Bleeding Color

No one came for us. The two outsides lying in the grass among the ruins of destroyed tent. For hours we laid that way, waiting for something that never came and enjoying the presence of another person who understand that feeling. The feeling of being unwanted by the world enveloped us in a silent solidarty and once more I wondered if it was the only reason we got along so well. We barely knew each other, yet I had never felt so understand by another. The scientists, my caretakers...Ruth, they as humans never understood what it was like to be me, different yet the same. So while it was praised and cultivated, the Other-ness inside of me, it wasn't  the same. We were all aware of what I was and how that made me different, and looking back at it I suspect many had envy and fear for me over it. However, it wasn't until I was rejected by humans so bluntly and horribly that I understand the true meaning of being different in this world. I still had hope, that the humans would accept me. They had to after all, they...they needed me. Still that sting and those words would remain with me forever and one of the few people who understood that now was my...friend.

"We are friends right?" I whispered, rolling my neck to look at him.

He hadn't turned back since I asked about his wings. Hunched over against the harshness of the world and his own thoughts, it was apparent he had not enjoyed the silence as much as I had.

Tension loosened, him taking a deep cleansing breath to answer. "Yes Alice."

Grass rained down on us, I had begun ripping it from the ground and throwing it into the air.

"What are you doing?"

"Celebrating, it's confetti." I answered. He sat up to look down at me, an eyebrow once again quirked up at the inquiring angle. Laughing, I reached up and pushed it back down.

"I've never had a friend before. It seemed something worth celebrating."

He snorted through his nose, the air tickling my hand before he swatted it away only to swiping it up into his own. He struggled a moment then managed to pull me and him to our feet.

"Let's go find something to eat."

"But the lieutenant said he wouldn't feed us." My steps hopping and skipping in stuttering rhythm as it worked to sync with his. "Well without a lot of work that is."

"Then we go work."

"I don't want to." A look at him showed that wasn't an option. "Fine, in that case we should join the military as they seem to get the best treatment around here."

"We are not joining the military Alice."

A deep voice resonated from seemingly nowhere. "What are you two doing here?"

I jumped, jerking my head about for the source. My nose should have caught someone coming up on us. It took a bit, but I was finally able to find the source and was surprised to see the lieutenant lurking in the shadows of a building. That's creepy.

A slight twitch threatened to pull Pitri's smile into a frown. "We are looking for some food or a way to work for the food. We didn't come all this way to starve."

"Or to sleep outside on the ground." I muttered.

A slow deliberate turn was made by the general, emphasizing his words. "What happened to your tent?"

I flushed, sweat creeping at my brow. "Well you see..." Rocking back and forth on my heels, I was at a loss under his intensity. I couldn't get in trouble. "Um...Pitri."

"It broke."

"Oh really?" He circled us, feet making nary a sound. If I didn't know better, I'd say he was the one with Others' blood in him. "In that case we best get you to work right away, you're going to need to work off that tent before you can get any food after all."