Jina wasn't sure how long she stayed curled into herself. Her head leaning against the wall, it could have been a few minutes or a few hours. Someone tried to get her to eat, but she didn't even respond. She couldn't see anything but the zip line snapping, the building crumbling. All she could hear was the explosion and her screams. She was staring at the door, hoping, praying that the door would open and Thomas would walk in with his signature look of confusion.

Someone sat down again beside her. She didn't move. She had no energy to do anything. Whoever it was, grabbed her hand rather aggressively. Something cold was applied to her arm and she shrieked, it stung really bad.

"Oh it's not that bad, you big baby."

Jina blinked back the sudden tears. She finally looked over slowly. Her unfocused eyes locked onto Teresa.

"Why...?" Was all she could manage, her lip was trembling, the tears threatened to fall.

"Because, believe it or not...I do care. Despite what everyone wants to assume."

Jina watched her. She was cleaning one of the burns that ripped open in their escape. She was applying some kind of past and then she was wrapping it up.

"We used to be friends." Jina whispered.

"I know." Teresa sniffed.

"Why were so mean, Tess?" Her voice sounded so weak and whiny but she didn't even care right now.

Teresa was quiet for a while, she finished wrapping Jina's arm. Then her arms wrapped around herself. She took a shaky breath in and then letting it out Jina saw fresh tears in her big blue eyes.

"I was his friend first." She whispered. "He was the only one who liked me because of who I was. Not because of what I could do, or because I had something in my blood. He was my friend first." She angrily swatted the tears away.

Jina had a hard time understanding. "But...we were friends...and you ruined that."

"I loved him Jina! I loved him!" She finally cried. She looked away for a second before continuing. "And when he started showing interest in you... I was loosing the only friend I actually had."

"I- I don't understand. I don't..."

"I lost everything. I watched my parents, my older sister, my aunts and uncles and cousins...my friends... neighbors...everyone in my little town turn into Cranks- past the gone- in a matter of a few days. I watched my dad eat my childhood dog. I watched them rip each other apart. And then when I was found by a few people...they did their best to help me. But they eventually succumbed to the Flair. They sacrificed themselves to get me to WICKED- to a safe place. I saw more death and gore and...terrible things before I was even old enough to go to kindergarten."

Her eyes had gone distant, staring at the back wall. Teresa was whispering, tears slid down her face.

"I was alone in WICKED for a few years, lots of pokes and needles and tests by grown ups. And then Thomas showed up. And we were in it together. We were friends. Us against the word. And then... Others showed up, but it was still the two of us. And then you showed up. And I was forgotten about."

"Teresa..." Jina tried, but her voice was stuck in her throat. She knew generally, Teresa's story, but this was the most honest she had ever been. The most vulnerable Jina had ever seen Teresa. She shook her head.

"And then...I started becoming more important to Doctor Paige. She was letting me in on projects. And then Doctor Leavitt was whispering things in my ear. And...and I listened. Jina...I listened to them. Then they got the Flare! And you got caught for Minho and Gally's escape. I hoped Thomas would come back to me, seeing what would happen...you were dangerous. But...but he seemed to pull even more away. It made him angry. And Doctor Paige changed. And then that Janson..."

She shivered.

"He's...he's vial and cunning and creepy. But he paid me attention. He saw value in me." She took a deep breath. "He persuaded me...to turn on you. I'm sorry. I thought..." Her lip trembled. And her voice caught. "I thought if you were out of the way... Thomas would come back. I only made it worse. I only found out Janson wanted to kill you the morning of and I...I couldn't do that! We were...at...at one point...at one point we were- I think- friends. I convinced Chancellor Paige to put you in the maze instead. Thomas didn't trust me after that. They forced him, and used his chip to turn on you too." Teresa was doing everything not to cry. "I made everything worse." She said miserably.

Jina was shocked to hear this. Teresa's big blue eyes looked so broken and lost. Jina was too tired to be mad right now. It shocked her. Teresa had been a lying manipulative witch...but would Jina have been the same if the tables has been reversed? She had been manipulated and beaten and blackmailed into doing things. So she could understand Teresa. They were raised by the same people.

"In the end...he chose you. Over and over." Teresa whispered. "How? How did you get him to like you?"

"I didn't force him." Jina answered. "I don't know...it just happened, we both had mistrust in the company. And we had the same interests and our humor was the same...his best friend is my brother. That helped."

"He remembered you. In the maze...after the changing. He remembered you. And that hurt, all over again."

"Did you have memories in the maze?"

"Contrary to what others thought, no." Teresa shook her head. "Feelings of familiarity. And things like riding a bike, but who taught me? I couldn't remember. I had feelings for Thomas...but they weren't reciprocated."

Jina was quiet. She really didn't know how to respond. She felt overwhelmed by all this, but she let Teresa talk. She had learned that if people were lying it would eventually come out in a contradicted detail or twisting of a story somewhere. But Teresa just looked so broken and lonely. Everyone she cared about, she tended to push away.

"He loved you."

"I know." Jina had a very small watery smile. "We...we talked about it all the other night."

"When you guys snuck off?"

Jina's cheeks flushed but she slowly nodded.

"Why...why did you save me again? Why give me CPR, I would have died and then you would have had him..."

Teresa shook her head. "No. I wouldn't have. He would have been stuck in his grief. Most of him would have died too. The...the only way I know how to make him happy is by keeping your shuck ass alive. It...it kills me to admit this, but...but he needs you."

Jina felt a sob on her chest. Tears stung her eyes.

"Well...I need him too, but now he's buried under the building. And no one has him."

"You were too busy staring into nothing to pay attention. Jorge said their building had tunnels. This Brenda, ran off to get something, Thomas went after her as the guards were storming up the stairs. Jorge said they could have made it to the tunnels which would lead to the Underneath and then into the city. She knows where we're going."

Jina felt a flutter in her heart. Through her tears she looked up at her once long ago friend. "Do...do you think so?"

Teresa looked broken, but she nodded. "Ya. Thomas is resourceful and smart. He'll come back."

Jina used the heels of her hands to dry her tears. She sniffed and sat up straighter with a heavy inhale.

She took a few deep breaths to try and keep herself together.

"Have you been able to talk to him?" Jina asked, suddenly remembering Teresa had her mind link with him.

"What do you mean?"

"Your mind link. Can't you talk to him?"

She shook her head. "Not since waking up in the Waystation. They took that part of my chip out I guess. I can't talk to anyone anymore."

"Oh." She whispered feeling the disappointment hard.

"Have you asked Aris?" Teresa asked.

"No. He couldn't talk to him before. Aris and Rachel could talk...you and Thomas could talk... But because I went back and forth...or WICKED is messed in the head, I could talk to all of you. Aris and Thomas couldn't before the maze."

"How do you know that?" Teresa frowned.

"I...." Jina trailed off. How did she know. Like how did she know who Jorge and Brenda were. How did she remember all of what Teresa said and was talking about. That had nothing to do with the changing memories.

"Turn around." Teresa ordered.

"What...? Why?"

"Just do it."

Jina slowly turned. It was the most moving she had done all evening, since she slid down the corner. Teresa moved her hair and flicked a flashlight on.

"I figured." She said. She dropped her hair and flicked the light off. Jina slowly turned back around.

"What?"

"The lightning. It fried the chip. I know there's a chip in each of our heads-"

"Ya, at the base of our skulls. It's the way they monitor our killzones"

"Ya. Right. So right in the same spot there is a chard burn spot. The lightning probably fried anything. It probably also messed with your memory swipe too. So probably why you can't talk to anyone."

Jina opened and closed her mouth. She didn't want to try calling to Aris, he was sleeping. But she tried talking to Teresa. But Jina was met with cold silence. She was alone in her own head. That caused her to almost break. The amount of intimacy Thomas and her shared, being able to feel the others emotions and feelings last night...and now she was alone. Forever. It almost caused her to curl up and cry.

"You're just like everyone else."

"What I always wanted to be." Jina said with contempt. "Maybe Ratman will leave me alone now."

Teresa snorted. "One can hope."

"Why are you telling me all this?" Jina asked.

Teresa shrugged. "I'm trying. Like all my life I've been shucken trying and it's never been enough. And now...now that I've actually seen the world...not the klunk Ava and Janson spoon fed us...I- I don't know if I can anymore. I just...how can they be responsible for all this and not...try?! Like being locked up I could understand. They were trying, I saw all the charts and blood tests, brain scans, everything that made it look like they were searching for a cure. Now? I...I don't think there is one. How can it be such a shucked up world after how many years and they have nothing?!"

"I ask myself that on a regular basis."

Teresa shrunk. Placing her elbows on her crossed legs and sighed. Placing her head in her hands she took another shaking breath.

"I know...I know what I did was awful." She looked up, her blue icy eyes swimming with tears. "I know there's no way we can ever be friends, like we were. And you probably won't want to forgive me. But...is like too much to be...not enemies."

Jina studied the girl in front of her. As much as she wanted to be raging mad, she just wasn't. The people who raised them were lying twisted snakes and rats. So maybe Jina understood her. She wouldn't be able to be friends like she was with Sonya and Flossie- or Aris. But maybe they could start by not competing constantly.

"I can handle that. And if it is true, that Tommy did make it out -"

"I know he's yours. He's made it very clear. And...as much...as it hurts..."

Jina slowly nodded. "It's gonna take a lot of time to trust you again. I remember it all. So..."

"I understand." Teresa nodded with a small smile. "Thank you."

The girls were quiet for a long time.

"Jina? I'm...sorry about Rachel."

"WICKED's fault. Not yours."

"I can still understand."

Jina hummed. The girls eventually lay down and Jina fell into a restless sleep.

< • >

They found themselves standing in gray twilight, surrounded by enormously tall buildings in every direction. Broken windows. Garbage strewn over the streets. Several dead bodies lying about. A smell of rot and dust. Heat.

But no people. None living, anyway. Every time they passed one Jina felt a moment of alarm that some of the dead might be Thomas or Brenda, but that wasn't the case. The scattered bodies were older men and women, and decay had already set in.

They had been walking all day. Jorge had let them sleep and then in the morning they did their best to clean up in the small sinks. There was no full working shower but there were sinks with running water and the safehouse had small bottles of shampoo. So they actually washed their hair in the sinks- not ideal- but Jina wasn't complaining. After a breakfast of porridge on a camp stove and some canned peaches and pears they walked in the open streets.

Cranks didn't like the daylight. Jorge led them through the streets. Jina was quiet as they walked. Her ankle hurt, her burns hurt in the heat, every joint and muscle hurt. But her stitches in her head were surprisingly feeling better.

Minho walked with her for a bit. Then Aris walked with her. They tried their mind link, but Teresa seemed to be right. The lightning fried her chip. She was alone.

Minho seemed to have a hard time with Jorge taking over as leader. He also held a grudge with how his gang treated Jina and then apparently hung them by their ankles over a pit. Minho was snappy and harsh. Jorge didn't seem to take any of it personally, everything rolled off his shoulders. He was quite gentle with them, he wasn't intimidated by Minho at all- probably because he was the gang leader and half of the people in his gang were cranks. He also whispered to her during a water break that Minho was also grieving the loss of a friend, so he knew not to take it personally. Though he was also optimistic about finding Thomas and Brenda.

The group traveled down the long and lonely street, Jina kept her eyes peeled, scanning every broken window, every alley, every crumbled doorway. Hoping to see some sign of Thomas. And hoping not to see any Cranks. They did hear the occasional scream in the distance, or the sounds of things crashing inside a building now and then. Jorge would usher them across the street and hurry on.

They traveled until dark, avoiding contact with anyone. Jorge seemed to know the city and where the populated areas were and where the most shade would be. He pointed out different buildings and told them some history and what it was used for now.

It was finally starting to get dark and Jorge found them another place to sleep, promising they would be at Marcus's place tomorrow morning.

"Another safe house?" Newt asked.

"An old friend's."

"Umm...like he's gonna come back right away or...?" Frypan looked nervously out the window.

"No. He went to sector C."

"Do we want to know?" Minho asked.

"Where they burn the bodies." Jorge answered flatly.

"Oh bloody hell!" Newt gasped.

Jina felt a shiver run down her spine. The mood of the group was dark. Minho insisted the girls sleep on the couches. Newt and Aris and Jorge agreed. Jine tossed and turned, unable to sleep. She finally got up and crawled over to Aris, the blanket pulled tight over her shoulders. He pulled her into a tight hug and Jina let the silent tears out. It was a long sleepless night. She missed Thomas so much. She had him and then like everything good in her life, it was snatched away. She was glad she had her best friend. He just held her and let her cry. He didn't ask questions or try to make her feel better or whisper empty promises. He just let her cry as her heart broke.

< • >

The next morning was much of the same. Except this time- the house had showers. And Jina nearly cried in appreciation. There were also boxes of extra clothes and Jina was thankful she didn't have to put burnt dirty clothes back on. Once everyone had showered and eaten some food and refilled waters and Jorge took out her stitches after she bagged, they finally set out.

The closer they got to the city centre the more populated with none cranks the place became. Some trading tables were set up and many people were out. There weren't many kids or young people. So Jina and the others got a lot of curious looks.

"Girls!" Jorge barked, suddenly. "Walk in the middle. Guys, walk around 'em and keep an eye on them. Girls are...high demand. Snatchers will zero in on them in a heart beat."

They took that as a very serious call. Minho, Aris, Frypan, Newt and Clint circled around them. The guys walked so close to them Jina kept tripping. At one point she was thankful Jorge made them walk the way they did. A drunk early stager came staggering towards them. Minho and Newt stiffened, Aris yanked Jina closer.

"Hey! You guys found two good ones! You'll definitely get a high payment for them girlies!" He yelled, swinging a brown bottle around. "I can't wait to see 'em up on that stage. Dang...maybe that one...she can give me a private show tomorrow! Hey darlin' you wanna get with this-"

He didn't finish, Minho slammed his fist I to the guy's jaw, dropping him.

"That's my fucken sister! Don't ever-"

"Minho!" Newt yelped, yanking him off the crank.

The guy was out cold, his jaw was definitely dislocated. Minho was huffing and puffing like a bull. Jorge pulled him away and they kept going. Minho had a hand on Jina's back from then on. The more they walked the more Jina noticed the crowd was rowdier, dressed in wild outfits or hardly there clothing. The girls looked like they slept in their make up, shirts so tiny their chests were falling out, or see through tops. Many of them had a guy or two pressed up against them. Jina shivered. Was this their fate if a snatcher got a hold of Teresa and her?

She stepped closer to Teresa and gripped her hand. She had gone white as a ghost and was shaking. Jina remembered what she told her the other night- this must remind her of her village and she was struggling with flashbacks.

"The club is right there." Jorge yelled over the noise of the loud thumping music and drunk people. "We go in. See if we can find Brenda and Thomas. Find Marcus. I'll clear the club out."

Everyone nodded.

"Hey, ma hija, you still have that gun?" Jorge asked.

Jina nodded. The guys looked at her with wide eyes.

"Good. You might need it. Keep it close. Teresa? You got a weapon?"

"What about us?" Clint asked.

"I'm worried about snatchers taking the girls and selling them to sex traffickers." Jorge said blankly. "You're a little harder to hull off."

"Ah. Ya alright." Clint relented.

"Minho, stay close to Jina. Clint, stick close to Teresa. Newt Fry your partnered, and Aris your with me."

Everyone nodded, Minho didn't even argue this time. They turned to the club- it was a big square three story building with a lot of colourful flags hanging over the big doorway.

Jina sucked in a big breath and followed after Jorge.

< • >