The Color of Your Eyes

Chapter 1

I sit on my bed staring blankly at my World History book. Not taking in anything, just staring. My mind wanders like this a lot, when I'm at school when I'm eating, even when I'm practicing piano. Not taking in anything, it's like my brain has an autopilot mode.

I can feel the warm afternoon sun beating down on my bedroom window. Warm April sun shining just as if it were July. Hot. But it's expected on a dry late afternoon like this.

I should probably start this out by introducing myself.

My name is Natalie. I like volleyball and musical theatre. I enjoy blackberries, bicycling, classical music, and birds. I hate oranges, pickles, and rom-com's. I have three siblings and a pet bird.

Oh yeah, and I'm colorblind.

Before you all gasp in shock and ask a million questions about what it's like to be color blind. Stop. Just stop. What do you think this story is for?

I finally come out of my autopilot coma and blink. How long have I been gazing off into deep space? I look back down at the textbook I'm supposed to be reading. Only six pages left until the end of the chapter, but I'm obviously not intrigued so I get out of bed.

It's one of those lazy late afternoons when the house is quiet and still.

I pass Lyla's room. She's sitting on her bed writing in her diary. She got that thing for her last birthday and has been obsessed with it since. I was given one when I was her age but never found interest like her.

I walk downstairs into the living room and my mom is focused on her laptop typing very fast. I assume she's writing a letter to my dad but I have no idea.

Parker is sitting at the dining room table hunched over his homework. He looks up at me and doesn't say a word. I sit on the piano bench and I don't bother taking out sheet music, I just play a song by heart.

As my fingers move swiftly as if they have a mind of their own, I close my eyes. And all of my black and white world goes away. The beautiful sounds fill my ears and I feel light as if gravity has no effect on me.

Eventually, I have to open my eyes. I notice Mom staring at me. A small smile on her face. As she does whenever I play just for fun, without being told.

"Did you finish your chapter?" She asks.

"Not yet," I say "I was dozing off so I took a break."

I hop up from the piano and grab an apple from the kitchen. Then I slip upstairs to my room without another word.

I have to finish a certain amount of homework before I can do anything fun so I pick up my book again this time actually reading.

Now you probably want an explanation about my condition.

Most colorblindness is just not being able to distinguish between certain colors, like red and green. But I have what is called achromatopsia. It is an extremely rare form of CVD (color vision deficiency) where the word colorblind actually applies. 10% of men have CVD and only 0.5% of women have CVD. Achromatopsia is so extremely rare only one of every 33,000 people have it. So that makes me some colorblind collector's item.

But enough about that boring stuff.

I finish my book about half an hour later and go tell my mom. She asks a brief explanation of the chapter, to prove my honesty and then granted me permission to my phone.

"It's on my bedside table." She says turning back to her laptop.

I run upstairs to grab it and when I turn it on I have a single message from Jake two hours ago asking if I could come over to his house.

I jump back down the stairs and ask if I can go to his house.

This isn't any new thing, I've been best friends with Jake for nearly six years now.

"Alright," Mom says. "But I want you to take homework with you and be back by 6:30."

I nod, I head to my room, grab my school bag and my glasses- They are special glasses that help me handle bright lights. My eyes are sensitive to bright lights and so I wear them whenever I go outside. I don't wear them as much anymore but today is an especially bright day- then head out the door.

Jake doesn't live right next to me or anything but he lives less than five minutes away. I walk slowly not in a rush, the glasses really do help a lot. I used to be way more sensitive to light. When I was six I had a really bad migraine and always got headaches and it was not fun. I instantly got a prescription for glasses to help my eyes see in the daylight. That is what we call Photophobia.

I look at all the different shades of the houses. Some seem so stark white I think they just coated the entire thing in white. Maybe they did, I'd never know. My eyes aren't the most reliable of sources.

As I arrive in front of Jake's house I realize it's light-colored and has a dark roof. It also has a very dark door.

I've never paid much attention to it before but for some reason now I am.

I knock four times and then I hear the shuffling of feet behind the door. The door creaks open and a girl, thirteen, pokes her head out.

"Hi, Nat!" Anna smiles. "I thought you wouldn't be able to come!"

Anna is Jake's younger sister. He has two sisters, Jordan and Anna, Jordan is 19 and at college in Washington and Anna is Lyla's age, but her and Lyla aren't as close as me and Jake.

"Jake's in his room," Anna tells me.

I nod, and head over to his room. I don't enter right away instead, I knock four times knowing he'll understand.

The door flies open.

"Excited to see me?" I ask with a small smirk.

"Two hours" Jake mumbles. But I can see his teasing smile. I play along.

"I just wanted to keep you waiting," I say mischievously.

"Well you can continue to keep me waiting or you can come in," he says extending his arm out indicating for me to enter his room.

"I think I will," I say haughtily. And I sit like a lady on his bed where I always sit. "What did you need me so desperately for?" I ask keeping up the playful air.

Jake didn't respond he just held up a drawing, that was very well done I might add, of a Jell-O. It had arms and was in a waving position. It had a speech bubble that said "Jello!" instead of hello. It was so random I burst out laughing.

Jake lets out a laugh as well, "I just drew this when I got home."

"Why?" I ask, still laughing.

"I don't know," He shrugs. "Why do I draw anything I draw? It just comes to me. It's called ✨Inspiration✨"

I raise my eyebrows. "Never heard of it. I just sit and stare at the wall all day, it's awful."

"Sounds like a personal problem," Jake says indifferently.

"You're the worst," I say.

"Aww, I love you too Nat."

I laugh. Then don't say anything for a second. Because I know I want to change the subject but I don't know how.

One of my favorite things about Jake is the way he describes colors. I've never seen them myself, but hearing Jake describe them almost makes my condition go away.

So I try to think of a subtle way to change the subject. "What color is your house?"

So subtle.