"Twelve?" I whisper, my voice still hoarse.

He nods as he kneels at my bed, and as his eyes meet mine, it's obvious we both see each other as no more than strangers. I know nothing about him, and some mysterious man telling me we're related really doesn't give me much. "Morgan said you'd be in here. You're..."

"Seven. My name's Seven, I guess." 'We found you and your brother, Twelve, in a terrible state.'

"We...we're siblings..." I try to wrap everything around my head, trying to remember, but of course, nothing works.

"I know. Apparently, that's all I can seem to remember."

Eight scratches his head. "Lazima tuondoke hapa." He mumbles, and I blink, staring in confusion. "We have to get out of here." He repeats, in English this time.

Twelve sighs heavily. "There's got to be some way out. There's always a weak spot in everything."

I think for a moment. "What if we set up a meeting? All of us can meet in the Rec Room. Maybe, just maybe someone can remember something."

Thirteen laughs. "Wow. That's by far the stupidest idea that's come out of your mouth. Morgan already told us our memories are gone!"

"If you're so smart, give me a better option." I grumble.

She stays quiet. I thought so bitch.

Twelve nods. "We should get everyone together. We need to know who's who, and what we all can do. There's gotta be some way out of this mess."

Eight sighs. "Something tells me that we won't make much progress. I mean, none of us remember anything."

"We have to try." I quickly add, trying to have hope. That's the one thing I have left to hold on to. "And while we do that, we need to keep an eye out for Dr. Ryker. She's just looking for a reason to torture us."

We all agree. Thirteen walks out my room, but Eight and Twelve stay. Eight approaches and gives me an overly concerned look and I dread the question that's to come. "What did she do to you?"

I shake my head, thinking of the water slowly killing me. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Seven-"

"I said I don't want to talk about it!" I yell a lot louder than I mean to, and I begin to get agitated. I can still feel the burning in my lungs.

Eight sighs, closing his eyes a moment. "I know it might be traumatizing..."

Twelve crosses his arms and gives Eight a sharp glare. "She said she didn't want to talk about it. Look, if you hadn't have been so cocky with Dr. Ryker, none of this would've happened in the first place."

I can see that smallest hint of guilt flash through Eight's eyes before he turned to her brother, a scowl on his face. "I didn't do anything! It's the manic scientist who hurt her, not me!"

"Please, don't fight..." I say weakly. Abruptly, a spark of electricity shoots through my body, causing me to start convulsing. Electricity sparks around me as my body shakes violently.

Eight touches my shoulder, and I accidentally shock him. He yelps and quickly snatches his hand away.

The first seizure I had was shorter, less painful, and definitely didn't leave this stinging feeling lingering in my body. Did the water tank affect me somehow?

Eight's eyes go wide. "What the hell?"

"It's nothing." I say quickly. The last thing I need is someone to worry and add more stress onto me.

"You just had some seizure in front of me and you're telling us it's nothing?" Twelve responds, concern layered thickly in his voice.

I sigh heavily. "Please...just don't worry about it." I'm practically begging at this point. I just want everyone to shut the hell up and leave me alone. Maybe then I can get some more sleep. Tremors course through my body, and I pull the covers around me.

Finally, Twelve nods and walks out the door, Eight lingering a moment before he follows. I sit up and slide off my bed, slowly opening the door. I can see Tweleve and Eight dissappear down the left hallway, and I'm about to close the door and head for bed when something catches my eyes. The right hallway is dark and empty, and curiosity gets the best of me. Mustering up some courage, I walk out my room, shuddering at the cold tile I walk on. Surely Morgan could've given us some damn shoes.

I look down both hallways and don't see Dr. Ryker or Morgan. As I walk down the right hallway, I pass our rooms and find myself in a dimly lit corridor. Each room haswindows, just like the corridors we past when heading to the cafe, and I see a door labeled: AREA 1856.

I look through the small window and see beds lined up in rows. There are high tech computers and wires running everywhere, monitors and lights casting shadows.

I jump as I hear a familiar voice, and whip my head around.

"Seven! Wait up!"

I turn around and see Four running behind me. His green eyes glisten as he smiles, his metal ball floating around in his hand. He stops by my side, standing on his tiptoes, trying desperately to peek through the window. I laugh and pick him up, letting him see what's inside.

"What is it? Some kind of evil experimenting room?" He sounds way too excited when he says this.

"I hope not," I say. The room honestly gives me the creeps. I look down the hall and see a large elevator.l at the end of the corridor. I put Four down gently and we walk up to the elevator. I glance at the two buttons on the wall- one up, one down. I press down, and the elevator dings and opens.

Four tugs on my arm, "I don't think Morgan-"

"Who cares about Morgan?" I mumble with an eye roll. Without even thinking about what I'm doing, I step into the elevator. I reach out for Four's hand, but he shakes his head, indicating that he's not coming. The elevator then closes, and I'm left with silence. Inside, there's very little light, and the light bulb flickers on and off. The walls are a dusty white, and there are small cracks and crevices in the tile floor.

I run my hand across the many buttons of the elevator, my fingers brushing over each number. I notice the very last button is labeled: RA.

Of course, I decide to press it.

The elevator slowly drops to the last floor, dinging as it does so. The elevator then opens, only to find a large piece of stone blocking my way. I place my foot on a small indent in the rock, ignoring the roughness of the jagged stone against my bare feet, pushing my self up. I grab onto another crevice in the rock, slowly climbing over it. I jump down, my bare feet hitting the cold floor once again.

When I finally look up, I gasp as I look at the extensive damage that has been done on this floor. Scorch marks cover the walls and parts of the floor, black ash everywhere I look, large bits of rock and gravel are everywhere, doors to rooms have huge dents in them, and the tile is broken off the floor. This place looks like it's about to crumble at any minute.

I step around sharp rocks as I walk down the dark hallway. The stark smell of mildew is present as water drips from the ceiling. The gravel scrapes the bottom of my bare feet as I walk, and I groan I brush it off my feet. The walls are a hideous shade of green, and I hear the buzzing of the lights above me. As I continue to search the hallway, I hear a sound. It's not wind, more like a whisper. I walk toward the sound, slowly, hesitating to turn the corner. 

As I keep walking, however, the whisper turns into sobs. I stop at a room labeled:  CONTAINMENT: SUBJECT 021. I notice the bright, almost blinding hues of red, orange, and white coming through the small window in the door. I squint as I peek through the window, gasping at what I see.

It's another child, I think, around 14, maybe older, bright yellow, orange, and red energy surrounding them. It swarms around them like thick rope, bursting with glowing energy that covers the room, and it looks like it's coming from them. Their hair looks like it was cut with a butcher's knife, messy and split ends everywhere. Their eyes are a yellowish white, and they stare at me, as if their begging me to set them free. Even their sun-kissed skin is glowing and bright yellowish white.

Tears pour down their eyes, but they don't move. Their body floats in the air, tall, lean and feminine, their arms spread out and short cut hair floating gracefully. They look in pain, in pure misery yet so beautiful and graceful at the same time.

I place a hand on the glass. "I'm going to get you out of here!"

Their mouth gapes, there's a pause, and then a terrible, blood curdling scream escapes from their lips. I cover my ears,  frantically running down the hallway as I hear footsteps. I press the button to the elevator repeatedly, and it opens, the lights flicker on and off, the gravel levitates, the walls seem to move, the tile shakes. I run in the elevator, pressing the top floor, the scream still ringing in my ears.

The minute the elevator door opens, I rush down the hallway, looking behind me every now and then to make sure no one saw me. Four leans on the door to my room, playing with the metal ball, turning it to liquid, then a square, then back to a ball.

"What did you see?" He asks curiously, raising a brow at my terrified expression.

I shake my head, rubbing my trembling hands. "Uh, nothing," I say, still looking behind me.

Four tries to see what I'm looking for, his face showing his confusion. "Um...okay. Well, everybody's waiting in the Rec Room."

I nod slowly, "Yeah..ok." We walk down the hallway, passing multiple rooms. I turn to face Four. "Listen, you can't tell anyone that I went in that elevator, okay?"

Four glares at me, "Why? Did you see something?"

I look down at the ground as a mental picture of the mysterious kid pops into my head. Why was she the only one who was upstairs, and did she cause all that damage? I look back up at Four. "I...just forget it."

He stares at me for a moment, the motions for me to follow him. "The Rec Room is right down the hall."

I nod, and sigh heavily. The few hours I've been here, all I've been trying to do is remember, and each time, I fail. I highly doubt that anyone has had luck with remembering anything, but at least we'll know what each of us can do.

Four stops at a door that reads: AREA 1776. I open the door and find that everyone is already sitting on the couches, waiting on me. I sigh and sit beside Six. Four sits next to me, still playing around with the small metal ball.

"Is this everyone?" I ask.

Everyone nodded slowly as Eight glanced at me. "I think so. There's 20 of us."

A young boy shakes his head, his deep green eyes showing signs of confusion. He blows a strand of his curly brown hair out of his face. "No. There's 21 kids here. That's what Morgan said."

If there's twenty one of us, could the girl I saw upstairs be the one we're missing? I look around at all of us. It isn't till now that I notice my surroundings.

The Rec Room is beautiful. With white couches and floor to ceiling windows that show ocean outside. Something tells me that what I see is fake, and it's just an image. There's three flat-screen TV's on the walls, allowing us to watch from any direction. To one part of the room is full of little kids toys, such as what Four might play with.

To the other side are video games and stacks of books and board games. But what catches my eye are the rows and rows of snacks on a large table. I feel my mouth water at the sight of cinnamon rolls stacked high on a platter, and their still steaming.

As much as I want to eat, I notice that no one else has touched the food, so I resist. I look back at everyone else. "We should start with our names, and our powers."

Thirteen scoffs, "Who made you the leader?"

"I never said I was a leader." I say, glaring at her. "We start with One."

The young boy with the deep green eyes and curly brown hair perks up. He looks no older than Four. "I'm One. And....I can turn invisible." He smiles softly, and vanishes in thin air, then reappears in the same spot.

"I'm Two." Says another girl, sitting beside Thirteen. She has tanned skin, freckles all over her. Her hazel eyes seemed to mix with her long, deep auburn red hair, and if fall was a person, I believe it would be her. "My power...is Intangibility."

Four seems confused, whispering in my ear. "What's that mean?"

I smile and lean over. "She can....go through things, I think. Like, walls."

Four nods his head, listening as the next kid speaks. The next girl has light skin the color of caramel and grey eyes with beautiful dark brown hair in tight braids. 

"I'm Three," She says quietly, looking down at the floor. "I don'treally know whatyou call my power...." She looks away from all of us, tugging at her shirt. She stomps her foot on the ground, and the ground shakes, causing a strong, tingly vibration throughout the room. My ears ring, and the force nearly makes me fall over till she quickly stops, and adds a quiet apology.

Four perks up, smiling at me. He seems excited to tell everyone about his abilities, and I know why. I can't remember anything, but the fact that there are others out there with abilities gives me the opportunity to speak freely, without having to hide. That's what Morgan said, right? That we were all in hiding before this.

"I'm Four, and I can control metal with my mind! Just like Magneto!" He says proudly, turning his metal ball into liquid, then into a small triangle.

Thirteen rolls her eyes as Five, an girl around 15, begins to speak. Her eyes are small and almost shape, skin the color of porcelain and hair cut short to her ears. "I'm Five, at least, that's what Morgan says, and I can...what do you call it....time manipulation?"

I watch as Six shuffles a bit, then speaks. "I'm Six. And...I have telekinesis."

I hear a few gasps here and there, a few mutters complimenting other's abilities.

Six shakes her head. "I don't think I'm that powerful." Six responds to One's remarks that she could easily crush the entire building. The girl then looks at me, waiting for me to speak.

I sit up straight. "I'm Seven, and I can control electricity and manipulate technology." Sparks of energy flurry around my fingers.

We all listen as everyone takes turns. Eight, as he already told me earlier has pyrokenisis. Nine, a young girl no older than 7, can shapeshift. Turns out, Nine and Three are sisters. Ten, the red-headed girl I saw in the hallway, has nature manipulation.

Another girl, around the age of 12 I assume, sits up straight, smiling softly as she speaks. Her voice is high-pitched, yet raspy. "I'm Eleven, and I...well...I don't really know what you call it..." She sighs, as her fingernails grow into long, sharp claws, and fangs form from her teeth.

I blink in surprise. The once young, innocent looking girl now looks like a demon, literally a demon. Scales replace their smooth skin, veins of black creeping up her skin as the whites of her eyes go red. A couple of us gasp, while others give each other scared or worried looks. She turns back to normal, slouching a bit as she adjusts herself on the couch.

Twelve goes up next, and explains that he has the ability to manipulate the mind. Thirteen, goes up next, and I'm surprised as she demonstrates her cryokenisis. I honestly expected her to have mind control or something. Seemed fitting for her, anyway.

Fourteen, a boy around 15 or so, stands up, looking a bit awkward. His brown eyes light up a bit. "I'm Fourteen, and I have super speed." He says this quickly, and sits down.

Four perks up again, "You're just like the Flash!"

Fourteen laughs a bit, then nods, "I guess so, little man."

Four turns to me, pointing. "And you're like Storm," he then points to Nine, "And you're kinda like Mystique!"

Everyone laughs a bit, and the tension in the room slowly fades as Fifteen speaks up. Turns out, she can self-clone. Sixteen has power absorbtion and Seventeen has weather manipulation. I run everyone's powers through my head, thinking of the many ways we can escape.

"Something doesn't feel right..." I finally mumble.

Five raises a brow in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"We're too powerful." I speak up, looking around the room.. "Six could snap someone's neck if she wanted to, Twelve can control mind's....or manipulate it or whatever, and Eleven can from into a literal demon!"

Eight smiles wide. "That was pretty badass, honestly."

A few chuckles go around the room before Iet out a sigh. "My point is we could easily kill everyone here and escape. Morgan knows this, he knows us more than we do. They obviously have thought of anyways we might try to escape!"

Two looks at the table of snacks and reaches for an apple, but her hand is quickly swiped away by Five.

Two grumbles, looking at Five with confusion and frustration on her face. "Hey! I was gonna eat that!"

Five shakes her head, looking around at everyone. "Listen, we don't know Morgan's intentions with us, but we need to be as careful and as cautious as possible."

At first, I nod, thinking that Five makes a very good point. Then, I notice the proud look that Five gives Thirteen, and it makes me wonder if they've been talking already. I'd hate to think that Thirteen's negative way of thinking is getting in the other kids' heads.

I look up at Five, and shake my head. I disagree partly because I don't like Thirteen, and partly because I really don't agree. "Sure, there's something going on here, but I don't think Morgan's trying to hurt us. If he wanted to kill us, wouldn't he do it by now?"

I get a weird feeling in my chest as I realize I just repeated the very words Morgan told me. Wether that's a good thing, I don't know.

Eight looks at me, a frown on his face, "I'm with Five on this one. We need a plan, just in case-"

"In case what?" I say, a bit sharper than I meant to. "Morgan and Dr. Ryker both have the power over us. One wrong move and they can easily overpower us, kill us all, probably. We need to gain their trust."

Everyone nods, even Thirteen. Twelve looks at his feet as he talks. "We should stop talking. They could have audio and cameras everywhere. We talk later, got it?"

Everyone silently agrees, and I flinch as I hear Morgan's booming voice again. "WELL, CHILDREN, I KNOW YOU HAVE MANY QUESTIONS, BUT IT'S VERY LATE. MY MEN WILL ESCORT YOU TO YOUR ROOMS TO SLEEP. THE DOORS WILL ALWAYS BE LOCKED AT NIGHT, UNTIL WE CAN FULLY TRUST YOU. GOOD NIGHT."

His voice sounds deep and tired, full of stress. Although I don't want to admit it, it seems like Morgan might not be the evil man that I thought from the beginning. Maybe the real villain isn't as easy to spot as I'd hoped.