The Return of the Titans by James Thompson

find the consequences
unpleasant.”
    “Really?” One of the older
boys, not Benson for a change, sounded belligerent. “Like
what?”
    Jonathon just smiled, rather grimly. “Try it
and see, Mr. Santos. Now, you will find towels, soap, toothbrushes,
and everything else you need in your suites. Also, in the next
little while, someone will be by to bring you a change of clothes.
Okay, let's go back.”
    As they were walking back up the hallway,
Aaron moved closer to Justin. “Want to share?” he asked hesitantly.
Justin smiled with relief. “Absolutely,” he answered.
    Aaron sighed. “Cool,” he said with a
grin.
    They got back to the four-way intersection
and Jonathon turned to face them. “Now, go ahead and pick a room.
We'd like to fill them from here down.”
    The boys shuffled a bit in confusion until
Benson and one of the older boys broke away and strode to the first
doorway on the left. After that, in pairs or singly, the rest of
the boys chose a room. Aaron and Justin ended up in the fourth room
on the left. Before they entered, Justin glanced back to see
Jonathon making notes. He assumed the young man was writing down
which room each of them were in.
    As they entered their new quarters, the two
teens noticed that it was exactly the same as the one they had seen
earlier, with a few additions. There was a table between the two
couches, made of wood with a square metal plate in the middle.
Justin bent down to touch it. It seemed to be made of bronze, just
like the moving statues he had seen.
    Around the edges of the metal were engraved
tiny symbols. They looked like the marks Justin had noticed here
and there in Sanctuary. Other than that, the metal was blank.
Justin glanced at Aaron. “Wonder what this is for?” he said and
gave it a tap.
    Aaron shrugged, after looking at the table.
“Beats me,” he said and walked past it into the bedroom. Justin
looked around the main room. He again saw images carved into the
rock walls. These were simple scenes of mountains, lakes and
forests without any people or animals. Very peaceful, he thought.
Which is probably the point. Aaron called to him from the
bedroom.
    “You have got to see this
bathroom, Justin. It's crazy.”
    Justin got up and went into the next room.
Aaron was standing in the doorway to the bathroom. “What do you
mean crazy?” Justin asked him.
    “Well, take a look and see
what you think,” Aaron answered and stepped out of the
way.
    Justin slipped through the bathroom doorway
and stopped abruptly. Everything in the room was carved out of
stone. Everything! The sink seemed to grow out of the floor as did
the toilet. Instead of taps, there was a small opening in the back
of the sink and a stream of water swirled around and around and
then disappeared into the drain. Justin walked over to the toilet
and saw almost the same thing. A constant swirl of water circulated
in the stone bowl and vanished into a hole in the middle.
Strangely, the water made very little noise as it swirled.
    “Almost looks like the
room was carved out of the rock to look like this, doesn't it?”
Aaron asked. Justin just nodded. He glanced around the room again,
then headed back out to the main living room. Aaron
followed.
    They both sat down heavily on the two
couches. Justin put his feet up on the table and sighed.
    “What's wrong,
Justin?”
    Justin looked around the room and back at
Aaron. “It's this...place. Everything. Hours ago, I don't even know
how many, I was attacked by some people. My mother and my friend
could be,” he hesitated, “could be hurt or locked up. I'm whisked
away to this place, run by people I don't know. I don't know how I
got here, where here is, or what they plan to do with me.” He
looked at Aaron again. “I mean, with us. I'm just, I dunno, totally
confused.”
    Aaron nodded then smiled slightly. “I feel
the same way. But I'm not going to think the worst, Justin.
Seriously. I think these Guardians are on our side. And I think my
family