Why you may ask am I posting now? Because I am avoiding writing a paper do in a few hours. I'm going to hate myself at my 7:45AM shift tomorrow but hey what's new.

The hurricane actually didn't hit me which is shocking all things considering. But prayers for those in the rest of Florida *hugs*.

This chapter is different. Not my favorite but I don't *think* it's bad lol.

Very interested to know what you think :)

~TH~

Dean had to admit, the place was… nice. Carlos helped Dean where he could, but also left him alone. The place had few rules, three meals a day plus an allowance of snacks. Even if Dean didn't eat them he'd take them and stick it in his bag. Carlos had seen him do it a couple times. He finally broached the subject, just telling him that he didn't have to hide food. No one would take it from him. He also mentioned that while they were free to leave, few people did.

That should have set off alarm bells in Dean's head.

But Dean just felt so… okay. The pain and fear and anxiety he had lived with since he was four years old was finally gone. And then it would come back with a vengeance. There'd be a spike of terror where he'd be angry and hurt and the terror would be as fresh as the moment he carried baby Sammy out of his burning home.

Then he'd take a pill. The magical pills in the little container that made his life bearable.

And everything would be okay.

The atmosphere in this place, the Castle as some of the kids called it, set off Dean's supernatural sense but if he tried to figure it out, it would be like there was never anything. He knew he was probably just being suspicious. He was raised that way, he couldn't help it.

There were probably twenty kids in all. They ranged anywhere between ages fifteen and twenty-three and all seemed to be in the same boat. Either no family at all or coming from a place of abuse. No one really talked about it but one broken kid could almost always tell another.

But there was one kid, a girl, Vivian, she said she was fifteen but Dean wouldn't be shocked to find that was younger. If she was fifteen, it spoke of her life beforehand. She looked maybe twelve. She'd come only a few days after Dean. She was sick. Dean might even say dying.

And the sight of Viv was one of the only things that still brought out strong negative emotions. He hated looking at her because of this. Her eyes were almost too large for her head. She was tiny. Starving. There was bruising that she wouldn't talk about. The truth is, she wouldn't talk about anything.

Maybe that's why it hit so close to home.

It didn't matter. No one deserved to be treated like that. Especially someone so innocent.

The problem was that she seemed fascinated by Dean. She practically followed him around. And he couldn't ask her to stop. His protective instinct was activated by her.

The pills helped though. They calmed him.

And he was getting better. Physically as well as mentally. The cold or whatever he had, had cleared up. He hadn't been hungry since the day after he came. Life was… life was good.

But there were things… things that just felt off. And he didn't want to think about it because thinking about it hurt.

He'd tried to reason it out. The pills. Whiteman. The reverence the kids felt for him, the reverence even Dean felt.

The high or whatever you wanted to call it, had worn off and all of the twisted pieces weren't lining up. He'd been trained to reason things like this out his entire life. He knew if he just… thought about it he could figure it out.

But the only thing he'd gotten was a killer migraine. One that had kept him down for hours. And he knew in his gut that it was odd. He did. But also… he didn't want to question it. Nothing bad was happening. Children were being fed and kept warm. How was that a bad thing?

So what?

What if something weird was going on? What if there was something supernatural here? Why did it matter?

Why did he have to hunt?

What had hunting ever gotten him?

It had gotten him here.

"Dean?"

Dean looked up, feeling the emotional turmoil wash away at the sight of Whiteman.

"Sir?"

"Have you seen Vivian today?"

Dean frowned, "No, last time I saw her was at dinner last night. I'm sorry I wasn't really paying attention."

The older man nodded slowly, "I see. If you see her, let me know."

"Is something wrong?" Dean stopped Whiteman from walking away.

He hesitated. "No… Nothing is wrong. I'm just concerned. She hasn't been adjusting as well as I had hoped. She seemed to like you so I was hoping you could help. You've adjusted so well. I'm proud of you, Dean." The kind smile made a feeling of warmth and good flush through Dean. He'd always been a people pleaser. But this felt different, even better. This was the verbal confirmation that his efforts were appreciated.

"Th-thank you." And if he didn't feel like a girl. Stumbling over his words at a simple compliment.

Whiteman cocked his head, "You're surprised."

"No- I just- it's not like I've done anything." He shrugged.

"You've been helping with chores. You've integrated well. You've caused no problems. Why shouldn't that be praised?"

Dean's brain felt like it was short circuiting. Why should he be praised for existing? Helping out was expected of him. In fact, he was doing almost nothing in comparison of whe he did at home. In fact, "I should have paid more attention to Viv." He said with the shake of his head. "You're right, I'm the only one she seems to like. I should have been watching her."

The old man blinked at him. "Dean, you're not responsible for any actions but your own. If Vivian has decided to leave, or decides to make any other decision, it is not on you. I simply asked to see if you knew anything. She's not your responsibility. Nor is anyone else here." He paused for a moment, looking into the young man's eyes. "Or anyone not here."

Dean opened his mouth, then slammed it shut. He nodded once, unsure of what else to say. Whiteman smiled, "Let me know if you see her, but don't worry. I'm sure she's fine."

~SPN~

Dean nearly dumped his water on the poor girl.

"Viv? What are you doing? Mr. Whiteman's been looking for you."

She didn't say anything, but Dean wasn't really expecting anything. She blinked at him, turned and walked away.

"Hey! Where are you going?"

He started following her, but she completely ignored him.

"Seriously, kid, is there a reason you've been hiding all day just to come out now? I don't care if you talk or not, just stop- don't get yourself in trouble."

She stopped, her eyes were bright and she nodded to a door.

Dean raised his eyebrows but put his hand on the doorknob. "You want to show me something?" As soon as his hand hit the knob he jerked it back. "I don't think we should go in there."

She cocked her head, motioning towards the door again.

With a roll of his eyes, he tried again. A spike of pain went through his skull and he stopped.

"No. You can do whatever you want but you're not dragging me into… whatever this is. I'm going to tell Whiteman I saw you."

Vivian reached out grabbing his arm. "No."

"No? Now you choose to talk?"

"Go in."

"Dude, what's your problem? I'm not going in there."

"Why."

"Because," he couldn't really come up with a reason, he just knew he shouldn't- couldn't. "I don't need to explain anything to you. Do what you want, but I-I'm getting out of here."

Dean turned on his heels and headed back towards his room. As he left the headache lessened.

"Dean?"

The boy barely missed running into Mr. Whiteman.

"Are you alright?"

Dean nodded, not feeling alright at all. He needed one of those pills. He needed to stop feeling like this. Stupid Vivian and her stupid door. He hadn't felt such heightened anxiety since that first night. He didn't know what was going to kill him first, an anxiety induced heart attack or this suddenly overwhelming migraine.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine, I just- Viv is back there. I don't know what her problem is."

Whiteman nodded slowly. "Thank you for telling me, son."

"Yeah, yeah- sorry- I don't-"

"Why don't you go lie down."

"Yeah-yeah- I- I've got to go."

Dean didn't know what was up with the girl or with that room, but he wanted nothing to do with either ever again.

~TH~

Reviews

Andra B.: Thank you! All is well! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

Kathy: Very odd indeed... don't worry, we'll get more from Caleb next chapter!

Meilean: That is the question of the hour is it not? What is causing such migraines? Hope you enjoyed! And thanks *hugs*

Secretwrittenword: Very interesting thoughts... I suppose we'll see soon ;)

Princess of the Fae: Soon is quite a relative term ;)

WastedJamie: Caleb calling Dean his kid brother is my weakness I admit. Dean just needs a big hug and a shoulder to cry out! Don't worry we'll be seeing Sammy next chapter... and maybe even a brief cameo from John *insert sideways eyes emoji*

And the plot thickens.

So, thoughts on Vivian?

Whiteman?

Is more going on that we originally thought?

Please do share your thoughts on this chapter. I apologize for my less than stellar authors note it is 1am and I still have a paper to write before my 9am class.

Next chapter we see Caleb and Sammy :)

Please please please give me your thoughts! I could use all the serotonin I can get as my ADHD riddled brain is clear out

Much love and God bless,

Jamie