I gently dangle my arm around Jae's shoulder. "It's worth a try! We'll report to you when we can, Mr. Lenny!" The old man smiles at us, confidence glimmering in his ancient eyes.
"You two should get going. You'll need all the rest you can get."
With that, we made our way back to the car we were originally in. It would take a day or two to make it to Red, so I found four adjacent empty seats across from Jae and Adrian and laid down in them, backpack acting as my pillow. Quickly, I whisper to Jae. "We'll be okay, go to sleep."
The bumps of the train lulled me into a deep and dreamless sleep.
I watch Candy calmly as she prepares a place to sleep for herself. She looks at me and whispers, "We'll be okay, go to sleep."
I nod to her as my head falls to look at the floor. The train's steady bumps may keep me up for a bit longer, but once I grow sleepy, I wouldn't be able to stay awake. I look over at Adrian.
"Do you plan on sleeping soon?" He seemed shaken, as if he'd finally processed all that happened.
"I don't know if I can." I blink, realizing how little I actually knew about Adrian.
"Would you rather talk? How'd you get to Purple? Do you remember all that happened when you were under the trance?"
He shrugs, looking softly at me.
"I was actually born here, and yeah, I remember it all. It was almost as if my conscience just, left. I didn't second guess anything. I just did what Ollie told me. He was my boss, so he had unquestionable authority, right?"
I nod, wondering if Adrian has actually done anything wrong, or if he was just in a trance to keep quiet.
adrian
I take in a shaky breath. It feels super unnatural to be able to talk freely, instead of being bound to four words. The girl is majorly interrogating me, but for some reason I didn't mind. I am rather curious about her too.
"You… your name is Jae, right? That's what the crazy knife girl calls you," I ask nervously, wondering if she ever introduced herself. I didn't want to offend her, she did help me get out of the brainwashing. But, it wasn't so bad. I don't understand why these girls are so hostile towards the way Purple was, I mean life wasn't so bad. Right? Was being brainwashed better than having free will? I crackled my knuckles, scared of the thoughts that were bombarding me once again.
The realization dawned on me that I never introduced myself, or Candy for that matter.
"Oh…Yeah, that's my name, and that's Candy." I say, pointing over to Candy. He nodded, still uneasy.
"Anyway, I hope you're still doing okay, despite being forced into this weird situation. In fact, my plan was to just live in Purple, but Candy talked to me on the train and we decided to face the vague ominous warnings against Purple together." I say, rubbing the back of my neck with a sheepish smile.
"Kinda weird, I guess."
I shook my head, "Not at all. I mean, weird things always happen in this world, don't you think?" I gazed out the window, watching as the only world I ever knew was disappearing, and trees started to get blue. I felt special, being the one brainwashed person from Purple to experience the other colors. I pulled a leg up onto the seat.
"So, how long have you known Candy?" I said, attempting to get to know these girls. I still hadn't decided if I wanted to join them, but it wouldn't hurt to learn a few things.
I laugh nervously at his question. Should I lie about only knowing her for a day or two? Would that hinder Adrian's decision to trust us? It really doesn't feel like a few days. I decide to give him a backhanded answer.
"Time flies, I guess, you kinda forget after the third vaguely ominous experience in a weird utopian city."
He nods, squinching at my uneasiness.
"She's a good person, though." I mutter, looking over at Candy, "She's forgiving and laid back, but she knows when someone is being stupidly ignorant, you know?"
I sigh, realizing how late it had become. I suppose sleepiness was creeping up on me, but I wanted to stay up just a little longer to keep Adrian company. Might as well, right?
I gazed over to Candy as Jae talked about her. Her hair was so peculiar. It occurred to me I didn't truly look at either of the girls.
Jae had dark, clear skin, a perfect shade of nougat. Her shiny deep purple hair went to her shoulders, and she had a contagious, sparkling smile. Candy, was the opposite. Pale white skin with cotton candy colored hair, down to her back. Eyes that were a boring gray, but occasionally silver if she looked into the light. They were two sides of the same glossy coin.
I stretched, deciding to be bold and ask Jae more about herself. "What was your life before this train to Purple? What is life like outside of Purple?"
I shrug at Adrian.
"I could only tell you about Yellow, that's where I lived before I got on the train. We were known most for our Agriculture. The grass is practically replaced with wheat, so everything is yellow, I suppose. It's always got this specific smell, I could never quite place it. The people there were nice, I guess, but they kept to themselves mostly. If it didn't involve them, it wasn't their problem. They just didn't get involved. It was nice sometimes, but other times it just," I pause, furrowing my brow. "Many cries for help were ignored." I mutter, looking down and fidgeting my fingers, feeling tense as I realize what I was admitting.
"Anyway, we should sleep, right?" I ask with a chuckle, trying to shake off the nerves.
"Sure. Goodnight, Jae." I could feel her nervousness, but decided she might just need sleep. I curled up into a ball on the train and fell asleep.
sweets
It had been a couple days now, the train finally slowed to a stop at a familiar red city. My eyes relaxed at the sight of a color that wasn't Purple. Jae, Adrian, and I exchanged glances and headed off into Red.
There were rusty red vines and overgrown plants everywhere, but the same green grass laid underneath. The tall, modern buildings were a mixture of maroons and reds and pinks. Looking at my hair, I found a pink strand, smiling. Part of me was Red.
I stretched my arms and legs out, relishing being back in the glorious fire city. I hadn't visited in forever, but I enjoyed my stay while it lasted. I wonder if I would meet anyone I knew.
I swiveled around to Jae. "Where should we start? Hotel room? Dinner? Training?"
I look over at Adrian, who's struggling to take in the color just as much as I am, as Candy asks me where to start.
"Maybe a hotel room. How much money do we have?"
I scan the area for the nearest possibly affordable hotel. It's not like there were any shady hotels or anything, but usually the options are either luxurious or standard.
"We're out of Purple. We're in…another color." Adrian mumbles to himself, eyes glazed over in awe. I look back over at Candy, wondering if she's noticed Adrian about to have an emotional breakdown lmao rip adrain
i slap
Adrian's back, noticing that he was on the verge of freaking out. "It's amazing, right?" I grin, walking towards a hotel I used to live in when I stayed at Red. I'm sure the desk kid will give us a free night. Jae and Adrian exchange glances, and she shrugs, following me anyways.
We arrive at the Cherry Suites. I stepped in and a girl with bright red coiled hair jumped up. Her face lit up when she recognized me. "Hi!" I waved, and started bargaining. "Listen, I need at least one free night, man, we just went on this adventure and we are exhausted and please, I'll pay for any further night. Two queen beds?" The girl rolls her eyes in a joking manner.
"I got your back, girl!" she says, typing whatever into the computer. "Here are the room keys! And you will be on a good floor, best view of the city. Your friends will love it! One night only though, remember."
I nod my head and thank her, then walk to the elevator with Jae and Adrian.
Adrian and I follow Candy up to the floor and I mutter an exasperated "thank you" to the girl. Red. I've never been here, I've only been told that the people at Red are vicious and relentless, seeking self benefit and full of obnoxious energy that seems to be unbelievably destructive. I just didn't realize that every color seemed to be pinned against each other and spread lies about each other. Is that how it is for every color? If I asked someone what they thought of Yellow, what would they say? Would they say we're too blank? Too bleak? Not doing anything as everything crashes and burns around us? Not standing up to authority and silently dealing with our struggles? Or would they say we're patient and long-suffering able to withstand the worst of the worst? How does the outside world view each and every color? As we enter the room I walk up to Candy and heave a sigh of relief.
"Thank you for helping me. I don't think I would have escaped Purple if I arrived there on my own. Adrian would still be in his trance and I'd probably be lost in my own mind as well. So, just, thank you."
I slid the room card into the doorknob, which responded with a click allowing me to open the hotel door. Jae and Adrian followed behind, when the girl approached me. "Thank you for helping me. I don't think I would have escaped Purple if I arrived there on my own. Adrian would still be in his trance and I'd probably be lost in my own mind as well. So, just, thank you."
"Thank… me?" I let out a laugh. "We wouldn't have gotten anywhere without each other. You think I could've done any of that by myself? Nah, I'm powered by people. People like you, Jae." I swiveled around and continued unpacking. I pause to add one more thing. "Plus, you're cool. I like hanging out with you, even if we're on the edge of death and brainwashing all the time."
"I won't ever leave you, I promise!" The words echoed back and forth in my mind, like a broken record, an expression that I was told meant something that repeats over and over again. That's how it was in my head when I sat on my scraped knees in the puddle, left behind by the one person I thought I could trust. The sound of the train horn, not allowed to ring in Yellow, was still heard in the distance once it reached Green. I felt so lost that I even grew dizzy on my way home. On that day, I locked up my heart and told myself never to grow attached to another person again.
Candy's words moved me deeper than I had realized at first, until I caught myself thinking back to that moment. I had completely forgotten the whole reason I initially kept myself from Candy and lied to her about where I was going. I didn't want to make friends, I didn't want to open up my heart to anyone. Candy somehow managed to break through that without me realizing, but now that I'm aware, the anxiety-filled thoughts warm back into my head. In an unexpected silence that grew more unfit for the circumstances, I follow Candy in unpacking as Adrian takes his leave from the room to explore the hotel in its entirety. After we got settled in, I sat down and exhaled a relaxed sigh.
"What's our next move?" I ask Candy, wondering how well she knows Red and how much we'd be able to wander around until we come up with a plan for Purple.
I hug my knees into my chest and let out a nervous laugh. "I was hoping you would have an idea." I knew we needed a hotel, but I never truly thought about how much time we have. I figure Purple will be the same when we come back, which leads me to thinking we might be able to stay in the other colors longer. We need a lot of time to get ready; training alone takes years, but we didn't have years. I wonder if we even need to fight. It would be useful skills nonetheless.
"Jae, how are we going to do this with just the four of us?"
Candy's question caught me off guard and I quickly realized that I don't know. I don't know what we're going to do, I don't know how we're going to do it, I don't even know what we should do next. Does Candy know how unprepared I am for this? I'm sure she does. Either way, I inhale deeply and force a confident smile to come across my face.
"I know we'll figure it out. We've made it this far, right?"
After a few moments I realize my curiosity and restlessness was caused by the fact that I've never been in Red before.
"Let's go sight seeing."
I blink, taken aback by Jae's response. "Sight-seeing?"
"Yeah, why not?"
I scratch my head and stretch my legs, thinking about whether we had time to mess around. I go back to my original thought. Purple will be the same no matter when we get back. Brainwashed. Time is not of essence.
Hopping off the bed, I grin to Jae. "Alright. There are some places I never got to visit that I would like to see." The girl smiled back at me as we left the hotel room.
As we leave the hotel, somehow the landscape is even more beautiful than when I first saw it. The leaves on the trees were a bright and deep red, and the energy of the nearby citizens were bouncy and lively. Rather than staring and weird looks from everyone, all the people were in their own worlds. Hollering and yelling came from different directions, but it was all friendly and fun sounds. Even in Yellow, people didn't really know how to have fun, but here in Red, everything was alive, and I adored it with all my heart.
Jae marvels over the new sight. I normally would as well, but I enjoy watching her too. She seemed to be very isolated, as these new colors are almost surprising to her. As if it is weird that there are hues other than Yellow or Purple. Jae was someone colorblind wearing corrective lens for the second time. Jae is often scared, but I truly believe she is an optimist at core. I want to learn from her. She thanks me for helping her so much, but I still feel stuck.
I can hear the sounds of the feelings in me telling me I'm still lost. I'm never going to settle. I'll never find an adventure. I'll fail to succeed in my ambitions. I'll run out of things to explore. I can't save Purple. A small whisper of a voice broke through, but I didn't quite understand what it meant. "Delete the italics, and there is the truth." I shook my head and focused back on Jae.
hey guys welcome back to my youtube channel and today we'll be reviewing top ten edgiest rps
I'M SORRY THAT WAS SO RUDE OF ME I LOVE THAT THANKS RPING
Without warning, I side step into a nearby store, which turned out to be a clothes store. Of course, most of the clothes were different shades of red, but there were little spots of other colors. I focus my attention on a rack of hats, specifically the deep red beanie that hung from a rack. I pick it up and put it on my head, looking over at Candy, who I'd hoped followed me into the store.
"What do you think? Looks good?" I ask with a bit of a smirk as I look for the nearest mirror.
"Like a model," I laugh, finding a pink snap back. "We should all get hats! Let's find one for Adrian!" Jae nods her head as she poses in front of the mirror. I pose with her and snap a picture of us in our hats. I pretend to be in thought as I turn back to the hat rack.
"What would this boy wear, Jae? We need to make him like a hipster runway kid," I say with a devious grin.
I giggle as I turn, looking around to make sure no one is giving us any weird looks. I suddenly remembered how insecure I used to be about my hair. I haven't thought about people looking at my hair in so long. The thought almost brought down my mood, but instead I grab a random hat off the rack, which turned out to be a baseball hat that was a solid green color, and hold it up for Candy. "What do you think, is this hipster enough?" I pull a scarf from a rack next to Candy and place it next to the cap as if the two matched, before bursting into muffled laughter.
"Yes, totally!" I snickered as I pulled out the money to buy these ridiculous hats. As we left the store, somebody rammed into Jae and apologized without looking at us, as if he were in a hurry. I turned my head, thinking to myself of how rude he was. The apology was not sincere at all. I cursed at his stupid black curly hair and overly red flannel, but decided against speaking up.
As we walked towards downtown Red, I thought about what we needed. "We should go grocery shopping real quick."
As soon as we walked outside, some kid immediately rammed into me, nearly knocking the wind out of me as I tumble to the ground.
"Excuse me." He muttered, without missing a step or turning to look at us. I turn to look at him, his flaming red shirt already running off.
I turn back to Candy and look at her curiously.
"Well, that was weird. Anyway, what should we do next?"
Candy shrugs as she frowns at the boy.
"We should go grocery shopping real quick."
I nod as we make our way to the grocery store, entering it's contrasting atmosphere.
"What kind of food do you think Adrian would like?" I ask Candy as I immediately make my way to the food aisle. Strangely enough, I started to feel eyes on me. I looked around, but I didn't make eye contact with anyone, so maybe they were stealthy enough to turn away before I saw them. I tried to ignore it as we continued our shopping, but I found myself looking behind my shoulders often. Every time there was no one being suspicious, and everyone was wearing red, so no one really stood out and it was hard to keep track of someone.
"I don't know, but I hope he likes noodles. Let's also get more water bottles." We split up and started dumping loads of random necessities into our small basket. I noticed Jae had been constantly turning her head, wondering if she was admiring Red's odd supermarkets.
We made our way out and turned a random direction. Jae suggested the park, and I shrugged in agreement. As we walked in a comfortable silence, I eavesdropped on a couple in front of us.
"What do you wanna do?"
"Our next thing on our agenda is skydiving. Duh, I've been looking forward to this for days now!"
"Oh, right! Right right, let's go now!"
"It should be up ahead."
I exchanged glances with Jae. "I think I know what we should do next."
When we left the supermarket, I started to feel the eyes less often, but because I'd gotten so used to looking behind me and feeling such a paranoid sensation, I had created a habit. We start to head to the park, occasionally passing some particularly "red" people. At one point we passed a girl who was completely decked out in green clothing. It's not like that was new to me; there were tons of people in different colors walking around yellow.
"I think I know what we should do next."
Candy suddenly blurted. Blinking because I was completely lost in my own thoughts, I turn to Candy.
"What?" I ask, her mischievous smile sparking excited concern in me.
I tilted my head towards the couple who had gotten farther up ahead. "Skydiving," I smirked. "It's always been a thing I wanted to do, but you know, all my friends never wanted to go. Most of the time, they already had gone and didn't want to go again. Or, they didn't have time. Or, I didn't know them enough to ask them to come with me." I glanced towards Jae. "I know, really, we don't know each other that well either, but I still feel close. Does that make sense?
"Anyway, not the point. You up for it? I heard it was cooler than normal skydiving!"
