Most of my nights were spent in a dreamless state, however, there was one recurring nightmare that had haunted me since the first time I'd spent the night in a group home. It involved two faceless figures walking down an abandoned street at night; one carrying a baby in her arms, and when they reached the end of the road, they simply left the child alone before turning and walking away.

Each time I was an onlooker in the situation and I'd scream for them to come back to their child, but even through the multiple tactics I'd try, they'd just continue to walk away until they vanished in the distance.

It was then that I usually woke up, but this time was different.

Tears of frustration filled my eyes as I glanced back at the small child and the scene began to transform. The child grew and the backdrop flickered to one that I was familiar with, and before long I was watching myself be attacked, completely helpless to do anything about it. I saw the men surrounding me, the terrified look on my face as I tried to fight, and the defeat that made my shoulders sag when I had given up hope.

My chest began to tighten as the vivid memory played out in my dream, and as I saw myself pushed free of my attacker's arms before turning and bolting away from the scene, everything faded to back.

I shot up in bed; my eyes wide open and my breathing heavy. I could feel the cold sweat building up on the back of my neck, and looking around, it didn't help that I was in a room that was virtually unfamiliar to me.

Kira had found me in the Grand Hall about an hour after I had finished eating, because with the warning from Beckett still fresh in my mind, I hadn't taken the chance of wandering around. She'd seemed slightly distracted as she led me towards the housing quarters, and I made sure to make note of which hallways we took as she showed me the private room that had been set up for me.

It hadn't been much – just a bed and a large wooden wardrobe, but after further investigation, I realized that the wardrobe was stocked full of fresh clothes and the room also housed an en-suite bathroom.

Before long, the exhaustion of the day had caught up to me, and despite the early hour in the evening, as soon as my head had hit the pillow I'd been out like a light. Now however, sitting anxiously in the dark, I threw my gaze towards the old-fashioned clock that hung on the wall, making out the two hands pointing upwards.

It was only just past midnight, and there was no way that I was going back to sleep. Not now, and not here.

Slipping out from underneath the covers with a large black sweatshirt hanging loosely from my body, I managed to find some sort of balance and make my way into the bathroom. Clutching at the edges of the sink, I took deep breaths, trying to calm my racing heart as images from my dream continued to haunt my mind, though it didn't seem to do much good.

Turning on the cold water, I cupped my hands under the tap and splashed my face a few times. It was refreshing and startling, but somehow succeeded at quieting the thoughts that were screaming out at me. Risking a glance in the mirror, I appeared frazzled and not myself, noticing a certain intensity gleaming in my eyes that had never been there before.

It was a few minutes later when I walked cautiously back into my room, my arms crossed protectively across my chest as though the atmosphere itself could harm me. But it was too late, because just being here was harming my sanity. The events of the day had settled, and even though everyone had said that this was where I was the safest, I wasn't sure that I believed them.

I was safest in my own apartment, or maybe at Crimson Oaks, where nobody would dare try anything, but certainly not here. Even the name of this organization – S.I.C.O, suggested I'd be crazy to assume otherwise.

Drawn to the large window that gave me a view of the front grounds, I was quick to notice that there was no one wandering around at this time of night. The moonlight alone illuminated the rocky path that led out towards the forest before it begun to narrow and disappear at the treeline, though casting my gaze farther, I saw nothing. Nothing beyond the trees and nothing suggesting there was anything besides this building within the next couple of miles.

Something had to be out there, even if I couldn't see it – a road, a trail, something that would lead me away from this place.

With a sudden burst of determination, I quickly turned on my heel and threw open the door to the wardrobe, pulling out and stepping into the first pair of pants I saw. Grabbing a jacket as an afterthought, I pulled my unruly hair into a loose ponytail, slipped on my shoes, and tiptoed quietly towards my door.

Flipping the lock, I pulled it open carefully, taking extra care to make sure it didn't creak. When it was open just enough for me to peek out into the hall, I looked both ways and trained my ears to hear if anyone was coming, but came up with nothing. Maneuvering myself into the hall, I had both hands flat on the wood as I slowly brought the door to a close, not taking the risk of letting go until I heard the quiet click of the lock.

When one last look confirmed that there was nobody in sight, I began walking left, but even as I stayed light on my feet, a quiet echo could still be heard. The sound of my footsteps bounced off the stones as I made my way towards the front of the building, and when I'd made it as far as the Grand Hall, I breathed a sigh of relief. I knew that I was close, but having not been shown the front courtyard, only the back, this was the furthest I'd gone so far. I'd have to rely on my instincts to guide me the rest of the way.

Figuring heading forwards was the best plan, I only turned when I reached a dead end, and froze when I did so. Picking up on the vague sound of another pair of footsteps, I quickly retreated, pressing my back up against the wall and holding my breath as the steps began to grow louder.

I began to sift through excuses I could use when I was caught – everything from sleep walking to getting lost, but just as the footsteps sounded as if they were right on top of me, they slowly started to quiet down. Slowly releasing the air in my lungs, I took the chance of glancing around the corner, only to notice another hallway that split off just a few feet away from where I stood.

Not willing to test my luck, I waited until I could once again hear silence before continuing on. With only one wrong turn, I eventually found my way to the doors of Division 27 that loomed tall and wide in the entrance hall. Unlocked and heavy, I pushed hard on the antique door handles, ignoring the squeak that filled the air as I stepped out into the night.

Letting the door fall shut with a loud bang, I knew it was only a matter of time before somebody who had heard the noise came investigating, so I took off in a run. There was no time to admire the moon and the stars shining brightly in the sky as I kept to the shadows, following the trail that led towards the forest and hoping the black clothing I wore would be a good enough mask as I crossed the grounds.

By the time I reached the edge of the grounds, I was moving in a full-on sprint – moving my arms back and forth ferociously and pushing my legs to go as fast as they could. I didn't slow down as I snuck between the trees, quickly noting the change of the ground beneath my feet. Instead of smooth grass, I was running atop the unevenness of a forest floor that had tree roots and patches of moss littering it, and rather than risking an injury, I started to slow down to catch my breath.

Leaning back against a tree with my hands on my knees, I looked back to see that the looming building could be seen above the trees. A few lights in the towers were on, and while it was clear that some people called this place home, I wasn't one of them.

Turning my back on Division 27, I marched on.

The night air nipped at my skin as I walked, but thankfully, the further I ventured into the forest, the more the trees helped in shielding the harsher winds as they whistled along above me. Every rustle of leaves or snap of a twig caught my attention, and though my hyperawareness kept me on edge, it also helped in keeping me awake and focused.

It felt like hours had passed when my feet began to ache and I stopped for a moment, taking a seat on top of a large rock. Each way I turned I saw the same expanse of trees, and though I'd been walking a straight line this whole time, it could've been possible that I'd simply been walking in circles.

Shaking that thought from my mind, I waited a while longer before standing up and pushing on forward. I didn't give up, and eventually the light at the end of the tunnel shone as I squinted through the trees and saw some sort of trail that narrowly split the forest ahead.

Finally feeling as though I was getting somewhere, I sped up, following the trail as it grew wider, and when it ended at the edge of an abandoned, winding road, I felt my lips twist upwards.

Success.

Though nothing could be seen except the trees that grew around the road, I certainly felt the increased force of wind, and deciding to walk with the gusts to my back, I headed right. There were no other signs that led me to believe this was the direction I was meant to be moving, but something about it felt right, and I trusted my gut as I walked along the gravel roadside.

The road wound endlessly, but I didn't stray from it, even when the lack of street signs and mile markings struck me as odd. Over time, the weather sent a continuous chill down my spine, and other than pull my thin jacket tighter around me, there wasn't much I could do. I was out here – stranded but determined.

It was less than a minute later when the sound of a rumbling engine hit my ears, causing my muscles to tense up as the headlights lit the road up beside me. The black car with tinted windows slowed to a stop a few feet in front of me, and just as I prepared to put up a fight – believing the driver to be a member of the Gemini Clan, Beckett threw open the driver's door and stepped out.

"Are you insane?"

The fear that had surged through my veins was quickly replaced with anger. He had no right to be here, and there was no way that he was getting his way with me again.

"What are you doing here?" I ground out in return.

"Me?" he asked with disbelief, a dry laugh leaving his lips as he continued. "What are you doing out here, all alone, in the middle of the night?"

Ignoring his question, I threw one back at him. "How did you even find me?"

"Did you really think that just because you'd been brought into the Division that you wouldn't still have people watching out for you? That you wouldn't be seen by security on the thousands of cameras set up throughout the Division?" His questions were thrown at me with ferocity, making me shrink back as I realized how many things that I'd overlooked; how many things I hadn't thought of. "You're the one with the target on your back – the one that people are risking their lives to watch out for. I've been driving this road for hours because I lost you back in the forest, and I knew you'd get here eventually."

"So you were following me," I said, stating the obvious.

"Of course I was, it's my job." He took a deep breath, calming himself down as he nodded back to his car. "Now hop in."

"And if I say no, what are you going to do? Stick me with a sedative again?"

My question was posed to be sarcastic, but as the words left my lips, I realized that it was a definite possibility. Beckett didn't nod or agree, his features staying completely neutral as he said, "I'm not using force this time." He paused a moment. "Please, just get in the car."

The politeness in his voice threw me for a loop, and as I stood there staring at him, I realized the faults in my plan. I didn't know where I was, how far away from home I was, or when the Gemini Clan could pop back up, and even though I didn't think I belonged in Division 27, right now, I certainly didn't belong on a roadside freezing my ass off.

Without saying a word, I slowly moved towards the car, and Beckett didn't say a thing as he walked around his side and slid in behind the wheel. The defeat that fell over me caused a lump to form in the back of my throat as I settled into the passenger's seat.

"So," Beckett begun as he started the engine, "What made you think that going out on your own was a good idea?"

I gulped, holding back the tears that welled in the corner of my eyes. "I was going home."

His eyes widened at my statement, and he looked towards me as a flash of pity crossed his features. One of his hands left the steering wheel as he raked it stressfully through his hair. "Aspen," he started carefully, "you don't have a home."

"Maybe not around here," I said, wiping the stray tears from my cheek with the back of my hand, "But I was trying to find my way back to my apartment and – "

"No, that's not what I..." He shook his head and sighed, glancing over at me. "I thought Catherine would've told you, but I guess she was trying to spare you the details."

A wave of dread crashed over me. "What?"

"The Gemini Clan knew where you lived. The night that I took you back to the Division with me, they must've come looking for you." He paused for a moment. "The next night, when another set of agents were sent out to check on your place, it was completely trashed."

"That can't be," I choked back tears. "That's not true."

"It is," Beckett said quietly, his grip tightening on the steering wheel. "If you want, we can drive out there and I can show you."

The offer had barely left his lips before I shook my head vehemently, letting the tears fall freely down my face. "No." I didn't know where we were, and through my blurry vision, I could see the clock on the dash letting me know that I'd been out here for more than three hours. I was tired, and overall, I was defeated. "No," I repeated, resting my head against the car window, "just drive."

----------

"Aspen."

The combination of hearing my name and a repetitive nudge to my left arm caused my eyes to flutter open. My surroundings were ones that I didn't immediately recognize, but as everything came rushing back to me, I noticed Beckett still seated next to me in the car. I didn't remember much after he had turned the car around just after four in the morning, because amidst the silence, it was too easy to succumb to the exhaustion, and I had dosed off.

"We're back at the Division," he said, grabbing the keys before opening his door. "Come on, I'll lead you back to your room."

Nodding, I stayed quiet as I followed him through the garage that he'd parked in. When we stepped onto an elevator, riding up two floors before hopping off into the storage closet in the back of the training barn, I decided now was not the time to bother with questions about how exactly we'd gotten back when there were no visible roads leading off the grounds.

The sun was just beginning to peek through the trees as we walked towards the building, and despite the early hour, there were quite a few people already awake. One of them however, that both of us seemed to notice at the exact same moment, was Catherine, as she sat alone on one of the benches that sat adjacent to one of the back doors.

Both Beckett and I's steps slowed as we approached her, but when I came to a stop, he simply gave her a nod before continuing towards the building, leaving the two of us alone.

She stood up to greet me. "Aspen," she started carefully, but I cut her off before she could continue.

"I know," I said, my voice breaking with emotion as I moved forwards to take a seat on one end of the bench, "it was stupid to run off." I shook my head, looking down at my hands. "Don't worry, it won't happen again."

"I wasn't going to say that," Catherine said, sitting back down, "even though it certainly wasn't the smartest decision, or the safest." Her tone wasn't strict, but rather laced with kindness, as though she truly cared. "I was going to ask if you were alright?"

A dry laugh escaped my lips. "Is it true?" I sniffled. "That the Gemini Clan destroyed my apartment?"

I peeked sideways just as she nodded with confirmation. "It is."

"So what happens now?" I asked with a defeated sigh.

"As soon as I learned that your apartment had been turned upside down, I put a few agents in charge of making sure there was a cover up," she explained, catching my interest as I raised an eyebrow. "We paid out your lease and cleaned up your apartment before your landlord caught wind of the incident, we cancelled your phone plan, and your employer believes that you were a last-minute acceptance for an out of town continuous education program before you start at Boston College in the fall."

My eyes widened with surprise the more she spoke. "You did all of that in a day?"

She lifted the corner of her lips into a lopsided smile. "We're efficient," she said, "but if you need some time to come to terms with everything, by all means, take it."

"I don't know, it's just strange I guess," I replied, releasing a slow breath. "Waking up here yesterday was surreal, and honestly, confusing, but I didn't take it all that seriously. I thought that eventually, in a few weeks, or months, I'd be able to get back to my old life, but now, hearing that I don't have a life to go back to, I guess it's just cementing the fact that this is all real."

Catherine brought her hand up to rest on my shoulder, willing me to look towards her. "Sometimes life throws you a curveball," she said, "and you don't always know what to do with it, but it's your choices that define you after all is said and done." A flash of something unrecognizable crossed her features. "I guess what I'm trying to say is that being here – being a part of Division 27, it's not easy, but you'll adjust, because I can tell that you're a fighter Aspen. And fighters don't give up."