Inhaling deeply, a familiar scent evokes conflicting emotions: desire, comfort, ease, fear and guilt. One feeling overrides them all, safe.

"Grey?"

Opening my eyes, Grey is laying next to me, his face inches from mine but the scenery around him isn't right. We're not in our hotel room but laying in a part of my unwanted past, the warehouse I left six months ago.

"How are you feeling?" Grey mumbles, opening his eyes.

"Rough." I wrinkle my nose and swallow in an attempt to moisten my vocal cords. "My head is throbbing and my mouth tastes like I've swallowed actual shit."

"I'm guessing getting wasted and deciding to go for a swim in the river has something to do with that."

"I didn't..." I shake my head but I'm don't quite manage it. My muscles are too sore, my brain heavy and slow; overloaded from too much alcohol and pain.

Attempting to sit up, flashes of hot agony burn through me causing me to cry out as I drop backwards. Grey props me up slowly and tips a glass of water to my lips. I gulp greedily whilst suffering a serious case of Deja Vu.

Grey frowns. "We need to get you to a doctor."

"I just need to rest. I'll be fine."

"You've got a shoulder wound and possibly a few broken bones. You are not fine." Grey inspects my shoulder and I groan as he tenderly touches the surrounding skin.

"How did you find me?" I ask, the pain starting to worsen.

"Last night, the hotel was raided by Officials. I wasn't sure where to go. This was the only place I could think of and I found you collapsed by the door." Grey shrugs running his hand through his hair.

My stomach sinks. He didn't come for me.

"Last night at the hotel...what you saw..." I swallow hard.

"Jas told me yesterday you and that Official are together. He said you were planning on running away with him." Grey's jaw is set, and I detect an edge of anger and bitterness.

It destroys me that he believes Jas. I don't know why it hurts so much, the kiss he witnessed hardly contradicts Jas's story but I can't help feel betrayed. Does Grey think that little of me?

The need to run overwhelms me. I pull back the blanket, cold air hitting my naked body. I quickly cover myself with a blanket. Where are my clothes?

"If you run now whatever this is, is over," Grey says flatly. "I didn't say I believed him. Jas also told me yesterday you are a compulsive liar and have an alcohol problem. Yet, I know you only lie to protect yourself. I know you hate alcohol and the first time you drank was with me the other night."

"Jas is a piece of shit," I hiss.

"He said you and the Official were lovers. I know I was your first but that doesn't mean..." He hesitates.

"We just kissed," I blurt out. Grey looks confused and my mouth continues to talk even though my brain is shouting at it to stop. "Before us, before this. He worked for me and my mum. We were friends who just kissed."

"Why was an Official working for you?" He frowns.

"Teddy was an undercover Official looking for Unmarkeds. I didn't know until a few days ago. He found out I was unmarked but he never told anyone, he didn't even tell me he knew my secret. That's why I asked him to help me. When I saw you walking towards me in the hotel foyer, I didn't trust him to keep you safe, I wanted to protect you. The kiss didn't mean anything, I promise."

"It's fine. I get it." Grey shrugs but he sounds irritated, and I don't really understand what he thinks he gets.

"You get what?"

"Us. You and him. You like to make out with your friends. It's your thing."

"Making out with my friends is as much my thing as undressing unconscious women is your thing." I spit, gesturing down at the blanket covering my naked body.

"You were soaking wet and showing signs of hypothermia. I had to undress you and get you warm," Grey growls.

"And I have only ever kissed one boy who I consider to be nothing more than a friend," I retort.

"What does that mean?"

My head is pounding, my mouth is dry and I have no idea what we are fighting over. What do I mean? Teddy was only ever going to be a friend whereas Grey was always more. More what? I'm not exactly sure.

Grey sighs and stands up. I listen to him knocking and clanking items together.

I close my eyes and try to figure out what I'm going to do. My mind can't focus. Right now, all I want to do is sleep except the pain is getting worse and the sheets are sticking against my skin. I'm too hot.

Peeling off the covers, the air cools my burning skin.

"What are you doing?" Grey asks.

"I'm too hot." I murmur. My body is shivering slightly but I'm still too warm.

Grey is next to me, his hands against my head then on my cheeks, drawing some of the heat away from me.

I smile. "That feels nice."

"You're burning up," He mutters.

The image of The State Headquarters on fire returns and I'm hit with the overwhelming knowledge that I survived. I chuckle. "No. Not me. The State's Headquarters burnt up. I set it alight. It was very hot maybe I've brought the fire with me."

Dots flicker across my vision, moving like the ones I saw on the map last night. I needed to warn Grey about them but why? My mind drags through the mess of last night, a rushed nightmare in which I barely escaped.

"Cady," Grey's voice sounds distant. "Cady, talk to me."

"I saw a room of computers with maps and dots. They were tracking my movements but the Birth Brand I was wearing fell off when I ran up the stairs and they thought I was there." I frown trying to make sense of what I saw.

My thoughts are slow but I know the Birth Brand and the maps are linked. I'd made the connection last night. They use them to monitor our movements, to track where we are which makes no sense because then The State would know everything

"We can talk about this later. You need to drink and eat," Grey says.

"No. The State use the Birth Brands to track us and monitor everyone's movements. Why haven't they arrested you?"

"Don't worry about me," Grey mumbles.

I ignore the exhaustion and pain washing over me because I am worried. Forcing my eyes to open, I focus on Grey. "They must know you escaped the labour camp. They're going to find you."

"My birth brand was altered. The Official did something to the circle before he helped me escape," Grey frowns. "He never told me why."

I sit up and a haze of black dots flicker across my vision as the room tilts. I gaze at my body which is a patchy map of black, blue and yellow.

Grey frowns looking at me. "You need to see a doctor."

"I haven't got any money so unless you know a doctor who is willing to take payment in the form of laundry machines." I gesture to the other side of the warehouse before slumping back down on the mattress. "I'll have to grin and bear it."

My eyelids lower and I'm unable to keep them open any longer. I'm looking forward to the escape of sleep, it might temporarily stop the aching and my throbbing head which is making it difficult to think. Maybe, I'll stop shivering and sweating. That would be nice.

"You need to drink and eat something," Grey's voice halts me drifting off.

"I want to sleep," I mumble before continuing to sink into oblivion.