Colors

SECTION A

My name is Harrah. Harrah Jean.

No it isn't. I made that name up on the spot.

My name  is Caroline Jay. Not J, as in the abbreviated letter, but Jay, and I am very nervous right now.

You see, everyone gets separated into a different color category at age 15, and I turned 15 yesterday. I'm a day late to the picking ceremony, but it isn't my fault.

Hold on, let me explain something else first.

First there are the warm colors. Reds are full of energy, very alert, and sporty. Oranges are calm gardeners that like the sun. Yellows are always bubbly and positive gamers, never seeming down.

Then there are the cools. Greens are kind and good-hearted, loyal and passionate about singing. Blues - my family for three generations in a row - are chill and quiet, introverted and quirky painters. Purples are fancy, stuck up jewelers.

Then the abstracts. Pinks are soft, sweet, innocent entertainers who have no sense of personal space. Browns are feisty candy makers who definitely have a sweet tooth. Blacks are mysterious, lonely people who take jobs like mediums and graveyard tenders. Greys are lazy and boring, usually office workers. Whites are perfect and holy, usually priests or some part of the church, though it's more common for them and Greys to be born blind.

The shiny colors on the other hand, well... They're royalty.

Bronzes are regals, silvers are princes and princesses, and golds are the kings and queens of our lands. It's extremely rare to get a shiny color, and they usually stay in one blood line.

"Jay." I hear someone call. I look over and see that I'm next to be checked. I adjust the collar of my blue turtleneck and clear my throat, standing in the machine.

"It's okay, it doesn't hurt or anything!" Brendon told me as he ruffled my hair. "It's just this laser that scans you and beeps out your color." I smiled half-heartedly. Why was I so nervous? I was only 10!

The laser runs over me, from my head to my toes. Brendon had been right- It doesn't hurt a bit! I open my eyes and look at the screen. "BLUE" It reads in all caps. What did I expect? I'm just like my mom and dad who are blue. I step out of the machine and on my way home.

A good pal of mine stops me. "Hey hey hey, Caroline! What color did you get?" She says with a smirk. I bump her shoulder. "Oh, come on Lily. Can't you guess?" I say with a smirk on my face. She chuckles. "Well, I'm a green!" I nod. "It suits you, Lilypad." Her and I giggle as we walk back to our homes together since we don't live too far.

Walking in my home, my mom takes my hand. "So? You're a blue, right?" She asks me with anticipation. "Yes, mom!" I giggle. "Why would there be any doubt in your mind?" My mom sighs. "I don't know- I guess I just got worried." My dad walks over me puts his hand on my shoulder. "What about your friends? What colors are they?" I look up at him. "Uh..." I glance away. "Lily was a green, but I haven't seen Max yet." Brendon comes barging in. "What about that boooyyyyy you like?" He says teasingly. I push him away. "Stop saying that I like Jett! And I haven't seen him either." Brendon sticks his tongue at me and leaves the room. My mom follows him, angry. "Stop teasing your sister, Brendon Jay!" She calls down the hall. My dad just chuckles and dismisses me with a wave and a smile. "Go see Max and that other kid." He says. I happily bound out the door and down the street to Lily's house.

"Hey Lily!" I say as she answers the door. "Wanna go find Max and Jett with me? I want to see what colors they got!" Lily chuckles. "It's no secret Max is a warm color." I nod. "No secret indeed." I take Lily's hand as we skip down the road, Max's house soon coming into view. I drop Lily's hand and make a dash for it, running at the door. "Last one there is a rotten egg!" I call out as Lily gives chase after me.

"How does love work?" I asked Brendon. He hesitated. "Usually, people are meant to be with the color that compliments them most." He replied, probably unsure if he was putting it in a way I understood. "Like, reds are meant to be with greens, yellows are meant to be with purples, and-" He was cut off by my excited voice. "And blues are in love with oranges?" He nodded. "Yes, indeed! That means you'll probably be with an orange when you grow up." I shuddered at the thought. "I don't want to be with anyone! Love is gross!" Brendon chuckled.

I barely reach the door before Lily, ringing Max's doorbell. His mother answers. "Oh, hey kiddos!" She says happily. "Max is upstairs, he'll be down soon. You can come in if you want." Max's mom lets us in, and Lily sits down on the couch. "Wow..." She says out of breath. "For... A... Blue... You... Sure are... Good... At running!" I giggle, out of breath as well. Walking over to the base of the stairwell, I look up to see Max sliding down in a box at full speed screaming "LOOK OUT BELOW!!" I try to run out of the way, but Max slides down and hits me right in the head, knocking me ou-