A/N: And we're back to Gis' perspective! Oh, and the plot thickens ;)

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05 - 31 - 2089

G I S

Arms wrap around my waist and tug me up, but I grab onto Cade with an iron grip, refusing to be separated. How can they be so cruel? Can they not give me a moment to be with him after what they did? I tighten my grip and fight as they try to pull me away.

A sharp, stinging pain in my neck has me shouting again. Dread fills my lungs as I fight with all I have. As I fight for Cade.

My muscles slow down, becoming stiff and tight. Work! They won't obey my commands. They aren't working.

I blink, watching as Cade fades into the ground, being replaced by a pile of ashes. A cold wind blows, lifting and distributing the gray flakes. Bit by bit they float away, even as I reach for a single piece. My hand is left outstretched, grasping at air.

"You failed me."

Cade stands behind me, perfectly intact. Every stand of hair is in its proper place. The only thing off is his expression. Utter disappointment fills his face, his blue eyes steady on me.

"I...I'm sorry. I got there as soon as I could." My mind swims with images of a train station, of running from faceless black figures. The images are replaced by one of Cade being restrained and beaten as I stand there and do nothing.

"You've failed us all." Cade's voice is hard, unyielding in his words.

I open my mouth to respond, but he continues. "You had the choice to save us all. And you chose to run. You are selfish."

As my heart squeezes tighter and tighter in my chest, he crosses his arms. "I thought you loved me, Gis."

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Lights flash through my eyelids. My head pounds with every beat of my heart. Remnants of the dream cling to my mind like a fog I just can't shake. My fingers press against my forehead, hard enough to help ground me. It's not real. It's not real. It's not real.

But some of it is.

I force my eyes open, blinking against the bright florescent lights shining down on me. As my vision clears, the events of the day come flashing back. I sit up, scanning the room for Cade. I'm in some sort of medical room, too reminiscent of my past for comfort. An IV pole stands to my right, holding a bag of fluids connected to my arm. A cabinet and desk are situated across the room. A figure in a white coat sits at the desk, his back to me.

"Where's Cade." It comes out as a demand, but I don't care. I can't stop thinking of how I felt when I went looking for Cade, worried when he hadn't returned, only to find him pinned between two men and hurt.

The man swivels around in his chair, allowing me to get a view of his face. Curly blond hair and a thick beard peeks out from behind a green surgical mask. His blue eyes are widened in surprise. "You're awake." He stands and hurries to my side, checking the monitor attached to the IV pole.

"Where is Cade? What did you do with him?" I yank my arm away when the man reaches for it.

He stares at me in surprise. His head tilts as he studies me, hand shoving into a coat pocket and withdrawing a light. He proceeds to shine it in my eyes, but I slap his hand away before he can check my pupils.

"Stop. I want to know where Cade is. Is he at least alive?" My voice cracks, but I force the fear deep down, replacing it with anger. Anger is so much easier to stoke, the flames growing higher and extinguishing my fear and pain.

"Are you feeling alright?" The man asks instead of answering my questions.

That's it. Something snaps inside me, and before the man can blink I climb out of the bed. The fire rages up inside, encouraging me to go faster. I yank the IV from my arm. I push past the man and head for the door.

"Wait! Stop- no, you can't leave."

I ignore the words, my fingers at the door handle within moments. Sudden dizziness causes me to hesitate and try to regain my balance. My vision sways, matching the dizziness as it flows over me in a rolling wave.

"Help! I need help in here!" White Coat is yelling, but his voice sounds diminished. Fuzzy.

I wrench the door open, pushing past the nausea, only to be faced with more people. A tall woman and bulky man stop short upon my entrance, both dressed in white coats and wearing the same green masks. They raise their hands to pacify, but I push against them.

Hands grasp my arms, gentle but firm. Unyielding.

I yell, releasing frustration as panic builds, pounding me in the head repeatedly. "Don't touch me! Let me go- I need to find Cade."

"Miss, please calm down."

"We're not trying to hurt you."

"Stop!" I cry, fighting as the man and woman pull me back into the room. The door shuts behind them as I'm lowered onto the bed and held in place.

The woman's face comes into view, gentle brown eyes creased in concern. "It's alright, dear. We're not the enemy. You're injured and need to rest." Something sharp pokes my leg.

I relax ever so slightly against their grips, every thought heavy in my brain. I can see myself trying to fight but feel the exhaustion and stress catching up to me. They help the physical symptoms and together finally put out the raging fire inside me.

"What did you do to me?" My voice is quiet, mind fuzzy; memories and thoughts mix with others until I have trouble distinguishing what just happened. I twist and crane my neck to view the lower half of my body.

White Coat stands at the end of the bed, retracting a needle from my leg. He glances up at me apologetically.

I growl, frustration flowing through my veins once again. "You hurt Cade. You've hurt me! Just stop. Stop!" I cry, hysteria building.

Everyone in the room steps back, startled at my outburst. Before they can react, I grab the nearest item within reach and fling it at them. The IV pole clatters to the ground, narrowly missing the bulky man and White Coat.

The door opens again, another man entering likely to help keep me here. But determination is my friend, and right now it is fueling me and pushing back whatever they injected. I don't know what it is inside of me that keeps me present and alert, but all I can see if Cade, beaten and bloody. My mind keeps showing me images of him. Of how he has time and time again put himself at risk for me. He doesn't deserve this.

Everyone remains out of reach, watching me now with wary expressions. All but the newcomer. His angular face is tilted at me, an unreadable expression on his face. Dark eyes watch me, mouth slightly parted. No mask. I scan him from head to toe, noting his dark clothing and coffee hair. No mask.

I can't look away. Something forces me to keep staring at him. I hesitate, then try to draw from the anger deep within. "You can't keep me here. I know what you want, and you can't have it. Let Cade and I go. Now." My voice cracks, fading along with the anger inside me.

The emotional high vanishes and I'm left feeling empty. Whatever they gave me is finally catching up. I don't try to fight it, knowing from experience that it's a losing battle. Whatever was helping me is now gone. The edges of my vision fade, growing blurry. My eyelids droop. Heavy. I feel so... heavy.

Before the world fades entirely, I see the mysterious man bending over me. Muffled words reach my ears, growing quieter with each syllable.

"Minha estrela."

I slip into a drugged state, mind empty.

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