Darn Stupid Brother You Are

(Angel's POV)

Cylan and I had been watching Charlotte for days.

It started with the little things.

The way she glanced over her shoulder every time she walked down the hallway and how she always ended up in places where she shouldn't be.

Like that time last week when I saw her near Dr. Nixon's office.

She told me she was lost.

But she wasn't.

I knew she wasn't.

Then there was the time at breakfast when she sat far away from us, her eyes kept darting to the staff table. She barely touched her food and her hands were shaking.

Charlotte wasn't supposed to be here. She'd told us how she'd applied for an art school but somehow ended up at the center instead. A mix-up with her application had brought her here and no one was helping her. But recently, she'd been acting strangely, even more than before.

Now she was just pacing in the common room with her eyes glued to the door as if she was waiting for something... or someone.

Cylan and I shared a glance.

We needed to confront her.

800

"Charlotte," I said and crossed my arms as I stepped in front of her pacing path. "We need to talk."

She looked up and her eyes widened with panic. "Talk...about what?"

Cylan moved closer and stood behind her like a wall, making it impossible for her to escape.

"You've been acting weird," I said firmly. "Sneaking around. Watching people. Are you spying for the center?"

Charlotte's face turned pale and she stepped back while she shook her head hard. "Non! I...I am no spying on no one!"

"Then why are you always where you shouldn't be?" Cylan cut in with a harsh tone. "Why were you near Dr. Nixon's office last week?" Charlotte's breath caught and she looked between us with her eyes darting around the room like she was searching for an exit.

"I was lost!" she said quickly and her voice shook. "I...I no know where to go."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "Charlotte, you've been here long enough to know this place like the back of your hand. Don't lie to us." Her hands trembled and I saw the fear in her eyes. She was hiding something. I knew it.

Cylan stepped forward and her voice dropped to a whisper. "What are you afraid of? Dr. Joe?"

At the mention of his name, Charlotte froze, and her face lost all its color.

I knew it.

There was something going on with her.

Charlotte bit her lip and her eyes filled with tears. "I am not...I am not work for him," she whispered faintly. "But I seen things."

I leaned closer as my heart raced. "What things?"

She shook her head as tears welled up in her eyes. "I...I cannot...I cannot talk about it."

"You have to," Cylan pressed with a hard voice. "We can't help you if you don't tell us the truth."

Charlotte's eyes moved between us and her breath came in quick, shallow gasps. "He...he doing things in the basement. Things with the patients."

A chill ran down my spine. "What kind of things?"

Charlotte looked away and her shoulders shook with silent sobs. "I no know exactly. But I see patients go down there...and they never come back."

...

(Hendrix's POV)

I should have been resting but I couldn't.

Angel had been distant since morning and I couldn't shake the feeling that something was about to happen. Something big.

I lay on my bed and stared at the ceiling while my mind raced. The center was dangerous. That much I knew. But Angel's plan to confront the staff and dig deeper felt reckless. We needed a way out. But how?

The door creaked open and I sat up, expecting to see Angel.

But it was Ava.

"Hey, handsome," she said sweetly and glided into the room with a fake smile on her face. "I heard you weren't feeling well so I came to check on you."

I rolled my eyes and leaned back against the headboard. "Ava, I'm not in the mood right now."

She ignored me and sat on the edge of my bed. Her hand reached out to touch my arm. "You look so pale, Hendrix. Maybe I can make you feel better." Her fingers trailed up my arm and I pulled away, irritated. "Ava, seriously. I'm fine. I just need rest."

But she didn't listen. She never listened.

Angel appeared in the doorway and her eyes narrowed as she took in the scene.

Ava turned and flashed her a fake smile. "Oh, hey, Angel. I was just checking on Hendrix."

Angel crossed her arms as her voice turned sharp. "Can't you see he's not well, Ava? He doesn't need you hovering over him right now." Ava's smile faltered for a moment but she quickly recovered. "I'm just being a good friend. Hendrix needs someone to take care of him."

I glanced between them and felt the tension in the air. This wasn't going to end well.

Angel's jaw tightened and I could see the hurt in her eyes. "Yeah, well, maybe you should back off. He's not in the mood for your clinginess." Ava scoffed and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "Oh, please. You're just jealous because he prefers my company."

"Jealous?" Angel snapped and stepped forward. "Ava, the only thing I'm jealous of is how oblivious you are to the fact that Hendrix isn't feeling well. Maybe if you actually paid attention to him instead of throwing yourself at him, you'd realize that."

Ava smirked as her eyes glinted with malice. "Sounds like someone's a little possessive."

I saw the fire in Angel's eyes and before I could stop her, she stepped right up to Ava and spoke in a low and dangerous voice. "Back. Off."

Ava stood and narrowed her eyes as she brushed past Angel. "Fine. But don't be surprised when he comes to me for comfort. Because he will."

I reached out and grabbed Angel's hand before she could storm out of the room. "Angel, wait."

She stopped but kept her back to me with her shoulders tense. "What, Hendrix?"

I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to make this right. "I'm sorry."

She pulled her hand away and spoke coldly. "You always are."

And just like that, she was gone.

...

(Angel's POV)

I couldn't stand Ava.

She was always inserting herself and always trying to act like she was the only one who cared about Hendrix.

But she didn't care. She was just playing a game. She didn't see what I saw and she didn't feel what I felt.

I wondered why Hendrix still entertained her advances.

I headed back to the common room and my mind was racing. We needed to get out of there. I had to protect Hendrix.

But we couldn't leave without proof. We needed evidence of what was happening there or they'd just hunt us down. They'd drag us back.

...

Later that night...

Hendrix and I sat in the corner of the common room and whispered with our heads close together.

Whatever awkwardness was between us dissolved for the moment.

"We need to figure out how to get into the basement," I said in a low voice. "If Charlotte's right, that's where they're hiding everything."

Hendrix nodded and his brow furrowed in concentration. "We'll need a distraction. Something that can pull the guards away from the basement so we can sneak in." "Maybe we could get Cylan to help," I suggested. "She's good at creating chaos."

He smiled but it didn't reach his eyes. "Yeah, that could work but we need to be careful. One wrong move and we're done."

I bit my lip and my mind raced with possibilities. "We should look for anything that could prove what they're doing. Patient files, recordings....anything."

Hendrix nodded but I saw the exhaustion in his eyes. "What if we don't find anything?"

"We will," I said firmly. "We have to."

***

<<

1. Cylan creates a distraction in the dining hall.

2. Hendrix and I sneak into the basement during the chaos.

3. We search for evidence: files, recordings, anything that can expose what's happening here.

4. If we find something, we use it to blackmail Dr. Joe.

5. We escape before they can stop us.

It was risky.

It was dangerous.

But it was the only way.