*Hikari Hada's POV:
"Hikari, is his back turned?" my friend Yasmine whispered to me and our friend Devon as we watched one of the shelter's cooks place a pan of tasty Mexican sweet buns on the table. We were hiding behind the corner, near an entrance into the kitchen in the back of the cafeteria.
"Yeah, but he's near the table. We can't do anything until he leaves. Do you guys want to take all of the sweet buns?" I asked mischievously as I looked back at my friends.
"You mean like: take the whole pan?!" Devon loudly whispered in happiness. Yasmine and I shushed him.
"Yes. There are twenty-four sweet buns on that pan. We each can have eight to ourselves" I replied, rubbing my hands together, thinking about how delicious those sweet buns are.
"And if we get caught?" Devon asked.
"Then we'll just have to just take that loss like grown adults," I said in confidence, placing my hands on my hips.
"But Hikari, we aren't adults. We're eleven and Devon is ten. We don't even look like adults, Yasmine timidly explained as she adjusted her dirty blonde curls.
"Yasmine, that doesn't mean we should be afraid of getting caught" I face-palmed myself in annoyance, then stared back at my biracial friend. "Once the guy leaves, I'll use my powers to bring the tray over towards us and zoom...we leave."
"What kind of sweet buns are they?" Devon asked.
"Mexican sweet buns, but they're known as "Conchas". Beval used to make them for me when I was younger," I replied, peeking again into the kitchen from the door. To my surprise, the chef wasn't there. "Alright buddies, this is our chance. We can take these sweet buns, stuff them in zip-lock bags, then we'll place them into our duffel bags," I said, watching the buns.
Our stuff was hidden in the garden section, away from sight. Everything was going according to plan: pack enough food, water, clothes to sneak out and leave this shelter for good. Just us three verses the outside world. Next stop, we were going to Los Angeles to join the circus.
I stood in front of the door. Slowly, I reached my arm outward, reaching towards the table. I concentrated as I used my telekinesis powers. The pan rose up, about a foot upward from the table and slowly made its way towards me.
"Come on, come on" I heard Devon whisper, clenching on to his long cornrows.
Slowly it came to me, the donut-flavored smell filled my nose and the steam rose from the buns. I licked my lips, concentrating on guiding the pan to me and grabbing it. Once it was in arm distance, I grabbed the pan with my other arm. It almost fell to the ground before I hugged it tightly, after I stopped using my power. I blew my breath in relief.
"You got it Kari?" Devon asked me.
"Yea, and they are bigger than I thought" I smiled, briefly making eye contact with him. Intensely, I stared down at the Mexican sweet buns that were laying on the large pan in my hands. Thankfully, the pan wasn't too hot. "Let's go, before we wake anyone up."
It was about 2:00 am, and everyone was asleep, a perfect time to sneak out and leave. We tiptoed passed the door and out towards the cafeteria. We reached the cafeteria's door and opened it slowly. I cringed as a slight creaking sound came from the door.
"Anyone around? I don't want to get caught like this," Yasmine whispered to me in fear, clenching on to Devon's shirt as they were right behind me. I looked both ways to make sure no one was around.
"Nobody's here, good, let's go-"
"Got'cha!"
I was interrupted by someone grabbing my arm right before we were about to run towards the garden's door. I tried with all of my might and balance to not spill the sweet buns as I turned my head to see who it was and...well, well, well.
Beval stupid Hernandez.
He was still wearing his chef attire, and even had the hat on. He must've been hiding behind the corner next to the cafeteria's door where we were.
Beval was an old fart that should've been held in. An old friend to my deceased older brother, a boyfriend to Gaia and a best friend to Celosia. I liked Beval better when I was younger, when he was a teenager. He was more laid back and funny, always teasing Celosia and Gaia. Now, he's different, and I didn't like that.
"What are you doing with those sweet buns?!" He asked in anger.
"Nothing...," I answered as me and my friends huddled together and backed away from Beval. "I was just bringing them into the kitchen for the cook to have and I-"
"Beval! The Pan Dulce are missing, somebody stole-" yelled the cook we stole them from as he barged through the cafeteria's door. He paused when he saw me carrying the pan full of them. Just when he was about to speak again, Beval stopped him.
"It's okay. I'll handle this," he said to the cook. The guy nodded and walked back into the cafeteria. I smiled nervously as I chuckled a bit, but Beval wasn't phased. His purple eyes stared at me with a great amount of annoyance.
"I'm going to ask you again, what are you doing with those conchas?!" Beval asked in a demanding way.
"Well, we wanted to...um...well...," I stuttered, hesitant to say the real reason. Beval sighed and took the pan away from my hands. It's like he already knew what I was going to say.
"Hikari, this is the fifth time you and your friends have planned to escape. And then, you're escaping in your pajamas. You know it's winter. Why can't you just be happy where you are? You are safe here."
"Because I hate it here! It's boring! It sucks, and everyone is miserable! Why are we still here when the extermination is over?!" I yelled at him as I stomped my foot.
"Where is your stuff? Where are you hiding it?", He examined me in a stern voice, ignoring my rant. I stayed silent, refusing to answer him as I turned my head the other way. He looked at Yasmine and Devon.
"If you don't tell me where your stuff is, I will surely tell both of your parents about this. Remember what happened last time?," Beval asked, trying to scare my friends into telling. In fear, they both looked at each other, scared out of their minds.
"It's in the garden section behind the roses!", Yasmine blurted out in fear.
"Yasmine!", I shouted at her, wondering why she didn't hold her ground.
"What's going on?" I heard a woman say. It was Celosia.
All four of us turned our heads to the right to look at her, she was coming out from one of the doors to the bedroom section, with Gaia following behind.
Her long red hair was placed in a side braid, and was wearing pajama shorts and a big t-shirt. Gaia had on a black bonnet, leggings and a tink-top.
"I caught Hikari and her friends again, trying to steal food for their plan to sneak out and run away. Their stuff is hiding in the garden" Beval told Celosia as she and Gaia walked over.
Gaia looked down at the pan of conchas Beval was holding. She looked at me and my friends with an annoyed look.
"Yasmine, Devon, go into the garden, get your things and any food or drinks you have in your bags, take them back into the kitchen where they belong. Then, go straight to bed! I am deciding whether or not to tell your parents about this."
In a heartbeat, Yasmine and Devon bolted to the garden to get their things. And just like that, I was all alone, left for a bunch of 20-year-olds to lecture me.
"Hikari, why do you keep doing this?" Gaia sighed. "This shelter is what protects us and you just want to leave? It's dangerous out there, there are things out there that are beyond your understanding."
"Dangerous?! What is so dangerous about being outside?! I hate it here! Why do we have to stay here?! This place is affecting me mentally!" I yelled at Gaia, starting to cry.
"Sweetie, listen, I understand where you are coming from but you have to hear us out. Because there is a deadly virus that is spreading across the world, nobody should leave, not until we are sure that it's over and done with," Gaia explained to me calmly as she placed her hand on my shoulder.
"We have things to protect ourselves with. We can fight through it and find a new placed to live. It's so boring here, and everyone here is struggling with food and water. We can move deep into the forest and live there where nobody will notice us," I cried out as I wiggled her hand off my shoulder, backing away from her.
"Hikari you are not being rational. There are four hundred people, including us, in this shelter. That virus will spread throughout our group like wildfire and kill every single one of us. We do not have enough equipment for four hundred people," Beval lectured to me in annoyance.
I looked at Celosia. "Celosia, you are one of the hunters, you and the other hunters managed to come back down here from the outside world and you haven't gotten sick yet! None of the others have either!" I said to her, trying to make a point.
"That's because once we return, we go through a sanitizing process before we open back up the doors of the shelter. That way, the suits we have on are sanitized, cleaned and virus-free" she responded in a calm, soothing voice.
"Hikari, the point we are trying to make is that we need to stay here; this is our home for now" Beval spoke up.
"But I don't like it!"
"Hikari, I don't care what you don't like! Life doesn't work like that! Sometimes you will have to do or deal with things you don't necessarily feel comfortable doing! Trust me, we know! Me, Gaia and Celosia been through a whole lot of craziness! At the end of the day, this is the only place we can feel safe at! Being out there, you are likely to get in contact with the virus and will die from it two weeks later! Why is this so hard for you to understand?! You're lucky we don't tell your father about this! You are staying here at this shelter and that's final!" Beval yelled, interrupting me.
"But-"
"End of discussion" he said, cutting me off.
I stood there, in anger and defeat. I looked at Celosia. She was silent and didn't say much after her comment. I lowered my head and once more responded to him.
"Shimizu would've let me go, he would've protected us. He would've taken us to somewhere bigger and better. But I guess you're too much of a punk to do so."
Beval, Gaia and Celosia eyes grew wide in surprise from my shady response. I wiped my eyes and dashed over to my right, running towards my bedroom section, which was section: 1.
"Hikari, wait!" I heard Celosia shout. I ignored her and ran towards the door. I ran to my bed which was four beds down from the door and jumped into it.
I sobbed quietly, knowing there were about eighty people in my section sleeping peacefully, and I didn't want to wake anyone up. I buried my head into my pillow as I laid on my stomach, trying to get all my tears out in the quietest way possible as I kicked my legs.
I felt so trapped, I felt like I was stuck in a box. I haven't been to school in so long I don't even remember what school was like. The only school I got at the shelter was being with thirty other kids around my age. The "teacher" who is just a former middle school teacher taught us math and reading, but we didn't really know much about science other than environmental things about the outside world.
I didn't feel alive. I didn't feel normal. I felt like no one understood where I was coming from, even though they claim they do. Imagine being underground in the same place for five years, no windows or T.V. Besides the hunters, we had no contact with the outside world and I hated that. Even though I had Yasmine and Devon as friends, I still felt alone. I felt immature for my age, as if I wasn't preteen enough. I felt lonely.
Suddenly, I felt a hand touch my shoulder.
My face, filled with tears, rose up from the pillow to look at whoever touched me. It was Celosia.
"Hey Hikari, are you okay?" She whispered as she sat down on my bed.
"No" I quickly said. "No one understands me. No one but Yasmine and Devon."
"That's not true. I understand you completely Kari. I really do."
"Then why didn't you try to leave with us? Why didn't you try to sneak out? You're a hunter, you know what's up there and you know how to get around!"
"Shh Hikari! People are sleeping. Hunters leave the shelter to hunt and gather food, water and medicine by those up top who are secretly helping us, we don't go out to stroll and cruise around. Also, there is a pandemic going on, it's not safe for you to be out just yet. I'm sure when it's over, Mr. Hada will think of something" Celosia explained as she stroked my shoulder-length black hair.
I looked over at my father, who was three beds down from mine, sound asleep.
"Are you happy here?" I asked Celosia as I sat up from my bed and stared into her orange fiery eyes.
"I-...I, um..." She mumbled, hesitant to answer. "I don't necessarily like it. But it's all we've got. Listen Hikari, up there is not a pretty site. Cities are quarantined and riots are being taken place against the government because many people believed they've been deceived and lied to. It's a struggle just getting our resources, just imagine what it's like to stay up there. I've even heard that most of the grocery stores are empty."
Her response caused me to pout and cross my arms. I broke eye contact and looked away.
"Hikari, listen, I know it's hard right now. But to keep this between you and me: I don't feel in my heart that we will be here forever. The pandemic will end sometime soon, it should. Danny said it will last three years, and it has been three years. We will be able to leave soon, but I just don't know how soon."
Her statement gave me a sense of hope, yet I knew she couldn't guarantee that she would be right.
"Anything would be better than being here" I muttered.
"I know, I know" Celosia nodded, in a understanding way. She looked to my table next to my bed. Her eyes met a picture.
It was of me, Celosia, Gaia, Beval and my older brother Shimizu posing. I was so young, about five I believe, and Shimizu, Celosia, Gaia and Beval were teenagers.
Those were good times, the best of times. We were happily living in San Francisco, a lively city with a big red bridge to guide people there.
I remembered Mom took that picture. She took many pictures despite of Beval's impatience. It was the day they went to some rich girl's birthday party. I forgot her name, I think it started with an "M".
A small smile grew on Celosia's face. She clenched her pajama pants as she stared deeply at the picture.
"You're thinking about that day, aren't you?" I said with a smug. She snapped out of her gaze and looked at me.
"Yes, yes I am. I dearly miss being able to have fun and party. Haven't done so in five years. But for the last two years, I have been too occupied with fixing the struggle of less food and water that I passed aside the thought of fun."
I was the exact opposite. Instead of worrying about the shelter's problems and issues, I worried about having fun and creating mischief as a way to drown away boredom and my desire to leave this place.
"I really miss Shimizu. He meant the world to me. He was so sweet and kind and I-"
Celosia paused as she began tearing up.
I wasn't sure what to do, everyone was over Shimizu's death in a way. We grieved for about a year and that was it, but Celosia was still affected, and I wasn't sure why.
"It will be okay. I know it's sad, but you will get through it. Robin is tough, Robin is strong."
"Haha, you know I don't go by my middle name anymore" she replied with a chuckle, wiping away a tear.
"Oh, sorry. But maybe one day when you become old and die, you will see Shimizu again and you can be friends again" I said, trying to cheer her up as I rubbed her back. I wasn't the best at giving advice, especially on touchy subjects.
She looked at me with a small smile on her face, but I could tell she was faking it.
"Thanks Hikari, that was a sweet thing for you to say."
I made an awkward smiled at her.
Usually I don't say sweet things, but for Celosia, I was willing to make the exception. She was like an older sister to me. We weren't as close back when Shimizu was alive, but we were now. She had been so stressed with the current state of the shelter that I could tell it was getting to her. She was looking more and more sad by the day.
"Well, I think it's time you get some rest. It's late. And no more trying to run away. Promise?"
I bit my lip and exhaled. I hated promises because knowing me, there was no guarantee I was going to keep them.
"I...promise" I said, grinning my teeth.
"That means no breaking that promise, ever" Celosia sneered as she squeezed my nose. I giggled as my cheeks turned red, then laid down as Celosia poured the covers over me.
"Goodnight Hikari" Celosia whispered as she hugged me.
"Goodnight" I replied.
Celosia stood up and began leaving for the bedroom section's door, opening it and then quietly closing it.
After I knew she was gone, I reached for the picture. The picture with me, my brother and his friends. I stared at my brother. He was smiling with his hands in his pockets, standing next to Celosia and Beval. Gaia was next to Beval. They all looked so happy.
"You would've understood Shimizu. You would've wanted to leave right along with me if you were here. You would've urge us to leave and live a happier life somewhere else" I whispered to the picture. I hugged it and looked at the ceiling high above.
I wished Shimizu was there. It was as if we were missing half of our family; Mom was unfairly killed and Shimizu died from an explosion of a building.
It took a former counselor that lived in the shelter with us to help me and my dad with the trauma of seeing my mom killed.
I clenched on to the covers, trying my hardest to think about something happy or funny. Something that the counselor told me to do every time the memory of my mother being shot came up.
I tried to think about a year ago, on Katie's 16th birthday, when I was running and I bumped into Kimberly, which caused her to fall into the trash can, head first. She chased me around for a good five minutes after that.
I giggled at the memory as my eyes grew heavy. I closed them, ending the day I thought would be the end to being in this place.