Chapter One | All The Feelings

"Life is like a box of crayons, all every person different, all every person special"

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THE FLOOR OF the massive truck felt numb beneath Adelyn Conner's bare feet. She had kicked off her Converse for the five hour- cross state- drive and had no intention of putting them back on. The van bumped passed another speed-bump but Adelyn didn't so much as move an inch. Her mind was preoccupied past consideration and these small movements meant nothing to her compared to the earthquake in her head.

"Adelyn, I know you're mad, but at least talk to me," Candice Conner called from the driver's seat with a sigh. Her knuckles turned white as she gripped the steering wheel, craving to figure out what was going on inside her only daughter's head. Adelyn refused to obey. It had been four lengthy hours since any sound, minus cries, had come out of Adelyn's mouth.

"Mum, give her some time." Adelyn's twin brother, Lucas Conner, continued drawing circles with his thumb on Adelyn's back in a soothing manner. Adelyn was half laying on Lucas with their limbs tangled together in a strange hug.

Lucas was ten entire minutes older than Adelyn and he never let her forget it. They both were two peas-in-a-pod and the vast majority of people who knew them called them 'the-two-musketeers' for long before they learned how to count. Adelyn felt herself relax under her brother's grip and leaned in to put her head on his shoulder. Lucas placed his head on top of hers, fitting perfectly, the ghost of a smile grazing his face.

All their last names had been 'Williams' no more than a week ago. 'Conner' was their mother's maiden name, still to be changed to their legal last names. They used to be a content family, living in a beige two-story house in the suburbans of Las Vegas. Lucas and Adelyn went to the same highschool, Woodlyn High. Lucas adjusted perfectly with the popular crowd, swooped into all their jazz, while Adelyn was a shy kid- only conversing with her few friends and boyfriend. But their different crowds didn't matter to the twins. Every soul at Woodlyn High knew that Lucas Conner and Adelyn Conner were related and inseparable. Every boy who was drawn to Adelyn's beauty immediately backed off, knowing that Lucas could make their lives living-hell.

Adelyn and Lucas shared the same hazel eye-color and dark toffee hair. Adelyn had long, thin hair that reached the middle of her spine when put up in a pony-tail, her daily hairstyle, while Lucas had curly disheveled hair, ones that attracted girls wherever he went. Even with their affection for each other, their sibling war pranks were well-known all around the school. Both twins were deadly during prank week, even shy Adelyn. Just last month, Adelyn had filled Lucas's locker with confetti and put whipped cream on all of his books. When Lucas had opened his locker that morning, the hallway was filled with laughing students on the floor and even the teachers were chuckling. The janitor and Lucas were not impressed.

Their parents both worked as surgeons for as long as the twins could remember, always running to their job. On the twins' sixth birthday, their closest friends (before the first move) had arranged a surprise party for them. The 'surprise' part of the party was ruined when their parents had both fled to work, leaving the children heart-broken. No child ever wanted their parents to miss their birthday. Lucas and Adelyn didn't even want a present. All they wanted was their parents's hugs and blessings. They never made it to the surprise party. Their friends found them cuddled in a corner of a room, the seven-year-olds crying in each other's arms. But as the twins' grew older, they didn't take notice of their parent's disappearance. They had each other and made the best of everything.

When their parents had announced a divorce, their 'perfect' lives fell apart like a broken jigsaw puzzle. Adelyn had just come back from a friend's house and Lucas from football practice when their parents broke the news.

"We have something to tell you both." Their parents both sat on opposite ends of the couch, hands folded in their laps like a professional meeting. Adelyn had just walked through the door frame and was beyond confused by the way they were acting. She met her twin's eye that held a mirroring confusion who shrugged.

"We've tried our best but it's been hard and we think it's best if we end this failing relationship. Me and your mother are getting a divorce. You both are going with your mother back to Weathering Peaks. We are sorry to make you both leave your lives here." Their father's voice lacked any genuineness and comfort. All his recited words fell to deaf ears after they heard the first line. They didn't have any say in the decision. They were going back.

Adelyn's boyfriend, Noah Lee, had broken-up with her, claiming he couldn't do long distance. Adelyn found it suspicious though how he jumped at the opportunity without second thought, and didn't seem even the slightest upset. Adelyn didn't tell Lucas this though, knowing the likelihood of him beating Noah up was higher than not. The last time Adelyn had her suspicions, Noah ended up with a broken nose the day after.

To Adelyn, the worst part of the divorce was not that their parents were not going to be together. No, that was expected with all their late-night arguments. The worst part was that they were going to move back to the town they left seven years ago. Seven years ago, they used to live in a tiny town, about half the size of the one they lived in. Everyone knew each other in the town and if they didn't, the town's 'gossip newspaper', run by no one but the town's grocery store owner, would tell them everything they needed to know. The lives of all the residents were put on display and privacy was an unknown word. Yet, Lucas and Adelyn- who were only six-years-old at the time- felt a strange sense of comfort in the town.

When their parents had to move to a bigger hospital, they left the beloved town in a rush, dragging the children with them and not turning back even once. The twins had four close friends at the town- Adam Park, Wesley Roberts, Savannah Roberts, and Ivy Green. They thought of each other as siblings, those six children. Savannah and Wesley were twins, similar to Adelyn and Lucas but in their group, all of them together were a team at heart. Lucas and Adelyn were both heart broken when they were forced to leave but had no choice but to follow their parents orders. They didn't even have the chance to say goodbye. Though their parents barely remembered a thing, Lucas and Adelyn never forgot the town. They never forgot their closest friends they considered family and never forgot the chilly beach weather that all the residents worshipped. They never forgot walking down a street and waving to every person within their line of sight. Never forgot all the nights they hid together in their tree house, playing board games.

And now, they were going back to the town. It was more than likely that everyone would remember them, seeing as the town never did forget a piece of good gossip.

"Ade? Are you okay?" Lucas asked his sister after a period of comforting silence, with concern seeping through his voice. Hearing her muffled sobs hurt him more than he could ever express. Both the twins were nervous about seeing the town and the people they once considered siblings again. What would they say? Would their friends even remember them? Would they be mad?

"Y-yeah," Adelyn whispered to her brother, not wanting him to worry. Her voice was scratchy and broke in the middle but it was enough to make Lucas's shoulders fall and lose their stiffness. He held his sister closer to him.

"Oh, thank god. I'm so sorry, both of you." Their mother turned around from the front seat, placing her hand on the seat's headrest. She had clearly been paying attention to both of their words. Candice Conner cared about her children, more than they ever realized, but she never knew how to show it.

"It's okay, mum. We are okay." This time, it was Adelyn who comforted her mother while Conner kept his head buried in Adelyn's hair, breathing in her coconut scent. Connor placed a kiss on Adelyn's temple but didn't let her go. Adelyn stayed in her brother's warmth, her hiccups from the crying coming to a slow stop. Adelyn knew the only reason Lucas wasn't crying was to stay strong for her sake. If Lucas Conner had to choose one person he cared about most in the cruel world, it would be his twin and vice versa. They would give their lives for each other even though they were polar opposites. Like Yin to Yang, they were each other's half.

"Okay, good. We'll reach the Weatherings Peak in about... ten minutes." Weatherings Peak. The town where their best friends were. The best friends that they had left. Their mother failed to notice the twin's grim expressions and how they traded looks of anxiousness.

"It'll be okay. It'll be okay." Lucas mumbled in repetition, like a broken tape recorder repeating the same words until they magically come true. Adelyn took hold of her brother's hand and squeezed, stroking his wrist. She hoped it would.

Three wrong turns and fifteen minutes later, they pulled up at a tiny two story house. They hadn't seen anyone they knew yet on the ride here, considering it was 1:00 PM on a school day. The house had a maroon large door and a cement front porch, which was led to by stepping stones. Black lanterns stood on both sides of the pathway, barely visible in the sunlight. A tiny patch of soil with flowers lining the front gave the house a modern touch. A bench with a carved owl perched on the arm-rest greeted them near the door.

Their mother fished a key holder with two keys hanging off from her front jacket pocket. Shoving the key inside the tiny hole, she shifted the door open. Lucas and Adelyn looked around their new neighborhood curiously. It was quiet and somewhat peaceful, unlike the loud one they used to live in. The streets were empty at this time of day, the only other occupier being a crow pecking at the sidewalk.

"There. Home sweet home." Their mother finally pushed the door open completely, revealing a long carpeted hall. Lucas held his hand out which Adelyn took gratefully. Hand in hand, they cautiously stepped inside their new home.

The first turn from the carpeted hallway led to a dining room. The shelves were painted a yellow-ish color that made the room look bright. A dining table was smack in the middle of the room but the rest of the room was bare. Their mother stopped at the dining room, running her hand across the smooth dining table. No dust picked up on her hand, unlike at their old house.

Lucas and Adelyn found no interest in the dining room, racing up the curled stairs to see the bedrooms. The first room was immediately called by Lucas. Lucas had always been fascinated by the thought of having a window seat and this impressed him. Adelyn chuckled at her brother's reaction and walked around the room herself. Lucas immediately threw himself on the bare mattress, still lacking any sheets. They didn't have too many belongings but the few we had would only arrive tomorrow morning. The moving truck drivers were delayed by an accident on the highway.

"Ade, this mattress is so soft. I'm in heaven. Is it heated?" He reached underneath the bed, feeling for a knob but came up with nothing besides dust bunnies.

"Careful there Lulu, there might be a monster under the bed." Lucas scowled, once at the nickname and once when Adelyn's teasing words registered. When they were little, Lucas would always run to Adelyn's room in fear of monsters. Sometimes, it was hard to believe that Lucas was the brave one of the two. The nickname, well, that was just to annoy Lucas- one of Adelyn's favorite pastimes.

They exited Lucas's new room to explore further into the house. The room right across was another bedroom. The walls of the room were painted Cinderella blue, making Adelyn squeal. "It's blue, it's blue, it's blue!" Like Lucas and a window seat, one of Adelyn's fantasies had always been a blue room. Her claim was that blue calmed her down and reminded her of a lake. Adelyn ran like a five-year-old girl seeing candy towards the mattress, falling face first. She pushed herself up on the mattress with a satisfied sigh.

"Sit with me?" Adelyn asked, patting the space next to her on the mattress. Lucas didn't question, sitting near her and holding her hand on his lap. They fell into a comfortable silence, both sucked up in their thoughts.

"It'll be okay." Lucas repeated the slogan once again. Adelyn didn't know whether he was trying to convince her or himself. Except this time, Adelyn felt confident with Lucas right near her. It would be okay.

"Yeah, we'll be okay." 

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Welcome to the first chapter of All The Colors. Please let me know if you run into any typos or corrections. Other than that, smile wide and come along the ride.