Color (ON HOLD)

Color

"Faye, you need to get ready for school" My dad says, shaking me awake. I open my eyes slowly and frown.

"What time is it?" I ask with a yawn, looking around the gray room. I rub my hands along my black comforter and sigh.

"Time for you to get up" he says softly, ruffling my hair. I sigh, my black hair swept across my pure bright, white skin.

"Okay okay" I sigh, swinging my feet off my bed and standing up, my feet sinking into the dull gray carpet. Going into my bathroom I flip the light switch on an squint, the bright white light making my vision blurry.

I grab a black pair of jeans and a gray shirt out of my closet and put them on, then head downstairs.

Walking into the kitchen, I sit down at the table and wait for my dad, whose standing at the stove making eggs to turn around.

And as soon as he does his expression changes. He eyes my clothes, but he puts on a smile for me, and I sigh.

"What's wrong with my outfit now?" I ask as he sets a plate of black and white eggs in front of me.

"Nothing sweetie." He says as he sits across from me. I watch as he stabs his grayish white eggs with a fork, and I can see all of the dark lines on his face and under eyes.

"What color are they?" I ask, referring to My shirt and jeans. Not like it'll make a difference. I've never seen red or blue or green...

"Ummmmm.... well your shirts yellow. And your pants are a brown color." He replies, chewing slowly. I sigh and stare down in my lap.

"What are those?" I ask.

"Yellow is like a bright color, and brown is a darker, uh..uglier color" he says carefully, and I feel tears forming in my eyes.

"Do I have time to change?" I ask, tears threatening to fall.

He shakes his head and I swallow the lump in my throat. I watch as he takes my plate and puts it in the sink.

"I'm sorry" he says and I shake my head, small tears falling onto my cheeks. I wipe them away and get up to go to the living room where my backpack is sitting on the couch along with my brother.

"Hey Faye" Justin says,still looking down in his bowl of cereal.

The room looks so bland to me. White, black, and grey, but they've told me before that the couch is a soft green color, the floor a creme peach color, the curtains a really pretty blue. What ever the hell any of that means.

I don't know what those colors would even be like, all I've ever known was black and white, I can't imagine being able to see the couch and floor and curtains... I sometimes dream about being able to enjoy the sunset..but it'll never happen.

Never. No matter how hard I try. No matter how long I stare at the large painting in the hallway that my mother bought before she disappeared, I'll never be able to see it in color.

I have learned the essentials that I need to know. The sky is "blue". Blood is "red" when it comes in contact with oxygen but is "blue" when in your veins. Our flags colors are "red", "white" , and" blue" . I often think about that, because everyone else can see all of those colors. When they see the flag they see red, white an blue. Hell. I see white, black, black.

What is Red, Blue, Yellow, Green.... or Purple or peach or pink or gold or silver. The world must be such a colorful place... but in my eyes all it is...is dark or white that's to bright and makes my vision fuzzy.

But, that's how I live. My dad tries to make me embrace it, it's a "special" gift that not many people have. I don't see what's special about it. Even after fifteen years or walking up to black and white, it's terrifying. Terrifying to know that everyone else may find out about your secret...and terrifying to know that this could be life threatening.

Sometimes, if the thing I'm looking at has so much light, it becomes rather transparent, or completely invisible, and I think that's what scares me the most about my condition.

"Bye Justin" I say, grabbing my backpack off the couch an he puts his bowl of cereal on the table next to him before getting up and walking towards me.

He pulls me into a hug, " good luck" he whispers in my ear. I sigh, hugging him back. I hear my dad jingle his car keys and I run over to the door as he opens it.

He shuts the door behind me and unlocks the car doors. I hop in the front seat and put on my seat belt. The sun is bright over head, and my vision is kinda fuzzy. I have to squint to be able to see clearly, but everything is bright white, alined with black and grey.

My dad gets in the car ands put his seat belt on, and I close my eyes as we pull out of our driveway and leave our neighbourhood.

We stop at a red light and my dad taps on the steering wheel, impatiently.

"Come on we don't have all day" he mumbles to himself.

"Well, why are we in such a rush?" I ask, looking over at him. His white skin, his jaw bone shaded by grey.

"You don't want to get to school?" He asks curiously, looking over at me. I shake my head and turn to" look out" the window, but really close my eyes instead. "It's not like I have any friends" I mumble quietly, not looking back at him.

He sighs and after a second turns the radio up a little. Finally the light turns and our car rolls along with all the others.

We pull up to my school and my stomach sinks. I look down at my clothes and remember what he said to me.

"A bright color... darker uglier color...." those don't sound like they go together. At all. I sigh and open the car door, hopping out and slamming the door shut.

"Bye sweetie!!! Have a good day! Love you!" Dad says, waving to me before driving away.

I stare up at my school, and it looks like one of those black and white movies I love so much. I love them because they are in black,white and grey, so I don't have to try an image what color everything is, and just enjoy the film. And everyone else is seeing the same thing as me, the only difference is I don't feel left out.

The bell rings and I sigh, walking into the school, thinking about how bad my outfit probably is. People stare as I walk by, some laugh, some whisper, but I keep walking, never looking back at them.

People in front of me move out of my way, creating a sort of path way. Everyone has completely stopped talking, and is watching me pass by.

I reach my first period class and enter, the hallway coming back to life once I've left.

"Ah Faye! Your early" My teacher, Mrs. Katherine smiled at me. I nod and take a seat at one of the seats in the middle of the room but more towards the left.

I barely notice the class filing into the room, as I stare off into space, thinking about colors.