The New Frontier

Chapter 3

Do you know that feeling you have when you wake up confused with no idea where you are? That is exactly how I felt when I awoke, I sat there dazed and confused for a solid ten minutes. If it wasn't for Luke softly snoring beside me jogging my memory, I would have stayed totally lost for the rest of the car trip. I was beginning to get used to sitting in the back of the police car. The siren was luckily no longer pounding through the vehicle, so I could hear the faint sound of the birds chirping as the country breeze kissed my cheeks from my open window.  We began driving down a wide gravel road that needed a good repair. we bumped up and down several small stray rocks and swooped under the trees as the leaves blew from the Autumn wind.
The driver turned towards an old wood cabin, the cabin had bordered up windows and looked extremely run down. We stopped at a halt outside the creaky broken door that was missing a door handle. The outside of the cabin needed a new paint job, it was supposed to be a shade of dark red but it had faded into a rusty brown.

"Get out."

The driver said sternly as he walked around to my side of the car and opened up the door for me. I quickly obeyed as I didn't want to get on the policeman's bad side.
He rudely shoved me towards towards Luke's door, and opened it.

"Wake up."

The officer poked his index finger into Luke's chest. Luke Jacksons gorgeous eyes fluttered open. I couldn't believe that I hadn't noticed it before, one of his eyes was a very deep shade of blue and the other a lime green.

"Get up!"
The officer was beginning to get extremely impatient.

"Please mum, just five more minutes!"
Luke replied jokingly.

"I am not your mother."
He said sternly.

"Settle down, don't get your panties in a knot."
He jumped out of the car and we walked side by side as we made our way into the old shack.

"What is this place?"
Luke tilted his scruffy brown haired head down to face me.

"I don't know, but it gives me the creeps."

The short and scrawny policeman gently pushed on the door and it surprisingly creaked wide open.

"Well that was easy."
Luke said to nobody in particular.

The inside of the run down, old cabin was completely different to the outside. It was finely furnished and the white tiles that covered the walls and floor glistened in the bright lights. Compared to the deserted outside of the building, the inside was like a shopping mall, with people rushing from place to place and bumping into each other. One guy even dropped his coffee all over his pristine lab coat, he started walking towards us with the strong coffee smell radiating towards us.

"Welcome Luke and Alice. I hope you had a pleasant trip! My name is Dr Derik."
He was a short little old man with a doughnut ring of hair around his head.

"I know you must be very confused and I shall explain everything to you shortly, but first I will show you into your dorms so that you can meet the others."
Dr Derik turned around swiftly and Luke and I followed close behind. The police officer walked off in the complete opposite direction.

"What does he mean 'the others'?"
I whisper just loud enough so that Luke can hear.

"Maybe there are others, more like us. Prisoners."
Luke's baritone voice gave me butterflies even in the most confusing situations.

"Alice, this will be your dorm room for the next week or two. Make yourself at home, oh and this is your roommates 'Michele'."
Said the short coffee stained man.

The girl named Michele looked up to see us, she sent a flirtatious wave into Luke's direction and winked at him. Luke obliviously flicked his shaggy brunette hair across his face and shoves his hands into the pockets of his denim jeans.  
"Ok Luke follow me, I will take you to your dorm now."
Said Dr Derik leading Luke away.

"Come sit over here." Michele said, patting the spot on the bed next to her.

"Hey I'm Alice."
I replied awkwardly.

"I'm Michele. So who was that guy you were with? He was totally hot!"
She stated excitedly. I could already tell we weren't going to get along. First of all, who says 'totally' anymore? And second of all, she needs to get her pretty little eyes off Luke.

"Isn't he a little old for you?"
I asked, and then I realised how mean it sounded.

"I turned 16 in April. How old are you?"
She said competitively.

"I turned 18 in June, and Luke is also 18."

Michele sighed and leaned with her back to the wall.

"So what is this place? I thought I was meant to be going to jail."
I said, braking the silence.

"Dr Derik will explain it properly to you later. I don't understand it much myself to be honest. But I know they are gathering the smartest teenagers and children from across the globe to help them find a cure for the plague."
Michele began twisting stray stands of her golden hair back into her high pony tail.

"That doesn't make any sense. Why would Dr Derik send me and Luke here in a police car if he wasn't going to arrest us?"
I was extremely confused. I missed my family and I needed to know what was going on.

"Because he needed to keep you safe! Your brains are worth a lot and he couldn't afford for you to get the plague, even though it hasn't hit America yet. He needs you alive so that you can help him. Gosh you are stupid, I wonder why you are here? This place is only meant to be for smart people."

Michele was beginning to annoy me, she hurt my feelings calling me 'stupid' and I couldn't bare to be in the same room with her for much longer. Luckily Dr Derik burst through the door at that very moment in a clean white lab coat no longer smelling of coffee with Luke Jackson by his side.

"Alice, would you please come with me. It is time I explained to you what you are doing here."