Hi! Your friendly writer here. This chapter is just a short peek into Riley's mind. Tell me what you think!

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Flash could be happy here, she knew. Flash could get an education, make a future for herself. Riley wouldn't take that away from anyone if there was a chance they might succeed.

But Riley wasn't sure if she could stand it here much longer. Everyone was too kind, too understanding, too generous. It didn't seem real after the sixteen years of brutality she'd been through. A part of her kept glancing over her shoulder, watching for a knife, waiting for someone to jump out of the woodwork, even as she forced a smile. The only time she'd felt secure was with Logan, who she knew watched the woodwork as meticulously as she did.

In a way, the girl's- Rogue's- hostility had been a welcome breath of fresh air. Anger and suspicion she could relate to any day of the week. Being cheerful took work. Her false cordiality was sucking the energy out of her. She was glad she'd never had a chance at high school. She'd have been the punk who hung out in the bathroom smoking to get away from the simpering preps. Facing the music was not Riley's style. She would only let loose when no one was looking.

The warmth of the mansion's decour was at odds with her personality, she finally decided as she walked through the foyer. The rich reds and browns were too warm, too inviting. Nothing here was halfway, nothing here was held back. Riley longed for the semi-comfort of a ratty sofa and a blanket gone grey with age, instead of the queen-sized monstrosity they'd given her. The only time she'd laid on it, it had given her the uneasy sensation of sinking into a bed of marshmallows. She'd pick the floor any day.

The smiles the students gave her as she passed felt fake, tinged with fear or some other unsavory emotion that set her nerves to humming. She wanted to run until she felt like her heart would burst out of her chest, until her breath came in sharp gasps and she was doubled over with exhaustion. She wanted to pound a punching bag until the chain it hung from snapped and the bag went flying across the gym. She wanted the cold, crisp feeling of a cloudless night. For a split second, she even wanted the smell of beer and stale air that had been her parent's house, but that longing passed fairly quickly.

She hadn't belonged there, and she didn't belong here. But where else was there to go? Nowhere. So she would stay here, until the walls closed in and she was smothered by kindness. Unless she exploded first.

Descision made, she marched her way past a group of teenage girls, not giving them a glance as they watched her stalk out of sight around the corner.

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