Sorry for such a long time for an update. I haven't really been inspired for anything lately. God, just seeing this story makes me angry.

I'm sorry for all of the dialogue. Hopefully the chapters to come will be filled with less talking and more…other things.

And I hope I portrayed all the characters correctly. I haven't seen Higher Ground in forever and all the people are blurring together. If I get something wrong, flame me and hopefully I'll fix it.

Thanks.

By the way, I don't own anything. Blah Blah Blah.

Hope you enjoy.

She knocked on the door and he could barely hear it.
"Come in!" he yelled, saying as nice as he could. He smiled as he saw Taylor come in the door.
"Take a seat, Taylor." She sat down quietly and put her feet under her, "Indian style". Peter stared at the girl, while she just looked off into space. The girl didn't want to look at the man; he reminded her of something that she couldn't put a finger on. She didn't like it.
"I assume Auggie showed you around?" She nodded and started to chew on the edge of her thumbnail.
"Did you enjoy the campus?" She nodded again. A silence broke out.

"Did he inform you of the rules?" She shook her head.
"Well, the rules here are very simple. There's no drugs, sex, violence, or inappropriate touching. This is a safe place. A place where you can go to take a break from all that crap that's going on outside in your life. Anything you say to me or one of the other counselors stays betweens us unless you give us permission to tell it to the others. The only exception is if I suspect violence towards others or something that is self-destructive, then I am bound by law to notify outside authorities. Any questions?"

"No sir," she said flatly.
"You don't have to call me sir," he said awkwardly. He wanted to get something out of this girl and he hadn't been doing a good job so far.
"Why don't you go get your physical now and then we'll go to group. Then later after group we'll talk, okay?" She nodded and followed Peter into the infirmary.

"I'll leave you here. When you get done with the physical just come back over to my office. Then you'll get to meet the rest of the Cliffhangers?" He sounded so happy, like it was his life. But it was his life. But why would someone want to take care of fucked up teenagers was beyond her knowledge. She frowned as she changed into the hospital-looking gown. She hated doctors.

Peter was looking through his files again trying to find something about Taylor. Just one little thing that could give him a clue. This girl was almost as worse as Shelby, but without the aggression and the running. He was still expecting her to run, he always had that in the back of his mind. There wasn't a phone call that he didn't hold his breath for. But Taylor seemed different. It was almost as if he could tell by looking in her eyes that she was planning something. He could see the calculative glare, but he had a trusting, and probably ignorant, feeling that she wouldn't do anything. Now, anyway. He looked through her file again and found nothing he could go on. He sighed and put his head in his hands.
"Just one time I'd like my job to be easy," he said quietly to himself and maybe hinting to God.

A knock came on the door.
"Come in," Peter shouted through the thick wood. In came a Doctor George Ethers.
"Hey George," he greeted somberly. Normally when the doctor came to you, then something was wrong, or else they would just throw the file at you.
"Hey Peter. Taylor's outside, but I want to talk to you about her first." Inside, Peter flinched, but he shook his head.
"Sure, what is it?"
"Well, the good things are there were no drugs in her blood system. She was clean. She did have a lot of scars on her body though."
"You think she's a cutter?" Taylor didn't look that type. Then he thought about it. Was there even a type?
"I don't know. These cuts didn't look like the ones Juliett did. She had them on her legs, back, and arms. They were long though. And looked rough, not clean cut. She also had this weird rash, if you will, around her wrists. The skin looked as if it was pulled the other way." He pushed his glasses farther back unto his noses. "She also has very high blood pressure. For a teenager her size, normal would be around 118 over 60 but hers was 142 over 85. She told me she was really nervous and that high blood pressure ran in her family. But that's not even the worse part. When I checked her blood, it was really thin. And I did not get that much because she looked like she was going to pass out. I believe she maybe anemic. She also said her father had a hard time getting into the army because he had thin blood," Dr. Ethers said.
"What does it mean if she has both high blood pressure and is anemic?" Peter asked wondering if she needed to be on any medications. Even though they weren't aloud at Mount Horizon, those were serious problems.

"Well, you just have to watch out for her. You probably want to take it slow with her. She's use to hot weather, so now we have to get her use to cold weather. She shouldn't go on large hikes that go over extended amounts of days and she should probably eat more than what she's eating now. She weighs about a hundred and five pounds and that's not helping her problems either. I don't think medicine will help her, so just keep an eye out for her." He smiled a crooked smile.
"Wow. Um, thank you George. I will look out for her. Thanks for telling me."

After the doctor left, Peter gathered all of his papers that were thrown around the desk and put them into a nice, straight pile. He then opened his office door to a very anxious Taylor.
"Hey Taylor," he said; he smiled. She crooked her head, very innocently and wondered if he ever stopped smiling.
"Hi." Her hands were underneath her thighs and she was swinging her feet back and forth. She was biting the edge of her lip and Peter never thought he saw anything look so childlike. She looked so young sitting there.
"Ready for group?" he asked, resisting the urge to grab her hand and hold it on the way to the others.
"What is group anyway?" Her voice was quiet and flat.
"You'll find out."

"Hey Peter!" Kat called out from the couch. Everyone, including Sophie, turned around and smiled when they saw him with the newbie.
"Hey guys." He paused and pushed Taylor a little bit in front of him. "Everyone this is Taylor."

He sat down beside Sophie and Taylor sat on the floor beside the couch. She slowly pulled her knees to her chest, but not before she winced. No one noticed.
"Anyone want to explain group for Taylor's sake?" Juliette raised her hand.
"Go ahead Jules."
"Well, see, everyday we come together, like anyplace, and we describe what we're feeling and why. It helps us get our feelings out and things," said the way too overly zealous and bubbly girl. She made Taylor want to jump right out of her skin.
"Okay. Now that that has been taken care of, why don't we do a quick group session? Everyone say you're name, why you're here and how you feel." He tossed a staff looking thing towards an African girl.
"I'm Kat. I'm here for not being able to save my sister and not being the right color for my parents. I feel anxious." She passed it off to the bubbly, prom queen.
"Hi. I'm Juliette Waybourne. I'm here for cutting myself and not being perfect. And I feel happy." She threw it to someone.
"I'm Ezra. I'm here because I wanted to be a pharmacist. I feel tired." He handed it to Agguie who smiled.
"You already know me. I'm here for being in a gang and getting into drugs from my bro. It was either Juvie or here. Oh, and I feel good." He smiled at Taylor who just looked at him. He passed his stick around.
"I'm Scott, but you knew that. I'm here because I got into drugs and ran away from home a lot. And I feel fine, I guess." He passed it on."
"I'm Shelby Merrick. I'm here because I ran away from home and things. I feel okay."
"Hi. I'm Daisy Lipenowski and I hit my dearest father over the head with a golf club. I feel peculiar." She passed it to Taylor.
"I'm Taylor and I don't know why I'm here. I feel…um, good." She lied about feeling good. In truth, she felt terrible. Confused. And lost. She was really lost. But you can't build a wall without a good foundation and this was hers.

Everyone stared at her for a while. She just locked her hands underneath her bent knees, and stared off in front of her. She was thinking of being outside in the woods.
"What do you mean you don't know why you're here?" Shelby asked sort of dumbfounded. Surly this newbie wasn't that stupid.
"I just don't," she said, her voice low and quiet. She thought about how it felt with the sun all around you and laying down in the forest floor.
"Okay. Why don't we call this a night. You have a few hours before lights out, so I suggest everyone doing their homework. Taylor, I want you to come with me." Everyone went their separate ways, but Peter and Taylor.

"Let's go in my office and talk okay?" His voice sounded hard, but gentle at the same time. She was confused. Did she do something wrong?

As she sat across from Peter, she really felt uncomfortable. She would admit it: Peter was hot. God damn her to hell, but she always found older men attractive. Maybe that's why she felt so weird. She didn't know, but she really didn't feel right being stuck in a room with him.
"Did you like group?" he asked trying to make small talk. She shook her head.
"It normally isn't as juvenile," he defended. She shook her head, understanding.
"The um, the doctor told me some interesting things today." This caught her attention. She tried not to look too nervous. And scared.
"Yes?" Her voice was cool, calm, collected. She could have fooled anyone.
"He believes you are anemic and have high blood pressure." She nodded. She knew a little why she was anemic and why she had high blood pressure. Cutting and being extremely, utterly, insanely nervous. All she could think of the whole time was was he going to find out? She still doesn't even know.
"He also said that you're weight was too low and that wasn't helping your medical problems." If Taylor could have inwardly thrown up, she would have. Just because she thought she wasn't the prettiest and skinniest didn't mean she had an eating disorder. Skipping a few meals here and then and doing a power heavy exercise day didn't mean she was weight crazy. Or crazy at all. Or had an eating disorder. Nope, not at all.

"He also said that he saw some scars on your body." She tried not to panic, really she did. But her body went tight and she took her nails to her skin, trying to get some pressure off.
"Really? Where?" she asked trying to keep her voice flat and uninterested. It sort of worked.
"On your back and legs and arms." She relaxed. She didn't cut there.
"So?" she asked in her very innocent voice.
"I'd like to see them," he said. Her eyes bugged out but decided not to make a big deal. Big deals meant that you were hiding something.

She stood up and pulled her shirt off over her head. She kept her arms in the sleeves and folded them around her bra. She felt really uncomfortable. But, hell, these weren't self-inflicted. She didn't even cut that much, anyhow. The cuts that the doctor and Peter were talking about were from the forest, from when she was out four-wheeling with just a tank top and shorts on.

He stared at her back. He was expecting angry, red, open wounds not fairly healed scars. They were long, too and rough. These couldn't possible be done by Taylor.
"Can I put my shirt back on?" she asked. She was irritated and was embarrassed and not to mention uncomfortable.
"Yes, of course." He thought for a minute. "Can I see the ones on your legs and arms?" She rolled her eyes and showed him. Of course it wasn't as bad. As long as she didn't take off her pants because then he would know and she'd be even more humiliated.
"What are these from?" he asked totally baffled. None of them looked like self-mutilation and he had been thinking a long time. The scars were really wide across and pale looking.
"They are from my four-wheeler." He got a confused look on his face.
"What?"
"You know…a four-wheeler, an atv, a quad. A dirt bike, but with four wheels." Her accent was really coming out from this one.
"I know what one is, Taylor." His face looked disgusted. "I was wondering how you would have gotten them from that."
"Well, the one on my back is from when I got flown from my four-wheeler. I landed on my back and split it open. The ones on my legs are just from when I didn't wear pants in the woods. Devils whips and branches would just, you know, gnaw at my skin and the same with my arms. But those were easier to get with. But the big scar that's on the elbow, that's from when I was swimming in the ocean and this drunken guy was casting off his fishing rod. His hook got caught in my skin and when I tried to let it loose, I accidentally tugged on his string signaling that he had a fish, so he reeled in his line. So the hook ripped open the skin there. It's still a bit tender. It only happened about six months ago, I think." He looked astonished. Either because she said so many words or because of all the stories.

"Wow," he said. This girl had been through some pain, it seemed. She also sounded really rough as if it didn't faze her. He knew from experience that being thrown off anything hurt. He's never had his back ripped open before though. Or had his arm tore up from a hook. She did seem to have a passion for four-wheeling.
"Sounds like you like to atv." She stared at him and tried not to say anything snotty. It was hard though.
"It's my life." He seemed impressed. She seemed tired. She yawned.
"Okay. We can talk later. There is still an hour and a half before lights out. Your bags are in your rooms." She nodded and walked to the door.

"Hey Peter?" she called from the door.
"Yea?"
"Are students aloud to make phone calls?" Taylor asks.
"Not normally, except for parents. Why?"
"Well I sort of wanted to tell my best friend why I wouldn't be there for a while." He smiled.
"I swear I won't be long and you can listen to the whole conversation." He thought it over, but decided that she hadn't run away. Hadn't caused any troubled and even took her shirt off just for him. So, yea, he'd let it slide a little.
"Yea, Taylor. Here." He pushed the phone towards her and she smiled.

She rung the familiar number and sat down on the edge of his desk, forgetting where she was for a second.
"Hello," came through the receiver.
"He-hey Mr. Garner." Her voice was shaky. Peter noticed. He wondered why.
"I'm, um, fine. You?" She hated talking to Shane's father. Ever since all of the dreams she's had of him, she got the creeps around him.
"Can I please talk to Shane? Thanks." She waited and then noticed she was sitting on his desk.
"Sorry," she said and winced. She then sat on a chair.
"Yo?" Shane answered the phone and Taylor's smile was brought back.
"Hey stud muffin you," she replied in a very breathy voice.
"Tay!? Is that you?" his deep, sexy voice got excited.
"Yea it's me."
"Why don't you get your ass down here and we'll hang."
"I can't. That's why I've called you."
"God, Tay, what did you do now!"
"I haven't done anything, I swear to fucking god." She mentally slapped herself as she looked over at Peter. His whole look said "You better watch your language", so she did.
"Okay then, where are you?"
"In Canada."
"You fuckin serious?"
"Serious. Look, I don't have a long time."
"Oh, okay, shoot."
"Well, I'm in Canada at this school for rebellious teens. Mom sent me up here."
"That sucks ass, man."
"Yea it does. I just wanted to say that I don't know when I'll get home, that I'll write and I know that you'll write too because I'm the one who taught you-"
"Ha fucking ha."
"Anyway, just take care of yourself, Shane. I know how you get without me there. Will you take care of yourself?"
"Of course and don't worry. I will write you. I'll be fine and I might even come see you. How's that?"
"God, Shane, that sounds like heaven. I have to go." She paused and said softly, "I love you."
"I love you too, babe. Now don't go busting anybody's balls but mine, okay?"
"Ha. Okay. C-ya Shane." She hung up and slowly pushed the phone next to Peter.

"Thanks," she said quietly. This girl changed from hot to cold so quickly. It was weird. It kept Peter guessing.
"No problem."
"Sorry about the language," she hushed her voice. She didn't mean to say it.
"We don't tolerate language like that around here, but trust me, I've heard it before," he stated. She nodded quickly and headed for the door.

"Goodnight Taylor," he murmed.
"Yea, g'night. And thanks, Peter." She left the room swiftly and went on towards her bunks. Peter just shook his head.

Shelby was a hard girl to crack, but it almost looked as if Taylor was going to be harder. All he had to do was look into her eyes and he could almost see her haunts, her demons. But it didn't look like it really fazed her and no one can be that good of an actor. Maybe she was happy and maybe her mom did just want to drop her off. But that wouldn't describe the pain that she was concealing. He could tell she acted different around adults, the phone call being proof of that. She seemed so uncomfortable talking on the phone, until she talked to her friend. Then there were her whole medical problems. It was dangerous to have someone who could pass out at any moment on a hike. And all those scars and accidents, she was almost like a lawsuit waiting to happen. That meaning if her mother actually would care. He doubted it.

He didn't get many answers from her, but then again it was only her first day.

"Light's out girls," Sophie stated after she knocked and opened the door.
"Okay," said Jules.
"Goodnight everyone."

Taylor slowly fell into a light sleep. She never had a good night of rest. Nightmares always invaded her dreams. She didn't even know what provoked them, but it was probably her fault. She did, in fact, find Shane's father hot –in a dad I'd like to fuck sort of way. That's probably why her dreams started just because she found one man cute. She hoped she didn't have any dreams of Peter. That would be disturbing.

Again I'm really sorry for all the disguisting dialogue. It's really tearing me up inside.

Thanks for all the lovely reviews by the way.