Sophia.

I don’t know when I drifted off, but when I wake, my body feels heavy, my eyes sore and puffy.

The remains of last night linger—Laurel’s voice raised in anger, her confession, and the ache in my chest that refused to go away.

The soft creak of floorboards pulls my attention, and I sit up, rubbing my eyes. Laurel is pacing, her hands flexing into fists and releasing as if she’s trying to wrestle down emotions too big to handle.

“You’re awake,” she says, her voice flat.

I nod, unsure of what to say. She looks exhausted, her hair messy and her face drawn tight with tension.

After a long silence, she stops pacing and turns to face me. “You’re free to go.”

The words hit me like a punch to the gut.

“What?” I croak, my voice barely audible.

“I mean it,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest. “You can leave. Walk out that door and never look back. I won’t stop you.”

The finality in her tone sends a jolt of panic through me. I stand, wrapping my arms around myself. “Is that what you want?”

Laurel sighs, her shoulders sagging. “What I want doesn’t matter. You’ve been through enough. Go. Start over. Be free.”

I stare at her, trying to process what she’s saying. She’s giving me an out, a clean break. This is it, this is what I've been yearning since that night at the hotel but...

“I don’t want to go,” I declare.

Her eyes snap to mine, narrowing in confusion.

“What do you mean? You’re not a prisoner, Sophia. You can leave.”

I take a deep breath, my thoughts swirling like a storm. “I’ve been thinking... about everything. About you. About what you’re doing to find Emily. And I realized something. You’re just as vulnerable and helpless as I am, Laurel.”

Her jaw tightens, but she doesn’t respond.

“You’re fighting so hard, but you’re alone. You’re scared, and you’re angry, and you don’t know what to do next,” I continue, my voice trembling. “And maybe... maybe I can help you.”

She shakes her head, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. “Help me? Sophia, you can’t even help yourself. You tried to take your own fucking life!”

“I can try!” I snap, surprising us both.. “I can try to help you find Emily.”

Laurel stares at me, her expression unreadable.

“There’s just one problem,” I say, my voice dropping to a whisper.

She raises an eyebrow. “What now?”

I swallow hard, my hands trembling. “The company... they put a tracker on me. A chip, under my skin. They know where I am, Laurel. They’ve probably noticed I’ve been off the grid for three days now. They’ll be looking for me.”

Her face goes pale, and she takes a step closer. “What did you just say?”

I nod, tears welling in my eyes. “I’m sorry. I should have told you sooner, but I was scared. They track all of us, every movement, every deviation. If they don’t know exactly where I am by now, they will soon.”

Laurel mutters a curse under her breath and starts pacing again, her movements sharp and restless. “Where is it? The chip?”

“In my arm,” I say, pointing to the spot just below my shoulder. “It’s small.”

Her hands clench into fists again, turning to me. “Tell me everything. Now.”

I nod, taking another deep breath. “The company is...careful. They handle all their dealings through layers. People like me are just pawns—pieces to be used and discarded when convenient. They train us, control us, and if we step out of line...” My voice falters, and I can’t bring myself to finish the thought.

“Laurel,” I say, my voice breaking. “I don’t know much about Emily, but I think she’s still alive. If she wasn’t, they wouldn’t have gone to such lengths to keep her disappearance quiet.”

Laurel’s expression hardens, and she takes another step toward me. “You’re sure about this?”

I hesitate, then nod. “As sure as I can be. But I don’t have enough information to say where she is or what they’re doing with her.”

She lets out a slow, shaky breath, and for a moment, the fire in her eyes dims.

“I want to go back,” I say, the words tumbling out before I can stop them.

Her head snaps up, her eyes wide. “What?”

“I want to go back,” I repeat, my voice steadier this time. “I can gather more information, figure out where Emily is, and find a way to help you.”

“No.” Her response is immediate, her tone firm. “Absolutely not.”

“Laurel, listen to me—”

“No!” she snaps, cutting me off. “Do you even hear yourself? You want to walk back into the lion’s den? That’s suicide, Sophia!”

“I don’t have a choice,” I say, my voice rising. “They’ll find me eventually, Laurel. The tracker guarantees that. If I go back willingly, I can at least buy us some time. I can—”

“No.” Her voice breaks on the word, and I see the fear in her eyes. “I can’t let you do that.”

I step closer, reaching out to touch her arm. “Laurel, I’ll come back. I promise. But if we’re going to find Emily, this is the only way.”

She pulls away, shaking her head. “You don’t know that. You don’t know what they’ll do to you if you go back.”

“I know the risks,” I say quietly. “But I also know that if we do nothing, Emily might never come home.”

Laurel turns away, her shoulders trembling. “I can’t lose you,” she whispers, so softly I almost don’t hear her.

My chest tightens at her words, and I step closer again. “You won’t lose me. I’ll come back. I swear.”

She doesn’t respond, her silence heavy and suffocating.

Finally, she takes a deep breath and turns to face me.

“We’ll find someone to take the chip out,” she says, her voice brittle. “We’ll get rid of the tracker. And you're not going back there, unless you want to.”

She holds my gaze and in this mili second, my mind wanders back to Dana. What will they do to her if they find out she lost me? I saw the scars on her back, was that...

"Are you seriously considering?" Laurel's voice breaks through my thoughts.

I shake my head. "Of course not."

She nods.

“I’ll figure this out,” Laurel says firmly, more to herself than to me. “I’ll find someone who can help. But Sophia...”

“Yes?”

“If you leave again, if you go back to them...” Her voice cracks, and she looks away.

“I won’t,” I say.

I don't know if I can keep that promise because despite everything, I don't wants Dana to get in trouble for me.