I am Jack Laurence Merridew. I am normal. I am an intelligent eighteen year old boy. I will be a productive member of society. I am normal.

Jack nodded to himself in the mirror and noticed with some irritation that his hair was getting a little long again. It wasn't long by most standards, but he'd tried to keep it as short as possible ever since that incident. The one that didn't impact him at all, because it had happened five years ago and hanging onto it was pointless and only HELD HIM BACK.

He couldn't bear to sing anymore, and his voice had changed so that he couldn't sing well enough anyway. Singing was not an option anymore like it would be anyway singing was too much like the incident because choir boys aren't so innocent are they remember Roger remember Maurice remember Bill but mostly Roger Roger Roger and his craziness, you were scared of him Jack, don't say you weren't you're happy he was locked up –

No. No, he wouldn't think about that. He would not think about Roger. He would go downstairs and have breakfast and go to school, to public school so that his parents could keep an eye on him, apparently it wasn't safe for him to leave the house five years later.

Jack wasn't quite sure he'd want to go back to his old school, anyway. He didn't know how many of them still went there; Maurice, perhaps? Bill? Anyone was a possibility. Anyone except Roger, because he'd been locked up, and in Maurice's father's asylum oh wasn't that funny wasn't Maurice weirdly obsessed with Roger?

Jack shook his head free of those thoughts and grabbed a spare book before he headed downstairs. He liked to read to stop himself from thinking so much. He was currently powering his way through the Lord of the Rings trilogy – it was long and an entirely new world, something that Jack definitely needed. He was on the last one, however; he'd need to head to the bookstore after school to pick up a new book. It was going to be hard to top Lord of the Rings.

He ate quickly, wanting to be able to walk slowly to school. It was getting chilly; November was turning into December and it was beginning to feel like it. Jack watched some of the last leaves that had previously been clinging to tree branches for dear life drift down to earth. He smiled a little at this but didn't know why. He liked winter, especially when there was just a light dusting of snow on the ground, enough so that he couldn't see the ground but not too much to be annoying.

School passed by quickly, and then Jack was in his bookstore, browsing the shelves for something that looked to be good. He was trying to decide between two books when he heard something that severely disturbed him.

"-escaped, yes," someone said. Jack was listening through the bookshelf. He could've sworn he'd heard Roger's name. Roger Joseph Dressler, but no he's locked up he'll never get out who would break him out except maybe Maurice but not even Maurice would be that stupid don't be silly Jack Roger's safely locked up he's locked up he'll never ever get out don't you go thinking he will and freak out you're in a BOOKSTORE people will SEE you DON'T DON'T DON'T YOU'LL BE OKAY they're still talking better pay attention.

"What's the poor kid's name again?" another voice asked. This one belonged to a man – it was deeper, gruffer. "Robert, or something like that?"

"No, no Roger Dressler," the first voice said. "I knew him in school. Creepy kid."

"And he got out of the asylum he was put into," the man said. "I find that a bit hard to believe."

"Believe it," a new voice said. There was rustling, like paper was being passed from person to person. "Escaped about six months ago. There was a whole page in the paper, and just now more papers are getting ahold of the story. The director of the asylum is trying to keep details from the public, but that's not right."

Jack put the books down and hurriedly left the store. He didn't want to hear anymore, no, he did not want to hear more, it had to be a different Roger Roger was a fairly common name just because Roger and Dressler and asylum didn't mean it was HIS Roger nope not the Roger from the incident nope he was locked up locked up and he'd never ever ever get out nope never.

He needed something to eat. Jack quick stopped in at a diner and got something quickly, not paying attention to what he was ordering, just needing something to keep his mind off of this new predicament. Once his food came, he sat down in a corner and took out his sketchbook/journal.

(Jack tried to explore all creative mediums.)

Today was a writing day, complete with scribblings in the margins.

He's out. They said he's out and I don't want to believe them but who else could it be? It has to be him. I'm scared… but he wouldn't come after me. No, I was close to him, I think. As close as one could be to someone like Roger.

Apart from Maurice.

Satisfied with what he'd written and not particularly wanting to completely break down in a public place, Jack finished his food and exited the premises. He went home straight away – his parents wouldn't be back until late tonight; it was Friday, their date night. Jack had finally managed to convince them that he could handle staying home alone one night out of the week. It had taken him a few years, but legally he could move out.

Not that he wanted to. He didn't know if he could handle the pressures of living on his own just yet. He still had small breakdowns every once in a while; what if someone wasn't there when he was freaking out? He didn't know if he could handle that.

He didn't know if he could handle anything anymore.

And there's our first Jack POV. What do you guys think of it? Jack isn't a POV I write often, unlike Bill and Maurice.