I awoke to the sounds of sirens wailing just beyond my window. My eyes snapped open and I sat up rigidly, my bare feet thumping against the hardwood. I raced into the living room, picking up the phone that was already ringing.

"Meet me at the recruiting center in five minutes. Remember what we've talked about, you know what to do."

I hung up before Ben could continue. I dressed mechanically, going through the motions without a second thought. I stepped out of the door and hurried down the sidewalk, sirens still pounding in my ears. People rushed across the lawn, meeting in small groups and dispersing again. Their faces looked calm, void of emotion. They had done this before.

The sun was barely staring to peek over the dark tree line of the jungle, giving the small valley a purple glow. My eyes adjusted to the dimness, focusing on the figure of Benjamin Linus standing before the small recruiting building.

"Did you have any dreams?"

I opened my mouth to speak, stopping suddenly. Dreams? Was this the time for such a question?

"What?"

"Dreams, visions, did you see anything?"

I had never had anyone ask me such a direct and personal question. Never did I think that these instances were anymore than coincidence. I never had had anyone know of the things I had seen, let alone take them so seriously.

"No, nothing, I didn't see anything,"

Ben was silent for a moment. Thinking.

"All right. We can't waste anymore time."

I followed him closely, my eyes darting either way as I studied the actions of the others. They seemed prepared. Everything here always seemed to run like clockwork, everyone knowing his or her purpose. Ben ran the Barracks like an army. And they had turned out to function as one.

We approached one of the stout yellow houses. A man stood at the entrance, opening the door as we walked up the steps. I followed Ben in the house, turning into the living room. My heart plummeted to my stomach as I stared at the figure strapped to a chair in the center of the room.

"Sayid?"

Sayid sat in the chair, back hunched, hands bound behind him. He looked up at me, my chest tightening as our eyes locked.

"Hello, Abby."

The silence in the room was almost too much to bear. Ben turned to me.

"He breeched the wall this morning, but one of our people saw him and sounded the alarm before he could get far."

"Did he say, 'our people'?" Sayid said, obviously addressing me. I forced my attention on Ben.

"How did he get through?"

"He climbed a tree and lowered himself down on the other side. Clever, but obviously not enough."

"Abby," Said said, "why is he speaking to you as one of his own?"

I looked to Sayid, struggling to keep my composure.

"I'm helping them. I'm here because they need me." I felt as though my words were being spoken through the mouth of a stranger.

"They need your help? What about us? What about everyone back at the beach? Don't we need your help, too? Abby, we haven't stopped looking for you since you were taken. Jack said-"

"Jack? Jack is with you?" I said suddenly, unable to restrain myself. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Ben stiffen. Sayid's eyes darted from Ben to mine. He seemed confused.

"Yes, Jack was released some weeks ago. Didn't you know that? They let him go."

I couldn't bring myself to speak for a moment.

"They let him go?"

"Yes. If they really are 'your people', I would have assumed they told you," Sayid said coldly, staring at Ben as he spoke. Ben's face remained unreadable.

"Yes well, precautions must still be taken. As they are now."

"What are you going to do to him?" I asked, turning to face Ben. He did not look at me.

"Well Abby, that's where you come in."

"What?"

"Do you really want everyone back on the beach to know you're a traitor? Do you want them to know that you are living with us, that you're one of us now?"

I felt anger flare up inside of my chest.

"I'm here because you brought me here. I'm here because you took me," I spat, feeling tears begin to well in my eyes. Ben turned to me.

"No, Abby. You're here because the island wanted you to be. I had no say in it. I was told to take you, just like I was told to let Jack go."

"Told to? By whom?"

"That is not important. What is important is that you are the one that needs to decide what happens to Sayid. He can't go back. Not now."

"Well what the hell can we do with him then? Send him off of the island?" I laughed openly at the suggestion. "What can we do with him?"

Ben shrugged.

"I don't know Abby. The island didn't choose me." I heard the slightest hint of animosity in his voice. It made the hair on my arms prickle up. I looked to Sayid, feeling a panic rising in my throat.

"How am I supposed to know? I can't decide this."

"What would you rather me do, hm? Send him to the beach? Let them all know? We don't need anymore of them coming our way. Not now."

I thought frantically. What were my options. Keep him here? Sayid would never obey Ben's commands. Send him back? No, Ben was right. It would crush me for them to know. Banish him? Where? We were banished on this island all ready.

"Keep him. Lock him up." Again, the words seem to spill from a foreign mouth. "Keep him here until we decide what to do next."

I saw Ben's lip twitch in the hint of a smile.

"Good. We will keep him here for now." He turned to leave and I followed automatically.

"Abby, what's happened to you? What did they do to you?" Sayid called after me, but I ignored him. Ben and I stepped outside. He said something to the man by the door, but I wasn't paying attention. The man stepped inside.

"Abby, you did the right thing. You are doing what you're supposed to be doing. Trust me. You'll know more soon enough."

"How soon?" I asked, voice shaking some.

"Very. Tonight, I'm going to talk to you about Jacob.