Beyond Blue (ON HOLD)

Chapter 1

"You're drunk."
"I'm still sober enough to kill you, darling, so don't push your luck."

I rolled my eyes and pointed Blue 45 in the direction of my car. I put my arm around his waist and supported his weight as we hobbled to my white Toyota. The winter air smelled like pine and cinnamon. I don't care how much the rest of the Blue's complain about the constant winter season or the cold, but I love it. As we walked, our shoes tapped on the cool stone path.

Blue 45's head drooped down, I could smell the alcohol on his breath. His ashy blonde hair was damp with sweat and his blue eyes were tired. As we arrived at my car Blue 45 started to mumble. "You know I love you darling." he said, slurring his words. "Mhm, time to sleep." I said, helping him into my car. "Let me hear you sing!" Blue 45 responded, waving his hand at a woman passing by. "Sh! Stop drawing attention to yourself! If they think something is wrong with you they will take you and our whole village!" I said,  getting angry. Why couldn't he be safer? He's my best friend. He should know how much I worry about someone slipping up and me getting dragged into it. As my thoughts spiralled I noticed Blue 45 had fallen asleep. I edged him further into the car, and covered him in a pale blue woollen blanket. He moved around a bit then sat still. I closed the door as softly as I could so I didn't wake him up. I sighed a breath of relief that no one had noticed the drunk 17 year old.

It was still illegal for him to drink, yet this happens at least once a week. It's almost as though he wants our village to be taken for testing and punishment.

I tiptoed to the driver's seat and got in my car. The police in our village are very strict, but so are the ones in others in the Blue's land. I put my key in and started the car.

45 lived in the opposite direction of me but I needed to make sure he got home safely and discreetly. If something illegal, or out of the ordinary happens, they'll know. By them I mean the government.
They. Control. All.

I passed by a dimly lit sign. The pine wood was chipped and the fairy lights illuminating it had a few bulbs missing, but I could read it fine. "Welcome to Area Blue." It read. Yeah, welcome to you too.
.  .   .
Area blue means area of the blue eyed. In this country, everybody is separated by eye colour. So from the time you are born to the time you die, you will never see anybody who doesn't look like you. We all look similar. Pale skin, blonde hair, blue eyes. If you have blue eyes but, for example, dark hair you will be killed. According to the books in the libraries we are a beauty standard. I would think I was a beauty standard if I didn't see myself in the rest of the people living here.

We all have our differences, washed out blue eyes, grey blue eyes. Platinum blonde or yellow blonde. Pale as a ghost or light and rosy. I've always wondered what the Green's look like. Or the brown eyed. No one in Area Blue  has seen any other colour. We don't know anything about other colours. All the books are written by Blues. Everything in this town is made by Blues. All babies are born in private. If a baby has any other eye colour than the area they're in they will be shipped off. I've never heard of that happening to any of the Blues but they keep that stuff quiet.

None of us have true names. Everyone's name is Blue with a number. I'm Blue 43. My best friend, Blue 45's number is higher than mine because he is a little older. I am not Blue 44 because there is one person older than me but younger than 45. I never really minded how things worked in our society but I have always wanted a name that was MINE and not similar to anyone else's.

It took me a little over 10 minutes to reach Blue 45's house. I helped him out of the car to his front door. His mom answered when I knocked on his pale grey door. "Where the hell have you been 45!" She whispered. Then she saw me. "Is he drunk?" she said softly so no one would hear. I nodded in response. She sighed a sigh of frustration. "You know I would scold him but he wouldn't remember it in the morning." I held back a laugh, when 45 gets drunk he does not remember anything. She told me to come in to get out of the cold. "Okay you just make yourself comfortable and I will put him to bed." She said, as I sat down on their couch.