I woke up that morning to the sweet sound of silence. You see, I am not a morning person. So, when the first glint of the winter sun shone into my eyes, I threw a pillow over my head, mumbled something about clouds, and fell back asleep. Someone rudely interrupted my peace and quiet a few minutes later.

“Kim, are you awake?” Someone asked. They leaned on my bed, causing it to creak loudly.

“I am now”, I groaned. I pulled myself up and glared around. “Why’d you wake me up?” I asked the little girl in front of me.

Sarah frowned. Her light gray eyes narrowed and she weaved her golden eyebrows. “Well, first of all, you snore very loudly and I can’t tune it out, and second of all, I’m hungry.”

“Go find something to eat”, I said. I slumped back down in bed and started closing my eyes until Sarah kicked the leg of my bed, making a loud mechanic echo. “Sarah, if you’re hungry, wait a few minutes until I’m ready or go talk to someone else”, I said. I sat back down and tried to get warm again until I noticed that I wasn’t that tired anymore. Oh joy.

Sarah stumbled sleepily over to Cody’s bed and pushed him off. He fell to the floor and balled his fists. Cody sat up and looked at Hannah.

“Get your own bed”, he mumbled. He pulled his pillow off the bed and starting sleeping on the floor.

“I’m hungry”, Sarah said. She gave Cody a look that he couldn’t ignore. No one can. What, with her golden brown locks and dark tan skin, she looked just like a small puppy. Too bad she was part cat.

“Go talk to Kim”, Cody said. He gritted his teeth and closed his eyes, refusing to wake up en-tirely.

“I did, and she told me to talk to you, and I’m hungry”, Sarah complained. She never lets go of her point.

“Maybe Danny can get you food”, Cody said. I looked over to see Danny fast asleep and stood up.

“Let him sleep”, I said. “I’m already awake so I’ll get you food.” I smiled as Sarah squealed with joy and ran to my side. I hurried over to the counter, listening to the rumble of Sarah’s stomach.

“Can I have something besides cheerios?” Sarah asked. For countless days, the only thing we could afford was dry cereal.

“Sorry kid, but money doesn’t grow on trees you know”, I said as I handed her a bowl and spoon. Sarah groaned and walked to the table. At least she was occupied for a moment. Just so you know, that’s very rare.

I heard something whistle past me and I ducked. “Who was that?” I demanded. No one an-swered. Danny was asleep and Cody was on the floor. I heard a short shriek and whirled around. Hannah jumped away from the table and I heard a boom. Well, I thought. At least everyone’s awake.

“Duck and cover!” Cody yelled as another explosion echoed through the room. Danny, wide-awake now, jumped under the table and covered his head with his hands. I scrambled under a chair. Sarah jumped behind Cody’s bed and stayed silent for once in her life. Cody ran to the door and looked out.

“Incoming, Kim!” He called out. I ran to his side and saw what he was staring at. A group of kids, not so sober, were running near the house, carrying guns. One of them was barefoot so I don’t know how he survived running through snow. I swore and ducked behind the door.

I have to say I was relieved. I was scared that the government was going to start searching for us. I would take crazed kids over the FBI any day.

“I’m gonna go take a closer look”, Cody said and flew out the door. Oh, I wished I had wings like him. Instead, I got to run fast. Not just Olympics fast, I was like an overgrown hummingbird, hence the DNA.

Cody swooped down over the kids. One looked up. He freaked out and started screaming something about mutants. I guess he meant Cody.

The kid with the gun pointed it up, but before he could shoot, Cody swept down and kicked the gun out of his hands. The group of kids started screaming and ran back off where they came from. I guess they don’t like freak, mutant birds.

“Are they gone?” Sarah asked quietly. I nodded. She and Danny stood up. Danny was awake now, with wide eyes.

“Who were they?” He asked. I shrugged. How should I know?

“Just some crazed kids with a gun.” I said. “Nothing to worry about.” Danny grinned. When he is asleep, he looks like an angel. He has dark brown hair with specks of black running through. His bright eyes always shine with trouble, but when they’re closed, he looks peaceful and silent. If you only knew.

Cody landed and walked back in. The tired look on his face had worn off with the early-morning ambush. He panted and slumped down on his bed. Cody looks sweet. He has light brown hair, though not as light as Sarah’s. His eyes are dark green with specks of gold on the outside. He has a warm and flushed face and his eyes are kind, but, like me, he is not a morning person either.

When he first wakes up, he is like a wasp. He lashes out easily, but keeps his stinger hidden. As the day goes on, he becomes normal and breathtaking.

I, on the other hand, do not look sweet. My face is ablaze with bitterness and my hair is dark brown, almost like Danny’s. I haven’t had a haircut since I went to the hospital so it flows down my shoulders like an untamed wave. Enough about me.

We got a head start on the day. I got dressed and brushed my hair before going into public. I walked out the bathroom and saw Danny and Sarah talking. I walked to the table and looked at the paper. On the front was a small paragraph off to the side.

Sightings of youth with special abilities outside Chicago. No one knows who she is but the police are looking for her. I stared. There was a small picture of a little girl turning away from a camera. I gasped. I knew who it was. And I bet I knew who did this to her.

“Jess”, I breathed. It was my sister.

I dropped the paper and stood up. Danny and Sarah looked back at me.

“What’s wrong Kim?” Sarah asked. She kneeled up on the couch and looked at me with wist-ful eyes.

“Well guys.” I said. “I think we’re going back to Chicago.”

Everyone packed up and got ready to go in about thirty minutes. No questions were needed. I knew that no one wanted to go back to our hometown in case someone would recognize us, but if Jess was around there, I would find her. Sarah and Danny could not run or fly fast so we “borrowed” a car from a gas station.

Soon we were cruising down the frozen road, heading to Chicago. Finally, Sarah spoke up.

“Kim, I’m just wondering… why are we going to Chicago?” She asked.

“I found in the paper that my little sister, Jessica, had gotten experimented on too. We have to go find her before the government does”, I said. Sarah gasped.

“Oh, I really hope we find her”, she said. I nodded and we drove in silence the rest of the way. Real awkward if you ask me.

When we got to Chicago, my heart dropped a few feet. I could see the hospital where I had gone. I could see the tall skyscrapers covered in Christmas lights reaching as high as they could. But the thing I couldn’t see… was my sister.

“Cody, drive around the streets and help me look for Jess”, I said. He nodded and put the blinker on. Cody was the only one of us who could drive. I was fifteen, but I never tried to get a permit. I just got drove by my mom or the bus.

We drove around for a few more minutes until Sarah got bored,

“I’m hungry.” She whined. “Can we stop to get some food?” I sighed.

“Do you have any money?” Cody asked. Sarah frowned and shook her head. “Then not yet”, he said. She glared at him and slumped back against the seat. But, the farther we went, the more I realized how I hungry I was too.

“Maybe could we stop for a snack?” I asked.

“Kim, if it was your sister, we have to keep looking” Cody said. “She’s the reason we came here in the first place.” I grumbled and kept looking. We drove down a street and Cody sudden-ly swerved. If I didn’t have a seatbelt on, I would have dropped out of the car.

“What happened?” Sarah asked. She slid back up and stared at Cody.

“Look there!” He said, pointing up the street. A group of large black cars were driving in per-fect formation, as if blocking an escape route. Faintly, I could see who they were following. A small girl was running down the street, and I knew her.

“It’s Jess!” I cried. I tried jumping out of the seat but Cody blocked me.

“We can’t let them see us”, he said. “They don’t know we’re here, so we have to keep it that way.” We followed the cars as they followed my sister who trying to get away (Try saying that ten times fast).

“Hurry up Cody”, I said. I knew I could go faster if I wasn’t in the car. It was horrible watching as the cars got closer to Jess.

“I’m trying Kim, but we can’t get too close.” Cody said. Suddenly, one of the black cars sped up so they were in front of Jessica. She stumbled back but a man in a suit got out of the car. He held a rag to her mouth and she stopped struggling and went limp. I watched in horror as the car drove away again.

“No!” I screamed. “No, we have to stop them, follow them Cody!” Cody lowered his eyes and slowed down. I looked at him and he did an illegal turn and started driving the opposite di-rection. I unclicked my belt and jumped for the wheel.

“Kim, stop it!” Cody yelled as the car swerved through the lane. We started to slide on the ice. I heard a loud honk and closed my eyes, knowing what was about to happen. There was a loud crash and I felt myself fall out of the car as glass struck my face.

kim

I woke up to beeping. It kept repeating and I began to get irritated. I started heating up and it went faster. I opened my eyes slightly. A wave of nausea went through me and I closed them again.

“Kim?” A voice asked. I opened my eyes again, ignoring the pain. I saw a pale face with layers of dark hair covering his forehead.

“Danny, where… where are we?” I asked. I looked around and saw an IV stuck in my arm. Danny stopped me as I tried to rip it out.

“Kim, don’t take it out!” He said. “We’re in the hospital because you went berserk and hit a car.” My eyes widened as I remembered the morning.

“Oh my gosh, we have to get Jess!” I cried. I tried to sit up but a searing pain in my chest made me fall back down.

“Oh, Kim, are you okay?” Danny asked. I gritted my teeth and nodded. I didn’t want the little kid to think something was wrong. I know I wasn’t always tough but I didn’t want him to think something was up.

“Never been better”, I said. “By the way, where are the others?” Danny caught his breath and didn’t look at me. “Danny”, I said.

“Um”, he said. “Cody got hurt in the crash and Sarah got knocked out.”

“Are they alright?” I asked. I couldn’t even imagine living without little Hannah or Cody. If he was gone, I would have to lead, and believe me, I am no leader.

“Well, Sarah still hasn’t woken up and Cody was in a coma before but he is better now.” Danny said. He looked away again and I could see he was still hiding something.

“Danny, is there something else?” I asked. He opened his mouth then closed it again without saying a word. I cleared my throat, staring daggers at him.

“Well, Kim, the doctors said when… if Sarah wakes up, she will be paralyzed for life.” My eyes widened and a dark red haze filled my vision.

I woke up again to the familiar beeping again. It took me a few moments to remember what happened. A flood of pain washed over me as I thought about Sarah. Danny had left the room. I sat up, and this time, no wave of nausea came over me.

I slowly unhooked the IV and put a finger on my skin to stop the little spurt of blood. I kicked the blanket off and stood up.

“Is anyone here?” I asked. I didn’t hear an answer so I ran out of the room. If you remember, when I say “run” I don’t mean going about 25 miles per hour, (congratulations to who can reach that) I mean going as fast as 50 mph. Duh, hummingbird DNA. I can easily say no one saw me leaving.

So, I snuck into Cody’s room. Well, I really just went into the room next to mine and it hap-pened to be his. What a coincidence. He was asleep, or faking to be asleep, so it really surprised me when he sat up.

“Hey Kim”, he said quietly. His voice sounded rough and groggy, not at all like the strong leader we all know and love.

“Hey Codes, you alright?” I asked. He paused for a moment and nodded but I could see that something was troubling him “Is it Sarah?” I asked. He nodded again.

“I… I can’t believe that after all that time, we might… might lose her to a crash.” I saw tears sprouting in his eyes. Again, not the Cody we know. “It’s all my fault.” I sat down next to him.

“It’s not your fault, I was the one who went crazy and caused the crash”, I said remembering Jess. I held my thought, not wanting to pass out again. See, I don’t like crashes in the first place. Maybe because if I hadn’t been in one, I would still be normal, or maybe it’s something else (I’m just kidding, it’s the first one), and with the pain of maybe losing Sarah, I would break if I had a whole new memory added on.

“No, I was the one who didn’t catch up to Jess in the first place”, Cody said. “I can’t stand it that… that we were so close to her and because of me, she’s gone. I can’t even imagine her back in the lab.” I shuddered at the thought.

“Um, I’m gonna go to the bathroom”, I said. You see, I’m not good with talking. Especially when I’m trying to make them feel better. That was Cody’s job. Huh, I guess he has a lot of jobs. I just stepped into the bathroom when I heard Cody’s heart monitor go silent. I ran to his bed. Instead of waves on his screen, there was one straight deadly line. His heart had stopped.

Well, I agree with the chapter title. Things just aren’t going my way. So, I started screaming bloody murder and a nurse came running in. Her eyes widened as she saw Cody’s monitor.

“We need a doctor!” She said. A few moments later, a panting doctor came in. The nurse told him what happened and he told me to go.

“No, stop wasting time, save him!” I screamed. The doctor pulled out some supplies and I tried to get a closer look but the nurse blocked me.

“I am sorry, but you have to leave”, she said. I shook my head and she forced me out. All the way, I was screaming and raving on about saving Cody.

“I know this is hard, but you have to calm down”, she demanded. I don’t know what it was, but I had this strong urge to sit still. “Good, now stay there. My name is Hunter and you are go-ing to listen to me or else”, she said. I just noticed how pretty she was. I know, it’s stupid to be thinking how pretty a girl is when Cody is dying, but I couldn’t ignore it.

Her short gold hair was tucked smoothly behind one ear and a small earing shone in front of it. It was shaped like the yin-yang symbol. You won’t understand it now, but you will later. Her eyes were an urging blue, willing you to follow her. It was very compelling.

A few minutes later, the doctor came out. He was panting again but his face didn’t look tired.

“Uhhh, is Cody okay?” I asked casually. The doctor looked at me suspiciously, as if wondering if I was the same screaming and frantic girl from before. He nodded slowly.

“Your friend will be okay after a few days or so.” His eyes widened. “You aren’t supposed to be out of bed!” He said. I shrugged. So, a few minutes later, I was back in my room.

I didn’t feel anything wrong then. I didn’t even wonder how Cody was doing. Nothing. Nada.

“You should sleep now”, What’s-Her-Name said. I felt an urge to sleep.

“What are you even doing here?” I asked.

“Oh, I have orders to take your friends away and kill you”, She said. I sat up immediately. She put a finger to her lips and I fell asleep.

I know. The book has been pretty depressing so far. Don’t stop reading or throw the book off to the side. I promise you, it’ll get better. Okay? Let’s get back to the story.

So, I woke it back in the hospital on a cold winter morning. I blinked to get the sleepiness out of my eyes and sat up. I tried to stand up but I was still groggy so I stumbled back onto the bed. I couldn’t see anyone in the hallway or lobby.

“Where is everyone?” I asked. Of course, no one answered. “Helloooooo?” I sighed. It was up to me to figure out everything, as usual. I slowly stumbled out of the room and looked around. No one. I looked in Cody’s room.

My eyes widened. There was no one in the room. Not even Cody. He couldn’t have gotten better that fast, and even if he did, he wouldn’t leave without me. Would he?

I even went into Sarah and Danny’s rooms. No one was there. Something was seriously wrong.

“Someone?” I called out. “Anyone?” No one said anything. Not a sound. I was really worried. What happened?

For the rest of the morning I searched around the hospital. I was finally ready to give up when I heard footsteps coming from the bathroom.

“Finally”, I sighed. I opened the door and looked in. I couldn’t see anyone. I knew it wasn’t my imagination. It just… sounded so real. Suddenly, I heard a quiet humming from behind me. I felt shivers going down my spine. This felt like the part of a horror movie when the victim turns around and meets her doom. I slowly turned my head and looked. On the bench, there was a little girl smiling at me. Oh my gosh. How did she get here?

“Hello”, she said. She started swinging her legs back and forward and hummed again.

“Uhhh, who are you?” I asked (I know, what a great first impression). The little girl laughed as if what I said was funny. Really?

“My name is Julia. I was told to come here and find you.” Julia never lost that little smirk on her face.

“Oh, why were you told to meet me? Wait, why were you? Where is everyone?” I asked as thoughts jumbled in my head.

“I am here about your sister”, she said. My eyes widened and my heart beat turned on over-load.

“Has something happened to her?” I asked quickly.

“Something will, if you don’t figure them out”, Julia said. She said everything so innocently that I could hardly believe what she was capable of. Well, at that time.

“What’s ‘them?’” I asked. “I’ll do anything to save my sister!”

“Oh, but are you willing to pay more than you expected?” Julia asked. She flipped back her brown curls and smiled. I don’t get her.

“What?” I asked.

“Well, let’s just say that the lives of your friends and sister are on the line of you fail.” I fought back tears as they tried watering my eyes.

“If I fail what?” I asked. I couldn’t stand this. If I fail… will I really lose everyone? Or is this just a trick?

“You’ll know soon enough. Until then”, Julia said. “Tootle loo!” She winked at me and I blacked out.

I wish that there were a certain number of blackouts per book. I bet this one is setting a new record. This has been a very odd day for me. And believe me; my life isn’t normal to begin with. I woke up on the bathroom floor (eew!).

I hastily jumped up and brush off my clothes. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, but what I did know was that if I failed, everyone I know and love would die. Such a happy thought. Wow, this is what my life is turning in to.

“Uh, what’s your name? Aren’t you gonna tell me what to do?” I asked. I felt a strong wind rustle my hair and looked up.

“I am happy to see you are awake”, Julia said. Except, it was only her voice. She wasn’t here. “Your challenge is to figure out reality.” I was confused.

“Umm, isn’t this reality?” I asked. Julia laughed.

“I bet you would say this is too”, she said. Suddenly, a bright light filled the room. It finally finished blinding me and my mouth gaped open. I wasn’t in a bathroom anymore. I was back at home, still in my bed.

“Hey kid”, Cody said. He walked up to my bed. “You okay?” I nodded slowly.
“Why wouldn’t I be?” I asked.

“Well, you were reading the paper and you fainted. You got a nasty shiner there to prove it”, he said pointing to my cheek. I touched a large bump, probably a bruise, starting to swell.

“What about Jessica?” I asked. “Where is she?” Cody looked at me suspiciously and sat down next to my pillow.

“Who’s that?” I stared at him.

“Remember, we went looking for her, and there was a car crash and Sarah might die?” I asked.

“Whoa, take it easy Kim. Sarah aint going nowhere. Maybe you started dreaming when you fainted or something”, Cody said. I nodded. He was probably right. I bet it was just a dream. If Sarah’s alright, that’s all that matters.

“I think you have had enough for now”, someone said. It sounded like a little girl. A familiar bright light blinded me and it disappeared, leaving my in the bathroom. I stumbled back into the wall. “Now, which do you think is the reality?” A little girl asked. It took me a moment to recover.

“Julia, what just happened?” I asked. I stopped. Was this reality? Or am I really back home, safe and sound?

“Kim, you have to decide which one is reality”, Julia said. “The only way to choose is to die. If you choose the wrong one, you and everyone one else will die in the real world. If you choose the right one, everyone will be safe and I will give you your sister back.” I gaped at her.

“So, I have to die to choose the right one?” I asked. “No way am I gonna die.” Julia laughed again.

“Oh, you don’t really have a choice if you want to die or not.” Julia winked at me again. “Time is ticking. Tick, tock, tick, tock.” Julia started to disappear and her voice faded.

“Wait, where did you go?” I called. I heard a loud crash and whirled around. I’m not an easily frightened girl, but when I opened the door slightly, what I saw made me scream.

Chapter nine: where it all began
Cody

I awoke to darkness. I felt around and found myself on a table. Like… before. I opened my eyes and looked around. I was right. I was on a large operating table. Oh my god. I began to panic and I found myself trembling. I could not go through this again. I heard footsteps and someone walked into the room. It was a doctor. I tried to calm myself down.

“Uhhh, who are you?” I asked. I took a deep breath and waited for the answer.

“I am Courtney Peruniz, but Dr. Peruniz to you. I am here to experiment on you”, she said. I couldn’t hold back my nerves this time. I tried to jump up but my arms were tied down.

“Let me go!” I cried. I thrashed around until Dr. Peruniz pulled out a short needle. I froze, my eyes wide, watching the point. I tried to think of something to stall her. “Where are my friends?” I asked.

“Patient nine and eleven are unconscious and will be ready soon”, she said.

“But… I have more than two friends”, I said. I felt a shred of hope. If someone was free, they would save the rest of us… right?

“Patient ten is gone. She was not at the hospital.” I grinned. Either Kim or Sarah were alive. Now, I just had to figure out how to get to them.

She came closer and held out the needle. I closed my eyes and braced myself, ready for the pain.

I tried to stop crying. I willed back tears but they wouldn’t stop flowing. My throat was sore and my eyes were puffy.

The car crash had been bad enough. The doctors told me that I would be paralyzed. I knew it was true. It hurt to move at all. Then, when I was in bed, there was a dark smoke and I woke up on a table. It was horrible. The doctors experimented on me when I was awake.

Oh, I can’t even express the pain. It was worse than when the scientists were giving the cat DNA. All I can do now is cry for mercy and watch in horror. My voice has faded because of how much I screamed. I can barely even utter a raspy whisper. When I cried, no sobs came out. Only tears. I saw a doctor come back into the room.

“Patient eleven is awake”, she said. I stifled my cries because they wouldn’t make a sound and I didn’t want to show how scared I was.

I held my breath, waiting for the pain to start again. Instead, the doctor walked towards the side table and pressed a button on the remote. The metal cuffs on the table opened and I sat up. I tried to jump off but I couldn’t stand, so I fell down. I bit back tears again.

“Patient eleven, you are allowed to go”, the doctor said.

“Who are you?” I asked. “What do you mean?”

“I am Maggie. And you are allowed to go.” My eyes widened and I sort of… limped away as fast as I could.

I got outside and fell down in the sweet grass. It took me a few moments until I heard the low growling behind me. I slowly turned around and saw a mutt. It was bigger than I was and it was foaming at the mouth. I opened my mouth but no scream came out. I was sick of the pain so I closed my eyes and braced myself, ready for the pain.

I took a deep breath and started running again. I couldn’t stop. They said if I did, all my friends would be punished. I couldn’t be the cause of their pain.

I was on the most deadly obstacle course known to man. If I ran too slowly, I would either get skewered, burned, suffocated, stabbed, shot at, or any other creative ways of death. Such fun.

I was out of breath and the cramps were so excruciating, I could barely survive without pass-ing out. I was on the last part. I was almost done, than I could find a way to save everyone else. I easily dodged the arrows (probably poison) and fell down at the end. The thing was… it wasn’t the end.

I felt a searing pain in my leg and looked back. My leg was on fire. I bit back a scream and ripped of my jacket. I blew out the fire and wrapped my leg up. I looked at it. It was raw red with searing black smudges.

“Patient nine has not completed obstacle. He must do it again,” a voice boomed. My mouth gaped open. I was done! How did I catch on fire? I could not go through all the pain again!

I didn’t move. It didn’t matter how much pain they put me through. I would never get up.

“Patient nine is not moving. Responsive procedure will be activated.” I blocked out the voice and tried to imagine I was back home with everyone else.

I would be playing with Sarah. We have so much in common. Kim would be laughing as I pushed Sarah off the couch. Cody would be off on his bed, thinking about whatever has been bugging him. It may not be the best of houses, but it was home. I got pulled away from my im-agination by a doctor. He held out a small gun.

“Patient nine, if you do not get up, I will have to force you.” I ignored him and heard as he pulled the trigger. I closed my eyes and braced myself, ready for the pain.

Okay, I know I told you the book will get happier, and I promise you, it will. Just hold out. I slammed the door shut and caught my breath.

“This can’t be happening”, I shuttered. I didn’t dare look outside the door again. I turned around and saw a small window. I ran to the window and slowly pried it open. I could barely fit through but it was possible.

I squeezed through and jumped down. I started running and in the next few minutes, I was about three miles away. I finally stopped when I heard a voice.

“Well, I’m glad you survived, so let’s change the scene”, Julia said. The sky turned bright and it finally faded away. I was back at home. Everyone was safe. This had to be reality. If it wasn’t, I would be alone.

“Kim, watch out!” Cody said. I braced myself for pain. Instead, I felt something small bump into my leg. I opened my eyes. It was a soccer ball. What really scared me was two small children screaming for victory. I shrieked and kicked the ball away. I laughed as Sarah pushed Danny down as they were racing after the ball.

“Whoops”, I said. I smiled and raced after the ball. Everything seemed perfect. Except… I knew that this wouldn’t last. I would just be transported back to who knows where. I frowned and stopped running. Cody stared at me.

“What’s wrong Kim?” He asked. I quietly smiled at him.

“It’s… nothing”, I said, but Cody didn’t take that for an answer. He stared daggers at me until I gave in. “Well, have you ever been in a situation when you are responsible for the lives or deaths of everyone?” I asked. Cody sighed.

“Kim, we’re past that. No more challenges. We’re home free.” My mouth gaped open. Did he mean what I thought he meant?

“Wait… do you mean we’re free? No more experiments?” I asked. Cody laughed and nodded.

“Yep, don’t you remember? People said that we were too much of a problem so they took us back for one last time and now we’re normal.” He smiled.

“Oh my gosh, we’re not mutants anymore?” I cried. Cody nodded. I did a jump for the bed, knowing my incredible speed would take me the distance, but fell.

“What happened?” Cody asked. I groaned and stood up.

“Sorry, forgot about the normal thing. Still have to work on it.” Cody laughed. I shrieked as the soccer ball smacked into my legs and I toppled over. Sarah ran to my side.

“Sorry Kim, but you gotta kick the ball, not let it kick you!” Danny ran over.

“Sarah, balls don’t kick!” Danny cried. Sarah shrugged and they ran off. Cody pulled me up.

“You think everything is perfect, don’t you”, Kacie’s voice cooed. I whirled around. “Just wait…” I froze and heard a loud boom. Sarah screamed. I saw an explosion and flew back into the wall. I saw a chuck of wall hit me in the head and I felt warm blood running down my cheek. I stood up and looked around. Cody was pulling himself up. Danny was coming out from under the bed. Last of all… Sarah was on the floor, pale white. She wasn’t moving. I ran to her side and pulled her up. Her limp body fell back down. I screamed and felt for a pulse, except… I couldn’t find one. Sarah was dead.

I didn’t stop screaming. It just couldn’t be true. Sarah was gone. Cody and Danny ran over.

“Oh my god… is Sarah…” Danny whispered. I nodded. He didn’t need to finish. We all knew what he meant. I felt my heart well up and explode.

Suddenly, I heard a short yell and it wasn’t from any of us. Cody stood up and ran to the large hole in the wall. We all knew that he would show no mercy.

“Get away from me!” Someone yelled. Cody held a boy by his arms and was dragging him into the house. “Let go!”

“Who are you?” Cody growled. The boy looked at him. He had light blonde hair. His eyes were piercing blue with speckles of sea green. His face was pale and silent.

“I… I’m Troy”, the boy said. He looked scared.


“Cody, let go of him”, I said. Cody hesitated then let him go. “If you start running”, I told Troy, “We will get you.” He nodded and froze.

“Why are you here?” Cody asked. Troy took a deep breath and spoke, as if reciting some-thing.

“I was being followed by a car. I don’t know why, but it was shooting at me. There was a huge explosion and I found myself here.” Cody glared at Troy and he gulped.

“Why was someone chasing you?” I asked. Troy froze and thought for a moment.

“I escaped from a lab and they don’t want the public to know.” I gasped.

“Were you experimented on?” I asked.

“Yes, they injected me with DNA from a hawk.” I smiled at him.

“You are just like Cody was!” I cried. “Show me your wings!” Cody smiled quietly and opened up large silver wings.

“Hawk wings aren’t silver”, Cody sniffed. I glared at him.

“Don’t be mean Cody”, I said. “You’re just jealous that your wings are gone.” Cody shook his head.

“Uhhh, no, I was just criticizing the scientists that they didn’t get the color right.” I smirked at him.

“Wait, what do you mean by ‘your wings are gone’?” Troy asked.

“Well, we were experimented on too, about a year ago. The scientists finally made us normal a few weeks ago.” Cody said. I winked at Troy and he grinned.

I know this is sudden, but when Troy smiled at me, my heart fluttered like his wings. Don’t criticize me. My feelings even confuse me sometimes. So, we let Troy stay at the house for the night. We pulled the couch away from the living room. It would be bad if the scientists went back to our home and saw him sleeping from the hole in the wall.

That night I couldn’t sleep. Just so you know, Troy was not sleeping in my room. He was with Cody. Still, I couldn’t sleep. I knew that I would just be pulled away by Julia at a random mo-ment. I was devastated by Sarah, but I tried to hold it in so Danny wouldn’t be scared. I had to stay firm even though my little angel… never mind.

I just couldn’t close my eyes because I knew I would relive those last few moments of the explosion.

“Sleep Kim”, Julia whispered. I couldn’t keep my eyes open so I slipped into unconsciousness.

The second I woke up, Julia made me leave. First she made me sleep, and then when I woke up, she whisked me away. So annoying.

So, I was blinded for a moment or two until the light went away. I looked around and was confused for a moment until I remembered. Bathroom, flying, yah, yah. You know. I started walking around.

Hey, I thought, At least it can’t get any worse. I know, that was so stupid. You don’t have to criticize me. As always, it starts raining. I groaned and ran into a nearby cave. I swore under my breath and slouched down.

“Yo, Mother Nature”, I snapped. “Glad to see you didn’t forget about me!” I shrieked as a clap of thunder reverberated across the sky. I hope that wasn’t a response. I looked outside at the rain pelting the dull flowery grass. Suddenly, I remembered something. Wasn’t the grass covered with ice and snow? What if this isn’t the right reality? It’s funny how those little things make you think.

Okay, I slept a painful night on a cold rock ground while listening to the beating rain. That would be number one for the “WORST PLACES TO SLEEP” list. Somehow, I managed to get a few hours of sweet, sweet shuteye before I woke up the next morning by hunger pains.

I groaned silently and clumsily sat up. The sun was lazily coming up over the horizon so the sky was bright and colorful. I walked around (possibly in circles) until I got tired. Still, after all that time, I had gotten nowhere.

“Helllllloooooo?” I called out to the trees. Of course, no one answered. I looked around. The sky was beautiful and the only sound I could hear was the little birds tweeting. Oh, this would be a perfect scene if I went skipping into the sunset. Yah, like that would happen.

So, I know nothing has happened except sleeping and walking. Real exciting, eh? It will get more exciting. Three, two, one…

Suddenly, I heard a loud boom. I shrieked and jumped back.

“Oh my god, what’s happening?!” I cried. I stumbled back and accidentally fell to the ground. I looked back and saw a fire. Who in their right minds would start a forest fire in the middle of nowhere? Huh, beats me. I jumped up and started running away. Once I was about a mile away, I stopped.

Shouldn’t someone step up and put out the fire? I sighed and turned around. I raced back to the fire. I skidded to a halt about a foot from the fire. I felt the heat burning against my face. “Whoa, that was way too close”, I mumbled.

I heard a sharp crack behind me. I whirled around and screamed. A fiery tree cracked and was hurtling down towards me. I jumped back and fell down. I felt a strong heat against my back. I slowly turned. I was backed up next to a small tree. Except… it was on fire.

I held back hot tears and looked for an escape. I was caught between fire and a hot place. Hah, deadly humor. So, I backed into the middle. I was helpless. All I could do was watch as the fire licked closer and closer to my feet.

“No, I’m not ready to go!” I screamed. I breathed in more smoke and my head started to burn. I panted but I couldn’t get any air. “Someone”, I whispered. I saw a dark haze fill my view and I collapsed to the ground. The last thing I felt was a hot burning sensation on my leg

Kim was awake before anyone else. She looked tired and pale. I slowly got out of bed, careful not to step on our new company. Troy rolled over and I went around him. I came to Kim.

“Hey Kim, you look worn out”, I said. She nodded.

“Yeah, a night full of burning to my death can really change the amount of sleep you get”, she said. I didn’t understand, but who cares? It’s just Kim. I shrugged and helped her get bowls out. I felt a question on the tip of my tongue and I blurted it out.

“Kim, why did you let Troy stay?” I asked. “He was the reason that Sarah is… gone.” Kim’s eyes watered and she lowered her gaze. Uh-oh, I think I just hit the flood.

“Oh Sarah, how could that happen?” She whispered. “You are… were just a little girl. Why couldn’t it have been me? She had so much more to live up to.” I nodded and Kim dropped to her feet. I heard her raspy sobs reverberating in the silent room.

“It wasn’t your fault Kim”, I said. “None of us were ready for this.” Oh man. I am bad at being positive. Instead, that just made Kim cry harder.

“I should have been ready!” She cried. “I… I just miss her so much!” I nodded.

“We all do, Kim”, I said. “We will do everything we can.” I knelt down next to her and she buried her face in my jacket, sobbing until her eyes grew dry.

“Cody, I let Troy stay because he was like us. He had nowhere to go, no one to help him. I didn’t want him to turn out like we were.” I smiled sadly.

“It’s okay Kim”, I said. “Everything will be okay.” So, I don’t think any of you know this, but I might have a tiny crush on Kim. She… she’s just so caring and well, really pretty. I had to hold myself back from saying something stupid.

My newfound feelings for Kim were such a burden. I can’t stand to see the way she looks at Troy. She looks at him like he’s the one who has taken care and watched out for her since we escaped. All he has done was caused Sarah’s… death and blown up half our house. I can’t bear him and it makes it worse by Kim smiling and fluttering her eyelashes at him. I never thought of her to be the flirty type, but she is whenever Troy is around.

“Cody, thanks. I… I just needed time to think. I’m glad Troy is here. He needs all the help he can get.”

“Me too”, I said, lying through my teeth. I smiled as convincingly as I could and Kim bought it.

“I’m sorry. I’m kind of broken right now”, she said. Kim laid her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. I sat there until I feel asleep, listening to her quiet breaths.

JANUARY 14: TROY’S LOG

I can’t believe how horribly I messed up. I aborted the mission without consulting anyone and almost blew my cover. I am being taken care of by the enemy! I was supposed to follow my instructions but instead, I made up my own. Patient eight allowed me to share his room at night. I had to force myself not to eliminate him until I got details. Patient ten has been very friendly and I am beginning to read emotions from her. If this mission fails, I am doomed.

Staying with the enemy is torture. I have to ignore my instincts and everything I have been trained to do. Instead, I am sitting at a table with them, eating supper.

“So Troy, how old are you?” Patient ten asked me. I swallowed quickly and thought of an an-swer.

“I am sixteen”, I said finally. Patient ten grinned but Patient eight scowled at me. I have no idea why but I read strong unfriendly emotions from him. Maybe he already suspects me of something.

“I’m fifteen”, Patient ten said. I didn’t respond so she looked down. Patient eight pushed his chair back and stood up suddenly.

“I think I’m done”, he said. “I wasn’t really hungry anyway.” Patient ten nodded and looked back at me.

“Troy, where do you live?” She asked. I almost blew my cover and started to say my base number but I caught myself.

“I live in Springfield”, I said. It wasn’t a lie. My base was stationed there for a few weeks until the mission was pronounced clear.

“Oh, so you don’t live that far away”, She said. I nodded unsurely and became very interest-ed in my spoon. It was clear that I wasn’t very good with conversations so Patient ten stood up.

“I think I’m done too”, she said. I nodded again and she left the table.

That afternoon, Patient eight and ten left to go to the market. I was left at home with Patient eleven. He tried to strike up a conversation but eventually went to his room. I went into Patient ten’s room and started searching for any information that could lead me to succeeding my mis-sion.

The only thing I found was a small book under her bed. I looked through it and in a messy handwriting, Patient ten wrote down her feeling. It was much like my log but she kept referring to it as Diary.

Dear Diary, I know that I’ve never said this before, but I can’t control my feelings. Well, if this is reality, Sarah is gone, and everything here is a lie. I have to say, if Sarah was alive, I would really like to stay here. If this is not reality, everyone is gone, and I am alone. I can’t stand the thought that one of these are a lie. What if I chose wrong? Everyone would be dead, because of me. Either way if I choose right, I will still have someone who I loved, gone. Emotions ruin your life. I just hope I can control mine.
Kim.

If what she said was true, she is on an obstacle that may end the world. I couldn’t kill her and take the risk now… could I?

I had wished with all my heart that I wouldn’t be dead when I came back. I guess someone took pity on me and spared my poor broken life because I was on the ground, alive.

“Oh god, I’m alive”, I mumbled. I know, I should have really been more enthusiastic but who could blame me? I sat up and looked around. The fire was out and the trees were covered in ash and soot. “Uhhh, anyone?” I called.

“Oh, hey, you’re awake”, came a voice behind me. I whirled around and looked about. I saw a boy sitting on the ground behind me. His face was covered in smut and his clothes were burned.

“Okay, who are you?” I asked. The boy stood up and looked down at me. He pushed his hair away from his eyes and knelt down next to me.

“I guess I’m the one who rescued you from a burning death”, he said. I narrowed my eye-brows.

“Wow, you’re so modest”, I said. The kid rolled his eyes and shook his head. “So… who are you?” I repeated.

“I’ll tell you when you tell me”, he said My mouth dropped open and I quickly closed it. He frowned.

“Oh, you did not just say that”, I said.

“What did I say wrong?” He asked. He shook his head again. “Just… never mind. My name’s Ryan. And do I have the privilege to ask yours?” I groaned.

“Just shut up, okay?” Ryan lowered his eyes to the ground and I felt bad. “Okay, my name is Kim. Thanks for saving my ungrateful butt. I’ll try to be more thankful.” Ryan smiled and put his head on the ground. At first I expected him to say something puny like how pretty the clouds are, but instead he sat back up.

“It’s almost noon. We should be leaving soon.” I stared at him.

“We?” I asked. “Who says I’m going anywhere with you? I just met you!” Ryan stood up and sighed.

“Look here Kim, I don’t know what you’re thinking but you’re in no shape to go wandering off on your own. You almost died. I think you should let me help you.” Ryan finished his speech and started walking away. Wow, if he had a soapbox, I would have voted him for president.

“Just… stay out of my way”, I said. “And I’ll be the one who’s asking questions.”

“Um, I saved you. You don’t get the right to boss me around”, Ryan glowered and sent me a sour look. I scowled and looked away, the weak one I am.

“Fine, I just hope I’ll be leaving soon”, I said. Ryan started walking off into the forest. I guess ‘ladies first’ didn’t stick with him. I caught up with him and crossed my arms. Okay, I know that we didn’t get along that well but this was the best I had right now.

I ignored his weak means of conversation and couldn’t help but watching as he pushed his hair away from his face. Before I could look away, he turned his head and caught me staring. Ryan grinned.

“Oh, don’t give me that look”, I said. “I don’t have to be here.”

“Oh, I think you want to”, Ryan said. I shook my head as he burst out laughing. What a great relationship we have.

Has anyone else noticed how weird Kim has been acting? She keeps yelling at herself and shuts herself away in her room. I don’t know if this is what girls are like in puberty but it’s gotten kind of annoying.

“Kim, are you okay?” I called through her closed bedroom door. No one answered so I put my ear against the door.

“Just leave me alone Julia! You’re ruining my life!” I don’t know about any of you, but I’ve never heard of someone named Julia. Is Kim losing her mind?

“Uhhh, Kim? Are you feeling alright?” I asked.

“Never better, thanks for asking”, Kim said. “Just… going through a bit of teenage drama or something.” Okay, I would believe her is she didn’t add “or something”. I knew she was lying through her teeth.

“I know you’re hiding something”, I said. “Who’s Julia?” I heard loud footsteps and Kim slammed open the door.

“Have you been eavesdropping on me?” She asked. I shook my head. “Then how did you know about Julia?”
“Oh, so there is someone named Julia”, I said. “And just who is she?” Kim frowned and looked down at me.

“Who gave you the right to be on my case?” She asked. “I don’t recall letting you be the new leader.”

“Look, I don’t want to help teenage girls with their little mental issues but something is really up. Is it about Sarah?” Kim closed her eyes and mumbled through gritted teeth.

“Look Danny. I am trying to be strong and it would help if you don’t mention Sarah. There’s only so much that I can do.”

“Kim, we all miss Sarah worse than words can explain. I break out in tears every night. Every time I close my eyes, I think of her. She was like a sister to me.” I think that knocked her over the edge. Kim’s eyes watered up and heavy sobs escaped her lips.

“Danny, I’ve been trying so hard to hold back my feelings. I tried to be a strong leader and be brave but I’m just a kid. I’m fifteen, that’s not old enough to have my heart ripped out.” I was at a loss for words so I just nodded.

“It’s okay, it’s not your fault.” I’m not one for encouraging just so you all know. Actually, Sa-rah was the best at that. All I can do is try to stop the flood.

“No, it is. You wouldn’t understand but it’s all my fault” I opened my mouth but no noise came out. “Just, I need some time alone”, she said. She closed the door.

If Kim thought the room was soundproof, she was wrong. I could hear her cried from across the house. What a happy chapter.

I guess I haven’t spoken for a while. It’s not my fault! So, I left you off when I was being hunted down by a rabid mutt. I raced through the fields as fast as I could. I couldn’t stop or… you know.

“Stop it!” I screamed. “Bad dog!” Of course, even if it could understand me, I don’t think that would have done much. I stumbled over a bump and fell to the ground. The mutt growled and foam dripped from its mouth. “Good little puppy”, I squeaked.

I guess the mutt kinda liked that. It tilted its head a bit and stopped growling. Suddenly, I got an idea. I picked up a stick and waved it in front of the mutt.

“Here little guy! Fetch!” I threw the stick across the field. The mutt stared at me. “Go, you have to bring the stick back”, I said. Nothing happened. I sighed.

I got on the hands and knees and crawled towards the stick. I waved the mutt forward and looked down. Oh no, don’t make me do this, I thought. I leaned down and opened my mouth. I grabbed the stick between my lips. I crawled over to the mutt and spit it out.

“Eew! Yuck! That was gross!” I cried. I wiped my mouth off and spit. The mutt pointed his nose down and pushed the stick to my feet. I groaned and stood up.

“Hey, you’re a big mutt”, I said. “I have an idea.”

About a minute later, I was world’s greatest mutant cowgirl… or is it mutant muttgirl? Beats me. So, I was riding a deranged mutt through an evil scientist corporation. People were running into rooms and screaming whenever they saw us racing down the halls. And me, I was having the time of my life, cheering and laughing.

“Hey y’all, see ya, don’t want to be ya!” I whooped and giggled as we soared down the hall. I saw a nurse drop her pile of towels and run screaming down the hall. Wow, this is one of those unforgettable moments you treasure forever. Well, at least it is for us mutants

I guess Julia took pity on me and didn’t make me stay with Ryan. That would have been a complete nightmare. Instead, she dropped me off at home in the hallway… at the worst time. I opened my eyes to see Danny packing an overload of food into a small bag.

“Whoa Danny, that won’t all fit in there”, I said. He whirled around and dropped his pack. Food flew out and splattered all over the floor.

“Kim, we have to get out of here!” Danny picked up the few unbroken cans and boxes and stuffed them back into the bag.

“Uhhh, last time I checked, we weren’t in any danger of any apocalypse or end of the world”, I said.

“No Kim, this is serious!” Danny flung the bag over his shoulder and started running down the hall. He slammed open his door and pulled out an overstuffed suitcase.
“What happened? I asked. “Yesterday, nothing bad happened. So, did this happen in the morn-ing while I was… sleep?”

“Well, Last night Troy told us that the government was going to attack out house this after-noon! We have to get out!” I lowered my eyebrows.

“But how did Troy know?” I asked. Danny opened his mouth and closed it again. “Yah, that’s the problem”, I said.

“Look Kim, please just listen. I listened to you yesterday and I would really appreciate it if you would do the same for me.” Wow, can’t argue with that.

“Sure kid. Just say the word and I’ll do it.” Danny grinned and kept pulling his suitcase out of the doorway.

“Um, could you ask Cody what to do? He only told me to pack food and clothes.” I nodded and looked for Cody. He was in his room with a large bag.

“Wow, I never knew you had so many clothes. I guess I’m starting to wear off on you.” Cody glared at me and stood up.

“Kim, can you help Troy pack up?” I nodded and walked away. Did he really just sneer when he mentioned Troy? Eh, boys will be boys.

I found Troy in my room. And guess what. He had a little something in his hands. A.k.a., my diary.

“Oh no you did not!” I said. “Get your filthy little hands off my diary!” I stomped over and snatched the book away from him.

“Oh, sorry”, he mumbled. I groaned and crossed my arms.

“I’ve had enough trouble with boys for one day. Could you just be nice and stop touching my stuff?” Troy nodded and stumbled back. “Okay, I’m supposed to help you pack. Get your butt out of my room and into Cody’s. I don’t have enough patience for this!”

Little Mr. Diary-Stealer hurried out of the room. I don’t blame him. I would be scared if I saw me this angry. Hmm, how would that work? Huh, aren’t boys just fine and dandy?

I saw her. I swear I did! When I was running from the car, I turned around. Kim was there. I knew she would come to my rescue. The horror is that when I got pulled into the car, I looked back again and Kim’s car crashed.

I saw glass fly everywhere and Kim fell back. I never saw her get back up. What if… what if she’s gone? Oh, I can’t even imagine. But then again, why would I even try to imagine it in the first place?

I was brought back to the lab. When I escaped, I wasn’t alone. I had a friend, Kacie. We had… tried to escape together. Except, when Kacie helped life me over the gate, the guards came. They forced her back. All I could do was fall helplessly down over the back edge of the wall.

I swore that once I found Kim, we would free Kacie and all the other kids stuck here. Now that dream is crushed and I am forced back to reality.

“Kacie?” I whispered. I could see her sitting on the floor down through the bars of the cell. We children are kept in jail cells when we aren’t experimented on. She looked up and nodded.

“Jess, we have to get away from here”, she whispered. “I can’t take it much longer.”

“Kace, I know, we’ve all had as much as we can handle. If I can just reach Kim, we can bust out of here.” Kacie nodded.

“Oh Jess, I miss Parker. He doesn’t even know where I am. How could they do this?” Just so you all know, Parker is Kacie’s BF. They had been together for a while now, and then Kacie had disappeared. She is heartbroken and can’t do anything without remembering him.

“Kacie, you will find Parker again. We will get out of here. Everything will be good again.” Kacie frowned.

“But Jess… what if it won’t. What if we’re going to be stuck in here until… until it’s too late?” I groaned and flopped to the ground.

“Well, aren’t you optimistic”, I mumbled.

“I heard that!” Kacie snapped. Suddenly, the main door opened. A woman dressed in a lab coat entered. She has a large nametag with a smiley face. It said it yellow letters ‘Hello, my name is Hunter’.

“Who here is named Jessica?” She asked. Okay, what answer was she expecting? Maybe, “Oh, it’s me. Experiment on me as much as you please.” Maybe not. Maybe I wouldn’t answer and she would get angry. “I am warning you, you do not want to make me mad.” Ooh, too late for that.

The woman took out a small remote and hit a large button. My metal wrist band sort of… electrocuted me. I shrieked as it sent a jolt of electricity through my body. The woman smirked and walked to my cell.

“Well Jessica, you are needed elsewhere.” She opened my gate and stood back. Okay, I don’t know what she was smoking but you never ever open a gate for the prisoner and expect them to happily follow you to their doom.

Instead, I jumped through the open gate and yanked open Kacie’s gate. I grabbed her arm and pulled her through the hallway.

“Jess, slow down!” Kacie cried. “I can’t keep up!” I slowed down a pace and pulled Kacie along.

“Just hurry”, I panted. “We’re… we’re almost there!” I screeched to a halt at the gate. It looked so tall. “Kace, I’ll throw you over. Then reach down and lift me over!” She nodded and I cupped my hands. Kacie put her foot on my hands and I threw her into the air. She shrieked as she flew over the gate but she regained her footing.

“Jess, reach up”, she said. I nodded and jumped up. I caught Kacie’s hand and she lifted me up.

“Come on, jump over”, I said. I tumbled over the gate and into a bush. “Ooh, oww. Don’t jump into the bush”, I said. Kacie fell next to me. “Super”, I mumbled. We raced through the clearing until I ran into something.

“Oh, Jess. Who’s that?” Kacie asked. I looked up and saw a girl on a big dog. Well, you don’t see that every day.

“Oh my god, I’ve seen her before”, I breathed. “She was with Kim.”

“Wait, do you know Kim too?” The girl asked. I nodded. “Oh, well I was with her in the hospi-tal until something happened and I was here.”

“Kim is my sister”, I said. “She disappeared one day and I guess she was taken here. I went looking for her and now I’m here too.”

“Well I’m Sarah. Jump on, there’s room”, the girl said. I pulled Kacie up on the mutt and we flew through the field.

“Oh Kacie, we’re free”, I whispered. She nodded and I laughed. We were home free.

Once we packed our bags we were out of the house in a second. I was in no shape to ‘borrow’ a car so we went on foot.

“So, Troy, how did you know about the attack exactly?” I asked. I was very suspicious about him. He couldn’t have known about the attack unless someone who knew about it told him. And that would mean he was working with the enemy.

“Well, I have to be truthful with you. I am… was a spy for the enemy. But once I met you all, I changed my mind and decided to betray my mission. I’m sorry but I can’t really change my past.” I shrugged.

“Oh, I knew all about that. If you read someone’s diary, expect them to read yours. But I wasn’t so sure if you had really changed sides”, I said. Troy’s eyes widened and I smirked. It’s fun to mess with boys.

“So, what do we do now?” Danny asked. We all looked at Cody and he frowned.

“Don’t expect me to know everything”, he said. “I may be the leader but I don’t have to make all of the decisions.” Suddenly, I heard a quiet ringing.

“I got it!” I said. I took my phone out of my coat pocket and opened it. “Yello?” I asked.

“Kim, it’s Sarah. I guess I kinda found your sister and we’re riding a possessed mutt down the street. Don’t ask. Oh, and your sister has a friend. Can you meet up with us?” I froze. I guess phone calls can call through different dimensions.

“Who is it?” Cody asked.

“Uhhh, guys, I have a secret to tell too. Ummm, well, this is kind of hard to explain but I keep switching through different dimensions. Wow, that isn’t that hard to explain after all.” Everyone froze and stared at me.

“What do you mean?” Danny asked.

“Well, in a different world, there’s this girl named Julia and she is making me choose which one is real. The phone call was from Sarah. She found my sister and is riding a dog down the street. I don’t know. But in the other dimension, you guys are gone and might be dead. I was in a fire and almost died but a guy named Ryan saved me. So, what do you think about that?” I asked.

“Oh, that’s who you were talking to”, Danny said. “I didn’t know Julia was a real person.” I nodded.

“Yah, and I have to talk to Sarah for a sec.” I put the phone back to my ear. “Sarah, you still there?” I asked.

“Uhhh, yeah. And I could hear everything you just said. Who’s with you?” I sighed. I should have turned the phone off.

“Danny, Cody, and a kid named Troy. Just so you know sweetie, you’re dead in this dimen-sion.” That kind of broke the moment.

“Oh, well… okay. When you get back to this dimension, please come meet me in a town in Illinois. It’s called like, Warrenville or something.” I nodded.

“Sure, I’ll meet you as soon as I can.” I closed the phone and turned around. “And just so y’all know, you might not be real.” Hah, you should have seen their faces.

“Well okay then”, Cody said. “And with that, let’s go.” And so, we all started walking as a huge explosion ripped through the air. I screamed and flew through the air.

I don’t mean tumbled. I mean flew. I looked up. Troy was pulling me up. He must be strong. Then, he started to fall. Luckily, we were only a few feet off the ground and we just tumbled down.

“Oh god, what happened?” I asked.

“That was the attack. They planted a bomb in the foundation and I guess they just set it off.” I sighed.

“Now our house is gone.” I looked back at the pile of rubble and broken furniture that was lying where our house should have been.

“Think about the positives”, Troy said. His face was stony and I knew something was seriously wrong.

“At least we all made it.” I was watching his face until he looked down at the ground behind us.

“I don’t know about that”, he said. I followed his gaze. When he pulled me up, Cody and Danny were hit by the blow. Now, we were alone.

“Oh my god, this can’t be true!” I yelled. Now Danny, Cody, and Sarah were dead. No, this couldn’t be reality. Not without my family. “This is not reality.”

“How do you know?” Troy asked. “What if you make the wrong decision?” I shook my head as tears welled up.

“No, it can’t be reality. Not without them.” I knew what I had to do. “Julia! I made my deci-sion! This is the fake reality!”

“Are you sure Kim?” Julia asked. She appeared behind me and smirked.

“Yes, I can’t live. Even if I choose wrong, I still won’t have my family. I don’t care. I just want this to be over.”

“Suit yourself”, Julia said. She clapped her hands and everything around me started to turn to dust. “Luckily, you chose right. Isn’t that a happy ending?”

Suddenly, I saw Troy collapse to the ground. I had a shock of reality. If this dimension wasn’t real, I would lose Troy. I knelt to his side and looked down into his barren eyes. They were slow-ly closing.

“No, you can’t leave”, I said. “This isn’t right.” Troy gasped in a breath and his foot started to crumble.

“It’s okay Kim. At least you chose right.” A small tear rolled down my cheek and fell onto Troy’s shirt. A heavy sob raked through my body. I leaned down to his face.

“Don’t forget me”, he said. I nodded and our lips touched. (Oh my god, how did it get this dramatic?) For that one second, everything was peaceful. Then, he was gone. I looked down. I was alone. Again.

“Julia, how could you do this?!” I screamed. “You killed him!” Julia appeared behind me and held out a tissue.

“Oh, so sorry. Did you want to die?” She started giggling and the world around me disap-peared. I felt the shock of abandonment and collapsed. When I closed my eyes, all I saw was Troy.

“Oh god, I’m alive”, I whispered. I looked around.

“Oh, Kim. Since you chose right, I decided to help you out. You’re in Warrenville and Sarah will be here soon.” I sat up.

“Okay Julia, but where’s Ryan?” I asked.

“Oh, you said you didn’t want to stay with him so now you aren’t. I zapped you away. You don’t mind, do you?” I groaned and slowly stood up. I was in a small bedroom. I guess it is an apartment.

Suddenly, I heard a loud knock on the door. I whipped it open. There stood my little girl. Well, both of them.

“Oh my god, Sarah! Jess!” I grabbed them in a hug.

“Whoa, Kim. Let me breathe!” Jess said. She wiggled away and fell to the floor. Then, I no-ticed someone else was standing awkwardly at the door.

“Who are you?” I asked. I don’t mean to sound harsh or anything, but I’ve had enough with random little girls.

“Oh, this is Kacie”, Jess said. “She’s my friend. We both got experimented on.” Jess pulled her into the room.

“Hey Kacie, I’m glad you’re alright. Sorry if you feel awkward or anything.” Kacie giggled and looked around at the room.

“Ooh, how did you afford this big of a room?” She asked. I shrugged.

“It was more of a gift.” She looked confused so I smiled. “It’s a long story.”

“Kim, where’s Danny and Cody?” Sarah asked. I paused for a moment, wishing she hadn’t asked.

“Well, I don’t actually know. I didn’t even know you guys were alive sweetie.” I rubbed her head to make her feel better.

“So… they could be dead?” Sarah asked. I frowned and nodded.

“Yah, sadly. Just so you know, the other dimension was fake. Well, I found out after Danny and Cody had been blown up too. Then Troy kind of dissolved to dust.” Welcome to my beautiful life.

“Oh, Kim. You have so much to learn”, Julia said. I whirled around but didn’t see her.

“Kim? You alright?” Sarah asked. I nodded and sat down on the edge of the bed. Sarah looked concerned.

“Kim, do you remember someone named Hunter? Oh, I hope you do. Remember her last words?” I shook my head. Suddenly, I heard her voice.

“Oh, I have orders to take your friends away and kill you.” My eyes widened.

“Hunter succeeded partly. Little Jessie here outsmarted the dimwitted nurse but the others were not so lucky. You see, Hunter sticks to her word. I hope you understand.”

“Oh no”, I said. “You mean…?” Julia laughed.

“Yes, consider yourself unlucky.” I started screaming and Sarah ran to my side.

“Kim! Kim!” I fell down on the bed and wept.

“Sarah, they’re dead! They’re all dead! She killed them all!” Sarah stepped back. Her face turned pale.

“What do you mean?” She asked.

“Hunter. Hunter killed Danny and Cody. They’re gone Sarah. They’re gone forever.” Sarah started sobbing and buried her face in her arms.

I had to find an escape. I had to get out of here. I looked around and saw the open window. I stepped of the bed and walked towards it

“Kim, what are you doing?” Jess asked. She ran to my side and saw what I was staring at. “No, stop it!” She cried. Jess tried pulling me back but I pushed her down.

“Jess, go away. I have to end this”, I said. She started screaming as I went to the window. I looked down about twenty stories. Now I know why Julia put me on the top floor.

I grabbed the glass and yanked it off. It cracked in my hands and felt it sting through the skin. The warm blood slowly dripped down my hands and I wiped it off.
“Goodbye”, I whispered and I closed my eyes. When you’re falling, everything is silent for a moment or two until… the end.

I can’t believe I woke up. The sun was shining and the birds were singing. I sat up and looked around. I wasn’t alone. Actually, I was surrounded by everyone. Next to me, Sarah was sitting up. Danny was wide eyed and his mouth was gaped. I think mine was too.

“I’m here. I’m not dead”, I wondered out loud.

“I hoped not”, Julia said. She was sitting on the grass behind me. “I so hoped that you would still be gone.”

“How much of a maniac can you be?” I asked. “You set this whole thing up!” She nodded and flipped back her hair.

“All in a day’s work.” I gritted my teeth and lunged at her. Julia screamed and stumbled back. “Oh, you survived now, but you’ll be dead later. Just wait. I’m gonna be back.” I punched her in her innocent face and she disappeared.

“Oh, you won’t be back”, I said. I stood up and brushed myself off. Everything turned out okay in the end. Except, Troy and Ryan weren’t here. They really weren’t real. Well, I guess I should be happy.

“Kim, look”, Cody said. He pointed behind me.

I heard laughing and saw Sarah and Danny wrestling on the ground. I smiled and ran over. Looks like everything is back to normal… for now.

Kim won’t be laughing for long. I would love to wipe that smile off her face but I would have to wait.

“Commander, you would like to see me?” I turned around.

“Yes Troy. You have done well. You played with her heart until the last straw. You know your mission. This time, do not fail.” Troy nodded.

“I will not”, he said. I smiled and walked to the window.

“Troy, Kim thinks everything is perfect now. Do your part and she will find out how reality really is.”

Life is not fair. Especially not to her.