The Secret of Aerythyka

Ellis's Room

"There's my little party girl"

I look up from my scrambled eggs to find my Aunt Meryal standing in the kitchen doorway, her big doe-eyes fixed on me with her round cheeks pushed back in a smile.

"You heard, huh?" I ask knowing the obvious answer.

"Oh, I remember my first party." She sighs nostalgically. "Although, I was a tad younger than you. You are a bit of a late bloomer my dear."

"Yeah, well, you can blame your son for my delayed bloom." I say, taking my last bite of eggs and walking the empty plate to the sink.

"Tex only wants to keep you safe." She says reassuringly as she tucks a loose piece of her short ash-blonde hair behind her ear.

"Tex doesn't want me to have a life and is doing a superb job making sure I don't get one."

Aunt Meryal shakes her head, "That's not true. Tex and I, and even your Uncle Brox, agree that it's best for you if certain aspects of your life are carefully guarded." Then seeing that I am about to argue she adds. "Tex can take it too far and I will talk to him. After all, you are growing up and deserve some freedoms."

She pats me lovingly on the cheek and takes a seat at the table.

"Thank you." I say, reclaiming my seat next to her.

"You will still need to cover up those beautiful eyes when things start to, umm, what's the word I'm looking for? Illuminate." She says answering her own question. "We don't want those men coming around asking question and tearing the house apart again."

"What men? What are you talking about?"

"There is no men. Mom was just talking in general." Interjects Tex as he strides across the tile floor. "Is there coffee?"

"Yes, there is." I say pointing to the coffee pot, "and she was not talking in 'general'."

Tex ignores me but flashes his mom an exasperated look and then fetches a mug from the cabinet.

Aunt Meryal's face flushes as she recovers herself, "It was a broad statement. Don't be paranoid, child." Shaking her hands at me to dismiss my curiosity.

"But speaking of covering up your eyes." Tex pauses to take a sip of his coffee and leaning against the wooden counter top, he asks, "How did you stop your eyes from glowing at the party?"

"And change their color?"

He raises his eyebrows and tilts his head impatiently.

"I bought colored contacts at the costume store." I say smugly. I am proud of myself because it is so simple and yet so brilliant.

Tex looks at me with disbelief, like he can't believe I thought of it and he didn't.

"Maybe you should wear those all the time." My Aunt exclaims.

Tex has a crooked pursed lip expression, his thinking face. "That's not a terrible idea."

"Yes, it is." I interrupt. "I like my eyes and don't want to cover them up all the time. Plus, the contacts are uncomfortable."

"Maybe on special occasions then?" Aunt Meryal compromises.

"Deal." I concede. I can handle it if it's not all the time and stops the weird looks I get from wearing sunglasses in the dark.

The kitchen becomes silent again and I start to spin in my swivel chair, making the yellow kitchen become a bright blur. Uncle Brox likes bright colors and had an ex-girlfriend, who was a particularly awful interior designer, decorate each room of our apartment in one of his favorite colors; each color in the hue of loud – electric blue in the bathroom, wild purple in the den and neon yellow in the kitchen. Uncle Bronx's room is an awful combination of all three, like a clown got sick all over it, it's all painfully hideous. My eyes handle the dark well, but they are sensitive to bright colors and lights, so I mostly stay in my room. I keep my space decorated in subtle and darker colors, beiges and dark blues.