I don't understand. What happenedo? My eyes have always been brown, until this moment. I stare at my own eyes for around 3 minutes, thinking of what could've changed them. Then I remember the coil of black from my dream. Could that have changed them? My thoughts are interrupted by a loud rumble from my stomach. "I can deal with this later," I say to myself. I find the hiding spot, only to find that it's gone. Now I have to wait until 7:21 to get my dinner. I put my head in my hands, and feel my eyes start to tear up.
Suddenly, I hear someone call my name. "Naomi!" I look up. It's Danielle. "What!" I snap, realizing I won't be able to get out of this conversation. "Naomi, are you ok? I'm so sorry! I just got really into the game!" She screeches, sitting down besides me. I plaster a smile on my face, before saying, "it's fine, I know it was just an accident!" She looks concerned. "Are you sure?" She counters. "Yes!" I press, and check the time. It is 3:35. I am surprised. I must've slept for a really long time.
"Oh, look at the time! I really have to go change my bandages! See ya later!" I say hurriedly. I jump to my feet. "Maybe we can get together later today. There's something I need to tell you." She says, looking at her feet. Now I'm curious. "Sure... should we meet in the field at 4:30?" "Yep, that sounds good." I believe her apology. It seems genuine. I walk away, and look at the time again. 3:37. Jeez! I've got to get back!
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I sit down, crossing my legs on my sleeping bag and reach for the bandages. My thin fingers somehow undo the old wrappings and peel it off my arm. I am sickened by the sight. First of all, the blood had soaked through most of the layers. It looked like it had stopped bleeding, but a wave of blood starts when I take the wrappings off. I try to elevate my arm, while cleaning the blood away. This proves to be very difficult, as my other hand is filled with the dirty bandages. Somebody sits next to me.

"Hey Naomi!" He says. It's Dante. "Oh, hi?" I say, slightly confused. We've only talked a few times in training, so I don't understand why he's suddenly approaching me outside of class. He almost reads my mind when he says, "I just was moved into this room, and I recognized you!" He points to his sleeping bag, which is across the room. "Oh! That's pretty cool!" I say, still trying to figure out my bandages. "Do you need any help with those? That looks like it hurts," he says. I am surprised. "Sure! Actually, could you take these and throw them away?" I say brightly, handing him the old wrappings.

Dante stands up and deposits them in the garbage, and I am finally able to clean my arm. I stick the absorbent part over the wound, and wrap the gauze tightly around my arm. "So, how about that game today? It was pretty intense. I wonder what we'll be doing tomorrow..." he thinks aloud. "Ugh. There's no doubt that Mr Jo himself created that game! It's like war!" I exclaim.

We go on talking for a couple more minutes, until the conversation leads to the Great Fires. I immediately silence myself, and play with a hole in my sleeping bag."It's really lucky that the Fires only broke out in that one area. But... my brother was living there." Dante says quietly. I look up in horror. "Is everything ok, Dante?" I ask carefully. "Yeah. It's just, my older brother had fought with my parents the day he moved, and hadn't talked to them before... My mother thinks it's all her fault." He replies. "I'm so sorry. I lost my parents in that fire. Well, my adoptive parents." I say.

"So you're like, an orphan? And you're adopted?!" He stammers. "I'm sorry about your parents." Dante says. "Thanks. My real mom had me in China, but my dad brought me back here." My voice becomes bitter at the thought of my dad. If you could even call him that. "Are they... dead?" Dante asks curiously. "No one knows about my mom. Actually, they don't know anything about her! Only my dad knew her name, and he told me. And my dad? Well, he's in prison. And rightfully so." That's all I'm going to say on this matter. After a few more minutes talking, I realize I have to meet up with Danielle. "Um, I've got to go... thanks for chatting with me!" I say, getting up. "Yeah, no problemo!" He says, also standing up. "I should probably finish unpacking." Dante says. "Bye!" I say, scurrying out the door.

Even though it's only 4:30, the sun is starting to set, casting orange and pink light on everything. The sun blazes in the sky behind a few clouds. Danielle is sitting on the grass, which is dancing in the light breeze. I march through the grass, and finally reach her at 4:31.

"There you are. It's not like you to be late Naomi." Danielle says. "I know, I'm sorry. I was just talking to Dante and changing my bandages." I say, taking a seat across from her, crossing my arms. "Dante?" I hear her mumble to herself curiously. I pretend I don't hear her. "So, what did you want to tell me?" I speak loudly. "Well, you know how my dad is the treasurer for Ojai?" I nod.

Her family got an actual house, not an apartment, that was nice and had a yard. An actual yard! "Um, all of the government peeps were called to leave Ojai and start to head to the safety bunkers in Canada." Danielle is almost whispering now. "I have to go with my family. We're leaving in a week." I stare at her. "But... how are you even going to leave! I thought everyone was trapped here!" I demand. "There's supposedly an underground train. It takes us a few hundred miles outside the valley, and then a car is picking us up. They didn't tell everyone about the train because there would probably be mass panic to get out." Danielle explains.

I have no words. All of these months, I could've left this place behind. Danielle notices my expression and says, "I heard the citizens will be evacuated next month, in groups!" "Citizens? You are a citizen!" I say incredulous. "I'm sorry Naomi, there's nothing I can do about it!" She snaps. I fall back in the long grass and whisper, "When did this world become so horribly unfair?" Danielle lays next to me. We stay there, just lying down, staring at the sunset for 45 minutes, when I fall asleep.

Everything is falling apart. The apartments collapse and fires are everywhere. Spork is ablaze, and the screams of thousands of people ring through the air. I try running through the fields, but the grass is now burning with fire. My feet are hot, but my shoes don't burn. In fact, I am a speck of black in a world of red. I seem to be giving off a black shadow, dimming the heat of the flames around me. "Naomi!" Someone calls. I try to look around, but no one is there.

"Naomi!" I bolt up. Danielle is trying to wake me up. "Naomi, it's 5:36! I thought you always got dinner at 5:39!" She says hurriedly. "Oh my golly! Thanks so much!" I say, springing to my feet and tearing through the grass. I make it to the door, and have to shove people out of my disastrous path. "Sorry!" I constantly shout. I slide to a stop in front of the pile of bowls and grab one. It's 5:39. Just on time.
                 **************************
I lay down on the thin sleeping bag. It's 7:00 exactly. I look around the classroom, bored. I make small talk with some of my neighbors. "Tonight's actually pretty cold! I heard it's around 45 degrees." Someone says. I was actually shivering earlier. It may seem pretty warm to some, but for California, that's pretty cold. Ojai's record low was 40, so we're getting closer to FREEZING weather.

I snuggle under the sleeping bag. I, for the first time, wish for a sweater, or jacket. All I have are the clothes on my back; a black "athletic" tank top and black leggings. My shoes are some vintage black converse. My dad somehow managed to get the pair a while ago. Thinking of him makes me sad. So instead, I continue to focus on the weather. I fall into a dreamless sleep.
I am awoken by a loud, ear splitting sound. I unroll from the ball I was curled into, and rush to the windows. Dante is already there. "Are there Fires?" He asks sleepily. I anxiously look for the tell tale signs of fire, but instead, I see water. Falling from the sky? I rack my brain for any history terms, and remember this phenomenon as rain. "Rain." I whisper to myself, smiling. That must mean the loud sound was... was... thunder!

I run out into the hall, making my way towards the door, eager to see what this rain was like. But I run into two very large men, blocking the doorways. "Do you know a Naomi Williams young lady?" One of them asks me. "That's me!" I stammer in surprise. "Then you're coming with us," they say in unison, and grab me by the arm. "Who are you and what is going on?!" I demand. "You're biological father has requested to see you Naomi."

Hi wassup?
This chapter had a lot of talking in it... so sorry if it ''twas boring! Thanks again for reading this!
Happysun_23