Merry Christmas everyone! I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays! Thank you to everyone who has supported this story and my sequel. It makes me really happy! My gift to you, and I will be praying the sugar cookies I ate will be enough for me to stay awake and write another chapter. Goodnight and enjoy!
Disclaim: Paradise Fears owns this song I just love it so much I had to use it.
Joe Ruby, Ken Spears, Hanna-Barbera Production, Warner Brothers, and Cartoon Network own Scooby Doo.
and then who becomes a part of our united mass or harmony,
And that's kind of become the thesis to this song,
Because through suffering, acceptance, grief, and strife,
There's no way that your puzzle piece fits into our puzzle wrong,
because everyone is welcome on this stage that we call life. ~Paradise Fears
~Witch
Chapter Seven: Game On
The morning bell rings loud to Thorn who spent hours talking with Dusk and Luna about the game they had going on today. Another problem was the potential chance of her dying today since Dusk's visions were pretty accurate in telling the truth. She shakes slightly at her reflection in the mirror as her cut stands out against her pale skin. She washes her face with cold water, waking her up slightly, and turns to see Dusk and Luna sleeping on the floor and panic slowly drips into her bloodstream like a killer disease. If they were caught they would never see each other again, and that doctor would make sure of it. Shaking them both she whispers their names while straining her ear range to increase so she can hear for any guards coming. After another round of shaking the two other girls wake up with small yawns.
"What time is it?" Luna says sleepily as she pushes herself to a sitting position.
"It's time for you guys to go. If anyone catches us we won't see each other again." Thorn says urgently while pulling Dusk up.
"How do you know this?" Luna questions as she straightens out her gown.
"There is a reason why some of us are in this ward and others in another. This is the potentially dangerous kids, and the others are the really crazy ones. There were these two girls a couple years ago who would never leave each other. The doctor turned his cheek until they tried to escape, and the next night they disappeared."
"What happened to them?" Dusk mumbles sitting on Thorn's bed.
"That's the thing no one knows. Rumors scattered saying they just died from being separated for too long, but I always thought it was fishy."
"You think the doctor did it?" Dusk states and Thorn wonders if she can read minds along with seeing the future.
"I do. Can you look into the past?" Thorn says as her hopes spike with the thought of knowing what happened to the two girls.
Dusk shakes her head. "I can't see into the past only the future." She says before standing up and giving the girls a hug.
"I'll see you later?" Luna questions the girls, opening the door as quietly and quickly as she can.
They both nod, and give each other one last hug. Thorn watches the girls disappear down the halls and waves. "See you later." She says shutting the door.
A few minutes later the nurses come to give everyone their daily medication, and Thorn glares at the older nurse. The other nurse, Nicole, smiles warmly at her and hands her a pile of clothes.
"These are for the games." She says bending down to pull up Thorn's sleeve and leans into her ear. "I know of your girls plan. You're not the only one with a special power. When the event is nearly done, find me in the darkest corner of the institution, and we will leave this place together. Do you know where I'm talking about?" She says before giving the injection into Thorn and stands up.
As they leave she turns to give Thorn a warning and winks at her. Thorn gives a small nod and smile at the thought of someone else on their side. Their chances of survival are small, but right now, Thorn feels as if they can win.
Once she is dressed, she meets the other patients in the meeting room with the staff smiling proudly at their work. She spots Dusk and Luna and goes to meet them until she feels a small shiver of cold air lick her shoulder. Eyes follow her every step as she turns her head over her shoulder to see the doctor's sadistic gleam in his eye as he watches her. Standing in place, she waits patiently to find an opening to get to Dusk and Luna. One doesn't come, and Thorn is forced to stand alone with the sea of gloomy faces as the doctor splits the people into groups. Fate really isn't on her side Thorn decides as her, Dusk, and Luna are placed in different groups which means they will be competing against each other. Thorn pushes her hair out of her face and follows her fellow group members like a ghost wishing she could disappear. The patients line up in straight lines perpendicular to the hallway they were just in, and the rules are explained to them; there are none. Anything goes in this game, and a spark of mischief shines in Thorn's eyes knowing she can use her special power. The doctor says one more thing that Thorn doesn't hear, and signals for the games to begin.
Her teammates consist of James, Brooke, and Tara not a good team with their personalities, but hopefully they would pull through for the prize at the end. All four of them spring forward fighting the moving crowd, of conformists lost in their own nightmare, and push their bodies harder as the strain of physical exercise hits them. None of them has done anything like this, and that's one reason winning is so important Thorn decides as she and her group take a left into the crazy hallway. Yelling and problems already arise as James orders them to stop, and look for the first clue. Brooke and Tara fight to go through the hallway first pushing and biting each other.
"Knock it off before I personally beat you down." Thorn snaps at the two older girls, feeling the rush of her powers kick in, and they simply nod with their eyes.
James gives her a head nod in return, and goes to look at the wall. "He said that there would be a place where both opposing forces would collide, and that would be where the first clue would be."
"Opposing forces is that really it? Couldn't they have been more specific?" Brooke says crossing her arms staring at the blank, white wall.
"It's a game it is not supposed to be specific you idiot." Tara angrily replies back to her sister.
"Bite me, Tara." She snaps going for Tara's face until James blocks her body with his tall frame.
"If we want to win this we have to work together not fight. I didn't beat up that guy last month for nothing, and I don't oppose to hitting girls, so you behave. Got it?" James says as he punches the wall to show he was indeed serious on that matter.
While all this was going down, Thorn was busy staring back at the walls as the voices of the others grew louder with each passing breath. One thing was bothering her about this hallway; there was no light source in the area, since it tends to make the patients more work then usual, and yet, there were streams of light along the wall. The light mixed with the shadow creating a perfect shade value.
"You guys look at the wall. See how the colors blend together? This would be the perfect place to hide something since everyone hates to come to this part." Thorn explains as James knocks on the wall, and a hollow sound replies back.
"Good thinking, girl. How did you think to come up with the whole color looking?" James asks demanding the two girls look watch for anyone coming.
Thorn shrugs and joins James next to the wall. "I like to stare at the ceiling and pretend I'm coloring. Plus, the lights cast shadows." She says knocking on the wall as James frowns as he bends down to take a closer look at the wall.
"There is something wrong with this. There shouldn't be cracks on the wall, and yet there is." James says knocking on the wall harder, and it moves a fraction.
He pulls harder, and the wall crumbles at their feet leaving a cloud of dust to fill their lungs. The coughing seizes to a halt as James wipes his eyes and curses. "Damnit someone already got to it!" He says smashing the other part of the wall with rage.
Thorn shakes as she puts a hand on his shoulder, and feels his body tremble and small muscles strain at the sudden pressure. "We will get whoever has it, and we will end up winning this thing you'll see." Thorn says giving him a small smile in hopes it will encourage him to bet better.
It doesn't, and he storms away leaving Thorn to talk to Brooke and Tara who talks about God knows what. It takes them a couple of minutes to run into a group, and this whole time Thorn wonders if they were all dead. The voices has died down, and only small drops of voices could be heard, and the occasional sneeze or whimper. The group takes a couple of sharp turns and the heat makes Thorn sweat and breath heavily. She stops to take a couple of deep breaths, and rubs her head. The doctor decided to take another round of electricity to Thorn, and drew and redrew her blood making her watch it until she was sick in fear. This combined with the late night she had, Thorn is defiantly off her game today.
"Can you make it, girl?" James says quietly as the two other girls start to sing some random song neither of them knows.
"I'll be fine I just am a little weak from treatment yesterday." Thorn says leaning on the wall for support.
"Treatment my ass this place is a hellhole. Come on girl let's get going." James says, and before Thorn can protest, he has Thorn thrown over his shoulder and allows her to readjust herself so she is in a piggyback position.
"Why are you doing this, James? You don't care about anyone but yourself, and you made that happen with all those nasty fights you get into." Thorn says rotating her neck so she can see the side of his face.
He laughs to himself and shakes his head. "You do what you have to do to survive that's something you and I both know." He says before falling silent for another couple of hallways. "You remind me of my sister." James says barely audible and wipes at his face.
They stay quite after that lost in their own thoughts and fantasies. Thorn is in shock at the thought of James caring for someone let along her. The more she thinks about it, the more it became clear. He was always watching her in the shadows when she was little, and after being picked on one day, she saw James talk to the bully, and he never spoke to Thorn again. He's been watching and protecting me my whole life Thorn thinks before laying her head on his back. They come to a fork in the road and he sets her down seeing shadows come closer to them. They walk in the area of the other group, and Thorn comes straight into Luna's group. Luna's eyes fill with relief and they share a smile as the rest of the members become tense.
"Did you find the first item?" Ricky asks James as they step closer to each other.
"If I did I sure in hell wouldn't tell you. Did you find it?" James retorts back.
"Maybe I did maybe I didn't." Ricky taunts giving James a cruel glare.
James snorts and rolls his eyes. "Let's get going everyone they are a waste of our time." He says stepping around Ricky and heads down the hallway where screams and the doctor's voice rang loud and clear; they only had a half an hour left to complete their first round of the game.
Thorn looks to Luna who gives her a plea of help with her eyes. "James wait," Thorn calls grabbing his arm, "they maybe able to help us. Since we know they don't have whatever we're looking for, they can help us find out who does." Thorn says stopping James who looks torn at the decision.
"This is on you, girl." He says with a harsh tone, but Thorn quickly sees a sense of humor in his eyes.
The two groups merge into one and Thorn and Luna reach for each other giving a small embrace before walking with the rest of the group. They all walk as slowly as they can they dread the thought of going where the adults were. Once they are in the room they see hell is loose. People are fighting throwing punches, kicks, biting and scratching and in the middle of it all is Dusk. Through the mass of moving bodies, Thorn can only make out a small object in her hand that Dusk is desperately trying to keep a hold on as another girl tries to take it from her.
"Of course Dusk would have seen where it was. She just had to look for it." Luna says as they use the fight or flight instinct to take down a group of boys coming for them.
"It was smart if you think about it." Thorn says demanding the older boy go and block other people from their path as Luna makes people freeze in throbbing agony as she moves her small fingers.
"Dusk over here!" Luna shouts as the girls fight their way into the crowd. As they move, they are thrown side to side and elbows jam into Thorn's ribs making it even harder to breath.
Once they are in the circle of madness, Luna and Thorn pry off the girl and grab onto the object. It was a small box with an old fashion looking clock on it, but time was not moving. The doctor claps his hands and orders everyone to move so he can see the winners. His eyes give a sickening gleam as he laughs congratulating the girls on their win, but only one of them can. Josh, Dusk's leader, shoves Luna out of the way and hollers that their team won it first. In the end, he takes his side, and Dusk's team is declared the winner, and they all must go to bed to get up early the next day. Sighs of anger and disappointment flood through the room as everyone goes back to their rooms without a word. Thorn is able to see Dusk once, and gives her a smile before turning in the opposite direction to her own cell. She stares at the ground, white shoes now bleak and torn from all the running that was done. She passes the doctors and nurses who continue on with their conversation.
"There was no way they couldn't have touched it without being burned. My thoughts exactly, Mark. Project X will be able to come alive if we find others who can do it. I already have my suspicion and I know who I want to have on the team. Call Mr. M and tell him his team is almost prepared." The doctor says and the team shares a round of laughter as Thorn exits the hallway with more questions than answers.
