22. Found

"You know?! That's impossible! I saw them brain-wash you! How.... What do you mean?" I stammer in shock, and quickly transfer it to the tablet.

"Well..." She rubs her forehead thoughtfully..."It's more like... I remember. And... I believe you.... Ah, I'm so confused" She bends over and covers her face with her hands.

"Wait!" She whispers and sits up straight. "I saw you! I saw you in the vent! That's why! That's why I'm starting to remember, now!" Her eyes dart around madly and her mouth twitches. I reach up and place a hand on her shoulder. She jumps with a gasp, and tumbles over backward. I am just glad she didn't scream.

"You SAW me?" I choke... One of them might have seen me!

"Well, yeah. But I don't remember what happened aft-" The color drains from her face, her hands quiver, her eyes stay trained on the ceiling. I kneel beside her, confused and scared. Tears start to flow from the corners of her eyes and I see her mouth a single word, 'Help'.

I don't know what to do! She can't hear or see me, and no one else around here can... well, except for people who want to capture me.

Kayla's body falls still. Unnaturally still. I grasp her shoulders tightly and shake her. She doesn't wake up. I scoop up the tablet and scroll through the few apps. I lay it down by her head, press a button, and a loud alarm sounds.

She jolts awake and I shut off the alarm.

"You... You were right!" She says in a voice that makes me shiver. "This?" She glances around "All this, is... and experiment! A test! And..." She places her head in her hands again, "It's too much... Too much!" Kayla looks up.

"By the way..." Kayla's face displays stark fear and confusion. "What are you doing here? I thought you were dead! I dragged you out to the field myself!"

After some discussion Kayla launched into detail about everything that she had done and seen since we parted ways, then I returned her in a full explanation, though mine was definitely not as interesting as hers.

Kayla springs to her feet! "OH NO!"

"What?" I ask, worried at her expression, then remembering, I write it to her.

"I- I was supposed to be taking inventory! And I'm known as the 'fastest inventorian'! (She rolls her eyes slightly) I've been sitting here for.. Oh! I have to go!" She darts away.

I froze. Should I follow her? She jumps back, a half smile on her face. "Whoops. I kinda need that touch pad."

I smile, draw a smiley face then write Okay, but delete this page and meet me back here later. These halls are swarming with guards and they can see me, so I've got to stay hidden.

Kayla didn't seem to understand, but she also didn't seem to care. "Hey... I know where you can hide."

-------------------------------------------------------------

I fidget and squirm, but there's really no comfortable way to hide in a metal barrel that used to contain paint. I cough the fumes, hold back a cough, then choke even worse. Tears fill my eyes, but I strain  to not make noise. A loud thump bangs on the barrel I am hiding in. I reach up to grab the lip and open it. Wow, Kayla really is fast at that!

"I can't believe this! Where could that boy be? Mr. Buxton is going to kill us!"

I try to shrink in my barrel. My heart instantly racing.

"Well, we could just say we made it up to protect ourselves. Say we were the ones fooling with the project."


"Mm hm.... And that would get us, let's see, how much farther from death? He would still kill us! TWICE!"  The guard whispered angrily.

"Well, I don't hear you giving any suggestions!"

A second passed. My barrel rattled.

"What are you doing? a voice asked.

"Creating a solution!" I tumble on my side and thump to the ground. The barrel rolls and a few people shout in alarm. I come to a sudden and harsh stop. I breath with relief.

A large thud clangs on the side of the barrel. Another hit rings painfully in my hears. I can feel myself break through something. I guess a wall. Other barrels crash against me. Dozens of voices shout, I hear people rushing around. I continue to roll, crashing through two more walls. Dents in the barrel stick painfully into my shoulders and legs.

I crash into something and stop. A shaking reverberates through me, into all of the barrels. I throw my fist at the lip and squeeze out. I shove barrels aside and scramble up through a mountain of them. I close my eyes and breath in the paint-fume-free air.

"YOU!!!!!!" Someone screams. I open my eyes to see a female guard pointing straight at me. "You are him! You're the boy who's been messing with the project. Now you go destroying the building????"

Though her voice rings in rage, her face glows with the delight. No doubt, because she was the one to have the luck to find me. I spin on my heels and stumble. My lungs collapse as my chest smashes into the edge of a barrel. I jump up, gasping for air. Two sharp pains pierce my back and a current of electricity explodes through me. I see the white side of a barrel as I tumble, face first to the ground.

Middle Name

Okay, I am starting a novel (that I'm not going to tell you what it's about) and I need a middle name for my Character. Her name is Nataliye Cole. I was hoping to use a name that means free or freedom or something along those lines. If you have any  ideas... Thank you!
>>----> Nicole

21. Invisible

Confused, I stare blankly as the guards, Mr. Crosswell, and Kayla leave the room. The guards take one look around the room, then march out. I waste no time. I crawl quickly and quietly around the circular protrusion and glance into a vent.

A buzzing hallway lies below. Guards line the edges, and people walk right by them. I see three guards as they march down the hall, grins spread wide across their faces.

"Hey! You won't believe this!" One shouts and all the guards in sight look up, but the people walking about in white clothes, seem to not even hear. The guard carefully dodges a young boy as he runs down the hall, then continued, "Some foolish boy tried playing tricks in the green house!"

Some guards snicker and others look shocked. "What'd he do?" One asks.

"He tried to make that girl we just 'sweeped', see a floating tomato!" He burst out laughing. "Oh, but he scurried away like a chicken when we walked in." The hallway exploded with laughter.

"Tom!" A speaker crackles "Tom! Come to my office immediately! You are going to tell me everything about this, this boy who dares interfere with the project! IMMEDIATELY!" I could hear the boiling rage in his voice.

"Yes, Sir! Right away, Sir.! But, Sir... May I suggest that you send a few guards up the ventilation system? That's where the boy is hiding and it may spare you quite a bit of trouble if we go sooner-"

"Fine! Go! But be quick about it!" A crashing sound comes from the speaker, as if the man on the other side had thrown the mic across the room. Then, a loud, high-pitched electronic tone pierces through the air.

All the guards slap their hands to their ears. I do the same, cringing from the pain of the note. It stops, and another voice quickly, apologizes for 'technical issues'. After rubbing their ears briefly, the three guards shrug and walk away.

I collapse onto my back, next to the vent. I breath in and out. What do I do now? I wonder. It won't be long before I'm found, and how can I explain why I'm here again? They BRAINWASHED an innocent girl! What would they do to me? 

I jump up at the sound of clashing metal. A light bursts through the floor and a ladder slides up into the opening. In flash, I am on my feet, in full sprint. I feel a rattling beneath me. The floor gives way and I tumble to the floor below. The door above, slams shut. I freeze and watch the trap door as footsteps approach.

The handle rattles and I hear the men rush past it. Again, I sigh with relief. Well, Jake. Nothing has really happened to you. I laugh. I guess it's not that difficult to sneak around a top secret fortress swarming with dark guards.

I sit up, a stack of white, metal barrels tower over me, casting a dark shadow. I hear a small click and a pen rolls around the barrels. I reach out to grab it. Without warning, Kayla steps into view. She glances about the dark area, looking right through me.

"Kayla!" I gasp again. I reach out to give her the pen back, but stop, remembering her reaction to the tomato. I notice a tablet in her hand.

An idea jumps into my head, and I grab the pen. I leap to my feet and cover her mouth before she has a chance to scream.

"Shhh." I whisper into her ear as she screams into my hand. I tap her tablet to unlock it. A long list of produce appears in neat handwriting. I slide my finger across the screen, flipping through pages. At a blank page, I bring the pen to the screen and briefly scribble:

Please be quiet and I will tell you something you won't believe!

I slightly release my grip on her mouth. She rips away, tripping over onto her back. Naturally, I reach out my hand to help her up. She stares at the tablet in my hand, her whole figure quivering. Remembering I am invisible, I grab her hand, gently lifting her to a sitting position. Her head whips from side to side. I cautiously kneel next to her, and lift the pen to the screen again.

Okay, this is going to sound insane, but please stay quiet. I kinda have people that are looking for me. Okay?

I look to her for some sign that she can see what I wrote and will listen. She lifts her hands, inching them toward the stylus. I stand perfectly still. If she can't see me... can she just reach through me?

Her hand bumps gently into my elbow. She jumps away, her eyes shooting around.

"How-" She stammers "What's- What's going on?"

I scoot closer and write again:

I can hear you. My name is Jake. Your name is Kayla Dalery. Right?

She nods, her brows coming together.

Now, this is really crazy, but {I pause, wondering how exactly to phrase this} I just watched you get brainwashed.

"Um..." She reaches her hand out for the pen again.

No, I can hear you, just whisper. Please.

She looks around, "Um.... What are you?" She whispers in an almost inaudible voice.

I am a human. Just like you. You knew me before. Before you were brainwashed. In my town. I was told to take care of you. I wasn't supposed to bring you here. I'm sorry, Kayla. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just thought you could find out the truth. You never were on Mars. You've just been in a facility that.. I think is trying to find out if humans could live on Mars.

Kayla eyes go wide. "I... I know."

20. Caught

I froze when I looked back into that eery room. The green lights went off, and I sat in one position for a few minutes, 'till now. The lights still spark up in a grid all around. There's no way I can find Kayla in this maze! I think to myself. I don't know why, but... I feel like I have to help Kayla. I feel, strangely, responsible for her.

I slowly stand, still trying to figure out what to do. I could follow the hallways and climb back down through the same trap door as before. I suggested to myself. Or... I could try peeking around to find another trap door. I'm not sure what is the best way to go, but I don't try to retrace my steps.

I walk from vent to vent, following a random hallway. With each room or new branch of the hallway I start down, I never see any people. It's like the whole place is deserted! But why would they try so hard to guard it, if there wasn't anything in it? I come to another wall with vents in it, but this one is barely lit. From my view through the vent, I can see x shaped tables, raised on large, metal poles, all the way to the glass roof. Green leaves and vines hang over the edges, and a soft, orange light illuminates the room.

I notice a thick, metal door at one end of the large, green-house-like room. I flip over onto my back, lifting my feet to kick away the vent. Just then, I hear a faint voice. Though muffled and somewhat robotic, it is definitely a voice, and I follow it.

I pause, eyes closed, trying to hear where the sound is coming from. I crawl a few feet. My hand brushes over a crack in the metal ceiling. I open my eyes. Another trap door! I grasp the nob and turn it. I open it a crack. 

"Wake up call! Wake up call! Wake-" The voice becomes clearer. No wonder I didn't see anyone. They must've all been asleep!

 A rumbling rattles the nob in my hand. Another ventilation cycle! I quickly glance around the green house room below; no one in sight. But how long will it stay like that? The wind blasts, the trap door flies open, and I tumble through the opening.

I land on a hard floor, slamming my chest, nose, and forehead to the ground. I moan and roll onto my back. The voice stops and the winds increase. A strong gust blows out of the opening, and down to my face. I rub my forehead as I stand, looking for a way to climb back up.

I hear footsteps. My heart skips a beat! Is that person coming in here? My eyes search the room, looking for something to hide behind. Beside the metal poles that reach all the way up to the glass roof, the few tables that lay around the edges and fridges, there is nothing!

The footsteps reach the large metal door, and voices follow. Something makes a beeping sound and the doors begin to open. I resort to hope as I roll underneath a table with vines hanging over the edges. I scoot as closed to the wall as I can and flatten myself to it, begging for shadows to cover me.

I see a pair of white shoes skip into the room, white pants wrinkle at the ankles.  I close my eyes, hoping he won't see me.

I hear his footsteps begin to circle around the room. They come closer and closer until I hear them right in front of my face. I open my eyes, the white shoes just twelve inches from me. I hold my breath.

A tomato falls off the table and rolls gently toward my head. The person drops down to their knees and pokes her head through the vines.

"KAYLA!" I shout and jump to my knees, banging my head on the solid metal table.

Kayla completely ignores me! It is like she doesn't see or hear me! She reaches out for the tomato. I grab it and hand it to her, confused at why she would ignore me.

"Kayla? Why are you here? I thought-"

Kayla screams, hitting her head on the table's edge as she retreats. I quickly scramble out after her and jump to my feet.

"Kayla! What's wrong?" I ask, shaken by her sudden terror.

Kayla's screams get louder, her wide eyes following my hand and the tomato. A large figure rushes into the room to stand beside Kayla.

"Miss Dalery! What on Mars is the matter?" He asks with a tone of disgust.

"Mr.- Mr. Crosswell!" She gasps and points at me.

The man- Mr. Crosswell?- turns toward me and gasps.

Kayla stammers, "The- The tomato! It... FLOATS!"

What? I glance at the tomato in my hand. But I'm standing right here! I'm holding it! I drop it on the ground.

"Kayla! I'm right here! Why are you ignoring me?" I take a step forward, but three shadows appear in the doorway and I catch glimpse of a guard uniform. I turn, jump onto the tall table filled with tomatoes, and, by some miracle, jump high enough to grasp the edge of the trap door. I pull myself through and slam it shut. I sigh with relief, but crawl quickly over to the circular wall and peer through a vent.

Three guards walk into the room and walk stealthily to stand right beneath me. Mr. Crosswell stoops over and picks up the tomato, a solemn look on his face.

I hear a guard whisper to another, "Did you see that?" He points toward the trap door. "One of the young guards was in here playing tricks on the Zermedine members! I guess he saw us coming because he jumped up into that door. Boy, is he gonna get a beating when we tell Mr. Xelger!"

I choke...  I've been caught!

19. Gone!

I launched into a full sprint. So many ways to get in, and the way she chooses is through the guard quarters? I reached the door, gun in hand. I quickly checked myself, buttoned the cuffs of the jacket then pounded the door with one fist. The light turned green and the metal slab slid away. I stepped in, smoke clearing from my eyes, and dozens of heads turned towards me.

I dropped the gun into the racks, with all the other guns, and coughed slightly. I turned back around, trying to act casual. All the guards returned to their activities. Though my acting was a bit rusty, it seemed that it was enough. I continued coughing and began heading for a door at the end of a hallway, hoping the guards would think I was going to get water.

"Hey, Kid!" I heard someone shout, and it shot me into another sprint.  "Weren't you that-" I slammed the door behind me hoping to slow my pursuers as much as possible. another hallway lay in front of me. I glanced around for a place to hide. I noticed a stack of white, metal barrels that almost completely blended into the bleach white walls. Above the top barrel was a trap door. I scrambled up as fast as i could, and burst through the door.

I yanked myself up and pulled the door closed, just as I heard the hallway door burst open. I glanced around my dark hiding place. It look as though it could be a storage attic but, nothing was stored in it. Though it was not lit, it was spotless. I noticed that light burst up in intervals in every direction as far as I could see. Except to my left because, I assumed, that was were the wall came up. I crawled over to the nearest vent and looked down. Kayla stood there in the doorway!

I almost shouted to her, but she seemed to snap out of a daze and continued down the hall. How could Kayla have come behind me? I thought I was following her! I thought in frustration, but I had no time to sit and ponder. I slid as quickly as possible along the ground, peeking down in each vent as I followed a string of lights that ran parallel to the hall. I passed over a wall below, and glanced down into a red room. Through the vent, I saw Kayla, siezed by two guards.

A guard came through the doorway. Grasping the radio on his shoulder, he calmly reported, "Commander Buxton, Sir, the intruder has returned and is ready for trial in room x3466"

Kayla kicked her captors and broke free. She jumped to her feet, but crashed into another guard coming in through an opposite door. Kayla screamed, and two other guards, heavily padded, snatched her up. Yanking her back toward the middle of the room, a stout man in black began talking. I then became aware of a rumbling that shook through my arms and shoulders. Suddenly a blast of wind shot all around me with cutting speed.

No wonder the place stays so clean. I fought to keep my grip, but it became impossible to hear anything other than whizzing pollution as it shot past me. And this is what makes this whole place a giant cloud of smoke. I thought, choking on the unclean air. I glanced down into the vent to see the guards start to drag Kayla out of the room.

I forced my muscles against the pounding wind, army crawling as fast as I could to the next vent.  I couldn't stand, so I continued my belly crawl. I did quick bursts of motion, as I made my way, from vent to vent, following Kayla and her captors.

The wind did not slow in the least. Instead it began creating a vacuum-like suction that made the vents start shooting air into my face every time I crawled over them. My eyes went dry, and it quickly became impossible for me to see into the vents. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to bring moisture back to them. Then, through the blur of pollution and air, I green light flashed on.

I squinted my eyes open, just enough to find the general direction, and followed it. I couldn't just sit and wait for the wind to stop. I pulled myself against the increasing blast, aiming for the green light... whatever it was. I got close enough to see that there was a circular wall that protruded from the otherwise endless, flat cieling.

The winds slowed slightly around this protrusion just enough for me to see in through the vents. I gasped with both excitement and dread at what I saw; Kayla was there, locked in a glowing green, glass cylinder!

Green lights swirled around her, and... she began to float! Her eyes were wide with terror, but her movements lessened as she floated higher. Her eyes darted around the bright room. Then, our eyes met! She squinted at me. She had seen me! I gasped, wondering what was happening and what to do. The wind, the bright lights, my dry eyes, all vanished from my mind. A low tone began to hum the pitch, slowly increasing. It wound higher and the green lights in the cylinder grew more dense, and faster as they swirled.

Suddenly, the note grew too high and sound like a thunder clap, erupted. I flew backwards, my hands ripped from the vent, and crashed to my back. A wave of green light flew through the vents, into the raging winds, and away into the darkness. Suddenly the wind stopped.

I jumped to my feet, flying toward the vent again. I peered through. The Cylinder was open, and Kayla... was gone!

18. Kayla?

"Ready?" I smile, shaking my fear from my face. Kayla nodded and I told her that we were going to play kickball.

Kayla and I jogged out to the field and the kids begged Kayla to play, even though she had never even heard of "kickball" before. Turned out, she was great! She stood in outfield for awhile, but she was strategically placed out of the way of balls. Somehow she didn't really do anything until the third round. And, when she kicked the ball, it soared over the outfielders. Our team shouted and she began running the bases. First base; she seemed slightly confused about what was going on. Second base; she smiled confidently. Third base; her head tilted and she stared past our team.

She ran right by us. We saw the opposite team returning with the ball and we shouted her name. What is she doing? I thought. She switched from a confused jog to a intent dash as she headed for the... nasty place swarming with guard people. I glanced around. I saw a black shadow to my left move, then another figure appeared to my right. They were heading for Kayla!

"Don't worry guys! I'll get her!" I shouted, both the the kids and the guards. I saw the shadows stop briefly, but when I caught up they began crawling again.

Since I could run in the open, I quickly passed them and continued after Kayla. I shouted her name over and over, but she seemed to be deaf and in her own world. She was going to run right into a swamp full of leeches! When I got close enough, I dove to the ground and grabbed her shoes. She collapsed to the ground and whirled onto her back. Her feet kicked wildly and one of her sneakers ended up smacking into my jaw.

Her eyes went wide, "Jake?!"

I released her, "I promised Aunt Biltnee I'd keep both eyes on you... I didn't think that'd mean nearly diving into that swamp!" I chuckled as I pretended to shake my head. Really I was looking around for the guard men. One saluted me and they both crawled away. As they left I turned back to Kayla.

"You know, you scared the boots off all those little kids back there. What in the name of Mike are you doing anyhow?" I asked.

She moaned, then blurted out something about kicking a lost earth, petting a bald stranger, and following a confused house.... I still don't know what she said, but she didn't seem happy.

She crumpled up into a ball and whispered more unintelligible sentences. She was confused, she was lost. I knew only bits and pieces of who she was, but I could tell something was wrong. Maybe not only with her, but also the rest of the world. My town was now guarded, I was supposed to babysit a girl who was horrified to be on earth, and I was threatened to stay away from a cloud of smoke for no true reason.

It was then I made up my mind. This was my chance, my chance to do something great. I knew what that fortress held, and I could try help someone who needed help desperately.

I helped her up and sighed. "Kayla, you were never on mars..." (I was trusted with this information... should I really give it away so freely?) "You just.... thought you were." She didn't believe me, as I had anticipated, so I decided to take her and show her.

I lead her into the cloud. She asked me again about my "doom", but I simply replied what I knew, "It's all just stories." Kayla didn't take well to the smoke, she coughed and gagged and I couldn't really say that I was proud at that point. I had found tricks to keep the smoke out of my lungs as much as possible during my hours of sneaking around here. Kayla had not, and it was my fault she was suffering.

I tried to put that aside as I guided her to the wall.  The sun was beginning to set, and I was glad. In the dark, it was harder for the guards to see us. As we stepped up onto the concrete foundation surrounding the fortress, I noticed a guard rounding the corner. I whispered, "Quick!" hoping she would hear and obey.

Instead she seemed to slow down. I dragged her and we slammed into the wall. I slapped my hand over her mouth and hissed, "Don't make a sound or you're dead!" I didn't mean to scare her, but I also didn't want her to ask another of her zillion questions.

"FREEZE!" The familiar word shakes me as I dart away from Kayla. I drop to me knees under the giant pipe that exits and reenters the fort through the wall. The pipe was made that way so, if service was necessary, the plumber could work from the outside, and the fortresses secrets could be safe. I chuckled as I did just that; work from the outside.

I snatched a crobar  that I had left right there the last time I had been in that spot. The last time I had been caught, actually.

I jammed the crobar into the small gap of two pipe links. I glanced back to see the guard stepping extremely close to Kayla. I leaned all my weight into the bar and willed it to pop. The crobar slipped and, instead of separating the links, it fell to the ground and cracked the concrete ever so slightly. The next second water came shooting out. The guard whirled around and left Kayla.

I dashed back to her and explained everything as briefly as possible. The guards shouted franticly and I pushed Kayla around the corner. I laughed, glad to shake off my worries for a second and celebrate one small victory.

A few steps around the corner, I groaned to see the sky, through the smoke, was still glowing red with the sunset. Kayla seemed to relax a little, so I guess that worked out. A guard came into view, a gun clearly outlined on his shoulder. I slipped away from Kayla and quickly set the guard unconscious. I snatched the guards padded cover suit, helmet and gun.

In a second I was dressed just like him and left the young boy on the concrete to wake up to a "FREEZE" from one of his guard friends! I dashed back to where I left Kayla, but she was gone!

"Kayla?" I whispered frantically. "Kayla!"

 I noticed the guard entrance and the tiny green light above it. The door slid shut and the light turned red.

NO, KAYLA!  I winced. You can't go in that way!

17. A Dark Presence

When I woke up the next morning I stared up at the rotting base piece of the bunk above me, not sure what this girl would be like. The guards told us that her name was Kayla Dalery and all of her background, but they also said that she wouldn't remember anything. How was I supposed to tell someone where they came from and what their name was? I had only seen her once and she had looked dead. But, if she really had forgotten everything I expected her to be really confused and ,maybe, grateful to know.

With that I jumped out of my bunk with the other boys and raced to the small meal room. On the way there I saw the girl - Kayla - step out of her room. I was sort of surprised because the girls usually were in their room longer "getting ready", and were just coming out when us boys went out to play kickball or football before school.

She was staring strangely at the younger boys as they ran past. I was tempted to just pass by.  But, in the stampede of boys now rushing down the hallway for breakfast, I forced myself to walk over to her. I swallowed and mustered the most casual voice possible.

"So, Kayla... What's wrong?" I asked with a smile and hoped that it wasn't too weird for her that I knew something was wrong.

She looked horrified, and I wondered if talking to her had been the wrong decision. I mean, if I woke up one morning and didn't know anything about anything, I might want some space.

She shifted uncomfortable and nearly shouted, "How do you, and everyone else on this planet for that matter, know my name!"

I was shocked! She knew her name? And why would she say 'everyone else on this planet'? That just didn't fit! I quickly realized that my face was betraying my knowledge of her.

I inwardly slapped myself. I went on to say, "Sorry about that," and introduce myself. She asked some funny questions and when I reached out my hand to shake hers she was completely clueless about what to do. I nearly gave myself away again, but somehow I survived to take her to Aunt Biltnee's before school.

I couldn't focus. My teacher called on me many times and I didn't even hear. Finally, I couldn't handle it and asked if I could step outside and sit on the steps. I guess my normally good behavior and study habits bought me this free ticket out of school, because, to my surprise, she actually agreed!

I spent the rest of the school hours, tossing and catching a baseball. The events starting the night before played over and over again in my mind. I tried to figure out the best route to take when I went to pick Kayla up. The Janitor and I were the only ones who knew about Kayla and her being brought here. I wasn't sure if the adults would notice her, probably not. But the kids definitely wouldn't. Well, if she was any good at kickball they might. My mind was so enveloped in thought, I forgot to catch the ball. It hit my head and rolled away, across the lawn, under the porch of the antique shop.

I ran to retrieve it, wedging myself into the tight space. I reached as far as I could, but the ball was too far. Then, I noticed a section in the shadows that was too solid. My reflexes shot me out from under the porch and shoved me across the lawn, back to my spot on the steps.

My head throbbed from hitting it on the porch in my retreat. I closed my eyes, trying to shake the shock off. I had come inches from the face of one of the guard men.

I opened my eyes and looked back at the antique shop. Maybe you just imagined it, Jake. You're just having nightmares... during... the day...um... yeah... I tried to comfort myself. No one's in danger. Just then, my baseball rolled out from under the porch. This was no dream. 

The bell suddenly rang and school was let out. The kids flooded out shouting and laughing. Someone called, "Hey, everyone! I'm starting a kickball game in fifteen minutes! If you want to play, be there!"

They all rushed off toward the field. I stood, flowing with the current of my friends. I picked up my ball and quickly made my way away from the shop. When I passed Aunt Biltnee's home, Kayla was waiting on the steps. I smiled and waved.

Something moved ever so slightly in the shadows behind the small home. Two tiny glimmers stared straight at me and I shivered. The figure noticed me and pulled something into view. A gun! Then the figure disappeared behind the house. I realized that I was losing my focus, but how was I supposed to focus when there where armed, hidden men, all around the town. And I wasn't really sure why. One thing I knew for sure, though; they were here, they were watching. I was the slippery trigger finger. If I failed... who knew what would happen.