I looked around the dimly lit room at a group of strangers. How did we get here?

My head throbbed. Most of us stood in a circle. A couple were in different corners of the room; one stood with her back to us and one sat on the floor resting her forehead on her knees as she sobbed.

People were talking to each other, muttering,to themselves, silent. There was an even mix of girls and boys. I didn’t seem to be the only one suffocating on the fearful tension in the air.

I looked around the room. It had four silver walls, all lined top to bottom with buttons. Hundreds, maybe thousands of red buttons the size of silver dollars with a little space on either side of each of them and maybe a couple inches above and below.

I broke away from the group to get a better look at the ones behind me. Under each button was a clearly printed name etched into the metal. I gave up reading them when I didn’t recognize the handful I had checked out.

I went back to the circle. Counted the people; eight including myself.

Then the noises started.

The room we stood in seemed buried- in a building, underground, something, but the noises removed the illusion. Judging by the loudness, the closeness, the walls had to be paper thin. The outside world closer than I thought.

Wind howling. Something that sounded like thunder, but had something distinct about it that proved it to be otherwise. Mad, wailing, tortured screams. Tremendous cracks. All the sounds grew and reduced in volume together, like waves at the beach.

I felt goosebumps invade my skin, a pain in my stomach. The crying of the girl grew louder, her sobbing, harder.

A boy put his hands to his ears.

“What’s going on?” He cried.

People were looking more terrorized than fearful.

The girl who had her back to the group joined our circle and cleared her throat. She looked as scarred as the rest of us but was trying to hide it. She folded her arms protectively against her chest.

“Please, everyone, we need to calm down. We won’t be any better off if everyone goes into a panic.” She pleaded. Surprisingly a hush started to consume the group, the only one making noise was the crying girl on the floor. The boy standing closest to her kneeled down, slung his arm over her shoulders, and whispered something to her. Her sobbing slowed to a stop as he helped her to her feet.

The girl who was trying to restore order spike again.

“Okay. There are things we don’t know, that’s obvious. What do we know?”

Silence.

“Our names. Let’s start with those. Mine is Maggie.”

The boy who whispered something to the crying girl spoke next. “I’m Colt.” He paused, looking at the girl who had been crying. “And she’s Lil. We’re twins.”

The names continued around the circle.

There was a Daniel, Lucas, Olivia.

“My name’s Harper.” I said in turn.

Dylan was last, and Maggie spoke again.

“Okay. Four boys and four girls. Two of us are twins. These names,” she said walking over to the wall. “I recognize about about six of them, but the rest…”

Maggie shrugged.

“How do you know them?” Dylan asked. “Family? Friends?”

“Well, no. Not exactly. Or, not at all I guess. They’re names from books I’ve read.”

I could understand her hesitance. Who didn’t feel a certain kinship toward the characters of our favorite books?

Daniel left the group to get a better look. Slowly, people followed his lead and broke away. Sounds of recognition began to bloom.

Finally, with nothing else to do, I chose a different party of the wall and went back for another look. I read a name and then the screeching started.

Startled, I spun around to find a square metal block, maybe a couple feet wide and long on the surface, raise up from the ground in the middle of the room. I ignored the screaming of the girl (Lil), and quickly went over it to see what was laying on top.

It was a letter formed into a scroll. Being the first one to reach it, I uncurled it and started reading it to myself.

“How ‘bout out loud? For the rest of us.”

I looked up at the girl who spoke. Olivia. I looked around the room; many impatient faces looked back at me. I coughed.

“Um, yeah. Sorry.” I cleared my throat again, willing the anxiety creeping into my body, to creep back out. It was in vain, I stuttered as I read the letter.

“Umm. It says. Y-you are wh-what you read-”

Olivia stepped up and took the scroll from my hands.

“You are what you read- hey!”

Maggie snatched the letter out of Olivias hands and gave it back to me.

“Harper is doing fine.” Maggie said firmly. “God I can’t stand bullies.”

“What’s it say, Harp?” Daniel said anxiously, struggling to remain calm.

I took a deep breath, shook my head. “You are what you read-”

“We know that part!”

“Shut your flippin mouth!” Colt said rounding on her.

“Okay. ‘In dire circumstances, whose strength aids your core? Heed the buttons. Choose wisely.’” My stutter subsided but my insides still burned with embarrassment. I looked to Maggie, met her eyes.

“What does this mean?” Maggie asked not breaking eye contact. The look was fierce, but patient.

“We’re influenced by our- the heroes we read about. We want to be as strong as them. Be them.” I paused as another roll of chaotic sound rolled outside the room we were standing in.

“We need to be them.”

“I agree. Do we all read books here?”

Everyone (some, Olivia and Dylan slowly) nodded.

“Who’s your hero, Lil?”

Lil looked up from her folded hands, looking shy and sad.

“If I had to choose just one…Boo. Radley.”

“What that creep from To kill a Mockingjay? Er- Mockingbird?” Dylan asked eyes squinted. He started out strong and ended sheepishly.

“He’s not a creep. He is a hero.” I piped up, giving Lil a small smile. Colt beamed at me.

“Yeah, did you even read the book? He saves Jem and Scout. He keeps to himself, doesn’t make him a creep.”

There were a few nods around the group, some blank stares.

We went around the group again, people saying who they most look up to. When Olivia’s turn came, she didn’t disappoint.

“Voldemort.” She hissed.

“Fine! Don’t take this seriously, no one cares if you do or don’t!” Maggie snapped rolling her eyes. “How about you Harper?”

“No wait,” Olivia said feverishly. “There is one person I deeply admire.”

We waited.

“Moriarty, you know from those Sherlock books.”

“Great. You want to be the bad guy. I wanna hear from Harper.” Daniel said nodding to me. “Go on Harp, tell us?”

“Oh, man.” I searched my brain. Who did I want to be? There were too many. Too many who were courageous, and kind, and smart, and good. So many to whom I couldn’t even begin to compare myself to. To many situations dreamed up. I went with the first one that settled on my mind.

“Emma Bloom? From Miss Peregrine’s?”

“There’s no right or wrong answer here.” Maggie said gently, while scowling at a snickering Olivia. “Right. Well then let’s start hitting buttons. But- be careful. We might be choosing our fates here.”

Everyone dispersed looking for the right ones.

Voldemort, I thought shaking my head, clearly he won’t be- but then I saw it. As I reached the Harry Potter section. Tom Marvolo Riddle, Voldemort​. I steered clear, shaking my head again. Finally I found the one marked Hermione Granger.​ I pushed the button and jumped away from the wall; a card had shot half way out of a slit in the metal between the button and the name. I took the card and read:

Hermione Granger

Loyal. Logical. Intelligent. Courageous. Kind.

Take this card with you. Let it be a reminder of who you are. It’s all you’ll have.

The words made my heart feel strong and I kept it in my hand as I eagerly searched for more names, more cards to collect.

Later, people returned to form a circle around the table. Some had a stack of cards, some only had two or three. The twins were near the last to come back, followed by Maggie a few minutes later, who closed the circle.

“Well?” Olivia said throwing her cards onto the table dramatically. “Now what?”

Maggie, looking confused rather than annoyed with Olivia, shrugged. No sooner did she lay her own cards on the table, did another sound pierce our ears. I expected to hear Lil cry out in fear again, but she didn’t. I wouldn’t say she looked brave exactly, but maybe, she was just starting to accept the strangeness.

We looked on, stunned, as the wall to my left began to rise. In blew a savagely cold and foul smelling wind, through the bottom crack that had formed. Maggie scooped up her cards. Olivia followed suit. We all stuffed the cards into our pockets for safe keeping as we continued to watch the wall.

Slowly, the outside world was revealed.

It was bare, desolate. Sad, desperate. A dystopia, was the only way to describe it.

“Boys and girls-” Maggie started, taking a step toward the opening. “ hang onto your cards.”

And the group moved forward into the unknown.