Chapter five: The Color of Fragments
I twirl the dull pigment between my fingers. It's a muddy blackish color instead of the brilliant blue. After the attack at my mother's photography show, Clancy and I ran back to the dorms. She'd sent a call out to Grif, but they hadn't shown up yet. That was nearly two hours ago.
"They usually don't take this long." Clancy tugs at her shirt. She's sitting at my desk. I sink lower into my bed. Stupid, stupid, my nails dig into my palms. Ever since we've left the exhibit, the Pigments grown darker and darker. It was beginning to look like Anneis' bracelets. "Merle?"
I look up to Clancy. She rolls the chair forward, over carpet and rug, and stops near me. "Are you ok?" I feel something bubble up my chest.
"Do I look ok?" She recoils back, the chair squeaking in protest. I glare at her, feeling rage pulse through my veins. Clancy looks to the window, her eyes glassy. She doesn't reply. The ac begins to hum in the background. Besides the cool air from the window blows in a summer breeze. The currents are at war with each other, cooling then heating the room on repeat. Hot cold hot cold.
"You're not the first to get a Pigment corrupted." Through the torrents of the fighting currents her voice is almost lost. Her silver eyes bore into mine. The bags under her eyes seem to weigh her down. She leans across the back of the chair, pressing the front of her body into the padding. She doesn't elaborate.
I let a curtain of hair fall, blocking her out of view. Of course I couldn't be the first. Clancy had mentioned that the Pigments that the generals had taken were corrupted. If the Land of Canvases didn't have a way to clean them then there wouldn't be a point for her to be risking her life. A grave silence fills the room. I roll the Pigment between my fingers. The smooth rock feels chipped beneath.
From outside the window a series of cheers erupts. The noise draws my attention, looking up I see the sun melting from behind the school. The burning red circle lowers in a sea of oranges and yellows. A clear summer day. Not a single cloud in sight. The usual light in my room is off. The only light coming in is from the dying sun. I watch as the sun sinks lower and lower. A drop of brown flits across the sky. The dot shoots closer, and closer, till the shape isn't exactly a dot, but a bird. Not exactly a bird either, more like…
"Grif's coming." I point towards the incoming griffon. Clancy looks up, her blonde hair covering her eyes. She pushes the bangs back and looks towards the window.
A strong gust blows through like a welcoming act for the griffon. They fly through among the winds, slowing down just enough to land at the edge of the bed. Their feathers gleam in the sunset. "Excuse me for being so late." They sound out of breath. They paw forward, wings flexing to the side. "What seems to be the problem?" I hold out the Pigment.
"Merle's Pigment is corrupted." Clancy explains.
"I can see that." They frown in their own way. "How did that happen?"
I draw my legs up to avoid their claws. One time was enough. "Anneis grabbed it. She said something like 'ending this right now." My voice sounds flat. Grif leans back on their hind haunches and stare at the Pigment. Clancy squirms in her seat. Her hands work their way up to her own Pigment. Grif continues to stare. They don't move an inch. Just staring. Finally, they come back to life. They stay seated and instead point a paw towards my Pigment.
"Would you like the good news or bad news first?" They offer a smile.
"Bad news."
"Good news."
I eye Clancy. She offers a cold smile. I return my attention back to Grif. They clear their throat and continue. "I assume Clancy told you that Pigments can be fixed?" I shake my head no. Grif sighs, their body falls. After a moment they straighten back up. "Well, it's not totally uncommon for a Pigment to get corrupted. It's rare, but not unheard of."
"What exactly does that mean?" I look down at my hands. "What do you mean when a Pigments corrupted?"
"It becomes unusable." Clancy is the one who answers. Her body's draped across the back of the chair. Her eyes stare at the wall between the two of us. Her eyes roll slowly toward me, they seem to take everything in. "The Pigment won't be able to grant you its power." I recall the messed up transformation.
"Like a corrupted file." I mumble the words. The two don't make a comment. Finally, Clancy asks for a clarification. "When a files corrupted." I begin to explain. I can't look at either of them, opting to stare at my own thighs, "it becomes inoperable. Depending on how it became corrupted you can recover it." I let out a sigh.
"Exactly." Grif answers.
"It's safe to assume that the only way to fix it then is at the Land of Canvases then." Some of the color flakes off the Pigment. I rub the flakes between my fingertips. I feel another flare of surly emotions inside. Damn Anneis and whoever else worked with her. Another hot flash rolls off my skin, a byproduct of my feelings. Even with the ac blowing at full blast it does nothing to cool me.
"It is. This is where the bad news comes in." Grif sits more like a sphinx than a griffon. Their tail swishes over my comforter. "The only place to 'recover' a Pigment is at the Chroma room." Clancy's head shoots up at the word 'Chroma'. Her lips are a line, her eyes narrowed at Grif.
"What." Grif shrinks back at her tone. I feel a shiver run up my own spine. Clancy stands from the chair. It gives one last weak whine. "We can't go back there." She speaks in a flurry. "The whole castle, the whole city is gone." Her chest rises and falls quickly.
"Just because it's been taken over my Monochrome doesn't mean it's gone." Grif weakly defends. Clancy backs away from the bed, her arms crossed. "We have to go there if we want it cleaned." I eye the two of the warily. Clancy seemed ready to burst. A huge argument was going to escalate.
"Clancy." Her eyes are narrowed. "You can't fight alone." I meet her gaze. The tension in the room increases. It feels palpable as if you could cut it with a knife. It feels like static rolls across my skin. The hairs on the back of my neck stand. When Clancy was fighting alone she was getting beaten. Literally. As a team we were able to fight back. I won't have her throwing that away because she doesn't want to go home. Voice my opinion. Do it without messing up.
I take a large breath.
"We're a team now. I won't have you going into battle alone." I raise the Pigment towards her. "Even if I have to milk every last bit of energy out of this rock." Her lips quirk despite her anger.
"…It's not a rock."
"It soon will be if we don't do anything about it." I get up from the bed. "Grif, what was it you said about Pretty Cure power." Grif jumps at their name. Their wings flutter and they move closer to us.
"Pretty Cure are stronger as teams. The better the team the stronger they are." I nod at their words. Clancy squirms under our gazes. She digs her fingers into her shirt and looks down. I can't say anymore to sway her. Either she comes along or she stays behind. The silence drowns the room. Our thoughts are the only things keeping the room silent. Do I say what I want to say? Do I do what the others want? I wonder if we're thinking the same thing.
The light streaming from the window finally dies out plunging the room into darkness. The moon is now our new light. The moonbeams give the room a silver glow. The beams dance below us, our shadows interrupting their swaying. Clancy's eyes glow in the dark, as silver as the moon. I give a sigh and let my hair fall across my face. "There's no point in arguing about it now." The two guests look at me. I jab a finger outside, not sure if they actually follow the movement, but continue on. "It's late. I'm tired. We'll… discuss this in the morning."
"Of course." I can hear Clancy's shoes squeak.
"Hey…" I feel my heart thrum in my chest. Her shoes stop squeaking. Clancy turns back to me. "You… want to…" I stumble over the words. Why can't I get them out? "Spend the night?" I finish quickly. I raise my hands quickly as if I can physically block the no. Backing towards the bed I speak in a flurry. "You don't' have to, I… just thought…" The words die in my mouth. What was I thinking again? Clancy gives a warm smile.
"I think I'd like that Merle."
I can feel Tessur eye me with disgust. He lounges in his chair sitting as far away as possible. "And that's that." I eat another spoonful of ice cream. After getting over my defeat, I would do better next time, he had asked me to recount the battle.
"…you had the Pigment, but lost it?" He leans on one of the arms. I nod feeling a bubble of anger rise. The spoon bends underneath my grip.
"I had corrupted it, but the girl… Aero… was still able to use it."
"You didn't corrupt it enough." He scoffs. "I should have just done it myself."
"Yeah, maybe you should have." I frown. He scowls back at me. What 'genius' plan would he come up with this time? His mouth stays shut. He looks deep in thought. The phone he was usually looking at is closed lying in his lap. He fingers the side. I raise an eyebrow. "Well?" I fidget on the couch. Letting my feet fall from the table, I sit up straighter. Tessur doesn't even glance at me. Finally he comes back to life. He stands from the chair and walks forward.
"Anneis, we're leaving."
"Mind filling me in? Or are you going to make me walk in blind." I glare at him. "Again." He gives a sigh, but doesn't reply. I give a long sigh. If he didn't want to fill me in, fine. The idiot could crash and burn on his own. He makes his way towards the door, stops, and turns to face me. His lips are pushed into a thin line.
"I'll tell you on the way, but we have to start preparing."
I throw one of my nightshirts at Clancy. It's huge on me, so it should be fine for the shorter girl. She mumbles a thanks and slips it on. This was a spur of the moment thing, now I have to make sure it goes well. I turn around and survey my small room. The A and C buildings had the bunk beds, but the people in this building only had single beds. The rooms were also smaller than the other rooms in the other buildings.
"I can sleep on the floor?" Clancy offers. I shake my head and head towards the closet. Sorting through trash, clothes, and other things I can't identify- honestly when was the last time I cleaned this place- I pull out a folded up mat.
"I'll take the floor and you can have the bed." I wipe some dust off the mat. Really, the last time I used this was back in middle school.
"Oh no, Merle this is your room you-"
"You're the guest." I flip out the mat. Puffs of dust float up. It was final. Clancy accepts her fate and heads towards my bed. She sits on it uneasy, rubbing the edge of the comforter. I yank my chair out the way and shove it towards the edge of the room. "Is there anything else you need?" I look towards her. She gives a bright smile and shakes her head.
"Thanks for inviting me Merle." I shrug feeling my face heat up. It wasn't that big of a deal. "This is actually my first sleepover." Clancy laughs out loud.
"O-oh. Me… too." I look away from her and go back to the closet. Blankets, some non-dusty blankets is all I need.
"Really?" Clancy asks. I nod, finding some blankets. It was obvious I didn't have many friends. Hell, I couldn't even talk to people without screwing it up. "Well, I'm glad we can share this experience then." Clancy grins. My lips turn up. Laying the blankets down, I motion for a pillow. Clancy makes a grunting noise. I turn, hand outstretched, but-
THUMP! I fall backwards hearing a cackle. Pulling the pillow off my face I can't help but laugh as well. I sling my arm back and throw it towards her. Clancy gasps and gets a face full of pillow. She falls backwards spread eagle style. Her right hand twitches and reaches for the other pillow. Raising my arms I prepare to block. In a flash she sits up throwing the original pillow. I dive down letting it soar overhead, but am not prepared for the second assault. The pillow whumps against my back. Over and over Clancy hits me, our laughter harmonizing in the room.
"HEY!" Grif barks from the edge of the bed. They stretch, their back arching like a cats, and glares at the two of us. "Didn't you say you were tired?" Clancy stops hitting me with the pillow. She lets it lie on my back. Between the sliver between the bed frame the pillow and my own hair I see Grif circle their little area and lay back down. The pillow shifts on my back, then is lifted completely.
Grif doesn't see it coming. They let out a yowl or a screech, some mix of the two honestly, and is buried beneath the pillow. Clancy cackles again. I can't help but join in as well. A small bump moves from under the pillow. Grif's head pokes out from underneath. They look grumpy, but after a second their beak upturns into a smile. They wriggle from underneath the pillow and sit up with their chest puffed out. "It'll take more than a pillow to defeat me." A second one hits them.
I'm the one cackling now. Revenge is sweet.
"Merle!" The griffon flies out from beneath that pillow as well. They land gently. Their sharp nails curl around the fabric. Suddenly, they take to the air dragging the pillow up. They spin in a circle, their wings flapping furiously, then drops the pillow. I block it with my arms, but still fall backwards. My head bounces against the wood floor. But I can't bring myself to care. The pain is dull compared to how sweet our laughter is.
I exhale quietly and hold the pillow to my chest. "It really is getting late." I breathe out the words. Clancy nods and rubs at her eyes. I make my way towards the light switch. "I'll be the first to head to bed then." Clancy readjusts the bed, putting the pillow in its rightful place and snuggling under the blankets. "Good night Clancy." I flip the light switch off.
"Good night."
The night is quiet. The buzzing of the ac had turned off a while ago. The only noise is the sound of Clancy's breaths along with Grifs. The blinds covering the window are pulled up letting the thin light in. The silvery light slowly passes across the room, resting on my face. A sick feeling twists in my stomach. Silver, I turn onto my side. The sour feeling won't leave. Shutting my eyes I try to focus on going back to sleep.
My breathing steadies and I can feel myself drifting between sleep and awake. I'm weightless, leaving the bed and into the haze.
"Merle?" Someone's voice draws me back down. I give a groan in response. "Are you awake?" I grumble and sit up. The bed shifts and creaks as Clancy turns on her side. In the light of the moon her eye shine. The bags beneath her eyes are barely visible among the thick shadows draped across her skin. "I can't sleep."
"Really," I mumble the words. My eyelids feel heavy. She shifts in the bed again.
"Am I bothering you?"
"Nah," I yawn. The haze is disappearing from my mind. "It's fine. Friends bother each other."
Clancy doesn't reply. Opening my eyes, I look over to her. She stares down at me. Her hair is silver in the light, and like light is draped down her cheeks. She gives a tired smile. "…are we friends?"
Her question fully erases the haze. I open my mouth, but no words come out. She waits patiently, that sad smile set on her lips. "What makes one a friend?" I ask back.
"I don't know." She shuts her eyes. "I don't know if there's really something that makes us friends."
"…Does…there have to be?" I shift deeper into the blankets wanting their warm embrace.
Clancy never answers. Her soft snores interrupt our late night conversation. Taking that as a cue, I lie back on my stomach and focus on going back to sleep.
The sun arrives in a swath of pinks and oranges. The sound of footsteps is what truly awakens me. Something nudges my stomach, it feels like a foot, and someone is telling me to get up. I sit up, swatting at the foot. Clancy gives a chuckle and sidesteps.
"Good morning sleeping beauty."
I grumble something back at her. Getting out of the blankets I scowl at her. In the corner of my room my clock beeps 5:00. I don't even get up this early on a school day! Clancy looks wide awake, already dressed for the day. Her Pigment rests on her neck, shining as red as the sun. Right, we still needed to settle that argument. Not that it could really be called an argument at this time. Grif still snores at the edge of the bed, curled up like a cat. Their wings are folded against the stomachs and a paw is nestled against the crook of their nose.
"I think we should talk." I raise an eyebrow. Crossing my arms, I stumble towards my desk. Among the clutter of the robot parts is the dying Pigment. I grab it and put it on. "I know we have to go to the Chroma room." I can hear her pacing around the room. "We can't just let another Pigment get corrupted by Monochrome and his lackeys." She stops. "But I…"
"I don't know if I can go back there Merle." Her voice breaks. I turn around fully. Clancy is looking to the floor, her fingers pull at the Pigment, tangling themselves in the cord. "I… I don't want to see all that destruction again." Tears drip at her eyes. "My home is gone, I don't want to see that."
My mouth goes dry, but I don't have anything to say. She takes a deep breath to calm her nerves, but it doesn't stop her trembling. "We have to." I mumble the words.
"I know." Clancy looks up sharply. Her mouth is pulled into a frown. "I know!" She runs her hands through her hair. "I know!" She repeats herself again.
"You don't have to come with us." I mumble the words. I reach for one of her arms. Pulling it out from her tangled hair. She stills.
"Of course I do." She tries to laugh. It sounds forced. "You won't be able to fight without me." My lips form a line. I clench my hand roughly around her wrist.
"I can." I squeeze tighter. "If I have to I will claw my way into that room." I stare into her wide eyes. She looks down and yanks her arm away. She rubs at her wrist and looks over to Grif. They're still asleep. "Only you can make this decision." I tell her. "Not me, not Grif." I jab a finger at her. "You."
She doesn't reply. Letting her arm drop, she turns away and towards the window. She's quiet, mulling over my words hopefully. I feel the aggression seep from my body. My shoulders slump and I turn away from her. "The Land of Canvases' sun won't rise there." Her voice is soft. "Not like this."
"I want my home returned. Fixed," I can hear her shoes squeak. "I'll do anything for that Merle." Her hand presses against my shoulder, turning me against my will. "Anything." Her eyes bore into mine, burning with determination.
"…" If I say anything, it'll ruin this moment. Instead, I raise my own hand and place on her shoulder. Her eyes narrow as she grins. A shadow passes across her face.
"Let's do this together Merle."
Outside, fog swirls around us. I can barely see a foot in front of my face. Grif is a misty speck flitting between sight and being lost in the fog. The cobblestone path beneath keeps me on track. We're going to the Land of Canvases, something I didn't even think was possible.
The fog leaves my skin wet. I shiver and, but continue onwards. It's always foggy in the morning. Why didn't I bring a jacket? Clancy shivers beside me also underdressed for this weather. Her eyes roam looking for any danger in the fog. Not like she could really see anything, it was too dense. Usually, the fog in the morning was thin only giving off a creepy b-rated movie vibe. Today however, it was thick.
"Soon we'll be off campus." Grif's voice sounds far ahead. I can see their lion tail swishing. "When we get at the gate, that's when we'll leave."
"Why the gate?" I rub a slick palm down my arm trying to get the moisture off. I hate water. I grimace and wipe harder.
"We need a gate to pass into the Land of Canvases. As long as there's a door or gate still standing on the other side we should be able to get in." Grif explains.
"Like… an art gate?" I should have brought my notebook with me to write this down. Clancy gives a laugh.
"Not everything is art related over there." I glare in her general direction. She opens her mouth, swallowing some of the fog, then shuts it. She glares playfully back. "Well, most of it is. There's two ways to get to the Land of Canvases."
"One," she states holding up a finger "is through a gate. You need someone from the Land of Canvases to do it that way." She holds up a second finger. "The second is to paint your way in. You need a paintbrush from there to that though."
"How… did you get here…?" Grif stops in front of us. The golden gates of the school stand guard. They drip with morning dew.
"The Land of Canvases feeds into this world as well as all others. We can go where ever we want." Clancy proudly proclaims. Lucky, I tell her. Grif flaps their wings before the gate.
"Are you ready?" Clancy and I nod in synch. Ready as I'll ever be.
Grif begins to speak in a weird language. As they speak a wind picks up. The fog swirls around us, a torrent of obscuring gray. Their voice gets louder. The gate begins to shudder and creak. The chain wrapped around the bars struggle to keep the doors closed. The give a long groan then shatter. The doors swing open, glittering gold. The space towards the outside distorts an array of colors. The colors thicken and gloss, becoming a sort of tangible portal. The colors twist in on themselves, paint dripping from the fight. It splatters against the ground. The gate itself twitches as if readying to close any second.
"This is it." Grif informs. They float towards the portal. The colors invert on themselves, a shudder running through the air. The colors turn gray and still. The wave of a Dead-Color slams into me. I grit my teeth and brace against it.
"A Dead-Color?" Clancy turns her back towards us, scanning the area. "Precure Primer and Gloss!" In a flash of red she becomes Vermillion. "The color of retribution! Cure Vermillion!"
No one answers her call. Not Anneis or Tessur. I move closer to the portal. Something whistles through the air. Spinning on my heel, I see something spindly attack Vermillion. She takes the brute force from the side and shoots through the fog. In a swirl of gray she's gone. The spindly, too tall, too gaunt, Dead-Color stands. Its arms drag against the ground, scrapping against the stones. I suck in a halting breath. The fog obscures its features, but I can feel its gaze on me.
"Out of the way!" Grif darts forwards between us. "Merle! Try the portal! Just because it's gray doesn't mean it doesn't work!" The Dead-Color stumbles forward, hunched over. I nod and turn back towards the portal. The golden gates are now a dull gray, their sparkling gone. I extend a hand, fingertips barely brushing the portal wall. My fingertips sink in, breaking the thin film. It feels like water, a thick water. I extend my whole hand in. The portal is slick against my skin.
"I… I think it's still working?" I look back towards Grif. The clacking of boots draws my attention left. Vermillion is a red blur, she shoots forward and slams her heel on the Dead-Color. It crumbles against the ground, spider web cracks shooting beneath. Vermillion jumps towards us. Her large red braid swishing behind her.
With no hesitation she sticks her gloved arm through. She stops right where the ruffle of her glove begins. Frowning in concentration, she draws it back out. "It feels different than last time, heavier-" A discordant screech punctures her sentence. Vermillion leaps forward, twisting in the air she lands a sharp downward kick where the Dead- Color was. It stumbles backwards, it's upper half bending backwards. Its head snaps forward connecting with Vermillion.
"Vermillion!" I scream watching her slam against the ground. The Dead-Color bends and steps forward. Its long pointed boot slams down in her direction. Grif shoots forward like a bullet. Their body slams into the sole of Dead-Color tipping it backwards. The thing spins its arms trying to regain its balance, but ultimately falls.
Vermillion stands up slowly. Her heel clacks against the cobble road as she steps forward. She grips her Pigment. "The Pigment that blazes within the heart!" The large paintbrush appears. "Pretty Cure! Vermillion Spiral!" She draws the large red circle and then throws it. The paint splatters around the Dead-Color. The ribbons begin to bubble up.
Another discordant screech rings in my ears. The Dead-Color careens forward. Vermillion doesn't move out of the way fast enough. She's leaping up, but the thing catches her boot. Its spindly hand crushes her ankle. Vermillion lets out a scream. Her scream echoes in the fog. I scream her name. The Dead-Color whips her through the air and then throws her. The ribbon holding back her overly large braid breaks as she hurtles through the air.
I try to move out of the way, scrambling across gravel, but I'm not quick enough. Vermillion slams into me. Her momentum keeps us moving and we go through the portal. I let out a strangled yell, feeling my chest and front side of my body pulse in pain.
The sticky feeling slips off my skin as we pass through the portal. The air rushes past us as we fall diagonally down. Vermillion twists in the air, grabs my body and flips onto her back. We hit the ground. Sand kicks up in clouds as we skid. Her grip on my chest tightens, squeezing the air out. I let out a chocked gasp as we skid more.
Vermillion gives a cry of pain as we stop. I roll out of her grip and onto the ground. "Vermillion! Clancy!" I grip her arm. One of her red eyes open. It's glassy. Slowly she sits up. Her red locks cascade down her back pooling at the gray sand. She takes a shuddering breath, then stumbles to a standing position. I stand as well, feeling the pain blossom across my chest. I grit my teeth and grab my Pigment.
"Don't." Vermillion wheezes the words out. I let my hand stay on the dim Pigment. "Save the energy in case you really need it."
The Dead-Color falls out of the portal and onto its back. Grif shoots out next, their body spiraling upward. The gate we came through, a decrepit shattered thing, closes. The paint portal we came through is gone. A splatter of gray against the sand. Vermillion holds her arm out to her side again. "The Pigment that blazes within the heart!" The large paintbrush appears. "Pretty Cure! Vermillion Spiral!" She flings the painted circle again. It lands splattering against the Dead-Color. Again it stands and careens forward. This time Vermillion has a plan.
The ribbons bubble out of the things skin. It lifts an arm ready to strike, but never gets the chance. The ribbons wrap around its body sending it down. It worms on the floor trying to get out of its prison. Vermillion won't let that happen twice. She drops the paintbrush on the floor.
"The Pigment that burns the heart." Vermillion whips the golden chain belt off her thin hips. She smacks it against the sand. With a red glow it becomes a large pallet knife. The thing is almost as tall as her, the wooden bit is thick needing both her hands wrapped around the handle. The metal bit digs into the soft sand below. "Pretty Cure" She spins in a circle, the metal knife digging into the sand. Sparks rise from the friction. "Vermillion Flash Point!" Vermillion shoots forward, the sparks from early dance along the large blade. The Dead-Color can't react. Vermillion shoots past it, her knife extended as if she's sliced through it.
Sparks dance along the Dead-Color, growing larger and larger. Finally it erupts into flames. I can feel the blistering heat from where I sit. The Dead-Color gives out a screech, then bursts into ashes. The ashes fall towards the ground, disappearing as if it was never there. The large pallet knife in Vermillion's hands disappear as she turns. The belt reappears on her hips. The transformation doesn't leave.
"Merle, welcome to the Land of Canvases." I stand at her words. Everything is gray. The sand, the sky, the buildings. The buildings look the worst, there's holes in the walls, roofs torn off their shingles in the street. In the distance is a large castle.
"This… is your home?" I turn back to Vermillion. She gives a small smile.
"It didn't always look like this. When we defeat Monochrome, I'll show you its true beauty." She marches forward, boots barely sinking into the sand. "Come on." I follow her obediently, one hand clutching at my Pigment.
Afterword: Woah! I was gone for like a month! Hahah Sorry, but y'all know what schools like. I've had zero time between homework and college searching to write at all.
I hope you enjoyed the chapter, don't expect another one so soon (lmao sorry) and leave a comment. Or a constructive criticism or anything.
