Chapter Three - Taken

Vikram was in the middle of an argument when the world disappeared.

“You cannot seriously tell me that counts as cheating.”

His friend looked at him across the small roadside cricket ground.

“You moved the boundary.”

“I adjusted the boundary.”

“You moved it twenty feet.”

“Strategic adjustment.”

“You're a thief.”

Vikram grinned.

“I prefer entrepreneur.”

His friend threw the ball at him.

Vikram caught it.

Then the world went white.

There was no warning.

No sound.

No explosion.

One second there was a dusty field beneath his shoes, the smell of fried food from the stall nearby, his friend's irritated face in front of him.

The next—

Nothing.

Vikram fell.

He landed hard on something cold.

“OW.”

Someone else screamed.

Someone else swore.

Something metallic crashed nearby.

Vikram opened his eyes.

A ceiling stretched impossibly high above him.

Dark stone.

Massive arches.

Floating lights.

A strange blue glow ran through the walls like veins.

And there were people everywhere.

Seven of them.

Seven complete strangers.

Vikram sat up.

“Okay.”

He looked around.

“Either I've been kidnapped…”

He paused.

“…or my friends finally got creative.”

A boy near him turned sharply.

“What?”

Vikram pointed around the room.

“I said, either we're kidnapped or I'm having a very expensive hallucination.”

“That doesn't make any sense.”

“Neither does this place.”

The boy looked irritated.

He had silver-blond hair, expensive clothes and the expression of someone who had never once been told no.

Zayne.

Vikram didn't know his name yet.

He simply looked at him and thought:

Rich.

Very rich.

Zayne looked around with barely disguised disgust.

“Where are we?”

A girl beside him was already standing.

She had dark hair, sharp eyes and an expression that suggested she was approximately three seconds away from punching somebody.

Lyra.

She looked at the enormous doors at the far end of the hall.

“Wherever we are, I'm leaving.”

She walked toward them.

A boy stepped in front of her.

“Maybe don't.”

Lyra stopped.

He was tall.

Dark-haired.

Silent.

He hadn't said anything since they arrived.

He looked less confused than the others.

More alert.

Like he was already studying the room.

Lyra raised an eyebrow.

“You planning to stop me?”

He didn't answer.

She stared at him.

“Great talk.”

She walked around him.

He let her.

Vikram looked between them.

“Oh, this is going to be fun.”

A girl sitting on the floor beside him laughed.

She was smiling.

Actually smiling.

In the middle of all this.

“You're funny.”

Vikram looked at her.

“Thank you. I have no idea what's happening, but I appreciate the review.”

She giggled.

“I'm Mei.”

“Vikram.”

She pointed at herself.

“You're supposed to say something about yourself.”

“Okay.”

He thought for a second.

“I'm handsome.”

Mei laughed harder.

“That's debatable.”

“Wow.”

Vikram put a hand over his heart.

“We've known each other for thirty seconds.”

“You started it.”

“I like you.”

Mei grinned.

“I like you too.”

A quiet girl crouched beside another girl who looked completely terrified.

“Hey.”

Her voice was soft.

“Are you hurt?”

The frightened girl shook her head.

“I don't know.”

“It's okay.”

The girl smiled gently.

“I'm Aurora.”

The other girl swallowed.

“I'm…”

She looked around.

“I'm Lyra.”

“No.”

The dark-haired girl from the door called over.

“I'm Lyra.”

The frightened girl blinked.

“Oh.”

She pointed awkwardly at herself.

“I'm Aurora.”

Aurora laughed softly.

“Okay.”

Vikram looked around.

“Wait.”

He counted.

“One.”

He pointed at himself.

“Two.”

Mei.

“Three.”

Zayne.

“Four.”

The silent boy.

“Five.”

The two girls.

“Six.”

He frowned.

“Seven.”

A boy standing near one of the pillars lifted his hand.

“I'm Kai.”

Vikram stared at him.

Kai stared back.

Then Kai smiled.

“Hi.”

Vikram smiled.

“Hi.”

There was something immediately strange about Kai.

He looked completely relaxed.

Everyone else was frightened.

Kai looked like he'd accidentally walked into the wrong classroom.

He shoved his hands into his pockets.

“So.”

He looked around.

“Anyone know where the exit is?”

Lyra pointed.

“That door.”

Kai nodded.

“Excellent.”

He walked toward it.

Vikram watched him go.

“Do you think he'll find it?”

Mei shrugged.

“Probably.”

Kai reached the doors.

He pushed.

Nothing happened.

He pushed harder.

Nothing.

He kicked them.

Still nothing.

Kai looked over his shoulder.

“Okay.”

He sighed.

“Bad door.”

Lyra folded her arms.

“You're an idiot.”

Kai smiled.

“I've been called worse.”

Zayne stepped forward.

“Move.”

Kai looked at him.

“Why?”

“Because you're clearly doing nothing.”

Kai stepped aside.

“Rich boy's turn.”

Zayne glared at him.

“Excuse me?”

“Nothing.”

Zayne placed his hand against the door.

He pushed.

Nothing happened.

He pushed harder.

Still nothing.

Kai nodded sympathetically.

“Very impressive.”

Zayne turned.

“Do you ever stop talking?”

“No.”

“Why?”

“Fear of silence.”

Vikram burst out laughing.

Kai looked at him.

“You get it.”

“Unfortunately, I do.”

The two grinned at each other.

And somehow, in the middle of a place neither of them understood, they became friends.

Not because they trusted each other.

Not yet.

But because both of them were using jokes to keep themselves from admitting they were scared.

Across the room, Rayden had moved toward one of the windows.

There were no windows.

Only a wall of glass.

Beyond it was a city.

Not a city like any of them had ever seen.

Towers rose into the clouds.

Bridges floated between buildings.

Lights moved through the sky.

Something enormous flew between two towers.

Rayden stared.

Zayne joined him.

For several seconds neither spoke.

Then Zayne said quietly,

“That's impossible.”

Rayden didn't answer.

“You see it too?”

Rayden nodded.

Zayne stared through the glass.

“This isn't Earth.”

Rayden finally looked at him.

“No.”

Zayne frowned.

“How do you know?”

Rayden pointed toward the sky.

There were three moons.

One silver.

One pale blue.

One almost violet.

Zayne went silent.

Then—

“Everyone!”

Aurora's voice cut through the room.

Something was moving beneath her feet.

She stepped back.

The floor lit up.

A circle of symbols appeared beneath all seven of them.

Mei's smile disappeared.

“What is that?”

Kai looked down.

“Oh.”

Vikram glanced at him.

“You know what that is?”

“No.”

“Then why did you say oh?”

“Because it looked important.”

The symbols brightened.

Seven different colours spread across the floor.

The room shook.

Lyra grabbed Aurora's arm.

“Move.”

They tried.

Nothing happened.

The invisible barrier pushed them back.

Vikram hit it first.

“Okay!”

He rubbed his shoulder.

“Definitely a kidnapping.”

Kai punched the barrier.

The force threw him backward.

Vikram caught him.

“Whoa.”

Kai looked at him.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

Kai glanced at the barrier.

Then at Vikram.

“You think we can break it?”

Vikram smiled.

“Now you're speaking my language.”

They both attacked.

The barrier didn't move.

Zayne tried next.

Nothing.

Lyra kicked it.

Nothing.

Mei searched for a weakness.

Nothing.

Aurora touched the surface gently.

For a second, the barrier shimmered.

She pulled her hand back.

“It's responding to us.”

Rayden looked at her.

“What?”

She stared at the glowing symbols.

“I think it's testing us.”

A voice suddenly echoed through the hall.

“Correct.”

Everyone froze.

A huge circular wall at the far end of the chamber began glowing.

A sphere appeared inside it.

The surface looked like glass.

But beneath the glass—

They could see people.

Nine figures stood around the sphere.

Teachers.

Watching.

One old man stepped forward.

Then another.

Then another.

The seven realized with growing horror that they had been watching the entire time.

Vikram looked directly at the sphere.

“Oh.”

He waved.

“Hi.”

Nobody waved back.

Kai whispered,

“That's awkward.”

Vikram nodded.

“Very.”

A woman appeared at the center of the sphere.

Her silver hair was tied neatly behind her.

Her expression was calm.

Controlled.

Powerful.

“Welcome.”

Zayne stepped forward.

“Where are we?”

The woman didn't answer.

Instead, she looked at each of them.

One by one.

Rayden.

Zayne.

Kai.

Vikram.

Aurora.

Mei.

Lyra.

Her expression changed when she reached the final name.

Not fear.

Something closer to recognition.

Then she said:

“You have been brought to the Academy of Aureon.”

Silence.

Lyra crossed her arms.

“Okay.”

She looked around.

“And what exactly is Aureon?”

The woman didn't answer immediately.

Because somewhere deep beneath the Academy—

something moved.

Something ancient.

Something that had been sleeping.

And in a prison hundreds of miles away, a man who had been dead for five years opened his eyes.

Veyr smiled.

The first Key had begun to wake.