Chapter Fourteen

Dreams

I am in my cell. The cold stone of the floor hurts my bare feet as I pace around my cell. I hear the footsteps of the Whitecoats echoing down the hall. I quickly run to my bed and throw the thin sheets over my body. I hear the two cell doors next to me open. I remain covered until I am positive the Whitecoats are gone. I peak my head out and look into the two cells. In the cell to my left, a red-haired girl is sobbing. On the right, a tiny brunette is pacing furiously.

"Calm down! Both of you!" I say. In a calmer voice, I add, "I never knew other girls were being kept here. What are your names? Mine is Cassandra, but I prefer Casey."

"Jacqueline, but I prefer Jackie," the red-head replies.

"Alyssa, but you can call me Ally," the brunette says.

"Do you have wings too?" I ask curiously.

"Yes," they both say in unison. Then Ally asks, "How old are you? How long have you been here?"

"I'm five and have been here my entire life," I say. "How about you?"

"I'm the same," says Ally.

"I'm six and have been here for as long as I can remember," Jackie pipes up.

We hear the Whitecoats coming back and all quickly head to our beds. I hear my cell door open and the Whitecoats drag me back to the lab.

Pain. That is all I feel while the Whitecoats inject me with needles. But I have to remain strong. Show no signs of pain. That will only show them that they are winning. And I will not give them that satisfaction.

Every year on our birthday, the Whitecoats will give us a small treat. No lab, extra food, warm sheets for the night, etc. We have all figured out when our birthdays are. My birthday is February 23, 1993. Ally's is September 24, 1993 and Jackie's is December 20, 1992. Today is Jackie's tenth birthday.

We hear the familiar footsteps of the Whitecoats echo down the hall. They open Jackie's cage and pull her out.

"Where are you taking her?" I scream through the bars.

"Home," one of the Whitecoats says. With that, they turn and leave, bringing Jackie with them.

Home. Do they really mean home? To parents that love you? With brothers and sisters to talk with? It's all too unreal! They must be lying. No, the Whitecoats never lie. That means in a few months, I will have a family! I fall asleep happy that night.

Today is the day. It's my tenth birthday. I will finally have a family!

The Whitecoats come down the stairs and unlock my cell. I willingly let them grab me and pull me out of the cell. I lock eyes with Ally as they pull me along. What about her? Will she stay here alone?

"What about Ally? I can't leave her alone," I say.

"Your friend will have to wait for her tenth birthday," the female Whitecoat says.

"Just go, Casey. I'll be fine," Ally says. But I know she won't. She always had Jackie or me with her. I spent five years here alone and I wasn't about to let Ally stay here alone. That is when I realize, Ally and Jackie are my family. I don't need a mom, dad, brother, or sister. I just need my friends to be safe.

"Take me!" I say. "Let me stay here and let Ally go!"

"Casey, no!" Ally screams.

"Deal," the female Whitecoat says. She shoves me back into my cell and grabs a screaming Ally and drags her away.

I am truly alone now.

The pain is worse than before. The Whitecoats are still finding new things to stab me with. Not to mention, the new yard. They will throw me into a square yard and make me fight some monstrosity they created. How long have I been here? Seven months? Eight? It must be Ally's birthday soon. That is the day they let me out.

The head Whitecoat walks into the lab. He holds up a huge needle.

"This will only hurt a bit."

I wake up screaming. I am drenched in sweat and all the sheets are kicked off. I see a tall figure in the dark of my room and I run towards it. The figure opens its arms and I collapse into them. I don't care who this is at the moment. I sob and willingly let down all my barriers.

"What was the dream about?" the figure asks.

"The first scene was about meeting Jackie and Ally. I had been alone for five years and I finally had others like me. Then I felt the Whitecoats injecting me with needles. Then it was Jackie being taken away on her tenth birthday. The hope it gave me to know that I am someone's child. The next part was about my birthday. I was so happy that I would get to leave that place, but then I saw Ally. I couldn't leave her there alone so I sacrificed my freedom so she could go home that day. Finally, it was the pain. It was worse than last time. The Whitecoats had new things to test me with. That is when I woke up," I sob. "It was all too real and familiar."

We remain in our embrace for a few more minutes. Then the figure sets me down on my bed. Just before it leaves, I say, "Please don't tell anyone about this. It can be our little secret."

"Our little secret," the figure says as they leave the room. Right before the door closes, I see a flash of familiar blonde hair leave the room.

Author's Note: Sorry for an OOC Caius. He needed to find out about Casey's past. I hope you are enjoying the story! Please review, PM, favorite, and/or follow!

Review Replies

So, I decided to switch things up a bit. If you want me to reply to your review, simply PM me. Thank you Savysnape7 for giving me the inspiration!