✧ periwinkle

blue | 1

Lord knows what went through my mind at that moment, as I watched my sister get murdered right before my three year old eyes.

If I had been old enough, I could've distracted the intruder while she ran off to get help. But no. I had to be born into the world three years before this incident. Why not a a few more years? Maybe ten or nine.

I just watched, as the knife slid through her purple shirt and into her chest. If I had been old enough, I would've known what to do, and where to go.

If I had been old enough, I wouldn't have let her bleed out on the ground, her blood seeping out onto the hard wood floor and bubbling out of her lips and dribbling down her cheek.

I still have no clue how I remembered all that. I should've forgotten about her and that event twelve years ago. Now I sit here, at fifteen and a half, tears running down my face as I stared at my feet at my desk in the back of class.

My pencil laid untouched, on the verge of falling off the wooden surface. We were supposed to be learning about how to control our abilities. Some children in this wretched world were born with supernatural abilities, like me.

My sister had been on the unlucky half of the family, her only abilities were being able to reach the Fruity Pebbles in the high cupboards on lazy weekends, when our mother had not waken up to the sound of her blaring alarm clock.

A hand shook me gently, and I looked up, wiping the tears off my face. A girl, with somewhat short hair, had her hand on my shoulder. She was obviously new, with the smiley face sticker slapped on her long-sleeved plaid shirt with her name under it, '' Persephone Reid ''. She had vitiligo, her dark skin blotched with a lighter color that stuck out like a sore thumb. She had light green eyes, blue around the edges, and thick eyebrows that were furrowed with concern.

'' Are you okay? '' She asked, slowly removing her hand. I nodded, and rescued my pencil, which had started to lean towards the ground as I shifted in my seat. I ran a hand through my somewhat brownish blonde hair, and sighed, closing my eyes.

Then I realized something. It was the last day of school. There was no way in the sixth circle of hell she would've been let into the school now, probably not until August, with us being in Washington. It was June, and it was hot. Too hot for her to be wearing a long-sleeved shirt.

'' Did you hear me? '' She said, causing me to immediately look at her. One of her eyebrows twitched, as if she were waiting for me to answer an important question that would mean life or death.

'' What'd you say? '' I asked, sitting up in my seat, reaching for my bag.

'' What's your name? '' She replied, the twitching eyebrow now raised, as she crossed her arms. The '' your '' came out slightly as a '' yer '', but she didn't notice.

'' Kress Williams. '' I sighed, glancing up at the teacher, who was too focused on a kid playing on their phone to notice our conversation.

'' Persephone Reid. '' She replied with a smile, now looking content.

'' Like the chick who married Hades or somethin'? '' I asked, throwing my bag onto my desk with a soft thump.

Her cheeks puffed up slightly, and her eyebrows furrowed once more. '' I'm not marrying some old guy! '' She said, glaring at me, crossing one leg over the other.

'' You're like a four year old. '' I responded, and she smirked.

'' Maybe I am. I could be a fetus, just laying here, while you're talking to me, and everyone's looking at you like you grew wings out of your spine. '' She chuckled.

I glanced behind me, checking if wings had actually sprouted from my back, and heard a snort come from Persephone as she tried not to laugh.

Crack!

The teacher's ruler slammed down on Persephone's desk, causing her to jump, nearly falling out of her seat.

'' No talking in my class. '' The teacher, also known as Ms. Lily, warned, before walking away, her feet wobbling as she tried to steady herself in her red high-heels that were too small for her. She looked like a baby walking for the first time, having to hold onto desks in order to make her way back to the board.

Persephone huffed, and glanced out of the window, then at me. '' Why were you crying? '' She whispered, her voice hushed as if she were talking to a wild animal.

Tears rose back up to my eyes, and I quickly blinked them away. '' My eyes water a lot, it's too hot.'' I lied.

'' That rhymed. '' She said, grinning, then glanced back at the teacher. She sat up, letting out a long sigh.

2:48

That's what the clock over the chalk board said, even though it was five minutes behind. Ms. Lily knew that, yet she didn't let us leave, even as the old school bell rung.

She did this to spite us. Even though she barely taught us, she still got her paycheck. It was like clipping a bird's wings so it couldn't fly off to freedom after you let it out of it's cage.

Sweat dripped down my forehead, and down the side of my neck. Persephone looked completely fine, her eyes were closed as she leaned against the back of her chair, listing to music from her phone.

I took a quick glance at her phone. Ta-Ku - Beginning To End.

'' Strange taste in music and clothing. '' I thought, wiping the sweat off my forehead. Ms. Lily sat on her desk, her phone in her hand, probably scrolling through celebrities Twitters to beg them to follow her.

I slowly got up, and shook Persephone. She looked up at me, eyes half open. Let's go. I mouthed, and she nodded, picking up her bag. She quickly glanced at Ms. Lily, before grabbing my hand and rushing out the door.

Ms. Lily looked up. '' Get back in your seat Mr. Williams! '' She shouted after us.

Persephone giggled uncontrollably as she charged down the hallway. She had a tight grip on my hand, nearly making me fall a few times due to her speed.

She turned the corner, and rushed towards the two large, wooden doors the school labeled as the exit.

I swore under my breath as we burst through the doors and aa rush of humid summer wind blew my hair into my eyes.

The grip on my hand was released, and I stopped, sucking in a deep breath. I let it out, and squinted up at the sky.

It was a nice shade of blue, not too dark and not too light, like the color of the foamy sea, with the sun right in the center.

'' Beautiful isn't it. '' Persephone breathed, closing her eyes. She was breathing heavily, her plaid shirt ruffled slightly. '' Kress. ''

'' Mm? '' Was all that managed to come out as I attempted to catch my breath.

'' This world is going to end soon. You know that, right? '' She sighed, glancing at me. '' With all the crap we put into the atmosphere, it's not going to be long before all the flawless colors that roam the sky will turn to a simple gray from smoke. Like those old, colorless movies. ''

'' Seph? '' I said, adjusting my bag, biting my lip slightly.

'' We might as well take in this beauty, before we lose it all. '' She chuckled. It was the kind of chuckle a pessimistic person would let out, knowing everything in their life had gone to hell.

'' Persephone. '' I said once more, placing a hand on her shoulder. She flinched slightly, as If I was going to suddenly reach for her neck and snap it like a twig. '' The world isn't going to end, I promise. ''

'' That's gonna be a promise you won't be able to keep. '' She mumbled, shaking her head slowly.

'' I gotta go home, maybe I'll see you tomorrow. '' I murmured, as my mother's grey Toyota pulled up by the sidewalk.

I hopped into the car and closed the door, glancing at where Persephone had stood. She was gone.

A few colorful petals fluttered to the now cracked sidewalk.