Blue
"A-my! A-my! A-my!" the crowd shouted, pumping their fists in time with the chant as they surrounded a young, dark-skinned woman. She held her arms out to her sides, her eyes closed with concentration as red singles cups swirled around her in a glowing blue mist. They ducked and weaved around her body, then formed a line, planting themselves on top of one another on the table behind her. When the last one slid into the stack, she opened her eyes and lowered her arms, panting profusely. When she looked up, the crowd was clapping and cheering, all for her. Her head throbbed in time with the electronic beat of the music, pleasantly, like a muscle ache from a good workout.
Her face was flushed with pride and a lot of effort - and the color was enhanced by the trickle of red blood eeking out of her large, straight nose. She sniffed and wiped it away with the side of her hand as a large, pale, black-haired boy stepped out of the crowd. She smiled up at him.
"Hey, how 'bout me next?" he asked with a sly grin.
"What, stack you?" Amy said, wiping the sweat off her forehead and pushing back her very short brown hair. "Seems hard."
The boy let out a snort, then said, "Naw. Try lifting my shirt off. Like, with your brain."
"Yeah, that's not gonna happen," Amy replied, her mouth twisting into a frown. "Got anything more interesting to do?"
"Aw, come on," the boy said, taking a step closer. "You know you want to."
"No, I really don't," Amy asserted, narrowing her heavy brow and backing into the table. The crowd had grown silent, fidgeting nervously but not saying anything.
"C'mon," the boy urged again, taking another step and reaching out his hand - and suddenly he reeled backward, a blue burst of light hitting him square in the jaw, and Amy was running. She parted the crowd with a wave of light and rushed through the gap as fast as she could, straight towards the back of the white plastic prefab unit, and the door opened to let her out before she even keyed it.
She put her back against the wall of the prefab and let out a long sigh, trying to keep tears from flowing, wiping at her eyes furiously. She sucked in air, then turned her head to look up, over this yard filled with other stragglers and a few couples, to the bright shining stars in the sky of Mindoir. Her head stabbed with pain, the blood trickling from her nose again, her mouth parched.
She had to wait until the crowd dispersed or forgot about her, then try to sneak out. Or maybe she could jump that wooden fence. In any case, she needed to get out of here. Just as soon as she could think straight, Jesus did the implant have to feel like a fucking knife in the back of the head?
As she contemplated escape routes, she heard the door open beside her, and noticed a head of blue hair turning back and forth in the entryway. Deciding it wasn't worth her notice, she turned her attention to the stars again, until someone ermed next to her. She looked to see green eyes staring out of a pale face under that blue hair. "Hey," the blue girl offered, holding out one of the two cups in her hands. Amy held out a hand and made a face. "It's just water," Blue-Hair added, "people said you weren't feeling good."
Amy scoffed, but took the cup. "They tell you why?"
"Not...really..."
"God, I don't even know why I came," Amy said, acid in her voice. She took a quick gulp of the water. "These people are all fuckin' idiots and assholes. I've got nothing in common with them."
"Well-"
"Treat me like some kind of fuckin' dog. Do the fancy tricks. Pieces of shit." Amy chugged the rest of her cup.
"We're not...all like that," Blue said quietly.
"Yeah, I guess you're all right," Amy conceded, looking over to her. "Why were you looking for me, anyway?"
"Oh, I, um," Blue stammered, blushing and looking away. "N-no reason."
Amy raised an eyebrow. "If you say so. Look, I gotta get home soon, my head's killing me, this party sucks, and it's just too loud here. Thanks for the drink." She shoved the cup back into Blue's hand and started walking towards the fence.
"Wait!" Blue cried, putting a hand on her shoulder.
Amy twisted around, getting irritated now. "What?"
"I-I know a place. It's got a great view, and, and it's not far from here, and it's quiet. I-I mean, we've all heard your parents...yell...at...you..." Blue's voice trailed off as Amy's eyes narrowed.
Amy caught herself, and sighed. "You've all heard, huh." She ran a hand down her face. "Okay. Show me."
"Good! Okay! Follow me!" Blue said enthusiastically, heading for the gate in the fence. She held it open for Amy as she passed through, then jumped out ahead of her to lead the way, tossing the empty cup behind her and taking a sip of her own.
"So where are we headed?" Amy asked as they turned the first street corner.
Blue pointed over the rows of prefab shelters, to the rocky hill overlooking the colony. "There's a path that'll lead us up to this great rock, it's perfect for sitting and just, like, looking over Mindoir, you know?"
"Sounds nice," Amy admitted, the music from the party fading as they headed further and further out. "So, you got a name, or should I just call you Blue?"
"Annie."
"First thing you've sounded sure of all night."
Annie let out a nervous laugh, then added, "You can call me Blue if you want..."
Amy smirked. "All right, Blue."
Annie looked over her shoulder and smiled at her, brushing her hair behind her ear. "We're almost to the path," she said, looking forward again just as Amy made eye contact.
They passed out of the prefab complex, and in the dim yellow light from the colony, Amy could see the end of the concrete, and a path of red soil that cut through the blue grasses of Mindoir. The fields of wheat were just barely visible in the distance, the harvesting drones hovering serenely above them, black mechanical silhouettes against the night sky. The world seemed utterly silent, no insect noise, no chirping crickets - none of the things the vids told Amy to expect to hear at night. Annie stopped at the path's beginning and looked back at her. "Something wrong?" she asked.
"Just never been outside the colony before," Amy said. She stepped over the threshold, feeling her boots hit the dirt, the rough uneven texture of actual earth.
"Really? You're always wearing those hiking boots, though," Annie said. "C'mon, this way."
"You think my parents would give me time off to let me go hiking? The only reason they let me out tonight is so that I could 'network'," Amy said.
"You say 'time off' like you're working for them or something," Annie noted as they started up an incline, following a narrow pathway between jagged thrusts of rock, spiralling up around the hill.
"Aren't we all?"
Annie didn't seem to be able to come up with a response, but they appeared to have reached their destination - a large rock shoal, sticking up from the ground at the top of the hill, with a natural bench cut into the front of it. Annie hopped up onto it and gestured for Amy to sit beside her. Amy chose to sit at the opposite end of the shelf - she didn't want things to get awkward. Not that they weren't already.
She drew in some of the warm summer air and raised her head to look out over the view. Beyond the bright white lights of the prefab complex, she could see the fields and the harvester drones again. From here, their rote patterns of movement were obvious, interspersed with flashes of blue light as they scanned stalks and added small drops of water and nutrients to the plants. And beyond and above them, the stars, so much brighter now that they were above the colony. The silence was wonderful, Amy's head clear for the first time in a long while, only the sound of Annie's breathing to break up the night.
Amy looked over to Annie, and saw her flinch away and turn her gaze to the stars, pretending she hadn't been staring. She wasn't really subtle.
"Hey, Blue...thanks," Amy said, struggling to get the word out. "This is really nice."
Annie lowered her head and smiled, apparently not aware that Amy was still looking at her. Amy turned her attention back to the view, bringing up her legs and curling herself up into the rock's cut and pushing herself a little closer to Annie. The air smelled of fresh grass and a little bit of rain - probably from the clouds that were past the fields, illuminated by the twin moons of Mindoir. The cool summer breeze flowed over her hair, and everything seemed calm, for once.
And then her implant flared up again. She gasped in pain and bent into herself, then tried to act normal as Annie looked over in confusion. She was being too nice, she obviously wanted to keep Amy happy, she didn't deserve to have it all ruined for her because of Amy's problems. She looked out at the stars again, but they were blurred, and her face was hot, and tears were suddenly pouring down her cheeks, and-
"What's wrong?"Annie asked, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, hey, is something - are you okay?"
Amy sniffed and clutched the back of her head. "No," she said, curling herself up into a tight ball. "No, I'm not, I'm not okay, all right?"
"Is-is it because-"
"I'm ugly and mean and everyone hates me and I'm all alone?" Amy mumbled, squeezing her eyes shut, the pain jabbing behind them like a spear, her whole body shaking. "No, no, it's just the fucking migraines, thanks Mom, thanks Dad, thank you so so so fucking much," and her speech dissolved into sobs, not able to think, just raw hatred and pain spilling out of her as her body quaked.
Annie's arms awkwardly fit around her chest and held her tight until the pain started to fade, the stabs coming less frequently, Amy regaining control of her breath. As she tried to calm herself down, she noticed the arms around her, the head on her shoulder, the quiet, frightened breaths of the girl who'd been so kind to her. She touched the clasped hands that circled her chest, and felt them come apart as Annie backed off, her cheeks flushed in the pale light of the moons as Amy swung her legs around to face front again.
"...Are-are you feeling better?" Annie asked, scooting back over cautiously.
"Kind of. The worst is gone." Amy looked down at the ground, planting an elbow on her knee and grinding her palm against her forehead. "Sorry about that."
"How come- I mean, why do you get headaches?" Annie asked.
"It's my parents' fault," Amy began. "When the Alliance liason came down to help me out with my biotics, he said that I could either get the L2 or the L3 for an implant. The L2 was supposed to be powerful, but there were reports of side effects. L3 wasn't as good but it was stable. Mom said I had to be the best damn biotic I could be." Amy sniffed. "Guess I am. Frederick says I've got the most potential power he's ever seen. How I feel about it doesn't matter, I guess."
"That's horrible!" Annie said. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know...is that why you don't come out much?"
"That and everything else I said. I don't even get why Derek invited me. I'm obviously never gonna be worth a shit anywhere social," Amy spat. "Thanks, mom and dad, love the migraines, love the stress, maybe you could just lock me up in the basement and shout 'be successful' into my ear for another fifteen years, not like I'm getting any more friends this way, right?"
Annie bit her lip. "Uh..."
"What?"
"I, uh, was the one who told him to invite you," Annie said sheepishly.
"Jesus, why? Did you just want to torture yourself with my-"
"Because I think you're really pretty and smart and strong and interesting," Annie babbled, "and you're always alone and you always look so sad and and I don't think you deserve it and I wanted..." She clammed up as soon as Amy made eye contact.
"You wanted...?"
"I just wanted you to be happy," Annie said, looking away. "I wanted to see you smile." She looked up again. "You're pretty when you smile."
"You've said that twice now. That I'm pretty."
"I really like your haircut."
"Annie, I..." Amy pushed back her hair and sniffed, then wiped the tears off of her face. "Are you saying...?"
"I don't want you to be alone anymore," Annie said carefully. "I hoped, you know, that coming out tonight, you'd think maybe we're not so bad. And I wanted...to know more about you. We've been in the same classes since we were in, like, sixth grade, and you've always been so distant, and sad, and lonely, and I thought it was because people were just mean to you. I thought..."
"You thought right, partly," Amy sighed. "I'm sorry. I can't do this. Thanks for trying, Annie, but I'm never gonna be the happy-go-lucky party girl you want." She got up.
"No, wait, no, that's not-" Annie let out a frustrated noise as she stood up to follow Amy. "I just want you," she said, taking Amy by the shoulders and spinning her around. "I just want you to be around, to talk to people, to have a life. And I want to be there with you."
"Leave me alone," Amy said, shoving her off. "In two years I'll be out of here anyway, what's the point? Even if I make friends here I'll just hurt them by-"
Annie wrapped her arms around Amy's waist, pulled her against her body, and kissed her. She gently pulled back once Amy loosened, her muscles losing tension. Amy looked into those green eyes, staring fiercely into her own.
"Blue..." Amy said, numb.
"Amy Shepard, you listen to me," Annie commanded, though the hand cupping Amy's chin was much more gentle, "You need to get out more. You need to get away from your parents, away from that Alliance officer, away from school. You need it. No one can live in stress mode 24/7. So how about this - tomorrow, you come over to my place, we watch a couple movies, hang out for a couple of hours, and you just forget about biotics and grades and college and the military for a while. Deal?"
Amy was still shaken from the kiss, shivering despite how hot she felt. She cleared her throat. "Yeah. Okay. Deal."
Annie grinned, took Amy's face in both of her hands, and kissed her again, this time getting kissed back. As they separated, Annie moved her hands down to grasp Amy's. "See? You're not working out, you're not studying, and you're not 'networking'. And I bet you feel a lot better now than when you're doing any of those things."
Amy just nodded and smiled. "Here, let me give you my number," Annie said, letting go of Amy's hands, freeing them to dig around in her pockets for her phone. Amy went to her contacts list and added one new name and number to the list of three as Annie recited her digits.
"I gotta get home soon," Amy said, noting the time on her phone. "They said I had to be back by twelve."
"I'll walk you back," Annie said, stepping up beside her and taking her hand.
As they began their descent, Amy nervously flexed her fingers within their grip on Annie's hand. "So...you really...like me, don't you?"
"No, I only kiss people I hate," Annie said with a laugh.
Amy blushed and turned her head away. "Sorry, I just...I'm not used to this. I've never even thought about..."
"That's because you're too busy working and not living," Annie chided softly. "I mean, you didn't even know my name."
"I always thought of you as Blue, though."
"Yeah, I know, you actually called me that a few times. I guess you don't remember, but I thought it meant-well, more than it did," Annie admitted.
"I didn't know you were...well, I didn't know I was-"
"Gay?"
"...yeah."
"See, this is what I'm talking about. Everybody knows I'm gay. Everybody thought you were gay - guess we know that's true now. You gotta pay more attention to people, give a little bit of thought to the little guys, you know? It'll make them like you more, and that'll make you like them more, so you won't be all bitter and mean all the time," Annie lectured.
"You've gotten a lot more demanding since this evening started," Amy accused.
"Well, I was nervous, but then...well, you showed me that I don't have to be scared of you. You were...you let me in. And I know that you're not gonna listen unless I beat it into you, you stubborn bitch."
"You're probably right," Amy admitted as she stepped back up onto the colony's concrete.
"You don't get to go back into hiding, okay? I won't let you."
"Promise," Amy replied.
"Well...here were are," Annie said as they stopped outside prefab unit 161.
"Yeah..." Amy didn't want to let go. She could see silhouettes moving behind the window blinds.
"You could stay out, you know," Annie said slyly. "They don't have to know."
"They'll call me as soon as it's midnight. They'll know," Amy said sadly. She turned to look Annie in the eye, and took her other hand. "Listen, Blue..." She took a step closer. "Thanks. For everything, tonight. You'll call me tomorrow, right?"
"Of course," Annie said, closing the gap between them.
"I'm looking forward to it." Amy's heart pumped madly, her breath shortened, and she gave Annie a nervous peck. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, and she let go of Annie to dig it out - and in the process, spotted her mother's eye poking between the blinds of their prefab.
"'Night, cutie," Annie said as Amy answered her phone.
As Annie walked away, Amy's mother's voice rang in her ear. "Where are you?"
"I'm right outside the door, I know you're looking," Amy said wearily as she walked towards the door and pressed her palm against the pad. She hung up and stuffed the phone back into her pocket as she walked into the kitchen. Her mother stood up from the table and narrowed her eyes at her.
"And who was that young lady? Someone important, I hope," she said.
"I think she's my girlfriend."