For someone whose eyes is deemed a disgrace, I found some satisfaction in watching people eyeing me with envy. I walked through, uncaring, getting used to this routine. Their implanted eyes, all vary in colour, size, and pattern blinked slowly following my presence. I put my groceries on the cashier, my eyes scanning the cashier lady, getting all the information about her in the process. Her name, her age, her experience in work – everything. I wait until she tries to do the same for me, only to get a suspicious look after the sparks in her eyes dimmed. I give her a little smile, turning on the special aids in my right ear before thinking, “Please forgive my eyes, they are one of the kind.” She looks at the device in my ear before rolling her eyes.

Eye implants advertisement greet me as I went out of the store. It has the picture of the eye implants we all get when we were little, the one that connects one mind to another, creating a world without border. Acceptance is a strange word, since we are forced to believe that secrets – even if it is only a whisper in your heart – did not belong in a world seeking for order. This eye, they make people behave. Not only in their actions, but also in their mind and desire, as you can understand what people are thinking just by looking at them, and know about people’s information without the need of introduction. This is the era where talking do not belong anymore, act of speaking now replaced with signals sent from one’s eye to another.

My body, however, refused to welcome my implanted eyes, making it useless in term of sending signals. I can still hear people thoughts, sure. But they can’t hear mine, making I have to be supported with some kind of speaking aid to interacts with people. I was gifted with another additional trait, one that let me know about people’s condition in the near future, by seeing some kind of aura in people. They come in different colour, mostly green-which represent peace and safety. White, which I guess represents peaceful death, as I only see it twice when my grands was in their deathbed. There is also orange aura, one that I still haven’t find its meaning, as I only saw it once & never met the person again after the first encounter. People think people like me is a threat to society, and believe that unsuccessful eye transplant happens because we are opposed to technology, so much that we can’t adjust to it.

I walk slowly, enjoying the soft breeze of the wind on my last day as a teenager. I finally can choose to live on my own. Not that I don’t love my family, but I feel uncomfortable looking at their glowing eyes that always try so hard at having my thoughts. Lost in my mind for a moment, I was surprised by a ball of orange coming at my direction. It was so sudden that I haven’t had time to avoid the collision. I blinked a few times from my place on the ground, seeing in front of me a girl trying hard to control her breathing. I realized that I can’t read her mind. She reaches for the signal aid in her right ear, one so similar to mine.

“I'm sorry.” I hear her voice in my head. I nodded, distracted by the colour surrounding her, who turns darker when every second passes by. She got up first, her eyes looking at mine for a few seconds. Before she continues her run, I receive her last signal saying, “You have to hurry too. The white flash is coming to get you.”

Dumbfounded because of her random saying, I didn’t get a chance to ask more as someone else suddenly appear in front of me. A man in his 40s assists me to get up, sending me a signal in the process. “Please forgive my child. She just had her birthday celebrated & running as I try to get her eye fixed.” He then turns to chase the girl, a camera in his hand.

I sighed and decided to just head back home. I was greeted by 3 pairs of glowing eyes. I give them a small smile. “Sorry. There was some accident.” I said as I went to the kitchen to put the groceries.

My mom nodded and her eyes flash a beautiful shade of blue before I hear her saying, “Why don’t you get some rest? After all, tomorrow is your birthday.”

I nodded and bid them good night. I can still hear their mind running as I laid back in my bed, and my mind drifts to the woman that I saw earlier. I wonder whether I will see her ever again. Well, plenty of times to find out I guess. I close my eyes, ignoring a strange feeling resting in my gut as I remember the girl’s strange message.

***

I wake up soaked in sweat. Dream about white flash coming to get me left me oddly shaking. I blame it to the girl from yesterday. As I lay in my bed again, I realize there are bold fonts written in my ceiling.

“Run. Don’t trust anyone.”

I blinked a few times, not trusting myself at the moment. I squeeze my eyes and find the writing gone when I opened them. The clock shows it is a minute before midnight. Believing there is some error in my eyes, I try to shrug it off. As I open my bedroom door, I find my family lining up in the stairs, their blank stare and face show no emotion, their glowing eyes making them look like a stranger. My dad, standing behind my mom, titled his head and angled his body in such a way so he can see me directly.

“You see any strange message?” he asks with a tone  I didn't recognize. I lost my voice for a moment, feeling cold all of a sudden. I shake my head, not trusting my voice.

My sister walks up to me and her eyes staring straight at me. “You sure?” she grabs my hand and guides me to the guest room. “Sorry for being a little unprepared. But we do have a surprise for you.” She continues as she opens the curtain to reveal a table full of presents and birthday cake. “Happy birthday.” She whispers as she guides me to sit down.

 “You’ve finally reached adulthood,” my mom begin, “now you can finally live on your own.”

My dad then starts to light up the candle, the colour of the fire enhances the eerie gleam from his cat-like eyes. “...and don’t have to feel like a burden anymore,” he smiles. “Shall we?”

They start to sing a happy birthday song for me, and I force myself to enjoy the moment. As I blow up the candle, I look up to see their smiling faces. Their smile is so formal, happiness written in their eyes, but for some reason, I feel anything but happy.

My mom tilted her head from one side to another, eyes boring into mine. She smiles, eyes boring into mine. “Why don’t you open your present?” she asks as her eyes glow.

I obliged, opening the red ribbon of a beautiful blue box. Inside I found a camera, one that I feel I’ve seen before. I furrowed my eyebrows. My sister elbowed me, “You don’t like them?”

I turn on my aid, trying not to make them disappointed. “Of course I do. It’s just that I feel like I’ve seen it before.”

They exchanged looks, but I can’t seem to read their minds. My sister turns to me and smile, “It is only used for an exceptional occasion. It is impossible you’ve seen it before.”

My mom nodded. “We can’t wait any longer to try it for you! C’mon, let us take your photo.”

Perhaps it is because I’m not fully awake yet, or because I’m exhausted. But I feel strange watching them. I don’t have time to think though. Before I know it, I’m sitting holding the cake.

“Is it really your best look? C’mon. Give us your smile.” My sister half-pouted.

And I did. I held the cake in my arms, giving them my best smile. My smile did not falter when I see my reflection from the mirror behind them, seeing from the first time an orange aura in me.

“Beautiful!”

“Stay like that for Three..”

My aura keep getting darker, almost a colour of red

“..two..”

My mind working for the reason why I never have a second encounter with someone having an orange aura.

“..one..”

My family’s smile keeps getting bigger, and now I think I know why.

“Cheese!!”

I feel my eyes burning and memories blurring as I see the flash.

The white flash did come to get me.