Chapter 1:

My eyes shoot open to sound of a door swinging open and a set of heavy footsteps rushing by my side. Wait, why the heck am I still alive? I thought I overdosed in my room. I took like a whole bottle of prescription pills at once, why am I not dead? The lights were way too bright, my head was pounding and my stomach was burning. There were voices shouting all around me and there's a numbing ringing flowing through my ears causing me to groan in pain and try and roll over and curl up- only to be roughly pushed back onto my back. A rough hand gripped my face and a tube was forced down my throat causing me to start throwing up. Oh god their pumping my stomach, crap this hurts.

"Emily Fields! We've been expecting you" A tall man said as I approached the gates of the Radley sanitarium- a mental institution where I was going to be for the next few years, "My name is Wren Kingston, I'm the youth doctor here. You must be Pam" He started talking to my mother as I grabbed my duffle bag and began to walk towards the doors, not looking back at my so called mother.

"Emily . . . you aren't even going to say good bye?" Pam asked sounding kind of hurt as she said it causing me to turn around to see Wren and Pam staring at me with worried eyes, "Em . . .sweetie are you okay, A-are you even listening to me?"

"Yes Pam, I'm listening to you, it's just that I'm kind of trying to focus on the fact that my own mother is sending me away for no reason at all!" I shouted; startling Pam and Wren.

"Emily you know that this is necessary for you to get better and back to a normal life"

I laugh. Normal, what does she know about normal? She was a drug addict until I was seven and shipped my older sister away to juvie because she didn't want to care for her anymore.I felt like something like this was going to happen, I mean make a big deal out of a stunt to get rid of the other daughter she never wanted in a way my father will agree on. I turn to this Wren character and asses him properly instead of the quick glance I gave him when he first started talking to us. He had dark brown hair that was gelled to a little point at the tip of his head and he had a boyish face to him along with his dark brown eyes and somewhat glowing appearance. He wore a suit and tie instead of doctor's scrubs like I thought he would be wearing when he 'claimed' that he was a doctor.

"I'm ready to go in now . . . goodbye Pam" I quickly say as I see my mother beginning to start another rant which I didn't car to hear, "Are you going to show me in?" I asked Wren.

He looked to my mother who sighed but had still respectively turned and walked to her car that stood outside the gates of the place causing him to nod and guide me in. The first room I'm introduced to is the main office where he claimed visitors check in and out, then there was the day room which was painted an old fashion color and filled with people- A bunch of too skinny blonds and too depression brunettes. Wren said that there were two different dorms for girl and boys but they all shared the same day room, cafeteria, and some shared group sessions, or classes- they had classes for those who made progress to get back into their studies if they are still young enough to be in school.

"Wren, can I speak with you for a moment, it's very important" A man older but shorter than Wren said causing Wren to groan and look me over then look around only to smile as tiny brunette tried to run by and stopped her, "Aria . . . can you come here a minute?"

The girl turned toward us and smiled my way before turning to Wren with a questioning look, "Emily this is Aria, one of the patients here. She can show you around the rest of the place for me" At this I notice that Aria's eyes widen and she starts to shake her head but Wren interrupts her, "Aria you know what we've talked about this, use your words" Aria nodded causing Wren to laugh, "She's a work in progress"

With that he walked away with the other man leaving Aria and I standing in the stranded in the middle of a hallway filled with rooms and doors all flowing with people. She looked around before sighing and stopped picking at the underside of her nails which were bit down into nothing and nodded towards the rest of the hallway, before walking down the halls, earning a few stares and glances from people passing, mostly nurses. I watch as Aria walked in front of me, only giving quick glances to look at me ever once and a while to make sure I was still following her. She has quite a small frame and she was way tinier than me- maybe she's anorexic- she wore a purple shirt under a pair of blue overalls and her light brown hair was pulled into a high poni-tail on her head revealing her double pierced but earring-less pale ears.

"So Wren said you're a work in progress . . . what did he mean?" I asked trying to start a simple conversation, only to get a side eye from Aria as she cleared her throat.

"Okay . . . uh . . .I guess you don't talk much do you?" Aria smiled at this before slowing down so I walked beside her instead of behind her, "How come?"

"Wren thinks I'm stupid" She answered simply with a smirk on her face, "I don't talk to many people . . . not unless I trust them"

"Y-you . . . uh . . . trust me?" I blush a little at my own words and I guess Aria noticed because she quickly said

"Careful Emily, some of the girls don't take kindly to lesbians" She whispered the last part causing me to gulp at her words as she stopped in front of me, her face standing too close to my own, "I know you're a lesbian . . . lucky I'm not one of those girls"

She looked me up and down before blinking as if knocking herself out of her words as if she wasn't there before in the words that she had said, "Sorry" She whispered before quickly turning on her heal and she started walking down the halls in her fast pace again.

We walked pass a room dedicated to art, a few classrooms, a room dedicated to music, a children's ward and a few rooms before we got back to the day room to meet up with Wren who now stood with a sheet of paper, and an extra pair of clothes.

"Ah . . . there you two are . . . I was starting to worry that Aria had left you stranded with someone else" Wren joked causing Aria to stare at me with a cold and unforgiving stare, "Emily this is your schedule and a uniform that you are supposed to wear to group sessions and classes once you get them in a few weeks"

I take the uniform and papers before looking to Aria's get up. Maybe she didn't take classes . . . maybe she was too crazy for classes unless she didn't have a class today, "Um . . . thanks Wren, I guess Aria can show me to my room right?"

Aria quickly nodded before giving Wren a questioned looked as if asking what room I was in and I guess Wren understood Aria's silence, "She's in room 2A. Right next to Hannah", He answered, pronouncing all of his words slowly as if Aria couldn't understand him as easily as other people could and that seemed pretty degrading if you asked me. Aria rolled her eyes and then nodded before turning down a long hallway which led to an elevator shaft and stepped on, signaling for me to do the same. When we finally reached my room Aria had calmed down from Wren's comment and had apparently decided to just stay quiet for the rest of the time they spent together.

"This is my room?" I questioned at the door that stood in front of us marked 2A in big red letters causing Aria to nodded and point to the letters as if I were blind- but I couldn't blame her, it was a stupid question anyway, "Yeah I'm sorry I should've known that . . . uh thanks, I guess" Aria nodded at this and walked back down the hallway to which I noticed she pulled her hair out of the poni-tail and let her hair flow down to her shoulders.

I guess she saw me staring as she stood in the elevator at the end of the hall because she put on a seductive smirk and waved as the door closed in front of her. This place is weird. I look around the room which was a plain white room with a single bed, a dresser, and two extra chairs placed randomly in the room. I quickly unpack and lay on the bed for a few minutes to take in this place, only to be interrupted by a knocking at the door, which revealed to be a skinny brunette who carried towels and shower things.

"Hi . . . I'm Jenna and uh Wren told me to bring this to you so . . . here I am" She stuttered as she put down the towels on top of the dresser.

"I'm Emily and thanks"

"Emily . . . that's a nice name . . . I saw you walking around with Aria . . . did you already know her or something?" She asked as if I was in an interrogation and I had committed a crime or something.

Jenna wore her hair loose and let it flow down her back, a pair of big sunglasses were positioned on the top of her head and I really wish she would put them on because her green eyes are very bone chilling right about now. She wore the uniform that Wren gave me which was just a plain grey shirt and a pair of baggy black sweats a size or two too big for everyone here anyway, and her feet were covered by socks and shoes that were string-less, this girl kind of creeps me out.

"Uh no, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, I guess" Jenna didn't seem quite satisfied by my answer and I'm guessing that this girl is like her sister or something, or her girlfriend- Aria did say she wasn't one of those people who didn't like lesbians, "Why do you care so much?"

"No reason for you to be concerned about, Emily . . . just stay away from her . . . she's bad news" With this she began to walk away, but not without giving me a harsh glare before she was fully out the door.

I lay back on my bed and stare and the white, chipping ceiling before there was another knock a minute later, "You should really close your door . . . you don't want crazies like Jenna Marshall walking in on you like that" Came a voice causing me to look towards the door and see a shorter blonde who stood with her pale arms crossed and a welcoming smile positioned on her face. Finally maybe a chance for someone normal, "I'm Hannah Marin"

"Emily"

"I've heard . . . everyone was talking about you in the day room once you walked by. Good things . . . mostly but hey what can you expect on your first day at Radley, everyone wanting to know all of your secrets" I eye her quickly but mentally groan at the thought of everyone talking about me already, guess flying under the radar is a bust.

"I don't have any secrets" I sit up as I say this showing that I'm pretty comfortable with her, unlike that Jenna girl, causing her to smile and take a seat in one of the chairs beside the bed.

"Everyone has secrets . . . it's basically how half the people here thrive everyday instead of sitting in their rooms starring at the ceiling singing Justin Timberlake songs until they pass out. Don't worry I'll keep your secrets if you tell me, and I'll catch you up on all the details inside the walls of Radley"

"Thanks" Guess I've made a new friend . . . two maybe, if you could count Aria . . . but then again she's weird, not Jenna weird with the whole come in and threaten the new kid policy, but weird like secretive weird. Maybe Hannah is right, maybe the people here do thrive on each other's secrets, I mean doesn't everyone?