Hi everyone, I hope you've been well. School has been such a pain these last few months which is why it took me so long to get this up even though it was kind of a short chapter. Chapter 9 is supposed to be just as short so here hopping I'll get it up sooner, but I can't promise anything.

DPROV

My low rumble filled the room.

After that, calm descended. Like the calm before the storm, only in reverse. The nurses put dinner in the oven the, then sequestered themselves in Dr. Gill's office, on a conference call, not to be disturbed. No one had disagreed with Ms. Wang's explanation of events. No one tried to say it had been an accident. No one even seemed surprised that Liz had almost put someone's eye out.

Well there were a few other incidents… Liz wrought on the paper. I could help but to snort in spite of myself; there had been more than a few other incidents. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Tori's jaw set, trying to keep her mouth shut for Liz sake.

When dinner time came, Mrs. Talbot served the food, then returned into the office again. Liz joined us, wan and quite. Simon snuck her a juice box, though we were supposed to be having milk. Tori hovered over her, coaxing her to eat. Even Rae and Peter made efforts at convocation, as if to distract her. Only Derek and I didn't participate.

I snorted. "Nooo, Chloe. No." Simon pretended to moan. "What?" She asked. "You're acting like Derek." She playfully swiped at his arm.

After dinner Tori reminded Liz it was movie night, when they could get a DVD delivered. She gave Liz the honor of choosing, but Liz seemed overwhelmed by the responsibility and looked to us for help. Simon made suggestions, but said he wouldn't be watching it—he and Derek had a project due the next day.

"Sure you did," Tori said. Chloe shook her head and looked at me. "Well? Did you?" "Hum," I glanced at Simon then back at Chloe; opening and closing my mouth a few times unsure how to answer. Finely Simon sees my dilemma said, "Of course we did Chlo."

Liz finally settled on a romantic comedy. While she and Tori went to tell the nurses, Rae announced she had to fold the now-clean laundry. I offered to help. We each carried a basket to the room Rae shared with Tori. I could tell neither was pleased with the arrangement. I swore I saw pencil marks on the windowsill to divide the room in half.

Tori huffed, "I remember that day." She muttered to herself, deep in thought. I gave her a stranger look, then I continued reading.

Tori's side was so clean it looked like mine when I'd first walked in. Nothing on the walls. Nothing on the bed or the floor. Every surface was bare, except two picture frames on the dresser. One held a shot of Tori and her parents and the other of a huge Siamese cat.

"Mrs. Blank," Tori said with a said smile. "You had a cat named Mrs. Blank?" Simon said trying not to hide his smile. Tori scowled at him.

Rae's half had enough clutter for the both of them. Hooded sweatshirts on the bedposts, textbooks balancing precariously on the Desk, makeup left open on the dresser, drawers leaking clothing. The room of someone who didn't see why she had to put things away when she'd only be using them again the next day. Her walls were covered with taped photos.

Tori snorted. "Do you have something you want to say?" Chloe asked, her eyebrows raised. "Nope." Tori answered popping the 'P'.

Rae set her basket on Tori's bed, then closed the door. "Okay, I could beat around the bush, but I hate that, so I'm going to come right out and ask. Did I hear right? That you're here because you see ghosts.?"

"Ouch, she just jumps into it right away." Simon said shaking his head. Chloe shrugged not saying anything so I squeezed her head lightly and she gave me a small smile that no one else saw.

The words I don't want to talk about it rose to my lips. But I did want to talk about it. I longed to pick up the phone and call Kari or Beth, but I wasn't sure how much they'd heard about what happened and whether they'd understand. The person who seemed least likely to make fun of me of gossip about my problems was right here, asking for my story. So I gave it to her.

I looked at Chloe. "You could have came to me or Simon." "Yeah, Chloe," Simon nodded in agreement. "You could have talked to us." She just sighed, "No I really couldn't because I didn't know either of you that well. Derek seemed intimating and Simon; you just seem overly cheerful." "And that's a crime?" He asked. "For someone in a group home, yes," Tori answered.

When I finished, Rae knelt there, holding up a shirt for thirty seconds before realizing what she was doing and folding it. "Wow," she said. "No wonder I'm in here, huh?"

"And it started right after you got your first period? Maybe that's it. Because you were kinda late, all that stuff built up, and then … bam." "Super PMS?" She laughed. "So have you looked it up?"

"So that's what you were doing that day on the computer, I knew it." I said to Chloe; I saw a light blush cover her cheeks and she mumbled, "Shut up." "What are you two talking about?" Simon asked and I waved him off. "I'm sure it will be in here later."

"Looked what up?" "The custodian." When I frowned, she went on. "You got chased by a guy in a custodian's uniform, right? And he was burned, like he had died in some explosion. If it really happened, it would have been in the papers. You could look it up online." I won't say the thought hadn't occurred to me, but I'd only given permission to flit through my brain, like a streaker at a football game, moving too fast for me to get a good look.

We all looked at Chloe who face was red from embarrassment. Then Tori and Simon were sent into a laughing fit while I tried to hold back my own chuckle. "Only you would compare it to that," Simon said. This time I did chuckle and Chloe gave me a fake pout and crossed her arms. "Alright," I said picking up where I had left off.

What if I was really seeing ghosts? My brain flashed don't go there neon warnings, but some deeper part was fascinated, wanted to go there. I rubbed my temples. Ghosts aren't real. Ghosts are for crazy people. What I saw were hallucinations, and the sooner I accepted that, the sooner I'd get out of here. "It'd be cool if it was," I said carefully. " But Dr. Gill said seeing visions is a clear sign of mental illness."

Tori snorted, "the only mental illnesses from seeing visions are something she made up." I glared at her to shut up. "Well keep reading," she said and waved her hand causally for me to continue.

"Ah, the label. God, they love their labels here. Can't even let a girl get through her first day without slapping one on. Mine's pyromania." She caught my look. "Yeah, I know. We aren't supposed to share. Protecting our privacy. I thank that's crap. They just don't want us comparing notes."

"Well she's not wrong," I said stiffly. Simon nodded his head in agreement, but then again what would he know. Chloe sent me a scolding look as if she was reading my mind then rolled her eyes and said, "Just read."

She lined up the socks and started matching them. "You don't agree." "Maybe with something like pyromania. It sounds almost … cool. But there are other things, labels, that we might not want to share."

Simon looked thoughtful like he really didn't understand. Probably because he never had to deal with labels at Lyle House.

"Like what?" I concentrated on matching the socks for a minute. I wanted to tell her. Like the stuff about the ghosts. As scared as I was of sounding like a freak, I wanted to tell someone, to see what she said, to get a second opinion.

Now at that I gave Chloe a pointed look that was returned with a glear.

"They say I have schizophrenia." I studied her reaction. Just a small frown of confusion. "Isn't that multiple personality?" She asked.

"No," Chloe teased that's just Tori; which sent Simon into a roll of laughter.

"No. Schizophrenia is, like, you know, schizo." Her expression didn't change. "So it's seeing thing and tuff?" I lifted a white sail of a T-shirt, with faintly dingy armpits. No need to check the name. I folded it and added it to Derek's pile. "There's a whole lot of other symptoms, but I don't have them."

"We there's-," "Derek," Chloe interrupted me. "I don't think any of us really want to hear about that." I scowled at her which made her laugh, and I had to suppress a smile. I could never stay mad at her.

"None of them?" "Guess not." She eased back, uncrossing her legs. "See, that's my problem with it. You have one weird episode and they slap on a label, even if you just have the one problem. It's like coughing and they decide you've got pneumonia. I bet there are a lot more symptoms to pyromania, too. Ones I don't have."

Why didn't any of actually ever looked them up instead of just talking about them? "Probably because we thought what Dr. Gill told us was all that we need to know." Tori said, answering Liz's question; while I was trying to remember if I ever had looked any other symptoms before.

Her gaze fixed on a red and blue sock, and she stared intently at them, as if she could turn them to purple and match. "So what else come with schizophrenia?" "Dr. Gill didn't say exactly." "Huh."

"Only you would answer a question with huh, Chlo." Simon said and Chloe told him to shut it, which I chuckled quietly at.

"I guess I could look it up on the Internet. I should." "We should. Schizophrenia and pyromania. I'd like to know more. To be sure, you know? Especially with the way things are going with Liz …" She rubbed her mouth with the back of her hand, still staring at the mismatched socks. "I think you're going to have the room to yourself soon. Maybe real soon."

I saw Chloe wince slightly and gave her had a gentle squeeze which she did not return. "Sorry Liz," mumbled. "Chloe stop apologizing Liz already forgave you." Tori said slightly annoyed but Chloe remained silent.

"They're transferring her?" "Probably. They've been talking about it for a while. This is a place for kids who have problems, but they're not too bad and they're getting better. A couple weeks after I got here, they transferred a guy named Brady.

I saw my brother shift slightly and his jaw tighten at the mention of Brady.

He wasn't getting worse or anything. Not like Liz. He just didn't want to get better. He didn't think there was anything wrong with himself. So off he went … Taught me a lesson. I might not like their labels and their meds, but I'll keep my mouth shut, play the game, and get out of here the right way."

"Right way? I don't think there really was a right way." Simon said as he fished for his second cracker out of Tori pack but unlike last time she saw him and ended up smacking his hand. "Hey," she yelled as he stuffed the whole thing into his mouth and smirked at her.

"And go home." A moment of silence, neither of us moving. Then she yanked a blue sock from my hand and waved it in front of my face. "Whoops." I hadn't even realized I'd been holding it. She folded the blue pair together, then shoved the lone red sock under Tori's bed.

"Oh, of course she would put it under there," Tori muttered to herself. While out of the corner of my I eyes I watched Simon go for another cracker. One of Chloe's this time; she saw but didn't seem to mind.

"Done. It should be movie time soon." She piled folded laundry into one basket. "Notice how quick Simon was to get out of watching the movie? Couple of real scholars, those two. Anything to avoid hanging out with the crazy kids."

Simon but a fake hand over his heart. "Harsh," he said. I rolled my eyes at him my brother could be overly dramatic were I could care less of what Rae thought if us; well used to think of us.

"I got that impression. Simon seems nice but …" She handed me one basket and took the other. "He's as much of a Diva as Tori. They'd be a great pair. Derek might be a jerk, but a least he's honest about it. Simon makes nice during the day when he has to hang out with us, then bolts the minute he can escape with his brother. Acts like he doesn't belong here. Like he doesn't have any problems and it's all a huge mistake."

"Wow, is she asking for a slap." "Tori," said shaking her head. "Wait a minute," Simon said. "Did Tori just defend us," he asked me. Chloe gave a fake gasp, "She did." "I did not," she protested. "You did," Chloe said trying to suppress a smile. Simon looked discussed, and I just ignored them all.

"What is he in here for?" "Believe me, I'd love to know. Him and Derek, both. Simon never goes to therapy, but Derek goes more than anyone. No one ever comes to visit them, but sometimes you'll hear then going on about their dad. Simon's dad, I think. If he's so grate, why'd he dump them here and take off? And how do two guys from the same family, but not blood brothers, both have mental problems? I'd love to see their files."

That earned her a snort and an eye roll as I read this.

I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about Simon. And maybe Derek, if only because I had the feeling I might need some ammunition against him. But I wouldn't want anyone to read my file and I wasn't going to help Rae read theirs.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Chloe look away sheepishly. We both knew that was a lie.

"We couldn't risk having a peek tonight anyways," she said. "With what's going on with Liz, they'll be on high alert. I don't want to get kicked out for corrupting the new kid."

I heard Chloe mutter something about 'new kid' under her breath but didn't quit catch it so I let it go.

"Maybe I'd get tossed out for corrupting you." She caught my grin and laughed. "Oh, yeah, you're trouble, girl. I can tell." She scooted me from the room and shut the door behind us.

"Alright that's the end; who's next?" "Bro toss it," Simon said and I did. He caught the pad easly and flipped to the page where I had left off.

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