Spectrum

1. A City of Contentment

Nicolas sat staring at the last piece of meat on his cutting board, ready to be cut. Part of him wanted to sit there in the silence forever, peacefully enjoying the quiet, but he knew he had to leave eventually. Frustrated with the decision, he looked up at the grey walls. The grey refrigerator purred calmly in the corner. Everything here was grey, the walls, the tables, the knifes; after all, it was the Grey Area. The only thing not grey were the clothes Nic wore. Those were green to match his Spectrum.

He was reaching for the knife at last when the bell rang, signaling a customer. Sighing, he walked out of the back room, leaving the meat where it sat to help them. A lady dressed in bright yellows stood patiently at the counter, the sun gleaming through the window to illuminate the room with a yellow glow that seemed to swallow her whole. She smiled when he walked up, placing her yellow bags on the floor. Nic remarked to himself at why someone from Yellow Spectrum was so far from home.

"Good afternoon." He said. "What can I get for you?"

"I'll take a pound of steaks, please." She said with a warm smile. He nodded before disappearing to the back to grab her order, glancing at the meat still on his cutting board. He put the steak in the dyer to color it yellow before wrapping it up. As he waited for it to finish, Nic spied through the doorway, watching the lady as she stood there. She was a ray of sunshine compared to the grey walls, her clothes reflecting the soft light. The sight filled him with a tingle of warmth.

The dyer ticked, telling him it was finished. Nic pulled the now yellow meat out and wrapped it in a yellow package. He walked out to the counter and handed the lady her meat. She smiled again as she paid, and again when she left, leaving Nic alone. The shop never got busy or stressful. Even the word stressful was an uncommon idea in this city. On the rare occasion that a customer had to wait for their order, they would stand there calmly without a sign of protest.

He watched the lady fade away into the crowd before he went back to his task of cutting the last piece of meat. Mr. Martin, his boss, was out for the afternoon, and he had asked Nic to close the shop when he was done. He didn't mind the task, it gave him a few hours of silence at the end of a busy day, or however busy his days got. Most often, he'd just sit at his table and listen to the silence, as he did now. Those were some of his favorite moments.

When finished, he put the meat in the cooler and closed the door. Tossing away his grey apron, he wiped everything down, getting it ready for the night. The shop always had a surreal feel about it when it was empty. The fringe purred all the louder, the lights cast ominous shadows, but the biggest, and most beautiful, one was the front. Those large windows captured the outside world in the most stunning view, Nic frequently caught himself lost in it. And again, as he was about to leave, the sight stopped him short. The crowd pushing by, the orange glow of the evening, it was awing. But, he couldn't stay there forever, so he shook himself loose. Nic switched the Open sign over to Closed and stepped outside.

The light made Nic squint, sending a dull ache up to his head; he was so used to the indoors. The street was loud compared to what he was used to. People crowed past him, heading this way and that. He shook himself free, turned and locked the door behind him, and headed towards the City Circle. He waded through the crowd, past people wearing blue and green and grey. Rarely, Nic would see someone dressed in orange or purple, but not today. The majority of them wore blue and green, for that was where Nic worked, on the Grey Area separating the Blue and Green Spectrums.

Nic walked closer to the City Circle to where he would meet with best friend, Jaxson. He looked forward to seeing him, as he always did, even though Mary would doubtlessly be there, spoiling their fun. He and Jax had been friends since either of them could remember, and they were a perfect fit. Jax was wild and rash, Nic was calm and cynical, but they made it work. Mary, however, was something entirely different. Being Jax's first and only love made her the center of his attention. It drove Nic mad, but he bit his tongue. The last thing he wanted to do was make his friend choose.