Color led Kenny out of a blue door at the end of the hallway and into the cool November afternoon. She began to follow a pale path that wove itself through the short, green grass that surrounded the academy. Trees scarcely populated themselves on AGC's campus, which meant few leaves scurried around on the clear walkway whenever a breeze came in. Color gave Kenny a moment to admire the day before she spoke.

"Sorry about your nickname. It's not very nice."

Kenny frowned at Color, confused. What was wrong with her nickname? The young girl liked the name Kenny, even though it was considered boyish by many. Then she realized that she had never told Color her name or her nickname. Color had to be talking about something else. But what other name did Kenny have?

"Just focus on the positives: the man is a really smart physicist. It could be thought of as a compliment."

Kenny took out two of her index cards and held them up next to each other. What are you talking about? My name is Kenny.

"That name Einstein just called you in the hallway?" Color inquired. "Hawking? I'm pretty sure that's your new nickname, and you probably won't be able to change it."

Kenny's eyebrows furrowed, and Color struggled to explain herself.

"It's...it's difficult to explain." The teen's face lit up, and she pointed to something in the distance. "My friend Fins will probably do a better job than I can. There he is. Come on!"

Color took Kenny's hand and ran towards her friend. However, rather than feeling a warm hand wrap around her own, Kenny felt her hand being enveloped in rubber. She looked at Color's arm and noticed something odd about the girl beside her.

Color wore an elbow-length rubber glove on her left arm.

Before Kenny could think of a way to ask Color what her glove was for, the female stopped beside a boy and greeted, "Hi, Fins!" The boy Kenny presumed to be Fins waved back, gasping like a fish out of water. His skin was tinged a light shade of blue, and he didn't seem to be getting enough oxygen no matter how many breaths he sucked in. However, Color acted as if this was a normal occurrence.

"Hi...Color! Who...is this?" The boy wheezed. He seemed like he could pass out any second.

"This is Hawking. Hawking, meet Fins."

"I'm assuming you're named after Stephen Hawking? So you have the Gift of Enhanced Intelligence, then, or something of that sort." Fins offered Kenny his hand, and the young girl shook it tentatively.

Enhanced Intelligence? Kenny was becoming increasingly muddled. Gift?

"I was just trying to tell her how the nicknames work. Can you explain it?"

"I'll try. But can we stop walking for a moment? I can't breathe, and it's worse than usual." Fins paused to catch his breath for a moment before he began to speak.

"Hawking, right? Here at AGC, we don't use each other's names. We nickname each other based on our Gifts, and personality when two people have the same Gift. My name isn't really Fins, and Color's name isn't really Color. I don't even know Color's real name. I don't need to know yours, either, because for as long as you stay here, your name is Hawking."

"And you're not going to be able to change your nickname, no matter how hard you try," Color added. "The first nickname you get is the one you keep. But you're not alone. No one can change their nickname, and it doesn't go well when anyone tries to. Like when Fins tried to change his name to Fish, and all hell broke loose."

"Hey! It wasn't that bad!"

Kenny frowned to herself while the two conversed (or argued; she couldn't tell which). The young girl disliked the nicknames and the fact that everyone was going to call her Hawking just because Einstein had done it. Why couldn't everyone just call each other by their real names?

Then again, the young girl contemplated, if everyone here has nicknames, doesn't that mean Einstein could still be Gabe?

Kenny would have to find a way to get the boy alone and talk to him.

Fins and Color ambled to a large building and swiped their ID cards on a black panel near the door. The doorknob twisted under Fins's hand. "Come on! Clay is probably already waiting at the table for us," he wheezed as he propped the door open with his body.

The Dining Hall was a spacious room with filled with students of all ages. Smooth wooden tables ran so far down the room, they seemed to never end. More uplight chandeliers hung on the vaulted ceiling, and a fire crackled in the giant fireplace on the farthest wall. Plates banged in a noisy harmony with children's incessant chatter and laughter, making the room feel full even though there were only enough children to fill half of it.

"Hurry, the lunch line looks short!"

Color grabbed Kenny's hand with her gloved one and led the girl to a small counter off to the side of the room. The kitchen lay behind the counter, and several children scurried from the oven to the counter to the sink and back again like rats making their way through a maze. Kenny was surprised to find Miss Kaylee standing amidst the chaos, waving to the young girl.

"Hello, Color, Fins!" the woman called over the clatter of the pots and pans.

"Hi, Dr. Anderson! This is Hawking." Color pointed to Kenny, thinking that the woman didn't know who Kenny was, and Miss Kaylee frowned.

"Now, Color," Miss Kaylee scolded, "what have I said about the glove?"

Color's shoulders sagged. "But Dr. Anderson—"

"No buts. Take it off."

Color sighed and pulled the rubber glove off of her hand. From the bottom of her elbow to the very top of her fingertips, her ebony skin suddenly became a bright green. Kenny nearly choked trying to stifle a gasp.

"What?" Color laughed at Kenny's shock. "Don't like green?"

Color's arm went from green to blue to red to orange in mere seconds. Miss Kaylee used this to make her point. "See how much fun you're having? There's no need to hide your Gift."

Color frowned. "Ah, poo. Let's just eat lunch."

Color took her ID card out of her pocket and placed it on a black panel on the counter. The panel gave out a small beep, and a child handed Color her lunch. Fins did the same. Rather than use an ID card of her own (for she didn't have one), Kenny just looked to Miss Kaylee, and the woman gave Kenny a tray with a pile of lumpy mashed potatoes.

"You'll get your identification card tomorrow, Hawking," Miss Kaylee said with a wink. "Along with a few other things."

Color and Fins led Kenny to a table and sat down. Another boy sat waiting for the two while he ate his lunch. He was a young boy, even smaller than Kenny, but what he lacked in size, he made up for in volume and energy.

"Hi, Color! Hi, Fins!" he practically shouted. "Who's this? And Color, why don't you have your glove on anymore?"

"This is Hawking," Color replied, answering the boy's first question. "Hawking, this is Clay."

Fins took it upon himself to answer the second query. "Dr. Anderson told Color to take her glove off again," he said. "What is it, the third time this week?"

"Well...at least I don't have to stick my head in a bowl of water every day like you," Color retorted. She turned to Kenny and stated quite bluntly, "Fins has the Gift of Aquatic Respiration."

Kenny looked at the teen in utter disbelief, but Color didn't seem to notice. Instead, she went on to confuse Kenny even more.

"He would be a C grouper, but his Z-area is about as small as his tolerance for air."

C grouper? Z-area? Aquatic Respiration? Kenny's head started to hurt.

"Hey! What did my Z-area ever do to you?"

Kenny, flustered, held up one of the cards in her hand again. What are you talking about?

Everyone at the table, including Clay, exchanged odd looks.

"The Zhang's area?" Color asked, tilting her head. She looked confused herself. "You don't remember? All Gifted people have that fold on their brain stems. You were supposed to have been told this already. Didn't you see the radiologist?"

Kenny shook her head.

"No wonder you've been so quiet. They were supposed to tell you all of that and more after you got your MRI." Fins sighed dramatically. "Great job, Color. Your ruined the surprise. Might as well tell her about the dead bodies, too."

"Oh shut up, you little water breather. She'll probably get her MRI tomorrow." Color began shoveling spoonfuls of mashed potatoes into her mouth. "They'll tell her everything tomorrow."