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• Luna •

It was late afternoon the next day, and Luna and Amir hadn't gotten any further in their plans to escape. He had a plan from the beginning, but it now seemed like it wouldn't work. And she wanted to be mad at him for coming to St. Matthew's without thinking logically, but she couldn't, because he'd flown across the world for her. He was there to help her get out.

After a small dinner was brought into her room, Sergeant Decker came to escort her to a medical lab on the second floor. Luna hoped she'd see Amir at some point, but she guessed the staff had him doing other things at the moment. She hated not knowing what he was doing and not laying her eyes on him, and for some reason, neither of them could connect telepathically.

"So, why are we in here?" Luna asked Sergeant Decker as she sat on the bed.

"We are waiting on Dr. Kim."

Luna sighed. "Figures. You know you don't have to stay in here."

He folded his arms and straightened his back. "You do remember who I'm working for, right?"

"Sure. Dr. Kim." She chuckled. "I figured you were going to stand outside by the door like you always do."

"Monitoring you is my job," he replied.

He seemed completely different since the first day she met him. She wanted him to step out of the room so she could try to connect to Amir, but now she has a sitter in there and can't do anything.

"Well, you don't have to stay in here. I can sit quietly and not do anything stupid."

"Dr. Kim doesn't want any chances."

"What does he think I'll do? There isn't anything in here. No medical equipment. Nothing I can do to harm myself. I wouldn't do that. I have my daughter." And she had a life with Amir to begin. She couldn't say that.

"I can't risk losing my job over a hope. I have to stay in here."

"How would you feel if you never had privacy? Wouldn't you feel exposed?"

"I would. But there's nothing I could do about it, Ms. Carlyle."

Luna pulled her legs up and sat cross-legged on the bed. "Stepping outside the room would get you fired?"

"Probably. I can't take the risk."

"You can't walk outside the room for a moment?"

"If I do that and I am seen, then I put myself in jeopardy." He paused for a moment. "Why are you insisting on me leaving you alone?"

Crap, busted.

"Just because." She laid her chin down on her knee. "I just feel better when I'm alone. I'm used to it."

His jaw squared, and he gazed down, chuckling.

"You are different from the other ones, you know."

"How? By requesting you to leave me alone for a measly two minutes?"

He opened his mouth but closed it quickly, not answering her reply.

"I am different. I shouldn't be in here." She couldn't see his expression under his beret, but she could sense he had a little empathy for her. "But you know that, right? That my being in here, plus Chase's son, and Camille Taylor, are all fine?"

"I'm not a doctor, so I can't clarify whether you three as sane or not," he responded dryly. "I've worked very hard where I am."

"Well, congrats. That's good."

His mouth twitched. "I don't have to listen to your sarcasm."

"What if I feel like I have to pee?"

"Then, we will go to the restroom. I'll send a nurse in there to keep an eye on you."

"I guess I deserve that." Luna inhaled a breath as she stared at him. 

"I'm assuming you have a point to all your remarks?" 

She nodded and glanced down.

The sergeant took a step closer to her and suddenly was in her face, leaning down so low that she could only see the top of his beret. It shocked her as it slightly touched her forehead.

"I'm also assuming you were hoping for different answers to those remarks. Maybe you feel empowered to push me around as much as you can. Try to make me weak and bring my walls down. And you probably hate that I'm not giving you want you want to hear. Am I close, Ms. Carlyle?"

She gulped, unable to look away from him. "Something like that."

"You don't have to say anything as we wait for Dr. Kim and Mr. Khan to come in," he said, then stood back up, straightening himself. Just mentioning her partner's name caused all kinds of emotions to flow through her body.

She gasped as he stood next to the door again. His stance was formal and back to G.I. Joe mode. The door opened shortly afterward, allowing her to drop their conversation immediately from her thoughts. She wasn't getting anywhere with Sergeant Decker.

Dr. Kim came in, followed by Sergeant Trent, Nurse Smith, and a young man who looked to be a young housekeeper. But no Amir. Seeing Dr. Kim and the people he brought didn't bring good tidings for her, either.

Dr. Kim went straight to his medical tray and began sorting through different instruments. He then arranged a silver halo-shaped device. Ice ran down her back as she glanced at the thing. It looked like inferred light shined out of it; sort of like a tanning bed, but in the shape of a helmet. "What's happening?"

Trent stood next to Decker along the wall, and the nurse moved to the other side of the bed, a tablet in her hands. "We decided to try something new on you today instead of waiting for Monday," Dr. Kim said, preparing the device.

"Like what?"

"Since you have proven to us that you have control over your delusions, Luna, we can now focus on the delusions themselves," the nurse explained as Dr. Kim was busy at his station. "Cami has proven to have remarkable control over hers. She has also spoken about the ones that she has in her head."

Luna's stomach dropped, and her hands shook as she clenched in her seat. "What do you mean?"

Amir . . . come to me, baby.

"She told us about her dreams of being on a beach. About her illusion of swimming with a newfound friend from another country. Since she is proven to be a successful guinea pig, as you call it, now we would like to try it on you," Nurse Smith said.

No. No. No.

"But it may not work on me," Luna blurted out, shrinking back as Dr. Kim came standing in front of her. "What makes you think I'll be able to tell you something different?"

"Sometimes, certain methods work, and sometimes they don't. We have to try everything, Luna."

Luna's stomach turned. She dragged in air, and her heart beat rapidly in her chest. The psych hospital had extracted information from patients, especially Cami, and what they didn't know was that some people can see other humans in several parts of the world. They weren't at all delusional. There were many of them in this place, all crammed inside, like experimental guinea pigs. 

Could the hospital truly know about Tethered Souls?

Luna couldn't fathom it.

She almost sat there and told them about her ability and prove it to save her skin, but then she realized it didn't matter. Chase was the leader. Not Dr. Kim. He funded the facility with the trust fund his family set for him. He had plenty of money to splash around. He could get anything his heart desired but her. He realized that she meant what she said to him in the courtyard. This was a punishment for her from him.

"We've learned from your last session that our method wasn't intense enough. Now we will turn this machine up a notch to see what happens next. The device will feel warm around your scalp and then you'll feel a little twig, and your mind will soar in a virtual reality of sorts. It'll tell us everything we need to know." Dr. Kim placed the halo behind Luna's head and continued, "Now, lie on your back, Ms. Carlyle. We have to begin."

"What if I say nothing at all? The machine could fluke."

"Then we will come up with another treatment plan," Dr. Kim said from behind her ear. "But I think you and I both know what your mind is capable of. We just need a glance into your . . . psyche."

"A glance into my mind? Why do you want to do it this way?" A part of her hoped that she was hallucinating again like she did the last time. But another part of her was relieved to know she wasn't given any medication, so nothing was flowing in her system.

It wasn't just the agony she'd face, but Amir and how it will affect him. He was somewhere around there, and she had to block him out. She didn't want him to collapse somewhere inside the building and have them bring him into the same room to make him go through this. The staff may suspect something.

Dr. Kim gave Luna a sympathetic look in his eyes, but she could tell it was false. "This has to be done, Ms. Carlyle. I would sedate you, but that wouldn't give me the answers I need."

Her eyes swung to the nurse, but she was busy typing stuff on her tablet. No sympathy from her. There was no sympathy from anyone in the room. This treatment was going to happen, and it would be more painful than the other times she endured. 

"Lie down on your back, Luna. The quicker you get this done, the quicker you can leave and lay back on your bed," Dr. Kim rattled on as one guard darted forward and placed his hands on the edge of the bed. "We will put you on your back if needed. Either way works fine for me."

Luna shot a glare at Dr. Kim and shook her head, adjusting her shoulders. Did he really think she'd make it easy for him, and she was a willing patient?

"Then put me on my back," she snarled, glaring at Trent in his eyes.

He pulled her back rather quickly, making her let out a light fart. Dr. Kim's eyes rolled, and Sergeant Trent's nose twitched. The nurse gave her a disgusted look, and Sergeant Decker giggled a little in his spot. It was rather embarrassing for them to lay her down like a pancake, and for them to take action to hold her ankles as she wiggled all over the place. There was no way out of this.

They all had her pinned down, and she could hardly lift her neck. Luna glared heavily into Dr. Kim's eyes, an intense and deadly stare. "I can't wait until I am out of here and bring you all down. This is absurd."

Dr. Kim looked at her, his eyebrow raised. "What Chase wants, he gets. It's as simple as that."

"So what would you do if he told you to throw me off a cliff? No questions asked?"

Dr. Kim pursed his lips as he looked down at her. "I think you already know the answer to that, Luna."

"I do. And I hope you get what you deserve, doctor. I was conscious that my ex was in charge of my apparent mental health in this place, but you lack morals. You have none at all."

He didn't answer straight away, instead keeping his gaze locked on her. "When you were brought in, you were the ideal test subject. These shock treatments, hallucinogens, and medications all played a role in everything that happened to you in here. But the most important role has yet to be revealed. Lie still so you don't hurt yourself any more than you already are."

"Screw that. You already know I'll be in pain no matter what. You only want a guinea pig. That's all there is to it."

"Yeah, Ms. Carlyle," he said quietly. "I do whatever keeps our donor happy."

"This is so wrong. You're all wrong."

No one responded . . . until Luna heard a familiar sound next to her.

Faisal.

Faisal's voice filled her head. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. I'm sorry I can't help you, and Amir can't reach you. Vikram is with us. He can take your pain away.

Luna was too panicked to pay attention to what he was relaying to her. And she kept hoping her upcoming pain won't affect her companion. She caught one thing Faisal said: Vikram was nearby?

She gasped and took a deep breath. The halo was placed around her forehead, and it was cold like it had been in an ice cooler. It sent a wave of goosebumps through her veins.

Dr. Kim now fired up the device and was about to begin. Faisal was still there, holding Luna's hand.

Luna. Breathe.

The first pinch of the laser heated her forehead, causing her to cry out. It hit Amir. She felt his chest pump.

Luna, take a deep breath! Vikram said, appearing at her side, holding her other hand.

Her eyes blurred. No one else could see either of them, and that was a small relief for her.

Another flare hit her temples, an intense, deep, burning pain that caused her whole head to feel like hot coils were placed on her skin.

She couldn't hold her breath anymore and opened her mouth, then screamed.

She screamed bloody murder.

 • • •

Waking up and gasping for air, half expecting it to burn deep inside her chest, and for the pain to still be there, running through every ounce of her body, ironically, Luna didn't feel sore.

She felt . . . okay.

Slightly aching, with a small headache, she was okay overall. Strangely, she felt a little detached from what Dr. Kim did, and as she continued to lie still, she could still feel the staff's hands holding her wrists and ankles.

She was icky and uncomfortable in her skin, knowing she probably screamed out many details while being under the simulation. Her whole body felt shut down. She glanced around at her surroundings and noticed she was on the seventh floor in her old room.

Amir was lying next to her with his eyes snapped shut. His face looked drained and pale, probably because he felt the same shocks as she did. She wanted to shield him from any pain, but it must've not worked. His skin didn't look as bronze as it had before, because the treatment probably drained his body. Several strands of wavy hair stuck around his forehead, while his lips were slightly parted. She couldn't believe how worn out he seemed. And she couldn't believe both of them were in her old room, in her bed. What about the camera in the air vent?

Maybe Amir disabled it?

His chest rose steadily and calmly, but fear still flowed through her body.

As she gazed at him, many saddening emotions ripped through her once again, encased with hatred and hardening up into a small ball of rage and bitterness.

She closed her eyes and exhaled a deep breath. She couldn't let this go on any longer. They can't endure anything else thrown at them. But the reality is, she believed she'll be given much worse treatment. Pieces of her have grown dark because of what they've done to her. How could she and Amir not turn into two souls that were out for revenge?

She was losing the goodness inside of her.

Luna's eyes traveled over Amir's broad cheekbones and his nicely trimmed beard. He'd always kept his facial hair neat. And just by gazing at him, she felt it in her bones that no matter what, they'll always be there for one another. They have to work together and be stronger than in this place. They have to be stronger than Chase. He will not get away with what he has done.

Lowering her head, Luna softly kissed Amir's lips and felt it at that moment, his promise of getting them out of here. He may have promised her that, but in her heart and soul, it wouldn't be just in his hands to fix. They will both figure something out.

He moved a little and snaked his arm around her hips, tugging her against his body. One beautiful eye opened to meet Luna's. "Hey, Moon," he mumbled, tipping his lips up into a soft smile.

"I'm sorry if I woke you," she said, feeling bad for always waking him up.

He giggled softly. "You didn't, baby."

"So, you've been wide awake this whole time?" He spread his mouth into a big grin as she went on. "You thought you'd let me stare at you like some crazy stalker?"

"I figured you wanted to gaze at your Arabian Prince a little while longer, but then I felt your tender kiss grace my lips and, well, I'd like to explore more of that." Both of his eyes opened, and as usual, staring into them made her heart swell inside her chest. This human had truly captured her. "Are you feeling okay?"

"I am." She curled beside him and laid her head on his shoulder then his hand raked through her hair. "What about you?"

"You don't have to worry about me. What happened was . . ."

"I know what happened. And I hate the reason why they did it." Luna brought her hand under her chin and snuggled into his armpit, sniffing his exhilarating body wash over his skin. "I felt every twitch the device shot out. I won't lie. It hurt. When the doctor was . . . you don't want to know the gruesome details, but I feel okay now. I'm not sure how, but I don't feel the pain as much anymore. So help me God if you felt it."

His breath grazed her forehead as they had a long stretch of silence for a moment. "You are incredible."

"How?" She gazed up and stared into his eyes. "Amir, I'm worried about you. You are the one who's incredible and doesn't deserve to be hurt because of me."

"Considering what you just went through, you are more concerned about me and my well-being? Yeah, Luna, you are incredible. You're amazing."

Her smile grew, her nose running along his chin. "Well, how about this? You and I are both incredible, and we are a team. An amazing team."

"I like that. Team Aluna." He smiled at Luna and leaned over to lower his mouth to hers, kissing her softly. "I know that I've told you this before, and I hope you never get tired of hearing it, but I love you. I will always love you."

Luna's eyes watered for the thousandth time since she'd been in the hospital. But this watering was special. This watering was because of his undying love for her.

"Hearing you tell me that countless times will never get on my nerves. And listening to your words never fail to affect me, Amir Ibrahim Khan, because I, Luna Reneé Carlyle, am truly, irrevocably in love with you." He reached down and ran his fingertips along the curve of her chin while she spoke. "Say it to me as often as you wish. My love for you isn't going anywhere."

"I know." He gave her a tiny kiss on the forehead. "By the way, I managed to alter the cameras in here. It's on a six-hour loop."

She chuckled a little and snuggled closer. "You're bad."

"Only for you."

Luna smiled and let out a deep breath.

Amir's eyes drifted shut, and they stayed cuddled up on her bed for what seemed like hours.

Later that evening, Amir had to depart from her and fetch someone to bring her a meal plate. After she ate, he took the tray and set it down on the meal cart as he left her room. She laid back down and curled up into the bed, sniffing his cologne all over her sheets. His smell eased her mind, body, and soul, and all she could do was wait to see what was next for them.

She connected to Amir's thoughts earlier and saw that he was ready to bust her out. After he saw her lying on the metal slab, defenseless, it caused him to be filled with rage. She desperately wanted to leave this madhouse and never look back.

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