CHAPTER 3 – THE SISTER

"We need to let him out," said Teresa, anxiously biting her lip. "Chancellor Paige, we really need to let him out. He can't stand that much pain." She didn't want to act this way, but while Alby was shouting at the faces only he could see, Teresa didn't want to watch it with a smile on her face.

Chancellor Paige looked at the other subjects in the room. They weren't hearing Alby's screams or his face turning white with fear. While Teresa and Janson were watching this terrifying scene with her, she wanted Alby to keep staying there. She could reach his brain modules while watching him, and she was keeping track of what happening in his brain.

After doing some things with the computer, she turned to Teresa. "Tell Thomas to finish the simulation." It was a simple order with only six words but it made Teresa feel lightweight. She might be a strong fighter and an intelligent scientist but that didn't mean she could watch people going crazy.

She ran into the Simulation Room, she opened the door without knocking. When she got in, Thomas understood that he has to finish the simulation. Thomas immediately made Alby drink the antidote. After drinking the clear liquid, Alby fell on the floor.

"That's normal," said Thomas, trying to relax Teresa. "He will get up after half an hour."

Teresa got out of the room with Thomas while an employee of WICKED went in to take Alby to infirmary. "But what about the things he saw? Do you think he will forget these faces after half an hour? This is pure cruelty. It just makes me hate it." She whispered the last sentence because Chancellor Paige was standing next to her.

"Who wants to be next?" asked Chancellor. They were all looking afraid because they saw Alby going to infirmary unconscious. "Don't worry about your friend, this is a side effect of going into the Simulation Room. But after half an hour, he will be better than he was before."

Teresa's face whitened with fear. She knew this was her turn now. The blond boy who asked about his family stepped forward. "No," whispered Teresa. "Not him. Not the not-immune-boy." But she just put on a fake smile and got in the Simulation Room with him. I came over harder things, what is happening to me? she thought angrily.

"So," said Teresa when they both sat on the chairs. "I guess your name was Newt?" Newt nodded and Teresa smiled. "Okay, Newt. Can you tell me the main reason you are joining the trials?"

Teresa had to accept that this wasn't the best question to start a painful simulation. She tried to make him feel comfortable like Thomas did to Alby. Newt stopped for a moment, Teresa understood he was trying to find an answer that wouldn't make him look weak. "I am joining the trials for my sister."

Even though it wasn't a direct answer, it was clear that Newt's sister wasn't immune, just like him. "What happened to your sister?" she asked, trying to Newt tell everything about his sister.

"I am sure you are clever enough to understand," he said angrily. Teresa breathed in, thinking of what she should say next. "She is a bloody Crank."

"What about the rest of your family? Are they Munies?" Newt nodded, he didn't want to talk about it. But he thought he should've understood that getting into the Simulation Room wasn't going to be easy. Teresa looked at the camera in the room, if there weren't a camera, she would talk so much different to him. "But, after we find the cure, she will be alright."

Newt laughed with anger. "Do you really think you will find the bloody cure? I am trying to be hopeful but I am not really sure that you can find the cure!" Teresa wasn't sure either but she didn't say this.

"If you help us," she said, trying to use a peaceful voice instead of getting in a discussion with him. "We really will." They both didn't talk for a while. "On the second day, you will be able to see your families for the last time. I know you care about your family so much, but remember, you are here to help them."

Newt didn't say a thing but it was obvious the news made him happier.

"What about your education?" asked Teresa this time. She was trying to learn more about him. "I guess you are sixteen."

"Well, I was home-schooled until my mum discovered that her children weren't immune. So she stopped our lessons. It wasn't possible to learn something in a place like this anyway." He was right. Flare have destroyed their opportunity to live a great life forever. And if WICKED wouldn't find the cure, Flare would destroy their opportunity to live too.

Teresa was so thankful because she was immune.

She took the serum glass out of the drawer because she didn't have anything left to say. And looking at the face of the poor boy was not making it easier for her. She didn't want him to drink the serum either, actually. She knew this was going to make him see his worst fears. "Drink this," she said, giving the glass to Newt. Newt looked at the blue liquid with worry. Then he drank the whole liquid at once.

"Sorry," whispered Teresa, as the serum went through Newt's throat. "I am sorry for everything."

Newt knew he shouldn't drink this but he didn't have a better thing to do. And Chancellor Paige told them that if they did what they told, nothing harmful would happen. At this point, the only think he could do was trusting her.

Suddenly, the pale face of Teresa disappeared and left its place to a face Newt known for a real long time. He saw a face that looks alike to him. He wanted to close his eyes, he knew this was an illusion, he was never going to see his sister like this.

She would sometimes gain some sanity, but he knew as the time passed by, she would be totally insane. He didn't want this to happen, that was the only true reason he joined the trials. If he would find the cure, then her sister would be all right again.

"Brother?"

He didn't want this simulation to last longer. This was enough for him. "Sylvia?" he asked to his sister who is not really there. He also wished to see her sister like this again. But a simulation he knew that will never come true was making it harder for him.

"It's me," said Sylvia. The pain in her voice was obvious. Newt wanted to wake up, he knew this was not real. This was too perfect to real. He had to open his eyes. This was just WICKED's cruelty. The day before he left the house, Sylvia told them that WICKED would never find the cure.

"They are growing our hopes and then they will kill them one by one."

Her words affected him a lot. "This is not you. I know I will never get to see you this sane when I come home." He closed his eyes, he didn't want to scream. He wanted to let all those hallucinations go away. "Go away, this is not Sylvia," he whispered to the image.

"I am so disappointed brother," said the image. "How come can you not remember me?"

Teresa, didn't want to watch all of those things. She wished she could just end everything with giving him the antidote and make his mind clear again. But if she did this, Chancellor would see it. She wished they had never put a camera here.

While sitting there, she couldn't see the face Newt was seeing but she was pretty sure that this face belonged to his sister. She was also sure that it was painful. Subjects don't deserve this, she thought in despair.

After minutes that felt like forever, Thomas got in the room and she didn't let him say anything. She just made Newt drink the antidote before even he couldn't understand what happened.

When all the faces he saw were gone, Newt fell on the floor unconscious just like Alby.

While he was taken to the infirmary, Teresa was trying to ignore her shaking hands. But Thomas saw the despair on her face. They walked out of the room. It was Thomas' turn now.

"I can't stand this anymore, Tom," said Teresa, trying to gain hope from the thought of them helping the people with the cure. But it didn't help. There were so many boys that were going to face their biggest fears too.

Fears are stronger than hopes, thought Teresa.