Everybody stayed a few inches away from Clara, except for a dark skinned boy that looked like the oldest there. The blond boy that helped her out of the lift studied her as if she intrigued him. Clara was still terrified of everything going on so when the dark boy took a few steps toward her, she backed away, wrapping her arms around herself.

"Where am I?" she said hoarsely. The fear in her voice was obvious.

"Nowhere good." the older boy replied. "Just slim yourself nice and calm."

"Which Keeper she gonna get?" At that question a ton of arguments erupted among the group. Clara caught some words that didn't make sense. Shank. Shuck. Slopper. Keeper. The boys said them so naturally that Clara wondered if it was weird for her not to understand them. Once again, panic settled inside her.

"I said shut your holes!" the darker boy yelled" Keep yapping and the next break'll be cut in half!" He was definitely the leader. After the crowd quieted, the leader turned back toward Clara.

"It's a long story, shank" he said "Piece by piece, you'll learn. I'll take you on the tour tomorrow. Till then, don't break anything."

He held out a hand " Name's Alby." Clara hesitated, too scared to move, but she held out her own trembling hand and shook Alby's. The boy nodded in approval and looked at his watch.

"Night's comin', Runners'll be back soon. The Box came late today. We'll have to do the tour tomorrow, after the wake-up." Alby turned to the blond boy."Get her a bed, get her to sleep." He then turned and pushed his way through the crowd, everybody breaking up and returning to what they were doing. They all gave her a lingering look before walking away.

Before the blond could react, Clara rushed into the woods behind her without looking back. Panic swelled inside her as she fled, making her go faster; adrenaliadrenaline shot through her veins. She sprinted as fast as her legs could carry her, looking back to see if anyone was chasing her. After a few minutes running, she tripped over an exposed root and fell into a clearing, tumbling down a small hill. When she hit the ground, her back exploded in pain, going up her neck and down through her legs. She finally sat up, wincing, and backed into a tree; she leaned up against the rough bark. Taking heaving gasps, Clara came to realize what a horrifying situation ahe was in. And she began to cry, knowing she was alone.

Clara cried until dusk, the last bits of sun disappearing behind the stone walls that trapped her in. She crawled under the tree

and shut her eyes, trying to assure herself that her problems would go away if she slept. And luckily, the urge to sleep overwhelmed her, and eventually, the world seemed to slip away.