AN: I haven't been the best updater. *cough* Procrastination *cough* Sorry. Disclaimer's on the first chapter.
BTW, the girls are now called by their respective names. Until I mention that they're switching, they're currently themselves.
WICKED Headquarters, 11:45 PM
"They told me the Swipe will be administered to you later on. So I sneaked in and wanted to send you off with some things." Her voice rang throughout the room, she was seated beside a bed with a sleeping girl.
"Yeah. They will." A reply came from the supposed sleeping girl on the bed. Said girl sat up.
"Well, I picked out an outfit for you. I want your exit to be dramatic, which I wasn't able to do with Maddie." Guilt gnawed Cissa's stomach, she couldn't tell Monroe. Not ever.
Monroe laughed, not noticing the worry in her sister's eyes.
"Where's mom or dad?" Cissa's eyes widened at the mention of the latter. She hasn't seen him since last week. She couldn't tell Monroe that their father was a cheating bastard or that their sister was currently in the maze or the fact that their home is in shambles.
"Mom said she'd come here later. Maybe now. Dad's busy with work." Cissa averted her eyes.
"You're hiding something." Monroe noticed Cissa's behaviour changing after the mention of their parents.
"Yeah. I'm scared that if I tell you, more trouble is on the way for you two." She replied.
"Or it'll be you in trouble. I won't do that to you." Monroe smiled, knowing it was best not to pry even if she was curious.
A knock interrupted their conversation. Opening the door, it showed their mother Anne and surprisingly, her father.
"We wanted to say goodbye before you left." Anne looked at her daughter sitting on the bed. Another one lost to the clutches of the person she was working for.
Cissa's face was blank once her father and mother sat on the couch opposite of hers.
A few seconds of awkwardness ensued. It was so quiet that one could hear the crickets.
The door opened, revealing a bunch of nurses and guards that were needed to assist Monroe to the Chamber where she'd be Swiped and be put into the lift.
"Any other requests?" A nurse questioned. Normally, the last day of isolation week meant asking for requests.
"Just one." Monroe replied, face void of any emotion.
"Name it." Another ordered.
"I want my family to see me off until the last of the Swiping process."
The nurse sighed, then spoke up. "You can take one family member." They assisted Monroe out of her bed and into a wheelchair.
"Narcissa." Cissa looked over to Monroe then to her mother, waiting for her approval. She didn't bother looking at her cheating father.
"Go. We'll be at the apartment," Her mother paused a while. "I'll prepare some breakfast." she continued.
The trip to the Swiping room was agonisingly slow. Cissa's eyes darted around, a sign of impatience. Monroe had drifted off and the nurses were talking amongst themselves.
Once they had all settled inside the room, they let Cissa sit on the only bench in the room. Monroe's clothes were perched on her lap, after Cissa had handed them to her.
They instructed her to shower first then they'd administer the Swipe. Monroe followed all instructions in a quick pace.
Once she was done dressing herself with the outfit that Cissa handed to her, she took a look in the mirror. She was pale and bony, the white dress stopped by her knees, and it was loose due to the fact that she hadn't been too focused on her health. Not without Madison. Perhaps being in the Maze can really help her, just like her sister. But a thought stuck in her head, it's not like she could remind herself that once she'd forgotten everything except her name.
The nurses had told Cissa to leave once they had put her in the lift but she insisted that she accompany her to the lift for her farewell.
"Miss Monroe James, the Swipe and Sleeping serum are now ready for you. Please follow Nurse Finnegan to the Administering Room." Monroe nodded, Cissa stood up from her seat to follow her sister.
They had injected her the Swipe followed by the Sleeping serum. Monroe visibly relaxed and fell asleep with the help of the serum. The nurses held a hushed conversation before one of them turned to Cissa.
"Right then, come with me, dearie." The maternal woman smiled assuredly.
Cissa followed her without another word.
Once they got to the lift, Cissa entered with Monroe. The crates were in a disarray, and she didn't want Monroe to be uncomfortable. She wasn't able to help out when Maddie was sent up due to the fact that it was only Monroe who took all responsibility. How she had been so caught up in her own world was a big question to her.
Tears began to flow from her eyes but she hastily wiped them with the back of her hand. She arranged the crates to form a makeshift bed, then laid a sheet over it. They placed Monroe on it.
"You have 5 minutes to say your goodbyes, girly. We're already a day late." One nurse chided.
She nodded and turned to the sleeping girl. They had gone to the other side of the room to give her some privacy.
"I want you to have this." She put a note on her sister's hand, closing it gently, tucking the note safely inside.
"Goodbye, Monroe James. You will be missed." Cissa sighed as fresh tears blurred her vision. Again, she wiped them hastily as she hugged her sister for the last time.
She exited the lift and left the room once one nurse called her out.
Running to the apartment, it was tense between her mother and father when she entered the house. She ignored that, however. Trudging up the stairs, she opened her room and immediately immersed herself into her latest work. A way to use Grievers as a communication device. But since she didn't have a lot of time to spare, she just went with something she already had available. Her beetle blade.
She tinkered a bit with its controls, then, finding a way to transmit a message to her other sister in the maze.
It finally came through.
"Maddie," She paused a bit, pondering on what she should say. With the help of the surveillance in the beetle blade she saw Maddie crouching, she was tired and hungry, it seemed. And her stay was going to be a lot longer.
"They put you there as a test for Monnie. I can't explain─" The signal wavered, someone was interrupting it. "If you...e-escape," Static. "Look for─!" Frustration was etched on Cissa's face now. "The… Ja-jamesssss," The static gradually got stronger, but Cissa got the last words. "Family." Then her laptop shut down.
She sighed, the message might've gotten through, but now, a question stuck through her head.
Who was trying to stop her communication? Surely it wasn't WICKED. WICKED didn't stop her when she first got a hold of the beetle blade or when she shut down the session computers.
Her thoughts turned into a jumbled mess. Until she had a little time to herself. She laid on the bed and the thought struck her.
If not WICKED, then who?
AN: Unexpected stuff again! Yay! BTW, reviews are loved and appreciated! tell me what you think, it doesn't matter if it's short or long, one word or a paragraph, I'd just like to know your opinions!
Embers to Ashes: Sadly, your guess was wrong! But fear not, the identity of the voice is revealed here!
Love you all!