To Scarlet's non-surprise, her parents were not among the survivors who claimed they had children.
Due to this, Darcine volunteered to adopt Scarlet due to her already having experience with the girl. The hospital agreed, mainly because if Scarlet didn't get adopted, she would have to take residency in the hospital.
Scarlet moved into the inbetween districts with Darcine, places of residency within the 3 Block Departments. It was a two story small house made of concrete, wood, and and tile. There were also windows to let in natural light and light bulbs.
Today, Scarlet was adjusting to her new life with Darcine as her parent, and it was fairly pleasant. "Thanks for brushing my hair... Dar." Scarlet muttered slightly hesitantly, staring into the vanity mirror as Darcine brushed her brown locks.
"No problem." Darcine spoke, putting down her hair brush down onto her vanity. "I heard you crying last night, Scarlet..." Darcine murmured, looking at Scarlet using the mirror.
"Who wouldn't?" Scarlet asked, turning her head to look at Darcine. "My parents aren't here, which most likely means they are dead, no?" Unimpressed, Scarlet raised an eyebrow at Darcine as she shot another question her way.
"That could be a possibility." Darcine pulled away, turning around and walking to the door of Scarlet's room. "I'll have dinner ready soon." Darcine then walked out of Scarlet's room quietly, the door making a soft click behind her.
"This sucks." Scarlet murmured, standing up and pushing in the vanity seat. She walked over to the edge of her bed, one fit for a singular person. It was simple, with white sheets and a pillow. Just like her hospital bed.
Scarlet sighed, falling forward and finding herself to be comforted by the soft feeling of a warm matress. She found it familiar, unfamiliar at the same time. "Like a loving motherly touch..." Scarlet thought, grabbing her pillow to hug it close to her chest.
It wasn't living, or breathing. She just... wanted the comfort of wanting something, someone, next to her.
She had school tomorrow, and since she was a late arrival she would take her mutation test during her first lecture, it seemed. At least, that's what Darcine told her.
"I wonder if I'll see that thing again..." Scarlet murmured, closing her eyes and drifting off into an easily obtained slumber.
— ? —
"I was right." Scarlet thought, her body surrounded by water. "Where are you?" Scarlet called out, turning her body in the dark depths.
"Here I am." The voice rang through the vast darkness, from infront of her. Scarlet stared straight, then attempting to move through the water.
It wasn't easy, but she was slightly moving as if she was walking at a snails pace.
"If you are here, I assume you have questions for me. Isn't that right, little lady?" The thing laughed, the swiming sounds moving towards Scarlet without hesitation
"Thats right. I wanna know about my mutation. You at least know, don't you?" Scarlet inquired, pausing in her tracks. "I can tell now. You're in front of me..." Scarlet murmured, reaching out and feeling a surface.
"Well, not exactly. What you are touching is the end of your mental capacity. Your hand simply phased through me." The thing explained, moving around a bit as Scarler pulled out her hand.
"I see. What are you?" Scarlet asked, glancing to the side, hearing the change in direction.
"You've grown cleaver. But not so much so that you won't stop asking questions." The thing laughed once more, stopping in the water.
"Don't you see, Scarlet? The hints are in front of you." Scarlet could tell- the thing was snickering at her as if she was stupid. "All I'm seeing is water." Scarlet kept looking around, turning up and seeing the shine coming from above that barely illuminated the area.
"Not what you can feel. What you can't see." The voice grew closer- and Scarlet shivered as she felt heat fan against her earlobe before vanishing.
"But... I can see?" Scarlet asked, turning her head around to track the thing as it moved.
"You can't, silly child." The thing laughed, the nosie of movement ceasing once again. "It begins with a D, maybe an S." The thing spoke, then Scarlet flinched as she saw the bright light engulfing her.
— ? —
"Good morning." Darcine smiled, cooking breakfast at the open kitchen as she could see Scarlet walking down the stairs.
"Morning. This uniform is like something out of an asylum. Why wear white for girls and black for boys? What's the point of such a silly system?" Scarlet spoke in distaste, smelling the scent of food wafting through the air.
It was a white long sleeve collar button up, with a white vest. The vest had black plaid markings that contrasted the shirt. The skirt was black, and the stockings matched. She changed out her eye coverings, a simple white eyepatch instead of the usual bandages.
"Don't complain to me. Do it to the brass." Darcine laughed, turning off the stove and placing two pancakes stacked on each other onto a plate. She didn't stop there, drizzling syrup over it.
"We have syrup here?" Scarlet inquired, walking over after putting down her backpack. "Thanks to the agricultural department, yes." Darcine spoke, capping the syrup and putting it in a cabniet above the stove.
"Go eat. I have to drop you off, remember? I expect you to behave and bring me back your mutation form." Darcine smiled, seeing Scarlet take the plate in her hands and sit down at the small table for two.
"Forgot your fork." Darcine placed it to the side, patting Scarlet's head before walking out of the kitchen to get ready upstairs.
Scarlet heard her retreating steps, sighing as she cut the pancake into triangles and ate them one by one. It tasted pretty normal, but the syrup was a bit too sweet for her liking.
— — — 💥
"Scarlet! I'll show you around!" Gertrude was waiting by the entrace of the large school grounds. It looked way too fancy to not be considered a castle. In fact, it was giant.
"Scary what earth mutations can prodeuce." Scarlet thought as she walked up the quartz steps with Gertrude holding onto her wrist. She had adorned the same uniform- but had a monochrome flower pattern on her vest.
"I wonder what kind of mutation you'll get." Gertrude wondered aloud, opening the doors for Scarlet. It felt like a huge gust of wind hit her, and Scarlet was met with a large interior hallway that she could see branched out.
She couldn't describe it. The windows... they were large and huge. Scary. She pushed those thoughts aside, trying to focus elsewhere rather than the walls on the sides.
"The school is cold for no air conditioning, right?" Gertrude pointed out, noticing Scarlet's discomfort while they were passing by the windows.
"Oh... yeah. Now that you point it out, I suppose." Scarlet muttered, realizing the slight cold that was in the air to balance out the heat.
"It's from water. Cold water, actually. It's instaled everyone from the ceilings to the walls." Gertrude walked over to one of the bare walls, placing a hand on it and guesturing for Scarlet to do the same. "Huh... it is cold." Scarlet was slightly stunned, her hand chilling up like it was in a freezer.
"Isn't it amazing? It's... somehow more interesting than actual technology, huh?" Gertrude commented, turning her head to see Scarlet's intrigued expression.
"Yeah. It's... impressive." Scarlet spoke, removing her hand from the wall and turning around. "Show me to my first period." Scarlet reached over, holding Gertrude's wrist.
"Ah... right. We have a few minutes until warning bell. Let's get going."
— — — 💥
Gertrude waved Scarlet farewell after dropping her in front of a class room with two massive wooden doors.
"Mutation Research..." Scarlet read the sign on the side on one of the pillars. She eventually pushed open one of the doors quite easily... Shouldn't they have been heavier?
"Ah. The late starting student, I presume?" A voice called out, and Scarlet let out a startled breath as she looked in front of her and saw a lanky man with a lab coat. The only difference being the many arachnid-like limbs protruding from his back.
"I'm Mr. Xan. I will be teaching you on Mutation Research for this lecture." He smiled, his teeth unsually sharp. However, Scarlet mentally admitted the man was rather charming.
"An arachnid? So mutations are limitless?" Scarlet thought to herself, relaxing once the man had told her his name.
"You're the first one here. Tell me your name and have a seat in the front row." He asked, guesturing to the wooden desk in the center in the front row.
"I'm Scarlet. Just Scarlet." Scarlet replied, walking over to the chair and sitting down. She watched as one of the limbs reached out, plopping a notebook on her desk.
"Well, Scarlet. It's my knowledge you didn't have your mutation aptitude test. I'll asses you after this class, alright?" Mr. Xan spoke, then turning away and using his eight limbs to carry him onto a wodden structure.
The classroom was massive. A hefty handful of desks, but the board was huge. It reminded Scarlet of movies she would watch with those scientists in them.
"Alright." Scarlet nodded her head, opening the notebook to see already prepared notes inside. "... Thank you." Scarlet spoke up, glancing upwards to see an amused Mr. Xan staring back at her kindly.
It wasn't long until students started flooding inside, but Scarlet tensed when she saw a familiar head of albino head and a stupidly smug face. "Oh? Scarlet? You're finally out of the hospital?" His voice rang out like irritating bell chimes.
"Martin." Her smile was forced, and he couldn't help but snicker as he walked over with a small posse following behind him.
"You look depressed as usual." Martin couldn't help but comment, then spotting the eyepatch. "Whats with that? Trying to be a pirate now?" He laughed, the few others snickering as well.
"Shut up three eyes. I'll gouge each of them out." Scarlet stood up from her seat, tensing when a limb seperated her from Martin. It was then Mr. Xan shook his head.
"He isn't worth it."
She saw the words mouthed to her. She sighed, tossing the pencil she was hiding from behind her back onto the floor.
Martin fell silent as he saw the pencil drop. "Trying to make us twins? Laughable." He scoffed, turning away and walking to his seat in the middle-ish rows.
Mr. Xan's limbs retreated. "Settle down children. Let's get started with the lecture. It'll be on types of mutations, so make sure you're listening." He spoke, holding a microphone in one hand as his spider limbs moved around to write on the board for him.
The types of mutations are diverse. But cagorized.
Most common types of mutations relate to elements. Such like the people with earth related mutations who built the surrounding wall. Water, earth, and air are fairly common. But fire is rare among those kinds. These kinds of mutations allow affiliation with elements, most times manipulation of them. However, some people (those like Gertrude & Marcus) can also have a rare mutation phenomenon that can cayse physical changes.
Rarer types of mutations are those with animal mutations. It ranges to mammals, incests, reptiles, and such. It can change the physical appearance and add animal attributes of the animal they obtained the mutation from. Biological factors are still unknown.
Undefined mutations, while not rare, have an unknown cause. Most likely can transend what animal mutations and elemental mutations can do. Not much is known, and so far the most interesting case of an undifined mutation is one who goes by the name of Darcine Gardener.
"Wait what." Scarlet paused as she read over the notes again. "I have a question." Scarlet rose her hand, glancing up at Mr. Xan as he stopped writing on the chalk board.
"Yes?" He lowered himself down, seemingly interested. "Does she work at the hospital?" Scarlet blurted out without thinking, and Mr. Xan seemed surprised.
"She does, to my knowledge. Why do you know what?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at her. By eyes- many eyes.
"Um... because I was in the hospital a while ago!" Scarlet quickly replied, deciding not to slip out her affiliation to Darcine being her adopted parent.
"Ah. So you got to experience it first hand? Her magnificent healing?" He asked, his eyes beginning to relax as he smiled.
"Yes." Scarlet let out a relieved breath, watching as he rose back up to the board.
"Dr. Darcine's mutation is quite a sight. She can heal others with the liquid from her spine. It's very unusual, but also one of great power." Mr. Xan explained to the class, smiling.
"Who knew Dar was a living legend or someting..." Scarlet couldn't help but sigh. She was definitely going to inquire about this tonight at dinner.
— — — 💥
"Scarlet, come here. I can finally give you your test." Mr. Xan smiled, his limbs wiping the chalk board behind us while he sat in front of her.
"Now... I'm going to need you to fall asleep for me. Alright?" He smiled, and Scarlet tensed as she felt something hit the pressure point on the side of her neck.
She glanced upwards, as she slumped onto the desk. She saw her vision being clouded with black splotches, and eventually her eyelids closed as they grew heavy.
— ? —
Scarlet woke up gasping, the air bubbles in the water flying out of her mouth. "What the fuck... just happened." Scarlet breathed out, finally catching her breath.
"So, you were decieved?" The thing laughed, and Scarlet was surprised to see something in front of her this time.
A black rabbit, sitting on her lap as she sat up in the water. "Shut up. I didn't think he was bad." Scarlet murmured, reaching out and pointing the fluff ball with her pointer finger.
"Huh... who knew you were so fluffy." Scarlet muttered, then flinching when the rabbit bit her finger. "How rude." The rabbit spoke.
"So you were a rabbit the whole time?" Scarlet asked, slightly confused how it sounded so big in the earlier times we encountered each other.
"No. It seems that stupid arachnid did something." It spoke, narrowing it's eyes at Scarlet in suspicion. "Don't look at me." Scarlet shrugged, standing up and picking up the rabbit form of it in her arms.
"This is ny conciousness, right? So why is it that you are under control only now?" Scarlet questioned into the void, beginning to walk around the barren landscape which was the dark ocean depths.
"Don't ask me." The thing said, getting comfortable in her hands as they wandered around.
"Is it me or is it getting brighter?" Scarlet asked, staring up and seeing the familiar white glow.
"I see it."
— ? —
When Scarlet awoke, she heard murmuring voices that were close by, but also distant.
"Good morning." Mr. Xan smiled, noticing Scarlet's eyes flickering open. "Your mutation... is undefined." He crouched down, a crazed look in his eyes.
"I can't wait." He whispered, watching Scarlet sit up. But to his surprise, a fluffy creature was in her arms that wasn't there before...
—
The light is bright, it scares the dark. It scares me.