A Beautiful Reflection From Firework Eyes

We're Only Dreaming, What's Your Problem Baby?

Alex seems nervous when the door shuts behind me. I lean against the wall, sitting in my usual spot between the two beds, looking up at him in confusion. No one has said anything since Jack and I walked in, and the silence is hanging heavily in the air around us. Alex opens his mouth, then closes it, then opens it again, seemingly having a war with himself. He glances at Jack, who gives him a little shrug and a pointed glance. They seem to have a silent argument, in which Jack apparently loses, since he scoots back, leaning against the wall.

"Okay, what's wrong?" I finally break the silence. "I can't read your minds, you know."

Alex glances back at Jack for a moment before he takes a deep breath. "Vic, I have to ask you something."

"Yeah?" I ask. "Spill."

He hesitates, glancing over at Jack for support again. "Please don't freak out," he begins. "But we have been thinking for a long time, and we decided. We're going to escape."

"No," I say immediately. "Absolutely not."

"See?" Jack mutters to Alex. "I told you that's what he would say."

Alex presses his lips together. "Vic—"

I shake my head. "No!" Maybe I'm being unreasonable, but all I can think about is the dark blood on the hallway floor. And—

"I know," Alex says. "I know what happened with—"

"Don't." My voice is shaking. I know I must look and sound crazy, but I'm doing all I can from getting overwhelmed from the memories. "Just don't. Please."

Alex nods, giving Jack a helpless look. I hear Jack sigh before the bed creaks, and Jack moves to sit down next to me.

"Vic," he says. "We're sorry about what happened, but it won't be like that. We're going to be prepared this time."

"You don't know that," I shout. "Jack, you can't say that for sure!"

"But we can try," Alex says, sitting down on the other side of me. "We have to."

I shake my head. "Why did you tell me? What if I told the guards?"

"You wouldn't," Jack says. "I know you wouldn't." I have to admit, that's true. No matter what happened, I would never give up my friends.

"You think we'd leave you here?" Alex asks. "We're all gonna escape. All of us."

I shake my head again. "Don't do this. Please." I'm practically pleading at this point.

"We have to," Alex says. "Vic, if you don't want to come, you don't have to. We just need information. You've just been here longer than we have. You know this place better. If we are going to escape, we need to know everything."

"I don't know this place well," I point out. "You two are the ones who have been sneaking around."

"But there's definitely something we've missed," Jack says. "Please, Vic. We can't take it here any longer. We have to get out."

"My only advice?" I say as I push myself up. "Don't. You'll die if you try."

"We'll die if we don't," Jack counters.

"They're hurting us," Alex points out. "They're hurting Kellin. You know this. They're probably going to kill us eventually, even if we are good. If they don't, we'll probably be too broken to even fight to live anymore. "

"I can't." My voice breaks as I do so, the memories of the hallway flooding into my mind. "You know what happened. You know why I can't. Cause we won't be able to."

"We won't if we don't try," Jack says. "We have to."

"We're trapped and tortured here," I beg. "But at least we're alive. We are safe here."

"Alive and safe, but for how long?" Alex asks. "Until they get rid of us? Until they are tired of their little human experiment playthings?"

"We're never getting out of here," I say. "You can try, but I've already accepted that. Dreaming only makes it worse. Trust me."