Teen Team Crafted

Pompeii

(A/N: I'm going to veer away from the stuff at the base for a little bit, but don't worry, I'll be back to that in the next chapter or the chapter after that. :D)

Shane's POV (hope you're happy XD)

I watch as the guy who called himself Brotato presses a button on the silver box, and the hologram fades.

My mind is spinning. My brother, who I was sure was dead, is alive. Alive and well, it seems.

Brotato turns to us. "Well, I have orders to get you guys to base ASAP. We've got to get going."

"You expect us to just drop everything and leave our lives behind because you complete strangers need help?" Hope crosses her arms over her chest, a scowl on her face. "How about no?"

Brotato's eyes narrow behind his glasses. "Listen, kid, if we don't stop the squids, they'll take over all of Minecraftia. They don't care who you are, or how hard you've worked to survive. If you feel like being a slave, then be my guest."

Hope scoffs. "And there's another thing! I don't know if you've noticed, but squids don't do anything except give ink sacks when you kill them, which are pretty much worthless! They're just a stupid mob! A passive one at that!"

"You think they're passive? That's a laugh. You don't know it, but around seventy percent of all the recruits lost their family and friends to the squids. Me included. I'm lucky that I got out of there alive." Brotato says. "It would do you good to hold your tongue in the base."

"Why you little-" I grasp Hope's arm, holding her back from punching this guy.

"Hope, calm down." I say. "Let me go, Shane! This guy doesn't know who he's messing with!" She yells at me.

"I don't care who he is. He's on an army with over nine million players in it. You want that as your enemy? We've had enough trouble as it is."

She stops struggling against me. "Fine." She says through gritted teeth. "But if you still think I'm going, you're crazy."

Brotato opens his mouth to speak, but I hold up my hand. "Don't."

He shuts up, thank Notch.

I put my hands on Hope's shoulders, making her look straight at me. "Hope, my brother is over there. I have to go see him."

"You spent the last seven years getting over him! I told you, I can be your family!"

"Hope, you know I always will think of you as my sister. But my real brother is out there! If you knew where your sister was, you would go after her too! Wouldn't you?"

"I would n-"

"Don't lie."

She looks me dead in the eye, and I see a flash of pain in her eyes. "You know how I feel about my sister."

"Can't you see that I feel the same way about my brother?"

She pulls away from me. "I know, Shane. But we can't just leave. You know what this place is."

And I do. Hope has told me.

The day her house was attacked by zombies, she was four years old. Her mom gave her to her eight-year-old sister, Faith Greenfalls, and told her to run. Her mom died holding off the zombies.

Her sister ran upstairs, and hid Hope in a closet, shutting the door so the zombies couldn't get in. Then she took on the zombies herself, and ended up dying.

In the morning, when the zombies had all burned away, Hope began to survive on her own, in the house that she grew up in, which is the house that we both live in.

She stumbled across me when we were both six, and we became partners.

"I know, Hope. But we could help more people by joining this army!"

Her face has softened, and I'm glad. I can usually calm her down, but sometimes I can't.

"Fine. But I'm taking my stuff."

"Fair enough." Brotato says, and Hope walks inside the house.

Brotato stares at me. "She's certainly got a temper."

"Yeah. But if you knew what's she's been through, you'd understand."

"What do you mean?"

"Just don't push her. Her temper can explode just like a creeper."

Brotato gulps, which makes me laugh a little.

"Sorry, I just hate creepers." He says.

After a little while, Hope comes out of the house with two backpacks slung over her shoulder.

"Here." She hands a blue one to me. "I grabbed some of your stuff."

"Thanks." I grin at her.

I peek inside, and I find my bow, along with my quiver of arrows, my portable jukebox, my mini CDs to play in the jukebox, and my old, yellowing photo of me, my mother, and Mitch back in the village.

I shove her a little. "You packed my music!" I grin.

"What, do you think I don't know you? You're addicted to music!" She laughs.

"AND IF YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES..." I sing-scream at the top of my lungs, making Hope laugh.

"Come on, you two." Brotato says, and presses a button on the gray box, bringing up a holographic map. He starts walking.

I pop one of the CDs into the miniature jukebox, and turn up the volume all the way.

"I was left....to my own....devi-i-i-ices..."