53 Nerys in Chroma

Chapter 53 Nerys in Chroma It was hidden behind a plinth holding a bust of Queen Victoria,' said Nerys, quietly. 'I don't know what drew me to it, but something did. When I saw the door, I just knew that I had to go through. She stood up and walked over to the drawings of doors on the wall behind the control desk. Ah, Chroma,' she said. 'What a place. From the moment I walked down that leafy passageway and into the Green Valleys for the first time, I just knew that I belonged here. The views, the colours, the sounds. It felt like I'd finally come home.' 'That's exactly how I felt too,' said Peanut. 'The difference is that I didn't decide to dedicate my whole life to finding a way to destroy it.

Nerys ignored her and continued, a wistful look in her eyes. 'I soon found out that Chroma was the source of all the world's creative energy, and that all of the great artists throughout history had visited at some point to swim in the Rainbow Lake. I think the first person I met told me that! It made me love the place even more. 'Hang on,' said Rockwell. 'If you knew that, why didn't you just dive into the lake, have a little swim about and then go back home having become a much better artist? Just like Dalf and van Gogh did? You'd have probably got a place at art college straight away. 'I'm sure I would have,' she replied. 'But, unfortunately, I can't swim. My parents didn't ever take me to lessons. One more way in which they failed me.' Peanut nodded, remembering her dad dragging Nerys through the water after they'd all been pushed into the lake earlier that day. 'So you decided to move here instead?' asked Little-Bit. ' Initially, I thought I'd just hang around until teatime. But a week passed before I knew it! At that point, I figured that I should probably head back home. I knew I might get into terrible trouble with my parents for being away for so long, but I didn't care. So what if they'd been worried sick? That being said, you can Imagine my surprise when I discovered that, as far as they were concerned, I'd only been gone for a

few hours. As you now know, time moves at different speeds across the dimensions. This whole Chroma thing just got better and better!' 'So, when did it all change?' asked Rockwell. 'When did you decide that you needed to destroy it?' 'That very night, actually,' replied Nerys. 'On the train back to Wales, it occurred to me that if there had been fewer creative people who wanted to go to the Royal College of Art, then I might have got a place there after all. Then it hit me. If Chroma was the source of all the world's creativity, all I had to do was put a stop to that and then I'd have no more competition. She pulled Little Tail from her pocket. 'So, I began to draw up my masterplan,' she said. Her Welsh accent had now totally disappeared, and she sounded exactly like Mr White had the first time they had met him on the snowfields of the North Draw. 'What with the time difference between Chroma and the real world, I decided that it made sense to play the long game. And, boy, has it been a long game! Over many years, I'd visit the city regularly, staying for weeks at a time. I learned about all its stories and legends—including that of Pencil Number One and Conté's heir its history and its political structure. I got to know the system inside out, and after a year or two I'd formulated a plan. I decided to run for mayor. If I could get control

of the city, that's when I could begin to shut it down as a creative force. 'I hate to say this,' said Rockwell, 'but as a plan, that's actually pretty solid. Albeit in an incredibly selfish and evil way. 'I knew that I, Nerys, couldn't run for mayor, though,' she said. 'Those lonely years at school taught me that I didn't have the charisma to attract voters. So, I decided to invent a new persona. A character that people would warm to. Someone they would follow.' She reached up, lifted the fedora from her head and held it out in front of her. And that's when I became... Mr White.'