My head throbbed. I sat up groggily. I couldn’t see out of my right eye. I wiped the blood out of it and everything came into focus. I was sitting in the back of a truck. There was a decent sized cut from the middle of my forehead, arcing around my face, ending at my cheek bone. I ripped off the sleeve of my shirt and tied it around my head. My hands weren’t bound, which was strange but my feet were and no matter how hard I tried to undo the knot it wouldn’t even budge; the stupid thing!
I was so incredibly scared I could barely even breathe. I just sat there with my knees to my chest and thought. “What’s going to happen to me?” I thought. “Will they torture me? Will they KILL me? Oh God! Just don’t think about that! Will my family file a missing person’s report? Of course they will! Unless these men already got to them and that’s why mom didn’t pick me up! Don’t think about that either! Well my friends are bound to notice that I’m gone. I hope they notice. Will they miss me?! Of course!”
That was when something moved in the corner. I could hear it scraping on the dirty floor. I twisted my head around to see what was there. Many figures were sitting in the corner; no there were sacks over their heads but the corner was shadowy and it was hard to see. THEIR hands were bound though, along with their feet. Wait; I recognized the shoes on one of the figures I had never seen anyone else wear purple and white striped Uggs…it was Abby!

“Abby!” I crawled frantically towards the figure. Abby looked up at me with her big, brown eyes as I ripped the ropes off of her hands and feet. Her’s were surprisingly easy to slide off and with some effort we pulled mine off also. We lunged for the other figures; revealing Sam, Ava, and Kirstin. The ropes around their hands easily slid off too.
Then we were crying and hugging. We wrapped our arms around each other. Everyone’s hands slid all the way around my back…to where my wings were.
I have wings; ones with red and black speckled feathers. I have had them for as long as I can remember. When I was little I liked to pretend I was a secret government experiment, it made me feel special. Now I’m not really sure what happened to me. I can still go to school I just have to wear my sweatshirt twenty-four seven to keep them hidden.
My pink sweatshirt! My captors must’ve taken it off me. Everything went quiet. They all drew back and looked at me with red eyes and blotchy faces.
“Don’t stare at me!” I cried. “It’s not what you think!” I covered my face with my hands.
“I think it’s awesome.” Sam whispered.
“I second that.” Kirstin said.
“Me too!” Abby cried.
“Me three!” Ava said.
“I was afraid you guys would think I was a weirdo” I thought aloud.
“We all have weird thing about us.” Sam offered “I can-”
Suddenly the car lurched to a stop and we were thrown to the other side of the truck.
We were ripped from the truck by big, rough hands. I looked up at the men. They had hard faces like nothing could ever scare them. They had battle scars too!
We were in a place, similar to what I pictured a concentration camp in the holocaust to be like. A rigid archway marked the entrance. Inside there was small red brick buildings. The bricks were chipped, the pain was peeling, and the roof shingles were falling off. The largest building was the one that those men were leading us to. Across the top of the entryway large, black letters read: NEW RECRUITES COMBAT CENTER. I didn’t like that.

Actually it was like an auditorium. A large stage at the front and red movie theater chairs everywhere else. Many other kids, maybe from ages 4-13 were sitting in a lot of the chairs. They looked scared. Then again, we probably did too.
Just as we were pushed into seats a small girl clambered onstage, shivering. “Hello new recruits!” she stuttered through a wireless mic. “You have been chosen specially for this task. I’m sure you all know what that is. You will be tested and trained for this special privilege. Starting with the combatbots. Begin.” She scurried off the stage on wobbly legs.
A metallic clinking came from the rear exit.
Red-eyed robots covered in wires ran out of the doors, ten at a time. They carried guns. Everyone stood up. I was the first to lunge. I delivered a round house kick strait to the nearest robots stomach. He flew across the room and smashed against the wall.
Everything went from there. Half of the kids ran into combat and the other half hid under the chairs. I tripped another robot, spun around, and punched another in the face.
I saw Sam twist a robots arm until it came off. Kirstin was kicking a robot that she had just brought down. Abby was beating a robot with its own leg, and Ava jumped up and kicked one in the face.
A bullet grazed my arm. “Ahhhh!” I gasped. I grabbed the robots head and flipped him; smashing him on the ground and ripping his head off at the same time.
And just like that, it was over.
“Great children!” the little girls voice boomed “Now exit out the right exit and go play in the rain. I’m sorry they’re forcing me to do this.”
We did as we were told and sure enough; it was raining. I dragged Abby, Ava, Sam, and Kirstin across the rocky road and to the opposite wall of the building.
“Oh My God! What happened?! Where are we?!” I cried.
“I know.” Kirstin said blandly. There was a crack down the middle of her glasses.
“Spit it out!!” Ava shrieked.
“Okay, okay! Jeez. We’re at Hells Gate. A top secret organization recruiting kids to help them overthrow the government. See; I’ve been having these dreams.”
“I’ve heard that name somewhere.” I remembered.
“So basically we’re with an organization to help take over the U.S.A but why are WE here?” Abby was on the verge of a nervous breakdown.
“They only recruit kids with special powers but you guys don’t have any. Do you?” Kirstin looked at us skeptically.
“Well, I. umm…can run real fast” Ava stuttered.
“Show me.” I instinctively said.
She ran all the way around the large building in literally two seconds flat.
“Yeah, she has super speed and I can…stretch” Abby stretched her arm about ten feet before snapping it back.
Kirstin cut in: “I can’t show you mine right now. You will see later.”
Sam shot a lightning bolt from her fingertip; sending a loose shingle on the roof flying and leaving the air smelling crispy.
My turn. I whipped out my wings and beat them heavily; sending me about nine feet up, then I snapped back to the ground.
We just stood there, thinking. “All of my friends have superpowers. Just like me. I’m not alone” I thought. Suddenly something yanked hard on the bottom of my jeans.

I screamed in the girliest way possible. I spun around, ready to kick whatever was behind me. I looked down to see a small mouse. “Hhhhhh” I let out a relieved sigh. Sam snickered.
Then it started hailing, hard. We all ran for cover, which happened to be in the building to the right of THE NEW RECRUITES COMBAT CENTER. We ran in there with maybe six or seven other kid. The rain was nothing compared to the blinding white light that burned our eyes as we stepped into the building. As I focused I realized that the light wasn’t white, the room was. Plain white; with the paint on the wall peeling off.
Several kids groaned, including me. A maze. A big, white maze. Well she did say there would be tests but I wasn’t up for this. The strip of cloth around my head was already soaked through with blood and I was starting to feel dizzy. Not good. Definitely not good.
Although the walls of the maze were really tall they didn’t reach all the way to the ceiling. Most of the kids were trying to use their powers, but not even the kids with x-ray vision could see through the walls. Maybe they were lead walls?! I swiftly walked through the crowd and into the middle of the room so as not to slap any kids accidentally with my wings as I opened them. When I did a lot of kids gasped. I beat my wings and hovered right above the walls. I motioned for the kids to follow as I swooped down and followed the wall. The kids (Including my friends) followed right underneath me.
I could see the entire maze, so I knew exactly where to go. I went strait, then curved left, then a hard right. Zigzagged and then another left. Another left, a u-turn. A left and then a right. Strait for a little while. Right, then strait for a long time. By now I was really dizzy but almost at the exit. Another left. The kids piled into another big room with an exit door at the far end.
There were cheers and shouts. I swooped down and landed clumsily. I tripped and fell to the floor.
My friends hovered over me. “You okay Ci Ci?!” Kirstin asked. The room was spinning. At that moment I collapsed on the floor and sinked into unconsciousness.

My fit of unconsciousness was like a gigantic nightmare. I was standing in a field. I looked to my left and I could see the camp and to my right a forest. Then a light went on above me. Like a spotlight. I thought it was a helicopter. I shaded my eyes and looked upwards. I saw a large round machine. It had lots of lights on the bottom; some flashing, some green, some white, some red. The entire thing spun, you know like one of those remote controlled toys that have to spin to keep themselves in the air. I wanted to run but I couldn’t. The light that was shining on me changed from white to blue and my feet were picked up off the ground only to be followed by my body. I was stuck floating higher and higher, being sucked into that massive machine; that as far as I knew COULD not exist at a scientific standpoint.

I woke up to more white. Oh no! I thought They left me in the maze?! I sat up and put my head in my hands. Wait. Where’s my cut! I felt along my forehead. Stitches.

I took my hands away from my face and put them underneath me to prop myself up. This ground felt suspiciously like sheets.

I was sitting in a bed…in an infirmary. I quickly untangled myself from the bed and made a run for it. I was instantly pulled back. They had me hooked up to those suction cup thingies. I ripped then off of my skin and sprinted out of the building. I ran behind the NEW RECRUITS COMBAT CENTER and ran into a door at full speed. I gasped in pain and grabbed my nose as blood gushed out of it. I wiped my nose on my remaining shirt sleeve until it stopped bleeding.
Then I inspected the door. This door was weird, painted purple with red letters on the front. It read EMPLOYEES ONLY. Wow, I didn’t know a crazy house had employees. I shrugged and pushed the door open. It was surprisingly heavy.
As the room came into view, I gasped and not because my nose was most definintly broken. It was. It hurt an awful lot. As soon as I came face to face with this room that pain was forgotten; for a second anyway. This room was legend. That was where I had heard Hells Gate before; from a fairytale. It used to be my favorite fairytale.
This was Heaven’s Meadow. The only difference between an actual meadow and this was the roof above my head. Long, tall, green grass grew to my knees. Blue butterflies flittered around my head and everywhere else. Cherry trees heavy with rosy pink blossoms buried themselves among the grass. Purple tulips were scattered along the trees and grass. Laughter filled the already sweet air. Not just any laughter; Ava’s laughter. I love Ava’s laugh. It’s the happiest laugh I’ve ever heard. I’m always happy when I hear it.
Now I know my friends are safe. The laughter gets louder and I can’t resist the urge to run towards it. “Guys” I cry. The laughter stops. Wisper breaks out. “Where are you guys! It’s Ci Ci!! Please!” Sam’s head pops out from behind a cherry tree.
“EEEEEEEEEE!” she shrieked. “Guys it’s fine. It’s Ci Ci.” Several more heads appear from different trees.
I ran toward them as fast as I could; wading through the thick grass. Then I lost my balance and fell. I just laughed. I was so glad that after all that we’ve been through I could still laugh. Everyone crowded around me. All my friends were safe.
I stood up. There were two more people than usual. A really small girl was shivering next to Kirstin; looking up at me. This was the girl in the Combat Center; the one who gave the orders to the Combatbots. Her mousy brown hair was tangled and matted. Her tennis shoes were muddy and were ripping at the seams. There was another girl that looked similar in size hiding behind her. They looked very alike but I knew they weren’t twins. They looked up at me and they looked really scared. Go figure! They weren’t taller than four foot ten and they looked about my age (11). I’m five foot eight. I would be intimidated if someone twice my size was staring down at me.


“Who are you?” I asked.
“This is Mia” Sam said, pointing to the girl from the auditorium. “and this is Lizzy. They were taken three months before us.”
“Well anyone who’s lived this long had got to be strong. Hey, I’m Ci Ci!” I said and stuck out my hand. Mia and Lizzy shook it eagerly. “Kirstin anywhere we can find some food? I’m dying over here.”
“Yeah. The cherry trees aren’t just for looks!”
“Over here!” Ava cried. She was all the way across the beautiful room, leaning against a giant cherry tree. How did she-Oh yeah super speed. She sat down on the ground and waited impatiently as we sprinted towards the tree. As we got closer I realized that Ava was sitting by a pond. Green lily pads with pink flowers on the tops floated on the water as a family of ducks and ducklings swam around. That made me wonder what other wildlife lived in this room. We arrived at the pond in a matter of minutes. In vain though.
“Oh come on!!” Lizzy retorted. There wasn’t a single cherry on this tree.
“Oh just let me do it!” Kirsten shot back. She snapped her fingers and the flowers grew and contorted into large cherries.
“You can make things grow?!” Mia gasped. “I thought Lizzy and I were the only ones with powers. What can you guys do?!”
“Super speed” Ava informed her.
“Elastic abilities.” Abby chimed in.
“Lightning from my fingers!” Sam said.
“I can fly. What can you guys do?” I asked as I grabbed a cherry and sat down on the ground. Everyone else did the same.
“I have invisibility.” Said Lizzy.
“I can drain the essence out of objects.” Mia said.
“Creepy!” I muttered to Kirstin. She laughed nervously.
I took a big bite out of my cherry. “Mmmm” I moaned. “So good.” It practically melted in my mouth.
For a long time we just talked. I learned that Lizzy and Mia went to OUR school before they were taken. Now I could remember them. They weren’t in my class but I remember seeing them. They were really popular; always surrounded by friends.
“I’m still so happy to see you.” Sam chirped. “We thought you were dead.”
“Why did you think that?” I said, puzzled.
“Didn’t you look? I mean at the sign above the door of the building you were in.” Lizzy inquired.
“No. Should I have?!”
“Yes!” Mia exclaimed. “It said GAS CHAMBERS!”
“But that doesn’t make any sense!” I said; shivering as much as Mia. “That place was an infirmary.”
“That may be but it said GAS CHAMBERS; and from what I’ve seen and heard, kids go in and never come out; you’re probably the first.” Lizzy replied.
“But that doesn’t make any sense either. It was all too easy escaping. There weren’t any guards or locks on the door.” I said irritably.
“I think I’m close to figuring out what this place is and what it’s about.” Kirstin squeaked. “It was all in my dreams. This place is a …”
She got cut off before we could get the answer. The most unruly and terrible sound filled our ears; gunshots and marching; military style. We all held our breath and looked at each other.
I slowly and carefully unfurled me wings and quickly shot up into the branches of the large cherry tree while Kirstin ducked behind it. Ava sprinted to the other side of the pond; Lizzy just disappeared, while the rest of the people without skills that helped in this situation found the easiest hiding spot.
Just in time too. As soon as the last of us were hidden a troop of soldiers appeared. Their hats cast a shadow over their faces. I noticed that some of them were missing fingers from the battlefield. They were dressed in the usual get up; camouflage. I was helpless; I could just sit and watch; or if I wanted to get arrested and go back to the gas chambers, do something. I didn’t feel like it that day.
I saw Kirstin out of the corner of my eye climbing up the tree. She sat next to me.
“I’m so scared.” She said. “This happened in my dream but then I got out before they started shooting at each other.”
“How did you get out?” I whispered.
“The back door.” She mumbled.
I carefully looked behind me. A small, red EXIT sign was held above the large back door; right behind the pond. To my amazement everyone except me and Kirstin was waiting at the door.
“Kirstin, hold my hand.” I said; ready for takeoff. She grasped my hand and I shot out of the tree. The muscles in my wings strained to hold Kirstin up. She was hanging there by one hand and staring at the ground with big, scared eyes. I leaned into a steep dive and Kirstin couldn’t help but scream. That got the army mens’ attention. They began to march towards us as I stumbled on the landing. I screamed as they came closer. Abby was trying to pry the door open. Mia rolled her eyes and put her hand on the door. It took a few seconds but eventually I could see the essence of the door flow into Mia. Then she delivered a kick that sent the empty shell of the door flying. She quickly ran out the opening; followed by the rest of us.

I leaned heavily against the wall. “Tell me again.” I said “But this time, don’t leave out a single detail.” Mia nodded solemnly as Lizzy twiddled her thumbs and Kirstin looked at the ground.

“Okay.” Mia breathed “This place has a long, sad history and the pain that had fallen on it will never be washed away.” Her voice was grave. “Let’s just start with the basics; first of all, you’re not in the U.S. You’re in Frankfurt; Germany. Second, these people have no intension to rise against JUST the U.S government. That’s not what you’re here for. Third, this is an old concentration camp from world war two. Why they’re using it now is a mystery and why it’s this one I will never understand. This place is called Tragodie gate. A direct translation to Hells gate. It wasn’t always called that though. Originally it was called Gesetz, or justice.”


“Wait hold up.” I was so close to a nervous breakdown at this point. “So basically we’re in a run down concentration camp from world war two.”

“If you want to dumb it down a little than yes. That’s exactly where we are.” Lizzy said.

I was waiting for someone to yell “Psych!” but no one did. “As if” I said. “Where did you get that?”

“Me and Kirstin’s dreams” Abby said. “And besides it’s your choice if you don’t believe it.”
“I have to agree with Ci Ci.” Ava said. “If you guys want to joke around there are better places. It’s already scary enough with out your games.”
“Yeah. You don’t have to add to the pressure.” Sam spat.
“Fine!” Lizzy retorted.
“Great.” Said Mia.
“Good-bye!!!” Said Abby as the three of them turned away and left.
I shrugged and turned to my friends “You know, whatever! Who needs them?!” We turned and headed into the middle of the camp. “Let’s just focus on staying alive.”
Okay so I’ll give you three guessed for what happens next. I bet you won’t get any of them.
A small scream escaped from behind me. I turn and see a shadowy figure shove Ava’s head in; you guessed it…a sack. I pushed passed Sam and Kirstin just as the figure took a step in the opposite direction. I quickly stuck out my foot and he fell to the ground. Ava ripped the sack off of her head and sat up panting. The mysterious man didn’t. He lay on the floor motionless.
“Crap Cakes!!! What was that?!” Ava said in the humorous way that she had.
“Who the hell cares?! Let’s get out of here!!” Kirstin shrieked.
We ran across the camp and into one of the building. I think the sign above the door said; TEST CHAMBER 2. I wondered how many there were and if we had to go through them ALL.
“Fabulous!” I thought. “More white!” I looked around. This room was just a blank square; nothing in it. I actually breathed a sigh of relief, now we didn’t have to do some crazy test; unless I was wrong. I usually am. There was a single place where there was no white. In the corner; it was really shadowed but I could just barely make out the shape of a hunched over person. “Who do you suppose that is?!” I said.
“Beats me.” Sam said. “Let’s check!”
We cautiously approached the figure in the corner. “Are you ok?” I asked. As we got closer it became easier to see the person.
We all gasped in astonishment. It was my best friend, Tiger.