Eight hours. Eight hours of driving, just to end up in a shitty warehouse that’s probably less than a year away from completely keeling over. I recheck the address.

  ‘Are you sure this is the place?’ Remi squints at the building from the front seat.

  ‘I’m checking, and yeah. This is somehow the right place,’ my voice trails off as my gaze shoots between the GPS and the building.

  ‘I’m assuming we just,’ I tilt my head again, ‘go in?’

  Finn sits silently in the back, but I can practically feel his confusion. It’s like a puppy who was promised a treat but instead gets a crate.

  I shrug, letting out a soft noise.

  ‘Eh. I’ll go first. You guys stay here,’ I look specifically at Remi, before opening the driver’s seat door and stepping out.

  Holy shit. It’s hot. I fan my face with my hands.

  I can already feel the sweat forming on my forehead. It’s usually not this hot in San Diego, not at all. We should’ve brought ice packs or something. I should’ve checked the address and its climate. Damn.

  ‘Put your hands where I can see them!’ A woman’s voice echoes from inside the warehouse.

  I flinch, and put my hands up immediately.

  She steps out with two pistols trained on me. Shit shit shit shit shit–

  Unlike the other man who tried to shoot me two days ago, I could sense that this woman had no ill intent. Like she’s just trying to protect herself.

  She studies me intently, and I take this moment to go over her appearance.

  The thing I notice immediately, is that she’s gorgeous. She’s got very tanned skin, with a slim figure and a surprising amount of muscle. Her thick, curly black hair is tied into a low bun at the back of her head, with a few unruly strands stubbornly staying out. Her facial features are sharp, and I can tell she’s seen some things.

  Speaking of seeing, her eyes are a true wonder. What was the condition called…

  Right! She has heterochromia. One of her eyes is a deep, warm brown, and the other is liquid gold. I wouldn’t be surprised if I somehow managed to take out her eye and sell it to a pawn shop, it would be the same price as gold.

  ‘You look like a kid. What are you doing all the way out here?’ She asks while looking me up and down. She lowers one pistol, but keeps the other up.

  ‘I was sent here. By one, the website. LATruth something? And two, my forensics professor.’

  ‘Forensics–do you mean Liam?’ She lowers both pistols. There’s still tension in her body, though.

  ‘Uh. I don’t remember his first name, but probably,’ I shrug.

  ‘Oh! You must be Tomi, right?’ Her eyes widen and she backs up entirely.

  ‘I’m so sorry about that. We’ve had a lot of raids recently, and I thought you might be one of them!’ The woman puts a hand over her chest and takes a deep breath. You would think she’d almost gotten a heart attack.

  ‘You’re okay, it’s fine. Mr. Carter told me to bring my friends too. Is that okay?’ I ask carefully. Every muscle in my body tenses in anticipation.

  ‘Mhm. That’s perfectly fine. They’re in that car, right? I see a shape moving in there,’ she points to the car.

  ‘Yeah. Is it okay if I go get them?’

  ‘Go ahead. Go, shoo,’ she flicks her hand, and I immediately turn around.

  It’s clear that this woman could kick my ass in two seconds flat, so I’d rather not piss her off for now.

  I sprint over to the car, and hop back in the driver’s seat.

  ‘Who’s she? She looks terrifying…’ Remi’s hands shake.

  ‘Don’t worry, she knows who I am somehow. Come on, and bring your stuff,’

  I reach into the back next to Finn to grab my bag before getting right back out of the car.

  ‘Oh. I forgot to introduce myself,’ the woman starts before straightening up, ‘I’m Xia Larson. When pronouncing my name, try to use the french ‘J’ at the start, and then it’s just ‘eye-uh’. Xia.’

  Finn nods intently, and pulls out his phone. He’s likely writing it down.

  ‘And who are the both of you? I know Tomi already, since Liam told me,’ Xia glances between Remi and Finn behind me.

  ‘My name’s Finn Livesey, ma’am,’ he even does a little bow. Xia’s lip curls up.

  ‘Alright, and you?’ She turns to Remi.

  Remi taps her fingers together, and can’t make eye contact.

  ‘Um–it’s Remi Bannerman–uh, ma’am!’ Remi makes eye contact at the last minute, forcing an anxious smile.

  ‘I like this one. I’m adopting her. Come with me,’ Xia is suddenly behind Remi in an instant, softly taking her shoulder and leading her away.

  I hear a little whine escape Remi as she goes. Poor thing must be terrified.

  As soon as Xia and Remi are gone, I look back to stare at Finn. His eyes are wide, and he’s just looking between me and the door that they had just gone into.

  ‘Tomi, I get that we’re friends now, but did you really have to drag me into this weird stuff? Not to be mean, but like what the fuck.’

  I put my hands up in an “I don’t know either” sort of gesture, and look back at the door.

  ‘Should we… go in? I don’t think she’s going to come out any time soon,’ I ask, adjusting my suitcase on my back.

  ‘I mean, probably?’ I shrug.

  ?

  The second we’re inside the building, a man, who would be around Heki’s age by now, pops up.

  ‘HI! You must be Tomi, right? And oooo, a friend too?’ He gets all in my face.

  ‘Woah–please back up, sir, respectfully,’ I bow at him, keeping my hands together.

  ‘Sorry! Sorry. I just get excited when new people come to the warehouse!’ He squeals.

  ‘It doesn’t happen very often, I presume?’ Finn crosses his arms.

  ‘Not at all often. Maybe once or twice a year. The only person I’ve gotten to stay and work with us is Liam, but he’s got a job and all that crap…’ He playfully pouts.

  ‘Anyway, who are you, young man? You’re a pretty one, that’s for sure,’ he winks.

  Finn stays silent for a moment, eyes wide. Even in the dim light of the warehouse, I can see he’s blushing. Of embarrassment.

  ‘I’m not,’ he starts quietly, ‘I’m not “pretty”, and my name is Finn.’

  ‘Oh, but you are pretty. I bet Tomi thinks so too, hmmm~?’ His eyebrows wiggle, while a devious grin spreads across his face.

  My mouth opens and closes like a fish. I want to strangle this guy, and crawl into a hole simultaneously. My hands are everywhere at the same time, except on the man’s neck, where they really want to be. I don’t like him.

  ‘Oh! By the way, my name’s Lucas Athanasiou,’ the man grins and holds out his hand. I don’t shake it.

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  ‘Why did you make that website?’ I get straight to the point. Finn still looks entirely confused.

  ‘Hold that thought,’ Lucas puts a finger in my face before turning to Finn, ‘puppy boy, do you wanna go sit over there while I talk to your friend here?’

  Lucas points to the corner of the warehouse, where there’s a small couch.

  Finn’s nose scrunches up. It’s clear to me that the nickname irks him.

  ‘I guess…’ He shrugs, and trudges over there.

  ‘Alright. Now, how’d you find us? Just curious,’ Lucas tilts his head, almost electric green eyes staring directly into my soul. Damn. And I thought blue-eyed people were bad about that.

  ‘Well, technically I found you based on the website, but my forensics professor, Mr. Carter really sold the deal.’

  Lucas pauses for a moment. I can almost see the loading bar above his head.

  ‘Oh! You mean Liam, oh okay. He usually doesn’t just give out our location, though.’

  ‘Yeah. Some weird guy came into my classroom looking for me, and tried to take me,’ I explain as nonchalantly as I can.

  Lucas’ expression completely changes.

  ‘Weird guy? Liam didn’t tell me anything about this… hold on,’ Lucas steps outside.

  I’m left alone, in this massive warehouse. Well, I’m not entirely alone. Finn’s there in the corner. Where did Remi and Xia go, anyway? I turn on my phone flashlight and scan the warehouse with it. It’s bare. Almost too bare. There’s no way that anyone lives here.

  There has to be somewhere else.

  I shouldn’t snoop around, though. Especially considering I have no idea where Xia is.

  To get my mind off of it, I make my way to the corner as well. Finn looks up from his phone, eyes softening.

  ‘Hey, is this couch comfortable?’ I ask.

  ‘Surprisingly, yes,’ Finn pats the seat next to him.

  I take a seat, keeping a respectable distance between the two of us. I cross my legs and place my hands in my lap.

  We sat in silence for a while. Finn just scrolls his phone while I attempt to see if there’s anything off about the walls. Who knows? Maybe there’s a random shelf in here, and you pull a book and a door opens up. Nah, that’s only in the movies.

  The entrance swings open, and Lucas enters once more. At least, I think it’s Lucas.

  ‘Tomi? Where’d you go?’ He calls out. Definitely Lucas.

  ‘Over here!’ I raise a hand.

  ‘Oh. Okay. Come with me, ‘kay? Puppy boy can come too,’ he gestures to Finn. Every time he says “puppy-boy”, I notice Finn’s nose scrunching up. I wonder if it’s a subconscious thing. It’s adorable.

  I reluctantly rise from the couch. Finn’s right. That thing is surprisingly comfy. Lucas beckons for us to follow. He leads us to the back of the warehouse, where there’s nothing but a huge door to the outside. Or at least, that’s what I thought.

  He stomps violently on a specific part of the concrete, and a small hatch opens up a few feet away.

  ‘Shall we?’ He gestures to the door in a “ta-da” manner.

  Lucas climbs down first. Seems to be a ladder. I follow in next, while Finn goes right behind me. Once each one of us is down the ladder, Lucas throws both of his arms up in the air.

  ‘YAY!’ He screams. Finn flinches at the echo.

  ‘Anyway, welcome to our humble abode!’ Lucas grins, and starts to walk down the hallway.

  ‘This is the bathroom, actually, specifically Xia’s bathroom. She doesn’t like to have her stuff touched, so I just gave her her own,’ He rambles.

  ‘This is the target room–’ a gunshot fires off in there, and I flinch.

  ‘Xia’s probably in there right now.’

  ‘There’s the conference room…’

  I eventually get bored and tune out Lucas’ tour. It may be important, but I can figure it out later if need be. All I need to know is where my room is for now.

  ‘Puppy boy, you can go ahead and put your stuff in there,’ Lucas points to a room with a nameplate on the door that just says “VACANT”.

  Finn opens the door, and disappears into the room. Now I’m alone with this guy. He’s got way too much energy for my liking. That energy completely disappears and shifts into something more serious now.

  ‘Alright, Tomi. We need to go to the conference room now, and you’re going to tell me exactly what happened with the supposed ‘weird guy’, okay?’ It’s less of a question, and more of a demand.

  ‘I mean, sure. But where can I put my stuff?’ I hold up my suitcase.

  ‘Yeah! Yeah yeah yeah, just go down that hallway, to the left, and it should be the first door. Xia already prepared a room for you,’ Lucas points to another hallway, placing a hand on my shoulder while he guides me.

  ‘Okay, thank you!’ I nod and start my mini-adventure.

  ‘Just come back quickly!’ Lucas calls out as I walk down the hallway.

  I pick up my pace after he says that. Shit. Which way is left? I hold up the thumbs and pointer-fingers of both of my hands, and glance between them.

  ‘Left is the one that makes… an L. That way!’

  I take the left, and see the door. It has my name on it, so it has to be mine. Unless there’s a different Tomi, which I highly doubt.

  I open the door. It’s a simple room, with a queen-sized bed in the corner, and an actual dresser in the other. It’s better than my dorm room back in San Diego anyway. I throw my suitcase onto the bed and exit.

  Lucas suddenly pops up in front of the door.

  ‘You done yet?’

  My skeleton almost jumps out of my skin. Holy shit, where did he come from!?

  ‘Yes–yes I’m done,’ I put a hand over my heart, and my eyes widen for a split second.

  ‘Good. Come on, now,’ Lucas grabs me by my wrist and starts dragging me down the hall.

  ?

  The conference room is more like an interrogation room, honestly. The walls are completely bare, and the floors are cement. Not at all a welcoming environment. Lucas sits down in the more comfortable chair, and gestures for me to sit across from him.

  ‘Alright, Tomi. What exactly happened when this man came into your class?’ He puts both of his hands on the table, green eyes studying me intently.

  ‘Well, he came in with a gun, and asked for me. Mr. Carter defended me, though,’ I answer to the best of my ability.

  ‘Okay, and do you know why he was asking for you?’

  I shake my head.

  ‘All I know is that it was terrifying, until Mr. Carter uncovered that it was a fake gun,’ I shudder at the memory.

  ‘A fake gun? Really? They seriously get dumber and dumber each year…’ Lucas sighs.

  ‘Anyway, take a wild guess. You’re probably going to be wrong, but I want to see how much you know already.’

  ‘I mean, he was saying stuff about my brother. Maybe it had something to do with that?’ I guess, shoulders raising.

  ‘Exactly,’ Lucas affirms.

  ‘What that man was trying to do was kidnap you and work for their organization. It’s called the Viston Elimination Association. Or the VEA.’ He gives me a moment to let that sink in.

  ‘You might want to take notes on this, because if things go wrong, you could be hunted by them for the rest of your life,’ he hands me a notepad and some paper.

  My hand starts to write pretty much on its own.

  ‘They are led by an awful woman called Evelyn A,’ Lucas’ expression darkens, ‘She aims to completely eliminate vistite from the poor. She believes that good things come to those who work for it, and apparently they don’t.’

  I jot down the basic points of his little speech for now, and my jaw practically drops. My stomach acid bubbles. This is making me sick.

  ‘But–vistite is needed to live. What you’re saying is that they’re trying to kill the working class and below.’

  Lucas nods, visage grim.

  ‘That’s…’ I don’t even know what to say to that.

  ‘Wait. Why are they targeting me then?’

  ‘Simple, you know your brother. Heki Nemoto, if I’m not mistaken?’ Lucas shakes his leg underneath the table. I nod.

  ‘You look almost exactly like him in a way,’ his voice softens, and a vague hint of sadness bleeds its way into his eyes.

  ‘And you know that he was always treated differently and such?’

  I nod again. How does he know all of this?

  ‘Well, there’s a very good reason why. He was what we like to call a V-Manipulator,’ I must have a very puzzled look, so he elaborates further, ‘they can somehow control the flow of vistite. All that’s known about them is that it’s a genetic thing.’

  I pause, and hold up a finger.

  ‘So, here’s what I’m getting. The VE-whatever it is, is trying to take me, because I could have the gene that my brother had.’

  ‘Exactly,’ Lucas nods.

  ‘Now, this is only a theory, but it’s said that to activate that gene, the person must have something that makes them completely snap. The way that the VEA has been able to do that so far is through brutal torture,’ he pauses to let that sink in for me.

  ‘So, if I were to go with that man, I would be stuck in a torture chamber right now.’ I look down at my arms. My fingernails. Would my nails be gone? Would I have cuts all over my body? What would happen?

  ‘Probably,’ Lucas confirms.

  ‘Now, with all that information in mind, are you going to stay and help us take them the hell down, or will you go home and try to lead a normal life? I won’t force you to stay.’

  I cross one leg over the other. My heart races in my chest, and my brain hits the panic button. Either I go home, but risk the chance of getting kidnapped and tortured, or stay here, in a completely unfamiliar environment, but lessen that risk. I have to consider my friends as well. What would they say? Oh god.

  ‘What would happen to my friends if I left?’

  ‘Simple. I’d give them the same talk I’m giving you now, and let them decide too. I’m going to give them the same talk after you, and we’ll see from there,’ Lucas explains in a perfectly calm manner, like he’s done this with other people before.

  …

  ‘I’m going to stay,’ I answer after a few long, unbearable seconds.

  ‘Really? There’s no going back on your choice now. Got it?’

  ‘Got it.’

  A few seconds of silence.

  ‘Okay!’ Lucas grins. Does this guy have two separate personalities? I’m starting to get whiplash.

  He fishes his phone from his pocket, and sends what looks like a text. In an instant, Xia opens the door.

  ‘Alright, Tomi. So you decided to stay? Great. Be prepared for the worst week of your life.’