The Restored Girl

Chapter 11: The Scientist

NEWT'S POV
After eating dinner, we all head over to our rooms. Rhea tells me that she has to do something first and leaves, heading downstairs.

I walk with Tommy, since Minho is talking to Amy.

"You know," Tommy says, "after all of this, we will need to help rebuild the world."

I turn to him, brows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Tommy shrugs. "I want to make this world a better place, Newt. And I want to make sure that no one has to go through what we did."

I consider it. I think that after this I would just want to rest. To finally be free of it all. But I don't know if that's possible.

"Let's just get this done first," I say, shaking my head. "One bloody step at a time, Tommy. One bloody step at a time."

~

MINHO'S POV
I follow Amy to a room, unsure of where she's leading me to. For a second, I think, what if this lady wants to kill me?

Then I think that that won't happen, because Rhea would probably kill her. Well, if I die, Rhea had better avenge me. I'd do the same for her, anyway.

We reach a door, and my heart's beating like crazy because I'm going to be alone with this gorgeous girl and my thoughts are kind of a mess.

Amy swings open the door and I realise we're in a room. Her room.

I don't exactly know what to think, but all I can blurt out is, "Nice room."

I feel like slapping myself right after, but Amy just laughs, and I don't think I've ever heard a sweeter sound.

We head into the room, and she slips off her denim jacket, sitting on her bed as I stand awkwardly at the entrance in front of the closed door, wondering what I should do or say.

At the moment, all I can do is just stare at her. Her brown hair is let down in waves, reaching her lower back, and her blue eyes shine as she smiles at me.

I clear my throat awkwardly. "What- what are we doing here?"

Any shrugs. "Hanging out? Rhea says you two are friends. Close friends. How did you two get so close?"

I shrug, moving further into the room. It's white, and clearly a guest room like the one I share with Newt. "We bonded over getting tortured together by WICKED."

Amy blinks in surprise. "Tortured. I'm sorry."

My brows furrow in confusion. "Sorry? For what?"

Amy takes in a breath, averting her eyes. "I heard from Rhea that you had undergone torture at WICKED when you two were abducted. I'm afraid it was my fault."

I stiffen. "Your fault?"

Amy swallows, refusing to look at me now. What the shuck is she talking about?

"My parents are Scientists," Amy starts off slowly, "while Adam is a trained fighter, I followed in my parents' footsteps. I was studying human behaviour to see if I could get a response from Cranks that would maybe trigger Cranks to have a moment of clarity. I realised that pain was the best thing to use on them.

"I was the one who planned out the torture and had it conducted on other Cranks," Amy confesses, and I feel my breathing stop. "I thought that since they were crazy, they wouldn't even be able to comprehend the pain. That while their mind will process the pain and maybe trigger a response, their bodies wouldn't feel it. I wanted to make my parents proud.

"That same torture that I had planned out and executed was used on you and Rhea. The stimulations that they had run on you were programmed by me, so to say," Amy says in a rush of words. "And I'm so sorry. It was made to wear out the body and to make you so weak, and I'm sorry that I did that to you."

I take in a shuddering breath, taking several steps backwards. Amy reaches out a hand, jumping off her bed, a desperate look on her face as she says, "Don't go, Minho."

I shake my head, trying to clear my thoughts. But all I can remember is the pain that I had to endure, and Rhea's screams echoing around my cell. I remember everything, how we had to lean on one another, how when Thomas and the rest came to our rescue, we didn't think we'd be able to make it.

To think that Amy could have planned-could have been a part of-something like that.

"I- I need some time to- to think," I manage to say, before I rush out of her room, running like I did when I was in the Maze.

I throw the door to my room-hopefully-open, stumbling in. I let out a breath of relief when I see Newt inside, with Rhea, both of them on Newt's bed, sitting across from one another cross legged.

Rhea turns to me, and I see her eyes immediately widen. She swings off the bed, quickly walking to me as Newt follows behind.

"Minho?" She asks, taking my arm, a threat behind her voice, aimed at whoever she probably thinks did this to me.

"What happened?" Newt asks, frowning.

I meet Rhea's eyes. "Amy- she did that to us?"

I feel Rhea stiffen, see the conflict in her eyes. It makes me think that she, too, is affected by it.

Newt looks confused, eyes darting between the two of us. "What- Amy? What does she have to do with anything?"

Rhea bites her lower lip, and sighs. "Come on. We'd better sit down for this."

I oblige as Rhea leads me to the two beds. I sit on mine while Newt and Rhea sit across from me on Newt's bed.

Rhea hesitates, then said, "It's true. But Amy didn't initiate the torture that we had gone through."

Flashes of torture pass through my mind, and I see Newt freeze, a scowl growing on his face.

"So why are you shucking mad at her?" I demand.

Rhea meets my gaze. She isn't exactly one to turn away from a challenge. "Because no one should have to go through that. Not a human, nor a Crank, no matter how far past the Gone they are."

I know that Newt is still quite sensitive over the topic of Cranks. Yet, it's unavoidable.

I let out a shuddering breath, running a hand through my hair. "So she tortured Cranks? It really is true, huh."

I don't miss how Rhea glances anxiously at Newt. She reaches out and takes his hand, squeezing it. I watch the interaction with slight jealousy. I don't know if I ever would-or even could-have something so special like that.

"Minho, I know that it's wrong-of course it is-but Amy has changed. According to Dylan, she stopped those experiments a year ago," Rhea says, reaching out to me, too.

It's rare for Rhea to want physical contact. The only person she willingly lets touch her at all times would be Newt. I let Rhea take my hand, and she squeezes it, reminding me that we're friends. Best friends.

"If you really like her, Minho, I think maybe you should give her a chance to prove that she's changed," Rhea tells me.

I take in a deep breath. "Maybe. But I need some time to think."

"Yeah," Rhea nods, "sleep on it, Minho. Besides, tomorrow is a busy day."