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I live in a world dominated by a hierarchy, controlled by colors. Every single person is born with a color, a color that will define one's entire life. You have the same color throughout your entire life, from when you're born till you die. It's not possible to change your given color. Scientists have tried and failed.There are ten colors in our world, each with its own social rank. Purple, white, yellow, and blue being the highest ranks and the rarest colors. These are the colors that rule our world. White, the pure that brings peace in our world. They do nothing wrong and are pictured as angels sent from heaven.Yellow the intellectuals who rule in science and knowledge. They are the ones in control of all technology, medical research, and world progression. They are born with a supercomputer-like brain.Blue, the beautiful born leaders. They rule and lead the world. They make the rules, and they decide what is and will be.And Purple, the rarest color of them all. Only about 0,000001% of the world population is born with this color. The color of perfection, rarity, royalty, gods. They have the ability to encourage others and change the world. To spread their opinions and goals to others. They are powerful and dangerous. Children born with this color are shipped from their parents and to the royal family. Growing up only knowing one thing, they are worth everything and everyone else is worth nothing.Then there is the middle class, the normal colors. Green, turquoise, and grey. These colors are the majority of this world. They are the normal people who live normal lives. There is nothing special about them, yet there are still a few differences. The main one being grey. People born with grey as their color, are dull, unfeeling people. They don't have goals, don't have hopes and dreams and they don't hold any opinions on anything. They don't have a personality, nor any ambitions. They are born to follow, without question.Lastly, the low ranks. They are looked down upon and outcasted from society. Pink, red, and orange.Pink, they are beautiful, seductive, like sirens. Most use their beauty and seduction to get what they want and the majority of pinks work in the porn and sex-worker industry. They cannot have normal lives, even if they tried.Red, the delinquents. Their aggressive and violent behaviors make them frowned upon and out-shunned by the world. They are the criminals, the murderers of this world. There is never peace with them around.And then there's orange, the lowest of them all. The outcast of the world. Anyone associated with this color will be looked down upon. Nearly none wants children of this color, resulting in orphanages filled with them. People born with orange as their color are cunning, untrustworthy. They cheat and lie, to get what they want. You can try and raise them to be better, but it's simply impossible since it's coded in their DNA.The way we know our colors is through the eyes. You know the saying, "one's eyes are the window to our soul" Well, that is truly the chase here. Our eyes hold the color we are born with. Any and all have access to our given color at birth. This means no one can hide their color. So, if you're born with a low rank, then there is no saving you.This is the social norm we are born into. This is how our world works. No one questions it and no one seems to mind. This is our world. This is our life. And this? This is my tale._The alarm clock rings and rings. It has been so for a few minutes now. Finally, a hand slams on top of it, turning the unruly loud thing off. Out of bed, he rises, and off to the closet, he goes. His room isn't anything special. And that isn't being modest. There are no posters, no awards, no collections, no nothing. It was simply a plain room with a desk, bed, and closet. Slacking behind in his footsteps he slowly finds his way to his small amount of clothing. As for his room, his clothes aren't anything special either. Plain black, greys, and other dark blue tones. He doesn't own anything flashy or bright and colorful. It would be a complete contrast to him. Well, except for that one Hawaiian shirt his mother bought him months back.His looks? Long slender body, sloughed stands, short black hair, and dull grey eyes.Upon arriving at the kitchen, he's greeted by his ever so energetic mother. "Good morning sweetheart! Slept well?" He pulls on his shoulders and gives a small grunt in response. She doesn't seem to mind though, long since used to her son's indifference. "There are some eggs on the pan left for you" She gestures to the pan on the stove, which indeed has some scrambled egg and fried bacon "I have to leave a bit early for work today, so you'll have to walk to school." She informs him and gives him a sweet little kiss on the cheek. "Love you, sweetie, have a nice day!" She smiles brightly at him. "' Kay, love you too mom." He waves to his mom and watches as she gets into her car and then pulls out of the driveway to drive off. It isn't new for his mom to be called in early for work. It happens quite often actually, but it doesn't seem to bother her, so it doesn't bother him either.His father has already left for work too. His dad teaches at a college downtown in the city. His father teaches advanced mathematics. He is very talented in his profession, even though he has average turquoise eyes. His mother works at a nursing home for the elderly. She helps them through their everyday struggles and what else they might need help with. She is a loving and kind person, she and her beautiful emerald green eyes. He cares for both of his parents. Or the closest feeling he could get to caring. Although it's a bit funny really. His father excelling in advanced mathematics and his mother being a kindhearted woman should result in a happy young child with a bright future. Though they got him.He himself is an extremely average person. Or as average as someone like him can be. His grades are nothing special, but they are passable. He doesn't excel at anything in school or out, always average or just above in everything he does. He doesn't mind though, or more like he doesn't care, and his parents don't seem to mind either. They're just happy that he's happy. Yet he doesn't really know if "happy" is the exact word he would use to describe himself. He's not sad and depressed or anything. He just exists. He doesn't get mad, sad, or glad. He's always in this "meh" kind of mood. But that isn't a surprise at all really. After all, his given color is grey.Everything about him is average. His looks, his grades, his physique. He's properly the most average person to exist. Sadly, this means he doesn't have many friends. More like none, actually. Since he is this dull empty shell of a person, there isn't anything interesting about him. No one in his school ever even seems to notice his existence, to begin with. And yet, he doesn't mind. Doesn't care, actually. He doesn't think much. He just exists.Everything about him is simply a dull grey._School is as it always is. A circus full of animals. He's enrolled at the local college in the part of town he lives in. Or more like a city. This is where the citadel is located after all. The college isn't very prestigious in any way. It has all rankings of colors enrolled, which can result in many problematic scenarios.The halls are filled with people of all eye colors. There's the high-end blue-eyed students that get anything and everything they want. They all have high-end families and power behind them. The yellow-eyed intelligent students with straight A's and powerful connections to places normal people couldn't dream of. Then there's the pink-eyed cheerleaders and the red-eyed delinquents beating the other lower ranks up. There are even the now and then orange-eyed students enrolled. But there are very few of them, for obvious reasons.This school truly is a smaller version of the world's hierarchy. Though in his eyes, they're all the same. They're all just people. He doesn't really care about people's given colors, though having grey as his given color, that's no surprise at all. Grey-eyed people don't have opinions, don't think out of the box, and don't express feelings.To specify. Grey is the dullest given color to have. By having grey as your given color, you won't excel in anything and are average in anything and everything. You don't feel that special either. Most grey-colored people are boring and just simply live to live. No one ever really takes notice of them or is interested in them. They're mostly alone, but they don't mind, since they don't really feel nor care about anything in general.And he is exactly like every other grey-eyed person. There are other grey-eyed students enrolled at this college, yet none of them speak to one another, but some few individuals.He continues walking down the halls. Lockers are mounted on the walls along the halls like every other school. He's on his way for his first lecture. He has plenty of time before the first bell rings signaling the first lesson to start, so he doesn't hurry. Behind him though is someone calling out to him, "Hey nerd!"He turns around and sees Olivia as her usual self."Oh, hey Olivia." Olivia is a small petite girl with a fiery personality. She has long curly orange hair that compliments her elegant sapphire eyes. She has a high pitch voice that seems to always have a mocking undertone in it. She's much shorter than himself, yet that doesn't stop her from acting big.Olivia puffs out her chest and barks back a response. "You dare say my name?! You? You simple dull grey? You are in no place to talk to me so casually! You're so boring I don't even know why you bother." He simply pulls on his shoulders in response. He really doesn't care what she says or what she thinks of him. Though he kind of gets what she means. She's a high rank with her clear blue eyes. It's clear as day, as to where their social standpoints are.He doesn't understand why Olivia bothers to mess with him every day though. You should think with her rank, that she would be uninterested or at least have something to do with her time. Yet here she is, calling him a nerd like every day since the school year started.Olivia's smug expression grows when he doesn't verbally answer her "You aren't going to answer me? What, are you scared? Ha! You're so pathetic. Come on, defend yourself! Talk back to me!" She says in a mocking tone, "Oh, but you can't, can you? Because you're just a simple, boring, grey." The spite in her tone is clear as day. Yet he still doesn't say anything. Doesn't give her an entertaining reaction. Simply staring at her with tired eyes.Olivia lets out a long sigh and slumps her shoulders dramatically. She turns around to walk away, but before she's too far away, she calls back. "Truly pathetic. Why don't you just off yourself and spare society your uselessness?"He pulls his shoulders in an indifferent response. Once Olivia's gone, he continues towards his next lesson.In the start when Olivia began to mock him with his given color, he was slightly taken aback. He still doesn't really understand why she picked a grey-eyed person of all people to go after since he could never really give her a satisfying reaction. He's sure it would be much more entertaining for her to go after a green-eyed or an orange-eyed person even. But really, he can't care less. He isn't hurt by her words, since they are true in the end. He isn't going to go off himself though, since that would sadden his parents deeply. They are the only people that he cares about. He wouldn't do anything to upset them.Even though Olivia took up some of his time, he still made it for his first lecture in plenty of time. Around the class are the typical groups. There're the highly ranked popular blue-eyed kids near the middle to the back of the room. The yellow-eyed brains of course sitting in the front to get the best learning experience. The red-eyed delinquents in the far back of the room glaring at everyone who dares look their way. Even some of the pink-eyed girls were giggling in their own little corner and visibly flirting with other students at the other end of the room. This school, just like the rest of the world, is truly a hierarchy based on color and ranks. If you were born with a low-ranking color, then good luck getting through life.The teacher walked into the room and announced her presence. Most of the class quieted down and the teacher started doing road calls. Every student is called to announce themselves present."Emilia?", "Present." Emilia, she is one of the smartest and most dedicated in the school. She has won multiple awards that prove her expanding knowledge of science and human biology. Her personality is cold and resentful compared to others of her color. She doesn't really care about others' feelings. She has semi-long brown hair and a pair of sharp glasses adorning her face. Oh, and her color? Well, yellow of course."Josephine?", "Here!" Josephine, one of the sweetest people anyone will ever have the pleasure to meet. She isn't the best in science and mathematics, but her thought progress in philosophy is mind-blowing. She is one of the few people that doesn't mind or even care about society's norms and talks with everyone. She's always smiling and when she walks into a room, her bright pink eyes lighten the mood. She's short and has long light pink hair usually tucked in a messy bun."Azrael?", "Yeah." You can easily say she's the exact opposite of Azrael. Azrael is a heavily pierced and tattooed guy. He has semi-short black and red dyed hair styled in a long mohawk. It's said that if you look at him funny, he'll beat you up. That's one of the many rumors going around. Truthfully, no one really knows much about him other than that one time he beat another student up so much they ended in the hospital. Yeah, Azrael isn't one to mess with. One look from his crimson-colored eyes and you're dead."Mark?", "Oh, um... Here." Arh, and there he is. The one this story is truly about. The greyest and dullest person you could ever have the displeasure of meeting. Mark.
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Mark continues with his day, going through lecture after lecture until there's only one left.Marks doesn't really have much of any subjects he loves or hates, obviously, but if there was one that he liked more than others, it would be this one. English. His teacher was a kind-hearted woman named charlotte. She has pearl-white eyes and the sweetest smile. Though her sweet and kind nature didn't mean her lectures would be any easy. They're rather tough actually. There are constant assignments to be written and texts to be read, but Mark doesn't mind. Then he has something to occupy his time with.Mark is currently walking outside on his way to his lesson. There are a few female students in the courtyard chatting and gossiping. And some red eyes standing by their cars in the parking lot, glaring at people walking by them.As Mark gets closer to the study building, a distant yelling sounds in his ears. It's coming from the side of the building. He doesn't normally like to intervene in anyone's business, although the closer he gets to the building, the more heated the argument sounds. He really doesn't want another fight to start on school grounds to delay his teaching, so he decides to take a peek to make sure it wasn't too bad, he might have to get a teacher if it was some poor sap getting beaten up by the red eyes again.As he gets to the building and is about to turn the corner to investigate, he hears a name being shouted, "Olivia!" Mark stops in his tracks, while the shouting continues. "You and I both know this has gone on for far too long! When will you quit this stupid game of yours?!"Mark stands confused. Game? "Never! I'm never going back to the way I used to live! People respect me now! I have a saying in what goes and what doesn't go!! Why can't you just be happy for me instead of trying to take my happiness from me?!""Happiness?! You call this happiness? This is fake! You are fake!!!" Mark contemplates leaving. He doesn't feel quite right listening in on a clearly private conversation. But as he turns to walk away, he hears Olivia scream out;"No!!! You don't know how it is to be shunned out by everyone!! Leave me alone, I never wanna see or hear from you ever again!!!!"Mark takes that as his sign to leave but before he could get the chance to, Olivia comes crashing into him from behind making them both fall to the ground. She groans out in pain from the fall. Her eyes meet dull greys when she gains her surroundings, making a frown appear on her face. "What the hell are you doing here?! Fucking loser, just get lost!!" Tears are falling down her cheeks as she quickly gets up and storms away. Mark looks after her slightly confused but pulls at his shoulders before slowly standing up on his feet to brush off any excess dirt that might have gotten on his clothes. His eyes fall to the ground and there he spots a light blue wallet.He picks it up to inspect it and spots a student ID.STUDENT ID CARDOlivia Heart Dawingson.Junior Year, class 1bColor class: //////////Mark looks confused at the crossed-out words. Why is her color class information crossed out? He looks after the direction she stormed off to and then back to the ID. Inside the wallet was a piece of paper saying:"If found, please call xx xx xx x and/or deliver to Mockingjay street 24a"An address. "Guess I have to give her, her wallet back." He sighs while putting the wallet in his pocket. It must be annoying to have it missing, he thinks while walking to his next lecture._Mark finds himself standing outside a small two-story house. It looks like a nice house, not much smaller than his own. The house is made of white concrete and has a black tiled roof. A few of the windows here and there are blacked out, preventing you from looking through them. There is a small path up towards the house with a few stairs leading to the doorstep. Mark walks up the path to the front door and knocks gently. The sound of his knocking resounds throughout the hallway. He doesn't get a response immediately, so he tries again, yet with the same result. Mark presumes that Olivia isn't home, but as he turns around to head home, he hears some voices coming from the back of the house. Most likely from the backyard. Mark contemplates for a moment if he should go back there. It is sort of an intrusion of privacy and not everyone would appreciate being sneaked up on. Though he kind of has to give the wallet back. He sighs tiredly and heads for the backyard anyways.As he gets closer to the back of the house, the previous muffled voices become clearer. When he reaches the backyard, a few silhouettes appear, and he recognizes one of them being Olivia. She looks agitated. "Come on Russell, my man. You know I always pay. Just give me the package and the money will come before you know it!" Her voice is laced with clear fake sweetness.Mark hides behind some bushes to listen in on the conversation. Olivia is talking about a package and money. Is she buying drugs? This... Could be dangerous... Mark doesn't know what's going on, so he finds his best option at the moment is to stay hidden, to keep himself out of danger. His parents wouldn't be pleased if they found out he was shot."Now, now missy. You know that ain't how we roll. You cash up now, or there ain't no deal." It was a man speaking. His voice is a deep rasp. The man's silhouette is tall but lanky. Mark hears a deep sigh coming from Olivia and sees her figure slump."Russel come on. You know how much I need this. I'm nearly out! You know they don't hold forever!"Mark cautiously peeks out behind the bush to get a better look at the other people that are with Olivia.There are about five men, all wearing black combat uniforms. Some of the men are holding briefcases and the rest are holding... Are those guns? Mark starts to feel a slight unease and hides behind the bush again. I probably shouldn't have come today. Mark tries to slowly back away from the situation to get away. Should I call the police? That would be the responsible thing to do... As Mark walks backward he doesn't see branches peeking out from under the bushes he was hiding behind, tripping him forward head first into the bushes, making his presence known to all.The man with the rasp in his voice starts yelling orders to the other men, before confronting Olivia. "Whaddya think you're doing, Hah Missy?! You got some cops listening in!?!", Olivia's shocked voice starts panicky. "No! No of course not, why would I get cops involved!!" Mark hears a car engine start and another man yelling orders for them to get out of there. Olivia's panic ten-folds. "No! Hey where are you going?! What about our deal!!", she yells. The man with the rasp yells in response, "We ain't risking getting our asses caught 'cause of some good for nothing chick, dissatisfied with her shit ass color!" The car engine roars to life and the men speeds away from the scene.Mark rubs the back of his head before getting up on his feet. He looks after the direction the men drove off in and then towards Olivia. She's sitting on the ground trembling while small sniffles escaping her. A moment of silence came before Mark silently started to walk over to her. Her whole body is trembling from her crying. Mark stood awkwardly a few feet beside her."Hey, uh... You umm.. You dropped this earlier..." Mark has never been good with words and in this situation, he wasn't sure what to say at all. Should he ask what that was about or just go home?Olivia takes a moment before finally standing up slowly. In a whiplash she turns around and storms towards Mark. "You! This is YOUR FAULT!!!" Mark feels a bit bad for ruining her deal, even though it was most likely illegal. He goes to apologize, but the words he was about to speak are completely cut off when he meets her eyes. "Olivia... You-... Your eyes..." Olivia's eyes which were previously filled with rage morphs into pure terror by his words. Olivia's eyes, that Mark has been used to being dark sapphire blue, are now a shining bright orange.She quickly turns around to hide her eyes from the sight. "Why did you come here?! What do you want?!?" She screams. Mark still stands awkwardly holding her wallet with an outstretched arm. He couldn't find his words. He didn't know what he should even say in this situation. Why are Olivia's eyes orange? They've always been blue. This... This doesn't make any sense.Before he can figure out what to say, he hears a man shouting. "Don't leave any evidence behind! This is what ya get for crossing the wrong people Missy!" Before multiple shots from around them start shooting like wildfire. Another man yells something incoherent and a flash bomb goes off, blinding both Mark and Olivia momentarily. After a moment Mark gets his vision back, only to see himself surrounded by a colorful gas which starts filling the whole area until the entirety of the back yard is filled with a thick, heavy fog. The only thing Mark can see is the foggy colors surrounding Olivia's confused figure. Mark is about to ask her if she knows what was going on, but as soon as he takes in a breath of the smoke an intense shock of piercing pain shoots through his entire body. He hears Olivia scream in the distance and a door slamming shut behind her. He looks around confused, he can't see anything but colors. Uncertainty wills his mind on what to do. The searing pain flowing through his body intensifies to the point where he falls to his hands and knees. Every time he takes in a breath of the smoke, the pain tenfold.Mark heaves after his breath as he tries to look around for an escape. He sees nothing in the thick fog of colors surrounding him. His heart is beating on overdrive. He's never felt this before. This horrendously, agonizing pain. His eyes bloodshot, tears upon tears rolling down from them. His hands grasp the grass under him in a vain attempt to ground himself.He hears distant voices mumbling. He doesn't understand a word of what's being said. Mark tries holding himself together, but the violating pulsing torture weakens him with every breath. He has to stop breathing in the smoke and fog, but the more pain he feels, the more he heaves for air. His vision grows blurry, and his breathing begins to slowly lessen. He can feel his head going numb from the pain, making his eyes roll to the back of his head and his arms giving in under him. The second he hit the ground everything went blank.
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It's cold. Really cold. Everything around him is dark. Nearly black. It hurts. His entire body hurts.His eyes open ever so slowly. His body feels like it's been shot by lightning and his head bashed in by a baseball bat. Mark tries to look around his surroundings to figure out where he is.He feels the ground under him. It's soft and slightly wet. Grass. He looks down and sees he's laying on the ground outside. He then looks up to see some bushes and then a small white house with black tiles. Olivia's place. He tries to lift himself up on his arms but collapses from his weak state. His entire body is sore, to the point that just moving the slightest bit pains him. He lays there for a few minutes, to try and figure out what happened.I came to give Olivia her wallet back after she dropped it. There were strange men here, they were talking with Olivia about some package. She was buying something from them... I tried to leave but fell and was found out. Then the men left in a hurry and... What happened then? He tries to screw and unscrew his brain to remember and then it hits him. "Olivia's eyes!!"After the men left, I went to give her her wallet and her eyes were orange. Then there was a flash and weird colored smoke everywhere. He can still feel the memory of the excruciating pain he felt earlier. The proof is still present in his body.He tries getting up on his arms again. Even though it pains him, he succeeds in sitting up on the ground. It's completely dark, so he figures it's nighttime. Shit, my parents must feel sick with worry. He raises himself to his unsteady legs to start slowly walking home. His steps are wobbly and uncoordinated. His mind still feels foggy and confused by the situation.As he walks out to the open street from behind the house, he sees the streetlights are on, giving him light in the night. He takes cautious steps down the road, making sure he doesn't fall. A sudden heavy sensation deep in his stomach starts taking over his senses, making dark spots spread across his vision. Mark grasps one of the streetlights to steady himself. He feels sick. He looks further down the road and spots a small twenty-four-seven convenience store. He sighs with relief.When he finally reaches the front of the store and the door to the store opens, he has to take a second to comprehend his surroundings. As the doors open, Mark is blasted with a bright light and brilliant, vibrant colors. He's never seen anything like it. His worldview through his entire life has always been a dull grey version. All colors dull and grey, but this? This was true beauty.He looks around himself. Every little detail in the store as he walks in. This is... Amazing... All the items on the shelves shone a different shade of brilliant color. The sight is simply breathtaking to him. Did that smoke have something in it that did something to his eyes? Is this permanent or only temporary? Deep down, he hopes it's permanent. Wait. Hopes? He shouldn't be able to hope. He never had before. What is hell going on? Mark walks down to the aisle with beverages to get a water bottle and then some painkillers for his head. There's a young girl standing behind the cash register when he gets to it. She has long pink hair, colorful makeup, outfit, and nails, making her bright pink eyes fit in perfectly. The girl doesn't look up at him when he comes up to her, choosing to just scan his items. She seems tired. When she finishes scanning in the water bottle and meds, she checks the total and tells him it while finally looking up at him. Her eyes immediately widen, and her mouth drops open, letting the gym she had been chewing on up until now fall out. Mark smiles awkwardly at her and hands her the money. She doesn't react to the handed money; she simply keeps staring at him straight in the eyes in disbelief. Mark gently lays the money on the counter, takes his item, and slowly backs away from the girl."Well, that was... Weird?" He says when he gets outside. He hurriedly opens the water bottle, downing it with two painkillers right out of their package. He sighs and takes another sip of his water. He knows the painkillers won't work immediately, but just the thought that they will sets his mind at ease. He looks out on the road. There aren't any cars driving by. How late is it exactly? He would go in and ask the cashier, but she seemed a bit out of it. He turns to his right and sees a person graffiting a wall a little down the road. Mark walks towards the person and as he gets closer Mark sees the person is a guy with a full tattoo sleeve on his left arm and half on the other. When Mark reaches the guy, he gives a small wave to let his presence known. The guy takes notice and straightens up to give his attention.The streetlight's light is enough to let Mark know that the color of the guy's eyes is red. Mark scratches the back of his neck awkwardly before asking; "Hey, umm... Do you have the time and possibly know how to get back to the center of the city?" The guy's eyes widen slightly at the sight of Mark before scuffing at him. "The time? Yeah, it's half past 2. What is someone like you doing out here this late, huh? Got lost or something?" Mark gives a halfhearted laugh after the slight shock of the time. "Haha, yeah... You could say that. It's a long story... But do you know which way to the center of the city was?" The guy lets out a huff of air and looks at Mark with a disbelieving look. "Listen, you shouldn't be out here this late. Fuck knows what could happen to ya'. Lucky you ran into me and not some other freak." Mark scratches his neck again while looking around a bit awkward. "Yeah, I know, it's never safe out this late. But could you please point me in the direction of-'', "Listen, I don't wanna get involved with whatever shit your highness has rolled yourself out in. If I get caught with you, I'm in deep shit, 'kay?" Mark stared at him for a moment confused. "I-... What?" The guy didn't answer, so Mark tried again. "What do you mean if you get caught with me?" The stranger looks at him with amused disbelief. "Are you dumb? Have you been living under a rock ya' entire life? I mean, you might've. I don' know what those rich assholes do with you guys." It takes Mark a second to register what the guy just said and when he does, he looks at him with pure confusion written all over his face. "What...?"The guy stares at him blankly. Then crosses his arms over his chest while saying. "You know. Those rich bastards that take you at birth. You do know that right? Or are they lying to ya' about that too?" Mark is beyond confused at this point. He takes a step back while waving his hands in a confused manner. "Wait, wait, wait. Are you talking about the birth of purple eyes? They're the only ones taken by birth- Wait, why are you talking about them??" The guy frowns and stares Mark in the eyes, before deadpanning. "Cause ya' one of 'em bright eyes." Now it was Mark's turn to frown. Is this guy high or something? "Okay, listen, I don't have time for your games. I'm clearly not born with purple eyes since they're obviously grey," Mark widens his eyes at the guy while gesturing to them. "Kay? Now could you point me in the direction to the center of the city?" The guy bent over laughing before straightening up again, arms still crossed. "Have ya' seen yourself in the mirror lately? Cause those eyes must be the brightest purple I've ever seen." Mark is well beyond tired of this guy's games by now. He lets out a long annoyed sigh before answering. "Fine. If you won't quit your little game, then I'll just figure it out on my own." But before Mark can turn around to walk away, the stranger takes hold of his arm, preventing him from walking away. "Okay princess, you're acting like you seriously don't know now. You can't possibly be that dense. You hit your head or somethin'?"Mark tries to yank his arm out of the guy's grip, but it's too tight. "I'm acting like I don't know? It's you who keeps sprawling nonsense!" Mark yells. He never yells. What is going on with him tonight? He feels extremely tired, but not sleepy tired, more of an... angry tired?The guy looks at him equally annoyed. "Nonsense? I'm sprawling nonsense now, yeah? Why don't you take a look at yourself then?" The guy pulls out his phone, swipes to open the camera, and points it towards Mark. Mark rolls his eyes and gives in. He looks at himself on the phone's screen but as soon as he does, his whole face drops, and his body freezes. On the display of the phone's screen is Mark's reflection, but instead of his usual dull grey eyes, are instead bright, vibrant purple orbs. Mark takes the phone from the guy's hand to investigate further, pulling and probing his face in disbelief. He then glares at the stranger. "Is this some kind of filter?!" The guy shakes his head in a negative answer, making Marks feel even more helpless. "But... But this doesn't make any sense? How can they possibly be purple?"The guy puts his hands in his pockets. "So, you're saying you really didn't know?" Mark looks up at the guy with a desperate plea in his now purple eyes. "What... What do I do now? Where... Where do I go? " Mark's eyes start to wander between his reflection and the stranger frantically. "I can't go home now. Fuck, they'll take me away! Fuck!" His breathing began to quicken into hyperventilation." No! No, I- I can't- I can't go. They'll- M-My parents, they'll-" His voice starts trembling with each word he speaks, while the hyperventilating turns his head fussy.The stranger kneels down next to Mark. He didn't even notice he had fallen to his knees. "Hey, hey! You're having a panic attack, ya' need to breathe alright? Come on, take some deep breaths." The guy's voice is calm and gentle. Mark looks him confused in his eyes. A panic attack? The hell is that? As silent tears start streaming down his face, the stranger grabs Mark's shoulder to ground him to the physical world. Helping Mark slowly calm down, so he can finally breathe properly again. It takes a couple of minutes, but once his trembling has settled the guy speaks up. "I ain't sure what's going on with ya', but you can stay at my place tonight, 'kay? So, relax." Mark only stares at him. He can't say anything. Not even a simple thank you. He's still in complete shock.The guy helps Mark to his feet and guides him down a different path from the main road. "The name's Azrael by the way." He tells. "Mark." Is the simple response he gives back?-Mark followed Azrael to his place. It is in the shabbier part of the city. The house is a small one-story building. There are a bunch of cracks in the cement and a window or two are shattered. It isn't a nice house, by any means. Azrael walks up to the front door that has a symbol of a heart with horns graffitied on it. He opens the door and leads Marks inside. Inside aren't as bad as Mark expected. Even though the house is in near shambles outside, the inside is pretty tidy. Mark looks around the open room at all the various graffiti artworks on the walls. There are some in only blacks and whites and others in all kinds of vibrant colors. It's funny, Mark used to see the world like the black and white artworks, but now everything is as vibrant as the other graffiti art. Azrael falls down on a black leather couch, letting out a deep sigh. "Yeah, I know it ain't much, compared to what ya' properly used to."Mark admires the different art around the room again. "Did you make these?" He asks. Azrael huffs out a laugh. "Heh, yeah. Not much to do around here and the place looked like shit before I came." Mark gives Azrael a confused look. "Before you came?" Azrael sits back on the couch, crossing his arms. "Yeah. People like me can't really go out n' buy houses. We take what we can find, ya' know? Or, maybe not." He rolls his eyes slightly at the last words. "What's ya' deal anyways? You acted like ya' just found out you're a purple eye. You hit ya' head or something?" Mark shakes his head and lets out a deep sigh. "The reason that I acted like that, is because I've had grey eyes my entire life!" Azrael leans forwards with his arms on his knees. "Yeah, ya' said that already. But we both know that ain't possible. Someone put contact lenses in ya' eyes while ya' were out maybe?" Mark thought about that idea for a while but then shook his head. "No. I've always seen the world in these dull grey colors, but now everything is covered by these vibrant colors. Not only that, but I have all these weird feelings I don't know what means." Azrael gives him a confused look. "Weird feelings? Like ya' ass hurts or something?" Mark gives him a deadpan look. "No. Feelings, like emotions, I think. I've never really felt anything, ever, but now it feels like everything's on overdrive. Like my head is going to explode any second, but it never does."Azrael looks him up and down in a speculating manner. "Al'ight, let's say you really never were a purple eye before tonight. Anything off happened to ya'?" Mark's eyes widen immediately. "YES! I was attacked by some weird smoke!!" Azreal leans back again, giving him a tired look. "Weird.. Smoke?" Mark smiled with confidence. "Yes!! It was all these different colors and I was completely surrounded by it! Fuck, and when I breathed it in it felt like I was breathing fire." This got Azrael's attention. "So, colorful smoke, that hurt breathing in?" Mark scuffed. "Hurt is an understatement. I've never felt that amount of excruciating pain in my life."Azrael let out an amused huff. "Well, from what I've heard, you haven't ever felt much of anything, ever." Empathizing the "ever"
Mark glared at him, making Azrael put up his hands in a surrendering manner. "So, what happened after that?" Mark gives it a thought. "After? Well... I woke up on the ground, tried to get home, and then met you." Azrael nodded. "Anyone else see ya'?" Mark shook his head no, before suddenly perking up. "No wait! There was this cashier in the little convenience store. She kept staring at me in bewilderment without saying a word. Now I understand why." Azrael grunted. "Shit, that ain't good. How'd she look? I might know 'er."Mark scratched his neck. "Well, she was really colorful and had pink eyes?" Azrael perked up. "Colorful you say?" Mark nods. "Yeah. Pink hair, and it looked like a rainbow threw up on her." Azrael scuffed out a laugh, smiling. "That can only be one person." He reaches down in his pocket and takes out a phone, dialing a number."Hey Jose. Yeah? Well, I need ya' to come over for a sec. Yeah I know it's late. I don't care that you got school. No. This is more important. Yes. Yes! Yes, Jose this is really important, just get over here as soon as possible. 10 minutes? Yup. Good. Se ya'" He hung up and looked over at an expecting Mark. "So?""Yeah, the person you described was most likely Jose. There's no one else around these parts that fits that description." Mark gives a slow nod in contemplation. "But wait. Why is she coming? Is it a good idea to let her get to know who I am??" Azrael shakes his head. "We need to talk with her n' explain what's going on. Can't have her running around blabbering about a purple eye hanging out around here, now can we?" Mark gives a slow nod.Azrael then stands from the couch and walks towards a black door in the other end of the room. "Now, you gotta change. Whoever threw that weird-ass smoke at ya' is properly out looking for ya'. So if ya' don't wanna get recognized, you better get a change of attire." Mark gives him a confused look. "But I don't have any clothes with me?" Azrael stares at him blankly before saying; "Yeah, no, obviously. You're borrowing some." Before Mark can say another word, Azrael disappears into the room and a minute or two later, he comes out with some clothes in his hands. "Here, go change in the bathroom over there." He points at a door with a graffitied turd on it. Mark hesitates but takes the offered clothes after a while and walks inside the offered changing room. When he's inside he spots the sink. It's filled with colored spots here and there and under it is a box with different hair dyes. Mark then remembers the color of Azrael's hair. He didn't really notice it before they got inside the house, where there is better lighting. Mark lifts the individual pieces of clothing to inspect them. From what Azrael himself was wearing, it being black with a bunch of writing and spikes. Makes Mark pleasantly surprised by the basic dark green sweater and black ripped jeans that he has been handed. He changes out of his clothes and into the new ones. He looks himself in the mirror and decides that he doesn't look too shabby. When Mark opens the door to walk out, he hears a slight gasp from further inside the open room. He looks up and spots the girl from earlier.The girl stares at him with a surprised face and once again open-mouthed. She then looks at Azrael, who's standing right next to her. A minute goes by, where she just keeps staring between the two before she bursts out. "Yeah, important is an understatement!" She yells out before smacking Azrael on the chest. "Are you insane?! How long have you been hiding a purple eye? You know what will happen to you if someone finds out!" She burst out a lecture, making Azrael sigh in exhaustion, this clearly not being his first lecture from her. He pulls his head backward and says tiredly: "Jose, listen I can explain 'kay? Just chill ya' tits will ya'" She looks at him speculatively but doesn't say a thing as she trots over to the couch and plumbs down. Azrael follows her with Mark awkwardly behind his steps. Azrael crosses his arms and lets out a sigh. "Alright. Now ya' gotta listen to this with an open mind 'kay?" Jose rolls her eyes. "Yeah, sure, fine, whatever. Just tell me what's going on!" Azrael nods and starts from the beginning."Right so. This is Mark, he was born with grey eyes." Jose looks at him with a dumbfounded look plastered all over her face. "I told ya' to have an open mind." He scolds her, making her settle down to listen again. "Mark here was attacked by some weird-ass colored smoke and when he inhaled it, it hurt like a son of a bitch, making him pass out. He then woke up, went to ya' job n' then found me. Now here we are." Jose gives both of them a confused look. "So... You only met him today?" Azrael nods. "And you've always had grey eyes until tonight?" Mark nods. She sits for a little while speculating about what she's been told, then bounces up with a bright smile. "Then why didn't you just say so? Hi, my name's Josephine, but my friends call me Jose!" Josephine stretches out her hand in greeting, making Mark give her a bewildered look before taking the outstretched hand and shaking it in greeting."So, you're thinking this weird smoke has something to do with your sudden color change? You did look awfully sick when you visited the store. I'm glad it was me on duty and not some of the other girls. They would have tried getting into your pants the second they would have spotted your purple eyes!" Mark is a bit taken aback by her sudden change in attitude. "So, what's the plan?" She asks. Both Mark and Azrael look at her, then pull their shoulders. "You have no plan?" She deadpanned. Azrael gives another pull of his shoulders, making her let out a long sigh before quirking up again. "I might know someone who can help." She gives a devilish smirk, making Mark a bit worried.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Josephine looks excitedly at the two boys, while they stare intensely at her and each other. "Ya might know someone who can help?" Azrael asks skeptically. Josephine rolls her eyes in an over-dramatic manner. "Yes! Now come on, we don't have all day!" Mark opens his mouth momentarily, to say it was night, but thought the better of it, not wanting to upset her. "It ain't fucking day no more, ya idiot." Never mind then. Josephine stares at Azrael blankly. "It's a saying dumbass" She deadpans.As she turns around to leave the house to their next destination, Azrael calls out. "Hey, you've forgotten a tiny little detail, princess." Josephine turns around looking confused at him. Azrael then points his thumb at Mark while rolling his eyes. "Bright eyes over here.""Oh" Is all she says. She takes a moment to think before perking up in excitement. She reaches down in her pink handbag decorated with glitter and pulls out a pair of pink heart-shaped glasses. Azrael stares at her in confused annoyance. Ignoring his blatantly stupid stare on her, she bounces over to Mark and hands them to him. "Sunglasses! To cover your eyes." Mark brightens in understanding and smiles, taking the sunglasses gently and putting them on.A short puff of laughter leaves Azrael at the sight of him. "They suit you." He says jokingly. Mark rolls his eyes and thanks, Josephine."Just call me Jose!" She tells him. Mark looks slightly confused at her "I thought only your friends called you that?" She smiles brightly. "Exactly!" She exclaims with a wink before turning around to march out the door, leaving Mark with a slight blush on his face. This was his first real friend.
Azrael walks up next to him. "Is it really okay to call her that?" Mark asks. An entertained smirk starts spreading over Azrael's features. "We wouldn't be helping a stranger." He says winking, widening his smirk before following Jose through the door, leaving Mark dumbfounded. He hurries out after them, a warm swelling feeling starting to blossom in his chest.-It's still dark out, with the lamp posts on to lighten their path. Mark realizes he still doesn't know where they are heading, so he asks out loud. "Hey umm... Where exactly are we going?" Jose jumps around to face him while walking backward, to answer him. "You'll see!" Mark frowns. "That doesn't really sound that reassuring."He hears a short chuckle from Azrael. "Heh, don' worry. Jose here might seem clueless most of the time-" "Hey!!" Comes from the mentioned girl. "-But she kno's what she's doin'. Hell, she's properly the person with the biggest and most widespread social circle! Ain't no one this little tuts don' kno'." He finishes will an impressed smirk. Mark looks to Jose, seeing she's holding her head up high in pride. Mark gives a little breathless laugh at that, before saying, "Alright, I trust you" Jose beams up at him in happiness. She turns back around, now facing the road ahead of them, and hurries her steps in excitement.Mark smiles at her, but it falters shortly after when he hears some kind of commotion from an alleyway further down the road. He looks to Azrael and Jose for a reaction that they've heard too, but Azrael keeps walking like nothing is at odds, although Jose's shoulders are now slumped and her steps have slowed down to a normal walk, compared to her earlier bounciness.Mark frowns in confusion at the two's weird behavior. He tries to listen in on the yelling to try to get a picture."You good for nothing- We had a deal!" He heard a high voice yell. "Ha! What, did you really expect me to trust an orange? Don't be stupid!" A loud deep hollow voice yells in return. "But that's not fair, not all oranges are like that! Haven't I proven myself enough?" A moment went by before the hollow voice spoke again in a low snarl. "All oranges are the same... Now piss off!"Mark and the others reach the small alleyway where the voices are coming from. Mark sees a large man with what appears to be red eyes and a smaller scrawny looking dude with his back turned, which Mark presumes is the one with orange eyes."Hey don't turn your back on me!" Mark sees the scrawny-looking guy take a hold of the red eyes man's shoulder. "I'm not done talking to you!" The now fully turned, clearly, orange-eyed says. The red-eyed man turns around while lifting his arm up, making Mark frown in confusion. "Why you little-!" Before the orange-eyed guy can react, the red-eyed man has punched him right across the face, making him fall backward and onto the ground. Mark stops his walking, the instant he sees skin connect with skin and yells. "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing?!"Azrael and Jose stop in their tracks as well, hearing him yell. The red-eyed man turns his attention to Mark before snarling. "Move it on, princess, wouldn't want to break those pretty little glasses of yours." The man mocks. Mark's surroundings turn a vivid shade of red making him storm towards the bigger man. He lifts up his arm as he saw the man do earlier and launches a punch right between his eyes, sending the man a few steps backward.Mark hears Jose gasp in the background and Azrael hissing out a shocked "Shit." But he doesn't pay them any attention, having it all focused on the situation at hand. It takes a moment for the red-eyed man to realize he was just hit, and as soon as he does he's thrown into a fit of rage. "WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, HAH?! Some pink little princess dares to mess with me!?" Mark straightens up to get into a fighting pose. "You were the one who started throwing punches, I'm just returning the favor, big guy." Mark mocks him back.The man starts running towards Mark with a punch following right behind. Mark dodges it by docking. He finds his footing fast and sweeps one leg under the bigger man to make him fall on the ground. Before the man can get the chance to stand up again, Mark gives another hit to the back of the man's head, making him pass out.Mark stands upright to relax his muscles from the intensity. His surroundings turning back to the pale pink shade caused by the sunglasses. Jose comes running up to him. "Wow! I didn't know you could fight! That man was huge!!" Mark looks at her bewildered and then at his hands. "Neither did I..." He says. He then turns towards the orange-eyed still laying on the ground, now in complete shock. Mark walks over to him, reaching out a hand. "Hey, are you okay?" He asks. The guy looks at the hand skeptically before taking the offered hand. Mark helps him up, giving him a polite smile. "Thanks," the guy slowly says.Mark reaches out his other hand for a handshake. "My name is Mark." The orange-eyed guy looks at him skeptically before answering. "Joseph..." And hesitantly shakes Mark's hand. "Why... Did you help me?" The guy asked. Mark stares a bit confused. "He attacked you? I couldn't just stand by and do nothing." The orange-eyed frowns in confusion. "But, everyone does..? This happens all the time in this part of the city." Now it was Mark's turn to frown. He looks to Jose and Azrael for confirmation. Jose looks sadly to the ground while Azrael lets out a deep sigh, nodding once.Mark looks incredibly at the three. "How can this be going on and nobody's doing anything about it?" Joseph rolled his shoulders. "We're oranges. Nobody cares about us. We're equal to dirt on the eyes of the world." Mark can feel something hot starting to boil inside of him."But that's not fair! Why should people be treated differently? We're all humans! We're all living things who should be treated properly! With decency!" Joseph gives him a sad smile. "That's just not how the world was built."-They have been walking for about half an hour now. Mark couldn't keep his head clear, the hot boiling feeling only growing by the minute. "How come I've never noticed?" He starts. "I never even once questioned the ways of the world! Never even cared! How can someone be so uncaring and blind to the world going around them?!" Mark rants as they walk, the hot boiling feeling now flowing over, spilling out of every pore. "How could I be so cold just because of a color..?" The boiling feeling turns into one of pure dread and coldness, freezing his whole body, making tears slowly start dripping down from his eyes.Azrael stops and turns around to face him. "Hey! It's not your fault, okay? Greys are just born that way and there's nothing you can do to change that..." He says the last part with a solemn tone is his voice. As he's about to turn back around, Mark stops him by grabbing his wrist. "But I changed..." He says eyes cast to the ground. "The smoke, whatever was in it, changed me! I- I feel things now, I have opinions!" He says louder now looking at Azrael. "If it could change me, it can change everyone! We could all be the same!"It was clear as day to hear the excitement in his voice. Azrael is about to say something but Jose storms in ten-folding Mark's excitement. "Your right!! If we could get more of that smoke stuff, we could change the world! Make it equal, no more fight or wars or inequality, but a peaceful paradise!!!" Azrael scoffs at her. "Al'ight maybe not a paradise, but yea', we could be equal. All of us." Jose turns to him while grabbing his arm. "Imagen!! I could be a doctor!!!" She nearly squeals. Mark laughs at her excitement, the warm fuzzy feeling in his chest returning from earlier. "Then that's what we're gonna do!" They both look at him in expectation of further explanation. "We see who this person Jose means can help and then we try and figure out where that smoke came from. Maybe find out what was in it, to recreate it, without the painful progress."Jose bounces on the spot in excitement, completely unable to contain herself. "Yes! Yes! Yes! I am so on!! I'll help you all the way, Mark! And so will Azrael, right?" She looks at him expectantly. He lets out a light sigh and nods. "Sure, fuck it. Why not? If anyone's gonna change the world, why not me, 'ay?" He chuckles, making Jose giggle. Mark has a determined look in his eyes when he finally declares. "It's settled then."-It felt like hours that they'd been walking for when they finally arrived at their destination. That is currently in the center of the city, long gone from the shady neighborhood they were in before. Mark looks at Jose in uncertainty. "Umm... Jose? Where are we?" Jose bounces in front of the two guys, a huge grin on her face. "We, my lovely companions, are where the smartest person I know is!" Without saying another word she heads inside.Inside the building is a bunch of different exhibits, stuffed animals and human parts for examination, as well as rooms where the walls facing the hallways are made of glass. This must be some kind of lab or school. Mark thinks.Suddenly a loud BANG is heard down the hall. When they reach the door where the sound came from, Jose practically implodes with excitement."Test 47, negative. Electrons must have heated up a temperature or two, without my knowledge. Gotta note this down." Inside the room is none other than Emilia from Mark's history class. She's wearing a long white lab coat, dark blue jeans, her long brown hair tied up in a high ponytail and safety glasses over her own normal ones.Jose waves at Emilia with a wide smile on her face. "Hey Em'! Are you working on the glitter bomb I wanted??" Emilia stared at her blankly. "No. I'm working on a hyper functional super projector that can manifest a projection so realistic that the normal human eyes wouldn't be able to see a difference between that and real life." She tells. Jose doesn't falter once by the rejection. "That sounds so cool!! How far until it's done?" Emilia looks in her notes. "Well the electrons are heating up unexpectedly, the projector shatters at the slightest impact, the imagery is incredibly sloppy. So it'll be done in a day or two." She says completely unfazed.Mark and Azrael's mouths drop. With that much wrong with it? Mark thinks.Emilia finally looks over to the two guys with a questioning look. "And who might they be? You know I'm not fond of strangers in my lab, Josephine." Josephine. Jose chuckles. "I told you to call me Jose!" Emilia looks at her with a bored expression. "I'm not calling you that."Jose lets out a deep sigh before saying. "Fiiine. Anyway, this is Azrael and Mark! We came here to ask you about the different colors." This seems to perk Emilia's attention. "The different colors? Elucidate." A sneaky smirk spreads over Jose's features at that. "Oh well, you know. The biology behind the different colors."Emilia stands still for a moment. Then she silently takes off her safety glasses and gloves before bringing out a whiteboard and markers."Alright. This might take a while, so remember you asked for it." She says, making Mark and Azrael a bit nervous but Jose as excited as ever."So, we all know the 10 different colors dominating this world, right? Well, what we are not told is that some of these colors have a slight chance to be born with special powers. Something only that specific color can have. For example, red-" She points to Azrael. "- has the chance to be born with super strength. Pinks-" She points at Jose. "-can have supervision where they can see in the dark, far away, and even zoom in on objects like a magnifying glass.White is able to fly, like the "Engels" they are" She says with an eye roll. "Yellow, like myself, have the ability to maximize 100% of our brain all at once, and greys can get the ability to actually feel emotions, not anything flashy like the other colors, but it's a magnificent difference for greys.
Although the most powerful of all is purple. Now this one- This is scary. A purple that gets exposed to a severely stressful, emotional, and traumatic experience can have the possibility to get the ability to turn off their emotions. This means they will either not feel anything or only a few specific emotions. They can use this new power to force others into submission since they don't feel remorse or sympathy for others. They will do what it takes to achieve their goal, being good or bad. It could be revenge and they would make the person suffer in the most gruesome way possible. Most of the time, they turn into monsters. This is how some of the past wars have been won.
Although this power may never actually come to the surface since these powers are only triggered by overly stressful and traumatic events like a near-death experience. This is also one of the reasons why we are not taught this in school. Since only about 5% of the colors have them, many people will most likely die from trying to activate the powers. "The three stare at each other for a moment before Mark asks. "But how does it work? How is it even possible for some colors to have hidden powers?" Emilia pushes her glasses up her nose and starts another rant of information again."So everything in the world has DNA. DNA consists of molecules, which are called nucleotides. There are four nucleotides, A, T, G, and C. These nucleotides are the building blocks of our DNA. They create long chains that make up our being and capabilities, which is also what gives each color its characteristics.
The chain can be explained as a zipper. Each side of the zipper has teeth, these teeth are the nucleotides and for the zipper to close, the nucleotides have to match.
A and T can only match together, like G and C can only match together. Making the zipper look like this'' She pauses while drawing on the whiteboard.A TT AT AC GG CA TC G"Now the body has about 3 billion nucleotides, so for each time a cell multiplies, the cell uses enzymes. Even though these Enzymes are very precise mistakes do happen very rarely, and this is where the 5% comes in. In some of these very few mistakes a match of the nucleotides can get mixed so for example an A is matched with a G. These are where there are mutations where the hidden power will develop and since it is so deeply engraved in our genes only something violently traumatic for the mind and body must happen to activate it."A moment of silence goes by. Mark tries to progress all the new information and once he thinks he's got a grip he asks. "So, could there be made a kind of drug or medicine to chance one's DNA? Like, one's color?"A short dry laugh escaped Emilia. "Change one's color? Well, scientists have certainly tried for hundreds of years, but never succeeded, deemed impossible. Although that doesn't stop them. Or me for that matter." Emilie whispered the last part after turning around facing the whiteboard.Jose perks up at Emilie's little confession. "You want to change the colors???" she asks. Emilia turns back around facing the three but only looks at Jose. "Well of course. I mean look at this world, 40% of the population is miserable, to say the least. It's a dystopian world." Jose jumps up from her seat and towards Emilie to embrace her in a suffocating hug, bringing a slight blush onto Emilia's cheeks. "I am so happy you think that way!" Jose says before pulling away.
"What if I told you it was possible?" She asks with a mischievous smirk. Emilia looks at her in confusion. "If what was possible?" She asks. "To change one's color," Jose responds.Emilia pulls away from Jose in shock and then shakes her head. "What are you talking about? If anyone would have figured out how, I would have already known by now." She says in slight annoyance. Jose's smirk widens before she looks at Mark.
Mark looks to Azrael in reassurance, for him to give a single approving nod.Mark takes a deep breath. He then reaches up for the glasses, closing his eyes when he takes them off. Once he opens them he reveals two bright, almost glowing purple orbs. He hears a slight gasp coming from Emilie. She is staring at him in absolute bewilderment. He takes another deep breath and says."I used to be a grey."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Emilie takes a step forward towards Mark. Pure shock took over her features. "You-... How..? How is this possible?" Mark looks at her in equal befuddlement. He pulls on his shoulders with an odd smile on his face. "I don't know. One moment my entire world was made up of some weird colorful smoke, the next I'm lying on the ground in pure agony, to the point where I passed out. When I woke up my eyes were purple and everything was different." Emilia walks around him, inspecting him. "Different you say... Elaborate."Mark follows her, turning around with her, for a while before stopping and standing still."Well, for my entire life everything has been a dull grey and I don't mean that in just a metaphorical way, but literal too. Every color I saw was a sad grey shade of the original. Of course, I didn't know that at the time. I didn't feel any kind of emotions, and if I did, it was very, very mild. I had no opinions or dreams, no sense in life, but now? Now everything's been flipped upside down! Every single color is like an ocean of vibrancy. I have all these weird feelings, that I have no idea what they mean. When I saw someone getting beaten up in an alleyway, something in my core told me that I couldn't just stand by and watch, so I put a stop to it. I have feelings, I can see colors I've never even dreamed of and I have a will for living. For the first time in my life, I'm alive."Emilia, Jose, and Azrael all stood in shock from Mark's passionate confession. Emilia straightens her back and rummages for something in her pocket, pulling out her phone. "I think I might know someone who knows what happened to you. It's only a slight chance though, so don't get too optimistic."Jose started jumping up and down in excitement, hugging first Emilia and then Mark. She looks up at him in pure joy. "See! I told you she could help!!"Mark gives her a fond smile back and nods, before looking up at Emilia again. "Yeah. I really hope she can."-Next thing they know, they're all four standing in front of an entryway to an old abandoned underground metro station in the outer squirt of the city. Mark looks at Azrael for answers, but he only pulls on his shoulders.Emilia kept walking, entering the underground. Jose happily joins Emilia by her side, while the other two slowly start to follow too. "So where exactly are we, hah Em'?" Azrael asks her in a discounted tone. "Don't worry, this is just for safety precautions." She says while looking at a GPS app on her phone.As they walk, Mark starts seeing a small light glowing in the far end of the tunnel they're walking in. As they get closer to it, Emilia explains. "Besides, it wouldn't be easy hiding a high-end, secret organization's laboratory out in the open." As she speaks the last words, they enter the light, and into a huge open space, they find themselves. There are drones flying every which way. Machines to various tubes, screens, and experiment champers. People are flowing all around the place, some running to get to where ever their destination is, others just chilling and talking to their fellow person.Mark, Jose, and Azrael all stare in amazement. Mark has never seen anything like this. None of them have.As they stare at the obscene view, a character comes walking towards them. Emilia is the first one to notice the newcomer. "Sebastian, hello." Mark is the second to notice and when he does his eyes widen in shock. The so-called "Sebastian" has long black dreadlocks, half tied up in a man-bun, auburn dark skin, big eyes with eyebrows to match, and white eyes. But the thing that really catches Mark's attention is his white pupils. Mark has never actually seen anyone with white pupils before.Sebastian stares blankly at the group. "Hello Emilia, I see you've brought visitors." His voice is smooth like butter and deep as velvet, while a sing-song vibration is wrapped around it.Emilia rolls her eyes at his poor attempt at a joke. "Har, har, very funny Sebastian," She says. Sebastian takes a step aside to let the group in. But before they can move a quick question pops out of Azrael's mouth. "Ain't this place extremely top secret? Why are you letting some strangers in here?" Sebastian smiles and looks towards where the voice came from. "Anyone Emilia trusts, we trust. I may not be able to see our guests, but I can feel their aura and yours are not of danger." Azrael's eyes widened in shock. He's never heard "no danger" and "you" in the same sentence before. He nods gently and walks forward and into the lab. Mark stays behind for a bit, while the others join Azrael. Mark stares at Sebastian for a while, bewildered with his eyes."I might not be able to see you stare, but I can feel it." Sebastien teases. Mark blinks rapidly and shakes himself out of the trance. "S-Sorry.. I've just... never seen someone with white pupils. How... Did it happen?" Sebastian gives a sad smile. "Sadly I was not born with them. There was an accident at the lab, causing an explosion which blinded me." Mark lowers his head in apology but realizes Sebastian can't see him, so he words his feelings instead. "Sorry for bringing back those memories."Sebastian swipes his hand in the air in dismissal. "Oh don't worry it was years ago, and please, call me Seb. Everyone does." Mark smiles warmly at him. "Alright, Seb."They join the others inside. They're standing in front of a large screen filled with graphs, numbers, and pictures of different unknown people. Sebastian takes a step in front of the group and gestures towards the screen."This is the overall information about our subjects. They are a group of the lab's staff that has volunteered themselves to be researched on their individual colors." He explains and walks to the side, down some stairs, and then along a long corridor. "Down this corridor is a room for every subject. The first one is Emma, she has pink eyes. We have tried to research how and why a pink can be born by a yellow-eyed father and a white-eyed mother. When we look at the basic genetics, she should have been born with either her father or mother's color, or at least a higher rank color, yet she is born a pink."Jose starts waving at her fellow pink and the other waves back happily."Next is Jasper, he is a born orange. He is shy so please be gentle when approaching him." Sebastian asks the group gently. "His mother was also an orange, but we do not know of the father. We have tried to search in his genetics to figure out what color his father may have been, yet so far we have too many possibilities to pinpoint precisely which color it is."Sebastian walks a bit further down the hall and next is a room filled with books and a blackboard overdrawn with numbers, graphs and drawings of genes."This here is our fellow researcher David. He is a born yellow. In contrast to Emma, his parents are of a low rank, pink and red to be exact, so we are again searching in his genetics how this might be possible."Mark looks inside the room. David is walking back and forth in a line mumbling to himself about something.Sebastian continues down and the group passes multiple different rooms with each a different color. There were approximately twenty-eight rooms in total, Mark counted on the way. They reach the end of the corridor and where a simple elegant room stands. Inside is a small petite girl sitting on the floor coloring in a book, with her back turned against the group."And this is Anesthesia, our one and only purple." Sebastian knocks on the glass, making the little girl turn around and look at the newcomers. A gasp is heard from the group. Mark stares at her, purple to purple. The little girl stands up and slowly walks towards the glass separating her and Mark. She brings her hand up to the glass, where Mark meets her with his own. Sebastian smiles warmly. "She seems to take a liking to you."Jose jumps upfront and flings an arm around Mark's shoulder. Which makes him bow down because of their height difference. "Well, Markie here is also a purple! Or at least he is now." She pulls on her shoulders at the last part. Sebastian's eyes widen in shock as he looks in Mark's direction."You... Have purple eyes, Mark?" Emilia intervenes and says. "Yes, and that's the reason we're here." Sebastian looks confused. "What do you mean?" Emilia clears her throat and takes another step forward. "Well, he eyes used to be grey."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sebastian stares at the group with disbelief in his eyes. "You... Used to have gray eyes? But... How- How in the world is that even possible? We've tried everything to figure out a way to change one's color, but nothing has ever worked." He starts pacing around for a bit. Emilia intervenes his controlled rambling with her own query.
"Yes, that is the reason we are here. We hoped you could help us figure out what exactly happened." Sebastian straightens his stance and nods towards her. "Of course. Mark, please follow me." Mark didn't even get a second to respond as Sebastian started walking off in the opposite direction of where they came from.Mark hastily follows suit after stumbling slightly over his own feet at the sudden move. The others didn't follow, instead when Mark looks back he sees the others being led somewhere else by Emilia.
Sebastian stops in front of a large looking metal door, resulting in Mark walking straight into him, as he was looking backwards towards the rest of the group. Mark quickly stumbles back and away from Sebastian, a light blush adorning his cheeks. "S-Sorry!" He blurts out in embarrassment. Sebastian huffs out a laugh, "Haha, it's alright. Come on, I'm going to do a few tests on you." Mark halts in his step. "Tests? What kind of tests?" Sebastian senses Mark's discomfort with the mention of tests. He turns around facing Mark with a kind expression on his face. "Don't worry, it's nothing painful." He explains, and by the relieved sigh he hears from Mark, he figures his reassuring was a success.Mark isn't sure what to expect. The metal door gives out a few clicks and creaks, before it opens for them to inter. Sebastian walks through the entryway, while Mark takes a hesitant moment before following.The room is big. Like, really big. There are all kinds of machines and devices scattered all around. In the far end of the room is a big specimen tube looking thing, with tubes and wires going in and out of it. It looks the size to fit a grown man inside. In front is a modern computer located. On the screen are a lot of text and weird symbols.There are tables located throughout the room and even shelves with specimen jars filled with different colored eyes.Mark stops when he sees Sebastian standing in front of a table that looks eerily familiar to a hospital bed. Mark gulps and gathers his nerves to sit down.Sebastian turns around to a small side table littered with different tools, making a shiver go down Mark's spine. Thankfully he only grabs a pair of gloves to put on before turning back to Mark."Okay, we're going to start with some questions, alright?" Mark nods."So, Mark. Do you remember when your color changed?" Sebastian asks. Mark nods hesitantly and verbally confirms.
"Great! When was is?" Mark rubs the back of his neck while answering."Yesterday. I think. I'm not sure how long I was out..." Sebastian nods thoughtfully."Alright... Do you remember what happened?" He asks while turning to a computer to start typing. Mark took a moment to think before starting."Well... A girl at my school had dropped her wallet, so later I went by her house to give it back." Mark stopped for a moment, then frowned his brows."I don't even know why. She's always so fucking mean to me, just because I'm a born gray!-" "Was a born gray." Sebastian corrected, interrupting Mark's rant. Mark's eyes widened for a moment before looking down with a sad frown."Yeah, was..." The room fills with silence. Sebastian clears his throat to break it and asks."Then what happened?" Mark takes another moment to think.
"I knocked on her door, but nobody answered. I went to go home, but I heard voices coming from her backyard. So I went around the house to see if it was her. It was, but she was with some strange men." Mark pauses before continuing."They were talking about a package or product that she frequently buys, but she was short of cash as of then. The men didn't want to sell to her, but she kept arguing. I knew the conversation was none of my business, so I went to walk away, but stumbled over a branch or something, resulting in me falling face first into the garden." Mark's eyebrows turn into a frown again as his memories begin to blur."The men... They started yelling something and then drove off in a hurry. I went to apologize to Olivia. Uh, that's the girl's name. But... Something happened. Shit, what was it...!"Sebastian gave an encouraging look to Mark. Then it hit him. Mark shot up in his seat and yelled. "She had orange eyes!!" Sebastian gives him a confused look, making Mark understand the missing information."She used to have blue eyes!" This got Sebastian's attention. He shot up as well and starts asking excitedly."Her color changed too?! Do you know how or when?" Mark shook his head."No, her eyes were blue just earlier that day. I don't- Wait! Contact lenses!" Sebastian looks perplexed.
"Contact lenses?""Yes! She was talking about how she needed the, whatever she was trying to buy, because her current ones had almost run out! It must be something like contact lenses, because if it was a permanent color change, then she wouldn't have to refresh every month or so" A bright smile started spreading across Sebastian's lips."You're absolutely right Mark! Maybe you're the genius of the two of us!" Marks smiles brightly as well, with a slight blush covering his cheeks."Then what happened Mark? Do you remember?" Mark's smile fades and a look of contemplation replaces it."I remember being shocked to see her eyes a different color. Then there were colors all around us. It looked like some kind of smoke or something. Then Olivia screamed and ran inside..." A pause."Pain. Excruciating pain. Like nothing I've ever felt before... " Sebastian's smile is replaced with a look of worry."It felt like my entire body was on fire. I- I couldn't breathe. Couldn't see. I could- I could only see colors. Those fucking colors!" Mark starts hyperventilating. He doesn't understand what's happening to him. "S-Seb. What's happening to me?" His eyes started to burn."No! Please not again!" He yells, terrified the same excruciating pain will start again. Tears start to fall from his eyes while his entire body starts to shake."Mark! Mark you need to calm down, you're having a panic attack. Listen to me okay? Breathe with me. Breathe." Sebastian has taken a hold of Mark's shoulders, in an attempt to ground him. He starts to breathe in and out slowly and deep, making sure he has Mark's attention. Mark's hyperventilating doesn't quiet down. Instead it quickens with the knowledge he's having a panic attack.
A panic attack? What? I've never had that before! Is this was it is? Fuck! I- I can't calm down!
Sebastian starts to panic, as he is unable to calm him down. He starts thinking of anything to do that might help Mark calm down. Anything at all, and finally an idea.In Mark's hazy panic, he feels a warmth start to envelop him. It's not a bad warmth though. Not the burning fire he was afraid of. But a pleasant, comforting warmth. Then a voice spoke."It's okay. I got you. Nothing bad will happen to you while I'm here, okay? I got you Mark, I'll protect you. So please, breathe." Mark can feel himself calming down, the more the voice speaks. His breathing calms down and he starts to come back to himself. He looks around and realizes Sebastian has enveloped him in a hug, holding him tight. Reassuringly. Mark hesitates, but brings his arms up and around Sebastian. He didn't mean to hold on so tightly to him, but right now, he needed it. They sat there for a while, in silence. Just the two of them."Hey... You feel better?" Sebastian asks. Marks responds with a simple nod and a "uhuh", resulting in a small huff of laughter from Sebastian."Gods you scared me." Mark frowned and looked down."I'm sorry..." Sebastian releases the hug, though still holds onto his shoulder tightly."Don't apologize. You're allowed to feel Mark. You've been through a lot in just these past 48 hours. Your world has probably been turning upside down." He gives Mark a reassuring smile and Mark gives him one back. Sebastian then straightens up."Which reminds me! Is it okay if we go into more and deeper questions of how you feel now, compared to when you had your old color? Or do you want to wait, which is completely understandable. What do you feel like?" Mark thought for a moment and nodded."I can answer some more questions." Sebastian smiled."Fantastic!"Sebastian turns to the computer once more."So tell me, do you feel any difference from before?" Mark gives a dry laugh."Do I. Everything is different. For starters, I have all these feelings that I don't know what they mean." Sebastian nods."Feelings you say? What kind?" Marks shrugs."I don't know, I've never felt them before. I... Never really felt anything before..." Sebastian stops typing for a moment."Right. I forgot the characteristics of grays. It must have been difficult, not to feel anything?" Marks shrugs once again."Not really, when you've never really felt anything, then not feeling isn't a big issue." Sebastian nods."Right. Could you explain to me the different feelings you've felt since your color changed?" Marks leans back on his arms and lets out a breath."Well... On the way here, we saw a red beating up an orange." Sebastian's typing starts up again."And... I got this burning feeling. My thoughts turned sour and my only priority became stopping the man from beating up the orange. So, I intervened." Sebastian's eyes widened slightly."You intervened?" Mark nods."Yeah. I just couldn't stand there and let it happen. It felt so... Wrong." Sebastian nods at Mark's words, while thinking."Alright, it sounds very much like you felt anger towards the red and justice towards the orange." Mark's frowns."Justice?" He asks questionably. Sebastian Smiles."Justice is when you feel someone is being treated unfairly and wanting to stop it." Mark is silent for a moment before nodding."Any other emotions you've felt?" Mark takes another moment to think."Well... Right when I woke up I felt... Cold. Like a chill rolling down my spine. I tried to go home, but I didn't know where I was. That's when I saw the corner store where Jose works, that's where we first met." Sebastian nods at Mark's words."And then I walked inside and... This incredible feeling washed over me." Mark's eyes starts to sparkle slightly at the memory."There were so many colors that I've never dreamt of experiencing... It was beautiful." Sebastian stops typing for a moment before continuing.
"So you saw colors differently before?" Mark nods."Yeah. Everything was in this really dull gray slur. There were never any strong colors, like I see now." This makes Sebastian face Mark, with wide eyes."You still see the colors? As of right now? the vibrancy as in the store?" Marks nods again."Yeah! Everything shines with bright, strong colors. Like the reds from the buttons, the blue from your computer screen and the green in that weird big tube over there." Sebastian stares at Mark in bewilderment."That sounds incredible. I wish I could see them as well..." Mark nods while he smiles, before realizing the impact of Sebastian's words."Oh, Seb, I'm so sorry. I forgot you can't see." Sebastian gives a tired "Huh?" before quirking up."Oh no no, I didn't mean it like that." He laughs."I mean, back when I had my sight. I don't see the big deal being blind anyway." Mark holds his breath for a moment before speaking."Was... Was that a pun?" Sebastian starts laughing at the unsure state of Mark and before long Mark joins in."Hahaha, anyways. Have you felt other strong emotions?" Mark thinks for a moment, looking around the room to try and kick start his memory but before he could say no, his sight lands on Sebastian.Mark watches as his elegant but strong hands type away at the computer. His long dark dreadlocks falling around his shoulders from his bun. His beautiful pale white eyes and white pupils staring blankly ahead. He could clearly see the tanned arms under those clothes and his dark plump lips calling his name.
Wait. Calling my name?
Mark comes too again, not realizing he had fallen into a momentary haze."S-sorry. Yeah, I've felt something else." Sebastian smiles and asks."Can you elaborate?" Mark takes a moment, searching his mind for the right words."Well... It starts as this warm feeling in my chest, that then spreads through my body. My face starts to heat up and I get kind of... Embarrassed? Like, I feel all giddy and warm. Like I've been wrapped in a cocoon of pure bliss. I feel... At peace. In some kind of trance. Like I can't take my eyes off of the cause"Sebastian thinks for a moment. A long moment."And.. When do you feel like this?" Mark doesn't answer immediately. He's not sure if he can answer. But when he sees Sebastian staring in his direction and waiting patiently, he can't help but blurt out."When I'm with you."A deep blush spreads across Sebastian's face with an just as equal one on Mark's."O-oh! Well u-um... That is umm... Well those emotions can mean a lot of different things." He stutters out."A-anyway, let's start the actual tests, yeah?" He nervously laughs out while. Mark nods."Yeah, okay."**After the various tests have finished, the rest of the group is called to the room. Jose is the first to burst inside.Mark! Oh my baby boy, how are you?" Mark laughs nervously."I'm okay, don't worry. Did you see more of the lab?" Azrael joins in."Yea' Emilia over here showed us around some more. This place fucking huge ya' kno'." Emilia now joins in on the conversation."Yes, yes, this place is indeed very impressive, but we have a last predicament to solve here." The rest of the group looked at her."What 'predicament'?" Jose asked. Emilia stares at Mark and answers."Where is purple guy over here going to stay? He can't stay at my place, my parents would freak out." And then it clicked for everyone, Emilia was right. Jose jumped in next."Sorry Mark, but you can't stay with me either. Roomie." She simply explained. Azrael is the next to speak up."Well ya' could stay at ma place, but ya' gotta sleep on the couch." Mark rubbed that back of his head and before he could agree, Sebastian jumped in."Well, you could always stay at my place. I live alone and in a pretty secure area of town. You would be safe there." Mark blinked for a moment and then a blush crawled up his neck, to his ears."Yeah... Yeah that'll be great."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The group left the facility and started heading home. Azrael, Jose and Emilia parted from Mark and Sebastian at the entrance of the station. They said their goodbyes and started heading their separate ways.Mark and Sebastian walk in silence for a while, not really knowing what to talk about. What should Mark say anyways? Should he comment on the many people who'd offer themselves for experimentation and ask if he should as well, or should he not mention that at all. Is he even allowed to talk about it out in the open? He feels lost.Before Mark can figure out a topic to talk about, they both turn a corner where a very fancy limousine is parked. Sebastian walks right up to it and opens the door for Mark. Mark stares confused for a while before obliging and getting in the car before Sebastian. When they're both seated inside he asks. "What ummm... Why are we in this fancy limousine?"Sebastian let's out a puff of air as a laugh and turns to Mark. "Arh yes, let me explain. Since I became blind my parents have always been worried about my well being. So they hired this limou-driver to drive me wherever I please. But since my workplace is a secret, I told the driver to meet me here at this corner." Mark nods along to his explanation. "Okay, that makes sense. So he drives you everywhere? Can they hear us talking?" Sebastian starts feeling around on the door, until he presses a button and the window to the driver's seat starts going up, giving them privacy.He then turns to Mark again and smiles. "Now they can't." A blush creeps up on Mark's face, making him turn his face away from Sebastian even though he can't see the blush."So, Mark, tell me about yourself. I want to know you better." Mark looks back at him and hesitates to answer. "Well... There's not much to say. As you know, I was a Grey for not even 48 hours ago and Greys are pretty boring. They feel nothing, think nothing, have no opinions, no dreams or goals. I was just like that. A good old boring Grey." Sebastian nods at Mark's word. "Yes, I see. But what about now?" Mark looks at him questionable. "Now?" Sebastian nods. "Yes! What do you feel? What do you think? What are your opinions? Do you have any dreams or goals now?" Marks is taken aback by all the questions, but still contemplates them for a minute or two."Well.. I feel a lot of things now. Emotions that I have no idea what is about or what they mean. I feel things around people now. I've never done that before.""You feel things around people? Like who? How do you feel?" Mark thinks for a moment before answering."When I first met Azrael, I felt... cold. Like, this freezing feeling going through my body. It made me hesitate on asking him for help, but when he took me to his house and helped me out I felt warm. Not hot, but this pleasant warmth in my body." Sebastian is listening with an intense expression on his face. "What about the others?""Jose always seems to make me smile, even though the situation is dark. She says something silly and I get a silly feeling inside before I start to laugh. With Emilia I felt... cold in the start. Not cold like I felt with Azrael. I didn't get a freezing feeling from her, but more a distant feeling? I'm not sure. But when she started to talk and explain the science behind the color genetics I felt a bright sensation in my head, like a puzzle piece finally found its place."Sebastian leans back in his seat and nods. "Well, The first time you met Azrael sounded like fear. You were afraid of him, but as he showed who he was and helped you, the fear disappeared and turned into content.Jose brings out happiness in you with her brightness and happy go to behavior. As for Emilia, the cold distance you felt was exactly what it was. You didn't know her yet, so you felt distant to her, but as she explained the genetics to you and helped you to the lab, you opened up to her as she opened up to you." Mark's eyes went wide a while ago. Everything started to make more sense. Having a word to put to one's emotions really helped with the new emotions and weirdness going on.Before another word can be spoken, the car stops and the door next to Sebastian is opened. "We have arrived sir." Both Sebastian and Mark exit the car, but only Sebastian starts to walk up the walkway to the house. The house is a modern mini-mansion. Plenty of room and privacy all round. When He enters the inside is just as marvelous. The color theme around the house is black, white and grey. The furniture was modern as well as the house. There's an open kitchen to the left with an open seated island and to the right an open living room with a large sofa and huge television. Mark wonders if Sebastian even uses it.Down beside the living room is a hallway that most likely leads to the master bedroom, office and bathroom.Sebastian walks to the kitchen and asks. "Do you prefer coffee or tea?" Mark, still looking around the beautiful home, answers. "I'm not sure, never drank it before." Sebastian nods. "I'll make you both then, for you to try." Mark walks awkwardly to the couch and sits, waiting for Sebastian.A few minutes pass by before he comes back with three warm cups. He sets two cups on the table and hands the third to Mark. Mark looks down into the dark brown liquid and takes a sip. He holds it in his mouth for a few seconds, to really take in the taste, before swallowing. He nods. "It tastes good." Sebastian takes the cup and switches it with one of the others on the table, handing it back to Mark. "What about this one?" Mark makes the same progress, although this time his face scrunches up into a displeasing grin. "Ummm, not so much into this." Mark takes back the previous cup and continues to drink from it. Sebastian nods with a smile. "Coffee person, just like myself."Sebastian sits facing Mark and with a mischievous smile asks. "So you told me about how you felt around the others." Mark stares confused back. "Yes?"Sebastian leans back with an arm over the back of the couch. "So what about me?" Mark slightly chokes on his coffee. "Y-you?" Sebastian smiles. Yes, me. What do you feel around me?"Mark starts fidgeting with the hem of his shirt. "Well... When I first saw you, it was like a shock went through me." Sebastian looks confused at him. "A shock? Could you explain it further?" Mark nods. "It was nothing like when I met any of the others. It was like a wind blew through me and I couldn't breathe for a short while..."Sebastian nods slowly, listening intensely. "My heart started to beat faster and a warmth started to grow." Then it clicked for Sebastian. A smile spreads over his features and he moves closer to Mark. "How do you feel now?" A Blush spread over Mark's cheeks. "W-warm... And cold at the same time. But mostly warm, and fuzzy." Sebastian leans slightly in. "Fuzzy?" Mark nods. "Y-yeah." A little closer. "Explain it further." Mark's blush deepens."It feels like my head is cloudy. Fuzzy, like I can't think straight." Sebastien raises his hand to Mark's face and cups his cheek, leaning in a little further. "What about now?" Mark's blush has become a deep red. "It feels like my face is burning up. No, my whole body." Sebastian smiles. "And what if I..."It's soft and gentle. Like what you'd imagine touching a cloud would feel like. Their lips touch lightly, as for testing the grounds. When no rejection was found, the touch deepened. Mark's eyes were wide, but as the kiss deepened, they closed. All his attention was on that one little simple touch of lips.Sebastian slowly leaned back and reopened his eyes. Mark, already longing after the touch, let out a slight whimper at the loss. Sebastian laughs at the cute sound and asks. "So how do you feel now?" Mark, still in slight shock from what just happened, states blankly. "Like I wanna do that again."Another laugh escaped Sebastian. It was warm and wholesome, just like Mark, Sebastian thought. "Do you wanna know what your feelings mean?" Mark nods, but confirms verbally "Yes"."What you're feeling is love, or at least a crush. When you first saw me, that's called 'love at first sight' and you've apparently had a crush on me ever since." Sebastian gives a sincere warm smile, but Mark sits in silent horror. So I just explained to my crush that I'm in love with him?! Mark sits open mouthed in disbelief. And then it hit him. I feel... Love?Mark stares into Sebastian's beautiful solid white eyes and a smile spreads over his face. Then it hits him. "Are you okay with it?" Mark asks nervously. Third time the charm as Sebastian lets out yet another laugh. "I wouldn't have kissed you, if I wasn't dear." Mark nods and his smile returns.Hours pass by while they talk and Sebastian explains Mark's weird new feelings and emotions, that it sooner than they wanted turned way past midnight.Sebastian rises from the couch and says. "Well, I think it's time to head to bed. It's late and we have a long day ahead of us tomorrow." Mark nods and raises from the couch as well. As they walk down the hallway to the master bedroom, it hits Mark. "Wait, where am I sleeping?" Sebastian stops in front of a door. "Oh! Well, I only have a single bedroom, so I thought we'd just sleep in the same bed. It's that or the couch." Mark thinks for a moment, the couch was fine sitting in, but sleeping?With no verbal answer, Sebastian takes it for an agreement on the same bed. He opens the door and just like the rest of the house, it is black and white as well. The bed is king sized, so there'd be plenty of room for both of them.Sebastian walked over to what looked like a closet and grabbed two sets of oversized t-shirts. He walked back to Mark and handed him one. Taking the hint, he started to change and get into bed. It was awkward at first. Laying in the same bed as the person you're crushing on, but as time went on and sleep overtook Mark's body he slowly fell asleep. As the night continued two halves slowly found their way back together.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
“Where is he?!” The room was filled with enraged yelling. “I- I told you I don't know!” The tall man hovered over Olivia. His voice a deep growl. “I know there was someone here with you the other night, when you were making a deal. Who was he and where is he now?!” Olivia starts shaking, both in fright and in anger. Why the hell do i have to go through this shit, because a fucking grey decided to intervene?! Tears start to roll down her cheeks as she yells. “I don’t know why that grey freak was here, or where he is now! Why do you even want him?!” The tall man stands up straight, towering over her. “That’s none of your business. We just need the boy.” Anger now overflowing, Olivia yells. “WHY?! Why do you need him? He’s not even involved! He’s just some stupid GREY!!” The man narrows his eyes, not appreciating her yelling one bit. He lowers himself to her height once again and sneers. “I know you know who he is.” Olivia sneers back. “How could you possibly know that?!” A smirk spreads over his lips. “Because you know he’s a grey.” Olivia’s eyes widened. She closes her eyes and lets out a sigh. “Shit…” The man stands up again. “Who is he?” Olivia relents and then says. “He’s just some guy from my school. I don’t really know anything about him, other than he’s a grey.” The man nods. “Why was he here?” Olivia slugs er shoulders. “Hell if i know! All I’ve ever done to him was bully him. Maybe he wanted revenge or something.” The man thinks for a while. “That’s highly unlikely.” Olivia looks at him quizzically. “And why is that?” The man looks down at her and simply states. “He’s a grey.”
Olivia thinks for a moment before asking once again. “So why do you need him?” The man sighs and looks at her with an exhausted look. “The weapon fired after you, when my men fled the scene, was a prototype.” Olivia looks at the men in question, before looking back at the man.
“A prototype?” The man nods.
“Yes. It wasn’t even supposed to be in their possession.”
“What kind of prototype was it?” The man gives her a stern look.
“Classified” He looks away, arms behind his back.
“Come on big guy, I can keep a secret. I’ve kept our business a secret all this time.” She had a flirting tone in her voice as she spoke. The man let out a deep sigh.
“It was a chemical prototype, that should in theory change ones genes.” Olivia stares at him in confusion. “Meaning…?”
Another deep sigh leaves him.
“Meaning, in theory, it could change ones color.”