*Little J's POV*

"There is no way your putting me back into the quiet room! You won't put me to sleep alone! You won't!" Kincaid was shouting as two orderlies, one of them being Max – a favorite of everyone's, dragged him from the room towards the quiet room cell.

"Man he needs to learn not to mention "The Freak" when that bitch is around. She'll just say he's making things up and send us off to the quiet room one by one." The kid in the wheel-chair, Will, said, looking at the back of the nurse's head who was trailing after Kincaid and his escort. Joey, the mute at his side, was nodding emphatically.

Around the room I saw Phillip, a boy obsessed with arts and crafts, Jennifer, the girl who swears she's going to get out of Westin Hills and become an actress one day, Taryn, the former drug addict and local freak, Will, dungeon master supreme, Joey, the selective – to what I believe – mute, and Lily, the telekinetic and in here for the same reason I am. We both suffer from middle to late stages of sleep deprivation.

"Man that isn't a safe subject with anyone who isn't part of 'his' hunting grounds. We all know that by now." I say shifting to stand up as the head nurse walks back in.

With a sigh I sat back down on the cushioned, but somehow rock hard, chair. While the head nurse drones on, I try to slide into the trance; something that has been slowly escaping my grip since my mother in her infinite wisdom sent me here. I actually achieve the trance state until the dark haired former junkie, Taryn, pokes me in the shoulder.

I snap back to physical awareness and glare at her. Then she tips her head towards the head nurse who is looking at me expectantly.

"Sorry I dozed off. Could you repeat the question?" I asked, smiling sweetly.

"Today is self sharing day. It's a day where you all tell where you came from and I'd like you to start." The head nurse, Dr. Carver, responds whilst glaring at me like I'm an insolent child. I just smile back into that face.

"Could you explain to me why we do this?" Lily says from across the room, "We've told you and each other our stories a few dozen times now it's obviously not helping any."

"I've told you before, Lilianna, that insolence is a one way ticket to a quiet room cell. This is the way of holding on to your outside world. It's a proven way to help you to remember what you want to get back to after you leave here and helps you to help yourself." Dr. Carver, bitch extraordinaire, intoned staring at Lily.

The bell to end the therapy session dinged softly from the speaker over near the door. The head nurse, rage smoldering in her eyes, waved her hand in dismissal. The group poured from the room and out into the hall, quiet and subdued. Each of us wore a small smile though as we had escaped the head nurses attention for a little bit. Lily and I walked down the hallway to our rooms together for the most part; her room was just on the other side of mine and with the help of others before us we had managed to tear a hole in the wall between that was concealed by our pillows. Since there was damn near nothing to do here I just ducked into my room and lay down on my bed even though it has half an hour before lights out. After a minute or so I hear a small flump as Lily lands on her bed.

*Lily's POV*

"Why does she insist on calling me by my first fucking name? She knows I hate it." I said through the hole.

"I'm sure she means well, but she also needs to not be so pig-headed about everything going on." Little J replied, sighing lightly.

"Even if she means well, she needs to stop treating us like children. We're teenagers, so we don't care about anything she has to say."

"Don't think about it all too much. She's an old bat." He replied, yawning deeply.

"Tired?" I asked, smiling at the crack.

"Only slightly. It's been a trying day – for a mental patient - and I'd like to sleep, even if it's only a little and I wake up screaming."

"I'm right here if you need me. Just scream." I laughed, making Little J laugh as well.

"Night Lil' and tell Taryn I say goodnight, because I know damn well she's awake, too." He said through the crack.

"Night Jay-J!" Taryn raised her voice in my direction, laughing weakly.

"Night J, and just remember, I'm right here." I said to Little J's snores.

I sighed and lied on my back. No one had gotten any sleep lately, but I feel that J and I were the ones who have been sleeping the less. We'd started seeing this man in a red and green striped sweater and brown fedora. In all the dreams, he tried to kill us with a glove of what look like mutated butter knives. The guy looks like a damn mess – possibly a former burn victim from the craters in his face.

"Taryn, Lily, are you guys still up!" Kincaid came running into our room.

"You realize its past lights out and you were put in the quiet room for the night?" Taryn glared at the black boy.

Kincaid stood about 5'11" and was heavier around the middle; sort of like a giant teddy bear. His face either was calm and spouting off sarcastic remarks or scared and freaking his shit.

"Dr. Gordon let me out on a count of good behavior and because Dr. Carver left to go home. I also wanted to know if any of you had fallen asleep yet. 'He's' coming, and I have a terrible feeling he's going to take one of us.

I got out of bed and hugged Kincaid tight. "We're all okay, I promise. Try to get some sleep and just be careful."

Kincaid hugged back and kissed my cheek, making be blush ferociously. "Thank you for the reassurance, Lil'. I needed it. Night guys, and stay safe."

Kincaid left the room and I got back into bed. "How can you like him? He's a total freak." Taryn said, scoffing.

"He's a friend and if you hadn't noticed, we're all in here because we're freaks and obviously belong in here."

"Whatever. Night." Taryn finally shut her mouth and let me shut my eyes.

*Little J's POV*

The darkness of the boiler room loomed up before me shortly after I fell asleep. My immediate response is a full body sigh followed by a relaxing few breaths getting me ready for a person to person fight. The best kind to what I was concerned about. With a loose-limb arrogant saunter I strolled down the halls looking around making sure that nothing was climbing up the walls or what not.

"Whatever that bastard has for him he's got the creep right." A voice chuckles behind me.

"Lil' I thought you were supposed to stay awake so that we could wake each other up if something went wrong." I responded, breathing again.

"Taryn irritated me to the point where I rolled over and closed my eyes. After that sleep just claimed me." She explained looking around.

"Sigh points for Taryn." I mutter angrily.

A screech of metal on metal cuts our conversation short. I look around and begin my pre-fight breathing exercise. Lily, noticing this, looks around and looks for a target to unleash her fury on.

"Oh look A Shao Lin monk. Where's your hat?" A deep voice chuckled from the dark. "Oh and the street corner psychic too. Did you loose your siblings?"

"You seem to know us, Dark One, yet we have yet to learn your name or purpose why do you hide from us?" I shout slowly raising my limbs to a fighting stance.