Disclaimer: Twilight is the property of Stephenie Meyer, my OCs belong to me

This chapter is short so I'll be uploading ch7 today as well

This chapter is dedicated to Asherah Isa, M-Bianca94, Alphabloodwolf, Fadewind and Noble


Thea

It's always grim here, even when the sun's out. It's actually worse when the sun's out, shows up the grime that covers everything. Well not really, They liked to keep the place clean. A clean place kept us healthy, guess it was the only reason They fed us too. They had to keep us healthy for the inspections. This was supposed to be a refuge for girls like me, the ones who found themselves on the streets, always getting into trouble. A place we was safe from the jerks and deadbeats of the world until we could find a place. Some girls had a place they ran away from because they were spoilt little bitches who couldn't see a good thing when they had it. But most was like me. The ones with a home life that's none of your damn business, but it's none too happy. It's the type of place where the streets' the better of two evils. At least there was a chance of safeness there. I didn't want to go on the streets, but a ten year old can't get a job.

Not that I'm ten now, it's been a couple of years. I'd looked after myself, was doing good really, keeping alive anyway. Didn't get any school, but didn't need it. Just had to keep myself alive until I could get a job hocking burgers or something. I was ready to pull my weight, then this new government scheme came up.

They wanted to help girls off the street, stop them coming the victims of pimps and other predators. Keep us safe, get us schooled, and come working members of society. Sounded good to me, right kosher since it was government and all. And it was good, for the first few months it was good. Then I got put through to the special course, was supposed to be advanced, get us out and on our feet quicker. Like hell it did.

I'd been here seven months, probably the longest ever. All the girls that came in with me had gone on. Didn't know where, but was certain it weren't out, we didn't get no schooling since we came on to the advanced program. Just spent our days vegetating if we weren't doing the official exercises. We had to keep healthy some reason.

I'd been here seven months, the senior. I was now head of the welcoming committee. I tried to think back to that day I came here. What did I think when I was one of those poor bitches shuffling their feet as they stood huddled together just inside the closed gate. I thought I was gonna get a shot at a good life, if only the senior then had told us to forget about it.

Maybe I could give these newbies a chance…

"Run." I said firmly, locking eyes with the girl directly in front of me, but one of Them was behind me and clamped a hand on my shoulder. I seen them break someone's arm with one squeeze once, they could do it to my shoulder. "That's what you're thinking right?" I recovered forcing my voice to be light and breezy like one of them sales women hocking stuff in the fancy stores. "But you'd be stupid if you did. This is the opportunity to make something of yourselves and I'm here to help you. I'm Sally and I'm your guide. Any questions come ask me. Now come follow me and I'll show you to your bunks."

The one who'd been behind me left. Now that the gates were locked we weren't going nowhere and it was night right now with nothing but dark creepy trees for miles around. They didn't come into the dorms much either, just let us get on with whatever, so long as we got to the quad when They ring the bell. I looked down the list, twenty girls, looked like we had a full house.

I called out the names, two at a time, they were sharing. You did when you first got here, then you moved up to the single rooms. There was ten of us what had been here a long while now. I'd been here the longest, the other girls just moved on. That's what They said, the girl moved on. It got to the point where I don't want to learn their names no more. It's also why I tell them my name's Sally, it's not my real name. They don't need to know that.

I gave each pair a tour of their room. The twin beds against each wall, the door at the back that led to the bathroom, the computer that didn't let you get on line. Well not really, just a fake internet so you thought you were there but you weren't. It was supposed to be a school right, one to get us stupid uneducated bitches up to scratch, pass our GED so we could get at least a basic job. All of us had come from the streets some way or other.

I saw early on that they were uneven, but I thought maybe one was being put in with the ones that had been here longer. Guess it didn't matter as long as the numbers added up, but there was twenty names on the list. I'd counted them so how were they odd?

Well there was a mistake somewhere cause there was one girl left over. Bout my height but scrawny and looked a lot smaller cause of the big long black coat she was wearing. She had thick black hair that was curly and the bluest eyes I'd ever seen. I frowned wondering what she was doing.

"Who are you?" I asked, glaring at her, I didn't want to go talk to Them if I didn't need to.

"Ada." The kid said in a soft voice.

"You're not on the list, you'll have to leave." I said, hoping she'd take the chance to get the hell out of dodge, but she wasn't going nowhere now.

"Please I have to stay. This is my only chance at life." Ada said, giving me a sad look, pouting her lip a little and she looked cute.

"This is you're only chance at death." I said, hoping she'd just leave while she could, maybe They wouldn't see her if she went now, I know I'd take my chance with the trees if They didn't know my face by now.

"Death is better than the life I got out there." Ada said, glancing at the wall and wrapped her arms around herself as she shivered. "There's got to be a way for me to stay. You have to let me stay." She added as she stepped closer and looked right into my eyes, her eyes going ridiculously wide and I couldn't look away.

"It's taken me a year to get a room on my own." I said, it would be better if she went, but she wasn't registered. "But I guess if your name isn't down there's a chance you might just survive this if you got your wits about you."

Ada looked at me, waiting.

"We'll have to share a bed, but we can top and tail. Just don't let Them find out." I warned as I grabbed the kid's knapsack and carried it to my room.

The room I had wasn't as nice as the ones you had to share, but by the time you got your own room you knew you weren't going nowhere. Whatever they wanted us for, it wasn't to school us. They remembered to feed us, but most of the time They forgot we need stuff like new clothes.

"I hope you like the clothes you got on, you won't be changing." I told the kid. "And this is all the room we got. Only one pillow so you'll have to ball up your coat."

The kid looked at the great coat and nodded.

"I don't see any problem with that." She said, in that soft quiet voice.

"Right. Well it's lights off in half an hour, you want to tell me about yourself?" I asked.

"You want to tell me about you?" She asked back, her head cocked, waiting.

"Right. No stories of the past." I agreed, I didn't like talking about me, can't expect her to want to talk about her.

"How about you tell me about this place? It doesn't seem the sunny holiday they painted in the brochure." She said looking around at my nun's room.

The kid sounded weird, definitely not local. Wonder how she ended up on the streets of New York. Unless they were fishing further from shore now.

"You can say that again." I said, dropping down onto my bed. "But we can't discuss it."

"Why?" She asked.

"Because if they hear us we won't be seen again. And they can't know you're in here either. You're not on the list, you're expendable." I told her.

"But how can we be expendable?" She asked, looking at me like she was seeing past what I was telling her, the questions was a trick or something.

"Look, I got stuff to do before I go to sleep. I'm gonna use the bathroom before they turn out the lights." I said all tired like, cause it was getting late.

I got my nightdress, one of them old fashioned long white things they have in the olden day movies. Then I went into the bathroom and showered and did everything else I needed not to feel rank. I went back into the room to find the kid just standing there. She looked lost, like she'd come in here to do something but forgot.

"You wanna use the bathroom?" I said, pointing.

Ada nodded and went in the bathroom. I sat down by the desk and finished up my paperwork to give to Them in the morning. Then I got into bed and had just lied down when the lights went out.

There was a thud from in the bathroom followed by a grunt. I didn't bother going to check, it was way too dark coz They kept it that way at night. Probably to stop us wandering around the place coz there was no windows here in the sleeping quarters so when the lights went out it was actually dark and not city night dark.

I heard the door open and close and then really light footsteps, the girl was light on her feet. I felt the bed shake and another "oompf!" as Ada reached the bed. Her hands found my leg and started using it as a guide moving up.

"Other way." I said under my breath.

"Sorry." Ada whispered and she felt down the bed to the end of the blanket.

I moved my legs a little.

"Get on the inside." I told her, I didn't want to have someone blocking my escape if I needed to make one.

"Ok." Ada replied and I felt the whoosh of air as she dumped her coat down by the footboard and then she scrabbled over my legs.

She squeezed herself into that little space and it surprised me she didn't take up more.

"Goodnight then." She whispered.

"Night?" I replied, a little confused, I'd never known anyone to actually say it.

I went to sleep, you really couldn't do anything else in this amount of dark. Anyway, they woke you up with lights and a claxon in the morning, you learned to sleep quickly in these conditions. If you wanted sleep.

I didn't dream and I was waked by the claxon and the lights flashed a coupla times before they came on properly. I sat up, already awake, used to this rude wake up call. Ada sat up with a gasp, her blue eyes wide but still glazed, her dark hair a mess around her head.

"I'm up mmm…" She murmured.

"You'll get used to it." I said.

She looked at me and frowned, before hiding her face with her hands and clearing her throat.

"What time is it?" She asked.

"Six o clock, well two minuets after now." I said, jumping out of bed. "Since you're not on the list and I need to be seen I'll use the bathroom first."

She shrugged before burying her face in her knees. I left her there and went to use the bathroom. I got dressed into my other tracksuit and washed the other one out, putting it over the radiator for the next day. Was the only way to have fresh clean clothes every day. At least they was cleaner than having to wear the same shit for weeks on end on the street. That was a plus, had to look on the bright side and all that Disney shit. Where was my prince come to rescue me? Though I'd want more of a Xena, but hey, any hero would do for just getting me out of this dump.

When I got back into the room Ada was standing in the middle of it again, she'd made the bed, all tight sheet, military standard and was holding her great coat over her arm.

"Bathroom's free but there ain't no clean clothes." I told her.

She shrugged as she picked up her knapsack and went into the bathroom. I went to the desk and checked over the paper work again. Yeah, all in order. I wondered maybe I should add Ada, it could be a test, it was the type of thing those sick bastards would do. Test my loyalties or something. Would she even know she was a plant? I frowned and held the pen over the page.

No, I'd risk it. What were they gonna do to me? Lock me up? They'd already done that and anything else could only be a change now. No matter what, I'd take it. Even death would be an out.

I put all the papers into the envelope and left the room. Ada could find her own way round, I weren't nobody's keeper. I made my way out to the quad and across to the booth where one of Them always sat keeping an eye on the quad, hardly moving less one of us went near the wall. Nobody was getting over that thing, it was damn eighty feet tall and then some.

I went up to the booth and the guy stared at me through dark glasses, we never saw Their eyes. One of the girls said she caught one once, one of the ones that take you for your medical, his glasses slid off his nose a little and his eyes were red. We called her on her bullshit, but that had been back six months ago, not long after I got here. Now, now I'd been here so long I was forgetting what the outside world was like, I thought maybe it was true. But red eyes? What kinda freaks got red eyes? Well obviously the kind what lock little girls up inside four walls you dumb bitch.

He raised an eyebrow above his shades and cocked his head to the side, it was the most I'd ever got out of one of Them.

"Here's the notes on the new girls." I said, handing the envelope through the slot at the bottom of the screen.

He pulled it inside the booth.

"I need a new set of underwear." I said, cause I guess Ada wouldn't have a set and I only had two, one to wash out and one to wear.

"Name?" He prompted.

I frowned, most of Them knew me by now, even if only that I'd been here longest.

"Sally Connell." I said, giving the name They thought I had.

He cocked his head at me again and raised both eyebrows.

"Sally?" He asked, like he didn't believe it.

"Yep." I said with a nod.

"You sure?" He asked, frowning.

"You think I don't know my own name?" I demanded.

"Guess it don't matter none what you say it is, just the same as if I say my name is Adrian." He said with a shrug as he began typing on the computer in the little booth. "Says here you had new underwear two weeks ago."

"Yeah, but you also keep notes on everything. See what was a week ago. Do I really need to draw you a picture of why I need new so soon? It will take a lot of red." I growled.

He actually laughed. Adrian, if that was his name, covered it quickly, but he actually laughed, and not patronising like some of Them did at times, but like he couldn't help it. That confused me, They never showed emotions like this. It was like they were made of stone, but not this guy. I actually looked at him now, he was pale, but all of Them were, even the black and Latino ones were pale, not alabaster white like this guy, but not as dark as the black girls or sun kissed like the Latinos, like me. This dude could have been made of snow that was topped with dark curly hair that was kinda longish, would look a lot longer if it was straight. Kinda short too I guess, if what I could tell from the size of the others when they were in the booth.

"No need for that." Adrian said. "Well they've ok'd it, guess you're lucky there." He added, then turned to me. "You've been here a long time."

"Guess I keep flunking and getting held back." I said with a shrug. "So about the underwear?"

"You can pick it up at the end of the day." He stated.

"Thanks." I said and left the booth.

I was sure he was watching me the entire way across the quad and this wasn't the usual creeping that I always got that They were watching me, but like he was watching me specifically. I couldn't figure out why.

I went to the mess hall where breakfast was cook it yourself, some of the newbies were standing around looking a little afraid but someone had taken the initiative to start doling out food. It was Ada, still wearing that long dark trench coat even though she must have been sweating balls behind the range.

I went to where the ones who'd been here a while were lining up.

"Hey Sal, check out the sweet skills of the newbie." Greta said, showing me a plate piled with pancakes. "Didn't even know we had the stuff to make these."

"Well you can't hardly heat up micro macaroni." I said.

Greta thought about it, then nodded.

"Yeah, guess you're right about that." She said with a laugh. "Anyways, I'm gonna enjoy me some good breakfast before it gets cold."

"Enjoy." I said.

"So who is the new kid?" Octi asked me in a low whisper, she was at the back of the line, had been here a month less than me. Which probably made her my best friend, if we really had friends in here. Really it was stupid to get attached.

"Name's Ada, that's all I know." I said with a shrug. "Same as I know about any in here."

"Yeah." Octi agreed.

I went behind the range and stood behind Ada with my arms crossed. She carried on doling out pancakes a bit more before she jumped and turned to me. She looked up from beneath her dark curls with those too blue eyes. Here in the light of day she was kinda cute, I guess.

"What ya doing?" I asked.

"Um…well the others were making their own, and I started making my own and one girl asked for some and then another and a queue sort of formed." She said, still using that low mumbley voice.

"Well you shouldn't let them take advantage." I advised.

"I like cooking." She said with a small shrug.

"You'll be doing it every time if you let yourself." I warned.

"Well, as long as I get out of doing dishes." She said with a wide grin that really lit up her eyes.

"Ok." I took up a ladle and banged it against one of the big pans hanging up.

All the girls looked up, the newbies a little afraid.

"So Ada here wants to make a deal. She'll cook breakfast and dinner for us all the time so long as we rota the dishes. You all agree?" I prompted.

The girls who weren't newbies agreed immediately, the newbies just looked confused.

"Ada'll do your cooking if you do her share of the kitchen cleaning. Simples." I said.

One by one the newbies raised their hands.

"Good. Go ahead and cook to your heart's content." I said, with a wave of my hand.

"You want the next batch?" She offered.

"I'll line up like everyone else. Won't be fair if I cut in line." I said.

She nodded and went back to cooking while I joined the line. Got to admit they was the best damn pancakes I ever tasted. Reminded me of the ones Ma made when I was still cute enough for her to care. Before, well that's none of your damn business. All you need to know is the pancakes was good and Ada beamed when I told her so.

"Where d'ya learn to cook anyway?" I asked her when we were heading back to the dorms after breakfast.

"Just always had a natural knack for it and I read books." She said.

"You can read?" I asked in joking awe.

"You can't?" She asked with a frown, not getting I was joking.

"It was a joke kid, but I guess there's some girls who come in here who can't." I said, realising that I could have been serious.

"Life is tough without a family who loves you." She murmured.

"Tell me about it." I said with a heavy sigh.

"Stop right there." Someone said from behind us.

Me and Ada both froze. We turned around and it was that one from the booth this morning. The one who lied his name was Adrian.

"Seems your package came through early." He said, handing me a brown paper bag.

"Thanks?" I said with confusion, They never came out here unless there was newbies coming in.

"Thought it would save you time." He said with a shrug, before turning his attention to Ada. "You." He said, pointing at her and curling his finger motioning her toward him into the shade of the overhang.

She gasped but stepped into the shade.

"What's your name?" He asked.

"Ada." She replied.

And then they were quiet for a really long time just staring at each other, but their faces were changing a little, like they were talking. They actually looked at lot alike, the same sort of messy curly dark hair and they were around the same height too, they could be brother and sister I guess. Ada stepped back and then grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me away from Adrian. That was weird, They didn't usually let us just walk away from them if they wanted something.

I waited until we got back to my room.

"This is for you." I said, dumping the package in her arms.

"What is it?" She asked.

"A change of underwear, sorry it's in my size, but I thought they couldn't know you were here. But now they do, and what the hell you got on them for Mr Happy out there to just let you walk off?"

"I don't know what you mean." She said, becoming very interested in the package.

"You some kind of government spy sent in to check on what's happening to us?" I asked.

"Why? Is there something happening to you?" She asked back like she knew something was up but was trying to find out how much I knew first.

"You know there is." I said, glaring at her.

"I know that the staff here can't be trusted, but that guard is different. I don't know who he's with but it's not them." Ada said, thinking about something hard.

"Them who?" I demanded, I wanted to know who Them were.

"The them you call Them." She said looking into my eyes.

"What?" I asked, completely confused now.

She shrugged.

"I'm as confused as you." She said murmured before adding. "So what else do we do all day?"

"There's nothing much except for when we have to exercise or got to go for a medical." I said, realising we should probably change the subject, walls have ears. "I'm due up next week, don't know when they'll call you in now they know you're here."

"That's what I'm counting on." She said darkly. "So when we got to exercise?"

I really didn't know what to make of her but I guess things were getting interesting, just had to see where all this was leading.


Thank you for reading, there's another chapter coming up today but reviews for this chapter are appreciated too

Gemma x