One Final Gloomy Day

Chapter 1: Grey Calls Me Meran

It was a sunny afternoon today. Dad's crops were perfect and lush colored- green leaves and yellow wheat. Ready for harvest. Grey, my younger brother helped my father do work on the farm. Mono, my older brother, was refining the crops they harvested. Lisa, the eldest sister, was cooking us some snacks downstairs. They were all amazing people, I was jealous of that for some reason. Dad was the best person I could be with because he was sweet and understanding of everyone, he was there for us when something was wrong. Lisa was an amazing sister, it was as if she was my mother, my friend, and an amazing person... Mono was a brother who always helped people and was always there for them when everything went wrong. Morally good and a right-hand man. And Grey, Grey was the closest person to me. He goes up to me in the morning to say hello and leaves, he randomly just is there and always there with me trying to make me happy. Grey was the best person I could ever ask for. All of that I thought from staring at them through my bedroom window.

I was someone that I didn't know any good qualities of. I was just that or that. I stood up from the seat by my window and looked at myself in the mirror. Half-naked to show my bare chest. I saw long white hair that plagued against the black ones. Pale brown eyes that didn't shine under sunlight. A thin, skinny, and weak body with arms thin like sticks. It was the complete opposite of my father's and brother's healthy and fit bodies. I let out a long sigh, then grabbed my long-sleeved gray farmer's clothes and put them on to cover myself. I hated how I looked. And after all that, I went to sleep even though it was afternoon.

Even in my sleep, nightmares and thoughts plagued me like a chronic illness. There was no meaning in ever sleeping if I always had nightmares so most of the time I stayed awake lying in bed while trying to suppress those thoughts- but they kept hitting back and I lay on the bed with nothing. This time, I fell asleep and I wanted to. I was awake for days and nights and couldn't rest well. I haven't even eaten anything yet. Even if I count the days since I last ate food I couldn't remember. Six... Seven... Nothing concludes. I think I haven't eaten much in three or so days... Only someone can tell me.

I suddenly felt a warm touch shaking me. I opened my eyes and groaned. I sat up on my bed and turned to see who it was. Skin colored like paper ashes, brilliant blue eyes that reflected under the sun, messy short gray hair swept up to the back of his head, and a smile I hadn't seen for some time, it was Grey shaking me.

"Meran" he teased, "Wake up!" Grey smiled at me so kindly. Then I heard conversations and laughter downstairs.

"It's time to eat." Grey hopped onto my bed and sat with me.

"Go eat with them" I heard a dry and raspy voice from my mouth. "But Meran," he put himself on my back and forcefully put much of his body weight on me.

"We want you there... Ya' know?" He teasefully said, grinning slightly.

"Stop! You're heavy! Where in Dyvoria did you get your meals?!" I winced, trying to support and overcome his weight and the pain aching on my back. Grey shifted his position to one that wouldn't hurt me, he was sitting behind me.

"Meran, I'll stay here if you stay. I'll even eat here if you don't want to eat downstairs." He softly said in a deep voice. I just mumbled "Okay..." Then Grey took my hand and slowly walked both of us downstairs.

My legs were trembling, and I needed a lot of support since I hadn't eaten for days or slept. I could have just held onto the handrails but Grey helped me instead. As we went downstairs, my mind went blank and my body moved and responded like it was on autopilot. An empty mind wasn't blank for me; I was in a deep trance. Thoughts fly like a swarm of vultures. That's the simplest thing I can understand right now. One thought went by, it said that Grey's just pretending to be happy around me. Another one passed, saying that my family is just like the people outside. And then another one and another one until it takes over and my body just stops. That's when I woke up from my trance and found myself eating and laughing with my family. Grey sat beside me. Beside him, Monochro, then Lisa, and our father sat beside me. My father was a tall lean man for his age. His hair was already completely white but he was just fifty-six years old. Grey got his looks from him while Monochro had his eyes and somehow some kind of the same manner my father had. Lisa and I were adopted but that didn't bother us even though we came from different families. Lisa had long brunette hair, a beautiful smile, and an amazing personality, Her eyes somehow resembled the void of space filled with stars in between; It was as if her eyes shined on their own. Lisa was not just my sister- she was my friend and she's a friend that I think I've let down.

I looked at my plate filled with a steaming heap of rice paired with the main dish, giniling menudo. A mix of chopped potatoes, carrots, tomato paste, ground pork, and chopped onions. It was a simple dish made by the ancients, a simple dish that had survived thousands of years of history.

My father noticed my empty eyes and brought up a question. "Miryan, are you okay?" he had concern in his voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I said in a monotone voice, then I scooped a spoonful of the meal and ate slowly. The clattering sounds of the utensils against the porcelain plates slowly grind my ears as tick and tacks from my sibling's plate occupy the broken silence.

"Chori," Lisa spoke and put down her utensils, "This is the first time you ate in four days." I couldn't tell if she was sad or disappointed. Lisa looked at me, my father continued eating, and I noticed my brothers' uncomfortable body language.

"Colly, are you really feeling okay?" Monochro mumbled under his breath.
Grey immediately stood up from his chair and slammed his hands on the table, shocking everyone in the room.

"Meran's not feeling too well right now, We can bring this up some other time." He smiled. Then my head suddenly felt hazy and I felt the world spinning. I put pressure on my forehead yet the dizziness won't go away.

"Meran, are you feeling okay?" Grey held my shoulders.

"I feel dizzy." I stumbled on my words.

"Monochro, prepare your brother's clothes. Lisa, boil some water" My father said as Grey guided me to the bathroom. My legs didn't work at all, it felt so stupid having Grey nearly drag me to the bathroom on the way.

"It's the curse again isn't it?" Grey said in a worried tone.

"Always brewing a curse..." I laughed. I looked at Grey. I swore I saw him give me a worried look before turning back.

"Here we are," Grey said and I immediately ran to the sink to vomit.

"I wish you could eat better," Grey said in a low voice from behind.

"I wish I could too," I washed my face with the water from the faucet and let the water clean the sink.

"Here's the hot water." Lisa brought a kettle into the bathroom. "Mix it with the cold water, it should be lukewarm." Lisa smiled at me, and then she poured the boiling water into the wooden bucket. Grey stepped over and turned on the faucet, letting it pour cold water into the bucket.

"Thank you... I can handle it from here." They left the bathroom and I closed the door. The bathroom was large but it was clean too. I was the one who always cleaned it back then but now it was the others. I looked at the mirror near the bathroom door. I wish I could eat better too, Grey.

I took off my clothes and bathed myself in the lukewarm water and the fragrant soap. It was supposed to calm me but that did nothing. I remembered how my family smiled and helped me. That was something I'd never let go yet my mind somehow hated those memories.
I went out of the shower and quietly went upstairs to change my clothes. The warm yellow fluorescent lights set an atmosphere that made people want to sleep. It was eight-forty-five into the evening, the time when my family usually gets ready to sleep. I entered my room and shut the door quietly. It was clean unlike when I left it earlier. I heard two knocks on my door, a small Dyvorian that when someone knocked on your door two times they only wanted you to listen.

"I-uhm.." I heard Monochro's voice from the other side. "Cleaned it for you..." his voice shook. "I just want you to be okay." Then Monochro went away from the door.

"G'night Miryan" It was Father who said that behind my door. I nearly cried. Those words gave me some sort of feeling I couldn't understand.

Three knocks on my door, "Meran?" It was Grey. "Wait!" I shouted. I quickly changed into the clothes Monochro put on my bed. A plaid pair of pajamas and yet another one of my gray shirts.
I opened the door and I saw Grey now in his blue colored pajamas.

"Can I talk to you for a min'?" he asked. "Okay." I weakly replied. Grey went into my room and sat on my gray bed. I sat beside him. Grey's legs were swinging back and forth on the edge of the bed, his arms were tense, and his hair was all messy so it looked longer than it was in the morning and afternoon.

"So..." Grey hummed, "Do you wanna go on a picnic tomorrow? By the beach at the fishing town?" Grey looked at me with his diamond-blue eyes. There was a long silence before I could think of anything to respond. The moonlight shone through my window and the air from outside brought in a cool breeze into the room.

"Um," I hummed, "Sure."

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