Time passes slowly as we keep making our way towards my house. When we get there, I hop up the steps leading to the door, and Marc stays on the walkway. I glance at the street and take one last deep breath of the night air. Then, I put my key in the lock and turn the door knob. I spin back around to say “goodnight” to Marc, and I notice a car parked on the other side of the street.

“Marc, was that car there before?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Marc said, shrugging his shoulders.

“K, whatever. See you tomorrow,” I said, stepping inside my house.

“See ya,” Marc replied.

I flip on a light and hang my purse and jacket on a hook near the stairs. I then go sit in a rocking chair and watch Marc as he crosses the street.

“Elizabeth, honey? Is that you?” my mom’s voice echoed down the stairs.

“Yeah,” I said, getting up from the chair.

“Sweetie, it’s time for bed. You’ve had a long night.”

“Alright, I’m coming.”

I hear some sort of commotion outside as I place my hand on the railing. I freeze in my position and listen closely. The noise is gone.

“Hmm,” I whispered to myself, shaking my head. “Weird.”

“Liz,” my sister’s voice rang in my ears. “Elizabeth, wake up!”

I flip over in my bed and the covers smack her in the face. She tries to pry the comforter off me, and I finally give in. I look over at my alarm clock as I sit up.

“Jess, you idiot, it’s seven in the morning on a Saturday,” I barked at her. I slam back onto the mattress and yank the covers over my face.

“Trust me, I know that. Mom and dad told me to wake you up,” she said.

“Why?” I asked, peeking out from my hiding place.

“Marc‘s missing.”

My mind whirls, and I almost pass out. My face turns pale as I remember the noise I heard last night. Could that have been Marc?

“Where’re mom and dad now?” I asked.

“They’re helping Marc’s parents search for him. They were terrified when he never came home,” Jess explained.

I jolt out of bed and slip on a robe. Jess stares at me like I’ve gone insane as I frantically wander around my room. I can’t think straight. I feel as if I’m trapped in a nightmare that I can’t escape, but this is reality. Calm down, Elizabeth, I tell myself. You look like a maniac. I begin to twirl my hair, a nervous habit of mine, as I stop wandering and pull a t-shirt and a pair of jeans out of a drawer. When I look up, I catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror that sits on top of my dresser. My eyes seem to have lost their bright blue color, for a lifeless gray shadow lingers within them. I run my fingers through my hair, trying to remove the knots and tangles. I end up pulling out strands of my blond hair, but the knots still remain in their place. Frustrated, I yank all of the hair on the left side of my head and then cringe with pain. I let myself fall to the floor, not planning on getting back up.

“What’s wrong with you?” Jess asked with a disgusted look on her face.

“I don’t know, I just…” I began.

“What?”

“The thought of losing him makes me fall apart inside,” I sighed. “I feel horrible.”
“Well, it’s not going to do any good if you’re just sitting here, pouting. Marc needs your help; his family needs your help. We need to find him. He can’t be gone for good,” Jess said, sympathetically.
“What makes you so sure?”
“I’m not. Come on, let’s go search.” Jess holds out her hand and nods her head. “Everything will be alright.”
I bite my lip, wondering if I want to go with her. I want to find Marc, but I don’t want to get too caught up in the whole situation. It could be dangerous. I need to find him, I think to myself. I need to know he’s safe. I stretch out my arm and grasp Jess’s hand. She pulls me to my feet and gestures for me to follow her. I take a step forward, standing brave and tall. Once I get to the doorway, I turn off the lights in my bedroom and shut the door behind me. I slide my hand off the doorknob and move my bangs to the side, wrapping them around my ear. He’s out there somewhere. I know it.

I stare out the window of the car, my eyes following the road that passes underneath me. I listen to the sound of raindrops, hitting the windshield. My body is motionless and my stomach aches with hunger. I feel like my entire world is collapsing right in front of me. We’ve been searching for hours, and there’s no sign of Marc.

“Don’t worry, sweetheart,” my mom’s comforting voice chimed in.

“Your mom's right, Elizabeth. Don’t worry, we’ll find him,” my dad repeated.

I wrap my fingers around the armrest that protrudes from the side of my chair and squeeze the smooth fabric with all of my might. My teeth clench together, and my jaw locks in place. If someone says “don’t worry” one more time, I’ll scream. I can’t take it anymore. We’ve been searching forever, and no progress has been made. Where could he be?

“Liz, come on,” Jess said, stepping out of the car.

“Where’re we going?” I asked.

“We’re going to search on foot in this neighborhood.”

“In the rain?”

“Yes, you want to find Marc, don’t you?”

“Of course.”

“Well, we have to search in the rain then. You know, we aren’t just doing this for Marc and his family, we’re doing this for you too,” Jess explained.

“Thank you,” I said to Jess, raindrops pounding on my umbrella as I close the car door.

Jess sighs. “You’re welcome.”

I watch as Jess pulls the hood of her jacket over her head and begins to walk down the sidewalk. I start to follow her, but I’m then stopped by a large puddle that sits in front of me. My shoe, I realize, is already sunk into the water, and I can feel my sock become moist. Eeww. This is horrible.

“Marc!” I yelled into the clouded sky. This is so stupid. I feel like I’m yelling for no one. Marc isn’t here.

I hear a car door slam behind me. My heart skips a beat and I inhale a quick breath. I look around me, but I don’t see a car. Not knowing what to do, I continue walking down the sidewalk, keeping my ears alert for any other weird noises. All around me is quiet. All of the sudden, out of the bushes springs a figure, cloaked with darkness. Before I can jump out of the way, the figure lunges towards me, knocking me to the ground and wrapping my arms around my back.

“Get away from me,” I commanded. My hands are strapped together by handcuffs, and a blindfold is tied over my eyes. The world becomes dark.

“Someone, help me,” I whimpered before a piece of duct tape was stuck onto my mouth. Why me? Why does this have to happen to me?

I flail my legs into the air, kicking someone or something. I hear a groan, so I try to stand, but I’m shoved down the sidewalk. I fall to the ground, scraping my knee against the rough surface. I can’t give up, I think to myself. I just can’t. I stand once again, fighting through the stabbing pain in my knee. Someone grabs my sweatshirt and yanks me towards them. I fling my elbow around and ram it into their gut. They stagger backwards, but seconds later, I hear their feet pounding on the pavement as they charge at me again. I try to run away, but my knee radiates with pain. I can feel the warm, wet blood dripping down my leg. Oh no, I think to myself as I’m dragged into a van. I’m trapped. I can’t escape now. I tried.

I sit quietly, no longer squirming. My mind is filled with thoughts. Where am I being taken? What’s going to happen to me? My parents are probably freaking out. Where’s Marc? I’m jostled around in my seat as we drive over a speed bump and then another. Wait a second, I know this. I’m pretty sure I’m on Suzanna Street. I have to be. I squint to peer through the cloth blindfold, and I see a stop light. Ok, so I’m at an intersection. It must be the intersection at Suzanna and Forty-second Street. We get a green light and go straight through the intersection. I listen closely, and I hear the sound of cars rushing by. We’re at Highway 21. We take a left, and our speed increases greatly. It isn’t long until we exit the highway. So, now we must be on Twenty-third Street, downtown. We go through a series of winding roads. I love these roads, they’re like a rollercoaster. I know exactly where I am. We take a right into what has to be a parking lot, because the van turns sharply and then comes to a halt. That’s weird. I think we’re at Becky’s, an old, out-of-business restaurant. Why would they take me here?

“Let’s get her inside,” a women’s voice said. “It looks like she really hurt her knee. Why did you have to be so rough?”

“She was fighting me,” a man’s voice answered. “I didn’t have a choice.”

“Whatever.”

The sliding of the backseat door startles me. I feel the soft touch of a hand on my shoulder, and I shove it off, cowering to the left-hand corner of my seat.

“She’s never going to come with you if you give her a choice,” the man said.

“I wasn’t giving her a choice. I was just being gentle,” the women replied.

“Let me handle this.”

The man’s rough hand grabs my arm, and his grip tightens as I start to struggle. He yanks me towards him. I almost fall out of the van, and I hear the woman gasp. She runs to my side and puts both of her hands on my shoulders, making sure I’m stable.

“Good going, Jerry. She could have gotten hurt again,” the woman said.

“But she didn’t. I wasn’t trying to hurt her, Jade,” the man replied.

Who are these people? I think to myself. They’re kidnappers. That’s who they are. We walk away from the van, most likely heading towards the building.

“Stop,” Jerry began. “Jade, make her stay.”

What am I, a dog?

“Just hurry up,” Jade commanded.

I hear a beeping sound, like the sound of buttons on a phone being pushed to dial a number. Are they calling someone? A few seconds later, I hear the “whoosh” of automatic doors opening. Maybe that was a keypad.

“Bring her inside,” Jerry said. “Don’t remove the blindfold until she’s fully in the lab.”

Lab? What lab?

“Ok, she’s in,” Jade said.

“Remove the blindfold,” Jerry ordered.

A sliver of light appears, but the rest of my vision remains impaired for a moment.

“Why did you have to tie the knot so tight?” Jade asked.

“Stop messing around, just pull it over her head,” Jerry answered.

Jade sighs. She wraps her fingers around the knot, her knuckles digging into the back of my head. I whimper, and Jade rips the blindfold off, exposing my eyes to the light. The blinding fluorescent light bulbs mess with my eyes, making my vision blurry. Jade peels the duct tape off my mouth like tearing off a bandage. It leaves my lips stinging with a fiery burning sensation. My hands are left handcuffed behind my back.

“Sit down, Elizabeth,” Jade said.

“Wait, how do you know my name?” I asked, not following her orders.

“Everyone knows your name here.”

“How?”

“Please sit as I instructed you to.”

I sit in the hard plastic chair. Its metal legs squeak as I transfer my weight onto it.

“How do you know my name?” I asked again.

“Congratulations. You have been chosen for a government research project: Project Friend,” Jade said.

“Government? They’d kidnap a child?” I whispered to myself.

“What was that?” Jade asked.

“Nothing.”

“As I was saying, you were chosen for Project Friend. I’m Jade, one of the scientists here, and this is Jerry. He’s also a scientist.”

My vision has fully returned, and I look around the room. Shinning metal covers the walls. Towers of machines with blinking lights reach to the ceiling, and tangles of twisting wires run back to the floor. Men and women sit at desks in white lab coats. They’re all typing on computers, staring into a microscope, and working with the machinery.

“Elizabeth, are you even listening to me?” Jade asked.

“Yes, of course,” I replied.

“Alright then. Project Friend is a research project, studying how best friends interact and think towards each other. Do you understand?”

“Why would the government need that information?”

“They don’t necessarily need it. You see, our goal is to make a scientific breakthrough and start a whole new idea of the human mind. Therefore, this research and other research of the human brain are needed. The government decided to support this project and others across the country.”

“That’s random.”

“Not as random as you think, it’s important.”

“Why was I chosen for this?”

“You weren’t the only one, many others your age, younger, and older were chosen as well.”

Out of the corner of my eye, I see a familiar face.

“Marc? Marc!” I yelled, standing up from my chair and racing towards him. I skid to a stop in front of him, a big smile running across my face. “Marc, I can’t believe it. I thought I’d never see you again.”

I wait for a response from him, but it doesn’t come.

“Well, Marc? Aren’t you happy to see me?”

Silence.

“Oh, who cares? Words can’t describe how happy I feel right now after all I’ve been through.”

“Who are you?” Marc asked, taking a few steps back.

“Don’t be stupid, Marc. It’s me, Elizabeth. You know, Liz? Lizzy? All those other ridiculous nicknames you made up for me? Ring a bell?”

“Um, Jerry? Jade? Any of you, get her away from me. Get her to leave me alone. Why did you bring this freak here?”

“This isn’t a funny joke, Marc. Give it up.”

“It’s no joke,” Marc said.

“Jerry, take Marc to his cabin. I’ll explain to Elizabeth,” Jade said.

“Explain what? What’s wrong with him? You two did something, didn’t you?” I asked, panicking as Jerry led Marc away.

“Elizabeth, please, just let me explain,” Jade stuttered.

“I don’t want your dumb scientific explanation. I want my friend back, now.”

“That’s not going to happen, not now.”

“Make it happen, or else.”

“Or else what?”

“I’ll run. I’ll scream. I’ll do whatever it takes to get out of here and to get him back.”

“Guards, take Elizabeth to her cabin. Make sure she doesn’t leave, and get someone to tend to her wounds,” Jade said.

Two large, muscular men walk up to me, and lift me up by my forearms. My feet dangle in the air a few inches off the ground.

“I’ll find a way to get him back, you just wait.”

A maze of long, narrow hallways lie ahead of me and the guards. Everything looks the same. The guards wear matching white uniforms with a silver stripe running down the sleeves of their shirts and the legs of their pants. The walls of the hallway are white with multiple silver metal doors lining them.

“Here’s your cabin,” one of the guards said. He types a set of numbers onto a keypad, and I hear the same beeping noise as before. The metal door slides into the wall and the interior of the room is exposed. “Go on, get in there.”

Without complaint, I step inside. A bunk bed sits alone in one corner of the room, and the rest of the room is empty, except for another metal door on one of the walls.

“Here’s your uniform,” the other guard said. “Please remove any jewelry, which includes your earrings and necklace. Also, wash off any makeup.”

“Why?”

“Those are the rules. Any accessories and clothing, other than this uniform, could tamper with the research.”

“But—“

“Young lady, please, just wear the uniform.”

“Fine.”

“The bathroom is through that door over there.”

“Can you get these handcuffs off me now?”

“Sure,” the guard said, pulling a key out of his pocket. He unlocks the handcuffs and clips them to his belt. “Someone will be in later to bandage your knee.”

The guards exit the room and shut the door behind me. I take a look at the uniform, and it’s the ugliest thing I’ve ever seen in my life. I walk into the bathroom and begin to slip off my jacket. I place my hand onto the pocket, and I feel an object within it. I reach inside and pull out a piece of string with a few beads attached. What’s this, I think to myself. I turn the beads, so I can see the letters on the front of them: L, I, Z. Liz. Marc made me this friendship bracelet in first grade. I remember when he gave it to me, and he told me his whole story of how he lost his, when really he was just too embarrassed to wear one himself. This is all I have left of him now. He doesn’t even remember he gave this to me.

I put on the uniform and tie the friendship bracelet onto my wrist. I cover it up with the sleeve of my shirt. I don’t care what they say. I’m going to wear this. I hear knock on the door, and I scramble to make sure I removed all my jewelry and washed off my makeup.

“Elizabeth, you in there?” Jade asked.

“Yeah, just a second,” I replied.

I slide open the door to see Jade, sitting on the edge of the bottom bunk with a first aid kit.

“I brought bandages for your knee,” Jade said.

“K,” I replied. I sit on the bed beside her and roll up my pant leg to uncover the scrape.

“I’m sorry that happened.”

“Whatever.”

“Elizabeth, we took Marc’s memory of you away for our research. We wanted to observe how you would react. So, technically, by acting this way, you’re actually helping us.”

“Why would you do that to a person? Do you know how hard this is for me?”

“Yes, of course I do. Can’t you just be patient with us?” Jade asked, dropping the bandage into her lap.
“No.”

I watch the expression on Jade’s face. She stares blankly at the floor and bites her lip with her two front teeth.

“There’s something you’re not telling me, isn’t there?” I asked, demanding a response.

Jade snaps back into reality and looks up at me, sympathetically. “Elizabeth...”

“What? Just tell me.”

Jade sighs. “We lost Marc’s memory in our program.”

Her words hit me like a bullet.

“It was a corrupted file on our computers. The file was there, but there weren’t any contents,” Jade continued.

My breathing becomes heavy, and my heart thuds within my chest.

“We’re doing everything we can to find it. I’m sorry.”

I stand up from the bed. Turning to Jade, I cross my arms. “I’ve had enough of this. We’re humans, not lab rats. I want to go home. I don’t agree with what you guys are doing here. I never did.”

“You can’t just go home, that’s not how this works.”

“Watch me.”

I shove open the door and storm out of the room. Alarms sound as I race down the hall. Others exit their rooms, watching my escape. Only one tries to stop me: Marc.

“Where’re you going,” Marc asked.

“Anywhere but here,” I replied.

“You can’t do that.”

“Who are you to say I can’t. You can’t control me.” I break away from him, keeping my eyes on the door at the end of the hallway. Marc follows me.

“They treat you well here. There’s no need to run. Do what they say. You seem like a smart girl and will easily learn the importance of this place if you stay.”

I burst out of the doors and into the sunlight. I run through the grass, escaping not only from the lab, but Marc, himself. I don’t know him anymore. He has become someone they want him to be. He belongs to them now.

A large metal fence surrounds the building, and the gate is locked. I prepare to jump it, rolling up my sleeves and the legs of my pants, so they don’t get caught. I reach with my left arm to grip the twisted metal. I try to get my foot into one of the holes to pull myself up. I can’t do this. I can’t get a good grip on the fence to climb it. I can’t get out of here. Frantically, I run along the fence, trying to find another way out. When I return to where I began, I slam my fists onto the fence, making it shake. There’s no way out of here.

With one last attempt, I reach my hand up as far as I can on the fence. A hand grabs my other arm.

“Marc, let go,” I said, pulling myself away from him and fighting to climb up the fence.

I struggle to get free of his grasp, but he doesn’t fight back. He stares down at my wrist, his eyes transfixed on my bracelet. Marc holds his breath, and his mouth opens. His eyes drift upwards to meet mine.
“Liz.”