THE UNKNOWN
By Kimberly Hiscox
***
"Mom! I've got to go!" Lia yelled to her mother as she ran to the door.
"Wait! Lia! Have you got everything you need?" Her mother asked her, blocking her way out.
"Yes, mom. Everything is right here, see?" Lia opened her bag and showed it to her. There was a lunch that she had packed, a flashlight, in case it got dark, a change of clothes, and a swimsuit. Her mother looked at everything then stepped away from the door.
"Alright then, just be sure you are careful," she said, letting Lia go.
"Okay, mom, bye!" Lia said as she ran towards the docks.
It was a warm day outside, and Lia's friend, Mary had planned a boat trip for all her closest friends. They were going to be on a boat all weekend, and then they would have to go back to school. Lia had been looking forward to the trip for weeks. She had been afraid they would cancel it because of the bad weather the previous week. However, today was sunny and warm; there were only a few clouds in the sky. When Lia finally got to the boat, everyone had already packed his or her stuff on.
"Sorry I'm late," Lia told Mary as Mark took her bag from her.
"That's fine," Mary said as she climbed onto the boat, "well, don't just stand there, get on!"
Lia did as she was told and got onto the boat. Mark got on right after and started it.
"Lia! You're here!" called a voice that belonged to Helen, Mary's other best friend. Lia only barely tolerated her because she was Mary's friend, if it weren't for Mary; Lia would have stayed as far from Helen as possible.
"Helen! Hi!" said Lia, as enthusiastically as possible. Mary looked at her, smiled, and went down to join her brother. Lia looked at her, and saw Lewis follow her. Just then, the boat started moving. James and Tomas, two of Lia and Mary's friends, ran to the side of the boat.
"We are moving!" yelled Tomas to no one in particular.
"Really? I hadn't noticed" James replied to him sarcastically. Helen ran over to Tomas and gave him a hug while she said his name. Lia went over to James.
"Hi, James," she said. James looked at her.
"Hey, Lia," he said. He went back to looking over the side of the boat.
"Are you alright?" Lia asked him, concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine," he answered. Then he turned around and went down to where Mary and Lewis were. Lia looked out over the side of the boat at the ocean. She was studying the waves when Tomas and Helen came up behind her.
"Hi, Lia!" They both yelled together. Lia spun around, surprised.
"Don't sneak up on me like that," she said, and then turned back around. After a while, she looked behind her again, and Helen and Tomas were gone. /I guess they left,/ she thought to herself. Lia went in the direction that everyone had gone before. When she got there, she discovered that everyone had gone into a room, or a cabin. Lia started walking into the room, but stopped when she heard Helen's voice say her name. Lia stood outside the cabin and listened.
"Mary, why did you even invite Lia?" Helen was asking.
"Because she is my friend," Mary replied.
"Well, she's nobody else's friend. Nobody even likes her," Helen said.
"She's /my/ friend. I'm somebody," argued James.
"She hates you. She told me herself," Helen stated. Lia heard this and walked into the room.
"The only person I hate is you. I like James, I like Mary, I like Lewis, and I like Tomas. The only reason I've tolerated you was because you are Mary's friend," she said angrily. Helen looked at her strangely, and then got up.
"Well, I hate you too," she said. Then she pushed past Lia, which put Lia off balance, and left the room. Lia held onto the doorframe to stay standing. Everything was silent for a moment, and then Mary looked at Lia.
"Great, now you've ruined this trip," she said, and shut the door in Lia's face.
"Mary!" Lia cried, "I did not ruin your trip!" Lia stood by the door for a few moments, and then walked towards the room that was supposed to be hers for the weekend. She shut the door, lay on the bed, and cried.
***
That night, Lia woke up to someone knocking on her door. She ignored it until it stopped. After a few moments of silence, she went to the door and opened it. Just then, the entire boat lurched to the side, and Lia fell completely out of her room. She got up and walked towards the deck of the boat to see what had happened. When she got there, nobody was there, but it was raining. Just then, Mary ran up to her.
"Lia, we have to get back inside," Mary told her, then, when Lia started to go, she added, "And don't forget to get your bag! And meet me at my room."
Lia went to her room and grabbed her bag, but on her way to Mary's room, she stopped. Helen was standing right outside the room.
"Oh, I thought you'd be in there, so I didn't want to go in," said Helen, "But, now that I know you're not, I can go in. Just make sure you don't come in." Helen opened the door and entered. Although Lia didn't want to, she followed. She opened the door and Helen pushed it shut before she could enter.
"Hey! Let me in!" Lia yelled. She pulled the door with all her strength, but Helen was stronger, and she was pushing the door, which was easier.
"Helen! Let her in!" Mary yelled.
"No!" Helen called back. As she said that, the boat lurched again, and this made Lia fall back against the wall. As she was getting up, Mary opened the door.
"Come on, Lia," she said, Lia came in, just as she was asked. Helen was sitting in a corner having a quiet conversation with Tomas. Mary sat down, and Lia followed.
"There is a storm outside, and it's not very safe for the boat, or for us to be on it, in this type of weather. So, Mark told me to tell you all that we need to be prepared..." Mary trailed off, leaving a long silence. Mark finished for her, "For the worst case scenario."
At that very moment, the boat lurched forward, and the most horrible sound followed. It sounded sort of like wood being snapped lie a twig, but much, much louder. This was the only way that Lia could explain it. Mark got up and ran towards the noise. Mary told everyone to go onto the deck. When they got on the deck, it was still raining. They could see land.
"So, I guess the worst case scenario happened?" asked Tomas innocently. Mary was just staring at a very large rock. Lia looked at the rock too, and the boat had crashed into the rock. Everyone stood there in silence. The only noise was the storm and the waves. Mark ran over to them.
"Everyone needs to get off of the boat," he said, breaking the silence. Everyone followed him. He led them to a small lifeboat, and they all got in. Mark untied the lifeboat, and they started rowing it to the shore of the island they had seen before. No one said anything until they all got to the shore.
"What are we supposed to do now?" Mary asked Mark. Mark looked unsure for a moment, and then looked towards the boat.
"When this storm is over, I will go and try to fix the boat," he said, then went over towards the boat, "For now, I will stay by the boat," he added loudly.
"But what do /we/ do?" Mary called to him, but he was already too far away. She turned around and walked to a large tree. "Let's stay here for a bit. At least till the storm stops," she told her friends. Everyone sat around the tree. After a while, Lia was the only one awake. She had watched everyone fall asleep. The storm had stopped and it was very quiet. Lia closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep.
The next morning, Lia was woken up by Helen.
"Lia, Mary told me to wake you up," she told her. Lia got up and faced Helen.
"Helen, I'm sorry for being mean to you last night, I just got upset. Because of what you said to James," Lia said to Helen. Helen looked at her for a moment.
"I am also sorry. I don't know why I said that. I think that maybe I was a bit jealous of you, I wanted Mary to be only my friend, and you are her best friend. And I'm sorry for trying to lock you out of the room on the boat," Helen told her. She left and went to Mary and the others. Lia followed.
When Lia got there, she saw that everyone was eating the lunches they had packed.
"Come on, Lia, come join us, your lunch is in your bag, right?" asked James.
"I'll join you, but I'm not really hungry," she answered.
"Okay," he said. For a few hours everyone sat, ate, and talked. When it looked like it was about noon, everyone got up. They walked over towards the boat to find Mark.
"Mark? Mark, where are you?" Mary called when they got to the boat. Lia looked at the boat. At night, during the storm, she didn't notice how bad everything looked. Now that it was light, she noticed that the front of the boat was completely destroyed. Mary was walking around the boat, calling her brother's name, Helen and Tomas were talking by a tree, and James was looking at the hole in the boat. To Lia, it looked like a movie that she had seen with her sister, with a few things added. But the movie was a fictional movie, with weird tribes of people who tried to kill everyone. She hoped it wouldn't be like that. Mary interrupted her thoughts.
"I can't find Mark!" she cried to everyone.
"Mary, maybe he's inside. Or maybe..." Tomas paused, "He was eaten by the evil /tribesmen/!" Mary looked at him, he started laughing, and Helen pushed him.
"He's not here. He must have gone for a walk or something," Mary suggested.
"Then let's go look for him," Lia said. Mary nodded, and so did everyone else.
"Great idea, Lia," James said to her. Then the six friends went off into the dense forest.
***
The forest was thick and dark. Only a few slivers of light shone through the treetops. There were roots sticking up all over the ground, and most of those were covered by the dense undergrowth. Lia was behind her friends, trying to keep up with them. After walking for about an hour, everyone stopped for a break. Lia looked back in the direction of the beach, and could still just barely see it.
"We're not getting anywhere. Could we go back and try again tomorrow? Maybe find an easier path?" Lia asked.
"You can go back, but I'm looking for Mark," Mary stated.
"Whoever wants to keep going, let's go. If you want to go back, go back," Helen said. Mary, Helen, Tomas, and James all started walking away. Lia and Lewis stood up and walked towards the beach.
When they got to the beach, Lewis laid down on the sand. Lia went to get her bag and drank some water. She leaned against a tree, and fell asleep.
When Lia woke up, it was dark. She looked up at the sky and saw stars, but no moon. The absence of the moon's light made it even darker. Lia looked around for Lewis, but he wasn't there. But half buried in the sand next to her was a piece of paper torn from a small notebook. Lia tried reading it, but it was too dark. She looked in her bag for a flashlight and found one. It was a small flashlight that was also a keychain. Lia shined the light on the letter.
Lewis's letter was short. Lia tried to read it, but the writing was too small, and parts of it were smudged. She could only make out a few of the words. The words she could read were: /Lia, I've gone to, Mary, others, back, sunrise, L/. From those words, and a few other letters that weren't smudged all the way, Lia decide that Lewis had gone to find their friends, and he would be back by sunrise. Lia leaned against the tree and noticed she was hungry. She hadn't eaten anything all day, and she still had a lunch. Lia grabbed her bag and started going through her food when she heard a noise.
The noise was like an annoying hum. It was low pitched and it seemed to surround her. Lia stood up to find the noise, but as soon as she stood, it stopped. She sat back down, and the noise started again, only this time louder. Lia stood up again, and the noise stopped. She leaned against the tree, and it started again. She pushed away from the tree, and the noise stopped. Lia looked around. She started walking, and the noise started, and got louder with each step she took. Lia hoped that by walking, she might find the source of the noise. Once the noise got incredibly loud, she stopped. The noise continued. Lia turned around to go to the tree, and saw a figure, which looked like it, was going through her bag.
"Hey! Stop!" Lia yelled to the figure. She ran towards it, and the noise got increasingly loud. /No wonder he can't hear me. /Lia thought as she ran. The figure looked up, and Lia noticed it was a man who she knew.
***
"Lia, what are you doing?" asked Mark. He was standing by the tree, with her bag in his hand. He had a small piece of paper that Lia recognized as Lewis's note.
"What do you mean?" Lia asked him.
"What are you doing? You shouldn't be walking at night," he answered. He lowered his voice to a whisper, "Where is Mary?"
"She went to go find you," she answered.
"Why? She shouldn't have gone anywhere but here!" Mark almost yelled. He turned around and ran into the forest.
"She was looking for you!" Lia yelled after him. She saw Mark stop and turn around. He glared at her, threw her bag on the ground, then turned around and ran back into the forest.
"You are so annoying!" Lia yelled out for no reason. She was angry with Mark, he shouldn't have looked at her like that, and he should not have yelled at her.
The sun was rising, and Lewis still hadn't come back. Lia got up and went to the place where Mark had thrown her bag. She picked up her bag and went through it. Everything was still there. Lia looked down at her clothes, and decided it was time to get changed. After walking in the forest the previous day, sleeping in a mix of sand and dirt, and getting soaked after the storm, she wanted to wear different clothes. Lia went behind a large bush and got changed. She brought her other clothes to the water, and washed them the best she could. Then she hung the wet clothes over a branch on the tree.
After what seemed like a few hours, Lia decided to walk to the boat. She put on her bag on, and then traveled the short distance to the boat. She waited, but Mary and the others didn't show up. Lia sat down and ate her lunch. When she was finished, she decided she would find Mary, and tell her about Mark. Lia went onto the boat to see if she could find any food, since Mary and the others would probably be hungry.
The boat was very dark, despite the brightly shining sun outside. It looked as if it had been abandoned months ago, rather than only two days ago. Lia walked through the dark rooms, trying to find the kitchen. After a long while, Lia finally found the kitchen. There were pots and pans on the floor, and there was some food on the floor and on the counters. She opened the refrigerator, and found very little food in it. She closed the refrigerator and went to the cabinets. There wasn't much food there either, but Lia put as much as she could in her bag. Then she left the kitchen and tried to find her way to the deck.
On her way to the deck, Lia passed Mark's room. She stopped and opened the door. She looked in and saw the room in perfect order, as if there had never been an accident. After a few silent moments, Lia stepped into the room. She looked at everything in the room. Lia looked over at a shelf. On that shelf were books. She walked further into the room and picked up a book. It was a brown journal. It was Mark's journal. Lia started to put the book down when she heard a noise not far from the room. She quickly hid behind the bed.
Mark walked into the room. He looked at the open door, and said something, but Lia could not hear him. He shut the door. Then, Mark went to the bookcase and started looking over the books. That's when Lia noticed she still had his journal. Mark had stopped looking over the books and left the room. Lia started to get up, but then Mark entered the room again. Lia ducked down again before he could see her. She closed her eyes and waited for him to leave. After a few minutes, he left. Lia waited for what seemed like five minutes, then got up and left the room. She ran back up to the deck of the boat. She looked at Mark's journal. /It can't hurt to look at it, right?/ She thought to herself, and then she put the book in her bag and got off the boat.
***
Lia ran back to the tree where her clothes were. They were still damp, but she put them in her bag anyway. Then she ran to the place where her friends had entered the forest the previous day. Lia looked at the sun and saw that it was much lower than it had been before. She turned towards the forest and entered it.
After a few hours, it started to become very dark. The sun had started setting, and the trees blocked out most of the light. Lia continued until it became too dark to see anything. She searched through her bag until she found her flashlight, which took a few minutes. Lia turned on the flashlight, which didn't give much light, and started walking again.
After a while, Lia grew tired. She started to slow down when she tripped over something in the ground. Her little flashlight flew out of her hand and into some brush. She crawled over and searched for the light, but was unable to find it. She eventually gave up because her hands itched from the plants scratching her. Lia leaned against a tree and sat in the dark until she fell asleep.
Lia woke up a few hours later when it had started to rain. It was a cold rain, which made Lia shiver. She picked up her bag and looked for her clothes. She took out a t-shirt and a pair of shorts, and then put them back. She hadn't packed anything to wear if she were cold, because she hadn't planned to be cold. As a matter of fact, after counting how long it had been, she was supposed to be home tonight, and going to school tomorrow. Lia closed her eyes and began crying. She didn't even know if anyone was looking for them yet, or if they were, were they looking in the right place? After a while, Lia noticed the rain had stopped. She put her bag down and tried to sleep, but couldn't. She looked up at the small patch of visible sky. There were no stars out, and she couldn't see the moon. Lia sat up and looked in the brush for her flashlight again, with no result. She looked in her bag and got her water, and drank some. She put it in her bag and leaned back against the tree.
The forest was completely silent. There were no animals making their noises and there was no wind. Lia closed her eyes, and then heard a strange noise. It was similar to the hum she had heard the previous night, but quieter, and more distant. She got up and saw a light. It looked like it was from a flashlight. Lia sat back down and stayed as still as possible. She could see a figure now, and it was coming closer. The light shined directly on Lia's face, and the figure ran towards her. For a moment, she thought the figure was Mark, and she felt somewhat afraid, since she still had his book, but as the figure came closer, she noticed that it was too short, and didn't run like Mark usually did.
Lewis came crashing through the trees, and almost collided with Lia.
"Lia! I am so happy to see you!" Lewis hugged Lia tightly. Lia pushed away.
"Lewis! Where have you been?" Lia asked. Lewis looked back at the trees, and then looked at Lia.
"I found Mary," he said quietly. He looked upset, and Lia studied him closely.
"Where is she?" Lia asked.
"She's gone," Lewis turned away and looked back in the direction he came. "She's not coming back. Neither is Helen, James, or Tomas. They are trapped. All because of -"
"Mark," Lia interrupted suddenly. Lewis looked at her strangely.
"How did you-"
"No, Mark" This time, Lia pointed behind him. Mark had been walking slowly towards them as Lewis was talking. Lewis spun around and started yelling.
"What are you doing here? Go away."
"No, I need to speak to Lia," in comparison to Lewis, Mark's voice seemed remarkably calm. He started walking towards Lia, but Lewis blocked the way. Mark pushed Lewis and continued. He stood next to her and spoke in a low voice.
"You need to get out of here. It's not safe," he pointed to Lewis, who was getting up from the ground, "especially not with him. Come on." Lewis grabbed Lia's arm, and before she could protest, he pulled her through the trees. Lia tried to get away, but he was much stronger than she was, and she couldn't get away. Lewis had run after them, but was always just out of reach of them. Mark turned his head to look at Lewis, and tripped over a tree root. He let go of Lia to stop himself from falling. Lia ran to Lewis and took her bag, which he had grabbed. She was about to thank him when Mark came up behind her.
"You're coming with me, whether you like it or not," he grabbed Lia by both arms this time and lifted her off the ground. Lia screamed at him to let go as he put her over his shoulder and started running. Lia expected Lewis to follow them, but he didn't. Soon he was out of her sight.
***
After what seemed to Lia as a long time, the sun finally came up. Mark walked into a clearing, and put her down. She stood up and watched Mark. He was pacing around the clearing with an odd look on his face. Lia started slowly walking towards the forest, watching him the entire time. She stepped on a twig, and Mark looked at her. Lia turned and ran into the trees.
"Get back here!" Mark yelled as he ran after him. Mark was much faster than Lia and caught up to her quickly. He grabbed her arm and stopped, which also stopped Lia.
"We need to go back," he told her without looking at her. He started to leave, but Lia tried to pull away. Mark stopped and faced her. Whatever Lia had planned to say was forgotten when she saw his face. Every feature of it had been slightly changed, but Lia figured he just looked older. What had really stopped her were his eyes. His eyes had always been dark blue, but now they were a light brown color, hazel, almost. She knew that it couldn't be Mark, but who was he? The man who looked like Mark used her hesitation against her. He pulled her up again, and ran back through the clearing and through the woods at a pace that seemed impossible for any human. In only a few hours, they were at what looked like a small village. There were little houses scattered around the area, and there was a huge building at the far end, which looked out of place. It was made of bricks rather than wood, which the houses were made of.
The man who looked like Mark walked to the entrance of the building and put her down, but held both her arms against her sides, and pushed a button with his foot. A little man answered the door, followed by two much, much larger men. The two larger men took Lia, and the little man followed closely. Mark left and went towards the village. The two large men brought Lia to a room and pushed her in. They stood by the door as the little man entered and closed the door behind him.
"Hello, Lia," he said in a scratchy voice. Lia looked at him, wondering how he knew her name. She opened her mouth to ask, but the little man cut her off.
"I am Dr. Ivan Walker. I know you because I have been watching you and your friends for quite a while," he waited for Lia to say something, but she was still too surprised, He continued, "Yes, you and your friends are... interesting. Especially your friend James."
This caught Lia's attention.
"How so? How is he /interesting/?" Lia asked. The doctor laughed and looked past her.
"That is something that you will soon not find out." He started laughing again, but it was a different type of laugh. It sounded somewhat evil. The doctor left the room, still laughing, and locked the door. Lia sat down and thought about the conversation she just had. It was a short conversation though, and Lia couldn't figure out anything. She looked around the room. The walls were white, so was the ceiling and floor. In one corner, there was a white bed with a white pillow and white sheets. Everything was white, except for one thing. It was a clock, which hung above the door, which read 7:36. The clock had black around the edges, the numbers were red, and the hands on it were blue, except for the second hand, which was yellow. The face of the clock was white with a small picture near the bottom. Lia stood up and looked closely at the picture. It was a picture of her and Mary when they were five. James was in the background, in a tree. It was a picture her mother had taken when they were in her back yard. Lia stepped away, and wondered how the picture had gotten there.
At around 8:00, two women dressed in gray uniforms came into the room. They brought her to another room, which had a shower in it. They had Lia take a shower, then left when she had started. Lia took as little time as possible. When she got out to get dressed, her clothes weren't there. In their place were a white shirt, and a black skirt. Lia put these on and saw a pair of white socks and black shoes. When she had finished, the two women came back in. They brought her to another room, and dried and brushed her hair. Then they put her black hair in a long, tight braid. Then they brought her to another room that looked like a classroom. In the room were Mary, Helen, and a large amount of other girls, dressed the same way she was. Helen's hair, which had always been short, now looked as long as Lia's. Everyone was seated. The two women sat Lia down, and tied her legs to the chair. Then the doctor stood at the front of the room. He looked ready to give a speech.
"Hello, girls," he said, and then paused, waiting for a reply. There was none. He smiled. "I said, hello girls," he said, just then, women dressed in gray uniforms stood behind each girl. They each took something out of their pockets, which looked like a metal rod, and held it against the back of each girl's neck. The doctor nodded towards one of the women in the front of the room, and the woman pushed a button. After a few seconds, the girl fell out of her seat. She had passed out. The woman in uniform picked the girl up and put her in her seat so she would sit up. The doctor turned to the rest of the room.
"Hello girls,"
"Hello, Dr. Ivan Walker," everyone said in unison. The doctor smiled at them and continued.
"I have brought you here for social experimentation. Any who may choose to decline this offer will leave the room immediately." A few girls stood up, followed by a large amount of others. Lia looked at Mary and Helen, who had chosen to stay. She stayed seated to stay with friends, rather than go somewhere else, where she might never see them again. The girls who were standing left the room one by one. When they were gone, only fifteen people were there. The doctor smiled.
"Now, those of you who are left please do mingle. Get to know each other. You are going to be here for a very long time," he smiled, and then left the room. The sound of the door locking behind him echoed through the room. Silence followed.
After what seemed like a very long time, Lia stood up. A few girls looked at her.
"Hello everyone, I'm... Lia," everyone was looking at her. She sat down quickly, and looked at the white floor.
"Hi, Lia, I'm Natalie," a girl with red hair said. Lia looked up. A few more people stood up.
"I'm Casey," another girl with brown hair said. Everyone started standing and saying their names. There was Natalie and Casey, Mary and Helen, Jessica, Macy, Lauren, Heather, Kelly, Maria, Zoey, Yolanda, Gina, Stacy, and, of course, Lia. After the introductions, people started talking to each other. Lia walked towards Mary and Helen, but was stopped by Natalie.
"Lia?" she asked, "What do you know about this place?"
"Umm, nothing really. I just... got here somehow," she answered. She started walking towards Mary and Helen again, but was stopped once again by Natalie.
"Lia. I know you just, like, got here, but could you tell me what the doctor guy told you,"
"He said he had been watching us. Now can I go?" Mary and Helen were walking towards Lia.
"No. And what do you mean by 'us'?" Natalie was annoying Lia. Just then, Mary stepped next to Natalie. Helen stood on Natalie's other side. She looked at both of them strangely.
"Hey, Lia!" Mary exclaimed, "Hey, Natalie, was it?" Natalie nodded, "Well, I am so happy to see you Lia. And so is Helen,"
"Yeah... I am. And you too Natalie! You must be so happy to see Lia... is she your best friend ever?" Helen and Mary were talking in the most obnoxious voices they had ever used. Natalie pushed away from them and walked towards another group.
"Mary? What happened to you guys? Did you ever find Mark?" Lia asked them. Helen answered.
"No, we didn't find Mark. But we found the little village outside this place. Then that Mr. Doctor guy found us and said he knew where Mark was."
"Well, I found him, or someone who looked like him at least. He wasn't very nice to me," Lia looked at her friends. They all hugged each other and sat in the seats they were given.
The doctor came back in and everyone sat down. He stood in the front of the room.
"Now, we will hand you all a planner," he said as small computers about the size of a notebook were handed out, "the official name of this device is the 'WalkPC'. It is a mix of my name and a computer. Now, do not touch them yet. They are able to send messages back and forth to each other and the staff here. They can also be used for other things, which you will learn later," he paused, "Now you may look at your WalkPC. There is a number on the screen. That is your room number. If you need any assistance, you may ask an orderly," he pointed to the women in gray uniforms, "Now, go find your rooms. No talking until you are in your rooms, and no visiting other girls' rooms until I give you my express permission," the doctor left the room, but left the door open. Everyone exited the room.
***
The hall that had the rooms in it was white. The doors were gray. The numbers were black. The entire building seemed to be white, black, or the shade of gray the orderlies wore. Lia found her room: 122. It was near Mary's room, which she saw Mary go into. Helen had gone to the end of the hall to her room. Lia entered her room. The interior was almost the same as the room she had been in before. There were three beds. Each one had a gray frame and white sheets. The carpet was gray. The walls and ceiling were white. There was a gray door, which led to a bathroom. Everything in there was white, too. There was a dresser against one wall. The dresser was gray. There was another gray door, which led to a closet that was neatly filled with white blouses, black skirts, and white socks. There were three pairs of shoes, which were black. The closet was separated into three sections. Each section had a name above it. The first name was Natalie, the second name was Lia, and the third was Zoey. Lia remembered that Zoe had black hair, just as Lia did. Natalie had been the one who wouldn't stop asking her questions.
Zoey was the next person to enter the room. She looked around the room. She walked over to a bed and read a name that was on it, which Lia hadn't noticed before. She turned to Lia.
"This is Natalie's bed. Whose is that?" she pointed to the bed nearest Lia.
"Yours, this bed is yours," Lia answered, reading the label. Zoey walked over to the bed and sat down, placing her WalkPC neatly down next to her. Lia walked to her bed, sat down, and placed her WalkPC on her lap. At that moment, Natalie came into the room. She sat down hard on her bed, and tossed her WalkPC on the bed next to her. After a few moments, she broke the silence.
"You know, we can talk to each other," she said, after a few more silent moments, she said, "Wow, you guys are so, like, boring."
Zoey was the first to speak to her.
"Maybe we do not wish to speak to you," she said quietly. Natalie looked at her.
"Why not? Am I not good enough for you?" Natalie stood up and walked over to Zoey. "Why don't you want to talk to me, huh? Answer me!" Natalie was nearly yelling at Zoey. Zoey looked down at her hands, which were folded neatly in her lap. Lia walked over to Natalie.
"Natalie," she said calmly, "Please don't get upset."
"Sorry, Zoey," Natalie said, walking back to her bed.
"I am sorry too, Natalie." For The next fifteen minutes, the three girls sat quietly.
After the black and white clock on the wall said 9:00, an announcement came on.
"Attention girls, it is time to change into nightclothes. They are in your dressers. Lights go out at nine-thirty pm sharp." There was a click, which signaled the end of the announcement. Zoey was the first to get her nightclothes. She walked over to the dresser, and pulled out a gray gown. She held it up to show Lia and Natalie.
"I am a rather plain person, and not even I want to wear this," she told them. She walked into the bathroom to get changed. Lia went to the dresser and pulled out an identical gown. Natalie did the same.
"Wow, I'm surprised they haven't changed our hair color to match," Natalie said as she walked back to her bed.
"Yeah," Lia agreed. Zoey came out of the bathroom dressed in her nightclothes, and placed her folded outfit into a white basket. Lia went to the bathroom and changed quickly. When she came out, Natalie went in. Lia put her clothes in a basket, which was at the end of her bed, and sat down.
"Are we able to take our hair out of this braid? Maybe I should ask," Zoey said. She walked to the door and opened it. There was an orderly standing outside.
"Excuse me; may we take our hair out of the braids?" Zoey asked her. The woman nodded.
"We will put the braids back in your hair in the morning. Place the hair ties in with your day clothing," the woman said, and then she shut the door.
Zoey took her braid out of her hair. When her braid had been put in, extensions were put in to make her hair look longer, the same as everyone else's. While the braid made her hair look like it went to her waist, her hair was only to her shoulders. It was extremely straight. For Lia's hair to be that straight, she had needed to use a hair straightener on it. Natalie came out of the bathroom with her clothes in her arms. She tossed them into her basket and pulled out her braid. Her hair was wavy, and it was shorter than the braid was. Natalie's hair only went halfway down her back. When she saw that Lia's hair was still in its braid, she walked over.
"Come on, take your hair down, we want to know how it looks, right Zoey?" Natalie asked. Zoey looked over and nodded. Lia took the hair tie out of her hair and undid the braid. Her hair was long, a little longer than the braid had been, curly, and black. Natalie looked at her hair.
"Your hair's pretty, by the way. And long, really, really long. Why don't you cut it?" she asked Lia.
"It's long because I wanted it to be longer than any of my friend's hair, which it is, by the way. Mary's hair is three and a half inches shorter," Lia told her. Natalie said okay and went to her bed. It was 9:28 pm. Lia, Natalie, and Zoey got into bed right before the lights went out. Lia thought of James, Lewis, Tomas, Mark, Mary, and Helen for just a few moments, and then she fell asleep.
7
The next morning, at exactly 8:00 am, the girls of room 122 woke up. They were woken up by another announcement. They got up and changed into their day clothes, which were a white blouse, a black skirt, white socks, and black shoes. Three women in white uniforms came in and braided their hair. They did this because they did not trust the girls to do it right. At 9:00 am, all fifteen girls were led to a classroom, with their WalkPC in their arms.
Dr. Ivan Walker told everyone to find their schedules in their WalkPC. Everyone had the same schedule as their roommates. At 9:30 am, classes began. At 11:00 am, they had breakfast with their roommates, but were unable to speak with each other. At 11:30 am, classes resumed. At 1:30 pm, there was lunch, which happened the same way breakfast did. No talking was permitted. Classes resumed at 2:00 pm.
At 7:00 pm, all classes were over, and dinner began. Everyone was able to talk, but only to their roommates. Dinner ended at 8:30 pm, after that, everyone walked back to their rooms in silence. When Lia, Zoey, and Natalie were in their rooms, they immediately got changed. Natalie sat on her bed, while Zoey laid down on hers. Lia sat in the center of her bed, trying to decide whether or not to sleep. She was very tired from the day.
"So, who wants to talk?" Natalie asked, not really seeming to want an answer. There was no reply. Zoey had fallen asleep, and Lia decided to lie down.
"Goodnight, Natalie," Lia said, she then slowly fell asleep.
For the next three years, everything happened the same way, every day. Minus the meeting to find out their schedules. Lia found herself forgetting about anyone she didn't see. She remembered Mary and Helen, because she grew up in the same area as them. She couldn't remember the names of most of the girls she met on her first day. She knew who Zoey and Natalie were, but she lived with them. Lia could barely even remember what her old room looked like. She couldn't remember how her mother looked. She had completely forgotten about Lewis, James, and Tomas. She remembered Mark though. She remembered him as if she had seen him every day.
Zoey and Natalie had become Lia's best friends. Mary wasn't really much of a friend anymore, and Lia never liked Helen that much. In the second year, everyone's hair had been dyed either black or blonde. Natalie had chosen black because that was Zoey and Lia's hair color. Six girls now had blonde hair, and nine had black hair. If it was decide that everyone needed the same hair color, they would get black hair. Later during the second year, everyone's hair had been straightened. Only two girls had straight enough hair to not need straightening. Those two girls were Zoey and another girl named Heather. Their hair had also been cut or lengthened to exactly twenty-four inches, and was still braided every morning.
One morning, the day that had made it exactly three years since the day they all came, Lia looked up from her plate at breakfast. There was a small group of four girls, each with a different hair color. They were all wearing shorts and t-shirts, which made them stand out from everyone else. Leading them was Dr. Ivan Walker. Standing next to him was a woman with curly black hair. Lia could not quite see the woman's face, but she reminded Lia of her mother. Lia was hit with a sudden sadness. She missed her mother for the first time in years. She felt tears start to come up, but she held them back. Natalie looked at her and put her hand on Lia's hand. She looked around the room.
"Try not to look upset until 8:30 pm. If they see you're upset, you might get in trouble," Natalie whispered, barely audible, and barely moving her lips. Luckily, the doctor had been laughing at something loudly, so nobody else noticed, except Zoey, who smiled, just barely, at Natalie's kindness. Lia finished her breakfast by 8:30, and instead of the usual announcement signaling the end of breakfast, the doctor stood in the front of the room. He cleared his throat, and everyone looked at him. The four younger girls stood to one side, while the woman stood on the opposite side.
"Hello, girls," he paused, waiting for an answer.
"Hello, Doctor Ivan Walker," they all said in unison. He smiled.
"Now, I have brought these four girls in from the outside," he gestured to the four girls, "they are new, and I will assign each girl to a room, which four of your groups are already in. This woman," he gestured to the woman on his other side, "will stay with the final group. She will introduce herself when you see her in your rooms. Now, instead of classes, we will send you back to your rooms... in silence," he walked out of the room. The four girls and the woman followed. Then, everyone else walked to their rooms.
When Natalie, Lia, and Zoey entered their room, there was a short, red-haired girl sitting on a fourth bed in the room. On her lap was a WalkPC and a change of clothes. She looked up at them.
"Hey, I'm Natalie, who are you?" Natalie asked, sitting down.
"I'm Josie. It's nice to meet you. You know what? I had a sister named Natalie once. She ran away though. We haven't seen her since," Josie said cheerfully, although running away isn't a very cheerful subject. Zoey sat quietly on her bed. Lia did the same. Josie looked at them.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"I'm Zoey,"
"I'm Lia," Lia looked at the clothes on Josie's lap, she added, "You should get changed. If you want, when you are changed, I could braid your hair, although they'll most likely take it down then put it back up," Josie got up and went to the bathroom. She came out a few seconds later with the same clothes she wore before.
"I am leaving. And before you say anything, I just want to say; if you guys stay here, you are never getting out," she turned to leave, but Natalie grabbed her arm.
"Josie, don't leave. If you do, we have no idea what might happen to you," Natalie sounded worried about Josie. Josie looked at her for a few moments.
"Natalie, how did you get here?" she asked suddenly. Natalie thought for a few moments, and then she answered.
"Josie, I really don't know for sure, but I think that I found this place. But it's been a long time, and I don't really remember," Natalie walked back to her bed. Josie followed.
"Natalie, I think I know you. I think that maybe you are my sister, the one who ran away. Natalie looked at her for a long time. Josie looked at Natalie hopefully at the same time. Natalie pulled Josie into a hug. Zoey, who had been watching, came over and separated them. Before either of them had a chance to protest, Zoey interrupted.
"We can't let anyone know you know each other, but I have an idea," she said. She motioned for everyone to come closer. Then she whispered, "Do you guys want to get out of here?"
Lia looked at Zoey in disbelief. Nobody had ever gone against the rules, but then again, that was not exactly against them.
"Let's do it," she said. Everyone agreed with Zoey and Lia.
The girls spent the rest of the day planning their escape, only stopping for meals, and for Josie to get changed into the "proper" outfit. By nine o'clock, they had come up with a good plan. They all changed into their nightclothes, but they took outfits from the closet and put them under the gowns. Zoey sat on her bed and put extra clothing carefully into a bag she had made a few months before. As Lia watched her, she wondered how long Zoey had been planning something like this. As she packed, Lia thought about their plan.
They were going to leave five minutes before the lights went out, because the doors were always locked from the outside at that time. Then they would carefully get to the back door. Josie had said she knew the way there. Once they escaped the building, they would find their way to the boat Lia had been on, and they would decide what to do then.
Josie, who had been watching the clock, announced that it was 9:25, and they should get ready for lights out. She said this because they didn't know if maybe there were cameras or listening devices in the rooms. Zoey put extra clothes under the sheets to make it look like they were in bed. Then they opened the door and slipped out of the room silently.
The halls were dark and silent. The white walls seemed to glow in the darkness. Their shoes made very soft taps on the hard floor. Natalie stopped and took off her shoes. Everyone else did the same. The girls found the door after about ten minutes of walking. Josieput her hand on the door handle and turned it. Nothing happened. She pushed it open just enough for her to slip through. When she was out side, she slowly opened it a few more inches. Zoey was the next to leave. Natalie was third, followed by Lia. Josie slowly closed the door. The door clicked closed. Then, an alarm sounded.
***
Josie, Natalie, Lia, and Zoey all ran towards the trees. They hid behind a very wide tree. The yard had suddenly filled with men in uniforms. They looked a little bit like soldiers, but looked a bit like scientists. They seemed to be looking for whoever had escaped.
Josie motioned for them to follow her. They slowly made their way away from the compound. Josie led them to a part of the forest that was supposed to be in front of the compound. Lia took over as the leader of the group. She walked opposite the direction the other Mark had when he brought her there. Lia was surprised that she had remembered the way.
Eventually they made it to a clearing. In the clearing, there was what looked like a boy lying on the ground near the edge. Lia walked over to him and turned him over. When she saw his face, she recognized him. The boy was Lewis. He looked almost the same as he had before. Lia looked up and saw Josie staring at Lewis with a sad expression. She knew what Lia didn't want to know. But Lia knew. Sometime during the three years they had been on the island, Lewis had died. Lia sat in the same place for a long time. Lewis's head rested in her lap as she tried to remember everything about him.
After what seemed like a long time, Zoey called Lia's name. Lia stood up and went over to her.
"Lia, we have to go," Zoey told her.
"Yes, but we need to go get Mary and Helen first," Lia argued. Mary and Helen were her friends. She couldn't leave them behind. Natalie came up behind Zoey.
"Lia, we can't go back. We would just be getting ourselves caught, and who knows what would happen then," Natalie said. Lia looked at Josie, who had been leaning against a tree.
"I agree with Natalie and Zoey, but if you want to go back alone, and abandon your friends, go on ahead," Josie stated, then continued, "Come on Natalie, Zoey," They all started walking.
"Wait!" They stopped for Lia, "I'll go with you. Maybe if or when we find people, we can tell them about this place. Then they'll come and rescue them."
Lia joined the others before they had a chance to answer. She led them back towards the beach, the way she remembered.
After a long while, Lia, Natalie, Josie, and Zoey reached the beach. Lia looked around. She saw the tree that she and her friends had slept under. She walked over and touched it. She remembered when she had heard the strange noise, which she had never figured out what it was. Lia walked in the direction of the boat, motioning the others to follow her. When they got to the place where the boat had been, it wasn't there. Lia ran towards the empty area. In the ground, there were seven large, dark stones. Each stone had something written on it. Each stone had the name of one of Lia's friends on it. She stopped at the final stone, which had her own name on it. She kneeled down and read it more closely. It had her name, then under that was her date of birth, followed by an estimated date of death. Lia stood up quickly. People had been here. They came, took the boat, and put these stones here. They had most likely told her family that she was missing and assumed dead. Lia turned and ran towards Natalie, Zoey, and Josie.
"It's gone," she said, close to tears, "if I had just waited, they would have found me or us. Now no one's going to find us," Zoey looked at her, and then hugged her.
"I'm sorry," she whispered. She let go of Lia and stepped back a few feet. From the forest emerged the doctor. He was followed by two uniformed men.
"Hello. You know, if you had left that first day, I wouldn't have called them. You would all be safe and happy at home right now," he looked directly at Natalie, "Thank you, Natalie."
Everyone looked at Natalie in shock. She looked at their faces and smiled. She seemed to enjoy it.
"Oh, I can't believe you all really thought there was a way out of here. And, I can't believe that you'd try to escape after you chose to stay here." Natalie said with a grin. She walked back into the forest with great speed. The doctor nodded to the two men, who took Zoey and Josie by the arms, and pulled them into the forest. They fought, but with no result. Soon they were out of Lia's sight. The doctor looked at her closely.
"Do you really want to go home Lia?" he asked her. Lia nodded.
"Then I will call them. They will find you. You will be brought home," he said, he pulled out a phone.
"What about Mary, Helen, Tomas, James, and Mark?" Lia asked him. He looked at her.
"They knew where they were going. I suppose they forgot to tell you," he answered. He put away his phone and walked into the forest, motioning for Lia to stay.
***
The sky started to turn a pinkish-orange color. It was sunrise. Lia looked at the ocean. She could barely make out the outline of a large boat, which was coming towards her. Once the boat got close enough, Lia stood up and waved to them. Someone on board waved back.
When the boat had come close enough, a smaller rowboat was lifted out. Two people got on and started rowing towards her. When they reached her, they walked her to the boat. They started rowing back. The trip to the large boat was short and silent. Lia looked at the dark stone in her lap. She had dug up the stone that had her name. She planned to toss it into the ocean once they were far away from the island.
Once she got on the boat, people began to ask her questions. She kept her gaze down, and ignored the questions. She wanted to go home.
***
When Lia knocked on her front door, she didn't know what to expect. When the door opened, her mother immediately recognized her and started to hug and kiss her. Lia hugged her mother back.
"Oh, Lia!" her mother exclaimed. She seemed to be unable to say anything else. Her father gave her hugs and brought her to her room.
"We always knew you'd come back, even though they told us that you were never coming back. Lia," he started, but was unable to say anymore. Tears of joy had stopped his words. Lia looked at him, then at her mother.
"Mom, Dad, I love you guys so much," Lia said. She smiled as she hugged her parents.
***
That night, as Lia lay in her bed, she thought of her friends. If they had really allowed themselves to be stuck on that island, then she would be happy that they got what they wanted. But she never stopped thinking of Lewis. After a little while, she drifted off to sleep, her life forever changed.
***
THE END
Jennifer says:
This story needs some work, but you have a good plot element to develop in the group of friends that confronts a strange situation. Unfortunately, you haven't done much with it yet. Why would anyone choose to go to a place where their lives were run completely by someone else? Why would Lia choose to stay there? What took her so long to try to leave? You need a more logical sequence of events and you need to play up the friendships and the different reactions each person has to the situation.
Plot - 15
Characters - 15
Mechanics - 18
Enjoyment - 14
TOTAL - 62
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