Thunder drummed in the sky, and the rain shot down to the earth like sharp knives. The sky was swallowed up by a raging storm, and the world felt dark and bleak. Every once in a while, the lights in the facility would flicker on and off, casting eerie shadows in the empty hallways.

Vianne was sitting by herself next to the windows, watching the rain break the instant it touched the ground. She kept squeezing her hands together as her anxiety rose and fell. Her worries would drift among the still ponds in her mind like lily pads as they slowly accumulated together to cover the entirety of the pond itself; there was no point in time where Vianne was completely stress free. Her anxiety tugged on her heart, it's beats palpitating every now and then. Calm down, she pleaded with herself, just calm down.

When she glanced towards the other cafeteria tables, she spotted Ivy enter and sit by herself. Ivy's gaze scanned the crowd, presumably looking for Tessa who hadn't shown up early in the morning. Vianne swallowed hard, knowing that she needed to discuss Robert's circumstances with her, as she couldn't sit back and watch as Ivy mistreated him.

Vianne left her seat at the window and approached Ivy, whose expression had wilted into annoyance when she noticed Vianne nearing. She sat down before Ivy, clasping her fidgeting hands together to stop them from shaking.

"Hi," Vianne said, "I want to talk to you about Robert."

Ivy rolled her eyes, pulling out her phone from her pocket. "He's none of your concern."

"I heard what you said to him," Vianne started, her voice growing cold, "and I know you have no intention of helping him. Robert is innocent, and your racism will only get him killed."

Ivy portrayed no hint of emotion. "If he was innocent, he wouldn't be here in this experiment."

Vianne shook her head. "That's completely false, there are a myriad of people who are wrongly imprisoned. The justice system isn't always just."

"Look, I don't need a lecture about what's right or wrong from someone like you," Ivy glanced away from Vianne to her phone, "so you can go now."

Vianne clenched her jaw, her body encapsulated in a raging heat. "Do you realize that claiming he is not capable of a second chance will result in his immediate death? The people in charge of this experiment will kill him, and that blood will be on your hands." Just as the words poured out of her mouth, a ghostly chill wrapped around her skin. She had once again leaked the information about the fates of prisoners who couldn't change for the better. Vianne swallowed hard. Well, she thought, maybe this new piece of information will help change her mind.

Ivy glanced up from her phone, unsurprised. "I'm well aware of this decision. Tessa spilled the secret about the program killing patients who can't change for the better. You know how idiotic that was of you to spread such news by the way? Why do you think there are less people here today? The idea of the patients' fates being in these people's hands scares them to death. You've caused mass hysteria, and it's likely this whole experiment will be shut down because of you. So if anything, the fate of Robert and everyone here, would be on your hands."

Vianne's skin crawled with goosebumps, shocked that Tessa had already spread the secret. "What?"

Ivy smirked at Vianne's shock. "Oh, you know how much Tessa gossips. You disclosing such information to her was a really stupid idea. And the thought of helping Robert is also a great example of your naivety, because we all know anyone who looks like him is bound to criminal behavior."

Vianne's blood boiled, her clasped hands twitching slightly. "You're a close-minded and ignorant person. You have no reason to be working in rehab when you don't believe in it. I suggest you quit right now, because if you don't-"

Ivy snickered, pushing back her black, silky hair behind her shoulders. "Are you threatening me?"

"It does sound like it, doesn't it?" Vianne shot back, her face flushed red with rage. Ivy's smile widened, taking her small threat without any seriousness.

"What are you going to do, huh? Kill me?" She joked, her pale skin gleaming red as the freckles on her cheeks grinned along with her.

"If you don't quit, I'll make sure everyone knows what kind of a person you really are," when Ivy didn't seem to care, Vianne pressed on, "you'll be everywhere on social media. They'll know your name, your face, your bigoted beliefs - all of these things will follow you for the rest of your life and taint your every opportunity. So I advise you to quit right now before I do this."

The confident smile left Ivy's face. Her gaze hardened, her midnight eyes shimmering with a subtle panic. "Are you serious?"

Vianne's expression remained cold and unmoving, her stare burning through Ivy with great intensity. Ivy crossed her arms over her chest and matched Vianne's seething stare.

"I can easily do the same to you. I could say you're making friends with a bunch of murderers here, how would you like that? You'd be known for being a killer sympathizer." Ivy quipped, although her voice was lacking in confidence.

Vianne leaned forward, ignoring Ivy's poor attempt at a threat. "Do you accept my proposal or not?"

Ivy sighed angrily, frustrated with the predicament she was trapped in. As the two waited in silence, the lights flickered off for a moment as thunder rang in the sky. They both could feel the atmosphere surrounding them grow thick, the air hard to breathe as the lights dimmed in response to the lightning dancing across the sky. Finally, Ivy leaned forward in her seat and glared at Vianne, her pale pink lips pursed with bitterness.

"You know what? I'll quit. This place is a junkyard anyway, I only came here to make quick money, but the cons of this project outweigh the pros. This experiment is a joke - no person can change a psychopath...to even think of helping Robert makes me sick." she said snidely, standing up from her seat with sharp movements. Before leaving, she glanced back down at Vianne with a scowl. "Tch, you'll probably end up just like them, Vianne. It wouldn't surprise me."

Ivy left with angry footsteps echoing in the cafeteria, some of the other employees watching quietly as she walked out. Vianne only smiled and relaxed in her seat, feeling calm for the first time amidst the storm prevailing over Hood River.