Running Home

Something New

When I woke up the next morning, a tray of food was sitting on my dresser. I didn't want to think about who had snuck into my room while I was sleeping to leave it here, so I sat up and went over to inspect the food.

On the small tray was a precariously stacked pile of pancakes, alongside a couple of strawberries. I was also provided a cup of water, filled to the brim, and even a fork and knife. Granted, they were the plastic, disposable kind, but still.

I scarfed down my food, which was not the smartest option. Eating so quickly after a day without anything made me very queasy. I had to lay down for a few minutes to get my stomach to calm down.

Once I had finished my meal, I set everything back on the tray except for the silverware. Those I stuck down my lace-up combat boots that I'd been wearing when I was snatched. I had never been one to kick off my shoes or change into pajamas before I had finished my homework.

I was still in the running shorts and tee shirt, so I changed into some sweatpants I found in the bottom drawer and a fresh top. The temperature had dropped drastically since the night before. I wondered if it had started to snow.

Snow had been on the forecast for the past week, but everyone doubted anything would come of it. December was not a typical "snow month" for us, and it wasn't even winter yet.

Nevertheless, my sister still wore her pajamas inside-out, slept with a spoon under her pillow, flushed ice cubes down the toilet, and prayed for the weather to cool down every night.

The chill in the air prompted me to grab a jacket. I wished I had been wearing my coat that night, but I really had no control over when I was kidnapped. Actually, just the thought infuriated me.

My fingers were a bit sticky from the maple syrup residue, which drove me crazy. There was nothing I could use to wash it off. I tried scraping it off with the edge of my plate, but it only smeared.

The lock on my door clicked and the worst one walked in. Ben grinned at me and glanced at my plate.

"Hungry, huh?" he asked. It was strange. There wasn't one trace of sarcasm in his voice. I guess you can't figure someone out in one conversation.

"Yeah. I don't think I ate yesterday," I said.

He was acting especially nice, which was quite strange. I could've sworn that he was prone to yelling, slapping, and sarcasm at the very least. This sudden flip in personality was confusing the heck out of me.

"Also, could I maybe have the rest of your trash?" he asked, gesturing at the boots on my feet.

"How?"

"Trust me. It's actually a pretty good sign; it shows that you're smart, resourceful, and have good instincts. Nolan did it, as well as a couple others who you'll meet today, like Jamie, Wes, and Leo."

At this point, I was quite confused. He had just praised me for trying to keep a weapon? I pulled the silverware out of my shoe and placed it in his outstretched palm.

"Wait," I interjected, "Did you say today? As in I get to do something?"

"Yeah. You get to go to the other meals in the mess hall, and since it's a Saturday, we get to show you around the place," he said.

Things were looking up. I was going to be freed from the room, which was starting to become claustrophobic. I would meet other people, and maybe make up for my little outburst the night before.

I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't here by choice. Ben was making it feel like I had been selected for some prestigious academy, and I had been simply shipped off to boarding school. But nothing of the sort had happened.

Ben stood at the door, tray balanced in one hand, seemingly waiting for something. Oh, right. Me.

I followed him down a long hallway of doors, all evenly spaced apart. Some of the doors were propped open, and I saw that they were all rooms identical to mine. Many of the doors had names on them, and a few rooms were decorated and personalized.

The hallway reached a fork, and we took the left path. It eventually opened up into a huge room. It was full of tables surrounded by plastic chairs. Actually, one of the only differences from my old school cafeteria was the more effective line, and the fact that there were no windows.

I presumed we were either in a really large base of some sort or underground, but all of the rooms were completely normal, as if I were in a school or an office building.

There were various groups of people sitting at the tables. Everyone seemed to stick to people their own age, and there was no one who looked younger than me. So I was one of the youngest.

And, as it seemed, I was the only girl.

Great.

I stood in the entryway, staring at everyone. Ben practically had to drag me over to the kids our age. I was really spaced out, so I hardly even noticed when someone let out a whistle.

"Shut up," I said, still not focusing.

"Guys, this is Wren. Wren, this is... Are you listening?" he asked. When I didn't respond, he snapped his fingers in front of my face.

I blinked a couple of times, then started to pay attention to the situation at hand.

"This is Wesley, called by the majority of people Wes, Jamie, and Leo."

Wes was tall, taller than most of the others in the room. Easily 6"4 or 6"5. I was kind of terrible at guessing heights, though. He had brown hair, and eyes to match, and he was also what I would assume to be African-American. I was as terrible with race as I was with heights. When introduced, he gave a slight wave, barely bothering to look my way.

Jamie was definitely the one who whistled. He was only about two or three inches taller than me, which was pretty short for a guy as I was only 5"3 and a half. He had grey-blue eyes and blonde hair. There was a bright blue streak running through the side of his hair, and I wondered what the story behind that was.

Leo was one of the few men in the room wearing glasses. They sat in front of his hazel eyes, which were almost completely covered by his mousy, brown hair that hung low on his face.

Nolan was nowhere in sight. I had been hoping to see him to apologize for losing my temper.

My mental list of names was growing.
•Christopher
•Ben
•Nolan
•Leo
•Jamie
•Wesley

It was all getting overwhelming. I doubted I would remember who was who the next day.

The boys were chattering away about something I didn't understand, while I pretended to listen in. I was actually just searching the room. Nolan didn't enter, and after a while, Ben stood up.

"Time to give you the tour. I'm Ben, I'll be your tour guide today. If you have any questions, bother the others instead of me," he said. I got the feeling he'd given the tour many times before.