Hideaway (by Grace Vanderwaal)
"The day is gonna come when there's no time left to waste. But we'll never grow up, I say we hide away . . ."
The Scouts' jail was unlike any other prison that Kara had heard of or been to. While there had only been a few jail cells in the hallway she and Kiel had been in, there were many more cells than she realized. And all of them were empty.
It was weird, though. Why so many empty cells? She guessed that since everyone here must be brainwashed, there was no use for so many, anyway. The jail was still much smaller than the TSA's had been; Kara didn't think there were more than a hundred cells here.
Is this where they kept kids who weren't so easily brainwashed, when they first got to the summer camp? Or — the more likely story — had this prison just been here before the summer camp was built? She wasn't sure. She figured that the only people who'd recently been here were her, Charm, Owen, and Kiel. And Gwen, Bethany, and Orion, if they'd been here, too.
As Kara crept down a hallway, a shiver went down her spine. It was strange to be back inside a jail. A few weeks ago, it was crazy to remember that she would've purposely stayed in one, just to prevent the end of the world from happening. Things had changed so much since then, and Kara herself, was pretty sure she'd changed.
Locking herself into prison was past Kara's solution, to stop a prophecy from happening. But now that she wasn't in her own world, it was a little easier to stop blaming herself. Destruction usually followed Kara wherever she went, but here, it seemed she really wasn't to blame. But still, seeing the pure possibility caused a heavy weight to sink into her shoulders, so familiar that it stuck to her like a gum underneath her shoe.
It was familiar, because Kara had seen it before. Past times when she'd traveled to the future, all that was there was this white nothingness, which stretched on for miles and miles. No people, no buildings, not even a sign of life. And she'd blamed herself, because who else could've wrecked the future so badly that the entire world disappeared?
Only her. Kara Dox, the paradox girl.
Until, through Owen, she'd learned about Nobody. Through she still had a difficult time believing that none of this was her fault, she could easily place the blame on him. She just couldn't imagine wanting to destroy the world. Kara had been so careful in her efforts to save it, yet here was Nobody, a man who literally had no cares whatsoever about destroying the worlds.
The time agents, the Countess, Dolores — everyone — should've been blaming Nobody the whole time, instead. But they hadn't known about him. No one had. They'd just known about Kara, the girl predicted to destroy the future. And while that certainly had been true, maybe Kara had been wrong about some things. Sure, she'd destroyed the world in every timeline. But in this chapter of her life, it was Nobody wrecking the future, instead.
Maybe it'd always been that way, but Kara had just never realized it. Kara and her future selves had only known themselves to be the culprits, not anyone else. Knowing that Nobody had caused this took some pressure off her shoulders, though not that much.
Despite knowing about Nobody, Kara still had her doubts. Living through her worst fear — remembering the look of terror on everyone's faces, on Owen's face — kept the doubt creeping in, that this could always be her fault. To think that this time could be different was shocking. Being immune to paradoxes meant her fate could never be changed, so naturally, Kara wasn't having the easiest time accepting the idea that none of this was her fault.
What made it harder was the truth: if all of this was Nobody's fault, that meant Kara had nothing to do with the destroying-the-world part. If so, was it really possible she could save the world? From every single past experience, she knew that one way or the other, saving the world was not her thing. Trying to save it? Sure, totally. That'd been crossed off the list for thousands of times, over millions of timelines. But succeeding? Not a chance.
If it was possible, she needed to try saving the world again. No matter how crazy it sounded, to keep trying again and again when all she got were the same results. Maybe the mummy had been right. Maybe she was insane to keep trying. That was the definition of insanity, to try something over and over again, while expecting different results.
The only difference was that Kara had tried so much that she always expected the same result. Even when she hoped for a different one, she'd grown to expect that no matter what she did, the world would suffer. At least it'd be her and Owen against the world, as her future selves had told her. But in every scenario, Kara always ended up alone, everything destroyed around her.
But this time, she wasn't alone. She had Owen. Not only him, but she had Charm and Kiel, two of her newest friends. And once Kiel found Bethany — who'd probably know where Gwen and Orion were — they'd have seven kids to save the world! A big shift from just Kara, who was used to doing it alone. And failing. Many, many times.
The sound of a door slamming surfaced Kara from her thoughts. She was standing right in the middle of the hallway, walking fast. But this made her freeze. The sound hadn't come from her hallway, but from somewhere beyond it. Could that be Kiel and Bethany, or was it more camp counselors? Given Kara's luck? She guessed it'd be the second option.
Her hand instinctively went down to her wrist. To get out of any situation, Kara always turned to her time bracelet if she needed the extra help. She was so used to it being there that she actually felt surprised when her fingers touched her bare wrist. Right. She didn't have a time bracelet anymore. Just a lot of broken pieces.
If she had a working time bracelet, Kara would've sent herself forward in time by 1:01 seconds, so she'd be invisible to anyone who saw her. Too bad she couldn't use it now! That always did the trick for getting her out of sticky situations.
But since she didn't have the option, she'd have to improvise instead. And luckily, Kara was pretty good at that. She'd improvised through almost everything in her life, and while it hadn't led her to the best of places, at least she'd ended up in one piece. So that's what she'd do. Whatever it took to not get brainwashed.
Kara slowly moved towards the wall, wear a line of cells were. She hovered there, listening. And there, just beyond the door, she heard footsteps. The sound got closer, until Kara was sure that whoever it was, the person was just on the other side of that door. The knob began to turn, and her heart jumped.
Assuming that it probably wasn't Kiel, Kara figured she should find somewhere to hide. Just in case. She grabbed the nearest door of a jail cell, throwing herself just in time for the door to open. Her feet scuffed against the floor, and she quickly lowered herself to the ground, trying not to make any more noise.
A few feet away, she heard breathing. Heavy footsteps coming closer, walking so fast that Kara barely had time to hide. Through the darkness, she watched as a man came into view, wearing a hat just like all the other camp counselors. As he passed the cell she was in, Kara leaned further back, hoping he wouldn't see her.
Key word there was "hoping". Whenever Kara was in trouble — or anywhere, really — she stood out. She always had, and it wasn't like she didn't want to. Even her hair stood out, looking out of place no matter what environment she was in. Kara had always liked standing out. She'd been different from the day she was born.
But in this case, being different meant getting caught. Getting brainwashed. Out of all the prisons she'd been to (which hadn't been many) So if she got caught, there had to be some way to fool them she was the same as everyone else.
Just act . . . happy and obedient, right? She could do that! The happy part wouldn't be too difficult. She could just think about how she felt around Owen, and project that onto the camp counselors.
But being obedient? Kara wasn't so sure. No matter how hard she tried following rules, she always seemed to do the opposite. At least, that'd been with time travel, where there were way too many rules. Granted, this was different. If she didn't follow the rules it wasn't like she'd be able to time travel away.
Even if being obedient was nearly impossible for Kara, it looked like she'd have to try to be. Especially if, within the next ten seconds, she got caught.
In front of her, the man was walking by. Time seemed to freeze as he passed, and Kara held her breath. She was sure, for a moment, that anything she did would get her caught. She always got caught. If there was anything that could help her now, it was her immunity to paradoxes. That could contribute for something, right?
Surprisingly, the man didn't turn his head. Not even a glance in Kara's direction. He just kept walking, whistling a low tune under his breath. Slowly, Kara stood. She shifted to the end of the cell, silently watching him through the bars. How hadn't he seen her? Was it possible that it'd really been too dark for him to tell?
Either way, who cared? This was the perfect chance for Kara to get out of here! So she waited. And waited some more. As soon as the counselor got to the end of the hallway and opened the door, Kara seized her chance. She pushed on the jail cell door, the hinge squeaking loudly as it moved. She didn't care who heard. She ran for the door, threw it open, only to see—
Two camp counselors, coming down the same hallway she'd just entered. Their eyes locked on her. Kara's heart jumped. Letting the door slam behind her, she stopped abruptly in her tracks. If she kept running, there was no way she wouldn't get caught. Okay, what would a brainwashed person do? Think, Kara!
"What are you doing out here?" one of them asked.
Kara hesitated, just for a second. Then she reminded herself to smile. "Hello! I'm really glad I ran into you guys. I, um, I think I'm lost. I wanted to see what this weird, huge building was and now I can't get out! It's seriously like a maze down here." She glanced around, as if confused. "What is this place?"
The counselors looked at each other before looking back at her. She couldn't tell if they'd believed her or not. One of them smiled politely. "How did you get in here?"
"I don't know. I wandered inside."
The woman's smile was slipping. "Past the guards?"
She shrugged her shoulders up and down, trying to look as relaxed as possible. Not exactly the easiest thing to do while under pressure, but Kara hoped her acting skills were good enough. "I guess they were on their dinner break."
Now, they just looked suspicious.
"The guards don't have dinner breaks," the other counselor said. "We bring the food to them so they can eat while they work."
Kara just stared at them. Okay, that sounded like overkill. What kind of job didn't offer you at least a twenty minute break? To eat, to stretch, to do something? Wow, the counselors must've really taken their job seriously here. And they were keeping kids in jail for all the wrong reasons. Not even because they were dangerous, but to brainwash them.
"I think they might've been going to the bathroom, now that I think about it," Kara said quickly.
"That sounds more likely," the counselor said, nodding to herself.
She looked at the other woman and whispered something in her ear. To Kara's dismay, the other counselor whispered something back. This went on for a few seconds, with Kara staring at them, wishing she could hear their conversation. If they were about to take her to the brainwashing area, Kara really wanted a heads-up.
Finally, they turned back to Kara with equally bright smiles.
"I'll take you back to your cabin," one of them said. "You shouldn't be wandering around getting lost."
Back to her cabin? Kara bit her lip, her relief fading a little. Oh, shoot. This wasn't how her plan was supposed to go! Granted, her only real plan had been to lie her way out of this, and throw the counselors off her trail so she could find Owen and Charm. She might be safe, but her friends were still locked up! There was no way she could leave Owen behind. Not again.
"Um, thanks! But can you tell me what this place is, first?" Kara asked. She bounced on her heels. "Maybe . . . give me a tour? I just wanna—"
Suddenly, one of the loudest noises Kara had ever heard blasted through her ears. It sounded like a bell chiming, only it was ten times louder than any bell she'd ever heard. Kara jumped in surprise, instantly smacking her hands over her ears. She noticed the camp counselors perked up as they heard it. It must've meant something important, like a fire drill or something.
The chiming slowly faded. The camp counselors stared at Kara, as if expecting something. Kara shifted on her feet. Was she supposed to be doing something? The "brainwashed" Kara, that is? She probably should, though she wasn't sure what. Back in the time prison, there'd been a similar bell system that woke the prisoners up every morning. But she was pretty sure this was different.
"Oh, there's the bell!" Kara said, forcing a smile. "Guess I should, uh . . ." She trailed off, hoping the camp counselors would finish. Unfortunately, they didn't. Well, that gave her absolutely no clues.
The woman glanced at each other before looking back at her.
"It's past curfew," one of them said. "I'll take you back to your cabin."
"Thanks, you're really sweet." Kara looked over her shoulder, praying she'd spot Owen or Charm in one of the cells. "But about that—"
"Come on!"
The camp counselor started walking, leaving Kara with no choice but to follow. She noticed that the other counselor hung back, probably to keep patrolling. Her heart sped up. She couldn't leave. She had to stay here somehow, just long enough to find her friends.
"Are you sure that was the curfew bell?" Kara asked as she hurried to catch up with the woman.
The woman smiled. "Very sure."
"Are you sure it wasn't just the fire alarm?"
"No."
"A police siren?"
"No."
"What about a bear? Or a tiger?"
The camp counselor looked at her incredulously. "There are no bears or tigers here! You kids are perfectly safe."
Safe? Really? Kara wanted to retort, but held herself back. "That's good," she said instead. "I like being safe." She glanced forward to see they were a few feet away from another door — one that led to the outside world. Kara wracked her brain for more excuses.
"Is a curfew really necessary?" she asked, glancing back at the woman.
"Well, yeah. Curfews are needed so all of you Scouts are in bed at a certain time." The woman checked her watch. "It's 10 o'clock. Why, what do you think the curfew should be?"
"None! I say out with curfews!" Kara exclaimed, throwing out of her arms. In her effort to be enthusiastic, she nearly smacked the camp counselor in the head by accident. She quickly lowered her arm before she did something she couldn't undo. Time-travel-wise.
By now, they'd almost reached the door. Just a few more steps from it. And Kara didn't think she'd have another chance to sneak back in here, unless she either ran into her friends or miraculously fixed her time bracelet. She glanced over her shoulder again. She considered making a run for it, or maybe just tripping the counselor. Or both.
"We all need curfews," the counselor was saying. "Or else everyone would be running around until three in the morning!"
Kara felt the urge to disagree. She eyed the door. "Uh, when do the camp counselors go to sleep?"
"Once all the kids do."
She almost snorted. At least for her and Kiel — the only escapees — there would be no sleeping for a while. It could be hours before she found her friends, and even longer before she found some time to sleep. There had been two beds in each cell, not that she was about to go back there and sleep right now.
The woman continued speaking as they reached the door, though Kara wasn't listening anymore. Her eyes were on everything. She tried to figure out what to do, what her best option could be for getting out of here. In the end, there was only one thing she could think of.
Holding the door open, she let the camp counselor go through first. Then, Kara threw her arm out and pushed the woman hard. She stumbled forward. Kara bounced back and slammed the door shut. She could hear the camp counselor shouting on the other side of the door, the knob jiggling.
Kara locked her hands tightly around the knob, pressing her whole body against the door. She frantically scanned the door. There had to be some kind of lock! There, on the knob, she saw it sticking out in the darkness. Still pushing forcefully against the door, she used her other hand to turn the lock.
"Hey!" the woman shouted, her voice muffled. "What do you think you're doing?"
"This would be a lot easier with my time bracelet!" Kara muttered to herself. She struggled with the door a bit longer until — click! It finally locked. Breathing hard, she carefully lifted her body from the door. The knob continued to turn, over and over, yet it wasn't budging. Whew.
Kara backed away from the door, shouts of, "Open this door now, young lady!" following her. Unable to help herself, she opened her mouth to give a cheeky reply, only to remember that there were still camp counselors here. If they were nearby, they'd hear her. No doubt about it. And the woman could alert the guards at any moment — if she wasn't already — which meant Kara had better start running.
So she did. She flew down the hallway much quicker than she had before, caring less about who saw. As she turned the corner, her ankle jerked in pain. Kara winced, remembering she probably shouldn't be running since her leg wasn't healed all the way yet. Not that she had a choice.
Owen, Charm, where are you?
"Hey!"
All of the sudden, Kara heard a familiar voice. Charm's voice. It was faint, though loud enough to make it out. Yeah, it was definitely her. And from the sound of it, there was trouble.
"Let him go, and give me my ray guns back! If you don't let me out of this cell—"
Kara's eyes widened. Okay, that didn't sound good! By "let him go", was Charm referring to Owen? Were the camp counselors taking him? The very idea set Kara's blood boiling. And she'd be lying if she said it didn't make her feel more panicked. She didn't hesitate. She started sprinting.
Every step sent another small jolt of pain up her leg, though she tried her best to ignore it. If she couldn't save her friends, no one would. And it'd probably be a while before Kiel got back, so it was up to Kara to do the saving. Time to do what she did best: cause chaos. And kick some camp counselor butt.
She wasn't exactly sure where her friends were, but she went in the direction she thought she'd heard Charm's voice. It'd sounded a little farther away, most likely a few more hallways down. Kara kept running, throwing open doors and wincing with every step. Turning another dark corner, she heard voices. Much closer now than ever.
Though it wasn't Owen she saw, or even Charm. Just two camp counselors, standing next to a closed door. It looked like they were standing guard outside it. Before they could see her, Kara ducked back behind the wall. Her heart pounded. What was going on? Where was Owen?
Kara clenched her fists, preparing to dart forward. Owen had to be in that room. Where else would he be? Despite not having any weapons, she'd do everything she could to protect him. But how could she get past the guards? And what about
Charm, where was she?
Again, Kara peeked around the corner. The door that the camp counselors were guarding was at the very end of the hallway. On the other side of the hallway wasn't much — just a few more rooms that resembled offices. So if Charm was anywhere, she'd must've been nearby. Still inside one of the cells, from the sound of it.
Kara debated just rushing into the next hallway, throwing punches at the camp counselors and breaking into that room. But her impulsiveness didn't always work out in her favor without her time bracelet. She needed help. So did Owen, of course, and Kara would help him no matter what.
Yet, Charm also needed Kara for help. Charm was actually her friend now. She couldn't leave her locked up, not when she couldn't get out. At least if Kara found the keys to the cells, she could provide some assistance. That way, both of them could fight the camp counselors and rescue Owen. A pretty great plan! That is, if Kara could make it work.
Keeping close to the wall, she stepped out into the hallway. Luckily, the guards hadn't noticed her yet. And she'd want to keep it that way. Quickly, Kara tiptoed to the closest door. It was closed. So were the other four doors along the hallway, and none of them had labels. Not ones that she could see, anyway.
Kara tossed another glance at the guards, who were whispering about something she couldn't hear. Hopefully, they'd be too deep in conversation to notice her. She faced the first door again and turned the knob very slowly. She cracked open the door, pushing it open at an even slower pace to avoid making noise.
Once the door was opened wide enough, Kara squeezed through. She stumbled into the room, then quietly closed the door behind her. As it shut, it made a small creaking noise. Kara cringed. Hopefully the camp counselors wouldn't hear that. Either way, she had to hurry.
She turned back to face the room. It was pitch black inside, offering no light whatsoever. Not even moonlight from a window. Kara shifted to the wall. She moved her hand against it, feeling around for a light switch. Just like the cabins, she noticed, the wall was made completely out of wood. Huh.
After a few seconds of searching, Kara's fingers finally caught on a light switch. She flicked it up. Light flooded the room, dim enough that it didn't burn Kara's irises or (hopefully) attract more attention. She glanced around, sort of surprised to find it only looked like an office. Aside from a desk and a chair and a bookshelf on the wall, there wasn't much else to it.
Still, she quickly walked over to the desk, hoping there'd be something useful in there. She tried the drawers. All three wouldn't budge. They were locked. Biting her tongue, Kara reached into her pocket. Her hand found the broken pieces of her time bracelet; she'd carried them around everywhere since it'd gotten destroyed.
Bending to her knees, Kara pulled out one of the wires. She fit it into the bottom drawer's lock. She wasn't the biggest expert at picking locks, so it took longer than it had earlier for Kiel. Really, the only reason she knew how to do this was because her older selves had taught her. Without her older selves, Kara wouldn't have learned half as many skills as she knew now.
She heard a click. She pulled the drawer open and ruffled through it, only to feel disappointment when all she found were old files. That couldn't be any help. Slamming the drawer closed, an increasingly frustrated Kara lifted her wire to the drawer above it. Seconds bled into minutes as she struggled with the lock, until finally, something clicked.
The drawer opened. There were a few pencils inside, a map, a few flashlights. Nothing she needed. Nothing important. Though she grabbed a flashlight anyway, just in case. She stuck it through the loop on her belt; it wouldn't hurt to have one when it was practically almost midnight.
Furrowing her brows, Kara pushed the drawer clothes. Just by sheer luck, her eyes lifted to the wall and . . . ah-ha! There were the keys!
Eyes widening, Kara leapt to her feet. It was the largest set of keys she'd ever seen, and that was coming from the girl who'd been to a few prisons in her lifetime. What looked like hundreds of keys hung from a hook on the wall. Kara reached for it, then clutched them in her hands to keep the keys from jingling.
After turning the light switch off again, she poked her head out of the room. Just down the hallway, the camp counselors weren't in front of the room anymore. Maybe they'd gone into that room, or had left to go guard something else. She just hoped that wherever they were, they weren't hurting her friends.
And if they were, it was about time she found them. Kara might not have a time bracelet anymore, but she had a fistful of keys and she wouldn't stop until she freed Charm. Or saved Owen. Whichever came first.
She was running again. Cells whipped past her, looking just as dark and lonely as she remembered them. She glanced at each one, but only for a second. Only to see if Charm was there.
Kara turned another corner, and she stopped short. Sitting in the first cell to the left was a prisoner. The first person she'd seen who was actually being held captive here. Eyes wide, Kara walked closer. Under the moonlight, she could just barely make out that it was Charm.
"Charm?" Kara said, putting her hand on the bars.
Charm looked up. Her expression had been angry, though she appeared relieved when she saw Kara. "Kara! About time you showed up. Do you have my ray guns?"
"What?" Kara shook her head. "No, I don't. I got out of my cell a little bit ago. Kiel, too. He ran off to find Bethany."
Charm sighed. "Of course."
"It was an emergency! But he'll be back soon with her. And with Gwen and Orion if he finds them." Kara dropped to her knees in front of the door, starting to fiddle with the keys. She fit the first one into the lock, but it didn't budge. "Okay, this is gonna take forever."
"You'd better hurry," Charm said, her voice low. "They took Owen."
Kara looked up, her shoulders tensing. "What did they do with him? They didn't hurt him, did they?"
"I have no idea. They said they were taking him in for . . . questioning. I'm guessing they're going to brainwash him. He won't stand a chance."
Kara nodded. "Thanks, Charm. That makes me feel tons better!"
Charm rolled her eyes. "It's true. You know he can't fight that good, right?"
"I know." Kara tried the next key. That one didn't work, either. Worry gnawed at her. Owen, please be okay.
"If they'd taken me first, they'd all be knocked out by now."
A chuckle escaped Kara's lips. "They should've done that. That basically would've solved everything!" She switched to another key, biting her lip as she struggled to fit in through the lock. "Okay, we have to help Owen. And I have a plan. I figured if I let you out first, both of us could—"
The sound of footsteps from outside the door made Kara freeze. "Someone's coming!" she said. "Catch!"
She hurled the keys through the jail cell's bars. Charm easily caught it with her robotic hand. As Kara quickly jumped to her feet, Charm remained hidden in the shadows, beginning to sort through the keys.
"Go find Owen," Charm said quickly. "Once I get out, I'll get my ray guns and meet yo—"
The door burst open. Kara whipped her head around to see two guards entering the hallway, both dressed slightly differently than the camp counselors. Their outfits were less friendly, as was their demeanor. Over green polo shirts, they wore black vests that said "security guard" on them. Both guards wore earpieces, and had belts that contained things like a radio and a flashlight.
Even worse, they carried long sticks that looked like weapons. Kara remembered the TSA guards carrying tasers around, and she wasn't sure what was worse. She couldn't help being surprised, though. Would the guards really use that on her, even though she was just a kid?
The TSA guards hadn't cared about hurting Kara, though it seemed that since these guards were apart of a summer camp, they should be less willing to hurt kids.
Hopefully.
Behind them, a woman walked through the door. It was the same woman from earlier, Kara realized. And she did not look happy.
When Owen used to think that hypnotists were cool, it was the fun kind of hypnotist, the kind that made you do silly things in front of other people. He'd seen a hypnotist show once when he was little, and while he liked to imagine that the guy who'd clucked like a chicken was still clucking like a chicken to this day, this was ten times beyond that.
And a lot scarier.
Owen wished they'd never come here. He should've never listened to Fowen, and should've never let Bethany go on that quest! So many things would be different if he just hadn't listened — to either of them. And what had he done? He'd listened. Next time Bethany was about to do anything reckless, Owen really needed to learn how to talk her out of it, instead of her talking him into it.
Not that he really blamed her. Neither of them had known anything like this would happen. And Owen knew that if Bethany's plan really had gone right, she, Gwen, and Orion would be with them right now. Then, they never would've even gotten in this whole mess. Kiel never would've had to risk his own memories (though luckily, nothing bad had come from that), and they wouldn't be stuck inside a jail.
Oh, and he probably wouldn't be about to get brainwashed.
After getting taken by guards, Owen had been dragged to the lowest floor of the Scout's jail — which he guessed was underground. Then, they'd taken him to an empty room and had shoved him into a chair, strapping his wrists and ankles to it. Before Owen could even stop them (not that he had a choice), they'd walked out of the room, leaving him sitting there alone.
It'd probably hadn't been more than ten or twenty minutes, but Owen felt like he'd been sitting here forever. It only made him more nervous, since it gave him time to look around the room. It was eerily similar to a doctors office, the only difference being that there were hypnotist posters on the wall — like the ones he'd seen in movies — instead of posters for anatomy.
This was so typical of doctors. Not that the camp counselors were actually doctors (was brainwashing a profession?), but they sure took their time. Every time Owen had been to the doctor's office, it seemed that they took ages just to come into the room.
It'd been long enough that Owen had already stopped shaking, due to how long he'd been sitting here. He was pretty sure his body was getting exhausted from all the fear and danger he'd been experiencing. Also, he took back everything he said about the fictional world never being boring. Right now, he felt pretty bored.
Not to say he wasn't nervous. The more he waited, the more terrified he became. Yeah, the anticipation now was much worse than it was at the doctors office. Owen had a feeling the walls were soundproof, because he couldn't hear anything on the other side. Before he even had time to prepare himself, someone could be opening the door right—
Suddenly, the door burst open, making Owen jump. He was half-expecting a doctor to be standing in the doorway, though all he saw was a camp counselor. Carrying a clipboard, the man quickly entered the room before closing the door behind him.
"Hello!" the man said, giving Owen a broad grin. "My name is Charles. How are you today?"
"I-I'm okay," Owen said weakly. He cleared his throat. "Just, you know, being held against my will."
Charles patted him on the head, making Owen flinch. "And soon it'll all be over!"
Owen's eyes brightened. "You mean you'll let me go?"
The camp counselor laughed. "Once I'm done brainwashing you!"
Well, that didn't make him feel any better.
Owen watched as Charles set his clipboard down on the counter, then began sorting through the cabinet, as if looking for something. It wasn't long before he pulled out some kind of device. Owen's eyes grew wide once he realized what it was. A pendulum! He hadn't read too many books about brainwashing, but he knew it was one of the ways to hypnotize people.
Owen began to panic. He shifted around in his chair more, trying to move his arms and legs. "You can't do this!"
"Oh, there's no need to be so nervous. This is standard procedure. I've worked with hundreds of boys just like you. And you know what?"
"What?" Owen asked, not really wanting to know.
"By the time it was over, they had no idea what they were so afraid of!" Charles grinned.
"Y-You're brainwashing people! That's not even cool, that's just wrong! Doesn't the government know what you're doing? I'm not an expert but I think this is illegal! What about free will? A-And don't the parents of these kids know what's going on? Don't they wonder why their kids never want to leave—"
The camp counselor cut him off. "After we're done, what type of candy would you like?"
Owen stared at him, his mouth opening and closing in surprise. Finally, he whispered, "What?"
"I said, what type of candy would you like?"
He opened a drawer and pulled out a large bag of candy, like the ones Owen's mom would buy for Halloween. The man held it out for Owen to see. Just by looking at it, Owen could already feel his mouth watering. When was the last time he'd eaten again?
He shook his head. No! He couldn't get distracted. Getting out of here was the biggest priority. Sure, he wouldn't mind taking some candy. As long as he could eat it without getting brainwashed. Considering he even got out of this.
Owen swallowed hard. "I don't want any of your candy. Just let me go!"
Charles frowned, placing the bag back in the drawer. Closing it, he walked over to a terrified Owen. He pulled at the straps holding his arms down again and again, but it was no use. Nothing worked.
"Try to stay still," the camp counselor said, though Owen wasn't even listening anymore. He kept struggling, trying to get free. The man's expression was quickly turning frustrated, and he held up the pendulum, forcefully grabbing Owen's face with his other hand. "You would make this easier if you would stay still!"
"Ow!" There was a sharp, sudden pain in Owen's face. He grunted, trying to move away. He looked anywhere but at the pendulum, terrified of getting brainwashed. "L-Let go of me!"
Owen prayed that something awesome and heroic would happen, like maybe his time powers would come back and he'd save the day. Or, the more likely option, Charm would burst through the door, raygunning the man. Or even Kiel or Kara would show up to rescue Owen. Anyone.
Unfortunately, no one came.
"Stop fighting," Charles was saying. "There's no need to be afraid."
"Says the guy who's trying to murder my brain!"
The man ignored him. With more effort, he moved Owen's face, forcing him to look at him. Before Owen even realized it, he accidentally found himself staring at the pendulum. No. No, no, no, no, no. This couldn't be happening.
Even though Owen just considered himself the sidekick — or well, a minor, unimportant background character — this would never happen to the hero of a book! Which, he guessed, was why it was happening to him. If Kiel or Bethany were in his place right now, they already would've knocked out the camp counselor and backflipped out of the room! (Although, the last one was more Kiel's style).
Look away! Owen shouted to his brain. Look away right now, before you get brainwashed!
But he couldn't. He couldn't drag his eyes away. He used every ounce of willpower, desperately trying to make himself look away. He tried squeezing his eyes shut, anything. It was as if he couldn't control his own body anymore. His eyes were glued to the swinging pendulum in front of him.
And just like that, he found himself relaxing. Slowly, he stopped moving. He stopped fighting altogether as a feeling of peace washed over him. Something about this felt like it should be wrong but . . . Owen was having trouble remembering what'd been so bad about it.
Wait, what had he been so stressed out about? This was . . . nice. Really nice. Owen felt completely unworried, safe, and carefree. The best he'd felt in a long time — maybe all his life! Like he was experiencing all of his most exciting memories, all of his favorite things, all rolled into one.
It was like he'd just become the person he'd always wanted to be. As if he was a boy magician and a High King of Narnia and Spider-Man all at once. He was the most popular (and confident!) boy in school. He could do magic just by snapping his fingers. He was never nervous about anything. He was the world's greatest hero, and everyone wanted to be his friend.
A million exciting things raced through Owen's head — things like hogwarts acceptance letters, magicians, time bracelets, magical portals, white rabbits, talking lions from Narnia. Why had he ever thought life was boring? Nothing was boring! Even the real world was fun! So were chores and homework and school and literally everything else in the world. Wow, life was incredible!
Through his dream, Owen heard Charles speak. He sounded thousands of miles away. "How do you feel?"
Owen beamed, his heart racing happily inside his chest. "I've never felt better."
"That wasn't so bad, was it?"
"No, I feel great!"
"And where do you want to be?"
"Here!"
"Very good." There was a pause, long enough that it should've seemed strange. But Owen didn't notice it. He was brought back into focus once Charles spoke again. "Would you like to sit here quietly while I deal with something?"
A smile formed on Owen's lips. "Nothing would make me happier."
"Someone else will be coming in to get brainwashed, and they'll need my full attention. Don't say a word to them, alright?"
"Okay!"
And then, there was silence.
Her heart pounding, Kara backed away from the guards. Inside her pocket, her fingers fiddled nervously with her broken time watch. "Hey, guys. What's up?"
"You were just playing along," the woman said, her eyes narrowed. "Pretending to be brainwashed. Weren't you?"
Kara tried to remain unfazed. "I don't know what you're talking about!"
The woman nodded to the guards. "Take her."
"Run, Kara!" Charm shouted. The guards and the woman glanced to the side, as if noticing her for the first time. Kara noticed that Charm had hidden the keys behind her back. At least she'd escape, and that made Kara feel better.
While the group wasn't looking, Kara made her decision. Next thing she knew, she was running again. Heart racing, she glanced over her shoulder to see the guards running after her. And they were fast. Usually Kara could be pretty good at running away from trouble, though it was a lot harder now with her injury.
Don't stop running! she told herself. Getting captured meant not being able to save Owen, and that was worse than anything. Who would she be if she gave up now? But to her dismay, the guards were only speeding up. It didn't take long before Kara heard their footsteps getting closer, and she felt a tug at her shirt collar.
Kara screamed as she was abruptly pulled back. Two hands were clenched tightly around her elbows, preventing her from running anymore. She balled her hands into fists, trying to punch anything she could get her hands on. But she couldn't reach the guards faces from here, much less knock them out.
"Hey!" she said, thrashing around wildly. "Let me go!"
The camp counselor appeared in front of her. "Oh no you don't. You're not going anywhere this time." Kara only struggled some more against the guards, and the woman smiled. "You don't listen very well to authority, do you?"
Kara slowly breathed in and out. "That's an accurate assumption."
"Soon, you won't have so many . . . concerns about leaving." Her eyes trailed down to Kara's leg. "And if you don't put up a fight, we'll give you two brainwashing sessions. For the pain."
"I'm not in pain," Kara said, then winced as her ankle jolted again. It was true — the pain had reduced a lot since Toby had given her the cure for it. Though he'd also told her that if she didn't rest her leg, it'd prolong the healing by a few days. From all the running she'd been doing lately, she wasn't surprised the pain disappeared yet.
"I can see that." The camp counselor smiled again. "It's understandable that you're unsure about being brainwashed, but once you wake up tomorrow, you'll feel better than ever before."
"Yeah, well there's one flaw to your plan!" Kara replied, keeping her chin up.
The woman's eyebrows rose. "And what might that be?"
She paused for a few seconds, trying to think of one. Comebacks came easily to Kara, though embarrassingly, nothing came to her now. She shrugged. "I don't know. Isn't there always a flaw to these kinds of plans?"
The woman laughed before snapping her fingers, her expression once again serious. "Guards, take her to the medbay!"
"No!" Kara shouted, thrashing around even more. She glared at the woman, who only smiled as the guards led her out the door. It reminded her all too well of the time prison, of being dragged by guards towards her gloomy cell of solitary confinement. Was this worse? She couldn't decide.
She had to get free! There was a chance that Charm might be able to help her, though Kara didn't know how long that would take with the amount of keys there were. No, she'd have to get out of this some other way. And really, she was less concerned about her own safety. More about—
"Owen?!"
After taking her down a ladder that led underground, the guards had escorted her into a room with no door. That was when Kara had finally stopped fighting, and not because she'd given up. Sitting in the small room they'd entered, tied to a chair, was Owen. Only, there was something different. He didn't look like himself.
Owen just stared at her, a smile plastered to his face. His eyes were half-lidded, unfocused, as if he wasn't really there. Kara stared back, horrified. Was she imagining things, or had his expression barely changed since she walked in? Realization hit her like a train. Her eyes darted to the table next to him, covered with brainwashing gadgets.
Oh no.
"Owen," Kara repeated, as the guards led her to the chair next to his. "W-Why aren't you answering me?"
"Because I told him not to," a voice said.
For a moment, Kara thought one of the guards had spoken. But they'd been silent the whole time — it couldn't be them. Her eyes landed the only other person in the room, yet another camp counselor. She'd been so distracted by Owen that she hadn't even noticed the man in the corner.
"What do you mean?" Kara demanded, her head swiveling from the camp counselor to Owen. "Why would he . . ."
It dawned on her, like a wave crashing onto the beach. There was a reason why Owen wasn't acting like himself, and it horrified her. He was brainwashed. Brainwashed! She felt like such an idiot. Why couldn't she have gotten to him sooner? If she'd just gotten to him faster, he wouldn't be like this.
Kara frantically looked back at Owen. "No, no! Owen—" She strained against the guards as they pushed her into the chair. Automatically, iron straps locked around her wrists and ankles. Eyes widening, she jostled around. "You can't do this! Let me go!"
"No can do," the man said cheerfully, nodding to the guards as they walked out of the room. He closed the door behind them. "You know, your friend here said much of the same thing before I brainwashed him. You feel much better now, don't you—" His eyes slid to Kara before looking back at Owen. "Owen?"
Owen's smile widened. He continued staring straight ahead as he said, "Yes, sir."
Okay, that was creepy.
"You have to bring him back!" Kara shouted furiously. "Do whatever you want to me, but don't hurt him!"
"Too late." The man smiled at her. "And I will be brainwashing you, too." As he turned his back on her, beginning to look through drawers, Kara struggled harder against her bonds.
"But don't worry, he won't be like this for long," he continued. "Once I snap him out of his trance, I'll take him back to his cabin. When he wakes up tomorrow, he'll be happier than he's ever been! I'm not hurting him by giving him happiness."
Kara narrowed her eyes. "Listen closely, mister. Sure, Owen likes summer camps! But he talks about books all the time, so you know where he'd be happiest? In a library. Your little brainwashing thing? It can't last."
The man raised his eyebrows, looking back at her. "It lasts for as long as I say it lasts. And your friend won't know the difference. Neither will you!"
Kara clenched her jaw, wanting to yell some more. She sat back in her chair, slowly looking back at Owen. It was weird seeing him so unresponsive. Seeing him like this made her heart hurt. She needed to bring him back somehow, but how? As much as Kara knew about time travel, she hardly knew a thing about brainwashing.
"Don't worry, Owen," Kara whispered. "I'll stop this. I'll fix you." She stretched her hand out as far as it would allow, just enough that she was able to squeeze the tips of his fingers.
"No touching!"
Kara glanced up, glaring at him. "Or what? You'll brainwash me?"
Without waiting for an answer, she turned back to Owen, guessing she should probably just listen to the man. She wouldn't normally listen to authority figures in these types of situations, but she didn't want him to hurt Owen further.
So, she attempted moving her hand back. To her surprise, though, his fingers had wrapped around her's, squeezing her's ever so slightly. She hadn't even noticed it. He wouldn't let go. Her heart skipped a beat, a feeling of hope blossoming in her chest. She bit back a smile. Was he still in there? Was it not too late?
"Did you hear me?" The man's tone was more forceful.
"Yep," Kara grunted. "I heard." She stuck her tongue out when he wasn't looking. It took some effort, but she managed to drawl her fingers away. Her hand suddenly felt very empty without his. She shrugged her shoulders, turning back to the man. "He didn't want to let go of my hand."
"That can't be possible," the man protested. "He doesn't even know you're here right now! He'll do anything I tell him."
"Did you tell him to act like a zombie? Because that's kind of how he's acting right now."
The camp counselor ignored her. As he went back to looking through drawers, Kara innocently asked, "So, how does brainwashing work?"
The man waved a hand at her. "Very funny. I know what you're doing."
"No, you don't!" Kara said. "I'm just really curious. How's it work?"
A plan started to form in her head. If she could get him to say anything about how to break the hypnosis, that'd be the perfect way to free Owen! Get him back to normal. He was still in there somewhere. Kara had to find a way to fix him.
"I use this." He held up a pendulum, showing it to her. "That's how I brainwash people."
"But isn't there more to it? Like special words to make people go into their trances?"
"Of course. Everyone knows that. A hypnotist chooses one word to induce hypnotic suggestion, and another word to break it—" His eyes widened. He marched over to her, the pendulum in his hands. "You know, normally I'd offer you candy first but I'd better brainwash you now. Before you ruin anything."
One word? Kara's mind raced. That actually made sense, though what could it be? There were thousands in the alphabet, and it wasn't like she had an encyclopedia nearby. It'd take forever to find the word to break it! Time travel would've been so useful right about now.
"Not so fast!" Kara said, leaning forward. "What word did you use on him?"
"You'll never find out," the man sneered. "You think I would tell you that?"
She nodded. "Well, yeah. You told me how brainwashing works!"
"And that's all I'm telling you." He pushed her back into the chair, despite Kara fighting against him. "Now, try to relax. And don't ask me any more questions, or I won't hesitate to hurt your friend."
Haven't you hurt him enough by brainwashing him? Kara wanted to retort, though she stayed silent, knowing better than to push it. She clenched her jaw as the man lifted the pendulum in front of her eyes. Kara threw another frantic glance at Owen.
Snap out of it! she thought. C'mon, I need you!
"Look at the pendulum," the man ordered with forced enthusiasm, but Kara kept her eyes locked on Owen.
Sighing, he grabbed her by the shoulder, trying to move her. Kara felt a rush of anger wash over her. In one brief moment of impulsiveness, she head-butted him as hard as she could. The man scrambled backwards, shouting in pain. Pain rocketed through Kara's own temples, but she did her best to ignore it, feeling some satisfaction. Another trick she'd learned from her future self.
"How dare you!" the camp counselor shouted, all pleasantness gone from his expression. He stormed over to her, pulling her roughly by the hair. Kara gasped. Again, the man held up the pendulum. "You can make this easier for yourself! Look at it, and this can all be over!"
"Hey!" a voice shouted. "Look at this!"
Both Kara and the man looked over to see Charm standing in the doorway, holding her ray guns. A grin spread across Kara's face. Charm aimed one of them at the man, sending him flying backward. He hit the wall and slid to the floor, groaning.
The next laser beams struck the straps holding Kara's wrists and ankles down. A mild burning sensation entered her skin, in the areas where the laser had come near. But a second later, it was gone. Jumping out of her chair, Kara shook out her arms and legs. Smoke was everywhere, making it harder for her to see.
Lasers whizzed across the room. Kara turned to see them strike Owen, releasing him from his straps as well. He only slumped back in his chair, so Kara reached out and grabbed him by the shirt, pulling him towards her. He stumbled onto his feet. His expression was calm and unbothered, like they weren't in the middle of a room filled with lasers.
Through the smoke, Charm ran over to them. Her robotic eye scanned over Kara, stopping at her feet. "You don't have any serious injuries, but your ankle got 35% worse since we left the cabin."
"It's fine!" Kara assured her, though now that she was standing on it again the pain never seemed to cease. "No big deal. I just have to rest it."
Charm nodded. Her eyes shifted to Owen. "What's wrong with him?"
"He's brainwashed," Kara said, nudging Owen in the shoulder. He didn't even react, which made her frown. Only stood there, a happy smile on his face.
Charm's eyes widened. "Fascinating. His brain chemicals must've broke down to the point where he can only feel serotonin!"
"Sero—what—in?"
"It's specifically called 5-hydroxytryptamine, if we're being technical." When Kara just stared blankly at her, Charm sighed and added, "It's the brain chemical for happiness."
Kara nodded slowly. "Oh. That makes sense."
There was a glint in Charm's eyes. "If I can get a brain scan of him, I could study the change in brain patterns—"
"No, we have to fix him! There's no time!" She tilted her head. "Unless my time bracelet was working but, you know. We can't leave Owen like this."
Charm looked disappointed. "Right, fine. So, how do we get him back to normal?"
"That's what I've been trying to figure out," Kara said. "That guy told me he used one word to put Owen under hypnotic suggestion, but there's another word to break it. We have to figure out what word the camp counselor used! But . . . how would we even start? It's not like I can go back in time to find out, and there are thousands of words it could be."
"I know how," Charm said, an evil smile coming to her face. "Interrogation."
Kara brightened. With Charm helping her, that idea might actually work. "That is a great idea. I wonder if he'll actually give us answers this time."
She clicked her ray guns. "Oh, he will."
Kara turned to see the camp counselor stumbling to his feet. Funnily enough, his hair was sticking straight up from being stunned by Charm's ray gun. It reminded Kara of a mad scientist from some old sci-fi movie she used to watch as a kid. Though in this case, the guy wasn't even a scientist. Did you have to be a scientist to brainwash people? Kara assumed so.
"Where did you get that weapon?" the man cried, looking a lot more afraid now.
"I built it," Charm told him, pointing a ray gun directly at him. "Move even an inch, and you get rayed."
He nodded vigorously. Feeling hopeful that she might get some answers, Kara walked over to him. "Tell us what the word was."
Strangely, he smiled. "You think I'll give it up that easily?"
"Do you want another laser to the face?" Charm suggested, waving her ray gun at him.
The man's eyes widened. "No, no." He held his hands up in surrender. "Okay . . . I'll tell you. But first—" Before Kara could stop him, he ran behind the chairs and slapped a button on the wall. The sound that followed was so loud that Kara clapped her hands over her ears, though Charm didn't look fazed. Lights started flashing, going from bright to dark to bright again.
"What did you do?!" Kara demanded.
He gave her a wide smile. "I brought company. In less than a minute, you'll be surrounded. And our security guards — they have weapons, too."
Charm groaned. "Kara, lets go. We can fix Owen later."
"We need answers!" Kara shouted. "We can't fix him without the special word!"
"Don't be an idiot! I'll figure out a way to fix him, Kara! With science." She backed away, to the door. "Let's go."
Having no idea what to do, Kara nodded. Charm was right. There was no time to interrogate the man and ask what the word was, not when a ton more guards were about to swarm in. Vowing she'd fix Owen somehow, Kara threaded her fingers through his and dragged him out the door.
Only, before she or Owen had exited the room, she heard, "Owen, take that girl's gun! And don't let the other one get away!"
Faster than Kara could react, Owen ripped himself out of her grasp. He lunged for Charm. The half-robotic girl's back was turned, and even she didn't have fast enough reflexes. Before Kara knew it, Owen was holding Charm's gun. Whirling back towards Kara, he shoved her hard, making her fall to the ground. Then, he closed the door and locked it, only a second before Charm could enter.
Breathing hard, Kara stared up at Owen. On the other side of the door behind him, she heard Charm shouting insults, one after the other. Kara could barely wrap her mind around what had happened. She was horrified. Had Owen really just done that?
"Thank you, Owen." The man grinned. "And shoot your friend, would you? She's been very uncooperative. She deserves it, don't you think?"
Owen smiled brightly. "Yes!"
The tip of the ray gun turned on Kara. Still on the floor, she backed away. "Owen, no! Stop! It's me! Don't—" A bright laser collided into her. Kara screamed as she flew backwards, her head slamming hard into the wall. She crumbled to the ground, feeling as if every cell in her body was on fire. Her muscles wouldn't stop twitching.
Weakly, Kara pushed her head up. Her hair had fallen all across her face, making it hard for her to see. Standing above her, Owen just stared at her with a smile. She held back tears. How could she let this happen? He didn't deserve to be controlled like this!
"Owen," Kara whispered. "I-It's me. It's me, your friend. Kara. Remember?"
"He remembers you," the man said. "He just doesn't care anymore. The only thing he cares about now is following my orders."
She slapped the ground. "Owen, stop listening to him!"
"Didn't you hear me the first time? He won't listen to anything you tell him." He turned to Owen. "Now, stun her again. When I try to brainwash her again, I want it to work this time."
Owen nodded. Kara held her hand up weakly in defense, though it wasn't enough to stop him. The next laser barreled into her, sending shock waves across her entire body. Again, Kara slumped to the ground. The pain was worse than anything. She groaned quietly, the pain so intense that she had to squeeze her eyes shut. Tears slipped down her cheeks.
"Keep going until it knocks her out," the man told Owen, though to Kara, he sounded miles away.
"Okay," Owen said cheerfully, his eyes squinting happily.
As Owen pointed the gun at Kara again, she panicked. She forced her head up again, her arms shaking violently. "Owen," she whispered. "Please, if you're still in there — I-I miss you. I don't know if he promised you, like, a lifetime of happiness or something, but this isn't what makes you happy! Books make you happy! You like a-adventures and bubblegum ice cream . . ."
She sat up further, the words pouring out of her mouth now. "Y-You're obsessed with this movie called Star Fights, and I think I know half the lines to that movie since you're always telling me about it. You love Spider-Man! You're like, terrified of dinosaurs but you think dragons are cool, but—"
She shook her head slightly, almost laughing. "I don't know why you think that. Dinosaurs are way cooler! Also, your favorite book series is the Kiel Gnomenfoot books! And you would never hurt a fly in your life, because you are way too nice for that. I know you never believe in yourself very much b-but I believe in you. And whatever happens, I know that somehow, you'll get through this with flying colors."
Owen blinked. The blank look slowly faded from his eyes. He glanced around, a surprised expression taking over his face. "Where am I?" His eyes fell on Kara, and he stared at her, open-mouthed. "Kara?!" He quickly scrambled to help her up. "Are you okay? Why are you on the ground? Did I black out or somethi—"
Kara let out a joyful laugh. "You're back!" she shouted again and again.
While she was still fairly weak, it didn't stop her from grabbing his waist and squeezing him hard. She didn't care who saw. Smiling, he held her without hesitation. Kara realized just how comfortable Owen seemed to be around her, compared to how awkward he'd been when they first met.
"Back?" Owen exclaimed. "Where was I?"
Kara laughed again. "You were brainwashed."
He was the first to pull away, his eyes huge. "I was? D-Did I hurt you? If I did, I'm so sorry—"
"No," Kara lied, giving him a tired smile. "I'm okay! You didn't do anything."
"You'll pay for that," the man growled. Kara's eyes widened when she saw the man was holding a gun. Not just any gun — one of Charm's ray guns. Owen must've dropped it. "How did you know the word to wake him up? How?"
"I didn't!" She stared at him in shock. "What . . . what was the word?"
"'Color'," the man said flatly. "The word was 'color'."
Wow, and I guessed it? Kara thought, feeling proud of herself. That feeling didn't last for long, though.
The man pointed a shaking finger at them. "Now, I'm going to put both of you into your hypnotic states, and if either of you try to stop me, I'll shoot—"
Suddenly, he dropped to the floor. Owen leaped backward in surprise. Kara's first thought was that the man could've had a heart attack or maybe had just fainted out of nowhere (random, but possible!). Then, she heard snoring coming from the man's mouth. He wasn't dead or unconscious — he was asleep!
Kara's mouth dropped open in shock, which quickly turned to amazement. How . . .? She glanced around in bewilderment, expecting to standing there Kiel with his wand-knives, but no one was around.
She was stunned. She was at a loss for words. She turned to Owen, who looked just as speechless as she was. He glanced at Kara, reluctantly forming his words. ". . . Think he actually knew how to use that gun?"
Kara opened her mouth to answer. At that moment, Charm barged in through the door. She aimed her ray gun at Owen. "Steal my ray gun again and I'll—"
Owen quickly waved his hands in protest, while Kara jumped in front of him. "Don't shoot! He's normal! He's not brainwashed anymore!"
Charm lowered her ray gun. "Oh. Good. I didn't want to deal with a hypnotized Owen for the rest of the night. I really would've ray-gunned him then."
"Um, that was only because I was brainwashed, right?" Owen said, his voice uneven.
Charm didn't answer, though Kara noticed a slight smile on her face. She must've been happy that Owen was back to normal. The smile faded quickly. She shook her head, actually looking shocked for once. "Anyway, you guys need to see something. My scans aren't picking up the source of it, but the weirdest thing just happened in the hallway."
"You're telling me!" Kara exclaimed. She pointed to the camp counselor on the ground. "He just fell asleep."
Charm leaned down, plucking her ray gun from the man's fingers. "So did the two I was fighting."
Owen's eyes widened. "What?"
They stepped out into the hallway. Kara gasped. Charm was right, it hadn't just been one camp counselor. Ten security guards laid across the hallway floor, and not because of Charm's ray guns. All of them were asleep.
All the sudden, footsteps came from down the hall. The three of them whirled around. Charm held up her ray guns, ready to fire at a moment's notice. But the person who ran around the corner wasn't a camp counselor or a Scout. Not a real one, anyway.
"Hey, sorry it took me so long to get here," Kiel said, looking out of breath. "Turns out — the underground tunnel I went in led to you guys! And I was just looking for something to explode." He chuckled, then looked around, as if seeing their surroundings for the first time. "What's going on?"
"A lot of things! I got brainwashed!" Owen replied, his eyes still very wide. "And now I'm back to normal, but um, I think I'm okay. Are you sure you're not—"
Kiel shook his head. "Nah. I'm too awesome to be brainwashed."
"Whew," Owen breathed, a grin forming on his face. "That's a relief. Literally everything's been going wrong today. Everything."
"Did you use a spell to make everyone fall asleep?" Kara asked, gesturing to the camp counselors on the floor.
Kiel's gaze swept through them, and he grinned a little. "Oh. Yeah. Pretty cool, huh?"
Charm looked at the boy magician in surprise. "Wait a minute, what happened to your face?"
Kara did a double take. She hadn't noticed until then that there was a deep cut on his lip. Clearly, someone had punched him. Maybe even a few times, if she could guess.
"What?" Kiel asked, quirking his eyebrows. "Do I look more handsome than usual?"
Charm rolled her eyes, ignoring his comment. She lifted a hand to Kiel's mouth, who winced once her hand came in contact with it. "Who finally punched you?"
He pretended to look offended. "Are you saying I deserved it?"
"I know you did. Who did you annoy?"
"No one!" Kiel insisted with a laugh. "I just got in a fight with this security guard. Then, you know, I knocked him out with magic. Easy-peasy. And get this — it wasn't just him who tried that! The Girl Scouts were fighting me too. It's getting pretty bad out there. Apparently, the Scouts will do anything the camp counselors tell them. Including trying to knock me out so I could get brainwashed."
"I hate to say this," Owen said slowly. "But . . . with the way things are going I think our friends could be brainwashed by now."
"I was thinking the same thing!" Kara exclaimed. "I didn't see them anywhere in the jail when I was looking for you guys."
"Come on." Charm started to move forward. "Let's find them."
"Wait." Kara paused as she realized something. Her eyes widening, she looked at Kiel. "Where's Bethany? I thought you were going to find her!"
Kiel's expression morphed into confusion. "Who's Bethany?"
"But we'll never grow up, I say we hide away. Don't make me grow up, I say we hide away . . ."
