Vibrant Grays

Grieving Gray

"I'm so excited for this, Jack!" Paula squeals.

Anna squeals back. "It took some time but it's finished, Piper."

Elsa looks exasperated but she doesn't open her mouth. Beside her, Jack grins, Cheshire Cat like. Anna just finished the dress yesterday. Paula, ever so excited, immediately wanted to see the dress.

"I know green looks good in you," Anna says, unzipping the bag that she the dress is in. "I hope you like this!" She revealed a stunning green dress, flowy and elegant. It had little design but it was paired with a bejeweled belt. "Little design as possible but great, as you said."

"I didn't even know I wanted it before I saw it, Anna," Paula whispers, looking at the dress in awe. "This is perfect!"

Anna smiles. "I knew you'd like it." She hands it to Paula, carefully. "Here, try it on."

Paula accepts the dress, junping up and down with happiness. She turns to Jack briefly, hugging him for a second. She disappears on her room, feeling the material under her hands.

Jack thanks the sisters repeatedly. Anna grins and says, "It was my pleasure." Elsa, on the other hand, laughs and teases, "I never knew you could say 'Thank you', Jack."

"Of course I can, Elsa," Jack answers, the same tone as Elsa's. "I can do many things."

Elsa lets her eyes wander to Jack. The colors are still there, and now, his pants are brown. Elsa thinks that most of Jack's usual cloths are in color. His favorite blue hoodie is a constant blue while those dirty sneakers of his will always be dirty. But now, he's an aray of different colors and she thinks he might explode. Or she might explode.

Elsa doesn't remember anything after that.
:
"Elsa!" She hears a faint voice calling her. "Elsa, wake up!"

Elsa stirs softly, her fingers twitching slightly. Her mind is foggy. She feels like she's drowning but then slowly, the water disappears and she's safe and sound.

Anna's worried face is what Elsa sees when she opens her eyes. The next things are the colors. All around them. Everything's in color, no gray in sight except for a some furnitures. Elsa gasps, seeing a kaleidoscope of colors for the first time in years.

"What is it, Elsa? Are you okay? Nothing hurts? Oh Gosh," Anna mutters quickly. "You worried us. You were asleep for two days."

"Two days?" Elsa croaks out. "That long?"

"Yeah. You fainted at Piper's fitting. We were so worried. Jack comes every now and then with Piper. Remember the Golds? They visited too."

Elsa nods, gulping. She scans the room. With it's white walls and sterile like feel, she realizes that it's the same as before. However, the flowers beside her are magnificent in their blue color. She sees Anna wearing yellow sweater and black leggings. When Elsa looks at her sister, green eyes look back at her, filled with happiness.

Doctors and nurses come in a few minutes later. They check for her vital signs and for any damage. Fortunately, there are none. She is still advised to rest, take a break from school and work. There is no real reason why Elsa fainted. They pointed it to stress and weariness.

"I called them," Anna says after Elsa has calmed down. The last of the nurses exit the room. "Jack said he'll come... I think he likes you, Elsie."

Elsa shakes her head. She doesn't speak, finding that her energy is drained because of the medicines. Anna pursues her lips.

"He's much better than Hans."

Elsa almost retorts that anyone is better than Hans but she sees Anna's face and realizes that her younger sister is still in love with Hans. Love isn't something that Elsa is a professional at. At Senior Prom, she went as a squad, along with Razelle and Ariel. At that time, Razelle was not in good terms with Eugene while Ariel was a tad bit too shy to speak to anyone but them. A few months later, Elsa is the only single one.

"It'll be alright, somehow," Elsa says, fiddling with her charm bracelet that Anna gave her at her 15th birthday. It was prettier than ever, the blue jewels on it shining.

Anna nods. "You're right. It'll be alright as time passes. I still hold onto his memories and I think that's the worst part of it." She nods again. "Yeah, that's the worst part of it."
:
Jack arrives a few hours after Elsa woke up. He comes in the form of soft curses and a skidding stop. Hair still damp from the rain pouring outside, he enters her hospital room. A smile's starting to grow on his face.

"Hello, Jack," Elsa says, painfully smiling. Her head is still confused with the whole world full of colors.

"Elsa!" Jack exclaims, panting. "You're awake!"

"Yes, I am."

He sits at the empty stool that Anna left when she bought lunch for them. Elsa finally notices that his complexion is paler than most, he looks likes he's sick. When the whole world didn't have any color, Jack stood out, now, with her surroundings looking as it should be, he's still the center of it.

"I was at school for Piper and I... I'm sorry I couldn't come earlier," Jack utters, still flabbergasted.

There's bags under his brilliant sapphire eyes and it contrasts quite ugly with his almost-white skin. Elsa finds it rather hard to see Jack like this, tired and sleepy. His iris have barely noticeable red rims around it.

"What happed to you, Jack?" Elsa asks quietly but it echoes in her silent room.

Jack draws in a sharp breath. He pauses to look at Elsa, taking in her features. As if there is a joke, Jack laughs but it's nothing like his usual laugh. It's broken and cracked. He finally answers, "You."

Elsa first thinks that he'll say he loves her. That's what normally happens, right? Two people not revealing their true feelings and then when they fear like they're going to lose each other, they confess on one's death bed. Funny. But Jack doesn't say any cliche words that makes Elsa almost throw up.

"That day, at Mad Hatter's Tea, you were there. You were on the cashier and I was a customer and... when I looked at you- this might sound stupid -your eyes were gray. Gray. Just gray. At first I thought it like that but then I saw you again and again and you were getting grayer each time!" Jack gulps. "When you fainted, everything turned gray."

Elsa stares at Jack, unmoving. Her muscles are frozen, wacthing as Jack licks his lips, avoiding her gaze. Her words are somehow in between her throat, lodged in there tightly.

"I'm sorry I bursted at you like that," Jack says after a long silence between the two. "I didn't mean to..."

"Colors," Elsa whispers. Jack's eyes widen. Elsa shakes her head. "That's impossible, Jack."

"It's possible."

"No, it's impossible..."

"Elsa..." Jack loses his voice for a moment. "Elsa..."

She grabs Jack's hand and squeezes it lightly, as much as her energy can. The shock from the colors are fading away but this- Jack's confession -is still seared to her head.

"Jack," Elsa begins, "when I first met you, your eyes were blue. Before that, everything was gray. There was an accident, when I was young, and it triggered something. I have never been able to see a color, except for gray. And then you came and... you were the only one with color."

In a hospital room, two heart breaks in half.