Colour Me Blue

In my town, everything is normal. Really, the streets are mainstream, the people are cliché neighbours, everyone is perfectly fine. That’s why I had to move.

I’m not exactly normal. I look like any other person... I just see differently.

Everything is colour, words are colours, feelings are colours. All my life, I have been overwhelmed with the overload of colours.

I used to think that everyone thought hate was brown and the word jumpsuit was definitely a sharp neon green. My classmates laughed. Soon, I learnt to shut up, to pretend the colours never came.

And now, my parents have enrolled me in some weird school.

I stared at the white washed towers, the dark blue cursive letters that read: Wintere Academy of the Talented, Elegant and Righteous. An academy for people like me, they had said. People like me? As if I was a freak in a show.

WATER - that’s what the ridiculously pretentious name was, an acronym, most likely on purpose. Looking at the many fountains that dotted the plaza in front of the ornate main door, I was certain that was not just a coincidence. The whole school gleamed hazy dark purple - the colour of riches to me.

My parents were crazy. Sending me to such a school... The school fees would be expensive, no doubt, so how could we afford it? I turned to my father.

“And exactly how much are you paying for this?”

“We’re not. They’re accepting students like you for free, especially sports talents and trilinguals. If you get a scholarship, at least. And that’s what you’re going to do, right, Azura?”

He beamed and pulled the car up in the driveway. Wasn’t it a bit too much of a coincidence? Did this school even have fencing? I narrowed my eyes at the complex, which soared over our heads angelically; magenta and pink.

“There’s a boarding school, too, so we don’t need to take the drive all the way here every day. Isn’t that great?” my mother enthused.

“Y-yeah. I guess.”

I didn’t want to stay in a dorm, with five other weirdos that would find out my condition, and spread it all over this school. Hell, I didn’t even want to go to Wintere Academy. Pretentious name, creepy vibe and freaks in there? I’m keeping far away.

Wintere Academy of the Talented, Elegant and Righteous: a song by Panic! At The Disco.

The main lobby was marble floored and trophy laden; the massive oak doors detailed with the precision of the Egyptian hieroglyphs; Latin inscriptions hung up in curling letters; and above all, a quartz bust of a man. His eyes were so life-like that I expected him to blink any moment. Chiselled into his pedestal were the words Ego Habere Tempus. Golden and silver.

I tapped it into Google translate as we passed into the main office. I own time. An interesting thing to carve on a statue, seeing that it’s in Latin and practically no one reads it.

The receptionist at the counter looked up at my family. “You are the... Yu family?” She pronounced our surname like yuh and I cringed. Not a good start. It was yi-u! God, people these days, so ignorant of Chinese names.

My family name meant ‘jade’ in Chinese. 玉. Would have been funny if my parents had named me accordingly, but they don’t have a sense of irony. Not much, anyway.

“Yes,” my dad replied, not bothering to correct her, “and we’re here to see the principal, I believe?”

The lady smoothed down her ponytail and adjusted her glasses, shuffling through a pile of paper work. The air was so thick with bored grey that I coughed. “Yes, just go down that hallway, third door to the left,” she said with an air of indifference. Oh well - not like I was the first one to get into this school.

The gold embossed letters screamed a pretentious violet, spelling out PRINCIPAL in aggressive capitals. A knock on the door by my mother emitted bubbles of rainbow emotions. “Come in!” A nice, white voice.

I sat down in the chair uncomfortably. Why did the entire office seem so quiet? Heck, how about the school? It was about as lively as a graveyard. True, it was a Saturday, but how about the extra activities? A football club working out at the gym? An arts and craft group knitting in the library? A band ejaculating music from one of the rooms?

The principal had very deep blue eyes - that was my first impression - that had a sparkle of gold in them. Odd. She didn’t seem old at all. Her hair was a luxurious brown, but she wore one of those ornate robe-like dresses. Like a character out of a fantasy book; a wise sorceress that could turn anyone who spoke a word against her into a magpie forever. A name plate on the table read: Madam Kingsleigh.

“So, you are Azura? Ms Yu?” Finally, someone who had pronounced my surname correctly. I nodded stiffly. She smiled, a strange smile that positively clouded over with silver. A mysterious glint.

One of those crazy head mistresses, no doubt. The kind that was condescendingly sweet but enjoyed torturing you once your parents’ backs were turned. I stared at her defiantly. Do your best, woman.

I certainly shall, my child. A small voice whispered in my head. I jolted internally, then relaxed. It was most likely myself imagining up a reply. I always did that. Sometimes, I held more conversations in my head than in real life, seeing that I hardly had a friend other than Rye, as he liked to be called.

I stifled a giggle. He still didn’t know that Rye was a kind of grain. What an idiot. And now I’d hardly ever see him again...

I shook aside those thoughts and pretended that I had been listening to the principal (really boring, as I had learnt) talk about the school’s rich history. Boring, boring grey words. I pinched myself to make sure I hadn’t fallen asleep, and winced. I had forgotten that I had gotten a tattoo on my finger.

Speaking of tattoos. “... and I’m afraid your daughter will need to find a way to cover up the tattoo on her finger, perhaps with a plain ring?” the woman suggested, eyeing the tattoo, not with revulsion but more of curiosity. “By the way, if I may ask, why did you choose that design, young lady?”

I realised she was talking to me. “I... Well, it’s an owl feather, and owls can mean magic, and feathers loss, so I thought it would apply to me?” The statement was more of a question than a... well, statement; as if I was asking for her permission to reply her question directed to me.

“And the phrase?”

" χρόνος... It means the passing of time in Greek. I like it.”

“She’s a big fan of mythology and fantasy,” my mother added helpfully, not wanting to miss out on the discussion. “Always something about magic.”

The lady nodded, eyes far away instead of laughing. Boom - she had magic, definitely. Like all books, the one that doesn’t scoff at sorcery was the one who could do it, right? I laughed at myself internally. How ridiculous I was - talking to myself as if I was the Great Author that dictated everything, knew everything, in the multiverse. As if I was the genius character in books that happened to know and have everything that would conveniently fit into place.

I rolled my eyes in spite of myself. Madam Kingsleigh smiled serenely, tidying up the papers that were scattered haphazardly on her table into a thick binder.

“Well, that’s a very nice tattoo, Ms Yu. In case you don’t have a ring to cover it, let me suggest this one...”

She opened a drawer and revealed a plain, silver band - no inscriptions, nothing. What kind of head mistress gave her students rings randomly? A weird one, indeed. Noting my parents’ embarrassed expressions, she let out a tinkling laugh. “Be assured, Mr and Mrs Yu, that it’s completely fine. Many of our students have had body art as well, and I keep such trinkets to help them out.”

The red haze in her eyes screamed otherwise, but of course, my parents couldn’t see the colours that I did. Handing it to me, she gave me a momentary glimpse that seemed like it saw right through me, saw my problem at its root form. “And I’m pleased to offer a full scholarship to Azura. Her grades and achievements are indeed surpassing expectations, and she will be able to vie for a top spot among the most bright students here.”

I could see the barely restrained joy in my father’s eyes. My mother was already shaking Madam Kingsleigh’s hand aggressively as the principal calmly handed her a form. “Do fill this out, and here’s a pen.”

My parents leant over the paper and started scribbling furiously, as the head mistress lead me into the corridor. I could feel the ring grow cold against my skin, as if the brilliant cerulean of her eyes could freeze. We were silent for a while, me fidgeting and rubbing at the slightly sore skin of my left ring finger. The corridor was swamped in an awkward green. The only thing I dared to look at was my feet, and I tried to ignore the itch rising at the back of my neck.

Finally, after a good five minutes of me shifting around nervously, she opened her mouth.

“My dear Azura, I do hope that you enjoy your first term at Wintere Academy.”

My parents stepped out of the room, beaming and handing her the filled out form, before ushering me out of the office with hearty and nearly teary thanks. The receptionist handed me a fat packet, and I found myself soon in the car.

Opening the envelope, a key attached to a thin chain fell out onto my lap, glowing with a golden haze. Something was strange about that key, my synesthesia declared. Ignoring it temporarily, I turned my attention to the letter and instructions attached.

Dear Ms Yu,

In this envelope is the key to your dorm room, 109. Please do not misplace it and keep it on you at all times. You may use the chain provided to hang the key around your neck.

You will be expected to check into your dormitory by eight o clock on the third of September, with the necessary belongings you need. You are required to bring the following: one formal dress, five sets of school uniform, one pair of sports shoes, and one school cloak (that may be purchased at our school store). The rest of the packing is up to you.

Bedclothes will be provided, as well as a laundry service and meals.

Wintere Academy also prohibits smoking, drugs of any form other than prescribed medication, romantic relationships between students, and entering the room of the opposite sex. Uniforms are to be worn every day unless explicitly told otherwise.

Classes start at 7.30am every morning and ends at 2pm. You have a two-hour break before your chosen extra-curricular activity starts, which ends at 6pm. Dinner starts at 6.30pm. You are then to remain in the school compound until lights out at 10.30pm, where you may return to your dormitories.

Students are given weekends free, and may exit the school with the consent of a staff member and accompanied by at least one student. You are expected to arrive back in school by 6pm each day, unless with valid reason.

Finally, students are not allowed to enter the staff rooms or meeting rooms due to the preparation of examination materials. If a student is caught trespassing in restricted areas without consent from at least two staff members, he/she will be severely dealt with that may result in expulsion from the school.

We hope to see you soon.

Regards,

Madam Kingsleigh

Head Mistress of Wintere Academy of the Talented, Elegant and Righteous