Author's Notes: Had an author's note written out. Internet crapped out on me and I lost it. Running on glitchy internet so I'll keep this brief. Updates are going to be sporadic at best until after the holidays. Thanks for reading and hope you enjoy this chapter!

David may have agreed to go to the psych ward of his own free will, but when the time came, the weight of the situation hit him; what was about to happen. He managed to shove the nurse off of him, kicking and screaming to stay away from him whenever anyone got close enough. They already knew he was crazy, so why make it easy? The unfortunate thing was that they had drugs, and as soon as the staff was able to get a hold on him, someone jabbed him with a needle and David was instantly sedated.

He was easily led to his new home, stripped of his belongings and given only the hospital issued shirt and pants, the material too flimsy to keep him warm. He didn't have shoes, only a simple pair of clean socks that he wasn't allowed to change. David was ushered through to get a physical - his weight, height, blood pressure was documented and noted. They took blood, checked his reflexes - and even though everything felt a bit slow and delayed after whatever they injected into his system, he apparently checked out normal.

After they determined he was healthy, physically, they gave him a pill and brought him in to see the therapist. David hated this part. He had seen a number of therapists in his day. None of them had ever been anything worth talking to. They all had their stupid games they played, and they all easily bought the lies he fed them. David had become a master of deception - a secret champion at hiding the true extent of his insanity. This therapist, this - David leaned forward to squint at the name tag on the oversized desk - Dr. Rhett McLaughlin wouldn't be any different.

He sat in the plush chair. It had wheels and swiveled, and if David had the strength, he definitely would have gone for a spin. As it was, all he could manage to do was lean back and keep his head up. His eyes swept the office, scanning shelves of medical books and documents off in the corner. Next to those was a file cabinet equipped with a lock - it must have been where all their personal information was stored. David looked up at the dry erase board behind it - a daily schedule of activities and themes. He didn't understand it at first glance, but he was sure he would have no choice but to be thrust right into the middle of it and learn it well. Beside the board were poorly drawn images, sad looking collages, and other arts and crafts projects that must have belonged to this guy's kids.

David glanced toward the desk to see if there were any pictures, but there weren't. The desk was bare. Not even a writing utensil in sight. They really did take their precautions here to make sure anything that could cause harm was safely out of reach. But considering David had a personal escort waiting with him, he doubted he would have gotten anywhere anyway.

Finally, the doctor arrived. David was surprised because the man was a lot younger than he expected. He could only have been a few years out of medical school from the looks of it. He had David's file in his hands as he approached, and David had to crane his neck to look up at him. He was extremely tall. Hell, he missed his calling as a basketball player - that's how tall he was.

"David, right? I'm Dr. McLaughlin. But you actually don't need to be so formal. You can just call me Rhett." He extended his hand.

David looked at it and then looked back up at him, crossing his arms over his chest. "Sorry. I can't seem to lift my arm after the whole sedation bullshit you guys pulled." He wasn't going to make this easy by any means.

"Think logically for a moment, David. What did you expect them to do? What did you think the outcome was going to be if you fought? It's all about cause and effect. You acted out, so you caused them to react." Rhett dropped his hand, sinking down in the chair across from him. "When you take responsibility for your actions, you can change the outcome."

"Yeah, well, I didn't do a damn thing to all those students at my school. I didn't do a damn thing that would've made them treat me the way they did. And yet here I am suffering for it!"

"David, I'm not gonna sit here and blow smoke up your ass and tell you life is good and fair. It's not. You're smart enough to know that. But you're here now. And if you take responsibility for yourself, you can change the way you think about things. I mean, think about it? What are thoughts? They're just a dumb voice in your head. But what if every time that voice tried to tell you something negative or give you a reason to hate the world, you told it to shut up and thought the way you wanted to think?"

David raised a brow. He was surprised at how down-to-earth Rhett was - talking to him on a level that wasn't hiding behind doctorate vocabulary and superiority. "That's easier said than done. As a matter of fact, it sounds downright impossible."

"Hard to do? You betcha. Why do you think the world doesn't do it? People are usually out to defeat themselves and those around them. It's a defense mechanism - a way of living life and telling others what's possible or impossible. But nothing's impossible. I'm telling you that right here, right now. And I got the degree in psychology, so I must be right, right?" Rhett smirked, crossing his arms and mimicking David's position.

David blinked, staring at him. He looked at his escort, trying to see if he was the only one who thought the doctor was insane - but the escort remained stonefaced and unreadable, no help at all. David shook his head, glancing back at Rhett. "You're crazy."

"Maybe. Maybe not. But wouldn't you be more prone to take advice from someone who seems a little off his rocker than someone who does things by the book?" Rhett chuckled. "See, this is the reason I work with you kids. I get you. You might not think so now, but at the end of this - I guarantee you're gonna come out with advice and lessons that'll never leave you. And if I can do that for you - become the new voice that screams in your head to stop beating yourself up, harming yourself, suffering because you're worth so much more than that - then I've done my job."

"You're pretty confident, aren't you?" David quirked a brow.

"Well, I have the accreditations to back it up." Rhett folded his hands on the desk. "Anyway, I'll tell you this now. We work on a points system. The sooner you show you can be trusted and you're willing to improve, the more freedoms you'll be granted. Going back to what I said earlier, it's only going to hurt you if you choose to act out. Well that and maybe the shift worker who's assigned to watch you 24/7."

"When do I get real clothes?"

"As soon as you can be trusted with real clothes."

David groaned. "Alright, fine. Are we done here? Can I just go to sleep now?"

"There's more to talk about. We haven't even touched on things with you and what brought you here. But it's late, and we can save it for the morning. We'll be seeing a lot of each other, David. So it'd probably be handy if you held a little less resentment toward me - it'd just make it easier for you."

"So thoughtful of you to make things easier for me. Because this is all just a fucking cake walk..." David struggled to stand up, a bit wobbly on his feet.

It bugged David that he couldn't seem to break through Rhett's easy-going expression and shake him up. Those psychiatrists were almost inhuman with their patience and inability to get riled up when yelled at. At least he had the satisfaction of pissing Kenichi off that one time.

"I can tell you why what you're trying to do isn't going to work..." Rhett pointed out with a smile.

David glared at him, not taking too kindly to the mindreading - even if he did make it a bit obvious what he was trying to do.

"Because I'm trained to handle thirty or more kids like you. And as kids, you need something to blame. The world has taught you that. So you're gonna blame me. And I get that. I'll take your blame if you can do something else positive for yourself." Rhett shook his head with faint amusement. "You're making it way too obvious what you're thinking. No pokerface at all."

"Oh yeah? And what am I thinking now?"

"Fuck you - is what you're thinking."

David blinked and then cracked a small smile. "Guess you're not too bad at this whole getting in someone's head."

Rhett laughed. "Sure hope not. I spent way too many years of my life devoted to this. At any rate, you go rest. I'll see you tomorrow..."

David nodded and didn't say anything, turning to the door and having his escort lead him down a series of halls to his room. He heard screaming, crying, yelling. He saw nurses rush past him with IV needles. He passed by one kid, around his age and obviously sedated, as a few of the night staff dragged him down to a certain room at the end of a hall titled 'the quiet room.' David wondered if it had padded walls, too.

But he didn't dwell on it for too long. David was led to his temporary room - a single, cell-like unit with white walls, a bed, and not much else. He stood there, looking over it before he glanced back at his escort. "What? Not even a splash of color?"

The man said nothing and simply gestured for him to go inside. David padded forward, heading over to the bed. Only once he was under the covers did the escort turn out the lights for him. David's head hit the pillow and he watched as the door was closed, but left open a crack. They would check on him frequently. There would be no privacy here. David was grateful for the drugs because the paranoia of always being watched would have kept him up. For now, though, whatever they gave him at the nurse's station during his physical exam was kicking in, and he drifted off into a dreamless slumber.

Over the course of the next few days, David discovered what it was like to have a living shadow. He never went anywhere alone - not even to the bathroom; not even to shower. Hell, David was surprised they didn't wash his ass with how much they monitored him. The only time he had to himself was when he was drugged up on sleeping pills, and unfortunately he was too drugged up to appreciate it. He was kept at a distance from the other patients, had to eat with plastic utensils and wasn't even allowed a plastic knife.

But in spite of this, David was good. It was really his desire to talk to Ian, and everyone else, that caused him to be on his best behavior. He hadn't been allowed visitors, and phone calls were one of the first privileges he would get back. So David worked to prove he was no longer a danger to himself, and he could be trusted around people, alone, and with a goddamn butter knife. He knew his plan worked when one of the nurses came in one morning and informed him he was upgraded to level 1 which meant he was going to be moving to a shared room.

If he wasn't so starved for human contact, David might have been unnerved by the prospect of having another crazy teenager who was in for god knows what as a roommate. But all he could think of was: thank god he would have someone to talk to that wasn't Rhett, a nurse, or the cafeteria lady who slopped his mashed potatoes on his plate with an ice cream scooper.

David gathered his belongings, following the nurse from his room to the new one. As they approached the half-open door, the nurse knocked twice to announce her presence before stepping inside. David held his breath as he emerged in the doorway, shifting his weight from foot to foot. He was able to release the breath when he saw the room was empty, though.

"Your roommate must be getting his medication. You can get settled in and he should be back shortly. You will meet him before breakfast, I assure you." She said with a kind smile.

"Thanks..." David dropped his few things on the bed - a spare pair of hospital-provided pants and socks, along with a few pairs of underwear, and a hospital provided shirt. David hadn't graduated enough to wear his own clothing. "Hey. When do I get to make a phone call?"

"Phone calls are usually made during the evening, after dinner. You'll have an hour to talk."

"Alright. An hour..." David nodded. An hour of hearing Ian's voice didn't seem like nearly enough time after how long they were apart. But it was better than nothing.

"Ah. Mr. Van Norman. Nice of you to join us. We have a new roommate for you..."

David looked up at saw a kid standing in the doorway. He was tall and had light brown, curly hair. Most notable were his sideburns, though. David stared at them for a second. They reminded him of some kind of comic book character or a werewolf or something. The guy was staring back at David, sizing him up before he headed over to his own bed, picking up a notebook and stuffing it away under the pillow.

"You just ship them in and out, don't you? So many come and go, but Ivan stays behind. Ivan is the mentor, but a prisoner - trapped behind these tiny walls. And he gets to watch everyone else be set free." He waved his arm dramatically, dropping his weight onto the mattress.

"Ivan, please..." the nurse began. "David is in a very fragile state..."

"I'm not going to break. Trust me. I need to make that phone call tonight." David answered, studying Ivan.

"Let me guess. Another suicide attempt..." Ivan canted his head.

The nurse was about to protest that they weren't allowed to discuss their issues, but David cut her off. "Yeah. What of it?"

"Damn. I'm good at this. It only takes one look to guess someone's issues."

"And what's yours?" David raised a brow.

"Guess." Ivan folded his arm with a grin.

"You really aren't supposed to be having this conversation..." the nurse protested with a frown.

David ignored her. "Depression."

Ivan made the sound of a buzzer. "Wrong. I'm actually perfectly happy. I'm perfectly sane and together." His eyes drifted toward the nurse. "Isn't that right, Marley?"

Marley frowned. "Please don't drag me into this. I should be moving Mr. Moss from this room as we speak."

"No. Let him stay. I kinda like him." Ivan stroked his chin quietly, meeting David's eyes again. "Anyway, I have this nasty urge to set things on fire. Sometimes, it's pretty hard to resist. Perfectly normal except for that. But we all have our quirks, huh?"

"A pyromaniac? I didn't ever think those were a real thing. I thought that was mostly people joking around when they lit things on fire for fun."

"Well, you learn something new every day." Ivan chuckled. "Impulse behaviors. Tried all sorts of therapy. Just can't seem to shake it. Only thing stopping me now is the fact that I have no fire. But as long as you're not a smoker, I think we're both good."

"Recreational smoker only. And even that, I usually do with someone else by my side. So I don't tend to carry a lighter. You're safe."

Marley rolled her eyes. "Well you two seem to be on the verge of a beautiful friendship."

"Marley, Marley - you know as well as I do that there are no friends here. Except maybe you and me, Marle." Ivan grinned obnoxiously at her.

She shook her head, but seemed relatively amused. "Breakfast is in twenty minutes. I'll just trust the two of you to behave until then."

David watched as she left before he laughed a bit. "Wow. Level 1 is already drastically different..."

"Just wait until you reach level 5. It'll feel almost as good as real freedom. Until you realize it ain't freedom at all and you're really just trapped in purgatory." A darkness came over Ivan's face as he looked out the barred window.

"You'll get out." David nodded.

"No, you're mistaken, David. Getting out is only something that happens when you have someone who cares enough to take you back."

David stared at Ivan in surprise. He wasn't sure what to say, but he swallowed the lump in his throat and looked down at his feet. He supposed he was only scratching the surface of the patients' issues here, and it could only get worse, not better.

When David and Ivan got to the cafeteria and got their breakfast trays, they separated. Ivan went to his own table, and David looked after him. In a way, it seemed like Ivan was popular kid in school - and David could understand it. If Ivan had been here for as long as he was implying, then he had the most experience in this place and anyone would look to him as a mentor. It was always great to have someone who knew the ropes to lead the way in a scary situation.

David didn't want to include himself without an invitation, and he was pretty sure he couldn't have anyway. The seats were taken, and the tables closest to it were also taken. David licked his lips, about to find a quiet spot alone when he spotted a straggler sitting by himself. He seemed very preoccupied with separating the marshmallows in his cereal into color order on different sides of the bowl. The action caused a small smile to quirk on David's lips. This was familiarity. This was Joshua. And the one responsible for it kind of looked like Josh, too - dark hair, dark eyes and glasses.

The kid dug the fingers of his free hand in his hair, looking immensely stressed. "Fuck, fuck, fuck. It touched the milk. That's it. It's ruined!"

"Hey..." David came up mid freak out. "Anyone sitting here?"

The stranger looked up sharply before glancing toward the seat. "Yes." And then he looked back at what he was doing, only to glare at David when he sat down regardless. "Didn't you hear what I said? That seat's taken."

"Yeah. It is. By me." David offered a faint smile before mixing his cereal around with the plastic spoon - making the other patient cringe.

"This is cruel and unusual punishment. You know that, right?"

"I know. But I figure it's the best way to get your attention and distract you." David scooped up a spoonful of sugary goodness, bringing it into his mouth. "'m David, by the way."

There was silence for a moment before the kid finally relented. "Mark."

"Hi, Mark." David relaxed. "I have a friend with OCD outside of here. Makes it seem like not such a crazy world, after all. Or maybe it really is fucking crazy and that's just what I find normal."

"Well obviously you're the crazy one..." Mark answered, methodically taking a bite of his cereal. "And OCD is the least of my problems. I have a whole list of problems that landed me here. None of which I'm going to share with you, but all of which you can find out if you stay tuned to our regularly scheduled group sessions."

David offered a faint smile. "A new, advanced way of getting to know people." He paused. "What do you think about the therapist?"

"Rhett?" Mark tilted his head, shrugging. "He's good. For a therapist, he's good. I got no complaints about him."

"He's cocky. I don't know if I like it."

"You're all cocky - thinking you can cheat the system, thinking you can get out of here..." a new voice rose up from behind him, causing David to turn.

Standing right behind him was a young guy with shaggy, dirty brown hair and a matching, unkempt beard. He had blue eyes that immediately made David think of Ian, but they were far too paranoid to match his boyfriend's level-headed stare. The newcomer kept throwing glances over his shoulder, his jaw twitching nervously. He went around and sat at about a three foot distance from Mark, leaning in to do an extensive check of his breakfast.

"I wouldn't put it past them to be poisoning us here. You know? Some kind of experiment..." the newcomer had some form of accident that made it difficult for David to understand him.

"I'm sorry?"

"Don't get him started. It'll be illuminati, zombie apocalypse again..." Mark shook his head. "Or maybe the aliens this time. It all depends on what Felix managed to dream last night..."

"Shhh!" Felix turned to Mark sharply. "Don't tell him my name. We don't know if we can trust him. He could be a secret spy for them." He slowly looked back over at David, sizing him up. "And for the record, I don't dream anymore. This place has stolen my dreams. Isn't that right, Stephano?"

David watched as Felix turned to face an empty space between himself and Mark. He wasn't sure what to think, but he turned to his breakfast and tried not to. He supposed when he was around a group of kids his age, it was easy to forget the circumstances that brought them all here. They were crazy. Literally crazy. Each and every one of them had something wrong with them by society's standards - some more than others. It definitely wasn't every day that David felt like the sane one of the group, and he wasn't sure how he felt about that.

But these were the cards he was dealt. These were the people he had. And David just had to deal with it. The calmer he was when he dealt with it, the sooner he could get out and see Ian; the sooner his life would be back in order. He just had to jump the hurdles and get better, and be grateful his issues weren't worse than what they were.

David drew in a deep breath and finished off his cereal in silence. Only a few more hours until he could hear Ian's voice again. He couldn't wait.