A/N Hi there! I managed to type up some more fluff in the hotel room when I got some alone time. Five people in a small hotel room for almost a week doesn't give a person a lot of time to work, especially with one laptop. o.o Anyway, I hope to wrap this story up in another chapter or two. However, I do not know when the next chapter will be posted. I have an idea of what will happen, but I still need to type it out.

Wish me luck on the move across the country!

Now, onto the story…

Ch. 3:

That next morning, Kairi and I worked diligently on Riku's escape. I smuggled one of my mom's matchboxes and a map of the town, while Kairi surprised me with her knowledge on picking locks. "It's just something in life that's good to know!" She said mischievously when I asked.

"I think I found a good route!" I exclaimed, breaking the silence in our secret place. "Where?" Kairi asked. "If we can run fast enough from the burning confinement center, we can slip into the jungle from between the bakery and clothing shop." I indicated with my finger, my giant gloves running across the map. "It's pretty risky," Kairi warned. "We'll be out in the open for a bit of time, seeing the space between the confinement center and the bakery."

"We run pretty fast when we race on the island." I pointed out. "Plus, if we really need to, we can take the long way through the bushes south of the confinement center." I said thoughtfully. "It will be painful though. Those bushes are full of giant thorns." Kairi sighed, and began pacing the barely illuminated cave. "Do you think all this is worth it?" She asked, her fingers running along the many sketches etched into the wall. "I mean, freedom sounds wonderful, but what if the Box is real? Won't it punish us?"

"Riku is confident that it is a hoax, and I trust him. He said that you can see it in the Elder's eyes."

"If you say so."

She picked up a small device made of various items such as hairpins and stuffed it in her pocket. "We should go home now. People might get suspicious if we are here all day."

I nodded, and then rolled up my map. "See you tonight?"

"You bet." She giggled. "This is going to be fun!"

But her eyes told a different story.

Later that evening, I picked up my phone to relieve my ears of a horrible sound: the phone. Unfortunately, every phone sold in our town had only one tone: The Box's Ode. "Hey, Kairi." I said casually. "Stop trying to sound so relaxed!" She practically shouted. "Do you know what could happen to us?" "I know!" I stated in a surprised tone. "Why are you so freaked out? You were so excited this morning." I said. "I was still nervous this morning; I just was trying to hide it." She responded, trying to control her shaky voice. "I don't know what happened, but all of a sudden I have a horrible feeling about this."

"Don't worry, Riku and I will be with you during the test." I said in a soothing voice, emphasizing the last word. The phone lines were monitored constantly, so one could never be too careful. It helped that tomorrow was Monday, and we had a math test. I could use that as our cover while speaking.

"We'll meet at my house to study in a few minutes, just calm down." I continued. I heard an exasperated huff on the other side. "Okay, I'll see you then." I ended the call, and then began to get ready. I pulled my white hood over my spiky mess, stuffed the matches and map into my pocket, and then waited for Kairi's arrival.

A few minutes later, the doorbell rang throughout my small house. "I'll get it!" I yelled, running to answer it. My mom raised her eyebrow, but then went back to watching the news on TV. "Hi, Kairi!" I said with forced cheerfulness. "Hey!" she flashed me a weak smile, and I thought I could see her hands shaking in her pockets. "Kairi again?" My mom asked. "Is something going on between you two that I should know about?"

Oh no! I panicked. How can she suspect us? What gave us away?

"No, Ms. Hikari. We're just friends." Kairi smiled. Oh, I should've guessed that's what she would think. "Yeah, friends." I added nervously. "Okay, I was just wondering. I guess since Riku's Punishment, you guys have been pretty disappointed."

"Disappointed?" I echoed

"Yes, disappointed that your former friend would dare disobey the Rules. I guess he's learning his lesson now." She replied casually.

Stick with it. Stick with it. "I guess," I forced out, hiding my clenched fist. "Um, we have to go now." Kairi urged, obviously trying to conceal her anger as well as mine. "Don't be too late. Curfew is 10 o' clock tonight." She said, and we darted out the door.

"I can't believe she said that about Riku!" I exclaimed when we were out of earshot. "I'm not too surprised. That's about what most of the town thinks of those who challenge the Box in some way or another." She replied. We walked quietly for a few minutes, then she pulled something out of the black hoodie that she had thrown over her standard white tank and purple skirt combo. "I want you to have this, just in case anything happens. It's a thalassa charm I made." I stared at the pink star-shaped charm for a minute. "Huh?" I said intelligently. "That way, I'll always be with you." She smiled for a moment, and then pointed towards the horizon. "The sun is going down, that means it's nearly 9. Let's hurry. I'll race you!" with that, she darted off towards the cardboard confinement shack. I neatly tucked Kairi's charm into my pocket, then ran after her into the horizon.