The man woke up extremely confused, with a splitting headache. When he opened his eyes, all he saw was blue. A dark, cold blue covered everything in the room, the walls, the floor, even the ceiling. When the now anxious man looked down, he wasn't in his normal clothing. It was all blue. His jeans and comfy sweatshirt was replaced with blue scrubs, exactly the same color as everything else in this cold, empty room. Nothing occupied the room, just four blue walls and himself. A door was on the far left wall, nearly blending in because it was the same shade of blue as everything.
Stumbling up to his feet, the weak man staggered over to the door and looked out the tiny Plexiglas window, which was tinted the same color blue as everything else. Although the color seemed pretty opaque when you looked at the window through a distance, if you stood close up with your face nearly touching the glass, it was barely translucent. When his eyes met outside, a hall painted blue with bright white lights filled his vision. An occasional person or two walked by, carrying a blue briefcase and the same blue suits. "Why is everything blue? Why is it so significant? And why in the world am I here?" the man wondered worriedly. The growing pit of anxiety grew in the man's stomach as he touched the cold, blue doorknob. Locked. The man sighed and looked around the room feverishly. A person in a suit walked past the door, completely oblivious to the man's beating and helpless cries, pleading for attention. The same went for every person that walked by, except one. A female in matching scrubs stealthily walked down the hall, as if she was trying not to draw attention to herself. The man beat on the door, begging her to notice him through the Plexiglas window. Her eyes widened, and she rushed over to the man. A click was barely audible and the heavy door swung open. The woman held one finger up to her lips, signing for the man to stay quiet. The man nodded curtly and followed the woman out of the room, down the blue hall.
"So they got you too?" the woman questioned. The man studied her, she had blue bandages on her arms and her eyes were the same color blue as everything else. She grasped her head and tugged at her hair, as if there was immense pain in that area. "Do you have a killer headache, too?" She questioned, barely above a whisper. A look of irritation spread across this woman's face like wildfire. "Are you just going to stand there like a retard or answer me? We are in a life or death situation, you know."
The man blinked a few times, trying to process what is happening. "W-what do you mean life or death? Why am I here? What is this place?" He nearly shouted.
The woman looked bitterly at the floor. "We're at the institution, being tested for what reason, i don't know. All i know is I woke up here a few days ago in a completely blue room with at least 15 IV's in my arms and neck." Her eyes had a melancholy gleam to them as she looked up at the lights. Something had happened to her, something she wasn't sharing with the man. To avoid further questioning, she held up her hand. "I'm Evelyn."
The man shook her hand, then looked around, perplexed. "I don't remember my name," the man admitted. Evelyn waved her hand dismissively.
"I couldn't remember either. I just chose the name Evelyn. It's the first thing that popped into my head. Let's just call you Noah. You look like a Noah." Noah, content with his new name, looked around, as if the room had more to it than just four blue walls. "Let's go. We'll have to be absolutely silent, though. The executives might hear us."
"Who are the executives?" Noah asked curiously. Maybe the executives were the men in blue suits with the briefcases, Noah thought. Evelyn just rolled her eyes and motioned for Noah to follow her. He obviously had so much to learn. The heavy blue door swung open and closed quietly as the two test patients escaped the room.
The blue halls were empty as Noah and Evelyn crept down the corridor. Noah was praying for two things: They wouldn't get caught and that Evelyn couldn't hear how fast his heart was beating. Evelyn was praying for two things: They wouldn't be discovered by the executives and that she wouldn't be sent back to the waiting room.
Lies were exchanged between Evelyn and Noah. She had been here more than just a few days, and she remembered everything. She remembered that her name was Elizabeth Judith, a single mother of four children aged 2, 4, 9, and one just 4 month old she delivered in November. She remembered everything. Noah, on the other hand, only remembered one thing: his power. Noah had been born with this "ability" as he would call it. Pyrokenesis, the ability to manipulate and create fire. The power was activated when he concentrated deeply on the single object he was studying. Noah can normally push away his power, but recently it has been strong and perpetually worsening. This power reminded him of the little girl Charlie McGee from Stephen King's Firestarter. But in the end, the girl lost control and destroyed everything with her powers, something Noah feared everyday. He hated the feeling of being out of control, like he had no grasp on life or reality.
Evelyn felt the same way. Nothing to her name except a job at a retail store and four kids she couldn't financially handle or care for. No powers, no record, not a single thing the government should want her for. Anxiety grew inside of Evelyn everyday, like a monster evolving into a demon, her own demon. With minimum wage, Evelyn fed the kids nearly everyday the McDonalds dollar menu, a win for the kids, yet a defeat for her. The last time they had new clothes was over the summer, when their now deceased grandmother purchased them a whole new wardrobe. Fearing CPS will take her babies away, Evelyn went into hiding. Living in a motel, there was no commute to public school for her eldest son. She did her best to homeschool, but deep down, knew she was failing.
Evelyn as a failing and struggling mother, and Noah as a "menace to society" with his powers, attempted to make it work.
