My eyelids slid open as I awoke in an uncomfortable position on the soggy ground. I was so disoriented that it took me several minutes to piece together how I’d gotten there. The word tornado registered in my mind and my memories became flooded with the terrifying recollection of the storm. I tilted my head slightly, taking in the surroundings. I was in the same place where I’d been prepared to die, barely inches from my original spot under the bridge. I craned my neck to look at the sky, experiencing a sudden flash of pain and stiffness. The tornado was gone and the hail had stopped and was now replaced by a feeble drizzle.

I unclenched my numb hands from my knees and sat up slowly, nursing a massive headache. My clothes and hair were absolutely soaked and my body felt like it had been hit by a freight train--which in theory was almost true. I stood up gingerly and stretched, trying to work out all the kinks in my back. I was about to walk out into the daylight, when I noticed the pair of legs dangling idly over the side of the bridge. My whole body tensed. How long had they been sitting there?

“Hello?” I called out unsurely.

No answer.

I stepped out from under the bridge and looked up at the body perched above me. It was a boy, very muscular with fair hair and a freckled tan. Judging by his size alone, he could easily be in his twenties, but something about his face told me that he was around my age.

“You know, a bridge is one of the worst places you could hide during a tornado,” the boy said matter-of-factly. “It creates a wind tunnel effect and traps whatever is underneath it.”

My eyes narrowed; I didn't appreciate his conclusive tone. Obviously, I’d figured that one out for myself.

But then I saw that he was grinning, so I let down my guard a little. He slid off of the side of the bridge with ease, landing lightly on his feet.

“And who are you, exactly?” I said, raising an eyebrow.

“Pace Gunter,” he said offering me his hand. “And you’re Violet Feist.”

I shook it, examining his features to see if I’d seen him at school, but I hadn’t.

“Do you go to Carraway? You don’t look familiar.”

He shook his head. “No, I go to a different kind of school.”

“Oh, is it like a private school?”

“Something like that,” Pace said, smirking at some private joke. “But I think we should focus on getting out of here.” His tone changed to seriousness, but his face remained nonchalant.

“Why?” I asked.

“Carraway isn't safe right now. There’s barely a single building standing. Plus everyone was already evacuated hours ago.”

“Do you know what happened to my foster family?”

“Nearly everyone got out,” he said. “They’ve set up a safe haven outside of the city. Your foster family checked in a few hours ago.”

“Is that where we’re going?” I said. "To see them?"

He shook his head. “No, we’re both needed elsewhere. Don’t worry, your foster parent has been notified, so she knows you’re safe.”

“Where do they need us?”

“It’s top secret,” he said, winking at me. “Think of us as secret agents on a confidential mission.”

“Right,” I said, trying not to roll my eyes. I was aware that I'd been asking far too many questions and receiving few real answers.

“So let me get this straight," I said, "you need me on some sort of ninja mission and I'm not allowed to know what it is, right? Because that's what I'm gathering from this whole dodging of the questions thing.”

Pace shrugged. “I haven't been given the OK to tell you anything yet. All I can say is that they’re recruiting a bunch of people our age and they need your help.”

I still had no idea what he wanted from me, but I was glad that he was at least being straight with me now.

“What will we be doing at this place?”

“All sorts of things,” he said. “You’ll find out soon enough. I promise they'll explain everything to you when we get there.”

“Alright, Pace,” I said, extending my hand to him. “I guess I’ll go with you on this top secret assignment.”

I didn't know why I agreed to go with him. If anything, he at least seemed to have information, even if he wasn't allowed to share it with me. He’d known about the safe haven and he also seemed to know about the people that were recruiting me. As to the specifics of that, I was unsure, but it looked like a better alternative than staying in a safe haven with the contents of an entire frenzied and grieving town. I’d seen places like that on the news when other natural disasters had hit and I didn’t like what it did to people--being cooped up like that. They fought and acted like caged animals.

I wasn't sure whether it was safe to trust Pace, but something about him was incredibly honest, even if he did evade my questions. Whether it was his good-natured features or the innocence of his face, something about Pace Gunter seemed innately good. Any boy who joked about confidential missions had to be harmless.

“Great,” he said, a wide grin stretching across his face as he accepted my outstretched hand. I didn't know it at the time, but this moment was the official beginning of Pace's and my friendship.

“Where to?” I asked.

“Mission headquarters,” Pace said. “Very classified area.”

We walked for a little ways back into town. Carraway was completely empty and a silence had crept over the place, resonating as if it were a sound of its own. What was even worse than the silence was the wreckage and utter destruction of the town. Every familiar building was reduced to rubble and the place where I’d grown up was no longer recognizable. Every memory that I had made in Carraway was gone, all in a matter of hours. I picked up a broken shard of glass that could have once been part of a window or a sliding glass door. I held it up to my face, looking at Carraway through its broken, dusty surface.

“I’m sorry,” Pace said with genuine regret in his voice. “I know what it feels like to have your home destroyed.”

“Really?” I said, slightly taken aback. I shouldn’t have been so surprised by this considering I’d just met him. For some reason I couldn’t picture a laidback guy like Pace going through hardships. I guess that showed how little I knew about him.

“My hometown suffered a storm very similar to this one,” he said. “My kid brother, Harvey, and I were devastated. It’ll be okay though. You’ll find that anywhere can feel like home if you’re open to it.”

I nodded, not entirely sure what he meant.

Pace halted in the middle of the wreckage, his face angled toward the sky, eyes intent on finding something. He stood there silently for a few minutes, searching for something unbeknownst to myself.

“I found it,” he said finally.

“Found what?” I asked, seeing nothing.

“See that silver thread way up there?” he said, pointing. I nodded. Barely distinguishable was a faded streak of light, presumably the one from earlier.

“Well we’re going to follow it. It’ll lead us to a safe place.”

“How are we going to get there?” I asked, a feeling of anxiety mounting in my stomach. I had a suspicion that the journey would be a long one and I couldn’t see a car being able to maneuver its way through the wreckage very well.

Pace grinned devilishly, putting me in a state of unease. He gestured for me to get on his back, which I found bizarre.

“Why?” I asked rudely. I knew I should have been nicer but I just couldn’t understand what he was getting at.

“No time for questions,” he said, his smile growing wider. “Now hop on.”

“I think I’ll walk, thanks.”

He chuckled. “Nice try, but I’m a hell of a lot stronger than you.”

I gave him a challenging look but his returning glance was just as threatening. I reluctantly walked over and got on his back with gritted teeth.

"You ready?" he asked.

"Not like I have much of a choice, now do I?"

He laughed darkly.

"You're right. Now hold on tightly. We don’t want any road kill today.”

“Good one,” I said, sarcastically

“And those were her famous last words.”

And with that, Pace was off.

Many things in life come unexpectedly; I did not expect the massive storm to hit last night, much like I didn’t expect to be chased down by a tornado. So I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when Pace turned out to be more than, ahem, expected. It wasn’t his movements that were so surprising to me; his strides, his perfectly angled motions that propelled us forward--they were normal human movements. They were no different than that of any other man. It was the pace in which he executed them that alarmed me. We were moving at an overwhelming speed, faster than any car I'd been in ever had. The broken buildings and the wreckage of the empty town blew past us so fast that my eyes blurred, making it unpleasant to open them. A rising sense of nausea was mounting in my stomach and I could feel it threatening to overcome me. I mentally calculated my chances of surviving if I let go, but they didn't look very good, so I clung tighter. Panicking, I thought of various ways to stop him--anything to make it stop--but before I knew it, the ride was over. I hopped off rather dizzily and stumbled over seconds later. I lay there, splayed on the ground until I regained consciousness. Nursing a massive headache and numerous frenetic questions, I let Pace help me to my unsteady feet. He stepped back a few feet to give me some space. I could see him peeking over at me though, while holding his distance. "So you freaked out yet?” He'd asked casually enough, but his eyes scanned my expression anxiously, awaiting my response. I kept my silence. “Violet?” he asked, visibly nervous this time. “What the hell was that!” “What was what?” he said, flipping his yellow hair. A slight grin played at his lips, but he held it back, unsure if it was safe to do so. “The fact that you’re the freaking Flash!” “Oh…that,” he said. “Yes, that.” "You know I can't tell you anything yet. It’s frustrating, trust me, I've been there. But for now let’s just say I really am the Flash and we’ll leave it at that, okay?” Pace smiled and despite the many unanswered questions racing through my mind, I couldn’t help but smile back. I knew I should have been frightened by him; his speed would have been unnatural for a mountain lion and he could easily do me harm. Yet somehow I couldn't make myself be properly afraid of him. There was something so disarming about his smile and it gave me the reassurance that Pace would never hurt me. After a silence I said, “So I guess that’s why they call you Pace, huh?” We walked for about a mile through a verdant area abundant with flourishing undergrowth and covered by a canopy of dark green foliage. I'd wondered at first why Pace hadn’t just run us all the way there, but I think this had been his intention. He wanted to give me a chance to let it all sink in. He wanted to make sure I was okay with it--if I was okay with him. I could not even begin to understand how he’d done it, the running that is. It did not seem humanly possible. My mind traced over every sci-fi and fantasy movie I'd ever seen and nothing quite fit. The only thing that made sense was that Pace could not have been entirely human. Making our way through lush trees and brush, I followed behind Pace, who was leading the way. My arms were scratched up and my legs felt exhausted, but I didn’t mind. I was much too anxious and excited for what was yet to come. Somehow, I knew that the makeup of my life was about to shift in a profound way. The trees and vegetation grew less dense and led us to a sketchy looking fenced area. The damp ground transitioned to gravel and then to concrete as we moved closer. I heard a faint humming noise and I promptly realized that the fence surrounding the vicinity was electric, making it much more menacing than upon first glance. Pace stopped several feet from it and brought his index finger to his ear. I noticed a tiny, almost indistinguishable device clipped to his ear that lit up as soon as he touched it. “Hey, Phoenix!" he yelled into the earpiece. "Open the fence for us, would you?” He tapped the device again and stared at the fence expectantly. He waited no longer than a few seconds before the electricity clicked off and the gate swung open. “There’s a code for the fence, but it’s easier to make Phoenix open it,” he told me with a chuckle. “Ladies first.” “What a gentleman,” I said, only somewhat mockingly. I stepped forward and gaped at the hulking building in front of us. My eyes widened in horror as they immediately registered where we were. The deserted area in the middle of nowhere, the electric fence, the two, large volcano-shaped towers. I knew exactly where this was. “Pace,” I said as my legs froze. “Come on,” he said, continuing to walk forward. “Don’t be nervous.” “Pace, I think we need to get out of here.” “What? Why?” “The power plant,” I gasped. “We need to leave!” Pace raised an eyebrow and stared at me, completely nonplussed. Why wasn’t he understanding? This was the power plant. It was infamous for a reason that everyone in Carraway knew about. Several years ago the power plant's main component inexplicably blew up, spilling a massive amount of radiation into the surrounding area. Maybe Pace didn't know any better because he was from a different town, but right now he was wasting precious seconds with his thoughtlessness. “What’s wrong with you! We need to go. Now!” “Violet, what are you--” I couldn't risk my life for his negligence, so I did the only thing that made sense to me. I bolted. "Whoa! Hold on a second!" But I had barely made it five feet before Pace moved in front of me and blocked me from the exit. I attempted to dodge him but he was too fast and he grabbed me before I could run past him. His muscular arms wrapped around me, confining me to the spot. I struggled against him, but he was too strong. His face was extremely close to mine and I could feel his warm breath. For the first time I noticed the color of his eyes. They were an amiable blue, with the clarity and depth of a pool of fresh water. "And where exactly do you think you're going?" "Pace! Let go! Don't you know that there's radiation everywhere?" Understanding dawned on him as his expression formed into one of recognition. He loosened his grip and I tried to pull him, but he didn’t budge. “Come on! We need to--WHY ARE YOU SMILING!” “No reason. Continue on, this is funny.” “This is not funny! Let me go!” “You really think there’s radiation here?” he said, his lips spread wide in amusement. “Why wouldn’t there be? Don't you watch the damned news? I'm trying to save both of our asses right now!” I tried to take advantage of his loosened grip, but I couldn't break free from his warm arms. It looked as if holding me there caused him no physical exertion whatsoever. "Like you were a second ago when you tried to run off without me?" "This isn't the time, Pace!" “There’s no radiation, Violet,” he said, shaking his head. “What are you talking about?” “There may have been an explosion, but it sure as hell wasn’t from this plant.” “You're not making any sense," I said. "Of course there was a freaking explosion! Where have you been in the last ten years? Why did I even let you bring me here? I swear to god..." Pace stared at me for a moment, his face unreadable and then he threw his head back in laughter. I was beginning to hate this kid just for the fact that he acted like I was such an idiot. I scowled and he must have realized that I was genuinely angry because he stopped laughing and seemed to pull himself together. “God, they really have you brainwashed don’t they?” he said. Not in an accusatory way, but like he felt sorry for me. “Who has me brainwashed?” “Nevermind, it’s not your fault. Just take my word that the power plant is completely radiation free, okay? I'm going to let go of you now, so promise you won't try to take off again?" I nodded in defeat. He released me from his hold and I let out a long sigh. "Are we calm now?" Pace said. "Yes," I said through gritted teeth. "Well now that that's over, we should probably go inside. They’re expecting us and all. That is,” he added playfully, “if you’re done freaking out about the radiation.” “Let’s just go inside,” I said, smacking him on the arm. He looked as if he’d barely felt it--if he’d even felt anything at all. Typical, I thought, he probably has Hulk strength too.

Pace led me to the massive building, seemingly empty and desolate from an outsider’s prying eyes. The ground was scattered with debris from the other broken structures surrounding the only functional one. The windows of the main building were blacked out and the broken one’s were covered with dark plastic. I ignored the plant’s warning sign, a yellow triangle with three dark blades encircling a black center. I figured that if it meant anything, I would be dead by now. Or at least that’s what I was hoping.

The door to the main entrance appeared to be rusted shut and I wondered if it was even functional. Pace held an odd badge up to what looked like the barcode scanners in grocery stores and typed a ten-digit code onto a keypad. With a slight grating noise, the corroded metal door reluctantly lurched open.

“It’s all for looks,” Pace said. “If the building looked brand new from the outside, people might start asking questions. Thankfully, since it’s flooded with radiation”--Pace winked at me--“people don’t look too hard. Shall we?”

He held out his hand for me and I took it. A feeling of warmth spread throughout my body that counteracted the sense of dread I felt as we entered the uninviting building. It was just as dark as I expected it to be as I walked inside and the heavy metal door slammed shut. But as my eyes adjusted to the dim atmosphere, I noticed that the similarities to my imagined version of the interior ended there.

The corridor was certainly dark--with only faint orange lights embedded on the walls for lighting--but it was astoundingly sleek. The sable, polished tiles were glossy and made an appealing clicking sound as you walked on them. Numerous black doors lined the hallway, all of them firmly closed and without handles. The ambiance was distinctly ominous, but in a way it had a mystical, alluring quality to it.

The corridor went on for days and it seemed almost as endless as my thoughts and uncertainties. I vaguely wondered if I was being brought to my deathbed--if Pace was leading me into some sort of harm. I couldn’t quite grasp the full weight of the possible danger I was in and felt much more intrigued than fearful. I thought, perhaps foolishly, that if I were to die here at least my death would be curious and remarkable.

Pace’s voice finally lifted me out my own head and brought me to my senses.

“You’re going to want to take the door at the very end, on your right,” he said.

I stared at him in confusion. “How do I open it?”

“Just push on the door,” he said, rolling his eyes. Afterward he grinned and wished me luck, so I knew he didn’t think I was that much of an idiot. He gave my hand a gentle squeeze and then let go.

“Aren’t you coming with me?” I asked, trying to mask the panic in my voice.

“Sorry,” he said, shaking his head. “It's against the rules.”

I frowned. “Who comes up with all these rules?"

“Nevermind that for now. You're going to have a consultation with Shawna. Everyone has one when they first arrive, it's standard procedure. Go inside and she'll explain everything.”

“Wait, who’s--”

“No more time for questions. Just go inside, you’ll be fine,” he said.

Pace smiled at me in encouragement and I returned it rather feebly. My nerves were killing me as I stepped toward the door with a feeling that I might throw up. I noticed a small plaque on the wall that read “Shawna Blanche. Skill Sensing and Bestowal.” I hadn't the slightest idea what it meant.

I pushed on the door with a final backward glance at Pace but by then he had already gone. So I stepped inside and was instantly overwhelmed by a blinding white light that almost seemed to sweep me inside the room.


I quickly shut my eyes. Squinting, I looked upward, noting the dozens of tiny, fluorescent light bulbs responsible for my lack of vision. During the prolonged amount of time that it took for my eyesight to return to normal, I did not notice the thin figure waiting for me in the corner of the room. The sound of her voice made me flinch.

“Violet Feist,” the young woman said, without looking up from the clipboard she held in her lap. That was all. There were no greetings or handshakes. It seemed as if she was there simply to inform me that she knew my name.

Her appearance was shocking. Each one of her features seemed to fiercely contradict another: deep blue eyes, glowing olive skin, hair so fair that it was almost white, and a rail thin figure that seemed mathematically impossible. Every one of these attributes seemed to be too extreme--to the point that they were unnatural--yet I was sure that everything about her was authentic. Once you got over the initial shock of her appearance, she was actually quite pretty to look at.

“Hi,” I said rather unsurely.

“Violet Feist,” she said again in a cool and calculated voice. “Middle name: Temperance. Age: fifteen. Height: a measly 5’2”. Parents are Rory and Jemma Feist--"

"How do you know that!" I yelled. A burst of anger flared up inside me at the mention of my parents' names.

She continued on, paying me no attention. "First showed signs of talent at age seven. Infected at age eight. Yada, yada, yada…” She carefully enunciated each “yada”, her voice slowly dripping off the words like cool syrup.

“Whoa, hang on. What do you mean by--infected?” I spat out the word in repulsion, as if it were a poison that my lips had to be rid of.

A strange smile crept across the girl’s face; it was deeply unsettling and I didn’t like it at all.

“Violet, have you ever felt--ah--strange. Like you were different from everyone else?”

I shook my head.

“No.”

“Well, let me tell you, my dear. You are nothing like everyone else.”

“Pardon me?” I said, the volume of my voice increasing and a sense of irritation rising in my chest. I was beginning to grow tired of all the vague comments and everyone disregarding my questions as if they were nothing.

“Oh ho!” she exclaimed in mild amusement. “Growing angry with me now, Violet? Well you shouldn’t be, oh no. Not when I’m the one who holds the answers to the questions you so profoundly crave. So ask away.”

“Why am I here?” I said, impatiently.

“You’re here because you are very valuable to us. You can bring something to the table that nobody else can.”

“Oh yeah?” I said, cocking an eyebrow. “And what’s that?”

I was weary of her ambiguous remarks that were designed to keep me confused and in the dark.

“Hmm,” she mumbled to herself. She seemed to have drifted off and looked away in a daze. She drummed her thin fingers on the clipboard and pondered something to herself. She looked up suddenly.

“Put your hands out,” she ordered.

I obeyed, mainly out of shock at the sudden change in her.

The girl grasped my hands with her own delicate pair. Her skin seemed to glisten as she did so, almost as if her features were emanating a soft glow. She closed her eyes and instantly I felt a sharp, tingling sensation throughout my entire body.

“What are you doing!” I screamed in sudden panic.

The girl opened her eyes briefly, just enough so that she could wink at me tauntingly before closing them again. She laughed an airy, tinkling sort of laugh.

“Calm down, darling. No need to be afraid, I do this all the time. It will all make sense soon enough.”

I still had more questions for her but as my thoughts grew fuzzy, I could no longer remember what they were. The room blurred as I began to lose sense of everything around me. My eyes slid shut and my last memory was of the smug expression on the strange girl’s face.

I slowly became conscious of a low buzzing noise as I was drenched in complete darkness. The noise grew louder and clear enough so that I realized it was not just one noise, but many--each a different pitch and intensity. The sounds became more distinct so I became able to distinguish the jumble of words being spoken. At some point, I could characterize the voices speaking them and realized that there must have been half a dozen people talking at once.

“She sure is small,” a deep voice said.

“Yeah but I heard she’s feisty,” said a female voice.

“Well that will be good for the team,” came another voice. “Besides, I think she’s cute.”

The voice sounded familiar to me. Pace? I thought disjointedly.

“That’s for sure,” said the first voice. “But she's so little.”

“Shh!” came the female voice. “She’s waking up.”

My eyelids fluttered opened and I winced at the brightness of the room. Natural lighting was clearly not a concept that these people understood. As my eyes adjusted, I found several anxious looking strangers returning my gaze. This was definitely not my ideal way to be woken up.

I appeared to be in some sort of examination room because I was lying on one of those tables that were usually found in doctors' offices. There was a large desk with a computer in the corner of the room and a few chairs that were all occupied, leaving several of the six or seven people in the room standing. Other than that, the cramped room was pretty much barren of anything else worth mentioning.

The ages of those in the room ranged from thirteen to seventeen. They were all strictly teenagers. I picked out Pace from the group, who was smiling at me, but he was the only one I recognized. The oldest girl abandoned the desk she had been leaning on and stepped forward. She had excellently tanned skin and numerous freckles dotting her thin nose and face.

The girl moved very close to me, bringing her face a mere inches from mine, her kinky, sun bleached tresses falling forward. Her eyes examined me in such a way that made me feel uncomfortable. The girl’s proximity and aggressiveness made me want to put several inches between myself and her, but she was clearly very at ease. After several awkward seconds, the girl seemed satisfied and finally stepped back from me. She extended her hand and gave me a warm smile.

“Sorry,” she said, apologetically. “I was just checking. My name’s Effy.”

I shook her hand and attempted to return her smile, but there’s something about being woken up in a strange place with half a dozen strangers staring at you. It’s very disorienting.

“Sorry if we’re making you uncomfortable,” Effy said. “We haven’t had a new person in awhile.”

“Oh," I said. "Right."

“I’m guessing that Shawna didn't tell you anything, right?”

I nodded my head.

“Typical,” she muttered. “Shawna enjoys messing with the new people. She likes drama and what better way than to pull that spooky, mysterious crap on the newbies?"

"What was it that she was doing?" I asked, as I remembered the strange, tingling sensation when she'd grabbed my hands.

"She was giving you a sort of examination, while also jump-starting your abilities. It's routine that everyone here sees Shawna before they begin their training. Think of it as a kind of computer reboot, except for your body."

"My abilities?" I repeated.

"Violet, we've brought you here because this is an institution for people with extraordinary talents. Each and every person in this room is here for a reason. We all possess talents in ways you can't even imagine yet, as I'm sure you saw with Pace. You may have doubts that you belong here, but by the end of the day you'll understand exactly how important you are. The things you will learn how to do will help us immensely.”

“But why would you need my help?” I said. What could possibly be so important that they would kidnap me and bring me all the way here?

“You are not like most people. Not like your mom, your dad, your friends. Actually, apart from the people in this room, there are few others who are like you. Violet, you are special in a way that you can’t even comprehend yet.”

“Special?” I said quietly. “I’ve never been anything but ordinary my entire life.”

“Violet, you're far from ordinary. That's why you've been picked from a sea of ordinary people and are now standing in this room full of people that are so far from ordinary that, quite frankly, it’s not even funny.”

“Surely there’s someone who would be better..."

Effy shook her head. “No, there’s no one more qualified than you. We’ve been watching you, monitoring you”--she pointed to the single computer in the room--“I’ve been keeping tabs on you for years.”

My eyes shifted toward the computer, widening as they noticed what was on the screen. I stood up and walked over to it, simultaneously fascinated and bothered by what I saw.

On the screen, I saw my own face staring back at me, along with every bit of information pertaining to myself imaginable. It was some sort of profile that was filled with practically every detail of my life. There were shot records, report cards, photographs, even lists of places I’d been to in the last year. It was all very uncanny.

“Where did you find all this?” I asked.

“Facebook,” one of the boys said.

“Seriously?”

He raised his eyebrows suggestively, flashing me a toothy grin.

“It wasn’t hard. You’re surprisingly easy to stalk,” Effy said, winking.

“Clearly,” I said.

“Don’t worry, we’re not going to go To Catch a Predator on you or anything.”

“Well that’s a relief,” I said sarcastically.

It was then, as Effy turned her head to whisper to a dark haired boy, that I realized something. At that angle, the profile of her nose and the side of her mussed hair became instantly familiar to me.

It was a Friday night and I was working my shift at Barnes & Noble. They normally didn’t hire anyone under the age of eighteen, but Miss Havacker was friends with the manager so they bent the rules for me. It was almost eleven, so practically no one was in the store. I was rearranging a sales table, mainly to keep myself busy before I got off work.

I wasn’t really paying attention to anything around me. I had a date the next day with an ultimately forgettable boy, so I was a little lost in thought. I didn’t even notice that there was a girl checking out the bargain table until she’d spoken to me.

I looked up hastily.

“I’m sorry, what?”

The girl held up a copy of one of the sales books.

“Is this any good?”

“It’s not bad,” I said. “The plot’s okay. It’s definitely no The Hunger Games, though.”

“I guess that’s why it’s only $3.99,” she said.

“Yeah, I guess so,” I said with as much friendliness as I could muster this close to closing time.

“Well thanks for the help, Violet,” the girl said as she turned to leave.

For a second, I was profoundly worried as to how the girl had known my name, until I remembered:Yes, Violet, you are wearing a nametag. For some reason it always threw me off when people I’d never spoken to knew my name.

Because of my unreliable memory of that night, I couldn’t tell you what the front of her face looked like. But as she turned to leave, her profile view was directly imbedded in my mind. And that was distinctly what I saw in Effy’s face now.

“Hold on,” I said. “Effy, were you the girl in the bookstore?”

She smiled broadly. “You have an excellent memory. That must’ve been almost a year ago.”

“I’m guessing that was more than just a coincidence, then?” I asked.

“No, I normally go browsing at Barnes & Noble at eleven o’clock at night for fun.”

“Oh crap,” I said.

“What?”

“I was supposed to work after school today. Mr. Spiegelman is going to kill me.”

Mr. Spiegelman was a nice man, but he had a tendency to lose his temper when his employees missed work.

“Don't be stupid, you’ll be lucky if Barnes & Noble is even still standing," said a girl with dark hair. Her green eyes narrowed in dislike.

I raised an eyebrow at her. This was the first time I noticed the girl's presence in the far corner of the room. Considering I had never met her, I was pretty indignant.

“Alright, Lex,” Effy intervened. “Thanks for the input.”

The girl named Lex scowled and dropped her gaze. What a charming girl, I thought.

“So, what now?” Pace said, bringing his hands together. He seemed to be growing bored of the conversation.

“I guess it’s time for Violet to show us what she can do,” she said.

“I can’t do anything,” I said flatly.

“Oh, sure you can.”

“And what is that?” I lifted an eyebrow challengingly.

“I guess that’s what we’re about to find out.”

A wave of anxiety washed over me. How exactly did they intend on finding out? And what were they going to find out, for that matter?

It seemed as if Pace was thinking along the same lines.

“How are we going to do that?” he said.

“The Elimination Chamber?” Effy suggested.

“Good idea." I quickly looked to Pace in horror. So much for being on the same page...

“Oh man, this is going to be great,” said a good-looking boy with golden brown hair. He was the one who’d made the Facebook comment earlier. “We haven’t watched one of these in ages! Not since Lex...” He quickly looked over at her to see if she’d heard. Judging by the look she was shooting him, she definitely had. I wondered what had happened to Lex to make her illicit such a withering stare, until I remembered how little it took to set her off.

The boy sprung to his feet excitedly and Effy rolled her eyes at him. She walked over to a box on the wall that contained a keypad and then typed in some six digit number. With a slight shifting noise, a panel on the wall slid open, invisible to the naked eye only seconds before. Effy stepped inside the newly visible passageway and the rest of the people in the room followed after her. This appeared to be a commonplace procedure for them.

Pace hung back to wait for me and I just stood there, frightened and unsure of what was going on. He grabbed my arm and looked me in the face.

“Don’t worry, it’s just a test,” he said. "But try not to get yourself killed.” I laughed nervously, unsure whether or not he was serious.

“Come on, let’s go,” he said.

He waited for me to enter and then followed behind me. The door slid shut swiftly after him, leaving us suddenly enshrouded in darkness.

“Finn!” Effy called from up front. “A little light, please?”

“Oh, right,” a voice mumbled from ahead of me.

I heard a shuffling in front and a brilliant, golden flame erupted out of nowhere. I looked past the kid in front of me, searching for the source of the light. The first thing I saw was the back of the good-looking boy’s head, and then the flame--coming directly from his hand! He held no match or lighter; the fire was somehow emanating straight from his skin. A loud gasp of astonishment came from my throat.

The boy must have heard, because he paused and turned around to face me.

“Cool, eh?”

I nodded wordlessly.

“Oh, I’m Finn by the way,” he said, extending me his flaming hand.

“Finn!” yelped the boy standing between us as he dodged Finn’s fiery handshake.

“That's my bad,” he said. “Maybe we should do this another time.”

“That’s not a bad idea,” said the boy indignantly.

“Finneas,” Effy hissed. “Get up here!”

I could barely make out Finn rolling his eyes before he made his way to the front of the queue. He seemed to get ordered around quite a bit--the most out of everyone so far.

I felt Pace tap on my shoulder and I turned around to see what he wanted.

“Hey,” he whispered. “Sorry about Effy earlier.”

“What do you mean?”

“The way she was staring at you in the Observations Room. I know it probably freaked you out, it did to me the first time I met her.”

“What was she doing?"

“She was just trying to read you,” he said. “That’s kind of her thing. She can read people’s intentions.”

“Why was she trying to read me?” I asked.

“She wanted to see whether or not you were a good person.”

“And did I pass?”

“Yeah,” Pace said, "you did.

I turned back around, thinking about Effy’s strange talent. She certainly did not seem to be at all what she appeared--nobody I’d met so far did for that matter. What, with Effy’s acute ability to read people, Pace’s speed, and Finn’s incredible flaming hands. I vaguely wondered what hidden facets I had yet to see in the others.

Up ahead, I could hear Finn and Effy quarrelling.

“There is no way that’s true,” she said.

“No, seriously! They’re calling it the ‘uni-deer’. It’s totally awesome,” Finn said.

“You’re just trying to mess with me.”

“Effy, it’s completely a real thing. It’s a deer with the horn of a unicorn! A genetic flaw sent down from the gods!”

“Whatever,” she said. Even though Effy was all the way up front, I could practically feel her rolling her eyes.

We continued on through the rest of the tunnel in silence. With no distractions, I could not help but worry about where the passageway would lead. The quiet served as a constant reminder of what I was yet to face. No matter how positive I tried to be about the situation, nothing about the “Elimination Chamber” sounded good. I dimly wondered if this was how Anne Frank felt when she was being led to the gas chamber.

And so we marched; maybe for an hour, maybe for three. All I could remember was the mixed excitement of being relieved to see the end of the tunnel, yet terrified of what might lay ahead.

The narrow tunnel emptied into a bright room with whitewashed walls and a heavy steel door opposite the tunnel’s entrance. The room was so white and brightly lit that I was torn between whether it felt more like a psychiatric hospital or God’s unused office space. The only remarkable thing about the room wasn’t immediately obvious until you looked down. Beneath my feet, there was nothing more than a thick sheet of glass that kept me from plunging downward to the depths below. For a heartwrenching moment I felt the sensation that I was about to fall. The floor was completely see-through, making visible the challenge I immediately knew I was expected to face.

The five inches of glass floor were all that was separating me from the elimination chamber directly below my feet.

It was a maze of dark and terrifying proportions. The labyrinth was filled with complex detours and frustrating dead ends, and those weren’t even the worst of it. There were entirely darkened, unlit areas of the maze, masking whatever horrors might dwell there. The darkness, the dead ends, the feeling of claustrophobia--the concept was so simple. It was designed to make me feel trapped, before luring me to a horrifying death.

I knew not what I was supposed to do and my legs began to tremble. I looked to the others around me; some faces showed excitement, others pity. But I was surprised at what face I remembered the most before my trial in the elimination chamber. It was from a narrowed pair of shocking green eyes that could have only belonged to Lex. They didn’t hold smugness or pity, but an intense ambivalence. The conflicting of anger and some other foreign emotion that I couldn’t understand flashed in them for only a moment. Then it was gone as the girl with the green eyes cast her glance downward.

That was the first time I had ever really looked at Lex. She was very pretty, I noticed--flat out gorgeous. She had a creamy complexion and dark, silky hair that shone brilliantly even in the false fluorescent lighting. Her looks were enough to make any girl in the room feel plain, myself included.

I pondered at what her silent gaze had meant and what she had been trying to communicate to me with those eyes…a warning perhaps? It seemed strange to me that a girl as pretentious as Lex would ever try to help me, so I figured that I must be interpreting it wrong. I pushed it out of my mind for a little while as I tried to focus on the task in front of me.

My eyes fell upon the heavy steel door that marked the threshold to my condemnation. In that instant I couldn’t help but feel a pang of betrayal. They had all betrayed me by bringing me here to my death. Pace, with his shining innocence and playful disposition, had won me over and gained my trust. Effy had welcomed me and made me feel as if I belonged. Even Finn had given me a laugh. In the short amount of time I had known these people, I had come to trust them and I felt a kind of safety by being with them, even though they were technically strangers.

So as Effy stepped in front of the steel door to talk to me beforehand, I couldn’t help but feel as if whatever she was about to say would all be a ruse.

“I know that you’re afraid,” she said. “But we need to know what you’re capable of. The maze below will be filled with dangerous obstacles and you can only rely on a mixture of cunning and talent to emerge victoriously. You will be in an entirely new element and you’ll have to tune into your body’s impulses and reflexes if you plan on surviving. Trust your instincts and do whatever comes naturally to you. We will be monitoring you as you progress through the maze--good luck to you, Violet Feist.”

Despite the resentment I felt toward her and the others, I knew that in order to survive for as long as possible, I would need to empty all feelings of bitterness from my mind.

She nodded to me in encouragement as she slid out of the way of the door. There was nothing left between myself and the maze as I twisted the unforgiving door handle. Without a backward glance, I inhaled and took a step forward.

I had entered into the labyrinth.


The sound of the heavy metal door slamming shut behind me was an awakening for my senses. I became hyper-aware of my surroundings as adrenaline pumped through my veins. I felt like my every movement was being watched--and not just by the other teenagers. It was a much worse feeling because I didn't know what else was watching me or if they were waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

I followed the natural turns of the maze for several minutes until I came to a point where I had to decide between moving forward or turning right. I figured that continuing forward would have been too easy, so I recklessly swerved to the right. It took a few turns more for me to realize that it had led me to a dead end. I hurriedly corrected my mistake and chose the correct path this time. The maze continued straight for several yards more before finally splitting into two different directions. I stood there, hesitant and unsure of where to go.

Instinctively, I looked up, expecting to see the smirks of the others watching me through the glass ceiling. But I was taken aback when I realized that the glass was not transparent from the inside of the labyrinth. It only mirrored my expression of terror as I stared up at it. The ceiling was a one-way mirror.

Feeling alone, I was beginning to turn left when I was struck with a sudden thought. I quickly glanced upward again at the reflective ceiling. It not only showed my own silhouette, but the outline of the maze which was reflected also. Blocked from normal view by its metal walls, the vast stretches of the labyrinth were now clearly visible in the large, overhead mirror. I smiled, thoroughly impressed by my own cleverness. I could now see the large, unlit section of the maze that I would have encountered had I turned left. I made a right, still entirely pleased with my discovery.

I worked my way through the maze, checking the ceiling every so often to avoid the dead ends, while also being careful not to enter the expansive black portions. As I walked, my footsteps seemed to thunder with each step, growing unnaturally loud and echoing off of the labyrinth’s metal walls. It was then that I noticed how silent my surroundings had become.

My breathing began to accelerate and my heartbeat soared. My body’s reactions, in response to danger, frightened me. Despite the silence, I could sense no immediate threat. These instinctive responses that put me on edge left me puzzled.

I heard a far off hooting noise in the distance above me. I looked around frantically. Was that an owl?

Distracted by the sound, I did not immediately notice the thick stupor that was beginning to fill the air. But as I tasted a tartness on my tongue, I saw the hazy mist steadily creeping toward me. My short bursts of breath tasted bitter as I turned to run in the opposite direction, but I quickly discovered that the haze was approaching from both sides. I swiveled around helplessly. It was far too late to escape the mist, which was followed closely behind by complete blackness. The darkness encompassed me and I could no longer tell one direction from another.

Trapped.

Somewhere I could make out a faint snickering. The sound intensified and bounced off of the maze’s walls. It echoed from every direction and thundered through my ears. Frantically, I tried to find the source of the laughter.

I stood still as my whole body tensed in reaction to the immediate danger enveloping me. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end and I could feel a scream building in my throat.

“Behind you,” a voice whispered.

I whipped around as the light returned simultaneously. The sudden illumination burned my eyes and I blinked hard in an attempt to see from whom the voice had come. The laughter resumed, but this time I could distinguish where it was coming from. I blinked several times and the figure in front of me slowly came into focus. It was a small girl around my age, maybe a year or two younger. I should have been able to tell by the tone of her laughter, but something about the bitterness on my tongue had disoriented me…I couldn’t remember why.

The girl had short wispy hair, her honey colored bangs swept out of her face with a bobby pin. She had an oddness about her that I couldn’t quite place. Her persona reeked of innocence and whimsy, yet it held a certain wisdom. The girl wore remarkably large glasses that shielded even remarkably larger eyes. They were filled with so much wonder and curiosity that they almost threatened to burst.

“Greetings,” the girl said cheerfully. “And what brings you to my neck of the woods?”

I opened my mouth to speak, trying to articulate the answer that was so easy, yet I struggled to release the words from my tongue. The conception flooded my brain, but for some reason I couldn’t string the words together to form the full idea. I stood there with a wild, bewildered expression on my face. The girl giggled shamelessly.

“Don’t be alarmed,” she said. “This is the effect I have on most people. Disorienting isn’t it?”

I said nothing.

“It appears so. No worries, I’ll lay off it for a bit.”

And as mysteriously as the mist had come, it just as evasively evaporated into thin air. I swallowed hard and the bitterness was gone. Slowly, I became more conscious of the situation as my thoughts came rushing back to me. I nearly choked on the heavy influx of information.

“What--what was that?” I gasped.

“That my dear, was a small taste of my ability.” She smiled at her own pun.

“Ability,” I repeated. “Like Effy’s and Pace’s?”

“Exactly. Pace has physical skills, while Effy’s are purely mental. My talents are much closer to Effy’s in that aspect because we’re Mind Voxes.”

“Mind what’s?”

“A Vox is someone who possesses abilities greater than those of the average human. People whose skills are mentally effective are called Mind Voxes. Those who can manipulate elements, such as fire and water, are called Elemental Voxes. Pace is neither because he can’t manipulate elements or the minds’ of the others. Since his body is the only thing that his ability affects, he’s called a Formal Vox.”

“You’ve lost me,” I said, trying to take it all in.

She pointed at her head and winked. “Mind Vox, remember?”

“Oh, right. So you have the gift of…confusing people?”

“That’s right,” the girl said. “I’m Echo, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you, Echo. I’d introduce myself, but it seems like everyone here already knows me…”

“Yes, Zephyrus briefed us about you shortly before you arrived.”

“Who’s Zephyrus?” I asked.

Echo smiled and changed the subject.

“So tell me, Violet, what kind of Vox are you?”

“I have no idea,” I said flatly.

“Well, I guess we are about to find out then. I suppose we should get started. Hopefully this won’t hurt…”

“Wait, what--”

The heavy mist began to fill the air again and the labyrinth grew dimmer. I experienced the feeling of a rug being pulled out from under my feet. My heart rate spiked as a fresh wave of fear washed over me. I clenched my fists tightly and closed my eyes, preparing myself for the worst. A tingling sensation spread throughout my body and I assumed that it was another one of Echo’s abilities. I sucked in shallow spurts of air, expecting to taste the bitterness that I had become acquainted with earlier, yet I tasted nothing.

I couldn’t help but wonder why nothing bad had happened yet.

I opened my eyes to see an expression of surprise and mild amusement on Echo’s small face.

“Well, that’s peculiar,” she murmured.

Her eyes were darting all over the place, as if she was trying to locate something that she couldn’t quite find. They scanned the environment savagely, never once meeting my eyes. I wondered to myself why she wouldn’t make eye contact

A look of confusion crossed my face, but as I looked up I realized that Echo couldn’t see it. She didn’t make eye contact because she couldn’t make eye contact. As my eyes searched for my silhouette in the mirrored ceiling, they found nothing.

I held my hand out in front of me, wiggling my fingers experimentally. There was nothing but thin air where my hand should have been. I could feel it but not see it. I looked down and saw nothing. No feet, no legs, nothing.

I screamed, stepping backwards and stumbling swiftly backward.

Understanding flooded Echo’s face. Then she smiled, finally looking me in the eyes. Visible once more were my legs splayed out in front of me. I tilted my head upward and checked my reflection, just in case. I saw my own flustered self and relief washed over me. My slight figure, my clipped brown hair--it was all visible once more.

“That was awesome!” Echo exclaimed. “That was the last thing I expected you to do!”

“W-what just happened?” my voice cracked.

“You were…transparent.” She was tilting her head, as if trying to get a better look at me.

“You mean like--”

“Invisible,” Echo finished for me. A grin stretched widely across her face as she stared at me in silence for a moment. I cursed under my breath.

“How is this even possible?” I said. “This isn't real--none of this is really happening. I think I've gone insane...”

“You’re not loony,” she said. “You’re special. Like everybody else here. Violet, haven't you realized that we're not like everybody else?"

“Special,” I repeated. “Everybody keeps using that word! I’m not special, I’m just…a girl.”

“What do you think I am?” Echo scoffed. “I’m just a girl. Effy is just a girl. We’re all just a girl."

"But Echo, this is completely crazy. I don't even know what I am anymore!"

"It’s not about what we are, it’s about what we do that makes us special. It’s our actions and talents that define us. We're here to serve the greater good.”

A humble, glazed expression crossed over Echo’s face and I got the impression that those words were not her own. The way she spoke sounded as if she was only repeating the words of someone else to me now.

“Echo?” I said, snapping to get her attention. “What do you mean by the greater good?”

Her eyes focused again. “As much as I’d love to explain, alas, I cannot. Fret not though, because the sooner you finish the maze, the sooner everything will be explained to you. Now, I believe I’ve served my purpose, so you may continue on with your journey.”

She danced around on the tips of her toes and waved me off.

“Well, see you around then, Echo,” I said.

Even though she was quite strange, I had a feeling that Echo would grow on me with time.

I continued onward, following the path of the maze. I headed straight, consulting the mirrors every so often, until I reached a fork in the labyrinth. I looked at the ceiling and my stomach churned when I realized that both directions led to black patches of darkness. I knew not what lurked in their shadows, but because of my little knowledge of what hid there, they both posed an equal threat to me. My only deciding factor was the faint, windmill-like whipping noise coming from the left of the maze. I had no desire to find out what was making that noise, so I turned to the right, having little confidence in my decision.

I trudged forward, dreading the darkness that would inevitably come. There was no escaping it; I had to pass through the blackness in order to make it out of the maze, presuming that I would even survive. I tried not to think about the chills shooting up my spine. Or about the lights mounting the maze’s walls that were now flickering halfheartedly…

But while I was unsuccessfully not worrying about all these things, I failed to notice the small creature that had darted out in front of me. I halted my foot midair before it came crashing down on the animal, which was a fortunate thing because the animal was a porcupine. In my attempt to save the creature’s life, I incidentally did not save my balance and I fell backward once again.

The spiked creature gave me a look of the deepest loathing before scurrying off into the depths of the maze.

I should have made you into a porcupine pancake.

I reluctantly got to my feet, the feeling in my legs almost nonexistent. Fear spread throughout my body like a virus as I moved ever closer to the all encompassing darkness. It was the deeply human fear that anything could be lurking in the darkness--that a hand might reach out and grab me at any moment.

As I wound my way deeper into the maze, the flickering lights lining the walls grew dangerously dim. I held out my arms, making sure not to run into anything. After awhile, I couldn’t see my hands at all and I wasn’t sure if it was because of the absence of light or that my newfound ability was coming into play. My eyes began to strain and I could no longer see where I was going as I stumbled about in the darkness.

Drenched in pitch blackness, I staggered forward a few steps more, but stopped when I came to a terrible conclusion. Somewhere in the darkness, I sensed another person's presence and realized that I was not alone. A few yards away, I could barely make out a lone figure. He was sitting from what I could tell and made no movement toward me. I held my breath and I could hear him breathing steadily.

I fought the urge to turn back and I forced myself to remain calm. Wondering if he was of help or harm, I contemplated whether or not I should approach the figure. But before I could make up my mind, the lights suddenly flickered on again. The lights were dim, casting an obscure shadow over the silhouette’s face. The only thing I could make out was his unkempt, dark hair that framed his surely masculine face. He sat with his knees to his chest, his gaze concealed by the shadows.

“Who is that?” I said. But he did not move or even acknowledge my presence. I inched closer, dying to see the silhouette’s shadowed face. Without the slightest indication of movement, he finally spoke.

“So tell me, what magical ability did you discover today?” His voice was low and tinged with irony.

“Well, I was invisible." The word felt foreign on my lips. "Or at least that’s what that girl, Echo, said.”

“Hmm," he murmured.

“What do you do?” I dared to asked.

He chuckled darkly. The silence that followed told me that he was not going to answer my question.

“I’m curious,” he said, “I’d like to see your talent.”

“Well, it’s not something you can technically see.”

He gave me no response and I could tell that he wasn’t going to let me refuse his request. This must be part of my task. I made a deep sigh of relief. This was something I could handle.

I stood there for a moment--trying to concentrate--until I realized that I had no idea how to use my ability. I looked back up at him, slightly abashed.

“Take a deep breath and think of something terrifying,” the boy said. “Fear is a good way to trigger your instincts.”

I nodded and inhaled deeply. I thought hard about my encounters with the darkness earlier in the maze and Echo’s eerie voice that had caught me off guard. But more specifically, I tried to remember the feeling of the chills underneath my skin, to evoke the raw emotion of fear into my mind.

Almost instantaneously, a tingling sensation flowed throughout my body and I knew that it was working. The boy was right. It had come so naturally to me, like an instinct my body had forgotten about. It was like trying to explain to someone how to breathe: impossible to describe but impossibly easy to do. It was breathing out and breathing in.

“Impressive,” the boy muttered. “You’re very natural--even for a Vox.” There was that word again. I noticed that the boy had tilted his face in my direction or at least from what I could tell. He stood up and took a hesitant step toward me.

The light hit his face and I had to fight the urge to gasp.

A circular burn, about the size of a quarter, obstructed a good portion of his left cheek. His skin transitioned from a glowing olive color to an ugly red and purple mark. My fingers itched to trace over the burn, to feel the contrast between his smooth, regular skin to the shiny, damaged portion of it. I had never seen anyone so disfigured that was simultaneously so beautiful. The boy had an exotic sort of face and looked to have Native American in his blood. His high cheekbones were prominent and distinguished, his eyes a pale, glacial grey. They were two clear drops of water submerged on his striking face. They were the kind of eyes that you worried you might drown in.

He walked nearer, his arms slightly extended, as if in an attempt to not bump into me. I was still transparent, I realized, so I released the air in my lungs and slowly the tingling vanished. A warmth overtook me as I became visible again. The boy’s light eyes found mine and a strange expression crossed his damaged face.

"Can I ask you something?" I said suddenly.

"Sure," said the boy.

"You're not going to ambush me with your ability like Echo did, are you? Because I would really like to know beforehand."

His face softened a bit. "No, I wouldn't do that. I don't use my ability the same way as they do."

"Okay," I said in relief. "Good."

"Not liking the Elimination Chamber much, eh?" he said.

"Effy made it sound as if it would be a life or death situation. It's not nearly as bad as everyone made it out to be."

"The dangers here are not the same as you would think. They're not as readily apparent at least."

I nodded, trying to look as if I understood what he meant. In reality, his words made no more sense to me than electromagnetism. My eyes fell upon his burn again and lingered, as my thoughts were filled with both a curiosity and horror.

“Wouldn’t you like to ask me?” he said.

“Ask you?”

“About my face.” His expression was calm and his eyes held a certain ambivalence that I couldn't quite place.

“That wasn’t what I was thinking,” I said, my eyes automatically darting to his burn. I felt awful and uncomfortable at the same time. I didn’t know how to talk my way out of it because it was quite obvious that it was exactly what I had been thinking about.

“Well I saw your eyes lingering--on the mark, I mean,” he said. His lips twitched faintly, as if in an accidental smirk. Was he amused by my uneasiness?

“Sorry," I said.

“Well, it’s not exactly hidden, now is it?” he said, with a slight laugh.

“How'd you get it?" I blurted out. I immediately regretted it, but the boy appeared not to care.

“You're a blunt one, aren't you? My house caught on fire as a kid. I escaped with only a few burns, but my mother and father weren’t so lucky. Large portions of their skin were completely charred and they had to get skin grafts. Unfortunately we didn’t have much money, so they couldn’t afford proper ones. Now they walk around with mismatched skin, looking like they’d been stitched together with puzzle pieces.”

A look of horror crossed my face. The boy’s expression stretched into a grin.

“I’m only messing with you,” he said. “We were roasting marshmallows on a sixth grade field trip and some kid’s flaming marshmallow flew off his stick. Tragic, isn't it?”

I stared at him, no signs of amusement on my face. If he had meant to make me feel less sorry for him, then it had certainly worked.

“You're not one to take a joke, are you?" He had this horrible smirk on his face that made me want to slap him. “What did you say your name was?”

“I didn't,” I said, caustically. “I thought Echo said everyone had already been briefed about me?”

“I must have missed that meeting. I never go to those anyway.”

“Well, maybe you should next time. But if you care it to know, it’s Violet.”

“Violet,” he repeated slowly, as if digesting the name. "That's cute."

“And what’s your name?” I lifted an eyebrow in irritation. For some reason I was being overly hostile. I knew I was probably overreacting, but I couldn’t help it.

“Call me, Sonny,” he said. I couldn’t help but think that I wouldn’t be calling him anything if I could manage it.

“Well, Violet,” Sonny said, “it certainly has been a pleasure.”

Oh, the sarcasm. How witty and original.

“Whatever,” I said, before turning to leave.

“Hey, Violet?” he called out. I turned to face him, half expecting him to make up for his prior insolence.

“Try smiling once in awhile, eh?”

I turned and walked away, but not before I could show him one of my choice digits. I stomped off with my cheeks still burning, but I managed to keep calm. I convinced myself that he was not worth the frustration.

As I neared the end of the maze, the dead ends lessened and I basically followed a continuous path. I noticed that the air turned chilly, but that was all, aside from the occasional thunder coming across maze. I ran my fingers along the cold metal walls of the labyrinth, imagining all of the things I could do with my new ability. I knew at that moment that my life had profoundly changed. I could do things now--I could be of significance. There was nothing that could extinguish the spark that was beginning to ignite inside of me. For the first time in my life, the feeling of empowerment burned through the darkness.

"The stormmaker says it ain't so bad,
The dreammaker's gonna make you mad.
The spaceman says 'Everybody look down, it's all in your mind.'"
-The Killers

The maze ended with a lengthy metal staircase that led me into an unfamiliar room. This particular room was pristinely white, much like the one I had entered the maze from, except it was much larger. Its floor was also transparent and it appeared to be where the others had watched me progress through the labyrinth. The five people I’d met briefly in the Observations Room were sitting crisscross applesauce upon the ground, along with Echo, who had managed to make it up here before me. As soon as I stepped through the threshold, they all leapt up and I was immediately swarmed by a dozen arms that dragged me into a communal hug.

“You did awesome!” Effy said after they had all pulled away from me. She was positively beaming--they all were.

Pace hi-fived me. “Welcome to the team, McFeisty!”

I lifted an eyebrow at the nickname, but I couldn't help but laugh.

An edgy, black-haired boy with electric eyes came up and shook my hand. I recognized him as the one who had almost been burned by Finn’s hand earlier in the tunnel.

“Glad to meet you, Violet. My name’s Phoenix.”

“Nice to meet you too, Phoenix,” I said. He kept eye contact longer than necessary and I found it difficult to look into his penetrating, blue eyes. When he finally looked away, I was almost relieved.

A pale boy with mousy hair looked at me with an awed expression on his face.

“That was so cool,” he all but squeaked.

“Thanks,” I said. “What’s your name?”

“His name is ‘Ishmael’ or something rather,” Finn said, speaking for the boy. “But we just call him Ish.”

A small smile appeared on Ish’s chubby face and he nodded. I got the impression that he really looked up to Finn.

Lex met my eyes briefly, but she didn't offer me words of congratulations--or any words at all for that matter. It didn’t surprise me though because I was learning not to expect much from her.

“So, Violet,” Effy said, bringing her hands together, “it’s time for you to be filled in on a few things. I’m sure that you probably have a lot of questions by now. Since we dragged you all this way and forced you into a maze, we think you deserve to know the reason why. We’re heading to the auditorium now to properly inform you of things.”

She stepped in front of a well-concealed door that slid open for her and she gestured for us to follow. My stomach squirmed with anticipation. All of my disregarded questions were about to be answered.

We walked through a long corridor that was dimly lit and lined with faintly orange lights. It seemed that every room in this place was either too dark or was intensely blinding. The interior decorator did not appear to grasp the art of subtlety.

Pace jogged to catch up with me and momentarily was at my side.

“Hey,” he said. I could see the trace of a sheepish grin on his face. He remained quiet, as if he wasn’t sure if it was okay for him to talk to me. I was confused by his behavior until I remembered that I had a reason to be angry with him.

“'Elimination Chamber', my ass," I said, suddenly remembering the conversation we had before the maze.

“We wanted you to think that you were in real danger. It wouldn’t have been as effective if you hadn’t. Besides, where would the fun be in that?”

I smacked him on the arm, which he didn’t react to. “You know, I really thought I was going I was going to die in there. I thought you’d tricked me.”

“Really?” he said in amusement. “Gosh, you women are so dramatic.”

“We are not!" I spat out. "When you refer to something as ‘the Elimination Chamber’, people kind of expect it to live up to its name.”

“What’s wrong with the name? I thought it reeked of friendliness and warmth.”

“You’re ridiculous,” I said, rolling my eyes. “So what’s the deal with the auditorium? Do I get to watch one of those informational videos from like ninth grade health class?”

"Not quite." He chuckled.

“Well, what then?”

“You get a speech from Zephyrus.”

“Who is this Zephyrus person? Echo mentioned him earlier.”

We entered through an extravagant set of double doors into a large and comfortable theater. The entire place was cloaked in drapes of dark green and gold. No outsider could have guessed that the old power plant was home to elaborate displays such as this.

“He runs the place. As a matter of fact,” Pace said, pointing, “he’s right over there.”

Up on the stage, I saw a tall man waiting patiently at the podium. He was rather thin, from what I could make out, and he had long, blonde hair framing his face. His eyes darted around the room wildly and a devilish grin played at his lips.

“That’s him?” I asked, slightly taken aback. “He’s so--”

“Eccentric?” Pace suggested.

“Something like that."

There were nine seats lined up in front of the stage, one designated for each teenager. They were oversized and comfortable armchairs, each one a different pattern and color. I settled into a floral-patterned, burgundy seat beside Pace. Several seconds later, Ish stumbled into the chair on my other side, smiling shyly. I noticed the empty ninth seat beside him, but thought little of it.

The bustling and noise quieted as everyone began to settle down. The lights dimmed and a single spotlight shone directly over the man on stage. Zephyrus, who had been standing silently at the podium, ambled across the stage, each step echoing dramatically and deliberately. He wore a tailored grey suit with a lemon, yellow tie. He had an aged look, well on with his years, but his eyes were fresh and observant. The man walked with an air of confidence, a smug smile meeting his lips as he looked out into the audience.

“Hello, all,” he said exuberantly, but his cheerfulness did not match the wicked grin that he wore. A nod of response swept through the row of adolescents.

“As you all know,” said Zephyrus, his voice booming from the stage, “we have a new addition to our team today.” All heads turned to me and I hated Zephyrus intensely in that moment. I was reminded of the awkward introductions on the first day at a new school.

“So, Violet, my dear,” he said. “I'm sure by now that the suspense is killing you.”

I muttered a response, but I was so far away that my voice scarcely reached the stage.

“Oh, how terribly rude of me!” Zephyrus exclaimed, shaking his head. “If you’ll excuse my insolence--”

And with that he leapt off the stage, landing lightly on his feet. It would be an understatement to say that he walked--it was more like danced--over to the empty ninth chair. He swept it off the ground and placed it so that it was directly in front of me. Zephyrus straddled the chair and looked at me with the utmost attention.

“So,” he said. “Let’s start from the beginning.”

My heart pounded; this was where it would all come together. It was in this room that I would learn everything.

"It all began as the ultimate power struggle, I suppose,” Zephyrus said. “There was once a man, Atticus was his name. He had all the embodiments of a great man--he was kind, gentle, and above all, very smart. In school had always been at the top of his class and he grew up to be a renowned scientist. But this was not enough for him, he craved more. A fierce curiosity burned inside of him that could not be quenched.

“Atticus’s forte was genetics and from time to time he would find himself experimenting on certain--ah--projects. I, myself being a rather curious man, began collaborating with him on these projects. It started with small things at first, such as lizards and rats, but over time they evolved into more complex creatures--humans.

“It was with our keen research and experimentation that we were able to accomplish something that no biologist ever had. Violet, you’ve taken Biology, correct?”

I nodded.

“Then you’re familiar with the Human Genome Project, yes?”

“That was where scientists were trying to decode human DNA," I said. “Wait, you didn’t actually do that, did you?”

A sinister smile crept over Zephyrus’s face and he nodded.

“But I don’t understand. That must’ve taken years, decades even. Why all the trouble?”

“You tell me, Violet. When you first began learning how read, in oh--kindergarten--what else did you learn how to do?”

I thought back to Violet Feist, age five. Memories of colorful letter cards and alphabet pictures bordering the walls flashed through my mind. Along with learning how to read, I remembered shakily holding a pencil in my hand and etching sloppy words onto wide-ruled paper.

“I learned how to write,” I said.

“Yes,” he encouraged. “Go on.”

“You learned how to read it,” I said slowly, “so that you would be able to rewrite it.” The idea clicked into place. It was brilliant.

“Exactly! Once we were able to decode it, the possibilities became endless. I wanted to use our knowledge for the greater good. With what we’d learned, we could cure any disease imaginable. Leukemia, Parkinson’s, ALS--any genetic defect--gone with a simple rearrangement of DNA.

“But Atticus was more ambitious. He saw possibilities far beyond that. Instead of just fixing old genes, we could create new ones. Did you know that humans actually have inactive DNA for gill slits and tails? I can still remember Atticus telling me, with this wild look in his eyes, ‘just think of the possibilities, Zephyrus. With the activation of one simple gene, the entire human race could breathe under water. No one would ever drown!’

“He began experimenting with this and I grudgingly helped him. It was against my better judgment, I admit. And looking back, I should have seen how obsessed he was becoming. I should have seen the warning signs…”

Zephyrus looked down for a moment and I felt a pang of sympathy for him. Despite his eccentric tendencies and devious grin, his story had touched me somehow.

“But that is beside the point,” he said, perking up. “With several years of experimentation under our belts, we had developed the ultimate tool in the form of a virus. It modified the DNA of the carrier into whomever we injected it into--Constance, the girl’s name was. She was really quite amazing. The virus had given her the ability to alter the DNA of others--she became a sort of human virus herself. She would affect the target’s most dominant natural ability so that it was a thousand times intensified.”

“How did she do that?” I asked.

“Like a dog with rabies would,” he said. “A simple bite to the skin.”

My fingers automatically touched the scar on my arm from seven years ago, as the words dog and bite registered in my mind. I examined the teeth marks that I once thought to have belonged to my neighbor’s dog. The memory of that night was hazy and I could not ever recall seeing the dog actually bite me. I traced over the disturbing scar with my finger, the teeth marks looking progressively more human.

“Of course, the virus is dormant until activated by our dear, Shawna, which you’ve recently had the pleasure of experiencing, of course,” he said, with a wink. I shuddered at the thought.

“We dabbled with this for years and after so long, I finally had to ask. When would it end? Atticus did not like this, of course. He was creating an army, he told me. An army of super humans! Or Voxes, he began calling them. That was when I saw it, the wild look in his eyes that I had seen so many years before. I knew he wouldn’t listen to reason, that he was becoming a danger to not only himself, but the world around him. Anyone could see that he was not fit to house an army of experiments at his disposal. And that was how the first war began…

“Back then, I only had two team members at hand. Shawna and a young girl named Dahlia. Atticus on the other hand, had an army of five and was planning on exposing even more to the virus.”

“Wait,” I interjected. “If you had Shawna, then how could he make more? I thought you needed her to activate the virus?”

Zephyrus chuckled. “That is true, my dear. But Shawna was highly expendable. Atticus had access to the virus also, because he helped create it. It wouldn’t have been too difficult for him to create another Shawna.”

I imagined an army of Shawnas, marching around and giggling wickedly. My skin was crawling at the thought.

“The war dragged on and undoubtedly ended in my defeat. Dahlia’s life had already been taken, and fearful of Shawna's life as well, I surrendered to Atticus’ army. He went off to continue his fanatical experimentation and I haven't spoken to him since. That is, until recently.

“I’ve received word of what he’s been planning and it’s not good news for us. He’s retained his original army of five and has been graciously adding to it. God only knows what he’ll use them for…

“I’ve tried compromising with him, but it only seems to do more harm than good. I am sure that he will target us and we may already be in a mind war with him. It is a dangerous thing, warring with Atticus--it’s like continually stepping over minefields. Fortunately, we’ve cleared out most everyone in Carraway with the storm”--his eyes flickered to Ish--“so we won’t have to worry about any citizen casualties. This is only temporary though, for the people of Carraway won’t stay away forever. It could be months or it could be weeks, depending on how unlivable the conditions are. This battle could turn into a raging fire that isn’t easily put out. That is why it is of the greatest importance that we stop him before anything gets out of hand. No matter the cost, Atticus must be stopped.”

The last words hung in the silence, resounding through each of our ears. I knew what they were asking of me, although the depth of it hadn’t quite pierced me yet. I was to be a weapon, a continuation of a decades old war that I hadn’t even known existed. This was my new destiny--this was my purpose.

Zephyrus stifled a yawn.

“Alas, it is past my bedtime!” he said with a dramatic sweep of his arm. “I bid thee good night, children. You’re in for a busy day tomorrow, so sleep well. And Violet--welcome! I’m sure that before long this place will feel much like home.”

Zephyrus flashed me a quick grin with his dazzling white teeth before disappearing behind the stage curtain.

“So what’d you think?” Pace said as we stood up to leave.

I let out a long, arduous sigh.

“Overwhelming, isn’t it?”

“That would be an understatement,” I said. “I think Hiroshima experienced less of a shock than I just did--Pace, please don’t look at me like that for making a Hiroshima joke.”

“You just need to mull it over for a bit,” he said while ruffling his silky blonde hair with his hand. “Let the information sink in. It is pretty--er--mind-blowing.”

“Oh, bomb jokes…” I said.

“They’re such a blast.” He grinned widely.

We exited through the auditorium’s set of double doors and I followed behind the rest of the team. The others dragged their feet tiredly but I couldn’t have been more awake. My eyes continually wandered as they took in the new sights around me. The floor glittered in a stream of never-ending gold along the corridor and a rainbow of multicolored origami birds hung from the ceiling. I stood on tiptoes to try and touch one with my fingertips, but I couldn’t quite reach. I repeated the process several times, practically leaping up on my last try, but my fingers would only hit thin air every time.

I noticed Phoenix watching my failed attempts from afar and for some reason it made me feel childish. Something about his rebellious black hair and startling blue eyes intimidated me, even though he had given me no reason to dislike him. We made unsure eye contact for several seconds but then he gave me an understanding grin and I laughed in spite of myself.

“Pretty, aren’t they?” he said kindly, pausing so I could catch up with him.

“They are,” I agreed. “Who made them?”

“Echo,” Phoenix said with a jerk of his head toward her. “She likes decorating the Plant.”

“That seems like something she would do,” I said.

Phoenix examined the origami, musing quietly to himself.

“Would you like one?” he asked, still admiring the paper sculptures.

“They’re too high up. I don’t think either of us can reach them.”

Phoenix grinned deviously. “Watch this,” he said.

He stretched out his hand, palm facing upward to the ceiling. Phoenix extended his fingers and then relaxed them and a small flicker of light sparked in the palm of his hand. The spark ignited and then triggered a tiny, blue current of electricity. He elongated his fingers again and the strange, glowing energy shot up and cut the string that had held a paper bird. The origami sculpture floated down from the ceiling and Phoenix caught it gently in his palm.

“Here,” he said, offering it to me. “For our newest team member.”

I accepted it and examined it closely with my fingers. It was a crane--infinitesimal and carefully folded. It was made of delicate lilac paper adorned with tiny silver stars. I turned it over in my hand before safely placing it in my pocket.

We turned a sharp corner down a much darker corridor. There was a faint chill in the passageway that I was happy to be rid of when we turned up a set of sleek, polished stairs. The staircase spilled out into two opposing directions and I followed the team to the left. We walked in a single file line over a railed section that overlooked several floors. Below us, I could make out a shiny wood paneled floor and several long tables that made up what looked like a dining area.

We walked for a ways farther and it was when I began to wonder exactly how spacious this place was that we stopped in front of a large, oak door. This door was much different from the others I’d seen here because not only was it wooden, but it was also ingrained with various carvings and patterns. In the center of them all was a blaring, six-pointed star with twelve petals encircling it. The hexagram reminded me of the Star of David, but I knew that the other symbols on the door could not have been Jewish. I wasn’t sure, but I guessed that they were either Buddhist or Hindu because one of them encircled the Om symbol.

Effy examined the door briefly, her eyes landing on an imprint of a hand with a pentagram in the center. She placed her right palm to the outline and, with a grating noise, the wooden imprint shifted inward and the door swung open.

As we entered the room, a feeling of warmth spread throughout my body. We walked into a large, open sitting room filled with inviting couches, magazine strewn tables, and a crackling fireplace. At the back of the room, there were two sets of doors that I presumed would lead to our sleeping quarters. I followed behind Effy through the left door, while the boys took to the right.

I almost regretted leaving the warmth of the inviting sitting room--that is, until I saw the girl’s dormitory. The girl’s dorm was a spacious room with a high, domed ceiling and glossy, dark wood floors. The walls were draped in pale, lavender wallpaper laced with the same little, silver stars as Echo’s origami crane. There were several, luxurious looking four-poster beds occupying the room and they were shrouded with curtains of an alluring amethyst for privacy. The lavender hued room was beautiful with its various shades of purple, but the most remarkable thing about it wasn’t even apparent upon first glance. I tilted my head upward and took in an involuntary breath of air as I looked at the skylight that occupied most of the domed ceiling. I could see the entire night sky and the stars seemed to shine much brighter than I was used to in Carraway. Maybe it was because the power plant was so secluded from civilization, but I had never seen the stars more clearly.

I walked to the only unmade bed that was clearly intended for me. I was surprised to see that a suitcase had been packed with all my necessities and favorite belongings.

"That wasn't there this morning," Effy murmured.

I began unpacking, placing my things in the dresser beside my bed and pausing to marvel at a few select items. It amazed me how well whomever had packed my suitcase had done at choosing my favorite things: the silver locket I had been given on my tenth birthday, the only photograph I had of my parents, and even my best set of oil pastels for drawing. I placed the photo on top of my dresser and finished putting the rest of my things away.

I sat on my new bed, examining the other girls. As I observed them, noting that they never talked--or even noticed each other’s existence--I realized they were not friends. They sat in silence, their differences shining brighter now than their similarities. Effy was the oldest and clearly the leader. Then there was the angry and reserved Lex--the girl with the stick up her ass. She harbored a hatred for the Plant and everybody in it, for some unknown reason. And lastly, there was Echo--the odd one out. If given the choice, these girls would have never even talked to each other. They barely did now. They were together only because they were forced into cohabitation.

Echo stared off into space, lost in her own little world. Effy filed her nails, clearly bored by the routine that I was just beginning to learn. My eyes glanced over at Lex, who was sitting on her bed and combing through her dark, wavy hair. When she noticed me looking at her, she shot me a look and stood up abruptly. She walked out of the room without a word to anyone and didn’t return until after I had fallen asleep. I wondered briefly where she had gone, but then decided that I didn’t care.

After a little while, I closed my curtains and rested my head against the pillow. I hadn’t bothered to change, so I lay on top of the lilac comforter in my jeans and sweatshirt. I tried to close by eyes, but found that I was still wide awake, so I just lay there in silence.

Zephyrus’ words rattled around in my head, making it impossible to concentrate on anything else. “You’re in for a busy day tomorrow,” he had said. Something in the pit of my stomach contracted as I worried what that might mean. If the elimination chamber was only a test, then I didn’t even want to think about what tomorrow might bring.

Absentmindedly, I reached my hand into my pocket. Only when my fingers touched the fragile paper, did I remember Echo’s origami bird. I pulled it out of my pocket and turned it over with my fingers. I pictured Echo, spending countless hours folding dozens of cranes just like it for no apparent reason. Her actions seemed nonsensical and they puzzled me. I thought back to her mysterious abilities in the maze and how her peculiar mist had disoriented me.

Just the thought of it sent chills down my spine and as I held the crane in my hand, I noticed my fingertips fade a tiny bit. Instead of shifting my focuses, I decided to try and keep that feeling of fear, as Sonny had suggested before. I watched my fingers fade little by little, until they finally disappeared completely. The origami bird stayed suspended in the air and it looked as if it were floating of its own accord. I wiggled the paper crane, propelling it through the air so that it had the appearance of flying. I entertained myself with this for what seemed like hours, before finally settling into a hazy sleep.

I awoke to Echo’s prodding finger in my side. I blinked hard and slowly her antique glasses and large, owl eyes swam into focus.

“Hey, Echo,” I said as I rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

“It’s nearly time for breakfast,” she informed me. “You begin your training today.”

“Training?”

“Yeah, everyone here does it. It’s to help sharpen your ability.”

“Oh, right,” I said. “My ability.”

It was strange how she referred to it so matter-of-factly, as if she were talking about my vision or something. I supposed that, technically, my strange new skill was comparable to my other senses. It was just so bizarre--like learning that all of the sudden I had a whole new body part. I would have to give myself time to get used to the idea.

I pushed myself into a sitting position and swung my legs over the side of the four poster bed. Throwing my head back, I exhaled deeply. The anxiety of beginning my training today loomed over the horizon and I couldn’t shake the vague feeling of worry. It wasn’t really the idea of getting hurt that worried me, but more the uncertainty of the unknown.

My apprehension was cut short when a loud voice sounded throughout the room. I flinched at the sudden noise and looked around for the source of it desperately. I quickly located a small intercom on the wall.

“Good morning, teammates,” came Zephyrus’ voice. “Breakfast will be served in the dining hall in ten minutes. I advise you to be on time so we can set a good example for our new teammate. Finn, that specifically means you.”

“Finn,” Effy muttered irritably as she stood up and stretched.

I walked into the community bathroom, carrying my bag of toiletries with me. Echo and Lex were already brushing their teeth at two of the half dozen sinks lining the bathroom wall. I grabbed the sink next to Echo and eagerly began brushing mine as well; I had terrible morning breath.

“Are you nervous, Violet?” Effy said as she entered the room.

I hesitated before answering.

“A little,” I finally admitted.

“Don’t be. We’ll all be training together so you won’t be on your own this time.”

I couldn’t help but smile at her attempt to make me feel better. She had been nothing but kind to me through all of this and I appreciated it immensely.

I could feel Lex's eyes on me two sinks down. I tried my best to ignore her, but after several seconds I couldn’t help but look up. She stared at me for a moment more before averting her glance. Lex spat out her toothpaste and briskly left the room.

“Uh, is she always like that?”

“Bright little ray of sunshine, isn’t she?” Effy said.

“What’s her deal?”

“Well personally, I think she has something up her you-know-what, but that’s just my two cents.”

I laughed, while Echo looked thoughtful.

“You never know, it could be anything. It’s really not our place to judge.”


I was pulling out a pair of jeans from my drawer when Effy stopped me.

“You’ll want to wear something a little more comfortable.” She handed me a pair of black spandex. “Wear these,” she said.

I changed into the spandex leggings and threw on a tank top. I followed Effy down to the dining room because I still didn’t know my way around very well.

The dining hall was a large, open room lined with a rainbow of brilliantly colored tapestries. The boys were already seated and Pace beckoned me over to the beautifully carved dining table.

“Hey, you excited for your first training day?” he said as he helped himself to the enormous platters of food. He plopped down several, giant spoonfuls of fluffy, scrambled eggs and fried potatoes onto his plate.

I gave him a noncommittal shrug, hoping that he wouldn’t read into it.

“You’re not fooling anyone he said,” he said with a playful grin. “Everyone is nervous their first time.”

“What are we doing today, anyway, Mr. Intuitive?”

“We’ll find out when we get there. Zephyrus likes to surprise us with these things.”

“What a fun guy,” I said irritably.

“Hey now, he can probably hear you,” Pace warned.

“Oh great, what is he--Big Brother?”

He shrugged. “All I know is he has security cameras everywhere and there are intercoms in every room. Who’s to know if they don’t work both ways?”

I found it strange that Zephyrus would need security cameras in a place as secluded as the power plant. It seemed to me that he must have reason to be suspicious of behavior inside the Plant as well as outside.

“Aren’t you going to eat anything?” Pace asked.

“I’m not hungry.”

“Understandable,” he said. “There’s always time for food afterward, anyway.”

Zephyrus’ voice sounded over the intercom, which thankfully didn’t make me jump this time.

“Teammates, start heading down to the Training Wing. Training begins in ten minutes.”

There was a clatter of plates and chair legs scraped against the floor. We formed into an uneven cluster, Effy leading the way as always. The group condensed as we went down several sets of stairs before finally reaching an underground corridor. The dark passageway led us to an area entirely separate from the power plant itself. There were several marked doors that went to various zones of the Training Wing. We passed through a heavy set of double doors that read, “Obstacle Course.”

“Looks like we’re going into the Pit, guys.”


Effy led us into a small locker room, consulting a silver watch slung tightly around her wrist as she went. She grabbed a stack of folded blue tee shirts and started handing them out.

“Finn, Phoenix, Echo, and Lex--you guys are the blue team. Put these on over your clothes and start heading down to the other side of the Pit.”

“Pace, Ish, and Violet--take these red shirts over here. You guys are with me.”

I grabbed a red shirt from the stack and threw it on over my tank top.

“Violet, since you’re new, I’ll explain how it works. This is an obstacle course. Each team will start out on opposite ends of the arena--or the Pit as we call it--and will work their way to the middle. The goal is to get to the flag before the other team does. Make sense?”

“I think so,” I said. “But shouldn’t I have some sort of formal training first?”

“That’s not Zephyrus’ style,” Effy said. “He believes in throwing you in headfirst and letting your instincts take over. Don’t worry about it too much.”

“Right…” I said, not so sure about Zephyrus’ method. I didn’t think it very wise to send me in with the other Voxes who had been training for far longer than I had. I simply didn’t have the experience or the confidence they possessed. I doubted that I could even control my ability with so many factors coming into play. My mind would be on outrunning the other team and making it past the obstacle course. I couldn’t see how I’d be able to focus.

Pace, Ish, and I followed Effy down a hallway to the right, while the other team had taken to the left. We walked for quite awhile, but eventually we made it to the door at the end of the hall.

My eyes widened as we entered the giant underground arena. Four massive, stone walls locked us in and they stretched as high as the eye could see. About fifty yards in front of us lay a dense stretch of trees and I had no idea how long it went on for. My team members stood poised in their blood red shirts, waiting for some sort of a sign.

A rousing horn flooded the air and filled my bones with an electric current. I felt electricity running through my legs as they shot forward. I was in stride with Effy and Ish before I had time to realize it. Somehow, my body had known what to do at the sound of the horn before my mind did. My reflexes were stronger than I’d thought…

Pace reached the forest before us, but it didn’t take long for the dense trees to slow his speed significantly. He struggled with the urge to burst into a sprint, but the thick winding trees held him back.

“It had to be a forest,” he said in mild frustration. “I could have been there already.”

“Pace, I think that’s the point,” Effy said as she weaved her way through the branches. “Ish, isn’t there anything you can do?”

“I can make a tornado,” he suggested weakly.

“That sounds safe,” I said, remembering the tornado that almost killed me not long ago. I had a sudden flashback of the pale figure orchestrating the storm and I realized the figure must have been Ish. I’d found another hidden facet of someone that I never would have thought existed.

“Can’t you just tone it down?” Pace said. “You know, make it strong enough to knock down the trees but not to kill us?”

“Guys, I don’t think that’s a very good idea,” he said.

“But what else are we supposed to do? The other team is probably almost to the flag.”

“Okay, fine,” he said quietly. “I’ll do it.”

Ish raised his pudgy arms and a hollow whistling sound rustled through my ears. I could feel the winds rushing through the air as they gathered in speed and strength. The trees’ limbs swayed dangerously and I could hear the ripping of branches as they snapped off into the air. The debris of the forest floor was swept up into the gale and thrashed around us uncertainly. A stray branch struck Pace’s head and he yelled for Ish to stop.

“Okay, okay! I get it!” he yelled. “Bad idea!”

The whirlwind came to an abrupt halt and Pace rubbed his skull. His fingers came away smeared with blood.

“Huh,” he said indifferently. “When we get back, I’m gonna need a Band-Aid.”

“What’s that noise?” Ish said suddenly.

I heard the sound of something beating against the air, rising in intensity as it grew closer. It sounded like a thousand tiny wings flapping through the air. I looked up in time to see hundreds of black, leathery creatures rushing toward us.

“RUN!”

I took off without a second thought, narrowly avoiding a fallen branch. I darted madly through the trees, trying to avoid the winged animals at all costs. Low hanging branches clawed at my arms and face as I tore past. The black creatures didn’t relent and seamlessly moved through the trees after us.

“What are those things?” Pace yelled in horror.

“They’re bats!” shouted Effy. “We must have disturbed them!”

“What are we supposed to do?”

“I don’t know! But keep running!”

Adrenaline pulsed through my body as my legs pumped faster to get away. A stray bat had flown ahead of the rest and hurtled itself at my arm.

“Ouch!” I yelled as I felt the puncture of teeth against my skin. I swatted the vicious creature away and I heard it thud against the ground.

“Ish, do something!” Effy screamed as a bat entangled itself in her hair. She shook her hair frantically to dislodge the creature.

“I got it!” he said. He screwed up his face in concentration and his pace began to lag behind us.

The forested area darkened considerably and I could hear the rumble of thunder clouds ahead. A streak of lightning flashed above us and the trees were suddenly illuminated with violet light. In a matter of seconds, a violent deluge of rain cascaded down from the treetops. The rain streamed through every crack in the canopy and the bats finally gave up their pursuit. They darted in the opposite direction, their soggy wings flapping furiously.

After an uncertain minute, the downpour stopped.

“Christ,” Effy said, dropping to the ground exhaustedly. “That was the worst!”

“I thought bats were supposed to be calm,” Ish said in disbelief.

“I have a feeling Zephyrus may have enhanced them a bit…”

“I’m completely soaked,” I said as I attempted to wring out my waterlogged tee shirt.

“Same here,” Pace said. He shook his hair like a wild dog, droplets of water flying in every direction.

“You guys, we can’t stop now!” Effy exclaimed. “We need to keep going.”

She sprung to her feet and we started looping through the trees again. I was grateful to see that we had covered a lot of ground running from the bats and had almost made it to the clearing. We entered the other side of the forest like champions, despite our roughened appearance and clothes dripping with water.

At first I thought the other team had already gotten the flag, but seconds later they burst through the trees, their blue shirts sopping wet as well.

“What happened to you guys?” Pace called out.

“Killer piranhas. You?”

“Ish.”

“Aren’t you guys supposed to be fighting over this?” came a familiar, smirking voice. My eyes darted to the center of the clearing where Sonny sat idly upon the ground. He held a purple flag aloft, waving it lazily through the air.

“And he’s just sitting there,” Effy muttered. “Why doesn’t this surprise me?”

A mischievous grin crossed Finn’s face. “Alright, let’s get this party started!”

Less than a second later, Pace had made a dash for the flag in a sudden burst of momentum. It looked like he was going to get it too, until a wall of fire erupted from the ground before him. He skidded to a stop just in time, narrowly avoiding the golden flame.

“Ha-ha!” shouted Finn victoriously.

“Predictable,” I heard Effy say.

Effy was the next to try.

Echo accepted the challenge, racing toward the flag as well. A look of calm crossed her face and I saw a fine mist begin to envelop Effy. Midway to the flag, she slowed and spun around madly, as if she’d forgotten where she was. It appeared that even the clear thinking Effy could be thwarted…

To my left, Phoenix and Pace were locked in fierce battle with each other. Pace would try to run past but Phoenix continually zapped him with short bolts of electricity. Off in the distance, I could see Finn and Ish clashing furiously as well.

Echo was nearing the flag now, but she fell to the ground before she reached her goal. She didn’t stir and I was confused as to what had happened. I examined the area around her and couldn’t find anything that she might have tripped over. At the edge of my vision, I saw Lex standing motionless and her expression told me that she was to blame.


My eyes met hers and in an instant I knew what I had to do. Her glare was filled with warning--she dared me not to cross her--but my mind was already set. After all the silent loathing she’d given me with her malicious eyes, I couldn’t let her win that easily.

I sprinted toward the violet flag, eyes locked on the target. My legs propelled me forward and my senses seemed to contour to my steadfast goal. Lex raced after me, but I was determined to make it there first. I sucked in a deep breath of air and felt a tingling sensation run throughout my body. Focusing on my instincts with every ounce of concentration I had, I felt my ability begin to take over.

Less than thirty yards away, I grew closer and closer to the target. I wanted the flag so badly that I could practically feel the atoms in my body pulling me toward it. Racing at a dangerous speed, I dared to take a look behind me at Lex. She was close on my tail and I pushed myself to move faster.

My heart dropped suddenly; I had broken concentration and I could feel my ability slipping away. I tried to refocus, but it was too late; the tingling beneath my skin had vanished. I heard Lex chuckle behind me and I knew that I was in trouble.

But I was so close.

The flag was almost within reach and I couldn’t lose determination now. My heart pounded rapidly and I was nearly there. I checked behind me again and Lex grinned wickedly. A smile was stretching across my face now too and I prepared to take the flag, reaching out my hand to grab it. But without warning, I was hit by a sudden wave of fatigue and I could feel my feet slipping out from underneath me. The vision of the flag swayed and then I felt the feeling of endless falling…