Sin color

La pareja se encontraba entre los vecinos que buscaban enterarse del chime del día, no era nada más relevante que un par de mascotas perdidas. Nadie sabía a quién le pertenecían las dos aves, sin embargo a algunos les resultaba cómica la forma en que se encontraban en la piscina de unos de los vecinos como si ese fuera su hogar, otros estaban más preocupados por que no fueran a escapar sin que sus dueños los encontraran.

Al no tener ninguna relación ni aporte necesario, la pareja dejó el lugar. Él era un hombre alto, alrededor de 1.75, delgado, piel morena y con un poco de barba descuidada como su peinado. Ella era más baja, de 1.58, delgada y piel clara, cabello corto hasta la mitad del cuello. Mientras ella veía su celular, él veía hacia enfrente distraídamente mientras fumaba; estaban de camino a su casa después de un día largo de trabajo.

A dos calles de donde las aves habían sido encontradas, los dos entraron a su pequeño departamento. Todavía la luz del día lo iluminaba, aunque las cortinas a penas permitían la entrada de la luz y su hijo no había encendido las luces de la cocina o la sala, seguramente se encontraba en su habitación haciendo tarea. Últimamente no habían tenido tiempo de salir de fin de semana, ella porque estaba ocupada con temas de su trabajo, haciendo que incluso llegara tarde esos días o estuviera demasiado cansada para algo, y él porque estaba sufriendo con un nuevo jefe que no dejaba a nadie trabajar como lo habían estado haciendo desde antes.

Al final del día, cenaron cada uno haciendo sus cosas e ignorando la televisión.

Después de arreglarse para su día de trabajo, el hombre fue al cuarto de su hijo a despertarlo, sin embargo el cuarto ya estaba vacío. Su esposa estaba abriendo la puerta para marcharse cuando le preguntó por el pequeño.

“Tiene un rato que salió hacia la escuela, adiós.” Con la seca respuesta, ella también dejó la casa sin comentar nada más.

El niño ya tenía once años, tenía un año yendo por si solo a la escuela ya que esta se encontraba a solamente tres calles de su casa. Al inicio no les había gustado la idea de que lo hiciera, era peligroso y ambos no podían estar tranquilos, si se lo permitieron fue porque su vecina que vivía en el piso inferior llevaba a su hija a la misma escuela, así que le pedían decirles si lo había visto llegar bien.

Era un niño tranquilo, centrado e independiente, sabía que sus padres lo amaban aunque se encontraran ocupados, por eso quería aligerar su carga al irse por sí solo, de esa forma ambos no tendrían que estar corriendo de la escuela al trabajo, aunque obviamente no consideró el temor de ambos porque algo malo le fuera a ocurrir en el trayecto. No tanto si iba o no a la escuela.

El padre no había podido hablar con su hijo desde el día anterior, de pronto sintió que probablemente tenía más días en que no había intercambiado palabras con él que no fueran banales. Algo dentro de él pareció removerse, quería pensar que era inquietud sin fundamentos, sin embargo prefirió resolverlos en ese momento, si era posible.

Con eso en mente, caminó con presura hacia la escuela después de llamar a su vecina y que esta le contestara que no lo había visto. La campana estaba por sonar, los últimos niños llegaban corriendo junto a sus padres así que aprovechó para entrar y preguntar a los profesores. Lo habían visto el día anterior, sin embargo ese día no estaba en su salón.

Dejó el edificio de la escuela con la mente ya revuelta, ahora la preocupación mordía sus entrañas más que nunca, sabía que algo andaba mal sin poder descifrar qué era. En eso estaba pensando, a punto de llegar a la puerta, cuando se encontró de frente con su esposa que lo observó con la misma sorpresa que él debería estar mostrando.

—¿Qué pasó? ¿No estabas de camino a tu trabajo? —le preguntó él, notando como se ponía nerviosa. Sabía que así estaba cuando pasaba su cabello detrás de su oreja a pesar de que este no había dejado de estar ahí.

—Sí… es que… accidentalmente me traje su almuerzo, venía a cambiarlo…

Fue como si el mundo se hubiera detenido por completo, a su lado pasaban los niños y los adultos como manchas borrosas, tenía sus ojos fijos en la sonrisa forzada de su esposa. Se mantuvo en silencio, no trataba de entender la situación, únicamente notó como todo alrededor se veía sin vida, sin colores.

—Ah… está bien… —sin decir nada más, caminó de nuevo hacia la puerta de salida.

El mundo volvió a su velocidad normal, todo el ruido pareció regresar de golpe, sintió como la gente se movía frente a él sin ningún cambio, aunque para él todo era diferente. La ciudad en donde tenía viviendo doce años nunca le había parecido tan gris. Se sintió confundido hasta que la última frase que recordaba salir de la boca de su pequeño le llegó a la memoria.

—Papá… creo que los colores ya no existen.

En ese momento, sin prestarle mucha atención, le había dado un par de billetes diciéndole que se comprara unos nuevos. Qué gran estupidez y qué mal padre era.

Esta vez corrió. Su instinto ahora le estaba gritando, imaginaba dónde podía estar su hijo, rezaba porque de verdad estuviera ahí y todavía pudiera enmendar sus errores. Ya no le preocupaba lo tarde que ya era, que solo tenía veinte minutos para llegar a su trabajo, ni siquiera logró hacer más que enviarle un mensaje a uno de sus compañeros para pedirle que lo disculpara con el resto porque tenía un situación familiar.

Llegando al supermercado, tomó el camino hacia la zona de papelería, no le sorprendió ver a más de veinte personas rondando el pasillo donde los colores, plumones y todo lo colorido estaba en venta. Sus ojos solamente tenían un objetivo, y al encontrarlo lo hicieron suspirar de alivio.

Caminó hacia su hijo, se veía tan menudo en medio de tantos adultos enfocados en sus propios problemas. Tenía en sus manos una caja de treinta y seis colores, se veían sus ojos brillantes y húmedos, al sentir la mano en su hombro que lo hizo voltear y alejarse del resto, todo su control pareció quebrarse como la ligera capa de hielo que cubría los parabrisas de los coches cuando hacía frío.

—Papá, ya no puedo ver los colores, —dijo antes de abrazarse al cuello de su padre cuando este se hincó frente a él, las lagrimas por fin se desbordaron, el miedo se apoderó de él.

—Lo sé, yo lo sé. —Acarició sus cabellos mientras le besaba la coronilla, lo volvió a sentir como el pequeño niño que cada que se tropezaba lloraba, el que había llorado cuando uno de sus juguetes se había perdido. Y lo entendía, él tampoco podía verlos ya.

Paseó su vista por los objetos de los estantes, quedándose en las cajas de plumones para pizarrón que tenía a su lado derecho, sabía cómo debían lucir, sin embargo solamente podía ver los azules y los rojos.

Nunca había escuchado de ese tipo de padecimiento, no sabía si los dos habían estado expuestos a algo que los había dejado de esa forma, o si se trataba de alguna nueva enfermedad de la que no se había hablado. Podía intuir que todos los que estaban ahí, no lo hacían porque los colores estuvieran de moda o en oferta, debía ser porque también habían perdido la percepción de estos y tampoco conocían la causa.

—Encontré esto, —su pequeño volvió a hablar después de que había detenido sus sollozos, entregándole la caja de colores que tenía un papel pegado con cinta adhesiva que decía: “Si estos colores le parecen repetitivos o no son los que debería ver, llámenos por favor.”

—Es perfecto, vamos.

Tomándolo de la mano, lo llevó a las cajas a pagar por la caja de colores a la que se seguía aferrando. Una vez fuera del establecimiento llamó al número, y con una rápida explicación de su situación, le dieron la dirección del consultorio al que debía dirigirse.

Tomaron un taxi, en el trayecto el hombre logó contactar con su jefe para explicarle que estaba en una emergencia médica, aunque al inicio el jefe no pareció creerle, le pidió que le llevara el comprobante al siguiente día si no quería perder un día de su salario.

El consultorio se encontraba en una torre de oficinas y consultorios. Después de registrar su entrada, tomaron el elevador y se dirigieron al que buscaban, su hijo sin soltarlo ni un segundo, como tampoco había guardado su caja de colores en la mochila que ahora su padre cargaba.

El médico dio una corta presentación antes de volver a preguntar por el momento en que se habían dado cuenta que los colores había cambiado.

—Fue hace tres días, —comenzó el niño con permiso de su padre—. Estábamos en la sala cenando y viendo una película, yo estaba dibujando algo de mi tarea cuando el celular de mamá sonó, ella se levantó diciendo que era del trabajo, pasó atrás de donde estaba sentado y me pisó… pero ella no lo sintió, no me dijo nada y solo salió.

>>No me dolió mucho, pero otras veces se disculpaba y se portaba como si hubiera sido algo peor, pero esa vez ni siquiera pareció importarle. Mi papá seguía viendo la tele, no había notado nada así que seguí con mi dibujo pero este ya no tenía el color que había querido darle, no me gustó así que lo arrugué y me fui a mi cuarto a hacerlo de nuevo… pero por más que lo intentara, ya no lograba que se viera bien. —Miró a su padre, los ojos llorosos de nuevo, por lo que él le pasó la mano sobre el cabello y gesticuló “lo siento tanto”—. Después de que comprobara con mis amigos de la escuela que solo a mí me estaba pasando, me asusté y ese día le dije a mi papá, pero me dijo que comprara nuevos colores, y eso quise hacer pero ninguno se veía como debía…

Esta vez ya no lloró tanto, se mantuvo dentro del abrazo de su pare mientras este le narraba al doctor la forma en que le había pasado a él, de como todo se había vuelto gris desde antes aunque no lo había notado hasta ese día. Con eso, el doctor decidió explicarles lo que sabía de su condición.

No se trataba de un trastorno neurológico o ocular, todo se trataba de una afección psicológica que había descubierto desde hace siete meses. Desde su descubrimiento se hicieron todo tipo de estudios a los que lo sufrían hasta llegar a esa conclusión. Los motivos siempre se resumían en uno: los afectados se dieron cuenta de que una persona muy cercana a ellos les estaba mintiendo.

Se trataba de una mentira mayor de lo que querían reconocer, una mentira que no habrían podido notar si no se les hubiera presentado la afección de los colores, una mentira que habrían deseado no notar, sin embargo necesitaban resolverla, aun si significaba perder la confianza sobre esa persona, si significaba tener que alejarse de esa persona.

El psicólogo extrajo una caja que contenía quinientos lápices de colores, todos dispuestos en un círculo marcando los gradientes de color perfectamente. Con esto le pidió al niño que extrajera los lápices que todavía tenían color, siendo gradientes del azul, el verde y el amarillo, los colores que mostró. Por su parte, su padre únicamente tomó los tonos principales del rojo y el azul.

—Todavía estamos en la época de experimentación y aprendizaje con esta aflicción —comentó el doctor mientras terminaba de anotar los colores vistos por el par de padre e hijo—. También, antes de todo esto, quisiera pedirle que firmara esta hoja. Es un acuerdo en el que nos permite usar los datos que vayamos descubriendo, con fines de investigación.

>>Sus nombres y datos personales se quedarán seguros, no los usaremos, únicamente usaremos los resultados y avances, los comprobaremos con otros casos y sacaremos conclusiones. Por eso necesito tener prueba fehaciente de que está de acuerdo.

El hombre leyó con cuidado el papel que le entregó, lo analizó perfectamente antes de firmarlo, en su nombre y en el de su hijo.

—El color azul está presente en los dos, lo que nos indica una pérdida de atención o rechazo por parte de la otra persona, en este caso su esposa y su mamá, —continuó con su explicación después de guardar el papel—. El rojo está relacionado con el amor romántico y carnal, usted posiblemente está dudando de este sentimiento en respecto a su esposa. Por otro lado, el naranja y el amarillo están relacionados a la felicidad e infancia, el que los puedas ver sin tantos gradientes como con el azul, es indicación de que sientes que ya no eres feliz en tu entorno, que esa frialdad de tu mamá está opacando todo, aunque ambos tratan de aferrarse a esto.

>>No sé cuáles sean las circunstancias o motivos, no conozco a su familiar como ustedes, sin embargo les recomiendo repasen todo lo que ha sucedido desde un mes antes, de cuándo las cosas comenzaron a cambiar. —El psicólogo dudó un poco antes de decir las siguientes palabras—. No quiero sembrar dudas o teorías, pero analicen el uso del celular de ella, cómo se comporta y qué hace cuando habla, mas les sugiero no fuercen la situación, no revisen el celular de una persona sin su consentimiento, eso es una falta a la privacidad grave. Antes de eso hagan muchos intentos por hacerla hablar o síganla, si es necesario.

Después unas cuantas sugerencias y advertencias más, el par partió del consultorio, recibiendo como próxima cita la siguiente semana y un número al cuál contactar con el médico si los colores que notaban disminuían o aumentaban.

“Saber que una persona que amas te miente es doloroso, porque sientes que no te tiene confianza, porque posiblemente es algo que te haría sentir mal, porque la otra persona no quiere terminar algo en lo que se ha sentido cómoda, no quiere decepcionar; sin embargo nunca nos damos cuenta de la carga tan pesada que es cargar con una mentira. Pensamos en lo mal que sería que la otra persona descubriera por qué mentía, no obstante, nunca contemplamos qué pasaría si la otra persona siente la mentira sin saber de qué se trata.”

Descubrirlo será igual o más doloroso, sin embargo es necesario para volverle a dar color a la vida, para salir adelante, sea con o sin la persona que mintió; sea perdonando o no perdonando la mentira y sus razones. Resolverlo tiene que involucrar a todas las personas, y debe haber el deseo de resolverlo a pesar del miedo y la duda, de la pérdida y la desconfianza.

Una mentira es una mentira, sea blanca, negra o del color que sea. La confianza que se rompe cuando la descubren es mucho más grande que la que se podría perder cuando hablas con la verdad sobre algo que te avergüenza o lamentas. Una tiene enmendamiento, la otra difícilmente lo logra.

30. Paranoia

Each passing year since the new protectors discovered their powers, their training sessions were increasing. Almost all the first year remained with their monthly visit to the mountain where the Miracle Protector used to train every Saturday. The next year it changed to a visit every two weeks so they could explore a bit more of their powers: gravity manipulation, healing, freezing and acid production. For the third year, the Miracle Protector taught them about his strategies while watching every one of his past fights, always skipping details in his fight that gave him his current title, with the excuse that they weren’t ready for that talk yet.

The fourth year, the last having their secret, went with a training session once every week, when he taught them a bit of everything without going to the extremes, letting them have some fun but recognizing their own limits.

When they were finally presented, all the island’s mood raised the same as when he got introduced that time fifteen years ago. Soon they had everyone attention onto them, being praised and cheered on by every bystander and person, just as their mentor had told them that would happen.

The four of them were honored and excited, none scared about the pressure because they had each other and their mentor. In every interview when they were asked about how it was to be so close to the Miracle Protector, they would be all shy and said “He’s as amazing as he looked on TV, he’s so kind, gentle, smart and strong, everything we strive to be” or “He’s like a father, a brother, a friend, I don’t know what would be of us if he wasn’t here.”

And with that, their sessions turned to be daily, after their classes in high school. All the people around them noticed how much trust they had in him, how much they look up to him, following every instruction and advise as it was sacred or decisive. They feel so confident about their skills when he was around.

When the Protector turned thirty-five, his brother moved out from the Protector’s House to his own to start a family, while his mother decided to go back to his own home so he could feel a bit more independent. Because of that, when the new protectors were fifteen, sometimes they would spend their nights there when analyzing his past victories.

The first time they go to a battle with him, was one with only one pirate’s ship in which he made them see from afar, when they were sixteen, almost seventeen years old. Before, they were amazed of his numerous powers and how he control them, but seeing him using them as if it was nothing, mixing them up so easily and winning the battle in nothing more than forty minutes left the new protectors more taken aback than before. All their admiration went some levels higher; their motivation maxed out as well.

With his chemist job in the morning, mentoring in the afternoon and night, he had less time for himself again. Although he didn’t need it as before.

After fifteen years of visiting the group’s reunion place, he bit farewell to it. Shonda, Pious and the Awkward Boy already left the place too, some years or months earlier than him, so he thought it was enough for him too. However, to those three, Orange, Nightjar and Flying Fish, he let them have his phone number, so they could see each other from time to time. While they told him their true names, he still kept his unsaid.

His relationship with the Awkward Boy and Shonda improved so much after their declaration of love, they became good friends with Pious too, going from their last teen years to their adulthood. Talking to Thesaurus was, as they always said, a calming and refreshing experience. Even though he didn’t talk much, or forget some things easily, having him with them was the only thing they needed to relax and think clearly.

They went from student, job, love, marital and emotional problems without restrain, always trusting his kind words or prolonged silence. And, too, always questioning themselves if they were doing enough to repay his kindness when they invited him to go out, enjoy some afternoon or night, sometimes even their weekends. Because he never talked about anything in particular, they felt a bit of paranoia, believing he could disappear if they leave him alone.

But they were not wrong.

When the new protectors were seventeen, because their own accord, they began to be more active in the battles. Soon they got so used to do it, that they barely noticed when the Miracle Protector was doing less than them. He trusted them, so he let them make their own mistakes but always covering them up, so they didn’t hurt themselves so much. With that, their self-confidence was fed enough to let them grow faster.

 That way, when they were eighteen years old, they went by themselves to do the Protector’s duty. The Miracle Protector was appointed to the watch towers or the headquarters, always fully prepared if it was needed. At least for the first six months.

“Do you see that? Forty minutes for three ships!” The shorter boy said when the recording of their battle ended, just as the dinner they had in the Protector’s House with food that the Miracle Protector did for them.

“Oh and you barely were hurt, that’s something that needs a praise too, right, Senior Protector?” said the leader of their group. Even though he tried, they never called him by his name because all the respect they felt towards him.

“Yeah, all of you have become so good at your duty,” the Miracle Protector praised them, rubbing the head of the other girl in the group. “Soon the people will forget about me and I’ll go to retirement.”

“Retirement? In your forty’s?” all of them laughed. “You could be sixty and still beat us in a fight, with the four.”

“Besides, who could forget about the Miracle Protector? No one!”

With that, they got their desserts, but before they could turn on the TV to watch a movie, their mentor put the battle that happened days before they were born, they had watched it countless of times, without any comment coming from him, until that night.

“We’d need a miracle bigger than that, and still, people love you too much.” The girl said, and before anyone got to answer, their mentor started to talk.

“That was my decisive battle, that one made me open my eyes to what I had to do.” He began. “Different from the past protectors and you, I was alone, the duty of keeping safe all our people never felt so heavy as that day, however I didn’t let my insecurities won.”

“I sent all my fears, self-doubts, everything, at the back of my mind. I went to those ships with solely one thought: I couldn’t let anyone from those ships to go back alive.” The Miracle Protector drank from his cup. “And don’t misunderstand, your powers are not to kill but to guard. Everything you do over the sea, over the enemies’ ships is for your family to be safe, your friends and lovers, and all the people living here were powers are only granted to those who will protect them.”

He told them about how tired and hurt he was, but still he fought. How scared he was before the escaping ship, but still he fought. Just when they thought they couldn’t admire him more, it happened.

The next day, he went to his family’s dinner to celebrate his brother’s son seventh birthday. They enjoyed their time together, dinning and watching movies, talking and resting. Just another family reunion.

And the next day after that, he went to Pious’s new home. There with Nightjar, Flying Fish, the Awkward Boy and Shonda. They were talking, giving their gifts to Pious and congratulating him, even if they did already.

It was at 10 pm when Thesaurus got their attention. The five of them noticed how nervous he looked, so they waited for him to talk.

“There was one thing I lost, but I couldn’t talk about it; there was one reason why I couldn’t say my true name, my birth date or my city address,” he began with his head hanging low and his fingers twisting each other. “And, still, all of you were by my side, never asking questions or pressuring me, trusting me and making me part of your lives as another friend…”

“I’ll never be able to repay your friendship, because being with you and the group… helped me so much to endure the most difficult time of my life.” Then, he finally confronted their eyes. “I hope you don’t hate me, I hope you don’t change your view of who I was with you and why I’ll say I lost something forever…”

All of them shook their heads, trying to say that they would never do it, still, he didn’t let them talk. “I lost everything I had for twenty-three years. I lost a life I never thought boring or lacking, I lost my identity and my future. My life wasn’t mine anymore, my existence got a purpose I didn’t want but I fulfilled to the very end with pride and compromise. I can’t say I regret it, I can’t say there was something missing that could had made things go better or worse.”

With that, he took off his glasses and wig, that day when he didn’t wear his contacts. The five of them were surprised, as he thought it would happen. “My true name is Teshal, I am the one the people call Miracle Protector.”

Shonda and Pious rose from their seats with their mouths opened as if they were broken. Nightjar covered his mouth without taking his eyes off him, Flying Fish took his husband’s hand and squeezed it as if trying to wake up. The Awkward Boy went silent too, surprised but looking him with a smile.

“Dammit… you really… you really kill me every damn time” and with that, he started to laugh until tears came out his eyes and he had to grab his stomach, making the rest to imitate him.

“Oh my gosh… you saw us fangirling about you every single reunion and you never laughed at us, how?” said Pious drying his tears.

“No, think about all the times I spoke against him, and he supported me! “Nightjar was barely able to talk coherently.

Seeing them laughing as real as that, allowed Teshal to breathe again, even if his heart wasn’t calming down. At first it wasn’t easy to go back to talk as before, because how much admiration they felt. But because he was the same shy and taciturn man as before, they started to speak to him as before the revelation.

As soon as the clock marked 3 am, all of them decided to go back their homes. Feeling the news still a bit unreal, they took a picture and said goodbye until their next meeting.

Nevertheless, there was not next meeting with all friends, family or new protectors. That same day the Miracle Protector disappeared from the island without warning, without no one that could say that The Protector was acting different than usual. Without taking anything with him, not even his phone that he left in the Protector’s House, he was never seen again.

29. Container

When the new protectors were twelve years old, they were told about the beginning of their change. Coming from the four biggest cities of the island, they were gathered in some government offices where were surprised with The Protector’s presence. Being still kids, they were too excited to even ask why they were there.

“Ok, now listen to me,” said the protector after they introduced themselves, saying which was their dream job or plans for the future. “You’ve been chosen, since your birth, as the new protectors, your powers might start to present from this day onwards.”

That was the most difficult part the protector had been fearing since his trainers told him about him being the one to deliver the news. When he became the protector, it was said to him by voices of the death, giving him a prideful duty he would never be thankful for, so he knew that if they were to hate the news, they would hate him too.

Nevertheless, after almost half a minute since he said it, the four kids stood up from their chairs looking so flabbergasted that he thought they could faint, however his fears went away as his heartbeat, when they yelled with too much excitement.

“Are you serious?” “Is this some kind of joke?” “Are they filming us?” With him being serious, and a lot confused, they believed him, so they started to yell even more. None of them was scared or angry, none of them had any regrets at that moment.

He told himself that they were kids, not evaluating the meaning of something that important, not knowing the heavy burden it meant or how much their lives were about to change. Because of that, when they calmed down, he told them. “You need to understand that this title comes with so many responsibilities, its not only being a powerful being over the rest of the people in our island, is having to be the person who defend the lives of all of them, giving every piece of you to them, giving your life for their protection and safeness. Smile so they feel safe again, fight so they can carry on with their peaceful lives, train so you can have all their trust. Do you understand?”

“We might not understand it completely, yet,” said one of the girls in the group, she was the more composed, always the first one to be calm after every outburst. “But, at least me, I’m in your care, I wanna carry this title with pride and do everything I have so I can become as great as you.”

“I promise I’ll understand someday, but that won’t take away the happiness for this huge opportunity that just a few in this island have, I’ll work hard so I can reach you.” The second was a boy, the shorter but with the bigger lungs.

“I don’t know how strong I’ll become but for you and for my family and for the rest of the people, I’ll try my best and follow your teachings.” The third one was the second boy, the taller and who looked could built up so much.

“And for me this is such a big honor, as many others, I’ve been admiring you since I remember, your kindness, your strength, your intelligence and diligence, everything! So I won’t disappoint you, never!” She looked as a cleaver girl and a bit shy, still he felt her words true.

They decided to keep their powers in secret as them being the new protectors until they turned fifteen, all in order for them to keep growing in an, almost, calm life. But once a month, after their powers manifested, were to go to the Protector’s House to receive a quick training to control their powers, and they could call the Protector anytime they needed if it was for a power’s problem. Although everyone thought they should had waited more because they four wouldn’t stay silent, they really keep the secret when the Protector told them “This will be something only you four, your family, and me will now, so lets share this secret for three years more, ok?”

With that, he gave them a container with only a piece of paper in each one of them, the same they couldn’t open until they get to home. Because those were some embarrassing words he wrote for them, after reading about how they were; they might had it easy to say those promises to him, but he couldn’t do it, so he wrote it.

28. Relevant

Being part of the Etc. Lost group and working again, gave him some peace to his tormented and regretful mind who was tired of not being normal anymore. Although his frozen feelings remained the same, he felt a bit less pressured with them because they never asked questions, just let him be whoever he wanted to be, be with him and let him listen to them, even if he was a terrible adviser.

The people who he was closer was the Awkward Boy, Pious, Shonda and Nightjar. In the beginning Nightjar and him coincided in many debatable point of views regarding the protector, in how he could easily be turned into a bad persona and a danger or how they shouldn’t idolize so much; however with time, Nightjar learnt to appreciate the protector, he became a fan more in a day when he saw him fighting.

He knew the current jobs and lost dreams from almost all of the members of the group after one year of being around, and they knew he was some kind of office worker with a lost dream that no one was sure of what it really was. Nevertheless, no one pressured him to say more like in which city he lived, when was his birthday, because every time they asked, they received an “it has already passed.” At first, they weren’t satisfied with it, until Shonda talked with them about let it go if he didn’t want to be celebrated.

With the years going by, people in the group came and went. Because it was a group of people with a thing in common but that served just as a excuse to let them be together and overcome their troubles, people could get tired of it or feel that they didn’t need it anymore, so it was normal for them to change from time to time.

All those times they had a goodbye party, it was as sad as happy. They were happy to know that the people who decided to go, had already gotten over their lost dream, probably because they found a new one or they accepted the lost or maybe they weren’t as sad as before. Every time they bit farewell, their nickname and picture were hanged up in the wall of the Lost Members, and their profiles erased. None of them said their true name, if they had said it in the group to a person or some, they had the obligation of never tell it.

There were a lot of moments in which Teshal considered if it were his time to say goodbye or not, he neither knew if he would disappear from their lives without telling them who he really was. But at the time he was having a great time with the Awkward Boy going back to college, Pious going to the same as his but in different major, Shonda following the protector’s steps in the same major and Nightjar marrying Flying Fish.

In fact, after six years since he came to the group, and two since those two married, they announced their soon to be born baby and how his birth would mark their last time coming to the group’s reunions. It was sad but so joyous.

Some of them, principally the Awkward Boy and Shonda, tried to have a romantical relationship with him, they even declared to him the same day but at different moments. At first, he only told them “I’m sorry, I can’t accept your feelings as how am I right now”.

It was until the start of the communal chat, that he took both out of the apartment to explain to them how he couldn’t get attached to no one because of his demanding job and that he wasn’t really looking for any romantic or sexual relationships. Without telling them, of course, of how buried his real feelings were. After three weeks without seeing them, they came back being the same chatty ones, accepting being with him just as friends, as before.

Ten years later, he was still going to the group, it was a relevant activity as his days staying inside his basement without coming out with his family or to anything else.

27. Markers

After a year since he became the Protector, the trainer who taught him about how to control his powers and about the abilities of the past protectors, decided to retire. After being the last close person to the protectors who lived since eighty years ago, it was natural, although he always offered new advices, more in the training area, so the protector could mentally prepare for what he should do when the new ones get older enough.

And six months later, when his popularity started to cool down, he decided to go back to work. At first it had to be from his home, doing reviews in some new formulas and reports about the new discoveries that had to be tested; he missed working in a laboratory, but that was the only solution they all could find until his popularity were to die down a little bit more.

He still could be driven in, as his brother, but they knew the people in his workplace would be too distracted or too inhibit with him there, so the people of the company decided to give him that job until they see it could be changed.

The main reason of why he wanted to go back wasn’t because the increasing of free time he had after his training sessions were decreased, it was, too, because he wanted to have his own money. Not the money his family spent on him in gifts, nor the one the government gave him, making him feel as if he was receiving it without doing anything in exchange, so he didn’t spend the money in the things he liked, just to help his family with their daily basics.

Two weeks after he started his new job, it was announced in the media, giving only the name of the pharmaceutical company but not the address. The same day, he went to the group’s reunion site, everyone was talking about it and how cool it was that the protector’s major was chemist and not something more boring. Trying to ignore all the comments and effusiveness, he helped Pious with his homework using his markers to give some colors to his mind map, whatever that could help him go unnoticed when he wasn’t contributing with the praise.

However, when Orange arrived, all of them surrounded her to ask her if she had seen him, because she worked for the same company. Once again, the protector felt like concealing his identity even more, although he didn’t have nothing to use. Luckily, Orange was part of the persons who weren’t in contact with his working area. He was still safe.

26. Shonda

The news of his awakening was in all the media all day long, the excitement of the people was as releasing the breath they were holding since the Protector fell asleep. But the next day, that enthusiasm was about to blow up even more.

When his trainers went to see the protector, after his mother’s calling, he told them about something that was needed to be announced along with his recovery, however they decided that it was best if he said it in the press conference they had already planned for the moment he woke up. So he was prepared by all the people incredulity.

“Good luck, dear” said his mother, giving him a kiss in the cheek when he was about to leave their house, she probably knew how nervous he usually was before any conference he had to attend, so she always told him “you can do it”, which was as useless as the “good luck” but now that she changed it, he was made to remember how sharp she was lately. This time he wasn’t nervous, neither excited.

People wanted to see him after two weeks without him, so the press conference was for that. In the past events, because he never finished a battle without appearing in front in the cameras to tell people that everything was fine while smiling with that confident and trustworthy smile of his, only then the people called it a past battle.

 

This time, however, people couldn’t feel it was fine and celebrate when their beloved Protector was down after such a ferocious fight. Even so, they started to call him the Miracle Protector for all his strength and kindness, because he alone could take twelve ships without any damage dealt to the island. And that was most of what they talked about in the press conference and some descriptions of his fight.

“So, they told us you want to say something more and you keep it to the end,” said the woman presenter when the last question was answered.

“Yeah, I wanted to announce something,” he received a nod from her, so he turned to face the camera that would transmit his news to all the islanders. “The new protectors had born in the past week, they’re four and I’ll train them when the time comes, for now they’ll be growing as any one like you until they’re ready.”

It was almost as if the whole island went silent, as if all in there stopped, waiting for him to say he was joking, but it never happened, he hold on until the presenter reacted and started to make new questions for the people to know it was true.

Because of that, the press conference belayed for almost an hour until they let him go. Being Sunday, and the second day after waking up, they let him go back to his house to keep resting. A part of him wanted to go to the reunion place of the Etc. Lost group, however, he didn’t want to be too obvious returning the same time as the Protector did, and he still wasn’t sure of how it would be when he was still getting used to be so numb.

Therefore, he waited a complete week until he felt confident enough to face them again. In home, his family was finally stopping their worried stares or trying to make him talk after he asked them to. His trainers, in the other hand, were still a bit persistent, so he kept denying he had any kind of problems, waiting for them to get tired of the same.

Once in front of the door of the apartment, he stopped. He didn’t know if people of the group usually stop coming for weeks, as him, or if it would be as he never did; he was thinking that maybe they forgot about him already, although he knew it wasn’t the case for all the unread messages he had when he woke up. Just because of that, he knocked.

“Thesaurus!” Who opened the door was Shonda, the same girl that was a fan of The Protector, she was always smiling and laughing; in another times, he might have think she was like those noisy girls who wanted to have people’s attention, but Shonda was kind all the time, her smile even more real than his.

She took him by the arm and pulled him in the apartment, just to shout to everyone that he was finally there. Through the messages, he let the Awkward Boy know that he was busy and, in another city, and because of that he didn’t went to the reunion site, until that day. Which, apparently, made all of them extremely happy. 

25. Sharp

People went back to their houses completely aware of the big effort The Protector made in his last battle; through the media, all of them were able to see most of the fight and how The Protector destroyed the ships without giving them a second to rest, at least what they could watch from the recordings made by the watch towers. There was no one who could take off their eyes from the screen, all cheering and praying for him; all of them too excited when the victory was announced.

However all that happiness was a bit overshadowed when they couldn’t see their protector’s beautiful and collected smile while going back to his home, they couldn’t hear his tired but joyful voice. All they were showed was how the tired boy, soaking with dark clothes, fall in the arms of his trainer, so all of them were worried.

He didn’t wake up the next day, neither the next after that. His room was set up with all the medical equipment required to keep him alive in his comma state. His wounds were healing slowly but faster than any normal human, he looked more like if he were sleeping, as his mother told to the media when they asked, so the rest of the islanders could be at peace.

When the second week was about to end, the protector woke up.

His mother was in the room, reading by his side when she heard the boy moving, so she left his book and saw the moment her son opened his eyes. “Hey, dear, you’re back.”

Teshal noticed how watery her eyes became, how deep dark circles colored her eyes. “Are… are all of you well?” He felt more dizzy than scared, he couldn´t understand why his mother looked so tired, but his mind didn’t panic.

“Baby, we’re ok, but you were asleep...” with a giggle that made her tears fell down, she stroked her son’s hair with tenderness and love, what he couldn’t see was how happy and relieved she was. “You slept for thirty days, dear.” With that, all the weakness and dizziness had a reason.

Without wanting to leave her son’s side, she asked to his other son to call for the doctor and the trainers to give the notice that he was finally awake, just after being a bit sure that Teshal didn’t want to go back to sleep yet.

After a quick check up and some words, they let him rest for a little more time. When they were gone, his brother, aunt and mother stayed in his room to eat with him, they talked about the days he was asleep, about their normal lives and how they received flowers and balloons and so many get-better gifts outside the house.

As any other days, other talk, he was his usual quiet self with some chuckles and short comments or jokes, although looking somewhat tired, he thought he wasn’t acting any different than before. Even so, her mother proved him wrong.

Once the meal was over, when his aunt and brother finished clearing up the room, his mother came close to him to rearrange his bed clothes and close the curtains. After leaning to kiss him in the forehead, she whispered “We’re are here with you, we’ll always be, baby. Talk to me if you need it.”

“Thanks mom, I will.” He only said and she left without saying nothing more than a “Rest”.

His mother has never been too sharp when it comes to his feelings, or she never demonstrated it as openly as now. When he was a teenager, they had so many fights that ended with “if only you had told me” or “don’t bottle up everything, let me help you”,  but those solely happened when he let his emotions explode after bottling up too many for far too long. He knew I was not healthy, but there was no way to turn back.

And now, he knew what he should have felt, but he just didn’t feel it. When his brother and aunt were joking about some news or stuff that happened in their jobs, he laughed with them, but he didn’t feel that laugh came from his heart. When they came with the gifts they bought for him, he knew he should feel excited and happy because those were the shoes he had been wanting since some months ago and the book he had been waiting to be released since a year ago; those were things that made him happy, but now he was just there, feeling his smile forced and with no idea of what to say besides thanks. He was happy but couldn’t express it truthfully.

Even when his trainers were joking with him, earlier, he answered as before but didn’t feel the joy as before. He wasn’t feeling anything but numbness, and that didn’t scare or make him happy.