Darn Stupid Brother You Are by Mairee

Chapter 106

(Ava's

POV)

Dr. Joe sat behind his massive desk, his piercing blue eyes locking onto mine as if he could see every dark thought I'd ever had. I hated the way he looked at me, like I was both indispensable and disposable all at once. "I have another task for you," he said icily. "This one requires precision."

I nodded though my stomach twisted. "What do you need me to do?"

He slid a sealed envelope across the desk. "Inside, you'll find details on a specific treatment schedule. I need you to tamper with it."

I hesitated. "Tamper with it how?"

"You'll replace Angel's injections with these," he said then produced a small bottle filled with a pale yellow liquid. "It's a suppressant. Nothing dangerous, but it'll slow her down."

My throat tightened. "Why Angel?"

His smile was cold. "Because she's becoming a problem. Too curious, too nosy. We can't have her poking around in things that don't concern her."

I stared at the bottle as my anxiety rose. Angel wasn't my friend-not really-but she wasn't my enemy either. She was... complicated. A girl caught in the same trap I was, just fighting it differently. "And if I refuse?" I quietly asked.

Dr. Joe leaned back, his fingers steepled. "You won't refuse, Ava. Not unless you want your mother's situation to take a turn for the worse."

The ace up his sleeve. My mother. Always

•

to my room, breathing like my heart was pounding beats in my chest. The

dorm was empty to open it. Inside were detailed instructions on how to switch Angel's injections without

was doing it to survive. To keep my mother safe. But how much longer could I keep

.

next day, I slipped into the supply room under the guise of looking for a bandage. The bottles were exactly where the instructions said they'd be. My hands trembled as I swapped Angel's treatment for the suppressant. "Hey, what are you doing in here?" a

see Dilrah standing

quickly and held up a random roll of

sneaking around. What are you up to,

snapped. "Mind

I couldn't shake the feeling that she knew more

•

common room, pretending to read while secretly observing Angel. She was laughing with Thomas and her face was glowing in a way that made me ache. How did she do it? How did she manage to fight back, to plan escapes, to fall

wasn't strong. But maybe I didn't

Joe and the center. If

.

(Bundah's POV)

to pronounce a word; her accent made it sound

playfully. "I am trying, Bundah. English is

about it," I said, sitting down across from her. "But