"School." I breathed, completely forgetting that I used to even go to school. It was a distant memory. I was never fan. School was never exactly easy for me. The work was. The people weren't. The whole, waking up at the butt crack of dawn to learn or be bored all day wasn't really for me. But I went anyway. I did my work. I hung out with very few friends, and went home. "I was in my last year of school before they drafted me. Didn't even get to finish." I thought out loud. "Seems like a life time ago."

"Yeah, it does." Em agreed.
"Well, I miss pancakes," Joe said longingly, "and I miss Cara."
"Cara?" Nina asked, looking over her shoulder with a frown. "Really? But I thought she dumped-"
"She did not dump me. We were on a break." Joe was adamant. "Besides, even if she did dump me- which she didn't- I'm still allowed to miss her. I have no idea whether she's okay or not. She wasn't drafted when I was, so who know's if she's still working reception or working on the front."
There was a moment of silence while we all took what Joe was saying in. There was no way of knowing whether the people we loved were even still alive.
"Well, I'm sure you'll find her when we get home." Em said, clearly trying to stay positive. "You can remind her how much you love her and then you'll move far away from this war. Start a family, have two babies, maybe three, raise some chickens. You'll be fine."
I smiled quietly to myself. It was an honest plan. A good plan. If I ever got the chance to leave this mess behind I'd take it in a heartbeat.

That did sound like a good plan. A lovely plan. I had forgotten about life outside of the war. It all seemed so surreal now. Almost like a dream I could barely remember. "I wonder if my sister is alright. Or if she's even still alive?" I furrowed my brow at the thought and shook my head as to shake the faint memories away.
"You have a sister?" I heard what sounded like Spencer chime in.
"Mhmm. She's older than me. She was drafted about a year before I was. We didn't really-" I paused, spotting what looked to be an old building ahead of us. "Wait. Can anyone make out what that is?" I pointed through the trees towards an old overgrown trail.

We all stopped and looked ahead at whatever Daisy was pointing out.
"I can't see-" Spencer started, then, "Oh."
It took me a moment too. It blended in so well to it's surroundings, I probably wouldn't have seen it if it wasn't for Daisy spotting it. Covered in years of growth from the forest and looking as if it hadn't been touched in centuries, a building stood in the distance.
"What do you reckon that is?" Em asked.
"I dunno." Nina said, her head was down now, searching the maps. "It's not on the map though, any of them. This is where we are-" she jabbed at the papers "-there shouldn't be anything for miles." Joe was looking over her shoulder as she looked up, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"Well, it's definitely there." Spencer said, clearly not knowing what else to make of it.
"Shall we check it out?" I suggested slowly, not knowing whether Nina wanted to stick to the schedule and the lines of the maps she held.

"I don't know..." I said quietly. "It doesn't look dangerous. It looks abandoned, like the cabin."
Em slowly began walking towards the old abandoned building. "How much further until we reach something else? We could stay here a night if we need to." She trailed off, almost hypnotized with curiosity.
"I guess we're following her, then." Nina rolled her eyes as she trailed behind her sister.

Joe scoffed and traipsed after his two sisters.
Spencer looked back at Daisy and I, hesitated then shrugged before he halfheartedly jogged to catch up with his siblings.
"Well, I guess that's that," I turned to look at Daisy, "after you." I held out an arm after the other four and nodded Daisy through."Fingers crossed it is abandoned and not dangerous, I'm not really in the mood for a shoot out if I'm being honest." I smiled at her as she passed and I scanned our surroundings before closing off the line, following closely behind the five people who were now all I could count on.

Walking up to the building felt like an eternity. One, because I was a little nervous and two, because my leg hurt and I was walking slow.
Em got to the building first. I could see her up ahead, peeking through windows that looked coated in dust.
"It's empty." She shrugged her shoulders, looking back at us then towards the windows again. Spencer caught up to his sister, eager to look inside. His forehead was almost pressed against the window, his hands planted firmly on the dirty glass.
"Identify yourselves in ten seconds or we blow you away." A loud shout came from above. I looked up towards the roof, but I saw no one. Nervous, I looked back at Sam, unsure of what was about to happen to us.

The voice startled me as it carried throughout our immediate surroundings, encasing the six of us in it's fearsome threat.
I threw a nervous glance at Daisy who was frozen in front of me. Should we declare ourselves as Tilerians or Jaxlors? How could we know who these people were and how they might react to who we were?
I needn't have worried about deciding how to answer them, as Joe, who was spinning on the spot shooting terrified looks into the thick trees, spoke quickly. "Don't shoot! Please, we're Tilerians. We're not looking for trouble!"
I waited with bated breath, hoping this his honesty was the right track to take. The worst part of this situation was not being able to see whoever was watching us. How many were there? They must be skilled soldiers to be hiding so well, even as I scanned the trees searching with narrowed eyes, one hand on the gun on my hip, I saw nothing.

"Tilerians?" The mysterious voice shouted back at us. "Tilerians!" The voice shouted again, confirming who we were.
I took a deep breath, closing my eyes for a moment. To make it all this way and be shot down for nothing was what scared me the most. That all of this was a waste of time. Why would Joe give away our position so fast? He was nervous. Either way, if he didn't say anything, we'd be in trouble.
I opened my eyes to the sound of loud footsteps echoing throughout the building. The steps became louder and the pace grew faster as we awaited out fate. Joe and Sam had their hands on their guns, preparing for whatever was about to happen. When the footsteps stopped, I felt like my heart did with them. Two loud clicks bounced off the walls of the empty building. The doors slowly opened, revealing a short, red headed girl. She wore the same uniform as us. She was a Tilerian.
"Welcome to the Grey Base." She said, a smirk tugging at her lips. "It's safe. You're all safe now." She waved a hand, motioning us to go inside.

I let out the breath I didn't realise I was holding. We were all stuck still for a moment, each of us processing what had just happened.
"Are... are you kidding?" Spencer stuttered foolishly.
The girl snorted and looked over her shoulder. "Get a load of this, Pete." She looked back at Spencer and raised a brow. "Yeah, I'm kidding. Would you like to be shot first?" Her voice was filled to the brim with sarcasm. Nina biffed Spencer on the back of his head before walking forwards and holding out her hand.
"I'm Nina. It's good to see a friendly face."
The auburn haired girl smiled and shook Nina's hand. "I remember that feeling." She looked over the rest of us. I was still hesitant and clearly I wasn't the only one. "My name is Isabelle. Isy for short if you want. Get inside. I'm not getting shot on my own doorstep for you if you were followed."

"I- Uh-" I looked back at Sam, confused and relived. "Should we go in?" I asked him, watching as majority of the Siblings filed in. "I don't know if we should or not. I'm-" I paused for a moment. "Skeptical." I faced the building again, studying the girl who introduced herself as Isabelle. She was short with long hair that lay over her shoulders in two braids. Her face was friendly and welcoming, but it could still be a trap.

"I know what you mean." I scanned what we had thought was an abandoned building and then at the surrounding forest, weighing our options. "I don't think we have a choice." I said as I looked back at Daisy.
Lowering my voice, I stepped closer to her making it look like I was about to help her inside. "Even if it's a trap and they are Jaxlors, if we try to leave they might just kill us right here. At least if we go in we might have a chance to plan an escape." I took her arm and looked ahead at the girl, Isy, who had just turned away from Em and caught my eye.
"Need a hand?" She offered lightly, making no move to come towards us.
"No, thanks. We're fine." I turned back to Daisy. "Ready?"

"You're right. Okay." I paused, starring at Isy who was starring right back at us. "Mhmm, I'm ready." I took a deep breath. "Let's do this." I walked with Sam as he helped me inside.
The building was old, empty, and dusty. I had no idea how they could stand to be in this dump. I was sure Joe would start sneezing any minute. The doors closed behind us and Isy lead us down a narrow hallway. "Down here." She placed her hand gently on the old dirty wall. A small square on the wall lit up with a dim blue light. It then ran down her hand and scanned her fingers. The wall slid open, revealing a clean, well lit stairway.
"Follow me." She smiled as she made her way down the stairs and through a hallway.

The six of us followed in shocked silence. We hadn't been expecting anyone to be here, let alone something so high-tech. Was this the cross that had marked the maps Nina had now stuffed out of sight in her bag?
I was hardly concentrating as I helped Daisy down the stairs. Glancing over my shoulder, I spotted a man dressed in the same uniform as the rest of us. He was stationed outside the door we'd just gone through, ensuring it did it's job as it slid closed behind us and cut him from my sight. We were all doused in a white spotless light, making the shadows on our faces more pronounced. I suddenly realised how dirty we all were, I wondered if there would be showers where we were headed.

Walking down the steps was a pain and I dread every moment of it. But I kept my face still, determined not to grimace. When we made it down the stairs, I let out a sigh of relief. The bright hallway lead to a room with machines, computers, and more. To the left of that was a short hallway that had what looked like a dining hall on the other side of it.
"We just want to get your information and we'll show you to your new rooms so you all can get showered and changed." Isy kept walking as she spoke. A tall, dark-skinned man met interrupted us. He had a clipboard and pen ready to take down our names. He started with the siblings, then Sam and I.

"Samuel Pace." I stood still, arms folded as I resisted showing my discomfort.
"Your age?" The man stood towering in front of me as he filled in the boxes on his forms. He may have been taking notes, but he was built like a fighter. He was broad and strong, the uniform he wore hid nothing. He had introduced himself as Reid. Whether that was his first or last name, I couldn't be sure.
I was the last to go through this process and every second was making me more and more anxious. Had the others answered every question they were asked?
Reid was asking questions that touched on our time in the army, our home life, what we'd done while enlisted and how we happened here. The whole time I stood still, despite being offered the seat across the room. I didn't like being split from the others, the longer I stayed here, the more I wanted to get out.

As Isy lead The Siblings to the dorms, I insisted that I'd wait for Sam in the hall. I didn't like leaving him behind and I was still uneasy about this place. It seemed safe, but I couldn't be too sure. I leaned against the wall as I waited for Sam, avoiding looking at anyone that walked by me. I could feel the occasional soldier starring as they slowed down just enough to wonder who the dirty, limping girl was.
I peaked around a pillar that was partially blocking me from Sam's line of sight. Reid was still asking him questions, writing down whatever Sam was saying. I felt like this whole process was unnecessarily long, but I was sure it was for the best.

"That'll be all then." Reid said and walked away, head down as he headed for a desk across the room. I waited for the dismissal but it seemed that was all I would get.
I turned to walk away and spotted Daisy leaning against the wall in the hallway.
"I have one request." I said turning back to Reid who looked up from his clipboard, the silent question on his face as he waited. "My friend. Daisy. She needs medical care." I paused, hesitated, then continued. "She was shot two days ago in her leg. We did what we could, but I'd feel better if someone looked at her."
Reid stood up straight and nodded. "Of course, we'd be happy to help. I'm fairly certain I sent word to Doctor Davies, someone will be along to collect her. If I'm not mistaken, almost momentarily."
I nodded, said my thanks and left the room.

"Excuse me, Daisy Morris?" A heavyset women with brown curly hair stood before me. She wore a white lab coat and carried a clipboard.
"That's me." I stared, confused as to what she could possibly want.
"My name is Nurse Lynn. I'm here to take you to Doctor Davies. We want to take a look at that leg of yours. Just makin' sure everything is alright." She flashed a friendly smile.
"Oh- I didn't request a Doctor, though." I was confused.
"That's alright. We just want to make sure you're properly taken care of. Your friend sent in a request as well." She replied.
"Oh, alright. Okay. Cool, I'll just follow you then." I gently pushed myself from the wall and began to follow Lynn down another bright white hall that undoubtedly would take me to the hospital wing where Doctor Davies was waiting.

The glass door swung shut behind me and I looked down the hall to where Daisy had been resting. Reid wasn't lying. I spotted Daisy's head turning a corner further down the white hallway.
"I expect you'll want to shower now?" I turned to the voice that came behind me. It was Isy. She had her hands on her hips and was regarding me curiously.
"I suppose so." I said and shifted the bags on my shoulders. They were aching handsomely now.
"Follow me then. Your friends have already settled in fine." She had started walking away from me as she spoke and I hurried to follow. "What was your name again?"
"Sam."
She looked back at me and smirked. "Ah, Sam. My cousins name. So generic."
I didn't know whether to frown or laugh. I'd always thought the same thing, but to have someone say it to me created a defensiveness for the name I wasn't used to.