[ T E S S] Tess paced her small room, her bare feet padding against the cold floor. The silence was deafening, broken only by the faint hum of the lights overhead. Her jumpsuit, loose and comfortable, felt heavier than usual as her heart weighed down her chest.

Darrick should've been here by now. He was always on time, if not early, leaning down to look into her room with that familiar crooked smile, coaxing her out of her thoughts. He made her feel like she belonged somewhere, even in this place. But last night and this morning, the minutes dragged on, and there was no sign of him.

Maybe I said something wrong yesterday? The thought nagged at her, unrelenting. She ran through their last conversation in her mind, trying to pinpoint anything that might have upset him. Was it the way she acted when they were doing the maze? maybe she'd seemed ungrateful for his help?

The idea that he'd forgotten about her stung even more. She hated the thought, but it was hard to shake. It wasn't like him to just... disappear.

Tess sighed, rubbing her arms as she glanced toward the small clock on the wall. Recreation time was starting soon, and Darrick always picked her up. Always. He'd been skipping meals, looking more tired every day, but still, he never missed this.

She sank onto the edge of her bed, her hands fidgeting with the seam of her jumpsuit. Her mind raced with questions, each one darker than the last. What if something had happened to him? What if he wasn't okay?

The sudden knock at her door jolted her from her thoughts. Relief flooded through her chest as a smile spread across her face. Finally.

She rushed to the door, her heart lifting as she imagined seeing his familiar, oversized face peeking down at her. "Darrick, you're late!" she called as she reached for the handle.

But when she opened the door, the smile faded. A towering handler stood before her—a giant man in a pristine white uniform, his expression cold and professional. His size filled the doorway, making the small room feel even smaller.

"Tessa Moore?" the man asked, his deep voice cutting through the air like a knife.

Tess's throat tightened. "Y-yes, that's me," she said, her voice wavering slightly. She craned her neck to look up at him, her hands gripping the edge of the doorframe for support.

"I'm here to take you to recreation," the handler said simply, his tone devoid of any warmth.

"Wait, where's Darrick?" Tess blurted out, her voice rising in pitch. "He's supposed to pick me up. Is he... is he okay?"

The handler's expression didn't change. "I was instructed to escort you," he said, sidestepping her question entirely. "Please come with me."

Tess's heart sank. She hesitated, her mind racing. Why wasn't Darrick here? Why had they sent someone else? Her gut twisted with unease, but she knew better than to argue with the handlers.

"Okay," she said softly, stepping out of her room. Her feet felt heavy as she followed the giant down the hallway, her thoughts spiraling with worry. Something wasn't right. Something was wrong

Tess struggled to keep pace with the giant handler as they made their way down the long, sterile hallway. His strides were slow—deliberate, even—but to her, they felt like an impossible sprint. His long legs crossing the space with ease. Her tiny legs moved as quickly as they could, but each of his steps covered more ground than she could ever hope to in three.

The handler didn't glance back at her, his gaze fixed straight ahead, as though her struggle didn't even register. The faint hum of fluorescent lights above echoed in her ears, amplifying the oppressive silence between them. Tess's breaths came in short bursts as she pushed herself to keep up, the sound of her feet tapping softly against the polished floor dwarfed by the faint thud of the handler's boots.

"Could you slow down?" Tess finally called, her voice small but edged with frustration.

The handler paused, glancing down at her with an expression that bordered on indifference. "We're already behind schedule," he said simply, before resuming his pace. He slowed marginally, but not enough to make much of a difference.

Tess huffed, jogging to close the widening gap between them. The hallway stretched endlessly ahead, the cold, clinical walls making the space feel like it would never end. Her mind was racing just as fast as her legs. Where was Darrick? Why hadn't he come for her? He wouldn't have just forgotten—not Darrick.

The handler's massive boots made loud thuds against the floor, her head pounded with every step, each step a reminder of just how small she was in comparison. It made her nervous. She didn't want to get in the way of his feet. She glanced up at his towering frame, frustration bubbling beneath her unease. The white uniform he wore was pristine, his steps precise, calculated. There was no room for warmth, no room for answers. She felt like an afterthought—an inconvenience he'd rather not deal with.

She wanted to ask him again about Darrick, to demand to know where he was, but the words caught in her throat. Something about the handler's demeanor made her hesitate. His expression, his calm yet unyielding pace—it all screamed that he wouldn't tell her anything even if he did know.

Her legs burned from the effort of keeping up, but she refused to fall behind. Tess clenched her fists, her jaw tightening. She had to basically run to keep up with the giant man

Where was Darrick was adamant in the back of her mind. Where could he have gone ?