Ellen sat on the edge of her bed, staring blankly at the wall of her small, dimly lit room. The pale morning light filtered through the grime-covered window, casting a muted glow over the sparse furnishings—a worn cot, a rickety wooden chair, and a cluttered desk. Her heart pounded with a mixture of fear and determination. She had made up her mind; she couldn’t stay in Camp Hope any longer. 

Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door. Christine walked in. She never waited to be invited. Her presence was a familiar comfort, but today, Ellen couldn’t shake the feeling of impending change. Christine’s eyes softened as she took in Ellen’s disheveled appearance. The corner of her lip twitched.

“You look like you’ve been through a storm,” Christine said, her voice the usual clinical detachment, but now tinged with something more. “What’s going on?”

Ellen’s breath hitched. She looked around at the room—a place where their nightly encounters had blurred the lines between care and exploitation. The medical services Christine had provided had come at a cost. Their intimacy had grown out of a complicated arrangement, one where Ellen had been paid with drugs for her body, and Christine had acted both as caretaker and client.

Suddenly, everything felt messy and unclear between them. 

“I need to leave,” Ellen said abruptly, meeting Christine’s gaze with a fierce resolve. “I can’t stay here any longer. I need to see what’s beyond these walls and discover what I’m really capable of.”

Christine’s eyes widened slightly, her gaze shifting from Ellen’s face to the cluttered desk where Ellen had scrawled her thoughts and fears. The truth of their relationship hung heavy in the room—Christine had hired Ellen under the guise of medical necessity, their nights together a blend of physical comfort and transactional exchange.

“You know it won’t be easy,” Christine said, her voice softening as she stepped closer. “Leaving Camp Hope means risking everything. The world outside is dangerous. You’ve no idea what’s out there.”

“I know,” Ellen replied, her voice trembling with a mix of desperation and hope. “But staying here is worse. I need to find out if there’s a place where I can belong, where i'm not a curse but a gift.”

Christine’s eyes shifted, revealing conflict.

Silence stretched itself between them. Ellen stuffed her hands into her stained uniform and stared at her lap, wishing that she was somewhere else.

Ellen’s breathing grew uneven as the tension in the room mounted. The silence was broken only by the sound of Christine’s footsteps moving closer, the creaking of the old floorboards amplifying the gravity of the moment. Ellen’s thoughts raced, her heart beating a frantic rhythm against her chest. The cold grip of fear began to tighten around her, mingling with the burning desire to escape.

Christine’s gaze settled on Ellen’s trembling hands, which were tightly clasped in her lap. The magic that Ellen had tried so hard to keep under control began to seep out uncontrollably, forming a faint, eerie glow around her fingers. Christine’s eyes widened as the air around Ellen seemed to shimmer with an otherworldly energy.

“What—” Christine started, her voice faltering as she took a step back, her hand instinctively reaching out as if to steady herself. “Is this…?”

Ellen looked up, her eyes filled with a mix of terror and resignation. “I didn’t want you to find out this way. I—” She tried to suppress the magic, but it pulsed and writhed as though it had a life of its own. The room filled with a low hum as the magical aura intensified.

Christine’s shock slowly transformed into a contemplative expression. “You’re…you’re one of them,” she said softly, her eyes never leaving Ellen’s glowing hands. “All this time, I’ve been seeing you as just another part of my work, and now—”

Ellen’s voice broke into a sob, her resolve wavering. “I didn’t want anyone to know. I’ve been trying to keep it under control, but sometimes, it just leaks out.”

Christine took a deep breath, her composure returning. She closed the distance between them, gently placing a hand on Ellen’s shoulder. “Your secret is safe with me,” she said firmly. The smile that she offered was as cold as always. 

Ellen’s eyes searched Christine’s face, never knowing how to read what was written there. 

What choice do I have? She already knows. If she wants to betray me, there is nothing that I can do to prevent that now. But she is powerful and could be my way out...

“I have connections outside the camp. I can arrange for you to leave, but it will require some planning. We’ll need to be careful. The camp’s security is tight, and they’re always looking for Others.” Christine let her hand fall away as she turned from Ellen.

Ellen’s breath hitched with a mix of relief and apprehension. “But…what if they catch me?”

Christine cocked her head to the side. After a moment of silence, she said "Let’s focus on making sure you’re prepared. I’ll start making arrangements, but you need to lay low.”

Ellen nodded, tears welling up in her eyes. The weight of her decision, and the knowledge that Christine was willing to help, was almost too much to bear. “Thank you,” she whispered, her voice cracking.

Christine nodded.

“You’re stronger than you know,” Christine whispered, almost as if she was speaking to herself.

Ellen glanced at her cluttered desk, her thoughts turning to the plans she had sketched out. The vision of freedom and the unknown world beyond the walls of Camp Hope began to feel more tangible, less like a distant dream.

As Christine moved to the door, she looked back one last time. “I’ll be in touch soon. In the meantime, keep your head down and stay safe.”

Ellen watched as Christine left, the faint glow of her magic finally fading. She sat in the silence of the room, her heart heavy with both anticipation and uncertainty. The path ahead was fraught with danger, but for the first time, it felt like there was a chance—an opportunity to break free from the chains of her past and discover what lay beyond the camp’s oppressive walls.