More Than Meets the Eye

Chapter One

I was greeted by the steady beeping of my alarm clock and sunlight gleaming through the window as soon as I woke up. I squinted, not appreciating the brightness so early in the morning. I quickly shut my alarm off before snuggling back in my covers.

After a moment, I quickly sat up, realizing the date and my plans for the day. It was the last day of August, a Monday. It was also my first ever day of public school.

I had been homeschooled my entire life because my parents didn't want me to get bullied for my unique eyesight. I was something called a tetrachromat, meaning I see many more colors than the typical person. It was pretty rare, so I guess my parents didn't know what to expect.

Anyway, I was about to go to school for the first time. I jumped out of bed and quickly straightened out my bed. Absolutely everything in my bedroom was white, because that was one of the only colors that wasn't obnoxious for my eyes. So, my comforter, pillow cases, carpet, walls, bed frame, dresser, curtains, and even my door and window frame were pure white. Well, that is how they appeared to most people. To me, my room was absolutely filled with colors, but it was bearable because they were all very pale pastel shades.

After making my bed, I skipped to my closet and chose an outfit. When I was about fourteen, I did my research on what outfits looked good together, because in my eyes almost nothing worked. That was when I established my love for colored skinny jeans. I chose a pair of simple black jeans and a black and white striped tank top. I also grabbed a pair of Birkenstocks.

After dressing myself, I did my hair. I brushed out my long black strands before scraping them back into a braid. I added a royal blue bandana, which served as a headband. Blue was one of my favorite accent colors, because it brought out my eyes and matched with almost anything to both my eyes and others'.

I checked myself a final time in the mirror hanging on my door. Then, I merrily made my way downstairs to the kitchen, where my lovely mother was preparing breakfast.

My mother was also a tetrachromat, but she didn't experience the effects as strongly as I did. My mother didn't really use her abilities when she was younger, causing them to fade. On the contrary, I was always dealing with color as a little kid. I loved art, and my favorite form was painting. Even at the ripe age of three, I was finger-painting animals and foods almost everyday.

"Hey, Ma. Are you making breakfast?"

She whirled around to face me, still holding a spatula. She nodded.

"Blueberry pancakes. Is that good?"

I smiled. "My favorite. Thanks!"

I seated myself at the breakfast bar, which fit in with the modern theme of our house perfectly. My parents sympathized with me by making the color palette of our house consist of only neutral colors.

A couple minutes and several pancake flips later, my mother set a plate of towering blueberry pancakes, absolutely drenched in maple syrup and butter, before me. I grinned before digging in.

I moaned. "These are great, Ma. Are you going to have some?"

She shook her head. "I'll just pick something up on the way to my meeting. I don't want to make you late."

I glanced at the clock, realizing that I wouldn't be able to savor my breakfast. I downed a few more bites before pausing.

"So, what will I have to do? I probably need to go to the office first, right?"

"Yep. I emailed the principal. She told me that she has everything planned out for you."

"Alright."