Tennessee Harper awoke to the sound of her alarm blaring "Whole Lotta Love" by Led Zeppelin at 8:00 sharp. The single barred window in her room filtered in the brisk morning light as she rose and stretched, casually taking in the light and the sound. Ten enjoyed mornings, in part because so many others hated them, but also because it was the time of day when her energy was highest. She felt invincible in the mornings, a feeling she understandably enjoyed. She stood from her bed and began dancing to the music, mouthing along to the lyrics, rocking out and enjoying herself as she moved to the small built in bathroom. She made a motion of singing into her toothbrush as if it were a microphone and then proceeded to brush her teeth. As the song came to it's conclusion, she undressed and stepped into the shower, humming the tune to herself as she did. When she was finished, she sauntered over to the small dresser across from her bed and dressed herself in her usual fashion: low cut shirt, slim fitting jeans, and black flats. She did her makeup quickly, exited her room, and made way towards the cafeteria.
Typically, Ten was the first patient to arrive at the cafeteria for breakfast. She valued promptness and was always at least 10 minutes early. Today, however, she was the second to arrive. Standing in front of the doors to the cafeteria was a boy about her age with black hair longer than hers. He wore dark clothes and seemed to be waiting for breakfast to be served. She didn't recognize him, and so figured he must be one of the newer patients.
"Hey!" Ten called out to the boy from a bit down the hall and half-jogged to close the distance, a warm smile adorning her face as she approached. She held her hand out when she was within shaking distance. "I haven't seen you around before, so I take it you're new here? My name's Tennessee, friends call me Ten. What's yours?"