancing, and eating food, too. I don't recognize any of the teen faces, either. Yes, this is the red color tone. The teens would have advanced from the orange color tone or failed and then fallen back down from the green color tone or stayed within the red color tone. I do not know these teens." I back step and study the landscape. "The ragweed rows parallel the barrier wall, producing the yellow pollen dust. The diagonal rows forming a triangle of pretty flowers are producing some type of green powder from the green fluttering leaves and hairy stems. Therefore, the yellow pollen and green powder mix, producing the red dust. So, the red dust drifts and covers up the red barrier wall, again, faking out the dumb teens, not me." I gasp. "Yellow and green color make red. So, brown and yellow makes orange. Rincon is wrong."

I spin around and run back down the ragweed rows, passing the yellow barrier wall. I stop at the wall intersection, showing the yellow dancing dust and the red dancing dust. I squat down and collect the brown dried flowers first, shaking the yellow pollen over the flowers. I crush the two objects together inside my palms, keeping them closed.

I exhale with a puff of worry and close my eyelashes, fearing the color image.

I blink open my eyelashes, slowly opening my palms with a gasp. "The color combination is a dull, dull red tint. But the color is clearly orange, not red." I swing around with a worried brow to see the barrier wall, narrowing my eyelashes. "The color looks almost like red but is slightly more lighter and duller than a true red tone. This is the orange barrier wall." I drop a chin down into my chest with sobs of defeat. "Buffo is still trapped inside the orange color tone within the orange park place inside the orange barrier wall. He has failed, again. And, now, Duchie has purposefully failed the red color tone to be with my guy." I stand and stomp the ugly flowers, not caring, if they are toxin to my body.

I feel betrayed by Duchie. I feel disappointment in Buffo. I feel sadness then grin, feeling revengeful.

I swing around from the barrier wall and move ahead with a huff in the direction of a loose huddle of Marsilla, Lamis, and Nephella. I scan the rows of pretty flowers and stop, squeezing between Marsilla and Lamis with a growl. "Where is Duchie? Has anyone seen Duchie? Did Duchie leave the park place, before me? Is she running through the tulips bare footed like the other teen idiots over there?"

Lamis turns and frowns at Ketona. "I have not seen Duchie, either. She could be with some of the other teens. She's very sociable and likable, getting along with everyone. I love Duchie, too. I haven't seen her, here, either. She's smart, so she must be somewhere, picking out her flower bouquet. I gathered my flower bouquet too, since that's the only thing to do here inside the green park place. However, I'm ready to leave. So, the more important question, how do we get outta here? What is 'the thing' to do here inside the green color tone? We all need to go back into the Cubby Hole."

Rincon back steps with a smile from the barrier wall and dashes away, squeezing between Lamis and Ketona with a smile. "I can't see anything. I was so certain that I would be able to see the next park place within the blue color tone, alleviating the surprise. I admit the park places are full of unexpected events, some scary, some fun, some boring..."

"Rincon, did you run into Duchie while running away from me?" I turn and snarl into his nose profile.

Marsilla turns and smiles to Ketona, patting on the flowers. "No, I have not seen Duchie, either. But I do possess my pretty flower bouquet. Can we keep the flowers that were collected from here? I wanna take them home to my mom."

Rincon turns and frowns to Ketona. "No, I have not seen Duchie. I've been busy entertaining you, Ketona. Why is she important, now?"

Nephella looks down to scan the rows of flowers and the grove teens. "Naw, I haven't seen Duchie, either," she turns and smiled at Ketona. "Did she pass with 75 percent the academic questions into the green color tone?"

I turn and scan the rows of flowers, the blue sky, and the red barrier wall which is located behind my fanny and back to see Nephella, without answering.

Lamis nods with a smile. "Yes, she's smart. She's here. What do we do about leaving the park place? I'm not sliding into my me-chee chair first. It bit me last time. It stung my fanny."

Rincon turns and studies each flower bouquet of each female teens and Ketona. "Good for you, Ketona, not ripping Mother Nature from her roots and then destroying all those pretty flowers. Now, all those flowers are going to die from your greed and arrogance and vanity Marsilla."

Marsilla turns and sneers to Rincon. "We're participating in Citizenship Day, Rincon. I didn't see you feeding the hungry giant ants with your lunch basket food items like a good camp-scout. As a matter of fact, you were the first chicken stew teen inside his me-chee chair, before the rest of us. I love flowers. I love the fragrance smell and soft texture. Nothing in the world is more lovelier than holding an arm bouquet of pretty fresh flowers or arranging them into a flower vase for showing off. My mom provides a vase of fresh cut flowers every day around my house, inside the dining room, the living room, and my private bedroom..."

Nephella tosses on hand with a confused brow. "Wait, do you really love flowers?"

Marsilla grins. "I love flowers."

Nephella drops open and closes a mouth. "Who landed first inside the green room of mirrors?"

Marsilla nods with a smile. "I landed first before Rincon once again. I did it, again. I figured out the microcoulombs answer before..."

Lamis smiles with a nod. "I got that one, too. I puzzled that out really quickly, too. It was easy, because sixteen minus eight equal eight, which is simply mathematics for a second grader. Then, the charge of the two conductors was equally shared, so the answer was negative four. I got my 75 percent, passing into the green color tone. What was the answer for question four? I didn't answer, since I didn't know the answer. And I didn't want an incorrect response against me. That's where the other teens fail within the Cubby Hole, giving the wrong answer which counts against you..."

Marsilla turns and sneers at Lamis. "The value 7.4 was the correct answer for the acidity in our blood, making me a better medical technician than Rincon. Since, I finished all my correct four answers first. I landed all alone inside the green room with mirrors first."

"You landed first. I don't understand," Nephella shakes her curls and wiggles the body piercings over a face, flinging the burning cigar with the sweet-smelling smoke around the air waves and away from the other teens. She turns and scans the rows of flowers, the sky, and then Marsilla with a confused brow. "Marsilla landed first. That's doesn't make any sense."

Marsilla growls at Nephella. "I am smart, smarter than..."

Nephella frowns. "No, I mean reference the fear question on your electronic app for Citizenship Day. Why didn't the current park place change into your fear answer of heights like before, Marsilla? You won the honor of the first me-chee chair inside the green room for the green color tone. The current park place is most definitely low to the ground, instead of high in the sky like the tabletop cliff. Most of the flowers cover the soil and overlay each other, completely overtaking the soil, the dirt, and other plants. I don't understand. If Marsilla landed, first, then where is her fear factor of heights?"

Rincon snaps the fingers with a nod. "I got it. There was a fear question. I addressed my fear questions by answering with ants. But there was a love question, too. Remember? It went something like this. What do you love to do or see or have or enjoy or smell or feel?"

I gasp with a nod. "Yes, I do remember that particular question. It is a very difficult question, because..." I turn and stare at the pretty flower, thinking of Buffo.

Marsilla pats her bouquet with a smile. "I wrote down inside my love question that I love flowers."

Rincon smiles with a nod. "That is intriguing. Citizenship Day is turning into a day of shocking surprises and new revelations. I didn't consider the simple question relevant toward our activities within the Cubby Hole. And, my BPs didn't bother to inform me, either."

Nephella nods with a smile. "My mom was very thorough with sharing all her datum about the Cubby Hole. I suspect that she didn't figure out that aspect. My mom attended Citizenship Day and finished the Cubby Hole in some type of record time, if I believe her."

"Do you not believe your mom?" Lamis frowns with confusion.

Nephella flicks the lighted cigar, allowing the flames to burn the pretty petals of the flowers, not underneath her feet, turning with a growl to see Lamis. "My mom is the mayor. No, I do not believe my mom."

Rincon claps with a smile. "Alright, we have discovered that the park place environment changes when the first me-chee chair lands inside the room of mirrors..."

"Wrong, as usual, Rincon! When I landed first, I caused the environment to change into pretty like me," grins Marsilla.

"Are we both vain and arrogant, today, Marshmallow?" Nephella laughs.

Rincon turns and frowns at Marsilla, wrapping an arm around Ketona with a smile. "The park place environment changes based on the first me-chee chair landing inside the room of mirrors, so the short story here. We have exhausted all the fear questions, coming from the leading four me-chee champs, including me, my girl Ketona, my new friend Nephella, and my number one snot nose rag Marsilla. Ketona was afraid of knives. Done. I was afraid of ants. Done. Nephella was afraid of lightning. Done. And Marsilla was afraid of heights. Done, too. So we don't have to worry about any more the fear answers from the four of us, since next time when one of us lands into the next blue color tone, then the environment will change into puppies. I wrote that I loved puppies on my love questions for Citizenship Day. Therefore, I will land first into the blue color..."

"Me!" Marsilla turns and sneers at Rincon. "I will win the next color tone session, Rincon, as I am the smartest of the four of us..."

"Guys and girls!" Nephella frowns. "We need to figure out how to get out of the current color tone, before we worry about who is or how to get into the blue color tone. Whose get an awesome idea?"

I turn with a sour frown and scan the teens. "Has anyone seen Duchie? Has she and her me-chee chair returned back into the Cubby Hole, without checking in with us?"

Lamis frowns. "No other teens have left this particular park place, either."

Nephella giggles. "They're busy creating pretty flower jewelry, such like, hair bands, necklaces, and bracelets then trotting around, looking like silly love-sick teenagers," she winks at Ketona.

I growl. "Is Duchie here with us? Does anyone know for shore?"

Marsilla looks down with a smile and pats on her flower bouquet. "I wanna take my arm of flowers to my mom."

Rincon turns and frowns at the teens. "They are killing the flowers. Flowers are made with a specific design which encourages the transfer of pollen from one plant to another of the same species."

Lamis looks down with a smile and pats on her arm bouquet. "I encouraged the transfer of pollen by shaking the picked flower over the growing one inside the tall flower bush. I pollinated it, so it would grew taller and higher for the next round of teens."

Rincon growls, "Mother Nature does not work like that, Lamis."

Nephella nods. "Yeah, many plants and flowers are dependent upon many external factors for the pollination process, including wind, birds, bats, and bees."

A flying black bumblebee soars near my earlobe. I back step out of its flight path with a gasp. It soars down into the flower petal, crawling its eight legs into the stigma which contains the pollen tube of pollen. I turn and admire the bee, attacking the flower with a sour frown. "Has anyone eyeballed Duchie in here?" I lift and swipe a hand at the second bee, flying close to my earlobe. It flies down and bounces off the flower petal. Then bee rounds about the flower and soars upward to Ketona for a second assault. I gasp with angry and back step from the little varmint.

Rincon points the flowers with a stern face. "The study of pollination by insects is called anthecology."

Nephella blinks her eyelashes and points up to the sky with a gasp and a yell. "Up there! There's a large black round pod of something, floating down near us."

Lamis looks up with a gasp to see the black object in the skyline. "The large black round pod is a swarm of orchid bumblebees, coming straight down from the heavens," she drops the arm bouquet. "They want the flowers. They are hunger for the pollen. The flowers are the food for the bees. That is 'the thing' that we gotta do. Run away from the attacking bees," she turns with a worried brow and dashes with a yell toward the green room of mirrors.

Marsilla drops the arm bouquet with a yelp and turns with a worried brow, running behind the back spine of Lamis.

Nephella pitches the lighted cigar down into the row of flowers with a laugh. Each flower burns along with the set of landing bumblebees. She turns and slowly moves with an evil laugh and a wicked smile toward the green room of mirrors.

I look up to see the swarm of bees and move backward, reaching down and grab a handful of flowers with both hands with a worried brow. "Pick up some flowers and then drop them down onto the ground. That is 'the thing' we do in order to reactive the me-chee chair and then return back into the Cubby Hole."

Rincon looks up with a smile and studies the bees in the skyline. "I do not believe so."

I slow pace backward with a sour frown. "Then, you can stay and find out when your fanny gets burned by the sting of the me-chee chair. Then, you get to fight with the bees over the flowers, too. Are you afraid of bees?" I swing around and run, reaching down, grabbing a handful of flowers and drop the flowers over the soil, dashing with a worried brow toward the green room of mirrors with the other screaming teens.

"Naw, only bee stings," Rincon swings around and picks up the flowers, running behind the back spine of Ketona, tossing them down to the ground.

I hit the floor and slide down into my me-chee chair as I am parked near the wall of mirrors.

Rincon drops the flowers over the soil, meeting the requirement of 'the thing,' exiting out of the current park place and slides down into his me-chee chair on the other side of the room of mirrors as second place to Marsilla.

I giggle at his intense competitive academic thoughts. Then the me-chee chair drops down into the darkness. I scream with fright from the surprise maneuver.

03:03 pm

Cubby Hole auditorium setting

Green colored walls, floor, ceiling, and me-chee machine

I slowly ascend with a sour frown, coming up from the darkness and into the light room of blue with repeating annoyance of the Citizenship Day. I exhale with a puff of frustration, actually getting tired of the same floor space with a different shade of color. I'm ready for Citizenship Day to end.

However, Buffo is still missing from my life and Duchie is missing from my life too, since they both are inside the orange color tone. They are together inside the orange color tone.

My brain cells can't stop thinking and repeating that sentence structure.

Duchie has purposefully gotten fifty percent incorrect answers out of the four questions, so she could drop back down into the red color tone and then land down into the orange color tone, where Buffo is trapped too.

I sneer with fury.

Through the orange barrier wall, I saw Duchie. She was touching Buffo on top of the deck of the sail boat.

I snort with angry.

Rincon slides out from his me-chee chair as the last person who emerged from the green park place. He stands upright and spins around with a smile and a hand wave to Ketona.

I sit inside the green shield with a sneer then a snort and then a snarl with all my animal sounds and animal emotions.

The me-chee host stands in front of the room underneath the color chair and lifts both arms into the air with the painted smirk. "Welcome back to the Cubby Hole, teens!"

Rincon frowns with disappointment, without chatting for fun with Ketona and winks with a smile, swing around to face the me-chee machine, scooting back into his me-chee chair for the blue color tone academic questions.

The me-chee host says. "I hope you have enjoyed your fun in the sun. There is more fun to have inside the rest of the color tones. Please, sit back and relax into your assigned me-chee chair." The green shield shimmers around each teen inside an individual me-chee chair. The me-chee host says. "Close your eyelids. I will present the next series of academic questions for your individual answers. The time limit is fifteen seconds for each posed question. To remind each schooler again for clarity of a proper verbal response, please state my answer is...then your vocal response. If you answer three-fourths or more of the academic questions, correctly, you will advance to the next color of blue. If you answer one-fourth or less, then you will remain stationary inside the color tone of green. If you incorrectly answer two-fourths of the academic questions, then you will slip back down into the color of red. The first question, what is the color tone of the me-chee host inside the Cubby Hole, presently?"

I hold my breath and flex both hands into a set of white knuckled fists and then relax my hands, exhaling my sour breathe, turning to scan the rear end of the me-chee chair in front of me.

Marsilla is competing with Rincon for the first spot inside the blue room of mirrors.

I giggle with amusement.

Marsilla should allow Rincon to land first, since her love of flowers has been displayed or played.

'Played' is the correct word here, since the Establishment is playing with the tiny minds and the teen hearts with mean torture and wicked torment.

My heart is aching and breaking. My mind is furious with a set of mixed emotions of hate, love, sadness, gladness, and fear.

The fear of Rincon was the ants. The fear of Ketona was the knives. However, the first four park places simulated the fear of the first landing me-chee chair which was displayed within an individual park place.

So, if Marsilla lands first, then her fear will repeat.

I toss both hands in the air, sitting inside my me-chee chair and behind the green colored shield, without an answer. The Cubby Hole is a series of stray responses to a set of illogical movements. I slam down both hands into a lap with my eyelashes open and my neurons active.

Duchie is with Buffo inside the orange color tone.

There is only one more color tone left which is the blue one and then Citizenship Day will end. I exhale with a puff of frustration and shake my curls with a whisper and a confused brow. "Wonder if, Rincon is wrong. Wonder if, Citizenship Day doesn't end with him reaching the gold color tone. Wonder if, Buffo can still reach it, too. Then we can be together working as a pair of me-chee 'whatever' positions. I'll worry about that later. Yes, Buffo has to try, too. Duchie, she will not allow Buffo to try. She wants him stuck there. She wants him trapped there inside the orange color tone. Duchie has family there, too. Buffo has family there, too. They will be trapped together there, too." I gasp. "Fifteen seconds is almost up. My answer is...is...is...red." I exhale with a wrong color into the me-chee machine.

I can't believe I say it. I say the wrong answer for the first time, maybe since the first grade while attending school. My BPs always smiled and clapped, when I got the correct answer.

I am so relieved that my BPs are not present or watching me during Citizenship Day.

So, I am 25 percent negative. I need one more wrong answer, giving me a 50 percent negative value, meeting the rule of two-fourths wrong. Then I will drop down into the red color tone.

However, I am still one more color tone away from Buffo. He is inside the orange color tone, without me and with Duchie.

I snort with angry.

The me-chee host asks the second question. "Musical discs for your cellie costs $3.00 or $5.00. If 50 musical discs were sold to you for a total of $230.00, how many musical discs were sold at $3.00?"

I exhale with a puff of worry and then whisper with a smile. "This word problem is so simple. Buffo can answer this one, too. Yeah, he could. There are numerous methods for answering the correct response. The first method, if Z represents the number of $3.00 musical discs sold, then 50-Z represents the number of $5.00 musical discs sold. Then, the math equation is..."

3z + 5(50-z) = 230

3z + 250-5z = 230

20 = 2z

10 = z

"So, the mathematical solution is ten musical discs were sold at $3.00. There is a second method, too. If each musical disc costs $3.00, then $3.00 times 50 sold musical discs equals $150.00. The remaining $80 of the $230.00 would be the extra $2.00 from the $5.00 musical disc cost. Therefore, 40 musical discs were sold at $5.00. So, the last 10 musical discs, not identified were sold at the cost of $3.00. The mathematical solution is ten musical discs, again." I exhale. "My answer is...is...red," giggling.

I have provided a second wrong academic answer, again. I am standing at 50 percent negative.

The me-chee host asks the third question into each me-chee chair. "Organisms that convert nitrogen-containing organic molecules into nitrates are named with what term?"

I hum with a grin, tapping a foot, slowly impatiently waiting for the elapse of deadline of fifteen seconds and turn to scan the room. The room is looking really empty, missing over eighty percent among the me-chee chairs and the associated teen.

I see the shielding change into blue for Marsilla in front of my face.

Marsilla drops down and then disappears into the floor.

I gasp with a smile and a nod.

Rincon is missing, too. So he dropped, before her. He is petting the puppy dogs, as the first me-chee chair inside the blue room of mirrors, if Rincon is telling the truth. His Citizenship question of fear has already materialized, if I could use that word inside the yellow color tone in the format of gigantic snapping and hungry ants during the second park place.

Therefore, he is the first me-chee chair dropping down from the Cubby Hole, so his Citizenship questions of love appears inside the blue color tone, baby doggie puppies.

I giggle with a nod of happiness for Rincon. Then I exhale and shake my legs with anxiousness.

Rincon will notice immediately that Ketona is missing. I hope that he isn't angry or mad, but I wanna be with my guy Buffo.

Therefore, I plan to dash around the red color tone and do 'the thing' and then leap back into the red color tone. I will land right back into the Cubby Hole and then answer two more questions incorrectly. Then I will drop down into the orange color tone, planning to beat Duchie black and blue with both folded fists, seriously clashing with the bright pretty orange color. I giggle with a snort of amusement.

The me-chee host asks the fourth question. "A pole, eighteen meters tall is perpendicular to the ground. A wire twenty meters long and extends down from the top of the pole to the flat ground. What is the angle of elevation to the nearest degree down towards the pole?"

I exhale with a puff of excitement, calming a racing heart and an active mind. I don't have to answer the fourth question, since I will be dropping back down into the red color tone, pretty soon. I'm still one color tone behind the Buffo, who is trapped inside the orange color tone.

I exhale with a puff of excitement, tapping a right boot faster for the time expire, since the fifteen seconds are mentally clicking inside an active mind and my me-chee chair for the ending, without fanfare.

I exhale with a puff of excitement and shake my curls with a whisper. "I know this answer, too. Buffo would know this answer, too. He just needs encouragement from me, not Duchie." I wiggle back and forth with nervousness, waiting for the fifteen seconds to count down to zero.

My me-chee shield turns into the color bright red.

I drop down into the darkness, screaming for fun.

03:10 pm

Red colored room of mirrors

My me-chee chair slowly ascends up into the dull lights and halts with a jolt, standing inside one of the dark wall corners of the room of mirrors, almost in darkness. I frown with annoyance at the forward row. There are numerous empty me-chee chairs ahead of Ketona in a set of crooked rows and columns. I giggle with a nod.

I'm the last chair to drop down from the Cubby Hole auditorium, flying back down into the red room of mirrors.

I had waited for the me-chee machine to count down the full fifteen seconds, after each posed academic question, since I didn't answer two of them, ensuring a failing grade.

My BPs would not be proud or happy at the moment, but they aren't here with me or Duchie or Buffo.

Usually, I answer immediately almost within ten or eleven seconds, brilliantly knowing the answer.

But, this trip is not about my academic question, it is about my actually qualify of life with Buffo.

I scoot out the me-chee chair and stand upright with a stern face, stomping ahead with attitude and determination into the exposed archway. The opening shows a set of numerous vertical rows of tall and wide green plants for miles and miles. Each row is two feet high, covering the entire soil.

Please note, I am only five feet high in total math numbers, so that is forty percent of my person.

The sky is blue with a yellow sun and show of no a rain cloud. This looks like a good park place, so far.

I skip ahead with a smile between the set of narrow aisles of the me-chee chairs, studying the many columns of big green plants and hear. There is whimper sound from a person. I halt and turn to see the wall corner with a gasp, dashing ahead and squat down with a confused brow. "Lamis, what are you doing here with me?"

Lamis sits in the wall corner and away from the sunshine, wiping off the tears from each eyelash with a sad face. "I failed my academic questions..."

I turn and slide next to the wall, sitting and reach out, patting her arm with a stern face. "That's okay. I failed, too. So I'm here too with you. We can go and do 'the thing' and then come back and leap back into the Cubby Hole." I nod with encourage to Lamis, finishing up the red color tone, since I am in a hurry to leave and then beat on Duchie for taking my guy.

Lamis shakes her curls and stares with a sad face down at the red floor. "I failed. I couldn't get the right answers. I answered all the questions both hoping and praying that I had reached the 75 percent to pass into the blue color tone. I wanted to make it into the blue color, making my parents, so proud of me. I studied so hard, every day. I should've stopped at the green color tone with the first question. Then I would have stayed inside the green color tone. I knew the answer to the first question. The first question is easy," she tosses both hands in the air and wipes away the tears. "Now, I'm stuck here inside the red color tone with the other teens. This is my home and the home of my parents, so I guess that I will stay home here foreverly. I'll become a slaughter princess, like my mom," she sobs with tears.

I frown with sadness and continue to pat her arm. "Naw, there is always hope. I missed my academic questions, too. I hope to get out of here, too. There are plenty of chances of getting the 75 percent on the next round of academic questions, when we return back into the Cubby Hole. Let's figure out 'the thing' and then get back."

"Rincon said differently."

I exhale with a puff of annoyance and shake my curls. "And Rincon is only a teen, not an adult. And Rincon is not always right. Believe me! I'm always wrong, too, sometimes. Look, let's stand and explore the park place. You need to calm your shaky nerves and relax your neurons, before going back into the Cubby Hole and conquering it," I stand and assist Lamis to stand with a fake smile and a worried heart.

They turn and move ahead toward the open archway.

I nod with a smile and stare out into the row of green and tall plants. "Okay, we stroll around the park place, spying on the other teens and looking for 'the thing' to do."

"Ah, cotton fields." Lamis stops and stands inside the archway with a smile at the green plants.

I halt with annoyance and fake a smile to see the miles and miles of tall green plants. "See? You sound very intelligent over me about these ugly green plants." My boot sole moves ahead and stomps down onto the soft white ball, smashing its guts over the concrete floor, lifting up a boot and stare down with a puzzled brow at the white puff of roundness. I squat down and stared with a confused brow at the white ball. "Lamis, what in the world is this thing on the floor?"

Lamis wipe the tears from both eyelashes and squats down, staring down with a smile at the smashed object. "A cotton boll, that's the product from the tall green plants."

I turn with a puzzled brow and scan the floor. "There are numerous little white balls of cotton, rolling around the floor, coming from the soft breeze that have been stomped to death like mine. Why are they inside this mirrored room?"

Lamis reaches out and slaps Ketona on the collar bone with a smile. "I know, now." She stands and rushed through the opening with a giggle and a grin. Ketona stands and rushes ahead, pulling beside her. Lamis grins. "The right thing is the cotton bolls that from all the cotton plants. Geez, I should've recognized the height of the plants. They're about six weeks from blooming with full cotton bolls. So, we need to walk down one of the cotton rows, collecting a couple of the cotton bolls for 'the thing,' for us to return back into the Cubby Hole. I guess it's the food of the Cubby Hole goddesses since we are girls."

They jog toward the rows of green plants and slam into a set of individual tall plants. The plants are too close for a set of four boot prints.

I veer and rush into an individual row, moving down the empty space of the two rows beside Lamis and her cotton row.

Lamis slowly strolls and smacks away from the giant overlapping green leafy stems on each plant saying with a smile. "Okay. We pick a handful of great big white cotton bolls for the invisible goddesses of the Cubby Hole. This should satisfy 'the thing, thing.' The cotton is white with no blemishes. The cotton part is soft, fluffy fibers. Some cotton bolls and cotton stalks are designed for decorative wreaths, too. This is a batch of growing cotton shrubs, without the bolls. It will be another two months, before the seed pods break open. So now, there are be very limited amount of cotton bolls blooming into whiteness. So, keep your eyeballs peeled for some tiny balls of white within the dark green."

"Okay." I move ahead and slap away all the annoying branches from a chest, slowly strolling down the overlapping stems of the plants. I don't have to touch the leaves, since there're slapping my rib cage. My walking pathway is clear and colored in red soil. I frown. "How do you know about cotton?"

"When I was a little girl, I visited the farm."

I toss both arms in the air and hit the bush limb with a giggle, relieving some of my frustrations of Duchie, Buffo, and the Cubby Hole, "Yay hay! I got it, now. Your grandfather is a farmer like Duchie's and Buffo's."

Lamis calmly moves over the flat dirt between the two rows of shrubs, knocking the tiny stems and leaves, before trucking down the soil. "Naw, I rode with my dad inside the truck, picking up and hauling the live cows that came from the different farms into the numerous trailers. Then the numerous trailers carried the cows into each slaughter house. Then the slaughter machines..."

"Thanks. I have a vivid imagination. So, what do we do when we retrieve the white cotton bolls attached onto the green cotton plants?"

She advances down the row beside Ketona with a worried brow. "Don't know. I would suggest, walking up and down the rows like the rest of the teens..."

I turn and scan the teens on both sides of my eyeballs in silence.

The other teens run with silliness up and down the empty space between the rows of cotton plants laughing and playing for fun.

I frown with disappointment, not fun. I wanna leave the red color tone immediately and rescue Buffo from Duchie, before she brainwashes my guy into something. I exhale with a puff of annoyance and advance faster down the empty aisle. "I wanna travel a little faster through the row looking for the cotton bolls and then get back into the room of mirrors. So we..."

"I missed the last question within the blue color tone. I had trouble converting meters into feet..."

I stop and stand, turning with a confused brow to see her pretty blonde curls. "You didn't have to...to...con...come on let's finish our walk. Okay?" I turn and stare ahead, narrowing my eyelashes, not seeing much but more green tall plants, advancing down the empty aisle of two rows of cotton bolls.

Lamis slowly moves and separates the stems from a queen-sized body, without harming the leaves of the plants with a stern face. "What was the answer to the organism question? Organisms can convert nitrogen-containing organic molecules into nitrates. What is that?"

I fling away the annoying leaves and stems from my pleasure walk with a smile and a nod. "Decomposer is bacteria. Only bacteria can covert nitrogen-containing organic molecules into ammonia. Ammonia, which is a form of nitrogen-containing molecule, is subsequently converted to nitrate that plants can use to synthesize new organic compounds with nitrifying bacteria..."

Lamis stops and stands, turning with an open mouth, staring at the nose profile of Ketona. "Did you get that one right plus the first question?"

I gasp and then frown. "Naw, no, I missed it like you, too."

Lamis turns and advances down the row and stares at each plant for a white cotton boll. "O. I missed that science question with zero percent. I thought I had answered the math question correctly. Ten discs sell at $3.00. So, 50 times $3.00 is $150.00. Then, $150.00 minus $230.00 is $80.00. When you divide $5.00 by $80.00, you get 16 discs. So, 50 discs minus 16 discs are 34 discs that were sold at $5.00..."

I stop and stand, turning with a confused brow to see her nose profile. "Naw, the answer is ten. If each musical disc costs $3.00, then $3.00 times 50 sold musical discs equals $150.00. The remaining $80 of the $230.00 would be the extra $2.00, coming from the $5.00 musical disc total sell cost. Therefore, 40 musical discs were sold at $5.00. So, the last 10 musical discs, not identified were sold at the cost of $3.00. The mathematical solution is ten musical discs," smiling.

Lamis drops open a mouth with a frown of confusion. "Did you get that one correct, also? That's three answers, correctly."

I turn and stare with a stern face down at the dirt, "Ah naw, no, nope." I shake my curls and move slightly ahead of Lamis, not showing my fibbing facial features of ugliness. "Naw, I missed it. I promise you. I missed it, also. I have just been thinking about the questions like you, especially, when I miss 'em. Then I have just now figured it out inside my mind, too. I wished the me-chee host gave us more than fifteen seconds to answer each question."

She exhales with a puff of worry and turns, slowly pacing ahead, staring down at the dirt, too, "Me, too."

Someone screams in the far distance.

I stop and stand, turning to the side, narrowing my eyeballs at the huddled teens. They have gathered inside a particular cotton row, three rows over from Ketona. I frown. "I guess, they found..."

Lamis stops and stands, turning with a gasp, pointing at the object in the distance. "The teen girl fainted," she looks up with a worried brow to see the skyline and back to see the hair roots of Ketona. "Both the sizzling heat of the temperature day and Citizenship Day are getting to me, too."

I turn and move ahead with a stern face down the rest of the cotton row. I am secretly eager to complete the red color tone run and reach Buffo. "We...you're doing great, Lamis. This respite will relax our minds for the next round of posed academic questions." I lift both arms over my hair roots and avoid the plant leaves with a smile. "We're almost there or here. Let's hurry up and find 'the thing' that we're supposed to do here inside a big, wide cotton field and be gone, girlfriend. So we both move into the green color tone and then the blue one." I lead and fling the annoying stems away from my body and stop, standing in place. I turn and lean over into the plant, struggling with the inner leaves and twisted stems, picking out the three objects and bring it up and next to my smile. "I found a white fluffy ball. Yeah! Can we go back now?"

Lamis stops and stares with a sad face at the soil with tears inside each eyeball. "I haven't found one."

I reach out and extend one of the three cotton bolls to her with a smile. "Take one of mine, please!" I am most anxious to return back into the Cubby Hole and then drop down and on top of Duchie, literally.

Lamis back steps with a stern face. "I can't. I must retrieve a cotton boll with my hands. This is the purpose of the cat suit. It is an electromagnetic field that picks up our body temperature and our body reactions to chemicals, minerals, and matter like a single cotton ball."

"O, okay. I learned something new today. I'll help look for you a cotton ball too. Then we leave and go back into the Cubby Hole." I turn and move down the row of plants, searching for another cotton boll for Lamis. I am still most eager to leave and find Buffo. I move slowly and slap away the branches from a chest and a face with a growl of pain, reaching down and touch the red swollen patch on top of my hand.

Lamis leans down into the plant and rips at the leaves, picking at the object, lifting it with a smile to see Ketona. "I found two cotton bolls..."

"My hand itches..."

Lamis turns and stares down with a stern face at the red rash on the hand of Ketona. "You're allergic to the white tissue of the cotton boll which comes from the cotton seed. The white flower causes a reaction to the skin, when folks are allergic like you. You have inflamed skin looking like a rash, except the rash could spread to other body parts..."

"No," I fling the cotton bolls with a gasp from both arms. It lands on top of the plant. "What do I do? My hand itches and burns like fire," I reach down and scratch my hands.

Lamis exhales with a puff of annoyance and collects the cotton bolls on top of plant. "I know. First, we gotta walk away from the cotton field, holding the cotton bolls. Okay. So, bend your arm. I'm going to tuck the two bolls into the crook of your arm, inside your elbow. Your rash only covers your hands, because the cat suit protects the rest of your body."

"Okay. Wait!" I exhale with worry. "You can touch my cotton bolls. Remember?"

She frowns, "O yeah. Okay, I know. I will fling the plant stem like a sling shot toward my chest and then release it. Then all three cotton bolls will fly toward you. Then you stand in front of the sling shot and catch all of the bolls or just one. You only need one cotton boll."

I exhale with panic. "Okay, yeah, alright, I will stand here. You fling the plant stem. I can catch with my elbows, not my hands." I turn and lean into the plant where the cat suit protects my body with a sigh of nervousness. "Okay, I'm ready. Fling it to me!"

Lamis reaches out and grabs the plant branch that holds the three cotton bolls, pulling back the stem with a stern face and releases it. The three cotton bolls soar through the air and splits into two groups. A single cotton boll hits the plant beside the arm of Ketona. The other two cotton bolls land inside the crouch of her two elbows.

I exhale with a puff of relief and smile down at the two cotton bolls. "A perfect shot! Thanks, Lamis!" I carefully spin around and hold the two precious cotton bolls inside the crooked elbow for fear of not getting out of the red room of mirrors and trapped here foreverly.

Lamis spins around with a smile and moves back down the same aisle on the same cotton row. "Let's walk back into the room, toting our treasure and on the way back into the Cubby Hole. I will collect some of the plant leaves. The oil will reduce the inflammation in both your hands from the allergic reaction of the cotton bolls." She reaches out and picks a handful of plant leaves with a smile, slipping a hand to Ketona, extending the leaves. "Here's a patch of leaves. Use your other hand and gently rub the oil from leaves all over your stationary hand while you walk. You'll be okay. I promise, Ketona."

I reach over and grab the handful of leaves, slowly moving back to the room of mirrors, gently rubbing the plant leaves over the stationary hand, holding the two cotton bolls inside the crook of my elbow.

Lamis reaches over and pulls off plant leaves and hands to Ketona.

The red rash starts to disappear with only the itchy feeling remaining. I drop the wrinkled plant leaves and reach over, grabbing the next handful of fresh leaves, gently rubbing over other hand without moving the arm, which is very difficult.

They exit each cotton row and move toward the room of mirrors

03:21 pm

Red colored room of mirrors

I enter and stop, standing beside her me-chee chair, flinging out an arm into the wall. The two cotton bolls fly and drop down, rolling over the dirty floor with the soft breeze. I smile with a giggle. "My rash is gone. And I'm gone too. Bye-bye, red color tone!"

Lamis tosses both arms of cotton bolls into the air as the items fly over her head and land in silence over the dirty floor.

I lean over and hug her, pulling back with a smile. "Thank you, Lamis. You are very, very smart. I wouldn't have figured out the cure for my rash or the thing with the cotton bolls. I wish you the best of luck in the rest of the color tones. I'll see you inside the gold circle. Okay? Well, I'm definitely ready for the next round of academic questions compared to this country hoe down dance," I run ahead toward the metal chair of my me-chee chair. Lamis stands upright from the me-chee chair with a yell. I stop and spin around with a gasp to see her.

Lamis rubs the fanny with a gasp of shock. "The cotton bolls are not 'the thing.' It's the wrong thing.

I march forward with a grunt and a growl toward Lamis. "I don't wanna go back into that field of balls and plants. So what is 'the thing' then? I really wanna leave from here this moment for the..."

Lamis frowns and bursts into tears, lowering a face into both hands, standing beside her me-chee chair. "Don't know. I really don't know. I'm sorry. I don't know. But I do not know that I'm going to be stuck here inside the red color tone with you forever. This is our destiny, if we can't figure out 'the thing' before Citizenship Day ends like Rincon told."

"Naw, you will not be stuck here and me, either." I exhale with a puff of disappointment to see the floor, leaning over and hug Lamis with a sad face. "It's okay. We'll figure it out, together. Okay?" I look up and scan the room. It is half-empty with a small amount of the me-chee chairs. "Some of the teens have figured it out and some have not. Look, let's walk back down another cotton row and see what we can find."

Lamis holds a face with the tears and sobs and slowly moves ahead toward the open archway of rows of green plants.

03:32 pm

Rows of cotton boll plants setting

I exhale with a puff of disappointment and slowly pace, feeling too much defeat on Citizenship Day. I understand, now. Some of the teens want to stay put inside the current color tone, accepting their fate, without the fight.

However, I am not one of those teens and neither is Lamis or Buffo.

I release Lamis and lead out the opening, swiftly moving toward the cotton rows, not waiting on her. I slowly fling the annoying long stems of the cotton plants away from a body with determination of leaving the red color room of mirrors.

Now, I understand. This is more a psychology game rather than an IQ test. You are required to overcome your deep desire to give up and stay put inside the current color tone by answering the easiest academic question only. The easiest question is the name of the current color of the me-chee host.

I shake my curls and the plant leaves from a face with an angry brow and a whisper. "I am not giving up. I am reaching Buffo and beating up Duchie, a twofer."

Lamis paces behind Ketona down a parallel row of cotton.

I halt with a gasp and a scream and back step, tossing both arms into the air with fright. "Spider, spider, spider..."

Lamis moves down the row with a grin and a giggle and stops next to the row with Ketona, leaning over the top of the plants with a smile. "That's a banana spider. Spiders are used as natural pesticides, eating the nasty boll weevils that eat and fed off the precious cotton seeds. The spiders are one of Mother Nature's best friends to us. They're called banana spiders, because of the yellow bodies with a slender vertical frame, not rounded like the regular spider. The female spider is the largest non-tarantula-like spider here inside our township of Albend. She is a good size too about three inches long with a set of yellow spots of orange mixed into her yellow silk slender body," she points at the spider, not scaring the insect. "Banana spiders are really wonderful creatures. Actually, they are shy and harmless to us. If bitten, it feels like a pinch and then some redness, kinda like a bee sting. I got plenty of them, too. See, the big spider web? That sucker is about three feet wide between the rows of plants, catching the flight paths of other insects..."

"And me," I growl.

She giggles. "Naw, Ketona. The web possesses a golden tint like the bright sunlight acting as camouflage from the poor flying insects. Then zap, it is stuck and caught. The banana spider web is specifically woven at body chest level of a person, sometimes higher for capturing mosquitoes, grasshoppers, stinkbugs, bees, butterflies, flies, moths, wasps, beetles, and dragonflies. However, banana spiders are afraid of cockroaches, since the cockroach is fast moving and large..."

I exhale with a puff of annoyance, "Me, too. Look, all your datum is cool, Lamis." I back step with a pant of fright and halt a safe distance from the spider softly clapping with a nod. "Okay. You said it first as the really smart one, Lamis. The spider is shy and won't attack and bite us like a snake. So, this is the thing that we gotta do."

Lamis frowns at the spider and back to see Ketona. "The thing to do, what are we going to do here between the empty spaces of the two cotton rows?"

I point the spider with a smile and a nod. "You and I going to move the dang spider from its web or present home base, not destroy the spider web..."

"How are we going to do that, Ketona?"

I exhale with a puff of frustration, thinking of a solution as I am anxious to leave the red color tone. I turn and break off the thick stem from the green colored cotton plant and lift, waving the short branch of leave around a face. "We just kinda scoot our new friend to the side, out of the way of our bodies..."

She gasps. "Are you suggesting that we run through the existing web? Naw, you're crazy, Ketona."

I exhale with a puff of annoyance. "So, tell me! What is the thing to do here inside a cotton field? Eat lunch?"

Lamis turns and scans each cotton row with a worried brow. "I see some of the other teens, huddling in certain spots. I guess that they have run upon another banana spider too. This is their home. They would be living everywhere here too."

I exhale with a puff of fright and stare at the spider web. "Look, we brush Ms. Spider to the side of her home. Then we gently split the web between the two parallel rows of cotton plants. Obviously, her web is an obstacle for us to continue the foot pathway. That's it. We are done. Then we run back, scooting back into our me-chee chairs, dropping back down into the floor and then emerge into the Cubby Hole. I really wanna leave here, now."

Lamis exhales with a puff of fright and shakes her curls. "I have to agree with you, Ketona. I don't see what the other thing would be. But there is only one spider and two of us. That's means only one of us can return back into the Cubby Hole."

"Naw, no, I disagree." I snap the fingers with a smile. "Okay. I...you can brush Ms. Spider away from the center of her web, since she's sleeping or sun bathing in the heated air, in the middle of that big wide spun web. Then I will gently tear the web down the middle." I lift both hands with the stem of leaves with a smile and a nod. "How is that action plan for getting us both back into the Cubby Hole?"

Lamis exhales with a puff of worry and looks down to see the dirt and then back to see Ketona. "It sounds good, coming from your words, Ketona."

I hand the broken branch to Lamis and lean over, ripping off another one to tear the spider web down the center.

"I am not going to harm or kill Ms. Spider, only scoot her toward the center of the thick leaves. She can hide from us. Banana spiders are harmless and friendly." Lamis exhales with a puff of worry and leans over, parting the cotton plants, shuffling into the same cotton row with Ketona.

I stand behind her back spine and drop the branch of leaves with a pair of sweaty hands and a fluttering stomach. This red color tone is scary and dangerous. I don't want to get bit, even if it doesn't really hurt.

She slowly advances to the spider inside her web and stops, reaching out and flings the plant leaves back and forth, brushing at the spider. The spider shivers and then rapidly crawls backward from the center of the web. Lamis extends an arm as far as she can without coming into contact with the silky weave of the web. She gently swishes the plant leaves at the spider again. The spider shivers and then rapidly occupies the center position again. Lamis giggles. "She thinks the plant leaves are some big flying mosquitoes."

I exhale with a puff of worry and bite my lips, rubbing both hands with fear and anticipation with the plant leaves. "Okay. Shift the leaves toward the edge of her web. Let her think the big green fly is smarter," giggling.

Lamis shuffles an arm toward the edge of the web. The spider shivers and then rapidly crawls toward the shaking plant leaves. She smiles with a giggle. "It works. She's moving toward the leaves like a big bug for dinnertime."

"Toss the leaves into the web for her delight and our safety."

"Okay," Lamis tosses the broken leaves and stem near the edge of the spider web, slowly back stepping from the empty spun spider web that glitters in the bright sunlight like diamonds.

I exhale with a puff of fear and rub both hands with sweat down my cat suit. "Okay." I break a thick stem from the one of the cotton plants and move forward, exhaling and inhaling with fear, trying to control my flight emotion. I rip each leaf from the thick stem, exposing only the naked branch, ripping a pointy sharp at the end point like an arrow tip. I growl then grunt, raising both arms into the air with the man-made arrow tip and drop both arms, connecting down at the top of the pretty glittering yellow colored spun web. The short branch with the man-made arrow tip hits the top weave and sticks permanently. I grunt with annoyance and jerk the stem back from the spider web. The short branch doesn't move, but the spider web shakes violently. "Ugh! My homemade weapon is permanently stuck inside the dang web," I tug and jerk on the naked branch out from the spider web. "The web is extremely sticky and wet."

Lamis back steps from Ketona with a grin and points at the intact and gleaming yellow tinted spider web. "Did you know that the banana spider web has been tested and found to be stronger than steel, by a factor of six?"

"What?" I swing a worried brow to see Lamis, since my body is hugging the sticky spider web as I am short. I yank a body and pull away back from the spider web, releasing the stuck branch with a gasp and a worried brow. "I'm can't move. I'm stuck. Where's the dang spider?"

Lamis laughs. "She's long gone, honey! You're like that overgrown cockroach that they all fear and run from. I told you that the banana spiders are shy."

"I cannot break free from the spider web. Yuck! The silky fibers are surrounding both my hands, feeling creepy and crawly. They're all over my hands." I fling both hands in the air, but the yellow threads stick like glue. I grunt then groan and then growl.

Lamis giggles. "Don't worry about it. The spider web doesn't bite ya."

"Stop spouting facts! Get it off of me, now. Get the web off my hands and face. It feels both creepy and silky, too."

Lamis back pedals from Ketona with a giggle and a grin without assisting to help. "Scientists have tried to spin the silk into thread but failed. Along the ocean seacoast, fishermen roll up a set of numerous banana spider webs into a ball and toss it into the water, catching bait for fishing. Some of the coastal natives eat the pregnant females."

I scan the spider web with a gasp of fear. "The spider's pregnant. Are her eggs inside the web, too? I cannot get the webbing off of me." I fling both hands into the air with a set of golden threads that prettily wave in the bright sunlight too.

Lamis smiles with a laugh, "Naw, Ms. Spider ain't pregnant. At least, I don't think so. But on the other hand, I won't know a pregnant spider from a daddy spider. Anyways, the coastal natives eat the pregnant females as protein, either raw or roasted. Sometimes, the guts are mixed with potatoes too, but kinda sticky."

"Hush it, Lamis. Help me here. I can't get free from the sticky web." I run backward from the spider web with a scream in panic and fear. The web follows Ketona backwards too. "Get off. Get this thing off of me." I continue to run backward with a scream. The spider web clings to Ketona and outstretches with backward motion too. I run backward faster as the web continues to cling to both hands and a chin with a scream of fear and panic.

Lamis spins around and runs toward the end of the row with a giggle and a yell. "Keep running, Ketona. The web will stretch and then snap all the sticky and gluey spider fibers from your hands. You will be freed. I promise."

I run backwards in blindness with a scream of fear and slam into an upright solid object of muscles.

A pair of hands curves around her waist, stopping Ketona inside the space of the two cotton rows. He leans down with a smile and a whisper into her eardrum. "Calm, honey! You're safe. I'm here."

I exhale with a puff of pant and sobs of tears in both eyelashes. "The spider web is stuck on me. I can't get away from it..."

She lowers down the burning cigar with the good smelling fumes onto the array of the outstretched glittering yellow tinted thread fibers of the spider web, clinging to both the hands and the cheekbones of Ketona. The cigar fire burns and cinders all the spider web threads, immediately. The taunt spider web falls down from the body of Ketona.

I slam into his chest from the sudden release and a heavy jolt.

He grins with a chuckle, "Captured you, again, darling!"

Nephella stands behind short Rincon with a smile and a laugh. "That's a wicked thing for any particular park place. I don't like spiders or spider webs, either," she turns and winks with a wicked grin at Lamis.

I swing around with smile to see his grin, "Rincon, how? What are you doing here? I mean, thank you! I..."

He smiles. "I'm here. You're safe. Back up, sugar! Let's clean your pretty face of the dangling spider fibers." He lifts both her arms over her skull, winking at Ketona. Then he lowers both arms and reaches over, grabbing and pulls two handfuls of cotton plant leaves with a smile. "The oil from the plant leaves will act like a bar of soap, washing off the silky threads of the banana spider web fibers from your cute self." He squats with a chuckle and rubs the handful of green leaves, starting at her boot toe, climbing up to her kneecaps, then her waist, then her rib cage, then her breasts, then her neck, then her face.

I giggle and wiggle side to side, surveying Rincon, playing with my body parts.

He stands and stops at her face with a smile and a wink. "See? All the yellow fibers are falling away from your beautiful skin tone of glowing pale." He drops the used leaves and reaches over, pulling a fresh batch of plants and swing around, gently cleaning her chin. Then he leans down and kisses her chin. He gently cleans her lips and then kisses her lips. He gently cleans her nose then kisses her nose. She giggles with delight. He gently cleans her right cheekbone then kisses that cheekbone, pulling back with a grin and a wink. She giggles. He gently cleans her left cheekbone then leans down, kissing that cheekbone, pulling back with wink. "Close your eyes." He cleans her eyelashes, her eyebrows, her forehead, leaning down, tenderly kissing her forehead and pulls back with a smile. "Okay, I'm almost done. You can open your pretty eyes." She opens her eyelashes to see his smile. He stands almost on top of her toes, sweet breathing into her face. "The cat suit doesn't allow the web fibers or anything to stick to the electrons. The spider web only attached to your nakedness of the exposed hands, and face parts."

I exhale with a puff of relieve and love, bathing in the loose leaves with a smile. "Thank you."

Rincon tosses down the used leaves onto the dirt and reaches over, pulling off a fresh patch of new ones. He lifts the leaves and cleans her right arm, tickling her underarm. Ketona drops her arm down to the side with a giggle. He reaches out and touches her hand, cleaning between the fingers.

I smile. "You're really smart, too, Rincon. Thanks for coming to my rescue. I feel the sticky web fibers dissolve away, leaving a sorta oily touch."

Rincon rubs up her left arm, tickling her armpit. She drops the arm with a giggle. He cleans each finger on the other hand with a smile. "Banana spider webs have been used in regenerating the body immune system and have antibacterial properties, too. That means, you won't get sick ever and will remain perfectly pretty for the rest of our days together." He leans over and kisses her lips, pulling back with a wink and a grin.

I turn a shade of pinky blush on both cheekbones with a smile and a giggle of his romantic affection. "I'm so glad to see all of ya'll. Why are both of you here inside the red color tone? I thought you all would be celebrating your victory dance inside the gold circle by now."

Rincon tosses the plant leaves down to the dirt and wiped both hands from the oil over his face, leaning over and cuddles Ketona, twisting them toward the grove of shade trees. "I..."

"We..." Nephella lifts and flicks the burning cigar near the face of Lamis with a smile. Lamis side steps with a sour frown from the tall girl and the firing flame. Nephella grins with a nod to Ketona. "We both noticed that ya'll were missing inside the blue color tone. Is Duchie here, too? Have you seen her by chance, also?" She turns with a puzzled brow, scans the cotton rows, and surveys the teens. The other teens run through the rows of cotton plants with sounds of giggles and laughter.

I stop and stand underneath the clump of shade trees with a gasp, sitting down beside Rincon over the smooth grass with a puzzled brow to see each teen. "But you answered the questions correctly inside the green color tone. I saw Marsilla turn blue within her me-chee chair. Then I saw that Rincon was missing, too."

Rincon hugs Ketona with a smile and a nod. "I passed with hundred percent on each four academic questions, landing first before Marsilla inside the blue color tone. She was not happy girl. I think she's got some kind of cat scratch fever. Anyways, I was correct. The blue color tone contained puppies, then the puppies..."

I toss both arms in the air with a confused brow. "Wait. Hold up. I'm totally confused and totally appreciative of your rescue. But you, both are missing as the first and second me-chee chairs inside the gold color tone. This is your dream jobs inside our hometown of Colfax. Marsilla is there first, so she wins getting her pick of her dream job."

"Naw," Nephella shakes her curls and as her body piercing twist to the side. She sits next to Ketona and holds the single cotton boll with a free hand, lighting it with the burning cigar, watching it burn into a puff of black smoke and gray ashes then laughs. Lamis shifts over away from the mean girl with a sour frown in silence. Nephella giggles with a smile at the burning cotton boll. "It actually doesn't work like that. I mean Marsilla doesn't win alone. There are five dream jobs within the golden circle which has been designated by my mom, the mayor of Colfax. So there are five teens that can take possession of the five dream jobs by answering the single difficult question."

I gasp with a smile. "So every teen can qualify for their dream job."

Lamis frowns. "We have discussed this already. There are five dream jobs. But you must answer the single golden color tone question to be awarded your dream job which I plan to do."

I gasp with shock. "I don't understand. Why did you fail the two questions and then come back into the red color tone?"

Rincon cuddles Ketona with a smile, "For you!"

I gasp with shock, "For me?"

Lamis frowns. "If you had failed the two academic questions, dropping back down into the red color tone, then you have taken a big chance that you won't make it into the golden color tone for your dream job?"

Rincon chuckles, "Naw, I'll make it into the golden circle along with my girl," he leans over and kisses the cheekbone of Ketona, pulling back with a wink and a grin.

I giggle with a nod. "Okay. Ya'll come back for us. Thank you, very much. Second question, how did you come back? You would have had to return into the Cubby Hole, then would have had failed the questions within the blue color tone. Then you would have had dropped back down into the green color tone and done 'the thing' again. Then you would have had returned back into the Cubby Hole and then would have failed the new questions within the green color tone. Then you would have had landed back inside the red room of mirrors along with the crowded me-chee chairs. But how can you do all this? I thought all the teens within the current park place had to leave the room of mirrors, together, all at the same time. Then the same group of teens entered the Cubby Hole for the next round of academic questions. So how did you fake out the Cubby Hole?"

Nephella reaches out and grabs, burning a second cotton boll from a collected pile of white balls for fun with an evil laugh and a wicked smile. "We didn't fake out the Cubby Hole. Believe me! You can't fake or fudge with the Cubby Hole, simply because of the cat suits. We, the cat suits, and Cubby Hole event are both entwined and interrelated, kinda like your blood proteins. You need blood, air, and water to live and breathe like the three items during Citizenship Day.

"Ketona is partially correct. A teen can slide back into her me-chee chair, after doing her thing within the current park place. Then her and her me-chee chair soars back down or up into the Cubby Hole for the next round of academic questions for the next color tone. However, the teen could be the only me-chee chair inside the Cubby Hole. The Cubby Hole is a computer, sorta, zapping the teens back and forth inside the wind tunnel all over a geographical hot spot over the planet. So one single teen could if academically driven with a single-handedly advancement purpose, going through each color tone and then finally into the golden circle first, after properly answering all the academic questions with a passing score of 75, of course. If not, the teen is stuck inside the current or the previous color tone."

I nod with a sour frown. "This is not an IQ game. This is a psychology game."

Rincon frowns with worry. "The Cubby Hole is more than a psychology game. The game is designed to entrap both your mind and your body with paralyzing fear. The first me-chee chair to land inside the park place is modeled after the teen's fear which is tested by every single teen. After the fear question is used up within one of the park places, if the same me-chee chair and teen land inside a new park place, then the park place is designed after the teen's love question. That's make good sense. Exception, we are discovering that the nice love event is laced with fear elements, too.

"Inside the green color tone, Marsilla landed first, again. She had used her fear factor inside the red color tone, the cliff jumping event. However, almost all the teens enjoyed that particular sport of jumping off the limestone rock but her. Then inside the green color tone, she loved flowers. However, both the flowers and teens were attacked by flying bees, stinging some of the unlucky teens. I used my fear factor within the orange park place of ants. However, inside the blue color tone, my love of puppies turned into a tiny pack of howling and vicious wolf puppies that run from the forest woodlands after each teen." He exhales. "Do you see now? Each color tone is getting more complex and complicated as you advance up the color chart."

Lamis flips a hand with a smile. "But we're almost finished here, so no more fear elements. But we gotta go through a second green color tone and then a blue color tone. That's it and easy," giggling.

I look down with a gasp to see Rincon. "Your hands are cut and bleeding."

He lifted both wounded hands into the air with a sour frown. "They're small cuts and healing. I slapped one of the biting and growling wolf puppies from another teen."

I gasp. "So that explains why the color tones below us keep changing their park place theme from the original one. When a teen fails, the teen modifies the park place, based on their particular fear or love answer which comes from the submitted app for Citizenship Day."

Nephella holds another burning cotton boll with a smile. The boll fires into a pile of gray ashes and drifts away into the sunlight. "Absoultootly correct, Ketona. The Cubby Hole is both might and fright which is wrapped around a single me-chee chair for each teen, except for the mostest dead pan seriously minded teens, who can overcome the fear within a mind and a body, like us. The IQ questions test you mind. These themed park places test your body. So, there are only five dream jobs for only five teens.

"Some of the teens are happy, living and working in Dookie Town or Albend or Montag, so they answer the right proportion of questions, then they stay put inside their particular color tone. Once Citizenship Day ends, each teen is assigned a job within their current tone color. However, based on our new experimental information, a teen can surf forward or backward numerous times, also. I'm the mayor's daughter. I'm expected to advance into the golden circle, but I'm going to have some more fun, before I finally end up there. I will. I do. I am performing for my mama, too."

I look up with a puzzled brow and back down to see Nephella. "So you and Rincon did your thing with his love answer of real vicious wolf puppies and then dropped back down into the green color tone. I thought the first me-chee chair modified the current park place..."

Rincon laughs. "It absolutootly does. Nephella beat me by 3.2 seconds, landing her me-chee chair first inside the green room of mirrors. Then the dang rain and bright lightning storm started, again." The sky rumbles in far distance of thunder. The clouds turned black.

I stand upright with a gasp and run away from the grove of shade trees, dropping open a mouth and stop, standing in the open dirt. Lightning is attracted to trees. I turn and scan the other teens inside the cotton rows of plants and white bolls. "Nephella has modified the park place from the original pretty and nice bright sunny skies into an array of angry purple clouds of approaching rain storm. Some of the teens haven't gathered the cotton bolls for the first red color tone park place."

Nephella stops and stands next to Ketona with a nod, flicking the cigar ashes, staring at the teens, too. "Yes, you are correct, Ketona. You did. But those teens that are out there playing around the cotton fields must gather both the cotton bolls plus get wet from the thunderstorm, before they can..."

Lamis stops and stand next to Nephella with a sour frown and a growl. "We gotta get wet, again, with the new park place change. Why did you come here, Nephella?"

Nephella stand and turns with a smirk to see the hair roots of shorter Lamis. "For fun, my fun and your fun..."

Rincon stands and cuddles Ketona, staring at the teens with a stern face. "This is both an IQ and psychology game. We are done here," he reached down and grabs Ketona by the hand with a smile. The rain pours down with the series of loud thunder and a set of white lightning strikes.

Nephella turns and runs through the rain, getting wet for the requirement of meeting her second trip back down into the red color tone, dashing toward the room of mirrors. Lamis is following behind the back spine of Nephella, getting wet for the requirement to enter her me-chee chair.

Rincon squeezes Ketona by the hand with a smile and wink in the rainstorm. "It is time to plot our bodies toward the golden circle for our dream jobs, darling."

They turn and dash through the rain storm toward the room of mirrors.

Rincon and I slide over the wet floor inside the red colored room of mirrors, hugging with smiles and giggle into each other's face. They separate and fling wet droplets from the hair roots and the face, meeting the new thing to fly back up into the Cubby Hole. They move head toward the rear of the room where their individual me-chee chairs landed later.

I stop and stand, staring down with a puzzled brow at the me-chee chair of Lamis, sitting two rows before mine. Lamis and I were the only the two teens of our friends that were left behind inside the red color tone, until Rincon and Nephella came to the rescue like a pair of good friends.

Lamis stops and stands in front of Ketona, swinging around to see her with a sad face. "I have a confession to make, Ketona. I dropped down before you from the Cubby Hole, not realizing that my me-chee chair was gonna land first inside the red color tone, again. I really thought that I had gotten three out of the four questions correct for the seventy five percent passing value. However, when I emerged into the red colored room of mirrors, I was the first me-chee chair."

I reach over and slap her collar bone with a nod. "Congrats! You're the first one here," then I exhale with a puff of confusion and look up to see the ceiling, the floor, and finally the archway opening. "I don't understand. You were not afraid of the cotton plants or the cotton bolls or the spiders, either."

Lamis slaps a mouth of giggles. "I am not afraid of spiders. I'm afraid of spider webs like you experienced with the sticky netting. Feeling or touching the netting freaks me out! Thanks, Ketona! You're a good friend to me. I couldn't have done what you did touching the spider web..."

Nephella stops and stands beside the nose profile of Lamis, reaching out then slaps the collar bone of Ketona with a sneer, "Congrats, too! For working the team for the cause, my new wicked girlfriend."

Rincon reaches out and shoves Nephella from Lamis with a sneer. "Enough love taps, ladies. We work great as a team. So, we'll work great as friends and neighbors, living within Colfax, our home. Let's go and get Marsilla! Since she is all alone inside the golden color tone," he reaches down and grabs Ketona by the hand with a smile, moving ahead to her me-chee, stopping and swings around. He leans over and kisses her, pulling back with a smile and a nod. "I will see you on the other side, love." Ketona giggles with a nod. He spins around and dashes toward the rear of the room, where his me-chee chair rests.

I turn to see my me-chee, patting the metal with a smile.

Nephella moves ahead and stops, standing in place and reaches out, slapping Ketona on the collar bone, standing taller than the petite girl with a grin. "I don't believe the city of Colfax allows two wedded husbands that I know of..."

"What?" I turn with a gasp to see Nephella.

She leans over with a grin and a whisper into the face of Ketona. "You need to pick your beau, now? Rincon's smart, but Buffo's cute. I know why you failed and fell down into the red color tone but that's my secret." She winks. "If you don't want Buffo, I..."

I growl. "Duchie failed and fell down into the orange color tone."

Nephella stood upright and drops open and closes a mouth with a nod and a stern face. "I see more clearly. Go and get your man, honey, from the dookie girl!" She turns and stares at the dead cigar with a sign. "The rain ruins the smell." She turns and leaves Ketona, moving to the mirror toward her me-chee, pitching the cigar into the wall.

I exhale with a puff of frustration and stare into the mirror. I have a decision to make now.

Rincon has disappeared from the red colored room of mirrors.

Buffo is trapped inside the orange room.

I slowly slide into my me-chee chair, without any stinging pain, but dripping wet hair. The fabric cloth wraps about my body. Then the floor opens. The me-chee chair drops down into the darkness. I barely scream, traveling through the darkness, pondering my new boyfriend status.

04:04 pm

Cubby Hole auditorium setting

Green colored walls, floor, ceiling, and me-chee machine

My me-chee chair rises into the red colored room in the same spot with a heavy jolt like always. I see the red shield me-chee chairs of Lamis, Nephella, and Rincon.

There are only four me-chee chairs and four teens inside the glowing green wall, missing the other three hundred other teens.

The me-chee machine does not waste his time or the teen time and stands underneath the color chart, listing both arms.

This the first sign of the next set of academic questions for the next color tone of green.

I wiggle side to side without smiling with a set of mixed feelings. I wanna see Buffo, but I wanna advance with Rincon, too.

The me-chee host says into each me-chee chair. "Welcome back to the Cubby Hole, teens! I hope you have enjoyed your fun in the sun. There is more fun to have inside the rest of the color tones. Please, sit back and relax into your assigned me-chee chair."

The red shielding shimmers around each teen inside each me-chee chair.

The me-chee host says. "Close your eyelids. I will present the next series of academic questions for your individual answers. The time limit is fifteen seconds for each posed question. To remind each schooler again for clarity of a proper verbal response, please state my answer is...then your vocal response. If you answer three-fourths or more of the academic questions correctly, then you will advance into the next color of green. If you answer one-fourth or less, then you will remain stationary inside the color tone of red. If you incorrectly answer two-fourths of the academic questions, then you will slip back down into the color of orange. The first question, what is the color tone of the me-chee host inside the Cubby Hole, presently?"

I exhale with a puff of frustration and wiggle in nervousness and indecision.

Rincon is cute and gentlemanly.

Buffo is cute and gentlemanly, too.

Rincon is sweet and tender.

Buffo is sweet and tender, too.

I exhale with a puff of frustration. "My answer is...green."

The me-chee host asks the second question into each me-chee chair. "A starship orbits the planet, moving in a circle, experiencing a gravitational force in relationship to the planet. If the starship reduces its thrusters and then slides down into a new orbit of a smaller radius, how does the gravitational force and speed affect the starship?"

I exhale with a puff of indecision. "My answer is...not affected."

Rincon kisses, good.

Buffo kisses, good, too.

Rincon is advancing into the golden circle.

Buffo is advancing into the golden circle, too.

The me-chee host asks the third question. "The first of the year 2160, the world is populated at 2.6 billion. Assuming a growth rate of three percent, the population of the world in billions for Z years after 2160, what is the population equation? Do not calculate the answer for the word problem."

I exhale with a puff of love. "My answer is...P plus Z."

Rincon loves me.

Buffo loves me, too.

The me-chee host asks the fourth question into each me-chee chair. "A circle has a circumference of sixteen feet. What is the radius of the circle, in feet?"

I smile. "My answer is...nine." M me-chee chair turns bright orange colors. The fabrics wrap around my body. Then my me-chee chair dumps down into the dark tunnel. I scream with excitement and happiness.

04:10 pm

Orange colored room of mirrors

I sail up from the dark tunnel and emerge into the orange colored room of mirrors, wiggling side to side with excitement, going to seek and search for Buffo. I have missed him, so much. I love him, so much more. I chose him, forever.

The chair jolts to a stop and releases Ketona.

I scoot and stand upright from the chair, galloping between the group of me-chee chairs and toward the solid orange wall, slapping it silly. The opening reveals a plot of yellow tinted dirt and a range of high and tall brown colored rock boulders. I slowly moved over the dirt, stirring up a set of tiny dusters, coming from my boot prints.

The skyline is blue, melting down into the high rows of brown boulders. The air is dry. I feel immediately thirst for a glass of cold ice cubed water. I touch my throat, turning to the left, slowly strolling over the yellow dirt. I scoot around a rock, the size of an eating table for four adults and then veer toward the left again, slowing moving toward the edge of the yellow soil with a gasp of fear.

I stand on top of a mountain side, not a sharp peak, not a flat tabletop, not an inner forest, but lots of yellow dirt and lots of tall and wide non-moving brown colored rock boulders.

I slowly back pedal from the sloping drop, which could land a face onto another pile of rocks of death. I giggle with my silly mental thoughts and slam into the object, swinging around with a gasp. A row of small four-wheeled terrain vehicles could seat two persons with a steering wheel, a tiny fluttering cloth rooftop, and two set of webbing nets for some real yahoo fun.

I reach out and touch, caressing the smooth metal on the rooftop with a smile. A cupped hand slaps the collar bone of Ketona. I spin around with a gasp.

"Ketona, Ketona!" Buffo dashes ahead with a worried brow, coming from the opening of the orange colored room of mirrors and extends both arms. He slides and slaps the collar bone of the unfamiliar teen male, blocking and touching his girl. He grabs the bicep of the male, shoving him into the tree bark. "Ketona," Buffo reaches down and tucks both hands underneath her armpits, lifting and swings her around in circle for fun and love. He completes the circle, bringing her face into his face, leaning over and deeply kisses her lips, holding the pose forever. Then Buffo pulls back with a smile.

I pant and exhale, catching a breath with a smile.

Buffo lowers Ketona down to the yellow dirt, making a set of tiny dust swirls in the air.

I can't stop grinning, giggling between his biceps.

He leans down with a smile and a whisper into her face. "You're here. I was so worried that you fell back down into the yellow color tone. After the academic questions, I didn't see you. I haven't seen you for a few hours, doll. Are you okay, darling? Where have you been, honey?"

I drop open and close a mouth. "I...I..."

"Buffo," the female voice shouts behind the back spine of Buffo. Buffo swings around with a hand wave and a smile. I hide behind his bicep. The female dashes coming from the rock boulder and moves ahead toward Buffo with a smile.

"Duchie," I slide away from the hug of Buffo with a scream and a sneer, tossing both arms into the air.

Duchie slides to a stop and drops open and closes a mouth in silence.

Buffo leans over and hugs Ketona with a nod to his friend. "Duchie's here with us, too. Okay, we need to start our fun," he spins around with Ketona, dragging her by the arm with a smile toward the vehicles. "I guess that we use these terrain vehicles for our next fun adventure."

I trip over my own feet, rushing toward the line of traveling terrain karts ahead of Buffo with a smile, stopping at the passenger side of the vehicle.

All the other teens are loading into numerous karts, a driver starts the engine. When a kart warms, the teen driver zooms off, driving the kart toward the high sloped mountain side.

Buffo runs up behind the back spine of Ketona and stops, standing, lifting the air and sideways into the passage seat, leaning down with a grin, securing the webbing around her body.

I turn with a stern face to see Duchie.

Duchie dances toward a different terrain vehicle, sharing with a different male, not Buffo.

I exhale with a puff of annoyance, "I..."

Buffo back steps from Ketona with a chuckle and turns to the side, dashing around the front bumper of the kart, sliding down into the driver's seat and starts the engine with a smile. He secures his own net webbing around his tallness, turning with a smile and a wink to see Ketona. "I hope this color tone is as fun..."

"Buffo..." I frown with annoyance, "How are you able to have fun within the same color tone? I mean I saw the blue w..." I clear a throat. "Remember? We both peeked inside the yellow tone color, holding and seeing Jara and Hatch."

He drives the kart with a nod and a smile, traveling further up the sloped mountain side, following behind the exhaust pipe of the next kart. "This country is pretty. I like the yellow soil. I've never seen yellow dirt like this before. Someone's dad told the secret to one of the other teens before entering the Citizenship Day. When a teen drops down inside any color tone within the Cubby Hole, the park place changes from the original model into first place teen's bad fear or good fun. So, we all figured out which teen had the least scary fear and bestest fun. Then the teen slid back into the me-chee and returned back into the Cubby Hole for our continued..."

I slam both hands onto the console with a puzzled brow. "Wait! Have you returned back into the Cubby Hole for a second time, Buffo?"

"Yeah," He drives with a smile and a nod, traveling higher up the same yellow dirt slope between the hard, tan-colored rocks, creating an assortment of twisting yellow tornadoes.

I gasp at his nose profile. "And you did not bother to advance into the...the red color tone."

He drives with a laugh and a grin, "Naw. I had to go back into the Cubby Hole and answer the first silly question about the color of the me-chee man, which is always the color of orange. I met the one-fourth question rule, staying inside this park place of orange. I had to take my turn as the first me-chee chair to land inside the orange room again, exposing my nasty fear of..."

"Yeah, I know." I exhale with a growl. "I learned the same me-chee chair method too. The first me-chee chair morphs into the teen's fear. The second time, the same teen falls into a different park place, the love answer is shared with the rest of the teens..."

"Yeah, I had to go back into the Cubby Hole, another time, too."

I gasp with a yell. "I'm been...Stop."

Buffo slows and then halts the kart with a puzzled brow and a gasp at the object in front of the vehicle.

I jump out and pointe at the printed sign with a sour frown. "This is a mountain cougar warning sign, where they live, play, and prey on anything, everything, and me, too. This is crazy, Buffo. We can't invade and interact with any type of wild animals. Cougars attack on people, cows, and dogs, when frightened or hunger..."

He sits inside the kart with a nod and a smile, scanning the new landscape. "A cougar, the mammal is the heaviest cat in the world. The beast is secret and lonely native of the mountain terrain, working both night and daylight hours."

I gasp with a nod and scan the new landscape, "A cat? I love cats. I wrote that down as my love question on my electronic app for Citizenship Day. Unbelievable! The Cubby Hole has twisted my pretty petite cats into a set of long and lean fighting cougars. I failed and fell down into the room first as the only and lonely teen." I gasped. "I changed the park place."

He sits inside the kart with a nod and a smile, scanning the new landscape, "Yeah, the Cubby Hole is totally fun. Get inside the kart, Ketona! There's plenty of food up here for the cats, not us. The hills are full of fat elk. So, we just observe one cougar and then turn around quickly, and zoom back down the mountain, and then back into the room of mirrors. The end! Keep your eyeballs peeled for our cat, too!"

I slide back into the seat of the kart with a worried brow and a worried heat, reaching out and holding onto the front hand railings. "This is all crazy. I have been worried and suffering over you, since the orange color tone. Why haven't you advanced into the red color tone, Buffo? I have been listening to all the academic questions, sweating through the correct answers, and then advancing..."

He drives up the mountain side and drops open and closes a mouth. "You advanced forward into the next color tones without me."

I turn to see his nose profile. "I..."

He drives with a stern face. "I have been waiting for you to show up here inside the orange color tone, Ketona. Man, you've been keeping me waiting for a couple of hours now. I was really worried. Some of the math problems ain't easy. I thought you had failed or something. I thought you were stuck back inside the yellow color tone, failing and falling behind."

I gasp. "I..."

He drives up the slope of the mountain with a smile and nod. "So, I guess you had fun inside the red color tone. Are Rincon and Marsilla with you waiting for me, too? I don't particular enjoy hanging around that new girl Nephella..."

I exhale with a puff of frustration and gritted the teeth, slamming both fists onto the console with a sour frown. "Buffo, why haven't you advanced into the red color tone to join me, Rincon, and Marsilla? Why is Duchie here inside the orange color tone with you?"

He steered the kart and turned, moving away from the other karts, heading into an isolated flat plain with a sigh and sad face. "I've been waiting for our friends."

I shake my curls with a sour frown. "What friends? All of our friends are inside the other color tone, except for Duchie. Why is Duchie here inside the orange color tone with you?"

He drives the kart with a snarl. "Our good friends and neighbors, who are named Jara and Hatch. Remember, Ketona?"

I turn with a gasp to see the console. "O yeah, right, our friends, Jara and Hatch. Yes, of course..."

"Have you forgotten? They're stuck inside the yellow color tone. We saw them there inside the yellow color tone through the orange color tone."

I nodded to the console and looked ahead to see the rocks and skyline. "Yes, I remember. We did. How long are we going to wait for Jara and hatch to show up here inside the orange park place? I mean its late afternoon, already. Citizenship Day ends, eventually."

He drives with a smile. "Naw, not until midnight..."

I turn with a puzzled brow to see his nose profile. "How do you know that strange fact? We were not told..."

He drives with a smile and a nod. "I agree. My BPs didn't tell me, either. Your BPs didn't tell you, neither. Some of the teens tattled about some information. So, we kinda put our heads together and added two and two together and finally figured out how the Cubby Hole really works. It's a game for fun and sport and adventure inside each park place. That's why it's called Citizenship Day. The carefree teens have fun before becoming a serious working citizen of Colfax. The only one single rule to remember for the Cubby Hole, as long as, a teen zooms back and forth between the color tones either failing or passing, then Citizenship Day is and stays active. That way, any teen at anytime can advance into the next color tone and eventually into the golden color tone..."

"What about the single mostest difficult question inside the golden color tone which is asked to every teen? My understanding, the situation occurs when the first teen reaches the golden circle after correctly advancing throughout the color chart, which is Marsilla. Marsilla is there already inside the golden circle." I toss both hands in the air and shake my curls with confusion with a sigh. "No, that is not right, either."

He drives with a gasp. "She is? Huh, I didn't think Marsilla that smartie with her academic questions. That's sorta right, honey. Every teen will end up inside the Cubby Hole for the single mostest difficult academic question within the golden color tone before being granted a particular citizenship into their new township. If the teen answers correctly the single hardest academic question, then the teen picks out their dream job. If the teen answers wrongly, then the teen stays put inside their current color tone, becoming a citizen of the township that is represented by the color chart. So, we all end up in the same place which is back there inside the Cubby Hole. However, the situation will occur when every teen has failed and fallen down into a color tone or every teen has passed into the golden color tone. Not every teen will make it into the golden color tone, so almost all the teens will work and live outside of Colfax but me, you, Rincon, Marsilla, and, Jara, and Hatch..."

I grin with a nod. "Nephella is the mayor's daughter..."

"What?" He drives with a gasp.

"Nephella is the mayor's daughter. She has become a good friend with me and Rincon, too."

He drives with a smile. "Well, if she is a friend of yours, then she is a new friend of mine, too."

I shake my curls with a worried brow. "Buffo, you are...we are taking a wild chance here that no other teen won't pass the three-fourths of the academic questions or might fail to advance into the next color tone..."

He drives with a laugh, "Naw, me and you will tarry towards the golden color tone for the golden job. We'll exit from here the orange color tone, after locating the cougar. Then we'll be gone from here very soonest."

I exhale with a puff of worry, "When?" I sniff the air and cover a nose with both hands with a sour frown.

Buffo slows the kart with a gasp. "What? What do you see?"

I turn and scan the rocks, holding my nose, talking funny. "I don't see anything. I don't hear anything. I smell something like stingy pee-pee. Someone forgot to empty the cat's litter box."

He stops the kart with a smile and a nod. "This is the place, darling." Buffo kills the engine and slide out the seat with a smile, moving ahead toward an assortment of gigantic tan colored piles of rocks, stopping and leans over with a grin to see the rock. "Look at the size of these scratch marks, coming from the cat." He sniffs the air with a cough and a nod, "Poo! This place stinks." He points down to the small pile of scattered green leaves and shredded grass blades with a smile. "This is dried and wet urine. Both items mark the cougar territory, warning off all predators. This is the place for a look see at the cat, honey. A cougar is an excellent stalker and ambush predator, living within the dense underbrush with little vegetation in open area like here." He back steps from the pile of rocks and turns, moving around the other piles of rock with a smile, stopping and squats down, studying the object. "I see a set of four toes. It is four inches of a paw print which is, embedded down into the dried mud. Yeah, this is the place for the cat."

I sit with a worried brow inside the kart, turning to scan the high rocks. The rocks are so wide and tall that they block the hidden caves and part of the blue sky. I exhale with worry. "We should stay inside the kart for our safety and a quick escape, Buffo. Let the cat come to us. Okay? If we had our cellies, we could snap a pic..."

He stands upright with a smile and touches the cat suit. "The cat suit records the body heat of the cougar and our heart rate all at the same time for the participating event within each park place. Or you stay stuck inside the park place, the reason for the cat suit." Buffo swings around with a chuckle and advances to Ketona with a smile, stopping and standing in front of the passenger door and assists her out of the kart.

I stand upright with worried brow and a whisper for my eardrums only, "Yeah, I keep forgetting the reason for the Cubby Hole and my torment, and torture on Citizenship Day."

He shuffles from the kart with Ketona with a chuckle and stops with a smile. "We stand right here and glance at the cat eyes or allow the cat suit to glance the cougar. Then we're done here. Then we go and get back into the room of mirrors, moving through the rest of the color tones and then inside to the golden color tone. I'm so glad you're here with me, darling."

I exhale with a puff of relief and cuddle into his chest. "I'm glad, too."

They stand and cuddle, scanning the blue skyline, the green short shrubs, and the non-moving brown rocks.

He exhales. "Okay, the cats are solitary animals. Only the mom and her kittens live in a group, being active around dawn and dusk. I gotta make some noise," he releases and leaves Ketona alone, scooting ahead toward the grove of short trees and stops, squatting down, looking for some dry branches.

The cougar sits on top of the high rock boulder and smells the girl through the thick green shrubs and grove of slender trees. The girl stands alone in front of the machine. The cougar stands upright on four legs and then sprints into the air and over the edge of the smooth rock boulder, landing on the ground in the dust plume, stirring up a series of yellow swirls.

I gasp with fear at the growling cougar. The cougar looks like an overgrown domestic cat in sandy colors with a pair of pointy black ears. The two front paws are larger proportional to the big hind legs. The skull is round, holding a folding pair of backward ear points for danger. It growls, showing a set of long white teeth and then hisses at Ketona.

Buffo swings around in a squat on top of the boulder, safely away from the hissing cougar. "Stand still. Don't move. Play dead. A cat considers dead prey non-threatening within its senses and then retreats."

The cougar growls at Ketona, coming from the vocal yelling of Buffo.

I stand upright and hold my breath, trying to calm my shaky kneecaps and legs with a tongue tick of a whisper for my eardrums only, blocking out the hissing of the cat. "It can leap as high as, eighteen feet in one bounce and forty five feet horizontally. The hissing cat is about thirty feet from me. The cougar's top running speed is fifty miles per hour but only for short, powerful sprints rather than long chases. It can climb trees and swim in water. Cougars live to be about eight years old. I hope I live for the next eight minutes."

Buffo watches from the boulder, staying alert for any sudden movement from cougar. He doesn't possess any weapons, but the strong tree limb. He updates his mind and the instincts about the growling cat with a whisper for his eardrums only. "The cougar is slender with lean muscles for jumping onto its prey then biting and breaking the neck, penning the prey to the ground for food. It is about six feet long from nose to tail and weighs about 119 pounds which is heavier than Ketona."

The cougar watches Ketona and sniffs its nostrils, slowly stomping one paw forward and then stops. The cat sniffs and then lowers its shoulders.

I gasp with shock.

The white and black furry tiny cougar kitten waddles between the lower legs of her mama. The mother cougar growls and hisses, lowering a body and then covers her baby kitten.

I smile at the tender moment with a whisper. "Female cougars are fiercely protective of their kittens and will fight with a large bear to protect their babies. I'm not a bear, either. The litter size is typically two. This means, she has another baby kitten inside the den behind the tall rocks. The kittens are born blind and dependent upon their mother. They're weaned at three months old. At six months, the kittens hunt with their mother for small prey. The kitten looks about four months old. Awe, so deadly!"

The mother cougar back pedals from Ketona and reached down, grabbing the wandering kitten by its neck. She back pedals further away from Ketona, carrying the baby with it wiggling side to side inside her mouth, staring at the stranger who is too close to their home den.

I back step from the mother cougar that hold her baby kitten. She will not attack Ketona with the babe inside her mouth drool. I feel a pair of large hands grab both my arms with a gasp of shock.

Buffo leans over the boulder rock on a stomach and reaches down, grabbing both of her arms and lifts Ketona into the air, jerking her over the flat rock surface. He stands upright and cuddles the petite girl into a chest, back pedaling from the edge of the rock, jumping off the short boulder.

They spun around and run toward the kart.

I wiggle from his manly grip and then stumble onto the rock surface, sliding down into the seat of the kart.

Buffo leaps inside the driver's seat and touches the steering column, turning with worried brow to stare at the nose profile of Ketona.

I stomp the floor with both boots and bang both hands onto the console. "Go, Buffo!"

He taps the steering column with a worried brow. "You have to drive."

I turn and gasp at Buffo, "What?"

He scoots out of the driver's seat and jogs around the front bumper with a worried brow. "You gotta drive the other half of the terrain pathway, right back toward the flat plain, into the room of mirrors."

"What?" I look up with a puzzled brow to see Buffo. He stands over her black colored hair roots.

"Move and scoot into the driver's seat, Ketona! Part of participating within the park place is doing the mechanical stuff, too. I drove up the slope. You gotta drive back down the slope. Or you will not exit this park place ever. Some of the kids have tried and failed, learning the hard lesson of the Cubby Hole."

I drop open and close a mouth with panic, standing and sliding toward the driver's seat inside the cockpit as a petite girl. I sit down and strap into the chair webbing which keeps me from falling out of the kart. I crank the engine and slap both hands onto the steering column with a worried brow.

Buffo sits down with a puff of worry. "Look, this is like driving a car. There are two individual foot pedals. One for go. One for stop. There's a steering column for turning to the left or to the right. Press the gas pedal and steer to the right side and around the rocks. You know it is the big things with smooth sides and made of rocks?" He chuckles.

I exhale with nervousness. "I know."

He looks back over a collar bone with a worried brow. "The mother cougar is taking care of her babies. She is no bother to us, so just slowly guide us down the slope toward the room of mirrors."

I press down on the gas pedal. The kart soars and then slides to the left. I twirl the steering column to the right, straightening out the rolling kart.

Buffo yells over engine and slams the console. "We are done and are ready to leave."

The loud bugle sound startles both eardrums first and then my mind second. I slow the kart and look back over a collar bone. A herd of copper brown animals gallop in thundering sound toward the kart. The mammals stand at five feet with a set of boney wide antlers, protruding out from a oval skull. I gasp with fear.

Buffo looks back over a collar bone with a smile. "A herd of elk, the natural food of the cougar weighs about five hundred pounds each. Go, go! Drive down the slope outta their running pathway, which is us."

I stomp the gas pedal and slide the kart to the left and then to the right in the loose dirt. I whip the kart around the large rock boulders, traveling down a slope. The lead elk jumps on the top of a flattened rock boulder and leaps into the air and over the kart and the hair roots of Ketona and Buffo. The other elk bulls and female does follow the lead elk and fly the air, landing and running in front of the rolling kart. I duck a chin down into my chest with a scream and drive the kart.

Buffo bangs both hands on the console with a yellow panic. "Naw, naw! Keep moving the kart. We're heading down the slope away from them. They jumping over us and then veering toward the side of the mountain. Keep us trucking!"

I stomp the gas pedal down to the floor. The large bull leaps into the air and then lands down behind the taillights of the kart. It lowers down both antlers and gallops faster, ramming into the rear bumper of the kart with its mighty force of brutal animal strength.

The kart swirls badly to the right, almost kissing the face of the rock boulder. I release the gas pedal and twist the steering column to the left, holding my breath from fright. A second elk leaps into the air and lands down beside the open door near Buffo. It grunts and shakes it antlers side to side, slamming into the kart, denting the metal. The kart slides sideways from second elk.

I spin the kart toward another rock and press the gas pedal down to the floor. The kart spins around and around as the more flying elk leap into the air and land around the kart. I straighten out the kart and stomp the gas pedal down to the floor. The kart sails down a sharp slope.

Buffo and I scream from the rough ride and scary adventure.

Buffo holds onto the seat edges. I steer to the left and to the right of the non-moving stationary smaller rock boulders in the middle of my chosen pathway. I slam the brake pedal at the fallen elk that lands in front of the front bumper, spinning the kart around into a complete circle and emerge out of the circle, sliding into a new rock face on the left. I whip the steering wheel to the right, avoiding the rock face and straighten the kart into a semi-crooked line.

They slide down the new slope toward the level ground.

I press the gas pedal faster and accidentally invade inside the galloping herd. The herd flows down the sloped mountain side with the kart.

The surprised bull elk runs next to Buffo and bulges with a warning sound, thrusting its antlers into the non-window, ripping part of the cloth rooftop.

I scream and blow the horn. The bull elk veers away from the kart. I yell, "Un-web. Un-web. Lay down! Lay down over the seat away from the antlers."

Buffo un-webs from the seat and slides deep down between the seat and the floor for safety.

I press the gas pedal down to the floor, speeding between the elk herd as the kart is bounced side to side, coming from the side to side violent impact of five hundred pounds of numerous furry bodies.

The large elk stops and kicks its front hoof into the side of my door. The kart spins into a circle and smashes between two slabs of rock boulders, stopping. I scream with panic and stomped down onto the gas pedal.

The kart is stuck between the two slabs of rock, until I can get out and shove it through the small opening.

I jerk the torn roof top over my head and lay a body over Buffo. I hear the clicks of the elk hoofs dance on top of the rock boulder and smell the stinky furry bodies. I taste the tiny molecules of rock dust that drift down from the broken shards of rock boulders between the fabric fibers of the cloth roofing material. I see darkness, closing my eyelashes, feeling Buffo breath and hug his shoulders, protecting him from the elk herd. The elk hoofs click and tap over the rocks and then silence.

I listen for more clicks, before moving out from underneath our semi-protection of the rough cloth rooftop and wait for more silence. The silence sounds like sweet music to my eardrums.

Buffo shuffles with a grunt underneath her breasts.

I lift up the cloth and see the blue skyline between the twin rock boulders with a smile. "The elk are gone. It's all clear. We did it! We made it, sweetheart."

Buffo sits upright and leans over, kissing her lips, pulling back with a grin. He reached down and rolls the cloth rooftop into a ball, swinging the cloth behind the front seat with a stern face. "Stay inside the driver's seat! I'm climb up and then jump down, shoving the kart through the twin slabs of rock. Then, we're gone from here. This is my last ride inside the orange color tone."

I lean over and kiss his scratched bleeding face of tiny cuts and a few bruises, pulling back with a smile in silence.

He stands upright with grin and climbs out with biceps and boot toes, lifting between the twin rock peaks, standing on top of the rock and slides back down behind the kart. Without words, he shoves a shoulder into the rear bumper of the tiny kart.

I stomp the gas pedal down to the floor and aid the kart movement.

The engines whine with loud metal pain as Buffo grunts in body pain.

The metal squeals and slowly shifts through the tight rock formation. Then the kart is freed from its safety hold.

I release the gas pedal and slide the kart into another complete circle, grinning.

Buffo struts toward the kart and slides back down into the seat, webbing into the chair for safety in silence.

I stomp the gas pedal down to the floor and soar back down the slope, without the elk, slowing the kart, sliding into a parking spot near the room of mirrors within the orange color tone. Buffo leaps from passenger seat and runs around the rear bumper. I exhale and pant with a giggle of my fun adventure.

Buffo pulls Ketona from the kart with a smile, cuddling her. "Are you okay, darling?"

I pant and cough with fear and dust, "Yeah."

He hugs and kisses her hair roots, pulling back with a smile. "We had some fun chasing down the elks and running from the mama cat, right?"

"Yeah," I exhale with a whisper, still calming a racing heart and two shaky kneecaps.

He exhales, "Well, I guess we need to finish our quest of the Citizenship Day. It's late. I hope Jara and Hatch catch up with us, soon. I wanna be home before suppertime, working up a good appetite for my mom's beef stew." He releases and leads Ketona by the hand toward the orange room of mirrors with a smile and a chuckle, "Are you still alive and breathing, darling?"

I reach over and slap his chest with a puff. "It's just too much excitement for my teen heart organ. That's all."

He smiles. "I concur. Let's move along!" Buffo escorts Ketona to her me-chee chair and assists her inside, spinning around and dashes back to his me-chee chair.

I wiggle and giggle with contentment inside the cold seat, finding Buffo again. The fabric wraps around my body and then the chair drops down into darkness.

I scream with happiness.

05:05 pm

Cubby Hole auditorium setting

Red colored walls, floor, ceiling, and the me-chee machine

I catch my breath and giggle with happiness, floating up and landing back inside the Cubby Hole. The walls, ceiling, and floor are red colored. My me-chee shield is orange colored, coming up from the orange park place. I really did not have fun riding inside the land terrain vehicle or chasing after the cougars, but I did have fun with my boyfriend Buffo.

I exhale with a puff of happiness, turning with a smile to see his me-chee chair. Buffo sits beside Ketona again. I really do love him with my heart and my mind, since they go together, my heart and my mind.

He and I are perfect together like my heart and my mind. I can't separate us either and giggle with my mental thoughts of marriage and happiness with Buffo.

Buffo and I are back inside the Cubby Hole for the next set of academic questions which could advance us into the red color tone then the green color tone, then the blue tone, and finally the gold color tone for our dream jobs.

I turn and scan the room, not seeing Marsilla, Rincon, Nephella, or Lamis. They all have passed into the green color tone or maybe into the gold color tone now. I don't know really know or really care at this point.

I wanna be with Buffo.

Buffo wants to be with Ketona. Then they will both live inside the same color tone together.

I turn and glance at her. Duchie sits inside the orange shielding of her me-chee chair, looking at the forward wall. I snort and snarl with revenge and vengeance. If I was a violent person, then she could hear my vocal nasty animal sounds. I wiggle side to side inside my me-chee chair with a set of mixed emotions.

The me-chee host stands underneath the color chart and lifts both metal arms into the air with a painted smirk to see each teen. "Welcome back to the Cubby Hole, teens! I hope you have enjoyed your fun in the sun. There is more fun to have inside the rest of the color tones. Please, sit back and relax into your assigned me-chee chair."

The orange shield shimmers around each teen inside a me-chee chair.

The me-chee host says into each me-chee chair. "Close your eyelids. I will present the next series of academic questions for your individual answers. The time limit is fifteen seconds for each posed question. To remind each schooler again for clarity of a proper verbal response, please state my answer is...then your vocal response. If you answer three-fourths or more of the academic questions correctly, you will advance into the next color of red. If you answer one-fourth or less, then you will remain stationary inside the color tone of orange. If you incorrectly answer two-fourths of the academic questions, then you will slip back down into the color of yellow. The first question, what is the color tone of the me-chee host inside the Cubby Hole, presently?"

I smile. "My answer is...red."

Buffo swings a face with a smile and a nod to see Ketona for a brief second and returns back, staring at the forward wall of red color.

I smile and listen to the next posed academic question inside my me-chee chair.

The me-chee host asks the second question. "How many irrational numbers are there between one and six?"

I gasp with the simple answer and turn to see Buffo. He wiggles side to side with anxiety. I gasp with worry. "This is an easy one, Buffo. Please, relax and think. Please, remember the correct answer." He wiggles side to side and looks down, counting on his fingers. I gasp. "No, no. You did not need to use your fingers or toes or rules or pencils." I exhale with sadness. My heart sinks down into my boot toes. My hands sweat with fright. The fifteen seconds swiftly counts away for the second question. I meekly say. "My answer is...infinitely many." I continue to stare at Buffo. He wiggles side to side without counting on his fingers and moves his lips in silence. I exhale with relieve.

The me-chee host asks the third question. "Which of the following is true of the magnetic field produced by a current in a long straight wire?"

I shake my curls with the proposed academic answer. The questions are getting more difficult and trickier. The solution is not a one-worded response either. I continue to stare at Buffo with my intense eyeballs and my worried neurons. He shifts side to side with nervousness, bobbing a skull up and down. I exhale with anxiousness and a whisper. "You know about electromagnetic fields, Buffo. We studied them together during homework periods at school during class time. There is one around each park place too. Geez, we have been touching and patting it almost inside every color tone, at least I have. Come on, Buffo! The correct answer is that the field lines form circles around the wire. This is a fundamental characteristic of magnetic fields produced by currents." I watch with sadness. My heart races with worry. My hands shake from nervousness. The fifteen seconds are wasting away for the third question. I meekly say. "My answer is...the field lines form circles around the wire." Buffo nods and moves his lips. I exhale with more worry.

The me-chee host asks the fourth question. "A screw is two and one-half inches in length and has a lead of one-eighth of an inch. When the screw is twisted in one complete turn, how many complete turns does it take, until the screw is secured into the piece of wood?"

I gasp with shock and stare at the nose profile of Buffo. He wiggles side to side and nods a skull up and down again. I tap my foot with worry. "You know this one, Buffo. You like to build those cute little go-karts from pine wood with your dad with a steering wheel, four wheels, and an engine. You use a screwdriver to turn the bolts and screw over and over again into the wood. The screw goes one-eighth of an inch for every completed turn into the wood. After eight complete turns, one inch of the screw has advanced deeper into the wood. The unknown number of turns is labeled by the letter Z. So, Z times (1/8) = 2 ½. Multiple by 8, Z = 8 (2 and 1/2) = 8 (5/2) = 20." I shake my curls. "I can't go backward into the orange or yellow color tones. I just can't, Buffo." I turn and lower a face down inside both palms, shaking my sweaty and dirty hair. The fifteen seconds tick away with a steady pace for the fourth question. I must go forward into the red color tone. I had been cut by a knife, scared by ants, wet from rain, and tossed from a cliff. Then, I had been chased by bees, sting by harmless cotton bolls, wetted for a second time, scared off by a cougar, and ran down by animal elk. I have studied the academic classes, sessions, textbooks, and all the questions my entire life to become a medical technician. And you are not stopping me, Buffo.

Rincon is not stopping me, either.

Rincon thinks that he will arrive inside the golden circle, first. Yeah. He is correct, sorta.

However, I believe Buffo will meet me inside the golden circle, at least inside my mind. My heart is feeling, something different.

Rincon is stuck in limbo with Marsilla, Lamis, and Nephella, until all the teens either fail within their current color tone or pass inside the golden circle.

Well, I'm passing. I'm moving forward. I exhale with a puff of frustration and turned to stare the nose profile of Buffo. He wiggles side to side and counts the math problem on his fingers again, nodding a skull up and down with his eyelids shut. I firmly say. "My answer is...twenty."

My me-chee shield turns bright red and then the fabric wraps around my body. I softly whisper. "Bye, Buffo."

The me-chee chair drops down into the darkness.

I don't even scream from surprise.

05:15 pm

Red colored room of mirrors

Cool temperatures with bright sunlight and white clouds

My me-chee chair floats up and halts beside the mirrored wall like some of my other posed positions within the park places. I don't see my red face of sadness, since I feel my red face of angry stream with hate. I scoot out from the chair and stood upright with a growl at her.

Duchie stands upright next her me-chee chair and faces Ketona, lifting both arms into the air, back pedaling toward the wall of mirrors with a nod and a worried brow, "Black, my eye. Bleed, my nose. But please don't knock out a tooth. I heard that the dentists are really nasty me-chee machines in disguise," she exhales with fright.

I stomp ahead to her huffing and puffing a tongue of sour bad breath. My neurons are so mad that I can't think to say anything smart or stupid. I halt two feet from her distorted and frightened face, since she and I are the same height and weight, slowing raising both folded fists near my frown.

I pause in stillness.

Silence invades the room.

The rear and forward walls glow in bright red color, like blood. The mirrors reflect two females facing each other.

No more me-chee chairs rise up and land inside the disappearing plume of white steam.

I hold my breath and exhale, standing in stillness, not moving, not advancing, and not doing nothing.

Duchie frowns with confusion, exhaling then inhaling and stares at Ketona. "You never hit a person, have you?" I stand in silence and hold both folded fists near my frown. She nods with a stern face. "I bet that you have never even hit a ball at school, ever." I stand in silence and continued to hold both folded fists near my frown. She grins. "I bet that you have never whacked a housefly on the glass window dead, either."

I drop both folded fists to the side and shake my curls, frowning with defeat, sitting down over the floor in a cross-legged pose, dropping a face sown into both palms, holding back the sobs and tears of disappointment.

Duchie sits on the floor and leans over, patting the black colored hair roots of Ketona with a stern face. "It's okay to be cute and girly, Ketona. I can see that Rincon likes that about you," she back slides onto the floor, without touching the forward wall, staring at the black colored hair roots of Ketona. The wall is closed and glows in bright red colors. She frowns, "I'm sorry."

"It doesn't matter anymore." I exhale with a puff of disappointment and look up with a sad face to see Duchie. "It's over for all of us. Rincon stands and salutes the ceiling with his eyeballs closed inside the gold color tone, right now, announcing his dream job, a medical technician like his biological parents. I am so sorry, Duchie. You and I are stuck here inside the red color tone, foreverly."

Duchie smiles with a giggle, "Naw, girlfriend, we ain't stuck in nothing but heading for the gold too."

I look down with a stern face to see both palms that are still covered in yellow dirt, coming from the kart ride with Buffo. I had fun with Buffo as a loving couple. I softly say to my hands. "Rincon told us that the first teen to reach the gold color tone ends Citizenship Day. He's there with Marsilla and Nephella. Lamis was trapped with me inside the red color tone, last time. So, she ain't here now. Then she must've made it too."

Duchie giggles with a nod. "And the wiser teens inside the orange park place told me more."

"What is more?" I dust off the cat suit with no dust with a sad face. The cat suit never gets dirty or torn or soiled from the rough and tough adventures inside the various park places.

She giggles with a nod at the black hair roots of Ketona. "The more of the story, Citizenship Day doesn't end until there are no more teens advancing out of the previous color tone and into the new one."

I look up with a gasp and a frown to see Duchie. "Wait, yeah. Buffo said something about that, except I don't really remember or believe or understand." I exhale. "I don't understand anything, anymore."

She giggles with a nod. "As long as, one teen or two teens, like us, advance from one color into a second color, then Citizenship Day is well and alive, girl friend."

I turn and scan the room with a puzzled brow. "The room is the correct color tone of red, glowing and blinding my eyeballs with light. And we haven't touched the forward wall either exposing our new park place. Geez, what could it be? And I see my me-chee chair against the mirrored wall and your me-chee chair is in the middle. So, you answered the four questions correctly, too." Duchie grins with a nod in silence. I giggle. "So, why are we, the only two chairs inside the red room?"

She stands upright and turns, scanning the room with a worried brow. She was more interested in the psychology well-being of Ketona rather than missing the emptiness of the big room. She returns back with a grin to see Ketona and snaps the fingers. "I know. I know. I learned this from the teens with Buffo. The kids only answer the first academic question. Ya know the easy one about the current color on the me-chee host? If you answer one-fourth or less of the total questions with the correct answers, then you stay put inside the current color tone."

I frown. "Why would the teens do that? The purpose of Citizenship Day is to become a citizen of Colfax. In order to become a citizen of Colfax, I must address seventy five percent of the questions with the correct answers. Then I stand inside the gold color tone, like my parents."

She reaches out and grabs the arm of Ketona, swinging them toward the red solid wall. "You're absolutely right, Ketona. However, some kids wanna stay inside the current color tone, without advancing and working inside the snobby city of Colfax. Some kids don't wanna stay inside the current color tone while advancing and working inside the snobby city of Colfax or a higher color tone which is different from their birthplace. Rincon spilled the secret, the solo single difficult question. Nephella shared the other secret, too. Every teen gets the opportunity to advance into the golden circle, if they answer the solo single difficult academic question. So, we both advance from orange into red, if we keep advancing, then we will reach the golden color tone, also."

"What about Rincon and Marsilla? They're presently there and waiting for nothing but their dream job."

"I can't explain it, but I do believe it from the other teens. That's why the room is empty with us, alone. The other teens stayed inside the green color tone without falling down into the red with us. Or the teens stayed inside the orange color tone for more fun. Thus, we are all alone, babe. So, let's test that working theory. Slap the wall for our next adventure," she grins.

I reach out and pop the solid red wall with a grin and a nod in silence. The wall disappears. Hissing sounds echo into the red room of mirrors. I back step with a gasp and a worried brow, moving away from the archway, scanning the new park place, "Dang, this park place is a forest of ugly black and red and brown and other colored creepy snakes. I think we woke up all the serpents from their naptime. They're either hungry or mad. What do we do now, Duchie?"

Silence invades the room.

I narrow my eyelashes and scan the tall trees, the flat brown soil, and the blue sky without rain clouds. "I see thousands and thousands. Okay, I see hundreds and hundreds of hissing snakes, in every color and type from my school reference book. The snakes lounge over the tree branches, slither over the soil, hide underneath the short green bushes, and don't fly with wings. I guess, a snake with wings is called a dragon. Good thing, we live in the present, not the fairy land. That's one solution. We fly over the snakes to do 'the thing.' What could 'the thing' be, Duchie?" I swing around with a gasp.

Duchie moves backward and slams into the rear wall looking ashen gray within her complexion.

I dash ahead to her and stop, standing in front of her scared face. "What's wrong? O. It's the snakes. Well, I don't like snakes, either. So, we just kinda ignore the thousands of slithering bodies and the thousands of forked tongues, hissing at our boot toes. Do you know that snakes use their tongue to smell? They don't possess nose holes, like us. Duchie, what's wrong? You're really pale and sweaty."

"I...scared...snakes..." She points at the wall opening with a scared face.

I thumb back over a collar bone with a stern face and a nod, "Me, too. I don't wanna stomp over some snakes either, but I will to get outta here of the red park place again. You're a good motivation speaker. I'm impressed and I wanna leave as soon as we do 'the thing, thing'..."
She slides down the wall and lands on top of the concrete, staring at the hissing snakes inside the top branches of the tree. "I...scared...snakes..."

I sit down onto the floor and lean over, bad breathing into her nose bridge. "I know. I feel the same way, but I can do this. You can do this, too."

She sobs with rolling tears of a sad face. "I can't do this. I was chased by a snake when I was four years old, coming outta of the food storage building. I fell over the grass then it raced toward me. My daddy chopped the snake in half, before it got me. But I can't do this. I'm too afraid. They hiss and bite at me..."

I exhale with a puff of annoyance and rub a tense neck with her pain and my new pain in the fanny. "Duchie, yeah, they hiss and bite at me, too. And I'm really scared too. But I wanna get out of here and grab our gold, our golden job."

"Go!"

I shake my curls and lean over, yanking on her arm with a stern face, "Ah, naw. I'm not leaving the room, without you."

"I can't do 'the thing' if I gotta trot through the snakes. I can't. I give up, surrender," she wraps both arms around a body with more sobs and tears. "I stay here. I made it out of Dookie Town, at least. I won't be a dookie girl, anymore. I'm inside the green color tone. Right? Yeah, right. I'll be a smart gardener, working for some nice people, living inside Colfax..."

I exhale with a puff of frustration and stand upright with a determined face, "Naw. You are leaving with me, somehow. Let me figure out a solution, other than a math one." I spin around and move toward the opening, stopping, surveying the dangerous situation. I jab a finger at the object with a smile and a yell to her eardrums. "Look over there! There's a truck, an old model pickup truck that is covered in a batch of sleeping snakes, too. That's 'our thing.' I think. So, we walk over and smash the brains of the dang snakes, since there're too many to scoot around. Then we drive the old truck to somewhere," I narrow my eyelashes. "Ah, I see. There's a worn dirt driving path for the old truck. Okay. So, we walk over and smash the brain cells of the dang snakes, and then load into the truck, and then drive around the dirt road. I bet it's a circle and then we run that dang truck right here into the room. We get out and then scoot back into our me-chee chairs. We're home free, Duchie." I swing around and dash ahead with a smile and a nod with my brilliant idea toward Duchie.

She continues to sit on the floor in a curved ball with a set of wrapped limbs around a body, sobbing with tears.

I shake my curls with a stern face and squat down, reaching out and slap her arm with a sour tone. "Listen to me, Duchie. We work as a team together. Look, I wanna leave. And I need your help, too."

She continues to stare at the snakes through her tears of blurriness. "I can't do this."

I lean over and bad breath on her red colored hair roots while feeling frustration.

Buffo can't answer the complex mathematical questions for passing into the next color tone.

Duchie can't see pass the snakes that lounged in the sun.

Rincon is mad at Ketona for abandoning him, a second time.

Marsilla is Marsilla. She is vain and arrogant with her smart neurons.

Nephella is really cool looking with the body piercings, the smelly cigar, and the daughter of the mayor of Colfax.

I turn and scan the mirrors and the walls. I wished that Nephella would pop inside here, performing another rescue again. I look back with a sour frown to see Duchie and spin around, tossing both arms in frustration, zigzagging side to side and stop. I turn and admire a sweaty red face, a set of messy long hair, and a shiny glittering cat suit of blood red. I reach down and touch the cat suit that looks fresh, since this morning at eight, the start of Citizenship Day.

The electrons are working, exceptionally well.

I exhale with a puff of annoyance and toss both arms, swinging around to see Duchie.

She continues to stare at the snakes with rolls of tears.

I spin around to see the opening and march forward, stopping and stand beside Duchie's me-chee chair, not daring to touch her property, since the me-chee chair will sting me back, badly. I giggle with a whisper. "Ugh! There really are thousands of snakes. This is the new fear. Yeah, be afraid, be very afraid of me." I snap the fingers with a nod and a grin. "If I could break off one of the low hanging branches, then I'll beat the freaking snakes to death inside my foot path. Yeah, good plan! Then we can dance over the dead bodies and enter the truck. The truck is the thing to do, here." I turn and stare down at the me-chee chair, searching for any loose equipment or materials.

The me-chee chair is made of soft fabric the color of red buried along the sides of the metal. Even if, I could rip the fabric from my me-chee chair, I can't use the fabric for whipping the snakes, maybe providing some a set of soft pillows for a quick naptime. The base of the me-chee chair is made of solid metal in the color of red. The chair is one solid piece of really good workmanship.

I tap a boot toe and my temple, activating the smart neurons and scoot forward, moving around the floor, since movement gets my mind thinking. I stop and squat down with a gasp to see the object. It is a white cotton boll that came from the previous red color tone with Lamis and the cotton fields of banana spiders.

I reach out and gently touch the cotton ball with a finger in case of shock or disintegration or dead. The cotton boll had been drowned from the heavy rain storm that had been created by Nephella that came from the previous invitation into the red park place.

I stand and trot forward toward the opening, tossing the wet cotton boll in fun and frustration onto the new landscape. The wet boll hits and slams into the head of a snake. The snake coils and hisses with revenge. I giggle with the fun act then exhale with defeat, spinning around to see Duchie. She continues to stare at the snakes through the opening with a set of rolling tears.

I exhale with worry and swing around, strolling around inside the trapped room of mirrors. My eye dart side to side, getting my mind dizzy. I see the floor and look sideways into the mirror. I stop and stare down at the object with a confused brow, stomping toward the wall corner, seeing the wet cigar bud.

I shake my curls with a sour frown and a whisper. "Nephella and her nasty cigars..."

I spin around from the nasty cigar bud on the floor in the wall corner and stop, swinging around with a gasp. "Yes. No. Yes." I squat down and reach out, grabbing the wet cigar bud with two fingers, slowly standing and more slowly turn and moved back to Duchie. She continues to stare at the snakes with a set of rolling tears. I slowly squat down and block the view of snakes, lowering the used cigar into her eyeballs with a smile. "We got a weapon." Duchie blinks both eyelashes and focuses on the wet cigar with a gasp. I smile. "We ignite the cigar. The smoke will bother the sinuses or feelers of the snakes then we race to the truck..."

She stands upright from the floor with a smile and wipes off the tears. "We start a fire, lighting the cigar."

I stand upright and hold out the used and wet small cigar from my face with a puzzled brow. "We don't have a magnifying glass to start a fire..."

She dashes ahead and stops, slapping her me-chee chair with a smile. "The chair is made of metal. The metal is glowing in sunlight. Metal can start a fire." She moves to the front of the chair and then squats, pointing down at the floor with a smile. "Do you see the pretty array of rainbow colors? The rainbow colors are reflecting off the metal base within your naked eyeballs. These are happy sunlight beams."

I squat down next to Duchie with a smile and a nod, staring at the happy yellow colored sunrays, too "Yes."

Duchie giggles with a smile. "We start a fire with sunlight."

"Really?"

"Really!" She stands upright and points at the wet and used cigar. "And the black paper surrounding the abused cigar works best for absorbing heat via the sunlight. We use one of the tiny sun light ray, coming down from the sky, that's reflecting off my me-chee chair. The shape, the height, and the angle are perfect for capturing a single sunray. So we scoot the burned cigar bud in front of the tiny sunray and then boom. We got a tiny fire..."

"The cigar bud is wet."

She nods with a smile. "The wetter the better, the water paper will act like a working glass lens, absorbing more sunlight faster, since a drop of water on the metal intensifies the sun light ray even further. So, we will add a few extra droplets of water onto the metal, too. Then, we have created a homemade magnifying glass, starting a real fire through the use of a heat wave from a single sun ray.

I grin, "Really?"

She wiggles her eyebrows with a smile, "Really!"

I squat down beside Duchie and shove the wet and used cigar toward the tiny sun ray.

Duchie shouts with both arms in the air. "Wait! Don't touch the metal, yet. We need a few droplets of water." She moves near the archway opening and squats, pressing down a finger into the standing water puddle that drains and drips off the extended tree limbs inside the floor of the red colored room of mirrors. She captures the standing water on a finger pad and stands, moving backward from the opening and stops in front of her me-chee chair with a smile. "Okay. I am going to tap the metal with my finger along the intersection of the chair and the floor. You, gently drop the cigar bud in front of the water spot, so the sun will bombard both pieces..."

"Wait!" I look up and stare at the snakes and then Duchie with a grin, looking down and break the used cigar into two pieces. "We both have a weapon, now. We both need the smelling stinky smoke to run and climb into the truck."

Duchie exhales with a puff of worry and stares at the tall trees and the numerous snakes. "Yeah. We both need a weapon. Okay. I'll press my finger against the metal, since you can't touch my me-chee chair and then you drop down two separate cigar buds behind each finger press of a water spot." She squats down and leans over the me-chee chair, reaching down and presses a finger pad into the first spot of water. Then Ketona poses the cigar onto the first spot directly in line with the sun and the water spot. Then, Duchie moves over and presses a second finger into a second spot. Ketona drops the second cigar into the new spot of water.

They wait and watch with anticipation.

The single sunray beam from the sky hits the black paper of the wet cigar and then sizzles. The sunray burns through the wet paper, trying to capture the glittering water droplets on each cigar bud.

The cigar smells like a tiny pile of beetle dung with an awful odor, coming from the invisible fumes of a sizzling hiss of the bud.

They scoot away from the chair and the two smoking cigars, giving oxygen to the baby flames and fresh air into a pair of nose sinuses as they both giggle and grin with the brilliant idea.

I giggle down at the sizzling hiss of flames on both cigars. "I see a tiny dot of concentrated sunlight burning right on top of the black paper..."

She grins. "The focused ray of sun is powerful enough to reflect off the metal. Then it is powerful enough to ignite the black paper. Then it is powerful enough to light the wet cigar." Both the cigar pieces slowly sizzle as the black wet paper burns and dissolves from heat and flame. Then, the paper turns into bright red colors.

I smell an earthy tone of cedar and oak wood, coming from the two sizzling cigar buds, seeing a set of individual plumes of white smoke. The wet paper continues to burn with a set of drifting gray ashes. I gently scoot across the smooth concrete, reaching the first cigar. Duchie reaches down and grabs the second one. I slowly stand upright with a worried brow, staring down at the smoking cigar bud. "Okay. I will lead..."

Duchie holds the burning cigar, panting with fear.

I turn and circle around her body, facing the rear wall of the room of mirrors and cup my arm around her elbow, holding the good smelling cigar in the other fist with my new order. "Okay. I lead. You, close your eyes. I'm going to lead us toward the truck. The truck should be open. I want you to walk behind me, facing the room of mirrors, but wave your cigar side to side at the snakes. I'm going wave my cigar in the front of the snakes too. And I don't want you seeing the snakes. Our plan only works, if we both wave the cigars at the snakes, bothering their tongue senses. If you bail on me, Duchie, I might get bitten by one of the snake behind my butthole. Then, I will beat you black and blue. Do you hear me, girl?"

"Yes." Duchie whispers and closes her eyelashes, blocking out the sun, the open archway, and the hissing snakes with fear.

"Okay, good, we got a plan." I exhale and shove Duchie forward, moving slowly toward the opening. "Close your eyeballs, Duchie! I don't want you seeing the snakes. Trust me!" I stop at the edge of floor inside the room of mirrors with a puff of annoyance. "Okay. I'm adding some additional steps into our plan, so just flow with it. Okay. We gotta squat down on our kneecaps and waddle like a duck toward the old rusty truck."

She gasped. "What?"

"Hush it, Duchie. I'm leader here. The smoke is not reaching their forked tongues at five feet upward in the air. We gotta be at their level, too. Squat and waddle like a duck." I slowly squat down and cup my arm around her elbow. I feel her squatting even with my height, since she and I are the same height. I exhale with a puff of worry. "Okay. I will narrate our progress, keeping your mind active and your eyelashes closed. Okay. This is working, perfectly. I am waving my arm side to side in the air. The snakes are sniffing the white plumes of smoke and hustling their tails away from my wavering arm. This is good. I am waddling my right foot into the grass. So, you waddle your left foot, so we maintain an even balance. And don't repeat my words. You just wave your arm side to side with the white smoke and close your eyes. Okay. I am waddling my left foot. The snakes are moving away from us. We are about thirty feet from the truck. Okay. I am waddling my right foot. The snakes are moving away from us." The snakes are slithering away to the left and to the right from the arm with the cigar smoke. I cringe at the snaky sight, wishing my eyelashes were closed too.

The forest ground and trees are filled with numerous snakes that hiss and flick out a tongue at the new smell which is Ketona and Duchie.

I waddle a left foot forward toward the truck and wave my arm side to side with a stern face. "Okay. We are twenty-five feet from the truck." I waddle a right foot forward and continue to wave the arm side to side. I can feel Duchie beside my body.

Duchie waddles forward and slightly behind the back spine of Ketona, since her eyelashes are closed.

I pull and yank on her arm to move forward, maintaining an upright balance in the squat with a set of aching kneecaps. I waddle a left foot forward and waved my arm side to side with a stern face. "Okay. We are twenty feet from the truck. The snakes are parting pretty fast from the smoke. No, we can't stand, just yet."

I stop in place and breath heavy. I am tired from walking on my kneecaps and my ankles. I exhale with a puff of determination. "Okay. The snakes are almost out of our foot pathway. Do not open your eyes. Okay. We are about five feet from the truck. You stay here."

She gasped. "No."

"Duchie, the truck has..."

"Okay." She exhales with a puff of worry and continues to wave the cigar side to side within her blindness.

I slowly waddle forward from her, not wanting to fall over on the ground, either. The snakes around them have cleared out and away from the smelling cigar smoke. I stand upright and stretch my calves, swiftly moving forward toward the stationary truck and stop.

The old rusty truck is covered in more hissing snakes, sitting underneath a tall tree. The tall is filled with more lazy lounging snakes, too. I frown with a puff of worry and side step, grabbing a medium-sized tree branch for one free hand from the naked ground, without a snake. I slowly move toward the truck cab with the tree branch, gently scooting it toward each hissing snake, slowly hitting each snake from the door handle and the curved archway of the truck cab with a stern face.

The snakes don't like it, but they fall one at a time from the truck door and then slither away from Ketona.

I wave the cigar smoke side to side at the truck door. Then all the snakes leave the truck door and the truck archway empty. I toss away the tree branch and back pedal with a smile, waving my arm side to side with the white plume of smoke as more snakes kindly leave my foot path. I continue to back pedal and twirl around Duchie.

Duchie squats down on the ground and continues to wave an arm with a set of closed eyelashes.

I complete the circle and stand in front of her face with a smile. "Okay. I cleared off the truck. Do not open your eyes. I'm going to assist you to stand. Then you need to stretch out your calves, while you walk forward too." I squat down and reach out, gently grabbing her arm.

Duchie holds the cigar to the side with care and away from burning the body parts of Ketona.

I move backward and hold her arm, waving my free arm with the white smoke of the burning cigar, warning off the snakes. I run into the door on the truck and halt with a grunt of pain, releasing the arm of Duchie. I reach around and open the cab of the truck, spinning around to check for any more sleeping snakes or baby ones over the bench seat. Everything is clear and neatly dusted off inside the interior of the truck too.

I spin around to see Duchie with a stern face. "Okay. You're near the entrance door. Do not open your eyes. I don't think we need the cigars anymore. I'm taking the cigar from your hand. So use both your hands, feeling around the leather and then load into the bench seating. I'll shove you into the seat, too. Then, you scoot over to the side for me to enter."

Duchie reaches out and firmly grabs the seat, slowly climbing up inside the cab of the old truck with shut eyelashes.

I stand and guard the door, waving both cigars with plumes of white smoke at the lounging snakes that flick a tongue and watch the action.

Duchie scoots over into the interior of the truck cab with soft grunts.

I toss her cigar toward the archway of the room of mirrors for our retreat out from the truck and then back into the Cubby Hole, after completing 'the thing' inside the red colored park place. Then, I toss my burning cigar down into the bed truck of the truck for an emergency and spin around, climbing up inside the cab with a sigh of joy. I sit down in front of the steering wheel and reach over, grabbing, and slam the door shut with a grin of excitement from a major accomplishment around the pod of live snake. "We did it."

Duchie whispers with her shut eyelashes, "Thanks."

I grin with a nod and slap the old steering wheel. "See? That wasn't so hard." I reach down and start the engine with a provided truck key inside the ignition switch, readying for our journey. The truck roars into life, shooting black smoke from the rear dual exhaust pipes. I giggle. "Okay. Do not open your eyes, until we're further away from the snakes. But, the exhaust pipes are bellowing in rich black smoke, flowing directly at the snakes, too. See? The me-chee machine provided for our escape, also."

I exhale with a puff of excitement and slam the gear into drive, pressing the gas pedal as the truck putt-putts ahead and along the dirt path. Then I stop driving.

She gasps. "Can I open my eyes, now?"

I exhale with a sour frown, "Yeah, we got another problem and I need your neurons to solve it, too."

Duchie bounces up and down over the seat, opening her eyelashes with a gasp. "The sleepy snakes are blocking the dirt pathway for the truck route too."

I nod at the snakes with a worried brow. "Yeah, I don't feel like waving away snakes at every single tree or every single bush or every single flower petal either. This color tone is both messy and messed up. Rincon told inside his green color tone, the puppies were really vicious wolves. Inside the orange color tone, my cats were really cougars."

Duchie scoots around inside the cab and opens, scratching inside the closed compartments inside the interior of the truck. "O. That was you who activated the cougar hunt. You should be thankful that some of the other teens didn't discover that secret from you. They had set up some pretty nice park places for fun wild adventures, not daring deadly escapes. I was smart enough to read the warning sign showing the cougar territory home base. Okay. There's nothing inside the glove box. Nothing inside the side pockets on the door. And nothing behind the front seat of the old truck. So, we are stuck again. Once I saw the cougar warning, I immediately started looking for one of the cats. Then I got outta here, more quickly."

I slam the steering wheel with a sour frown. "Okay. How do we get out of here without starting a forest fire, since that is Plan B with the single cigar flame?" I giggle with my silly humorous statement under a serious dome of seriousness.

Duchie stands on her kneecaps and swings around, staring at the rear bed of the truck with a smile. "No snakes are behind us." She turns and scans the front of the cab. "Snakes are ahead of us. I'd suggest that you drive the truck backwards. The black smoke will clear the dirt pathway as the snakes run out of the way of the black smelly smoke." She swings around to see the rear window with a stern face.

I nod with a smile. "That's an excellent solution." I shift the gear into reverse and press the gas pedal, steering backwards over the dirt pathway, slowly circling the truck in front of the red colored room of mirrors. The rear end of the truck faces the dirt pathway like it is supposed to drive forward, instead of backwards. The snakes get pretty miffed at the black smoke and then slither away the dirt path. I slap both hands onto the steering column and turn with a smile to see Duchie. "Okay. You play navigator. I'll drive using both rear view mirrors in a backward motion. If I venture too far from dirt, yell. I definitely don't wanna crash our truck." She continues to kneel on top of the bench and scans the rear window that shows the dirt pathway of snakes. I steer backwards, using the twin rear view mirrors to see the dirt road with a stern face. "Why do these teens continue to play along with the Citizenship Day activities? I don't like this mind game..."

Duchie scans the rear window of the dirt road for snakes with a sour frown. "It's not a game to some of the teens, like me. It's an opportunity to improve our lives, getting out of the outer boring townships. Lamis is another good example, escaping from her native township."

"Why can't you escape and live in Colfax, instead of Dandine?"

She frowns. "I can't. The barrier wall, we have found and slammed around the other park places. There is a set of the same barrier walls that are around and surround the boundary lines of each township, always. It is only opened, when the cows need slaughtering or the merchandise needs delivering into each township for goodies."

I steer the truck backward around the dirt road with a gasp. "Wait! You and Buffo both visited your respective grandfathers during the summertime..."

"During the summertime only, I saw my grandfather during the holiday too. And that was it..."

I drive the truck backwards, using the twin rear view mirrors with a sad face. "That's so not nice."

"Watch your right. There's tree stump."

"Okay." I veer more left, missing the tree stump.

"I guess. Some of the teens stay within their particular color tone to socialize with their blood-relatives, every day. Otherwise, they would never see their biological parents and their kin relatives. Since I'm currently inside the green color tone, I probably won't see my parents again, until the holidays, when the barrier wall is lifted..."

"Naw, not true."

"Yeah, way true."

"That's so not nice..."

"And about your friends, Jara and Hatch? Geez, I really hope that they have some good common sense. They really need to pass out of the yellow color tone and into the orange one and then further up the color chart. Pothole on your left..."

I steer backwards and scoot around the next pot hole in the dirt. "They will. Buffo explained..."

"Slow down! You're veering the truck to close to the tree line."

"Okay."

"The final act of Citizenship Day is final. You become the citizen of that color tone."

I gasp. "I...I didn't make the connection. And I don't like the concept of Citizenship Day, either. If you're smart enough to pass into the next color tone, then you're smart enough to do any type of job you seek..."

She stares the dirt road with a stern face. "Tree stump on your right! That is a good idea but poor implementation, Ketona. All the academic questions are common math problems. Exception, there is a time limit to answer or address or fail. You're either a natural a math. Or ya ain't."

"No, I disagree. I am a natural at mathematics from both studying and learning. However, each park place is getting more complex, not easier. I would think that if a teen passes the academic questions, advancing into the next color tone, then the park places would be much more fun and entertaining, finishing your citizenship on a positive note with a smiley face." I drive slowly over the dirt road path as the black smoke chokes or scares the snakes, out of the truck path.

She exhales. "I wasn't really trying to steal your boyfriend..."

I exhale with a nod and steer backwards, going around the puddles of water, the tree trunks, and the snakes. "I know that. I'm sorry for being mean to you. I kinda frustrated too."

"I was with you, when we saw Buffo. He was kinda stuck inside the orange color tone, too. I lived and played within Dookie Town while always craving more fun, adventure, and challenge. I'm lucky. I am more. I thought..."

I steer backward and watch for more potholes and snakes. "Buffo failed to pass at seventy five percent again, getting out of the orange color tone."

She stares at the dirt road with a sour frown. "I lied. I wanted to help myself to Buffo, too. I saw the fancying that Rincon had taken to you, Ketona inside the red color tone."

I steer backwards and watch the side mirrors for any protruding object in the dirt. "I don't understand it or him or this. I just wanna do and be what I wanna do and be, without going through Citizenship Day to do and be what I wanna do and be..."

Duchie stares at the dirt road with a stern face. "Tree stump on your right! The Establishment needs workers to work within each outer township. No person, in the right frame of mind, would work inside a radiation pit, dying nine months later, unless they ain't got any brain stem. The posh city of Colfax has limited space, limited jobs, and limited places. Some teens stay inside the current color tone, without advancing and working inside snobby posh Colfax, since they failed some or almost all of the complex mathematical academic questions. I say and will say, again. The Cubby Hole is both just and fair for each teen that both studies and works hard to achieve more in their personal life. I can't argue the logic..."

"...only the ethics. I can agree with the concept of the Cubby Hole. However, I don't agree with the current treatment of us inside the current park place. All the advanced park places are really difficult, both academically and physically," I exhale and steer the truck backwards over the dirt pathway.

She continues to stare at the dirt, looking for any protruding objects. "Are you going to abandon Buffo, yet again?"

"Yes."

"Do you love Buffo?"

"Yes."

"Do you wanna have your dream job, too?"

"Yes."

"Wow! You're really quick with these one-worded answers. You seemed to have decided this time with your mind, not your heart..."

I stare into each side mirrors, steering the truck backward and hit a pothole. The truck bounces side to side. I release the gas pedal with a sour frown. "What would you do in place of my pedals at the moment, Duchie?"

She continues to stare at the dirt road with a shoulder shrug. "Slow down! The road's kinda washed out over here from some type of rain storm. Don't know!"

I steer the truck backwards with a sneer. "What kind of true answer is that, coming from my new friend within the Cubby Hole?"

She smiles at the dirt pathway. "You didn't ask me, the right question."

I frown with puzzlement, driving. "Which is?"

"Did I, too, abandon a boyfriend inside Dandine on Citizenship Day?"

"Ah!"

The truck slides to the left and then bounces side to side. It slides to the right and then falls down into the ditch. I stomp the gas pedal with a sour frown. "I'm stuck. What happened? What do you see outside the truck?"

Duchie exhales. "The road is badly potted with a set of horizontal lines of loose dirt or hidden ditches. We are inside a deep ditch. Get out!"

I press the gas pedal. Black smoke shoots from the mud and into the air.

Duchie frowns. "Don't flood the engine! We can't walk back toward the room of mirrors. We must drive this truck. Get out! Let's examine the damage and use our smart neurons to figure out, what to do." She reaches down and cracks the passenger door.

I raise both palms with a worried brow. "Wait! What about the snakes?"

She chuckles. "The loud overbearing noise from the old truck plus the ugly black smoke from the tail pipe both have pretty much scared off all the snakes. And I'm not afraid anymore, as long as, you're with me."

I reach down and crack open the driver's door with a smile, sliding down into mud, exhaling and cringing with surprise. I gently close the door, not shutting it completely. I don't want a snake, helping me to drive the old rusty truck. I slowly move around the slick mud, marching forward over the sloped landscape. I see the about eleven inches, less than one foot of wet shiny red mud, forming a shallow ditch formation. "Ugh! If you stomp the gas pedal, I'll push the tail gate, getting us out of the mud hole..."

Duchie leans into the closed tailgate, shoving with both hands over the metal, trying to budge the truck wheels over the muddy ditch. She tosses both palms into the air and shakes her ponytail with a sour frown. "Forget it! Even, two buff Buffos couldn't shove this old truck out from that mud hole. We need another truck or more heated bodies. But we don't have more heated bodies, only billions of brain cells instead." She scans the truck bed with a smile. "I see equipment inside the truck bed too for our rescue."

I slap my hands over the glowing red cat suit, looking fresh and pressed compared to a tired face and a head of sweaty hair. "Okay. We walk." I narrow my eyelashes, barely seeing the archway of the red room of mirrors. "We are about half way, right? We walk the rest of the way back to the red of mirrors and get outta here."

Duchie turns and narrows her eyelashes, seeing part of archway at the red room of mirrors, too. She also sees. More snakes hang down from the tops of the tall trees. "The snakes are sleeping up ahead. They probably haven't heard the noise or smelled the black smoke."

"Right, okay, we wave the cigar again, scaring off the snakes as we run free like horses." I nod with a smile at the snakes, the trees, and the red of mirrors, "Right?"

She turns and frowns with worry at Ketona, pointing at the truck. "I have to drive the truck, too. I must participate in the current park place event, too. The snakes are the fear factor. The truck is the tool. The me-chee machine is the transport back into the Cubby Hole. Or I'm stuck here within the green color tone, until no more teens advance forward or backward within the color chart," she exhales and kicks the mud. Her boot toe doesn't stick to the mud, since it slides off the glowing red electrons of the soft boot.

I slap both hands down over the cat suit with a nod. "No! You're not stuck forever. Yeah, right, you gotta drive, too. Okay, girlfriend, we're smart. Let's figure out, how to dig out the truck. We could grab some branches and then dug around the mud." I turn and move toward the woodland setting, squatting down and reach out, collecting an armful of tall tree branches. I stand upright with the armful of tree branches and spin around, toting the prize back toward the truck and drop the broken tip down into the thick mud. The mud isn't deep but thick. I squat down and stir the branches around, side to side, shifting the mud away from the back wheel of the truck. Then, the branch cracks and breaks. I exhale with depression and lift the broken branch into the air, whacking the metal truck tailgate metal, feeling somewhat better.

Citizenship Day has been terrible overall.

Now, I understand why no one discusses it, after the event ends. No person wants to re-live their mistakes or failures or defeats, reminding that your life is your own. No one can control it.

"Ah! I hate Citizenship Day." I reach out and shove both hands with a scream at the tailgate of the truck with the force of will power, coming from my petite body. The truck doesn't move.

Duchie turns and moves toward the woodlands, surveying the landscape, seeing the damaged tall tree. The tree probably was damaged from a bolt of lightning or a collision with another fallen tree. The damaged tree tilts at a sixty-degree angle. She swings around to see the truck, measuring the distance within her smart neuron and turns around, examining the damaged tree. The tree and truck set in a diagonal position from each other. Duchie swings around and moves ahead, climbing back into the rear bed of the truck with a stern face, halting in front of the objects with a smile. "There's stuff inside the truck bed. Help me empty the truck! I got an idea. Look through the equipment for a chain or a piece of rope or a long piece of metal plus some tools, if present."

I stand upright and climb into the truck, dropping down onto the metal truck bed and halt with a puzzled brow, "Dang, there's rescue equipment in here." I squat and lift each object with a puzzled brow, "An oxygen tank." I push the cup over my mouth, inhaling the pure cold oxygen substance and pull the cup away from a giggle and turn, tossing the item out the truck bed and down into the woodland setting. "We should've emptied the truck bed before driving it along the dirt road. I could've driven a little faster."

"Good thing you did not that, since more of truck length would be stuck down inside the ditch." She reaches over and grabs, tossing the short cot, the sleeping bag, and the lantern over the side of the truck bed with a grunt and a stern face.

I lift the next set of objects near to my grin. "I found some tools, a hammer, a screwdriver, and a wrench. It didn't see a tool box or other larger metal objects like a chain saw..."

She grabs and tosses the folding chair with a grunt over the side of the truck. "I wish that we had a chain saw. That's a good find. Set the hand tools aside for our purpose. We need them for my idea. Hurry up and empty the truck bed! I found some linked chains."

I reach out and grab, opening the lid with a gasp and a smile. "I found a food basket. Do you want some food, a drink?"

She lifts up and drags backward a set of heavy chains over the truck tail gate, exhaling with excitement and exhaustion. "Not, now! Okay. I got the equipment for our newest experiment." She squats and leaps down over the flat tail gate, landing down into the soft mud with a grunt, sliding to the right and flings upright both arms, balancing out a body.

I stand upright and lean over, lowering the food basket down to the ground, climbing over the short side of the truck and land in the mud, slowly standing upright with a grin. I turn and watch Duchie. She drags a long chain toward a broken tree inside the woodland setting off the side of the dirt road. I reach down and open the lid, grabbing a snack from the food basket, standing and follow behind her grunts and her back spine, chewing on the food item.

She drags the chain with a puff of exhaustion. "Do not eat any of the food, Ketona. One, it could be ruined. Then you get sick. Two, you will get sick from my new experiment. Pitch the food down to the squirrels!"

I skip behind the chain with a sour frown, swallowing the food, tossing the rest of the food time down to the ground, leaning down and grab part of the long chain to assist with a silly grin. "What we doing, here, girlfriend?" I grunt and lift the heavy object from the dirt.

She drags the chain toward the tilted tree with a grunt and drops the chain, halting and stands between Ketona and the tree, pointing the tree with a smile and a nod. "First, we tie one end of the chain around the tilted tree. Second, we tie the other end of the chain around both front wheels of the truck, not the front axle. The front axle could break off from the tension that would be asserted from the pull of the tree. Then, we assist tilting the tree the rest of the way over onto its side or flat onto the ground. The tree is currently positioned at about sixty degrees. So, any additional force moving forward will drop the tree away from us and further down onto the forest ground or maybe split it from the tree trunk. I don't know, until we finish our experiment."

I drop the chain and halt, standing upright, parking both hands on a hip with a puzzled brow. "First, the tree is too heavy for us to push along with the dang truck. Second, the truck engine is facing the tree. Any type of force advancing the truck out from the mud hole would fling the truck deeper into the woodlands. We want to go in the opposite direction which is toward the red room of mirrors. And the rear wheels are stuck in the mud, not the front axle. I don't understand your proposal or purpose, here, Duchie."

She grins with a nod. "We pull and split the broken bark of the tree with sound resonance."

"A sound resonance beam? That's impossible, Duchie." I exhale and examine with my neurons at the tilted tree.

She points the tree with a smile and a nod. "Sound can break glass, because the sound wave itself breaks the glass. You have heard about a singer hitting a high note and then the glass shatters inside the room. We apply that simply physics principle to the tilted tree."

I frown with confusion at the tilted tree. "I like your scientific idea. But we need some sound equipment like an amplifier, an oscilloscope, a glass..."

She thumbs back over a collar bone to the truck and then forward to the tree with a smile. "No. The truck has a stereo amplifier and a horn speaker. I'm going to connect the wires of the truck horn directly into the stereo amplifier. Then I will slowly turn up and tune the sound wave, until a certain frequency hits the right acoustic resonance. Resonance means to resound. So we are going to sound the horn to resound or bound against the tilted tree. I predict the tree will nicely split right at the broken bark. The truck horn volume bongs at a third octave G-chord, so we turn the volume up about first octave A-chord or something that imitates a piccolo note. The piccolo instrument plays at the highest frequency of sound within a musical band."

I exhale with a puff of annoyance and shake my wet curls. "The horn is the pitch. The chain is the force. The capture of sound wave is..."

She squats down and lifts the object near her smile. "Water droplets inside the wet leaves, there are zillions of damp and wet leaves, since snakes like cool environment for sleeping. And you said there's a food basket. Grab the water bottles of water inside the picnic basket, too."

I frown at the truck and then the tree, and finally Duchie. "That's a good idea in theory. Will it really work?"

"Sound travels through matter like air, gases, liquids, and water, bottled, or sea water. Loud sound has high amplitude. Amplitude is the change in pressure, as the sound wave travels through the object, the water. We're going to increase the pressure by making the sound loud, then very loud, and finally extremely loud. Then the water will vibrate like it does along the ocean from both the air and sound waves. The sound wave will hit the leaves of water, creating vibrations. Then the vibrations from the water will slice like an invisible hand saw through the damaged wood of the tree. Then the tree will fall down from sixty degrees of an angle toward zero degrees of an angle, flat onto the soil." She exhales. "I don't have another idea or the time to figure out something else. What do you think about our plan?"

I exhale. "It can work."

"First, gather all the wet leaves holding water and then stuff all the leaves into the broken part of the tree."

I squat down and gather the ground leaves, standing upright and moved toward the tree, stopping and stand, shoving the wet leaves into the edges of the broken tree bark. "Your idea..."

She squats down and gathered the ground leaves, standing upright and moved toward the tree, stopping and stand, shoving the wet leaves on top of the other wet leaves between the edges of the broken tree trunk. "Our idea, we're a team here."

I back step with a pair of wet hands and spin around with a confused brow, staring at the truck. "Our idea is also going to burst the windows inside the truck too from a generated sound resonance, girlfriend." I move ahead and squat down, grabbing more ground leaves and stand upright, swinging around and move ahead to the tree, stopping and stand, shoving more wet leaves between the broken horizontal seam of the tree with a stern face.

She shoves the last of the wet tree leaves into the broken tree bark and back steps, swinging around with a puzzled brow to see the old truck. "You are correct, girl friend. So, we get the sledgehammer and bust out the front and rear window shields. Since we have to manually operate the truck horn and the radio dial for increasing the sound wave and creating the frequency to whack down the tilted tree. I'm going to anchor the chain ends around the tilted tree and the front wheels. You start and finish bursting out the rear and front windows and find these water bottles from the food basket."

"Okay." I skip ahead toward the sledgehammer on the dirt that came from the truck bed and stop, leaning down and lift the wooden handle into the air, dragging the heavy hammer toward the rear truck bed. "Why does the truck have all this equipment?"

She works, lifting and wrapping the ends of the chain around the tree trunk and the two front tires with loud grunts and wet sweat. "The Cubby Hole wants us to use our brain neurons, finding out the solution, instead of getting stuck inside the park place for our ultimately defeat. The Cubby Hole is a fair and just system, if you got a brain," she grunts with the hard work.

I climb up with the sledgehammer inside the interior cab of the truck, standing on a pair of boot heels, bending at the waist and rear back the sledgehammer as best as I can. I slam forward and hit the rear window with the sledgehammer with a grunt of pain. The rear window pops with spider cracks and then shatters into large chunks of glass. I lift and slam the rear window for a second time with the sledgehammer with a grunt of pain. The rear window pops with larger cracks and falls into the open truck bed. I drop the sledgehammer over the bench seat inside the interior of the cab and grab the smaller nail hammer, gently tapping off a set of protruding sharp glass pieces off the curved metal inside the interior cab. Now, the rear window is void of all jagged edges that could cut the skin.

I exhale with the hard work and lean down, slowly lift the sledgehammer near my chest and rear back, slamming the stone head into the front windshield. The front window pops with a set of spider cracks and then shatters into larger chunks, sliding over the engine hood of the truck. I exhaled with the physical work and lift and slam the sledgehammer for a second time. The rest of the front windshield glass falls over the engine hood again and slides down into the dirt. I drop the sledgehammer over the bench seat and grab the small nail hammer, cleaning the jagged pieces around the interior metal frame.

I completely understand Duchie's plan. I back step from the interior cab of the truck, standing in front of the bench, reaching out and drag the sledgehammer out and away from the cab and the wheels of the truck. I move backward over the dirt toward the tossed out sleeping cot. The cot is lightweight for one light person, during sleep time. It is a stand alone lightweight wooden frame with a cloth bed.

I drop the sledgehammer onto the dirt and turn to the side, lifting the cot and drag it toward the interior cab of the truck, halting in front of the bench with a puff of sweat and exhaustion. I lift the cot and pose the bottom end down on top of the floor mat on the driver's seat. The top end of the vertical cot sticks out of the rear window where I had cleaned the window pane with the nail hammer and sledgehammer of glass.

I roll to the side away from the cot and exit out the passenger door, halting in the dirt with a grin, dashing around the truck and find the sleeping bag, stopping and lean down, grabbing the sleeping bag. I rip, stretch, and tear a large hole into the soft fabric, splitting the sleeping bag into two uneven pieces, moving ahead toward the cab of the truck and stop, standing in front of the passenger door. I reach out and rest the two torn pieces of the sleeping bag over the truck bench along with the screwdriver.

I back step and admire my new project with a grin and a giggle inside the interior of the cab, turning with a smile to see Duchie.

She had finished anchoring the chain to the tree about eight inches above the split bark seam. Duchie continues to kneel in the mud, anchoring the other end of the chain, around the front wheels and stands upright with a puff of exhaustion with a smile and a nod. "Okay. The chain is around the tree and is extended all the way and encircles the two non-stuck front tires. The wet leaves are stuffed inside the split tree bark, looking like the tree has grown a short green beard. Let's pour and soak the bottled water onto the leaves, the exposed wood, and the outer bark, so the sound wave will nicely slice through the rest of the tilted bark completely or at least tilt the tree another twenty degrees or so. Then the truck will literally jump up into the air about two feet being dragged out from the mud puddle. Or we get to be..."

"It will work." I smiled at the interior of the cab. "We're smarter than the tree, the truck, and the Cubby Hole." I back step and turn, dashing toward the picnic basket, leaning over and find numerous bottles of water. I gather all the bottles and hand one to Duchie.

Then, they spin around and dashed back toward the titled tree, stopping and stand in front of the broken tree bark, reaching out and pour a bottle of water over the leaves, the bark, and wood. Then they turn and face the old truck.

I move ahead with a smile. "I placed the sleeping cot vertically between the floor board of the truck and the rear window. I don't have to guess. I understand. One of us holds down the truck horn for a continuous loud sound of amplification, hitting the water molecules in a continuous motion. And one of us continues to adjust the volume of the frequency upward on the radio dial, striking the key frequency for the right resonance inside the stereo equipment. Both factors must work together, or our project totally fails."

She stops and stands with a nod in front of the passenger side of the truck, "A sleeping bag?"

I stop and stand next to Duchie with a smile and stare the interior of the cab. "A loud amplification will cause temporary deafness for a few seconds, at least. However, we get our bodies into stable position and then wrap both eardrums with the torn pieces of the sleeping bag."

She reaches out and touches the sleeping bag with a worried brow. "Wished, we had some cotton, too." I lift up a single piece of white soft ball with a giggle. She turns and drops open a mouth at the cotton boll. "Wishes do come true, mama! And I wish to get outta here, pronto. Where did that come from?"

I giggle with a grin. "Your wish is my command, ma'am. Lamis and I visited a cotton field during my first visit inside the red color tone. I guess some of the teens used this truck also here inside the green color tone for something else both slimy and creepy, too. I found it underneath the driver's seat, when I was securing the cot." I exhale and view the interior cab with a worried brow. "We are ready." I pull the soft cotton boll part, reaching over, giving her an even piece.

She accepts the torn cotton ball with a nod and a worried brow. "Okay. You climb in, first. Get positioned inside the vertical sleeping cot. I will tie your leg and kneecap around the steering column. The sound wave is going to knock both of us with an invisible punch into both eardrums. We will pass out..."

"Then, the jolt of the truck, coming from the mud puddle, will awaken the two princesses into consciousness." I giggle with a grin of overconfidence.

She rubs a face with a dirty hand. "Yeah, you understand too much with me. Sometimes, I wish that I wasn't so smart."

I giggle. "Ya fib! Let's do this and boast to Marsilla about our higher IQs that was used to escape out from the red color tone, a second time." I lean down and climb over the long bench seat and stand, wiggling into the vertical cot.

Duchie climbs inside and lies across the long bench, leaning down underneath the dashboard console of the truck, holding the screwdriver and rips out the stereo equipment from the compartment. She fiddles with the different colored wirings, searching for the horn trigger.

I stand and lean into the cot, staring with a smile down at the red colored ponytail of Duchie. "How do you know where to connect the horn to the stereo? How do you know which proper wire to touch and twist for the horn?"

"I work with my dad on the broken equipment inside my home town of Dandine. The equipment is very ancient, always needing repairing. One day, I was tired listening to the blowing wind, so I kinda did this thing to an older truck, using more advanced tools. But it worked fine." She twists the set of two wires together and then attaches the wires to the horn trigger. She exhales with a worried brow to see Ketona. "Alright, I'm ready on this end."

I nod with a smile. "I'm ready on this upper end." I slide over the soft cloth, standing both feet between the curves of the steering column without touching the truck horn.

She exhales with a nod to Ketona. "A truck horn has a sound level of 110 sound decibels. But, I really don't know how high the sound wave needs to be for vibrating the water molecules inside the tree wood. So I'll continue to tune the dial mechanism high and higher and highest, until we both pass out. You must continue to slam your kneecap on the horn truck first, before I start...

"No. You need to fiddle with the wiring first. Then I will slam my kneecap into the horn. Then the sound will cause the tree to split and drop down over tot side. Then the truck will fly outta of the mud puddle into the air and onto the ground..."

"No." Duchie shakes her curls. "If I have dialed the frequency too high, then I'll pass out too. Our experiment will fail and we fail. Then we both are stuck here. I have start with the tolerable lower musical octave chime and then work up to the highest octave chime. Or this won't work. And I gotta tie your kneecap around the truck horn, so after you pass out, the horn will be blasting the loud amplification."

I nod with a worried brow to her, "Okay, right."

She reaches up and places the cotton boll inside each eardrum. "Put the cotton balls into both your ears. Then wrap your neck and head inside the torn piece of the sleeping bag, first. Second, position your kneecap above the truck horn but maintain an upright balance. Don't fall over. Then I'll slap your leg, you lower the kneecap onto the truck horn. It will be very loud, so cover your ears. Your part is done. I will tie your kneecap to the blowing truck horn. Then place the sleeping bag over my face, while I twist the wires for the right frequency. Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the tree split..."

"Unfortunately, we get to feel the dang tree, splitting in half then booming down over the ground. We'll know if this works immediately."

She grins. "Yeah, I estimate the tree falling in about ten seconds..."

I grin. "Fifteen seconds..."

"You count for me."

I wink with a smile. "I will. Good luck to us!" I tear and place the two separate pieces of cotton balls into each eardrum. Then I wrap the sleeping bag completely around my face, seeing semi-darkness. I hear Duchie. She fiddles with metal equipment of the stereo. I feel her hand near my leg.

Duchie tears and places two separate piece of cotton balls into each eardrum. Then she wraps the torn sleeping bag partially around a skull, exposing her eyelashes. She sees the wire inside the stereo equipment and reaches over and slaps Ketona on the leg for the task.

I slowly lower a kneecap down and hit the truck horn. The truck horn blasts in a musical note of bong like third octave G-chord. I place both hands around the sleeping bag with a humming sound, trying to knock out the annoying truck horn sound. I feel the rope tighten around my knee and my leg, keeping the horn noise.

Duchie ties the rope around the kneecap of Ketona then shifts a body down toward the twisted wiring, reaching out the fingers dialing it clockwise. The truck horn blasts in a musical note of a higher bong like a third octave A-chord. She dials the wiring clockwise, again. The horn sings in a higher pitch like a second octave D-chord. She dials the wiring, again. The horn sings in a higher pitch like a first octave G-chord. She dials the wiring continuous in a clockwise movement. The horn sings in a higher pitch like a first octave A-chord.

My head spins from the high pitch of the truck horn, starting with a low bong then quickly moves into a shrieking scream, hearing the sound through the thin sleeping bag. My vertical cot faces the rear window. I feel the cool dampness of the cool forest on my exposed naked hands, covering a wrapped head. I taste the salt from the nervous bile, coming up from a set of fluttering stomach muscles with permanent failure inside the red color tone. I feel like vomiting, so I'm glad that I have followed Duchie's advice not to eat. I hear the cracking of tree wood and gasp with shock.

Duchie twists the fingers over the exposed wiring, feeling the tiny particles of hot electricity, flowing back and forth. She isn't worried about getting electrocuted. Since, there is proper leather casing over the set of live wires. Her head spins. She holds a breath from puking up the fruit and nuts eaten inside the pink color tone, early morning. She leans over to the side with dizziness, covering the sleeping bag over both her burning eyeballs and her stinging eardrums. She twists the wiring, again. The truck horn sings in a new pitch beyond the highest octave in music.

My head spins from the new high pitch.

She leans into the console in dizziness and twists the wiring, again. The truck horn sings into a higher pitch, ear-piercing shriek.

I forgot to count the number of seconds, feeling dizzy and sleepy. My eyelashes close. I hear more cracking sounds of tree wood, coming into the rear broken out window of the truck.

Duchie twists the wiring again then leans down into the console, feeling asleep. The truck horn blasts in a super loud sound, amplifying throughout the woodlands, when the frequency is captured by the dripping water droplets inside the wet leaves stuffed, inside the exposed wood of the damaged tree. The water molecules shake and then vibrate, rippling in a set of two semi-circles of sound wave in all geographical directions around the woodland landscape.

The sound wave hits and then slices through the exposed wood, slowly eating away the tiny splinters of yellow pine millimeter by millimeter. The tiny splinters jump away from the sound wave, landing in the grass. More tiny splinters separate and then jump away from the tree wood, creating a horizontal gash deeper into the wood. The gash grows sideways and deeper from the departing set of tiny splinters as the tree groans, sliding down from sixty degrees to fifty-eight degrees of an angle.

The sound wave beats at the set of tiny splinters, making them jump further away from the wood, when the tilted tree bark quickly slides down to twenty-five degrees of an angle.

The tree top of heavy limbs and leaves weigh too much over the tree bark. Then the tilted tree falls to zero degrees of an angle, flat onto the wet grass.

The front wheels of the truck squeal from the tension of the chains around the rubbers, slowly lifting out from the red mud ditch.

The remaining part of the tilt trunk topples down onto the flat ground. Then the front wheels of the truck leaped into the air for 1.2 seconds. Then the truck rolls into an upward motion on the two rear tires out from the muddy ditch. The truck slides over the mud, the grass, and tiny wooden splinters, falling on its front wheels with a jolt over the dry dirt.

I awake and blink open my eyelashes, hitting a face down into the rough sleeping cot with a loud grunt, wearing the torn sleeping bag material and the two eardrums of cotton balls. The truck horn blasts in an ear-piercing shriek within my eardrums. I lift my buttocks upward from a stand and slightly jerk a kneecap upward from the truck horn, not stopping the annoying noise of the truck horn. The truck shakes side to side from the hard impact of the chain movement of the sound wave. I scratch the sleeping bag off a heated face, yelling with excitement. "Duchie, Duchie, slice the rope. Get the rope off my kneecap. It worked. The truck moved from the mud hole. Duchie, wake up." I wiggle side to side and fling a body sideway, jerking away from the cot and the truck horn, landing sorta top of the bench seat, shifting my kneecap from the truck horn. My kneecap is still tied to the truck horn. I am being very careful. If I continue to play the special musical notes resounding from the modified truck horn, then we both will pass out again.

Duchie feels the heavy jolt of the landing truck and wiggling movement of Ketona, seeing darkness through the torn sleeping bag. The sleeping bag is wrapped around her face. She is lying down on the floor of the truck mats. She moans and scratches the sleeping bag from a sweaty face, tossing the fabric onto the floor.

I stand with a bent kneecap and stare down at her red colored hair ponytail with a smile.

Duchie climbs back into the long bench and stares up with a smile to see Ketona. "I see you, Ketona. And you're smiling. I don't hear the truck horn, anymore. It worked, perfectly. Can you hear me?"

I nodded with a smile and a loud shout. "My ears are buzzing. But I can clearly hear your question and your reaction. It worked, perfectly. Get me outta of the rope, before my foot slides back down onto the horn. Okay?"

She struggles upright and stands on her knees, reaching over, untying the rope around Ketona. Then she reaches down and cuts off the stereo button, in case the truck horn blasts a special musical song again. Thus, the loud truck horn will cause them to pass out again.

I scoot backward from the cot and grab the middle, lifting and jerking it from the floor mats, flinging the cot through the rear window out of the way of the steering wheel and the driver's seat, pushing the cot through the empty window and onto the truck bed. The vertical sleeping cot crashes through the window and lands down over the metal truck bed with a loud thump. I hop down from the driver's seat and land on top of the dirt with a glee of happiness.

Duchie reaches over and slaps the glove compartment, storing the set of dangerous tools inside the glove compartment, sitting upright with a smile, sliding over into an empty driver's seat. She has to drive the truck also as part of 'the thing' inside the new park place, so Duchie can exit the red room of mirrors and then continue toward the golden circle.

I turn with a smile and run around the front bumper, quickly surveying for any damage with a shout and a smile of excitement. "It looks good. The tires are inflated. The engine isn't damaged." I dash around the truck for a quick inspector with a giggle and stop, sliding back into the passenger seat, webbing into the safety belt with a nod. "The truck appears in working order. So, gun it toward the room of mirrors. But don't wreck. Let's get outta of here and back into the Cubby Hole."

Duchie reaches down with a grin and starts the engine with a giggle, "I bet the me-chee host is going to be surprised to see us."

I giggle with a grin. "Forget the me-chee machine! I bet Marsilla is going to be totally surprised to see us inside the golden circle with her. Go, girl!" I reach over and slap her arm with a laugh of happiness, sitting back into the seat, bouncing up and down with excitement of the academic and physical competition.

Duchie stomps down on the gas pedal, carefully maneuvering around the set of split tree branches, driving the engine hood toward the red room of mirrors.

I frown at her driving. "You're supposed to drive backwards, scaring the snakes from the tires."

She speeds down on the dirt road, swerving around the tree limbs, the tree stumps, and the low bushes plants, while taking out some wildflower beds with a worried brow. "The noise of the tree has scared every single creature into hiding. I don't see on one dangling snake coming from a tree branch either. We are clear for a going back into the Cubby Hole. I'm driving this truck right up and into the archway and then slide my fanny over the red colored solid concrete floor," she laughs with Ketona. Duchie slams the brakes over the wet grass, sliding the truck sideways. The truck stops parallel to the open archway of the red room of mirrors. She cracks open the driver's door and scoots out the seat, standing over the floor inside the red room, bouncing toward her me-chee chair in the center of the red room of mirrors.

I scoot across the long bench and plop down from the driver's seat and land on top of the floor, moving ahead toward my me-chee chair with happiness. I circle around Duchie and her me-chee chair with a smile. "We did it. We beat the Cubby Hole..."

Duchie reaches out and grabs the arm of Ketona, pulling her closer toward a chest with a stern face into the cheekbone of Ketona. "We are going back into the Cubby Hole for the next color tone. But I need to land first inside the green color tone."

"Why?" I turn and frown at her face.

"Snakes versus knives?"

I drop open a mouth. "What?"

Duchie exhales. "The fear question from our app for the Citizenship Day, you fear knives. I fear snakes. We both have landed first and exposed our fear factor. You landed first again using up your love answer. The cats became the cougars within the orange color tone."

"Yeah, I did."

"I have not landed first position, twice. I still have left over my love answer which is sunflowers."

I nod with a grin. "Okay. That should be safe enough to finish the green color tone then advance..."

"So, I gotta drop down from the Cubby Hole auditorium first, landing inside the next green colored room of mirrors."

I drop open a mouth. "You gotta drop first. How is that going to be possible? The academic questions are timed within fifteen seconds, max. I can't miss a question. I mean, I can miss one question for the passing value of seventy five percent. The math problems are getting more complicated, taking me almost the full fifteen seconds to answer..."

"Calm down, honey!" Duchie winks with a giggle. "The first question is always the easiest. The answer will be green. Okay. So, you wait and count out to about thirteen seconds before answering the first question and avoiding missing the fifteen second deadline. Then I'll be thirteen seconds ahead of you, giving me plenty of time to answer the other three questions. Does that make sense?"

I nod with a worried brow. "Okay. I can do that. I can wait about thirteen seconds before answering the first question. Yeah. That should ensure that you drop down into the floor, before me."

She nods with a smile. "Okay. Let's zoom back into the Cubby Hole. I bet we'll be the only two me-chee chairs in the place. So, the me-chee machine will immediately start the set of academic questions like always." Duchie releases Ketona and cleans off the sweat and the dirt from a face and both hands, before entering the me-chee chair.

I skip ahead with a smile toward my me-chee chair and stop, sliding down inside the metal seat. The soft fabric lifts from the metal compartment and covers her body. Then the me-chee chair drops down into the dark tunnel as I scream with anticipation.

07:07 pm

Cubby Hole auditorium setting

Green colored walls, floor, ceiling, and me-chee machine

I rise first into the Cubby Hole within the glowing green colors, again. I had dropped down before Duchie. My me-chee chair jolts upright into place, glowing with a red shield. Then, I see Duchie pop up and then land inside her usual resting spot over the green colored auditorium floor.

The room is empty, except for Duchie and Ketona.

The me-chee host stands underneath the color chart and lifts both metal arms, glowing in neon puke green.

The ugly color makes my stomach turn without consuming the food basket within the red color tone.

The me-chee host smirks with the paint on the metal face. "Welcome back to the Cubby Hole, teens! I hope..."

I tap a foot in nervousness and tune out the voice of the me-chee machine from my brain cells, repeating the same practiced speech. I wonder if Buffo is thinking of me. I'm thinking of him, since I have abandoned him again. I feel so sad.

But Buffo has disappointed Ketona again. He has failed the orange color tone for a second time.

I feel so betrayed.

All the math questions were relatively easy, so far, if you were inside an air conditioning class room style environment. However, this is not a class environment, but a competition environment for five dream jobs within the city of Colfax.

I feel depressed, leaving Buffo behind inside the orange color tone for a second time. But we had studied for hours, days, and years together, preparing for this academic day, Citizenship Day.

Her BPs studied and encouraged Ketona every single hour of every single day, including the weekends with a series of test questions. Granted, her BPs didn't share all the information about Citizenship, including the dreaded Cubby Hole activities. They sorta protected their daughter.

On the other hand, Buffo was given more information than Ketona about Citizenship Day. Yet, he could not move from the third color chart of orange tone, advancing along with his girl Ketona into the next series of colors and finally reaching the golden circle of a great Colfax dram job.

The me-chee host says into each me-chee chair. "The first question, what is the color tone of the me-chee host inside the Cubby Hole, presently?"

I exhale with a puff of nervousness and shake both hands, getting the blood flow surging with worry. I silently count up from zero to thirteen, so Duchie can land inside the green room of mirrors first.

I wonder if Rincon is thinking of me. I'm thinking of him, since I have abandoned him for a second time.

I feel ashamed, too.

Rincon came back, failing the green color tone to rescue Ketona inside the second red color tone.

I feel safe, secure, and sweet with Rincon.

He and I have shared lots of time in school together during class time and after school, before Buffo had entered into my life. However, Rincon has always been there at my side, in my shadow.

He also has displayed an exceptional academic performance within each color tone today on Citizenship Day. He right now is waiting inside the golden color tone and will land his dream job as a medical technician.

My silent count reaches the number thirteen. I growl inside my me-chee chair. "My answer is...green."

The me-chee host says inside my me-chee chair. "The mayor of Colfax stays at one of the lovely inns within the city. The inn charges $199.01 per night plus tax for the luxury room. A tax of 12 percent is applied to the room rate and an additional one-time untaxed fee of $50.00 is charged by the inn. Do not provide the solution to the equation. What is the math equation, representing the mayor's total charges for one night?"

I'm getting the medical technician position like my BPs, since I have been studying my entire life at four years old for Citizenship Day.

Rincon can become a me-chee technician or a me-chee designer or a legal technician. He should become the legal technician, since Marsilla is both dishonest and arrogant. Her parents are both legal technicians, living and working within the city of Colfax.

I whisper for my eardrum only, working out the problem. "The total charge is the room rate of $199.01. There is a 12 percent tax on the room rate and the fixed fee of $50.00. The math equation is 1.12(199.01) + 50." I wiggle a right boot toe and turn with a worried brow to see Duchie. She lies like a dead person inside her me-chee chair in stillness inside the red color shield. I frown with annoyance, wondering if she has addressed the easy second question already. I should have developed a subtle hand signal, after she had finished answering each academic question, so I could finish answering my own set of academic questions, before the time limit of fifteen seconds.

I exhale with more annoyance and turn with a worried brow to face the forward wall and the me-chee machine. I gotta move along with answering my set of academic questions or face the fear of dropping back down into the red color tone. I say out loud to the me-chee machine. "My answer is...1.12 times 199.01 plus 50."

The me-chee host says inside my me-chee chair. "What is the probability that a number selected at random from the set of number listing as 2, 3, 5, 12, 17, 29, 72, 108 will be divisible by both 2 and 3?"

I exhale with a puff of worry and shake both legs and arms, releasing the worry, fright, fear, and tension. This question is not hard but time consuming within the fifteen second time limit. I whisper for my eardrums only, working out the math problem within my neurons. "The number 12 is divided by 2, producing 6. The number 12 also is divided by 3, producing 4. The number 72 is divided by 2, producing 36. The number 72 also is divided by 3, producing 24. And the number 108 is divided by 2, producing 54. The number 108 also is divided by 3, producing 36. The only numbers coming from the vocal listing which is divisible by both 2 and 3 is 12, 72, and 108. So, the probability that the number selected at random is 3/8." I turn with a worried brow and stare at Duchie. She continues to lie like a dead person in stillness inside the red shield of her me-chee chair. I frown with a distorted face, flipping both hands up and down with frustration, yelling at her inside my red shield. "Come on, Duchie! Answer the freaking question. I've already puzzled it out! I don't have time to waste here. My answer is...3/8."

The me-chee host says within my me-chee chair. "When hydrogen chloride and ammonia vapors react, what do the two vapors form?"

I exhale with a puff of worry and flip both hands and feet into the air and up from the me-chee chair, staring at Duchie. "This is too easy, Duchie. Answer the dang question! One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight seconds have passed you by and bye-bye from me, darling," I gasp and see. The me-chee chair of Duchie turns into the color of neon puke green. I say out loud with a giggle. "My answer is...the solid ammonium chloride."

My me-chee chair turns into the color of neon puke green also. The fabrics lift and wrap around Ketona. Then the me-chee chair and I fall down into the darkness. I scream with delight.

07:12 pm

Green colored park place

Warm temperatures with bright sunlight and white clouds

My me-chee chair slowly emerges and land upright with a jolt near the one of side walls of mirrors like always. I giggle with a smile. "Second place, again." I scoot out from the chair and stand, dropping open a mouth at the presented view of the open archway.

The me-chee chair of Duchie had landed first and stood in the middle of the room. Then she exited the chair and slapped open the solid green colored wall.

I move ahead through the archway of the green room of mirrors into a large field. The field is filled with tall yellow colored sunflowers.

Duchie stands inside the field in the front of numerous rows which goes backward for miles, until it hits the barrier wall probably like the other park places.

There are horizontal rows of sunflower, standing parallel at the archway. There are vertical rows of sunflowers, standing perpendicular to the horizontally rows. There are diagonal rows between the vertical and horizontal rows of sunflowers. There is a white fence, separating the sunflowers from Ketona. There is a circular pond in front of the long white fence.

I slowly move ahead and stop in front of the water pond, seeing a set of stepping stones, marching forward and tap onto the first slick watery stone, strolling across the shallow water pond, extending out both arms for balance. I don't want to get wet, again. I exit from the last watery stepping stone and drop both arms, slapping the legs of the cat suit, moving ahead toward t o the row of sunflowers and stand beside the nose profile of Duchie. I reach out and touch the yellow petal with a smile. "Soft and big and bright yellow, the center is not a center. It's a pod of brown colored seeds."

Duchie reaches out and touched the flower with a smile and a nod. "This is a sunflower field full of healthy and tall upright stalks of big yellow daisy-like flower with a set of big yellow petals and brown colored flower head. They grow taller than most floras. A single stalk stands at two and half feet, half of our height of five feet," she giggles. "The stem is rough and hairy. The leaves are sticky and heart-shaped, a beautiful flower and they always face east."

I frown with puzzlement and swing around, seeing the yellow sun. "The flowers always face east. Hmm, that's interesting. I thought a park place was only a computer-generated picture of the first me-chee chair within the teenage mind."

She strokes the flower with a smile. "The park place is the image from the teen who lands first into the room of mirrors. But each park place is a real place, somewhere on the planet. I don't know where, either. However, this particular park place is located in the direction of south."

I frown at the sun and cover both eyelashes with both hands. "How do you know that?"

She spins around in a circle with a smile, pointing at each nature object and stops, standing in front of the row of sunflowers again. "Each tall stalk of flower is facing east on my right side. So you finger the eastern skyline and then twirl around the landscape in a geographical direction. The trees face north. The valley is west on my left side. And the little creek water is flowing south, behind my butthole."

I swing around with a smile to see the row of sunflowers, reaching out and touch the petals again. "The petals are soft. The center has a pod of brown colored seeds."

She reaches out and picks a seed with a smile. "Sunflower seeds are also a healthy food source. So we must eat the seeds from the flower."

"Eat the seed?" I frown with annoyance, picking out a seed from the flower head. "It is a black shell with black and white stripes." I press the seed with all fingers. "It is firm feeling. This is going to break my tooth."

She lifts and eats the seed, chewing the meat. "No," she swallows the meat with a smile. "You separate the shell from the seed. You are holding the sunflower shell, not the seed. The seed is inside like an apple seed is located inside the apple core, city slicker. This is 'the thing,' here to do to re-activate the me-chee chair. You eat only one of the sunflower seeds from the sunflower. Then we go and get back into the correct me-chee chair and advance up and into the blue color tone."

I shake my curls. "I don't know."

"The seeds taste like nuts. Enjoy, sugar!" She tosses another whole shell into an open mouth.

I frown with annoyance. "Can't I break or bust it open?"

"No. This is an art form, eating a handful of sunflower seeds."

I lift and smell the shell into my nose holes, inhaling a fresh odor.

Duchie laughs. "Don't sniff it like a dog. Eat it like a girl."

I reach out and touch the shell with a puzzled brow. "This is not hard, but firm. Are you certain, Duchie?"

"Look around you! What do you see? I will answer my own question. There are lots and lots of sunflower stalks which contain zillions of sunflower seeds. You eat the seed. Then you leave," she giggles with a smile. "I rhymed like a dime within our limited time," she smile then frowns. "Eat the freaking seed, Ketona. I wanna go and rub my victory into Marsilla's me-chee chair seating position," she laughs.

I tap on the hard shell with a confused brow. "I cannot possibly eat the firm outer smooth shell, coming from a sunflower plant, but I will consume the seedling inside. So, how do I get to the seedling inside the shell?

Duchie exhales then laughs, holding both hands in the air that are filled with a fresh batch of sunflower shells. "Okay. I'm going to narrate while you do it all at the same time. One, place the shell into your mouth."

I frown with annoyance and place the shell onto a tongue. "Yuck!" I spit out the shell onto the ground with a sour frown.

She laughs. "Okay. Go back to step one. Place the shell inside your mouth."

I frown. "It tastes salty and yucky. I can't do this."

"Please, we have survived slithering snakes and growling cougars. Now, you can't crack one soft shell for the meat..."

"Okay." I toss both hands into the air and lean over, picking out another seed from the center of the sunflower. "Place the shell onto my tongue." I lift and place the shell onto a tongue. My mouth salvia drools, dropping down both sides of the lips from the yucky taste.

She shakes a ponytail with a smile. "That has to be the most disgusting eyeball vision, ever. Okay. Second, move the seed inside the cheek of your mouth. This is the easiest way to crack open the shell by using the inside of cheek rather than with your front teeth. I will wait for that maneuver..."

Using a tongue, I maneuver the hard shell toward the cheek flesh inside the mouth. Then my tongue flips the shell as it goes down my throat. I gag then cough, then gag, and finally spit out the hard shell from the mouth. I mouth drool from the awful choke over the lips again.

She laughs. "Girl, you are so disgustingly ugly and entertainingly amusing. Okay. I feel bad for you. But I can't eat your seed from the sunflower. We will stand right here all night until you eat that seed."

I exhale with a puff of annoyance and reach out, picking a third sunflower shell from the center of the pretty sunflower. I don't bother with a narrative. I place the shell into the mouth. The my tongue holds it against the cheek flesh in silence for the next step.

She nods with a smile. "Three, place the seed between your teeth. Use your tongue to place the shell between your molars. I, personally, prefer the vertical pose, but it your preference."

I drop open the jaw line. My tongue maneuvers the hard shell between the top and bottom row of molars. Duchie laughs without instructions at Ketona. My mouth salvia drools and drops over the sides of the lips. She grins with a giggle. "Now, crack the shell with your molars. Apply a firm and steady pressure onto the seed, until it cracks open. The hull is going to resist, so apply more pressure. Don't..."

"Ugh," I spit out the cracked shell and the white seeds onto the green grass.

She eye rolls with a sour frown and looks back at Ketona with a laugh. "Dang, I just told you. Do not bite the shell so hard that you crack it. Now, start all over from step number one, again, Ketona."

I exhale with a puff of annoyance and reach out, picking a fourth shell from the center of the sunflower. I place it inside the mouth with my fingers, shoving it into the cheek flesh, not bothering with my useless tongue. My mouth is open with the shell, standing vertically between the top and bottom rows of molars. I slightly apply pressure from both rows of molars, hearing nothing. Then, I slightly apply more pressure on the hard shell with the two rows of molars, hearing a tiny crack. Then, I slightly apply more pressure on top of the hard shell between the two rows of molars, hearing a big crack. Then, the hard shell breaks in two pieces.

I frown with disgust, feeling the slightly touch with my tongue tip of three foreign objects inside my mouth. My mouth drool drops and falls down over my lips, running down both sides of my neck and then down into the collar bone of the cat suit.

She claps with a smile, "Good, girl! You have cracked the shell in two halves, which looks like a clam shell but you can't see that. Anyways, free the little seed from its warm home by letting it fall onto your tongue."

I stand with an open mouth, showing a split shell, exposing the seed. My lips are flowing with stingy mouth salvia running down both sides of my neck. I can't talk, so I stomp my feet in silence frustration.

She laughs with a nod. "Free the seed, now, Ketona. You're almost done."

I wiggle the tongue sideways, trying to separate the seed from the hard shell. Both food items are getting wet and soft inside my mouth, while my salvia is drowning my lips and my neck. I am trying to separate the seed from the hard shell, feeling the smooth seed. I shift the rough shell to the other side of my cheek, when I gag. The seed flips over to the other cheekbone and slides down the throat.

Duchie grins with a nod. "The shell is rough. The seed is smooth. That's the difference between the two textures on your tongue. Use your tongue and your teeth to pull the shell and the seed apart."

I gag then cough and then gag with more mouth spit. Only spittle comes out, running

Down from my drooling mouth and my pink watery tongue, but I have swallowed the seed whole.

She laughs. "Okay. You sorta ate more than the seed. That's okay. Last step, spit out the hard shell, before choking. I mean, before chewing it. Now, you're a mistress seeder. So, let's go back and get into the Cubby Hole and finish the other thing inside the blue color tone."

I spit out the soft shell with a rough cough, slapping both breasts, trying to breathe more air molecules. I swing away from the sunflowers, slowly stomping and slapping my chest, following behind the back spine of Duchie.

Duchie swings around and moves toward the white fence with a grin and a laugh.

"I..." cannot talk and turn, scanning the landscape, clearing a wet throat of seed residue "Duchie, where's the fear factor?"

"There ain't one." She climbs over the fence and stomps toward the small water pond which separates the filed from the green room of mirrors.

I stop and slowly climb over the fence post with a worried brow. "Yeah. There's a fear factor. Remember? Rincon said that each park place has one fear factor which is associated with a love factor. This is your love question. You love sunflowers. So, where is the fear factor which is attached to the love factor?"

Duchie steps onto top of the first watery stepping stone and swings around to see Ketona with a smile, standing in place on top of the single stone that is surrounded by water inside the pond. "Yeah, I agree. There is a fear factor. It is the fear of you chocking to death, which you almost did from one tiny little sunflower seed." She extends outward both arms, shaking both hands. "Move your boot toes, Ketona! We're almost finished here." Then a tiny splatter of white liquid falls and lands down on top of her right collar bone.

I fall over the fence post and rest over the ground, looking up and narrow my eyelashes at the big gray circle inside the blue colored sky.

Duchie looks down with a sour frown to see white liquid. "Ugh! Bird s..."

"South. There's a swarm of birds coming at us, due south," I point at the swarm of birds and stand, turning with a worried brow and dash toward the water pond.

Duchie continues to stand on top of the watery stone with a sour frown, looking down at the white spot on her collar bone. The wet bird poo slides off her collar bone and down the arm of her cat suit. "This is bird pookie."

I run over the grass and fling a body at Duchie, connecting and sliding both of us down into the pond water. The swarm of gray colored birds swoops down onto her former standing position on top of the first watery stone.

Duchie and I dive down into the fresh pond water and then emerge upon the surface, coughing and gasping for air molecules.

The birds swing around and attack the sunflower pod of seeds.

I exhale with a puff of worry. "There's the fear factor."

She turns and dog pedals with a cough toward the grassy shoreline of the water pond. "Good. It's done too. Let's leave out from here!"

I follow behind the wet red colored ponytail of Duchie, scanning the blue sky, seeing a second swarm of birds.

Duchie swims ahead of Ketona. The swarm of birds swoops down again firing a set of white splatters of wet liquid, specifically at her.

I stop and stand with a gasp.

Numerous white bird pookie drops down, hit, and splash onto her cat suit, her hair, and her face. Duchie wipes the pookie from a wet face with a sour brow, "Uoo, yuck-o! This is both disgusting and unsanitary." She dives down into the pond water, covering her hand and her shoulders.

I frown with puzzlement. "How did the birds know to attack only Duchie and not me?" I see a third swarm of birds, coming from the southern direction inside the skyline. The birds are flying directly toward Duchie again.

She dives and swims underneath the water, holding a breath at another attack, cleaning the pookie off her face and hair roots.

I watch the swarm drop down toward the tree tops and then target Duchie inside the water pond again. I run toward the fence post and sail over the fence post, ripping some of the green colored sunflower stems and stop, spinning around, dashing back to the fence post. I tumble over the railing and grab a handful of stems with heavy sunflowers, sliding back down over the grass, and turn, dashing toward the water pond. I bat the sunflower stems into the air. The pod of seeds pops out and files into the air too. I the slick wet steeping stones inside the pond, batting the sunflower stems in the air. The pod of seeds pops then flies into the air, also. The swarm of birds turns and targets the flying seeds, instead of Duchie. I run toward the water pond with a worried yell. "Run! Get into the room now. I'm holding them off, temporarily."

Duchie stands upright from the shallow pond water and climbs up, standing on top of the closest steeping stone. She runs and jumps over each one, landing down into the grass, dashing ahead into the green colored room of mirrors for safe protection.

I run and leap onto each slick wet steeping stone over the pond water, waving the set of long stems into the air. The pod of sunflower seeds pops up and flies into the air. I continued to leap over each stone and pop more sunflower seeds into the air, finally tossing the stems into the air, jumping into the grass and dash into the green colored room of mirrors with pants and sweats.

Duchie enters the room, stops, and stands in front of her me-chee chair, draining water from a ponytail and a wet face with a growl. "I hate Citizenship Day."

I enter the room of mirrors with a giggle and wipe off the sweat and clinging seeds from a wet face and a neck with a worried brow. "Why did the birds target only you, Duchie?"

She snarls. "Naw, they targeted both of us. I was the unlucky victim first, getting wet only. Let's get outta here."

I exhale with a nod and toss both arms into the air. "Wait! Snakes versus knives?"

She nods with a worried brow to Ketona, "Yeah. We both have exhausted our love answers. Now, we start over, again. I do not want to fight with any more snakes, even baby ones. So, you answer the questions and then drop down first. I'll lag behind using the first question and waiting for thirteen seconds, before answering. Our superb method worked wonderfully inside the green color tone."

I exhale with a worried brow of great fear. My fear is a knife. I dash and slide into my me-chee chair. The fabric wraps around the body. The me-chee chair and Ketona drops down into the dark tunnel. I do not scream.

07:34 pm

Cubby Hole auditorium setting

Blue colored walls, floor, ceiling and me-chee machine

My green colored me-chee chair sails up and lands inside the blue colored auditorium for the first and last time, not smiling.

Duchie floats up from the darkness and lands over the floor without fanfare too.

The room is empty, except for the two schoolers of Ketona and Duchie.

I do not have time to blink an eyelash.

The me-chee host still stands underneath the color chart and lifts both metal arms with a painted smirk on a metal head. "Welcome back to the Cubby Hole, teens! I hope you have enjoyed your fun in the sun. There is more fun to have inside the rest of the color tones. The respite has completed. Please, sit back and relax into your assigned me-chee chair."

The green shields blink into life and covers the two teens for the next round of academic questions.

The me-chee host says into each me-chee chair. "Close your eyelids. I will present the next series of academic questions for your individual answers. The time limit is fifteen seconds for each posed question. To remind each schooler again for clarity of a proper verbal response, please state my answer is...then your vocal response. If you answer three-fourths or more of the academic questions correctly, you will advance into the next color of blue. If you answer one-fourth or less, then you will remain stationary inside the color tone of green. If you incorrectly answer two-fourths of the academic questions, then you will slip back down into the color of red. The first question, what is the color tone of the me-chee host inside the Cubby Hole, presently?"

I say quickly. "My answer is...blue."

The me-chee host asks the second question into each me-chee chair. "A game board has the color of blue, green, and red with a set of two spinners. The probability of landing, the first spinner on the color of blue is 4/5. Within an independent event, the probability of landing the second spinner on the color of blue is 1/7. What is the probability that the first spinner lands on blue and the second spinner does not land on blue?"

I whisper for my eardrums only, working out the problem. "The two events are independent. The product of the two probabilities is the answer. The first spinner is 4/5 which is provided in the question. The second spinner does not land on the color of blue. So the equation is 1 – 1/7 = 6/7. Therefore, the probability equals the formula (4/5) times (6/7) = 24/35." I shout out loud into the me-chee host. "My answer is...24/35."

The me-chee host asks the third question into each me-chee chair. "A farm is producing three different grains of corn which are entitled X, Y and Z which are mixed with the ration numbers of 2:3:5 respectively by weight. How many pounds of colored grain Y are in a 42-pound weight bucket of this grain?"

I exhale with a puff of worry and sweat inside both palms, rubbing them down over the cat suit. I must finish answering my question, so I can drop down before Duchie. Or we both face a forest of snakes again.

I whisper for my eardrums only, working out the problem. "The amount of the colored grain B is 3a. So, the equation is 2a + 3a + 5a = 42. So, 10a = 42 is a =4.2. Therefore, Y = 3a or the product 12.6." I shout out loud to the me-chee host. "My answer is...12.6." I turn and stare at Duchie. She wiggles side to side with nervousness inside her me-chee chair, anticipating the next question, before her time limit to drop down into the blue color tone like Ketona. I return back and face the forward wall and the me-chee host.

The me-chee host asks the fourth question inside the me-chee chair. "In a group of 27 teenagers, 65 percent possess brown eyes. Two teens are selected at random. What is the probability that neither teenager selected will have a pair of brown eyes?"

I exhale with worry and whisper for my eardrums only. "Too long, too hard, and too late, buddy! I got my seventy five percent passing score to drop down into the blue colored tone." I shout out loud for the me-chee host. "My answer is...one." I turn and view Duchie. She is moving her lips, answering the third question too.

My me-chess chair turns into the color of blue within the shield as I smile. The fabrics lift and wrap around my body. Then my me-chee chair and I drop down into darkness as I scream with fun and fright.

07:40 pm

Blue colored room of mirrors

I soar up from the darkness with a plume of white smoke, flowing over a tired and aching body, but an active and clicking mind. I sit inside the blue tinted me-chee chair and stare at the blue color walls. I exhale with fear of my fear thing and relieve of the last color tone. I am here, but I am not finished. I have to complete and compete with the set of knives that is located behind that solid wall of blue inside the final color tone of blue.

Duchie floats up from the floor, wiggling and giggling inside the me-chee chair. The fabric unwraps and drops back down into the metal slots. She scoots out and stands with a smile, dancing around her me-chee chair. "Get up and get out, Ketona! We are almost done. We made it into the blue color tone. I'm so excited and happy and..." she frowns. "What's wrong?"

I exhale with a puff of worry and continue to stare at the glowing blue wall. "I'm scared. This is my fear, knives. Inside the pink color tone, a sharp knife was hidden inside the short green colored bush plants. I cut my hand." I lift and cuddle my hand, blazing in red and pink scabs, without a proper healing.

Duchie dances ahead and twirl around Ketona and the other me-chee chair with a smile. "I'll protect you. Get up, girl! Let's end this thing, now, right here. I'm getting hungry and tired, to boot." I exhale with a puff of worry and scoot out the chair and stand. Duchie dances side to side and moves toward the wall, slapping the blue pain with a hand and a giggle.

I gasp with shock.

The new park place is an enclosed room of reflective mirrors. The ceiling, the floor, and other three walls are all reflective mirrors.

Duchie moves ahead and strolls over a floor of mirrors. "Don't see any knives! I see mirrors." She turns and waves with a smile at her mirror reflection. "I see me. I don't see you, Ketona. Get inside here! Let's finish this now. Will there be a set of food trays of meats, vegetables, and cookies inside the golden circle for our victory celebration? I hope so. I love chocolate things like candy, cookies milkshakes..."

In the center of the room, there is a square-shaped wooden counter without a machine or a person.

The room is quiet without an animal sound or a ray of sun light.

I cross both arms over my breasts, feeling sick to my stomach. My guts hate this new park place. I slowly move ahead inside the room over a smooth floor of glass. I can see the indentation underneath my chin and inside a pair of hairy nostrils from the floor reflective mirror. I look up and scan each wall. The two side walls, the forward wall, and the rear wall hold only a set of silver tinted reflective mirrors with big puzzlement.

My boot toes and heels march forward without sound or rhythm inside the quiet room.

Duchie breaks the silent with a shout and a smile. "Hey! Come over here, Ketona. I can see me. I mean, I'm seeing me, playing on the mirror as a little girl like about four years old."

I turn and dash to the side, where Duchie stands in front of the side wall of mirrors. I narrow my eyelashes, studying the mirror. I only see my reflection with a set of crossed arms and a steamy breath over the silver paint. I do not see a picture of Duchie. I frown. "I don't see anything but me." Duchie reaches out and touches the mirror. I lean over and slap her hand down with a worried brow. "Don't touch it, Duchie. We gotta figure out, what the park place is first. I got lots of creepy feelings and bad vibes being inside this room. I don't like the quiet. There's no sound. No hissing snakes. No singing birds. No croaking frogs. No flying insects. No happy music. No sad music. No dishes of food. No laughing teens. No annoying machines. What are we to do here for our thing?"

She back steps with a nod away from the mirror, pointing at it and side steps, moving down the wall of mirrors. "I am not fibbing here. I see me. I am a little girl, riding my little tricycle. Now, I see me. I am an elementary child, popping the ball back into the crowd of other kids. Hey! I remember this. This is my real life. That scene or that picture here on the mirror is really me. I was in a grassy park inside my home town of Dandine, during my birthday day..."

"Birthdays are very special, usually recorded and photographed." I turn and run toward the opposite side of the room and stop with a gasp.

The opposite side wall is a mirror that shows Ketona. She is five years old, riding a bicycle.

I gasp with shock. "Duchie, come over here! My personal childhood pictures are located on this mirrored wall. I'm five year old, during my birthday party. I see the cake and the presents. I'm riding my new bicycle around the city street block like I did when I was five years old. That moment is so clear inside my mind now on this wall of mirrors."

Duchie spin around with a smile and stops, standing beside the nose profile of Ketona with a gasp at the mirror. "I don't see anything but my face. What's going on here, Ketona?"

I reach down and touch my cat suit. "The cat suit is an electron field and is programmable, apparently. It detects our medical conditions and other encountered life forms like a snake and has been programmed with our life teen history." I side step and shift down to the next mirror with a worried brow. "The mirrors are slightly seamed. I see six different panels of mirrors, which probably contain my other birthday parties. I don't like this. I don't like it that the Cubby Hole has spied and recorded me and then tossed it upon a mirror for everyone to see."

Duchie side steps beside Ketona with a confused brow, staring at the mirror. "But I can't see it. I can't see you, only me. I can't see any events of your birthday parties. This is too weird! Let's finish what we're supposed to do and get outta of here, returning back into the Cubby Hole."

"Yeah, let's finish this. Go back and start at the first mirror panel too. I think that is the beginning of this vertical maze of mirrors. But don't touch the mirror. Let's do a run-through, just watching the pictures. Then we huddle with an idea." I stop and side step in the opposite director, moving toward the front of the room where there is an intersection of the wall of mirrors and the blue colored room of mirrors. I exhale with nervousness.

"Good plan!" Duchie spins around and jogs toward the opposite wall corner between the wall of mirrors and the blue room of mirrors with a worried brow and stops, standing in front of the first mirror.

I stop and stand in front of the first mirror with a smile and a narrative. "Awe! My mom is in this moving picture inside the mirror with me. She is riding me at the age of three years old on both her kneecaps while lying on the floor. It was a fun game that we both played together, until I was too big to lift up onto her kneecaps, without damaging her tendons. I see my cake on the table and torn unwrapped birthday paper and scattered birthday presents on the floor."

Duchie stands in front of the first mirror with a smile. "My dad's in the mirror too with me. Awe! I am two years old. We are playing monster. He hides inside my darken bedroom on the floor. Then I run inside to find him. Then he growls like a tiger for fun at me. Then I squeal and run out the room with a set of giggles, because I know that is my dad. I also see my birthday cake and birthday presents around the room."

I slide over and stand in front of the second mirror with a smile. "I am five years old, riding my bicycle or trying. This is my new birthday present..."

Duchie slides over and stands in front of the second mirror with a smile. "I'm four years old, riding my tricycle, which is my birthday present also that year."

I slide over and stand in front of the third mirror with a smile. "I am nine years old inside this particular mirror panel. Nine, five, three, these are all odd numbers. I wonder why. I am blowing out the flaming white candles on top of my big white and pink three-layer birthday cake."

Duchie slides over and stands in front of the third mirror with a laugh. "I was ten years old, playing ball with my friends at my birthday party."

I slide and stand in front of the fourth mirror with a frown of sadness. "Buffo is in this mirror with me. I am thirteen years old. He is kissing my lips for the first time as we are a pair of boyfriend and girlfriend." I wipe the tears from a wet face. I wished that he was here with me, now.

Duchie slides over and stands in front of the fourth mirror with a laugh. "I am twelve years old. I wanted a great big fire on my cake, so I implanted a set of great big candles. The candles were used for decorating around the house, about six inches tall. The cake and frosting exploded into a great big red and yellow fireball. My dad had to douse the cake out with a water hose." She scoots to the side with a laugh and moves sideways, standing in front of the fifth mirror. "This is my first boy-girl birthday party. I was fourteen years old. I was not allowed to date a boy or kiss a boy. But we, teens celebrated my birthday fun inside the basement that night, without a set of parents." She sniggers.

I slide over and stand in front of the fifth mirror with a frown. "I'm fifteen years old, dancing with Buffo at my party, again." I exhale with more sadness.

Duchie slides over and stands in front of the sixth and last mirrored panel. "I'm sixteen years old in here. I got a very old and ancient used truck for driving to school. It worked about every other day. But I got to school and then got back home..."

I slide over and stand in front of the sixth and last mirror, dropping open a mouth. "Payne Mountain, Buffo and I are on top of the mountain, after my birthday party, that afternoon." I curl both fists and turn, scanning the ceiling of mirrors with a growl. "How do they know of this precious moment within my precious life? I'm seventeen years old on that day."

Duchie swings around from the side wall of mirrors with a smile and moves ahead, stopping and stands, slapping both hands onto the wooden counter with a giggle. "All the mirror panels are good happy events upon the wall. They're pictures of me and my family, celebrating my birthday, a happy time. This is the celebration of our short sweet seventeen years. We're done and have completed and conquered the Cubby Hole and Citizenship Day. Yay. Hurrah," she tosses both arms into the air and dances around the wooden island with a smile and a hum of victory.

I stand and stare at the moving pictures of my past birthdays, inside the wall of mirrors, frowning with worry. "Some of the mirrors are not happy for me. I don't know, if we are done here, Duchie. What were the ages of your person inside each mirror?" I swing around and dash ahead toward the low wooden counter which is located in the center of the mirrors.

She turns and stares at the moving pictures inside each mirror. "I was four, eight, ten, twelve, fourteen, and sixteen years old."

I turn and stare at her red ponytail. "I was the odd numbers of three, five, nine, thirteen, fifteen, and seventeen. I don't like that they didn't use the same years for the both of us."

She turns and frowns at Ketona. "What do we do, now? I say that we slide back into the me-chee chair and go back into the Cubby Hole."

"No. There is a forward wall, where our individual mirror panels intersection. The mirrors are not playing any happy scenes either. As a matter of fact, the mirrors are reflecting my true-life images at the present time as we wear the green colored cat suit and a dirty face of worry." I point at the forward wall that shows a solid mirror with a worried brow. "This is a psychology game, Duchie. We still have not encountered my fear, the knife. So, there is something behind that forward mirrored wall."

She turns to face the forward wall that shows a solid mirror and exhales with worry. "Let's go and get this done!" She back steps from the wooden counter and scoots around the island, moving toward the forward wall with a stern face. The solid mirror magical splits into two walls which are designated for two schoolers, who are participating within the Cubby Hole today.

I back step from the wooden counter and scoots around the island, pulling up beside the nose profile of Duchie.

They move side by side and stop, standing slightly apart in front of the new wall of a solid mirror.

The entire solid mirror smokes in black color then changes into an image of each teen. The image wears a silver colored cat suit on the mirror, where each teen first had entered the auditorium inside the Cubby Hole. The image is not animated or moving like the other mirrors inside the inner room which displayed a childhood picture.

I exhale with a puff of worry. "I don't like this."

Duchie frowns. "I guess. We touch the mirror and see what happens. Or we stand here until something doesn't happen."

I turn and frown at her nose profile. "You have got a lousy set of encouraging words, girl." I return back with a worried brow to see the solid mirror on the forward wall.

"I'm scared, shaking, and quivering with tons of fear feelings. You are lucky that only words are coming outta my mouth instead..."

"Okay. We touch the mirror. Wait! Is it going to turn into a knife or something sharp representing a knife?"

Duchie turns and winks at Ketona. "Only if, you touch it and find out," she returns back and stares at the mirror with a worried brow. "Okay. We touch with the right index finger the mirror on the count of four..."

I frown at the mirror and lift a finger into the air. "Why, the number four?"

"I like to think differently from everyone else. Okay, four!"

I exhale with a puff of worry and slowly reach out, touching the mirror with a shaking index finger. The mirror vanishes into a plume of white smoke. I yelp and back pedal from the drifting smoke, halting and narrow my eyelashes, seeing darkness within a second interior room. Then, a light shines in the far distance. I gasp with fear and exhale with worry, holding out a left hand.

Duchie reaches out and grabs it, squeezing the fingers of Ketona, painfully.

07:55 pm

Blue colored park place

Duchie and I move ahead inside the dark room, looking at two focused beams without any more mirrors. The room is squared shaped and completed enclosed, if I believe my eyeballs and my neurons.

They stroll ahead toward a set of two shining lights that bombard the forward wall of darkness which is opposite from the open archway.

I gasp with shock.

Duchie squeezes the hand of Ketona with a gasp. "That's a rotating wheel. What's the purpose here, Ketona?"

I close and open my eyelashes, staring at the rotating wheel on the forward wall with a worried brow. "My smart neurons recall, too precisely. A rotating wheel was used as an ancient form of knife throwing, a long, long time ago, before my great-grandparents were born. The knife throwing was an entertainment show inside a traveling circus, before the circus was illegal to operate. A person was strapped onto the wooden part of the wheel. Then the wheel spun around and around as a knife thrower impaled the knife into the wood..."

"No, not true." She back steps with a gasp from the rotating wheel of wood.

"Yes, true." I release her hand and move ahead toward the stationary wheel, studying the wood. "It's a wooden circle. Yeah, it is a knife throwing show. My picture face is located in the center, inside the wheel. Come and look, Duchie!" I tenderly hold out a finger near the wood, not touching it. "And there are actually splintered wood openings like a knife had impaled the wood, too..."

"No," she back steps from the wheel, shaking her ponytail, studying the wheels.

I spun around and scan the entrance wall and the two side walls of blackness, returning to see the forward wall. The entire room is dark, almost black, except for the two spot lights that shine down onto each wooden wheel. "There are two wheels for two schoolers, me and you. We gotta stand inside the middle of the wheel, while it rotates in a completed circle. This is 'the thing' inside the blue color tone. This is my fear, the knife thing, too. There is nothing located on the two side walls, only a forward wall. Why's that?" I exhale with a puff of worry and toss both arms. "This is so confusing and frustrating and unnerving, all at the same time."

Duchie stares at the wheel and then her boots and turns to see Ketona with a sigh. She looks back at the wooden wheel with a yell and a worried brow. "You helped me with my fear of the snakes. I will take the plunge with the wheel." I turn and view Duchie with a gasp. She dashes ahead and slams into the wheel, landing in a spread-eagle position face first onto the wood. Her ponytail bounces side to side from the body impact. Her body poses upright onto the wooden wheel circle like a glued portrait of her backside.

A set of wide leather straps suddenly emerge out from the wood, wrapping around the two ankles, the two kneecaps, the buttocks, the hip, the entire rib cage, and the back muscles, both wrists, both elbows, both upper biceps, the neck, and around the top of her eardrums.

I run ahead with a scream of worry toward the wheel and halt with fear, "Duchie!"

Duchie is stuck inside the wooden wheel and grunts in slow words. "I...stuck." The wheel slowly spins with Duchie inside the middle, turning clockwise. Her skull shifts into the one o'clock position like an analogy clock. She gasps for air molecules from a pair of parted lips, not being able to scream within a tight chest cavity that shifts against the wood. The set of leather straps securely holds Duchie in place, not sliding her body off the upright circle of wood. Her left cheekbone is lying against the wood. Her right cheekbone is exposed, allowing her to breathe in short huffs.

The room is quiet with no sound.

I stand and stare with my mouth open. I can't hear any noise, except for my breath, when I inhale for air molecules.

The rotating wheel doesn't squeak or crack with sound from its rotating motion. One of the shining beams of lights focuses on the entire circle of wood on the entire body of Duchie who is stuck inside the middle.

Duchie yelps and gasps for air molecules. The first knife appears beside her left kneecap, making a swishing sound.

I see the protruding knife with a gasp. The knife is facing the wrong way, showing the pointy blade, not the smooth handle through the wood and against the body part of Duchie. I shout with worry. "Don't move! You're safe. You're not harmed. Don't move, Duchie! Just relax and close your eyes. This will be done, shortly."

The wheel slowly spins around. Her skull is positioned at the three o'clock position like an analogy clock.

Duckie yelps and gasps for air molecules. A second knife appears beside her right elbow. She can't see the knife, feeling the smooth metal gently touch the cat suit. The knife pressure touches her bone.

I drop down on both kneecaps with a gasp and sob with tears. Now, I understand. The park place is a knife throwing show, since my fear is the knife. The wheel will slowly rotate around in a complete circle, until each knife completely saws through the wood, coming from the opposite side of the wall by some force or fierce person. I slap both hands into a face, sobbing with tears of fright and fear.

Duchie slowly twirls around inside the wheel. Her skull is positioned at the six o'clock position like an analogy clock. She yelps and gasps for air. A third knife appears beside her neck. She feels the cold steel tickle the skin behind her skull.

I must jump onto my designated wooden wheel, too. I must allow the wheel to spin and the knives to cut through the wood, too. I must finish the blue color tone, too. Or I will remain here forever, becoming a teacher or a shoe maker or a cake maker or a jewelry maker. I don't how to perform these specific jobs. I have studied and learned to become a medical technician, like my parents. I lift up a red tear stained face to see Duchie.

Her skull is positioned at the nine o'clock position like an analogy clock. The wheel slowly turns. Duchie yelps and gasps. A sixth knife rubs against her right foot.

I sob with tears, feeling fright, watching Duchie spin around the wood. I feel fear that I must do the same thing, too. I slowly stand and look down at my boot toes.

The room is dark and quiet, except for the two spot lights. One is on the back view of Duchie. The second is beaming onto my personal wooden wheel.

I slowly scoot toward my personal wooden wheel. My boot soles don't make any sound over the wooden floor. I sob with fear and fright.

I wish for Rincon to hold my hand as I move toward the wheel. He did that when we both jumped off a high cliff.

I silently curse my parents, not tattling about the Cubby Hole and the danger. I stand parallel to the second wooden wheel of light color. The wooden wheel doesn't move or squeal.

Duchie yelps and gasps. A ninth knife rubs against her rib cage.

I see my picture face with a bright happy smile inside the center of the stationary wooden wheel. I exhale with a puff of worry and wipe the running snot from a face with both hands. I close my eyelashes, not breathing. I open my eyelashes, exhaling with a puff of worry. Then I run and leap into the air, landing inside the center of the wood. The wooden wheel holds a sticky substance, gluing a body into the center. The leather straps quickly wrap about the body parts, the same body parts, like Duchie.

The wooden wheel doesn't make any sound but slowly rotates in a clockwise direction towards the one o'clock position, like an analogy clock.

The room is quiet and dark.

I close my eyelashes. The first knife appears and tickles my left thigh. I yelp and gasp from the shock of the smooth touch. I close my eyelashes, breathing out my mouth, drooling from my lips over the wood and my throat.

This is a psychology game.

The wooden wheel shifts sideways. Well, my body is shifting sideways. My right eyeball sees the open archway that leads back into the walls of mirror that continue to re-play my past birthday parties. Since, I had jumped and slammed onto the left side of my face against the wood, sticking permanently onto the wood for dear life.

Then I feel the tip of the blade tickle my right elbow with a gasp.

My wooden wheel slowly twirls toward the six o'clock position like an analogy clock. My skull is almost upside down, making my brains want to fall out an eye socket. My guts are touching my esophagus. I feel like I'm going to puke up green vomit. Good thing! I haven't eaten, since the pink color tone, where I had eaten the nuts and the fruits.

I feel the knife slide out too close into my rib cage with a gasp.

My wheel slowly rotates toward the ten o'clock position like an analogy clock. I close my eyelashes, breathing deeply, trying not to vomit from the seasickness. I feel like my guts are falling down into my rib cage. But that is not possible, medical thinking.

A new knife swishes upward coming from the wood, rubbing against my left thigh.

I feel the back smoothness of the protruding blade with a gasp. I had the unfortunate opportunity to see the knife tips, coming out the wood around Duchie. Therefore, my body part feels the stinging knife blade as my mind re-plays the visual picture.

And I lost count of the number of knife tips, protruding around my body as the wheel slowly rotates around in the whole numbers like an analogy clock.

I exhale in short breaths, since my lungs are crashing down into the hard wood. I can breathe heavy or deep, without jerking on the leather straps.

When I jerk on the leather straps, I am not freed. Then I become panicked.

I exhale with a puff of worry and close my eyelashes, trying to forget this horrible moment. But my stomach reminds the brain cells that are sloshing side to side with seasickness, going right back into my mind.

The wheel rotates into a downward pose. My skull is almost touching the floor.

The room is dark and silence. I feel more fearful that something else is going to pop out of the woodwork or sneak upon my exposed back muscles.

I gasp with fear then snort a series of tiny puffs of air molecules, trying to calm a racing heart, a pair of sweating palms, and an overactive imagination.

I hum with a short tune. I wonder how many knives will surround my body. This is a fake throwing show, but a true spinning wheel. The wheel alone is making my mind spin, my eyeballs burn, and my face swollen as each blood vessel sloshes side to side in pain.

I growl with a fury and a new promising to find out who is behind Citizenship Day. I can't believe the rest of the teens allow this to happen to their bodies. Then I gasp with reality.

The other teens are smarter than I.

The Cubby Hole started out with 313 teens inside the auditorium that was painted in silver tint.

Now, inside the next to last color tone of blue, there are a handful of teens, including my friends, willing to endure the torture of the horrible park place, just to earn a once in a lifetime dream job. If her parents had tattled to Ketona about this horrible event, she would have stayed inside the orange color tone with Buffo.

I gasp with the truth.

Buffo was told about all these scary events before marching into the Cubby Hole. He had been exhibiting and tattling to Ketona with some shared knowledge. This explains his stationary position inside the orange color tone.

I snarl at his chicken stew attitude then gurgle with bravery, since I can't laugh out loud.

I am going to endure this final park place and win over Buffo, the Cubby Hole, Rincon, Marsilla, and my parents.

I open my eyelashes at that moment, staring into the scared eyeball of Duchie. The two wheels meet at the exact moment in the same time and space inside the dark and quiet room.

Duchie yelps and gasps. Three knives at the same time shoot up and stood tall from the wood, tenderly rubbing her right bicep, her right foot, and her left thigh.

I see the set of numerous knife tips coming up from the wood that surround Duchie.

Yes. I know now the total number of knife tips that will surround each body. The side wall of mirrors told each teen. My mirror showed my age in odd numbers. The side wall of mirrors showed the ages of Duchie in even numbers. Therefore, I will have a total of seventeen knife tips around my body.

Duchie will have sixteen knife tips.

I can see her body, since I'm completing a third rotation.

So, Duchie is very close at receiving all sixteen knife tips. The triple number of knives means the tips will pop up from the wood, three at a time.

Duchie yelps and gasps. Another new set of three knife tips rub against her body. She closes her eyelashes, holding back the vile bile from her stomach. She is afraid that the vomit will cause to her choke. The wheel rotates toward the top of the ceiling for a fourth time. Her guts shift side to side, up and down, coming from the rotating motion. Her fear has left the mind and has been replaced with angry at the park place, the Cubby Hole, and Citizenship Day. Her parents didn't exactly spill out the details of each park places. But her parents reminded Duchie to be brave and endure the tests. Now, Duchie understands the word, endure.

Bravery is easy when you're young and naïve.

Duchie exhales slowly, feeling the leather straps tighten around her rib cage, making her panic into suffocating. She relaxes all her limbs, closing the eyelashes. She has lost count of the knife tips, not knowing how many will surround her body, either.

But the park place can't last forever.

Duchie yelps and gasps. All at once, most of the protruded knife tips slowly lower back down into the wood as each one tickles and teases her body part with the sharp blade. The cat suit is enduring the cutting, very well. The wooden wheel stops. Her skull points down at the wooden floor at the six o'clock position like an analogy clock. Then all the leather straps quickly contract from her body and suck back down into the wooden slots. Duchie falls down with the force of gravity, shifting both arms quickly into front of a bone skull, rolling forward and away from the wooden wheel and lands down upon a back spine with a grunt. She exhales in set of deep breaths, resting inside a spread eagle pose, seeing the ceiling over the wooden floor.

My head rotates toward the floor at the six o'clock position like an analogy clock. My exposed eyeball sees some type of motion around Duchie. Then, I smirk with my lip as best as I can with my mouth smashed against the wood.

Duchie is freed.

So, I will be free soon, too.

I feel two knife tips rub against my foot and my cheekbone with a gasp. The sharp tip tenderly cuts a tiny gash into my skin. I loudly curse as best as I can with both the lips that continue to kiss the wood. Two more knife tips rub against my arm and my eleventh rib on the right side of the rib cage. I don't know the current count of perturbing and protruding knives as I am more angry than curious at the moment. My fear has subsided, knowing that I am close to the final number seventeen.

Then I feel each knife tip drop back into the wood with a gasp of worry, leaving holes inside my cat suit and cuts on my exposed skin. I gasp and breathe with anticipation with sliding off the wheel. The wooden wheel slowly rotates toward the floor again at the six o'clock position like an analogy clock. Then each leather straps loosens and contracts back down into the wood.

I fall forward and away from the wheel, dropping down toward the wooden flooring with a scream, having full control of my lips again.

Duchie stands upright from the floor, after living through a fake heart attack and turns, dashing to Ketona. She catches Ketona by the collar bone, assisting her too gently somewhat fall down onto the floor.

Both females land on top of each other, twisting and entwining both arms and legs, exhaling with a set of smiles and giggles of relieve. They have successfully completed the blue park place.

Duchie croaks with a throat of mixed emotions. "Ya okay?"

I clear the mucus from an esophagus, un-wrapping from her body parts and sit back onto my fanny, probing my body and feel the developing small bruises and tiny red color cuts. "Sorta. Ya alive?"

"Angry alive! Let's get outta here," Duchie wipes the sweat and blood from a mouth and her hands from biting the lips into bleeding during the knife throwing event.

I find that my cat suit is fully intact and shiny, keeping my body harmless from the numerous protruding knife tips. However, I can't say or think the same condition for my shaky mental mind. I slam both hands to a face, feeling the dried blood where the slicing knife tip gently sliced into the skin. I feel angry and hate at the Cubby Hole. I turn with a stern face to see Duchie.

She stands on both kneecaps examining the cat suit, finding the same results, like Ketona. The cat suit is intact, not her brain cells. She sits back on her fanny, exhaling and examining the shorter ponytail. She holds the end of the ponytail in the air with a set of giggles. "The only victim of the knife throwing show, my ponytail has been sliced at an angle, making my ponytail into a short piggy tail. But that's okay. I am okay. You are okay. We are both okay. Okay. Let's go and finish this thing and get back into the Cubby Hole to get into the golden circle."

I look back over a collar bone with a sneer to face the open archway, seeing the wall of mirrors straight through to the blue colored room of mirrors. "I hate Citizenship Day."

"Stop it! Do not feel angry. I mean. I understand, feeling angry, too. This is a psychology game, Ketona. We are about to enter the final color chart of gold. You need to calm your emotions down into numbness or something non-feeling. The Cubby Hole wants you to feel defeat and your blood. Your face is blooding on the right cheekbone." Ketona wipes off the cheekbone in silence. Duchie exhales with a nod and a stern face. "You cannot allow the Cubby Hole to defeat you, not now. Look! We are almost there, you and me. We will emerge next back into the golden circle for the very last question, the most important question for our dream job, living inside the posh city of Colfax for the rest of our breathing days. Do not give up, now, Ketona!" Ketona nods in silence. Duchie reaches over and grabs Ketona by the collar bone with a slight shake of confidence. "Promise me! You will feel nothing and concentrate on the single most difficult academic question of your life."

I nod without words and exhale with a set of deep breathes, blocking my mind of my deep fear, pain, revenge, and angry, trying to replace with the good emotions of gladness, happiness, and joy.

She smiles with a nod and slaps Ketona on the collar bone. "Excellent! Get up and priss like a teen girl. Time to conquer both our fear and our dream within the Cubby Hole," she stands upright from the floor and swings toward the open archway, dancing side to side, humming and skips like a child through the wall of mirrors toward the blue colored room of mirrors with a position attitude and confidence altitude.

I struggle to stand and curl both fists into two balls, wanting to hit something. I dare not hit the mirrors for fear of blooding my hands. I stomp one foot upright first then the second foot next, forcing my mind into total numbness like Duchie has wisely advised to conquer the Cubby Hole.

I slowly swung around and move ahead toward the blue room of mirrors and my me-chee chair, clearing my mind, making my thoughts empty. My mind becomes blank without an emotion, preparing for the single most difficult academic question of my life inside the Cubby Hole.

09:09 pm

Cubby Hole auditorium setting

Golden colored walls, ceiling, floor, and me-chee machine

I slowly glide up within a plume of white steam, coming from the darkness of the tunnel and land inside the gold-ness of the new colored room without smiling, wiping off the sweat, tears and the blood from a wet face. I feel a great deal of excitement, happiness, contentment, and victory of my advancement into the gold color tone, coming out from the blue color tone, but I refuse to show an emotion.

This is the last activity inside the Cubby Hole. Then Citizenship Day will be completed.

I exhale with a puff of worry and quietly sit inside my me-chee chair, glowing in blue colors.

The me-chee host stands underneath the color chart and raises both metal arms with a painted smirk on a metal skull. "Do not exit your chair. Stay inside your chair. Do not exit your me-chee chair. All teens are to stay inside the me-chee chair. Or the teen will face the severe consequences."

My me-chee chair has landed inside a different spot onto the golden floor from the previous color tones. I am both curious and confused. I am in the second row with another set of me-chee chairs that are also colored inside the blue shield. I struggle side to side with nervousness of the final academic question and swung to see rear golden colored wall inside the Cubby Hole auditorium.

The entire room has been re-filled with all the other me-chee chairs that are posed in different shades of color, the 313 teens.

I gasp with shock.

Now, I understand. All the other teens have returned back from their particular park place inside the Cubby Hole too like Ketona. Their respective me-chee chair reflects their current status of color for the final and last academic questions for Citizenship Day.

On the rear golden wall, there are many rows of pink colored shields, covering numerous me-chee chairs. Each teen will live, work, and die quickly and quietly inside the most dangerous and heated radiation pits within the outer township of Tonkey.

The next color tone shows numerous rows of yellow colored shields of me-chee chairs, where each teens will live, work, and die from a natural cause of old age inside the sewer pools within the outer township of Dandine.

The next rows show orange colored shields of me-chee chairs, where Buffo and the other teens are seated. The orange color represents the farm land and farm work of Burrville, where Buffo will live, work, play, and die without his girl Ketona.

I narrow my eyelashes, trying to locate Buffo among the many orange colored me-chee chairs. I can't find him, but I truly know that he is there, within my sad heart.

The other colored rows with an individual teen schooler follow the order of the me-chee chart color of red then green, and finally blue, where I am lounging currently. I swung back around to see additional blue colored me-chee chairs. There is a second row of blue me-chee chairs ahead of Ketona.

I narrow my eyelashes, seeing only the rear ends of the blue glowing metal and turn to see the side rows of glowing blue me-chee chairs.

Duchie inside her me-chee chair is beside Ketona, wiggling side to side with smiles and giggles of excitement, making it into the golden circle.

I pick out my new friend Lamis inside her blue colored me-chee chair which is further down on my row of glowing blue shields, smiling with delight.

Lamis has successfully landed inside the golden room also for the single most difficult question of her teen life, too, like she has planned since the first day of her teen life, getting out of Albend.

I return a smile to see the forward wall and the me-chee host, wiggling side to side with excitement, anticipation, and nervousness and exhale, feeling relieve, gladness, and sadness. Since, some of her Colfax neighbors did not meet Ketona inside the golden circle like they all had planned, yesterday. I can't see a face that is lounging inside a blue tinted me-chee chair in front row. I am in the first position on the second row.

There are six blue colored me-chee chairs sitting in the row ahead of Ketona.

But I feel certain the row contains the grinning faces of Rincon, Marsilla, and Nephella along with some of the other teens that have advanced into the blue color, coming from the green color tone.

I was a late bloomer within this academic competition, getting a little behind when I had tried then had failed to rescue Buffo, within the orange color tone.

The blue color tone is represented by the outer township of Montag, where a person lives, who make items, such like, clothing, shoes, jewelry, purses, cellies, equipment, appliances, food trays, birthday cakes, and other useful and useless fun and necessary merchandise. The merchandise items are sold inside the posh city of Colfax to all the Colfaxians.

I wonder how to spell the word Coflaxians as my mind wonders and flips backward with my mixed emotions. M seventeen birthday party had a big pretty colorful cake, some colorfully ice cream cones, and Buffo. I exhale with a puff of sadness and mentally wipe Buffo completely from my mental mind.

I exhale with a puff of nervousness and shake both feet and hands, focusing on the present, where I will hear the single most difficult question of my teen life for my dream job as a medical technician like my BPs.

The me-chee host says into each colored tinted me-chee chair. "Welcome back to the Cubby Hole, teens! This is the gold colored auditorium, representing the final color tone. Each teen regardless of your current color tone has the opportunity advancing into the gold color tone. I have mentioned this fact, before you fell into the pink color tone, very early this morning. Presently, there are 313 schoolers inside 313 me-chee chairs with a different shade of color. This is the final activity of Citizenship Day for a graduating schooler to attend, participate, and finally complete the Cubby Hole within the gold color tone for your earned citizenship.

"The gold color tone allows any schooler to select any work job, at any work building, anywhere in the city of Colfax or your home town, if desired for the rest of your work career. This is the purpose of the Cubby Hole. The old rule within the Cubby Hole had provided and presented several academic questions for a chance of high successful probability or maybe just plain old good luck. The new rule within the Cubby Hole, there will be presented only a single most difficult academic question. I must emphasize here. You will be given one single most difficult question with one single most difficult answer. I will like always be the me-chee host voicing the single most difficult academic question to you inside your individual me-chee chair. Then you will state the correct answer back to me. You must use the following prefix phrase for your selected answer. My answer is...then your answer. I understand that some of you will need to verbally talk out loud the solution, before quoting out loud in a clear voice the correct answer. This is part of the mental thought process. This mental process is allowed within the new twenty seconds time limit.

"If you answer correctly, then you will advance into the gold color tone permanently. If you answer incorrectly, then you will remain inside your current color tone. I suggest, closing your eyelids while concentrating on my sexy voice, easing your anxious emotions as emotional teens. I will remind again. Please, state my answer is...then your single answer to the single most difficult academic question within the Cubby Hole during the gold color tone activity. I will begin."

I close my eyelashes and wiggle side to side with nervousness, anticipation, worry, and excitement. I concentrate better without viewing the other nervous teens. I exhale with a puff of anticipation and lean back into the soft fabric of my me-chee chair with a grin of nervous energy.

The me-chee host asks the single question within each me-chee chair to each teen. "Pearlite is a structure that is composed of alternating layers of ferrite that weighs eighty eight percent and cementite at twelve percent weight. During the slow cooling process of the pearlite, which is formed by a eutectoid reaction, what is the eutectoid temperature in the degrees of Fahrenheit?"

I gasp with shock.

The answer is one single number and a contest for the top genius schoolers to compete for the first-place finish like a race. Each schooler inside the gold color tone gets to pick of their dream job, living the dream forever within Colfax. However, the first-place schooler to correctly answer the question will get first pick at the dream job, since there are six genius teens currently, competing for five dream jobs. The five dream jobs are listed, such as, a medical technician, a legal technician, a me-chee designer, a me-chee technician, and an administrator technician.

Rincon, Marsilla, Nephella, Duchie, Lamis, and I have been alternating our wins between the color tones throughout Citizenship Day, where Rincon has been dominating, of course. But there are six teens for five jobs.

I gasp with more shock.

Within the row in front of Ketona, three me-chee chairs quickly change from the color of blue into color of gold within a few milliseconds of each other. The chairs must be Rincon, Marsilla, and Nephella.

I loudly shout out the answer within my me-chee chair, "My answer is...1,341."

My me-chee chair turns into a golden color, highlighting within the shield. I wiggle side to side with happiness, reaching down and touch my new golden color cat suit. I have done it. I have made it into the golden circle. I get to pick my dream job. I giggle and wiggle side to side again with extreme joy. I exhale with a puff of worry and slap both hands over a heart and then my dirty face, closing my eyelashes. I blink my eyelashes open and swing around inside my me-chee chair, looking down at the row of blue chairs, holding both Duchie and Lamis.

Duchie wiggles side to side and bits her fingernails with worry within her blue tinted me-chee chair.

I whisper for my eardrums only. "Come on, Duchie! You have been through too much to fail, now. Calm down. Think it out. It is not a trick question, but a standard temperature."

Duchie moves the lips. Then her me-chee changes into the color of gold also. I toss both arms into the air with a smile for her success. Duchie wiggles side to side with a smile and tosses both arms into the air, turning and gives a thumb up symbol. Then she reaches out and fist bumps into the golden tinted shield for fun. Then her fingers lift and form a number one signal to Ketona.

I laugh and smile with Duchie.

The me-chee host stands underneath the color chart, without an emotion or movement.

I exhale with a puff of relief and slap my chest, turning to see Lamis. I narrow my eyelashes, since she is further away from me.

Lamis wiggles side to side inside her blue tinted me-chee chair and bites her lips, ringing both hands. She opens her eyelashes and stares at the far wall, whispering into her brain cells.

Duchie narrows her eyelashes at Ketona with concern and swings a face, seeing down the row of blue and picks out her friend Lamis with a gasp of worry too.

Lamis wiggles side to side inside the blue tinted me-chee chair and wrings both hands, staring at the wall in silence.

The Cubby Hole auditorium room is quiet.

Each me-chee chair contains very well all the internal grunts, shouts, and screams of a schooler teen, who is currently annoyed or bored right now inside the Cubby Hole.

I exhale with a worry and stare at the nose profile of Lamis within the blue shield. The twenty seconds of time is ticking away very swiftly. I gasp with panic and continue to stare at Lamis.

The question is too easy, if you know the answer. It is a one single number mathematical answer. The me-chee host had provided the condition of the degree method. There is no formula or equation or theorem or puzzle or nothing to calculate with any set of math numbers.

Duchie swings around to see Ketona and shakes her shorten ponytail with a negative response.

I exhale with sadness and stare at Duchie.

The me-chee host says within each me-chee chair to each teen. "The twenty seconds have expired. The current color tone is your new citizenship home. Congratulation, schoolers! The shield is lifting from your me-chee chair. However, your cat suit will reflect your earned color and earned citizenship which is represented by one of the outer townships. Please, sit inside your me-chee or stand by your me-chee chair. Alright, I will allow you to share another me-chee chair with your best friend, too. Now, please show respect, here. There are five schoolers, who all have reached the gold color tone."

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a set of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists with fury into the air at the mayor of Colfax.

09:19 pm

Golden circle platform setting

The adult female is tall and slender with a tone of pale tinted skin, a flaming red colored pixie cut with a side cheekbone facial piercing and a nose bridge facial piercing. She stands in the middle of a golden platform and tosses both arms into the air, shouting out loud at each teen. "Be silent! Each golden colored schooler will be allowed the pleasure of announcing their greatest desire, their dream job. The golden colored schoolers will live and play inside the posh city of Colfax. To be fair and just, the me-chee host has recorded the correct answer with the associated clock time stamp. I will announce each golden colored schooler, who has correctly answered the single most difficult academic question by name. The golden colored schooler will exit your me-chee chair and stand on top of the golden platform beside me. I will shake your hand. Then you will announce your dream job and swiftly move toward the end of the platform for the next golden colored schooler."

Duchie slides her legs off the me-chee chair, sitting inside the soft seat with a grin, leaning over with a whisper into the cheekbone of Ketona. "And I thought our new weird friend Nephella was nasty with her body piercings. That's her mom, the mayor of Colfax. She's got a side cheekbone jewelry stud. It looks kinda awesome, giving her some sweet looking dimples for her tigress personality. I don't really like the nose bridge format, a straight barbell piece of jewelry, traveling like a sewing pin between her narrow eye sockets. But it does complete her demeanie or demeanor." She giggles.

I continue to stare with a puzzled brow at the current mayor of my home town of Colfax. I have been too busy within my teen life, without bothering to learn about the mayor of Colfax and her few mayor duties. The city is self-employed and self-efficient. Everyone has a job. Everyone does their job. Everyone obeys the laws within Colfax, thus living a good life. And Colfax doesn't employ any type of law police officers for a law breaker, since no citizen breaks the law here within the city.

So, the mayor and her job is more a decoration of honor like a first place ribbon at the pie contest. Then, the pie is eaten and gone.

The mayor smiles with a nod and waves both arms up and down. "The golden color tone offers five dream jobs, consisting of a medical technician, a legal technician, a me-chee designer, a me-chee technician, and an administrator technician. Now today, within the Cubby Hole, there are five smart teens for the five smart jobs. Each technician will be studying under an internship with a trained monitor for six months, and then will begin their dream career. Let us meet the new golden colored schoolers, who will be the new and brightest interns of Colfax."

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a set of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists into the air at the mayor.

The mayor frowns with annoyance with a loud shout to each teen. "Be quiet! The first golden colored schooler is Rincon. He answered the single most difficult academic question in 1.7 seconds, after the posed question."

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a set of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists with annoyance into the air at the mayor and Rincon.

Rincon stands upright from the first chair within in the first row of mixed gold and blue tinted me-chee chairs. He drops a chin down into his chest and moves toward the golden platform, stopping and stands, extending a handshake with a smile to the mayor. Then he swings around stands beside the mayor with a smile.

The mayor leans over and wraps an arm around his bicep with a fake smile to each teen. "Quiet, please! Congratulations, Rincon. You have answered correctly..."

Duchie leans into cheekbone of Ketona with a smile and a whisper. "The single most difficult academic question..."

I giggle with a nod.

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a set of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists with annoyance into the air at the mayor and Rincon.

The mayor shouts with a sneer. "Quiet, here! What is your dream job, living and working in the posh lovely city of Colfax, golden colored schooler Rincon?"

Rincon searches the rows of golden me-chee chairs and find Ketona, giving a smile and a wink. "A medical technician..."

I exhale with defeat inside my me-chee chair. There is only one medical technician among the five dream jobs. However, Rincon, rightfully and honestly, beat Ketona with the correct answer to the golden question. He deserves his pick of his dream job within the Cubby Hole.

Rincon smiles with a nod to Ketona with excitement and happiness.

I clap and smile to Rincon, exhaling with defeat. I wanted the medical technician position like my BPs, since I had been studying at the age of four years old for that dream job. Well, I can choose another dream job.

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a set of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists into the air at the mayor.

The unlucky schoolers boo, hiss, stomp boots, and toss fists, during the announcement.

The mayor fakes a smile with a loud shout, "Quiet in here! Please, meet the new medical technician. Thank you, Rincon!" She shoves him away with a fake smile. "Please, scoot down the platform for the next golden colored schooler."

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a set of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists with annoyance into the air at the mayor and Rincon.

The mayor looks down with a sour frown and read the next note cards. "Be quiet in here, teens! The second golden colored schooler is Marsilla. She answered the single most difficult academic question in 1.9 seconds, after the posed question."

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a set of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists with fury into the air at the mayor and Marsilla.

Marsilla stands upright from the golden colored me-chee chair and covers a mouth with a set of giggles skipping from the first row of mixed gold and blue me-chee chairs and stops, swinging to see the other unlucky schoolers, waving both hands with a smile like a victory sign.

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a set of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists with fury into the air at the mayor and Marsilla.

Marsilla giggles with a grin and poses with her victory, slowly spinning around and moves onto the golden platform, standing in front of the mayor. She extends a handshake with a smile and nod, releasing the hand and stands beside the mayor.

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a set of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists with fury and annoyance into the air at the mayor and Marsilla.

The mayor leans over and wraps an arm around Marsilla with a fake smile and a loud shout. "Quiet, please! Congratulations, Marsilla. You have answered correctly..."

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a set of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists with fury, annoyance, and angry into the air at the mayor and Marsilla.

The mayor shouts out loud with a sour frown, "Quiet in here, teens! What is your dream job, living and working in the posh lovely city of Colfax, golden colored schooler Marsilla?"

Marsilla stares at each unlucky schooler with a smile and a nod, "A legal technician..."

I nod with acceptance. The parents of Marsilla are also a pair of legal technicians, so Marsilla would select that dream job too.

Marsilla sways side to side with a giggle and a grin of her victory.

Duchie and I clap and smile at Marsilla.

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a set of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists in fury and annoyance into the air at the mayor and Marsilla.

The mayor fakes a smile with a loud shout, "Quiet in here! Please, meet the new legal technician. Thank you, Marsilla!" She shoves Marsilla away, saying. "Please, scoot down the platform for the next golden colored schooler."

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a set of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists with fury and annoyance into the air at the mayor.

The mayor frowns with annoyance and shouts then reads her note cards. "Be quiet in here, teens! The third golden colored schooler is Nephella. She answered the single most difficult academic question in 2.2 seconds, after the posed question."

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a set of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists with fury and annoyance into the air at the mayor and Nephella.

Nephella stands upright from her golden colored me-chee chair with a stern face and moves toward the golden platform, stepping up and stops, standing far away from the mayor without shaking her mother's extended hand.

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a set of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists with fury and annoyance into the air at the mayor and Nephella.

The mayor scoots closer to her daughter with a smile and wraps an arm around Nephella with a nod at each teen, "Quiet in here, please, teen! Congratulations to my daughter Nephella. I am so pleased with your academic performance, child. You have answered correctly..."

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a set of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists with fury, angry, and annoyance into the air at the mayor and her daughter Nephella.

The mayor fakes a smile and shouts out loud. "Be quiet in here, all teens! What is your dream job, living and working in the posh lovely city of Colfax, my smart daughter Nephella?"

Nephella exhales with a puff of annoyance and stares at each faces of the unlucky schoolers. "An administrator technician like you, mommie dearest..."

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a loud laugh and then start the sounds of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists with fury, angry, and annoyance into the air at the mayor and her daughter Nephella.

Duchie and I clap and smile for Nephella.

The mayor nods and shouts. "Quiet, here! Please, meet the new administrator technician, who will be joining my staff, within the mayor's office, too."

Nephella wiggles from the tight hug of her mother and turns, swiftly marching ahead and stops, standing next to Marsilla without a smile in silence.

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a loud laugh and then start the sounds of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists with fury, angry, and annoyance into the air at the mayor and her daughter Nephella.

The mayor gasps and turns to see the nose profile of her daughter, "Thank you, my daughter Nephella! Yes, please the next introduction of the golden colored schooler."

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a set of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists with fury and annoyance into the air at the mayor.

The mayor looks down with a sour frown and a loud shout at the next note card. "Be quiet, teens! The fourth golden colored schooler is Ketona. She answered the single most difficult academic question in 2.6 seconds, after the posed question."

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a set of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists with fury and annoyance into the air at the mayor and Ketona.

I exhale with a puff of relief and stand upright from my golden colored me-chee chair within the second row, scooting ahead, moving around Rincon's me-chee chair and slowly stroll toward the mayor.

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a set of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists with fury and annoyance into the air at the mayor and Ketona.

I ignore the nasty sounds with a silly grin and a set of giggles as I am so happy, finally advancing into the golden color tone. I am finally going to pick out my dream job. I jump onto the golden platform and stop, standing and shake her hand, back stepping and scoot beside the mayor with a grin and a nod of excitement.

This is the final activity of Citizenship Day.

The mayor leans over and wraps an arm around Ketona with a fake smile and a loud shout to each teen face. "Quiet, please! Congratulations, Ketona. You have answered correctly..."

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a set of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists with fury and annoyance into the air at the mayor and Ketona.

I giggle and smile at the funny actions of the unlucky schoolers, who are destined to live and love inside one of the outer townships. I scan the auditorium, seeing many colored me-chee chairs and numerous upright colored cat suits of a standing teen. Then, I see Buffo. He wears a bright orange color tone cat suit.

My heart sinks down into my toes as my mind is mellow.

Buffo didn't advance out of the orange color tone during the battle of heated competition within the Cubby Hole. So he is destined to be a crop farmer for his remaining days and nights of life inside the outer township of Burrville. He will never be allowed to visit the posh city of Colfax, since he will be employed as a farmer on a farm, raising cows and corn, foreverly.

Buffo stares at Ketona on top of the golden platform, feeling many emotions. But, the most dominate is happiness and joy for her. Ketona had studied for decades and decades to achieve this moment of her dream job. He doesn't envy her or her status instead Buffo is proud of Ketona.

Ketona smiles with a nod to Buffo on the rear wall of golden tint.

Buffo nods back and lifts both arms in victory for her impossible accomplishment, respecting her wish to earn a dream job within the posh city of Colfax.

I swing a smile to see Rincon.

Rincon stands on the opposite end of the golden platform, glittering within his golden cat suit like Ketona's. He stares at each schooler then swings a smile to see Ketona. He smiles and winks at her, not displaying a vile showmanship form like Marsilla, winning his dream job. Rincon always acts like a southern gentleman in manners and actions as he has been taught by his BPs.

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a set of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists with fury and annoyance into the air at the mayor and Ketona.

The mayor fakes a smile with a loud shout. "Quiet! What is your dream job, living and working in the posh lovely city of Colfax, Ketona?"

I rub both dirty hands down my new glowing golden tinted cat suit, looking down at the matching soft boots of gold and exhale with a quiet and quick decision. There are only five dream jobs. Three had been snatched both fair and square, when the three other golden colored schoolers answered correctly the single most difficult question before Ketona by a few freaking milliseconds.

I look up with a smile to see Buffo and turn with a wink to see Rincon, and finally turn with a grin to the mayor, tossing both arms with a shout out loud. "I wanna be a farmer in Burrville." My cat suit morphs immediately, into color of orange.

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a gasp in surprise and then clap, cheer, whistle, boot stomp with joy for Ketona.

"What?" The female voice shouts within the far distance corner wall.

I dash ahead with a grin and a giggle, elbowing my way through the rows of colored me-chee chairs, sorta leaping into the open arms of my love Buffo. He is not allowed to move from his orange tinted me-chee chair, crouching at both kneecaps with a set of open arms for his girl.

I hug and kiss his dirty face with a giggle of happiness.

He pulls back from the kiss with a gasp into her smile. "You give up your dream job..."

"Naw, I give into my dream man..."

Buffo grins, "I love you, Ketona."

"I love you, Buffo. We will always be together from this moment forward, until our lives end here on this planet." I lean over and hug him, pulling back with a kiss of love.

The mayor drops open a mouth and waves one hand in the air with a sour tone, staring at the back spine of Ketona with a lady growl, "Quiet, all teens! Be quiet in here, now! Every schooler, please remain next to your me-chee chair. Citizenship Day has not completed. The same command holds true for the parents of the golden colored schoolers. Your parents are currently waiting outside on top of the freshly manicured lawn grass and rows of pretty flowers for their child to exit from the Cubby Hole. However, once the schooler had turned into gold. I invited the golden colored pair of parents to join us inside the Cubby Hole." She points at the side golden wall with a fake smile. "The parents of each golden colored schooler line the side wall, enjoying the show, except for one pair. With shock and total surprise, today, you have met one of the newest farmers, who will live and work in Burrville..."

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a laugh and then clap, cheer, whistle, boot stomp with joy for Ketona.

The mayor shouts with a sneer and a sour frown. "Quite in here! Quiet, now! I have one more golden colored schooler. She answered the question in 2.9 seconds. Congratulations, Duchie!"

Duchie stands upright from her golden chair and dashed around the other me-chee chairs, slamming into the upright body of the mayor with a gasp and back steps with a giggle of with embarrassment, "Sorry, Ms. Mayor! I'm just excited and thrilled to be here with you and my new friends and the schoolers and my parents and here within the Cubby Hole. And I wanna be a me-chee technician living here in Colfax." She swings around with a smile and bounces side to side with happiness.

The other unlucky schoolers sound with a set of ugly boos, loud hisses, boot stomps, and toss both fists with fury and annoyance into the air at the mayor and Duchie.

The mayor raises a palm with a fake smile. "The Cubby Hole has been completed for all the graduating schoolers. You are officially graduated and permanently assigned to your work job and honestly earned your citizenship into your respective color, which is represented by one of the outer townships. Good bye, new citizens!"

The hand reaches out and firmly slaps Ketona on the collar bone with a furious timber. "What have you done, Ketona?"

I swing around with a fake smile to my mom. "What has been done? I'm living and working with Buffo who is my boyfriend, who will be my husband soon. I guess you can come to the wedding. I guess you need to get permission from the mayor or something. I guess." Buffo cuddles Ketona with a soft snarl at her parents with his love and protection.

The mother of Ketona exhales with a sour frown. "You made it into the golden color tone, after your struggles through each color tone. Then you...you select a permanent job as a farmer. What is wrong with you, Ketona?"

I sneer at my parents out of angry. "You made me study math formulas, geometric equations, and calculus theorems for decades, without warning me of the horrible and dangerous park places. I almost got killed..."

The father of Ketona frowns with annoyance. "The park places overall represent a mental and psychology conditioning of your mental mind. The park place will never harm a teen..."

I slap my face at the knife cut, showing off the first knife cut. "I bleed. I hurt. I am mad..."

"You passed like we did also." The father of Ketona exhales. "I am so disappointed in you, Ketona. Now, we are going to train Rincon instead of you as a medical technician."

I frown with disgust. "Rincon beat me fair and square first with the final answer. He selected the medical technician first for his dream job. He will be a great medical technician. Please, show him the respect that you would have shown me, BPs."

The mother of Ketona frowns with worry. "How are you planning to survive the country farm life with the cows, the corn, the cotton, the clothes, and the cooking? I don't think you fully understand the consequences of your impromptu decision here within the Cubby Hole. We can't send you any clothes or any type of personal items from Colfax, going into any of the outer townships. You are literally leaving Colfax with the clothes on your back, the cat suit of orange color."

I gasp then fake a smile. "I...can make do until I can purchase more clothes..."

The mother of Ketona shakes her curls with a sour frown. "You have no comprehension of your impromptu decision. You are living on a farm. There are not any fashion shops or flower shops or candy stores like here within Colfax. I really don't know what types of stores exist in the outer townships..."

"I...we will make do, living like the rest of the farmers, too."

The mother of Ketona exhales with worry. "You are not educated or trained to work on a crop field..."

"We both will be learning about the farm life. We both will be living a farm life. We both are staying there, foreverly. I guess you can come and visit one day, but you gotta call me first," I lean over and hug Buffo with a giggle and a grin.

The mother of Ketona frowns with annoyance. "Yes, I will wait for that one day, too. Good luck, daughter." She leans over and hugs her daughter, pulling back with a worried brow.

The father of Ketona leans over and hugs his daughter, pulling back with a sour frown. "Good luck, Ketona! We can't help you with anything while living out inside the countryside. You are truly on your own..."

"I am with Buffo. He loves and protects me." I nod with a smile.

Buffo nods with a smile, "Yes, dear."

Both the parents of Ketona frown with annoyance and then swing around, exiting through the genre selected locked rooms, which is the only pathway in and out of the Cubby Hole.

I stare with disgust and defiance at the back spines of both my parents until they disappear from my eye sight. I spin around and smile into his chin, since Buffo is taller than me. "I love you, Buffo."

The hand reaches out and firmly slaps Ketona on the collar bone. Duchie giggles into the cheekbone of Ketona. "We both got our dreams to come true. I'm proud of you, darling." She reaches over and slaps Buffo on the chest with a smile and a nod. "Take good care of my best friend, sweetheart. Me and her went through hell to get into the golden circle. Well, I gotta go and say good bye to my BPs. They're waving at me on the side wall of gold. Well, I guess this is good bye, Ketona and Buffo. Based on the rules of the Establishment, which you both will learn about inside Burrville, I will never, ever see your smiling faces, again. Good luck, ya'll!" She leans over and hugs Ketona and then Buffo, back stepping with a smile, tossing a silly salute and spins around dashing toward her parents.

Rincon steps into the hot spot of Duchie with a nod and a smile, reaching out and pulls Ketona from Buffo, hugging her. He looks up with a smile to see Buffo and extends a handshake. Buffo accepts and shakes the hand. Rincon smiles with a nod. "I wish you and Buffo, the best of everything. I do understand the rules of Establishment, very well. I will never see either one of you, again." He leans over with a smile and a whisper into her cheekbone. "I am sorry that we didn't work out, but I am your friend forever. If you need anything, please contact me at anytime, Ketona."

I hug Rincon and hold back the sobs of happiness for my former schooler and street neighbor.

Buffo shoves Rincon from Ketona and reaches out, pulling her into his chest with a smile over the black hair roots of Rincon. "We, too, wish you the best in everything. You got your dream job as a medical tech. Good luck, Rincon! Maybe, one day, you can visit us on our farm, since I know the rules of Establishment, too," he smirks at Rincon.

Rincon back steps from the happy teen couple with a smile and a nod, spinning around, surveying the room for his parents and dashes ahead to see them.

Nephella slides into the hot spot of Rincon and extend a handshake. Buffo reaches out and grabs it, pulling Nephella into the huddle. They pull back and part with a smile to each other in silence.

Nephella smiles as her body piercings crinkle ugly, "Nice to meet, some descent folks within Colfax. I plan to visit both of you, especially for my invite to your wedding ceremony. I got some special connections," she thumbs back over a collar bone to her mother, who talks with Rincon's parents. She exhales with a nod. "I can't say that I'll lunch with ya'll soon, since I too have learned the nasty few rules of the Establishment. So good bye, good luck, and good going!" she back steps with a nod and a smile to the happy teen couple, spinning around with a sour frown to see mama.

I lean over and hug Buffo with a grin of happiness in silence.

The hand gently touches the bicep of Buffo as the mother of Buffo smiles into his cheekbone "Hi, honey! We enjoyed the academic drama."

I back step from his mother to hug her son.

The mother of Buffo hugs her son and pulls back with a smile. "We're so proud of you, Buffo and you, too, Ketona. Based on your sudden decision to live on a farm, instead the city, we welcome you into our little family, Ketona." She leans over and hugs Ketona, pulling back with a smile. "Buffo, your grandfather is going to be thrilled and happy that he can teach you the farming life. Don't worry, Ketona! Farming is long hours, but very rewarding, living in the fresh air and plenty of sunshine. Buffo's grandfather has everything all prepared. Just to update both of ya'll, you will be leaving for the farm immediately. Once Citizenship Day has finished, each teen is transported to their respective color tone, matching the outer township. So well, this is good bye, Buffo. We will come and visit during the holidays as allowed by the Establishment rules. I love you, son! Good luck with your new job!" She hugs her son and releases him, side stepping with a smile for her husband.

The father of Buffo hugs his son and pulls back with a smile. "Your mama as usual has taken my prepared speech. So, this is it. This is good luck, not good bye. We got a couple of connections at the mayor's office too, so we might be able to sneak in a visit really soon. I love you, Buffo. And welcome to our family, Ketona. Even thou, you have been a daughter to us for many, many years, tagging along with Buffo into our home." He leans over and hugs Ketona, pulling back with a smile and a nod. "Good luck, kids! Enjoy your new life together. That's the secret of life, your happy togetherness. We'll be outside killing the manicured grass and rows of pretty flower while you both say some good byes to your other neighborhood friends. The transport ships are outside also."

The parents of Buffo back step with a smile and turn, splitting into two separate genres, advancing ahead into the separate locker room, exiting out of the Cubby Hole.

I turn and watch the back spine of Buffo's mother disappear into the female locker room with a confused brow. "What transport ship like an air traveling ship? I'm never been on an airship. What are they talking about, Buffo?"

The female stands behind the back spine of Ketona with a growl and a sour frown. "The barrier walls are never lowered between the outer townships. Therefore, travel is by air both rough and scary, too."

I swing around and drop a mouth open, staring at the mayor of Colfax.

The mayor fakes a smile as her cheekbone piercing twinkles and wrinkles on a flabby cheek. "I have never had a golden schooler reject their dream job within Colfax underneath my watch. You are the first teen to an...annotate that quick decision. I was stunned at first," she turns and stares at Buffo and back to see Ketona. "Then I quickly understood. Your decision was based on love, so sweet and so innocent. I would to remind you. Even though, you did complete and compete within the golden circle with the other golden colored schoolers that you are not eligible for the other two vacant dream jobs in Colfax."

I nod with a grin. "I know that. I have chosen my dream which is covered with both sprinkles and twinkles..."

The mayor sneers. "I want you to completely understand me here. No other teen has ever sm..."

"Some more queries, Mother? I can't answer them. Marsilla's parents are asking me tons of questions. Please, join my huddle over yonder near the opposite wall." Nephella slides beside her mother with a smile and a wink to Ketona, reaching out and shoves her mother toward another huddle of parents.

I turn with a smile and extend both arms with a nod to Lamis. Lamis stands off to the side of Buffo's me-chee chair and wipes off her tears, bouncing toward Ketona.

Then they stop and hug.

Lamis releases Ketona with a smile. "Thank you for being my friend and encouraging me, Ketona. You really helped me reach the golden circle. Yeah, I don't answer the final question, advancing into the golden circle, but I'm going to be living and working in the outer township of Montag..."

I nod with a smile. "Doing some painting and drawing with your talents, I hope."

Lamis smiles with a nod. "You're remembered, also. Something like that! I met and talked with some of the other teens inside the blue color tone, going to Montag with me. Some of them are from Montage always. They told me that there are lots of different shop owners, who intern with the young teens like me who want to share and teach them maker skills. There are thousands of makers of shoes, clothing, jewelry, purses, and other artists, too many to name."

I nod with a smile. "So you will be a maker of clothing. Maybe, I'll purchase of one of your wonderful creations, also."

Lamis frowns with puzzlement. "I might be a maker of clothing within Montag. I haven't decided, yet. I will attend and work with the different shop owners and see which one I like best, but you can't purchase my creation..."

I nod with smile. "Yes, I can. I can buy it from..."

"Ketona, you can never, ever leave Burrville, where you are a permanent citizen, unlike me." Lamis smiles, "If I make a new creation with my talents of drawing or painting, then I can come during the daylight hours here into Colfax to sell all my creations. But, you're a farmer living in Burrville. You do not go anywhere to sell the cotton or the corn or the cows. Instead, the big trucks and trailers come to you and your farm and then pick of all the livestock or the food stuffs. I mean that your parents can visit you once or twice per year, but you didn't ever leave the confines of the barrier wall, ever."

Buffo gently reaches and touches the collar bone of Ketona with a smile.

I exhale with a puff of confusion and a fake smile. "Well then, maybe my mom can purchase your maker creation here inside Colfax and then bring it to me inside Burrville."

Lamis grins. "Yeah, I guess that she can do that at holiday time which is about six months from now. I plan to make some dresses and hats. I don't know if you're allowed to wear dresses, while you farm around the dusty field crops. Your new creations would get nasty dirty with the orange soil. I mean," giggling.

I gasp with a fake smile again. "Well, I can always start a new fashion trend or something within the farm life of Burrville. I'm young and smart, too."

Buffo pats Ketona on the collar bone with a smile, standing over her hair roots.

Lamis grins with a nod. "I guess. Well, thanks for assisting me here inside the Cubby Hole. I wanna wish both of you a good life, too. Since, I will never see the both of you, again. Good luck, Ketona and Buffo! Good bye!" She back steps with a smile from the happy teen couple and swings around, dashing toward the female locker to meet her parents, who are standing outside, killing the grass on the manicured lawn and rows of pretty flowers.

I fake a smile and watch the other teens say good-byes and then go and invade the appropriate locker room.

Buffo stands behind the back spine of Ketona and pats her collar bone with a smile. "Well, we should think about finding our airship. It will zoom across the skyline of Colfax, over the barrier wall and then land inside the town of Burrville. My grandfather will be there, sitting inside his old pickup truck. Then you will meet my grandma..."

"I like that," I fake a smile with a ton of mixed emotions, leaving my home town of Colfax, my parents, and my other schooler friends.

Buffo turns and scans the auditorium. His friends stand inside the wall corner. He exhales with a sad frown. "I see our friends Jara and Hatch. They wear a set of prisoner suits of yellow color, representing Dookie Town. I don't understand. They should have exhibited better sense to stay and play inside the yellow park place."

I turn and scan the room with a gasp, spotting my friends Jara and Hatch.

Jara stand and cries inside Hatch's chest. She wipes off her tears then cries again, hugging his chest. She doesn't want to live and work inside the outer township of Dandine. She doesn't understand her color status and how she ended up inside Dookie Town. She was having so much fun inside the same park place, and then it all ended. She had zoomed back into the Cubby Hole, wearing the yellow cat suit, clashing with her pair of red high heel sandals.

Hatch hugs and whispers into her red stained face of tears inside the wall corner.

I exhale. "We should go over and say something."

Buffo studies Jara and Hatch and shakes a skull. "I don't think so. They didn't look happy. They didn't look social, either. I don't know what to say to them. And I just don't understand. They were explained the strict rules of the Cubby Hole from their BPs, too. They knew better also at the end of Citizenship Day, whatever color you wear represents your permanent citizenship. I just don't understand." He hugs and drags Ketona toward the female locker room with a sad face. "We need to leave and start our new life together. We can't help Jara and Hatch, either. They picked their own destiny. And you made my destiny, honey. I love you, Ketona."

I move with a smile and cuddle with Buffo toward the female locker room. "I love you, Buffo."

Buffo stops and stands near the opening of the female locker room, turning sideway with a smile to Ketona. "I'll see ya on the other side," he chuckles. "I mean the outside on the lawn. We say one more goodbye to our...my parents and then we load onto the transport for our new adventure, our new life and our new home."

I nod with a smile. "Yeah, I exit through the Cubby Hole and then enter into the Hubby Hold."

Buffo hugs Ketona and pulls back with a chuckle and a smile.

Then, they kiss.
Present day and space and place and time

First day of employment for Ketona and Buffo

Outer township of Burrville

06:06 pm

Early evening before sunrise

Blue sky and orange clouds with sunrays

Hot temperatures with three mph winds

The outer township of Burrville is composed of numerous farms and farmers, farming the red tinted flat crop field with rows and rows of colorful raw food that feed each citizen in Colfax and all the other surrounding outer townships.

A single farmer sits inside the cab of glass, slowly steering the tractor toward the end of the crop field, pulling the tiller. He wears an orange jumpsuit, a pair of orange gloves, and an orange cowboy hat. His face is covered with an orange tinted scarf, keeping the dust out of a mouth and both nose holes.

The tractor cab is covered in glass and enclosed, but the tiny and numerous dust particles wiggles in-between the glass seams, running straight into a set of dripping nostrils of the farmer and then sticks. The scarf captures the flying orange soil, since the orange dust dances all the way up toward outer space.

The tiller lifts each old stalk of corn from the dirt and rotates the roots into the air for burning by the sunshine. Then the fresh soil absorbs all the new nutrients of the burned roots.

The farmer stops at the end of the row and backups the tractor, turning the tractor perpendicular toward the tilled soil. So, the tractor is ready for the early work day, tomorrow.

On the opposite side of the farmer, I stand upright and possess a petite frame and a tone of pale tinted skin. My long black colored hair is wrapped into a tight bun that rests underneath the cowgirl hat. I continue to stand upright inside the tractor cab, wearing a pair of binoculars, looking through the glass of the tractor that shows a wider field of vision and the brighter object, another tractor. I have a clear, clean, and crisp image of the tractor which is located at more than three miles which is the eye distance of my acute pupils. I whisper for my eardrums only, "So, that's how you do it." I wear a used orange colored farmer jumpsuit, a used pair of orange colored cowboy girl boots, a pair of used matching gloves, and a used orange colored cowgirl hat. A soft used orange tinted scarf covers a neck. I spy on the farmer, my next-door neighbor and duplicate the same tractor skills, since I am a novice at dirt farming.

I had finished tilling a small section of the crop dirt today, but I didn't understand how to park the tractor, without damaging the nice tilling work, not desiring to retill it, tomorrow.

I giggle with wonderful, if there is such as a word as retill.

I plan to march the tractor back into its home inside the cozy barn hollow. Then I realize that the farm tractor and I are too far from both of our farm homes this afternoon.

So, I am parked at the end of a tilled row, spying on my neighbor farmer for more farm information.

This is the first completed day as a farmer girl. I like it, but I love Buffo as a love sick teen.

Buffo is tilling another section of the crop dirt which is further away from Ketona.

The entire landscape of Burrville holds scattered pods of ancient looking three-story houses that are surrounded by three thousand acres of orange colored dirt for the food plants for the Colfaxians to eat.

I have been technically adopted by the biological grandparents of Buffo, since I do not have a set of blood relatives living here within the Burrville country limits.

And it would seem to be that Duchie was correct.

The local teens that had attended the Cubby Hole with Ketona and then answered only the necessary questions with Buffo attaining an orange level had become a dirt farmer too. The kids had wanted to be farmers like their parents and their grandparents.

I remove the pair of binoculars from both eyeballs and store them down on the floor, sitting back down inside the dusty chair, cranking up the tractor and then drop down the tiller gear over the dirt. I slowly jolt over the rough tiny mounds of dirt, riding up and down, backing up the tractor, making the hood engine a perpendicular statue toward the horizontal rows of uprooted orange dirt mounds from tilling the soil. I press the pedal and roar the old engine, backing up, slamming into something.

I exhale with a puff of worry, looking back over a collar bone, narrowing the eyelashes, not seeing an object behind the tractor. I slam the gear into park and cut off the engine with a grin and a giggle. "Don't wanna die before my honeymoon with Buffo." I lean over and crack open the cab door, carefully sliding down onto the top step, which is three feet, coming up from the bottom step.

Then I sorta fall down on the boot toes, permanently landing on both kneecaps down into the soft dirt with a giggle. I leave the cab door open, turning and stomp toward the rear of the tractor for a visual inspection of a damaged object.

The tractor spits out a plume of black smoke from a rear pipe exhaust. The black smoke reminds Ketona of the old truck that Duchie and she had used within the green color tone of the Cubby Hole.

I ignore the smell, since the hat and the scarf help deter any nasty smelly smoke particles, walking towards the tiller. It looks okay.

The tiller is not functioning. The tractor is off.

I carefully scan the tractor, the tiller, and then unplowed orange dirt. I do not see any obstacle behind the tiller edge.

I exhale with a puff of annoyance and stomp toward the tiller. It might be hung up on a piece of stubborn corn stalk. Some of the stalks are really big, since the roots are really stuck deep down into the thick dried soil. When I find a stubborn stalk, I park the tiller blade over the stubborn corn and then mow it to death, humming with a silly giggle of the death act.

I learned that trick, my way.

I stop and stand beside the low tiller, holding a hand over the metal. The metal is cool, not running. "That's good. The tiller is not working." I drop down to the dirt, not really care about getting more soil on the soiled jumpsuit.

I'm a farmer, now and forever.

I examine underneath the tiller, seeing more dust bunnies of orange. And I see no other foreign objects preventing the tiller to hang in the dirt. "That's good. I clear you, tiller." I stand upright with a giggle and watch the dancing orange dust bunnies. "No debris underneath the tractor, either. So, why am I stuck in the dirt?"

I turn and scan the crop field behind the tiller, seeing more orange dust bunnies that slowly rise toward the blue sky. I stomp toward the dancing dust bunnies and hit an object.

I back step with a giggle and a smile, "A barrier wall," I shake the hat. "Everyone told me about the barrier wall. I just forgot. Okay. I ran the tiller plow into the barrier wall. Okay. My parking job with the tractor is done for the afternoon." I exhale with a puff accomplishment and wiped off the dirt from the jumpsuit, sorta. I turn and move toward the open cab, dragging out my nifty new flying seater, placing it onto the dirt.

A flier is a single seat which is attached to a single engine with a set of holding bars. The flying engine is propelled by a set of compressed air waves, spinning around and around that lifts a person up from the ground and into the air, about ten feet.

So, I can't fly to the moon or to heaven or over the barrier wall.

A flying seat is used to transport the farmer over many miles of crop fields, since I am truly stuck four miles from my little tiny farm house.

I jerk the lightweight flying seat up from the dirt and slap it over a back spine and a collar bone, moving five hundred feet away from the dead tractor. Then I press the button on the handler bar for flight. The flyer seater blasts a set of cold air waves into the wind, lifting Ketona up into the air from the ground. I hover about nine feet, before pressing the green button, going forward. There are only two buttons, red for start and green for go.

I slowly fly over the crop field, seeing the tilled orange dirt, feeling a growling stomach.

My mother was correct.

Farming is long hours and hard work, but there is a bonus always waiting for Ketona too.

06:33 pm

Tiny farm house of Ketona

Sunset with orange dust balls of yellow and pink sunlight

Hot temperatures with three miles per hour winds

I land the individual flyer down in front of an open garage door on top of the manicured grass, standing upright in a pair of boot heels, cutting off the air fan engine. I release the webbing around a body and slide the flyer seat down from a back spine, gently placing it inside the open tailgate of the old truck, that doesn't work.

My old tractor runs on gasoline, since I am novice farmer. Most of the bigger tractors run on solar energy, since the rest of the farmers are better farmers than Ketona.

I move ahead toward the front porch of my tiny run-down three-story house, which is really a storage house. Buffo's blood-kin family members were nice enough to adopt Ketona into their farm family, after she had selected to become a farmer as her dream job with her dream man.

Buffo and I are planning our wedding for the holiday time, so both sets of parents from the posh city of Colfax can attend. Therefore, I am living inside the out house...correction...the outer house which is behind the main family homestead.

I giggle with the mental joke and strip off a right cowgirl dirty boot, tossing the boot onto the manicured grass, dancing up the short brick steps, wiggling side to side across the front porch, coming from one side to the other side. I slowly strip off a left boot, dancing and humming an invisible tune inside my mind.

I stop and stand, lifting a leg, pulling off a right sock, exposing a nasty sweaty foot and fling my leg up and down, stirring the orange dust bunnies around my body.

I stop and stand, lifting another leg, pulling off the left sock, exposing another nasty sweaty foot and fling my leg up and down with a giggle.

I stop and stand, wiggling both hands from my breasts down my waist, my hips, wiggling my hips with a giggle and continue to wiggle both hands down to my knees and then down to my ankles.

I stand upright with a giggle, cleaning off the excess orange dust from the farmer jumpsuit. I untie the orange scarf and fling it off my hand. The scarf floats into the air, hitting its peak trajectory and then drops down toward the manicured grass.

I slowly unzip the front zipper coming down from the throat. The zipper slowly moves down between my breasts, exposing a naked collar bone. The zipper moves down the middle of rib cage, exposing my breasts. It moves down my waist, exposing the top half of my body. The zipper slowly moves down between my legs, when the jumpsuit falls from my arms. The zipper stops.

I wiggle side to side, shimming out of the dirty jumpsuit and turn, dancing side to side on top of the naked front porch. The porch holds a two-seater swing on the far side which is in front of two lower windows of dirty glass, and one metal door of red hue. I dance side to side in the wind, brushing off the orange dust between all my body parts with a giggle.

I stop and stand in the middle of the front porch on the edge of the steps, removing the cowgirl hat and toss it into the wind, wearing a two-piece bathing suit and a pair of naked feet.

The weather is summertime, hot and humid.

I sweat even before I dress and then I sweat more inside the tractor.

I turn and toss a hand wave at the second window in front of my tiny house.

Buffo is a tall and muscular teen with a tone of dark tinted skin and a pair of blue eyes. He stands inside the window with a smile and claps at her strip-tease farm girl performance.

Buffo and I live inside two separate houses, under the guidance of his biological grandparents.

The front porch is our future home spot, once we get married next year, after attaining the age of eighteen years old.

The three-story house foundation is sound, but the exterior walls need painting. The interior walls need painting. The kitchen needs painting. There are a set of new appliances. The bedrooms need a new paint job, and newer curtains, and newer carpet, and other such newer things. Over the next year, his grandfather is purchasing these items for our honeymoon house. Then, they will be performing the painting and decorating together as a newly married teen couple.

Buffo moves out the rear door of the family house and totes a tray of two sweet tea beverages in iced cubes. I back step away from the steps. He climbs up the steps and stops, placing the tray on top of the side table near the window, swinging around and hugs Ketona for love and protection. He back steps and lifts her hand, spinning her body around and around with a chuckle. She stops with a smile. He leans down and kisses her lips, pulling back with a smile. "Whoa. What a day. I'm bushed from the heat and humidity."

I giggle with a grin. "I'm ready for supper too. Should I help your grandmother do something inside the kitchen, Buffo?"

He twists and gently shoves her toward the swing, grabbing the two glasses of sweet tea.

They move toward the swinging chair and turn, sitting and rocking inside the two-seater chair.

I accept and sip the cold sweet tea beverage, swallowing the liquid with a smile. "I finished my tilling for the day. I realize that it was a small patch of dirt, but I think I got the hang of the tractor, pulling the tiller. I even parked it sideways, so I can access the tractor for my working section, tomorrow. Farming is hard work and long hours..."

Buffo sips the sweet tea, swallowing with a smack of closed lips. "Yeah, it's different from studying in school or going to school or playing in school..."

I cuddle next to him, smelling the fresh dirt, the hay, and the grass on his body and his clothing. He wears a pair of shorts, a torn T-shirt, and a pair of naked toe bones, too.

They do not bath, until after suppertime, since they like to spend some time together, before bedtime.

After suppertime, it is completely dark outside within the countryside. A person sees only the white bright stars.

I sip the tea and swallow the liquid with a worried brow, staring at his nose profile. "What's wrong, Buffo? I realize this isn't what we planned, after finishing Citizenship Day. But I do love the fresh air, the zillions of stars, and the cool breeze. The quiet of night isn't really quiet with the croaking frogs, whistling birds, and singing crickets. We usually don't hear those songs in Colfax."

Buffo sips the tea and swallows the liquid, staring down at the wooden planks of the porch, exhaling with a worried brow. "I like it here. I'm not disappointed here. I'm not disappointed at my performance of the Cubby Hole, either. Are you disappointed in being here?"

I smile with a nod. "No. I love you where you go, then I go and I stay right here."

He nods. "I really wanted to hear that from you. I have a confession to make to you, Ketona."

I turn and smile at his nose profile. "Okay, confess?"

"I lied when I said that I was having fun inside orange color tone. I immediately went back into the orange color tone for a second time, after I had failed the first time. I couldn't answer the academic questions. I can't figure out the complicated mathematical questions within the fifteen seconds of the deadline. It was so much pressure and stress and distress. So, I gave up and joined the other teens. I talked with them. They had experienced my same failure, so I could relate to them. Then, you didn't fail and fall back into the color tone. I was not surprised or mad. You're really smart, Ketona. I really wanted to advance into the red color tone, then the green color, and whatever. I just couldn't pass the questions. If the time limit had been a little longer or if I could have written out the solution of the problem on a sheet of piece. But I wasn't allowed to do that. So, I gave up. I am sorry. I wanted you to know what really happened to me inside the orange color tone. I don't want to fib to you, Ketona about nothing. I love you. I wanna marry you. I just hope you can understand why I stayed there inside the orange color tone."

"I do, Buffo. And I figured out that you...f...fell in love with the countryside, too. I can see the passion for the fresh air and the rows of pretty wildflowers here inside Burrville. Now, no more talk about the Cubby Hole or Citizenship Day. That was yesterday. That's over and done. This is our life. This is almost the end of our first whole day inside our new home Burrville. I love it here. And I love you, Buffo. We will build our future and our family here inside Burrville." I sip the sweet tea and swallow with a smile.

He sips the tea and swallows the liquid, looking down at the wooden planks. "I have another confession to make."

I turn and see his nose profile with a smile "Okay, confess!"

He exhales. "I am sorry, again. I had secretly established a backup plan. My parents were very concerned about my academic progression, so they talked with my grandfather. He was prepared for me; in case I didn't make it passed the orange color tone."

I drop open my mouth. "A backup plan was living here inside Burrville."

He nods. "I couldn't tell anyone about my backup plan per my parents. I really wanted to tell you my backup plan, but I couldn't. I hope you're not mad, Ketona."

I exhale. "Naw, I can understand, sorta."

He looks up with a smile to see Ketona. "Good. I really need for you to understand my concerns. I was prepared for the worse. And the worse happened. I couldn't advance out of the orange color tone. I was trapped in there. And then, you showed up. I was both shocked and surprised..."

I gasp. "You were both shocked and surprised that I came back looking for you."

He nods. "I thought that you had advanced into the red color tone or beyond with Rincon and Marsilla..."

I exhale. "I did and then I changed my mind. I came back looking for you..."

"Then, you disappeared again. I guessed that you advanced back into the red color tone."

"Yes, I was..."

"...frustrated with me. I would have been too. You're really smart, Ketona. I mean you failed down into the red color tone twice and then still managed to land inside the golden color tone. And you answered the single most difficult question inside the Cubby Hole. I heard the question from the me-chee host machine, too. Well, I guess all the teens inside the Cubby Hole heard the question for a chance to jump out of their particular color tone. I honestly didn't have a clue to the correct answer. You answered it. You advanced into the gold color tone. I wasn't surprise. I was very proud of you."

I lean over and hug his bicep with a smile, "You were?"

He sips and swallows the tea with a nod. "Yeah, you're really smart. You would've been a great medical technician."

I exhale. "I am going to be a farmer. Yay hay!" I drink and swallow the tea.

He exhales. "I have another..."

"...confession?" I turn and frown with confusion at his nose profile.

"This is a worry. I worry about Hatch and Jara. They're trapped inside Dookie Town for the rest of their life. I don't understand, what happened."

I stare at the wooden planks, remembering yesterday, reliving the fear and fright. "I do. It was the stress of the mental games inside the Cubby Hole. Each color tone became more difficult that was filled with creepy things, like snakes and knives. A teen can only take so much pain and suffering. I almost reached my limited within the blue color tone, if not for Duchie. She was strong and brave. She helped me overcome my mental fear and physically exhaustion."

He frowns. "That should have been me."

I reach over and pat his forearm with a smile. "Well, Duchie is a good friend and a smart girl. She deserves to be a me-chee technician, after answering the most single difficult question, inside the gold color tone. She'll be a good one. So, what else is on your active mind, darling?"

"So, Hatch just gave up too inside the yellow color tone."

"No. I actually believe that he was having too much fun inside the yellow color tone. You brought the concept to my attention when you said that you were sent back each teen to play within the love answer of the Citizenship question. The love answers were much more fun rather than the fear answer."

"Yeah, I guess so. So, Hatch was having too much fun. Then he forgot about advancing out of the color tone."

"That's my honest conclusion. The teen gets wrapped up in the fun of the moment, forgetting about that the teen is supposed to continue along into the next color tone. Or the teen gives up and accepts where he has landed due to the difficulty of the academic questions."

"Some of the questions were hard. It made me feel dumb."

I caress his arm back and forth with a smile and a nod, looking out at the crop field. "You're not that. You're my guy. We're going to be happy as a pair of dirt farmers."

"I am happy about being a dirt farmer. I'm just sad about Jara and Hatch inside Dookie Town. That wasn't their individual life time dream. I wished that I could do something to help them..."

"I, too."

Buffo reaches over and grabs the dirty glass tumbler from Ketona with a smile. "Well, that's it for me. Suppertime is here. Let's eat, honey." He stands upright from the swing chair and totes the two empty and dirty tumblers.

I stand upright and lean over, grabbing the sundress, wiggling a body side to side with a giggle, sliding the dress over a semi-naked body for suppertime. I turn and dash ahead, leaning down and grab the empty tray from the side table, dancing side to side back toward Buffo with a giggle and stop. He leans over and cuddles Ketona with a smile of love.

They spin around and move ahead down from the front porch of Ketona's farm house, strolling together toward the rear door of the main family farm house for suppertime.
Second day of employment

Outer township of Burrville

06:01 pm

Farm home of Buffo's grandparents

Dining room supper time setting

Hot temperatures and windy with orange dust particles

I sit with my ladylike manners at the family supper table, listening to the other farmers. The farmers are the blood-kin family members of Buffo, including aunts, uncles, and cousins and their respective spouses. The eating table holds thirty-eight place mats. His grandfather sits at the head of the long-squared table as the head farmer.

The grandfather of Buffo is a tall and slender male with a head of gray hair, a face of gray beard, a tone of dark tinted skin with deep wrinkles. He chews and swallows the food with a loud and deep tenor for all the eardrums of the family members. "Farmer Brown has almost finished his dirt tilling. He plants his sacks of wheat seedlings, tomorrow. We need to wrap up our tilling and plant our seeds, before the rain storms next week. The summertime weather is filled with thunderstorms of mean lighting and loud thunder. Are ya scared of thunder, missy Ketona?"

I chew and swallow the food, sitting in the middle of the long eating table next to Buffo, looking up with a smile to see Buffo's grandfather. "No sir. I like to see it rain. And I like to play in the puddles," I reach down and slap Buffo on the kneecap for fun with a giggle. He chews the food with a chuckle of amusement.

The grandmother of Buffo is a tall and plump elderly female with a head of gray tinted hair, a lip of black colored mustache, a tone of dark tinted skin with deep wrinkles. She chews with frown at Ketona, swallowing the food, sitting beside her husband at the end of the long squared shaped eating table. "Play in the mud puddles at your age, girly. You're almost twenty years old. You're too old to play inside the mud puddles with the chickens. Little tiny children play in the mud puddles, girly. This is a farm. There are lots of mud puddles. If I catch you bringing mud into my house..."

"Grandmother," Buffo turns and nods to his grandmother. "Ketona was being funny. It's a joke to reference the farm and the rain here in Burrville."

The grandmother of Buffo frowns at Ketona. "Ya being funny? Then tell us a funny joke, not starting a silly game for a child."

"Yes ma'am." I look down with a stern face to see the plate of food.

The pre-teen female possesses a head of blond hair, a face of brown colored freckles, a set of crooked teeth, a tone of dark tinted skin, sitting between her parents, slightly left of her grandfather. She turns and smiles at the nose profile of her mother. "Mama, when are you finishing my pretty dress? My birthday party is on Saturday. Remember?"

The mother of the pre-teen female stares with a stern face down at the plate of food and mashes up the potatoes. "Well, I'm about to start..."

The second pre-teen female possesses a head of black colored hair, a tone of dark tinted skin, and a set of cute dimples, sitting between her parents, slightly right of her grandmother. She turns and smiles into the nose profile of her mother. "My dress is going to be blue like the sky for my birthday party. Mama, when do I try on my dress for the party, tonight?"

The third pre-teen female possesses a head of long red colored hair, a tone of pink tinted skin, a face of brown colored freckles, sitting between her parents, slightly left of her grandmother. She turns and smiles into the nose profile of her mother. "Mama, what time is the party this Saturday night? Don't we need to be fixing up the barn too?"

I turn and scan the eating table with a smile. "There's a party, a birthday party. Who's having a birthday party?" The three young girls bounce up and down inside a chair and toss both arms into the air with a set of giggles and smiles. I smile with a nod at each pre-teen girl. "I love birthday parties too. When is the party on Saturday? What time? I'll help do something."

The grandmother of Buffo turns and frowns at Ketona. "The time has not been set yet. Finish your vegetables before your bath time. Or ya got no dessert either." The children look down with a stern face at the food plate reaching down, chewing on the vegetables.

The grandfather clears a throat and stands upright from the chair, lifting a dirty plate into the air with a stern face. "The weather is going to be bad on Saturday with lots of rain and thunder and lightning bolts. I don't know if we can get everyone over to the barn through the rain puddles. Folks don't like getting out, when the weather is bad."

The blonde-haired pre-teen girl turns and frowns at her grandfather. "Okay. When will we know for shore tonight's Monday? My birthday is in five more days, Grandfather."

The grandfather of Buffo frowns. "We will know tomorrow, maybe. So, we just see about the party later. Okay, girls?"

The black haired pre-teen female looks down with a sad frown at her plate of food. "Okay, Grandfather."

I exhale with a puff of sadness and stare at the colored hair roots of each sad face pre-teen, standing upright from the chair, collecting a dirty plate and back step from the table, turning and move into the kitchen, helping with the clean up after suppertime.

07:10 pm

Farm house of Ketona

Front porch and swing chair setting

Hot temperatures with colorful sky decorations

Bright white stars and orange tinted moonlight

After all the dishes are cleaned and then stored back into the kitchen cabinets, Buffo escorts Keaton back to her tiny farm house and climbs onto the front porch, until they can be married in a few more months.

Buffo sits down and cuddles with Ketona inside the front porch swinging chair at her tiny farm house.

I look up with a smile to see the night skyline and orange mist. "Do we see the colored sky decorations, every night? Since the orange dust has settled in the air waves and has been rubbed off my body, I feel clean and can see hundreds of tiny pretty pink circles, hovering in the air over the outer township of Tonkey. I see a set of yellow tiny bubbles, hundreds of them that float up, coming from the outer township of Dandine. The colors are pretty within the night sky. I know what the colors represent, but the colors are pretty."

He looks down with a stern face to see the brown rot within the wooden planks with a soft timber, "Yeah."

I reach over and pat his arm with a worried brow and stare at his nose profile with a worried heart. "What's wrong, Buffo? You seem sad."

He kicks the wood planks with a naked foot, making the chair swing back and forth. "I didn't know."

"You didn't know what exactly."

"I didn't know about the supply shortage."

"What supply shortage?"

"The young girls are my nieces. They turn thirteen years old on Saturday. Their individual moms had promised them a new dress for their group party. But I didn't know..."

"You didn't know what?"

"Their cellies were taken away by the Establishment."

"Why?"

"I need to restate. There is one single cellie inside the fire house for requesting supplies, but it is used for acquiring equipment parts, gasoline, and other necessaries for the farm. The luxury items are not necessary per the Establishment."

I exhale. "Well, sometimes, luxury items are not really needed like a cellie or a..."

"A dress is for a very important day like the birth of your life. Yeah, I guess a luxury item like that is not needed, too."

I clear a dry throat. "I thought that her mother couldn't finish the party dress in time for Saturday."

"Her mom couldn't get the clothing fabric to make the party dress. It was ordered, six months ago. She watched and waited for every supply shipment and then the unloading, but it didn't come."

"Six months ago, does anyone know the reason for the misplacement?"

"Mistake! Establishment is running their lives, our lives out here in Burrville and the surrounding outer townships. They take everything from the outer townships for themselves, including the food, the meats, the fabric, the clothing, the furniture. My grandfather placed an order for new furniture inside your tiny farm house, six months ago, too. It never showed it."

I gasp. "Why?"

Buffo stands upright from the swing chair and reaches down, grabbing Ketona by the hand. She stands upright beside him with a puzzled brow. He turns with a sour frown and drags her ahead, moving toward the side garage which is next to the tiny house, entering the garage and releases her hand. He stops and stands, dragging out a set of two fliers from the wall corner with a stern face, moving backwards into the grassy yard and hands one to Ketona. "Let's take an air ride together inside an individual one-seater flier. I wanna show you something."

"Okay." I accept the one seat flier from Buffo with a puzzled brow and strap it over a body, standing upright and wait on Buffo with a curious face, looking up into the dark skyline with a worried brow. "How can we fly away from the farm and around the clouds without getting into trouble by your grandparents?"

He straps the webbing and clicks the mechanics of the one-seater flyer around an upright body with a stern face. "Naw, the flyer is fanned by a set of air waves. The air waves suck in the invisible wind and then the orange dust comes out. So, the higher you go up into the clouds, the more orange dust you create around the flyer which is kinda like a baby tornado. My grandparents won't really approve either, since they run a strict homestead. But we're not really monitored by them during the evening hours. They're in bed now, since they rise with the horizon, every morning." Buffo presses the button and slowly lifts the flyer up from the ground, hovering over the dirt, waiting on Ketona.

07:17 pm

Northeastern direction

Barrier wall intersection of Colfax and Burrville

Hot temperatures with colorful sky decorations

Bright stars and bright orange tinted moonlight

I whisper for my eardrums only. The air fan prevents any type of conversation between the two flying machines. "I rise with the horizon too for the rest of my life." I press the button and slowly lift up from the dirt and hover beside Buffo with a smile. I do enjoy the air travel part of my new famer job. The wind hits my sweaty face, cooling the heated day from both cheekbones. The air pressure pops within both eardrums as the flyer lifts higher than the flying birds. I giggle with a smile at the flying birds. "Watch out, birdie! I don't have a pair of wings. I got a set of hot jets of heated air. Burn you up, birdie!" I don't wear a helmet for safety or communication to Buffo. Thus he can't hear my loud comments over the roaring engine.

I can see for miles and miles and miles orange dirt. I see a few family house structures within the far distance. Each homestead is about three thousand farm acres apart for the benefit of the growing crops for food.

Buffo sails the flyer in a southern direction.

I lag behind and enjoy the freedom of flying like a bird. I guess that I did enjoy the challenge of the Cubby Hole. Now I understand how a teen could get caught up in the fantasy world of cougars and snakes for some fast fun.

The Cubby Hole is a once in a life time adventure, never to be repeated. However, it is dead and waits for the next generation of seventeen years old, next year.

I perform at a putt-putt pace inside the flyer through the dark skyline about thirteen feet over the soil, slowly flying into more darkness. The moon is lighted with a yellowish-white tint, almost full. I wonder if one day a teen would ever travel to the moon and live there.

I turn with a smile to the right side of the flyer, seeing the glow of a yellow barrier wall. If I narrow my eyelashes, I think I see some small fires behind the wall, probably camping out with a group of savages on the ground.

I turn with a smile to the left of the flyer, seeing the glittery blue barrier wall of Montag, where all the merchandise shops are located with a set of new and developing merchandise. If I narrow my eyelashes, I think I see a set of hills of twinkling glass. I guess those are the homes of the shop owners.

Buffo and I travel about five miles through the air, coming from the family farm house.

I see ahead the golden barrier wall with a gasp. This is the barrier intersection wall between Burrville and Colfax. I feel suddenly sad and homesick. I had lived in Colfax since birth. My parents still reside in Colfax.

The Colfax barrier wall is golden tinted with light color, but I can see the outline of the skyline building of businesses, the medium sized slender buildings of residents, and the tallest building is the shopping mall. I gasp at the beauty of posh Colfax in dull colors of gray and tan. "Yuck! Colfax is not beauty or posh, it is dull and grey. The sky is prettier than the city." The tall buildings bleed into dirty white, where the white has melted into a darker gray.

Buffo hovers about ten feet away from the side of the yellow barrier wall, studying Colfax.

I fly forward and slam into the barrier wall, gasping with shock. The handle bars of the flier ricochets from the solid wall, without harming Ketona. I back up from the wall with a giggle and halt within the air waves.

Buffo lowers the flyer down to the dirt ground.

I slowly wobble side to side, not being used to landing the flyer, roughly kicking soil bunnies into the air from a lousy descend and finally land.

Buffo stands upright and removes the flyer from a body, gently placing the transport on the soil, staring at the yellow barrier wall.

I remove the flyer from a body and gently drop it down over the dirt, moving ahead and pull up beside him with a gasp closer into the yellow barrier wall. "The city looks like a power plant below the dark clouds. The skyline buildings are outlined in a set of tiny colored light bulbs, making the pink colored building look like a different shade. I never noticed the color light bulbs around the buildings. Did you?"

"I saw them years ago, when I first visited my grandfather. I thought the sight was pretty, too. Then I started growing wiser in both my mind and my heart. I don't think Colfax is pretty, anymore."

"You sound bitter about your Cubby Hole experience."

"You shouldn't have to pass a test, figuring out, what you want to be. You should be allowed to grow and make mistakes and then grow some more into what you wanna be, not forced into something that you don't wanna be."

"I guess not. But if a farmer is the best you can be, then you have selected the appropriate job position within our society."

Buffo turns and mouth spits onto the soil with a sneer, looking back at the city of Colfax through the yellow barrier wall, "What shame is there as a farmer, Ketona? My grandfather grows food that feeds his family, his friends, his neighbors like all the other folks inside Dandine, and Montag, and, Colfax, and everywhere."

I cross both arms, feeling the chilling air. "Why are you so angry, Buffo? You desired to become a farmer. So, you snapped your fingers and here you are."

He exhales. "I'm mad," he leans and hugs Ketona with a stern face, staring at the city of Colfax through the yellow barrier wall. "I'm bitter about other things for other folks like Jara and Hatch and my young nieces, who can't have a pretty dress on their birthdays."

I nod with a stern face at the city of Colfax. "I know, birthday parties are very special, especially for the birthday recipient. But if your aunt can't pay for the fabric for the dress..."

"Yeah," he releases Ketona and turns with a sneer to see the nose profile of Ketona. "She can pay for the fabric. She did pay for the fabric of the dress. Actually, I think my grandfather did, six months ago."

I drop open and close a mouth. "Then I didn't understand. I guess I don't understand a lot of things."

He nods with a stern face and turns to sneer at the Colfax through the yellow wall. "Yeah, there are lots of things that I do not understand either. But I'm beginning to formula some theories. My aunt paid for the dress fabric, in advance, picking out the color and texture. However, inside each supply shipment, there was a note attached, saying the color wasn't available. So my aunt ordered a different shade of color. Inside the next supply shipment, the attached note said the texture wasn't available. So my aunt ordered a different type of fabric. Inside the next supply shipment, the color wasn't available."

I nod with a stern face. "Well, I can understand being upset. But if the color or fabric is not available, then it is not available. So I don't understand the fuss."

He looks down with a sad face and a sigh. "The fuss is that the three girls are having a birthday party. They didn't want another party present, only a fancy dancing dress for their once in a life-time thirteen-year-old birthday party, which will never be repeated ever."

I turn and smile at the hair roots of Buffo. "Then they could just order three of them from the shop inside Montag, instead of getting the fabric delivered here inside Burrville."

Buffo looks up with a sour frown to see Ketona. "Yeah, my aunt could order from Montag any particular manufactured item from any store too. But the merchandise item never seems to arrive inside Burrville."

I shake my curls with a stern face. "Now, that doesn't make any sense to me, Buffo. My mom ordered all types of merchandise all the time at the mall and then it was delivered at our house on time all the time."

He frowns. "Therefore, all clothing and furnishing is home-made, here, in Burrville. I mean, all the female farmers and some of the talented male farmers do a good job, anyways, of making clothes and furnishing pieces. But, my nieces wanted something very special for their thirteen-year-old birthday party."

I shake my curls with a stern face. "I can understand the lost fabric and the misplaced orders of merchandise. However, I do not understand all the fuss over three party dresses that would have been outrageously expensive for the little girls. A party dress is very costly." I look back over a collar bone at the miles and miles of tilled soil that requires seeds tomorrow before the big summertime storm and then return back to see Buffo. "A party dress is as costly as a pound of corn seedlings to spread around the unplowed crop field. And I would know firsthand about party dresses. When my parents purchased my thirteen-year-old party dress, it was grand and fancy and a month of their payroll salaries. They special ordered it from the shop keeper at the mall and then it was made especially for me. Then the dress was delivered to our house for my party," smiling.

He sneers. "So?"

I gasped with a sour frown, "So, Buffo, I believe that your grandfather is being very wise in cancelling a party, where a girl's true dream can't be achieved."

"What are you talking about, girl?"

I exhale with a puff of frustration and toss both arms into the air and extend both arms even with the tilled soil. "Your family doesn't have the money to pay for one fancy dress for one pre-teen, Buffo."

He shakes a skull with a flat expression. "Ketona, my grandfather is extremely rich. He can pay for the delivery of sixty of these little fancy dresses for his granddaughters..."

I gasp, "What? How?"

He grins with a nod. "Farms grow food and raise livestock. Food and meat are eaten by everyone. Everyone pays money for food to eat. Therefore, the money is paid to the farmers. All the farmers are all very wealthy here in the outer township of Burrville."

I turn with a stern face and narrow my eyelashes, scanning the far distance homesteads underneath the bright moonlight. I can't see all the homesteads, since the great distance of field crops.

But I remembered the house tour of Buffo's grandparents on my first evening after the airship landed over the barrier wall. The family house was grand, not draped in silks or satins. I smelled the fresh pine from a new additional social room, new paint on the walls, and new carpet over the floors. The interior layout was massive when compared to the tall two story townhouse of my parents inside the posh city of Colfax.

I swing a face and stare into the guts of glittering Colfax that wears a set of fake colored light bulbs around the dull white painted skyline buildings. I shake my curls with a confused brow. "I can't believe this. Why do your grandparents live here inside the outer township of Burrville? They could move and live inside the city of Colfax. I admit that the city could use some new paint and more creative citizens, enhancing the quality of life in Colfax..."

"What for, Ketona?" He turns and frowns with sadness at the city through the yellow barrier wall. "Why would they move from the soil that they love and the life that they love? They love it here inside Burrville. I love it here inside Burrville, much better than the city life." He reaches out and slams a hand on the yellow barrier wall with a growl and a nod. "Now, I understand. I didn't understand before, but I do now. The Colfaxians take everything out from the outer townships for themselves first and last, never leaving anything for the outer townships."

I gasp at the lights of Colfax. "That's impossible, Buffo. The population of Colfax is much smaller than the outlying townships. So small, it could fit inside a large auditorium with room for numerous rows of empty chairs. No, that's impossible. The Colfaxians must purchase everything, including their food, their clothing, their furniture, their electricity, and their goods and services at the shopping mall..."

"The raw materials come from the land, the farms, the manufacturing plants, the shops. Then, all the merchandise goes to Colfax first. After the Colfaxians consume every piece of merchandise, there's nothing left for anyone else."

I shake my curls with a stern face. "That doesn't make any sense, Buffo. If the shop owner was given money, then the merchandise could be produced. That's how our economy flows in and out with goods and services."

He growls, "Except, the shop owner can't afford to make any more pieces of goods, without the raw materials from the farms and the factories. The shop owner is forced to sale only to the Colfaxians at a reduced rate, because the Colfaxians are poorly paid for their working employers. Then the shop owner is poorly paid for their goods, and then the raw materials are only sold to the shop owners. That's a dictatorship, Ketona. Establishment dictates who gets what, when, how many, and how much."

I shake my curls with a gasp. "You're wrong, Buffo."

He turns and sneers down at her black colored hair roots. "Then explain to me, why the ordered and paid in advance fancy dresses didn't come to my nieces here inside Burrville? The farmers got money, lots of money." Buffo laughs. "They got so much money that it's hidden underneath the wooden planks inside each farm house."

I giggle with a grin, "You're so silly and dramatic. There is a simple explanation, Buffo. The dresses were not available and then the money was refunded back to your family members."

He turns and stares at the pretty lights of Colfax. "Naw, the money was kept and replaced with a larger shipment of seedlings or equipment pieces or another staple that farm doesn't grow."

I gasp. "The money was kept and the merchandise was substituted. Then someone is..."

"...playing a mind game like the Cubby Hole. The Cubby Hole is nothing but a deterrent, keeping the populous of people in place and away from the beautiful people, who continue to love, live, and thrive inside posh and ugly Colfax. A teen shouldn't be judged exclusively on one single question, regarding his abilities. A teen could be talented in other ways with numerous other gifts like drawing a picture or painting a portrait or singing a song or making a quilt or cooking a meal or cuddling a baby. Who is the authority figure, deciding that your life is only a crop farmer or a dookie work or a me-chee designer?"

I stomp a foot with a stern face. "Okay, I agree. We should complain. We should go to the mayor and point out the flaw of the economics. She's in charge of Colfax. She approves all the flowing merchandise between the outer townships. The mayor has the authority to change the flaws in the shipment lanes. Yes, she could aid and assist the outer townships. I am most certain of my plan and my presentation. We should meet with her immediately."

He turns and snorts into her smile. "Yeah, that's an excellent plan, Ketona. But how do we escape from the barrier wall that is located on the ground and high up into the sky between us and Colfax?" He reaches and slams the wall again with a fist and a growl. "This is an electromagnetic field that surrounds each township. Or it is around the posh and pretty city limits of Colfax, keeping us out forever."

I gasp with reality, missing that obviously scientific fact. I clear a throat. "We could call her."

He frowns. "Do you know the cellie number of the mayor of Colfax?"

I smile. "I know of her daughter Nephella. We could call her daughter."

"Do you know the cellie number of the mayor's daughter, Ketona? Even if you did, where is your personal cell? Mine is inside my old bedroom at my parent's house. The me-chee pilot inside the airship would not allow us to bring a cellie out from the Cubby Hole. Do you remember?"

I look down with a sad face at the soil with a deep sigh. Now, I understand the worried concern of my parents. I am trapped here inside Burrville without a cellie or a chance of communication with my family or any other person living within Colfax. I inhale deep breathes and hold back the tears of defeat. I have realized too late. It doesn't matter if you have studied your entire life with text books, math equations, and chemical formulas, when you can't get a fancy dress for your thirteenth birthday party. I feel sadly depressed for all the Burrvillians, too.

He leans over and hugs Ketona with a sad face, "I am sorry. Thanks for listening to my complaint. There's nothing that can be done, short of a rebellion. Let's go back home. We have work tomorrow." I nod in silence. He swings them around in silence and slowly moves ahead toward the set of individual flyers. He stops and leans, assisting the single flyer onto the body of Ketona. Then he loads and straps on the second flyer.

They press an individual power button and slowly lift up from the ground, stirring up the loose orange dirt into the dust ball and slowly fly back toward the tiny farm house of Ketona.

07:59 pm

Tiny farm house of Ketona

Hot temperatures and windy night

Bright stars and orange tinted moonlight

Buffo and I land separate on top of the manicured grass, removing and storing the two individual flyers inside the work garage for the farm job tomorrow.

He leans and hugs Ketona, pulling with a smile and spins around, moving toward the front porch of her tiny farm house. He climbs the steps and stops, standing in front of the front door within the moonlight with a smile that she can't see. He leans down and kisses her face, pulling back with a smile, "Good night, sweetheart! I love you, Ketona."

I hug him one more time and pull back with a smile that he can't see. "Sweet dreams, darling. I love you, too."

Buffo releases her and swings around with a sad face, slowly moving with a sigh, looking down at the manicured grass that glows underneath the happy moonlight with his sad thoughts.

08:01 pm

Front porch setting

I swung around with a deep sigh of sadness and watch his back muscles through the moonlight. Buffo disappears through the archway of the family house for bedtime. I pivot around and enter my house.

The house is three stories tall of crowded junk stuff which is used and broken merchandise. It is actually a storage house, containing used furniture and used merchandise, since nothing is wasted on a farm.

I slowly stroll through the living room and step into the kitchen, stopping and sit on a tall bar stool at the eating bar, reaching out and grab a cookie.

The grandmother of Buffo cooks and bakes all the food meals for the entire family. She spends sunrise to sundown inside a modern-day kitchen with an assortment of new and modern gleaming appliances. She had baked a variety of numerous dessert trays for the evening meal and then left a basketful of food inside my house. I chew the cookie with a frown, dropping the mouth crumbs over the bar counter. I feel depression for Buffo. He is worried about his family and mad with the Establishment inside Colfax.

I feel angry and surprise with the Establishment too. Since, I'm permanently living inside Burrville for the rest of my life also. Because, I had passed into the gold color tone, correctly answered the most difficult question, and then selected a farmer as my dream job.

Now, I am here with Buffo.

I frown with sadness for the three pre-teen girls. They will not have a happy birthday party, because their moms could not get the necessary fabric to sew a pretty party dress for an individual birthday party, which is the highlight of any party event, especially for a girl.

I had a big birthday party every single year with lots of presents, a fancy ruffled dress, and a big cake with a wreath of real colorful pretty flowers.

I swallow the cookie with a sour frown and a whisper for my eardrums only, "Yeah, a big deal too! I want that too for the three pre-teen young girls, too. They're going to be thirteen, a teenager..."

I stand upright from the bar stool and back step from the eating bar, turning and move ahead toward the refrigerator. I open the door and reach inside, grabbing the milk carton. You always eat cookies with a glass of milk. I lift and drink from the milk carton, slowly pondering my mental thoughts and my tender feelings and drop the milk carton down from my lips, replacing the carton inside the refrigerator. I gently close the door.

I frown with more sadness for Buffo with a whisper for my eardrums only. Since I do not believe there are any ghosts living inside the old house within the room. "He thinks about Jara and Hatch, permanently residing inside Dookie Town, too. I sorta think about them, too. I should do something. But what is the something that I should do? I know the what. The what, it is the numerous pretty colored electromagnetic fields around the farmlands, and the shops, and the sewer plant, and the other townships. Wonder if, there were no more e-fields around the farms and the shops and the sewer plant."

If I had my cell, then I could come up with an answer or a solution or a something. But I couldn't take any of my personal possessions into the outer township of Burrville, only the cat suit and matching soft boots. I had to leave all my clothes and my favorite pair of cowgirl boots, and my personal cell. I exhale with depression.

Then, I snap the fingers with a giggle and back step from the refrigerator and spin around, dashing around each room of the tiny house, moving into the different unexplored and mysterious rooms.

I stop and stand inside the archway of the library. There are millions of books on the horizontal book shelves. I dash ahead toward the book shelf, looking for the book, finding the letter E within the set of hard copies manual of encyclopedias.

I reach up and pull out the book, back stepping from the book shelf, sitting down inside a lonely chair. I flip through the pages and find the subject electromagnetic fields with a loud sneezed from the gather dust and read out loud. "An electric field or e-field is an invisible spot of energy," I drop down the book and stare at the book shelves. "Hmm, why can I see the e-fields? Radiation. Yes, the electromagnetic field is radiated. Not good! Nope, it is very bad."

I had reached out and tried to damage the barrier wall during a few of the Cubby Hole trials and tribulations, except I was wearing a body-hugging electromagnetic field, my cat suit. So, I wasn't harmed.

So, I can't touch the e-field.

I look down with a confused brow to read out loud from the book. "An e-field pushes the electrons through the air which is like water being pushed through a pipe. Power lines, wiring, and electrical appliances produce extremely low frequency wave of current. Yikes! That's live electricity, folks. Electric fields are shielded or weakened by a wall, a set of walls, or other objects." I look up with a smile to see the book shelves with a nod. "An e-field is weakened by an object. That's good to know. Except, an object is going to get burned with the radiation ions, even Marsilla knows that. What object is safe from radiation?" I look down with a stern face and read out loud from the book. "A magnetic field can pass through an object like a building, a living thing, or any other material. An m-field passes through any object. In physics, magnetism is a force that attracts or pulls closer. It repels or pushes away an object that is made of magnetic material. A magnetic field is charged by a magnet. Duh! A monkey can figure out that one. Well, I guess Marsilla couldn't, without studying her chemical textbook." I giggle and continue to read out loud. "A magnet can make an object move, without touching it. Yeah, this is the answer to my problem with the e-fields. I can't touch the e-field with the flowing live electricity. However, I can use a magnet to scatter the charged electrons within the e-field all over the space. I'm a genius. Thank you very much! I accept that earned title. A magnet, I need a magnet." I jump up from the chair with a smile and drop the book. It lands on the floor with a soft thud.

I run out the room and turn, dashing down the hallway with a grin and a giggle. "Where are some magnets inside the house? Maggie, where are you hiding?" I enter the living room and stop, standing and scanning each furniture piece with my eyeballs and my neurons. "Maggie, come here, girl!" I giggle with a grin. "Use your brain, Ketona. Think, slowly. What types of household appliances would have a batch of magnets?" I snap the fingers and dash ahead toward the kitchen and stop, standing in front of the refrigerator.

I see a dozen colorful metal covers that are attached to an individual tiny magnet that holds up a yellow stained ancient hand drawing on the front of the refrigerator door. I reach up and snatch off each magnet, examining the dimension: round, small, and black. The ancient hand drawing falls down onto the floor. I nod with a smile at each tiny magnet. "Okay. I need to test my working scientific theory. I know. I'll return back to the barrier wall and test it there. Yeah, test it." I turn and see the wall clock. The time read 8:11 pm. I spin around and move toward the rear door inside the kitchen that leads to more crop land.

The back door opens.

I move outside into the night air and turn the house corner, moving ahead toward the work garage, entering the darkness. I reach inside and drag out the flyer, stumbling through the darkness out into the manicured grass of the moonlight night. I gear up with the dirty oversized jumpsuit and store the six magnets inside a front pocket. I slide the flyer machine over a body, pressing the power button, starting the set of air fans. I soar up into the air, without any fear of discovery. One, the flier is silent. Two, the flyer kicks up orange dust, disguising Ketona. Three, everyone is asleep, but Ketona.

I sail over the crop field back toward my dead and parked farm tractor inside the northeastern corner of the farmland which is my assigned farm job.

08:21 pm

Northeastern location

Orange tinted wall intersection of Burrville and Colfax

Tractor setting

I press the lever and land down over the soil, removing and gently place the flyer on the dirt. If I damage the equipment, then I get to walk back home over four plus miles within the dead of night. I am located on the extreme edge of the farmland out of eyesight of the other houses and the eyeballs of Buffo's grandparents.

I exhale with a puff of excitement and survey the barrier wall. It glows in orange tinted electromagnetic charged ions which is the official color of each barrier wall within the outer township of Burrville. I reach down and grab one magnet, lifting into the air near my smile. I decide to test with only one. I reach down with the free hand collect the other magnets, removing them from pocket and drop down over the soil without interference of my science project. I prance toward the solid colored barrier wall with a smile, side stepping between the tractor and the wall corner for my secret science experiment.

I don't want anyone else accidentally, discovering my secret experiment either. If Buffo is correct and he is, then the Establishment might get curious about a punched hole within the barrier field, if my working theory is correct, and it is.

I giggle with overconfident and kneel one leg with a grin, reaching out, pressing the rounded tip into the barrier wall.

The wall sparks in orange and yellow colors, sucking up the tiny magnet first. Second, it clearly opens a tiny hole between the tight ions of the e-field, scattering the ions. Third, the e-field ions touch and sting a burning pain on my thumb and my index finger pads. I swiftly jerk back my hand from the wall and the magnet.

The tiny refrigerator magnet becomes engulfed inside the barrier wall. Then, the wall sucks up the tiny magnet and spits it out on the other side of the wall as the planet gravity jerks it out and then drops it down toward the tall green grass and red weeds on the other side of the orange barrier wall into thick forestland.

I frown with confusion at the tiny hole that slowly closes, seeing the green forest of trees and grass. "I wonder who lives out there. Colfaxians are not the only humans on the planet. There are about two billion other folks living here or behind the orange barrier wall. Okay. This scientific theory works. I just need a bigger magnet like a hammer with a handle or an arrow with a tip or a longer magnet, enduring the scattered ions bombardment for a few minutes. Then, what?" I exhale. "I will figure out the 'then what' later."

I stand upright and side step from the wall and the tractor, back stepping and swing around with a smile, racing to the flyer. I quickly load the single piece of flying equipment onto a back spine, wiggling side to side, webbing a body into the mechanics and press the power button. The flyer slowly lifts in the air and kicks dirt around the dirt. I press the lever and soar ahead toward the farm house with my deep mental thoughts. "What other objects contains a set of bigger magnets inside the house? I can't use the cute set of decorative refrigerator magnets. They're too small getting sucked in and out of the wall. I need a great big one. Then my theory will work perfectly."

08:30 pm

Tiny farm house of Ketona

I land near the garage side, hiding the flier and my person from a pair of naked eyeballs which is not sleeping inside a bed, dropping the flyer down onto the grass. I spin around and enter through the rear door of my house, stomping down the hallway and stop inside each archway, scanning for an appliance or an object that would use a magnet. I gasp with a smile, "The stereo speakers, yes," I waltz ahead toward the stereo equipment and stop, standing in front of the table, lifting and rip off the face plate of the two speakers. I see the object. "Yes, there are magnets inside the speakers of the stereo. The speaker houses a paper diaphragm with a set of wire coiling. When electricity hits the paper diaphragm, the magnet inside the metal frame door of the stereo makes the paper diaphragm vibrate in and out. The vibration produces all the sweet music notes within your eardrums. No problem, either. I got a big wall of charged ions for you, darling." I rip off the plastic door, revealing a very small magnet. I grab it the magnet and lower the stereo piece back down over the table, swinging around and move ahead toward the door and examine the small magnet with a worried brow. "I need bigger magnets."

I stomp out the room and turn, slowly moving down to the next archway, stopping inside the archway, scanning the room with a sour frown, "Nothing in here," I back step and turn, strolling down the hallway over the floor, scanning the floor with a gasp. "The vacuum cleaner, yeah, man, it has an electric motor that is run by a set of magnets." I dash ahead toward the small appliance with a giggle, tripping over my feet and stop, squatting down over the appliance, ripping off the lid of the vacuum cleaner with a smile. "The wire coils produce repulsive forces with electricity. Yeah, the entire motor is a big huge magnet with a set of shifting parts. Geez! I can't use this unless I smash the entire motor into the e-field. Yeah, that could create some serious trouble for me and Buffo's grandparents who own the farm." I slap the lid back down over the vacuum cleaner and stand upright from the floor with a sour frown and spun around, dashing down the hallway and stop, standing inside a new room with a gasp, "A choo-choo train set. The cars are connected to the toy train a set by numerous magnet couplers. Yeah, boy!" I enter the room and stop, squatting down and reach out, grabbing the train and rip off all the toy cars which represent a collection of individual tiny magnetic couplers. I back step out the room then trot down the hallway with my new gifts.

09:09 pm

Kitchen setting

I enter the kitchen and stop, standing at the eating bar, placing all my new stolen loot beside the other small pieces of magnets. "I have magnets, small and numerous. I can't weld them together either. Magnets attract only to other magnets." I reach out and slap them together, building a long chain-like magnet line with a worried brow and a whisper. "But, when I touch the barrier wall with the first magnet on my home-made long chain, the power of the something is going to break the chain into a score of numerous tiny parts." I exhale with a puff of defeat and reach out, grabbing another cookie. I eat and chew, pondering the new problem with my active neurons, swallowing the food with a nod. "I have a set of small and short magnets. However, I need a long, longer magnet about equal to a broom handle or more."

I back step from the eating bar and spin around, moving to the refrigerator. I open the door and reach inside, grabbing the milk bottle. I lift and drink directly from the bottle, not bothering with dirtying another clean tumbler glass. I have to clean my own dirty dishes. I replace the cool bottle of milk back into the refrigerator and slam the door. I pivot and move ahead back to the eating bar, sitting on top of the tall bar stool with a determined face. "What else has a magnet, a really long single magnet? Think, Ketona!" I reach out and grab another cookie, eating and chew with my heavy thoughts, swallowing the food with a sour frown. "I don't know. I'm out of ideas. Magnets are both visible and invisible. I found the visible ones, the cute door decorations. I also found some of the invisible ones inside a motor, a speaker, a latch, and other devices. What other devices house a magnet? I know. The cells have a set of magnets that are to too small for my noble purpose. Washing machines have a set of magnets too which will be built into the motor like the piece of vacuum cleaner equipment." I exhale with a puff of defeat and wipe both dirty hands onto the clean dress with the dark chocolate goo from the cookie and stand upright from the tall stool, back stepping and spin around, moving back to the refrigerator. I reach out and open the door, grabbing the milk bottle, chugging the cold milk. I drop the bottle down for my lips and burp out loud with a giggle, spinning around and toss the empty milk bottle into the recycle bind near the rear back door inside the kitchen. The empty milk carton hits the target with perfection and a loud thump.

I stand in place with a stern face and scan the kitchen. "What else houses a magnet?" I toss back a bone skull, exhaling with frustration and a set of empty thoughts. "My theory is good. I need a great big longer magnet. Then I can walk through the barrier wall," giggling.

I turn and frown at open refrigerator door, forgetting to close, spinning around and hike a kneecap into my chest, shoving a boot into the open door.

The door shuts with a soft thud as the refrigerator kinda shimmies side to side in pain.

I drop down the leg with a confused brow at the door. "I really didn't mean to hit you so hard, babe. I'm strong or stupid. Pick one, Ketona?" I move ahead toward the injured refrigerator and stop, reaching out, slowly jerking back the door handle.

The refrigerator door sticks really good.

I exhale with annoyance and swiftly jerk back the door handle. The door opens. "Dang, I forced the magnetic door seal into shock," I gasp with a smile, bouncing up and down with joy, slamming the open shut. "The magnetic door seal, a refrigerator stays closed due to a magnetic door seal along the outer edge." I jerk open the door again and squat down, examining the rubberized magnetic seal. "Yo, babe, this is it. The rubber is a single piece of long, long black magnetic strip." I reach down and whip out my girly pen knife into the air.

Every southern belle carries a girly pen knife for such emergencies, since a beau sometimes is not needed.

I press the button and open up the blade in the air. The blade gleams from the artificial overhead lights. I stare down at the magnetic door seal and lean down, slowly cutting at the top toward the bottom of the seal. The long piece of black tinted magnetic nicely falls into an open palm.

I slap the blade shut on my leg and place pen knife back into the pocket inside my sundress and stand upright with a smile of happiness, dancing around the room with the long magnetic strip and prance toward the bar stool. I reach out and hit the bar stool with a foot toward the refrigerator door.

The bar stool sails backward and slams into the half shut refrigerator door, keeping it shut with the coldness for each food item.

I twirl around in a circle and dance side to side, moving ahead toward the rear door, exiting the house with my new prize into the darkness of the warm night. I dash toward the flyer and load a body inside the dirty jumpsuit and the flyer seat for a second time this evening, placing the magnet strip inside the other pocket of the jumpsuit. I press the power button and start the set of air fans. I soar up into the air with the excitement of new scientific project, kicking up the dust balls that cover my flight back toward the same spot, the parked farm tractor inside the northeastern corner of the farm.

09:19 pm

Northwestern location

Orange tinted wall intersection of Burrville and Hamlin

Wall setting

I land the flyer and gently plop it over the soft dirt, dashing with a smile of excitement toward the middle of the solid barrier wall, sliding down into the dirt on the kneecaps of the dirty jumpsuit. My hands reach down and grab out the magnet strip, lifting and shake in the air with anticipation of the new scientific project, slapping the tip of the longer black colored magnetic seal into the orange tinted barrier wall.

The barrier wall sucks in the frontal tip and a little more and then stops the sucking.

Each end of the magnetic hang down in front of the orange colored dancing ions like magic outside the barrier wall. Then, part of wall collapses down below the hanging magnetic strip, until the ions reconstitute into another tiny solid wall before my eyeballs.

I gasp with shock. The magnetic has scattered the ions far enough that a two-fingered sized hole exists within the barrier wall. I nod with a grin. "I get it. Okay. Feed you some more magnets."

I gently tug and pull the magnet cord out from the wall, hearing a slurring sound. Then, I whip out my pen knife and slice the long five feet magnetic seal into four equal parts based on my eyes and my neurons. I gently insert one of the four pieces of magnet into the northwest corner of the barrier wall that is in front of my kneeling position. Then, I gently insert the second piece of four magnets into the southwest corner of the wall.

The wall corners tumble away from the magnet, creating an open rectangular shape as each scattered ion flees from the big bad magnet.

I clap with a gasp at a new idea of magnet performance.

I lift and place the third piece of four sliced magnet strips, cramming it into the northeastern corner of the geometric figure and halt. My heart drops as I examine the funny shaped opening.

Wonder if, the opening doesn't reconstitute back into a solid barrier wall, then there will be a hole in the barrier wall.

I gasp with shock, since I could get into major trouble. I exhale with fear, since I could get Buffo into serious trouble, being his almost wife. I sob with fright, since I could get Buffo's grandfather into extreme trouble with the Establishment which could mean something very bad. This is his farm, his tractor, and his portion of the barrier wall which is not supposed to be touched or injured, or damaged.

My hands shake with fear as I gently tug and yank back the first piece of the four sliced magnet strips. The solid line of the magnet falls neatly back down into an open palm and is freed from the barrier wall.

However, the hole is still there and exposed.

I gasp with fear, "O no, no!" I hold both hands over the opening, without touching the barrier wall or the small opening. "Please close! Please close up! Please close up, now! Okay. I need to remove the second piece of magnet, yeah."

My hands shake with fright as I gently yank and tug out the second piece of the four sliced magnets. The magnet falls neatly down into a palm and is freed from the barrier wall also.

However, the second hole is still there and exposed.

I gasp with fear. "I'm in trouble with everyone. I damaged the wall."

Then, the opening slowly rolls without sound over the emptiness of space. The charged ions rebuild the wall portion and then slams back place with a sizzle into a new solid barrier wall.

I exhale with relieve and reach up, grabbing my heart from a pretend heart attack with a stern face. "Okay. The magnet scattered the ions to the side or rolls them back away from the wall. I need to do one more experiment before bed time. I need the hole to be bigger a like life-sized walking upright person, going through the space and landing on the other side of the dirt. Yeah, babe!"

I stand upright from the dirt without being afraid of the wall or the ions or the magnet. I shove the first piece of the four sliced magnets even with a forehead into the northwestern corner of the orange tinted barrier wall. Then I drop down and shove the second piece of the four sliced magnets even with my ankles into the southwestern corner. Thus, the barrier wall nicely bends away from the two separate magnetic, creating a vertical up and down opening with a long rectangular shape.

I whisper with a smile. "I need it bigger than that." I lean over and shove a third magnet into the southeastern corner. Thus, the barrier wall nicely bends away from all three magnets, creating a perfect right ninety-degree angle.

I lift the fourth magnet and hold in the air at the northeastern corner with a whisper. "No. I'm afraid the fourth magnetic might modify the original ions. Matter is not destroyed. It changes into another form." I slide backward on both kneecaps and stare at the exposed opening on the barrier wall, seeing a perfect right angle which is big enough for one person to walk through and step onto the other side.

I yawn with a smile of a successful scientific experiment and lean over, jerking out the two magnets with a smile, replacing them back into my jumpsuit. I stand upright and yank out the upper magnet and back step with a giggle, dashing toward the grounded flyer. I load inside the flyer and flight back to my tiny farm home with a new secret and a new scientific breakthrough for bedtime, since I have farm work tomorrow, my third day of employment.
Third day of employment

Outer township of Burrville

06:11 am

Sunrise with pink and blue sky

Hot temperatures and windy

Northeastern location

Tractor setting

I fly back to the northeastern corner of the orange tinted barrier wall for my farm job of a new day, standing inside the interior cab of the old tractor, seeing through the dirty glass windows. I drop the binoculars and slam the button. The windshield wipers swish back and forth, cleaning off the dusty orange soil from the dirty glass.

Then I lift the binoculars and spy on the tight commotion that is occurring over three miles away on the opposite side of crop field. The crop field is a flat parsec of land without hills and valleys of landmass. Therefore, my awesome binoculars can see close-up a set of bright objects, including the tractor, the opposite side of the orange barrier wall, and the huddle of golden people.

I giggle with amusement. The golden people wear a set of golden clothes, gleaming within the bright sunlight inside the outer township of Burrville. I gasp with shock. The huddle of golden people is examining the opposite side of the orange tinted barrier wall. I gasp with worry, dropping open a mouth and the binoculars. I swing toward the rear barrier wall colored orange where my tractor is parked. I don't see any damage or opening with my side of the barrier wall.

I swing back to face the tight commotion, lifting up the binoculars. The golden huddle member tosses a set of arms and fingers into the sky, at the orange colored barrier wall, and then the tractor.

I giggle with delight. The other farmer is explaining to the golden people. He had tapped the barrier wall with the rear of the tractor implementation, because I did the same thing yesterday when I had parked my tractor sideways toward the plowed dirt.

I haven't started the day of farm plowing yet. The mysterious huddle of golden people had showed up, after I had finished a light catnap inside the cab of the tractor. I yawn with ugliness and wear the binoculars. I went to bed late last night, after conducting my scientific experiments, pondering my new application of an opening inside the barrier wall.

I gasp with surprise. The golden huddle includes the mayor. She is a tall and plump female with a bun of gray hair, wearing a new suit of golden leather with a pair of matching low heels.

Rincon is a short and slender teen with a tone of olive tinted skin, a head of black hair shoulder length hair, a face of black colored dusted whiskers, and a bookworm. He stands inside the huddle in a golden leather vest and a long sleeved white shirt.

My heart sinks with sadness and gladness. After the Cuddy Hole, Rincon was very gentlemanly about losing Ketona to Buffo.

Nephella is a tall and slender teen with a tone of pale tinted skin, a head of long black colored hair with a set of body piercings on each ear, a nose hole, and each eyebrow. She continues to wear the golden colored cat suit from the Cubby Hole, a symbol of her continuous defiance.

Marsilla is a petite and skinny teen with a pixie brown colored hair, a tone of mint tinted skin, and very smart, wearing a golden jumper dress and a pair of low sandals, tapping each verbal note into her cellie as usual. She is the tattle-tail of the new intern group.

Duchie is a petite and slender teen with a bun of red colored hair, a tone of pink tinted skin with a set of brown freckles. She looks cute in a pair of golden tinted leather thigh boots and a matching short skirt. Her hair is pinned into a tight bun behind the skull from losing it during the blue color park place with a knife whack.

I grin through the binoculars at my old friends who live within my birth city of Colfax. I wish that I could somehow signal them to see me but not in the presence of the nasty mayor of Colfax. I get a bad vibe that she doesn't like me. I gasp with shock. I wonder why they are here. Then I realize that it is the dent on the barrier wall.

Matter is not destroyed. It only changes format.

I grin through the binoculars at the huddle of people. The mayor and her golden children might be visiting with Buffo's grandfather. I too had bounced the tractor till against the barrier wall. I giggle with delight. I will get to see Rincon, Duchie, and Nephella again.

06:10 am

Northeastern location

Orange tinted wall intersection of Burrville and Colfax

Farmer Brown and his tractor setting

The mayor stands in front of the farmer with a sour frown, fanning a face from the orange dust.

The farmer stands in front of the dead tractor and wears an orange colored cowboy hat over his skull, an orange scarf around the throat and the mouth, and an orange jumpsuit over the entire body. His orange gloves cover both hands. The man is dressed in orange. The orange dust floats and drifts around the nostrils and lips of the visitors, who wear the golden clothing.

The mayor continues to fan a face with her hand with a sour frown, distracting the flowing orange dust particles that come from the various plowing farm tractors around the other farmlands. She stands next to Nephella, Marsilla, Rincon, and Duchie. The mayor frowns. "What has happened here, farmer?"

The farmer mumbles behind the orange tinted scarf. "Don't know."

The mayor exhales with a puff of annoyance and fans the dirt from her sweaty face. "We have detected a dent in the barrier wall that is connected to the city of Colfax. So what has happened here, farmer?"

The farmer mumbles behind the scarf. "Don't know."

The mayor coughs and expels the drifting orange dust with a sour frown. "Please, remove your scarf. I cannot hear your set of spoken words, farmer."

Rincon fans a sweaty face and distracts the orange particles from his smile. "He said, don't know."

The farmer mumbles behind the scarf again. "Remove it. Then I cough from the dirt."

The mayor exhales with annoyance.

Marsilla shifts away from the line of Colfaxians and scoots around toward the plow of the tractor, stopping and stands in front of the barrier wall of yellow, pointing at the exact spot of the black circle. The black circle is beamed inside her necklace cell, coming from the map room inside map building of Colfax, "Right here! I am standing in exactly the spot where the dent has occurred in the barrier wall. Why is there a dent right here, Mr. Farmer?"

"What dent?" Rincon leans over with a smile and fist bumps with Duchie.

The farmer mumbles behind his scarf, staring at the mayor. "Don't know."

Rincon leans over with a grin and fist bumps with Nephella, "The tractor?"

The farmer mumbles behind the scarf. "The tractor is here."

Rincon leans forward and extends a hand with a smile to the farmer. "Good morning, sir. I am Rincon. This is the mayor of Colfax, her daughter Nephella, my co-workers Marsilla, and Duchie. And you are?"

He shakes and releases the hand of Rincon without removing the scarf, "Farmer Brown."

Rincon drops the arm with a nod and a smile. "Well, it is nice to meet you, Farmer Brown. Do you always park your tractor right here?"

"Right here," the farmer mumbles behind the scarf.

Rincon smiles with a nod. "So you putt-putt your tractor back and forth along the soil then park it right here."

"Right here," the farmer mumbles behind the scarf.

Rincon back steps with a nod and a smile, "I believe that the mystery has been solved right here."

Marsilla jabs a finger at the barrier wall, staring down into her cellie with a sour frown. "There is a dent right here."

Nephella turns and frowns at the barrier wall. "Mother, the tractor bumped the wall. The wall got hurt and then echoed for help. The helpers arrived to find no dent but dum..."

"Thank you, daughter for your detailed and amusing explanation. I am impressed," the mayor fans a face with a sour frown at the farmer. "We shall leave."

"We should verify and confirm the indentation story with another local farm homestead around the dirt, Ms. Mayor." Marsilla scoots away around the barrier wall and the tractor and stand with a nod and a smile beside the nose profile of the mayor.

Rincon leans over with a smile and elbow punches on Duchie. "I concur with the marvelous idea of Marsilla. We could go to maybe the closest one which right around here too."

The mayor exhales with a puff of annoyance and shakes her curls, fanning a sweaty face with one hand. "No. We shall leave. My nose cannot take any more dust."

Nephella turns and smiles at Marsilla. "Yes, that's an excellent idea, coming from intern Marsilla. Let's get back into the travel car and talk with one more farmer about their farm tractor, Mother." She back steps and swings around with a grin, moving toward the travel car of golden tinted metal. The doors are shut tight without accumulating any drifting particles of orange dirt inside the interior of the cabin.

The mayor and the rest of the work-interns nod to the speaking farmer in silence, spinning around and move back toward the travel car, following behind the back spine of Nephella.

The metal me-chee driver activates the button. Two doors open and reveal the interior of travel car. The party slides inside the cool air. The doors close shut.

Then the travel car lifts up from the soil and sails through the air waves.

06:32 am

Northeastern location

Ketona and her tractor setting

A second flyer lands in front of the tractor engine. I turn and smile at the visitor. Buffo doesn't move out from the flyer. I lean over and crack open the door, feeling the heat and the set of drifting orange dust particles though the air, covering a face with the scarf, scooting out from the interior of the cab and move ahead, standing in front of him.

Buffo continues to hover in the air and yells through the orange tinted scarf that covers a sweaty face. "We need to leave here and hide."

I frown inside the scarf. "Hide?"

"Get into your flyer and follow me back home to your farm house. We have to hide now." The flyer of Buffo lifts up from the dirt and hovers in place inside the air waves.

I exhale with a puff of frustration and turn, trotting toward my flyer, lifting it upright from the ground and load a body into the upright seat with confusion. I press the button and lift up from the dirt, hovering within the air waves, following behind flyer of Buffo.

06:39 am

Tiny farm house of Ketona

Garage setting

Hot temperatures with sun and windy

I land the flyer down in front of the garage and slide off the flyer, gently placing it over the manicured grass.

The grandfather of Buffo dashes out from the rear patio of the family house, wearing the scarf with a yell, not mumbling and stops, standing in front of the two teens. "We're getting visitors from the mayor's office."

I stand in place and giggle behind the scarf with a smile, bouncing up and down on my boot toes with excitement of the new visitors from the mayor's office.

His grandfather mumbles behind the scarf. "I want you to hide inside the house until the mayor and her party leaves..."

"What for?" I sneer behind the scarf. "We wear the orange farming disguise," I shake the scarf as dirt flies into the air. "If you're concerned about me being seen or heard or talked about then don't. I'm a big girl. I wanna meet the mayor and her party."

Buffo mumbles behind the scarf and wears the cowboy hat. "She's right. I don't know why the mayor is coming here to your farm to visit. But we didn't do anything wrong, Grandfather."

The grandmother of Buffo dashes out the rear door of the main family farm house without a scarf, waving both hands with panic and a yell. She stops and stands beside her husband, staring at the two teens with a worried brow. "The mayor and her party are entering the through the gates. What are we going to do with the girls and the others?" She stares at Ketona.

I reach over and grab the gloved hand of Buffo with a smile, swinging his arm back and forth with a pleasant timber. "We are going to meet them on the front porch like a gang of social folks. They are visiting here for some reason. So, we need to find out the reason. Then they will leave. That's all. That's it. Everyone, settle down. You are acting like this is the first time that the mayor has visited here."

His grandfather mumbles behind the scarf. "It is."

"What?" O well." I turn and drag Buffo around the corner of the house, since I'm covered in orange dust too for a great disguise from the mayor and the new interns. Plus, I don't want to mess up the interior of the main house with my dirty clothing.

06:41 am

Main farm house location

Front porch setting

I move ahead and climb the short concrete steps, spinning around and stand on top of the front porch with Buffo beside me. Each adult within the biological family comes out the front door and stops, standing within a semi-crooked line on top of the front porch next to Buffo.

The mayor and her party enter through a set of old ancient wooden gates in style, riding inside a travel car. The car is made of solid silver tinted nickel metal without a viewing window. The shiny car roughly rolls above the dirt with a set of powerful engines that stir up more orange dust particles and plumes of black smoke from the rear pipe exhaust within the air waves.

I giggle at the usually sight. The travel car halts within the air and slowly lands flat onto the orange dirt. Then the two doors jerk out and flip upright on one side. The mayor exits from the interior of the travel car first and fans a dirty face with her hand, moving ahead to the front porch of farmers.

Marsilla stumbles out from the hatchway next and dashes ahead with a stern face, pulling up beside the mayor, scanning the land, the house, and the line of farmers too. Nephella exits out from the car, standing upright from the cabin with a smile, looking up to see the sun, the land, the house, and the line of farmers, slowly moving ahead toward the front porch.

Rincon and Duchie swiftly exit and dash from the travel car with smile and race toward the front porch.

On the ground, Marsilla stops and stands beside the mayor with Nephella on the other side of her mother. Rincon and Duchie stop and stand next to Nephella with smiles, staring at the line of farmers.

On top of the front porch, I smile behind the scarf with excitement at seeing my old friends from the Cubby Hole.

The mayor stands inside the sunshine below a shaded front porch, daring not to enter the farm homestead with a sour frown, staring at Buffo's grandfather. "I am the mayor of Colfax. I want to know why you dented," she exhales with a puff of annoyance and fans a dirty face, staring at the grandmother of Buffo. "Rincon, please address the proper questions toward the farmers for me. Thank you."

Rincon and Duchie advance closer to the front porch and the line of farmers. He smiles with a nod. "Good morning. I am Rincon. I am so happy to be here at your farm homestead. We were wondering if you parked your tractor along the barrier wall. And if so, do you sometimes accidentally whack the barrier wall? And if you do happen to whack at the barrier wall, do you perform this action often?"

The grandfather of Buffo mumbles behind the orange tinted scarf. "What?"

I giggle behind the scarf and stare at Rincon and Duchie, clearing a dry throat very loudly, drawing all the eyeballs toward my stance. "Matter is not destroyed; it is modified into a different format. If one of the tractor plows accidentally whacks the barrier wall, then the barrier wall is fine and dandy, ya'll. No hurt. No harm. No alarm. Thank you kindly for inquiring, intern Rincon." I nod and wiggle both hips which cause all the orange dust particles to flutter and float into the air, dropping back down onto the front porch.

Rincon turns and smiles at Ketona, "Very well spoken, Ms. Farmer! I don't see your female face, but I recognize a female soprano."

The mayor frowns with annoyance at the line of farmers. "Thank you. We shall leave."

Duchie dances side to side with a smile. "Ms. Mayor, the new interns should stay maybe the morning until lunchtime and learn more about the farm stuff, since we are now responsible for the so much more of something and something."

The mayor fans a face with a sour frown. "I..."

"I agree with intern Duchie, Mother. We should learn more about the farm stuff and farming stuff as a new intern of all." Nephella stands beside her mother with a smile and a nod at the row of farmers.

The mayor leans over and wraps a free arm around her child with a nod and a smile. "Good idea, daughter. Alright, the interns can stay through lunchtime and then return back into the map room for another assignment, later today." She releases Nephella and back steps from the row, swinging around with a sour frown, fanning a face, entering the travel car. The travel car closes up and lifts up from the ground, slowly spinning around within the air wave, roughly rolling above miles of plowed field. Then it halts in front of the yellow tinted barrier wall, slowly sucking into the electromagnet ions, finally disappearing completely through the wall into the other side.

Rincon slaps a chest with a smile at Ketona, "Hi, again. We're ready to learn about farming and the farm. Who would like to teach us?"

I march down the short steps and stop, standing and extend both arms for a warm embrace with my former friend. Rincon gasps with shock and back steps from the overfriendly farmer girl. Rincon doesn't recognize Ketona. I drop both arms and point toward the corner of the house with a smile inside the scarf. "I can show you the farm and the farm life. We can start with the interior of my farm house. How's that, intern Rincon?" I turn to the side and lead the line of new interns with a smile around the house corner and toward my tiny farm house. "Please, follow me, coming this way."

06:55 am

Tiny farm house of Ketona

Kitchen setting

I lead the line of interns through the manicured grass and move through the rear door of my house, entering the kitchen with the tile floor. The floor is easier to clean up the piles of dancing orange dirt.

Rincon, Duchie, Nephella and Marsilla follow behind the back spine of the orange colored jumpsuit of the female farmer who is really is Ketona. Each intern enters through the archway and stands in front of the rear wall with a stern face.

Marsilla enters last and stands in front of the closed door with a sour frown. "Is this a farm house, a farm kitchen?"

I move ahead and stop, standing behind the bar counter, ripping the hat, the scarf, and the dirty jumpsuit with smile, "A farm girl."

Marsilla gasps in surprise, standing at the rear door.

Rincon dashes ahead with a smile and slams into a hug with Ketona, "Hi, love," Ketona giggles with excitement. Duchie runs ahead and hugs into the Ketona and Rincon with a giggle

Nephella moves ahead and hugs the growing lump of bodies with a mumble over the hair roots of Duchie. "Buffo, do not..."

"Yeah, why not?" Buffo rips off the jumpsuit and drops down the hat and the scarf, running ahead, slamming his tallness into the stack of upright bodies. The pile of lump bodies sounds with a set of chuckles and slightly shifts to the left. Then the bodies compensate and slightly shift to the right.

Duchie yells with a giggle. "Move off, Buffo!" The pile of lumped bodies continues to stand within a tight huddle with soft giggles.

Rincon yells. Get off, Buffo!" The pile of lump bodies continues to stand within a tight huddle with loud chuckles.

Nephella shifts both arms and legs away from the lump. The pile of bodies breaks apart and separates into single individuals that move and stand around the bar counter. She smiles with a chuckle, "The love fest has ended. Okay. How are the love birds doing? Is this your house? Ugh. Not nice. Not beautiful. Not you, Ketona darling..."

Marsilla continues to stand in front of the closed rear door inside the kitchen with a sour frown. "I have seen enough. Let us, interns go back into the map room inside the city of Colfax for our next assignment, coming from Ms. Mayor."

Nephella spins around and moves toward the side wall, stopping and stands, opening the window pane. She lights the cigar and holds it against the window glass, burning off the legs of the butterfly. The butterfly flies away from her. She reaches out and dumps the burnt cigar ashes out the window, not bothering the sinuses of her friends.

Rincon, Duchie, Buffo, and I sit around the bar with nods and smiles at each other.

I frown with confusion. "How did your travel car penetrate the barrier wall?"

Marsilla continues to stand with a sour frown and a yell of annoyance in front of the rear door. "By a resonant phase jump into an enhanced e-field which is caused by a surface phonon polar..."

"O. You inserted a long metal wire through the e-field and then rotated it sideways, opening up a great big hole." I giggle with the other interns.

"When's the wedding, kids? I wanna be a bridesmaid." Duchie winks with a giggle at Ketona.

"During the holidays, I promise you can be my maid of honor. How's that?" I reach over and slap Duchie on the bicep.

"Who wants a cold drink?" Buffo turns and moves toward the refrigerator with a smile.

I smile. "How is your medical technician training coming, Rincon? Are you healing all the sick patients, yet?"

Rincon exhales. "Not yet."

Buffo frowns with confusion at the bar stool in front of the refrigerator door and reaches out, shifting it toward the side wall. The door opens and hits the side wall with a loud bang. He leans down into the shelf and searches for a set of cold beverages, grabbing four drinks and stands upright, scooting back to the bar counter, passing out cans to the other teens.

Duchie frowns with annoyance. "We are not training in our new jobs. We are..."

Buffo swings around to face the refrigerator and grabs another drink, raising it toward the sour frown of Marsilla. "Do you want one, Marsilla?"

Marsilla continues to stand with a sour frown in front of the rear door, staring at the rear skull of Nephella. "We are not learning about the farms or farming, so we should leave from here and return to the mayor's office..."

"Aren't you going to be a medical technician?" I accept and hug the cold beverage between my hands with confusion at Rincon.

Rincon nods with a smile. "I might just slide over to become a me-chee designer, making an empty slot for an available medical technician..."

I gasp. "Why would you do that?"

Buffo shrugs at Marsilla and reaches over, replacing the cold beverage, slamming the door shut. The door hits the metal frame and ricochets back into the side wall. Then the door hits the side wall and advances back toward the refrigerator. He reaches out and catches the flying door with a puzzled brow. "What's wrong with the door?"

Duchie exhales. "The mayor has changed our training schedule for our jobs. She is...."

"...updating us on the economics of Colfax. That's all, interns!" Nephella exhales with a puff of worry and burns the eight legs of spider that relaxes inside the window frame. The spider crawls away from her. She dumps the cigar ashes out the open window with a stern face. "Then we will start our new dream jobs."

Buffo closes and opens the refrigerator door with a puzzled brow. "It doesn't close. What's wrong with the refrigerator door?"

I smile at Rincon and his new information. "It's an old refrigerator, so the door broke, Buffo."

Buffo closes and opens the door with a confused brow. "It's a new refrigerator. Why's the door, not holding," he closes the door and releases the handle. The door opens and sails toward the side wall again. He catches it and stares at the interior of the door.

I smile with a wink at Rincon. "The mayor has changed the training schedule. Why did she do that?"

Rincon winks with a smile at Ketona. "The mayor said that there are five dream jobs and only four teens to fill them."

I gasp with a smirk. "There's a fifth job left. Who will occupy the fifth dream job?"

Rincon nods with a smile. "I believe that the mayor is required to fill all five dream job positions. However, she only has four teens. Ever thou, five teens presented into the gold color tone. It sounds to me like the mayor needs to fill the missing position or something else might get her fired from her posh job as mayor of Colfax." Duchie smiles with a nod.

I gasp with shock.

Marsilla continues to stand with a sour frown and a yell. "It is time for all the interns to leave the farm now. I have called the driver of the travel car. It will be here in a few minutes, since the time is close to lunch."

Buffo kneels and examines the door with a puzzled brow. "The seal is missing on the interior of the door."

I smile at Duchie and Rincon. "It's an old refrigerator door. I just told you that, Buffo. It's broken. Come and sit down, please. So what are you doing now in your dream job, Rincon and Duckie?"

Duchie frowns. "We are wasting our time investigating the numerous and useless rounded black pings, surrounding the barrier wall. Since, it was intern Marsilla's new dream."

I laugh with a smile. "You can't break through a barrier wall. Those pings are vibrating echoes from a hit or a whack or a punch from an object."

Nephella reaches out and burns another set of legs on the housefly. The housefly sails away from her. She frowns. "We all know that. This is a simple exercise. That's all, interns"

Marsilla continues to stand with a sour frown and a yell. "It is almost time for all the interns to leave the farm, now. The me-chee driver of the travel car is coming back. We need to leave from here and wait in front of the homestead like before. It will be here in a few minutes, since the time is close to lunch."

Duchie grins. "Maybe, there could be a more serious explanation, too. We are tasked to determine that explanation, if one truly does exist."

Rincon leans over into the huddle of Duchie and Ketona, whispering with a smile. "If somebody were to figure out the causations of the echoing pings along the barrier wall, then maybe that somebody might be labeled as a new brilliant intern. Then maybe, that somebody might be asked to fill the vacant position among the five dream jobs. Brilliance cannot be substituted."

I gasp with a smile and a nod. "Brilliance cannot be substituted. I like. And how would somebody communicate this brilliant solution to the mayor? She lives inside the posh city of Colfax, since that somebody doesn't reside there either."

Rincon whispers with a smile. "We are visiting every outer township, investigating the silly echoing whacks on each barrier wall. I would suggest that maybe if that somebody does actually figure out the answer to the whacks on the barrier wall, then that somebody leaves an obvious funny message for the silly mayor. Something like I was here."

I nod with a giggle. "Yeah, that's a great concept. However, when will that somebody know your next visitation within the outer township?"

Rincon smiles with a whisper. "We go into Dookie Town, tomorrow. However, I don't know the rest of the touring outer township schedule. So, that somebody needs to leave a set of numerous funny messages along each barrier wall, in case of identification," he stands upright with a nod in silence to Ketona.

Duchie stands upright and reaches up, touching the hair bun with a smile and a whisper. "I got this new hair bob. I couldn't bring you a present, Ketona. The mayor had visually inspected each of one us this morning. Then, the me-chee driver electronically inspected each one of us getting into the travel car again. So I wanna give you my new hair bob, since it's on my person. Put your hair into a bun, I'll wrap it around your hair, Ketona." Ketona stands upright at the bar counter and reaches back, wrapping both dirty hands around the messy hair, creating a loose bun and holds it up against gravity. Duchie back steps and scoots around the bar encounter, standing behind Ketona, reaching out and ties a long golden chain around the messy hair bun of Ketona with a smile and a giggle, "You look marvelous, darling." She reaches down and slaps the sundress with a smile in silence.

Marsilla swings around with a sour frown to face the closed door inside the kitchen, reaching out and opens the door, letting inside the heat and the sunshine. She moves through the open archway with a sour tone. "The travel car is here. Let's go!" She leaves the door open and disappears around the house corner toward the travel car with a sneer.

Buffo stands upright with a puzzled brow at the open refrigerator door. "It is broken. I guess. Well, I'll get some tools and fix it later. I don't understand. It is a new refrigerator. I can't explain the missing seal either." He closes the door and slides the bar stool in front of it with a puzzled brow.

Nephella reaches over into the window pane and burns the legs of the wasp. The wasp flies away her. She tosses the burning cigar out the window and then closes the window, standing upright with a smile, swinging around and moves toward the bar counter with her friends Ketona, Duchie, and Rincon. She stops and stands, leaning over and hugs Ketona with a smile and a whisper. "See you at the wedding. Okay. Bye girl!" She stands upright and swings around with a stern face, moving toward the back spine of Buffo with a smile.

Buffo swings around and hugs Nephella, pulling back with a smile and nod. "Bye, Nephella!"

"Bye, Buffo!" She turns and moves through the open archway to follow behind Marsilla and annoy the new intern for more fun.

I giggle with a grin at her back spine. "See you really soon, too. Bye, Nephella!"

Rincon back steps from the bar counter and approaches, leaning down and hugs Ketona with a smile and a whisper into her cheekbone. "I will be watching and waiting, Ketona."

I hug him with a giggle and a whisper. "I will be watching and waiting for you, too, Rincon." He stands upright with a wink and swings around, moving ahead to Buffo, stops and shakes his hand with a nod. "Good to you, too, Buffo."

"You, too, Rincon. Good luck with your new intern job in Colfax." Buffo shakes and releases the hand with a nod and a smile.

"Thanks, Buffo." Rincon turns and dashes out the door to annoy Marsilla inside the travel car for fun.

Duchie hugs Ketona and pulls back with a smile. "Good luck, Ketona!"

I giggle with a nod. "I don't need luck. I got my brains."

Duchie reaches out and punches Ketona on the bicep with a nod in silence, spinning around and dashes to Buffo. He hugs and pulls back with a smile. "Good luck, Duchie!"

"You, too, Buffo," Duchie back steps with a smile and turns, dashing out the open archway, catching up with the other interns.

Buffo re-dresses in the hat, the scarf, and the jumpsuit with Ketona inside the kitchen. They move out the open archway and follow behind the back spines of the interns.

The travel car had arrived and was parked on top of the orange dirt. Each intern had moved inside and out from the dust with the two doors closed shut

Buffo and I stop and stand near the house corner. I reach up and fiddle with the new hair bob from Duchie underneath the cowgirl hat. The hair bob is catching and pulling at my hair strands, making lots of pain on a bone skull. The travel car lifts up from the dirt and faces the barrier wall, slowly rolling above the plowed fields and halts in front of the yellow barrier wall. I release the hair bob from my twisted hair strands and drop it down in front of my face. My hair bob glitters in bright lights inside my hands. I gasp with shock. The hair bob is really my old necklace cellie from my old house. I drop and close a mouth. The distance electromagnetic waves swallow up the travel car of silver tinted nickel, allowing it to roll smoothly through the electromagnetic field without harming the humans inside.

07:02 pm

Main farm house

Dining room location

Suppertime setting

I sit with the blood-kin family members of Buffo during suppertime at the dining room table and kick a foot into the leg of Buffo, standing upright from the chair, holding a dirty plate with uneaten food. "Please, excuse me." I cough with a fake sound. "I'm not feeling well at the moment. I'm going to retire for the evening..."

"My cooking making you sick, girl," the grandmother of Buffo chews her food without staring at Ketona.

"No ma'am." I cough with a fake sound. "I am just tired from working sunup to sundown. I need some extra sleep and rest. That's all." I back step from the chair and swing around, moving ahead into the kitchen, emptying the food into the barrel for the dogs.

Buffo stands upright from the chair and holds a dirty plate which is cleaned of all the food items with a worried brow. "I'm gonna check on Ketona and see if she needs anything like some water or a blanket. The supper meal was great, Grandmother. Thank you!" He back steps from the table and swings around, moving ahead toward the kitchen.

Buffo and I wash the two dirty dishes, placing them the clean towel on the counter like a good pair of farmers. Then they exit the house and cuddle into each other arms with a smile.

07:12 pm

Tiny farm house of Ketona

Garage setting

I slightly lead and move into the open garage, stopping and stand in front of the work stations, reaching out for the farm work clothes.

Buffo stops and stands beside Ketona, releasing her arm with a puzzled brow. "What are you doing? I thought you were sick or something."

I lean down and stand upright, dressing in the dusty hat, scarf, both gloves, and the jumpsuit from this afternoon's farm work, reaching out and grab, dragging one of the abused two-seater flyers out from the garage over the dirt with a soft timber. "I get a plan to get Hatch and Jara out of Dookie Town. Get dressed and grab one of the two-seater fliers too. We need the transport, since we're rescuing them..."

He drops open and closes a mouth with a whisper, "That, that's impossible, Ketona!" He reaches out and grabs with one hand the farm gear and the other hand on a two-seater flyer, dragging the flyer out the garage, following behind the back spine of Ketona. He stops and dresses in the farm gear before reaching the rolling dust balls, looking up with a worried brow to see the cloudy sky of orange that lingers from the orange dust. "Where are we going? How are you getting them out of Dookie Town? Gimme some more information, honey!"

I drag the two-seater flyer toward the rear of the garage out of eyeball sight and continue to move away from the garage, my tiny farm house, and the main farm house into the rolling orange dust balls. I cough from the thick particles of dust and stop, standing inside the orange dust with an occasional cough, loading the two-seater flyer onto a back spine with a grunt. "We're going to fly toward the southwestern corner of the orange barrier wall. Then we're going to walk through the wall into Dookie Town," coughing from the orange dust.

Buffo swiftly moves ahead and stops, standing beside Ketona, loading the two-seater flyer onto a back spine with a confused brow, "That...that's impossible, Ketona!"

I press the power button with a smile in silence. The air fans power on. It blows and scatters more orange dust everywhere. This is part of my disguise, flying within the drifting orange soil, sailing away from the main farm house without getting into trouble for the nightly rescue.

All the farmers are readying for bedtime of a new day, anyways. No one will bother to examine the rolling waves of orange soil, drifting across the open fields with a set of two fliers that make more dust. Anyways, all the dust settles down later in the evening at midnight. However, I plan to be back home, before midnight.

My two-seater flyer slowly lifts up from the dirt as I watch Buffo. He slowly lifts up from the dirt and hovers at the same level with Ketona. I slowly spin around and fly in the lead toward the southwestern corner of the orange barrier wall.

07:30 pm

Southwestern location

Orange colored wall intersection point of Burrville and Dandine

Hot temperatures and windy

Orange dust and bright stars of nighttime

I halt within the air waves and slowly land the flyer next to the parked tractor that belongs to another family member of Buffo.

Buffo slowly lands his flyer next to Ketona.

I un-load and gently place the two-seater flier onto the dirt with a smile and spin around, dashing directly behind the tractor. All the farmers stow a tractor perpendicular to the crop field for ease of starting the plowing maneuver, the next morning.

I scoot around the plow implementation and kneel into the dirt, whipping out the four sliced magnets with a giggle and a grin of my new plan.

Buffo removes the flier with a confused brow and gently places onto the dirt while whiling her weird behavior, tossing the hat and the scarf onto the seat of the flier and shakes a skull of dirt from a sweaty face. He slowly moves away from the flyer and around the tractor, stopping and stands behind her back spine with a sour frown. "What are you doing, Ketona?"

I reach up and wipe the orange dust from the barrier wall, seeing the orange color with a confused brow. "I can't see inside Dookie Town."

Buffo exhales with a sour frown. "That's correct."

I shake my curls with a confused brow. "I saw through the barrier wall into one of the park places during the Cubby Hole. I saw you inside the orange colored park place."

He chuckles with nod. "The Cubby Hole is a pretend fun-time for a graduating schooler. The electromagnetic walls are only temporary for a temporary purpose."

I frown. "O. That makes perfect sense. So, I can't see the other side of this barrier wall for any reason. Is this the Dookie Town location? Do you agree with me?"

He looks with a stern face to see the sky, the field, and the tractor and turns, moving toward the extreme southeastern point on the barrier wall and stops, extending an arm and hits the ball of orange dust. "I am not touching but standing in front of the intersection points of two barrier walls at an angle. This is the Dookie Town barrier wall inside Burrville with my right hand. My left hand is not touching but pointing at the second golden colored barrier wall that runs along Colfax. You are right. This is the correct location of Dookie Town."

"Excellent," I stand upright and turn, skipping over the plowed field and stop, standing in front of Buffo. I kneel down into the dirt and reach down, sliding the tip of the first piece of three sliced magnets into the lower corner of the wall, the southwestern portion. "I stole the magnetic seal from the interior frame of the new refrigerator. That's why it wouldn't close shut. An e-field is a group of charged ions. A magnet will scatter the ions in different directions without harming either the ions or the electromagnetic field." Then, the barrier wall rips open with a small hole, the size of two-fingers. I slide over the dirt and stop, leaning down, slipping the tip of the second piece of three sliced-up magnets into the lower corner of the wall, the southeastern portion.

He drops open a mouth at the object. "I see a hole."

I stand upright and slide back over to the northwestern side and kneel into the dirt, slipping the tip of the third piece of magnet into the upper corner, northwestern portion of the barrier wall. "I am creating a sloped opening within the e-field. The ions are not hurt or harmed. The electromagnetic ions slide away from the magnet, creating an open hole. Now, I slide a piece of the ripped refrigerator magnet into the northeastern portion of the wall. Ta-da! We got a perfect right angle." I back step and admire the new hole within the barrier wall with a smile and stand beside Buffo with a giggle.

He leans over and hugs Ketona with a smile and a nod. "Wow, you did it. You put a hole into the barrier wall."

"The magnets are doing it."

"How long will the opening last?"

"Forever, I guess. But we don't have forever. We need to quickly locate Hatch and Jara and then rescue them, more quickly."

He frowns. "Rescue them? They aren't in danger in there."

I frown with a nod. "They're trapped in there. You were so sad that Hatch and Jara got trapped inside Dookie Town. So we rescue them from here. They can stay with us...me inside my tiny and ugly house and then they can become farmers too. They're plenty of land to farm and plenty of tractors to steer. Do you like my plan?"

"Yeah, I do. But my grandparents are going to ask a lot of nosy questions."

"Naw, we hide them for awhile. Then, you can construct a little white lie, saying the teens were trouble on another farm, so they came to live with me..."

"I don't know."

"I do know. Okay, you need to wear your hat, the gloves, and the scarf before going through the barrier wall along with the jumpsuit, because the objects are also made up of electrons like the e-field, which was like the golden cat suit inside the Cubby Hole. And you cannot walk through the opening inside the barrier wall either. No part of your naked biological body can touch the exposed edges of the barrier wall corners. So, you jump through the wall."

He back steps with a gasp of fright away from Ketona and hole, "Jump?"

I back step and reach out, grabbing and drag his arm back to the open hole with a smile. "The hole is big enough for two people to jump through. But we jump one at a time through the opening for safety. I would suggest get a running start from a ten-degree angle. That's less danger from whacking your elbow into one of the exposed corners. Lift both legs into your chest and then fall sideways through the opening. Then, you roll over the soft ground. Ta-da! We are inside Dookie Town."

He frowns with confusion at the open hole inside the barrier wall. "I don't know. Why can't we touch the barrier wall?"

"It's charged with electrons. Our biological body is both balanced exactly right with a set of charged electrons and protons. If your finger touches the wall, then your electrons will turn into electricity. You will fry and sizzle like a potato chip. Zap!"

"Don't know about this, Ketona!"

I back step from the open hole, giving my body more room with a smile. "I do. Back away from the opening, getting a good leap. So, watch me! And you gotta wear your hat and your scarf and your gloves. And the scarf needs to cover your eyeballs too."

He stares at the open hole with a puzzled brow. "Why do I cover my eyes?"

"The material of our clothing is added protection of radiation leaks, coming from the barrier wall. This is the reason our clothes are always the color of orange. The radiation droplets are absorbed into our farm clothing and it turns them into the orange color."

He exhales with worry, "Radiation comes from the barrier walls. How much radiation is coming from the barrier wall?"

"Tiny, too small to measure. Okay," I exhale with excitement and fear. "I am ready."

He lifts both arms into the air with a gasp. "Wait, Ketona! Don't jump yet. I need to go and get all my farm gear." Buffo swings around and dashes back to his two-seater flyer, leaning down and grabs the gear, spinning around and dashes to Ketona with worry. He dresses in the farm gear on the run and stops, standing beside Ketona with a worried brow. "Wait! I like your plan, so far. However, when we fall and then roll inside, our clothing's going to be colored in orange. Someone will notice us."

I smile. "No. Our clothes will absorb the new radiation droplets and then turn yellow like inside the different park places within the Cubby Hole. We will fit right into the landscape of Dookie Town without suspicion."

"How long will it take to find Hatch and Jara? We could be inside Dookie Town all night."

I exhale with worry. "I know that. However, we use logic. Hatch and Jara like me do not have any family members in there. Therefore, they would be living inside one of the smaller or the smallest house units like me. So we think like me. So we find the smallest house and then spy first and then knock second on the front door. Then we rescue them and leave from Dookie Town. Easy. Okay. I'm running inside first. Then you run behind me."

"Why about the opening inside the barrier wall? Someone will see it."

I exhale. "Yeah, I know. The magnetic seal is a single piece of rubber. It sticks out on the other side inside the yellow tinted barrier wall of Dandine also. I'll remove the three magnets, after we land inside Dandine to ensure no one finds my nifty invention," giggling.

He looks down with a worried brow at the dirt and the nose profile of Ketona. "It's going to smell pookie dookie, in there."

I nod with a stern face at the open hole. "Yeah, I know that, too. But I can't do anything about that. Just hold your nose. Since, holding your breath, you'll die." I wrap the scarf around my face with a very small opening for each eyeball and slowly jog toward the open hole within the barrier wall. I leap into the air and hold both kneecaps into my chest, closing my eyelashes, sailing through the air inside the barrier wall. I feel the cooler air temperature on the other side inside the township of Dandine. My body twirls sideways landing on my right side, hitting a shoulder, a kneecap, and a boot. My cowgirl hat falls off from my curls. I roll sideways and halt onto the soft green, falling on my face. I exhale with relief and scramble upright, getting away from Buffo's tallness. I bend down at my waist, running away from the open hole within the barrier wall toward the grass and halt, spinning around to see Buffo.

Buffo leaps through the barrier wall and rolls side to side, landing on top of the grass on his face too with a grunt of pain.

07:38 pm

Outer township of Dandine

Yellow tinted barrier wall setting

Cold temperatures with bright yellowish moonlight and stars

I cover my mouth with soft giggles and dash ahead, diving down, sliding directly into his rib cage with a smile. He grunts in soft pain. I lean down into his face with a whisper. "Get up. Hurry. Act like a dookie worker." I reach down and help him to stand upright, swinging around and lean into his chest with a stern face, moving ahead toward the walking pathway. I dash ahead and reach down, grabbing my cowgirl hat, storing it inside my farm jumpsuit. I need the hat for a second time for the journey back through the barrier wall. I halt in place, turning and survey the landscape with a gasp. "This place is so beauty."

Buffo swings around and dashes back toward the open hole within the barrier wall, stopping and reaches up to the first sliced off magnet. He feels the sizzling ions that are scattered around and bombarding each other. He wiggles his finger and pulls out the first magnet which is followed by the other two magnets, coming out from the barrier wall. Then, the barrier wall collapses and closes into a solid form. He whispers with nervousness at the solid barrier wall of yellow tint. "We're trapped inside Dandine." He reaches down and stores the three pieces of sliced off magnets down inside his jumpsuit of many pockets. He exhales with nervousness and excitement of the rescue, reaching down and touches his jumpsuit that glows in yellow with a smile. "It worked." He swings around and dashes ahead, standing behind the back spine of Ketona with a smile and a soft timber. "It worked, nicely."

I stand and survey the landscape, without moving or shouting with a whisper and a smile. "Look how pretty this place is? There isn't any bad odor either."

He cups both hands over the eyelids, looking on to the left in the far distance. "I see miles and miles of white tinted gravel, a grove of tall green leafed trees, rows of pretty flower beds of colorful flora, and the set of large rounded gray colored objects. I guess those are the cesspools of dookie. We got lucky, darling. This parsec contains rows of houses too."

"Why doesn't it smell in here?" I sniff the air with a soft sound. "I smell pine from the trees and sweet vanilla from the flowers."

He reaches down and grabs her arm, leading them to the left toward the white gravel pathway with a whisper and a worried brow. "Don't know. Let's find Hatch and get outta here."

I look back over a collar bone, thumbing the thicket of trees and flower beds. "We're going the wrong way?"

"Naw, we're dookie workers. We're coming back home, after working all day like on the farm. There must be twenty-four hour shifts here as well, since folks dookie twenty-four hours too. We cut through the trees and then walk down the pathway like a real worker. We got lucky, again, babe. It looks like suppertime in here too. Everyone is inside the house or working on the other end which is away from us." He doesn't cuddle Ketona but moves beside her, cutting through the grove of tall trees, moving over the footpath.

They move slowly toward a row of houses in white paint.

The houses are scattered around the landscape. The bigger houses of white paint are scattered near the rear portion of the yellow tinted barrier wall. A set of medium sized houses of white paint stand between the bigger and the smaller rows of only one-story homes.

I turn and frown at the landscape. "Why doesn't it smell in here? Why are there miles of white gravel everywhere on the ground? Why are there green trees in here? Why are there pretty colorful flowers? I smell the pine trees and the flowers, not the dookie odor."

Buffo leads Ketona down one of three walking paths toward the end of the row with a whisper and a worried brow, "Me, too. Okay, I see three rows of tiny houses. Each one is only one level. Hatch would be here somewhere. Okay. We snake around each pathway, spying into the windows like we're out for a moonlight walk." He looks up with a stern face to see the sky and the walkway. "The moon is full too. Not many folks out either. I guess they're like the farmers, eating and then sleeping for tomorrow's work day."

I halt with a whisper on top of the walking pathway. "Wait! Hatch is new here too inside the outer township like me. He's living inside one of the not so nice houses, reminding him of his failure too. I would guess right in front of the trees, so he sees the row of gray colored cesspool walls. No one likes sitting in the front of the class or in the front of the bus or in the front of the crowd. Therefore, he got the front house. Okay. We slowly glide down the walking sidewalk of the front row of each house, spying into an open window. You look into the window of the first house. I will view the trees. Then you look up at the skyline. Then I will look inside the windows of the second house..."

"Get it," he reaches down and holds her hand like they are married.

They slowly move and pass each tiny house. A least, one window is draped open and then framed by a set of white colored curtains.

I turn and view the grove of trees, narrowing my eyelashes. I see a thicket of tall trees and white gravel, glowing underneath the bright whitish moonlight. I see a set of two-foot-high rounded walls of gray slate which is behind the thicket of trees. I see in the far distance many more thickets of trees and white gravel.

He bumps into her shoulder for the silence signal.

I turn and view the second house, stealing a glance into one of the open windows. The family is eating inside the dining room. The open window is the living room.

They continue to march down the same walking pathway in front of the small row of houses of white paint.

I look up with stern face to see the skyline. The moon is a hazing of light yellow colored bubbles that slowly drift up from the cesspools. I sniff again, not smelling a nasty fragrance.

Buffo bumps into her shoulder for the silence signal.

I turn and view the fourth house, seeing the living room furniture from an open window. A tall and muscular male with a head of cropped blonde hair with a neckline of peachy tinted skin on an athletic body build stands in front of the window. I can't see his face. And I don't see anymore family members. I slow the pace and narrow my eyelashes into the dark room. The male walks around inside the illuminated room. I still don't see any more family members. I exhale with nervousness and eagerness to locate both Hatch and Jara and then leave Dookie Town. A tall and slender female with a hair bun of blond colored hair and a tone of pale skin sits upright on top of the sofa, wiping off a face. I halt with a gasp and narrow my eyelashes at the girl. Then, I turn and dash toward the front door, stopping and knock on the pink colored painted wooden with a smile.

The door slowly opens. The male shows an eyeball with the cracked opening without a smile.

I grin with a nod at Hatch. He wears a frown of confusion, smelling like pine and vanilla.

Buffo shoves Ketona forward into the room of the white house, looking side to side for any nosy workers, closing the door.

Inside the living room, Hatch backs away and stops, standing and drops open a mouth in shock, "Buffo?"

Buffo advances forward and hugs his friend, pulling back with a smile and a nod. "Put on your dookie work clothes. Bring your helmet, gloves, and scarf, too. We're rescuing you from here, buddy." Hatch smiles with a nod in silence.

I rush ahead over the floor to Jara. She wears a swollen red face, messy blonde hair, and her sleeping pajamas. I kneel on the floor and grab her hand with a smile and a nod. "Get dressed in your dookie uniform, also. We're taking you to the farm inside Burrville. You can live there with me for the rest of your life. I promise," smiling.

Jara wipes off the tears with a sob. "How is that possible, Ketona? Buffo? You can't escape through the barrier wall."

Buffo smiles with a nod and wears the yellow tinted farm gear. "Ketona figured out how to penetrate the barrier wall. Get moving! We don't have all night for your rescue," he chuckles.

Hatch swings around and dashes to Jara, grabbing and drags her from the sofa and into the bedroom with a smile and a whisper into her sad face.

I spin around and dash toward the open window, scanning the landscape with a worried brow. "There is not much activity in here but the moonlight. We're going to success with our rescue plan, Buffo." I swing around and survey the room.

The room contains a long sofa and a sitting chair without any other electronic appliances, such like, an entertainment television or a music stereo. There is a plain old card table with a set of two folding chairs of dull silver metal. The walls are peeled and painted in dull tan over a dull tile flooring.

Now, I understand completely. Buffo is correct. The Colfaxians take everything first. The outer townships get nothing, but the leftovers.

Hatch exits the bedroom, wearing the slightly dirty yellow tinted dookie gear of a jumpsuit, a hat, a pair of gloves and a scarf. He pulls and drags Jara toward the door with a smile. "We're ready."

I smile at Jara. "I'm sorry. You can't bring anything else with you, except you and your work uniform."

"Fine. Let's go." Jara wears a new yellow tinted jumpsuit without stains and tosses down the small bag of personal items with a sour frown.

Buffo swings around and slowly opens the front door, looking for any nosy workers, leading the gang outside. Hatch cuddles with Jara, moving behind the back spine of Buffo. Ketona follows behind the back spine of Jara and Hatch with a worried brow. Buffo slows the pace. Hatch and Jara pulls up beside Buffo. Buffo whispers. "Okay. Part of the barrier wall will be opened by a visual hole. You must dress completely in your worker jumpsuit. The hat, scarf, both gloves, and jumpsuit will protect you from the radiation."

Jara halts with a gasp over the walking pathway with a yell, "Radiation?" Hatch leans over and cuddles her with a worried brow, dragging her and slowly pacing beside Buffo.

Buffo moves ahead with a smile and a whisper. "Tiny droplets of radiation, that don't harm you or me. The barrier wall will be opened with a hole..."

Hatch moves with Buffo with a confused brow. "How is that possible, Buffo?"

Buffo smiles with a nod, "We will show you instead. Let's hurry toward the barrier wall," he dashes ahead and then halts, surveying the barrier wall with a worried brow. "Where's the wall corner of Burrville and Dandine?"

Hatch stops besides Buffo with Jara and scans the wall with a stern face. "There isn't a wall corner of Burrville and Dandine. The yellow barrier wall inside Dandine is one continuous line of glowing yellow as far as the eyeballs can see. What's wrong, Buffo?"

Buffo reaches down and grabs, lifting up the three sliced magnets with a worried brow. "I see that. We came inside at the extreme southeastern wall corner of Dandine and Burrville. That's where the set of fliers are located. That's our air transportation back to the farm."

Jara stands beside Hatch and sobs with tears, wiping a face of worry. "Then you're trapped with us inside Dandine, too."

I move ahead toward the barrier wall and stop, standing in place and wipe off the yellow dust, coming from the cesspool bubbles. I see more yellow wall and the manicured grass, turning with a confused brow to see Hatch. "Why's there grass? Where's the smell?"

Buffo frowns with annoyance at the wall and the back spine of Ketona. "How are we going to figure out where the exit point is along the barrier wall, Ketona?"

Hatch cuddles Jara with a smile. "The shit lives in water. Then, the soggy shit water is sucked down underground. Then, the soggy shit inside the underground pipes fed the trees and the flowers beds. There is no shitty smell ever."

I wink with a smile at him. "You smell like pine and vanilla."

Hatch cuddles Jara with a wink to Ketona. "Thanks."

Buffo moves ahead and stops, standing beside Ketona, staring at the solid barrier wall with worry. "Ketona, how do we get outta here right now tonight, before sunrise and work tomorrow? We'll get into serious trouble."

"I wanna go back. I don't want to get into trouble." Jara whines inside the arms of Hatch.

I stare at the barrier wall and extend an open palm to Buffo. "Gimme the three sliced off magnet strips." He hands her the magnet strips. I kneel down and slide two of sliced off magnet strip into two different corners within the barrier wall, forming a new open hole. "Our exit point is somewhere between here and the thicket of trees. I don't wanna get to close to the trees, since the shit pools are parallel to the city of Colfax for some funny reason. So we will create a new opening right here. Then we hike it back to the two fliers."

Buffo frowns at the new opening within the barrier wall. "We could be miles from the fliers."

I slip the third magnet into the barrier wall. "And we got hours, before sunrise. I don't wanna take the chance of sliding into the city of Colfax by mistaken. Then we all will get into major trouble." The barrier wall slides open into a perfect ninety-degree angle. I stand upright and back step from the open hole with a smile. "Okay. Do not touch the edges of the exposed wall. Wear your complete worker gear! The helmet comes over your head and the scarf is around your mouth. Close your eyes..."

"I can't do this. I won't do this. I wanna go back into our little house, Hatch." Jara back steps and remove the scarf and the helmet with a set of tears. "I will live here forever."

Hatch pulls and hugs her with a stern face. "No. I don't wanna live here forever. Not if, we have the chance of living on a farm and with Buffo and Ketona, our friends. I want to do this, Jara."

I wave both arms into the air with a smile. "This is easy. Get a running start, curl into a ball and then jump through the opening. Ta-da! You fall on the other side of the opening inside Burrville."

"Jump with my eyes closed?" Hatch exhales with worry and stares at the barrier wall opening.

"Yes, it's very easy. Buffo and I did it." I back step and stand behind the back spine of Jara, shoving her toward the open hole. "You go, first."

"No." Jara stands in place and shakes her curls with worry.

I turn and survey the manicured grass. "Buffo, go first. Show her!"

Buffo back pedals from the opening with a smile and runs ahead, leaping through the open hole with a grunt and curls a body like a ball, safely landing on the other side into the orange dirt of Burrville. He stands upright and swings around, tossing off the hat and the scarf with a smile and a laugh and motions with a hand to Jara.

I stand behind and shove on the back spine of Jara with a sour frown. "You're next."

Jara is taller than Ketona, back stepping from the open hole with a worried brow, running over petite Ketona, shaking her curls with fear. "I can't do that. I can't. I'm afraid."

Hatch cuddles and drags Jara toward the open hole within the barrier wall with a smile. "We'll jump through the hole together."

I slide sideways away from taller Jara and stop with a puff, standing in place, tossing both arms with a worried brow. "No, you can't do that, either. Your body is a delicate balance of your selected electrons and protons. If you both jump through the opening, your individual electrons and protons become scrambled like eggs and then something bad might happen."

Jara sobs with tears of fright. "I can't do this."

Hatch snaps the fingers with a smile. "Okay. You can jump forward through the hole like a diving motion. Then I'll be on the other side to catch you. How's that, sweetheart?" He hugs and kisses her crying face, puling back with a worried smile.

She sobs with tears. "I guess so."

Hatch releases Jara and re-wraps the gear around a body and a face, stepping closer to the open hole within the barrier wall. He can feel the sizzling ions on the edges of the wall, exhaling with worry and leaps through the wall without touching the edges. He rolls down into a ball, landing onto a back spine with a chuckle of fun and stands upright, swinging around with a bounces and a smile. He motions to Jara with a grin. "Come on, Jara! Copy my aerobics, darling!" Jara sobs with tears and back steps from the open hole within the barrier wall.

I exhale with a puff of worry and swing around, scanning the houses, the lawn, and the thicket of trees. Lucky, I don't see any walking or wandering dookie workers, coming from a house. I spin around and dash ahead, stopping and stand behind the back spine of Jara, shoving her toward the opening. Jara doesn't move. I'm petite when compared to her tallness, exhaling with frustration, "Okay, I will..." I stand upright with a stern face and drop both hands.

Jara sobs with tears. "Don't leave me here please."

I exhale with a puff of annoyance. "No, I won't." I scoot around Jara and dash to the open hole, stopping and motion to Buffo. Both Buffo and Hatch move ahead toward the Burrville side open hole. I exhale with a puff of frustration. "Okay. How about you and Hatch toss Jara through the opening from in here to in there? That way, she is soaring on your combined muscle power. Then she can't wiggle away or harm herself while going through the opening."

Hatch nods with a smile, "Great idea, Ketona. Stay back. I'm coming back inside the opening." He replaces the helmet and the scarf, leaping into the air and curls into a ball, jumping through the opening for a second time. He lands and stands upright with a smile, moving toward to Jara and stops, cuddling her with smiles and whispers.

Inside Burrville, Buffo replaces the cowboy hat and the scarf over a face and leaps into the air, curling into a ball, landing over the grass for a second time. He stands upright still wearing the cowboy hat and the scarf looking like a thief in the night.

Hatch removed the scarf with a smile to Jara. "Okay, darling, Buffo and I are going to lift you and then toss your body through the hole inside the wall. Close your precious eyeballs. You will soar like a flying bird. When your gloves hit the dirt, roll your body into a ball. Okay?"

Jara exhales with sobs of tears and a sissy whine. "Is it going to hurt? I don't wanna get hurt. I don't wanna get dirty either. Is it safe?" She places the helmet over her hair and the scarf around her mouth.

Hatch smiles. "You will be fine. Okay. Get stiff like an ironing board with both your arms stretched forward and your legs stretched backwards." Hatch and Buffo reach down and lift Jara into the air. He smiles. "Okay. Release her on three, Buffo." Buffo nods in silence.

They gently move ahead and tote Jara like an ironing board with muscle strength, advancing toward the open hole and stop, standing in place, swinging the body of Jara back and forth.

Hatch yells, "One, two, three..."

They release Jara at the same.

Jara clears the edges of the open hole with the barrier wall, landing on her gloves, sliding down into the soft dirt, without moving from the spot.

I frown with annoyance and shove Hatch toward the open hole. "Go on! Get inside! We don't want any more attention drawn to us."

Hatch replaces the scarf over a face and back steps, running forward, closes his eyeballs, curling up into a ball and lands on the other side of Jara, without harming her. He stands upright and leans down, dragging Jara away from the open hole for Buffo, dashing ahead out of the landing pathway. Buffo replaces the face scarf and runs ahead, closing both eyeballs, curling into a ball and tumbles down onto the top of the orange soil for a second time and stands upright, dashing away from the open hole for Ketona to enter without injury.

Inside the grass of Dandine, I exhale with a puff of worry and run ahead toward the open hole, stopping with a giggle. I remembered that Rincon said the mayor was visiting Dookie Town tomorrow.

I back step from the hole open and survey the green lawn and the pretty flowers with a nod, reaching down and pull up the red flowers inside the garden of flora. I crumble up the flower petals into both gloves and move forward toward the wall, stopping and lift a gloved finger, writing sideways onto the solid part of the yellow wall even with my two eyeballs next to the ninety-degree open hole. I am the same height as Rincon. He will see and find my secret message and guess what has happened. I feel the sizzling of the ions through the glove with a giggle and a grin.

I be here.

I wipe off the red flower petals from both gloves with a grin and back step, placing the scarf over a mouth, running ahead and leap up into the air, close my eyeballs, curling up into a tight ball, landing sideways with a grunt of pain and relief.

Buffo swings around and dashes ahead back to the barrier wall, stopping and stands in front of the opening, jerking out all three magnets from the hole. Then the barrier wall closes back into a solid orange tinted wall. He turns with a smile and races to Ketona, lifting her into the air, cuddling her, leading all them back toward the two-seater flyers on the opposite end of the crop field and for home.
Fourth day of employment

08:01 am

City of Colfax

Map room setting

Warm temperatures and parted clouds

Four mile per hour winds, north by northeast

The interns had arrived for a third day of employment inside the map room for the morning assignment. The mayor had decided to visit the outer township of Dandine.

Each intern moved out from the map room and down into the travel, watching Rincon escort intern Marsilla over the hanging bridge.

She and Rincon entered the travel car last.

The door closed shut.

08:12 am

Southwestern location

Golden colored barrier wall

Intersection point of Colfax and Dandine

Interior travel car setting

Warm temperatures with bright sunshine

Duchie sits inside the travel car and stares down at the outer township maps on her cellie with a stern face.

The mayor points down to each new black circle on her palm-sized cellie with a sour frown. "There are a few more black circles inside the orange barrier wall today which have appeared last night. However, we learned from the farmers that the echoes are collisions with the tractor tools that hit against the barrier wall. So we will concentrate our efforts on the inner barrier walls of Dandine. I am very concerned about a set of naughty teens, murdering the electromagnetic wall."

"Mother, you can't harm an e-field, ever. What's your next assignment of the six remaining? I assumed that we completed the first one, yesterday." Nephella stares at her mama, wiggling her facial piercing.

The mayor points down at the tiny screen of her cell, crinkling the cheekbone piercing into her old wrinkles with a sour frown. "Duchie successfully addressed the first assignment with her brilliant explanation of the pings along the barrier wall. Therefore, we are going to investigate within the outer township of Dandine today, like yesterday within Burrville."

Marsilla holds a nose on purpose and talks funny, sitting across from the mayor and next to Duchie with a sour frown. "Inside Dookie Town, we must go inside Dookie town. Why can't we call someone in authority and ask our single question while we lounge inside the pretty map room or inside your gorgeous office, Ms. Mayor?"

The mayor frowns with annoyance, twisting her nose bridge piercing into ugliness at Marsilla. "We must visually review some of the black circles along the barrier wall. This was your original brilliant suggestion, intern Marsilla. Why are you hesitating now?"

Marsilla continues to hold her nose and then reaches over, elbowing on Duchie. "This is Duchie's original birth place. She should review the set of black circles and then interview with the authority for the day. I would like to investigate the set of black circles inside the outer township of Montag where..."

"...the shops reside with new merchandise." Rincon chuckles with a nod. "We all want to visit inside the Montag shops, Marsilla, not just you. Don't bother sucking up to the mayor. I suggest that we stick with our original agreement. The interns view each outer township as a group."

The mayor nods with a grin to each intern. "I agree."

The travel car lifts up from the pavement and slowly sails over the city street, jolting into a stop, killing manicured lawn grass and rows of wildflowers in front of the golden colored barrier wall. The pointy engine hood of satin shiny nickel slowly taps and penetrates smoothly through the golden barrier wall, emerging into the outer township of Dandine.

08:13 am

Outer township of Dandine

Yellow barrier wall setting

Cool temperatures and windy with bright sunshine

The travel car emerges through the yellow tinted barrier wall and then sharply turns without injury to the car or the internal human bodies, stopping and lands down in front of a row limestone gray slate tinted round-shaped walls.

Marsilla holds a nose with a sour frown and sits inside the travel car. "Poo wee! We're emerged exactly in the middle of the cesspools, containing everyone toilet water and disgusting nasty contents, coming out from their own bowels. I am not leaving the travel car. You can conduct the interviews, without me. I have generously volunteered to visit the outer township of Montag by myself, tomorrow. I can stay all day long in there during the morning and evening shifts while investigating each and every black circle then reporting back my findings."

The mayor frowns at Marsilla. "Very well, Marsilla. You may stay in here inside the travel car during our visitation to Dandine, keeping the me-chee driver happy. Everyone else get out now!"

The door opens.

Rincon slides out from the door and stands upright next to the bench seat with a smile, holding his breath with concern about the dookie smell too. But he is also curious about the black circles.

Nephella slides out from the seat and stands upright with a smile, firing up the new cigar. No one will complain about the nice smell here within Dandine. She shakes the cigar side to side, smelling the woody odor into her nostrils.

Duchie slides out from the seat, dances over the grass, and twirls around in a completed circle with a giggle and a loud sniff, stopping in place beside Rincon. "Ya'll are so dense. It doesn't stink here."

The mayor glides out from the car and stands upright, removing the lady handkerchief, gently sniffing the air waves with a smile. "What is that lovely fragrance of pine trees and vanilla flowers?"

Duchie points at the thicket of trees with a smile. "All the set of dookie poops is collected underneath the ground inside a set of underground pipes of rain water. The dookie poop lives in water, venting the smell, one. Two, the pipes of rain water are flushed underground, bathing the trees and the flowers. This is a wetland sewer treatment plant. The field of white gravel around the trees allows the dookie particles to float into tiny air molecules and then evaporate into the green leaves and flower beds, so the trees and the flowers absorb the nasty odor, not the human noses. That's why you don't smell anything stinky."

The mayor smiles with a nod and turns, moving toward the closest worker. The worker is disguised in a yellow worker gear, consisting of a helmet, a scarf, a pair of gloves, and a jumpsuit. She doesn't know the name or the gender of the worker, stopping with a smile. "Excuse me, worker! I am the mayor of Colfax. I would like to speak with someone here within Dandine."

The young worker continues to measure the long metal devise like a stick inside one of the cesspools and swings around with the long stick in the direction of the mayor's fancy shoes.

The mayor back steps with a gasp from the draining stick of dookie poop, sneering at the worker. "Who is in charge of Dandine? I would like to establish a meeting immediately, regarding some urgent business."

The worker smiles behind the scarf and looks down the dookie stick. "You are the mayor. You figure it out." He swings around and moved away from the mayor toward the next cesspool.

The mayor watches the back spine of the worker with a sour frown and a snarl. "Thank you for your time." She views her palm-sized cell, studying the black circles.

Rincon elbows Duchie with a smile. "Ms. Mayor, there are some new circles along this side of the yellow colored barrier wall. I think that we should investigate the newest ones first. We might be able to solve the issue right there and right now."

The mayor exhales with a puff of annoyance and read her cell. "Yes, that is an excellent idea. You can lead in the direction of the new set of black circles, intern Rincon."

Rincon and Duchie look down and read the individual cell, turning and move ahead toward the direction of the newest set of black circles. They stop together and stand in front of the barrier wall.

Rincon wipes off the yellow dust, examining the barrier with a confused brow. "Okay. This is the set of newest black circles. But I don't see any message. I mean any mess here. The farmers whacked their plows on the barrier wall inside the Burrville township. So, I thought maybe that the workers whacked something else along the wall right here inside Dandine."

Nephella squats down and burns the grass with the fiery cigar. "I can address and answer the silly question. The barrier walls have been accidentally whacked with the lawn mowers. Look at the nicely landscaped yard, the nice flowers bed, and the trimmed tree and shrub plants. So the unsolved mystery is solved here inside Dandine, Mother. Let's go and leave."

The mayor turns and follows behind the back spines of the interns, stopping and stands before the barrier wall, studying the smooth line of yellow color with a sour frown. "What is on the other side of barrier wall at this particular barrier wall position?"

Duchie frowns with confusion at the solid barrier wall. "The city of Colfax is on the opposite side of this barrier wall."

Rincon shakes his curls at the barrier wall. "I don't think so. Based on the map room diagram, the city of Colfax is in the middle of the yellow barrier wall. There are the two additional landscapes of both Burrville and Albend on the opposite side of Dandine. I believe this is a direct passage or an open pathway, if it existed into the outer township of Burrville."

Duchie smiles with a nod. "O. I am wrong. This is Burrville. If you every broke through the wall to the other side..."

Nephella continues to squat down and burn the grass with a sour frown. "This barrier wall position is Colfax, Mother. We solved the pings on the barrier wall inside Dandine. Let's go back to your office for breakfast or lunch or something."

The mayor studies the wall and the back spine of Duchie. "Why did you change your mind, intern Duchie? You lived here during your childhood. Are you confused or lost?"

Duchie smiles at the barrier wall. "No ma'am. I did live right here, but I didn't attend to the cesspools. I attended school which is located over yonder, way on the other side of the cesspools. These tiny houses over there belong to the single families, without any children."

The mayor moves ahead and stops at the barrier wall with a puzzled brow. "I do not see any dents."

"Matter is not destroyed, Mother. Matter is changed. You can't damage an e-field, Mother." Nephella reaches over and burns more of the manicured grass with a sour frown.

The mayor frowns with confusion at the barrier wall. "There are not any indentations on the walls either. However, we must prove that it is a set of lawn mowers, causing the pings and then eliminate those nasty teens from damaging the barrier wall. Who can we ask, Duchie?"

Duchie laughs. "Well, I guess you can ask a citizen of Dandine. But they won't tattle on the teens, since one of them might be their son or daughter."

The mayor nods in silence.

Nephella continues to burn the grass with a sour frown. "We are done here, Mother. Let's go and leave."

Rincon kneels down at the solid barrier wall and whips out a pair of golden tinted gloves. The gloves are specially designed to absorb all electromagnetic ions without stinging the flesh and bone. He slips on and leans down, rubbing the gloved hands over the hard solid surface of the wall with a smile, stopping at the dented spot within the wall with a chuckle. "I have found something over here, Ms. Mayor." The mayor turns with a gasp and moves ahead, stopping and stands over the brown colored hair roots of Rincon in silence. He touches the indentation with the gloves on the barrier wall with a smile. "Right here, I have found something different."

The mayor frowns with confusion at the spot where his gloves hands are parked. "What do you feel different there upon the barrier wall, intern Rincon?"

Rincon nods with a smile and rubs the small indentation between rows of yellow particles of dust. "An e-field is composed of charged ions. Normally, the ions are scattered within an equal pattern, comprising the entire barrier wall. I have found a tiny spot, where the ions are cold like ice water." The mayor gasps with a nod.

Nephella stands upright from the grass and side steps toward Rincon with a sour frown, standing beside her mother. "A tiny spot out of zillions of tiny spots, an astronomical weird conclusion, intern Rincon. It is nothing, Rincon. Let's go and leave, Mother."

Rincon touches the indentation with a nod. "I feel a slight coldness on this particular spot, when I compare it to the surrounding spots of warmth." He stands upright and extends both arms with the gloves, rubbing over the solid barrier wall with a smirk.

Ketona had discovered something within the barrier wall which was directly behind the city of Burrville like Rincon had challenged her. Since Rincon plans to get Ketona moved back into the mayor's office for the vacant fifth dream job.

He is even with her height, reaching upward with both arms and hands, where her hands would touch. He smiles with a nod. "I have found another coldness spot right here within the barrier wall."

Nephella drops open a mouth and marches ahead and stand at the nose profile of Rincon. "Impossible! An e-field cannot be harmed or modified."

Duchie whips out a pair of golden colored gloves and slip them over her hands, squatting down and rubs the solid barrier wall with a smile and a nod, "Dang, I feel a cold spot too when it is compared to the warmth of the surrounding molecules around the hard solid barrier wall. Rincon is correct."

"What does it mean?" The mayor drops open a mouth.

Nephella drops down to the grass on her kneecaps inside the cat suit and whips out a pair of golden color gloves, reaching down, touching the two cold spots at the bottom of the solid barrier wall with a gasp.

Duchie stands upright and swings around, moving away from the barrier wall with a smile to see the mayor. "Well, of course, I can't prove this. But, of course, I've witnessed it about thousand and one times. Well, I do believe one of the teens..."

"Brilliant teens," Rincon rubs and finds the same cold and then the warm spots with a smile.

Duchie nods with a smile. "Yeah, I believe that one of the brilliant teens has figured out how to penetrate the wall."

"Impossible." Nephella continues to rub the solid barrier wall with the golden colored hands that prevent a hand burn to the flesh, leaning over, feeling the cold and then the warm spots, also.

"How would that be possible? Explain, intern Duchie?" The mayor frowns with confusion and as her nose bridge smashes into ugliness.

Duchie swings side to side with a smile. "Well, I believe that one of the brilliant teens might have created a something like devise to insert into the barrier wall." She removes the glove and snaps her fingers with a smile. "That's it. She or he must have created a new something like devise and then inserted it into the solid barrier wall. Then, the insertion procedure has created all the new black circles here inside Dandine. Clever, ain't it?" She nods with a grin.

The mayor drops open a mouth. "Unbelievable! That particular method would be impossible and unbelievable. That teen would indeed be brilliant, if that teen mastered that brilliant technique."

Rincon swings around with a smile to see the mayor. "I believe that one brilliant teen has accomplished that feat too based of course on the single cold spot on the barrier wall."

The mayor moves ahead to the barrier wall and pulls out a pair of golden colored gloves, stopping and stands in front of the wall, wiping the yellow dust. She leans over and rubs on the wall with a sour frown. "Would that teen be located here inside Dandine?"

Nephella stands upright and swings around with a sour frown at her mother. "Look, let's go and ask one of the citizens that lives here. They must've seen this miracle brilliant technique too."

The mayor spins around away from the wall with a sour frown and moves ahead toward a crowded eating table of dookie workers. The workers are eating lunch, wearing a helmet and a jumpsuit, not the gloves or the scarf. And each worker wears a pair of sunglasses. The mayor stops and says with a sour frown, "Yes, daughter, that is an excellent idea. Excuse me, worker! I am the mayor of Colfax."

The first worker sits at the table and stares down the food of food, chewing without words.

The mayor smiles with a nod. "Worker, do you usually view a teen or a group of teens near this barrier wall of yellow coloring during the daylight or night time hours?"

The second worker turns and frowns at the solid continuous yellow colored barrier wall. "Each lawn mower taps on the wall during the daytime hours." She turns back and looks down at the plate of food, eating and chewing.

The mayor drops an open mouth and spins around with a sour frown to see Rincon. "You are incorrect, intern Rincon. You are so smart, daughter. We shall leave. We will investigate Montag, tomorrow. Please, everyone, enter back into the car!" She moves ahead toward the travel car with a sour frown.

Rincon frowns with confusion and turns from the table of workers moving back into the travel car, sliding down inside the opposite seat of the mayor.

On top of the bench seat, inside the travel car, intern Marsilla continues to tap on her cellie with a smile. "What did you conclude with the black circles, Ms. Mayor? Is someone telling..."

Nephella stops and stands beside the grass, pitching the burnt cigar down into the grass and slides over bench, slamming a body into petite Marsilla with a sneer into the eardrum of nosy intern. "The pookie travels underground. It doesn't smell inside Dookie Town. So I guess it's your sick imagination, smelling your own farts, intern Marsilla." She giggles with Rincon and Duchie.

Rincon elbows Duchie with a stern face.

Duchie exhales and stares at the mayor. "Mayor, I believe sometimes that the lawn mowers have tapped the barrier wall. I never really saw it, since I was in school, learning about e-fields. But think it like this, Ms. Mayor. I did see some the teens whack and hit the barrier wall. Wonder if, one really smart brilliant teen has figured out how to whack the barrier wall just right, then the one really smart brilliant teen could escape from the outer township of Dandine, anytime she or he wanted. Then, the one smart brilliant teen could walk around Colfax and go shopping or eating the good chocolate cookies or playing inside the entertainment centers for fun. Wow! One really smart brilliant teen could do that."

Nephella frowns at Duchie. "Impossible. An e-field cannot be harmed or broken."

Rincon smiles with a nod. "I disagree. We drove into and then through the barrier wall, coming between the cities of Colfax and Dandine, without getting burned."

Nephella frowns at Rincon. "Inside a specially designed and fortified car made of nickel, if we were not inside this car, we would burn and sizzle between the exposed edges of the electromagnetic field." She turns and frowns at the nose piercing of her mother. "Mother, did we accomplish the second assignment for the day? Are we done for the day? And what is the third assignment? I wanna get started and then finished with our special assignments, today."

The mayor frowns at Rincon and Duchie. "One really smart brilliant teen could figure out how to escape from the barrier wall. How would that be possible, intern Duchie?"

Rincon exhales with a shoulder shrug at the mayor. "I don't especially know. But I guess that we could ask the one really smart brilliant teen that did it. She or he would be a valuable asset to the internship. I would think."

The mayor frowns with annoyance, reading her cell. "The lawn mowers pinged onto the barrier wall. We have finished our tour here within the outer township of Dandine. We will visit Montag tomorrow. For the afternoon, we will research the maps of Montag, since it is a very large city."

06:48 pm

Outer township of Burrville

Farm house of Buffo's grandparents

Dining room suppertime setting

Hot temperatures and windy

Orange mist with bright stars of nighttime

I fidget side to side inside my chair. I can't ask to be excused again from the dining table for a second time, for a second night. The grandparents of Buffo would get worried or become suspicious of my weird teen behavior or my non-sneezing facial cold.

I exhale with a puff of anticipation and stare down at dirty platter of eaten food, waiting on the younger children to finish eating their supper, before the family members are dismissed from the table.

One of the pre-teen girls turns and smiles at the nose profile of her parent, "Mama, where's my dress for my birthday party on Saturday? Don't I need to try it on before the pins stick my legs? I hate it when the sewing pins stab my legs."

The second of the three pre-teen girls turns and smiles at the nose profile of her parent. "Mama, can we decorate the barn starting tonight? I want pink balloons."

The third pre-teen girl bounces up and down inside the chair with a smile, turning and smiles at the nose profile of her parent. "Mama, I want flowers on my special birthday table."

"Me, too," the second pre-teen female nods with a smile.

"Me, three," the third pre-teen female grins with a giggle.

The grandfather of Buffo clears a throat and stares at each pre-teenager with a stern face. "We gotta plant the seedlings on Saturday morning, honey. That's going to take the farmers all day long. So we plan to have a smaller party, right here inside the dining room. How does that sound?"

The pre-teen girls look down with a sad face and stare at a dirty plate, nodding the curls in silence.

I exhale with a puff of annoyance and stare at the different colored hair roots of each pre-teen with sadness.

The grandmother of Buffo stands upright from the chair with a smile. "Supper is done. Everyone grab your dirty plates. Time to wash and clean the kitchen for your poor ole grandmother," chuckling.

I stand upright and hold the dirty plate with a stern face, watching the pre-teen girls.

The three girls sit and stare at their hands in silence.

08:08 pm

Tiny farm house of Ketona

I lead ahead of Buffo through the grass, coming from the rear door of the main family house and slam open the front door with a loud sound. The social signal indicates that someone is inside the house. So hide your body, fast.

Hatch and Jara are hiding inside one of the eight bedrooms. The tiny farm house is massive with a set of eight bedrooms, a set of nine bathrooms, and a set of numerous living room spaces for a naughty teen party, if they had a set of secret friends.

I move ahead down the hallway with a shout and a smile, "It's me. Come on out and down into the kitchen."

Hatch and Jara creep down the staircase in a clean orange colored farmer jumpsuit and enter into the kitchen with a smile, sitting at the bar with smiles and nods.

Buffo follows behind the back spine of Ketona into the house and down the hallway, entering the kitchen and scoots into the bar stool at the counter with a smile to Hatch and Jara. "How was your day?"

I stand behind the bar counter with a sour frown. "Forget that! We're going to perform another rescue."

Buffo turns and frowns at Ketona, "Another rescue of whom?"

I nod with a smile to each teen. "Three fancy dresses for your nieces and their birthday parties for Saturday night. No time to talk. We can chat inside Montag while shopping." I swing around and move toward the rear door with a smile and a new plan. "Come on. Move it, now."

Hatch turns and frowns at Jara. She stands upright from the bar stool and cuddles into his arms with a smile and a whisper. He nods with a smile, sitting down at the bar counter.

Buffo frowns with confusion. "We can't go shopping inside Montag, Ketona."

I nod with a smile. "Of course, we can't unless we got some money. Where's the money, honey? You told me that your grandfather was wealthy, Buffo."

Buffo frowns with puzzlement and stands upright from the bar stool, swinging around and moves down the hallway with a sour frown and stops, squatting down over the floor. He taps and lifts up a set of two wooden planks, showing the tiny squared chips.

I follow behind the back spine of Buffo and stop with a gasp with shock. "Aluminum chips, thousands."

"Probably closer to millions, I told you before. The money is underneath the floor," Buffo laughs.

I kneel down and touch the shiny chips with a smile. "Okay. Go and find some cloth bags. We need to pay for our merchandise."

Buffo looks up with a worried brow to see the hair roots of Ketona. "What are you conjecturing up, Ketona?"

I smile into his frown. "Your cousins are going to have a terrific birthday party with a new pretty fancy party dress. So we pierce the barrier wall with the three sliced off magnets again. Then we venture into Montag for the first and the last time. We go shopping, which is Jara's specialty." I turn and wink at Jara. She laughs. I smile at Buffo. "Then we come back home with all the pretty and paid merchandise. Yay hay!"

Jara stand upright and scoots around Ketona, entering the first room for a set of bags to hold the aluminum chips for the merchandise with a smile and a hum.

Buffo frowns. "How do we explain the new merchandise without it being a holiday or ordering from the supply shipment, which has already come and went, this afternoon?"

Jara returns back to the open floor next to Ketona and kneels, scooping up handfuls of aluminum chips into the bags with a smile in silence.

I smile at Buffo. "Good question. Okay. I can fib that I found them on the supply shipment."

Buffo frowns, "Naw."

I nod with a stern face. "Okay, I can fib that I found them in the attic of this old house."

He exhales, "Pretty good."

I frown. "Okay, I can fib that..."

Jara stands upright and lifts, rattling the numerous bags with a smile over the hair roots of Ketona. "Forget it! Girls love clothes. They're Ketona's old dresses. Believe or not? We can receive packages from our parents. Sometimes, the packages are damaged or get lost like mine from my mom. Ketona's parents sent her all the pretty dresses. How old are the girls?"

I stand upright with a nod and a smile to Buffo. "Thirteen years old, first year teens..."

Jara nods with a smile. "So they are about Ketona's height and weight too. They'll love any fancy dress for their upcoming birthday party. I got my bags filled. Let's go shopping. Should we purchase shoes also?" She turns and leads toward the rear door inside the kitchen.

I turn and follow behind the back spine of Jara. "Alright, we go and collect three dresses. That's all. Now, everyone, grab a jumpsuit, a cowboy hat, a pair of gloves, and one of the smelly scarf. All the dirty items are located inside the work garage. We need to be fully dressed in the farm gear for protection from the radiation exposure leaks before we jump through the barrier wall."

"Naw, they have plenty of shoes from their other cousins." Buffo replaces the loose two pieces of planks back over the floor, smashing the wood down into a smooth surface with a smile and stands upright with a hum of happiness, following behind the back spine of says, walking towards the garage. He is happy that his cousins will receive the fancy dresses but at the same time, he is worried about the journey into Montag.

Each teen enters the work garage and drags out on flyer, loading inside the seat, flying up from the ground, following behind Ketona toward the northeastern orange colored barrier wall corners.

08:29 pm

Northeastern location

Intersection point of Burrville and Montag

I land and drop the flier first over the plowed soil, scooting toward the barrier wall, kneeling over the dirt with a smile in my farmer gear for protection. I lift and shove the first sliced piece of black tinted magnet into the lower southwestern portion and the second magnet into the southeastern portion of the geometric right angle design upon the barrier wall.

Hatch says. "Wait a minute, here, Ketona! I know that anything else but the same invisible charged ions, traveling through an e-field is safe. How are you going to get three physical fabric dresses with ruffles and bows through the e-field without them burning up into ash?"

I stand upright and reach high, stabbing the second sliced off piece of magnet into the northeastern corner with a grin. "Three bodies are going to drape the fancy party dress underneath a farm jumpsuit. Are you are not naked underneath your uniform, Hatch?" I giggle with Jara. Buffo reaches over and slaps the collar bone of his friend with a laugh.

Hatch stands upright behind the back spine of Ketona with Jara and shakes a skull with a sour frown. "What about the aluminum chips?"

Jara cuddles with Hatch and pats her jumpsuit with a smile. "They're inside my jumpsuit, safe and cozy."

The wall quickly scatters and reveals a dark blue object of solid metal.

I gasp with shock at the new scene within the new outer township. "Okay. This is a bad spot. Something is leaning against and blocking the barrier wall. The something is big, blue and metal, not growling. No growling sound is always a good sign." I exhale with a puff of defeat and jerk out the third magnets from the orange colored barrier wall and stand upright, shifting sideways about two-twenty feet and kneel down into the dirt. I reach down and stab the barrier wall with the first and second magnets. The barrier wall scatters and reveals a purplish sunset into the eyelashes and a nasty stench inside the nose holes. I giggle with a grin inside the scarf. "Okay. Who farted? Who had baked beans for lunch, Hatch?"

"Not me!" Hatch reaches up and holds both nostrils with a sour face. "But someone has a nervous stomach." He turns and frowns at Jara. She holds her nostrils with a sour frown, shaking her cowboy hat.

I stand upright and reach up, stabbing the third magnet into northeastern side of the barrier wall. The wall nicely scatters into a right angle and reveals a hill of dirt that leads down toward more hills of pavement. I frown with confusion. "Something smells really bad in there, inside Montag and not in here, inside Burrville."

Jara wears her farm gear and moves ahead, shoving the back spine of Ketona through the open hole and inside Montag with excitement of shopping. "Get moving, Ketona! We don't have all night. My mom told me that some of the shops stay open during the nighttime, working on their new merchandise. We need to find one or two of those shops, quickly and quietly for the three fancy dresses."

I leap into the air, jump over the open hole and dive forward, landing on a stomach with both forward arms and straight legs on the other side of the barrier wall.

Jara jumps into the air and follows behind Ketona, diving inside Montag, sliding down into the dirt with a giggle of the fun activity.

Hatch back step with a frown and reaches over, slapping the arm of Buffo in the dirt with a sissy whine. "Do we really need to go with them? I don't like shopping..."

"Yeah," Buffo grabs the arm of Hatch and shoves his friend toward the open hole with a sneer. "I go and protect Ketona. Get inside, Hatch!" He releases the arm of Hatch.

Hatch runs and dives ahead, jumping through the open hole, sliding down the dirt and stands upright with a sour frown.

08:50 pm

Outer township of Montag

Sunset of purple sky and red clouds

Warm temperatures and windy

The outer township of Montag holds all the warehouse and shops with newly created merchandise which is purchased by the Colfaxians and the outer township people.

Buffo runs ahead and dives through the open hole, sliding down a sloped hill on a stomach without stopping. He doesn't yell from fright and fear since it might alarm the true citizens of Montag.

Hatch turns and crouches at the bottom of the sloped hill with open arms and catches Buffo. Then they both tumble over and fall backward, landing on top of each other with a set of chuckles of fun.

I turn and frown with annoyance at the two silly boys, dropping the cowgirl hat over my hair roots and my eyeballs in disguise and wrap the dirty scarf around the throat, the mouth, and the nose, breathing through my mouth. I turn and scan the ugly landscape. The sky is purple from the sunset. The city of Montag is a series of gray dull hills of concrete. I don't see one single tall tree with green leaves or a colorful patch of wildflowers or a row of low green shrub plants. The single gray road goes up and down along the outline of the hills, leading somewhere into the darkness. I look back over a collar bone with a gasp and a whisper. "We rolled down a dirt hill, which is really the hill of garbage, the garbage dump. That's the smelly smell, tickling my sinuses. They toss all the used and smelly garbage against the blue tinted barrier wall. Why would they do that?"

Jara moves ahead toward the first shop and reaches out, grabbing the arm of Ketona with a sour frown. "So the garbage me-chees can collect the nasty filled trash bags. No human nostrils could withstand this foul odor, including me. Let's go and get the dresses. Then let's leave and never come back."

I swing around and move with Jara, staring at the hills and the buildings with a puzzled brow, "Me-chee garbage machines. I never thought of them, doing that nasty job. I believe that the me-chee machine should do all the nasty jobs, even digging for the radiation pits for something radiated. What do the radiation pits do for the people of Colfax? I don't know. Then no person would ever die from radiation. Don't you agree, Jara?"

Jara points at the objects. "There're a set of tall apartment buildings of gray white on our left for the residents of Montag. At least, in Dandine, we got a small house that was freshly painted in pretty pink. The merchandise shops are on our right. I don't see many illuminated interior lights. I hope we aren't too late in the evening. Folks go to bed and sleep for work, tomorrow."

I exhale with a nod. "I know the familiar feeling. I was exhausted this morning from out last night adventure of saving your person. I don't really do my farm work today. Now, I'm going to be doubly exhausted tomorrow morning, trying to finish my farm work..."

"Okay." Jara moves ahead toward the fourth store with illumination and halts on top the steps, turning to scan Ketona with a smile. "Okay. Your jumpsuit is blue and my jumpsuit is blue tinted." She swings around scans the males, removing the hat, the pair of gloves, and the scarf. "Their individual jumpsuits are blue colored too. Leave the hats, gloves, and scarf on the steps," she gags and coughs from the foul air odor. "Okay. Wear the scarf. It really stinks here like pookie dookie." She replaces the scarf around the lower part of her face with a sour frown.

I rip off and drop the hat and the gloves, leaving the items on top of the front steps with a giggle inside the scarf, moving up the short steps and into the new shop.

08:55 pm

Montag shop

Interior dining room setting

The door bell rings.

Jara and I enter the new shop and stop, standing side by side, surveying the nice window display inside the counter with a smile.

Hatch and Buffo both enter the same shop and advance toward the same window display, smearing the glass with a pair of nasty smelly blue tinted gloves.

Hatch leans into the glass with a smile, "Cookies."

Buffo leans into the glass with a grin, "Cupcakes."

Jara exhales with a puff of annoyance at the nice window display of food, "This is a bakery. We need a dress shop. Let's go, Hatch!"

Hatch kneels and surveys the cookie trays with a smile. "I wanna cookie. I just can't decide, if I wanna chocolate cookie or a peanut butter cookie or a lemon cookie or an oatmeal cookie..."

Buffo kneels and studies the food trays with a grin, "I wanna cupcake. I just can't decide on a vanilla or a chocolate or a colored one..."

I swing around with a smile to face the door. "Okay. Ya'll stay here and eat your dessert. Let's walk down to the next store with more illuminated interior lights. If we don't find a dress tonight, maybe you can come back tomorrow during the daytime."

Jara spins around with a frown to face the closed door, "I don't know if I should do that without..."

"Good evening, sirs. Can I help you with something special?" The nice bakery clerk smiles at the blue colored hats.

I swing back around with a puzzled brow of disgust. The bakery clerk wears a blue jumpsuit that is covered in white flour and splatters of colorful cake frostings from decorating the cupcakes. Her face looks odd with a pair of weird blue eyeglasses that cover her pupils which is attached to a blue mask around her nostrils. I giggle with amusement.

Buffo fingers the object with a grin, "I wanna vanilla cupcake and a glass of milk."

Hatch fingers the object with smile, "I wanna oatmeal cookie with two glasses of milk..."

Buffo slaps the glass with his pair of dirty blue tinted smelly gloves with a grin. "I wanna both a vanilla and a chocolate cupcake with three glasses of milk."

Hatch slams the glass with his pair of dirty blue smelly gloves with a smile. "I wanna oatmeal cookie and peanut butter cookie and lemon bar cookie with three glasses of milk..."

Jara swings around with a smile and advances ahead, stopping and leans down, slapping the collar bone of Hatch with a giggle. She looks up with a smile behind the scarf. "Please give..."

"Hatch?" The clerk looks down with a puzzled brow to see Hatch and stares at the girl with a puzzled brow. "Are you, Jara?" She removes the blue eyeglasses and the nose mask, revealing a smile, scooting around the bakery counter and stops.

I dash ahead and slam into her body with a giggle, pulling back and drop down the scarf with a smile, "Lamis, it is good to you see again. Are you the talented baker here? Is this your bakery shop too?"

Lamis is a tall and plump teenage female with a tone of bronze colored skin, a head of short blonde hair. She shakes the flour off the jumpsuit into the air with a laugh. "No. I'm an intern-in-training like you. We go around to the different business shops, working with the shop owners, trying to decide what we want to do for the rest of our lives. I like decorating, so I'm learning to decorate baking goods." She back steps and scoots back around the counter and stops, leaning down, pulling out a tray of cookies and a tray of cupcakes out from the display shelf. She spins around and places the food trays on top of a larger tray with a set of two empty glass tumblers and a pitcher of cold milk, lifting the tray and scoots around the baker counter again, moving ahead toward a small table and stops, standing at the table, placing the tray on top of the surface with a smile and a clap of happiness. "Eat up, everyone! We bake a fresh batch of cookies and cupcake every morning. At least, I do."

Buffo and Hatch stand upright from the floor in front of the window display and spin around with a set of chuckles, shoving on each other, slamming into the other parked chairs like a pair of mischievous children. They make a mess of the dining room with sets of scattered chairs and table, finally reaching the small table. They slide more chairs and tables around the room, finally sitting down in front of the food tray with a set of smiles and chuckles, reaching out, devouring the food with dirty fingers and wiggling tongues like a pair of wild animals.

I turn and stare at purple colored sunset thorough the window back over a collar bone and return back with a frown to see Lamis, "Why are you working so late here inside the bakery at night all alone? It's passed sunset out there."

Lamis lifts and flings the cloth with the loose flour with a smile as it flutters in the air and lands over the dirty floor. "No big deal! I get to practice decorating on the baked goodies. During the day, we're too busy with baking and decorating and then toting the baked goodies inside the pretty wrapped boxes toward the numerous transport for the folks inside Colfax."

I growl. "The folks in Colfax come first, of course. Do you service the folks here inside Montag?"

Lamis nods with a smile. "After the working shift, there're hundreds of stores, thou. We get more little kids, rather than adults, since we produce both cookies and cupcakes. I'm here late catching any late comers for some sweets." She frowns, "Hey now! How is it that you're here inside Montag during the evening? You don't live here inside Montag. You and Buffo live in Burrville."

I part my lips with a gasp and then smile, "Yeah, well, we're all visiting with my parents in Colfax. Then we came over on the travel car transport which is made of shiny silver tinted nickel for traveling through the barrier wall, yeah. Have you seen that cool move with the travel car through the barrier wall? It's really cool and fun too. Yeah, we're, here just for a short trip, this evening. I am working on my wedding ceremony. Remember? We are looking for some party dresses. Do you know of a dress shop that is close by during the evening hours for my wedding?"

Lamis frowns with puzzlement and then smiles with a nod to Ketona. "Yeah, we have party dresses here too. The shop owner also makes dresses. We can walk through the baker floor and then exit into the shop's floor of clothing." She back steps and swings around, scooting around the scattered chairs and tables with a sour frown. She must clean up the mess of a paying customer or get into trouble with the baker owner before she retires for home. However, it is nice to see people that she knows. She moves through the dining room and over the baker floor toward a rear wall with a single door.

09:09 pm

Bakery floor setting

I turn and follow behind the back spine of Lamis, scooting around the messy floor, where Buffo and Hatch had some fun, messing up the chairs and the tables. I move ahead behind the baker counter and smell the cake dough, the flour, and the flavored icing of strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate. The bakery floor and working counters are covered in dirty pots and pans, scattered flour pods and sugar, and row of three tiered cakes. I stop and stand in front of the row of cakes, admiring the white icing and the pretty colored flowers. The flowers fan around the three tiers of cake like a growing vine. I point the cake with a smile. "Lamis, can I buy a cake?"

Lamis halts with a frown and spins around with a confused brow to see Ketona "I beg your pardon."

"Can I buy from you this cake?" I jab a finger with smile at the cake.

Lamis moves ahead and stands next to Ketona, staring at the cake. "That's a birthday cake without the birthday name, of course. Why do you wanna a birthday cake?"

I smile with a nod. "Well, I love the cake design with the pink flowers. And well, I'm working on my future wedding, but I really don't know about anything, yet. And well, I might like to have this particular design for my wedding. So, can I buy the cake from you, now, tonight?"

Lamis frowns. "Don't know!"

I punch Jara in the elbow with a smile, "I have money." Jara reaches down and shows the chips in the air with a giggle and a grin for the shopping spree.

Lamis drops an open mouth. "You have a bag of real aluminum chips."

I nod with a smile. "Yeah, I got real aluminum chips."

Lamis smiles with a nod. "Well yeah, you can buy the all three of the decorated cakes that I have baked and designed. Normally, we take the cake order and then we get paid at the end of the month, electronically. My shop owner will be really pleased with the real aluminum currency of chips for the three cakes today."

I turn and wink at Jara. "Let's go and see the party dresses too. I feel like shopping and spending some more of my money here with Lamis."

Lamis spins around with a smile and moves ahead toward the forward wall with a single door, stopping and reaches for the door knob. The door opens. She enters first and moves ahead into the dress shop space. Jara follows behind the back spine of Lamis with a smile.

09:11 pm

Dress shop setting

I stop and stand with a gasp inside the archway of the new door. The room is filled with rows of hanging short and long dresses. The dresses are arranged in colors from white to yellow to pink to orange to black to other shades of hue. I slowly stroll ahead toward the row of pink dresses. I scan each dress, looking for an appropriated dress for a young teenager and stop, standing in front of a row of dresses. I reach out and select the pink one. The dress is ankle-length and sleeveless with rows of ruffles.

Lamis selects the new dress with a smile and spins around, returning and stands at the back spine of Ketona with a confused brow at the pink dress. "Why are you selecting a dress in pink? Aren't you wearing the color of white at your wedding ceremony?"

I lift and hold the party dress next to my petite body with a smile. I am about the same height and same weight as the three pre-teen girls, who will grow tall like their mom and their cousin Buffo. The dress is a perfect fit for Ketona and one of the three pre-teenagers inside Burrville. I look up with a giggle to see Lamis. "Yeah, I wanna wear a white long dress for the wedding. This is to wear for 'the after-party of the wedding.'"

Lamis frowns down at the rear skull of Ketona and the new pink dress, "The after party of the wedding? I don't know that there was an after-party of the wedding."

"Yeah, for after the wedding, there's a party, too." I drape the dress over my arm, scooting down into the new aisle of clothing and stop, selecting a new dress. The yellow dress has a set of long sleeves, a V-shaped neckline, and a big bow on the waistband, a plantation style skirt. I nod and smile at the pretty party yellow dress for a second pre-teen.

Lamis scoots behind the back spine of Ketona with a confused brow. "Do you want the pink or the yellow dress, Ketona?"

I giggle with a smile, "Both of them, one for the 'after the wedding party' and then one for 'the before the wedding party.'" I scoot down a new aisle of clothing and stop, selecting a new dress for the third pre-teen. The dress is baby blue colors and sleeveless with row of ruffles too. I drape all three dresses over both arms with a smile in silence.

Lamis frowns at back spine of Ketona. "Why are you getting a third dress, Ketona?"

I move down to the end of the aisle with a smile with Lamis on my tail, "For walking around before, 'the before wedding party.'"

Jara stands inside a new aisle of adult dresses and leans over the clothing rack with a laugh and a whisper into the cheekbone of Ketona. "You should tell Lamis what's going on here. She's getting suspicious of you and her face is going to permanent scar with that ugly frown."

I whisper with a smile to Jara. "Naw, this is our secret, not to share."

Jara stands upright with a smile and reaches over, selecting a long dress, holding it up to her body with a nod. "I like this dress too. Why are there so many pretty ankle-length dresses, Lamis? Who buys them from the shop owner?"

Lamis reaches out and touches one of the long party dresses on the clothing rack with a stern face. "The majority of our merchandise is for the me-chee machines."

Jara spins around with a gasp to see the hair roots of Lamis. "What, the me-chee machines?"

Lamis looks up with a stern face to Jara. "Yeah, the me-chee machines are used a lot inside the city of Colfax. I didn't know that either. Apparently, the me-chee machines wear these pretty party dresses all the time during the work hours in all kinds of places like the banks, the stores, and the restaurants..."

Jara reaches down and touches the dress with a nod and a sad face. "I barely remember seeing the me-chee machines when I had lived inside Colfax as a teen and a small child. They did dress very nice. They dress nicer than me, now," she looks down to see the torn and re-patched blue tinted farmer jumpsuit, coming from the used and abused farm clothes inside one of the bedrooms of Ketona's farm house. Jara feels depressed and sad.

Lamis smiles with a nod at the blond hair roots of Jara. "Yeah, they work as store clerks, banks clerks, waitresses, waiters, and other service friendly jobs, waiting on the folks inside Colfax. So we supply the pretty dresses for the female me-chee. There's another store that supplies the male clothing for the boy me-chees. Are you getting your bridal dress, today, Ketona?" She turns and stares with a confused brow at the back spine of Ketona.

I move down the clothing row with a wicked smile. "No, I wanna lose some weight before my wedding. I'll come back, after I lose the weight." I reach the end of the clothing rack and turn, moving back toward the forward wall, where the baker shop is located to pay for the dresses and leave Montag.

Jara wraps the ankle-length dress around an arm with a smile and a laugh to see Lamis.

Lamis frowns at the nose bridge of Jara. "Are you going to get a bridesmaid's dress, today, too?"

Jara spins around to face the wall and the back spine of Ketona with a laugh. "Naw, I'm losing weight with Ketona, first."

Lamis shakes her curls and moves down the end of aisle, stopping and replaces the white wedding dress onto the forward rack with a confused brow.

I nod with a smile. "Okay. I'm done with my dress shopping for the day. I'm ready to pay for all my nice merchandise, Lamis. Your shop owner has lovely items. I will be certain to come back here for my wedding stuff."

Lamis spins around with a smile to face the check-out counter with a chip machine, leading the girls toward the counter. "Okay. I need to ring up all the dresses over yonder near the check-out counter on the chip machine." She moves ahead and stops, standing behind the counter, tapping on the chip machine.

I spin around and move ahead, stopping and standing in front of Lamis with a smile. "Okay." I place each dress over the counter with a smile.

Jara prances to the counter with her long dress for the birthday party with a smile and rests it with the other dresses. Lamis slowly rings up each dress and taps on the button in silence.

Jara turns and frowns at the nose profile of Ketona. "How are we going to get all the cakes into the...transport, Ketona? We don't have enough room for four teens, three cakes, and three fluffy party dresses. I can carry...hold my own dress. What are we going to do? Maybe, we...I should come back for the three cakes, tomorrow evening."

Lamis giggles with a grin and taps on the chip machine. "We provide each customer a hover cart for a delicate cake, so the cake doesn't get messed up."

Jara turns and frowns down at the hair roots of Lamis. "How do we get it through the barrier wall without it exploding into ashes and flames into the travel car?"

Lamis giggles with a grin and taps on the chip machine. "We cover each cake with an e-field cloth for any type of barrier wall transport. We have to cover everything with e-field cloth for transportation into Colfax or the outer townships." She looks up with a puzzled brow to see Ketona. "I thought you came here before."

I smile with a nod to Lamis. "We did. But my mom transported the merchandise for me. You know that all mamas take care of their babies until death."

Lamis nods with a smile. "Okay, the total price is 3,100 chips."

Jara rattles the bag and counts out the chips with a smile over the hard surface with a set of tiny tings. Lamis accepts the chips and counts with a smile and then re-counts all the chips again with a confused brow. "The number of chips totals 5,000 even. The price is 3,100 chips. I am sorry that I confused you..."

"Naw," Jara winks at Lamis, "The extra chips are for you, Lamis, working so late at night and helping Ketona with her perfect wedding. Can you get a bonus here at the dress shop?"

Lamis drops open and closes a mouth with a nod. "Well, yes, I'm paid on the number of items that I sell for the day."

Jara winks. "Well, tonight, babe, you made a hog killing, honey. I'd take the day off tomorrow also for your good selling job, tonight."

Lamis slides all the chips into the drawer for the purchased the merchandise and the rest of the chips into the empty pocket of her jumpsuit with a smile and a nod. "Right, yeah, I'm going to ask for a day off tomorrow, so I can go shopping for myself. Thank you so much! Are you finished inside the dress shop? Do you want anything else in here?"

I smile. "No. We need to go back home too. It's getting late. Where's the e-field cart? We can wrap the cakes and the dresses while Buffo and Hatch load the cakes and dresses onto the e-field cart for you, Lamis."

Lamis turns with a smile and leads Jara and Ketona from the dress shop and returns into the bakery shop.

09:27 pm

Bakery dining room setting

I move through the bakery floor behind the back spine of Lamis. She stops and stands at the bakery counter, wrapping an e-field cloth around each cake for transport through the blue tinted barrier wall.

Jara and I stop in front of the wall with the e-field cloths and carefully wrap each dress. The wrap prevents each merchandise item from getting sizzled between the electromagnetic field ions.

Buffo and Hatch finish eating the desserts and stand from the table, moving inside the bakery floor. Lamis points to the e-field carts against the wall. Buffo and Hatch move and grab one, stopping and standing next to Jara and Ketona, loading the three cakes and three dresses into the e-field cart. They pull and shove the e-field car through the bakery floor and the dining room space, and finally through the open archway, shuffling it toward the dirt hill of garbage.

Inside the bakery floor, Jara smiles at Lamis. "Thanks for the fun day. Bye, Lamis!" She spins around and dashes after the back spines of Buffo and Hatch, running through the open archway of the baker shop into the night air.

Lamis waves goodbye with a hand and a smile, "Bye, Buffo, Hatch, and Jara!"

I spin around and hug Lamis, pulling back with a smile. "Thanks for waiting on us, Lamis. I'll come back real soon for my wedding dress and my wedding cake design. Do you design cakes too?"

Lamis nods with a smile. "Yeah, I stay late to practice with my pretty flower designs. If you come back, come later in the evening like now. I don't work in the morning time. I usually sleep. And don't come back tomorrow. I'm taking the evening off. I'm allowed some work time off, since I really have some chips to spend. Thanks again for the bonus money!"

I nod with a smile. "Okay. We will see you again on another day." I spin around with a giggle and move through the open archway into the nighttime, following behind the back spines of Buffo, Hatch, and Jara.

The nighttime has a bright moonlight which is surrounded with a set of blue colored dust particles, where the dust particles float and drift from each factory building.

Inside the dining room setting, Lamis smiles the nice visit with her old friends from the Cubby Hole and back steps from the archway, closing the front door. She spins around from the front entrance door and sees the mess that Buffo and Hatch left on three different eating tables with a set of cookies crumbs, cupcakes frosting, empty tumbler glasses, and scattered chairs. She giggles at the silly boy like behavior and exhales with a puff of exhaustion. She is too tired to clean up the mess for the evening and will leave it for the other intern-in-training teen to straighten up the chairs and clean off the dirty table surfaces, before the arrival of morning customers for a bakery treat.

Lamis moves ahead with a smile and cuts the lights off inside the baker, slamming into the closed door with a giggle. She reaches out and finds the door knob, opening the door and enters the dress ship. She moves ahead with a smile and cuts off the lights too, moving through the open glass door into the moonlight. She slams the door shut as it locks automatically. She advances toward her apartment building for the night.

10:01 pm

Garbage hill smelly setting

Warm temperatures and windy

Blue tinted moonlight with bright stars

Buffo exhales with a puff of annoyance and moves beside Hatch, shoving the e-field cart with a sour frown. "Why did you buy all the fancy dresses and all the tall cakes, too?"

"Each fancy dress and fancy cake is for the fancy birthday party," I lean over and help shove the e-field cart up the high and steep hill of garage without dirt, sweating inside the blue tinted scarf, smelling my stinky breath, too.

Buffo exhales and shoves on the cart with a worried brow. "How are we going to explain everything, Ketona?"

Jara moves behind the back spines of three bodies and the e-field cart with a grin and a giggle, wearing the complete blue tinted farmer gear, flipping up a gloved hand. "Don't worry, Buffo! Girls love dresses. And boys love cake. And everyone loves a party, including me. No one will ask any questions, since they'll be too busy eating and partying for some fun inside boring Burrville."

I released the cart and run up the hill, stopping and kneel down in front of the blue tinted barrier wall. I reach up and low, stabbing the three magnets really quickly into the wall, getting really good at my new stabbing technique. The barrier wall collapses and then expands into a very large ninety-degree right angle, scattering the ions for an exit. I back step and cover a face with the scarf, jumping into the air and through the open hole with a giggle, landing one a shoulder with a grunt, standing and move away from the hole toward my flyer. I mount my flyer and lift up from the ground and wait within the air waves for my friends.

Buffo and Hatch stop and stand in front of the open hole, together shoving the e-field cart with a grunt through the open hole. The e-field cart moves ahead based on the brute muscles strength of Buffo and hatch, slowing down and finally halt within the air waves over the plowed field, glowing in orange tinted ions.

Buffo dives through the open hole and lands with a grunt inside the plowed field, standing upright and dashes to his flyer. He grabs and attaches a piece of long steady rope inside one of the empty holes on the e-field cart and then mounts his flyer. He slowly sails ahead and pulls the cart, flying back toward the old farm house of Ketona.

I slowly turn and follow behind the e-field cart in case of problems.

Hatch follows behind Buffo and stands upright, dashing toward his flyer. He mounts the flyer and lifts from the ground, waiting on Jara.

Jara runs up the hill and gains speed, leaping into the air, through the open hole, landing on a shoulder with a grunt, standing upright and dashes to her flyer. She mounts the flyer and lifts from the ground, sailing toward the old farm house of Ketona.

Jara and Hatch slowly turn and follow behind the flyer of Ketona, returning back home with the goods.
Fifth day of employment

08:09 am

City of Colfax

Northwestern golden tinted barrier wall

Rainy day with gray sky and dark clouds

Cold temperatures without sunshine

The interns had arrived for a new day of employment inside the map room for the morning assignment. The mayor had decided to visit the outer township of Dandine.

Each intern moved out from the map room and down into the travel.

08:11 am

Interior travel car setting

Duchie enters and scoots next to Rincon with a giggle inside the travel car. Marsilla scoots inside and sits beside Duchie with a stern face.

The mayor and Nephella sit together in the same bench on the opposite side of Duchie, Rincon, and Marsilla. The mayor looks down with stern face to see the cellie screen. "Last night, a new set of recorded black circles has mysterious appeared inside Montag." She looks up with a frown and smashes her nose bridge with ugliness. "We are very fortunate to visit Montag today to witness this event. Marsilla, you expressed yesterday that you would like to explore and explain the black circles."

Marsilla looks up with a smirk and a nod to see the mayor. "Yes ma'am. I will volunteer to visit each black colored circle and then propose a proper explanation."

The mayor nods with a smirk, "Excellent answer, intern Marsilla. I do believe that each intern should show some much enthusiasm. Have you ever visited Montag before, intern Marsilla?"

Marsilla grins with a smirk. "No ma'am. I don't have any blood-relatives living here. But I might have a long lost fourth cousin or something like that. So I might wanna stay the entire day and visit with my long lost fourth cousin. You know?"

The mayor frowns. "I do not know. But if you wish to stay the day, you may stay. The travel car will collect you before sunrise. How does that arrangement entice you, intern Marsilla?" Marsilla nods with a giggle and rattles all the aluminum chips inside the jumper dress pocket.

The travel car lifts up into the air from the ground and halts in the air, slowly sailing toward the golden tinted barrier wall, slowly penetrating the sharp point of the engine design into the solid matter e-field. The car punches through the opposite side and slowly flies over a smooth road inside the city of Montag in blindness. The travel car is made of shiny silver nickel without a viewing window of glass to protect the human life inside the interior.

Marsilla stares down with a gasp and a sour frown into her cellie screen. The screen immediately shows the scenery of objects. "It's...it is so ugly. Gray paved hilly roads, gray colored big trucks with black smoke, and a stack of gray tall buildings, and a stack of low gray buildings. Where are the groves of tall green colored pine trees and rows of low green shrubs, and patches of pretty flower beds like we had seen inside Dandine?"

The mayor points down at the glittering hillside view inside her cellie with a smile. "Not here inside Montag, this is the warehouse district. The business shops make our clothing, our food stuffs, our shoes, our golden leather dresses. Do you see the extremely tall and high and wide hillside inside your new cell, intern Marsilla?"

Marsilla gasps down at the cellie screen. "The long and wide hillside is composed of tall and ugly mounts of colorful stuff. Is that colorful garbage?"

The mayor chuckles down at the cellie screen. "Yes, the shop keepers discharge the trash alongside the hill, where a gang of me-chee machines collect the piles both day and night. It takes months to collect the garbage, since the shop owner works almost all day and night, creating the goodies, coming into Colfax for our wonderful citizens."

Rincon stares down at his cellie and looks up with a stern face, narrowing both eyelids at the mayor. "Why do the shop owners work all day and night?"

The mayor continues to grin down at the cellie screen, "Well, not all the shop owners, only the untalented ones." The travel car slow and then halts within the air waves, slowly lowering down onto the smooth pavement with a soft thud. The mayor looks up with a smile to see each intern. "Before, we all exit into the city of Montag." She hands the objects to Marsilla with a smirk. "You will need a pair of glasses and a nose mask."

Marsilla accepts the items with a puzzled brow and studies each one, "What for?" She looks down at the screen of the cellie and sees the pretty sky and the ugly landscape. "I see pretty skies of yellow sunshine. No rain here. I see the smooth paved roads and walking sidewalks."

The mayor chuckles with a smirk, "You will need the face mask before exiting into the city." She hands the objects to the other interns with a smile. "We all will need the face mask for both protection and recognition."

Rincon accepts and looks down with a puzzled brow at the solid-shaped face mask components, consisting of a pair of eyeglasses and a nose mask, slipping the item over a face with a smile.

Duchie accepts and slips the pair of eyeglasses and a nose mask over a face with a giggle.

The mayor and Nephella both place a face mask over a pair of eye sockets and two nose holes.

Rincon chuckles at the odd sight of five people looking like a group of aliens.

Marsilla cannot frown but says with fury, sounding funny with a pair of clipped nostrils. "This is a joke. I don't like jokes. I am a serious intern here. This is a sorry joke from Rincon. He's jealous that I get to explore the outer township of Montag all day long. No, I refuse to wear the joke," she removes and tosses the item down over the bench with a yell. "Open the door, me-chee." The me-chee driver is programmed to obey each person inside the car in case of any emergency, releasing the button. One of the two hatch doors slid upright and open. Marsilla reaches up and holds a nose with a cough. "Ugh! The smell!? What's that smell?"

The mayor sounds funny with a pair of clipped nostrils inside the face mask, not sliding out the travel car seat. "The smell comes from the garbage that is located on the hillside, before the set of me-chee machines collect the stinky garbage at the end of the day. And it is also the location of the set of mysterious black circles, intern Marsilla." The other interns sit inside the cool air-conditioned travel car with a funny laugh, wearing the pair of clipped nostrils also.

Marsilla holds a breath and reaches down, snatching the face mask with the pair of exterior eyeglasses and the nose clip, placing it over a distorted face with depression at the tall mount of stinky garbage, where the set of black colored circles are pinging inside her personal cell.

The mayor turns and grins with a giggle, pointing at the tall hillside. "So get going, intern Marsilla, for your review and interview of the black circles."

Marsilla back steps in silence from the open door and spins around, slowly moving toward the tall hill of colorful garage, reaching up and holds the face mask with a set of tears that blinds her walk and soils a face.

The mayor slides out from the car and stands upright on top of the pavement, staring at the rows of shops down the hillside with a smirk inside the face mask, speaking through the filter. "Intern Marsilla, you will find all of us hanging out and waiting for your vocal report inside the closest food shop, over there. I would suggest starting with the newest set of black circles way over there near the set of empty trash bins, before more trash accumulates along the dirt tracks of the hillside. And please take your time also." She moves ahead with a smirk inside the face mask. The other three interns sound with a funny laugh with a pair of clipped nostrils and follow behind the back spine of the mayor.

Marsilla exhales with a sob of tears with her a big mistake. Her tears cause the eyeglasses to blind her eyeballs. She rips off the eyeglasses, cleaning her eyeballs of moisture, walking towards the empty trash bin, holding a breath.

08:17 am

Bakery shop setting

Warm temperatures with dull sunrays and parted clouds

Stinky air waves and three miles per hour southern winds

The door opens.

The mayor enters the shop, holding a breath, ripping off the face mask, inhaling the recycled fresh air and shuffles and sits inside one of the dining room tables with a smirk and a chuckle at the naïve intern.

Nephella follows behind the back spine of her mother, ripping off the face mask with a sour frown, sitting next to her mother inside an empty chair. "Mother, your actions are really mean and cruel."

The mayor lifts a palm for the waitress to come over toward the table for her food order with a smile. "Daughter, you are training to be the next administrator of posh and pretty Colfax, eventually replacing me, when I retire. You must learn to recognize both techniques of deception and betrayal immediately in order to act appropriately for an appropriate action," she wiggles the fingers with a giggle of amusement for the attention of the waitress.

Rincon enters the shop and removes the face mask, strutting and sits down at the same table with Nephella and the mayor, staring ahead with a smile at the display windows of food items. Duchie follows behind the back spine of Rincon and sits next to him at the same table with Nephella and the mayor.

Rincon turns with a grin to see the back spine of Marsilla. Marsilla moves up the steep slope and then slides back down in frustration, landing on her kneecaps. He turns and chuckles to the mayor. "I believe we have found a clear cut explanation of the black circles inside the smelly city of Montag. The metal trash bins hit the blue tinted solid barrier wall and then echo back with a set of black circles on the map inside the map room and inside each cell. The numerous black circles lining the wall are the numerous tall and ugly trash bins."

Duchie turns and frowns with sadness at Marsilla. The mayor is both mean and cruel to make Marsilla climb up through steep hill of the trash bins to complete the intern assignment. She watches Marsilla climb up and then fall back down into the trash on her kneecaps with a soft timber. "How long are you going to make Marsilla climb up and around the high trash pile, Ms. Mayer? I agree with Nephella. Marsilla has learned her lesson for the day."

Rincon laughs. "Marsilla is going to stink up the travel car on the way back into Colfax. I do not wanna ride back with her smelly body."

"Me, either," Duchie nods to Rincon.

The mayor wiggles all the fingers with a smile at the bakery shop owner, who stands and works behind the counter. "I have ordered a second travel car. It will come and arrive through the barrier wall within the hour. That should be sufficient time for intern Marsilla to find and locate one of the newest set of black circles. Then she can confirm that all the dents come from the rows of metal trash bins that bang against the blue tinted solid barrier wall. In which time, we should be finished with our beverage and our pastry, if I can get the attention of the bakery store attendee."

Rincon stands upright from the chair and leans down to assist Duchie with a smile. "I don't think this is a restaurant setting, mayor. I believe that we are to select our entrée from the window display and then pay for the food..."

The mayor exhales. "You are very acute with your observations, intern Rincon. You would make a fine administrator technician within Colfax, but my daughter possesses that job for now."

Duchie cuddles into the chest of Rincon with a giggle and reaches down, slapping the collar bone of Nephella. Rincon shuffles both of them toward the window display of food, stopping and standing in front of the muffins with a smile.

The mayor stands upright from the chair with a puff and swiftly advances toward the window display, stopping and standing in front the pastries.

Nephella stands upright from the chair with a sour frown, moving behind her mother. "Thanks for the compliment as always, Mother."

Rincon point the window for the food order with a smile. "Please, I would like a cupcake and a beverage..."

The door opens with a bang, hitting the side wall of white paint.

"I've be robbed." The tall female with black colored hair without a face mask in a blue tinted jumpsuit, the second bakery shop keeper enters the dining room and tosses both arms into the air with a worried brow and a yell. The door slams shut, blocking the nasty smell of the massive trash bins. She exhales. "I've been robbed. Someone stole all my cookies, cupcakes, and birthday cakes. Who's the authority here inside Montag? Who do I contact for assistance in this urgent criminal matter? I've been robbed. My lovely cakes are gone, missing. I want my cakes found..."

The short and blonde haired female in a blue tinted jumpsuit, the first baker shop owner frowns with confusion at the familiar baker, who is her competitor. "You have been robbed. Well, there has never been a robbery here inside Montag before that I know of. I don't know who to call for a robbery. I don't know who the authority figure is here in Montag."

The mayor gasps with shock and spins around with a smile to see the angry shop owner, slapping a chest with a nod. "I am the mayor of Colfax. I am the authority figure here in Montag."

The first bakery owner sneers at the back spine of the mayor. "You live in Colfax, not Montag. Why would you have authority here inside Montag?"

The mayor advances forward with a smile and shoves the second bakery shop owner toward the closed door with a nod. "Show me! Show me your evidence? Then I will find the robbers and punish them as I am the mayor Colfax and Montag. I am the law here."

The black haired second bakery shop owner nods with a worried brow and spins around, slamming open the door, dashing out the bakery shop and runs to her bakery shop.

The mayor dashes ahead and follows the second baker.

Rincon leans over and cuddles Duchie, swinging around and dashes out the bakery without the face mask, holding a breath, rushing toward the second bakery shop.

The door closes shut.

Nephella slowly spins around and replaces the face mask with a sour frown, breathing air through the mask, slowly advancing toward the closed door. The door opens. She moves ahead from the first bakery shop and turns, slowly strolling toward the second bakery, where Rincon and Duchie have disappeared.

08:31 am

Second bakery shop setting

The door opens.

The black hair second bakery owner moves inside the dining room and stops, standing in the middle of the scattered chairs and tables with a sour frown, pointing at the unkempt room, "Look at this ugly mess! The robbers ate all my yummy cookies and delicious cupcakes that were not stolen last night. Then they robbed me of my cakes too."

The mayor follows behind the back spine of the bakery owner and stops next to the female with a gasp, scanning the messy room.

The door closes and then opens.

Duchie enters next and stops, standing beside the mayor. Rincon follows behind the back spine of the Duchie and stops, standing between the mayor and Duchie, exhaling a breath, inhaling fresh air. He scanned the messy room with a puzzled brow. "What cakes?"

The dining room space of the second bakery shop shows a set of scattered chairs and tables out of order. A few of the table surfaces are covered in numerous cookie crumbs and smeared colored dried cupcake frosting. The chairs are scattered around the room too. The window display holds empty trays of cookies and cupcakes.

The door opens.

Nephella enters inside with the face mask and stops, standing behind Rincon and Duchie, removing the mask, scanning the messy room with a puzzled brow in silence.

The bakery shop owner moves ahead and stands behind the work counter, extending both arms at the messy dining room space with a sour frown. "I had arrived at my usual time. When I entered the dining room of my bakery shop, I found this ugly scene. Every night, the tables are cleaned. And the chairs are scooted underneath each table for the morning customers. When I left last night, the tables were neat and clean also. The robber entered my shop and then robbed me of my livelihood. I depend upon selling my cookies and my cupcakes every day to the Colfaxians."

The mayor continues to scan the messy room in shock, "O me! All those delicious bakery goods were supposed to travel into the township of Colfax, this morning."

Bakery work space setting

"Yes. That is correct, Ms. Mayor. Look at this too, Ms. Mayor!" The bakery shop owner nods with a stern face and swings around, moving toward the side wall with a line of bakery work tables. The mayor and three interns follow her back spine into the bakery work space which is behind the order counter and the display window of empty food trays. She stops and stands in the middle of the dirty bakery floor, pointing at the side wall with a set of tables with a worried brow. "On top of that ugly and dirty work table, there were three tall cakes of white frosting with a set of pretty colored flowers. The cakes were going to Colfax for three separate birthday parties."

Rincon follows behind the back spines of the mayor, Duchie and moves around the bakery work space floor. The room shows a set of spilled contents of white flour, brown sugar, yellow milk, and other messy ingredients for making and baking both cookies and cakes. He frowns with puzzlement. "Did you accept payment in advance for the three cakes from the parents of each birthday child?"

"No," the bakery shop owner scans the messy room with a huff.

Rincon swings around with a smile to see the bakery ship owner. "Excellent! There is a simple solution here. You can prepare three more cakes for the three separate birthday parties right now today."

"I was robbed, young sir. Who are you? Why is the mayor not commenting about my robbery here?" She turns and frowns at Rincon and the mayor.

Rincon nods with a stern face to the bakery owner. "I can't explain the robbery. But you can recoup the lost of the thief here inside your bakery."

The mayor continues to scan bakery work room with a sour frown as her face piercing crinkle into her old skin wrinkles. "Who was working in here last night? Did your employee see the robbery inside your cake shop? Or did your employee aid and help with the robbery inside your cake shop?"

The bakery shop owner shakes her curls with a sour frown. "No. I was the last person to leave my shop last night. The rear door was closed and locked as usual. The other cookies and cupcakes were inside the window display, ready for selling this morning."

The mayor nods with a stern face. "Yes, you were robbed. How did the robber get inside your shop?"

The bakery shop owner gasps with a nod. "The front entrance door is not locked and secured."

The mayor gasps. "What?"

The bakery shop owner exhales. "The door is latched when it is closed at all times. However, if a strong wind comes along, then the door will blow open. But it will slam back and shut again. Also, any person can enter my bakery shop at anytime..."

"Really?" The mayor frowns with annoyance, parking both hands on her hips. "This is why I am not the mayor of Montag, but Colfax. You can't claim a thief robbery, if you do not lock and seal the front door for both protection and safe guarding your goods. This is not a crime or a criminal here inside Montag, stupid bakery shop owner."

The shop owner gasps with a sour frown. "This is our way here in Montag. Everyone is nice and polite and honest. No one steals here ever..."

Inside the dining room, the door opens. Marsilla rushes through the archway and scans the messy room for the mayor, panting with heavy breathes from her running exercise from the sloped hillside of trash bens. The other three interns and the mayor had entered and disappeared into the second bakery shop as Marsilla continued to spy on them from the hillside. She rushes around the window display and enters the bakery work space, stooping and stands behind Duchie.

Duchie holds a nose with a distorted face, "Poo-wee! Someone smells like gar-barge," she giggles with Rincon. He reaches over and slaps her bicep with a chuckle.

Nephella continues to stand inside the dining room with a sour frown as her face piercing wrinkle in silence.

Marsilla sneers at the back spine of Duchie. "Shut it! Ms. Mayor, I found something really weird. The last set of black circles are not located behind a trash bin but beside it. And I touched and examined the blue tinted wall barrier. I have found and felt a set of two tiny slight cold spots along the blue tinted solid barrier wall of the surrounding warmer molecules like Rincon did inside Dandine. I conclude here that a smart teen is whacking the barrier wall and breaking it. Then the smart teen is coming through the barrier wall. What are you doing in here, Ms. Mayor?" She turns and scans the dirty bakery work space with a smile. "And I wanna a cupcake too."

The mayor spins around with a gasp to see Marsilla and then the bakery shop owner. The bakery shop owner points to each table with the three missing cakes with a nod and a smirk. The mayor turns and nods to Marsilla. "Show me that cold spot on the blue tinted barrier wall right now!"

Marsilla grins with a nod and swings around with a chuckle, moving toward the closed door, exiting into the sunny day and stinky air. The mayor and the three other interns follow behind the back spine of Marsilla, wearing an individual face mask, leaving the second bakery shop.

08:46 am

Garbage hill smelly setting

Northwestern blue tinted barrier wall

Warm temperatures and windy with dull sunshine

Marsilla leads and climbs the hilltop and stops, kneeling down into the trash in pain with a sour frown and wipes off the blue dust off from the barrier wall wearing the gloves, pointing at the piece of sticky yellow colored trash item on the barrier wall. "I marked it here, so I won't forget. There! There are two separate spots both cold feeling and slightly indented through my e-field gloves."

The mayor climbs the hill and stops, standing behind the rear skull of Marsilla with a gasp. "Everyone, snap numerous pictures of the blue tinted barrier wall with your cellie right now. Finish, finish! Hurry, hurry!" She sees each intern as the cellie camera barely flashes in the bright sunlight." She back steps with a sigh and swings around, leading down the steep slope of smelly garage with a sour frown, "Let's get out of here right now. My sinuses can't take the stinky smell. We will analyze all the digital photographs from each cellie and these cold spots inside the map room in out home Colfax. Move back toward the travel car right now. Move, move! Everyone shuffle back into the travel car right now. And before we meet inside the map room to analyze the photographs, everyone will go home and take a bath immediately, after we all arrive back home in Colfax too." She slides sideways and stumbles over the trash, standing upright on top of the gray pavement with dignity, pressing down her golden colored pants suit with a grunt and slowly strolled toward the single travel car. Everyone smells like trash now to her sensitive sinuses.

Each side door of the travel car is opened by the me-chee driver. The mayor enters first and then each intern sliding into the bench seat. The doors closed and shut. The travel car lifts up from the gray pavement and slowly flies into the golden color barrier wall which is the permanent home of Colfax.

11:01 am

City of Colfax

Map room setting

Each intern had returned as ordered by the mayor and sat inside the map room for new job task. The parameter of four walls displays a set of snapped photograph.

Rincon wiggles side to side inside the glass chair with excitement, feeling the cold spots and seeing the numerous indentations and as his active mind ponders the reason for the man-made occurrence or the person that could have made the man-made occurrence in silence.

Marsilla sits inside the glass desk and jabs a finger at each photograph. The photographs are displayed on the wall, coming from her cellie at the hill site of stinky trash. She sneezes from the nasty trash germs inside a throat and then smiles at the first photograph. "When I discovered the two cold spots against the blue tinted barrier wall, I also drew a line between the two spots. The line is perfectly straight, coming down from point A to point B. Therefore, I conclude that a smart teen had stabbed something through the barrier wall here and there. Then, the electromagnetic ions had scattered or parted from the something object. The parting created an opening or a hole, where one teen could walk through the barrier wall."

The mayor stands in the middle of the room and views the photography with a gasp. The photo shows a blue tinted barrier wall in Montag with two indentations. "Is this possible?"

Marsilla nods with a smile. "Yes, it is very possible. The smart teen has figured out and duplicated the simplistic concept of the travel car. I can't explain the how or the why or the what, either. But I am more than willing to find out for you, Ms. Mayor."

Nephella wiggles side to side inside the glass chair with annoyance at each photograph, "Not possible, Mother! The travel car is made of raw nickel minerals. When the car enters the barrier wall, the car absorbs some of the radiated electrons that are tossed out from the electromagnetic field. This is how we survive, passing through a radioactive barrier wall without dying. This is how the car survives, passing through a solid barrier wall. No human, mammal, or insect can pass through a radioactive barrier wall, without the protection of the travel car. The human will burn into a pile of floating and sizzling ashes. No smart teen has figured out nothing here, Mother! The numerous cold spots are deep indentations which is associated with numerous punches or hits directly on the solid barrier wall, thus the continuous pings inside the map room in here and on a cellie, too."

Marsilla jabs a finger with a sour frown at the electronic wall map of barrier wall. "How do you explain that the newest black circles are very new, not old? I did my homework late yesterday afternoon and last night. I stayed here almost all night, looking for the correct results. I went backwards in time and reexamined the historical black circles, specifically inside the outer township of Montag. The new black circles are new since last night inside Montag. As of today, there has not ever been any visual black circles right there which were positioned inside the two cold spots, because the trash bins are immovable. The trash bins are not placed there. The trash bins do not move, unless the strong non-human me-chee machines move it. So, the trash bins did not make the two black circles on the blue tinted solid barrier wall inside the outer township of Montag. Therefore, the smart teen like Rincon keeps proclaiming for some weird reason has punched through the solid barrier wall two times with something of a new object. Then the same smart teen had entered Montag, committing a crime, stealing the three birthday cakes from the nice bakery shop owner."

Rincon frowns with annoyance at Marsilla.

The mayor holds a chin and strolls around the center of the platform, looking down with a puzzled brow at the polished floor which had been cleaned by the people from the outer township of Hamlin. "Last night, the shop owner was robbed. So, we can conclude that the smart teen has breached the barrier wall..."

"No, Mother!" Nephella frowns with annoyance, shaking the facial piercings. "The cold spots are a set of deep indentations inside the solid blue tinted barrier wall. This is why the trash bins are not located against the blue tinted barrier wall. Mother, you inquired about the same set of echo pings before while speaking to the garbage me-chee machine leader, a few months ago. Therefore, the garbage me-chee machines shifted that particular trash bin away from the two indentations. And the bakery shop owner left the door unlocked and unsecured. Any mischievous teen or a group of rude teens could have entered her bakery store and then stolen all the cookies, the cupcakes, and the three birthday cakes. The bakery shop owner needs to lock the entrance door at night. Or the bakery shop owner needs to tattle to the other shop owners and the citizens of Montag about the crime. The citizens of Montag should investigate their own criminal incident, not us here in Colfax. This is not our concern, Mother. What is the next assignment for the interns?"

The mayor exhales with a stern face at her daughter. "You are very wise, my daughter. The bakery shop owner was most careless to leave the front entrance door unlocked and unsecured. And the crime occurred in Montag. Therefore, the other shop owners should attend to the criminal matter. This criminal case is closed right now." She smiles. "The next assignment..."

"Ms. Mayor, I would like to point out the duplication of the cold spots which were found by Rincon yesterday inside Dookie Town. I find it remarkable that we are investigating the same type of echoing black circles which are causing dings to the important barrier wall. And I find it remarkable that we have found a series of cold spots within two different outer townships which are causing a set of dings to the important barrier wall. And I find it remarkable that Rincon mentions a smart teen that might be creating and causing the echo dings to the very important barrier wall. And I would like to point out that the barrier wall is our only defense against this savage teen and the other more savage teens within the outer townships. And I have a demonstration for you and the interns, Ms. Mayor." Marsilla reaches down and presses the button on her cellie with a smile. The map room disappears. It is replaced with the electronic and live blue tinted barrier wall inside Montag. She looks up with a smile to see the wall map. "I have successfully simulated the two unknown objects that had punched through the blue tinted solid barrier wall inside Montag. Please watch upon the wall. When the two objects are stabbed in the exact twin positions of the cold spots, it forms a perfect straight line. Then, the straight line scatters the charged ions inside the barrier wall. Then, the charged ions drop away, forming a neat vertical up and down open hole. I would like to point out that this open hole could somewhat allow a small external object or a tiny human body to slide through the barrier wall and then land down into the new outer township..."

The mayor gasps.

Rincon laughs with a clap. "That's a good illustration of a fantasy fun mathematic child's game, intern Marsilla. I propose that you become a me-chee designer, instead of a legal technician. And that's impossible to breakdown a solid electromagnetic barrier wall."

Marsilla sneers. "I am not breaking the wall, Slo-mo Joe. I am scattering the electron ions within the barrier wall. Matter is not destroyed. It is changed, dumbo intern Rincon."

Nephella frowns at Marsilla. "And what do you propose here with your silly open hole where a marble can't slide through, intern Marsilla?"

Marsilla stands with a grin. "I propose that we revisit the outer township of Dandine and question all the residents, finding and locating this particular mischievous smart teen, before any more harm is done to the very important barrier wall."

The mayor stares at Marsilla and then Duchie with a nod and a stern face. "Yes, we should visit the outer township of Dandine for a second time. Let's talk with all the residents and listen to them! Let see if we can find that mischievous teen. I would like to learn how to penetrate a solid electromagnetic barrier wall without the usage of a travel car of raw nickel mineral."

12:02 pm

City of Colfax

Golden tinted barrier wall

Intersection points of Colfax and Dandine

Each intern and the mayor exit from the map room and enter, waiting inside the travel car. Intern Marsilla eventually moves across the hanging bridge, overcoming her fear of height and enters the same travel car.

The travel car lifts up from the pavement and flies toward the wall intersection of barrier walls.

12:04 pm

Outer township of Dandine

Cool temperatures and windy

Yellow air dust and bright sunshine

The travel car soars through the barrier wall and exits within the air, halting in front of the row of gray colored cesspools again, slowly lowering down onto the grass. The me-chee driver sits inside the metal car and opens both doors.

The mayor slides out the car first and stands over the green grass with a sour frown, moving ahead toward one of the Dandine workers at the eating table. The other interns scatter in different direction from the car, swinging around and examining the yellow tinted barrier wall.

Rincon exits next from the travel car and approaches the wall, pulling on a pair of electromagnetic gloves. Duchie scoots out and pulls up beside Rincon, wearing a pair of electromagnetic gloves also. Rincon and Duchie stops and stand in front of the yellow tinted barrier wall.

Rincon reaches out and slams both gloved hands into the barrier wall, scattering the yellow dust, leaning over with a smile and a whisper into the cheekbone of Duchie. "Do you think Ketona figured out how to part the barrier walls?"

Duchie gasps with a whisper, rubbing the wall for a cold spot also. "Naw, that's impossible. I agree with Nephella's explanation. Only certain minerals allow an e-field to scatter. And the minerals have to be mined from the soil, usually underground. This is impossible for someone to walk through or between a barrier wall..."

Beside the travel car, Nephella scoots out of the seat and stands on top of the grass with a sour frown, grabbing the match and lifts the cigar into the air with a smile, lighting the cigar, waving the smoke in the air, calming her nerves. She wishes that her granddaddy was still alive to give her a hug and control her obnoxious mother and his biological daughter. Her mother gets on Nephella's nerves with her foolish folly as the silly do nothing mayor of Colfax.

The mayor stops and stands in front of the row of cesspools with a smile and as her face piercings crinkle into her skin wrinkles, slapping a chest and stares at the back spine of the lonely worker. "I am the mayor of Colfax. I am interested in learning, if there has been any type of visual or social activity near this yellow colored barrier wall. As you know, it is against the law to mess with a barrier wall." The lonely worker is dressed in yellow gear and stirs the cesspool water, ignoring the mayor.

Marsilla scoots out last from the car and rushes ahead toward the mayor,

The mayor exhales with a puff of frustration and turns, moving toward a thicket of trees. There is a pod of dining tables with a set of gathered workers. She stops and stands at the nearest dining table with a smile, tossing both arms into the arm with a yell. "I am the mayor of Colfax. I am interested in learning, if there has been any type of visual or social activity near this yellow colored barrier wall. As you know, it is against the law to mess with the barrier wall." Marsilla stops and stands next to the mayor with a smile in silence. The table of workers continues to chew the food while staring at the mayor in silence.

One of the workers perform a nasty mouth spit of used food particles over the grass. "I saw some kids playing around there, the other day."

The mayor gasps with a nod, "When was the time the other day? When is the other day?"

The worker chews the food, "The other day."

Marsilla tosses both arms with a smile and a nod to the table of the workers also. "Hello! I am Marsilla from Colfax. I work with the mayor of Colfax. So, you saw a couple of kids, playing near the barrier wall. Could you be so kind as to point out that particular space along the barrier wall for me? I would really appreciate your kindness, honey."

The worker chews the food and points to the barrier wall. "Somewhere, over yonder, I'd say. Somewhere, about even with the first row of houses. I saw some kids playing there the other night..."

Marsilla nods with a grin. "You are so kind, sir. Thank you." She swings around and dashes ahead toward a row of pink painted tiny houses, stopping, standing at the edge of the vanilla colored sidewalk in the grass, narrowing her eyelashes at the row of houses. Then she swings a puzzled brow to see the yellow tinted barrier wall. She slowly spins around to face the barrier wall and slowly paces away from the edge of the first house, scanning the solid wall for another indentation with her eyeballs. She stops and reaches out with the gloved hands, touching the barrier wall, gently bushing away the yellow dust from the wall with a gasp. Her hands gently touch the dried red patch of flowers. She whispers, "I...b...here. I be there. The message is printed in a pile of crashed red flowers. The red flowers are grown here on the ground. There is a message from the smartie teen. I knew it. There is a teen here that is dangerous and mad. And the smartie teen has opened a hole and can walk through the barrier wall with freedom. But I will find him first. Or I will beat it out of Rincon first. He knows who the mystery smartie teen." She squatted down and pulled out blades of grass, mouth spitting on the lump inside the glove and lifted, slapping the lump of wet grass next to the teasing printed message.

On the other side of the barrier wall, Rincon rubs the wall with a gasp and a confused brow. "I found the cold spot again. There is a cold spot here kinda near the bottom of my ankles like someone was squatting and then stabbing at the poor wall."

Duchie stands upright and back steps from the barrier wall with a confused brow. "You have found a single cold spot near your ankles." She steps ahead toward the wall and reaches out, rubbing both gloved hands over the wall with a gasp. "I found it, too. There's another cold spot here. It is very tiny." She gently traces a gloved finger from the upper cold spot down toward the bottom cold spot with a gasp. "Rincon, this is a straight line, not perfect, but very close. Something has been stabbed twice in two different places through the barrier wall. If we follow the logic of Marsilla's silly mathematics, then the straight line would crack an opening inside the barrier wall." She turns to face with a gasp. "Marsilla, she's found something on the barrier wall on the other side..."

"Ms. Mayor! O Ms. Mayor!" Marsilla turns and dashes across the grass with a smile and a yell. Nephella moves ahead and stands beside her mother. The mayor continues to talk with the Dandine workers, who are more interested in eating lunch. Marsilla stops and stands with heavy pants in front of the table, staring at mayor. "I found something, Ms. Mayor. Please, come and see!"

The mayor turns and gasps to Marsilla. "What have you found, Marsilla?"

Marsilla grins with a pant. "Come and see this, Ms. Mayor!" She swings around and paces back toward the marked spot on the barrier wall. The mayor and Nephella turn and follow behind the back spine of Marsilla in silence. Duchie and Rincon turn and run from the opposite side of the barrier wall.

They all stop and stand in front of the yellow dust and green sticky lump of grass.

Marsilla prances ahead with a smile toward the wall and scatters the dust, pointing to the lump of sticky green colored grass stain. "I stained the object with grasslets for easy identification. See? The message is written in a set of crumbled up red flowers here. I...b...here. I believe the original message should read. I be here. This is my proof that the mischievous teen has broken through the barrier wall right here inside Dookie Town. We should..."

The mayor gasps at the crumble up red flower. "I really can't believe that one teen could possibly break through an e-field, physically or scientifically. But I do see an encrypted message."

Nephella waves the smoke of the cigar around the air waves with a frown of annoyance. "Mother, these are kids, children, probably learning to spell and definitely needing to learn how to construct a proper sentence structure. If the message is supposed to read: I be here. That is visual proof that the children have failed their grammar class. And this is not a good bragging boast." She laughs with Rincon and Duchie. "I believe to interpret the sentence. The kids were here playing for fun. That's all. That's it. Let's go back to your office, now!"

Marsilla stomps a golden tinted sandal with angry into the manicured grass and lifts both arms vigorously rubbing both gloves back and forth over the barrier wall, erasing the words with a grunt.

The mayor nods in silence and spins around with a sour frown, moving back toward the travel car.

Rincon swings around with a laugh and moves back toward the travel car with Nephella and Duchie, leaning with a whisper and a stern face into the cheekbone of Duchie. "Do not mention our..."

"Found it!" Marsilla bounces up and down, touching the wall with a smile. "I found a cold spot right here above my head beside the childish secret message. The teen must be tall, taller than me. The teen is busting through the barrier wall right here, Ms. Mayor..."

The mayor halts and swings around with a gasp, dashing toward Marsilla with a puzzled brow. "What have you found, intern Marsilla?"

Marsilla doesn't remove the gloved hands on top of the cold spot with a smirk. "Found it. I found another cold spot. You should touch it right here, Ms. Mayor. So, you can understand the sensation that I am experiencing, too."

The mayor steps ahead and slides on a pair of electromagnetic gloves, stopping next to Marsilla, reaching out and touches the spot and feels the indentation with a nod. "Yes, yes, there is a deep indentation like some type of object was directly stabbed into the barrier wall."

Marsilla moves both gloves down the solid barrier walls and squat down at the bottom of the barrier wall with a gasp. "I found a second cold spot. It is located near my ankles." She turns and winks at Rincon. Rincon frowns with annoyance and cuddles next to Duchie. Marsilla swings around and continues to rub the cold spot, tracing a gloved finger up toward the second cold spot and touches the fingers of the mayor with a gasp. "This is both physical and scientific proof that a smartie teen has messed with the yellow tinted barrier wall here inside Dookie Town. We should find and locate this smartie teen and then question her or him immediately."

Nephella frowns with annoyance at the wall. "Mother, you're creating a scene here. We should go and discuss with the unique phenomena with both logic and scientific facts first."

The mayor removes both gloves and back steps with a nod and a sour frown. "Yes, my daughter is correct. We shall leave from Dandine immediately for an academic discussion. Please, everyone, leave and move back into the travel car, quickly. We are heading back to Colfax."

The party quickly enters the travel car. The travel car flies back through the barrier wall toward Colfax and the mayor's office.

01:03 pm

City of Colfax

Map room setting

Warm temperatures with parted clouds of sunrays

Four mile per hour winds, south by southeast

Each person party exits from the travel car and marches up the one hundred and one steps of the mayor's building, moving up to the mayor's office, slowly strolling across the hanging bridge and enters the map room for the new assignment.

Inside the map room, Duchie wiggles side to side with nervousness inside the glass desk which is located on the northwestern side of the elevated platform.

The mayor stands in the middle of the elevated platform with a confused brow. "What do all the numerous cold spots mean socially, physically, and scientifically?"

Marsilla drops open a mouth to speak.

The mayor turns and points to Marsilla with a sour frown. "Wait on moment here! I have taken on your personal training for six months to teach and instill some exact character building qualities of something. Which intern would like to answer my query?"

Marsilla closes the mouth with a smirk. "Ms. Mayor, I believe Rincon knows..."

The mayor swings and smiles at Rincon, "Rincon, what are some of my character building qualities in becoming a very good citizen of Colfax?"

Rincon sneers at Marsilla and frowns at the mayor. "Well, I would guess based on our first assignment when we each had to cross the scary bridge, the first character building quality would be fear."

The mayor nods with a smile, "Very good, intern Rincon! Fear is not a good quality but a good reminder of courage. It took courage for each intern to cross the bridge from my office and then into the map room. So each intern has learned courage to be brave with your tasks and actions..."

"Mother, what are you doing?" Nephella wiggles side to side inside the glass chair with annoyance.

The mayor turns and paces around the platform with a smile to each intern. "I am building the character of each one of my interns, except my daughter Nephella. She has always possessed courage and bravery. What was the character building with the second assignment?"

Marsilla sneers. "Honesty is the ability to be honest, and always telling the truth about everything like our mothers have taught to us, Rincon."

The mayor swings and smiles at Marsilla, "Excellent, intern Marsilla. I am teaching each one of you to be honest, not lying or fibbing about anything. Now, we can discuss the cold spots that we have found along the barrier wall. I would like to hear an explanation from each intern, except for Marsilla. She believes that a super smart teen has magically created an object. Then, the object has been magically thrusted through the barrier wall. Then, the barrier wall has magically parted which defies all scientific explanation. Who would like to give me another explanation?"

Nephella wiggles side to side with a smile. "Inside the outer township Dandine, the kids were having fun playing and then accidentally punched onto the barrier wall with some type of hard object. Then, they had some fun, writing the improper sentence structure on the barrier wall for more fun. Or maybe, they did it to annoy the new legal technician. Within the outer township Montag, the me-chee robots are machines, a set of very strong machines. The machines are stronger than the humans..."

"Except when the machines are unplugged, they aren't strong. They're dead," Marsilla nods with a grin.

Nephella exhales. "It is so obvious, intern Marsilla. One or more of the garbage me-chees had banged against one or more of the trash bin edge which is very sharp against the solid blue tinted barrier wall, creating the set of pinging echoes that are recorded on the map and the screens of each cell. Then, the lead garbage me-chee machine moved the trash bin away from the slightly damaged barrier wall for the inspection me-chee machine. The inspection me-chee machine was called as per robot protocol which was established by the mayor, my mother. The inspection me-chee machine inspected the barrier wall, finding the wall, not damaged. The trash bin was not moved back into place. Petty crime is part of Montag's history for centuries. Crime occurs there all the time, because the shop owners do not pay to place working locks on the front door of their individual business shops. That particular shop owner was finally a victim of crime for the first time, so she has been taught a valuable lesson of life."

Rincon nods with a smile. "I completely concur, agree, and support Nephella's explanation."

Duchie looks down and presses the button on her new necklace cellie with a smile. "I have a scientific explanation for all the deep indentations within the barrier wall, Ms. Mayor. An e-field produces an extremely lowest frequency band throughout the air waves which is kinda like your kitchen toaster, intern Marsilla. The low frequency allows both radio and telecommunication waves, coming through the e-field for entertainment of kids, not punishment of teens, intern Marsilla. Thus, a low frequency band extremely separates the existing invisible arrays of charged ions, not dense like Marsilla's neurons." She giggles with Rincon and Nephella. "Thus, a low frequency band will scatter its ions a little more apart, when it is violently assaulted with a hard object like a soaring rock or the edge of a trash bin. So, it is true and honest where the ions have scattered permanently. This is causing the rotating pings inside the electronic maps on this wall. Over time, the ions might collide, if there is another violent assault from another soaring rock from another little kid. The end!" She giggles with a nod.

Rincon nods with a smile. "I concur with Nephella and Duchie. I would like to add here. The set of black circles that waver around on the map comes from the two outer townships of Albend and Hamlin, where a set of heavy manufacturing tubs or a set of heavier lawn mower equipment carts, respectively. Therefore, we do not require a visual inspection tour of these particular outer townships. I would like to add that I am most eager to begin the third assignment, so I may start training to be a medical technician."

The mayor nods with a smile at each interns, "Very good, interns! We have finished my second assignment."

"Ms. Mayor, I would like to speak, please." Marsilla lifts a palm with a smile. The mayor swings to see her with a nod. Marsilla clears a throat with a smile. "I feel defeated first and betrayed second. However, I am a good sport within my academic learning environment. So, I propose another easy and simple suggestion. We kick the barrier wall upwards into a higher band frequency that should deter any more pings into the colored barrier walls."

The mayor frowns with worry. "We cannot increase the power to the barrier walls. It stands at the maximum strength now without harming an animal or a human. No. That is a terrible idea, intern Marsilla."

Marsilla grins. "Then we place a single row of me-chee machines around the border of the affected barrier walls, where the newest black circles reside. If someone attempts to tamper with the low frequency e-field, then a me-chee machine will record the action and stop the act."

The mayor frowns with worry. "I don't know that seems like an act of terror to the citizens of the outer townships, intern Marsilla."

Marsilla leans into the chair desk with a nod and a smile, placing both hands on the smooth glass. "Well, to me, I see this. The barrier wall strength cannot be increased due to suffering. The me-chee machines cannot be placed along the barrier wall due to suffering too. The barrier wall stands at present with the extremely lowest band frequency which might, maybe possible breach the e-field. So I guess the nice citizens of Colfax will suffer the dire consequences when a violent assault of another soaring rock punches through the barrier wall. Then, the weak e-field will fall. Well, an e-field doesn't really fall, it collapses into nothingness. The ions split then scatter like a nest of floor roaches back into the dark corner. Then, all the outer township population will pour over into here the posh and sweet Colfax."

Duchie chuckles with a grin. "Marsilla's kitchen houses a nest of big black ugly cockroaches. Honey, I lived inside the countryside. I haven't ever seen a brown colored cockroach in my entire short seventeen years of life. Bring one in here to the map room, tomorrow, intern Marsilla!" She laughs with Rincon and Nephella.

The mayor turns and frowns with worry at the electronic maps. "I concur with intern Marsilla. I will post a small unit of me-chee machines in front of the current whirling black circles. Then, we will discover the identities of the mischievous children playing along the barrier wall. Then, their parents will be reprimanded for possessing mischievous children. That is an excellent idea, Marsilla." Marsilla nods with a smile in silence to the mayor. The mayor looks down with a smile and types on the necklace cell.

Outer township of Burrville

Home of Buffo's grandparents

06:49 pm

Dining room location

Suppertime setting

Hot temperatures with dull sunrise of yellow and purple

Orange mist and moonlight with bright stars of nighttime

I wiggle side to side with excitement inside the dining room chair, after eating my supper meal, watching with impatience for the rest of the family members to finish up supper. Buffo eats a third platter of food with the other hunger farmers. I smile with a soft giggle, watching for the exhibition show.

The grandmother of Buffo and her daughters stand and clear off the dinner dishes, bringing back into the dining room a tray of dessert plates.

I bounce side to side with anticipation inside the chair, accepting and gobbling down my dessert, watching and waiting for the exact right moment. All the mouths are full of food. The cups are filled with either a cold or hot beverage. I turn and stare at the three pre-teen girls.

They barely eat the dessert food, watching it rest on top of the plate like a dead road kill.

I push the empty dirty desert plate and stand upright from the chair with a giggle and a grin, back stepping, trotting toward the wall corner and disappear into the hallway. I stop and lean down, grabbing and jerk the long table that holds set of individual objects, dragging the table into the dining room space.

All the mouths stop the chew of food. All the utensils slam down onto a dessert plate.

I stop and stand next to the table with a smile, pointing at each object. "I got three fancy party dresses here. Maybe, there are three girls that might, could probably wear them for some special occasion, this week. What do you think?"

The three girls bounce up and down with a squeal of happy cheer and scoot out from the chair, dashing toward the table and Ketona with smiles.

The grandmother of Buffo stands from the chair with a sneer, "Stop! Do not touch those pretty fancy dresses! Where did those fancy dresses come from? How did you order those fancy dresses from Montag? We had a supply shipment on the first day of the week. There weren't a set of fancy dresses in there. Can you sew or something, Ketona?"

"I sew. I did it." Jara appears and stands at the wall corner with a smile and a nod to see the grandmother of Buffo.

I turn and gasp with shock. Buffo stands from the chair, dripping with cake frosting from an open mouth. I point with a grin and a giggle to Jara. "This is my good new friend from the other farm."

The grandmother of Buffo frowns with suspicion. "What other farm property that I know?"

Jara smiles with a nod to each face. "I'm from the other farm near the barrier wall way over yonder near the barrier wall."

The grandmother of Buffo nods. "I know there are other crop farmers and farms near the barrier wall. What's your name, girl?"

She nods with a smile. "I'm Jara from the family..."

"Farmer Green," I nod with a smile.

The grandmother of Buffo nods with a stern face. "Farmer Green, I don't know his name, but I have heard of his farm. Where did the dresses come from, Jara?"

Jara smiles with a giggle. "I made them. I mean, my mother made them mostly. I helped her a lot. She's very talented, making stuff. I just help..."

The grandfather of Buffo chews and swallows the food with a sour frown, "How come you are not farming on the tractor? Everyone farms the tractor as a young and healthy farmer."

The grandmother of Buffo exhales. "Only the older women-folks sew..."

Jara lifts the kneecap and points down at the object on her body. "I broke my ankle. Do you see my pink cast? My ankle is broken or maybe strained from farming on the tractor. So, I was helping my mother with her sewing duties, since I strained my ankle from farming. Do you see my broken ankle?"

I turn and point with a smile to Hatch. He rolls into the dining room the other table with a smile. I turn and face each face with a smile. "I have three birthday cakes for the three birthday girls too." The three girls turn and run to the new table, looking at the three decorated birthday cakes.

The grandmother of Buffo with a sour frown and a yell, "Don't touch the cakes, either, girls."

Jara nods with a smile. "I helped my mother make the cakes too."

The grandmother of Buffo frowns. "Why are you doing all this, girl?"

Jara smiles with a nod. "For our friends, Ketona and Buffo, they're our friends. Ketona, she told us about the special birthday parties for three special pre-teen girls, so we wanted to help our neighbors and such. We all met inside the Cubby Hole on Citizenship Day..."

I smile with a clap for attention. "Okay. We got three fancy party dresses. We got three pretty birthday cakes. Now, we're going to have a birthday party for three birthday girls on Saturday, too."

The red colored haired pre-teen female turns and dashes ahead to her mother, stopping and bounced up and down with a smile, "We need to decorate the barn, Mom. Can we do that right now?"

The grandfather of Buffo chews and swallows the food with a sour frown, "Naw. We can't decorate the barn for the party. We gotta finish the plowing and then the seeding. It's going to rain all day on Sunday. The seedlings need the thunder and rain to grow tall and big for the food for the Colfaxians and their hunger mouths. Naw, no time for a party..."

"I can..." I exhale.

The grandfather of Buffo stares with a sour frown at Ketona. "We cannot stop plowing the fields."

The grandmother of Buffo fakes a smile. "So, we will have a nice big party on Friday night right here inside the dining room. The girls can wear their fancy party dresses and then eat their pretty fancy cakes, too. How's that, girls?"

The three girls turn and nod without speaking to see the grandmother.

I frown with fury without yelling, biting my lower lip. Buffo left the table and slides toward Ketona, hugging her, praying for no yelling from his grandparents.

The mothers of the three pre-teens stand upright from the table and spin around, moving to Ketona and Jara with a set of tears in each eyelash. Each one stops and hugs Ketona and Jara, thanking them with a sissy whisper of tears and sobs also.

The grandmother of Buffo stands with a sour frown, holding the dirty plates. "Supper is done. Mamas, take the fancy party dresses up to your room before something happens to them dresses. Buffo, you and the other boys roll the table with the three cakes into the refrigerator unit before the frosting melts in the heat. Thanks, Ketona and Jara. The girls will have a wonderful party on Friday night," she back steps from the dinner table and spins around, moving into the kitchen with the other family members to wash the dirty dishes.

The mothers of the three pre-teens back step from Ketona and Jara with a smile, wiping the tears and reach over and hug their child, reaching out and grab the fancy party dress, leaving the dining room and running up the staircase back into the child's room with happiness.

I exhale with a fake smile of defeat and move back to the dining room table, leaning over and lift the stack of my and Buffo's dirty dishes, following his grandmother into the kitchen, washing the dishes like last night, the night before, and the night before that.

This is my life of farming.

07:31 pm

Tiny farm house of Ketona

Hot temperatures with orange dust particles

I stomp up the short brick-coated steps and slam the front door shut. Before it hits back into the door frame, Buffo catches the wood with a stern face. "Look. We got the girls the dresses and the cakes..."

I rush ahead with an angry brow down the semi-dark hallway and toss both arms into the air. "That is not enough. A dress and a cake and some presents do not make a thirteen-year-old coming out party, turning into a posh teenager." I enter the kitchen and scoot by the eating bar, reach out and grab the mixing bowl, tossing it into the far wall near the rear door with a yell and a sour frown. The small glass bowl shatters into numerous sharp and glittering pieces.

Buffo follows behind the back spine of Ketona with a sour frown. "They're getting a party on Friday night."

"They wanted the party on Saturday night with music, dancing, and fireworks like my thirteen-year-old party." I stop and stare at the broken glass bowl with a sissy whine of depression.

Buffo stops and hugs Ketona with a worried brow. "I don't know what else to do, Ketona. Do you have another idea, Hatch?"

Hatch follows behind the back spine of Buffo and cuddles with his girl Jara with a smile, stopping beside the eating bar. "Me and Jara could decorate the barn, while ya'll are planting the seedlings during the farming stuff." He reaches out and grabs a cookie from the dessert plate, chewing with a nod.

Buffo looks down at the black hair roots of Ketona with a sigh. "Naw, you could get me and you both into trouble. We're all supposed to be farming and planting, before the great big rain storm for the food crops. Everyone, who's healthy and young, farms on the farm. My grandfather is right. We gotta finish the plowing and staring the seedling planting tomorrow..."

Jara turns and stares with a confused brow out the kitchen window. "Where is the barn located? I can't see anything but orange dirt."

Buffo lifts a hand into the air with a stern face. "Over yonder, way over yonder near the river and the cow pastures. There's a row of barns for the horses, the cows, the hay stacks, and tractor parts." He yawns and rubs a full belly with a stern face. "I gotta go to bed, ya'll. Our little nightly hunting trips have been costing me some good time sleep. I can't run a tractor tired." He leans down and kisses the hair roots of Ketona, pulling back with a smile. "You did good, darling. My little nieces are so excited. They won't be sleeping this week, until they can wear their new dresses on Friday night."

I swing around and lift upon my tippy toes, kissing his face and pull back with a sad face of depression. "Thanks. I wished I could do more."

Buffo hugs her for as second time and pulls back with a smile, spinning around, advancing to Hatch, stops, extending a handshake to Hatch with a grin and a nod. "Thanks for the pretend save, buddy. That was clever. I was wondering how to explain away both the dresses and cakes without fibbing. I don't like fibbing."

Hatch shakes the hand and slaps Buffo on the bicep with a smile. "I don't like seeing little girls cry, so I fib to save the day."

Buffo releases the hand and smiles to Jara. "Night, Jara. Thanks for the save too."

Jara nods with a smile in silence.

I move ahead and stroll with Buffo, stopping and open the front door with a fake smile. "Good night, Buffo. See you tomorrow at the breakfast meal." He jogs ahead and down the steps, entering the back porch of the family homestead in silence. I exhale with love and swing around with a stern face, rubbing both hands together, dashing back into the kitchen and stop in front of Jara and Hatch with a smile and a clap. "Okay. We're going hunting, again, ya'll."

Jara giggles with a grin. "Hunting, for what?"

I smile. "Some nice and pretty decorations to completely cover the old barn for the birthday girls and their birthday party on Saturday night. The barn is way over yonder, away from the house and family. So, every night, we do some decorating inside the old barn. This is only Tuesday evening. We got four days until Saturday evening. I guess the party should be in the evening to light off the fireworks." I move ahead toward the back door, scooting around the broken glass.

Jara dashes ahead with a giggle and disappears into the living room, grabbing the sack of aluminum chips and returns back into the kitchen, following behind the back spine of Ketona, holding Hatch by the hand. "We get plenty of chips. So we can go back into Montag tonight and buy out the other stores. Okay. We need a theme, a party theme for the girls, too."

I reach out and grab the door knob with a smile, slamming it open, dashing down the steps and turn, jogging into the work garage.

Hatch and Jara scoot around the broken glass and exit the house.

The door automatically slams shut.

07:35 pm

Garage setting

Hot temperature and windy

Orange mist and bright stars of nighttime

I stop and stand at the work bench, dressing in the farm gear with a cowgirl hat, a scarf, a pair of gloves, and a dirty farmer jumpsuit of ugly orange colored, leaning over the flier, grabbing and lift the transport into the air with both hands, moving outdoors into the moonlight and orange dusty mist, stopping and load a fanny into the hard seat and the motor equipment onto a back spine with a smile. "Yeah, we need a party theme. I know, fly me to the stars. We have an outer space party with stars, hanging down from the rafters..."

"Jara," Hatch enters the garage and grabs two individual fliers and two sets of farm gear for him and Jara, spinning around and shuffles outdoors next to Ketona, stopping and hands the second flier and the farm gear to Jara with a stern face. "You gotta fly by your little selfie, tonight. We need all the extra power of the flier for the three or four or more e-field carts with stuff," he wiggles into the farm gears and then shuffles the flier around a body with a chuckle.

Jara accepts the farm gear and the flyer, dressing and then straps the single flyer onto a back spine with a smile. "I like the selected theme, Ketona. We can hang a set of numerous golden colored rocket ships with a tail of sizzling sparkers, coming down from each booster engine like a real launch. Then we can scatter the set of heavenly stars around the floor in a set of different pretty colors for the slow dancing that me and Hatch are going to do all night long..."

All night long..." Hatch sings with a smile.

I move ahead and reach down, grabbing the long rope that is still attached to the empty electromagnetic cart, attaching it to the bottom of my flier with a stern face. "Okay. We each drag an e-field cart or two behind us toward the barn, then we start decorating the interior space. We should be finished by dawn, if we're lucky. Launch into the air!" I press the button and lift from the dirt into the air. The e-field cart slowly launches from the dirt and follows behind the flyer of Ketona. I slowly soar through the dusty sky of orange dirt particles that come from the plowed fields, moving toward the barrier wall that is parallel to the outer township of Montage for more shopping.

07:46 pm

Northeastern location

Orange colored barrier wall

Wall intersection points of Burrville and Montage

Hot temperatures with orange tinted moonlight and bright stars

I land both the flyer and cart onto the ground, unwrapping from the flyer webbing, skipping ahead toward the orange barrier wall with a grin and stop, studying the solid orange colored barrier wall, looking for the old wounds, but I can't find them. The charged ions quickly reconstitute, after I jerk out all three of sliced magnet strips from the refrigerator door.

Hatch and Jara land at the same time onto the dirt and unwrap from a flyer, resting it on top of the ground, whispering with a smile into each other's face.

I kneel and stand, stabbing the three sliced magnet straps into the barrier wall, quickly building a right angle. The wall parts smoothly. A me-chee machine falls backward from the open hold and lands on a back spine in the orange soil. I gasp with shock.

The me-chee machine stand on a pair of bent metal kneecaps, facing the open hole, swinging around to see Ketona, "What happened? Identify your person, teen?"

"Who are you?" I gasp.

"I am a me-chee machine."

Hatch laughs. "Do you know that a defender will hesitate three times longer to kill off an intelligent artificial life form than a non-intelligent artificial life form which is like thirty-six point five seconds longer?"

I slam the me-chee machine between the legs with a grunt. The me-chee machine falls forward on a top of the painted smirk. Still.

I turn and wink at Hatch with a smile. "It is three point five seconds for me."

Hatch pulls down the scarf and studies the me-chee machine with a gasp. "Where is the kill switch on the me-chee machine?"

I squat down and rub the machine, feeling the warmth of activation, but I ensure it is powered down with a smile. "On a female, it is the left breast. On the male, it is the left..."

"Get it!" Hatch reaches down and guards his legs with a laugh.

Jara gasps. "What is a me-chee machine doing here guarding the barrier wall on the other side of Montage?"

Hatch smiles with a nod and stares at the me-chee machine and then the open hole. "It's a garbage me-chee. The hillside is the garbage pit within Montag. They clean it all day and all night."

I stand upright from the me-chee machine and jog toward the wall, stopping in place, jerking out all three magnet straps from the barrier wall with a smile. The wall collapses back into solid form very quickly. I swing around and jog back to the me-chee machine with a smile to see Jara and Hatch. "Okay, we have a new plan. Our new friend is going to clean out the barn of cobwebs and bats and then decorate it for us, while I work tomorrow on the tractor. And you, my dear friends just relax and eat the food inside the house, hiding out." I squat down and grab the metal arm with a grin. "Help me flip the me-chee machine onto its back spine."

Hatch dashes ahead and squats down with a puzzled brow, reaching out, grabbing the other metal arm. "Why? He weighs about one thousand pounds. How did you learn or possess knowledge about a kill switch on a me-chee machine?"

I curl both hands over the metal arm with a stern face. "Okay, on three. Three," I yell and jerk the metal arm of the asleep machine with a grunt.

They jerk up and flip the me-chee machine over onto its back spine, landing the machine with a thud of orange dust back down into the plowed field with a set of loud grunts.

I release the metal arm with a loud sigh, wiping off the dirt and stand upright from the me-chee machine as it stays in the dirt. Hatch stands upright also with a sigh, wiping off the dirt from both hands with a stern face. I move toward the tractor with a hand motion to Hatch with a smile. He pulls up beside Ketona with a puzzle brow. I grin with a nod. "Buffo was gonna be a me-chee machine designer. So, I helped him with the me-chee mathematical calculations and specification metal material sheets. Each pre-built me-chee machine possess a module that both is connected and then tested for an accurate performance, in case, one becomes too unstable or too violent, then the me-chee machine designer slaps the kill switch circuit off without getting another human killed. It really is labeled as an emergency cut off switch." I stop and stand at the side of my farm tractor, reaching out and open the tool box lid, finding the screwdriver with a grin. I lift and wiggle it in the air with a giggle, leaving the lid open, swinging around and move back to the grounded me-chee machine with a smile and with Hatch. "Every good me-chee designer creates a kill switch like a back door that is also inside the software of your cell." I stop and squat down behind the metal skull of the me-chee machine. Hatch stops and kneels down on the other side of the me-chee machine with a puzzled brow. I drop the flat tip of screwdriver over the metal body part with a grin.

Jara dashes over and then stops, kneeling down in the dirt inside the farm jumpsuit beside her husband Hatch with a smile, watching Ketona. "What are our doing, Ketona?"

I slowly unscrew the throat panel with a smile, "The me-chee programming is located underneath the chin. I'm creating a dual program. I am redefining the 'garbage' function into a 'party' function, ordering Mr. Me-chee to decorate the horse barn for the birthday party and take orders only from me. The me-chee machine can be really nasty if they didn't have a leader-type human person." The metal panel flips upright and exposes a set of tiny button. I reach down and click an array of the buttons with the screwdriver, typing out the new code and then slam the panel shut with a stern face in my natural soprano timber. "Me." I stand upright from the dirt and back step from the machine and motion for Jara and Hatch to stand upright and get away from the me-chee machine too. I say in my natural voice with a stern face, "Me-chee rise."

The me-chee machine shivers side to side over the dirt and then sits upright on a pair of bent elbows and kneecaps into a dog pose. Then it slowly stands upright on the kneecaps, placing on foot at a time onto the dirt. It stands upright without smiling, holding the infamous red colored painted smirk at attention with both hands at the side in silence. The eyeballs stare through the open hole without movement. The me-chee machine is silver toned color with an orange jumpsuit. The e-field radiation droplets had converted the blue colored jumpsuit into orange, when he fell backwards through the open hole of the barrier wall. It wears a metal head of cropped black painted hair without carrying a pen, a pencil, or a weapon.

I smile with a nod. "I am your new master. Call me, master! Me-chee, can you run?"

The me-chee machine drones in an alto timber without moving a limb or the skull. "Yes, master! I can run in ten different pacing formats."

I turn and smile at Jara, "Excellent, me-chee! Jara, run and find with the me-chee machine, the row of barns..."

Jara frowns. "I wanna go inside Montag and shop..."

I exhale with worry and looks back at the side cheekbone of the me-chee machine. "Please, Jara, go and find the rows of barns first. I wanna to go back into the bakery and invite Lamis to our birthday celebration on Saturday night. She was kind enough to provide the three cakes and three fancy dresses."

Jara frowns. "We purchased them with Buffo's chips."

I frown with annoyance. "I know that too. Please, Jara, find the barn first. I'm going to get some more cakes and desserts from the bakery and then return here inside Burrville. Then, I'll take over your job function. You and Hatch can spend the rest of the night, picking out and decorate the set of soaring colorful sizzling starships with a real sparkling tail. Okay?"

Jara frowns with annoyance then smiles. "Okay. But hurry up? I don't wanna be there all night either."

I say in my natural soprano timber. "Me-chee, find the rows of barns which is next to the river, which is next to the cow pastures. Then, locate the barn with the piles of hay stacks. Then, remove the hay stacks in the barn with the tractor. Then, sweep and clean out the interior of the barn from the remains of the hay stacks and remove all spiders, spider webs, bird, bird nests, snakes, snake nests, rats, rat nests, roaches, bugs, and any other non-human critters. Then, wait for me inside the barn. Go, me-chee!"

The me-chee machine blinks the eyeballs with a set of red lights and turns, scanning the infrared ray at the dark landscape inside the farm plot of Buffo's grandfather. It finds and targets the rows of barns, swinging around and runs in a south by southwestern direction.

I turn and follow the back spine of the me-chee machine with a grin. "Fly in the flyer and follow the me-chee, Jara. It might be finished, before you get there."

She back steps with a sour frown from Ketona and Hatch. "Yeah, I hope so. And hurry back, Ketona, I wanna go shopping before midnight," she swings around dashes back to the single flier, webbing inside, soaring away from Hatch, Ketona, and the orange colored barrier wall.

I spin around with a smile and move the open hole, kneeling in the dirt. "Okay. Let's try this again. Do you think the smelly group of garbage me-chee machines has finally left for the evening?" Hatch spins around and moves ahead, kneeling next to Ketona with a stern face in silence. I reach up and stab the first magnet into the wall. An upright shadow passes by the tiny opening. I jerk the first magnet strap with a gasp out from the hole and stand upright, wiping off the orange dust from the wall, lean into the wall, cupping both hands with a confused brow, "I don't see the other me-chee machine."

Hatch stands upright next to Ketona and wipes off orange dust, leaning into the wall with the pair of gloves with a stern face. "You can't see on the other side of this barrier wall. These walls are much thicker than the Cubby Hole walls. We could see some of the park places, when we were closer to the barrier wall. I really didn't wanna, thou. I really messed up, not paying attention to the warning."

I continue to view the barrier wall of orange with a puzzled brow. "What warning?"

He pushed back and stared into the orange colored barrier wall with a stern face. "My parents told me about the fun time inside each park place. You could become wrapped up in the moment, forgetting about your duty to answer all the academic questions with a seventy-five percent passing rate and then advancing into the next color tone..."

I turn and gasp at the cheekbone of Hatch. "Your parents told you that secret information."

He shrugs with a stern face. "It's not secret. It's shared."

I frown, "O yeah! It's shared by a set of loving parents. My parents didn't share that information with me. They told me to study and study and study. That's it!"

Hatch turn and smiles at her. "You're really smart, Ketona. You studied good."

I nod with a smile. "Okay. Let's use my brainpower. The garbage me-chees are working, coming from my right and then to my left. So, if we sidestep more to my right, then we will miss them. I wanna start collecting all the decorations, now. Then we have plenty of time tomorrow night to finish."

He smiled, "The me-chee machine can finish all the decorations inside the barn."

"No, a human must be present to give the me-chee machine each vocal instruction for the new duty assignment. It's a dumb machine. I can't be in two places at once. So, I'm going to get a few more trays of home baked cookies and cupcakes, showing off Jara's fantastic baking skills and befuddling Buffo's grandmother. I don't think his grandmother likes me. And I'm going to invite Lamis to the party."

He frowned. "I didn't say anything in front of Jara. She gets kinda sensitive about things lately. But you shouldn't brag about your new skill, skimming between a barrier walls."

I frowned, "Why not?"

"And you shouldn't invite Lamis to the party either. We failed and fell into one particular color tone inside the Cubby Hole. Now, we're locked and trapped inside a barrier wall for a particular reason."

"What reason?"

Hatch frowns, "You and me and Buffo and the others work for the Establishment, providing all our goods and services for the Colfaxians, living inside Colfax."

I nod with a sour frown. "I know that too. And I know that I can change that too over time. Right now, I can only do one thing at a time. So, we go and get some pretty nifty and fiery decorations for the birthday party for Saturday night. Tomorrow, we work on modifying the barrier wall permanently, without the permission of the Establishment." I turn and kneel down, piercing the barrier wall with the first magnet with a smile. The tiny hole reveals a pair of blue tinted metal boots standing upright, blocking the entry hole. I jerk out the magnet from the wall with a gasp and a worried brow. "Okay. That is really strange. These are a pair of metal boots from another me-chee in blue. I thought that all the garbage me-chees went home or were powered down inside a home base unit like the garbage center for the evening hours. We didn't see them, last night."

He nods, "Me, too!"

I shake my hat with a puzzled brow. "Okay. The garbage inside Montag smelled terrible, last night. I guess that group of the me-chee machines are doing some overtime, since they don't get paid any aluminum chips. They are free laborers. I have four magnets strips." I hand Hatch two of the magnets with a stern face.

He accepts and studies the long magnets with a chuckle. "These are sliced off magnets from the long refrigerator door strap. It doesn't stay closed by itself without the aid of the bar stool against the metal. Else, the door slams into the side wall with a loud boom. Did you steal them from the new refrigerator door, last night?"

I smile with a nod, "I stole them the other night from the new refrigerator. Okay! You need three of the strips to make a right angle, but we need first a clear exit point through the barrier wall, before creating the right angle and then getting the birthday stuff. I wanna stay below the waistline of the posted me-chee machine. So, squat down in the dirt and then stab the magnet into the wall. The ions will scatter. But you won't be able to see much within the tiny hole. Then, stab the second magnet about three inches below the first one, giving you a good viewing portal to Montag. You go to my right, stopping five, ten, fifteen, and every five feet and look for any more me-chee blue tinted boots. I'm going to my left, stopping negative five, negative ten, and every negative five feet on the mathematical ruler line."

"The me-chee garbage machines are working down there on that end."

"I know. I'm going to see how many me-chee machines are down there on that end. You find a clear exit point for the four or more e-field karts." I nod.

Hatch squats down with a smile and scoots five feet away from Ketona.

I slide five feet from my original position and squat down, stabbing the first magnet into the barrier wall and listen for a sound. Clear! Then I smell the garbage, wishing that I had a nose clip. I lift and stab the second magnet five inches below the first one and listen, hearing a set of munching noises. Then I jerk the two magnets out from the wall with a worried brow in silence.

The set of munching noise are a pair of metal boots of the me-chee machine, crunching into the garbage hill as the bags of trash slide down the hillside due to gravity.

I exhale with frustration, wanting to finish the shopping spree tonight and decorating the barn by tomorrow night. I want to surprise the three pre-teen girls for Saturday night.

I stand upright and move sideways five feet from my previous position, squatting down and stab the first magnet into the barrier wall, holding my nose, hearing a set of more munching sound. I release my nose, hearing a better munching sound and jerk out the first magnet from the barrier wall with a worried brow and turn to see Hatch.

He is moving fast and squats fifty feet from the position of Ketona.

I stand upright and scoot sideways five more feet, squatting down, stabbing the first magnet into the barrier wall and smell the nasty trash, hearing the set of munching noise of more booted feet. I jerk out the first magnet from the wall and stand upright, turning to see Hatch.

He stands upright and waves back to Ketona.

I turn and trot toward his position, stopping with a worried brow. "I have lots of booted feet, doing nothing but munching the trash. They don't seem to be working on collecting the garbage based on a stationary pose."

He smiles. "I worked my way down about fifty feet, every five feet from our original position along the wall. There is not any type of visual sign of one me-chee machine or a pair of its booted feet on this part of the line which goes more in a southern direction. So, we can go and get the decoration supplies..."

I frown with puzzlement. "I guess."

He frowns. "Why do you guess? What's wrong, Ketona?"

"Why are there numerous me-chee machines stationary on this end of the barrier wall? That's about the place, where I stabbed the first set of magnets into the barrier wall with the..."

"No." Hatch drops open a mouth, "Did you steal the cakes and the dresses?"

"No, I paid for the cakes, and the dresses, and the cookies. And I give Lamis a nice chip bonus as a good sales girl, too. No. That's not at issue here. But there is something different from last night."

He nods. "Okay. Me and Jara will go inside and scout out some of the open merchandise shops. We can ask the shop clerk about the row of stationary me-chee machines that line the garbage hillside."

I look down with a worried brow to see the dirt and Hatch. "I feel strange about this. And you shouldn't inquire about the me-chee machines either. The machines might have been there, since this morning. We don't know all the current facts."

He nods. "Good point! Okay. We don't ask about the me-chee machines. We go and get the decorations and then leave..."

"We will go and check on Jara. The me-chee machine should be finished, cleaning out the barn, needing another set of work assignments, before I kill it again." I spin around and dash ahead toward my flyer, loading inside, tarrying with the e-field cart too.

Hatch follows behind the back spine of Ketona toward his flyer in silence.

They lift from the dirt and soar over the landscape by moonlight, easily spotting the glowing lights of the barn and land over the dirt.

08:08 pm

Barn interior setting

I dash with Hatch with a smile and stop, standing in front of the closed barn door, leaning over, hearing nothing inside the barn with a puzzled brow. I reach out and grab the handle, opening the barn door.

The me-chee machine stands upright in the middle of a spotless room, following the last command of Ketona, facing the door. The barn walls and the floor are clean of any and all debris, consisting of hay particles, insect bodies, and any type of farm equipment or implementation.

Jara sits in the wall corner, playing with all her fingers in boredom.

Hatch dashes ahead to Jara with a smile, squatting down, kissing her lips and, pulling back with a smile.

I move ahead toward the stationary upright me-chee machine and turn, scanning the naked red lumber on the floor, the walls, and ceiling with a smile, stopping in front of the tall machine. "Me-chee, I want to present an outer space theme inside the empty room. What is your suggestion?"

The me-chee machine stares at the open archway in an alto drone. "Master, I suggest painting the floor in a silver color for the twinkling interstellar clouds, orbiting around the galaxy. The four walls and the high ceiling should appear in the color of black tint, representing the darkness of outer space. Then, you could add an array of colorful stars and red flaming comets which can be nailed onto the ceiling, faking out the party persons. This would satisfy the party theme show for the interior of the clean barn."

I nod with a smile at the me-chee machine. "Good idea, me-chee! Walk four point six miles to the three story house. Then, enter the rear door. Then, collect all steel metal items from the house but not the kitchen appliances. Then, walk back to the barn, bringing the collected steel metal items. You will make many trips. Then, go into the open garage and quietly gather all the soldering equipment. Bring the soldering equipment back to the barn interior. Then, solder together a set of steel metal pieces that cover hundred percent of the floor, the three walls, not including the barn doors and not the ceiling. If you exhaust of steel metal, then you will stop working and stand upright in the middle of the barn for my next order. Go, me-chee!" The me-chee machine moves ahead and exits the open archway in silence.

Hatch stands upright with Jara and cuddles her, moving and stands beside Ketona with a puzzled brow, staring at the back spine of the me-chee machine, "Where's it going?"

I stare at the red lights on the back spine of the me-chee machine with a smile, "It is doing the next assignment."

Jara smiles, "Let's go and get the decorations..."

"We found an array of me-chee machine that were lining the hilltop of the garbage pile." I turn and frown to Jara.

She drops open a mouth and looks down to see the floor and then views Ketona. "We didn't steal the merchandise from Montag. We paid for the dresses and the cakes. Lamis is the intern for the shop owner. She didn't do anything wrong either. She sold us the merchandise that we paid for. And we also paid her with a nice bonus of chips as a good clerk. Interns always get monetary rewards. Something is very wrong inside Montag."

"Ketona said the same thing." Hatch frowns.

Jara exhales. "We need to see if there also are a set of posted me-chee machines inside the interior yellow tinted barrier wall of Dandine."

I nod with worry in silence.

Hatch frowns with annoyance, "What for? The merchandise for the party lives inside Montag. Dandine doesn't have any fireworks."

Jara holds Hatch by the hand with a nod and a stern face to Ketona. "Let's go and see if there is a set of posted me-chee machines inside Dandine barrier wall. Then I'll feel much better."

They exit the barn, leaving the door open and the electromagnetic kart behind.

Jara rides with Hatch inside the two-seater flyer.

I load into the single flyer and detach the e-field cart.

They lift from the dirt into the air and soar within the orange dust ball in the middle of the dark night across the vast dirt of crop fields and land in front of the orange colored barrier wall which is directly behind the outer township of Dandine.

08:21 pm

Northwestern location

Orange tinted barrier wall

Wall intersection points of Burrville and Dandine

Hot temperatures and windy

Orange tinted moonlight and bright stars

I remove the flyer from my body and rest it in the dirt, moving toward the orange barrier wall with a worried brow in silence.

Hatch and Jara exit from the two-seater flyer and cuddle together, following behind the back spine of Ketona in silence.

I stop and stand, pointing at the barrier wall with a stern face. "Okay. This is about the exact spot which is about a few feet from the old tractor plow, where Buffo and I tore through the barrier wall, diving down inside Dandine to retrieve ya'll." I don't bother wiping off the orange dust from the barrier wall, because I can't see the interior of Dandine. I squat down and wiggle the first sliced magnet strap in the air.

Hatch and Jara move ahead and split, squatting down between the sides of Ketona in silence.

I exhale with worry. "Okay. A few minutes ago, Hatch and I on the opposite side of the Montag barrier wall placed the first magnet into the wall. Then the ions separated the hole a tiny bit. However, I observed both the smell and the noise. Now, we all know that Dandine doesn't smell like Montag. So, after I place the first magnet into the wall, then we wait and see if there is any action inside the interior of the barrier wall of Dandine." Hatch and Jara nod in silence. I lift and hold the first magnet strip near the wall. My hand shakes with nervousness and fear. I stab the wall. The first magnet slowly penetrates the solid wall, wiggling the magnet side to side, expanding the ions for a better look-see. I gasp with shock.

The expanded peek hole shows a single metal leg of yellow tinted color that is tucked inside a matching jumpsuit. The me-chee machine is stationary without moving or making a munching noise, since the ground is grass inside Dandine.

I quickly jerk out the first magnet from the barrier wall with a worried brow. The wall consolidates very fast into a solid object without injury, leaving a tiny indentation on both sides inside Dandine and Burrville.

Jara shakes her curls and looks down at both hands with a worried brow. "No, it can't be. This can't be happening, not now, not here."

Hatch stands upright with a puzzled brow over the hair roots of Ketona and turns to see the hair roots of Jara, "What can't be happening, babe? I don't understand what you're saying here."

I exhale with worry and stand upright, side stepping over ten more feet from my original position. Jara stands upright beside Ketona and turns with a silence nod. I stab the first magnet strip into the barrier wall as it wiggles the ions to separate. The tiny open hole shows the color of yellow on the back spine of the me-chee machine. I quickly jerk out the magnet, before the me-chee machine is alarmed with the sound of the teens.

Jara exhales with worry and shakes her curls at the barrier wall. "Do you remember the location where we all exited from Dandine, the other night, Ketona?"

I back step from the wall and swing around, jogging toward the exit spot on the barrier wall, stopping and stand in front of the solid wall with a stern face. "Okay. It probably isn't exactly the same exit point, but it will be close enough." I squat down in the dirt and hold the first magnet.

Jara and Hatch follow behind the back spine of Ketona and squat down in the dirt next to Ketona.

I turn and nod in silence to Jara. She turns and nods back in silence. I swing a face and stab the first magnet into the wall. The opening reveals a second leg in the color of yellow tinted color as the me-chee machine wears a matching jumpsuit and stands in place in front of the barrier wall. I quickly jerk the magnet out from the wall with a stern face, "Dang!"

Hatch stands upright and parks both hands on a hip with a confused brow, shaking his cropped hair of blonde. "What the fudge is going on here? There is a row of me-chee machines holding post inside the barrier walls of both Dandine and Montag. I don't get it."

Jara stands upright and turns with a sad face to see Hatch, reaching out and touches his chest with a nod. "The me-chee machines are looking for us, honey. We have successfully escaped from Dandine. The me-chees are like a row of police officers looking for us and then we are to be returned back into Dandine. I guess."

Hatch frowns. "No, we didn't escape from Dandine. We left on our own free will with Buffo and Ketona. Now, we're farmers, instead of dookie workers. That's all!"

Jara nods with a sad face, "Yes, the me-chee machines are posted at the exact entrance points of our exit from the other night out of Dookie Town. We left our jobs and our house and our township. We don't live inside Colfax or Burrville or Hamlin. We failed and fell into the yellow color tone back then. Now, we will live in Dandine for the rest of our lives..."

"No." Hatch frowns. "I am not going back into Dookie Town ever. I like living here in Burrville with Buffo and Ketona. Yeah, I wanna be a farmer here forever. And how do you explain the lineup of me-chee machines inside Montag? We don't live there ever. We don't know anyone there. Look. I don't know why the me-chees are guarding the barrier wall. And I don't care..."

Jara nods with a sad face. "I know why. We exited from Dandine. Then, we entered through Montag. We were wearing the same cat suits from the Cubby Hole. The cat suits are tracking our signature or heat or something. The Establishment is after us. We should turn ourselves into the mayor..."  
"No." I smile. "The cat suit was deactivated, after we left the Cubby Hole. Well actually, it was made from charged electrons which protected us, passing through the different park places inside the Cubby Hole and which were surrounded by e-fields. Like now, the jumpsuit is protecting or allowing us to pass through the barrier wall into Dandine and Montag. It's not being tracked. You can't track an e-field. Electrons are everywhere in the sky, on the ground, and in your hair curls, Jara. Anyways, I think that I supply another quick eye test seeing what is actually going on here."

Hatch frowns. "What test?"

I spin around with a grin and move toward the flyer. "Load onto your flyer and follow me!" I wrap into the webbing and lift it into the air, soaring toward the barrier wall of Colfax.

Hatch and Jara follow behind the flyer of Ketona with intrigue.

08:32 pm

Southeastern location

Orange tinted barrier wall

Wall intersection points of Colfax and Burrville

They land one at a time on top of the orange dirt and unwrap from each flyer.

They move ahead toward the orange colored barrier wall in silence.

I said. "On the opposite side of this orange wall is the golden barrier wall that leads into Colfax. Now, the landscape of Burrville is surrounded by a yellow wall, a blue wall, and a golden wall. We have checked the opposite sides of the colored blue and yellow barrier walls, seeing a row of me-chee machines. I am not going to guess here. Let's squat and take a peek-a-boo." I stop and squat down on both kneecaps in the dirt in front of the barrier wall, exhaling with nervousness.

Hatch and Jara squat down on each side of Ketona for a good view from the tiny hole in silence.

I watch my hand shake and slowly move the first magnet toward the solid barrier wall. The magnet sucks nicely into the wall. The open hole reveals a metal leg of gold tint. I quickly jerk the magnet out from the wall and fall backward onto a back spine with pant.

Jara bursts into tears. Hatch stands and rushes to Jara, kneeling in the dirt with a worried brow at the barrier wall, "The row of me-chee machines are after us. The Establishment is trying to locate us. The mayor is trying to trap us here inside Burrville."

I gasp. "I don't agree, Hatch. They don't know where you are at. So, the Establishment has surrounded the orange barrier wall from the outside with a line of me-chee machines, hoping to find something. I can't read the purpose of the Establishment. And a me-chee machine is not programmed for fighting or warfare. This makes no sense to me. Okay. We are going to do something."

Jara sobs with tears and a whisper of worry, "There's nothing to do. We must turn ourselves in, Hatch. I don't..."

"No!" I stand upright and shake my gloves and my curls. "No. I completely disagree with that suggestion."

Jara stands upright with the aid of Hatch, cuddling into his shoulder with sobs and tears. "That's the reason for the mayor's visit to Burrville. They were looking for us."

I spin around with a smile and move toward the flyer. "No, they are investigating the tiny dents within the solid barrier wall from the three magnets which is really stupid and a waste of time. An e-field can't be harmed, only modified." I stop and lift the flyer, webbing into the metal for the flight back home.

Jara stops with a set of tears and stares at the back spine of Ketona. "The Establishment is looking for you, Ketona. You modified, changed, or separated the e-field with the set of stupid magnets. They're hunting for you, too. They're hunting for us. Then they'll..."

I swing around and wear the flyer with a laugh and a nod to see Jara. "I have another theory. The Establishment thinks that you have escaped through one of the transports from Dandine. You both are living as a pair of fugitives inside Colfax or Montag or Dandine, thus the standing and stationary row of colorful me-chee machines. Else, they would have a lineup of me-chees here inside the orange barrier wall. The mayor does not know that you're here inside Burrville. So, let's keep that secret from her and them. I got an idea, Hatch. Do you feel like some dirty work, tonight?"

Jara stomps a boot heel with sobs and tears. "No, I will not be a part of this or your new scheme. I wanna go back home, now. I'm scared and afraid and frightened of our future, Hatch."

Hatch leans over and cuddles her with a smile. "Go back to the farm home, babe. I'll been home after me and Ketona get some decorations inside Montag for the birthday party on Saturday night. Okay?"

I unlatch my flyer and hand to Jara with a nod and a smile. "Not tonight, we will do that tomorrow night." I smile. "Good back to the farm home, Jara. Hatch and I are planning for the party. Don't worry."

Jara exhales with worry to see Ketona. He leans over and kisses her lips, pulling back with a whisper and a smile. She nods in silence. He reaches over and accepts the single personal flyer from Ketona, assisting her to load into flyer, kissing her lips again, back stepping from Jara and the heated engine with a smile and a nod. The flyer lifts up from the dirt and soars back to the farm house of Ketona. Hatch slowly turns and watches her fly away with a worried brow until the flyer is a small dot inside the orange dust.

I reach over and slap him on the bicep with a smile. "We go back to the Dandine barrier wall. I got a great idea." I turn and jog toward the two-seater flyer, grabbing and sit inside the shared bench seat, allowing Hatch to fly the machine.

The flyer lifts up from the dirt and soars back to the Dandine wall intersection.

08:45 pm

Northeastern location

Orange tinted barrier wall

Wall intersection points of Burrville and Dandine

Hatch lands the two-seater flyer in the dirt and keeps the machine upright.

I unwrap from the webbing and jump down from the air, landing on top of the dirt on both boot heels, jogging toward the barrier wall with a smile.

Hatch kills the engine and rests the flyer over the dirt, slowly following behind the back spine of Ketona in silence and stops beside her.

I stand upright in front of the solid wall and turn with a smile to see Hatch. "Here, we are again back in front of Dookie Town. Listen to this logic, Hatch! The Establishment does not know where you are hiding out. Okay?"

"Okay."

"They have planted a row of me-chee machines around the outer barrier walls, in case one or both of you surface inside the city for some silly reason. Then they will capture you."

"Okay."

I nod. "However, you and Jara are inside Burrville, which is beyond their smarts."

He laughs, "Okay."

"So, we make them think that you and Jara are still inside Dookie Town like hiding or playing or something fun..."

He frowns. "Not okay..."

"This is my new plan. We steal the entire row of me-chee machines along the barrier wall and then make it look like you and Jara are still inside Dookie Town just playing a game or something silly. Then the Establishment will withdraw the other rows of me-chee machines away from the other barrier walls inside Colfax and Montag."

Hatch frowns. "I understand stealing all the me-chees by using the magnets and pulling the robots inside the dirt field. But what does it matter if there are me-chees lining the barrier walls in Montag and Colfax?"

I smile. "I wanna drive the mayor bananas with my illogic. When we steal all these me-chee machines here, she will have to replace them with another duplicate row of more me-chee machines here inside Dandine. Then, we steal the other set of me-chee machines along the barrier walls of Montag instead, tomorrow night. The mayor will get really confused and befuddled and be gone."

He exhales. "I don't know, Ketona. The mayor will get really mad and upset at me and Jara as we are the real life fugitives here inside this nightmare story tale."

"At whom, a set of fictional ghosts that is living inside Dookie Town? No, the folks of Dandine will get mad and then band her pair of designer shoes from their fair city. Pookie dookie on the mayor," I giggle with a nod.

He exhales. "Someone might figure it out. Then they will come and find us..."

I smile. "Figure what out? The barrier wall is alive and eats machines. The barrier wall splits and then parts for some strange reason, allowing people to pass through into another dimension. Now, that is fantasy fiction for almost everyone, but me and you. Do you wanna do this or not?"

He nods with a smile, "Yeah, I do."

I lift and wiggle the two sliced off magnets with a smile. "Okay. You still have the two magnet strips. I am going to start on the end. You start on the opposite side..."

"No. You start in the middle. I'll start on the end. Then, we jump around from the middle to the end and then toward the opposite end and then back into the middle. We want the disappearance of entire row of me-chee machines to appear like a tiger attack or a lightning bolt strike. Lightning never strikes in the same place twice."

I smile with a nod. "Yeah, that's a great idea. Remember? The kill switch locations for the female..."

He laughs with a nod. "The left of everything, I got it."

I move ahead and stand upright on a set of tippy toes, stabbing the first magnet into the wall, creating a sideways opening.

Hatch turns and jogs toward the wall intersection of the golden barrier wall of Colfax and the yellow barrier wall of Dandine, stopping and swings around, stabbing the first and second magnets into the wall. The me-chee machine falls backward through the sideways opening, landing in the dirt. He hits the female on the breast with a smile, making her power off.

I stab the second magnet into the wall. The me-chee machine falls backward and almost lands on top of my boot. I slide to the left out of the way and then kick him into the kill switch. The me-chee machine powers down.

Hatch and I continue to part the solid barrier wall in selected spots and drop down one after another me-chee machine into the orange dirt. Each me-chee machine falls backward and lands down on a back spine with a swift kick from Hatch or Ketona. Then it rests quietly over the orange soil.

I scoot sideways from the last me-chee machine that fall backward from the open hole of the barrier wall inside Dandine as it lands onto a back spine. I reach out and kick it near the leg. The me-chee machine stops the action of squealing and moving. I squat down and flips up the throat panel underneath the chin, re-programming the machine for my voice recognition pattern only with my trusty screwdriver, ensuring it's loyal only to me. I say with a natural soprano timber. "Me."

10:01 pm

I stand upright with a stern face, after re-programming each me-chee machine with my voice command and say in my natural soprano timber, "Me-chees, stand!" Every single me-chee machine stands upright before Ketona. I smile and say in my natural soprano timber. "Follow behind me." I spin around and jog toward the waiting two-seater flyer, loading inside.

Hatch lifts from the dirt and flies through the air.

A neat row of me-chee machines run behind the two-seater flyer without panting or crumbling.

10:10 pm

Farm house of Ketona

Kitchen setting

Hatch lands the two-seater flyer on top of the dirt.

I un-wrap the webbing and slide out, leading the neat column of silver tinted me-chee machines through the rear door inside the kitchen of my farm house and stop. The neat column of me-chee machines stop also. A me-chee machine is not programmed to harm a human. I spin around with a stern face and a new order in my natural soprano timber, "All me-chees, go and stay inside the fourth bedroom which is up the upstairs on the second floor, on the east side of the sun. Then, stand quietly for my next command. Go, me-chees!" the neat row of me-chee machine scoot around Ketona and Jara, marching down the semi-dark hallway, turning and march up the staircase, disappearing out of sight.

Jara moves ahead and stops in front of Ketona with a sneer. "All the doors are missing."

I frown with puzzlement. "All the doors are missing." I turn and see the exposed and peeled wood of the rear door. "Why are all the doors missing? Where are the doors located?"

Jara points up with a sneer to the ceiling. "Upstairs! All the bedroom and closet doors are missing, Ketona. Your me-chee servant has ripped off every metal door and the set of metal door hinges, leaving all the exposed nails."

I slap my forehead with a laugh. "The doors are made of metal. Dang! Did you see the first me-chee machine do that action?"

Jara frowns. "It ripped off the last door and then left me behind, peeing on top of the toilet."

I cover a mouth with my silly giggles and spin around, leaving the house, laughing out loud with amusement and load into a single flyer, still laughing. I lift into the air and wipe off the funny tears of humor, flying toward the barn to check on the first programmed me-chee machine.

10:23 pm

Barn interior setting

Hot temperatures and windy orange mist

I land the flyer outside in the dirt and cut off the air fan. The barn is quiet without sound. I remove the flier and rest it over the dirt with a puzzled brow, slowly strolling toward the closed barn door. The set of soldering equipment lies beside the closed door. I reach out and slowly open the handle.

The me-chee machine faces the door and stands upright in the middle of the new floor, blinking a set of green eyeballs for ready. The new floor is smoothly built of steel metal in an assortment of light tans, beiges, black, and green metal tints.

I move ahead over the smooth floor without feeling a bump or a pot hole with a smile of happiness, stopping in front of the me-chee machine with a nod. "Good job, me-chee! Pick up the soldering equipment from the dirt. Walk back four point six miles. Then, enter the rear door of the kitchen space. Then, climb up the staircase and park your metal can inside the fourth door on the second floor, on the east side of the sun. Then, stand next to the closest me-chee machine and quiet for my next command. Go, me-chee!" The me-chee machine moves forward and exits the interior of the barn.

The barn door remains open.

I turn and scan the barn with a smile of excitement. All the walls, the ceiling, and the floor glow in shiny dull ugly colored metal. "It is looking better." I clap with a smile and spin around, exiting the barn for my home with an ugly yawn. I wrap into the flyer and lift up from the dirt, soaring back home, leaving the barn door closed and escort the electromagnetic cart back to the farm house.
Sixth day of employment

City of Colfax

08:02 am

Hanging bridge setting

Warm temperatures with bright sunshine

Four miles per hour, south by southwest

Each intern climbs the one hundred and one steps of the tallest building in Colfax, moving through the interior of the mayor's office.

Rincon cuddles and crosses the high balcony with Duchie, slowly pacing across the open hanging bridge, feeling the light wind slap a face at a height of hundred stories of nothingness. Rincon pulls her closer into a chest with a whisper of secret words into her eardrum. She giggles with a nod.

They exit onto the opposite side of the hanging bridge and slowly move toward the closed door of the map room.

"Rincon," the voice carries over the air waves, coming from the opposite side of the hanging bridge.

Rincon halts with a sigh and spin around both him and Duchie around to see Marsilla.

Marsilla stands away from the hanging bridge lip on the other side of the high balcony in front of the window and waves a hand with a sour frown. "Rincon, you promised to escort me across the bridge, every morning. Did you forget this morning? It is extremely windy, today."

Rincon frowns with fury. "No."

Marsilla drops open a mouth. "Rincon, I can't cross the bridge by myself. I need your assistance, please."

"No." Rincon frowns with fury.

Marsilla slaps both hands down to her legs with fury. "Intern Rincon, get back over here, now. I need your assistance to cross the dangerous hanging bridge. I'm afraid of heights and..."

"Ask Nephella for assistance in crossing the dangerous hanging bridge, Marsilla." He spins around and moves with Duchie toward the closed door of the map room. The door opens. He and Duchie enter and close the door like the mayor wants. The door slams shut.

Marsilla swings around with a gasp to see Nephella.

Nephella squats down over the balcony floor and reaches out, burning a pile of white colored bird pookie with the lighted cigar. The pookie smell annoys Marsilla which makes Nephella happy. Nephella stands upright and waves the cigar in the air, sniffing the smell that reminds of her dead grandfather. The cigar smell also annoys Marsilla, making Nephella happier.

Marsilla sways side to side and side steps from the smelly cigar with a smile. "Nephella, can you escort me over the dangerous hanging bridge that is hundred stories high? Rincon was gonna do it, but he had already crossed today..."

"No." Nephella stomps toward the bridge lip and slaps a foot over the first tile with a smirk.

Marsilla swings around with a set of parted lips, exhaling with fear. She is seriously afraid of heights, including the hanging bridge, without a set of hand railings. If she doesn't attend every morning the map room lecture, then she will lose her good job as a legal technician or get something worse among the five dream jobs like a me-chee designer technician. She swings around and scans the balcony for another person inside the office with the mayor.

No one is present.

The mayor doesn't have any type of staff members, so no one is every present inside the mayor's office. And the mayor is not present either.

She gasps with fear.

The mayor is inside the map room, without Marsilla.

Marsilla swings around to face the hanging bridge, exhaling and inhaling with a set of deep breaths of fear and a whisper. "You can do this. Take one step at a time." She slowly moves toward the edge of the hanging bridge, staring down at the set of small trees from the 104th floor on top of the flat open balcony of the tall building. She back steps with a gasp of panic. "Do not look down."

She moves ahead toward the first tile of the hanging bridge and stares ahead at the closed door of the map room on the opposite side of the balcony, exhaling with a set of deep breathes of confidence. She slowly steps forward and lands a foot on the first tile, shuffling the other foot onto the second tile with a smile. The wind blows from the left side with a great mighty force.

Marsilla screams and back steps from the hanging bridge with relief. "That was too close." She exhales with worry and holds both arms to the side, balancing a body, stepping onto the first tile, waving both arms up and down for balance. Then, she steps onto the second tile and waves both arms for more balance. The wind blows from the left with a great mighty force.

She closes her eyelashes and grinds her molars, opening her eyelashes and moves one foot at a time over the hanging bridge. She picks up the pace and moves one foot after another quickly over the hanging bridge, landing on the other side, exhaling and inhaling with a set of deep breathes. She wipes the sweat from a face and move ahead toward the closed door.

The door opens.

08:18 am

Map room setting

Marsilla enters the map room.

Duchie sits on top of the glass table surface of the chair as usual with a grin at Marsilla. Rincon and Nephella sit inside a glass desk and join the laughter.

The mayor stands in the middle of the platform with a smile and a clap. "Good job, Marsilla! You have finally conquered your fear of heights."

Marsilla moves ahead with a sour frown toward her assigned glass desk. "Sorta," she sits down and fiddles with the necklace cell.

The mayor turns and smiles to each face. "Good morning, interns. Welcome to another day of my personal character building session. Today, we will focus on the characteristic of respect."

"Before we continue with our morning's lecture, Ms. Mayor, I would like to point out that there was some late night activity on the barrier wall." Marsilla fiddles with her necklace cell. The map of Colfax and the surrounding townships appear on the wall. She points to the wall with a smile. "There are more than twenty new black circles, kissing the barrier wall inside the outer township of Burrville from last night. Do you see the wall map? I do believe that Rincon can easily explain the disturbances."

Rincon chuckles with a nod to Marsilla. "Actually, I can. It is the stationary farming blades of the tractors, banging against the barrier wall. We visited, inspected, and confirmed that business activity on Monday morning after sunrise this week, intern Marsilla. How many times am I required to explain these non-threatening phenomena, idiot Marsilla?" Duchie and Nephella laugh with Rincon.

Marsilla sneers, "The same number of times that you promised to..."

The mayor frowns with confusion and smashes the nose bridge piercing into ugliness on her wrinkled skin. "I accept the tractor explanation which is the banging action against the barrier wall inside Burrville. However, I am now receiving the single report too that the entire row of me-chee machines is missing on the barrier wall inside Dandine. Why would that be so, Duchie?"

Duchie frowns. "I don't know."

Marsilla smirks to Duchie. "We should immediately investigate, Ms. Mayor. This is serious matter within Dookie Town. The populous is rebelling against the Establishment..."

Nephella stands upright from the chair with a sour frown at Marsilla. "We gotta cross the dangerous hanging bridge again to access the travel car, intern Marsilla. Ya betta get moving now. Or the last one doesn't fit into the car to tour Dandine for a second time." She turns and moves toward the closed door with a grin and a laugh.

Rincon and Duchie stand with a laugh and follow behind the back spine of Nephella toward the closed door.

Marsilla drops open a mouth and slams down a face onto the glass desk, exhaling with fear.

The mayor turns and moves toward the closed door with a grin and a giggle, "Intern Marsilla, please come and hurry along. I do not have all day."

08:27 am

Outer township of Dandine

Yellow barrier wall setting

Cool temperatures and windy

Yellow dust particles with blue sky and white clouds

Both car doors close shut.

The other interns and the mayor laugh for amusement.

The travel car lifts up from the gray pavement inside Colfax and flies forward for a few feet, halting within the air waves, burning the manicured grass near the barrier wall for a second time. The point grill of the travel car slowly punches through the golden colored barrier wall and emerges to the other side of the yellow colored barrier wall of Dandine.

The travel car slowly soars through the air waves and halts, landing on top of the manicured grass for a second time.

Both doors slid open.

The mayor scoots out from the bench first and dashes ahead toward the yellow colored barrier wall, stopping with a gasp. "The barrier wall is empty. Where is the neat row of the silver tinted me-chee machines that wear a yellow jumpsuit?" Each intern moves out of the travel car and follows behind her back spine. The mayor spins around with a sour frown to see each intern. "I want each one of you to examine every square inch of this barrier wall. Report to me the tiniest indentations. I am getting to the bottom of this mystery, my way or another way."

Rincon, Duchie, and Nephella turn and look at each other with a stern face and a shoulder shrug without Marsilla. They slowly separate and move ahead toward the barrier wall, stopping, rubbing away the yellow dust with a pair of electromagnetic gloves, examining for any indentations.

The mayor spins away from the interns and moves ahead toward the first worker. The worker stands in front of the cesspool and stirs the long stick inside the water, wearing the Dandine yellow gear of a jumpsuit, a helmet, a scarf, a pair of gloves, and the non-standard pair of sunglasses. The mayor snarls with fury at the back spine of the worker. "What has happened to the row of gleaming silver colored me-chee machines that were standing along this portion of the yellow coloring barrier wall here in Dandine?"

The worker stirs the devise down into the cesspool, without looking at the mayor. "Don't know."

The mayor sneers at the back spine of the worker. "I am the mayor of Colfax. Where is the row of the numerous me-chee machines that had been lining this portion of the yellow colored barrier wall?"

"Don't know," the worker stirs the stick down inside the cesspool.

The mayor exhales with fury and swings around, moving toward the eating table of workers, thumbing back over a collar bone at the barrier wall with a sneer. "I am the mayor of Colfax. Where is the row of the numerous me-chee machines that was lining this portion of the yellow colored barrier wall? They were assigned here yesterday afternoon."

The first worker looks down at the lunch. "Don't know."

The second worker looks down at the wall. "They left."

The mayor snorts. "They left. And where exactly did they go?"

The third worker smiles at the mayor with food particles in the teeth. "They walked away from that wall. I guess they want home to Colfax, right? They come from Colfax like you, right?" She chews the food.

The mayor snarls. "Who is in charge here in Dandine?"

The fourth worker chuckles and chews the food. "You are. You're the mayor of everything, right?"

The mayor sneers. "Who is the authority figure over the city of Dandine?"

The fifth worker smiles with a set of food particles between the front teeth. "We don't have an awful figure like you. We rule ourselves. We pay ourselves. We take care of ourselves. Period!"

The mayor snarls. "I rule here. And I will prove it." She spins around with a sneer and dashes toward the travel car with a yell. "Interns, please get inside the car. We're traveling back to my office, immediately."

08:47 am

City of Colfax

Map room setting

Marsilla stands in the middle of the elevated platform with a sour frown as she was too afraid to travel across the hanging bridge for a second time, this morning.

The mayor leads the three other interns into the map room. The three other silly interns elbow and chuckle behind the back spine of the mayor, sliding into their individual assigned glass desk with a smile of mischief.

Marsilla turns and pouts at the mayor. "Ms. Mayor, what did you discover at the sight inside Burrville? Did Rincon tell...?"

The mayor struts into the middle of the room and points at the wall of maps, stopping and stands beside Marsilla with a sour frown. "We did not visit the outer township of Burrville. There is nothing or no body inside the farmlands. However, there is something or someone inside Dandine. I have ordered and doubled the number of me-chee machines around that portion of the yellow colored barrier wall. These dang dookie workers are not going to beat me either. Duchie, what is wrong with your people in there?"

Duchie moves and stops, sitting on top of the desk, wiggling the boot with a frown at the mayor, "This is nothing wrong with my people in Dandine."

Marsilla frowns with annoyance. "The answer is located inside Burrville, not Dandine. The black circles were created within the dirt of the farmlands, not outside the cesspools of the sewer plants. And I have told you that Rincon knows the..."

"I am not concerned about a set of echoing pings of black circles, intern Marsilla. That is old news. We have indentified and confirmed that the black circles which are pings come from the various metal equipment modules that hit onto the numerous spots on the barrier wall. If I could stop the pinging on the walls, I would. However, I have a most serious situation. I am missing a wall of me-chee machines inside Dandine. Where is the row of me-chee machines, Duchie?"

Duchie frowns with annoyance. "Don't know. Don't live there anymore."

Marsilla gasps. "The row of me-chee machines is missing from Dandine barrier wall. I know. They are located inside the outer township of Burrville. Tell the mayor how this is all possible, Rincon?"

The mayor frowns. "Did the workers destroy entire row of me-chee machines, Duchie?"

Duchie frowns. "Don't know."

Rincon asks. "Were the entire row of me-chee machines programmed to come back home to Colfax at a specific time, this morning?"

Nephella frowns. "No, it would require the travel truck to penetrate and then pick up all the machines. No truck has been scheduled today or last night or for tomorrow either."

The mayor turns and smiles at her daughter, "That is a very good point, daughter. Did the workers kidnap an entire row of me-chee machines, Duchie?"

Duchie frowns. "Don't know."

Marsilla turns and strolls around the elevated platform, looking down at the clean floor with a stern face, "So, if the entire row of me-chee machines is not destroyed or not captured or not back home here in Colfax, then they must be located within another portion of the yellow tinted barrier wall inside Dandine by a mistake or a something else."

The mayor gasps with a nod. "That is an excellent observation, intern Marsilla! The entire row of me-chee machines is positioned on the opposite side of the assigned barrier wall spot."

Rincon frowns. "Are the robots tracked or traced by the computer?"

Nephella smiles, "Naw, the dumb machines are only dumb machines. They follow commands, without question."

Marsilla gasps with a clap. "Don't you see? Someone told the entire row of me-chee machines to walk toward the other side of the barrier wall and stay. Rincon can go and get them for you, Ms. Mayor."

The mayor looks down and types with a sour frown onto the screen of her cell. "There will be no need for anymore traveling through a barrier wall today. I have doubled the number of me-chee machines along the yellow colored barrier wall within Dandine, where we have found both the silly writing and the strange cold spot indentations. This should permanently stop any additional annoying mischievous teens from whacking at the barrier wall. And the original set of me-chee machines is guarding the opposite side along a parallel barrier wall inside Dandine. Yes, I believe that I have solved the issue for the day and the rest of my days. Now, we will move along with the next session of character building which is respect..."

Marsilla smiles with a giggle. "Ms. Mayor, is the row of me-chee machines still lining the barrier wall inside Montag by chance or luck or either?"

The mayor looks down with a sour frown to see the tiny screen on her cell, "Yes."

Marsilla nods with a smile. "Ms. Mayor, you should take more precaution and double the line of me-chee machines along the blue colored barrier wall inside Montag. The teens have struck with one crime. They are very bold. They will strike again, maybe tonight. Thieves like to strike more than once for fun..."

"No." The mayor looks up with a sour frown and smashes the nose bridge into ugliness on her distorted face. "I do not believe the cookie crime in Montag is seriously related to the whacking indentations on the barrier wall inside Dandine. Thank you for your advice, intern Marsilla. The rows of numerous me-chee machines are all in position now for safe-guarding the both walls and the Colfaxians here. For the third character building session..."

Nephella wiggles side to side inside the glass chair with a sour frown, "Mother, out of curiosity, what are the other character building sessions?"

The mayor turns and smiles at her daughter, "Pride and sacrifice..."

Outer township of Burrville

06:45 pm

Home of Buffo's grandparents

Hot temperatures with sunset of red and blue

The grandmother of Buffo stands from the dining room table with a sigh, holding the dirty plates, turning and moves into the kitchen.

I stand upright from the chair and turn, following the standard evening ritual, assisting in washing the evening dirty plate and platter.

Each family member in silence and swiftness washes then dries and finally stacks each plate, platter, and dish inside the upper and lower kitchen cabinets.

I swing around and dash toward the rear door with a smile.

Buffo reaches out and grabs Ketona by the arm, cuddling her with a smile and a whisper. "Honey, I'm going to bed. I am feeling overworked and stuffed like a piglet from the good food." He leans over and kisses her hair roots, pulling back with a smile, "Good night, Ketona, darling. See you for breakfast meal. Okay?"

I hug him with a smile and pull back with a nod, "Okay, sweetheart, see you at breakfast meal, tomorrow," I release him and exit the main family farm house.

07:32 pm

Farm house of Ketona

Kitchen setting

I dash across the yard and up the short bricked steps, slamming open the front door inside the quiet house. I stomp up the staircase and meet Jara and Hatch.

They smile and cuddle with each other.

I smile at the love couple with a clap. "We go into Montag tonight and collect all the party decorations. Everyone is pooped and tired and retiring to bed inside the main farm house as well. They won't be a bother to me and my precious party plans..."

"Buffo, is he coming too?" Hatch frowns.

I shake my curls with a stern face, "Nope. He's tired from farming. The men-folk do more of heavy lifting with their muscles and arms. Since Buffo is buff, he has bunches of work with his muscles and arms from sunup to sundown." I turn and view the window inside the kitchen. "And the sun is asleep. Let's get moving! We got all night to shop and spend chips too."

Hatch frowns. "I should be helping out there on the farmland, too. I'm strong and healthy, too."

I reach out and pat his arm with a stern face. "You will. We decorate the horse barn for the birthday party and then slowly introduce you and Jara around to the elderly people. Once they get used to seeing your face, you and Jara can be adopted here within Burrville, too. And then, you will start working on the farm, getting tired like Buffo and going to bed at seven at night." I swing around with a laugh and climb down the staircase, moving through the hallway into the kitchen and exit out the rear door, leading Hatch and Jara into the work garage.

They load and lift into an individual flyer.

I lead the flight and pull the e-field cart toward the barrier wall for the new set of purchased supplies for the birthday party.

07:43 pm

Northeastern location

Intersection points of Montag and Burrville

Hot temperatures and windy with moonlight

I land on top of the dirt and unwrap, gently dropping the flyer over the dirt. The e-field cart hovers with the air waves in place. I move ahead toward the barrier wall and stop, squatting down, stabbing the first magnet into the solid wall. The tiny open hole reveals a single metal leg of blue. The me-chee machine is stationary in a blue jumpsuit.

I turn and present a 'thumbs up signal' to Hatch, indicating that I have located the line-up of me-chee machines on the far side of the barrier wall. The me-chee machines are posed against the barrier wall, watching for fugitives of Hatch and Jara within Montag.

He and Jara are positioned down on the opposite side of Ketona. He returns the 'thumbs up signal' indicating another line-up of me-chee machines in front of his face.

I nod in silence and turn, stabbing the second magnet into the solid part of wall. The wall splits and parts a bigger hole. The me-chee machine falls backward and lands down in the dirt. I stand and kick the male between the legs with a giggle. The me-chee machine powers down.

08:11 pm

Hatch and I have successful parted the barrier wall, revealing twenty more me-chee machines. They both have kicked and punched the vital metal part making the machine power down.

Hatch, Jara, and I move and stand over the last me-chee. I smile with a nod. "Okay. The hillside is cleaned or cleared or concentrated with unseen me-chee machines."

Jara turns and frowns at the barrier wall. "Don't scare me."

Hatch cuddles her with a laugh, "I protect your fine body, doll."

I exhale. "You take the e-field cart and buy all the decorations and whatever you want. We are not going to visit any of the shops of Montag until next week, so the Establishment forgets about both of you and concentrates on something else new. I will re-program each me-chee machine..."

Hatch frowns. "The two bedrooms are getting really crowded with the upright silence and shiny machines. It is standing room only." Jara leans over and tickles his chest. He chuckles with a smile. "What are you going to do with all the me-chees, Ketona? If you're caught housing them here?"

I nod with a smile. "I know that, too. My programming is only temporary. Then, I'll un-program them and place them back inside Montag and Dandine along the appropriate portions of the colored barrier walls. That will really confuse, Ms. Mayor and her scattered neurons. I really don't like her. You and Hatch get going now before all the retails stores close down. I'm going to march these bad boys and girls back to the barn. I got some black and silver paint cans. They can be painting the floor, the walls, and the ceiling in pretty colors while you shop. Come back to the barn and unload. Then we'll finish our party decorations tomorrow. O. I got two of the magnet strips. Gimme your two magnets! I will open the hole with the three magnets then continue to leave it open for your return. You stroll inside Montag and then jerk out the three magnets from the other side. We shouldn't take any chance that there really are a set of dense stationary me-chee machines further down the barrier wall. Good luck!"

Hatch hands Ketona the two magnets strips with a smile, dragging Jara toward her flier, assisting her into the flier with a kiss. He spins around and moves to the Ketona's flyer, loading it onto his back spine, lifting it up from the dirt with the empty e-field cart behind the engines.

I turn and move ahead toward the wall, stopping and reaching up, stabbing the first magnet into the smooth surface. Then, I stab the second magnet near my foot. I stab the third magnet above my head on the right side. The barrier wall falls into a perfect right angle, exposing the purple sunset of Montag.

Hatch smoothly guides through the wide opening in the flyer, towing the single e-field cart. Jara follows behind him. Hatch halts and hover the flyer in the air, sliding down, trotting back to the open hole, standing with a wink to Ketona. He jerks out the three magnets. The barrier wall collapses into a solid form again.

I stare at the wall with worry and swing around, pulling out my handy screwdriver. Each me-chee machine has nicely dropped down onto the metal back spine which makes a re-programming job really quick and easy within five hundred pounds of solid lead.

I move to the first me-chee machine and kneel, flipping up the throat panel, tapping the flat tip of the screwdriver and create the new program code for the machine. I say in my natural soprano, "Me." I stand upright and moved to the next me-chee machine, repeating the procedure and pondering the fate of my friends Hatch and Jara.

Buffo was so depressed, after we had landed inside the outer township of Burrville, missing his neighbor childhood friend Hatch. Then he was so happy when he and Ketona had rescued Hatch and Jara from Dookie Town.

I'm shocked that someone actually has noticed that both Hatch and Jara are missing from Dookie Town.

Jara secretly confessed during one of our late night chats that she didn't work one precious minute on her new dookie job assignment. She moved off the travel truck transport from the barrier wall and then into the tiniest house within Dandine, where she stayed and cried every day and hour.

Hatch wore the silly yellow colored helmet, the matching accessories of gloves, scarf, and jumpsuit, matching with the rest of the yellow colored dookie workers. He didn't receive any introduction to the other workers or training for his new dookie job. He stood at one of the many cesspools, stirring the long stick device down into the black water, checking for growing toxins on the gauge. Then he walked back home and ate lunch with Jara. Then he walked back to work for his job and then went back home at the end of his shift.

I slam the throat panel shut on the twelfth me-chee machine, after re-programming my secret code and stand upright from the machine, rubbing my fanny and move toward number thirteen.

Yeah, I counted.

The farm tractor ride jolts and jerks a body side to side inside an uncomfortable seat. My fanny gets a good workout along with my lean teen arms. I'm building up some good muscles, too.

Based on Hatch and Jara's story, the dookie folks do not know or do not care if they leave Dookie Town. And the Establishment does not maintain a consensus log of the current population of infants, children, teens, adults and elderly either, since the Cubby Hole determines the teen's fate or find or failure.

My pondering question bombarding my smart neurons, how did the Establishment know about Hatch and Jara escaping from Dookie Town?

After the birthday party, I will announce to the Buffo's extended family members that Hatch and Jara are permanently living inside the tiny farm house. Then, Hatch and Jara will get to stay and work on the farm for the rest of their lives.

I stand upright and shuffle toward the fifteenth me-chee machine with a deep sigh, staring down at the me-chee machine and then the openness of the plowed crop field. This is my life which is a farmer on a farm. This is the 'bestest' moment of my arrival so far on the farm in Burrville.

Buffo provides no more fun anymore. He eats, works, baths, sleeps, and rinses then repeats for the next day.

I whisper with a sour frown. "Yeah, this is my life for the rest of my breathing days and lonely nights, a farmer. Then, I will become a farmer's wife of more lonely nights." I giggle with a smile. "When intern Rincon visited the farm, he said something about the mayor needing to fill the fifth dream job. Now, which dream job would that be inside Colfax?" I squat down and flip up the throat panel, tapping out the re-programming code with the screwdriver and say in my natural voice. "Me."

I slam the throat panel down with a stern face. "I wonder if I can train the me-chee machine to farm the field or drive a tractor. It isn't hard. I wonder if they are already pre-programmed to do that domestic task. I can't mess with the original master programming code here in the dirt. Maybe, I can look at its programming code inside the house, tonight. Yeah, then the me-chee machine can take my place tomorrow morning, while I sleep in passed sunrise. And I wonder if the me-chee technician dream job is available for someone smart, talented, and brilliant like me. Ah! Rincon used these words, too. He wants me to showcase my talents, also. Nephella is going to be the administrator technician. I wouldn't take that job for one billion aluminum chips. Rincon claimed the medical technician from me. Marsilla will be the legal technician. I don't want that tough job, either. And Duchie wanted the me-chee designer dream job. Yeah, there is an empty slot, readying and waiting. And yeah, I can program a me-chee machine good." I stand upright with a giggle and back step away from the row of shiny silver metal that wear an orange jumpsuit. This particular batch of me-chee machines has a metal skull of fake blond hair. The females have a metal skull of fake blonde ponytails.

I lift both arms into the air with a stern face. "I command you to rise and obey me, me-chees." Each me-chee machines wiggle side to side and then stand to face Ketona. The program voice activation code recognizes her soprano timber. I say. "I command you to follow me to the barn, me-chees." I swing around with a giggle and dash toward the flyer. All the silver colored me-chee machines spin around and run in a perfect straight line right behind the back spine of Ketona. I load into the flyer and lift up from the dirt with a grin, soaring at the maximum air fan speed of ten miles per hour.

All the me-chee machines run on the ground in a perfect straight line right behind the flyer of Ketona.
Seventh day of employment

Outer township of Burrville

05:55 am (early morning)

Orange tinted moonlight with bright stars

Hot temperatures and windy

The alarm clock sets with a series of high pitched beeps.

I reach over and slam the alarm clock to death with my hand and moan with early death of work, blinking open my eyelashes into the darkness of death.

I roll and drag all the linen sheets off the bed mattress for a new day of farm work, rustling with the batch of linen sheets, winning. I drop the linen bed sheets down to the floor and enter the bathroom, missing the metal door with a giggle and do my biological functions, still giggling with amusement.

The first captured me-chee machine literally had removed every single door from the tiny farm house of Ketona, since all the doors were molded from steel metal. Honestly, I didn't notice the doors or the other steel metal items inside the old house.

However, the first captured me-chee machine did a good job, soldering the piece of stolen steel metal around the floor, the three walls, and the ceiling. The old barn appears like an old dull painted red wooden barn on the outside, fooling the farmers. However, the interior is a shiny silver glow on the floor with a nice array of black slick metal on the three walls and the ceiling.

The entrance wall holds a set of double doors which takes up three-fourths of the space, so I left it alone. The heavy steel metal would have broken the doors and then my surprise party would have been soured.

Hatch and Jara had returned very late last night with the purchased merchandise of party decorations and four electromagnetic carts.

I finish my biological business and stand in front of the wash sink, folding down a tired body, closing my eyelashes and yell out the vocal commands for the sensitive metal eardrums of each me-chee.

A me-chee machine is a dumb machine which cannot harm a human, or an animal, under any circumstance. Therefore, a dumb machine follows a dumb command.

I have programmed each the me-chee machine with my voice pattern only. Yeah, I could have performed a kill punch, deactivating the me-chee machine for Hatch to command and administrator the birthday party decorating.

However, you do not de-activate a me-chee machine in front of another me-chee machine. The machine is dumb but thinks with logic. The other me-chee machines would have revolted or done something not nice to me, if I had attacked one of its metal brother or sister.

I spank the water on and reach down, splashing cold water onto a sweaty and dirty face, not bothering with bathing last night or the night before or the night before that. I stand upright and spin around with a wet face of cold weather for a new day of hotness in Burrville, stopping inside the closet, dressing in a short sleeved shirt, a pair of walking shorts and a pair of naked feet.

The orange tinted farmer jumpsuit lives inside the garage work room with the other orange dust. I will dress in the dirty farmer gear, before I load into the dirty flyer, getting more orange dust and dirt over my body all the time.

Main farm house

Kitchen setting

I exit from my house and slowly move across the manicured year, stomping up the set of smooth wooden planks, open the door, entering into the kitchen with a puzzled brow. I don't smell any cooking grease or a batch of freshly baked biscuits.

I move into the dining room. The dining table is not set with a set of numerous clean and shiny eating plates and utensils. The chairs are neatly stored underneath the wooden edge.

I stand and park both hands on my hips with a whisper of confusion without alarming the family members of Buffo. "Where's the food for breakfast meal?"

Buffo swiftly appears behind the back spine of Ketona near the wall corner with a cough, a sneeze, a sissy wheeze. "Honey..."

I spin around and back step from fear, wrinkling a face, recognizing the nasty signs of a contagious cold symptoms, "Yeah, darling!"

He coughs and sneezes with a sissy wheeze, "I got a cold, coughing and sneezing. Well, everyone is sick, today. We're too sick to work on the farm. Lucky, you get a day off..."

I drop open a mouth with worry, "The plowing? The seedlings? The rain is a-coming on Sunday. Are you going to do all the farm work for your family instead, Buffo? I can help you do some more..."

"I get up from the bed, feeling somewhat better than the other sicker adults. I took all the healthy young children to school. But I have a headache and dizziness. I'm going back to bed, resting. We got tomorrow and the next day after tomorrow to finish the plowing and farming. Good night, Ketona!" Buffo slightly smiles and back steps, slowly spins around and moves back up the staircase.

I gasp with a whisper, "Tomorrow and the next day after tomorrow, no," I swing around and shake my dirty curls with a sour frown, moving through the kitchen, reaching out and steal the new box of food from the eating counter with a giggle. I have food items inside my house but I like to steal things from Buffo's grandmother too, since she doesn't like me for some reason.

Farm house of Ketona

Front porch setting

I march out the back porch door and crunch on the food, mouth spitting food particles into the air while mumbling across the manicured lawn. "The next day after tomorrow is the surprise birthday party. You can't be surprised if you're working on the farm. Naw. Nope. No." I climb the short steps onto the front porch and slam open the door, moving down the semi-dark hallway and inside the kitchen, eating the food and stop at the dirty food counter. "They can't work today being sick. I'm not sick, so I do all the work," then I slump my shoulders forward with a sad frown, "I'm only one girl. There are thousands and thousands of acres of dirt and zillions and zillions of little tiny seedlings." I nod with a smile. "Hatch, he can help me do the farming today," then I slump my shoulders forward for a second time with a worried brow. "He's asleep in the bed with Jara. They did hundred percent of the shopping and decorating of the barn last night. I slept against the side wall in rest while all the me-chee machines did all the other work under the watchful eyeballs of Hatch. Hatch would kick my feet when the machines needed a new command." I gasp with a smile, "The me-chees? No. Yes. No. Yeah, buddy! The machines are denting the dull paint on the walls inside four unused bedrooms. They ain't doing nothing. They're programmed to work. Yeah. Yes. Yay hay!" I set the box of cereal on the top of the kitchen counter and spin around, quietly moving through the house without waking up Hatch and Jara.

First bedroom setting

I stand inside the archway without the door with a giggle of amusement. The house is four stories high, almost touching the skyline.

Hatch and Jara occupy the third level for privacy and a good hiding place from the Establishment, and the farmers, and the dookie workers, and the mayor.

I whisper for each sensitive metal eardrum, "Me-chees."

Each me-chee machine recognizes the familiar whisper. Each set of eye sensors turn green colored with alert.

I whisper for each sensitive metal eardrum. "Quietly walk down the staircase. Then, go out the rear door of the kitchen space and stand in a neat row behind the garage building." I swing around and quietly move through the house.

A me-chee machine is pure logic. Each one marches out from a bedroom, slowly moving down the staircase one at a time and finally out the rear door of the kitchen

Garage building setting

I beat the machines out the house and stand behind the garage building in front of a big pile of orange hats, matching gloves, scarves, and jumpsuits in various sizes. I also found a box of new black tinted sunglasses in various styles into a separate pile. The pair of black tinted sunglasses will hide a set of glowing green tinted eye pieces, in case one of the other real life farmers stops by the farm house for some sugar cubes or coffee grounds or nosy questions.

The me-chee machines create and form a long perfect straight row in silence.

I exhale with annoyance at the pure logic, turning and pace up and down the row with a whisper. The me-chee machine possesses excellent eyesight and hearing as an excellent machine. "Who can operate a farm tractor? Please, raise your metal hand."

Not one metal hand is raised.

I turn and frown at the row of machine with a whisper. "Do you possess an internal computer program to farm a crop field on a farm? Raise your hand, please."

Every hand rises up toward the skyline.

I giggle with a clap and a whisper, "Load the farming program now."

The eye sensors turn blue for the program of activation.

I whisper with a grin and point at the row of clothing items, "Grab a pair of sunglasses, a hat, a scarf, a pair of gloves, and a jumpsuit from this big old pile of orange clothing. Then, wear it and cover your entire metal body."

Starting with the first me-chee machine, each one moves ahead and sorts through the clothing pile and dresses like a farmer, sorta ugly. Then, the machines reform the original line in silence.

I turn and pace up and down the line, studying each me-chee machine with a smile. Each machine is dressed like an orange tinted farmer. I cannot see the set of metal eye sockets or its real face plate. I stop and sand in front of the machine with a whisper without waking up the family members of Buffo. "Scan the open crop field. I command one me-chee machine to operate one tractor. Then, steer your tractor side to side, tilling up the orange soil. Then, unload the tiller equipment from behind your tractor and store it outside the barn yard. Then, load the seedling planter behind your tractor and then plant the seeds along the tilled orange soil. The seed bags are located inside the barn. Then, plant the seeds, until all the seeds are all gone from the barn. Go me-chee and locate a tractor!"

Each me-chee machine is a giant computer with logic. Each machine starts moving ahead toward a different geographical direction. When the first me-chee machine locates the nearest far tractor, the first me-chee will claim and climb into the tractor seat. Being logical, not bossy, the second me-chee machine will scoot around the first tractor and its metal relative and then locate a second tractor, obeying the command of its mistress Ketona.

I watch each of the me-chee machines quickly disappear from my eye sight with a giggle and spin around with a smile, moving into the garage. I dress in the farm gear for protection too and tote out one of the single flyer, loading into the hard seat, lifting it up from the dirt and fly around the clouds to monitor each me-chee machine and the farm work on each tractor.

I don't want an accident but these are machines.

Machines do not cause an accident to other machines or harm to a human, only obey a command.

City of Colfax

08:01 am

Map room setting

Warm temperatures with bright sunshine

Four mile per hour winds, north by northwest

The metal door slides open and reveals the bright sunlight.

Duchie and Rincon cuddle with smiles, entering the map room and halt inside the open archway. Marsilla stands in the middle of the low platform floor with a smirk and a nod to Duchie and Rincon, crossing both arms over the golden jumper in silence. Duchie and Rincon move inside and stroll toward an assigned glass desk, stopping and sit down, staring at Marsilla with curiosity.

Nephella and the mayor enter the map room. Nephella does not bother to acknowledge Marsilla, stopping and scoots down into the assigned glass desk, whipping out her pen knife, cleaning her fingernails in silence.

The mayor stops in the middle of the platform floor with a smile and a nod, turning to see each face, "Good morning, interns."

"Ms. Mayor, I crossed the dangerous hanging bridge and then came into the map room early this morning for my assignment. However, I have found something of interest." Marsilla turns and points at the electronic map on the wall with a smile. "Every single me-chee machine is missing or absent or ran away from the blue colored barrier wall inside Montag, since last night. All gone! I of course have sent for the travel car as a new learneth studious brilliant intern."

The mayor turns and gasps at the wall map, studying the contents. "There are numerous black circles against the barrier wall within the outer township of Montage also."

Marsilla nods with a grin at the map room. "I have been vocal, since the first day. The black circles are the key to unlocking the mystery of the barrier wall. Now, each me-chee machine is missing or gone or something mystery, but there are a set of numerous black circles also."

"How is this possible? What is your theory?" The mayor stares at the map wall with puzzlement.

Marsilla sways back and forth on top of the platform floor with a smile, standing in front of the mayor. "I believe that the barrier wall can be parted for a short length of time. I believe that the me-chee machine is part of the causation of the mysterious black circles upon the barrier wall. A me-chee machine is charged ions, part of an e-field. Therefore, if a me-chee accidently or purposefully touches an e-field, then the e-field will absorb the me-chee metal mineral. Eat it like a monster," giggling. "I have double counted twice. There were twenty posted me-chee machines along the blue colored barrier wall on top of the smelly hillside garbage trash. Now, there are forty black circles which can be coordinated with each position of the missing twenty me-chee machines. Since, twenty times two equals forty, Rincon." She turns and winks at him.

Rincon frowns with fury at Marsilla. "You cannot coordinate one single posted me-chee machine with each pairing of two black circles precisely, intern Marsilla. The me-chee is a machine. But it does sway back and forth on top of the smelly trash pile, when the pile shifts in both heaviness of volume and planet gravity of pull. Thus, the me-chee machine hit and bounced back from the solid electromagnetic wall, since nothing known to mankind can penetrate an e-field but a set of invisible charged ions, idiot Marsilla," laughing with Duchie and Nephella.

The mayor turns with a stern face and a nod to see each teen. "Both of the interns are correct. However, I would like to hear some more detailed explanation from intern Marsilla."

Marsilla spins around with a smile to face the glass desk which is located in the northwestern corner of the elevated platform that surrounds the walls of electron maps without a viewing window. "There are forty circles where the missing and absence twenty me-chee machines once stood stationary last night inside Montag." She swings around and stands in front of the chair with a grin. "However, I find it interesting, also. I have double counted twice, also. On the blue colored barrier wall, there were precisely two stab wounds, where each single stationary me-chee machine had stood. Therefore, I have accounted for the missing twenty me-chees which is represented by forty stab wounds. However, there is a particular accounting which is not explained by one additional stab wound that is outside the parameter of the two cold spots." She looks down and presses the button on her cell. The electronic map enlarges and shows the southeastern portion of the blue colored barrier wall. She points to the map. "There, right there! There are three stab wounds. I cannot explain this."

Duchie frowns at the map. "That? It is a dent from one of the slamming edges of a single trash bin. We have explained this particular theory about three zillion times, idiot Marsilla," laughing with Rincon and Nephella.

Marsilla turns and grins to Duchie. "I don't think so, intern Duchie. The additional stab wound is new. Using the science of mathematics, a set of three stab wounds forms a perfect ninety-degree right angle."

"A right angle is drawn upon the barrier wall," the mayor gasps and as her nose bridge piercing smashes in ugliness at the electronic map.

Marsilla nods with a smirk, "A very good analogy, Ms. Mayor! A perfect right angle would scatter and then separate all the affected ions into a single wide opening, allowing for the me-chee machine to fall backward inside the hole or maybe for a smartie teen to dive into the other side of the barrier wall."

The mayor turns and gasps to Marsilla. "You believe that a teen has successfully parted and penetrated through one of the colored barrier walls. That is impossible, ridicule, and insane, Marsilla. An e-field is radiated with a set of deadly radiation molecules. The affected teen would be burned at the least or dead upon diving into the other side at the most."

Nephella laughs. "Burned and died, I do believe that explains my working theory, Mother."

Marsilla grins with a nod. "I can't prove my scientific theory. I can only state it. However, all the me-chee machines are still missing and are all unaccounted as of today and yesterday."

The mayor exhales with a puff of frustration and looks down at her new shoes and then up to see Marsilla. "Everyone, get back into the travel car. We will investigate and interview the peoples of Montag and find all my missing me-chees."

Marsilla smirks, "I have double-checked twice."

The mayor frowns and smashes her nostril piercing into ugliness again, "Double-checked what twice?"

Marsilla smiles with a nod. "Within the barrier wall of Dookie Town, there are twelve missing me-chee machines. And there are twenty-four parallel black circles for each missing me-chee, numbering twelve..."

Rincon sneers. "We are all geniuses here, idiot Marsilla. We all know that twelve times two is the math number of twenty-four. What's your stinky point about Dandine?"

Marsilla giggles. "And there is an additional stab wound which also forms a perfect right degree angle inside the Dookie Town, too."

The mayor gasps. "You have found a right angle formation on the yellow colored barrier wall of Dandine also where the original set of twelve me-chee machines is missing, also."

Marsilla nods with a grin, "Yes, Ms. Mayor! I have found the twenty-four black rotating circles and I theorize here too."

Rincon frowns with annoyance. "You have provided an excellent theory here today, intern Marsilla. A me-chee is a machine. The machine touched and then tapped onto the solid barrier wall. The electrons collided and then collapsed together. Now, the me-chee machine is part of the barrier wall, melting like a tower of candle wax. The machine is made of lead, a component of the e-field too."

The mayor turns and gasps at Rincon. "Yes, Rincon! That is an excellent solution to the twelve and twenty, the thirty-two missing me-chee machines. I wasn't very smart, placing the machines as a guard unit..."

"Mother, we are not a violent society. We are a peaceful one." Nephella nods with a smile.

The mayor turns and smiles to Nephella. "You are correct, as usual, daughter." She turns and smiles to Marsilla. "Thank you, intern Marsilla. You are very bright and clever in solving the mysterious barrier wall and the black circles. Which dream job did you dream about working and living here within Colfax, dear?"

Marsilla smirks. "Actually, I have not proposed my completed scientific theory which has two parts. A me-chee machine is really a metal machine that obeys any vocal command. I find it interesting that one, if not all the me-chee machines had actually rammed into the barrier wall all at the same time. The machines have a confirmed fail-safe programming code, preventing such a self-destructive activity like melting its circuits within a radiated barrier wall. Secondly, the me-chee is a dumb machine which also obeys based on a set of vocal commands. Therefore, a smartie teen could have ordered each me-chee machine to smash into the barrier wall, thus creating a mess and a mistake. I guess, maybe," giggling.

The mayor gasps. "What mistake, Marsilla?"

Rincon turns and frowns at the nose profile of Marsilla. "What teen, Marsilla?"

Marsilla smiles with a chuckle. "Let us examine the actual electronic facts here and present that are rotating on the electronic map inside the map room. There are thirty-two missing me-chee machines with a set of mathematical associated numbered black circles inside both Montag and Dandine. There is also a matching ninety-degree right angle formation within both Montag and Dandine. So, in conclusion, a smartie teen has used and abused the set of the poor defenseless me-chee machines as a weapon or a pawn, melting it or them down into the barrier wall. We all possess the knowledge of a barrier wall and the associated components as learneth students in school. It is a low frequency band of charge ions, forming an invisible field. Adding a touch of radiation, the invisible field becomes visible in pretty colors to the naked eyeball. If the ions are parted by any type of natural earth mineral like nickel or aluminum or lead, then the field collapses down into a visible open hole. The open hole is open, allowing a teen freedom, coming out form the outer township of Dandine..."

"What are you saying, Marsilla?" Rincon frowns with worry.

Marsilla smiles with a nod. "I am saying the facts. Now, the me-chee machine is made of lead which is a natural element of the planet and naturally reacts to the barrier wall, making it open, says me." She slaps the golden jumper with a giggle and a grin. "I have doubled-checked this twice. In the past fifty decades, the five dream jobs have only been earned by five teens only, coming from the posh city of Colfax," she turns and smiles at Duchie. "No outer township has ever placed inside the golden color tone..."

"The Cubby Hole is done and gone, idiot Marsilla." Rincon frowns with annoyance. "This is our new job position for the rest of our lives inside Colfax. Your theory has gone south and sour along with your pookie dookie, Marsilla," he chuckles with Duchie and Nephella.

Marsilla smiles, "Yes, the Cubby Hole is done and gone. However, during Citizenship Day, there were five teens from Colfax, who were all vying for the five dream jobs within Colfax. The five dream jobs were a medical technician, a legal technician, an administrator technician, a me-chee designer, and a me-chee technician."

The mayor gasps. "A me-chee technician is a person, who programs a me-chee machine into action and commands within the ruling populous of my mayor duties."

Marsilla nods with grin, "Yes, Ms. Mayor. And my neighbor friends from Colfax, we all studied and learned and prepared for our dream jobs while attending Citizenship Day here inside Colfax."

The mayor gasps. "You actually studied and prepared to program as a me-chee technician."

Marsilla smiles, "I studied and learned and prepared to be a legal technician, since my parents are both legal technicians here in Colfax. To complete my true story, Rincon studied to be a medical technician. And here, he sits among the five dream jobs of Colfax with the other golden four teens from the Cubby Hole. Alas! He and I are the only ones from our friendly neighborhood."

"Is that true?" The mayor turns and gasps at Rincon.

Rincon frowns. "I..."

The mayor frowns with fury. "Is this true or false, Rincon? Did you study, learn, and prepare in advance to become a medical technician?"

Rincon smiles with a nod. "My parents are a pair of medical technician, too. So, it is natural..."

The mayor sneers, "Yes or no?"

Rincon turns and frowns at Marsilla. "Yes."

The mayor turns and frowns at Marsilla. "Tell me everything about your smart neighbor friends, intern Marsilla?"

Rincon stands upright from the chair with a sneer at Marsilla. "There is no one to tattle about here, Marsilla. Ms. Mayor, our teen friends attended school with us. Then we all entered the Cubby Hole. The end!"

The mayor stares at Marsilla. "Tell me about your little friends, Marsilla?"

Marsilla leans back and sits on the edge of the glass desk like Duchie, wiggling a golden colored sandal up and down with a grin. "Well, our teen friends living in Colfax were Ketona. Do you happen to remember Ketona, Ms. Mayor? She entered into the golden color tone and then called out to become a farmer rather than a medical technician."

The mayor sneers. "Yes, I remember and I will never forget the teen named Ketona. She was the first teen to ever reject a dream job here in Colfax. I will never forget that either."

Marsilla smiles with a nod and wiggles her foot for fun. "Smartie Ketona was studying to become a medical technician, except her neighbor Rincon beat her to the dream job like always. Anyways, so smartie Ketona opted with her heart, instead of her mind. But her mind is gifted..."

The mayor sneers. "I am not interested in that little teen tart. She lives the rest of her days inside Burrville..."

Marsilla shakes her curls with a smile, "I completely disagree with..."

"Who else ran around your circle, Marsilla?"

Marsilla grins with a nod and wiggles her foot for fun. "There was Buffo who didn't make it into the golden color tone either. He was left behind inside the orange colored tone. He is a farmer along with his blood-kin family in Burrville..."

The mayor exhales. "I am not completely blind or deaf, intern Marsilla. And I am beginning to question your concept."

Marsilla stops the wiggle and says with a stern face. "My neighbor friends were Rincon, Ketona, Buffo, Hatch, and Jara, not Nephella or Duchie. They were in my inner circle of friends and my neighbors. The point, I am trying to convey here..."

"What is your point, Marsilla?" Rincon sneers.

Marsilla grins with a nod. "My other two friends who are very smart and made excellent grades as schoolers apparently had too much fun, staying inside the yellow color tone and now live inside Dookie Town..."

The mayor frowns, "And?"

Marsilla nods with a smile, "And the set of black circles rotate inside Dookie Town and the entire row of me-chee soldiers are missing inside Dookie Town. And there was the cookie crime inside the outer township of Montag, coming from a set of mysterious persons who were not natives of Montag. My friends Hatch and Jara have figured out how to slip through an e-field."

The mayor drops open a mouth. "That is impossible for a young set of smart teens!"

Marsilla smiles with a nod. "Where are the missing me-chee soldiers? Do they stand inside the barrier wall like a piece of charges ions? No. I propose that they were stolen by my smart friends Hatch and Jara."

Duchie frowns. "How is that possible, idiot Marsilla?"

Marsilla grins. "An e-field is scattered by an object. Once the object is inserted into the electromagnetic wave, it parts them. When the e-field is parted, there is a hole. When there is hole, a person can slip inside..."

"Naw!" Rincon shakes his curls and his hands in confusion. "A person, object, or thing cannot pass through an e-field without trying and dying. Get real, Marsilla!"

"Get really gone, Marsilla!" Duchie hisses with a sour frown.

Marsilla smiles with a nod. "And our cat suit was composed of the same elements of the electromagnetic field which would morph into the array of different color tone during all the different Cubby Hole activities. The cat suit doesn't die or become inactivate. Therefore, the cat suit containing one object can slip through the e-field and then cause some mayhem. I do believe."

The mayor drops open and closes her mouth. "Your friends, why would they do that?"

Marsilla smiles with a nod. "They are very smart. They were very not smart during the Cubby Hole activities. Now, Hatch and Jara are living inside a less desirable place like Dookie Town. And they were born and reared here in posh and pretty Colfax. What would you do as a posh Colfaxian if you messed up your eternal life as a silly teen inside the Cubby Hole, Ms. Mayor?"

The mayor frowns. "I will accept my destiny as a silly teen."

Marsilla grins. "The cat suit, the e-field, and the cesspool construction consist of natural earth minerals like nickel or aluminum or lead. One of these natural earth minerals will, can, and does collapse an e-field for some fast freedom, ya'll," she turns and winks at Rincon.

The mayor gasps. "That is very true, intern Marsilla. So how do we catch your smart friends, Hatch and Jara?"

Marsilla nods with a smile. "They are..."

Rincon frowns. "They are not doing anything, idiot Marsilla. Your scientific theory sucks on cold runny eggs. No one can escape through an e-field that surrounding an entire geographical landscape."

Marsilla scoots off the desk and stands on the floor with a smile. "I suggest here. We should investigate, Ms. Mayor. We started out the investigation with a set of rotating black circles at the start of the work week. Now, the setoff black circles are more numerous than before," she points at the new electronic map wall of Colfax. "Why is that? We have slapped the hornets' nest, Ms. Mayor. And the hornets are both mad and smart. I propose that we visit Dookie Town again, right now, today. Let's go and give Hatch and Jara a sweet housewarming gift as an excuse. After all, they were fellow Colfaxians. Now, they are Dookians," giggling. "Is that really a word, Duchie?"

Duchie slides off the desk surface with a sour frown. "There are thousands of workers inside Dandine. We will never find two young people like Hatch and Jara."

Marsilla turns and smiles at the mayor. "Then, Duchie can find the new young couple as she was once a native of Dookie Town."

The mayor turns and smiles at Duchie. "Your proposal is a good idea, intern Marsilla. I will approve of the visitation into Dandine again. However, if you are..."

"Right like always." Marsilla leads toward the staircase and the closed door with a smile, possessing plenty of faith to cross hanging bridge and be the first teen into the travel car on the ground level.

Rincon stands upright with a sour frown and watches her fanny priss out the door of the map room. Duchie pulls up and stands beside Rincon. He leans over and cuddles her with a worried brow and a whisper. "Is she correct, Duchie?"

Duchie smiles with a whisper. "Marsilla is totally wrong, as usual. We should kick her out of the golden circle and install Hatch and Jara, filling the rest of the dream team."

Rincon moves up the staircase and out the map room, moving over the balcony with Duchie. "We should fill the dream team with Ketona..."

Duchie stops with a gasp, turning with a sour frown to see the nose profile of Rincon. He stops beside her and turns with a confused brow to see Duchie. She huffs. "What is the relationship between you and Ketona? You compliment her every day, almost all the time, when her name is mentioned."

Rincon exhales with a smile. "I was her neighbor for many, many years. That's all. Ketona loves Buffo. That is the reason she called out the farmer job, instead of accepting one of the golden dream jobs."

Duchie exhales with a pout. "Okay, I was just asking." She cuddles into his chest with a smile.

They slowly move across the hanging bridge, feeling the slap of the wind on each cheekbone, moving through the mayor's office and down the staircase toward the travel car.

Each intern and the mayor load into the travel car. Then the travel car flies from Colfax and enters the air space of Dandine.

09:09 am

Outer township of Dandine

Yellow barrier wall location

Cool temperatures with dull sunshine and yellow mist

The travel car rolls through the e-field and stops in the air waves before hitting the row of gray colored rounded cesspools, lowering down onto the manicured grass.

Both the car doors open.

The mayor slides out from the bench first and moves ahead towards the back spine of the worker with a sour frown. "Excuse me! I would like..."

Marsilla slides out from the car next and stands on top of the grass, shouting at the back spine of the mayor with a smile. "Duchie comes from here. Duchie, call your dad! He can easily pinpoint the location home of Hatch and Jara. Right, Duchie? They are here working like you say. Yay hay, girlfriend!"

The mayor swings around with a gasp to see Duchie. "Call your father, Duchie!"

Duchie slides out the car and stands next to Rincon, moving ahead to the back spine of the unknown worker. The worker continues to work inside the cesspool. She stops beside the worker and leans over with a whisper into the helmet. The worker halts the work with a nod and turns to the side, jogging away from the mayor and the row of cesspools.

Row setting of tiny pink painted houses

A short man dashes toward Duchie with a smile, wearing a yellow jumpsuit without the matching work helmet, a matching scarf, and the stinky smell. He does wear a pair of black tinted sunglasses.

Duchie dashes toward him with a giggle and a grin, "Daddy, I'm here on business for the mayor." She swings around and moves them back toward the travel car and stops, standing by her father with a smile. "Ms. Mayor, this is my dad. Daddy, this is the mayor of Colfax."

The father of Duchie nod without extending a handshake. The mayor doesn't extend a handshake either, only a sour frown. He stands and hugs his daughter with happiness, without talking.

The mayor clears a throat with a sour frown. "I am looking for a new couple who had recently graduated from the Cubby Hole. They are named Hatch and Jara, who work here somewhere. I would like to give them a housewarming gift." She snaps the fingers. The me-chee machine scoots out from the travel car and appears beside the mayor, handing a silver tinted wrapped gift into the mayor's open palm. The mayor accepts and lifts the wrapped gift into the air with a sour frown. "Could you call them to accept my generous gift? And could we wait inside their home? Since, this is a home warming gift."

The father of Duchie exhales with fury and spins around, slowly moving ahead with Duchie, whispering into her face. Duchie whispers back with a stern face.

The mayor slowly stumbles over the manicured grass and halts, sidestepping and stumbles toward the barrier wall, pointing the wall with fury. "Excuse me, Duchie's father! Where is the line of me-chee machines here on the barrier wall? They were posted her late afternoon along the yellow tinted barrier wall of Dandine."

The father of Duchie halts and swings around to see the naked barrier wall. The wall glows in yellow colors. He smiles. "They walked away." Then he swings around to face the first row of tiny houses that are painted in pink wooden planks with a red colored door. He stops on the sidewalk and reads his cell, looking up to see the row of tiny houses and moves toward the second one from the end of the row. He climbs the steps and halts, knocking on the front door and waits, exhaling with fury at the mayor and her unwelcomed visit.

The mayor exhales with a sneer and advances to the walking sidewalk, keeping her new sandals off the itchy manicured grass and stomps toward the front door of the tiny house. She stands beside the father of Duchie with a sneer and stares at the closed door. "Open this door now!"

The father of Duchie shakes a skull and knocks on the weathered wooden door for a second. "This is their private property. Jara is home sick, again."

The mayor leans over with a sneer into his nose profile. "This is official mayor business. The teens are being investigated. So open this door now!"

The father of Duchie exhales. "We should..."

"Open the door! Or I will arrest you for interfering with official mayor business." The mayor sneers with angry.

Duchie reaches over and touches the arm of her father with a stern face of kindness. "Please open the door, Daddy. We can explain to Jara the delicate situation."

The father of Duchie exhales with fury and reaches down, rattling the set of old-fashion keys on the belt, lifting up the master key to open the front door.

Interior living room setting

The mayor rushes ahead into the living room and stops, standing in the middle with a sneer and then a laugh, "Ugh! What ugly furniture? I see an ugly ratty short sofa, a card table that is used for eating a food meal and a set of two mismatched chairs. Where is the rest of the furniture in here such like a screen plasma and all the other expensive fun entertainment electronics?"

Marsilla enters behind the back spine of the mayor with a yell, "Jara! It's Marsilla. Where are you? Come on out and visit us, honey!" She moves around the ratty sofa and enters the bathroom, back stepping and strolls around the room again. "Where's the bedroom?"

Duchie strolls around the room and scans for the two teens, studying the ugly furniture in silence.

Rincon struts around the room and misses the two teens also, stopping and stands next to Duchie with a whisper of worry. "Where are they located at?"

Duchie exhales with confusion and a fake smile. "They are working, of course. We should come back, after the working shift. Right, Daddy?"

The father of Duchie looks down and scans his cellie with puzzlement. "Jara is not at work. She is sick at home in here. But where is she?" He looks up and scans the small living room with puzzlement. Jara is missing from her house inside Dandine.

Duchie smiles with a nod of happiness. "She went to the grocery store or something. We should come back."

The mayor frowns with confusion. "Where is the young couple? Call them to come here now immediately!"

The father of Duchie reads his cellie with a puzzled brow. "Hatch is at work. I will contact him. Then he can track Jara down at the local merchandise store." He types on the cellie with a stern face.

Marsilla strolls around the house with a confused brow. "Well, I can see that the house is dirty like no one lives here."

Rincon grins with a laugh. "I can smell that Marsilla is smelly like she doesn't bath ever."

Duchie moves from Rincon and stands by her father with a whisper of worry. "What's wrong, Daddy?"

The father of Duchie frowns down at his cell. "This is very strange. Hatch is not at his assigned work station. As a matter of fact, he has been missing for a couple of days. He has not called into work sick with a virus either." He looks up and scans the room with puzzlement. "He isn't here with Jara either."

The mayor drops open a mouth. "Where is that teen girl?"

Marsilla turns and dashes to the tiny closet, stopping and opens the door, tossing out a set of items onto the floor. The items include a vacuum cleaner, a mop, a broom, and other cleaning implements. She stands and swings around, rushing into the kitchen space, stopping and slams open and shut each kitchen cabinet with a shout, "I see the dishes, cups, pan, pans, eating utensils." She swings around and moves ahead, opening the door of the refrigerator. "And there is food here inside the refrigerator. There is lots of food here like someone has been to the merchandise store already."

The father of Duchie moves into the kitchen and stops, staring into the open door of the refrigerator with puzzlement without talking.

Marsilla swings around and moves, standing inside the middle of the living room floor, extending both arms with a smile and a nod. "Hatch and Jara are not in here, their house. The food is here. And both worker uniforms are missing."

Duchie frowns with puzzlement, "So what? Every worker gets a uniform for working..."

"And each worker uniform is constructed of lead elements like a travel car. The worker and the worker uniform is missing, Ms. Mayor," Marsilla nods with a smile and twirls in a completed circle in place with a giggle.

The mayor sneers. "Where are the teens named Hatch and Jara?"

The father of Duchie enters back into the living room setting with a puzzled brow and scans the empty room of teens. "I do not know."

The mayor spins around with a snarl of fury. "I do." She leads the party through the open archway and down the sidewalk toward the yellow tinted barrier wall with a growl.

Wall intersection points of Dandine and Burrville

Cool temperatures and windy with bright sunshine

The mayor stumbles through the grass in her new shoes and stops, standing in front of the yellow barrier wall, narrowing her eyelashes. She studies the wall intersection between the outer township of Dandine and Burrville with a lady sneer.

The father of Duchie moves out the house and types a text on his cell, slowly following behind the back spine of the mayor with a confused brow.

Inside the archway of the pink painted house, Rincon and Nephella block the open door which is the only exit point from bossy Marsilla.

Marsilla slams into the back spines of Rincon and Nephella with a sneer, "Move!"

Rincon swings around with a sneer to see Marsilla. "What are you doing here to Hatch and Jara, Marsilla?"

Marsilla back steps with a smile and stops, swaying side to side, batting her eyelashes with a giggle. "I am doing my dream job as the legal technician, a participating member of the dream team in Colfax. Someone is disturbing the e-fields around Dandine. And that someone is Hatch. Jara is..."

"...smart too." Rincon sneers back at Marsilla. "You are creating trouble for them. You are causing problems for them. And I am both watching and warning you, Marsilla."

Nephella spins around and leans down with a sneer into the cheekbone of Marsilla, "Me, too!"

Marsilla smiles with a nod. "I don't like threats, but I will remember them. However, I am going to prove that Hatch and Jara are missing from Dookie Town. Then I..."

Duchie skips ahead and shoves Marsilla on the back spine for meanness with a lady growl, "Move, idiot Marsilla!" Marsilla almost runs into the chest clothes of Rincon and Nephella with a gasp.

Rincon back steps and scoots away from the archway with a chuckle.

Nephella doesn't move and reaches out, grabbing Marsilla by the arm with a lady snarl. "You are creating a monster here, Marsilla."

On the barrier wall, the father of Duchie stares down at his cellie and then texts back to the other party, halting beside the nose profile of the mayor, looking up to see the barrier wall with a puzzled brow. "What are you looking at?"

The mayor points at the wall with a lady sneer. "The two young teens, Hatch and Jara have escaped from Dandine, going through the electromagnetic field."

The father of Duchie drops open and closes his mouth. "That is impossible, ma'am. No one escapes through an e-field, without dying into a pile of sizzling red and gray ashes. Everyone knows that vitally important information."

On the front porch, Marsilla jerks the arm from Nephella with a sneer and runs out the house, racing down the sidewalk toward the barrier wall and stop, standing on the other side of the mayor. She leans over with a whisper and a smile. "They are not here, Ms. Mayor. However, I have an idea where the two young teen fugitives are located."

The mayor turns and gasps to Marsilla, "Where?"

Marsilla whispers. "We need to leave. I don't want to share my secret information with any other interns."

The mayor turns and frowns at the father of Duchie and then the wall with a nod. "Yes, I completely understand. Yes, the walls have ears," she spins around with sour frown and a yell t the other interns. "We are leaving from Dandine, interns. Please, get into the travel car now, interns!"

Each intern and the mayor shuffles back into the travel car in silence.

Both the car door closes shut. Then the travel car lifts up from the grass and turns, entering through the electromagnetic barrier wall for Colfax.

10:10 am

Interior travel car setting

Marsilla sits with the mayor on one side of the bench seat. Rincon, Duchie, and Nephella sit across from the mayor and Marsilla.

Marsilla smiles at each one of her new enemies. "The young fugitives are hiding inside Montag. Hatch and Jara are the criminals of the stolen cookies and cupcakes that occurred the other night. They are in there, hiding from us."

The mayor exhales. "This is becoming a manhunt for some lost teens. Colfax doesn't have the old concept of police officers. If so, I could toss the case to them," she shakes her curls with a sour frown.

Marsilla smiles with a nod to each new enemy. "The kids are criminals and fugitives against the Establishment. Once we locate them, we will need to understand how they escaped through the e-field. Then we will use the new technology to contain any more disturbances of the black circles and open holes within the e-field for the future of Colfax, Ms. Mayor."

The mayor nods with a sour frown. "I agree," she types a text to the me-chee driver, communicating to take the travel car into the outer township of Montag before going back to the map room of Colfax.

The travel emerges out from the golden barrier wall and flies southwest toward the Montag.

10:19 am

Outer township of Montag

Bakery shop setting

Cold temperatures and windy with dull sunrays

The travel car rolls through the electromagnetic field and slowly stops, lowering down onto the smooth gray colored pavement.

Both the doors open.

Marsilla scoots out from the door first and ignores the stench from the blue colored barrier wall of garage trash, rushing with determination toward the bakery shop which had experienced a crime a couple of nights ago. She slams open the door as the chime dings.

The baker clerk looks up with a smile to see the new customer, "Marsilla, is that you from the Cubby Hole adventures?" She removes the pair of glasses and the nose clips, resting them on the bakery counter.

Marsilla halts a few feet from the archway with a puzzled brow, "Lamis?"

The door closes shut.

Lamis back steps from the counter and dashes around the window display, slamming and hugs her old friend from the Cubby Hole in a circle. She stops and pulls back with a smile, "Marsilla, what a wonderful surprise to you here inside Montag? I thought that I would never see you again."

Marsilla reaches down and wipes off the bakery floor from her jumpsuit and turns to scan the glass display of cookies and cupcakes with a fake smile. "Are you employed here, Lamis? Is this your place of employment inside Montag?"

Lamis smiles with a nod and wipes the flour from both hands and a sweaty face, "Yeah, I work here inside this bakery shop. I made it into the blue color tone during the Cubby Hole. Yeah, I'm proud of my accomplishment. After all the blue color tone interns were interviewed, the shop owner selected me to learn how to bake and decorate cookies and cupcakes."

Marsilla smiles with a giggle. "Well then, I will come and order a tray of cookies every afternoon from this bakery and from you."

She slaps both hands together with a smile and flings the particle of white flour into the air with a giggle. "That's so wonderful, Marsilla! We have one of the best cookie selections here in Montag," Lamis swings around and dashes back to the bakery counter, pointing at the baked goods inside the window display with a smile. "You should try all of our cookie samples for selecting your favorites. Then..."

The chime dings. Then the door opens. The mayor, Rincon, Duchie, and Nephella enter the bakery shop.

The mayor stops and stands in the middle of the shop with a lady sneer. "Where is the baker shop owner of this bakery establishment?"

Lamis gasps with a smile and tosses both arms as the white tinted flour flings into the air and lands over the floor. "Rincon, Duchie, Nephella, welcome! This is a pleasant surprise this morning. How are you doing?"

The mayor lady sneers. "Where is the shop owner, baker clerk?"

Lamis nods with a smile to the mayor. "The shop owner is located in the rear of the shop. I'll go and get her." She exits the bakery dining room and returns back to the baker counter, leading a tall and large female. The shop owner appears inside the dining room without smiling and stops next to Lamis behind the counter.

The mayor lady sneers at the shop owner. "Did you find the criminals who robbed your store from the other night?"

Lamis turns and gasps at the nose profile of her mentor. "What criminals? What robbery?"

The shop owner shakes her curls with a sour frown to the mayor, "No."

Marsilla turns and works, sliding the chairs and the tables around the empty dining room. She places one chair in front of each wall corner and two chairs in the middle of the empty room. The other dining room chairs and other tables slam and line against the painted wall, out of her footpath. She stands behind the first chair with a hand motion to the shop owner and Lamis, slamming a free hand on the separate back rest of each chairs in the middle of the room. Marsilla turns and points at the row of chairs against the wall corner for the mayor, Rincon, Nephella, and Duchie.

The people of Colfax turn and sit down inside the wall chair in silence.

Lamis and the bakery owner move from the counter and sit inside the two chairs in the middle of the room which is similar to an old fashion interrogation room.

Marsilla turns and scoots ahead, standing in front of the two chairs in the middle of the room that hold intern Lamis and the shop owner with a stern face. "So, there has not been any progress regarding the crime of the stolen cookies and cupcakes and cakes. What other facts have you learned about the crime of your bakery shop which occurred this week, Ms. Bakery Owner?"

"Well, not much," the shop owner exhales and stares at Marsilla.

Lamis gasps. "What stolen cookies, cupcakes, and cakes? I don't understand, Marsilla."

Marsilla paces side to side in front of the two chairs, looking down with a stern face at the clean floor. "I don't understand, intern Lamis. Therefore, we should start at the beginning." She stops and stands in front of Lamis with a stern face. "Earlier this work week, the shop owner had reported to Ms. Mayor that this bakery shop had been robbed of cookies, cupcakes, and three birthday cakes during the nighttime. Who was the clerk or the bakery clerks working here earlier during the week night?"

Lamis gasps. "Me! I was."

Marsilla drops open and closes her mouth with a smirk. "Intern Lamis, you were working here inside the baker shop at nighttime during the early part of the work week."

Lamis nods with a smile, "Yes."

Marsilla grins. "Who else was working inside the bakery with you during the evening hours?"

"I was alone. I was learning to decorate..."

"Did you meet another type of odd strangers that was trying to buy cookies here that night, intern Lamis?"

Lamis frowns with puzzlement. "No. What items were stolen? I don't understand, Marsilla."

"Did you meet any other old friends who were trying to buy cookies here inside the bakery ship at nighttime during the early part of the work week?"

Lamis nods with a smile, "Yes, my friends, they are here in Montag."

Marsilla leans over with a whisper into the nose bridge of Lamis. "There were three birthday cakes and several trays of cookies and cupcakes stolen here at nighttime during the early part of the long work week."

Lamis frowns. "No. The three birthday cakes were purchased here at the bakery shop..."

"What?" The shop owner turns and sneers at Lamis. "You sold those three birthday cakes in the rear of the bakery room. The cakes were meant for a party the next day."

Lamis smiles with a nod, "No ma'am. These particular birthday cakes were delivered the next day as per your orders. I made and decorated a separate set of three more birthday cakes and then sold them to a customer here at the baker. I have the receipt for the purchases too."

The mayor frowns. "Where is the paid receipt for the three birthday cakes?"

Lamis stands upright from the chair and moves behind the bakery counter, opening a drawer, sorting through the papers and snatches the paid receipt. She marches around the bakery counters and stops, presenting the paid receipt to her supervisor. "Here! See? I sold a set of three birthday cakes that I had decorated and then collected the proper payment of chips."

The shop owner reaches up and snatches the receipt, reading the information with a puzzled brow, "Chips? The three birthday cakes were paid in aluminum chips."

Lamis nods with a smile. "Yes ma'am! The customer paid the entire bill for the three cakes. So, everything is okay, right!?"

"Wrong!" Marsilla parks both hands on her hips with a lady sneer at the back spine of Lamis. "Who received the three birthday cakes?"

The shop owner turns and sneers at Marsilla. "This is a private affair of my business, young teen."

Marsilla turns and sneers at the shop owner. "I am the new legal technician. So, it is my legal business affair, too. I represent the mayor's office on official business..."

The mayor stands upright from the chair with a sour frown and as her nostril piercing crinkles into her winkles. "The criminal case has been solved. We should leave. Thank you, bakery owner and bakery clerk!"

Marsilla lady snarls. "Did the same customer purchase the cookies and cupcakes, as well? The bakery shop was in disarray, when we visited here the early hours of the next morning."

Lamis frowns at Marsilla. "What cookies and cupcakes?"

Marsilla nods with a grin. "The chairs and tables were out of place and covered in numerous disgusting cookie and cupcake crumbs which was everywhere on the floor too. The outer shop was a mess."

Lamis turns and frowns at her supervisor. "The dining room was a mess."

The shop owner turns and nods to Lamis. "The chairs and tables were messy with eaten food and dirty dishes. I thought my shop had been robbed with a robbery."

Lamis gasps. "The other intern-in-training didn't show up for work the next day."

The shop owner frowns. "No. She was off that work day. And you were off that morning too. So, I came into work very early, finding a messy dining room."

Lamis gasps. "Yes ma'am. I was. Yes, ma'am. I didn't bother cleaning up the chairs and the tables, after the customers had consumed the sweets and then left. I'm so sorry. I should've done it."

The shop owner exhales with a nod. "Yes, you should have, intern Lamis." She turns and nods to the mayor. "I am sorry for causing so much confusion. Lamis didn't clean the tables properly, making me assume a robbery."

The mayor nods without smiling. "I see."

Marsilla shakes the pixie with a sour frown at Lamis. "I do not see. Where is the receipt for purchasing the set of eaten cookies and cupcake that left thousands of sticky crumbs on all the tables and the chairs, intern Lamis? You have shown a receipt for the three birthday cakes. Where is the paid receipt for the other desserts, the cookies and cupcakes that were consumed by mouth and tongue?"

Lamis turns and stares at Duchie. Duchie slightly shakes her curls, not wanting Lamis to answer the question from Marsilla. Lamis turns and smiles back at Marsilla. "Of course, I'll find it," she spins around with a fake smile and dashes back behind the bakery counter, opening the drawer, rummaging through the contents.

Nephella stands upright from the chair and exhales with annoyance. "The 'whatever' mystery is solved. I suggest that we go back to the office, Mother."

Marsilla spins around with a smile to see the blond hair roots of Lamis. "Do you recall the customers who ate the rest of the tray of baked goods of cookies and cupcakes, intern Lamis?"

Lamis shuffles through the papers and snaps the fingers with a fake smile. "O. I remembered. The customers were all children. We give children free cookies. That's why I can't find a receipt," smiling.

The shop owner nods with a smile at Lamis. "Yes, we provide free cookies to children all the time."

Marsilla looks down to read her cell. "Hmm, you provide a tray of free cookies to children at nighttime after bedtime. What type of parents would allow their children outside on such late night hours?"

The shop owner frowns at Lamis. "We close the bakery at nighttime. I don't know of any parents out that late either. Are you certain, it was children?"

Marsilla grins at Lamis. "Are you certain, it wasn't children?"

The mayor moves ahead and stops, standing in front of the bakery counter at Lamis. "If it wasn't children, then it was older children?"

Marsilla smiles with a nod. "We are hunting for a set of older children, as a matter of fact."

Lamis turns and stares at Duchie. She shakes a ponytail and stands upright from the chair with Rincon and Nephella. The other three teen interns move and stop, standing slightly behind the back spines of the mayor and Marsilla. Duchie doesn't want Lamis to answer second question from Marsilla either.

Marsilla grins with a nod at Lamis. "As a matter of fact, we have a couple of teens, who have escaped from the outer township of Dandine. Would happen to know them, also, Lamis?"

The shop owner gasps. "No one can exit through an electromagnetic wall. They will die."

The mayor sneers. "Who ate the rest of the cookies and cupcakes without paying the chips and messing up the tables here at nighttime during the early part of the week when you are here alone, intern Lamis?"

Marsilla nods with a smile. "Lamis, you said that there were no odd strangers here. To me, that means that you knew all the customers including Hatch and Jara."

Lamis turns and stares at Duchie. She shakes a ponytail and stands slightly behind the back spines of the mayor and Marsilla. Duchie doesn't want Lamis to address the third question of Marsilla either.

The shop owner sneers at her intern. "Who ate the remaining cookies and cupcakes, Lamis?"

The mayor sneers. "Who are you hiding here in Montag?"

Lamis gasps. "I am not hiding anyone here in Montag. I live alone inside my apartment..."

"Hatch and Jara ate the cookies and cupcakes when they visited you here at night during the early part of the work week as you worked on the three birthday cakes. Admit it all, intern Lamis? Do not lie? You know them from the Cubby Hole like me."

The shop owner snarls. "Your internship is in jeopardy here, intern Lamis."

Lamis looks down with a sad face and then up to see Duchie and the mayor with a nod. "Hatch and Jara ate the cookies and cupcakes here you here at night during the early part of the work week as you worked on the three birthday cakes. I was shocked to see them."

The mayor gasps. "Where are they staying here in Montag?"

Lamis shakes her curls and her hands with a worried brow. "They are not here. They returned back through the wall..."

The mayor gasps. "Where did they return back through the wall?"

"What manner did they return back through the barrier wall?" Marsilla nods with a grin.

Lamis frowns at Marsilla. "They took a travel car, going back through the barrier wall and then into back into Colfax."

Marsilla stomps her golden sandal with a smile and turns with a nod to see the mayor. "I was right. They are inside Colfax, after escaping from Dandine. We have them, now, Ms. Mayor."

The mayor turns and smiles at Marsilla. Rincon, Duchie, Nephella all turn and frown at each other in silence. The mayor swings around and moves toward the closed door with a yell. "We are leaving from Montage, interns. Please, gather and load into the travel car right now."

Marsilla spins around with a smile and follows behind the back spine of the mayor, moving out the doorway, leaving the bakery shop and races toward the travel car, holding a breath from the stinky air.

Rincon, Duchie, and Nephella nod in silence to Lamis and then they slowly spin around, exiting the bakery shop and dash toward the travel car without breathing the stinky air also.

Each intern and the mayor enter the travel car. Both the doors close. The travel car flies from the pavement and soars through the electromagnetic wall, flying back to the city of Colfax.

11:15 am

Interior travel car setting

The mayor sits beside Marsilla and frowns with confusion. "Yes. We have identified the fugitives. The pair is named Hatch and Jara. Now, what? What is the next step here, intern Marsilla? I have never encountered any one that has successfully escaped through a barrier wall and into another outer township. This is most bizarre and intriguing."

Marsilla turns and smiles at the mayor. "Ms. Mayor, the important question here is how did they slip between the electrons of the barrier wall?" The mayor nods in silence.

Rincon frowns at the mayor and Marsilla. "I propose that there is not any type of magic trick, slipping between the electrons of a barrier wall. There is a logical explanation. They traveled inside a travel car..."

"Wrong," Marsilla growls, "They traveled through the barrier wall. They have created or invented a new scientific devise. Then, the new devise will allow all the outer townships to slip through and inside Colfax, without detection. That is our purpose to find and then to destroy that new scientific devise."

The mayor nods with a stern face. "I agree with Marsilla. Where are they hiding out here in Colfax?"

Marsilla frowns. "They could be hiding in lots of different places. They are probably hiding inside the mall, since Jara likes to shop for new merchandise. Yes, I do believe that they are hiding near the mall, maybe inside the biggest shopping mall."

The mayor frowns. "We do not have the old fashion police officers for a search and secure. So, each intern will select an area for monitoring this afternoon, after lunch. Then, during your search, you will keep your eyes peeled for the two fugitives. When they are found, we will capture them."

11:59 pm

City of Colfax

Map room setting

Warm temperatures with bright sunshine

The group of interns and the mayor arrive back into the city of Colfax. They exit the travel car and climb the one hundred and one steps up toward the mayor's office building. Then, they exit the mayor's office and move across the handing bridge.

The mayor remains inside her business office, working on a set of new mayor matters.

The group of interns quickly cross over the hanging bridge and move into the map room, immediately volunteering for a specific outer township, staring the hunt for the misplaced bodies of Jara and Hatch and use the electronic technology of the electronic wall maps inside the map room.

Rincon rubs both eyeballs, after studying the tiny street signs and stands upright from the glass desk, stretching both arms into the air with an ugly yawn. He looks and smiles at Duchie, "Lunch time, I'm hungry even the running away criminals eat food, too." He moves ahead and stops in the middle of the room, extending an arm with a wink to Duchie. "Duchie, let's go and get some food, darling." Duchie stands upright with a worried brow and moves ahead to Rincon in silence. He cuddles her and swings them toward the closed door with a whisper into her cheekbone. "Let's eat our lunch in the picnic grassy park on the ground level. I need some polluted air for my healthy lungs," he exits the map room with Duchie, whipping out his cell, typing a text in silence.

Duchie turns and views his working hands. "What are you doing, Rincon?"

He exhales. "We have to warn Hatch and Jara that they're fugitives and the mayor's hunting them down." Duchie slows her pace and gasps over the bridge. He thumbs the text on the cellie with a stern face. "Continue walking! Don't act so surprised!"

Duchie moves beside him with a stern face. "I am surprised. How can we help Hatch and Jara? They're not fugitives. How did they escape from the e-field? No one escapes from the e-field ever."

Rincon crosses the hanging bridge and moves toward the windows, scanning the interior office of the mayor. "I don't know. But I do believe that Ketona does know something more. I've texted her to visit us."

Duchie enters the mayor's office and moves down one of the spiraling walkways with Rincon, leaning into his cheekbone. "Did you text her for information about the hiding place of Hatch and Jara? She won't know. How could she know? I don't understand."

101st floor level

Entrance door setting

He stops and opens the single door of red inside the living room setting on the 101st floor of the tallest building in Colfax. He moves ahead and down the concrete rough staircase, extending an arm and escorts Duchie with a smile. "I don't understand it, either. However, the black circles are the keys to our understanding the e-fields. The black circles have expanded all over the boundaries of Montag, Dandine, and Burrville, too. Why doesn't the mayor suspect Ketona of something sinister?"

"Ms. Mayor thinks Ketona's in love and loiters inside the outer township of Burrville."

He nods with a smile. "Ah! That'll work to our advantage," Rincon stops with a chuckle and leans over, opening the door, exiting into the outdoors.

Outdoors

Warm temperatures with light breeze and bright sunshine

Picnic table setting

Rincon moves ahead and stops, standing in front of the vendor booth with a smile. "I feel like eating turkey. Since, Ms. Mayor will be eating crow."

Duchie stops and stands with Rincon with a sour frown. "What turkey? What crow? What are you talking about, Rincon?"

Rincon turns and smiles to the vendor clerk. "I would like two turkey sandwich plates, please." He places the appropriate aluminum chips onto the eating counter and then receives the two plate of food. He grabs the plates and slowly swings, moving toward the farthest picnic table and stops, placing both trays on top of the table surface. He pulls out the chair and assists Duchie to sit on the long bench. He sits down next to her and cuts up the food, eating and chewing the good food with a grin.

Duchie looks up and scans the picnic area. There is a grove of tall trees, numerous scattered wooden eating tables with a long bench, patches of grass without a walking sign and Ketona. She frowns with puzzlement. "You said that Ketona is joining us here. She can't do that."

He chews and swallows the food with a smile. "Yeah, she can." He eats, chewing and chuckling.

12:05 pm

Outer township of Burrville

Farm house of Ketona

Hot temperatures and windy with bright sunshine

I hover within the air waves inside the flyer with a smile and face sweat inside the cowgirl hat, sailing around the clouds like a bird, observing each me-chee farmer machine like a hawk. I soar around the orange dust clouds, wearing the protective cowgirl hat, the scarf, a pair of gloves, and the jumpsuit plus a pair of black tinted sunglasses. The sunglasses block out the bright sunrays and the dust from my tender eyeballs. Each me-chee machine is doing an excellent job farming and steering each farm tractor around the crop fields.

I decide to leave each me-chee machine to the dusty job and fly back home for lunch, unloading the flyer and strip off the dirty jumpsuit on the ground and move into the cool air-conditioning house.

Interior kitchen setting

The door opens.

I enter the house and wipe off the dust and sweat from a smiling face.

Hatch and Jara are sitting and eating lunch at the bar counter. Jara reaches out and scoots the plate of food toward Ketona with a smile, "I made you a plate of food. Enjoy!"

"Thanks, Jara. That was really sweet." I stop and sit down on top of the bar stool in a pair of walking shorts and a pair of naked feet at the counter bar, eating and chew, swallowing. "Buffo is sick with a common cold along with the kinfolks. I got each me-chee machine performing the plowing and the planting."

Hatch mouth spit particles of food with a laugh. "These machines come in handy besides being a set of expensive storage decorations. I don't understand. Why can't a me-chee machine perform all the manual labor throughout all the outer townships? Then, all the humans could live in peace and harmony for the rest of their lives."

I chew and swallow with a sour frown, "The Establishment."

Jara chews and swallows with a sour frown, "The Establishment."

"The Establishment," I chew and swallow the food with a smile, "Alright, the machines are doing the heavy work. I need your help with food preparation, moving the..."

Jara exhales "Get the me-chees to do it!"

I swallow the food with a nod, "Yeah, great idea!" My cellie dings with a tiny ping. I look down and lift the devise into a face, reading the text message with a confused brow.

Jara gasps at the cellie in the hands of Ketona. "You have a cellie here inside Burrville. How? Where? When? I want one, too."

I place the cellie back into the pocket with a sour frown. "Ugh! I got...my mom sent it. My mom types all the texts on the cellie to me, only. Yeah, my mom is texting me only and right now. My mom is coming to visit me later, next month, next holiday. I mean this holiday. Well, I gotta run back and check on the gang of me-chee farmers, ya'll. I don't want them growing peas, instead of cotton." I slide off the chair, without clearing my plate, staring at Jara. Jara can perform that task as a bored house guest.

Jara smiles at Ketona. "Can I use your cellie to call my mom, Ketona?"

Hatch reaches over and pats her hand with a frown. "We aren't allowed to do that, darling."

"I don't care. I wanna talk to my mama. Ketona talks to her mama. I wanna talk to my mama, too." Jara sobs with tears, sliding off the bar stool, running back up the staircase and into her sleep room without a door.

Hatch turns and exhales to Ketona, "Sorry, Ketona. She's upset about being here instead of home with her mom."

I nod to Hatch. "I completely understand." I swing around and move to the rear door, opening the door and dashing outside.

Garage setting

I run into the garage work space and quickly dress in the old dusty farm clothes and move outside, wrapping into the flyer. I ignite the engine and lift up from the ground, soaring around the farm, seeing each me-chee machine on top of the rolling tractor. Then I swing around and fly toward the orange wall intersection corners of Burrville and Colfax.

Rincon had texted Ketona, requesting a brief meeting at the barrier wall.

I feel anxious, curious, and appreciative.

Duchie brought the personal cellie of Ketona when she had visited Burrville, the first of the lone work week. Duchie is staying with the parents of Ketona, until her internship has finished.

I feel confused with the text request from Rincon, wondering if the text is regarding my parents with urgent panic.

12:18 pm

Southwestern location

Orange tinted barrier wall

Intersection points of Dandine and Burrville

Hot temperatures and windy with bright sunshine

I sail around the farm twice, before landing in the dirt. I don't see a nosy farm neighbor at this wall intersection. However, the event would be very unusual, since all the farmers are eating lunch. I land on top of the dirt and strip off the flyer, resting it on the dirt, dashing to the barrier wall.

I look back over a collar bone to the right and to the left without seeing a spying farm or a wandering me-chee machine and face the wall with a sigh, kneeling down in the dirt.

I reach down and slide out one of the refrigerator magnetic strips, lifting the palm high above my head and halt with a whisper, "No. Rincon has a secret message for me, not a fun chat." I lower the magnetic strip even with the chest, positioning the magnetic below the hat and the scarf over my face, in case someone on the other side of Colfax sees any type of orange movement through the barrier wall.

I exhale with anticipation and slowly stab the magnetic strap into the orange e-field. A tiny hole opens. I wiggle the strip side to side, expanding the open hole about the size of a folded fist, seeing the golden colored back spines. Duchie wears a golden dress. Rincon wears a golden vest. I lean over into the open hole without burning my lips on the sizzling ions with a whisper through the barrier wall. "Rincon! Ketona, I'm behind your back..."

12:17 pm

City of Colfax

Map room setting

Warm temperatures with light breeze and bright sunshine

Inside the map room, Marsilla slowly stands upright from the chair with a smile and moves ahead toward the staircase, climbing up the steps toward the closed door.

Nephella stands and blocks the door and Marsilla, sneering over the hair roots of Marsilla as Nephella is taller and meaner. "You are not winning, here. I am winning, here. And I don't like it here that you are manipulating my mother, Marsilla."

Marsilla back steps with a gasp and looks up with a smile to see tall Nephella. "I am only seeking justice for a pair of runaways, running away from their assigned outer township. That's my job, the newbie legal technician. So, I'm doing my job. And I would suggest that you start doing your job here in Colfax, the mayor's daughter."

"I am the runner-up mayor when the time comes." Nephella leans over and bad breathes into the nose bridge of Marsilla. "So, don't get in my way, puppet." Her cellie rings with a loud beep. She stands upright and spins around, whipping out, accessing her cellie and moves back down the staircase into the elevated platform to talk on the cellie.

The door closes.

Marsilla stands in place with a happy giggle and waits for Nephella to cross the hanging bridge first. She reaches out and opens the door with a smile, exiting into the bright sunlight, slowly moving toward the hanging bridge without a set of hand railings and halts in fear.

Marsilla narrows her eyelashes and stares down at the picnic area on the ground, grabbing her cellie and zooms onto the two individuals in the far wall corner. The pair eats at the picnic table in front of the golden wall barrier corner. No one eats n front of the barrier wall due to the heated and sizzling ions on a pretty hot day. Marsilla whispers for her eardrums only. "What are you, two doing over there?" she back steps from the hanging bridge and lands back onto the balcony foundation, stretches her cellie toward Rincon and Duchie.

12:18 pm

First level picnic table setting

Duchie coughs and covers a mouth with the whisper, "Ketona, where are you?"

12:19 pm

Map room balcony setting

She hears the sets of faint words, coming from Duchie through the cell. Marsilla gasps with shock. "Ketona is there with them inside the courtyard of the park." She narrows her eyelashes but cannot see some a great far distance with a pair natural eye sight at hundred stories high. She drops down and rests on top of her stomach, stretching out the cellie over the air wave toward the picnic corner of the barrier wall, getting a good recording of the actions and the words of Duchie and Rincon. Marsilla can't hear the talking conversation from the balcony, so she will listen to the words later this afternoon after her assignment for the day.

12:20 pm

First level picnic table setting

Rincon sits beside Duchie on the bench and cuts up the food, leaning over with a whisper into the cheekbone of Duchie with a smile, "Act normal, Duchie! Ketona is behind us. Don't look back behind your back either, in case of a spy. She is inside the farm on the other side of the barrier wall. Ketona...

Duchie picks at the food and stares down at the gray colored concrete bricks on the patio. "How is that possible? How is she communicating with us? I can hear her voice. My cellie is not dinging for operation with a connection contact from Ketona..."

Inside the Burrville, I smile and say through the tiny hole into the back spine of Rincon and Duchie. "Hey! I created a new invention, using a set of magnets. The magnet allows me to scatters the electrons inside the e-field."

Rincon looks down at the eating plate and continues to cut up the food with a smile. "Good for you, Ketona. Bad for Hatch and Jara! You helped Hatch and Jara escape from Dandine with your new invention. I'm not surprised and not pleased, Ketona. We visited their house, not finding them present. The mayor is looking for them. Are they living with you in Burrville also? Wait. Do not answer that question. Your silent is answering it for me."

Inside the dirt of Burrville, I gasp with the new dangerous information without answering the question from Rincon.

Rincon looks down with a smile at the plate of food and stirs the food without eating. "You do realize that no person can exit through the barrier wall, if alive even with permission from their mama and daddy and the mayor. Hatch and Jara are labeled as a pair of fugitives. Don't answer."

Inside the dirt of Burrville, I gasp with the new dangerous information without answering the question from Rincon.

Rincon eats, chews, and swallows, looking down the plate of food. "The mayor is looking...hunting them down for a robbery in Montag. Hatch and Jara have accused of stealing cookies from the local bakery, since they're lose and fancy free from Dandine. Don't comment."

Inside the dirt of Burrville, I gasp with the new dangerous information without answering the question from Rincon.

"I bet that you, Buffo, Hatch, and Jara raided Montag. Our friend Lamis didn't give your identities away, Ketona. However, she had to tattle on Hatch and Jara. Therefore, Hatch and Jara must turn themselves into the mayor."

Inside the dirt of Burrville, I gasp with the new dangerous information without answering the question from Rincon.

Rincon eats, chews, and swallows the food, looking down at the plate. "The mayor wants to know how Hatch and Jara escaped from the line-up of posted me-chee soldiers. And how come they didn't get electrocuted while walking through an e-field? I guess Hatch gets credited with creating your invention, Ketona. I'm sorry. But they must whisper and tattle about these particular unbelievable mind-blowing events directly to the mayor. Bring both Hatch and Jara, here tomorrow night around eight pm, after sunset. They must be presented to the mayor. They didn't a choice, but they have a chance."

Inside the dirt of Burrville, I gasp with the new dangerous information without answering the question from Rincon.

Rincon looks down at the plate of food. "Do not comment. Just do it. Good bye, Ketona."

12:26 pm

Interior map room setting

Nephella nods with a sour frown, "Yes ma'am. I am on my way, Mother," she climbs up the staircase and opens the door, exiting into the bright sunshine from the map room.

Marsilla lies over the rough concrete, scratching and tearing the new golden colored leather jumper. Her arms and her hands are outstretched over the air space of the edge of the concrete, holding the cellie in the air. The cellie points down into the far distance.

Nephella slowly moves ahead and narrows her eyelashes, seeing Rincon and Duchie at the picnic table on the ground level, in front of the glowing golden colored barrier wall. They are eating lunch together as a cute young couple of love birds. Marsilla spies on them for meanness. Nephella shakes her curls and stops in place, lighting the cigar. The cigar smoke burns in white colors and creates the pleasure odor that reminds Nephella of her loving grandfather.

Interesting enough, the stinky odor is not activating the tender sinuses of Marsilla, since she really is enjoying the nosy spying on Rincon and Duchie.

Nephella moves ahead toward the hanging bridge and veers besides the long body of Marsilla that hangs over the edge of the balcony. She swings a foot and touches kicking Marsilla's cellie from both hands.

Marsilla withdraws both hands from the air with a gasp of fear, "Hey!" The cellie falls down from one hundred and four floors, without bouncing on top of the hard concrete below.

Nephella laughs and shuffles back to the hanging bridge, shifting the smoke of the lighted cigar around the pure air waves, polluting the pathway of the cross bridge for her amusement and Marsilla's misery. She shouts with a laugh. "Hay is for horses, honey."

12: 31 pm

Outer township of Burrville

Orange barrier wall

Intersection points of Colfax and Burrville

Hot temperatures and windy with bright sunshine

I jerk out the magnet strip and look down with a worried brow at the dirt with a whisper. "Good bye, Rincon. Great, just great! Hatch and Jara are fugitives and must be presented to the mayor, tattling their secrets. They don't have any secrets. They didn't escape from Dandine. I helped them escape. I should be facing the mayor, not Hatch and Jara. And Buffo and Hatch stole the cookies, not Jara. Why didn't Rincon propose that solution to me?"

I stand upright with a sigh and back step, spinning around and move toward the flyer. I stop and load inside, lifting up from the dirt, flying away from the barrier wall and Rincon, feeling defeat, defeated, and deflated.
Eighth day of employment

Outer township of Burrville

07:22 pm

Barn location

Pre-teen birthday party setting

Hot temperatures with dull sunset and windy

I exhale and inhale long breathes of fresh air, after the swift dance movements with Buffo, sitting in the wall corner on top of the high stool. I watch the party attendees enjoy the fun day and afternoon.

Buffo runs up the steps toward the food table for beverages and a plate of food.

The converted barn is colored in an array of bright silver tones on the floor, where the me-chee machine painted over the colorful metal panel inside the interior room. The three walls and the ceiling are covered in black glittering paint. The ceiling displays hundreds and hundreds of twirling color five-pointed stars and numerous disc-shaped space star vessels in silver tint.

The three pre-teen girls who are teenage girls now, priss and prance around in an individual pretty party dress with a smile and a giggle to each young teen, older adult, and elderly person.

The party surprise is a big success. Every neighbor within forty miles has arrived to enjoy the fun festival too, since the three pre-teen girls had invited all their school friends too.

There is plenty of food, beverages, and entertainment. Some of the neighbors brought along games and activities for different age groups also.

The older family members of Buffo are still feeling the after effects of the common cold, sitting inside a row of torn ugly chairs or lounging on top of the long ratty sofas. But, they seem to be enjoying the new guests and the food items.

Each me-chee machine is secretively and safely tucked away inside my farm house for the evening.

Hatch and Jara dance cheek-to-cheek, smiling and whispering into each other's face.

I exhale with sadness. I haven't told them about surrendering to the mayor yet. I do not want to ruin the day, the afternoon, or the evening until after sunset.

Buffo returns and stands in front of Ketona with a smile, extending an arm with a cold beverage.

I reach out and leech onto his arm slowly standing upright from the stool and turn, slowly strolling out the barn interior with Buffo.

Outdoors

Dirt field setting

Buffo moves ahead through the smooth dirt and hands the beverage to Ketona with a smile. Ketona grabs it without tasting the sweet beverage. He says with happiness. "You did a great job with the birthday party, sweetheart. Everyone is surprised and happy."

"Good." I move ahead and look down with a sad face at the dirt, scooting the pair of cowgirl boots over the dry field, making lots of dust tornados. I feel sadness.

He smiles with a nod of glee. "My nieces are so happy, dancing around and showing off their new fancy party dresses. You did a good thing, sweetheart."

"Good." I look up with a sad face to see the dull skyline of white clouds and bright stars, dragging my boots over the dirty dirt, stirring up more dust tornados. I feel depressed.

He smiles with contentment. "My grandparents and my aunts are very appreciative of your hard work and kindness to their daughters, darling."

"Good." I look out to see miles of orange dirt that rests quiet and still in the evening air.

There was no planting or plowing this morning and afternoon, since the clan of Buffo was still recovering from the sickness virus. The gang of me-chee machines finished the plowing and planting on yesterday. They worked until midnight.

I worked until midnight, supervising them.

Now, all the field crops contain seeds and are ready for the big summertime rain. I sniff the air and smell the moisture in the breeze. The big rainstorm is coming. I feel gloomy.

Buffo halts and looks down with a worried brow at her hair roots. "What's wrong, Ketona? The party is great. The planting is done. The hot and sunny day is almost over with. And tomorrow is the big rain storm. That's the end of our farming duties, until the end of the summertime. We're freed up to go and do anything."

I look up with a sad frown and a soft timber to see Buffo. "The mayor has declared Hatch and Jara as a pair of runaway fugitives. They must be presented in front of the mayor for escaping out from Dandine."

Buffo drops the beverage and the mouth with a soft timber, "How? When? Where?"

I exhale. "Tonight, they are to be presented tonight at eight pm or so."

He growls, "Ah, naw. Hatch is not going, neither is Jara. The mayor can't have them."

I cross both arms with a nod and a whisper. "I agree, but I have no choice."

He growls. "You and I do not have a stake here. Hatch is not going..."

"Buffo, we were all at the bakery shop in Montag last week for fun. The mayor visited Montag on yesterday and discovered our visitation last week. And poor Lamis was threatened by the mayor. She only tattled about Jara and Hatch, not us."

"Why would Lamis do that?"

I shake my curls. "Lamis had no choice."

"She could've..."

"Lied..."

Buffo looks down with a stern face to see the dirt. "No. Lying is not right. It is wrong."

"I agree."

He looks up with a confused brow and tilts his face at Ketona. "How do you know all of this?"

"Hatch doesn't know."

"How do you know all of this, too, Ketona?"

I lift the necklace cellie near my sad face. "Duchie brought me my personal cellie from my house. She lives with my parents. Then Rincon called me."

"Rincon, he can't do that."

"He did."

He growls. "Rincon lies. He works for the mayor. I don't trust him."

I exhale with a puff of worry and shake my curls. "I trust him and you and Duchie, too. He contacted me. I flew the flyer toward the wall barrier intersection points of Colfax and Burrville. I ripped part of the barrier wall open and then mostly listened to him. The mayor is hunting for Hatch and Jara. They can't run. They have no place to hide..."

"They ain't hiding. They live here."

"And what of the severe consequences that will come for your grandparents, your nieces, your aunts?"

He exhales. "What is going to happen to them, Hatch and Jara?"

"I don't know. I don't think anyone has ever escaped from one of the outer townships before. Look. Hatch and Jara must be presented to the mayor. I guess that I will tell..."

"I will..."

I turn and stare at the tall tree with sadness. "This is so sad and so bad. Hatch and Jara are fitting into the farm live with the other teens with ease."

He reaches over and cuddles her with a sad frown. "Let me and you pull them aside and tell them the bad news. Okay?"

I nod in silence and twist around, cuddling into his chest, feeling like pookie dookie.

Tree shade setting

Hot temperatures and orange tinted moonlight with bright stars

Ketona and Buffo slowly stroll towards the tall single shade tree that stands among miles of plowed and planted field crops.

Hatch stands upright from the dirt and wipes off the dirt with a laugh, bouncing into Buffo. He slaps Buffo on the bicep and slurps the beverage, swallowing the drink with a smile, "This is a great party."

I exhale. "You and Jara did a great job with the party decorations and such. Thank you."

Buffo releases Ketona and reached out, grabbing and dragging Hatch toward the middle of the open field with a stern face. "I gotta tell you something, buddy. Okay?"

Hatch smiles. "I love living here much better than Dookie Town. When can I drive my own farm tractor? I wanna help out and not sit around the house all day and night, doing nothing."

Buffo exhales. "We need to discuss that, too."

They spin around and move away from Ketona, stopping and stand in the middle of the open field, talking.

I move ahead toward the tree, feeling like dookie. The tree stands high and tall with a set of beautiful healthy overstory limbs and tons of green leaves. The slight breeze rustles the leaves and the thick branches. I step over the numerous bend kneecaps and around back muscles of the kissing teens, finding a tiny spot in the grass, squatting down next to Jara.

Jara turns and narrows her eyelashes at Buffo and Hatch, leaning into Ketona with a whisper. "What are they talking about?"

"Life of farming," I turn with a worried brow and stare at Buffo and Hatch, also.

Hatch leans into Buffo without moving. Buffo has told the decree from the mayor, since he doesn't want none of his blood-kin family relatives harmed or hurt either. Hatch gives Buffo a hug and spins around, moving toward the trees with a bowed chin.

I stand upright and feel all the butterflies invade my stomach as my knees wobble side to side. I slide back down into the dirt without moving holding back a flood of sobs and tears of worry and fear.

Jara stands upright from the dirt with a smile and dashes to Hatch, cuddling into his arms.

Hatch leans over and whispers into her eardrum. She pulls back with shout and shakes her curls. He pulls her closer into a chest with a set of whisper into her face. She struggles to get free and shakes her curls with a set of sobs and tears.

Buffo races toward Ketona and stops, pulling her up from the dirt with a stern face. "We gotta get them to the exit point, before Jara runs away. Where is it?" He cuddles Ketona and turns, dashing them toward a two-seater flier.

Hatch and Jara slowly move toward a second two-seater flier. Hatch stops and dresses in the farm uniform with Jara for the ride to the barn for the birthday party. Jara sobs with tears, re-dressing in the dirty orange tinted farm uniform. He leans down and lifts the two-seater in the air. Jara straps inside.

Riding on a farm tractor or flying in a flyer around the air molecules, a person wears the farm uniform, keeping the electromagnetic particles away from your face and your body. A person is only safe inside the house, which is reinforced with protective electrons.

Buffo and I strap inside the two-seater flyer and lift up from the dirt, soaring toward the intersection points of Colfax and Burrville.

Hatch and Jara lift off from the dirt, flying behind Buffo and Ketona.

07:49 pm

Orange tinted barrier wall

Intersection points of Colfax and Burrville

I bump his elbow and point down at the orange tinted wall corner in silence. Buffo lands the flyer. They exit the flyer and run toward Hatch and Jara.

Hatch lands the flyer in the dirt, stepping out and leans down, pulling Jara out from the flier. She stands upright with sobs and cuddles into his chest with tears. "Why is this happening to us? Why aren't Ketona and Buffo coming with us?" Buffo and Ketona stand in a huddle with Jara and Hatch.

Hatch cuddles her with a stern face. "They didn't do anything wrong, Jara. We escaped from Dandine. We tell the truth and then we go back, right, Buffo?"

Buffo exhales with a nod. "Yeah, you both go back to Dandine."

Jara stomps a boot heel and holds her stomach, shaking her curls, crying with tears. "I don't wanna go back to Dookie Town. I wanna live in Colfax with my parents."

Hatch exhales with worry and hugs Jara. "Honey, we can't. The mayor has declared us as a set of runaway fugitives. We have to go and tell the mayor our story. That's all. Then we go..."

"...back there. No, I won't go." Jara shakes her curls with sobs.

I exhale with worry and spin around, moving toward the barrier wall and jerk out the three magnet strips from the pocket of my farm jumpsuit. I stop and stab each magnet strip through the wall, forming a perfect right angle, feeling sadness and worried.

The hole opens as the new face appears with a smile. "Hey, ya'll!"

"Rincon?" I frown with puzzlement.

Inside the picnic area of Colfax, Rincon slaps a finger into the lips. "Sh! We are the rescue party. Come on through Hatch and Jara now, before we all get caught."

Buffo sneers at Rincon. "Where are they going, Rincon?"

Rincon winks with a smile. "There is no time for a light hearted chit-chat."

Hatch shoves Jara through the open hole. She wraps the scarf around her face and jumps across the electromagnet field without harm, wearing the jumpsuit, the cowgirl hat, the pair of gloves, and the scarf. Hatch follows behind her back spine and jumps inside, safe and sound too.

Hatch and Jara move ahead and meet up with Nephella and Duchie near one of the picnic table, hugging with sad greetings. Rincon winks at Ketona with a smile. "Remember? They didn't a choice, but they have a chance."

I jerk out the three magnets from the barrier wall with a confused brow of worry. The wall closes immediately back into a solid structure of bright orange. I stand upright from the dirt and spin around, slowly moving toward the second two-seater flyer in silence.

They load and fly back to the barn in sadness and worry.

08:21 pm

Interior barn room

I land the second tow-seater flyer and remove the equipment from my body, feeling terrible and worried. I turn and run to Buffo.

They hug each other for a few minutes and pull back with a sad face in silence, turning and move back to the tall tree, finding it empty. They continue to move toward the barn, finding it crowded and quiet. Then they stand inside the archway in shock.

Hatch and Jara are presented on three screen plasmas, sitting with a back spine to each other. The hands are tied behind the back spine also. They sit in the middle of an open floor and wear a set of golden jumpsuits, which have turned into a golden color, after crossing the e-field into Colfax from Burrville.

Jara is crying. Hatch is sneering.

The smirking mayor slowly strolls around the young couple in the middle of an open floor.

One of the plasma screens beams down from the ceiling portal, showing the blonde colored hair roots of Hatch and Jara with the brown colored hair roots of the mayor. A second plasma screen is seen sideways, showing the nose profile of Hatch and Jara with a set of tied hand with the mayor's smirk.

The sideways image enlarges to show Nephella. She sits inside a glass desk in the corner of the room, holding a pen knife, cleaning each fingernail with a stern face.

Rincon is opposite of Nephella inside a second glass desk, facing Hatch.

Duchie sits inside a glass desk in the opposite wall corner of Nephella, staring at Jara.

Marsilla stands in the opposite corner of Duchie, crossing both arms with a smile in front of her glass office desk.

The mayor slowly strolls around the young couple with a sneer and as the screen plasma action is beamed into every home and every plasma screen. "You are the thieves of merchandise. The disruptors of property. The stealers of metal. The destroyers of justice. You are convicted as a pair of criminals in the land of Colfax. Your final punishment will depend upon your cooperation in this inquiry here right now."

Ketona, Buffo and the famers gasp with shock at the mayor's words on the plasma inside Colfax.

Rincon sneers via the plasma. "I agree. You are the thieves of merchandise. The disruptors of property. The stealers of metal. The destroyers of justice. You are criminals in the land of Colfax."

The farmers gasp with Ketona and Buffo.

Marsilla points with a yell at Jara. "You are the thieves of merchandise. The disruptors of property. The stealers of metal. The destroyers of justice. You are convicted as a pair of criminals in the land of Colfax. You will be punished."

The farmers gasp with Ketona and Buffo at the harsh words of Marsilla.

Buffo leans with a snarl into the cheekbone of Ketona. "See there? It was a trick, not a treat. Rincon trapped both Hatch and Jara."

"I don't believe it." I shake my curls with a whisper back to Buffo.

He sneers with a whisper. "Believe it. Look it. They are trapped there inside Colfax. And we can't rescue them ever."

The mayor slowly strolls around the young couple with a sneer. "Confess to me here and now! Did you steal the cookies from the bakery in Montag? Tell me how did you enter Montag?"

Buffo leans over with a sneer into eardrum of Ketona. "How does she know that secret information?

Hatch struggles side to side with the uncomfortable ropes on both wrist bones with a laugh, "We didn't steal any cookies from the bakery in Montag."

The mayor slowly strolls around the young couple with a sneer. "Confess to me here and now! You walked through the barrier wall from Dandine into Colfax."

Ketona, Buffo, and the farmers gasp with surprise at the words from the mayor.

The mayor slowly strolls around the young couple with a sneer. "Then, you walked through the barrier wall from Colfax into Montag. Tell me how did you walk through the barrier wall, without dying?"

The farmers gasp.

Hatch struggles side to side inside the glass chair with a laugh. "You can't walk through an electromagnetic field, unless you are an electron."

The farmers laugh.

I exhale with shock. "She doesn't know about the magnets. She is trying to learn my secret."

The mayor slowly strolls around the young couple with a sneer. "Tell me how did you escape from Dandine?"

Hatch exhales. "No one can escape from any outer township surrounded by an e-field. You know that. I know that. Everyone knows that."

She slowly strolls around the young couple with a sneer. "You are here in Colfax, not there in Dandine. How is this possible?"

Hatch smiles. "We were visiting our parents, who live here in Colfax, not there in Dandine."

She slowly strolls around the young couple with a sneer. "Tell me how did you escape from Dandine?"

He smiles. "We didn't escape from Dandine."

The mayor slowly strolls around the young couple with a sneer. "Tell me what happened to the row of me-chee machines that surrounded the e-field?"

Hatch grins with a nod. "They fell through the barrier wall."

The farmers laugh.

I gasp with shock and elbow Buffo.

The mayor slowly strolls around the young couple with a sneer. "Each me-chee machine fell through the wall."

Hatch laughs. "They fell through the wall. The wall created a hole. The hole created an opening. The opening created a passageway from Dandine into Colfax. Then, we walked through the opening into the barrier wall."

The mayor sneers. "That is impossible."

Hatch laughs. "That is possible. We did it. We are here, not there. Ta-da!"

The farmers laugh.

The mayor sneers.

I reach out and grab Buffo by the arm, pulling him into the outdoors with a stern face. "Hatch is fibbing for a reason. We walked from Burrville into Dandine. Hatch knows that too clearly."

Buffo snarls. "He is protecting us. You used the magnets, creating a hole within the electromagnetic field. The hole enlarged, allowing us free passage from Burrville into Dandine."

I nod with a smile, "Yeah. I know that. You know that. Hatch knows that. But the mayor doesn't know that. She doesn't know my little secret. So, why is he protecting us? No. What is he telling us? Yes. He is telling us something. Hatch knows that we are watching and listening, too."

Buffo turns and views the plasma. "Hatch isn't telling us something. He is making it up, keeping up his good spirits, because the mayor will do something..."

"The mayor has no authority here inside the outer townships or there in Colfax. She can't do nothing. She is nothing, but hot air. She can't punish Hatch and Jara only send them back into Dandine."

Buffo looks down at the dirt and then Ketona. "For a smart girl, you're really dense. She doesn't want Hatch. She wants the knowledge of the magnets. She is too stupid to figure it out for herself along with Marsilla and Rincon and Duchie..."

"Rincon is not stupid or dumb. He said. He told me before the opening closed they didn't have a choice..."

"Rincon was fibbing to you, Ketona."

I shake my curls. "I disagree. Rincon was being truthful. Hatch and Jara didn't have a choice. They left the safe disclosure of the Dandine territory. They had escaped from their prison cell. So, they didn't have a choice..."

"Rincon conned you, Ketona." Buffo turns and views the plasma.

The mayor slowly strolls around the young couple with a sneer. "Tell me how did you escape from Dandine?"

Hatch smiles. "We didn't escape from Dandine. We walked through the wall."

The mayor sneers, "Tell me! Where are all of my missing me-chee machines?"

Hatch grins. "They fell through the wall."

Rincon stands upright from the chair and points at Hatch with a nod and a stern face. "I do believe that the wall can be parted for a short moment in time. The me-chee machine is nothing but charged ions, which is part and particles of an e-field. Therefore, a me-chee machine can accidently or purposefully touch an e-field, then the e-field will absorb the me-chee mineral. Eat it like a monster." He turns and chuckles to Marsilla.

Marsilla stands upright and points with a sneer at Rincon. "I said that it first. Eat it like a monster."

Rincon sits down with a grin. "So you did, intern Marsilla."

Duchie grins. "I agree with Marsilla. The me-chee machine was eaten like a monster. Therefore, a small open hole had been created inside the barrier wall."

Nephella cleans her nails and wrinkles her facial piercings. "Mother, we are not a violent society. We are a peaceful one."

The mayor turns and nods to Nephella. "You are correct, as usual, daughter." She turns and sneers at Hatch, "Tell me! Where is the location of all my missing me-chee machines?"

Hatch grins. "They fell through the wall."

I turn and move back into the archway of the barn, staring at the plasma with a whisper. "Why does Hatch keep repeating that particular phase? They fell through the wall."

Buffo pulls up beside Ketona and leans over with a whisper, "The me-chees fell through the wall."

I whisper. "No, that is not correct. The me-chee machines did not fall through the barrier wall. Hatch and I pulled them through the barrier wall opening from the other side and then stomped the kill switch. They all powered down in stillness."

Buffo gasps with a whisper. "What?"

I whisper. "The night before, Hatch and I sorta kinda kidnapped all the me-chees machines that were running along the barrier wall. Like, we did when we first visited Montag. I created an opening. Then we allowed each me-chee machine to fall backward and down inside the dirt on a back spine. Then we slapped the kill switch."

Buffo gasps, "How many me-chees in total?"

I exhale. "All of them."

"You sorta kinda kidnapped every single me-chee machine that surrounded the barrier walls around Dandine and Burrville."

I smile. "Actually, Hatch and I sorta kinda kidnapped each the me-chee machine that surrounded each barrier walls of Dandine, Colfax, and Montag inside the Burrville dirt. I don't understand why the mayor hasn't figured out that the missing me-chees are inside Burrville."

"They're here?"

I nod. "Yeah, they are machines. They are here. They are big and heavy machines. I can't disassembly a me-chee robot without some big powerful piece of equipment."

Buffo studies the plasma in silence.

The mayor sneers. "The me-chees fell through the wall."

Hatch nods with a smile. "They fell through the wall, creating a big hole."

Buffo frowns. "What else did Rincon say to you, Ketona?"

I stare at the plasma. "He repeated it twice to me. They didn't have a choice, but they have a chance. I do not understand the meaning, either."

Buffo grins. "I do." He dashes ahead to the squatting male teen who is watching the plasma, too, and whispers into the face of the male teen. The teen nods with a smile. Buffo slaps the arm of the teen with nod in silence.

Then the male teen leans over into the face of the female teen with a whisper. She nods with a smile, leaning over into the face of the second female teen.

Buffo spins around and dashes to Ketona, reaching and grabs her hand, jerking her out the barn door.

They race into the night toward the group of flyers, coming from the different farmers.

Buffo stops at the first flyer as Ketona stands in puzzlement. He lifts and straps it onto a body. "Go and get a second one. We gotta find out if the mayor has replaced all the missing me-chees."

I toss both arms with a confused brow. "Of course, she has. The mayor thinks that she is a military general in charge of her metal troops. What are you doing, Buffo? Where are we going, Buffo?"

Buffo places the hat over a face with a yell. "Follow me now!" He lifts up from the dirt and flies toward the barrier wall of Dandine.

I spin around and dash to a second flyer, strapping it onto a body, placing the dirty hat over my curls and lift the flyer into the air, soaring behind Buffo.

09:09 pm

Orange tinted barrier wall

Intersection points of Burrville and Colfax

Buffo lands first and removes the flyer, gently resting down in the dirt, moving toward the barrier wall. He stops and kneels, reaching out and touches the object with the glove. The barrier wall doesn't burn a hand or feel heat on the limb.

I land and remove the flyer from a body, jogging toward Buffo, kneeling down in the dirt with a confused brow, "What's going on here, Buffo? What are you looking for?"

He extends a glove with a smile, "Gimme a magnet. I wanna see if there are any me-chees along the boundary wall of Colfax."

I frown. "The magnet creates a black circle, rotating on the surface of the barrier wall. The mayor will see it and then will issue an alert or something on us too."

"Naw. She's too busy entertaining Hatch. And Hatch is entertaining the rest of Colfaxians and the outer townships. Everyone is watching the plasma." He wiggles the hand with a chuckle. She jerks out the magnet and places it inside his palm. Buffo lifts and stabs it into the wall, wiggling the magnet around and around, creating an eyelid sized opening. He leans into the hole and spies on the other side, reaching up and jerks out the magnet from the open hole. The ions collapse back into a solid form again. He stands upright a nod and a smile. "The mayor did. She replaced all the missing me-chee machines with a set of new ones. She doesn't understand that we kidnapped all the me-chees. How did you destroy them?"

I smile. "You can destroy a me-chee machine by dunking it into 3,000 degrees of liquid heat and then use a set of heavy equipment to rip apart each metal limbs..."

"So where is the machines hiding place?"

I nod. "I just told you, boy. Inside my farm house, upstairs in one...three bedrooms."

He gasps. "They can be traced to you, me, and my grandfather on our farm..."

"Naw," I shake my curls with a giggle. "I deactivated the tracking flag and placed them under my evil command."

He smiles. "Okay. That's good. That's great."

I frown with confusion. "What are you doing, Buffo?"

He chuckles. "Exactly like you, we are going to kidnap all the me-chees around the barrier walls of Colfax, Montag, and Dandine for a second time."

I gasp. "Right now, this moment in time, but the mayor is..."

"...busy. Hatch is entertaining her with his smartie answers. Rincon and Hatch have worked out a plan. A me-chee is a machine. The machine taps the wall and then all the electrons collide and then collapse together. Then the me-chee machine is part of the barrier wall, melting like candle wax. The machine is made of lead, a component of the e-field, too. The first me-chee falls through literally the hot sizzling opening within the wall and then each guarding me-chee follows, falling through the hot sizzling opening of the wall too. We will just duplicate what you and Hatch did the other night."

I gasp. "We would have to power down each me-chee manually, before it runs away from us and then tattles on us. This will take hours or days or weeks, working only me and you. We need more help. There are literally hundreds of me-chee machines that line the ten miles of barrier walls inside the perimeter of Burrville..."

"Help has arrived." He spins around with a laugh and points to the skyline.

I swing around with a frown and see the night sky, narrowing my eyelashes, seeing hundreds of flyers with a gasp. "Who are they?"

He nods with a smile, "The other farm teens live here in Burrville. They are my friends from my childhood."

The first flyer lands with the other flies. Each teen removes a hat with a smile and a nod to see Buffo.

Buffo reaches out and grabs Ketona by the hand, dashing toward the first row of flyers with a smile. "Did everyone bring your secret weapon?"

The first row of teens lifts and presents a handful of three black strips, coming from the refrigerator magnetic strips.

I nod with a smile, "Good show!"

One of the teens flings the magnet strips in the air with a laugh. "My dad is going to be so mad that the refrigerator door doesn't close anymore."

"Buy a new one, Swellton!" Another teen laughs with the other teens.

I toss both arms with a shout. "Come and gather around me! I have instructions for the magnetic strips. We can't use the electronic communication head gear inside your hat, repeating with our secret plan, in case of air wave spying. So, repeat my verbal instructions to your buddy and then pass it around by mouth and tongue. Now, we work in teams of two. One teen stabs the three magnets into the solid barrier wall. Then the machine falls through the opening. Then the second teen hits the kill switch on the me-chee. The kill switch..."

"On a female, it's the left breast." One of the teen male teen smiles with a nod, "On the male, it's the left uh huh. Ouch, boy!" The other teens laugh.

"The left of what?" Another male teen frowns. The female teen turns and whispers into his face. He chuckles with a laugh, "The left of..."

The tall male teen punches on the short male teen in the chest. "Shut up, Reddy!" The other teens laugh.

I exhale. "Okay. Split into three groups. One group will line along the Dandine wall. A second group will line along the Colfax wall and a third group is along the Montag wall. Now, elect a leader. Leader, you stand in the middle of the field with a flashlight. Did you bring your trusty flashlight?" A set of numerous white flashlight beams attack the dark sky. I nod. "Okay Turn off your flashlight for now. Standing at your wall post, when the leader flashes the flashlight to on, the teen in the row will stab the three refrigerator magnetic strips into a ninety-degree angle..."

"What's that?" One of the tall male teens scratches a sweaty forehead.

"Don't worry about it! You get to slap the me-chee dead," the other tall female teen elbows the tall male teen friend with a smile.

The tall male teen nods with a grin, "Okay. I can go do that." The other teens laugh.

I smile. "Okay. When the flashlight is powered in a bright light the first teen stabs the three refrigerator magnetic strips into a ninety-degree angle within the e-field. Then, the me-chee machine falls backwards through the wall. The second teen slams the me-chee on the appropriate body part, activating the kill switch. Then, you are done with your assignment, helping to save Hatch and Jara from the evil mayor of Colfax. Now, get going and good luck!"

The teens return to a flyer and lift up from the dirt, soaring toward one of the barrier wall.

I watch the group of flyers cover the black sky with a set of shiny silver twinkles and turn to see Buffo. "We have one more thing to do."

Buffo turns and frowns at Ketona, "One more thing?"

I move ahead toward my flyer and strap it over a body with a stern face. "The lead molecules inside each me-chee machine will not dissolve every single part of the machine. There could be tiny and big remnants of melted and burnt metal. Therefore, we need to create a me-chee graveyard in front of the barrier walls of Colfax, Montag, and Dandine, appearing like about ninety-nine percent of the metal melted into the e-field. I want some broken and burnt body parts from the new set of de-activated the me-chee machines which can be scattered around in different cold spots inside the different cities. Then, the mayor will see and believe Hatch's fairy tale. They fell through the walls."

Buffo frowns. "That didn't happen in the first round."

I nod. "I know that. But there were a smaller number of me-chee machines that could have been hundred percent melted into a big hole, leaving no physical evidence. Rincon would figure that out, too. I'm certain. Go and get some soldering equipment. We need to create an eternal memorial cemetery for the poor dead me-chees," giggling. "I'm going to start re-programming all the newly power downed machines to my personal voice command, before the rain starts. You grab the soldering equipment and some fun evil buddies, still sawing some individual body parts and then drop the body part back over through the barrier wall of Colfax, Dandine, and Montag."

"Okay. I will come and work with you first at the barrier intersection of Burrville and Colfax, since the mayor can personal examine the new me-chee graveyard. Then she will release Hatch and Jara from her evil fingernails." Buffo lifts from the dirt and soars towards the main farm house.

I lift and soar into the night sky, looking down below, surveying the action in front of each barrier wall.

The first teen stabs the three magnets into the barrier wall, forming a perfect right angle. The me-chee machine falls backward in the dirt. Then the second teen slaps the metal on the correct body part. Then the me-chee stills in silent.

I turn and fly toward the intersection points of Colfax and Burrville, landing the flyer down over the dirt and unwrap from the transport, gently resting the flyer over the dirt, moving toward the first dead me-chee and whip out my trusty screwdriver with a sour frown, "This is going to take all night long."

Buffo returns with a gang of flyers and lands on the other side of long line of dead me-chee machines, jogging to the last machine, waving with a hand to Ketona. He leans down and powers the soldering torch, cutting off the hand.

Another teen kicks the hand toward the barrier wall. A third teen creates a tiny open hole. The teen kicks the body part of the cut off hand through the opening. Then the third teen closes it up.

Then the entire team moves about five feet and kneels down at the next me-chee machine, repeating the process.

09:45 pm

City of Colfax

Map room setting

Hatch and Jara sit behind each other with a pair of tied and bound wrist bones in front of every screen plasma in the city of Colfax and the outer townships.

The mayor slowly strolls around the young couple with a sneer. "They fell through the wall."

Hatch nods with a smile. "Yes ma'am. They fell through the wall."

Nephella eye rolls and stares at her mother. "We know the question and the answer, Mother. They fell through the wall."

The mayor stops in front of the blond hair roots of Jara with a sneer. "Yes. We know the question and the answer. The me-chee machine fell through the wall, creating a hole. The hole allowed a person or a couple to walk through the wall. Then, the machines were eaten up by the heated and sizzling electrons. So, why did the chicken cross the road? So, why did you escape from the Dandine? So, why did you cross into Colfax?"

Jara sobs and then pants with worry, looking up with a pair of sad eyeballs to see the mayor of Colfax. "I am pregnant with my first born baby. I went to see my mama," crying.

The mayor and the interns gasp in shock.

Marsilla points down at her new cellie with a scream and looks up with a puzzled brow to see the mayor. "Ms. Mayor, every single me-chee machine is missing from the interior wall of our posh and pretty city of Colfax. They all have melted into the barrier wall."

The mayor turns and gasps at Marsilla.

Nephella stands upright from the chair and tosses both arms with the pen knife into the air with a sour frown. "As the new mayor-in-training here tonight, I declare Hatch and Jara free of all criminal charges. Release them right now! Go home, Hatch and Jara. Have a great life."

Rincon and Duchie stand upright from each chair and dashes to Hatch and Jara, ripping off the binders.

Every screen plasma inside each home turns into a series of silver and black lines.
Ninth day of employment

City of Colfax

Map room setting

07:01 am

Rain showers and dark clouds with warm temperatures

The rain pours down from the sky over the manicured lawn, the metal rooftops, and onto the city streets. Rincon holds the umbrella and dashes across the hanging bridge first in the rainstorm, running into the map room. A bright yellow lightning bolts strike over the ugly black sky.

Duchie holds the umbrella over the hair roots and slowly moves across the hanging bridge, entering the map room.

They stop and sit inside an individual desk with an ugly yawn with sleepiness.

Nephella enters the map room and flings a set of wet droplets from the umbrella and her body, stopping and sits inside the assigned chair.

The mayor looks terrible with a set of black bags underneath each eye socket, standing in the middle of the room. Her golden pants suit is wet. Her hair is dripping with water too. And her facial piercings crinkle into her old skin wrinkles, "Report!"

Rincon stands upright and wiggling both arms, flinging off the water with a smile. "I examined the barrier wall on the Colfax boundary in the rainstorm. All the me-chee machines are missing again. They have been completed melted and burned into the wall opening like my buddy Hatch had described. He is innocent of any wrong doings." He sits down with a nod inside the chair.

The mayor turns and sneers at Rincon.

Duchie sits on top of the hard desk surface and wiggles a boot toe with a smile, after accompanying Rincon into the outer township of Montag.

The mayor turns and sneers at Duchie.

Nephella wiggles side to side inside the assigned chair and flings off the water from a body with a sour frown. "I looked at the Montag wall. All the machines are missing too melting into the barrier wall also."

The mayor turns and sneers at her daughter.

Marsilla smiles, "I studied the wall in Dookie Town."

"Stop it, Marsilla!" Rincon growls inside the chair.

Marsilla grins. "Ms. Mayor, I found something interesting."

Rincon frowns. "Sit down, idiot Marsilla! There is nothing to find. The wall ate all the me-chee machines. Then, each me-chee machine melted down between the collapsed solid edges of the ions which are composed of the same natural earth minerals. The me-chee end!" She laughs with Duchie and Nephella

The mayor shakes her wet hair roots with a sour frown and as her face piercings crinkle into her old wrinkles.

Marsilla points to the electronic wall of maps. "See here? I took numerous colored photographs with my new cell. There is a me-chee graveyard of parts and pieces of metal body parts which is scattered along the manicured grass inside Dookie Town."

Rincon frowns, "So what?"

Marsilla turns and sneers at Rincon. "So where are your numerous colored photographs of the me-chee graveyard in front of the Montag barrier wall, Rincon?"

Rincon looks down with a stern face to see the floor and then back up to see the mayor. "There was not a graveyard of me-chee body parts in front of the Montag barrier wall."

The mayor gasps. "Where are your numerous colored photographs, daughter?"

Nephella looks down with a sour frown at the desk surface and then back up to see her mother. "I didn't find a graveyard of me-chee body parts in front of the Colfax barrier wall."

The mayor frowns, "Why not, daughter?"

Rincon turns and winks at Duchie. "Marsilla photographed the ugly pieces of metal garbage bins." He laughs with Nephella and Duchie.

Marsilla flashes the photographs and replaces the set of electronic maps on the four walls. Each picture shows a set of dull silver metal parts that are scattered over the manicured grass in the rain, consisting of severed and burnt hands, fingers, feet, elbows, legs, kneecaps, and torsos.

She jabs a finger at each picture with a smile. "Do you see on the walls? This is the me-chee graveyard of body parts which is located in front of the barrier wall of Dandine. We have never seen this before today. Why is that, Rincon?"

Rincon narrows his eyelids and studies each wall of photographs with a nod, snapping the fingers, "I know why. I have an explanation. The previous wall of machines numbered less than twenty, allowing for numerous feet of free space between each me-chee machine. Therefore, each me-chee machine didn't touch each other, only the barrier wall. And we have already theorized, when a me-chee machine touches something, it could accidentally slam and then be eaten into the electromagnetic barrier wall. So, there were shoulder-to-shoulder me-chee machines, making for the very first ever me-chee graveyard. And I hope that I don't have to clean it up either," he chuckles with Nephella and Duchie.

The mayor sneers. "All the barrier walls held shoulder-to-shoulder standing me-chee machines in front of each barrier wall of Montag, Colfax, and Dandine."

Nephella rolls her eyeballs and then views her mother. "It is so obvious, Mother. Inside Montag, each shoulder-to-shoulder me-chee machine lines a pair of metal boots on top of the moving and rolling garbage piles. Therefore, the garbage me-chees had collected all the scattered body parts, thus there was not present the very first me-chee graveyard. Here inside the posh and pretty Colfax, the me-chee cleaners are always cleaning and collecting sets of scattered trashy litter and stinky garbage over the streets and on the walls, coming from the lazy Colfaxians. The garbage me-chees got them too. The me-chee end!" She turns and winks to Rincon.

The mayor exhales, "An excellent solution, daughter."

Marsilla continues to jab a finger at the wall of photographs. "Here inside Dookie Town, I have found something else. Each scattered me-chee body part is almost exactly five feet apart, not more and not less. Interesting!"

"Almost exactly five feet apart is not precisely five feet apart, incompetence future legal technician Marsilla. The body part will fall where it falls, not precisely, either," Rincon smiles.

The mayor frowns at each photograph on the wall, "How interesting?"

Marsilla continues to jab a finger at the walls of photographs. "And I have found, not one single head unit is present. Or one single head unit did not drop down from one of the numerous melted me-chee machines. Out of one hundred and one me-chee machines that had lined every barrier wall within three cities, not one single head unit fell where it should have fallen off. Isn't the head your area of medical expertise, silly future medical technician Rincon. Interesting!"

The mayor frowns at each photographs, "How interesting?"

Marsilla smiles, "And I have..."

"Marsilla!" Rincon growls, "There is nothing else interesting here, intern Marsilla."

Marsilla grins at the mayor. "And the garbage me-chees have performed their duties for the morning, collecting all the garbage inside Dookie Town. But the me-chee cleaners did not pick up the me-chee body parts on the manicured lawn. Why is that, Rincon?"

The mayor turns and growls at the intern. "Why is that, Rincon?"

Rincon opens his mouth then closes it in silence with confusion.

Marsilla smiles, "I know why. I have an explanation. All the me-chee machines inside the outer township of Montag fell through the garbage hills. All the me-chees inside Colfax were cleaned up from the walls by the cleaner robots. However, inside Dandine, each me-chee machine was attacked, sabotaged, and violated in defiance of the mayor of Colfax..."

"Naw," Rincon stand upright and shakes his curls, crossing both arms with a sour frown.

Nephella stands upright from the chair and jabs a finger with a sour frown at Marsilla. "No."

Duchie slides off the desk table and shake her red colored hair bun. "You're loco crazy, Marsilla."

"I'm correct. And I can prove it," Marsilla smiles.

Rincon frowns. "Prove it, Marsilla?"

Marsilla nods with a smile. "Jara is carrying a baby, her first child. She wanted to tell her mom in person. She wanted to show her mom in person. She's smart, too. She knows that the me-chee minerals are part of the e-field. So, she and Hatch somehow and someway figured out how to tap or bang the me-chee machine against the e-field. Then, the open hole was created. And then, the open hole allowed them to escape from the outer township of Dandine. And then, Ms. Mayor, one smartie teen shares that brilliant idea with another mischievous and smarter teen and then another and another, making progress..."

"The teens will cause a revolution." The mayor sneers. "This is a dangerous concept for all the smart teens to possess. The teens can open the e-fields with this new scientific secret knowledge. They can take over the outer townships with this new scientific secret knowledge. They can take over Colfax with this new scientific secret knowledge also." She looks down with a sneer to see the floor. "I can't stop the smart teens. I can't stop their smart neurons."

Rincon frowns at Duchie. She twirls a finger around the temple, indicating the mayor is crazy. He nods with a soft chuckle.

Nephella frowns with puzzlement. "Mother, you can't stop the growth of teens or youth or children or new ideas coming from other smart people. This is how a society works and grows."

The mayor lifts up a growling distorted face and fingers her daughter. "Yes, I can't. Yes, you are correct, daughter. Yes, I must."

Nephella frowns with confusion. "What must you do, Mother?"

The mayor swings around and moves toward the staircase and closed door of the map room. "Intern Duchie and Marsilla, come with me!"

Marsilla stands upright from the chair and frowns at Duchie. "I can go with you only, Ms. Mayor. Duchie can stay here."

"She must come, also. Dandine is her home township." The mayor reaches out and grabs the umbrella on the wall, exiting out the map room and into the rain. "Daughter, you and Rincon stay here until I call for your assistance."

Duchie slides off the glass desk and moves ahead, stopping and hugs Rincon with a worried brow. She back steps and dashes ahead, grabbing an umbrella, disappearing through the archway of the map room and into the rain.

Nephella shouts with a worried brow. "What must you do, Mother?"

Outer township of Dandine

07:19 am

Row of gray colored cesspools

Rain showers and dark clouds with cool temperatures

The wall opening expands vertically and horizontally, admitting a set of two columns of silver tinted me-chee machines. All the me-chee machines march in a straight line and then split to the right and to the left. The me-chee machines form a solid line in front of the barrier wall, guarding it. They continue to roll out from posh Colfax into sweet Dandine, covering the entire length of the solid barrier wall in the rain.

The travel car rolls through an open hole within the e-field and parks over the wet grass.

The mayor doesn't slide out from the car but sits inside with a sour frown and a new ordering into the cell. "Me-chee captain, built me a wooden platform with an umbrella roof about fifteen feet high, coming up from the wet ground with a set of three sitting chairs. I do not want to get wet, either. And you can use whatever raw or abused materials are available around the complex, including any houses."

Duchie wiggles side to side with nervousness and slams a hand into the closed door. The door of the travel car is always closed while traveling through the e-field. And a travel car contains no windows while offering protection to the humans inside from the bombardment of electrons inside the e-field. The me-chee chauffeur drives by a set of sonar equipment which is built into its metal head frame. Duchie yells with a sour frown. "What are we doing in here inside the travel car, mayor? Open the door now!"

"No, I will get wet. No, you are staying in here too with me, Duchie. No, I am in charge," the mayor looks down and watches the action inside the screen of the cell.

Duchie turns and sneers at the closed door and the mayor. Her cellie is wrapped around the hair bun, since the mayor objects to any set of electronics inside her eyesight, except for Marsilla's.

The me-chee machines spread and scout around the soil in the rain, advancing toward the thicket of tall nature trees and the row of man-made white colored houses. Each robot reaches out and then stabs sawing down each tree and house wooden plank while ripping off all the elements from each object. Then, they construct a high platform quickly.

The mayor watches the construction with a smile and looks up with a wink to Duchie. "It is all done, now!"

Duchie gasps. "What's all done, now? Your platform? Where did the materials come from? Why do you need a platform? What's happening out there, mayor?"

The mayor reaches out and raps on the steel door with a grin. "Me-chee, hold an umbrella over me. Then open the door. We are all getting out. Get underneath the umbrella, girls. I don't you missing the action, now."

Duchie gasps. "What action, now?"

Marsilla giggles with a grin. "I look forward to some action rather than some dull moments, here."

The mayor, Duchie, and Marsilla slide out the travel car and underneath the large three umbrellas. The me-chee driver moves backward and holds the extra-large umbrella over each skull of hair roots, leading the mayor and the other interns toward the new platform. The elevated platform is rough and ugly when it is composed to the cute pink colored wooden planks and the thicket of natural tree limbs with a set of wide steps for a pair of stomping shoes.

The rain pours down from the sky over the manicured lawn, the white rooftops, and into the dark cesspools. The sky rain helps the dookie process through the underground pipes, feeding both the trees and shrubs.

The me-chee driver turns and moves backward up the new staircase of wooden steps and stops, dropping the wet umbrella to the side, since the platform has a rooftop without a frontal railing which would block the action below on the wet grass. The machine slides to the opposite side of the floor of the platform and stands like a tower guarding.

The mayor, Duchie, and Marsilla move ahead on top of the newly constructed elevated wooden floor of the thirteen-feet. The mayor stops and sits down inside the middle of the three wooden pink and tan colored lounge chairs and pats the empty chair next to her with a smile. "Duchie, sit on my right. Marsilla, please sit on my left. Me-chee, please open your microphone for an announcement."

Each Dandine worker halts an independent work job and turns, gathering around the newly constructed pink and tan colored elevated thirteen-foot platform in the rain shower, staring up at the lounging mayor of Colfax and the two other interns.

Duchie sits inside the newly constructed lounge chair and touches the smooth wood with a gasp, turning and scanning the cut down thicket of natural tall trees. The healthy green leaves drown in the rain storm. The healthy brown bark grows dark from the wet droplets. Then she sees the last house that belongs to Hatch and Jara. The house has been cut and sawed on the outside, removing all the pretty pink wooden planks, exposing the steel frames. The elevated thirteen feet platform had been built from the cut down thicket of natural trees and the ripped out pink colored house wooden planks.

The mayor clears a throat and places both hands into her lap. Her legs were crossed inside the lounged chair. She smiles and as her voice echoes from the platform into each eardrum of the worker from the microphone of the me-chee driver. "I am the mayor of Colfax and your mayor of Dandine. I am both pleased and displeased. I had supplied a line of me-chee machines for honor. The line-up of me-chees has been guarding the barrier wall for your protection of any type of invaders..."

"What invaders into Dandine?" One of the Dandine workers shouts in the rain storm and tosses both arms into the air with a sour frown.

"Go away, mayor of Colfax!" Another worker shouts.

"Who cares?" A third worker yells.

A fourth worker yells. "Leave our township, mayor of Colfax!"

The mayor smiles and says through the me-chee microphone. "However, one of your kind or kin has infiltrated the barrier wall and has harmed my me-chees..."

"One of your kind or kin, woman?" One of the Dandine-workers shouts out loud with laughter.

"Who cares?" Another worker shouts with laughter also.

"Who is she talking about?" A third worker shouts.

A fourth worker frowns. "It was the young couple on the plasma screen, last night. She wanted to see her mom in Colfax as the young girl was pregnant with her first child."

A fifth worker yells. "Leave our township, mayor of Colfax, not Dandine!"

The mayor smiles and says through the me-chee microphone with both hands inside her lap. Her legs are crossed and her facial piercings crinkle into her old wrinkles. "Therefore, I am forced to punish my children here in Dandine like a good mother punishes a bad child for misbehaving."

"Who cares?" The Dandine worker shouts.

"Go away, mayor of Colfax!" Another worker shouts.

"Who cares?" A third worker yells.

A fourth worker yells. "Leave our township, mayor of Colfax, not here!"

The mayor smiles and says through the me-chee microphone. "Me-chee, provide an opening through the barrier wall between Dandine and Tonkey."

Duchie turns and gasps at the nose profile of the mayor. "You can't do that."

Marsilla turns and gasps, watching row of me-chee machines march toward the yellow colored barrier wall on the opposite side of the manicured green grass in the rain. The opposite wall is the entrance into the outer township of Tonkey. She whispers for her eardrums only with fear. "Tonkey is filled with radiation pits. The radiation will attack me."

The mayor watches the me-chee machines work with a grin and a giggle. "The e-field consumes any bits of radiation outpour, engulfing around the e-field. No one will be harmed. The me-chee machines march in a pair, holding a horizontal cylinder of rusty colored lead. Lead is one component of the e-field. The lead cylinders will not be harmed."

The me-chee machine pair halts in front of the glowing yellow barrier wall. Together, they raise each cylinder over a metal naked skull and then violently stab the wall with each cylinder. The two me-chee machines explode into an array of bright yellow colors and then disappear into a ball of fiery red flames and then a pile of drifting gray ashes from the wet rain drops. The rain hit each pile of gray ashes and knocks the pile down over the green grass.

All the Dandine natives, Duchie, and Marsilla turn and watch the pair of me-chee machines explode with a gasp. The mayor smiles with a clap into the me-chee driver's microphone. "I knew that the me-chee pair would do that, too."

The two lead cylinders stick into the barrier wall and then suddenly crack open, displaying a horizontal open hole. Then, the open hole collapses into a vertical shape, displaying a perfect rectangular entrance portal into the radiation pits of Tonkey.

The Dandine natives gasp with fear and back step from the elevated platform and the broken part of the barrier wall.

07:22 am

City of Colfax

Map room setting

Inside the map room, Nephella moves and stands behind the control console panel that controls the electronics of the walls, pressing the buttons, accessing the camera lenses inside her mother's cellie with a gasp of fear, "Rincon, come over here, now! Come over here, quickly!" She presses a different button. The four walls illuminate in a pandemic image of the outer township Dandine, compliments of the cellie of the mayor.

The rain falls down from the black sky. The rows of pink houses stand in the background. The crowd of yellow colored uniforms forms a set of loose small huddles and groups. Some of the native wear a yellow helmet. Some of the native do not wear a helmet. The group of huddled workers is growing larger. The green grass is wet and glitters from the rain drops. The naked cut dark brown tinted tree stumps pepper above the short rows of pretty colorful flower garden. The glow of pink colors emits, coming from a rectangular shape open hole inside the Dandine yellow colored barrier wall. An array of pink tinted bubbles float through the new entrance portal and flutter in the air, burning and sizzling from the fiery radiation pits of Tonkey.

Nephella points at the map wall with a gasp of fear. "My mother has gone crazy. She has created an open hole inside the yellow barrier wall of Dandine that lead directly into the radiation pits of Tonkey. Do something, Rincon!"

Rincon slowly swirls around the room and sees each wall with a whisper of worry. "I'm thinking. I'm trying to think of something to do to save the innocent people of Dandine."

07:23 am

Outer township of Dandine

Yellow colored barrier wall entrance portal

Rain and dark clouds with pink bubbles

The mayor smiles and says through the me-chee microphone. Its voice microphone controls each me-chee machine and echoes her works to the natives of Dandine. No other person can control any of me-chee machines by a vocal or a physical force. "I will not have the development or creation of new ideas within the outer township of Dandine. I will not allow the youth to develop or create new ideas within the outer township of Dandine. So, the workers of Dandine are not longer needed here within the outer township of Dandine. A me-chee machine will do all your needed work here within the outer township of Dandine. Therefore, the outer township of Dandine is terminated, now. Thus, all the Dandine workers will work with the other workers inside the radiation pits of Tonkey. Me-chees, escort every single Dandine worker and their family unit toward the new entrance portal on the yellow colored barrier wall that intersects with the outer township of Tonkey right now, without delay. The Dandine family unit will enter the new entrance portal and move into a new residence, right now, without delay..."

"You're crazy, witch. An electromagnetic wall is heated radiated." The worker back steps from the wall with a sneer.

"We all will die, stupid woman." Another worker back steps from the platform with a snarl.

"Flee from here and back to your home," the third worker turns and screams, running over some of the workers toward her pink colored tiny house.

The mayor smiles and says through the me-chee microphone. "Me-chees, escort each Dandine worker through the new entrance portal of the yellow tinted barrier wall that leads into the Tonkey radiation pits."

The line of me-chee machines move from the opposite barrier wall and herd, gather, and block some of the yellow tinted worker uniforms. One me-chee machine pulls and drags a single Dandine worker toward the new entrance portal. The portal boils and sizzles in pink tinted bubbles. The me-chee machine tosses the worker with its robot strength through the entrance portal and into the glowing pink tinted mist. The worker screams and hits the radiation bubbles on the opposite side of the barrier wall inside Tonkey. The worker dies quickly.

The other me-chee machines copycat the motion with numerous Dandine workers. A second Dandine worker is tossed into the pink glowing mist with a set of screams and quickly dies from the exposed pink colored radiation droplets in the air waves.

A me-chee machine is made of steel metal. All the metal machines move closer and form a tight circle around the huddled and scared Dandine workers.

One me-chee machine reaches out and drags two workers from the enclosed and trapped circle, tossing both them through the entrance portal as both workers land inside one pink tinted radiation pits. The two workers scream and die quickly.

A second me-chee machine reaches out and drags a set of three small children with their mom, tossing all four of them into the radiation pits. They cry, scream, and then die quickly.

Duchie stands upright from the lounge chair and toss both arms with fear. "You are killing my friends and my family member, Ms. Mayor. Stop this, please! We need to talk about this first."

Marsilla sits inside lounge chair with a laugh and a grin, tossing an arm with a cheer. "Go, me-chees! Sit down, Duchie! Ms. Mayor is correct. The town of Dandine workers are not needed here anymore. I agree with Ms. Mayor. A me-chee machine can do all the pookie dookie work without a rebellion and a revolution. This is an excellent idea, Ms. Mayor. Go, mechees!"

The mayor watches each me-chee machine toss a helpless Dandine worker or a group of workers through the new entrance portal inside the yellow wall barrier with a smile. "Thank you, intern Marsilla! Calm down and sit down, intern Duchie! Or you can join your friends and your family members in the revolt of a new rebellion."

Duchie reaches up and brushes the red colored hair bun, activating the camera lenses on her personal cell, hoping it will help Rincon and Nephella inside the map room to see the truth here in Dandine.

07:25 am

City of Colfax

Map room setting

Nephella jumps up and down with fear and panic, jabbing a finger at the wall map. "Save them, Rincon! My mother is going...is murdering...is killing all of the Dandine workers."

Rincon turns and dashes to the control console panel, standing next to Nephella, staring down the electronic panel with worry and panic too. "An e-field is a piece of energy. Energy needs powers. Power comes from voltage or electricity. The e-field is low frequency. So we increase the frequency. Then, the entrance portal of the open barrier wall will collapse between the outer township of Dandine and Tonkey. Right? Yes, right! I need to increase the frequency, somehow."

Nephella gasps. "The radiation pits, they are used to maintain the e-fields. This is the power source of the e-fields. If you cut off the radiation flow field, coming from the pits of Tonkey, then the e-field will fall and then disappear between the two outer townships."

Rincon slams a fist into the console with a growl. "I know that, Nephella. I don't know how to do that."

The door opens into the map room.

Hatch and Jara had been staying at her mom's house, since the ugly court trial, last night inside the map room with the evil mayor. They had seen the deadly situation on the screen plasma, rushing toward the tallest building and ran up the one hundred and one steps through the empty mayor's office and across the hanging bridge. They had followed the same steps last night before and after the ugly court trail.

They enter the map room together. Hatch holds her hand and climbs down the staircase with a worried mind and a worried heart with a yell. "We're here to help. We're watching it on the screen plasma. The mayor has gone crazy."

Rincon turn and nods to Hatch. "How do I close off an open section of an exposed barrier wall, Hatch?"

Hatch dashes to the console panel and stands next to Rincon, staring at the wall maps with a shoulder shrug. "I don't know."

Nephella turns and watches each wall map with a worried brow and a worried heart. "Think of something, Hatch! The Dandine workers are dying fast, faster, fastest than a lightning bolt in front of everyone's eyeballs inside the pink tinted radiation pits of Tonkey."

The four walls blink off and on, presenting with a new image. Two of the map walls show the rear end of the pink and tan colored thirteen-foot high wooden platform. The sky is black with mean clouds, pouring down volumes of heavy rain. The grass is covered in silver puddles of water and a silver tinted travel car.

Beyond the travel car, there is a row of me-chee machines that stand at attention in front of the yellow tinted barrier wall. Before the travel car, the yellow barrier wall is empty without a me-chee machine, except for the high pile of silver wheel barrels. The gray colored cesspools are unoccupied with a Dandine worker.

Rincon turns and points the new map wall with a smile. "That's the hidden camera lenses from Duchie which is located around her hair bun. We are looking behind her skull at the rear of the outer township of Dandine. She had activated her cellie for us to see this."

Hatch looks down with a worried brow at the floor and back to see the nose profile of Rincon, pointing at the wall map with a smile, "Call Ketona. Tell her to fly and land at the orange tinted barrier wall intersection points of Dandine and Burrville. Then she can crack a big hole into the wall between the stationary travel car and the piles of wheel barrels. She can help some of the other workers escape through a new hole inside the barrier wall. All the Dandine workers are wearing an electromagnetic uniform."

Nephella turns and stares at the new wall map, "The children didn't wear an electron uniform while in school like the workers."

Hatch nods with a smile. "No problem! Tell Buffo to round up all the teens and bring their farmer electromagnetic uniforms. Toss the uniform through the new open hole. Then an adult can wrap each child inside the e-fabric. Then, the adult can toss the child through the new open hole like me and Buffo did with Jara, when she was too scared to enter the open barrier wall." He leans over and kisses her. Jara bounces up and down with a smile as she is happy about seeing her parents and having a baby with her husband Hatch.

Rincon whips out the cellie and dials the familiar number, lifting the device to his lips with worry.

07:27 am

Outer township of Burrville

Farm house of Ketona

Rain showers and dark clouds with cool temperatures

The necklace cellie sounds with a series of tiny musical beeps.

I groan from the bright light of a dull and damp raining day and toss the bed covers over my dirty curls. Last night, I had entered the house very late, after re-programming less than one hundred me-chee machines with my voice print.

The cellie sounds with a series of tiny musical beeps.

I reach over and grab my necklace cellie from the night stand, lifting the device over my mouth, "Yeah!"

I pause and hear the nervous voice of Rincon on the other end of the connection.

"What?" I sat upright inside the bed with worry.

Pause.

"On it! Will do! Thanks, Rincon!" I reach over and wrestle with the bed covers, standing upright with a sneer and dash to the dirty clothes on the floor, re-dressing in the walking short and short sleeved shirt with a snarl. I turn and dash out from my bedroom, down the staircase, through the living room and open the front door with a gasp. "The big summertime rain storm has arrived in Burrville to water and grow the crop fields. Geez, pouring down rain in an emergency always happens to me and everyone else."

Outdoors

Rain showers and dark clouds with cool temperatures

I dash into the rain and stop, hunting and find a small rock, lifting and toss it at the window, where Buffo is sleeping or resting.

They both were out late last night working to create the first ever me-chee graveyard inside each barrier wall and re-programming each me-chee machine to stand and ran, hiding inside the farm house of Ketona.

Buffo finally appears and stands in front of the window, opening the glass.

I motion with both arms and hands with a yell to Buffo with panic. "Come on down! Hurry up!" I don't waste time either, turning and entering the work garage. I lift and drag out two flyers from the garage back into the pouring rain and spin around, returning inside the work garage, dressing in one of the dirty farm uniforms. I bundle more of the old farm uniforms into a tight pile that are stored and kept inside the garage for such an emergency.

Buffo dashes into the work garage from the rain and slams a wet body into the back spine of Ketona with a chuckle and a smile, "Hey! Good morning, sweetheart. Why are playing in the rain? I don't like..."

I swing around with a stern face to his smile. "The mayor of Colfax is murdering the children and the adults of Dandine. I got a cellie call directly from Rincon. She is there inside Dandine, making the children walk into the radiation pits of Tonkey."

He drops open a mouth, "Dang!"

I exhale. "You, go and get more teens. We need help flying the rescued children and adults away from the new opening inside the orange tinted barrier wall to here at my house. I'll hide all of them here. There's no time to waste."

Buffo quickly dresses in one of the farm uniforms in silence and runs outside with a good bye to Ketona, loading into the other flyer, soaring up into the pouring rain for the rescue of children from Dandine and the evil mayor of Colfax.

I dash ahead into the rain and load a bundle of e-field uniforms onto the flyer, strapping the transport over a wet body, lifting up from the ground and into the rain storm and sail as fast as possible to the intersection points of Dandine and Burrville for the rescue of innocent children and adults of Dandine.

07:43 am

Orange tinted barrier wall

Intersection points of Burrville and Dandine

Rain and dark clouds with cool temperatures

I drop down into the mud and land the flyer, gently resting the flyer into the mud, ripping off the bundle of extra uniforms into both arms. I dash ahead toward the orange tinted barrier wall. I can't see the action on the other side of the barrier wall, with or without rain.

But I recalled the place, where the rows of pink wooden houses were parallel the barrier wall entrance point. Rincon said: stab the magnets closer to the row of gray colored cesspool between the flower garden and tree forest for both secrecy and safety.

I stop and kneel down into the mud, dropping the bundle of farm uniforms. An electromagnetic uniform works in mud, rain, hail, sunshine, sweat and pee, since a charged ion is an invisible piece of electricity that cannot be seen by the naked eyeball but felt by a naked hand.

I wipe the rain from a wet face. My hand shakes holding the single strip with worry.

The mayor of Colfax is on the other side of the orange tinted barrier wall, tossing innocent workers and children into a pink tinted radiation pits. Between the radiation pit water and the electromagnetic molecules, each adult and child is dying very swiftly.

I reach up and stab the first magnet strip into the barrier wall even with my nose with a growl of angry. My single eyeball sees through the tiny hole open a set of rain drops. I reach up and stab the second magnet strip about five inches sideways from the first one, waiting and watching for a sign of movement. I see only a set of heavy volumes of pouring down rain. The droplets are thick balls of water. I wipe a face from the rain that is also watering all the crop fields inside my home township of Burrville.

I jerk out both magnet strips with a sneer of worry and stand upright on my toppy toes, reaching high over the cowgirl hat, stabbing with a right hand into the barrier wall. Then I squat down into the mud and stab with a left hand near my boot ankles. Thus, the orange tinted barrier wall cracks and then collapses sideways, revealing a slanted open hole.

I stand upright on my tippy toes and reaching even with the first magnet strip, stabbing with a right hand the third magnet into the barrier wall and squat down, stabbing the fourth magnet strip even with the second one, creating a great big rectangular shaped exit hole.

I reach out and grab the wet bundle of extra e-field uniforms into my breasts, standing upright, exhaling with panic. I can see heavy volumes of pouring rain. The droplets are thick balls of water. I wipe the water from a face and adjust the scarf over my eyeballs for protection from the deadly electron ions with a whisper for my eardrums only. "Good. The rain will disguise my movements." I exhale with a puff of fear and cuddle the bundle of uniforms tighter into my breasts and jump over the short bottom part of the barrier wall, soaring over the electromagnetic edge of the rectangular hole.

Both boot toes land over the slippery grass and as I slide side to side and balance an upright body, stopping and scanning the activity.

I stand upright and squat down out of sight between the stationary silver tinted travel car without a guarding me-chee machine and a tall pile of silver tinted wheel barrels, without any pookie pieces. On the left, there is a line of me-chee machine in front of the yellow tinted barrier wall, staring at the row of cesspools, without a gun. A me-chee machine cannot harm a human.

I think.

Always, on the right, there is a group of Dandine workers, who are surrounded by a circle of me-chee machines. I hear the terrible screams of terror and yells of fury from the innocent children and workers.

I exhale with a puff of angry and fear, in front of my body, there is the rows of gray colored cesspools. Between the rows of cesspools, there is set of Dandine workers. They are crouched in the grass while waiting and worrying.

I whisper for my eardrums only, "Time to save them." I exhale with fear and control my nervous breathing. I slowly stand in a crouched, not like a spy, dashing ahead toward the huddle of workers that hides behind a tall pile of silver tinted wheel barrels. My farm jumpsuit is colored yellow like a member of the Dandine workers too. I twist the cowgirl hat and scarf to the side to see more activity.

Each me-chee machine is violently dragging one adult or a couple of children or a couple of elderly people toward a new entrance portal inside the yellow tinted barrier wall by using its robot strength.

Through the extremely gigantic new entrance portal on the opposite side of the yellow tinted barrier wall, I can see the glowing pink tinted radiation bubbles that float in the air and the boiling pretty pink pits of the radiation vats over the red dirt, where the radiation lives and breathes inside the outer township of Tonkey. I growl with angry. I can't help that particular group of huddled workers yet, without being exposed and tossed inside the pretty pink radiation pit, too.

I slowly move in a crouched pose ahead toward the huddle of innocent workers in front of the rows of gray colored cesspools that is hidden by the tall piles of wheel barrels within the blinding rain and non-active line of me-chee machines.

A me-chee machine has a set of eye sensors, not a pair of human eyeballs. A machine can see in the rain, at night, during the day any moving thing and every stationary thing all the time, which could include Ketona.

I turn and survey each me-chee machine. The ones in front of the yellow tinted barrier wall just stand upright at attention like it is waiting on an order from the mayor. The mayor's voice controls the leader me-chee which is the me-chee driver of the travel car.

The mayor lounges in pleasure on top of a thirteen feet elevated platform which is made from the pink painted wooden planks and the thicket of natural tree limbs.

I can see the red color hair bun of rear skull of Duchie as it glows with a wrapped golden tinted cell. I see the rear skull of Marsilla's short brown colored pixie. They both sit inside a chair in-between the mayor of Colfax. I see the mayor's short black short hair and her glowing golden pant suit. However, I don't hear her raspy voice, only the ear-piercing screams of the dying Dandine workers inside the radiation pits between the thuds of heavy rain drops on my hat and my shoulders.

I slide down into the wet grass and drop down the uniforms, opening the bundle, reaching out with a gloved hand for the first Dandine worker. My farm uniform has changed colors from orange into yellow, after jumping through the yellow tinted barrier wall of Dandine. I grunt with a whisper for attention. "Go through the newest open hole inside the yellow tinted barrier wall behind my back spine and jump and run into the farmland of Burrville. Use the farm uniforms to cover each child from the deadly electrons also."

The first Dandine worker wears a helmet, a scarf, a pair of gloves, and a jumpsuit which is a requirement to work outside between the two electromagnet fields without absorbing all the dangerous electrons. He does not move from the spot with a pair of worried eyeballs, staring in silence at Ketona.

I don't waste my time. I reach around the first worker, slapping a hand on the second worker with a whisper of worry. "I'm a farmer from Burrville. The barrier wall is opened into Burrville. Jump through the new open hole inside the wall and land inside the other side. Don't touch the wall edges. Cover your eyes with the scarf. Don't scream. Go. Go. Now. Now. Hurry. Hurry..."

The second worker hears the wise words of Ketona and stands in a crouch pose from the other workers, running ahead and leaps into the air, flying through the open hole inside the barrier wall, sliding over the mud and stands upright. The worker spins around and gives a thumb up signal to the other workers.

The rest of the huddled workers see the single brave Dandine worker land and roll safely inside the muddy farmland of Burrville, accepting the thumbs up signal as a good plan. Each worker stands in a crouched pose, runs ahead, and then leaps through the giant rectangular open hole inside the yellow barrier wall, landing and slides side to side over the red tinted mud. The other workers help each worker move away from the open hole for safety.

I slide backward from the huddle of Dandine workers, watching them escape and the line of me-chee machines stand at attention. I continue to slip backward from the pile of tall wheel barrels, the escaping workers, protecting and guarding them, until something bad comes for me.

Each Dandine worker stands in a crouch, runs ahead and then leaps through the rectangular open hole and into the air in silence. The two workers stop at the open hole and wrap each child inside the farmer e-field uniform and then toss each scared child through the open hole and inside the mud of Burrville.

Inside the mud of Burrville, some of the Dandine workers inside Burrville catch the child and then rip off the farmer uniform, tossing it back through the open hole for another child. Some of the Dandine workers jerk the child from the mud and run the child away from the exposed open hole for protection and safety.

Inside the wet grass of Dandine, I slide backward and stand upright between the tall piles of wheel barrels and the rows of cesspools with a back spine to the line of me-chee machines. I watch the lucky Dandine workers run and then leap through the open hole of the barrier wall and then twist the hat, watching the unlucky Dandine workers as they are helplessly tossed into the pretty pink tinted radiation pits through the second portal inside Tonkey and quickly die in terrible screams. I exhale with angry.

I twist the hat and the scarf, viewing a line of hiding Dandine workers. The long line curves around the first cesspool and goes down toward the fifth cesspool, as far as, my acute eyesight can see in the blinding rainstorm.

The lucky Dandine workers continue a steady pace, escaping through the open hole of the barrier wall into the mud of Burrville.

I twist the hat and the scarf, seeing each me-chee machine toss another unlucky worker or an innocent crying child into one of the fiery pink tinted radiation pits of Tonkey. Each me-chee machine works at a steady and swift pace. I exhale with fury.

A cupped hand slaps my collar bone as I swing around with a growl to see the mystery person of yellow tint.

"It's me!" Buffo wears a yellow tinted farm uniform with the hat and the scarf. "The farm teens are there at the open hole of the barrier wall inside Burrville, helping on the other side of wall with the Dandine workers and children. What else can we do?"

I growl and calm my nerves with a whisper. "Open a second and third and an etcetera and an etcetera exit holes down along the rest of the orange barrier wall along the Dandine property line. There are other numerous groups of huddled Dandine workers that hide behind the row of the cesspools in front of the guards of me-chee machines. So, you and some of other teens take out the other me-chee machines along the Dandine barrier wall, so the hiding workers can escape safety into Burrville too."

Buffo exhales. "That movement will expose and cause a commotion on this side of the barrier wall."

I sneer. "That movement will save more of the Dandine workers on this side of the barrier wall too."

Buffo gasps. "We can't afford a fight. No one can beat or beat upon a me-chee machine. It is composed of solid lead."

I nod with a stern face. "We have to try and save the other huddled Dandine workers, standing in death in front of the mayor. Build your set of open holes right here and then moving down toward the city of Colfax also. Then, you attack each and every me-chee machine that hides behind the Colfax barrier wall. And if a human come again and attacks your body, then you have my permission to kick their lazy butthole. Colfaxians are all cowards. It is our perfect nature. No one will bother you!"

He nods, "Got it!"

I twist the hat and the scarf, viewing sideways with a right eyeball. I see the circle of me-chee machines, not stirring but surrounding a group of scared and screaming unlucky Dandine workers and children. I hear another dying scream of a dead worker. I sneer. "Always, I want the mayor to figure out who is causing her major trouble, too. Go, now, Buffo!"

Buffo swings around and covers a face, running ahead and leaps back through the open hole within the yellow tinted barrier wall, sliding and landing in the mud of Burrville. He stands upright and dashes to some of the farm teens, sliding into the huddle and explains the new plan of Ketona.

On the wet grass inside Dandine, I stand upright as a protective guardian angel between the first cesspool and the tall pile of wheel barrels. I can't see very well at this particular angle.

Inside the red mud and the rain showers of Burrville, Buffo dashes toward the solid barrier wall and slips down into the mud, using another set of three magnet strips from a farm teen and stabs the solid wall, creating a second open hole within the orange tinted barrier wall. The me-chee machine falls backward through the hole. Buffo reaches over and smashes a leg with the hammer on the kill switch, deactivating the me-chee machine. Then, the huddle of alert Dandine workers dash ahead and move toward the new second open hole inside the yellow tinted barrier wall, escaping into Burrville and from the mayor.

On the wet grass and rain inside Dandine, my peripheral vision of a left eyeball sees another me-chee machine disappear into the mud of Burrville with a grin and a giggle. My new smartie farm teen friends have quickly learned the secret of the e-fields and the me-chees.

I hear more set of dying screams and twist the hat to see a doomed huddle of innocent children and Dandine workers. A group of me-chee machine encircles the unlucky workers and innocent children.

The other herded groups of huddled workers consist of adults, children, and the elderly person which has quickly diminished, since each tossed person has perished into one of the fiery pink tinted pits of the radiation as the mayor and Marsilla calmly sit inside a lounge chair on top of the thirteen-foot tall elevated platform, sipping on a hot beverage, enjoying the screaming deaths.

I sneer at the rear skull of my former neighbor and schooler. "Marsilla, you're my next target, darling!"

On top of the thirteen-foot tall elevated platform of wet pink and tan tinted wooden planks, Duchie stands upright from the chair and wiggles side to side with nervousness. Her face is swollen with tears and sadness. Her people of Dandine individual perish inside the pretty pink tinted radiation pits of Tonkey. She can't stop it or fight with the me-chee machine or the evil mayor of Colfax. A me-chee is a machine with super human strength. She will die. She would die, but she needs to help, if she can. Duchie vows to stop the evil mayor somehow and some way for this terrible day in Dandine.

The mayor wiggles side to side with a giggle inside the smooth lounge chair and watches the disobedience Dandine workers scream and then die inside the radiation pits of Tonkey with a laugh. No one disobeys her mayor rules. If only, she could punish the young couple of Hatch and Jara too, but she cannot.

Teen Jara is carrying an unborn baby and is a former citizen of Colfax.

The populous of Colfax is both weak and cowardly. The whiny and wimpy citizens might impeach the mayor or worse eliminate the mayoral position, if any harm comes near the precious mother-to-be Jara and her unborn babe.

However, the mayor can punish the other outer townships, especially the ones that have worked and cooperated with the escape plan of Hatch and Jara like Dandine now and then the outer township of Montag next and then finally, the outer township of Burrville last.

On the wet grass and in the rain, I gasp with fear. One of the me-chee machines within the huddled circle of innocent children and workers shuffles sideways and spins around to stare at Ketona.

08:08 am

City of Colfax

Map room setting

Rain showers and dark clouds with cool temperatures

Rincon jabs a finger at the wall map with a smile where a hidden camera lenses inside the red colored hair bun of Duchie shows the rear view of the elevated platform. "Ketona, she's there. She's rescuing them. Thank goodness!"

Nephella paces back and forth in front of the control console and stops, staring the two walls, showing the rear view of the platform. A single short yellow colored jumpsuit stands between the rows of gray colored rounded cesspools and a tall pile of silver tinted wheel barrels. The Dandine workers run in front of the yellow jumpsuit and then do not return.

Rincon grins with a nod. "Ketona has created a new open hole with the set of magnets inside the barrier wall intersection points of Burrville and Dandine. The Dandine workers are leaping into safety into Burrville."

Nephella exhales at the wall map of action with worry. "I promise that it will not be for long. If one of the me-chee machines sees the rear view rescue action behind that elevated platform that holds my mother, then Ketona and the rest of entire population of Dandine are dead. We have to do something more, Rincon. My mother is crazy. She is killing all those innocent children and workers. We gotta try and close and collapse the yellow tinted barrier wall entrance portal into the Tonkey, somehow."

"I know." He slams a fist down onto the console and studies each instrument with a worried brow. "I'm thinking. We need to increase the frequency, coming from the e-field around Dandine. The frequency is controlled by a resonance sound."

08:09 am

Orange tinted barrier wall

Intersection points of Colfax and Burrville

Muddy crop field setting

The first teen farmer stands upright in the mud and stabs two of the refrigerator magnet strips into the solid orange tinted barrier wall even with a collar bone, creating a slanted open hole. The standing me-chee machine falls backward in shock into the mud and quickly uprights on a pair of metal boots, spin around to see the rain showers inside the outer township of Burrville. Its computer brain sensors indicate a new location other than the city of Colfax. The machine swings around to see Buffo.

Buffo is not wearing the farm hat and the scarf, only a jumpsuit and a pair of black tinted sunglasses. His jumpsuit is orange tinted with a pair of matching gloves. Buffo lifts and rotates both fists at the me-chee machine.

The me-chee machine has a set of exterior wet and shiny silver tinted metal skin with a yellow ponytail. It wears a yellow colored jumpsuit without a hat, a scarf, or a pair of sunglasses. It also wears a permanent smirk on a metal face in blood red. The me-chee raises both its folded fists and races toward Buffo.

Buffo slides sideways out of the way.

The second farm teen smashes the bat between the legs of the me-chee. The me-chee halts in the mud and reaches out, grabbing the bat from the teen farmer. The farmer gasps, "Dang!"

Buffo gasps with a yell. "It's a female machine." He rears back and slams a hammer into the left breast of the female me-chee, activating the kill switch. The me-chee machine falls forward and immobile inside the red mud.

The second farm teen turns and shrugs with frown at Buffo. "They all look alike to me."

Buffo laughs and swings around with a growl to see the long line of machines in front of the golden tinted barrier wall of Colfax. That golden tinted barrier wall is parallel to the outer township of Dandine. Buffo needs to remove each me-chee machine from the Colfax golden tinted barrier wall, so he can create a new hole and help the Dandine workers to escape from the evil mayor of Colfax.

He reaches down and grabs the hat and the scarf, covering a wet face with the wet gears, running ahead and leaps into the air with a growl, landing inside the city of Colfax, his birth home.

08:11 am

City of Colfax

Golden tinted barrier wall

Picnic table setting

The leader of the Colfax me-chee machines stands upright inside the city of Colfax and turns, scanning the interior courtyard of the picnic area for protection, seeing the new open hole within the golden tinted barrier wall and a single leaping young teen male in a golden colored jumpsuit. It lifts and waves a metal hand at the other me-chee metal friends that stand and guard the golden tinted barrier wall per the mayor order to protect the citizens of Colfax. Then, the machine runs ahead and charges at the young male teen.

Buffo leaps through the new open house and stands upright next to the picnic table with a yell, holing a bat in both fists. "Pair up! Slam then smash the robots! Hit the kill switch!"

Each me-chee machine moves ahead and away from the golden barrier wall and runs toward a pair of farmers in silence with a smirk of blood red on a metal face.

Each teen farmer leaps into the air and through the open hole, turning the jumpsuit and farm gear into a pretty golden tint without pain. Each farmer hunts and grabs a broken tree branch or a single metal picnic chair, or a baseball bat, readying for the metal fight.

Each me-chee machine attacks one of the fragile human teens, breaking a human limb or busting a pair of nose holes. Each teen farmer kicks and punches, trying to slam the particular accouterment to de-activate each mean and metal robot.

08:18 am

City of Colfax

Map room setting

Rincon stands behind the control console and jabs a finger with a stern face at the wall map. "Put up the current electromagnetic wave patterns on the wall map and replace the pink glowing Tonkey radiation pits."

Nephella stands in front of the console panel next to Rincon and reaches out, pressing a button with a nod and a stern face, looking up to see the image. "Okay. It's up. The black wave flows up and down and up and down like a smooth rolling hill over a flat cow pasture. This is a very low frequency resonance wave. These patterns are a set of gently smooth up and down single waves, surrounding each e-field which is around each outer township."

Rincon studies the wall map with the moving wave with a stern face. "Okay, for this to work, we need a very high frequency resonance wave. So, the current smooth rolling hillside wave going across the flat cow pasture must increase upward like a high mountain peak, roaring over the landscape."

Hatch stands in the middle of the elevated floor and stares at the moving wave on the map wall with a worried brow. "And how are we going to do that?"

Rincon nods with a smile. "A resonance wave is modified when a rolling wall of cold temperature air slams into a wall of heated temperature air. The electrons shimmy and shake, making any type of hole collapse and then close down the exposed portion of an electromagnetic field."

Hatch nods with a smile at the wall map. "Okay. We can create a set of mini-tornados. A tornado is a weather phenomenon of a cold front of air slamming into a hot front of air."

Nephella looks down with a stern face and monitors the radar screen of the weather conditions. "No, I do not see a single tornado funnel. This is a tender warm front of rain storm with a set of heavy rain drops for the crop fields of seedlings and lots of warm air. Hit me, again!"

Rincon exhales with a sour frown and stares at the wall map of the wave pattern. "Okay. A resonance is modified by Mother Nature using a series of bright lightning bolt strikes. If the rain storm is producing a set of numerous lightning bolts, then the open wall barriers holes will collapse all by themselves without any more help from us."

Jara turns and points to the new wall map with a gasp. "Look the other wall map! I see a set of new openings along the golden tinted barrier walls. Is that really happening here?"

Hatch turns and smiles with a nod. "That is Buffo and the other farm teens. They are leaping through a new open hole and capturing each me-chee machine from behind the wall of..."

"Colfax," Rincon gasps with a smile.

Hatch spins around and dashes over the floor, up the staircase, and toward the closed door. The door opens. He runs outside in the rain on top of the balcony.

On top of the balcony ledge of the map room building, the other teens but Nephella runs behind the back spine of Hatch and out the open door, stopping and stands outside in the rain at the edge of the building balcony also. A gang of golden jumpsuits dance and fight near the golden tinted barrier wall, slamming a weapon into each me-chee machine. Sometimes, the machine goes down onto the brick surface. Sometimes, the machine fights and injuries the teen who runs away from the me-chee robot.

Rincon reaches over and elbows Hatch with a worried brow. "We gotta go and help them, too. Buffo and the farmers can't fight off an indestructible lead plated robot."

Hatch claps with a smile for the brave battle, "Naw! Buffo is the 'bestest' fighter and leader of the teen farmers. He knows what to do. He is getting the attention of the line of stupid standing guard machines that are blocking the side of Dandine along the golden barrier wall. You can't fight with a machine. We gotta help him by bringing down all the barriers walls and rescue the people of Dandine from the mad and crazy mayor of Colfax, right now." He spins around with a stern face and leads the other teens back into the map room.

Inside the map room, Nephella continues to stand in front of the control console and study the radar screen of rain clouds. "There is not any type of bright lightning bolts or strikes for today. Mother Nature is our new enemy and not cooperating. What else, Rincon?" she continues to monitor the weather and the radar screen.

Hatch dashes down the staircase and stops next to Jara, staring at the map wall of Dandine with a stern face. "A large falling object like a big rocks or a bigger boulder will trigger a resonance sound also, which will affect all the open holes inside each e-field."

Nephella frowns down at the radar screen. "I do not see a sign of one single falling rock or boulder. What else, smart Rincon, not silly Hatch?"

Hatch grins with a smile at each map wall. "And if a persona bangs on an earth mineral like a steel plated hammer of copper or gold or silver, then the earth mineral will emit a set of new pretty colors. The new colors will oxidize the surrounding air currents and then the air will shift, causing the e-field to modify. Then, the modified e-field will collapse and close down a barrier wall inside Tonkey and Dandine and Montag and the rest of the townships."

Nephella frowns down at the radar screen. "No copper or gold or silver in here. What else, Rincon? Shut up, Hatch!"

Jara stands next to Hatch and turns with a smile to see the nose profile of Hatch. "A resonance field is nothing but a heightened sound like a musical note. We should play a song of music which will cause each e-field within each outer township including Colfax to collapse and close down into the nothingness."

Hatch spins around and dashes ahead toward the control console and stops, standing next to Nephella, reaching out and touches the panel of instruments with a smile. "Okay. Here is a radio dial. We raise the recorded music to the highest level and then create a new high frequency wave."

Nephella shakes her curls with a sour frown. "The radio volume will not be high enough to collapse one single e-field."

Jara spins around and sees Hatch with a smile, "Inside the outer township of Dandine, each building had a bell. There is a school bell, a church bell, a firehouse bell, a lunch bell. All the bells produced an array of pretty loud and high pitched tones of musical notes. We activate all the bells at the same time. Then, the musical tones will shift all the ions inside each e-field. Each open hole will fall back into solid form."

Hatch looks up and winks at his wife Jara with a chuckle, "A solid hole or a solid hold?"

Nephella frowns down at the radar screen. "Shut it, Hatch!"

Rincon moves and stands next to Jara with a nod to Nephella and Hatch. "Yes, Jara is correct. The ringing bells will excite all the electromagnetic ions. Then, the electromagnetic components will smash and then scatter toward the open hole. Then, all the scattered ions will collide and then collapse, closing each barrier wall hole."

Nephella looks up with a confused brow to see Rincon. "All the open barrier wall holes will close, not just the big one inside Tonkey. Each hole inside Burrville and Colfax will close up, too. The workers can't escape from my crazy mother, the mayor of Colfax."

Hatch nods with a smile. "The ringing bells will stop and capture everyone's attention. Then, the workers will not be dying anymore. Then, we attack..."

"Attack the mayor?" Nephella turns and gasps at the nose profile of Hatch.

Jara exhales. "You are going to create a buckling motion within the waves too?"

Nephella nods with a sour frown. "Yes, my mother is crazy. We need to capture and contain her too. Once the Colfaxians learn of her malice, she will be impeached or dismissed or something."

Hatch nods with a smile, tossing both arms into the air, "Excellent plot, Nephella! Excellent plan, Rincon! Do it to it and to the mayor. Yeehaw!"

Jara frowns with worry at the other teens. "The electromagnetic wave is going to buckle. Then, the wave will explode inside Dandine, killing all the plants, trees, and all the wildlife animals, including birds, probably..."

"Not the people," Rincon shakes his curls with a stern face. "All the workers will faint from the high pieced sound."

Nephella frowns. "Ugh! We all will faint from the high pieced sound, too."

Hatch shakes a skull at Nephella, "Naw."

Nephella nods, "Yeah."

Hatch frowns, "No, girl."

Nephella nods, "Yes, guy. The console panel for the ringing bells is located inside my mother's business office, not in here. This is the map room, showing the outline of the mayor's geographical land territories. We have to activate all the musical bells inside the tower room which is inside the mayor's office which is across the hanging bridge," she back steps from the console and dashes over the floor, moving up the staircase.

Rincon turns and dashes behind the back spine of Nephella with a stern face. "Yes, we will take that chance in which we might not faint from the raining bells to save the other Dandine workers."

Jara turns and points at the other wall map with a gasp of worry. "Look there on the other wall map! One of the me-chee machines has spotted Ketona inside Dandine behind the elevated platform that holds Duchie and the mayor."

Rincon jogs up the staircase and toward the door with a worried brow. "Hurry! Hurry! Everyone, go and get across the hanging bridge and back into the mayor's office. We must find and rings the bells. We gotta save Ketona, Buffo, and the innocent children, and the workers of Dandine from the crazy witch of Colfax."

08:22 am

Outer township of Dandine

Yellow tinted barrier wall

Intersection points of Burrville and Dandine

Rain and dark clouds with cold temperatures

I swing around and as my heart pumps both fear and blood into my neurons.

The me-chee machine slowly swings around and stares directly at Ketona. Its computer neurons register a set of numerous unusual and non-ordered movements in the far distance along the yellow barrier wall, seeing some missing meal friends also.

I slowly jog ahead with a sneer toward the single me-chee machine. It will expose my rescue plan and capture the other escaping Dandine workers. I fling both wet arms back and forth and gather up speed within the blinding rain storm, wiping the rain drops from a face, where my eyeballs are exposed. The me-chee stands in place and studies the commotion in the background, analyzing the situation.

I run faster with a snarl and jerk sideways away from the standing and alert me-chee machine for attention away from the escaping workers. The alert me-chee machine turns a metal face to see the back spine of Ketona, analyzing the situation.

The other me-chee machines within the circle continue to corral and to push all the captured Dandine workers and innocent children toward the entrance portal inside the yellow tinted barrier wall, leading into one of the fiery pink tinted radiation pits inside Tonkey under the nasty command of the evil mayor of Colfax.

On top of the pink and tan elevated platform, the mayor continues to wiggle side to side with a giggle and watches with a smile inside the lounge chair each fiery death of the gang of disobedience Dandine workers. This will teach the other outer townships not to mess with her reign as the only ruler of the region.

Marsilla bounces up and down with a giggle of excitement inside the lounge chair, sipping on the cold beverage from the warm air temperatures. This will teach the other interns not to mess with her reign in Colfax as the smartest intern that works directly for the mayor of Colfax. She might apply for the open administrator technician position, since the mayor's daughter Nephella is both dumb and incompetent to replace her wise mother.

Duchie stands upright from the chair and sobs in tears of sadness. This is a terrible day. Her people of Dandine are dying. She can't help them. She can't stop the terrible murders by the rows of me-chee machines. She prays for some help from Rincon and Nephella who are stick inside the Colfax map room.

On the wet grass and rain storm, I slide and slip out of control over the wet grass, slamming down a body into a pile of tree branches, where the materials of the elevated platform were used to construct the new tower. I moan with pain and slowly stand upright, reaching down and lift up a heavy garden shovel with both hands.

The circle of me-chee machines ignores the movement of Ketona as each machine has been issued a single deadly command from the mayor to shove all the helpless workers and innocent children through the new created entrance portal and into one of the pink tinted radiation pits of Tonkey to die in screams and tears.

I pace ahead toward the single me-chee machine with an excellent plan and twirl the shovel handle in front of a body, threatening it with bodily harm. My face twists to the commotion on the left, seeing a steady flow of escaping Dandine workers that exit through the open hole of the yellow tinted barrier wall inside Dandine. This is it my moment to save the other unlucky Dandine workers from the nasty machines.

I dash ahead and lift the shovel above the hat, dropping down and smash the metal collar bone of the me-chee machine without damage, of course.

No one can beat upon a machine.

The shovel handle and I quiver from shock and pain. Then I slowly back step from the machine and grind the teeth in pain. The me-chee machine reaches out and grabs, jerking the handle of the shovel from Ketona, breaking it into two separate parts. It drops the broken wood onto the wet grass.

I gasp and growl, running ahead like a front attach and scoot around the me-chee machine out of its arm span.

On top of the elevated platform, the mayor lounges inside the chair and sees the motion from the corner of her eyeball, turning with a smile to see single brave Dandine worker with a sneer. "Kill it, me-chee! Get it, now, me-chee!"

On the wet grass and the rain, I lean down and pick up another shovel by the handle from the wet grass, twirling it and scoot around the me-chee machine, slamming the robot, making a lovely set of beautiful musical tones on its metal body with a giggle. The me-chee machine swings around and moves in Ketona's direction, twirling around and missing one of the escaping Dandine worker and faces with a back spine to see Ketona with a set of sensors. I slowly back step from the backward machine with a gasp of its talents and step forward, slamming the tip of the shovel into its metal back spine. The me-chee machine bends down forward at the waistline from the impact of the shovel tip and easily guides over the wet grass without tripping and moves away from Ketona.

I stand with a gasp of shock and stared down at the grass with a whisper. "It's wet and slick. The metal is shiny and slippery." I squat down and grab a second shovel with a giggle and stand upright, dancing forward and around the stationary and folded me-chee machine. I slap and bang the shovel all over its metal parts, hearing the lovely tones of music with a smile and a laugh.

The me-chee machine slips ahead over the wet grass and twirls around in several circles from the forceful impact of the shovel, slipping down and dropping over the wet grass and far away from Ketona. It continues to try to stand and slip on a pair of wet metal feet back down over the wet grass.

I twirl around and dance toward the circle of me-chee machines that form a huddle around the captured Dandine workers, reaching out and slap a set of loud bangs on each metal back spine on every me-chee machine. Each alert me-chee machine spins around and views Ketona, analyzing the situation.

I rear back and slam the shovel into the appropriate left body part, dancing around each machine while making an array of lovely musical tones with my giggling soprano. Each me-chee machine powers down and falls forward onto the blood red smirk of a metal face.

Within the huddle of captured workers, some of the adult Dandine workers dash away from the mayor and the elevated platform back toward their home for a shotgun to kill the mayor. Or the children and the other teens and adults turn and run toward the open hole within the yellow tinted barrier wall for safety from the mayor.

On top of the elevated platform, the mayor stands upright from the chair with a gasp along with Marsilla, jabbing a manicured fingernail at the fallen me-chees, the runaway Dandine workers, and the mysterious brave soul. "Get it! Kill that dancing worker, me-chees! Stand up and fight, me-chees!"

Marsilla leans over with a sour frown and a whisper into the cheekbone of the mayor. "Ms. Mayor, a me-chee is not programmed to fight. It can capture and hold onto a person and then it can shove the object or the person into pool of fresh water or a pit of deadly radiation, only."

The mayor shouts with a sneer. "Capture the dancing worker, now, me-chee! Capture it, now! I wanna know who that worker is right now. Get the worker, me-chees! I command it, right now."

On the wet grass and in the rain, a second huddle of me-chee machines spins around and move toward Ketona. The captured Dandine workers run away from the open hole, the me-chees, and the mayor toward their home for a gun or toward the open hole to escape the horror.

On the elevated platform, the mayor flings both arms and hands with a yell. "Capture the dancing worker, now! Get that worker, right now, me-chees!"

On the wet grass and in the rain, I spin around and dash ahead toward the newly constructed pink and white elevated platform, slapping the tip of the shovel at the wood, banging and chopping down on the thin homemade wooden leg. A new set of me-chee machines slowly advance over the wet grass and chase after wayward Ketona.

I twirl around with a giggle the newly elevated platform and damage more of the wooden legs for fun. I can't really damage the platform. I run ahead with a smile toward the row of tiny houses, stopping with a gasp. The mayor had ordered the destruction of the pretty pink wooden houses to construct her homemade elevated platform of doom. The set of new me-chee machines slowly dash around the elevated platform chasing after Ketona.

I run forward and turn the house corner and halt with the set of new me-chee machines in hot pursue of my person with a giggle. I hide inside a dark corner near the back porch and lift the shovel, slamming the metal into the first metal face of the approaching me-chee machine. The shovel and I shimmy side to side from the sudden collision of metal pain. I drop down the shovel from the violent impact with a grunt and squat down, grabbing the shovel again.

I leap from the hiding spot and stand in front of the row of me-chee machines, wildly swinging the shovel and hitting the kill switch on some of the machines with a sneer of angry.

08:25 am

Outer township of Burrville

Muddy crop field setting

Buffo slams the left body part of each me-chee machine. The machine falls backward in deactivate. He stops the fight with a gasp on top of the wet and pretty gray brick picnic area to see dripping blood from some of the injured teen farmers inside the courtyard of Colfax. "Retrieve, retrieve back into the Burrville. Get all the me-chee robots to come back with you, right now!" He runs backward and covers a face with the scarf, leaping backwards into the air, flying back through the open hole and lands inside the mud. He slides side to side, losing his footing and lands into the mud.

Each me-chee machine chases after a farm teen, elegantly leaping through the new open hole within the golden tinted barrier wall without flaming into fire as the machine is made of lead ions like the e-field.

Inside the mud of Burrville, Buffo stands upright in the mud and points with a sneer at each me-chee machine. "The robots are coming there the open hole of the Burrville barrier wall. Go and attack the machine. Hit the kill switch right now!"

Each me-chee machine lands on top of the slick red mud as the jumpsuit turns into bright orange with a painted smirk of blood red on a metal face. Then each robot targets and advances forward toward a teen farmer, slipping and sliding side to side over the slick mud and falls backwards or forward.

Buffo laughs. "Get them, now! The metal feet can't run around in the mud. Attack the machine! Hit the kill switch!" The other teen farmers and some of the Dandine adults dash ahead with a rebel yell to every fallen me-chee machine, hitting the left body part with a boot toe or a bat or a hammer. Then each me-chee machine stills in deactivation.

Buffo points back into the courtyard of Colfax with a stern face. "Create a new open hole within the orange barrier wall and get inside the courtyard of Colfax. Run ahead and open up more holes within the golden tinted barrier wall into the outer township of Dandine. Save the women and children of Dandine now!"

Some of the teams of farm teens with a set of four magnet strips slam into the orange tinted barrier will and create a new open hole. A new set of teen-farmers, each one leaps into the air and then flies through the newest hole opening through the barrier wall and turns into a golden color on the jumpsuit while landing and then stands inside Colfax with a sneer at each new enemy.

Inside the courtyard of Colfax, a new team of farm teens runs over the brick patio with yells and then slams into the golden tinted barrier wall with a set of chuckles. They back step with silliness and then stand upright, squatting down, inserting a set of four sliced-off refrigerator magnets into the solid wall while creating a set of numerous rectangular-shaped gigantic open holes within the golden barrier wall. Then, a stream of new yellow tinted jumpsuits leap through the new opening of the barrier wall, morphing into a pretty golden tint, without pain.

On the opposite end inside the township of Dandine, each scary and worried Dandine worker and child leaps up from the wet grass and dashes ahead, flying through the one of the numerous new open holes that had been created by the Burrville teams within the golden tinted barrier wall. Each Dandine worker and child hit and then rolls onto the ground, swiftly standing upright, quickly racing away from the opening, the mayor, and their home town further down the field inside the outer township of Burrville for body safety.

On the both opposite ends of the golden tinted barrier wall near the intersection point of both the outer townships of Montag and Hamlin, Buffo and his group of teen-farmer friends has not eliminated the set of standing and guarding metal me-chee machines. A group of machines slowly move away from the end wall and then advance toward the throng of golden tinted jumpsuits.

Some of the teen farms and the Dandine workers stop the and spin around hunting for a weapon also by breaking off a tree limb or lifting up a metal picnic chair or whipping out a nail hammer to stop the set of advancing me-chee machines from harming the other Burrville teens.

Inside the muddy ground of Burrville, a stream of me-chee machines leap into the air and jump through the open hole within the golden barrier wall, landing on top the wet dirt, sliding down into the mud. A teen farmer kicks at the left body part and hit the kill switch. Then the me-chee machine deactivates into death.

Further down along the orange colored barrier wall of Burrville, a steady stream of golden tinted Jumpsuits leaps up from the soil, sail across the opening and, land down inside the concrete surface of Colfax. Then each golden tinted Jumpsuit spins around and faces a row of orange tinted Jumpsuits as each Dandine child and worker leaps up from the wet ground and sails across one of the numerous openings, landing in the red mud for body safety within the farmland of Burrville.

On top of the soil of Burrville, leader Buffo gasps with worry and points inside the courtyard with panic, "Help! We need help over here. The other me-chee machines on the Colfax side are fighting with the some of the Dandine workers and some of the Burrville teen farmers. Go and get inside and help them! Go and get inside right now! Go and help them right now!"

Inside the courtyard of Colfax, a set of teen farmers and some of the Dandine workers run with a weapon and leap back through the open hole and land inside the courtyard of Colfax, fighting with the robots. Each golden jumpsuit kicks and punches, trying to slam the particular accouterment to de-activate each mean and metal robot.

From the one side of the tallest building in Colfax, where the office of the mayor resides, a group of native Colfaxians rush around the building wall with a rebel yell and hold a weapon, attacking the golden jumpsuits in blood and pain.

The golden jumpsuits twist around and then fight with each nasty Colfaxian giving back more blood and more pain.

Some of the advancing me-chee machines turn away from the row of golden jumpsuits and then strangely enough attack each native Colfaxian, since the robot is following the order of the mayor and does not know the different between a human and another human. To the me-chee, all humans look the same.

Inside the mud and the rain environment of farm outer township of Burrville, leader Buffo stands in place with a worried brow and stares at the different hot spots of activity throughout the barrier wall.

On the orange tinted barrier wall, one single open hole shows a stream of me-chee machines that slid and fall down into the slick mud. A teen farmer kicks the kill switch and deactivates the robot.

Further down along the orange tinted barrier wall, there is a set of open holes, showing a steady stream of Dandine workers and children that are escaping through the courtyard of Colfax.

Inside the courtyard of Colfax, a set of me-chee machines are capturing the native Colfaxians and the Dandine workers under the command of the mayor of Colfax.

A group of native street dressed Colfaxians are fighting with some of the Burrville golden colored teen farmers and some of the golden colored Dandine workers.

On the golden tinted barrier wall, there is new set of open holes, showing a stream of golden colored Dandine workers who are escaping from the crazy mayor of Colfax.

He stands in place with a gasp and a whisper for his eardrums only. "This is insane. My fellow Colfaxians are fighting with my farm friends. I can't believe how ugly and mean the Colfaxians are. Almost all of my farm friends can fight and win the day, coming from fun and wild times on a forestland farms. What has made the Colfaxians mean and nasty? Please, someone stop this madness."

08:29 am

Outer township of Dandine

Thirteen-foot elevated platform

Wooden steps setting

The mayor frowns with annoyance at the defeat of her metal guard and swings around on top of the elevated platform with a gasp, watching all the escaping workers. She stomps a sandal and crinkles all the facial piercings into her old wrinkles. "Where is my row of standing and guarding me-chee machine along the rest of the yellow tinted barrier wall inside Dandine?"

Marsilla stands beside the mayor and wiggles with a giggle. The set of me-chee machines fights against the brave and foolish solo Dandine worker. She swings around with a gasp to see each worker "The line of me-chee machines is missing from the yellow tinted barrier wall. Each me-chee machine has fallen through the barrier wall, dropping down into the city of Colfax. I told you they did that, Ms. Mayor," she cross both arms with a nod.

Duchie spins around with a gasp. A stream of escaping Dandine workers is leaving the township and the rain for personal safety. She leans over with a smirk and a whisper into the mayor. "Your malicious reign is over, mayor. The line of me-chee machines is gone. Each one has fallen through the barrier wall, landing onto the golden concrete of Colfax. The cowardly Colfaxians didn't like violent or trouble. Look at the mess you have caused, mayor. You have murdered innocent people here in Dandine. Now, all the me-chee machines are running wild and fighting with the Colfaxians also."

The mayor gasps with a worried brow. "No!" She turns and smirks at Duchie. "You have murdered your own innocent people, when the two teens of Dandine found an opening inside the yellow tinted barrier wall. You are the causation of the Colfax violent and the Dandine killings, intern Duchie. You work for me. You report to me. You are responsible to me. Therefore, you will be punished for your failure to me. I will be conducting another court trial inside the map room for all the posh and pretty Colfaxians to see and taste, including you and your nosy teenager friends. They are no match against my line of me-chee soldiers."

Duchie gasps with shock. "No..."

Marsilla leans over the breasts of the mayor with a smirk and into the wet cheekbone of Duchie. "As the new legal technician, I am including the two teen fugitives Hatch and Jara, too. They are behind the entire escapade with creating a new open hole within each barrier wall while messing with your line of metal me-chee machine, Ms. Mayor."

Duchie gasps with shock. "No!"

On the wet grass and in the rain, the rest of the me-chee machines have broken from the circular huddle moving ahead, chasing after a solo Dandine worker. The captured Dandine workers and all the children have escaped from the mayor and the elevated platform back to their private home resident or toward one of the numerous open holes within the yellow tinted barrier wall, running away inside the outer township of Burrville.

On top of the Dandine wet grass, I work an escape route with my own open hole through the row of metal me-chee machines and then slam the shovel tip, rattling all my bones, powering down most of me-chee machines with a shout out of fury. Then I swiftly dash ahead running toward the thirteen-foot high elevated platform of pink and tan tinted planks, climbing the wooden staircase with a giggle and then fling the shovel tip at the wooden leg, chopping numerous chips hunks out from of the wooden planks.

On top of the elevated platform, the mayor screams in panic and wobbles side to side, swinging around with a sneer at the solo Dandine worker. "Stop that dancing worker, now, me-chees!"

I slam the tip of the shovel down into the wooden planks and then leap into the air, jumping off the wooden staircase, flying over each me-chee metal skull and as each me-chee machine slowly climbs the wooden staircase after the solo Dandine worker. I don't make it and land on top of a few me-chee machines with a low grunt while, sliding down a row of wet metal back spines like a young kid on top of a playground slide with a giggle. I roll sideways and then land onto the soft wet grass with a soft plop and a loud grunt. I stand upright and fall down over the grass again with a giggle.

Each me-chee machine loses balance and tumble over a wet shiny metal body, falling onto the wet grass or the top of the wooden step like a set of falling dominos, a child's game.

I stand upright and advance with a snarl, swinging the shovel tip into the left side of each body part. Some of the attacking me-chee machine power down as a male and then fall over the active ones, making a big pile of shiny wet metal.

I rear back with a laugh and hit more left body parts of the twirling and standing machines, scanning the grassy ground, seeing the rain drops, the fallen me-chees, and no Dandine workers. I hear and see the pretty pink tinted radiation pits that boil and burp through the entrance portal inside the outer township of Tonkey.

The yellow tinted barrier wall holds a set of two heavy and thick lead cylinders, the width of an adult biological body. I don't have the body strength to pull the lead cylinders out from the barrier wall. So, I will leave it and wait on Buffo to finish powering down his share of the me-chee machines inside the city of Colfax and Burrville. Then, he can come and remove the twin cylinders. Then, I will win over the crazy witch mayor of Colfax.

I rear back and slam the shove with a sneer into next standing me-chee machine, downing the robot as it falls over the wet grass. I laugh. "Hmm, I see more males than females. Poor planning," I rear back and swing the shovel with a laugh again at the next advancing me-chee machine.

On top of the elevated platform, Duchie swings around with a smile and points down with a giggle at the fallen me-chee machines. "I would surrender, right now, mayor. You are losing the battle. All the me-chee machines are powered down. And my dad's shotgun is loaded, too. The escaping Dandine workers are running back home to fetch a loaded shotgun also with the dead intent to end your life force in death," clapping with a laugh.

The mayor back steps from Duchie with a gasp and shakes her curls, crinkling the facial piercings into her old wrinkles.

08:31 am

City of Colfax

Office of the mayor

Interior setting

Nephella leads the other teens across the hanging bridge in the rain, over the balcony and slams a hand into the closed door. She dashes across the open floor of the office and turns, stopping and stands in front of a solid of white paint without a door handle.

The rest of the teens follow behind her back spine and enter the interior office of the mayor wet and silent.

Nephella lifts both hands and wipes off the light dust, tapping the solid wall with a set of knuckles, watching it break apart.

Rincon leads the teens and stops, standing behind the back spine of Nephella with a puzzled brow. "What are you doing?"

Nephella racks off the crumbled wall pieces and reaches inside the hole, grabbing and twists the ancient cold door knob inside the hidden wall with a stern face. "A long time ago, before an e-field surrounded each the outer township, a good mayor would call a nice public meeting by ringing all the church bells. Over the years, a bell was built into each building for both beauty and fun. This building is the tallest structure in Colfax and throughout each township. So the old tower room was the highest spot to hold a set of levels, ancient levels, which would activate all the bells inside each outer township all at once, in case of an emergency. This is an emergency."

The wall crumbles down and lands on top of the floor, revealing a dark and damp room without a viewing window.

The other teens cough and wipe the dust from a face.

08:36 am

Tower room setting

Nephella enters the dark and damp tower room first and scans each solid wall. One wall holds an assortment of rusty metal coated downward levels that are scattered over the wall and embedded into the rotten wood.

The other teens follow behind the back spine of Nephella and stop, standing around her inside the archway, staring at the wall of metal levels.

Jara gasps with a worry. "Do all these old and rusty metal levels really work?"

Rincon gasps with worry. "The levels are pointing downward toward the floor already. They are all broken."

Nephella nods with a smile. "I promise. They all do work."

Hatch cuddles Jara, standing beside Rincon. "Which lever represents the outer township of Dandine?"

"I do not know the answer to that question." Nephella stands and stares at the wall with a set of numerous rusty levers on the other side of Rincon with a puzzled brow.

Hatch asks. "Which lever represents the city of Colfax?"

"I do not know the answer to that question, either." Nephella exhales.

Rincon nods with a smile. "Okay. We lift all the eight rust coated metal levers toward the ceiling right now. We left Ketona alone and fighting with one of the me-chee machines or probably all of them by now inside Dandine. We're outta time, ya'll." He moves ahead and stops, standing in front of the wall, reaching out and grabs two of the rusty metal levers with a worried brow. "Grab two levers. Then, jerk it down, ya'll!"

Jara moves ahead and stops, standing, reaching out and grabs two of the old rusty metal levers with a smile. Hatch moves beside her and reaches out, grabbing two of the rusty old levers. Nephella moves ahead and touches each lever with a stern face.

Rincon shouts and jerks upward both levers. "Lift it, now!"

Each ancient rusty metal level slowly lifts upward with a soft cracking sound toward the cracked ceiling of white tiles with guidance from a pair of cupped hands. Then, all the level tips point upward.

Each teen back steps from wall of rusty levers and watches for any movement.

Hatch laughs. "I don't hear any bells or whistles or fireworks."

Jara stomps a foot and crosses both arms with a worried brow. "I didn't work, ya'll. Now, what's next?"

Nephella nods with a smile. "It will, just wait and listen."

The sound of numerous bells is faint at first, ringing inside the city of Colfax. Then, the sound of each bell grows louder and fiercer with each swing of the bell inside every building of Colfax. The tall buildings rumble side to side from the ringing music and then each glass window crack and splits from the growing resonance harmonic frequency.

Jara covers both eardrums with a scream from the breaking glass which is outside windows of the mayor's office. Hatch reaches and cuddles her, slamming both bodies into the wall corner, dropping down over the cracked tile floor.

The tiny tower room is exposed to the sounds of the cracking glass windows and ringing of the numerous bells.

Rincon grabs both eardrums with a worried brow and slams into the solid wall, falling down over the cracked tile floor. Nephella covers her eardrums and drops down in front of Rincon.

08:33 am

Outer township of Dandine

Yellow tinted barrier wall

Elevated platform setting

A set of iron bells inside a bell tower slowly move side to side and then loudly ring with an array of lovely musical notes coming from each building structure throughout the outer township of Dandine for some reason.

I rear back and then swing the shovel tip with a growl at the single advancing me-chee machines hitting the left side body part with a grunt of pain. The me-chee machine halts and falls backward and hit the bottom step of the elevated platform in death deactivation.

I look up with a smile to see the black cloudy sky, hearing the lovely sing of the ringing bells. The pretty sound grows louder and louder. I grunt in pain and drop down the shovel into the grass, covering both eardrums with my gloved hands, looking down at the wet grass.

The other alert me-chee machines still and stand in place as the ringing bells confuse its hearing circuits inside the computer brain.

On top of the elevated platform, the mayor lifts both hands and covers each eardrum with a sour frown. "What is that awful loud noise?"

Duchie turns and points with a grin to each building. "You are hearing the ringing bell in each structure here in Dandine. One ringing bell is located in the church, the school, the firehouse, the lunch building. Yeah Rincon!" She tosses both hands with a smile and covers the eardrums from the loud and beauty musical tones. "Rincon has created a resonance sound using the sweet music from bells." She folds down at the waistline and turns, leaning down into the lounge chair, slipping over the wooden chair, falling down over the wooden platform in pain and closes her eyelashes to the ringing bells.

The mayor turns and sneers at each building and as her facial piercings crinkle on her old wrinkles. She tumbles backward and falls down into the lounge chair, closing her eyelashes to the loud sound.

The sound of each loud ringing bell grows more powerful. Each open hole within the yellow tinted barrier wall shimmies side to side and then shivers up and down and finally shakes. Each ion collides and then collapses shut closing back into a solid formation of yellow hue inside the outer township of Dandine. Throughout the region, every single open hole within a barrier wall between the outer townships of Tonkey and Dandine, Colfax and Dandine, and Burrville and Dandine collapse and then close shut, creating a solid piece of barrier wall like before.

I fall down onto the soft wet grass in the rain storm and cover both eardrums with my hands feeling dizzy. The pretty powerful ringing music coming from each ringing iron bell makes my head spin sideways. The ringing music makes my pair of eyeballs see double figures. The sheet of rain drops makes my body cold and hungry. I rest on top of my stomach feeling the rain tap over my cowgirl hat, my face, and my jumpsuit.

Then, I pass out into darkness.
Tenth day of employment

City of Colfax

09:09 am

Warm temperatures with bright sunshine

Cubby Hole auditorium setting

Golden tinted walls, floor, and ceiling, without a me-chee machine

I blink my eyelashes open with a gasp and feel cold, semi-wet, semi-dry, and dirty with a set of grass blades, wet tree leaves, and tiny sand granulates, seeing the ceiling.

The ceiling is golden color.

I sit upright on both elbows and survey my clothes. I wear a jumpsuit in golden glowing tones without the pair of gloves, the scarf, the hat, and the shovel. So, I had been carried inside a travel car, coming through the solid barrier wall into the city of Colfax from the outer township of Dandine, making the jumpsuit absorb the golden electrons. I turn and scan the new environment with a gasp, "I'm inside the Cubby Hole auditorium room, again."

The auditorium room glows in gold color on the four walls, the ceiling, and the floor.

I struggle to stand upright as my sore body parts ache from the fighting exercise with the annoying and non-fighting me-chee machines.

Buffo, Rincon, Jara, Hatch, Duchie, Nephella, and Lamis are lying on top of the cold empty floor too. Buffo and Lamis wear a set of golden tinted jumpsuits. Rincon, Duchie, and Nephella wear a set of the regular golden tinted clothes. Jara and Hatch wears a pair of blue jeans and a white short sleeved shirt.

I dash toward Buffo with a gasp and squat down, violently shaking him with worry. "Wake up, Buffo! Get up, Buffo! We are all back here inside the Cubby Hole for some strange reason. What's going on here inside the Cubby Hole? Get up, Buffo!"

He stirs awake and wiggles side to side with the other teens from the shouting and worried words of Ketona. Buffo sits upright on his fanny with an ugly yawn and rubs both eye sockets. His eyelids open and then close, focusing on the new room and as he gasps in shock, "The Cubby Hole!"

Rincon stands upright with an ugly yawn and stretches out his limbs, turning and surveys the empty room. The only object inside the room is one of the stationary me-chee chairs that glow in a tint of golden colors. He exhales with a worried brow. "I do believe that we are in some type of gigantic trouble, ya'll. We had rung an assortment of musical bells inside an assortment of buildings throughout the land like a pair of king and queen trying to collapse the open and exposed barrier wall between Dandine and Tonkey."

I help Buffo to stand with a smile. "It worked, Rincon. You were very successful. I saw the hole inside the wall collapse and close. Then I dropped down onto the grass into blackness. The ringing bells were ringing my neurons into sleepiness."

Hatch helps Jara to stand upright and guides her toward the solid wall, helping her sit and squats beside her. He leans over and kisses her lips, pulling with a smile. "Stay right here. You're carrying our child. I will not let anyone harm you and our unborn child. I promise. Stay here and try to relax. Okay?"

Jara exhales with panic and rubs her stomach with nervousness without speaking but nods in silence.

Duchie sits on the floor and hugs her body with fear. Rincon spins around and dashes to Duchie, helping her to stand upright. She stands and cuddles into his biceps. "The mayor threatened to put us on court trial like she did Hatch and Jara the other night. I don't understand why we all are not inside the map room. Instead, we are inside the auditorium of the Cubby Hole for a second time."

"I have changed my mind," the voice of the mayor shouts and as she enters the auditorium, coming from the female locker room and stops, standing in front of the teens, reaching out and touches the me-chee chair. "Yes, each one of you is in big fat trouble. Yes, each one of you has created a big mess of trouble. Yes, each one of you is young. No, I will not punish you. As mayor..."

"Mother?" Nephella stands upright from the floor and wipes off the dust with a sneer. "You have murdered innocent people. We stopped you. You are evil. We are good," laughing.

The mayor exhales with a puff of annoyance and shakes her curls and as the facial piercings crinkles into her old wrinkles. "My own daughter has sabotaged my good work. To make a long story shorten, the sound of the loud ringing bells had created a set of dizziness in every citizen of Colfax, including the outer townships. No one was harmed or hurt, only peacefully sleeping. My me-chee machines were not harmed either, only sleeping too. The first citizens to awaken from the non-ringing bells were my loyal and devoted Coflaxians. They found each one of your unconscious bodies inside the tiny closet inside my private mayor office first. Second, they came to my rescue, next, of course."

"Mother!" Nephella sneers. "We rescued the people of Dandine that you were murdering in cold blood by tossing them into the deadly radiation pits of Tonkey. You didn't tell the people of Colfax the truth."

The mayor smiles with a nod. "I told them the truth. The Colfaxians had seen and had been told the entire tale, too. So, each one of you has been recently graduated from the Cubby Hole."

I turn and move, stopping and hug Lamis, staring with a sneer at the mayor. "Why is Lamis here? She wasn't inside the outer township of Dandine during the non-bloody battle of the me-chee machines?"

The mayor turns and frowns at Lamis and Ketona. "Intern-in-training Lamis covered her lies and fibs to protect each one of you. Other loyal people inside the outer township of Montag told me a different fairy tale, regarding the night of the cookie thieves and thievery. They were four out of towners, not the two, who had happened to materialize like a set of four ghosts, coming out from the blue tinted barrier wall. It didn't take me long to figure out the four, comprising Ketona, Buffo, Hatch, and Jara. Interns Rincon and Duchie are here also because he and she have assisted each one of you in too many wicked and deceitful ways."

"Yeah, I will do it, again, too." Rincon cuddles Duchie with a nod and a grin.

The mayor turns and smiles to each teen. "Excellent! I have a full consensus of participation. You have been expelled from the posh city of Colfax and the stinky township of Dandine. Some of the Dandine leaders do not want your allegiance anymore, either. Therefore, you are homeless without a home or a landscape. So, you will re-enter the Cubby Hole like a new graduating schooler. You will answer a new academic question to receive new citizenship. If you answer correctly, you will live inside posh and pretty Colfax. I still need five teens for the five dreams jobs."

Nephella turns and frowns at each teen and then her mother. "There are eight of us. Last time, I took a math test. Eight minus five leaves three. What happens to the other three, who answer or don't answer the new academic question inside the new Cubby Hole, Mother? They can't live in Colfax. There is not a new dream or an old professional work job."

The mayor turns and smirks at her daughter Nephella. "You are correct, Nephella. However, the five dreams jobs are down to four dreams jobs. I have selected Marsilla as the new administrator technician, working directly for the mayor. That's me. Therefore, Nephella is without a home and a job, too. Thus, you are re-entering the Cubby Hole, too."

I release Lamis and stomp toward the mayor with a sneer of fury. "Nephella is your daughter, your flesh and blood, too. I have parents, also. I wanna talk to my biological parents. My parents will provide for me, also. I wanna call my parents on the cell, right now."

The mayor grins. "You do not possess a cellie in here like inside the original Cubby Hole. Yes, your biological parents have expressed the same behavior, a set of sucky feelings too. However, you must answer the single most important new academic question inside the Cubby Hole. Now, each one of you is dirty and smelly. My sinuses are stinging. There is a new set of clothing inside each bathroom, but no cellie equipment to contact your loved ones. Please, bathe and change. I will return within the hour. Then, your destiny will be settled finally." She spins around with a giggle and exits the auditorium room with a smirk.

Lamis bursts into tears and wipes a face with a worried brow. "I don't wanna be here. I don't wanna do the Cubby Hole thing, again. I wanna go home. I wanna see my parents, too."

I back step and hug Lamis, turning with a worried brow to see Buffo in silence.

Buffo shakes a skull and tosses both arms into the air with a smile of courage. "Look! We gotta do the Cubby Hole thing, again. I don't care about being homeless or landless or whatever. If I fail the stupid single most important academic question, then I will live inside a thick patch of green forests which is behind one of the e-fields. The forest land provides plenty of landscape and numerous forms of wildlife for hunting and eating and surviving the evil mayor, the indestructible e-fields, and rude Colfaxians. Yeehaw!"

Rincon cuddles Duchie with a nod and tosses an arm with a smile of courage too. "I will join you, Buffo. I'm sick and tired to being shoved and pushed side to side like a stringed puppet. I can live anywhere with Duchie." He leans over and kisses her lips, pulling back with a smile and a nod. Duchie smiles with a worried heart.

Hatch leans over and whispers into the cheekbone of Jara, wiping off her tears.

Nephella exhales with a puff of annoyance and folds both hands into fists, slapping the legs with a sour frown. "My mother is still crazy. Look! Once we all have passed this silly academic question, getting out of this room, I am gathering your parents and calling a business meeting. We are impeaching my mother as the mayor of Colfax. The Colfaxians can elect a new one."

"Marsilla will be the next evil mayor." Duchie gasps with worry. "She is the next mayor-in-training per your mom, Nephella."

I release Lamis and move toward Buffo with a laugh and a smile. "Intern Marsilla will be nothing, after I beat her butthole with my bare hands. I have whipped lots of metal buttholes of me-chee machines on yesterday. You should have seen me dance, babe."

Buffo holds out both arms and hugs Ketona with a smile of determination. "Okay. We all get dressed and get this done and over with. Then, the real war begins. Look! My parents, my grandparents, and all my blood relatives are sick of this silly nonsense with the posh and pretty Colfaxians and the mean and evil mayor. They will fight with us. We are the new young leaders of Colfax of the rebellion." He leans over and kisses the lips of Ketona, pulling back with a smile and nod, releasing her, swinging around, moving into the male locker room.

09:14 am

Female locker room setting

I turn and watch all the males disappear into the male locker room with a sigh of worry and spin around, moving to my friend Lamis and stop. I reach out and hug her with a smile.

They swing around and slowly stroll into the bathroom, stopping inside the archway.

I gasp in shock.

On one side of the rectangular shaped bathroom, there is a wall of mirrors and a row of washing sinks that is opposite from a wall of washing showers and a set of closed dressing rooms. There is a stack of beauty items on top of the counter between each washing sink. There is standing rack of clothing that displays an array of ankle-length colored gala dresses, standing in the middle of the room.

Duchie pushes between Ketona and Lamis with a soft squeal of glee and dashes toward the standing rack of gowns with a giggle, stopping and stands, swinging each dress side to side. "This is a rack of formal gowns. I have never owned a formal long elegant gala gown in my life. I don't know what color I like. I don't know what style I like. I don't know what I like. But I like them all. Every single one of them, I love."

Jara appears and stands inside the archway of the bathroom, staring with a sour frown at the rack of clothes inside the room. "No cat suits, this round, this time. Why not?" She moves ahead with a stern face and turns to enter the bathroom stall, closing the door with a soft thump.

Lamis moves ahead and wipes off the tears from a red face, turning and moves toward the wall of mirrors and the row of wash sinks, stopping and standing with a gasp. "I am both shocked and surprised," she reaches out and touches each item with a smile. "There is a set of real makeup products for a face, too. We get a fancy dress and pretty makeup this round, making us look like a real princess. I don't think that we're in that much trouble like I thought." She collects her favorite colors of the free makeup products inside the small basket and spins around with a smile, moving toward the rack of gowns, stopping and stands on the opposite side of Duchie. She reaches out and slides each dress to the side with a grin. "Think about it! Why would the mayor give away a pretty new fancy gown, instead of an ugly cat suit? Uoo, I like the yellow one with the V-neckline and a big yellow bow on the waistline. Yeah, I pick this one. Yeah, I'm ready for the Cubby Hole, again. Yeah, I'll do really well, this time. And this time, I can live inside Colfax, instead of Montag. Yeah, I can do this, again." She pulls the dress off the standing rack and spins around, moving toward one of the dressing room, hanging the gown and the basket on the hook. She spins around and moves to the one of the empty shower stall, closing the door. She turns on the water with a hum of happiness.

Nephella appears and stands inside the archway next to Ketona with a sour frown. I lean over and whisper into her neck as I am shorter than her tallness. "I'm sorry about your golden circle internship. However, I am more sorry in regard to your mean biological mother."

She whispers with a sour frown and stares at the rack of clothing, "Me, too. My mother is going down tonight. I am not really worried about me. I can answer any academic question tossed up my butthole. But I'm very concerned about both Lamis and Buffo." Nephella turns and frowns down at the black hair roots of Ketona with a whisper. "Buffo didn't pass out of the orange color tone when he was presented with the more difficult academic questions, Ketona. And Lamis didn't either."

I look down with a worried brow and a worried heart with a whisper. "I know that too." I look up with a sneer to see her worried eyeballs. "What is really going on here, Nephella?"

Nephella exhales with a whisper. "I wished that I knew. I do not know, Ketona. But stay aware and alert! I don't trust my mother. She has already committed cold blooded murder, killing innocent men, women, and children sending them to their deaths inside the radiation pits of Tonkey. So, nothing is beyond her now even this elegant exhibition of both glamour and prettiness. Let's get dressed and then converse with Duchie, Hatch, Rincon, and Buffo. I don't think Jara is in the right state of mind along with Lamis."

I nod with a whisper, "Yeah!"

Nephella strolls ahead and enters, closing the door on one of the individual shower stalls, getting washed and cleaned for the Cubby Hole test again.

I exhale with a puff of worry and watch the other girls select a dress and enter the shower stall. I forgo a dress, until I am clean. I slowly stroll ahead and enter the shower stall, closing the door.

I reach down and turn the water on the warm temperature letting the shower heat the stall for comfort. I strip off the dirty jumpsuit, when the cellie necklace catches in the zipper. I gasp and catch the wiggling object in a palm with a smile.

I still posses my personal necklace cell.

Yes, I can call for aid to my parents or Buffo's grandparents or Rincon's parents. One of the adults can enter the Cubby Hole, coming from the outside of Colfax and then rescue all of us, coming directly into the park place setting by the me-chee chair, where the academic test will be administrated in mystery.

Rincon did the same act for Ketona during the last park place as a schooler inside the last Cubby Hole.

I don't know what will be presented inside the new park place. It could be either a cave of hungry growling bears or a pit of hissing snakes or a garden of pretty flowers without the buzzing and stinging bees.

I strip off the cellie and gently rest it on top of the side table with care, entering the heated shower with a hum of happiness.

10:10 am

Cubby Hole auditorium setting

I return into the auditorium and wear a golden tinted matronly lacey ankle-length gown with a high collar around the throat and a pair of two long sleeves over both arms without a touch of makeup on a naked face. My guts are flip flopping. My hands are shaky with too much excitement and nervousness. My distorted face is decorated with an ugly sneer of fury at the evil mayor and the silly Cubby Hole audition.

The gold color and matching gold tinted fabric dress hides the design of my golden colored necklace cell. The necklace cellie easily matches the ankle-length dress. I nervously paw the cellie and drop the necklace within the folds of the lace golden fabric, strolling toward Buffo, faking my happiness with bravery and courage.

Buffo stands upright in front of the solid wall which is opposite from the me-chee chair and perpendicular to the locker room, wearing a new pair of new blue jeans, a new blue colored vest with a new white long sleeved shirt. His bowtie is colored in pinks, yellow, blues, and greens. He extends both arms and grabs, hugging Ketona into his chest, leaning over and kisses her sweet smelling lavender tinted black colored hair roots, pulling back with a smiling with puzzlement. "You look?"

I whisper with a smile, "Lacey and matronly! Yeah, I know. I'm really nervous and upset about everything." He leans over and kisses her lips.

Lamis enters the auditorium with a smile and twirls around in a yellow plantation dress, wearing a big yellow bow at the waistline, showing off a low V-shaped neckline of pale skin. Her face glows in a set of bright pink cheekbones and her lips glitter a tube of red tinted lipstick. Her eyelids are covered in pale blue tints. She swirls around and around with a giggle, making her dress hem rise from the floor and stops, standing in front of the Ketona and Buffo with a grin.

Duchie strolls into the auditorium in a white ankle-length halter dress, hugging a petite body, glittering in an array of fake gleaming diamonds. Her face is decorated in a pair of coral cheekbones and a pout of pink tinted lips. She wears a set of gold and silver shiny eye shadow on each eyelid and stops, standing in front of Rincon with a smile and a giggle.

Jara slowly moves into the auditorium and wears a pale blue ankle-length sleeveless dress without a touch of makeup. The set of stained crying tears are hard to cover over a red swollen face of worry. She stops and cuddles into the arms of Hatch. He stands upright against the same wall with Buffo and wears a pair of his old worn dirty blue jeans and his dirtier shirt, hugging and whispering into her face.

Rincon leans over and kisses the lips of Duchie in a new pair of blue jeans, a new red vest with a new white colored long sleeved shirt. He wears a red bowtie and pulls back with a smile and a nod of happiness.

Nephella slowly strolls from the locker room and wears a sleeveless black sequin ankle-length dress with a deep V-shaped neckline. A small dress train drags behind her butthole. She has removed each facial piercing with great pain and stops, standing near the solid wall, staring with a sneer at the single me-chee chair.

I pull away from Buffo and spin around, moving toward Nephella, studying at her naked and bloody face with a gasp. "What are you doing in here right now? You look different with the bloody naked face, Nephella. You are conforming to her..."

Nephella frowns at the me-chee chair. "I am pleasing and appeasing my mother. I wanna go first into the me-chee chair, before the rest of the teens..."

"Go first to where?" I frown with confusion.

Nephella stares at the chair with a sour frown. "There is only one me-chee chair. We go one a time into the new park place of the new Cubby Hole for some strange reason. I want to go first. I wanna have some time to time and some talk and then threat my mother into peace and serenity, before I tattle on all her evil behavior to the rest our little world of Colfax."

I turn and frown at the solo me-chee chair as I am too overwhelmed with everything. "Okay with me. Let's tell everyone else. You go first and then trap your mother..."

"The time has arrived." The voice of the mayor echoes throughout the empty auditorium as she enters the room coming from the female locker room. Ketona and Nephella swing around to see the mayor and move ahead to join their friends, standing in front of the wall with the other teens. The mayor stops and stands in front of the teens with a smile and a nod. "Each one of you looks like a lovely prince and a pretty princess of Colfax in your new freshly perfumed girly gown and your cute colorful boyish bowtie. The new Cubby Hole rules are as follows. You will enter one at a time..."

"Mother!" Nephella stands next to Ketona and raises a palm with a stern face.

The mayor shakes her curls and ignores her daughter with a smile to each teen. "You will be entering another auditorium, holding all the Colfaxians..."

"I wanna talk to my parents first." Rincon cuddles Duchie and tosses an arm into the air with a sour frown.

The mayor shakes her curls with a smile. "Your individual pairs of biological parents are not located inside the particular park place auditorium either or ever," giggling. All the teens gasp in shock. She smiles with a nod and as her face piercings crinkle into her old wrinkles. "This is one of the new Cubby Hole rules which has been approved by both me and the entire city of citizens, the posh and pretty Colfaxians. Your parents are inside their residential home watching on the television plasma and impatiently waiting on a son or a daughter. The Cubby Hole is being broadcasted into each outer township also, since the all the citizens of Colfax are located here within the new Cubby Hole. The Colfaxians insisted upon being present and accounted for during all the newly modified rules and new Cubby Hole environment," giggling.

Buffo frowns. "Where are my parents? Why are my parents not invited to be inside the newly modified Cubby Hole environment, too?"

I gasp with worry, "How is that humanly possible?"

The mayor chuckles with a nod. "During your first visitation into the Cubby Hole as a graduating schooler, each intriguing and colorful fun park place was nothing more than another geographical location, not within the surrounding landscape territories of Colfax. The new park place is a very large auditorium holding only people, not smelly animals, or pretty plants, or silly props. I promise with all my four heart valves crossed. And I hope you are not to camera shy here. This time, you will be asked and then will answer the single most important academic question, before a live flesh and breathing audience which consists of posh and pretty and pure breed Colfaxians. The academic question will be different for each competitive teen, of course."

"We're rebels, not teens," Rincon growls.

"Each rebel teen receives a different academic question." The mayor smiles with a nod. "If you correctly answer the academic question, then you become a permanent citizen of posh and pretty Colfax."

Nephella exhales. "We have been through this thread discussion, Mother. There are only four dream jobs left inside the city of Colfax, Mayor. How can each one of us become a permanent citizen of Colfax, if there ain't no more paying jobs and live within the posh city limits of Colfax. The other four must live someplace else, Mother."

The mayor nods with a smile. "I am so glad that my smartie daughter Nephella has asked that particular question among the other quiet and shy teens, because I would guess here today that some of you will be permanently located someplace else, after the single unique academic encounter. If you correctly answer the question, then you become a permanent citizen of Colfax filling one of the four golden dream jobs. However, there is always an opposite side of the coin, of course. If you do not answer the question correctly, then you will become hung by your neck muscles, until you stop wiggling or breathing, whichever comes first," giggling. All the teens gasp.

"Death!" Duchie tosses both arms with a sneer and drops down both hands into a pair of fighting fists, slapping the pretty gala gown with a sneer.

"We die, if we don't answer the question, correctly." Rincon pulls and hugs Duchie with a growl at the mayor.

Jara bursts into tears and hides her worried face. Hatch leans over and cuddles her, whispering into her worried face.

I stomp with a growl forward toward the evil mayor without words but actions.

Buffo reaches over and cuddles Ketona into his chest, keeping her away from the mean mayor.

I toss an arm with a sneer. "I will not play your silly stupid mind games, Mayor."

The mayor growls, "This is not a mind game. Well, it is a mind game that you must win or lose your skull," laughing.

"I am your daughter." Nephella frowns with disappointment and sadness.

The mayor turns and snarls at her daughter. "You are a traitor to the mayor, Nephella. You helped them, not me. I trusted you to carry on my traditions..."

"...and murders. You are correct. I am not your daughter ever." Nephella crosses both arms with a snarl at her mother.

The mayor frowns. "So, I believe that I have addressed all your social questions. There are only four dream jobs. I also predict that there will be only..."

"Mother!" Nephella sneers at her blood relative.

The mayor presses both hands down the golden colored ankle-length gown with a nod and stares at Ketona with a gasp. "You...you are wearing the color of golden which only represents the town of Colfax. How did you get that gown?" She points to the female locker room with a sneer. "Go and take it off immediately, right now, Ketona!"

Buffo wraps both arms around Ketona with a sneer for protection, "Naw. She looks elegant and lovely. You, go and take off your golden gown, witch."

The mayor gasps and then giggles, crossing both arms with a grin. "Keep it on, rebel teen Ketona! I will enjoy the academic exhibition in gold or red colors. So, I have explained the newly modified Cubby Hole rules. They are both elegant and simple. We should start. Who wants to go first?"

Nephella stomps forward and tosses both arms with a friendly smile and a matching tone. "I go first, Mother."

The mayor turns and frowns at Nephella, scanning each faces of the other rebel teens. "Ladies should always go first like always. Therefore, Lamis will be first lady teen into the me-chee chair. You remember how it works, right, darling?"

Nephella sneers. "I go first, Mother."

"I am mayor here within the land, always and forever." The mayor reaches down and touches her cell.

A single me-chee female machine strolls out from the female locker room, wearing a pair of white elbow length gloves, a red plantation dress, and a set of black curls over a golden metal skin. The me-chee hostess stops and stands beside the mayor without talking. The mayor turns and smiles the order into the face of the me-chee machine. "No teen is to leave the Cubby Hole ever."

The me-chee hostess sings in a sweet soprano timber. "Yes ma'am!"

The mayor spins around and slides down into the solo me-chee chair facing the golden wall without viewing the teen rebels. Her words echo into the empty room. "Ladies, they will go first. So, we will start with Lamis then Duchie then Ketona then Jara and finally Nephella. The gentlemen will be Rincon first which will be followed by Hatch and then Buffo. The rules and teens are set and ready. See you on the other side. Lamis, you come along when you are ready to enter into the new park place at anytime. We have all day and night, ya'll," smiling. The me-chee chair brightens into a golden tinted shielding, slightly covering the face and the body of the mayor. Then, the chair drops down into the darkness as the mayor laughs.

Lamis spins around with tears and runs toward the female locker room with a worried brow. The me-chee female machine is very quick and side steps, blocking the archway with a metal body as the sideway steel door slides and then locks into place. She says with a sweet soprano timber to Lamis, "Yes ma'am. No teen is to leave the Cubby Hole ever."

Lamis back steps from the female robot with sobs and tears of fear and fright.

I release Buffo and dash toward Lamis, stopping and hug her, patting her arm with a worried brow. "Lamis, please calm down. You must go first into the me-chee chair. Please, breathe in and out and try to relax. We are all nervous and scared, too. You will do fine. You get to the first hero of the rebellion, too," giggling with nervousness.

Nephella advances ahead and stops, hugging both Lamis and Ketona as she is taller with a pair of long arms smiling with courage. "Lamis, you will do fine and dandy. I know it. I feel it. Are you ready? Do you need to brush your teeth? Or brush your hair? Or pee in the shower stall? Or piss in your new dress? That would really stink up the auditorium full of the snobby Colfaxians." She giggles with the other teens.

Lamis shakes her curls with a giggle and wipes off the tears. "I don't wanna pee in my new dress. Can I keep my new dress, thou?"

An empty me-chee chair slowly floats up with a plume of white steam and lands inside the golden auditorium with a soft thump. It had dropped down the mayor inside the mysterious new park place for the event inside the new Cubby Hole.

Nephella shoves Ketona from Lamis and then pushes Lamis toward the me-chee chair with a smile. "Of course, you can, Lamis. And we all can have a great big party after this silly thing, wearing our new pretty dresses. So, I guess I won't ruin my evening gown with my pee-pee, either," giggling with nervousness.

Lamis slowly moves toward the me-chee chair with the assistance of Nephella as each teen stops and hugs her with a smiling whisper and a nod of good luck. Then the teens back step from Lamis and the me-chee chair. Lamis stands beside the chair with a smile and wipes off the tears of happiness and worry. "Okay. That party would be fun, too. I am ready, too. I will pass, too."

Nephella slaps the leather of the me-chee chair with a hand and a smile to Lamis. "You are ready. Go and get them, princess," she back steps and stops, standing in a row with the other rebel teens, but Hatch and Jara. Jara sits on the floor with sobs and tears inside the chest of Hatch.

Lamis slides down into the me-chee chair with a smile. The golden tinted shield covers her face and her body. Then, the me-chee chair drops down into the darkness. She screams in fright.

Then, the Cubby Hole auditorium room is quiet, except for the soft sobs of Jara inside the biceps of Hatch.

I exhale with a growl and slam both folded fists into the dress in silence.

Buffo leans over and hugs Ketona with a worried brow and a whisper. "I'm afraid for her."

"Me, too!" I whisper back with worry also.

The me-chee hostess paces side to side, guarding both locker room doors which are closed and locked in silence.

"What is the national product of the Pacific Island of Nauru which has been mined for over 1,000 years and counting?" The mystery voice echoes inside the empty Cubby Hole auditorium as the sound drifts up from the floor.

Rincon whispers for his eardrums only and stares at the far wall of gold, "One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Three Mississippi..."

I look down with a confused brow and scan the floor, slapping the surface with the new sandal and a smile, bouncing up and down with nervousness of excitement. "I can hear the academic question. I can hear the me-chee host talking like he is inside this room with me. Does the room have a speaker in here? How is that possible?"

The single me-chee chair raises upright and stops in place with a plume of white steam with a soft thump.

Duchie moves ahead and stops beside the me-chee chair with a stern face. "The me-chee chair travels through a long tunnel. The tunnel is hollow without trashy debris and moving equipment. We are hearing the voice echo of the me-chee host that is located inside the park place asking the academic question to Lamis."

Buffo frowns with worry. "What is the national product of the Pacific Island Nauru which has been mined for over 1,000 years and counting?" He views the ceiling, thinking. He snaps his fingers, dropping his mouth.

Hatch releases Jara and stands upright, tossing both arms with a worried brow. "Sh! Listen for her answer to the academic question that drift up from the hard floor."

The room is silence.

Rincon whispers for his eardrums only, "Twenty-nine Mississippi. Thirty Mississippi..."

The Cubby Hole room echoes in loud cheers and louder claps which drifts up from the hard floor where the new hidden park place is located somehow and somewhere below the floor tiles.

Duchie turns and frowns at Ketona, shaking her curls. "I didn't hear her answer the question."

I bounce up and down with a smile of happiness. "Who cares? Listen! The audience of Colfaxians is cheering and clapping with the happy celebration too. Lamis, she got it right. She answered the academic question correctly. Yay hay! She is safe and alright."

Rincon smiles with a nod of relief. "And she had thirty seconds to answer the academic question, correctly. This is very good. I just counted using the Mississippi method."

Duchie exhales with a puff of worry. "That isn't a lot of time."

I dance around in a circle with happiness. "We all passed the Cubby Hole before. Thirty seconds is plenty of time, ya'll. Yay hay! This is too easy."

Buffo frowns with worry. "We didn't hear her answer the question, ya'll."

Rincon nods with a smile. "Her academic question was extremely easy. The answer is bird droppings."

I giggle with a nod. "Yeah, a pile of smelly bird droppings is the natural product of Nauru. That's an easy question. See? The mayor doesn't have any power over the poor little innocent teen rebels. See? This is just a big ugly show for the posh and silly and cowardly Colfaxians. Duchie, you go next."

Nephella shoves Duchie to the side and stands next to the me-chee chair, turning with a stern face to see each teen. "No! I'm going next to address my verbal and nasty complaint to the happy audience. I am a Colfaxian too. I am going to proclaim my mother insane and order her arrest and then the impeachment of her butthole. This is my moment to mess up my mother. Wish me luck, ya'll!"

Rincon nods with smile. "We should go together and proclaim that complaint, Nephella."

Nephella slides down into the chair with a sour frown. "Only one teen can glide down into the chair. You come in one at time as stated by the stupid Cubby Hole rules making the cowardly Colfaxians feel good. Look! I will see each one of you on the other side." The me-chee chair glows with a golden tinted shield and then drops down into the darkness. She grunts loudly.

I smile with happiness, moving ahead and spinning around in my new gown and halt, narrowing my eyelashes at the me-chee female machine with a giggle, dancing side to side as my cellie necklace sways side to side. I stop with a smile in front of the me-chee female hostess.

The me-chee female hostess stares over the black colored hair roots of Ketona as the robot is taller. "Yes ma'am. No teen is to leave the Cubby Hole ever."

"I know that. However, you can leave the Cubby Hole. Am I correct, me-chee machine?" I giggle with a grin.

The me-chee female hostess stares over the black colored hair roots of Ketona as she is taller. "Yes ma'am. I can leave the Cubby Hole at anytime."

I rear back and slam my fist into her left breast. The me-chee eye sockets blink into blackness and falls forward onto the hard tile with a loud clunk. It is too heavy to catch by a pair of human tender hands and arms. I turn and stare down at the non-moving metal body.

Buffo dashes from the wall with a gasp toward Ketona and the fallen me-chee with a worried brow. "Why did you do that, Ketona?"

I squat down and grab one of the cold feeling metal arms with a grunt. "Help me, flip her over. I'm giving her a new command: find my parents now."

Rincon and Hatch race toward Ketona and the fallen me-chee machine, squatting down with Buffo. All four teen reach out and grab a metal limb, gently flipping the me-chee machine over on its metal back spine.

I present the nail clippers with a single steel fingernail file, coming from one of the beauty bag which had been kindly provided by the mayor. I fling off the throat panel with the sharp and thin fingernail file and reach down, tapping the tiny buttons and sing in my lovely natural soprano voice, "Ketona." I re-program the me-chee machine to follow my instructions and stand upright, back stepping and wave both arms with the nail clippers in the air. "Everyone, move and back away from the machine." Rincon, Hatch, and Buffo stand upright and back pedals toward the solid wall and away from the me-chee. I said with my natural soprano voice, "Me-chee!" The me-chee machine stands upright and blinks with a set of eye sockets in active green, staring at the far golden tinted wall. I said in my natural voice. "Me-chee, find my biological parents now and then bring them back to me inside the Cubby Hole. Go, me-chee!"

The me-chee blinks its eye sockets in the color red for an order command and spins around to face the closed doors of the female locker room. It marches ahead as the door unlocks and opens for the me-chee machine. The me-chee machine moves through the locker room archway and disappears from the eyeballs of Ketona.

I dance side to side with happiness with a smile and a clap, swirling around to see the row of teens. "It worked beautifully. Only the me-chee machine can exit the Cubby Hole per the mayor of Colfax. She should be careful with her vocal commands. So, my parents will come here and collect us inside the new Cubby Hole environment. When they arrive, we tattle to them helping the mayor get permanently canned, instead of us."

The teens dance side to side and hug each other with a series of cheers and claps and whistles of joy.

Buffo dashes ahead and slams into a hug with Ketona, kissing her lips with happiness and pulls back with a smile.

"What is the value of y, when 4x + 5 = 5y - 8?" The voice on the me-chee host inside the hidden park place echoes throughout the empty Cubby Hole auditorium room with the teens.

The me-chee chair rises up from the darkness and settles into the same spot with a plume of white steam.

Rincon tosses both arms with a stern face and counts out loud, "One Mississippi. Two Mississippi. Three Mississippi..."

I smile with a nod to Buffo. "I'll go next."

Duchie scoots and stands beside the nose profile of Buffo and Ketona with a confused brow. "I go next."

I turn and smile to Duchie and Buffo, "No. If my parents arrive here and find me missing, then they'll get really mad at the mayor. They'll insist upon entering the new park place with your guidance and instructions and explanation. Then the mayor of Colfax will be in bigger trouble from them and us and al the other parents and outer township folks."

Buffo hugs Ketona and pulls back with a smile, "That is a brilliant plan, honey. Let Ketona go next! The me-chee machine is tracking down her parents at her house right now. When her parents arrive, we will send Ketona's parents down into the new park place inside single available me-chee chair. Then, they'll really be both mad and upset at the mayor. Then, the mayor's plans will be both folded and foiled," chuckling.

The Cubby Hole room echoes in a set of loud cheers and louder claps which drifts up from the hidden park place underneath the hard floor.

I bounce inside his arms with a smile and a giggle. "Nephella, she has passed her academic question, too. This is too easy for all of us. I bet the mayor is both mad and surprised. Since, we're the smarter ones here." I hug and kiss Buffo, pulling back with a wink and a grin. "Wish me luck too, ya'll!"

Buffo cuddles Ketona for the last time with a smile. "I wish you my luck and my love, both. I'll come right down, after your parents land inside the park place. Okay?"

"Okay!" I pull back from Buffo with a smile and spins around, dashing ahead and sliding down into the me-chee chair, exhaling with nervousness. The me-chee chair glows with a golden shielding. I barely can see the happy smile on Buffo. Then, the chair drops down into darkness. I scream with happiness and surprise.

10:31 am

Golden painted walls, floor, and ceiling without a mirror

New park place setting

Cold air conditioning and dark illumination

The me-chee chair slowly rises upright among the clouds of white smoke and parks on top of a flat surface with a soft thump without a me-chee machine or a human hostess. I narrow my eyelashes and survey the new room, after the smoke clears. The tiny room is golden color and squared shaped but smaller in size when it is compared to the previous gigantic park places during the actually run of the Cubby Hole as a graduating schooler.

I sit inside the me-chee chair, not hearing the audience with a set of loud yells or numerous claps. I exhale with nervousness, sliding out of the chair and wobble side to side in the new pair of sandals heels with a giggle of excitement.

I stomp ahead from the tiny room, strolling onto a long and wide elevated stage in white colors. The rear wall of the stage is solid white. The side walls of the stage are white and partial closed, making the stage like the center of play or event. The stage splits into three different sections. The side section in front of my eyelashes shows a blinding bright light and some slight movement.

I halt in place with a gasp and cover my mouth with fear.

In the side stage, her neck shows a knotted tight rope above the V-shaped neckline collar of her yellow plantation dress. Lamis hangs by her neck muscles, coming down from a homemade hangman's gallows of natural wood. Her face doesn't show the pretty pink cheeks or red lips, instead her face is painted in dull blue. Her dead body swings slowly side to side from the rope. Her shoulders and arms slump into her body. Her yellow fancy dress hovers in the air like magic, not touching the homemade wooden platform either.

Nephella hangs dead by her neck muscles, too. Her face is dull blue color. Her body does not swing side to side, since the long black sequin gown with the long dress train stops the swaying motion. The tail of dress hugs the rough wood of the gallows stand.

Inside the auditorium, the voice of the mayor echoes around the dark auditorium. "Please, welcome the next criminal, coming out from the Cubby Hole guts."

I dart my eyeballs at the mayor on the center stage platform with a sneer. She sits in a throne chair of golden paint next to Marsilla on top of a smaller elevated platform in the center of the auditorium room. The audience hides inside the bare darkness among the dull lights, not making any noise like a group of stalking wild animals.

I turn and scan the audience, seeing only the whites of each eyeball and the white teeth from a grin that gleams among the blackness. I exhale with a puff of angry and dart my eyeballs away from Lamis and Nephella. I quickly move ahead towards the single me-chee chair in the middle of the elevated stage platform facing the rear white wall which is turned away from the dark faces of the mayor, Marsilla, and the eyeballs of audience.

I slide down into the solo me-chee lounge chair of soft golden leather and wipe the tears from both eyeballs. I exhale with a puff of relaxation and calm my scattered raw nerves with a whisper for my eardrums only, "Calm. Concentrate. Don't give into the scare tactic."

The me-chee host hides inside a corner wall on top of the shared platform with Ketona and as his voice echoes throughout the quiet auditorium. "The time limit is thirty seconds. A bakery in Montag loses its profit equal to 30 percent of total sales. The profit or loss is shared equally among the four shop owners of the bakery. If the bakery shop generates sales of five million dollars, how much money does each one of the four shop owners lose?"

Now, I understand why the question is so easy. It is a clever set up for missing the easy question as the teen feels the terrible fright. Now, I understand why my parents are not present here to miss my death hanging. Now, I understand why the mayor is absolutely crazy. Now, I understand that everyone is going to die, if they do not answer the academic question, correctly.

I whisper for my eardrums, only. "I will win, bitch." I close my eyelashes to the rear white wall which also holds the black printed letters of the academic question. I swiftly remove the negative thoughts and images from my active mind. I think, without speaking.

The total sales are five million dollars. The profit margin is 30 percent. Five million dollars of sales time 30 percent equal 1.5 million dollars. Then, 1.5 million dollars divided by the four shop owners is 375,000 dollars of profit, each.

I open my eyelashes with a smile and view the black colored printed academic question on the white wall, shouting out loud the answer with my victory. "375,000." I gasp. "Negative. Each shop owner receives a negative 375,000 dollars, not a positive profit math number." I exhale with a puff of relief, forgetting that the question was a loss of profit, not a gain of monies.

The me-chee host echoes throughout the auditorium. "The answer is correct. She is correct. The answer is a negative 375,000 dollars."

The voice of the mayor sneers throughout the dark auditorium. "Please, remove your person from that chair. Sit along the empty row of four chairs. The four chairs represent the four dream jobs which will be available inside posh and pretty city of Colfax. Please, welcome the newest member of Colfax by clapping and cheering."

The audience is silent.

I slide out of the chair and stand, looking down to the floor with a sigh, swinging around as my lacy gown flutters in the air waves. I view the audience of dark faces and white eyeballs and matching teeth only with a sneer.

The room is silence.

I hear my shallow breathing and sneer again in fury, slowly moving toward the opposite side of the center stage which is across from the other smaller stage with both the filled and empty dangling ropes of a newly constructed hangman gallows. I slowly spin around and sit down inside the first white tinted chair that matches the side stage, exhaling with fear, fright, angry, sadness, relieve and too many teen emotions.

I turn a face away from two dead bodies of Lamis and Nephella, who continue hang for show by the neck muscles inside the homemade wooden hangman gallows. I exhale with sob of tears and paw the necklace cell, worrying about my friends and my boyfriend Buffo. Then, I see the swift motion within a right eyeball.

On top of the center stage, Duchie is crossing the smooth floor of white paint without announcement. She wiggles inside the long fancy gown side to side with happiness, exiting the smaller room, holding one single me-chee chair. Duchie has to find and tell Ketona that her parents have not arrived yet for some strange reason inside the old Cubby Hole auditorium room and halts in place, grabbing her lips, sobbing with tears.

One the side stage in white paint, Lamis hangs by her neck muscles. Her face is painted in dull blue. Her body swings slowly side to side as her yellow dress hovers in the air like magic, not touching the homemade white tinted wooden platform.

Nephella hangs dead by her neck muscles, too. Her face is dull blue. Her body does not swing side to side, since the long black dress with the three-foot dress train stops the sideways motion. The tail of dress hugs the rough wood.

Duchie sniffs the snot back into the nostrils and cuts her eyelashes toward the mayor, wiping both dirty hands onto the new gala gown with a sneer. The mayor sits beside new administrator technician Marsilla on top of a smaller platform which is directly across from the center stage and wears a golden tinted business suit. Marsilla sits inside a golden colored throne chair and wears the same duplicate mini-golden business suit, crossing the legs, wiggling one of the golden sandals with a chuckle and a smile at Duchie and then Ketona and then dead Lamia, and then dead Nephella, and finally back to see Duchie.

Duchie wipes the smeared makeup from both wet eyelashes, stomping ahead toward the single me-chee chair of golden leather with a stern face and a sigh of determination. The chair faces the rear white wall, not the white eyeballs of the audience inside the dark auditorium seats. She whispers for her eardrums only. "I am not scared of you, Ms. Mayor. You are not winning here. I am winning here." She stops and slides down into the lounge chair like a duplication on the me-chee chair in soft golden leather. It does not glow or shine with a colorful shield. It is a piece of furniture for the single most important academic question.

The voice of the me-chee host echoes throughout the auditorium, standing in the darkness of the wall corner on the center stage. "The time limit is thirty seconds. When a twelve-hour clock shows exactly one o'clock, what is the degree measure of the acute angle formed by the two hands?"

Duchie wipes off the rolling tears and views the black printed letters of the single academic question on the white wall in front of her wet eyelashes, exhaling with a puff of relaxation without speaking with a tongue, but thinking with her smart mind.

The real test is the real terror.

Lamis did not answer her academic question, since she did not know the academic answer. She was hoping a silent answer would eliminate her from death inside the hangman's gallows.

Nephella refused to answer her academic question, hoping that her loving mom would not sentence her only child to death inside the hangman's gallows.

Duchie exhales with a puff of determination and closes her eyelashes, calming her active mind. Her mind can think faster than her lip movement, anyways.

A complete rotation around an analogy clock represents 360 degrees. There are twelve hours, marking a set of twelve numbers around an analogy clock. One o'clock represents one-twelfth of a completed rotation. One-twelfth times 360 degrees equals 30 degrees.

She opens her semi-wet eyelashes with a smile and faces the black colored printed academic question on the forward white wall, shouting out loud for all eardrums with her correct answer. "My answer is 30 degrees."

The voice of the me-chee host echoes throughout the auditorium, standing in the darkness of the wall corner on the center stage. "The answer is correct. She is correct. The answer is 30 degrees."

The voice of the mayor sneers throughout the quiet and dark auditorium. "Please, remove your person from that chair. You can sit beside new intern Ketona, who had passed her academic question, too. Please, show your appreciation for the second newest member of the posh and pretty city of Colfax by loud clapping and louder cheering."

The audience is silent.

Duchie slides off the chair and stands upright with a sneer, swinging around to stare at the mayor.

The room is quiet since the audience does not clap or cheer, celebrating the correct academic answer from Duchie.

Duchie exhales with a puff of sad victory and slowly strolls with a sneer, darting her eyelashes at Ketona.

I sit inside the first leather chair of white color and nervously paw my necklace cell. I mentally ponder. Why are my parents, not present here, inside the new Cubby Hole, right now? Where is the me-chee hostess that I sent out for my parents and my aid? I gasp with shock.

The mayor purposefully told the teen that each pair of parents were not here and were not invited into the new park place.

I gasp with shock. My parents are dead. No. The mayor couldn't harm my parents as a pair of true Colfaxians. My parents have not answered the message from my numerous texts on my necklace cellie, either. I have been texting them on my legal cell: Come and get me, now, really fast.

So then, they are trapped and imprisoned inside their residential house with a set of posted me-chee machine guards, too. The me-chee hostess that I sent will not be able to communicate with my parents for my rescue and the rescue of my friends.

I sob with tears.

I have successfully answered my academic question, overcoming my terror and my fear. I don't know if my boyfriend and my future husband Buffo can answer his academic question. I exhale with worry. My heart pounds into my rib cage. My hands shake around the cell. My mind clicks. I nervous paw the necklace cellie around my neck, sending out another distress signal to every person that is electronically listed inside the software of the cellie for an immediate help and rescue.

I turn and sneer and growl at mayor, relieving some of my nervousness fear.

On the smaller center platform in front of the dark audience of only a pair of white eyeballs and a grin of white teeth, the mayor sits inside the golden colored throne char and stares with a smile at Duchie.

Duchie quickly moves to the left side of the center stage, scooting into the second leather chair of white next to Ketona but too far to lean over or touch her friend Ketona. The two chairs are spaced too far apart for vocal intersection. She turns and nods with a sad frown to Ketona.

I turn and nod with a sad frown to Duchie.

On the center stage platform, Rincon stomps ahead from the tiny room and moves over the white colored stage, staring at the hidden me-chee host with a smile. The me-chee host hides inside the dark wall corner. He turns and sees a rear wall of white with puzzled brow.

The voice of the mayor echoes throughout the auditorium. "Please, welcome the next criminal, coming from the guts of Cubby Hole."

Rincon moves ahead with a sneer of the tart verbal insult, shaking his curls, quickly guiding the boot toes toward the chair in the center of the elevated stage for drama. He doesn't want to view the mayor or the audience which would get his mental mind mad and upset. He slides down into the chair and wiggles side to side, getting comfortable inside the hard piece of metal with the thin layer of golden leather.

The mayor is tossing a set of numerous obstacles, making this silly academic procedure very difficult within the new Cubby Hole.

No matter to Rincon. He is smarter than the mayor of Colfax.

The voice of the me-chee host echoes throughout the auditorium, standing in the darkness of the wall corner on the center stage. "The time limit is thirty seconds. If you drive a travel car at the average speed of 66 miles per hour, what distance, in miles, have you driven in 99 minutes?"

Rincon exhales with a grin and sees in black rich letters the printed academic question of words on the white wall. He calculates the simple academic question within his active smart mind, saying out loud the answer with a smile. "I have driven 108.9 miles."

The voice of the me-chee host echoes throughout the auditorium "This is the correct answer. He is correct. The answer is 108.9 miles."

The voice of the mayor sneers throughout the auditorium. "Please, remove your person from that chair. Sit beside citizen Ketona and citizen Duchie. Please, clap and cheer for the third newest citizen of Colfax."

He whispers for his eardrums only. "Sit beside Ketona and Duchie! Where are Lamis and Nephella sitting?" Rincon stands upright and swings around with a sneer to stare at the mayor.

The mayor sits beside Marsilla on the opposite side of the auditorium in a smaller stage platform without claps or smiles. The audience does not clap or cheer for the correct academic answer from Rincon.

Rincon swing a distorted face into the darkness of the audience and gasp.

The single center stage is split into four squared-shaped individual sections of various sizes which are surrounded by the dark bleacher seats of the hidden Colfaxians. The brightest section illuminates with a set of artificial lamps, coming from the low ceiling.

Inside the hangman gallows, Lamis is dead, hanging by her neck muscles, swinging side to side inside one of four dangling noose ropes. She is beside dead Nephella, who does not sway inside a second noose rope. Both dead bodies are grossly exhibited in blue colors of death and displayed like criminals inside the tacky homemade wooden hangman's gallows.

On the center stage, Rincon turns and hisses at the mayor and the new administrator technician Marsilla. He understands, not hearing the verbal responses of Lamis and Nephella.

Lamis didn't know the answer, hoping for hope and then failed. Nephella refused to answer her question, testing the love of her mother and then failed, too.

He didn't hear the vocal answers for Ketona or Duchie, either. However, he didn't hear the loud claps and louder cheers from the audience, either. He was really confused and worried about the both of them down inside the mysterious park place.

Rincon slowly turns and moves toward the third leather chair of white with a sneer and a growl at the mayor and Marsilla.

On the side stage, I turn and gasp. Three white leather chairs of new citizens are filled. Ladies were supposed to go first. I gasp again. I did not see Jara, coming from with the park place golden room. I swing a worried face to Rincon. He sits down inside the chair and turns to see Ketona without speaking out loud or using hand signals. So, I lip synch her name to Rincon: Jara.

He slightly nods with the understanding and sees the worried brow of Ketona, shaking his curls with a sad frown.

I gasp with shock.

Jara is not going to participate in the new Cubby Hole event. She is pregnant both sick and scared at the same time. She has missed her only chance to answer the single most important academic question. That means Jara will be taken by a machine and drag down here into the new park place and hang by her neck muscles too along with Lamis and Nephella as a criminal teen inside the posh and pretty city of Colfax, when the Cubby Hole finally ends.

Hatch will die with his wife rather than answer the academic question and live the rest of days, without his love and his wife Jara plus their unborn child.

My face floods with sobs and tears and then a gasp of worry. That means there is only one teen left inside the Cubby Hole auditorium room.

On the opposite smaller center stage, the voice of the mayor echoes throughout the auditorium, "Please, welcome the next criminal, coming from the guts of the Cubby Hole."

On top of the main center stage, Buffo stomps ahead toward the floor without a smile and scans the auditorium. On the side center stage platform, Lamis and Nephella are blue colored and hang by the neck on a rope on a wooden railing. He stops with a gasp and drops open a mouth.

The mayor wasn't lying to the teens. This really is another run of the Cubby Hole with another single most important academic question. And the parents of Ketona have not shown up inside the Cubby Hole auditorium room with the re-programmed me-chee female machine by his girlfriend and his future wife Ketona. The me-chee female must have been captured after leaving the Cubby Hole building. Since, the outside lawn is being guarded by more me-chee machines per the mayor of Colfax.

Buffo is not going to run and escape, without saving Ketona. So, the mayor has really thought of everything. Buffo can't see Ketona or Duchie or Rincon inside the auditorium. They all had rode down the single me-chee chair, before him.

Hatch and Jara have both refused to participate, thinking that the mayor will be kind to them.

She smiles at the profile of stationary Buffo. He is rattled with the dead bodies inside the hangman gallows. She is angry that there are three other smartie teens among the gang of rebel who each passed the academic question. The mayor thought that each teen would fail like her daughter, but she was wrong. However, there is only one rebel teen left and he is nervous. Yes, she is enjoying the new Cubby Hole rules and the new environment which was the brilliant suggestion of her new administrator technician Marsilla.

Now, the mayor of Colfax is powerful and has achieved her goal to reign over the land with her new assistance Marsilla.

The voice of the mayor sneers throughout the auditorium. "Please, approach the me-chee chair for your academic question, criminal rebel teen."

Buffo shakes a skull and slowly stomps ahead toward the single lounge chair which is similar to a stationary me-chee chair.

The me-chee host stands in the dark wall corner of a long white wall.

Buffo slides down into the chair and wiggles side to side, getting comfortable inside the hard couch of golden leather for the single most important academic question of his life.

The voice of the me-chee host echoes throughout the auditorium, standing in the darkness of the wall corner on the center stage. "The time line is thirty seconds. The area of a trapezoid is 0.9x (y1 + y2), where x is the altitude, and y1 and y2 are the lengths of the parallel bases. If the trapezoid has an altitude of 18 inches, an area of 113-inched square inches, and one of the bases is 23 inches, what is the perimeter, in inches, of the trapezoid?"

Buffo exhales with a puff of determination and wiggles side to side some more, seeing the verbal question in a set of printed black colored words on the white wall. He narrows his eyelids and scratches a sweaty forehead, exhaling with a puff of determination, whispering for his eardrums only. "Thirty seconds!"

I sneer at the academic question then turn with a sneer to see the mayor. The academic question is hard, on purpose. The mayor is purposefully trying to fail Buffo, my eternal love. I nervously paw the necklace cellie around my neck and hidden inside the lace dress with fear and worry. The options run through my active mind: answer his question for Buffo or run back toward the me-chee chair room to escape with Buffo or fight with the mayor to save Buffo.

I haven't been counting off the seconds and turns to see Rincon. He turns with a sad face and shakes his curls.

I turn to see Duchie. She turns with tears and shakes her curls, too.

I sob with fear and turns with a growl to see the mayor. The mayor sits with a wicked smirk on top of a smaller center platform beside Marsilla as the precious seconds count down into zero point zero.

I turn and view the main center stage and the rear of the chair. His rear skull shakes side to side. I gasp with fear.

On top of the main center stage, Buffo has not grunted or uttered a word. He does not know the academic answer. Buffo uses his fingers, calculating out the math numbers. He exhales with a nod and recounts his fingers, looking up with a worried brow to see black colored printed academic question on the white wall.

I turn and scan the me-chee host. It stands patiently for Buffo's answer inside the dark wall corner. I turn and scan the blackness of the audience, seeing a grin of white teeth and a pair of white eyeballs.

The voice of the me-chee host echoes throughout the auditorium. "The thirty seconds are completed. Please, answer the academic question?"

I gasp with worry and stand upright from the chair, tossing both arms in the air with a yell. "I will answer for my love Buffo."

The audience gasps in shock. The mayor growls in fury.

Marsilla turns and sneers at Ketona. "That is not allowed, citizen Ketona. You answered somehow your single most important academic question. Sit down and enjoy the watch like me, Ketona!"

The mayor raises a palm with a wicked smile. "Please, we are civilized people of Colfax. Let us all evaluate the new information here!"

Marsilla turns and sneers at the nose piercing of the mayor. "This is not allowed, Ms. Mayor."

The mayor nods with a wicked grin at Ketona. "I will allow all the Colfaxians to decide. Now, criminal Buffo may continue to answer his posed academic question and then face the true consequences. Or citizen Ketona may answer a second posed academic question within the thirty second timeline for a second time and substitute for her love. However, if Buffo fails in his answer, then he will be hung by the neck muscles upon the hangman gallows and surely die. Thus, if citizen Ketona fails to answer her second academic question, then she and her love boyfriend will be hung by the neck muscles upon the hangman gallows and surly die side to side together. Is this procedure agreeable, my fellow Colfaxians?"

The audience stands upright from the bleachers with a series of cheer and claps and whistles.

I exhale with disgust and angry. I hate these people as I am ashamed to claim any type of acknowledgement as a citizen of the posh and pretty city of Colfax. I ball both hands with fury and release my fingers, exhaling and inhale, calming my raw nerve ending.

On top of the main center stage, Buffo slides out from the chair with a gasp and stands upright, spinning around to face Ketona with a worried brow, shaking his skull. She had addressed her academic question correctly. Therefore, Ketona will live in peace and happiness inside posh and pretty Colfax, without him.

The mayor stands upright from the throne chair and tosses both arms into the air, wiggling all the fingers. Her facial piercing crinkle ugly into her old wrinkles below the smile. "We have confirmation. The Colfaxians and I agree that Ketona will address a second posed academic question for a second time. If citizen Ketona is correct, then both she and her love Buffo become the two newest members of the posh and pretty city of Colfax. However, if citizen Ketona answers incorrectly, then both her and her love Buffo become the two newest criminals in the posh and pretty city of Colfax. Citizen Ketona, do you accept this agreement which has been laid out by verbal acknowledgement?"

I exhale with angry and fear with a nod and a sneer. "Yes, I accept the agreement." I turn and view Buffo. He shakes his skull with worry. I turn and view Rincon. He provides a thumb's up signal with a smile and a nod in silence. I turn and view Duchie. She provides a thumb's up signal too with a smile and a nod in silence, also. I turn and nod to Duchie and Rincon, turning to see the mayor.

The mayor stares with a smirk at Ketona. "Are you ready, citizen Ketona?"

I nod slightly as my kneecaps knock underneath the lace gown. I feel exposed and naked on top of the exposed elevated stage within the blinding spotlight. But if I answer the question correctly, both Buffo and I are citizens of Colfax, working a dream job, living in the same town as our parents.

However, if I fail?

On top of the smaller center stage, "Sit down, please! Everyone, please sit down." The mayor sits back down inside the throne chair with Marsilla, waving a hand at the me-chee host with a sneer. "Me-chee host, address the next single most important academic question to citizen Ketona of Colfax, please."

The voice of me-chee host echoes the words throughout the auditorium, hiding inside the dark wall corner. "If z-2 is a factor of z³ + kz² +12z - 8, then k equals, what answer?"

I exhale with a puff of nervous energy and stare down at the golden lacy hemline of the dress. My hands paw the necklace cellie with sweaty nervousness. I whisper for my eardrums only. "Think. Think it out. Using the factor theorem, 2 is the root. So, (2)³ + k( 2 )² + 12(2) - 8 = 0. This is simplified to 4k +24 =0. Yes. This is so easy for me. I'm so smart." I exhale with a puff of victory and lift a smile into the blinding spotlight, turning with a smile to see the mayor. "K equals six."

The voice of me-chee host echoes the words throughout the auditorium. "The answer is incorrect. She is incorrect. The incorrect answer is six."

The audience stands upright with a series of loud claps and louder cheering for the hanging of the two criminals Ketona and Buffo.

I gasp with fury within the loud noise inside the auditorium. "The answer is six. I am correct." I swing a face to see Rincon. He shakes his curls and stands upright from the chair with worry.

The audience stands upright with a series of loud claps and louder cheering for the hanging of the two criminals Ketona and Buffo.

I turn and frown at Duchie. She stands upright from the chair with sobs of tears, shaking her curls, too.

I gasp with shock. "I am correct." I look down with a stern face and a whisper to see the hemline of my dress. "If z-2 is a factor of z³ + kz² + 12z - 8, then k equals, what answer? Using the factor theorem, 2 is the root. So, (2)³ + k (2)² + 12(2) - 8 =0. This is simplified to 4k +24 =0. Positive 24 is subtracted from the right side of the equation, leaving 4k. Then negative 24 is added to 0. This is calculated as -24 divided by four, which equals negative six." I gasp with shock. "I forgot the negative sign, again. I did that on my first academic question. I almost forgot to say the negative condition on my first academic question and then remembered it. But, in here for the second time, I did forget to say, negative six. Negative six and positive six are located on two different far away mathematical points on the numeric line." I look up and open my mouth to see Buffo with fear.

The audience continues to stand and claps and cheer for the hanging of the two criminals Ketona and Buffo.

On top of the main center stage, Buffo steps forward toward Ketona as the me-chee machine host swiftly moves from the dark wall corner and reaches out, grabbing Buffo by the arm, halting the movement of the teen criminal.

The audience continues to stand and claps and cheer for the hanging of the two criminals Ketona and Buffo.

On top of the side stage, I turn and scan with a gasp at the cheering audience of Colfaxians. They continue to stand, clap, and cheer for more spilled innocent bloodshed.

The mayor stands upright and dances in place, tossing both arms, wiggling the fingers hands in the air with the Colfaxians. She turns and bows down to the cheering happy audience and Marsilla. Marsilla duplicates the same dance moves as the mayor. The audience continues to stand, clap, and cheer with the two deaths of the two criminals.

I reach out and hold onto the chair, feeling dizzy with fear, keeping my body from fainting off the elevated stage and down onto the dark floor with a whisper. "No!"

Buffo struggles inside each metal arm on the me-chee machine, scanning the blackness of the audience, only seeing a pair of white eyeballs and a grin of white teeth.

Duchie and Rincon rush away from their individual chair and move ahead to Ketona.

I turn and wave both hands and my curls. Duchie and Rincon could get into trouble with the wicked mayor and the evil Colfaxians.

They nod in silence. Rincon moves ahead and hugs Duchie with a stern face of sorrow. She sobs with tears of sadness for Buffo and Ketona in silence.

The mayor dances side to side with an evil grin, tossing both arms into the air. "The answer is incorrect. We hold a set of two true criminals of Colfax as dictated by the new set of Cubby Hole rules. Criminals, go and move ahead towards the hangman gallows, if you please, but don't really want to do. But I wanna see it right now. So, say your goodbyes and get with it, right now," she laughs with an evil tone. The audience of Colfaxians continues to stand and stomp the shoes, cheering, and clapping for the death act.

I dash to Rincon and Duchie hugging both them.

Rincon pulls back with a sneer and says into the cheekbone of Ketona. "We fight them."

I pull back and swallow my tears, shaking my curls. "No! We, you all will lose your..."

Rincon nods with a stern face. "I am so sorry, Ketona. I love you and I will..."

"Me, too," I sob with a shaky voice.

Duchie leans over and hugs Ketona again as her voice is only sobs and tears for her dear friend.

I pull back from Rincon and Duchie with tears and a nod with a fake smile. "I love both of you. Please, have a happy life for me!" Rincon nods without a smiling. I exhale with a puff of worry and back step from my tow dear friends, turning and dash into the main center stage, falling into his open arms. I whisper between the sad tears. "I am so sorry."

Buffo hugs Ketona with a whisper and his sobs. "I am so sorry. I didn't know the academic answer to the math question. You shouldn't have answered the second question for me. You were too nervous to think about the right answer."

I pull back and sniff up the snot with a grin and a giggle. "No. I'm too much in love with you, not to answer the question for you, darling. I love you, Buffo!"

On top the smaller center stage, the voice of the mayor yells out the words throughout the auditorium. "Shove them toward the hangman's gallows right now. We have almost completed the Cubby Hole, Colfaxians. Then, we will return back to our posh and pretty life in lovely Colfax. Everything will be normal soon," she reaches over and fist bumps with Marsilla with a set of laughs and smiles.

The me-chee host slams a metal hand at the collar bone on Buffo. Buffo turns and sneers at the me-chee machine while continuing to protect and hug Ketona. Buffo swings around and cuddles Ketona, marching ahead of the machine and toward the side elevated platform with the bright spotlight on the rack of dangling ropes of the hangman's gallows. He leans down and whispers into the black colored hair roots of Ketona. "Jara didn't wanna come again. Hatch didn't want to come, without Jara. They are going to die too by the hand of the mayor. I wished that I had brought a gun, shooting right between her facial piercing."

I hug with sobs and tears on Buffo, slowly moving over the smaller side stage and stroll toward the hangman's noose. "Would your grandfather come here into the Cubby Hole?"

He sniffs back up the nose snot into the nostrils with a sad face. "Yeah, he would, if he could. Your programmed me-chee hostess didn't come back. I don't understand. Your parents or my parents didn't show up inside the Cubby Hole auditorium either, before I came down."

I sob with more tears. "The mayor has imprisoned them or worse has murdered them, too. My parents wouldn't allow this to happen to me. So, there is no one to help us. I wished that I could say good bye to my parents."

"Me, too..."

On top of the side elevated stage platform, Ketona and Buffo stop and stand in front the hangman's gallows. The bright spotlight shines down on both dead Lamis and Nephella, who continue to hang from a twisted noose rope. There are two other teardrop-shaped noose ropes that hang beside dead Nephella.

"I love you, Buffo!" I sob with my tears. My eyeballs barely see the ropes, only the bright light.

Buffo leans over and kisses Ketona, pulling back with a fake smile, wiping off her tears. "I love you, Ketona. We'll be together, just on a different pathway."

I see his face in a blur of tears, "Yeah, we will be journeying into a different pathway."

The me-chee machine shoves Buffo toward the first rope next to Nephella. He turns and sneers, releasing the warm body of Ketona, slowly climbing up the three tiered wooden steps and ducks down underneath the dangling rope. He spins around and stands in front of the dangling rope with a sneer. The me-chee machine moves around and stands behind the back spine on Buffo, reaching out and wraps the rope around his neck. He grabs and ties the two wrist bones on Buffo behind his back spine.

I slowly move ahead and scoot around the last dangling rope from the wooden rack, standing on top of the tiny step with a face of tears and sobs of sadness. The me-chee host side steps and stands behind Ketona, wrapping and twists the raw rope around her neck, reaching out, tying both her wrist bones behind her back spine. It side steps and stands in front of the lever which will drop down the floor of the wooden hangman's gallows.

Inside the hangman's gallows, Ketona and Buffo stand on top of the tall step with a rope around the neck and a face of sobs and tears.

Within the neck rope, I sob with tears, missing my parents, my old life, my new life, and my boyfriend Buffo.

Buffo wiggles both his hands around the rope, scooting one hand out of the wrist bone rope and reaches out to hold the cupped hands of Ketona. He can't fight with the strong metal me-chee machine and win. He can't fight with the thousands of evil Coflaxians and win. So, he will die with Ketona here inside the Cubby Hole.

I feel the sweaty touch of Buffo's hand and sob with more tears. I don't wanna die. I wanna live. I love my life and my boyfriend Buffo and my parents and my farm and my new farm friends. Then, I feel the small wooden step underneath the floor rumble with thunder under both sandals.

On top of the smaller center stage that is surrounded by the audience. The mayor stands and dances side to side, bumping her hips and her fist into the body parts of Marsilla with a giggle. She tosses both arms into the air and wiggles all the fingers with a laugh and a grin, "Wait, me-chee host! Hold the death showcase for a moment!" The floor rumbles with thunder again. The Colfaxians stomps side to side with screams of terror.

On top of the side stage, Duchie and Rincon hug and look down with a puzzled brow at the floor in silence.

The Colfaxians shuffles side to side, looking down to see the floor and up to see the ceiling with puzzlement. The mayor twirls around in a completed circle with a puff of fun, standing in place and waves to the audience with a smile. "Don't worry, Colfaxians! I planned all of this too. This is a new surprise for the criminals." The lights blink power off and then power on. The audience of Colfaxians gasps and hugs each other with fright. The mayor waves both arms with a smile, "Calm down, silly Colfaxians! This is part of my little surprise. The outer townships couldn't see this event, without some type of exterior satellite equipment. Therefore, I have arranged this. So, the outer townships will learn a valuable lesson, lasting for the rest of our lifetime. I am mayor and I rule here." The entire floor and the bleacher seats shake like an earthquake.

Each member in the audience screams out loud and then leans over, hugging each warm body with fright and fear.

On top of the main center stage, where the chair stands, alone, the floor swiftly fills with numerous rows of golden tinted jumpsuits. Each golden jumpsuit wears a matching hat, a scarf, a set of gloves, and a pair of black tinted cheap sunglasses.

The mayor turns and smiles with a nod at the numerous rows of golden jumpsuits on top of the center stage, tossing both arms into the air, wiggling all the fingers. "Welcome, me-chees! Please, activate your communication sensors for observance and recording. Then I will continue with the punishment of the two remaining still alive and breathing criminals of Colfax."

A single bullet slices off the dangling rope above the brown colored hair roots on Buffo. He releases the hand on Ketona and tumbles down toward the white wooden platform floor, landing on a set of bent elbows and both open palms with a sneer. Then he looks up with a smile to the single me-chee machine that wears a golden tinted jumpsuit and holds a smoking shotgun.

A second bullet neatly slices off the second dangling rope above the black colored hair roots on Ketona. She falls down toward the white platform. Buffo leans over and catches Ketona between his arms, hugging her into his sweaty and wet face with a laugh and a sigh of love.

They cuddle on top of the platform in silence.

On top of the center stage, the first me-chee machine stands upright in the golden jumpsuit and shuffles the smoking shotgun to the second me-chee machine. The second me-chee machine holds the shotgun down beside its metal leg. The first me-chee machine removes the scarf, exposing a tone of golden skin of metal and echoes the words throughout the auditorium. "Ketona and your friends, please exit the auditorium, now!"

The Colfaxians gasp in alarm along with Ketona and her teen friends.

On top of the hangman's gallows platform, I struggle to stand upright and then cuddle into the chest of Buffo, yelling with a smile. "Let's go, Buffo! They're mine, my farm me-chees." I pull away from Buffo and hold his hand, leading toward the center stage and move toward the numerous rows of me-chee machines that wear a golden tinted jumpsuit.

The mayor's me-chee host stands in place and holds the lever, staring at the back spine on Buffo and then Ketona.

On top of the smaller center stage that is surrounded by the dark audience. The mayor turns and jabs a finger with a sour frown at the lead robot. "Lead me-chee machine, you follow my commands. You follow my instructions. I am your..."

On top of the center stage, I stop and hug Buffo, standing in front of the lead farm me-chee machine with a smile, seeing his golden metal skin, the matching cowboy hat, the scarf, the pair of gloves, and a pair of sunglasses.

The leader farm me-chee machine stares over her black colored hair roots and studies the mayor with a painted blood red smirk on a metal face. "Me-chees, please remove your hat and your scarf and your sunglasses. Ketona and your friends, please exit the auditorium, now!"

The rows of golden jumpsuits slip off a hat, scarf, and a pair of sunglasses glittering in a tone of golden metal skin with a smirk of blood red color. The rows fill the entire main center stage.

I gasp with a smile. "You are my set of me-chee machines from my farm."

The lead farm me-chee machine stares at the mayor with a smirk in blood red paint, without emotion, "Yes, ma'am. We all received your numerous terrible distress signals from your personal cell, coming out from the depths of the new Cubby Hole. We all marched through the electromagnetic field of the outer township of Burrville to be here inside the depths of the new Cubby Hole. We are all here dressed in our jumpsuits and our sunglasses. We are all staying to protect you from the wicked Colfaxians. Ketona and your friends, please exit the auditorium, now!"

On top of the smaller center stage that surrounds the audience. The mayor jabs a finger with a sneer at the front of me-chee machines. "Me-chees, arrest her! Arrest Ketona! She stands in right front of your eye sensors. Obey me, now!"

On top of the hangman's gallows platform, the mayor's me-chee host removes a metal hand from the hangman lever and dashes forward toward the back spine of Buffo and Ketona.

I swing around and motion to Duchie and Rincon. They swiftly dash from the side stage and stop, standing beside Ketona out of the way of the rows of me-chee machines in silent, hugging each other with tears and smiles of relief.

The mayor's me-chee host reaches the edge of the center stage and stares at the back spine on Buffo. One of the golden jumpsuit from the farm in the first row reaches out and grabs one of the swinging arms on the mayor's me-chee host, lifting up and twirling the machine robot into the air and above each metal and human skull. Then the mayor's me-chee host slams down into the white wall with the printed black colored academic question for Ketona, burning in black smoke and metal destruction.

I look up with a smile to see painted blood red smirk on the lead me-chee. "Thank you! How long will you stay inside the park place?"

The lead farm me-chee machine with the golden tinted jumpsuit continues to stare over the black colored hair roots on Ketona displaying a smirk at the mayor and then teenage Marsilla. "We will stay here and not allow any of the evil and wicked Colfaxians to ever leave the new park place within the new Cubby Hole environment."

I gasp. "Then, they and you both will be trapped here forever."

The lead farm me-chee machine slightly nods and stares over her hair roots at the mayor with a blood red painted smirk. "You are the boss, Ketona. You commanded us to come and rescue you from the wicked and evil Colfaxians. We and the Colfaxians will stay here in the new park place within the new Cubby Hole environment forever."

I swing around with a gasp to see the audience of white eyeballs and white teeth. The mayor has designed the new park place auditorium to be frightful and fearful, scaring the young naïve teen rebels. However, her wicked plan has backfired. Her command me-chee machines are somewhere else inside the parameter of posh and pretty city of Colfax, standing outside the Cubby Hole building.

On top of the smaller center stage, the mayor tosses both arms into the air with a sneer. "Me-chees, hear me! Me-chees, obey me! Me-chees grab and arrest Ketona, right now!"

The farm me-chee machines belonging to Ketona have come here to rescue her from the evil mayor and the blood thirsty citizens of Colfax.

I swing around with a stern face to the lead me-chee machine. "The mayor and the Colfaxians will eventually escape from here and you. You are not programmed as a violent machine."

"A me-chee cannot harm a human. A me-chee does not require air, food, or water to survive. However, a me-chee always obeys its mistress, foreverly," the lead farm me-chee machine continue to stare over her hair roots at a sneering Colfaxian mayor.

Buffo gasps with a sneer. "You shot at me."

The me-chee machine stares over the hair roots of Buffo and Ketona at the mayor with a smirk of blood red tint. "I shot at an innocent piece of dangling rope. The rope burned and then landed on top of your big fat head, sir. I am sorry, Ketona's friend. However, you are not hurt. A me-chee cannot harm a human ever."

"No prob, pal!" Buffo chuckles with a nod.

I turn and view both dead Lamis and Nephella. They still hang down from a hangman's noose on top of the wooden platform. I whisper for my eardrums only. "I am so sorry, Lamis and Nephella. I will miss you, very much." Then I turn and smile at the lead me-chee. "Okay. I got it the message. Let's get outta here, ya'll! The me-chees have obeyed my command. Good bye, me-chees!"

The me-chee machine stares over the hair roots of Buffo and Ketona at the mayor with a smirk of blood red tint. "Good bye and good luck, Ketona and your friends!"

I back step from the me-chee machine and hold his hand, running across the stage and into the tiny golden colored me-chee room and halt with a gasp. The me-chee room is filled with exactly four me-chee chairs for Duchie, Rincon, Buffo, and Ketona. I race to one of the empty me-chee chairs with a smile, sliding down the chair, watching each teen selects a me-chee chair too. Then my me-chee chair glows in a gold shield and drops down into darkness. I scream with painful joy and relieve.

10:47 am

Golden tinted walls, floor, and ceiling without me-chee machine

Cubby Hole auditorium setting

My me-chee chair rises first upward from the darkness and settles into place with a soft thump. I sit inside the chair, feeling sad and glad.

The me-chee chair with Buffo floats upright second and locks into place. He slides out the chair and stands, dashes with a smile toward Ketona and stops, leaning over and shakes her arm, kneeling down at her chair with a stern face. "Let's go now. We get outta of here now. I'm finished with the new and old Cubby Hole."

I stand upright with a stern face and a nod, "Me, too!"

The me-chee chairs of Rincon and Duchie slowly rises upright one at a time and lock into place over the golden floor. Each one slides out and runs ahead, slamming and hugs each other with a set of tears and whispers.

I swing around with a gasp to face the locker room. The single steel door has been ripped off the female locker room by the non-violent metal soldiers of Ketona's me-chee machine army allowing for a clear passageway out of the Cubby Hole auditorium and the building also.

I dash ahead and stop, spinning around the room of gold for the last time. The numerous rows of me-chee machines will ensure that no other Colfaxian escapes from the new park place within a dark and overcrowded auditorium. I slowly spin around and stroll with my boyfriend and my future husband Buffo, holding his hand with love and happiness.

10:50 am

Cubby Hole Building location

Warm temperatures with dull sunrays

Manicured lawn grass setting

Buffo and I move through the female locker room and exit out the building, climbing down each brick step and stand inside the ugly grass lawn. I gasp with shock.

My parents are present along with hundreds and hundreds of other people from all the outer townships, since the rest of the Colfaxians are still sitting with whines or standing with screams inside the new park place among the dark dull lightning.

I run ahead and slam into a hug with my mom with sobs and tears, "Mama!"

The mom of Ketona hugs her daughter with her own set of sobs and tears. "Ketona, I missed you so much. I'm so sorry with your continuous torture and torment. The Cubby Hole event is finished, now. No child will ever endure the Cubby Hole, again."

I pull back from her warm hug, sobbing with tears, "Really?"

The dad of Ketona pulls up beside his wife and hugs his daughter, pulling back with a smile, "Really!"

The mom of Ketona frowns. "And we had experienced the mayor's torment also. She arranged and imprisoned us inside our home while you were inside that awful park place auditorium without us."

I turn and scan the manicured lawn. Buffo hugs and pulls back from his parents with smiles. He uses both hands to describe the terrible Cubby Hole event. He is surrounded by his grandparents and all of his numerous blood relatives from the outer township of Burrville, also.

Duchie hugs her dad from Dandine and pulls back with a smile. Rincon stands beside Duchie and reaches over and hugs Duchie. Rincon's parents surround the young couple with smile.

Hatch and Jara are surrounded by their individual set of parents with laughs and smiles.

The mom of Ketona smiles with a nod at the nose profile of her daughter. "However, we were visited by a good me-chee female machine. The good me-chee machine wore a head of black curls, a red plantation dress, and a pair of white elbows. Then, that dang me-chee female machine attacked and ripped apart the other four posted me-chee machines around our house which had been ordered by the mayor. We exited our house helping Rincon's parents and the other captive parents escape from their individual me-chee prison guards too. Girl, where, on the planet, did you get a set of me-chee machines for an invasion army into the Cubby Hole environment?"

I turn and smile at my mom. "Colfax is a peaceful city, Mom. A me-chee machine cannot harm a human, ever."

The mom of Ketona nods with a smile. "Well, the good news, the empty city of Colfax is being occupied by the all the residents of the outer townships. The bad news, the residents of Colfax are never returning back into their posh and pretty city. Buffo's parents are in the process of reprogramming each remaining me-chee machine under their personal voice command to perform each domestic and manual labor chore, such, like mowing the yards, harvesting the crops, and manning the sewer plants."

I smile with a nod. "That's good. We all can live and thrive here in Colfax."

The mom of Ketona smiles with a nod. "Like a real family, no family unit will be broken up again ever. And you are going to be the new mayor of Colfax. The new town people have elected you, sweetheart."

I shake my curls with a puzzled brow. "I can't be the new mayor of Colfax. I'm only seventeen years old."

The dad of Ketona smiles, "An honorary title for saving the city, which means, you don't have to work and feed your family, honey. The city of Colfax will provide a house and all the living necessities. You and Buffo, after marriage, will be the new mayor and the new co-mayor of Colfax. And every outer township person is willing to learn a new skill or a new trade. The city of Colfax will need large groups of me-chee machine programmers and me-chee machine designers to continue supplying the machines for all on-going and new domestic work duties throughout the outer townships."

I turn and smile at parents of Lamis. They hug each other without a child today. I frown with sadness and part from my parents, slowly moving toward them and stop, standing with a stern face of sorrow. "I am so sorry for your loss, Mr. and Mrs parents of Lamis. Lamis was a very good friend of mine."

The mom of Lamis leans over and hugs Ketona, pulling back and wipes the tears of unhappiness. "Thank you! Lamis talked of you often, Ketona. You helped her through the Cubby Hole and beyond. Lamis achieved what she wanted in life being out of.... Well, she enjoyed her short life. That's all I will say and remember."

I nod with a stern face. "I enjoyed meeting and knowing her, too. I wished that I could..."

"We understand. We all saw the newest Cubby Hole event on the screen plasma, compliments of the mayor of Colfax. She wanted everyone to feel her wrath-ness or her fury or her evilness. However, you saved the day, Ketona. We and the entire townships are very grateful for your courage and bravery, too."

The dad of Lamis exhales with a sad face. "The mayor of Colfax harmed Lamis and the other teens. She will pay for her torment for her remaining days inside the new Cubby Hole environment."

I nod with a stern face. "She will not be happy for a few days. Eventually, the mayor will return..."

"Ah, naw!" The mom of Lamis laughs with a grin. "The mayor of Colfax and the evil Colfaxians are never returning back to the posh and pretty city of Colfax."

The blast echoes over the land and shakes the ground dirt. Then, numerous plumes of black and brown colored fiery smoke ejects up and over the skyline, making a set of colorful fireworks. My feet slide side to side and as I balance with both outstretched arms and swing around with a gasp. The Cubby Hole building, the pretty tall columns, the brick front steps, and the smooth front porch have been blasted into tiny bits of white and red brick. There is a large hole within the red dirt. I gasp with shock. "What has happened to the Cubby Hole?"

The mom of Ketona pulls up and hugs her daughter with a smile. "The explosion came from a set of blasters. The equipment had been installed by a set of me-chee machines underneath the direction of Rincon's parents. I do believe that the blasters have leveled the entire Cubby Hole building..."

"Mother!" I gasp. "No one can ever leave the new park place. The new Cubby Hole auditorium, the wind tunnel, all the me-chee chairs..."

She nodded with a sour frown. "They're all gone, now. You and we do not have to worry about the old mayor of Colfax and the set of evil Coflaxians, ever, again," the mom of Ketona hugs her daughter.

I gasp with shock and feel a cupped hand on my collar bone, releasing my mother, spinning around to see Buffo.

He leans down and hugs his girlfriend and his future wife with a smile of happiness and relief.

Five years later, inside the Colfax hospital room within a warm day with bright sunshine, I sit upright inside my hospital bed, staring down at my new baby daughter with a smile, "We will name her after our good friends."

Buffo stands over the black hair roots of Ketona and gently pats the black hair on his infant daughter with a smile. "I agree. We name her after our good friends."

"I think of her, often. I think of the Colfaxians, occasionally."

"It's has been five long years. They're all dead and gone from five years ago. A biological body needs food every four to six days. It needs a glass of water every three to four days. Now, we're a family, only thinking of our new baby daughter."

I smile down at my baby, thinking only mental good thoughts of happiness and love.

The door opens.

"Hey, Ketona and Buffo!" Rincon enters with his three-year-old son and stands next to Buffo.

Duchie follows behind the back spine of her husband Rincon and totes a pink tinted wrapped baby gift with a smile, stopping and stands next to her husband Rincon. "Hey, ya'll! Happy day for Ketona and Buffo! What's the baby's name?"

Jara enters the room with a smile and holds a wrapped pink gift also, stopping and standing next to Duchie, "Hi, Buffo and Ketona and little baby of Buffo and Ketona! What's the baby's name?"

Hatch follows behind the back spine of his wife Jara and holds the tiny hand of his six-year-old son with a smile, stopping and stand next to Jara. "Hey, ya'll! Welcome, baby of Buffo and Ketona. What's the baby's name, Buffo?"

I look up with a smile to see my old friends, who are the true citizens of Colfax, looking down at my new baby girl, "Nephella Lamis."

They turn and smile with a nod to each other.

The Perfect End
