The CSS

All I could see was bright whiteness. I couldn't control my legs; they just kept walking. "Where are you going, Maith?" I asked myself. Then, without warning...BOING! I slammed into something rubbery and gooey, but also surprisingly sturdy. My eyes widened and my jaw dropped. As I became aware of my surroundings, I could see that I was outside of an Animal Cell. An Animal Cell!?, my mind screamed. "Whoah," I breathed, "This must be the Cell Membrane, the part of the Cell that controls what goes into and out of it." Next I heard an echoing, "Hello!" come from seeming nowhere.
"Who's there?", I called. I looked around everywhere but didn't see anyone or anything. Then, a tiny light-blue dragon appeared and flew down in front of me. "Hi!" she called in a high-pitched, squeaky voice, "My name's Nala. What's yours?" She blinked her emerald eyes at me curiously. My reply was so casual that it spooked me.
"My name is Maith. Nice to meet you, Nala." The little Dragon looked me over; from my wavy red hair, my hazel eyes, and my freckles face, to my bare, pale feet. I realized, just then, that I was wearing my blue-plaid nightgown, and I had serious bed-head. Nala's high voice yanked me rather uncomfortably back to reality, or what I thought was reality. "You're pretty!" she squeaked.
I felt my cheeks grow warm. "T-Thanks," I whispered awkwardly. My parents always smothered me with the usual praise like, "Oh, you are so beautiful, dear!" but that's what parents are supposed to do, right? I had never believed them. "You're gonna to need my help if you wanna get through that," she declared, gesturing with her spiked tail to the Cell Membrane. "Um, actually-" I began to protest but Nala cut me off. What a ride little dragon. "First," she piped, "We need to get you dressed properly." I opened my mouth to ask "how" but I shut it immediately because I had a feeling that that question was about to be answered.
Next thing I knew, Nala was flying circle around me. Scales, shades from light-blue to dusty-white, fluttered down around me in a flurry. Then, POOF! My nightgown was gone and in its place was a skin-right black tank-top, covered by a loose black leather jacket that came down to my belly. I was also wearing skin-right black jeans, tucked into a pair of high-heel black leather boots. My attire was surprisingly comfortable.
"There, now that's better!" Nala squealed. She did a number of aireal stunts and then, WHOOSH! She zoomed through the Cell Membrane. I looked on in awe, then shrugged and ran after her. I came through the cell's protective layer with a pop. What I ran into was fairly odd. The ground felt like Jell-O and I was worried that it wasn't stable. But I reluctantly swallowed my fear and walked forward. The air (air?) was humid and oily, almost like if you were to breath under water.
"This must be the cytoplasm." I whispered, half to myself. Then, directed at Nala, I asked, "That's what all the cell's organelles float around in, right?" But Nlaw was nowhere in sight. "And I'm abandoned." I told myself.
"No you're not!" called Nala in her glass-shattering voice. "I just wanted to go for a fly! And yes, this is the cytoplasm!" she trilled with a twirl. "Woo-hoo," I groaned unenthusiasticly. "Where exactly are we going, Nala?" I questioned my unofficial tour guide. Nala giggled and replied, "To the Mitochondria! That's the cell's energy producer!" I should've known. "Oh." I said, half-heartedly. After about what felt an hour's walk, we came to a peanut-shaped organelle. And, of course, it just had to be trembling. I stopped in my tracks. Shaking my head, I , "No way. No way. I am NOT riding that-that thing. Especially when it's shaking like a cold horse!" Nala lauged at me and squeaked excitedly, "Oh yes you are! And it's shaking because of all the power running through it!" I nodded unbelievingly. Nala nudged me towards the Mitochondria but I stood my ground, studying the organelle mistrustfuly.
Then a flap suddenly opened up and I saw that the inside of the Mitochondria looked like a bus. Ok then, I thought. I took a deep breath and stepped into the...vehicle, I guess. Nala darted in after me. The flap-door shut and the Mitochondria shot off at top speed. And then more trouble came with a CRASH! Something had hit us!
POW! BOOM-BOOM! BAM! CRASH! "What's going on!" I screamed. Nala squeaked, "The Ribosomes are shooting proteins at us!" The Mitochondria rocked back and forth and then we fell out of the flap. Nala was fine, of course, but I had no wings so I kept falling, and falling, and falling. Nala dived down to catch me but I was too heavy for her small form and we both came hurtling down.
When we landed, I expected to hit hard ground, but instead, we landed, bounced up, and landed again on a soft gooey surface. "Welcome to the Golgi Body. Many who enter do not come out. I've been here since I was ten and I'm fifteen. My name is Kenyon. What's your name? Sorry if I talk too much; I don't get visitors very often." A rapid male voice came from beside me. I looked around and caught sight of a disheveled young man with slightly curly orange hair that came down to about his ears. He wore rectangular glasses that were so round, they were almost oval. Like me, he had freckles in his cheeks and nose. Also like me, he had beautiful hazel eyes.
Kenyon smiled a warm, friendly smile at me and motioned for me to sit by him. I looked to Nala and she nodded so I went and say with him against the rubbery wall of the Golgi Body. "My name's Maith and I'm fourteen." I told him. Then I pointed at Nala and started to introduce her, but Kenyon cut me off with a wave of his hand. "I already know Nala. We're good friends." I nodded and said, "Oh, ok." I looked at his outfit. He was wearing a black muscle shirt covered by a black leather jacket. He also wore baggy, black jeans that fell over a pair of black combat boots. Kenyon was basically wearing the male version of my attire. "The Golgi Body is the part of the Cell that receives materials from the Endoplasmic Reticulum and sends them to other organelles." he told me. I looked left and right down the long corridors and asked, "Is there anyway out?" Kenyon sadly shook his head. Discouraged, I leaned my head back and drifted into sleep.
When I awoke, I felt my head resting on something warm. I looked over and saw that my head had come to rest on Kenyon's shoulder. "Good Morning, Maith." he whispered with that warm smile of his. I sat bolt upright; my face turning as red as my hair. I heard a high-pitched laugh and, sure enough, Nala was hovering in front of us with a goofy grin. "Maith and Kenyon, sittin' in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" she sang mockingly. That made Kenyon start to blush. "Oh, shut up, Nala!" I scolded. Kenyon stood, cheeks still red, and announced, "Alright, time to look for a way out of here!"
"I thought there was no way out." I said, puzzled. Kenyon cleared his throat and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I couldn't find one before, but now...four eyes are better than two, right?" he half-whispered with a nervous laugh. He extended his hand to help me up and I took it. He was still holding my hand after I stood. That was extremely awkward. Probably the most awkward moment of my life.
"Nala, get a dragon's eye view for us will you?" Kenyon finally asked. "Okay." she squeaked. Before she flew off, she shot us a mocking smile and squealed, "I'll leave you two 'love birds' alone!" Then she cackled and flew up into the air.
Kenyon and I walked abreast through the jiggling Golgi Body. Every now and then, he would stop and look around. That started to annoy me. "What on Earth are you doing?" I demanded impatiently. "Well, Maith, I'm looking for the Vacuole. That will be our ticket out of here!" Kenyon crooned patiently. I crossed my arms in frustration. Kenyon must've noticed my restlessness, because he placed a hand on my shoulder and assured, "Hey, the Vacuole is the storage unit of the cell," then he turned to me and finished his pep-talk, "I'll get there will be food and water and all sorts of goodies!" I sighed and stopped my arms to my sides. "I guess you're right, Kenyon. I should be more excited!" I said, trying to sound enthusiastic.
"Guys! Guys, I found it! I found the Vacuole!" we finally heard Nala screech. Kenyon and I looked up excitedly. Nala dived down and announced the good news, "I found the Vacuole! Follow me, I'll lead you to it!" She flipped in the air and took off through the Golgi Body. Kenyon and I exchanged a glance and I urges him on. "Let's go!" I called, pulling at his arm. We pelted after Nala, breathing heavily, but we kept on smiling. Neither of us could believe that we were actually getting out of here.
After a bit more running, we saw a big jelly door that I guessed led to the Vacuole. I voiced my guess and Kenyon shrugged as an answer. He stepped towards it and poked it cautiously. The jelly door jiggled (Ha! Say that three times fast!) and opened. Inside the Vacuole was food, water, and everything a girl, guy, and dragon could need. Kenyon and I ran inside and stuffed our faces with food and water. Nala found a block of dry ice and settled down on it for a nap. We were happy campers.
Kenyon chugged a bottle of water and hiccuped. We both burst out laughing and fell to the floor. I felt like a kid again. BEEP, BEEP! BEEP, BEEP! I quickly sat up. BEEP, BEEP! There it was again! "Did you here that beeping, Kenyon?" I inquired. He sat up. "Yeah, but I thought I was officially losing it! Boy, am I glad you hear it too!" We looked around for the source of the noise. Suddenly, a screen popped up on the wall of the Vacuole. "Congratulations, Nala! You've found two more possible agents!" came a British male voice.
Kenyon and I looked over at Nala. She had woken up and was staring guiltily at us. She mouthed the words, 'I'm sorry.' I asked the British dude what he meant. He looked to be around forty to fifty years old with wrinkles, laugh-lines, and dirty-blond hair. He wore a gently worn tuxe and smiled a yellowed smile. He had warm, dark green eyes that shone with athourity. "What I mean," he said glancing at me, "Is that the CSS sent out Nala to gather new recruits. And she succeeded!"
While Kenyon glared accusingly at Nala, my curiosity grew. "What's the CSS?" I asked, my head cocked in wonder. "The CSS, my dear, is the Cell Safety System. We keep the Cell safe!" I raised an eyebrow at him. "What's your name, anyway?" I demanded.
"Nigel Drake. But you will call me General." I glanced at Kenyon and he was staring at the screen looking like he had just seen a ghost. "D-D-Dad?" he stammered. "It's about time you recognized me, son!" General exclaimed. I looked from the screen, to Kenyon, and back again. "Dad?!" I repeated, stunned.
"He abandoned me when I was thrown into the Golgi Body," Kenyon explained. Then to his dad, "You left me to die!" I placed my hand on his shoulder to calm him down.
"It was a test to see if you were strong enough. And you passed!" Gerneral announced a little too joyfully. "Now, you may not have boticed, but the Vacuole you are in is moving you to the Endoplasmic Reticulum. That's the organelle that sends proteins and other materials to other organelles. It will take you straight to me! Good luck in the maze!" he called just before the screen went dark.
"My dad is stupid..." Kenyon grumbled
"Well you can settle your 'daddy issues' when we reach him." I retorted.
Then the Vacuole shook and rocked before opening. A seemingly endless maze of yellow flesh stood waiting for us. "After you." I said with a smile. Kenyon returned the smile and rolled his eyes at me while stepping out of the Vacuole. Nala and I followed close behind. "Nala," I began. "I know, I know. 'Get a dragon's eye view'. It happens every time..." She flew off mumbling.
Kenyon and I walked in silently for a while. Then Kenyon said, "You know, I've been thinking. I like you. A lot. And you seem like a really nice girl. Would you, um...be My girlfriend?" I stopped dead in my tracks. We were both blushing badly. "Uh...I...um..." I couldn't get my mouth to form proper words. I really liked Kenyon. He was sweet, funny, cute. "Yes." I blurted out with a broad smile. He sighed with relief. "I was scared that you'd reject me." he admitted. I chuckled and he slipped his arm around my shoulders. We smiled brightly at each other.
"I found the way!" Nala's screech filled the air. She dived down and her jaw dropped at the sight of his arm around me. "I told ya so!" she screeched mockingly. Kenyon and I just beamed up at her. "Just tell us where to go!" I laughed. "This way!" Nala pointed with her tail and, once again, shot off. And again, we took off after her.
"The Nucleus!" I gasped excitedly. "Yeap. That's the CSS's HQ!" Nala replied. Kenyon walked forward and typed in a code. "Welcome to the control center of the cell." he groaned. "Cheer up!" I told him, elbowing him in the ribs to get my point across. I grabbed his hand and walked through the now opened Nucleus door. Waiting there to greet us was General and a bunch of guys in lab costs and outfits just like ours.
"Congratulations, Maith and Kenyon! You've become CSS's newest agents! It also appears that you are our newest couple as well!" announced General. Next thing we knew, we were dressed comfortably, fed, and watered and were in an auditorium with medals being placed around our necks. Kenyon planted a soft kiss on my cheek and we bowed, smiling.
When the ceremony was over, Kenyon and I went outside into a glade. We just say and talked and got to know each other better. "TAG!" Nala called, appearing out of thin air. She poked me with her tail and I ran after her. I tagged her, she tagged Kenyon, Kenyon tagged me, etc... It went on like that for a while and we were having fun. But then I stepped into a pit of acid called the Lysosome. It breaks down food and worn out cell parts. I fell in and noxious fumes engulfed me. The last thing I heard before I passed out was Kenyon's pleading cries: "NOOO!"

* * *

Beep...beep...beep...beep. "Uggghh..." I moaned. My head was killing me and I felt stiff. "Wha-where am I?" I mumbled. General's voice replied, "In CSS's ICU, Maith." I asked what had happened and Kenyon answered, "You fell into a Lysosome. But you're okay. You're going to be okay, Maith. I know it." He sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than me. My eyes gently flitted open and I saw that I was in a white room with an I.V stuck in my arm and a doctor at my bed side. General and Kenyon were in either side of me. Kenyon leaned forward and kissed my forhead. "It's okay, Maith. You're safe. You're home."