A scream involuntarily escapes my lips. Luckily, the hallway is deserted, so the sound just echoes off the walls. An ear piercing scream follows mine, the sound of someone slumping to the floor with a bang complimenting it. My feet are frozen to the tile as I stare at the wooden door.

For a few moments, the air seems to still.

Ash throws open the door. Kaylee lays unconscious on the ground behind her.

"You have a lot of explaining to do," I mumble, still in shock. Hesitantly, I reach out to touch her. My hand lands on her bony arm, her flesh warm. I draw back, taking her in. She's thinner than I remember, obviously a detriment caused by malnourishment. Her plain clothes, which are dark as midnight, are slightly torn. Slivers of hair escape her braid, some clinging to her face.

She offers me a tilt of her lips before turning to check on my former friend. Still motionless. "We don't have much time, Hurricane. The cameras are off right now so the government won't catch me. We were tracking Kaylee and I noticed she was here alone. We figured it was the perfect chance to finally bring her in."

"We?" I query.

She nods, pursing her lips. "I'm part of-"

"The AntiChips," I supply to her shock. "I've found out quite a lot in the past few weeks."

She slowly nods. "You understand why I couldn't tell you, right?"

"Yes," I sigh, tightening my pony tail. "I understand, but I wish I would have heard it from you. Now, why do you have to bring her in? And to where?"

She lets out a deep breath. "Well, I'm assuming you know she's part of The Others. We warned her to stay away from you, but we realized she wasn't going to. So, we decided to take her and Harper as prisoners. It'll keep you safe and give us something to use against The Others."

"You took Kaylee that day she missed school?"

"Yes. Luckily, we're not the government. Well, maybe not so luckily. At least we won't execute them."

I cock my head. "Why do you guys want leverage against The Others? What's this while ordeal about?"

She runs a hand down her face. "It's not that simple to be part of the AntiChips. We have the government to fear. Then, we have these rebels that just want to overthrow the current government and restyle it to their liking." Her lips turn down into a frown as she scrutinizes me, placing a hand on her hip. "I hate to leave you, but I can't exactly take you with me. It's too much of a risk. Just don't tell anyone about your Chip, okay?"

I gawk at her, mouth hanging open and eyes wide. "How do you know?"

She offers me a sly grin. "Well, news like this gets around." Her smile widens. "I can't believe how much you've grown, even if it has been two years. I also just can't believe that you managed to remove your Chip! Great work, Hurricane."

A smile graces my features as I pat her on the shoulder. "I've accomplished things, Ash. Even if it was an accident."

Her eyes widen. "Accident?"

My smile drops as my gaze swings back to the bathroom door. "You better get Kaylee out of here."

Ash solemnly nods, all play drained from her expression. "Alright. You won't tell anyone you saw me, will you?"

Swiftly, I shake my head, throwing my arms around her small frame. I feel her arms loop around my back and I snuggle my face into her shoulder. A single tear drips down onto her thin shirt. My body begins to tremble as emotions overwhelm me. Ash is alive, yet she has to scurry off to her precious AntiChips.

"How are you alive?" I mumble into her shoulder, the words muffled by the fabric of her t-shirt.

"I had some inside help. We were able to fake my death," she shakily responds, her voice thick with emotion. Finally, she pulls back, placing her hands upon my shoulders. Her emerald eyes glisten, a few tears trickling down her pale cheeks as she blinks. It seems as if she hasn't seen the sun in a while, which I don't doubt since she's hiding from the government.

"Keep doing great things, Ash. Don't get caught! Keep fighting!" I encourage, my voice an octave higher than usual. Tears prick at my eyes as I squish her in a tight hug once again.

When she pulls away this time, I realize my shirt is moist. She swipes the back of her hand under her eyes, rapidly blinking as her long eyelashes clump together.

"Don't die, okay?" I choke, biting the inside of my lower lip as it begins to tremble.

She nods, sniffling as she shakes. "Okay, Hurricane. I believe you can do great things as well. Be careful who you trust. Don't die either. I plan to see you again once all of this is over."

"Actually, I have a group-"

Her watch beeps and she glances down at it. Then, she emits a soft sigh, swiping baby hairs out of her eyes. "I gotta go. They can't keep control of the cameras much longer. Remember, I believe in you!"

I offer her a small smile, moving to lean against the wall. She rushes back into the bathroom and swiftly reemerges. Kaylee is tossed over her shoulder like a school bag, head precariously flopping against her back. My cousin offers me a grin and a wave, which I glad return. In a flash, she's disappeared through the clear doors of the school.

It's almost like she was never here, like the last few minutes were a sick concoction my mind whipped up. Since there are no other people to affirm that yes, Ash is indeed alive, I could pass the whole ordeal off as a hallucination. Maybe I wanted Ash to be alive so badly that I made myself visualize her. In my heart, the truth is engraved. I know that she was here, and I know she's still ticking. I won't give up. I'll fight for you, Ash.

******

******

As soon as Eva arrives, I notice something abnormal, something straying from her normal mien. Her eyes hold a sense of worry, almost as if she has a sixth sense for abnormalities. She leans against the locker next to mine and offers me a small smile, but we both know it's fake. Bags hang under her eyes, indicating a lack of sufficient sleep.

"What's wrong, Eva?" I query, slamming my locker shut and clutching my belongings to my chest.

She sighs, her milky brown eyes seeming to stare into my soul. "My little sister, Lily, is what's wrong. She's been having nightmares again. Ever since my dad died, she's been so upset."

My gaze softens. "Oh, I'm so sorry. Lily seemed like such a sweet kid, too. She doesn't deserve those nightmares. And, I'm so sorry your dad died."

She shakes her head, a small smile lighting up her features. "Thanks, Autumn. But, it's not your fault."

"You're welcome," I respond. This seems normal, almost trivial, compared to what occurred only minutes ago. Ash is alive. I've been living a lie.

"Siblings," I hear a dry laugh from behind me, spinning around to face Cody. His expression is impassive. Then he drops his voice to a whisper. "Dad eliminated Daryl the minute he rebelled against him. Two years ago. He was only seventeen."

By now, the hallway is basically scrapped clean of teens, save a few stragglers and gossipers. Yet, I glance around a few times, paranoid that someone is going to overhear our conversation. My eyes widen as I stare at the boy in front of me. "Your- dad?"

He blows out a puff of air, which slightly moves a piece of my hair. Something seems to break in him. "I, don't want to talk about it."

Sorrowful and confused expressions dominate both Eva and I'd features.

"Does your dad also work for the-"

The minute warning bell interrupts me.

Cody shakes his head. "We better not be late."

"Speaking of late," I start, deciding to drop the subject of his father, "where's Jared?"

Right on que, Jared races through the doors of the school; the same doors Ash departed through. Panting, he practically slams into his locker, which is located in the unit next to mine. He yanks open the door. Then, he shoves his bag in and pulls out some essential supplies. He's oblivious to the three pairs of eyes trained on him until he turns in our direction. His eyes widen in surprise while he exclaims a curse word. Dark hair is strewn across his forehead and wildly sticky in all directions. I can't help but let out a laugh. His shirt's even on backwards.

"Wake up late?" Cody asks, shoving his fist in front of his mouth to stifle his laughter.

Jared flips him off, stalking towards his first period class. "Yep. And," he pauses directly as the tardy bell shrilly rings, "now, you can all be late with me."

He cackles as swings open the door to his class, allowing it to slam shut behind him.

The rest of us begin walking down the hall. Cody and I wave to Eva as she ducks into her respective classroom. Then, it's just Cody and I. My class is a few doors down, yet my feet refuse to move. Everything's just happening so fast, each secret uncovered like a blow to the gut. Ash is alive, yet she's in danger everyday. The Others wish to grab a hold of me for selfish purposes. Who can I really pour my heart out to in these times of lies and detriment; who won't strangle me with my own secrets?

"Autumn, are you okay?" Cody whispers, nudging me with his elbow. "Do you need a break from school? Because I think I can make that happen."He says the last part lowly and with a wide smirk spread across his face.

I glance over at him. Do I really trust this boy? Should I go into my first period class and scan my Chip for attendance, or should I listen to what my so called friend has to say? After gulping in a shaky breath and spitting it out like it's acid, I spin to face him.

"Autumn?" He mumbles worriedly. "Are you-"

"I'm fine," I hiss, affectively cutting him off. "Why do you want to help me? Why did you request my help? Why, after everything, have you stuck my me? Really, it seems like no one should have to be burdened with me. Why-"

"You're not a burden, Autumn," he interjects, holding up a hand to silence me. An emotion I can't quite place burns in his hazel eyes, flecks of flaming gold swimming in his irises. "You're my friend. You haven't run away from my secrets or flaws either. Autumn, whatever's bothering you, you can trust me with it. I understand everything that's happened has been a lot, but don't let it drag you under."

"Thanks," I sigh, staring at my flats. "Really, I think you're a good- friend." A foreign feeling claws at my chest as I lift my eyes to meet his.

He offers me an easy grin, the florescent light reflecting off his pearly whites. "You're welcome. I guess we could get to class. Or, we could, you know-"

"We're not skipping," I cut him off. "Really, I want to keep a low profile. I don't care if you have connections."

"Alright," he mutters, his face dropping.

"See you at lunch?" I add with a smile. "Then, after school, we can grab some ice cream."

"See you at lunch, Autumn!" He responds rather loudly as his smile returns, his statement resounding through the hallway.

As I walk towards the room hosting my first period class, I stifle the urge to face-palm. Now, every classroom probably knows that Autumn is talking to a guy when she's supposed to be in class.

I softly open the door. About twenty five faces peer up at me, probably curious as to why I'm tardy. Right before the door meets the wall, I hear Cody mumble something incoherent. Instead of reopening the door and questioning him as to what he muttered, I allow the laser by the door to scan my Chip. I bet it wasn't even important.