Free Star Rebellion by Alicia Howell

, there’s no way in hell the walls would be that smooth if it was natural.” She was about to rub her hand across the wall when something slammed behind us.
                  “Did someone say… hell?” A young man asked from behind me in a really corny fashion. A mischievous grin lit up his pale face. The slam we had heard earlier was a door that I had idiotically missed.
                  “Surprised?” The guy asked, gesturing over toward the vent. He stopped a few feet away from us, acting as if we were infected with a deadly disease. I could tell that this guy was going to piss me off the charts.
                  “Welcome, Darkstar and Waterstar, don’t ask how I know your names, I hate explaining things.” Before he could get in another sentence Waterstar butted in.
                  “Yea? Well I really don’t like listening to idiots. I guess we’re both out of luck though.” Her hand was resting just above her hip and she had a ‘I’m pissed so don’t mess with me’ look on, glare and all. Kind of like the one she was giving Firestar all of the time.
                  “Feisty eh? Fine by me.” The guy smiled again. This time I noticed that two of his upper teeth were pointed like those of a vampire you head about that plague the dead lands in Calsh.
                  I could tell that if I didn’t do something soon, a fight would start between them. Now don’t get me wrong, I love a good fight like the next dude, but this guy creeped the hell out of me. “Wait, what’s up with the vents?” I asked, trying to cause a distraction. Really subtle, Darkstar. Water shot a glare at me since I had interrupted her fun.
                  “Oh? That?” The man looked over to the raised platform. “It’s just to give me time to get over here once the trip wire has been activated.” He flashed another smile at us. I think he had a spasm in his cheek or something.
                  “Trip wire?” Water questioned, her eyes narrowing. “I don’t remember tripping over anything.”
                  “Well, you didn’t. Darkstar was in the lead, was he not?” When I was about to say that I hadn’t tripped over anything either, the man held up a hand. “And yes, I know you didn’t trip either. My wire is like a spider’s web, it connects to the wall about six inches up and when someone walks into it the wire attaches itself to their leg. I can track the person’s movement along with stalling them with my vents because of the microchips on the wire. I invented it myself.”
                  Water and I skeptically looked at him. “Don’t believe me? Just check your left leg.” The man was grinning again, and that smile still creeped the hell outta of me.
                  I glanced at Water and she nodded to go ahead and check. I bent down and slid my hand down my lower left leg. A few inches above my ankle I felt something silky. Gently, I pulled it off my leg and sure enough, it was a trip wire, almost as good as one of Icestar’s. Almost.
                  “Surprised?” The man asked with laughter in his voice. “But no more questions, I think it’s about time to have some fun. Come here, boy.”
                  The man shot toward me at a ridiculously fast speed. I felt his arms grab my shoulders and he pulled me back to where he had originally been standing. My heart fluttered in panic; this most definitely was not good.
                  “DARKSTAR!” Water shouted as she started running toward me. Before she had taken seven steps, flames erupted around her.
                  She was trapped and I was probably going to die.
     
    Chapter 6: Storm Brewing
    FIRESTAR
                  “Are you in or not?” I asked Icestar, who was currently disassembling a laser they had found at the NOPCW’s base. Apparently