[ 2 ]
On their way out of the Raine's house, they passed Ruby's window. The sixteen year old saw the familiar colors of red and violet together, and she instantly knew who they were. Her older sister Violet and her friend Dieter. She quickly opened up her bedroom window and called out to them, or more likely her sister. "Where are you going, Violet?" She asked her. "You know mom and dad don't like you going out all afternoon. They'll be upset if they come back from book club and you're not here." They didn't like mind the fact that she was going out with Dieter Park. What they didn't like was the fact that they spent hour on end together, and their daughter was earning a reputation. They didn't worry for themselves as parents, since they trusted her to be good. But Ruby was already getting bullied in school. They didn't want Violet to be bullied by everyone else in town.
"I'll be back before they even return." Violet assured her with a wave of her hand. But she knew exactly why her sister was stopping her. Not for concern over Violet's reputation or their parents' opinion. But because she wanted to go with them as well. She was always stuck at home, since she didn't have friends of her own at school. While at home, the other violet teenagers were too scared to even approach her. They thought she would be self-absorbed and mean like the others.
She bit down on her lip, mulling over the question. "Can I go with you?"
A little smirk spread over Dieter's lips as he made a smart ass remark to her. "Little Ruby Raine. Don't you have good grades and a reputation to maintain?" Perhaps Dieter was a red in appearance, but Violet's attitude had surely rubbed off on him. He was violet in his mind, and his thoughts.
"Yeah, Roo." Violet heaved a sigh. "Better stay here and do your homework. I don't want mom and dad to feel disappointed in you too."
Though they didn't say it, Ruby was the light of the household. She was beautiful, smart, talented in most things. And she was a red. That was what guaranteed that she would do something good with her life. She wouldn't be a waste of a person, rotting in some factory for the rest of her life. That was the life that was awaiting for her and Indigo. But even Indigo was a pride and joy for her parents. He was problematic like Violet was, but there was just something about him. It was easy to fall in love with him. Her brother was absolutely charming. Then there was Violet. Her parents wanted to be more like Ruby.
But at one point along the lines they just stopped pushing her because they knew as much as she could try, she would never amount to anything. It was the sad reality of violets in their county and their town. If she was lucky, Dieter would marry her, but his red parents would never allow it, and they were just friends anyway.
Ruby's expression dropped into a frown.
Without thinking more of it, the two walked right past her window, Violet still wearing her purple school uniform. They walked down to the docks, sitting on a small and rotting wooden pier. The two were silent for a while, Violet thinking about the noise in her closet. She could have sworn the closet door had been closed. Only one suspicion crossed her mind, but she quickly shook it off. It couldn't be. When they were kids, Violet and Ruby would get ready for bed. Their brother used to hide in the closet and used to jump out to scare them. But her brother was off in the army. It was probably a mouse, since there were plenty of them in the slums where she lived.
It was Dieter's voice that pulled her away from her thoughts. "Hey Violet." He started nervously, and she turned to him with confusion and even concern. Dieter Park was a jokester, a flirt, someone who had high self-confidence. He never got nervous. Now with her eyes on him, he found it a bit more difficult to continue. "I was doing some research about the laws concerning the mandatory conscription for violets--"
