Iris (The Color of Water and Sky Book 1)

by Andrew Gates

  Jallah smiled. Finally, a decision!

  Louis always took his time when it came to foods, drinks or anything with a taste to it. Eating and drinking was kind of his thing, that and always wearing white. Jallah never understood why his friend needed to eat so much, but he accepted it as part of Louis’s character. Only today his character was causing them to be late, and waiting in a freezing cold store nonetheless.

  They only had a few minutes to get back to school before the lunch break ended. Louis had convinced Jallah to go out during lunch for takeout waffles, but instead of returning right after leaving Atlantic Waffles, Louis wanted to stop in a nearby shop for a drink. That was seven minutes ago, and here they were, still waiting for him to purchase something.

  Jallah watched as Louis walked over to the checkout counter. Several people were ahead of him in line so he decided to wait out in the green zone while Louis finished. He exited the cold store and took a deep breath of properly mixed air as people passed by. Most people this hour were wearing suits, walking quickly through the green zone like they had mere minutes to live. Jallah never understood why businesspeople looked so desperate and unhappy at lunchtime. He hoped he would never be like that when he got older.

  On a normal day Jallah would have taken in the excitement of the world around him, but today he felt distracted. Despite a good night’s sleep and half a day of school, Jallah found it difficult to forget what he had seen the day before. Even now, he felt like he was there, standing in the agricultural sector.

  He saw poles of brown stretched out into the air, brushing against the tall ceiling with their long arms and green fingertips. Soft blades shot up from the dirty floor, decorating the room with a sea of color. There in the center, Jallah could remember the large animals. They ate food like people, tearing the soft blades from the floor below them, but they stood on four thin legs and could not respond to words or symbols. They were like large monstrous babies decorated in whites and blacks. Their ears were tall and their noses long. And they were huge. One of them was so big it reminded him of an old fashioned loader, the ones with the bigger wheels and the long front cage.

  Ms. Vitneskja shouted with joy as the class gathered around the group, or herd, as they called it. Her shoes and black pants were coated in splotches of the dirty brown gunk.Jallah kept getting distracted by Margery throughout the trip. Not only was she beautiful, but that girl was also so smart. She knew all about the brown trees, he recalled. I hope Margery noticed when I asked about the bananas too. Jallah hoped Margery noticed him. The simple thought of her brought a smile to his face.

  He closed his eyes and pictured her sitting on a cow with the dirty farmer man standing nearby. The man waved to her and she lifted her arms in excitement. Jallah could not help but feel excited too. Here was the most wonderful girl in school sitting, actually sitting, on another animal from the surface. Before this day Jallah had never seen another animal from the surface. Now here he was looking right at them.Suddenly the floor beneath the cows began to glow and Ms. Vitneskja clapped with happiness as the cow carrying Margery lifted into the air. The girl was so beautiful atop her cow. She stared at him with her deep colorless eyes, piercing into him like a needle into fabric. He could hear her voice in his head.

  “It’s just… you know, we don’t belong together,” he heard her say in a sweet, welcoming tone.

  Jallah panicked. This is not what he wanted her to say. He reached for the cow as it flew into the air, soaring through the green tips dotting the ceiling.

  “What do you mean?” he asked as he reached out for it.

  The floor began to glow brighter. He watched in confusion as the light soon obscured his friends and teachers. Suddenly all that remained was Margery and her cow, soaring through the green biology above their heads.

  This time when Margery spoke, the words came from her mouth.

  “You’re African.”

  Jallah opened his eyes and realized he was sweating. He was back in the green zone surrounded by hurried people in suits. Louis emerged from the store and gave him a confused look.

  “You okay?” he asked.

  Jallah nodded. His memory had somehow changed into a fantasy once he closed his eyes, a fantasy he did not expect.

  “Yeah,” he replied, “just day-dreaming. You know? Ready to go?”

  Louis nodded and opened the lid on his drink. He took one sip and grimaced in disgust.

  “Ah, crap. Should’ve gone with the other one,” he said.

  Jallah did not want to put up with this stupidity right now.

  “Come on,” he simply said, “let’s go.”

  They returned to the grey walls right on time. Not wanting to be late, Jallah abandoned Louis right as they got to school. He walked quickly towards his next class, got out his things and sat down with only a few seconds to spare. He took a breath of relief as he settled in. For a moment, he was afraid he would be late.

  “Thanks for joining us!” Mr. Zenore said as he entered. The students all turned on their school pods.

  Mr. Zenore was the first year math teacher at school. He acted like a real nerd and dressed like one, too. Today he wore a plain white shirt with a bright yellow bowtie. The shirt was too big for him and the tie tied too tight, and unfortunately, he was just as awkward at dressing as he was talking to people.

  Despite his eagerness to be on time, Jallah zoned out very early on in the lesson. He had not done the homework last night, nor did he want to pay any attention to what the teacher was saying. Math was boring today. Well, everything was boring today except for history class. His flashback at the store had not been his first of the day. Far from it. Both Margery and the cows had dominated his thoughts since leaving the field trip.

  Jallah wanted to share what he had seen with everyone in the entire station. He felt like a scientist who had made an amazing discovery. But Jallah knew that as much as he wanted to share his experience, it would be nothing more than words to anyone who had not seen it themselves.

  “You would not believe what I saw today!” he had shouted in excitement when returning home from the trip yesterday. His face gleamed like the bright lights that shone above his head that day, surrounded by green biology and thick watery air.

  But his family simply stared at him and nodded their heads.

  “I get it, you saw a cow, that’s exciting,” they would respond, pretending to understand. But Jallah knew they did not share his excitement. They might have read about animals on their pods, but Jallah had seen one for real. He had seen something from the surface of the planet, an actual living animal. He knew they did not understand how amazing it was, how magical it was. How could they?

  But Margery had been there. Margery had seen the cows. She knew. If anyone could understand, it was her. Jallah had not spoken to her since the trip, but he desperately wanted to know what she thought. I have to find a way to talk to her, he knew. She’s so smart.

  Beep! The teacher pressed some button on his pod that made a noise. Jallah looked up, but did not know what was going on. Oh Lord Beyond Both Seas, am I still here?

  Class dragged on and on for what seemed like several hours. Occasionally Jallah would catch himself daydreaming as a hand waved in front of his face or Mr. Zenore made a loud remark. But after each time, he would fall right back into his world again. His world was full of lush greens and bright lights. The air was thick with water and Margery glowed like a candle in an oxygen-rich room.

  Unfortunately, it was not long until the piercing words came again.

  “It’s just… you know, we don’t belong together.” Though her lips never moved, her voice was just as sweet and polite as always. Such a nice tone, but terrible words.

  “What do you mean?” he would ask again. Jallah reached up towards the cow, but like last time, his arms were too short to reach it.

  The world grew brighter and brighter. His classmates and teachers disappeared, swallowed up by the light from below. Soon nothing remained but Margery a
nd the cow.

  And then, just like before, she spoke the crippling words.

  “You’re African.”

  But this time he did not come back from his fantasy right away. This time Jallah’s arms grew long. He reached onto the cow and pulled it down towards him. Margery smiled to him and he smiled back. The moment felt so real, so possible.

  I have to be with her, he thought to himself as she danced through his mind. I don’t care if I’m African. Nobody has to know. He smiled as a thought came to him.

  “Nobody has to know,” he repeated aloud.

  “What was that?” Mr. Zenore asked, turning to face the students.

  Jallah suddenly returned to the real world, not even realizing he had spoken that last sentence aloud. He felt embarrassed.

  “Uh… nothing, never mind,” he simply replied.

  Mr. Zenore turned back towards some sort of projection on the wall and continued with whatever lesson he had been teaching. Jallah had clearly been lost in his world for a long time. But that did not matter right now. All that mattered was Margery.

  When class finally ended, the boy, reinvigorated with confidence, put his school pod into his bag and pressed through the students. Somehow, deep inside, Jallah knew it would all work out. Margery may have rejected him the first time, but that was before they had visited the agricultural sector. That was the old world where the surface was just an idea. This was the new world where anything was possible.

  He quickly made his way to her locker, not looking back. He felt like one of the brave soldiers from the old stories, like Nicholas, hero of the Atlantic Navy, who sacrificed himself to save the station from flooding after a volcano tore open the hull. This was just a story, of course. Jallah was old enough to know that Nicholas never existed and a volcano never broke through the walls, but brave people like him did exist and today Jallah was going to be one of them.

  When he found Margery, she was looking into a mirror attached to the inside of her locker. Jallah paused, but only for a moment. He took a breath and continued forward. Today she wore a plain orange shirt and tan pants. Even with these simple clothes, she was beautiful as always. Her blonde hair was pulled back and Jallah could see her cool eyes in the mirror’s reflection.

  “Margery,” he said to her as he approached, trying to sound confident this time.

  She turned and looked up at him. He had forgotten how short she was. It was easy for him to forget that she was two years younger than most students in his class. As her eyes met him, he realized that she must have known what this was about. She gave a distinct glance as if to say not again. But Jallah would not let that ruin what he came here to do.

  “Hey, what’s up?” she asked, playing along. She closed her locker and gave him her full attention.

  “Margery, I just want to get to it,” he said, wanting to be blunt. “I know I asked you before and you said no, but I don’t care that we’re different. I want to ask you out again, but I was thinking, we could just keep it secret. Nobody has to know.”

  Margery just froze. Jallah did not know if this was a good sign or bad, but he remained silent, thinking that more talking would only cause her more stress. After a few seconds, she placed her left hand on her forehead and let out a deep breath.

  “Jallah, why do you want to do this?” she asked.

  Jallah took another step toward her.

  “Because I like you,” he replied. “I think you’re pretty and smart and I thought it would be a good idea.”

  Margery seemed slightly confused by this response. For a moment she was quiet again, but then searched around the hall, as if to make sure no one was listening. Jallah had completely forgotten that they were standing in the middle of a hallway surrounded by students. He quickly looked around too, wondering if anyone had been paying any attention. To his relief, there were only a few students in sight and none of them seemed to notice. I guess most of them left for class already, he thought.

  “Did you even think before you planned this out?” Margery asked.

  Jallah shook his head.

  “What if someone heard you? How would you keep it secret?” she continued.

  Good point, Jallah thought. Perhaps he had been a little too confident after all.

  “I’m sorry,” he replied, “I didn’t really think it out. I was just excited.”

  Margery let out another deep breath. Jallah hoped that did not mean she was frustrated.

  “You asked me before the field trip too, but I said no. Why did you want to try again?” she wondered. Jallah was getting worried by all her questions. So far she had not given him an answer.

  “I don’t know. The field trip made me feel more confident, I guess. I feel different now. And I think it can work,” he replied. Normally at this part in the conversation he would wait and let her continue, but this time he decided to say more. “I know it’s not allowed, but I like you, Margery. The field trip showed me that things are possible. Things that are totally crazy, they can actually be real. You know? Like those… uhm, what are they called? Trees! Like those trees! Or the cows! Did you ever think you would see those?”

  A smile slowly started to form on her face and her pale cheeks turned a faint red. She’s blushing, Jallah realized. A smile began to form on his face too.

  “Wow,” she said quietly. She closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again, Margery looked up at him and then slowly down to her shoes, then back up again. She continued to blush. “That was surprisingly smart,” she eventually said.

  Jallah felt his heart begin to race.

  “What you said about the field trip, I mean,” Margery continued. “You know, it’s like… this whole time we were reading about the surface. But now here it is. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it.”

  “Me neither!” Jallah added.

  Margery ran her fingers through her hair and searched around the hall one more time, checking again for any nearby students.

  “I guess anything really is possible,” she agreed.

  “So what do you say?” Jallah asked. He was not going to give up. He was so close.

  Margery looked him in the eyes.

  “Sure,” she answered with a casual shrug, “let’s go out. You seem like a smart guy, genuine. But we have to keep it secret.”

  Jallah was so happy he leaned in and gave her a hug. Her body felt so soft and comforting in his arms. But Margery adjusted, trying to break the embrace. Jallah stepped back and let go.

  “Just hold on,” she said as he pulled away. “Let’s start slow. And remember, let’s keep it a secret. We’re not dating, I just said we could go out. That’s one date. And then we’ll see what happens.”

  Jallah’s cheeks started hurting. He must have been smiling for a lot longer than he realized. But he did not care. Everything had worked out as he hoped.

  “Okay, okay, yes, of course,” he replied to her. “I’m sorry, I just got excited. I’m sorry. So how about today after school? Are you free?”

  Margery smiled.

  “It’s okay. I’m glad you’re excited. Yeah, today works. What did you want to do?”

  Jallah paused. He had not thought this far ahead.

  “Well,” he replied, trying to stall for time as he thought of an idea, “what do you like to do?”

  Margery giggled.

  “I’m usually pretty hungry after school. Maybe we could get something to eat. Know any good places nearby?” she asked.

  Jallah thought for a moment.

  “Yeah, it’s called Atlantic Waffles.”

  Things progressed quickly.

  From their first date, everything came easily. Talking to Margery was like talking to a best friend. They talked and laughed and before they knew it, hours had passed. When they both finished the waffles, neither of them wanted the afternoon to end. Margery suggested they see a movie a few blocks away. Jallah was happy when she made the suggestion. As much as he liked organizing the date, he liked to see that she seemed just
as interested in him as he was in her.

  When they got there that evening, Jallah saw that the seats were filled with couples. Secretly this made him happy. This could be us too, he thought to himself, forgetting for a moment that such a relationship was forbidden.

  Nothing good was playing at the cinema, but that did not matter. They saw the earliest show. Jallah could not remember the title and barely paid attention to the story, but what he liked was spending the night with Margery. This was a moment he had wanted for a long time. When the show came to an end, it was late and they each needed to get home. With a kiss in the yellow zone, they turned and went their separate ways.

  That was one of the best nights of his entire life.

  That night he fell asleep with a smile on his face, dreaming of his golden girl riding atop a flying cow. But she was not alone on this cow. This time Jallah sat with her.

  Margery and Jallah spent more and more time with each other as the next few days progressed. They would sit next to each other in class, talk in the grey halls, find time to meet during lunch and leave school together at the same time. Jallah often wondered if anyone in school noticed how close they had grown in such a short period. Despite his excitement, he told no one. It was the hardest secret he ever had to keep, but not even Louis knew of his secret meetings with Margery.

  Nobody can know, he would constantly remind himself. It’s illegal.

  There were rumors going around school that Ophelia’s dad had been arrested for seeing a black woman. Ophelia said it was a lie, but nobody knew for sure, not even her. Whatever the reason, Jallah did not want to end up in a cell like him. Nobody can know.

  “Who was the first person to leave planet Earth?” Ms. Vitneskja asked.

  Margery raised her hand. She always raised her hand. I hope she calls on her.

  Ms. Vitneskja scanned the room, but she stopped on someone else.

  “Yes, Tanya,” she said, calling on the awkward Indian girl instead of Margery.

  “Yuri Gargin,” she answered abruptly. “He was from Soviet.”