"Let me go," I screamed at the tops of my lungs. "Let me go!"
People were turning to watch me. I flared about in the man's arms. People started to take out their phones and directed their phones towards me. Giving a hard kick, the guard dropped me. I ran across the busy street. Horns bared as I heard the screeching of tires. I didn't look behind me to see who was following me. I needed to get away from it all. I needed to break loose. I turned sharply down a corner. This time I felt my arms grabbed by two different people. I hollered the entire way back as they threw me into the back of a car and locked the doors on me. The officers pulled and yanked into the building into the lab.
My feet were throbbing, and my throat felt raw. I collapsed onto the tile floor of the lab. Dr. Green and Dr. Vodola stood in front of me. Dr. Green was frowning. I could feel the disappointment radiating off him. Dr. Vodola's eyes narrowed in on me. I had seen that look from him before.
"See, I told you she was a behavioral problem." Dr. Vodola growled.
"I want to be free!" I cried out. "What more do you want from me? How much do I need to sacrifice for this? I'd rather be dead."
"Maybe Beth and I should take her home for a while. Let her out of here for a little while."
Dr. Green turned to look at Dr. Vodola.
"If she runs at your place, are you two going to be able to chase after her?"
Dr. Green took a deep breath and sighed.
"I'm going to keep escaping until you let me go."
Dr. Vodola walked over to the counter and came back holding a syringe. My heart raced.
"What is that?"
"You caused this. Guards, hold her."
My eyes went back and forth between the two men. Their hands wrapped around me roughly, forcing me flat against the tile floors. A prick in my neck made me yelp. Dr. Vodola backed away, and my eyes watered.
"A tracker has been placed in you now. You'll never be able to escape. I should've done that years ago. Go put her back into her room."
My chest shook as hands lifted me off the ground. From this moment on, I was not going to sit back. I would take control of my life one way or another.
13
Sawyer
I was nine credits down with only one hundred and seventy-one to go. Plus, I was enrolled in five classes this fall. If I continued this way, I was bound to graduate early. It was one step closer to getting Madeline out of that hell hole. I wasn't in my dorm long before a video of Madeline running down the street in her pajamas was online and on the news. The newscasters were having a field trip as Madeline was flaring and screaming on the streets. They were curious about how the scientists treated Madeline as media depicted her thrown into the back of a car in my old pajamas. The phone call I got from Ricky was still fresh in my head.
"Dude, I'm afraid to bring this up, but did you see Madeline on the news?"
"What?" I asked as I was juggling boxes and my phone in my hands.
I was coming out of the parking lot close to my dorm room. The car drive was long, and I was already ready to get the unpacking done to go to sleep.
"You haven't seen?"
The sun was intense that day, and my sunglasses fell onto the floor while I was driving.
"No, I just got onto campus after traveling all day."
"You're better off not seeing."
I groaned. "Hold that thought. I'll google it."
I placed my stuff on a nearby bench and googled my old town. Sure, enough Madeline was the first link. The newscaster was questioning whether crimes against humanity were being performed at the center. Madeline's screams were like nothing that I had ever heard from her. My heart wrenched.
"I shouldn't have left her there," I whispered.
I paused the video and went back to talking to Ricky.
"what were you going to do? Kidnap her out of that security-filled building?"
I rolled my eyes. "I was there that night."
"What do you mean you were that night?"
I sighed. "One of the scientists gave me his badge. I went to visit her before I left. I stayed the night just watching movies with her. She was asleep, and I needed to leave, so he had his badge to get into work. Madeline was still asleep when i left. She looked so calm. We talked about when i graduated, that i'd help her out."
"four years is a long time."
My throat tightened. "I know, but I can't afford to help Maddie out right now."
"Dude, I get it, and I agree with you completely. If I could, I’d take her in myself but think about it. She has lived fifteen years now, not allowed to make a single decision for herself. She can't pick out her clothes. She can't go to school anymore. She has never been allowed to have friends. Life is literally a prison for her, and Madeline’s told maybe four more years."
I blinked and stared up.
"I know."
"I wish I could give you better advice, but right now, I can't because she's in a tough situation. Tougher than ever before."
The halls
