Johnny's POV

"Son, your trial is going to be held in three weeks. We think that'll be enough time for your friend to be prepared to give his testimony."

The man in charge at the prison said. I never knew his official title, but I didn't take the time to figure it out.

"Fine." I said, and walked away from him and back into my jail cell.

I hated this smaller version of a prison I had to live in. The walls seemed to mock me. And, at times, they seemed to close in around me.

At lunch time, I stepped out of my cell and into the line. I was pushed from behind. I flinched a little, but I took the time to turn around and glare at the guy.

"What? You going to do murder me, too?" The guy said, smiling and showing his black teeth. He was large, with a few tattoos on his arms and a ring in his ear.

I turned back around, and I was pushed again.

"Come on, fight back, murderer." He taunted.

I just kept walking in the line. Unlike most bullies, this one only was probed on more when ignored.

"Fight back!" He said, turning me around and hitting me in the face.

I was knocked to the ground and a whole riot started around me.

Everyone took it as a reason to fight, though no one was bothering them.

I laid there on the ground. Every once in a while, I'd get kicked or accidentally stepped on.

I was near tears when the orderlies finally started calming them down.

But then I heard a gun shot and I really began to panic.

The original guy who hit me dropped down beside me, and began bashing my face in with his fist. I yelped out in pain, feeling the blood mix with my tears. Not this again!

Another shot was fired and everyone ceased their fighting. The orderlies all took over, making everyone go back to their cell, with out any lunch.

I couldn't move. I lay there on the ground, confused and scared.

One of the guards came up beside me. When he saw that I was hurt, he stooped down to my level.

"You all right, son?"

I shook my head no.

He grabbed hold of my arms and brought me to my feet. He walked me out of the cafeteria and into a room I had come to know as the visiting area.

"You have a visitor." He said, putting hand cuffs on me, and then walking me out to sit in one of the chairs.

A ray of hope lit my mood. Maybe it was one of the gang. Maybe it was Dallas!

But when the door opened and my father stepped out, that ray was extinguished.

The guard walked away to the back of the room.

"You lousy, son of a bitch!" My father barked. "Do you know what you're putting us through! The cops have been over questioning us all the time! We don't need this! Why couldn't you take the time to think of us before you did something so stupid?"

He took off his belt and began to hit me with the buckle side. I felt it tear into my flesh, and I brought my hands up to try to cover my already aching face.

"I should have killed you when I had the chance!" He screamed, hitting me harder.

The orderlies came over and grabbed him from behind.

"Don't you ever come near us again!" My father yelled before he was dragged out of the visiting area.

The same guard who brought me in cam back for me. He took off the hand cuffs and led me to my cell.

He sat me down and sat across from me.

"Do your parents abuse you?" He asked.

I nodded, though I wasn't really paying attention.

"If you get out of here, we'll make sure you don't go back to that place." He said. He laid a hand on my shoulder.

"I'll get some stuff to clean up those wounds." He said before he walked out.

It hit me then and there that my parents were never going to care. I always thought that they did. Or that they would. But those hopes were gone now. I buried my bleeding face in my hands and sobbed.

Soda's POV

Pony seemed even more secluded since he got home. He wasn't talking much and he went back to his emotionless state. I was sound asleep one night when I was awakened by a glass-shattering scream.

I jumped up in bed, startled by the sound. Pony was sweating and crying, but he wasn't having a nightmare. This was much worse.

Darry came rushing in.

"Make it stop! Help me!" Pony pleaded. His voice was filled with pain. Darry came to his side and Pony reached out and grabbed a fistful of Darry's shirt, pulling Darry toward him with more strength than I thought he had.

"Help me!" He pleaded.

"My leg! It hurts! Darry! Soda! Help!" He was almost unaware that we were in the room with him.

I couldn't understand how his leg was hurting him. It gave me a bit of hope for his leg. Maybe he was getting some feeling back into it.

Pony writhed in pain. He squirmed, grabbing onto Darry and me for support. He kept crying out. Sweat drenched the front of his shirt and his face. The tears fell like a flood from his eyes.

Pony whimpered with pain, and every now and then he'd yelp out in pain.

The sounds he made reminded me of a kicked puppy. He continued to whimper and writhe in misery.

Darry got on the bed and laid Pony on his lap. He lay his hand palm up and Pony took it and squeezed with all his strength.

"I can't...I can't..." Pony mumbled, but then he bunched up with pain again.

"Should we take him to the hospital?" I asked Darry in between Pony's screams.

"No. This is supposed to be normal." Darry replied.

"Normal?" I was incredulous. How was this supposed to be normal?

As Darry tried to comfort Pony, I got up to get a wet cloth to help cool him. He had gotten sweaty from the pain that ran through him.

I came back and Pony was slumped against Darry. He seemed to have calmed somewhat, or, rather, wore himself out.

Pony still had a hold of Darry's hand. He appeared to be asleep, or passed out, but evey now and then he'd squeezed Darry's hand and let out a yelp or whimper.

"What was that all about?" I asked Darry, knowing he knew what it was.

"The doctor warned me about these. They're called phantom pains. It when you feel the pain in your leg, or whatever was taken off, and yet, it's not there. His left leg was the one he was talking about, not his right, even though it's no longer there. He said they can get pretty bad, but there's not much you can do about them." Darry informed me.

"God, I don't want him to have to go through that again." I said.

"I know." Darry said as he brushed some hair out of Pony's face.

I took the wet cloth and wiped his face and neck. He looked so pale and pained that it hurt me. I hated seeing him suffer so much. It wasn't right.

Darry squeezed Pony's hand and then moved to leave.

"No. Stay. I don't want to be alone if it happens again." I said. So Darry stayed put, holding Pony.

I threw an arm across Pony's shoulders and the three of us fell asleep.

Darry's POV

After the horrendous night before, I had to get to work. I hated having to get up, because I had stayed awake for a long time with Pony. But when I did sleep, I slept pretty soundly.

Pony still wasn't up when I was ready to leave for work.

I walked into his room. Soda was buttoning up his DX shirt and looked over when he saw me come in. We were going to try to both go to work around the same time this week. Two-Bit would be coming over later, though.

"Has he been up yet?" I asked.

"No." Soda said.

I reached out to pat Pony on the shoulder. When my hand made contact with his arm, he cried out in pain. I immediately took my hand off.

"What was that all about?" I asked Soda.

Soda shrugged and came over to touch Pony.

"Ow!" Pony exclaimed when Soda laid his hand on him.

"Pony?" I said, bending down beside him.

"Go away! Don't hurt me! Please!" Pony begged.

I looked up at Soda who was watching Pony closely. He looked as worried as I was.

"Pony, we aren't going to hurt you." I said, reaching out to touch him. Again, he shook me off, screaming that it hurt.

He was having a nightmare. But I couldn't do anything about it. He wouldn't let me touch him.

"Pony! Wake up!" I screamed.

Pony jolted upright. He looked around the room with wide eyes, as though he thought he was somewhere else. When he realized he was home, he sank back on the bed and breathed heavily.

"Pony, you okay?" Soda asked, reaching out to hug him.

Pony gave him an angry look and wouldn't let Soda touch him.

"Pony? Baby, you all right?" I asked, as I touched his arm.

He stubbornly shook me off and whimpered a little, like I really had hurt him.

What was going on?