Darn Stupid Brother You Are

(Angel's POV)

I told them everything. Every single detail.

Dilara, Cylan, and Hande, my dorm mates, all sat in silence as I finished explaining what I found. Their eyes were wide with shock. The journal lay in front of us and it was half-hidden in my jacket. I hadn't shown them the contents yet. Not here. Not in the open.

"We need to be careful," I warned. "We can't let anyone see it yet."

Dilara frowned. "What about the guys? They need to know too."

I nodded and swallowed hard. "We'll meet with them tonight but it has to be discreet. We can't afford to mess this up."

Hande's eyes flicked nervously between the door and me. "What about Hendrix? Does he know?"

I shook my head. "I'll talk to him later." The truth was I hadn't had the courage to face him since that night. Since the kiss.

I didn't even know where to start with him but now wasn't the time for that.

The cafeteria was loud and full of students by the time we joined the boys. Eddie and Thomas were already there and their eyes lit up when they saw us. Eddie wasted no time and launched into his usual line of questions.

"So what's the deal with this book, Angel? Can we see it now?" His voice was too loud and careless.

"Shh!" Dilara hissed and leaned forward with her eyes flashing. "Use your brains. She can't show it to you here. Are you trying to get us caught?"

Eddie rolled his eyes but quieted down and threw a look at Thomas, who was watching me with curiosity. "We'll see it tonight then?"

I nodded and barely listened. My eyes scanned the room for Hendrix. He wasn't there and my stomach churned with unease.

"He was with Ava earlier," Thomas said as if he read my mind. "Talking out on the patio."

I barely had time to process what he'd said when the cafeteria doors swung open. Hendrix walked in and there she was beside him. Ava. Her laugh echoed through the room like nails on a chalkboard and for a split second, my heart felt like it was about to burst out of my chest.

The table went quiet as everyone stared at them. But no one stared harder than I did.

Hendrix's gaze locked with mine. I felt the bile rise in my throat, hot and acidic. I couldn't do this. Not now. Not with her hanging on his arm like she had a right to.

Without a word, I pushed back my chair and stormed toward the bathroom. The sound of my boots hitting the tiles echoed in my ears as I reached the sink and gripped the porcelain so hard my knuckles turned white. What was wrong with me?

No-what was wrong with him?

He'd been so careless even though he knew his condition was worsening. Whether it was ARDS, gonorrhea, or something even darker these people had done to him-he just kept playing these games. And with Ava, of all people. My thoughts spiraled back to the kiss and I squeezed my eyes shut and willed the image away. I didn't have time for this. Not now.

The door opened and closed quietly behind me. I knew it was him. I didn't even have to look.

"Angel," his voice was low and cautious, and it broke the silence.

I didn't turn around. I couldn't.

He stepped closer. "It's not what it looks like."

A bitter laugh escaped my lips. "Of course, it's not."

I spun around and felt the weight of the journal heavy in my jacket. Before I could stop myself, I ripped it out and shoved it into his hands. "Read it," I said and my voice shook with anger and something else I couldn't name.

"What is this?" he asked and flipped it open.

"Just read it."

His eyes skimmed over the pages and I watched as his face shifted from confusion to shock. His eyes widened and his lips parted as the horror sank in.

"I found it last night," I explained and my voice dropped to a whisper. "It's worse than we thought, Hendrix. So much worse."

He looked up from the pages and his face went pale. "They... they're making it up? ARDS isn't even real?"

I nodded. "They're using you, using all of us. And it's all for something much darker."

He looked down at the journal again and then back at me as his hands trembled. "Then what the hell is wrong with me?"

I sighed and took the journal back and hid it in my jacket again. "That's what we have to figure out. But we need to focus, Hendrix. We have to focus on what's important now. Please. For your sake, if not for anyone else's." There was an awkward silence between us, one that felt like it could stretch on forever. I took a step back and was ready to leave but he grabbed my arm and stopped me.

"Angel..." His voice faltered. He didn't know what to say. Neither did I.

"I'll see you tonight," I managed and pulled away from him and headed for the door.

...

Later that night, we all gathered in a dark corner of the center, far from the eyes of guards and nurses. The boys and girls sat together in nervous anticipation. I pulled out the journal and this time I let them see it. Dilara was right-this was too important for them to ignore.

I flipped through the pages and explained everything I'd learned. The experiments, the fake illnesses, the organ harvesting. Hendrix sat silently and kept his eyes fixed on the floor, avoiding my gaze.

The group fell into tense silence as we absorbed the gravity of the situation. We were trapped in a place that used us like cattle and waited to butcher us when we were no longer useful.

"We need to do something," Thomas said and his voice shook with barely contained fear. "We can't just sit here."

Hendrix finally spoke, and his voice was low but determined. "I want to see it for myself. The West Wing. Where you found the journal."

Everyone turned to me. I hesitated and glanced at Hendrix, then back at the group.

"Okay," I said finally. "But we have to be careful."

We slipped out into the hallway and moved quietly as we made our way toward the West Wing. Hendrix walked beside me and tried to start a conversation but I silenced him with a sharp look. We needed to stay quiet. There was no room for distractions.

When we reached the door, my heart raced. I pushed it open and we stepped inside and the darkness swallowed us whole. I led them to the spot where I'd found the journal but before we could investigate further, a loud noise startled us. A guard.

We froze and held our breath but the sound of footsteps drew closer. Panic set in.

Suddenly, Dilara and Cylan appeared from the shadows and motioned for us to follow them. We barely made it out of the West Wing and slipped through a side door just as the guard rounded the corner. Once we were safe, the tension between us exploded.

"We can't keep doing this," Eddie muttered. "We're going to get caught. Or worse."

"We don't have a choice," I said, my voice sharper than I intended. "If we don't figure this place out, we're dead."

It's sinking in now. It's going to take us longer to actually figure this place out, let alone find a way out. I thought to myself.

...

(Dr. Nixon's POV)

It wasn't supposed to be like this.

I glanced at the files on my desk, the ones I hadn't burned yet. The ones that tied me to this nightmare. I'd been here too long too long to pretend I was anything but part of it now. Once, I had control. Once, I believed in the mission, in the experiments, in pushing the limits of human capability. But now... now everything was slipping through my fingers.

It started years ago when I first accepted the position. I was young, eager, and desperate to make a name for myself. The center offered that a chance to be part of something revolutionary.

But that revolution turned dark. The experiments, the cruelty... it all became too much. And yet, I stayed. I stayed because I had no other choice. I couldn't leave. Not after what I'd done.

I glanced at the clock and the ticking sound filled the empty room. Time was running out and I was losing control.

I couldn't stop what was coming.