The Outer Cities was definitely not what I had expected-maybe it was due to the constant exposure to the luxurious life in the Inner Cities, or the fact that I wasn't as enthusiastic about the ancient times as Chance was. Tall flats were lined up around the perimeter of a carpark where we landed, the rough asphalt scratching the base of the pod and making it squeal as it lands.

After exchanging what feels like a million goodbyes, we finally get off the pod and onto land. Almost immediately, a grin spreads over Chance's face, and I know it's because of the new-yet-familiar environment. Chance has practically been reading about these type of places his whole life. I'm pretty sure there's a "skateboard" around here somewhere. From the look on Chance's face, I know he's thinking the same thing too.

Then we hear someone shout, "She's over there!" Followed by the sound of footsteps. Chance pulls me back against a wall, and the footsteps gradually slow down. Why isn't that person running?

"Mind control," Xavier murmurs, as if reading my thoughts, his arms wrapped around Dakota, whose face is serious and concentrated.

They have mind control?

"They twist your thoughts," Xavier adds, shaking his head. "It's never a good experience."

Dakota sends him a weak smile, and wild thoughts run through my head. I push them away, focusing on the event happening around the corner.

"Stop!" A girl screams, her voice shrill and piercing.

A few seconds later, the same sound with less conviction reverberates across the car park once again, and my heart pangs in my chest, fighting the urge to run over to her and take her away from Edit's cruel, menacing hands.

Chance wraps his arm around my waist, holding me back.

"We've got one tough girl here," someone mutters, loud enough that we can hear.

"Who are they and what are they trying to do to her?" I doubt normal civilians would take bullying to such an extreme.

"That's Edit," Xavier replies hesitantly, and Dakota whimpers softly, pressing harder into Xavier's embrace, biting her lip and shutting her eyes. Xavier gently strokes her arm with his thumb, and says, "they're trying to take her to the camp, but she's resisting them."

She's fighting Edit. That means there are people out there who hate Edit as much as we do, and they are willing to fight against them.

"You want us to drop you? Okay," one of the people working for Edit says, a hint of mockery in his voice. The girl, her legs bloodied and bruised, her auburn hair slick with sweat lands on the ground, tears falling from her eyes. It seems like Edit wants to torture her over and over until she really is broken before taking her away.

But then the girl starts to crawl. Using her forearms she slowly drags herself across the carpark, her skin scraping against the rough asphalt, and my heart breaks for her. Yet again, I almost break out of Chance's grip and run towards the poor limp girl, my heart burning and crackling with anger and defiance and hatred, but Xavier sends me a warning glare-he knows if I do it all of us will have to appear, and that'll put Dakota in risk. I almost roll my eyes at that, but hold back. The sarcasm will have to control itself for a while.

The girl's arms start to bleed, the blood dripping onto the floor, staining it a dark red. She stops for a while, and we can all hear the people from Edit laugh from behind her, calling her names like "weak", "pathetic" and "loser". Gritting her teeth with hope burning in every inch of her body, the girl begins again, pulling herself forward despite the wounds on her arms. Her pauses are more frequent now, and I can't help but notice that there are many white scars that reflect the sunlight criss-crossing her arms.

Does she self-harm? I've heard of it once, from Chance, and it wasn't too pleasant. It was like Edit, but instead of switching blood for looks, they switch blood to release their stress.

There's no reason why you should vent out your anger on yourself. We're all beautiful in our own way, and imagine if someone found out about your condition, and what a mess they'd be. They wouldn't walk up to you and start hugging you and start saying how they'd help you and how much they loved you. In fact, they'd start screaming and yelling and wondering why the heck you engaged in it, and why they didn't find out. It's the truth.

Then suddenly, the girl slumps, and doesn't get up again. Dakota starts shaking hard, and Xavier turns her to him and starts talking to her quickly, in a low voice. I look at Chance, and his eyes are brooding.

"We could've saved her," I whisper as the people working for Edit get that girl up and check for her vitals.

"She's still breathing, Xave," Dakota whispers, her face pale. "She still has a chance. We can-"

"Dakota," Xavier gently brushes back her fringe, "Dakota, I know that you what to help her. But if we do this, our plan will go to waste. I promise you, Princess, that we will save her. But not right now." He presses a kiss to her forehead, and her eyes flicker to mine. I give her a subtle nod, even though I'm quivering and shaking inside, feeling like I'm going to collapse at any moment. Chance squeezes my waist gently, letting me know he's right there. I get on my tiptoes and plant a kiss on his cheek, because I'm about to do something I may regret.

I count to three, mouthing each number to Dakota. She nods along, and when we reach three we both break out of either Chance or Xavier's grasp and run. Caught off guard, Xavier starts but realises what we're doing and starts running for Dakota, Chance towards me. But we're already in sight and don't stop running, even when the Edit employees pull out guns. Dakota falters for a second, but then picks up her pace. We're headed towards the girl, whose breathing is still shallow, her face caked with blood and grime, seeming in much pain. Taking a deep breath and ignoring the guns aimed at my head, I kneel beside the girl, and Dakota presses two fingers to her wrist.

The girl whispers something, and I lean closer to hear it.

"W-Who are y-you? S-stop, p-please," she breathes, barely audible.

"Who are you?" One of the people aiming their guns at me demands. Another one calls for "backup" and I know we're in deep trouble.

"Leave her alone," I say, glaring at these people. These people are those who reinforce the disgusting piece of metal called Edit. I'll bet they use it twenty-four seven, and what disgusts me the most is that they're willing to die for it.

Chance and Xavier didn't bother to catch us. I search for them, but they're no where to be found. My heart cracks.

"I said, who are you?" The same person screams, pressing the cold metal of his gun to my temple. Dakota's breath hitches, squeezing her eyes closed. She's still holding on to the girl who's bleeding profusely.

"My name is Amber Evans. Leave. The. Girl. Alone," I emphasize each word, and look over. Her face is pale, so white it looks like it was painted. Dakota's face wears an expression of worry, and we both know there's a question hovering between both of us: Where is Chance and Xavier?

All the Edit employees start laughing. Then one of the employees' faces turn grave. "Take them with us."

All at once, everyone starts moving, and the déjà vu is so strong that I can almost feel the same thing from the Black Hole reappearing before my eyes. Kicking out, I attempt to sweep a few of those people off their feet just like Carmen, but due to the lack of training, pain shoots up my leg and one of them seizes the chance and grabs hold of it, pulling me up by the leg before letting go. My head comes in contact with the floor and I let out a cry. Pain sears through my scalp, hitting the back of my eye sockets and reverberating in my head, refusing to dissipate. Pressing my hand to the back of my head, it comes back stained red. As I try to push myself to a sitting position, someone drives his foot into my side, pain lacing through that side of my body. The kicks continue, like giant spears piercing my body.

Slowly, my vision recedes until all that's left is a whole stretch of darkness.

-------

"Amber?" Dakota's voice reaches my ears, and slowly my eyes flicker open, pain immediately exploding in the back of my head. There's a loud ringing in my ears that refuse to stop, and everything seems slightly hazy and  She has a few scratches on her face, but that's about it besides the bruise on her forearm. Upon watching me wince, she gives me an apologetic smile. "You may be suffering from a concussion, so don't overexert yourself."

After a few beats, I answer, "Okay." My voice sounds slurred and funny, like I'm drunk. The ringing has yet to subside, and is causing a lot of pain and sends stars flying in my vision.

"You should rest, and they'll want to talk to you after you're...better." Dakota says softly.

A few seconds later Dakota straightens up, and closes her eyes. My heart skips a beat. Is something wrong? "Amber," she says, "finally."

I have to wait for a while before replying, because my head is whirling around and I don't really comprehend what's she saying. "Finally?" I ask, my voice still weird.

"Finally the cameras are off. For a while only, though. But at least it's some privacy." Looking over at me, she smiles a little, tears forming in her eyes. "I found out through Xave that it stop for a few minutes every hour, and I heard the click just now, so yeah." Her voice breaks on his name.

"Where are they?" She shuts her eyes, and tears run down her face. I know how she feels-lost and trapped and with no direction to go. We're both on the same boat, not knowing if we are going to live past tomorrow, or if anyone's going to use her against me or vice versa. We'll have to take it one day at a time, it seems, and just hope that the rest of the plan goes the way we want it to.

I'm still wondering if saving that girl was the right choice. It got us in here, but will our plan be able to get us out? Lying in this room makes goose bumps run up my arms and legs, like even my body knows that I'm facing imminent danger, She struggles to take a few breaths, each intake of breath sounding like she's wheezing and her shoulders keep pumping up and down, up and down.

I've never seen her like this before, and I don't think I ever want to again. Her Asian-tan skin becomes flushed once again, and I wish I could help her in some way, but then she swipes at her face and looks at me. "Okay. Okay. I'm okay." She sounds more like she's trying to convince herself than me. After her breathing returns to normal, which takes around a minute or so because she's practically hyperventilating and there's no Xavier to help her get through her panic attack. "So now what we need to do is find the others."

"We're in the Edit base?" I ask slowly, my eyelids fluttering, and Dakota tenses. The cameras are back on.

"I'll see you," Dakota fakes a sad smile, and the door swings open, revealing two guards. Standing up, Dakota lets them take her out of the room, and I slip back into the world of the unconscious.

•

Hi there! Happy New Year everyone! Hope for the best for everyone, and thank you so much for your support!

-NeverEverGiveUp-