I use a warm washcloth to gently remove the caked blood from Eric's face and hairline. There's no point cleaning him entirely right now, not when moving him around will cause nothing but pain.

The hard grimace of his mouth eases and his jaw unclenches just enough for him to mutter another, "Bella?"

"It's me. It's Bella," I say softly as he cracks an eye open.

"How… Why…?"

I quiet him with a finger against his trembling lips. "Hush. You'll be okay. We'll leave the questions for when you're stronger."

He nods as much as he can and lets his body relax under my touch. I keep stroking the dirty parts of his skin that I can see, those not obscured by rags meant to be clothes, in a soothing motion.

He looks terrible. He's lost a lot of body weight rapidly and his hair is crusted in old blood.

How long was he tortured for before the truth came out? A day? A week? The majority of cuts and bruises on his body aren't fresh — many already healing naturally. I pray it wasn't too long; not that being in here is a much better option.

"You know the kid?" I hear Jacob ask as he enters the cage to help lift Eric onto his new metal cot. He's gentle enough that Eric doesn't twitch.

"Not really. We went to the same school but we never spoke."

"Why not?"

"You don't think it's because I didn't want to associate with a shifter?"

"No."

I throw him a smile. "I simply didn't have many friends at school. I'm pretty anti-social for the most part and don't fit in very well."

"I find that hard to believe," he says under his breath before calling out, "Sam, do you still have the medical things in there with you?"

Rustling sounds out from Sam's corner. "There's a bit here, yeah."

"Throw me anything that looks like it would help with pain and any antiseptic liquids if it's there. We'll have to deal with any open wounds he has."

Between the three of us — me, Jacob, and Sam — we manage to disinfect Eric's cuts, clean him up, and accidentally knock him out with some heavy looking painkillers. The painkillers took a bit of work getting down his throat but Jacob coaxed the pills down with water while massaging his throat, forcing Eric to swallow it all whole.

"What now?" Jacob asks when I cover Eric's sleeping body with a new, warmer blanket.

"You're asking me?" I say with a curious glance. "I thought you'd know what to do. What's meant to happen when someone new arrives?"

"Nothing. They sit here and rot with the rest of us."

I send him a stern warning through expression alone. "None of you will be rotting on my watch. Should we… should I try to get him to the medical center? Call somebody in to check him over?"

"No point," he says and cranes his neck to the side, releasing a muted crack. "No-one's ever around. The only doctor that comes around for us is X, and she's not the kind of doctor that wants to relieve our pain, if you get my drift."

"What happens if it's life threatening?"

Jacob gives me a pointed look, as if I should know the answer by now.

"Right," I nod. "You die."

"We die," he agrees and smoothes a hand over Eric's head. He takes the nearby cloth and dabs it over his forehead to clean up the excess sweat.

"Edward did say that if it's bad enough I could ask him to bring someone in. A doctor from the outside."

Jacob's hand pauses. "I wouldn't trust anyone he brings in. They'd probably put us down for a simple cold than bother fixing it. We'll deal with our problems on our own. Now, go grab your things. I'll make room for you in here somewhere, and set up one of the old cots for you to sleep in."

"You can't be serious," I say, my mouth agape. "I thought you were joking before! I'm not really going to sleep in here."

"Too good for our cages?"

"A worm is too good for these cages." I pause. "Uh, no offence meant Nicholas."

Nicholas just laughs. "No offence taken."

I narrow my eyes at Jacob. "And what would happen if I sleep here and Edward comes creeping into my room at night to discover me gone? Maybe he'll come here. How would I explain why I'm sleeping in your cage with you?"

His smile turns predatory and a gleam of something shines in his eyes. "Now, I never said anything about you sleeping with me. That thought's all on you."

I can feel my entire body reddening with mortification as I stiffen. "I didn't… I didn't mean that literally. I meant it figuratively."

"Sure." He loses the smile and touches the side of my neck lightly, trailing his finger down the slope of it before rubbing them together.

"What are you doing?" I say, jerking back from him before I do or say something even more mortifying.

"What are those white spots on your neck?"

I clasp a palm over them instinctually. My fawn spots. "A birthmark."

"It doesn't look like a birthmark."

"Actually it's vitiligo. I've lost my pigmentation there but no-one really notices because I'm pale enough as it is."

I rake my fingers through my hair and arrange it to cover my neck. "I need to start cleaning."

"I think this room is as clean as it's going to get."

"Then I need to check on Sam's injuries."

"Nope," Sam mutters. "I'm fit as a fiddle. Have been for a while now."

"What's got you so nervous?" Jacob asks, pushing my hair away. "These spots? Or that you're going to be sleeping in here from now on?"

"I'm not going to be sleeping here."

"You are."

"Jacob, I'm not."

I am.

Many hours later I'm pulling the blanket tighter around my shivering body. I glare in Jacob's general direction as I shift onto my side in front of the heater. He had pulled one of the spare cots out earlier in the day and set it up in the open area near the door, throwing the new pillows and blankets I had bought on top.

"I don't like the thought of you in a cage," is all he said when I asked why I was going to be in the open space.

I don't admit it out loud, lest it boosts his ego, but I'm somewhat thankful for Jacob's insistence that I sleep here. The thought of being unconscious while Edward is around is frightening. Just remembering how he licked my neck sends shivers of revulsion through me.

Not that I think he would have been around tonight. He wasn't in the dining hall during lunch or dinner, and I didn't see him anywhere on the ground floor when I went to shower. If fate is kind, maybe Edward's been caught for murdering the blonde trainer and the government's sending out a replacement to take over.

"I can see you glaring at me, little maid," Jacob says, distracting me out of the thoughts of Edward.

"I'm not glaring at you, I'm glaring at the wall behind you."

"Then stop and go to sleep."

I huff a sigh and stop glaring in his direction, instead looking out to where Eric is still sleeping fitfully. For over twelve hours, since we knocked him out with painkillers, he's been sleeping and hasn't woken once.

"Do you think we gave him too much?" I whisper.

"He'll be fine. I can see his eyelids moving. He's just asleep."

I can see them moving, too, but it makes me think he's having a seizure. All he needs is the froth at the mouth to complete the image. Throwing off my blanket I tiptoe into Eric's cage and kneel down next to him, pressing my fingers against his neck.

"His pulse is really fast."

"Bella…"

"Jake, I think you need to check it. What if there's something really wrong? He might die in his sleep."

Eric's heartbeat picks up and he begins to sweat, turning his head away from my touch.

"I'll do it. Let me out," Sam yawns, stretching out his fatigue. "We don't want Jacob to have to bend his bars anymore than necessary."

"Right." I hurry to open Sam's door and he shuffles past me, taking up my previous position next to Eric. He presses two thick fingers to his neck.

"Hm," he mumbles. "You're right, it is a bit faster than expected."

Before I can ask him what I should do Sam leans over Eric and lightly slaps his face. "Hey kid, wake up. You've had enough sleep."

"Don't hit him," I hiss and pull his hand back. "He's probably in a lot of pain still."

"I'm not hurting him. He's too doped up on painkillers." Another slap. "And needs to get up so you stop worrying."

Groggily his eyelids start to flutter open and his heart rate begins to drop to a normal pace.

"He's waking up," I say, and block Sam from delivering another slap. "Eric, can you hear me?"

"Bella? Bella!" he cries and grabs my wrist, quickly coming out of the drug-induced sleep. "Bella."

"Check him for head damage," Jacob says from across the room. "He doesn't seem to be able to say anything else."

Is that jealousy I detect?

"You're here?" Eric continues. "How?"

I pat the hand he's holding me by. "My career letter assigned me here. I'm just the cleaner but I promise I'll take care of you."

"Don't let them take me back there," he says and begins to cry. I drop down next to his bed and pull him into a hug. "I don't want to go back. I can't go back there."

"You won't go back," I promise. "You'll stay here with us. You don't have to leave."

"They put me in darkness and told me to shift, and I did. I did it the second they asked and they still… they still hurt me. They attached hooks to my temples and injected me with things. I did everything they asked. Why did they keep hurting me?"

He rests his head on my shoulder and weeps, which in turn makes me start to cry.

"You have a family here," I whisper. "We'll take care of you now. You won't go back."

Sobs continue to wrack his body as he tugs on my hand lightly and makes room on his cot. "I don't want to sleep alone here in the dark. Can you…?"

Without a word I lie down next to him and don't push his arm away when it curls over my torso. Jacob grumbles something under his breath but when I shoot a quick, "what?" at him he falls silent.

Eric falls back asleep almost instantly, probably still doozy from the drugs and now the crying session. I'm too awake to even try.

"You shouldn't sleep with him like that," Jacob whispers in the darkness.

"There's nothing wrong with it," I whisper back defensively. "I'm comforting the poor guy. He's clearly been through a lot."

"I'm not talking about being with him for comfort. New prisoners are likely to be explosive and lash out. What if he has a nightmare and thinks you're an enemy? What if he's a blue whale and he accidentally shifts, crushing you before you can escape? It's not safe."

"How would you know what new prisoners are like? You're the latest one here. What I do know is that he needs someone to cry on, who isn't afraid to comfort him when he needs it."

"We can do that, and we'd do it without the extra risk. Your human body is too fragile if anything went wrong."

"I'm not leaving him," I whisper.

"Bella," he says, exasperated. "The kid is not in good shape."

"He'll get better. I know he will."

Eric hasn't settled at all when Monday morning comes around. If anything, the slight shock at being here in the Cullen manor has ebbed and his panic attacks and fears are only getting worse.

"Bella!" he cries when I come back from my shower that morning. "Where'd you go?"

"I had to get changed, shower, and get your breakfast," I say and haul the food sack over to Jacob, who takes it easily with one hand. Then I hand out the few no-bake muffins I was able to make, and thankfully make taste better by heaping in far too much sugar. "So, I've almost run out of muffin ingredients but Alice — the human chef here — goes out a few times a week. I'll ask her if I can go along again the next time she does to pick up more. This will be the last batch for a little while. Well, at least the last batch that tastes edible. Until then I've stacked a bunch of things that shouldn't go off like dry noodles and beans into the storage cupboard."

"You're going out? Let me come with you."

"Eric, I can't, it doesn't work like that. I can't just bring you with me outside for a joyride."

"Yes you can. You can hide me in the back of the van or car that she uses and I'll jump out when she's driving.

I sigh. "That's a terrible idea. If we were going to work out an escape plan, and I'm not saying we are, then it has to be more foolproof than that. There's so much that can go wrong with that plan that I'm not even going to consider it."

His thin arm reaches through the bars towards me, simply waving around with no purpose. Swallowing a sympathetic moan I unlock his cell with my access card in one hand and tug open the door with the other. He jumps out at the first opportunity and comes straight for me.

"Watch it, kid," Jacob bites out when Eric grabs my upper arm a little roughly.

"Sorry," he mumbles but doesn't let go. Instead, he pulls me to the main enclosure door and looks at it pointedly.

"Eric… You don't really expect me to open that up and let you walk right out, do you?" I ask with raised brows.

It seems that's exactly what he expects me to do as he lashes out and makes a grab for the card I keep in my pocket. I push back at him with an open palm, not rough, just firm. "Don't."

"This is your second warning," Jacob says, his voice gradually growing louder. "Let's not get off to a bad start. We're stuck with each other for a while."

Warnings? Right. I don't believe for a second he'd act out against one of his own. Especially not a scared and desperate newcomer who hasn't reached adulthood yet. I run my hand down Eric's arm in a show of comfort.

"Look," I start. "You want to get out of here and I get that. Of course I do. Who wouldn't? I don't think this is the way you should be doing it but if you're willing to take that risk then I'll do my best to help. We can sit down and try to think of something together. Something that doesn't involve walking straight out that door into armed guards who are probably out there right now waiting to take these guys to their fighting practice. Okay?"

"You'll really help?" he asks, his eyes widening with hopeful joy. Puppy dog eyes if I ever saw them.

I nod and direct him back onto his cot. "I'm not saying we'll do anything but we can talk about it."

"Anything for me to do?" Evan asks one cell over. "I can help work something out. You won't even know I'm there. I want to be part of this action, too."

"No-one will be doing anything," Jacob says darkly. "Do you get me? It's not happening. You miraculously make it out and within the hour they'll have bulletins playing over the country with your face plastered on it. You'll never be able to set foot in a town again." He sends Sam and the other older males a pointed look. "Just be smart. I promise it won't always be like this."

"Yes it will," Eric whines. "I'll take the risk of bulletins and infamy."

"Risks… Maybe that's what we should be writing down," I think aloud, wondering if I should go get my notepad. "Possible risks and consequences, and what actions would have to be taken to avoid each of them. Like, if there are news bulletins we might have to leave the state. Depending on where they're played maybe even the country. We could travel on lesser known roads, because the highways would be off-limits. I don't think they'd try looking for—"

"Bella!" Jacob snaps. "What are you doing? Have you only been pretending to have common sense this whole time?" I glare hard. "You can't make a contingency plan for this. Nor should you be. Leave my pack's protection and wellbeing to me."

"Leave it to you?" I almost laugh. "What will you do for them when you're taken to the Hunt? When you die or become a soldier? What then, Jacob? These guys you might be able to protect but not any that come in the future. And we're not about to run off now. We're just thinking about it."

"You need to back off, human."

My hands rest of my hips as I square off with him. "Yeah? Or what?"

His hands grip hard on his bars and I watch as the tendons in his forearms bulge under the pressure. Swallowing a hard gulp I turn back to Eric, all my pseudo-courage gone.

"On the other hand maybe he's right. He probably knows more about what goes on than me."

Eric tugs me down onto his mattress and tries to whisper, "I don't trust him, but I trust you. You have to try. You owe me this."

Perhaps out of a sense of guilt I might owe him something; an apology of sorts for being free but I didn't lock him in here. The best I can do is keep him out of trouble and out of the spotlight.

"I'll think about it. See what we have to work with. We have to be smart about this. No loose ends. I did talk to the chef a few days ago about it and she says it's not possible. She said others have died trying and that it's not possible to make it out."

"They have," Jacob interrupts. "In body bags. That's why you've never heard of a successful escape."

"There's a first time for everything," Eric snaps, not whispering anymore. "And we're having a private conversation here."

"Don't get testy with me, pup. It's not private when I'm a few feet away from you and I can hear a pin drop," he growls. "Bella's impressionable and I don't want you whispering in her ear about stupid shit you two shouldn't be talking about."

"He doesn't want us to be free," Eric whispers to me. "I think he's a traitor. I think he likes us being here. He wants us to suffer."

"Don't say that. Jacob is very protective over everyone, you as well, and his concerns are valid. Like I told Evan before, this place is a fortress. There are cameras everywhere, weighted elevators, the place is surrounded by endless dark forest, sentry towers, and armed guards to keep an eye on people coming and going. It wouldn't surprise me if they've put a tracking GPS on you somehow as well — your clothes or a chip under your skin, perhaps."

"Okay, we know what the problems are and now you can figure out a way around it."

"Me?"

"Both of us," Eric says and then points to Evan, "and that guy, too."

"For now, I think it'll be better if you resign yourself to being here." I hold up a hand before he can interrupt. "But I'll get my notepad and write down our concerns anyway. I don't think we can figure out a way around them, especially about how to get you from this level to the ground floor undetected, but maybe it wouldn't hurt to brainstorm."

"Bella," Jacob starts again.

"I know. It's bad to give false hope and it's probably not going to work, but there's no harm in just thinking."

He sighs hard and Eric sends the first smile I've seen from him my way.

"What about the weighted elevator? How do we get passed that?" I ask, writing down the question in my notepad.

Eric and Evan look at each other. "Maybe we could shut the power down?"

"Then the elevator wouldn't work."

"You could ask your boss about it and get him to show you the controls for it?"

"He'd never fall for that and if he did he'd watch me so carefully I wouldn't be able to touch a thing," I say, tapping my pen in thought. "And it's the only way up or down from this floor."

"Maybe you could hide us in one of those metal trolleys and pretend we're cargo you're taking up."

"Not a bad idea but there's nothing on this level that would need to be brought up." I write down 'hide them as cargo?' as a side note regardless, because it's been the only good idea they've had so far in the past hour.

"What about the cameras?" I ask, writing down the next risk factor.

"Those are easy," Eric says. "Just spray them all with black paint or something."

Jacob laughs humorlessly. "Sure, like that's not suspicious or anything. It's all in the normal routine for a maid to cover up high-grade surveillance cameras."

"He's right," I say, quickly crossing out the 'spray them' note. "We have to be smarter than that."

"Damn it," Jacob suddenly says. "Bella, hide all that shit somewhere. Guards are coming. You two get back in your cages and don't speak. Eric, try not to make eye contact with them, they've no balls and like to throw their weight around to make up for it."

I sprint over to the fire-hose locker and throw the notebook into the back of it without looking. The moment I snap it shut two guards are walking in with dog collars once again in hand.

"Number one," one guard says and throws a collar to Evan. He throws another into Jacob's cell. "And number nine. Come on, boys. The good doctor awaits."

"Wait a minute," I say, moving to intercept them. "Where are you taking them? I thought they were being trained today."

The guard looks at me like I'm an idiot. "Usually, yeah, but training's been cancelled for a while because blondie is still having a cry over his dead sister and can't fight."

"If it's cancelled then why are you taking these two men?"

"Is she always so annoying?" the second guard says to the first before turning to me. "Listen girl, Doc needs to runs tests on the newer beasts. They're the newer ones here. Understand? Therefore, they're both coming with us so that your tax dollars aren't going to waste."

"If they're going then I'm coming with you."

"Boss ain't said anything about you coming with us today so you're not." Guard One aims his gun at Jacob as he unlocks the cage door. "Get out."

Jacob steps out and locks eyes with me. "Stay here," he mouths before the guard hits the butt of his rifle into the side of his head.

"No communicating with the help, Nine. How many times do we have to tell you that?"

"Don't hurt him!"

The guard aims the gun at me and I falter. "Goddamn it, you'll be next if you keep annoying me. I swear on your life you will be. Always yapping at me."

They forcefully nudge Jacob and Evan to the door, and when I go to follow Jacob presses a hand against my stomach and shoves me back. I can only watch as they leave to somewhere unknown without me.

"It'd be difficult for him to protect Evan as well as you at the same time," Sam says when the main door locks back into place. "Don't take it personally."

"I don't, but I'm worried for them. What's the doctor like? Are they going to be hurt? Maybe I should follow them before they get too far away."

"If you want to piss Jake off you can do that. They'll be fine, Bella. X is a bitch, but she's a clinical one. She doesn't hurt us out of hatred but for her science. All she cares about is results, which makes her predictable and easier to handle."

"Do you think she could be someone on our side then?" Eric says and gestures for me to come over. "A new ally? We should write that down too. Go get your book back so we can keep writing our plans out."

"Not now, Eric."

"Why not now? It's the perfect time. Guards aren't here and neither is that Jacob guy to keep shutting down our ideas. All he does is glare at me or tell you you're an idiot for helping."

"Stop hassling her," Sam says. "If she doesn't want to do it right now she doesn't have to."

I give him half a smile. "Thanks, Sam."

"Yeah, thanks Sam," Eric bites out. "Morons."

To pass the time and keep my anxiety in check, I clean up anywhere that looks like it has a smudge on it. The scrubbing steadies my nerves but the room is so clean already it barely takes five minutes to do.

"Everyone okay?" I call out when I finish cleaning. "Anyone need anything? Another hair wash? Hair cut? Beans?"

"We're fine," Paul answers. "You need to calm down. You're making me nervous."

"I can't calm down, I should've gone with them regardless of what Jacob wanted. I could have helped or evened out the playing field. Now I know it's at least three against two."

"They're going to be fine, Bella. We're going to be fine. You'll give yourself a heart attack before the year is up if you keep going at this speed."

I take a deep breath and exhale slowly. "I know, I just need something to keep me preoccupied."

"You can come draw with me, if you like," the shy Derek says, holding up some of the paper and pencils I bought for him.

He lays out several pieces along the floor of his cage and spreads out the coloured pencils and crayons alongside them.

"I'm not much of an artist. Have you drawn anything?" I ask, walking over.

He holds out a torn sheet to me with a blush and I take it from him. There's a crayon drawing of an elephant, or a warthog, or some strange creature with tusks. It resembles the kind of sketch a child might have done.

"Oh, this is… a beautiful drawing. I love the colours you've put in."

"Thanks," he says with a smile as I hand it back. "Could you see it's a walrus? No-one else could."

"Of course I can," I lie and some of the other men laugh. "And don't listen to the others. Art is expressive and can be interpreted many different ways. Sometimes the most famous paintings are the ones that seem different at first."

"It's supposed to be realistic."

Oops.

"Bella!" Embry calls out. "Paul, Sam, and I want to play cards. You should come play as the House because no-one else wants to."

As far as distractions go it's not a great one, but I'll take anything to get my mind of Jacob and Evan.

"Hand the cards over, I'll do your hair again while I'm at it."

A few hours later the guards come back, half dragging a limp and bloody Jacob with them while Evan trails miserably, but in perfect health, behind them.

"What did you do to him?" I hiss.

"Nothing," they grumble together and throw Jacob back into his cage, who rolls once before laying face down. "It wasn't us for once. Doc did it. I swear."

"Get out." I narrow my eyes and them, seething in hatred.

"Haven't I told you before that I don't take orders from you, girl? In fact, just knowing you want me to leave makes me so much more inclined to stay."

The other guard nudges him. "Maybe you do but I hate these animals. I feel like I'm at a zoo so let's go. We've got a perimeter to patrol."

"I guess I do need to take a piss as well." He clicks his fingers and looks around. "Though this place is so disgusting it wouldn't make a difference if I did it here."

He looks at me with a sly smirk and with purposeful fingers unzips his fly. "You don't mind, do you darling?"

I turn away instantly, the only show of my distaste is a wrinkle in my nose when I hear the spray hit the wall and smell the bitter, acidic tang of urine. He must be dehydrated if it's strong enough for my human nose to detect.

"Even toddlers know how to use a toilet," I say in disgust when I hear him zip back up.

"Hey, when you gotta go, you gotta go," he laughs. "See you tomorrow, babe."

Thankfully they leave right after and I'm able to quickly throw the cleaning agent and water over the urine before the smell gets too much or becomes permanently ingrained. I clean it thoroughly using the only mop I have and sigh.

"Great, now I need to get a new mop."

"Bella…" Eric starts. There's a new level of whine in his voice. "They'll be coming for me next time. I'm a new guy and they said take new guys to see the doctor. We need to keep brainstorming."

"Not now, Eric," I say, trying not to grit my teeth in frustration. I lift some of the medical supplies into my arms and make my way to Jacob. "There are more important things to worry about right now, in case you've forgotten."

Damn it, I can't reach Jacob through the bars and I can't get his door open.

"Jake," I whisper.

"Yeah?" he mumbles. He turns himself over onto his back.

"Do you think you can crawl over to where I am so I can help you?"

"I can, but it's not necessary. I'm fine. Just a bit of blood loss that'll fix itself up in a few minutes. An hour max."

"If you're fine then it shouldn't be a problem to come here." He doesn't move. I push harder. "There's no shame if you can't do it. I won't think you're weak."

I knew that'd get him going. He growls out a curse and gets to his knees, and then straightens up. When he makes it to the bars he collapses back down but my arm shoots out and steadies him.

"I've got you. Now just sit back in a comfortable position." I slide two painkillers into his hand. "Swallow those. They'll help with the pain."

Pouring some antiseptic liquid onto a small cloth I continue, "This is going to sting a bit on your open cuts but it'll help you not get sick. I think..."

He laughs low. "I know what they do. You don't have to treat me like I've got brain damage just because I've been knocked around a bit."

I flush and begin dabbing at his wounds. "Sorry."

"Don't be."

When the wounds are cleaned I begin washing off the blood around his face and in his hair. Only the smallest amount of shampoo is used to take out some of the harder clumps, because if there are any cuts on his scalp it will sting like hell.

"This is nice," Jacob says and leans back against the bars so I've easier access to his face. "You make a good nurse. When my Hunt's over, I'm going to come back and kidnap you one day. You can be my personal maid."

"I don't think it's called kidnapping if I want to be taken," I laugh.

"We'll still call it kidnapping though because then I don't have to pay you."

Leaning down to his ear I whisper, "Just for the record, I very much hope you come back to kidnap me."

I give his head a soft pat. "There. You're all cleaned up, just lie down for a bit and don't go getting into any more trouble."

"He didn't get into trouble," Evan says, his voice full of sorrow. "It was my fault. I can't stand needles. The lady was supposed to be doing the experiments on me but I freaked out and he took the attention from me to him. I'm really sorry, Jacob."

"Don't be sorry, kid," Jacob says, his voice stronger than his body. "Look at me. I can handle a bit of torture. At this point it's part of my daily exercise regime and keeps me fit."

"Really?" Evan sniffles.

"Really."

"He might be able to handle it," Eric says, "but I won't. What were we up to in our list? The cameras? How about a big electrical storm that takes them out? Or you can seduce a guard to get into the control room?"

"Eric…"

"Bella, we need—"

"Eric, stop!" I yell, a bit more forcefully than intended. "I'm sorry Eric but this has to stop. We have thought about every possibility. I have thought about every possibility before you came here. It's not going to happen. We have nothing solid to work with. Not a single good idea on how to get around even one of the obstacles let alone all of them." I rub my temple. "Jacob's right. Escaping isn't what we should be thinking about."

"Yes it is!"

"If you somehow escape that doesn't solve anything for the rest of them! The humans just figure out how it happened and make security even tighter. Generations and generations of Feras will still be imprisoned."

"So what? At least it won't be me."

I rub my hands through Jacob's hair, smoothing it back from his hairline. "The Hunt is in a month or so. If we can't figure out a foolproof way for all of us to escape here before then, then it might be a better idea for us all to think about how to increase your chances of survival there, or figure out a way for you to meet up with each other inside to survive together."

"I'm not going to the Hunt, Bella! I'm not! I won't!"

"There are activists picketing the Hunt every year I hear. Maybe if I can get word out to some of them… if I can show them what's happening they might be able to do something. Get a law passed in the future or—"

"I don't care about the future, I'll be dead before anything changes. You told me you'd help me escape!"

"I said we'd brainstorm. That we'll try to think about all our options, and Eric, I have thought about it. There are holes in everything I've thought of. Short of shooting up the place, everything will end up with us being caught and if you're caught there's no more second chances. I'm sorry but I'm done with it for now. I'm putting the brakes on the escape plan."

Evan sobs once, quietly, and Eric rushes to his bars to slam his fists against them.

"You lied to me!" he yells. "You're a liar! You're a bitch, Bella! You told me you'd help!"

"Watch your fucking mouth," Jacob snaps and my fingers still in his hair. "She has the right idea. We are all a part of this. We do not put our individual selves before the group. We will all be free or none of us will be. That includes those that arrive in the future. That is what we will figure out."

"I don't care about the group. I don't care if you die so I can be free."

"You don't want to start making enemies in here," Jacob snarls low and Eric screams once more in frustration and fury before falling silent.

"I'll remember this," Eric whispers. "I'll remember that you didn't want to help me when you have everything in your power to do so."

"I do want to help you," I whisper back. "We all want what's best for each other. But I know if we try to escape — if you try to escape — you'll only end up dead. You have more of a chance surviving the Hunt than successfully escaping from here. If you think of anything that we can try please tell me."

Eric just lies down on his cot and turns away from me.

I face the others. "I'm going to do the laundry," I mutter, my voice tight. "Anyone who wants anything washed hand them over."

They pass me everything that needs to be cleaned and I've just finished bundling them all up in my arms when Edward strolls through the door unannounced, without a guard at his side for protection. He sneers at the sheets in my hands, that I almost drop in surprise, and then at the clean walls.

"Uh, M-Master, what are—" I catch myself before I question his motives. Instead, I just incline my head in a low bow.

"Hello, Isabella. I've come to see what you've been doing during your days."

I shuffle from one foot to the other.

"It is nice in here," he continues bitterly, looking around. "Warm and lacking the putrid stench of unwashed animals."

"Yes, Master. I try to work to the best of my abilities."

"I can see that."

He casually walks from one side to the other, studying the men in their cages. My palms sweat. I haven't locked most of their cage doors and if Edward tries to tug any of them open...

His fingers trail the bars and walls, and he rubs them every few seconds as if to check for dust.

"Good enough to sleep in."

My mouth clamps shut into a thin line. I don't dare spare a glance in Jacob's direction or at the spare cot I used to sleep in that I placed up against the locker when I woke up.

"And how is our newest exhibit faring?"

"He's fine—"

"Please! You're the owner here aren't you?" Eric cries out, cutting me off. His arm reaches through the bars for Edward's shoulder. "I'll do anything if you get me out of here. Please, I don't deserve to be in here. I haven't done anything wrong. I'm not like these other people in here. I can be useful."

Edward grabs one of Eric's outreached fingers and snaps it back briskly, breaking the bone and sending him back howling on the ground.

"Haven't done anything wrong? You were wrong the moment you were born, and unfortunately for you the only thing I want from that worthless body — the only thing you're useful for — is your DNA."

"No!" Eric cries again, clutching his broken hand and sobbing on the ground. "We can help each other. I know things, important things that you'd be interested in."

What the Hell? My stomach drops as I gasp in disbelief.

The males look at each other in barely disguised shock while Edward cocks an eyebrow and smirks down at Eric with all the arrogance of a fat king. "And what would vermin know that would interest me?"

"I'll tell you everything but first you have to promise to get me out of here."

"Eric—" I whisper, panicked.

"Hush, Isabella," Edward says and holds a finger out to my lips. It takes all my willpower not to flinch. "Let's hear what he has to say."

"You have to promise," Eric repeats. "You have to promise to get me out. I don't want to go to the Hunt."

"Very well. I, Edward Cullen, give my word that I will get you out of your cage on the condition that you tell me something that holds my interest."

Eric spares me one, half-second glance before he blurts out with an accusing finger, "She's a sympathiser!"

A deathly silence falls over the room and Edward's finger on my mouth curls hard into my upper lip but I barely feel it. My numb fingers drop the sheets.

"Say that again," he whispers hard and low, full of venom.

"She's a Fera sympathiser. I can prove it, she gave me this new pillow and blanket, and she's been baking food for us. If you check over there in the locker you'll see more things she's hidden along with a notepad that has escape plans she was writing down. I told her I didn't want to be a part of them but she kept writing them out anyway."

Edward steps away and without looking back he strides over to the locker and throws it open. All the cleaning supplies, the shampoo and towels, pitcher and cups, dry food, and notebook fall out to land at his feet. When he bends to pick it up I moan low, and drop to my knees, holding my stomach as sudden physical pain shoots through me.

Oh, my god.

I touch my head to the cold floor and swallow back the bile making its way up when I hear him flip slowly through the pages, and then rapidly. With a roar of pure anger he throws it to the other side of the room, where it clatters to the ground.

I'm dead. He's going to kill me.

When the bright light fills my vision I think for a wild second that I've been killed already and was seeing heaven, but then the world comes crashing back and I hear Eric screaming in pain along with the sounds of electrical zaps.

I peek up from the ground to watch as Edward slams his fist once, twice, and then three times on the buzzer at Eric's door — the one that controls the electric floor.

"I…" Eric tries to speak through the shocks, "I helped. You… you promised…"

"I promised I'd get you out!" Edward screams. "And I'll get you out, you fucking disgusting animal! I'll get you out in a whole body bag or in pieces!"

He slams the button once more and turns to me, his face red and his eyes wild. He reaches down and grips my upper arm hard, pulling it up with all his strength until my feet scrape the floor. "Get up! Get up, you useless bitch. This is how you repay me?!"

My arm burns with the pain but somehow with my numb, nerveless legs I'm able to stand. My stomach rolls and I can't catch my breath.

Edward grabs my hand and yanks me forward enough that I hit Eric's cage hard. He presses the side of my face up against the bars until I cry out and keeps me there with one hand while his other forces my palm open. He guides it onto Eric's door buzzer. Using my hand, he lights up the cage with electricity again.

"Stop," I whisper, feeling faint.

"Stop?!" He yells, and uses my hand to press the buzzer again and again. "I'll have you kill every single fucking one of these animals in here. I'll cut them open and make you wear them for your uniform! I'll make you eat them every day for the rest of your life. You dare tell me to stop?!"

I can't control it. Sharp pain bursts from behind my eyelids. My heart is racing uncontrollably and I can't breathe. I can't feel my legs. Eric's screams become dulled and I… I can't…

The sounds of metal begin to groan and I know it's Jacob about to come out. He's too weak. He's going to get killed. Eric's going to be killed. Edward's going to be killed. Everything's going wrong. And I can't… stop it…

I can feel it.

I can feel it happening and I know I can't control it. That only serves to make it happen faster. My vision sharpens with the change and my hearing increases.

"No," I try to moan but I've lost my human vocal cords and instead only softly bleat.

"What..." Edward says, his voice echoing all around, and lets go of me.

I fall heavily to the ground and try to get up but my legs are shrinking. No. It can't happen like this. Not like this, please, not like this.

I need to leave

I need Charlie.

I need to get out of here before I—

She's left me with predators. I'm in a tiny space with so many predators. They're so much larger than me.

Crying out my panic I kick out at the one trying to grab me as it yells things I don't understand. I make contact with its flesh and it stumbles back. Racing forward I run as fast as I can on four legs until I slam into a barrier, the likes of which I've never seen.

Second skin, I bleat to my other form, I need you. I'm surrounded. I don't know how to leave this trap.

I turn and race the other way, only to slam again into a barrier.

"Get in here!" the predator that tried to grab me yells.

I try another direction and when I hit the barrier I kick out at it. It sends pains through my hind legs in response.

A hole in the barrier in front of me magically opens up and more and more predators run through. They're like nothing I've seen before, just black, tall, two-legged things, their heads covered in a black dome, and I cry out in fear again.

"Don't kill her! Don't hurt it! For fuck's sake if I see blood I'll remove your eyes and shove them down your gullet. Use the tranqs!"

"Yes, sir!"

The predators don't move closer to me but still manage to wound me somehow. My movement slows until I can't feel or move my body. There's something shiny poking out from my leg, that has the same strange shininess of the immovable barriers.

Although I'm surrounded by enemies my eyes begin to close involuntarily and I keel over to sleep.

Now they've locked me in one of their strange traps. It's too tiny, there's no leaves or trees in sight, and my body feels chill despite all my fur. Everything hurts. All of the black predators with head coverings have gone leaving just the males in the traps, like me.

My ears twitch towards the sound of two males fighting so close to me.

"You fucking piece of shit!" A wet crunch, a bone snapping. "Give me one good fucking reason I shouldn't break your traitor neck rather than put you in a fucking coma? One!"

I don't know what they're saying, their communication is different to mine, but I know the sound of pain. I know what the sound of limbs breaking is. Of snouts crunching. I know the coppery scent that's permeating the air heavily is one of the male predator's life liquid.

When the scent of blood is at its highest the sounds of pain from the beaten male tamper down into silence. He's probably dead. Beaten by the dominant male of the group. I try to curl up into myself, as though I were a fawn again, hiding in the tall grass.

Please don't notice me.

I hear the winner of the fight stomp around and then the sound of running water. One ear twitches in that direction and I sneak a peek from my hiding spot in this trap looking for the water. Water means earth, and earth means grass and tall trees. But no, it looks like I'm still in a smaller trap of a bigger trap. Water running must be another magic trick these predators can use to bring their prey out of hiding.

I won't fall for it. My second skin knows those traps too and she's too smart.

The sound of water stops to be replaced by the human walking sounds coming closer and closer to where I'm hiding. The biggest, scariest looking predator of the lot stands outside my trap, looking at me in a way I've never seen a predator look before. Non-threatening? Is it possible?

Somehow, within a second, the big predator has gone from being outside my trap to being inside it, right in front of me, close enough to touch. I bleat out terrified and try to stand to kick but collapse back, my four legs all going in opposite directions. I'm more hurt than I realise and now I'm completely vulnerable.

The predator lifts his human hands slowly and crouches down until we're at eye level. Then he gets lower until his belly scrapes the ground. I bleat out again louder, repeatedly in warning, as he moves closer and closer, his hands up but reaching out towards me. When his human hand touches my nearest leg I try once again to stand.

"Shh," the human communicates.

I bleat in response and pull my hurting body away as much as I can.

"Shh," he repeats. "Don't be afraid." He reaches out again and strokes the fur down on my leg. I'm too tired and too hurt to pull away again. I try one last mournful bleat that he clearly doesn't understand.

Leave me be.

"I know. I know," he speaks and moves closer until he presses up close. The heat from his hand warms my stomach as he runs it through the fur on my sides. "You don't have to be afraid of me. We're not the bad guys."

I don't know what he's saying but his touch is soothing and I drop my head back to the cold ground, breathing out ragged puffs of air in a white cloud. I try to bite at the clouds that come from my mouth but they disappear too fast.

The predator's hand shakes on my chest as he lets out a strange sound. "Your breath isn't edible, as far as I know. God, you're a pretty thing."

When he touches the spot of pain I bleat out again. He abruptly pulls away for a second before starting back up, careful about where his fingers run.

"I thought you were a spy at first. You were so perfect, so willing to help us with whatever we needed, standing up to guards, sneaking food, I didn't see it. I didn't want to see it, to believe in your goodness if it was only going to be pulled away at the end." His fingers still. "It'll be different. You'll see, Bella. Now you're part of my pack and I always take care of my own."

He pauses. "You have no idea what I'm saying, do you."

I don't care what the predator is saying, just that his heat is helping me stay warm and he's not hurting me. Never would I consider sleeping in the presence of such a fearsome creature but as I watch my breath puff out I can't help my eyes close. Nor can I help the final bleat of protest when the human stops running his hand along my fur.

I must really be dying.

With another strange, shaking sound he continues his strokes and I fall into blackness.

"I won't let them hurt you."