Aunt Candy and the Mysteries

Nineteen.

I follow the storm of kids down the hall. As we go, I try to count the number of other hallways. One, two, three, four... The hallway then turns and I can't quite see all of the doors. Everyone stands anxiously in front of the large metal doors that I entered through only a day ago. I see the girl with the badge fuddle with it as the sirens continue to wail.

"Be ready!" She shouts to the crowd "I don't know how many guards are on the other side of this door, but if this place taught us anything good, it's how to fight. Use it." She turns around and places the badge to the scanner on the side. The door clicks, releasing the lock and I swear I hear everyone's heart skip a beat as they hold up their keystones, ready to escape. "Here's to freedom!" The girl shouts as she opens the door.

Everyone storms out shouting a victorious battle cry, they know they've already won. Through the frame of the door I see many different colored ribbons of emotion. Some of them triumphant purples, others angry reds, and some powerful golds. I smile as I reach the door, which the girl is still standing behind, holding open. As the last boy leaves the hallway, she comes out from behind the metal barrier and stands before me.

"Here." She says, placing the badge in my palm while still grabbing my hand with hers. "Thank you so much. How can we ever repay you?"

"You already have." I tell her truthfully.

She wraps me in a tight hug which I return happily. "Now go help the others, they're going to need help finding their feet and I think you're a pretty good candidate, er..."

"Sierra." She says with prideful yet hopeful eyes.

"Sierra." I repeat, locking the name and face in my brain.

She then exits through the door and joins that fight, leaving the badge in my hand.

Let's do this.

I quickly prop the exit door open with a small trash can from the warehouse part of the two sides before I run down my hallway to the door farthest from the exit. This one is labelled "trainee". I use the badge twice to open the door and the cells, then let everyone run out, looking at everyone who leaves to see if they're any of Aunt Candy's kids. Before moving on to the next door. I continue this, opening five more trainee hallways and two soldier ones before turning the corner.

This hallway has an effect to it that makes it seem more eerie. Maybe that's just the flickering lights. I jog down to the first door to find another soldier door with the second one being the same. I let those kids go, again, searching the ranks for Luke, Birdie, my brother, or Cedar. My eyes land on a head full of blonde hair with broken glasses resting on their nose. "Luke!" I shout. His attention immediately turns to me, excitement, then confusion taking over his face. He pushes through the crowd, dragging Peter along with him as they make their way to my side, quickly wrapping me in a hug. "What on earth are you doing here?!" Luke says over the rumble of feet and wailing sirens. "Freeing you all, obviously." I add a light smile to the last part.

"So I guess this means you're not on their side." He says, a little joke in his tone as well.

"How could I be?! They're monsters!" I recount today's activities, remembering especially vividly the fight between Charlie and Brooke. Wait! Where are they!? None of these halls look like the special rooms they were taken to.

"Go and wait outside for the rest of us--or try to get back to Aunt Candy. I bet she's just about had a heart attack by now. "

Luke quickly nods his head and joins the last of the crowd leaving the hallway.

"You did it! Be proud Etta!" Peter says, hugging me once again before following after Luke.

 I open more doors on the way down the hallway: Soldier, Soldier, Captain, Captain, Captain, Captain, End of the hallway. I turn another corner, but this time there are only four doors, the two closest to me look more heavy duty than the ones after that.