They never knew. The other kids never knew why some kids were tired when they walked in, why they looked like they had seen a ghost or had just witnessed the most traumatic event of the century. And they never would.
The giant treehouse was always where they were. The five kids who took the town's safety into their hands. The five who had experienced so much more than people suspected. And they kept it that way.
The bald boy was the leader. You could see it in the way he took the lead when they walked into school, in the way the other four made sure to mention it to him if they had to leave the group for class or to get homework done. He was the one who looked like he had the weight of the world on his shoulders in his red turtleneck and tan shorts. His eyes were covered by the sunglasses he wore daily. No one but the other four knew what he hid with those glasses. He hid what the missions had done to him, to his team, and they hid his resolve to keep going, to keep his team together through thick and thin. That's why red was his color. Because he kept the fire burning.
The African-American girl walked just behind him at his side, forever his back-up. She was the calm and relaxed to the bald boy's take charge and fretting attitude. Her place kept the peace. In her dark blue shirt and bright red cap, no saw her eyes either. They just assumed she was that cool, not that she was looking out for her friends in the way a mother looks after her children. She was the oldest of the group, the one they would lose first. She knew her fate and accepted it. That's why she spent as much time making memories with her friends as she could. She was calm, collected, cool, and the peace-maker. That's why her color was dark blue. Because she calms the storm.
The chubby boy walked constantly by the girl's side, cracking every joke known to man. A lot of them were science or math jokes though, because that was his style. He was the mechanic in the group, so math and science were his life's work. It was his job to build their weapons and vehicles. He spent a lot of time in his garage at home or his workshop at the treehouse figuring out new technology they could use in their battles. His jokes were never funny, but they never failed to keep everyone distracted from the life they led that sometimes wasn't all about being a kid. He kept the seriousness of their missions out of the conversation. Flying high and feeling light with his aviator's goggles was his passion. That's why his color was light blue. Because he kept them flying high.
The last girl in the group is their medic. She kept the injuries healing and hidden at school. You could always see her wearing a green jumper with too-long sleeves with black leggings. Her raven black hair and thin frame accentuated her Japanese features. There wasn't a day she could be seen without something related to her beloved Rainbow Monkeys, to the amusement of all but one of her teammates, her Australian friend. She could be said to have had a bubbly disposition, but only to those who had never seen her angry. She was the youngest of their group, which meant she and her joyfulness slowly trickled away, just like her teammates. That's why her color was green. Because she promised new beginnings.
The Australian boy to her right was the hand-to-hand combat expert. He took on everything with determination fueled by his love of his friends and his love of a good challenge. The Japanese-American girl was one of his best friends despite their many fights. He wore an orange hoodie with jeans almost religiously. The clothes were quite comfortable for an impromptu fight. Where he was strong physically, his emotions anf brain were a mess. Despite his gruff attitude, he had a personality that suited his unofficial position in the group. Protector. His grades reflected that he was not as gifted in the brains department. But he kept trying, listening to the encouragement of his friends and using their teasing as motivation. That's why his color is orange. Because he burns like a flame when he fights for them.
These are the kids no one understood. The ones with so much to hide and so many reasons why. Why the pain, why the hiding, why must we go against friends and family for the sake of a different world? Because of what that world would bring. It would bring peace, and happiness, and safety. Because they chose this war. And they will see it come to a close.