A/N: Here's an on time update for you all! Hope you enjoy ;-) Woohoo, let's see how long this update schedule lasts for. Also, I had fun writing this chapter. Things are starting to change!

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01 - 24 - 2089

I walk alongside Cade as he brings me back to my room. My tests are done for the day and I'm ready for bed. I have several abominable sores on my neck from some injection they gave me today and they burn. I've tried itching them, hoping to find some relief, but Cade always scolds me.

I reach my hand up again, keeping an eye on Cade as I do it. He's a few paces in front of me, his gait strong and confident as we walk down the spotless hallway.

My hand is almost there when Cade's voice rings down the sterile hallway. "Don't do that," he says, his tone scolding. I lower my arm at my side and frown, wondering how in the world he always knows when I'm about to scratch it. The festering sores beg to be itched, if only to relieve the burning sensation for a moment. 

I try to distract myself with random thoughts that I always seem to have an abundance of. And it works for a minute or so. Then my mind focuses on the nagging pain on my neck again and I resist the urge to scratch for what feels like the hundredth time. 

Hoping it might help distract me, I pick up my pace and fall in line beside Cade. "Can we talk?" Maybe if I focus on him then I won't think about my neck. At least, that's the idea.

Cade glances my way, keeping his pace even. "About what?"

I shrug. "Anything. Something. I need a distraction." I unconsciously reach up to my affected neck, but Cade's hand shoots out and grabs my wrist. He raises his eyebrows and lowers my hand. 

"Clearly," he mutters, his tone suggesting he's frustrated, but I see a smile playing at the corners of his lips. 

"So... tell me something about yourself," I suggest, clasping my hands together so I don't accidentally scratch my neck. Ugh, I want to so bad.

"Not much to tell," Cade says. We turn down the last hallway before my room, near the guard station. 

"Well... what's your favorite..." I grasp for something to ask. "Uh, color?" 

"Brown."

My eyebrows scrunch. "Brown?" I ask in surprise. I would have guessed blue or green. Something bright, just like his personality.

"What?" Cade eyes me, his eyes mischievous. 

"Well, I just would have guessed something else. That's all." I glance at the half asleep guard who reclines in a folding chair that we pass. My room is only a few paces away. "Why is that your favorite?"

Cade shrugs. "It just is," he says plainly, but I can see something dwelling just beneath the surface. Something he doesn't want to tell me. The color obviously has meaning to him, though why I can't tell. 

We come to a stop at my door as Cade punches in the key on the pad. The door slides open, but I hesitate. Cade watches me, his hand still on the pad for the door. 

I take a step forward, but stop in the doorway. Then I glance back at him and say, "I think brown is a great color. I've dreamed of it, sometimes. Though I've never seen it in real life." With that, I step the rest of the way in my room and watch as Cade presses the door closed, some emotion boiling just beneath his surface. He's curious, unique, and unlike anyone else I've ever met. 

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I'm lying on my bed, scratching my neck, when Cade returns. The door slides open, signaling his entrance, and I snap up, lowering my hand. Cade steps inside, holding a silver tray. He locks eyes with me, and more specifically my neck. He frowns.

"Gis, I told you not to touch it. Have you been itching it this whole time?" Cade approaches, setting down the silver tray of items on my table. 

"No..." I say, biting my lip. "I held out for a minute or two once you left."

Cade shakes his head and grabs a blue tube from the tray before standing in front of the bed. "This will help with the irritation. Here, bend your head so I can apply some." 

I scoot closer and grab my braid, pulling it to the left side of my neck so Cade has access to the inflamed sores. I tilt my head to the left, shivering when Cade's cold fingers spread the paste onto the sores. 

"Sorry," Cade mumbles, his voice heavy. He finishes applying the paste, and already I can feel the burning sensation lessen. 

"Thanks," I say as he replaces the lid on the tube and sets it down. My eyes lock onto the other items on the tray: gauze, pliers, and medical tape. "What's that for?" I point towards the tray.

Cade shrugs. "I wasn't sure what all I'd need." 

I purse my lips and lean back, satisfied with the answer. Cade stands in front of me while I sit on the bed, the silence stifling. I struggle to find something to say, my tongue thick and stuck in the back of my throat. 

Cade takes a step back and stares at my drawings all over the walls. His eyes roam over all the walls before they land on my newest drawing. The sun.

After several more minutes of heavy silence, Cade finally breaks it, much to my relief. He glances back at the door then locks eyes with me. "Do you want to see something?" He whispers, coming back over to me and leaning forward. 

"See what?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. What is he playing at?

"I... I can't tell you in here," Cade says, his voice even quieter. "People are listening."

"Uh," I stutter, confused. "Okay?" I'm not sure what I'm getting into, but whatever it is, I hope it's exciting. My life could use a little twist. And Cade's nice, which makes me want to trust him. 

"Great," Cade says, his face lighting up. He offers me a hand and I take it, glancing up at the camera watching my every movements. If this isn't sanctioned by Doctor Acosta, then Cade and I are going to get in trouble. Which will mean more solitary for me. 

I pull my hand out of Cade's, suddenly worried. I don't want to go back to solitary. 

Cade catches my worried expression, then his eyes flick to the camera. "Don't worry," he whispers. "I've taken care of them. Only the microphones are on. Come on."

"Are you sure we should be doing this?" I whisper, uncertain. Part of me wants to run off with him and be crazy, but the other part of me argues that it will only bring me more pain. For some reason, that part of me is so strong, engulfing me with uncertainty. 

"Don't worry, Gis," Cade assures me, grasping my hand once more. I swallow my apprehension and follow him out of my room. This time, we turn to the right, instead of towards the guard station. We head down unfamiliar hallways, taking several lefts and rights. 

By the time we come to a stop in front of a steel door, I'm completely disorientated and lost. I hope Cade knows the way back to my room, because I have no idea where we are. 

"Are you ready?" Cade asks, grinning with anticipation. His eyes twinkle and I wish I could get lost in them. Wait... what? 

"Ye-eah," I nod, shaking with excitement or fear. I'm not sure which. 

Cade opens the door, and I peer inside, expecting to see something amazing. But what's inside isn't amazing at all. 

The room is half the size of my own room, and sparsely furnished. It has a cot in the corner with a bedside table near it. Near the door there is a folding chair and a tiny dresser. The room is lit by a single strip of light on the ceiling, and it's suffocating. 

I look to Cade, confused. He doesn't meet my gaze, and pulls me inside the room, shutting the door behind us. Once inside, I can see that the dresser has several books sitting on the top and the night stand does as well. 

"What is this?" I ask, turning in a slow circle. 

"My room," Cade says. He walks over to the far wall of the room, near the bed, and turns to face me. 

"Why..." I'm not sure what to ask. Not sure what to say. Why would he bring me here? 

"Yeah, it's not much," Cade agrees. "But that's not why I brought you here. I wanted you to see something." He glances down at his wrist and taps it once. 

"See what?" I ask, taking another glance about the room. 

"This." Cade presses on the white wall in front of him, then steps to the side, his grin infectious. I stare at the wall, when it hisses. Then, a section of the wall only several square feet, separates from the rest of the wall and raises. 

My eyes widen; my heart rate picks up. I stare, dumbly, at the sight before me. The wall piece lifts up to reveal a glass panel. And beyond that, a sight I've never had the pleasure of seeing before. 

Outside. 

The sun. It's just about to leave for the night, signaling the approaching evening. The radiant beams spread out from the glowing orb, casting golden rays on the earth and painting the sky. It's... gorgeous. Rays of purple, pink, red and orange blend in the softest shades like the work of the most meticulous painter. 

I gasp, finding my way over to Cade where he's staring at me. I grasp his hand, mesmerized by the sight in front of me. "Thank you," I whisper, unable to truly convey how amazing this is. How much this means to me. It is priceless. 

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