The Blinded Color of Love

PROLOGUE Dear LKA, You know I sometimes laugh at myself when I think about everything I ever did. I had sacrificed everything for love. For you. And now I’m here, happy and contented with what I have. Back then, I used to think that love is something so rare that when you find it you should hold it tight. That love is like a superhero that would save us from all troubles of life. Love, that one thing so strong it can make us see colors. Love, so powerful that it would bring us real happiness. Funny right? I mean, we’ve spent our whole lives in search for the true path towards love, in search for that one thing that would lead to real happiness. CHAPTER 1 Lillian was dreaming. She saw herself leaning on the arm of a handsome young man, oblivious of the guards standing upright in their uniforms, and to sounds they were making. Lillian was aware of only one thing; that she was lying on the ground carpeted with purple flowers. The guards lifted their rifles and fired into the air. Lillian looked up, startled, as the clear blue sky tore apart. She saw the sun, which seemed too large and too hot and too close to the earth. The handsome young man began shaking her, Lillian gave him a puzzled looked. Why wasn’t he speaking clearly ? She couldn’t understand what he was saying. She looked around at the guards, they were shouting but she couldn’t hear. Lillian sensed that something was terribly wrong, and she was suddenly afraid. Then she froze: the flowers that carpeted the ground slowly turned into dust. She screamed. ------------ Lillian’s eyes snapped opened, and for a moment she didn’t know where she was. Then she saw in the dim light the walls around her, all covered in white. And she remembered: she was in her room. She got up and made her way to the window, after a struggle she managed to get it open. She felt the cold wind on her face , closed her eyes and tried to calm herself. The dream had seemed so real. Taking deep breaths and drawing comfort from the familiar sounds of the house—laughter, oil sizzling in the pan from the kitchen-Lillian slowly brought herself back to reality. It was only a dream, she told herself. Just another dream. As she opened the door the laughter became more visible, she could smell coffee brewing and burnt toast, she headed straight to the kitchen. “Sorry I woke up late,” Lillian uttered while dragging a chair from under the table, A plate full of pancakes waited for her on her side of the table. “It’s alright, your dad helped me make breakfast,” her mom said while putting maple syrup on Lillian’s pancakes. “I was supposed to make toast but I burnt them, good thing mom rescued me and made pancakes . I was guessing you’re too excited for Training School, that you even forgot to sleep.” Her dad uttered pointing his fingers to the dark circles on her eyes. “I slept early dad, it’s just that I’m still having those dreams.” “Your dreams of the outside world ?” Lillian had been dreaming about the outside world for weeks now and it was always a different version of the outside world. Sometimes she would dream of herself running in a field of purple flowers. Sometimes she would be dancing the under the rain and sometimes lying on the ground carpeted with purple flowers. It was different versions of the same dream: of the outside world. She would dream of her parents picking flowers with her or of a guy giving her a bunch of flowers. Different versions but same purple flowers. Lillian was startled out of her thoughts by sounds drifting in from outside the door- a woman’s voice, calling “Lillian, come on !” accompanied by the sound of knocking. And then Lillian remembered she had promised her friend Arysh that they would go to Training School together. “Mom, Dad I should go.” “Okay honey, take care. See you later.” ------------ She opened their front door and stepped outside. Her friend was waiting with a scowl in her face. “Aren’t you late ?” “Just a bit I guess.” “We need to hurry, Training School wouldn’t be waiting for us” “Geez, are you that excited to learn about agriculture and industry ?” “Yeah, can’t wait to dig some dirt.” Arysh answered with sarcasm in her voice. They walked fast following the path from the house towards a huge domed building in the center of a farm. CHAPTER 2 43 years ago, Year 1980 NASA Headquarter , Washington, D.C “Excuse me sir, you asked to be notified if there is news. The data from Dr. Assman’s research had arrived.” “Thank you, Jarvis.” “I wanted those data sent to the ISS right away” “Sir it’s only a matter of time till the people figure out what we’ve been trying to hide.” “Let the government worry about the people Jarvis, I need you to reestablish communication with the US Space Station.” “Yes, sir.” “Sir, the data had been decoded. You are connected to the Secretary of Defense.” “Good day Commander Dale. Do you have news ?” “Dr. Assman’s research had been decoded sir and unfortunately there is bad news. McNair, show General Adams the data.” “So, in Dr. Assman’s research he had clearly produced evidence that the ozone layer is deteriorating due to the release of pollution containing the chemicals chlorine and bromine. Such deterioration allows large amounts of ultraviolet B rays to reach Earth, which can cause skin cancer and cataracts in humans and harm animals as well” “Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs), chemicals found mainly in spray aerosols heavily used by industrialized nations for much of the past 50 years, are the primary culprits in ozone layer breakdown. When CFCs reach the upper atmosphere, they are exposed to ultraviolet rays, which causes them to break down into substances that include chlorine. The chlorine reacts with the oxygen atoms in ozone and rips apart the ozone molecule. In the southern spring and summer, when the sun shines for long periods of the day, chlorine reacts with ultraviolet rays, destroying ozone on a massive scale, up to 65 percent. This is what some people erroneously refer to as the "ozone hole." "The other major factor is climate change. As the tropical oceans warm, natural emissions of methyl bromine and other short-lived brominated species are going to increase . And you can't turn that off. As the ocean gets warmer, the emissions increase continues." “ In other regions, the ozone layer has deteriorated by about 20 percent and about 90 percent of CFCs currently in the atmosphere were emitted by industrialized countries in the Northern Hemisphere, including the United States and Europe.” “What are we talking here ? Years? Months? Weeks? until the atmosphere complete destroyed ?” “Based on Dr. Assman’s research we still a hundred year or less, Sir. But the atmosphere in the US had been severely damaged when Dr. Assman did his research and as we did a follow up research I suggest we evacuate the southern region of US as soon as possible. We might only have a 3 months before the southern region feel the impact.” CHAPTER 3 Lillian had been wanting to read new books ever since she had finished reading the books her mother used to read when she was still young. The binding started to come loose, the pages had been wrinkled and stained for years of use. The day Anthony told Arysh and Lillian that he was transferred to work at the Official Building, he had promised Lillian that he would bring her to the library. And after a year, here she is dressed in black clothing and on her way to the library. Breaking the rules and hoping no one would notice a worker heading to the library. Lillian could feel sweat beading on her forehead as she crossed the bridge to the Official Building. Her heart was pounding as she watched few officials walking towards them. They continued walking. Lillian could hear her own heartbeat; she could even hear Anthony’s nervous breaths. “Are we caught ?” “Shh, calm down.” Just knowing that she and Anthony might get caught made Lillian want to go run and bury her head on the ground. When the officials passed without looking at them, she was relieved. ------------ The library was located in the northern part of the city, just a few walk from the bridge, they reached it after a few minutes. The fear of being caught disappeared when Lillian saw the main entrance of the library, she was so excited that she thinks it would be worth breaking the rules. They entered through the back entrance. Anthony insisted on staying and guarding the back entrance. Lillian entered the library, the only light came from a slit between the sagging curtains at the window, the feeble brightness barely enough for her to make out anything. Lillian crept closer and was glad to the dim lighting of the room. Rows of large bookshelves piled up the room, on the center were long reading tables with computers on each. There was also a small seating arrangement made in the entrance of the library, with a number of different daily newspapers and magazines for people to read. The library had all advanced amenities that someone needs for getting all the knowledge they want. Everything was well-prepared and easily accessible. There was a wide variety of books, newspapers, magazines, and different scientific materials. Lillian wandered the aisles, scanning shelves, squatting to read titles on a low shelf. Inhaling the dusty furnace smell and the woodsy scent of paper and cardboard. Tugging the top of the book spine to pull it off the shelf, a leather bound volume with peeling gold lettering. Lillian inhaled the papery scent of a new story waiting to be discovered. She hugged the books to his barrel chest and put it inside her bag. She opened an aged book. It smelled warm and dusty, like the inside of an attic. The fragile old pages almost became delicate snowflakes with the touch of her hand. She grabbed the last book and hurried out, keeping her head down in hopes that no one would notice her. Just as she turned the corner, Lillian ran directly into what felt like a wall. She stumbled to the ground, the contents of her bag spilling out everywhere. Lillian looked up. The human wall stared down at her, her heart skipped a beat, and she found herself face-to-face with a man- a boy, she couldn’t tell, as his face was partially obscured by the darkness. But what she could see of him made her breath hitch in her throat. His hair was dark, and the jacket he wore was long and black. Her cheeks burned, and tried to collect all her things while mumbling an apology. “Are you okay?” Apparently Anthony and her weren’t the only ones breaking the rules tonight. “I’m Lucas.” He knelt next to her, offering her a hand. She only took it long enough to sit up. “Lillian,” she said. Lucas handed her the books, and Lillian snatched them from him, shoving them into her bag. “So you like Mythology, huh ? “A bit.” She stood and brushed of her jeans and hurried to the back entrance. “You know, I could tour you around and show you some Mythology books that are not available during the dark.” “That would be great but I really need to go, my friend is waiting.” “Oh, you mean Anthony ? I bumped into him on the way here, he’s actually down the stairs dozing off.” Lillian’s heart beat painfully fast, but she kept breathing as steadily as she could. Walking fast towards the back entrance, thankful that Lucas wasn’t following her. When she arrived at the stairs Anthony was there waiting for her. Lillian glared at him. “Some help you are.” “You seemed like you were handling it.” “Yeah, well, thanks for throwing me to the wolves.” Anthony smirked as he reached for Lillian’s bag. “More like a sheep, you know. Don’t worry Lucas Kane is way better than most officials, we are in the same Training program. I don’t think he mind us being workers.” “Too good to offer me a tour to see more books, I guess.” Anthony didn’t seem to mind. “Well,” he said while trudging down the stairs. “Seems you’ve officially made a date with an official.” Lillian groaned. CHAPTER 4 The path is long and the trees are high, The rivers are flowing, but it’ll soon dry, I’ll face the wind and stop my sigh, And dry these tears before I cry. Lillian had been reciting the poem when the officials from the TEC Department arrived. It was the first week of the month, supplies from the Technology, Engineering and Science Department are delivered in the farm station. She saw Anthony approaching and run towards him. “Just in time for the harvest of apples.” “You know I won’t miss that.” Anthony replied with excitement in his voice. “You see Lukas, every year I get to help them harvest apples, I’ve been doing it ever since I was a kid.” That’s when Lillian noticed a familiar face behind Anthony. It was the guy he bumped in the library the other night. “Nice to see you again, Ms. Everhart.” “I wish I could say the same.” “So, the equipments and supplies are in the work stations already. Should we proceed with the harvesting?” Anthony said while beaming. Lillian was busy trying to reach for an apple in a high branch, she was trying to balance herself in a ladder prodded at the trunk of the tree that she was not able to notice the bees swarming towards the her. When she looked up, she was startled and lost her footing. She closed her eyes and waited for a loud thud as she fell. But it never came. She opened her eyes and realized her face was inches away from the face of Lukas Kane. He had catch her before totally falling on the ground. Lukas looked at Lillian and thought how beautiful she looked, how capable she seemed, and yet how vulnerable too. “Put me down.” Lillian shouted. “Okay. Calm down, I was just trying to help.” “Well. Thank you for helping.” Arysh and Anthony ran toward her. “Lillian, are you okay? Arysh asked. “Did you break a bone?” Anthony added. “I’m fine. Good thing Mr. Kane was here to catch me.” Lillian answered with sarcasm in her voice. “No worries.” They continued harvesting apples and Lukas seemed to be enjoying it. With the company of a lot workers he seemed so at ease. Laughing and making jokes with them. Lillian looked at him in astonishment, as the laughter transformed him. There was a hint of colors in his cheeks, and the shadows seemed to have faded in his eyes. “Miss Everhart! What are you doing?” She turned and saw Anthony standing behind her, smirking. “What?” she asked. “You’re staring Mr. Kane. Uh oh. I could smell something brewing.” “Love, perhaps?” answered Arysh. “Guys don’t like to take risks,” said Anthony. “You’ve got to send out a clear signal that you’re interested so they know they’ve got a green light.” “So far very few men had seen colors here, you know.” Arysh jokingly answered. “You two stop, okay. Let’s just get back to work.” “Okay, Ms. Everhart.” Lillian was hanging vines on the branches of trees. “Those are lovely.” Lukas said. He stared at Lillian. There was something about the way the sunlight seemed to be gathering around her. She was still neat after almost falling from a high branched tree, although a few wisps of brown hair had escaped their pins. He realized he wanted to say something to her, but he didn’t know what. Lukas walked towards a cluster of waist-high rock walls, tumbled and broken. “What is this place?” he asked. “Those are old ruins. People live here many years ago. They say The Ark isn’t as perfect as it is now.” “I don’t think it’s as perfect as it seem to be.” He softly whispered. “Huh?” “Nothing. I should get back to the station.” “Yeah. You should.” “See you, then Ms. Everhart.” Lillian continued hanging vines. She thought of Lukas Kane, and was surprised to realized that what she mostly thought was how attractive he was. He was good looking, and he was young: around twenties, she judged. But it was more than that. She had come to meet other guys that had come stiffly and politely, as if they had been following orders. Lukas seemed relaxed and comfortable, as if following his own rules, and Lillian found that she liked it. That evening, she went to her room and sat on her bed for an hour thinking about how strange her feelings were. But she was not completely surprised. She was more relieved than surprised. CHAPTER 5 The Ark was built by 13 NASA Officials 43 years ago, Year 2018. It was located in West Virginia, a large portion of the city was covered in a specialized material to create a controlled environment. A ripped in the atmosphere of the Southern part of the United States had pushed the government and other secret agencies to build a containment facility that will ensure the safety of the citizens. A large portion of different mutagens had been present during the ripping that it had caused mutations to the public. Because of the ripping of the atmosphere, the harmful UV rays from the sun directly affects the people, it had caused retinal damage, where a portion of the retina that sends signals to the brain to recognize color was damage due to the direct rays from the sun that cannot be filtered by the ripped atmosphere. Two years after the facility was built, the Officials who made the Ark decided that aside from their families the Ark could also house refugees. They gave refugees a new home where they can start living their lives. Scientist on the other hand continues to study the biological mutations of the people. They soon discovered that retinal damage can be reversed when an intense emotion is present. Love was proven to alter the mutations in the body of a person. Because of the strong and intense emotion brought by love, the dopamine and other chemicals in the brain and body creates new cells that cures the damaged caused by the mutagens present in the atmosphere. ------------ The way Lillian’s eyes lit up at the sight of him made his heart swell with something unfamiliar to him, something he refused to acknowledge. How could he explain heart failure to someone with a perfect family and a perfect life, someone who was loved and obviously had no trouble giving love? He stood up, fumbling with everything. “Look, I’ve got to go.” He left the place at a brisk pace and was practically running by the time he got to the bridge. ------------ “Mom, why did you stay?” “Lukas, look at me.” He felt like he was ten years old again, about to get a lecture. He had to force himself to meet her mother’s gaze. “Yes, I don’t love your father when I married him, but then I stayed. Love isn’t always the most stable emotion, but when you find the right person it’s all worth it. You just have to take a chance.” “It’s a big chance.” She smiled. “Yes, it is, I gave your father a chance. And I’m so glad I did.” “Honey , you can wander through life safe and alone or you can take a risk,” “You might get lost, but you may learn something and that is what’s important.” “It’s cold out here,” he decided. He rose and held out a hand to his mother. “Come on. Let’s get inside.” CHAPTER 6 He saw Lillian standing at the river’s edge, her hands on her hips and a scowl in her face. “Hello!” he called. She turned, and a vision flashed in her mind of how he had looked on that first night, when she had ran into him on the library, and he had caught her briefly in his arms. Despite her efforts to forget it, the memory stayed vividly in her mind: the leather jacket, broad chest that had held her and the smell of mint toothpaste. How soft and warm she had felt in his arms. “Lily.” “Excuse me?” “Those are lilies right?” Lukas asked pointing to the field of flowers on the east side of the riverbank. “Yeah. “Lilies symbolize innocence and beauty,” Lukas softly whispered. “You know what, from now on I’ll be calling you Lily, Lillian’s way to long. I mean if it’s okay with you?” “Lily,” Lillian muttered. “Yeah, sure.” “Um, well I came to find you because I forgot something important,” The simple statement put her at ease and she smiled. “So, is this about your plant?” “Well, she wasn’t really happy when I put her outside last night.” This bit of sharing produced a disapproving little frown. “They do like to go outside, but not in the cold and rain.” “Hey, who does?” Lukas cracked. “I do.” she said brightly, then looked like she was reconsidering her confession. “I like to hike,” she explained. “Yeah?”He liked to hike. Most official women he dated didn’t though. They were always worried about their hair or their clothes getting dirty. “I think walking in the rain is romantic,” she confessed. Sadly we don’t have rain in The Ark.” “You’re the first woman I’ve met who actually thinks that,” Lukas said. “You don’t worry about your hair?” She gave a handful of curls a self-conscious tug. “It’s hopeless.” “No, it’s cute.” She cleared her throat and got busy trying to pick a lily. “Begonias make great houseplants and will grow year-round indoors, but outdoors the plants are unable to tolerate the cold weather, though you can protect them against the cold by covering beds with an old sheet or floating row cover.”Lillian spoke without looking at him. “You didn’t tell me that when you gave me the plant.”Lukas answered accusingly. “You didn’t ask. Besides you said your mom is good with flowering plants.” “Well, yeah, but she was busy, so I didn’t bother asking her. Thanks, anyway.” “If you need any help with your plant, I’m here.” ------------ “There could be all kinds of things out there that we don’t know about.” She smiled and said, “But I don’t think love is hard to find, Lukas. I really don’t.” He looked up at the sky, at the unfamiliar stars, and wondered if love was near or far, and whether he was going to find it, and how and when. And he thought of her mother, of how she had come to marry his father, how she had endured the pain all her life. Is seeing colors the real proof of love? Is what she felt for Lillian love? The only thing that’s sure is that he wanted to be near her. Always. When Lukas saw how the firelight glowed on her face, the calmness in her posture, he thought she looked very young and very beautiful. He searched for something to say, then began to recite softly: The air is blowing in the Southern land, The scent of lilies in flowerbeds, Over the caress of this smooth hand, Over the tinge of purple and reds. Lillian looked at him and smiled. She noticed that Lukas spoke slowly, with pauses between his sentences, his words measured. There was none of the hurry to get something said. She thought Lukas Kane is a man who had never had to compete for a chance to talk: everyone would listen to him. “That was lovely,” she said. “Who wrote it?” “I did. It’s something I do to pass the time.” Their eyes held across the dying campfire, and then Joanna looked away. She started to speak, but he drew her into his arms, and kissed her, and she put her arms around him and kissed him back. CHAPTER 7 Lillian looked toward the trees clustered at the river’s edge, reading a line from a piece of paper she was holding: Will you be my Polaris in this world where everything seem to go south ? Lillian had found it written on the inside cover of a book she had come across in the library. The author’s signature was beneath it: L.K.A. As Lillian handled the books, she had a strong sense of seeing the author’s life unfold before her. She saw the author scribbling pencil notes in the margins. And then there were the poems written on scraps of papers hidden in books, some in pencil, some in ink, some with words scratched out, a few whole and flawless as if the entire piece had flowed in perfection. Slowly she was enveloped in the life of the author, she carelessly crept in the library in the dead of the night to find more books with poems written on the pages. Curious as to who the author was. “What are you doing?” A shadow appeared over her shoulder. “Oh, can I see this?” Before she could protest, Lukas grabbed the paper from her hand. “Hey, give it back!” She reached for it but Lukas was already holding the paper far out of her reach, his eyes scanning the words. “Why do you have this?” “What do you mean?” “I mean, this poem is mine. Why do you have this?” “What?” “Here,” he said handing her the paper “You see, there’s the signature of the author. L.K.A That’s for Lukas Kane Arthur.” “No way.” “Arthur?” “It’s my mother’s maiden name.” “Wait, seriously?” “Yes, Lily. I wrote it.” “Wow. What are the odds. The mysterious author and the guy who made me see colors is you.” ------------ “Come on!" Lillian brightly said stretching her hand to Lukas. Lukas took it and she quietly lead him to a clearing at center of the forest. Pines had covered that part of the forest and the grounds were covered with moss rose. “These flowers are lovely, it’s a shame we get to stepped on them.” Lukas said while eyeing the moss rose covering the ground. “Those are moss rose, a German legend tells the origin of those.” “Really?” “It was said that, An angel walking through a forest became tired and sat underneath a rose tree to rest. When she awoke, the angel thanked the tree for its hospitality and offered to spread a carpet of moss underneath its branches to keep its roots cool. This moss we now call moss rose.” “So that’s how it got its name. The legend’s quite interesting.” “Yeah.” She answered. “Isn’t it nice to breathe in the fresh air outside these walls?” “What if the world outside is livable?” “That’s not possible.” “I mean, what if it’s possible? “I’ve been having these dreams of the outside world and I think they mean something.” “What kind of dreams?” “We’ll, there’s me dancing in the rain holding a bunch of purple flowers, then there’s me running barefoot in a field of purple petunias.” “Purple?” “Is that your favorite color?” Lukas asked. “No. I’ve been dreaming about purple flowers way before I’ve met you, way before I’ve started seeing colors.” “Maybe they’re just dreams, nothing more.” Their surrounding had darkened the moment they left the woodlands. Lillian had been so quite after they’ve talk about her strange dreams. “Are you okay?” Lukas asked her. “I know what we have is against the law but I’m thankful I’ve met you. You made me realized that love is real, that love is seeing all the colors around us. Thank you, Lukas.” “Lily, you know I’m here for you and we will fight for this. For us.”