Colors and Clockwork

Chapter 1

The chirps are loud and clear, approximately 1.2573 seconds from each other. They correspond with the chimes perfectly. Bird is calling us. I scramble off of my bed and grab the dress with frilly sleeves and lots of ruffles. Green's doors close and she's hopping down the stairs and ushering us to the entrance of the balcony. I throw the dress over my head and rush to the front, getting to my spot just as the tinkling music starts to play its catchy tune. The ground below me starts to move to the left.

"Lucky you, getting here right before our cue," Red says as we spin to the right in unison. At least, I think it's Red.

"Yeah, that was close," I reply, focusing on what she says next so that I can tell who I'm talking to.

"Maybe you should try not putting us all at risk and actually make it here when everyone else does," she sneers. That's Red. Definitely Red. I don't have time to listen to her rants right now. Left foot, right foot...

We spin to the left all together. I'm getting close to the other door of the balcony, where I get a three second break. Three... two... one... I'm back inside the Timepiece. I blink rapidly to get used to the difference in the brightness, putting my right foot out as I prepare my emerging pose. I'm running through the next steps in my head even though I know them by heart. After all, I have been doing this dance every hour for the past year.

Red follows me inside soon after. I hear her fumble a bit, but I don't say anything. Dancers who mess up go to the Fixer, and they usually never come back. As much as I extremely dislike Red, I won't say anything because I'm not that kind of person. I think Red knows it too, because she limits herself when harassing me. But barely.

I'm approaching the entrance again. This is the part where I freak out. The light engulfs me again and I struggle to regain my vision. I dance for two seconds with my eyes closed before I can open them again. Everything is blurred. Only five seconds left... I complete the next steps flawlessly and end with a spin before the Timepiece swallows me again. The music stops and we're all back inside the Timepiece.

Red's tense body relaxes as she realizes that the dance is over. Bird hops over to me with a proud grin on her face. "Well done, Blue! You're a natural. I couldn't hope for a better Lead Dancer."

I give her a small smile back and notice Red staring at me. The jealousy is radiating off of her body and I'm surprised that the floor underneath her hasn't melted. "Thank you, Bird. That means a lot to me."

After she leaves, Red saunters up to me and hisses, "It's the most you can do, considering everything else you mess up."

She does this every day and I don't understand why it still gets to me. I'm the only one between her and the title of Lead Dancer. Well, me and actual dancing ability. The other four dancers are already gone, leaving only the two of us. "Cut me some slack, okay? I don't say anything when you-"

"Stop!" she practically screams, interrupting me before I can reveal her mistakes. "I'm not the one who's blind."

The chances are one out of 33,000, and I just happened to be that one. I can't see any color but grey. Scrolling through my programing only showed me the words "achromatopsia" and "monochromacy." Not only is my eyesight impaired, my eyes can't adjust well to different brightnesses. I'm a total outcast here. The only reason that I haven't been sent to the Fixer yet is because I'm the Lead Dancer. I'm sure of it.

Suddenly, I hear "Leave Blue alone!" and spin around to see Green. Green's the only one who will stand up for me.

"You don't belong here," Red jeers, before leaving Green and I at the entrance.