Wow

It has been almost half a year since I updated this story. If you have been following this story, I profusely thank you for keeping with this story! I really do thank you it means so much to me. Since it has been so long, I definelty have some explaining to do. First of all, I am young and still in school so theres one factor. Also, this summer, my job as a lifeguard left me completely busy with no time to write all in between. I would get home late and would just simply, not feel like it. I have to be in the right mindset in order to do this writing thing. Next, summer assignments for school, had to do those. NEXT! School started so had to deal with that. NEXT!(Last one), I raun Cross Country for my school and the season coupled with school just left me drained and simply unispired to do anything but play video games or read lol. But don't fret! All this I feel was good for me. Why do you ask? Well I read a SHITLOAD of books while on break at work and at school. It felt like doing research in a way to me. In other words, I looked at other writing styles, so now I feel I am a better writer becuase of it. ANYWAYS, Don't want to keep waiting any longer! Please enjoy and Thank you! :)

Alone

That's how Chell felt when this man that she barely knew for 5 minutes told her a shocking truth.

She felt more alone than ever before. Even while she was in Aperture, she never felt truly alone. Not only because of the sadistic robot overseer but at least there she felt like she had a sense of purpose: Escape. The hope that she would get out and find out what the hell went wrong, how she got there, and everything wrong in between.

Now she felt like it was all for nothing.

Seriously, she did. Living a good part of your life from what you can remember zero people around you will do that to you.

Now bigger questions went through her brain: "How long was I actually down there? There has to be something from my previous life that still exists! Fuck! Why can't I remember anything! Who the hell are all these people and how did they escape? Why is this good looking man with pretty bluish-green eyes staring at me like that?!"

Chell quickly snapped back to attention as she realized the good looking man, who she now remembers as Jason, is looking at her funny once again.

"He really does look-"

"Chell? You okay?" Jason looked genuinely concerned. He had just rocked her world, as lightly as he thought he could, but he didn't expect her to act this way.

Chell stopped ogling over this human male that she hasn't been in contact with who knows long. To long for her to remember. She finally worked up courage to form words from her mouth:

"Y-yeah" she said while her throat still hurting a great deal. She took a quick sip of water in response. Before Jason could even respond, Boone, suddenly stormed in once again, although slightly less pissed. Slightly.

"Jason! What the fuck are you doing! You TRYING to get us all killed?" Boone screamed at Jason. He was clearly ticked about something but Chell didn't know what it was. They were just talking, no harm done there.

"Just talking. Her names Chell by the way." Jason said coolly, as if nothing was wrong. According to Boone, everything was wrong. All the time from what Chell has seen.

"Yeah? Who cares! What did you find out?" Boone said angrily to Jason

"Boone, calm the fuck down! She's been out of Aperture for 2 days! Give her a fucking break" Boone looked a little taken aback his response, as if he felt a little sympathy for her. He even relaxed a little. Well kind of.

Jason then looked at Chell, gave her a little smile then quickly looks back at Boone. Chell actually felt slightly reassured by his gesture. "Maybe it shows he cares? No, that's stupid why would he? He barely knows me. Shit. I'm think WAY too hard about this. First man that actually shows genuine interest in my wellbeing in forever shows up and this how I act? Wow, I really need to calm down…"

Jason then gets up and walks up to Boone. Now that Chell is more awake than ever, she can see both the men in much greater detail.

They look beaten.

Not necessarily physically, for all she knew that could be true but what they looked like more was just mentally and psychologically beaten. She could see it in their eyes. They looked worn, with huge grey bags under their eyes. She couldn't tell exactly how old each of them were because they were so worn and dirty looking. However, she did take note that none of them had grey hair or wrinkles but just their image made them look about a thousand years older than they actually were. She made note to ask them everything she could once she could talk normally once again.

She hoped that was soon.

"Boone, look at her." Jason says calmly "She needs help. Does it look like she is with him?

"There it is again! Him. I need to ask who that is. I know t can't be good though." Chell worriedly thought. However she wasn't sure if she even wanted to know.

Boone then looks at Chell. Laying on this old, tattered mattress is scared a women who knows nothing of the outside world. Boone relaxes even more once he realizes the state she is in.

"No, She doesn't" Boone says softly, not yelling for once.

"We need to help her" Jason says, slightly assertive.

Boone doesn't answer for a while. He looks at the floor with grim look on his face, as if thinking about something that's he wants to forget. He then realizes he hasn't responded and looks Chell right in the eyes.

There are tears.

Chell has her mouth hanging open slightly, shocked by what is happening. Now she is more confused than ever. Here is a man who was just acting like shit to her and now he's getting all emotional? Nothing makes sense to her anymore.

"….No" He says authoritatively "Not again" Boone quickly wipes the tears from his eyes. The hard-ass leader is back.

"Boone, you can't dwell on that forever! You need to move on. This the first step. Helping people." Jason says this softly yet forcefully to Boone. Something happened that Chell is afraid to ask. At least to Boone that is.

Boone looks at Jason for first time not as an enemy, but almost as a friend. He then responds after what seems like forever, the tension in the room reaching a new high.

"I-I can't-"

"You can"

"But-"

"It won't happen again. I will make sure of that."

Boone looks intently at Jason, as if thinking things through in his head how everything will go.

"She's your responsibility. I won't be blamed for the death of another person." With that Boone leaves the room, quickly but not forcefully.

Jason then looks at Chell. Chell takes everything in, still shocked over everything. She has no idea what the fuck is going on and wants to take charge for once. She's tired of just being the bystander.

It is time to get some answers.

Chell practically springs from the bed, heading directly at Jason. However, she is unsure of what to do next as she just sort of stands there in front of him. A million questions formulate through her mind at the moment but sticks at the most. She wills herself to get over the pain of speaking and finally says, shakily:

"W-Who are you people?" Chell hangs on, her throat once again exploding in pain. She's still clutching the water bottle and once again takes a quick sip. There, better.

"Survivors" Jason says matter of factly.

However, Jason can tell by the look on her face that this answer doesn't satisfy her.

"We…We are all test sub-excuse me WERE, test subjects at Aperture. We escaped, Me, Julius, Boone and a few others about-"

"There are other people?!" Chell shouts out, weakly , comically almost. She immediately regrets it.

Jason notices her pain and points to her water bottle with a smile. Chell drinks, happy to oblige.

"Yes, four others. They stayed at our camp in town a few miles from here. Julius, Boone, and I went out to look for some more supplies. This house is one of our safe houses…." He let the last phrase linger for a little, as if there was reasoning behind it. Chell wanted what it was they were trying to keep safe from, but wanted him to continue. She nudged him to keep talking.

"We've lived like this for 3 years now, at least that's what the clock at our camp says. An Aperture clock of course, so how could we trust it?" Jason chuckles at this. "Time doesn't make any sense to me anymore. The way the world is not how I remember it."

Jason ends this with a grim look on his face. Chell looks at him intently, seeing that she is looking at a man who barely knows more than she does.

She likes him.

Jason looks away and quickly walks to the side of the bed.

"We found this with you" He says picking up the back back/bag and showing it to Chell. "Funny that you found it, we were looking for it. Julius must have dropped it by accident. He carries so much shit when we go out on these runs that it makes sense that he never noticed this fall off his back."

"It saved me" Chell said without thinking. Talking was getting a little easier, however, still hurt a great deal.

"It did? Well good thing" Jason said with a smile. He then threw the bag at Chell. "Keep it, if you're going to be with us at least help out a little." He said with a little smirk. Chell caught it with a slight fumble, she was still used to grabbing things with her portal gun. Julius suddenly yelled from the other room causing them both to look over.

"Hey! You two! The rain stopped we're leaving!" Chell completely forgot it was raining. Jason, then looked at Chell and made a nodding notion to go out the door. Chell then left and now got a better look at the rest of the house.

The room she was just in was the only bedroom. She walked into the living room which had a kitchen and bathroom to her left and the door out on her left. The house definitely was old and grimy, barely furnished with a lone couch and a random easy chair askew in the living room. Everything in the kitchen seemed to be missing for some reason, for that she doesn't know why.

Julius and Boone were waiting by the door with impatient looks and huge, full bags most likely full of supplies being carried on their backs. Another huge back by their feet, most likely Jason's. Jason then appeared behind Chell and walked by her and picked up the bag.

"You ready?" Jason asks jovially.

Julius and Boone rolled their eyes.

"Jason, you can flirt with your new girlfriend while we walk. Let's go!" Boone says this while he opens the door with a smirk and walks out. Julius chuckles slightly and follows him. Jason, with red face nods in the direction outside and walks out, following his two comrades.

Chell stands there a little longer, still shocked over what has just happened. One moment she was on her own trying to survive, next she met 3 people, actual people, and is now apparently part of their group. Culture shock was truly setting in.

"This is good for me. Seemed bad at first but now I see it as good. I need to follow these men. They will lead me to more people! Hopefully there not all guys though….that would REALLY be bad. Jason seems to be nice though. I really do mean it, I like him. I think I can convince myself that it's not just out of loneliness. Maybe. She smirks at this and continues to think about the possibilities that could happen between her and Jason. Now this really starts to make her smirk.

"CHELL! COME ON!" Chell snaps back to reality as she sees the three of them far away from in the distance, already walking down the road. Boone is looking at her disapprovingly, clearly the one who yelled at her while Jason looks back and just smiles. Julius just shakes his head and keeps walking.

"This is going to be interesting" Julius says with a smirk as he leaves Boone and Jason just standing there. They look at him and shrug.

Chell finally wills her legs to move and sprints after the trio with her bag in hand. Her feet are still killing her, her long fall boots not helping to ease the pain at all. As she runs towards them, she can't help but smile. Her new life awaits. She knows that she is much passed her youth but doesn't know her age. That along with many other facts about her life have left her. Long forgotten by living in Aperture for so long. She longs to know why this is. She wants to know everything: Where she came from, what her life was like before, why she is the person that she is.

But none of this matter right now. Her life has changed so quickly before her eyes that is almost too much to take. She does know one thing though and it makes her the happiest person on earth (Give or take that is apparently only out of a few people).

She feels like she can live again and that's good enough as any to act alive.

Chell plans on moving on, whatever the cost may be.

Please review and tell me what you think! You never know, I might reply ;) Everyones question I know will be "When will the next chapter be out?"

I can proudly say that the schedule will now be once a week.

I think.

Hopefully

Seriously, don't fret, I have much more time on my hands now but I still feel that once a week, possibly a little longer than that at times is what I can handle. Again THANK YOU SO MUCH :):):):):):):)