14

“Hey! Stop them!” some security guard shouted.

There were running exercises at camp, so Alyssa and the other three were very well faster then all of them. They followed Emily taking a bunch of twists and turns, barreling a couple people (actually Grayson barreled them) and trying to breathe.

They passed the identity station and passed the security station. The people working there made confused faces. Seeing four teens chased by a dozen guards probably wasn’t an everyday experience.

The people sitting and waiting for their flights also stared. Unlike the other places they passed, the people here chuckled a bit and whooped for the guards. Alyssa felt the guards probably needed the encouragement, since the only way they could know where the teens were was by looking at the bystanders faces.

Alyssa tried to make note of any security cameras along the way, and to her surprise, she found only one, and it wasn’t important, just like Emily said. Man, she’s pretty smart. The thought caught Alyssa by surprise, but she didn’t slow down. Alyssa was still running at top speed, and so were the others.

They made it to the bathroom entrances, and took a moment to catch their breaths. Alyssa wheezed heavily, her face red like a tomato. Her legs could no longer support her and she fell on her knees, slightly scratching them. Alyssa’s brain observed her mission mates.

Emily seemed the least tired, only wiping a couple beads of sweat and taking an occasional long breath. She was leaning on the wall, accidentally turning on the water fountain every few seconds.

Grayson was by far the worst, and Alyssa wasn’t just talking about his old injuries. His whole face was bloodred, you couldn’t see any skin color on it at all. He was laying on the ground and wheezing like an old man. His limbs were shaking slightly and he was also drooling. Ew.

Nico was sweating badly, his clothes getting more soaked every second that passed. His brown hair now flattened, the light streaks not noticeable anymore. His face wasn’t that red, but probably due to his darker skin color.

“Okay–  wheeze –let’s never — wheeze — do that — wheeze –again.” Grayson groaned. Emily simply nodded, looking down at the ground.

“Alright, here we are, at the bathrooms, now what?” Nico asked.

“Well, we can’t go any further. The security guards will recognize us.” Emily said, a slight smirk starting to emerge. That made Alyssa worry a little.

“That’s obvious.” Nico said.

“So we need a way to get through here without being spotted by those pesky little guards, or anyone else for that matter.” Emily said slowly.

“Ah! We act like animals!” Grayson laughed. Insanity probably getting to the best of him. Alyssa smiled at the thought.

“No! You’re such an idiot!” Emily let out an exasperated sigh.

“We turn into pets?” Nico offered.

“No, but I guess you could you’re getting warmer.” Emily said. She had a full smile on her lips now, and her eyes were flashing mischievously. Alyssa could say for sure now that she was freaking out.

“Spill the beans please.” She squeaked. Emily reached in her bag and took a moment to pull out four medium sized bags, filled with who knows what. Emily smiled again and said,

“We turn into different people. Say hello to your alter ego.”