WAKE UP

Chapter Three

{Ana is procounced aw-nuh}

...

I blink after a flash goes in front of my eyes; probably taking a picture and scan the rest of screen.

Room 526

That must be the room I must take for the process. There is also personal information such as eye and hair color. I’ll just say I wear contacts. The hair color is fortunately, blonde, but the eye color is blue; a contrast to my grey.

I begin to walk up the stairs and spot Emma and Mason talking. I already know a little bit about them, just in the last few minutes.

1.        Their real names aren’t Emma and Mason.

2.       They changed their hair and eye color.

3.       They are Low Point members.

4.      They are sixteen, like me.

5.       They are just as eager, anxious, reckless and curious as me.

They don’t say much, just a few meaningless comments.

Once I get to the top of the stairs, I follow them down a hallway and skim the door numbers.

When I see Emma and Mason go into room 526, my eyebrows scrunch in confusion. I would think they would have each of us go through the process in separate rooms.

I go in anyway, and am not as surprised when I see seven other sixteen year olds in there. They look at me, just as disoriented as I am. A man in a lab coat comes out of a corner, like he appeared there.

“Hello there, my name is Eli. You are probably confused as to why your peers are in the room, but do not fret. We are going to try a little experiment.”

I flinch as the word experiment, and I’m not the only one. I can hear the breathing get heavier.

You will follow me into a laboratory, but again, do not fret. We are not going to cut your organs out.” The man chuckles softly and none of us move.

“Well?” He barks. “Get moving!”

We do as we’re told and silently walk back into the hallway.

The laboratory isn’t as science-y as I pictured. There are simply ten long tables, with a rack of gray clothing and a mirror on the wall front of them.

“Each of you grab a new article of clothing from the rack, and change,” Eli says.

Everyone stares uncomfortably at each other.

“Now!”

We all grab a gray outfit from the rack. Then we turn away and start changing. There was a strange aura in the room, all flowing from Eli. I think everyone else noticed two, they eye him suspiciously like he would throw us into a bottomless pit any moment.

“I will call your name,” he says roughly when we are all changed. The shirt and pants are baggy and bland with a strange kind of material.

“Lillian Cosby,” he begins, monotone. A petite girl with brown hair steps forward and motions her to lay on the table.

“Casey Princeton.”

“Chandler Rayes.”

“Krista Maxwell.”

He continues calling names until only three are left.

“Emma Hillstone.”

“Mason Hillstone.”