by ipam
I exhale with frustration. Rincon enjoys talking at me, not with me. He doesn’t even use the cute personal endearments, like doll, baby, babe, sweetie, or sweetheart, when we converse, even my BPs call me, dear, being their loving daughter.
I 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 skips then huddles with Rincon and Ketona. She nods and smiles. “Have you prepared your citizenship speech, standing inside the gold color tone as second place, Rincon,” she giggles and winks at him.
He grunts. “There is not a first or a second place finish, Marsilla. You should be more wise 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, aggregated the long truth…”
I drop my mouth. “What, what lie?”
Rincon smiles. “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 floor then him. “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. “We have successfully passed into the red color tone, and wait for the start of the green color tone. I promise ya, the next two sets of academic questions will be much harder and longer…”
I exhale. “We need to warn our friends, too…”
“All’s fair in love and intellect, Ketona.” Marsilla sneers.
I drop my 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 stomps closer into her nose bridge. “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 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 over fifty percent will not pass through into the green color tone. They will remain inside the red color, or drop back into the orange color. We, 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 and grins.
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 scans the room, spying on Lamis.
She sits inside her me-chee chair with her eyelashes closed, waiting on the me-chee.
He views 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 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 mama at 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. “Buffo 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 floor, biting my lip then view Rincon. I softly say. “That seems so unfair and un- justice...”
He nods. “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. “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, there is one single question to jump directly into the golden circle. Is that another lie, Rincon?”
He nods. “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 me-chee technician position?”
Marsilla giggles. “The better question, who’s getting the me-chee designer technician dream job, since you and Buffo are competing, if he shows? Rincon’s going to beat ya Ketona, becoming the medical technician. Rincon is so bad,” she slaps his arm, giggling. “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 chose her dream job, first, from the other slow thinking teens, within the golden circle, which will be me, ya’ll,” giggles.
I stomp my boot. “What else is missing from your lecture, Rincon?”
The me-chee stands, raising his arms. “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 the teens scoot into the me-chee chairs. The red shield blinks, covering the human outlines for the next round. The me-chee says. “Close your eyelids! I will present the next series of academic questions for your individual answers. 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 to 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 inside the Cubby Hole, presently?”
I gasp then exhale.
Duchie, Nephella, and Rincon told me that the next set of questions are more difficult and faster, not giving much time with an extended five more seconds to meet the deadline, or drop.
I giggle then frown with sadness, viewing 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, 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 perfect hundred percent.
I exhale, feeling unhappy about my present situation. I miss Buf
fo’s tender words, gently tone, and vicious revenge on those attackers, who intimidate me, like Marsilla.
However, he looked so happy and content, playing with his new friends inside the orange color tone.
I wish for the feeling of either happy, or content, knowing one emotion is better than sad.
Then, I steam with fury with Rincon. He had lied to me, without sharing his possessed knowledge. Yet, my BPs should have told me that shared knowledge, also.
I exhale, seeing Duchie on my left side. She wiggles side to side with excitement, answering her academic questions, which reminds me, that the fifteen seconds are almost gone.
I scan the room, seeing Lamis. She lies inside the chair, shaking her single leg nervous about the questions.
I exhale then drop my mouth. I view Buffo’s empty spot then close my mouth, without responding to the first question.
If I answer, incorrectly, the question, then I will receive a negative 25 percent value. I need only to answer, incorrectly, a second question then drop and descend into the orange color tone, being with Buffo, again. Then, I can persuade him to re-enter the chair and re-test inside the Cubby Hole.
This was my original idea inside the red color tone, when I couldn’t sit inside the chair with it, without burning my fanny.
My time is close to the fifteen seconds time limit. I exhale then say. “My answer is…green.”
The me-chee says. “A me-chee miniature toy is priced at $100 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 to me, again. I fume with fury, balling my 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 planned.
I exhale with logic. One-fourth correct answer, out of 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 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, when he says there are only four questions for the color tones of blue and green. If I, incorrectly, answer two questions wrong, then I receive 50 percent, negative. Based on the me-chee, I will descend 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, being name the current color of the machine, standing inside the Cubby Hole.
Buffo got that silly question, correct, in 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 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.
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 then encourage him to re-enter the chair and re-test for the red color tone.
I exhale and view the empty spot, wasting my fifteen seconds of time. I say. “100 dollars times 70 discount percent is 70 dollars. 70 dollars is the amount paid, if the toy was marked down 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 equals 56 dollars. My answer is…56 dollars.”
The me-chee says. “Two conducting spheres are identical, except sphere A has a charge of -16 microcoulombs and sphere B has a charge of +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 that Buffo could answer it, properly, if he was present with me 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, too to 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 view the outline of Lamis on my left side, in front of Buffo’s me-chee chair.
Inside her me-chee chair, she wiggles violently side to side, calculating the math answer inside her mind.
I view the outline of Duchie on my left side. She calmly lies still, calculating the math solution, too.
I can’t see the faces of Rincon and Marsilla, since their 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 then view the far wall. 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 the -8, then each sphere will carry -4 microcoulombs. My answer is…negative four.”
The me-chee says. “The alkalinity of our blood is slightly basic. What is the mathematical numeric value of slightly basic acidity?”
I exhale, whispering, smiling. “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. My answer is…7.4.”
The fabric wraps around me, when the chair shakes side to side.
I drop into darkness as my eyeballs don’t adjust. I zoom forward into the lightness then stop.
Chapter 4
Green room with mirrors
I float 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 as my neurons realize that someone has already touched the forward green 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 into the me-chee satin cloth, releasing me into freedom.
I stand and smile, bouncing into the flower garden. My boot toe stomps and kills the pretty yellow flower standing from the ground, then my boot heel smashes and destroys a different standing 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 under a yellow sun, making feel so happy and g
lad. The sky is not blocked by tall trees or black rain clouds, either, that makes me feel joyous and content with my decision to advance into the next color chart.
The ground soil displays every type of flower, known to my brain cells in every tint, known to the color wheel, too. I cannot see the color of the soil under all the different colors of flowers. The flowers prettily grow along the ground, up the tree bark, over the wooden fences, and overlay each other. I stomp over more yellow and pink flowers then move towards the pretty rows of standing flowers and standing wooden fences, which are covered in flowers, too.
I smile and clap, seeing pretty yellow daisies, pink tulips, orange roses, purple irises, and more flora than tick-tock time available to pick and pat, a pretty arm bouquet. I squat, giggling and reaching for the pretty flower. “Awe, so cute!”
“Don’t touch it!” Rincon shouts and dashes from the opening towards Ketona. He waves his arms, yelling. “Don’t touch it!”
I nod and stand, smiling and fingering 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 cuddles Ketona, back pedaling towards the archway of the green room with the mirrors. They move away from the tree island and the flower garden, halting along the edge of the metal framework of the room.
More teens float up from the Cubby Hole and then land inside the green room, then the teens scoot out the chair, stepping outside the mirrored room, stomping all over the ground of pretty flowers, killing them. Dead.
I stand inside Rincon’s biceps, seeing the back muscles of Marsilla.
She squats and picks flowers then arranges them into her arms, creating an arm bouquet. She studies her arm bouquet then shuffles to the next section of flora. She repeats, squatting and picking new flowers for her arm bouquet.