Achromatic || A.M.'s Writing Contest || Round #2 Up!
Aug 7, 2016 8:31:06 GMT -5
sand dollar, ❴ ғα∂ιηg ✦ яεαℓιтү ❵, and 1 more like this
Post by Deleted on Aug 7, 2016 8:31:06 GMT -5
Chapter One~A Splash Of Blue:
Blue is stability and confidence.
Red is ambition and action.
Purple is inspiration and individually.
Orange is risk-taking and adventure.
Brown is wholesome and reliable.
Green is creative and harmonic.
Yellow is uplifting and inquisitive.
Pink is nurturing and compassionate.
These are how colors have been described to me for as long as I could recall. Since I can't see them after all.
I can only see variations of grays, beige, blacks, and whites. But never real color.
I've always wished of being able to lay my eyes upon a bright hue of orange or the pale blue my apartment is supposed to be.
It won't always be this way, however.
The only way I can achieve my dream is to find my soulmate. Only they can provide me with pigmentation. Now, I don't exactly know how that works, but that doesn't matter. My parents say 'Love will show it's course, honey.' That helps me a lot, thanks, Dad.
All matters is the fact that I will see pigmentation..real colors besides shades of blacks, whites, and grays.
One day.
•===============================•
A young, 17-year-old woman barely made it on the subway this morning. She sighed in relief as she rushed to an empty seat and tied up her long, charcoal-gray hair into a bun. Or at least, her hair has always looked that color to her.
"Hey, Silvia, you off to the bakery again? I thought you said you had the day off?" A ivory-headed man pushed his way through the mass of people and leaned over her, gripping the edge of the seat.
"I'm filling in again for Lavender. She's not back from her college trip yet, Maroon."
"She's still looking? College starts in two months, she's gotta be kidding...and it's Valentine's Day!"
"Um....I guess." Silvia shuffled her feet, started to tense up at the conversation in the middle of all of the strangers.
Maroon shrugged, glancing outside the window, "I've been missing out on my sight since she's left. I'm really missing the neon ones most."
At least you can still see some variant of color!
"Don't worry she's coming back soon." Silvia murmured, not really sure what kind of reassurance she could provide.
•==========================•
Silvia let out a deep, long sigh as soon as she entered the bakery.
It always smells amazing in here, regardless of my loud co-workers.
Feeling much lighter, she headed over to the kitchen, or as Mrs. Tinta liked to call it, 'off stage'. Her mood dropped instantly when she pushed open the door.
Why is she here so early?
A black-haired girl was wiping down the counter, mumbling something about not getting a full refund when she looked up and noticed her fellow co-worker had arrived. Silvia tried desperately to ignore her by trying to look invested in tying on her apron.
"Hey, Silvia! Nice to see you here again." Magenta chirped in voice dripping honey. The greeting would've seemed sincere if not for the predator grin plastered on her face and her gleaming slate-gray pupils.
"Um....hey..." Silva mumbled, shuffling to the opposite side of the room to wash her hands.
"So, are you ready for college in two months? I certainly am, I've been studying to become a teacher all my life."
"Okay..?" Why do I need to know this? You talk about it all the freaking time.
"I know you don't care." Magenta remarked. Getting no response she sighed heavily, "Don't tell me you're still upset about the time I accidentally smacked you in the head with a basket ball in gym class. That was three years ago!"
"I'm not, Magenta." Silvia lied, while struggling to put on her powder-free gloves. She knew Magenta had obviously done that on purpose. She had tried to make it all look accidental, but she was a devil in sheep's clothing.
"Whatever, Sil, I'll never get you. I always try to be friendly with you, but you never give me a chance."
Yeah right.
"Just pass me the mixing bowl."
Silvia shakily grabbed the mixing bowl off the drying rack and set it down on the counter.
Should I re-sanitize this?
A loud twinkling sound echoed in the room as Magenta started to tear through her purse. She pulled out her cracked, iPhone 4s and instantly punched in her passcode.
"Yeah? Oh, my ex-boyfriend dropped me off. Our night wasn't all that and I figured why not chill at work for a bit so Aquamarine wouldn't get all on my case again." Magenta casually dropped, seeming less agitated now that she was starting to have a conversation.
I call bull on that one. The only reason you dumped him is because you couldn't see color hues afterwards.
Silvia, glad at least that Magenta had a distraction, continued to prepare the kitchen before the bakery would open it doors and all the others employees would arrive.
•===========================•
Silvia climbed out of the taxi, still clutching her purse as she gave a brief nod to the driver.
"Uh...thanks for the....ok..." She trailed off as he sped away towards Ombré Boulevard.
Silvia walked up to an old coffee shop her mother used to take her, Mocha Strokes. The sign on the door was advertising some Valentine's Day sugar cookie for the occasion. She pushed open the door, hearing the familiar bell chime above her head.
As she stepped in, Silvia immediately noticed all of the young couples occupying at most of the tables. Laughing, arguing, flirting, seeing.
One day...maybe that could be me.
"Hey, Silv, guess who!" A friendly voice called out, snapping Silvia out of her obsession.
Silvia waved back shyly and walked up to the cashier counter. A short, latino women with wild black curls threw her a look that she knew all too well.
Help me, I hate this job.
Trying to pretend she didn't notice, Silvia smiled in what she hoped wasn't a forced looking way.
"Hey, Sienna. I'm here for the usual on a Tuesday."
Sienna rolled her eyes playfully, but began typing in her order. "One short, caramel latte with extra whipped cream and one multi-grain blueberry muffin, correct?" She recited.
"Yep."
"Pay up, seven dollars and thirteen cents."
She handed over her debit card and Sienna swiped it in almost an instant.
"'Kay, go wait at a table and I'll bring you your order." She said mockingly, a fake smile plastered on her face.
"Don't let your boss hear you talk in that tone." Silvia whispered sternly to her friend, before turning around to sit at her usual seat by the window.
Unfortunately for her, she remembered with a pang that all the tables were filled up due to the holiday.
"Oh..."
"Hey, you, tall girl!" A gruff, masculine voice boomed from a table she presumed was in the back. "Come sit over here!"
The young lady almost jumped at his demanding tone, almost thinking it has been one of the gangsters that had been snooping around town lately. Of course he'd be talking to her...she was the towering over all the other women currently in the coffee shop. She opened her mouth to politely refuse but took a look at the direction the voice came from.
There were four young adults-maybe older teenagers- lounging out in a booth; three men and a woman who had her arm tightly wrapped around a white-haired man. She didn't know which man had invited her, so she took a slow stride over to their table.
"Um....did one of you want me to sit here?" She asked tentatively, fiddling her fingers behind her back. She honestly felt awkward for sharing a table with strangers, but as long as they kept communication limited, it could work.
"Yeah, I did!" The boy who had his girlfriend clinging over him raised his free hand. "Come on, we've got room for one more! Sepia, scoot over!"
The woman-now named Sepia-rolled her eyes, but slid over enough for Silvia to fit in.
"I won't be here long...I'll leave once I get my order." Silvia assured the group as she sat down, protectively gripping her purse.
"Eh, we don't care if you say awhile." A beige-haired man responded from across the table with a friendly gleam in his pale gray eyes.
Silvia shrugged indifferently, hoping he'd get the message that she didn't want to get comfortable with them.
"Oh my god, I've been waiting for like thirteen minutes, where the heck is my expresso?" Sepia complained, finally letting go of her boyfriend's arm to glare at her phone screen.
"Geesh, Sep, will you quit whining!" A man with long silvery hair snapped, looking up from his novel.
"Hey, Ms. Shade, I've got your order." Sienna walked up to the table before plopping a small tray in front of the started woman.
"Oh...um..thanks Sienna."
"Wait! When's our food coming out? We've been here forever!" Sepia demanded.
Sienna shrugged, "Beats me. Ask some other employee." She quickly turned away and headed off to the cashier again, running up to meet her boss who didn't look too pleased.
"By the way, my name's Sterling. Sterling Tone. Do you remember me from last week at the yard sale? I was there when you were talking to my mom." The man who had tried to start a conversation before piped up again.
Ugh. Please don't make small talk with me.
"Great...." Silvia opened up her blueberry muffin wrap and froze.
What.....?
There was...a color Silvia had never been able to see in her life dotted among the normal ivory of the muffin. It sort of looked close to black..but wasn't exactly so dark.
No...this looks close to slate-gray! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god...is this blue?
She stood up in shock and dropped the muffin, watching it crumble into pieces on the floor.
"What's your problem?" The boy who called to her asked, looking annoyed.
"I...um...I've gotta leave now!" She shot out before thinking, bending over with multiple napkins, hazily trying to clean up the mess. Once she got up a good chunk of it up, she slammed it on the table, knocking over her latte, and darted out of there as fast as she could manage.
As she stepped outside, the whole sky was a paler...version of the blue she had seen in the muffin. It seemed to be fading back again into gray that more she stared at it.
What's going on...have I actually met my soulmate?
Silvia continued to stare at the sky in shock as it eventually turned back into the dull gray it had been before.
Ugh, I messed things up! Now I don't even know which one of them it was!
She turned back to peer through to door to find the table.They had all disappeared.
"No.....how can I ever..." Silvia stuttered, letting her hands slide off the glass.
"I had color...for just a moment.." She began to feel tears well up in her eyes as she continued to gaze disappointedly at the empty table.
I saw color. Why couldn't it last?
A small vibration in her jean pocket made her stop in her train of thought as she curiously pulled it out.
A text message.
'Dear Ms. Silvia Shade,
Thank you for contacting me about offering to babysit Marigold for me last weekend. My husband and I are going out for the night tomorrow and we wanted to know if you were available to watch over her for three hours: 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Please give me your response by tonight.
Sincerely, Mrs. Lilac Tone'
After giving the phone a hard look, she clicked to begin typing in her response message.
Blue is stability and confidence.
Red is ambition and action.
Purple is inspiration and individually.
Orange is risk-taking and adventure.
Brown is wholesome and reliable.
Green is creative and harmonic.
Yellow is uplifting and inquisitive.
Pink is nurturing and compassionate.
These are how colors have been described to me for as long as I could recall. Since I can't see them after all.
I can only see variations of grays, beige, blacks, and whites. But never real color.
I've always wished of being able to lay my eyes upon a bright hue of orange or the pale blue my apartment is supposed to be.
It won't always be this way, however.
The only way I can achieve my dream is to find my soulmate. Only they can provide me with pigmentation. Now, I don't exactly know how that works, but that doesn't matter. My parents say 'Love will show it's course, honey.' That helps me a lot, thanks, Dad.
All matters is the fact that I will see pigmentation..real colors besides shades of blacks, whites, and grays.
One day.
•===============================•
A young, 17-year-old woman barely made it on the subway this morning. She sighed in relief as she rushed to an empty seat and tied up her long, charcoal-gray hair into a bun. Or at least, her hair has always looked that color to her.
"Hey, Silvia, you off to the bakery again? I thought you said you had the day off?" A ivory-headed man pushed his way through the mass of people and leaned over her, gripping the edge of the seat.
"I'm filling in again for Lavender. She's not back from her college trip yet, Maroon."
"She's still looking? College starts in two months, she's gotta be kidding...and it's Valentine's Day!"
"Um....I guess." Silvia shuffled her feet, started to tense up at the conversation in the middle of all of the strangers.
Maroon shrugged, glancing outside the window, "I've been missing out on my sight since she's left. I'm really missing the neon ones most."
At least you can still see some variant of color!
"Don't worry she's coming back soon." Silvia murmured, not really sure what kind of reassurance she could provide.
•==========================•
Silvia let out a deep, long sigh as soon as she entered the bakery.
It always smells amazing in here, regardless of my loud co-workers.
Feeling much lighter, she headed over to the kitchen, or as Mrs. Tinta liked to call it, 'off stage'. Her mood dropped instantly when she pushed open the door.
Why is she here so early?
A black-haired girl was wiping down the counter, mumbling something about not getting a full refund when she looked up and noticed her fellow co-worker had arrived. Silvia tried desperately to ignore her by trying to look invested in tying on her apron.
"Hey, Silvia! Nice to see you here again." Magenta chirped in voice dripping honey. The greeting would've seemed sincere if not for the predator grin plastered on her face and her gleaming slate-gray pupils.
"Um....hey..." Silva mumbled, shuffling to the opposite side of the room to wash her hands.
"So, are you ready for college in two months? I certainly am, I've been studying to become a teacher all my life."
"Okay..?" Why do I need to know this? You talk about it all the freaking time.
"I know you don't care." Magenta remarked. Getting no response she sighed heavily, "Don't tell me you're still upset about the time I accidentally smacked you in the head with a basket ball in gym class. That was three years ago!"
"I'm not, Magenta." Silvia lied, while struggling to put on her powder-free gloves. She knew Magenta had obviously done that on purpose. She had tried to make it all look accidental, but she was a devil in sheep's clothing.
"Whatever, Sil, I'll never get you. I always try to be friendly with you, but you never give me a chance."
Yeah right.
"Just pass me the mixing bowl."
Silvia shakily grabbed the mixing bowl off the drying rack and set it down on the counter.
Should I re-sanitize this?
A loud twinkling sound echoed in the room as Magenta started to tear through her purse. She pulled out her cracked, iPhone 4s and instantly punched in her passcode.
"Yeah? Oh, my ex-boyfriend dropped me off. Our night wasn't all that and I figured why not chill at work for a bit so Aquamarine wouldn't get all on my case again." Magenta casually dropped, seeming less agitated now that she was starting to have a conversation.
I call bull on that one. The only reason you dumped him is because you couldn't see color hues afterwards.
Silvia, glad at least that Magenta had a distraction, continued to prepare the kitchen before the bakery would open it doors and all the others employees would arrive.
•===========================•
Silvia climbed out of the taxi, still clutching her purse as she gave a brief nod to the driver.
"Uh...thanks for the....ok..." She trailed off as he sped away towards Ombré Boulevard.
Silvia walked up to an old coffee shop her mother used to take her, Mocha Strokes. The sign on the door was advertising some Valentine's Day sugar cookie for the occasion. She pushed open the door, hearing the familiar bell chime above her head.
As she stepped in, Silvia immediately noticed all of the young couples occupying at most of the tables. Laughing, arguing, flirting, seeing.
One day...maybe that could be me.
"Hey, Silv, guess who!" A friendly voice called out, snapping Silvia out of her obsession.
Silvia waved back shyly and walked up to the cashier counter. A short, latino women with wild black curls threw her a look that she knew all too well.
Help me, I hate this job.
Trying to pretend she didn't notice, Silvia smiled in what she hoped wasn't a forced looking way.
"Hey, Sienna. I'm here for the usual on a Tuesday."
Sienna rolled her eyes playfully, but began typing in her order. "One short, caramel latte with extra whipped cream and one multi-grain blueberry muffin, correct?" She recited.
"Yep."
"Pay up, seven dollars and thirteen cents."
She handed over her debit card and Sienna swiped it in almost an instant.
"'Kay, go wait at a table and I'll bring you your order." She said mockingly, a fake smile plastered on her face.
"Don't let your boss hear you talk in that tone." Silvia whispered sternly to her friend, before turning around to sit at her usual seat by the window.
Unfortunately for her, she remembered with a pang that all the tables were filled up due to the holiday.
"Oh..."
"Hey, you, tall girl!" A gruff, masculine voice boomed from a table she presumed was in the back. "Come sit over here!"
The young lady almost jumped at his demanding tone, almost thinking it has been one of the gangsters that had been snooping around town lately. Of course he'd be talking to her...she was the towering over all the other women currently in the coffee shop. She opened her mouth to politely refuse but took a look at the direction the voice came from.
There were four young adults-maybe older teenagers- lounging out in a booth; three men and a woman who had her arm tightly wrapped around a white-haired man. She didn't know which man had invited her, so she took a slow stride over to their table.
"Um....did one of you want me to sit here?" She asked tentatively, fiddling her fingers behind her back. She honestly felt awkward for sharing a table with strangers, but as long as they kept communication limited, it could work.
"Yeah, I did!" The boy who had his girlfriend clinging over him raised his free hand. "Come on, we've got room for one more! Sepia, scoot over!"
The woman-now named Sepia-rolled her eyes, but slid over enough for Silvia to fit in.
"I won't be here long...I'll leave once I get my order." Silvia assured the group as she sat down, protectively gripping her purse.
"Eh, we don't care if you say awhile." A beige-haired man responded from across the table with a friendly gleam in his pale gray eyes.
Silvia shrugged indifferently, hoping he'd get the message that she didn't want to get comfortable with them.
"Oh my god, I've been waiting for like thirteen minutes, where the heck is my expresso?" Sepia complained, finally letting go of her boyfriend's arm to glare at her phone screen.
"Geesh, Sep, will you quit whining!" A man with long silvery hair snapped, looking up from his novel.
"Hey, Ms. Shade, I've got your order." Sienna walked up to the table before plopping a small tray in front of the started woman.
"Oh...um..thanks Sienna."
"Wait! When's our food coming out? We've been here forever!" Sepia demanded.
Sienna shrugged, "Beats me. Ask some other employee." She quickly turned away and headed off to the cashier again, running up to meet her boss who didn't look too pleased.
"By the way, my name's Sterling. Sterling Tone. Do you remember me from last week at the yard sale? I was there when you were talking to my mom." The man who had tried to start a conversation before piped up again.
Ugh. Please don't make small talk with me.
"Great...." Silvia opened up her blueberry muffin wrap and froze.
What.....?
There was...a color Silvia had never been able to see in her life dotted among the normal ivory of the muffin. It sort of looked close to black..but wasn't exactly so dark.
No...this looks close to slate-gray! Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god...is this blue?
She stood up in shock and dropped the muffin, watching it crumble into pieces on the floor.
"What's your problem?" The boy who called to her asked, looking annoyed.
"I...um...I've gotta leave now!" She shot out before thinking, bending over with multiple napkins, hazily trying to clean up the mess. Once she got up a good chunk of it up, she slammed it on the table, knocking over her latte, and darted out of there as fast as she could manage.
As she stepped outside, the whole sky was a paler...version of the blue she had seen in the muffin. It seemed to be fading back again into gray that more she stared at it.
What's going on...have I actually met my soulmate?
Silvia continued to stare at the sky in shock as it eventually turned back into the dull gray it had been before.
Ugh, I messed things up! Now I don't even know which one of them it was!
She turned back to peer through to door to find the table.They had all disappeared.
"No.....how can I ever..." Silvia stuttered, letting her hands slide off the glass.
"I had color...for just a moment.." She began to feel tears well up in her eyes as she continued to gaze disappointedly at the empty table.
I saw color. Why couldn't it last?
A small vibration in her jean pocket made her stop in her train of thought as she curiously pulled it out.
A text message.
'Dear Ms. Silvia Shade,
Thank you for contacting me about offering to babysit Marigold for me last weekend. My husband and I are going out for the night tomorrow and we wanted to know if you were available to watch over her for three hours: 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. Please give me your response by tonight.
Sincerely, Mrs. Lilac Tone'
After giving the phone a hard look, she clicked to begin typing in her response message.
