Warriors

3

Six months later- June 11, 2024

"Oh my god!" shouted my friend Melissa as we walk down the sidewalk of downtown LA in the hot summer night, "We're finally done with school!"

"Don't get all excited yet. We still have to find a job," I said.

"Oh Autumn, we're Stanford graduates!" she exclaimed.

"Well Stanford graduate, you better get going. We're late for the party at Sam's." Then my phone went off and I answered.

"June 11, 2018," the caller said. I stopped in my tracks.

"What's wrong?" Melissa asked.

"Nothing. You go ahead first."

"Ok."

When Melissa was out of listening range, I immediately start talking, "What do you want?"

"You know what I want," he said with a chuckle.

"No! No I don't!"

"June 11, 2018"

"Why do you keep repeating that date! Stop it!"

"Stop playing pretend. I know you know what I'm talking about," he paused and then went on,"Your time is up Autumn Rivers. We gave you five years to do what ever you wanted, now you are ours."

"What no! You are crazy!" I hung up and started running, but I felt like I was going nowhere. I was running in place. I heard a wicked laugh. A figure comes out of nowhere and approaches me. It was the exact same stranger I saw at the MIT convention. He was wearing a black mask and black clothes. Except this time, when he pulled the mask off, it wasn't a man. It was a woman. And then an object comes flying at me and knocks me out.

    ______________________

I open my eyes. "Where am I?"I said in a half whisper. I got up and was in sitting position on the bed. I surveyed my new surrounding and found myself in an infirmary. Rows of bed were placed apart with the exact spacing and windows reached from the ceiling to the floor. I got out of bed with much effort and went to the only door in the entire room. I enter a hallway filled with old décor. Paintings covered much of the wooden wall and chandeliers hanging above the ceiling. As a near an entrance, voices fill the hall. I peeked through the opening and see a huge living room. Antiques filled the room and in the middle of the room were two sofas facing a fireplace. The fire gave light to the room and it illuminated two people sitting on the old sofas and drinking tea.

"Oh Darla, how can we possibly do this?" said a lady.

Darla replies, "I am already building up an army and we are going to do this. In a few months, we'll bring victory to the Marlowes again."

"Those monsters are vicious! Murdering humans for centuries! We will kill them all!"

"Shush! I don't want Maxon to hear. He has been worked up about this idea for so long. You know what happens to him when he hears what these monsters are doing."

"What monsters?" I whispered quietly to myself. Then all of a sudden a hand covers my mouth. I struggle to be free, but only to find it was no use. I couldn't believe how those women couldn't hear me. Finally the hand lets go. I turn to the figure and saw no one. Then I felt something lifting me and was moving really fast. I tried to scream, but no sound came out. I went through numerous halls and then came up to a staircase. The mysterious invisible thing lifts me up the staircase and brought me into a enormous bedroom. It settles me down on the ground.

I try to run, but only to find myself paralyzed. A figure forms in front of me. It was a boy. He was probably in his twenties and he was wearing a black t-shirt with black basketball shorts. His hair was brown and it was placed in a messy form. And his eyes. I don't know what happened, but all of a sudden his blue eyes were drawing me in.

"Hey," he says shyly and scratching his head. I immediately snap out of the trance and put my guard up.

"Who are you? Why am I here? I need to go. I-I'm," I broke into a sob. I kneel down to the ground and found I wasn't paralyzed anymore. I put my hands to my face. I didn't want anyone to see me cry even if he was a stranger.

"Um," the boy said awkwardly, "I'm Mallen, and I'm sorry if I scared you." He kneels down next to me and puts his hand on my shoulder. I violently shook it off.

"Get away or I will kill you."

"Whoa there. I mean no harm."

"Ok then tell me, why am I here and what was that lady talking about? What monsters? And how did you turn invisible?"

Mallen stays silent. Then he finally speaks, "Wow, I guess you really don't know anything at all. I don't know why Mother brought you here."

I gave a grunt in return.

"I will bring you to Mother."

We walked in silence and I found it more awkward each second. I wanted to run away, but I had to find out what this was. As we walked the halls got more familiar. The same painting I saw when I walked out of the infirmary and the cracked wooden walls. We entered the living room where I saw the two ladies talking. Darla and the other lady was still seated on the sofa drinking tea.

"Mallen, I see you have already met our guest," Darla speaks without turning her head around.

"Yes Mother I-"

I broke Mallen off and started babbling, "Who are you lady? Why did you kidnap me? I will call the police!" I reached inside the pocket of my jean and found no phone.

Darla gave a deep laugh, "You hear that Liz? She's going to call the police!" Darla and Liz laughs together. How rude.

"Mother, I brought her here so you can explain why she is here," Mallen explains.

"Oh darling. Come. Both of you, have a seat," She beckons us to come join her at the sofa. Mallen sits next to his mother and I stand aside.

"Well Autumn Rivers," I took in a sharp breath. She must have heard me because she was giving a sly smile. "You are here because, five years ago we recruited you to join the Warriors."