PART 1

Simon groaned and slowly untangled himself from the innumerable bed sheets that were supposed to cover him. However they never seemed to be on him by the time he woke up. Today they were especially knocked around. By the time he got off the bed, he realized that it was way past school time. His ma had forgotten to wake him up, and now he had the whole day to spend however he wanted. Delighted at the prospect, he clambered onto the railing of the staircase and whizzed down with alarming speed. When he reached the bottom, which was in around three minutes, if you took the stairs it would have taken nearly ten, he heard the regular Eighties music blaring in the kitchen. His ma hadnt overslept then. Thinking hard about this, he suddenly realised that it was a Saturday. This of course didnt change anything. Still just as joyous, maybe even more, Simon ran towards the kitchen, Whats for breakfast ma? His mother, started as he rammed into her, giving her a big hug. Laughing she, wrapped both her arms around him, applying the dough all over his nightshirt. So did you sleep well? Simon grinned, Ive never heard of something like sodidyousleepwell existing for breakfast! His mother stepped back, frowning, and returned to her dough for the bread. You are getting impudent by the day, Mo. Its buns with cranberry jam. And milk. Simon added his high behaviour taking a turn for the worse when he realised that Tom and Louisa would be allowed a whole day off that day. Well, Ill be having coffee! Now run along and get dressed, a surprise is awaiting you. His mother said, giving him a little shove. Simon stared at her, a little surprised. His mother had a surprise for him; usually it was the other way round and Simons surprises were never good. Wary of his mother Simon asked, What kind? She however shook her head and ushered him out of the kitchen. Simon did not linger long in the shower, he pulled on a shirt and his favourite cargo shorts and slid down the railing a second time, this time making his way to the dining table. His ma was busy setting the table. Simon, though lazy was of the helpful kind. What should I do ma? he asked. Get the tray of buns, will you? And dont eat any on the way! Sniggering he entered the kitchen and did just that. When he came out he was still munching on the freshly baked bread. He set the tray on the table and went back for the jam. His mother rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation behind his back. Just when they sat down for breakfast the doorbell rang. Simon scraped back his chair and sprinted to the door, yelling, Ill take it, from the hall way.

He unlatched the huge oak door and opened it only to stare in absolute shock at the faces of his two most-best friends and sadly orphans Tom and Louisa. They looked at him, a little awkwardly. Uhh... Hi. Louisa said. Are you kidding me? Tom! Lu! What a surprise! Simon grabbed their arms and half dragged them to the dining room. Ma, was this your surprise? Its awesome! His mother looked at Simons friends, speechlessly, a little bewildered at their sudden arrival. They were supposed to come in the evening. Oh, well. Thomas and Louisa? Ive heard a lot about you both from Simon. The two new comers stood and stared at Simons mother. Simon noticed the awkward situation and began explaining, quite randomly, Uhh... theyre orphans, ma. They live near the town centre. You know, I met them once at school, and have spent every evening after school with them. I told you all about them, but they didnt want you to know about their living in the orphanage because the moment people get to know that they dont have parents, they start humouring them, which they dont like one bit! I for one find them more wonderful than anyone at school with parents. They are the most brilliant kids in the whole world and surely deserve a friend like me. Tom sniggered at the last part, setting off Louisa and then Simons mother. Simon of course did not understand why the others were laughing but joined in all the same. Once the ice had been cracked they all sat down for breakfast, and Tom began to tell them why they were at Simons place, so suddenly. The orphanage is run by Miss Stacy Farrow. She is the prettiest and the kindest lady there. The Matron at the orphanage is called Man - torn as she is twice a scare than any ghost on Halloween. No one has really bothered to ask her name. Tom began. The others at the orphanage do not go to school, as their parents were not as rich as ours. Miss Farrow had been paid enough to send us to school. Louisa hurriedly interrupted. Simon had a twinkle in his eyes, Tom could go on and on, about how much they fooled their Man torn. Yeah. That. Tom said dryly. Thats how we met Simon and we became friends. Today is a Saturday, and we are usually freed from the assembly and value lessons. Usually on these days, Miss Farrow takes us to the hills for a picnic; but according to Matron she is out on a holiday. So Matron took us out for the picnic today. Tom had eaten too much and wasnt feeling too well in the morning so we decided to stay back, which we are usually allowed. Today Matron forced all of us to come; she took us to our usual place and let us do what we wanted. All of us are told the time to be back near the van for snacks. Tom and I went and sat at our favourite place, to wait for Simon. However, suddenly we heard a van starting and the engines roaring.

When we reached the meeting place, the van was nowhere to be seen. The rest of the children had also vanished. So we came here. Tom completed. Simons mother nodded, with a frown. You really have no idea where the other children vanished? Nope. There was still an hour left, for snack time, anyways. Tom shrugged. We were, like really scared when we realised that the orphanage people had left us and gone. We also went to the orphanage to check if everyone was there. But you wont believe it; the place was all locked up and dusty, like it hadnt been used for days! We met some weird guy, actually. He told us that it had been locked up for years and no one lived there. Tom said. That was exceptionally freaky. We tried to climb up the ivory growing on the back wall. Tom managed to do it and I waited for him down. He went into Matrons office and found a few files on him and me. Lu said. Yup, but we didn't get time to read it. Tom announced. Simons mother grinned and said, Their just the personal things about you being legally under their guidance and so on. Oh... Lu said. Simons mother took a deep breath and said, Okay children, since you have come home, why dont you spend some time with Mo, here and explore the place? There was a sudden scrambling of scraping chairs, replacing dishes and the children had vanished. Simons mother shook her head. This abandoning business was not something she particularly liked. They explored for over an hour and when they came back, Simons mother was nowhere to be seen. Simon was worried but tried to act as if he wasnt. Are you sure she goes out like this? Lu asked. No, Simon admitted, But she cant have vanished. Shell come back. Tom shrugged and said, Do you want to go through the files? They all went to Simons room and spread out all the various papers. While Tom was going through his sheaf of sheets, he found something very different. Hey guys, check this out! He handed the other two that sheet.

Tom has not shown any vensorican prowess, however he has some amounts of knowledge of the other world. Having shown mental capacities of such great volume as

to connect with the other world he is a great threat to us. His vensorican abilities will definitely show up, once he receives his Treahan possessions which Tom no doubt has. We must inform the Treahan king that one of the five has been found. The prophecy is indeed true and his majesty must start preparing for an attack. It is of great consequence that Tom has immense powers under wraps. The orphanage will do its best to curb and absorb his powers once they appear, but we wont be able to hold for long. This is troubling news and shall be a big warning for four such more to come. The other places the Grid detected vensorican powers are still being checked. This is our first discovery and not the most joyous, you can be sure. Toms power once tapped will definitely cause a tip in the balance. One more piece of news. With great concern on our part I say that there are chances that someone who nurtures such powers is not under us. We are at a loss as to how to find the wielder... ~ Yours truly, Matron What are vensorican powers? What is Treah? Lu asked. Who are the five? Simon asked. What am I? Tom asked. I think Toms question is top priority. Simon said. Hmm.... Tom looked troubled; he had another sheet in his hands. Simon I think you should read this one out. Tom said. Looking puzzled Simon took the sheet from Toms hand and began reading. Louisa is definitely one of the five. Her powers as expected vary drastically from Toms. Her powers are also more definite than Toms. She harbours the powers to know what can happen in the future if something that might trigger it happens in the present. Although vague her dream patterns have been undoubtedly informative. We can pursue the earlier plan of the mind blocks but I doubt that it is a permanent solution. She is an enigma and is partially aware of her powers. An interesting status is that she and Tom have developed a friendship. Now that the second has been found our eyes and ears are open for the third; who like I mentioned earlier is not under our care. Yet again I send some troubling news. Stacy Farrow is partially aware of our doings and is causing a few problems. We intend to do away with her - Lu gasped, NO! Tom reached for her hand and tried to console her. Simon, now understanding squeezed her other hand. Lu and Stacy were the best of friends, and almost inseparable. Can he continue? Tom asked. Louisa nodded, and wiped her tears.

Simon nodded and continued, Im sure you will not show any discontentment as you were against it from the start. There are chances of us abandoning the orphanage cover, it being of no use to us now. With imminent pleasure I write to you of our successful finds. Hope your majesty enjoys the fruit; signed Matron. Is this some sort of a letter? Louisa asked. Yes, it is a reprint of the actual thing. Tom replied. They were lost in thought for some time. Just then the door opened and shut. Simon heaved a sigh of relief and ran downstairs, taking two steps at a time. Ma, where were you? And - Simon gasped; the next thing Lu and Tom heard was a loud thud as Simon fell unconscious on the floor. ***

So after I had finished hitting my best friend Taylor with a few thousand anonymous snowballs, I made my way back home. As I walked, hidden in the ever falling snowflakes, trudging down the snow covered paths; I suddenly felt a weird tinge in my tummy which soon spread to the rest of my body. My thoughts almost immediately shifted from the stupefied expression on Taylors face to the ever increasing numbness. A little fear crept in because just that afternoon, Colt, a senior boy at school and a most dreaded bully, had informed us about some disease which was worse than plague and could cause death Even as I walked down the deserted streets, shivering slightly in the cold, his hoarse, deadly whisper echoed in my head. You first feel yourself going numb all over, That was of course my addition, after all a little fear here and there, does no harm. Then, A dramatic pause, You sneeze! Which is precisely what I did just then, Uh oh! And then you cough! Then your entire body starts writhing with pain and you taste bile; you sneeze and cough uncontrollably, wrecking your throat, your stomach going into knots. As far as I remember that was all he had said. But my mind was already busy with new possibilities. You cough again. You sneeze again. You wipe your nose; then you sit and wait for the second bout of stomach pain. In the mean time your whole body numbness goes. You wait and you wait and suddenly I took a deep breath at the intensity of my own creation, and slowly let it out, whispering each syllable slowly and clearly, You die I let out a sudden whoop at my newly discovered disease. It would make as a tremendous thing to write on my science project for the next day. All thoughts on Taylor and numbness vanished from my mind and all I thought of now was how to go about writing that project.

Suddenly I snubbed my foot on a hard pave. Grimacing, I slowly climbed up the stone steps home. When I knocked on the door, no one answered, I kicked hard against the door, but yet not a sound came from inside. The door was also locked and could not be barged in through. I sighed and bellowed, Mama! When no answer came in response, I began to feel worried. I sat down on the pavement and began to think. Mama couldnt possibly have gone out all on her own; the door of the shack was never locked; for once Mama knew that I had gone out; I hadnt come back so late that she should get worried and start searching for me in her wheel chair. There was then only one thing that could have happened. The very word got me goose pimples all over; Abduction. The numbness in my body returned and it was much stronger, much, much stronger. In fact I could barely move. Aha, there is that lass. You feel numb? I put it in your food. Yes I put it in that patty you ate at school today. You are captive, dear girlie. Be happy, that our orders are to keep you alive. The voice was unknown to me, but yet it sent chills down my back. Now I was so numb that my poor feet felt alien, as did my arms. I couldnt turn my neck to see the intruder. I felt a shudder violently creep through my body. My heart was banging around in my chest, and my head began to spin. The last thing I thought of when I fell was Heads spinning, definitely in the disease. *** I woke up when someone nudged me really hard in the ribs. When I finally forced my eyes open, I saw this enormous boot on my tummy. I groaned and pushed the boot off me, gratefully realising that I was no longer paralysed. The owner of the boot let out a satisfactory grunt and growled, Eat. This is all you get the whole of today. I gently propped myself up and squinted into the darkness. It took a while for my eyes to adjust to the shadowy environment and focus on vague figure standing in front of me. Even as I struggled to a sitting position a cane door slammed shut somewhere to my right. I soon discovered that I had a splitting head ache. Groaning loudly I groped about in the darkness for the food the guy had mentioned. Blind as a bat I got up and gingerly felt my way along the wall, searching for some sort of a switch. As my fingers trailed along the coarse wooden wall I found a rope like thing, which I tugged. The room was suddenly filled with a bright yellow light, which nearly blinded me. When I looked around I saw that I was in some sort of an enclosed caravan. The rope I had pulled opened a closed, glass window right in front of me. When I looked out I saw that I was in some sort of a clearing in a forest. I turned away from the window in response to my stomach. And my eyes fell on the jelly like broth the man had got me earlier. Just as I was about to reach out and devour it, I remembered the weird stuff the person had somehow managed to mix into my vegetable patty of yesterday afternoon supper at school. Despite my hunger I abandoned the very tantalizing food and began to look around my confinement. It was a make shift vehicle with a thick wood wall to separate the driver and me. It seemed like an enclosed, horse driven chariot. I looked out of the window again, just in case I could get any clue as to my whereabouts. But all I could see was a little piece of dried grassland and then dense forests thereafter.

My head ache, which had temporarily receded, returned with a renewed vigour. I could barely stand, and sat down with a thump. The pain was near excruciating. I held my head in my palms for a while, gently massaging my temples. It subsided after what seemed like hours, but I had a feeling it would return soon enough. My stomach growled, in a terribly loud manner, making it really tough to divert my attention to escaping captivity. The caravan was rather creaky and ancient looking, but when I jumped and tried to shake the walls, the boards did not budge. I sat down in despair, but got up suddenly when I heard the sound of twigs crackling. I peered out of the window to see this huge, burly man standing there. His back was to me so all I could see was this patched, grey overcoat, baggy pants which were also ancient looking, and spiky, unkempt hair, which was greasy and disgusting. I shuddered; this was going to be a terrible ride. The guy was cutting some sort of a thick rope. I rattled the glass, trying to catch his attention. He turned; I held my breath and then nearly vomited. The guy was gross. His teeth had yellowed; his finger nails were long, black and chipped; his clothes were ripped in the front and had brown stains which looked suspiciously like blood. His beard was even more unruly. He raised an eyebrow in my direction. Such impudence! I thought. I grunted and hit the tough glass in frustration. Let me out! I yelled. I was sure that my window was facing the wrong direction. He grinned and licked his lips, disgustingly and got up to unlock the door. The moment he did I was ready, and barrelled straight into him. He oomphed in shock and hopefully pain even as my shoulder jolted. I pushed him out of my way nevertheless and scrambled to my feet, then stopped suddenly. All that effort had been for no use. In front of me, sitting in a wide arc was a group of five men. When I looked around I saw that there were five other caravans similar to mine around the men. These men looked so uncannily like my victim that my expression was just as dumbfounded as theirs. They had humongous bowls in their hands, which contained the same broth the guy had put out for me. This ones a bull! the guy who opened the door for me said. The others laughed at the big, blue bruise I had given him. Nay, you just gave this lassie too less of the shot. Another one said, getting up. Ill go and check mine out. You wanna sit? A toothless guy beckoned me to sit next to him. I grimaced and sat down as far from the man as possible. He gave me a disgusting, drool filled smile. I shuddered and decided to ignore him. The man whom I had bruised came out of the caravan and held up my untouched soup. You dun wanna eat this; you not hungry? Is it got that drug? I asked, my stomach was really angry and was making sure that I got to know that. Nay that you give just once; to know of any power, you sure you dun want it? I didn't know how to react to that one. I reached out for it and he handed it over without a word. The other man who had gone to his caravan came back with a struggling boy of just about my age. This little fellow was awake and trying to unscrew my floor board.

The boy stopped struggling and stared at me weirdly. I put down my bowl and gave him a thumbs up and mouthed, Kudos! He grinned at me. I liked him immediately. Unfortunately he was forced to sit next to the guy who had dragged him here. He glumly accepted the broth and began to wolf it down, eying everyone around him rather suspiciously. When his eyes met mine I signalled, Any idea of what is going on? He shrugged and mouthed, Kidnapped. I nodded, and then mouthed, I know that, but why? He shrugged and mouthed, I have no clue. Just then a loud thud was heard from the neighbouring caravan. The guy sitting beside me started and got up. It was apparently his caravan. It didn't take him long to come out with another, sullen looking guy. This boy noticed us but other than raising his eyebrows said nothing else. He simply sat where he was told and stared into space, looking glummer than ever. I rolled my eyes. Depressing people like these were definitely not in my good books. After that the boy who had come immediately after me turned to his broth and did not look up. Even I concentrated on my yet full bowl, catching bits and pieces of conversation here and there. After the third guys arrival all the men crowded in one corner and began to whisper ominously. The caravan closest to them, I was hoping had an awake kid who had brains enough to shut up and eavesdrop on what the men were saying. After I was done with my broth I slowly slid closer to the friendly guy. There was a man whose eyes were on us but who averted his attention quite often. The boy got my cue and asked me to wait. He then got up and walked to the group of men who immediately shushed down on his arrival. I want to use the washroom. He said. One of the guys gave a coarse laugh and said, Do it where you like. But stay in this clearing, there are wild animals around. You dun wanna get eaten right? The boy winked at me and motioned towards the caravan closest to where the men were standing. I grinned back and signalled him to wait. After a few minutes I stood up and yelled out, What if I also want to use the washroom? Do you have two? The man keeping a watch on us grunted and said, No toilets around ere, lassie. Do it where you like. I shrugged and got up slowly making my way in the opposite direction to where the boy had gone. Then once I was out of sight of the men, I got to my knees and slowly crawled through the undergrowth, round the clearing, to where the boy had motioned. Every time I thought I was exposed, I paused to peer out as to where I was. In this way, getting rather scratched I managed to get behind the caravan where the boy said he would be. However to my dismay he was nowhere to be seen. Suddenly something snaked up my leg. It took a lot of will power to stay put and not scream to give myself away. When I looked down, I saw it was a hand. Heaving a sigh of relief I ducked down and saw that the boy had gone head less; gradually, his neck, torso and limbs also vanished into thin air. This shocked me, immensely. I also crawled into the darkness under the caravan. And saw that the boy had managed to remove the floor board. There was a gaping hole above my head and like the boy; I too

climbed into the caravan through it. The moment I was inside I groaned softly and stretched. Crawling for this long had got my muscles to ache. I looked around and smiled at the boy, Mines just the same. I whispered. He shrugged, held his hand out and whispered, Im Tom. I shook his outstretched hand and whispered, Im Sam. *** How did you get here? Tom asked. We both were speaking softly because the men were just outside. I was playing with my friends in the snow back in my village. When I returned, I saw that my house was empty with no light. The door was also locked. My mother is a cripple and my father died in some accident. So my mother is usually at home and leaves the door unlocked so that she doesnt have to move to open the door. I knew that something was wrong but didn't know what or how so I sat down at the door and began to think, when I went fully numb and fainted. The next thing I know, Im here in my caravan. I replied, What about you? He said, Well, Ill tell you my story, on one condition that you help me find my friends who were also abducted by Man torn. I noticed the weird word but let it pass, Where are they? Who are they? Was that blue guy one of them? In one of the caravans; Simon and Louisa; No. Tom answered, counting on his fingers. Right, so how are we to find them? I asked. The men had apparently stopped talking because I couldnt hear a thing. I also noticed that Toms window was facing to where we were sitting earlier. Okay, Lu might be in caravan right there. Tom said pointing to where mine was. No you ass! Thats mine. I said. Fine there are five caravans other than this one. Yours is that one, He pointed to mine, That other guys is that one. He pointed to the one beside mine. Yup, I nodded. So the remaining are, the two to the right and left of mine, and that one to the right of yours. Yup, I said again. You go to your caravan and on the way just peek into the window of that one, okay? Find out who is in it and remember the description. Yeah, but we might start moving again, and when we stop next, we might not have the caravans arranged in the same order. Man, this guy is dense. We wont move until the night. I overheard some bits, before you interrupted the men.

Oh... I said. Busted! I thought. Okay, Ill try and remember who is in which caravan and crawl over in the afternoon. By the way, how did you manage to loosen the floor board? When I tried, mine refused to budge. They made the mistake of giving me a spoon. I had already done half the work anyways, when he caught me. I just used a rock and removed the floor board from underneath the caravan, before you came. Tom replied, grinning. When I exited the caravan, I was in awe of the guy. He was so not dense. *** I didn't get caught, but I also saw that the men had vanished. When I peeped into the caravan Tom asked me to. I saw this girl with long brown gold tresses and a red T shirt and jeans. She was still asleep. I committed this to memory and continued to crawl to my caravan. But I stopped short, when I heard scrambling inside it. Very slowly I got up and looked in through the window. The men were there. They were searching for something. I had a feeling it was me. When I peered round the caravan I saw that the boy who awoke third was nowhere to be seen. Without a sound I crawled my way to that guys caravan. He was sitting there, looking into space, his back to me. This ones caravan had two windows. Not fair! I thought. But I had to somehow speak with him. I slowly crawled back to my caravan, the men were coming out. Harry, go check out that other troublesome guys caravan, Ill search for this daft lassie. My captor said. Rob and Noah, you check the rest, this girl cant have gone far. An unknown voice, barked. When they had left, I silently clambered into the vehicle and heaved a sigh of relief. I am in such an enormous stew now. Damn it! As I silently prayed that they wouldnt come here, I heard the man called Harry say, The boy is here. I was surprised that they didn't screw Tom about the floorboard. Rob and Noah, whoever they were came to the centre, sniggering. The rest three are all out. I suppose Martin gave them too much. My captor who had apparently returned said, Where is Martin? We need his tracker skills for that stupid girl. I couldnt find her. Its alright, Carlos, shell have to come back, the forest is too dense to cross anyways. They arent so thin that they can slip into the dense growth without a single sound. I couldnt help laugh at this. I was so grateful that Tom hadnt given me away. ***

Tom didn't know what was going on. He had no idea where Simon and Lu had gone or even if they were in this horrid group. He hoped Sam was safe, he had heard the men cursing and trying to find her.

He peeped through the window; the men were strapping backpacks to their backs. Tom sighed and looked up. The sun was right up, why then were these guys packing up? Tom grimaced. They were moving out then. He looked over to Sams caravan. Her window was not facing the centre. Damn it! He whispered to himself. The men trudged out of the clearing. Where are they going? Tom frowned. What now? Just then he sensed a movement in the caravan beside Sams. I pale, freckled face peeped outside. Tom let out a silent, but overjoyed whoop. Louisa was there, thank god! Tom waved really hard, trying to catch Lus attention. She did notice him in the end. The relief was evident. Where are we? she mouthed. I dunno. Tom replied. Wheres Simon? Lu said. Dunno. Tom replied. She gave Tom a sour look; and then suddenly looked alarmed. The men had returned. Who are they? Lu mouthed. Dunno. Tom replied, again, grinning sheepishly. Lu rolled her eyes. The men were followed by another guy; he had reins of six horses in his hands. Tom stopped short; Man-torn! What the hell is going on? Louisa gasped. Uh oh...! ***
I heard the hooves of horses. How can horses come into an enclosed clearing? What the hell is this? My mind obviously had too many questions which needed to be answered. The fact that I was totally blind to what was going on outside didn't particularly help matters either. Well my ears will just have to do. You said the girl was not there, Carlos? She isnt. I could distinctly recognise my captors voice. Oh? But she is. This other voice sounded creepy. Suddenly my door was flung open. She isnt? All the men stared at me, open mouthed. The new voice belonged to a very weird guy. He was clean shaven and had long, well kept hair. He almost looked like an oversized woman. B But, she wasnt here. I swear. Ask anyone. Ask her! Carlos said. Rob, was she there before?

The toothless guy shook his head. How did she suddenly appear then? The woman-guy said. Really, Martin, we have absolutely no idea. The man who I remembered as Noah said. Listen girl. Tell him that you werent there when we came to search for you. Carlos snarled. I secretly smiled to myself. Why? I was right here. I dont like lying! Why you...! Carlos, lost control and barged into the room. I was suddenly terrified. He held me really hard by my hair and said, I dont like people who lie. I swallowed. My head began to spin. The guy had iron grip. He spat on the floor and threw me down. The others began to laugh; except Martin. Had you locked the door when you left to look for this kid? He asked, perfectly serious. Yes. Carlos replied, his temper slowly subsiding. He glared at me and then they all shut the door, locked it and walked off. I let out a deep breath. My poor, poor head was hurting. Still I got up slowly and stuck my hand into my pocket pulled out my little notebook which was always there with me as was my pencil. I began to write all my doubts about this place. 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) 7) 8) 9) Enclosed clearing, no evident entry or exit. Horses and men enter and exit effortlessly. How? Weird medicine, something about powers. What? Six caravans. What for? Leaving at night not during light. Why? Carlos, Martin, Rob, Noah, Harry and? Tom, Louisa, Simon, me and? Door closed and locked. I dont remember opening the door, but somehow got in. How? Who is Man torn?

I left the rest of the page for anymore unanswered questions. According to Carlos, the door was locked. How the did I get in? I was a little freaked. I suddenly remembered that I had to go to Toms caravan at noon. I looked up at the sky through the window. The sun was nearly up. Now was the time to check out if my recent discoveries were actually true. I got up and walked to the door. When I reached for the handle and tried it, it didn't move. I pushed at the door, yet it didn't budge. This obviously proved that Carlos hadnt locked the door. But now I despaired. How was I to get out, if the door was locked? I shut my eyes and thought hard. I needed to get out somehow, but how? I heard a sudden whoosh. Huh? Toms voice said. When I slowly opened my eyes, I gasped. Uh... Tom, how the hell are you here?! I said, totally disarrayed.

If you have not noticed, you are in my caravan. I should be asking you that question. Tom replied, looking bewildered. Please explain. Well I was trying to get out of my caravan, but the door was locked from outside so I kind of sat down near the door and began to think and when I opened my eyes, voila I was here. I replied, not believing my own story. If that is true, try doing that again, please? Tom said. He was suddenly all jumpy and excited. Uh... okay. I shut my eyes and thought really about getting back to my own caravan. When I opened them next, I saw my own caravan around me. What the hell...! I shut my eyes again and thought about Toms caravan. And youre back! Tom said even before I had opened my eyes. Dude, do you realise how cool this is? I shrugged. How can I just simply enter and exit a locked room? I asked, but Tom was in no mood to think about this. See if you can take me along as well. He said, grabbing my hand. I sighed and shook my head. I was feeling a little woozy and drained. Uh... I dont think Ill manage, feeling a little fatigued. Oh. Sorry. I got a little worked up. Are you alright other than being tired? Tom said, kneeling beside me. My head is hurting... badly. I replied, suddenly losing balance and hitting the wall. Whoa, okay what happened? Tom said. He supported me up. I think this vanishing thing has got me completely drained. I whispered. I was going totally blind and unsteady. I knew that feeling. I knew I was going to faint. ***

Tom stopped short. This was weird. She can disappear and appear. Is this the power the reprinted letters were talking of? He sighed and got up, going to the window. Lu had conked off again. Tom shuddered and wiped his sweaty hands on his pants. The men were sitting around and whispering among themselves, as usual. The new guy, Martin, was definitely Man torn. She or rather he had hit Simon really hard on the head; so hard that Simons head had begun to bleed. Then Martin had slipped some sort of a pill into Simons mouth. Tom and Lu had watched this from the stairs. When Martin had gone in search for them outside, they gently carried Simon into his room. Then they began to plan as to how to escape. However, just when they were about to throw the bundle of blankets down the window, Martin found them and began knocking and banging the door really hard. Lu had got down, but Tom was struggling with Simon, and received a big rock like fist on his head. Lu heard the thud and climbed back up, that was all Tom had seen before he had floated away. When he woke up in his caravan Tom had a splitting head ache. This, he had guessed was probably because of the pills the guy had slipped into their mouths.

Now Tom was as lost as ever. Where was he? Why was he here? What did these men want of him? Who was Sam? Where was Simon? There were so many questions. Just then Sam stirred. For how long did I sleep? She yawned. Not much, just about five minutes or so. Tom answered. Youd better get back to your own caravan, or youll get into deeper with these people than you already are. I heard the thud from your caravan. What did they do to you? Picked me up by the hair and threw me down, Sam replied. Ouch! Tom grimaced. Sam smiled wryly. Ok, Im going, she said and just as she said this she vanished. ***
I groaned softly as I landed back into my own caravan. My head was spinning like a clockwork mouse gone bad. I didn't know what to think of this newly found power. It was just very otherworldly. I could feel myself slipping away again. Damn it! As I fell into dream world, I had a weird sensation in my head. Slightly moved by this, I slipped into the trance, a little grudgingly. As I was swept by the thick, foggy haze I felt really drowsy. The quiet music did no help either. I nodded off, somewhere in the middle, if falling asleep in a dream is possible. As far as I remember, things were going just the same, that is until I woke up. When I reopened my eyes, I was right above an enormous fort. The haze had left me, as if it had been guarding me from knowing the route to this fort. I had been floating in the air all this while, but gently glided onto the thick outer wall. When I landed, I heard faint, yet angry voices. Making my way towards these anonymous voices I looked over the parapet wall, to see huge waves of sea all around. This fort was built in the middle of nowhere. Still marvelling at this, I paused paying attention to where I was going and tripped over an outcropping root of a banyan tree nearby, growing on the three meter wide wall. When I fell I grazed my knees, although it didn't hurt, the blood sure came out. Shaking my head I progressed towards the ever approaching voices. I reached a T - bend. Now the haze reappeared. What next? I thought. Floating in the beautiful and soft music I waited for the mist to vanish. It was almost like a game of hide and seek. However the mist did not disappear. It persisted for the longest of time. I was absolutely lost as to where I was. It wasnt long before I began to panic; I thrashed about in the dense haze, abruptly losing sight of my feet. Finally, exhausted I drifted back into sleep. *** I think I slept for the rest of the day, because when I awoke, my caravan was moving. Yawning I crawled over to the window, but felt a sharp pain in my legs. A street lamp passed outside and I saw that the floor around me was wet and sticky. I touched the substance and smelt it. Blood; my blood. I couldnt help it, I let out a scream. My caravan stopped abruptly, throwing me off balance, I hit my head against the wall. As far as I remember, I passed out next. Again...! was my last thought. I woke up again to whispering. It sounded worried, panicky in fact. I groaned softly and sat up; my head began to swim almost immediately. Nevertheless I opened my eyes, Where am I? My voice sounded as if I had swallowed a box of nails. In your caravan. Tom answered. I grimaced, Has it been cleaned?

Yes. An alien voice answered. It was a girls. I squinted into the darkness and nodded, You must be Louisa. Yes. Louisa answered, But you can call me Lu. What happened to me? How are you both in my caravan? Did they allow you? I asked, in my trademark express train manner. You hurt your legs and head, very badly; it took a lot of salve to stem the blood flow. The men have gone somewhere, so we came over to check out how you were doing. Tom answered. I realised that this was happening a lot lately; my getting hurt and Tom answering all my questions afterwards. How long will it take for the wounds to heal? I asked. They should be sealed till tomorrow. Lu answered, How did you hurt your legs? she asked. Actually, I had a dream; it was rather like the real thing. I fell somewhere there and the wounds somehow stayed on my knees. I answered, it was admittedly vague, but, I couldnt get myself to tell the whole truth. Just then a shooting kind of pain developed in my head, which nearly blinded me. Gasping, I clutched on to Lus hands and shut my eyes tight. Hot tears began to pour down my cheeks, it was hurting unbearably. I doubt it was because of the bang I received. It was like someone was tearing apart a thick, ever existent in the past, curtain in my head. Something which had always been a part of me before this, it felt like something very beloved was being forcefully pulled away. Suddenly it was all over and a cool, liquid like thing began to pour out into my veins. I gulped for air, although this weird liquid - like thing soothed majority of the remnants of the pain. When I let go of Louisas hands, a small tingling sensation developed on my right hand. Wondering what was going to happen next, I looked down at it, to see a weird symbol appear there. On instinct I breathed out and let go a little of the liquid through my fingers. A small ball of light came out from there. It was beautiful and kept changing its colour. I fisted my hands and the little globe dissolved. A sense of absolute calm swept over me, I relaxed. The little discomfort in my knees and head also vanished. When I shut my eyes, I saw a huge ball of ever erupting fire spouts and volcanoes. It was my very own star... I went to the window and looked out. That particular star was burning the brightest. It was the North Star, my star. ***

Tom gasped, when the bright globe of light came out of Sams hand. It was brilliant, unbelievable. Lu was just as amazed. What is it? She asked Tom, in whispers. Sams vensorican powers, Tom guessed, I wonder what she can do now? Sam suddenly got up and went to the window, pressing her nose to the glass she whispered something inaudible. You said something, Sam? Lu asked. Huh? N Nothing. Sam looked lost. Its just, all this power in me, what am I going to do with it? Use it, I guess. Tom said, a little unsure.

For what Tom? What use can I put magical powers to? Sam asked, turning away from the window. Louisa said, Well, for one you could help us wake Simon up. If you can teleport yourself all over the place, you could spy on the men for us. Your basic existence gets a brand new dimension, right? Tom looked at her in awe, Shes right, having these powers is rather coveted. Youre lucky to have them. Sam sighed and said, Ill try out all the stuff I can do with my powers. She continued on a second thought, By the way, you sound like you knew of the existence of magical powers, do they have any name or just magic? Louisa smiled and said, We think they are called vensorican powers, Vensorican, Sam liked the way the word rolled on her tongue, and for the first time that day, her heart filled with excitement. Life would never be the same. ***
I sighed and fell onto the wooden floor. Lu and Tom had just gone back to their respective caravans, after hearing the men return. Once I had made sure that they had got back to their caravans safely, I lay down, exhausted. My thoughts were rather harried compared to my outward appearance of repose. I had slept through our exit of the clearance, so now I had no way whatsoever to know the route the men had taken while entering or leaving the clearing, so unostentatiously. I was still more lost on the notion of my whereabouts. Looking out of the window did me no good, because we were on a narrow, dusty pathway, coming from nowhere, and leading to nowhere. The road itself was rather abandoned and desert like, surrounded by barren land for as far as I could see. I got up and looked out of the window now, in the darkness I could still make out the sole tree growing in the middle of nowhere. It was rather odd for the tree to be growing there, the land was parched and open to erosion, it was cracked, and hard. According to the little science I had been taught in the village where I lived, tree roots cannot penetrate hard soil. Also these weird liquid powers technically coursing through my veins bamboozled me further. I shook my head and scrutinized the scene if not intently. Noticing nothing interesting going on I sighed and sat down, leaning against the cane door. An idea struck me rather suddenly. Without wasting a moments time, I shut my eyes and concentrated on Simon. The way I had imagined him, according to Tom and Louisas description of him; Dark, curly hair, light eyes, black T shirt and jeans. This was an iffy because I had no concrete evidence of Simons existence, no evident idea of his whereabouts. Surprisingly it worked and I heard the whoosh and slowly opened my eyes again, I was in another dark, empty caravan, except for a boy again of my age, lying there fast asleep; his head was bandaged. I squatted beside the guy and whispered, Simon? There was no response. I gave him a little shove, Simon? Get up, Tom and Lu are worried sick about you. A garbled response came through the big bundle. Youre awake now right? Want to come with me to say hi to your friends? Simon grunted and sat up, shakily. Who are you?

Im Sam, recently befriended Tom and Louisa. He was a little uncertain even in his sleep, but he realised that he had no choice but to believe me and so it was that I held Simons hand and took a deep breath, and thought hard of Toms caravan. Soon enough I was there and there was a joyful reunion of friends. I went back for Lu and returned with a rather jumpy her. The trio hugged and squeezed and what not. I rolled my eyes and looked away for a while until Lu tugged on my arm and pulled me into the bear hug. It felt good, despite myself. Once we all disentangled ourselves, I suggested the bright idea of filling me in on how the three came to be. So they told me about their orphanage and Martin. Simon told me about his mothers disappearance and the files and the vensorican powers. After I got to know of all this I was undeniably silent for a very long time. Lu and the others were also in a pensive mood. I smiled at them and said that I was tired and had a lot of thinking to do and so replaced Louisa and Simon. When I was back in my own caravan, I smiled. I had got used to this disappearing and appearing, now that I didn't get exhausted as easily. The caravan door was unlocked when I tried it. I rolled my eyes and sat down slipping into a deep lull. I missed my mother, I missed Taylor, I missed dad most of fall, yet however, I missed my care free life as well, before my elder sister Delencie vanished. I still dont believe shes dead. I will never believe her dead. People called it childish, naive, I called it optimism. I had always been the black sheep everywhere. Even in this new school, except for Taylor, no one was actually on friendly terms with me. I sighed; my life could definitely be called a tragedy. But whenever I think about it, I wouldnt have wanted to change a thing. Dels disappearance gave me something to hope for, dads death gave me a tremendous responsibility to fulfil, mothers disability helped me see more than the outward appearances people sometimes let on and be forthcoming myself. No I was happy with life, in spite of everything. I turned over and shut my eyes, although I knew sleep would never come. I had slept too much during the day. My thoughts drifted to life with only Del in our huge bungalow. Mother, who was not crippled back then, the accident occurred only after Dels disappearance, used to go for months together, away for some work. Delencie and I used to have a lot of fun. However, she made me work a lot as well. Oh yes, I remember the spring cleaning every Sunday, even if it wasnt spring. I remember sneezing and coughing animatedly in the excessive dust in the attic which we pretended to clean. I remember the huge oak door; I remember the kitchen garden, my room in which Del and I both slept, because one of us, we didn't know who was afraid of the dark. I remembered a lot of things in that enormous bungalow and all were not good. For one, mama was never there, dad wasnt ever there, Mrs. Norris was always there to spoil the fun and when I was seven or eight, Del vanished. I woke up one fine day, I dont remember it being a school day, so it mustve been a Sunday, Del wasnt there. In fact her bed had vanished, the entire room had become smaller and a new arrival, a diary had appeared. I remember being so distraught that I didn't know how to react. When I had opened the ancient book, a strong musty smell emanating from it, the pages were filled with a hurried scrawl, I flipped through the pages. Strange as it is, but I dont know what happened to the diary afterwards. I remember sobbing softly sitting in the front garden Mrs. Norris coming over and asking me what had happened and then me telling her about Dels vanishing and then her reply was still so clear,

Oh my breathing Gods, youve invented a sister to keep you company now? Come with me, youve stayed alone long enough. Now which eight year old child will not hate the woman who called her beloved sister imaginary? Mrs. Norris was never in my good books after that. And so it came to be that when Mama came back we shifted to another village. I sighed and sat up. I wasnt going to get sleep now, so I got up and thought hard about the tree outside, when I opened my eyes I was there. I dont know what gave me the idea of the tree, but it was a good thing I came here as I soon realised. The men, whom I had stopped worrying about, were there, as usual sitting in their trademark arc round the tree. Someone was whispering something; I was hidden in the thick foliage on the branches I was sitting so I had a total vantage view. I shifted slightly and peered between my legs. Martins eyes were shut; he was sitting cross legged on a flattish stone and was murmuring under his breath, rapidly. The others were also sitting in the same meditation poise. Just for records sake I matched each guy with his name in my head. Rob, Noah, Carlos, Harry, the fifth guy, whose name I didn't know was sitting on an elevated rock, his back to Martin. All the men looked rather alike, so there was no distinct characteristic to define them. The men had a weird air about them. It intrigued me tremendously, the constant chanting and murmuring, the extreme cold of a desert, the eerie glow coming from the trunk of the tree. Wait, what? I gasped and just about stopped myself from screaming, the entire tree was glowing an eerie green and slowly dissolving, from the roots. Martin hastily moved back as did the unknown man. Apparently whatever was happening, it was powerful. My heart was in my mouth, I was right on the baffling, shining tree surrounded by sparkling eyed, disgusting, huge men, who looked fluorescent green in the light of the tree. Before I could think further than the absurdity of the situation, the entire tree dissolved and I fell, into a gaping hole to oblivion. The mens uproarious laughter followed me into the dark void, as if mocking me against the gloom of a fall into the depths of astonishing mysteries... ***

The girls not there, Jonah! Carlos yelled, Yes, this time for sure Martin. Come and check for yourself. He sounded tired, but not shocked. Carlos had expected this to happen, the girl was more trouble than she was worth and he knew that. Martin sighed and came over. Jonah followed him and both of them entered the caravan and began to examine around it. She cant possibly have used her - those powers, Martin said, without doubt, I had copper plated each of the caravans. Jonah snarled and hit the wall of the caravan in a fit of rage, That lass is a devil incarnate, He glared at the wall he had just hit, as if challenging it to oppose him, of the girl they were supposed to enclose. What is with her and her constant troublesome disappearances? Carlos sighed, Martin, I swear she hadnt been there, the first time I had told you she vanished, back in the forest. I can believe you now. But copper is the only metal vensoricans fear. Jonah said, ignoring the other two who shuddered at the mention of the name. How does that stupid girl manage it?

Manage what? Noah asked coming over to them, when he saw the empty caravan Jonah had just stepped out off, he gasped in shock, Damn the lass! Where is she off to now? Where are Harry and Rob? Jonah snapped impatiently, stamping towards last nights bonfire. The others followed, while Noah said, Theyve gone ahead, to search for some village. Were running short of supplies. Martin grunted, What are you planning, another of those hapless group discussions? Jonah smiled, his thin lips twisting awkwardly as if they werent accustomed to such crude motions. This grotesque grin pasted on his face he said almost inaudibly, Yes, just about, this time it will be the children. Carlos understanding almost immediately, for his brain worked in a similar manner to Jonah, smiled, a little less grossly, Which one are you intending to use? he said, cruel anticipation hovering in his eyes. You should know which one, right? Jonah replied. Carlos nodded and went to the sixth caravan of supplies; he came out with something which made the others blood run cold. Noah let out a hoarse, Uh oh! *** Toms stomach grumbled. He was all alone, isolated from the rest, even Sam hadnt come to chat with him. This made his empty stomach his only companion, a rather depressing companion at that. He contemplated removing the loosened floor board and going for a walk of some sorts, hidden from the men. However just as he was going to do that he heard the lock turn and sat back on the floor his back to the adjacent wall. Noahs face peered inside, Come out! he ordered gruffly, as if he were holding in a lot of emotions longing to come out. Tom obeyed and got out of the caravan, thinking of how he could take advantage of this slightly soft hearted man. Outside he saw Simon, Louisa and the guy who had come out from his caravan at the clearing. Lu smiled, although her pale face gave a lot away. This is Matthew. She said when Tom neared. Open your mouth boy. Jonah ordered. Tom had overheard his name while they were leaving the encampment last night. Tom asked, Why would I do that? To swallow this pill, do not argue, for I am in no good mood. You could be dead this moment if I wished it. Jonah snapped. Tom sighed and suddenly went all polite. Could I please know what this pill does? Please? he endea red. Jonah grimaced and said, Lies. It detects lies, decides if youre worth living or not. Decides what it should do with you either way. Tom shuddered, What now? He thought, but seeing no escape, he grudgingly swallowed the bitter tasting pill. Martin asked, When was the last time you saw the other girl?

Which girl, Sam? Lu asked. Yes, yes, that lass which keeps vanishing. Last night. Lu answered, I dont know the time as I dont have a watch. But it was around the time when you first went somewhere. The men waited, for some sort of a reaction to come from her but when nothing happened, Martin nodded. You speak the truth. Yes, of course I do. What do you take me for? Some brainless nincompoop, I suppose. Louisa retorted, coldly. Where did you meet this girl last? Jonah asked Tom. In her caravan, when you forgetfully left the caravans unlocked. Tom replied. Nothing happened to Tom either, because obviously he was speaking the truth. Since when have you known her? Speak for all of your friends. Martin asked Simon. Simon said, Matthew isnt particularly a friend, this is the first time Ive met him. Hmm... Jonah grunted. What about the rest? Tom was the first to speak with her in the clearing. Louisa met Sam last night, which was when she actually spoke with her. I met Sam when she came to wake me up and take me to Toms caravan. Simon answered, he knew that it was a huge risk, to conveniently skip the part about Sams vensorican powers, but he didn't want to disclose that. When nothing happened to him either, Martin sighed. Leaving the doors unlocked was our biggest crime. He thought. What about you my boy? he asked, indicating Matthew. Matthew said, The first and last time I saw the girl was at the clearing, and I never spoke with her. Even as he said this, a huge burn began to appear on his arm. He let out a scream at the angry, red blister developing on his right hand. Jonah let out a satisfied grunt, Noah flinched and shut his eyes tight, and Martin just looked on grimly. Tom, Simon and Louisa shut their eyes and clenched each others hands. Through his tears Matthew sobbed out, I saw her reflection on my window when she was spying on me. The burn stopped growing almost immediately. Matthew held his almost completely burnt arm with his left hand and gingerly fingered the wound, tears pouring down his cheeks. When was she spying on you? Martin asked, relentlessly. At the clearing, just before you came out of her caravan. Matthew said choking on his words because of the pain in his arm. Carlos nodded and said, See I told you she wasnt in her caravan.

Matthew whimpered when Noah held his arm roughly and dragged him to the supplies caravan to treat the wound. You three can go back to your caravans, Jonah said, Or stay here and chat around. C Can we go to Toms caravan and talk? Simon asked. Yeah, go, just get out of our way, but we leave in another hour. Dun go runnin about the place cause you dun know where to go. Jonah called as he sauntered towards the tree growing in the parched land. Just the Tom saw the other two men come back loaded with bags. Rob, Harry! Get to the tree after you replace those supplies. Jonah called to them. The trio made their way to Toms caravan. No one however spoke a word through the afternoon; the shock was too great to even speak off. Those fated pills were inside each one of the right now. Simon shuddered as he lay against the window. Rubbing his fore head he looked out at the tree where the men were. His eyes popped out at what he saw, Hey guys! Come over here, Tom and Lu came to the window and followed Simons gaze. Tom gasped; the tree was shining a brilliant green and dissolving. When it vanished a hole appeared in its place. Jonah picked Matthew up and threw him in. Lu let out a scream in horror. Matthew had blacked out anyway so he didn't know what they were doing to him. Laughing, Martin stopped chanting whatever he was whispering. The men opened bottles of some sort of a golden drink and swigged straight from the bottles. They were celebrating. In the caravan Simon fisted his hands and banged the glass. Who do they think they are? He snarled. Tom sighed, What did they do? he whispered, still in shock. Lu simply sobbed softly into her T shirt. I hate these goons! she thought, crying her eyes sore. They were the most depressing two hours of their life. ***
I heard footsteps as I sat on the pave, my head in my hands my eyes shut. They seemed unsure, lost. I deemed it my duty to help the lost soul, had I known where I was in the first place. Nevertheless I got up and followed the footsteps, resounding in the empty road. As I squinted into the darkness, I somewhat recognised the guy, though I couldnt place him. Who are you? I asked. The boy started and whipped around. Wh Who are you? He retorted his voice sounding choked. I moved closer to him, Im Sam, I said, You? Im Matthew, The boys eyes lit up with recognition and suddenly he grew sullen. Youre the cause for this, I can tell you. I nodded, I know, that. Im sorry. The boy looked surprised. Do you know where we are? He said, looking away, examining the cobbled street. I smiled, Nope, I dunno. I sighed, Ive found a place to spend the night in, wanna share?

He shrugged and followed me into the side street I was sitting in earlier; there I had spread a blanket like thing I had found lying near the cracked walls. We both snuggled into the blanket and sat down; it was only then that I noticed his burnt hand. I had to gasp, What happened? Matthew smiled wryly, and narrated the entire incident to me. I could feel my cheeks burning in embarrassment. Im sorry, I whispered. Its alright, theres nothing to be done about it anyways, He said, looking away. I think I fell asleep, because the next thing that happened was rather dream like, but felt like reality. Just like the last dream, the mist swirled around me. I waited for it to dissipate, which it eventually did. I gasped when I realised that I was back at the fort. This time I ran very fast, nimbly avoiding the roots I had fallen over the last time and reached the T - bend. This time no mist came to envelope me. In fact the dream was clearer than last time. I took the right turn and walked for a long distance only to realise that I was back on the boundary wall. Grimacing, I walked back to the same place and took the left turn instead. Here as I walked, the narrow path began to widen and widen until it finally opened into a wide courtyard. I was very tired now, after all that running and walking and sat down, panting slightly, not knowing where to go now. The courtyard had a sum total of six exits, not counting the one I had entered through. Seven in all, I thought as I walked to the centre. The one I had come out from was the only one on that side of the courtyard, the rest were opposite to it. A little puzzled, I walked to the door opposite to the seventh door. The path I took, steered to the left, and I came out of the door three doors to the left, I reentered and came out somewhere else. This went on for some time until suddenly all the doors shut and a weird, yet familiar pattern appeared on the floor of the courtyard. Each line led to a door. I gasped, suddenly recognising the pattern.

Looking to my right hands palm, the symbol there was the same. On instinct I went over to the centre of the symbol on the floor and pressed my palm on the point where all the lines converged. The symbol on the floor and my palm began to shine, not burn but just shine very brightly. The floor, made a grinding sound and the symbol parted, to give a passage leading underground. My heart fluttering like a trapped butterfly I went down the stairs, one step at a time, my shining palm lighting up the way. The stairs seemed endless and ancient, many a times I lost balance and fell a few stairs down. The crumbling material was not very reliable. Finally I reached the end, thankful for the solid ground under my feet; my back was aching tremendously because of the falls. My palm began to itch, but it was still shining and so I dared not touch it. In front of me was a twisting, narrow passage which looked rather like an underground tunnel. Now I was a little nervous, what if the roof had fallen in, in some places? What if I get trapped because of that? Despite the weird feeling in my gut, I followed the tunnel. The symbol on my palm began itching even more, I

hurriedly began walking through the crumbling pathway, there werent any turnings so all I had to do was bend my head and keep walking. It seemed like forever and my neck began aching, I was also getting tired, my steps became heavier and heavier. It seemed like the end of this route would never come. I began to pant, my legs began to ache. My eyes were blurring and I think I fell because there was a stinging in my limbs, when the sharp rocks on the floor pricked me, as the world became black and the light in my palm extinguished. ***

Simon sighed and yawned, finally deciding to open his eyes. He had been trying his hardest to sleep the whole night but hadnt managed, and had lain awake, lost in thought. He remembered crying a little as well. He missed his mother and wondered if she was safe and whether she was worried about him. He had never known his father about whom neither Simon nor his mother knew anything. Simons mother said that the last time she had seen him was even before she knew Simon was to be born. Yawning again, Simon stood up and walked to his window. They had been moving for quite some time; in fact they had been travelling the whole night long; the galloping horses; the regular Giddiyups! had all kept Simon awake. There had been three breaks, two to check on the captives, during which they had brought in some water and a fruit each or so Simon hoped. Matthews caravan was being dragged behind Simons and both the vehicles had been making a loud din. They had apparently made their fourth and final stop for the day, it was now nearing noon, and the men had set up camps and were sending out barrels of water around to quench their thirst. These awkward travel timings needed a lot of getting used to, Simon thought, they puzzled him. Why would anyone stop during the day and proceed at night and camp during the day out in the open? It defeated the purpose right? Sighing he went and sat down, leaning against the wooden wall. He shut his eyes. There was nothing to see outside. The scenery hadnt changed, despite the number of miles they had crossed. *** Tom had noticed something which he was sure the other two hadnt even thought of. There was not a single living being about, after that tree on their last stop. He thought about this for a while. It was evident that they were in the middle of a huge desert, which was not practically possible. The very fact that no desert dweller had interrupted or been sighted on their route was surprising. This very adventure seemed unreal, that no one knew where they were, except for the men; that they were in a nonexistent location. He sighed and went back to where his jacket lay; using it as a pillow he lay down again. He wanted this stupid mind boggling adventure to get over fast. *** Louisa sighed and turned over. She was dead tired of not being able to do anything; she was tired of being still; she was tired of being alien to who she actually was; she was tired of constantly worrying about Stacy Farrow, her one and only female friend who knew all her secrets and whose secrets only Lu knew. She was tired of many things. This stupid captivity topped the list. She shut her eyes and tried to think of pleasant things, but as it turned out, she was only thinking about what was going to happen once this idle journey ended. Would all her questions be answered...?

***
I