A Splash of Color

three [edited]

Amber

I woke up to do my normal routine before heading out to work. All night I kept thinking of what it was that happened. It was so strange, it happened out of nowhere and I didn't know what was going on. Was I coming down with something? I can't remember the last time I was sick, I'm usually good at avoiding any building sickness I may have. Just in case, I took some medicine to catch whatever it was before it got worse.

I sighed and kept walking until I saw the building come into view. I skipped up the stairs and entered the building. Going to the back and dropping my bag off and grabbing my name tag. I pinned it onto my shirt and started placing the books on the cart back on the shelves. After those were done I made my way back to the front desk and sat down. "Hey Amber." Walking through the door, Shanti came in and headed in my direction. "Hi."

"Did anything else happen?" She asked with worry laced in her tone.

"No." I said, while being reminded of the episode that happened yesterday.

"Don't worry, I'll to help you out alright."

"Ok."

"Oh, my grandma is in town, she wants to see you." She said, excitedly.

"Alright."

"We can head over to my place after work." She said, but it sounded like a question. I nodded agreeing with her and she smiled. I turned back towards the desks and spun around in the swivel chair.

It was starting to reach lunch time and I was waiting for Shanti so we could head out to get some food. When she came back from the staff room we were both on our way to the restaurant we always went to. Since our breaks were pretty long, mostly due to barely anybody coming to the library, we decided to dine in. We both had our meals and found a booth by the window. As we started eating, I looked around through the window and watched everyone in a rush. I was going in for another bite when I felt the piercing pain in my head again. "Amber, are you okay? Is it happening again?" Looking up at the sound of Shanti's voice, I tried to open my eyes. Getting them to open just a sliver I caught sight of Shanti, only she was in color. I saw the shine of her tan skin, the dark brown of her curly hair and her bright green eyes. I closed my eyes again and held my head.

Slowly the pain was dulling until I felt nothing. I let my hands drop from clutching the sides of my head and blinked my eyes open. Everything was back to being the dull black and white I always saw. I took a sip of the water I had and rested my head back on the booth. Just then, a phone rang. Shanti quickly pulled her phone from her pocket and answered it. "Hey, grandma....Yeah, I'm on break with her now...Yeah, I'll bring her over just as soon as our shifts are over....Okay, I'll see you when I get home."

She ended the call and looked over at me. The concerned look pouring onto her features once more. "Do you think if we tried to give you medicine it would take away the pain?"

"I thought I might be getting sick or something, so I took medicine earlier before coming to work. " I explained to her.

"I wish whatever happened yesterday doesn't occur again. It scared me, I was so worried." Shanti said.

"I guess I have to bare with it for now, I don't know what exactly is going on." She scrunched up her brows and a look of sympathy was flashed at me. I sighed and we finished our meals, with the occasional 'are you sure you're okay?' from Shanti. We both headed back to the library to finish up our shifts.

I was picking up books from the tables and rearranging the books on the shelf while Shanti worked the front desk. While I was putting a book back on the shelf I felt a numbness in my head. I closed my eyes, thinking it would go away, but all I saw was a view. It was like seeing something through someone else's eyes. I saw a street, it seemed like it was in the next town over. It was Cumberland Street. The person seemed to be opening and closing their eyes because I saw the view of the street then blackness.

The feeling and what I saw went as quickly as it came. I stood still for a moment, letting the numbness go away, before going back to organizing the shelves. After I finished, I walked back to the desk and saw Shanti getting ready. "Hey, we can head out now, boss gave us the 'okay'." I nodded and quickly got my things from the staff room. I walked back out, meeting Shanti, and we both headed to her place.

When we got there, her grandmother was seated on the couch and her parents were in the kitchen. I showed a small smile as I greeted them both. "Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Westbury."

"Hello, Amber, it's been a while." Her father greeted me back. I nodded in return and her mother walked over and gave me a hug. I tensed up a bit, but slowly relaxed. "Hi Amber, we missed you around."

"Sorry I haven't been over lately."

"It's fine." She smiled at me and she walked back to the kitchen with her husband. I felt a tug on my sleeve and saw Shanti motioning me to her grandma. I slowly walked over and sat on the couch opposite her. "Hello Mrs. Crivello."

"Hi, sweetie." I smiled feeling a bit warm inside. "How are you feeling?" I furrowed my brows at the question and looked over at Shanti and saw her shrug her shoulders. I turned back to her grandma and cleared my throat before speaking. "Um... I'm okay."

"You haven't fainted or anything yet right?" She asked.

"How do-" before I could finish my question her grandma held her hand up.

"I'm sorry for just asking the questions. I just wanted to see if you were having the same things as me."

"Wait, you've been through this too?" I asked, surprised.

"Grandma, why didn't you say anything?" Shanti asked.

"Because it's nothing to worry about. I've turned out just fine so she'll be the same." Her grandma turned back to me and gave a smile though it seemed to be a reassuring one. "So, sweetie, what has happened so far?"

"Well, when it first happened I had this piercing headache, then just today I had another one in the restaurant Shanti and I were at. Later on, it seemed like I was seeing through someone else's eyes." I explained.

"Ahh, I've never had the last one before. What was it like?"

"It was like a numbing feeling at first and I saw what they were seeing. It was short lasting though."

"Well, be ready for a couple more things to happen. I'll make sure Shanti is with you the whole time so if you faint or something she'll be there."

"Alright, but what is this?" I asked, my curiosity getting the best of me.

"Grandma, why would she end up fainting?" Shanti asked immediately after me. Her grandma smiled and she looked from both of us to looking only at me. "Amber, what you are experiencing is the soulmate bond."

Soulmate....bond?