The Destroyer

6

Chapter 6

I stared at myself in the mirror dumbfounded. My eyes were just as blue as President Wing's. Nowhere  near as beautiful, but just as blue. I looked at the brown strands in my hair. They weren't noticable anymore, since all of my hair had turned brown. Overnight.

I immediately snuck into Shade's room and locked the door behind me.

"Ruby, what are you doing?" My brother grumbled from his bed half-asleep.

I raced to his bed and shook him.

"Look at me right this instant!" I ordered.

He cracked his eyes open and as soon as he looked at me, sat bolt up straight.

"What is that?" He almost shouted.

"Shh," I silenced him. "I stopped eating the additive, remember?"

"I didn't know it turned your eyes blue and your hair brown!"

"Actually, these are my real colors, the additive just concealed them. I wonder what color eyes you have."

"Last night you eyes had only a few grey lines in them. Are you sure you're doing the right thing?"

"Totally. Parents can never know about this. Do you understand?"

"Sure, but what will you say? Your classmate spilled a blue paint inside of your eyes?"

I looked at him disapprovingly.

"Now is not the time to be sarcastic. I need a believable lie."

"I'm sorry, sis, I don't know what you say when your eye color changes. I would advice you to be outside or in your room the whole time."

"Yeah, sitting in my room forever. Nice. I might as well move."

"You've got no other choice. They can't see it, because if they will, they won't believe a word. They're not stupid, you know."

"Okay, sitting in my room. For today. We'll have to come up with something. What about my hair?"

"Don't be a pout, just wear a hat."

"Okay. A hat. Good. Clever."

I turned around and exited his room, sneaking into mine as fast as I could.

That day I decided to play sick and stay at home. My father went to work and mother was going to spend her day cleaning, so I was alright. I locked myself in the bathroom and when mom came for me I called out my stomach was hurting too much. She let me stay home.

To my delight, Shade skipped the club that he attends instead of college. He decided the club was a lot better than being away from the family. I sat in his room all day. Mom thought he had left. He went out of the main entrance and I let him in from the back door. We sneaked into his room and stayed there.

We were bored out of our minds.

At some point of boredom we just sat on his couch and stared out into the distance. I don't remember just when I took his arm, pulled his sleeve up and started tracing his pink skin, but I've been doing it for the past half hour.

"Sorry," I whispered, staring at his arm.

It was ugly, pink, wrinkled and hairless. All because of me, again.

"What for?"

He knew exactly what for.

"The fire."

"It wasn't you fault, Ruby. Will you ever stop blaming yourself?"

"I don't think so. You were trying to save me."