Homeroom

The introductory ceremony only lasted for about five minutes. Then, eight Guiders appeared and escorted various groups of Namish students to their first class period. Monica’s first class was her homeroom. Her previous homeroom was a safe haven to do homework for other classes without being judged and socialize with other students. The thought of having such an relaxing class in the morning eased her mind. Then, Monica remembered that the majority of people who lived outside of Namish towns didn’t wear clothes. That probably meant that her teachers were naked too. She squirmed a little inside, seeing images of sagging skin and disgusting stomachs. Monica really wasn’t ready to see another body like that so soon.

The teen took an available seat near the center of the classroom and kept her eyes focused on the holo-board. A white middle-aged man stepped into to Monica’s line of sight. The folds of his bushy brown mustache curled and crumpled as he surveyed the class. He turned to face the holo-board which everyone a good look at what appeared to be a second larger mustache that wrapped around the back of his, otherwise bald, head. He was also clothed though he didn’t look quite as professional or comfortable as Ms. Valem. The purple hoodie underneath his grey blazer hugged him too tight and his pant-legs were too long.

The man faced the crowd, cleared his throat and said, “Good morning, students! I’m Professor Rick Eggston. You call me ‘Rick” or ‘Eggs’ or ‘Professor’ or any non-expletive nickname you can think of. I’m the Head of Biosystems Engineering at this school and will be your Homeroom teacher for the rest of the semester. Now, I know that ‘Biosystems Engineering’ sounds like a big deal but it’s just one of the many extracurricular activities we have at this school. I do want to note that everyone here can sign up for extracurricular activities. Our EC learning program consists of finding the unique level that each student is comfortable with and personally working with them to build upon it.” Professor Eggston stopped to gauge how well his speech had been going. From the professor’s own reaction, it was difficult to tell.

It was then that the teen dared to turn and look at her fellow students. To her surprise, they were also Namish. Even though she didn’t have classes with most of them previously, they all were dressed in various outfits Monica could find at her local mall. Before the raven-haired girl could questioned this, Professor Eggston spoke up, “Anyway, onto Homeroom! You all know what this class is about. All we want you to do is be productive in some way. We’re not even going to watch the news. The school board thought it would be a good idea to have at least one class where you could talk among yourselves and be free from the influence of-”

“EAGLE!” a young man shouted from outside the room. The class rotated themselves to see five naked students bounce across the hall, waving to their teacher. “EA-GLE! EA-GLE! EA-GLE!” they cheered. Professor Eggston gave them a genuine smile, waved back and proceeded to activate the window blinds. The motion actually got a small chuckle out of the students. “Where was I?” the professor asked himself, “Ah, yes. the school board thought it would be a good idea to have at least one class where you could be free from the influence of our culture. Any questions so far?” A bushel of hands rose up. “Yes, you in the back.”

“Yeah. Uh. Are we going to get any explanation for that?” a boy asked, referring to what had happened a few seconds ago. Many students chuckled with curiosity. Professor Eggston mulled over the question for a bit before saying, “Probably not in this class. Next.”

A girl raised her hand and asked in an upper-crust tone, “What’s it like to parade around naked all day?”

“It’s ok.” Eggston said, truthfully. “It’s just a part of our culture like food pills, movies, and dancing. Let’s try and move from the subject of nudity with this next question.” Many students lowered their hands in disappointment.

“What are you wearing?” a student asked.

“Thank you.” The professor nodded briefly to the student, “This is a family heirloom of mine. It’s over a hundred years old. I though ‘since a lot of new students will be wearing physical clothes today, why shouldn’t I?’ So, what do you think?” He placed a pair of white shutter shades over his eyes and began to pose. There were a few giggles, Monica included. The outfit was about a decade off from Namish fashion but she knew her professor was trying.

A girl in the back of the class asked, “Did that suit come with any underpants?” The professor turned to the girl, his brows knitting in confusion. “‘Under’-what?.... Oh! Am I supposed to wear something underneath this?” Professor Eggston asked as he tugged on his jeans. “You don’t if you’re man enough!” a male voice answered back, earning a full wave of laughter from the crowd.

A little while later, the professor took attendance and each student gave a synopsis about themselves to the class. Monica recognized a few of her classmates. Some were snobs, others were jerks and a few she really didn’t want to get to know at all. She was beginning to believe that socialization was out of the question for her in this class. Professor Eggston passed out everyone’s class schedule. The bell rang soon afterwards and Monica was onto her next class: