Alissa

WHO'S WORTH MORE?

Kevin squints when the stage lights suddenly go off, blaring yellowish light illuminating the massive auditorium. This is the first time these kids have seen light all night that doesn't emanate from a phone or flickers.

Beyond the stage, are rows of seats, each row a level higher than the prior. The base of the seats, covered in grey fabric, are stuck up to the backrest like the ones in movie theatres. The steps of the auditorium, just like the walls, are wooden with strips of radium glowing in a dim green, doused under the yellow light.

Fighting through the light penetrating his eyes, Kevin continues to push his body away from the floor, gradually going back down again until his chest is just inches away from the surface beneath. He's used to pushing past uncomfortable situations; you don't become a team captain and the best player in the state by being comfortable.

"Is it bad," Sarah whispers in Alissa's ears, "that watching him workout while we are literally in the worst situation possible, turned me on?"

Alissa grins, "a little, yes."

Alissa, Sarah, and Aman are sitting in the seats a little farther from the stage, talking about everything other than HEL. A distraction none of them mind. Aman tells them about his stand during Christmas Markets. From the worst customer who wasn't willing to pay extra for their handmade dip, to the man who dropped more dip and crumbs on his shirt than he ate. The only thing he keeps from them—Derek's promise. Sarah, on the other hand, talks about her college plans so that one day she can take her father on his dream vacation to Costa Rica. However, she hides the fact that getting a job after college will save her father from the disgusted glares of the members of The Telluride Tulip. Who can't handle the fact that the janitor's daughter studies in the same school as their children.

We all have secrets we'll never tell.

Kevin finally collapses, his head hitting the surface damp from his sweat. Sweat trickles down the tip of his nose as he turns himself, resting on his side.

Megan comes out from the back of the stage, taking in the audience stand before her. Her gaze drifts from the red exit signs at the end of the hall to the three sitting in the stands, to the boy resting on the ground in front of her. She goes up to him and lowers herself as she sits down crossing her legs.

"Why do you have to work out right now for absolutely no reason?" She asks, her voice gruff but with a hint of friendliness. As if she's forcing herself to sound rough.

"Helps me clear my head," Kevin says. "Well, in this case, I needed a little workout to push away what's going on in my head, but you get the point," he shrugs.

"A little?" She mocks him. "You were violently doing push-ups when I went backstage to turn the lights on."

"He always exercises when he's nervous," Derek says, walking up the stage, saving Kevin the trouble to explain. Perhaps even from thinking about what's happening at home. "Like, before all your dates."

"Where were you?" Kevin looks up at him.

"I was looking for Cody and the others, they are coming back right now," he says crossing his arm across his chest.

"Did they find HEL?" Megan asks.

"By the looks of it," he sighs. "No."

"What do you mean by the looks of—"

The doors at the end of the hall fly open as a gust of spine-chilling air rushes inside. Everybody jumps, their hearts in their throats, as they turn around looking back at the three silhouettes standing on the other side of the doors.