[center]They poured into the hallway. One after the other; kids. Boys and girls her age just standing looking baffled and in various states of disarray.[/center]

Everything seemed to drain away as if the very air had gone out of the hall. Mara blinked as she took in the scene around her as everyone froze in place.[i]'Oh..'[/i] her mind numbly muttered as the reality set in but as soon as the pieces clicked the world popped back into play. And when she meant popped it literally [i]popped[/i] as a boy appeared literally out of thin air. 

She managed a startled cry as suddenly the hallway exploded in chaos as a girl kicked at the boy. Strings of foreign language echoed in the hall as Mara felt her heart leap back into her throat and firmly lodge there. Why were they speaking...whatever it was they were speaking? [i]Russian?[/i] She wasn't sure; she wasn't fluent in any language other than English. What if she was in another country? Who knows how long she was out? Her eyes wildly darted around until they settled on a sign written in English. For some reason it offered her a bit of small comfort. Pushing off from the wall Mara hesitated; what was she to do? Part of her wanted to interject at the two screaming as she would do with her siblings but what if they didn't understand her?

In her hesitation another boy the hall rushed forward, [b]"Hey, calm down!"[/b] He said, trying to put some distance between them. Part of her felt relived he had stepped in. At least someone was willing to to put a stop to it. [b]"You speak English?"[/b] He asked. Her brows arched slightly as she waited for an answer. If everyone could find at least a common tongue things might go a little smoother. Suddenly her attention shifted as another boy passed her. Seemingly nonplussed by the chaos that had erupted around them. Shooting him a curious glace as he carefully picked his way around the throng of people and slipped around the corner, [i]'Okay, not weird at all.'[/i]

[b]"I'm... My name is Irina."[/b]

[i]'Ah, shit.'[/i] She had missed something. The smaller girl seemed to know English though her accent was thick. By this point she felt rattled. The constant ebb and flow of adrenaline had left her feeling shaken. Her throat burned as she tried to swallow. She needed something to drink. Mara shifted backwards looking at the numbers on the doors. Which room was hers again? Shoot. She had been so wrapped up in shock she didn't pay attention to what room she had emerged from. [i]'Seven?'[/i] The door wasn't too far from where she was and the door still stood slightly ajar. At this point she wasn't fully sure she cared if it was the right or the wrong room as she more or less stumbled in.

[i]'Oh..'[/i] her mind mumbled what she could not as she came face to face with a young girl. She didn't look to be more than ten and with tears in her eyes Mara felt her heart lurch. The faces of her siblings flashed before her. How will they fair without her? She could feel tears burn in her eyes but quickly blinked them away, "Are you OK?"

Her voice was stronger but still harsh. She didn't want to frighten the girl though she was sure she wasn't exactly pleasant to look at. Nervously she ran her fingers through her hair; peeling off the matted pieces that had dried to her forehead. Yeah, she was definitely a little rough looking.


[@Vocab]