The door still hasn't unlocked. "Can I go?" I ask.

"Yes, but you are expected to go to assembly room one to await further instructions and information."

"Okay," I push the door open. "Wait!"

"Yes Miss Parker?"

"Are my friends okay?"

"I can't answer that."

*****************

I'm one of the first people of the second group in the assembly room. The first thing I did was look for my friends. Out of the twenty one left, it's not hard to find Anna, Erik and Bree.

"Oh my gosh, you're here!" I hug all three of them at once, squishing Bree in the middle.

"Yep!" Bree laughs. "And so are you!"

"Of course we are!" Anna grins. "Nothing could get rid of us!"

"Clair isn't here..." I say, looking over the small crowd of people.

"Yeah, she's gone," Erik says.

I go to reply when Jason walks into the room. "Jason!" I squeal. "You're here!"

"Wouldn't miss this party," he laughs. "Nate here yet?"

"Not yet."

"He'll be here soon."

"I hope so," I sigh. "Don't worry about him. He's fine. He'll be here."

"Okay. How did your sim go?"

"Well since I'm standing here I guess it went well," he sighs after I give him a look. "But it was tough. Ended with my worst fear."

"Same for me."

"Me too," Anna says.

Bree and Erik nod.

"Abilities now. Wow. What will it be like?"

"Amazing."

"Terrifying."

"Weird."

"Fun!"

"Oh thank goodness you're all alive!" Jen yells from across the room. She comes running.

"I knew you'd be staying!" I laugh. "You're the brave one."

"That is correct," she laughs too.

"Mind if I join the party?" Shaun says, coming up from behind me.

"You did it!" I hug him quickly. "And people keep calling this a party..." I laugh again.

"Well it is! We should all be celebrating!"

"Your sister..."

"I know," he says. "It's okay."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, she's just going home, why should I be upset? I'll see her in like a year."

"Glad you're here man," Jason pats him on the shoulder.

"You too."

"Aria! Jen!" Melody's voice come from the doorway.

Where are Nate and Carrie?

"Hey Mels!" Jen waves. "Glad to see you!"

After talking for awhile longer I see Nate in the doorway. I run up to him and hug him, burying my face into his shoulder.

"What? You think I wasn't gonna pass?"

"Of course I knew you would. I was still worried."

He laughs at me. "You worry way too much for the average teenager."

"That isn't true!" I laugh.

"Sure it isn't."

I drag him over to the group.

Alex appears onstage. "Welcome teenagers. And the Twelve."

Everyone turns to Bree. "Yeah, I'm the last one!" She says, as if daring you to challenge her.

"Mmhm, anyway, congrats you deserved it and all that sh-"

"Alex!" CeCe scolds him.

He rolls his eyes. "Fine. You all passed, now it's time for stage two. Yay for you," he says it emotionlessly.

Suddenly my throat feels dry. Carrie. Where is Carrie.

Accessing the lighting memory, I scan the room. Within seconds I count forty six people. There is supposed to be forty seven. She's coming, she's just late.

Nate and Jen are looking at me sadly. "Aria..."

"She late. She's coming."

"Aria..."

"She's always late, she probably grabbed a snack."

"Aria!"

"What!"

"Count the people."

"I did. Forty six. She's coming."

"Hey," Jennifer puts a hand on my shoulder. "Did you count yourself?"

I feel my heart plummet in my chest. "No," my voice comes out strangled.

"I'm so sorry Aria."

"No no no no no no NO!"

"Ari-"

"Shut up!" I look at Nate. "Shut up."

"I'm sorry."

"She won't remember."

"I know."

I bite my tongue and drive my fingernails into my arm. I'm not going to cry. I have to stay focused.

"She won't remember ANY of it."

"I know."

"In what reality is that fair?"

"None."

Jen, Melody, Bree, Erik, Jason, Anna, Shaun and Nate all give me a group hug.

"I'm fine," I sigh.

"No, but let's pretend that."

"She's your friend too. Be sad for you, not for me."

"Ahm, eyes on me! I'm talking to you brats!" Alex exclaims.

"You'll see her again soon," Nate whispers.

"Ah, now that I have your attention, I'd like to bring up one of our scientists to talk about turning you all into lab rats. Oops, I mean giving you the great pleasure of bearing the abilities," Alex steps back as one of the scientists takes the mic.

"Hello!" She says. "Congratulations! We are all so proud of you! You have made it so far!"

The other scientists behind her along with the security guards and others who work here clap as well.

"You are the best of the best, the strongest, the most determined. Be proud! Before we get straight down to business, you must know that your dorms are being re-done so you're all closer together. After getting rid of 354 people, there is way too much of a gap between rooms. Oh, and we've decided to make the rooms bigger. Instead of two people per dorm, there will now be four. We'll give you ten minutes to decide your roommates. One last thing, because of the uneven number of you there will be one room that doesn't have four people."

"Wow, that means only twelve rooms now! Before there was two hundred!" Anna says.

"That's insane..."

"Wanna be roomies?" Jen asks Anna and Melody and I.

"Sure! That will be amazing!" Melody exclaims.

I turn to Bree, "Wait, do you have anyone to go with?"

"Yeah, two Thirteens and a Fourteen," she smiles.

"Good," I smile back.

"Okay, ten minutes up!" The scientist says eventually. "Come write your decisions up here," She motions to a screen. "And we can get started!"

After everyone's finished the scientist looks over the crowd and excitedly says, "Who's ready to become superhuman?"

*********************
Shorter chapter than usual, but oh well! :P