Chapter Eighteen

"Rhea? Rhea, wake up!" I shake my sister awake, ignoring her sounds of protest. Her roommate rolls over, but is luckily still fast asleep. Just in case, we whisper.

"Ember, wha-?" Her hair is frizzed out in a red puff ball all over her face, but it does nothing to detract from her irritated expression.

"You promised to do whatever I said. Now is the only time we can use the exam rooms, which we need to figure out how to fix your brain. Come on, we've got to go."

"Later," she groans. "What time is it, anyway?"

I glance at my watch. "Too dark to tell. I'll let you know once we get there."

After more insistence, I eventually sneak Rhea down into the lab. They have had me interning in medical research ever since I came here at the age of fifteen, so I'm fairly adept when it comes to utilize the necessary equipment.

"I'm going to monitor your brain waves, and compare them to those of an unmarked one. I'll work on from there. So lay down. But stay awake."

She scowls at me. "Ember, I know! Come on, I can do this."

I stick sensors to her forehead once she lays down. Connecting the wires and switching on the computers, I hope for the best. Honestly, I've never done this before. But I can't tell her that. By the way she's blinking faster than usual, I can tell that she is nervous. "I'm going to go back there and write down exactly what happens, okay. Just stay here, stay awake, and be as still as possible. Deep breaths, okay? And don't talk. Basically, let your mind wander, and stay relaxed."

"Are you sure you know what you're doing?"

"I've seen this done so many times," I insist, crossing a blue wire overtop of a green one. "Just trust me, Rhea. I'll be watching everything. I'll be able to tell if we need to stop."

I walk out without another word. We are separated by a glass panel, and I'm able to give her instructions through a microphone port. "Alright, I'm starting it up... I'm using full power, so you may feel a little tingling at first. That's normal, I think. On three."

She nods, then stays completely still. I count down for her. On three, I throw the switch and press a start button, recording the brain waves on our computer monitor. She winces slightly, and I hear a static hum.

"Alright, Rhea, lets leave it running for about ten minutes or so. I've got another sample for comparison, so I'll bring you back here in a day or so. Will you be able to handle ten more minutes? Also, can you tell me what it feels like? I need a portion of the test with you talking."

"I can do it." She pauses, thinking. It's kind of a tingling feeling," She starts slowly. Like electricity. It burns a little. I feel like it goes through my scalp."

"That's normal. Just tell me if anything changes." I go back to the computer monitor. "Your brain waves seem extremely responsive. As soon as you talked, they picked up. They're a bit bigger than average. Now, over here, this indicates-"

"Ember, Ember, stop!Eyes squeezed shut and teeth gritted, she blindly pulls the sensors away, fumbling. "Something went wrong... Stop it!"

"Rhea, breathe. I'm shutting it down. It's going to be okay. It's... Rhea!"

Her hands are still clutching her just like in the last monuments in the Arena, her eyes roll up into the back of her head, and she completely still. I scream, turning out to her.

"Rhea, come on, wake up. It's okay, it's over. I turned it up. Wake up, Rhea!" Her heartbeat is still strong, though fast. We need help, but to be caught would be disastrous. "Rhea..."

The door swings open. My research director comes barreling in, disheveled and fuming. I don't blame him, not in the slightest.

"What have you done?!" He yanks the last sensor from Rhea's head. "You never do this unauthorized. I expected you to have more common sense, not to mention regard for your sisters safety!"

I swallow hard, looking down at her pale, still form. "Will she be okay?"

"Only if we get her in right away. Those lesions we place in tribute minds? They expand and morph when exposed to electromagnetism. And you just used a lot of it."