Colour….Colour…C-o-l-o-u-r. I say the word over and over until it loses what little meaning it had to begin with. I heard the word while hanging out with the group. Violet, who’s name is quite ironic I will soon discover, was being her typical know-it-all self.

“You know the whole world used to be in colour right?” Violet looks around the group with her nose held high, knowing the other kids had no idea what she’s talking about. I’m certain even Violet didn’t really know.

“Yea, daddy’s daddy’s daddy or something remembers when there was colour. Said the world lost it somehow.” Some of the other kids rolled their eyes, some gazed at Violet in wonder. I didn’t know what to think or believe. Violet was not my favorite in this group, especially because she elected herself leader. Myself, Rowena and Ambrose usually kept to ourselves on the outskirts.

“Man, she loves to hear herself talk huh?” Rowena said, scoffing and taking a sip of her cola. The three of us have sequestered ourselves to the back of the group hangout, leaning up against the wall that makes up the side of Mimi’s Groceries and Sundries. The sad, almost empty strip mall, is the hangout for this group and pretty much any kid, teen and druggie in Mayfield.

“Yup, she loves an audience Miss Queen-of-the-world.””Are you believing this shit, T?” Ambrose asked, arms crossed, hood up and guard up as usual. I turn my head towards Ambrose’s question and make a face to imply he’s crazy for even asking. Inside, however, I am unsure how to feel. Violet is not a reliable source of information but I can’t help but cling to her words. Colour….colour, I feel a sense of familiarity, like the answer is on the tip of my tongue. Curiosity and embarrassment creep up inside me in equal measure. Even though Ambrose and Ro are my best friends, I keep my thoughts to myself.

“Of course I don’t believe it. Come on, let’s get out of here.”

The screen door slams behind me as I slip through the back porch, wincing at the noise, knowing I’ve alerted my parents to my late arrival. “Wow Thea, could you be louder?””Seriously you’re terrible at sneaking in!” My parents are standing at the kitchen island eating from take out containers and sipping on wine. I breathe a sigh of relief and smile as I walk to join them. “Sorry”, I reply. “I’ll try harder next time.” I know I’m fortunate to have actual cool parents but there’s still something about coming home late that fills me with panic. Maybe it’s because I’ve seen how Rowena’s father yells and screams when she’s even a minute late or how Ambrose’s mother stands outside on their porch, hands on her hips, belt in hand, cigarette hanging from her lips just waiting to teach him a lesson.

“What have you been getting yourself up to? Something at least a little troublesome I hope”, Dad asked with a smirk. I’ve pulled up a stool to the island and grab for the nearest container. Chicken something, my favorite. “Just the usual dad”, I reply between bites. A few minutes pass in silence, nothing but chewing, sipping and clanking of utensils. “Are you alright, hun?” Mom’s voice startles me, my mind lost, trying to envision colour. “Huh? Oh yea I’m alright, just thinking about….have you ever heard of colour?” Mom and dad momentarily freeze in place, glasses raised in the mid air, food tumbling off of forks.

“Where did you hear about that?” Mom asked, her voice oddly flat, like she was making an effort to seem un-phased. “Violet was telling the group that the whole world used to be in colour but that the colour was lost.”

Dad shot a quick glance at Mom before responding. “What do you think about that? Do you believe her?” That question again, that word, believe. “I guess it’s hard to know what to believe when I don’t know what colour is supposed to mean.”

My parents relax a bit as if, with that question, they were trying to discover just how much I might know about this mysterious topic. I return to my dinner more curious and suspicious than before. Maybe Violet is right. What is colour?