Ruby Daly


 * "Better to stay in the gray than get eaten by the dark."


 * -Ruby Daly in Darkest Minds.




 * Ruby Elizabeth Daly is the main character and main protagonist in our story. When the fatal disease IAAN strikes America, Ruby discovers her peculiar ability, and is thrown into the horrific world of chaos.

Early On
Ruby Elizabeth Daly was born on January 13th, in Salem Virginia and lead an ordinary life, until a girl named Grace falls down lifeless during lunch one day of school. That was her first witness of the fatal disease IAAN, or formerly known as the Everhart's disease.

Eventually, it gets to the point where half of Ruby's class is dead, and all the other kids on her block were dead. Ruby, scared, but otherwise is alive and OK.

But the night before her tenth birthday, her parents get into a fierce arguement about Ruby's birthday party, which they end up cancelling due to IAAN, (which is also known as Idiopathis Adolescent Acute Neurodegeneration). Ruby asks her dad what death feels like, and if you know you're dead. This ends up in Ruby's mother freaking out and getting angry at both of them. Ruby goes to her room, but after her parents fall asleep kisses them both on the head, erasing their memories accidentally.

When she wakes up the next morning, her Mom doesn't recognize her when she comes downstairs and into the kitchen. Ruby attempts to tell her that she is her daughter, but she locks Ruby in her garage, and calls the police. But unluckily, the PSFs, or Psi Special Forces arrive first and took her to a bus filled with other children.

After a long bus ride filled with hungry and terrified kids, they arrive at Thurmond, one of the rehabilitation camps and the largest one. When an older kid gets off the bus, he uses his Orange abilities to make one of the PSFs shoot herself, making Ruby see how messed up Oranges are. And when she sees how the PSFs treat Yellows, Reds, and Oranges, she makes the person who is supposed to figure out which she is think she is a Green, using her newfound Orange abilities.

Ruby meets a Green named Sam Dahl at camp, who is in her cabin. For years at camp, the two of them reassure each other and make Thurmond life bearable. But one night when Sam takes the blame for one of Ruby's mistakes, she is brought out and forced to be tied to a pole all day, without food or water. When Sam comes back, Ruby accidentally erases all of Sam's memories of her. For the rest of her time at Thurmond, Ruby hardly says anything.

The Darkest Minds
In the beginning of this novel, Ruby is in the Garden, Thurmond's garden. But out of the sudden, the White Noise comes on, barely giving Ruby enough time to barricade her ears. Usually people don't pass out during White Noise, but this time it's worse and Ruby falls unconscious.

Ruby wakes up in the Infirmary. The doctor in her room introduces herself as Dr. Begbie, and asks her about how they classified her as a Green. Ruby is skeptical and doesn't trust Dr. Begie, or Cate, but as Cate gets up to leave, Ruby tells her that it was different that time the Calm Control went off. After Cate leaves, Ruby finds that she left her clipboard and takes a look at it. Inside the clipboard, she finds a note to Ruby saying that Thurmond is beginning to realize that she's an Orange and will kill her. It contains a bag of pills, meant for Ruby to eat that night.

After Ruby is walked back to her cabin, she takes the pills that Cate gave her. Shortly after, she wakes up to a harsh seizure, freaking out her cabinmates. They press the emergency button, and soon Ruby is taken back to the infirmary where Cate is waiting for her. She puts a surgical mask on Ruby and scrubs, hiding her face, and then takes her out to her car. As they leave, Cate spreads the lie about Ruby being another doctor that is sick. They escape Thurmond successfully, and Ruby finds out that there is another kid named Martin in the back of the car.

After Ruby takes a short nap, she wakes up in a different car that Cate had switched out. Cate properly introduces herself as a member of the Children's League, and her last name is Connor. Ruby, Cate, and Martin get out at a gas station, where they meet Cate's ally, Rob Meadows. Rob tells her that he wasn't able to complete his mission and the two kids he was after were caught. But when Ruby trips and Rob catches her hand, she sees into her mind that he had killed the two kids after he got them out. Scared now, Ruby begins to think that he is going to kill her and Martin.

Ruby changes into the clothes that they gave her, and then decides to escape through the gas station. She comes across a little girl named Zu, who she tries to talk to but she runs away before she gets a chance. Ruby chases after her, but Zu gets in a black van, and locks the door. But when she sees that Ruby is going to run away to make sure she doesn't get caught by Rob and Cate, Zu unlocks the door and lets Ruby in.

Two other boys named Liam Stewart and Charles (Chubs) Meriwether get into the car, oblivious of Ruby hiding beneath some blankets in the back. They drive out onto the road but when a gunshot is fired, Ruby knows it's Cate and Rob, and reveals herself. She tries to get Liam and Chubs to let her out of the van, but when Liam realizes it's the Children's League she's running from, he doesn't let her out, but instead has her drive the van. Lady Jane, a Skip Tracer also shows up in the trace. Luckily, Liam uses his abilities to drive her off the road and put a tree in Cate and Rob's path.

Chubs is cold to Ruby at first, but Liam and Zu warm up to her quickly. She even starts to develop a loving relationship towards Liam. She finds that they are searching for East River, a safe haven for psionic kids, ran by the Slip Kid. They find it thanks to Ruby peeking into a kid's head they run into who had been to East River, and finding out how to access the location. When they arrive, they meet Clancy Gray, the Slip KId.

Clancy, who is also an Orange, helps Ruby learn to control her powers. Liam, Ruby, and Zu all fall for the greatness of the place and its perfection, but Chubs is not fooled. Liam ends up on border patrol, and Zu leaves with her cousin.

But when Clancy goes too far into Ruby's mind, she freaks out and goes to Liam in the woods. They attempt to escape but Clancy catches them. When the PSFs come, Ruby and her friends managed to escape, but when they try to deliver a message to Jack Fields's father, Chubs is shot. Ruby calls in the Children's League to save Chubs.

Ruby ends up erasing all of Liam's memories of her to ensure that he won't try and save her.

Never Fade
Ruby starts out as a member of the Children's League, on a mission with her teammate, Vida, to find Prisoner 27. When Ruby finds him, she finds out he is Cole Stewart, Liam's older brother. After they rescue him he tells her about a flash drive containing research on IAAN, that Liam accidentally took from his brrother. So when Ruby and Jude go on a mission, they escape and begin searching for Liam. Vida joins them along the way, although they later find out it was to please Cate, and helps them search.

While looking at Liam's house, they find Chubs there, also searching for Liam and Ruby. He is completely OK. He saves them from some PSFs, and then joins them on their hunt for Liam.

They find Liam at a fake East River, and he is very sick. Ruby and the others manage to get him out of there, and then start heading back to the Children's League to meet up with Cole. Along the way, Clancy arranges a meeting with Ruby by hacking into Vida's Chatter, and they end up taking him hostage with them. When they arrive at the Children's League, they find it was overthrown by corrupted agents. They find Nico there with a bunch of other League kids, and they tell them that Cate, Cole, and all the other good agents are coming back for them.

After they overthrow the corrupted agents and Cate and some other agents go off with the flash drive, the HQ is bombed, and Jude is killed in the bombing. The story ends with Ruby and the others stranded in the city, with Clancy properly locked up and everyone OK except Jude.

In The Afterlight
Ruby gets everyone out of the city with her Orange ability, and they go to the Ranch, another Children's League HQ. From there they begin working on how to free the camps, and even run a test run on a small camp called the Oasis. This succeeds, giving them new recruits and saving kids. After Cole dies and Clancy tells her that it was actually her fault, she goes cold and goes in herself to free Thurmond. After this succeeds, Ruby is hurt and taken into the hospital and unconscious for days, but wakes up. In the end of the stories, all the rehab camps had been released, and psi kids were finally aloud to live life again. Clancy ended up getting his Orange ability removed, and Ruby erased his memories of it.

The Darkest Legacy
Ruby is in hiding after her father is shot in an attempt for her. She makes a place she calls Haven with Liam, and helps other kids like her, especially Reds. It is revealed by Owen, a quiet Red at Haven that Ruby talked to a lot that Ruby was sad and troubled before she left and mysteriously disappeared. Later in the book, we find out that Ruby was kidnapped on a mission. They find out Ruby had been taken into Leda Corp, and si being tested on there. Zu and the others are successful in rescuing her, and she is in a coma when they get her out. But at the end of the book she wakes up.

Personality
During her time at Thurmond, Ruby is quiet and scared, fearing that the PSFs would find out that she is an Orange. She even doesn't speak a word for nearly a year. But her violent and angry side shows when she gets pissed at Martin and yells at Liam for making her drive the car as soon as she got out of Thurmond. In East River, Clancy tells her that people viewed her as "overly empathetic" and won't do anything if it meant hurting others. And he proved it to be true. But she is quick thinking and doesn't get panicked in harsh situations. Yet she is flawed by the dangerous power she possesses, and fears that she is going to erase the memories of all she loves around her, so she's stays somewhat far away from everyone. But this habit goes away by the end of the series, and a stronger Ruby pulls through.

Looks
Ruby has brown hair that's tangled and knotty, and tanned skin to match it off. Her eyes are pale green and hardened. She has thick eyebrows and full lips, and stands at an average height for people her age. She is described as somewhat skinny due to her years at Thurmond, but grows muscle at the League. It is said by Sam in Through the Dark that Ruby had noticeably changed during her time outside of Camp, not just personality-wise.

Liam Stewart
Liam and Ruby meet when Ruby reveals herself in the back of their van. At first he is skepitcal about her, but when he sees that she's running from the League he lets her stay, due to his time at the League. When Ruby cries in a bathroom at a hotel they're staying at, she says that somehow Liam knew that she wasn't OK, even when she hadn't said anything. Later in the story, Ruby comes to see that they are each other's "safe place" where they can say anything and everything to each other.

Liam and Ruby have a fun, good humored relationship. Ruby describes Liam as charming and in a loving way. She lies about being a Green to them, so that they won't throw her out, but when she inevitably reveals her true abilities Liam does nothing but love her more. Even after she tells him about how she wiped her parents' memories of her, and might accidentally do the same to him. But he tells her that he will never forget her.

When Clancy sexually assaults Ruby, Liam is infuriated and demands that they leave. When Clancy gets into Liam's mind and shows him what he did to Ruby, he attacks Clancy only to be beat up by Hayes. But they manage to escape, and Ruby is forced to erase Liam's memories of her so that he won't come back to her while she's with the League. This damages their relationship when he regains his memories.

Throughout In the Afterlight, Liam is jealous of how close Cole and Ruby are getting, but they end up kissing and making out many times. Liam is the one to rescue Ruby when she's at Thurmond and getting beat. It is said by Ruby's grandma that Liam had visited many times when she was unconscious.

Chubs
Chubs is extremely cold and rude to Ruby when she first joins up with them, and votes to kick her out when they take a vote, stating that she could be a psychopath who kills them in their sleep. But their relationship visibly grows throughout the book, and Chubs is the one to save Ruby from Clancy when he intends to take her with them after everyone else is taken by PSFs.

Chubs also saved Ruby and her League friends from some PSFs lurking around Liam's house, by pretending to be a Skip Tracer and lying to them that she was a Green and the only psi kid there. He showed his affection for her when they twisted her shoulder and he yells at them. Ruby and Chubs come to good terms despite their rocky start, and Ruby gains a massive respect for him.

Zu
Zu was the one to let Ruby in the van when she saw Ruby was going to risk her chances with the League to save her, and lets her in. Zu is shown to love Ruby like an older sister, and dress her up for her own satisfaction. Ruby did all of this willingly because of her love for Zu. When Zu left with her cousin Hina, Ruby was disappointed but understood and was not angry. Throughout the whole series Ruby cares deeply for Zu and protects her fiercely.

Cole Stewart
Cole and Ruby have a strong relationship, since they both possess dangerous powers (cole is a red) and they often train together. Cole was the one to send Ruby on the mission for Liam, and also saved her from an agent after he knocked her out with White Noise. They have a mutual trusting of each other, and Ruby is deeply scarred by his death. Especially when Clancy reveals to her that he controlled her and assured of his death. Ruby hears and feels his confidence and bravery during difficult moments, and he guides her even after death.

Vida
Vida is very cold to Ruby at first, and uses her Blue abilities to throw Ruby backwards after Ruby is made Team Leader. But after Jude's death, Vida and Ruby share an emotional moment, and then come together through all of their recent arguments. Vida is shown to be fiercely protective of those she loves and cares about, including Ruby after a while.

Jude
Jude is cheerful and happy constantly, and always is there to comfort Ruby, even when she wants to be left alone. Ruby is the one to get him out of the League when it becomes clear they want to kill him, and is very protective of him. His death hurts her greatly, but provides an anchor for her and is a reason for her to fight longer and not give up. Her and Vida share an emotional moment about him.

Clancy Gray
When Clancy and Ruby meet, Clancy states her full name and recites a large portion of her childhood. Him and Ruby grow a close relationship, but he goes too far looking into her mind and sees that she is in love with Liam. This results in him getting angry, and yells at Ruby when she wakes up. When they are attempting to escape, Clancy gets into her mind and speaks to her. Luckily, Chubs manages to get them out.

Later in the series, Clancy uses Ruby as his puppet without her knowledge, and sends emails to people through her, ensuring his breakout. Ruby ends up erasing his memories of his Orange abilities, but it is stated in The Darkest Legacy that Clancy begins to regain them and plays a part in her capture.

Abilities and Skills

 * Orange ability. Ruby is an Orange meaning she can control other's minds. Unlike Clancy's abilities, where he can control people's thoughts, or Martin's where he controls feelings, Ruby has the ability to manipulate other's memories, which can mean erasing them or placing new ones. She can use this ability to help people with damaged minds (such as Lillian Gray when Clancy ruined her mind) and regain their stableness.
 * Fighting Techniques. Ruby is also trained by the Children's League to be able to fight well, giving her knowledge of fighting techniques and the ability to break holds. She was trained by Instructor Johnson, who was said to be harsh to Ruby when they sparred, yet trained her well.