Note: This is a story I came up with from something called a "Hat Challenge", which is a way to combine characters from shows you *would* write about, along with plot cliches that seem to pop up everywhere. This is a story I was encouraged to write to be entered in a fanfic competition, which sadly, I didn't win, but here is the story for you to read. The idea was to write about a breakout with a word limit of 2000, using my own idea, or a pregenerated introduction the fanfic competition had laid out. I managed to make it fit within 1800, I believe. Thanks Elizabeth Stanway for beta-reading this fanfic!

Feedback is welcome at [email protected]

Jonas shifted his position, as he tried to sleep a little longer on this Saturday morning - without much success. Shifting just so far, he promptly slid right off the bed with a thud, waking him into grumpiness.

"...Great."

He tried to clamber onto his bed, stubbing his toe onto the base headboard, and groaning in sudden pain. Craning his neck toward his alarm clock, he swore suddenly, gingerly sitting up and rubbing his stiff neck.

"Damn. It's late morning. I promised I 'd meet Paul at the park in about an hour."

Resigned, Jonas stood up to hobble toward the shower, taking care not to hit anything else on the way. By the time his shower was concluded, both his toe and outlook felt immeasurably better.

Pulling on jeans and a red t-shirt, he looked himself over in the mirror; a strapping young boy at 16, tousled brown hair, and electric green eyes. His 6'1" frame nearly didn't fit into the tall mirror.

Cocking his head slightly at his reflection, he nodded in satisfaction.

"Good enough."

He picked up the receiver in the hallway which connected his room with his parents and the upstairs bathroom, dialing Paul's number.

After one or two rings, a male voice picked up.

"Yea?"

"Paul? Good I caught you. I somehow overslept. I'm still meeting you at the park but I'll be a little late."

The only reply he received was a grunt of assent.

/That was Paul for you, direct, and very non-verbal in anything he said./, Jonas thought to himself.

/Regardless of this, he was my best friend at Summers High. We did everything together, from movies to Role Playing Games./

"Okay then Catch you then."

"Ah-huh."

The phone fizzled and crackled, as the line went dead. Glancing darkly at the phone, he slammed it back onto its cradle, and sighed.

"At least I got a hold of him. A phone pole probably got knocked down by an accident." Making his way downstairs, he tripped on the second to last step, resulting in a knee slam into a hardwood floor. Growling in pain, he muttered darkly.

"I guess it's not my day "

Limping slightly toward the kitchen, he decided that driving was out of the question given how badly his day was proceeding. Leaning on the marble counter, he gazed around and saw the time; he swore inwardly. He was late.

Hobbling out the door as fast as his injured knee would let him, he neglected to grab his house keys in his absent-mindedness. As the door slammed behind him, he walked several blocks, passing by a few residential houses. Jonas looked at one house as he passed by the stairs; Glass exploded outward from the lower level toward him.

"Whoa!" He ducked instinctively but not before getting two small pieces of glass lightly embedded into his arm. Something suddenly whizzed across his head. He looked to his right, and noticed a softball rolling to a stop at the other side of the road.

Grimacing, he looked at his arm which was developing two slight welts, seeing two glints. He pried them out, shaking his head. That was a close call. He glared at the house; a small part of his mind wondered who would be so reckless.

As his arm gradually stopped bleeding and stinging, he took in his location, and mentally figured out how much further he had to go.

Reaching the corner just before he had to bear left, his head started ringing slightly - quietly at first - and then indistinct voices began to murmur at the edge of his consciousness. Darting his glance left and right, trying to see who was talking, he stumbled into an older man's way, nearly knocking him over, and releasing his cane from the older man's grip.

"Hey!" The man's face, weatherworn and cantankerous, darkened unpleasantly as he saw this young upstart. Leaning down, he grabbed his cane, and shook it at Jonas slightly.

Jonas stammered, "S-sorry, I..."

"Boy, watch where you re going!" He pushed Jonas aside roughly, and stalked off around the corner, with a slight limp, using an elaborately carved cane, to help him support his wiry frame.

Jonas breathed a sigh of relief. That guy had always seemed to make Jonas nervous, for some obscure reason, maybe nothing other than the willies. He'd heard a lot of stories about him, but he wasn't sure he wanted to find out if his stories were even close to a grain of truth.

Every time he ran into Mr. Snow, he tried not to meet his gaze, and pretended he was going somewhere else.

Shaking his head, he started walking toward the park.

Silently, two teenage boys, in denim jackets, walked up behind him, grabbing him in each arm, and thrusting him against a rock wall to his left. Jonas squeaked in surprise as they held him against the wall, struggling, and took in their identities.

/Of course. They HAVE to be the bullies from school. What else could go wrong?/

The one holding Jonas' left arm was slightly older than the other, his red hair blazing in the sun. The other was a dirty blonde, with a slightly lesser build, but combined, both were strong enough to hold Jonas there.

Jonas stared at them defiantly, before getting squished against the wall again, in an attempt to beat his spirit down.

The redhead drawled slightly in a sneering voice.

"'Kay. Here's the deal. You give us all your money, or we knife you."

The blonde grinned, drawing a pocket-knife out of his back pocket with a free hand. Jonas swallowed hard, and shivered.

/Those guys are serious! But.../

Jonas hesitated, and the blonde laid the blade's edge against his throat. Jonas began to sweat. Slight drops of sweat began trickling down his temples, and a slight crackling began to shimmer almost imperceptibly around Jonas' body.

"No! I don't have any -"

The redhead snorted in displeasure and nodded. The blonde responded by pressing it slightly harder, increasing Jonas' fear, and he closed his eyes, breathing raggedly.

Jonas' mind was screaming with fear now. His mind begged for release, for escape anywhere but here. Static light began forming around his body, a little stronger, giving the blonde pause, releasing the knife's pressure.

The redhead growled, "What're you doing? Do it."

The other bully hesitated with an uncertain look. "But..."

A glare was shot at him, with an acerbic snarl. "No buts. He deserves it."

All this didn't do much to reassure Jonas. His eyes closed and he wanted out.

NOW.

As if this thought impelled a new action, his body became aflame with static light, and vanished in a popping sound.

The two bullies exclaimed in shock, and ran, frightened.

Jonas hit water.

/Water? Huh!? Where the hell am I?/

Struggling his way up, his head broke the surface with a large gasp. A surreal sight greeted his eyes an island?!

"What the-? I... where the hell am I?"

Taking deep breaths, and breathing in the salty air, he pushed his hair out of his face, and treaded through water.

"Figures. It'd have to get worse. I'm lost in the middle of nowhere and no way to get home whatsoever."

Sighing to himself, he took a few weary steps onto the beach, and fell over onto his back. At least it was sunny. Very Sunny, and warm.

Jonas sighed and relaxed, basking in the warmth.

/Maybe it'll be better now./

A strange young man soared out into the air from the Ship's entrance, landing on the tent. He grumbled, and then noticed a stranger lying on the beach, seemingly worse for wear.

The newcomer's thoughts were excited, at a new possible breakout.

"Excuse me..."

Jonas screamed for a second, whipping his glance at a young boy, a little older than he, with a genial smile lurking on his face.

"Wh... Who are you? I thought I was alone or maybe I was dreaming."

He chuckled, and cleared his throat. "Ah no. I don't think you're dreaming... My name is..."

Jonas spoke up without a second thought.

"Kevin...? !!" He blinked in shock.

"But...? How do I know...?"

Kevin cocked his head, and ran his hand through his sandy brown hair. "...And your name is Jonas."

Kevin continued. "I know you're confused, but we do have a lot to talk about."

Jonas stood up trying in vain to brush the sand off his clothes, and shrugged. He had questions, and plenty of it, but his one thought was to get back ... if he could.

"I, um, appreciate the offer, but I should get home."

Kevin s eyes clouded for a moment. "I know. It won't take long. This is the Ship."

He gestured toward a strange structure which Jonas hadn t noticed until now.

Jonas looked at Kevin oddly, "...Ship?"

Kevin cleared his throat, nodding. "Uh, yes. A spaceship. We don't know where it's from, but... it's helped us learn about whom and...what we are."

Jonas continued to look puzzled as Kevin started tracing a now strange circle of symbols. The circular material in the middle shimmered with a strange yellow light, and a hum, then vanished. Kevin gestured for him to go first.

"Don't worry. It won't hurt ... much. It's the best way to get in when you haven't learned ... other ways."

Jonas stared at the gaping black hole with trepidation. Nervous thoughts ran around in his head.

/... Why am I doing this? Why do I ...trust him?/

Jonas started to peek inside the hole and screamed as he got sucked into the tube leading into the interior of the Ship.

Jonas saw the sand approaching him at an alarming speed, and his gasp strangled in his throat, as he crashed into the sand with a heavy thud.

"Ow..." Jonas winced as his bleeding shoulder began to feel slightly raw.

Kevin tumbled out the tube s hatch a moment later, with a wince. He staggered up with a slight groan.

"As much as I hate those..." Kevin grinned at Jonas, before continuing.

"I should tell you what's going on."

Jonas stood there, rubbing his shoulder gingerly.

Kevin crossed his arms, trying to decide where to begin.

"Ok... You and I... we re Tomorrow People. We can teleport."

Kevin vanished in a static burst of light, then reappeared a few feet away, but somehow hit the wall. He groaned, staring at Jonas. "Um... I'm not usually that...clumsy."

Jonas chuckled despite the news. "Okay. That was...impressive, but..."

Kevin was leaning against the wall, and looked down.

Without warning, words blossomed in Jonas' mind.

[And we can telepath each other.]

Jonas' mouth gaped in shock. "That...was you?"

Kevin nodded silently. "And we can do other things. I sometimes have precognitive dreams about others like you... those that will become Tomorrow People."

Kevin finally noticed the wear and bruises over Jonas' shoulder, and neck, and looked concerned.

"It... looks like you had quite a day?"

Jonas followed his glance, and nodded. "The worst."

"It went like this..."

Kevin listened to his story, his eyes widening at all the misfortune that occurred earlier today.

Kevin whistled and chuckled ruefully. "I guess the bad luck was catching... my teleports don't end up that badly."

Jonas ruefully laughed. "Heh. Perhaps "

Kevin grinned slyly. "At least you're not exactly alone in this. We all in some form...usually attract trouble."

End