Colorless Immortality

Chapter 3

For me, it's always just been a race against time... even though I'd learned the hard way that time waits for no one that never stopped me. No... If anything it only made my obsession stronger.
The obsession I had for the wanting to conquer time, I always wondered if I were the only one who felt this way. And the concept of controlling time, was it even possible?

I woke with my hair in my face and my alarm blaring. What time was it?
...8:33 am, pretty late.
Blood pounded in my head as I sprung up too fast way too suddenly, nearly falling back down I grabbed the bed frame for stability.
I stifled laughter, just how lame was I?
Just the other day I had visited Al and Marrin, complaining about my concerns and how I was supposed to let it play out.
"It's been a month now!" I had growled in frustration, slamming my hand down on the counter-top.
"Like I've been saying for the past week it'll be fine... Here, have a drink." Al grinned as he passed me the fizzy, carbonated drink- which I graciously took, downing the contents as swiftly as I could.
After that I had gone downtown to see Marrin.
"Doesn't it usually only take like.. Three weeks?"
Marrin smirked, playing with my hair before pressing the straightener against my neck. I flinched away, clamping my eyes shut- waiting for the burn against my skin. But it never came... the plug wasn't in. A scowl escaped my lips as Marrin snorted.
"I know.. But it's been more than just three weeks!" I jokingly yelled, punching her in the arm.

Truthfully I was just nervous, I'd heard of people who'd found their partners in the last few hours of the year.. Something I couldn't afford.
Another sigh left my tired body, perhaps I was only overthinking the matter. People were always finding love at any day of the year, it wasn't particularly strange that I hadn't run into the 14th yet.

I now sat, tired and barely awake as my patient rambled something about how her lover didn't buy her anything for their one month anniversary. How dumb.
My new job as a therapist was hard. Being someone who was never really interested in the lives of others this occupation was difficult for me to swallow, but it was a good pay.
As tears erupted abruptly from the 16 year old student before me... I went through another box of tissues for the 20th time today.

Speaking about work... People went to school from the ages of four till seventeen, some chose to still attend classes if they needed any help coming to the world of taxes, checkbooks and other struggles adults would face. Highschool was like our college, we could take classes directed towards the job we wanted to do once we graduated. It was either continue schooling or like me we plunging face-first into work and being expected to learn everything within the first few months of the year.

"Thank you for your work." The lady behind the office called, waving bye as I politely smiled at her before stepping out the door.

The air was chilly as I left, it was getting dark now. A breeze ruffled through my rather thin jacket, sending shivers down my spine.
"Ah.. I want something warm." I yawned, and decided to walk to the cafe down the block. "Maybe a coffee.."

The atmosphere of the cafe was nice, and for someone like me who lacked talent in the delicacy of the arts, I surprisingly enjoyed classical music rather than the basic pop songs one my age would be into. But then again, I'd been living for a while now, perhaps that affected how I viewed things now. Or maybe it didn't. I'd have to adapt, I told myself- nodding to myself as a waiter approached my table.
I was so preoccupied by my thoughts that I didn't even think twice when I saw her light brown and pink uniform and her wide brown eyes looking at me.
"Excuse me-" she paused, seemingly confused at first, then almost as pale as one could look as a corpse.
Her reaction was almost so natural, I had to stifle laughter, instead I went for a smile as I thought of what I could say. What I could do? A question? An answer? I wasn't sure, I wanted to always make it different. But I decided to go for something simple and instead asked her the first question that popped into my mind. Maybe thinking she was also about to ask the same thing.

"Do you see it too?"