Those Eyes

3. The Grey Area

When I was a Fire, I had longed to be in Peace for my own sake. So I wouldn't have to portray myself as someone I wasn't. But now when I am seated in The Peace stands, different thoughts crossed my mind.

How will I prove my worth? Will these people accept me? I was on my own now. I no longer had my Blood Family. My mother wouldn't be there for advice and my father wouldn't be there to help and protect.
I was all on my own now.
Although I was amidst like-minded people, I doubted the very fact of my acceptance.

Besides, were they all like-minded?

Definitely not. It couldn't be! Just a machine box had been deciding the destiny of young people since ages. But the box was a mere a device. It's decision was based on the ideology and whims of the people who had made it- Norah and Timothy.

They were the ones to design the metal box. It was them who had designed our destiny; our future. It is according to them, that our system has been running for so many years. But can they classify everyone's mind according to themselves? No! That is outrageous.

A brain cannot be confined to a particular way of thinking. Everybody can never be like-minded in the huge Families. There must be some people who have a different ideology; or a different perspective regarding situations. How come they never speak up?

Then I remembered when I was younger, I used to feel surges of electricity gushing through me usually at night- after one particular dream. Those eyes—

I had seen those eyes before.Not in reality but in my dreams when I was just a little child. The current which rushed through me when I met those eyes in reality, was the same current i had often experienced as a child. Only, this time it was much stronger.
But why on earth did those eyes appear in my dreams? Whenever I wanted to tell people my dreams, my parents always stopped me. I had also heard them talking to each other about my dream. They refused to tell me anything about it. They kept going to John Fire, our Chief. He was the only person who knew about my dreams apart from my parents and myself. They used to have long discussions.

I had always wondered that what could be with those eyes that they were of such importance. But they refused to enlighten me.

These dreams started coming to me at the age of six. Ever since, they've been there. They have always been an unsung part of my life. I used to wake up to the electric shock created by my mind, almost every other night. These past two years have been quieter. I have had, maybe a total of ten or twelve dreams in two years. I had thought of what could possibly have happened to my mind. It surely was my mind playing tricks on me.

Or was it?

My mind circled back to the grey area. Some people must be different. The brain cannot be forced to act in a certain way. People must've realized this over the years...but why didn't anyone protest? Or did it actually never cross the minds of people?

The brain cannot be forced to act in a certain way all the time.

Between the White and the Black; The Peace and The Fire, has to be something which keeps all of us balanced.

Why were these thoughts coming to my mind now? I had never stopped to think this even for once in so many years.

Was this the influence of those eyes?

The grey area existed. The grey people were real. What were they called? Why were there so few? Was it a Family? If yes, then why had we not seen them anywhere before? Most importantly, what did my parents know about them and their tattoos?

These grey people were the ones who had been binding together our system. Something between two things. The Grey in between The White and The Black.

"I am Josh Fire. I do not belong in Fire. I was sitting in The Peace Family stands. I do not belong there either. None of us belong to any of you. We belong to ourselves."
His words broke my trance and brought me back to reality. He continued, "We have always been there but how will all of you know? We have been hiding away in the depths of Osdanio. We were forced to hide. Trust me, there isn't much y'all want to know. After all we dont belong to you, do we?" There was a slight mockery in his tone but his eyes cold as ever.

"Today we have come here to take what's ours. To take what belongs with us. It is with that person we are complete."
Those piercingly cold black eyes scanned the crowd for a moment before landing on mine. Instantly the shocks erupted and his lips curved into a smirk.

"Come join us Emily. You belong to yourself. You complete us. We need you and you need us. Come, join us."
Those eyes lured into a trap. I felt they were right. I needed them. But for what?
A strange sensation shot up my spine. I breathed heavily.

Once. Twice. Thrice.

Those eyes were still compelling me to join them. They were fixed on me. Everything else seemed to vanish under his gaze. I walked down the stairs and on to the stage. Josh tightened his hand around mine and my skin started burning. I noticed his tattoo was burning as well. The fire surrounding a pair of wings were actually burning now. Embers sparked here and there. It was nothing but pure agony. Strangely enough, not a single writhing cry of pain escaped my mouth.
On my right arm was a burnt pair of angel wings engulfed in flames- just like the rest of them.

You could see the burning pain in his eyes as he stared at his own tattoo. Then when he looked at me, along with the shocking currents came a glint of realization.
What had he realized?

He left my hand dangling by my side. I looked at my clothes realizing that I was still in white among the other greys.
"What a misfit." I mocked in my mind.
As if reading my mind instantly, Josh enveloped his hands around mine with a squeeze. He whispered, "You are not a misfit here. You were one there. " His eyes signalled to my seat in The Peace Family Stands which was now left vacant.

He smiled for the first time since I saw him in person. A crooked one, but whole hearted indeed. And just for that moment, I wanted to forget all worries and questions.

I wanted to freeze in time- with him and his eyes. For the first time ever, I found solace in those electrical jolts. And for the first time, there was something else in those eyes other than coldness. It was very prominent at that moment.

Fear.

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