I wake to the sound of crickets and the sight of stars. What? I sit up quickly, too quickly, i lie back down holding my head for a few seconds. I try sitting up a second time and succeed. I slowly look around and discover that I am still lying where I was when I supposedly 'fell asleep'. My bag is missing but it looks like Jacks bag is still beside me. I reach for the bag and open it. Inside I find the shirt and jeans that Jack was wearing and a sandwich. I keep looking through his bag but find nothing else until I open the front pocket. I reach into the pocket and find his timetable, a blue stone and something wrapped tightly in plastic and duct tape. I spread the three items on the ground and stare at them. I eventually pick up the small package and start to unwrap it. It takes me ages to get through the layers upon layers of duct tape and plastic but i eventually manage to reach something wrapped in just plastic. I rip the last piece of tape off and unfold the plastic. I catch a glimpse of something sliding into my lap, but i hear weeds crunching as someone or something heads my way. I frantically scrunch the tape and plastic into some sort of square shape and shove it the timetable and blue stone into the front pocket of the bag, throw the bag and lay back down before whatever it is reaches me. I hear one last crunch as I close my eyes. I wait and wait, the only thing that keeps me from opening my eyes is the sound of heavy breathing. It feels like the a person is standing right over me. My heart is beating loud in my ears and i am holding my breath. leaves crunch right next to my left ear and to the side of my stomach. I almost cry out in pain as this person slams their knee into my hand but I bite down hard on my lip. I feel something on my upper body and something around my wrist. I lay as still as I can. the thing on my chest is moving around but the thing on my arm is remaining in the same spot. I have no idea what is happening but i do know that whoever is kneeling next to me is seeing if i am alive.

After 5 minutes the person finally stands up and walks around. I don't want to risk a peek but I have no idea what i should do. I am in the middle of thinking through what i should do when something grips my shoulders and shakes them hard. This caught me by surprise, so i let out a scream and jump up. The dizziness is gone but there is extreme pain in my left hand, my reaction obviously caught the person who I found was a teenage boy by surprise because he ran back and i found a gun pointed my way. My head was telling me to run, but my feet wouldn't respond, so i just stand there like a rabbit in headlights.

"Raise your hands" orders the teenage boy cautiously. I slowly raise my hands but my eyes don't leave him for a second. The boy still has the gun aimed at me but he is now shaking. We stay like this for a few more minutes, silent with our eyes locked together...'BANG'! it was all over in an instant.

"Run, run!" someone screams from behind me. my legs kick in and I run...

I run away from the boy who is now lying on the ground covered in blood that is leaking through a hole shot perfectly through his heart. Branches reach out to scratch me and sticks reach up to trip me, but i still run, I run to save my life.

"Alenna" I hear a familiar voice scream my name. I run toward the sound of the voice.

"Jack" I scream in terror. I feel two hands reach out and grab me from behind.

"This way" someone whispers. I turn around and see Jack. Oh my gosh, iIam so relieved. I cling onto his hands as he leads me through a door in the side of the building that stretches for miles right next to the fence.

"Are you ok?" Jack asks concerned.

"Yeah, I'm fine but a little shaken up". Jack is now wearing black tank top and black trousers, he is barefoot but his toenails are painted black.

"You must have a million questions, but there is no time now, we must run". Jack grabs hold of my hand again and we run, deeper into the building where we are swallowed by the darkness.

We eventually come to a stop, I am still holding Jacks hand and he is still looking concerned. Jack lets go of my hand and whispers into a small black box sticking out of the wall. I watch scared as ever. Jack steps back and takes hold of my hand again and starts whispering.

"One, two, three" Jack lunges forward pulling me with him, we pass through what looks like a door way but just as we enter a black steel door slams shut crushing whatever is in it's way when it closes. Jack looks back to see if i'm ok then breaks out into a run, I am dragged along behind again, but our run has turned into a jog. We jog for about 10 minutes not stopping but by the end, our jogging has turned into fast paced walking. When we stop, it takes everything i have not to fall to the ground and sleep. Jack lets go of my hand and walks over to another black box in the wall and whispers his name and something else i can't hear and starts to count again.

"one" he grabs my hand, 

"two" we move closer to what I suppose is the door 

"three" 

Jack pulls me inside and we both find ourselves falling. I try to scream but my body is too tired, so I try and grab hold of Jack. We are falling and falling, descending into complete darkness. I manage to find and grip Jacks hand just as my feet hit something, it squishy and gives way when the rest of my body slams into it. I get ready to feel pain, but I never do. I open my eyes and see that i am surrounded by yellow foam squares that are lying in a big ditch. I look around and see a speck of light.

"Alenna, Alenna?" Jack calls with a hint of worry in his voice. I wonder if i should trust Jack, I am so freaked out about what is going on, I don't know what to do. I feel something grip my hand and squeeze it.

"Alenna" Jack whispers. I close my eyes and slow down my breathing. Jack brushes my hair out of my face, lets go of my hand and grabs my head in his hands. I start to relax, Jacks hands are hot and firm, he is slightly shaking and is damp with sweat.

"Alenna, it's ok, you can trust me" Jack brings my head closer to his chest. I can hear his heart racing and his heavy breathing. I slowly open my eyes.

"Hey" he whispers and moves me so i am right next to him. He lets of of my head and holds both my hands in his.

"I know you must be freaking out right now, but you have to trust me, it is the only way to stay alive", at the end of the sentence I feel a sharp pain in my thigh and go dizzy, i fall forward and collapse into Jack's arms and black out.

I keep fading in and out of consciousness. I cannot feel any part of my body and i can't move. All i can see is a blinding white ceiling because my head is being held in something which is restricting my movement I am having trouble remembering what has happened and i have a blinding headach. I hear a hissing noise, like air being let out of an airtight seal. A wave of pain hits me, my eyes roll back and i'm gone.

I'm awake again and all i can see is the ceiling, but the feeling in my legs has come back. I can now wriggle my toes, but i can only feel up to my knee. Nothing is holding my lower legs down but i can feel the ends of a light material against the underside of my knee. The material must be covering me from my knee up, but honestly i have now idea, i just hope that something is covering me. Again i hear this hissing noise and am hit by a wave of pain, the pain lasts longer than before but my body gives way and goes limp, I'm gone.

I wake again, i can now feel up to my hip, i can raise my legs up and down and discover that the pain in them has gone. I bring my legs as close as i can to my head so i can inspect them. My legs have been completely shaved and my toenails are short,all the scares i had on my legs are now gone and my legs are now slightly tanned. My eyes settle on a lump on the back of my heel when i cry out in pain, my legs slam back onto the table and i see stars, my head throbs and i scream, why am i not blacking out? The room starts to spin and the ceiling looks green and purple with black starting to close in. I watch in pain as the black takes over the ceiling and i now longer feel pain, i black out.

I can feel everything in my body now, but I can't see anything, It feels like i'm in a tight space, but i can't tell. It's dangerous when you have nothing to do and time finally catches up to you, so far i had managed to evade any feelings and thoughts, but they have finally come for me. It feels like i have been hit by a truck going at full speed. I break down and cry, I cry for my family, what will become of them? what will become of me? I cry for the boy who was shot, what happened? why was he trying to save me? i long to be back in Australia where i was safe and I have family, friends and possibly a boyfriend... oh my gosh, Josho, I cry for him, why oh why am I not with him, then I remember Jack... what the hell? what is wrong with him? I start to fall for him then he takes me to near death, well the closest i have ever been. My body goes all tense and my tears have stopped. I need to get out of this horror film. I start wriggling, trying break loose of this cell or whatever it is. I sit up and smash my head against the roof of whatever i am in. I scream out in pain and lie back down. I close my eyes as i feel dizzy and nauseous. Just as i'm about to try and sit up again, my body jolts forward, feet first towards an ever widening gap of light that looks like an ending to a tunnel. I decide to pretend to still be unconscious then jump and run when i have a chance. I watch as the circular light comes closer and closer, i watch as the light floods onto my toes then moves up to my knees, thighs, hips then chest. I take one deep last breath and close my eyes. The inside of my eyelids turn red as light floods onto my face. I hold my breath as my body comes to a stop.

"We know you are awake, so you can open your eyes". Shouts someone with a deep voice that echoes around whatever room i am in. I hear footsteps but i don't open my eyes. Someone grabs my wrist hard.

"Open your eyes" Someone whispers into my ear. I flinch at the sound of Jack's voice so close to my ear.

"Come on, it's for the best, or you will go back to going in and out of consciousness". That was enough to get me to open my eyes. when I opened them I regretted it, I was practically blinded by how white the clinical room was. It turned out that i was in an MRI scanning thing that takes up half the room. I look around and find that there are both men and women crammed into a small glowing white room. Most people are in the room with me, guns in hand never taking their eyes off me, but some are behind a screen, looking at computer screens and typing like mad. Everyone but Jack are wearing pristine white lab coats and white shoes. I glance down to see what i am wearing and i am horrified to see that i am in my underwear and singlet. I look away, red with embarrassment.

"Hey" Jack says touching my hand.

"I want to get out of here" I whisper

"You will be dismissed as soon as you answer some questions" answers a male staring me down.

"By the way, you are attached to a thought and speech simulator, so we can all hear what you say and know what you are thinking" Whispers Jack. I nod ashamed of what i was thinking about Jack and embarrassed about claiming that i like him.

"It's ok". whispers Jack blushing.

"Fine, I will answer questions, as long Jack is here with me".

"Deal" says the man who i suspect is the leader, "but first Gemma will take you to get dressed and undergo a simple medical test".

"yeah, as if i haven't had enough testing and people poking at my poor underdressed body" i say angrily as i stand up and storm towards the screen, only turning to see if Jack was following me.

"Here we are" says Gemma opening a blue door along a pristine white hallway.

"Thanks" i say avoiding her gaze. I walk into a room that is about 5m by 5m and surprise surprise it is also pristine white. There is a bed along the far wall that has a clean, white mattress lying within the bed frame. There are a pile of clean clothes on top of the mattress with a pair of black lace up boots on the floor beside the bed. There is a curtained off area in one corner of the room and in another corner is a shelf containing a utility belt, waterproof jacket and a black backpack. I hear a hissing sound and i brace for pain but when it doesn't come I turn and see a closing door.

"STOP" I shout running to the door. I get to the door and slide through just as it closes. I slide out into the hall just as Jack and Gemma turn around a couple of steps further up the hallway. I think about turning and running but remember that I have no idea where I am, so I just run toward Jack. I stop just three meters away for Gemma but Jack was running toward me with a hint of concern showing in his eyes and is now standing next to me, looking me over.

"The deal was that I would cooperate ONLY if Jack was with me", i say a little too harshly.

"Oh, I just thought you would have liked some privacy, seeing as you need to get changed and all" Gemma replied as scared as a mouse looking up at a cat. "I will go and open the door for both of you". Gemma lead us back down the hall to the little room and presented her key card, did a finger scan and a voice recognition test. after a couple of seconds the sliding blue door opened with a hiss. Jack took my hand and we stepped inside.

"One of our scientists will come and collect you when it is time for the questioning, and then I will take your for your medical assessment, but I must warn you that the medical assessment may require a full body scan, so you can talk it over with Jack to see whether you are happy for him to be there". With that Gemma left the room, politely excusing herself and closing the door.

"first things first, can you guys still hear everything i say and think?" I ask feeling around my body for anything unusual.

"No, we are done with that" answers Jack looking guilty.

"Ok, let me clear this up, yes, I do like you and yes I finally got asked out by the guy I have had a crush on for ages". I look up and see Jack looking at the floor. "Oh and i didn't mean all those things I thought about you, i was just confused with what is going on". Jack slowly raises his head but doesn't look at me.

"Um, I saw everything they did to you, except the full body examination, because only girls were allowed, and um......"

"Don't worry, I understand and I think trust you, now I better get changed". I pick up the clothes off the bed that have my name written clearly on each item and head to the curtain. I have a black T-shirt with a low neck, black full length tights that have pockets at the back and around the ankle on the inside, but the tights feel more like flexible jeans once there on, waterproof, thick black socks and fully black lace up hiking boots that come up to my ankle. As I'm pulling on my socks i realize that my toenails are painted black, i try to scrape some off but it doesn't work. I look at my fingernails, but they are pretty normal except that they are perfectly finished and have a clear waxy coating on each one. I walk out from behind the curtain and find myself face to face with Jack. He steps back and looks at me.

"wow, how do you make black look so good?". i blush and head over to the shelf where Jack helps me put on the belt and adjust the backpack so it fits me right. I can only assume that i look ok by Jacks reaction because i cannot find a mirror. I walk over to the bed and lie down, what is going i wonder... will i make it home?

"Do you have a family?"

"yes"

"Are you an American citizen?"

"No, Australian, and darn proud of it".

"How long had you been attending the school?"

"One and a half days"

"Do you have any illnesses or history of illnesses?'

"No"

"How old are you?"

"17"

"Who in your family is in America right now?"

"My dad"

"Do you have anymore family?"

"Yes, back in Australia"

"Who?"

"My mum"

"Have you been in contact with anyone since you have landed in America three days ago?"

"Yes".

"Who?"

"Jenny and Josho, friends from school and I contacted my mum when the plane landed".

"Are they scheduled to visit?"

"No"

"Do you have any cousins, grandparents etc?"

"Um, my grandparents died when i was three and i never knew any cousins due to the splitting of my parents."

"Why is that?"

"My parents didn't want anything to go wrong between them or something, so i never met them".

"Do you have a phone or watch with you right now?"

"I have a phone in the bag i left, but that is it".

"Ok thank you, Gemma will be here in a moment to take you to your examination, but Jack will not be allowed to go with you, we need to question him further".

I walk out of the room and sit down against the wall of the hallway. Have you really, really liked a guy, but you knew that your parents would disapprove, so you feel like you have to hide him or you freak out that he will ask you out and that would change everything? Jack, Jack, Jack, my parents would hate you, I am falling for you and i feel so guilty, but all i know is that you are here now and at this moment that is all i care about.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I walk back to my 'room' that is really my holding cell in a creepy medical centre and i see Jack sitting on the bed staring at a big yellow envelope that he is holding in his hands. I walk over and sit next to him, trying to catch his eye.

"What is it?" I ask concerned. He reaches over and puts the envelope in my lap.

"Open it" He says without any emotion. I turn it over and tear open the top.

Dear: Alenna

You have been checked and cleared. what ever happened now you must know you are one with us: the phoenix TT.

Background info:

The world is at war. The school you attended was under the mind control of the principal, who is part of the Loch Ness CC. If you were to stay a day longer, you to would have become brainwashed by a microchip that is buried in the cafeteria food.

As for your dad, we are sorry to say that he is also part of the Loch Ness CC, we do believe that he set you up. As far as we know your family is Australia are safe, the war is still contained in America.

Test:

One of the things we tested you for is the blood of the earthling and the blood of the animal. You tested positive to both.

...

You need to accept what has happened, because there is no going back, you are soon to become the TT phoenix.

...Goodluck and may the phoenix watch you...

I look up and stare at the wall.

Jack rips the letter out of my hands and throws it at the door where it burns to nothing. I stay starring...