A bright light burned Kayla's eyes as she groggily opened them. Her whole body ached and she was desperately trying to fight off the effects of the tranquilizer dart that she had been shot with. Forcing herself to sit up Kayla squinted around the fairly large metal box she seemed to be contained in.
There were no windows and only one door that looked extremely difficult to open as it was made out of solid metal and didn't have any handle or key hole. Other than the door, the whole box was empty with the exception of herself and another teenage girl who was just waking up beside her.
"What the... where am I?" The girl murmured as she opened her eyes and peered around the room; her face a picture of fear and confusion.
The girl looked about 15 the same as Kayla but her skin was darker in an olive tan shade suggesting that the girl lived or at least had been brought up in a warm country. Her hair was black and straight and stretched all the way down to her waist. However the thing that really took Kayla's breath was her piercing emerald green eyes that just seemed to dazzle and shine like diamonds.
Kayla on the other hand had wavy brown hair that reached her bust, not pale but not tanned skin that betrayed her British origins and hazel eyes that always shimmered with determination and an deep intimacy that often made people want to look away.
The girl's eyes widened in fear and her jaw dropped as she turned and saw Kayla sitting beside her. "Wha...? Who are you? Where am I?" She asked backing away slightly.
"Err... I'm Kayla Martinez and to tell you the truth your guess to where we are is as good as mine at the moment. All I can remember was being shot with a tranquilizer by this weird lady dressed in black." Kayla grumbled rubbing her forehead trying to sooth the massive headache that she was experiencing.
"Oh... sorry. I'm Carmen, Carmen Nazario." She smiled a little happier to know that was not alone in this freaky situation.
"What? You Portuguese or something?" Kayla questioned noticing the Portuguese name and her unusually tanned skin. Blinking Carmen stared at her unsure of whether to answer or not.
"Umm no... I live next door in Spain. You?" She continued to make conversation still a little nervous. Leaning against the wall Kayla pushed herself to her feet and stretched her sore and aching muscles.
"Oh I'm British; you know the country with the worse weather on the planet." She sighed as the box swung to the side making her crash into the wall to her right. "Damn."
"What? What's wrong?" Carmen gasped looking scared once again. Kayla stumbled over to the door and pounded her fists angrily on it to see if it was hollow or thin.
"Ahh well, you see, this door has no handle or key hole so it was almost impossible to lock-pick in the first place but now the fact that we are moving in some sort of vehicle makes it even harder to get out." Kayla explained walking back over to Carmen and sliding down the wall beside her.
"So were stuck in here?" Carmen stared at Kayla who just kept facing forward with a blank expression.
"For now it seems." Kayla replied trying to clear her head of all the crazy questions that were starting to make her panic. She needed to stay calm; no matter how bad the situation may seem panicking will only make it worse. "But then again, I doubt were going to be in here for too much longer. Can't you feel us slowing down? We might be reaching our destination." She continued smiling warmly at Carmen to help cheer the girl up. Slowly Carmen tiredly smiled back.
"Yeah, I sure hope so." Carmen muttered to no one in particular. Mind buzzing, Kayla recalled all the facts that she knew so far. She and a Portuguese girl of the same age were being transported in a mental cell type of thing to an unknown place.
The cell was state of the art kinder stuff so whoever these people were that had abducted them were clearly powerful and determined to keep the two of them contained. Also she had heard of these types of abductions and she knew that they were supposed to disorientate and confuse the prey into fear so that they didn't try anything like escaping.
Suddenly there was a sharp jolt as the vehicle they were in came to a fast stop that made the two girls jump.
"Hey Carmen, you trust me right? Well probably not because of our situation - which is understandable - but I want you to promise me something. Can you promise me that no matter where we end up or who these people are that you will stay calm? Panicking will only make this all worse than it already is. Oh and try to stay together if it's at all possible. I'll make sure we're ok, alright?" Kayla grinned reassuringly and Carmen nodded looking at little happier than before. Clang! The door slid open leading out into a snowy wonderland. Everywhere and everything was white.
Instantly a shiver of fear cooled Kayla's blood as she realized that they must be in one of the most hostile places on the planet. This made escaping practically impossible not to mention what sort of security these people were planning on using.
Two big bulky men appeared at the door completely dressed in black like that women who first shot Kayla with the tranquilizer.
"Follow us. Do not try to resist or attempt to escape because we are carrying lethal weaponry that we have been ordered to use if necessary. No harm will come to you if to do as you are told." The man on the right ordered gesturing for us to step outside.
Taking the lead Kayla took Carmen's hand and gave her a quick wink before following the men outside. Straight away the freezing wind howled past the two girls who weren't wearing protective gear chilling then to the bone.
As they began to stumble through the snow, that crushed beneath their frozen feet, a weird grey concrete slab came into view. Unless you were up close you could not see the slab because of the fairy like snowflakes that made a clear view basically impossible.
"Hey look." Carmen nudged Kayla's arm and pointed at something to the left of us. Focusing closer Kayla saw lots of little dots that must be other people making their way over to the metal slab thing. They must be expected.
"It seems that we are not the only people being dragged into this." Kayla whispered back glancing curiously at the two men marching behind them who were watching them closely like hungry hawks.
Finally after five minutes of trudging through the thick snow Carmen and Kayla came to a stop at the edge of a crowd of kids. Looking around there must have been at least 30 kids ether standing waiting or just joining the group.
Looking over at Carmen, Kayla saw that she was panting slightly from the hard walk but looked confident and had a determined glint in her eyes. Kayla had already experienced stranger situations than this so she had her guard up and was prepared. Carmen on the other hand was completely new to all of this but she was still keeping calm and hopeful. Right there and then that girl earned one of Kayla's deepest respects.
"Why do you think we're here?"
"What do they what with us?"
"Where do you think we are?"
"Jesus, couldn't they have picked a warmer spot?"
"Oh god, look, I'm soaked. These are designer jeans you know!"
Hundreds of kids all of similar age to Carmen and Kayla talked to each other in hushed whispers asking questions that could not be answered. They were all clearly nervous, cold and wet and just wanted to go back to wherever it was that they came from.
Kayla knew Carmen was from Spain so she wouldn't be surprised if these kids came from all over the world and judging on the different looks, languages and accents being used that was probably the case.
"Kayla, the guards are looking at us." Carmen murmured out of the side of her mouth folding her arms while secretly pointing at them. Kayla causally glanced over in the said direction and saw that she was right.
"Hey, we need to start mingling." Kayla spoke calmly turning to face her. Carmen frowned and gave Kayla a puzzled look. "Everyone is acting scared and talking to each other. They have already noticed that we are different because we are keeping calm and being observant. That's great and all but I fear we may be drawing in some unwanted attention so let's stay cautious but blend in at the same time."
Unfortunately, before they could find anyone the concrete slab retracted reviling an elevator that a strict looking lady wearing a black coat with a fluffy hood stepped out of.
She had a very strong presence about her that made you nervous but made you want to pay full attention to her and no one else. Kayla suddenly felt very small.
"Greetings ladies and gentlemen, I am Anastasia Furan and I will be your knew headmistress for the next few years of your lives. Now I am sure you are all probably scared and confused at the moment but I'm sure you'll find you stay here most eventful and beneficial ..." Anastasia announced watching all of the kids carefully with an evil smiled on her face that even made Kayla fearful.
"Hey! I don't care about this stupid school or... whatever this is. You abducted us! I demand that you return me home right now!" A girl who was wearing very fashionable clothes augured stepping forward through the crowd of kids. She was defiantly one of those 'if I break a nail I'll throw a fit' type of girls. "This is against the law! This is against our human rights! I want to go back home to my own school, not stay out here in the middle of bloody nowhere with an old hag like you!" The girl shouted and some other kids yelled their agreement.
Carmen was even about to cheer when Kayla shot her an 'I wouldn't if I were you' look. Kayla agreed with everything the girl was saying and she too would love to shout at this little Miss Anastasia Furan but these people were powerful and quite possibly dangerous. For now she would lay low and toe in line so that she could find out all the facts first before running off on a freedom right rampage.
"Ah yes, Miss Anna Baker. I remember tranquilizing you. You did indeed put up quite a fight. I'm sure you'd like to stay here with us once you get to know the place." Anastasia continued flashing her gleaming peal white teeth in a devious smirk.
Stomping forward so the she was just meters away from the posh lady Anna raised her fist and pointed at her furiously.
"No! I don't care how many times you try but I will not stay here. I order you to release me and take me back home. Now!" Anna roared fuming with rage. Anastasia sighed and shook her head in clear disappointment.
"Oh Anna I expected so much more from you. It's a shame that young lives with so much potential must be wasted because of such arrogance but if your wish is to leave this place for good, then so be it." Anastasia spoke as her eyes turned dark and she glared evilly at the young girl before her.
Reaching into her coat she pulled out a pistol, cocked it... and fired. Bang! Bang! Eyes full of terror and shock and her jaw opening in startled surprise, Anna collapsed to the ground in a bloody heap.
Everyone gasped and some people screamed in fear trying to run but the guards formed a semi-circle around them all trapping them all in. "Anybody else wish to leave or shall I continue?" she sneered at the petrified looking children.
Only one stood apart from them all. Instead of running or screaming, Kayla just stared Anastasia straight in the eye; her face a mask of helpless rage.
Kayla was angry... no beyond angry. She was furiously livid! She had seen enough death in her life to make her hate murders but especially ones that killed in cold blood.
Most of the kids were crying now or just in complete shock.
Carmen gritted her teeth and focused on keeping calm. After all, she did promise Kayla that she would. Stepping forward Carmen stood next to Kayla who whispered to her not breaking eye contact with the evil headmistress.
"Thank you for keeping you promise Carmen but I'm sorry. I'm going to kill her. Not now, but by God I will watch her die painfully. She's killed before and she going to kill again. Do you know what's worst of all...? She enjoys it. She. Will. Die. I promise you that and I'm sorry." Kayla growled; her voice so deep that it was barely audible.
"Don't apologize Kayla. She has kidnapped me, taken me away from my family and all that I care about and now she gone and killed a innocent girl... if anything, I'll help you kill her." Carmen turned to face Kayla. Her face was blank but she was shaking slightly and her eyes glowing like balls of raging fire.
Slowly after a long daunting minute all the kids stopped crying and huddled together like a flock of lost sheep.
Anastasia swiftly tucked the gun back in her coat and wandered forward looking down at Anna who laid sprawled out on the ground with her blood staining the snow around her in a deep crimson red colour.
Slipping off her black leather gloves Anastasia stuffed them in her pocket before readdressing the frightened kids.
"Now as I was saying, this will be your new home for the next few years. Any resistance, escape attempts or breakage of the rules will be punished severely," she gestured at Anna's motionless body.
"The aim of this school is to turn all of you gifted children into lethal weapons that can be harnessed and exploited. Training will be hard and only the strong will survive here. Many have already been taken in and are in training now and many more will be coming to join you, very shortly actually. If everything goes to plan, tomorrow you'll have a whole bunch of trained Alpha students being recruited so if you want to survive here you'll have to be the best of the very best. Your training will start tomorrow and you will now be escorted to your dorms where you will find you new uniforms and your timetables. Heed my warning; I will tolerate no misbehavior. Guards, away with them." Anastasia waved them on.
The two men that had taken Carmen and Kayla from the truck now pushed them forward into the elevator along with a few others.
The last thing they saw was as the doors shut was Anastasia laughing down at Anna's body. She was going to pay! Jump starting, the lift began quickly descending with everyone inside standing in silence wearing grim faces.
Just as they were coming to their level a thought struck Kayla catching her off guard. Before she was shot she had been camping with her brothers and because of that the inside pocket of her trousers still had the fishing wire, penknife and a notepad and pen in it.
She knew it would be pointless to try and take any of the guards with her penknife now because there were too many of them and they were all carrying guns but the knife could still come in use at some point later on.
Coming to a stop the elevator doors cracked apart and the people in the lift stepped out onto the huge walkway that ran all the way around the circler chamber.
Walking forward cautiously Kayla and Carmen peered over the big concrete wall that stopped them from falling the hundred or so feet beneath them. Bellow them there were more identical walkways for every floor of this magnificent structure that led onto more doors and pathways.
On the ground floor hundreds of children of many ages could be seen charging through assault courses, standing to attention and vigorously sparing. Kayla suspected that there were many more rooms like this and for other types of lessons hidden all around the base.
Looking up she saw a big glass dome looking thing hanging for the roof. It looked like some sort of high-tec head quarters where all the big important people sat and bossed everyone around.
Even in her angered state Kayla was still captivated in awe of the amazing structure. It was like nothing she had ever seen before.
"What is this place?" She gasped trying to memorize everything that she could see for later reference.
"Welcome to the Glasshouse." Anastasia answered stepping out of the lift along with another bunch of kids that had just come down. "It's Miss Kayla Martinez, am I right?" she grinned coming alongside Kayla and leaning over to look at the display.
"You are." Kayla said turning to face her. Anastasia smiled sinisterly, slightly take back by the girl's directness.
"Hmm... I've read a lot about you Miss Martinez and I expect you to achieve outstanding performances when your test times come. I would be extremely disappointed to hear that you have been slacking so I intend on attending your classes along with a boy called Otto Malpense. If everything goes correctly he should arrive here tomorrow. I imagine to two of you will be very useful together. Therefore I want the two of you to become the best I have to offer." Anastasia declared shocking Kayla but she refused to show it.
"Why Madame Furan, do you suppose that I have any intention of staying here long enough to sit any of your stupid tests?" Kayla stood up tall folding her arms defiantly.
She knew that comment was as risky as dancing on really thin ice but Kayla had finally concluded that the whole shooting Anna thing was a display to get everyone behaving.
She had no doubt that Anastasia was prepared to kill but surly she would not collect all these so called gifted children just to kill them whenever they mentioned any small escape plan. And now that Kayla knew Anastasia had high hopes for her and this Malpense boy there would be even less chance of her execution date occurring anytime soon. Therefore she decided to just go for it.
"I thought you were supposed to be intelligent. Did you really not heed any of the warning I just showed you." Anastasia sneered grabbing Kayla's wrist and pulling it closer to her. Carmen gasped fearfully and some kids stopped and watched hoping that there would be no more killing that night.
"Don't get me wrong, I have no doubt that you would kill without hesitation but I do doubt that you would kill every kid that made the slightest remark about an escape because the high chance is that there would be no one left to teach by the end of the week. I am even willing to bet money that you had no intention of training Anna Baker and abducted her merely because she was a bossy loudmouthed kid you knew would probably argue for her release. In that case you could kill her and make an example of her so we would all toe in line and you wouldn't lose a potential weapon in your case." Kayla accused twisting her hand out of the viselike grip.
Anastasia grinned happily at her little outburst. Realization flooded Kayla's face as she realized she had just proven that she was carefully watching everything that happened and that she was analyzing it.
Now more than ever, Anastasia would be keeping an eagle eye on Kayla meaning she had just made it impossible for her to escape in the near future. "Come on Carmen, I think we better leave now." She grumbled dryly as she turned away and allowed the guards to escort them down the different walkways.
"Do you think we'll be put together?" Carmen asked looking almost desperate.
"Yeah, I think so. I mean look, every group that has been put together so far have shared a van so the high chance is that we will be. I... I just can't believe this is all happening. Thank God your here or I might have gone crazy by now." Kayla smiled giving Carmen a small hug.
"Hey you're the one keeping calm here. It would probably be me who would have gone crazy. All we have to do is make sure they don't break us. Most of the other kids have already snapped under the pressure of this place and the whole... Anna thing... yeah, that didn't help." Carmen sighed rubbing her temples clearly stressed out.
"I'm not saying that we should not be sad for Anna but we have to stay strong. If we let that effect us then we will lose all hope." Kayla spoke off into the distance. Everyone here had been hit hard by Anna's death epically since basically all of them had never seem someone die, let alone get murdered.
"Miss Martinez and Miss Nazario you are in this room here. Your beds are the ones with the clothes on. Get changed and then we will come back in five minutes to dispose of your old clothes." A guard mumbled pushing the two of them into the dorm before slamming the door shut behind them.
Slowly they creped forward and looked around the room. Inside there were five plain bunk beds with thin white mattresses, a toilet and a sink. There was no paint on the walls and the stone floor was missing a carpet making it ice cold.
"Charming. They sure know how to make someone feel homely." Carmen grumbled sarcastically pretending the show the room like an expedition at some sort of museum.
Walking over to the far corner Kayla saw on the bottom bunks of the far two bunk beds there were two uniforms neatly folded up.
The outfit consisted of a plain sports bra and pants, a plain white t-shirt, grey combat trousers and a pair of shiny black combat boots.
Slipping off their clothes they quickly changed into their new uniforms but Kayla made sure to empty the penknife, fishing wire and note pad and pen into her new combat trouser's pocket.
"How do I look?" Carmen questioned giving Kayla a little twirl.
"Like... like someone in the asylum army." Kayla giggled and they both burst out laughing. A knock came from the door and three kids entered talking excitedly.
"Do you think they're here yet?" A boy with brown baggy hair and crystal clear blue eyes asked as he closed the door behind them . He had a very strong American accent and seemed to be very bouncy for his age.
"If you mean us, then yes, I think we're here." Emma greeted startling the three of them. The American boy just smiled sheepishly and blushed.
"Sorry about Tyler, he's a little bit stupid. Anyway I'm Ayden Kenny and this is Maria Abelho and the idiot is Tyler Garcia. We have been here for two weeks now so if you need to know anything just ask." Ayden offered his hand and Emma shook it.
Ayden was clearly Irish because of his name, his accent and his red hair. He eyes were brown and he was rather tall for his age.
Maria had the same tanned skin as Carmen but she had a short blonde bob that came down to her shoulders instead of long black hair and her eyes were blue. She was incredibly thin and about normal height for her age.
"I'm Kayla Martinez and this Carmen Nazario; it's a pleasure to meet you." Kayla introduced herself and Carmen still slightly wary. No matter how nice someone may seem you can never really tell if it is all just an act to win your trust.
Ayden moved past her and collapsed on his bed. All three of them looked completely exhausted. Tyler bowed down on his knee and took both Kayla's and Carmen's hands in his own.
"No my ladies the pleasure is mine." He gave us a toothy grin and Kayla rolled her eyes.
"Que Deus nos ajude. *God help us* " Carmen sighed tiredly. Maria moved forward and kicked Tyler out of the way sending him crashing into the bunk bed. Of course, they all just laughed.
"Yeah you'll get use to him in time. It's good to finally have some girl power in this dorm; I actually thought I'd go crazy. Err... Carmen was it? Yeah. Carmen are you Portuguese?" Maria asked with pleading eyes. Carmen then hung her head in embarrassment and Kayla laughed ironically.
"No but I asked her the same thing. She does look and sound like it, doesn't she?" Kayla giggled and Carmen punched her playfully.
"Nah, I'm Spanish so I live next door to Portugal. The reason I was just speaking Portuguese is because I am learning it. I'm taking it that you are though?" Carmen enquired and Maria nodded.
"I'm Portuguese but I can speak Spanish, English and German as well. You know, I don't think they get enough Portuguese blood in the glasshouse. I mean, I only know one other person who is Portuguese in the whole of the school other than me and then you have about eighteen American kids in one bloody year." Maria threw her arms up in exasperation.
"That's because us American kids rule!" Tyler shouted and Maria lunged at him grabbing him in a head lock and ruffling his hair. "Ay, gerr off!" Tyler squirmed while Ayden, Kayla, Carmen and Maria laughed their heads off.
"Oh, so do you rule now, huh?" Maria teased letting him go and standing up. Carmen and Maria gave each other a high five, sharing mischievous grins.
Somehow Kayla just knew that the two of them were going to be great friends. In fact Kayla knew all of them were going to be friends and were going to stick together until the finally manage to escape this hell hole.