-Amber’s POV-

*Her… eyes!*

I stare at Nova in astonishment. When our eyes met I noticed something off, but the longer I look the more amazed and confused I get. Nova has (or… had) silvery-whiteish eyes, but now that white is lined with a beautiful and vibrant emerald green. Even weirder, as Nova’s expression changes from happy to confused, the colors gradually dim and darken.

Nova tilts her head to the side “Amber?”

I snap out of it as Nova lets out a huge yawn and rubs one of her eyes. As she does, something in her sleepy mind seems to click. Nova slowly looks at her aviators, which are laying on the desk next to her, and then slowly back at me. I can almost see her brain trying to put together the pieces. Then it hits her as she gasps and covers her eyes, only partially hiding a reddened face. The sight of a flustered Nova almost triggers an uncontrollable giggle of delight, but I hold it in.

“H-how much of my eyes did you see?” Nova points at me with a stutter.

I look over to the side, pretending to not stare “I didn’t see anything…”

“G-good” Nova stumbles out of her chair, walks to the couch, and balls up in a blanket. I consider following her for a moment, but deciding that I’ve done enough damage for one night, I slowly walk over to my room and start to close the door.

I turn back towards Nova and gently call out “Goodnight” to her.

Nova makes a faint moan of acknowledgement and embarrassment in reply. Taking what I can get from her, I switch off my bedroom lights and get into bed. I try to avoid thinking too hard about what I saw, but I still can’t help it. Just what did I see. How long has Nova been dealing with that.

-Nova’s POV-

-2 weeks ago-

My vision is still blurry as I finish up brushing my teeth, making the next part of my routine even more tiresome than usual.

“Ok hair, work with me this time.”

I grab my favorite comb and try to rub away the sleep induced blindness. Amazingly, it actually works, allowing me to witness the extent of my bed head. Annoyed at the sight, I grumble as I line up with the mirror and begin to comb.

As I switch from one side of my head to the other, I briefly lock eyes with myself. Normally, I would simply continue brushing, but something was different this time. I hold my gaze, trying to figure out what feels so… off about such a normal routine.

I lean into the mirror *Is my eye color… different?*

A longer inspection proves me correct, my irises have darkened significantly and, worryingly, appear to be continuing to do so. A huge jolt of excitement runs through my nerves and muscles. Just as I’m about to run back to my room to grab my pocket notepad, I notice a flash of color run through the black.

By the time I run back into the bathroom, my eyes are a completely different color. A dull mix of yellow and white cycle through the iris almost like a kaleidoscope. I stare in amazement at the shifting colors, quickly taking some observational notes. My jittery hands struggle to keep a secure hold on the pencil. Realizing that I’m compromising my own note taking, I try to bring my excitement under control.

*Breath Nova, you aren’t going to get any good observations if you let your excitement get the better of you. I can relish in this discovery later.*

After some mental pacing, I begin to feel calm enough to take notes. I look back up to the mirror, only to find that the yellow has been mostly replaced by a washed-out blue.

*Another change? The only major difference between then and now is my… emotional state.*

Quickly thinking of a way to test my hypothesis, I pull my phone out of my pajama pocket and open up YouPost (the site that replaced YouTube after it keeled over back in 2031). Trying to incite an emotional response, I select one of the videos in my “For Laughs” playlist. Sure enough, my irises shift again. This time a dull green greets me as I lean into the mirror.

My head immediately starts to fill with the implications of this discovery.

*I wonder how the other’s will react to this; especially Amber.*

The thought of Amber’s shocked expression triggers another shift in color. Looking closer, the combination of green and pink sends a pretty clear message about how Amber influences my emotional state. My face heats up as I record my observations.

*On second thought, I should gain a better understanding of this phenomena before telling anyone about it. My emotions are far too exposed and easy to read. Especially with my large eyes and irises.*

Deciding that I should probably get my day started, I close the notebook and pick up my comb.