Before I post this, I would like to note that I am looking for cover art for the novel! If you would like to send me your idea for a cover picture, message me and we'll figure something out! If you want to use characters from the book, obviously have Sabrina, but you could also include Kaileigh, Katie, Darilyn, and Ayden.

Sabrina: Sabrina is a spunky, sweet 17-year old who loves to learn new things. She was diagnosed late with dyslexia, and she's stuck in a room with Kaileigh. She doesn't care much for her, seeing as she's too hard to understand, but she tries her best to include her. She uses Katie as a guide.

Kaileigh: Kaileigh is an autistic 17-year-old with an obsession of colors and stickers. She collects stickers in a book her mother gave her, but she tends to stick them to things (or people) she deems important to her as a sign of trust. She leaves at odd times for short therapy sessions once every two weeks. She is also never late (or early) to anything, or else it bothers her. She does not like loud noises or bright lights, and tends to be alone on her own free will. Markus is her best friend, and she sometimes calls him her brother.

Katie: Katie has severe epilepsy, but she never seems to be bothered by it. She's used a wheelchair since an accident when she was young where she was injured from a seizure that caused her to fall. She can walk normally, but sometimes it takes her longer to get used to it. She was transported to "Beautiful Minds" when she was 10, 4 years after diagnosis. She loves to show others around, and loves introducing Sabrina to everyone there. She is also Luis's niece.

Markus: Markus has trouble talking with others since he has social anxiety and panic disorders, but Katie is his girlfriend. He tries to talk with others, but he often gets too nervous and leaves, or even skips meals or events. He often, however, goes to see Katie and Ava in his spare time. He is the only character that Kaileigh interacts with daily, as she goes to see him before bed and wakes him up in the morning before class, despite his nervousness around her.

Nora, Lillian, and Olivia: Nora and her "gang" have dissociative identity disorder, and Nora is the host personality. No one knows too much about any of them since they switch often due to stress or boredom. Olivia is very sophisticated and tends to sugarcoat everything to please anyone she speaks to, Nora is very blunt and often comes off as rude, and Lillian is very laid back and somewhat lazy, but has a kind heart. Olivia and Lillian were "born" to protect Nora from her abusive stepfather, who got divorced from their mother. They were diagnosed after, at age 13.

Ava: Ava has mild schizophrenia. She is very quiet and reserved, but she is very intelligent. She's the smartest in her class, despite having trouble focusing. She gets so far ahead by going to tutoring early in the mornings. Kaileigh and Nora don't like Ava, Nora bullying her to an extent by calling her "freak".

Darilyn: Darilyn has severe Tourette's. She always worries about when her next "episode" will happen, and it sometimes makes her leave class for minutes or even days. She was bullied before diagnosis at her public school, and her father took her out when she was 9. Her hair is streaked with pink and blue highlights.

Ayden: Ayden was diagnosed with ADHD when he was 9. Because of this, he has trouble sitting still, and will bounce in his seat in class. He often gets in fights (physical and verbal) with Kile, but he is otherwise a very mentally collected kid. His kindness often comes off as flirting, but he tends to pretend it is, even when it's not. His sense of humor is melodramatics, which Nora and Kile despise. He is the most social in Sabrina's group. He also has (and carries around) two spinners and a cube to help him focus, but neither always work and constantly get him in trouble.

Mackenzie: Mackenzie has a rare disorder called "conversion disorder". She has a hard time explaining what it is, but she can grow physically weak from mental "bumps" like stress or nervousness. She is very creative; she helps trying to organize events and get-togethers, and loves to paint and sketch things she admires. Her best friend is Ava, seeing as they use each other as comfort zones.

Aaron: Aaron likes to stay by himself, but he always ends up with Ayden. His depression keeps him away in his room, even though Ayden (who happens to be his roommate), tries to get him out and about between classes, meals, and night hour. He loves loud rock music, as well as some gaming. He has been at "Beautiful Minds" since he was 15, making him the newest of Sabrina's group (excluding herself).

I opened my eyes, then looked out the window, only to be greeted with a wave of anxiety.

I was in a car, going past places I have never seen before. It only seemed to get worse as I looked ahead of me to ask my mom where I was going, but she wasn't there. Instead, there were two people I failed to recognize in the seats in front of me.

My first instinct was to attack, and I went to raise my fist, only to realize that I couldn't move my arm. Had they broken it? Amputated it? What did I do to deserve this? Before I could stop myself, I tried to yell, but I just couldn't. There was obviously something in my mouth. I tried to spit it out, but to no avail.

Now, I just wanted to cry. I had never wanted so badly to go back and take the tests they had me do. They were stupid and pointless, and I know they knew that it was extremely difficult for me. I've always had trouble reading, but no one really knew why I couldn't complete that task at the age of seventeen. At least if I went back, I might be able to see my mom.

I looked up ahead of me once again to observe the driver, then I tried to head-butt his seat. It was the first time, I assume, that I've moved in this entire trip. He whipped around to face me, then looked back to the road unsympathetically. I continued to hit his seat until I broke down and began to cry. I just wanted to go home. I looked up to the person in the passenger seat, who I finally recognized to be the girl who did my testing. She had turned in her seat to face me, a syringe in her hand. I tried my hardest to scream as I attempted to kick her away, but I failed as she had injected whatever fluid was in there into my arm. I continued to try and keep her away, but then grew tired and weak, then my world came to black as I fell back asleep.

"…No. Not there." I heard muttering as I woke up. I found that I could finally sit up and look around with ease, and I felt lighter. My arm was still there, and I could feel and move it, so I tried to find what was holding me back seemingly moments ago. I looked around, then found a white jacket littered with restraints and ropes. In black marker, "#043" was written right over the breast.

I then looked up to find the source of the muttering. Before me stood a girl roughly around my age. She was pacing back and forth in the floor, her head hung low, as she kept whispering to herself. She was definitely odd, and I wasn't too sure if I could get used to this or not.

"It doesn't match the others, Kaileigh…" she kept going, then she stopped and stared at her desk. "It can't go there. It doesn't match. It has to match. This…This is too blue." She picked up a green sticker and stared at it for a long while, then set it down. "Not the right color…" Now she whimpered and groaned before she turned to face me. She smiled, almost gratefully, as she piled something in her hands as she came to me. She spilled an array of stickers and badges out over the bed I was on, then looked up to me, but I never actually felt our eyes lock.

"Good! You're awake; can you help me?" she asked, then before letting me respond, she continued by taking a green-ish blue star sticker and a very light blue sticker with a similar design. "Would you say this color can go between these two?" She then replaced the blue sticker, then gestured to the new star, "or these two?" She showed me all possible decisions, but I just looked up at her.

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters!" She bit her lip and snorted. "It's very important."

I sighed, then just picked the left combination, then she looked to it. She stared long and hard at it, then she collected her stickers and moved to the desk once again, sorting them out into a journal and closing it. I stood up carefully and walked to her. I came to the final decision that she might be here against her will like me, but she seemed to be holding it up well.

"What's your name?" I asked quietly, but she didn't respond. I repeated my question, a little louder this time, but she still didn't answer. Instead, she went back to mumbling. I frowned, irritated, then turned to the door as a creaking sound filled the room. The girl never looked back; she just stared at her spot on the desk.

"They're looking for you…" the girl whispered, and I nodded. I turned and looked back at my new roommate, then walked out.

"Who was that?" I asked, and the girl watched the room before closing the door.

"That's Kaileigh. She came here when she was nine. She doesn't remember a life outside of here." She stopped and glanced to me. "She was diagnosed with a disability and they didn't find it safe for her or the public, so they moved her."

"She's not…safe?" I looked back, feeling my panic coming back.

"Well…She is," she began to walk on down the hall, so I followed, "It's just a developmental disorder. I never said the researchers were smart."

"What is it then?"

"What is what?"

"The disability. What we were just talking about."

"Oh." She flashed a small smile and kept walking. "Autism."

"…Oh." I looked ahead, watching as we went into a room with a desk and three chairs, one on the other side of the table and two by the door. In the far chair sat a broad young man. He flashed me a smile, and it was the most afraid I had been this entire dilemma. He motioned for the girl to leave, and she nodded.

"I'm Katie," she whispered to me with a smile, then she turned and left. Once the door closed again, I looked to the man in front of me with a sigh.

"Hello, Sabrina," he said softly, and I nodded. "How do you like your room? Assuming you looked around."

"I did a little," I responded, biting my lip for a moment as I pondered over whether or not I should ask why I was there. Before I made my decision, he spoke up.

"Did testing go well?"

I looked up, then behind me at a wall, staring at it for a moment. "I suppose," I started, then I looked back to him, "but apparently not. Is this an asylum?"

He paused for a moment, then he looked up to the ceiling. He was quiet for a long while, then he finally answered with a "no". He didn't look back down as he continued to explain. "This is an institution of sorts, yes, but not for the mentally unstable. It's to protect kids and adults alike from the world outside."

"But you can't just shelter people. They—We aren't babies."

"I'm aware, but some kids are a little…less developed. I assume you met your roommate, right? Kaileigh?"

"Yeah, I did," I said, trying to keep back the fact that I thought she was absurd. "What does she have to do with this?"

"She verifies my point. She was born with a developmental delay. She's 17 years old now, but she has the mind of kid roughly 9 years old." He flashed an obviously fake smile as he continued. "If she stays here, we can help her learn everything she needs. But some kids aren't physically safe. Like Katie."

"What about her?" I was starting to get more upset the longer this conversation went on.

"She can't do too much on her own. She shouldn't have even been walking." He frowned, looking down and at a phone that teachers and workers would use, as if debating if he should call her back down or not. "She collapses at random, and if she hits something, well, you see what I mean. Lights bother her, too, as well as Kaileigh." He looked back to me, and I expected him to continue, but his thought resonated in the quiet room, undisturbed by another word.

"But what if—"

"That's it for this now, Sabrina," he said, flashing another smile. "I just wanted to introduce myself and welcome you here. I'm Luis, and I'm in charge of this place."

I nodded slowly, still upset and hurt by my own unanswered questions. I found myself standing, then gripping the back of the red and black chair.

"I suppose I'll see you tonight at dinner," he said, waving me out and grabbing onto the phone next to his workspace. "Kaileigh is never late, so I recommend you are ready before her."

The dinner hall was humongous. I almost felt like I was back at school again since the room was set up oddly similarly to a cafeteria. Kaileigh was already long gone by the time I was back at my room, but I managed to find Katie, who was sitting in a small green wheelchair. She wheeled herself beside me and smiled.

"You look so tense," she started, giggling. "Everybody is so sweet. C'mon, I want you to meet someone." She pushed my back lightly with her palm, then wheeled over to a boy, not sitting too far away from where I was standing. I watched and waited until she had stopped and motioned me over. I then forced myself to take a step, then another, up until I was standing at the table.

The boy looked up at me with the eyes of a frightened deer, and his breath seemed to have cut short. "This is Markus," Katie started, reaching out and grabbing his hand. He glanced to her, then nodded as his gaze slowly moved to me.

"H-Hi," he whispered, looking back to the table. I frowned, looking to him. Katie did the same, then moved as close as she could in her wheelchair so she could plant a small kiss on his cheek.

"Did you get anything to eat yet?"

"U-Uh, no. I-I'll go then…" He stood up quickly, then hurried away, his head low. I bit my lip as Katie sighed.

"He's not trying to be rude, he just doesn't do well with other people." Her voice was soft and almost hurt, but her smile barely altered. "He has some minor anxiety. He's getting through it, but the meds aren't worth anything. They don't help."

I nodded, then looked around for Kaileigh. It bothered me that she wasn't here, but she had left as I entered our room. I found her sitting alone in the corner, rocking and giggling as she ate her potatoes.

"She's okay," Katie said, as if she was reading me. "People with what she has often do better alone."

"Right," I said, dragging it out, then sighed.

This place annoyed me. Everyone here belonged out in the real world. They'd never learn to adapt to the changes if they stayed isolated in an asylum.

But one thing bothered me more than that. What did I end up having if I was here? Why was I here?

A knock on the door woke me up the next morning. I stirred, then looked to see Kaileigh had left. In the door stood Katie, out of her wheelchair and gripping on the doorframe. She flashed a meek smile.

"Where's your chair?" I asked, sitting up and running a hand through my red hair. Katie gestured behind her, and I flashed a small smile. Behind her, I could see it's slim frame as it waited behind her to be used.

"Can't leave without it," she commented, waving for me to go with her before she turned and carefully sat back down.

I rose to my feet with a yawn, then looked at the calendar that was nailed to the wall. It had been two weeks since I came here, and I still wasn't completely used to it. I hated the classes that they taught, and I felt like a third grader in them due to the way they were taught. The only exception was reading, but even then. If I focus hard enough, it's not as hard.

I glanced behind me to see that Katie entered the room, closing the door, and pretended to be interested with Kaileigh's journal so I could get dressed. I pulled my shirt off over my head, then I slipped on a black t-shirt that my mom sent me a few days back. I then kicked off my pajama pants and slipped on my jeans, then I bent down to tie my shoes.

"How's Markus?" I started as she began to wheel back over.

"He's doing alright, I guess," she said, her voice tainted with sadness. "His medicine still doesn't work."

"They should put him on new prescriptions," I stated, looking up to her before tying my other shoe.

"They did put him on some," she continued, looking down at my feet, "it's just...it isn't strong enough either."

"I see," I said, staring at my foot once I finished putting on my shoes. I then found myself staring at Katie's legs and the wheelchair. I frowned a little, then looked up to her. "Hey, so Luis said you had to stay in that, but you walk just fine. So why do you need it?"

"Seizures." She shrugged, then wheeled out of the room after I held the door open for her. "I have it so if I have one, the chances of me getting hurt are lower." She used a cloth band around her wrist to wipe drool from her lip. "It sucks, but it's for the best."

"I guess so," I said as we rounded the corner to head to the cafeteria. It was quiet for a while, then Katie looked up to me.

"What about you? Why are you here?"

I stopped, biting my lip as I looked for an honest answer without sounding dumb. "I don't really know. They haven't told me yet."

"You went into testing, right?"

I nodded, then went around her chair and began to push her forward. "I just find it weird that I've been here for 2 weeks now, but I still don't know what's wrong with me."

"I doubt it's serious," she cooed, looking up and behind at me, "it almost never is."

"Almost?"

She shrugged. "No one here is dangerous. The doctors like to say they are because it makes them look better when they tell others that they can keep a 'dangerous' kid under control."

I nodded understandingly as we approached the dining area. It was just as full as always. It was never really loud, but that's from my standpoint.

"I wonder why Kaileigh makes it through this sometimes," Katie whispered, looking to the girl who sat in the back like she always did, "she doesn't do too well with noises or bright lights. They're more extreme to her."

"Why is that?"

"She has minor sensory problems." Katie looked back to me, "That just means that her senses are distinguished, but sometimes it spooks her a little."

I nodded, then looked around to our usual spot, which was a little smaller this time, and I frowned as I tried to move Katie closer, but she put her hand on mine.

"I wanna try and walk there. Do you think it'd be okay?"

I nodded, looking around to find Luis, then helped her up. I held her hand tightly as she took uneven steps towards our destination. I helped her sit down, and I went to retrieve her chair, then I joined her and one other girl.

"Hey Nora," Katie chirped with a little smile. The new girl looked up and nodded.

"Hi, Katie," she whispered, and Katie giggled.

"How's Olivia and Lillian?"

"They're doing okay, I guess," Nora answered, looking to me. She observed me for a moment, then sighed.

"Are they her-"

"Hey, Sabrina, can you go with me to get breakfast? Please? I'm just gonna go in my chair, and I can get yours as well." Katie looked at me with an expression that read "I'll explain if you come on," so I nodded. I helped her into her chair, then we maneuvered over to the line, which was almost completely gone now.

"Are Olivia and Lillian her kids?" I asked, but to my surprise, Katie shook her head.

"Nora's had a rough life," she responded softly, as if she was afraid someone might hear her. "They've been through so much," she added this as she reached out for a tray, set it in her lap, then grabbed a piece of toast. I flashed her a confused frown, then did the same, using own hand to hold Katie still and the other for the tray.

"...They?"

"Yeah, there's more than one.”

"More than one what?"

Katie looked up at me, but before responding, she looked ahead of her, wheeling ahead and out of my grip. "Life.”

"Like, reborn?" I asked. I felt dumb, but I didn't understand.

"No. Like, personalities. She has something called a personality disorder." She looked behind at me. Her eyes were soft and spiked with sorrow. "Two more personalities, Olivia and Lillian, were born when her father died, and her mom got...rough."

I nodded, but I still didn't completely understand.

"It's hard to explain," Katie continued, then she looked ahead again after grabbing a bottle of apple juice, "so all I'm asking is for you to be nice and patient with them. She's just as confused as you are here. She feels as if she's normal."

"Is she not?"

Katie hesitated, then moved on without answering. I frowned, then followed her out.

We found our way back to Nora, who had barely touched her food and was trying to give her food to another girl, who sat beside Katie's empty area. The girl kept denying, saying she didn't need more than the two plates of food that Nora had given her already, but she kept insisting.

"Nora, she doesn't need more."

"I don't need it either," she argued back to Katie with a huff, then she looked back to her own plate, then she stood, whispering "neither does Lillian. She's adding weight to this body."

"Nora..."

"It's true." She looked up, the sense of innocence still in her green eyes. She then took her tray and left. I sighed, then looked up to the other girl.

She had blonde hair that had pink and blue highlights striping the yellow color. Her eyes were a beautiful blue, and her face had a soft complex to it. Her makeup was also on-point. She also looked to be very pale, and she was also very thin. She looked down to her plate and stared at the extra three servings Nora gave her, then she flinched.

"How are you this morning, Darilyn?" Katie asked, forcing a smile. Darilyn shrugged then looked up at her.

"Okay, I guess. I could keep still long enough to maybe look decent today."

"That's always good," I pitched, and she giggled.

"It's an achievement," she added, taking one of the bagels Nora gave her, "it's only happened a few times before."

I nodded, looking to Katie, but Darilyn caught my attention as she coughed.

"Are you okay?" I asked, and she nodded.

"I'm fine," she responded, faking a smile and standing. "Classes start soon, we should go on ahead." She flinched again and I frowned.

"Okay. You ready, Katie?" Katie nodded, and I wheeled her out, then we all headed to class.

When we arrived, I helped Katie to her spot, then I retreated to my desk. I sat there, watching Kaileigh beside me as she hummed and rocked, her hands on her knees and feet in the seat. Her brown hair was down like it always was, and it was just as messy. She glanced towards me, stared for a second, then went back to what she was doing. I sighed,

then looked ahead as class started.

"Okay guys," our teacher, Mrs. Kaufner, started. She was this petit little old woman, but she was awful. Everyone hated her, but there was nothing we could do about it. "Take out your novels. That's how we're starting today."

I sighed, then dug around in my bag, looking for the old book we were told to read. I tossed it to my desk, but glanced to see Kaileigh staring at me.

"Can you read?" she asked loudly, and my face flushed.

"O-Of course I can!"

"So then why do you stutter?"

"I don't stutter," I answered, clearing my throat. Kaileigh stared at me for a while longer, then she went back to her book.

"Miss Sabrina? Can you read where we left off yesterday?" Mrs. Kaufner asked, and I looked up. I usually didn't read along because it stresses me out, so I had no idea where we were. Darilyn, who sat on the other side of me, caught on to my nervousness, then she whispered "Chapter 9, start at the beginning. You got this." She gave me a thumbs-up before flinching again and clearing her throat, and I nodded and smiled thankfully, then took a minute to flip to the page.

"Miss Sabrina?"

"Sorry. Yes, I can." I found the section we were at and I took a deep breath. I stared at the words on the page, but none of it made sense to me. It wasn't blurred, but I just couldn't make any of it out.

"Sabrina, please read for us."

"I-"

"There was no use in arguing with a person like this. I promptly put such a strain on my memory that by and by even the shoal water and the countless crossing-marks began to stay with me," Darilyn started, glancing to me before continuing, "But the result was just the same. I never could more than get one knotty thing learned before another presented itself. Now I had often seen pilots gazing at the water and pretending to read it as if it were a book-" she cleared her throat and whimpered, and I began to get the feeling that she couldn't help her coughing or flinching. Nonetheless, she kept reading. "...But it was a book that told me nothing."

"Thank you, Darilyn," Mrs. Kraufner commented, staring me down. "Okay, Kile, your turn, go."

As Kile read, I kept watching Darilyn. She was staring ahead, but her face was flushed. She ran her fingers through her hair, and I frowned, then glanced just in time to see Katie observing me. She wore a worried expression, a frown on her lips, then she turned and looked ahead. I closed my eyes and listened to Kile, the boy two sits in front of me on to my right, read. I tried to pay close attention, but I couldn't hear him well.

Then, a yelp filled the classroom.

Kile stopped reading, then he turned and looked behind him, then he kept going. I glanced to my left at Darilyn, who covered her mouth. She had terror etched into her face, and she was sitting tall and stiff. I mouthed to her, asking if she was okay, and she just nodded, then she coughed and yelped again.

"Oh my God, Darilyn! You're so noisy!" Kile stood up and Darilyn teared up. "You're being so rude!"

"I-I'm s-" she coughed again, and he growled.

"Stop your faking! No one is pitying you!"

"She's not faking, Kile, leave her alone!" Katie stood up quicker than she usually does, then she recoiled from the dizziness that obviously hit her in the face.

"She has to be! No normal person would draw attention to themselves like that!"

"Kile! Leave her alone!"

Katie and Kile stared at each other for a long while, and Darilyn had head on her desk, crying. I crawled over on my knees and rubbed her back, then heard a thud. I looked up in alarm to see Katie had fallen on the floor, stiff as a stick. Some kids screamed, some were frozen, some, like Kaileigh, didn't move at all. Darilyn shot her head up and stared at Katie's general area, her eyes glazed over in fear. I slowly stood up, whispering to Darilyn that I'd be right back, then I rushed over to Katie, checking her over for injuries and holding her close as Mrs. Kaufner took one of the phones and called for help. As soon as she hung up, Katie had regained consciousness. She stared up at me, then looked around. She then reached up and wiped her lip with the band on her wrist again and attempted to stand. I helped her up and into the chair, then went back to Darilyn.

Class resumed after that, the only interruption were the doctors coming in for Katie and Darilyn's involuntary hoots and yelps.

"You guys can use partners," Mrs. Kaufner stated, talking about this math project we had to do, and I groaned, then looked to Kaileigh. I knew by default that Katie would be with Markus, and Nora and her gang might be working by themselves.

"Hey, uh..." I looked up and saw a boy. He bit his lip and looked down at me as he stood by my desk. I barely recognized him; just to the point that I knew he was in class, I didn't know a name or anything. That was the case with most of the students here. "I...Do you have a partner?"

"Nope. I'm kinda lonely," I answered with a small giggle as I looked him up and down. "I'm Sabrina."

"Ayden," he answered, smiling a little, then he pulled up a chair and sat with me. "When's this due?"

"I dunno," I shrugged, looking down at the paper, "Not today." He nodded, then began bouncing in his spot a little. I glanced to him, frowned, then sighed. "If it isn't today, you wanna just chat?"

"That'd be great," he smiled up at me, then laughed a little. "I'll start. When did you get here? You're kinda new."

"I'd say...Two and a half weeks ago? What about you?"

"Since I was nine," he flashed me a fake smile, then before I could ask why, he answered ahead with, "I got ADHD. Attention deficit hyperactive disorder."

"Fun. They still haven't told me."

"That's weird," Ayden replied with a small frown. "Typically they tell you within a week, but I think Luis was busy."

"More than likely," I giggled, then took my chance to take a good look at the boy in front of me. He was definitely around my age, just like everyone else in this wing. He had dusty blonde hair, and a set of gorgeous blue eyes. His face had the perfect complexion, but his nose was kinda small. He was also definitely thinner than everyone else in the room. He caught me watching and he smiled.

"Like what you see?" he added with a stupid tone, and I giggled.

"I do, but not too much."

"You're mean," he laughed, drumming his fingertips on the desk.

"I can be," I teased, then looked to Katie, who was looking back at me and giggling. Markus proceeded to stare at me nervously. When they turned back to their work, it was time to go, so I stood slowly and stretched as Ayden stood up with me. I smiled to him, then grabbed my bag and walked out, and I listened to his footsteps behind me.

~~~~

"Kaileigh?" The room remained silent. I looked over to Kaileigh, who was standing near the desk, staring at her sticker book. I stood up and walked to her. "Kaileigh?"

"Yes, Sabrina?"

"Do you need help on the math project?"

"No, Sabrina." She looked up at me, but like usual, we didn't lock eyes. "Do you? What about Ayden?"

"What about him?"

"Aren't you partners?" Kaileigh finally clicked eyes with mine. "Is he your boyfriend?"

"No! I just met him."

"He's your boyfriend." Kaileigh looked away again, then sheepishly walked to the door. She rested her hand on the door knob for a minute, then she turned to me. "Is he coming over?"

"I dunno." I went back to the bed and lied on my back, then Kaileigh shrugged.

"Fair enough." She left, and I sighed, then looked to the clock. She ran on time, strictly the same times every day. She woke up at 7 o'clock, then was sitting in her seat in class at exactly 7:31. She was always the third out of class, then made it back here at some time before me. Then, she would leave for dinner at 6:15.

But it's weird, because it was only 5:30.

I stared up at the ceiling, blinded by my own thoughts. Frankly, I don't really care why Kaileigh would leave so early, but I was trying to figure out why she was so strict with her schedule. And she talked differently than everyone else. She spoke so formally all of the time while everyone spoke in slang or sarcasm, and her voice was almost always monotone. She never looked anyone in the eyes; that moment was only the second time to happen the whole two and a half weeks I was here. It was almost as if she were afraid to. So, why does she do it? Is it just how she works?

The door knocked, and I rolled over to see Katie by the door, in her wheelchair with a smile on her face. "I wanna show you something," she said, gesturing for me to come over. I stood, staring at the desk before sitting up and fully raising on my feet. I then walked over and rested on the doorframe.

"What's up?"

"You trust me, right?"

I nodded, and she smiled again, then turned her chair and wheeled away down the hall. The way down was silent for the most part, and I felt like this would be a good time to ask more about Kaileigh.

"Hey, so..." Katie looked back to me, her smile not altering as I began my question, "Why does Kaileigh act so...different?"

"I thought we talked about this," Katie started, looking ahead once again, "It's 'cause she's autistic."

"Right but...why?"

"She just runs a little differently." She took a turn to the left and I followed her. "She's just like everyone else, just needs a little more TLC." She giggled a little, then stopped by a big door, then looked to me. "This is just a bit too big," she started, almost as if it was rehearsed, "can you get it for me?"

"What's on the other side?"

"You trust me, right?"

I nodded again, then looked up at the large door. It did look too heavy for Katie to push with the way she bound. "It's not dangerous?"

"Just open it. Come on."

I sighed, then pushed open the door with a grunt. Inside, I recognized a lot of people from class. They were all in groups, just chatting with each other, but when the door closed with a loud thud, it all stopped, and they looked to me. It was quiet for a moment, then it hit me what was going on.

They threw a welcoming party. Just for me.

I looked around at the decoration job, then to Katie, who giggled. "You like?" She asked, wheeling over to who looked to be like Nora, but she had a happier and calmer aura to her. Katie looked back to me, seemingly forgetting that she had asked me a question seconds ago. This intrigued me and I began to walk over. "This is Olivia," Katie stated, rubbing her shoulder. Olivia smiled to me, and I found myself smiling back.

"I'm Sabrina," I said softly, and Olivia waved.

"She helped me set some of this up. She's pretty good at designing. Whaddya think?" Olivia then waved for her to stop, a feeble smile on her lips.

"I mean, Nora helped too...So did Lillian."

"Lillian just kinda...Sat there."

Olivia giggled, then grabbed a small plastic cup of water not too far away, taking small sips. "She does things her own way, that's all."

"Speaking of which, where's Kaileigh?" I asked, and Katie looked to me. I figured Kaileigh might be done with whatever it was she was doing by now.

"Kaileigh usually doesn't come to these kinds of things. She's a bit iffy about people and interactions, but she gets through it." Katie smiled here, then looked to the crowd of people. "Markus didn't come either, but don't take it personal. They still like ya."

I nodded, not really bothered by it, then looked to a boy that took me a moment to recognize. He bounced on his heels as he talked to Darilyn, then he turned and waved to me, flashing a goofy smile. He then nodded, saying something to Darilyn, then he walked over slowly.

"Sabrina?" I looked over to Katie, who had a weird look to her now. "Did you hear me?"

"No, sorry. I dazed out for a second."

Katie nodded, looking to Olivia, then back to me. "Luis said he has your diagnostic papers in, finally. He said you can pick them up at dinner, that he'd call for you."

I nodded, a swelling joyous feeling flooding my chest. I turned to see Ayden approach me, then he put his arm around me.

"You doin' good? Oh, hey Katie." It's almost as if he forgot he was talking to me, but I didn't mind.

"I'm doing fine; better than I thought the two hours away from you would go."

He laughed at my comment, then retracted his arm. "It's been that long? Man, felt like an eternity."

"Couldn't be quicker for me," I flashed a half-sided grin and he smiled.

"Hey, love birds." I looked up to see Olivia, who twisted hair on her finger. She bit her lip, then looked to Katie, who shrugged. Was this a transition? "It's time for dinner. We gotta go."

"We can come back later if you want, Sabrina," Katie added, smiling to Ayden. She then tugged on the girl next to her, and she was helped up out of her wheelchair. "We can come back for it, come on, Nora," she was then led out, and Ayden and I followed.

We sat in our usual spot, Markus with us now. He drummed his fingers on the table as he watched Katie next to him. She smiled, then gestured to Ayden. "Have you met him yet?" He shook his head, then looked to his lap.

"I...I-I'm Markus..."

"Cool. I'm Ayden." Ayden reached a hand out, but Markus never seemed to notice. He looked up to me and stared me down, then looked back to Katie before slowly starting to eat.

"We just have to wait until they call for you. Do you want someone to go with you? It's best that I don't, but maybe Dari?"

I looked over to Darilyn, who sat at the table next to me, talking with a slim, blonde boy. She flinched every once in a while, but not as often as she usually does. I looked back to Katie. "Darilyn's fine. Should I talk to her?"

"I can," Nora said, standing and walking over. I turned to watch, but my attention seemed to be aimed to Kaleigh. The little brunette sat in the back corner, like she usually does. She was rocking back and forth, her ponytail swinging with the inertia. I frowned, then looked to the others, who were talking with each other. I dismissed myself after a moment of thought, then I walked over to Kaileigh.

As I approached her, she stopped her swaying and looked up at me. The smile on her face grew and I smiled back. I tapped her shoulder, then gestured to the rest of the group sitting a distance away. "Do you want to sit with us? Are you lonely?" I spoke slow and soft, as if talking to a little girl who was not 17. Kaileigh stared at me for a second, blinked, then looked back to her food.

"No thanks," she mumbled, then took another bite of her burger. She didn't look up at me, her eyes were fixated on a spot on the table that wasn't there. "I'm not lonely. Why don't you go back to your friends?"

"Do you wanna come with?"

Kaileigh seemed confused, then she shook her head. "I don't need friends." My heart dropped at her statement, but I nodded, standing and walking back over to where we were all sitting.

Now, Darilyn and the boy she was talking to were sitting with us. Everyone was talking, but as soon as I reached my spot, I heard a beeping sound, then a voice.

"Sabrina Shyles? Can you come see me in my office? Sabrina Shyles."

I stood right back up and took a deep breath as Darilyn stood as well. "I'm gonna-" she let out a small yelp, "I'm gonna go with you if that's okay." I nodded, then we walked out together.

Now, I'm lying here on my bed, staring at the papers and trying to make out what it said. I got "dyslexia" from what I can manage to read.

"Sabrina? Sabrina?" I groaned and opened my eyes. Kaileigh was staring me down. "Sabrina?"

"Yes, Kaileigh?"

"It's 7 o'clock."

I sighed, sitting up and looking to the calendar. I counted the "x"s until I got to the first open area, concluding by its position that it was the weekend. "It's Sunday. Don't you want to sleep in?" I knew the answer before she said it; "sleeping in" wasn't in her dictionary.

"I have things to do today," she said, rocking on her heels and staring up at the ceiling.

"Things like...?"

"Like everything else."

I frowned, then looked up to the ceiling as well, then Kaileigh turned away and faced the door. Without another word, and before I could say anything, she left, and I sighed. I fell onto my back and began to doze back off, then my phone buzzed. It wasn't actually my phone, it was confiscated when I first got here, but it was one Katie gave me. Everyone had one--they were used solely for talking with people in class, and everyone had everyone's number stored ahead of time, complete with numbers and physical descriptions for people who may forget. I, for some reason, have no trouble reading from a screen, just paper.

"Hey, I can help ya with reading. My roommate needs help as well, so I can get ya both. Interested?"

I looked up at the contact, and it said "Dari" in the black font. I smiled a little, looking back at the clock, which read 7:05.

"Sure, I guess," I started to reply, then sent it, working on a new text. "What time?" I sat up, defeated that I couldn't sleep anymore, then ran my fingers through my hair.

"How about in 30?"

I sighed. I had no interest whatsoever in getting up anytime soon. I was not about to abide by Kaileigh's imperialism, but I had no choice; I had to pass this class, no matter what, so I texted back with, "That's fine. See ya in a bit."

I sat up and got to my feet, then went to the mirror and stared at my face and freckles. My bright red hair was messy to the point that it didn't look real. I groaned, then brushed it out to get the tangles out, then threw on a blue t-shirt to go with the sweatpants I wore to bed. By the time I was done, there was another text. This time, it was from a girl named Ava, who sat behind me in class.

"Dari is in the shower. I'm her roommate, and she said to tell you our room is #5."

I smiled a little; at least I knew she was nice. I didn't know what else to expect, considering someone like Kile was not likely to be in the same room, but I was nervous about something. She was extremely quiet, but she helps people like Kaileigh out. It's not that Kaileigh was dumb, just that she had trouble learning new things and would often get extremely upset.

I turned back to the mirror and the reflection stared back at me. I bit my lip, then turned over to my nightstand and retrieve my hair tie. I bent down, my head past my knees, and collected my hair from there before tying it up into a messy bun. I looked back up and sighed, then looked to my phone. It was vibrating for a moment, then stopped, and I went over to see who I missed a call from. The flat screen read "Missed Call--Aaron F".

I tilted my head; I wasn't too sure I knew who that was. This was another case where I knew the name, and knew it well enough to figure out that he was in my class, but not enough to pin it to a face. Just before I could call him back, it rang again, this time from Katie. I quickly answered, and then looked back at myself in the mirror.

The first thing I noticed before anyone said anything was that someone was letting out shrill screeches and another two kids were yelling in the background. I frowned, intimidated by the sudden urge of emergency, then collected myself enough to say "hello?" into the phone.

"He--Guys! Shut up! Sorry, and I know it's early, but can you come to the cafeteria? There's an--Guys!--There's an emergency."

"The cafeteria?" I repeated.

"Yep, just come as fast as you can. Get water. Thanks." Immediately after, she hung up and my heart sank. I ran to the mini fridge, pulled out a bottle of water, then bolted.

By now, even as slow as it took me, I had figured out the basis of where everything was. It doesn't sound like much of a feat, but the place was built similar to an asylum from a horror movie, and the doors all looked the same. I took a sharp left and kept running. I had no endurance due to not doing anything physical, so my breaths were getting sharper and more separated. I took my final left turn and froze in my spot, staring the chaos.

Kaileigh was sitting in the floor, sobbing with blood near her feet. I couldn't tell from where, but it was still alarming to think it was hers, or anyone's. Ayden had Kile pinned to the ground, his wrists above his head, and they both wore black eyes and bruises, Ayden with a busted lip as a bonus. Then there was Markus, who was curled up with his arms over his head and in a state of hysterics. I didn't know where to go first, so I bolted in a random direction, which was towards Kaileigh.

She was gripping onto locks of brown hair that fell from her ponytail. Her fingers were beginning to turn white from how tight she held on, and I assumed from the way her hair fell that she was tugging on it. She looked at me, a sense of panic in her large brown eyes, and she screamed a blood curdling cry before shoving me away. "Bad! Bad!" she screamed, continuing to scoot away from me once again. She hiccuped and kicked at me. "Go! Go away!" She landed a hit on my right cheek and I recoiled.

I looked to a boy who was approaching us; he was lanky with shaggy blond hair. He took the water from me, then with the same amount of panic, whispered, "Go get Ayden. Calm him down." I nodded and stood, turning and running to him. He had started his yelling again as he hit Kile in the head. I came up behind him, grabbed him by the waist, and pulled him off. He was kicking and screaming, his face red with anger. He had tears of frustration rolling down his face as he sputtered another retort.

"Hey! Hey, calm down," I tried to whisper, but my grip on him loosened, making me tighten it again.

"He called her retarded! She's just like the rest of us!" He screeched, trying to get back to where he was.

"Retarded like you! You aren't different! I wasn't born screwed up in the head like the rest of you!"

Now Katie looked over. She bit the inside of her cheek and glared at him. "No they're not! Kaileigh can't control it! She's having a meltdown and she just needs help! And not everyone is like us, Kile, there's Nora, Aaron," she pointed to the boy with Kaileigh, "And Markus. It's not just you!"

Kile snarled, swinging at Ayden again, so I pulled him back just far enough to miss the punch. Just as Ayden wriggled out of my arms, the doors opened, and I quickly recognized Darilyn at the door, huffing and brushing her blond bangs from her face. A girl came up behind her; she had long, wavy, dusty brown hair, freckles, and glasses. She looked to Dari, then closed her eyes and yelled, "Everyone, shut up! You're making this worse just by being noisy!"

Immediately, the room quieted down, for the exception of Kaileigh and Aaron. She looked back to Darilyn, then walked over to Aaron to help him calm down Kaileigh. Darilyn coughed, then looked around the room, a tint of sadness in her blue eyes. "Everyone chill out," she said softly, letting her eyes rest on Ayden and Kile, who were no longer fighting and watching her closely. "Just chill."

"But he--"

"I don't care, Ayden. He said what he said, and now it's my turn." She cleared her throat, a flash of annoyance across her face, "Kile, stop being a brat. Ayden, just ignore him, Kaileigh will deal with him as she--" she coughed, then shook her head, "--As she pleases. Now, you guys are making Kaileigh's meltdown and Markus's attack worse." I turned to Markus, who was now joined by Katie. She was squatting in front of him, stroking his dark hair and whispering to him. She looked to me, smiled, and mouthed, "Thank you." I nodded, then looked to Ava, who motioned for me to follow her, so I stood and walked with her and Darilyn to their room.

~~~

The next day in class, it was borderline silent. The only sources of sound were Kaileigh rocking back and forth in her chair, mumbling to herself, Darilyn's occasional tics, and Ayden's army green fidget spinner whirring. I turned and looked to Darilyn, who was reading ahead in our book. The tutoring went okay the day before, but I didn't really learn how to cope with what I had. It was just as hard to read, but at least it wasn't entirely impossible anymore. Darilyn caught my gaze and flashed a smile. "You got this?" she whispered, and I nodded.

"I think so," I smiled back, then pulled out my phone. Despite what we went over, I was going to try and read it from my phone. I stared at the book cover, then typed the name into my web browser. I pulled up the book and sighed, resting my head on the desk's flat surface. It was quiet for another moment, then Darilyn let out a loud cough. In a frightened response, Ayden yelped, then chucked his spinner against the wall. He gasped, looked back at everyone staring at him, then slowly stood to retrieve his toy. He picked it up, then observed the spot on the wall; there was now a fine dent, and he groaned.

"She's gonna kill me," he sighed, running a hand through his hair. He looked back to me, flashing me a goofy smile, then returned to his seat. Just as he sat down, Mrs. Kaufner came into the room.

"We're doing something different today, class. Take out a paper and pen, we're going to write letters to others in the class." I sighed. I wasn't going to make it through by using my phone on this one, meaning I might have to use Dari to help me. I glanced to her, just in time to watch another wince. "I heard there was some trouble yesterday about the other students, so we're going to use this as a bonding exercise. Before you turn it in, I will be looking over what you've written." I glanced over to Ayden, who was bouncing in his seat. He had a glint of excitement in his eyes as he turned to me and waved. I waved back, then converted my focus to the assignment again. "This will be a participation grade, and the letters can be anonymous as long as I know who wrote it."

Darilyn looked to me and whispered, "You want help?" I nodded, then looked around the room.

"There will only be one letter per person, meaning you'll have to pick someone and come to me," Mrs. Kaufner added, "If you're person is picked, you'll have to pick someone else. If you're ready, come up to me with your person in mind."

Almost immediately, Kile and Ayden got up. They glared at each other for a solid second, then Ayden pushed ahead and went to the teacher. They exchanged a few words, then he sat back down.

After a long while of working with Dari, I got my letter finished and went to get it checked. I had picked Kaileigh, since she was the only one left. It sort of explained itself since she was so alone all the time. She already had hers turned in and was sitting in her chair, going through her sticker collection. Mrs. Kaufner looked my letter over, smiled, then put it in the pile, then took Darilyn's and did the same with hers. Then, after jotting down our grades, she stood up.

"Girls, you can go back," she said, then took a hold on the stack of papers. "Class! When I call your name, come get your paper. Aaron, Ava, Ayden," the three stood up to get their letters someone else had written. I groaned, knowing I would be last. "Darilyn, Kaileigh, Katie, Kile." I watched as each person rose and sat. "Lilian, Mackenzie, Markus, and Sabrina." I finally got up and went to get my paper. It was folded neatly and had my name written on the visible fold. I sat down, and Darilyn asked to take my paper so she could send me what it said to my phone and I could read it properly. I handed it over and she read it carefully, then her face lit up.

"Cute," she whispered as she began typing. It took a solid ten minutes, then my phone buzzed.

"This is anonymous. Sorry for that, Sab." I bit my lip, trying to decide if I like the nickname. "I want to do this assignment as much as you do, so I guess I'll say what's been on my mind. You're different to me than you are to everyone else, and I'm not sure how else to put it, but I think it's possible that maybe we can go for something? Maybe? I dunno, but I really like you. I want to be a close person to you, whether it's your boyfriend or not, but I kinda like the first idea, don't you? Of course, you don't know who I am yet. Let's make a plan, okay? Meet me in the cafeteria at 9 tonight, an hour before curfew, and I'll confess to you there in person."

I glanced to Darilyn, who gave me a thumbs-up followed by a yip and twitch. I smiled, then looked around the room, but no one was looking back at me like I hoped.

~~~

I looked at myself one more time in the mirror. I thought I would have something cuter than a hoodie and jeans, but I suppose not. I looked back to Kaileigh, who was studying me, then I went back to my reflection.

"Are you trying to impress him?" she asked bluntly, and I shrugged.

"I don't even know who it is. It could be Kile for all I know."

"Kile's mean," she repeated for the tenth time in the past hour, "he said I was--"

"I know what he said," I cut in, turning to her. She stared at my feet, biting her lip and snapping her fingers repeatedly before shaking her head and biting her knuckle harshly.

"I know who wrote it. I know who wrote your letter, Sabrina."

My attention snapped completely to her. "Who?"

"He told me not to tell you," she puffed her cheeks at me, "so I'm not gonna." I frowned, then looked back to the mirror. "Don't worry, though, he thinks you're prettier like that. You have 10 minutes, Sabrina." I glanced at the alarm clock and sighed, then fluffed my hair and left.

I took my time going to the cafeteria. I knew we'd be the only ones since dinner ended 2 hours before, but then again, you never know here. I stopped at the doors and took in a deep breath, then slowly opened the doors.

There, in the back, stood Ayden Croft, rolling a fidget cube in his palm. I slowly approached him and he stopped to look up and smile at me. He looked me up and down, then took a step back.

"I tried," I said, letting a small smile form. He giggled, then looked back at my face.

"You read what I put then, huh?"

I nodded. "Thanks to Darilyn."

He blushed deeply, then looked to his feet, still rolling his toy. "So she read it, too?"

I nodded, then sat on the table beside him. "She thought it was cute," I said, trying my hardest to comfort him, but he didn't alter. I frowned, then looked at my knees. It was quiet for a long while later, then Ayden took in a deep breath.

"Sab?"

"Yes, Ayden?"

"..." He rocked on his heels, then hit his lip. "...I know it's only been a few days but, I mean," I didn't know what else to do, so I stood and hugged him. He hugged me back, burying his face in my neck. "Will you let me try?"

"Try what?"

Before anything else, he placed his hand behind my ear and kissed me. I stood frozen for a moment, but hesitantly kissed him back. When it broke, he watched my eyes carefully. "I know we can't do much here, but, uh..." he looked back down, his face beet red, "I really would like you to...to be my girlfriend? Maybe?"

I frowned a little. He had a point, we've only known each other a few days, so why did I want this so bad?

"I understand if you don't want to, I really do, so don't lie to me to protect me. There's nothing to protect me from."

I stood there, my thoughts racing, but I managed to squeak, "It's only been three days."

"Just let me try. If it doesn't work, we never really had time to form a solid friendship. But I seriously like you, Sabrina. Just give me two weeks. If it doesn't work, then we don't have to go anymore, no questions asked."

I watched his face spark a hint of sadness, but passion. He bit his lip again as he forced himself to watch me.

I don't understand why I felt so bad when I kissed him again, square on his lips, and told him it was a deal.

"Callie?" I turned and looked around, waiting for my best friend. She ran up to me from not too far away, then stopped to catch her breath. She then looked up at me, doubled over with her hands on her knees, and smiled.

"Ava, you run too fast," she whined, and I giggled.

"No, I don't! You're too slow!" I turn and run back down, Callie trailing behind me. Her braids bounced off of her neck as she took staggered steps descending the grassy hill. Soon enough, though, she lost her footing and tumbled forward and into me. I yelped, plummeting forward as well and rolled down the hill. I twisted my body and we stopped, then looked at each other and giggled. She was sprawled over across my stomach now, and I was lying on my back, facing her. My smile faded as I noticed a bump forming on her forehead, and I reached out to it. My fingers lightly grazed it, even though I could have sworn that I had more force than that, and she flinched. "You have a bump," I told her, and she nodded, sitting up and off of me.

"I can feel it now that you've pressed it, Ay-vah."

I giggled and stood up, helping her up as well. "Does it hurt too bad?"

She shook her head, then rose to her feet using the hand I offered her. "It doesn't too bad, I'm teasing you, but I gotta go home soon." We began to walk inside, but I lost my balance and fell over onto my side. Callie stopped, giggled, then helped me back up. She then led me inside by my hand and she sat in the chair.

"Hey, mom! Come meet Callie!"

My mom came in and smiled. I pointed to Callie, then my mom waved. "Hello there, sweetie!" She said, and I giggled. "Ava, we have to go to lunch, but how about Callie comes with us?"

I looked to Callie and she nodded, but my mom kept watching her. Maybe she didn't see. "Callie said she can," I said; maybe if I had told her, she would know. My mom beamed and looked to me.

"Let Callie go home and tell her mom, then Callie, tell your mom where we live." Callie nodded and ran outside, calling out for her mom. Callie lived really close to us, so she would be back soon. My head started to hurt a little, so I looked to my mom.

"Mommy, how bad is my bump?"

"Your bump?"

I nodded, then pressed on my forehead. "Callie and I fell, and I hit my head."

She frowned, then kissed my forehead. "It's going to be all better soon, okay?" I nodded, and it was already starting to go away, I could feel it. "Go get ready, sweetie."

~~~

When we got to lunch, I sat next to Callie and across from my mom. I looked down at the menu; they only gave us two, so I had to share with Callie. "Look at this one!" I said, then pointed at an entrée. She smiled and nodded.

"That looks really good!" she cried, and I giggled.

"Doesn't it? Oh wait, it's spicy."

She looked it over, then shrugged. "I don't see it."

I pointed at the fire marking. "Right there. I don't want it." I looked up at my mom. She was already watching me, smiling.

"You don't have to, sweetie. Does Callie want it?"

"I dunno," I said with a shrug, then continued to look over the menu. I found something better, hidden in the third page without a picture. "Momma! Callie! Look here!" I pointed to it, a bowl of spaghetti. That was it, but to a little girl, spaghetti was the bomb-diggidy; Callie even began bouncing in her seat.

"Please, Mrs. Walker? Can we? Can we?"

My mom sighed and smiled. "Fine, but if you can share with Calle." I squealed and put the menu away, then leaned back in my chair.

Then, it happened again. A voice in my head telling me it wasn't going to end well. What was it? Hello? Can't you hear me?

"Don't eat it, Ava. It's going to kill you."

I froze up, then looked around. Were they behind me? In front of me? Hello?

"It'll be disgusting, watching you eat that. Maybe it'll kill you."

I whimpered. Where were these voices coming from? Why can't I see them? Is it you—the person I'm speaking to now? Can you help me?

"Ava?" I whined. Was it them, or my mom? I looked ahead and saw our waiter was here, smiling wearily. I snapped to attention, then glanced to Callie, who was watching me with a concerned expression.

"What would you like, sweetie?" She asked, and I looked back up to her.

"Me? Uh..." I looked back at the menu, trying to remember what I was going to order.

"What about you, Callie?" My mom asked, and I looked to Callie, who was watching the waitress now.

"I wanna share a spaghetti with Ava," she said, looking to me and smiling, so I smiled back.

"Yeah, me too. I wanna share spaghetti with Callie."

My mom nodded, and the waitress jotted it down in her notebook, then closed it. "So, you would like an extra plate?"

"No ma'am, it's okay," I said, and she nodded before leaving.

"Ava, are you okay?" Callie asked, and I nodded, then took a sip of my water.

"I'm fine. Just really, really sleepy." Maybe the voices were here because I was tired. Eventually, the waitress came back with our food, setting it in front of us. I gave Callie her fork and we began to eat.

"No, are you stupid, Ava?"

"It's going to kill you! It's poisonous!"

"Toxin, poison, Ava. You're a moron."

"Moron is a mean word," I replied, but I felt my mom nudge me and shake her head. "Sorry," I whispered, then looked to Callie, who was watching me nervously. Was she the one saying these things? What even was in this? I began to feel sick, so I pushed our plate closer to Callie.

"Are you okay, Ava?" My mom asked, and I nodded slowly.

"I don't feel very good..."

"Can I have the rest, Ava?" Not too long after that, we left.

~~~

"A special doctor?"

"Yep! For grown-ups. You'll get to go into the playroom."

"Can Callie come?"

"Not this time, sweetie." My mom grabbed her purse and opened the door, "but you can play when we get home."

I beamed. "Alright!" Then I darted out and into the car and buckled my seatbelt, waiting for my mom to come. She got into the car and we pulled out of the driveway.

"Ava, this is a bad idea."

"You're never going to come back. Your mom is kidnapping you. You'll never see Callie again."

"You're going to die, Ava. You're going to be ripped to shreds and die. Die...Die...Maybe it's better that way."

I whined. "Stop being mean to me," I whimpered, but nobody responded, and my mom stared at me for a second. I rested my head against the window. The drive was really long, so I took a nap, but when I woke up, we were there. My mom helped me out of the car and led me inside. She showed me where to sit, and I obeyed as she went to talk to the lady at the front. After that, she walked off into the back, and another lady came to me.

"You're Ava? Your mom said you'd like to go into the playroom. Do you want to come with me there?"

I nodded, then took her hand and went through the same doors my mom went through seconds ago. The playroom was in the very back and had toys and such along with a really long table, a TV, and had glass windows going all around it. I sat down and grabbed a Rubix cube to fidget with.

"So, how's school?" the lady asked, and I looked up.

"It's really good. My teachers say I'm very smart, but I hate reading. It's kinda hard."

"Is it?"

"Mhm," I said, looking back down at the cube, "but my best friend Callie helps me."

"What is Callie like?"

"Oh, she's my best friend ever!" I looked back up, smiling ear to ear. "She is really funny, and we play outside together a lot."

"Do you?"

"Yeah! And the other day we went to lunch together with my mom! But people were kinda mean to her." My voice softened, and I looked back down. "They act like she's not there. They stare at her funny, too...But we fell when we were playing in the backyard, and she had a bump on her head, so maybe that's why."

"Maybe," the lady said, then watched me play with the cube. I eventually gave up and put it away, then grabbed a stress ball, squishing it in my palm and watch it go back to its normal shape. "What about your other friends at school? Do they like Callie?"

I shook my head. "They're really mean, so she's mean back."

Now, she giggled and watched me. "Ava, may I ask you a question?"

"Yeah." I looked up to her and smiled a little again.

"Do you hear voices? That aren't the people's around you?"

I froze up. Did she know where they came from? They kept coming back after that day, and they were telling me really scary things like how I was going to die, and I was worthless and a moron.

"Yeah, I do. I think they hate me, but I don't know who it is or what I've done...They told me today that my mom was going to hurt me, and I was never going to come back. Is that true? I wanna see Callie tonight..." I began to cry a little, and the lady frowned, giving me a box of tissues.

"They're just mean. You'll be okay here, and you'll be able to play with Callie when you get home. Hey, I'm gonna go check on your mom, can you wait here for me to come back?"

I nodded, and she stood and left, closing the door behind her. When she came back, my mom was with her, holding a stack of papers. I smiled and got up, running to hug her.

"Mommy!" I cried, then I wrapped my little arms around her waist. She rubbed my head and I giggled. "Mommy, can we go home? I wanna play with Callie!"

"Okay, then come on." She sounded sad and tired, so I looked up. Her face was pale, and she didn't look very good.

"Mommy, are you okay?" I asked, and she nodded.

"I'm fine, sweetie. Just very tired."

I frowned, then grabbed her hand. "Okay." With that, we walked back out to the car. She put the papers in the back, then came up to the front and buckled herself in, but then stared at me for a second. I felt like she was waiting, watching for me to do something.

"She's out to get you."

I whimpered and shook my head.

"No, mommy isn't going to hurt me. She loves me."

She flashed a sad look, then turned to the front and drove us home. Once we got there and out of the car, it was raining. "Ava, can Callie come over tomorrow?" my mom asked, and I nodded.

"Okay. Let's go take a nap, mommy."

She nodded, then we went off to her room to sleep.

Due to rain and other events, I didn't actually get to see Callie until almost a week later, but by then, it was beautiful outside, so I went over to get her so we could play in the backyard. We come back over and sit at our usual place on the hill.

"Where've you been?" Callie asked, and I glanced to her.

"Mommy had a doctor's appointment," I answered, twirling a blade of grass in between my fingers, "I got to go to a playroom and we talked about school."

"We?"

"Yeah, this really nice worker and I." I smiled, scattering torn pieces of grass over my denim shorts before grabbing another blade. "We talked about school and we talked about when we went to lunch together and got to share spaghetti."

"You brought me up?"

"Well...yeah." I felt my smile fade as fear flashed in Callie's eyes. "I just said you were my best friend."

"Ava, the appointment was for you."

"No, it wasn't. Mommy wasn't feeling well, so we went to the doctor. Then she was really tired, so we took a nap. Then, we went to another one yesterday to check this place on my arm. I fell again, and the doctor says I broke it. They gave me some cool medicine and now I don't feel it hurt anymore."

"Ava, that's a lie."

"No, it's not." I began to tear up; Callie and I never argued before, at least, not over something so little. "She didn't feel good, I swear. That's what she told me."

"Then she lied to you."

"No!" I felt a hot tear roll down my cheek. "Mommy never lies!"

"Then you're the liar! Lies! Lies! She's going to hurt you, Ava! Lies!"

"Stop, Callie, please." I was sobbing now, my little shoulders trembling beyond consolation.

"You're weak! You want attention! The appointment was for you, not her! You're not making any sense!"

"You're not making any sense, Callie!" I screamed back, standing up. "I'm gonna get mommy! She'll tell you! Mom!" I got up and ran, miscalculating how far I was from the door and ran into the wall. I whimpered, rubbing my nose, then opened the door with a tug.

"Mom!" I cried again, going into the kitchen. "Mommy! Callie's being mean! She's saying I'm a liar! ...Mommy!" I went deeper inside. "Mom!" I stopped when something caught my eye. It was a piece of paper from the doctor's office. I stood on my tippy toes to get it, then pulled it down.

"Diagnosis for: Ava Walker (June 17th, 2084)

Showing signs of mild to severe schizophrenia. Mother was alarmed when her eight-year-old daughter, Ava Walker, was talking to herself and was explaining events that never happened. Ava complained about hearing threatening messages from people she doesn't see. Mother also explains that she's very clumsy and tends to fall over smaller objects."

I didn't understand. My mom came in and I heard her gasp.

"Ava, sweetie, let me see this." She came up from behind me and took the papers from me, putting them back onto the counter. I looked back at her, still in disbelief.

"Mommy, it says I have...uh..." Her face fell into a frown and she looked outside, watching. "Is it...What is it, mommy?"

"...Schizophrenia."

"Schizophrenia?"

She nodded, then looked back down to me. "It means you see and hear things that aren't there."

"But they are there! People tell me you're going to hurt me! And the kids at school are really mean to me and Callie, they really are! I'm not lying, mommy!"

"I know sweetie...But your arm. You didn't break it, it just looked like it to you."

"I felt it, mommy! Look! Look! It looks funny!"

My mom grazed my arm with a finger and it reverted back to normal. I teared up, threatening to cry again. Was I lying? "It never broke, sweetie. It's just scraped."

"Then what about the cool medicine to make the pain go away?"

"That medicine is so that you don't hear the scary voices..."

"Callie can see it! Callie can hear it! Callie!" I ran outside, looking around, but I stopped dead in my tracks.

Callie wasn't on the hill anymore.

In fact, there was no hill, but just my old swing set and sandbox from when I was younger.

I looked back to my mom, who stood on the porch, then turned and went inside.