Shades of Color

This war has been going on too long.

Wondering what war I’m talking about? It’s so strange; the war has been going on for years, and no one seems to know about it! The Rainbow War (ooh, scary, I know) between the different Shades is the war. I am Viola from the Purple Shade. If only such things didn’t matter, if only the Shades could get along like we used to. Oh, it was wonderful. We’d have the Rainbow Gathering, where all the different Shades would come together and discuss issues.

There used to be a King Hue, king of all the Shades, but he died. I maintain that the leader of the Red Shade, Maroon, and the little-recognized leader of the Black Shade, Pitch murdered him. Scandal and controversy erupted, and every gossip columnist worth their salt was talking about how the King might have died. There was talk that the Green Shade leader’s wife, Leaf, was displeased with the King turning down her proposal to accept the outlawed Clear Shade into the Rainbow Kingdom.

And there was also a rumor that a Blue Shade gang murdered him, and that the Blue Shade had a Color-wide cover up. All these different ideas conflicted, and the Rainbow Gathering turned into chaos and arguments. After that, the Shades no longer wanted a Rainbow King, because they considered their own shade ‘holier’ than all others. Thus came the Rainbow War, and the heartbreak that came with it.

My father, Eggplant, was one of the troops fighting for the Purple Shade. I say ‘was’ because he is no longer around. He was killed in this pointless war. The messenger told us a Yellow Shade soldier named Lemon killed him. And, even more ridiculous, the Purple Shade troops expect me to report for duty tomorrow and take my father’s place as a soldier!

Why has this war kept going for 20 years? I constantly wonder why none of the Shades will accept armistice. But after all these years of bitter struggle, each Shade convinced another killed the King, barriers of hatred and prejudice have been set up, and keep this war going furiously. But I just see us all as a rainbow, which is why I am not ashamed to admit that my best friend, Grass, is from the Green Shade.

Grass and I have been friends ever since we were tiny huelings. And he’s been ordered to serve in the army for the Green Shade. I’ve had to bid him a tearful goodbye, since we’ll probably never see each other again.

And even worse, today’s my birthday. I turned eighteen today, but instead of an adult, I feel like a lost, miserable four-year old. My poor father has been stripped away from me, and my best friend, for what? A petty disagreement that could have ended a long time ago if the Shades had just agreed to end this?

I stare at the purple curtains draped across my window, and see only sorrow. I would never forgive Indigo (the Purple Shade’s leader) for making me go through this. All the sudden, I slip away, away into dreams of a reunited Rainbow.

I woke up groggily that morning as the sun shone through the purple curtains. I looked at the evil red numbers of the buzzing monstrosity that was my alarm clock and noticed with horror how late I was. I scrambled out of bed and practically fell into my purple uniform. Madly I dashed out of my room and out the door.

There was a middle zone between the lands of all the Shades that soldiers had to report to. This used to be the land surrounding King Hue's castle, and it belonged to all the Shades together. But no more. That was what years of war did to tradition.

My mother, Lavender, was driving me to the airport so I could get over to the battle zone. I thought once more of the pointlessness of the war. Why? Why did I have to sacrifice my life for the conceited Purple Shade? Why did this have to separate me from Grass? Why? But I knew that it was hopeless to expect an answer.

I spent most of the time during my walk to the correct boarding zone and my flight through Purple Territory lost in my own thoughts. But then I noticed someone familiar sitting next to me on the plane: Grass. My eyes popped open in surprise. How did he board a Purple Shade plane without getting caught? But then, he had always bragged about his stealth...

"Grass!" I hissed to him. "How'd you get here?"
He smiled cryptically and replied, "It's a long story. But suffice it to say that I, erm...rescheduled my flight. The security guards have lost a lot more upstairs than their hair."
I sighed and said solemnly, "I only wish we didn't have to be on this idiotic flight in the first place, that we could just stop all this fighting, kick back, and relax. But no, of course not."
He smiled sadly and said, "Oh yeah, I haven't had the chance to say sorry about your dad and all...Eggplant, right?"
I shrugged and said, "Well, it's not like it's your fault or anything. It just happened."

When we finally got off the plane and went to our armies, I saw the stern gaze of the Lady Indigo (she leads the Purple Shade army) sweep over the company. Who made her Queen Hue, I thought? She had this 'holier-than-thou' expression that just drove me crazy. And for some reason her gaze lingered over me for a while. I wondered if she'd noticed me with Grass, but then shook that thought off as she began to speak...

The Lady Indigo is a big speech person. Basically all she said was that we needed to be forever loyal to the Purple Shade and blah, blah, blah. But one remark that caught my attention was that there was to be ABSOLUTELY NO consorting with the other Shades. And for whatever reason, Lady Indigo seems to have a particular hatred of the Green Shade. Uh oh. Well, as long as I don't get caught...

Since we were the new recruits, we weren't going to start the fight until tomorrow, so we got a day to be tormented by all the fury of battle. Just like Indigo to do that. I already didn't like her 'cause, for one thing, my father died under her jurisdiction, and I had to go in his place because of her. And even if she was the leader of the Purple Shade, I'm still allowed to think she's annoying.

I got to ponder this for a long time. And finally milky-white stars slid across the night sky, and I lay on my horrifying cot in the Purple barracks. There was no way I would be able to sleep, especially with the eardrum-blasting snores coming from certain unnamed soldiers.

After I was absolutely certain every person in all the Shades was asleep, I tiptoed away from my cot and out of the barracks. Thank god I could get away from the snores.

I crept soundlessly toward the Green Shade barracks to see Grass. But suddenly a twinge of anxiety hit me, and I had the sensation I was being watched. But when I looked around, there was nothing in sight. So I continued on to the Green Barracks, unaware that Lady Indigo was boring her icy glare into my back as I did it...

Lady Indigo liked to pride herself on keeping a close eye on the army. The Purple Shade needed only the best to defend their honor. And what she was seeing shocked her to her core; Viola, a PURPLE SHADE SOLDIER, was going into the Green Shade barracks, obviously consorting with one of them. This would mean ruin, scandal, and eternal shame! There was no way she would allow this. No way.

She could tell no one, except maybe one of her servants. Someone would have to confirm this horrifying betrayal before she could do anything. Ah, she thought, Plum will do the job. Plum was one of her servants, and one she considered very trustworthy. She went away into another room to tell him his mission.

I tiptoed soundlessly through the Green Shade barracks, making sure not to make a single scuffle. Just when I thought I'd get relief from the snores, I thought. These snores were about the equivalent of a jet engine blasting off. Then I found the familiar face of Grass and shook him awake.

"Guess who!" I hissed. He flew up with a jolt, and I looked around to see if anyone woke up, but all they did was kept snoring, lost in unknown dreams.
"Viola! Now it's my turn to ask what you're doing here!" Grass remarked.
"I just...wanted to warn you of something. I think that maybe...um...Lady Indigo knows we're friends." I whispered nervously.
"What? How would she know? If she didn't see the world through purple-colored glasses all the time, she might notice that she's stuffier than Orangeville in the summer!"
"Well, she kinda...looked at me as though I've done some horrible crime, and she made quite a point about saying that there would be 'absolutely no consorting' with the other Shades," I anxiously pointed out.

Grass sat up thoughtfully and then said, "Well, I wouldn't worry about it unless she tells you directly. No point worrying about a suspicion that may not exist."
"I know," I said. "I'm just worried about us getting discovered."
Grass muttered, "We'd just get banished. So what? We could live with the Clear Shade and not have to worry about 'Shade Honor' and all that jazz they taught us when we were little huelings. It could be worse."

I was not convinced, and Grass probably saw that in my face. I was not very good at hiding my feelings.
"Don't worry about it, Viola. This ought to be the least of your worries, seeing as we have to go to battle tomorrow."
I turned around to leave, saying, "Thanks."

But then Grass called back to me, "Viola!" I was almost certain he woke someone up, but apparently the Green Shade is made of very deep sleepers. I swiveled around to face him. He had actually gotten up off the grotesque slime-green cot and was walking toward me.

And before I knew it, we were kissing. And not just the ordinary kind. The breathtaking, show-stopping, slushy kind. When we finally came apart, I'm sure I turned as bright red as a tomato from the Red Shade. And I know that because I could feel my cheeks turning searing hot.
"It'll be all right, Viola. Trust me."
And I believed him. Heck, I'd had believed anything at that moment. I was shocked. But in a good way.
"Bye!" I called back and left the barracks.

If only I'd been more alert. If only I'd noticed Plum's sheet-white eyes staring in through the one small window in the barracks. He saw the whole thing, especially the kiss. And he ran back as fast as he could to rat on me to Lady Indigo. I didn't notice him when I was walking back to the Purple Shade Barracks. Even though Grass told me not to worry, I should have worried. I had reason to now.

Plum walked out of the room. He had squealed like a baby. Every single detail was told. And Lady Indigo just sat there, her eyes with such a fiery-red gleam that you would never have guessed she was from the Purple Shade. She was now pondering what she would do about all this, now that her suspicions were confirmed.

Obviously, she thought, this treachery could not keep going on. The Purple Shade had probably the best reputation of all the Shades. Much unlike, she reflected, those filthy, scruffy, good-for-nothing Green Shaders.

She was one of those misled types that believed the Green Shade was responsible for King Hue's death. And if a Purple Shade soldier was consorting with a Green Shade soldier, she mistakenly thought that they must have been plotting against the Purple Shade.

Lady Indigo, having so much 'Shade Honor' that it crushed everybody in her path, would not want a black mark on the Purple Shade record. Oh no, not under her leadership. So what would she do? The simplest answer was to have Grass killed. Quick, easy, and painless. No one would suspect that she was the cause. That is, apart from me.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't even ask about the battle.

I sat in my cot in the Purple Shade barracks that night, wishing I had never been exposed to these horrific times. There was no way I could possibly sleep with all the sonic booms of snores encircling me. I decided it was time for a visit to the Green Shade Barracks.

I crept out of my own barracks, wondering how Grass was faring. And soon enough, I knew. I stepped lightly toward the door and thrust it open gently, its creak stifled by the suddenly-rapid beating of my heart. I didn’t need to step inside an inch to realize that Grass was not there. And I stood there, my mouth gaping, and my eyes wide in shock.

How could he not be there? I saw him walk into the barracks earlier. I suddenly felt the caress of a hand on my shoulder, and spun around to face someone I knew. It was Morado, Lady Indigo’s son and a good friend of mine.
“Oh gosh, Morado. You scared…” I tried to say before he cut me off.
“Ssh!” he shushed sharply (boy, that’s a tongue twister).
“But…” I tried again only to be stopped by another ‘ssh.’ He stood there for a while, his hazel eyes wide with uncertainty. It seemed as though he was wondering whether or not to say anything.
“All right, Morado. Out with it! Are you going to say anything or not?” I hissed exasperatedly.
After a while, he began.
“Walk with me, Viola,” he started, his voice shaking with apprehension. “There’s something you need to see.” And I followed the soft ‘clomps’ of his purple boots as he led me toward Lady Indigo’s fort, just a few minutes away on the horizon.

Morado led me silently towards Lady Indigo’s fort. Finally he opened his mouth to speak.
“I guess you’re wondering where Grass is, right?”
“How do you…?” I asked, confused.
“Know his name? Is that what you were going to say? Well, my mother has…er…mentioned him and, well, he’s going to be killed.”
I heard the words he was saying, but somehow I couldn’t bring myself to believe them. It seemed like he must be playing some cruel joke on me.
“You’re kidding, right?” I cried dispiritedly.
“I’m not kidding. But I guess you won’t believe me until you see for yourself,” he sighed.

I wandered, lost in my thoughts, behind Morado. It would explain why Grass wasn’t in his barracks. And I knew Morado wanted to help. But I wasn’t too sure about going into Lady Indigo’s fort, particularly since she believed I was a traitor to the Purple Shade. But, well, there was no turning back; I had to get Grass out and I couldn’t do that unless I had some notion of where he was and what would happen.

We went in. A window sent moonbeams in from outside, making the room gleam as though a searchlight had hit it. Morado ushered me inside a closet, and I saw that there was another room leading out of it. The door to it was made of glass, and I could see inside the other room.

Two burly guards, guards that were clearly Red Shaders (!), pinned Grass down. I desperately tried to stop myself from squealing in surprise. I was certain they could see me, but then Morado whispered something in my ear.
“It’s one-way glass. You can see out, but they can’t see in.” he murmured. Then he went on to explain a little more.
“My mother has connections with the Red Shade leader, Maroon, and he agreed to help her out with this,” he sighed.

Well, there was no way I could grasp that. She accused me of being a traitor, and somehow she wasn’t if she was a friend with the Red Shade leader? That was stupid, idiotic, insane, and most of all, hypocrisy! That simply wasn’t right. There had to be something wrong with Lady Indigo’s thought process. But then I saw what I had feared. Maroon walked in, with his buddy Pitch from the Black Shade. The true murderers of King Hue were here, about to kill Grass. A determined grin crept over my face and I started walking towards the door.

There was no stopping me now, and Morado soon gave up. And I wasn't going to stop, or cower in hiding. I can take care of myself, and I sure as heck wouldn't let these oversized tyrants murder Grass, not if I could stop it. I flew through the door, ready to fight.

Let me just make something clear. I am not one of those helpless wimp girls that everybody thinks of. No: I have a purple belt in Tae Kwon Do. I spun and kicked Maroon. Then I punched him with all the strength in my body. And man, did it feel satisfying! In fact, it threw him against one of Lady Indigo’s tables and knocked it over on top of him, also crushing his buddy Pitch. Well, I would never miss a chance to wreck Lady Indigo’s fort, of course.

Pitch said something before he fainted.
“They lied about your dad. We killed him,” Pitch groaned, and then collapsed beneath the table.

Maroon and Pitch, although they were leaders of their Shades, were nothing better than hit men, it seemed. I fell to my knees. They took him from me. Father, who always laughed and smiled, Father, who was my life, and my joy. And I’ll bet it was by the Lady Indigo’s order, too. But I didn’t cry. What good would that do?

We had to get out of here before we got caught. I got to my feet and turned my eyes towards the guards. I didn’t even have to punch them at all, because they ran out of the room squealing like babies. Pride of the Red Shade; as if!

Grass was staring at me, astonished and relieved. He gave me a GIGANTIC hug, and I seriously thought for a minute that I might suffocate.
“Come on, we gotta go,” I said urgently.
“Can I come with you?” said Morado. He had just walked in, looking as appalled as Grass had.
“If you want to live, yeah,” I said with brutal honesty.

Lady Indigo was absolutely certain that Grass was dead and this treachery was stamped out. As for her own, she just counted that as having allies. But then, why would she be so interested in fighting the other Shades? I will never know the twisted intricacies of Lady Indigo’s spooky mind. And that’s when the squealing guards came in.
“Maroon…(gasp) Pitch…under table…traitor escaped,” shouted one, heaving for breath.

“What?!” yelled Lady Indigo. The guards collapsed on the floor. I’ve got to remember to dock their pay, she thought. And that’s when Grass, Morado, and me dashed in, hoping for an escape…

I wasn’t really surprised to find Lady Indigo. Where else would she be at this time of night but in her fort? But what I wasn’t quite expecting was her blocking the doorway to freedom.
“Going somewhere?” she asked with a heartless grin spreading across her face. I mentally answered, ‘Duh! Why else would we be heading for the door?’ But I decided that I should keep my senses and not let her bug me.

Lady Indigo hadn’t expected that the traitors would be so stupid as to come out the front door. But what she really hadn’t expected was that her son was among them.
“Morado? Why are YOU with these treacherous beasts? Why have you forsaken the protection that your Shade has given you?” she asked with a hint of growing anger in her voice.
“Spare me the honor talk, mother. Every time I hear it now, I just feel like dunking my head in a bucket of ice and screaming. Honestly. You call them traitors? You, with your little alliance of leaders? You, who are letting innocent people die over a meaningless conflict? I’m not going to buy it this time, mother.”
Lady Indigo scowled, “Mother? I am not your mother, and you are not my son.”
Morado yelled, “Thank you! Then I see no reason to stay here!”
Lady Indigo blocked the door.
“Ah, but you think I’m going you let any of you leave now? I don’t think so.”
“Who are you to order me around? Like you said, I’m not your son. You have no authority over me!” Morado said coolly.

It was at that point that Lady Indigo went truly wacko. Well, she was already somewhat of a foregone conclusion, but now she REALLY went nutsy coco (as I like to say).
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!! GUAAAAAARDS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
The guards, who had passed out on the floor, immediately got to their feet and stood at attention.
She eyed them with a permanently crazed look in her eyes, and said, “My last tactic of abducting the filthy little Green Shader didn’t work. Grab the girl, now!”

And so they did. I didn’t have to fight them before, but now I realized exactly how strong they were. And more of them, this time Purple Shade guards, grabbed Grass and Morado.
“Viola,” she simpered, her voice practically dripping with fake honey, “I thought you had more sense than to be plotting with…him. But then again, your father was a traitor, too.”


She ordered his death, just as she’d ordered Grass’s death. And then, she would probably order my death, and the death of her own son. Did she do anything but order people killed? I wasn’t going to stand for it. Unnatural strength rose into my arms, and I broke free of the guards. And I punched her right in the face.

She fell back, and the guards grabbed me again. But for whatever reason, she began to laugh. Booming, witch-like cackles began spreading through the room. She was laughing at us; I just knew it. We were all led away to cells somewhere in the basement of the fort. And I could still hear cackles of the maniacal, hysterical laughter of Lady Indigo ringing through the halls of her fort.

Lady Indigo’s atrocious cackles faded away after a while, much to our relief. And I waited in my dank, dark, stony, condemned, filthy cell for countless hours, not able to see Grass or Morado; eventually all sounds vanished from the fort and we were now left in almost complete darkness. The guards, while they didn’t have more than a collective IQ of 2, did have the wits not to put us all in the same cell, or in fact, anywhere near each other.

There were, of course, no windows in the cell. But that was a duh, of course. Lady Indigo was pretty much cuckoo, but she was still crafty and not in the least stupid. There was nothing substantial in my cell within view in the enveloping darkness except a vase, stuffed in my cell for unknown reasons. And Grass and Morado were probably no better off. I didn’t even want to guess at what would happen to me if I didn’t somehow get out of here.

My mom always used to say, “There is always a way.” But I had a hard time believing that stuck in the fort of the wacko Lady Indigo, considered a traitor, and probably about to die. That kind of stifled my hope. I began hearing colossal snores from another end of the room (there’s something up with these sound-barrier-breaking snores lately), and wondered how either Morado or Grass could sleep in these unspeakable cells.

My only hope was that one vase by the left hand wall. It was simply gigantic, though, and I had no idea how I would pick it up, especially since it appeared to have something in it. Where’s a crane when you need one? So I decided to take a risky move. I kicked it impossibly hard, and a booming shatter set off through the jail.

The squeal of a rat sent me flying away from the left wall, and I knew now what was in that vase. Ugh. But I heard a gasp from far away and knew I’d woken someone up. I could only hope it wasn’t one of those thugs.
“Grass? Morado?” I called out cautiously.
“Viola? Is that you?” said the unmistakable voice of Grass. “What are you doing?”
My gaze suddenly cut through the darkness back at the left wall and I realized why that vase was there. A huge, gaping hole in the wall stood out from the gray stone of the walls. It was large enough to crawl through, but it was blacker than the darkness surrounding me. I don’t mean just the ordinary black; I mean no sight at all. Keeping your eyes open is no different from closing them.
“Escaping!” I finally answered Grass.

Grass didn’t bother to ask how, because he understood that if I knew of a way, I’d do it.
“Come back for us, will you?” he called out. But I just smiled and began my crawl through the winding tunnel.

Nothing. I cannot see the gray stone of the horrible basement. There’s nothing at all. I can’t even see the purple of my uniform, or the frays of the ends. It is just incomprehensibly black. The sides of the narrow, slanted tunnel hug my scrunched body. And suddenly, it lets off and I can see the light again.

And just where does it happen to let out? Right in front of Lady Indigo’s nose. The sinister gleam in her eyes and the cruel grin sweeping across her face made me realize I’d better get out, and fast.

If you could, by some turn of chance, see me as I was then, you might have thought I was lost in thought. But only one thought entered my mind, replaying over and over: get out! But somehow my body wasn’t listening. I just stood there dumbly while Lady Indigo fetched the guards. This was my chance.
Move, you idiot, I shrieked in my mind.

And I did, finally. I ran as though the guards of all the Shades were after me. My life depended on it. And I can tell you that if I hadn’t, this account would never reach the public. As the pirates say, dead men tell no tales. Or, in this case, dead women tell no tales.

And, if fate hadn’t been so kind, I would never have found the keys to the cells, either. I dashed past Lady Indigo and the guards, just barely noticing that one was holding the keys in his hand. I snatched it before he could blink and ran for the prison in the basement.
“DON’T JUST STAND THERE! GET HER, YOU IDIOOOOOTS!!!!!” screeched Lady Indigo. And in a flash, they were sprinting an arm’s length from me. Even Lady Indigo joined in the chase, safely in the rear. But I no longer cared as I whirled past the stony walls of the hope-draining fort. All I wanted was to get out, with Grass and Morado. GET OUT, I screamed once more in my head.

I saw the lonely prison once more, after I flew down the steps to the basement. I darted madly toward Grass’s cell and fumbled with the lock, all while my chasers inched closer. Come on, I thought, open already! And just at the right moment, it did. Grass was still awake, amazed that I’d actually gotten out of the cell.
“How…how?” he asked, bewildered.
“No time!” I replied hastily.
Grass’s eyes widened as he saw something I’d forgotten about.
“Viola! The gua…” he tried to warn me before burly hands gripped me.

But then something happened as Lady Indigo tried to snatch the keys and shut the cell. She fell for the oldest trick in the book. I stuck my foot out and she tripped. Helping her up distracted the guards, so I did a spinning hook kick like I’d learned when I was still an orange belt to knock them over on top of her. And in a kick and a crash, Lady Indigo was struggling to escape the crushing weight of the guards, and failing.

But Lady Indigo would not be downed this easily. Oh no, she wasn’t that weak. She pulled out a gun she kept with her, and before a word of defiance could escape my mouth, she shot Grass.

The bullet seemed to move in slow motion, and I was in tears even before the bullet went through his chest. His feet fell from underneath him and he collapsed on the floor, clutching his chest and his breath coming in fast gasps. I ran over to him and kneeled to check his pulse. He was still alive, but the longer we waited, the less chance we had.
He grabbed my hand and said; “You tried.” But then he closed his eyes and fell unconscious.

No words that have ever been invented can describe my complete and utter hatred of Lady Indigo at this point. There was no use living if Grass died, and especially if Lady Indigo lived to continue her treachery. I would not cry, or scream, or collapse and faint like I wanted, not until Lady Indigo was dead. I was out for revenge now, and I wouldn’t rest until I got it.

And it proved I would not be out for revenge for long. My tears fell silent, and for the first time, I noticed that Lady Indigo was chuckling devilishly. And her laughter escalated until the demonic, sinister laugh was too much to bear. It seemed like it would ring in my ears forever. And to this day, it still haunts my dreams. But I got to my feet and began my revenge.

My eyes flickered with a red flame of pure hatred as I snatched the gun from Lady Indigo with trembling hands (I was trembling with anger, not fear).

Bang. This was for my father, and all he worked for.

Bang. This was for Morado, and his freedom.

Bang. This was for Grass, and his true innocence.

And bang. This one was for me. I would never forgive her as long as I lived for her evils. And I wouldn’t have to. She slumped to the floor, finally getting what she deserved. I screamed and dropped to the floor with a new volley of tears.

Grass was still alive. I checked again before I got Morado out of his cell. But he wouldn’t be for too long if we didn’t get him to help. So Morado and I hoisted him up and carried him out of the fort in our hopeless quest for asylum. We were not done yet. And the thought that swept through my head once more was ‘Get Out!’

The Clear Shade lived to the south of what was formerly the Rainbow Kingdom. So we were heading there. There was no way any of the Shades would take us in, considering I just killed Lady Indigo. But the Clear Shade was my vision of what people should be: not concerned with the Shade someone came from, but with the person inside.

Which was, of course, why King Hue refused to let them into the Rainbow Kingdom. The kingdom was structured in a way where it was impossible to be tolerant of another Shade.

Morado and I carried Grass with us on our trek to freedom. But it seemed as though he may not make it that far.
“Come on, Grass,” I murmured, even though I knew he couldn’t hear me, “you can do it.”
Morado looked at me sadly and said, “He’ll make it, don’t worry.”

Don’t worry! That has to be THE WORST thing anyone could possibly say at that moment. I mean, Grass could die, we could starve before we ever get to the Clear Shade, someone worse could come under charge of the Purple Shade, or all the Shades could destroy themselves in battle. That seems like something to worry about! But I just shrugged and went on wordlessly.

Morado said probably an even worse thing next.
“I’m going to have to go back now,” he stated.
“WHAT?! You’re going to leave me to carry him the whole way?” I asked.
Morado sighed and said, “With Lady Indigo dead, someone has to take over the Purple Shade. And the most logical choice would be me. I could just say someone assassinated her, and that people should search for the culprit. And I may just be able to end this war if I play my cards right.”

I didn’t want to admit it, but what he was saying made sense. Although it almost eradicated my chances of getting Grass to the Clear Shade alive. I could only have one answer.
“Good luck,” I said solemnly.

Morado let Grass go, and suddenly I realized how much he really weighed. I watched him walk off into the distance, and then I checked Grass’s pulse once more.

Bump. Bump. Bumpbump. Bumpbumpbump bumpbump. It was getting much faster. Something was wrong; I knew it already. There was no way I could possibly carry him, and I didn’t want to drag him. But I would have to. I grabbed him by the feet and started dragging.
God, no, Grass, I thought, hang in there!

And then there was a miracle. A complete and utter miracle. We’d been wandering down a road, you see, that was not much used, and a lone car hummed down lazily and stopped by where I was standing. The car was red, and I was worried I’d been caught. But when the driver rolled down his tinted windows, I saw that it wasn’t a Red Shade troop of any kind.

This man was from the Clear Shade. And I knew that because Clear Shade members are typically the only people to wear multiple colors at once.
“He’s going to die if we don’t get him to the emergency room soon!” I yelled frantically.

He climbed out of the car and hoisted him into the back seat.
“You’d better come with me,” he said blandly.

The next thing I knew, the weird, bored-looking Clear Shader was standing over me. I must have fallen asleep, and I probably needed to. It had been a long night, if you really think about it. Sneaking into Lady Indigo’s fort, escaping jail with Grass and Morado, killing Lady Indigo. Honestly, it wasn’t the usual routine. And then it all came back to me.

It was as though it was all happening once more before my eyes. Grass being shot, and that horrible, sickening lurch I had when I realized I might never see him again. Was he all right? Had he survived the trip to Clear Shade territory? So many questions spun through my mind. And the Clear Shade man opened his mouth to speak, perhaps to answer a few questions.

But I was wrong. He was asking them.
“You are obviously from the Purple Shade, but why were you with a Green Shader, and why was he injured? Are you in the army? And what is your name; we never got introduced?”
I took a moment to clear my mind before saying, “My name is Viola. I was in the army, and the Green Shader was my best friend.” But then my words became sort of confused, since my memory was coming in flashes of hot emotion and surges of anger.
“Treachery…friendship…Lady Indigo…dead,” were the only words even I could transcribe out of my stuttering babble. But the Clear Shader had sympathy, because to them, Shade differences don’t matter, and everyone is equal. Man, why couldn’t I have been a Clear Shader?

“My name is Plastic,” said the man, “and you’d better think out what you mean to say and tell everything to our leader, Lady Mica.”


I was led through the market squares and the lazy roads, and as I watched as a photographer might watch the landscape, I was amazed by the cacophony of rainbow color before my eyes. Sometimes people of all different Shades would be banished, with only the legacy of their color left behind.

Eventually, Plastic led me to Lady Mica’s home, and I was made to tell my whole story. It is basically as I’ve recorded it here. But she didn’t appear shocked at all. In fact, she wasn’t even fazed when I mentioned how I murdered Lady Indigo. She understood my reasons perfectly, and already I felt like I’d been in the Clear Shade all my life. The warm, welcoming feeling of home had captured me.
“I guess you want to see your friend, Grass,” she declared. “I will make the arrangements immediately. Plastic will lead you to our hospital.

And so he did. And I saw that Grass was almost completely recovered. That was a humongous difference from yesterday; he was pale, weak, and near death. I was so pleased to see him almost back to normal that I ran over and gave him a gigantic hug.
“Woah, be gentle!” he gasped, out of breath. I saw his face turning almost purple, and (realizing that I was squeezing too hard) I let go. But after a few seconds of recuperation, he hugged me right back. I guess he was worried about dying, too. When you’re being shot, you can pretty much bet that nothing is a fiesta.

At that exact moment, Morado came running in.
“Viola, at last! I’ve been looking for you for hours,” he exclaimed, relieved.
What happened, Morado?” I prompted him.
He smiled wilily and said, “I knew I couldn’t go for a second without you asking. All right, fasten your seatbelts and enjoy the ride…”

This is basically what Morado said to me:

“It took me all night to get back to the camp. And this morning, I knew the soldiers weren’t going to be fighting because of Lady Indigo’s ‘mysterious’ death (he added a side glance to me). So the leaders of all the Shades were meeting, and I’d have to figure everything out. Oh, great.

They just chattered nonstop. They were all going blah, blah, blah; yak, yak, yak, yadda yadda. Finally, I got tired of it and yelled, ‘SHUT YER TRAPS IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!’ And they all shut their traps, just like I said. So then I had to talk business.

‘O.K.’ I started kind of business-like, ‘Lady Indigo is dead. And since she is, I am taking over the Purple Shade. That is, unless any of you nitwits wish to challenge that…!’ Thank god none of them spoke; maybe they were still afraid of breaking the ‘shut yer traps’ rule.

‘Another issue, then. Why the hell are we STILL at war?????’ I shouted.
The Orange Shade leader, Lord Mango, spoke up; ‘Well, those TRAITOROUS Yellow Shaders killed the King, and there’s no way we can just leave them to take over the Rainbow Kingdom!”
‘WE DID NOTHING OF THE SORT! It was those horrible Blue Shaders with their gangs!’ piped up Lord Plaintain, the Yellow Shade leader.
Lady Azul, the Blue Shade leader said, ‘All this about our gangs and the conspiracy is nonsense, considering the true murderers, the Red and Black Shade leaders, are standing plainly before our eyes.’
‘Why, what of the Green Shaders? Surely, Lord Verde, you understand that YOUR WIFE killed the King? And goodness knows the Green Shade can’t DEAL with any more shame,’ said Lord Maroon smoothly, with a sneering Pitch beside him.

Soon enough, all the leaders except me were shouting accusations at one another, and even Lord Mango was shouting at me. But I decided not to join in. This was pointless. All the Shades had a different theory. But I know of your theory, Viola, that Maroon and Pitch are behind it. I believe that both you and Lady Azul are right. However, I can tell you that they didn’t do it by choice.

My mother, Lady Indigo, put them up to it. I remember the midnight meetings and the ‘discussions’ she had with them. She wanted power, more power than you can imagine. She wanted the whole Rainbow Kingdom under her palm. And since she was a favorite of the King, she was the obvious choice to rule.

But after the Rainbow Gathering failed, Lady Indigo had to fall back to her humble standpoint as leader of the Purple Shade. So you want to know why she kept this war going? She wanted to kill so many of the other Shaders that the leaders would have no choice but to submit to her rule. And once I learned the whole story, and I saw that she was going to kill Grass, I decided to warn you, because I knew you weren’t betraying anyone by meeting him.

But since there was the volley of accusations spouting through the room, I had no idea how to convey that to them. So I yelled again, ‘SHUT UUUUUUUUUP!’

I got them all to listen to the story. They became more convinced as time went on. And I didn’t mention the part about you killing her, because I didn’t want to get you sentenced to death. I just plastered on a fake look of sadness and pity and said we were still searching for the culprit.

And then I reasserted, ‘so why the hell are we still fighting? Lady Indigo killed the King, and I will try to make up for her deeds as leader.’ And once they finally figured it all out, they sent the soldiers home and made ME King Hue for figuring it all out (I gasped and gave him a big hug at that. KING HUE, my best friend!)
That was something I really wasn’t expecting (well, duh!). So I figured you’d want to hear it all and I rushed over here to send you the news. And here we are now.

As Morado finished his explanation, Grass stirred and got up.
“What’d I miss?” he slurred.
Shades of Color-Chapter Fourteen (The End)

Well, Grass missed a lot. He missed the whole thing. But I guess if I’d been shot, I’d miss a few tidbits, too. We spent a lot of time with him, explaining the story slowly and carefully and taking pauses to save our voices. But the doctors let him go; he’d made the complete recovery, and that’s what counts.

I saw less and less of Morado as time went on. Well, being King Hue isn’t easy. YOU try keeping together a clan-like kingdom where everything depends on Shade Honor and having to sort out all the stupid little ‘issues’. Personally, I much prefer Morado doing that than me.

But while Morado was happy enough to rule over the kingdom with nerve-wracking jobs, Grass and I never returned to our Shades. Once you have a taste of life without all of that Shade Honor, you never go back. No, we’re perfectly content to live out our lives free from any rigid standards.

The Rainbow was back together.