Seeing Colors

Chapter 1

Note: Stephen is 14, while Ant & Dec are 16.
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Stephen sprinted into an alley and dived behind a dumpster. Heavy footfalls echoed in the alley as a group of bullies ran past Stephen's hiding spot. Stephen waited a few seconds before he ventured out of the alley. Without looking, he ran the opposite direction his bullies went, only to be knocked down unexpectedly.

A smaller body fell on top of his slightly longer one, heads hitting each other. Stephen blinked at the wide-eyed boy staring into his eyes. "Are you alright?" Stephen said slowly.

"Uhm, yeah. We're fine," the smaller boy whispered. The boy made no attempt to get off Stephen, he just kept staring.

"Oi, Declan! Get off 'im, will ya! I think youse scaring 'im," the boy with the baseball hat said.

Dec scrambled onto his feet and offered a hand to Stephen, which he graciously took. After Stephen brushed off his clothes, he looked to see the boy still staring at him.

"Is there something on my face or something?" Stephen said as he wiped at his face.

Dec was so mesmerized by the liveliness of the taller boy's eyes. Words cannot describe the beauty of his eyes, literally, since this is the first time Dec has seen colors. His parents had told him how they both started seeing in color when they met and that someday the he'll meet his soulmate and the same thing will happen for him.

Still in awe, he didn't notice that he's being questioned, so his friend spoke for him, "No, man, you're good. I'm Ant by the way, and this is Dec! We haven't seen you 'round here before. What's your name?"

"I'm Stephen," Stephen held out his hand for Ant to shake. "I just moved here with my family."

Ant briefly shook Stephen's hand. Stephen then turned to Dec and held out his hand. Dec quickly accepted it and started to shake it enthusiastically. "Nice to meet youse, Stephen."

Slightly taken aback by Dec's enthusiasm, Stephen gave Dec a tentative smile as he tried to pull back his hand.

"Seriously, Declan! What's the matter with youse today? Let go of his arm, will ya?" Ant shook his head at Dec's weird behavior. "Sorry 'bout him, man. Don't know what's up with 'im."

Dec reluctantly let go of Stephen's hand. He shoved his hands in his pockets and shifted his gaze to the ground. Dec can feel his cheeks heating up from embarrassment; he knew if the other boys could see in color they'd know that he was embarrassed.

Wait, can Stephen see in color now? Dec suddenly thought. He glanced back up at Stephen. He doesn't seem to be shocked like us. A little creeped out, maybe, but probably because of us.

Feeling uneasy, Stephen spoke up, "Hey, it was nice meeting the two of you, but I think I'm gonna go now before those bullies come back. I guess I'll see you two around." Without waiting for an answer, he started to walk away from the two lads.

"Wait!" Dec yelled. Stephen stopped and looked back. "Do you wanna hang out or sommat? Maybe tomorrow?"

"Uh, sure," Stephen said. "When and where?"

"Me and Ant can meet youse at the youth club down the street around two," Dec beamed.

Stephen curtly nodded and walked off.

Once he was out of earshot, Ant turned to his friend, "Hey, what's with youse? You were acting weird just then."

Dec ignored Ant's comments and continued to watch Stephen walking. "He has the most beautiful eyes, Ant. I wish you could see them the way I see it."

"What are you going on 'bout now?" Ant laughed. He was amused by his friend's random behavior.

"I met him, man. I met my soulmate," Dec smiled.

The smile on Ant's face faltered for a second. He recomposed his smile just as Dec finally averted his gaze from Stephen. "I'm so happy for you, man," Ant pulled Dec close into a hug. Ant let his smile drop when his face was hidden by the hug.

Unknowing of his friend's sudden change in mood, Dec smiled on. "Ha, thanks, Ant. I just can't believe I met my soulmate already. It's the best feeling in the world. I guess you'll know how it feels when you meet yours, eh?"

"Aye," Ant simply replied. I know the feeling. I've already met him.