Xian stared at Chester and Tia talking from afar as he studied their expression.
"Why? You still think she's behind the attack?"
Rebel smirks as he notices Xian looking at them. Xian just rolled his eyes and told Rebel to finish since they will be going soon.
"It's just weird... How she doesn't know anything about the attack and how miraculously she got out from the school before the attack even started."
Xian said truthfully as he continues to observe Tia behavior. She was smiling as she laughs at something Chester told her. Rebel stares at them too wondering what Xian just told him.
"Nah. It's just a coincidence I think."
Rebel sighs as he assured Xian that Tia doesn't mean any harm to them since she just saved everyone from the Syüxa. Both walk back to the others as everyone is getting ready to start their journey to attain NīRVANA.
"So which way?"
Kyran ask as everyone was walking. Tia too doesn't know where to go since she doesn't have any map or anything.
"The Norm."
Chester replied as everyone stared at him in shock. Tia was confused.
"Are you being serious right now?". Gally ask as her eyes widen in surprised.
"Dead serious. You see if we want to leave this place... me must go through The Norm. It's the only way to get closer to our destination. I know, it's a stupid plan but it's the only way."
Chester shrugs as everyone stays silent. They decided to go through The Norm. Tia was still confused of what everyone talking about.
"How do you know that?"
Kyran eyed Chester weirdly as Chester rolled his eyes.
"Because I read about it." Chester said and that made Kyran smile sheepishly.
"What's The Norm?"
Tia asks as everyone realized that she's not really from here. "Oh." Enzo replied as he walks next to Tia
"It's the place... Um. it's basically a laboratory... where experiments are being made... It's not a good place..."
Enzo trialed off as he couldn't find the right word to say it. Tia still couldn't grasp what he's trying to tell her.
"It's a place where they experiment on people like us. Where we are left to die. Once you're taken, it's a guaranteed death. And unfortunately, they only want people that's not Alpha. Special privilege sucks you know."
Rebel sighs as he explained what The Norm is from his point of view. Tia was stunned to hear that.
"But why?"
Tia responds as she frowns in confusion.
"No idea. Perhaps they just like torturing others?"
Rebel shrugs as he keeps walking leaving them behind. Tia was silent for a moment. She was deep in her thoughts thinking about that place, how such place really exists and did things like that to the people who doesn't deserve it at all.
"Why? You're scared?"
Enzo ask as he stared at Tia. Tia just stayed silent not knowing what to answer. They began walking in silence as everyone was deep in thoughts thinking about how to avoid getting caught when they went through that place. Chester too seems serious for the first time in a while.
They have been walking for hours and everyone is tired.
"Keep going. We don't want to get caught while we're here."
Chester mentioned as he stared at the view Infront of him. It was a huge red building. There's no windows at all. Tia was staring at the building as everyone began walking. Tia was about to leave but she got another vision.
Children were crying, some is screaming in pain. There's no blood but she could feel the pain in their screams. It's like something is eating their brain from inside. The torture is coming from deep inside, you can't see it, but you can feel it. Some of the kids can't withstand the pain as they ended up dead with their head blown off. Tia was stunned to see that. She could feel as if she was the one being there. Their eyes are screaming for help, they were hurting. And nobody is helping them. Even the looks in the people who did the experiment doesn't show any emotions at all. Tia was terrified, she was angry. She was afraid to see that.
"What's wrong?"
Gally asked Tia looking worried as she taps on Tia shoulder.
"Are you okay?"
She added after seeing Tia's pale face. Everyone was staring at her, she wanted to tell them what she sees but words just couldn't come out from her mouth. "We'll take a 5 minutes break." Rebel suggest as they wonder around looking for a place to sit. Tia was still deep in her thoughts thinking what she should do.
Tia decided to help the children, she knows she can't do it alone, but she just can't bring herself to tell everyone about it since they seem to hate that place so much. They loathed the fact that they are even close to that building. As everyone was busy doing their own thing, Tia sneaks off to the building not thinking about the consequences that's going to happened because her mind is filled with those painful screams and cries. She must do something.
Thankfully, she doesn't encounter anyone when she reaches the door handle. It feels like she was told to go there since the door isn't locked.
"What do you think you're doing?!"
A voice approach Tia sounding so worried. Tia turned around to find pissed Chester looking at her in disbelief. She sighs in relief.
"Those kids needed help."
She argues as Chester groaned.
"I know but you can't just sneak off like that. What if something happened to you? What do you think you can do to help them? You don't even have any powers; can you use any weapons? No? What can you do? We should hurry and go before someone catches us."
Chester said as he keeps looking around to make sure there's no one closer. Tia was taken aback with his remarks, but he's right. What could she even help them with? She began to feel useless.
"I don't know. My body just moved on its own when I saw those visions ..."
Tia spoke in a low voice as Chester stared at her in disbelief.
"Another vision? Why didn't you say anything??"
He sighs as he scratched the back of his head. Tia said sorry as Chester keep pestering her to go back.
"There's nothing that we could do. You heard Rebel, once you're there... it's a guaranteed death."
Chester mentioned. Tia felt a pang in her heart as he said that. She knows it too but it's just too much. Chester was about to say something but was stopped when someone yelled at them. Suddenly, they door began to close on its own. Tia was trapped inside the building while Chester bangs the door so hard trying to open it. The man that yelled before started running towards them and Tia notice that the man is holding some weird weapon. Chester tried his hard to open the door but couldn't and Tia just told him to go.
"Just leave me! I'll be fine."
Tia smiled as Chester stared at her in horror screaming something that Tia couldn't hear.
"I'll come back. Don't die. Please"
Chester yelled before running off towards the bushes. Tia sigh in relief seeing Chester have manage to get away. But unfortunately for her, she got caught.
The man pushed Tia inside a room that's nothing but white. It could make you go crazy just how everything inside is white. The man glared at Tia in disgust before storming off to who knows where.
"You're going to be fine. It's okay. Calm down."
Tia tried to calm her nervousness as she sat on the floor closing her eyes since being in the white room made her feel even more anxious. Suddenly, the door burst open as three men started walking towards Tia with chains in the hands. Tia was too terrified to even do anything.
The first man pulled her hair as she screams in pain, trying hard to break free from the man grip but the second man kicked her in the stomach. Making her barf a little. It was painful. Seeing and experiencing is different when you experienced both at the same time. All her body felt numb she was too tired to even argue with the man as they dragged her to a place with more people. They were staring at her with a smile plastered in their face.
"Anew one. Let's see what she got."
A woman approach Tia as she dug her nails in Tia's arm. Tia can't believe what she seen with her eyes. Children were being forced to do things they don't want. Something was injected to Tia's right arm as she stared at the sight in horror. No. She screamed and tried to kick the man but only ended up being punch in the gut. They keep saying how everything is a mess since none of the "subjects" manage to survive longer than a day.
"Don't worry dear, you will feel heaven after this."
The woman smirk at Tia. As she laughs seeing how hard Tia trying to escape. For a moment, Tia doesn't feel anything but after a few minutes, her whole body started heating up as if she was burned alive. Her skins feels like it's being sliced and cut out from her body. She screams as her mind started to see things that she never expected. The people she hasn't seen before experience the same thing she did. The pain and crying. She saw everything. The "experiment" was meant to steal the kids' powers and transfer it to the grownups, but they never succeed even once. They only ended up killing their "test subjects".
Tia saw a girl. She was crying, begging to be saved. She kept calling for someone name as she screams in pain. Tia was hyperventilating seeing all that. It was a torture. The girl bangs her head on the wall trying to "take out" the thing that is in her brain. She did everything but only ended up dying. Her whole body was burned alive as she cries for help. Nobody did anything. No one wants to help her. It was a cruel sight.
"What the hell happened?!"
The woman screams as she saw Tia hyperventilating. Her eyes were as white as a piece of paper. She was dying, again.
"This never happened before. Why can't we see what's in her mind?!"
The woman yelled again as she started pushing the button that supposed to make Tia head hurts even worse. Unfortunately for her, since Tia doesn't belong in this world. The thing doesn't work on her. Everyone was dumfounded to know that their experiment didn't work on Tia.
"Just kill her. We're wasting time."
The woman suggests as she walk away from the room leaving Tia on the room with the man. They all sigh in defeat since they got nothing from Tia and decided to burn her alive. Tia wanted to scream but her whole body was numb. She can't move. It's like she's paralyzed from head to toe. She can't even move her mouth to utter a single word. Worst case scenario, she's going to be dead again.
No.
Don't give up.
Move.
Tia yelled to herself as she begged herself to stay awake but her own body betrayed her. Tears began to flow as she stared at the sight in front of her, being burned alive. That's the last thing she wanted to experience.