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The cup of water a guard slid through the bars of my cage and set on the concrete floor is the only company I’ve had for five days, and it’s not exactly a stimulating conversation partner.

I’m a prisoner. I fought like hell to avoid being one, but a doctor sedated me and I woke up in here. I think I’m in a science lab of some kind. There are lots of metal cages. Mine is big enough to stand up and lie down, but not much more. Maybe six feet on every side.

Fuck the ILF and that asshole Gabriel. But most of all, fuck Evander.

I knew something wasn’t right, but I didn’t want to let Briar down. I let Evander crumble my walls with his very convincing lies. That mistake will probably kill me.

Gabriel and three other people spent three full days and nights trying to break me down. He ordered the others to rough me up, but they refused. They thought keeping me awake for long stretches would make me desperate. Not with my aromium. Same with food and water. I don’t need much. They’re waiting for me to say I can’t take it anymore and give them the information they want.

That’ll never happen. Gabriel wants me to share everything I know about the Deadmen, and I know a lot. They already want me dead, though. I was convinced the feeling I had of being watched and followed was the Deadmen, toying with me until they decided to capture me.

It wasn’t them, though. It was the plants. When the kudzu wrapped me up and saved me from falling to the bottom of the ravine, that sense I was being watched filled my entire body. It was warmth and safety. Like I was protected from every possible direction.

The Deadmen must not know I’m back. My plan was for them to think I’d died. But if they find out, I won’t stand a chance. Justin hates me. He blames me for the end of his friendship with Donovan, among other things.

The door to the lab opens and Diego comes in, walking up to my cage.

I didn’t start out in the cage. They tried to lock me in four different rooms, but between aromium and pure rage, I broke out of all of them. I could bust out of this cage easily, but there’s no point.

They have armed guards everywhere. I can escape this cage, and even this room, but I can’t escape the campus.

“How are you?” Diego asks.

I don’t respond. He’s been nice to me, but I have nothing to say.

How am I? I’m done. If I hadn’t felt Briar through the kudzu when it saved me, I’d have nothing left. Hopefully she and Marcus care about me enough to get me released from here, but even if they do, it’ll take a while.

“Please eat and drink,” Diego says. “We don’t keep people in cages. I sent a message to someone above Gabriel. You’ll get out of here, and Van will, too.”

I lift my head to look up at him, confused.

“Yeah, he’s in a similar situation. He kept fighting the guys guarding you and ripping his stitches out. I could stitch that wound in my sleep at this point. I’ve had him sedated and restrained to his bed for almost a week. He’s finally healing.”

Tears pool in my eyes. I’ve relived the last time I saw Evander so many times. He was bleeding all over the floor, frantic. I’ve never seen him that way.

He knew all along. If he had just been honest with me, I would have told him Justin doesn’t fuck around with vengeance, and I’m at the top of his list.

It probably wouldn’t have mattered, though. Evander has always been an order-following cog in a military machine. The ILF is a different organization from the US military, but it’s still deeply flawed.

“Amira.”

Diego is sitting on the floor just outside the door to my cage. He takes something from his pocket.

“My partner is a culinary genius who makes chocolate bars. I brought you some.”

He passes something wrapped in brown paper through the bars, setting it beside the water.

“This is the real deal. It’ll take you right back to candy bars before the virus.”

I want to ignore him. Be strong enough to sulk silently for however many days and weeks I’m in here. There’s nothing harder for me than being alone, though, and I don’t want him to leave.

“Tell me about your partner,” I say, not looking at him.

“His name’s Jeff. He’s a great guitarist and a massive clean freak. It makes him crazy when I put my dirty socks next to the laundry basket instead of in it.” He smiles fondly.

“How long have you been together?”

“Almost three years.”