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Kio pulled his tightly woven blue scarf tighter around his neck. His long, blonde hair and heavy clothes provided warmth, yet it was still bitterly cold in the arctic forest. He was clad in a dark blue sweater and black ski pants, which were loose around his legs. He and his best friend, Xema, were camped out in a clearing they had found in the forest, which was wide open besides the odd dead tree here and there. The sky was a mundane gray, and a slight breeze chilled the already cold air.

Kio turned around. Behind him there was a large gray boulder, which looked about ten feet tall. Trudging through the snow, he paced around the stone, looking for a place where he could grab the rock and climb to the top. He spotted a small indentation about three feet up the stone's side, which looked like it would support his foot, so he removed his right glove, dropping it to the snow-covered ground, and braced his arms against the cold rock. He lifted his right leg first, placed his foot in the indent, then proceeded to try to squeeze his left foot in, but failed.

Dropping to the ground, he bent down and picked up a good-sized rock that was buried beneath the snow. Setting it in the indentation, he reached into the warm left pocket of his ski pants and took out a cheap red cigarette lighter, one of many that were stocked in his backpack. He clicked a fire to life and held the flame to the left of the indentation, hoping to heat it to the point where he could chip out some of the stone with the rock he had found in the snow.

After heating the rock for about a minute, he hurried to slide the lighter back into his pocket, then picked up the smaller rock and began to slam it as hard as he could sideways against the heated portion of the indentation. Sparks began to fly from the rock, spraying around Kio's feet but dissappearing as they hit the icy snow. He yelped in pain as multiple sparks hit his knuckles, but continued to slam the rock against the boulder as hard as he could.

He couldn't take it any longer. He screamed and dropped to the ground, clutching his burnt knuckles with the hand that was still gloved. He rolled on the ground, cursing the pain, the cold, and the isolation. Surely he would go insane in this barren wasteland...

September 12, 2008

It had all started a month ago in New York City, Kio's home. Returning from his part-time job at a cafe in the subway system, he had been surprised to see a long, black limosine pull up beside him. There had been a logo on the front door that was vaguely familiar, but Kio hadn't paid enough attention to it to remember where he had seen it, though he knew he had.

The tinted window had rolled down smoothly, revealing a dark-haired man in a suit and sunglasses, who beckoned to Kio. He had obediently walked to the window.

"Hello," said the man. "You probably don't remember who we are. Allow me to explain: A year ago you were subjected to progressive experimentation in the field of memory modification. Your mind was studied for many months, with the hope of finding somethig that could evolve into a breakthrough. Unfortunately, we found nothing. Now, a year later, we are required to bring you - and you friend Xema - back to our research facility for further studies. You have no choice but to accept, else we will be required to use force."

Kio had run. For the next few days, he had been unsuccessful in avoiding the limousine. He was being tracked by some secret organization, who wanted to run tests on his brain. No thank you, please.

Upon interrogation, Xema was revealed to be experiencing the same problem. No matter where he went, he just couldn't shake off these strange people.

Now they were on the run, having moved north and crossing into eastern Canada.

"Kio!" yelled Xema, kneeling down next to him. "What the hell's wrong with you?"

Xema had always been stronger. When they were seven, Kio and Xema had become lost in New York's expansive subway system for only two hours. While Kio had broken down and began to panic, Xema had remained cool and composed. He had taken Kio to the nearest exit to the surface, where he had found their location and used a pay phone to dial his mother's number.

They were fourteen now, and Kio was slowly losing his mind as Xema was remaining solemn, just like seven years ago.

"Kio," said Xema with concern, "stay strong. We're not in the best situation, but we need to stay calm. Okay?"

Kio stood up, shaking and wiping sweat from his brow. He nodded.

"What were you trying to do?" asked Xema.

"I wanted to find our bearings, but we were too low. I saw the boulder and thught I could use that indent to climb to the top, but it was too small for both feet, so I tried heating the area next to hit so I might be able to chip it out with that rock," he explained, gesturing first to the indentation, and then to the small rock he had been using as a tool.

"That's acually a pretty good idea, but heating it won't help. Do you have any water?"

"Yeah, but it's frozen."

"That's perfect. Bring it here."

Kio could see a plan forming.