Pursuit

3*** #6

Everything here was so strange and... drab. Grey. Plain. The people, the color, the atmosphere. I see people in color, and when everything is colorless, it begins to scare me. Very few people here had colors. Like Sabrina, she was blue, blue everywhere. In her eyes, in her smile, in her voice. Tyler was green, childish and keen, quick and steady, vibrant and loud. But Mikey...

When he first spoke my number, I felt waves of pure joy radiate throughout my body and warmth spread into all of my limbs. Something about him was slightly off from everyone else. It wasn't until I was closer did I realize what it was.

He was red.

He had color.

It was blurred, and the paint was beginning to chip, but he was once something bright.

And I told myself that it was my job to restore the pigmentation.

-

After our little meet up in the hallway, we separated and headed towards our rooms together. Mikey walked with his shoulders slumped and his fingers gripping his shirt. His eyes were focused and trained ahead as we worked our way through the seemingly endless corridors. I so badly wanted to say something, but I couldn't work up the courage to speak out. He seemed pretty occupied anyway, as if he were talking to someone, but I couldn't hear him speak a word.

We made it to what I assumed was our room, a door with a number on it. 23. Like Mikey.

"Is this the room?" I asked. He opened the door and without a glance at me, responded, "Yes."

We entered the room together and he closed the door behind us. He immediately pressed to fingers to my head, causing me to jolt back at the sharpness that his gestured caused.

"What the-"

Now we can talk and they can't listen. I heard his voice echo in my head. Just think really hard about what you want to say and direct those thoughts towards me.

I focused really hard and closed my eyes, pushing thoughts towards him. How- how did you do this?

Good job. He smiled at me. I have a lot of abilities that they gave me, but they don't know the full extent of them so they have no idea that I'm capable of telepathy and granting the gift to others.

That's amazing. I looked at him in awe. But what about the serum they injected us with for communication?

It's a fraud. They'll be able to hear us if we talk through that. Just pretend you hate me or something. His eyes got wide. Quick, lay down so they don't suspect anything.

Okay. I walked over to the white bed on the right side of the room and laid down, the hardness of the mattress digging into my back. Mikey did the same as I, but on the opposite bed.

I don't understand. He thought suddenly, his eyes fluttering shut. If the world is so terrible... and the Lab is too, and trust me that it is, then... is there any light?

The profoundness of his thoughts broke something inside of me. Mikey... I don't know what they want with us. None of this makes sense. Before I can answer that question for you, I need to get some answers for myself.

There's a book. My teacher Miss Piper told me about it as a history lesson. It has everything that happened to the planet in it, and why the Lab is trying to save it. I saw Mikey's hand twitch. But we really shouldn't be poking around with it.

I closed my eyes. Do you know where it is?

No, but I know who will. We've got a secret place.

I opened my eyes and sat up, watching him as he got out of the bed and reached up for something. A camera. He stuck a small metal circle over it and clicked it.

What did you do? I asked, padding up to him.

He faced me and grinned. I made a fake surveillance tape that'll play a loop of us just laying here while we go meet up with #84.

When did you do that?

He smiled again. While we were talking.

I thought about his hands twitching and mental facepalmed myself. Who's #84?

Oh, you'll see.

-

AYYY sorry for it being kinda short but here it is the next chapter will be more eventful.

-T