I wake up with tears dried in streaks on my face, sand embedded in the moisture. I push myself into sitting position and find that my arm has been wrapped in a fresh bandage. I glance around in search of who stitched it up and realize that I'm no longer lying on the dirty floor of the metal hut where I fell asleep crying. Instead, my body is pressed against the concrete ground of a warehouse.

"Good to see you awake, Blondie. Thought we'd lost you. Don't bloody scare me like that again, stick!"

I smile weakly in relief when I see Sonya's familiar face walking over to me. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. How did you find me?"

Sonya takes a seat next to me, and blows out a long sigh. "Well, we didn't get far after we left you before we heard screamin'. We did a count off and found you were missing but when we tried heading back to get you, Susan went buggin' crazy again. Then the girls started dropping like flies if they tried to move, all hissing in demonic voices about how 'it has to happen' and that klank. They forced us to lay low until those boys you're so fond of had passed. Then they gave us control of our own bodies again and we carried you here. You're welcome for that, by the way."

Nothing can surprise me at this point. "Thank you," I mutter, readjusting. "Where is 'here' though?" I ask.

"Do we ever really know where we are when WICKED is in control?" Sonya has a good point. "From the shack, we walked to the city they told us about. Pretty dodged. Missin' the Glen more than ever when we ended up here. All the buildings are on the verge of collapse and what's left of the streets have Cranks swarming all over the place. We were lucky to find this place to take cover for the night."

"Hey!" Harriet comes into view in the doorway to the next room. "Stuff it, you sticks! Time to go!" Gently, she adds, "Glad you're alright, Addy."

I gingerly stand, casting anxious glances at the bandage on my arm as I do. I don't really want to leave this world, in fact the thought terrifies me, but if it could've done more good to have me out of it, I would've done it. The other girls would've been forced to kill him even if I was unable to, I realize, so my sacrifice would've done nothing.

As we head out, Sonya links arms with me to make sure I don't disappear again. The action touches my heart and I'm momentarily disoriented by how much I've been welcomed into their group, but the happiness is replaced with awe as we step out the door.

Just as Sonya said, the buildings are barely hanging onto existence. Most of them have cracked windows while some have entire chunks of walls missing. Rubble fills the streets, laced with sand and occasionally the burned, rotting carcass of a Crank that wasn't too lucky. I swallow my anxieties and take a deep breath, hoping to silence my fear. It doesn't work.

I wet my lips but my mouth is dried of any moisture. My heart starts pounding irregularly and my body trembles to the lilting beat. My lungs cease to work, the worst part of a panic attack in my opinion. Dizziness follows the lack of oxygen and I sink to the floor.

"Woah, Addy, you ok?" Sonya asks, her voice is slightly distorted. When I don't answer she calls, "Miyoko! Gather your medics. Addy needs help again."

A slender dark haired girl enters my fuzzy vision as I gasp and choke. "Hey, hey, hey," she says, gently moving my head to face her. "You're ok. Just breath. In and out. It'll be ok. That's it. Focus on your surroundings," she says soothingly. This isn't her first rodeo. "What you can see, hear, feel, smell. That's it."

Somehow her method calms me down quickly and I'm able to regain control over myself. Loosing control, that's my deepest fear. Miyoko helps me up and pulls me into an embrace. "I get it, but you'll be ok. You've got us now and we're going to help each other through this." Her almond shaped brown eyes hold deep, genuine sympathy and I thank her with a shuddering breath.

"Have some of this," Miyoko adds as she hands me an apple. "It'll help."

I don't take it. "W- we don't have enough food as-" I pause, choking down more air and hugging my arms in to calm myself. "as is. I can't take it."

The girl with porcelain skin gives me a matronly look. "Hey, those take a lot of energy. We'll all be worse off if we have to carry you again, so just take it and save us the trouble. You can't help us, or anyone, if you don't help yourself first."

If I were better hydrated, I'd be crying again. These girls are incredible, I think. I'm in awe at how supportive and loving they are of each other while still managing to be tough and get through just about any situation. My thoughts wander to what it would've been like if I had ended up in Group B like I was supposed to, but quickly I change my mind. I couldn't have. I wouldn't have met Newt again and I wouldn't have had access to my mother and the Right Arm.

But then, why didn't Thomas try to help Group B?