Painted Skies||Chapter One

Ok guys, this is pretty bold of me since I have taken that my first drafts are HORRID. I'm sharing with you my new story that was inspired by playing around with Pic-Monkey (LOL). The title will be/is Painted Skies. There. I've said it. And, please, please be reminded that this is a first draft and it is horrible. Horrible. HORRIBLE. Plus, I'm, still playing around with it in my mind, so be warned if it is confusing. ;) Ok, enough of me blabbering of how awful it's going to be...

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Chapter One

  How could he? Why did he? He swore years ago to stand by my side through the hard times. I don’t see why this once he should disown me.

  I wept as he walked away. The man I had once loved. The man that had swore to stay by me. The man that had been so good to me--until this evening.

  “Jose,” I reached out a hand toward the disappearing figure, one that not only disappeared from my sight that night, but from my life.

  I looked up to the colorless sky. How wonderfully blue it would be if this had been a any normal day six years ago--but of course, I have gotten used to the new normal.

  The girl to my right who pays no attention to me should have red hair, green eyes, and tan skin. But the paleness of her skin does not belong to a child.

  Once glance at the girl’s colorless hair gave me another pang of guilt. It was my fault that this girl had no color, that the sky was not a rich blue, that all of Maxter was colorless--all except me.

  I yanked on one of the green dreadlocks, curse the wretched things. I took one more look at the little girl next to me and I can see that her true color is blue.

 Blue. The very best of colors to be. Loyal. Trustworthy. Smart. Calm. Faithful. Natural. Stable. Powerful. I had thought Jose the same.

 I sat but a moment longer, watching the girl run to her mobia, the one that had birthed her. How I wished I knew who my mobia had been. How I wish I could be loved and known again--instead of silent, unwanted, and invisible.

 When it was finally time, I stood up and strolled out of the park, glancing back but a few times at my colorless world.

  Never before had my walk seemed so long. As I passed people, I tried to develop his or her color.

  But the conversation was what caught my mind.

  “Curse her family name and whoever birthed the wretched creature that crawled the face of our world.” A villager waved his cane in the air.

  “Agreed, my friend. If only we knew who the woman was.” The villager’s friend’s nose crinkled.

  I need not ask the question of whom they were referring to, for they must be talking of me.

 “Catrinity Kalcaster shall never take a step into this city of ours if I have a say in it,” The villager with the cane muttered loud enough for everyone to hear.

  A smile teased the corner of my mouth, little did the man know how close I really was.

  I looked around at my room, where I hid glorious colorful things. If one took a step into this room, their eyes would be opened, and they would see what glory was hid from them.

  The sigh had escaped me before it could be properly done away with. How could I have been so silly that one night? It was all my fault that this world was hidden away from me. My fault.

  “There’s still one person that accepts you, Catrinity,”

  I turned to see my friend Manic.

  “Two, Manic,” Karina stepped from beside the curtains.

  I smile turned my mouth upwards, but tears slid down my cheeks.

  “What happened today, Catrinity?” Karina laid her hand on my shoulder.

  I turned away from all I had left in this world. “Nothing that should crush your spirits as well,”

 “Catrinity, you do not know how we must feel, for we were in it more than you were, my friend.” Manic whispered.

  “Guys, we had all been in it together.” I shook off Karina’s hand. “I went outside today,”

  The two gasps bit into me.

  “Catrinity, you must know that you aren’t allowed to go out there. If Jose had seen you,”

  “Jose never comes out of his oh so important place anymore,” I snapped pushing out the picture of my past friend.

  “What if he had, Catrinity? He’s the only one that can see us, the only one that can imagine what color feels like. He can still hope, love, and suffer, Catrinity, please don’t do it again,” Karina grasped my forearm.

  “Karina, I know that you are only trying to look out for me, but I must go out into my world, as if it had been a normal day--”

 “Catrinity, a normal day six years ago. You cannot still live in the past, friend, you must move forward.” Manic kneeled to the ground.

  “Move forward, to a world where I don’t exist? To a world where there is no color, hope, love, or suffering? Manic, get real, we would all rather roll in the past than move to the now.” I stood, ready to kick my friend.

  “Catrinity, I know that you are ready to kick me if I say but a word more. But, please, listen to us, don’t go out there again. We are only trying to protect you from what is out there,” Manic crossed his legs and closed his eyes.

   I looked from Karina’s blue eyes to Manic’s red ones. I clenched my jaw.

 “Fine, my friends, but if I feel one little urge to escape my misery, I will go outside--out in that colorless world that we caused.”

  “Yes, Catrinity, but run for safety whenever Jose comes in sight, run for all you are worth, my friend,” Manic stared at me, reading my thoughts.

 “Manic, you cannot foretell the future and you cannot tell me to stay away from the one I love,” I clenched my fists, kicking the dirt.

 “But I can foretell the future, and I don’t want to tell of what is to come. I am scared for you, my friend,” Karina whispered, her face turning as pale as the children outside.

  I looked from each friend, and then to the glowing fire. If only I was able to throw my life away in the fire. To see all of my suffering done away with. But, I couldn’t, I was still able to hope, I could still love one, I could still see the color in one’s body.

  It will get better, I told myself. It will get better--it must get better

  There was the same little girl I had seen two weeks ago, the one that was the color blue, but couldn’t show it.

  I stared at the girl, who seemed to be staring back at me, though I knew that she couldn’t see me, that she was looking to whoever was behind me.

  The girl smiled, and I could only wish that it was at me.

  I saw Karina stare at me this morning, her face still pale as this little girl’s, her blue eyes still empty of their sparkle, and her hair knotted and tangled.

  She must have caught something--a sickness perhaps.

  I stiffened. What if it was that sickness that I had seen many die from--but there was no suffering, so one could not feel it. Karina would be able to feel it for she could suffer, but she could also hope for an end.

  The feeling of the little girl running through me saddened me all the more. I looked behind me, to see who she had seen. It was the girl’s mobia, of course, but this time I saw that her father was there as well.

   Everything disappeared from my mind when I took notice to who the father actually was. Jose.

   I froze in place, everything drained out of my mind at the sight of Jose. Everything. Even the fact that I should run.

   Jose took three strides before he was one foot away from me. He looked down at me, I ducked my head so all he could see was the green dreadlocks.

   But instead of what I had expected of him, to hit me, kick me, curse me, he wrapped me into a hug. A read hug. One that I had missed for six long years.

   “Come home--to my house,” Jose said, pulling away from the hug.

   “I can’t,” I shook my head.

   A frown crossed his face, “Why not?” The harsh voice he had used six years ago returned.

   “I have friends who need me, friends who love me, who take care of me, who look out for me, friends that hope and dream with me.” My instincts came back, I should be running away from this man.

   “When I can do the same with you, Trinity?” Jose tucked one dreadlock behind me ear.

   “And when you might get rid of me again?” I flinched from his touch.

  “I regret what I did, Catrinity, I have been looking for you for three years. I was too afraid to do anything for the first three years.” Jose grabbed my shoulder.

   “I don’t believe that,” I clenched my jaw.

   “You don’t believe your old friend?” A pain entered Jose’s eyes, but I knew better.

   “I shouldn’t have believed him when he said he’d always be there for me.” I wrenched away from his touch. “You have a family now, go on with them.”

    “They aren’t my family, those are my brother’s children.”

    “Why do I not believe you?” I rolled my eyes.

   Jose was silent. Not speaking a word.

   I wondered how weird this was for his ‘nieces’, watching Jose flame up at nothing.

  Finally I just left him standing there, silent. I hurried to the house, passing people talking, whispering, and muttering over my “disappearance” six years ago.

  Bursting in the house, tripping over Manic was the least of my troubles.

  “Catrinity, where have you been?” Manic threw his arms at me.

  “Outside, in the park,” I groaned picking myself up off the dirt floor.

  “Did you see anyone that could see you, Catrinity?” Manic read my mind, sinking into agony.

  “Yes, I did, I’m sorry,” I felt broken in two, my friend--if he still was my friend--would no longer trust me.

  “Catrinity, I told you that if Jose ever came into view, that you should run--friend, why didn’t you?” Manic lowered his voice and rested his hand on my shoulder.

  I bit my upper lip.

  “It must be hard to run when someone grabs you from behind--I’m sorry for taking it so hard on you,” Manic looked into my eyes.

   The thought crossed my mind how I had really talked to my old friend--but I quickly chased it off, hoping Manic hadn’t read it.

    My hope disappeared when Manic’s face fell and his red eyes blazed.

  But no words were said, he simply pushed past me and walked towards his room.

  Of course I wondered if that really was the end to my friendship with him.

   “C-Catrinity, are you alright?” Karina stepped into the hall.

  I nodded, hoping that my future did not look as bad as it seemed to be in Karina’s face.

  

  Lying in bed that night, I thought about Jose’s offer. If he had done that a year ago, I would’ve grabbed at the opportunity. But in this last year, how I’ve learned so much about friendship, how important it is. Karina, Manic, and I have been into several fights before. But in the end, they had only broughten us closer together.

  I thought about when I had first seen Manic and Karina. It was almost seven years ago, he had been lying flat on his back in a ditch, unconscious. Blood caked his lips, forearms, and legs. I thought him dead at a glance, but I wandered closer and closer until I was towering over the moveless body.

   Crying, moaning came from somewhere nearby. I turned in a full circle before I saw the hunched over figure to the edge of the ditch.

  “I saw this coming, Manic, I told you, why didn’t you listen?” the girl shook with tears.

  “Girl,” I had laid my hand on the girl’s shoulder, “who is this?”

  Karina then looked up, her blue eyes shattering with tears, “Th-this is my good cousin, he always was like my big brother, but her never listened to me,”

  “Why does he lay like this?” I had asked, kneeling beside her.

  “He was in a fight--one to the death, his opponent think him dead.” Tear rolled down Karina’s face.

  “He’s only unconscious then?” I asked, hope flickering through my chest, glancing at the figure.

  Karina nodded.

  “Well, that is good then, come, we’ll take him to my house, then we’ll clean him up a bit,” One look at the muscular boy made me wish that I had thought to ask Jose to come on the walk with me.

  “We would never be able to carry him, girl, you ought to be insane!” Karina had looked like she was ready to kill me if I touched her cousin.

   “I’m sorry, I only want to help,” My hands dug their way in my pockets.

  “No, no, the future says that he is to get infected, that it will be all his idea when our world loses color,” Karina’s eyelids had been covering her shining blue eyes.

   I might have laughed at her if the seriousness that had been stuck to her face hadn’t been there--but never did I truly believe her, until it happened.

   We finally had managed to make our way to my house carrying the big guy.

   A groan finally had been heard after many hours of lost sleep.

  “He’s coming to,” The whisper had tickled my ear.

  The figure that I had brought into my house rolled to lie on his stomach, groaning all the while.

  “What’s his name?” I had stood and walked over to the giant’s side.

  “Malcastor Halc, Manic.” Karina touched her cousin’s arm.

  “Manic,” I whispered, “Wake up, it’s alright, you aren’t going to be hurt anymore.”

  The figure opened his eyes and rolled back over to his back. He looked straight at the dirt ceiling of my home, but made no move anymore.

   “Wh-where am I?” The question hung in the room.

  I finally answered him in a whisper, “My house,”

  “Whose house?” His voice went to the next notch in anger.

  “Kalcastor Tally, Catrinity.” I replied in an even voice.

  “Catrinity, where is my cousin? Who are you? Why do you have me?” He had taken it yet another notch.

  “Manic, Manic, I’m right here, thank the good heavens above that you are alive and well,” Karina knelt beside her cousin.

   “You’re ok, you know the future, am I to die? Will he come back to get me?” Manic’s skin turned a pale color again.

   Karina shook her head, “He is not coming back, cousin, but we all  must die one day,”

  “Are you saying that I shall die soon?” The shiver was everything but obvious.

  “Not today and not tomorrow, but I am forbidden to tell beyond that, my cousin, otherwise, I will lose my ability.”

  And then I brought myself back to today. I knew Karina. I knew Manic. We all lived in my house. I knew Karina had the power to foresee the future and Manic had the power to read one’s mind. We were all friends, we could still hope, love, and suffer, plus, we were all still alive.

  At least for another night.