I shot straight up when I escaped from the terrible hallucination, staring right into Janson's eyes like always.

I noticed tears rolling down my cheeks as he and another doctor tapped some things on a screen. They didn't explain anything, and I didn't ask anything.

Honestly, all I wanted was to be back in the Scorch and cuddle with Minho on one of the cold nights.

The same nurse with the black buzz cut stood in the corner of the room, carefully watching Janson get ready a syringe. He held it in front of my face, causing my eyes to shoot wide open immediately. Something in my mind snapped and I realized that no matter how low I was on energy, I really, really didn't want to get tortured after the hallucination again.

"No.." I shook my head, tears still coming. "Please don't, Janson."

Janson didn't reply and brought the needle closer to me. I screamed and tried to fight, but was tied to the bed.

"I don't want to." I cried out. "Please, Janson. I... I can't- not today, please."

He didn't bring the syringe any closer for a few seconds and just watched my breaking face, which was getting wetter by tears every second.

"Please." I sobbed loudly. "I don't want to anymore."

Janson then moved again, almost stabbing me with the needle, but then the nurse interrupted.

"Janson!" She said sternly, roughly grabbing the syringe out of his hands. "She said no."

He crossed his arms and gave the nurse an offended glance. "If we are young to listen to them like this, we won't make any progress, Doctor Amery."

With watery eyes, I looked at the arguing duo.
The nurse, whose surname appeared to be Amery, sniffed and motioned at me. "Look at her, Janson. Do you see what you're doing here? You're ruining her and if you keep going, there will never be a goddamn cure because you killed them."

"Don't raise your voice at me." He threatened.

"I'm talking with a normal voice, Janson." She snapped. "And I can't take how easily you can go further with your experiments while she's literally begging for mercy like her life depends on it, and also, at this point, I feel like her life does depend on it."

His stayed face blank as I cried even more.
"Her life doesn't depend on it, and if it did, so what? There are millions of people out there dying, so it's not that bad to help them by using some kids."

"You're right." Amery nodded. "It's not bad... it's cruel." She slowly moved closer to him, faces inches away, both in pure anger. "You're killing them not by just torturing.. no, you let them kill each other, you make them want to do that to themselves, and you almost starve them. How much food are you giving her, hm? 'Cause I don't think she's supposed to be that thin, Janson."

She had a point. A lot of them. The amount of food I got was the bare minimum, though that was the last thing that bothered me.

"She-."

Amery cut Janson off immediately. "Give her a break. Fine, fire me because of this, but all I'm saying is that this won't help you get a cure." She paused. "Got that?"

Janson eventually just nodded. She gave him a death stare before she started to untie the chains on my wrists and ankles. Soon she helped me get into my room, and surprisingly enough, she went in with me.

"Are you all right, sweetie?" She kindly asked while I sat down and pulled my knees up to my chest.

"Fine," I replied, voice breaking.

"I'm starting to think that's teenagers their favorite lie to tell." She laughed and I gave her a small smile. She was a nice nurse.

"When will they stop doing all this to me?" I peeped.

"I don't know, honey." She rubbed my back. "But, I may hope when they find a cure."

"I don't think there is a cure," I mumbled.

"Well, your cute boyfriend is getting pretty close to succeeding in that," Amery commented.

I sighed. "Yeah, but at what cost?"

"Hey, don't give up hope." She gave me a pat on the leg. "I'm sure there's a way we can reverse all of this again soon, alright?"

"Okay." I wiped my nose. Then I laughed slightly at her comment. "Cute boyfriend?"

"What? You sayin' I can't say that?" She teased.

"No offense, but I think you're a bit old to say that." I blurted out. "How old are you?"

"Twenty-eight." She confirmed. "But you don't agree with me then?"

I laughed. "I do. He's cute... and handsome. And beautiful, pretty, hot, charming, attractive, gorgeous, and lovely."

"I think you just called him attractive in a lot of ways." Amery smiled.

"Oh, I can think of more." I paused and inspected her face. "Why are you doing this though? I thought you were helping Janson."

"I'm cheering you up, which is working." She assured with another kind smile. "Also, I kind of hate Janson."

"Guess we have that in common," I muttered, then spoke up again. "Thank you for... helping me earlier."

"Don't mention it, honey." She readjusted her seat on my bed. "You don't deserve all of that."

I looked down in shame, feeling that she was lying. I knew they only tortured me because of me and without Minho there, I was starting to believe I deserved it again.

"Hey." She cut my thoughts off. "You really don't deserve that, Len... and by the way, do I get to call you that?"

"Call me whatever," I mumbled, eyes falling onto the words on my wrist. I had begged Janson for long sleeves, but he refused and before I got the chance to hide the word from Amery, she already saw it.

"Who did that?" She wondered, voice still sweet.

"A boy from my age." I shrugged and looked down again. "Because I killed his parents when I was-."

"Seven, yes." She nodded. "I heard rumors. The benefit of working for Janson. But you were manipulated, right?"

I lowered my voice. "Yeah, they would control my mind if I didn't listen and kept telling me the people I killed were bad people."

She swallowed. "You're really not doing so well right now, are you?"

"Wow, how can you notice?" I fake snickered, trying to hide my trembling lower lip. "I just miss him," I whispered. "But last time I saw him he tried to... well, kill me."

She smiled in pity and rubbed my back again. "What if we can think of a plan for you to meet him without anyone getting hurt?"

I bit my lip. "If Janson notices you'll be fired immediately."

"Yeah, so we just have to make sure he won't notice," Amery responded. "What if we, sounds weird and sad, but tie Minho up and try to communicate? We could do it in a secret room, with the doors locked and at night. He knows me and won't resist if I take him somewhere, so it's a good plan."

My whole face lit up. "Would you really do that?"

"Of course, Len." She laughed. "I know what it's like to be in love and I can't handle watching all of you suffer."

I happily agreed to her plan. "But you said he knows you." I realized. "Did he.. Uhm- did he ever mention me?"

She seemed thoughtful for a second. "He did. Especially at the beginning of the experiments and when his mind was clearer. Kept asking about you and tried to fight us for hurting you."

My cheeks heat up and I was genuinely flattered. "And now he wants to kill me."

"Yeah, sadly." Amery exhaled. "But... I hear him mutter your name. Lena, not Lenora."
I smiled at her calling Lena my real name.
"When I ask him about it he says he doesn't remember a Lena, but that it's a beautiful name and somehow keeps him comforted."

"He said all that?"

"Well, maybe a little less detailed since most of the time all the life is sucked out of his body by Janson, but I think he did mean it like that." She paused and got up. "Now.. you better go to sleep. There will be a lot going on tomorrow, so you better prepare. I'll talk to you, Len."

"Thank you," I said quietly as I crawled under my sheets. "So much."