The Tale of Colors: Part 4-Green

Photo by David Pisnoy on Unsplash

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For Part 3: Click Here

“Oh my god” I screeched, taking in Yellow scared, pale face and the shock of the Purples on a hologram. “You’re working with them?!”

What was going on here? A secret meeting?

Then I remembered Yellow’s face in the Conference Room, swearing she knew nothing.

My shock immediately dissipated into anger,“Why you — ”

In a flash, Yellow had zipped off the bed, covered my face, and locked the door. It had all happened in one swift motion that I didn’t even have time to react.

“Look I know this is a lot at once,” Yellow peeped, her hand still covering my mouth, “But please just sit down and let me explain.”

30 minutes earlier

It’s no secret that Red and I don’t get along.

We’re opposite colors, so it would seem expected, but really it makes no sense. Blue and Orange are opposites, but they both have the same soft energy and get along just fine. Yellow and the Purples are opposites too, and different in every way possible, but Yellow’s one of the few people in the group that genuinely cares for those Purples. I know I don’t.

And that’s why I immediately knew something was wrong in the Conference Room. Orange had sensed it too, and asked Yellow if she was worried about the Purples. I can bet my boots Orange had no idea how close she was to the truth.

Except it wasn’t just worry.

It was secrecy.

I can see it in someone’s face when they’ve been sworn to keep something a secret, but want to tell someone else. And that look was written all over Yellow’s face. For someone who spent a lot of time with the Purples, she hadn’t picked up any of their actually helpful qualities. Like keeping a secret, while not looking like it.

So after the Conference Meeting, Orange and I had been sent to fix the orange groves, even though we all knew that they would likely be changed back. However we both gladly accepted the job, if only to fill our time with something to avoid the truth.

That’s why it was so easy for me to slip away, muttering some excuse about work on a patch of grass to Red, and slip down the hall to Yellow’s room which was right next to mine. Everyone was too distracted in their own thoughts to really care what I was doing.

Yellow’s door was closed, which was a rare sight, and even her puffy welcome rug with a goofy smile faced looked rather unwelcoming.

I scanned the hall quickly, which seemed to be dead silent. No doubt everyone was ambling around the headquarters, or out on some excuse for work. No one was going to see, if I just peeked.

As I put my ear to the door, I heard laughter. Suddenly I was filled with annoyance. The team and I were losing our minds with stress and Yellow was laughing, probably over something stupid.

I snorted and let a small smile escape.

How paranoid am I getting? I thought, shaking my head, Yellow? Lying? God, I am becoming Red.

I turned around to leave, satisfied with myself, when I heard the laughter again.

This time it was louder, prouder, and I knew that it couldn’t have been Yellow’s laughter. In fact, if I had to take a guess, I would say it sounded exactly like Violet and Indigo’s laughter.

“Yellow…” I whispered curiously, leaning on the door, fingers itching to turn the knob.

What are you hiding?

I needed to know.

I flung open the door, and Yellow whipped her head around, eyes wide and scared as a hologram of Indigo and Violet was being projected.

And that’s how I ended up here.

Present

“Okay, let me get this straight,” I said, sounding a lot like Red. I pushed the thought away, now was not the time. “The Neutrals are rebelling, and want to change the way people see Neutrals colors.”

“A revolution.” Yellow nodded.

“A revolution.” I repeated, “And their first grand scheme is to destroy the Color Colosseum two nights from now.”

“And they think, we’re on their side.” Violet nodded.

“And they’re growing more impatient, for information about how to infiltrate it.” Indigo added.

“And if we don’t give it soon, they could try to find it themselves,” Violet muttered.

“Or feed us the wrong information,” Indigo fretted.

“Or — ”

I frowned, I really hated their habit of interrupting each other. No wonder everyone kept confusing them, they were two colors, but shared a heart.

Apparently a brain too.

“Yeah, yeah, we get it.” I interrupted, before the two purple warts would go on and waste time that we didn’t have.

No wonder they still didn’t have a plan. This was the worst possible trio to ask to solve a crossword puzzle, nonetheless stop a rouge group of colors from vandalizing the most monumental structure on Earth.

“What are we going to do?” Yellow whispered, eyes fearful, “Should we tell the others? The managers?”

I snorted, clearly Yellow hadn’t been listening to the meeting. There was virtually nothing the Color Managers could do for us, other than give us funding, as if we were ever low on that, and telling them would only arose more stress and waste time. Same with the others.

“Actually, I have a plan.” I smiled.

“You?! A plan?” Violet scoffed, “No way.”

“We’ve been planning for days on how to stop them,” Indigo reasoned, “Nothing.”

“First off,” I challenged, voice spiking, “I’ve seen what you two call planning.”

The Purples reddened. I smiled.

“H-how do we stop them?” muttered Indigo softly.

“We don’t.” I replied calmy, smoothing the blankets of Yellow’s bed, before plopping into the cushiony softness, “We tell the Neutrals come tomorrow night since two days from now will be too packed with security. Then we come with the Color Managers and the others for a ‘maintenance check’ since the Color Colosseum festivities are coming around. Catch them in the act. Force them to a meeting where we agree to give them a higher status. No revolution. Everyone’s happy. Life resumes just the way it was before.”

I watched Yellow’s eyes light up like two gold stars, “This is amazing! Let’s tell the others about this right now!”

Yellow hopped off the bed.

“Wait.” Violet and Indigo said at the same time.

That was it.

I’d had it.

“Look, Yellow is my friend.” I said, the words sounding strange in my mouth. I’d never really called anyone my friend, “And for some reason she thinks you two are good people. But if we’re gonna be friends you’ve got to drop the talking at the same time.”

I sighed, and shook my head as the two mirrored faces of shock. I held back a smile.

Not so bad after all.

“We have to tell…the team, tonight” Indigo muttered, cringing at the words.

A team.

It made us sound so untied, so whole. A perfectly unbreakable squad that would do anything for all of the members.

Our little group was a lot of things, but we were far from a team.

“Why tonight?” Asked Yellow, “I mean we have lots of time to prepare everything. I swear the Color Managers handle these things in minutes.”

“Indigo and Violet are right.” I agreed, “We have to give everyone as much time as possible to process all this. Besides I can’t wait to see Red’s face when she sees that we are the ones who solve a problem and not her.” I smirked, the mere thought making me feel upbeat.

Yellow sighed, shaking her tired and grayish face, but to my surprise offered no retort. We both knew the truth.

Indigo and Violet hesitated, as if they were interrupting something, rather lack of something, but eventually blurted, “We’ll go and tell The Neutrals to act tomorrow at twilight.”

I thought about twilight. It was a rare time where Blue, Orange, Red, Yellow, and the Purples worked on one project. Leaving me to the ground or grasslands while they bonded, painting the sky.

Truth is, my favorite thing to paint had always been the sky. But you don’t see green in the sky very often. Except Aurora Borealis, but we hardy ever painted those.

And the team (ugh. Even saying it in my head sounds wrong) always wonders why I’m so annoyed. All the time.

“Great.” Yellow told the Purples, forcing a weak and ungenuine smile, “I guess…me and Green…”

“Green and I.” I mumbled.

“Green and I,” Yellow corrected, linking arms with me, “Will go and tell the others.”

“Fun.” I added sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

With that, the call ended and I watched as the hologram faded. Yellow nudged me, and I got up with a sigh.

“Ready?” Yellow asked.

I nodded, suddenly tired. Working, stressing, formulating plans, tolerating Red’s presence for another day, it was all just plain…draining.

“Green at a lack of words.” Yellow marveled, and let out a clearly forced laugh.

I signed once more, as we walked down the hallway, and pressed the emergency meeting button. Yellow and I rushed down the hall.

The Conference Room had oak double doors which were painted in rainbow color and too glossy to look real, with smiley faces that dotted the brass doorknobs. It looked more like a kindergarteners room then a place for important meetings, but for once the cheery doors didn’t make me want to leave.

In fact, they felt strangely comforting.

And I could quite use the comfort. The last time I walked into this place, just earlier today, Yellow had a secret. Now we both had one.

Surprisingly, I could feel my palms sweating as I opened the door. We were going to tell everyone the truth and rid ourselves of this stress and hassle.

Life would go back to normal.

So why was I so scared?

For Part 5: Click Here