Ooh that story was nice.
Chapter I
Floating in a sea of darkness, unable to move, speak, feel, or see. There was nothing. All I had was the basest of thought. I knew I was there. I knew that I existed. But other than that...
Nothing.
Bttz.
A jolt of energy pierced my body, and my eyes snapped open, meeting a different darkness.
I didn’t move, my brain’s gears furiously turning to figure out my predicament.
Am I blind?
As my eyes adjusted, however, and I could see a faint light shining through whatever was around me. I groped about with my hands, and I hit a cold, smooth wall of an unknown substance in every direction.
Nausea built up in my stomach as I tried to remember how I had gotten there.
Nothing.
I breathed in quickly. What had I done? I placed my hands in front of me, feeling the surface of the wall that separated me from the unknown.
My blood pounded in my ears as I searched for a weak spot, a crevice, something.
I found nothing. I was trapped.
Forcing down the bile that was rising in my throat, I tried to stay calm.
I failed.
Panting, I kicked at the wall in front of me, clawing at it. I felt my fingernails bend painfully as they screeched on the translucent, metal-like substance. All thoughts in my panic-stricken mind were smothered as one raging thought took hold.
I have to get OUT!
The walls around me seemed to be closing in, getting tighter around me. I couldn’t breathe. I was going to die. I was--.
A jingling of technical beeps and sounds reverberated through the box, and I stiffened in surprise.
*Sshhfhhhdhhhhh….. Hello, Skylar. Would you like to exit container 6711-5?*
I froze at the mention of my name. Skylar. Yes, I recognized it. My name was Skylar.
The shape of a face appeared a few inches in front of me, the wall somehow becoming a screen.
I yelped, backing up only to find that the immobile wall behind me kept me from doing so.
The face was generic, having no distinguishable features. The voice was robotic and also very androgidous.
*I repeat, would you like to exit container 6711-5?*
“Um, yes?” I said uncertainly. I froze, realizing I was hearing my voice for the first time in my memory. It was low, and my “s” had a sort of whistling lispy noise to it. The feeling of not having heard my voice before made me want to break down.
But no, I couldn’t. Maybe this voice could give me a way out.
*How do you ask?*
“What?” I bit my lip, my anxiety rising. Was this supposed to be a riddle? “How do I ask?”
*How do you ask?*
“What do you mean, ‘How do you ask?’” I snapped, continuing my attempts to escape by shoving my shoulder against the wall to my right.
*Please ask politely to be removed from your container.*
I looked at my feet. That seemed ridiculous. Was it really that easy?
“Please let me out.”
At first nothing happened. Then, suddenly, the back wall that was supporting me from behind gave way, and I tumbled a few feet to the floor and into the light.
I landed on my back. The air felt like it had been yanked from my lungs with a whoosh. Squeaky noises escaped from my lips as I struggled to get the precious oxygen back into my lungs.
“Oh, are you okay?”
Hands pulled me out from underneath the container from which I had just exited. I somehow raised myself to a sitting position, and my eyes met that of a girl in her mid-teens. She was pretty, with brown beachy waves and deep set dark blue eyes. Her face was slightly rounded in a cute way, with freckles dotting across her slightly upturned nose.
She smiled, repeating her question. “Are you okay? You landed pretty hard.”
As if I didn’t know. “Where am I?” I demanded hoarsely, choking on my words. Nausea churned in my stomach, and I had to force myself to breathe. Who was this girl? Did she know anything?
“I… don’t know.” She said softly, looking at the ground. “I was actually wondering if you knew where we are.”
I sucked in a deep breath, my anxiety beginning to recede. I was free. It was going to be okay.
“What’s your name?” The girl asked me.
I narrowed my eyes, studying her. Her smile was genuine, and she seemed like the kind of person that could be trusted. I… couldn’t just lie to her, so I told her my name.
“I’m Skylar. You?”
“Camaryn.”
There was an awkward silence, where I thought I heard some noises in the background. Unfortunately, my exhaustion overpowered my curiosity. I glanced at her. “So, you came out of a box too?”
“Yeah…”
I closed my eyes, my nausea from earlier subsiding.
“There are other boxes. I think they might have people in them too.”
“What?” I scrambled to my feet, and what met my eyes made me gasp. There were thirty black identical boxes arranged in the white room I now found myself, five across and six down. The room had no doors or windows or any openings for me to escape, for that matter.
“Out of the frying pan and into the fire, eh?” Camaryn’s voice became slightly hollow, her smile becoming sad.
It was then that I really heard the sounds. The muffled screams and thuds. I groaned, sinking to the floor again. Those poor people. What must they be thinking?
“Do you think they’ll make it?” I asked.
“If their escape route was as easy as mine, then yes.”
“What?” I asked dryly. “Did you have to say please too?”
“Actually, yes, I did.”
I opened my mouth to speak, but then the same robotic voice sounded from all around us, making us both jump in surprise.
*All test members now have one minute to escape.*
“Or what?” Camaryn yelled, the ferocity marking her face a stark contrast to the gentle expression she wore while talking to me.
Or death.
Here's the second chapter.It's kinda long, sorry.
I saw Camaryn shiver, sinking down beside me. Her whisper was barely audible. “Dead?”
I began to nod in apathetic agreement, but I realized something. If I had been any more stubborn, any more disoriented, then I would have been in the same spot as every one of the people in the boxes. I clenched my jaw, looking at Camaryn. She had seen me tumble and humiliate myself. She must have noticed the lingering panic in my eyes when I had first begun speaking with her. She knew I was a coward. No one likes a coward. “Let’s help them.”
“How?” She glanced at me, eyes brimming with tears.
Ugh. Now that was the question. I glanced at my feet, listening to the screams from inside of the black containers surrounding me. Then an idea struck me. “If we can hear them, they can probably hear us. Which means we can tell them what they need to do. We both had to say please...” I paused. “That really sounds ridiculous when I say it out loud, but they probably have to do the same.”
As I said it, multiple clicks sounded in the room, and I heard the groans of teens who were picking themselves up off the ground. I scrambled to my feet, and Camaryn followed. “Tell the others!” I shouted, adrenaline pulsing through me.
When I had first woken in the box, I hadn’t been brave. I was a panicking, shivering mess that was literally about to lose my last meal in fear. That had been the real me. This brave front I now put on wasn’t me, for I could not be both a courageous warrior and that other pathetic creature, right? Even as I ran to help others, I couldn’t help but feel a sickening shame for putting on that mask so easily.
Well, I’m helping others. The motive doesn’t matter, right?
I banged on the lid of the nearest box. “Can you hear me? Hello?”
“Ohmygosh,” A feminine voice hyperventilated. “Now I’m hearing voices! Fine. Fine... Uh, what was it again? Um, please get me out of here!”
There was another click from the outside, and a sandy-haired girl came tumbling out with an “Oof.”
I felt a spike of relief. That hadn’t actually been that hard. I stepped forward to help her, then I faintly heard the robotic voice counting down.
38, 37, 36…
I gasped, sweeping the room. There were so many left. I moved to the next box without helping the girl. She would survive.
A guy suddenly cut in front of me.
“I’ve got this one, you go ahead,” he flashed me a friendly smile, his slanted brown eyes twinkling.
I nodded, jogging to another one. When I got there, I called out, knocking on the top. “Hey! Hey! Are you okay?”
“I… I…”
31, 30, 29…
They didn’t have much time. “SAY PLEASE!” I screamed, already sprinting to the next one.
Someone grabbed my wrist. I whirled around, my fist balling up to strike. Panic pulsed through me, mixing with my adrenaline in a terrifying boost of energy and power. Who was this person? I let my fist fly towards his unprotected face, but he blocked my fist with his hand, keeping it from moving.
What is happening to me?
It was a different guy than the one earlier. This one had black, slightly curly hair that kinda just flopped on his head, but not in a bad way. The boy was tall and muscular, with a jawline so sharp that it could cut someone. Everything about his physical appearance seemed intimidating, except for the absolute dorkiness he displayed with every motion he made. He let go of my hand, his hazel eyes widening. “Whoa, whoa. I was just going to ask for some help.”
I nodded, the energy still pulsing inside of me, choking the apology I wanted to say. I followed him to a nearby box, where I could hear grunts and thuds from inside. My voice suddenly let go, and I was able to speak. “Hey! Can you hear me?”
“Yeah I can,” a deep male voice said harshly, his words distorted by panting. His New Yorker accent was strong enough that it made it even harder to understand what he was saying.
Wait. What was New York? I shook my head, trying to focus.
“You have to ask politely!” My voice rose in frustration. “Stop trying!”
“NO!” He shouted stubbornly, another thud sounding from within the chamber. “I can get out by myself.”
The guy that had brought me, shrugged in a gesture that said, See why I brought you? This guy is hopeless.
I pounded on the box, speaking slowly and clearly. “You have to do it or you’ll die.”
10, 9, 8…
“YOU’RE RUNNING OUT OF TIME!” The guy beside me shouted, banging his fist on top of the box repeatedly.
Wow. That was unexpected.
5…
I glanced back. Two more people escaped, both girls.
4…
Screaming, shouting, feet slamming on the ground.
3…
“COME ON!” The boy screamed, banging his fist more insistently.
2…
The box started glowing. What the--?
1…
I instinctively tackled the guy, throwing him to the ground as an intense red beam of light exploded from the box, hitting the ceiling and going beyond.
0…
The screams stopped. The shouting continued from the escapees, who were running about frantically, still trying to get more people out.
A groan sounded from underneath me, and I remembered the kid I had tackled.
“Oh, sorry.” I rolled over as the boy sat up, wheezing.
“Jeez, girl, you weigh a ton.” Then his eyes widened as he realized what he had just said. “Noooooo. That is not what I meant! You are light as a feather. Barely weigh anything. You need to eat more…” He coughed awkwardly, running his fingers through his hair.
I stuck out my hand to help him up.
“Thanks,” he said sheepishly, pulling himself up by the neighboring box. “For helping me with that jerk.” He jerked his thumb in the direction of the guy who had somehow blown up his box. The burly kid was now climbing nonchalantly out of his container.
I smiled faintly, awkwardly pulling back my hand, which was still stuck out to help him up. “No problem.”
Hello and congratulations to the sixteen boys and girls who made it out of their containers! The robotic voice said jubilantly, making me jump. His voice was taking on more and more expression, and it made sense to me now. Whoever it was that was speaking must be a real person, but their voice was distorted by some sort of filter. My gut twisted. What was this thing going to do to us now?
As you can see, the goal was for you to use your manners and follow orders. As a good superhero, you will need to use your manners and follow my orders when you defeat the Foils.
“The what now?” The guy beside me asked, raising an eyebrow.
The Foils, Mason. Yes… Hm… The voice paused, as if thinking. Now, Test Subjects, there will be a slip of laminated paper underneath each of your individual boxes that you have exited from. Keep them with you! They will keep you updated on what is happening and which test you are in. There will be 12 tests for you to take. Be careful, for you know not when one will come upon you, nor do you know if you will be able to survive. Your Test abilities will help you with this. I’m sorry to dump this information on you all of a sudden, but you really must figure things out for yourselves. Adios, my little guinea pigs!
A chorus of shouts rose in the room.
“Wait! Don’t leave yet!”
“What are the Test Abilities?”
“Where are we?”
“What are the Foils?”
I groaned. “He’s already gone.”
The guy beside me, who’s name was apparently Mason, pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, cursing under his breath.
“What do we do now?” I asked tiredly. My stomach chose that moment to growl loudly. “Without food and water we’ll die.”
Mason nodded, smiling lopsidedly. “Yeah, I might die any minute now.”
I ignored his joke and looked around at the unopened boxes. “Do… Do you think they’re all dead?”
Mason’s face lost it’s amused look. “I don’t know. Just because the voice said it, doesn’t mean it really killed them.”
I breathed in deeply and exhaled. Stay calm, stay calm. Then I remembered what the voice had said. I whispered it aloud. “‘There will be a slip of laminated paper underneath each of our boxes’! That could probably tell us something about what’s going on.”
I scrambled back to my box, leaving Mason in the dust.
“Wait up!” I could hear his footsteps behind me.
I could see my box, but before I could reach it, a familiarly accented male voice spoke up harshly from one side of the room.
“Yo!” That person bellowed, causing me to jump. “Everybody get over here!”
It was the burly guy who had somehow exploded his box. Glancing back longingly towards my box and the mysterious paper that would be underneath, I reluctantly walked towards the guy. Mason followed, looking confused. All the other people who had made it were gathering there. There were only about sixteen in all. Only a little over half had escaped the death boxes.
“Who here knows anything about surviving?” He asked shortly. He looked quite militaristic, standing up there with his buzz cut, tall and muscular build, and at ease stance. His face was like a brick: square, red, and hard. Lips set in a straight line, icy blue eyes staring daggers. He looked to be about seventeen or eighteen by age, a little older than Mason looked.
He was intimidating. He looked like a leader.
No one raised their hands in answer to his question. Whether it was because of shock or the actual lack of survival instincts, I didn’t know.
So, I spoke up. “I probably do.”
That was true. I had no idea what I was capable of, but there was something inside of me that told me that.. Yes, I could survive. I would survive whatever this was. That thought made the coward in me seem not as big. Not as much a part of me as I knew it to be. The fear subsided in the face of my determination.
“Probably?” Brickhead sneered. “I need more than a ‘probably’.”
My face flushed red with embarrassment, and I tucked a loose strand of my layered hair behind my ear. “Well, it looks like you don’t have much more than a ‘probably.’”
He glared at me, then turned his gaze onto the small crowd of kids. “Are there any other ‘Probablies?’” He shouted mockingly.
The Asian guy I had met earlier strolled forward, a grim expression on his face. Mason was close behind him, along with a tall and lanky kid with brown hair and green eyes that I hadn’t met yet. A small, pale girl with thin brown hair and glasses scampered towards them, followed by a confident teen girl with wavy, strawberry blonde hair and a strong build.
Only nine kids were left, including Camaryn, who smiled at me and gave me a thumbs up. I grinned back at her, but I was slightly confused. When the voice had talked with her earlier, I had seen a fire in her that surprised me. She should be up here... Why didn’t she come?
Brickhead nodded at the six of us.
“Good then, we’re not entirely hopeless.” He rolled his eyes. “Alright. Our first move is to get out of this room and figure out where we are...”
My mind wandered as he continued talking. We needed to find out where we are… I found myself staring out into the crowd of black boxes that now looked grotesquely similar to caskets. My eyes were drawn to mine, which sat in the middle. I imagined the laminated piece of paper. What was on it?
Without thinking, I blurted out my thoughts. “The voice said that there are papers at the bottom of every pod that could give us a clue on our location.”
My heart jumped in my throat as the guy turned on me, glaring. What did I just do?
“I’ll be the one to tell them what to do.” Brickhead said, stepping towards me aggressively. “What is your name, ‘Probably?’”
“Skylar,” I spoke quietly, my voice wavering. I looked down at my feet. Get it together!
“Last name.”
“I have no idea.”
He stopped short, looking thoughtful. He spun on his heel to face the small brown-haired girl, who jumped. “Name.”
“Vicky,” she said in a surprisingly low voice.
“Vicky who?”
Vicky looked perplexed for a moment, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I-I don’t know.”
“I bet the last names are on the papers,” the Asian guy said.
Vicky glanced at him, then gazed out at the sea of boxes, focusing on one that was probably hers. Her eyes narrowed curiously behind her glasses.
“Fine.” Brickhead sighed resignedly, shooting me a look that said, I’ll take care of you later. “Everyone, grab the sheet of paper beneath the box you came out of and bring it back here to give to me.”
Everyone filed out, and I itched to go find my box. However, as I moved to step forward, Brickhead grabbed my wrist.
Instincts kicked in, my senses focusing. I opened my hand and sliced upwards towards the thumb, ripping it free from his grip. My other hand balled up in a fist, shooting towards his wide-eyed face.
I then realized what I was doing. My fist froze inches from his nose. Letting my arm limply fall to my side, I sighed. “Don’t touch me.” Then, almost grudgingly, I muttered, “Please.”
Brickhead seemed a bit lost for words, so I left him and made my way through the maze of boxes toward my container. I glanced around to see if there had been anyone who had seen what I had almost just done.
No one had seen. Good...
I let out a long breath. What would they think if I had actually assaulted a guy who had just grabbed my arm? They would be intimidated, frightened maybe. Maybe angry. Either way, it wouldn’t be good. I wasn’t sure where these jumpy reflexes had come from, but I needed to take control.
I found my paper at the bottom of my box and shoved it in the pocket of the leggings I was wearing. I wanted to read it, but… Something in me stopped myself. Now wasn’t the time.
As I leisurely strolled back to the group that was slowly reforming, I passed by the smoking remains of Brickface’s box. There was a small piece of paper sitting atop a pile of ash. I immediately knew that after the countdown had ended, the paper had somehow appeared, or it would have been underneath the ash pile.
I snatched it up, reading it curiously.
“TEST SUBJECT 4328-9
Name: Lucas Durn
Age: 17
Test Ability: Eyes have been reconstructed to emit a beam of condensed and heated light. Commonly known as laser vision.
Test 1: Completed with ability.
Test 2: Assigned himself as leader, is in current processing.
Warning: Test subject will by no means do anything with help from others. Is belligerent and stubborn, because of trauma induced from his past life.”
I nodded to myself. So, his name was Lucas. I guessed I could stop calling him Brickhead in my mind, but it just fit him so well. His “Test ability” did not surprise me for some reason. Even though I didn't quite know what it meant or how it happened, it worked. Somehow.
I made it back to the group and handed Brickhead’s paper to him, wilting at his suspicious and slightly trepidatious glare. He snatched it from my hand and read it quickly, face turning red when he read the warning label. He glanced up at me.
“Did you read this?”
“Um, yes?”
Lucas cursed under his breath and glared at me ferociously, his jaw clenched. “You had best keep this to yourself.”
I cowered slightly, backing up. Was it the warning that made him so upset? “S-sorry…”
His face turned stony, and he straightened where he stood as he turned his attention to the small group. “Everyone, listen up. Each of you will have a ‘Test ability’ written on your piece of paper. Whatever it is, you should be able to do it. Don’t ask me why or how. I don’t know. What I’m saying is to figure out how to use that ability to our advantage. We need to leave this room, and there are no doors or windows, so we need to work together to get out.” I smiled slightly in appreciation of his words. Maybe it was good that this kid was leading. That feeling was immediately stanched by the dirty look he gave me. “And you… I don’t know who the hell you are or what your ability is, but you need to stand down.”
I felt my face turn red. I had no idea what I had done, but I did know that everyone was watching me get berated by this dude. Maybe that was the point. He was humiliating me in front of everyone for no reason. I felt a spike of anger, and I brought myself up to my full height, which was only a couple of inches shorter than Brickhead.
“You’re one to talk.”
I started. The girl with the strawberry-blonde hair had spoken up at our side, where she had obviously been paying attention to our conversation.
She stepped forward. “This whole time you’ve been telling everyone what to do, thinking we’ll just accept you as our boss. Any authority you may have was only brought upon by yourself. Which means nothing.”
“Someone needs to lead!” Brickhead retorted, jaw clenched. “Perhaps you think you would make a better leader?”
“Yeah, I would, actually.”
“What’s your name?”
“Nina…” She hesitated, looking at her paper. “Probably Nina Jules.”
Apparently, that mocking statement had stuck. It didn’t sound half bad, either. Brickhead wasn’t even phased.
“Well, Probably Jules. We can have a vote, if you want.”
Nina smiled, satisfaction gleaming in her blue eyes. “Yes. I do wish it.”
Mason stepped in. “Wouldn’t that be a waste of time? We need to leave and find supplies in order to survive. Probably Mason Ranger!” He yelped hastily when Brickhead turned his hard gaze on him.
I nodded at him before turning to Nina. “He’s right. While I don’t like Brickhead, he’s not doing terribly as a leader, and we need someone to be at the head for the moment. It’s just temporary. If things get bad, we can deal with it. Right now, we need to keep our focus on the important things.” Even though my heart skipped a beat, a proud blush tickled my cheeks. That was actually a fairly smart thing I had said, and Nina seemed to be considering my point.
“Brickhead...” My heart dropped at the word, and I replayed what I had said in my mind. Nina studied Lucas for a moment, then smirked. “His head does look like a brick.”
I had said the name I had been calling him in my head. Nina hadn’t been thinking about my point. She had been thinking about how I referred to him.
I blushed. I hadn’t meant to say that out loud. The look on Lucas’s face was both satisfying and terrifying.
“My name is Lucas.” He growled.
“No.” Nina said, her face grim and her tone implying that it was final. “You have the job for now, Brickhead. Don’t abuse it.”
His face turned purple with suppressed anger, and if looks could kill, we would have been dead. Very, very, very dead. I turned beet red. What had I just started?
“Fine.” He snapped, turning to the rest of the children. “Everyone who is not a Probably, make your way over to the hole in the ceiling over there and try to work on your abilities without blowing up anything.” He pointed at his smoking box.
Camaryn walked towards Brickhead, asking him a question about her power, which, she said, was shapeshifting.
I paused, remembering the paper I had shoved into my pocket. I pulled it out, reading it eagerly.
“TEST SUBJECT 6711-5
Name: Skylar Quinn
Age: 16
Test ability: Manipulation of air molecules and prisms to create mirages and illusions. Larynx altered to recreate any sound or voice in past memory. Ronan (that imbecile) has unintentionally added Test Subject 9202-4’s original test ability to the current subject, which, I suppose, will prove useful to see if the human physique can handle that much alteration. This test ability was still in the process of being analyzed when Ronan transcribed this to the Test Subject’s {DNA}. It may not function the intended way.
Test 1: Completed the test without ability usage.
Test 2: Current.
Warning: Test subject has violent tendencies. Do not provoke.”
“Violent tendencies?” Mason’s voice sounded from beside my ear, and I jumped, fists flying up to a defensive position. “See? See? Violent tendencies! I didn’t even touch you that time!”
I rolled my eyes, letting my arms fall to my sides. Seriously, what was wrong with this kid? “What do you want?”
“Nothing… I was just curious, I guess.” He grinned lopsidedly.
So awkward.
Wait.
“Brickhead!” I shouted, running towards him. He turned, a suffering look on his face, which caused a smirk from Nina and laughter from Mason.
I was too excited to be embarrassed at my mistake again, however. I showed him the page, which was now wrinkled from clenching my fists, and pointed at the bottom. “It says Test two is current. Which means--”
“This Is the test. To see if we can get out of here.” Realization dawned on Lucas’s face.
Chapter three.It definitely needs some work, but I might as well send it now. XD Keep in mind that this hasn't been edited yet...
We looked at each other for a moment, the same thought running through both of our heads.
I shivered, feeling goosebumps pop up on my skin. That old coward in me was rising up again. “If the test is to see whether we can leave or not--”
“Should we do it?” Lucas finished. He stared intently at the ground, and I was afraid that he might blast a hole through the floor. Apparently he had his ability under control, for he looked back up at me, his eyebrows furrowed. “This is our only choice. I have a feeling there’s going to be a lot more than just small boxes from now on. We need food, water, and other items to use as weapons in order to survive. This is… has to be for a reason.. If we don’t do what the voice says, bad things will happen. I’m sure of it.”
Oh, crap. I thought. He’s just as confused as we are.
Looking thoughtful, he glanced at the girls gathering underneath the hole he’d made with his test ability. Then, he turned towards the Probablies. There were six: Nina Vicky, Mason, the tall Asian kid with the fluffy hair, and the lanky kid with the nice jawline.
And me. I jumped forward eagerly, stepping in line with the others to stand to attention. I was excited to be with this group of strong and courageous teens. Though the circumstances were hard, I wanted them to like me. I grimaced at the thought. Even though I only knew myself as of the past hour or so, I was kinda disgusted at how much I acted based on the fear of what others thought of me. Unfortunately, I had already failed with Lucas. That ship had sailed, and at this point, I didn’t really care. There were still the others, though. Mason and the Asian guy seemed nice. Nina seemed intimidating, and that Vicky girl seemed sort of creepy. And then there was the lanky kid. I wasn’t sure about him, but his gaze was intense.
Lucas glared at us, then looked at the papers in our hands. “What are your test abilities?” When we all started speaking at once, Brickhead snarled. “ONE AT A TIME, FOOLS!”
Mason opened his mouth to say something, but quickly snapped it shut as Nina gave him a glare.
She shifted to her right foot, fearlessly meeting Lucas’s hard gaze with one of her own. “The paper thing says I have defined combat capabilities with enhanced reflexes.” She glanced at her paper. “Also, there is something about flame manipulation and burn resistance.”
Lucas turned to Mason. “Not useful to us right now.”
Nina shrugged, fiddling with her hands.
Wow. That was blunt. I winced. If he had said that to me, I would have wilted into myself. Man, I need a life change.
Mason held his head high, looking sure of himself for someone that was so… so weird. “Super strength.”
I now realized that all of the children that had exited the boxes had gray sleeveless shirts. The boys wore loose cargo pants and the girls wore comfortably tight leggings, reaching to midcalf, made of a soft material I didn’t recognize.
Anyway, Mason began flexing his bare arms, which, I had to admit, were actually well-muscled. But it was so awkwardly done, that we all just stared at him.
He paused after a few seconds and looked at us in disappointment. Seriously? What did he expect us to do, applaud him for having ripped biceps?
“It’s useful, Probably Ranger,” he said to the abashed Mason. “But be more professional.” He turned to the tall, green-eyed boy, who was smirking slightly. “Probably Talle?”
“Just Mike,” he said. “Test ability is enhanced speed. I… was able to do it earlier. I can run on walls, and the speed helps me pack more power in a punch than just regular strength.” Mike shot Mason a slightly smug look.
Smirking, Mason murmured something under his breath. Mike stiffened, lips tightening. He ignored whatever Mason had said as Lucas moved on.
The Asian kid grinned in a friendly way, his brown eyes twinkling. “Nox Cho, Force field.”
There was a silence, as we waited for him to say more, but he didn’t. I started for no reason as Lucas began talking again, my fists clenching.
Why was I so jumpy? I had thought it was because of my test ability that was making me extra sensitive, but the paper itself had said that I had violent tendencies. Maybe that was it… I didn’t feel like I had violent tendencies, though. I actually felt pretty wimpy.
“--so we will use that to leave this place,” Lucas finished, turning to Vicky, who smiled slightly.
“Vicky Knight. My test ability is not useful in this situation,” She said softly in her low voice.
“But what is it?” I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.
Her smile widened mysteriously. “I would prefer to keep that to myself.”
I nodded, keeping my face the opposite of what I felt. Calm. My curiosity immediately increased tenfold when she said that. I had to figure it out!
No, you don’t. I chided myself. It’s her business.
I had expected Brickhead to make a fuss, but instead, he just nodded to Vicky and turned to me.
I hesitated, not really knowing what to say. I didn’t know what my ability really was, what it entailed, or if I could actually do it. According to my paper, which I had not had much time to think about yet, I had an extra power added on to what I originally was supposed to have. What would they think? Would they be jealous? I licked my dry lips, and took a deep breath. “Skylar Quinn. My… My test ability isn’t that useful in this situation… Or any situation, for that matter. I think it has something to do with illusions or something.” I trailed off. Wow. That went well.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Mason shuffle uncomfortably. Drat, I had forgotten about him having read my paper. He knew that I had left a large amount out of what I had said. I stared at him, wondering if he would say something. Noticing my look, he shook his head slightly, giving me a wink that was smoother than I thought would be possible for him. So he wouldn’t tell. I sighed in relief, turning back to Lucas.
“We shouldn’t underestimate any ability,” Lucas was saying in a slightly dismissive way. “That could be used for distractions or spying, if that would be needed. Remember, we don’t actually know what’s out there or where we are.”
Brickhead tilted his head thoughtfully. “Have any of you three been able to use your abilities?” He made a waving gesture at Nox, Mike, and Mason.
From the look on his face, I could tell he was concocting a plan.
Nox, Mason, and Mike nodded once in perfect unison, and Lucas grinned. “Alright, so here’s what we’re going to do...”
***
Ten minutes later, our small group wound our way through the maze of boxes and joined the group waiting patiently beneath the lasered hole. The hole was jagged, but large enough for a guy as large as Lucas to wriggle through.
I gazed upward into that hole that led to… Darkness. The hole had sharp melting bits that made it look like a mouth, ready to swallow whoever entered. It was completely black beyond that, and something about it…. Bothered me. My gut twisted with a feeling I didn't understand. Almost like dread, but unnatural. An unfamiliar sixth sense. I tucked my hair behind my ear, suppressing a shudder.
Lucas stepped to the middle of the group, easily seen because of his height. “I’m about to get us out of this room, so don’t freak out. I have no idea what is up there, so be on your guard. To get into that hole, I will need every man’s shirt. You will climb up those shirts and into the hole. Does everyone understand?”
A few people nodded, though most still looked dazed from memory loss and shock. Lucas raised a disapproving brow, then began calling out orders. “Cho! Start making the force field underneath the hole. Ranger and Talle! Warm up and get to your places.”
I soon found myself in the outward edges of the quiet group, and as I backed up to get a better look, I bumped into a box. Turning, I stared at the long, black container. Was there a body inside? The voice had said that in one minute they would die, but was the voice being honest? Could we trust it? I snorted, laughing at myself for even thinking that. Of course we couldn’t trust it. The voice probably got us into this mess. And even if they were telling the truth, didn’t that make them even worse? They had just killed almost fifteen kids just because they were too disoriented or panicked to understand the directions.
Sighing, I fought my way towards the middle of the group. Lucas had already begun executing his plan. Nox had a small, but growing, half-orb that was swirling translucent blue and purple shimmery stuff all around. It was like the reflection water had at the bottom of a pool. It was beautiful.
Mason caught my eye as he strolled towards the forcefield. He smirked, then flexed, making a goofy face this time. I noticed a couple of girls goggling at his abs.
I smiled, trying not to laugh. This kid was a character.
“Ranger!” Brickhead barked. “Quit messing around and get ready!”
Nina, who was behind Mason, smirked as Mason jumped, hastily getting on one knee in front of the force field that Nox had created.
I made my way over to Lucas, who was clearing a space for Mike as he tied the rope they had made of their shirts around his waist.
When I was close enough, I heard Lucas giving orders to Mike.
“Remember, when you get up there, make a quick scout of your surroundings, then throw the rope down. If the shirts are not long enough, we’ll see what we can do. We’ll send Ranger up first, and you’ll need him to hold onto the shirts while the rest of us come up. I’ll come last.”
Mike nodded, crouching on the ground.
I walked to the side of Lucas, standing there silently so he wouldn’t yell at me.
“All right!” Lucas shouted. “Get ready!”
Mike stood. Mason held out both of his hands. Nox braced himself.
I sucked in a deep breath. Would this work? I nodded to Mike. “Good luck.”
He gave me a quick nod back.
“GO!” Lucas bellowed.
Mike moved in a blur, his legs seeming to fuzz out of existence. His form streaked forward towards the blue and purple orb, and Mason held his hands out as Mike leaped onto them.
It’s working! I thought, grinning.
Then Mason’s hands slammed to the ground from the force of Mike’s jump, and Mike went tumbling face-first into the forcefield. Nox winced, and the forcefield wavered, shrinking slightly.
“Ouch.” I gasped, feeling the thud in my bones. I watched as Mason indignantly shook his hands.
He cursed loudly, shaking his hands. I blinked, startled. “You could at least give me a warning!”
Mike picked himself up, grimacing. “He said get ready.”
“Well, I was expecting a normal skinny dude’s weight, not a frickin elephant.”
“Well, apparently I weigh a little bit more when I’m going fast.”
“You still should have warned me.” Mason stood up to face him.
“So you couldn’t handle it, Mr. Incredible?” Mike raised a mocking brow.
“Don’t make fun of me,” Mason said defensively, jaw clenching.
“You’re not denying it, though.”
Mason’s face grew stony, and he brought himself up to his full height, which was only a bit shorter than Mike. “You wanna go, Speedo man?”
Smiling humorlessly, Mike stepped closer to Mason, seeming to tower over him. “I can take you any day of the week.”
“You’re right, you are weak compared to me.”
Mike’s smirk changed into a frown. “Don’t twist my words.”
Mason’s fists clenched as they glared daggers at each other. I had never seen him like this. Well, I had only known him for a couple of hours, but in the time that I had seen him, I didn’t think it was possible for him to get this angry.
My feet seemed to move forward on my own. I was in between them, pushing them apart. My heart thudded in my ears. What was I doing, getting in between them? I could get hurt!
“H...Hey...” My voice trembled. “Let’s just...try again, okay? No big deal.”
My heart jumped in my throat as I felt Mason push against my hand. Would they fight with me in between them? I squeezed my eyes shut, feeling sweat break out on my skin.
“Skylar’s right,” Nina walked up. “Quit squabbling.”
I let out a breath. Thank you, Nina.
Mike clenched his jaw, but walked back to where he had started. Mason backed away from my hand and knelt on one knee again, letting out an explosive sigh.
“All right, let’s try that one more time!” Lucas glared at them.
I backed up, then sank to the ground as my knees gave way. That was the most stupid thing I’d ever done. I could have gotten myself injured! If Nina hadn’t shown up with her more aggressive and leadership-taking countenance, who knows what would have happened. Why couldn’t I be more assertive, like her and Lucas? I mean, Lucas may have been a jerk, but at least people listened to him.
I jumped up faster than I thought possible as Mike flew past me, legs moving faster than the eye could follow. I breathed out as I realized that I wasn’t in danger. Ugh, these darn nerves!
Mike jumped, and Mason let out a yell, pushing up at the exact time that Mike jumped again. Mike landed on the large forcefield that Nox had created and grabbed the side of the hole before he could fall.
One of the girls that had been staring at Mason’s muscles cheered as Mike hauled himself up into the darkness.
Silence.
I gasped quietly. Had something happened to him?
“It’s too dark to see anything, but I think it’s okay.”
Mike’s voice. The plan had worked.
I grinned as Nox let the forcefield extinguish itself. Mason stood, dusting his hands off, and Mike let the rope of shirts hang over the hole. It fell to about four feet above the ground.
Lucas grimaced. “We’ll have to help some of these girls climb it. Not many of them are tall.”
I smiled, noticing how much taller I was than all of the girls. Hopefully I would just somehow get myself up the makeshift rope and not make a fool out of myself in front of everyone.
Mason grasped the rope at the bottom and began to pull himself towards the hole by just his arms. I could hear Mike panting, straining to keep himself from falling back into the room.
I chuckled under my breath and in a moment of courage, tapped Lucas on the arm. “Too bad they won’t have me up there to stop them from having another incident, eh?”
Brickhead glanced at me, then glared. “I’m going to assume that they are mature enough to not fight like children. I’m also going to assume that that was meant to be humorous and you’re not that stupid.”
Any self-confidence that I had somehow summoned was completely obliterated. Stammering, I felt my heart sink down into my stomach. I tried to find something to say, but five sentences tried to make their way from my brain and into my mouth at once. I forced words out of my mouth as my throat squeezed up. “It-It was just a j… a jo...a joke!”
“This is the worst possible time for jokes, Probably.”
My face turned red with embarrassment, and I snapped my mouth shut, a small flame of anger springing to life in my chest.
I suddenly heard a familiar laugh, and I turned to see Nox making his way towards us. He probably heard me try to make that stupid joke, then. Wonderful.
“Hey, Skylar. If it makes you feel any better,” he said conspiratorially, patting my shoulder. “I thought it was funny. I bet five bucks that they’ll get in a bash.
I grinned timidly, a little self confidence returning. I didn’t know he had remembered my name. “Do you even have money on you?”
“That is unimportant.”
“I’m pretty sure the money is the biggest part of a bet.”
“False.” Nina joined in goodnaturedly, coming up from the other side of Lucas. I noticed that she had put her hair in a short braid down her back with a piece of string. It looked nice. “The statement of the bet itself would be the biggest part.”
“And you’re an expert on bets?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“But of course!” Nina smirked. “In my past life I was a professional better.”
“Is that even a thing?” Nox asked, looking perplexed.
“Sure.” Nina said dryly.
“Really?” I asked, open-mouthed. “You remember your past life?”
She stared at me for a moment, a smirk twisting the side of her mouth. Then I gasped, realizing what she had been doing. My face turned red with embarrassment once more.
“Jeez, it’s dark in here...” Mason said from the hole, turning our attention from our conversation. “Hey! Are you guys coming up or what?”
Lucas turned to the ten leftover teens. “Line up,” he said, a bit harshly. “One at a time. And if you can’t climb it, Ranger will pull you up.”
They quietly lined up, whispering to each other curiously. I saw Camaryn, and our eyes met. She gave me a weak smile.
I strolled up next to her. “Hey Camaryn. You good?”
She sighed, a loose strand of hair blowing out of her face from the breath. “I’m going to be okay. I… want to not be here.”
“You and me both.” I grinned encouragingly. “Hey, we’ll get out of here.”
“Thanks, Skylar.” She fell silent for a minute, then smiled. “Have you been able to use your test ability?”
“Nah, not yet. You?”
“No, but I almost did when I was in my box.”
“Yours is shapeshifting, right?”
“Yeah.” Camaryn pursed her lips thoughtfully, her eyebrows knitted. “I wonder if I could talk to an animal when I was in their form.”
“That’s kind of random, but I guess it could be possible.” I raised an eyebrow, a smile forming on my face.
“Girl! Shapeshifter!” Lucas called. “It’s your turn! Step up!”
I nudged her forward, then backed up to watch.
Suddenly, I felt goosebumps pop up on my skin, sending a chill down my spine. That unnatural dread feeling twisted my gut, sending a wave of nausea over me. Glancing around, I narrowed my eyes.
What was that?
As Camaryn was helped into the hole, I separated myself from the group, trying to look casual. Something was very, very wrong. I shivered again, feeling that sense of inevitable doom, like a sword was dangling over my head by a string, about to fall at any moment.
The next person started climbing.
I made my way to the back corner of the room, leaning against the wall. The room was fairly large. It could hold four eighteen-wheelers, three longways and one sideways. There were thirty of those box things, which were black, long, and sleek, tilting at a slant with the head at the top and the feet at the bottom.
I scanned the room carefully, my eyes taking in every detail. The crack in the wall, the pile of poles in the corner, the small dot of red spray paint, the security camera, the-- Wait. Security camera?
I glanced at it again. Yes, that was definitely a camera. A red light was blinking, indicating that it was on.
And it was pointed straight at me.
This is awesome! I can’t wait for chapter 4. If you publish this, I’d totally buy it.
Imma just continue stalking now.
