"Why in such a hurry?" He asks.

"What does it matter? Let go!" I yell once more.

Another voice distracts him, making me able to wriggle away. I try to make a break for it, but about five or seven more kids around my age practically materialize from the woods. I stagger back.

There's more of them!?

"You need help with a girl?" One sneers.

The man who pinned me down shrugs. "You'd be surprised. I think I have bruises from her kicking me."

Minutes later, I find my hands tied behind my back and myself being escorted by a group of dirty, wild kids. I kick and struggle, but it just seems to amuse them. So I stop, walking in the middle of them quietly with my jaw clenched.

"Oh, put a blindfold on her. You know, just in case she's a spy," someone says.

Great. Now I'm kidnapped, tied, and walking in darkness with a bunch if strangers surrounding me. The adrenaline coursing through my veins is almost overwhelming. I went from my life having nothing interesting in it, to some terrible nightmare. Going home almost sounds good right now.

We walk for a long time. I trudge, being shoved every now and then if I'm not going fast enough. When we do come to a stop, I feel myself being tied to a tree.

I'm in such a mess...

They rip the blindfold off. I squint as my eyes adjust to the sun. I then take a look at my surroundings. It's kind of hard to see, since the number of people seemed to multiply. They're surrounding me, their eyes wide and curious. I feel my body press against the tree trunk harder, almost as if it thinks it can dissolve into it.

Voices scatter among the crowd.

"Who's she?"

"Look at her eyes! Have you ever seen that shade if eyes before?"

"She looks different."

"I call dibs!"

"QUIET!" Someone yells. "Yes, if you haven't noticed, she's new. We don't know who she is but we're going to find out. So I'd appreciate it if you all went away with your business while we try to figure out who the heck she is."

I realize that it's the boy who caught me earlier that's speaking. I have a special disliking for him, since he's the one who got me into this mess.

He escorts me into an extremely small house structure. It reminds me of a beaver house on land, but much sturdier and cozy looking. He closes the wooden door, which protests from the movement with a loud screech.

"What's your name? I'm Jason," he says casually, slumping into a wooden chair lazily.

"Katerina. Kat for short," I mumble.

Jason grins, but I avoid his gaze. "Like the animal?"

I roll my eyes. "No!"

"And you said you came from the wall right?"

"Right."

"And why did you run away?"

I open my mouth to reply, but the words don't come out. It made so much sense in my head, but now a realize how stupid it was. I don't know how survive out here. I didn't even bring any supplies. Plus, the authorities will find me and kill me in no time.

"I realize how stupid it is now, okay? I- I don't know... well I do, it's just..." I begin to stammer, frantic to find a reasonable explanation.

"You could always go back, you know. You'd be safe. You could sleep in your own soft bed and take a nice, hot shower," he says.

"If I go back they'll kill me. Besides, I don't want to. I want to see what's out here. The little I've seen already is amazing."