Inspirational quote: Good things take time. Please don't forget that.

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Esperanza was sitting alone and on her bed, locked up in her room, finding it really hard to breathe.

She told everyone that she'd be at Dr Kozak's laboratory in a minute but didn't come, only making Dr Kozak madder as he went up a lot of stairs to get to her and Kieran's now newly shared and decorated room.

As soon as Dr Kozak entered there, he had an annoyed look on his face as he was unintentionally coming up real close to her.

"Jeez. There you are. Everyone's worried sick about you, Esperanza. You said that you'd be down there in a minute, it's been over five now, and you never showed up."

Esperanza didn't reply, she didn't really find it necessary to. She just remained silent. She couldn't talk anyway.

"And don't ignore me. I know you're underneath those duvet covers listening to me," he snapped at her, coming closer to her bed and removing the duvet sheets off of her.

It took a while to do that, especially seeing as Esperanza was seriously holding on to the duvet covers, not letting go of it whatsoever.

When Dr Kozak finally did remove it, he just stared at her, absolutely mortified by her.

"Oh my gosh! You look like you're about to die! What's going on?" He wondered.

"Dr Kozak..." Esperanza trailed off, her voice sounding like she had just lost it. "Dr Kozak, I can't breathe."

"Why's that?" He asked, truly staring at her now. She just whispered that she had asthma and had completely forgotten her asthma pump but could go and get it.

"I mean, unlike most people here, my parents actually know I'm here, so I could just ask them to bring it for me and-"

"No!" Dr Kozak interrupted, mainly remembering that they couldn't anyway because they weren't part of the 37K people that could see KOZAHKISTAN HEADQUARTERS from the outside.

"I'll just give you a new asthma pump," he told her, fetching for one in his lab coat (it seemed like he had everything in his lab coat nowadays) and throwing it to her, Esperanza catching it.

He then told her to throw it back for some reason, where Dr Kozak got out a black Sharpie, writing something.

"And I'm going to make this asthma pump extra special," he told her. "I've written your name on it and bedazzled it as well," he then threw it back to her. "And I expect you to keep it with you at all times."

Esperanza stared at what Dr K had neatly written on her asthma pump, two things actually, in really small handwriting.

Esperanza smiled but didn't say anything as she was now using her new asthma pump to help her breathe.

"Okay. We need to go now. Come on, let's leave," he told her, heading for the door.

Again, Esperanza wouldn't get up. She just stayed where she was, Dr Kozak realising this about a minute later, and going back to her room again.

"Are you coming or what? Don't annoy me, Esperanza. Don't make me change my mind about you being Kieran's partner. I can give you someone worse if you want."

Jesus, didn't this guy have sympathy?

Esperanza was upset, and he had just totally disregarded that. Rude.

But then again, she was wasting time. A lot of time. Kozak had a time limit here- the later they left then the lesser their chances of getting back the trophy on time.

Esperanza didn't say anything again, just sighed, looking half depressed for some reason, her head rested back on the wall.

"I mean... It's not mandatory that I have to go, is it?" She asked, still looking depressed, almost going to burst out crying. "Because, I think it's best if I don't."

Dr Kozak didn't reply, just eyed her up and down peculiarly, noticing her weird and unorthodox actions.

"Okay. This isn't like you at all, Esperanza, what's going on?" he had asked her, heading for the door again, this time closing it, and after Dr Kozak had done that, brought out a chair, turned it round the wrong way deliberately, and sat on it.

"Something's up. I can sense it. You're acting strange."

Esperanza just stared at him blankly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she lied, playing with her fingers again, looking like she had just survived attempting to kill herself.

Dr Kozak just wouldn't stop staring at her now.

"This isn't you, Esperanza. I know you, you're usually really jubilant and cheerful all of the time, but now you're not. Talk to me. What's wrong?"

Esperanza couldn't tell him, in case he took things the wrong way or started being judgmental about her.

"You know," she told him, not looking at him once, although Dr Kozak was full on glaring at her throughout the whole thing.

"This isn't really something I'd like to discuss, Dr Kozak."

Dr Kozak physically and mentally went delusional.

"Well then. I guess I'll just have to stare at you until you tell me what your problem is, because recently I've been noticing some changes in you and you've just been acting very quiet and a lot more depressed than usual."

Esperanza just looked at him, murmuring 'you wouldn't dare stare at me until I tell you what's wrong', but Dr Kozak actually meant it.

He didn't take his eyes off of her and soon after, it was like he had completely hypnotised her because the next minute, Esperanza gave up completely.

"Okay! Fine! I'll tell you."

"Good," he kind of shouted back, although as he was waiting for her to say something he soon realised that absolutely nothing was coming out of her mouth.

"I can't tell you!" She snapped back, making Dr Kozak stare at her in bewilderment.

"Why not?" He answered back, a very livid tone in his voice.

"I'm really scared you might judge me, sir."

Dr Kozak went extremely insane.

"Esperanza, you know I don't judge. Now you're kind of judging me by thinking that I'm a judgmental person."

"Really? What about when you first saw Kieran yesterday? Kieran said you had kind of judged him."

"Kieran is different, plus I was way more judgemental back then. Even if it was just yesterday. But I've changed now, for the better. Hopefully." Dr Kozak interrupted. "But honestly. What's the problem, Esperanza? I've been very concerned about your behaviour over the past two days."

Esperanza didn't say anything, making Dr Kozak stare at her more and more, until she asked him if the door was fully locked.

"Why do you want me to lock the door?" He asked her, sounding baffled.

"Because I feel like this is a very confidential thing and I don't really want anyone interrupting us in the middle of anything I have to say next."

After hearing that, Dr Kozak went up and locked the door before sitting back down again, his eyes indicating that she had to tell him what was wrong otherwise none of them would leave, despite the fact that they were running extremely late.

"I'm scared, Dr Kozak," she finally whispered, looking down at her fingers again.

Dr Kozak just gave her a puzzled glance before saying anything else.

"Why though? Scared of what?"

He seemed rather resentful but somehow managed to speak with a calm tone to his voice.

"I don't want to say."

Then the rest of the conversation pretty much went like this:

Dr Kozak: Well, you might as well tell me, Esperanza, because as far as I'm concerned, none of us are leaving here until you do.

Esperanza: I'm scared of our first mission, Dr Kozak. I'm scared that we're all going to fail and it's going to be my fault as well because I'm a stupid and worthless person.

Dr Kozak just continuously blinked at her.

Dr Kozak: Esperanza, don't jinx yourself. And we're not going to fail, and God forbid, even if we do fail, I highly doubt it's going to be your fault.

Esperanza: Don't you realise what you're dealing with here? You're dealing with me, Dr Kozak. Honestly. I'm a failure in life. I always mess things up and expect others to fix it back again. Don't you know that I was the first one that found the secret passageway, the one Laurel and Anastasia took before you killed both of them?

Dr Kozak turned red and just deeply examined her face.

Dr Kozak: Okay, I have absolutely no idea on how you found out about me being the reason for Lauriel's death but you're probably lying when you say that you're the reason I killed Lauriel.

Esperanza: Except I'm not, Dr Kozak! And Kieran told me two hours ago when neither of us could sleep. I was the reason she cheated. I wasn't there, but if I hadn't found that passageway then neither of them would have died. She didn't deserve to die. I did. Lauriel was an amazing, wonderful person. Despite her serious rebelliousness, she was actually kind of nice. I wish you could bring her back from the dead again but you can't. You might as well kill me as well so I can be dead to and go to the cemetery, where I belong.

Dr Kozak was becoming more angry every second but didn't let it show. He was deeply staring at his gun, then and her face, then at his gun again.

Dr Kozak: You're too nice though, I can never kill you. Not even if I wanted to. And trust me, Esperanza.

Esperanza: What?

Dr Kozak: I don't.

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Moral of chapter: When someone is upset, help them out! They might be going through the same thing that you've gone through before.

Even if they haven't or they're not, still help them. You never know, they might need someone to help them the most, but they're too scared to ask anyone for one reason or the other. :)