Darkest Minds: A Burning Red

•part three•

Stephanie's eyes slowly opened to reveal a new car driving along an abandoned highway. Cate was still in driver's seat, looking stressed and worried.

"What the fuck." Stephanie cursed, sitting up as she groaned. She looked around as Cate sent a smile in her direction.

"You're safe now Stephanie." Cate told her, still smiling with pride. "We switched cars when you were sleeping."

Stephanie was still disoriented, the last few hours had been a blur. "Who are you?"

"I'm Cate." she replied and Stephanie looked annoyed at the response. "I work with a group called the Children's League."

"Children's league?" Stephanie questioned, raising an eyebrow at the stupid name.

"We save kids from camps, specifically Oranges and Reds." Cate told her, it seemed like she was building up to something.

Stephanie just sighed once more, looking ahead out the window. "How did you know I was red?"

"We've been studying you for years, trying to find how you slipped through the cracks." Cate explained, there it was. "How did they not find out?"

"Because of an Orange." Stephanie bit her lip, not wanting to get into it. "My friend was an Orange, I made her change something in my mind so that I could control it."

"What do you mean change?" Cate inquired, not completely focused on her driving.

Stephanie shoved her shaking hands inside her pockets. "Tricked a part of my brain into believing I could control it, so I can."

"That- that's impossible." Cate stumbled, never hearing of this before. She sat in silence for a minute as she tried a few times to speak again.

"Where are we?" Stephanie spoke up after another 20 minutes of complete silence. It was an abandoned gas station, a man stood beside a truck.

Cate got out of the car, running over and hugging the man. Stephanie slowly exited the vehicle, walking over hesitantly. "Rob this is Stephanie." Cate introduced, refusing to shake his hand.

"Good to uh meet you Steph." Rob greeted with a small smile and nod in her direction.

"It's Stephanie." she corrected, it made their short conversation awkward.

Cate looked around for a moment. "Where are your kids?" she inquired, placing her hands onto Rob's chest lovingly.

"I- I couldn't get them out." Rob looked down sadly, Stephanie could tell is was completely bullshit.

"Oh my god!" Cate held her hand over her mouth, placing a hand on Rob's face. "I'm so sorry!"

Rob shook his head, still looking down. "I've got a bag of clothes and stuff for you here Stephanie, go on in and change." he handed her a backpack, she immediately noticed a phone in the side pocket.

"Okay." Stephanie nodded, walking inside as she turned the phone side away from Rob. He made a comment about her not drinking the water, which she ignored.

Stephanie found an aisle far from the windows, taking off her nurse scrubs Cate gave her and replacing them with jeans and a shirt. She pulled a hoodie overtop of it, it was chilly outside. Then immediately went for the phone, seeing an unopened message.

"You okay in there?" Cate yelled to Stephanie, getting a response yelled back saying yes.

"Deal with the kids? Greens eliminated?" Stephanie read out, her face dropping. She shoved everything back into the bag, tossing the phone onto the ground.