Reunited

The spider lunged at me and everything went black as the words “GAME OVER” flashed across the screen. I pressed the reset button on my controller and the cutscene loaded up. As always painted in big red letters across the sign were the words “Welcome to the Dream Motel! Where all your wildest dreams come true!”

Picture of Clyde Picture of big spider Picture of Mannequin

Scraping Noises Every night at around 3:30am I hear scraping noises. They move up and down the halls and every so often they stop outside random doors. Every night I hear scraping on the walls and a shrill high pitched scream. Every morning, I find life-size mannequins where the sounds were coming from. Whenever I try to see what the noises are, I just find the mannequins outside random rooms in the hallway but in different positions then I leave them. I can’t get rid of them. Whenever I try they just come back in different positions. I think I’m in danger because every night the noises get closer and closer to my room and last night they were just outside my door.

Rana Celiker, Age 12

Rana Celiker, age 12, lives in Canton. She likes to write because it opens people to a new world and because it has so much creativity. In addition to writing, she enjoys crafting. Her favorite author inspires Rana’s writing. She would like to live in a world where there are animals everywhere.

Reunited

It has been 782 days since I was taken away from my family. I remember that treacherous day like it was yesterday. I woke up to a truck's lights flashing in my eyes through the thick fog. I looked at the digital clock sitting on my nightstand, barely able to open my eyes, I saw the number three. “3am, don’t people care that they are disturbing others’ sleep!” I said, annoyed. I looked out the window, the dark green truck in full view from my window, hiding under the fog. Moments later the truck lights closed and the door opened. Three men exited the truck, one man was holding a flashlight shining a bright light. Slowly, the man holding the flashlight walked to the sidewalk as the others followed. They came closer and closer to the door, my house's door. “What? What are they doing com—” I couldn’t finish my sentence. The man in the very back tried forcing open the door. My heart was racing, I thought the whole world could hear it. Slowly, I tiptoed out of my bed. “It must be a mistake,” I said, trying to calm myself. It didn't work. The man forcing the door pulled something out of his pocket and pressed it against the door. I was panicking enough not to be able to stand. My palms were sweating, but I forced myself up. I opened my room door, peeking one last time at the man struggling to open the door.

“Luis, Luis, wake up!” I said as I shook my brother by his shoulders. “Shh, what, I’m trying to sleep,” my brother said tiredly. Suddenly we heard keys changing and footsteps stomping hard on the ground. We both turned to each other with equal panic. “Katiiii!” my younger brother said worried, nearly crying. “Shh!” I had nothing else to do other than quiet him. I tried not to show how scared I was. The last look I had of my house was in the back of the dark green truck, carrying me away as tears rolled down my cheeks. I sat in that truck for what felt like hours until the truck came to a stop. The three men got out of the car, leaving me all alone. “Now or never,” I said to myself. I quickly but quietly crawled to the front seat, opened the rusty door, and ran out. Within seconds one man realized I was gone. “Hey! Kati escaped!” the man yelled in his thick voice. I stopped for a split second but then continued running, remembering I had no time to stop and look back. How do they know my name? I thought. How do they know my name! this time I thought, panicking. I ran until I couldn't run anymore, until I ran out of breath. As soon as I caught my breath, I started to walk. But soon, I stopped. “This house is so familiar,” I thought, puzzled. Suddenly my mind came back to me. It was my grandma's house. I hadn’t seen her in a year! I walked up the steep, creaky wooden stairs. A woosh of memories came to me. I remember only two years ago, when I was ten, I was so scared of these stairs because they creaked and they were steep. My grandma would hold me by my hand as I slowly walked up these very stairs. I laughed to myself at the memory just thinking about it. I knocked on the light blue door and waited. No one answered. I knocked again. Then I saw my grandma walking toward the door in her favorite purple slippers. “Kati!” my grandma said, shocked. She realized I was thirsty and hungry and that something was wrong, so she quickly took me inside and I explained everything. She was in tears by the end.

785 Days Later “Grandma . . . Grandma,” I called from the living room. “I'm coming, I’m coming,” she called back. Today is the day I start camp. I always get really bored at grandma's house. I play with her cat, help make food, play with my best friend, Emily, who lives next door and is a year older than me and that is it. It is the same thing everyday. But yesterday was different. I found a flyer in the mail when I was biking to check it. It was sent directly to me for a camp. I was super excited. I ran with it back home and showed it to my grandma. “Grandma, Grandma,” I said panting as I entered the house. “What happened!” she said rushing, thinking I got into more trouble. “Oh, what’s this?” she said more relaxed, pointing to the flyer when she saw it. “I found this in the mailbox. It was sent directly to me! It is a camp flyer. A camp for two weeks. It says you can bring up to three friends with you.” My grandma, Emily, Emily’s mom, and I talked about it before dinner and came to the conclusion that I would go to camp tomorrow with Emily. I packed all my things that night and slept with excitement for tomorrow.

The Next Day “You are going to camp already!” my grandma was both excited and worried for me, but she knew I would have a great time. I gave her a warm hug before I left with Emily on the bus. “Kati, Kati! Wake up,” Emily said in a loud whisper. I woke up to Kati shaking me rapidly. The bus was at a stop and the camp director started giving directions. “We just arrived at the campsite. First we will eat lunch in the cafeteria and pack our things into the cabins. Stay with your group at all times. You will be given further directions after lunch. Now you may follow your group out the bus.” The lady whispered something into the bus driver's ear and then exited the bus as the other groups followed. I kept wondering why there were very few groups in the camp, only four. Who wouldn't want to come to a camp like this? After lunch, we packed our things into our cabin as the camp director said. Kati and I were sharing a cabin with a bunk bed on the left wall. For some odd reason, the cabin smelled . . . familiar. The first day went by pretty boring. We played a game called “hoop” where we rolled hoops in a certain direction on the dirt floor and if someone caught it you lost and they went next. I lost on my second try because I had a pebble in my shoe and I was trying to take it out while it was my turn. Since I lost, I sat there and watched others play. Emily almost won, but someone else caught her hoop on the last round. We went back inside after playing three rounds—that I never won— I ate dinner then slept. ------ I couldn't sleep, I just stared at the ceiling. “Em, Emily.” I called several times. She was sleeping. Something felt familiar about this place, not that I have been here before. I couldn’t sleep, like the night after I was taken away from my family. It smelled familiar too, but I couldn't bring out what it was. I eventually slept but was woken up by Emily again. “You should sleep on the bottom bunk next time, I almost fell down the ladder, shaking you to wake up.” She said, “ Everyone woke up and you need to get ready. Get up.” I just looked at her until I took in what she said. I quickly got up and got ready. “Ahhh,” I said, relaxed, when I finished getting dressed. Too early, one of the men bursted into the room. “Excuse me!” I said in disbelief. They just bursted into the room! The man grabbed me by my arm and forced me out of the room without saying a word. I didn’t understand if this was part of the activity, but it certainly did not feel like it was. “Wh . . . what are you doing? Let go!” I said as I tried pulling my arm away. The man only pulled harder. -- My eyes slowly opened. It was really dark wherever I was. I could hear the tik tik tik from droplets of water dripping from a distance. The floor was cold and hard, slightly wet too. I snapped back to reality. Where am I? I was worried and panicked. What happened? I was able to see more now that my eyes were open and I was thinking properly. I was so panicked. I saw where the water was slowly dripping from. I also saw bar doors from the ceiling to the floor. It was absolutely silent, just the echo of the droplets of water hitting the floor and the sound of my heart pounding. Only then did I realize how hungry I was. My stomach grumbled and I couldn't do anything about it. “Emily, Emily . . . Emily?” I called. There was no answer. I eventually fell asleep and woke up several minutes later. I was so hungry and thirsty, I even thought of drinking the dirty water dripping from the ceiling. Minutes passed and all I did was sit. I knew it was toward morning because of the light shining from the small window way above me. I couldn't wait any longer. I swung at the bars frantically, hoping to grab attention. “Shhh,” someone in the other room said. I never realized there was someone in the room next to me. Maybe they came in when I was sleeping. “Sorry,” I said, thinking she was trying to sleep because of how tired her voice was.

A woman did come in as I waited. She gave me a tray with food. I quickly stood up, thankful for whatever was in it. It was stale bread and a glass of water. I drank the water like I've been in a desert for days. The bread was not the best but it was still something. Now that I wasn't as hungry, I was able to do more, I wandered around every corner of this dark room, slowly growing brighter by the light from the window high above me. There were a couple mice, teared cloth, and a dirty rope—nothing of use. For the first time since I got here, I thought of my grandma, my best friend, and how something bothered me more. I was so worried, not only for myself but for everyone I cared about. Ever since I went to camp something . . . something felt— Someone came in. I couldn't finish my thought. “You're coming with us, Kati,” the same woman said. I was surprised she knew my name. Why did everyone know my name and I knew not a single person's name here? “To where?” I asked, too calmly. I didn't even care anymore. She ignored my question. They always do. When I was taken away from my family, in that car, I kept asking where they were taking me. All they did was ignore. I didn’t expect anything different from her. She brought me to a different building that smelled exactly like the camp. Many, many people were walking all over the place. They all wore similar uniforms with a badge pinned somewhere on their shirts. The same uniforms the man that separated me from my family wore! I was trying my best not to cry, holding my tears until my eyes burned. The lady took me to a room. “No, no!” I was slowly pouring tears. My eyes were burning and were probably red. “You must, otherwise—” the manager said before I interrupted. “Otherwise what!” I yelled, the lady firmly pulling me back to my seat. The manager just shook his head and looked down. Then he looked back up. “You will obey!” the man said in a high tone. I sat down quietly. Tears rolled down my cheeks. The lady walked me out of the room as I wept. --- I was in another room now, a much better one. There were fruits on a clean table, wooden floors, turquoise walls, and two couches. None of that made me feel comfortable. In fact I was more comfortable in my other room, simply because of the words the manager said to me. I wished I never heard those words. I cried quietly for the next few minutes. I cried enough. I wiped my tears, took a deep, confident breath, and stood up. I kept thinking about what the manager—Mr. Miller—told me when I was leaving the room. He said, “Your parents work for me. If you learn quickly, you can join them.” I obviously didn’t believe him, but I started to as I went on. I didn't join anyone. --- The next two weeks, all I did was carry books and call people from room to room. Mr. Miller said this will ‘get you started’. The only reason I did this was to reach my parents, if they were even here. I really wanted to ask him about my brother and sister. He knew enough about me to know about them too. I never asked. I just couldn’t. This place was like a maze, but I slowly got used to it. I also made a friend—Jasleen. I was walking down the stairs with a pile of books in my hand. I fell and so did all the books. The man behind me started yelling and told me to pick them up. Jasleen helped me. That's how we met.

Week Three It’s my third week here and 798 days since I last saw my family. All I ever did here was carry books and get yelled at. There was a lady driving a cart with books on it, but one book really caught my eye. I wasn’t allowed to stop anyone from their work, which I did once and got punished by carrying fifty chairs from upstairs to downstairs. I really wanted to tell the lady to stop for a minute so I could look at the book. But I knew that if I did, I would get a worse punishment. We had the same book at my house. It just sat on the highest shelf on the bookshelf in the living room. It was a thick black book with gold

letters that were almost erased. My mom told me once, when I asked her about the book, not to get it, but I always wondered what it was. I remember when I was nine, I tried to reach the shelf. My parents weren't downstairs, so I took a chair and stacked three pillows and tried to reach it. Just as I grabbed the book, the pillows slipped and I hit the table right next to me. The book opened and I saw paragraphs and paragraphs of words, just words. My parents got mad at me and put the book back. I had a bruise on the back of my head and a scratch on my knee for the next couple weeks. I realized it definitely wasn't worth it. I still have a small scar on my knee! I had a pile of books I needed to give to Mr. Miller. “Here, Mr. Miller.” I was told to be kind, otherwise I would have smacked the books on his desk or just wouldn't have given it to him. I hated helping these people. Everytime I helped anyone in the building—besides Jasleen—I always kept in mind I was doing it to get to my parents. My eyes widened in shock once I gave the books to him. Emily was right here! We were both shocked but we tried to act like we didn't know each other. I just wanted to drop the remaining books in my hand and hug her tightly. But I couldn't do that, not here. “Kati, we have a new guest, Emily Rogers, will you show her around? She will be working with you, Jasleen, and Jack.” Jack was fourteen. He also did what we did but we rarely saw him. He delivers different things. “Yes, sir,” I said, I couldn’t even out my tone from excitement. Emily followed me out the door as if she never knew me. I took her to a small room far down the hallway. “Where were you? I missed you so much,” I said as I hugged her tightly. We talked a little. “I was so worried about you.” And then she explained everything. “I went to get my hat after I woke you up the second day in the camp. When I came back, you weren't there. I called you but you didn't answer. I thought you went to the other groups, but I didn't see you there either. We did six activities but you still weren’t there. I thought you were lost or something, so at lunch I looked for you.” She sighed. “I worried so much. I kept looking for you, in the room, in the park, the lunchroom, even on the bus!” She laughed a little then continued. “I spent the next week without you, but I slowly realized fewer people were coming. Three people, including you, were not there anymore. I was very very scared, Kati.” I felt so bad for her. I wished she was with me from the beginning. “The camp ended, and they took us by bus. They also gave us an option to go by car. I obviously took it since I hate buses. That is how I got here. I thought it was our next stop or something, but the bus wasn’t there either.” “Mrs. Kellar took me to the room you just saw me in,” she continued. “Mrs. Kellar also took me there when I first came.” I paused for a second, “Did they tell you anything when you went to Mr. Miller’s room?” She sighed. “Kati, this place isn’t safe. These people were the people who separated you,” Emily said sadly. I closed my eyes and opened them again. “I know,” I paused, ”but this is the only place I could find my family. My parents are here . . . I think.” We heard commotion going on outside, so we stood up and I acted like I was walking her around the area. “Here is the main room . . . ” I continued, showing her around while listening to what was going on in the manager's room. It was just the boss yelling at more people. I listened more. Yelling about that book! “How could you continue your job when a book so important is in others hands!” Mr. Miller said angrily.

“I didnt—” I couldnt hear the rest because a man was coming closer and I had to leave. I wanted to hear the rest but wanted not to get caught even more. Later that day, my job was over. It ends at 6:00 unless there is something urgent. Me and Jasleen usually meet in the basement after our job. Rarely anybody comes to the basement. It was Jasleen’s idea to meet here since she knows this place pretty well. This time I brought Emily with us. Me and Emily waited for Jasleen for a few minutes. Jasleen came with what looked like a bag in her hand. It was hard to tell in the dark. “OK—”Jasleen said but paused in the middle of her sentence. “Emily?” “Jasleen?” They said it at the same time, shocked. I looked at both of them. “You know each other?” I said, confused. They hugged a long, nice hug. They talked a bit about stuff I didn’t know. “Kati, I never knew you knew Emily!” she said after Emily told her we were friends. “I knew Jasleen from my old house. We have been really close friends for about six years. Then she stopped playing with me. I rang her doorbell but no one ever answered. I moved a year later and met you, Em.” Kati turned to Jasleen. “I always wondered where you went. I didn’t want to move until I knew. I never knew you were here!” Jasleen smiled softly and turned to me. “I have a similar story to yours, and I am only working here to find my family.” She smiled hopefully this time. “I’m sure you're doing the same, Kati.” I smiled back. “Anyways, we have to come back upstairs before they realize we are gone. I came here to show you guys something.” She opened the bag and pulled out that book, the book the manager was yelling about. “Jasleen!” I said in a loud whisper. “Are you crazy?! Do you have any idea what will happen if they find out what you just did?” I wasn't so mad at her. I was also really happy. Emily didn't seem to understand, so I explained to her the importance of this book and how important it is for this organization—also why the manager is really angry right now. Emily hates risks but Jasleen loves risks. Jalseen was smiling, and Emily was definitely worried. She was slowly shaking her head. “Did you not learn anything when you broke your arm trying to climb a tree?” Emily said with a slight smile. “Mmm, no.” Jasleen smiled. “It was so worth it.” Emily rolled her eyes, laughed, and looked at Jasleen disappointedly. We went upstairs, keeping a big secret between us. Every time I walked past anyone I felt like they were going to yell at me for taking the book—well, hiding the book. My heart was racing. Good thing I wouldn’t be seeing Mr. Miller again today . . . unless it was urgent. Just then, Mrs. Kellar walked toward me. “The boss would like to see you and your group,” she said. I swallowed hard. “I will be there with my group in just a moment, Mrs. Kellar.” I said, trying to hide how scared I was. She nodded and walked away. My legs were trembling, my palms were sweating, and my heart was racing faster and faster. I was almost sure of what was about to happen next. I walked to his room and knocked on the door. “Come in,” he said while looking down at some papers on his desk. I sat down in the seat in front of his big desk, as well as Emily and Jasleen. “Tomorrow you two will receive a new job, Kati and Jasleen.” I glanced at Emily and thought, What about her? “Emily,” he said in a weird voice, then continued normally. “You are carrying books until 3:00 everyday and helping Ms. Esme for as much as she needs everyday. Do you know who Ms. Esme is?” Kati shook her head. “The one in charge of the books. She needs a lot of help. You will be helping her until she is done. OK?” “Yes . . . sir,” Kati said, struggling on what to call him.

“Good,” he said. “You may leave.” We all stood up. “Not you, Jasleen,” he said, while motioning for her to sit back down. We both looked back then walked away. Mr. Miller said some things to her then asked a question. “Are you sure they trust you?” I widened my eyes. “Yes, Mr. Miller. Oh, and about the book—” I walked away, I couldn’t stay there forever and I didn’t want to hear more anyway.

“Did you hear that?” I said to Emily as we were walking to the basement. “Hear what?” Emily asked questioningly. We heard a noise and I looked at Emily. I made an action with my hand signaling that I would tell her later. “And here is the basement, I forgot to show you earlier today,” I said louder, trying to make it look like I was showing her the basement. “Rarely anyone comes here. We aren’t allowed here unless the Boss allows.” We meet here every day without Mr. Miller knowing—we were breaking a rule—but I only said that to show whoever was there how we were just normally doing our job. We walked back upstairs as normal as possible. As soon as I got upstairs, I sighed in relief. The next morning I woke up pretty early. Mostly because a woman—another worker—was screaming. “I did enough. You promised, you promised!” the woman was screaming sadly while the boss ignored her and walked away. Three people were walking her away into those green cars. I wanted to know what happened. Would it be the same for me? For everyone here? Emily knocked on my door. Emily is five rooms away and Jasleen is much farther. “Come, Emily.” She opened the door, peeked outside, and went in. Not many people came into other’s rooms, especially in the morning. Emily did a fast walk toward me. “Did you wake up because of them too?” she asked. I nodded. “Whatever. What were you gonna tell me yesterday?” she said, I looked at her for a moment, trying to remember yesterday. “Oh, yeah. OK.” I explained to her what I heard. “No way, Jasleen would never . . . no. I've known her for so many years. Well, I only saw her for four, but still she would never ever do that,” she said, disbelieving. “Emily, people could change. She has been here for four months. Especially in a place like this. She is working for this place!” I argued. “You are too! Aren’t you!” she almost yelled back. I looked at her like I was going to yell at her. “I am not working for this place! I am working to get my family back!” I turned and started walking to my bed. “She said she is doing the same in the basement, remember? She knows you are doing the same thing as her,” Emily said, defending her friend. I turned to her again. “Then explain to me what I heard,” I said back, still keeping my side. “You must've heard wrong or misunderstood. Jasleen would not do that,” Emily said angrily. I turned away and Emily walked out.

The Next Week We've been trying every possible way to get out and find our parents. None of them worked. Jasleen was constantly with Mr. Miller. We were getting suspicious. Many people were searching for the book. We kept it safe in the basement. Jasleen told us she had been reading it since she got it. She says she's halfway done.

“Kati!” Jasleen said one morning as soon as we went to work. “I was reading the book yesterday.” She looked around to make sure no one heard. “There is a blue folder in Mr. Millers’ room labeled ‘Three.’ I need to get that.” “Why? What’s in it?” I asked. “Well, I'm not sure, but the book—” She stopped there when she heard people walking closer. “Here is the paper you asked for,” she said, acting like she was talking about something else the whole time. She looked around. No one was there. “The book says it is a list of people and where they were after they were separated. I'm not sure though, but I need to see,” Jasleen explained quickly. I didn’t know if I should trust her. I'm sure she would ask something from me, but for now, this was her job. “I've been talking to Mr. Miller the past week to gain his trust. I hope it’s working,” Jasleen said. Either she said this so my suspicions would go away, or she was telling the truth. We met in the basement again, except this time Jasleen went to talk with Mr. Miller. It was only me and Emily. I told Emily about what Jasleen read in the book. “She said she has been talking to Mr. Miller often so he can trust her, but I don’t know if I trust her,” I said. I heard a creak on the basement stairs. When I turned to look, I saw Jasleen’s long black hair hiding behind the stairs. Emily didn’t seem to realize she was there. I didn’t make it obvious either. I acted like I saw and heard nothing. “Anyways, how did everything go?” I said, trying to change the topic. “It was fine . . . ” she continued talking. Jasleen hid there for a few minutes until she realized we were talking about nothing for her to hide from. “I'm back,” she said enthusiastically, acting as though she just came back. We talked about what she read in the book for the next few minutes until we had to go upstairs again.

The Next Day Jasleen didn’t talk to Mr. Miller this morning, as she usually would. “Probably because she thought it would be too suspicious,” I assumed. “Did you say something?” Jasleen said, looking at me as she picked up papers from the table. “Ohh, uhh, no.” I laughed a little. “I talk to myself sometimes when I'm bored, you know. Sorting papers isn't entertaining.” I said. None of that was true—except for the last part. A long time passed. Neither of us said a word to each other. “Do you really not trust me?” Jasleen asked glumly. I looked at her. I knew this was going to come. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, but . . . ” I said, not knowing what to say. I didn’t even know if I trusted her or not. “Just admit it,” she said, “you think it is weird to be talking to a boss like that all the time.” I nodded. “I’m only trying to get closer to him so he can trust me. Otherwise, how else will I get the folder or get Anna—” Jasleen stopped there, realizing she said a little too much. I looked at her. “Anna?” I asked. “Oh, umm, OK.” Jasleen took a deep breath. “I have a sister,” she said quickly. “What?! You said you didn’t have any siblings!” “I know, I know,” she said, regretting the name spilling out of her mouth. Then I thought of Emily. Did Emily know? “Does Emily know?” I asked, hoping she wasn’t hiding this from me too. Jasleen looked at me. She felt bad. Either she felt bad she was hiding it from both of us or just me—both were very bad. “No,” she finally said. “No, she doesn’t know.” I sighed.

“My sister was taken away before me and Emily met. My mom told me not to tell anyone.” She sighed. “You were the first person I told.” I didn’t want to ask more, but I had a list of questions in mind. We told Emily later that day when we went to the basement. She got mad but also felt bad for her friend. Now we both knew there was someone more to help escape from this place.

The Next Day “I need to get the folder. He trusts me enough . . . I hope,” Jasleen said with another plan in mind. Jasleen told me the plan, and I already was shaking my head. “No. No way!” Emily said, almost yelling. “You have to. You're the only one who could do it! Kati is always sitting in a room sorting papers. You are the only one who can walk in the boss’s room without permission to carry books,” Jasleen and I said. We eventually convinced Emily to set off the alarm and grab the folder while Jasleen distracted Mr. Miller. Emily hated tasks like this, but it was the only option. “OK, we will do this tomorrow at noon,” Jasleen said as she walked upstairs.

The Next Day—11:30 “OK, let’s go over the plan. I distract the boss while Emily fakes bringing books to Mr. Miller’s room.” She looked at Emily. “Then you set the alarm off and slide the folder through the books and act panicked. Everyone will run outside, including you, Kati. They will realize it was an accident and come back inside. Emily, I’ll be waiting where Kati is, you can hand me the folder there.” Jasleen looked at our worried faces, “Good?” We slowly nodded. “Great!” I saw Emily walk past the door of the room I was in. She was walking towards Mr. Miller’s room. She was about to set off the alarm. Beep, Beep, Beep. The alarm was flaring and red glowing lights filled the room. I ran outside, following the crowd without looking at Emily. We went back inside a couple minutes later with Jasleen. “Here,” Emily whispered as she handed the folder to Jasleen. Jasleen gave a thumbs up and Emily went back. Me and Jasleen went back to the room we worked in. “These are all just lists of people who work here!” Jasleen said, disappointed and surprised. I was also really disappointed, but I couldn’t imagine how disappointed Emily would be. “What! So, I did all that for absolutely no reason!” Emily exclaimed. “Actually, no. Not for no reason,” Jasleen said. We both looked at her. “I was reading through the names and . . . well, it says Sophia Hart, Mason Hart, Alia Abila, Lucas Abila, Anna Abila, and us,” Jasleen said, hurt. I had the same feeling. “Sophia Hart and Mason Hart?” I said, not believing my parents worked for Mr. Miller. Jasleen slowly nodded.

Three Days Later I got over it quickly. I wasn’t any different was I? I was working for him too. Instead of thinking about my parents, we all focused on finding our family. For all Jasleen knew, our parents were in a different building—that was already obvious. Anyone older than twenty and forced to work here was taken to a different building. We just needed to find where.

Emily also worked with us now, but only because we have been turning in papers late and needed extra help. “Yesterday, while I was reading the book, I saw a map. I don’t know what the map is showing. There are no labels, but look,” Jasleen said, pointing to the map. It was hard to tell in the darkness of the basement, but I could see another building on the map. There were many buildings on the map, but only one had the same logo as this one. “They're there, in that building.” Jasleen said, pointing to the building that caught my eye. “We neeeeed to get there,” Jasleen said, exaggerating the ‘need’. “How?” Emily asked. Jasleen shrugged. “I don't know,” Jasleen simply said. That’s always the easiest but most useless answer, and people say it all the time. When I asked my brother or sister for something they don’t want to give an answer to, saying ‘I don’t know’ was the easiest way to get away. But this time, no one really knew. “I have to read more,” Jasleen said when no one talked. “The Secret Rule has been missing for days, Ms. Esme. Luckily, we finally found it last night in the basement!” the Boss said, as if a lot of weight was lifted off his shoulders. “I can’t believe we didn’t think of checking the basement!” he said, laughing. “Oh no!” I said, shocked. “Did something happen?” Ms. Lee said behind me. I never realized she was right behind me. “Oh, uhh, no. I just remembered I forgot to uhh, copy one of the papers.” I said randomly. Mrs. Lee was the nicest adult here. I wouldn’t have said that to anyone else or they would yell at me. “Oh, no problem. Here, give me these,” she said, grabbing the papers from my hand. Her job was to collect the papers I copied down. That is probably why she was behind me in the first place. “Ohh!” I sighed as I walked away. I was so close to being caught listening to what the Boss was talking about with Ms. Esme. We all talked about the same thing as soon as we came back into the same room. We all felt terrible. “At least I was able to find where the building is,” Jasleen said, smiling. We looked up at her with our eyes glowing. “Really!” I said, a bit too loud. At 6:30 that night, we walked to the building. “Here? This place?” I said, thinking we came to the wrong place. “Yes,” Jasleen said. “It’s not only plane land, look over there.” Jasleen said, pointing behind the trees. There were bricks and wood peeking behind a few trees. As soon as we got there, there was a boy to greet us. He was very familiar, but I couldn’t remember where I saw him. “Jack!” Jasleen screamed. I remembered now, it was Jack—the other member in our group. The boss said he worked somewhere different, here! We rarely see him, but Jasleen said he helped her a lot when she first came here. “Uhh it’s Jar—” he paused, “ohh hi!” he said, fakely. We went inside, Jasleen looked at me, confused. Jack was walking with a box in his hand, then he turned around and saw Jasleen. “Jasleen, it’s been very long since the last time I got to talk to you!” Jack said, erratically.

Jasleen smiled, “We just met again in front of the door, Jack.” Jack stopped smiling, he turned away and ran. We looked at each other in confusion. “Sorry about that,” Jack said when he returned. “You were talking to my twin Jaron a few moments ago. He could’ve easily reported you to Mr. Miller. He is not like me . . . at all,” Jack said, panting. “Your twin?!” Jasleen exclaimed. “I’ll explain later, I gotta go.” Jack said. He turned around. “Mya, come here,” he said, giving a hand to a little girl beside him. My eyes locked on that girl, Mya, my sister. I was so concentrated on her, I didn't realize Emily and Jasleen were walking away. I quickly caught up. We walked around the next few hours until Jack came back. When he returned, he explained his twin. “My twin, Jaron, works here. He’s been here ever since. I, however, used to work there and moved here recently. If Jaron understands you aren’t supposed to be here, he will tell Mr. Miller. For now, he thinks you guys work here with me and Mya.” Then Jack quickly remembered we didn't—well Jasleen didn’t—know who Mya was. “Oh, Mya is another girl here. She doesn’t work though. She’s too young. She is just looked after by me here. I convinced the boss to keep her here,” Jack said. Jasleen seemed to be thinking of something else. “Do you know anyone named Anna here?” she said slowly. Jack looked at her and thought for a moment. He shook his head. “No,” he said. Jasleen looked back down, not very surprised or sad.

Someone knocked on the door as we were getting up. “OK, I need to go. Try not to talk to Jaron. He will tell all of it to Mr. Miller,” Jack said, in a hurry towards the door. “Wait, how do we tell the difference between you and Jaron?” Jasleen asked. “Umm.” He thought for a moment. “Jaron has a scar on his right hand, it is pretty noticeable,” he said, and then left. I looked at who was behind the door. It was Ms. Esme, with a cart of books. “Hide, hide,” I said to Jasleen and Emily. “What, why?” Emily asked. “Ms. Esme is here!” I said. I hid in a gap behind the bookshelf. Jasleen and Emily were sitting on the couch. They grabbed a book and covered their faces with it, acting like they were reading. Ms. Esme walked closer, closer to the bookshelf I was hiding behind. My heart was racing. She got closer and started setting the books on the shelves. I stood absolutely still. Why did I choose this place to hide? She left soon, and I struggled to get out. “Ohh!” I sighed in relief when I got out. “You have dust on your whole sleeve, Kati.” Emily pointed. I wiped it off. “Eww, when was the last time they cleaned that?” I said, disgusted. We slept in our own rooms that night. Our rooms were all next to each other. You could easily walk from door to door. Jack slept downstairs. The next day, we didn’t do much. Jack kept coming and going. There were also rooms we didn’t see. We weren’t allowed in.

The Next Week “OK, I gotta go. You guys can go downstairs. I need a folder labeled ‘four,’” Jack said as he started to leave. Every time he said he needed to go, he always sent us away. We started walking away but stopped. “Oh look, I love this book.” Jasleen said, pulling out a book from the bookshelf. “I read this when I was very young. It was sooo good,” Jasleen said. “What are you guys doing here? Didn’t Jack send you downstairs?” Jaron said, not realizing he said too much. I realized though. How did he know Jack sent us downstairs? “Oh sorry,” Jasleen said as she put the book back on the shelf and went down the stairs. We followed. As soon as we got downstairs, Kati was the first to bring up the topic. “How did he know Jack sent us here?” she asked. We both shrugged.

A Week Later “I trusted you!” Jasleen yelled. “And that was exactly my goal.” Jack smirked. I could tell Jasleen was holding her tears. She was furious. Emily tried to calm her but it didn’t work. The boss came in a day ago. That’s when we realized everything Jack ever did for us was a lie. Now he was sitting in a chair, tied. My younger sister Mya was beside me. She also trusted Jack all this time. “I never knew someone like you would have such a soft-hearted sister,” Jack said to me, jokingly. It was not funny. It only made me irate. I tried my best to keep it in. I knew if I did anything to him, I wouldn’t be able to get more information. Mya was also mad, but I tried to keep her calm. “Don't listen to him,” I said to my sister. Jasleen was walking back and forth, keeping in her anger as much as possible. She finally turned back to Jack. “Where is Anna! Where is she!” Jasleen asked in anger. “You expect me to answer that?” Jack replied. Jasleen couldn't hold it anymore. She slapped him. Nobody said or did anything. We all knew he deserved it. Jack looked down and looked back up, having a fierce and angry facial expression. Jasleen had no regret whatsoever after slapping him. In fact, she looked satisfied. “Also, Jaron is no different than me. He was part of the plan too. He knew everyyyything,” he continued, taking his sweet time until Jasleen couldn't help it and slapped him again. A question suddenly came to mind. I remembered when Jack had said he wanted Mya to stay here. He convinced the boss to let her stay. “Did you really convince Mr. Miller to let Mya stay?” I asked. Mya looked up, waiting for an answer. Jack licked his lips.

“Yes, that is true.” He paused for a moment. “But only because it would give us more information about your family. That’s how I convinced the boss,” Jack laughed even though he knew what was coming. I made a fist that formed from my anger and punched him with it. Mya was hurt from the inside. She really thought Jack was taking good care of her. She walked out of the room as we followed. Jasleen locked the door on her way out. Jack was alone. When we walked out there was a boy, a girl, and two women. I immediately recognized one of the women as my mom, and the boy as my brother, Luis. My sister and I ran to them. I hugged them tighter than I hugged anyone else. Jasleen stood there thinking she was in a dream. She ran to her sister and her mom and hugged them. After we hugged to our hearts’ content, we talked. We were all doing the same thing in different places! The first thing Jasleen noticed was Luis. “I never knew you were Kati’s brother, Luis.” Jasleen turned to me,“I never even knew you had a brother!” Jasleen said, laughing. I smiled. “Do you guys know each other?” I asked. “I helped him a lot when he got here,” Jasleen said. Luis looked at me. “How do you know each other?” “Same as you,” I said. I looked around, realizing I was forgetting something. “Where is Dad?” I asked my mom. Jasleen also realized the same thing. My mom and brother looked at one another. I was freaking out. Did something happen? “They will come soon. They need to find a way to get back home,” my mom said. Just then, another one of those green cars arrived. I was not going into another one of those cars only to be taken from my family just after I was reunited. But when the windows rolled down, I saw a familiar face. My dad! He has changed so much! We all headed to the truck. Jasleen’s dad drove in a separate car. We drove home like that. On the way, my dad told us that the boss and some of his workers were caught by police, thanks to him and Jasleen's dad. The others returned to their homes. We arrived at my grandma’s house. Emily was with us. That was also when we realized Jasleen lived in the same neighborhood! “Jasleen lives around here, too?!” I asked. I looked out the window. “She moved!” I said happily.

One Month Later “Breakfast is ready,” my mom called from the kitchen. We sat down around the table. My grandma set the plates and the eating utensils on the table. This would be the last breakfast we had together before we moved. There was a house in this neighborhood that was being sold. It was perfect, around Emily’s, Jasleen’s, and my grandma's house!