AUGUST IS A FEVER

7

A few days to a week before Ruby unintentionally revealed herself as an Orange, prompting her escape, you revealed yourself as a Red first, prompting yours. It was an accident, you didn't mean it. Your emotions and abilities just got the best of you, that's all. At least that's what you told yourself.

A year had passed since Ruby and Samantha stopped talking. It angered you to your core when you saw Samantha begin to hang around and later befriend Venessa. She was a girl who's bunk was below Samantha's. She became well known in Cabin 27 and not for good reason either. Vanessa was known for being mean, whiney, and bratty. Nobody really liked her all too much. Venessa was always trying to but herself into Ruby and Samantha's relationship before the two girls' apparent fight happened. So when Vanessa saw Ruby and Sam break off their friendship, no matter how strange the circumstance seemed, she selfishly saw it as the "friend of Samantha" slot being freed. Vanessa took that slot and made it her own.

You were laying in your bed like how you usually did, drawing images in your head as your finger dragged along and traced the popcorn of the ceiling. You were humming the tune of a Taylor Swift song you forgot the name of. It had been years since you last heard her on the radio, all they play now is old tunes ranging from 50s to 90s tunes to please the adults.

Vanessa climbed up the ladder of her bunk bed so she could get to Samantha's, sitting on the foot of the bed as she began to talk to the blonde.

You felt the dreaded anger swell up in your head, you squeezing a fist of your blankets to try and get it out through there.

"Does anyone smell smoke?" Asked Samantha who paused whatever Venessa was talking about to say.

You were confused for a second, sitting up with a scrunched face. Then you looked down and saw your hand was beginning to burn the blanket unintentionally, the skin starting to glow the same way they looked when you burned down your house all those years ago. With widened eyes, you pulled your hand away from the scratchy blankets. You closed your eyes hoping none of the girls saw what you just did as you hid your hand behind your back, waiting for the skin and your eyes to go back to normal.

"(Y/n)? Why - Did you burn your blanket?" Samantha asked, you opened your eyes and looked at her as fear panged in your chest as soon as you saw what she was referring to. There was a burn mark, a black handprint on your sheets with a small trail of grey smoke still emitting from it.

"No!" You said, cursing under your breath when you realized you said it too quickly with an overreacting tone.

Samantha's eyes glowed green, she was trying to figure out what just happened. As her eyes went back to her deep brown, they widened in her own realization.

"You're a-" She began, you quickly cut her off.

"I don't know what you're talking about." You said. Ruby sat up, intrigued about what was going on.

"C'mon, Sam, don't you think that's pushing it? How would a Red even trick the PSFs? It's a bit of a stretch. Isn't it?" Ruby said in your defense, her face beginning to look frantic. She was trying to save your life for the second time. Samantha just ignored her.

"Let me see your hands." Samantha said.

"What? I don't," You nervously laughed. "I don't understand." You replied, your voice getting more and more shakey.

"(Y/n), let me see your hands." Samantha said, this time more sternly. Almost a demand. She already knew, she had figured it out. She just wanted to prove it.

"Sammy, do you really think...?" Vanessa said to Samantha, your face scrunched a bit in disgust bitterly towards the nickname.

"(Y/n). Please." Samantha said, softer, voice barely above a whisper. "I won't tell." She lied and you foolishly believed it, finally caving in.

You prayed that your hands went back to normal since this whole thing blew up as you brought them in front of yourself. Sam softly gasped as she saw your hands transitioning from their glowing look to their normal skin tone as your abilities began to cool down.

"I'm sorry." Samantha began. "It's too dangerous to have a hidden red in here. We have to report you." Your heart fell to the floor as Samantha ushered Vanessa down the ladder so she could climb down it herself.

"Please." You said as you climbed down your ladder first before she could, standing in front of the door to block it from her leaving and probably getting you executed.

"Sam, don't - that's a bit harsh isn't it?" Ruby said with an awkward chuckle.

"Not when she's putting our lives on the line as a result. We need to report her." Samantha assured her. She turned to you and put a hand to try and comfort you in some strange way. "(Y/n), everything will be okay."

"Yeah. For you." You spat, anger filling you once again. "Do you wanna know something, Sam?"

Samantha repressed an eye roll as she sighed. "What?"

"Do you ever wonder why you don't see people like me around camp anymore?" You asked. "Why you don't see Yellows, why you don't see Oranges? Why you don't see Reds?"

"Because they burned down their cabins. Remember?" Samantha said as a matter of factly as her hand dropped from your shoulder.

"And do you know where they are now?" You asked. "They're dead. Six feet under. If you send me out that door, Sam, they'll kill me. Do you really think that's for the best?"

"Maybe that's for the better. They're dangerous - You're dangerous." Samantha said. Tears of anger began to weld in your eyes.

"You did not just fucking say that." You said as your fists began to feel heated at the center. You weren't thinking anymore. "You only care for yourself."

"I care for the well-being of everyone else at the camp. You're putting their safety at risk as a Red." Samantha said. Your jaw clenched. The way she called you a Red, the tone seemed so dehumanizing.

"Go to fucking hell." You swore at her. Sam chuckled.

"Seems you can bring it right to us." Sam joked, but it just made your eyebrows knit together in an angered expression.

"Good idea." You spat as your hands caught on fire.

"What - what're you doing?" Samantha asked as she backed away. There wasn't green or brown in her eyes. There was fear.

You threw the fire onto the floor before you could even think about it. The entire cabin had began to burn, igniting in flames. The deja vu that ran through your veins weirdly felt good. The first time you burned a building down, it was an accident. This time it was on purpose. You turned your head to the cameras in the corners of the cabin. The center was red, people - PSFs were watching. You had been caught.

"Fuck."