Archer's POV

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." I say over and over until Ashley tells me to stop. She sits crosslegged, facing me as I try to stop the tears falling from my eyes.

"What have they done to you?" I ask, filled with worry and guilt.

"Nothing. Our dome rebelled, and I was going to stay, but Sarah forced me to go-"

"She knew," I blurt out. "She knew you were making a distraction for Mia and I to escape."

"Yes, but she hasn't done anything," Ashely says reassuringly, but I can see she is scared. I stare at her bright blue eyes and her distinct jawline. Siblings. We are siblings alright. Just by a quick glance between us you would know we were related.

"So..." She wraps her arms around her knees. "Archer. My brother."

"Unfortunately." I whisper, tying to hold back more tears. Just the thought of Evelyn or Sarah hurting Ashley makes me so scared. They can't hurt her, all she did was try to help. It was my fault...

"So I'm assuming your my little brother. I just turned nineteen." Ashely says, and I nod. "Your last name is Marx, by the way."

"Marx." Ashely says slowly, trying out the word on her lips. "Do you know our parents?"

"They won't tell us."

Ashley nods, looking at her surroundings. "How about Mia? Is she okay?"

"Think so." Is all I say. Ashley looks at me weirdly. I've got to say, those bright blue eyes are really a distraction.

"What happened?"

"What?"

Ashley almost laughs. "Gosh, boys are so easy to read, unlike girls. Something is wrong. You and Mia not doing so well?"

I shrug, looking forward. "We had a fight. I don't know if-if I can forgive her."

"Do you want to forgive her?" Ashley asks, and I pause, going back to the fight we had. She was so mad, so not herself it scared me. She used violence, something she tried to always avoid. She truly hated me with all her heart, and now I'm here. I'll never see her again. But then again, Evelyn was right. Mia and I, we are total opposites. There's no way we could ever get along anyway.

But we did. We did get along. Very well.

"Yes," I say. "But-I think I lost her."

"Well, find her again." Ashley says, spreading her legs out in front of her. "Hey, don't do that!"

I freeze, looking at her eyes, which are on my cuffed hands. I look down at them, and see blood running down my fingers.

"Your bleeding."

"I'm aware."

Ashley takes a deep breath, looking at my blood. She shakes her head no, her eyes filled with hurt. "Your used to it." She says, looking at the blood, then up at me. I look down at the blood, wondering what's she saying.

The blood? Used to it. The cuffs? Used to it. The cell? Used to it. I'm used to all of this.

I look back up at Ashley and slightly nod. She lets out a breath of disgust. "This is so wrong. What's wrong with these people? Torturing teens who just want to live until their adults. Why are they doing this to you? Why can't they just deal with the fact that genders are together now? It sickens me! I'm in a cell because I didn't want to see two teens die for their freedom. What is possibly wrong with that?!"

"There's nothing wrong with it. The government is the one who is wrong," I say.

"I used to think it was wrong. I mean, dome one was really against being together with males. But when I saw you two together, something in me thought it was okay to be together," Ashley explains.

"That was your instinct. Human nature is to be together with males and females. That's just how it's supposed to be." I shrug.

"Well, I'm glad I got to meet my brother. Famous brother. Everyone knows your story, surviving every time you get captured."

I shake my head. "I don't want people looking at me like that. I'm just trying to survive," I say.

"People are inspired by you," Ashley says, trying to get me to believe I'm actually a good person.

"They shouldn't be." And it's true. Evelyn was once again right about me. I'm a cold human being. I don't give pity, I hardly think about others. I hurt people without even trying, without thinking. People should never be inspired by me. They should frown upon me instead. But I do fight it, or try to. I care, Evelyn said. Only for the people who truly mean something to me, which is only a few.

"Archer?"

I look up at Ashley.

Ashley. I care for Ashley.

"Ashely, I'm not-I'm not a good person. You have to know that." I say.

"Your a good person Archer. You put people lives in front of your own," Ashley says.

"No-"

"Yes. Archer, you've saved people. Like Mia. You care for her-"

"That's the thing!" I blurt out, startling Ashley. I sigh, leaning against the wall. "I'm sorry."

"It's good." She says, leaning against the wall as well. We sit in silence, hearing muffled voices above us. I think about everything Ashely said, making me get a headache. But then I hear footsteps coming down, and we both tense up. I see Evelyn come down, smiling at us both. We both stand up.

"Ah, what a cute family reunion." Evelyn says.

"What do you want?" I ask, irritated.

Evelyn frowns. "I'm upset, Archer. I told you not to care, remember?" Evelyn looks at Ashely. "I told you not to care about her." Evelyn reaches in her pocket.

"No-" I try to speak, but Evelyn has a gun in her hand before I even know it.

"That's what happens when you care about the people you love," Evelyn raises the gun. "They die."

And I hear the sound of the gun, oddly loud in the quiet room. I scream, already knowing the outcome.

Ashley is on the ground, a bullet right through her forehead.

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