Diverse (The Darkest Minds)

Chapter 9

(I don't own this GIF. All credit goes out to the original creators.)

That night, there was a huge party. It involved a bonfire and dancing to some music. Ronnie, Azel, and I hung out by the fire along with Ben who was off guard duty, and Savannah. We talked about life and Azel's and my hope to reach out to Hilary. Ben assured me Clancy might allow us access to the laptop. 

Both Ben and Savannah were chill with Ronnie being a Red since not many of them managed to escape. So far, he was the only Red in the camp. He had used his power to help start the bonfire. Ronnie was approached by many kids who hadn't met a Red in person. They treated him like he was a part of the group, not an outsider.

I glanced over and saw Ruby and Liam chatting for a bit before getting up from their seats to dance. Liam telekinetically pulled Ruby towards him. I smiled at the both of them as they started dancing to the beat of the music.

"I think we should start dancing," Ronnie suggested.

"I'm not much of a dancer," I shook my head.

"Just be yourself," Savannah encouraged me, "No one here cares if you can dance well or not."

Ronnie gently took my hand and pulled me into the dancing crowd. I ended up swaying with the beat and rhythm of the song playing through the stereo system.

"You're truly a dancer, Ember," Ronnie smiled at me.

"Guess I never knew I had the talent," I shrugged.

The rest of the night was focused on enjoying the party.

The following day, we were given our work assignments. Azel and Chubs were assigned to help with the gardening. Ronnie and Liam were on guard duty with Ben and Mike. Zu was considered a Cubbie, kids who under thirteen. She ended up reuniting with her cousin Hina, a Green kid. Witnessing their reunion made me happy for Zu. Plus, it made me miss Mandy a lot more than ever.

Ruby ended up meeting with Clancy who taught her how to handle her Orange capabilities without having to physically touch someone. 

I was assigned along with Savannah to help with kitchen and laundry duty until Clancy called to speak with me. Subconsciously, I had a feeling that it may have to do with me being diverse from everyone else in the camp.

I crossed my arms as I entered the office.

"Ember," Clancy greeted me, "I wanted to talk to you about your powers."

"So you already know who I am and what I'm capable of?" I wondered.

"There were some small reports of kids with more than one power. Unfortunately, the majority of them were either placed in laboratories where they were used as test animals or killed in the camps when found out. It appears you're the only one alive."

"You'd have to thank my parents for that, though they are no longer living."

"I am so sorry for your loss. They were courageous to hide you and your brother."

"They didn't trust the government, especially when they learned about the details of the camps."

I didn't feel comfortable being in the same room alone with Clancy. Though he sympathized with me and Azel. I could tell he endured a lot especially what his dad, the doctors, and scientists put him through. President Gray was one sad excuse for a human being! And so were the PSFs!

"I can tell you're heading down a darker road," Clancy added, "You crave for the blood of the soldiers who murdered your parents and want to make them pay for their lives."

"How can you tell that?" I asked nervously realizing that he could tell what I felt.

"Your thoughts and emotions. You've had years of learning to control your abilities with the support of your family. And you feel that your parent's deaths aren't justified."

Clancy had used his Orange ability to read into me. Even though I was able to read other people, I chose not to feeling that it wasn't any of my business, though it could one day get me out of a compromising situation. At that point, I needed to learn to block others with Orange capabilities. Clancy was reading into me further, bringing out the burning fury like a phoenix before its time. 

I met up with Ruby later on and asked her to teach me how to block my mind. She was concerned when I told her of Clancy causing me to feel the rage that I saved up for the day I confronted my parents' killers. Ruby cautioned me about going down the dark path even though it was up to me to decide where I wanted to go.