The Darkest Minds: Red

Eight

The van arrived at a motel. A good thing, too, because it has been completely silent since my outburst. The sky was pitch black, the only lights provided were the motel's sign, the lights outside the rooms, and a street lamp. Liam awkwardly cleared his throat.

"Lily and I are going to see what room is available," He said as he parked the van. "When we find a room, we'll come back, and then we can crash the night, alright?"

The others nodded, and the two of us went out of the van. We walked into the building, looking around to see if any rooms were unoccupied. We stopped in front of a door, and Liam unlocked it using his telekinesis.

"Nice," I commented, before going inside the room. I looked around; it seemed big enough for all of us. I turned to Liam and nodded my head.

********

Ruby was in the bathroom, with a towel wrapped around her. She picked up the device given to her by Cate that she kept just in case. She put it away, then picked up a gift given to her on her tenth birthday. She looked in the mirror.

Outside, Liam and I sat on the bed, not talking. Chubs and Zu were situated on the couch, staring at us, wondering if one of us would talk. Finally, I cleared my throat, walking towards the bathroom door, knocking.

"Ruby, is everything all right in there?" I asked, getting everyone's attention. It was silent for a few moments.

"Yup," I finally heard from inside, and I slowly nodded.

"Alright. I'm outside if you need anything," I told her before walking away.

The room once again fell into silence. Liam turned to me.

"What you said before, did you mean it?"

"What?" I feigned confusion, "I didn't say anything."

Liam then let out a mischievous smile, before running towards the window and opening it. Chubs, Zu, and I widened our eyes in fear, afraid that he might do something he would regret.

"Lee, no!" I warned, before pulling him back into the room. He turned back to me expectantly. I huffed.

"Okay, fine! Yes, I meant it. I like you, okay? Get away from there, you're going to hurt yourself!"

Liam smiled, before walking back into the room and towards me. We stared at each other intently, and Liam pulled me closer.

Ruby chose at that moment to open the door. Liam and I quickly pulled apart, clearing our throats. Ruby furrowed her eyebrows in confusion before glancing at Chubs and Zu, both of them looking at us as if they were watching their favorite shows.

"What did I miss?" She asked, turning to us. Chubs chuckled, while Liam and I turned away, embarrassed.

********

We all laid down, sleeping. Ruby and Zu were on the bed, Liam and I occupied the floor, and Chubs slept on the couch.

Zu started to whimper as she tossed and turned in her sleep. Her arm fell from her stomach, landing on Ruby's hand. Little did she knew, she gave access to her mind, and a dream started playing.

It was when the breakout happened. Kids ran to the fence, surrounding Liam. Ruby could see everything going on as if she was there herself.

She saw everyone: me, Liam, Chubs, and Zu. She saw how we got out. She saw the PSFs shooting. She saw me turn to face them, unleashing my power. She saw Chubs pick up Zu and Liam setting me on his back, both boys running away from the destroyed camp.

Zu suddenly woke up, a bit too quickly. That caused Liam and I to wake up at the noise. I hoisted myself up, before walking towards Zu.

"Zu, hey," I said gently, sitting down quietly and wrapping my arms around her, "It's alright. I'm here, sweetie."

She tensed a little bit but calmed down when she heard my voice. She buried her head in my chest.

I looked at Liam, who was still up. I gave him a reassuring nod, and he laid back down, facing us to make sure we were okay.

"Is it the same one?" I softly asked, and she nodded her head. "It's alright. It's just a dream. We're right here,"

Zu wrapped her arms tightly around me, afraid to let go. She sighed and closed her eyes. Her arms loosened around me, and I gently stood up, walking towards the space on the floor.

I lay next to Liam, facing him. I gave him a tired smile before closing my eyes, turning from my position. When he made sure I was asleep, he wrapped his arm protectively around me, then dozed off.