Shades of Colours

Chapter 1

Friday May 22nd 2026 - 2:00 pm

The day of the funeral.

I stood next to Uncle Hank, who had his hand on my shoulder as we watched the two caskets get lowered into the ground. I sniffled quietly, looking down and wiping my nose; Uncle Hank squeezed my shoulder a little, making me look up at him for a second before I leaned into his leg, watching 4 people go up to both graves and begin to throw dirt on the caskets. "You okay, kid?" he asked quietly, making me look up at him again. I just shrugged, looking down at my shoes and sniffing again; he sighed, patting my shoulder gently. "C'mon, go say your goodbyes and then I'll take you home," he said. My eyes shot open and I took a step back; "N-no! I-I don't want t-to go home!" I gasped, shaking my head. "Hey, hey, hey, calm down," Uncle Hank said, kneeling down next to me and putting his hands on my shoulders. "Obviously I won't take you back there, kid, you're coming home with me."

I slowly calmed down at his words, tilting my head a little to the side; "Am I going to be living with you now?" He thought for a minute before smirking a little, then stood up; "Come on, let's go pay our respects," he said. He guided me over to the two tombstones, moving out of the way of the people burying them. He stopped next to Daddy's tombstone while I went to see Mommy; I hugged her tombstone, closing my eyes as I cried again. "I'm going to miss you, Mommy....why did you have to leave me all alone, Mommy..?" I whispered, sniffling. I gave the stone a big kiss before letting it go, and Uncle Hank moved away to let me stand in front of Daddy's tombstone. I stayed silent, just staring at Daddy's name with a glare, then I looked away, closing my eyes. I hope you never find happiness, Daddy....if I never got any, it's not fair if you do. 

"Skye? You okay?" Uncle Hank asked. I just shrugged; "I don't know," I mumbled. He came over to me, heaving a sigh as he sweeped me off my feet, making me squeal when he threw me up on his shoulders, holding my legs while I held onto his shoulders. "Let's go home, and we'll order out for supper. How does that sound?" he asked as he carried me through the cemetery towards the car. I smiled a little; "Okay." He just nodded, mumbling a farewell to a couple of other people who hung back, and we went up to the car. He picked me up and set me down on the ground, patting my head; I looked up at him curiously. "Uncle Hank....are you going to be my new Daddy?" He looked down at me in surprise, his eyes wide as he searched for an answer. "Well...do you want me to be?" he asked, his hand holding the back of my head.

My smile widened a little, and I nodded happily; he smiled back, ruffling my hair as he opened the door for me. "Looks like I've got paperwork to fill out then."

~~~

"Wake up kid, we're home," Uncle Hank said. I groaned, rubbing my eyes as he gently shook my leg; "Okay, okay..." I mumbled, swatting at his hand. He huffed, then stepped out of the car; I followed him, hopping out and closing the door before slowly stumbling after Uncle Hank. I accidently tripped, making me squeal when I landed on my knees, and my lower lip started to quiver. "Are you okay, child? Do you require assistance?" I screamed when an android, who was walking with a couple, walked over to me with his arms out. "Get your goddamn hands off my kid!" I heard Uncle Hank come running, and he quickly pulled me into his arms, picking me up. "What the hell is your fucking problem?!" he yelled, pushing the android away. The couple came jogging over, pulling their android back towards them. 

"I'm so sorry, sir! I don't know what's gotten into it!" the woman apologized, grabbing the android by the arm. Uncle Hank scoffed; "Next time keep your pet on a fucking leash," he spat, then stormed into the house. He set me down on the couch, looking me over; "You okay? It didn't hurt you, did it?" he asked, brushing my hair back. I shook my head, looking down at my bleeding knees. "I scraped my knees, though....they really hurt...." I whispered, biting my lip to stop it from quivering. "I'll get you some bandaids, and then I'll order us a pizza," he said, then disappeared down a hall. I wiped my cheek, looking around his small house and at the picture that hung above the TV; I hopped off the couch, making my way over to the picture and looking up at it with wide eyes. It was a picture of Uncle Hank and Daddy, and in Uncle Hank's arms was a little baby girl.