so, just a tip. Halfway through this chapter the POV changes to Nandini, but back to Louisa after that. You'll know when you read it.

It's official. I hate the sun.

First it decides to scorch the earth and take out half of our forests. Then it decides to cause a virus to spread—one that has wiped out a large chunk of the human population. And now, it's slowly killing me.

My skin passed pink a long time ago. Now as I look down at my arm, it's a light shade of red with pus-filled blisters popping up. If I so much as touch one of them, it bursts then starts to burn. It doesn't matter if I only travel at night and cover my skin when I'm sleeping during the day. I still feel like a burnt chicken. I probably look like one too.

If I don't die of thirst or hunger, and manage to survive the Scorch, skin cancer will set in later and kill me then.

Perfect.

" We need water. " Nandini says for the billionth time tonight. She doesn't have to remind me. Every time I open my mouth to speak a plume of dry air sucks the moisture out of my mouth. It's even worse when you consider the fact that I haven't had water since I got left out here. Our chances of survival are looking slimmer and slimmer. But I won't give up. I refuse to give up.

I nod my head, but slow to a stop when I see something. Buildings are looming in the distance. They are tall and ruined; half of them lean to one side, making them look like they could fall over at any moment. This must be the Scorched City. If I have to travel any further than that, I'll pass out from exhaustion and lack of nutrition. I have two days left at the most if I don't find water. If I find water, but no food I'll last a little longer. If I find both I'd think I died and went to heaven.

Wait, murderers don't go to heaven.

I'd sigh if I had the energy.

" That's the Scorched City. " Nandini says, casting a glance at me. I look at her, wondering how she can muster the energy to talk. Perhaps she's just gotten use to operating on little food. I've always been fed and protected; she's always been out here suffering and barely surviving. Never living.

" It's where WICKED found us. "

" What? " My voice comes out raw and scratchy. She combs her fingers through her hair, and braids it to the side before answering.

" Newt and I were born there. " She seems to zone out, lost in another memory when her family was together. " I was so happy when WICKED found us. We hadn't eaten in days, and the water was running low. They came in with fresh food and so much water. "

Her voice takes on that tone I've come to recognize over the past couple of days: wistful.

" They tested all of us, saying they'd only take us if we weren't infected. Newt was the only one who was clean. He begged to stay with us, but mom and dad wouldn't let him. I wanted him to stay. Oh, I wanted him to stay so badly. I knew dad was losing his mind, and so was mom. I saw it in their eyes. I needed Newt to stay. But as I watched him leave, I let myself think he would have a nice life. Free of the Flare. And suddenly I was glad to watch him go. "

Newt's past. I never let myself think about it. In my mind, all of our lives started when we got to WICKED. Nobody ever thinks about what happened before WICEKD. The Familiars can't even remember what happened before the Maze. Suddenly, it feels wrong to hear about Newt's past when he doesn't even know himself.

" Then dad went missing and mom lost her mind. Last year I felt the smallest inkling of the Flare taking root in my mind, slowly twisting my emotions. I knew I had to find Newt before I completely lost it. If not to see him then just to tell him goodbye. To tell him that I loved him. "

Why is she sharing her life story with me? Is this a sign of trust? Or is the Flare digging deeper in her mind, and she wants someone to know? Someone to tell Newt?

" Promise me, Louisa. " She says, grabbing my arm. When she looks into my eyes, I see my own ragged face reflected in hers. My fears, my worries, my concerns. " Promise me that if I lose it you'll kill me. "

" What? No. I can't. " I say, shaking my head. I don't care if she just told me her life story. I will not kill any other people. Especially not Newt's sister.

" Please. " She begs, " I don't want to hurt anyone. Not like my mom, and not like my dad. "

I have to take a deep breath. It causes my throat to hurt and burn, and my eyes would've watered if they could have.

Killing Nandini if she completely loses it. I can't do that. But I'll promise it because it won't get to that. I'll get her the cure she deserves. Then I'll help WICKED distribute it around the world, to so many people like her with the same struggles. I may not agree with WICKED's methods, but if it ends up with a cure, I'll give it to the people. I'll give it to her and I won't have to kill her.

" I promise. "

What was it that I said one time? About promises I couldn't keep. Oh yea, it was I can't make promises if I don't know whether or not I'll be able to keep them. It was right after I had gotten raped, and ran into the Maze to get Griever serum. Newt had thought I was going to kill myself, and made me promise I wouldn't. I've managed to keep that promise so far, but this new one is so much more heavier. It's not about my life; it's about a thirteen year old girl's life.

She nods and we continue walking on our path to the Scorched City. The past two days that we've spent walking in the same direction have been pure and utter hell. The bite in my leg and the cut on my back throb with every step. I ripped part of my shirt off to bind my leg and prevent it from bleeding, but it soaked right through the thin fabric. Now, not only am I missing part of my shirt but I have a bloody rag wrapped around my leg. At least it keep some of the dirt from getting into it, but if I don't get a clean bandage soon….

" Why did you tell me about what happened before WICKED? " I ask, needing to take my mind off of the bite. Learning about Newt's past can't hurt anything, right?

She just shrugs.

I hear a bark, and I take up a defensive stance. I never learned how to defend myself against animals, but Cranks are nearly the same. They both want to kill me. They both just want to survive—or at least I think that's what Cranks want. I don't know what goes on inside their heads.

I turn in a circle, looking for the source of the bark when I see Nandini. She's looking behind me with a hopeful look on her face, not like something is about to kill her. Maybe she hopes it will kill her. Wait, no. She wants to see Newt, so she shouldn't want to die. Then why—

My thoughts are interrupted as I'm tackled from behind. A rough paw pushes against the cut, sending a sharp pain through my back and stomach. I grit my teeth. This thing has to weigh over a hundred pounds. I feel like I'm going to be squashed as I wait for the creature to bite me, but it never happens. Instead I feel it lick the back of my neck, causing it to tickle. I laugh and Nandini moves the dog off of me.

" Lexi, no. " Nandini scolds the large dog, but then her face melts into happiness as she drops to her knees and brings the dog to her chest. " Oh, I thought I'd lost you! "

The dog—Lexi apparently—licks Nandini's face. Nandini buries her face in the dog's matted golden fur, but the only thing I can think of is how hot the sand must be under her legs. They're probably burning. I know my butt burns when I sit down, sometimes so much I have to stand. But Nandini doesn't even seem to notice it as she reunites with an old friend.

I can't stop the slow smile from spreading across my face.

" This is Lexi, " Nandini mumbles into the dog's fur, " She's been with me since Newt got taken. "

That dog has to be at least ten or eleven. Nandini probably formed a special bond with the dog in Newt's absence. I have to let it come with us, even though it's another thing to feed, hydrate, and keep safe. We could always just—

NOPE. I won't do that to a dog. It would make me no better than a Crank.

" We should rest here. " I say as I look at the orange sun rising over the horizon, painting the sky different colors. Purple, pink, yellow and blue. It's a beauty that I've seen a lot recently. In the Maze we never saw anything like this, so each and every time I see it, I appreciate it. And each time, I wish Newt could see it too. I'm hoping, that by some miracle, the Familiars are still in that building, eating food and laughing. I'm hoping they're safe.

" I'll take the first watch. " Nandini says, as usual. I nod as I plop down in the sand and lay down. I feel like I'm being baked and the sun has barely risen. My head is pounding from dehydration, and my limbs feel heavy. The world has been spinning faster lately—or at least that's what it feels like. Every morning I don't know if I'll be able to fall asleep in this unbearable heat, but I always do. But each day my condition worsens, never improving.

Now, as I force myself to drift into a land restless sleep, I wonder if I'll ever wake up again.

….

Louisa is finally asleep. She laid there for a good thirty minutes before her chest started rising and falling steadily. She probably wonders why I always take the first watch. I just like to watch the sun rise. It reminds me of the days I spent with my family in that run-down building. Everyday we watched the sun rise and listened to the screaming of Cranks die down. They don't like the sun all that much, or at least not the ones past the Gone. The sun doesn't bother me.

Lexi lays down in the sand next to me. I inspect her for cuts, or anything that might signal that she's hurt, but she's fine. I let out a breath of relief. If Lexi were hurt… I don't think I'd be able to lose her twice. Just like I did with my mom.

My mom's face is constantly in my mind, raw and growling at me. Growling. Humans aren't supposed to growl like deranged animals. They aren't supposed to attack their daughters that run into their arms, crying tears of relief. I thought my mom had died. When I saw her standing there, so far away from civilization and anything, really, I had hoped that she had gotten away and the Flare had decelerated. I let myself hope for the first time in years, and I got crushed because of it.

I should expect the worst. That way I'm either right and not disappointed or wrong and pleasantly surprised.

If Louisa hadn't come over that sand dune and tackled my mom, I don't know what would've happened. I froze when my mom attacked me. I didn't know what to do. I couldn't hurt her. Because in my mind, the woman that was attacking me still cared for me deep down. Somewhere in that crazed mind, she loved me. I want to believe that. But even I know that's not true.

And now she's dead. There's no hope of her ever getting rid of the Flare.

I'm still pissed at Louisa for that.

She broke my mom's neck and killed her without thinking twice about it. Without considering the consequences. She has to pay for what she's done. I don't care how much Newt loves her. I don't care if she did save my life. She deserves to have her neck broken just like my mom did. I just have to make her trust me, then lure her into a trap.

I laugh.

This is going to be fun.

….

I wake up shivering. The sweat against my skin has gone cold instead of the blistering hot it normally is. The coldness of it would feel good if I didn't feel so sick.

Oh well.

I struggle to get to my feet. Nandini is lying a couple of feet away, sleeping away. She forgot to wake me up. I don't blame her. We're both exhausted and we both need rest. I can let it slide, just this one time. Mainly because she had a dog that would bark if a Crank came near us. But even the dog is sleeping. In fact, I think she's snoring.

I distribute my weight evenly between my two legs, delighted to find that my right leg can still support me. It's weak, just like every other muscle in my body, but it still works. Good enough for me. I just need to keep walking, and maybe I'll be safe one of these days.

I look up at the city, the sun setting to my right. It's beautiful, but I know why we couldn't see sooner. There aren't any lights. In fact, the city looks dead. More like a graveyard than a city. Dark and foreboding. Certainly not the lit and welcoming that I was hoping for. If this is one of the only cities in the Scorch… Then we're screwed. This may be where Nandini spends most of her time, but it's not where I would care to spend mine.

But it's the closest thing to shelter within a five mile radius. I'm stuck going to an abandoned city. Maybe there are small groups of people there that would help us. Supply us with food or water. From what Nandini told me earlier, it seems highly unlikely. Food and water are probably the currency in that city. The people that have the most are either in hiding, or the most popular and looked-up too.

" Get up Nandini, " I say while bending down with a wince and poking her. " I want to reach that city before the sun rises. "

She groggily opens one eye and glances at the city. " Too far. " She mumbles.

" I have to get back to the Familiars as soon as possible. We're leaving now. " I stand and wince again when the world starts to sway. I haven't looked at the bite since I wound the bandage around it. I should probably check, later. Because right now I have to get to that city and ask people if they know of any facilities nearby that have been housing a group of kids. Then I'll make my way back to the Familiars and we'll survive the second Trials together.

I start to walk away from Nandini. The sound of someone yawning and a stretching dog fill the air. I slow my walk as she trudges next to me while rubbing the sleep out of her eyes with her dog in tow. I knew she would follow me. Maybe she's starting to get attached to me.

" We can make it. I know we can. " I say, turning my head and smiling at her. She smiles back and the dog nudges my hand. I rub it's head as it's tail wags and Nandini starts to talk.

" I know too. We'll get to where ever we're going, and even further. We'll survive. " The smile on her face grows and I can't help but think:

I wouldn't mind having a little sister.

I am loving writing this so much. Once again, special thanks to swagmaster5000 for reading this before I put it up, and giving me feedback.

What did you guys think? I was a little disappointed in the length, but that's not that big of a deal.

I'm stuck. I don't know who's POV to write in next chapter. Louisa's? Or Minho's? What do you think?

I was reading Fighting Against You earlier, and I realized how much has happened to Louisa and I felt guilty for what I put her through. But then I realized that it was important for her character and I was like never mind. I also really wish that Fighting Against You was written better. I'll go back and revise it someday.

Ok so about the Adventure Time fanfic, I don't have a summary of it yet. Every single one I write just doesn't seem good. I'll get there eventually.

I am super tired. Have a good day, night, evening, morning, afternoon, I'm going to sleep.