They pulled up to the one-story beige house, and slammed on the breaks. An older teenager in a white truck across the street looked over. When he noticed that everything was alright, he went back to what he was doing. They all hopped out, and made their way into the garage. They went in the door to the dining room, and stood there. A man in his late fifties was standing in the kitchen, near the living room.
"You must be Leanna and Rupert!" He said, enthusiastically. "Welcome!" He took their hands one by one, and shook them.
"Hi." They said in unison. It was kinda weird. Leanna wasn't used to strange old men standing in her kitchen.
"Let's take a seat on the couch. It's very comfortable." They made their way to the living room, and sat down.
"So," said Rupert, "What exactly is going on here?"
"Yeah." Leanna added.
"Well, I am the Dean at Stanford University, and our Psychology Department needed some teenagers to take part in a study. They wanted to see how well the youth today are being taught."
"You do know that we aren't taught how to survive on a tropical island, right?" Leanna said.
"Yes, but, well..."
"And why us?" Rupert asked.
"Now that's an easy question. We decided that since most people in the world know you, Emma, Dan, and Tom, you would be good choices for publicity reasons. Leanna, Claire, and Stephanie came for one simple reason. We had a drawing. We picked one school out of a really big tub, and then we got all of the names of children that attended the school that we picked. Leanna, your name we picked."
"That's sounds really, really fake, you know?" Leanna said. "You were probably stalking me or something."
"No, it's the truth."
"No, it's not."
"Yes, it is."
"No, it's not."
"Yes, it..."
"Both of you, shut up." Rupert finally said.
"Anyway, this is what is going to happen. We will send both of you to LAX, where you will be transported in our jet to a tropical island, just off the Bahamas. You will stay there for a month, and at the end, we will review your current situation, and determine if you have passed or failed. Clear?"
"What if we die or something?" The red-head responded.
"Well, there will be stations placed all over the island where there will be a platform with a red button on it. If any of you press that red button, our people will be alerted immediately, and we will be deployed. That is only to be used in case fo emergency."
"How long will it take you to get there?"
"About 3 minutes. We are on an island a few miles away."
"What about sharks?"
"Don't go near them."
"What about fire?"
"Stay away from it."
"What about aliens form outer space who come and try to take our minds?" Everybody looked at Rupert with question.
"Now, Leanna, off to your room. You have this backpack, and you can fill it with whatever you want from home. You cannot bring anything living, or anything bigger than the backpack. You have 10 minutes before the car leaves."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* * *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rupert followed Leanna into her room, and helped her pack.
"Don't you think that it's a little un-patriotic to have another country's flag in your room?" He said as he held open the backpack, and looked at the huge UK flag over her stereo.
"No."
"And don't you think it's a little freaky to have a Harry Potter wall?"
"No."
"Although, I do look good on that poster."
"Rupert?"
"And what's with the baby animal posters over your closet?"
"Rupert?"
"That orangutan is kinda cute, though."
"Rupert?"
"Huh?"
"Shut up and hold the bag."
"K."
She tossed in a picture of her poodle, and went to her scrapbook. She unhooked the three rings, and took out a few plastic-wrapped pages.
"Who are those of?"
"My pets and my family. What else? Have you seen a red Swiss Army knife?"
"Nope."
"Here it is." She threw him a small red knife, and went for her dresser. She opened the top middle drawer, and pulled out two bras. She threw them to Rupert.
"I'm not touching those!" He screamed as he jumped up from her UK-flag covered bedspread. Leanna rolled her eyes. "Doesn't matter, I got some at Wal-Mart anyway." She finished going through her room, and made her way to the bathroom, with Rupert and her Pomeranian on her heels. She threw a tooth brush and a hair brush in the bag. That was all she needed. With a kiss to all of her dogs, they were out the door, and in the Explorer.
"You must be Leanna and Rupert!" He said, enthusiastically. "Welcome!" He took their hands one by one, and shook them.
"Hi." They said in unison. It was kinda weird. Leanna wasn't used to strange old men standing in her kitchen.
"Let's take a seat on the couch. It's very comfortable." They made their way to the living room, and sat down.
"So," said Rupert, "What exactly is going on here?"
"Yeah." Leanna added.
"Well, I am the Dean at Stanford University, and our Psychology Department needed some teenagers to take part in a study. They wanted to see how well the youth today are being taught."
"You do know that we aren't taught how to survive on a tropical island, right?" Leanna said.
"Yes, but, well..."
"And why us?" Rupert asked.
"Now that's an easy question. We decided that since most people in the world know you, Emma, Dan, and Tom, you would be good choices for publicity reasons. Leanna, Claire, and Stephanie came for one simple reason. We had a drawing. We picked one school out of a really big tub, and then we got all of the names of children that attended the school that we picked. Leanna, your name we picked."
"That's sounds really, really fake, you know?" Leanna said. "You were probably stalking me or something."
"No, it's the truth."
"No, it's not."
"Yes, it is."
"No, it's not."
"Yes, it..."
"Both of you, shut up." Rupert finally said.
"Anyway, this is what is going to happen. We will send both of you to LAX, where you will be transported in our jet to a tropical island, just off the Bahamas. You will stay there for a month, and at the end, we will review your current situation, and determine if you have passed or failed. Clear?"
"What if we die or something?" The red-head responded.
"Well, there will be stations placed all over the island where there will be a platform with a red button on it. If any of you press that red button, our people will be alerted immediately, and we will be deployed. That is only to be used in case fo emergency."
"How long will it take you to get there?"
"About 3 minutes. We are on an island a few miles away."
"What about sharks?"
"Don't go near them."
"What about fire?"
"Stay away from it."
"What about aliens form outer space who come and try to take our minds?" Everybody looked at Rupert with question.
"Now, Leanna, off to your room. You have this backpack, and you can fill it with whatever you want from home. You cannot bring anything living, or anything bigger than the backpack. You have 10 minutes before the car leaves."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~* * *~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Rupert followed Leanna into her room, and helped her pack.
"Don't you think that it's a little un-patriotic to have another country's flag in your room?" He said as he held open the backpack, and looked at the huge UK flag over her stereo.
"No."
"And don't you think it's a little freaky to have a Harry Potter wall?"
"No."
"Although, I do look good on that poster."
"Rupert?"
"And what's with the baby animal posters over your closet?"
"Rupert?"
"That orangutan is kinda cute, though."
"Rupert?"
"Huh?"
"Shut up and hold the bag."
"K."
She tossed in a picture of her poodle, and went to her scrapbook. She unhooked the three rings, and took out a few plastic-wrapped pages.
"Who are those of?"
"My pets and my family. What else? Have you seen a red Swiss Army knife?"
"Nope."
"Here it is." She threw him a small red knife, and went for her dresser. She opened the top middle drawer, and pulled out two bras. She threw them to Rupert.
"I'm not touching those!" He screamed as he jumped up from her UK-flag covered bedspread. Leanna rolled her eyes. "Doesn't matter, I got some at Wal-Mart anyway." She finished going through her room, and made her way to the bathroom, with Rupert and her Pomeranian on her heels. She threw a tooth brush and a hair brush in the bag. That was all she needed. With a kiss to all of her dogs, they were out the door, and in the Explorer.