Rainbow Heart

Chapter 42

Barney held Red's hand tight. They had dropped Navaeh off at Adam's. He was going to take care of her while they did the interview. Saying Red was nervous was an understatement. His stomach writhed beneath the skin. His teeth were grinding nonstop. He was ready to call it quits.

"It's okay." Barney whispered as he leaned in to kiss Red's cheek. "You'll be fine. I'll be there the whole time."

Red smiled weakly. He had to do it. He had to free himself. Tell everyone the truth. Set himself free. For Barney's sake, for Navaeh, for his friends, for himself. He wanted to start over. But he couldn't do that until he told the world that he was alive.

The production crew didn't help calm his nerves. They surrounded him like buzzards. Bombarding him with questions and meaningless pep talk. Slathering make up on his face. Red coughed. The powder makeup that they were using left particles in the air. He sneezed.

"You're on in five!" Someone with a camera shouted at Red. What?! He had just arrived. He began to hyperventilate.

Barney grabbed his hands and kissed him. "You'll be okay." He said for what must have been the thousandth time. Red nodded. But his nerves hadn't calmed down. He might turn into Purple before he even got onstage. He took a deep breath.

They ushered him out and into the very same love seat that Heather had sat in just a week ago. Red sighed. Showtime.

"Good afternoon, America!" The host chirped. "We are here live at the studio with Red Vacktor!"

The studio audience murmured in disbelief.

"Isn't he dead?"

"Yeah, literally a week ago he was dead."

"What the fuck?"

The lady flashed a peppy smile. "Yes, I know! Hard to believe. Well we ran several DNA tests and it's been proven that this man here is the real Red Michael Vacktor!"

They showed the DNA evidence. His DNA matched up almost perfectly with his mother's, father's and aunt's. The audience was surprised, to say the least. Red swallowed a nervous lump in his throat.

"Now, Red." The lady said. "You wanted to tell us about your childhood, why you were locked away by your own parents, and how you came to be free."

Red nodded. Oh boy.

"Well, obviously, there's a reason they named me Red." Red said. The audience smiled and chuckled a little. "But, I'm not the only one."

"What does that mean?" The host asked.

"Well....." Red coughed to clear his throat. "Let me show you."

Barney's eyes went wide as he transformed in front of the audience. Purple appeared before them. They were all shocked now. Many loud gasps rose from the audience and the host screamed.

"Hi..." Purple laughed a little. "I'm Purple."

"Uh, YEAH!" Someone shouted. "We can see that!"

"No, no. My name is Purple." He explained. "I'm one of the many colors of the Rainbow Vacktor. We all show up based on different emotions and state of mind. I represent fear and mystery."

The host cleared her throat. "So you're saying, there's more of you?"

Purple nodded. "Uhuh! There's, uh... Me, Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, and Pink."

"Pink? How is pink a color of the rainbow?" The host asked. "Pink isn't in the rainbow."

"We actually don't know." Purple said, gaining more confidence now. "But... You may actually be surprised by this one."

The audience laughed. Like there was any more surprises in store. Surely there was no way this could get any weirder.

Pink appeared before them with a dramatic sigh. "This is a huge waste of time." She declared.

Again, everyone was screaming. Pink covered her ears and cringed. "Ow!" She moaned. "Be quiet!"

"That proves it!" The host said, pointing at Pink. "You really are Venus' daughter!"

Pink looked up darkly. "Yes. I really hate our family resemblance." She said.

"Why?" The host asked once everyone had calmed down.

Pink explained how they were locked away by their parents for their powers. How they were abused for their entire childhood. The murder attempts, the mafia, how they adopted Navaeh, and even how she had been raped by their father. By the end of her heartfelt story, there was not a single dry eye in the audience.

"Barney set us free." Pink said. "Without him, we wouldn't have made it this far."

She beckoned Barney over. He hesitated. This was all on live TV. Did he really want to do this?

Eh, fuck it. He was a YouTuber! He was used to being on camera. He bravely walked out onto the stage and into Pink's arms. Everyone broke out into a fresh wave of tears. But Pink didn't seem to notice. She was happy it was over. She was glad to be out of the past and in her lover's arms. For the first time in her life, Pink, and all the others, finally felt free.

                –•❤💛💚️💙💜•–

Pink collapsed on the couch with a sigh as soon as they arrived back at home. So much had been happening in the past year. It felt like life was never going to slow down. The freedom, the stage new world, violence, mafia, children, love, sex.... Everything was so new and scary. Pink was terrified of their future.

But when she looked over at Barney, she saw what she had needed all along. He was holding their daughter and dog in his arms. Smiling at them and telling them how tired he was. She didn't see a tired man and a dog and a girl. Pink saw her family. She saw hope. Hope for a brighter future. One where she wasn't just the ghost of her mother's pretty face. Or a color. She saw a home. People who loved her.

The future was uncertain. It was approaching her quickly. There was no way she could stop the hands of time. She had to face her future. No matter what it may hold. She was just glad she could share it with the man she loved.

===========================

This book is almost at it's end. I'm going to cry when it's done.

-💕 Bubblegum 💕