At her S.E.A. classes, Marie juggled the need to be obedient, so she wouldn't bring suspicion on herself, but not being too obedient which might also cause suspicion.

It was a strange sensation, chatting with Sophie before their last class, knowing there was something deep and dark her guy friends knew about but not her. Marie was terrified of writing everything down and passing a note here in the S.E.A. If she was caught, it would be deadly. Mailing Sophie a letter was an option, but even though her parents were rarely there, it was still a possibility. Marie didn't want to leave it up to chance. More than ever she wished the sleepovers were still happening.

By the time their class was done, Marie still had no idea how to tell Sophie. Sophie was chatting as she held her thick poetry textbook close, and Marie was consumed with the thoughts and struggles in her head. She was on auto mode as they walked into the elevators.

"So?" Sophie asked.

Her thoughts evaporated as Marie glanced over. "So, what?"

Sophie gave her a look. "Are you going to answer my question?" The door closed, and Sophie hit the lowest button.

"Um, what was the question?" Marie asked.

She shook her head. "You've been out of it since you got here. What's going on?"

Another wave of exhaustion come over Marie, the exhaustion of lying. She promised herself it would only be for now. Marie would include Sophie into the group, they just couldn't discuss this in the S.E.A. building.

Thankfully she already had a good back up plan. "I'm on my period."

The suspicion deepened in Sophie's eyes. "You are not. It happened last week."

It dawned on Marie that she had indeed texted Sophie on a particularly bad day last week. "Oh, right. I did... text you."

"It wasn't just the text. I have a whole checklist of things you complain about while on your period, and they were all last week. Who complains about the texture of lettuce while in a normal frame of mind? Spill it, girl. What's going on?"

If Marie knew her best friend, Sophie wasn't going to drop it until the truth came out. Before the panic could truly seize her, they heard a beep, and the girls glanced over.

"Shoot, I didn't even realize these were the ID elevators," Sophie said. "I get on these all the time with my parents. Must have been instinctual."

"Come on, let's go," Marie said.

Sophie brought her backpack around. "No need." With a hefty thud Sophie dropped the poetry textbook in Marie's hand before she began to dig in her bag. She dug for about ten seconds before pulling out an ID badge.

Marie's eyes widened. "Where'd you get that?"

After swiping the card, Sophie flipped it to show her dad's picture. "Where'd you think? Stole it last night. The bar code should still work."

Marie didn't know if she should smile as she handed Sophie her textbook back. "You could get in trouble."

The gasp from Sophie was too long and high pitched to be considered real. "You mean, my parents might hate me for this?" She rolled her eyes as she pushed the lowest button again. "I do this to spite them. They get in trouble for losing them."

A quiet chuckle left Marie, and she realized how much she missed the carefree chats she and Sophie had.

Sophie stuffed the badge back into her backpack. "When are you going to tell me about what's bothering you?"

The unease settled back into the pit of Marie's stomach. With her being bugged, Marie knew the best way would be to somehow get a note to Sophie. Marie glanced around the elevators to see if there was a camera. She leaned close to Sophie, and as quietly as possible, said, "Not here."

Sophie's eyes brightened. Marie assumed Sophie thought it was the prospect of juicy gossip. It gave her an idea to keep it going, to let whoever might be listening in on the other side to not get suspicious.

"You know," Marie continued. "Boy stuff."

An excited squeal escaped Sophie's mouth as the elevator doors swung open. Both girls moved off the elevator before stopping in their tracks. The elevator closed behind them. Fear weaved its way through Marie's shoulders, tightening them. They weren't in the lobby. They were in a long, cold hallway with multiple doors.

"What is this place?" Sophie asked.

Marie shrugged. There was a door to their right with a couple windows looking into a room. The girls approached the windows and peered inside to see a darkened chemistry lab.

Sophie's jaw dropped as Marie's eyes darted around to make sure they were alone. It was after six, so whoever worked here must have left.

"What is this doing here?" Sophie asked.

Two ideas warred inside Marie's head. One was to turn around and run. The other was to stay and explore. She promised so many people to stay safe, but why did all these things keep happening to her by accident?

Sophie made the decision for her. She swiped her dad's ID badge in the reader, pulled open the door, and held it for Marie. The two girls entered the lab. Marie turned on the lights as Sophie went deeper into the room.

"This is top of the line stuff!" Sophie said, impressed. "Macbeth, look at this microscope! They must have sunk thousands of dollars on this thing alone!"

Instinct forced Marie to covered her ear piece as though it would stop the sound from entering whatever bug there was. They probably had minutes before they had to leave, and again she wanted to run, but the curiosity kept her in the lab. Marie crept forward, picking up a set of unbreakable glass Erlenmeyer flasks. She swallowed, glancing around. There were four tables in a large room, all covered in chemistry equipment. There was a small, walk-in freezer on the other side of the room. She could see different colored chemicals through its see-through door.

"Marie, come look at this," Sophie said.

She joined her friend who was looking at a laminated page with a chemical formula. Sophie put her textbook down on the table.

"This is more your talent. What can you figure?"

Marie took the page from Sophie and studied it. She glanced at the chemicals and frowned, her eyebrows furrowed in thought. Some of these chemicals she'd never heard of, which was insane to her. She thought she knew everything about chemistry. She tried to think what they all had in common, scratching her head as she thought. How could she find something in common when there were some she didn't even know about?

The last line of the directions read, Will wipe the hippocampus clean in twenty minutes.

She frowned in thought, then her mouth dropped open in shock.

"What?" Sophie asked. "You're freaking me out."

Thoughts jumbled around in Marie's mind. The second piece in her ear felt heavy as she once again realized she was bugged. Every small conversation played back, and she knew whoever was listening knew where they were. Before she knew this room was dangerous, but now? President Arnold warned her he wouldn't give her another chance, and this, what she stumbled upon...

Adrenaline kicked into her system. She stayed here to long. "We have to go. Now."

"Marie? What is it? What does it mean?"

"Hello Sophie." The girls both jumped and let out a shriek. They spun around to see Mr. Germain, glaring at Sophie, his arms folded tightly over his chest. "I've said it over and over. Stop stealing my cards."

Sophie glared at her dad. This did nothing to ease the adrenaline rushing through Marie's blood stream, but she didn't have anywhere to run. Why didn't she listen to the cautious side of her?

"You..." Marie said, her voice faltering. "The wall... the hobos..."

Mr. Germain's focus turned to Marie, his eyes narrowing. Marie realized it didn't matter if she were bugged. Mr. Germain found them out, and she was going to get in deep trouble anyway. Marie held up the laminated page.

"The wall doesn't create the hobos. You guys do. In this lab. You're wiping their memories," Marie said.

Sophie gasped. Mr. Germain focused back on his daughter, his eyes now narrow slits. If Marie didn't die, President Arnold would make her the newest hobo. She'd have to get out of here. Sophie grabbed the laminated paper out of Marie's hand then held it up to her dad.

"You hide something like this from the public, and you're complaining about petty theft from your daughter."

"I knew Marie was a bad influence on you," Mr. Germain said.

"Oh I don't know, Dad. I am your daughter. Maybe your evilness rubbed off on me."

Mr. Germain's eyes hardened. "You have no idea what it takes to run a perfect society. I don't expect you to understand. You're a spoiled teenager."

"And you're a villain! A man I'm ashamed to call my father! I will never get tired of telling you how much I hate you," Sophie said, vehemence dripping from her voice.

"You're lucky I was checking on some things down here and saw the light. If it was anyone else, you wouldn't be getting such a soft punishment. Hand over the page, and you'll walk out of here."

"And Marie?" Sophie asked.

Mr. Germain shrugged. "It's up to President Arnold to decide."

It wasn't a decision Marie wanted to hear. In a panic, she glanced around for an escape when she saw it. The gas supply for Bunsen burners. She saw a burner next to it, with the hose unattached. Marie stuck the hose on the gas and turned it on.

"Marie? What are you doing?" Mr. Germain almost sounded bored, like he was babysitting them.

She put the lighter over the burner then glared at Mr. Germain.

"I get out of here safe."

Mr. Germain smiled like he was humoring her. "Or what?"

Marie clicked the lighter only twice before the flame turned on. Marie grabbed the laminated page and held it over the flame.

"Or I burn this."

There was a pause, then Mr. Germain laughed. Marie shot a worried glance in Sophie's direction.

"I'm serious." Marie turned the flame as hot as possible. "I'll do it."

"Do you honestly think that's our only copy?" he asked.

Marie felt her knees shake but tried to stand determined. Sophie grabbed her poetry textbook. With how hot the flame was, she didn't have to hold it too long before her book began to burn.

Mr. Germain rolled his eyes. "Sophie, this is getting ridiculous. You're not going to study math next year, and that's final!"

To Marie's utter surprise, Sophie turned and threw the burning book at her dad. He seemed more surprised than Marie at the action. He let out a scream as he backed away. The book hit him and, in his struggle to swat it away, he hit the table and fell to the floor.

There was no time to see what the consequences of it were. Sophie grabbed Marie's arm. "Go! The elevators!"

Marie didn't need to be told twice. They both sprinted past Mr. Germain who had managed to push the book away and was putting out small embers on his shirt.

They ran out of the laboratory and came to the elevator. Marie hit the button over and over again. The elevator opened, and the two friends slipped inside. Sophie swiped the ID and jammed her thumb into the lobby button. The two girls panted as they watched the doors take forever to close. Mr. Germain burst from the lab and locked eyes with Sophie in the elevator. He glared as he reached into his pocket for his phone right as the doors closed.

Sophie turned to Marie. The look in her eyes made Marie's heart drop.

"My dad's calling back up. I'll run out of the elevator toward the side where the guards are stationed. There's a door close by, and I might still escape, but I'll distract them while you get out of here as fast as possible," Sophie said.

"I'm not leaving you here," Marie said.

"Yes, you will, Marie."

Marie was aware of the bug in her piece, but she doubted they could react in a split second. In fact, remembering the bug gave her a brilliant idea.

"I'll go over the wall. I'll go over there, find out what's there, then I'll tell you all about it when I get back, okay?" They would wait for her by the wall, and she'd run to the underground. It should give her the time she needed to find them.

Sophie nodded, blinking over and over to keep the tears inside. Music filled the room, and Marie's chip activated. They were supposed to be singing a duet, but Sophie gave a pathetic laugh.

"I'm not going to sing. Are you?"

Marie shook her head. "Not another day for the rest of my life."

They gave each other super short hugs. It didn't feel like long enough for how daunting the next few minutes felt like.

They broke apart and the elevator doors opened. Sophie and Marie ran out of the elevator and split, Sophie headed toward the back of the building toward the guards, and Marie straight through the lobby to the front door.

Marie couldn't help but feel she doomed her best friend to a horrible fate.

As she threw open the doors, she heard guards shouting, but above the shouting, she heard her best friend's scream.

"Run, Marie!"