⚘ Synesthesia ⚘

Chapter 7 ⚘

Chapter 7 of 11:
You Should Take My Life

Halloween

It was that time of year again. It was time for candy, witches, and vampires. Avery overall felt an overwhelming amount of orange and his senses were consumed by the smell of chocolate and the taste of pumpkin.

It was getting quite cold now, and normal jackets weren't enough to keep one properly warm. Avery blew out air in front of him, just so he could see it linger for a few seconds before disappearing completely.

Avery was on his way to pick up Ryder. The two were going to a Halloween party, hosted by Ryder's cousin.

Parties really weren't Avery's thing. They made him feel turquoise. He was happy that he could do something normal kids do, but he hated the idea of being packed into a small space with sweaty bodies who barely gave you enough room to breathe. It was a mixed feeling, much like how turquoise was a mixture of blue and green.

This year Avery had decided against dressing up- he always felt silly when he did so. Costumes seemed like such a childish thing to wear. He hoped Ryder decided not to wear a costume too. That way he wouldn't be the only one who wasn't fun enough to participate.

Avery sighed upon reaching Ryder's house. The black Ford truck wasn't in the driveway, which meant he was in the clear. Avery made his way up the porch steps and tested the doorknob. It was unlocked, so Avery just decided to walk in.

The place still felt very dark and dreary. Even though Avery knew that Ryder's dad was gone, he couldn't help but still feel some sort of dread. This always happened at Ryder's house and was one of the main reasons it was prominently black.

"I'm here." Avery announced his presence. Ryder rounded the corner and raised an eyebrow.

"Is knocking too good for you?" Ryder asked. Avery shrugged.

"Guess so." He said. Ryder rolled his eyes and proceeded to walk towards the front door. Avery silently thanked Ryder for not wearing some sort of costume as well. It gave him a sense of relief. He now felt a more washed out version of the dark colors that had found their home here.

"You ready?" Ryder asked. Avery nodded and followed his friend out the door. "Are you sure you want to go to this party?" Ryder questioned.

"I'm sure." Avery said. The two began walking mainly in silence, until a familiar taste hit Avery's tongue. He wasn't sure why it was here or what the taste even was.

"Hey, do you taste that?" Avery asked. Ryder looked over at his friend with a confused look.

"What is it?" He asked. Avery frowned, trying to figure out the taste.

"It's minty, but with a hint of something else." Avery said.

"Like candy?" Ryder asked. Avery's face lit up.

"Yeah! Like those little chocolate mint things." Avery exclaimed. Ryder poked his tongue out of his mouth and shook his head.

"Those things are gross." He said.

"Eh, they're not that bad." Avery said. Ryder stopped walking, causing Avery to almost bump into him.

"We're here." Ryder announced. Avery looked over to what he assumed to be Ryder's cousin's house.

It made him feel orange, just like how Halloween should feel. Avery was already impressed. Most houses tried to capture the Halloween essence, but their houses felt a lot more beige or red, as opposed to Jack-o'-lantern orange.

Ryder must have noticed his friend's awestruck face because he asked, "Did he get the right color?" Avery nodded.

"Definitely."

Aside from the accurate color, there were a few Halloween decorations as well. Some fake cobwebs and plush spiders were spread around the front yard, amongst tombstones and skeletons. The decor didn't really give a creepy vibe, more of a cartoon scary type feel.

Ryder started walking towards the front door, with Avery following behind him. The turquoise feel was gone and now Avery was experiencing a more dark yellow. He was getting a sinking feeling in his stomach and he wanted to be anywhere but here.

Ryder rang the doorbell once and waited for an answer.

"Avery?" Ryder asked. Avery looked up from the ground. "Are you okay?" Avery nodded, not wanting to let down his friend. The door swung open to reveal what Avery thought to be Ryder's cousin. The man at the door and Ryder exchanged greetings and gave each other an awkward side hug.

Avery stayed silent, hoping to be forgotten. He could hear music playing from where he was standing and it looked like a lot of people were inside. The orange feeling the house once gave, was now turning a dangerously dark shade. Avery started to feel a little bit dizzy and was only brought back down to earth when he heard his name being called.

"Avery?" Ryder asked. Avery shook his head, trying to get the color to go away. "He's a little shy." Ryder spoke. Avery looked up to see Ryder and his cousin both looking at him expectantly.

Avery looked back and forth between the two and gave a small wave. Ryder's cousin gave a hesitant nod and welcomed Avery and Ryder inside.

Upon entering Avery started to feel a mixture of yellow and black, that was steadily getting darker. He felt as if he were in a giant sea of dark waves and he was barely even staying afloat. He felt consumed by the unpleasant colors. There was no excitement here, just plain fear.

Avery walked over to the stairs and sat down. The music wasn't as loud here and the darkness was less dark. He started to drum his fingers nervously, trying to release some of his anxious energy.

Avery was having trouble breathing, let alone walking over to where Ryder and his cousin were. But Avery wasn't going to leave. He couldn't. He had to stay for Ryder. Avery closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He had heard that calmed people's nerves; it never worked for him, but it was worth a shot.

Avery was momentarily snapped out of his dark trance when Ryder tapped him on the shoulder.

"Avery?" Ryder asked. Avery swallowed. He knew what the question was going to be and he was prepared to give the same well-rehearsed answer. He would look him in the eye, while remaining emotionless.

"Are you okay?" Ryder asked. Bingo. Just as Avery predicted. Avery looked over at his friend with no expression.

"I'm fine." Avery said. And there it went. The words came out of his mouth just like all the times before. He had practiced the art of deceit many times in his life and here he was using it. Now Ryder could enjoy himself without Avery getting in the way.

"No, you're not." Ryder said. Avery blinked and looked over towards his friend. That line always seemed to work, why couldn't it be successful now?

Ryder took a seat next to Avery on the stairs. "Do you want to leave?" Ryder asked. Avery shook his head. He was scared if he spoke, the word 'yes' would come out of his mouth.

"Avery, we don't have to be here." Ryder said. Unfortunately, Ryder was all too familiar with anxiety and awkward social situations. Avery nodded his head.

"Yeah, we do. I said that I would come to this party." Avery insisted. Ryder gave a small shrug, and continued to sit on the stairs.

"Hey, Avery?" Ryder asked. Avery noted his voice seemed more hesitant. Avery started to feel that dark yellow again, he was on his way to the highest point of a rollercoaster and he could hear metal clinking and groaning.

"Yeah?" Avery was proud of how calm he managed to make his voice. Then again, he did have practice cleverly masking his words.

"Can we talk about something?" Ryder questioned. Avery managed a small nod. The yellow was slowly fading to black and Avery was finding it hard to breathe.

"What do you want to talk about?" Avery said, lightly tugging on his hair. He really wanted Ryder to just get to the point. He hated waiting, it only made him all the more anxious. Ryder turned to face his friend and gave a sigh.

"The voices." Ryder said. "I want to talk about the voices."