by Obert Skye
Excuse me while I don’t set my alarm.
Charlotte was in a tough spot. But while in that tough spot, at least she had gotten a lot of sleep. She had been taken to the girls’ dorm by Ms. Gulp and turned over to an uptight woman named Ms. Ratter. Ms. Ratter was like a goth version of Ms. Gulp. Her hair was black and worn in a severe bun. Her eyes were dark and her skin was pale. She wore bright red lipstick and the Witherwood brown blouse and blue skirt. Ms. Ratter was one of the more important people at Witherwood. She oversaw the girls’ dorm and did a fair amount of the administrative work at the school.
Ms. Ratter had promptly taken Charlotte from Ms. Gulp and dropped her off at her new bed. She was assigned to the top bunk, above a girl named Sue.
The girls’ dorms were partially open, with two rows of bunk beds running the entire length of the room. In between the beds, there were long dressers with drawers and wicker baskets on top. Charlotte’s bunk was in the corner of the big dorm room, near the bathroom.
Due to all the commotion and trouble the mesa-quake and animals had caused, the girls were instructed to stay in their beds until further notice. They were only allowed to leave for supervised washroom breaks. Charlotte was okay with that. She liked sleep. So she slept the rest of the day and into the beginning of the night. When she woke up and rolled over, she nearly fell out of bed.
“Careful,” someone said from the bed down below her.
Charlotte grabbed the edge of the bed frame. She looked down at the bed below and the girl sitting on it.
“I’m Sue,” the girl said, gazing up.
Charlotte smacked her lips. “I’m … Charlotte, and I’m thirsty.”
“There’s water on the dresser.”
Charlotte slid off the bunk bed and walked over to a tall, ornate dresser. Sitting on top was a pitcher filled with water. Next to the pitcher were some tiny paper cups. Charlotte poured herself a drink and gulped it down. She poured another, and another, and another, and just one more.
“Water’s great, isn’t it?” Sue said.
“It is,” Charlotte agreed.
Sue was sitting up in her bed. She was doing something with her hands, but she scooted over to make some space for Charlotte.
“Do you like your new bed?” Sue asked, folding a little piece of paper.
Charlotte nodded. Sue looked up from what she was folding.
“You have pointed ears.”
Charlotte reached up and touched her own ears.
“We’re really lucky to be so close to the bathroom,” Sue said.
Charlotte yawned twice. “I guess so.”
“We can use the bathroom whenever we want. Plus, we get to wave at all the students who are walking by to use it.”
“That is nice,” Charlotte agreed. “What are you doing?”
“Folding paper,” Sue said. “There’s a fancy name for it, but I can’t remember what. Look, I made a frog.”
Sue held up a little paper frog. It was no bigger than a small rubber ball. She set it on her lap and then pressed down on the tiny back of the frog. When she let go, the little frog flew up and hit the dresser, near the pitcher of water.
“Are you allowed to do that?” Charlotte asked.
“No one said I couldn’t,” Sue said with a worried voice. “I found the paper just lying around. Do you want me to teach you?”
Charlotte wanted that more than anything, but she couldn’t get her voice to say it.
Sue handed Charlotte a small piece of paper and told her to copy what she did. Charlotte did exactly as she was shown.
“Don’t you love it here?” Sue said as she folded.
Charlotte nodded.
“We are lucky to be getting such a wonderful education.”
Charlotte was a smart child. She was kind and brilliant and clever. She was quick to care for others, and passionate about things being fair. She spoke her mind and had no problem playing the part of someone mischievous. All that’s true, but Charlotte wasn’t Charlotte at the moment. Her brain was a happy, gooey sphere. She didn’t even remember Tobias. All she could think about was how happy she was to be at Witherwood and making a frog.
“We are lucky,” Charlotte agreed.
“The girl who used to have your bed was named Kristin. She had curly hair.”
“Where’d she go?”
“I don’t know,” Sue said, still folding. “She really liked it here, so she probably just moved to a new room. I know she wouldn’t want to leave.”
“Who would?” Charlotte asked.
Sue almost giggled.
“I’m hungry,” Charlotte said.
“Ms. Ratter will let us know when we can eat.”
“I hope she tells me to eat soon.”
“She’s really strict,” Sue said, as if that were a positive thing.
Charlotte finished her first little frog. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t embarrassing. She set it on her knee and pushed down on its paper back. When she let go, it sprang up and landed in the pitcher of water on the dresser.
“You’re very good at this,” Sue said sincerely.
Charlotte got a second piece of paper and then climbed back up to the top bunk and lay down.
“Oh,” Sue said from below. “One last thing. Ms. Ratter said that if anything breaks in through the windows, we’re supposed to hide under our bunks. They’ll let us know when it’s safe to come out.”
Charlotte’s eyes widened.
“Isn’t it nice to have someone tell us what to do?” Sue whispered.
Charlotte began to fold.
CHAPTER 8
THE RESISTANCE
Tobias was trying hard not to panic. He was worried about a number of things, but his most pressing problem had to do with the fact that he had a sack that smelled like wool over his head and he was tied to a chair of some sort near something loud and hissing. Tobias shook and struggled to get free.
“Don’t worry,” a voice said. “We’ll untie you.”
“Who are you?” Tobias asked, trying to sound dim.
“We’ll tell you when we’re ready.”
Tobias could hear multiple voices whispering. One was a girl, and there were at least two guys.
“We need to ask you some questions,” a high-pitched male voice said. “For starters, what do you think about Witherwood?”
“Witherwood?” Tobias replied, sounding dumb, and scared that he might get in more trouble if he was truthful. “Who are you?”
“Just let us know if you like it here,” the girl voice asked.
“What do you mean by here? Do I like being tied up here in this hot room? No. Do I like being here at Witherwood? Well … Do you?”
Tobias could hear more whispering. Then, with a yank, the bag was pulled off his head. As his eyes adjusted, Tobias could see he was in some sort of big, dark boiler room. The room was dimly lit with one small orange bulb that hung naked above them. It was also filled with metal tanks and rusted pipes that ran across the ceiling and down the walls like metallic veins. There was a black door to the right, and the floor was covered with soot and grime. Next to Tobias was a large metal tank that was burping and chuffing and acting quite similar to a fat man at the end of a long race. Tobias looked down at the chair he was tied to and tried one more time to pull himself free.
It didn’t work.
In front of Tobias were three kids—two boys and a girl. All three of them were sitting on wooden crates and appeared to be around his age. The girl looked skeptical and had piercing green eyes that shone even in the dim light. One of the boys was short with spiky red hair and thick glasses. The other boy looked tall even when sitting. He had blond hair, a slight build, and something to say.
“You can see us now,” he said informatively. “We’re students just like you. Only we don’t want to be here. So, how do you feel about Witherwood?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Tobias said, scared to trust anyone.
“He’s still foggy,” one of the boys s
aid. “Let me hit him this time.”
“Wait!” Tobias insisted. “Do you work for Orrin?”
Two of them spit as if disgusted.
“We loathe Orrin,” the girl said. “You may not trust us, but we’re just like you. Only we found a way to overcome Marvin’s voice. Now, how do you feel about Witherwood?”
All three of them stared at Tobias. He looked at their faces and studied their clear eyes. It was a risk, but he wanted to take it.
“It’s an awful place,” Tobias whispered. “There is something sinister going on here. I would do almost anything to get me and my sister out of here.”
The three kids smiled.
“His head’s clear,” the girl said. “Sorry about tying you up. We had to make sure your mind was clear before we let you loose.”
“Is that why you hit me?” Tobias asked angrily.
“That’s why she hit you,” the short redheaded boy said, untying the ropes around Tobias’s hands. “Plus, she likes to hit things.”
“Thanks, but you didn’t have to. My mind was already clear.” Tobias rubbed both his wrists. “I figured out how to clear my brain by myself.”
“Let me guess,” the tall one said. “You left yourself notes telling yourself how to do it.”
“That’s right.” Tobias did not feel as brilliant as he once had. “Who are you guys anyway?”
“My name’s Patrick,” the tall boy said. “This is Keith and she’s Meghan. We’re some of the few who have figured out what’s going on here, and we’re fighting to find a way out. No one ever comes to this room, so we meet here when we can. Our group doesn’t really have a name. Meghan suggested we call ourselves the Resistance, but Keith doesn’t like that.”
“I don’t.” Keith pushed his glasses back up with his right thumb. “I think it lacks originality.”
“It’s a good name,” she argued. Meghan was wearing her school uniform and had long dark curly hair tied back behind her head. She had a big nose and polished black shoes. She also had no problem speaking her mind. “Besides, the Resistance is much better than your suggestion.”
“I was just joking about that one,” Keith said.
“Still, the Witherwon’ts is lame.”
“Listen,” Tobias said. “I don’t care what you call yourselves. I’m just happy there are others.”
“Yes,” Patrick said, sniffing. “It’s not unusual to have a student accidentally smack into a wall or have a heavy object drop on their toes. The problem is that they usually give themselves away, and then they are quickly dragged to the square room to listen to Marvin speak again.”
All four children shivered.
“Some of the students have been so brainwashed that even a brick to the stomach wouldn’t shake them out of the spell,” Meghan added. “There could be others with clear minds, but we have to be careful when we reveal ourselves. We don’t usually go around hitting people, plus it doesn’t always work. We found that out the hard way once.”
“Yeah, we did,” Keith said with a crooked smile. “Poor kid.”
“So at the moment, this little group is all we have,” Patrick explained.
“Wait,” Keith said seriously, lifting his hands so Tobias could see his palms. “Hold on a second. Before we say any more, I think there’s something you need to know about this group, and that is we all kind of have our thing. You’re not funny, are you?”
“It depends,” Tobias answered.
“Well, then you’re not in this group, because I’m kind of the funny one. Right, guys? I mean if something funny happens, it’s usually because of me.”
“Sure, Keith,” Meghan said sarcastically. “You’re funny, Patrick’s smart, and I’m resourceful.”
“So what are you?” Keith asked Tobias.
“I’m the one who will stop at nothing to get out of here,” he answered.
“Wait,” Keith said in awe. “I think I wanna be that one.”
“That’s not important right now,” Patrick said. “What’s important is that we know what you did, Tobias. We know you made it out two days ago and that you were brought back. Nobody’s ever done that.”
“That’s not true,” Meghan said. “There’s someone besides him who made it out.”
“We don’t know that for sure,” Keith challenged.
“Well, he’s not here, is he?” Meghan argued.
“Who is she talking about?” Tobias asked.
“His name is Andy,” Patrick answered. “He was sort of our leader. He thought he found a way out. He said he would get help and come back for us, but that was over two months ago.”
“How did he get out?”
“There are deliveries here,” Patrick explained. “A couple of times a month, trucks come through the front gate and drop off food and other things. Andy slipped into one of the empty crates, and they hauled it out.”
“And he never came back,” Keith said dramatically. “He’s free and we’re stuck here.”
“Be quiet, Keith,” Meghan insisted. “You’re not being very funny right now. You’re sort of being the dork of the group. Andy will be back with others. He wouldn’t leave us.”
Patrick held up his hands to stop Meghan and Keith from arguing. He looked at Tobias. “How did you get caught when you escaped?”
“We found a tunnel that takes you down and off the mesa. It leads to an abandoned rest stop. We made it there but got picked up by a cop who we thought would save us. It turned out he was working for Witherwood. I don’t know how anyone can get away from this place if the police are working for them.”
“It’s worse than that,” Patrick said, sniffing.
“Do you have allergies?” Tobias asked.
“Nah,” Keith answered for him. “He’s just always sniffing, and when you offer him a tissue, he freaks.”
“I don’t need a tissue,” Patrick insisted. “Sometimes my nose gets runny.”
“Can we not talk about runny noses for once?” Meghan begged.
“Of course.” Patrick sniffed. “How much do you know about this school, Tobias?”
“I know a little. I know there are people called Catchers and something called Gothiks.”
Patrick nodded. “You learn things fast. Here’s what we know. We think there are Catchers scattered all over the world. They are disguised as ordinary people who find the right kids and bring them to Witherwood. The Gothiks you mentioned are stores of some sort—secret places around the world where superrich people shop for things that are illegal and expensive—things that this place provides.” Patrick took a moment to sniff before he continued. “Witherwood must take something from us and then sell it in these Gothiks. Of course, Keith thinks they just ship kids off to work in factories.”
“Like human robots,” Keith said, swinging his arms in robot fashion.
Meghan shook her head. “I think it has something to do with science and experiments. Have you seen the animals here? The Protectors? Something’s not right. We’ve gotten pretty good at sneaking around and avoiding the singing voices, but we don’t know where to look for answers. We’ve tried to get into the square room, but at night the Protectors are out and the building is locked up.”
“Have you been on the third floor?” Tobias asked.
All three said no.
“Andy’s been on the second floor,” Meghan bragged. “He said it looks like a hospital.”
“I’ve been there too. And it does look and smell like a hospital. My sister and I found a way up, and we did a little exploring before they noticed we were missing.”
“I remember that night,” Keith said, his glasses slipping down his nose as he spoke. “They were searching the whole school for you, and they made us all lie still in our beds like robots.”
“Robots don’t sleep,” Meghan said, disgusted.
“Sleep robots do,” Keith argued.
Tobias wanted to talk about something besides sleep robots. “What about my sister, Charlotte? They took her to the girls’ dorm
because there was an empty bed.”
“She’s probably okay for the moment,” Meghan said. “I sleep in the dorms. Who we should worry about is the girl she replaced. Students go missing all the time.”
“Maybe they escape,” Tobias offered.
Meghan smiled. “That’s a nice thought, but I don’t think that’s what’s happening.”
“Maybe they get picked up and carried off like Archie was,” Tobias said grimly.
“Don’t worry,” Patrick said, as if that was actually possible in a place like Witherwood. “I heard one of the orderlies telling Orrin that they shot the animal and Archie’s okay. Orrin was really happy about it, which is odd. I can’t understand why he would care. It seems like he’d rather we were all gone.”
Patrick stopped talking to think and sniff.
Meghan took the opportunity to check the watch she was wearing. “The voices will be making the rounds soon. We should get Tobias back to his room.”
“I don’t want to go back to my room,” Tobias insisted. “I want out of here. How did you unlock my door?”
“Meghan’s a master with locks,” Keith said.
Tobias wasn’t happy to hear that. Locks were sort of his thing, and now he had competition.
“She can steal things and pick locks,” Keith added. “She’d be a perfect crime robot.”
“Stop talking about robots, Keith. We need your help, Tobias,” Patrick pleaded. “You’ve been out. You know it’s possible. We know it’s horrible here, and we don’t want to spend our days waiting until … well, until we disappear.”
Tobias looked at all three of them. Patrick tall and sniffy, Keith short and with glasses, and Meghan with her uneasy smile and dark eyebrows. They looked like a really useless gang of misfits.