Carolina

 

My name is Carolina. Pronounced Caroleena, not Carolina, just to clear things up. My family and friends call me Lina. But you can too. Right now I'm brushing my long, tangled auburn hair out. When I finished getting ready for bed I pulled on some comfy clothes. I wonder what Mae is doing...

 

Mae

 

Hi. If you are wondering who I am, my name is Mae. I'm about 5 feet tall, with short blond hair. Right now, I'm laying in the top bunk of the bed my sister and I share. I'm reading a book now. If you asked my friends to give you one word to describe me, I guess it would be "bookish." Lina is the exact opposite...

 

Carolina

 

I popped out of bed and went down stairs to grab a drink. I pulled a glass down from the cabinet, but got all dizzy. I started shaking and my vision was going out, the glass shattered on the floor. My head was spinning, "Maaee!!" I called, now on my hands and knees. She came running down, and the instant she touched my arm, let's just say we weren't at home anymore...tsk...

that's an understatement.

 

Mae

 

Okaaaay... I am in a sweatshirt and pants, and now we are... somewhere. Uck- recap! I ran downstairs when I heard my sister yell my name. She was on the floor, about to fall, when the ground started shaking. In the blink of an eye, the kitchen was gone, and now rolling green hills replaced it. Wait-where's Lina?!

 

Carolina

 

Perfect combination! Gray concert t-shirt, gray sweatpants, and fuzzy Christmas socks. Sounds like I'm ready for wonderland! Where the heck am I- wait no how the heck did this happen?! I turned in a circle. I'm in the middle of a forest, the trees literally look 20 feet tall. The leaves swayed, reflecting moon light. I was walking, hoping to find...wait Mae! Suddenly, a twig snapped behind me. "Hello...?" a boy about my age walked out, he was wearing worn out jeans and a black t-shirt, his boots looked worn out too. "Excuse me...?" he placed a hand on the top of his shaggy blonde head, "..." he opened his mouth and nothing came out.

 

Mae

 

Alright... I see a forest, a lake, and some more hills. Hmmmm... if I could choose where to go, it would be here, so maybe she would be where she would like to go. That would be the forest. I'll head there first. Knowing her, she will probably be sitting on the ground, playing with some woodland animals. Let's go!

 

Carolina

 

The guy looked like he'd never seen a girl before! He walked up to me and stopped, he nodded his head ahead of us on a dirt path. I started walking,  what else is there to do? He trailed behind me. "Thomas." I whipped around, "Huh?" He made eye contact with me, "My name is Thomas." I had to look up to him, "Lina." He had a pretty thick accent, I couldn't put my finger on what. "Lina, interesting." We continued walking. In silence. Awkward silence.

 

Mae

 

When I got to the edge of the forest, I thought I heard voices. I was about to go further, when Lina and a boy came out. "Lina!" I cried, hugging her. "What happened to you?!" The boy just stood there, awkwardly. "Ummm..." Oops. I let go of Lina, and said to the boy, "Hi, my name is Mae. What's yours?"

 

Carolina

 

"Thomas." I said. Hey, I just realized... Mae and Thomas shared the same coffee-colored eyes. I sorta- um, stared at him for a bit before Mae finally said, "Hold up, how did we even get here?!" Thomas shrugged, "You were chosen." Chosen? What the heck does that mean? "What do you mean?" he looked away and at Mae, "Lina here is a Chosen One, and you must have gotten dragged into it...there's no way two people from the same location were chosen at once so you're a-" Me? 'chosen' well that clears everything up. "-Thomas you haven't explained everything to us, what are you trying to say?" He looked away, turned to Mae, "It means your one of them." I shook my head, too many thoughts. "Can you at least clear some things up for me, and explain-" Instead of listening to me he just shook his head and walked away, "Later Lina." He glanced at Mae, gave her a small wave, then disappeared into the trees.

 

Mae

 

"Who... What?" I asked Lina. "He found me in the woods," said Lina slowly. "What did he mean by 'chosen'?" I said. I noticed that we were walking toward the lake. "I don't know, Mae. I wish I did."

 

Carolina

 

Confused we walked and sat by the lake, I was homesick. It was night, and it was cold. Mae curled up against a rock and was drifting off to sleep. "Psst!" I swear I heard something, but it was probably the wind. I just need some sleep. "Pssst! You!!" I turned around. A little blonde-haired boy, younger than me who had a similar accent to Thomas, was poking his head out of the trees. "Come here!" he hissed.

 

Mae

 

"Ack!" I screamed as Lina shook me awake. "Mae!" she whispered. "Come with me! There's a kid over there and I don't know what he wants...but...

uhh- just, common lets go!" I got up, and held on to Lina for support. We walked forward, watching the boy. "Hurry!" He whispered. "We don't have much time! We need to go!" When we got closer, he started running. Lina pulled me forward, and we started to run too. Suddenly, everything went black.

 

Carolina

 

I was strapped down. Strapped down. Onto a chair. About two dozen little boys surrounded me. The one from earlier approached me, "My name's Anthony, welcome to our base! Oh, you can call me Tony." Tony and the other little boys stared at me, like I'm some sort of strange creature. "Why am I strapped down into a chair?" I questioned. "Because we need to make sure you don't go to...them." Oh my lord! Who the heck is "them"?!

 

Mae

 

'Thomas' pulled me aside into a room, and started talking about how I am one of the "Runaways". "You see, we weren't all chosen..." Things are so confusing right now, wait...what happened to my book?! "Mae...?" I looked up, "Oh sorry! Continue." He nodded, "Like, Lina. They're drawn to the center of...this world. To be honest I don't even know what it is myself. All I know is that we hide on the outskirts, away from the area they...are all gathered..." Hmm, he has a really thick accent. Is he Swedish? No...maybe German? "Anyways, all of the people here, are people who got dragged into the world when the Chosen Ones were being summoned..." Has to be British. Wait! Maybe he's actually from the U.K. or..."Mae! Are you listening to me?!" he leaned forward, "What? Yeah! All you guys were pulled into this place because you were...uhh, well doing something involving a Chosen One!" He leaned back and continued, "Yes. And Lina was chosen, and now you're here too. But...I don't get it, you're both girls. They've never requested a female from the overworld before..." his voice trailed off and his eyes got big, "Mayb- nevermind..." Okay...he's definitely Scottish! No doubt...

 

Carolina

 

They all stared at me. "Where are you guys from...?" I saw people from all over. They all talked different, and looked different. But...

the thing that sticks out to me the most, is that they're all boys. "Scotland!" Tony said, "Tokyo!" shouted a boy. "Come on, we all know England's  the best!" called another. I gulped, "Seattle, Washington..." Tony crooked his head, "Where?" I shrugged, "It's in the states."  "Ohhhh! Rowan's from Texas, right Rowan?" he turned around someone in the cluster of boys answered, "You bet ya!" I looked over the boys, all wore clothes that looked old, and worn out. I looked at my clothes. "How long have you guys been here?" Tony looked around, "About three years," Hold up- three years?! These kids are like ten! "well Hunter over there was the most recent, he got here a couple days ago...still adjusting." I nodded my head slowly, these kids may or may not know about why IM here...but maybe someone does. Someone like..."Thomas! Do you by chance know a guy named Thomas?" Tony laughed, "Oh, have you met my brother?" he  said. Brother. Now I see the resemblance. "He's in the back room talking to some girl. I think her name was...Ma...Mary? No...Maaa-" My heart skipped a beat, "-Mae?!" Tony once again looked surprised, "Yes! That was it, Mae."

 

Mae

 

“So…Runaways, what do they do exactly?” I asked Thomas. “Are they good or bad?” “Well… I guess you could say we are good,” Thomas said. “We try to...help, the Chosen Ones. Sometimes it doesn’t always work out.” Just then, Lina came in with three boys who looked to be ten or so. “Hi,” it was the boy from earlier. “I'm Tony. And...your... sister, wanted to see you, Mae. You are Mae, right?”

 

Carolina

 

I cringed and nodded, "That's her..." Tony had a tight grip for a kid with tiny hands! Two other boys stood at my side. "Thomas! Can I speak with you," he stood up "alone." I glanced at Mae for help and gestured to the boys, "Uhh, yeah. Thomas you should get her caught up..." Mae stuttered. I rolled my eyes. Could she be anymore obvious?! "Fine- Anthony take Mae to the other boys. She's one of us." Tony bobbed his little head and ran out with Mae and the other boys. "Why? What? Ho-" Thomas sat me down in a chair, "-Listen to me, because I'll only say this once Carolina."

 

Mae

 

“Umm, so where are we going?” I asked the boy named Anthony. “You’ll see…” he replied mysteriously. I hate mysteries. “Can't you just tell me?” I asked with annoyance. “Nope!” replies the boy cheerfully. Did I mention I hate mysteries? I also hate surprises. Well, I found out where we were going in five minutes. It was a cave, about three times the size of the one Thomas and I were in. I sat down in a chair, and then started asking questions. “Where am I?!” I almost screamed. “Calm down, lady!” said a boy with a Texan accent. “We’re in the Jell Caves. I know, weird name, but you’ll get used to it.” “No, I won't get used to it!” I yelled. “I want to go home! I don’t like it here! I just want to leave!” I know I probably sounded like a two-year-old brat, but I didn’t care. I was home sick!

 

Carolina

 

"I'll explain it from the top. In this world, there are three types of people. The Controllers. The Chosen Ones. And the Runaways. Controllers are a group of our society that run this place. They hand pick people from the overworld known as Chosen Ones..." I nodded, to show him I was keeping up. "...Chosen Ones are yanked out of the overworld and appear in a forest. In the forest is a path, the Chosen Ones will feel like they need to follow it. They eventually arrive to the Control Center, and begin their work. No one knows what they do there, only that it deals with dark magic. Very...dark magic. They've been recruiting more and more lately. Now, suddenly two...girls show up. Girls. They've NEVER recruited a girl before...." My head is spinning with all the stuff he's thrown at me so far, but at the same time...I think I get it. "Anyways, that's how a Chosen One, should act. There are defaulted Chosen Ones. You know they're defaulted when they go off the path. Like you did." "Thomas..." I shook my head, "how do you know I'm a chosen one?" He rolled his eyes, "You were on the path." Oh, yeah that's right. "Continuing...that's pretty much it for the Chosen Ones. So, Runaways. There are two types of Runaways. The majority of Runaways are people who arrive with the Chosen Ones and find a Runaway base. Like Mae. This is one of many, but definitely the biggest. These are the Jell caves, the largest Runaway hide-out in this world. There are few of us. The other type of Runaway, is a defaulted Chosen One, who chose to become a Runaway, rather than to go to the Control Center. There's only one other defaulted Chosen One existing aside from you. They're extremely rare, so-" "-who is it? Who's the other defaulted Chosen One." Thomas hesitated but was quick to respond, "Me." It was quiet for a few seconds, but he wrapped things up. "My job is, to tell you to join the Runaways. The Controllers are the bad guys, and the Chosen Ones are their minions. Runaways have been trying to stop them for years. But no Runaway who found the Control Center ever came back." he stood up, and held out his hand, "So who's side are you on?"

 

Mae

 

“When do I get to see my sister? Can I ever go back home? Why is this all so weird?” I ask in frustration. Why me? I think. My eyelids start drooping, and I lose my balance for a second. Why does this have to happen to me... I hate this, can’t I have some sleep? “Mae, I’ll answer your questions later. Right now, you are about to pass out,” Anthony told me. “Here is your bed.” He took me to a small room with four beds in it. The last thing I remember before I fell asleep was the sound of Carolina? Stumbling into the room…

 

 

Carolina

 

I didn't mean to hurt him, I just tried to grab his hand. "Yours." I said and took his hand, the instant our hands touched my head spun. I backed up, my vision blinking in and out, I could only hear white noise I only continued to back up, thats when everything finally went black. All of the sudden,  I saw a small blonde-headed boy, about the age of six. "Hello?" I said. We were on the path, "Hel-" he walked through me. Everything was fuzzy. "What..." suddenly everything sped up. "Thomas..." a voice echoed and we were now in a giant white building. Machinery and technology everywhere. It was extremely advanced. Too advanced, it was more like...magic. A transparent purple oval glistened and two men walked through it. "Thomas, welcome to the Control Center." Thomas? This little boy...again the scene changed. The two men from before were talking, "The experiment failed, he's a default. Of course, we screwed up on our first try..." their voices echoed. The scene blurred and I saw Thomas, he almost looked like how he does now. He's with more men, talking. "Be a man Thomas." one took a giant needle and started drawing blood. Thomas winced, "Done." they walked off. "This magic isn't enough Doctor." one of the shorter men followed the guy with the needle. "Shut it! I know. It's been seven years. I still don't understand what went wrong with him. We need more of these kids." the scene rippled, I was underwater, I couldn't move. I saw him, again, but he's normal. Modern. "It's time to run. I have to protect these kids." he whispered into his reflection. Then the 'Doctor' guy from earlier grabbed Thomas' arm, "Get back inside, they figured out how to do it right! The second Chosen One is being pulled-" Thomas broke off, "-NO!" he shouted. Then he ran, and he didn't stop running. Everything was black, and then I saw Tony. "Tony?" I sat up, "Where's Thomas?" Tony looked confused, "Next to you." I turned, he was passed out too, except his hand was wrapped in gauze. I sat up. "What happened to you two in there?" Tony crossed his arms. I shrugged, "I don't know..." I looked around, Mae was napping in the bed on the other side of me. I looked back at Thomas. What the heck did I see?

 

Mae

 

When I woke up, Lina was in the bed next to me. She looked really shaken up, like she had just seen a ghost. “Lina…” I mumbled sleepily. “What’s wrong?” She just shook her head, she didn’t say anything. “Are you okay? Lina, please talk to me.” Once again, she said nothing, but shook her head. “Fine, be stubborn if you want. I’m going to see if I can get something to eat. If I find anything, I’ll bring some back for you.” I left the room, walking down the hall. “Hello? Thomas? Anthony? Can someone tell me where the food is? I’m hungry.” Anthony came sleepily out of one of the rooms, yawning as he walked. “Come on, I’ll show you,” he said. He takes me to the main cavern, then took me off in one of the side ones. “There might be toast, bacon, and orange juice or milk. Don’t be picky. It’s what we have every morning.” He left, and I walked into the kitchen.

 

Carolina

 

My head hurts. My eyelids are heavy. My body is numb. Can I sleep? No, no I can't because my stupid self is waiting for stupid Thomas to wake up. I was laying down, and decided to close my eyes, when I heard groaning. I stayed still, but listened. "Anthony...!" he groaned. Thomas. I heard small footsteps, "Your awake! What...what happened?" "Remember what I told you when you first got here?" "Yeah! You said I was only the second one, and you also said...a

girl would come on the last day of the last month, of the last...year...wait! Is she-" "-Shut it!" My heart skipped a beat, how did they know I was coming?? "I saw things, I know who she is, what her life was like, what kind of cake she had on her sixth birthday...random crap." "Do you think she saw anything...?" There was a long pause, "Hopefully no-" I rolled over to face them, "Thomas?" I whispered. His face went pale, "Yeah?" I sat up, scratching my head. "Are, you okay?" He nodded, "Did you hear anything...while you were laying down?" I flushed pink, "I-...um...I'm going on a walk..." I stumbled out of bed and wandered around the caves. It looks decent enough. I wonder where the rest of the boys are. I continued walking, until I found the exit. It was a small hole, with tree branches covering the entrance. I crawled out, moving the branches and stood up. The moon was still high in the sky. "Okay Lina, you're not crazy. This is real. You're not..." I froze. "What in the world?!" the voice was distant, it was a boy. I continued on, and froze, the path was a few feet in front of me. I clung to a tree and watched silently. I watched as a tallish boy with shaggy brown hair stood up, looking around. "What the heck..." he was wearing a dark grey hoodie and had on jeans and black high-tops. I tried to shuffle around the tree but I accidentally tripped over the roots and launched myself onto the path, crashing into the ground. The boy looked down at me with big eyes, green. "WHO- wait..." he knelt down. "Evander?!" Yeah, I know him. He's Mae's ex.

 

Mae

 

“Evan?!” I yelled. “How did you get here?” Evan shifted uncomfortably. “Ummm-“ he muttered. “Evan, Evan, Evan!” came a voice from the hall. A boy about 7-years-old bursts into the room. “Will you play with me? Please?” “Not right now, Alex. Go play with the other boys,” Evan said. “They're all mean to me! I want you to play with me! Come on, Evan!” Alex whines. “Not right now, Alex. Go away.” Alex trudges out of the room, pouting. “Fine!” he yells over his shoulder. “Evander, come with me,” Lina said. “I need to, umm, talk to one of the boys.” I rolled my eyes, knowing she would go talk to Thomas. She walked out of the room, and Evan slowly followed. “ Umm, see you later, Mae." he said.

 

Carolina

 

I sat with my arms folded over my chest. I'm so done! After I found Evander I took him back, and, instantly!- all the boys are all over him. "Oh you're so tall!" "Oh my goodness he's so cool!!" Not to mention he didn't get tied down to a chair when he first got here! He keeps eyeing Mae like a creep, and- and...ugh. I'm just done. "What the actual heck. I'm a "default?" What about my brother, thank God he found this place but why-" Thomas stopped him, "Let me explain..." Thomas went from the top using large arm gestures, and making noises for sound effects. Is it just me? Or does Evander look even more annoying than before..."Right Lina?" Evander gave me a quirky grin. "What?" I snapped. "Ugh, just- never mind." I walked out and went up to Mae, "I wish we were never sent here- this is so frustrating." She rolled her eyes, "What? You upset you can't talk to Thomas? Is Evan hogging him?" My cheeks burned, "Wha- No!! That's it! I'm- I'm...going to bed!!" I walked back into the bedroom and walked through Evander and Thomas, and collapsed on the bed. I was too tired to care anymore, I just dozed off.

 

Mae

 

“Lina… Lina,” I shook my sister awake. “Come on, we don’t want to be late for breakfast. Today, we get French Toast, sausage, and eggs. Thomas wants to see you, too.” At this, Carolina poked her head out from under the covers. She started sniffing the air. “Can Thomas wait a little while?” she mumbled. My sister loves French Toast. “What kind of eggs?” She also likes fried eggs, over easy. “Fried eggs, over easy,” I replied. That was all it took to get her out of bed. She sniffed, and wrinkled her nose. “Uhh,” she said. “Where are the showers? And could I have some fresh clothes?” She found the closest boy, and asked him. “The bath is just down that hall and to the right. The water won’t be warm, though. We don’t have a warm water source.” he replied. “A boy named John Andrews can sew and take care of your laundry. If you give him your measurements, I’m sure that he can have a dress or skirt ready for you by the time you are out of the bath. You may have to wait a few minutes, but he was carrying a battery-operated sewing machine with extra batteries when he was transported here. In the mean time, you can wear a bathrobe.” I told Lina, “I was grabbing my underwear to put them away from my bed when you called for help, so I have some extras.” Carolina groaned, "You couldn’t have told me this sooner...?" She slowly headed off to the bathroom, and I heard a really load moan.

 

Carolina

 

“Where's the dooor?" I let out, swinging my arms. “I cannot take a bath if there is no door!” A little boy poked his head around the corner. “Calm down!” he said. “See the curtain?” I looked up in the corner, and, sure enough, there was a curtain. “Just close it and no one should come in.” I went in the bathroom, and closed the curtain. Wow. These boys must have a lot of spare time...I took off my clothes, and ran the water in the tub. Because it's summer- or it seems to be, the water isn't too cold. There were a few robes hanging on hooks on one of the walls, and I saw a container of soap and a container of shampoo...or what looked like shampoo. I soaked in the tub for twenty minutes, then washed myself. I got out of the tub, dried myself with a towel, and put a bathrobe on. I found a suitable comb, and attempted combing through my hair. “Lina?” someone said from the doorway. I looked over and saw Mae. “I gave John Andrews your measurements from when I made you a dress last year, and you haven’t grown much since then. Here is some underwear, and I’ll have your clothes in a second.” She tossed the underwear in the bathroom, then walked away, closing the curtain. I flushed, holding the underwear. We're surrounded by a bunch of guys! And shes carrying around our underwear carelessly! She was back a few minutes later with a white dress. I smelled something weird on it, and Mae told me that boy used fresh silk from silk worms for the material. She said, “Hurry up, breakfast is almost over.” I looked at the dress and shook my head, at least it looks comfortable. I pulled on the underwear and clipped on my strapless bra, also surprisingly comfortable. I slipped on the dress, it was an off-the-shoulder dress, with short flowy sleeves, it fell just above my knees. After my hair dried I fixed it and let it fall down, it still held its curl. I then removed any remaining make-up, and pulled out my contacts. I rinsed them and put them back in. I like them, they make my blue eyes look teal. I smiled to myself, and walked to the kitchen barefoot.

 

Mae

 

I was waiting at the doorway when I saw Lina. Her dress looked pretty, maybe that John kid can make me one too. "You ready?" I asked, "Starving!" she said. We laughed and walked in. It was absolute mayhem! Every single boy was in the room surrounding the island counter grabbing food and shouting. Evan and Thomas were leaned up against the wall eating. "Morning Mae!" Evan called, he winked. Winked. That sicko. I rolled my eyes and pulled Lina into the kitchen. Thomas turned bright red, "Hey..." he kept staring at her legs. Not on my watch! I gave  him a dirty look, and I think he got the message. Boys. I swea- suddenly, four more boys me and Lina's age walked into the kitchen. "I'm looking for Carolina Emerson." One said, he had a gun.

 

Carolina

 

I froze- holding my back to them. Everyone got quiet, no one moved...no one except Mae. "Tha-" Thomas interrupted, "Duncan...?" I backed into the corner, and peered over, looking at the tallest boy. He had black hair and caramel colored eyes...tanned skin, he would've turned my head back at home. But...he doesn't seem like he's one of the good guys. All four of the boys wore black. All four of the boys...had guns. "What do you think you're doing here?!" Thomas barked. Duncan prepped his gun, "Where is Emerson?" Before Thomas could say anything, Mae walked in front of him. Without hesitating, she stepped up, "I'm right here. What do you want with me?" Duncan lowered his gun, and gestured at her. One of the red-headed boys grabbed Mae. "Take her away." Duncan commanded. I was about to scream, about to grab her hand...but Thomas pressed me up against the wall and covered my mouth. They left, they were gone, they have Mae.

 

Mae

 

The four boys were dragging me from behind...then took me into the woods, with Duncan and another boy in the front, with the other two dragging me behind. “Stupid!” I thought to myself. “How could I be so stupid! I should have just stayed quiet, against the wall with Lina. But I had to be the hero. I had to speak up. With Evan in the kitchen.” I thought he was in the dining room, but when I was taken, he whispered, “Good luck.” While I was blaming myself, the boy Thomas called Duncan started talking to the red-headed boy on his right. “So, Jerry, know what The Controllers want with this..." he sneered, "girl...?"

 

Carolina

 

I was crying. Hot tears rolled down my cheeks, as soon as Thomas let go I ran to the exit, but Thomas grabbed my arm, "Let go!" I cried, "We can still get her!!" I struggled, but then gave up. I dropped to my knees, "This is all my fault..." Thomas dropped my arm, "Lina. Look at me." I looked up, teary-eyed. "We'll get her back. But if we lost you both...it'd make everything more complicated. Those were Chosen Ones." Chosen ones? "We have to get her," I protested between tears, "Now!! Thomas listen to me, they could kill her!!" I was yelling. All I remember is a blur, of screaming and struggling. Before I knew it, Thomas was chasing me in the forest. And I was screaming Mae's name.

 

Mae

 

They were pulling me in an old red wagon, and I began to doze off. I heard Jerry say, “Shh, I think I heard something behind us.” The group stopped for a minute and were silent. “You must have been hearing things, Jerry,” Duncan said. “We need to get this girl to the Controllers.” Jerry protested, “I swear I heard a voice behind us. But you must be right. I'm probably hearing things.” Jerry sounded like he doubted this, but didn’t want to admit it. A painful amount of hours passed. I lost count after the sunset. Then the largest building I had ever seen suddenly appeared in front of me. I just stared.

 

Carolina

 

"I'm sorry." I heard Thomas say. That was it. I don't remember anything else. I woke up in the bedroom, Thomas sitting on the bed. "You're an idiot." he was mad. I sat up, "Thomas I-" he cut me off "-you're lucky I knocked you out when I did." "Thomas..." he tucked my hair behind my ear, "I was worried about you...if something happened to you......" he kept quiet for a while, just looking at me, and then he walked out. Leaving me alone...with a snoring Evander. "Evander? Evander! Wake up you stupid-" he mumbled, "Mae...Mae...

kiss me..."  I laughed, "Hey- lover boy." I tugged on the pillow. Evander was puckering his lips, "Okay that's enough!" I whipped out the pillow and smacked him in the face. "Evander!!" he bolted up, "ACK!" he yelled. I laughed...and then stopped, realizing Mae's still missing.

 

Mae

 

We walked inside, and I'm taken to a large room on the West side of the building. “Dr. Lange,” Duncan said. “We have the girl.” “Good,” he replied from the room. “Send her in.” A smile crept over his face as I entered the room. “Well, well, who do we have here? Carolina Emerson. We’ve been waiting an awful long time for you.” He told me to come closer, and sit at the table. He studied me. “Hmm,” he said. “You don’t look like Carolina. You resemble her, but you are not Carolina." he ran a few more tests on me, "Duncan, Jerry, Andrew, Tristan!” he barked. “Get in here!” The four guys who kidnapped me waked in the room a few minutes later. “Yes, sir?” Duncan said. “You brought me the wrong girl!” Dr. Lange said. “This is her sister!" He turned to me, "I am holding you in the cells until the real Carolina is brought to me. Boys- get rid of her.” I sipped a cup of water, and the last thing I remember was being thrown in a cell before I blacked out.

 

Carolina

 

It's been a day. I woke up and walked to the tiny walk-in closet on the side of the room. On one side, it said "Mae" plastered to the wall, and "Lina" on the other. Poor John, he's been working his behind off making us clothes. We each had about 12 dresses or so. That's plenty for me...I'm not a dress girl, but hey. I pulled down a new pair of underwear from the top shelf, and grabbed my black dress. I walked to the bathroom and closed the curtain. I did my new morning routine. Soak, bathe, wash bra, dry bra, get dressed, fix hair, clean contacts, go find Thomas. I pulled my dress over my head, this one was a little short...

but it's one of my favorites. It's solid black and has a wavy skirt. The sleeves are long, but they're both off the shoulder. I followed through with what else I needed to do, and then went to the kitchen. "Morning." I yawned, and went on my tip-toes to reach a plate from the cabinet. Thomas was behind me, he hadn't said anything to me since I walked into the kitchen. I got my food and leaned next to him on the wall, "Earth to Thomas...?" he's staring at my legs. My cheeks burned. "Thomas!!" He looked up, "Do you run?" confused and flustered I nodded, "I did Cross Country." He nodded and continued to stare. "Thomas stop starting at my legs!!" That's when he turned red, and looked away. "S- Sorry..." This boy confuses me. One day he'll be serious and cold, he won't even talk to me. The other he'll be stuttering and laughing. Why! I finished, and started to collect the boys' plates. After all the boys finished, I started doing the dishes. "Thomas?" I called. "Yeah?" he came in. He changed his clothes. He had on a black leather jacket, jeans, and combat boots. I turned away, "How did you know my full name?" I questioned, scrubbing a plate. He stayed quiet. But something broke the silence, I'm sorry I misspoke. Someone.

 

Mae

 

It's been a day. I waited until the guards were gone, and unlocked the door. I had slipped the key from the guard's back pocket when he was paying attention to the boys. I crept out, then found a map of the building posted on the wall. Follow the hallway to the third right turn, go down the elevator to the first floor, turn left, and go out the doorway. A guard had just turned in to the hallway. I darted behind a fairly large tree and waited for the guard to pass. I slipped out, and didn’t have anymore run-ins until the door. A guard was stationed there. I picked up a rock from the pot the tree I was hiding behind was in. I threw it, and slipped out the door when he was distracted. I ran on the path through the forest the boys brought me on, and took forever, but I arrived at the caves. I ran inside, going straight to the kitchen. “Lina!”

 

Carolina

 

Duncan held my arms behind my back. I struggled, and my knees buckled. "Thomas..." I whispered. He was just as tall as Duncan, but I don't know who would win in hand-to-hand combat. "Don't..." I managed. I was trying not cry, I can't look weak. Suddenly, Mae. Mae out of all people ran into the room, "Lina!" she cried. "You!" one of the boys said, he had white-blonde hair, light hazel eyes, and very tanned skin. "Chill out Tristain. We don't need her." Another tan blonde boy said, he had big baby-blue eyes. Why are all these guys cute?! No, what am I saying. Why are all these guys so...mean?! "Andrew's right. Jerry take the girl, lets go." The red head picked me up and threw me over his shoulder, "Mae!!" I called. Thomas ran after me, then I reached out to grab his arm. But he yelled in pain, grabbing it. I blinked, my vision smeared. He had passed out. Sure enough, I did too.

 

Mae

 

“No- Lina!” I called. I struggled against the boys, and tried to wake Lina up with my voice, "Lina! Lina! Wake up. Please! Wake up!” I shouted. "Shut-it." Duncan had said. That’s all I remember before I woke up in a prison cell...with a really bad migraine.

 

Carolina

 

I was in a forest, it was happening again."Hahaha!" two little boys were laughing in front of a little red-head boy with a black-eye. "Cut it out Duncan!" A blonde boy with an accent came out of the woods. One of the boys turned around and crossed his arms. "Ugh! Get lost Thomas! This is why no one likes you..." his last words echoed, and then I saw Thomas and the boy in another scene, "Did he hurt you?" Thomas asked, looking at his eye. "No...it's just a scratch, thanks Thomas." the boy hugged him. He reminded me of Jerry. The scene pulsed, then disappeared. I woke up on a medical table. Wires were hooked up to tiny suction cups all over my body.  There was also a piece of black tape wrapped around my right wrist. The lights were bright. I sat up, un-attaching the wires, peeling them off. I took off the tape and my eyes widened, they tattooed my wrist. It read: F95007 it was printed. I got up from the table, and looked down, I was only in a what looked like a hospital gown...nothing else. Ew- did they change me?! I ran to the closest door, it disappeared. I walked into the room, and the door re-appeared in a shimmering curtain of light. It was a bathroom, a note was on the counter:

 

Carolina,

   Take a shower, and change into

   the clothes provided. When your

   tasks are completed, wait in your

   room.

 

-L

 

L? The heck. I guess a shower won't hurt...

 

Mae

 

Migraine. Stupid migraine! The floor felt cool on my face. I wanted to give up, but Lina's here somewhere. I sat up and rubbed my forehead. After blinking a few times, I realized the bars were giving if this glow. They were black...but...glowing. Is that possible? I reached out to touch one, but as soon as I did it sent a rippling shock through my body. I passed out- again.

 

Carolina

 

After I dried off, I pulled on some undergarments. It felt like athletic -wear. I pulled on a pair of black leggings and a black fitted t-shirt. I slipped on a black leather jacket. "I look so emo..." I looked in the mirror. Then zipped up some black combat boots. I glanced at my wrist. "So...F95 double o 7? It looks like a code or something." I cleaned out my contacts and popped them back in. What exactly will I be waiting for? I stared at my reflection. My hair was wavy and tangled. I was hesitant, but walked out. The door did it's disappearing thing, and I sat back down on the table I originally woke up on. Suddenly, a man walked out of the bathroom. "I am Dr.Lange," he said, rolling up his sleeves. "and you are Carolina?" he looked at me. "Yes you definitely are..." he stared at me, and then squinted his eyes, "How old are you exactly? 16?" I nodded. This guy is a creep. "Yes, you're in uniform. The other Chosen Ones are very...eager to meet you Carolina." He keeps saying my name right. Does he know me? No...maybe...wait- no! Ugh! "What do you want from me?" I stood up, he chuckled. "No, actually...what do you want from me?" a crooked smile spread across his lips. Something tells me I should get out of here. Now.

 

Mae

 

I woke up, and my head still hurt. I didn’t know what to do. I was really ready to give up. I sat slumped in a corner, when the most jumpy and nervous of the four boys unlocked the door of the cell. It was Andrew. “Umm, I brought you food and water,” he said quietly. “I, uh, also brought you a book to read, if you want it.” I looked up, and Andrew walked over. He set a tray of macaroni on the floor next to me, along with two water bottles and a book. “Thanks, Andrew,” I said. “I appreciate it.” Andrew turned around, "Just- don't tell them I was here." He walked out, locking my cell. I looked down at the book. The cover read, Treasure Island, one of my favorite novels. As I ate the macaroni, my spirits were renewed. I got up, and started feeling the walls. I found a loose brick, and pushed it. I saw a tunnel behind it, and pushed out bricks around it. I walked into the tunnel, into darkness.

 

Carolina

 

"Me? If anything...I want you to let me and my sister go!" he pulled out a syringe from his lab coat. "Listen sweetheart. If you wanted to live an easy life, you would have stayed away from Thomas." he injected a transparent liquid into my body, and all I saw was a cloud of black. I fainted. Is this always going to happen to me?

 

Mae

 

I followed the tunnel for 3 more hours, then ran into Thomas, of all people. “Thomas! What are you doing here?” I asked. He replied, “ This is how I escaped when they locked me up. I was coming to help you guys. Do you know where Lina is?” “No, I don’t,” I replied. “I was going to find help. We could go back that way, or we could leave. The cell has glowing black bars that will knock you out. Speaking of knocking people out, what happened with you and Lina?” Thomas just said that I should go back to the cell, and he would find another entrance. He said he’d walk with me, and we walked two hours in silence. “So, what happened with you and Lina?” I asked. All he said was, “I'll tell you later.” We walked the rest of the way in silence. “Stay safe,” Thomas said, and left.

 

Carolina

 

I thought I was dreaming. I didn't realize what I was looking at in the beginning. I was in the middle, the very, middle...of a large city. The building I was in...was a wall. It looked huge for a reason, to protect these people. A large, white wall (the building I was in) is shaped in a huge circle. Huge! But...it was sad. On the inside, everything...looked different. The houses looked like cottages, there were markets, and churches. Stone paved roads were everywhere. Farms...a mine. Did I mention this place was huge? Oh yeah, there's also a plaza in the very middle. The plaza, has a large wooden stage facing the opening of the gate. My eyes burned, the morning sun glared. I blinked, only to realize an entire population of guys. About 2,000 of them! I was only filtering white noise through my ears, and then I heard chants. Yells, shouts. "Lange! Lange! Lange!" My eyes finally adjusted, all the boys looked my age, or a little older. That's when I finally came to my senses.

 

Mae

 

I sat back down in the cell, and finished my cold macaroni. I finished off the first bottle of water, and started on the second. Before I drank even half of it, I thought I should save it for the next day. The lights went out, but the bars of the cell were still emitting a faint glow. I moved over to the wall, sitting next to the bars. I picked up Treasure Island, and fell asleep in the middle of the of the 2nd chapter. I woke up the next morning with Andrew standing over me. "Mae," he was saying. "I brought you some bagels and ham, a bottle of milk and two more bottles of water." I got up, and thanked Andrew. "I can't come back today or tomorrow," he said. "Dr. Lange wants me to go hunting for some turkey or fox." Andrew left, and I ate half a bagel. I drank the milk, then read more of Treasure Island. I had half a bagel for lunch, and half a bagel for dinner. I fell asleep by the bars again, reading.

 

Carolina

 

I went to stand, but I'm in a chair. Tied up. Why am I always tied up? Is this my new routine? Pass out, get tied up. Pass out, get tied up. Pass out..."Good morning gentlemen!" Lange. He walked out onto the stage. A cheer erupted from the crowd. Lange walked to a podium on the side if the stage, "Today, we'd like to acknowledge our new Chosen One."

They got quiet, eyes turned to me. "She's had a rough time getting here, and she might need some...

supervision..." the guys eyed me with smirks and gross looks. "Aside from that. Carolina," he turned to me, "Welcome to the Control Center." This is the Control Center? All of these Controllers get everything inside those walls. The Chosen Ones, these boys. Get nothing from them. Why? The guys clapped. "Now, a few words from, our little Carolina." The ropes turned to dust. Lange brushed me off, and pushed me onto the podium. He gave me a threatening look, and pointed at the microphone. "Hello..." my voice cracked. Great. "My name, is Carolina...and-" I didn't know what to say. Then the gates opened, everyone turned around. I saw him. "Thomas!!" they turned back to me. Then Lange pushed me away, "What are you all just standing there for? Get him!!" the mob ran at Thomas. "I pushed Lange off the podium, and almost screamed into the microphone, "Thomas run! Run!" Lange shoved me into the ground and placed his foot on my back, holding me down. "Shut up. Or else your sister gets it." They have Mae!! All the more reason to- "Hey! Lange!! Listen you old geezer!" Thomas hopped onto the stage, the Chosen Ones surrounded him on the ground around us. "You have some nerve boy." Lange let me go and went up to Thomas. "Stop!" I pushed myself up. Lange turned around, "I suggest you stay seated. For your sister. Okay?" I didn't move. But I cried. Quietly, I don't want to let Thomas see me. "She's fine, if she wanted to leave she has an escape route." Thomas smiled. "What? Thomas!" I stopped crying and stood up. Lange stepped back, "You what?!" I ignored everything that was going on, and ran to Thomas. I hugged him, "Thank-you..." and then I didn't pass out. "Lina," I let go. I touched him, and nothing bad happened to me. He was still standing, "do you know what this means?" Thomas was smiling, but blushing. Lange, furiously walked up to us and parted us. "That's it! Shows over!" He turned to me, "You obviously need some discipline!" He grabbed my arm and jerked me backstage, behind the curtain. He sat me down on a speaker in the corner and more ropes appeared. "Stay put." he growled, and stormed out onto the stage. "And for you- you son of a-" Thomas ran back stage. "Lina, I'd hate to die without doing this. At least once." his words were quick, hard to process. Then he leaned over and kissed me.

 

Mae

 

When I woke up the next morning, I was too excited to eat. I decided to explore where the tunnel went today, since Andrew wouldn't be coming back. I ate breakfast, then grabbed water, the flashlight Thomas gave me, and a bagel, and went into the cave. I didn't use my flashlight, and eventually I could see well enough to move. I came to the end of the tunnel after about 4 hours of walking, and saw that it ended in the woods. The entrance was covered by bushes. I sat down by a tree, and ate half the bagel. I drank some water, then set a 20 minute timer on my watch and dozed off. I woke up to the beeping of my watch, and found that my bagel was gone. I got up, and walked back into the cave.

 

Carolina

 

The kiss was soft. His lips brushed gently against mine, and then he departed, "Thomas..." Lange ran in and grabbed Thomas, holding a gun to his head. "No!" I cried, Lange's eye twitched, "Keep quiet!" I shook my head. "Please- I'll do whatever you want, just let him go!!" At this he turned to me, "Fine. But he stays in the cells." Lange looked over him with disgust, "No food or water. If he dies it's your fault for not giving him a quick death." He threw Thomas to the side. Then Duncan ran onto the stage, "Dr.Lange, the others are-" Lange rolled his eyes and grabbed Thomas' jacket, handing him over to Duncan, "-Screw them, take him to the cells." Lange tucked away his gun, and Duncan hesitantly dragged Thomas off the stage. Leaving me with Lange. Leaving me with Thomas' kiss lingering on my lips. 

 

Mae

 

Back in the cell, I sat down and ate half a bagel. I was dozing off when I heard a clink, clank! I looked up, and saw Jerry entering the cell. "Jer-" "Shh," Jerry said, interrupting me. "Come with me. And stay quiet!" he snapped. He grabbed me, and pulled me out of the cell. "Bu-" Jerry cupped a hand over my mouth, and hissed "Quiet!" He led me to another room, with several other boys my age in it. "Hey!" I said when he finally let go of me. "What's the big idea?!" "Be quiet!" Jerry said. "We don't want to be caught." I rolled my eyes, then looked around the room. There were about a dozen or so boys, all seated around a table in the middle of the room. Jerry made me sit down at on end, and he took a seat at the other end. "Guys, this is Mae," he said. He then introduced me to all the boys.

 

Mike- long black hair, kind gray eyes

Logan- blonde hair, scar on his left cheek

Aaron- short brown hair, British accent

Jake- red hair, Swedish accent

John- black hair, dark eyed

Bryce- blonde hair, tallest of the group

Jeff- shaved head, serious face

Jamie- brown hair, shortest of the group

Xavier- red hair, goofball

Luke- black hair, most outgoing

Ethan- red hair, most annoying

 

I studied them, and Jerry finally began to talk.

 

Carolina

 

Lange told me to "warm up" to the other Chosen Ones. He left to go check on something, and I sat on the speaker, not daring to move. I brushed off my clothes, and walked out onto the stage. Most of the boys were waiting for me, a few went back to their normal lives. I slowly made my way off the stage, and everyone surrounded me. "Hey cutie-" "You should come hang out with me and my buddies-" "This...is the girl?" they all talked loudly over each other. "Uhh..." they started touching me, as if testing if I were real. I covered my ears to block out some of the noise, and started pushing though the crowd. I broke out into a sprint. This is where my years in Cross Country pay up. I took long strides, many boys still chasing after me. And turned a corner, then slipped into an ally. I pressed my body against the wall, and the boys ran past. "Clingy,

aren't they?" I wasn't alone.

 

Mae

 

"The guys and I have discussed it, and we agree that we are going to help you," Jerry was saying. "I've felt... I don't know... weird about being here for a while now. I've actually been thinking about running away. So have a lot of the guys here. So will you let us help you, or not?" I was hesitant, but soon answered. "Is Andrew in on this?" I asked. "Yes," Jerry replied. "It was his idea to help you in the first place." "Well, I guess you could help," I said slowly. I immediately took charge, and began ordering the boys around. "Logan, you and Jamie will stay here and wait for Andrew, then come to the Jell caves. Jeff, you and Aaron can stay here to guard the cell. If anyone comes in, tell them I went to the bathroom and someone's standing outside the bathroom door. Ethan, you can be the one to stand at the bathroom door. Everyone else, follow me!"

 

Carolina

 

I turned, a tall slumped over boy was sharpening a dagger. "I'll just be going now..." "Wait! Don't go." he walked into the light. He had gray eyes, and musty brown hair. He had ash smeared across his jaw line. "I'm Lian." I looked up, "Lina."

 

Mae

 

I took Jerry and the other boys through the tunnel. Going the front way was faster, but we all agreed that the tunnel was safer. After tedious hours, we reached the caves. As soon as I went inside, the boys started running. Anthony was the only one who didn’t run. “Hey, what are all these guys doing here?” he said. “They're here to help,” I said. Find them rooms, and bring them back to me. They’re names are Jerry, Jake, John, Xavier, Mike, Bryce, and Luke. Hurry!”

 

Carolina

 

He was wearing a long-sleeved black fitted shirt, with jeans and black trainers. We sat down, he sharpened his dagger slowly. "So let me get this straight. You were the last one to arrive, which was two weeks ago, and now you're a thief because no one trusts you, and you can't make a living for yourself." He chuckled under his breath, "When you say it like that it makes me sound bad." I laughed, "Whatever." He continued striking the dagger against a rock, "What about you? You got here three or four days ago. Stayed with some Runaways, got kidnapped, and shoved onto a stage, then chased around half the Control Center?" I nodded, "Pretty much." Lian paused, "So, Thomas." Thomas...is he okay? "Lange seemed pretty mad at him..." I shrugged, "Thomas was the very first chosen one." And my very first kiss. "The first?" he started to sharpen the dagger again. "The first." Lian furrowed his eyebrows, "So, he's a default. And you obviously are too." I nodded, "Yeah, I guess." Lian tucked away the dagger and stood up. "Let's go." I took his hand and rose to my feet, "Go where?" He held my wrist and pulled me further down the ally, "You'll see."

 

Mae

 

I went to my room, grabbed some clothes, and ran to the bathroom. I soaked for a bit, then washed and got out if the tub. I dried my hair, and combed it. I put on my underwear and bra, and put on my dress. It was a tennis skirt, so it was short and easy to run in. It was also comfortable. I went out, and walked to the kitchen. "Has Thomas come back?" I asked Rowan. "No, and Tony's starting to worry," he replied, munching on an apple. Just then, the guys came in, along with someone I knew very well...

 

Carolina

 

"Lian-" he gently tugged my arm as we walked further, at this point, we weren't between the buildings. It was only getting darker, the sun was setting. "Shhh, just a little longer." I caught a glimpse of a faint glow. We stopped, and he turned around- "Close your eyes." I closed my eyes, and he placed his hands beside my shoulders, guiding me around. My feet landed on something softer. We were walking up hill, "Okay, keep your eyes closed, and sit down." I slowly sat down. Grass. It was soft on my skin. "Three...two..." he lifted my chin "One." I opened my eyes. The sky swirled with vibrant pinks and oranges. Strokes of golden-yellows, and large puffy blush colored clouds. The sun was about half-way visible. I looked at Lian, he was laying down watching the sunset. Where's Thomas? Is he okay? I decided to lay down too- I relaxed. Guilt crowded around me like the clouds were to the sun. We were on a hill, surrounded by trees. The walls we came out of were tucked between two larger trees. "How'd you find this place?" I whispered, as two birds flew over head. "It's where I sleep at night, it's my break from the Control Center." he said under his breath. "Why don't you just leave?" I turned over, "Bec-" he bolted up, breaking the mood, "Role call!!" he shouted.

 

Mae

 

"Jennifer?!" I said, running up to her. "Let me guess, you were transported here with your older brother Jim and someone found you in the hills or by the lake, or even possibly in the woods?" "Yeah, how'd you know?" Jen replied. "Same thing that happened to me, except it was my older sister, Carolina, and she actually came here with me. Your brother is likely still on the path." "Path? What path?" she asked. "The path to the Control Center." "What's that?" she said. "Let's come back to my room, and I'll explain." We walked to my room, and sat on my bed. "So... what's the Control Center, exactly?" I answered, "Let's start from the beginning. There are three types of people, Controllers, Chosen Ones, and Runaways. Controllers request Chosen Ones from the overworld to work for them. Chosen Ones are the minions of the Controllers and do all their dirty work, Jim is a Chosen One, and Runaways are mainly people who were dragged in with the Chosen Ones like you, Jen. I'm a Runaway, too. The other Runaways are defaulted Chosen Ones, like my sister, Evan-" "Did you say Evan?!" Jen exclaimed. "Yeah, he's here, too. As I was saying, the other Runaways are defaulted Chosen Ones, like my sister, Evan, and most of the boys you walked in with. The Control Center is the place where all (or most) of the Controllers and Chosen Ones are. Where they work with dark magic. They are kind of evil. Us Runaways try to stop them, but no Runaway (besides me) has ever come back from the Control Center."

 

Carolina

 

The sun slipped under the horizon, and the sky was gloomy. "Shh- chill out. What do you mean 'role call' ?" He rushed down the hill, "Hurry! I'll explain later-" I ran down the hill and followed him down the narrow passage way. We were speed walking. In the dark. It only got chillier, and darker. Then I saw the lights from the lamp posts on the streets. We ran out to the stone roads, and they were empty. "Shoot! Lina- how fast are you?" I smirked, "Faster than you." He raised his eyebrows, "Cocky aren't you? We'll see. Race you to the plaza." We took off- I broke into a speedy sprint. I was ahead of Lian. I almost turned around to taunt him, but I saw all the population of Chosen Ones, crowded around the stage. "Stop!" I slowed down, and eased into a slow jog, then stopped. Lian ran up to me, "Quietly- approach the stage. Quietly!" I nodded. We joined the rest of the group in the very back. "M94998." Lange hovered over the mic. A boy walked up, and Lange took out a small device. Then a blue light flashed over his hand. The boy walked off. "M94999." The next guy went on stage, the same thing happened. "M95000." Lian leaned down and whispered in my ear, "This is Roll Call. We have one every morning, and every night. Always the same time." I nodded. "M95004." Lian looked at me, "They'll scan your number. To identify you." I looked at my wrist. "M95005." Lian looked at me, "Don't go anywhere, I'm next." I nodded. Lian pushed his way through the others. "And, M95006." Lange looked up from the microphone. Lian hopped up onto the stage, and held out his arm, pulling up his sleeve. After Lange scanned him, he walked back off. "Last, but certainly not least..." he smiled, "F95007." My number. Half the boys turned to me. I gulped, and walked around the crowd. I walked up the stage stairs and stood in front of Lange. He pulled me forward, and rolled up my jacket. "I need to see you later. Find me backstage when everyone clears up." He scanned my code, and pushed me off the stage. "Lights out in an hour people! Clear out." I ran and found Lian, "I have to go talk to Lange." Lian rolled his eyes, "Just try to avoid getting yourself into trouble." "Don't worry about me." I hopped over the stage, then parted the curtain. "Dr.Lange...?"

 

Mae

 

I let Jen borrow Lina's bed, basically the only one left. She slept soundly, but I couldn't sleep. I was too worried about Lina, Thomas, Andrew, and the boys I left behind. I decided to get up for a glass of water. I went to the kitchen, and found Jerry and Evan talking there. "Hey, guys," I said. "What are you doing up this late?" "We couldn't sleep," Jerry replied. "You?" "Me either. I just came to get a glass of water. Umm, Jerry, could you please get it down for me? I'm a little short." "I'll get it, Mae!" cried Evan heroically. Jerry was already getting up when I said that, so he got the cup before Evan. "Thank you," I told Jerry, and left the room.

 

Carolina

 

"Sit." I came inside and sat on the speaker next to him. "Thomas wants to see you. But you can't see him unless you do something for me first." I nodded. "I need you to kill a Runaway for me." I froze. Me? Murder one of those little boys? Or worse..."His name is Ricky. He snuck into the Control Center's wall and almost made it inside. We need him taken care of..." I can't do this- I couldn't. "I'd normally ask one of the Chosen Ones to do it, and I think I want to see you in action." He looked at me, waiting for a response. I stood up and started walking away. I'm going back. I'm going to the caves. I ran to the ally. Sprinting. "Lina!! Lina wait you can't leave!!" Lian. He wasn't too far behind me. I ran up the hill and collapsed in the grass. "Lina!! You're the one who needs to chill." He inhaled sharp breaths, panting. "The reason I can't leave...is because we have tracking chips in our arms. They know where we are at all times. Chosen Ones have special magic. Each and every one. Especially you." I was breathing heavily, "I need to runaway.  From this place." I stood up. "They'll stop at nothing to find you. What do you think will happen to Thomas?" I shook my head, "It's what I do. I'm a Runaway."

 

Mae

 

As soon as I walked out in the hall, someone grabbed me. Before I had time to scream, he put his hand over my mouth. The person dragged me outside, in the moonlight. He let go of me. It was light enough so that I could see my attacker's face. "Andrew?!" I hissed. "What are you doing here? You were going hunting, and I thought you were going back to the Control Center when you finished. I have two boys waiting for you there!" Andrew shrugged, and said, "Sorry, do you want me to go back and get them?" "Yes, please," I said. "Bring all 5 boys, Ethan, Logan, Jeff, Jamie, and Aaron. Hurry!" Andrew hesitated, but answered, "Okay. Don't get in to much trouble." He put a hand on my shoulder, and I had to look up at him. He turned, and walked away. I remembered something, and I called out to Andrew, "Wait!" He turned around, and I said, "Put the brick wall back together in my cell before you leave the Control Center." He gave me a thumbs-up, and waved. I turned to go inside, and saw Bryce sitting next to the wall of the entrance, eating an apple. "What are you doing here, Bryce?" He shrugged, and said, "Couldn't sleep." "Me either," I said. "It's getting pretty late, though. You should probably go inside." Bryce got up, and we went inside. He turned one way at the hallway, I turned the other. When I got back to my room, Jen was snoring lightly. I chuckled, and flopped onto my bed. Almost as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was asleep.

 

 behind me. I ran up the hill and collapsed in the grass. "Lina!! You're the one who needs to chill." He inhaled sharp breaths, panting. "The reason I can't leave...is because we have tracking chips in our arms. They know where we are at all times. Chosen Ones have special magic. Each and every one. Especially you." was breathing heavily, "I need to runaway.  From this place." I stood up. "They'll stop at nothing to find you. What do you think will happen to Thomas?" I shook my head, "It's what I do. I'm a Runaway."

 

Mae

 

As soon as I walked out in the hall, someone grabbed me. Before I had time to scream, he put his hand over my mouth. The person dragged me outside, in the moonlight. He let go of me. It was light enough so that I could see my attacker's face. "Andrew?!" I hissed. "What are you doing here? You were going hunting, and I thought you were going back to the Control Center when you finished. I have two boys waiting for you there!" Andrew shrugged, and said, "Sorry, do you want me to go back and get them?" "Yes, please," I said. "Bring all 5 boys, Ethan, Logan, Jeff, Jamie, and Aaron. Hurry!" Andrew hesitated, but answered, "Okay. Don't get in to much trouble." He put a hand on my shoulder, and I had to look up at him. He turned, and walked away. I remembered something, and I called out to Andrew, "Wait!" He turned around, and I said, "Put the brick wall back together in my cell before you leave the Control Center." He gave me a thumbs-up, and waved. I turned to go inside, and saw Bryce sitting next to the wall of the entrance, eating an apple. "What are you doing here, Bryce?" He shrugged, and said, "Couldn't sleep." "Me either," I said. "It's getting pretty late, though. You should probably go inside." Bryce got up, and we went inside. He turned one way at the hallway, I turned the other. When I got back to my room, Jen was snoring lightly. I chuckled, and flopped onto my bed. Almost as soon as my head hit the pillow, I was asleep.

 

Carolina

 

"No you're not!" Lian held me down. "You see this?" he grabbed my wrist. "Whether you like it or not - you're a Chosen One." I fought his grip, "So was Thomas! He made himself a Runaway!" Lian laughed and shook his head, "And where is he now?! Just because he ditched his chip and found a cave doesn't make him free. Everyone here has committed some sort of crime that would put us in jail for life in the overworld. Don't even think about going back- it's not possible. You're stuck here. With me. This hill is a stretch- but if you can't fight the temptation to leave- then go back to the Control Center! I'm sure half the guys here will harass you and take advantage of you." He let me go and exhaled, "Be smart. I'm going to sleep." With that he lied down and drifted off to sleep.

 

Mae

 

I woke up to Jen standing over me. "Wake up already!" she was saying. "It's ten o'clock!" I sat up sleepily, and said, "What's for breakfast?" "I have no idea," Jen said. "I was hoping you would give me a tour today. And... could I maybe borrow one of your dresses until I get my own?" "Sure," I mumbled, "but don't change yet." I got up, and went to the small walk-in closet. I chose a dark green strapless dress and a soft white sweater, and picked out an orange off-the-shoulder romper for Jen. I came out and asked, "Do you like it?" She squealed, "I love it!" I showed her the bathroom, and walked to the kitchen. I noticed that Andrew was back with Jeff, Jamie, Aaron, Logan, and Ethan. "Hi, Mae," Andrew said quietly. "Hey, Andrew," I replied as I got a plate. I put a biscuit on it, and spooned some sausage gravy over top of it. I went to sit next to Andrew, and asked, "So, how did you meet Thomas?" "Mhh?" Andrew looked up. "How did you meet Thomas?" "I met him when I was first brought here. I was brought after him, Jerry, Duncan, and Tristan. Duncan and Tristan were always bullying Jerry and me. Thomas always helped us after we had been in a fight. Duncan never liked him. The two often had fights, but one day Duncan knocked him out pretty bad, and made Jerry and me come with him to the Control Center. I never knew what became of Thomas until a couple days ago, when we came in to find your sister. I'm sorry, Mae." Well, now I had a little bit of background, at least. I got up and began collecting plates, just like Lina did before they took her. I washed them, then set them out to dry on a large dish rack. I found Jen, and we decided to go for a walk. We decided to explore the meadows, not the woods this time. It looked beautiful in the sunlight, with the light green grass, and pastel-colored flowers. I loved it. I could have stayed there, but it was getting dark. I told Jen, "Hey, we should probably be heading back now. It's getting dark." She agreed, and we went back to the caves. We had hamburgers for dinner, then headed off to our room. I was so tired from the night before, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

 

Carolina

 

I stood there, looking at the stars. Trying to decide what I'd do. And I came to a conclusion. I ran my fingers through Lian's hair, "Sorry..." I whispered. And darted down the narrow passage. Eventually, I crept out onto the streets. I crept around, looking for a way to get into the wall. I ran to the wall, and felt around. As soon as my hand touched the wall, blue ripples emitted from my hand onto the wall. Suddenly, the wall had a small opening for me to walk through. Confused, but thankful- I crept through the wall. Coincidentally...I was in the cellar. It was a large room. Fitting about fifty cells or so. They were in two columns. "Thomas?!" I hissed. I clung to the wall and scanned through the cells. "Thomas!!" I gasped. His hands were tied to the wall above his head, and his shirt was gone, revealing gashes and bruises. His eyes were blood shot, his leg was limp. Broken.

"Oh, Thomas..." I covered my mouth. "Lina...?" "Lina?!" it was at the same time. Thomas spoke, but who else did? I turned around, "What the hells are you doing here?!" It was Lian. He looked over his shoulder and ran up to me. "I told you to be smart! And you run into the wall?! I was worried about you! If I didn't see your hand print on the wall...I would've, I would've-" I hugged him. "I'm fine." He slumped against the wall, "Is this the famous Thomas?" I nodded. "Thomas, please. Tell me how to help you." He only grunted, "Who's that guy?" I shook my head, "It's not what you think, he's been helping me around the Control Center." Thomas almost glared at Lian, "Thanks..." I noticed the awkward tension between them, and broke the silence, "Let's find a way to set you free." I gripped the bars and shook them, rolling my eyes I started looking around for a key or something. He looks like he just walked out of a battle in the middle of WW2. Frantically I felt the walls, and checked a few more cells. "Lina- come here, there's something you need to see." Lian waved me over. I ran back to Lian and Thomas. "What?" Then I saw, and gasped.

 

Mae

 

Today I woke up to Aaron standing over me. I almost punched him in the face, and I sure would have if he hadn't moved. "Hey, we need you in the meeting room," he said. "There's a meeting room?" I mumbled. "Where is it? And can I have breakfast first?" "It's by the kitchen, just keep going straight till the next room in the hallway. And you can bring breakfast to the meeting room." I got up, and asked, "Can Jen come?" "Sure, just no kids, okay?" "Yeah, I got it," I said as I shooed Aaron out of the room. I decided to wake Jen up after my shower, and walked to the closet. Today I picked out a yellow dress, and it was like my last Christmas dress: It only had one sleeve, with a strap on my left shoulder. It was about knee-length, and had white trim. I took it to the bathroom, and got ready. I woke up Jen, and gave her a tennis dress today. I walked to the kitchen, and got some toast and sausage. Soon Jen joined me, and we walked to the meeting room...

 

Carolina

 

"Thomas- don't move." I cautiously moved around the cell. About a dozen tiny black balls of light surrounded Thomas, they were slowly getting closer. "Lina, those are Piercings. They pierce your skin and cause severe pain, burns, shocks. Enough of them can kill a person." Lian eyed the Piercings. Thomas closed his eyes, "I'm...exhausted..." A Piercing bolted into Thomas's chest. He screamed loud in pain. "Thomas!!" I gripped the bars. I looked frantically at Lian, "What do we do?!" Lian looked around then ran away. "Lian!!" I was about to go looking for him, when Thomas let out another scream. "Thomas!! Hang in there!" I looked back to where Lian ran off. "Lian?!" Suddenly I heard an un-familiar voice. "Hey!! What do you think you're doing?!" Then Lian dashed into the room, "Heads up!" He tossed me a silver key.

 

Mae

 

"Mae," Andrew said. "We need to leave, at least for now. We're putting you and all the boys in danger." He pulled up his right sleeve. "See this? It has a tracking chip embedded in it. If we don't leave, half of the army will be here by the end of the week. Jeff has already left, and he said he would go back to the Control Center, to spy on the Chosen Ones and Controllers, but I am afraid that he will be captured, and we could be exposed." I stopped him, and we all sat quietly for a moment. I was thinking, thinking about how I would miss An- all the boys help, and that would mean less chance of getting my sister and Thomas back from the Control Center. "Can't at least one of you stay?" I said, glancing at Andrew. "I need help leading these boys! Since Thomas is not here, I need a boy to lead all these boys. They're kids! Most of them have been here for so long, they probably don't even remember their moms telling them what to do! How do you think they're going to listen to me? And Evan disappeared yesterday-" "Which I'm glad of," I muttered under my breath. "What did you say?" Jamie asked. "Umm, nothing. I just need some help controlling the boys." "I'll stay," Ethan said. "Umm, on second thought," I said, "I think I can handle the boys myself." "I'll stay and help," Andrew said. "But I have to leave for a couple days. Will you be able to handle the boys on your own?" "Well, if it is only a couple days..." I said. "Great," said Andrew, and all the boys left.

 

Carolina

 

I looked down at my palm, where the key was. It beckoned me to unlock the cell. I raised my shaky hand to the padlock of Thomas' cell, and nervously turned the key. I swung the door open, "Thomas please, work with me." I cupped his cheek, and rubbed his eyelid with the pad of my thumb. His eyes opened, "Okay..." he coughed, "But hurry." I quickly moved my fingers, as I tried to un-tie the ropes. My hands worked fast as the Piercings inched closer. "Ugh! Come on!" I was frustrated. I was scared. "Lina- duck." Thomas spoke up. "What? No- Thomas, shh- I'm almost done." I started unraveling the ropes, "I said duck!" Thomas yelled and kicked me down. I stumbled to the ground, as another Piercing flew by my head, and into Thomas's neck. He screamed louder this time, my eyes watered. He was in so much pain. I yanked away the ropes, and Thomas collapsed onto the ground. Suddenly all the Piercings attacked the wall, leaving scorching holes. My heart was pounding so fast. I put one of Thomas' arms around my neck, "Come on...lets go..." I helped him to his feet, and he limped out of the cell. "Lian?!" I looked around, he wasn't where he was when he tossed me the key. Suddenly it got cloudy. No, not outside. The inside. Like fog...I suddenly felt very tired. "T-Thomas..." I dropped to my knees, and let the fog fill my lungs. "Let's..."

I fell to the floor, "...take a rest..."

 

Mae

 

Man, was I wrong about the boys. From the minute my friends left, they were crazy. I guess there were always older boys around, and without them, they were lost. Jen and I tried to keep them all together, but it was useless. They wouldn't listen to us. Most of them hadn't seen a female in years, their mothers included. They started rebelling, and Jen and I couldn't control them. "We are not waiting around any longer!" the boy named Rowan yelled. "I want a way back to the overworld, and I think the Controllers have the key! They can help us, and we've been waiting around here this whole time! It's time to end this and go home. Who's with me?" More than half the boys joined him, including Hunter and John. Anthony came and stood over by me. "Hey, don't you guys know why we're here?" he yelled. "Because the Controllers are evil! They wouldn't help you for all the money in the world. Stay here with us!" Only 2 boys from Rowan's group came over. The rest just stayed there. "No! It's time to go home!" Rowan retorted. "All we have is here is a pile of rocks and worn out clothes. What can we lose?" "Your lives."

 

Carolina

 

"Get up you stupid brat!" someone kicked my thigh. I blinked, my vision blurred. I was kicked again. "Stand up!" I almost yelped and then wobbled, a bit. I rose to my feet, I was wearing a white body suit, and my hair was pulled into a pony tail. I was suddenly pushed onto a bed. And my arms and ankles were cuffed. The bed was more like a mat. A very uncomfortable one. I heard beeps, and typing. It felt like hours had past. My vision blurred. I constantly felt needles. They must be drawing my blood. "What about the other two?" said a familiar voice. "Thomas Mcrae, his chip was implanted again. And his code was re-printed sir." said another. "It wasn't his magic that did it?" Lange, it had to be Lange. "No Doctor. The Chosen one named Florian Augustus is being tested now." Lange agreed, "Thats what I've heard too. But Carolina, she's still being tested." He paused, "It's taking an awful long time too."

 

Mae

 

I turned around, and saw a boy standing in the doorway of the cave. I picked up a knife, and slowly advanced. "Wh-who are you? You're one of them, aren't you?" The boy was silent, and he walked into the light. He had a huge scar on the left side of his face. He had cuts on his right arm, and he was wearing black. He towered over me by at least 8 inches. "Sure, if you want to call me that." He leaned against the wall, taking out his own knife. He picked up a stone, and began sharpening it. I came closer, and the boy advanced, too. "Don't come any closer," I said, trying to the hide the fact that I was scared. "I don't want to hurt you." "Ha!" the boy laughed. "You? Hurt me? You must be joking. You couldn't hurt a fly." He came closer, and tried to attack me. I jumped back, and blocked him. He struck again, and missed as I hopped to the side. The third time he attacked, though, I wasn't so lucky. The boy struck my arm, and I screamed. It left a long gash, and it bled heavily. The boy ran, and yelled over his shoulder, "Jim!"

 

Carolina

 

"Lina." Thomas lifted me up from my mattress. I opened my eyes and scanned the room. We were alone, just me, him...and another dude. He had grey eyes like "Lian- where's Lian?" Thomas looked disappointed, "I don't know, he disappeared after you got me out if my cell." I looked back at the boy. He was my height, and had white hair. White. I stared before asking, "And who are you?" Thomas stood up and guided me toward him, "This is Florian. He's a good friend of mine." I shook his hand, "Lina." He nodded, "So I've heard." We were all wearing the same matching white suits. "Where are we...?" Florian started messing around with the equipment in the room, "In the wall. They're running tests on us. We're the strongest Chosen Ones they have. They're trying to fix our defaults." My eyes widened, "Can they do that?" Thomas scoffed, "If you mean brainwash us, they could. Yes. And," he pointed down at his wrist, "they improved the tracking system. Florian and I erased our codes and pulled out of chips...but now we are the chips. Our bodies as a whole are what is being tracked. It's impossible to escape unknowingly." We were quiet, then suddenly the most disturbing noise filled the silence...a gun shot.

 

Mae

 

As Jim ran, I looked down at my arm. It was bleeding profusely, and the wound stung. A lot. "Anthony, get me a cloth and some warm water. Alcohol, if you have it," I said, wincing in pain. Anthony ran, saying, "Sorry, no alcohol." I turned to Jen, who was just standing there, her face pale. "Jen," I asked, "was that your brother? He's... changed a lot. What was with the scar on his face?" "Yeah, that was him, alright," Jen said. "Last year, he fell out of a tree and cut his face on a sharp branch. It never fully healed, and Jim was always a bit sour after that, and he was never himself again." "I'm sorry, Jen," I said. We were silent, and Anthony soon came back. "Here's your washcloth and water," he said. He handed me the things I needed, and I winced as I cleaned my wound. I asked Anthony for another cloth, to wrap my arm in. It hurt, and I spent the rest of the day in my room. When I got out of bed, I tried to open the door, but found it was locked from the outside. "Jen!" I yelled. "Anthony? Could someone unlock my door, I'm hungry!" I started pounding on the door, and heard a clunk outside.

 

Carolina

 

I stood there shaking. Florian was shot. He laid on the ground. Dead. I felt tears escape the corners of my eyes, "Who shot that? WHO DID THIS?!" I screamed dropping to my knees. If Florian weren't standing in front of me- I'd be dead by now. Thomas quickly pulled me back, "Lina I know. We need to take cover. Whoever shot him is no friend of ours, so keep it do-" before he could finish his sentence another gun shot went off. I clung to Thomas, and we ducked under a table of lab equipment. I cried as I watched blood seep across the floor of the room. I closed my eyes and buried my face into Thomas' shoulder. I miss Mae. I miss home. I miss being a normal girl. I heard voices and braced myself as the door to our room busted down. Suddenly someone  barged in, "Don't move!" He said, gun in hand. I looked up and realized who had fired the gun, it was Lian. "You...YOU! Look at what you've done!" I cried, rising to my feet. He looked down at Florian's body. And shrugged, "Lina I'm sorry, I had to." My tears clung to my cheeks as I screamed at him, "You almost killed me! He was innocent!" I pushed Lian back. "Lina-" I backed away, "Don't talk to me." "Lina," he reached out for my hand. "Leave me alone! Leave me alone you...you-" Lange burst into the room, "ENOUGH! What is going on in here?!" Lange noticed Florian's body. "I see you followed through with your task..." Lange eyed Lian, who lowered his gun. "Ahh you two are awake. Lian?" "Yes sir..." Lange circled me and Thomas, "I think it's time...these two follow through with their last bit of testing." "Yes sir." Lian stared at his feet. "Testing? For what?!" I said trying to calm down. Lange said nothing, all I got in return was a crooked smirk.

 

Mae

 

"Mae? Mae, the key's not working," I heard Andrew say. "What?!" I yelled. "Not working? How is that posible? Now how can I get out of here?" "Mae, just hold on a minute," he replied. "I'm going to go get Jen." I heard footsteps as he ran off, and I walked over to sulk on my bed. I missed home. I missed school. (As crazy as that sounds.) I missed my friends. "Mae?" I heard a voice say. "It's me, Jen. Remember those Tae Kwon Do classes we took together for a year? Well, I still took them until I was a red belt. So I might be able to at least knock the door loose. Maybe not down, but hopefully we can figure out a way to get it open after that." I sat straight up on my bed, surprised. Kick the door loose? What was she thinking?! "I'm going to do a back snap kick, so you might want to go into the closet," she said. I moved over to the closet. "THREE, TWO, ONE!" Jen yelled. I heard a loud crack, and saw my door was busted in several places. I was surprised. I hadn't expected it to actually work. "I'm going to go get Andrew and the other boys. Just stay here!" Did I really have a choice?

 

Carolina

 

Lange nodded at Lian and started to walk out. "Wait!" I stopped him, "What was the point of that?!" I yelled across the room. "He can't be fixed. He's got his head in the wrong place. But you two..." he laughed. "The two of you can be fixed alright...if I can fix the two of you...I can fix all defaults..." he continued laughing to himself as he left the room, Lian following. "Lian..." I said between angry tears, "I don't want to know why you- specifically did it. But I want you to think about who's side your on." Lian blinked a few times, keeping a straight face. Then walked out after Dr.Lange.

 

Mae

 

I was still in shock that Jen’s back snap kick actually worked when I heard voices. “Yes, I kicked the door.” “And it worked?” “Yes, it worked!” “So then why did you need me and the other boys?” “Because it's just cracked, not busted off the hinges all the way. Now would you quit asking questions Anthony?!" "Jen?" I said. “Hang on, I'm going to try another kick to loosen it more.” I heard another crack, and door shook heavily. I heard grunting, and then Andrew said, “Umm, we're lighting a small fire here, so you might want to stay in the closet.”

 

Carolina

 

Thomas laid Florian on a mattress and closed his eyes, then covering the body with a large tarp from the ground. He sighed. I quickly turned to the door. It was...unlocked. "Thomas." I said pulling the door handle, "Thomas!!" I said stepping out, I turned around and he was gone. "Thomas...?" My voice faded and I looked around. I wasn't in the room anymore. As soon as I opened the door it took me to the cells. Each cell, contained a little boy. A Runaway. I ran down the walkway, helplessly looking at these boys. "Lina." I heard a voice, inside my head. "What? Who's there??" I spun in a full circle. "Your test just began." I recognized the voice, "Lian..." I froze and scanned the cells. "Yes. Lange is testing Thomas right now. To move on to the next task you must complete this one and find the next door. You have limited amount of time." I shook my head, "What are you talking about?!" Lian sighed, "Listen. You have a series of twenty-two trials. And a ten-minute timer before you fail. If you fail, you die. This test is designed to fix defaults. I'm your guide. Are you ready?" I frantically looked around. "What?! No! No- Lian why are you helping Lange?!" He yelled inside of my head, "Because I need to survive!!!! Don't we all?! If you want to live, then you'll follow through!! Are you ready?!" I took in shaky breaths, and finally answered. "Yes." Lian spoke clearer, "Look around. Each cell has a Runaway. None of them are real. They're holograms. But realistic ones. You're first task is to kill the Runaway guarding the door with the golden handle. Task One- Starts now." A gun appeared in my hand. And a holographic timer hovered above me. It read nine minutes and fifty two seconds. Fifty one. Fifty. I gripped the gun. "It's okay Lina. They're only holograms. Only holograms." I sprinted, looking for the cells with a door. I stopped in front of a boy standing in front of a door. I was about to aim the gun, but I noticed something. The handle wasn't gold. My breathing staggered. My life was at stake, I looked up at the timer. Eight minutes. I ran some more, frantically searching for the door. My eyes landed on something shiny, and I skid to a stop. Only five minutes left. I pulled out the gun. There was the boy. He was tiny and fragile, with big brown eyes. My hands shook and I looked up, two minutes. The boy dropped to his knees, sobbing, "Please! Please I'm begging you! I want to go home- I want my dad!! I want to go home!" he wailed and tears streamed down his cheeks. My eyes watered as I watched him. He's just a hologram. "Just a hologram, Lina." I put my finger over the trigger and aimed between bars. The boy screamed at me to stop, and continued sobbing. Tears rolled slowly down my cheeks. "Thirty seconds."warned Lian. The timer above me flashed red, I closed my eyes tightly- then pulled the trigger.

 

Mae

 

Fire? I thought. Fire?! They're going to burn my door down?! What were my friends thinking? I mean, Anthony was only 10-years-old, and he's playing with fire! What the heck? I heard crackling noises, and peeked outside my closet. The door was in flames! I dashed back in the closet, and sat down. For about 10 minutes, the crackling went on. Then I heard a sizzling sound. I stood up, and slowly walked out of the closet. After a few seconds, a fist crashed through the door. I stepped back in shock. Then a foot came crashing through as the hand retreated. A moment later, I saw Jen's face in the hole her foot had just made. "Mae, are you all right?!" I mustered a smile, and nodded. "You know, I think I'm going to go take a shower," I muttered.

 

Carolina

 

I opened my eyes. The boy bursted into a thousand glowing pixels. Flying all around. The timer went off and dinged. The door that the hologram guarded swung open, a blinding white light beckoned me to enter. "You passed the first test. But that was the first of many. Go ahead and enter the next door." Lian echoed. I slowly advanced forward, into the light. I blinked a few times, adjusting to my new surroundings. I was back in the forest. On the path. "Welcome to Task number Two." Lian said. "As you can see we're in the Northern part of the woods, near the Rex Caverns. This is another Runaway hideout, but it's abandoned. You have twenty minutes to complete this task. Go into the cavern, and see who awaits you." I peered through the trees, "Remember. Everything you interact with, are just holograms. You may not be able to affect them as much as they can affect you." The timer hovered above my head, and begun counting down. I took in a deep breath and tightened my ponytail. You've got this Lina. I ran straight ahead, down the path. I came to a stop when I noticed something gray out of the corner of my eye. I turned around and poked my head around a rather large tree, there was the entrance. I checked the timer. With fourteen minutes left, I ran through the entrance. There was nothing inside. No one was inside. It was lit dimly by the sun, and dust partials flooded the open space. I slowly walked around, until I heard a familiar voice. "Lina?" I walked deeper into the cavern, until I saw the face of the speaker. "Mae?!" I almost teared up as I ran up to her. I threw my arms around her but she pushed me off. Not she- it. It pushed me off. It's just a hologram. Nothing here...is real, nothing here is real. Mae is just a hologram, a bunch of flying pixels. "We need to talk." It said, and walked further into the darkness.

 

Mae

 

I walked out of my room, and straight to the bathroom. There were clean towels in there, and I grabbed a couple. I turned on the water, but it was cold. My shower lasted only minutes, and I dried off and went to my room. Luckily, there was a door for the closet, so I could have some privacy. I chose a long teal dress. I brushed my hair, and just left it down. I walked out of my the closet, and was surprised to see Andrew sitting on my bed, reading a book. “Andrew?” I asked. “ You’re back early.” He gave me a sad look and said, “I saw Evan. He wanted to come with me, but I told him it was too dangerous.” Suddenly, Evan walked in my room.

 

Carolina

 

I trailed deeper through the cavern, it was completely empty inside. Nothing was there. I wonder if Chosen Ones raided it...wait that would mean they- "Lina." She said, walking into the light. "I hate you." I was shocked by what and why she said it. "We were never- close." Mae grit her teeth and inched closer to me, "I always thought you were the worst. Why would anyone want a sister like you? You're worthless." Her voice got louder. I covered my ears and my back slammed against the wall. I looked up, nine minutes. I held back tears and reminded myself: it's a hologram. It's not real. Pull yourself together. "You despise me. Don't you? Think I'm annoying?" I stood up and pushed her back. Fight Lina. Fight it. Out of no where she back handed me. "I never loved you, Lina." She yelled and her words echoed in the cavern. The slap stung my cheek, and my eyes burned. "Don't you just hate me too?" This is it. This was my test. The timer flashed red. Lian didn't give me a warning this time. I have to say it, even if I don't mean it. "Yes. Mae, I hate you. I do despise you. You are annoying. In fact! I wish I were just an only child!" I was screaming, crying, and then I slapped her back. It back. And there it went. Purple and pink pixels, blue and green. Slowly floating around the empty cavern. "Congratulations, you made it past the second task. Go on and find the door to advance." Lian said unenthusiastically. I looked around and spotted the door. I ran to it and breathed slowly. Contemplating whether or not I should just die. What are these tests going to turn me into? I killed a runaway. Betrayed my own sister. These are only getting harder, what's next? I had to trust my survival instincts instead of my heart. And I turned the golden knob.

 

Mae

 

“Evan?!” Andrew and I said at the same time. “Why are you here? I told you to stay. They're going to find you, you know. You're putting this whole operation in jeopardy,” Andrew hissed. “I-I wanted to make sure you guys were all right,” he stuttered, glancing at me. I rolled my eyes. “Whatever, Evan,” I said. “Just leave! If you care so much, go back to the Control Center, or some where far away from here. Do you want me to get killed? Because if you do, just stay here!” Evan stared at the floor. He looked up and said, “Why?” “Have you seen your arm?” Andrew asked. He gestured to the tattoo on Evan's right arm; it was a large number. Evan looked at it. “So what? It's just a number,” he said. “It's just a tracking device,” Andrew replied sarcastically. “You know what that is, right?” Evan blushed, and looked at the floor. “Sorry,” he muttered. He turned around to leave. I stopped him, saying, “It's late. You can stay here till morning, no harm in that. You can have breakfast, but then you have to go. You're endangering the lives of innocent boys.”

 

Carolina

 

I walked forward and through to the next stage. I was in the forest again, but this time I recognized my surroundings. I was at the foot of the hill Lian and I went to the night of my arrival. "Recognize this? Yeah, me too. This is task number three. Your objective is to socialize. Yes, easy right? They're just holograms. No. They are not. You are back in reality. There will be a tracking system that keeps track of how many people you meet and get to know. Go out there and socialize with as many Chosen Ones as you can, if you have less than fifteen people on your tracker, you'll fail. You have thirty-minutes to complete your task. Ready? Doesn't matter. You start....now." The timer reappeared, next to it was a big fat zero. I found the alleyway, and ran through it. Socialize? I have a half hour to get to know twenty people or so?! Why? And how well do I have to get to know them before I move on?? I ran onto the gravel roads, and stopped. I was the only one wearing white. And the only girl. I was like a glow stick in the middle of the dark. Heads turned, and people stopped. I froze. What am I suppose to do next...?

 

Mae

 

Evan slept in Andrew's room. According to him, Evan's snores were louder than a lion's roar. Hmm... interesting way of describing it. He had a small breakfast of eggs and milk, then went on his way. He said he'd come back, but I doubted that. If he came back, we could be in serious trouble. Andrew and I walked him to the entrance of the cave, and I waved goodbye. After Evan left, Andrew helped me form a new plan. We only had about 14 Runaways here, so it would be much harder to defeat the Controllers now. We decided that Jen and I would go around recruiting Runaways from other bases. Andrew would stay here, and manage the boys while he formulated a plan on attack. We would bring Anthony to help us in case the other boys wouldn't listen to us. He would have a map with him, so we wouldn't get lost. He said a few of the bases were giant skulls, but most of them were small underground caverns. "We'll need to be careful, though," Anthony said. "We think that some of the bases are actually traps to lure Runaways in, then possibly kill them. After Thomas sent boys to these locations"-he pointed to a few X's on the map-"they were never heard from again." "So, I take it we're not going to those locations," I said. "On the contrary," Anthony replied, "it is most important we go to those locations, just in case there are survivors there." I nodded, understanding. "All right, let's pack so we can head out at dawn."

 

Carolina

 

Let's put some thought into this. They are practically shaping me into a Chosen One. If I don't follow through with the task, and leave it uncompleted I'll die right? I'm back in the real world, or at least this world. So they have to catch me to kill me. If I found a way out of the Control Center I might be able to escape. If I stay on the move, I may have a shot at being free. And I'll take as much freedom as I can. Guys surrounded me, "Emerson!" Barked a familiar voice. I jerked my head and something black flew out of my hair. An earpiece. "Lina?" It was Lian. "I'm sorry." I whispered. I tossed it on the ground and crushed it under my foot, as soon as I did the holograms dissolved into thin air. Thomas ran up to me. Chosen Ones stared at us, confused. Some looked ready to attack, some looked dazed. Thomas ran up to me and I pulled him into a hug. "Thank god!" I embraced him tightly and pulled away, "We need to get out if here." I looked up, Thomas had a timer above his head. Fifteen minutes. I ruffled his hair as I went on my tippy-toes. "What are you-" his earpiece fell out and I caught it in my hand. "Dr.Lange?" I said teasingly into the microphone. "Carolina?! What do you think you're doing?!" I laughed softly and chucked it across the road. Thomas widened his eyes as his holograms evaporated into nothing. Then he pointed at the wall, "I know how...but Lina it's too risky..." I shushed him, "We don't have much time. Besides, it's not like we have a choice anymore." Thomas ran, I followed. Some Chosen Ones ran after us. He quickly placed both hands on the wall, sending ripples of light out onto it, he removed his hands and the wall cracked open, exposing the forest. Not looking back, we took off. Barefoot, in our white bodysuits, uncomfortably sprinting through the woods. The stars hung over our heads, as we raced the wind until our legs refused to budge. I collapsed onto the grass. I slowly leaned over cupping my hands, I took some water into my cupped palms and splashed my face. I panted, and fell backwards. We barely made it to the lake. But now where? Thomas breathed heavily as he laid on the grass, chest quickly rising up and down. "Thomas?" I said between breaths, "Why is it we are the only Chosen Ones who can go past the wall?" Thomas sat up, and we sat there in silence, catching our breaths. "We aren't. Every Chosen One can open the gates to the wall. But with Role Call, and tracking devices standing in our way, no one sees the point in leaving unless Lange tells you to." He stood up and offered his hand to me, "We need to leave, stay on the move. Once we're somewhere safe we'll rest, but not now...not here." I nodded and took his hand, gripping his wrist. "Okay."

 

Mae

 

I went to my room with Jen, and started packing. I found a musty old case thingy on wheels, and decided to use that. I packed some mouthwash, a brush, and some first aid supplies. Then I went into my closet to find some clothes. I chose 4 tennis outfits, two dark green, one white, and one purple. I also picked out the sweatpants and shirt I appeared here in. I brought one nice dress, you know, just in case I needed it. I also brought a sweater, in case it got cold. I took the extra blankets, and somehow managed to stuff them in the suitcase. Before bed, I decided to look over the map. I found 2 other caves; one was crossed out with a big X. I found 6 caverns, 2 of which had been abandoned, and 1 with a big X through it. I counted 3 skulls, 1 of which was abandoned, and 1 that was crossed out. I also saw these trapdoor thingies scattered across the map. There were 4 of those. Only 1 was abandoned, and I noticed that one was really close to the Control Center. Funny, I thought. All the others near there are either abandoned or Xed out. I pondered this for a while, but then was suddenly interrupted.

 

Carolina

 

Thomas' fingers intertwined with mine and we walked through the forest in silence. "Thomas?" I whispered, as we slowly made our way through the trees. "I'm too tired...we've been walking...for hours." We had passed the lake, and been walking in this forest forever. The moon still sat in the sky, and the air grew cold. I curled my toes and came to a stop. "Lina, we need to keep moving." I sighed and let go of his hand, "My feet hurt. My eyes won't stay open. I can barley walk, let alone run." I could see it in his face, he was tired too. Thomas looked up and began to climb, "Fine. But as soon as the sun comes up we're leaving. It's not safe in these woods. There are-" He froze and his eyes widened. "Lina...get in the tree..." He hissed, and climbed higher, holding out his hand. "I'm trying." I said, reaching for a limb, then taking his hand. "Try harder!" His voice was shaky, and his hand trembled. "Climb faster Lina." He harshly pulled on my arm, "I said climb faster!" His voice broke out of a whisper. And I heard a bark behind me. A bark. I turned my head. In front of me was a dog. A very, large, dog. About five feet tall, and seven feet long. With large glowing yellow eyes. It growled, inches away from my face. I froze in fear. Suddenly Thomas yanked me into the air right as the giant dog pounced. Thomas breathed heavily as he secured himself in the nook of the tree. I was panting, still frozen. The beast circled the tree, and howled. Barking at us continuously. I made myself comfortable next to Thomas, and managed to get some sleep. When I woke up, Thomas was already on the ground. "Thomas?" I called, looking down. His head tilted up and he threw something at me, "Heads up!" He tossed was seemed to be an oversized grape. I caught it, it was the size of an orange, but purple. I bit into it. Grape. It's a giant grape. "What is this?" I asked, taking another bite. "A thornberry." He said, eating one himself. "Berry?! This is pretty big for a berry." He stood up and licked his fingers, "Just eat it and get down here." I finished it quickly and wiped the juice on my dirt-covered bodysuit. I climbed down and checked our surroundings, "What happened to that..." Thomas helped me onto the ground, "The Hound?" "Hound...?" Thomas gestured for me to walk forward, we walked swiftly, trying to make up for lost time. "Yeah. A number of creatures lurk the forest at night. But Hounds, they belong to the Controllers. They guard the Control Center, but they don't come out during the day. And they don't wander far from the Control Center, I wonder what one was doing all the way out here." He walked forward, pushing away branches, and weaving around bushes and shrubs. I followed in his footsteps, "What kind of creatures...?" He didn't look back, he just continued on. The sun filtered through the trees, and made the greenery around us gleam. "I don't think you want to find out."

 

Mae

 

"Mae!" Andrew cried breathlessly. "We've got to evacuate, NOW! Anthony spotted some armed Chosen Ones heading towards here. We can head to an abandoned base to the west of here. It's called Underopolis. It's been abandoned for about 2 years now. It will be the safest place for us for to go. The Controllers have been doing this at random bases for the past 3 years. It's gotten worse in the past 6 months." I took a deep breath, trying to take all that in. "Okay," I answered finally. "I'll pack everything up and load it on to all the wagons. Is that cool?" "Great! Then you, Jen, and Anthony should probably get going," Andrew replied. "We'll be fine." "Are you sure?" I said. "I can stay and help." "It's more important to round up the other Runaways. Like I said, we'll be fine." "Okay..."

 

Carolina

 

We were running. My veins pulsed and my feet were going numb. There were cuts and bruises all over them, my suit was torn and stained. My hair was ratty and itchy. Not to mention I stink. Really bad. Thomas seemed to know where he was going. He didn't stop once. Suddenly he jumped. It all seemed to happen in slow motion, he jumped and slid into the ground. I skid to a stop and slipped. I fell into a hole, and skid on my butt, flying downward through what seemed like a tunnel. It was all a brown blur. I squeezed my eyes shut, then screamed as I spun. It was like and endless slide. Suddenly it all came to an abrupt stop, and I crashed onto my butt. I winced, then cracked open my eyes, my head hurt. Finally things were back to speed. I wasn't running, spinning, falling, I was sprawled out in the cold dirt. I breathed heavily and sat up. Thomas stood in front of me, facing away. I scanned our new surroundings. We were in a Runaway base. About eight boys sat in the small room underground. "Lina, meet the Runaways of Undreopolis." They nodded there heads at me, and I rose to my feet. I looked around, we were in a small circular shaped room, above us was a ladder and the hole we came out of, there were stone benches in the room, and many- many hallways that branched off from the main room. It was a large complicated underground system. Way bigger than the caves. A boy with pale skin and dark hair approached me, "Sup. I'm Jin. That's Roderick, Sam, Trevor, and Chance." I waved slowly. "Lina." Jin waved Thomas over, "Word is you too are the most wanted in all the realm! Listen, I don't know what the heck you think you're doing here but you're putting us all in danger. You need to leave." Thomas groaned, "Listen, I get it. We're like ticking bombs." The other boys looked terrified. Jin glared at us, "What business do you have here?" "We need supplies. The quicker you help us the quicker we'll be out of here." Jin sighed and made eye contact with me, then Thomas. "Fine. But you better be gone by sunset."

 

Mae

 

After I helped pack, I found Undreopolis on the map. It was pretty close to here, so I decided to go clockwise on the map, instead of counter-clockwise. This way I could continue with the mission, but still help Andrew and the boys. I told Andrew my plan, and he agreed that it was logical. I would come along, make sure the boys were okay, then move on to the Pilodon Skull. It worked pretty well. We left that night after dinner. Undreopolis was only about a 5-hour walk from the Caves. We agreed that Anthony, Jen, and I would scout ahead, and wait for the rest of the group there. After they got there and were settled, we would move on to the next base.

 

Carolina

 

Jin waved me over, "Follow me." I nodded and followed him. We went down one of the many corridors and turned through many tunnels. Finally, I arrived in what looked like a bathroom. I thanked him and he tossed me an oversized robe. The little swinging door came to a stop and I ran the cold water in the stone tub. The bathroom was the cleanest area out of the whole tunneling system. Everything was stone, and there was even a mirror. I dipped my foot into the freezing cold water, and it sent chills up my spine. I inhaled deeply and got in. I washed myself completely and after finishing rising my hair from all the soap, I dried off and slipped on the robe. I cleaned out my contacts and threw the body suit into the trash. I washed my bra and underwear and pulled those back on after they dried. I tied the robe tightly around my waist and combed through my hair with my fingers. I looked "normal" again. My hair air-dried and fell onto my shoulders, still wavy and tangled. I swung open the door and my feet tip-toed on the concrete flooring. I poked my head out into the main room, Thomas was clothed and washed. He held a black satchel and talked to the boys. "Thomas?" I called. "What am I suppose to wear?" Sam stood up and pointed down the tunnel on the very end. "Walk straight, it's the third door to you're left. I nodded and scurried down the hall. I cracked open the door, only to a see a giant closet full of clothes and boots. I smiled to myself and began picking through the clothes.  I put together an outfit, satisfied I put it on. I slipped on thick black socks, a pair of dark-blue skinny jeans, a gray cuffed-sleeve, and a brown leather jacket. I laced up some black boots and ran back out to the main room. "Let's go." Thomas said, pulling on the satchel. "Thank you." I said once more to the boys, before following Thomas up the rope ladder.

 

Mae

 

I was able to keep a steady jog all the way to the base. It was pretty easy, from all the hard work we did in my dance classes. Mostly conditioning is what helped. Jen kept up easily; she was on the cross-country team at school. Anthony didn’t slow us down much, either. He was so used to running from base to base, he didn’t have to stop too much. We made it to Undreopolis in just under 2 hours. We arrived there just as 2 people were emerging from the trapdoor thingy. “Anthony,” I started, “I thought you said that this base was aban-Lina!?” I cried when I saw the second person's face. I ran up and hugged her. “Mae?” she said. “Is everything okay? Why aren’t you at the Caves of Jell?” “We had to evacuate,” I said. “Some armed Chosen Ones were coming to clear us out. We decided to come to this abandoned base.” “Abandoned? There are kids here,” Thomas said. “Anthony? You said this base was abandoned.” “Umm, I guess not anymore,” he said. “We made these maps about 8 months ago.”

 

Carolina

 

My heart ached the moment I saw her. I pulled Mae into a tight hug and didn't want to let go. She has no idea what I've been through, and something tells me- that this is only the beginning. Thomas' grip on the satchel tightened. We kept it brief, exchanging words for a few minutes- before Anthony spoke up. "Thomas, care to explain what Hounds are doing on the outskirts of the forest?" Thomas groaned, "They got to you too?! Dangit!" He kicked the ground. "No, I heard the howling. They're searching for you two. Chosen Ones are everywhere." Anthony crossed his arms. "You're right." I said tearing up. "No matter where we go, we're putting someone new in danger. And right now, that's you guys. We need to leave...and I can't promise we'll be back." I fought back my tears and Thomas tried to protest, "No Thomas- the sun set already. We promised we'd be gone. Lets go before we do something we regret," Mae said something but I couldn't hear her over an ear-splitting howl. Her eyes widened in fear. I didn't dare turn around, I already knew what were behind me. "H-Hounds." Anthony muttered.

 

Mae

 

I looked over Lina’s shoulder, and saw the giant creature. “Wh-wha-“ I stuttered, unable to speak in full sentences. “Hound,” I heard Anthony mutter. I backed away, pulling my sister with me. “Trees, NOW,” Thomas said. I looked around, and saw a large tree just to my right. Thank goodness I could climb well! It was one of the things we had to do for conditioning for dance. I pulled Lina along, not wanting to let go. After I was up in the tree, I said, “Come on, Lina!” She took my hand and I helped her up. She looked terrified, and I inferred that she had seen the thing before.

 

Carolina

 

I knew there were two, I spotted another pair of golden eyes in the dark. I pulled myself higher into the tree. Thomas was in the tree across from us, while Anthony hastily climbed the tree to our right. The second Hound emerged from the trees and pounced into the air. "Tony!" I shrieked. The Hound hung from the tree, biting a thick branch. Anthony scrambled higher up. The Hound below Mae jerked it's head in the other Hound's direction. Then slowly backed away. It got low to the ground, getting ready to jump. "Look out!" Yelled Thomas, as the Hound leaped forward into the air.

I  leaped back, ramming myself into Mae, taking her down to the ground with me. "NO!" Anthony screamed. We fell on opposite sides of the tree. "Mae!" I screamed. My leg was in immense pain. Mae didn't respond. I couldn't stand, I groaned in pain. The Hounds approached me and Mae. It's giant head hovered over me. The other one had circled Mae. I pulled myself together and smirked. Thomas knew what was going through my mind- "Lina don't-" I ignored him and called out to Mae, "Those self defense classes might come in handy." I gathered all my strength and swung my good leg into the Hound's face. I used the tree and hobbled up as the Hound whipped its head back. It's eyes focused on me and it charged. I dropped back onto the ground, babying my leg. I heard a yelp from the other Hound and laughed to myself, Mae has some spunk. And a very...hard kick. She looked fine, aside from a bleeding forehead. Blood traced over her cheekbone and she gave me a weak smile, "I guess they could." Her smile quickly faded. She backed up against the tree as the Hounds got closer. And I wasn't sure if we could kick our way out of this one. The Hounds breathed down on us, and we cowered together. Staggering breaths escaped my lips as they got closer. Very close now, they looked as if they were about to tear us apart. "MOVE OUT OF THE WAY!" Thomas screamed. Anthony yelled out too, "MAE- LINA, GET UP, RUN!!" Run? I can't. Mae was trapped between the tree and the Hounds. She was losing a lot of blood too. I closed my eyes as the Hound in front of me opened its mouth. "THAT'S ENOUGH!" The Hounds both yelped. Then silence. I looked up, they were kneeling. Ears down. Mae stood tall, "Who's there?" She managed. I wobbled onto my feet and hugged the tree for support, squinting into the shadows. "Lina. You're playing a risky game..." His voice was scratchy. He walked out into the moonlight. "Lian." I huffed.

 

Mae

 

I had just kicked the Hound in the face when I fell against the tree. I was lightheaded, probably from loss of blood. I heard a voice in the night, “THAT'S ENOUGH!” I looked around, but didn't see anyone. The world became a massive blur. “Lian,” I heard Lina mutter. I think they had a conversation, but I can't remember much, just bits and pieces. “…risky game…” “…here, Lian…” “…had to…” “…away…” Suddenly, all I was aware of was colors. A massive blur. I tried to call out, but choked. “Help!” I managed. After that, I passed out.

 

Carolina

 

"What are you doing here, Lian listen to me you can't-" Thomas climbed down from the tree and walked up to him, "We had to run. What would you do? Huh?" Lian sighed, "Lange sent me away to find you two. Of course I was going to. You yourselves are tracking devices. And, Hounds have been released to roam as far as they please. You were either going to be found, or get killed-" "Help!" My head snapped into Mae's direction. "Anthony go get Jin!" Thomas called, quickly picking Mae up. The left side of her face was streamed with blood, still going down her neck, staining her light colored hair. "Mae." I said under my breath. Lian muttered something and the Hounds ran off. "If you told them to back down they would have. Thomas knows this." I turned to Thomas, "You could have stopped them?!" "Don't start Lian! You already know we can't! Lange has our magic on restraints!" "Magic?" I was lost. Anthony pushed through the trap door and shrubs that hid it, climbing out with Jin following. "I thought you'd be gone." Jin was mad. Very mad. As soon as he took notice of Lian his eyes widened, "Oh I don't think so." "Please!" I called out, "Help her." I looked at Mae who's losing more blood by the second. Jin sighed and covered his eyes, "Thomas just take her inside."  Thomas quickly carried her into the base with Anthony helping, leaving me outside with Lian.

 

Mae

 

I woke up on a hard bed with a strange boy standing over me. I tried to sit up, but was pushed back down. “You're going to reopen the wound,” the boy said. “Close your eyes, and lay down.” I obeyed. I heard someone else come in the room. “How is she?” Andrew. It had to be Andrew. They must have arrived when I was passed out. “She's better, Andrew. She just woke up, so you can talk to her if you like.” I slightly nodded my head, hoping that Andrew would notice. “Mae? It's me, Andrew. I just wanted to let you know that I'm here, and so are the other boys. Jen and Anthony are both in other rooms, their wounds are being treated.” “Thank you,” I managed in a soft voice. After that, I passed out again.

 

Carolina

 

It's been two days. Two days. Thomas and I stay outside. Guarding. And...they don't let us in. Jin refuses, he's already mad enough that we're hanging around. My leg was dislocated, but Thomas had painfully popped it into place, it's still sore but I can manage. Lian explained to us that he's done being "Lange's Minion"  and he left to tell Lange that he found us hiding out somewhere, and is going to come find us on his own. Lian will then return, and somehow, help us out. He said he thinks he knows how to get the tracking syrgeim out of our bodies. Meanwhile, Mae hasn't woken up. Suddenly, the Andrew guy from before poked his head out if the trapdoor, "Lina was it? Come quick! Mae woke up!" I hesitantly climbed down, "What do you think you're doing?!" Jin stood up, "Leave!" "Jin, relax." It was Anthony. They've been running Undreopolis together. The boys all had their rooms, and were finally settled. They all fit in perfectly. "Relax?! What if more Chosen Ones start searching? What if we're found along with them?!" "Where's my sister?!" I cried out, over their arguing. They instantly got quiet, Anthony pointed down one of the tunnels, and I ran into Mae's room. She was asleep. Or passed out. Either way, she's not awake. "She was awake a few seconds ago..." Andrew said walking in. "She's not now." I groaned in frustration and stared at her, "I hope she's okay." "Lina," Thomas said entering the room, "You do realize we need to leave when Lian comes back...right?" I nodded. Lian would be back within the next hour or so too. I sighed and sat on Mae's bed, holding her hand. "I know we just got back together, but I have to leave again...and I don't think I'll be back anytime soon." I looked down at her with sad eyes as Thomas hugged me from behind. "Thomas-" "-Lina I'm sorry you have to go through all of this." Thomas...I turned to face him and hugged him back. "We'll get out of this." I reassured him, trying to convince myself in the process. He nodded and walked towards the door, "I'll be outside." I turned back to Mae, and pecked her forehead. "Bye, Mae." I ran after Thomas and climbed up the ladder. There he was, Lian by his side. "You ready?" He said, looking me over. "Yeah, let's go."

 

Mae

 

The next time I woke up, no one was in the room. The only lamp that was lit was the one in the wall beside the door. I sat up, and examined my surroundings. On a stool next to the bed was a glass of water. A note in front of it read, If you wake up, and need something to drink, please have this water. I took a sip, not realizing that it could have been drugged. Feeling sleepy, I layed back down. Someone entered the room, but  my vision was hazy, so I couldn't tell who it was. He came to stand over me, and I blacked out.

 

Carolina

 

I sighed, feeling a little disappointed Lian had arrived early. Thomas had packed extra clothes and our essentials for survival in his satchel. Shortly after Lian showed up, we all left. It was only about an hour when we had taken a break. The sun was setting, and we looked around before climbing a cluster of trees. Lian and I sat in one, with Thomas across from us. I studied Lian's face, his eyebrows crashed together as he sipped water from his canteen before passing it to me, "What?" My face softened and I took the canteen, "Nothing, I'm just glad you're on our side." He chuckled softly, "Me too, who'd want to work for some lunatic...old, cranky dude anyways?" I laughed quietly and looked over at Thomas, who was fast asleep. "Hey Lian?" I asked, starring up at the now night sky. He hummed in response. "Do you really think there's no way home?" I paused, scanning the stars. "Back to...the overworld?" I looked back at him, his grey eyes gleaming. "I don't know..." he muttered quietly, locking his eyes on mine. He slowly leaned in, and I did too. I slightly tilted my head, feeling his warm breath hit my lips- when suddenly Thomas let out a loud snore. I jumped and backed away. I felt my cheeks heating up as we sat in silence. "U-Um we should get some sleep." He didn't respond, he just nodded. I turned away and rested my head on a knot in the tree, my heart beating loudly, violent butterflies in my stomach. I covered my face in embarrassment and closed my eyes, eventually drifting off to sleep.

 

Mae

 

Next thing I knew, someone was shaking me awake. I opened my eyes, and saw Jen standing over me. “Oh good, you're awake,” she said. “We need to make a plan.” “Where's Lina?” I asked sleepily. “She, Lian, and Thomas left. If they stayed any longer, the Controllers would have found them.” “Oh,” I said, looking down. I got up, and walked with Jen to the room we would be sharing. I picked out a green dress to wear, and brushed my hair as best I could. It still did not look to good, but at least my hair is short. We went out to the dining hall, and Jin waved me over. “You’re feeling better, I take it?” I nodded, then Jen and I walked over to Anthony and Andrew’s table. I slid into a seat next to Andrew, forgetting we had to go up and get lunch. I got up again, and got some mac and cheese from the lunch counter. I went to sit back at my table, and we started talking.

 

Carolina

 

"Psst! Lina. Lets go." I looked around, it was still night time. I blinked a few times, adjusting to the darkness. I realized I was the only one in the tree. "Lina!" Someone hissed. I looked down, Thomas was waving his arms while Lian sat down eating what looked like one if those big berries. I climbed down carefully and cocked an eyebrow, "Why exactly are we up in the middle of the night...?" I asked, letting out a yawn. Lian tossed me a berry, "Because your tracking devices can't just be put on pause, when you stop they stop- and pinpoint your location, making the signal stronger. Where as when you're moving, it's weaker, and has a slower time keeping up.  There aren't Hounds out either, for now. Once Lange finds out I was lying- there's no doubt everyone and everything will be looking for us." I caught the berry in my hand, almost immediately looking away. I couldn't face him after what happened before. Why Lina? Why'd you do it? What did you think would happen?? "Right Lina?" Thomas asked, smiling at me. I looked up, freeing myself from my trance. "R-Right." I said, not knowing what I was agreeing to. "Fine. Lets keep moving." Lian stretched and stood up. I finished eating, and licked my fingers- following the guys quietly behind. I wiped my hand on my jeans and we walked on. Lian leading, Thomas next to him, and me in the back. I stared down at my feet as we weaved in and out if trees, around shrubs, ducking under branches. I had bent over to avoid a branch, and almost tripped- but I caught my balance. "So, what's your plan? You 'ought to have one right?" Thomas asked, looking at Lian. I looked up, curious as to what he was going to say. "Of course I have a plan. We just need to visit a few places first. Our top priority is to get that tracking crap out of your bodies. I was able to get mine out with a formula I found back at the Control Center- now we need to replicate it." Thomas nodded, and then spoke again- "And what kind of things do we need to find to create this 'formula'?" Lian stopped in his tracks, turning to Thomas- "Did you hear that?" "Hear what...?" I asked in a hushed voice. They both looked at me with wide eyes, as if forgetting I was there. Then I heard it too, a low grumbling noise. "That...that's a..." Thomas' voice trailed off. I squinted my eyes in the direction ahead of us- and then something terrifying emerged from the shadows.

 

Mae

 

“We need to do something,” I said. “I can't just sit around here, helpless. I think I want to go here,” I took the map out of my pocket, and spread it on the table, “the Footpath Fortress.” I pointed to the fortress closest to the Control Center. I started eating my mac and cheese. “You're crazy!” Andrew said. “Only the most experienced Runaways live there. They study the Control Center, then send reports to the other bases. It's way too dangerous.” “I don’t care,” I retorted. “I'm going, and no one can stop me. I'm leaving tomorrow night. If anyone wants to come with me, feel free to (but i wouldn't suggest it)." I finished my food, and took my plate back to the kitchen. I went to my room, and started packing. I brought along my two tennis skirts, one formal dress, and three pairs of shorts, and three shirts, plus underwear. Jen came in just as I finished packing my old suitcase. “I'm coming with you,” she said.

 

Carolina

 

I urged my body to run, move, do something. But it wouldn't. I was frozen in fear. It was a tall dark figure, just an outline of a body. I shivered as it crept closer, floating, when it stopped in front of Lian, shrinking. I watched as it's body was twisted and warped, then it changed. There was a tall woman with black hair and grey eyes. "Lian." She smiled. My heart raced as I watched her raise a hand, her it- that black thing literally transformed into a woman. "M-Mom." Lian stuttered, eyes widening as she wrapped her hand around his throat. "Lian." She said again, but sternly, and without a smile. She tutted as her hand wrapped tighter around his throat, Lian gasping for air while attacking her hand with his. "Stop!!" I shouted, stepping in front of Thomas. Her head snapped in my direction. Suddenly her face was wiped clean, an inky substance coated her body, until the thing returned to what it looked like before. I bit my lip down hard to stop it from quivering, as the thing changed again. But I already knew what was happening, I think I already figured this thing out. "Mae." I said calmly, trying to stay relaxed. The thing finished it's transformation, and I was right. I thought back to the test Lian had guided me through. The old words, 'it's just an illusion' still planted in my brain. I balled my hand into a fist, and before it could open it's mouth, I swung as hard as I could- but nothing happened. The thing looked shocked, and hissed at me. It opened 'Mae's' mouth, darkness emitting from it. A black shadow seeped out, forming around my body. I felt nothing, but as soon as I went to breathe, I couldn't. It was almost as if all the oxygen had been sucked out of the air. I began choking, trying to breathe- but nothing. I tried hard, tears forming in my eyes, fighting the toxic black cloud that circled me. It was all I could see, I desperately thrashed my arms- but then stopped. I stopped everything.  My body, giving up the urge to fight any longer.

 

Mae

 

Well, I tried to dissuade her, but she insisted. It's probably a good idea for her to come with me, travelling in pairs (or groups) is probably safer. She put some more clothes in the suitcase, and we left the following night. As I would learn the next night, Andrew sent Anthony to follow and protect us. The only reason he didn’t come himself is because he had some business to attend to here. Just Andrew and Jin saw us off. I guess every one else had stuff to do. I looked at the map and said, “Let's travel on the paths. It might be safer. I pointed out the route we would take: We would travel to the Pilodon Skull, then take the path until it split. Then we would turn left, and take a right on the next path. We would keep going until we reached another path, then turn right. Then we would just keep going until the end of the path, and try to find the Footpath Fortress. I looked up. “Well, lets go!"

 

Carolina

 

I woke up to the smell of salt, and cool air on my skin. Something warm, and wet landed on my face. Then again. White noise swam in and out of my ears. And that's when I heard it, the crashing of the waves. I fluttered my eyes open. Thomas hovered over me, eyes shut, tears falling. "T-Thomas?" Suddenly he stopped, opening his eyes. He leaned in closer, "Lina?!" "W-What happened?" I asked, slowly sitting up, brushing the sand off my body. "Lina..." He pulled me into a tight hug, sobbing. "I-I thought we lost you." "I don't understand. Where are we?" He broke the embrace, wiping his eyes. "Lina, it's been a week. We've been traveling along the outskirts of the forest. We reached the beach yesterday." My eyes widened, "But that last thing I remember is..." I gently stroked my throat, cringing at the memory. "That was a Reaper. It distracts you by taking on a form of someone you trust, before attacking you, draining your life force. They're extremely rare- and we were very unlucky to run into one. But also very lucky that you survived." He started to cry again, I smiled faintly, wiping away his tears. "I'm sorry I caused you two so much trouble..." "Don't apologize, just, come here." I hugged him again, sighing. "So where are we again?" "Some where safe. We can hang out here for a few days, but then we'll need to relocate ourselves." I nodded, burying my face into the crook of his neck. "Thomas. Get over here, I got some more firewood a-" I looked up, Lian stood there, dropping all the wood he had collected. "W-when...how....Lina?!" He ran up to us, dropping to his knees. "No, not you too." I frowned, rubbing the pad of my thumb under his eyes. "Lina, I thought you were-" "Dead?" He nodded. I pulled him into the hug, cradling them both. It was comforting. No running. No hiding. Just, hugging. Too bad we can't stay like this forever.

 

Mae

 

We set off in the woods, heading toward the Pilodon Skull.  I had hoped to get there before dawn, but I guess it was too long a trek. We found a big oak tree, and climbed up it. Pretty soon, I found a comfortable position and fell asleep. The next night, I woke up just as the sun dipped below the horizon. I woke up Jen, and we ate some berries that I brought with us. We continued on our way, the skull soon coming in sight. “Wait!” I hissed. I had heard something. Rustling. There it was again. I saw a shadow to the left. “Who’s there?” I asked, in what I hoped was a confident voice. “Show yourself!” I heard a few more noises, then someone stepped out of the shadows. Evan. I heard something to the right, and Anthony, of all people, jumped out in front of us. “Whoa, Tony,” I said. “It’s okay, that’s just Evan. Don’t attack him,” then to Evan, “What are you doing here?! Why did you come back? Nevermind, save it,” I said, holding up a hand to silence him. “Just go to Undreopolis. Talk to Andrew and Jin. It’s straight back that way. And don’t follow us past the skull.” Evan’s face lit up, and he said, “I’ll just escort you to the skull, then I promise I’ll go back. I won’t bother you aga-“ But he didn’t get the chance to finish. Something leapt out of the trees, and I feared it instantly.

 

Carolina

 

"Hahaha!" I laughed, holding my stick over the bonfire, rotating the fish. The tide went in, leaving extra room on the sand. Chilly salty air blew the sand from my hair, causing Lian to erupt in a fit of coughs. My hair hand gotten so long, so had my nails. I glanced at the satchel. "Guys, I'll be right back." They nodded and I grabbed the satchel, running behind a wall of rocks along the ocean. I stripped down and got into the shallow water, washing myself off. I came back up, drying myself with a towel from the bag. After all of me was completely dry, I changed into my new undergarments and pulled on a pair of distressed, blue skinny-jeans. I slipped on a black camisole, that had cute crossed straps. I found a small dagger, trimmed my nails on my hands and feet, then laced up my combat boots. I kept the dagger out, putting everything back, wadding up my ruined clothes by the rocks. I stared at my reflection in the water, then threw out my contacts. To my surprise, everything still looked the same. I sighed in relief, and gripped the dagger, staring at my now sky-blue eyes. I took the dagger, and cut my hair. The chuck fell into the water, making my reflection ripple. I stood up straight, my thin wavy hair falling a few inches below my shoulders. I grinned slightly at my new look, satisfied. I secured the dagger against my belt loop with a hair tie, then walked back out to the fire. I set down the satchel, picking up my now-burnt-fish. "Aww..." I frowned, slowly rotating it. I looked up at the boys, who only stared at me. "What?" They both replied at the same time, "Your eyes." "Your hair." I chuckled softly and tossed the burnt fish into the water, putting a new one on the stick. "I know, it's different." "But a good different!" Thomas added between mouthfuls of food. I cooked my fish and began eating myself. "Lian?" I asked, he hasn't touched his fish- he only stared. "Aren't you going to eat??" I gestured to the fish dangling on the twig he had been holding. He kept a blank face, blinking a few times. "Kaminski!" Thomas barked, startling Lian. "Kam...what?" I asked, a smirk plastered on Thomas' face. "Lian Kaminski. It's his last name." I nodded, looking between the two. "I'm curious, what was life like for you guys before....being chosen?" Lian stiffened, as he glanced at Thomas, who nervously looked at me. "Lina..." Lian got up, tossing his dinner into the fire, causing sparks to fly up. I waved a few ashes away from my face, as I watched Lian walk through the sand towards the water. The further he got, the further my patience stretched out. "What's his deal?!" I asked, tossing my scraps into the fire, brushing my hands off. "Just give him some time alone." Thomas said, as he began putting out the fire. I rose to my feet, slowly drifting away, feeling the warmth of the flames fade. I gripped my arms, hugging myself, as I approached Lian. "Hey...." I whispered, as he threw a shell harshly into the water. Then another, and another. I looked back in the direction Thomas was. The fire had been put out, he laid down in the sand against a log. I turned back to Lian, looking up at him. He raised his arm to throw another shell, but this time I grabbed it. He shot me a glare as he dropped the shell. I slowly let go, looking out onto the ocean. "I don't know why you're acting like this, or what made you this way. If it was something I said...or if-" "My dad went to jail for physically abusing my mom. And, for abusing me too." I immediately grew quiet. "After that, my mom and I struggled a lot financially. It got to the point where we were living on the streets. One day, she got sick. And...a-and I didn't know what to do. I couldn't do anything to help her. She ended up dying, and I managed to take her to the church we used to go to when I was really little." He held back tears as he continued, "I had finally found help. But as an orphan, I wasn't happy. The night my mom died I was taken. Chosen. And now here I am." He looked down at me, weakly smiling. "Lian." I spoke gently, trying to comfort him. "I'm so sorry, I didn't know..." my voice trailed off. He turned to me, cupping my cheek and slowly leaning in. His plump lips caressing mine. I kissed him back, pressing my lips onto his. That's when it happened. Something had clicked inside of me. The ocean waves got louder, the smell of his soft leather jacket grew stronger. His lips parted from mine, and I opened my eyes. There he was, standing in front of me, the stars shining vividly behind him. It was like re-experiencing everything all over again. And I like this feeling, my heart beating in sync with his. Our breaths matching each others' pace. Everything seemed to fall into place. Until something sucked him into the pool of water beneath our feet.

 

Mae

 

It almost looked like Donkey Kong, but less cartoon-y and more scary. It had a horse’s mane, and huge Yoda ears. Its skin was red, and its teeth were purple. It charged at Evan, but he managed to leap out of the way just in time. Jen screamed. It charged at her next. I pulled out the knife that Andrew gave me, and struck Donkey Kong on the forearm. He reared back in pain, and I struck him again. This time in the side. He turned around, and ran back into the forest. “Tony,” I panted. “What…was…that?” “That,” he replied, “was a Cincitoka. The Controllers haven’t figured out how to control them yet. It was probably just a wild one.” He looked over, and I followed his gaze. Evan. I guess he hadn’t leapt all the way clear. His side was bleeding, and he wasn’t moving. “Come on, we have to get him back to Undreopolis,” I said. “We can come back once we’re sure he’s okay. Let’s hurry!” I picked up Evan, and Jen came over and helped me. Her face was still white, but gaining color back. I heard a low cry, like the one I had heard when the Cincitoka appeared. “We need to hurry,” Anthony said. "It might come back."

 

Carolina

 

"NO!" I shrieked, as his body was dragged quickly through the shallow water and into the deeper part of the ocean. I kicked off my boots and thrashed through the water, my feet going numb from the ice-cold water. Once his head disappeared under the water, I wasted no time. I threw my arms over my head and dove into the water. The freezing liquid made my whole body tingle, and I cracked open my eyes. Even if it stung, I had to find   him. I was able to make out his shadow, which was fighting off the force with much difficulty. I swam deeper, reaching out to grab his arm, but before so could something grabbed my ankle. And there it was, that feeling again. The choking. I needed air. I drew my arms in, fumbling with the dagger attached to my pants. I struggled to get it free as I sunk deeper, something scorching hot sinking its fingers into my ankle. I managed to get hold of my dagger, and leaned over, stabbing whatever held onto me. A piercing shriek rippled through out the water. I tightly shut my eyes, before swimming up to the surface. As soon as my face came up from the water, I gasped. Breathing heavily. "Lian?!" I called, searching. I looked down, praying whatever was down there wouldn't come back. The salt water made my burnt ankle sting. I clenched my jaw, and swam back into the water. This time, I was face-to-face with a girl. A beautiful one at that. She had a soft heart-shaped face, and deep green eyes. Her silky black hair flared around her face. The thing that stood out the most, was the long green tail that replaced where her legs should've been. My eyes widened, and she hissed at me. Her hand went to grab mine, and I noticed a cloud of blood follow. I guess I had stabbed a mermaid, and now I'm about to pay the price.

 

Mae

 

We almost ran all the way back to Undreopolis, only stopping a few times to rest. We get there about an hour after the sun rose. On our first stop, I bandaged Evan’s side, but he wasn’t looking much better. Anthony found the trapdoor, and slid down. Before doing so he said, “Send Evan down next. I’ll catch him.” We did as he said, then Jen slid down. I came last, looking around to make sure no one saw us. I closed the trapdoor behind me, then took my feet off the sides of the tunnel so I could slide down. I stumbled as I slid out of the tunnel, and would have fallen if Jen hadn’t caught me. “Whoa,” she said. “You okay?” I nodded, then went to find Andrew. “Andrew?” I called. “I need to talk to you.” I went to his room, and found him sitting on his bed. He look… sad, I think. Grumpy, even. “Hey,” I said. “You okay?” “What are you doing back already?” he asked looking up. “We ran into Evan on the way, and then a Cincitoka. Evan’s hurt.” “Evan’s back?” he half-groaned. “Yeah, I’m not very happy about it, either.” I offered a sympathetic smile. “He needs medical care. Jen and Anthony took him to the infirmary. Do you have anyone with any medical experience?” Andrew nodded, but said, “Not that good. We’ve never had to deal with anyone seriously injured. I mean, you could ask Jin, but…” I knew what he meant without him saying it. “Alright. Do you have any oak sap? Or potatoes? Or lavender oil?” “Actually, we have all of those things,” he replied. “Well, we don’t have oak sap yet, but we can get it. There are some oak trees around here.” I smiled, and hugged him. He seemed surprised at first, then hugged me back.

 

Carolina

 

The dagger had drifted through the water, further from my grasp. Then right as I was about the reach for it, the mermaid tightly held my hand, burning my flesh. A series of bubbles escaped my mouth as I groaned in pain, she sped further down. Deeper into the ocean. Further. And Further. I floated behind her as her tail moved gracefully in sink with the current. We got so deep beneath the ocean, to the point where I couldn't see anything besides the inky water around us. And then it wasn't even that. As soon as I ran out of air, I blacked out.

 

Mae

 

After I got the tree sap, potato, and lavender, I went to my room. A bowl was sitting on the desk. I sat down, and poured about a quarter cup of the sap into the bowl. I put some lavender in, then crushed the potato. I mixed the powder into the bowl. I got up to get some water. I filled up a cup, then brought it back to my room. I poured small amounts in until the consistency of the mixture was good. I took it to the infirmary, and talked to the boy in there. “How is he?” I asked. “He’s doing better, but still not looking good,” he replied. “I hope you can be of more help than I was.” “I’ve taken college medical courses every summer since I was 12. I hope I can do something.” The boy left, and I walked over to the bed Evan was laying in. The boy was right; he did look a little better. I pulled his mouth open, and put some of the oak sap mixture in his mouth. I forced him to swallow. I stayed with him for a few minutes, and saw that some of the color had returned to his cheeks. I smiled, then went back to my room. Jen was in there. “Hey, Jen,” I said, “have you seen Jin? I need to ask him something.” “I think he’s in the dining hall,” she replied. “Thanks!” I said and left. Jen was right; Jin was in the kitchen. “Hey, do you have any honey I can use? I don’t need that much.” “Help yourself,” Jin replied, gesturing to a cabinet I couldn’t quite reach. “Umm… could you maybe get it down for me?” He got it down for me, and I grabbed another bowl. I went back to my room, and mixed some honey with the leftover potato powder and lavender. I took it back to the infirmary, and was pleased to see that Evan looked better. I rubbed the salve on his side, hoping it would ease the pain. I sat in the infirmary for a while, eventually falling asleep. When I woke up, I saw the Evan’s eyes were starting to open, too. He sat up, and asked, “Where am I?”

 

Carolina

 

I inhaled sharply, shooting up into a sitting position. My eyes adjusted to the light, as I came to the realization of where I was. I was on a tall rock, waves crashing over, soaking my clothes. I shivered as I coughed up water, almost falling over the edge of the rock. All around me was water. Ocean as far as the eye could see. White-capped waves lapped over each other, tossing the blue water into the air. I breathed heavily, processing what had happened. Where am I? "Lian?!" I shouted, worry in my voice. "Thomas?!" I called shortly after. Nothing. "Lian, where are you?!" "Can anyone hear me-" "-Oh in the name if Poseidon! Would you shut up?!" A familiar face shot out of the water. Rage filled my insides, "You." I said coldly. She laughed at my state, amused with my reaction. "What? We just wanted to have some fun..." "W-We?" I asked, lips turning numb from being cold. I was probably sick. A smirk formed on her face as a bright red tail slapped the surface, then another girl with pale skin and brown hair poked her head out of the water. "Marina." She whispered, "Is that a...human?" Marina. That was her name. What a- "Yes. I found her with that land boy," she paused, "What did you say his name was again?" She asked, turning to the mermaid with fair skin. "Hollister," Hollister? Like the clothes brand..? "that's what it said on his skin cover." Skin cover...? Wait, his shirt?? Hold up, "Land boy? You mean Lian?! Where is he?" "Umm, slow down. And, why would we tell you?" She asked, turning to Marina- who said, "What should we do with her?" "Well, Hollister keeps asking to see some 'Carolina' girl. Is she..." They both looked up at me, "C-Carolina? That's me! I'm Carolina!!" Marina scoffed, "He wants to see...her? Fine. But after words I want to play a little longer." she frowned, the other mermaid nodding. "Let's hurry then!" Before I had time to react, they both sucked me back into the water.

 

Mae

 

“Evan, you’re in the infirmary of Undreopolis,” I said. “Jen, Andrew and I brought you here. I made an elixir for infection and made a salve for the pain. I’m sure the wound hurts; let me get you some more salve.” I found the bowl, and applied some of the mixture to Evan’s side. “That thing that… that got me… what was it? It kind of looked like Donkey Kong without the tie,” he said, laying back down. “That,” I replied, “was a Cincitoka. And I totally agree with you, it did look like Donkey Kong.” Evan tried to get up again, but I held him down. “Shh,” I said. “You need to rest.” I gave him more of the elixir, and he fell back to sleep…

 

Carolina

 

They swam slowly. The crystal-clear water beneath the surface revealed everything. Every fish, plant, chunk of coral. It was beautiful. I didn't have long to enjoy the scenery, because I was then pulled into an under water cavern, the water only waist-deep. The indigo rock walls glistened, the pool if water sinking lower beneath me when I was pushed to walk further, the mermaids letting go of me. I heard a series of echoey giggles, and then a familiar sounding laugh followed. I turned a corner, wading through the water, and into a more open part of the cavern. It was breathtaking, but I was immediately distracted by the boy leaning over the edge of the rock. It was a large circular space. A flat area of rock sticking out of the outskirts of the water, where about six mermaids sat, staring at him. He was lounged over the side of the rock, happily talking to them. "Ladies, ladies. One at a time, I cant understand you when you all speak at once." "Hollister~" Marina sang, leaping into the section of deeper water, the other girl following. "Ah! Rita, Marina. Welcome back." Lian said, sounding a little too amused. I stepped up onto the rock, and out of the water, clearing my throat. "What do you think you're doing?!" I asked sternly. Lian's head snapped in my direction, "L-Lina?!" He stood up, walking out into the light. His sun-kissed skin and messy hair coming into view. His wet clothes clung to his body as he ran up to me, pulling me into a hug. "Thank god you came!! I thought I'd never get the chance leave." A chorus of 'aww's came from the pool after he spoke. "I'm sorry girls. Playtime is over. Do you think you could do me a favor though?" He asked, flashing a smile in their direction. And immediately after, they all bobbed their heads up and down. "Okay good. Now listen..."

 

Mae

 

I went back to my room and lied down on my bed. I thought about Lina, wondering where she was. Was she captured and brought back to the Control Center? Did she go to another Runaway base? Did she reach the beach? Or the dessert? Or maybe she made it to the R2 mountains? For all I know, she could be back at the Jell Caves! Ugg! I must have fallen asleep, because the next thing I knew, Jen was shaking me awake. “Mae, Evan’s awake, and he’s asking for you,” she said. I got up, and went with Jen to the infirmary. Sure enough, Evan was awake. “I hear you want to see me?” I said. Evan nodded and said, “I want to come with you.” “No way,” I said. “It’s too dangerous, and you’re hurt. You are not coming with us. End of story.” Before he had a chance to say anything, I turned on my heel and left the room. Jen followed me, “Don’t you think you could at least give him a chance? He has good intentions, you know.” “Good intentions,” I said, “not good results. He’s staying here, period. Anyway, he’s hurt.” We reached our room, and I grabbed some clothes. “I’m going to go take a shower,” I said.

 

Carolina

 

"LIAN YOU ARE AN IDIOT!!" I screamed, choking on water as the mermaid named Rita, swam through the water at full speed. Everything around me was a blur. The other mermaids followed us, while Marina happily carried Lian through the water. "Hollister?!" One of the girls from behind shouted, "Which beach do you want us to drop you off on?!"

"That one!!" He called. Rita threw me, yes- threw me, onto the sand. I rolled over onto my back, coughing up the salty water. "Thanks ladies." Lian said as Marina gently nudged him onto the beach. All of them sat there, watching him with big eyes. "Hey!! Where have you two been?!" Thomas yelled furiously, sprinting into our direction. "It's almost sunset and I haven't seen you guys since last night, I was worried about you two!! Do you know what I've gone through today?!" I crawled further out of the water feebly, still coughing. "And- what the hells." He froze- noticing the state we were in. And most importantly, all the mermaids behind us. "What's your name?" Half of them called in unison. "T-Thomas." He croaked, still in shock. "Thomas~ Do you and Hollister want to come to our lagoon? We can have lots of fun..." Marina sang, as Lian shook his hair to shake off the water. I used a rock for support, and shakily lifted myself up, leaning onto it. "Gee," I managed, "thanks for the- I was so worried about you but I'm glad you're back guys." Lian chuckled, "Yeah Thomas, get it together. Are these lovely-" I shot a dirty look into Lian's direction, "Hey!! You too! Where's my, Lina I was so scared something had happened to you too- but I'm relieved you're okay." He smirked, "Is...someone jealous?" I stumbled back. Me. Jealous? Pssh! "W-What?" Some of the mermaids giggled and whispered. "Okay! That's it, all of you can take your pretty little tails and faces and swim back to whatever dark cave you came from!" The girls glared at me, splashing me even. "That's it! I took my knife to your skin once, I won't hesitate to do it again!" Marina flinched as I stepped forward. "I could just drown you again..." She said innocently. "You drowned her?!" Lian said, turning to the mermaids. "But she cut my hand! Hollister..." Marina whined. "You know she's right man. We have things to do before we leave tomorrow night." Lian nodded, "Alright. That's my cue. I got to to, goodnight ladies!" He said, after being pulled into the water and kissed on the cheek by all of them. "Lina, want to help me start the fire?" "Gladly!" I said, following Thomas back to our camp area.

 

Mae

 

After my shower, I felt refreshed. I went back to the infirmary, but found Evan asleep. I shook him awake and said, “I’m sorry, Evan. I was being a little harsh. You can come, but,” I held up a finger, “you must stay here for another week. Jen, Anthony, and I will wait at the Pilodon Skull. Andrew already wanted to come, so he can come with you. I just don’t want you to get hurt again.” Evan smiled, then slipped back to sleep. I applied some of the salve to his wound, then left the infirmary. I found Andrew, and asked him if he would go with Evan when he left. “Sure,” he replied. “Jin can take care of things here, I already told him I was going. Who else is coming?” “Me, you, Jen, Anthony, and Evan.” He nodded and said, “When are we leaving?” “Well, now that I know Evan’s alright, Jen, Anthony, and I will be leaving tonight. I want Evan to wait at least a week before you guys set out. I made plenty of salve, and elixir, so that should last at least a week. Don’t give him the elixir more than twice a day. Put the salve on his side whenever it starts hurting him. Don’t apply it more than three times a day. And be careful.” I gave him a hug, and left the room.

 

Carolina

 

We left Lian to handle the mermaids as Thomas and I got the fire started. I noticed he kept staring at me while we worked. "What?" I asked, not looking up from the newborn flames. I sat down  in the white powder beneath my bare feet. "You seem...different, is all." He said, blowing onto the flames causing then to grow. "Different how?" I asked, running a hand through my damp hair. "I don't know." He shrugged. I rolled my eyes and looked up as Lian approached us. He wrung out his soaked clothing and sat by the fire. I rose to my feet and turned to Thomas, "I'm going to go change." I said before snatching the satchel and following the same routine I did the night before. I washed myself, dried myself, then changed into a pair of new ripped skinny-jeans and a light gray t-shirt. I slipped on some socks and laced up a pair of brown leather boots. I found a slightly larger dagger than the one before but decided it'd work. I secured it against my belt loop before running back to the guys. About an hour had passed, we finished eating, and discussed what we were going to do then ext day. "And after we gather the food, Lian will carry the satchel next and Lina will be our caboose. I'll lead the way to the Kool Caverns." Thomas instructed, dragging his stick across the sand. "What? Why am I the caboose??" "Because...I don't know." Lian glanced at my worried expression, then at Thomas, "Dude she attracts monsters. Literally. I'll be in the back." I sighed in relief and Thomas nodded, going over the plan once more. I mouthed a quick 'thank you' to Lian before pulling out a towel, laying it out on the ground. I laid down, staring at Lian's ankles in front of my face- zoning Thomas out. Eventually, I fell asleep.