Crystal studies my face expectantly, her eyes filled with hope. I can't say for certain, but I think mine are, too.

"I don't know," I say, "but I hope so. At least that would mean she's probably still alive."

Crystal smiles softly before looking at her legs. "You should go and find Asia first. She could be in more danger than I am."

I hesitate for a second before looking at the clock; we're running out of time. "Put those clothes on while I'm gone," I say, hugging her again. "I'll come back for you."

She pulls away slightly to study my face, her eyes filled with trust. "I know you will. Be safe."

I nod before slipping back into the corridor. It's early enough that the guards aren't bothering to patrol these hallways yet, but I know it won't be long before they do.

I unlock the door of the next room and stand in the dark. When the lights flicker on, it's not Asia I find, it's a petite, pixie-haired girl perched on the sofa with a thick paperback in her hands.

"Hello," she says, unfazed by my arrival. "Who are you?"

"Aura," I say. The disappointment I feel is unmistakable. "Who are you?"

"Lola," she says, glancing back at her book. "Please don't tell me you're my prince charming."

For a moment, I'm baffled. I study her features, knowing each one is as perfectly crafted as my own. It seems Reece had been wrong, after all. There are other girls still trapped in Marine World, and we would have left them behind.

Nausea turns in my stomach. "How long have you been up here?" I ask.

Lola looks up now, her eyes softening. "For as long as I can remember."

"How are your legs?" I ask. "Are they working?"

Lola scrunches her nose incredulously. "Why wouldn't they be?"

I furrow my eyebrows. "Because of the defect. I think it's starting to happen."

"What defect?" She raises an eyebrow. "My legs are pefectly fine."

I continue to stare at her, confused. Is it possible she wasn't born with the same defect as the rest of us? "If you can walk, then let's go," I say.

Lola smiles for a moment, but the fleeting happiness slips away almost immediately. "Oh, I'm not going anywhere," she says, fixing her eyes back on the pages of her book. "The guard will be here to deliver breakfast in approximately two minutes. You should go before they find you," she says in an easy voice, but I can see the disappointment behind her eyes. "You don't want to be here when they do."

I take a slight breath, able to hear the faint sound of footsteps clicking down the corridor. The front door beeps, sending me darting behind the sofa for cover. A female guard walks in with a tray on her trolley, reminding me of the woman who used to deliver my food back when I was living here, though her face is narrower, sterner. It seems Marine World has a conveyable of workers helping to keep us imprisoned, none of which seem to care.

She places the tray down, about to leave when Lola jumps up, demanding her to wait. After a moment's hesitation, the guard turns on her heel with a look of contempt, taking in Lola's pale nightgown before meeting her gaze.

"What?" she asks.

"I don't feel well," Lola announces. "I think I have a fever."

The guard pulls a face at Lola's theatrics. "I thought your kind weren't supposed to get sick." She moves towards Lola, extending her arm before resting the back of her hand on Lola's forehead. I get to my feet while the guard is distracted, grabbing the candelabra from the mantel at the same time the guard pulls away. "There's nothing wrong with you."

The guard leans over to pick up the tray before pausing. "Whose backpack is that?"

I smash the candelabra over the guard's head, but she doesn't drop to the floor like I'd hoped. It doesn't matter. Lola is already grabbing the guard's gun while I wrestle the woman to the ground.

"Don't shoot!" I hiss when Lola raises the gun.

The guard grabs my arm right where Jewel stabbed me, pushing her fingers in my wound. I let out a growl, wrapping my hands around her neck until she lets go.

Lola throws the gun to the side and jumps on top of the guard, pulling her off me. I crawl off to the side to inspect the damage to my arm, spotting red dots on the bandage.

A few feet away sits the bloody candle at. I grab it with both hands, waiting for Lola to move out the way.

"We don't have all day," Lola hisses, and with a slight intake of breath, I swing the candelabra even harder than last time right across the guard's head.

She drops mid-flail, landing with a thud against the hard, wooden floor. Breathless, I drop to my knees and reach for a pulse, feeling it pump through her skin.

"She's alive," I say.

"For now," Lola replies, jumping to her feet. "Let's go."

Without another word, I dive into my bag and pull out my guest clothes, laying them out on the table. "Get changed into these," I say.

While Lola changes, I scour the rest of the room for something sharp. "We need to get your tracker out. Have you got something sharp in here? A knife, or something?"

Without hesitation, Lola reaches into her bra and pulls out a makeshift shank. "What?" she says when she notices my expression. "You think I just sat around reading books for seventeen years? I have a whole cup full of weapons under my bed." She gives me a devious smile before handing me the weapon. "Where is it?"

"Your neck," I say. "Turn around." My hands shake as I lift the shard to her neck. Holding the knife between my fingers, I try to locate the small bump just under her skin. I copy Reece's movements, cutting into the nape of her neck the way he'd done to mine, but nothing is there.

"I can't find one," I say. "I don't think you have one."

"Are you telling me you just butchered my neck for no reason?" Lola growls.

"Sorry." I grab a small hand towel from the kitchen and hand it to Lola, who slumps back onto the sofa with exhaustion. "Don't get comfortable. My friend, Crystal, is next door and my other friend is locked in the Testing facility. We have to find a way to get them both out."

"No offence," Lola says, "but I've been stuck in this tower for seventeen years. I'm not about to go on a suicide mission to rescue your friends. I'm getting out of here."

"How far do you think you would get alone?" I ask, repeating the same question Reece had once asked me. "You don't know how to get to the exit, and even if you did somehow manage to, you'd be caught within five minutes. We have a way to get you out of here and away from Marine World for good, but I'm not leaving until I find my friends."

Lola stares at me for a moment longer, no doubt contemplating whether or not to make it on her own. I'd done the same thing, after all. "Fine," she huffs.

I smile a little, despite our circumstance. "Good." I swing my bag across my shoulder and head for the door. "Let's go."