You know those stories that pop into your head and won't leave you alone until you write them? This is one of them. Please review and let me know if you think I should continue.

I've learned quite a bit in my twenty one years, but probably the most important thing I've learned about are the bonds between people. People make bonds everyday; every miniscule encounter with a stranger forms a bond, even if it doesn't seem like it. What is significant about bonds is the fact that they come in all strengths and types. The bond between friends and family is stronger than the bond between someone you just met, but there are always bonds.

I've also learned that while strong bonds are essential for friendships and families and just plain life in general, when bonds are severed, it makes it hard to reattach them, or form new ones.

I think I was about fourteen when I realized that the bond I had between my mom and I had never really existed. My dad had died when I was younger, which left just my mom, my sister, and me. Maybe it was the fact that I looked a lot like my dad, maybe it was the fact that my mom didn't want me around because I was a constant reminder of what she lost, but whatever the reason, she detached herself from me. It happened a long time ago before I was fourteen, but it took me till then to realize she didn't really care for me. She was waiting, just waiting for an opportunity to kick me out and send me out on my own before I turned eighteen. I never knew why she wanted me gone so badly, but all I knew was that I had to watch myself because one slip up and I was a goner.

I watched every move I made for the next year, but one day she just snapped. She kicked me out, gave me twenty bucks, and told me I wasn't welcome in her home anymore.

Let's just say I didn't make it more than a couple weeks before I got picked up by the cops and put into foster care. I wasn't meant for street life, and my bright red hair made me stand out too much to just blend in with my surroundings. I lied to the police about my family, saying they were all dead, changed my last name, and tried to make myself forget my past life. I'm not going to go into detail about those three years in foster care, because I'd rather not bring up those memories.

But for some reason, even though I hated my years in the system, once I was out and on my own, I was strangely drawn back. I guess that was why I decided to get a job at the agency.

"This will be your room Axel. Sorry it's pink, we're getting it painted in a couple days." The blonde showing me around gave me a sympathetic smile and I cracked a smile back. "The last girl who worked here left in a such a hurry, and we really needed someone else so we hired you as quickly as we could, and painting your room was the last thing on our minds." I laughed quietly as I put down my bags in the very girly room I was going to be living in.

"It's fine. The color of my room wasn't really on the top of my list importance wise when I applied." I turned to see her smiling at me.

"Oh good, and one of the kids we have staying here really wants to paint it, so we're letting him. I hope you don't mind blue."

I shrugged. "I'm more of a red kind of guy." I pointed to my hair and she laughed. At least my co-worker had a sense of humor. "But I'm pretty sure I'll be able to deal with blue. I'll muddle through."

"Well thanks. I'll let you get settled then, and tomorrow I'll show you what you'll be doing most of the time." She turned to leave and the paused and turned around, her expression changed. "Oh, but I have to warn you, your first night here is always a little rough, and I'll probably need your help at some point. If you wake up, which you probably will, just come find me."

I furrowed my brow in confusion. "What are you talking about Elena?"

She shook her head and started to leave again. "I don't want to worry you too much, you'll find out." I opened my mouth to ask her again but she had already left, shutting my door behind her.

I slumped down onto my bed and stared up at the ceiling. At least that wasn't pink. Why did I end up back in a place like this, but this time by my own free will?

It was my first day as an employee of Better Days. Ironic name, seeing as this was a place for kids who had been through the foster care system for a long time and weren't getting out anytime soon and who suffered from serious emotional problems from traumatic events. The system, the same one I had gone through, had especially helped to fuck up the minds of these kids to the point of borderline emotional instability. Here, I was like a mentor, a social worker, a friend to these kids, call me whatever you like. My goal was to help at least one of these kids, to do what no one did for me growing up. I just wanted to show at least one kid that I was an adult they could trust, and I wasn't going to leave them like everyone else did to them, or to me.

Tiredly I started to unpack my clothes, trying to imagine what kind of events my first night had in store for me.

It was about one in the morning when I realized what Elena had been talking about. The crying and the yelling was what woke me so quickly my head flew off my pillow and I was out of my bed before my brain had time to wake up. In nothing but my sweatpants and an old white tank top I hurried down to Elena's room to find it empty. The crying was still loud enough for me to hear, even though it was one the floor below me, so I ran down the stairs two at a time until I finally reached a room down the hall with the room opened. I saw Elena kneeling next to one of the beds, holding a young girl, probably eight or nine, who was sobbing and crying. "I told him to leave mommy alone, why wouldn't he leave her alone! Mommy, I want my mommy." Elena cooed in her ear, stroking her hair with one hand and the other wrapped around her protectively.

I glance around the room to see other children fast asleep, or with pillows over their heads trying to sleep. It took a while for the girl to calm down, but Elena stayed by her side the whole time. Eventually the girl's tears started to cease and after blowing her nose and hugging Elena tight she curled back up into bed, exhausted from her emotional breakdown.

When Elena turned around, I saw her tired face in the moonlight, making her look ten years older than I knew she was. She jumped when she saw me, but then walked over to be and ushered me out into the hallway. Another child could be heard talking and crying out in his sleep, and Elena started to walk towards their room. "This poor kids, it's like this almost every night. It's always impossible to sleep on nights like this, especially on your first night." I nodded, walking slowly next to her, until I heard the screaming.

It was coming from upstairs, and though it was distant it still made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Elena's eyes grew wide and looked from the room with the young boy crying ahead of us and then up towards the blood curdling screams. "That's Roxas." Her voice was shaky, but I knew she dealt with the Roxas kid frequently. "Please, can you go wake him up? Do it carefully, but don't touch him. Just stay with him until he falls asleep. He just needs someone there for him, but I've got other kids down here too. Thank you." She hurried off down the hall and I hurried off towards the stairs.

These I ran up three at a night, my adrenaline pushing my legs to run faster and faster in the direction of the screams.

It turned out the kid was a floor above my room, and when I finally reached his room my heart felt like it was going to beat right out of my chest and I was panting so hard my lungs burned. I rushed over to the kid who was thrashing about, concealed by his cover, and extended an arm to shake him awake but remembered Elena's warning. Through his screams I managed to shout at him. "Roxas! Roxas wake up!" Nothing worked, until I took a step back from his bed and screamed at the top of my lungs.

"WAKE UP ROXAS!" I felt bad as the kid flew up, disentangling himself form his covers so he could sit up, panting and out of breath.

I guess I hadn't really been concerned about what the kid looked like, but as his terrified and wide eyes looked over at me, I was left momentarily breathless.

The kid was in a word beautiful. Even out of breath and terrified and his face only illuminated by the moonlight shining through his window, his eyes were the most vibrant and beautiful blue I had ever seen. In the moonlight, he almost looked surreal, like some kind of angel. Well, an emotionally troubled, blonde haired angel.

"Sorry, you wouldn't wake up." I muttered when I found my voice. He slumped back onto his pillow, his eyes still wide and staring at the ceiling. "Are you alright?"

"No." His voice was rough and shaky and sounded so much younger than he looked, but I figured it had been from the screaming. I was even scared to imagine what he had been dreaming about; what he had lived through that was so traumatic it invaded his very subconscious. "But I'll get over it. I always do, enough so I can go back to sleep." He turned to look at me, suddenly realizing he had no idea who he was, and I saw the panic in his eyes as he pulled the sheets up to his chin, as if trying to protect himself with what feeble resources he had. "Who the heck are you? Where's Elena?"

"Calm down, I just started working here. I replaced Marlene. My name's Axel." I saw his relax a little, but not much. "Elena sent me, she said you need someone to stay with you, until you can fall back asleep." I sat myself down into the chair near the foot of his bed. "So I'm here to stay."

He snorted, which surprised me, and turned onto his side, away form me. "If I had a quarter for every time someone said that to me, I would be a very rich man."

"Man? I think you mean kid."

"Shut up I'm fifteen, and what are you, eighteen, nineteen? Not much older than me."

"I'm twenty one." Roxas fell silent with that and I just watched as his form slowly rose and fell with each breath he took. "I'm not going to leave until you fall asleep, don't worry." The kid slowly turned onto his other side and in silence we watched each other.

"Promise?" The tough façade was gone and in its place I saw a very fragile and very worried kid, even if he didn't think he was a kid. I leaned forward.

"I promise. Got it memorized?"