Unmasking Colors

Freedom is something I cannot have. I cannot do anything to express myself. I have to act like someone else. It's better than getting rejected by society, am I right? I stare at my calendar. Today is the beginning of the 2-day event.

The event I am excited to go to.

I'm too excited I can't even talk properly. Smiles go up my face. I head out my bedroom. It was five in the morning, and the event starts at 6 o'clock sharp. I mustn't be late.

It's a once in a lifetime opportunity. Both my brother and I were hiding laughs and smiles.
"Are you two excited today?" My mother asks us both. We both shake our heads. I ate as fast as I could, and got dressed. Within five minutes I was ready to go to the Oblivious side of town.


It was where all the events were made. We kiss our mother goodbye and we head to location. We arrive just in time to listen to what the capitol's announcements.

"You are all separated by your age, which is also your grade. Students report to the tent right behind me. I couldn't resist a smile.


As soon as I enter the enormous tent, my brother is out of sight. It was awfully crowded. I was crammed in a corner with boys. One boy was smiling at me, and the other was looking at his cell phone. A figure approaches me and taps my shoulder. I turn around. His face was familiar. He still wears the same smile.

"Hi," He says shyly.

I gulp down my words.

Nobody from a different Head-Commons bothered to talk to me.

"Hi." My voice was shaky. "I'm sorry for taking your umbrella again." I say under my breath. He lets out a chuckle, "You know you don't always have to apologize." He says.

The boy staring at his phone looks at both of us. "Nice to see you, Baekhyun" He pats Baekhyun's shoulder and gives it a squeeze. "Nice to see you JongDae," He responds.
"What's your name?" He then asks me.


"People call me Hyacinth." I hesitate. No one really calls me by name. I make an exception for only my educators and my parents calling my name. I didn't have any friends.


They both look at me, "Like the flower?" They say simultaneously. I have no idea what they were talking about. I nod my head. "I guess so." I say, I never knew my name was a flower. They give me a satisfied look. My cheeks blush and I look down. In the middle of the crowd, the supervisor starts to speak.

"Welcome to the 200th Birthday of Our Society! There will be activities at every part of the city; which includes: The 4 Capitol Buildings, The 4 Head Commons, An exclusive event at the Old Tower, A scavenger hunt located at the subways, and many more!

Please look at the browser for the activity list. During these two days, you are allowed to do anything you want. But- You shall not exit our force field." He says, everyone cheers; I do too.


He soon dismisses us and everyone sprints out of the enormous tent. I clutch onto the browser. Baekhyun and Jongdae have huge grins upon their faces.

“Where do you want to go Humdrum?" JongDae nudges my elbow. I give him a cold glare. "Don't call me that. And can't you guys just go with your own friends?" I say, both of them give me a quizzical look.

"That's a stupid thing to do." Jongdae snorts, "Yeah, and this day is made to make friends with different Head-Commons. And try things you've never done." Baekhyun adds. I let out a sign, "Fine, Let's go jump off the tower." I smirk.

They both look at me. "Are you crazy!?" Baekhyun's voice was shaky. I quickly put Baekhyun into a tight headlock. I rub my knuckles on his head.

"You're scared." I giggle,
"I'm starting to think you aren't a Tacitus." Jongdae shakes his head.
"You're not my parents so don't you dare give me that look of disapproval." I thump his forehead.

"Ouch!" He yelps. We finally arrive at the old tower that was burnt down. We glance at it for a few minutes. "They use to call this Namsan Tower."

Baekhyun says flatly. I sprint to the Tower's Doors. I was still wearing my grey clothes, and I hated it. We were the first ones there,

The man wearing a jumpsuit gestured for all 3 of us to come to the tower's ledge. It was the place where we were supposed to jump off.

I had to link my arms with both of them and drag them to the ledge. They were both frightened. Baekhyun approached the man in the jumpsuit.


”Excuse me, Can we all jump together?" Baekhyun was jittery. The man nods his head. I don't think that's safe.

3 people jumping at the same time sounds very dangerous. Minutes later, I end up hugging Baekhyun. Chen was hugging both of us. He has wide arms. I've never been this close to a boy before.

His scent is already nauseating me.

Being up in the sky so high also nauseates me.

No matter how brave I try to act, I always end up being weak.
My Head was attached to Baekhyun's chest. I could feel his heartbeat. I couldn't jerk my head back because at any moment now, we would jump off the tower.

3... 2... 1...

All 3 of us were falling 1,574 ft. in the air. My mind goes blank. Adrenaline rushes through my body as I cheer. I can hear Baekhyun and Jongdae laughing.

But the falling didn't stop. I start to panic when the elastic tied around our waist did not slow down the falling. It seems like we were going to hit the hard cement and possibly die.

The laughs turn into panicking. Our heads were an inch off the ground when the elastic finally backfires and sends up into the sky again. The falling slows down, and the man in the jumpsuit unhooks us.

We take a few seconds to find our balance. We all end up falling on our butts. "Phew," I sign in relief. After a few minutes of silence we start laughing hysterically.
A boy walks past us and greets JongDae.

"Where have you been JongDae?" The boy spoke with a serious tone. "Can you leave me alone? Like, seriously; I'm not a 7 year old anymore." Jongdae mutters. "I can't, I'm older brother. Mom will get mad at me." The boy says.

Jongdae stands up and walks away. Baekhyun and I follow him. Jongdae's older brother follows too. "You have a brother?" I ask Jongdae, he snorts in response.

I turn back and approach him, "Hi!" I say confidently. For a girl who only speaks when she's spoken to; this is a big disgrace. He looks at me; his lips form a small smile.
"You probably noticed I'm this troll's older brother. I'm Suho." He says and holds out his hand.

I look at it quizzically. Then, I ignore it. I didn't know what it is so might as well. I catch up to Baekhyun and Jongdae. "I want to go to the Reckhettus side of town." Jongdae says, "We might get beaten up." Baekhyun responds. "Show me around Oblivious Compounds" I say with confidence.


Both of them nod their head. I had no friends. Making friends was always a difficult thing for me to do.

Along the way I bumped into the same boy when I was in the theater during the counselor meetings. He gives me a sneer and greets the guys behind me.

"What is SHE doing here?" His eyes fixed at me.


"Don't be so rude Kris, No wonder you don't get any new friends." Suho scolds him. I hate his sneer. It makes me want to vomit my insides out. We arrive inside one of the compounds. Shudders go through my body as I see water. I stood there like a statue.


"Are you okay? You look pale." Suho points out. I jitter, "Yeah, I'm fine." I manage to say.
"Ugh, guys. Let's get out of here." Baekhyun was sweating. Baekhyun quickly drags the rest of us out of the compound.

We were also to the exit when a girl blocks it. "Ahem." She grumbles nonsense. Baekhyun stays still. The other boys elbow him.

As if they're teasing him about the girl. "Taeyeon let me have my freedom." Baekhyun says sternly. "No,” She pouts. Baekhyun smirks, he pushes her out of the way and all of us exit.

The girl -Taeyeon- looks pissed.

We head to the subway station for some paint balling. This game is usually played at the crack of dawn. The man in front of us was wearing a black blazer and really tight pants. It did not fit him.

We needed at least 7 people to play the game, and we had 5 people.
Suho takes his phone out of his pocket. His fingers start to move across the screen. My eyes are attracted to his phone.

I gave at it before he puts in back into his pocket. I have never had a phone. We were the only Head-Commons that didn't allow phones.

That's because they think phones are devices of betrayal; I don't understand why.
Within a few minutes, three boys came running into the station.


"Boys, say hi." Suho says smiling. The boy wearing the white shirt was no other than Sehun. I didn't pay attention to their introductions.

The boy wearing a bright yellow sweater vest had big dimples. His name was Lay. The other boy had eyes as big as an owl.


He'd often look away if people are speaking to him. And then it hit me, I'm surrounded by boys. In which I never expected. Why should I care?

We split into teams and I get stuck with Mr. Sneer. I stayed close to Sehun to avoid feeling uncomfortable; after all we did come from the same Head-Commons.


The subway passageways were dark, dark as in you couldn't see a single speck of light.
Being in the darkness give me time to think.

If all of us weren't dictated by tyrants; forcing us to follow stupid rules. We would be happier; we would do whatever our brain tells us to do.
I think about our force field and how it was made. I always wonder why they don't let people in or out. I snap myself back to reality.

"It's odd to see you here, surrounded by boys." I could feel Sehun's warm breath against the back of my head. "It's not my fault. They followed me." I mutter. I hear a splatter, possibly aimed at the space between Sehun and me. I hear Kris's low chuckles, "Sorry, I was just practicing." He scoffs. I roll my eyes.


My instincts tell me to drop on my belly; I do what my brain tells me to do.
Sehun follows. "What the hell are you doing!?" Kris hisses at him. "Getting ready to shoot dumbass," I hiss back. I bit my lip, I'm using impolite language.

It doesn't matter anymore, I already said it; I can't take it back. Kris ignores my response and starts running farther into the subway passage. "Then, I'll let you get splattered." I grumble.

All of my teammate's brains are scattered, we had no strategy, but we plan to win. I was still in between the railings of the subway when the ground starts to shake. I still lie on my stomach perfectly still. The train appears at the end of the passageway coming straight toward me.


I keep my head down; I hear Kris and Sehun screaming my name. In a few minutes the train passes and I'm still alive. I stand up.

Although I can't see Kris's his face, I can sense that he was worried.

"Are you crazy!? You could've died!" Kris was worried. My laugh echoes through the passageway. Baekhyun runs back. "We won." He declares.

We head out of the subway passage before the train runs us over. Sehun and Kris didn't say a word so do I? I see paint splattered all over Jongdae's face. I have the urge to laugh as loud as I can. I laugh until my stomach hurts.


Everyone joins in. "I'll treat you guys for some Ice Cream!" Baekhyun suggested. Sehun and I had quizzical looks on our faces. We follow. We enter a shop; it smelled like fresh strawberries. Jongdae looks at me "Pick your flavor!" He gestures toward the ice cream machines.


My eyes were caught staring at the word Chocolate. The last time I ate chocolate was when I was seven.
I barely knew how it tasted like.

"Chocolate," I say quietly. I turn around and I already see Sehun licking the 'ice cream' like a thirsty cat. "This is so damn good." His eyes were sparkling.

Baekhyun gives me the cone and I start tasting it. I don't know how to describe it. It's kind of like the heaven I've been longing for. "You've never eaten ice cream before?" Kris says dumbfounded.

I don't pay attention to what he said; he's way too arrogant to understand anyway. Unlike, Sehun; I took time to eat it carefully.

It's probably the last time I'm ever going to taste some like this. The sun hadn't set yet, but I could see the orange and pink in the sky. Suho leads us to a five star hotel and we go up to the rooftop.

I can finally breathe in fresh air. I’m surprised my imprint isn't killing me with its deadly shocks. All of us probably won't sleep tonight. Time is precious. I stare at the scenery for as long as I want because I know a few days from now,

I would be missing everything I've done. A few days from now, reality will come in and ruin everything. All over again,

"Hyacinth!" Baekhyun calls my name. I was dazing off again or maybe because I'm sleepy. "If you sleep, you're wasting time.

You're missing this once in a lifetime opportunity." He warns me. "I know," I snort. The city lights were bright my eyes sting.

I've never thought the city would look beautiful at night time. Our bedtime is exactly 10:30. Every Tacitus sleeps at this time. I look at my rusted watch, it was already midnight and we were riding the bus around the town.


Sehun was happily sleeping on Jongdae's shoulder. Suho yawns, "Here we are..." He says bluntly. My eyes are getting heavy.

As soon as we got off the bus, I smell something that makes my stomach grumble. I lick my lips; "I think we need some coffee." Jongdae suggests.

I tilt my head at JongDae. "What's 'Kofee'?" I ask in curiosity. "This Tacitus is really stupid." Kris grumbles at me, "Well, at least I'm not as rude as you." I retort. "Can you two stop arguing!?" Baekhyun comes in between us.

We enter a cafe; the leather seats were so comfortable. My butt wasn't used to it. I was used to stiff chairs located in our dining room. Suho hands me a Styrofoam cup with my name written on it.

They spelled my name wrong.

I don't blame them; no one has ever heard my name before. That's because I'm always the girl who doesn't fit in, the girl who sits in the very back corner of the room, the girl who is invisible. The people around me are actually helping me.

Reminding me that I'm not special; I'm just one of them. I immediately take a sip, but I immediately place the Styrofoam cup back on the table again. My tongue was burning. That moment was extremely unpleasant. They laugh at my facial expression.


I say nothing; I'll just embarrass myself even more. "So? You and Sehun are Tacitus. How's life?" Baekhyun asks me; Sehun was too busy drinking his coffee. I snort in response, "Boring," I sign. "Is it true that you don't have phones?" Jongdae leans in, I just nod my head.

I grab a hold of my Styrofoam cup getting ready to take a sip. To my surprise, it wasn't as hot as the first time I tried it.

It brought a delightful feeling to my stomach. I wasn't sleepy anymore, I felt energized. I felt like running more than a hundred yards.
"So? What Head-Commons do guys belong in?" I finally had the courage to say, they all smile.

"Suho and I are from the Delstaticus Head-Commons." Jongdae says proudly. "Oh, and so is Mr. Rude here." Jongdae points at Kris who is busy listening to his music.

Baekhyun rubs the back of his neck, "I guess I'm the only Oblivious here." He says shyly. His cheeks fill a shade of pink.


Jongdae grabs Baekhyun shoulder's with one hand and gives it a light squeeze. "We've never met an Oblivious who is kind enough like you." He compliments. It's true; Baekhyun was probably the only 'kind' oblivious.


Oblivious people are always acting snobby, they would always brag about their new clothes. Plus, they top the Education Charts here in our city.

They are known as the 'Superior' Head-Commons. But I now for a fact that people like Baekhyun and I have no place in society.

"Our society changed a lot," Baekhyun states, all of us turn wide-eyed. The only Head-Commons that was given information about what the world use to be like is the Oblivious.

"I heard the scientists fear the person they call the 'fault'." Kris adds; everyone looks toward his way. He was listening after all.


"It's true, that's why this year we have a lot of examination test and counselor visits than usual." Suho agrees. My mind clicks. I abruptly remember the woman in the examination test. I remember her telling me that my mind is showing a fault.


My mind starts to ache. I don't even know myself, who am I really? I mustn't tell anyone. I might be risking my life. "I don't know about you guys, but I received a normal test result." Kris smirks. "Ugh, I think we all did" I join the conversation.


Kris crosses his arms and puts his headphones back on.


"Let's go on the rides!" Jongdae gets distracted. I chug the last remains of my delicious coffee. I'm sure going to miss it. Without noticing an arm gets linked to mine. I shift my eyes to my left. "Can we be ride buddies?" I see Baekhyun grinning. I couldn't resist a smile.

Having friends is something I really wanted, and it is something I finally got today.
"Let's ride the Pirate Ship!" I drag all of them with me, including Kris.

The bars head automatically come down, and all of us were in for a ride. It starts swinging and I feel my stomach twist. It's the feeling I never thought I would experience, it’s the feeling I've been longing for.

I scream in midair; feeling yet another rush of adrenaline. The rest of them were extremely pale. When the ride was over, I wanted to go again but the others wouldn't let me. "It's my turn to pick." Kris demands, he doesn't say a word.

He just point to a Haunted House. I stare at my watch; it was three in the morning.

Was it a good idea to go into a haunted house during witching hour?

Everyone was jittery. My grip on Baekhyun’s arms was even tighter than it was before. I'm probably hurting his arm.

As soon as I enter through the doorway, I could feel the whole house's eerie. The floorboards creak giving us all shivers. I find myself blinking multiple times.

The whole group hadn't said a word ever since we entered. Darkness is what we all see, just like in the subway passage just no glow sticks this time. Something grabs my ankle; I shriek and jump into Baekhyun's arms.

Feeling his heartbeat; it was faster than mine.


I quickly jolt my body anyway from Baekhyun's. "Sorry." I whisper. Behind us I hear blaring screams of the 4 boys. We reach the end of the corridor. Blue lights shine above our heads at the end of the corridor. As we stare at the broken mirror in front of us,


I feel something touching and smelling my hair.


"Baekhyun, is someone touching your hair?" I look to my left; he gives me a nervous nod. "H-how about you guys?" Baekhyun asks the rest of the group. I assume they are also nodding. I'm way too scared to turn my head back.


I feel a sudden push, and all of us fall into the mirror landing top of each other. It wasn't a real mirror, I mentally sign. We weren't in the corridor anymore, we were at a supermarket. "Where are we?" Suho mumbles, Sehun lets out a shaky chuckle,


"We're in the supermarket?" Everyone starts laughing senselessly. "What kind of Haunted House has a supermarket in it?" Jongdae smirks.


The P.A system turns on, "Attention! Customers report to aisle thirteen." The voice was deep and groggy.


"What aisle are we in?" Baekhyun stammers, we all look up simultaneously. The head-board had blood marks on it. The blood marks created a number, the number thirteen. All of us exchange looks, Sehun was already praying. Something drips from the ceiling.


The cans on the shelves were dropping by themselves. Everything was going haywire I was still clutching Baekhyun's coat. Everything calms down for a moment. From a distance I see a little girl running towards us holding a teddy bear.


"Can you help me reach that jar of candy?" She smiles at me. I approach her, and I nod my head. I use my toes to reach the bottom of the jar. I finally get it and I give it to her. I hear the other boys shrieking.


In a moment I turn my head and I see a face right beside mine. Its face ripped in half and its teeth sharp. Blood is dripping from the side of its mouth

. Her eyes constantly pop in and out. It rolls all the way to the back of her head. She starts to sing a baby's lullaby and I drop the glass jar.
I start running toward the group of boys.


I was already shedding tears. We were now surrounded. I start to think. How can a Haunted House be so realistic!? We are now trapped. People with open heads are coming from my left and right.


Something creaks and we end up on our butts. I moan in pain. I wasn't gripping Baekhyun's waist anymore, I was gripping his hand.

We were both gripping each other's hand. My other hand gets pulled by something in the darkness.
I feel like I'm the rope used in a tug of war.


Something covers my mouth and I can't feel Baekhyun's hand anymore. I hear Jongdae screaming my name.

I manage to bite the hand over my mouth. I hear a girl scream as I try to find the rest of the group. "GUYS!" I start to panic again.


I am in total darkness. But something squeezes my hands. I sign, "Baekhyun." I look in the darkness. "Hyacinth? Is that you?" I hear his voice. My insides feel light and fluffy as I embrace him for a hug.

His warmth never felt so good. His arms fit my shoulders perfectly. Lights go on and both Baekhyun and I jolt away from each other. The others were pale. I didn't want to go into this house ever again.


We came in thinking it wouldn't be scary and that it would just be some sort of childish prank; but it sure wasn't.


The boys dust themselves off. "What's up with you two? Your cheeks are burning, both of you." Jongdae points out.

I head out the house rubbing my palms up and down my shoulders. "Nice choice Wu Yifan." Suho grumbles. Kris gives him a cold glare, "Don't call me that. My name is Kris." He hisses.


Sunrise was about to take place and all of us haven't even slept yet. But we all know it's worth it, Am I right? We head to a nearby rooftop again, just to see the sunrise. I cross my arms to produce warmth, the wind roars and I get a little chilly.


Jongdae takes off a sweater and hands it to me. "A-are you sure?" I hesitate. He gives me an earnest nod and I quickly put the sweater on.


It smells like lavender with a smell-distinctly male.


I look at Baekhyun and I see him sneer. Is he...jealous? I shake my head. Why would a guy I just met yesterday be jealous of another guy who barely knows me? It just doesn't make sense. The yellow in the sky is what I focus on.

A wide grin goes through my face.


The clean air is something I love. In my side of town, you could smell smug and smoke. And smug and smoke is the only thing you can smell. You cannot smell fresh baked goods, you cannot smell clean air.

The sunrise happens in a snap and I am soon sleeping on Baekhyun's shoulder inside the bus.

The others are probably sleeping too. Every time I feel Baekhyun's heartbeat it reminds me of my own. It has so proper rhythm; it just beats the way it wants.

It emphasizes how I have my own way thinking but I don't let my thinking control me. My insides feel light again.

My eyes pop open and I stare at Baekhyun sleeping on my shoulder. He looks calm. I bite my lip.

I like him.
I don't know if it's real but I like him.
I'll just give myself a hard time by not admitting my feelings for him.
Some things are better left unsaid.

Notes