Breakfast was silent. Everyone had cereal with little blue fruits while I had a bowl of grey slop which I think was porridge, my punishment. It tasted a few weeks old with a hint of garlic oil to cover it up. I was hungry and needed something in my stomach before I chucked up again. "Rye-rye want boobwerry?" Lilliana asked as she peered over her glass. I smiled at the poor innocent little girl who had magically seemed to recover from yesterday's incident. "No, I'm good, thanks. You eat your food. You need to be all healthy and strong!" I replied back cheerfully. She brought up her skinny arms and tried to flex, pouting when she saw she didn't have any big muscles.

"Guys don't forget we have chores today. Malia and Julia are on washing duty, Nathan and I will be doing the rubbish and recycling, Ashley, Lilliana and Cameron will be cleaning up the room and Ryan, Aiden and Helena will be cleaning the kitchens and bathrooms. Got it?" Jeremiah said after we had all finished. We all nodded as the others left the table. Slowly picking up the plates from our table and the guards we made our way to the kitchen. "Ok guys, I'll wash, Aiden, you'll dry and Helena you can put them away." I directed, moving towards the rusted sink.

"Uh can we actually swap jobs please cause I have only been here for about a week and I have no idea where to put anything." Helena asked shyly, tucking a piece of hair behind her ears. I nodded jogging over to the cupboards. The process started off slow because there was a week's worth of pots, pans, plates, cutlery and cups. But gradually, we moved on to sweeping and mopping the kitchen floors. Just as we were leaving a weird feeling flowed through me and I turned around immediately with my arms out.

Just as I turned around Helena squealed and fell into my arms. Aiden gasped as I steadied her in my arms. "Are you ok?" I asked worriedly in case she had hurt her ankle. Her doe eyes started back up at me, twinkling. "That seems to be a frequently asked question around here you don't think?", she giggled. Sending her a sly smile, I hoisted her up into my arms earning another squeal from the girl in my arms. "Be careful you don't drop her" Aiden muttered slouching towards the bathrooms. Helena and I laughed as I took us to the bathrooms.

As we cleaned we talked about little things and I heard different stories about Helena and Aiden growing up. Just as Aiden finished his story Helena piped up "So Ryan, how did you end up here?". I froze at her words. Aiden looked up at me worried. "Helena- he doesn't really like to talk about it. It's traumatising for him." Aiden said lowly, quickly defending my lack of speech. "No, no, I don't want to hear what you have to say Aiden, Ryan is going to tell me. Plus you feel much better when you talk about that sort of stuff." Helena pushed.

I shut my eyes and took a deep breath. "It was the day of my parents' wedding anniversary and I was out shopping with my babysitter, Lindsey. My parents had learned about me seeing colour since age 3, they never minded. Again and again my parents had warned me to never say a word about colour to anyone, and even to be careful at home. But that day I was out with Lindsey and we went to the shops. I immediately ran to the toy section, enjoying all the different colours it had to offer, like the kid I was. I was always fascinated by colour and why no one else was special like me. Well, that's at least what my parents like to say about me. But I grabbed the most colourful one and took it to her, forgetting everything they ever warned me about and in front of the whole store, described all the different colours of the toy. Police came, locked me up and my parents were put on trial. They were asked whether they knew of my "condition". My parents being them said yes. They had known since I was 3. They dragged me up to the stage where my parents were then bound and set onto their knees. I could see my mother mouth out a few words to me, but it was too late. They were shot in the head and I only just realised my mum had tried to tell me to shut my eyes. They bound me, screaming and crying, took me to a van, where I met Jeremiah. He was only 13 years old at the time but took care of me none-the-less."

The room had been deprived of oxygen and sound. A shiver ran down my spine as the memory of the gunshots plagued my head. Helena stammered "I-I'm so so so sorry, I didn't know. Oh my gods, I feel so bad now! I shouldn't have pushed you! That sounds horrible! I mean I was just reading a book when they just came and took me from behind. That must have been very... god I don't even know, horrific to witness!".

I turned away from them, staring at my teary green eyes in the once untainted mirror. I could see Aiden coming towards me slowly but I remained still. His warm, big hand softly gripped my shoulder. I could see the worry in his face, but I just couldn't change it. It was like a massive black hole inside of me, continuously pulling whatever happiness I had left into it. Shaking me slightly I focused back on him, my best friend, my rock. "I..." I trailed off weakly. Offering a small smile he hugged me "You don't have to say anything, you've had it harder then most of us anyway.".

"Yeah, I... I didn't know. Gods, I'm so sorry! Forgive me please!" Helena begged as her bottom lip quivered. I wiped my tears and looked around at the beautiful girl in front of me. "It's fine. You didn't know, you're so nice, trustworthy and true you shouldn't even have to hear about any of this horrible stuff." I whispered hoarsely. Her eyes watered and she swallowed. "I- Thank you Ryan" she muttered. We finished working in silence and sombre.

We walked back to our rooms for showers after a long day of working. Laughing and giggling was heard from the room as we approached. I wish I could laugh, I haven't laughed wholeheartedly in years. Maybe one day I would again. "Ok guys whoever goes first please head in because dinner is in the next 10 minutes! Chop chop!" Ashley commanded. Aiden let me go first. Slinking into the shower I saw Jermiah's concerned eyes on me as I passed him. When I went to shut the door I could see him walk over to Aiden who was also looking sadly at me. Sighing I shut the door to the world behind me.

The water thundered down my long body and splattered onto the turquoise tiles and down the brass drain. I shut my eyes thinking about the last time I saw the rich blue sky. The last time I saw the golden sun. The white snow. The pure green grass. The colours that emitted from the flowers. So long ago. Tears mixed in with the water as I slowly cleaned myself. The murky soap bubbled down the drain as I rinsed myself off. The bamboo towel was a putrid yellow and very rough on my skin as I dried off. As I got changed I gently hummed the old lullaby my mum used to sing to me. The lullaby was once very popular until the change of government and now parents sing it to the young in the depths of the night.

I don't sing often, but when I do, the others say I have the voice of a human with wings. Was it unicorns? Or was it centaurs? Mermaids? I remember Jer telling me they were the mythical creatures next to God? Ah that's it angels. They said I sang like an angel. I love the sound of my own voice. I think. The only person I have ever heard sing was my mother and I sound like nothing compared to her.

"Ryan!" Jeremiah banged on the door, "Come on, time's up!". Opening the door I walked straight into a half-naked Aiden who looked sheepishly at me. "Sorry. Just getting a tad impatient. Heard you humming in there. Going to sing for us tonight?". Wiping a bit of drool from the corner of my mouth I answered his question. "Maybe. I was thinking of singing that old lullaby about colour seers, the one that everyone likes. I wanted to sing it for Helena.". His smile dropped a bit but he nodded and went into the shower.

I put my clothes on the bottom of the bed when I saw Helena carefully brushing her fingers through her hair. "What are you doing?" I asked quietly as I approached her. Her face immediately lit up with a smile. "Well I'm preparing to braid my hair!" she stated. I made a confused face and she giggled. "It's like a plait but more complicated!". "What's a plait, what is a braid?" I asked curiously. She smiled gently and started to separate her hair in parts and moved them in a confusing pattern. I watched mesmerised as her chocolate waves started to look like a pretty complicated rope, but better!

Once she had finished I stared at them in complete awe. "They look beautiful- you look beautiful. Beautiful isn't even the right word, heavenly more like it!" I started carefully running my hand over her hair. Many emotions passed through her face before she settled on gratitude and admiration. Red rising to her cheeks she tucked a piece of hair behind her head. Slowly she leaned in, her minty breath fanning my face. "Ryan... have you ever kissed someone?" she whispered. I shook my head barely as she leaned in impossibly closer. Closing in I felt her warm lips on mine. It felt weird but nice. She wrapped her arms around my head as she kissed me.

I sat back when I heard someone clear their throat. I looked up to a hurt looking Aiden. "Are you ok Aiden?" I asked, concerned for him. His face changed quickly. "Oh nothing. Don't worry. It's dinner time anyway. Did you tell Helena you are going to sing for us tonight?". Helena looked surprised "You are going to sing for us?". I nodded. The dinner bell followed shortly after. As we walked to the dinner hall Helena was very chirpy and talkative. "You can sing! That's amazing! Do you sing the old stuff like Blue Chair, or the new stuff like Balloon Princess! What about Cyan? He's got good music and he's cute! Wait, I forgot to ask when I first got here, why don't you guys eat lunch often?"

Blue Balloon? Chair Princess? Sian? Lunch? I'm sure I heard the word I just don't remember where. "What's lu-" I started but Aiden but in "Remember he has been here since he was five, doesn't know much about the outside world and as for lunch we don't get it often so he doesn't know because it's rare and no one really calls it anything. Now shut up." he scoffed. I don't get why he is being rude all of a sudden. He was never like this. Must have slipped in the shower or something.

Dinner was quiet. We had charred potatoes, overcooked carrots and peas and stringy meat for dinner. It was amazing! The younger ones complain about it being burned but I like it either way. I'll take anything I get really. After we finished dinner the guards did a check on us and we went back to our room. Occasionally the guards do a check on us, specifically closer to when we have to see the doctor to make sure we don't have weapons and hurt the doctor. Doctor Thender was one of the few colour seers that had taken refuge in the government. She was outcasted and other colour seers try to hurt her when she comes because of her betrayal.

Her name is Amalia and she is the sweetest person ever. She said she fell in love with one of the guards, who loved her even as a colour seer. He offered her protection as long as she worked under the government and had an eye kept on her 24/7. When he died, she only worked for the government because they had her children. So every year she visits and checks up on all 1000 colour seers to keep her children safe. The love she has for her children makes me miss my mum. Though every year she gives me chocolate. I found I like the nutty one with multiple layers and a nut in the middle.

Walking back to our rooms we changed and sat in our bunks. Checking the clock in our room Jeremiah and Ashley sat on his bottom bunk together, Ashley in his embrace. "Does anyone want to do story for us tonight?" he asked softly. I slowly put my hand up. Ashley's eyes lit up as she saw my hand. "Excellent! Are you going to sing for us tonight Ry?" she asked happily. I nodded. "The lullaby I am going to sing is the one thing I remember from my mum. It is sung to little ones to put them to sleep. My mother used to sing it for me every night, so now, I give you the same experience I once had the luck to have. I began to sing:

There in the grove;

Kids used to play;

With the flowers that grow;

Only in grey.

When they went home;

Parents used to say;

When they roamed;

The flowers were the same.

But;

Kids who could see the colour;

Would one day be small among us;

Ones who could see what they want;

Would live a life full of love.

When eyes are open wide;

We see life's true sight;

Ones who can open them wide;

Would be the fate of us.

After finishing the song I went quiet. The lights had turned off half-way during the lullaby so I had no way to see everyone's expressions. "Ryan, that was amazing!" I heard Helena's voice out of the dark. "Yes Rye! That was totally super!" Julia praised. I felt heat rise to my cheeks. "Thanks guys!" I whispered happily. "You must have put Lil and Cam to sleep!" Malia said joyfully. "Yes, thanks Ryan, but we have an early morning tomorrow guys. So I need to go to bed for the doctor tomorrow. And we expect only the best behaviour for doctor Thender." Nathan hushed. Everyone murmured in agreement and I felt Aiden climb into my bunk. Falling asleep in his arms, I had some weird dreams.

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Thanks guys!

I hope you enjoy the chapter. I have been thinking and I think I might have a sequel to the book and I would end it in a way that I could write a second book if I wanted to. What do you guys think? I know it's quite early in the book but currently would you like to see a sequel?

Don't be a silent reader, vote, comment and share!

Have an amazing day!!!

22/08/2022