"Get a full night's rest and set off for Orange, I guess?" Jae says in response to Ashton. I inhale deeply, a gentle smile resting upon my face as I admire the sky.
"Sounds good. Ashton, you'll have to share a bed with Adrian," I said. We all lazily stood up, gathering our stuff. After standing around for a bit to stretch and gain back some energy, we made our way back into the hotel. The sun disappeared among the clouds, and the city began to glow with its own yellow light. I can't wait to witness Orange's beauty again.
We went to our room in a comfortable silence. Ashton was still a little suspicious, but after what we went through in Purple, him being evil would be the least of our problems. I crashed onto the bed after changing into pajamas and immediately fell asleep.
Things were a sort of blur as I woke up. Everyone was doing their morning wake-up routine, Adrian still looked groggy even after breakfast, but we were all ready to continue our adventure. We packed up and made our way to the train station. Right as we started to get on the train, I noticed Adrian was sort of just standing there, not taking the step to get on the train.
I look over at him.
"Adrian?" I call out, stepping down the stairs to get closer to him. "What's wrong?"
Adrian almost snaps out of his gaze as he looks at me with fear in his eyes.
"I don't want to go back to Purple." He mutters with a shaky voice.
I look over to Candy, hoping she'd know what to say.
"ok bye" i say as i skip back into the train, whipsiering to myself, "he finally gonneee omggg"
"I don't want to go back to Purple."
I smile and step off the train momentarily, putting a hand on Adrian's shoulder. "That's okay. We're not forcing you. I'm just glad we got you out of there in the first place, you don't have to go back."
He looks at me warily, muttering, "Will you guys come back?"
I snicker as I step back onto the train. I didn't necessarily want to lie. "Don't worry about us." The doors begin to shut as we all wave Adrian goodbye. I turn to Jae. "Let's go introduce Ashton to the conductor."
Now it's on our way to Orange. Soon, I'll be returning to Yellow. I wonder what the people will say to my return; will they solemnly nod and say they expected as much? What if I told them I plan on returning to Purple? I shake my head as Candy suggests we introduce Ashton to the conductor. I can't think about that right now. We lead Ashton to the front of the train and knock on the door. Within a few moments, he opens the door, giving us a gentle smile.
"You're really forming a team for yourselves, aren't you?" He comments, returning to his chair to sit down.
"You're really forming a team for yourselves, aren't you?"
I grin to him. "Yes, sir. We'll need all the help we can get. Mr. Lenny, this is Ashton. Ashton, Mr. Lenny. He's kind of like our grandfather of some sort. The wise guy, you know?" Mr. Lenny chuckles and returns Ashton's handshake.
"Is Orange your next stop?" the conductor says, glancing out the window at the red vegetation.
"Just until you come back," I respond proudly, determined to learn many new things during my time at Orange. I neighbored Orange my whole life, barely ever getting anywhere near it and now I'm going to be walking it's streets. I was excited, to say the least. We returned to our car and relaxed in the train, waiting for it's arrival.
I lean on Jae's shoulder, my legs spread out on the other seats. Ashton sits on the other side of her.
Orange was a short-lived home. When I was there, I adored how lively everyone was, but no matter where I went there, or who I met, I felt odd. They were all kind, but it simply was not a town for me. Since I met Jae, I realize I've felt like I belonged somewhere, even though we never stayed anywhere for long. She brought out the best in me, I suppose.
My eyes flutter to the ceiling of the train. "What are we gonna do in Orange?"
I stretch my arms out as I lean against the back of the chair, tilting my head back and looking out the window, the train slowly starting it's departure.
"Depends on what Orange has, maybe we could go sightseeing."
Ashton gazed at us and reached into his pocket.
"I've got some money, we could find a nice hotel. I'll get a separate room, of course." He holds up his wallet, scratching behind his neck nervously.
I fidget with the seams of my shirt. "Well, I think those things are kind of mandatory, but what else? How are we going to find another person to recruit? That is, if we're getting someone from Orange." Ashton shrugs and starts to count the dollars in his wallet.
While waiting for a response, I take in the strangers on the train. There's all sorts of people: an old lady with graying hair, a young boy with his average-looking mom, a businessman, and another businesswoman. I wonder where they're all going. Certainly not Purple that's for sure.
I'm quiet, but I know I should say something. Not that I know where to find her, anyway.
"I know someone who went to Orange. She was a friend of mine, she was just as uncomfortable in Yellow as I was."
I look down at my hands that rested on my lap.
"As good of a friend as she was, she ended up telling me I should be ashamed of purple as she left, so I don't know if we're on good terms." I avoid eye contact as I realize retelling the story so casually tugged at my chest.
I smile to Jae. "No worries! We'll figure it out, and for all we know she might have changed! What was she like? I mean, other than the obvious traits of Orange." The thought of orange made me hungry for some odd reason. I lick my lips, pulling out snacks we had bought in the grocery store.
I smile at the thought of her.
"She was great, quite the pacifist, actually. She was into mixing drinks, but when I knew her she was too young to be a bartender so she made whatever the hell she wanted. She once mixed lemon-lime soda with orange juice and, I hate to admit it, but it was actually pretty good."
I blink my eyes to avoid them tearing up.
"Who knows, maybe she got a nice job as a bartender here."
I hand Jae her grapes because they will go bad if she doesn't eat them soon. She accepts them silently.
"Who knows, maybe she got a nice job as a bartender here," she mutters, plopping a grape into her mouth. I tossed a grape at Ashton and he surprisingly catches it in his mouth.
"Then the first thing we'll do is go to a bar. It's almost nighttime anyways."
I tilt my head and sigh.
"Sounds like a plan, I guess."
The train's rhythmic beating hit against my head as I leaned it against the walls, still nervous about what happened with my friend.
"Her name's Reb. Her favorite color is orange, obviously, but she likes green too. She was kind of an anomaly, she had this mixture style of green and orange. For a while she didn't know where she was destined to go, but everyone said she was more of an orange. Since she fell to peer pressure, that's where she went. I think she would have been happy in either one, though."
Jae talks about Reb almost reluctantly. I reach for another grape. "Hey, for all you know, she's all grown up and better now. If not, we can find someone else. I got you."
I study Jae for a moment, her purple prominent hair, skin like how autumn Orange leaves look at night. A smile tugs at my lips.
I probably should have gotten better sleep, or maybe reconsidered allowing my eyes to rest on the train, but within a couple minutes-or so I thought they were minutes-I started to lose consciousness. My surroundings melted away like ice cream left out in the sun until it was just me and the seat, and the rhythmic beating of the train against my head. Since the conversation had just ended, no one said anything to return me to reality, and my thoughts began to distort until the last one mixed with the next one, and so on.
The horn of the train jolted me awake, and what felt like mere minutes ended up being an hour or two on the train; the bright colors that filled orange flooded our vision, and I found everyone, including me, standing up to look out the window, like children at a candy store, in awe of the Autumn-esque town of Orange.
Orange is a place I could come to, and every time I would experience something completely new, almost as if I had never been there in the first place. Arguably all the cities are like that, but something about Orange just makes life feel like an adventure. Jae wakes up next to me as I gloss over the singing town. Trees with leaves threatening to fall pass swiftly by us, creating a blur of oranges and browns and dots of almost-yellow-but-probably-more-gold shades. I yawn and lift my hands up towards the ceiling in a long stretch.
"We're here," I said.
The train starts to slow, nearing the old timey-themed train station that had fire-lit lanterns rather than lights; it had fresh rainwater slipping into the cracks of the round bricked flooring. The lining of the station was a deep, dark orange, and the dominating colors were brown and an off-red. The people dressed las if it were Autumn, and to be honest, I almost thought that it was. With all the colors that Orange holds, it seems like Autumn was it's only season.
As we exited the train, a slight gust of wind blew a few leaves in our direction. I glance over at Ashton and Candy, who are under the same wonder and awe as I am. I could already smell Pumpkins, and even a slight citrus, depending on where you are.
"Where to first?"
"The bar! Did you forget already, Jae? Come on," I jokingly elbow her as I take in the view.
My favorite thing about every city is how much of its color it is. I know it has to be that way, but it's a calming thought. Orange, had to be the most of its color. I think if I was blind and deaf, I could walk through Orange and know what city I was in. The air felt just the right amount of warmth, but the wind cooled off my skin occasionally. i forgot what my next sentence was supposed to be.
I giggle nervously, still unsure what Reb would say if she saw me. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, maybe she'd forgotten what she said, maybe she felt pressured to say that to me. And maybe, just maybe, she doesn't even remember me. My eyes trace the area, already approaching a town center, as a standing-out bright green grabs my eye.
Orange-Lime written in cursive, neon lights glowed from a distance. I gaze over at Candy, shrugging my shoulders.
