Love of a Thousand Colors

Chapter 1

I started counting my bills and coupons together as I walk my way to the counter. You'd probably warn me and say 'Watch where you're going!'. But believe me, I memorized the aisles like the back of my hand and customers automatically make way for me like I'm a Hollywood bigshot surrounded by a bunch of bodyguards.

Don't gag. I'm not complimenting myself. On the contrary, people stare at me with watchful eyes and avoid me like the Black Plague. They maintain a safe distance where they can monitor me and avoid rubbing elbows with me at the same time.

"Trina, our lovely Trina. What can I do for you today?" The words are indeed lovely, but the teller's eyes are unsmiling. With a tap of his hand, he ushered my attention towards his unamused face, slightly telling me to hurry up.

"This and this" Putting three items on the counter and a couple of bills. I smiled and showed how unperturbed I am despite his treatment.

He still checked the coupons with his beady eyes of his. He just never learns. I make no mistake of keeping and handing them. They are valid and will offer me a 75% discount on goodies today. He's wasting precious time and the dwindling patience of the other customers waiting behind me. The teller muttered something under his breath and I quickly dismissed it, not giving it any importance.

"You should vlog how you survive every day with just coupons. I think nobody has done that yet. It's astonishing really. No offense." A regular near me said. She's in her forties. She smiled a bit and gave me an awkward sympathetic look. She has her grocery basket on her right arm with loads of items that would help me and my sisters survive for a month. The old lady must've noticed my hungry look and decided to leave immediately.

"Then people will learn her craft and do the same thing, causing long lines every day. Pffft" An adult guy behind me said, not even lowering his voice a bit to avoid embarrassing me.

"I don't think she would. She's already a teenager. Girls her age would be embarrassed to show themselves looking ugly and miserable online. Instead of earning money, she might get bashed and laughed at instead." His girlfriend added. There's some truth in it but you almost see every form of publicity stunt online these days. I believe she only wanted to add more to the insult.

I felt a hand putting something inside my backpack. "Hey!" And slapped the hand away. 

"Just putting more coupons in there. How ungrateful!" An elderly man shouted and threw the rest of his darn coupons into my face. I heard the whole store gasp in disbelief.

"WELL, I DON'T NEED IT!" I dug my bag and threw the small pieces of paper back at him. "I don't need your trash!"

"Beggars can't be choosy."

"Better get it kitten, instead of squandering our taxes." Another customer said.

Good thing the other people in the store silenced them immediately. Not everyone shares the same sentiment anyway. But I'm still a practical person, but this old fart is just too much.

"They're expired. They're pretty useless just like your glasses. Get your eyes checked you old dumb sicko!" I heard a few snickers and the old man opened his mouth wanting to say something, but he can't find any words to say.

Without looking back, I took my stuff and left the store. My stomach is already gnawing in hunger. But I bet the people at home are hungrier than I am. I must hurry.

I took the shortest route home. It's the most dangerous but it'll save me a lot of time. Stray dogs, homeless men warming themselves over a small fire, piles of wood, metal wires and pikes scattered everywhere. There were a few whistles along the way, but I know better than to stop and look just to give those jocks a piece of my mind.

Finally, I'm near the door. Our house is a small shack behind a small apartment building. The surroundings are filled with dumpsters and littered cigarette butts. Including some broken pottery that the neighbors forgot to clean up.

I let out my plastic library card and slid it between the space of the door and the wall. I flipped it up to remove the lock from the inside. The doorknob outside was just a prop. The thing doesn't work but we keep it installed for additional protection. Hmmm, as if our wooden door won't get detached with a mere single kick. I try to keep my mind away from negative thoughts and focus on what I need to do.

"Lucky? Lucky?" I checked if my little sister is here. She didn't answer. "Lucky?!" I shouted louder. Still no response. I run quickly to her room, finding her unable to speak because of the bandages covering her mouth. With her is our older sister Franny and her lesbian lover, Tootch. "What the hell are you guys doing with Lucky?! Get away from her!" I screamed, hitting Franny and her girlfriend really hard on the head.

"We're bandaging her stupid!" Tootch answered, giving me an uninhibited slap on the face.

"You're killing her!" I exclaimed, failing to return the slap she gave me.

"I'm dead," Lucky said, with that cute little voice of hers.

"NO!" Franny and I both shouted. Slowly, I removed the bandages on her face, revealing small wounds beneath. She has a skin problem, epidermolysis bullosa. She's a butterfly baby.

Franny whisked her lover away and giving me her infamous death stare. I gave mine of my own.

Our youngest sibling has very fragile skin. A light touch can harm her skin. She already has a lot of wounds and blisters. People often mistook her like a burn victim, but she's far from that. Her condition doesn't improve. It's only manageable.

I took out the bandages and antihistamine drops that I have in my bag. Those two eggheads wasted a new roll of bandages. If they want to help, at least they should do a good job.

"They want to help me but I think I saw the light," Lucky said, her eyes full of childlike innocence.

I held back my tears and laughed at her morbid statements away. Her fused fingers tried to help me remove the old covers even though it's not necessary. But I don't reprimand her in any way. After our meal, we should do a little bit of stretching and exercises for her bones.

Lucky tried to touch my hands but she can't extend her arms further or else she'll bleed, "But I didn't see you there, so I decided to go back."

We ate a bland soup tonight. The dinner table is silent and we barely looked at one another. Tomorrow, I have to attend school and Franny and Tootch might go somewhere. I have to take Lucky to the children's center tomorrow even if she immensely hates it there.

I'm about to hit the sack when Franny grab me by the shoulders and shook me angrily. She is furious. Her teeth clench, trying her best not to speak too loud as to wake Lucky. "You better know your place here before I kick you out. Sister or not, you'll be picking your ass on the streets."

I let out a sardonic laugh. "Then what? You barely know anything around the house. Would you eat leftovers right off restaurant tables for the rest of your life?"

Tootch joined her and banged my head against the threadbare desk beside my bed. "Talk with respect you little..."

"Don't be so high and mighty just because you have coupons to spend. We do what we can here, Trina." Franny said darkly, her bloodshot eyes threatening to pop out if I aggravate her more.

"Like what? Almost killing Lucky?" I spat. I hate them both. If there's anyone acting like somebody here, it's the both of them. Especially that burly girlfriend of hers, Tootch, whose share of house goods are stolen items and appliances sold to her by junkies and crooks in exchange for some highly addictive drugs she calls 'Zombie Dust'.

"You were late," Tootch answered defensively. Why are these people trying so hard to look useful?

Both of them left when I already refused to answer them. It's going to be another unbearable day tomorrow at school and here at home. I looked at the mirror, studying the bruise I freshly got from Tootch's trashing. She's still a woman but she's undeniably strong. Somehow, I'm grateful that she's not a man. I can't imagine having a violent guy inside the house with Lucky in it. Worst, Franny getting pregnant and the baby growing in a chaotic home. I wouldn't want another dead baby on the news because the parents are still playing Code of Duty and decided to put the little angel inside a microwave because they couldn't handle the mess and the crying.

Here I am worrying about an unborn, imaginary baby while I have to think of ways to grow more vegetables and root crops in the little garden we have.

I grabbed my backpack and stared at the angel's wings printed on the front. I'm so happy I got this good bag from the donation box. It's not at all that old and scruffy to look at. But the thing that got me is the angel's wings design. We're so poor we only lived off other people's trash. But getting stuff like this isn't so bad.

I pulled out the remaining items from my bag. There's a bus ticket, used tissues, pens, notebooks, etc.

A glossy paper came out. Thinking it's another expired coupon the miserly guy tried to dump inside my bag, I almost crumpled it. However, the material seems to illuminate unnaturally under my bedroom's light. Out of curiosity, I read the contents.

"Say goodbye to your problems and Live your Dream with Free Sessions at Jacob's Robe Counseling Circle. Your extraordinary life-changing treat! More than self-discovery, no pill-popping prescription, 100% real."