Spectrum

chapter one

i'm supposed to be pure.

no swearing. no drinking. no disobeying, nor disrespecting those of an age older than mine, 17. no sex. no love. no emotions. because that's what people of the Ivory community are supposed to be. pure.

my mom displays pureness with ease. from her flawlessly trimmed jet black hair that falls effortlessly to her shoulders, to her makeup that accentuates her features in the most gorgeous way. she is a beautiful woman. everything about her is mature besides her perfectly rounded nose. everything about her is pure. i lust for her perfection.

sometimes i ponder how i'm even her daughter. from my sloppy dirty-blonde hair with more waves than an ocean, to my polish covered nails that have more chips in them than a bag of Lays potato chips. i'm the definition of impurity. and that makes it hard for me to live in the Ivory community. very hard.

fortunately for me, our looks haven't the slightest impact on which community we are a part of. so far, all of my life i have acted pure. if i hadn't have acted pure, the ring secured tightly on the ring finger of my right hand would still not display the color of Ivory. the community of the purest people. I tapped at the ring. when my mom hollared from the kitchen

"Doe!" her voice without falter "Doe, breakfast is ready!" i could tell she had coffee. she isn't ever cheery without a cup or two.

"Okay, thank you!" i quickly pulled a white tank top over my head and decided to be lazy and wear my eggshell colored pajama shorts. i walked down the stairs and took in the perfection of our house. white walls. white tiles. white everything. anybody would be able to tell you an Ivory family lived here. but the truth is we arn't a family. we're a mother and her daughter. my dad isn't with us, but that story is for another time.

"Doe!" my mom urged me to continue to the table.

"Coming!" i scurried the rest of the way to the kitchen. on the table sat a full breakfast. toast already buttered, a bowl of assorted fruits, the vibrant colors contrasting against the white table, and a glass of milk.

"What took you so long?" her stare was stubborn, yet you could see the care in her eyes.

"My apologies," i whimpered. i'm not sure if the words even found their way to her ears but she gave her glare a rest and decided to just smile and say, "Eat up." i obeyed. my mom started her busywork around the house as i ate what she prepared for me. my mother, unlike me, is a hardworking woman. she kept the home spotless, and on top of that she is a woman of high importance in the government. she controls the 'intercolors' the people who hop between colors, communities, and lifestyles. being an intercolor is the most dangerous thing you can be in this world. the government believes thise who change colors are those who are unloyal, and therefor, punished by death or worse.

"Doe, honey," my mom appeared in the white doorway to the kitchen. she walked over to me, her silver heals clacking against the polished tile. "Is it that you are almost finished?" her language was often too sophisticated for me. she started braiding my hair, trying to tame the lion.

"Yeah, I'll be done in a bit," i looked up to her and grinned a little girl grin. when she was done braiding my hair, tight and crisp, she walked over and grabbed my sack.

"Have a marvelous day at school, and don't forget to be home on time as we have guests joining us for dinner!" she was obviously way more excited than i.

"Great," i finished breakfast, ran up the stairs, as i was running late, and finished preparing myself for the day. "Goodbye mother!" i hollared down the hall, at my still laboring mom.

"Goodbye, Doe!" Doe, yes, my name is Doe. my mother thought it was a sweet name for a little girl. not the worst name i could have. i left the pure house and started walking. about halfway to the high school i stopped in front of my best friend, Caddy's house. She lived in the Cadmium community. she walked out in her bright yellow, knee-length skirt that reminded me of sunshine on a summer day, and her white crop top with a daisy placed in the center. a yellow cartegan completed the look. life in the Cadmium community must be luxurious. they're the community in which you're near perfect, however they understand that mistakes happen. they're the most forgiving of the communities.