{0.2}

                                    

                                          
Disclaimer:
                          
Fun fact: sometimes I type "Aris" as "Aria" and laugh because that's Lucy and it's like a full circle. 
                          
-✼-
                          
Julia was waiting outside for me when I emerged from the steam-filled bathroom. She was leaning against the wall to the right of the door, inspecting her nails boredly. She straightened lazily when she saw me.
                          
"Finally," she sighed in an annoyed tone. "You took forever. I was starting to wonder if you died or something."
                          
I rolled my eyes and didn't respond. I thought I had deserved a nice, long shower after all I had been through. My skin was partially raw from me scrubbing it so profusely. They'd let me take one before I was locked in that room, but I felt airier than before. Maybe it was because I knew I was at least a little bit safer now.
                          
"C'mon." Julia started walking without bothering to wait for me to catch up. "Let's go see your friends."
                          
My heart leaped so violently in my chest that I thought it may have bruised my ribs. I hurried to catch up with her long strides, looking up at her hopefully. "You - you mean I get to see them now?"
                          
"Unless you want to wait," she replied tauntingly.
                          
I scoffed and shook my head. Would she ever stop giving me sarcastic responses? "God, no."
                          
"This is the part where I tell you stuff," Julia began in a tone full of dread. She waved her hand. "Blah, blah, blah, but it's my job. All you guys went through different tests for Phase Three. I think your brother was stuck in a room for a shitload of time, but I'm not sure. Maybe that was the blondie. Anyway, Janson was supposed to have the killzone patterns mapped out by the end of Phase Two, but that didn't happen, and they had to scramble to think of something else. But they're still not done, so they decided to throw you all together again."
                          
I squinted. "When you say 'they'--"
                          
"I mean the scientists." Julia waved her hand again. "The doctors. Smart ones. Not people like me who come from Engineering, or Maseo from Weaponry."
                          
Maseo from Weaponry. How fitting.
                          
We didn't talk for the rest of the walk, which only took three more minutes. She stopped in front of a white door and stood in front of it aggravatingly. Her top lip curled up in a smirk that suggested she was doing it just to annoy me.
                          
"Oh my God, move--" I went to push her out of the way, but she leaned on the door at the last second, which caused it to open and me to stumble through. My feet clumsily fought to keep me upright before I fell onto the floor.
                          
"Nice entrance, you sha-- whoa, what's with the hair?"
                          
My head jerked upward at Minho's voice but my heart pounded upon noticing that practically all eyes were on me. Sonya. Frypan. Flo. Aris. All of them were sitting in rows of chairs that were all facing the door I had come through. It seemed like we were in a type of small auditorium. And it was mostly silent, especially after Minho's question.
                          
"Um," I replied, searching for an answer. "I cut it?"
                          
I felt like Thomas when he said, "He shot me." I looked around for him, only for my heart to sink when I realized he wasn't there. Maybe he was taking a really long shower like I had.
                          
"You don't say." Minho was right in front of me, though I wasn't sure when he had gotten up. I blinked stupidly at him. "Oh, come on. I won't bite."