The Experiment

Chapter Two - Part One

Ayanna

As I had been sobbing my eyes out, I realized, the house seemed to grow quieter and quieter. Hmm... that's weird... I thought, knowing that Jaidyn would usually be performing some stupid song to my parents, while I groaned and tried to look as bored as possible.

"Mom?" I yelled, nervously. "Dad? Jaidyn?"

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

What the heck! My thoughts screamed, as I went down to the dinner table area, where my family would be sitting. Would be. Usually, we would all be crowded around our small circle table, laughing and eating dinner. Now, there was only my full plate, my families half-empty plates, and some weird yellow marbles on the chair where they sat. We don't even have any marbles...

I picked up the marbles, expecting them to set on fire or have a secret message for me, but they were just marbles. I stuffed them into my pocket. Huh... my thoughts said. Maybe the television knows what's happening...

When I clicked the news on, the screen was just grey. Okay then... As I reached my small hands down to turn it off, a voice began speaking.

"Greetings, kids!" The strange voice said. "You may be wondering, where the heck did everyone go? I can answer that. Today marks the first day of let's call it... the experiment. Now, you may be thinking, the experiment is to take everyone I know away from me? But it's not. This experiment is to see how you, twelve-year-old kids, can live alone for three hundred and sixty-five days. Your goal is to make it as long as possible without disaster, food shortage, and more. But you don't have to worry, if it gets super bad, we will remove you. The last one, or ones standing win! Now, have a lovely evening." The voice projected, and the screen went off.

"Pfft, yeah right, leaving twelve-year-olds on the Earth to basically die? As if." I mumbled as I walked out the front door to check and see where my parents were hiding in this little prank of theirs.

The first house I checked had all the lights on. Mrs. Maleby has to be home! I thought, considering the 92-year-old woman almost never left her house. The only times she ever left were for her milk delivery on Mondays, and newspaper on Tuesdays. But, the milk sat on her porch, and two more small yellow marbles were placed beside them.

Okay... this is getting really freaky... My thoughts screamed as I continued to knock on the door. "Come on guys, please stop pranking me." I pleaded.

But there was no response. Maybe she had plans? No, ninety-two-year-old women don't go out for plans, except weddings. I began to feel more and more panicked. As I started running to the next house, I noticed more confused kids, my age, walking around in the street. Some crying, some confused, and some worried.

"Ayanna?" I small voice said from behind me, as I whipped around, "have you seen my parents?"

"No Corrie, I haven't. I can't seem to find mine either..." I replied, feeling anxious.

Corrie walked away crying, as more kids seemed to appear, parentless and confused. Eventually, it became too much, so I trotted back inside.

I needed to make a plan if I wanted to hope that I would survive the whole year without parents, siblings or cousins, and that was terrifying. I ran up to my room, and flicked on the television, waiting for another message to appear. And waited, and waited, and waited for what felt like an eternity. Finally, the television played another message.

"Hello, children!" The voice boomed. "Welcome to day one! I bet all of you are terrified at the moment but don't worry, your family is in a lovely place cheering you on. My advice to you is be prepared for anything. Have a dandy evening!" And the television shut off once again.

Be prepared for anything, how bad could that be? I went down into the kitchen to finish my now freezing steak, and then I saw it...