Octavia's hand stings. She hopes Shard's face stings at least twice as much. The way he rubs his face indicates that it must sting worth something.

  "What's wrong with you??" Octavia shouts. "My friend is shot, could be dead, and now you try taking advantage of me in my grief!"

  "I warned you multiple times." He holds his face.

  "I don't care!"

  Relax, Octavia. Don't lose your temper. Warnings from her psychologist pass through her mind. Be mindful of your implant...Be mindful of your image...Be mindful of who's watching...

  The implant has been dead. Her image doesn't matter now. No one watching could give reliable credit to her behavior. She's already lost her temper multiple times. What harm is there to continue? Why worry about this now?

  Emotions Octavia never has the luxury of savoring surge. They balloon in her chest. Rage explodes as she can finally consciously take a match to this hydrogen-filled balloon. Fire burns through her body. She has lost her cool in the past but has rarely been able to feel her anger before it is extinguished or contained. No one and nothing can extinguish her anger here. No fears or worries can contain it. Something about feeling this strong emotion is freeing. How much more freeing it will be to act on it.

  She chucks the clothes next to her at Shard. The cloth unsatisfyingly floats to the ground when they miss him. Their peaceful descent grinds her. It mocks her feelings. The fire intensifies. She charges the table and swipes her arm across it. All the items on it go flying. They clatter to the ground. Some scrape along the ground as they go past the bars. The sounds of impact echo. Much more satisfying. But still not enough.

  "This is all your fault!" Fire backs her words as she throws her fists to her sides. Bits of spit spray from her mouth.

  Shard holds an open hand towards the guards. "You throwing the things on the floor was all you, Sweet-hart."

  "That's not what I'm talking about." Octavia throws a hand across the air. "I'm talking about everything bad in my life. It's all your fault!" She jabs a finger into his chest.

  Shard raises an eyebrow. He doesn't move or swat her hand away. "Everything?"

  "Yes, everything! Aurora's disappearance, her death. Mindy getting shot and if..." She swallows a hard lump. "...if Mindy dies it's your fault, too!"

  "I wasn't the one who went gun crazy. Ajax was the one who shot her. And he could've shot more if it wasn't for me shooting him as well as others holding him back. And we've already covered my involvement with your sister."

  Octavia's jaw shifts. Shard did keep Ajax from harming others. Shard did not touch her sister, if he's telling the truth. But... "I know Mindy getting shot is Ajax's fault, but we never would've been here at all if it wasn't for you. Ajax would've never had a motive, a gun, or the opportunity. And are you not the face of the Chromies? What they do, what you do is all Chromy! And you taking Yoo Dae-jun's place means you assumed his responsibilities, too, no?"

  "Touche. But I do run things differently than he did. For better or worse." Shard's eyes glance away. "But I'm still not personally responsible for everything bad that's happened to you. The only thing I can take credit for that directly affects you is abducting you and your little friends…misappropriating hair supplies with Winters and choking you out just a little. And jump scares. Those are always fun. But are jump scares really that bad compared to other things that've happened to you? Things that happened that I'm not responsible for. Not even my Chromies. Like I said before, I didn't kill or even hurt your sister. Nor did I have any affiliation with the attacks on the arena where you and your sister were almost killed. I also was not the one who gave you that mighty sensitive ocular implant. Strange how sensitive that implant is, isn't it? No strong emotions allowed? The slightest bump, slightest step out of line can 'destroy' it. Considering the high tech your country has, isn't that a little strange?"

  Octavia crosses her arms. "As if you Chromies could begin to understand our high tech with all your outdated, retro tech." She gestures to herself. "My implant is a feat in science. Yes, it still has its sensitivities, but it gives sight to the blind. A miracle people have dreamed of for millennia."

  "So, yours has these 'sensitivities', but the implants some Squad have received doesn't?"

  "They've received training that keeps their implants from malfunctioning. Training I'm still getting ahold of."

  "Training? Like, intense physical training they have to receive in order to stay fit to stay in Squad? Training that if you participated in would wreck your implant?"

  Before Octavia can respond, there's a rapping on the cell's bars. A man with the same olive complexion as Shard stands outside the cell. He also wears a mask similar to Shard's but has the print of a skull's jaw and teeth on it.

  Shard blinks in surprise. "Raul? ?Qué pasa?"

  "Te necesitamos. Tienes que venir conmigo," the man says quickly.

  Octavia blinks in confusion. Had she misheard what the two said?

  "Sí. Ya voy. Salte."

  The man nods and rushes off.

  Shard laughs at Octavia's expression. "Never heard Spanish before?" He picks up a towel and shoves it into Octavia's hands. "While I'm glad at the expression of emotion and constructive conversation, you need to clean up. Yourself and the mess ya made." He rushes out of the cell but stops before he hurries off. "If anyone here knows about the tech the gov and their precious WAITH scientists are capable of, it's me, Sweet-hart. So, enjoy your little bouts of free emotion before you go back." And he tells the guards, "Watch her to make sure she does nothing stupid with that stuff."

  Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

  Both say, "Yes, sir."

  Tam swings her rifle in front of herself.

  "And please try not to kill her, Tam, in order to keep her from doing so," Shard shouts behind him while he runs off.

  A snarl accompanied with a huff flashes across Tam's face. She burrows her eyes into Octavia. "Ya heard him. Get cleanin'."

  Octavia swallows hard. She's still in Mindy's blood. "Can I at least clean myself up first?"

  Tam looks over Octavia. "Fine. But be quick. And don't close that door."

  "What?"

  "I'm sure Marque won't look, and there's nothing on ya I haven't seen on myself or anyone else. And ya don't get to take a full-on shower. Just clean the blood that got on ya through your clothes. Get moving. Water's already on. Use soap."

  Octavia grabs soap and the clothes she threw off the ground. A flush burns Octavia's face as Tam watches her undress to underwear from the open bathroom. Quickly she scrubs and washes blood off herself. She throws the clean clothes on.

  "Pack everything up," Tam tells Octavia. "Put it all back on the table. Do it orderly. I know everything Shard asked for. I will do inventory to make sure everything's there."

  Octavia goes to cleaning. Her mind wanders as she does.

  How could Shard possibly know so much about tech? And why sound so bitter about WAITH? WAITH is responsible for countless medical advancements. That is why they are called WAITH: Workers for the Advancement and Improvement in Technology and Health. They created her implants and others like them, have improved prosthetics, cured countless diseases and ailments, saved countless lives... They've done nothing but improve health, technology, and overall wellbeing.

  But that does raise the question: Why is her implant so sensitive? WAITH is capable of and has made less sensitive implants. The implants can cost a pretty penny but cash is nothing her parents are short on. They are among the wealthiest in the nation. Affording an up-to-date implant should be no problem.

  Maybe they're worried about her going under surgery, again, to update the implant. Her parents' trust in doctors was hurt with Aurora. While Octavia's surgery was successful, Aurora's was not. If it had been, Aurora would've at least been able to get braces to help her walk, if not be restored to where she could walk on her own after a few years. But due to the severity of her injuries and several errors during surgery, Aurora's spinal cord and brain received damage beyond repair.

  This makes sense. Her parents don't want to risk her. But those doctors were dismissed and other perfect doctors have worked with her and her family since. What if the sensitivities of her implant are intentional?

  Octavia's parents have expressed their dreams of her taking her father's spot someday. So the implant might be made more delicate to suit the career she has been striving towards. Yet, this makes no sense. Attacks like those the Red Dogs, Chromies, and other rebel groups have pulled off present dangers. She has always wanted to be more fit in preparation for possible bad occurrences, such as being abducted, but her implant has prevented her from doing more physical activity than light running with Mindy.

  However, Squad is there to protect Octavia. Maybe she has no need to learn to defend herself. The reason Squad was not there to protect her from being taken was because she had gone off without their protection. And how her implant prevents strong emotion is a good way to train how to act when in stressful situations. Her parents must think this. This must be their logic. Octavia does not like it, but it is all a part of the sacrifices she must make.

  Why can she not be trusted to learn how to behave on her own? Considering the way she has been acting since she arrived here and instances like the video, maybe not. But how can she truly learn to control herself if her implant has been controlling her? She misses the days where she didn't have to fear the implant's control on her and misses how much fun she used to have with Aurora, Mindy, and Xander.

  But if her parents have deemed this implant is the best thing for her, then she must trust her parents are doing what's best for her, even if she does not like it. Isn't that what parents do - what's best for their child despite the child's protests?

  How long does she have to depend on her parents, though? She's no longer a child. But when will she be allowed to be an adult? When can she leave the supervision of her parents? Now? Her parents are not here in this cell to teach or guide her. Everything she has done here has been on her own. Here, she isn't under the scrutiny of her parents or the public.

  Octavia sits on the bunk with crossed arms and legs. She looks over the table. Supplies cover it. Nothing remains on the floor. Anything that skirted past the bars was kicked back in the cell by Tam. Octavia squints her eyes.

  "That table's not orderly, Rhinehart." A temper rises in Tam's voice.

  "I know." There is no bite in Octavia's response because she recognizes the table is a hot mess.

  Things are piled on top of each other and dangle off the edge while others bulge and spill out of a bag.

  "I...don't know how to make it look better," Octavia says earnestly. "I'm trying to figure it out. No one's ever taught me how to clean since everything is done for me. And I can never do anything on my own." Her last few words carry spite that drifts into her voice.

  "Well you're gonna fix it all on your own," Tam says.

  Octavia stands. "Good. I want to."

  Tam blinks. Something of curiosity crosses her features. She watches Octavia.

  Octavia wants to do something on her own for once. She doesn't want it to be straightening up, but it's all she can do, so she'll take it.

  Enjoy your little bouts of free emotion before you go back.

  Shard's words weigh a little more on her. But maybe this experience will prove to her parents that she's ready for independence. Or maybe they'll hold on to her tighter, and she won't be able to take care of herself...

  The Chromies are good at manipulation and out of all them, I imagine Shard is the best. Don't let him take advantage of your heart, Octi.

  Mindy's warning makes Octavia grit her teeth. Is this a part of Shard's head games?

  Octavia bumps her arm on the table. Sharp pain rings through her arm causing her to drop a bowl on the floor. "Ow!" Holding her arm, she notices a neat bandage wrapped around it.

  When did it get there? Who did this? A Blue Coat? Supplies to clean and dress her arm are among things she has picked up. But there has been no one else in the cell but her and Shard. Did Shard do this?

  Octavia shakes her head. No. He can't have. He would not be so careful with her. She doesn't remember coming to the cell so, a person coming in, treating her, and leaving being forgotten in the daze of her shock is possible. Or if he was the one who did this, it's all games. These confusing thoughts, this 'kindness' is all to mess with her brain.

  Octavia huffs. She wishes she could drown her thoughts in videos, mindless games, studies, or anything else. All her focus goes into straightening up the table. Occasional thoughts of her freedom and Mindy rise, but she pushes them down. Worrying will do nothing. There is nothing she can do about it. All she can do is straighten this cell.