The White Box

A Chapter by lexingtonvlair

chapter 2

Chapter 2

The White box

It seemed as if Ashley was in a different world then the one she woke up to this morning. She liked the idea of going to school because she could get away from her family for a little bit. But now she is left with an undying need to find them. She needs to leave this place and then find her family, she'll be safe at home was her only thought.

At this present time Ashley was running down a hallway chasing after these men with a white box. These aren't your average men wearing loafers and polo shirts, they where armed guards with full body armor. She woke up in a classroom that was very unfamiliar to her. When she tried to leave a laser beam flew by her and that's why these men showed up. These men put some boy in this box and are taking him somewhere. Hopefully outside.

While following the men closely she noticed something familiar. Trulife. How can Trulife be here she asked herself. Trulife was a nonprofit organization that wanted to plant trees all around the world, they wanted to clean up air, not have drinking fountains. She looked around and saw a clock and a candy bar wrapper with Trulife written on them also. Even though this was very confusing to her she decided to continue following the men.

What is this box? Can that child actually be in there? When Ashley looked at the boy his hands where covering his face and there was a glow coming out from under his fingers. Ashley didn't see a gun, experiment, or anything that could've done this. She wondered what was really going on, no police officer would stuff a kid in a box. No medical personal would do it either. So who where these men, and what was this box?

She followed closely behind these men, past another Trulife drinking fountain and around a corner. There, finally, a door. Ashley stood back for a while waiting for these men to get further away. Then without hesitation she ran to the door and looked out. There was nothing. She was up at least twenty stories in a building all by itself. There was a few small cottages in the distance and the rest where trees and mountains. It looked so beautiful but not the image she expected.

This is not where Ashley went to school or lived. This is somewhere she never seen or imagined. What is this place that seems so mid evil but has a giant tower erected in the distance? Ashley knew these men left through these doors somehow, but how? Looking up and down she saw a platform heading down. That must be the elevator the men where using. She searched everywhere for a button that would call her an elevator but she couldn't find one.

A bell sounded all throughout the school and kids started filling in the hallways. Ashley looked around scared thinking she might have gotten caught for something. Then she started to worry if she wasn't supposed to be holding these doors that lead no where open.

A tall woman approached Ashley and grabbed the door from her. She gently told Ashley, “you know it's bad luck to hold the platform doors open, it might make them not catch you, so please close the doors, hun.” Then this woman stepped off of the ledge. Ashley yelped not expecting the ground to build itself under her feet but it did. “It's OK you need to get over your fears soon, it's almost time to start working.” With that as her last statement she left. The platform moved down and as it passed Ashley noticed a second disc at the top.

All Ashley had to do was take one step into nothing and hope she'll live. She kept telling herself it's a glass elevator, a really clean glass elevator. She slowly moved her foot out into the air and a patch of metal started growing under it. When she placed her foot down it was a sturdy surface and the ceiling was formed as well. Reaching her hands out, they couldn't pass further then the discs, there was some sort of wall blocking them.

“What department would you like?” a voice echoed into the small elevator.

“First floor please,” she figured this wouldn't work, but for the wrong reason. She thought elevators can't talk or hear so it wouldn't work.

But instead the voice stated, “there is no first floor department, please restate your desired department.”

Ashley had to think about this for a moment, this voice was obviously the elevator, and this platform doesn't want to know what floor she wants to go to. The only thing Ashley remembered hearing was the teacher calling the boy a new lifer.

“New life?” Ashley said questioningly.

“Trulife, will be there in one moment,” the computer stated as the elevator went down.

“Wait, wait I said new life not Trulife.” She pounded against the walls but finally gave up and muttered, “well, I'll finally see what all of this Trulife stuff is all about,” as she collapsed onto the ground. Looking out the elevator she could only see trees and grass, no city. How could she have left the city.

Ashley sat trying to make sense of all of this. It just seemed to weird. First it was a normal morning getting ready for school, then the accident. Everything got really weird after the accident, she should be in a hospital right now. But she's not in a hospital, instead she is in some weird school in the middle of the woods. When she woke up she was sitting in a desk so she had to have walked there, sit herself down and even get ready for class. But this wasn't Ashley's life, it had to have been someone else's.

The elevator platform finally came to a halt in front of a nice set of doors. She was shocked at the elegance of these doors, during the trip she came across many doors, most of average quality, but these where the best looking. She stared at them for a bit not remembering her back side faced green pastors and trees.

There was a door much like this at her original home, the nicer one she lived at before the move. She remembered growing up in that house and all the fun times she had running in and out of those doors. She lived there from birth till the move, and really didn't want to leave. But the move was for the safety of the family. Her father, Jeremiah, was doing things he probibbally shouldn't have. His personal history was kept away from his children but Martha knew all about it. Martha would always comment on the political days, how Jeremiah ran for senator before the kids where around.

Ashley grabbed on to the door handle and opened the door. Inside was her father drinking from his wine glass. Her brother, Michael, eating a chunk of turkey. And of coarse her beautiful mother. They where all gathered around the table eating, having a good time. It was great to be back with her family again.

“Do you have business here,” Ashley's mother said in a stern voice.

“What?” was Ashley's only reply but before her eyes the world started to change. All the images she had of her happy family started to fade into an office building. And inside of this room was an unsightly woman staring right at Ashley. Above this woman was a bright white sign stating “Trulife.” Ashley is in the right place, this must be her fathers work. A secret organization based in the middle of the woods, this must be the answer to all of it. Her father was always scared people may have been watching them but Ashley never took them seriously till the man with the camera showed up. Her father was definitely over his head in secrets.

“Jeremiah Vasquez please,” Ashley said to the woman behind the desk.

“He's my father,” she decided to throw in a moment later.

“What's your name?”

“Mine, uhm, Ashley.”

“Fine I'll give it a shot but I am pretty sure Jeremiah doesn't have any kids.”

What was this woman thinking? Of coarse he had kids, two of them. Ashley had completely forgotten about the boy who was stuffed in the white box. All she cared about now was her father and finding out what is going on.

“Hmm I guess he will see you. Sorry for any misunderstandings.”

“Sure fine where's he at,” was Ashley's response though she really wanted to tell the unsightly woman off.

“Ha, he'll be here in one moment, so if you could have a seat doll.” Ashley sat herself down and waited for her father to appear. He had a lot of explaining to do. “Why was she here,” would be the main one for him to explain. She stared at the two armored men entering the room. She sat pretending not to notice them but how do you not notice someone who definitely notices you. She stood up to head towards the platform but one of the men held his hand out to her. Ashley froze instantly.

“We would prefer it if you sat during your visit with Mr. Vasquez,” the guard stated forcefully.

So Ashley sat back down staring at this man in the covered mask and full body armor. She stared at how strong and powerful this armor made him look. Then she noticed him talking to another man, one that was wearing a suit. He was a hansom man with the same blondish hair as her brothers. He walked closer to her and with his hand out he stated.

“So you are Ashley Vasquez, huh. Such a pretty girl.”

She looked into this man's eyes, and all the thoughts she had, all the questions she was going to ask where wiped clean from her memory. “Who the hell are you!” She abruptly commanded of him.

“Not so many questions dear, especially the ones you don't want answered.” He was a beautiful man, and spoke so nice and friendly. “How I've been waiting to meet you. Why don't you come with me and we'll show you to your daddy, OK.”

Ashley saw a look in his eyes that she didn't trust. His smile was one that belonged to a man who just stole a retired woman's money. Whomever this man may be he is not her father. She ran to the platform hoping she could get it to work before they get her.

“Stop her,” the suited man yelled as he jumped towards her. The two armored guards ran behind her but she was very fast. It was a question of if she could get the lift working fast enough, not one of if she could make it to the lift.

She jumped into the platform screaming school. But instead of landing on the platform heading towards the school she didn't land at all. She flew out of the doors and no platform was created to save her. She fell floor after floor, screaming the entire way. Until she finally landed.

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