"Your name?" Paul said, addressing Cassidy, the asian girl with the camera.

"Yes, look at this!" she said. Everyone gathered around her bed chamber. Sure enough, the odd markings that were previously unreadable now read in plain English: "CASSIDY GAINES".

Brady ran back to his bed and examined the marking on his. He shook his head slightly. "Mine is still gobblygook," he said.

"Same here," Derrin said.

Cassidy walked over to Derrin’s bed and took a flash photo of his marking. The moment she did that, the marking on Derrin’s bed had turned into English. It now read: "DERRIN FALLBRUM".

"The camera’s flash, that’s what’s making it readable?" Storell said out loud. "Quick, take photos of everyone’s marking," she said.

Cassidy nodded and went around the room, snapping everyone’s marking. As she did so, Earchon Franche followed her and read each newly English rendered marking out loud. "Lettiere Driscoll. Brady O’ Bell. Paul L. Grant. Xecure Winsworth. Vesuvius Wind." She stopped at Vesuvius’s bed chamber. The punk boy was still sleeping. "Should we wake him?" she asked.

"I’m already awake."

Earchon Franche jumped backwards in surprise. Vesuvius had made no movement when he said that. But now that he had gotten her attention, he quietly jumped off the bed. "Sorry," he said.

Earchon Franche ignored him and went to the next bed after Cassidy had finished photographing it. She paused before speaking. "Montgomery Thewlis."

The room grew silent. They all knew something was wrong. Montgomery wasn’t among them yet her bed was open.

"Who awoke first?" Earchon Franche asked.

Storell raised her hand.

"What’s the meaning of this?" Earchon Franche asked while trembling.

"I don’t know, some of the beds were already open when I awoke. But I was the only one in the room," Storell said.

"We’ll find out sure enough who else is missing," Paul chipped in. "Also, there are two beds still closed," he noted.

"I’ll get to them in a bit," Cassidy said. Though the two beds were sealed, none of the kids could see inside them. They could see through the covering only from the inside. The front covering of the beds was reflective like a mirror. "Moving on," Cassidy said as she walked over to the next opened bed. "Pernwall Blooming."

"He’s missing too," Xecure pointed out.

The next bed was sealed. Cassidy took a photo of the marking on it, but it did not change. "Guess there’s nobody in this?" she said.

The moment she said that, the reflective covering of the bed faded. Cassidy looked up at it. "Hey, I can see who’s inside now!" she shouted.

"Really?" Paul ran over to it. A boy lay motionless inside, breathing slowly. "I uh, I don’t know his name, but I’ve seen him around in school," Paul said.

The rest gathered among the bed. "I know him," Lettiere said. She wiped her glasses before continuing. "He’s a sophomore."

"What’s his name?" Paul asked.

"Um, Retz I think? I had history with him," she said. "I can’t recall his last name."

Cassidy looked at the marking again. It still remained in an undecipherable hieroglyphics form. "Guess the camera thing doesn’t work if the person hasn’t awakened. Shall I move on?"

The group nodded. "Nazir Marouth," Cassidy said when she took care of the next bed.

"He’s not in the room either," Xecure said.

"Who is that guy?" Paul asked.

"Freshman. I’ve seen him around. I think his parents moved here from Palestine last year or something. He’s got pretty broken English," Xecure said.

Cassidy hopped over to the next bed. "Storell Sumner. That’s you isn’t it?" she said, pointing at Storell, who nodded. "Okay, next. Earchon Franche Rivellia. What a dreamy name," Cassidy said, smiling.

Earchon Franche blushed. "I didn’t ask to be named that," she said bluntly.

"Hey, don’t cop a ‘tude just cause your friends are missing," Cassidy complained. Storell looked over at Earchon Franche. The girl looked like she was trying her hardest not to cry. Storell couldn’t blame her. Her closest friend, Montgomery, was missing and the only other kid sympathetic to her side, Pernwall, was gone as well. Although Earchon Franche was one of the most popular girls in school, she was suddenly quite the loner among a random gathering of nine.

The next bed was the last one closed. Cassidy took a photo of the marking on it and the covering faded away, revealing a young auburn haired girl. "Miura? It’s Miura!" she said out loud.

Storell slowly recalled what happened minutes before they entered the room. She began to remember seeing Cassidy taking video of the kids outside, and another girl, a freshman named Miura, had been standing near her and Lettiere. Miura was carrying something. A briefcase? Or was it a Prada hand bag? Storell couldn’t remember. In either case, that object wasn’t in the bed with Miura.

Cassidy walked over to the last opened bed. Everyone had already been accounted for so they knew that whoever had slept in this one was missing like Montgomery and the others. "Teltenary Kanniwd," Cassidy said after taking a picture. "She’s that Puerto Rican sophomore?"

"I think she’s from Bermuda actually," Paul said. "I was friends with her older brother, August." Paul paused for a moment. "August… He was one of the guys who entered the room two years ago."

"You think Teltenary went looking for him?" Storell asked.

Paul shrugged and looked away. Storell took that to mean that he didn’t want to talk about it.

Suddenly, there was a loud swooshing noise through the room. It began loudly near Storell then faded away as if it was gliding across the wall. It zoomed back, getting louder as it returned to Storell’s location, and then it disappeared.

Storell looked up. Small lockers now adorned the wall, located adjacent to each bed. She ran over to the one near her bed and opened it. "Oh my God…" she said out loud. There were personal belongings inside the locker.

…