{2}
Red means stop. The flash cards Alex stares at every day show the same image for red. A big bright sign that says STOP in jarringly white letters.

{5}
Red means pain. When Alex falls and scrapes his knee open, the first thing he registers is pain. A searing pain that causes him to cry out. Next he notices the blood. Welling up from between chubby fingers grasping the wound. He stares at it in awe. He remembers this color. Red. His mind thinks red means stop. He's corrected. Red means pain.

{8}
Red means her. The next time Alex's perception of red changes, it's for the better. As soon as the new housekeeper walked in the door, one thing caught his attention. Her hair. It was bright red and it flew through the air as she turned to put her bags in the entryway. It bounced over her shoulders as she walked over to him a smile on her face and introduced herself. Hi I'm Jack.

{11}
Red means home. Home in every sense of the word. It's familiar. It's love. It's Friday nights watching rubbish shows on the TV. It's Jack cheering him on from the sidelines of his football match. Red means home, and the only home he knows is her.

{14}
Red means Jack. But not in a good sense. Red is what he sees as his vision tunnels and his whole world crumbles. Red is the color that the screen lights up as the bomb goes off and Jack is killed. Red is the color of his palms as he thinks of her and screams, his nails digging into his flesh as he cries. Red is the color that Julius's chest becomes as Alex avenges Jack's death. Red is the color Alex sees in his nightmares as Jack's bright hair dances around her in the second before the bomb goes off.

{17}
Red means peace. Scorpia never forgave. Scorpia never forgot. As Alex Rider lies in the street, he thinks of a day just like this, 3 years ago. Except this time, there's no one around to rush him to the hospital. As his vision begins to go dark, he sees a single color. Red. It's the color that's now blossoming from his chest at a spectacular rate. As soon as he sees it, he knows he's safe. Red means Jack. Red means home. Red means her. And now, lifting his head one last time, Alex Rider stares at the place where Jack has appeared. She looks faded, everything about her is a dull gray, except for her hair. Jack's hair dances in the wind, like the flames of an untamed wildfire. She smiles and reaches out her hand. The last color Alex sees before he closes his eyes is red. He is with Jack. Red means peace.