ZOMG! I just noticed that I missed out on chapter 12 and went straight to 13! :O

I apologise to everyone for this mistake. :(

Chapter 12 –

"We have a doctor who tends to those injured at the circus." Mr. Peak says as Marita sits down on a stool. Aaron looks around, examining his surroundings and their new home. "We can call him over to have a look at the both of you, to make sure your healthy and tend to any wounds you may have."

"That won't be necessary." Aaron replies to which Marita glares at him.

"If you could send him, then that would be great." Marita says.

Mr. Peak smiles before leaving the tent. Once he had left, Marita turns to her brother and gives him a questioning glance. He shrugs his shoulders, as if to say 'what?' to which she replies "You don't have to be so harsh to him."

"I don't want you to get hurt, that's all." He replies.

"I know that, but you have to let others in some times to more forward."

"So that you can get hurt again? I'd rather not risk that chance."

"That was back there, not here."

"And what makes you think that they won't hurt you too? For all I know, they could be plotting against us with our parents and those doctors."

"I can assure you, we hardly communicate with the outside world." They hear someone say. The siblings turn to see a man standing in the tents doorway; his back hunched a little as his head is covered by a hood that connects to his dull white trench coat. The man steps into the tent as he straightens up and removes his hood. He was younger than he seemed at first, possibly being a few years older than Aaron himself. He had dark eyes that seemed empty with hair that fell over his face.

He smiles at the pair, the smile that was warm compared to his appearance of looking cold. Marita returns his smile as Aaron looks at him sceptically.

"So you're the doctor?" He asks.

The man nods his head. "Mr. Peak said we had guests and that I should tend to them, to make sure they we're in good health." His eyes wander towards Marita, a blush gracing the girl's cheeks, before returning his cold gaze to Aaron.

"You're they're doctor?" Aaron asks.

The man nods. "Yes, I've learnt from the previous doctor here."

"And where is he? I would rather be tended to someone more experienced."

The man glares at Aaron before replying. "He died a while ago. I'm the only doctor here now."

"So they let you tend to everyone here?" Marita asks, impressed. The man nods his head in acknowledgement. "They must have great faith in you then."

"More like misguided trust." Aaron answers under his breath.

Marita glares at him slightly, before returning to the man before her. "What's your name?"

This startles him as his eyes widen in shock, some warmth gracing them before returning to their cold state. "My name is Slate." He replies, that same warmth gracing his eyes again.

"Slate… that's an unusual name." Marita murmurs to herself. She smiles warmly as Aaron strides towards his sister.

"Anyway," Slate says, seeing the tension growing in the air around them. "Like I said earlier, Mr. Peak sent me to check up on you. Will you allow me to do so?"

Aaron looks at him one last time before sighing and nodding his head, knowing that if he spoke, he might say a lie. He needed Marita to get better, but he was uncomfortable with a complete stranger tending to her. If it was someone he knew, someone he trusted, then it might be a different story. But then, how could he know if they wouldn't betray him as all the others had? A stranger, away from all the commotion, was his best choice then someone he actually knew, friend or foe.

Slate looks down at Marita, noticing instantly that the girl was paler than usual. Her eyes looked tired, skin a sickly pale colour, reminding him so much of death, but even trough her sickly demeanour, she looked strong and fierce. It was something Slate admired in people, something he had taken a liking to since those injured at the circus always had this same look in their eyes.

"Can you tell me what your previous living conditions were like before you stumbled here?" Slate asks; all warmth in his voice gone.

"I was living in a hospital, being tended to by ten doctors." Marita begins to explain. "I always had a doctor and a nurse in my room at all times. I was never allowed to leave the room and I had to take different types of medicine regularly. Didn't matter what it was for, they used me as a sort of test dummy. They injected me with viruses to test their medicines against, and forbid me from any form of contact with anyone. My friends haven't seen me in years, the only time they could see me was when we we're escaping today, and we couldn't stop."

"And what virus we're you injected with last, along with the medicine they used to counter it?"

"The virus was a new one, called Genesis. The drug they injected me with was the same name as the virus, only a tad different. They called it 'Genesis-X': 'X' referring to the Roman numeral '10' for the amount of times they tried to find a cure. They believe that this one was the right combination. I can't say wether it was or wasn't, I left before they could finish the day's testing on me."

"What did the virus do to the human body?"

"Well, it would slowly cause the infected human to see hallucinations at first, being the primary stage. The second stage would lead onto blood loss from the pores, nose or mouth. The third stage would result in deep sleeps that range from an hour to three weeks. The fourth stage, the final one, would result in brain damage and eventual comatose. The infected would, in a way, become a vegetable."

"How does this virus spread?"

"Well, I was injected with it directly, so I don't know really. They only told me what the virus did and what the vaccine was supposed to do. They never really let me know of anything more than that."

"You never told me this." Aaron says; a little shocked at his sister's words.

She looks up at him sadly. "I never wanted you to know." She replies. "It's not something that is easily explained and I didn't want you to have to worry about getting sick while looking after me."

"I'm more worried about you than myself." Aaron replies. "They injected you with so many different viruses; it's a wonder that you're still alive."

"I'm tough. What would you expect?" She replies; a hint of a smile on her cheeks as she returns her gaze to Slate. "So," she asks. "What now?"

"I think there's nothing I can do, considering the nature of the virus. If these symptoms start, however, then I will try and help in any way that I can." Slate says as he glances as her arms. "Do you have any external injuries? Like cuts or bruises? Broken bones?"

"If she had anything like that," Aaron answers. "Then I would have taken care of it already."

Slate nods his head, not wanting to anger Aaron any further. He looks at Aaron quickly, judging if he needed any medical assistance, before deciding he was fine and leaves the pair alone.

Marita watches Slate leave, watching how he places his hood over his head and how he slightly slouches his back as the sides of the tent are pulled aside. She looks up at Aaron who had walked towards her and smiles. "I think we'll be safe here." She says.

"For now." Was his reply as he walks into the makeshift kitchen.

Marita could tell that he was worried for her; he had never really worried about his safety or anyone else's for that matter. It had always been her in his eyes, and it was something that she both loved yet hated at the same time. She wanted him to care for others as well, but knew that at the moment; she just needed all of his attention focused on her. She was being selfish, but it was only going to be momentary. If anything, she needed to learn to depend on others instead of just her brother.

Standing, she walks to one of the beds and lies down. It wasn't as soft as the hospital beds, nor was it as comfortable either. But it was better than sleeping on the cold, hard ground. She found herself slowly drifting off to sleep, her first real once since she had started living in that dreadful hospital. No smell of chemicals finding its way into her nostrils, no people checking on her in her sleepless sleep. No one whispering among themselves or switching shifts in the dead of night. No humming of medical equipment, no beeping from the heart monitors telling the world that she was still alive. No drugs being pumped into her body to help her relax for the night. No scribbling of a pen as she tries to drift off to her far away sleep.

If this was what freedom was like, Marita wished that Aaron had come to save her sooner.

She was asleep within a few seconds of lying down on the bed. Aaron watches her sleep, a small smile on the girl's cheeks, as he places a second blanket over her delicate frame. She looked like a porcelain doll sleeping there, her pale skin giving her that delicate light. He knew that she would want to explore everything when she woke up, and he wasn't going to be the one to stop her.

She was finally free now, free to do as she pleases.

He just hoped that her freedom would be safe as well.