[Name]

Away from Home, Part 18

"Shit. Oh, shit. What the hell is going on?"

Zack's tight grip disappeared and was replaced by a lighter one. You were yanked out of the house and toward the woods. You stumbled at first, but soon found your footing and ran alongside the auburn-haired girl that was holding onto your wrist.

"Kairi, what-"

"Not now. When we're safe." So the two of you kept running through the woods until you came upon a sewer grate at the bottom of a small ravine.

"What is this doing here?"

Kairi lifted the cover of the grate and motioned for you to climb down the ladder. As you climbed down, it became darker and smellier. Soon your feet touched the damp ground and you waited for Kairi to lead the way again. Kairi led you through a series of tunnels until you both reached a room. She flipped a switch and light filled the entire space. Light bulbs were located all along the ceiling and most of the walls. You winced at the sudden brightness and Kairi gave you an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, I hate the dark. How do you feel by the way? You should probably sit down and rest for a bit." To be honest, you were shaken. The only furniture in the room was a couch and two armchairs, so you chose to sit on the couch and catch your breath.

"What... Was that?" Kairi sighed and sat down in one of the armchairs across from you.

"I have to warn you, it's a long story."

"Kairi, please just tell me what's going on."  Your voice filled with desperation.

"Remember how I acted like a bitch to you?" You nodded.

"Well that wasn't really me."

"What do you mean?"

"The sea salt ice cream is poisonous."

"WHAT. I mean I know that stuff is fattening and all..."

"There's this ingredient in it that alters our personality. The stuff is addictive, so it's pretty easy to get people hooked on it. I tried to warn you, but..."

"'But' what?" She sighed again.

"I was given a dose of the serum. My personality was changed to the stereotypical 'bitch' personality. But even then, I tried to help you as much as the serum would allow me to."

"So when you said you didn't want classes with me...?"

"I just didn't want you to be a victim of my 'bitchiness'."

"And when you told me to stay away from the boys...?"

"...I didn't want you to end up like me."

"Kairi, I still don't understand." She was silent for a moment. You could tell that talking about this was draining her energy.

"Rufus Shinra is a bad man. He had this whole island artificially created for his plan, which is why we're in a sewer in the forest on a tropical island. He was a billionaire business man when he decided to have want everyone wanted but could not have."

"I don't know, a billion dollars can buy a lot of things."

"Eternal youth. Somehow he hired scientists to find a way to stay young forever. By using the serum in the sea salt ice cream, he drains a persons personality and somehow converts it into raw energy. Then, he can absorb that energy and stay young."

"This shit is straight outta a sci-fi movie."

"How do you know this?" She gave you a small smile.

"Last year I broke into his lab, which is in the basement of his house. I found the files about the island and it's occupants. Unfortunately, I was caught. Now Rufus makes sure I get injected with the serum so I'll 'behave'."

"And the police are in on this?" Kairi waved her hand.

"No. I was able to hear about the paper you found. Rufus makes sure the police are brainwashed, too. So that paper was just an order from Rufus to his minions."

"And his minions are pretty much everyone on the island?"

"Pretty much, the serum does not allow any original thought, so Rufus can control almost everyone's minds."

"But why does he need us to be trained like the army?"

"So he can put down any resistance. It doesn't help that the serum also causes mutations like the ability to control elements. That just makes it easier for him to use his pawns to crush everything in his way."  You sat in silence as you let your brain take all this in. While it was hard to believe, at least you had an explanation for all the strange things that have been happening.

"So what do we do about it?" You asked looking her straight in the face. A grin slowly grew on her face.

"We're gunna do this..."