Hearts and Minds

And Heres What I Remember! Thats all.

"Wake up Artemis. It's our time, your time. You need to wake up!"

The last word was drowned out by a loud gasp that had been released. The girl shot up from the ground, coughing and sputtering up water. She scrambled to stand, almost immediately falling back down from the slick metal floor. It was hard to see but it seemed almost like an elevator. Rocketing upwards just like an elevator too! She coughed once more, groaning as she scooted towards the wall of the box.

"Help me!" She screamed, the sound dying half way. She was shaking, covered from head to toe in water. She couldn't see anything except rough and blurry shapes in the pitch black darkness.

'Who the hell am I?! Where am I?'

The girl asked herself the two questions over and over, pulling her knees into her chest. Artemis..that's the name she had just 'heard.' Artemis. Her name was Artemis. That answered one of the questions, but it only brought more. Why didn't she remember anything else? Who had put her here? Where was she going?

"Hello?"

The brunette girl let out a shriek at the sound of a voice, instantly grasping at the wall and pulling herself to her feet. Her scream fell in sync with a deeper, manlier scream across the small box. Now that her eyes had adjusted she could make out another figure across the room. "Who are you?! Where are we?!" She instantly screamed, stumbling forward on the slippery floor just in case he made a move. Even in the dark the girl could tell whoever was across from her was feeling the same panic she was.

"What?! Why would I-"

Both let out a squeal as the box came to a rough stop. The red lights flashed faster and brighter as Artemis was launched forward. Instead of face planting into the metal wall she was expecting she slid right into the male and they both tumbled right back to the floor. Too stunned and out of breathe to move, Artemis groaned as she laid on top of the guy. It was silent for a good few minutes other than their heavy breathing until a loud screeching sound echoed around them. The dark that surrounded them was quickly engulfed by a bright light. Artemis shot her head to the side, hiding her eyes from the light by hiding behind the boy.

"Gally! What do you see?"
"What's the new Greenie look like?!"
"I bet they'll be dead within a week!"
"Oh shut it Shank!"
"Everyone be shuckin' quiet! Gally, what do you see?"

The brunette girl slowly peeked around the shoulder of the boy she was practically cowering behind, eyes adjusting slowly. The first thing she saw was the brown hair on the boy's head, and his brown eyes focused on whoever stood before them. Second thing she noticed was the way his arm silently reached back, as if pushing her out of the way. She didn't even know him and he was putting himself between her and the other stranger. Thirdly was the male towering over the two of them, the confused scowl etched on his face. Artemis was slightly taken aback by the look on his face, the way he looked like he already hated their guts and didn't even know them yet.

"You guys won't believe it..." the male trailed off, staring at the two.
"Just tell us already shuckface! We don't have all day Gally!" Another voice yelled from above. Shuckface, greenie, shank..what did those even mean?
"It's..it's not just a boy. There's a girl. There's a girl!" The first time he said it, it sounded confused. Shocked even, like he couldn't comprehend it. When he repeated it, he made it sound like an insult. As if it was disgusting or abnormal.

"Yeah, I'm a girl! What's it to you?!" Artemis snapped, glaring at the boy in front of them. In return she got a cold stare from the boy. Artemis mentally noted that he wasn't 'the boy.' A minute ago the voice from above had referred to him as Gally. Unless it was some fancy way of insulting someone, it had to be his name. Gally hadn't moved his hard look from her as he looked up at the group of people above them. Artemis surveyed them for a quick second and quickly came to one conclusion; they were all male. She didn't have much time to think about it before the box shook slightly from the weight of Gally pulling himself out of the box.

"C'mon, take my hand. Unless you want to stay down there in your wet clothes." Gally grumbled, hand held out for the girl. She stared at it as if it was covered in acid. She didn't trust him, not even in the slightest. Which is why she was thankful when the brown eyed boy
stepped in front of her.

"Thanks but she doesn't really want your help." He said, voice strained and quiet as he took the other boy's hand. Gally had the never ceasing glare on his face as he pulled up the boy. Artemis couldn't get out of there without help, not only because the floor was wet but because it was farther than she had anticipated. She was debating on grabbing a crate from the ground to jump on when she saw another hand pop in front of her face. She looked up, locking eyes with the boy. "It's okay. I won't drop you, I promise."

Artemis stared at his hand hesitantly, she didn't know who these people were. She didn't know what would happen if she accepted his assistance. But she also didn't want to find out if she didn't. Therefore she lifted up her arm, slipping her smaller hand into his larger one. The boy lifted her with ease, the other hand grabbing at her waist to pull her to the grass. "You okay?"

Artemis looked up, her tense shoulders relaxing just slightly at the look in his eyes. All the sudden Artemis felt like she wasn't completely alone. This stranger, whom she didn't even know the name of, managed to make her feel like maybe wherever she was and whatever was happening could be worse. She nodded her head gently, swallowing the dryness in her throat away. "Yeah. Yeah I'm okay. You?"

"Yeah I'm fine. My name's Thomas." He said, now gracing the girl with the pleasure of knowing his name. She silently messed with her hair that was a mess, wavy from the water but still looked untamed.

"I'm Artemis."

"And I don't care. Both of you, up, now!" Artemis looked up from her spot on the ground, once again face-to-face with the boy supposedly named Gally. Artemis sent him the meanest glare she could muster before letting it fall away when Thomas offered his hand once more. She let the boy pull her to her feet, looking at the blue eyed boy. "You two will listen and listen good. I don't know-"

"Excuse me Gally, I don't know who you think you are but I know you aren't trying to tell the Greenies what to do. Are you?" Artemis glanced into the crowd of boys, a shaggy blonde boy walking forward. Artemis noted down the fact he had a limp and a smile one his face despite the serious tone in his voice. Artemis and Thomas both had to hide a laugh at the face Gally made, quickly apologizing and basically running the other way as the blonde boy. Not before sending the two one last glare. "Pardon him, shuckface has no manners. My name's Newt, the second-in-command. Do you remember your names?"

"Thomas."
"Artemis."

"Wonderful! Follow me and I'll take you to Chuck; he'll explain everything." The oddly chirpy blonde stalked off, the sea of boys instantly dissolving. Artemis could hear the whispers and the talking, her name and Thomas'. She didn't listen too closely, just glancing at Thomas before following Newt. Artemis felt a shiver down her spine. She was positive it wasn't because of the soggy clothes that adorned her body but because of the way everything around her seemed.. strange. It all looked so..familiar.