EPIPHANY ? newt

"Hey! Seph! Wake up!" a shrill whisper woke me up. I opened my eyes to see a pale boy with dark hair leaning over my body - and if i didn't recognize that voice i'd have screamed.

"Aris, what are you doing here?" i asked, still trying to shake the sleepiness out of my voice.

The boy looked frantic. "C'mon, Seph, we gotta go. Somethings happening - this place isn't safe. It'd been WICKED all along. Thomas and i found something we shouldn't have. You have to just trust me, we need to go. Now."

Frowning, i quickly sit up, noticing all the others in my room still asleep. "Who the hell is Thomas? And are they not-"

"I already asked Harriet. She doesn't want to believe me. We don't have time to be trying to convince everyone to leave. But i couldn't- i couldn't leave you." bitterness was clear in his voice.

I understood the urgency in his voice - which is why a second later, after grabbing the one think i had in my possession and stuffing it into my back pocket, i had let him lead my into the air vents. A few minute later he pushed open another vent, where I hear male voices arguing. I blame having just woken up for it to have taken that long to click where we were, the boy's room.

"Lets go! Aris, is there no one else?" the boy who seemed to love creating a scene asked, looking at me. How did they know each other?

"No, they don't want to come. I can't force them." he replied briskly. "Now move it - they're coming."

I waited in the darkened room as, after throwing some of the furniture in front of the door in a weak attempt to stop guards from infiltrating the room, the boys started filing through the vent, Aris leading them. I could hear shouts from outside the room by the time everyone was in - heart racing, i threw myself in last, being the only one able to twist around inside the vents to shut the grill back over it. It may not give us much more time, but i'd take anything at this point.

The next few minutes were a blur - Aris broke away from the group, having to go another way, while the attention seeker guy insisted on going to find Teresa. Thankfully, i had an idea of where she was being kept, so the Asian boy, who was now in front, kicked out another vent as we slipped out.

"This way," i hissed, running down a few corridors. But, just when i thought that we had crossed the danger zone and moved into an area less people would be looking, a woman in a white lab coat suddenly blocked our path, frowning.

"What are you kids doing here? You're not allowed in this area." she asked, a note of suspicion in her voice. At that very moment blaring alarms started going off, painting the white walls a bright flashing red. The nurse was quick to figure out what was going on and, with eyes wide, she tried backing away - looking for a place to run.

"Don't even try." my voice came out unusually calm as i sprinted down the hall, managing to grab onto her coat - slowing her down enough for the blonde boy who had been right behind me to push her down. I raised an eyebrow before kneeling next to him so i could look the woman in her eyes. From what i had seen - i wouldn't have guessed the blonde guy had it in him to tackle someone like that - it was a pleasant surprise. People actually willing to do stuff.

"We're looking for someone named Teresa. Tell me where she is." I demanded, glaring at her. The boy next to me turned sharply in my direction, giving me a strange look i couldn't decipher, but i didn't have time to ask about it.

"Down this hall, passed the intersection, and then turn at the next right." the nurse said - giving in easily.

"Perfect, that wasn't that bloody hard now was it?" standing up, i start in the direction she had pointed us in, being careful to make sure it wasn't some ploy trying to send us willingly into a trap. The brown haired guy grabbed hold of the woman, dragging her along with us.