I jump at Candy's hand, but relax once I realize we're no longer within earshot of Violet.
"Should we trust her?"
I inhale deeply as the stress of what just happened melts off my shoulders. I look down at the ground and think for a moment.
"I don't really know what other option we have." I look ahead of me and begin walking, forcing myself not to think about why this place is so beautiful and peaceful when everyone was warning us against it. Even the townspeople are greeting us and smiling at us as we walk by. Is everyone else just bitter and couldn't stand how nice everyone is? Did everyone happen to have a falling out with one person and swore off it? I still don't understand, but I'm sort of scared to find out.
At any second, this perfect reality could all melt and turn into a battleground.
Okay, that might seem far-fetched, but at this point it could be beyond possible. Every aspect of Purple seemed way too surreal. It almost bothered me, as I yearned for an adventure, but this life felt too easy. Where was the fun? The running away? The near-death-experience-but-not-quite-because-I-want-to-live? I shook my head, remembering to be careful for what I wish for.
"I suppose you're right. Oh, look, the pizza place. It smells delicious," Just the smell of a freshly baked pizza enticed me. I pulled out two granola bars, passing one to Jae, and took small bites to fight back hunger.
I smile and take the granola bar, unwrapping it as the enticing scents of the pizza enter my lungs and almost drag me in. In a failed attempt to resist the temptation, I turn my neck to see the inside of the building. Steam emanated from the pizzas with the fluffy dough for the crust. I almost stop dead in my tracks, but thankfully Candy nudges me forward. We make a left and I already hear the music coming from what I suppose is the Crystal Garage. A type of music I don't think I've ever heard before pumps through my veins as the bass controls my heartbeat. I turn to Candy with a smile as we stop to listen to the music for a few moments.
"That's nice," I say. "I'm exhausted. We should hurry." I start crying
everyone turns into zombie werewolves.
they pounce on us
we r dead
bye
We finally arrive to a small lavender apartment complex. Lilacs and other various purple flowers grew along the walls of the main building. I glance at Jae and we walk in together.
At the front desk is the foretold boy. Messy brown curls cover his eyes, and freckles dot his face. He looked only a couple years older than us. The boy wore a blue button down shirt, which I found strange. Why wasn't he wearing purple?
"Hey, how much are the rooms here?" I asked, waiting for a hopefully good response.
The boy looked up, as his dark brown eyes glimmered in the sun that peaked through the windows. His face was soft upon first glance. His skin was frail and gentle, and his face spoke peace. As we walked closer, I read his name tag. Adrian. Adrian smiled a big, pure smile and stood up. "You bet we do. Did Violet send you? God, I love her. Are you two together? Come, follow me, please." His quick words and way of speaking almost threw me off, but I look over at Candy with a confused face. As he began to walk, I waited until he couldn't hear us as I whispered to Candy.
"W-what's up with him?" He proudly escorted us to a door and unlocked it, stepping out of the way for us to enter first.
I kept quiet, afraid to say anything as I peered into the room. I nodded to Adrian and entered the room quickly.
"You have any questions? You can ask me! I'm at the front! Enjoy the room guys!" He closes the door and leaves. I look around the room, not trusting anything. On our right is a small living room, and on the left is a kitchen and a dinner table. Inside the living room is a flat screen TV and a small comfy looking couch. I walked in further and discovered a bedroom and a bathroom at the end of the hallway. The bedroom suspiciously had a single bed and purple decorations. He thinks we're lesbians, I think.
I found a notepad on the nightstand. A movie instinct kicked in, and I pulled one paper off. I called Jae over, who was also exploring the new apartment. On the note, I wrote:
Somethings off. Shouldn't we have discussed rent? What about our room key? I'm hoping there's no cameras - this is why I'm writing this.
I look at Jae with concern on my face, hoping she would understand my anxieties.
I read Candy's scribbles after looking around the room curiously. After processing her words I look up in thought, my eyes trailing every inch of my mind to think of an answer. My wandering eyes fall on the door to a balcony. From my angle I can see the view overlooks the town. It's actually a pretty surreal sight, and I almost get lost in it, but I snap back to the task at hand. I turn back to Candy, determining that my response wouldn't be too bad if they're recording us. I still whisper, though.
"Do you want me to ask? About rent?" I'm sure everyone that's new would ask about that sort of thing, right? Candy is right though, something is definitely off. I wonder if we'll find out what it is soon, or if we have to settle in before we're let out of the dark.
"Yeah, yeah. You go ask, I'll look around the apartment and stuff," I say, crying inside as the edgy monster inside me eats me up. I hate Jae. I hate everything. My eye twitches. I am dead.
purple XD th end
"Yeah, yeah. You go ask, I'll look around the apartment and check out what it has," I wink at her, hoping it would calm any nerves Jae had. She smiled to me, then left to ask the boy at the desk. I went inside the bathroom to discover an unholy amount of lavenders. It wasn't until now that I realized how strong the scent was. It stung my nose, forcing me to leave. But, the lavenders were everywhere. Why hadn't I noticed before?
What the hell was going on?
I stroll out the door and back down the hallway, retracing my steps to where Adrian may be idling. I hear voices as I reach the corner. I recognize the first as Adrian, somehow always managing to speak in sentences of four words. The second was new, but it still sounded friendly. As I turn the corner, a man in an obnoxious purple colored suit met me. He stopped just before we collided, nodded a greeting at me, and continued where he was going. I turn the corner to see Adrian grinning to himself.
"Hey, Adrian, I just wanted to say, it's a beautiful apartment, but uh, how much is it? I just wanted to make sure it's not too high above our price range," I begin, nervously laughing. Adrian tilts his head to the side and points at me.
"You two are new? I thought you weren't. But James insisted it."
I feel my heart race as he speaks. Have people been watching us? Gossiping about us?
"James?" I ask, confused and concerned. Adrian waves me off.
"Don't worry about James. Just toss some candy. He'll leave you be. If you see him. What was your question?" I struggle to recover my words as I stutter.
"O-oh, I was just wondering how much the apartment is."
"Oh, yes, the apartment! Well, actually, it's free. Everything here is free. It's how we are. There is no currency. Not in this area." Adrian beams an innocent smile as if he didn't just say the strangest thing in the world. Immediately I respond with questions.
"What about stealing? How can I trust everyone not to take everything from me?"
Adrian's smile fades, but his innocent energy remains radiating off of him.
"We don't steal things. Why, that's just wrong. It's all about respect. Respect of personal property."
I have several questions, but instead I smile and return to Candy to tell her about what's going on.
Jae recites the story. She points out every detail, the strange man, and how Adrian spoke in such a strange way. In turn, I tell her my findings.
I sit on the comfy couch, but still, my body is tense. My temples are pounding from the smell of lavenders. "How are people… already talking about us? We've been here for only about an hour. Oh god, the smell is killing me."
If I had a snowflake for every question that ran through my head in the past couple days, I'd have a global blizzard storm. Sometimes, I wish I was exaggerating, but I wasn't. I was scared.
I was unbelievably scared.
Suddenly, any want to survive in Purple vanished and I wanted to leave. Nothing felt real. It was as if everyone in Purple had their eyes on me. I rather live in a war zone than here. Death is better than living in anxiety forever, right?
As soon as Candy mentioned the smell, it hit me. My nostrils flared up in alert and the scent clouded my head. I felt dizzy. Maybe even a little sleepy. My eyelids grew heavier with each breath I took in, and if I didn't lay down now, I felt as if I was going to pass out. I sigh, realizing how close it is to noon, and look over at Candy.
"Give purple another chance. See if anything happens. If not, we're fine. I'm just really tired. I want to sleep."
I plop myself onto the couch next to Candy, grabbing a nearby blanket and covering myself, getting comfortable enough to sleep. My eyelids close immediately as I lift a heavy arm to wave goodnight to Candy.
"You take the bed. Goodnight, Candy, sleep well."
Within seconds, I'm fast asleep, dreaming of the possibilities Purple could hold.
As soon as Candy mentioned the smell, it hit me. My nostrils flared up in alert and the scent clouded my head. I felt dizzy. Maybe even a little sleepy. My eyelids grew heavier with each breath I took in, and if I didn't lay down now, I felt as if I was going to pass out. I sigh, realizing how close it is to noon, and look over at Candy.
"Give purple another chance. See if anything happens. If not, we're fine. I'm just really tired. I want to sleep."
I plop myself onto the couch next to Candy, grabbing a nearby blanket and covering myself, getting comfortable enough to sleep. My eyelids close immediately as I lift a heavy arm to wave goodnight to Candy.
"You take the bed. Goodnight, Candy, sleep well."
Within seconds, I'm fast asleep, dreaming of the possibilities Purple could hold.
Something was horribly off.
I jumped off the couch, away from Jaeden. In my mind, I went back over the words she said. One, two, three, four, period. One, two, three, four, period. One…
My mind went over several possibilities. I could wake up Jae, and leave this place, although I doubt she would wake up, or even be normal. I could stay here, and hide. I could leave the apartment myself and run away, without Jae.
I mentally slapped myself. Leave Jae? Ridiculous. Don't lose yourself either. Perhaps I could coax Jae out of the trance when she woke up. From now on, I would make sure we didn't talk to anybody. Trust no one, right?
First, I covered Jae's mouth with a towel, hoping it would be enough to stop the heavy scent from getting to her. Then, I grabbed a bottle of water from my bag and dumped the entire thing onto her face, hoping it would be enough to wake her up. If Jae was still talking all weird, well, I hadn't planned that far ahead.
I felt like I had slept an eternity. As if actual weeks, months, maybe even years went by. It was such a deep sleep, and as I was so abruptly pulled out of it, I felt as if my soul was being pushed back into my body. I felt as if, as I was waking up, I could see myself on the couch, with a worried Candy right next to me. And then I felt as if myself was a magnet, and it pulled me closer.
My eyes shot open along with my chest, and I immediately forget all of what I presumed to be an out-of-body experience. I shake my face and cough out the water from my throat, looking up at Candy.
"What the hell was that for?!" I yell, shocked. How much time had passed? Is it the next morning? How long was I asleep? I didn't understand why Candy nearly drowned me, but I was struck with such rage that I yelled at her. I know I'd regret doing such a thing, but I could feel my heart beating in such a way that only fueled my rage. I should probably breathe slowly, but I couldn't. Not right now.
I was taken aback by Jae's anger. Having never heard her yell, particularly at me, my heart sank a bit. The heavy weight in my chest rushed to my eyes. Oh, wonderful, I'm crying like a three-year-old who just got scolded by his mother for leaving front door open. When was the last time I cried? Because of my sister?
"You were talking like Adrian…" was all I managed to get out, hoping she'd understand. I was only worried. The towel had fallen onto her lap, and I concluded that if I don't mention the flower scent, she wouldn't notice, and the towel was basically useless.
I stared at the ground, rubbing my arms. Is she mad? Obviously. Will she understand? I mean, with how fast she fell asleep, there was no way gently shaking her would've helped.
Upon seeing the lights reflecting on Candy's face, I noticed she was crying. My body and mind went through several layers of panic as I tried to figure out what to say or do. I exhaled deeply and looked around to the windows.
"What time is it? How long was I asleep?" I asked quietly, almost muttered, trying to calm my voice enough to help. I knew I had to apologize for yelling, and I regret the fact that that wasn't the first thing out of my mouth afterwards. My mind was swarming with thoughts and questions and I had to get a few out. I knew Candy had questions too. Maybe we could try to answer a few with Adrian. No, he'd be no help. Maybe someone else. I wonder if everyone is just as cryptic in Purple as the people everywhere else when they're talking about Purple. I wonder if anyone here can think for themselves. I start to think about all the people who have never been to Purple and how they talked about it. No one admitted exactly what Purple did to the residents there, not even the people who got out. What does that mean? Why wouldn't they tell everyone if it was something horrible? Maybe it's just not as bad, or they make you erase your memory if you try to leave, but someone remembered that it was bad, just not what happened, and that's what started the rumor. Maybe since Purple became it's own separate entity from the Colors, Huerule started the rumor to keep people from entering Purple. I don't know, no one knows. But I'm prepared to find out.
"What time is it? How long was I asleep?" Jae mutters. She must have noticed and felt guilty. I wipe my face. putting myself back together. We had a bigger issue at hand, and there was no room for petty feelings.
"It's only been about five minutes. I have a lot of thoughts about this place, and I'm sure you do too, but I don't think we should say any of them here. Let's go explore the city, shall we?" I say, slightly louder and with a wink. I hoped Jae realized we were never coming back here. It was too risky, and we needed to be somewhere with guaranteed privacy.
I thought about all the books and movies I read where reality was distorted. In these works of fictions, there was always a place where reality felt real and not a mask to cover shit up. Perhaps Purple was similar. As scared as I was, a lingering curiosity began to haunt me. I wanted to find out why Purple was this way, and what it really was.
I nod at Candy's responses and her suggestion to explore the city, eyeing her wink and noticing her raising her voice.
"Alright, let's head out. Do you think we're going to find a place to stay for the night? Not to push back to going to sleep, I just want to know what you think about staying here for at least one night."
I walk over to my backpack that rested on the dining table. I unzip the bag and pull out two water bottles. Candy and I might need to preserve our own water, who knows what's in Purple's water system. I hand one of the bottles to Candy, already determined not to give her a choice of refusing the water.
I squint as how mom-like Jae is, and take a sip of the water. "We'll see, I guess. If we don't find somewhere, we can head back anytime. Adrian seems too nice to refuse anyways."
We put on our bags and go on our way back to the city. I'm not really sure where to go, so I hope Jae would take initiative and lead. When we pass Adrian, I fake a smile and avoid his eyes. After we leave the building, the flower scent dissipates and finally my headache alleviates. A strange thought passes my mind.
"Jae? How come you fell for Purple's… tricks… but I didn't? I smelled the flowers too, and I talked to Adrian. I don't understand why I wasn't affected…"
We escape awkwardly past Adrian, but something seems off about him. Maybe he's just one of those kids, or he's tired, but he seems…zoned out. He almost looks troubled, as if he's having a silent anxiety attack. I don't think he even noticed us leaving the building. I consider stopping and getting his attention, but now is not the time. I'm sure he's okay.
"Jae?" I snap my neck to Candy, realizing we'd left the building already. "How come you fell for Purple's… tricks… but I didn't? I smelled the flowers too, and I talked to Adrian. I don't understand why I wasn't affected…" I shrug my shoulders at her, that being yet another question piled onto the mountain that ruled my mind.
"I don't know, and I'm scared to ask anyone else that kind of question. Where should we go first?"
I scan the area from where I'm at and see several options, which lead to even more various buildings that still seem open.
I don't know why I bothered asking Jae, it wasn't like she would've known. Did anyone here know? Were they all oblivious, mindless robots to Purple?
We head to what looks like a souvenir shop. When we open the door, a cute little bell jingles, indicating our arrival. The shop is purple, as expected. There were a couple jewelry displays with ordinary Purple! souvenirs. All shades of violet shirts are hung about the wall. To our left was a wall full of magnets and key chains. To our right was a clerk repping the shirts. She was looking down, and didn't seem to acknowledge us. I wandered around, checking out the mugs and cards. Should I buy something?
"Hey," I looked towards the clerk, holding up a cute Purple dress. The girl jumps and looks at me, alarmed.
"Yes? How can I help you? Sorry?" she speaks so quietly, I struggled to hear what she said.
"Um, do you have any other sizes for this dress?"
The clerk speaks even quieter. "Yes? Maybe? Can you give me a moment to check?" I look over at Jae with a confused expression.
I exchange looks with Candy, confused, but sort of getting used to it by now. I wander around the store, looking around at the name cups, the key-chains, the hats, the candies, the stuffed animals, all of which were different shades of purple. Unless it was the aggressive, hard purple lighting. After a few moments of Candy and I showing each other the funny looking creature sculptures, my favorite being a sculpture of a half spider, half man, with long hair and a blindfold over his eyes, the lady walked out with two dresses of different size.
"Do either of these work? Should I look for another size? What size are you?"
I look over at Candy, pretty sure she's noticed the strange way that each Purple citizen talks by now.
