"Class dismissed."

Halona was the first to stand up. She pushed past the crowd of students and made her way to her locker. She wanted to get out of the building before someone spotted her.

"Not so fast, plant freak."

Halona sighed. She wasn't fast enough. She turned around to face the group of students that had tormented her ever since she had started high school. Standing in the center was a face that she had grown to despise.

"Hello, Ethan. Did you need something, or did you just miss my pretty face?" Halona asked, staring the bully down. She smiled innocently, then turned her back to them and closed her locker door.

"Confidence won't change anything, freak. Now, hand over your money." Ethan stepped forward, making Halona shrink back. She shuddered as she smelled Ethan's rancid breath.

"No," Halona whispered. She didn't want to make up another excuse to her parents about why she needed more lunch money.

"What did you say, freak?" Ethan shoved Halona back into her locker. She winced from the pain and tripped over her shoe, falling to the floor. She looked up at Ethan with pure hatred. She wanted nothing more than to smack his evil smile off his face.

"I heard you like to paint. Mind if I take a look at your artwork?" Ethan snatched Halona's bag and pulled out her sketchbook.

"Ethan, look! She likes to paint nature, just like her weird parents," one of Ethan's cronies said, pointing at Halona. They all laughed at her.

"Stop it! Just shut up!" Halona shouted, clenching her fists. They all stopped laughing. Ethan glared at Halona, and she began to regret shouting.

Ethan crouched down, his face only an inch away from Halona's. He looked her up and down and smirked, a malicious look in his eyes. "What's it like? You know, to have your real parents not love you? Does it hurt you that the only people that wanted you were two plant-lovers?" Ethan paused as if he were studying Halona's expression. Out of nowhere, he threw the sketchbook at Halona's face. 

She yelped in surprise as the pages scratched her nose. She forced herself to hold back her tears, making her eyes sting.

"Hey! What's going on here?" a voice spoke from somewhere behind Ethan.

Halona looked behind the bully and saw a tall boy with bronze skin. He had slick, black hair and his amber eyes glowed like autumn lanterns. Halona immediately recognized him as Lorenzo Castro, the school's "popular boy". Halona wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her jacket and shoved her sketchbook back into her bag. She stood up and tried to slip away, but one look from Ethan made her stay put.

"Hey Lorenzo," Ethan said coolly.

"Ethan, want to tell me what you're doing?" Lorenzo looked down at Halona, then back up at Ethan.

"It's none of your business, pretty boy," Ethan snapped. His friends laughed.

Halona watched Lorenzo, hoping that he wouldn't do anything stupid.

"You're going to go home, and you're going to stop bullying this girl," Lorenzo said sternly as if he were scolding a small child.

"Or what?" Ethan stepped toward Lorenzo, trying to intimidate him. It didn't work.

"Do you want to find out?" Lorenzo clenched his fists. Ethan looked him up and down, then walked away, closely followed by his friends. Lorenzo glared at them as they left.

Halona brushed herself off and walked away quickly, wanting to avoid conversation. She knew that she owed Lorenzo, but she just didn't feel like talking to the boy. She heard footsteps behind her and sighed. Guess she didn't have a choice.

"Hey! Wait up!" Lorenzo shouted.

"What do you want?" Halona said a little too harshly.

"First off, I want a thank you. I just saved your butt back there," Lorenzo said. He crossed his arms and stared at Halona, a playful look in his eyes.

"Excuse me? You didn't save me from anything! In fact, you made things worse! Ethan and his little cronies have bullied me ever since I started school here, and you just gave them another reason to hate me! So I will not be thanking you, not now, not ever!" Halona stormed off angrily, without looking back.

                                        ...

Halona rolled over and checked the time. It was one in the morning. She dragged herself out of bed and exchanged her pajamas for gray sweatpants and a hoodie. She felt anxious, for she was going to meet The Wolf, a local graffiti artist whose real name was Braden Smith, a seventeen-year-old boy who was Halona's childhood friend. Halona opened her bedroom window and climbed down the tree. She pulled her hood on and started jogging.

Halona passed by many houses. It was pitch black, and the only source of light was from the moon. Suddenly, she tripped on something and collapsed onto the pavement. Swearing under her breath, she stood up and continued jogging. A few minutes later, she had reached her destination. She climbed a fence and ran into the alley behind the abandoned warehouse.

"Braden, are you here?" Halona said quietly as she moved through the dark. She squinted as she checked her surroundings for any signs of movement.

"Do they call," a voice said from somewhere above her.

Halona sighed. He might be seventeen, but he was still childish. "Ah-woo!" Halona howled like a wolf. A figure jumped down and howled back.

"The Wolf has arrived!" Braden bowed, his goofy smile visible in the dark. He tossed a flashlight to Halona, who turned it on.

"You're so weird," Halona said, laughing. She didn't know how, but Braden would always make her forget her worries.

"Hey! What happened to your face?" Braden rushed toward Halona and examined her nose.

Halona had forgotten about the paper cuts. "It's just a small scratch. Courtesy of Ethan." Halona rolled her eyes as her memories of yesterday came flooding back.

"That boy who's been bullying you? I swear, I'm going to"

"Let's not talk about this now. You have work to do." Halona opened Braden's bag, which he had dropped on the floor. She pulled out the spray paint.

"Alright. I was thinking of recreating one of your old sketches. How about the Siberian Tiger one?" Braden pulled up his mask and handed an identical one to Halona.

"Yeah! It's going to look so cool!" Halona said, putting on her mask. She sat down, crossing her legs. She watched Braden as he recreated her artwork, adding his own touches here and there. She had always admired him, and he inspired her to be a better artist.

Halona had first met Braden when she was six years old. He had been using chalk to draw on trees. Halona had joined him and every day, they would create their little chalk art. Braden's parents never really cared about him, so he would sometimes spend the night in Halona's backyard. Halona's parents never noticed because they were too busy with their environmental work, and she liked to keep it that way. Once Halona turned eighteen, they planned on running away together, to become famous artists that traveled the world. Or rather, the country. There was no way they were getting past the large wall that surrounded Marolo.

The two of them stayed silent, neither of them uttering a single word. They didn't want to ruin the art with noises. Suddenly, Halona heard a car door shutting in the distance.

"Braden, did you hear that?" Halona asked her friend, but he had already stopped painting. He grabbed his flashlight and turned it off, Halona doing the same.

"Halona, listen to me. You need to get out of here, now." Braden rushed over to Halona and pulled her hood over her head.

"What? No way. I'm not leaving you behind," Halona said, trying to sound confident, but her hands were shaking.

"This isn't the time to act brave. Now go hide!" Braden snapped as he pulled Halona to her feet and shoved her behind a wall.

Halona held her breath as she heard footsteps approaching. Her heart was racing and she felt a shiver run down her back. She hoped that it was just the police, but deep down, she knew that it was much, much worse.

Lorenzo looked at the time. It was one in the morning, and he was still thinking about the girl he had helped at school. Her olive skin was so smooth, and her long, straight, dark brown hair didn't belong in the customary tight bun. Although her caramel brown eyes were fearful at the time, they still sparkled like the sun.

Lorenzo had heard some of the other students talk about her before. Her name was Halona Murray, and her adopted parents were head of the city's Environmentalist Society. She was a bit of an outcast at the school, which made no sense to Lorenzo because she was so pretty. He mostly admired her art, which he had seen in the school's art gallery. He couldn't stop staring at it, it had looked so life-like.

"Stop thinking about this girl and go to sleep!" Lorenzo said to himself. As he closed his eyes, he heard a sound from outside. It was a quiet voice, and it sounded pretty angry.

Lorenzo rushed over to his window and saw a figure lying on the ground. They were wearing sweatpants and an oversized hoodie. As the figure stood up, the moonlight shone on their face, revealing sparkling, caramel brown eyes.

"No way. Halona?" Lorenzo muttered, quickly changing out of his pajamas and climbing out of his window. He made sure to be quiet, not wanting to wake up any of his family.

Lorenzo ran after Halona. He watched her jump a fence and run into an alley behind an abandoned warehouse. He climbed the fence after her, then ran around to the other side of the alley. He stared at Halona, standing alone in the alley. He was about to confront her when she spoke.

"Braden, are you here?" Halona called out.

Lorenzo stepped back into the shadows and checked his surroundings for someone else. He heard another voice, but couldn't make out what it said. Suddenly, Halona started howling, and a figure jumped down from a window above. The two of them laugh, then start speaking in hushed voices. Lorenzo watched as Halona pulled out cans of spray paint and handed them to the boy. He began to paint the walls, and Halona sat down on the floor to watch him.

Lorenzo suddenly realized that the boy must be The Wolf, the local graffiti artist. He had heard people talk about him at school, and apparently, he was on the vigilante list, which was reserved for people who didn't follow the federal laws. Lorenzo squinted as he tried to get a better look at the boy. He assumed that The Wolf would be an adult, like the other vigilantes, but the boy standing in the alley looked like he was around seventeen. Lorenzo sat down and decided to watch the two of them. The Wolf moved gracefully, each puff of spray paint making his art more amazing. Occasionally, he would glance around, and Lorenzo would hold his breath, afraid of being spotted. But if The Wolf knew of Lorenzo's presence, he didn't show it. Halona sat with her legs crossed, her eyes locked onto The Wolf. Lorenzo felt a pang of jealousy, but he shrugged it off.

 About an hour later, Lorenzo heard a car door shutting in the distance. Halona and The Wolf started whispering and they turned off their flashlights, trapping Lorenzo in the darkness. The Wolf shoved Halona behind a wall. Lorenzo ducked down and pressed his back against another wall, waiting in silence. He watched as four men entered the alley. He glanced at Halona and saw that she was shaking.

"Braden Smith. You're going to have to come with us," one of the men said.

"Who are you, people? And how do you know my name?" Braden replied.

The men all turn to look at the largest of the group. Lorenzo guessed that he was the leader. The leader smiled, revealing a shiny gold tooth. He waved his hand as if to dismiss the men.

"Grab him."

The men moved toward Braden, who started to throw punches. He managed to hit one of the men, but he couldn't fight off all of them. They pinned him to the ground, kicking him repeatedly in the head. Lorenzo looked over at Halona, who was backing away in fear. The sound of the twig snapping echoed along the alley's walls. Instinctively, Lorenzo sprinted toward her.

"Get her out of here!" Braden shouted before they threw a sack over his head.

Lorenzo grabbed Halona's arm and pulled her away. He heard footsteps behind him, but he didn't turn around to see who was following them. They reached the fence and Lorenzo helped Halona get over it. She landed on the other side and continued running. Lorenzo climbed up the fence and hopped over too early, cutting his leg. He grunted in pain as he landed awkwardly, and Halona stopped running to look back at him.

"Don't stop! Keep going!" Lorenzo shouted at her. He ran as fast as he could, trying to ignore the intense burning sensation shooting up his leg. The street lit up, and Lorenzo turned to see a car chasing after them.

"Halona! Go right, into that backyard!" Lorenzo shouted. Halona obeyed, turning to hop over the fence. Lorenzo followed. He landed and looked up to see Halona standing there, panting.

"Now what?" she said between breaths.

"Keep hopping over the fences. Go back five houses, then climb the tree and go into the open window," Lorenzo ordered. Halona looked skeptical, but she didn't argue.

The two of them hopped the fences, ducking their heads so they couldn't be seen from the street. They reached Lorenzo's house and Halona started to climb up the tree. Lorenzo tried to follow, but he felt a sharp pain in his leg and couldn't pull himself up.

"Take my hand," Halona said. Lorenzo looked up gratefully, then grabbed her hand. She struggled to pull him up, so he used his good leg to push off of the branch. They collapsed onto his bedroom floor.

"Quick, close the window," Lorenzo said hoarsely. Halona shut the window then quickly ducked her head.

"Wha-" Halona put her finger to Lorenzo's  lips, silencing him. A light shone through the window, illuminating the room. The two of them tried to stay as still as possible, holding their breaths as well.

"Let's go," a gruff voice spoke after a few minutes. Lorenzo recognized the voice as the leader from the alley. The light turned off and the voices faded away.

"That was a close one," Lorenzo said, sitting up. "Who were those people?"

"I don't know. I've never seen them before," Halona replied. Her eyes suddenly go wide, as if she had just realized something.

"Braden! They took Braden!" she exclaimed, and she started toward the window. Lorenzo pulled her down again and covered her mouth with his hand.

"You're going to wake up my family!" he whispered harshly. He let go of her, and in the moonlight, he could see tears falling down her face.

Halona took deep, painful-sounding breaths. She wiped her tears away with her sleeve. "I'm sorry. It's just- he was like a brother to me." Halona hugged her knees to her chest.

"I understand. I would react the same way if my best friend was taken away. You're going to have to stay the night here. They found out his name, and pretty soon they'll find out yours too."

Halona opened her mouth as if she was going to object, but then she glanced down at Lorenzo's leg. "You're bleeding!"

"I know. It's fine," Lorenzo said, examining his torn, blood-stained pants.

"No, it's not. Go get it cleaned," Halona said sternly.

"Alright, alright." Lorenzo laughed, then limped to the bathroom. He turned on the sink and placed several paper towels under the running water. He wiped away the blood, wincing in pain. He then grabbed a bandage and wrapped it around his leg. When he returned to his room, he found Halona setting up a blanket on the floor. She had untied her hair, and it was gracefully sweeping the floor behind her back.

"I'll sleep here. You sleep on the bed. No excuses. You're injured, and you need to be comfortable," Halona said, her back to Lorenzo.

"Fine," Lorenzo mumbled as he grabbed a pillow off his bed and tossed it to her. He collapsed onto his sheets, and he suddenly realized how exhausted he was.

"Isn't your family going to come into your room in the morning? How are you going to explain why there's a girl sleeping on your floor?" Halona asked.

"Ha! I have six siblings and I'm the middle child. My parents don't even remember my name. Trust me, they won't be coming into my room," Lorenzo answered, closing his eyes.

"Oh," is all that Halona said. She went silent, and Lorenzo was unable to tell if she had fallen asleep.

Lorenzo listened for any signs that she was awake. Her breathing was slow and sounded natural. He rolled over and peeked at Halona. The worried girl who had seemed angry about everything looked so peaceful, he could hardly recognize her. Lorenzo sighed, rolling over again. He closed his eyes and drifted off into a deep sleep.

"Malcolm, I've been waiting forever. Get in," Tyler said, rolling his eyes. He watched as his friend stood outside his car, his arms crossed.

"Sorry Ty, I had to make sure that my sister's friends were outside with her," Malcolm replied. He opened the car door and sat down in the passenger seat.

"You don't have to do this, you know. Why don't you just walk home with your sister? Forget about all this," Tyler said, rolling open the windows. He backed out of the parking lot, glancing at Malcolm. The two of them had known each other for years, but Tyler couldn't help thinking that maybe it would have been better if they had never met. Maybe then Malcolm would stay with his family and live a happy life.

"Would you quit it? I don't need a kid like you looking out for me!" Malcolm snapped.

"Okay, okay! You know I'm only a year younger than you, right?" Tyler laughed as he drove away, but he couldn't help feeling annoyed with Malcolm. He was lucky to have a loving family.

Tyler had always hated his home. His mother was a heavy smoker and he couldn't count how many times he had found his father passed out on the front porch, the smell of liquor tainting the air. Tyler would constantly scold his parents, saying they were ruining Tyler's and his brother's life. Tyler's little brother, Ron, was only eight years old. He was such an innocent kid, apologizing whenever their father was drunk and acting up. Tyler had been working a dozen part-time jobs, earning as much money as he could so that when he turned eighteen, he could buy an apartment and live there with Ron.

"Just two more years," Tyler muttered. 

"Stop talking to yourself. We're here." Malcolm unbuckled his seatbelt and exited the car.

Tyler looked up at his friend, pushing away his worries. Right now, it was Malcolm who needed his help. 

"Malcolm, they're waiting for you on the other side of the wall. When you get there-"

"Malcolm! Wait!" a voice shouted from behind them.

Tyler opened his door and stepped out. He took off his sunglasses and saw a girl that looked around fourteen running toward them. She had dark skin and jade green eyes. Her slim nose looked similar to Malcolm's. She stopped running once she reached them, and Tyler noticed the worried look on her face. He realized that this was probably Malcolm's sister.

"Jada? What are you doing here? You should be at home!" Malcolm shouted. 

"So should you! I followed you because I wanted to stop you from making a big mistake!" the girl shouted, sounding frustrated. She glanced at Tyler, then looked back at Malcolm.

"What? You don't even know what I'm doing here. Now go home." Malcolm sounded angry, but his face looked worried.

"I'm not going anywhere. Not without you." Malcolm's sister crossed her arms, glaring at her brother.

"Unbelievable! Jada if you don't-" Malcolm was cut off by distant shouts.

Tyler looked at Malcolm and shook his head, signaling that he didn't know what was happening on the other side of the building.

"Get in the car. Both of you," Malcolm said sternly. He grabbed his sister's arm and pulled her toward the passenger seat.

"Malcolm, I'm not-"

"Just get in the car!" Malcolm shouted at his sister. He opened the door and shoved her inside. He slammed the door before she could protest. He then looked up at Tyler.

"Ty, take her home. Don't drive too fast, or they'll think you're suspicious. Don't make any noises either." Malcolm started to run toward the building.

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?" Tyler asked his friend. He responded with a thumbs-up. Tyler shook his head in disbelief, then entered the car.

"Malcolm no! Please don't go!" Malcolm's sister tried to push the door open, but Tyler pulled her back.

"I love you, Jada," Malcolm called over his shoulder just as he disappeared behind the building.

Tyler put on his sunglasses and put the car in drive, leaving the area without a backward glance. Jada wouldn't stop squirming.

"Would you quit it? Do you want to get him killed?" Tyler snapped. Jada stopped moving, her eyes wide with fear. Tyler knew he should tell her something reassuring, but he hated lying to people, even if it helped them.

They stopped at a traffic light, and a man approached the car and knocked on the window. Tyler rolled down the window and tilted his sunglasses so he could look the man in the eye.

"Is there a problem, sir?" he asked with a hint of annoyance.

"No, I'm just curious if you were anywhere near the abandoned building back there," the man said. He glared at Jada, who was staying surprisingly calm.

"Nope. Did something happen there?" Tyler asked, acting clueless.

"Not at all." The man looked Tyler up and down, then walked away. He entered a white van, then drove away. The traffic light turned green, and Tyler continued to drive, careful not to go too fast.

"Okay, start talking. I have a lot of questions. First, where's my brother? How do you know him? Who was that guy? Does he know my brother? Why is your hair not slicked back like all the other school boys?" Jada talked so fast that Tyler started to get a headache.

"Your brother wanted to meet some associates of mine. They were planning on stealing some money from the mayor and he wanted in on it." Tyler put a finger to Jada's mouth to stop her from interrupting. "Your brother and I have been friends for years, and I owed him. I don't know who that guy in the van was, but he definitely had something to do with the shouting we heard earlier. My guess is that he's part of some other rebel gang that wanted to steal the mayor's money for themselves. And lastly, I like my hair this way." Tyler ran his hand through his hair. Having it stick out in the front was his way of silently rebelling against Marolo's policies.

"Malcolm couldn't have gotten involved in rebel gangs. He knows how dangerous those people are!" Jada exclaimed in a matter-of-fact tone.

"Hey! There are a lot of nice rebel gang members that have helped me through hard times. Your brother is one of them. Now, they probably just got into a fight and eventually the police will show up and arrest them. Your brother will probably get taken to the juvenile delinquents holding center since he's still a minor."

"You say that as if it's a good thing," Jada muttered, slouching down in her seat.

"Well, it's better than a police officer showing up at your front door saying that they found your brother dead in an alley," Tyler snapped. He looked over at Jada and saw that she was close to tears.

"Ugh. Just forget I said that." Tyler rubbed his forehead and stayed silent for the rest of the drive. Jada didn't say anything either. He parked the car in front of Malcolm's house. Jada opened the door and walked out. Tyler rolled down his window as she walked past.

"Thank you for the ride," she said quietly as she headed for the front door.

"Hey! I know this doesn't mean much coming from me, but I'm sure your brother is fine. Just-just don't go looking for him. He'd kill me if anything happened to you," Tyler said, smiling.

"Okay," Jada replied as she disappeared into her house.

"Man, I've got to stop getting involved in stuff like this." Tyler rubbed his forehead again and drove away.

"What? That's impossible!" Jada said to the police officer.

A few days had passed since Malcolm had disappeared behind the abandoned building. Jada had listened to Tyler and kept quiet, not mentioning anything to her mother. 

"I'm sorry miss, but your brother is missing. He wasn't in the alley with the other rebel gang members, and there was no evidence that he had been there at all," the police officer replied calmly. He was a short man, and his face didn't look apologetic at all.

"Check again! You're just a bunch of lazy cops that don't know how to do your job correctly!"  Jada shouted angrily.

"Jada, apologize this instant!" Mrs. Stone shouted.

"Fine. I'm sorry," Jada muttered, then turned to run up the stairs and into her room.

"I'm sorry, sir. She's just upset. Thank you for stopping by," Jada heard her mother say from downstairs.

Jada heard the front door closing, and her mother's footsteps coming up the stairs. Jada sighed, knowing she was about to receive a lecture. She hadn't meant to explode at the police officer, she was just confused. How could Malcolm have just disappeared?

"Young lady, care to explain why you were so rude to the kind officer?" Mrs. Stone sounded angry, but her face revealed her grief. 

"I'm just worried about Malcolm, that's all." Jada avoided her mother's gaze, afraid that her face would reveal that she had been there when Malcolm had gone to the building.

"That's not an excuse for you to start acting up. Now get going. You're late for school. And for god's sake fix your hair!" Mrs. Stone stormed away quickly, disappearing into her room. 

Jada walked over to a mirror and undid her ponytail, putting it into a tight bun. She then grabbed her bag and ran down the stairs. She closed the front door behind her and ran straight into someone.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't see you there." Jada looked up to see a boy with pale skin, dark brown eyes, and jet-black hair that stuck out at the front.

"Tyler?" She hadn't expected to see him again. He looked angry, but beneath that, Jada noticed a sense of urgency.

"Get in. I'll give you a ride to school." Tyler walked over to his car, which he had parked in her driveway.

Jada hesitated. "Why should I trust you? Also, why aren't you at school?"

"Why are you always asking questions? Lakeside High School doesn't start for another hour. Now get in! We need to talk about your brother." Tyler slammed his door shut.

Jada walked around and entered the passenger seat. Lakeside High School was on the other side of town, and she tried not to let that bother her. She sat down and crossed her arms, tapping her foot impatiently. She'd had enough of Tyler's aggressive attitude, and she wished that he would stop treating her like a child.

"Okay, spill. Why was there a police officer at your door?" Tyler asked.

"He came to tell us that Malcolm is missing and that there was no sign that he was even in the alley. He's obviously lying! Why can't he just-"

"Quit it! That officer might not be lying. Alright, after school, we're going to meet with the rebel gang that was in the alley. They'll tell us what happened to your brother," Tyler said casually.

"What? No! I can't just go meet with some rebel gang! My mother would kill me, and if I get caught, I can kiss my good record goodbye!" Jada protested.

"You've got any better ideas?" Tyler looked at Jada and smirked.

Jada opened her mouth, but closed it when she couldn't think of anything to say. She hated when she couldn't think of a solution. She sighed."Fine."

"Great!" Tyler exclaimed as he parked in front of Oakwood High School. 

Jada opened the door and exited his car. She turned to wave goodbye, but he was already speeding away. She thought about how just a few days ago, her only worries were about her upcoming volleyball game.

"I'm screwed."

                                        ...

"Okay, when we get inside, you can't say a single word. Leave the talking to me," Tyler ordered as he locked his car.

"Believe me. I don't want to talk to them at all," Jada replied coolly.

"That's surprising. It seems like you never shut your mouth." Tyler rolled his eyes and laughed.

Jada crossed her arms in anger, but she couldn't help but smile. Once they stepped inside, her smile quickly faded away. In the middle of the room was a small table with three chairs. Sitting in one of them was a large man with a giant scar going down his face. Behind him are men that don't look any more pleasant. Tyler walked to the chairs and sat down in one of them, motioning for Jada to do the same.

"Ty, you've gotten so big!" the large man's voice took Jada by surprise. She assumed he would sound menacing.

"Hey Dante. It's nice to see you again." Tyler smiled.

"And who have you brought with you. I hope she's not your girlfriend. She's too pretty for you!" the man called Dante laughed. The men behind him chuckled as well.

"Nah, she's my friend's sister. That's why we came here, actually. I dropped him off at your meeting a few days ago, but no one's heard of him ever since. What happened over there?" Tyler placed his elbows on the table, letting his face rest in his palms. He stared straight at Dante.

Dante's smile faded away. He threw his finger up in the air, and his men moved toward the windows and door. They all give him a thumbs up.

"You really want to know?" Dante asked quietly.

"Please. Tell me what happened to my brother," Jada whispered. Tyler glared at her, but Dante just smiled.

"Alright, girly. We were getting ready for our meeting when these men in a white van showed up. They started fighting us. Few minutes later your brother came running in and helped us out. Out of nowhere, their men started ganging up on your brother. They knocked him out and threw him into their truck. They drove off before we could help him out," Dante said, a grave look on his face.

"What? Rebel gangs don't kidnap other gang members," Tyler said, sounding concerned.

"That's because they weren't a gang. They weren't cops either. I don't know who they are, but they ain't on our side." Dante shook his head.

"That's it? That's all you can tell us?" Jada asked. Her throat tightened and she felt like crying.

"There's one more thing. A couple of my men followed the van and saw it drive into Brightfields Sewage Plant on the other side of the city," Dante said slowly, as if the words were dangerous.

"Thank you Dante. We'll leave now. Sorry for bothering you." Tyler stood up and pulled Jada out of her chair. They started walking toward the exit.

"Tyler," Dante called after them. Tyler stopped walking, forcing Jada to stop too.

 "Yes sir?"

"Don't do anything stupid. These people could be dangerous, and you don't know what you're up against." Once again, Dante surprised Jada with his concern for Tyler. She wondered how long the two of them had known each other.

"Alright sir." Tyler opened the door and pulled Jada out. Jada didn't dare to look back.

"Come on. I'm taking you home," Tyler said, gripping Jada's arm.

"What? No! You can't take me home now. We have to go to that sewage plant! Don't you want to save Malcolm?" Jada pulled her arm away from Tyler.

"Of course I do! We just can't go now. God, why are you so stubborn?" Tyler rubbed his hand through his hair. "I'll be outside your house at midnight, okay? Sneak out, and don't wake up your mom!" 

"Fine." Jada followed Tyler to his car and entered it. "And for your information, I do know how to be sneaky. You know what Malcolm's like." 

This made Tyler laugh, a warm sound that brought a smile to Jada's face. She was happy that she found someone she could trust, even if he was an angry teenager. She wanted to know more about him, but she doubted that he would ever open up. For now, she would just have to accept his choices, as long as he helped her find Malcolm.

Halona opened her eyes and blinked in the morning sunlight. She looked around and started to panic. Where was she? The events of last night slowly came back to her and she relaxed. She looked at the time. It was seven o'clock. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. Lorenzo's bed was empty. She tied her hair up in a bun and put a pin through it. It was messy, but it would have to do. She slipped on her shoes and opened his window. She climbed down the tree and landed on the grass, her muscles aching from all the running last night. She glanced back up at Lorenzo's room and considered telling him that she was leaving.

"What do I care? I only met him yesterday," Halona said to herself. She walked to the main road and stopped to figure out where her house was from here. She crossed the street and put her hood on, walking briskly past dozens of houses.

Halona climbed up the tree and into her bedroom window. She rushed to her closet and put on her clothes. She had five minutes before her parents would walk into her room. She slipped on her jacket and opened her door. Halona found herself face to face with her very angry parents.

"Halona! Where have you been?" Mrs.Murray shouted.

"What do you mean?" Halona asked, trying to act innocent. It didn't work.

"Don't play dumb! We know you weren't in your room for the past couple hours," Mr. Murray snapped.

"I was at the park," Halona surprised herself with the lie. Then again, she had been lying her whole life about Braden. Thinking about her friend made her frown.

"What were you doing there?" Mrs. Murray asked, sounding concerned.

"I was sketching. I wanted to sketch the night sky," Halona replied, crossing her fingers behind her back and hoping they would believe her.

"We know that you love art, but it's no excuse for you to disappear in the middle of the night. The city isn't safe for a fifteen year old girl," Mr. Murray said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"I know. I'm sorry. It won't happen again." Halona hugged her parents. She was lucky that they didn't know she was out before 5:00 a.m., when curfew ends. She felt guilty about tricking them, but she couldn't trust them with the truth. They would probably just ground her, and that wouldn't help Braden at all.

"We love you sweetie. Now get to school." Mrs. Murray kissed Halona on the forehead.

                                        ...

Halona walked home from school alone, like she always did. She usually fantasized about art, but her mind was full of the memories of Braden being kidnapped, or whatever you would call it. She knew that the men weren't with the police because they would have announced it.

"Maybe they were federal agents," she muttered.

"Federal agents? I highly doubt it," a familiar voice came from behind her. Lorenzo.

"Lorenzo! What are you doing here?" Halona exclaimed.

"I wanted to make sure you were okay. You left my house without saying goodbye," Lorenzo said. He was frowning, and he looked genuinely concerned.

"I'm fine, okay! Now just leave me alone. I don't need your help." Halona started to walk faster, but Lorenzo caught up with her.

"Help? Help with what? Are you planning something?" Lorenzo looked at her skeptically.

"Ugh! What's it going to take for you to leave me alone?" Halona snapped. All her feelings of gratitude toward him melted away, and she wished that he would just disappear.

"Why do you hate me so much? I saved you last night!" Lorenzo shouted, his voice rising in anger.

"You followed me and spied on my friend and I. For all I know, you could have led those guys straight to us!" Halona said angrily.

"Oh, so now it's my fault? Maybe your friend shouldn't have been doing something illegal in the first place! If it's anyone's fault, it's his!" Lorenzo snapped.

 This made Halona's blood boil. "Shut up! I never asked for you to come barging into my life. You have a ton of friends at school, and you have so many siblings that love and care about you. So why do you need me?" Halona stopped walking and glared at him. She watched as a look of hurt flashed across his eyes.

"Is that what you think? That I have a perfect life? Well, I don't. My parents don't care about me. My siblings treat me like garbage. If I died, nobody would even notice!" Lorenzo looked down at his feet.

"Was that supposed to make me feel sorry for you? You're complaining because you don't get the attention you want! You're such a baby!" Halona replied with pure venom. She felt a pang of guilt, but she forced it away.

"Halona-"

"Go away! I don't want you here!" Halona started walking away.

"Halona! Would you shut up and look?" Lorenzo shouted. He pointed to the building on their right.

"What? That's just the sewage plant." Halona scanned the parking lot for something interesting.

"No, over there. Doesn't that car look familiar?" Lorenzo pointed at a white van at the edge of the parking lot.

"No way! That's the car that chased us!" Halona exclaimed. She started to frown. "Does that mean that Braden is in there?"

"I don't know, but it's a pretty big coincidence," Lorenzo replied. He stared at the building.

"We should check it out!" Halona started to run toward the entrance of the sewage plant. Something made her jerk back.

"Halona, no!" Lorenzo had grabbed her arm to stop her. "We can't just walk in. That place is heavily guarded. If Braden really is in there, then something really weird must be going on, and it could be dangerous!"

"Lorenzo please! He's my friend, and he needs my help! You don't have to go in, but I can't just stand around when he could be in there being tortured, or worse!" Halona pleaded with Lorenzo. She felt like crying, but she held back the tears. The last thing she needed was for Lorenzo to think she was some helpless little girl.

"You're crazy if you think I'll let you go in there by yourself." Lorenzo sighed. He looked into Halona's eyes, and she forced herself to not look away. "I'm probably going to regret this, but I'll help. I'll sneak out at midnight and meet you here, okay? If somebody spots us, they won't be able to tell who we are in the dark."

"Fine," Halona replied. She watched as Lorenzo walked away.

"Lorenzo, wait! I'm sorry for what I said earlier," she called out to him.

"Nah, it's fine. The funny thing is, you were right. See you at midnight." Lorenzo winked and walked away.

"Yeah. See you." Halona smiled. Her heart was fluttering with hope. By this time tomorrow, she would be with Braden again.

Lorenzo crossed the street toward the sewage plant, careful to avoid the traffic cameras. Marolo had a strict curfew, and he had heard terrible things about the punishments of those who didn't follow it. He walked around the fence, but he couldn't find Halona anywhere. Suddenly, someone grabbed his shoulder. He turned around quickly and was about to punch the stranger when he saw their face.

"Don't hit me!" Halona shrieked.

"Halona? We're sneaking out after curfew in the dark, and you thought it was a good idea to grab me?" Lorenzo snapped, but Halona's smile melted away his anger.

"It's not my fault you're such a chicken," Halona replied, her eyes glinting with humor. "I found an entrance on the other side, and there aren't any cameras there." Halona ran off, Lorenzo on her heels.

 They climbed over the fence and ran toward the building, hiding in the shadows. Lorenzo looked around for a door, but he realized that there weren't any.

"Great plan, Halona. Did you think we were just going to walk through the walls?" Lorenzo said, feeling annoyed.

"Nope. We're going up there." Halona pointed to a second story window.

"You've got to be kidding. How are we supposed to get up there?" Lorenzo considered going back home. If he injured himself or was caught, he would be kicked off all his sports teams. Even worse, he would face both the penalty for breaking an entry and being out past curfew. He glanced at Halona and sighed. I'm doing this for her, not me. Why he felt the urge to help her was beyond him.

"We'll climb up the pipe. You're an athlete, aren't you?" Halona threw her bag to Lorenzo and started to climb up the pipe, her hands gripped tightly as she hoisted herself up.

Lorenzo watched her anxiously. A fall from that height would cause critical damage, and it would also alert the security guards on the other side of the sewage plant. Halona reached the window sill and pushed up the window. She disappeared into the building. A few moments later, she reappeared with a proud smile on her face. Lorenzo threw both of their bags up to her, then started to climb up the pipe. It was more difficult than he expected it to be, and his injured leg didn't help make things easier. When he reached the window, his foot slipped and he fell face first onto the floor. He groaned in pain.

"Well that was graceful." Halona smirked and dropped Lorenzo's bag onto his head.

"Thanks for your concern," Lorenzo said as he stood up, rubbing his head. Once again, he wondered why he felt the need to help Halona. There was something about her that made him want to fight by her side. He shook away the thought and looked up, only to realize that there were two different hallways.

"Which will it be? Hallway number one? Or hallway number two?" Halona asked, gesturing toward the hallways as if they held some great prize.

Lorenzo glanced down both hallways. He took a deep breath, then pointed at the one on the right. Halona nodded and the two of them walked together. Halona glanced up, making sure there were no cameras. Lorenzo felt awkward in the silence.

"So, how long have you known Braden?" he asked her. Halona responded with a scolding glare.

"Since when are you allowed to ask me questions?" she replied coolly.

"I just think that if I'm risking my life to save the guy, I should know a little more about him," Lorenzo replied, ignoring the anger in her voice. He noticed that, if he put aside her menacing tone, Halona usually sounded scared, as if she were worried that saying too much would get her into trouble.

Halona looked him up and down, as if she were checking for any signs of a lie. She smiled and nodded her head. "I've known him for years. He would stop by my house every evening, and we would create art together. I never told my parents about him. They would have just taken him to child services. His parents weren't exactly good role models." Halona's smile faded away. "Just like mine."

Lorenzo didn't say anything. He didn't want to start another argument with her. He simply nodded sympathetically. A flash of movement caught his eye.

"Halona. Hide!" he whispered urgently. They ducked into a storage closet. Lorenzo peeked out into the hallway. He watched a man emerge from a room and rush down the hallway in the other direction. Lorenzo waited before pushing the door open and walking out.

"That was a close one," Halona said. She turned her head quickly, making sure that the hallway was clear.

"Hold on. I want to check something out." Lorenzo ran down the hallway and to the door that the man had come out of. It was labeled Civilians. He opened the door and stepped in. 

Lorenzo turned the lights on and his jaw dropped. The room was filled with dozens of filing cabinets. He opened some and realized that they contained information on every single person living in the city. He gestured for Halona to check it out.

"They don't need all this information to filter the water supply," Halona pointed out.

Lorenzo shrugged and continued searching. He noticed a file sticking out of one of the drawers. He pulled it out. It was labeled The Purity Project. He opened it and scanned through its contents. The document was full of names that were labeled as test subjects.

"Test subjects? For what?" Halona asked. She was reading over his shoulder.

"I don't know, but it can't be good." Lorenzo looked at the names, but didn't recognize any of them.

"Lorenzo, look! Braden Smith!" Halona exclaimed as she pointed at the name.

Lorenzo pulled out the other document that was in the file. It was a copy of the confirmation for the shipment of the test subjects. It was printed out yesterday. 

"Halona, I'm sorry. It looks like they moved Braden out of the city yesterday." Lorenzo frowned as he looked at the bottom of the document.

"No, he can't be gone. Why would they take him out of the city. Who's using them as test subjects?" Halona's voice cracked. 

"Well, it's much bigger than we thought. This document was signed by the mayor." Lorenzo said. His heart was racing and his hands shook nervously.

"The mayor? He kidnapped Braden? Why would he-" Halona stopped talking abruptly.

Lorenzo looked up and followed her gaze. She was staring at the doorknob, which was slowly turning. Lorenzo looked around for somewhere to hide, but it was too late. The door was already opened.

"Who the heck are you?"

"How on earth did you do that?" Tyler asked as he stared in astonishment at Jada. She had figured out the pin code for opening the back door of the sewage plant.

"I paid attention in history class. They never changed the code. Sewage plants don't need heavy guarding." Jada shrugged and closed the door behind them.

"Okay, my turn." Tyler pulled out the map of the sewage plant. He scanned it for a few seconds, then decided where to go. "We need to go to the second floor. That's where they have the information about the citizens. Maybe we'll find something on Malcolm."

The two of them head up the stairs. Tyler recalled when he had a field trip to the sewage plant when he was ten. He remembered the tour guide saying that the elevators were full of tiny cameras, but the rest of the building only had normal security cameras. Once they reached the second floor, they turned right down the hallway. Suddenly, Tyler caught a flash movement in the corner of his eye. He grabbed Jada's arm and pulled her behind a wall.

"What are you-" Tyler silenced Jada with his finger.

Tyler stuck his head out from the wall to catch a glimpse of the stranger. He spotted a girl entering a room. He didn't see her face, but she looked too young to be working at the sewage plant. He waited until he was sure that the hallway was clear, then walked toward the door.

"We can't go in there. Didn't you see someone go in there?" Jada grabbed Tyler's arm and tried to pull him back.

"Just trust me, Jada. I have a feeling that we're supposed to go in there." Tyler yanked his arm away from her.

"A feeling? We're risking getting caught because you had a feeling?" Jada crossed her arms in frustration. 

"No, I am. You're going to hide in that storage closet, while I go in," Tyler said firmly. He already felt guilty about Malcolm disappearing. It was his responsibility to protect Jada.

"What? No way! Look, I know we just met, but I can't just let you get captured. I can't let that happen again," Jada said.

This caught Tyler off guard. He looked at Jada's face. She looked so desperate, and her eyes reminded him of his brother. He would have been doing the same thing if he was here. He had to remind himself that Jada wasn't Ron. She was older than him, smarter than him, and stronger than him. She would be helpful. Tyler would just have to keep an eye on her.

"Fine. Let's go in together." Tyler smiled at Jada. He took a deep breath and turned the doorknob slowly. He pushed the door open.

Whatever Tyler was expecting to see, it wasn't this. A boy and a girl stood next to each other, their fists clenched. The boy had bronze skin, black hair, and amber eyes. The girl had olive skin, caramel brown eyes, and her long dark brown hair was tied in a braid. The boy was holding on tight to a file.

"Who the heck are you?" Tyler asked.

"Who are you?" the boy responded harshly.

Tyler glared at them. He didn't have the patience to wait around for the two kids to start talking. "Just tell me this. Are you going to turn us in, or are you here for some other reason."

The boy glanced at the girl who shrugged. "My friend is missing. We're trying to find him. Are you going to turn us in?" she shot back, staring at Tyler skeptically.

"No, we're here to find her brother," Tyler said, gesturing toward Jada. "It seems like we have similar problems. Do you know anything that could help us out." Tyler eyed the file. The way the boy clenched the file intrigued Tyler.

The boy sighed. "Go ahead and look. You're not going to be happy with what you see." He handed the file to Tyler. 

Tyler scanned it and frowned. Jada rushed to Tyler's side and peered at the file over his shoulder.

"Tyler! That's Malcolm!" She pointed at Malcolm's name on the list.

"The mayor transported them out of the city. They're being used as test subjects, but I don't know what for," the girl said slowly, a hint of pain in her voice.

Tyler grabbed the last document in the file. He scanned it and his eyes grew wide in shock. "They're being shipped to the capitol, which means that this could go all the way up to the president." 

"Wait, what? The president? How are we supposed to get them back?" Jada buried her face in her hands.

"We need to get out of here, now," the boy said, and Tyler couldn't agree more.

Tyler sighed, handing the file back to the boy. "I'm probably going to regret this, but you guys should come with us. I have a car, so I can get us out of here."

"Really? You just met us and you're offering to give us a ride? Aren't you afraid that we'll attack you or something?" the girl said.

"Ha! I run around with rebel gangs. You guys are like daisies compared to them." Tyler opened the door and walked out. He didn't have to turn around to know that they were following him.

"So what? We're just going to go home, knowing all this information? Shouldn't we at least try to save them?" Jada asked.

"Are you crazy? How do you plan on getting them back?" Tyler snapped. A part of him did want to try, but he couldn't risk putting Jada in danger. Suddenly, an alarm went off.

"Security to the Civilians room. Intruders have stolen File Number 1." a voice said over the intercom.

They had to escape now. "What'll it be?" Tyler said to the boy and girl.

They looked at each other, their faces filled with doubt.

"We'll go with you."

Jada rushed down the hallway, ignoring the security cameras. Behind her was Tyler and the two strangers. She realized that she still didn't know their names.

"Hey, you two. What are your names?" Jada called over her shoulder.

"Seriously? You're asking us for our names now?" the girl said between deep breaths.

"Well, would you rather me call you boy and girl?" Jada replied.

"I'm Lorenzo, she's Halona," the boy responded quickly.

Jada nodded, happy that at least one of them was cooperative. "I'm Jada. He's Tyler."

"Great, now that we're all best friends, can we focus on not going to jail?" Tyler said, sounding annoyed.

"Wait, let's go out this window. It'll buy us time," Halona said, opening the two-story window.

"Good thinking. Lorenzo, go first," Tyler said, keeping his eyes on the hallways.

Jada watched as Lorenzo disappeared out of the window. She looked at Halona, who gestured toward the window, signaling that Jada should go first. Jada grabbed onto the pipe and slowly slid down. She heard shouting in the distance and loosened her grip slightly. She started to slide down faster and her hands couldn't keep up. She suppressed a scream as she fell toward the ground. She closed her eyes and felt herself crash into something, someone grunting by her ear. She opened her eyes and saw Lorenzo, who had caught her.

"Are you okay?" Lorenzo asked her, as he set her down onto the ground.

"Yeah, I think so. Nice catch." Jada smiled and looked up at the window. She watched Halona slide down, closely followed by Tyler.

"My car's this way." Tyler ran across the parking lot, and they followed him.

"Shotgun!" Lorenzo called out of nowhere.

"Are you serious?" Halona snapped.

Jada couldn't help but laugh. Halona glared at her harshly. Suddenly, Jada heard shouts, and they sounded closer than they did before. She turned her head and saw a group of security guards chasing after them. "Get in the car!" Jada shouted. She and Halona collapsed into the backseat.

"Drive!" Lorenzo shouted.

"That's what I was planning on doing, idiot!" Tyler shouted as he sped across the parking lot.

"The gate! Watch out for the ga-" Jada didn't get to finish her sentence. Tyler drove straight through the gate, the impact throwing Jada and Halona forward.

"My house is that way!" Halona said as Tyler sped through the city.

"We're not going home," Tyler said through gritted teeth.

"What? You can't keep us from going home. We have families!" Lorenzo said to Tyler, trying to grab the steering wheel.

"Stop you idiot before we crash! We can't stay here. They saw our faces, and they'll be showing up to our homes any minute now. If we stay here, we'll die!" Tyler replied, swatting Lorenzo's hand.

"So what? What are we going to do then?" Lorenzo asked quietly.

"We're going to save Braden, and your brother," Halona replied, fiddling with her fingers.

"Halona, we can't just go to the capitol and rescue them. We're going against the president for god's sake!" Lorenzo reasoned.

"Enough! We're going to rescue them, no matter the cost. If you don't want to come along, then feel free to get out of the car!" Jada shouted. She was shaking with anger. She was done being a sweet little girl. Lorenzo looked back at her and sighed.

"Fine. If I'm going to die, I want to be remembered for something good," Lorenzo said, crossing his arms.

"Good. We're going to go to Madison. My uncle lives there, so we can gather the information we need without being recognized," Tyler said.

"Madison? You mean the city that's overrun with government-loving citizens? That's a bright idea," Lorenzo said sarcastically.

"Which is why it's the perfect cover," Tyler replied firmly, giving Lorenzo a look that signaled that the conversation was over.

Jada closed her eyes, wanting to sleep away all her troubles, but her mind wouldn't let her rest. She looked over at Halona, who was sitting up right, her eyes alert. Jada could tell that she was faking her tough look. Jada did the same thing when people asked her about her brother or her father. Halona had obviously been through some sort of trauma. Jada peeked at Lorenzo, who had his head turned toward the window. He seemed like a friendly person, unlike Tyler, who always had an angry look on his face. Jada thought about her mother. What would she think, when she heard that her daughter was a criminal? She was already stressed out enough with Malcolm being "missing". Would Marolo punish her for Jada's actions? Jada sighed, wishing that she could go back to having a normal family, living a normal life.

"So, does anyone want to introduce ourselves, or are we just going to treat each other like strangers for the rest of the ride?" Lorenzo's voice broke the silence.

Jada smiled, happy to take her mind off her problems. "I'm Jada Stone. I'm fourteen, and I go to Oakwood High School. I play volleyball, and I hope to become the captain of the team some day," she said, realizing how unlikely her dream was now.

"Malcolm told me that you're pretty smart. You've got straight A's." Tyler added, looking at Jada through the rear-view mirror.

"Really? Impressive." Lorenzo smiled at Jada. "I'll go next. I'm Lorenzo Castro. I'm fifteen and go to Westview High School. I have six siblings. I play soccer, basketball, and I compete in track. Who's next?"

Halona sighed. "I guess me. I'm Halona Murray. I'm fifteen and also go to Westview. I'm an artist, and I don't have any siblings. At least that I know of. I'm adopted." She said the last word as if it were something vile.

"Tyler? Your turn." Lorenzo nudged Tyler with his elbow.

"Fine. I'm Tyler Park. I'm sixteen and I go to Lakeside High School. I have a little brother named Ron, and my parents are stupid. I don't do any sports, unless you consider street fights a sport." Tyler chuckled darkly.

"That was... interesting." Lorenzo glanced at Jada, who shrugged.

"You never told me you had a brother," Jada said. She wondered if the two of them got along. Tyler didn't seem like the big brother type.

"You never asked," Tyler replied firmly. Jada decided it was smart not to question him any more.

"Well, I'm going to go to sleep. You guys should too," Lorenzo said, turning to face Jada and Halona.

"Finally! I thought you'd never shut up," Halona replied as she leaned against the window.

Jada laughed and closed her eyes. Before she knew it, she had drifted off into a deep sleep.

Halona woke up to the sound of a car door closing. She started to panic, thinking that they had been caught. She rubbed her eyes and realized that it was just Tyler. She sighed and looked over at Jada. Her face was still, and looked so peaceful. Her eyelids fluttered slightly, and Halona wondered what she was dreaming about.

"You'd better wake her up," Lorenzo said as he stepped out of the car.

"Right." Halona nudged Jada softly, not wanting to startle her. Her eyes opened slightly, the sunlight making her eyes glow like crystals.

"Malcolm?" Jada muttered drowsily.

"No, it's me. We're at Tyler's uncle's house," Halona replied. She felt a pang of sympathy for the girl. 

"Oh. Sorry," Jada whispered. She opened her door and stepped out.

Halona did the same. She looked around, taking in their surroundings. The sun was just rising, giving the sky an orange tint. Tyler had parked in front of a tan building. Halona walked over to Lorenzo, who was stretching.

"How are you feeling?" Lorenzo asked, crossing his arms over his head.

"I'm fine," Halona replied sharply. She immediately felt guilty. She couldn't help it that she didn't trust Lorenzo, or the others.

"Honestly, can I ever have a decent conversation with you without you getting mad?" Lorenzo rolled his eyes.

"Whatever. Where's Tyler?" Halona asked, scanning the parking lot for the rebellious boy.

"He went inside to check if his uncle was home," Lorenzo replied. He nodded at Jada, who had just walked over to them.

"Did you sleep well?" Lorenzo asked her.

"I guess. How about you?" Jada asked them.

"Good. See Halona? That's how you have a conversation with someone." Lorenzo elbowed Halona, a playful grin on his face.

"Sorry that I'm not like Ms. Cheerful here. Not everyone has a happy little life like her!" Halona snapped. She looked over at Jada, who was frowning.

"Jada, I didn't mean-"

"No it's fine. Let's just go inside now." Jada walked over to Tyler, who had just emerged from the building.

"Good going. I know you had a tough life, but it's no excuse to make others miserable," Lorenzo said coolly. He turned and ran over to the others.

Halona opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. She hated it when he was right. She walked over to the others, avoiding eye contact. Tyler led them into the building and to a door labeled 2B. The door opened and a middle aged man greeted them. He didn't resemble Tyler at all.

"Hello children. Please, come in." He gestured for them to enter.

"Guys, this is my uncle, Mitch," Tyler said as he plopped down onto the couch.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Lorenzo, and this is Halona and Jada," Lorenzo said, shaking Mitch's hand. "Thank you so much for taking us in."

"Of course. My nephew tells me that you have some family troubles and needed to get away," Mitch replied, eyeing the three of them.

"Yeah, their parents are all idiots, like mine. I would have let them crash with me, but you know what it's like at my house, Uncle Mitch." Tyler waved his hand around as he talked.

"It breaks my heart that there are so many irresponsible parents living in our country," Mitch said, shaking his head. "Alright, come with me. I'll show you to your rooms." Mitch led them up the stairs.

"I have two spare bedrooms, so the girls can share one and the boys can share the other. I'm afraid that one of the room's has only one mattress," Mitch added with an apologetic look on his face.

"It's fine. I'll sleep in a sleeping bag," Tyler said.

"No, I can," Lorenzo replied quickly.

"Great! Thanks for being so generous." Tyler smirked as he opened the door and entered the room. Lorenzo sighed and followed him.

"Here's your room girls. Go ahead and get settled. I have to get to work now." Mitch rushed down the stairs.

Halona opened the door and stepped into the room, closely followed by Jada. The room had two twin beds on each side.The floor was basic wood, and the curtains were a bland gray color. Overall, the room wasn't very decorative. Halona walked to the bed on the left and dropped her bag on top. She suddenly realized how empty her stomach felt. She hadn't eaten in hours. She looked over at Jada and saw that she was staring out the window. Halona decided that if she was going to be stuck with this girl, she might as well try to be nice to her, even if she didn't exactly know how to make friends.

"Hey, Jada?"

"Hmm?" Jada replied, her head still turned.

"Um, I don't know about you, but I'm starving. What do you say we go find something to eat?" Halona smiled.

"That's a great idea!" Jada snapped out of her trance and returned Halona's smile. "We should also get new clothes. We can't run around in these ones forever." Jada grabbed Halona's arm and pulled out of the room. They rushed into the other bedroom, where Tyler and Lorenzo were talking quietly.

"Hey! You can't just barge in here like that. Ever heard of privacy?" Lorenzo exclaimed.

"We need to go into town. You coming, or not?" Halona asked them.

Lorenzo looked over at Tyler, who shrugged. "We're already screwed. Where's the harm in having a little fun?"

                                                                    ...

Halona devoured her waffle. The warm combination of maple syrup, whipped cream, and the buttery pastry flooded down her throat. She couldn't remember the last time that she had felt pure satisfaction after a meal. To her right, Jada was enjoying her waffle. Across from her was Tyler and Lorenzo, each eating an omelet. She didn't know why, but for some reason she felt safe. Safe with these people who she had only met yesterday. She glanced at Lorenzo. She realized that he had stayed by her side the entire time, even though they barely knew each other. Why would he do something like that? He had nothing to gain from helping her.

"I'm done eating, so I'm going to wait outside," Lorenzo said. He stood up and stretched, then looked down at Halona. "You wanna come with me?"

Halona realized that both Tyler and Jada were still eating. She decided it would be better to stretch her legs instead of waiting for them to finish. "Sure, I'll come."

The two of them walked out of the diner and into the busy city. Halona had learned about Madison in school. It was the city with the least rebel gangs, besides the capitol. She started to think about Braden and the Purity Project. What could the government possibly need with him? She frowned as she thought of terrible answers to that question.

"Got a lot on your mind?" Lorenzo's voice broke her thoughts.

"Huh? Yeah, I guess. It's just-" She looked over at Lorenzo and saw him staring intently.

"You can talk to me, Halona. I know we just met, but we're stuck together, whether you like it or not. It'll be much easier if we become friends instead of enemies." Lorenzo smiled and winked

Halona started to smile too. "You wouldn't make a very good enemy anyway. You're too nice to hate."

"I'm flattered."

Halona started laughing, and Lorenzo joined in. They sat down on a bench and started to talk. Not about their real problems, but about normal things. Which teachers they hated, funny things they had seen at school, how annoying parents could be. There was something about Lorenzo that made Halona feel different. When she was with Braden, she felt like she was just speaking to another version of herself. Lorenzo felt like an actual friend, which was something that Halona realized she'd never had.

"You know what?" Lorenzo said looking up at the sky, which was a brilliant blue color.

"What?"

"I think everything's going to work out just fine." Lorenzo closed his eyes and smiled.

Halona tilted her head back and smiled too. "Yeah, I think you're right"

Tyler slipped on his new leather jacket. He had chosen a simple outfit. A leather jacket, a gray t-shirt, and black sweatpants. The bland colors would prevent him from standing out, but it was customary for students to wear their school uniforms in public. As long as people don't notice we're teens, we'll be okay. He stepped out of the dressing room and saw Lorenzo waiting there. He turned and realized the other two dressing rooms were still locked.

"I learned this from having three sisters. Girls take a long time to get dressed," Lorenzo said, and he patted the bench next to him.

Tyler sat down. Lorenzo had chosen a navy blue athletic jacket and gray sweatpants. "You really like showing off that you're an athlete, don't you?"

"Hey, as long as I'm comfortable and stylish, I'm good." Lorenzo smirked and crossed his arms behind his head.

A few moments later, Halona emerged from the dressing room. She wore a black hoodie with light blue stripes on the sleeves, and black leggings. She had also adjusted her braid to make it look neater. She smiled at them and sat down on the bench next to Lorenzo.

"You took a long time," Lorenzo teased her.

"You don't get to say anything, pretty boy. We all know how long you take on your skin care routine," Halona retorted.

"Hey! A guy needs to keep his pores clean." Lorenzo crossed his arms and looked away.

"Oh will you two stop arguing for one second?" Tyler snapped.

As if on cue, Jada emerged from the dressing room. She had chosen a dark green hoodie with a white t-shirt underneath. She wore basic black leggings. She had taken out her bun and replaced it with a high ponytail, her curly hair bouncing around her head. She smiled proudly.

"I hate wearing my hair in a bun. My mother always made me, but now she doesn't get to tell me what to do." Jada smiled, but in her eyes, Tyler could see her pain.

"Well, I think you look great!" Lorenzo smiled. He hopped out of his seat. "Back to Mitch's house?"

"Well, we've got nothing better to do," Tyler said as he stood up. The four of them walked out of the store and toward Tyler's car. As Tyler opened the car door, he noticed two men standing near by talking.

"You heard what's going on in the small towns?" the younger of the two men asked.

"Yeah, it's terrible down there. People just need to accept that the government is doing what's best for them," the older man scoffed.

Tyler looked over at the others and saw that they were also listening discreetly. He was bubbling with curiosity, and soon, it got the best of him. "Excuse me sir, but exactly what is happening in the small towns?"

"Hmm? They aren't teaching you young folk anything these days! Poor people have been refusing to cooperate with the government, so they've been cut off from supplies," the old man said casually.

"That's terrible!" Jada cried out.

"Well girly, didn't your mother teach you that if you don't eat your vegetables, you don't get dessert? It's the same thing," the young man replied, his voice full of pride.

"That doesn't mean-" Lorenzo grabbed Jada's arm to silence her.

Tyler entered the car and closed the door, the others doing the same. He was about to drive away when the older man approached the window. He leaned down, his eyes scanning the inside of the car.

"What are you kids doing out of school anyway?"

"We're home-schooled," Tyler replied quickly. Home-schooling wasn't very common, and it was usually reserved for students that struggled with their education.

The older man scowled. "Alright then. You kids listen here, whatever crap you hear about the government is just people being selfish. Got that?"

"Yes sir," they all replied quietly. The man walked away, and Tyler drove out of the parking lot.

"Well that was interesting," Halona said, breaking the silence.

"I can't believe that the government is starving the poor!" Jada exclaimed.

"I can. They're the same people who took Malcolm and other innocent people to use them as test subjects," Tyler replied coolly.

He suddenly started to think about Ron. How would he have to pay for Tyler's actions? He had left his little brother alone with his despicable parents, and knowing Ron, he probably thought that Tyler was dead. Why didn't he take Ron with him? He would have been better off not knowing what was going on in this corrupt county.

"Tyler?" Jada's voice broke into his thoughts. "Are you okay?"

Tyler looked down and realized how hard he had been gripping the steering wheel. He loosened his grip and allowed blood to return to his hands. "I'm fine." Nobody spoke after that. They returned to Mitch's apartment in silence. Tyler walked up the stairs and entered his bedroom, closing the door behind him. He sat on his bed and stared out the window. For the first time in forever, Tyler felt scared. He didn't want to see anyone get hurt, especially Jada and Ron. After all, he was only sixteen. This led him to wonder what it was like outside of Marolo. He had been told in school that the rest of the world was a war-zone, and that the wall was built to protect them from all the violence. Tyler knew that the country was built off lies, but what if they were telling the truth? What if there wasn't any hope outside of the wall?

"Are you going to sit there all day sulking?" Tyler hadn't even noticed Lorenzo enter the room.

"I'm not sulking. I'm just thinking about how messed up this country is," Tyler responded.

"Dude, that's what sulking is." Lorenzo laughed and plopped down onto his sleeping bag. "Wanna talk about it?"

"What are you, a therapist?" Tyler looked over at the boy.

"As a matter of fact, I am. I'm Dr.Castro. Tell me about your feelings. What's bugging you?" Lorenzo looked deep into Tyler's eyes, then started laughing.

Tyler started to smile. "Keep doing that, and you're going to end up with a fist in your face."

"And why does your fist feel like hitting my face? Is this a result of my natural beauty?" Lorenzo batted his eyelashes.

Tyler couldn't help but laugh. Lorenzo started to pose like a model, which only made Tyler laugh harder. He doubled over, clutching his stomach and gasping for air. As he wiped away his tears, he tried to remember the last time he had laughed like that.

"I am pleased with the results of this session. I hope to see you again," Lorenzo said. "Our next session will be on why you insist on having your hair stick out like that."

"Shut up dude" Tyler grinned as he threw a pillow at Lorenzo's face. The two of them continued to talk, laughing here and there. Tyler realized that despite how annoying he could be, Lorenzo was his friend. That thought finally put Tyler's mind at ease.

Jada wandered around the apartment, trying to find something to do. Tyler and Lorenzo had gone to the gym on the first floor, and Halona was up sketching in their bedroom. Jada would've gone with the boys, but she didn't feel like listening to them argue about who had stronger muscles or who could run faster on the treadmill.

About a week had passed since they had arrived at Mitch's apartment. He had been friendly at first, but had started acting hostile the past few days. The four of them had kept busy, going into town frequently. They tried to find out more about The Purity Project, but the closest they got was someone saying that the government always wanted to "purify" the people of Marolo. They didn't know what that meant, but it was a clue nonetheless.  

Jada noticed a paper sticking out of one of the kitchen cabinets. She knew it was wrong to snoop, but her curiosity got the better of her. She pulled out the paper and saw that it was a copy of a registration letter. In the top right corner was a picture of Mitch, though he was much younger. She scanned the document and realized that Mitch worked with law enforcement. It was odd that he had never mentioned it before. She decided that she shouldn't be worried about it, so she returned the document to it's original home. Suddenly, the door flew open, and Tyler and Lorenzo entered the apartment.

"Told you that I'd beat you," Tyler said with a smug look on his face.

"Only because you're taller! Longer arms makes pull-ups easier!" Lorenzo retorted. They waved at Jada.

"What have you been up to?" Tyler asked as he sat down on the couch, putting his feet up on the coffee table.

"Nothing really. This apartment isn't exactly entertaining." Jada walked over to the window and surveyed the parking lot.

"You should check out the gym. I'm sure you'd have fun there." Lorenzo wiped the sweat off his face with a towel.

"I'll go later. It probably smells like your guys' sweat," Jada said, scrunching her nose in disgust.

"You act like that's a bad thing," Tyler replied, making Lorenzo laugh.

The four of them had become closer during the past week. Jada had built a special bond with each of them, even Halona, who usually liked to keep to herself. She had learned more about their lives before they had met, and she even felt comfortable talking about her father. Suddenly, she caught a flash of movement in the parking lot. She peered down and, to her horror, saw multiple police officers entering the building.

"Guys!" Jada shouted. Tyler rushed to her side and looked out the window.

"We need to go. Now!" he ordered, slipping on his jacket.

"I'll get Halona." Lorenzo disappeared up the stairs. A few moments later, he reappeared, Halona following him. They were holding everyone's bags.

"What's going on?" she asked, the panic in her voice clear.

"Someone called the police. We have to go out through the back!" Tyler threw open the door and ran out, the others following him closely.

They ran down a set of stairs and to the back door. Jada tried to pull it open, but it wouldn't budge. She realized that the door required a pin code. She frantically looked around for somewhere else to go. At the end of the hallway was an emergency exit. "Follow me!" she shouted as she ran toward the door. She flung it open, which set off the fire alarm. They rushed outside into the blinding sunlight.

"They've blocked my car!" Tyler shouted angrily.

"We'll have to go on foot!" Halona grabbed Jada's arm and began to pull her in the opposite direction, Tyler and Lorenzo on their heels.

"Hey! Stop right there!" a voice boomed from behind them.

Jada didn't bother to turn around. The four of them dashed across the parking lot. Jada heard a loud bang, and something flew by her ear. She stumbled in shock, but Halona pulled her back to her feet. More gunshots fired, which only made Jada more determined to escape. They were in the city now, taking cover in the busy sidewalks.

"We need to split up," Jada said between breaths.

"What? That's a crazy idea!" Lorenzo exclaimed.

"Lorenzo, it's our only chance of escaping. I'll go with Jada, you go with Tyler. We'll meet up at Middleton. It's a small town that's not that far from here," Halona said. She handed everyone their bags.

"Fine. Stay safe, okay?" Lorenzo smiled sadly at Jada and Halona.

"You too," Jada replied, before turning to run away, Halona beside her.

The two of them kept running, ducking behind buildings when police cars came speeding by. They spotted a bus up ahead and sprinted to board it. The driver jumped in surprise when they entered the bus.

"That'll be ten dollars, ladies," he said, looking at them skeptically.

"Here!" Halona rustled up the money from her bag and shoved it into the driver's hand.

"Go ahead and take your s-" Jada and Halona rushed down the aisle before the driver could finish talking. 

Jada and Halona sat down in the far back of the bus, where there were no windows. Jada's heart was pounding and she wished that she had brought water with her. She glanced up and noticed an old woman glaring at the two of them from the front of the bus. She had a bitter look on her face and her beady eyes felt like they were tearing into Jada's soul.

"Jada," Halona whispered softly.

"I see her," Jada whispered back.

"Act normal, okay?" Halona pulled out her sketchbook and started to show Jada her artwork. They pretended to talk about it, laughing here and there.

A flash of movement caught Jada's eye. The old woman had moved to the seat right in front of them. She smiled wickedly at the two girls.

"Shouldn't you two ladies be in school?" The woman tried to take a look at the sketchbook, as if it would reveal the truth about them.

"As a matter of fact, no. We're on vacation here, you see. Visiting our grandmother. We received a call from our father saying that our mother has fallen terribly ill, and that we have to return home at once. We ran to the nearest bus, and well, here we are." Jada smiled, and pinched herself so that a tear would escape her eye. She could see Halona looking at her in surprise from the corner of her eye.

"I find it hard to believe that you two are related." The old woman looked at Jada, then Halona.

"Nice of you to notice ma'am. I'm adopted." Halona smiled, playing along with the lie.

"Fine. I'll be watching the two of you very closely. I don't buy your story one bit," the woman spat. She turned on her heels and stomped back to her original seat.

"Good job. Who knew you were so good at lying?" Halona elbowed Jada playfully.

"Yeah." Jada smiled, but she couldn't help feeling worried. She had no idea where Tyler and Lorenzo were, and the thought of that sent a cold shiver up her spine. She hoped they were safe.

Lorenzo ducked into the tunnel after Tyler. He shrunk up against the wall, trying to catch his breath. They were in the city park, hiding under one of the bridges. They had been running for the past ten minutes. Lorenzo told himself that if the police had gone after them, then it meant that they hadn't found Jada and Halona. This gave him a slight sense of relief.

"Stupid Mitch!" Tyler said angrily.

"What?" Lorenzo looked at Tyler in confusion.

"My uncle! He works with law enforcement and he probably found out the truth about us. He decided to sell out his own nephew!" Tyler picked up a rock and chucked it at the wall across from them.

Lorenzo winced at the loud sound it made. He glanced at Tyler, and through the anger, he saw that the boy was hurt. "If it makes you feel better, my grandma called the police on me once because I wouldn't do my homework," Lorenzo said, trying to bring humor into the conversation.

Tyler turned his head sharply, his eyes filled with anger. His face softened, then he gave a light chuckle. "Family is messed up, dude."

"I couldn't agree more." Lorenzo laid his head back and closed his eyes. A loud sound made him jump. "Wha-" One look from Tyler made him fall silent.

Tyler stood up and tip-toed out of the tunnel. He put his hand up, signaling for Lorenzo to stay back. Suddenly a loud bang went off and Tyler dove to the ground. 

"Tyler!" Lorenzo jumped to his feet to help his friend.

"No! Get out of here! I'm right behind you!" Tyler shouted as he pulled himself up.

Lorenzo hesitated, then turned and ran in the other direction. He panicked as he realized that there was no cover in the large park. He looked back and saw Tyler behind him, as well as multiple police officers. Lorenzo heard a loud siren and snapped his head back forward. A police car was crossing the park, heading straight for him. He froze in terror as the speeding car was about to hit him, but then something slammed him to the ground. He looked up and saw that it was Tyler.

"You're surrounded. There's no point in fighting. Now get on your knees and put your hands in the air!" a voice boomed from Lorenzo's right.

"Tyler, I don't think we're going to escape." Lorenzo looked at his friend, who was scanning the park frantically.

Tyler dropped his head and sighed. "I know, dude. If we don't get out of this, I'm happy that Jada and Halona are safe," he said as he fell to his knees and put his hands in the air.

"Me too," Lorenzo said as he put his hands in the air. Someone was by his side in seconds, handcuffing him. He waited to be pulled away, but nobody touched him.

"What is this?" Tyler shouted as a woman in a white coat approached him with a syringe that was filled with a purple liquid.

"A blessing," the woman said with a horrifying grin. She stuck the syringe into Tyler's ear and squeezed the liquid.

Lorenzo watched in horror as Tyler screamed in agony. His eyes shifted to the side, looking directly at Lorenzo. They were filled with tears. Tyler collapsed to the ground, motionless.

"What did you do to him?" Lorenzo shrieked. He tried to reach Tyler, but a knee slammed into his chest, knocking him to the floor. He tried to stand up, but a heavy weight dropped on top of him.

"You'll find out very soon." The woman lifted Lorenzo's chin, waving another full syringe in front of his face. Her eyes were black and soulless, and she smelled like death.

"No! Get away from me!" Lorenzo shouted, but the woman kept a firm grip on his head. He felt a cold shiver run down his body as she touched the syringe to his ear. He felt the sharp needle enter his ear, and he winced in pain. Then, a sudden burning sensation shot down his ear, and it was like a spiky metal ball pierced his brain. He screamed, writhing in pain and begging for it to be over. As if on command, his whole body went numb, and his eyes grew heavy. The last thing he saw before he succumbed to darkness was the droplets of blood falling from the syringe.

                                          ...

Lorenzo's eyes flickered open. He looked around and saw that he was in a cell. He spotted Tyler, slumped up against a wall. He tried to stand up, but an intense amount of pain shot through him. He collapsed to the floor.

"I'd take it easy if I were you. It'll take a little longer for the pain to go away," a voice spoke from the corner of the room.

Lorenzo squinted at the dark corner and saw an old man, sitting on the floor with his legs crossed. "Who are you?" His throat burned as he spoke.

"I'm nobody. Just a simple man that broke the law and has to pay for it," the old man said, his voice raspy.

Lorenzo turned his attention back to Tyler. "Ty, are you awake?" 

Tyler coughed, his head moving slightly. "My eyes are open, but my body feels asleep. So yeah, I'm awake I guess."

"What the heck happened to us?" Lorenzo asked, looking back at the old man.

"Step three of the purification, that's what," the man responded.

"Purification? You know about that?" Tyler shifted so he could face the old man.

"You don't? Of course you don't. You poor kids just got wrapped up into this mess." the old man sighed. "Heard about the Purity Project?"

"Well, sort of. We each know people that went missing because of the Purity Project, but we still don't know what it is," Lorenzo answered.

"The Purity Project is an experiment designed by the government to purify the people of Marolo. There are five steps to achieve ultimate purification. Step one, develop a special serum that contains microchips that are invisible to the naked eye. Step two, test the serum out on some citizens. They needed to keep this discreet, so they captured people who had broken the law and were on the vigilante list. That way, if they were questioned by the public, they could say that they were just taking criminals into custody." The old man paused to let the information sink in.

"So that's why they took Braden and Malcolm," Lorenzo muttered. He glanced at Tyler, who's eyes were focused on the man.

"What exactly does the serum do?" Tyler asked the man.

"There are two sides to the brain. The left deals with logic, the right deals with creativity. The serum essentially shuts down the right side of the brain, changing it so that it only deals with logic. The government believes that if they complete this, then everyone will be equal, and people will be unable to think for themselves," the old man said, his voice filled with sorrow.

"What? How does that make things better? Diversity is a good thing!" Lorenzo exclaimed.

"Keep talking," Tyler grunted.

"Step three, provide the serum to those with paying jobs and their children. Step four, eliminate those who don't meet the guidelines and those who refuse to take the serum. Step fi-"

"What do you mean eliminate?" Lorenzo interrupted.

"Dispose. Destroy. Weed out. Kill. Whatever you want to call it. If you don't have a job or don't have enough money to afford the serum, you're dead," the old man said.

"They can't just kill poor and homeless people!" Lorenzo said in disbelief.

"Look, I don't understand their reasoning behind this. It's certainly awful. As I was saying, step five, activate the micro chips. That's the end of the Purity Project."

"How could they do such an awful thing? How could the President agree to something so evil?" Lorenzo shook his head.

"How long do we have? Till they activate the chips?" Tyler asked.

"One week from tomorrow. They've already started distributing the serum," the old man said.

"We have to get back to Jada and Halona. They need to know this." Lorenzo tried to stand up, but the pain made him collapse again.

"We're in no shape to travel today. We'll go tomorrow. For now, let's rest and get our strength back," Tyler replied, laying his head back against the wall.

"Fine." One more day. Then, they were busting out of here.

Halona pulled her hoodie over her head, protecting her hair from the rain. She and Jada were walking down a street in Middleton. They had managed to ditch the old woman from the bus, who had followed them around the town for a while. Now, they were looking for a place to stay.

"We need to ask someone for help," Jada said, pulling Halona toward a man that was walking down the street. "Excuse me sir, but do you know where the nearest hotel is?"

The man looked down at them and rolled his eyes in annoyance. He checked his watch and sighed. "Down the street to the left, and I would hurry if I were you. It's not safe for two kids your age to be wandering around." The man rushed away, the sound of his shoes hitting the pavement fading away.

"Well that was rude," Halona huffed. She walked down the street, Jada beside her. They were about to turn left when Jada shrieked.

"What?" Halona jumped and put her arms up, ready to attack.

"Don't hurt me!" a high pitched voice squealed.

Halona looked down and saw a little girl holding on tight to Jada's leg. She was wearing worn out overalls and her dark wet hair was sticking to her face. Her eyes were filled with tears, and her hands and nose were red from the cold.

"I didn't mean to scream, Halona. She just startled me, that's all." Jada knelt down and turned her attention toward the girl. "What's wrong?"

The girl looked up at Jada. She couldn't have been more than five. "I-I'm lost! I can't find my mommy!" The girl started to cry.

Halona stared at the girl. She didn't know what came over her, but she walked over to the girl and got on her knees, placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. She brushed the hair off of the girl's face and gave her a warm smile. "There's no need to cry. We'll help you find your mom."

"Yeah, we will! Where did you last see your mom?" Jada asked. She pulled out a dry hoodie from her bag and put it on the girl, tying the bottom so the girl wouldn't trip on it.

"I don't know, I think over there." The girl pointed down the street to their right.

"Well, that's where we'll go." Halona stood up and let the little girl hold her hand. Together, the three of them marched down the street. "So, what's your name?"

The little girl looked up at Halona and smiled. "My name's Millie. My mom says that it was my grandma's favorite name. I love my grandma, even though I never got to meet her. Whenever I think of her, I think of a princess that lives in a large castle!" 

"Is that so? Millie, does this place look familiar?" Halona pointed at the fountain that was at the end of the street.

"Halona," Jada said quietly.

"What is it?" Halona looked over at Jada. Her eyes were wide in fear, and her hands were shaking. She pointed at the fountain. Halona squinted and realized that there was a group of people gathered at the fountain. They were all dressed in ragged clothes, and they huddled together in fear. Standing in front of them was another group of people, dressed in all black. They all carried guns.

"I see my mommy!" Millie exclaimed, and she tried to run toward the crowd.

Halona grabbed the girl and pulled her back into an alley, Jada close behind them. When the girl tried to protest, Halona pressed her finger to the girl's lips. "It's not safe over there. Just stay put and be quiet, okay?" The girl nodded and sat down on the floor.

"What do you think is going on?" Jada asked Halona, her voice shaking.

"I don't know, but it can't be any good." Halona peeked out of the alley and saw the people in black spreading out around the crowd. One of them appeared to be speaking, and whatever they said caused the crowd to erupt into shouts. The person in black, who appeared to be the leader, shot a bullet into the air to silence the crowd. The leader put their hand into the air, then closed their fist. The rest of the people in black stepped toward the crowd and aimed.

"Oh no," Halona whispered. She didn't want to look, but she couldn't tear her eyes away.

"What? Halona what's happening?" Jada rushed to Halona's side and took in the scene.

"Cover her eyes. Now Jada," Halona ordered, and Jada rushed over to Millie and blocked her eyesight.

"Hey! I want to s-" Millie was cut off by a chorus of loud bangs.

Halona covered her mouth with her hand to stop herself from screaming. She watched as bodies dropped to the floor, the life sucked out of them. The people in the crowd screamed, some trying to run away, but they soon collapsed. She could hear people pleading with the shooters, but nothing they did could have stopped them. It only took one minute for the entire crowd to be wiped out. She watched as the people in black filed into a van and drove away, leaving the bodies by the fountain.

"Is it over?" Jada whispered.

Halona tried to speak, but no words came out. She nodded her head, then stepped out onto the street. The smell of blood filled the air. She suddenly realized why the man they had asked for help had been in such a rush to get home.

"Can I go see my mommy now?" Millie's voice felt like a dagger being driven through Halona's heart.

Halona knew that she couldn't keep the truth from the little girl, but she just wanted to wrap the girl in a blanket and shelter her from all the terrible things in the world. Halona looked over at Jada, who was staring at the girl, pain in her eyes. Halona sighed and took the little girl's hand.

"Come on now, Millie. I have to show you something." Halona led the girl out of the alley and toward the fountain. She forced herself to look away from the blood splattered along the fountain walls. She stopped once they reached the bodies. Millie screamed and buried her face in Halona's jacket. 

"I don't want to look at it," Millie whispered.

"Millie, your mom-" Halona couldn't bring herself to finish the sentence.

"My mom! Where is she? The people on the ground, they scared her away!" Millie ran toward the buildings. "Mommy! Mommy, I'm over here Mommy! Come out now! Please, come out now," Millie shouted in frustration.

"Millie, please, be quiet for a second." Halona walked over to the girl and placed her hand on her shoulder. "Your mommy is- she's not here anymore." Halona noticed the confused look on Millie's face and sighed. She pointed at the fountain, where the mass of bodies lay.

Millie's eyes went wide. She walked over to the fountain slowly, then let out a small gasp. She stopped by the body of a woman. "Mommy? Mommy!" Millie started to cry. She threw herself over her deceased mother and screamed. "No, no no! Wake up! Wake up , please Mommy!"

Halona looked over at Jada, who was crouched on the ground, her face buried in her arms. Halona moved closer to Millie, and patted her head. "It's going to be okay, Millie. Everything's going to be okay." Halona placed her fingers over Millie's mother's eyes, and slowly closed them. She noticed the tears that were still wet on the mother's face. She noticed how her lips were parted slightly, as if she had died calling out for Millie.

"My mommy, what will happen to her?" Millie looked up at Halona, her eyes red and puffy.

"She'll be okay. As long as you keep smiling and stay strong, she'll be happy." Halona wrapped her arm around Millie and smiled at the little girl.

"Halona, what do we do now?" Jada whispered.

Halona was about to speak, but a flash of movement caught her eye. An old man stumbled from behind a building, and made his way toward them. 

"Millie?" the old man said, his eyes squinting at the little girl.

"Grandpa!" Millie ran to hug the old man, and she cried into his big furry coat.

"What are you doing here little one?  Where is your mother?" The old man scanned the area, then his eyes fell onto the body beside Halona. "Oh, my little girl." The man walked over to Halona and crouched beside her.

Halona finally snapped out of her daze. "Sir, I'm so sorry. We-we didn't know this was going to happen."

The old man's head snapped up, as if he had just noticed the two girls. "And who might you be?"

"Grandpa, they helped me! I was lost, and they tried to help me find mommy." Millie started to cry even harder at the thought of her mother.

"Millie, hush. It's okay." The old man wrapped his arm around the little girl. "Thank you for taking care of little Millie." He looked down at Millie's mother and frowned. "I had told my daughter to stay away from this area. There were rumors that people would go missing here. You see, she and Millie are homeless. I had allowed them to stay at my apartment, just long enough until she found a place to stay. But jobs would keep turning her down. It's just, she was so young! I don't know how this could have happened!" The old man started to cry, but he quickly wiped away his tears and sat up. "Come along now, Millie. Let's go home." The old man stood up, carrying the little girl in his arms. He looked over at Halona and Jada. "You two are welcome to stay with us, if you've got nowhere else to go."

"Thank you, sir, but that really isn't necessary," Halona said.

"Nonsense! It's the least I could do. Besides, I'm guessing that someone will be down here any moment to clean up this mess. It would be best if you two kids weren't here when that happens." The old man remained focused on Millie, probably so that he wouldn't have to look at his deceased daughter.

"Okay," was all Halona said. She helped Jada to her feet, then followed Millie and her grandfather to their home, leaving behind the dreadful fountain.

Tyler hadn't slept at all. Too many thoughts were swarming through his mind, and he couldn't process them all. The jail cell had a small window, high up on the wall. It was covered by rusted metal bars, to stop anyone from using the window as an escape. When the slightest bit of light shone through the bars, Tyler knew that it was time to go. He stood up, surprised that he felt almost no pain. He stalked over to Lorenzo and hesitated before shaking him awake. He looked so peaceful, Tyler almost wanted to let him stay sleeping. But the dried blood on his neck reminded Tyler of why that was impossible.

"Hey. It's time to get up," Tyler whispered into Lorenzo's ear.

Lorenzo grunted and rolled over to face Tyler. His eyes were rimmed with dark circles, showing that he probably had only an hour or two of sleep. Tyler offered his hand and helped pull Lorenzo to his feet. 

"Time to go see the girls!" Lorenzo smiled sadly.

Tyler was anxious to reunite with Jada and Halona, but he knew that they would only be bringing bad news. He turned his head to face the old man, who was slumped up against the corner of the jail cell.

"Hey old man, you never told us how you knew so much about the Purity Project."

The old man laughed, his hoarse voice making it sound more like a cough. "I'm a scientist, if you can believe it. I was on the task force that was developing the serum. I saw how inhumane it was, and I quit. But they couldn't have me going around and telling the innocent citizens of Marolo the truth, so they locked me up in this cell. If you're wondering why they didn't just kill me, it's because they might need me in the future. If the serum fails to work, they'll need Marolo's brightest minds."

"What will you do if they ask for your help?" Lorenzo asked.

"The moment someone walks into this cell, I'm going to rip their throat out." The old man's voice was bitter.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Tyler decided it was time to make their move. He peeked outside the jail bars, and once he knew the coast was clear, he whispered his plan to Lorenzo and the old man.

"There's no way that's going to work. That security camera will sell us out!" Lorenzo tilted his head toward the camera in the upper corner of the jail cell.

"Just trust me on this." Tyler looked to the old man for reassurance.

"I'm going to be honest with you kids. I don't think you'll be able to stop the Purity Project from happening. You might as well just rot in this cell with me."

He didn't know why, but something snapped inside of Tyler. "We have to try! If we sit around and not do anything, then we're just as bad as the people who started all of this. You might be happy sitting in this moldy room, waiting for your sorry little life to end-"

"Tyler, enough." Lorenzo placed his hand on Tyler's shoulder.

Tyler jerked away. He was shaking in anger. "I have my whole life ahead of me, old man! I'm not going to let some control freaks take that away from me! There are people I have to protect, and I'm not going to let them know that I gave up on them. So I'm going to do all I can to get the heck out of this place, and save this god-forsaken country!" Tyler took a shaky breath, trying to calm down. He looked down at the old man, who's eyebrows were scrunched up in confusion.

"Ty, we're getting out of here. Now, let's try this plan of yours." Lorenzo gave a reassuring smile, before he laid down on the ground and started screaming in pain.

Tyler knelt down beside him. "Help! Somebody help! He's dying! Please, don't let him die!" Tyler screamed at the top of his lungs. 

It didn't take long for a security guard to come running. He opened the jail cell and started to make his way toward Lorenzo.

"What happe-" Lorenzo quickly kicked the security guard's leg, knocking him to the floor.

Tyler jumped onto him, grabbing the gun before the security guard could take it. He slammed the butt of the gun into the security guard's head, knocking him unconscious. Swiftly, Tyler pointed the gun at the security camera and shot it, the glass shattering onto the floor.

"Do I want to know how you got so good at aiming that?" Lorenzo asked as he stood up from the floor, brushing the dirt off his shirt.

"Probably not." Tyler stalked out of the cell, closely followed by Lorenzo. He paused, then turned back toward the old man. "Now's your chance, if you want to take your life back."

The old man raised his eyebrows, and slowly nodded. He didn't move from his spot.

"Suit yourself." Tyler pointed the gun in front of him, and ran down the hallway.

"When do you think the alarm will go off?" Lorenzo asked as he jogged next to Tyler. As if on cue, a loud siren went off. Somewhere on the other side of the building, Tyler could hear shouting.

"Should have kept your mouth shut," Tyler replied. A police officer turned the corner and pointed his gun at Tyler.

"Freeze!" the police officer shouted.

Tyler didn't hesitate to shoot, nailing the officer in the leg. The officer screamed and clutched his leg as he collapsed to the floor. Tyler rushed over to him and grabbed his gun, tossing it to Lorenzo.

"Know how to use it?" Tyler smirked as Lorenzo fumbled with the weapon.

"If your small brain can use it, then I'm sure I can manage." Lorenzo grinned, then he quickly pointed the gun at Tyler and fired. 

The bullet barely skimmed Tyler's head as he ducked. He turned his head and saw another officer lying on the floor, a bullet hole on his upper thigh. Tyler looked back at Lorenzo, who shrugged and continued to run down the hallway. The two of them shot six more officers together before they made it outside. 

"Now what?" Lorenzo asked, pointing his gun back at the building.

"We need a car!" Tyler rushed over to the nearest car in the parking lot, which was a small red convertible.

"We don't have a key, genius!" Lorenzo shouted, but Tyler had already broken into the car.

"Relax, pretty boy. I know what I'm doing." A few moments later, the car engine began to rumble.

"Did-did you just hot-wire that car? Where the heck do you learn these things?" Lorenzo shouted as he rushed over to the passenger seat.

Tyler opened his mouth to respond, but a flash of movement caught his attention. "Lorenzo look out!"

Lorenzo turned his head just as multiple gunshots fired, and he collapsed to the ground.

"No!" Tyler hopped out of the car, shooting the officer that stood in the middle of the parking lot. He rushed over to Lorenzo's side, and to his surprise, saw that he was perfectly fine. His arms were wrapped around another body that was bleeding out. The old man from their cell.

"You didn't have to do that," Lorenzo whispered to the old man.

"Yes I did." The old man's voice cracked. "You two kids, you confused me. Everything in this world runs on logic, except you two. You're willing to risk your life for a fight that's physically impossible for you to win. I didn't understand it at all, until I heard Tyler's words. I forgot what it's like, when you love something so much that you would die for it. That feeling, it's not logical. It's not scientific. It's human. And that is why I believe that you two can save this country." The old man broke into a coughing fit.

Tyler knelt down and took his hand. The old man pulled Tyler closer, his voice barely a whisper.

"Beat them, kid. Show them what being human means." The old man's chest fell still, and his hand slipped out of Tyler's.

Lorenzo looked up at Tyler, his eyes glassy with tears. He let go of the old man, gently placing him onto the ground.

Tyler's heart felt like a million jagged icicles. He placed two fingers over the old man's face, and closed his eyelids. The old man looked peaceful, lying there in the parking lot. Tyler stood up, picking up his gun.

"Lorenzo, let's get out of here." Tyler's voice was shaky, but he stood firmly.

Lorenzo nodded and rushed over to the passenger seat. Tyler entered the car, and drove away. He didn't want to look up, afraid of seeing the old man's body that they had abandoned. He gripped the steering wheel harder, thinking about the old man's last words. Old man. Tyler realized he had never bothered to learn the old man's name, even though Lorenzo wouldn't be sitting beside him if it weren't for him. Tyler glanced at Lorenzo, who's hand was gripping his gun tightly. A small tear had escaped his eye. 

"Lorenzo. When this is all over, I'll show you all the tricks I know." 

"That would be awesome." Lorenzo gave Tyler a weak smile.

But that was all Tyler had needed. That smile was why he had to keep fighting, as well as all the other smiling faces in his life. They needed him, now more than ever.

Jada nervously bounced her leg as she sat in Millie's living room. Almost two days had passed, and there was still no sign of Lorenzo and Tyler. Millie's grandfather, Mr. Morris, was extremely kind, offering Jada and Halona shelter and food. The two girls had spent their time at his house babysitting  Millie during the day while Mr. Morris went to work, and they spent the evening brainstorming possible explanations for what had happened by the fountain. Jada knew that the massacre had to do with the Purity Project, but she had no idea how it would fit in.

"Could you look more stressed?" Halona asked as she closed the front door. She had just returned from searching the town.

Jada immediately hopped out of her seat. "Did you find anything?"

"Wow, no hello? You must really be upset." Halona hung her raincoat on the coat rack and plopped down on the couch across from Jada.

Jada sighed and sat back down. "I'm sorry, it's just...complicated."

Halona stared at Jada, a sympathetic smile on her face. "No need to apologize. I'm just messing with you. You of all people deserve to freak out over all of this."

Jada looked at her feet, unable to meet Halona's eyes. "So, what'd you find in town?"

"Well, the town seemed normal. There was no sign of Lorenzo or Tyler, though." Halona's voice cracked slightly. "I decided to pay a visit to the fountain, and we guessed right. The bodies were completely gone, and there was no sign that they were ever there."

Jada hopped to her feet and started pacing again. "What was the point of all of this?"

Halona sighed, laying her head back and closing her eyes. "I don't know, Jada. Everything is a mess, and nothing makes sense anymore."

A horrific thought made Jada's throat dry. "Halona, what if they killed all those people, just to kill them? What if, Marolo is over-populated, and they collected all those people just to-" she couldn't bring herself to finish that sentence.

"Jada, this is the government we're talking about. They do everything for a reason. They're not just going to kill people just for the sake of killing."

That should have made her feel better, but Jada could feel the tears in her eyes. She turned away, embarrassed of crying in front of Halona. She was the smart one, and she couldn't afford wasting time on crying. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder, turning her body around.

Halona placed both her hands on Jada's shoulders, staring deep into her eyes. "Listen to me. They are not going to kill your brother. Remember what that file said? They're test subjects, which means that they obviously need all those people for something. Don't give up yet."

Jada nodded, taking sharp breaths. She felt the tears streaming down her face, and she couldn't hold back the sobs. She avoided looking at Halona's eyes, afraid of what she would see. She was waiting for Halona to pull away, disgusted. But she didn't expect Halona to wrap her arms around her, pulling Jada in for a hug. Jada rested her head on Halona's shoulders, taking slow breaths to calm down.

"It's going to be okay," Halona whispered, her voice shaky.

Once Jada had caught her breath, she pulled away from Halona and offered a weak smile. "It probably sucks having to deal with a crybaby like me."

Halona returned the smile. "You? A crybaby? Have you met Lorenzo?"

The two girls laughed, for the first time in a while. A soft voice made them go silent.

"Halona? Jada? I think there's someone outside," Millie said, peeking from behind the couch.

Sure enough, loud knocking began to ring through the house. Jada stood up, wiping her tears and stalking to the door. She opened the door, expecting to see Mr. Morris, but to her surprise, she saw two teenage boys standing there.

"Lorenzo! Tyler!" Jada threw her arms around the two boys, becoming a sobbing mess again.

"Nice to know you missed us." Tyler laughed as he hugged her back.

"You can stop strangling us and let us into the house now," Lorenzo grunted, but his smile was genuine.

The three of them stalked into the living room where Halona and Millie were waiting. Halona rushed over to hug them, but she pulled away from Lorenzo quickly, her cheeks blushing faintly.

"I'm glad you're safe," Halona whispered.

"Missed you too," Lorenzo replied.

Tyler coughed, breaking the awkward silence. "Are we not going to acknowledge the child in the room?"

"Hi," Millie said shyly. "My name's Millie."

Lorenzo knelt down and smiled at Millie. "That's a beautiful name."

This made Millie smile brightly. "It was my grandmother's favorite name." 

"She's got great taste!" Lorenzo replied.

"Millie, why don't you go play in your room? Your grandpa will be home soon." Halona replied, and the little girl rushed out of the room.

"So, how did you guys find us?" Jada asked, taking a seat.

"Well, when we got to the town, we ran into this rude lady, and we decided to ask her if she had seen you guys. She pointed us toward this building, and then we figured it out from there." Lorenzo spoke quickly, as if he wanted to change the subject of the conversation.

Tyler seemed to be the exact opposite. "Do you two know her?" he said, raising an eyebrow.

Jada glanced at Halona, and they both laughed. "No, I don't think we do."

Lorenzo whispered something to Tyler, and his expression changed from confusion to worry.

"What's up?" Halona asked, sitting down next to Jada.

"Well, we found out some disturbing information. Just, try not to ask too many questions until I'm done talking." Lorenzo said, his face more serious than it had ever been before.

"What's this about?" Jada whispered, her voice barely audible. 

"We know what the Purity Project is." 

Jada listened as Lorenzo and Tyler explained everything they had been through in the past two days. Her fists were clenched, and her teeth were gritted. Once they reached the end of their story, Jada felt like she had faded from the world. Their voices sounded muffled, and she noticed her vision going blurry. She felt two strong hands on her shoulders, and she looked up to meet Tyler's eyes.

"Take deep breaths, okay? We're going to fix all of this. We just need a plan. Now, use that big brain of yours, and come up with the greatest plan in the history of plans. I know you can do it." Tyler's reassuring smile was enough to clear Jada's head.

"Okay." Jada stood up, pacing across the room. After a few minutes, she turned toward her friends. "I think I've got something."

"Wow I knew you said she was good, but I didn't know she was that good." Lorenzo nudged Tyler with his elbow, earning himself an intimidating glare.

"We need to get to the capital city. How far is that?" Jada asked, crossing her arms.

"It's pretty far. About a five day drive," Tyler said, making Lorenzo groan.

"That'll work. We'll gather supplies on our way there, and get a change of clothes. There's probably wanted posters of us now, so we need to change our look."

"Okay that all makes sense, but what are we going to do when we get to the capital? I hope you're not planning on the four of us breaking into a government building on our own," Halona replied with a frown on her face.

"Actually, yeah." Jada sat back down, laying her head back.

"Look Jada, I like you and all, but this isn't the time for jokes," Lorenzo said.

"I'm not kidding. We're going to walk right on into that building." 

"How? That's probably the second-most guarded building, after the president's house." Halona crossed her arms, clearly frustrated. 

"We'll have a distraction. They'll cause so much chaos in the city, that we'll be able to sneak in, undetected." 

"And what will this distraction be? It better be good." Lorenzo copied Halona's crossed arms.

"Oh trust me, rebel gangs can cause a lot of mayhem."

"How much farther?" Halona asked.

The four of them had been on the road for three hours, and they planned on stopping at the next town to change their clothes and grab food. As if on cue, Halona's stomach began to growl. She clutched it, stealing a glance at Lorenzo to see if he noticed. She immediately looked away, ashamed of herself. They had spent the night at Mr. Morris' house. That morning, they had briefly explained that they had a job to do. Millie had cried, asking if they would ever come back. Halona had promised her that they would, but even she knew that was impossible.

"About fifteen minutes. Now stop asking!" Tyler snapped.

Halona rolled her eyes, and Lorenzo snickered. Jada had somehow managed to fall asleep, and she began to stir at the commotion.

"What's happening?" she asked groggily from the passenger seat.

"Oh nothing, but if these two don't get fresh air, they might explode," Lorenzo said, and Halona elbowed him. 

"Make any other comments and I won't pay for your dinner," Halona snapped. The two boys had lost their bags after getting arrested, and they were relying on the money that Jada and Halona had packed.

"That's cruel, even for you Halona," Lorenzo replied.

"Here's a suggestion. How about you all try to sleep, and I'll wake you up when we get there? That way the rest of the ride will be nice and quiet." Tyler's tone was enough to make all of them go silent.

Halona leaned against the window, knowing that she wouldn't be able to fall asleep. The stress boiling inside of her kept her alert. She decided to focus on smaller things. She thought about her artwork. The nights she spent with Braden, making the world a little more beautiful. She sighed, wondering if she would ever have one of those moments with him again. She thought about her parents, and how they were probably cuddling on the couch, worrying about their daughter. Her mind drifted to her biological parents. She hadn't thought about them in years. She wondered if they knew what she had done. Had they seen the wanted posters? Had they heard the news about their rebellious daughter?

"Halona!" Lorenzo's voice snapped her back into reality.

"What?" She jumped up, and saw that they had parked in front of a store.

"Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. We're here," Lorenzo said, as he hopped out of the car.

Halona stepped out into the cool evening. The sun was low in the sky, and they had about forty minutes till curfew. The four of them rushed into the store, splitting up. They decided it would be less suspicious if they split up. Tyler and Jada disappeared down a different aisle, leaving Halona alone with Lorenzo. 

"After you, sweetie," Lorenzo said, his body a little too close.

"What?" Halona jerked away from him.

"Calm down! You're gonna blow our cover. Did you listen to a word Tyler said?" Lorenzo whispered.

"Oh, I must have missed it." Halona looked away, embarrassed.

"As long as we are in this store, you're my girlfriend. Now let's get some new clothes." Lorenzo offered his hand, and Halona reluctantly took it.

The two of them walked down the clothing aisles, forcing smiles and laughing occasionally. Halona grabbed a leather jacket, yellow t-shirt, and ripped jeans. Lorenzo settled for a white t-shirt, black hoodie, and sweats. Cautiously, they made their way over to the cash register, an old woman with a bright smile.

"Aren't you two a cute couple?" she said as she began to scan their clothes. "How long have you two been together?"

"About a year, now," Lorenzo said, keeping his eyes locked onto Halona's. 

Halona felt her heart racing, even though she kept telling herself that he just didn't want the cash register to look at him too closely.

"Well, you two have a good day!" The old woman handed them a bag with their clothes in it.

"Actually, we were wondering if we could change into them now?" Lorenzo asked as he took the bag.

"Of course! Changing rooms are down the hall and to the left," the old woman said, her eyes studying them.

"Great! Thank you!" Halona pitched in, and she took Lorenzo's hand and marched toward the changing rooms. She tightened her grip as they turned the corner, afraid that the cash register would call them back. But nothing happened as they walked into the changing room.

"I'll be right across from you," Lorenzo whispered as he took his clothes out of the bag and disappeared into the men's changing area.

Halona nodded and walked to her own stall. She quickly swapped her clothes out and walked over to the mirror to adjust her braid. She stared at herself, wondering what had happened to the quiet introvert she used to be. She sighed and walked out of the changing area, right in time to bump into Lorenzo.

"Hey-" Lorenzo stopped in the middle of his sentence, staring at Halona.

"What is it? Is something wrong?" Halona looked down at herself, panicking.

"Relax. You look- good." Lorenzo smiled and offered his hand again.

Halona sighed. "You nearly gave me a heart attack." She took his hand and they made their way out of the store. She noticed Tyler at the register, and Jada making her way to the changing rooms, a bag in her hand.

The two of them walked into the cool evening. The sun had begun to set, meaning that curfew was soon. Halona realized that they hadn't bought food yet. 

"You can let go of my hand now," Lorenzo said, smirking.

Halona pulled away from him, feeling her cheeks turn red. "Sorry, I forgot you existed for a second."

"Ouch, that really hurt. Let's go chill by the car. The others are going to take a while." Lorenzo made his way to the car, and Halona followed.

"We still need food," Halona blurted out.

"Aww, looks like we all have to skip dinner," Lorenzo replied, earning himself another elbow. "Relax, Halona. Jada is buying the food, remember?"

Halona sighed, realizing that she hadn't been paying attention to anything Tyler had said. She wasn't going to admit it though. "Oh right, I forgot."

"Are you doing okay? You've been distant lately," Lorenzo asked.

"I'm not distant! I just have a lot on my mind," Halona mumbled.

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Why are you being so nice to me?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it's because I'm your friend."

"I never said we were friends." Halona scooted away from Lorenzo.

"You can't be serious! After all we've been through, you're still going to hate me?"

"I don't hate you!"

"Well it sure seems like it. I don't understand why we can't be friends."

"No one ever wants to be my friend! You don't know what it's like to have people act like they want to get to know you, then ditch you the moment things start to get real. They called me a freak! Braden was the only person who stood by me, and now he's gone! I might never see him again." Halona's voice cracked, and she forced herself not to cry. She didn't look at Lorenzo, afraid to see his reaction. She tried to stand up, but Lorenzo grabbed her arm.

"Don't leave. Please, just hear me out?" Lorenzo pleaded, his voice soft.

Halona nodded and sat down on the ground. She hugged her knees and refused to look up at him. 

"The first time I saw you was at our school's art gallery. I only went because my older sister is obsessed with art. Honestly, most of those paintings sucked. Then I saw this painting of a mountain, and at the very top, was a girl sitting with her legs crossed. It looked so realistic, and I couldn't take my eyes off of it. Then I saw you, making your way across the crowd and to the painting. I totally freaked out, and I ducked behind a wall so that you wouldn't see me." Lorenzo paused to laugh, and Halona smiled.

"I was embarrassed to talk to you, so I asked my friends about you. They told me all these awful things, and I knew that they couldn't be true. I wanted to be your friend, and get to know the real you, but you would disappear whenever I had the chance to talk to you. I hadn't spoken a single word to you, but you were already such a big part of my life."

Halona blushed, and she stared at her shoes as Lorenzo sat down next to her. "Lorenzo, I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. I just need you to know, that no matter how many hurtful things you hear people say, I will never think of you like that. To me, you're the most incredible girl I have ever met." Lorenzo's voice turned to a whisper.

Halona finally looked at him. She locked onto his amber eyes, which glowed brighter from the setting sun. She didn't know why, but she reached for his hand, and he took it. He started to lean closer, and Halona could feel her heart beating out of her chest. She closed her eyes, leaning forward, and their lips met. She, Halona Murray, had just kissed Lorenzo Castro. The outcast with the popular boy. But she didn't care, because she was happy. Happy to finally have someone.

Lorenzo stepped out of the car, stretching his arms and legs. He looked up at the bright blue sky, and he had to resist the urge to run across the field they had stopped at. Instead, he turned to look at the rest of the group. Jada's shoulders were slumped, and she looked exhausted. Tyler had his arms crossed, and he was scanning their surroundings. Halona was stretching her arms, and she smiled at the scenery. Lorenzo found himself smiling at her, and he turned his head quickly before she noticed. His mind kept drifting to that night by the car. He had shared things with Halona that he had never told anyone before. After their "special moment", Lorenzo couldn't help wondering if, in some other world, they would have been a couple.

"Lorenzo! Stop daydreaming and get over here!" Tyler broke through Lorenzo's thoughts.

"Alright, relax. I'm coming." Lorenzo made his way over to the rest of the group, winking at Halona. He couldn't help laughing when she blushed.

"Stop flirting and pay attention. We're gonna have to ditch this car," Tyler said, earning many gasps from the rest of them.

"We still have another day of travel!" Jada exclaimed, all traces of exhaustion disappearing. 

"I know, I'm not an idiot." Tyler rolled his eyes. "We're going to need another way of transportation. By now they know what our vehicle looks like. Besides, we can't just drive into the capital. It's the most guarded city in the entire country!"

"Okay, so what's the plan then?" Lorenzo asked.

"Well, Jada's master plan needs rebel gangs. So we're here to find them. I called them when we stopped at that gas station a few hours ago. They'll be here soon." Tyler turned to continue scanning the field.

"I still can't believe we're doing this," Halona said, sounding sick to her stomach.

"You mean the teaming up with rebel gangs or the breaking into a government building?" Lorenzo asked, but Halona didn't smile. He moved closer to her, wrapping an arm around her. "Trust me, we'll get Braden back. Then he can finally show me how he does that cool spray-paint thing."

Halona leaned onto him, and she whispered something only he could hear. "I trust you Lorenzo."

Lorenzo smiled and rested his head on her's. He looked up, and realized Jada was staring at them, her eyebrows raised. 

"So, when did that happen?" Jada asked, her smirk making Lorenzo blush.

Halona jumped away from him, turning her head to hide her pink cheeks. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

"So it's not official? Got it." Jada giggled. "For the record, you two are cute together."

"Shut up Jada!" Halona snapped, making Jada laugh more.

"Stop fooling around! They're here," Tyler announced , and the three of them turned toward the road. 

Sure enough, a van had parked along the side of the field. A door slid open and a group of men filed out of the car. They were all quite large, and their muscles bulged out of their tight t-shirts. The tallest man approached Tyler, smiling menacingly. Lorenzo noticed the gleam from his gold tooth, and he couldn't help shuddering.

"You must be Tyler. I'm Marcus, the leader of this group." Marcus stuck out his hand, which had a long scar that stretched across his forearm.

Tyler stood tall, refusing to shake his hand. "I want to speak to the leader. The real leader."

The way Marcus glared at Tyler made Lorenzo want to shout "RUN", but he knew he had to trust that Tyler knew what he was doing. Suddenly, Marcus started to laugh, a loud booming sound.

"Right answer, kid," a voice spoke from the van. A tall woman emerged, her red hair in a short bob. Her green eyes were striking, and her dark clothes made her look even more intimidating. 

"If you want to make a deal with someone, you've got to get to know them first." Tyler shrugged and made his way over to shake the woman's hand.

"Looks like Dante taught you well. I'm Clarissa, but you can call me Claire." Her smile was genuine. She turned to look at the rest of the group. "Who are these people?"

Lorenzo opened his mouth to answer, but Tyler spoke faster.

"That one is Lorenzo, and this is Jada and Halona." He gestured toward each of them. Lorenzo nodded at them, and Jada and Halona waved shyly.

"So, this is the group that will be helping you on your heist?" Claire looked them up and down. "Good choice. They don't look like the suspicious type, and they all seem to have some athletic abilities." She turned back to Tyler. "I was told you wanted my people to escort you to the capitol?"

"Yes, and I was also hoping you could contact some of the other local gangs. We're going to need all the help we can get," Tyler said.

"Why? How important is this heist?" Claire asked, her face skeptical.

"I think it's better if I let Jada explain. It's her plan." Tyler nodded at Jada.

"We're breaking into the capitol's laboratory, but no matter how many people we have, we'll never succeed. So we need a big distraction while my friends and I break into the building. That's where the gangs come in." Jada sounded confident, but Lorenzo noticed her legs shaking.

"I like how she thinks. A smaller team would be more successful then a larger team. But why should I help you? This heist could cost lives." Claire's voice turned cold.

"How about the end of the country? Is that important enough?" Lorenzo blurted out.

Claire snapped her head toward Lorenzo, as if she had forgotten he existed. "End of the country? You're going to have to explain that."

"The government is distributing mind controlling serums to everyone in the country, and killing anyone who refuses to or can't afford to take it." Lorenzo's words earned many shocked and angry responses.

"Silence! We all know that the government doesn't care about the people, but this is ridiculous. Why should I believe a bunch of teenagers?" Claire glared at all of them.

"Don't believe us. But we have people that the government took from us, just to test out their serum. We're going to do whatever it takes to get them back, and save the rest of the country along the way," Halona snapped.

 "You can go home and wait for them to break down your front door and force the serum down your ear, and trust me, it's not a pleasant process. Or you can help us, because there's a chance we can save everyone in this country. It's your choice." Lorenzo folded his arms and straightened his back.

Claire turned back toward Marcus, who shrugged. She sighed and turned toward Tyler. "Your friends got some nerve. Keep them around, Tyler." Claire looked at the four of them, then pinched the bridge of her nose. "I'm probably going to regret this, but get in the van."

Lorenzo looked at his friends, and was relieved to see they looked just as shocked. 

"You heard the woman. Get in the van, before she changes her mind." Marcus patted Tyler's back, almost knocking him over.

Lorenzo watched as Tyler hopped into the van, helping Jada up. Lorenzo went next, pulling Halona up with him.

"Next stop, the capitol." Lorenzo whispered in her ear.

"I hate it here," Tyler said as he stepped out of the van.

The towering skyscrapers and the shiny roads were enough to make him gag. Billboards advertised all of Marolo's strict rules, and at the entrance to the city was a large sign with the president waving the country's flag.

"It's not so bad. There's a lot of cool tech here, and look at all the pretty reflections on the glass buildings!" Jada exclaimed, a look of awe painted across her face.

"I'm glad we have you here, Jada. Otherwise, I don't think I'd ever smile," Halona said as she hopped out of the van, closely followed by Lorenzo.

"Way to make me feel bad," Lorenzo said, smiling as he looked at Halona.

Tyler rolled his eyes and turned away from the love-struck teens. It was bad enough that they would always argue, but he couldn't take their constant flirting. He made a silent promise to himself to never date anyone flirtatious.

"Enough sight-seeing, you've got more important things to do," Claire said, waving them over. "I just got off the phone with some other rebel gangs."

"Really? What did they say?"Lorenzo asked eagerly.

"I don't know what it is about you kids, but you managed to convince a lot of people. We've got five gangs on our side."

Tyler gasped, but he seemed to be the only one who did.

"Only five?" Jada whispered.

Marcus laughed, along with the rest of the gang members. "You kids really know nothing about rebel gangs."

Jada, Halona, and Lorenzo all looked to Tyler for an explanation. "A typical gang has around sixty people. So getting five on your side is a big deal."

"Sixty people? I've never seen a gang that big!" Lorenzo exclaimed.

"Well, most gangs don't send out all their members whenever they make a public statement." Tyler explained.

"Anyways, there's something else I have to tell you." Claire paused to make sure she had all of their attention. "The gang doesn't know this is your plan."

"What do you mean?" Tyler asked.

"I didn't tell them who you are. For now, they just think you're a part of Dante's group. If I had told them your age, they wouldn't have wanted to hear you out."

"I guess that makes sense," Jada mumbled.

"Right now, you guys need to get to that laboratory. Try not to be seen. I will take the liberty of telling the other gangs what the plan is," Claire said as she handed Tyler a bag.

He opened it and found four guns, some daggers,a bucket-load of smoke bombs, flashlights, and an explosive. "You're really okay with giving us all of this?"

"There's no way I'm sending a bunch of teens into a federal building without any protection. I don't need that on my conscience." A look of regret painted Claire's face, but it disappeared a second later. "In one hour, we'll send a signal to you guys. That's when you need to make your move. Once you get into the building, you're on your own. We'll try to buy you as much time as we can."

Tyler glanced at his friends, who all looked determined. Any fear they had before was gone. He turned back to Claire, who was staring at them intently. "Thank you, for everything."

Claire smiled and placed her hand on his shoulder. "Just don't make me regret trusting you. Now get out of here."

Tyler nodded, then sprinted out of the alley that they were hiding in, closely followed by his friends. They made their way through the streets, avoiding eye contact with anyone they passed. They dodged any security camera, and eventually, reached the electric fence that surrounded the laboratory. They made sure they were a good distance away from the fence before sitting down behind some large trees. Now they had to wait.

"What are we supposed to do once we get inside?" Halona asked, breaking the silence. "We don't exactly have a map of the place."

"Well, if the plan goes well, people will be evacuating the building. All we have to do is go in the opposite direction of where people are heading," Jada said, twiddling her finger.

"What if they aren't in there? Braden and Malcolm?" Halona whispered.

Tyler had been thinking the exact same thing. He hadn't wanted to give voice to his fears. Maybe they were able to shut down the micro-chips, but what about the test subjects? Malcolm was the reason he had done all of this, but what if he couldn't save him? What if after all the fighting, he wasn't even in the building? Was this all for nothing?

"Tyler?" Jada's soft voice broke through his thoughts.

He glanced at her, studying her pained expression. She sat up tall, acting confident, but in her eyes, Tyler could see that she was looking to him for the answers. She needed him, now more than ever.

"If they aren't in there, then we'll keep searching. We'll break into every prison, even confront the president if we have to. We won't rest until we get them back," Tyler said, and the rest of them nodded.

"So how will Claire be able to signal us? We're pretty far away." Lorenzo stood up and began to stretch, as if he were preparing for a marathon.

"I don't-" Tyler was cut off by a loud boom. The ground shook, knocking Lorenzo off balance. A dust cloud traveled toward them. "Get down!" Tyler shouted, barely able to hear himself.

The four of them ducked to the ground, and a gust of wind blew past them. After a few moments, an ear splitting alarm rang through the city, and Tyler slowly got to his feet. In the distance, he saw a large smoke cloud forming, and he noticed the building that had been there previously had disappeared.

"Well, I guess that's the signal," Jada said, her legs shaking as Halona helped her up.

"Come on. We've got a job to do." Tyler marched toward the fence and placed his hand on it.

"No don't!" Jada shouted, but he had already touched it.

"Don't worry. Whatever Claire blew up was the source of electricity for this building. This is now a normal fence." Tyler pulled his bag over his shoulders, and began to climb, landing on the other side of the fence.

Halona went next, followed by Jada, then Lorenzo. Together, they made their way across the grass and to the entrance of the lab. Tyler pulled the door open cautiously, and sure enough, it opened. They stepped into the building, only to find people in lab coats sprinting around. The halls were dim, and the alarms on the walls flashed red.

"This way," Tyler said as he pushed his way through the crowd. He kept walking until they reached a staircase.

"We need to split up," Jada said quickly.

"Okay, Halona and Lorenzo, you head up, while Jada and I go down," Tyler ordered.

"No! You three need to stay together. Find Malcolm and the other captives. I'll go shut down the micro-chips," Jada said.

"What makes you think I'd let you go off on your own?" Tyler snapped.

"I know what I'm doing. Just trust me, Ty!" Jada shouted.

Tyler froze. He couldn't stop picturing Malcolm. He hadn't realized how similar the two siblings looked. He looked to Lorenzo and Halona for help, but they just shrugged. Deep down, Tyler knew that Jada was strong. If they wanted to win, he had to let her go.

"Please, Tyler," Jada whispered.

Tyler dug through his bag and handed her a gun. He then took the explosive placed it in her hand. "It's small, but it does a lot of damage. Once you turn it on, you'll have one minute to get away from the area." 

She nodded. "This will work."

Tyler didn't know what came over him, but he pulled her into a hug. "Just come back, okay? Come back safe," Tyler whispered. 

"I will." Jada pulled away and gave a weak smile before disappearing down the stairs.

Tyler took a deep breath, before running up the stairs, Lorenzo and Halona at his heels.

Jada sprinted through the halls, not bothering to apologize to the people she ran into. She put her hand in her coat pocket, making sure that the explosive was still there. The cold metal sent shivers through her arm, and she couldn't help thinking about what would happen if she accidentally set it off. The gun she was hiding under her coat didn't make her feel any better. She looked around, desperately trying to spot a sign that might help her figure out where she needed to go. Suddenly, she heard loud voices. She panicked and ducked into a storage closet. She peeked out and watched as a group of armed men walked past, and they looked oddly familiar. The men from the fountain.

"The threat will eventually be neutralized, but for now, we need to protect this room at all costs." one of the men said as he opened a door and ushered the rest of his group inside. "Don't fail me."

"Yes sir!" they all shouted in unison.

Jada watched as the man who seemed like the leader disappeared down a different hall. She looked back at the door and saw two guards positioned outside the door. She started panicking, not sure how she would get into the room.

"Calm down, Jada. You need to think," she whispered to herself. She took many shaky breaths then slowly pulled the gun out of her coat. She could shoot the two men and force her way into the room, but then the men inside would definitely beat her. Suddenly, she felt a cool breeze on her neck.

She turned around and saw a vent, and she started bubbling with excitement. The vent was open because of the blackout, and she could use it to slip into the room. She took the cover off, then pulled herself up, wincing at the sound of her gun hitting the sides of the vent. She quickly pulled the cover back on, then started to make her way through the pitch black vent. She crawled slowly, but the surface beneath her disappeared, and she was falling. She suppressed a scream as she thrust her hands and legs outward, trying to slow down her fall. She stopped just before she had crashed out of the vent and into the room with the micro-chips. She let out a sigh of relief, then slowly repositioned herself so that she wouldn't fall through.

Jada peered through the vent and into the room. It was a small factory, and she stopped herself from gasping at the machines that were manufacturing a purple serum. She realized that the only way to stop the government from producing the serum was to blow up the whole room. She shuddered at the thought. She glanced toward the guards. There were three of them, plus the two outside the door made five. She knew that they weren't good people, but she couldn't leave them in the room. She had to try to get them out.

She searched the vent and found a small rock. She held her breath as she dropped it through the vent. It made a small CLINK sound as it made contact with the ground. She waited patiently as the closest guard made his way over to the rock. He knelt down, and picked it up. As he was examining it, Jada dropped through the vent and crashed on top of the guard. The impact knocked him out, but Jada knew that she couldn't waste time. She rolled away from him and ducked behind a large metal metal. It didn't take long for her to hear gunshots firing from the other side of the room. She picked her gun up and fired blindly, but all she wanted was for the other guards to know that she was armed. She couldn't risk them running over to her.

"Surrender now!" one of the guards shouted.

"Not gonna happen!" Jada shouted back as she fumbled with the explosive. She placed it on the metal machine, then paused to fire more shots at the guards. The recoil of the gun made her hands ache, but she knew she had to keep going. She fired again, then heard a scream. She peeked out from her hiding spot and saw one of the guards on the ground, clutching his side.

"I said surrender!" the guard who was still standing shouted.

Jada stood up, feeling more confident. She pointed the gun at the guard and fired more shots. She didn't know how, but she managed to hit his hand. He screamed and dropped the gun. Jada took the chance and rushed over to the unconscious guard by the vent. She grabbed him by the shoulders and dragged him across the room toward the two injured guards. She kicked the guns away from the guards, then dropped the unconscious guard at their side. She used her gun to knock both injured guards unconscious. She then sprinted across the room, and took a shaky breath before turning on the explosive. She sprinted back to the unconscious guards and as fast as she could, dragged them each to the door. Once they were all there she pulled the door open and didn't hesitate to shoot the other two guards in the legs. They both collapsed to the floor, screaming and cussing. She knocked them unconscious then, one by one, dragged them away from the room. She knew she was running out of time. 

"Come on, Jada. Don't give up now!" she shouted as she dragged the last guard away from the door. Then there was a loud boom and she and the guard were thrown by the blast. She crashed into a wall and collapsed to the floor.

Her ears were ringing, and her body was throbbing. But when she looked back at the room, she saw it was completely destroyed. No traces of any research remained. She had won. She heard muffled voices and slowly turned her head back toward the hall. Large figures grabbed her and carried her away from the room. Her vision blurred and she was too weak to fight. It didn't take long for everything to go dark.

"If one more person tries to tell me to turn around, I swear I'm going to punch someone," Halona said as she ran through the halls. 

"Maybe if you stopped drawing attention to yourself, then they wouldn't talk to you," Tyler snapped.

"We're three teens running the wrong way in an evacuation. We're going to draw attention to ourselves no matter what," Lorenzo replied, smirking when Tyler glared angrily.

Halona sighed and readjusted the gun hiding under her coat. The heavy weapon made her skin crawl, but the thought of shooting someone with it didn't bug her. She was more scared about shooting too late, and watching one of her friends get hurt in the process. She shook her head, clearing her mind of bloody thoughts. 

"Isn't that convenient?" Tyler mumbled as he pointed to a sign that said Holding Center.

"That's just wrong," Lorenzo whispered as Tyler led them in the direction the sign had pointed to.

Halona took deep breaths as they neared the end of the corridor. She didn't know whether to feel relieved that there were no more scientists rushing by, or to be concerned why there weren't any. A large metal door stood tall at the end of the hallway, and there were no guards to be seen.

"Shouldn't they be guarding the prisoners?" Lorenzo asked, slowly pulling out his gun.

"They're probably more focused on the chaos outside." Tyler's expression was grim as he placed his hand on the door.

Halona held her breath, but Tyler didn't open the door. Instead, her turned toward her and gave a weak smile.

"Want to do the honors?" he asked, stepping aside to let her approach the door.

"I don't really have a choice," Halona muttered as she placed both her hands on the cool metal. She straightened her back but she couldn't stop her hands from shaking.

"It's okay," Lorenzo whispered as he placed his hands on top of her's, steadying them. "We can do it together."

Halona nodded and slowly pushed the door open. She stepped into the dim room, and shuddered at the bloodstained walls. The smell was horrible, and she wanted to turn around and run outside. But instead, she took Lorenzo's hand and let him lead her past the jail cells. Halona held her chin up, doing her best to ignore the whispers. 

"Halona?" a weak voice caught her attention.

"Braden!" Halona rushed over to the jail cell and her eyes welled up as she looked at her best friend. His clothes were stained and he looked thinner, but his smile was still the same.

"I don't understand how you're here, but I've never been happier to see you," Braden said as he reached his hands through the jail bars.

Halona took his hands and smiled. "It wasn't hard. I could spot your stupid face from miles away."

"Out of the way!" Tyler shouted as he walked over the cell with a large hammer in his hand.

"Where did you-"

"Move!" Tyler swung the hammer up and brought it down on the jail bar. He continued to hit the metal until it bent far enough for Braden to climb out.

Halona threw her arms around him and buried her face in his shoulder, not caring about the smell. "I'm so glad you're safe."

Lorenzo coughed and Halona pulled away from Braden. "Not to break up this reunion, but we still have one more person to rescue."

Halona's cheeks burned and she turned toward Tyler. "Do you see Jada's brother anywhere?"

Tyler frowned and his eyes scanned the cells. "Hey Malcolm!"

Halona started shouting for Malcolm, and so did Lorenzo. Some prisoners started shouting also, begging for Tyler to free them.

"Tyler! Over here!" a voice shouted from the back of the room.

Tyler sprinted toward the source, and Halona helped Braden over to the cell. Standing by the door was a tall boy that resembled Jada.

"Let's get you out of here," Tyler said as he began to hit the jail bars.

Malcolm squeezed out of the cell, then hugged Tyler. "Dude, I can't believe you're here."

"You think I would miss out on a chance to break into a federal building." Tyler laughed and patted Malcolm on the back.

"Wait, don't tell me you brought Jada here?" Malcolm crossed his arms in anger. 

Tyler sighed. "Yes she's here, and before you lecture me, I'm sure she's safe. But we need to get to her, now."

They started to run toward the exit, but Halona paused. "We can't just leave all of these people here."

"We don't have time for this, Halona," Lorenzo said, extending his hand toward her.

"These people have lives! They deserve to get back to them, just as much as Braden and Malcolm do." Halona turned away from Lorenzo.

"She's right. A guard should be coming soon, and they'll have the keys to the cell. We should hide and ambush them," Malcolm said, motioning for them to hide in Braden's open cell.

They all ducked down, and Halona gripped her gun tighter. After a few minutes, she heard footsteps. A man approached the cell, then started to pull out a gun when he spotted the group hiding. Before Halona could shout, Tyler stood up and flung a knife at the guard, nailing him in the shoulder. The guard screamed and collapsed to the floor, passing out.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Braden asked, staring at Tyler.

Tyler shrugged as he moved to the guard's side and grabbed the keys. "I can do a lot of things." He then sprinted out and began opening jail cells.

"I don't know how I could ever thank you," a young woman said as she squeezed Halona's hands.

"Just get out of here while you can," Halona replied, and she watched the woman disappear out the door.

"Come on, we need to get out of here," Lorenzo said, taking Halona's hand.

"Right," Halona said. She could feel Braden glaring at her, but she avoided meeting his eyes. She rushed out the door, and back into the chaotic hallways.

Lorenzo sprinted through the halls, tightening his grip on Halona's hand. He could hear gunshots firing in the distance, and he knew that the government's forces were drawing closer. Just as they were about to turn the corner that Tyler and Malcolm had disappeared behind, Lorenzo heard shouting, and he pulled Halona back. Gunshots fired, and Tyler and Malcolm reappeared, ducking behind the wall.

"They know we're here!" Tyler said between breaths.

"How could they-" Lorenzo stopped mid-sentence as he realized what must have happened. Tyler's grim face confirmed it.

"I didn't want to say anything earlier, but when we were attacking that guard, I heard an explosion," Tyler replied, avoiding eye contact with Malcolm.

"Jada," Halona whispered, and her hand slipped out of Lorenzo's.

"We need to find her," Malcolm said as he threw a knife down the hall, turning away when someone screamed.

"How? We're trapped here, and the staircase where we split up is down that hall!" Lorenzo could feel the sweat running down his neck.

"We have to fight our way through," Tyler announced as he rummaged through the bag and pulled out a handful of small spheres. He handed two to everyone. "These are smoke bombs. If you throw them right, it should take away the enemy's vision. Then we can wound them and make sure they don't follow us down those stairs."

"Just remember to cover your eyes after you throw the smoke bomb," Malcolm added as he twirled a knife around his fingers.

"On my mark," Tyler said as he pushed past Malcolm and started firing shots down the hall. Someone screamed, then Tyler shouted, "Now!"

Lorenzo stood up and charged down the hall, flinging the smoke bomb the moment he saw movement. He threw his arm over his eyes as the smoke exploded out of its container, and the screams that followed confirmed that he had hit his target. Once he had backed away from the smoke, he threw his other bomb at the other group of guards. Gunshots fired and he ducked to the ground. He crawled back to the safety of the wall, where Braden was crouched.

"How are you doing?" Lorenzo asked, scanning Braden for injuries.

"I'm fine don't worry. I'm just out of smoke bombs, and I don't have weapons like you guys." Braden eyed Lorenzo's gun. "So, how long have you been dating Halona?"

Lorenzo's cheeks burned and he looked away. "We're not dating. It's-complicated."

Braden laughed and clapped Lorenzo on the back. "I don't know how you feel, but Halona is definitely in love with you. After all this is over, you better shoot your shot."

"I'll try, but she's stubborn as a mule," Lorenzo said, and they laughed together.

"But if you break her heart, there's no where you can go where you'll be safe from me," Braden said coolly.

Lorenzo stood up and tightened his grip on his gun. "Trust me, I won't." He winked and ran back into the hall. "Stay safe, The Wolf!" he called over his shoulder.

Lorenzo ducked behind Tyler, who was firing shots at more guards. "Need any help?"

"Nice of you to show up, pretty boy." Tyler glanced at Lorenzo and smiled.

"Missed you too, bestie. Looks like we might actually get through." Lorenzo aimed his gun and fired. Relief washed over him when the bullet came in contact with a leg.

"Nice shot, but you need to stop being afraid of killing someone who wants you dead," Tyler said as he dropped his arm to his side.

Lorenzo sighed and relaxed his arm too. "A life is a life, Ty. If I don't have to take it, then I won't."

Tyler shrugged and pointed across the hall. "Your girlfriend seems to be doing fine."

Lorenzo turned to look at Halona. She was firing multiple shots at the guards across from her, a determined look on her face. She grabbed her last smoke bomb and threw it at the last group of guards. But one of the guards kicked it back at her, and it exploded at her feet. 

"Halona!" Lorenzo shouted. He watched as she covered her eyes and her mouth, trying to back away from the smoke that was engulfing her. A flash of movement caught his eye, and he noticed one of the guards pulling a gun out of their holster. Lorenzo took off sprinting toward Halona.

"Lorenzo!" Tyler called after him.

Lorenzo ran faster than he ever had before. He jumped and crashed into Halona, slamming her to the ground, just as a gunshot rang in his ear. More gunshots fired, and he turned to see Tyler and Malcolm by his side. Malcolm threw another knife, which made direct contact with the last guard's neck. Lorenzo watched as the guard collapsed to the floor and went limp.

"You're bleeding!" Halona shouted, moving closer to Lorenzo.

Lorenzo suddenly noticed the sharp pain in his shoulder, and his head fell onto Halona's lap. "Where have you said that before?"

"Stop joking around and hold still," Tyler snapped as he examined the wound. "Looks like the bullet just grazed him, but we need to wrap his shoulder to stop the bleeding." Tyler tore off Lorenzo's jacket sleeve and tied it around the injured shoulder.

Lorenzo winced and sat up. "Well now this jacket looks weird." He gently pulled it off and dropped it on the floor. He looked down at his fitted white t-shirt. "It's a miracle that this hasn't gotten dirty yet."

"You're such an idiot," Halona said as she pulled him into a hug.

"Aw, you care about me," Lorenzo said, earning himself a punch in the gut. "Hey! I'm already injured enough!"

"Come on, we have to keep moving. Jada needs us," Malcolm said, heading for the stairs.

"He's right. Halona, help Lorenzo walk," Tyler ordered, standing up. "Hey Braden! Stop hiding and come out!"

Lorenzo stood up as Braden came sprinting down the hall.

"You look terrible," he said with a smirk as he and Tyler went to catch up with Malcolm.

"When's the last time you looked in a mirror!" Lorenzo called after him.

"When did you two become so close?" Halona asked him as she laced her fingers through his.

"Oh you know, we have a lot in common," Lorenzo replied.

Halona snorted. "Yeah, right." She rested her head on his good shoulder. "Thank you for saving me."

"You don't need to thank me. I'm just happy you're safe," Lorenzo whispered as he leaned his head on her's. He hesitated before kissing her forehead.

 Halona turned toward him, her caramel eyes looking into his. "Lorenzo, I-"

"Hurry up you two!" Tyler shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

"Coming, cranky-pants!" Lorenzo shouted back. He turned to look at Halona. "What was it you were saying?"

Halona smiled and turned away from him. "I was just going to say we should probably walk faster."

Lorenzo resisted the urge to tell her how obvious it was that she was lying. 

"Come on. Let's keep going."

Lorenzo sprinted through the halls, tightening his grip on Halona's hand. He could hear gunshots firing in the distance, and he knew that the government's forces were drawing closer. Just as they were about to turn the corner that Tyler and Malcolm had disappeared behind, Lorenzo heard shouting, and he pulled Halona back. Gunshots fired, and Tyler and Malcolm reappeared, ducking behind the wall.

"They know we're here!" Tyler said between breaths.

"How could they-" Lorenzo stopped mid-sentence as he realized what must have happened. Tyler's grim face confirmed it.

"I didn't want to say anything earlier, but when we were attacking that guard, I heard an explosion," Tyler replied, avoiding eye contact with Malcolm.

"Jada," Halona whispered, and her hand slipped out of Lorenzo's.

"We need to find her," Malcolm said as he threw a knife down the hall, turning away when someone screamed.

"How? We're trapped here, and the staircase where we split up is down that hall!" Lorenzo could feel the sweat running down his neck.

"We have to fight our way through," Tyler announced as he rummaged through the bag and pulled out a handful of small spheres. He handed two to everyone. "These are smoke bombs. If you throw them right, it should take away the enemy's vision. Then we can wound them and make sure they don't follow us down those stairs."

"Just remember to cover your eyes after you throw the smoke bomb," Malcolm added as he twirled a knife around his fingers.

"On my mark," Tyler said as he pushed past Malcolm and started firing shots down the hall. Someone screamed, then Tyler shouted, "Now!"

Lorenzo stood up and charged down the hall, flinging the smoke bomb the moment he saw movement. He threw his arm over his eyes as the smoke exploded out of its container, and the screams that followed confirmed that he had hit his target. Once he had backed away from the smoke, he threw his other bomb at the other group of guards. Gunshots fired and he ducked to the ground. He crawled back to the safety of the wall, where Braden was crouched.

"How are you doing?" Lorenzo asked, scanning Braden for injuries.

"I'm fine don't worry. I'm just out of smoke bombs, and I don't have weapons like you guys." Braden eyed Lorenzo's gun. "So, how long have you been dating Halona?"

Lorenzo's cheeks burned and he looked away. "We're not dating. It's-complicated."

Braden laughed and clapped Lorenzo on the back. "I don't know how you feel, but Halona is definitely in love with you. After all this is over, you better shoot your shot."

"I'll try, but she's stubborn as a mule," Lorenzo said, and they laughed together.

"But if you break her heart, there's no where you can go where you'll be safe from me," Braden said coolly.

Lorenzo stood up and tightened his grip on his gun. "Trust me, I won't." He winked and ran back into the hall. "Stay safe, The Wolf!" he called over his shoulder.

Lorenzo ducked behind Tyler, who was firing shots at more guards. "Need any help?"

"Nice of you to show up, pretty boy." Tyler glanced at Lorenzo and smiled.

"Missed you too, bestie. Looks like we might actually get through." Lorenzo aimed his gun and fired. Relief washed over him when the bullet came in contact with a leg.

"Nice shot, but you need to stop being afraid of killing someone who wants you dead," Tyler said as he dropped his arm to his side.

Lorenzo sighed and relaxed his arm too. "A life is a life, Ty. If I don't have to take it, then I won't."

Tyler shrugged and pointed across the hall. "Your girlfriend seems to be doing fine."

Lorenzo turned to look at Halona. She was firing multiple shots at the guards across from her, a determined look on her face. She grabbed her last smoke bomb and threw it at the last group of guards. But one of the guards kicked it back at her, and it exploded at her feet. 

"Halona!" Lorenzo shouted. He watched as she covered her eyes and her mouth, trying to back away from the smoke that was engulfing her. A flash of movement caught his eye, and he noticed one of the guards pulling a gun out of their holster. Lorenzo took off sprinting toward Halona.

"Lorenzo!" Tyler called after him.

Lorenzo ran faster than he ever had before. He jumped and crashed into Halona, slamming her to the ground, just as a gunshot rang in his ear. More gunshots fired, and he turned to see Tyler and Malcolm by his side. Malcolm threw another knife, which made direct contact with the last guard's neck. Lorenzo watched as the guard collapsed to the floor and went limp.

"You're bleeding!" Halona shouted, moving closer to Lorenzo.

Lorenzo suddenly noticed the sharp pain in his shoulder, and his head fell onto Halona's lap. "Where have you said that before?"

"Stop joking around and hold still," Tyler snapped as he examined the wound. "Looks like the bullet just grazed him, but we need to wrap his shoulder to stop the bleeding." Tyler tore off Lorenzo's jacket sleeve and tied it around the injured shoulder.

Lorenzo winced and sat up. "Well now this jacket looks weird." He gently pulled it off and dropped it on the floor. He looked down at his fitted white t-shirt. "It's a miracle that this hasn't gotten dirty yet."

"You're such an idiot," Halona said as she pulled him into a hug.

"Aw, you care about me," Lorenzo said, earning himself a punch in the gut. "Hey! I'm already injured enough!"

"Come on, we have to keep moving. Jada needs us," Malcolm said, heading for the stairs.

"He's right. Halona, help Lorenzo walk," Tyler ordered, standing up. "Hey Braden! Stop hiding and come out!"

Lorenzo stood up as Braden came sprinting down the hall.

"You look terrible," he said with a smirk as he and Tyler went to catch up with Malcolm.

"When's the last time you looked in a mirror!" Lorenzo called after him.

"When did you two become so close?" Halona asked him as she laced her fingers through his.

"Oh you know, we have a lot in common," Lorenzo replied.

Halona snorted. "Yeah, right." She rested her head on his good shoulder. "Thank you for saving me."

"You don't need to thank me. I'm just happy you're safe," Lorenzo whispered as he leaned his head on her's. He hesitated before kissing her forehead.

 Halona turned toward him, her caramel eyes looking into his. "Lorenzo, I-"

"Hurry up you two!" Tyler shouted from the bottom of the stairs.

"Coming, cranky-pants!" Lorenzo shouted back. He turned to look at Halona. "What was it you were saying?"

Halona smiled and turned away from him. "I was just going to say we should probably walk faster."

Lorenzo resisted the urge to tell her how obvious it was that she was lying. 

"Come on. Let's keep going."

Jada opened her eyes, blinking in the sunlight. She sat up in her bed, and scanned the room. Panic flooded through her as she remembered what had happened. She sprinted over to the door and tried to pull it open, but it was locked. She ran to the windows, but they were locked as well. Feeling defeated, she stumbled over to a full-sized mirror in the corner of the room. The girl that stared back at her was a stranger. The band-aid on her cheek. The way her shoulders sagged. The glassy look in her eyes. This was not the Jada who had straight A's and dreamed of being a volleyball captain. 

Jada wandered around the room. It didn't seem like a prison cell. The walls were beige with a golden tint, and the king-size bed that she had woken up in was probably the most comfortable bed she had ever slept in. 

"Mom would have loved this room," Jada whispered to herself, crouching down onto the fluffy rug. She held back tears as she imagined her mother all alone in their house, not knowing where her two children had gone to.

Suddenly, the door swung open, and two guards carrying large guns stalked into the room. They glanced down at Jada, and motioned for her to stand.

"Where am I? What are you going to do to me?" Jada asked, but the guards grabbed her arms and forced her toward the door.

"No questions. Just keep walking," one of the guards replied, pointing the gun at Jada's back.

"Fine," Jada mumbled, exiting the room and making her way down the hall. On the walls were large paintings of Marolo's past leaders. They all had the same intimidating look, and it made Jada shudder. She reminded herself that this was why she had to keep fighting. To stop another power-hungry dictator from controlling her country.

They reached a large metal door, and one of the guards blocked Jada's sight while the other guard punched in a code. The door swung open, and the guard pushed Jada inside.

"In you go," one of the guard's said, and they shut the door behind her.

Jada sighed and walked further into the room. The room was lined with bookshelves that were filled with hundreds of folders. A long desk stood in the center of the room, and sitting in a chair behind it was a tall man with slick blond hair and icy blue eyes.

"Hello Jada Stone," the man said, his voice cold.

"President Rowan." Jada nodded, and she clenched her fists, trying to stop her legs from shaking.

"You've caused quite a problem, haven't you?" President Rowan stood and made his way over to Jada.

"I like to think that I helped fix a problem." Jada forced herself to stare directly into his eyes.

President Rowan frowned. "Fifty years ago, a small group of people rallied up our country, and they started a revolution. It resulted in a massive amount of death, and it could have led to the downfall of Marolo. But our brave leaders stepped up and helped rebuild our country."

"I know this story already. We were taught that the revolutionaries were the ones in the wrong, but all that death happened because of the government!" Jada snapped.

"They stepped out of line! Our democracy would have collapsed if we didn't do what we did!" President Rowan boomed.

"What democracy? We never elected you, or the past presidents! You're a dictator! The people should be running this country, not you!" Jada retaliated.

"The people do not know how to run a country. That is why I proposed the Purity Project."

"You were trying to control people!"

"I was trying to save them!" President Rowan screamed. "I wanted to protect them from having ridiculous ideas of forming rebellions."

"You killed innocent people! I watched a girl lose her mother!"

"It was a price that had to be paid! You're a child. You don't realize what you have started."

"I gave people hope. I gave them a chance to change our country for the better!" Jada stepped closer to President Rowan. "I gave them a chance to dispose of you."

President Rowan laughed, a maniacal sound. "Dispose of me? They'll only be killing themselves. The people in this country don't know how to fight. They don't know how to lead. Sure, I will be the first target, but what happens when people start having doubts about the revolution? They will turn on each other. They will shred each other to pieces!"

Jada stumbled back. "We're stronger than you think."

"Are you now? I have watched after the people of this country for twenty years. I know how they think. I see how they act. They are incapable of uniting. Race, gender, age, personal beliefs. They divide them. That is why the Purity Project was my final solution. I wanted to show them what true equality is."

"Diversity is a good thing," Jada muttered.

"Yes, but the people of Marolo don't see that. That is their flaw. Miss Stone, they all had hate inside of them. They all wanted to destroy. All you did was spark those emotions. Now, you will pay the consequences of letting those animals loose."

"If you won't step up to be a better leader, then someone else will!"

"No one can control them. You have doomed this country Miss Stone. Marolo is no more." President Rowan turned away from Jada.

"I- it wasn't supposed to be like this," Jada whispered.

"Normally I would lock you up for your crimes against the country, but seeing as there is no country, I will let you go. Seeing the consequences of your actions seems like a fitting punishment. All the death and destruction will be on your hands, Miss Stone. See yourself out." President Rowan said, not bothering to look at Jada.

Jada sprinted out of the room and back through the halls, searching for an exit. She wasn't going to let President Rowan get to her. She would find her friends, and they would fix everything. She found herself in a room with large windows that surveyed the capital city. She bolted for the door, throwing it open. Her eyes and throat stung as she breathed in the hazy air. Four figures sat on the ground a few yards from the door. She watched as they turned their heads to look at her.

"Jada?" Tyler said, standing up.

Jada sprinted toward Tyler, throwing her arms around him. She felt more arms wrap around her.

"I'm so happy you're safe," Halona whispered.

"You scared us," Lorenzo said, patting her back.

Jada pulled away, wiping the tears from her eyes. She noticed an unfamiliar boy standing to the side.

"So you're the famous Jada? I hear I owe you my life." The boy made his way over to Jada and stuck his hand out. "I'm Braden."

Jada shook his hand, then glanced around, her smile fading from her face. "Where's Malcolm?" The look on everyone's faces told her everything she needed to know. 

"I'm sorry, Jada. I couldn't save him." Tyler's voice was hoarse, and his eyes shimmered with tears.

"No," Jada whispered, and all the tears that she had been holding back came flooding out. Her big brother. He was gone. What would her mother think? She buried her face in Tyler's shirt, and he didn't seem to care.

After a few minutes of crying, Jada pulled away. Her heart was aching, and she forced herself to think about more positive thoughts.

"Are you going to be okay?" Lorenzo asked, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Jada did her best to smile. "Malcolm hates it when people cry. He wouldn't want me to be so upset over this."

"So, what happened after you blew up the lab?" Halona asked.

Jada filled her friends in on the conversation with President Rowan, and she was relieved to see they were also troubled by it.

"So, what do we do now?" Lorenzo whispered.

Jada looked up at the sky, and she could feel the tears slipping from her eyes. She listened to the distant screams and shouts that were coming from the capitol city. "President Rowan was right. This is all my fault."

"We can fix it," Tyler replied, and the others nodded in agreement.

Jada shook her head and sighed. A memory came flooding back to her. She was three at the time, and she had found a crack in one of her mother's vases. She had tried to glue it back together, but the vase ended up falling apart. She had cried, and her father had come to comfort her. She had never forgotten her father's words.

"We can try to fix it. We can try to close the gaps. But they will always be there." Jada told her friends. 

She remembered her walks to school. Gossiping at lunch with Gabby. Playing volleyball every day after school. Making dinner with her mother. Arguing with Malcolm. She glanced at Halona and Lorenzo, who were huddled together, resting their heads against each other. She looked at Tyler, who was glancing at his feet, tears staining his cheeks. Braden's eyes were wide with fear, and his hands shook.

"You can't fix what's already broken."