I never wanted any of this to happen. I didn’t want to be in pain. I didn’t want to cut myself off from such a large part of the world. I didn’t know what I was doing. I was young little more than a small child. Can a child be blamed for doing the only thing they can to survive?

In a way I was told to do this. It was the only way to stay away from the sickness that constantly put me in the hospital. The doctors said to take a medicine but those only hurt me so my mom had me stop taking them. Instead I was told to watch for triggers. My new prescription from the doctors was avoidance.

I learned to keep myself safe. I stayed away from new situations that could get me sick. Learned what I did and didn’t like. I stayed well within my bubble of safe foods. I liked them. Why would I need anything else?

But there was a price to be paid for my safety.

A price to be paid in the form of pain as my bones creaked under their own weakness and my muscles cramped. A price to be paid in the form of friendship as I stayed away from gatherings where there would be food like dates. A price to be paid in the form of my confidence being shattered as I was shamed by well meaning parents and friends trying to get me to leave my bubble of safe foods. A price to be paid in the form of knowledge as my avoidance had left me naive.

And the constant words in the back of my mind. “You did this to yourself!”

A part of me fights against it. I’m sick of the shame. “Did I?! What choice did I have?! I never wanted this!”

“I was told to survive!” I scream at the shame. “I did as I was told! If I could change I would but I don’t know how!”

“How do you not know?” everyone seems to say. “It’s obvious.”

“Obvious? Finding out how to undo 18 years of habits and instincts is obvious?! Its obvious how I can gain weight when all you ever do is talk about losing it? Obvious how I can face my challenges when all I ever learned was how to run away from them?!”

“We tried helping you! You refused us!”

“By making me feel worse?! Making me feel ashamed about everything and pushing me to the point where I only ate out of a sense of fear? Out of a need to gain some acceptance from you?”

“What do you want then?”

“I want to not feel ashamed. I want to learn. I want to stop being afraid. I want to be healthy. I want to be confident again. I want to be who I was meant to be.”

So stop saying I did this to myself. I never wanted this. I never had a choice. Don’t call me dumb for not knowing what you learned so fast. Please be patient with me. I’m new to all of this. I may seem slow but its more progress than I’ve made in years. You can help me out but don’t push me too hard or try and shame me. I’ve had enough of that in my life.

Who knows? Maybe we can learn from each other?

I tried my best to forget the note and the strange boy not even telling my parents or friends about the note. After all who would actually go to a dangerous after school meeting alone with someone they had only just met?! It was insane!

The part about someone watching me put me on edge though. Who was watching me? Why? And explain what? Explain why I couldn’t remember him? When we might have met? All in all the entire thing smelled like some kind of trap and I was not going to just walk into it!

After school I didn’t go to the maintenance shed. I went home like usual. If this Braxton person wanted to meet me he would have to come to me. I wasn’t about to be like some dumb person from a horror movie. I smiled imagining him waiting in the shed for hours for bait that would never come.

As the hours drew on however and my parents went to work for the night I kept feeling on edge thinking about how he would react to me not showing up for the meeting. Would he try and find my house? Be waiting for me at school? What did he want to explain?

Who was watching me?

I decided to take a shower to get my mind off of it. They had always been able to calm my head and help me come up with ideas. Once I was done and wrapped in my robe I had a plan if Braxton showed up at school again and tried anything, mainly involving the pepper spray that I had in my backpack.

Turning to leave the bathroom I glanced at the mirror fogged up from the steam of my hot shower. I looked again, my eyes widening. As I stood there words appeared written on the fogged mirror.

Alexsis,

Meet me at the maintenance shed by the track tomorrow.

3:10 P.M.

You will be safe.

I will explain everything. I promise.

Be careful. They are watching you.

Love, Braxton

I ran out the door slamming it shut behind me. I did not just see that.

How had he written that note? Had he broken into my house somehow? That had to be it. He was a stalker or something and he had broken into my hose and written the message while I was in the shower. It had only started showing up after the shower had turned off and the steam had dispersed. Yeah, that totally made sense! I totally didn’t just see words appear out of thin air in the mirror!

Either way it wasn’t a comforting thought. Going through the entire house I locked every door and window drawing the blinds and gathered every flashlight I could find keeping them next to my bed along with a baseball bat I found in the garage.

Was I paranoid? Yes, yes I was. 

But in my defense I was either being stalked by this Braxton person, or my house was haunted. Or I was going insane. That was a possibility as well.

Building up the courage I picked up the baseball bat and went back down to the bathroom my pajamas soaking in the lingering steam still in the air and from my wet hair as I opened the door.

In my rush I had left the light on and spots on the ground still had marks of my wet footprints in the form of small puddles. Tentatively I stepped in leaving the door wide open in case I had to make a quick getaway.

I looked over at the mirror. The message was gone, it was like it had never happened.

I looked around the rest of the bathroom checking the window to make sure it was locked and moving the curtain away from the shower to make sure no one was hiding in the tub. No one was. I was alone.

Trying to put it out of my mind I went up to my room and went to bed,telling myself I would figure all this out tomorrow. It took longer than usual to fall asleep since I kept thinking I saw things in the shadows but eventually exhaustion overcame me and I fell asleep.

***

“Will you care to explain to me how Braxton Keller was able to show up at the school today?!” A loud voice demanded.

“I-I’m s-sorry sir. I don’t know how he got in!” A voice I recognized as the young man from my last dream stuttered. “They must have gotten past the firewalls somehow! I’ll get to work on it immediately! We did an upload yesterday; it must have weakened them.”

“Get on it fast! See if you can do a wipe while you’re at it. I don’t want her asking questions.”

“Ummm sir?”

“What?!”

“We can’t do a wipe. The-the chips malfunctioned somehow. They must have tampered with it when they broke the firewalls!”

“Can you fix it?” The voice asked menacingly.

 “I don’t know sir. It’s non removable and I can’t seem to fix it remotely. The suppressor is still working; it just can’t do any more wipes.”

The first voice sighed. “Just patch the firewalls. I had better not see Keller in there again!”

A door slammed shut.

The younger man’s voice came again quieter like he was talking to himself. “Braxton you fool. Are you trying to save her or get her killed?!”

There was silence for a moment and I felt something cold touch my temples again. My breath caught. Was he about to…

“Uploading firewall patch in three…two..”

A sob ripped from my throat. “Stop!” I cried.

Something fell to the ground and I heard him gasp turning towards me.

“Alexsi-”

I didn’t hear him finish pain flashing through my head again. 

***

My eyes snapped open and I curled into a ball pulling my covers over my trembling body. The pain didn’t seem to linger as much this time but I barely thought about it. That man had seemed to know who Braxton was. He didn’t sound happy about him being at the school yesterday. Why was he so important? What was it that had malfunctioned? Something about a chip and a wipe. What was a wipe? What is going on?!

 Relax Alexsis. I scolded myself. It’s just a dream. It’s just a dream. You’re safe.

I shook my head trying to clear it. I’d had a dream like that the other night. My mind was probably just pulling it up again from my memory because I’d been nervous about it before. It didn’t mean anything. The mentions of Braxton were probably just because I was freaked out by those messages.

The messages, the meeting!

Just thinking about a possible meeting with Braxton gave me chills. The messages cryptic warnings about being watched and the need for me to come alone were unnerving not to mention how on earth he had done the words on the mirror the other night. How long could I avoid him before he just showed up at my doorstep?

Going to the kitchen I poured myself a bowl of Captain Crunch cereal. My parents were still asleep resting after a long night of working at the local grocery store. Pouring the cereal I unscrewed the milk ready to pour it into my bowl only to spot a piece of paper on top of my cereal.

Putting down the milk jug and glancing suspiciously around I picked up the note unfolding it.

Remember the meeting!

3:10 P.M. today at the maintenance shed by the track field!

Lexi will meet you beforehand.

You can trust her.

Please come. We will explain everything.

Be careful. They are watching you.

Love, Braxton

I ripped the note to shreds. I didn’t care who Braxton said I could trust. I didn’t care what they wanted to explain to me. I’d had enough of these blasted messages asking me for a secret meeting!

After not eating much breakfast I stomped up to my room and quickly changed and did my hair and makeup. Saying goodbye to my parents, who were now eating breakfast ,and picking up my backpack I got into my car driving to Central High School.

Throughout the day I tried my best to forget about the notes but apparently Braxton was determined to make sure I didn’t “forget” about our meeting after school again. In my first period class I opened my math binder to find the same note from breakfast written on every piece of paper in my binder, red marker, overlapping my detailed notes on the quadratic equation. I pulled out another folder to find a blank piece of paper only to find the same thing on all those papers as well. Every paper in every binder in my backpack.

In my English class second period I didn’t even pull out my folders instead asking the person sitting next to me for a paper. I watched the teacher as they talked about the Great Depression writing with blue expo markers on the whiteboard. Looking up however I stared shocked as some of the letters in her sentence turned green as she wrote standing out starkly against the blue sentence. I stared at the green letters reading what they spelled. C..O..M..E…T..O…T..H..E…M..E..E..T..I..N..G.

I looked around trying to tell if anyone else saw the secret message on the board. It seemed so obvious written in the bright green marker but no one said anything; all of them continuing to dutifully write their notes. I leaned over to the person I had gotten a paper from tapping them on the shoulder.

“Do you see that?” I whispered pointing at the whiteboard.

They looked up at the whiteboard and a confused look in their eyes. “See what?”

“The green! It’s right-” I pointed at the bord only to find all the letters written in the same blue as if the message had never existed. I sat back blinking, shaking my head. It had just been there! The classmate looked over at me confused.

“What was it?”

“It..I..Never mind.” I said, deciding to keep the message to myself. I didn’t need people thinking I was going crazy and seeing things.

I opened my locker to get my lunch. I found another message etched on the inside of my locker door.

Alexsis,

Come to the meeting at 3:10 P.M. 

At the maintenance building by the track.

Lexi is the girl with blue hair.

You can trust her.

Be careful, they are watching you!

Love, Braxton

Alright now this is just getting ridiculous. I thought as I grabbed my lunch slamming my door shut and walking to the commons for lunch.

Stepping into the commons I glanced around quickly spotting my friends sitting at our usual table. I also spotted a girl with leggings, a red t-shirt, and bright blue hair walking purposefully straight towards me.

A part of me wanted to act like I hadn’t seen her, but I couldn’t stop staring as she strode up looking for all the world like she was the most important person in the room and she would get what she wanted no matter the cost her bright blue hair making her stand out like a flower in a patch of weeds.

She stepped up suddenly throwing her arms around me in a tight hug. “Alexsis! I’ve missed you so much!”

She then held me at arm’s length still smiling though there was now a bit of nervousness to it. “Do you remember me? It’s me Lexi! You know? Your best friend?”

I blinked, shaking my head insanely confused. Another person I didn’t remember? A best friend? “I’m sorry..I don’t remember you.”

Lexi’s face fell and she took a step back letting go of me. “Braxton said that you couldn’t remember anything. I thought hearing me would bring stuff back.” Her face grew angry and I saw her fists clench at her sides.

“How could they do this to you.” She muttered a dark look in her eyes. “How could he.”

Again there was that vague mention of “they”. I was honestly starting to be curious about who these people watching me were. It was shrouded though by the fact that whoever “they” were must have had something to do with how I couldn’t remember Braxton and this new girl and the thought that someone might have done something to make me forget them terrified me.

I shoved the thoughts aside. It didn’t matter. I didn’t know this girl or Braxton no matter what they said. I didn’t need to hear what they said. What I needed was for these messages to stop.

“Listen” I whispered to her “I don’t know what you think I might have known or who you think is watching me. But I’ve never seen you or this Braxton guy before in my life. I’d like to get to know you. Maybe you can eat lunch with me and my friends sometime, but I need you to stop sending me all these creepy messages!”

Lexi sighed, glancing around nervously. “I wish I could tell you everything but I can’t here. I get that you’re probably really confused about all this and I’m sorry if we scared you with the notes but…look we want to explain but we can only do that if you trust us alright?”

I stayed silent. I wanted answers about all of this but I didn’t know if I should trust these people. Lexi put a hand on my shoulder and I looked up at her.

“Just..think about it ok? If you decide to come I’ll be waiting.”

I nodded still worried and Lexi gave me a small smile walking off. I sighed this wouldn’t end until I had gone to the meeting. The messages would keep coming. I had to know what was going on.

Alright Braxton. I’ll come.

“Have you ever wondered what would happen if they found out about all this?” A young man’s voice said echoing through my dream.

“Sometimes,but it will never happen.” Said a gruff older voice.

“I know.” The young voice conceded “Though sometimes I’m surprised they haven’t figured it out. I mean they must feel it right? At least judging on their reactions to the different stimulus.”

“Those are reflexes,not conscious actions. They don’t know that there are any stimuli to react to. I doubt they can even hear us. Now stop jabbering and get that patch uploaded.”

“Yes,sorry sir.”

I instinctively flinched as I felt something cold press against my temples. Something warm and comforting touched my forehead which I thought was a hand. The young man’s voice came again sounding quieter maybe so the older man would not hear.

“I don’t know if you can hear me, Alexsis. But if you can…I’m sorry. For everything.”

The next moment pain exploded in my head like my brain was on fire.

***

“Ahhh!” I bolted up in my bed the pain still seeming to linger as I tried to convince myself that it wasn’t real.

Frantically I looked around myself,taking in my surroundings,I moved strands of my long brown hair out of my face, as my heartrate slowly calmed down. My bedroom was pitch black, piles of books and clothes making featureless lumps in the darkness.The numbers on the alarm clock sitting on my nightstand displayed the exhausting time of 5:34 A.M.

I pulled my knees up to my chest wrapping a blanket around myself taking a few shuddering breaths. I was still trembling. My body felt sore, probably, from being so tense during the nightmare.

The nightmare. It was unlike any other dream I’d ever had. Instead of images it had been made only of those two voices. Those voices…what had they been talking about? Uploading patches,stimuli,reactions? It didn’t make sense. The younger voice had seemed kinder which I was thankful for. It had seemed familiar; had I had a dream with him in it before? More interesting was how he had said my name and apologized, what was he apologizing for? The pain?

That pain. The cold that I had felt,what had that been? Why had it hurt so bad? What had they been doing to me? I shoved the thoughts aside leaning my head against the wall. It didn’t matter. It was only a dream. It didn’t mean anything no matter how strangely real it felt.

Looking back at the clock I saw that it was now 6:07 about time to get up for school. Getting up and dressing I went about my morning trying to forget about the dream. But yet there was something in the back of my mind that kept going back to it; and wondering.

***

By the middle of the day thoughts of the dream had mostly fled from my mind. I went to my classes at the Central District High School, got my lunch from my locker, and went to the commons to find my friends.

Looking around the crowded tables I quickly found them sitting at their normal spot. Ashley, Emma, and Racheal were talking to a large, brown haired boy wearing a loose fitting jean jacket. I thought I had seen him before but couldn’t quite place where. I walked up and sat down next to the new boy on the other side.

“Hi! I’m Alexsis! What’s your name?”

The boy looked over at me, his eyes going wide as if shocked. The look changed to relief and then strangely to nervousness. 

“Alexsis.” He said it breathlessly as if unsure he was seeing something right. He cleared his throat, the worried look coming back to his eyes. “I-I’m Braxton. D-do you remember me?”

I looked at him, taken aback confused thinking for a moment to try and find him in my memory. “Umm no? Sorry. Are you in one of my classes or something?”

He looked down shaking his head, looking sad. “He said this might have happened.” he muttered to himself. He looked up at me again smiling. “Don’t worry it’s not your fault.”

I was getting even more confused by this strange new boy. “Sooo…why should I remember you? Where did we meet?”

Braxton wasn’t looking at me anymore however instead studying his surroundings. He glared at something behind me but before I could turn to see what it was he grabbed my hand thrusting something small into my palm curling my fingers around it. A note. I looked up at him to see he had a finger to his lips. I got the hint.

Keep it secret. Don’t show anyone.

“I have to go.” He said smiling. “But I hope to see you again soon.”

The strange boy stood up from the table walking away and disappearing in the crowd.

“Who was that guy?” a voice said behind me and I turned to find Ashley’s boyfriend Henry walking up with a plate of spaghetti. 

Tall with brown hair Henry played on the basketball team and had been a part of the group for as long as I could remember. No matter how good of friends he became with the basketball team he always ate with us even though we had told him on multiple accounts that we would be fine if he wanted to eat with the other boys. He would always come back with the same response. “I can see them whenever. I can’t always see you guys.”

He sat down next to me where Braxton had just been and I slipped the note into my jacket pocket before he could see it. I would look at it later. Whatever it was.

“He said he was new.” Ashley said, picking up a chip. “Apparently he knew Alexsis, but she couldn’t remember him.”

Henry looked at where Braxton had left glaring. “He seemed dangerous. How did he know you? Did he say?”

I rolled my eyes. Henry was always overprotective of all the people in the group. “No, he didn’t say how he knew me.”

“Did he say anything else?”

“Just that his name was Braxton.” I looked over at him curious “Why? Do you know him?”

Henry rubbed his chin still looking in the direction the boy had gone. “Maybe, I think I might have heard of him before, but I don’t know what he would be doing here.”

I fingered the slip of paper in my pocket itching to open it and see what it said. Something about Braxton had felt so familiar. I felt like I should remember him even though I couldn’t recall ever seeing him before. It was the kind of mystery that piqued your curiosity even if it felt dangerous.

Right after I finished my lunch I waved goodbye to my friends and went into the bathroom walking into an empty stall and locking the door. A part of me thought that I was being paranoid. The note was probably just some prank or something. Even so I felt a need to keep it secret.

Pulling out the small wrinkled paper I unfolded the strange boys note.

Alexsis,

 Meet me alone at the maintenance shed after school

3:30 P.M.

I will explain everything.

Be careful. They are watching you.

Love, B

Would it be worth it to come back? Does anyone want to read more of my stories? If you do you have to comment so I know you are there!

There once was a girl who joined a creative writing class in her senior year. She loved writing and sharing and hearing all the other people’s stories and poems that were full of wonder and excitement and grief and longing. She had always felt like an outsider and she had found her place, this was where she belonged. Laughing at the jokes about “bloody tears” and hesitantly joining in on the idea to make the class seem like a cult for the newcomers next term. The teacher had them start blogs and she found that people liked her writing and even her couple of poems she wrote. She told the stories and the sides of herself she had never told to anyone, slipped between the words of her poems and plotlines. To everyone else she was Emily Reeder, but on the blog she was SparkSilversight the creator of her own secret universe. When in January her world went insane she was able to read blogs and escape the world falling around her and when the world started thinking it would end in February and her friends were now at least 6 feet apart she could still connect with others through her blog and find friendships in their words.

Here’s to Teen Keen Bean who’s first post made me fall in love with their writing.

Here’s to The Hooded Lantern and the tavern I would love to stay in for days.

Here’s to ChrisHemsWORTH IT and the Panda of nonjudgement that helped me through my hard days.

Here’s to Bluemagoo and her poem that let me know that I was not alone.

Here’s to Short happiness and her fun incredible imagery.

Here’s to Phabulous Phred the Phiphth Phat Phlying Phunky Phantom’s Pharm for all the P’s

Here’s to inthewendysbooth for all the amazing comments.

Here’s to everyone who ever commented on my stories.

Here’s to everyone who’s ever made a post on their blogs.

Thank you!!

Thank you for your support.

Thank you for your encouragement.

Thank you for letting me know that my stories aren’t just a waste of time.

Thank you for snapping when I told my scribbles in class.

Thank you for letting me know I wasn’t alone.

Thank you for letting me read your wonderful posts that let me escape.

Thank you for caring about my characters and stories as much as I do.

Thank you for helping me to open up.

Thank you for being my best friends.

Thank you for helping make this senior year still be great even though so much fell apart.

This class has been a bright spot in my life. I don’t want it to leave. I don’t want to say goodbye! So instead I will say farewell. (as much as I want to say see you later I know that I might not) 😦

All of you keep writing!! You are amazing and will all accomplish wonderful things!! I expect to see you all published at some point! Look me up and send me a copy of your stories!

Thanks again! I will miss you all!

Love, 

Emily Reeder

My life didn’t start falling apart with the quarantine.

In fact it started a month before the quarantine started all the way back in January. It started when my lifelong nemesis Cvs (Cyclic Vomiting Syndrome) decided to jump back into my life and remind me that he’s alive and well and still “protecting” me. The ensuing sickness landed me in the hospital from dehydration for the first time in five years and stole my energy for an entire week. The next week life decided to crush me and my family with the death of my dads’ mom. The next weekend was the funeral and the next one after that I had the ACT.

Life decided to give us a few weeks to recover after that and then.

WELCOME TO THE END OF THE WORLD!!! Toilet paper is now gold, we all decided to become ninjas and bandits for our own safety, and I am not allowed to see my friends at school anymore forever!

So anyways life decided to hate me for a few months and that is when my life really started falling apart.

*** sorry if that was a downer. I just really wanted to write about how crazily insane my year has been!

It wasn’t that I wanted this

I never wanted to end up like this

But then again who does?

When the sickness first happened

Everyone told me there was nothing I could do

I just had to avoid what would cause it.

“Avoid the triggers”

It sounded harmless

It sounded healthy.

After all if I didn’t

I would just get hurt again

It was better this way.

I learned what to do

Started avoiding

Stopped trying new things.

Stayed “safe.”

Actions turned into 

Habits which turned into

Instincts.

It wasn’t until the pain started

That I started realizing

Something was wrong.

Cramps in my feet at night

Pain in my knees all the time

 Feeling like I was about to fall apart.

I told myself

Nothing was wrong

It was random.

But a part of me knew

The truth,

I had done this.

Finally, on my knees

My eyes were opened

And I began to see

Others were not like me

They had all been picky eaters

And yet they were free.

How could this be?

What had I done?

How is this what I have become?

So now I stand

At the bottom of a hole

Wondering how I can get back into control.

How do you break

eighteen years 

Worth of

Actions

Habits

Instincts?

Did I lose my health?

Or

Did I never have it to begin with?

“Wake up or we’ll be late for breakfast” 

Ken opened his eyes and found Frank next to him. It took him a moment to remember where he was. He sat up and got out of bed he hurriedly followed Frank down the hallway, keeping an eye out for Elise. He followed him down a set of stairs and to a set of open door’s. The room past it was a large cafeteria with a number of kids sitting at tables eating. Ken stared amazed at how many kids were there. 

“How many kids are there in the compound?” he asked Frank. He thought for a moment. 

“Four hundred give or take a few” 

“Four hundred!” he said how would he find Elise in a place with four hundred kids in it? 

They both got food and sat down at a table to eat. 

“So…” Ken asked not sure if he wanted to bring the topic up. “What exactly is a power orb?” 

Frank looked up “a power orb is… what fuels us” he started “it helps give us more energy than other people and it’s the source of our powers,it supplies energy to all your organs that’s why it is so bad if it is taken out. Without it you..d-die” he said choking on the last word. 

“How did they even find out about power orbs or anything?” Ken asked 

“Max” Frank said “the first kid with a power, that we know of, was named Max. His uncle was the creator of the compound the man became obsessed with finding out what caused the powers and in the end he created a machine on one of the levels” Frank leaned in closer. 

“Level fifteen,that’s where the machine that can take power orbs is” Frank shivered and his fists clenched. “Max’s uncle was going to use it on him but he managed to escape just long enough to tell one of his trusted friends who didn’t have a power about it. Then they caught him” 

“And they took his orb.” Ken finished. 

Frank nodded then looked up abruptly and scowled at something near the front of the room. 

Ken looked forward and saw a woman in a lab coat with a scowl on her face standing at the front of the room. 

Ken suddenly realized that the whole room had gone eerily quiet, everyone was waiting tensely staring at the woman at the front of the room. 

“The following people are on the List!” she said loudly and started calling names. Trenton Vice…Magen Binn…Reed Seenhood and many more were called. 

“That’s all for today” 

A collective clamor started and Ken looked around at the other kids, some of them were crying and one girl looked like she might run from the room screaming. 

“Wh-what happens if your name is called?” he asked, his mouth felt a little dry as he looked at all of their reactions to having their names called. 

But when he looked back he saw that Frank had his head bowed, eyes closed his arms folded,he was praying. He looked around and saw other people praying at tables too along with those whose names had been called. 

Frank opened his eyes and muttered “test’s” bitterly. 

 They sat in silence for a while and then Frank stood up.

“Let’s go find your sister” he said

They walked out the door and up some stairs then they went down a hallway to a door. Ken stepped in and his eyes went wide. 

There were three levels full of shelves and shelves of books. It was more books than he had ever seen in his entire life! He suddenly felt very small in this towering room.

Ken followed Frank up one of the staircases to the second level. He spotted a row of computers on one wall on this level. He looked at them and imagined Elise sitting in one of the chairs typing furiously on a keyboard trying to get a message to him. He then looked up and Frank motioned for him to join him and a girl with brown hair and a white t-shirt and an ID tag. 

He walked up and Frank said “This is Ken ,he’s Elise’s brother”  

The girl smiled at him and spoke. 

“Oh! Elise will love to see you again!” she said excitedly 

“My name is Kayla, I’m one of Elise’s cellmates” she said, holding out her ID tag and Ken read it apparently Kayla had ice powers. 

“Can I see Elise, is she here!” he asked, he was close to finding his kidnapped sister, he couldn’t wait to see her again. 

“No” Kayla said “she’s resting, they are pretty mad that she ended up freeing all those kids at the outing.” she looked over to the side “I will bring you to her when I’m done getting supplies.” she said then she walked down the aisle and Ken and Frank followed. 

There sitting in the corner was a woman like the one that had said the names from the List Kayla walked up to her and spoke 

“I’m here for a restock” she said as the woman looked up at her and smiled. 

“Hello Kayla! how are you?” 

“Good,” she said, taking the bandages and ointment from the woman and putting it in her bag. 

Ken whispered to Frank “what is going on?” he was a little confused wouldn’t they hate the people that had kidnapped them?

“That lady is what we call a Member” he said explaining, Ken remembered Will had said that to Emma at the jail. 

“They are people that work at the compound that don’t like what’s going on here,so they help us out by giving us supplies and stuff, and in exchange we don’t attack them if we use our power to defend ourselves. The guy that brought g-Greg back from level fifteen is a Member too.” 

Kayla walked back after she put the supplies in a book bag. 

“Follow me” she said walking back toured the stairs to the first level Ken followed with Frank close behind, he couldn’t wait to see his sister. 

He followed Kayla down hallways to a hall lined with cell doors like the level that Ken and Frank’s had when she came to a stop at one of the doors. She turned to him smiling. 

“Wait here.” she said and walked into the cell. 

Ken waited wondering what Elise’s reaction would be to seeing him. Then a minute later Kayla’s voice came from the room. 

“Come in” 

Ken stepped into the small cell. 

It was exactly the same as his and Frank’s cell with the two doors leading out and the two bunk beds on either side. His sister Elise sat on the lower bunk on the left side staring at him. 

She stood up shakily using the bed for support,Ken noticed that she was very stiff like an animal ready to flee at the slightest sign of danger. 

“This isn’t real” she muttered “it’s another trick” then she shouted at the top of her lungs. 

“BRENT! If this is another one of your illusions I will literally fry you!” 

Ken stepped back a little bit frightened. 

“It’s not a trick Elise” he said softly, “I’m real, I’m here” 

Elise closed her eyes and hesitantly reached out and touched him on the shoulder. Her eyes snapped open and she rushed into his arms hugging him tightly and started sobbing. 

“Th-they said- I’d-n-n-never..” she said sobbing holding onto him tightly. 

“I know, I know. It’s alright.” he said, trying to comfort her, he leaned down and whispered in her ear well aware of the cameras in the cell. 

“I got your message” he leaned back and she looked up at him, her eyes lighting with hope that had long since left. 

They both sat down on the bed and Ken asked. 

“Are you alright?” 

Elise looked down a shy smile on her lips. 

“I’m alive” she said 

Ken looked at her shoulder and saw that she had a bandage wrapped around it. 

“What’s this?” he said lightly running his fingers across it. 

She looked up at him, her eyes growing hard with emotion. 

“Punishment” was all she said. 

Frank spoke up. 

“We didn’t just come here to let Ken see Elise” he said “we came to warn you all” 

He pulled out Gregs tag from his pocket and let it fall hanging down from his hand. 

“Level Fifteen has been reactivated”

***

No,No! I thought scooting away from Ken never taking my eyes off the tag in Frank’s hand. 

“Elise?” Ken said looking at my pale face and reaching towards me. 

“Stay back!” I said the terror inside me was rising.

I sent out a heatwave, everything being too much for me and instinct taking over, and I was surrounded by a ring of fire and I pulled myself into a ball as everyone started shouting. 

“Elise! Cool it!” Kayla shouted and grabbed the bucket of water we kept at the foot of the bed and doused me in freezing cold water. The flames extinguish with a hiss.

I took deep breaths to calm myself down. I looked up at Ken who was staring at me with his eyes wide. 

“Wha-what the..” 

He tried to make sense of how I was able to make a ring of fire around me. His eyes widened. 

“I di-didn’t think that you were..”

 I looked away. 

“That I’m a freak?” I said quietly. 

He didn’t answer. 

Then I felt him come closer and put his arms around me in a gentle hug. It felt wonderful and I felt the small hope inside of me flutter again, maybe I would be able to escape someday. 

“You’re not a freak Elise” he said “You’re more human than any of the people running this horrible place” 

I sat up and looked at him. 

“if only they thought that way” I said sadly “they don’t think of us as people,not even humans they think of us as…animals” I said. 

I reached up to the bandage on my shoulder and unwrapped it letting it fall with my hand revealing the slowly healing scar on my shoulder.

Ken gasped. 

“H-how could anyone do something like this” he asked softly, reaching out to touch my scar causing me to wince. 

“How could they do that!” I said pointing at the tag that was still hanging from Frank’s hand. 

“Please Ken” I asked desperately “Please have it not be true!” there were tears in my eyes. 

He looked down. 

“It’s true, Greg died a little bit after I arrived” 

I put my head in my hands. 

“Then that’s it” I said defeated “We’re dead” 

Kayla’s voice rang out defiant. 

“NO!” she said standing. “We’ve lasted this long, we will fight to our last breath if we have to!” 

I heard this and an idea suddenly came to my mind. But how do I say it so the guards won’t know about it? 

“Tell me Frank why are they holding us all captive?” I asked him, he thought about it. 

“To study us, and build an army” he said confused. 

I smiled “They took us for an army, they made us an army” I made a flame appear in my hand “but the question is who’s side are the soldiers on?”

Allisa stared at the place she had run away and traveled miles to get to. A large white building with the front windows and doors dark the back windows glowing with light. Within was her only hope. Now she just had to get past the angry mob trying to burn it to the ground. 

She moved slowly, slipping into the group of shouting people holding signs, and throwing rocks at the windows. She looked at the ground pulling her pack close against herself. Allisa knew that if they found out she was a patient they would turn on her in an instant. Some in the mob looked at her wondering why she looked like she had slept on the ground,why she was not shouting and throwing things at the building and where she was heading with her head down. None of them stopped her as she moved through the crowd.

Allisa glanced up at the doors only a short way away in front  of a line of people throwing rocks. The empty space in front of the line would be the most dangerous part,once she stepped out of the group they would know what she was. 

She squeezed through the line of rock throwers,took a deep breath and started sprinting towards the doors. Instantly people saw her, some of them realizing who she must be, started picking up rocks to throw.

“KILLER!”

She heard a rock hit the ground next to her. She shook her head at the name as more people took up the shout. “Killer”… “Shooter”…. “Merderer!”  Allisa had never killed anyone, she had never hurt anyone and she never wanted too.

I’m not a killer. She thought as she dodged another stone. I will never hurt anyone.

She slammed into the doors and pulled on the handles trying frantically to get them open only to find they were locked. The people inside had locked them in order to keep the mob out. 

“HELP! PLEASE LET ME IN! HELP!”

Allisa ducked as a rock hit the wall next to her and more rocks flew down one hitting her shoulder as she moved her hands up to defend herself. She turned to try and face her attackers, her arms getting hit by rocks as the mob’s anger grew.  

She held up her arms falling to the ground as rocks hit her and the mob shouted at her. Allisa understood their anger and she didn’t blame them for it even though she didn’t deserve it. Their fear of the shootings had become too great for them to contain and turned into this angry mob. She had come here so the fear would not corrupt her too. Anger at the mob rose inside her, anger at them for causing so much fear and attacking her but she forced it down.

Don’t be angry. Don’t hurt anyone. 

Allisa heard a grunt and a hand suddenly grabbed her shoulder as someone moved between her and the mob shielding her from the rocks with their body. She looked up and saw a man in his late forties, his hair starting to gray, standing over her grimacing in pain as the rocks hit his back. 

“Quick get inside!” He said urgently and Allisa saw that the door behind her was now held open by a woman gesturing frantically for her to get inside. 

The man pulled her to her feet and shielded her as they ran through the door and the woman pulled it closed, locking it. They ran deeper into the building away from the windows and the mob trying to get in. At last they reached a room and Allisa fell to the ground trying to absorb what had just happened to her. Every inch of her was shaking.

The man knelt down next to her and moved her hair from her face. “Are you alright, miss..?”

“Allisa” She said “My name’s Allisa. I’m alright. Thank you for saving me. ”

The man smiled at her his eyes shining like stars. “Well, Miss Allisa, you just did something very brave running from the mob to get here. Where did you come from? Why did you come here?”

Tears came to her eyes at the word brave. No one ever called her that.

“I ran away. My parents refused to let me come here so I ran. I’m never going back.” She glared letting him know that she would not let them send her back home.

“They refused you any treatments?” He asked, looking concerned.

Allisa shook her head, “They said I was overreacting. Kept telling me to just get over it. Wouldn’t let me go to the doctor or anything. I’d had enough,so I ran. I came here for treatment. They say you have a way to treat it that doesn’t use medicines and stuff.”

He nodded “We do”

She sat up taking off her pack and pulled out her stack of bills,all her savings, to pay for treatment. She held them out to the man. 

“Is this enough?”

The man looked at the money shocked and shook his head pushing the money back towards her, closing her hands around the crumpled bills. “You don’t need to pay us dear. You shouldn’t have to pay for your life back.”

Allisa stared at the man shocked by his generosity and kindness. Not only had he saved her from the mob but he had also just refused her money for his help in treating her.

Just then a younger man with blonde hair opened the door and spoke to the man, his eyes wide and afraid.

“Micheal!” 

Allisa stared at the man who had saved her. This was Micheal Higgins! The man who had invented the Electromagnetic transmitter! The man who created treatment buildings that used his machines all across the country to try and stop the shootings and save people like her with mental illnesses. The man who battled to save the people like her that others thought were to be blamed for the shootings. This was the man trying to save humanity.

Micheal looked at the man who had come in. “What is it Henry?”

“They’ve gotten in! They’re breaking the door!”

Micheals face went white. He turned to the woman by the door. “We must evacuate! Get everyone out the back,to the bus, and go to the Mountain Center no one will be able to get us there.”

The woman ran out the door to spread the word. Micheal held out a hand and helped Allisa from the ground. “The mountain Center is a place for treatment that is more secluded. We can help you there where no one else will be able to get to us.”

Allisa nodded and followed him out the door toward the back door. More employees and kids walked out of the side doors going down the hall. She could hear a small boy muttering a number to himself and heard an employee saying a different one to a girl who seemed close to tears to calm her down. Allisa smiled, they were taking back control. 

A loud Crash! took her from her thoughts and she could hear shouts as people rushed into the building searching for them. The orderly evacuation fell apart as kids started rushing down the hall and employees grabbed small children and burst out the door to where Allisa could see a bus waiting with its doors open for them.

Micheal grabbed her arm and pulled her towards the doors as a man shouted from down the hall. 

“I FOUND THEM! THIS WAY!” 

Allisa ran towards the doors with Micheal close behind. She was opening the door to let him though when she saw one of the men behind them throw a packet down the hall that landed next to them. Brown with a sparking fuse close to the paper. A bomb.

“LOOK OUT!” Allisa heard Micheal say as he shoved her out the open door to the concrete letting the doors slam closed in front of him. Only to be blasted open a moment later by fire and smoke.

The heat and smoke forced her to retreat towards the bus where Henry grabbed her arm and pulled her into the bus as the doors closed and it drove away at full speed. Dodging people throwing rocks and shouting at the windows they raced through the night away from the mob. When people came up to her to see if she was alright Allisa could only say two choked words.

“He’s dead.”

The Second

Ken opened his eyes, he couldn’t move. 

His head ached and he tried to remember what had happened, a man had pulled him into an alley while he had been out on his run and he had been surrounded by men in dark black suits. Just like the ones who took his sister. 

He was there the day Elise was taken. He had been far off down a long line of kids walking back to the school after field day. He remembered hearing people scream up ahead of him and looking up to see a white van and people in black jump out and grab his sister. Even though he was a very good runner there were too many people and he hadn’t been able to get there before the van had shut its doors and dove off too fast for him to follow. 

He was in that same van. 

He tried hard to block out images of Elise here in this same position. Scared and alone being taken somewhere.

He was strapped to a chair and the road felt bumpy, he wondered what would happen when they got to their destination. 

The van stopped, one of the men in suits opened the door and another one undid Ken’s restraints. 

“Don’t try and run” the man said gruffly “you will only make things worse for yourself” 

He was led out the doors and through halls and door ways he tried to keep track of where they were going but quickly lost track. They stepped into a room with another guard in it and a boy in white shorts and a t-shirt that had a blindfold covering his eyes. 

The guards at his sides left him and stood at the door, then the lights went out. The room went pitch black and Ken couldn’t see anything but then there were two glowing blue eyes looking at him. 

“Well?” said one of the guards 

“No orbe” said a boy’s voice. The blue eye’s disappeared and the lights came back on. 

“What is your name?” asked one of the guards 

“Ken” he said, glancing at the tasers at the men’s sides. 

“Last name?” 

“Rainwood” He said 

“Good” said the man and he motioned to one of the guards who stepped up to the blindfolded boy and shocked him with a taser. 

Ken stared horrified as the boy fell limply to the floor.

‘This is a terrible, terrible place’ he remembered Elise saying in her email. Now he knew that that was certainly not an exaggeration.

Then he was unconscious.

***

“Wake up dude you’re safe” he heard someone say. 

Ken opened his eyes and saw he was in white shorts and a t-shirt with a dog tag necklace around his neck. He was lying on the lower bunk in a small room and there was a boy about his age sitting next to him. 

“Wh-where am I?” he asked, surveying his surroundings. 

There were two bunk beds in the small room and doors on either side of each of them and a large one to his left. 

“Cell D14” said the boy had brown hair and brown eyes. 

“I’m Frank, what’s your name?” 

“Ken” he answered 

“Here let me help you up” Frank said and he helped him sit up. 

“What is this place,this building anyway?” Ken asked. 

“We call it the Compound,can I see your tag?” he asked 

Ken held it out, Frank read it and smiled. 

“No power eh?” he said “You’re lucky” 

He held out his own tag for Ken to read, it said his name, age, and power. Frank apparently had super strength. 

“Do you know my sister? Her name is Elise Rainwood” Ken asked hoping to know where she was. 

“Yeah I know her!” he said “We’ll find her tomorrow,it’s almost time for bed and our other roommate Greg will be here soon” 

He heard footsteps outside and Ken stood up and looked at the door. 

It opened and there was a guard in black carrying a boy that was very pale. Frank went over and took the boy and set him down on the bed. He got out bandages from underneath it. 

“F-Frank” the boy on the bed said weakly. 

“Don’t worry Greg” Frank said “You’re safe now” he started to get the bandages. 

Greg grabbed the hand that held the bandages. 

“Dude! What are you doing?!” Frank said 

“Those will be used on a- person who will heal,” Greg said weakly. 

“What are you talking about Greg?” 

“th-they took it Frank” he said eyes wild “they took my power orbe” 

Frank’s face went pale as a sheet.

“No” he whispered he reached over and ripped off Greg’s shirt causing it to rip in half.  

There on Gregs chest, was a circle of stitches. 

“You-have t-to warn them f-Frank” Greg said weakly gripping the boy’s hand “t-tell them that level f-fifteen is re-reactivated” 

Ken stared at the boy’s exchange, he wanted to ask questions on what was happening but he could tell that now wasn’t the time for it. 

“Who knows?” said Greg “Maybe I will see Will in Heaven” tears were in both the boy’s eyes and Ken saw that he too was crying. 

“Will’s still alive” Ken said wanting to say something 

“Oh bless his heart!” Greg said then grimaced “you have to- warn them all f-frank I want you to s-see the sun before you g-go” 

Greg’s breathing became more ragged and his eyes started glazing over.

“g-goodbye my f-friend” he said in a ragged breath and then fell still. 

“No!” Frank shouted in anguish 

“wake up Greg! wake up!” he said, shaking the boy but he stayed still, not breathing. He set his friend back down on the bed. 

“They did this” Frank said quietly after a moment “they killed him!”  Frank swung his fist at a nearby bed post which splintered and cracked from the impact looking like it might break completely off. He sat panting for a moment seeming to fight back sobs before turning back to his friend lying too still on the bed.

He reached over and pulled off Greg’s tag and put it in his pocket. 

“W-we should get in bed, they will come to get him soon.” he said, not meeting Ken’s eyes. 

Ken got in one of the other beds, later in the night he could hear Frank sobbing under his sheets. He didn’t blame him. Ken felt like he could cry all night long. 

Greg’s body would be gone in the morning.