Meanwhile, back in Melanie's room, Sadie had healed the upper half of her body and had moved on to healing her legs. Sadie was laying against pillows that Melanie had propped up behind her to help her sit up while she healed.

Melanie sat pensively watching the door, thinking, and remembering.

"Melanie, are you alright?" asked Sadie, breaking the silence.

"Sadie, how is everyone?" asked Melanie sadly. "Lucy, Brittney, Heather, Lauren, Marilyn, and everyone else? Are they okay? I haven't seen most of them since that night I was caught."

"Oh, they're all fine, Melanie," said Sadie. "They're all hiding, so they're safe."

Melanie followed up with, "What's life like out there? In the outside world. I feel like I've been stuck here forever."

Sadie chuckled and said, "It has only been three days. The world is the same as far as I can tell. We're keeping a low profile, but we're still trying to spread God's word, stop bad guys, and all that good stuff. Our other sisters have been very worried for you though."

"That's great," Melanie said in relief before she realized what she had said. "Not the being worried part. I don't want anyone to be worried for me. I mean I want people to care, but…"

"I know what you mean, lass," Sadie said. "You don't have to explain yourself to me."

"I've been able to look at some text messages on the app and have had a phone call with Lucy, but I'm usually not left alone long enough to talk to everyone else. The only time I've been left alone really is at night, and I have to take a sleeping medication so that I won't 'have trouble sleeping.' In the morning, I got shoved into the bathroom and have to be stealthy about reading the Bible so that that doesn't get snatched from me too. I hate it. I barely have time to myself."

"You really are a prisoner here," Sadie remarked.

"Tell me about it," Melanie said, leaning back against the wall. "Doctor Flug keeps telling me that Lucy and the Nun-jas have ruined my life and have just kept me from pursuing my true calling. Demencia is just horrible. Black Hat and Papi are pressuring me to become this demon just like them. They're starting to get into my head. I hate being a Nephilim. I wish I could be normal. Okay, scratch that. I like my powers. I wish I could have been born into a family of heroes or been born to meta-humans so that I wouldn't be connected to Black Hat at all."

"Well, they all sound like right igits if you ask me," said Sadie. "The evil in their hearts gives them overinflated egos that taint their view of everyone they see, like my mum and Lucy always say."

"Maybe, but…" Melanie muttered.

"But nothing!" Sadie cut her off. "Who are they to tell you who you are or what you have to be?! That's up to you! If they think they can tell you that and expect you to obey their wishes with a smile on your face, they're blithering idiots!"

Melanie smiled a little and said, "I guess so."

Sadie looked at her in offense, reached over, held her face in her hands, and said, "You guess so?! You know that to be true. Now, Melanie Marie de la Muerte, tell me what the bloomin' heck you want to be."

Melanie smiled, gripped Sadie's hands, and said, "I want to be a Nun-ja that serves the Lord and stands up for justice. No matter what they want me to be, I want to stay true to that and to myself."

Sadie smiled, let go of Melanie's face, and said, "Exactly. All those other villains can go stuff it. Except for Lunet, all your family can go stuff it too for all I care. No offense."

"None taken," Melanie said, leaning back against the wall with a sigh. "I hide it around all of them, but I'm so scared. Earlier today, I just had class. Then after lunch, I had to chase Demencia to get a chance to go outside. After that, Black Hat gave me this evil monologue about how I need to accept my evil heritage and threatened to dissect me if I didn't. I broke the ankle bracelet and tried to run away with 505, but Flug knocked me out and implanted a chip into me. I let some information slip out about Lucy and Black Hat tried to threaten me. I got the chip out and nearly bled to death. And you know the rest from the messages and our meeting on the beach. Dios mio, if this is day one, what will every other day be like? Especially now that you're here?"

Sadie looked aside and then looked at Melanie and admitted, "Melanie, I was so stupid. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have come like I did. You shouldn't blame yourself for any of this. It's not your fault. We'll just have to endure this together. If this must be one of the trials we endure in this life, so be it. It won't be for nothing."

"I know, but I don't want to endure this," Melanie complained.

"We have no choice, lass," Sadie said. "We have to be strong now. But don't worry. We aren't alone. Besides, you aren't the first person to escape from Black Hat."

"Yeah, God willing, I will get out of here one way or another," said Melanie, with a confident smile barely touching the corners of her lips. "You will too."

"Alrighty then," Sadie said. "Now that your confidence is restored, let's think of a good escape plan before they figure out where I am."

"Okay, are your legs feeling any better?" asked Melanie.

"I think so," Sadie said. "Hold on. Let me check."

Sadie sat up without help and moved her legs out from under the covers.

"You did it," Melanie said excitedly climbing out of the bed.

"Yes," Sadie said, hopping to her feet. "Now, let's crack on."

Unfortunately, just then, the two girls heard Flug and 505 approaching the door.

"Fluffy, I know you meant well, but the new girl can't share a room with Melanie," Flug said, opening the door.

Before either girl could make a move, Flug saw them both standing wide awake next to the bed.

Flug sighed dramatically in exasperation and said, "Great, you're both awake now. 505, would you get the new girl for me please?"

Melanie flew in front of Sadie and shrieked, "NO! LEAVE HER ALONE!"

Flug held up the remote to Melanie's bracelet, prepared to press the button, stared at her coldly, and said, "This'll be your only warning, Melanie. Move aside and go back to bed now."

"I don't care," Melanie retorted. "I'm the one who's supposed to be here, not her!"

"Melanie, I'll be okay," Sadie said, stepping in front of Melanie.

Melanie glared Flug down and turned back to Sadie, "No, you won't. You don't know what these monsters are…AHHHHHHHHHH!"

Flug had pressed down the button. He emotionlessly watched Melanie writhe on the floor for a few moments before he took his finger off the button.

"Hey!" Sadie pleaded while 505 worriedly scooped Melanie up and laid her on the bed. "Stop it, you bloody idiot! I'll go with you! I'll do whatever you want! Just stop it!"

"Thank you," Flug said, giving Melanie another quick zap when she tried to sit up and lunge forward.

"Hey! I said stop it!" Sadie cried as she climbed on the bed and tried to pull the bracelet off Melanie's foot.

505 whimpered sadly at the scene and looked at his father with pleading eyes.

Flug turned to 505 and said, "Buddy, I need you to take Sadie down to her new room."

505 nodded sadly while Flug pulled a syringe out of his pocket.

"Melanie, listen!" Sadie cried while she was still tugging on the foot bracelet. "Don't worry! Keep up the faith! We will see each other and be free again! Okay?!"

In one swift motion, Flug stuck the syringe in Sadie's neck, injected her with a sedative, and said, "Enough of that."

Sadie's eyes drooped until she almost fainted where she sat.

"Sadie!" cried Melanie, grabbing her arm to keep her from falling off the bed.

505 sadly picked up Sadie and carried her out of the room.

Sadie looked up at 505 and said, "I'm still a big fan of you though," before her eyes shut.

505 groaned guiltily as he looked back at Melanie and continued down the hallway.

With tears in her eyes, Melanie reached towards her friend, but Flug sat down on the bed, pushed her back down on the bed, and pulled the covers over her as he fumbled for another syringe in his coat.

"Sadie," Melanie cried as she feebly tried to reach in her direction. "Sadie…"

"Shhhhh…Hush now, Melanie," Flug said quietly, wrapping Melanie in a hug to keep her from rushing forward. "You know Black Hat doesn't like noise at night."

"But..." Melanie cried feebly trying to reach past the doctor with angry tears in her eyes. "Sadie…"

Once he had the sedative, Flug injected it into Melanie's spine, this time silently and more quickly. Melanie quietly whimpered in pain and limply leaned against his shoulder.

As soon as he was sure the girl fell limp, Flug laid Melanie down in the bed and tucked her back in.

When he got off the bed to leave, Melanie tried sitting up and fighting against the drug, so Flug sat back down on the bed and held her down by her arms.

Flug held Melanie in place as he let the chemical take its toll, staring down at her with his eyes half-lidded, seemingly without care. Halfway in his typical uncaring nature towards his patients. Halfway fighting against his own emotions to stay there.

Barely keeping her eyes open, Melanie asked, "What are you gonna do to Sadie? I know you're just a pawn, but you don't have to hurt her. Don't hurt her please."

"Black Hat will decide her fate," Flug said coldly. "You'll see his plan in the morning."

Melanie opened her mouth to talk again.

Flug put a finger over her mouth to shush her, but Melanie pushed it aside and said, "You're ultimately going to lose. Maybe that's why I feel sorry for you."

Flug scoffed and said, "I doubt that, kid. I really do."

"You don't get it…" Melanie said as her eyes slid shut. "I do feel sorry for you…"

With those words, Melanie finally drifted off to sleep.

Flug pulled the blankets Melanie's sleeping body. He then picked up Sadie's uniform and her phone with its charger and prepared to leave the room.

Before he left, however, Flug turned around and paused. He stared at Melanie for a few moments mentally fighting how touched he was feeling before he turned back around and left the room.

Flug soon joined up with 505 in the lab to make sure that Sadie didn't somehow resist her sedatives a second time.

505 pretended not to see Flug as he walked through the kitchenette and sitting areas that surrounded the cage until he finally entered it.

505 had tucked Sadie into bed and was placing toiletries, a bean bag chair, pillows, books, and whatever else he thought would make her comfortable around the cage.

Knowing how conflicted his bear was feeling, Flug placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "I'm sorry, buddy, but this is for Melanie's own good."

505 looked at Flug confusedly as he rubbed the sleeping Nun-ja girl's shoulder.

Flug sighed and said, "Hijo, I know this isn't easy to watch, but sometimes our work isn't pretty."

505 looked up at Flug and then back at Sadie to ask what they were going to do with her.

"I'm not sure, 505," Flug said, gently leading 505 to the cage's exit. "I'll have to ask Lord Black Hat about it in the morning. There's nothing we can do for Sadie now, buddy. Even if we were to hide her, he'd sense her presence and be able to find her. He'd also hurt me and you, and we don't want that."

Once they reached the door, 505 paused and sadly looked back at the sleeping girl one final time before he finally followed Flug out of the cage.

"In the morning after she wakes up, Black Hat will want to have a meeting with Melanie," Flug said.

505 looked at Flug to ask why.

"It's private between the two, but you'll see pretty soon," Flug reassured. "It's most likely to discuss the issue with Sadie intruding on the premises."

505 nodded sadly and left the room.

Flug then turned off the lights, and he and 505 headed to bed.