Rainbow connection

The change

Cal took my hand leading me away from the school, Todd followed closely as he always did, but we didn’t mind. “We are going to be 19 in 3 days, that’s when we will find out our colors.” Cal said as he pulled me through the trees, " I want us to promise each other to stay connected, no matter what.” He pulled us into our clearing, the three of us had found it early on in our education. We had been shipped to the local boarding school for Whites when we turned 13. Our parents had found each other soon after we each had been born, so I’ve always known Todd and Cal. We had been outcasts in elementary school because of our white hair, the sign that one day we would personify one of the colors of the rainbow, and the deadly sin or heavenly virtue that came with it.

Cal had always worried that when that happened we wouldn’t be able to be friends anymore. Reaching our clearing, I threw myself down on the ground. Todd sat nimbly beside me, and Cal followed after me, throwing himself down with a groan.

“I wonder if we will wake up with our colors or if we have to go thru the Trials.” Todd mused as I moved to lay my head into his lap. He began to finger comb my hair.

“Hmm.” I hummed, “I don’t think we are that true to any one color. I think you,” I reached up and tapped the end of his nose, “could be Red or Green.”

“Why do you think I could be Wrath or Envy?” he asked as he twitched his nose.

“Because you can’t see us do anything, just the two of us, without getting angry.” Cal crawled over and laid his head on my stomach.

Todd huffed, “Well you, Cal, are going to be Blue or Orange.” Todd tapped Cal’s nose.

“If I got to choose, I would go with Blue.” Cal rubbed at the end of his nose.

“Oh yes, I can see it.” I laughed. “The only reason you passed any schooling was because of Todd and me. Lazy bones.” I pushed his shoulder teasingly. “But I don’t see the Glutton.” I looked up at Todd.

“He’s always eating.” Todd shrugged.

“Speaking of which,” Cal rummaged around in his pocket. “Ah.” he brought out a candy bar, and began to eat it.

I just had to laugh, “What about me?”

The two guys looked at each other then turned to me, “Indigo.” they said at the same time.

I scoffed, sitting up. “No way, There is absolutely no way I am LUST!” I shook my head and raised my hands defensively. I scooted away from them as fast as I could.

They started to crawl towards me at the same pace.

“We haven’t been able to get you out of our heads since we were 16.” Todd stalked closer.

“Yeah, your boobs came in really well that year.” Cal joined in.

“Cal!” I admonished, but it had lowered my defenses. Enough for Todd to lunge and grab my waist and start tickling me. Cal’s fingers were not far behind.

When we were out of breath, they gave me a kiss on the cheek at the same time.

“But,” I tried to reason, still out of breath, “We’ve never…” I trailed off. “See! I can’t even say it!”

Todd lifted his hand to my cheek, “Maybe that means you are more Chaste, for yourself but inspire Lust in others.” then he gave me a gentle kiss on the lips.

“My turn.” Cal took my chin and led my lips to his.

“Who’s Envy now.” Todd laughed.

I blushed and tucked my hair behind my ears, “Anyway, back the reason we came here today.” We sat in a circle now, knees touching. “There is no guarantee that we will wake up with our colors, we may have to go thru the Trials.” I shuddered thinking of the things I had heard. Each trial is catered by the teachers you’ve grown up with, so if they think you are more of one color than another that is where they start. So if Todd and Cal think that I am lust, does that mean they would want to have…… “There is no way I want to go thru the Trials.”

“Honestly, Neither do I.” Cal said, “Too much work.”

“Well, if the two of you aren’t doing it, I don’t want to either,” Todd whined.

We took each others hands, and I held Todd and Cal close. “Cal, Todd, I promise, no matter what our colors are, we’ll stay close, we WILL stay friends and we will help each other.” I looked into their eyes as they repeated after me. A swirl of wind blew across the clearing, rustling the leaves of the foliage and blowing my hair across my face, when I pulled it back and the wind had settled, I gasped. The two men standing in the clearing with me no longer had white hair, Cal’s was now sky blue, and Todd had spring green.

I marveled over the change. I reached up and ran my fingers thru Cal’s then Todd’s hair. I giggled, “It happened!”

“It’s early.” Todd mumbled.

I ignored him, “Cal, you’re Blue. Like we thought you would be.” I playfully pushed his shoulder. He fell back a bit, his mouth hanging open.

“Joy, your hair!” Cal said, sounding as if he had just seen a god in person.

“And Todd you are Green!” I invaded his space placing my elbows on his shoulders and splaying my hands thru his vivid hair. Todd took a piece of my hair and marveled at it.

“Joy, you don’t have just one color,” Todd brought the strand he handled into my view, it shimmered in his hand, cascading through all the colors of the rainbow, opalescent and shiny, holographic even with a white base, the colors showing as an almost pastel version, but just a little more vibrant.

“What?” I reached back and pulled all of my butt length hair around to see, shocked and bewildered. “I’ve never heard of this before.” I watched my hair changing color, never settling on one.

“Did you not pay attention in class?” Todd spoke slowly, “In Color Myths and Legends. Every 100 generations or so a Rainbow Connection appears, and they will form a union with all 7 of the colors and help maintain balance within the rainbow.”

“I don’t remember that.” Cal muttered.

“Of course you don’t.” I remarked before turning to Todd, “A union?” I balked. “What exactly does that mean?”

“I’m not sure. That was all there was to it, when I looked it up in the library. I asked Mr. Stone about it and he said when, IF, it happened the Rainbow Connection Team would come in and take over.”

“What do we do?” Cal asked.

“I’m not sure there is anything we can do.” Todd replied. “We have to go back to school, and then the teachers will see and she’ll be whisked away.”

“No!” I shook their hands, which I had grabbed during the poor conversation. “We made a promise. I won’t be taken from you. We will find a way to be together.”

We slowly made our way back to the school, knowing we couldn’t get away from campus without staff permission, having tried before. Whispers followed as we walked to the Dean’s office, not hiding from destiny. I took deep breath before entering the Dean’s office. The Dean was very surprised.

“My Dear, you have Rainbow hair!”

“Yes, Dean Thompson. My friends have told me, that is why we’ve come to see you.” I took the seat across the desk from him. “Todd here has said that it is very rare to have this happen, but there are protocols in place for such an event.” I inquired. Todd and Cal placed their hands on each of my shoulders. “I have just one request,” I looked Dean Thompson in the eye with determination, my the white base of my hair turning a slightly blue hue and shining ever so slightly, my voice calm and authoritative with confidence I didn’t really have, " Todd and Cal will come with me, wherever I go.”

“You know, Joy, that is not up to me, it is up to the RCT.” Dean Thompson cautioned, though I could see something strange in his eyes when my hair started turning blue with determination. “I will give them a call, and a heads up. You three go and pack, be ready to leave by morning, this evening at the earliest.” I nodded my head and said my good-byes, my hair no longer glowing.

When we got to my dorm and shut the door behind us, I sagged, “OK, that was the scariest thing I have ever done!”

Cal chuckled and spoke up in a sarcastic voice, “Making demands of the Dean, yup, very scary.”

I shoved him and he dramatically fell onto the bed. He made himself comfortable by putting his hands behind his head and crossing his ankles, really playing into the Slothful aspect of his personality. Todd came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist. He rested his chin on the top of my head, breathing deeply.

I looked around my room, sighing. “There is nothing I want to take with me, except you two.

“Same, honestly. Packing seems like a bit of work.” Cal whined from the bed, already too comfortable to move.

Todd nodded into my head. “Yeah. Let’s just hang out here until the RCT gets here.”

I agreed and headed towards the bed, Todd followed. “Scoot.” I nudge Cal with my foot.

“So needy,” Cal moans but pulls me down into his chest, resting his back against the wall.

“That she is.” Todd chimes in as he crawls in behind me.

“Shut up” I snuggle in deeper.