Our Colours

1st Chapter: Arrival

Iris covered her eyes with one hand, pulling her trolley with the other one. The sun was terribly bright and - to Iris' dismay- right in front of her.
Her arm soon got numb from holding it up so long and she let it down again. Silently, Iris wished her parents would have brought her and dropped her off there. Then she could have at least told them proper goodbye. But they were in a rush.

As from what Iris knew, her father's flight to New Zealand had been put one week earlier than planned. Now he was sitting in a plane and she was on the way from the bus stop to her new home. It was called "The Rainbow Home", as it was a home for teenagers with disabilities.

Iris was okay with that. She liked it at home, but there was never room for her. Not at school, not at any free time activities, sometimes not even at home.

Still, Iris liked being there. Where everything was familiar.
She was a little bit concerned about her new home. Would the people be nice to her? She wouldn't butt into their lives just like that, would she? They wouldn't mind having her there, would they? The Rainbow Home accepted the application her parents wrote for Iris but still, Iris couldn't get the troubles out of her head.

She checked the map on her phone to see if she walked the right way. She didn't. Iris sighed as she turned around to look for the right alley to turn in. She stood in an alley called the Redwood Alley, but she was supposed to turn into Oaktree Lawn.

Street names were complicated. To her. Iris carefully brushed her bright red hair out of her sight and walked down the street. While doing so, she quietly mumbled the street name to herself. "Oaktree Lawn".

Iris liked oaks. She loved the way the leaves were shaped, the little acorns that fell down from the oaks. When she was younger, she always used to collect them and tried to open them. Once she tried eating them, but realized pretty early that they tasted awful. She always thought they were edible. They weren't.

As Iris continued walking towards the next road, she realized that the sun was now in her back, much more comfortable. She raised one hand and touched the back of her neck. It was covered by her sweater. That was good. Iris was afraid she might get sunburnt, since gingers like her were more sensitive to the sun.

Reassured she turned left into the Main Street again and immediately saw the sign showing to the Oaktree Lawn. How could she have overseen it before?

Iris walked towards the sign, pulling her dark grey trolley with scarlet colour sprinkles behind her.
Something stuck on the sign caught her attention: There was a rainbow coloured scarf wrapped around the sign. It was already a little bit muddy and dark, probably due to the weather. Carefully, Iris touched the scarf. It was soaked by water. Iris figured that it must have rained before, since there were some small puddles on the street. Still, Iris liked the texture.
She pulled her hand back and left the scarf hanging on the sign. Maybe it was there for a reason.

Iris turned right into Oaktree Lawn and looked around, hoping to find the Rainbow Home. She expected it to be quite obvious, since it was something special. But she was wrong. All the houses were more or less looking pretty normal. But most of them had doorsteps. Iris was pretty sure the Rainbow Home wouldn't have any, as they posed quite a problem for some, especially physically disabled, persons.

But while walking down the lawn, Iris quickly scoped a rainbow coloured entrance gate. That had to be it. She pulled her trolley towards the gate and opened it. Behind it, there was a small garden, with a lot of flowers and bushes. Also there was a big oaktree in the middle, with a swing hanging down a branch. The house itself was of a blue-grayish colour with a red painted door. As Iris expected, no doorsteps. And the way to the door was wide and flat enough for a wheelchair to roll over.