Gen One- Chapter Eighteen

I turned over to my left side, groaning. I had been sleeping peacefully and deeply, having a wonderful dream I think, when I was jolted out of the nice rest I was in by someone suddenly turning on the lights. I heard footsteps, but I only tightened the covers closer to me and ignored them. It was Saturday, and I was going to sleep in if I wanted! A hand smaller than I expected placed itself on my shoulder and shook me. The hand didn't belong to Eden, that was for sure.

     "Meadow. Meadow, get up." she called to me.

Oh, so that was who she was. However, it didn't change a thing for me. It wasn't a surprise that she was in my room given how often she still came over, but she was crazy if she thought she was going to get me out of bed.

Her hand shook me much more vigorously, so much so that I was worried she would push me right out of the bed.

     "Meadow, I'm serious. You have to get up. A small water pipe broke and dumped water all over some cracked electrical wiring downstairs- starting a fire." she continued urgently.

I shot up, my heart racing as I threw back the covers. What a great way to start the day!

Or, that's what I thought until I realized I had fallen for a stupid, age-old trick. She stood there smiling merrily without any hint of urgency now while I sat there in a daze, blinking back my sleepiness and working through what was going on.

She burst out laughing when I came to full consciousness and glared up at her with angry passion.

     "Sunset!" I whined loudly, her continued laughing only making me more irritated.

     "Not sorry, Meadow!" she said unabashedly, "It was what you deserved- making me wait so long only to find out that you're still sleeping!"

     "Making you wait? What are you talking about?" I questioned in confusion.

     "The park? Our painting project?"

     "Wait, that's this Saturday?"

     "Yes! So hurry up and get dressed, or else we're going to be the ones who have to wait around forever if the boys get there first."

     "Alright, alright. Give me five minutes."

I stood up, hastily pulling back my covers to lazily make my bed. Sunset turned to leave to give me some privacy, but she stopped and frowned herself.

     "Although, maybe you should go back to bed." she spoke more seriously, staring at me.

     "Why?"

     "You look somewhat pale. Are you feeling alright?"

     "I'm feeling perfectly fine," I responded honestly, "If I'm pale, it's probably because of the fright you gave me."

     "True. Very true." Sunset laughed again.

She took her momentary leave from the room while I rushed over to my dresser and grabbed the first outfit my hands touched. Eden had grown more responsible in terms of controlling himself when it came to buying me new outfits, but even after all these years my drawers were stuffed full with all the clothes he had given me. I couldn't recall the last time I had shopped for myself. I rarely had to plan my outfits either. Most mornings I did what I had just done and grabbed whatever was clean off the top. I dressed quickly, only taking a brief moment to examine myself in the mirror.

     "Pale? What is she talking about? I'm the same as always." I mumbled to myself, wondering if Sunset was trying to play another trick on me.

I shook my head and gathered my things. I couldn't waste time dawdling on insignificant matters. Now that I had been reminded of our plans for the day, I was just was eager to get going as my friend was. This was our final weekend to get the project done, and the last thing I wanted was for the boys to get to the park first.

I snatched up my car keys along with my normal house keys. As one of only two of my friends who had their license, the other being Frost, I had become a chauffeur. The only time I minded being one was when I had everyone along for the ride, because then the ruckus in the backseat was so ridiculous that I could hardly concentrate on driving. However, that morning it was just Sunset and me. I drove a little faster than normal, but not too much so that I wouldn't risk getting pulled over. Eden's requirement for me getting my license was that I could have almost free access to the car unless I ever got pulled over for something that was my fault. Then it would be bye-bye keys until I turned eighteen. I knew the warning was real, so I didn't dare take any risks. Sunset and I arrived at the park to find one of the easels already taken.

     "About time you two showed up. What happened to our promised meeting time?" Sunflower questioned light-heartedly when we approached her.

She had a good start on her painting.

     "It's my fault. I might have forgotten we were coming today, so I didn't set my alarm." I explained.

     "We were talking about coming here all last night though." Sunflower reminded me with a slightly exasperated laugh.

     "And this is Meadow we're talking about here." Sunset reminded her.

     "I can't help it. When I want to sleep, it trumps everything else." I shrugged an amused shrug.

     "Well, you two did at least get here before the boys. You have the chance to fight over the second easel before they show up to ruin the quiet of this peaceful morning." Sunflower said.

Sunset and I played a round of rock-paper-scissors with me being the winner.

     "I...actually have no idea what I want to paint." I admitted seconds later.
     "Paint me!" Sunset volunteered eagerly.
     "I could, but that's rather complicated so it's going to take me a while."
     "I don't mind. I've never had a portrait done before."
     "If you promise to hold still..." I requested warningly, doubting Sunset would stand still for that long.
     "I will!" she promised anyway.

Having no other ideas, I set my canvas on the easel and pulled out my paints. I grew incredibly relieved as I began painting. There was a good reason why I had waited until the last Saturday before the project was due on Monday to begin. Most other students in the class had simply done their painting on the easel's in the art room. However, my friends and I had found that even with the windows open the smell of all the paint was too thick for me to handle. Each time I had to run out of the room gagging and feeling faint. I had been about to address our teacher about the problem when Sunflower discovered a solution. To improve art appreciation, the park near Amaranth's house planned to set up easels for the public to use. That Saturday was the first day they were open. In the spacious outdoors with the light wind, the scent of the paint hardly bothered me at all. My friends had decided to hold off on their paintings as well so we could all do the at the park together. However, there were only two easels and no one wanted to be the one to wait around forever.

I was interrupted and forced to turn my head when I heard a massive groan and hurried footsteps heading our way. Two of the other three had finally chosen to show up.

     "Uggggghh! I knew it!" Allium pouted a pitiful pout, "Of course they would be here already! We came way too late."
     "It's your fault we missed our chance. If you hadn't winded Blaze up and made him angry, he wouldn't have turned off our alarm in retaliation." Amaranth explained with an amused smile.
     "Geez. Even after spending the night at your house so I could be close to the park..." Allium continued to whine.
     "Morning, boys." Sunflower greeted them cheerfully and perhaps a bit proudly.
     "Yeah, rub it in," Allium rolled his eyes before he turned to Amaranth, "Now we have to buy them lunch too because we lost the bet of who could get here first."
     "Why are you complaining to me? Like I said, this is your fault." Amaranth laughed.

Allium groaned again. While the years had changed many things, there were some things they hadn't touched at all.

Allium continued his whining, which quickly led to a lot of teasing banter between him, Amaranth, Sunset, and Sunflower. As I suspected, Sunset began moving too much in order for me to paint her properly. I tried pushing through with my work until I simply couldn't recreate her face properly. About to reprimand her, I found that she had forgotten about her modeling by the arrival of another someone.

     "I see you all are noisying up this park like normal." Cocoa grinned.
     "Blame that guy over there," Sunset pointed to Allium, "The morning was calm until he came along."
     "I'm sorry for having emotions. And my emotions right now are telling me to be loud." Allium challenged as he folded his arms.
     "When don't they?" Amaranth teased.

That started off more playful bickering between those two.

     "This is actually perfect that you are here," Sunset continued speaking to Cocoa, "I was going to call you later about our history project, but we can talk about it now."

I sighed lightly. There it was. I knew it wouldn't take long for Sunset to become distracted. She and Cocoa rambled off their ideas and plans, leaving me without my model. I kept working anyway. Sunset would just have to deal with her face not looking perfect. Doing my best to concentrate, I nearly jumped when Allium suddenly wrapped one of his arms around my shoulder and leaned in close.

     "Good going, Charming. You nearly made me leave a massive streak of paint right across Sunset's face." I said wryly.

Allium merely grinned at me. I had taken to calling him Charming several years back when he went on and on about how no one ever called him by the nickname he had desperately been trying to get people to use for forever. As I was the only one who would humor him, I often received a whole lot of his extra affection. It led to a lot of people thinking that we were dating, but the truth was that our relationship was more that of the world's most irritating toddler and his patient but exasperated mother.

     "Eh. Then that would mean you could do whatever you wanted with her face- like have fireworks exploding out of the top of her head or something."
     "That would look ridiculous."
     "It'd be a statement."
     "Of what?"
     "Hell if I know."

I rolled my eyes and tried to keep painting even though it was difficult with Allium clinging to me.

     "Meeeeadow," he said against my cheek, "Meadow. Hey, Meadow. MedMedMeeeadow. Meadow, MeadowMeadowMedMedyMedsMedyMedMedsMeadow-"
     "What?"
     "Let me use the easel."
     "No way! I got here first, fair and square."
     "Oh, come on! Pleeeease? I want to get this stupid project over and done with already. Just let me paint something crap, and you can have the easel all day if you want. I'll even buy you ice cream right now in addition to treating you to lunch." he proposed.
     "No."
     "But you've lost your model. C'mon, I'll even get you a triple scoop." he prodded.

I sighed again. He did have a point. I wanted to do Sunset's portrait as realistically as possible, and as long as she refused to stand still there was no way I'd be able to finish.

     "I only want a double scoop." I told him.
     "Yay!" Allium exclaimed giddily.
     "Are you ever going to grow up?" I chuckled.
     "Why would I want to do that?" he answered back, his face so serious that it had me laughing more.

I moved my painting off the easel for the time being. Given that Sunset didn't realize I had left until after Allium bought me my ice cream, it was safe to say it was better to let Allium have his chance until she was really ready to model like she promised. I watched Sunflower and Allium paint for a while, but I grew bored and eventually took a seat at one of the picnic tables instead.  Amaranth chose to sit with me since with everyone else preoccupied.

     "How's your job?" I asked.

Amaranth had been the first one out of us to get a part-time job. He had gotten one at the bookstore, and he had had his first shift two days ago.

     "It's not all that bad as far as jobs go. There's a lot of numbers and little particulars to remember, but you give it a couple weeks and I'm sure it'll be habit by then. It helps that the owner doesn't mind if we just sit around and read if there's no customers or anything else to do."
     "You've sure blossomed into a total bookworm, haven't you?" I giggled.
     "Pretty much, and if it helps me keep up with you, Miss Walking Encyclopedia..."
     "I've only memorized like 50 books now."
     "That's just scary, you know that?"
     "Says the one who is constantly begging me to help him with his homework."
     "I'm efficiently using the resources I have access to. What's wrong with that?"

I laughed, but another frown found its way on my face when Amaranth's own smile faded into something more serious.

     "You look a little pale." he said.
     "Not you too. Sunset said the same thing earlier. I'm fine." I reassured him.
     "If Sunset noticed it too..."

He trailed off as he pressed his hand against my forehead. I gently swatted it away.

     "I'm fine, Am. You know that I don't dare hide my illnesses anymore lest I incur Eden's wrath, and I would like to make it through a week without one of you shoving your hand in my face. It's probably just the light that's making me look pale." I told him a bit irritatedly.

Everyone constantly fussing about my health was something that grew bothersome from time to time. I couldn't sneeze without someone suggesting that I needed to be taken to the hospital. I could understand their worry back when I was still a child, but I had grown out of the worst of my condition a long time ago. I now had all the vaccinations I could get, my therapy was as effective as ever, and my immune system had grown ever so slightly stronger thanks to what I had been exposed to over the years. It was true that I occasionally did have a bad flare up. The past spring I nearly was held back a grade in school because of how many days I missed due to a long stay in the hospital, but such situations were now increasingly rare compared to before.

     "If you're sure." Amaranth accepted, although he continued to look reluctant to believe me.

I led him away from the topic, but it wasn't long before he suggested something entirely different himself.

     "Let's get in some rollerskating while we wait."
     "You know we're both rather terrible at skating though." I reminded him.
     "Then we can look like idiots together."

Slightly reluctant due to my dislike of falling, I got up to get a pair of rental skates with Amaranth anyway. The two of us were for the most part pretty darn coordinated, but moving about with wheels on our feet was one thing neither of us seemed to be able to grasp. We truly did look like fools clutching to the bars and each other as we stumbled and slipped. I teasingly chastised Amaranth for getting us into such a situation, and he jokingly wondered what he had been thinking. He then must have lost his mind, because he unexpectedly grabbed my hand and pulled me out to the center of the rink.

     "What are you doing?" I asked, half-amused and half-panicked.
     "Let's try spinning."
     "We can't even skate normally, you goof!" I laughed.

Amaranth ignored me. He tugged my arms, and I had no choice but to move in a messy circle with him. With each other's weight to balance us out, we actually weren't doing too bad for a while.

     "That's too fast." I said when Amaranth upped the pace.
     "It'll be alright." Amaranth challenged with a massive grin.

We were doomed to end up falling though. It was partly because of our clumsiness and partly because of an outside force.

     "Looking good you two!" the voice had called.

Amaranth and I turned our heads towards the noise, and that had been our undoing. Without having our watch on our feet, we leaned a little too much and got a bit too close. Amaranth's foot shot forward right into my skate, knocking me off balance as well. We flailed and tried to regain our balance. However, I went forward and Amaranth went back. Essentially, I fell on top of him. It was with a loud thunk that we ended up on the wooden floorboards.

     "Are you alright?" Amaranth asked in a groan as he hesitantly began rising after we untangled ourselves.

I couldn't answer. I was laughing too hard at the thought of how ridiculous we had to look.

     "I'll take that as a yes." Amaranth rolled his eyes.

He turned his attention to the owner of the shout.

     "Nice job, Frost!"

Frost just smiled lightly and shrugged.

     "It's not my fault you two are such klutzes, and Meadow seems to be having a good time." he taunted back.
     "She laughs at everything, which you know very well."
     "She's still laughing, isn't she? Doesn't that have to mean there's something about the situation she finds positive?"
     "Whatever," Amaranth scoffed before changing the subject, "And where have you been? You're always on time, but on the one day where it really mattered you're the last one to arrive."
     "Stupid motor on the boat broke. We had to have it fixed, because obviously I wasn't going to swim to shore." Frost explained.

His house was on a small, private island off the northern coast of Berrybrook. Its location fascinated me even to this day.

While Amaranth and I slipped and stumbled as we got up, Frost got his own pair of skates and joined us in the rink. It was one embarrassment to have him accidentally contribute to our fall. It was another embarrassment entirely to have him sail past us again and again as he moved freely around the rink.

     "How's it going?" he asked me with friendly sarcasm as he went by me once more.
     "Have I ever told you how much I hate the fact that you suddenly turned into some kind of athletic superstar?" Amaranth mumbled.
     "Only each and every day. You should do better to hide your jealousy that I now have both the brains and the body." Frost grinned wickedly.
     "You can only say you have the brains when you're smarter than Meadow."
     "Hey, Meadow?" Frost asked, "If an electric motor makes 3,000 revolutions per minute, how many degrees does it rotate in one second?"
     "I'm trying to concentrate on skating, Frost! Do not throw math at me!" I laughed yet again.
     "The answer is 18,000 degrees per second."
     "It doesn't count if you already know the answer." Amaranth pointed out.
     "Eh." Frost shrugged nonchalantly.

Frost took to holding my hand and guiding me more steadily around the rink, which annoyed Amaranth because he was left behind. I got a lot of good giggles out of the two continuing with the banter they kept up much like the banter Amaranth and Allium had going earlier. Eventually, Allium finished his painting which was a heart with a bunch of splatters and dots around it. Sunset finally stood still long enough for me to finish her portrait. Amaranth and Sunset were able to begin their projects, and Sunset swapped with Frost when she was done. I think she regretted doing hers quickly though, for Sunflower marked her as her victim for a pelting of water balloons. Sunset was standing there completely unaware, and the next thing the rest of us knew she was running away with a determined Sunflower following her. It was quite a sight to see.

All six of us joined in the fight after we took our break for lunch. Our group getting together, playing, and makings idiots out of ourselves was another one of the things that time hadn't changed. With our work all done, we played like the teenage children that we were until dusk settled in and we exhausted ourselves. Frost took Amaranth home, and I had the fun task of bringing Allium, Sunset, and Sunflower back with me. The three of them behaved like sugar-high toddlers, and I seriously had to threaten to force them out and make them walk if they didn't calm down. In the end, I managed to get everyone home without their ruckus making us get into an accident.

I wanted to collapse and take a nap, but I had some more schoolwork I needed to complete first. It was something I had been procrastinating for a while, so I couldn't leave it for much longer. The house was so quiet though. Either Eden wasn't home, or he was exactly where he had been when I had left. The truth was the latter.

     "Please don't tell me you've spent all day lying in bed reading that book." I said as I folded my arms after discovering him in his room.
     "Of course not," Eden glanced up at me, "I finished that book earlier. This is a brand new one."
     "You're going to get bed sores."
     "I've gotten up and moved every now and again."
     "Eden, you need friends."
     "I have friends."
     "More than Blaze and Ms. Charm. You need to actually get out and have a life. Go do adult things. Get smashed up at a party or something."
     "I am thirty-four-years-old, Ethereal. People my age don't do that stuff. It's more people your age who do that."
     "Is that permission?" I smirked.

Eden half closed his book and stared at me with his serious face.

     "I catch you doing that, and you will be confined to this house for eternity." he warned.
     "Just checking," I responded amusedly, "Have fun with your book. I'm going to go do my homework like a good little girl now."
     "See that you do." Eden said, opening his book again and turning the page.

Button swarmed my legs when I went back downstairs. I got her a treat, got myself a treat, and got myself out of my playful mindset by the time I sat myself in my chair at my computer. Button, like she did so many times, tried to snuggle herself on my lap. I really don't think she understood that she was not a tiny puppy anymore who could do those kind of things. She was satisfied with a bunch of cuddles and pets from me though while I waited for the computer to start up. After that, she rested her head on my legs instead and occasionally nuzzled my arm as I began working. The assignment wasn't hard, merely dreadfully dull. It was nothing other than reading and regurgitating the information, which was what I hated the most. Perhaps it was helpful for the other normal students, but with my wicked instant memorization that I had been honing for years now it was an absolutely useless exercise. I sighed and rested my head against my palm when I was two-thirds done.

     "It's so booooring..." I whined to my dog.

Button licked my hand. That was what caused me to look at my hand and snap out of the dazed, dull state I had been in. I stared at my hand for a long time- turning it in different directions before turning my attention to the rest of me.

     "Maybe I am coming down with something. I do look really pale now." I spoke quietly, mildly unnerved because I still felt perfectly fine, "I suppose I shouldn't ignore this though. At least I have an excuse to put the rest of this stupid assignment off until tomorrow. C'mon, Button. Let's go get some medicine in me so we can call it an early night."

I wasn't the most excited at the prospect of going to bed so early, but I had learned that medicine and lots of sleep was the only real way to combat the illness I caught before they got too far. I would typically wake up the next morning perfectly well. I made myself a sandwich dinner, took some nighttime medicine so I wouldn't have too much trouble drifting off, and grabbed a book before snuggling into bed. Button took up her normal perch of lying on my feet. I read a chapter or so before the medicine kicked in, as well did the exhaustion from hanging out with my friends all day. It actually didn't take me that long to fall asleep at all.

A wet nose right in my face woke me up the next morning. I groaned and did my best to get away from Button. I had already lost my Saturday morning to sleep in. I wanted to at least get my Sunday morning rest, sod the fact that I had gone to bed so early. Button was persistent though, which was rather unusual. She did have a habit of sniffing or licking at my face when I was in bed, but unless she really had to use the bathroom or was incredibly hungry she backed off quickly. This time around she whined and seriously shoved her nose all over me.

     "What? What do you want?" I grumbled wearily, gently pushing her off me.

Button stared at me as if she was confused. She sniffed at me again.

     "Are you hungry? Do you need to be let out?" I asked quietly, petting her in hopes that would satisfy her.

It apparently did something, for Button's normal, slightly goofy complacent expression returned to her face. I was given a lick, and she lost her sudden heightened interest in me.

I rolled over and attempted to go back to sleep. However, my body had indeed gotten enough rest. The medicine was still making me entirely groggy and a little out of it, but my aching muscles were protesting how long I had been lying still. I sat up and stretched, slightly more coherent as I moved. Then I didn't move for a moment. I was waiting to see how I would feel as my body continued to awaken. Had I struck back a cold? Was I still going to be sick? My eyes glanced at my skin to see if I remained pale or if I had gone back to normal.

My heart sunk when I noticed the absence of my normal green, but my mind was slower to accept the reality. I just couldn't make sense of what was going on. I rubbed my eyes, brushed at my skin, and shook my head to get the sight before me to change. It didn't.

I inhaled sharply and glanced back at Button, now understanding why she had been so curious. So stunned, I could do nothing other than sit with my mouth slightly open in amazement while I stared at my hands. This was...

No way!

I leapt up and nearly slammed my foot into the edge of my dresser as I tossed myself in front of the mirror. The truth still didn't change. Softly running my hands across my face and tugging at my hair, I stood there in total and complete awe. My heart was quietly racing, and my breaths were deep but shaky.

     "Oh god. Oh my god," I whispered as I closed my eyes, "Why did this happen? I shouldn't have...yet..."

Hesitantly cracking open one eye, I glanced at myself again.

     "But this is the real me. It actually is..." I remarked, "I look like an entirely different person."

How long I gawked at myself in the mirror was lost to me. The next thing I was aware of was that I was hurriedly rushing the fifteen feet down the hallway to Eden's door. I burst into his room calling his name without knocking.

     "Hell, Ethereal! I was just about to start changing! What are...you..."

Eden's annoyed and loud reprimanding quickly grinded to a halt when he turned around to spot me. Much like me, his eyes went wide and he became rooted to the spot where he stood.

     "Eden!" I exclaimed, holding my arms out and gesturing to me because I had no idea what else to say or do.
     "Oh my god." he whispered, mirroring me.
     "Why did this happen!? We should have had another two months before the injection wore off!"

Eden sighed heavily and held his head in his hand.

     "Great. This is not what we need." he mumbled.
     "You don't think I've become immune to the injection?" I proposed with great concern.
     "You better not be becoming immune. That would screw up everything," Eden frowned, "No, I instead think, I mean, I hope, that its period of use is simply decreasing because you're growing. The injection doesn't last as long because it's got more of you to keep green, or something like that. I really don't know. It's not like I fully know what this stuff is myself or how it works."
     "I'm sorry. I should have said something yesterday. I was getting so pale it should have been obvious what was happening, but I thought I was just catching a cold."
     "No, it's not your fault. We should have had another two months like you said. With this happening so suddenly, it's no wonder what was happening didn't cross your mind. It was the last thing to expect."

Eden sighed again.

     "Let's just give you another injection. I'm going to have to call the school and say you're sick until we can get you green again."
     "Is it alright if I take a bath first?" I requested, knowing the change would probably take days like last time, but wanting just a little more time to be Ethereal instead of Meadow.
     "Yeah, sure. I have to make some calls about this anyway. Planning- in case the injection does fail or if it keeps running out in shorter and shorter amounts of time."

I couldn't recall taking a longer bath in my life. I refilled the tub with warm water and bubbles after the first load went tepid and flat. My skin took on a red tinge due to the heat, but even then the white shown like pure marble on a blindingly sunny day. I seemed brighter and smoother than the porcelain of the tub. I was almost afraid to touch any part of me- like if I grasped my arm it would shatter or crack. I felt fragile and soft, but in that moment I didn't want to trade that feeling for anything. I had forgotten. Completely and utterly forgotten what it was like to be white. It had been snatched away from me so quickly, not to mention my life had changed so fast as well, that I had never gotten the chance to remark on just how much I loved who I was. What I would have given to have a stunning white dress I could wear so I could march over to Purity's house and finally reveal to her the truth! I'm sure that would put her in her place! I kept myself entertained with daydreaming until the water grew cold again.

Eden was cooped up in his room when I got out. Hearing him talk in hushed and worried tones alerted me to the fact that the conversation he was having was not one I should barge in on. I was better off going about my way until he was done having his secret talk with whichever "friend" he called. Rather soon, I discovered that I didn't how know Eden survived only really having two close friends and me. Even after such a short time of being confined to the house with the knowledge that I would not be able to see anyone, I was being driven crazy by boredom. I even contemplated finishing my homework until I had a better idea. Thus, I began my mad search around the house for the object I was looking for. Eden and I almost never used the actual camera we had. We always used our phones instead, saving the pictures to our computers or printing them out as needed. Eden had bought the actual camera on a whim, and it spent most of its time collecting dust in whatever location he saw fit to stuff it in whenever we moved it around the house during our yearly spring cleaning.

     "Found ya." I said merrily when I came across it in a spare cabinet in the kitchen.

I placed it on the counter, staring at it as I took a deep breath to calm my nerves and racing heart.

Eden made me jump when he appeared in front of me without warning, but that was my fault because I hadn't been paying attention.

     "What are you doing?" he asked with suspicious disapproval when he spotted the camera.
     "I'm going to take a picture of me."
     "No, you're not."
     "I know there's a chance someone could stumble across a picture I took with my phone or my computer could be hacked," I began to explain, knowing exactly why Eden was against the idea, "That's why I'm going to take the picture with this one."
     "Except it still has to be developed, and the picture would still exist, Ethereal. The chance that someone could come across it remains."
     "We could develop it ourselves. It surely can't be that hard. I would hide it well too. I've got a hiding place that even you haven't-"
     "No, Ethereal."
     "But if-"
     "No."

Eden hurriedly stuck out his arm, snatched the camera, and placed it out of my reach onto the chair next to him. He put a syringe full of the injection on the counter instead.

     "I'm not taking that." I said with a defiant shake of my head.
     "What are you talking about? You have to take it." Eden said with his face narrowing further.
     "I won't do it," I refused again, "I don't think we have to."
     "You've become completely delusional."
     "No, I haven't. Listen, Eden! I clearly haven't remained that child you stole away. You don't need to shield me anymore. We need proof to out The Company. Well, I'm right here! I've seen thanks to Purity how people will listen to anything she says. If we make a big enough ruckus, there'll be so much interest in me because I'm albino that The Company won't be able to make any move against us without incriminating themselves. We could end all this hiding and being afraid right now! This very day!"
     "You still don't get how bad of a position we're in here," Eden shook his head in impatience, "That kind of situation- it would never work. People would pay attention to the story because you're white, yes, but The Company is too massive. There's far too many people in far too influential positions of power to expose all their secrets simply by revealing that you're white. It would be easy as breathing for them to make fake parents for you and claim that I was a disturbed worker of theirs who illegally created a color changing chemical and kidnapped you- turning you green and filling your heads with lies so you wouldn't know better. I wouldn't have anything to counter something like that, and no one would believe you no matter how much you screamed the truth. I would end up in jail. You would end up in The Company's clutches, with them showing the world you being 'reunited' with your 'parents' until everyone stopped caring. Then they would be free to go ahead with their original plan. You are sixteen now, Ethereal, remember that. The second they catch you, the second they turn your body into their tool."

Eden continued to frown at me harshly. I couldn't meet his gaze. The air was horribly stiff, and my throat burned as my breaths turned sharp to match the hollow pain in my chest.

     "Come on," Eden forced his voice to be softer as he picked up the syringe," Let's just get it over with."
     "No."

I backed away from him.

     "This isn't something you can get out of. If I have to sedate you or knock you out to get this in your system, then believe me that is what I'll do if you bring it to that point." Eden warned, even though he didn't speak with enough conviction to match the intensity of his words.

I shook my head.

     "Ethereal."

The tears welled up instantly. It's not that I didn't get Eden's point. Though it was something I didn't want to admit, I knew very well that he was right about everything. The picture, using me successfully as evidence- it was stupid, naive, wishful thinking. However, despite me understanding the situation, I honestly couldn't bring myself to just accept it. It was true I was having slight trouble breathing in that moment, but I felt as if I was actually breathing freely for the first time in years. The green fading away had taken such a burden off my shoulders. I felt so relieved and uplifted even if being white put me in more danger.

I flinched when Eden stepped closer, but he had put down the syringe. He wrapped his arms around to hold me like he still did so often. I was lovingly teased for it by the others, but me clinging to Eden's comfort like a child was another way time hadn't changed my life. Eden rubbed my back and let me cry. He didn't say anything, but he didn't have to. I knew he knew exactly how I felt. There was no way for me to count how many times we had discussed how I wanted to be white. How I wanted to be free.

     "I-I'll take the injection, but I...I don't want to..." I sniffled.

Another sigh escaped Eden's lips.

     "I know," he said before kissing the top of my head, "I know."

He paused, his own breathing hitched. It was because we both understood very well that he would never be free of the guilt of having had the chance to give me a life without burden but failing to do so because of his clumsiness.

     "I'm sorry." he whispered like he so often did.

I shook my head one final time.

     "It's alright. I'll be alright. Just give me one more minute to cry, and then we can bring back Meadow..."