Cameron was... overwhelmed, to put it nicely. Listening to all the chaos going on around him, the depressed, frustrated, and angry emotions of the people there, he found himself wishing for his room more than anything. Or earplugs, so he could sleep at least. Maybe the time would go faster.

"It would be nice if everyone could just get along..." he muttered to Alexa, watching as Mark headed over to Andrea for damage control. Cass was trying to keep the new girl from hurting herself it seemed, so when she introduced him he sort of waved at her, though doubted she was even paying attention. He wanted to try and help, he really did, but the way he was now, his confidence was completely gone and he had no idea what he could say to smooth things over. Many of these people couldn't be rationalized with.

"I think everyone needs to just take a second and calm down," he said finally, addressing the entire group. It seemed like he was only one that wasn't either anti-social or hadn't lost their cool by now. Besides Mark, but he was helping in his own way so it was alright, "We're all obviously really different people, and we're not going to agree on everything... but we're kind of stuck together, so from now on I think we should just avoid topics like God. And they don't have to share if they don't want to. Thoughts are about the only kind of privacy we have left."

Finished, Cameron's face turned bright red and he looked down at his skirt, really hoping no one would say anything negative about his comments. He really wasn't sure he could handle it right now.

Leila stopped harming herself as she heard Cass speak. She turned over on her belly and looked down at the people Cass pointed off. Her frown had turned to a small smile and her eyes had rounded out as she glanced from face to face. She waved with her good arm dramatically and giggled. "Hello there." She watched as the one named Naomi slinked over to her. She stared at her for a moment marveling at how she looked. "Pretty..." she nodded deciding that she was before turning back to the group. Actually, they're all a pretty lot... She smiled and then listened as Cameron spoke. But of coourse she zooned out... Cass had said he was a guy in a skirt... So why doesnt he take the skirt off? A guy should wear guy clothes. Plus he has a guy face so shouldnt he have guy clothing? These old hags really cant see can they? I mean clear this dudes a dude! I mean look at the face! The hair! And... and... I got nothing else... She pouted.

Getting back to what Cameron said she nodded and jumped off her bed. She walked next to the Cameron guy and smiled up at him all the while bouncing on the balls of her feet. "God, Abortion, and Education. Things one shouldnt bring up, said an old teacher of mine. Also, the question of which sex is superior Guy or girl? Because these topics bring alot of debate into a group." She nodded quickly. She looked to where Andrea had went and slowly almost caustiously she walked toward her. A guy was already there but she didnt really care. She cleared her throat and placed her hands behind her back. "Im sorry. I didnt mean to make it sound like I was making fun of you nor was that my intention. I just wanted the fight to stop." She shuffled a bit before continuing. "Im not good with people or words for that matter so I might have said something that could have offended you or might have upset you and for that Im sorry." She looked down at her feet bracing to be yelled at again.

No fair! It was just no fair. Andrea had hoped, just a bit that he would not only be cured here, but find friends too. She had hoped that maybe it wouldn’t be like school: where everyone avoided the Jesus freak. But she had been wrong. She wasn’t going to make friends here. It was that simple. In her self pity, she almost didn’t notice the sudden touch. Almost. When she did, Andrea jumped, shrugging who’s ever hand it was off of her shoulder.

She looked up to see that it was Mark. “What are you doing?” Why had he been touching her? It was just creepy. ‘But most girls would like it’ she reminded herself. After all, he was attractive. She was about to say more when both Leila and Cameron spoke. She almost smiled at what they said, but couldn’t quite bring herself to.

In fact, it was only when Leila walked up to her that she was actually able to smile. Other then some sort of apology, Andrea didn’t even catch what the other girl said. She was way to busy staring at her eyes.... and her hair... and the way that she actually looked good in these horrible outfits. No, not good... beautiful. “It’s okay. I was the one who was wrong” And although just a few minutes ago she would have despised saying that, she actually meant it.

Mark removed his hand as the girl jumped, raising his eyebrows, surprised at her reaction. He smiled softly. "Only offering comfort, dear. Nothing more." She was indeed beautiful, as many of the girls in this room were. Oh, but the rot of society had such a talent for looks. Young and pretty, his room mates were mostly in a state of adjustment. And most of them, thankfully, were female. He turned his head to follow the girl's eyes, seeing Leila. She was, too, pretty, but in a wholly different way than Andrea. He followed the girl's stare. Shame flashed across her face, and she blushed. He raised an eyebrow at the pair.

God, what he wouldn't do for a cigarette right now...

Leila smiled and shook her head. "No, really. It was my fault for jumping in like that. I know I can be kinda noisy." Noticing that the front part of her hair had ruffled and covered her eyes she shook it away. "You shouldnt say you were wrong." She took a breath and looked at Andrea apoligetically. "I was wrong to just butt in." She shuffled on her feet once more noticing she seemed to be doing that alot lately. Lifting her eyes from where Andrea was she noticed the guy Cass had pointed out as Mark. She gave him a quick smile and a small wave before turning her eyes back to Andrea. I hope Im not saying anything bad this time...

"Do we do anything, or is this supposed to be like one of those animal programs where we're all going to eat each other?" There wasn't a single happy thought in Alexa's swirling head. Maybe that would be more fun than school and "counseling". Yeah, survival of the fittest. Well crap. That wouldn't work. Alexa was a verbal fighter. No matter how often she screamed threats or thought them, she didn't have the nerve to raise her fist and hit someone in the nose like she dreamed of.

Alexa's shakes were getting worse. This was incredibly frustrating. Cold turkey sober wasn't really good for her, combined with the fact that the atmosphere in the room was pure depression and anger. She could feel it. "I'd rather have just gone to prison than come here." Alexa kicked the wall with a scowl across her face. "At least you only have to have one roommate there."

Andrea looked back over at the boy who had placed his hand on her shoulder, "Thanks" She said apologetically, "I was a just a bit startled is all" She smiled sheepishly and shrugged, "So yea... sorry about that." She looked back over at Leila, relizing that the other girl had been talking.

"You shouldnt say you were wrong. I was wrong to just butt in." Andrea smiled at her apology and raised her eyebrows, not at Leila, but at the girl who seemed to hate this place the most... Alexis? But she just let her blow off steam, a bit to enthralled by the gorgeous girl in front of her to really care. "No, it wasnt wrong" Andrea said quickly, "I mean, you where just trying to keep things peacefull right?"

Leila smiled and nodded slightly. "Yes... but still Im sorry." A yawn escaped Leila's pale pink lips. Her cheeks reddened considerably and she ducked her head. Scratching the back of her neck she let a small laugh out before saying, "Well, lets just leave it at it was my fault, okay?" She looked around and sighed. "I guess theres no way of knowing if its night yet or not, huh?" She looked back at Andrea with a tired smile. "Im kinda sleepy, so I'll just assume its really night time. Goodnight?" She shrugged and smiled again before hopping back over to her bed. With another yawn, this one louder, she said, "Night everyone. Sweet dreams."

Mark nodded as the girl dozed off. He stood up, shaking his tired legs, and walked over to his bed. He removed his clothes - all but boxers - and pulled the sheets over his head, dozing in and out of sleep.


Naomi, on the other hand, was nothing but a big ball of energy. She jumped down from the bloody girl's bed, skipping back to her own. Grinning, she slammed down on the bed, shaking the bunk bed jarringly. Her arm shocked, jolted, and her spine curved in pain. She curled up, playing with her toes, as she watched the others finish their bedtime rituals with a somber face. Once the initial feeling had worn off, once the skin realized it was hurt... There was little pleasure to be gained. She was merely sore, sobered up from the lack of lust, and watched her friendly oddities as they made their way to sleep. She wouldn't rest that night. Sleep, yes, but she was restless and had no dreams.

Cass sucked in a breath and shuddered as she was jolted out of her nightmare and into the real world. She closed her eyes again and whispered to herself, "He's gone now, he's gone now, he's gone now." She opened her eyes and turned her head. She was in the prison of a school with other 'deliquents'. It wasn't the ideal place to be but it was safe. Everyone else in the room was still asleep, Cass wasn't suprised. It was most likely around 2 in the morning.

She had suffered from nightmares for a week but she certainly didn't want her new roomies to know that she was a scared little girl. She took in a deep breath and rolled out of bed. Walking into the bathroom near the back of the room she turned on the lights and ran the sink water. She splashed water on her face and observed her appearance in the mirror.

Seeing that her new, ugly clothes showed that she had obviously slept in them and her long black hair was tangled she tried to straighten up a bit. She hadn't been given any different clothes to sleep in or even a toothbrush but it didn't really matter to Cass. She had been on the streets for 5 days before she'd been caught by the police and going without such luxuries hadn't bothered her then. Frowning at her hideous, long green skirt she considered trying to tear it again. Aurora and Andrea had seemed concerned when she had tried the first time.

Andrea. Why should I listen or care about what she think? She already hates me, thought Cass. Inside it stung that already she had made someone dislike her, but the teen put on a tough face and acted as if it didn't matter at all, hoping that if she did so it would eventually become that way. She confidently strode out of the bathroom and back into her cell. The sleeping faces of her fellow prisoners was the first thing she noticed. Her eyes landed on Mark, his strong masculine form underneath his sheets sent a shock wave through Cass's brain.

Her thoughts flashed back to her nightmare. Of that man that she hated with her whole being. Of that terrible expierence. Panic consumed Cass. She couldn't help it. "No! Please, just stop!" she screamed. Her legs buckled underneath her and she fell to the ground. Her back against the wall she curled up in the corner, bringing her knees to her chest. Tears streamed down her cheeks. Stop it Cass. Stop it Cass. You're stronger then this. You're safe. He's gone now. her thoughts couldn't stop the horrible images of that night from coming back to haunt her.

Naomi's eyes shot open at the slightest sound. She stirred, waking from a restless sleep and watching the girl walk around the room. She entered the bathroom - a light went on - she came out, and she started screaming. The blonde bolted upright, flinging herself out of the bed. She hurried over to the other girl, to the sorry crumpled form in the corner of the room. Broken already? Naomi wondered. No... just screwed up. Came in here with more baggage than I originally thought. She knelt next to the girl, feeling her cotton dress pull over her thighs as she eased her way down. Her bones were weary from the day before. She was fit, but not active, and the excitement had upset her body.

Her hand snaked its way out. Her mouth pressed together, eyebrows furrowed. She patted the girl at the top of her spine then traced the backbone to the center of her back. A soft touch. Not a new feeling, but neither a fun one. It was charitable, as much as she could muster. Her hands were soft from a lack of work, but scarred irrevocably. Blonde hair fell over her face again, and she made a mental note to get one of the room mates to braid it for her.

"'s too early to start crying here." Naomi blinked the sleep from her eyes. The girl had huddled in the corner, she was shaking and frightened. Probably scared of a new place. Neophobic, maybe. There was a girl here half a year ago who had that. It was a pathetic site. "Nothin' to be scared of. If there's anywhere you're safe, it's here, trust me on that." Naomi raised her head, wrapping an arm fully around the girl and feeling her shoulder protest the movement.

"Nothin' to be scared of."

The broken face of a little boy was the only thing Andrea could see. He was bloody and cut up. Tears where pouring down his face, mixing with the blood to form red droplets. And every time she would try to comfort him, he would scramble away, seemingly terrified of her. She should have known it was a dream, after all, it happened all the time. Almost every night. And she would always wake up crying.

On some nights she would have dreams more disturbing; ones that left her loudly sobbing. It was a good thing though, that tonight wasn’t one of those nights. Instead she woke up to someone else making a fuss.

Andrea quickly climbed down the ladder and tried to locate the source of the noise through the heavy veil of sleepiness. “What the hell...?” She looked over to the two girls in the corner, not even bothering to notice her language.
She rubbed her eyes and stepped forward. “What’s wrong with her?” She asked, directing her question at Naomi

Naomi looked down from the ceiling, focusing her gaze on the girl with the auburn hair. She raised her eyebrows. So much yelling in the first night. The hell. Her arm tightened around the other girl and she put a finger to her lips. Her head jerked to the right, indicating that she wanted the Andrea to come closer.

In under twelve hours, she was being social. This was such an improvement. And in the black of the night, it was nearly easy to ignore the soft red glow of the camera. The night guard wouldn't be awake right now, anyway. That, she had learned from many successful trysts in the dorms after hours. It was a pity, too. She was actually cooperating with other human beings, and no one was there to see it.

Leila sat up with a harsh gasp for air... and met forehead to ceiling. For a slight moment she groaned under the feeling of sharp pain then her hazy mind cleared. Damn woman wont leave me alone... her mind grumbled. She sighed and brushed away semi dry tears from her face. It had become a ritual of sorts, to wake up like this. So she wasnt suprised when her eyes felt slightly puffy and her cheeks mostly wet. She rubbed at her irritated eyes and shaked away the nightmares straggling effects.

After getting her mind back to order and her ears back in check she heard a noise; of he tearful sort. She peeked over the edge of her bunk bed and noticed Cass huddled in a corner, Naomi comforting her and Andrea looking at them in a questioning manner. She slithered down and met the cold floor with her warm feet. The contrast sent a small shock to her system but she moved forward silently. She hunkered down next to Andrea and in front of Naomi and Cass.

Tilting her head to the side she studied Cass for a moment before leaning forward and raising her head up softly with her hands. She semi-smiled at the crying teenager then leaned forward and kissed each of her eyes. This was all done unconciously, of course. Leila, as a child, often cried alot and her mother would do the same thing. She picked it up and does it every time she see's a person cry. She leaned her forehead against Cass's and softly rubbed her cascading tears away.

"There now. It's alright, Cass. Everything is fine. I'm here for you, you hear me? Cry unil you feel you cant cry anymore but know that we're here." she said in a soft and soothing tone. "There's no shame in crying. Let it all out." A small part of her mind told her to shut up and keep out of it. Lest she say something stupid like yesterday but she really couldnt help it. Leila could never NOT do anything when a person cried in such a sad way. You could call her nosy all you want but she really did care.

Cass took a deep shuddering breath, releasing it with all of her tears. She stopped crying, and actually ended up wanting to laugh. Had she just been kissed on her eyes? She seperated her forehead from Leila's to look at the girl. She smiled and turned her head to see that it was Naomi who had her arm around Cass's shoulder. "Sorry everyone, I'm fine."

Cass was suprised at the kindness of the two girls. Both were masochistic, something Cass found disgusting, and yet they were the two most comforting people in the room. Seeing them, girls, made her forget all of nightmares and scary thoughts that plagued her. "Thank you two for being so comforting."
Cass leaned back aginst the wall and sucked in another breath. After crying her eyelids always felt heavy and puffy, something that made her want to go to sleep and just forget anything bad that had happened, but she knew that she wouldn't even be safe in her dreams.

She felt a rumbling in her belly and quickly wondered when they would get to eat. She had gone without dinner that night. Of course it wouldn't be logical to feed them for hours, it was still very early. "You can go back to bed if you want. I'll be okay." Cass felt bad that she had woken everyone up. She didn't want to cause a scene. Cass could sit and wait for a few hours until it was a proper time for everyone to wake up.

Naomi watched the antics of the smaller girl, more comforting, more human and close. Almost too much so. She had never seen someone kiss another's eyes. It disturbed her stomach. That was a velvet gesture, something intended only to care. It wasn't comfortable. As the girl stopped sobbing, she released her from under her arm. She sat back against the wall, balanced on her heels, hands on her thighs. She raised her eyebrow at the girl, who was trying to push attention away from herself.

"I don't sleep." She rubbed the remnants of her nap from her eyes. "Not really, at least. Like you -- I can't. So I'll stay up with you, if you want." Her brain craved excitement, craved stimulation. What a blessing, to be born with an inactive brain. It didn't mean she was less intelligent, not at all. It meant that she had to fight for that intelligence, balancing her learning with her head-bashing and arm-scratching. Even now, she dug her nails into her legs. They had been cut to the quick, as they were every third day.

A hand snaked back over to the girl, huddling in the corner. A pale hand took pale hand, and Naomi's fingers wrapped around the taller girl's palm. She leaned in, hesitating at the facade of a kind gesture. Her lips pursed, and she placed a kiss on the girl's temple, catching stray hairs in the creases of her lips. Drawing back, she looked at the girl again.

Taller. Taller than Naomi, at least. With dark brown hair that cascaded down her shoulders and over her back. She was a contrast in every way to Naomi's light hair, light skin, light eyes. She was tall, athletic, opposed to Naomi's soft cruelties. The blonde bit her lip, her free hand travelling down her leg, and she took in the sight of the broken girl. Fighting an urge to fling herself on top of the other female, she sat beside her, feeling the tempting warmth of the body next to her own. Oh, but what she would do to exchange scratches and bites with this girl.. with anyone in the room. Her eyes wandered, resting on each face individually. So.. so beautiful, so young. Two anorexics, just begging to be broken. And a night guard who was inattentive at best.

Oh, the temptations. Oh the temptations...

Cameron didn't dream. He hadn't for months now. Or if he did, he didn't remember a single one of them. In fact, sleep was more like a state of in-between for Cameron than it was anything else. Instead, it was when he woke up that the nightmare started. He hadn't magically woken up in the right body, which was instantly depressing. He still had parents who hated him, who didn't know him. Still had only a few friends, the best of which lived thousands and thousands of miles away. Still knew that when he turned 18 he was going to have to work his ass off just to get what most people were lucky enough to be born with, and in the mean time couldn't even work towards it.

The boy wasn't exactly a light sleeper, however the girls weren't exactly silent mice either. Their voices floated over his ears, just briefly stirring him from the pits of REM. Turning over in his bunk, Cameron opened his eyes just enough to see what he could of the group of girls now awake and gathered. He didn't want to let himself fully wake up however. Waking up was the worst time of the day for him. Depression washed over him then, and how hard he fought with it at that moment determined his emotions for the rest of the day. He knew he hadn't gotten enough sleep, or adapted enough to the new temporary life he was living, to be able to wake up with a smile, so instead of sitting up and questioning the girls, he merely closed his eyes again and tried his best to fade back away.

Leila sat back on her heels and smiled. Cass put up a brave front and she admired her for that. Still, locking things inside oneself was rather problematic. Oh shut up Leila! She rolled her eyes. Like you can talk about keeping things in. She sighed and picked herself up. "I'd rather stay up than head back into sleep. I cant say its a pleasant time." She silenty made her way to the bathroom and flicked the light switch on. She closed the door softly and held on to both side of he sink for a few silent minutes.

After a while she opened the facet and splashed cold water on her face. She held her eyelids closed as a few images slipped into her mind. Opening them real slow as if it hurt her to do so, she looked herself in the mirror. She couldnt tell you the exact moment or date she had noticed but as days passed she began to look like a young version of her mother... and a female version of her father.

She stared into her dark turquoise eyes with a loathing like no other. They were her mother's eyes. She had the same hue except hers were dull. Dead. Her pale pink lips were down turned into a frown. Her mothers were just plain pale. White shells. Her eyes glanced at her dishelved black wavy hair that came from a man she had no idea of. Hanged. It came then, slowly but surely. Her body might have been there in that small white dull bathroom in a place that was even duller but her mind was years away. Back in a room full of book. Where the morning light was just gliding into the dark and lighting up secrets. Were a chair had been overturned and a frail woman hung from the middle of the ceiling. Leila remembered thinking that it looked like her mother was flying. But she wasnt moving, or breathing, or even alive.

Bile rose up in Leila's throat and she dropped right next to the toilet. She gagged but nothing came out. Coughing up nothing, she closed her eyes and forcibly pushed those images away. Her breathing had turned ragged and her heart hammered in her chest. She laid her her on the cool floor and soaked up the cold. After a while she calmed down considerably and lifted herself up. Washing her face again she walked out of the bathroom and headed back to the girls. She sat down silently in front of them and hugged her knees to her chest with a tired smile. Laying her head on them she simply stayed quiet and watched them.

Andrea almost came forward when Cass motioned for her to, but she didnt. There was just something exremely awkward about te entire situation. It was like it wasnt even real; a mere dream that she would wake up from at any moment. After all, Cass didnt even like her. In fact, she hated her. Andrea was sure of it. Everyone did, so why would Naomi ever want her to come anywhere near the girl; expecially in this situation. If anything she would make it worse. So she held back and watched as Leila tried to comfort her. And although it was... odd, Andrea couldnt help but tear up.

Yea, she had great parents, but they would never try and comfort her in such an intimate way. They would read her bible verses. Some of which would just make her have even more grusome nightmares.

Andrea stepped back and turned around. Her reasons for being upset where just pathetic. If anyone caught her tearing up... well she would be humiliated. So she walked towards her bed and climbed up. She had a strong suspicion that they wouldnt even notice.

Cass watched as Leila walked to the bathroom and shut the door. Andrea was awake but hadn't said a word. The girl crawled back into her bed and Cass found herself envious that she couldn't do the same. She heard a gagging sound from the bathroom and wondered momentarily if Leila was bolemic as well as her other 'problems'. The black-haired girl returned to Cass's side and hugged her legs. The three of them sat there for a moment in silence, just Naomi, Leila, and Cass.

Looking at the sleeping bodies around her she saw Alexa, Aurora, Jensen, Andrea, Cameron, and Ethan. She avoided letting her gaze fall over Mark. She knew he was there but she couldn't bring herself to look at his sleeping form. "I can't take it." Four simple words. The whispered noise sounded much louder than it was in the dead silent room. She was being honest. She didn't want to be stuck in the place any longer, otherwise she risked losing her sanity. She need out, and she'd find a way to get there.