Disclaimer:Anyone from The Giver book doesn't belong to me. Boldflashback.

"Hey, Protector!" A voice called.

A child, a male, only twelve, turned around and saw another boy, a year younger than him running to catch up. "Why does everyone keep on calling me that?" He wondered.

The first boy caught up to him. "Because, that's what you are, Gabriel."

Gabriel glared at him. "Samuel, I am not a protector of anything!"

Samuel laughed. "Oh, yes, you are."

"Just because my legal brother was a Receiver of Memory, and saved a community from Sameness, doesn't mean I'm the Protector From Sameness," Gabriel stated.

"You are the Protector From Sameness." Samuel countered.

"Hey, Samuel, Gabriel," A female that was twelve walked up to the two boys fighting. She noted the boys glaring at each other. "Oh. The usual?"

"What do you think?" Gabriel muttered through gritted teeth.

She laughed. "I'll take that as a yes," She stopped laughing. "Okay, knock it off you two."

"Leave, Cassia," Samuel mumbled, both Gabriel and himself wanting her to.

Cassia laughed again. "And let you two kill each other? No way am I doing that!"

Samuel glanced at Cassia then back at Gabriel; his way of asking someone if they should tackle another without the second from hearing.

Gabriel's eyes glanced at Cassia also. He nodded slightly. He held a hand where Samuel could see it but not Cassia; three fingers up; two; one.

Samuel and Gabriel jumped on Cassia, knocking her down, underneath the boys.

"Hey! Get off, get off, get off! Get off of me right now! Off, off, off!" Cassia yelled. "Really! Stop it or else!"

Gabriel, knowing what "or else" was in the communities of Sameness was, quickly stood up.

Samuel, on the other hand, didn't know what it was since he was only in that community for a few days, to Gabriel who had been there for a few years and was told by Jonas.

"Off, you midget!" Cassia ordered.

Samuel, also did not like to be called "midget", a long with a list of many others, decided to get off her.

Cassia stood with a bit of help from Gabriel since she was a bit shaken with the sudden knock down. She glared at Samuel then stormed away from them.

"She likes ya." Samuel teased.

"No, she doesn't, Sammie." Gabriel stretched out the nickname that Samuel also hated.

"You like her then."

"I do not!"

"Then why did you get off her when she asked us toand helped her up?" Samuel asked.

"You don't know what 'or else' was/is in the towns of Sameness. 'Or else' always meant to be 'released', which sometimes meant to be brought into another town or, to die. You were supposed to be given the shot that would kill you when you were a few hours/days old but instead, they gave you the one that would keep you asleep until you arrived here." Gabriel explained. He sighed. "There's only few that know about it."

Samuel shrugged, not really hearing what he said. He only said, "See ya, Gabe," and ran off to his home.

Gabriel sighed again, and pushed his hands into his pockets. He pulled out a rainbow-colored stone his legal sister, Lily-seven or six years older than him-had given him on his real birthday. He stared at it for a while. Then, for a instant, the stone was no longer shades of many different colors; but only three hues-white, black, and grey.

He jerked a bit, for the first time seeing only black and white since he was two. He held it up to the setting sun and found that it didn't change to black and white again.

Carefully, he placed the stone in his pocket again and took out a colored picture of the family he was part of. Once again, for only a while, it was black and white instead of the other hues of color that was in the photo.

Confused still, he decided to ask Jonas or Giver if it was possible to see black and white only in a item full of color.

Jonas and Giver sat in Jonas' annex, both trying to find a way to get the other communities still in Sameness to stop it and return to how is used to be.

Though backs turned to the door, they both said, "Hello, Gabriel," when it opened.

Gabriel smiled, though often shocked at how they always knew it was him. "Hello, Jonas, Giver."

Jonas turned to face Gabriel. "What are you wondering about today, Gabe?" he inquired, noticing a hit of discomfort in Gabriel's face and voice.

Giver turned also, though not noticing the discomfort Gabriel was in. "Come here and tell us, Gabriel."

Gabriel took a seat near the two, slightly nervous, not sure if it was right to ask.

As if he heard Gabriel's thought, Jonas said, "It's never right or wrong until it is told or done,"

Gabriel smiled slightly, then spoke, "Remember you two told me you could both see/hear different than the others in the community?" He paused for Giver and Jonas to say they did. "Well, when I was glancing at the rock the younger Lily gave me, for a while, it was shades of black and white instead of rainbow. Then, the same thing happened with our family photo."

Jonas and Giver were silent for a few minutes and Gabriel was once again regretting that he even bothered to come.

Gabriel shifted in his seat. He waited for them to tell him why that happened.

"Gabe," Jonas whispered. "I think Sameness may come back because of that..."