Dream Wanderers: Partnering Rotation

There were no classes held, no dreams wandered: just games, entertainment, and a lot of special food brought in for the occasion. The older students always enjoyed watching the Whites nervously prepare for their ceremony. Some of them enjoyed it a little bit too much.

"You see that little boy over there?" Sham pointed at a young blond boy whose face appeared whiter than his uniform. "Anybody want to make a wager that everything he just ate is about to come back up?"

"Sham, you're terrible!" Calli glanced at him and looked away shyly.
"How long do you give him, and what's the wager?" Titus asked.

"You're terrible, too."
Sham ignored Calli. "I don't know, how about we give him ten hundreds, and the wager is five game tokens?"
Titus watched the boy carefully for a few micros. "Make it four game tokens, and you've got yourself a wager."
"How about I give each of you one of my game tokens and you call it off?" Calli suggested.
"No way!" Sham said. "Make only one token when I could make four?"

"Or lose four," Calli reminded him.
"Look at him, Calli," Sham said. "This is a sure thing."
Tayo winked at Calli. "I'll be right back." She went to the beverage area, filled a cup, then approached the young White. "I couldn't help but notice that you look a little nervous," she remarked. "Here, drink this. It will settle your stomach." She handed him the cup, being careful to not touch him. Some rules were meant for wandering students of all orbits.

The boy looked at Tayo strangely before drinking the contents. For a micro he looked even more like he was about to be sick. Suddenly he let out a loud burp, smiled, and thanked her. Returning to her own table, Tayo watched as he rejoined the other Whites. "I believe, Sham, that you owe Titus four game tokens."
"The ten hundreds aren't over yet," Sham mumbled, although he reached into his pocket and pulled out the tokens.

Gren loved being outdoors. Most of her sleep tonic-induced nightmares started inside. Her natural dreams were hardly ever scary, and they usually took place in wide-open spaces. Being confined inside for too long always seemed like torture to her. She loved Partnering Rotation; she enjoyed the time off, enjoyed the time outdoors, and-as always-enjoyed her time with Lawson.

Lawson wasn't in the same mood. "They have an odd number this orbit," he remarked after a long silence. "There will have to be one boy/girl partnering."
"So?" Gren was surprised that it seemed to bother Lawson so much. "It can work. We're living proof. How many people from when we were Whites haven't changed partners at least once?"

Lawson shook his head. "But then there are a bunch stupid rules that have to be followed."
Gren didn't want to have that conversation again. "Some of the rules are good. Like having to spend the whole rotation with your partner before the Partnering Ceremony."

Lawson almost broke a smile. "Yeah, they really have to force you and me to spend time together."
"You're right." Gren grinned. "Stupid rules."
"Come on, let's go watch the acting exhibit. It's always funny to see what other people think Dream Wanderers really do."

After the evening feast, everyone gathered in the main auditorium. The Whites sat nervously on the stage, girls on the left side and boys on the right. At the podium in the middle stood Ladinda, the Learning Center's leader. Hutch stood slightly behind her, his dirty blond hair looking lighter than normal in the bright lights. Charla was to his left, and there were more teachers behind them.

Although the first two rows of seats were empty, the Blues sat in the front of the auditorium, followed by the Greens, the Yellows, the Oranges, the Reds, the Purples, and finally the Browns. Each group was slightly smaller than the group behind them, showing that there were no guarantees of making it through an entire orbit. Partners were required to sit together; most of them didn't mind. The ones who did mind wouldn't be partnered for much longer. One female Yellow and one male Purple were each waiting for a new partner their own orbit. They sat with their color but felt very much alone.

Ladinda held up a hand, instantly quieting the auditorium. Everyone knew that obeying Ladinda was one of the most important parts of the program.

"Here we go again!" she said cheerfully. "This is one of my favorite rotations. I hope you've all enjoyed yourselves, a rotation of fun, food, and most importantly...no classes!" Everyone laughed. "We have thirty Whites this orbit: fifteen girls and fifteen boys, meaning we'll have a rare girl/boy partnering. For those who think that can't be done, we have two Blues this orbit who have shown us it can!"

Gren felt her face turn red.
"Remember, Whites," Ladinda continued, "today you're starting on a journey. A journey that will be filled with many trials, tests, and tribulations, but a journey that is indeed worth taking. We'll start with the girls. Hutch?"
Hutch stepped forward, not looking all that happy. In his hand was a small bottle.

Ladinda moved a comfortable chair from the side to the center of the stage and Hutch sat down. "For those of you who don't remember, Hutch won't be taking our regular sleep tonic. This is different, it will relax him and help him to dream a bit but he won't be fully asleep."
Hutch drank the bottle's contents, put back his head, and closed his eyes.

"Okay, girls, this is what you're to do," Ladinda instructed. "I need you to try to wander into Hutch's dream. Just a reminder for everyone here; Hutch has orbits of experience and will be able to tell if anyone who is not a female White tries to wander his dream. Dream wandering without permission is against the law, punishable by a heavy fine and time in the labor camp. The sooner you realize that, the better. Now Whites, all you need to do is show up in his dream and say your name, which is the only time you'll be allowed to say a name in a dream. Ready, White girls? Try to wander...now!"

There were some suppressed laughs from the other colors, especially the Blues, since they were sitting closest. Dream wandering was something that needed to be learned; although the gift came naturally, the skill required orbits of study and practice. The White girls tried their hardest to pop into Hutch's dream by making strange faces or holding their breath. Even Hutch, his eyes closed, was grinning. One girl stood up and raised a hand in front of her, causing a loud burst of laughter from most of the spectators. Even the White boys joined in. She sat down, embarrassed. Everyone watch for several hundreds as the girls squirmed and concentrated.

Finally, Hutch opened his eyes. "Maya and Jilly," was all that he said.
"Maya, Jilly, please step forward," Ladinda commanded. Two girls, both looking excited, came out from the Whites. "You can take your seats in the front row. I want you to spend every micro possible together. Get to know each other." The two girls joined hands and left the stage. "Charla? Your turn."

Charla stepped forward, holding a bottle similar to the one Hutch had already used. "I'm ready," she said, taking a seat in the chair before drinking the tonic.
"Boys, the same rules apply to you," Ladinda instructed. "Just show up in the dream and say your name. Ready?" Most of the boys nodded, some enthusiastically and others with nervous apprehension. "Good. Try to wander...now!"

The boys' show was similar to the girls'. Gren couldn't help wondering how some of these children had been accepted into the program, let alone had the slightest chance of completing it. It took even longer for the boys than for the girls. Finally Charla said, "Conner and Nolet," then opened her eyes. Without even being asked, they stepped forward and took their seats.

There were different tests with other teachers to determine the rest of the partners. Some of the tests were intellectual, some were problem-solving, and the rest were just plain luck. At the end of the ceremony there were two Whites left, a boy and a girl.

"Would you two please join me?" Ladinda said. They came to the center of the stage. "What's your name?" she asked the girl. "Angel," the girl replied quietly. It was the same girl who had stood and embarrassed herself during the wandering test with Hutch.

"Angel, what a pretty name." Ladinda turned toward the boy. "Don't you agree?" She looked at the boy. "Dod," he said, even softer than Angel had spoken. His face was bright red.
Sham was trying hard to get Calli's attention. Dod was the boy who had looked so nervous at the early morning feast.
"Angel, Dod," Ladinda started, "I want you to know how special it is that you two have been partnered. In fact, if it's not too much trouble, I'd like to ask two Blues, Gren and Lawson, to join us here on stage. They will tell you just how wonderful it can be to be in a boy/girl partnership."

Gren almost leapt out of her seat. Although she didn't particularly like speaking in public (especially without notice), she was more than happy to tell the young Whites how incredible her own partnership was. With Dod's messy blond hair and Angel's long red braids, the new partners reminded Gren of when she and Lawson were partnered. Lawson stood slowly, with much less enthusiasm than Gren.

With a big smile, Gren stood in the center of the stage. "Angel, Dod," she began, "when I was partnered last, my heart sank. But I've come to realize that it was my destiny to be partnered with Lawson. He's amazing. Not only is he fun and easy to work with, but he's also become my best friend. Not having been chosen in the other contests was the only possible way for us to be partnered, and I'm thankful every rotation that we are. It requires more work, especially at first, but with a little extra effort, it is definitely worth it." She smiled again, glanced at Lawson, and moved back from the microphone.

Lawson took Gren's place. "Good luck, kids. You're going to need it." He stepped away, avoiding Gren's stare.
"Well, thank you," Ladinda said, surprised by Lawson's comment. "Please, all four of you, take your seats. That concludes this Partnering Ceremony. Whites, get to know your partners. Your new rooming assignments will be given to you when you arrive back at your dormitories. We'll clear the auditorium in order of color, starting with the Whites."

"Titus, would you please hit Lawson for me?" Gren said as they walked back to their dormitories. She couldn't remember ever being so upset with him. "Although I might be willing to risk getting in trouble by hitting him myself."
Lawson started to explain. "Gren, I was just trying-"
"Oh, shut up!" she interrupted. "Sham, if Titus won't."

"Gladly," Sham replied, and punched Lawson hard in the stomach. Lawson doubled over in pain. "Okay, I deserved that. But just hear me out. If Ladinda had given us time to prepare something-"
Gren interrupted again. "Then I would have thought of something else to say. Something besides how wonderful you are. What a liar I am."

"They are going to need luck!" Lawson protested. "Remember how hard it was at first? They kept telling us to ‘get to know your partner' and ‘spend as much time as possible with your partner,' but we couldn't even be in the same dormitory! All the other partners were roommates-they still are-but we had to become friends over meals and during classes in which we weren't even allowed to talk! And everyone else, when they did something big or important, they were allowed to hug or slap hands or whatever, but we had to fear expulsion if we even stood too close. We still do. It's hard, and you know it!"

"Oh, not that again," Gren said. She was painfully aware that her entire group of friends was staring at her. "I'll see you in the morning-maybe." Without looking back she stormed into the girls' dormitory.

Next : A New Set of Rules

Previous: Gren's Dream

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