Blood pounds in between Noelle's ears. Noelle's lower half does not, strictly speaking, have a circulatory system, but there are hearts in there, and they flex out of time with the one in her upper chest.

Noelle can smell Jessica's sweat, her pain, her fear. Except she can't, because that doesn't make any sense. People don't smell pain. But then again, Noelle is not a person. People don't have heads for legs, either.

The image of Jessica's scars linger in Noelle's mind. If she thinks about them for too long, the pounding gets worse. But Noelle can't not think, either, because if she turns herself over to instinct, there's no telling what she might do.

"I'm going to get you out of here," Noelle says, and her voice doesn't sound like her own, not when it comes out of so many mouths. "Then I'll put you down."

Sure enough, Noelle wastes no time leaving that place. Once she's sure the ground is safe, she sets Jessica down, as gently as she's able. Then she slinks back several feet, folds her upper arms over her chest, and looks down at Jessica with wide, glassy eyes. Her shoulders are shaking a little. Noelle doesn't know how to stop it. She barely knows how to make her body do anything.

"Are you hurt?" Noelle asks, her voice small. It's an idiotic question. It still feels important that she gets the answer.