Chapter Nineteen - Another Hole

Travis stood at the base of the ladder, taking in his dim surroundings. He had been one of the last to climb down, desperately wanting to get a moment to speak with Kat. This was not to be though for, as the last few trickled down the ladder, Kat climbed into one of the Jeeps and they all drove away, leaving Travis alone with another older gentlemen with graying hair and a permanent frown.

Now Travis looked around, noticing how dark in was, and how oddly refreshing it was after being blinded by the brightness of the scientists' white paint obsession. Here the walls were made by the carving out of dirt, and the floor was just tightly compacted dirt as well, stretching forward until it broke off into three completely dark tunnels. The people who belonged here seemed to gather in a far corner, smiling and chatting with one another. The rest, completely out of their element, stood spread out in the tiny area, the realization that they went from one hole to another seeping in.

Emma was off to one side, sitting next to Logan whom she had propped against the wall. She brushed a hand across his forehead, moving the dusted hair from his face. Taken aback, Travis found his eyes start to water. He did not understand why he felt so sad, or if that was even what he was feeling.

"It's strange isn't it." Raven whispered from behind Travis.

Clearing his throat and making sure the tears were under control, Travis half-turned to Raven. "What do you mean?"

"Her and him. Before my mother died, my father used to care for her and just... I don't know, touch her in a way that showed he loved her without making a big deal out it. Like brushing hair out of someone's eyes." Raven glanced back at Chandler who was intently watching the other group of strangers. "I guess you never saw much of that."

Travis frowned. "Tch. Whatever." He snapped.

"I know your story. You never stopped thinking about it, all of us were practically drowning in it when we first arrived." Raven calmly explained.

He looked at her over his shoulder, an overwhelming sense of unwanted vulnerability begging him to knock her out or run away. "You don't know what it's like to be number one." He said between clenched teeth.

Raven gave Travis a pitying look that a mother gives a knowing child. "We all have stories." She said, turning to walk back to Chandler.

Travis knew this, after all Raven just said her mother had died, but they still didn't understand what it was like to be the first experiment to survive, and to see so many die before the they came along. They didn't know what it was like to feel alone and isolated before even arriving to the science lab, that no amount of pleasure could stave it. Travis pushed his fingers against his temples. They just didn't know.

While concentrating on forgetting his past, Travis looked up to see one of the tunnels starting to light up and people emerging from the darkness. A tall, friendly looking man holding a lantern was leading a young woman and a fairly older woman. He had a thick red beard and eyes framed by crows feet. Travis moved closer to these new people, as did everyone else who was waiting around.

"How's it going Mr. Brown?" One of the younger guys who came in the Jeeps asked, holding up his hand for a high five.

Oh shoot, it's her dad. Travis thought, taking a small step backwards and bowing his head.

"Jefferson, I told you not to address me like that." The kid lowered his arm, and Brown smiled, grabbing a hold of Jefferson's forearm as Jefferson clasped onto his. "Glad to see you alive, kid."

Jefferson beamed with pride as everyone began to follow to two women who came with Mr. Brown. The five and Logan were left behind with Mr. Brown, looking at him with an uncertainty, but also hope.

"Are we safe here?" Chandler asked at barely above a whisper.

The man smiled, taking a knee next to Logan and checking his pulse. "You can call me Steve." He said, standing up and brushing dirt off of his jeans. "And as far as I am concerned, you can relax now. Welcome to your new underground family, kids."

Chapter Eighteen - Alarm

A red light illuminated the dark room, and a piercing shrill filled the silence. Emma jumped out of her bed, slamming into the corner of her room. She slowly slid down the wall, ignoring the pain of a dresser handle digging into her side. With a panic of not understanding anything that was happening, Emma pushed her hands to her head, as if the sound was coming form her own mind and she needed to push it out.

"I'll eat it! I'll eat it! Just stop!" She cried, pushing her hands harder against her head, unaware that she was not, in fact, being tortured. Jason kicked in Emma's door, quickly rushing over to her. The sudden motion caused Emma to turn away from him, her face pressing against the wall. "I'll do what you want... I'll do what you want..." she murmured to the wall.

Putting a hand under Emma's arm, Jason lifted Emma onto her feet. "Emma, look at me." Emma twitched, looking towards the wall. "Emma, it's an alarm, we have to get out of here." Jason glanced at the glaring red light that bounced off the walls. "This isn't torture, Emma, you're okay." He added.

Emma looked at Jason, taking in the troubled expression of his furrowed brow and brooding eyes. "Jason..." She looked around the room, and noticing how the flashing red light glanced off of the white walls and the sound of running feet outside her door had nothing to do with electric chairs and wire, Emma began to grasp this reality. "What's going on?" She asked, distracted by the panic that seemed to be coming from the hallway.

A girl dressed in a black shirt and black pants stopped in the doorway, her dark hair falling out of a loose ponytail and a scowl on her face. Emma remembered it was the girl she presumed to be related to Mora. The girl stepped inside Emma's room, an unconscious Mora under her arm. "Go. Now." She barked.

Jason pulled Emma along. "They somehow snuck Morgan down here with the two new guys yesterday. She's part of Kat's revolution team that Travis had been hearing about with his phone calls." He explained as the girl fled the room.

Once in the hallway, Emma stopped and turned to look at the double doors that separated their hall from the super-soldier hall. Logan was just on the other side, and if Morgan could carry Mora out under her arm, what was going to stop her from saving Logan? Emma broke free of Jason's grip and dashed for the doors. Once through she could hear the frustrated yells of Jason, but she did not stop until she was met by the barrel of a gun. One of the soldiers stood poised in the hall, a riffle trained at Emma's head, and the soldier not moving a muscle as the double doors slammed shut behind Emma. She paused for a moment, and then decided to go for it, diving at the soldier's legs. He fell with a heavy thud, helmet sliding down the hall, and Emma quickly grabbed his gun. Struggling to stay on top, Emma turned the gun around, and smashed the butt of the gun against the soldier's head, knocking him out cold.

Keeping ahold of the gun, Emma then rammed through Logan's door, finding him alert and positioned to fight a few feet away his bed. "Logan, come with us." She pleaded, motioning towards the door with the gun. Logan said nothing. "I know you remember things, that you aren't completely controlled by them... please..." she looked for better words, but she was still fighting off the fog of her psychotic break moments ago.

"I'd rather die." He sneered, throwing himself at Emma. Emma slammed the gun against Logan, but he simply took hold of it and wrestled it from her hands. Training the gun on Emma, a small smile spreading across his face.

"Well, if you want to play it that way!" Jason yelled, launching himself on top of Logan and jabbing a syringe into Logan's neck. Logan yelled, whether in pain or frustration Emma could not tell, and slumped to the ground, allowing the gun to fall into Jason's hands. Slinging the gun over his shoulder, Jason lifted Logan up, and gave Emma a disgruntled look. "We have to move now, we'll be lucky if we aren't all dead because of this."

Emma nodded and helped Jason carry Logan out of the room and down the hallway into the kitchen. Inside the kitchen a hole had been blown through the roof, and series of chairs and tables were made into a make-shift stairway. More guards could be heard running down the hallway, and Jason and Emma worked quickly to push Logan through the hole. Once Logan had been shoved to the surface, they then scaled up themselves, making sure to knock over their make-shift system, buying them some time with the guards.

Once outside Emma felt the frosty air and wetness of snow as she pushed herself onto the ledge. "Snow..." She muttered, glancing up and feeling the soft, wet touch of the flakes. Morgan came over and pushed Emma to the side, placing a giant metal weight over the man-made hole.

This may have upset Emma, but this shove caused her to notice how dark and gray the sky was, and that while it may be snowing, most of the snowflakes seemed to be gray, not white. "What is this?" she asked, looking up at the darkened sky with an outstretched hand.

"Mount Cayley, a local volcano, decided this would be a good time to let off some steam." A tall, red haired girl explained, kneeling in from of Emma. So this was Kat, Emma thought to herself as Kat helped her up. "Welcome to Canada." Kat smiled. She was fairly thin, but had an air about her of strength as she pulled a leather jacket over her toned arms and fixed her sloppy ponytail back on top of her head. Kat went off to speak with Jason, Raven, and Travis.

Looking around frantically, Emma finally set her eyes on Logan, who was still lying in the snow next to the covered escape hole. Slowly, Emma moved over to him and knelt over him. His blonde hair was starting to gather the gray ash from the volcano, and Emma, with a sense of guilt, pushed her fingers through his hair. She wished things could be like they use to be when they were together and happy. His face seemed more familiar as he slept in the snow. A guilty part of Emma wished he would sleep forever, to never wake up and hate her again. Emma rested a dirty on the side of his face, brushing her thumb over his cheek bone.  "You'll come back to me, won't you?" She whispered, holding back to desire to cry uncontrollably.

"Cars are here! Everyone move out!" Morgan yelled, pulling her little sister off the ground, and placing her into a dark blue Jeep. Beyond the Jeep, were two more, one red, the other a dark green.

Jason came over with Travis and Chandler. "We decided to load Logan into the trunk of one of the cars, less of a chance he will kill us immediately that way." Jason explained while Travis and Chandler got into position to lift Logan off the ground. Emma simply nodded and followed the three boys and an unconscious Logan to the red car, and she climbed into the middle of the backseat. Jason closed the back and climbed in next to Emma, producing a green blanket, and wrapping it around her. "You looked cold." He explained. Travis got in on the other side of Emma, and in the front Kat was in the passenger seat, while a guy Emma did not know sat at the wheel.

After they had been in the car around an hour, Emma began to get weary. The bumps and rocking back and forth were quite unenjoyable, and an anxiety about what she was going to do with Logan began to drive Emma crazy. "How much longer?" Emma asked, pushing the blanket down and freeing her arms.

Kat turned around, taking in the situation. "Not too much longer." She assured.

Emma sighed, leaning her head back against the seat. After a little while, they finally stopped, everyone but the drivers pilling out in what looked like the middle of no where. Kat walked a few steps, and then squatted down. A few seconds later the ground shook, and Emma thought for sure the Volcano was going to destroy them all, but instead a hole just appeared in the ground.

"Welcome to our secret base." Kat said, motioning to a rope ladder leading into the dark hole.

The three Jeeps then seemed to rev up and drive away, tossing gray slush everywhere and leaving them without cars. Emma's stomach sank. She wanted to go home, see her family, enjoy the sunshine. The last thing she wanted was to be stuck underground once again.

Chapter Seventeen - Numbers Grow

Emma sat at the breakfast table, twitching at every small sound and movement. Her fingers drummed endlessly against the metal table, as she fearfully glanced back and forth. The mornings were the worst for Emma, because she was still trying to separate nightmares from reality, and the constant dose of tranquilizers did not help. She sat across from Travis, who she felt was doing something stupid, but Emma was not quite sure what. In an attempt to look normal, Emma leaned her head against her hand, gripping her hair in a fist. She took a deep breath, gripped her fork, and concentrated on picking up a small slice of sausage while not pulling her hair out.

Raven, sitting next to Travis, reached across the table, touching Emma lightly on her wrist. Emma dropped her fork, causing a loud clang, and looked to Raven. Emma could tell Raven was trying to be comforting, just as she was always trying to do with Chandler, so Emma tried to smile, acknowledging that reaching out is difficult in the tranquilizer fog.

Sitting back and releasing her hair from her clenched fist, Emma took in what was real and tangible. Hands resting on the table, she laid her eyes on the far end of the cafeteria, watching Mora shovel eggs into her mouth as she sat across from Logan. Watching Mora's right hand with a forced concentration, the black eight began to seem odd to Emma. After a moment the pieces seemed to slide together, and, with a new sense of urgency, took hold of Raven's hand.

What happened to seven? Mora's hand has an "8".

Raven glanced over, receiving a fowl sneer from Mora. Sometimes others don't make it. 

Emma's brow furrowed. She knew she should be upset by this, or feel some kind of anger at what these scientists do to children like Mora, but the haziness made it hard, and she felt the great desire to take a nap despite the nightmares.


After training, lunch, and physical exams they were all placed in the recreation room. Raven instantly pulled her brother along to the couch, examining the bruises that Logan had given. Jason went to his usual spot at the piano, watching the keys, playing tunes in his head, as Travis crossed the room to the white folding chairs. After a moment of standing and watching Logan and Mora constantly try to beat each other's time record with rubik's cubes, Emma decided to sit with Travis.

She knew he was acting strange, but could not figure out how or why she thought that. You are being strange. She told him, staring forward so it would not be obvious they were communicating nonverbally.

Travis' mouth twitched. We all are. Tranquilizers.

No, that's not it. 

Did you know it's Sunday?

Sunday? Emma glanced at Travis, eyes wide, before realizing she should not do that. How do you know that?

I stole a phone. I stole a phone and I've used it every morning since we were tortured. 

Emma shuttered, rubbing her hands down her arms, pushing the memory of pain out of her mind. You're going to get in trouble. They're smarter now.

I know... but I can't help it.

Emma allowed herself to look at Travis. He twiddled his thumbs as if thinking, but beads of sweat hiding at his hairline suggested he was quite nervous. Emma got the strong sense that Travis needed to talk to this girl, the one he was tortured by up until recently. He wanted redemption.

You're obsessed. Emma said. You're going to get yourself killed just trying to talk to her.

Oh, and you would never do such a thing. He remarked, just as two guards walked in a new person dressed in black. I suppose seven made it after all... He noted, forgetting their conversation.

The new girl seemed timid, hiding behind the guards and glancing around anxiously. It reminded Emma of her first day here, and she felt perhaps she should stand and introduce herself, but the girl's temperament quickly changed when she saw Mora. She looked to be Mora's sister, older and a bit taller, hair long and braided nicely. She wore a smug look, just like Logan and Mora. Two boys then emerged from behind Mora's assumed sister, a tall Brunette with a pointed nose, and a fit, but thin boy looking about fourteen and with lightly tanned skin and dark eyes.

The five were now quickly looking amongst each other, and a feeling of immanent death stared them right in the face as the new three joined the other two. They've never had this many at once before. Travis stated. We're dead meat. We are literally dead. meat.

Chapter Sixteen - Night Patrol

The five could no longer get away with sneaking to the kitchen, or plotting against the scientists. After being dropped off, two guards were positioned in each end of the hallway, making sure no more issues would occur. It did not matter to most of them, because the torture and questioning left them completely exhausted. The hallway was filled with the hushed voices of the two guards as they spoke to one another.

Travis sat against his door, listening to the soft chatter. He was not as lucky as the others who slept the hours away. Hugging his knees to his chest, Travis waited out the hours listening to the guards talk of the best kind of gun until the early hours of the morning. There was a long lull in the on and off discussion outside the door, and then he heard the guard by his door say to the other, "It's almost breakfast time. The caretakers will be here in an hour, let's go get something to eat." The other guard grunted, and then Travis heard the opening and closing of a nearby door.

Waiting a few minutes to make sure no one was going to replace the two who left, Travis stood and leaned against the door. When he was sure no one else was coming for a while he pushed the door open quickly and, as quietly as possible, dashed down the hallway to Jason's room. Busting inside, Travis quickly closed the door again, finding Jason out of bed with wide eyes.

"What-?"

"We don't have long." Travis rushed, fumbling with something in his pocket. "I did something bad, Jason."

Jason calmed down and furrowed his eyebrows. "What do you mean, Travis?"

Travis pulled out a cellphone, his hands slightly trembling.

"Where did you..."

"I don't know, I just had it." Travis shrugged. "I must have taken it when they were taking me back to my room." Travis rotated the phone in his hand. "We have to figure something out."

Jason reached for the phone, and looked it over. "It's locked." Handing it back to Travis, Jason sighed. "Unless you have someone's number memorized we can't do anything. And I doubt the police would do anything here."

Travis held the phone again, feeling heavy inside. "I only remember one number..." He said.

Jason instantly saw what was on Travis' mind. "The girl's number? The only number you remember is the girl who got you here?"

"It's not her fault i'm here!" Travis blurted. "She does hate me though." Staring at the numbers, Travis sighed. "I have to try. I should at least apologize to her."

Before he could chicken out, Travis punched in the numbers and held the phone up to his ear. The phone rang three times before a timid voice answered. "Hello?"

Travis froze.

The voice asked again, "Hello?"

"Hi..." Travis said, biting his finger.

"Who is this?"

"It's uh... Travis." There was no response. "Travis Peterson? I know I'm a jerk but your number is the only one I have memorized and..." Travis teetered off at the strange gasp across the line.

"Travis?" Kat croaked out. "You're alive?"

"Oh... yeah, everyone thinks I'm dead, huh? Well, I'm not, I guess."

There was a long pause, and a subtle sound of someone trying to breathe could be heard. "I'm so sorry." She cried. "I didn't know... but it worked?"

"What? What do you mean you didn't know?" Kat said nothing. "Well... I was calling to apologize for being such a jerk and to let you know me and a few others are being held captive against our will. Also, we will soon be made into military-robot food."

Kat's voice lowered as she responded. "Listen, it'll be okay. There's a plan."

"A plan? Kat, what's going on out there? What do you know?"

"It doesn't matter, just be smart, like I assume you're not being since you stole a phone." Kat paused for a moment. "Can you trust me?" She asked, her voice dripping with concern and eagerness.

"Yes... I think so." Travis replied. "Kat?"

"Yes?"

"What day is it?"

"It's a Wednesday." She said, a smile peaking through her words.

"Wednesday." Travis repeated, rolling the word around in his mind. "I think I like Wednesdays."

"I have to go." Kat said. "Be safe."

Kat hung up and Jason and Travis stared at one another for quite awhile. Finally, Jason stated, "You're about to get in a lot of trouble if you don't leave now."

Travis nodded, heading for the door.

"Also, delete your calling history." Jason called, as Travis retreated to his room.

Chapter Fifteen - Dr. Blohm

A pair of cold fingers gripped Emma's pale arms, pushing her into an uncomfortably stiff, silver chair. Emma's mind was racing, and her pulse felt like it was going to burst through her skin, as she felt cold leathers strips stretch over her wrists and ankles. A bright light then glared into her eyes, enhancing her feeling of panic as the room filled with fuzzy spots. Her fingers gripped so tightly that the white of her the knuckles reflected the white on the walls.

It had only been two days since the group had stopped eating meat, and after they had all refused once again to eat it at dinner, consequences were threatened. Sticking their ground with a fake-religious fervor, the scientists grew red in the face, and without realizing what was really going on, each of the five was taken up by the guards that lined the cafeteria walls, and thrown into their own private, silver-chaired room.

Trying to get rid of the sound of her panicked breathing, Emma forced her mind to listen to the beeping that now echoed in the room, using the regulated beeps to help her breathing appear normal. She did not know where the beeps were coming from, and she fought off the memory of her first night here, trying to stay in control as the cold eyes of the blonde, steely woman took a seat on a silver stool. For the first time, Emma felt genuinely angry at this woman and what she had done. Perhaps it was the lack of tranquilizers, or perhaps the knowledge that she controlled Logan, but Emma felt her insides start seething. Looking this doctor up and down, Emma sized her up, noticing an embroidered "Dr. Blohm" on her coat, for the first time realizing these people have names too. Dr. Blohm also had a fairly feminine stature about her, very similar to Emma's own build, only taller, and more slender where Emma was more fit due to training. If for not being super-human, Emma felt almost certain that the two could pass as family, and somehow that calmed Emma a little bit. Given the chance, Emma could take her out in seconds.

"Five..." the woman sighed, seeming highly inconvenience as she shuffled some papers on her lap. "Why are you not eating the food we have so graciously provided?" Her fingers gripped the papers tightly, showing that while her voice was calm and even, Dr. Blohm was quite frustrated. When Emma did not respond, Blohm sighed again, harsher this time, and pulled her blonde hair away from her face, causing her sharp features to be more noticeable in the bright room. Keeping her eyes on Emma, the doctor motioned at the two guards who stood to left of the room, and, as they moved closer to Emma, Dr. Blohm leaned forward, tilting her head ever so slightly to the side, and said, "You will give me answers whether you like it or not, Five."

Emma glanced at the two men, who were now messing with a few wires, and the realization began to hit Emma. She was going to be tortured if she did not speak. "My name is Emma, not Five." She squeaked, hoping that she could buy time by just speaking.

"I did not ask about your name. I need an answer as to why you've been skipping meals, or other methods will be employed."

Emma cleared her throat, trying to avoid the squeakiness that sometimes came when she spoke nervously. She explained how the group was participating in the Daniel Diet, and that it was because they felt led to show how they can beat these seemingly stronger opponents by simply following God. It was not a speech filled with the passion and fervor a very religious person may have spoke with, but Emma did the best to explain how her mother was religious, and that it was in tribute to her that she followed her mother's faith in this place.

Emma was then starting to ramble on about her mother, and Dr. Blohm had had enough. "I do not care about your faith, or your mother. It has no place in this facility. You have been given everything you could need, and you and the others should not push your luck. Do you understand?"

Emma nodded, pressing her lips tightly together.

"You will eat what we give you, or matters will grow worse for you." To this Emma said nothing, and Blohm gave her a questioning look. "You will do as I say, won't you?" Emma simply stared at the doctor, and a fury took over Dr. Blohm at once. "I've had enough of you!" She barked, causing Emma to shrink away as much as possible. "Children are always so ungrateful." Blohm growled, and Emma felt this woman had a very questionable past. Walking towards the door, Dr. Blohm looked to the guards, and with a cold look ordered, "Give her the therapy until she gives into what I have said, and then drop her into her room for the night."

Dr. Blohm left the room, and Emma cried out, "No! No! You don't understand!" But everyone understood very well what was going on, and the wires were quickly placed on Emma's skin. Emma was then forced to give up what felt like her last freedom in this place, and with the smell of burning hair, and the constant streaming of tears, the two guards dragged Emma down the hall to her room.

As they took her down the hall, Emma looked around to see if the others were around, but her vision was hazy with tears and pain. Only when the guards walked past the showering area did Emma's vision begin to clear. Exiting the shower area, Logan ran right into one of the guards. Logan was wearing his uniformed black shirt and sweat pants, rubbing his hair dry with a towel, but the moment he ran into the guard and noticed they were dragging Emma he stopped with a furrowed brow.

Emma tried to reach out to him the way she spoke with the others, mentally and unheard by the guards. Logan, you know me, she whispered to him. Come back to me. Logan's eyes narrowed at Emma as she was pulled around a corner, and she felt the impression come back from him, saying, They won't keep you very much longer.

Chapter Fourteen - Diets

There was a soft hum emanating from the refrigerator, filling every silence filled gap, accompanied by the trill of rhythmic breathing and darting eyes. The five sat against the white painted cabinets, twiddling their thumbs and searching for some kind of answer to their question. The humming continued to grow louder, as if the fridge was threatening to fly away, giving them and their scheming away to the scientists and their monsters.

"So... we can never eat again?" Chandler finally squeaked, startling the rest of the group. Raven pulled her brother closer to her, causing Chandler to look at her instead of the fridge that sat directly in front of him. Raven made no sound, but tried to give Chandler a reassuring smile as she wrapped her arms around him, keeping him near, a protective mother's embrace.

"That would be too suspicious." Jason sighed, crossing his arms and leaning his head back against the cabinet handle. "This is why I have never brought it up before..." He remarked in an agitated and gruff tone. He knew Raven felt negatively toward him, and keeping this secret put another notch in the wanting-to-kill-Jason bucket of feelings she carried around with her. But by now, he realized, as he noted Raven's maternal tendencies, that it was not so much himself that Raven disliked, but the danger constantly surrounded her little brother that put her in a constant nasty mood.

Jason glanced over at Emma, who sat to his left. She was someone he wanted to protect. Yet, even in the midst of this serious conversation, Jason felt Emma's mind fixated on Logan. She was supposed to be the damsel in distress, and yet she is so determined to be the one playing the hero when it comes to the military robot that is her boyfriend.

With the beginning of a headache, Jason reached his arm to his right, punching Travis right in his shoulder. "Ow." Travis said, now looking at Jason instead of his tapping sock-feet. "That was a little rough."

"You said you had ideas."

"Ah..." Travis, now fully aware of what was going on, felt his face grow warm. Even though he had a nearly spotless track record for winning everyone over, and carrying the kind of charisma that would shock the president into a standing ovation, he had changed. In this place, he constantly dreamed and relived the ways he hurt others, sending him into a desperate spiral of self-hate and self-doubt. Something about being number one just was not fun for him anymore, and, as the old song says, one truly is the loneliest number.

"Travis..." Jason snapped his finger in front of Travis' face. "We need something... anything."

Everyone turned their attention to Travis, eyes trained and hopeful. "It's okay, just breathe for a moment." Emma soothed, reaching past Jason to lay a comforting hand on Travis's arm, a reassuring smile playing at her lips. Travis' mind grew gentler, and Emma withdrew her hand. She did not know she had this affect on others, but everyone else could see she was the kind of girl everyone fell in love with, if at least for a moment.

Travis stood up, brushing down his arms as if dust had collected upon his grey, long-sleeved  shirt. "Well, what we first need to do is find a way to switch our food around with their new super-humans', that way they will be the ones who eat the tranquilizers, not us." In a professorial kind of way, Travis pulled open the fridge, and was met with a series of vegetables, fruits, and meats.

"It's not like we can just switch some labels around..." Jason remarked, feeling superior by his knowledge of the refrigerator, even though no one really took note of it.

"That's okay, I have a back-up plan." He said, nosing around in the fridge until there was a short click and Travis turned around, holding a tray full of tubes that held beige colored slime. "We eject this stuff into all of the meat, and at meals we simply won't eat meat."

"Still suspicious." Jason retorted, growing annoyed in his growing exhaustion.

"No, it's not." Emma chimed in. "From now on, we will be on the Daniel diet." To this, no one spoke, and instead gave Emma a strange look. "You know, Daniel from the Bible? Didn't eat meat? Beat everyone who did?" Still no response. "My mother is very religious." She confessed, no longer interested in defending herself.

After a moment of awkward silence, Travis took a deep breath and exclaimed, "Exactly!" Travis looked at the others, his head bobbing up and down ever so slightly. "We are all very religious, aren't we?"

The other three looked amongst each other and slowly nodded their heads, accepting this plan as their last hope.

Chapter Thirteen - Numbers

Jason knew this was his chance to say something. Everyone had been severely beaten down by Mora and Logan. As he had predicted, Mora and Logan were told to go against the five of them, and the five of them were easily outwitted and out-powered. The "doctors" were ushering their non-elite patients to the showers, keeping them all in a single file line. Jason held up the back, while Emma was at the very front holding a hand to her head, no doubt in pain from being kicked in head by Mora, who was able to jump much higher then expected for someone just let out of the surgical process. Glancing back at the white-cloaked doctor behind him, Jason concentrated on the four in front of him, passing along a mental message he hoped they would receive.

"Don't eat dinner." He tried to tell them. "They will think we are just too exhausted to eat after training."

"And why should we?" He felt Raven snap. He knew he had always been offensive to her, but he also knew he had to help her. Personal vendettas can come after they all get out alive.

"They put tranquilizers in our food." Was all he said, fearing to even mentally speak due to the burning stare of the doctor close behind.

Raven, who had been behind Emma, glanced back to Chandler briefly, but no one said anything else. Emma and Raven were then split off into their side of showers, and the rest took their place on the men's side, each door being guarded by two doctors in their lab coats, who usually just wrote in their little booklets that they kept in their breast pocket.

Jason was trying to think of a way to save everyone, while in fact trying to look like he was not thinking at all. He knew already that Emma would plead to take Logan along with them, but she should also notice how he had no reserves at practically trying to kill them all. This truly frustrated Jason. He felt he could never understand her dedication to Logan, especially when he was so brutish and uncaring. Then again, it could also be why up until now Jason had never really had friends. Maybe everyone needs an Emma in their life.

Everyone was allowed a seven minute shower, to the second, and then commanded to dry off and dress. Jason pulled on his assigned sweatpants and a black t-shirt, frustrated that he hardly had anytime to think of a plan, and that when he did he just thought about his frustrations with Emma. If he could punch something and get away with it, Jason felt he would probably do it. Reluctantly, Jason followed behind Travis, who was behind Chandler but seemed to keep a little distance as they were ushered to the cafeteria.

Travis took a deep breath as if he was simply enjoying his walk down the hallway, but at the same time Jason heard him say, "If Logan is an issue, I know how to drug him." Jason stared hard at Travis' head, confused by what he just heard. "When you gave us your warning." He went on, "You opened yourself up to us." He said.

This surprised Jason, but more than anything frightened him. His vulnerability seemed to rush over him just as the pack of dogs that seemed to bring him here.

"It's all right." Travis assured. "Control your breathing or they'll get suspicious. You don't have to let us know everything, I just couldn't help myself. It's the way I am." He explained.

Jason knew this, for even though Jason was not letting others into his mind, he could still see into theirs. Travis' history was always at the tip of his consciousness, and his nosiness and need for people, while he rejects it here, was apparent. "Meet in the kitchen tonight after you're sure the doctors are gone." Jason said to both Chandler and Travis. "And pass it along to the girls."

Chapter Twelve - Colors

There was a day, a long time ago, when Emma had a love for colors, especially the bright ones. Her closet was full of bright shades of hoodies and colored pants. Her mother use to tell her she dressed like she was still five, but Emma would give her a mom a look that said, "you got a divorce, being five makes me happy." And her mother would just shrug and give Emma a small smile of bright red lipstick. Emma never told her mother, but wearing bright colors made her feel closer to her mother, especially after she had gotten remarried, and the distance was furthered with Emma leaving for college.

"I have a surprise." Logan whispered, pulling Emma out of bed.

"What are you doing here? It's against the rules." Emma yawned, rolling out of her dorm room bed and pulling on a jacket over her tank top. Glancing at her clock, Emma noticed it was six in the morning and groaned.

Logan held a finger to his lips, motioned at Emma's still sleeping roommate, and began leading her  down the stairs and out of her dormitory. After walking quickly across the quad, Logan pulled out a piece of paper and punch in some numbers on an old art building that was being renovated this coming spring. The door gave a click, and Logan pulled the door open. Once inside, Logan had Emma close her eyes, and he slowly led her into a room, and, after closing the door, said, "Okay, you can open them now."

Emma opened her eyes and looked about the room. Everything was white, the floor, the walls, the ceiling. "You woke me up early to see a white room?" She asked.

"Nope." Logan smiled, stepping to the side. "I brought you here to paint." Behind Logan were trays filled with bright colors of paint, and no paint brushes.

"What are we painting with?" She asked, hiding a smile behind her hand.

"With our hands of course!" He exclaimed, tossing a blue hand at Emma's face.

Emma squealed, trying to get back at Logan with some green paint, and together in the early hours of the morning, they painted.

~~~

"What are you doing, five?" The blonde woman growled, clutching Emma's wrist, and pulling her away from a small white table.

Emma stared at the woman, not understanding why she was getting in trouble until she noticed her hand was covered in gray paint, and on the table Emma realized she had covered a piece of paper, and part of the table, in black, gray, and white paint without using a paintbrush. "I don't know." Emma said, looking at the woman with a look that said, "I know you think you have power over me, but your grip sucks."

The woman dropped her hand, and squinted her eyes at Emma. "Wash up."

Emma watched the woman go, and then went to wash her hands at the small white sink that sat on the wall adjacent to the row of white folding chairs. As she rinsed her hands, Emma glanced about the room, but everyone was doing their usual thing: Travis sitting in a corner, Raven on the couch, Chandler leaning against the couch by Raven's feet reading a book, and Jason, laying his head on the piano, no doubt tired from lack of sleep. Then there was Logan, sitting on the far end of the row of chairs, his fingers seeming to clutch his knee as his knuckles turned a pale color. For a moment, Emma thought maybe, just maybe, he had remembered the memory too, but only for a moment. Logan stretched, kicked up his feet on another chair, and picked up a copy of martial art demonstrations. Turning the water off, Emma moved to go back to the table and destroy her weird painting, but was interrupted by the beeping and opening of doors. Turning around Emma saw an older man, dressed in the usual white and using one hand to rub his graying hair and a thick beard, the other hand ushering in a small Chinese girl, about maybe thirteen or fourteen.

The man left, and the girl instantly went to shake hands with Logan, allowing Emma to spot the "8" on her hand. After they shook hands, the girl sat next to Logan, glanced at the rest of them, but made no effort to greet them. Emma's brow furrowed as she looked at the girl. She seemed so small, but when looking at her all Emma could get was that her name was Mora, and that Mora knew that she and Logan were of a more superior breed than the five of them.

Emma looked at Jason, who was alert now. With hands still dripping from the water, She looked at Jason with an almost desperate feeling in her stomach. Jason looked back at her, and seemed to battle with himself for a moment before Emma felt him saying to her, "We're not safe here."

Chapter Eleven - Jason

A weight seemed to sit on Jason's chest as he began to lock up the little grocery shop. He couldn't figure out why he felt so sad, twisting the key for that familiar click. The sun had just sunk below the small houses, and had left a chill that frosted Jason's every exhale. Tucking the key away in his pocket, Jason picked up his two bags of groceries and headed down the small slope that held a bunch of tiny apartments that fit snugly against another opposing hill. As he walked, Jason began to wonder if he should stop by Mr. Brown's place to say hello. Mr. Brown had owned the store for fifty years now, and had been like a father to Jason, even giving him a job at the store and bonuses to cover rent.

Another added weight of sadness seemed to pile onto Jason when he thought of his old friend. Why did it make him so sad, he wondered. He couldn't seem to make sense of it, and just when he thought he might be able to a loud snarling seemed to surround him, and a blur of teeth and pain pressed down until he couldn't handle it any longer.

With a hearty gasp for fresh air, Jason bolted up right. After breathing for a few moment, Jason sighed. Reaching under his pillow, he pulled out a small key. He had no idea how he had managed to keep this small trinket, but it was something he would always treasure. Flicking on the small flashlight attached to the key, Jason pulled on a pair of gray sweats and put the comforter back on the bed. Once the bed was made, Jason carefully slid the key back under the pillow and ran his fingers through his hair, careful not to pull any out as he tended to do as a child when frustrated.

The heaviness seemed to always be with Jason. No matter where he was, or who he was with, there was always something. Perhaps he understood Emma in this way, in the sense that he could see the weight on her shoulders. But unlike Emma, Jason could hardly find hope. Emma felt she could without a doubt save Logan after whatever happened at training practice, but Jason didn't fall into those kinds of traps. His experience led him to believe that all life is is miserable. Perhaps if Jason had had a family he would think differently, but he had to raise himself and see the world for what it really was. Mr. Brown had been kind and gracious man, but even he had grown old and sick.

For Jason, there was nothing to hope for. Except, perhaps an unfortunate accident where Logan was concerned. With a sigh Jason laid back down, his hand reaching under the pillow to feel the coolness of the shop's key. He felt an odd pull toward's Emma, but he also knew that to grow close to her, he would have to open up as Raven had kindly ranted the other day, and all he was inside was a sad pit of lonely hopelessness. Jason could never put someone like Emma, with all of her lovely optimism, through such a tragic thing as that.

Chapter Ten - Training

Natalia paced in front of the group, her white coat pushed back as her fingers pressed against her hips. Emma had learned the blonde woman's name when she had arrived earlier that morning to wake Emma for the morning routine of washing, dressing, and eating breakfast. Now everyone was standing along a white wall opposite a glass window that rested against the edge of the ceiling. Emma tugged at her tight outfit; everyone seemed to be wearing the same black latex suite, but it was not ideal for Emma, she'd much prefer to breathe in her outfits.

A chirpy ring emanated from Natalia's pocked, and she quickly pulled out a small, flat, rectangular device the size of her palm, and held it to her ear. "What's taking so long?" She said, the feel of neck-wringing clear in her tone.

There was a mumble from the phone-like device, and Emma strained her hearing to hear a tired sounding man on the other side. "We've finished our diagnostics, and all we can guess is that the spike was from some kind of dream. There have been no other problems, subject six is free for use."

Natalia sighed, "Then why is he not here yet?" She complained, placing the phone back into her giant coat pocket. She looked at the group, taking time to eye each one of them, as if sizing them up and finding each one lacking. Emma couldn't help but miss the fake niceness she experienced from before; everything was beginning to be too real. "Here is what you will be doing today." Natalia announced, hands once again at her hips. "You will take turns fighting subject six, and you will not, under any circumstances, intervene when you are not the one in combat. This is a one-on-one session, and you will take notes as you wait for your turn." Everyone looked amongst each other, giving a little hint that they were confused by this session, but Emma felt that none of them really cared what they had to do except Jason, whose eyebrows were furrowed.

Across from Emma, below the stretched window, a metal door opened, and Logan stepped forward, wearing a tight red latex suit and a cocky grin.

Another sigh escaped from Natalia as her heels clacked on the her way over to Logan. "About time."

Logan looked Natalia in the eyes, giving off a strong sense of power and control. "Everything is as you asked."

"Great. Let's move!" She called, waving everyone to follow Logan back through the door he had opened.

They walked down a short hallway until another door was opened. Once inside Emma was taken back by all the rocks in the room. The ground was covered in a red dirt, and periodically spread throughout the room giant rocks stood out at sharp looking points.

"Subject three, you will go first. The rest of you go to the neutral zone on the left."

Emma looked at Chandler as she followed to others to a spot behind a row of horizontal bars. Chandler looked so small and thin compared to Logan's giant build. Logan smirked at Chandler, who gulped in return.

Natalia appeared in the giant window that sat up and to Emma's right, just along the wall of the door. "The training begins now."

Logan launched himself at Chandler, and before Chandler could blink an eye he was pinned against a boulder with his eyes practically bulging out of his head. Chandler struggled a bit, but to no avail.

"Enough. Subject three may return."

Logan stood up and sighed, as if bored as Chandler moved to safety with his head bowed low. Raven was fuming, and Emma tried to dismiss the rudeness of what she felt Raven thinking.

"Subject five, your turn."

Emma took a deep breath and moved in front of Logan. She looked for any signs that he remembered her, but his eyes were as cold and calculating as ever.

"Begin now."

Logan smirked and moved for Emma, but she anticipated this from watching Chandler, so she dropped to the ground and rolled out of the way. Logan landed on the boulder, wrapping one arm around it and finding Emma pushed himself off of it. Emma, never learning how to fight, was taken by surprise as Logan snatched her wrist and flung her to the ground. Fear began to take over Emma as a sickening grin stretched across Logan's face.

"Please, Logan." She said, knowing it was useless.

Logan grabbed at her again, but she tried to move out of the way this time. Logan still managed to grab her leg, and he swung her across the room, making her land on a bunch of smaller rocks. He launched at her, and deciding to take fight instead of flight, Emma launched right back at him. Logan grabbed hold of Emma's wrists, and her weight pulled him down on top of her as they twisted mid-air. With Emma's wrists pinned above her head, Logan seemed to half-smile, his eyes boring into hers.

Emma was quickly reminded of another time.

~~

It was raining and Logan had just lost a championship game. He had waited until everyone had left, and then found himself alone in the stadium. Emma knew he liked to process losses alone for a while, but she didn't like how sad he would get, so she went out, when everyone had left, to meet him in the middle of the field.

"You're still here." She called out to him.

He looked over at her, feeling the weight of his helmet in his hands and the stains of mud and grass mocking his playing. "You know I like to process things." He said at a normal volume as she stood in front of him.

"I know that, but it's raining." She said, motioning her pink polka-dot umbrella up and down. "You can't be alone when it's raining."

"And why is that?" Logan asked, a smile beginning to pull at the corner of his mouth.

"Because it's a waste of a perfectly good opportunity, of course." Emma closed her umbrella and dropped it on the ground, and before Logan could say a word Emma punched his arm and took of running. "You're it!"

"What are you doing?" Logan cried, feeling exhausted from the game.

Emma stood near the goalpost. "Ah, giving up before you even try. Maybe that's why you lost." She said with a shrug of her shoulders.

"Woah! Too soon!" Logan yelled, taking off towards Emma, who could barely run ten yards before Logan had caught up to her. Emma let out a squeal as Logan grabbed her arm, but with the rain pouring down the two of them slipped in the mud, landing on their backs. Logan let out a small groan. "Of all things, that I will feel tomorrow."

Emma chuckled. "Maybe you're not so bad."

Logan propped himself up so that his head was above Emma's. "Maybe." He sighed.

"Hey." Emma placed a muddy hand to Logan's face. "It was just a game. There will be lots of games, but there's only one you. And... well, you're pretty amazing."

Logan searched Emma's warm eyes and placed his hand over hers. "I love you." He whispered.

"About time." She smiled, placing a soft kiss against his lips.

~~

Emma looked hard at Logan. "Maybe you're not so bad." She said, restraining from clenching her teeth.

Logan's eyes dilated and a feeling of panic and confusion took control of his face. "Maybe..." He said, glancing at the rock he was clenching in his fist just above Emma's head.

Before Emma could respond Logan was pushed off of her, and Jason was grabbing the rock from Logan's hand.

A crackling sound echoed in the room, and Natalia's voice screeched, "Subject four, you have disobeyed command, and will not be receiving lunch!"

Jason stood up and brushed himself off, and Logan's cocky personality returned instantly. Emma got the feeling Jason could care less about missing a meal, but she wished he hadn't interfered. There was something there, maybe Emma could save Logan after all.

Chapter Nine - A Revelation

Emma pulled away from the wall, hardly registering the shallow dent on the wall's white surface. Her eyes were still trained on the closed door across from her. Kneeling on her hands and knees, her lips trembled and her tongue twisted until a weak voice pushed out the word, "Pet."

Never had that word ever come out of Logan's mouth before. They had always addressed each other by their names, thinking they were beyond the typical mush of romantic relationships. They were something real; they were something that was meant to last. The amount of ice that carried the word from Logan's mouth to Emma's ears left her in a constant state of frigid disbelief. "Pet," she muttered, leaning back against her feet and dusting her hands off on her rumpled white dress. 

She stood up slowly, brushing her hair out of her eyes, and attempted to smooth her dress out. Nothing seemed to make sense to Emma, and she wasn't sure she even wanted to make sense of it, so she headed down the hallway, through the double doors, past her room, and into the cafeteria.

The cafeteria looked big and empty with the tables pushed to the side and no guards surrounding the area with their beady little eyes. Emma walked across the cafeteria, her feet slapping against the cold linoleum, and found Jason squatting behind a large metal counter. 

Jason looked up at Emma. He stared at her hard, trying to size up what happened while he stood up with a cutting board. Without saying a word Jason handed Emma a peach before beginning to chop a head of lettuce. 

Emma looked at the peach. It was a simple gesture, and would not have even been a big deal at home. But here, in a place where kindness appeared fake and forced by adults in lab-coats, and everyone else just seemed to have given up, this one act or random kindness brought Emma to tears as she squeezed the peach in her fist.

"We were supposed to get married." Emma cried between choking sobs. "We were different!" Emma dropped the peach and sunk to the floor, the weight of her new world crushing her. 

Jason slid down next to Emma. He didn't say a word to her; he knew all she needed was time, and when you've been disappointed like she has, time drips slowly like a shut off faucet with a leak. 

Emma took deep, shaky breaths until she no longer shook all over. She wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her head on her knees. "He threw me out of his room by just grabbing my arm." She said, staring at a large metal fridge. "He said he didn't love me, then he just threw me out... Just like that. And you know what bugs me more than any of that?" She asked, still not looking at Jason. "He called me Pet." 

A chuckle caught Emma's attention. Jason had a hand over his mouth, but there was no doubt that he had laughed at Emma. "I'm sorry." He said through his hand. "It's just... You'll take an abusive boyfriend over someone who gives you a nickname?" 

A smile crossed Emma's face. "When you put it like that it sounds kind of lame, doesn't it." She said with a sad little smile.

"It's not your fault." He sighed. "They changed him. I think it's safe to say we're supposed to be some kind of weapon, and their techniques for changing us worked a little too well on pet-boy. When I felt his mind, all emotions unnecessary to war seem tied off." Jason explained. "His strategy and reflexes are all super enhanced, and even his physical strength seems to surpass our own." He mused.

"So what does that mean for us?" Emma asked.

"We may become obsolete. Our wills are too strong for them to manipulate, no matter how much drug induced food they feed us."

"So that's why you never eat."

Jason nodded and stood back up. "The others don't know, if we all stopped eating they'd find another way to drug us, which would probably be more effective, so I act like I'm not hungry, and then I make myself food during the evening."

"Won't they notice the foods missing?"

"Nah. Cooks take stuff with them all the time." Jason lent a hand to Emma, helping her up. "Want a salad?"

"Yes please."

Chapter Eight - Logan

Emma quickly brushed past the suave dark figure, eager to search the hall for the door that held Logan behind it. She knew, after the march to the cafeteria, that each door held a number that correlated to the black tattoo that each resident carried. So, with a strong sense of determination, and the flickering lighter light going on and off, on and off, Emma knew she had to confront the boy she loved, and the man he became.

"You don't want to do that." Jason said, stepping away from the wall and trailing behind Emma. "I told you he is not safe."

"No!" Emma cried, turning around to stare at the dark outline of Jason. With a hushed voice Emma stared hard at the shadow, "You don't know him. You can't know him like I do."

Jason shifted his wait to his left foot, and looked down at the lighter. "You're wrong. He's not who he was before, the look in his eyes, and the feel of his mind... it's all wrong in there." Jason drew closer to Emma, speaking in an even quieter and more urgent tone than before. "He's not like the rest of us."

"Us?" Emma scoffed. "I've been around one day and I already know you're not apart of anything but yourself." Turning away, Emma found two metal doors leading down another hallway. Jason's hand grasped her arm as she tried to push through the doors.

"Stop."

Light began to leak in from the next hallway, a soft yellow glow from a headlight hanging in the middle of the hallway just beyond the double doors. Emma looked at Jason, now having enough light to see the bags under his eyes, and the way they squinted at Emma in the newly lit area.

"Never mind." He said, dropping his hand and stepping away. He gave a little shrug and headed for the opposite end of the hallway where the cafeteria was.

The curiosity got to Emma. "Where are you going?"

"I'm hungry." He said, tossing the cafeteria doors open and disappearing behind the doors' swing squeaks.

Whatever, Emma thought, finding herself standing in front of a door with a large six in the top left corner. To keep her mind off of the nervousness, Emma set her mind to opening the door, and quickly found the spot to push. The door made a few clicking sounds, then, slowly, it pulled away from the left side of the wall and slid into the right.

Taking a deep breath, Emma stepped onto a plush red carpeted room, and saw the large figure of Logan under a single white sheet.

"Logan." She whispered, stepping gingerly towards the bed.

Logan's eyes bolted open and he jumped out of the bed, landing on the opposite side of Emma, wearing  a tight white shirt and navy blue sweats. "Get out." He said, eyes wild, and blond hair sticking up from his pillow.

Emma took another step towards him, careful to move slowly. "It's me, Logan. It's Emma."

"Emma?" Logan looked like a frightened animal, his cobalt eyes darting around the room. He looked back at Emma, and the posture she had seen in the cafeteria came back. Logan stood up straight, eyes growing more distant, and arms folded behind his back. "Get out." He said again, his voice harsh and cold.

Emma thought to take another step towards him but faltered back instead, shocked by the coarseness of his voice. "But it's me... Emma. I love you."

Logan placed a hand on his bed and hurdled over the bed, landing right in front of Emma, a mocking smile pulling at the side of his mouth. "Love?" He said, tilting his head to the side. "There is no love here, pet." With a feeling of hurt, Emma reached out to Logan, but he quickly caught her wrist in his hand, the smirk fading into a scowl. "Now get out." He said, tossing Emma out the door and into the opposing wall.

Emma looked up in shock as the door slid back into its place, hiding Logan's smirk once again.

Chapter Seven - After Hours

The room was full of darkness and cloth restraints were tied to her wrists. Emma took deep breathes, trying to clear her mind from the fog of what was most likely a tranquilizer. After a minute or two had passed, she pulled her arms forward, easily breaking out of the restraints. Sitting up, Emma looked around to trying to see anything in the dark, but there were no windows in this imprisonment, meaning light had no chance of creeping in.

With an uneasy sickness knotting in her stomach, Emma carefully slid her feet to the familiar cushion of a plush carpet. At least she knew she was in her room, which sat along the great hallway before the cafeteria. Stepping carefully, Emma made her way to the wall and felt along for some kind of light switch. After twenty minutes, she grew furious at the realization there would be no light switch. Just like everything else around here, it must be set on a timer, and right now it was time for sleep.

Sitting down on the carpet, Emma felt defeated. She also did not know what to make of the event with Logan. He seemed different in demeanor, and even his hair seemed more militant than before, leaving Emma with a heavy sadness. She wondered if the others felt like this all the time, the heaviness of their burdens constantly pulling them down. Having lived such a cushioned and opportunistic life, Emma hardly saw the strife other's lived daily. Maybe she should have felt some kind of remorse over her parent's divorce, but she let it empower her instead, it was something to gain from to her. But here she was, sitting in the dark thinking she knew the pain of losing a loved one just because her boyfriend turned harsh. Who could blame him really, after what had happened to him? Emma was convinced he just needed time, and the gentle boy would be back.

Emma threw her first down into the plushness of the carpet, determined to let things push her farther instead of holding her back, when she could suddenly see. It came in flickers. One moment she could feel her eyes gather all the light she could, and then it would be gone. Again, and again. Drawing closer to the heavy door, Emma realized the light flickered through the cracks between the door and the wall, the source sitting just on the other side.

Placing both hands on the cool surface of the door, Emma tried to find some kind of trigger, but, like the light switch, found none. Biting her lip in frustration, Emma tried to figure out a way to get to the light. Then, gradually, a warmth began to seep through the door, slowly and casually, until Emma felt the heat move across the door, guiding her hands to the edge. Once in place, the heat was gone, and Emma used what force she could to press on the door. Her first try yielded nothing, but gave her the frustration and power to push harder. The door groaned under the pressure, and then began clicking until Emma felt the door pull away to slide back into the wall.

Emma let out a small gasp of excitement, a goofy smile crossing her lips. She wanted to cheer for joy, but knew better. Smoothing her dress out, Emma stepped into the hallway to see a tall boy flicking a lighter, causing Emma to see, then not see, to see, and not see.

"Jason." Emma stated.

Jason flicked the lighter again, allowing Emma's eyes to see his cavalier expression. "Guess you are smarter than you look."

Chapter Six - Mystery Meat

The two white coat workers from before ushered Emma down the long white hallway. Emma tried to glance behind at the others, who were also being led by their own pair of white clad scientists, or terrorists, or whatever they wished to be. After passing by several metal sliding doors with numbers etched into them, two clear doors slid open to reveal a bright white cafeteria with metal lunch tables at the center of attention.

Hands guided each Emma to the table, and prodded her with firm fingers until she sat stiffly on the cold bench of the far left table. Each table could sit four, so Emma found herself sitting across from Jason, with Chandler next to him. Raven and Travis were seated at the far right table, causing Raven's face to from in frustration.

A few middle-aged women in white aprons appeared, dropping plates with some kind of meat and green-beans. Emma glanced about, taking note that each escort was standing in stiff army-like poses against the walls, surrounding the tables.

After prodding the weird meat a few times, Emma sighed, not feeling the least bit peckish, which was a bit curious as she could not even remember the last time she had eaten.

Looking up at Chandler, Emma asked, "Why are we separated? They could just push the tables together."

Chandler's eyes shifted a little. "My sister and I are too co-dependent." He said matter-of-factly. Also, be careful what you say. They here everything, and will act against you.

Emma gaped at Chandler before quickly shaking her head, realizing her mind was connected to everyone else's mind. Everyone's, that is, except Jason's.

Jason kept his head down, not touching the food.

Is the food always this strange? Emma asked Chandler.

Chandler shrugged. Jason is the only one who doesn't eat it. I'm not sure he's ever eaten a meal.

Emma looked to Jason, her eyebrows furrowed. She nibbled on the green-beans, but left the weird meat to itself, confused by the dark haired boy's resolve.

Everyone ate in mostly silence for a few minutes until the two doors swooshed open and two armed men came into the cafeteria. The two men stepped aside, and two more stepped forward, ushering someone to Raven and Travis' table. Once the character was seated, the four armed guards lined against the wall closest to the table.

Emma stared at the new stranger, frozen stiff. Without a doubt it was Logan sitting next to Raven. He had a smug look upon his face, sandy-blonde hair combed neatly, and was wearing a tight white shirt that showed his football muscles, only they seemed a bit bigger to Emma now. With a panic rising within her, Emma lurched up. "Logan!"

Logan glanced at Emma, but did not get up. Instead he stuck a forkful of meat into his mouth.

Just as she was about to dash across the room, Emma's arms were grabbed a stabbing pain filled her side, causing all bodily function to shake spasmodically and then stop completely. Falling to the floor, the room began to shake and twist in front of Emma's eyes as she heard a voice say ever so quietly, He's not safe.

Chapter Five - Raven

"And sometimes they like to put big red noses on us while we balance balls on our heads." Raven said, confirming that Emma was no longer listening. Raven stared at the girl, somewhat bewildered by her, and she could easily see the image of a boy in Emma's mind, if a person could scream images, Emma would be doing just that. It was like a strange obsession.

Raven looked to Chandler, and he too had a worried expression. It was true there was commotion about one of the new guests, but usually that meant they were losing them. Raven couldn't help but feel sad for this new girl. She seemed so young and doe-eyed. It sparked a motherly concern in Raven, a feeling she had only really had for Chandler since being here. Not like it was before she and Chandler were taken.

~~~

It was unseasonably cold in Texas at the time. Raven looked out the window as her two younger brother's played out in the cold rain. Normally she would have kept them inside, fearing they might catch a cold, but on that day Raven's mother lay on the faded red sofa, barely hanging on to life, and at only nine years old, Raven felt her younger siblings deserved some small fraction of joy on such a grim occasion.

Walking back to the front room, Raven's father and older brother, Samuel, sat in wooden chairs. Samuel was the oldest at seventeen, three years older than Raven. Raven's father held her mother's hand gently, his white skin no longer a bright contrast to his wife's olive complexion as she paled with her sickness.

Raven sat in the empty chair next to her mother's head. Carefully, Raven's mother reached a hand to Raven's cheek, a weak smile pulling at her lips. "Mi'ja," She whispered, a sense of love and urgency coaxing out her last words. "promise to take care of my boys, for me." She asked, squeezing her husband's loving hand.

"I promise, mama." Raven said, kissing her mother's forehead.

Raven's mother passed away a few hours later, and as Raven promised, she did everything she could to take care of her family. Samuel moved out as soon as he could, finding that living at home was too painful. He was not heard from much since then, only the occasional call to ask for money, which her family never had. Raven's little brothers did well over time as they learned to rely on Raven as the mother of the household. Perhaps it helped that they had each other. Raven's father was the one who took it hardest. He spent his life fighting to have his wife, their love being forbidden by both of their families when they were younger. Without her, he was nothing, at least he never tried to be anything. Many times Raven would come home from her waitressing job to find her father half asleep on the coach, having had no strength to even go to work.

For a while Raven felt it was just a phase, a type of mourning he was going through, but when Raven was twenty-one, and still having to work restaurant jobs to support her family, she understood this was how things would always be with her father. It was worrisome, and with her brothers now sixteen and old enough to work, her father completely quite working his job at the office for a full-time job of watching television. It was a hopeless battle, and each day seemed to grow grimmer and grimmer.

One day, after an early morning shift, Raven came home to an envelope addressed to her, but with no return address. Raven took it to the kitchen table, where Chandler was found eating some soup, home from school with a "stomach bug," which really meant he spent all night up making sure their father did not choke on his own vomit.

Raven opened the gold-sealed letter and a shiny announcement fell out. It was for a new product that was said to cure any form of depression or anxiety with no side-effects. It had been on every other television commercial and news program as the new hit medical discovery, but the Delarosa family never had enough money to even invest in health insurance. Another card was found within the envelope, saying that their family was chosen to receive this new medicine for free, as whoever sent this has heard of their family's struggles.

Chandler begged Raven to let him go with her, and after a minute of silent puppy-dog eyes, Raven gave in. After making sure their father was tucked under a blanket on the sofa, Raven and Chandler were on the first train to Austin for their miracle. Everything seemed to go well. The train was a bit busy because it was a friday and people always seemed to have weekend plans, but Chandler and Raven just sat smiling goofily at one another.

"This could be it." Chandler blurted in excitement. "Maybe papa can go back to work, and you can go to school like you always wanted."

Raven smiled, trying not to get her hopes up too high, but deep down she knew this was what she wanted more than anything. Half-way to Austin the train suddenly came to a halt, tossing it's passengers forward like a bucking bronco.

A static-filled intercom crackled through the train, "Sorry for the inconvienence. We are experiencing some slight difficulties, and will continue with our scheduled rout as quick as we can."

Chandler and Raven looked at each other, a bit confused by the commotion, but thought nothing more of it. A minute later one of the workers came up to Raven.

"Excuse me, miss. Are you Raven Delarosa?" She asked. The woman had sharp features, and a high, sleek, ponytail.

"Yes..."

"Ah, splendid." The woman said with a single clap of her hands. "I need you to come with me please, it won't be but a moment I assure you."

Raven stood up awkwardly, and Chandler did as well, refusing to let Raven out of his site.  The woman seemed a bit hesitant at first, but Raven explained, "This is just my little brother, Chandler."

"Oh, uh... yes, well come along then." She said, reclaiming her composure. She led Raven and Chandler outside of the train, and onto a small platform in the middle of no where. It seemed odd to Raven that the train seemed to breakdown right at an abandoned train-stop. "They will be along in just a moment." The woman said, shutting the train door.

Raven glanced at Chandler briefly before noticing it was starting to snow. Just as she was about to say something about the astonishing weather, fast foot steps sounded on the wooden platform, and the rest of Raven's memory is a painful blackness.

~~~

Raven's hand rocketed towards her head, as if she was reliving the pain all over again. She took a few deep breaths and then let her hand fall back down. Emma was looking at Raven now, and her green eyes looked upon her sadly. Raven knew instantly that Emma had relived each moment as Raven felt it. Straightening up, Raven reassumed the motherly posture she had felt before.

"Dinner will be ready soon." Raven stood up quickly. "I will go gather my things." Raven took long strides toward's the other side of the room, where she had left a book of poems she was reading. As she walked past the piano, Jason looked up to Raven, causing her to stop.

Raven looked to him, but his mind was blocked off as it always was. An awkwardness grew within Raven, as if Jason was a fragile thing that few could successfully handle, and she felt she was not one of those people.

"I, uh, dinner is soon." She blurted.

Jason looked at Raven blankly.

An anger grew within Raven. "You know, we have both been here a while, and you know all there is to know about all of us, while we know nothing about you. And maybe you think that's some kind of power you hold against us, but it's not. Rudeness does not make you stronger." She huffed.

Raven quickly walked over to where her Emily Dickinson book lied, her face red with embarrassment and anger as a descending tone expressed that dinner was ready and everyone's escorts were on their way to collect them.

Chapter Four - Delarosas

Emma found herself occupying the side of the room left vacant by the others. There wasn't much on that side of the room, except a row of white folding chairs and a small wooden table covered in a bright layer of white paint, which had old magazines stacked neatly to one side. Emma reached for one of the magazines, but was once again taken aback by her own hand. The black number seemed to scream at her against the pale glow of her fair skin. She also noticed how nice and manicured her nails were, instead of chewed with red nail-polish chipping off as they usually were.

A voice cleared its throat next to Emma, startling her enough for her to jump out of her seat. The girl Emma had seen before, with wavy dark hair and olive-toned skin, stood in front of Emma. The girl's blue eyes shifted back and forth, reflecting hints of green under the light.

"My name is Raven Delarosa." She said, awkwardly sticking out her hand, looking incredibly stiff.

Emma took it, relieved one of the boys had not been the first to approach. "Emma." She said, shaking Raven's hand. "Emma Hart." Emma glanced a bit past Raven, and noticed the boy who had sat next to Raven's feet earlier.

Raven followed Emma's line of sight. "That's my little brother." Raven said, tossing her head towards the timid boy standing several steps behind her. "His name is Chandler."

Chandler was taller than Raven, and more gangly looking, with close cropped dark hair and big brown eyes. He looked about sixteen, while his sister looked more like she might be twenty. Chandler moved over to us quietly, keeping just behind his sister's shoulders. He gave off an impression of innocence and fear, all wrapped into a young mind that Emma felt should could almost look into if she tried hard enough; It was an eerie feeling, and it weirded Emma out. People's thoughts are things others should not have access too, they are not pretty like the piano music, Emma felt.

Sitting down slowly, Emma tried to calm her mind down. She turned her head back to Raven, who had a maternal look about her. "Where am I?" Emma finally asked.

Raven looked to Chandler, then both looked back to Emma, a sad look tugging at their faces. "From what we understand, we are in some kind of experimental facility, far underground." Raven explained. "There's not a single window in the building, and it has a slow upward incline when you move towards the west."

Both Raven and Chandler pulled a chair out and sat across from Emma. Chandler gently took Emma's hand and traced the five with his finger. "This number means you are the fifth member of this group." Chandler let go of Emma's hand and showed her the "3" inscribed upon his own. "They choose people who are least likely to be missed when taken, and then create an event where you should have died, or are forever missing, but really they take you, and they change you." Chandler pressed his lips tight together, letting Emma's hand slide back into her lap. 

His sister laid a hand on his back. She used her other hand to tuck some hair behind her ear, and Emma noticed the "2" on Raven's hand, looking larger and more clumsy than the five on Emma's when she thought about it. "They don't give us any information unless they think it would help their purposes." Raven glanced about the room, and looked at Emma with complete seriousness. "I think they're making us into weapons." She whispered. "We are faster, stronger, better at solving problems, and at the very least we can all see into each other's minds, which allows us to communicate without speaking." Raven glanced over at the boy sitting at the piano. "Well, if you let us, anyway."

Emma looked over at the dark boy who sat at the piano, and got the sense his name was Jason, which she probably got from Raven. So that was why Emma could hear the music, and then could no longer once she had been noticed. It was a lot to take in, and most of it raised even more questions in Emma's mind. Yet, there was one thing that seemed to especially stick out. If this was supposed to happen to people who wouldn't really be missed, then why her? She was dearly loved and fought over by her parents, each constantly seeking her affection at every opportunity.

Emma looked into Raven's eyes, and with a tone of great concern asked, "Why did they chose me? I was being expected somewhere, and my parents would be hysterical if anything ever happened to me."

Chandler and Raven exchanged a quick glance. "Were you alone?" Raven asked.

Emma shook her head slowly. "No... I... I was with my boyfriend." She squeaked, growing exceedingly nervous.

Both siblings pursed their lips, looking more like siblings with their furrowed brows. "There was a bit of commotion yesterday with a new patient, and since you're here it must not have been you." Raven speculated. "Sometimes the people they pick don't always cooperate with the changing process, and they take special care, or just don't make it. So they bring in new people to fill in the empty spot every time they lose one of us. Two months ago we had a young girl who just wasn't strong enough to withhold to change, so they must have gone for your boyfriend, not thinking you'd be with him, and when you were... well two for the price of one. Just like us." 

They may have gone on to explain other things, but all Emma could think about was Logan. He was alive, at least he had a greater chance of being alive that is. The small sliver of hope grew within Emma, and a goofy smile, regardless of all the bad news she had been given, found its way onto her lips.

Chapter Three - Travis

Travis was a bit mystified by the frazzled girl in the doorway. She seemed small and fragile, a feeling none of the other's ever portrayed. Travis looked down at the "1" carved into his hand. He had seen everyone who came through here, and not all of them had made it, their numbers being placed on a new subject after disappearing.

Becoming transfixed Travis took a step towards the girl, but faltered back seeing the panicked condition she was in. The poor girl probably thought this was an insane asylum... if only. Following the path of the girl's eyes, Travis noticed she was looking at none other than the brooding Jason, who was probably playing the piano in his mind again. We had all been blocked out of his head the moment he found a way to do it, but without even realizing there was someone new, this girl would be able to hear the notes.

Jason seemed to realize what was happening, and as always built his wall up even higher. The idiot. If this had been a few years ago, before Travis had been captured, he knew he would have swept this girl off her feet and would have had enough time to finish some early Christmas shopping. He was fast and he was good, but it never did make him feel any better.

~~

Travis Peterson was an only child, with parents who were often gone on business trips. His parents never seemed to understand the kind of loneliness they forced upon him, the least they could have done was give him a sibling to feel like orphans with. But no, instead they gave Travis fancy gifts, and let him drive their Porsche when they were gone, but it always seemed to have a flat. Useless. Travis spent a majority of his time throwing parties in the huge and empty house he was left in, and sweeping the ladies off their feet, which he seemed to excel at.

Checking his calendar, Travis saw he had a date with a girl who had been playing hard to get. This was the ultimate challenge for Travis, and he couldn't wait to show his friends how good he could really be. He checked the time, and briefly ran his fingers through his hair, perfecting the rolled-out-of-bed look. His parents had left a note in the kitchen next to the key bowl,

"Samuel,
We're off to Paris, will land around 6:00am tomorrow. Car still has a flat, but the air in your bike tires look fine. Be good.

Mom & Dad"

Travis crumpled up the note and tossed it at the trashcan, not caring that it missed. His parents still called him Samuel, insisting that he go by the name on his birth certificate: Samuel Travis Peterson II. Travis refused to go by the name Samuel, not because it was confusing, but because he just wanted nothing to do with his parents if he had any say in it.

After a brief bike-ride to the local coffee shop, Travis glanced through the window to see Kat Brown looking a bit annoyed. Perfect. The first step was completed, she is eager to see Travis, and will be grateful when he walks in. A smirk crossed Travis' lips as he sauntered into the shop.

Kat looked unimpressed as Travis slid into the booth across from her. She pulled her wavy red hair into a ponytail and sighed. "You're late."

"I know, i'm really sorry about that. My Porsche had a flat." Travis shrugged.

"Uh huh... Is that supposed to impress me?" Kat was having none of Travis' usual charms.

"You're right... I'm sorry." He said. "What would you like, I'll get you whatever you want." Kat looked at the menu and seemed to lighten up a bit. Travis ordered for the two of them, and he listened patiently to all of Kat's plans for her family vacation in Canada. Travis was sure his attentive listening would get him somewhere since nothing else seemed to work with this girl. After their tea arrived Travis started in on closing the deal. "My parents are actually off to Paris right now." Travis shrugged.

"Oh really? That's neat, what are they doing there?" Kat asked.

"Oh business stuff." Travis reached his hand across the table, his fingers softly sliding on top of Kat's. "Anyway, I've got a giant house to myself, now, and it gets pretty lonely sometimes." Travis looked up through his bangs, the puppy-dog look that always seemed to work.

Kat's face went sour and she snapped her hand back. Before Travis could even process what was happening Kat had collected her things and was heading for the door. "Just because you're lonely, doesn't mean you should use people for your own advantage." She paused right in front door, and looked at Travis with an almost sad look. "I do pity you." The words loomed in the air, long after Kat was gone.

After a minute of processing, Travis stood up, knocking the tea off the table. "Who needs you anyway!" He yelled at the echo of her words. Running out of the shop, Travis didn't care to grab his bike, and just started running for home, hoping to burn off some steam. After taking a turn down a street hardly used by townspeople, Travis slowed to a walk. Trying his best to repress his emotions, Travis almost didn't notice a car speeding down the road. Travis did his best to run out of the way, but in the end the car jumped up onto the curb and crashed into his side.

~~

Travis took another look at the girl with the nervous look on her face, and turned away from her, sitting against one of the plain white walls, feeling all kinds of remorse and sickness in the center of his stomach.

Chapter Two - Music

Emma did not know how to respond to these strange people surrounding her. She stood in a small doorway, two white coats standing confident behind her, suggesting Emma become familiar with these strange individuals. Foot steps echoed away as a white door slid shut with a soft click behind Emma, leaving her alone with four others she had no interest in associating with.

The strangeness of it all weighed heavily upon her. She felt no pain at all, which she would have expected after such a traumatic accident. She thought maybe it all somehow manifested itself inside of her, attacking feelings and hopes instead of bones and organs.


Emma had awoken in a bright white room, a thin sheet pulled up to her shoulders. Two white cloaked strangers stood before her: a blonde woman with a high ponytail and glasses, and a man with a sharp jaw line and slicked back light brown hair.

They were gentle; checking her vitals with a small machine they had wheeled in. Their gentleness seemed off to Emma when all she wanted to do was yell and ask about Logan, but she did not have the strength within her.

Helping Emma sit up, the two white coats began to coax her out of bed. Emma's feet slid out from under the thin white sheet and onto the soft white carpet below. She couldn't help but feel everything around here was too nice, too comforting and gentle. As she stood up, Emma noticed her reflection in a mirror that was mounted on the opposing wall. She hardly recognized herself, not that she had changed, but she looked perfectly healthy and it seemed unsettling. Her hair was shinier and cleaner than it had been the whole time she'd been away at college, and her skin seemed new. Lifting her left hand to touch her own face, Emma noticed something she knew to be quite wrong. In between her thumb and forefinger was a dark "5" tattooed onto her skin.

Emma knew this should bother her, awaking with a tattoo you don't remember getting was always a bad sign, but she found herself apathetic towards all of it as she let the two adults lead her out the door.

~~~

Emma felt a little silly in the white sundress she found herself wearing, as everyone else seemed to be wearing red tones or dark charcoal colors. There was a girl in an oversized sweater sitting on a white couch that looked too stiff, and a boy, seeming a few years younger than the girl, sitting on the floor by her feet, sketching in a book as the girl seemed transfixed on a spot on the wall.

Another boy, with messy hair and dark green eyes, seemed to have taken notice of Emma, and acted as if he would move towards her. A kind of panic over took Emma, not knowing where she was or what had even really happened starting to overwhelm her, when a strange kind of symphony over took her. It sounded like a piano, but when Emma spotted the piano on the far side of the room no one was playing it. There was a boy sitting at the piano, his hair gelled up and to the side to keep from getting in his eyes, but his hands were folded onto his lap as the music played.

Perhaps the boy could tell Emma was listening. He glanced over at Emma, his dark eyes a bit big, as if he had been startled, and the music instantly stopped in the middle of a measure. Emma tilted her head a bit, curious as to what it was this boy was about, but he simply turned away from her, resting his head against his hand. Emma glanced at the others once more, hoping by some great miracle she had missed the face she wanted to see most, but Logan was not in that room, and she knew that.

Chapter One - Emma

Emma Louise Hart was a girl of simple pleasures. She had long blonde hair that extended exactly three inches past her shoulders, and bangs that hung over her eyebrows, framing her face perfectly. Underneath those bangs were two eyes that would shine like sunlight through a vibrant spring leaf every time she smiled, which was quite often, actually. Emma had just turned eighteen when her and her boyfriend of two years, Logan Pierce, were on a drive home from their University. Nothing had ever gone wrong in the cushioned life of Emma Hart.

~~~

Emma woke up in a daze; beeping and murmuring echoing in her ears. She tried to open her eyes, but a bright light quickly depleted her will-power. Reaching out in her confusion, she felt a sharp tugging on her arm. Now having the motivation to open her eyes, Emma realized the tugging on her arm was a series of IV's dripping in clear fluids, and red fluids. Becoming hyper-aware of everything Emma felt as if she could feel each drip, drip, drip... constantly getting louder, constantly dripping. The putrid smell of blood and antiseptics flooded Emma's nose, and she began to choke on the metallic taste of blood upon her tongue.

Emma tried to close her eyes, to forget what it was that was happening to her, when she saw an image of a car, also dripping blood. Logan, she thought, her conscious beginning to shift. The drips began to dim, but the beeping seemed to grow louder, more panicked. Images of flashing lights, broken glass, and blood flew across Emma's mind, as if each image was on a slide show engraved upon the inside of her eyelids. She remembered the rushing of ambulances, and the people cloaked in white. They were so white, Emma could hardly think them to have been real. Tossing her head back and forth, Emma tried to rid her mind of those people in white coats, only to be reminded of a semi truck.

~~~

Emma was messing with the radio as Logan drove his old beat up 2005 Cadillac DeVille towards Emma's home. Logan's family was full of mostly dead-beats, and Logan only got out thanks to a football scholarship, but Emma's father was throwing a big Thanksgiving Day party, which Logan was so graciously invited to, although Emma was fairly certain it was to buy her affections since her father has felt guilty since he and her mother's divorce. Oddly enough, Emma never really minded the divorce, but maybe that's because she now got twice the gifts and neither of her parents were lacking in money.

Emma changed the radio to a country a station, which Logan always rolled his eyes at.

"Why must you always change it from the good message of the classics to something about red solo cups?" He complained, a mocking smirk apparent in his voice.

"Well, I just don't understand the beauty of a son telling his mother he killed someone." Emma remarked, knowing Queen was one of Logan's favorite bands. Logan always let Emma listen to what she wanted though, and she would even catch him tapping along from time to time.

Just as Emma turned up the volume, that's when she noticed the semi truck. It was going the opposite way, and even had a median separating it from our side, yet it charged through the median and went straight for the car anyway. Surely a median would have stopped a car, even a semi, if it wasn't pumping the gas pedal.... The last thing Emma clearly remembered was the odd idea that the person driving the semi was fully aware, and didn't even blink as his truck collided into her and Logan's car.

Preface

Green eyes; warm skin. Two descriptors always taken for granted.

Green... the color of money and envy. "Always be on the lookout for the green-eyed monster," they used to say; if only they knew the truth. The truth is green eyes were never something to fear. No, instead they stood for life and growth. Behind them everyone knew was the secret to goodness and contentedness, but since eyes are perilously blind to themselves they would never know of the secret they held.

Warm skin. Most people feel warm as a result of their blood pumping and heart beating. Real warmness extends beyond the expectations of the human body. To truly be warm is to melt down the frozen barriers that life extends to the broken. It's a true warmth. One touch could make the Sun feel like Pluto, casting every fear and doubt out into the unwelcoming cold, safely locked away from the warmth of a true touch.

Green eyes; warm skin. They were memories now; vivid, but past. Closed eyes; cold touch. How fitting that the room be stocked with white: the walls, the sheet, the ceiling, the floor. It was a color of purity and innocence, the kind appropriate to the life and death of an angel.

He looked at the door, white and heavy. They would come for him soon. He lifted her hand to his face, ignoring the number seared into her skin, and breathed her in.

"Be safe," He whispered.

In the distance, screaming and pounding grew closer. They'd come for him. He looked at her one last time. She looked like Sleeping Beauty, so soft and lovely. For a moment he felt the world around him pause, giving him one last glance.

Yet, the doors still broke down and bony fingers grabbed his arms. He struggled, but only half-heartedly. All he wanted was her safety and he's done the best he can.