The Darkest Minds: Red

Prologue

From a distance, I could see thick, gray smoke billowing into the skies. The layer of black as the smoke swallowed up the sky replaced the pale atmosphere. Before long, a crack of bright red and orange sneaked their way out of the house. Windows cracked and splintered as the hungry flame greedily inhaled everything around it, sparing nothing.

Everyone in the neighborhood either ran a good distance away, or wasn't fast enough to make it out. Those who were standing near me widened their eyes and ran in the opposite direction. I didn't notice that my pupils have turned a crimson color.

People could be seen scrambling around as the outline of the firetruck entered the scene. Following the vehicle is a police car, its sirens flashing red and blue.

Someone made a phone call, whispering frantically, but I didn't hear what she was saying. She was silent for a few moments before saying something to the person on the other line. She nodded her head and hung up.

A school bus made its way towards the area, but I took no notice. It parked on the street, away from the now damaged row of houses. A man in an unknown uniform stepped out from the vehicle and made his way towards the area. He calmly walked towards me.

I widened my eyes at the damage. However, I didn't have the chance to do anything, because before I knew it, someone grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the neighborhood. 

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I was shackled to a bus as I was taken to a camp, but I wasn't the only one. Other kids seemed to be the same age as me. A few adults stood on the bus, but they were protected with weapons. I quickly focused my attention on the window next to me. I stared, rather bored, at the scenery. I perked my head when I saw an empty playground, but that's the most interesting thing I saw the entire ride.

The bus suddenly stopped in front of a camp, or what I thought was a camp. I jumped a little bit as the driver harshly pressed the brakes, then glanced out the window, surveying the area. 

I exited the bus, standing next to two people. I looked to my left, an older boy. He was taller than me, with ashy blond hair and light blue eyes. I then glanced to my right, a young girl with short, cropped black hair. Suddenly, a PSF spoke up and I flinched, turning towards him.

"Do what you're told! Do not act stupid, do not try to escape!" He yelled at the group, eyeing each kid that was brought in. 

"Follow along now."

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"Name?"

I turned to look at what appeared to be a doctor. I looked above my head to see a scanner before looking at him again.

"Lily Anderson." 

He nodded as he flipped through pages on a clipboard before heading towards the computer.

"I don't feel sick," I told him, and he briefly glanced at me, then focused his attention back to the computer.

"Actually, you survived the sickness, but you're not the same, and until you are, there's no going home." 

He turned to me and asked, "When they picked you up, were you assigned a color?"

I shook my head and responded, "I don't think so. Why? Was I supposed to be?"

"Depends if they could tell. All kids are assigned a color that corresponds to their disorder," He said, showing a chart. "On the bottom here are Greens: basic enhanced intelligence. Blues have telekinetic abilities. Yellows can manipulate electricity. Up here, past this line, are the most dangerous: Reds and Oranges. But they are very rare." He sounded like he has been saying this for years, over and over, never missing a beat. "I'm sure you have nothing to worry about." He then went back to his computer. "How do you feel about math and puzzles?"

I shrugged my shoulders, "I like them. Puzzles used to keep me entertained as a kid, and math isn't as bad as other people think."

"Really? That's good, because that means you'll be in the Green category. Not much of a threat," He looked at the scan, and I tried my best to stay still.

The doctor looked at the computer screen. Out popped the words RED: TERMINATE. He took out a syringe and looked at me. I turned to him and widened my eyes as he advances.

I pushed myself out of the chair and ran to the corner of the room. My eyes glowed red and my cheeks heated up, threatening to engulf the room to flames. He stopped, and my eyes returned to their normal hazel color. I took a deep breath and found the courage to speak.

"Change my chart to green and I won't hurt you,"

The doctor looked at me in shock and went back to his computer. He typed something into the screen.

"You're a green," He said with a shaky voice. Then, he handed me a uniform.