Colorblind (The Soul Light Chronicles)

by Aaron Slade

  I kept my composure with a stiff back and forced a stoic expression on my way to the nurse’s office. If I ran into Dad, there would be trouble, followed by an investigation into my blistering injury. But I was more focused on hiding the situation from Evee. I opened the door to the office, and both secretaries raised their heads in my direction. Dad’s office door was closed. I might get away with this!

  “Who do you need to see, Casper?” Mrs. Powers asked. Her wrinkled eyes examined me for injuries as if she knew why I was there. “Do you need the nurse or your dad?”

  “Just the nurse,” I said. There was no need to involve Dad in this.

  Over the years, the nurse had become increasingly more aware of me due to the extra attention Randy and his friends gave me. If I had been counting all these years, I would venture to guess that this was one of about four dozen burns. I knocked on the door and put my ear up close to hear the nurse give permission to enter. I heard her muffled response through the wood and walked in to greet her.

  As she finished writing something on a notepad, I examined the cold, white room gleaming with the silver of metal instruments and supplies. There were models and diagrams of the human body hanging on the walls, and even a medical-themed calendar featuring a picture of several red blood cells under a microscope. Finally, she shifted her attention to me.

  “What’d they do to you this time, Casper?” she asked, completely unsurprised to see me. She was young and pretty– about ten years older than me. Most guys in the school were in love with her. She had a type of sympathy as if she remembered all too well what high school had been like.

  “Just a burn in chemistry, Mrs. Rebecca. Nothing to worry about,” I told her in my most convincing tone. I turned around, pointing to the back of my neck, doing my best to keep my shirt collar from touching the raw skin.

  I felt her eyes examine the burn, hoping she would believe the lie. She was the type that would tell Dad if she thought it best. I couldn’t count the times I’d begged her not to tell him about an injury. I turned back around. The sultry look on her face didn’t compliment her tan skin and hazel eyes.

  “Casper, you took chemistry last year… and this burn looks like fingers. I would love to know what lab instrument burned you in the shape of a human hand.”

  “Believe me, it was no human,” I chided.

  “Casper!”

  There were a few moments of silence and it became clear that I was the one who was going to have to break it.

  “Fine, you win,” I surrendered. “It was the Dragon formerly known as Randy.” Why did she have to ask questions? In a way, I knew it meant she cared, but all the caring in the land wouldn’t get rid of the target on my forehead.

  Mrs. Rebecca huffed, letting out a deep breath, and then she walked toward me to examine the burn closer, cursing Randy in small whispers under her breath. She felt sorry for me– no, it was more than that. She pitied me. It was all over her face, especially in her soft eyes. And I hated it.

  “Do you want me to talk to your father?” she asked.

  “NO! It will be fine - I’ll be fine. Promise! Just give me a quick fix and I’ll be on my way.”

  She went over to the cabinet in her crowded office and pulled out a white, toothpaste-like container. She put on her latex gloves and squeezed it. The red paste oozed out. I’d become all too familiar with the medical remedy over the years. Regeneration Cream didn’t smell and it certainly didn’t hurt the wound at all. As she rubbed the paste into the burn, I felt a cooling sensation and my skin returned to normal temperature as the pain completely numbed. All healed.

  “Do you need more of this stuff?” Mrs. Rebecca asked with a soft smile on her face.

  “Yeah,” I said. “I’m almost out. I’ve had to use a lot this month.”

  “I’ll make more tonight and give it to you next week,” she said.

  Her body could regenerate any wound, which made her blood incredibly valuable. Minimal amounts of her blood were used in medical supplies and could heal certain afflictions. The Military compensated people like her for their blood. I always needed the Regeneration Cream.

  I kept hoping word of Randy’s attack wouldn’t reach Evee’s ears, but I knew gossip traveled fast in high school, especially when it concerned me. I feared how Evee would react to the news. Would it scare her away? Violence and hate surrounded me– followed me– and I couldn’t imagine Evee would want to take the risk of being associated with me. I was one day away from my first date, which meant Evee still had plenty of time to cancel. I reminded myself that Evee was brave and confident in ways that I was not. She wouldn’t cancel on me… at least I hoped she wouldn’t.

  “All done,” Mrs. Rebecca said.

  “Thanks,” I said as I got up and exited the office. “And thanks for not talking to my dad.”

  She didn’t say anything to me as I left, but I could feel her eyes watching me as I walked out the door. I sped out of the office quickly, exiting into the hallway thankful that I managed to avoid Dad. I wanted today to go smoothly.

  Usually, when Randy attacked me, I spent the rest of the day trying to convince myself that I wasn’t a freak, but that didn’t plague my thoughts this time. My date with Evee kept my focus on something positive in the immediate future. I’d spent so much time anticipating the dread in my future, I never considered the possibility of something good. Evee was a reason to go to bed early just so our date would come faster.

  Evee:

  I’d had a few sleepovers in my life, but Dad always insisted that I always have them instead of go to them. Sara invited me to spend the night with her for my first overnight away from home. Dad said yes instantly. He knew he’d betrayed my trust with Zana. It was almost like Dad wanted me out of the house while Zana was there, but I knew he just wanted me out of the way.

  Sara and I locked ourselves in her room, watching a handful of movies Casper lent me: Some Like it Hot and Gentleman Prefer Blondes. “Classics!” he’d said. Both featured the same beautiful blonde actress who had incredible allure and charisma. He said they were all in a genre commonly known as chick flicks, meaning that they were mostly for girls. I almost underestimated his expertise when I asked him for advice on movies without scary monsters or loud explosions. I began to understand that he’d seen enough movies to make my head spin.

  Sara’s room was meticulously put together like several of the exhibits at the museum. Some of the projects from the museum were in her room, including a broken figurine and the ripped portrait of the old president set up on an easel. Her shelves were ordered and crowded with books, while her walls featured homemade pieces of art. Sara had neglected to tell me she practiced calligraphy. Painted on the walls in the most elegant cursive were several quotes, mathematical formulas, and symbols by Sara’s own hand. I read the words above her bed:

  “Concern for man and his fate must always form the chief interest of all technical endeavors. Never forget this in the midst of your diagrams and equations.”

  --Albert Einstein.

  Sara made all her final alterations on the dress for my date, and the two of us admired the gorgeous gown hanging empty on its hanger as the movie broke into a musical number.

  “Is this dress too much?” I asked, sitting on the carpet in front of the television. “I think it’s too much.” Doubt drenched my voice.

  “It’s superb,” Sara said, lying next to me. “A dress like that needs a night out!”

  “I need a night out,” I said. “I’m glad you and I can have a girls’ night.”

  “It’s my first,” Sara confessed. “All my friends have been boys until you.”

  I couldn’t believe Sara never made friends with other girls, but I realized, other than Sara, I hadn’t made friends with any other girls either. Girls at Fallon High acted snobby and smug. I understood why she hung out with Seth, Adam, and Casper.

  “Do you think I’m a tomboy?” Sara asked, sitting up slightly.

  I’d began to notice that, like Cas
per, Sara had major insecurities. “Yes,” I answered deliberately. “But so am I! I was raised alone by my dad surround by mostly male soldiers. There’s nothing wrong with being a tomboy.”

  She attempted a pleasant expression. “It never really hit me until this year that I wanted more girl friends… or at least one girl friend. The guys are great, but sometimes I don’t think they realize I’m a girl. It’s stifled our conversation tremendously this last year.”

  “Which one of the boys are you closest to?” I asked.

  “Probably… Seth,” she answered. “Adam and Casper have always been a pair, and that’s forced Seth and me to become more acquainted over the years.”

  I thought about Seth an instantly felt pity. “Seth’s EHT is so… I don’t know the word.”

  “Dark?” Sara suggested.

  “Yeah,” I agreed. Seth would live longer than any of us, and I thought about how lonely his life was going to be.

  Sara’s eyes saddened as if she was having the same thought. She broke the silence. “Seth is about the only person I feel sorrier for than Casper sometimes.”

  “Why?”

  “Well, because of his ability, he goes to therapy every other week to talk about his depression.” Sara took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes. “And his dad walked out on him and his mom before Seth was born. Said he wanted more out of life than Fallon had to offer. The town still gossips about it. Anything scandalous seems to linger here. According to my parents, Seth’s mom has been kind of bitter ever sense, but Seth is her whole life. She’s suffocated him a little, but only because she loves him.”

  I never knew Seth had to go to therapy or that he was depressed. He hid it well, and he always smiled when he was around me. But I believed Sara knew what she was talking about. I guessed that Seth could be happy when he was around his friends, but that reality caught up with him when he was alone.

  “Do you wish you could have made more girl friends over the years?” I asked.

  “Actually, no,” Sara said bluntly. “Most of the people that don’t like me at school, I’m not particularly fond of them either. Casper, Adam, and Seth are fun because they’re smart and funny… and moral. They talk about philosophy and history– you know, intelligent conversation. Not like the twins, Kristy and Kelly. All they think about are boys and ways to insult other girls.”

  I stuck out my tongue in disgust when she mentioned the twins. “Kristy and Kelly always stare at me. Especially in first period history when they see me with Casper.”

  “They make fun of my hair a lot,” Sara said. She had stringy hair pulled back into a loose ponytail– the same as usual. It was mostly straight, but a little frizzy around the ears where her glasses rested. “I don’t know how to style it, so I just always pull it back.”

  I peered at her through skeptic eyes. “Let me get this straight… you can repair dresses, write in calligraphy, and restore an ancient portrait of some guy, but you can’t style your own hair?”

  “I just don’t care about things like that, so I’ve never learned or tried. I always thought people would pick on me more if I all of a sudden changed my looks.”

  “Well, if you ever decide you do care, I’d be happy to help you style it.”

  “Maybe,” Sara said. “I have been thinking of losing my glasses and replacing them with something called contact lenses. I’ve been reading about them in Dr. Miller’s book, Forgotten Technologies.” Sara picked up the book next to her and hugged it. “I wish I could meet Dr. Miller… but anyway, I think I could make these contacts if I can calculate the precise angle, shape, and power to match my eyesight.”

  “These things go in your eyes?” I asked.

  Sara nodded.

  “No thank you!” I said. The thought made me shudder, and my eyes felt scratchy.

  “They’re perfectly safe,” Sara claimed. “That might be a good project after I finish restoring Mr. Jefferson.” She pointed towards the portrait canvas with the missing eyes. “I think I would feel more confident without my glasses… like you!”

  “If I were you, I’d be the most confident girl in school,” I said. “You’re without a doubt, the smartest person at Fallon High. You’ve got a successful future that others can only dream of.”

  Sara nodded, smiling. “There are twenty-eight brains at school, and out of all of them I have the highest IQ.”

  “That’s bragging rights! And grounds for killer confidence.”

  Sara’s grin faded. “I have confidence in my intelligence… just not in myself. What do you do when you hear girls talk about you behind your back?”

  I didn’t know how to answer. My heart hurt for Sara, who was too sweet for anyone to dislike. Not many girls had ever treated me like that. “I’d stick up for myself. Confidence comes from being brave enough to protect your integrity.”

  “Like fighting?” Sara asked eagerly, making fists.

  “No,” I answered. “I mean showing other people that you’re too strong to let their words get you down. Be proud of who you are and believe in yourself. You’re every bit as amazing and great as everyone else in that school. One day you’re going to look back and wish you’d been braver.” When I finished talking, I needed to catch my breath.

  “Your speech sounds a little rehearsed,” Sara teased.

  A few giggles escaped my mouth. “Yeah, I have to tell Casper stuff like that a lot! But I mean every word.”

  “Speaking of Casper,” Sara said, “the big date is tomorrow. Nervous?”

  “I’m not nervous, but I’m afraid tomorrow could change things for Casper and me.”

  “Change things how?”

  I focused on the movie, admiring the black and white picture of the blond lady. She lived in a different time, an easier time, I thought, where extra-human traits didn’t determine lives.

  “Casper expects me to show him my ability tomorrow,” I said.

  “So?”

  “Well… so far it’s been like we’re both human. Once my ability is out of the bag, I’m afraid he won’t think of us as equals any more. He puts himself down so easily.”

  “I think things will be fine,” Sara said. “Casper is more than aware that you’re not human. I think the mystery of your ability is torturing him anyway.”

  Talking to Sara made me feel better. “I’m sure you’re right.” I concentrated on the blonde actress again, checking the chip’s case for her name: Marilyn Monroe. She was beautiful.

  “Are you really going to wait to show me your EHT?” Sara asked. The curiosity on her face was overwhelming. She’d asked me about it every day since my first. “There’s no rule that dictates that you have to tell the boyfriend first.”

  “He’s not my boyfriend… yet.” I couldn’t help but grin. Casper would probably be my boyfriend soon, but knowing him, I’d be the one to make it official.

  “Tell me,” Sara urged. Her eyes grew bigger with her intrigue.

  “Fine,” I said. “But don’t say a word to anyone until Casper finds out tomorrow. Promise?”

  “I promise,” Sara said. She drew an X over her heart with her finger.

  “Don’t get too excited… it’s really not that interesting.” I closed my eyes, concentrating hard, and when I opened them, Sara gawked at me with her mouth hanging wide open.

  “Wow!”

  DATE

  Casper:

  A part of me felt ridiculous in the tuxedo. My instincts told me not to wear something that would make me stand out so extravagantly. I didn’t want to be the focus of anyone other than Evee.

  I never thought I would have a date in high school, but I was completely dressed and ready and still over an hour away from meeting Evee at Carson Lake. I knew enough about first dates to know they usually ended in a kiss, but this didn’t feel like most first dates. Evee refused my offer to drive her tonight even though the Military Base was on the way to Carson Lake. I decided to have Adam teleport me to the restaurant to save me the half-hour drive.

  “Gir
ls like confidence,” he reassured me every time I started to doubt myself. I found it easier to be confident around Evee, but there were still plenty of ways for this date to go wrong.

  Adam and I sat on the deck outside my house enjoying the cooler evening air as the sun set. Adam lay in the hammock and I sat across the deck in a chair– our usual spots. Adam was unusually silent and preoccupied, but he’d been really supportive all afternoon. He had dark bags under his eyes, and looked exhausted.

  “I don’t want to ruin your evening, but I need to talk to you about something,” Adam said.

  “What?” I’d known for a while that something wasn’t right with Adam.

  He breathed deep, staring at the ground. “I’m not going to the University next year,” he said. He waited until he was done speaking to make eye contact.

  I felt stunned and partially insulted. Adam and I had worked since our freshmen year to be accepted into universities. Even though I wasn’t accepted, I was happy that Adam would still be attending. He could teleport back to Fallon whenever he wanted and I could even help him with his school work. It was sad, but I’d planned to live my college fantasies vicariously through Adam since I couldn’t go.

  “How can you not go?” I asked.

  “The night I was accepted to go study at the University, a woman talked to me after the Honors Banquet. She had Military escorts, but she claimed she wasn’t affiliated with the Military. She said she was a recruiter, and she offered me a job. She said the position was to be a part of some elite group that operates above the Military. She said since I could teleport other people my ability would be useful. I’m the only extra-human on record than can teleport someone other than myself.”