If I close my eyes they're there,

the colors of the world.

hidden away in the cracks of my mind,

merging together in one giant swirl.

Everywhere I look they're there,

the colors of the land.

moving about so bright and alive,

together in my hand.

However one day they gave me a fright,

the colors of the world.

I had opened my eyes one night,

to find they had disappeared.

I searched all in the cracks of my mind,

to find each color still.

and yet they were lost forever,

it pained me- until I realized-

The cause was not a lacking,

rather it was an abundance;

Of sadness and sorrow in my head,

trying to force a blunder.

The sadness drove them all away,

the colors of the world.

and my mind was left to decay,

lost in a world

of black.

She shakily lowered her paper with the nervousness that was to be expected of someone speaking in front of a large crowd. A respectful applause met her ears, and she smiled nervously. It was over. At last.

"Marvelous, Miss Iris, absolutely stupendous!" The young girl, Iris, turned her head towards the teacher who was now making her way towards the girl.

"That was amazing- especially from one so young!" Iris ducked her head, blushing from the unexpected praise. Iris Shyam, a small, thin fifth grade girl, had just taken place in a competition for a poem she had written. The young girl had poured her heart and soul into the article of writing, yet hardly expected it to get very far- but, lo and behold, she was currently competing for a one-hundred dollar gift-card to a local bookstore, as well as mild fame for her and her family.

"Thank you," she spoke, her voice surprisingly strong for one who appeared so small and frail. "When will I know my results?"

The teacher thought for a moment before giving the girl her answer:

"I believe you should get them by... the final day of school. Oh, how exciting!" The teacher suddenly exclaimed. Iris cocked her head at her, amused- You can practically see the stars in his eyes, she thought.

"It's just that... it's been so long since I've had a student of your caliber! It's incredible, really. I'm very proud of you."

Iris shook her head, as if to dispel of the redness upon her cheeks.

"Thank you, and thank you especially for teaching me. Without your guidance I could never have made it in this competition," Iris told her teacher, knowing full well that was exactly what her teacher wanted to hear.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I think my mother wants me. See you tomorrow!" She waved, before jogging slightly to reach her mother, who was waiting for her by the door.

"Iris, sweetie, you did great. I don't know how you managed to speak in front of all these people- I know I certainly couldn't have done it!" Her mother spoke, the white lie barely present amidst her words. Iris smiled brightly at the praise- to her, the only praise worth taking true pride in is from her mother.

"Thanks, mom. I really hope I win- how cool would that be?" Iris chattered, as they walked out the school building and to their car. Her slightly cool demeanor disappeared as soon as she was joined with her mother- someone she was perfectly comfortable talking with.

"It would be fantastic, honey. Okay, when we get home," her mother began, getting into the car, "your sister is sleeping- she's sick, so please, please don't be too loud. Can you manage that?" She finished, shutting the door.

Iris nodded, buckling up in sync with her mother. She shut the door to her side of the car as well, and clicked the button to turn on the radio. It always was nice to have background music while having a conversation, Iris always thought.

"Of course I can manage that! I'm never loud- what are you even talking about?" Iris joked, as her mother rolled her eyes.

"Uh-huh, sure. I'll believe it when I see it."

As Iris's mother backed them out of the school parking lot and into the main street, the young girl couldn't help but notice a small flash of white and... gold... and was that red? dash up a tree.

Never seen any squirrels like that, was her final thought as they began the drive home.

;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;-;

Four year later- four years after the poetry competition- which, of course, she won-, four years after that fateful sighting of what she was later told was a "Kyubey", four years after her sister's illness first took hold- and caused her to become an invalid for years to come. Four years later, Iris sits at a white-wooden desk in her room, combing her long black hair.

"Iris! Iris, dear- time for dinner!" The now-14 year old sighs audibly as she sets down her brush and throws her hair into a quick- but messy- ponytail. She hurries downstairs and turns a corner into the family-dining-room. Her mother is setting the table, as always- roast beef with mashed potatoes and green beans- and her sister is sitting near her mother's seat, per usual. The only thing that has changed from the past four years is... him.

Joktan Buchanon- a childhood friend whom Iris's mother married out of pure desperate need. He claimed to have been madly in love with her since the day he met her 23 years ago, and Iris's mother, though she felt nothing of the sort, claimed the same. It was all in favor of Iris's younger sister, Lilith, who had been sick for four years as of now. It would eventually become the death of her, as cliché as it may seem, all the doctors told the family- and Joktan. So the man had offered to try and heal the girl at whatever expense- simply because his love for his wife was too strong.

Iris made a slight face as she sits across from her sister, who smiles at her weakly.

"Hey... Iris..." she speaks, and Iris's expression immediately softens.

"Hey, Lilith," Iris answers. "You feeling any better today?"

The younger nods enthusiastically, a smile breaking across her face.

"Yeah! I was able to sit up, and walk around for a bit- mom even told me that after I eat I can go outside for a bit- if you come with me."

"That's great, Lilith. And of course I'll come with you- why wouldn't I?" She replies kindly, before facing the plate of food her mother had set before her a few seconds prior.

"This looks delicious as always, Lillian."

Iris cringes slightly at the voice that breaks through the silence that followed her and Lilith's conversation. Iris's mother- Lillian- smiles politely, thanking him.

"I wasn't sure if you liked roast beef, but I know the girls do so I took a risk," she grins- though it simply masks her slight irritation with the man's presence.

"Oh, I most certainly do. Especially when you make it," he winks, causing Iris to choke on her water in disgust. Lilith looks at her, alarmed, as her sister coughs into a napkin.

"You... okay?" She asks once Iris has finished. Iris looks at Joktan, then at her sister, and finally smiles.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just went down the wrong pipe."

Lillian then sits down near Lilith, and after a brief prayer of thanks, they begin to eat.

After dinner has finished- with nothing important taking place besides small conversation- Iris grabs her coat and escorts Lilith outside. The sun has just finished setting, and the full moon sets a soft glow upon her sister's dark hair. Her blue eyes seem unusually bright under the light reflected from the moon, and somehow, Iris is unnerved by it.

"It's nice out, isn't it," Iris states suddenly, "perfect for walking."

Lilith nods quietly, walking side by side with her sister.

"...hey, your thirteenth birthday is coming up, right?" Iris asks, to which Lilith nods, seeming to become a bit more excited at the prospect of getting older.

"Yeah! Mom says we can go out to eat if I'm feeling well- how great is that?" She chatters joyfully, to which Iris can't help but laugh.

"It's wonderful- and you've been doing so well as of late, I'm sure you'll feel perfect." She states, to which Lilith nods.

"I hope you're right, Iris," Lilith says, "I really hope you're right."

A few minutes later and it gets almost too dark to see, so Iris and Lilith head their way back home. Their mother is in the kitchen washing dishes when they return, and regards them with a smile.

"Did you have fun?" She asks Lilith, as Iris shuts and locks the door behind them.

"Mhm," Lilith nods.

"You weren't out very long," she notices, to which Iris replies.

"We didn't stay out very long because it was too dark," Iris explains, and Lilith nods again in agreement.

"That's too bad, though I suppose it's for the best. The cold air might give Lillith a cold, and that's the last thing we would want," Lillian states, washing a plate.

"Hey, Iris, mind doing me a favor?" Her mother then asks, setting the plate and dishcloth down. Iris turns to face her, and shakes her head.

"Not at all, mom- what is it?"

"Could you go run to the store and grab me a gallon of milk? We're out, and Joktan prefers milk in his coffee in the morning."

As usual, Iris's face twists into a sour expression at the mention of Joktan, but nods anyways.

"Sure. Be back in a few!" She calls out, heading out the door. She can hardly see a thing, seeing as a few streetlights in her neighborhood refuse to light, but nevertheless continues on her journey. Her trek is going on quite well, as to be expected, when suddenly-

"Hello."

A/N

Okay so how even do I make an author's note do I even qualify as an author I mean-

hey! Welcome to my first fanfiction- I mean, not my first fanfiction but my first already sort-of successful fanfiction! Haha.

I've made a few and posted them on this site but either deleted them because I thought they were unbelievably horrible, or they are short and boring and they're only up because some people like them (actually I only have one other fanfiction up hahaa)

So just as a warning- as you can probably tell, my A/Ns are very erratically written (much like my thought processing- actually my A/Ns are basically my thoughts so that makes sense hahaa) so if they get confusing, it's not you, it's me. Um oh! I am mildly- no, very, surprised that there are already two reviews AND a favorite on a story with a mere 200-300-something words that I legitimately wrote, like, yesterday. You guys are really cool, to those who reviewed my story (and to all who read it hahaa), and I really hope this chapter lived up to your expectations- though if it didn't, please let me know and I'll take it into consideration, whatever you may say.

So uh yeah, here's the real first chapter of my story, and I hope you liked it!

Reviews are always appreciated- even flames (they're very amusing owo)