Silent Secrets

[AppleMistress]

Fiona Coyne whimpered softly as bright morning sunlight began to spill through the blinds of the room. She saw red through her closed eyelids because of the brightness of it. She’d never been much of a morning person, and when she started drinking, that problem worsened. Her eyelids were heavy, but she forced them halfway open, her teal eyes glazed with drowsiness. She could feel her head throbbing violently; she was hung over for sure. Last nights events weren’t exactly clear in her head; everything seemed dreadfully blurry. She had to summon up every last bit of energy she had to merely sit up in bed, only to find that she was tangled in her sheets, blanket sprawled out on the carpeted floor untidily. The adolescent was usually a kicker when she slept; it was something she had a problem with ever since she was a kid. She expressed a heavy sigh as she lifted the lukewarm tousled sheets from her sitting form. A sound Fiona couldn’t properly register filled the air around her. Her flighty mind took nearly a minute to figure out that it was the sound of the shower water pelting down on the grayscale-tiled floor in the bathroom. Holly J, her roommate and current best friend was probably in there. Fiona couldn’t exactly understand how her strawberry blonde haired companion could be such a morning person.

Every time a new person arrived at the Lockheart House, Fiona had this problem. Newer people were confused, vulnerable, and scared. And everything they felt was something Fiona felt as well. And when these emotions were too much for her to handle, she’d secretly drink champagne in the cellar. She called it self-medication. And since Clare Edwards arrived, she’d felt instant vibes of paranoia. Clare wasn’t a bad person, of course. She was actually a very kindly and well-mannered girl; already having made friends with Adam, and Fiona’s twin brother, Declan. Holly J advised Fiona to stay away from the blue-eyed newbie, and Fiona suspected it was because she was merely jealous of the way she spent time conversing with Declan about theatre. Holly J obviously had some kind of a thing for her brother, but she consistently denied the fact every time someone brought it up. That was probably because the only purpose for being in this loony bin was to recover from their ‘abnormal disorders’. Not to focus on boys. Because of course, that was silly and unproductive in Holly J’s world.

Deciding to stop thinking so heavily in her indecent state, Fiona struggled to bring herself up to her feet. She bawled her pallid hands into lightly compressed fists as she rubbed the sleepiness from her eyes. Finally gaining her balance, she scampered over to her closet. It took her a little while to analyze what she wanted to wear. She was quite the stylist, and she always needed to wear something with high quality. She picked at her chapped lips, the buzzing sound of the hairdryer from the other side of the room made her head hurt even more.

It ended soon enough, to Fiona’s relief. Holly J exited the little bathroom that was connected to their bedroom, and walked in the room, eyeing her dark-haired friend with unease. She raised a brow, studying Fiona’s disordered appearance. “You look like hell.” She stated bluntly, setting a hand casually on her waist.

Fiona rolled her eyes, shuffling through hangers as she continued to look for something suitable to wear for the day. “And a very good morning to you too.” She retorted, her voice hinting at a little sarcasm and playfulness.

Holly J smiled somewhat serenely at her friend before turning to the mirror that was propped against the wall nearby the closet. She adjusted the flowery headband she was wearing a little, biting down on her lower lip. “Sorry,” she apologized for her rude statement sheepishly. Holly J was always a little blunt; she couldn’t help it that she was kind of bitter sometimes. She didn’t exactly mean to say what she said in a bad way, though. She was merely concerned for Fiona’s well being. “It just looks like you had a rough night.”

Fiona offered Holly J a quick smile before turning to the outfit she’d chosen. “No, no. Everything’s okay.” She lied through her teeth, and she knew Holly J could tell. She just wanted to avoid that subject for now; there was no need to start this day on an unpleasant note.

Holly J studied her friend with alarm for a moment before mustering up a convincing grin. “If you say so.” She said unsurely before grabbing a tube of pink lip-gloss from the countertop. She held it out for Fiona to take. “Chapped lips aren’t very appealing, by the way. This should help.”

An appreciative expression graced Fiona’s features as she took the tiny tube of pink gloss in her fingers. “Thanks, Holly J.”

“Don’t mention it.” Holly J replied airily, heading towards the door of their room. “I’ll see you in the kitchen.”

Fiona shot a suggestive smirk in Holly J's direction. "Say hi to Declan for me."

Holly J rolled her eyes, merely shaking her head and smiling as she reached for the door knob.

Fiona listened to the sounds of Holly J’s familiar footsteps against the floorboards in the hall until they softened to the point where she couldn’t hear them anymore. Sighing, she turned back to the attire she'd chosen for herself.

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Clare Edwards was sitting cross-legged on her neatly made bed, shuffling around with her tarot cards. Even though she was being convinced that using her tarot cards was a part of her ‘abnormal psychic’ problem, she couldn’t help but use them. The tarot cards were like drugs to her; she just had to make use of them on a daily basis. She pursed her lips, flipping one of the cards over to reveal its’ design in anticipation. The Tower. A small frown found its’ way to her features.

“Acceptation of sudden change, emotional outbursts, loss…” she murmured the card’s initial meaning under her breath. The card she usually picked from her stack reflected what would happen sometime in the day’s events. And The Tower was never really the cheeriest of the cards she could pick. She cast those perturbed thoughts away from her head, sighing as she slid the tarot cards back inside their designated cardboard box.

Although Clare had gotten ready for the day already, she still felt as though she looked like a fatigued raccoon with dark circles under her wide cerulean eyes. Walking around in an unkempt state was unlike her for sure; but really, she’d felt increasingly different ever since she arrived at the Lockheart House. And the strange wisps of her dreary nightmare she’d managed to remember haunted her. Someone was being pulled away from someplace, screaming and crying. She shut her eyes tightly, shaking her head. It seemed as though only negative things were stuck in her head since arriving here.

Of course, not everything was terrible here. She’d met a few nice people—well, really, only two people, but that was a pretty good start. First there was Declan, who shared her interest in theatre. He was a real gentleman, giving her advise whenever she needed to know something about one of the house’s many rules. Then there was Adam, whom she had a few conversations with. He was so honest and down to earth; Clare couldn’t help but feel a little drawn to him. And then, there was Holly J, Fiona, Fitz, and Eli. Those four seemed a little less approachable, in a way. Holly J sent her looks of dislike from time to time, leaving Clare a little uneasy. Fiona seemed nice, eccentric, but nice nonetheless. She didn’t really make much of an attempt to speak with her, though. Fitz kept to himself, and Clare noticed that he was kind of a bully. Adam had advised her to stay away from him. And then Eli… He was simply as mysterious as mysterious could be. He wore all black, colored his nails with black sharpie, and he rarely made eye contact with her. And all the while, his whole appearance was intriguing. She felt as though she wanted to get a little closer to him, but she was too scared to make any sort of move. Of course, being a newbie, it was a little hard to make any sort of a casual discussion with anyone with the exception of Adam or Declan around here. Everyone here had some sort of strange trait, but she never pressed to find anything out.

Clare sighed, stuffing her box of tarot cards under her pillow as she coiled one of her auburn curls around her forefinger. She brought herself up to her feet, looking around her empty room. The whitewashed walls were plain and bare, which was unusual. Back at home; she shared a room with her sister Darcy. And for the first time ever, she had a room of her own. It felt really empty, she was used to the familiarity of her sister’s clothing scattered across the floor, her pictures and posters hanging up on the walls. Although Darcy left home a while back, the few things she’d left behind were important to Clare. Homesickness tugged recklessly at her heartstrings, and she sighed.

To get her mind off of her troubles, she turned towards her door. Heading downstairs into the kitchen seemed like a good distraction. Maybe she could even offer to help one of the doctors with preparing breakfast. So without another thought, she swung her door open and closed it quietly behind her.

[DracoMalfoy]

Eden eyes snapped open in sheer desperation for consciousness; Elijah, or Eli Goldsworthy jolted upright in his bed and took several long gasps in an attempt to fill his lunges with oxygen. Drops of sweat painted his pale face and, on instinct, he brought the back of his hand to his forehead to dry it. His heart rate began to drop as he realized he was in his room, right where he’d fallen asleep the night before. His nightmare had been so vivid, but that wasn’t anything new to him. Every night, the same nightmare plagued his sleep. Eli would’ve thought he’d grow accustomed to it by now, but replaying the most traumatizing moment of his life left a new emotional scar every night. His covers weren’t wrapped around him, but messily spread on the floor; he’d probably kicked them off during his nightmare. The gothic misfit sighed and brought his knees to his chest. Light was creeping through the closed blinds in front of the window and he looked towards the open door on the other end of the room. Nothing had changed. Another day in Lockheart House was about to begin. Ha, another day in hell sounded more like it.

The sound of footsteps again the creaking, wooden floorboards made him wince in shock. They grew louder and closer, but Eli let out a sigh of relief as he saw his roommate and best friend, Adam walk in, fully dressed. The other boy observed Eli and raised an eyebrow in curiosity. Eli wondered how obvious it was that he’d been shaken by his nightmare. Normally, he gave off a tough, creepy aura that alerted others to keep their distance from him, and that was just the way he liked it. Since the tragedy in his life, the Goth had always been a loner, by choice. Very few friends, no girlfriends; he even had limited communication with his parents. But after being sent to Lockheart House, he’d met Adam. And, Eli guessed there was something about his roommate that was different. Adam was misunderstood, just like he was. And, being trapped in this loony bin together really helped them bond. So, Eli assumed he could call Adam a friend, or the closest thing he’d had to a friend in a long time.

“Trouble sleeping?” Adam asked lightly as he moved over to his own bed, to make it. Eli shrugged his shoulders as he finally pulled himself out of his bed. He’d never told his friend why he was here, he never had a reason to, and that also meant, Adam didn’t know much about his nightmares. They were frequent, so it was obvious to just about anyone that something was troubling Eli, but he never felt obligated to open up about it. The misfit made his way to the dresser he shared with Adam and opened one of the drawers, picking out a random outfit, which consisted of black, gothic attire.

“Guess you could say that,” he responded nonchalantly as he began to change out of his pajamas and into his clothes for the day. Adam had showered, brushed his teeth and done everything else needed to prepare for the day, but Eli didn’t feel like racing to the bathroom the boys shared down the hall and having to fight Declan or Fitz for it. If you asked him, hygiene wasn’t worth social interaction, especially in this place.

Besides Adam, Eli never talked to anyone else. Markus, or Fitz, to be completely forward, was a burnout. Adam had told him they’d attended school together, which was the reason they’d showed up around the same time. He never cared for bullies or losers that felt powerful feeding off others’ fears and insecurities. He decided it was best to avoid him at all costs. Since he’d arrived, Eli and Fitz had had a few squabbles, all of which had been none too pleasant. So, they kept their distance from each other.

Declan and Fiona were normally glued at the hip. They seemed privileged and that made Eli assume they were selfish and greedy. He disapproved of those who conformed to the patterns of society and he’d quickly labeled the Coyne twins as conformists. Eli had never had a reason to interact with either of them, and he was quite satisfied with that. Holly J seemed unwelcoming to him, but he so far had no reason to dislike her. He just wasn’t the type to go out of his way to pursue a friendship with somebody these days. But, the new girl, Clare, seemed different. She aroused his curiosity. No one was really allowed to talk about why they’d been sent to Lockheart House, but most of them had mentioned it anyways. Her case seemed interesting. The gothic misfit couldn’t help but wonder how a sweet, Christian, mouse of a girl had ended up in a group home like this. During the first few days of his own stay at the house, Eli had concluded that there was something different about this place. Clare seemed confused and scared, but also independent. He wanted to get to know her.

“Come back to earth, dude,” Adam laughed. He waved his hand in front of Eli’s face which caused him to blink his jade eyes. The gothic adolescent realized he was fully dressed and he must’ve zoned out thinking about this new girl they had in the house. “You were like on some different planet,” his friend continued, a goofy smile plastered on his face. Adam moved towards the door, but stopped to look towards Eli. “Breakfast should be starting soon. Wanna’ come?”

Eli shook his head and waved his friend off. He was always unfashionably late to breakfast every morning. The doctors didn’t approve of it and sometimes, it prevented the others from eating, but he never really thought much of it. Their time for freedom in this madhouse was seriously limited. Being the rebel he was, Eli preferred to steal every second he could grasp in his hands away for himself. Lying around, waiting to be yelled at was much better than doing pointless chores or attending the dull classes the home provided.

He put his famous Goldsworthy smirk on and lied back down on his bed. He lived everyday trying to appear laid back, in control and somewhat happy with his life. The truth was: his nightmares haunted every single day. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the gory scene replaying itself over and over again. No…it wasn’t time yet. He wasn’t too exhausted yet. Eli thanked whatever deity was ruling the universe. Perhaps he could go most of the day without having to see the terrifying scene again.

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Declan Coyne considered himself a morning person. Even considering his dull surroundings, he really didn’t mind getting up early. He was positive the other boys living in the house thought of him was truly mad, but what the others thought didn’t affect him all too much at all. Despite coming from such a privileged, elegant family, he didn’t believe himself to be crazy. In fact, Declan was really here just for Fiona. He and his twin were inseparable; wherever it was their parents’ jobs took them, the one thing that never changed was their genuine love and care for one another. Since childhood, they’d grown to be closer and closer every day. Some found it suspicious and though Declan had only mentioned it to his mother once, he felt sometimes, he and Fiona could mentally communicate.

Shaking the thought off, he sent his hand through his clean, combed chestnut hair, happy that the long, sleepless night had finally ceased. It’d been so long since he and Fiona had been sent here. The young heir to the Coyne fortune wondered how much longer they’d be trapped here. Staying where the paparazzi and public couldn’t pounce on them was peaceful, of course, but, the longer they stayed cooped up in this… facility, the worse the scandals and rumors would get. The drama and tabloids spread about his family tended to distress his parents. Declan always did whatever he could to stay out of trouble. But now that the Coyne friends had been confined to the Lockheart House for the Mentally Disturbed… it just didn’t give off good publicity.

At least most of the other, inmates, as he liked to call them, weren’t so bad. He had taken a liking to Holly J. She tended to stay close to Fiona often, and one could say that their friendship almost made Declan jealous. Not necessarily that his sister could get the strawberry blonde’s attention, but because, his twin tended to spent more time with Holly J, instead of him. The thought made him laugh though. It was just the paranoia of being trapped getting to him. Anyways, Holly J wasn’t half bad, when you got to know her better at least. And then, the newest resident, Clare, shared his passion for the theatre. She seemed nice and he was curious to know why she’d been sent here.

Declan, in an effort to try and clear his head, moved towards the window in the room he shared with Marcus or Fitz as he preferred, and opened the blinds, letting the morning light spill into the room at immense quantities. In annoyance, Fitz let out a frustrated groan and covered his tired head with his pillow. The tall, handsome young man chuckled and stepped out of the room, not even bothering to let Fitz know he was heading downstairs for breakfast.

He was always early for breakfast; most of the time, he was the first one down there. Eli and Fitz both loved to oversleep, Fiona took a century to choose her attire for the day, but, normally Holly J wasn’t too far behind him. Some alone time with her in the kitchen kind of intrigued him. Whenever they were around each other, Fiona was normally present. Curiously, Declan wondered if anything would be different without his sister by her side. Smirking pleasantly, the flirtatious youth made his way down the abandoned hallway and down the stairs, eager to start the day. It was just one more day closer to freedom after all.

[AppleMistress]

Holly J Sinclair was tired of this lifestyle. Wake up, eat breakfast, attend classes, do chores, and participate in ‘healthy’ free time activities. She was supposed to be finishing her semester, living a relatively normal life. Instead, she was locked up in a group home, the last place anyone ever expected her of all people to be. The only fun she could really engage herself in was to stare dreamily at the Yale brochure she brought along with her. Spending time with her newly found friend, Fiona, was also something she enjoyed. They had their differences, but her eccentric friend was a nice person to talk to about almost anything.

Fiona worried her, though. It was no mystery that there was something wrong when her dark-haired friend staggered to their room for bed after her laundry duties in the crypt. Her cerulean eyes were glazed over, and she acted like a complete oddball. As much as she hated to assume things, she found herself thinking that her friend was drinking. Apparently Fiona had a little problem with champagne in the past. Holly J couldn’t help but wonder where on earth her friend would find an alcoholic beverage in the well-guarded group home, though. Perhaps one of the teachers brought it in—or Fiona snuck it in somehow. Nonetheless, her strange friend worried her to pieces.

She walked down the hall that stretched before her unhurriedly, as though to see if Fiona would be able to catch up with her. Personally, she needed a reason not to talk to Declan alone. She’d taken a slight interest in him, and if no one else were around, she’d be forced into pondering her feelings towards him. Messing around with a boy wouldn’t get her anywhere, though, and she had to keep a composed mindset. And of course, she knew he was normally the first person downstairs to breakfast. She mentally cursed herself for coming at the time she did, as she noticed Declan was just about to head down the stairs. Declan wasn’t a bad guy; she actually really admired how gentleman-like he was. His flirtatious attitude tended to aggravate her at times. He seemed like the type to tousle a girl’s feelings before gently stomping on them. A typical womanizer in a not-so-cocky-way. And Holly J continuously convinced herself that she wouldn’t fall for any of his antics under any circumstances. It was forbidden to have a boyfriend in the Lockheart House anyway. If she wanted to get out, she’d have to follow the rules. Plus, it seemed as though Declan had already found a potential interest in the newbie, Clare. It seemed obvious that the two only shared a friendship; but she still couldn’t help but feel a little jealous. She’d never admit that out loud. Not in a million years.

The strawberry blonde haired adolescent brushed past Declan, trying her best to keep from smiling at him as she let out a simple, “Morning, Declan.” She started her way down the stairs, trying not to appear as though she was in any rush, “Fiona says hi.” Okay, that was a dumb thing to say, considering Fiona continuously told her that she could communicate with her twin brother through telepathy or something. It was a little bizarre; though she believed what her peculiar friend said. If she, Holly J Sinclair, could be sent to a group home, then she felt anything was possible. And plus, Fiona and Declan would see each other sooner or later in the day—they were always together, inseparable. Deciding against thinking of her foolhardy words even further, she continued down the stairs.

Holly J waited for a moment as she reached the end of the stairwell, deciding it’d probably be discourteous to leave Declan by himself, especially since she already made an attempt to speak with him. She tapped her pink-coated fingernails gently against the wooden railing, looking up at him with expectant aquamarine eyes as though to tell him she was waiting for him.

She wrinkled her nose slightly as the distinctive smell of medicine wafted towards her. They had to swallow a pill at breakfast time. Swallowing pills was never really her favorite thing, but after staying in this house, it was really easily to do. Still, she hated the constant medications and prescriptions she had to take. But if it’d cure her of her ‘abnormal’ condition, she’d take any pill these irritating doctors gave her.

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Clare padded down the hallway dizzily, her steps disoriented and clumsy as the images of her nightmare taunted her heedlessly. What she saw was realistic, and she felt that whatever it was she saw was going to happen. She tried her hardest to cast her visions away. She could no longer remember whom the person in her dream resembled, and for some reason, she felt herself wanted to know a little more about her odd dream. As much as she hated to think about it, if her psychic ability was valid, then perhaps she was seeing something important. Something she could prepare herself for. She disregarded those thoughts after pondering them for a while. It was silly, thinking that she had some kind of supernatural ability. Sure, Clare was interested in vampires and beings of the sort, but she never really believed that they existed in real life. It just wasn’t realistic.

Deep in thought, Clare managed to trip over her own feet, sending her down against the stilted floorboards. She winced at the loud thump that her fall made, blushing in embarrassment. She inwardly scolded herself for acting so absentminded, sighing as she looked up at the ceiling in desperation. Ever since she’d arrived at the Lockheart House, she’d acted like an oddball. Saint Clare, as she was nicknamed, was usually careful and thoughtful, not ditzy and clumsy.

“Need a hand?” Fiona Coyne’s flighty voice filled the air suddenly, causing Clare to jump a little in surprise. Fiona was wearing something of high style, as she usually did. It was no question that both she and her brother Declan were wealthy. They both seemed so nice, and Clare couldn’t really see why they were sent to this group home in the first place. In fact, everyone seemed relatively normal. But there was something about this place that was familiar, like she’d seen it in one of her frightening nightmares before. It sent the oddest forms of paranoia surging through her.

The room seemed to spin as she reached up for Fiona’s outstretched hand, bringing herself up to her feet. It took a moment longer than usual for her to gain her balance as her head began to throb uncomfortably. She crafted an apologetic smile to offer Fiona. “Uh, thanks…” she uttered awkwardly, looking up at the taller girl before fixating her eyes on the ground.

“You look kind of faint. Do you have a headache?” Fiona’s tone peaked with concern and curiosity. Those who stayed at the house for longer quantities of time usually liked to find out why the newer residents were sent to the home in the first place. And Clare’s apparent reason was a total mystery as of yet. Of course, Clare was intent on following the rules, and never spoke a word about her precognition-based abilities.

“I… do?” Clare asked nervously, twiddling with one of her russet curls out of habit. She gnawed at her lower lip with her top row of teeth before letting out a self-conscious laugh. “Oh. Um, I’m fine. I didn’t sleep well, that’s all.” Although this place was for 'crazy' people, the younger adolescent didn't want Fiona to know she was seeing things.

Fiona sent her a quizzical look in reply, and then merely grinned in a friendly fashion. “I see.” She said simply, “Well, I’m heading off to the rec room for a moment of peace before breakfast. Do me a favor, and don’t tell any of the doctors where I am.” The dark haired adolescent waved behind her shoulder as she made her way further down the hall, leaving Clare to stare after her inquiringly.

After a moment of dumbfounded thoughts based on the scenario, Clare shook her head. “Okay then.” She murmured to herself, crossing her arms as though to submerge herself into silence as she continued on her way down the halls.

[DracoMalfoy]

Declan was beginning to wonder why he wasn’t losing his sanity in this madhouse. The harshly controlled environment and the outlawing of dating were irksome of course, but, none of their other daily routines bothered him. He was sure some of the other… inmates thought differently than he did, but he couldn’t resist questioning if this was a place he belonged in. His telepathy with Fiona was certainly odd, but, the oldest Coyne child didn’t have an undying need to be set free, like he knew Holly J had. According to Fiona, the overachiever’s hobby was gazing at the Yale brochure she’d brought when she had first moved into the group home. Most of the others were a bit of a mystery as well. Declan remembered speaking to Eli or Adam just once, though roommates, he and Fitz didn’t speak much, but he had developed a friendship with Clare, the house’s newest patient. She was interesting, kind, and friendly. No one else here seemed to appreciate the theatre arts like they did. But, she wasn’t as interesting to him as Holly J was.

Something about her just pulled him deeper and deeper into her web. Her resistance to his womanizing charms, the way she snapped at others without even noticing it. Declan was plagued with the desire to learn more about her. She probably hated it in Lockheart House the most. She never spoke to him about her condition, her back story…well; she didn’t speak to him much period. The young womanizer would confess to tempting himself to take a sneak peek at her file once or twice late at night when he couldn’t fall asleep. Unfortunately, he could just imagine Holly J’s face if he told her that. The way she’d scoff, the fire that would suddenly appear in her sea blue eyes; just thinking about her made him want to abandon his sanity. It was ironic really. It wasn’t a group home for mentally disturbed teenagers that played with his mind, but a girl. Declan just assumed some things would never change with him.

Suddenly, he was pulled from his thoughts when he heard Holly J greet him good morning. On reflex, he sent a rough hand through his chestnut hair, which still was sticking up a bit. For once, the player stammered on his words, making his shock obvious. Normally, Holly J seemed to avoid any form of conversation, and mentioning Fiona had interested him. He saw his twin all day every day; they only separated for short periods of time when the doctors demanded it. Declan was hoping that Holly J actually wanted to talk to him, and he smiled when he noticed her waiting at the stairwell for him. With more skip in his step than earlier, the tall young man made his way over to her. Enthusiasm glazed his cerulean orbs as he eyed her, trying his best to tell if she was really interested in speaking to him.

“Morning Holly J,” Declan responded, convincing himself not to trap her into a conversation. Save for his younger twin, the young girl in front of him always did a fantastic job of avoiding everyone else. The adolescent began to assume she was just being nice by speaking to him. Or, perhaps he was just over analyzing the situation; he had a tendency of doing such things. Deciding to offer a form of small talk to her, he directed his gaze to the wooden floor as he cleared his throat. “Did you sleep well last night?” A simple question wouldn’t hurt, right?

His conflicting thoughts of Holly J were interrupted when the smell of whatever the doctors had planned for them to eat, along with all the medicine they were prescribed hit his nose. Here at Lockheart House, they were always encouraged to eat healthy, which basically meant forced. Declan always tried to stay optimistic when he overheard Fitz or Adam complain about the food. At least it was something. Though, he did protest to all of the pills they were forced to take. It didn’t make much sense to him. Why were they here if simple medicine could solve their problems? He always took the medicine without question, but, he was curious as to what its purpose was.

Declan swallowed the lump in his throat as he began to feel the awkward aura rising between him and Holly J. He turned his head to look down the hall they’d both just walked down. The flirtatious youth was hoping to see Fiona approaching, which would certainly lift the tension between the two of them. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to be around Holly J, he really did want to get to know her better; but, some vibe she gave off alerted him that his feelings weren’t reciprocated. Paranoia was common amongst all of them here in Lockheart House, but, Declan knew his senses were never wrong, concerning women. Still, now he was curious as to Fiona’s whereabouts. She always snuck off every once in a while. He assumed it was just to apply some makeup or to mess with whatever expensive outfit she was wearing. He’d never tried to ponder it. The elder twin considered asking Holly J, but decided against it.

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Adam Torres didn’t belong in a group home; it was as simple as that. Mostly everyone seemed normal here, but, they just didn’t understand him. Fitz still liked to glare at him from across the table while they ate, but for the most part, he made a strong effort to ignore the bully. It seemed to be the best solution. Fitz knew everything about him and ticking him off would just lead to more trouble. Sometimes, he feared that the burnout had told someone here; occasionally he thought everyone’s eyes were on him…judging him. Because of his insecurity, the misfit tended to isolate himself. Until Clare had arrived, only a week ago, he’d only spoken to Eli on a daily basis. Declan and Fiona didn’t seem like such bad people, but… Adam just wished he could know what they were thinking; especially Fiona. And Holly J, she really only talked to Fiona. So, that just left Eli. The two had clicked rather well, surprisingly.

But Clare was different. She was very much similar to him. She seemed confused and almost lonely. Adam knew what had happened that trapped him here, but he didn’t understand why. It wasn’t fair; no one understood how he felt, what he thought and who he was. Clare seemed welcoming and accepting. So, shortly after she had arrived, he’d almost attached himself to her. The oddball hoped she didn’t mind; she never really seemed to show any dislike towards him this past week.

After exiting the small room he shared with Eli, he took notice of Clare and Fiona exchanging a bit of conversation with his ultramarine eyes. Unfortunately, he was out of earshot. Though Clare liked to talk with Declan, she didn’t exchange conversation with Fiona, normally. And, his desire to get to know the younger Coyne twin made him want to be there next with them, talking. Adam noticed Fiona walk away and took this as the chance to move towards his friend. She seemed tired, almost upset and this aroused his curiosity even more so.

“Morning!” he said with his chipper tone as he walked up next to her. The almost feminine misfit examined her for a moment curiously. “Did you sleep well? It doesn’t really look so.” Adam made sure to wait for her to answer, trying his best not to seem uncaring or rude. After examining Clare, his eyes focused back on Fiona’s retreating figure. Since he’d been sent to the group home, he spent a lot of his time thinking about what was wrong with everyone else. It was forbidden to share your diagnosis and your story with others, but the rule had a tendency of being broken. Fiona just didn’t seem like the type to talk about what it is that had happened.

Declaring himself rude, Adam turned his face back towards Clare, trying to give her his attention. Right now, she was his friend, and she seemed upset. This house got to everyone eventually. It had its own ways of driving them all insane at some point. It had led Eli to isolationism, according to the Goth himself, Holly J, he’d heard had gone a little overboard with her desire to get out and Declan, it seemed, had grown perfectly accustomed to life in a madhouse. Adam just hoped Lockheart House wouldn’t play with Clare’s mind too much.

[AppleMistress]

Holly J hated to admit it, but she was really engrossed with Declan’s peculiar behavior this morning. He tended to get a little edgy when they were in a room alone, which was rare, as Fiona was usually around to witness their conversations. People normally acted a little jumpy around her, as she was quite an intimidating person to converse with, but Declan was so happy-go-lucky and collected, it was a little odd to see.

“I slept well.” She replied simply as she walked alongside him, trying to ignore the stench that was wafting towards them from the kitchen. She decided against asking him how he slept, as he’d probably say fine, and then a discomfited silence of some sort would follow. She usually slept fine at night; though at times, she’d find herself waking up to an opening and closing door around one or two in the morning. They normally had to be in bed by ten—Fiona obviously never listened to that rule. Her dark-haired friend would dress in her nightclothes and lie in bed when the doctors checked in on them, and then she’d randomly say she was leaving to go somewhere as soon as the coast was clear. It was a little odd, but Fiona was a very eccentric person. Holly J tucked a strand of her silky strawberry blonde hair back behind her ear absentmindedly as she furrowed her eyebrows in distaste. “I hope they don’t feed us that lumpy oatmeal again. It was honestly one of the worst meals I’ve ever had in my life.”

Breakfast. Was that really the best she could do? Holly J inwardly rolled her eyes at herself. Perhaps taking course into a simple discussion would help reduce the awkwardness that had blossomed between them a few moments ago. She wanted to get to know Fiona’s elder brother a little more; he sparked her curiosity, to say the least. And of course, anyone who was deemed significant by Holly J Sinclair herself must have been important in some way or another. But with the rule against dating, she felt that it wasn’t worth her time to try. And even if she happened to start a relationship with him—they’d probably separate as soon as one of them left the house, diving back into the lives they’d had prior to entering Lockheart. Holly J felt a little disillusionment spread inside her at that thought, but she knew well that it was the truth. She had to think realistically if she wanted to ever get out.

In fact, Holly J made it a task of hers to steer clear of everyone in this house with the exception of Fiona. Fitz was an immature bully, Adam was nice, but a little odd, Eli preferred to be alone, which she respected, Clare was new and she hardly even knew the girl enough to have a full opinion of her, and then there was Declan. Declan was someone she avoided just because she was afraid of getting too close to him. She’d never admit that out loud, though. Not in a million years. She couldn’t give her friend’s flirtatious twin that satisfaction.

“I mean, is it really that hard to pour a bowl of cereal or something? I’d prefer Cheerios and fruit over that steaming muck they force us to eat sometimes.” Why exactly was she ranting to Declan about cereal and breakfast food? She had no clue. Honestly, she was just trying to distract herself with something. Of course, he was Mr. Optimism, and would probably tell her she should be grateful for the meals they're offered. Breakfast. What a boring topic to bring up. Her thoughts were bewildering, and everything she felt the need to ask the boy walking next to her seemed a little too personal. She was tempted to ask him about the ‘telepathy’ he shared with Fiona, as though to confirm it. But if she asked him about his little ability, then he’d have the right to ask her about her own experiences prior to entering the house. Holly J herself had little knowledge on why she was sent to the group home, she’d only remembered waking up in the hospital one evening, having everything explained to her by a doctor. It was devastating; she felt completely normal, there was no reason why she had to be spending day after day in this boring loony bin.

She sighed. Simply remembering that night sent a surge of irritation through her. Of course, she couldn’t show Declan she was upset. Because then he’d ask her about it, and then she’d snap, and then her day would just spiral down into its’ own horrendous crash course. She balled her porcelain hands into fists, repeating it over and over again in her head that she had to hold onto her sanity. It was truly one of the only valuable things she had left.

|-|-|-|-|-|-|-||-|-|-|-|-|-|-||-|-|-|-|-|-|-||-|-|-|-|-|-|-|

Clare jumped a little upon hearing Adam. He seemed so lively in comparison to her; she couldn’t help but offer him a weary smile. He’d honestly scarred her for a second, as she really hadn’t expected anyone to pop up so suddenly after her short encounter with Fiona. The younger Coyne twin was… different. She and Clare had never really talked much before, though, so there wasn’t all too much she could truthfully assume about her.

“Adam,” she started airily, gently setting a hand against her chest as she recovered from her unexpected jolt of surprise. She offered him a forthcoming glance. Adam had been one of the first people to greet her and show her around when she first arrived a week earlier—and he’d nearly stuck to her side like glue ever since. And when he wasn’t with her, he was usually with his somewhat isolated roommate, Eli. Nonetheless, she appreciated his company and willingness to be her friend. It was easier to get used to such a different place when there was a friendly face to turn to. He was so kindly, and he almost always got her to smile when something was on her mind. She registered what he’d said about how she slept, and felt her cheeks heat. She held her face in her hands for a moment, embarrassed.

“Is it really that obvious?” she mused gently before peering up at Adam through her long lashes. She straightened her posture a little, as though she was trying to appear a little more composed and lively. Her attempt failed, to her disappointment. “At first I was a little excited to have a room of my own for once… But now it’s a little unsettling.” She shifted her weight, fiddling with one of her russet curls absently. The innocent adolescent stood for a moment, oblivious to the fact that she was beginning to loose herself in the images she’d seen in her nightmares again. She snapped her eyes shut, giving her head a good shake in order to cast the dreary thoughts away. Of course, having a room to herelf was nice, and what she’d told Adam wasn’t exactly a lie. She was used to the familiarity of her small home, knowing that her mother and father were just across the hall. Of course, when they fought late at night, she’d also found it hard to sleep. In fact, she’d developed insomnia because of it. She’d stay up as late as she could, staring up at the ceiling or reading a book underneath her blanket, a flashlight in hand. She did it to keep her mind off of what was happening between her parents—if she stayed up while they were asleep, she couldn’t hear them fighting. There was an odd form of peace for her when she knew both her mother and father were under the same roof, and everything, even if it was only temporary, was under control. And also, staying up kept her from enduring her seemingly endless nightmares.

She turned her full attention to Adam, summoning all of the willpower she had to appear a little more energetic, for his sake. She was sure he didn’t want to hear her troubled thoughts about her nightmares, and even if he wanted to hear about them, she wasn’t exactly comfortable talking about it. It wasn’t like she didn’t trust Adam or anything, but the nightmares she experienced were a little too petrifying to recall at times. And the insomnia was something she kept to herself.

“So, were you headed down for breakfast?” she changed the subject quickly before he could ask any more questions regarding her sleeping habits. After a week of living in this group home, she’d grown accustomed to the daily schedule. For breakfast, it was simple. Holly J and Declan were usually in the kitchen first, she and Adam followed, and then Fiona, Fitz, and Eli came down much later in no particular order. Apparently Fitz slept late, Fiona took the longest while to choose her outfit of the day, and Eli just stayed up in his room for the heck of it. Of course, she’d seen Fiona, fully dressed for the day only a moment earlier. She did say she was headed towards that recreational room… Clare shrugged the thought off, as it wasn’t her place to ponder what the eccentric adolescent was doing. Though Eli’s tactics confused Clare. For some reason, she felt this need to talk to him or to get to know him in some way. His aura, attire, and attitude… they all just intrigued her—and really, she had no logic behind this at all. Eli, though, was completely anti-social, according to almost everyone in the home. He exchanged words with Adam at times, and she’d heard rumors of past quarrels with Fitz… Otherwise, he never really said much. He was a man of mystery for sure. He made her think harder than she usually did, and perhaps that was what she liked so much about him.

Realizing she’d zoned out again, she forced herself out of her trance, offering Adam another slight smile as she hoped he hadn’t noticed.

[DracoMalfoy]

Declan smiled whimsically; casual chit-chat wasn’t a common occurrence here. Nearly everyone kept to themselves or to one or two other people. It was especially surprising that Holly J was the one he was talking to. She’d given off more than one vibe that she wasn’t what he would call “interested” in him. Nearly every girl he met was interested in him romantically, so the strawberry blonde walking beside him was rather unusual. Of course, in a group home, relationships were usually the last thing on people’s minds. The handsome adolescent just concluded that his mind worked a little differently than everyone else’s. When people like Holly J and Clare were worrying about the future, Declan was just pondering simple everyday aspects. Why was he so clam in this situation? A Coyne always approached things with poise and an open mind, but this was entirely different. All he could think about was getting to know Holly J better. Right now, it didn’t matter if he escaped this madhouse today, tomorrow or never. As long as Fiona, Clare and especially, Holly J were around, he’d definitely stay sane.

Shaking his head furiously, he returned back to reality and found himself gazing at the shorter overachiever with his piercing azure eyes. Smacking himself mentally, Declan worried that he was pushing her away with his peculiar antics. He didn’t necessarily mean to drift off into his deep thoughts. Remembering she had spoken not only a minute ago, the brunet cleared his throat, trying to muster up a few words. “I know, even a bowl of grapes would be better than the oatmeal,” he joked with a rough laugh, trying his best to seem normal. No one here was normal, but Declan thought it would be best to appear so. Normal seemed to be what pleased Holly J the most. All she seemed to want was to be released from the home so she could pursue a life at Yale. That was normal. But, the heir to the Coyne fortune didn’t really care how long he was cooped up here. How would she react if he told her that? She’d deem him mad and never speak to him again. That much he was positive of.

Quickly, silence drifted into the air between them. Awkwardly, he twiddled his fingers in an effort to find something, anything he could distract himself with. He was simply dying to learn more about the enigma known as Holly J. Why was she here? What had happened to her that led her to be sentenced to this life? Declan couldn’t help but assume she’d told Fiona everything. The two girls seemed thicker than thieves sometimes. But, he was sure she wouldn’t share a word of her story to him.

It’d be rude to ask her anyways. It was strictly against the house’s rules to tell stories anyways. The doctors seemed to value some sort of privacy in them. They investigated everything the patients said and did. But, whenever they wanted to talk to another…inmate, it was suddenly strictly forbidden. Declan was growing weary of the doctors, and the house in general. It didn’t feel safe, almost. Whenever those thoughts glided into his subconscious, he simply reminded himself that his mother was involved with the board of administration. Laura Coyne loved both of her children dearly. The rich youth knew that no sane mother would place her children in a potentially harmful environment.

Declan cursed himself under his breath as he realized again that he had tuned out of reality. He did really like Holly J, but what proof was he providing for that? Here he was, walking to breakfast with her, simply ignoring her in favor for some silly thoughts that traveled through his imagination every day. The young man wanted to learn more about her in some way. If he asked her too many questions, she’d be pushed away by his curiosity. Maybe she’d tell him why she wanted to attend Yale. Maybe she wanted to be a politician, or a doctor. Everything about Holly J made him curious. He loved her voice and her rare smiles. Even if nothing serious could occur between them, Declan was desperately hoping they could at least be friends for their time in Lockheart House.

“So, why do you want to attend Yale?” the elder twin asked with an interested tone of voice. He decided to try and get to know her better. Maybe if the subject was something she really enjoyed, she’d be more open to talk with him. It was only a minor hope, but Declan had all of his fingers crossed. His aqua orbs were glazed with interest as he eyed her happily, waiting anxiously for a reply or some sorts.

-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*

Adam couldn’t help but laugh as he guessed Clare’s lack of sleep. It wasn’t too obvious to be honest, but not many people slept well here. With the doctors constantly pacing the halls and the stresses of curing whatever it was that was wrong with them tended to keep most of them up in the middle of the night. Well, at least it did for him. Sometimes, the misfit noticed Eli was awake, but most of the time, he just tossed and turned, struggling with whatever was bothering him. His roommate wasn’t very open to sharing his story, but, Adam knew too well not to impress his curiosity on the Goth. He didn’t know all too much about Clare either. They’d become pretty close over the past week, but sharing stories was always frowned upon. Everything about this place was off, but at least his friends kept his head level.

“Don’t worry, it isn’t really that obvious,” he responded instantly with a soft smile that he just tended to be famous for. At the mention of breakfast, his stomach uncontrollably growled. At Lockheart House, they weren’t fed well. Yucky oatmeal and fruits and vegetables were all they normally received. It was just enough to swallow those spills they forced upon them. Thinking of those bitter, disgusting pills made Adam want to gag, but he kept his queasiness in check, so he didn’t embarrass himself in front of Clare. She was the only one he talked to on a regular basis, save for Eli. He really didn’t want to scare her away. “No one gets good sleep around here,” he continued finally, still keeping his cheerful smile on his face.

The odd adolescent wanted to inquire to Clare about where Fiona had went. He never spoke with the brunette much, but the Coyne girl interested him. She seemed eccentric, but, she appeared lovely as well, in every single way. Adam wasn’t sure if he could say he “liked her,” but, at least he didn’t have his step brother around to constantly remind him that he was different. Shaking the thought off, he looked down the hall ahead as he began to imagine what they would be served for breakfast. Probably just oatmeal, but, he tended to think optimistically in every aspect of his life.

Scratching the back of his neck casually, the teenager nodded. “Yep, not much else to do after all,” he chuckled with a shrug. They were always kept on a tight leash; they were only allowed in the rec room after class and their chores were finished. He hated constantly being watched and judged, but there wasn’t much they could about it now. For whatever reason, they were all trapped in Lockheart House. And, with the way his mom overreacted to every little thing, Adam feared he would be locked up in this loony house forever. Or at least until he turned eighteen. He sighed, trying to forget that negative thought just for a moment. With Clare around, the house was a little more interesting, or at least, more friendly. The misfit didn’t enjoy acting selfishly, but he hoped she’d be around for a little while. He’d never, ever tell her that, though.

Curiously, he turned his head around just for a moment so his sky blue eyes faced the hallway he’d just come from. There was still no sign of Eli yet. Adam knew his mysterious friend liked to defy what the doctors told him; sometimes, he even tried to hide his pills. But, he was beginning to fear someday soon, the Goth would take his rebellion too far. If Eli was transferred, life would really change for him. There were scary rumors concerning the fate of the transferred patients. His curiosity and fear over the situation almost got the better of him as he opened his mouth to voice his concern to Clare, but he quickly shut it. If he scared her for no reason, he’d feel awful.

Adam twiddled his fingers together, trying to keep silent. Sometimes, he worried for nothing, but, in this environment, especially with his old rival Fitz around, everything seemed like it could become a potentially dangerous situation if they weren’t careful.

[AppleMistress]

Holly J beamed as Declan agreed with her opinions on the breakfast served in the house. She wasn’t expecting any five-star meals, but really? Cereal wasn’t all that pricy, after all. But instead, they’d insisted on cooking them oatmeal. It almost reminded her of food that was served in public school cafeterias. The thought of those meals almost made her want to shudder with disgust. Her mind was instantly taken off of food as Declan mentioned Yale. Of course, any mention of the school of her dreams would send her into a dreamland fantasy.

Peculiarly enough, Holly J found it compelling that Declan even asked her about Yale. He knew it was a subject of her interest, possibly through Fiona… But she was sure by now; almost everyone in the house knew that she wanted to go to Yale more than anything else. She always had her eyes on the brochure when she had a second of free time. She had to contain herself as she thought of the school, deciding she’d rather not ramble on and on about her fantasies of her future.

“Well,” she began, pausing for a moment while she pondered what she’d say as she coiled a strand of her strawberry-blonde hair around her slender forefinger casually, “It’s something I kind of wanted for myself—almost for a sense of accomplishment. Leadership has always been something I’ve committed myself to, and I figure that going to Yale will do wonders for me.”

Holly J stared at her feet as she continued to walk alongside Declan, suddenly a little thoughtful. A solemn smile crossed her features. “I haven’t been in the best financial situation, and it took a lot of hard work to get accepted.” She wasn’t quite sure why she was telling Declan this, as he probably couldn’t understand financial problems. It was no secret that the Coyne twins were filthy rich. Of course, Holly J never deemed them selfish for it. Fiona and Declan were nice, they were both a little dependent on each other to a point where it was a little creepy, but nonetheless, they were decent people. She sighed, lifting her downcast gaze as her sapphire orbs smoldered with disillusionment. “And now I’m afraid that my work has gone to waste. The second someone finds out that I’ve been sent to a group home…” Her voice trailed off as she figured that she was saying a little too much.

Holly J absolutely detested it when she looked pathetic or defenseless. Yale was a touchy subject now, as it’d make her both blissful and discontented. And now, she feared she may have gone into a personal depth when describing her goals to Declan. She almost felt the need to hear some kind of a reassuring word from him, but then again, being pitied wasn’t exactly the best feeling in the world either. The adolescent liked to be overpowering in every situation.

She found this scenario to be odd. Fiona was really the only other person she talked to about life in general. She and Declan had always been on decent terms with each other, but now that she was talking to him like this, she felt the instant need to wrap duct tape over her mouth to keep herself quiet. She was afraid if they talked too much, then they’d grow closer. As much as she hated his flirtatious ways towards other girls, it was no secret that she kind of had a thing for him. And if this thing turned into a something, there was no telling what would happen to her. If they recorded that she’d gotten into trouble at a group home, then she knew she’d have to kiss her dreams of going to Yale goodbye.

And of course, she couldn’t let that happen. She just needed to be a good girl, take her meds, and hopefully get out of the loony bin in decent timing.

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Clare bobbed her head gently in gratefulness towards Adam’s words, a slight grin tweaking her exhausted features. She glanced out at the hallway that stretched before them, inwardly dreading the walk down to the kitchen. It was no secret that the kitchen air was thick with the scent of medicine, and frankly, the smell reminded her that she was being kept away from the outside world because of an odd condition she’d only recently been diagnosed with. She detested herself for it, but her curiosity usually got the best of her as she pondered what sorts of abnormal qualities her housemates had as well. Eli and Adam’s abilities especially engrossed her.

Clare cast those thoughts away quickly, scolding herself for even thinking of such a thing. She was specifically told that it was forbidden to speak with anyone but the doctors about her past experiences regarding her ‘ability’. She honestly didn’t see why it’d be such a bad thing, though, and it all just seemed a little fishy in a sense. She felt that talking to someone else about this would be good for her, talking about things usually helped her. Maybe one day she’d be able to talk to Adam or Declan about this… No. She couldn’t break the rules. Breaking the rules wasn’t something a mouse of a girl like her would do. Not in a million years.

Dismissing her contemplating thoughts, Clare turned to Adam. He looked just a little shaken and confused as well, and she couldn’t help but question that in her thoughts. He did say that almost everyone had a problem with sleep around here… Perhaps her suspicions of this place were mutual. The way the doctors monitored everything… Everyone here seemed relatively normal, but they were all still kept over severely close watch. It was a little unsettling.

Clare just couldn’t shake these thoughts away, no matter how hard she tried. The things she saw in her nightmares reminded her of what it felt like to be in the Lochheart house itself—the atmosphere of the two were scarily similar. It was hard for Clare to believe that she may have actually had a psychic ability of some sort, but the idea of it seemed a little less idiotic every single day she lived in the group home.

She decided to start walking, gently inviting Adam to join her with the swift wave of her hand. She walked slowly, so he’d be able to keep up. Sometimes she wished she was as reckless as Fiona seemed—although the girl was a little eccentric, she always seemed to do everything so freely. Like going to the rec room to stall for time before enduring an awful breakfast. The same could actually be said for both Eli and Fitz, as they seemed to stall for time as well in the mornings.

She ran a hand through her auburn curls absentmindedly, realizing she hadn’t said a single word to Adam because of her thoughts. She let out a nervous laugh that didn’t even sound much like a laugh; looking around the hallway they were standing in for a moment. “Is the feeling of paranoia common here too? Or is that just me?” she asked, deciding it’d be best to confront her current problems before the doctors could see and hear everything they said and did.

Acting like nothing was wrong really just seemed a little weird to Clare. It seemed like they all had to wear masks, acting like nothing was wrong when something probably was. Maybe questioning this place was a good idea. If her odd form of paranoia and suspicions about the group home became a reality, perhaps she’d regret it if she hadn’t confronted the problem any sooner. The things she saw in her dreams had a tendency to come true; there was a valid possibility that she was on to something. She had to swallow her fear a bit, and try to open up a little more. She was partly deeming herself senseless because of the paranoia that caught a hold of her and she was overanalyzing the situation, but then, she felt that her visions and dreams were literally screaming that something was immoral about the group home. The way her thoughts clashed confused her, she couldn't help but feel ill at ease.

[DracoMalfoy]

Declan Coyne beamed in interest and kept silent as he listened to the strawberry blonde speak. Suddenly, he was baffled by the way her mind seemed to work. Holly J had beautiful looks that much was obviously certain, and, if she could make good friends with Fi, then obviously, her social skills weren’t as bad as they appeared here in the group home. Why was education so important to her? The elder Coyne twin would admit life was handed to him in almost every possible aspect. He’d had a good share of romance, adventure, any toy or game his heart desired as a child was given to him without question. Perhaps their brains were wired differently, but, his mother wouldn’t let a thing happen to him or his twin. Life was perfect for them, even in a madhouse such as this. A pang of pity surged through him as he remembered Holy J mentioning a financial situation at home. She probably didn’t want others feeling bad for her, but he couldn’t help. If his parent s lost their money… no, Declan simply couldn’t fathom what life would be like. Perhaps that was why education was important to her.

As she spoke to him, he kept his cesious eyes aimed towards his feet as he continued stepping forward; each time his foot met the old floor, it creaked, almost causing him to jump. Declan never was scared easily and certainly didn’t mind a dose of horror or surrealism in his life every once in a while, but, in all his days at Lockheart House, he never did grow used to the creaking floor. The brunet made no effort to inform Holly J of his sudden, irrational uneasiness though. There was absolutely no reason to do so. Facing forward now, the tall adolescent quickly realized they were approaching the kitchen. Which was… just perfect. Now, he had to abandon all plans of hinting at his curiosity over her story. Holly J didn’t like sharing; she was quite the ruler follower. And, not only when he heard a disapproving glare from the overachiever herself for asking, but, he’d definitely be swimming in hot water if the doctors overheard his questions. And, Declan wasn’t about to put both himself and Fiona in unnecessary danger simply because his curiosity got the better of him.

So as they approached the doors leading to the kitchen, the heir to the Coyne fortune simply nodded at what Holly J said, truly fascinated and still trying to fight his curiosity away to keep himself from inquiring more about her. “Interesting,” he mused as he sent a hand through his chestnut hair. He offered her his classic, dazzling ‘Coyne smirk’ right after he spoke. “Trust me, they can’t deny someone like you. You’re too perfect.” Oh…he hadn’t meant for that comment to sound the way it had. Charming Holly J was obviously useless, but the rich youth guessed he couldn’t help it. His flirtatious ways were always uncontrollable. Just being friends with her was enough for him now, but, he hoped his suggestive words wouldn’t push her away.

Declan entered the kitchen, with a new determination not to open his mouth again for a few minutes. The doctors were already in the room. They were one of the few things he hated about this group home. They watched them like vultures, judged everything they did and something told the elder twin that they somehow held the key to their fate. They were all scrawny and looked like they could’ve created Frankenstein. At first glance, he didn’t trust them. But, his mother had assured him and Fiona that the best scientists and doctors had been hired to supervise and take care of them. His mother wasn’t one to lie or misjudge others. So, if she trusted them, Declan knew he should at least make an effort to trust them.

Sighing lightly, the brunet player moved towards the chair he normally took at the table. Before seating himself, he decided to take a risk and push the chair next to him away from the table. He looked towards Holly J and offered her a small smile. “You can sit here… if you’d like,” the adolescent said hesitantly. Without another word, he took his normal seat. A bowl of oatmeal and a large pill were awaiting him on the table. And, Declan made a quick scan of the rest of the table with his azure eyes and was assured that the same was waiting for all the other patients as well.

Reaching out for the rather large pill, the hesitant young man popped the med into his mouth. Quickly he reached for a glass of water resting on the table and took a big gulp and swallowed his nasty tasting drug. He wasn’t sure what these meds did. Declan really had never been officially diagnosed with anything. He’d told his mother of his telepathy with Fiona and that’s how he’d been sent here, but the doctors never seemed to care about him, as much as the others. The pills did nothing to halt his ability of communicating with his younger sister, so he was curious as to what the doctor’s motives were concerning him. But, any attempt to voice his concern now would just land him in trouble. He didn’t want to be a disappointment or embarrassment to his family any further. Behaving was for the best; both he and Fiona knew that.

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Adam watched his new friend take a few steps ahead and then slowly stepped forward as well to join her when she beckoned to him. The air between them was quiet; although he knew Clare and already trusted her well, something about the silence between them was eerie. It wasn’t everyday that a new patient began living in the house. And, she’d already been here a week and no one knew why she was here. Sharing stories wasn’t allowed of course, but some of them, seemed a bit keen on breaking said rule. The misfit wanted to know more about his new friend. He wasn’t necessarily sure Clare would tell him much, even if she were allowed to. Adam guessed he’d have to soon realize they all weren’t here to play detective. Apparently, they were ill, or, as his mom had put it, “not normal;” he’d do anything to get better and please her. Thinking too hard about his problems wouldn’t change a thing for him.

He almost jumped when he heard Clare speak up; perhaps he hadn’t jumped into the air, but he shook, clearly showing he was caught off guard. Giving the girl his best easy going smile, the odd adolescent sent a hand through his russet hair as he pondered an answer. Adam was almost positive that everyone here suffered from paranoia… to a certain extent. It was just, everyone in the house seemingly dealt with it in different ways. He and Declan just ignored it, Holly J used it as a drive to get out, Fiona spent time alone, doing God only knows what, and Eli and Fitz isolated themselves. In this situation, paranoia was probably normal. He didn’t like it; he wished everything could just be normal, or as close to normal as possible for them. But, until they were deemed normal by the doctors, they were stuck here, living in fear and suspicion, wondering what the next day would bring.

“It’s normal,” Adam finally answered, his tone sounding casual. No one here necessarily wanted to accept that there was something wrong with them. But, there was something inside each and every one of them that set them apart from the rest of society. Maybe this madhouse was normal for them now. That simple thought made the odd teenager shake in discomfort. Adam knew he was already different for certain reasons. Honestly, he was all for originality, but, he didn’t need something else on his plate to be ridiculed and mocked for. The sooner he was out of here, but better.

“We’re all a bit worried about what’s happening next,” he continued, still making a few small steps forward. “I guess, we all show it in a different way.” Adam decided to stay quiet now, feeling he was rambling and sounding foolish. Maybe he was wrong; he wasn’t sure he knew what the others were thinking. All the misfit knew was the judging eyes of the doctors, the creaking floorboards and the large, strange pills did scare him a bit. Upon arriving at Lockheart House, he’d been scared and nervous; his mom seemed to have a say in everything the doctors did so, since day one, she’s been visiting and pressuring him to get better. After a while, all of the stressful circumstances did begin to drive the oddball paranoid. But, he really didn’t like showing it.

Shrugging his shoulders, Adam diverted his cerulean gaze to the ground, trying his best to keep his head clear. Unlike some of the others here, he didn’t like being alone. Being alone gave him time to think, which led to paranoid thoughts. The doctors tried their best to limit the time the patients got to interact with each other; obviously, they were a paranoid group of people themselves. Still, the brunet adolescent stole every moment he could to talk with someone else. For the most part, he only talked to Eli and Clare, though.

“So…” Adam began again, trying to expel all sorts of deep thoughts from his mind. “Got any plans for life after this mess?” He knew Holly J wanted to forget this had ever happened, but, Clare wasn’t as easy to read as some of the others were. She seemed relatively normal. She probably had friends at her old school and things she wanted to do that certainly didn’t involve a group home and a mysterious ability or some sorts. Adam did know after listening in on her talks with Declan that she did appreciate the theatre. He guessed that was pretty normal.

[AppleMistress]

Holly J’s jaw went slightly agape for an instant at Declan’s praise, her ashen cheeks turning a faint vermillion shade. She cursed herself for blushing, as she knew it was probably just his way of being flirtatious with her; she didn’t want him to know she was flattered, it’d make her seem like every other lovesick girl he talked to. Quickly casting the surprise away from her features, she ventured inside the kitchen slowly after Declan, watching intently as he took a seat and swallowed his pill. The overachiever eyed the doctors for a moment, a shiver running down her spine urged her to straighten her posture. If she wanted to get out of this place, she’d have to act poised and controlled.

“Sure…” she replied uncertainly, raising a brow as she sent him a skeptical look. She approached the table before sinking down into the seat he’d pulled out for her. Feeling as though the doctors’ eyes were burning a hole in the back of her head, she hastily set her pill on her pink tongue, grasped the glass of water that sat nearby, and swallowed. Despite the fact that she moved so quickly that she almost chocked, she hoped she looked at least somewhat casual with her gesture. One wrong move, and something bad could happen. Things tended to happen to Fiona because of her abnormal gestures, and Holly J wasn’t determined to follow suit with her eccentric friend’s actions.

As much as Holly J cared for Fiona, she was genuinely concerned for the dark-haired girl’s well being. On the outside, Fiona seemed like a generally normal and somewhat spoiled fashionista. But in reality, she had the oddest habits and said the strangest things. And lately, she was a little more tired than usual, obvious dark circles appearing under her cerulean eyes. Holly J assumed it was because Fiona ‘knew what everyone was feeling’ to a freaky extent. Her dark-haired friend never really went into details when it came to describing her ability, and when she tried to describe it, it honestly puzzled Holly J. Feeling someone else’s emotions… It just didn’t make that much sense. Fiona told her time and time again that it was hard to deal with the emotions—and that she had her own ways of handling her problems, even if the doctors were unaware of her methods. And it was becoming quite obvious that Fiona was resorting to something dangerous. Holly J had yet to figure it all out, though. She couldn’t help but wonder if Declan noticed it too. Of course, she wasn’t about to voice her concerns right in front of the doctors. Getting Fiona into more trouble was the last thing she wanted.

Trying to cast her troublesome worries aside, she stared into her bowl of oatmeal in disappointment. Of course, the dreaded oatmeal made a comeback. It was still steaming, as she could feel the warmth of it as it brushed against her face. She scrunched her nose at it for only a second, hoping that the doctors hadn’t noticed her action of disgust. Grudgingly grabbing her spoon, she tried to mix it a little in hopes of diminishing some of the more clumpy parts. She bit her glossy lower lip, debating whether to take a bite on not.

The overachiever couldn’t help but wish she’d tried to stall for more time with Fiona. She was alone with Declan after admitting something personal to him, stuck with the doctors prying eyes and a disgusting bowl of oatmeal. How unbelievably awkward could this situation get?

ooo|ooo|ooo|ooo|ooo|ooo|

Clare found herself tempted to tell Adam everything. That she felt like she knew what was coming, but she was afraid to say it, just because the things she saw had a tendency of being terribly horrifying. But of course, that would go against the rules of the house. Telling him about what she was feeling, and what was wrong with her would get her into trouble. And she was the type who always tried to follow the rules, to avoid trouble.

She sighed for a moment as she listened to his reply. She could understand what Adam was saying when she heard that people were scared for what was coming next. Really, what did kids locked in a mental house have to think about? What if something never got better, and they had to be rehabilitated to somewhere with firmer security? What would happen to expected dreams and futures of college and school? She bit her lip, suddenly depressed by these thoughts.

Clare perked her head up innocently when she heard Adam inquire about what she wanted to do with her future. “I don’t know.” She said absentmindedly. She sounded out of it, she realized, and blushed at the realization. She rubbed the back of her neck carelessly as she thought a little further about the question, “My parents want me to be a lawyer or a doctor… They’re really strict when it comes to school. That’s what they want… But I don’t really know what I want yet. All I know is that I want to help people.” She silently cursed herself for sounding like a goody-two-shoes, but that was really just a part of who she was. Helping other people always made her feel refreshed and accomplished. And it was a part of her beliefs as well.

She reached for the familiar silver chain that hung around her neck gently, brushing her fingertips down towards the cross in the center. She gently caressed the cross’s bumpy backside with her thumb, feeling a little better as she did so. Even though she questioned her religion because of her parent’s fighting at times, she still felt that someone was out there, looking out for her. And the cross she wore just tended to remind her of that. She looked at her feet as she continued to walk, lost in her own thoughts for what seemed like a long time.

Waking herself from her thoughts, she offered Adam a sheepish and shy smile. “What about you? Do you have any big plans for the future?” She couldn’t help but enjoy these sorts of simple conversations that she had with Adam. She could say anything that was on her mind, and he would never judge her. He was so honest and down to earth, she felt so lucky that he made the effort to become her friend when she first entered the house. She was fearful that she’d be an outcast, just like she was at school. At school, the people she considered as her friends all began to drift apart. It was just a lonely place. And being here, she was afraid that everyone would already have their own group of friends, having no interest in including a newbie like her in their activities. Adam was so kindly and accepting, he was one of the only reasons why she wasn’t undergoing an emotional breakdown. Declan seemed nice as well, but he seemed to have more of an interest for staying by Fiona’s side at any given moment. Plus, he was a little older than she was. She felt a little childish whenever she talked with him.

It was hard, though, without another girl to talk to. Holly J and Fiona were close. And since Holly J hadn’t really taken a liking to her from the start, Fiona kept her distance as well. They both seemed like decent people, though. They were older too, and Clare felt that they had a lot more experience in life and reality itself than she did. Fiona and Holly J seemed to have problems that she couldn’t relate to, as she was always just a saintly mouse of a girl who lived a sheltered life. Living in an environment like this was a completely abnormal experience for her. And then Fitz and Eli seemed to like keeping their distance. Fitz appeared to be a little misunderstood, but Adam advised her to stay away from him. She didn't want to judge the taller boy, though she felt slightly weary and fearful when she thought of him. He seemed really tough. And then Eli... He was just a mystery. He was different in a way that intrigued her, and she found herself a little hesitant to approach him. Not because she was afraid, but because she felt he'd deem her as unwanted company. Without Adam around to give her comfort, she’d be paranoid all the time. She appreciated what he did for her, even though they've only known each other for a week.

|ooo|ooo|ooo|ooo|ooo|

Fiona tucked her sketchbook carefully under one of the couch cushions in the recreational room. Sketching out fashion designs usually helped to relax her, and relaxation was something she needed. Especially after suffering that intense hangover—composing herself before she saw Declan was a wise choice. Because of their bond, she knew he’d know instantly that something was wrong if she just waltzed in the kitchen after getting ready for the day.

She thought back to her encounter with Clare for a moment, and couldn’t help but notice that something seemed to be troubling her. Any new resident in this house always had a vibe of paranoia coming off of them, but something about Clare’s emotions were different. It was like she was terrified about something, but she was also holding something back. It was odd, and it confused her. The emotions that most of the others in the house felt were sort of hard to decipher. Fiona wished her ability would just go away. It’d make life easier for her, easier for Declan, and easier for their family’s reputation. But there was no way her ability would go away. No matter how many meds they stuffed down her throat, she knew it would never ever go away. And that’s why she relied on champagne. It offered her an hour or two of escape from the world, and it kept the emotions of other people from reaching her. In simpler terms, the champagne made her happy.

And of course, Holly J and Declan would both be worried sick and probably angry if they knew what she was doing. She had to keep her little self medicating problems a secret. She had to smile, look pretty, act like she was under control, satisfy the doctors, who probably didn’t even care much for her well being, and get out of there fast enough to meet her family’s requirements. She was giving her family a bad reputation, she always seemed like the problematic child. Everyone told her to try harder, to try to get better. But her problem would never go away. She had it ever since she was little. She went extreme on meds at first, but a few years of trying showed her that they didn’t help at all. Things were the same, they never changed. How could she try harder when she didn’t even know how to cure herself of her strange ability?

‘Morning, Declan.’ She thought, hoping that he’d hear her through his thoughts in return, ‘I’ll come down to eat soon.’ This was sort of early for her, but she really didn’t know what else she could do.

[DracoMalfoy]

Declan suddenly focused his compelling, mazarine eyes on his bowl of disgusting oatmeal, as if something about it had indeed captured his interest. Sitting next to Holly J was an odd, and almost eerie feeling for him. The moment he'd seen her first step through the front door, he'd been simply overwhelmed by an undying desire to talk with her and learn more about her; she was unlike any other girl he'd had the privilege of speaking to. But, to be fully honest with himself, Declan hadn't suspected actually having alone time with her to be so... awkward. Once glance in her direction told him she was strong, independent and whole heartedly determined to chase what it was she wanted, but, now that he was sitting next to her, the handsome youth also wanted to treat her like a delicate flower, deathly afraid one of the beautiful petals would fall to the ground and wilt. It was odd, definitely abnormal for his standards.

He quickly concluded that the best way not to worsen the problem was simply not to acknowledge it. And that's what he did; to the best of his ability of course. Cautiously, his rough hand took hold of the small, silver spoon resting next to his bowl. The flirtatious millionare took note that his hand was shaking, but composed himself, trying to settle his nerves. An object of his affections had never before made him this on edge. It couldn't be only Holly J. Was it the doctors, who's judging eyes watched his every move as if he were a mouse they'd poisoned? Perhaps. Or maybe, it was the absence of his twin. Fiona was always late, but, as every day passed, she seemed to lose herself more and more. Declan would never voice his concern to her; the last thing she needed was thinking that her own brother thought of her as deranged. Sighing, he cleared his head and noticed that as his mind had left reality, his hand had taken a spoonful of the sickening oatmeal. Not wanting to upset the doctors or inform Holy J of how uneasy he truly was, he brought the spoon to his mouth and forced the oatmeal into his mouth and then down his throat.

The taste made him want to cringe, but he didn't. Every morning, their routine was the same. First the meds, then the oatmeal, followed by school and chores and if they were lucky, some time to relax without being monitored as if they were criminals. The brunet just guessed that he'd gotten used to the vile oatmeal, the long, tedious hours of schoolwork, followed by the chores the doctors were too lazy to do themselves. No one else here seemed as willing to adapt though, as far as Declan knew. Clare followed the rules, but she seemed to do so out of fear; and, it was no secret that Holly J herself loathed this place and the doctors that lead it. His thoughts and willingness to conform made Declan actually question his sanity. Hmm...it seemed that irony really did have a tendency of cruelity.

Clearing his throat, he felt the need to clear the silent, eerie air between him and Holy J. His mind warned him against it, but, being the stubborn adolescent he was, he disregarded common sense and the plan he'd formed only minutes ago just to temporarily dismiss the quiet between him and the strawberry blonde reluctantly eating beside him. "So... do you any brothers or sisters?" Declan asked, trying his best to keep his tone controlled and casual. Any inquiry about a person's backstory made the doctors spring into action. They were only standing a few feet away; if they misjudged his question, he'd be transfered, or worse. But, the heir to the famous Coyne fortune didn't care much, if at all. Something deep down inside of him, though nearly impossible to identify, told him Holly J was worth it.

Then, a voice rang in his head. It was familiar, and for a brief moment, he thought the overachiever he'd found himself smitten with had somehow entered his head. No...it wasn't her. Declan smiled softly, relieved when he identified the voice in his head as Fiona. When she contacted him through their thoughts, it almost always caught him off guard. The player always hated feeling jumpy and vulnerable, but, he guessed these were some of the pro's and con's that came with being a twin. His fear for Fiona returned as he processed what she'd said, or, thought to him. The elder twin had half a mind to return with a suspicious package of thoughts, but stopped. If he was going to discover more about what his sister was up to, he'd have to be subtle. Fiona was delicate, maybe even morso to Holly J. And she was important to him. He couldn't afford to lose her, especially now.

"Morning Fifi," he thought back after a moment's pause. "Wherever you are, hurry. It's me, Holly J and the doctors. Not really the fluffy, romantic-esque moment I had in mind for this morning." Hopefully, Fiona would understand what he meant. He'd been planning to meet Holly J for some time now; and this, definitely wasn't the way he pictured alone time with her would be, at all.

{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}

Adam's veins always seemed to be flowing with fear and paranoia. It'd really always been that way. Perhaps it was just the price he had to pay for his unique lifestyle. He really couldn't find a clue when it came to his emotions. But...he'd quickly discovered that a friendly smile could seemingly solve any problem. So, he was always careful not to reveal his real thought process. The truth was, the future frightened him more than anything imaginable. Nearly every day his mother visited, pressuring him to recover and to get himself let out of this madhouse. But...what if he never got the chance to leave? Would he just have to come to terms with the fact that every shred of his old life had to be abandoned? The misfit was lost and scared. He wasn't positive how Eli and Declan just cruised through each and every day, seemingly without a care in the world.

Shaking those grotesque thoughts away, he smiled and nodded his head enthusiastically, listening to Clare's response. Her parents probably loved her with all their hearts; they probably assumed a good education was what she needed. Sometimes, Adam though his mother only wanted him to succeed so he wouldn't disgrace the name she'd made for their family. Still, it was nice to hear that Clare had some sort of plan for the future. The brunet assumed not many of them actually did, save for Holly J. But, something told him that the brunette walking beside him was truly a good person. She wanted to help people and put others first; someone like her didn't deserve to be sentenced to this terrifying, horrific life. Adam felt sorry that she was stuck here now. Everyone deserved a normal life...whatever that meant.

"My mom's pretty strict, so I guess I can relate," he finally responded casually, with a shrug. He wasn't terribly smart, but, for most of his life, he'd been pressured to keep a low profile. That, Adam believed, made his mother a tad strict. Dismissing the thought, he returned his attention to Clare and offered her another friendly smile. "Helping people is definitely cool, though," the misfit continued happily. "Very Saint-like of you." Right after meeting the brunette, he'd quickly noticed she had many kind, caring and loyal qualities. When he mentioned her to Eli, he often referred to her as 'Saint Clare' which of course,

Adam found a tad funny. But, he'd never mention what his gothic friend had said to him, regarding her. "Me?" He still thought her question was odd. He'd never pondered such a question before. "I just honestly want to get through this," the young man finally answered, still walking with Clare casually. "I've thought about maybe being a musician, or even a scientist." He wasn't very talented, but Adam did want to improve his skills on the bass, and though he didn't like to admit it, he was a science nerd back at his school. Either career would satisfy him; but first, the misfit knew he'd have to get out of this madhouse.

His ears stood in attention as a sound of eerie, deep footsteps flooded the hall previously inhabited only by him and Clare. His smalt pupils dilated in surprise as they took into consideration that a third figure was now pacing the hallways, heading right towards them. Eli normally was out of their room this early, but, here he was, probably walking to breakfast. The doctors did always hate it when he arrived to breakfast late, which was normally every moment. The odd youth always reminded his rebellious friend that eventually, his acts of rebellion and resistance would eventually land him in trouble, but Eli, being the stubborn individual he was, never cared to listen. Adam was pleased to see him up and about though. Perhaps his roomate was finally taking his advice. The last thing he wanted was to see his good friend transferred... or worse.

Eli passed them remaining silent, as usual. He really only spoke to Adam when they were in the privacy of their own room. But, his stare had thrown the misfit off balance, oddly enough. His olive eyes were glazed with mystery, as usual, but he gave Adam a quick glance before setting his sight on Clare. Without a word, he kept walking, almost as if he and Clare didn't exist. The brunet found the moment to be eerie and awkward, but Eli had a tendency of appearing frightening. Deep down, he was a good guy; hopefully Clare wouldn't judge him too quickly. When they were alone, Eli often asked him how Clare was, and he seemed to be secretly curious about her story; for some reason or another, it appeared that he wanted to know why the kind Christian girl was here, in Lockheart House. Eli knew discussing such things was forbidden, but, it definitely wasn't the first time he showed a complete disregard for the house's rules.

"Ignore Eli," Adam finally spoke up to Clare, once he was positive Eli was far enough down the hall and out of earshot. He sent a hand through his terracotta, short hair, chuckling nervously as he feared this moment was growing a bit too awkward for his tastes. "He's kind of a drama queen... not to mention he said he didn't sleep well last night." Had he said too much? Eli hated letting others now what was going on inside his head. Hopefully Clare wouldn't think much of his words.

{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}

Eli was beginning to drown in his thoughts; sitting alone in his bed wasn't doing much to help him escape from thinking about his nightmare from the previous night. Isolationism was normally his social policy here, and, he loved arriving late for breakfast. But, something told him he should arrive one time this certain morning; he wasn't sure if Adam's warnings were finally getting to him, but, all the gothic rebel knew was that he wanted to be away from his room and from his racing thoughts. The Goth certainly didn't look forward to the disgusting oatmeal, the big, sickening pill or the suspicious eyes of those demonic doctors, but, he had to take some action to clear his head.

So, he stood. He slowly made his way across the small room he shared with Adam and walked out of the open door, shutting it gently behind him. Eli started to make his down the halls, heading near the stairs so he could finally confront another torturous day in this living nightmare. His eyes faced forward, but, he felt out of touch with reality; it was like he couldn't see a thing in front of him. The gothic misfit felt like a ghost, hovering in limbo, with his cries for help falling on deaf ears. But, his senses finally tuned back into reality when he noticed two figures, walking only a few feet in front of him. Eli stopped for a moment as he realized he was about to collide with them. One of them turned around to face him and he realized it was Adam. The other was a girl, that new one...Clare. She simply fascinated him, as he'd told his roomate once or twice before. But, he hadn't gathered up the courage or a strong enough will to actually speak to her.

Slowly, Eli passed them. He eyed Adam for only a moment, before his eden gaze traveled to Clare's cerulean eyes. Something about her was already different, he could tell. She was set aside from Holly J, Fiona, and even Fitz, Adam and Declan. He wanted to learn more about her, see what made her tick, even learn why she was here. The Goth made his best effort to keep his gaze an enigma; Clare seemed smart; if she could actually read him, that make him feel vulnerable and childish. Of course, he'd never admit this to anyone, not even Adam. Time seemed to stop as he rested his eyes on hers. Eli wanted desperately to read her expression and find out what was going on in her head. His thinking process was a tad hypocritical. He wanted to learn others, but refused to let others learn him if he had something to say about it.

Finally, the nonconformist realized time hadn't frozen; it was more like he had frozen. So, with one, last quick glance at Clare, he set his gaze forward on the hall ahead and continued down the hall, approaching the stairs. Eli descended the stairs, envy towards Adam raising up in his body. He was jealous of his roomates ability to make friends and learn people. Always, the pale youth preferred being isolated from others, with as little social interaction with possible. But, once, momentary glance at Clare was already making him feel differently. Life in the madhouse had just gotten much more complicated.

[AppleMistress]

Holly J concentrated her wide set of blue eyes on the glass of water that was sitting on the table before her, watching as the sunlight gleamed against its smooth surface, giving the spare drops of the liquid trailing down the sides a golden rim. She didn’t know exactly why she was taking in so much detail when she stared at the cup, it was most likely to calm her meanderingly haywire nerves that were literally about to drive her over the wall. She’d noticed Declan’s obvious displeasure; his hand was shaking, for goodness sake. Did she really make him that uncomfortable? Was there something in her teeth? Or was it the doctors? The oatmeal? And then she comprehended these thoughts of hers, and felt like laughing at herself. Was she really going to feel self-conscious over what Declan thought of her? Why did she care what he thought?

Siblings. His question brought her back into the real world, and she used this as an excuse to let go of her spoon. She was still a little uneasy about eating that disgusting grub, and she would take talking to Declan over eating it any day. Even if it was merely petty chat about her family. She kept her eyes away, almost afraid of letting him read her. Siblings. Yes, she had a sibling. One sister, in fact. A conniving, popular bitch that was as mean as a queen bee could be.
“Heather. An older sister.” Holly J specified, realizing that she hadn’t answered Declan’s question by merely thinking about her. “She wasn’t very nice… Let’s just say that I think you’re lucky that you have Fiona.” She stifled the slightest smile to brighten the mood. She wasn’t going to bad-mouth her bad example of a sister in front of the doctors, it wasn’t really even her place to do that in the first place. And driving way too deep into her family background wasn’t really something she wanted to do. Even an overachiever like herself could have dusty old skeletons in her closet.

After some time passed, she gained enough strength to manage a discreet glance in Declan’s direction. There wasn’t much room for conversation, and she was sure that he knew that just as well as he did. The doctors had this way of making everyone uncomfortable—even Eli, the isolated kid who acted like he didn’t give a shit about anything. Holly J had been in the house long enough to know this by now—along with the fact that she could excellently overanalyze situations.

She blushed and turned in fear that Declan would catch her looking at him. She braced her taste buds as she drew her hand towards her spoon, and slowly shoveled a bite of the steaming oatmeal in her mouth. She scrunched her nose and shut her eyes as she slowly forced it down her throat. What a pleasant way to start the morning.

------------------------------------------------------------------

Clare watched Eli’s retreating figure, awestruck and petrified. She felt as though her breath was caught in her throat and her feet were glued to the floor. It took her a moment or two to start functioning normally again before she could turn her head to look at Adam. “Indecent sleep seems like a common custom around here.” She noted with a somewhat sad smile before turning to look in the direction that the mysterious young man had just taken. There was something about him that struck her as interesting. It wasn’t his all-black wardrobe or his threatening aura. There was just something about him that intrigued her—and she couldn’t really put her finger on why that was quite yet. It seemed as though he had a history with a lot of depth. She blinked a few times, pondering Adam’s words for a moment. “He doesn’t seem like a bad guy, really. I’d talk to him, but I think he wouldn’t want me around.” She’d read books about people who isolated themselves, after all. They usually deemed goody-two shoes people like her annoying and pushed them away. Of course, thinking like that was also a little judgmental and stereotypical, so she didn’t know what to think of him at that point. She’d only known him for a week, anyway. That wasn’t really long enough to start acting really friendly around him.

Clare tried to shake off her dumbfounded expression, deciding that acting this way would probably make Adam feel a little uncomfortable. She twiddled with her fingers nervously, trying to think of a good topic to help get their minds off of the surreal encounter with Eli they’d previously endured. Deciding it’d be best to start walking again as she thought this over, she took a single step forward.

And then the flashes started. It was unusual for them to spread before her eyes when she was merely engaging in a conversation with a friend, though, so it took her by surprise. The images were terrible, as they normally were. They went by so quickly that she could hardly comprehend them, but they still managed to make her head bristle with pain. Having weird visions like this was always a somewhat traumatic experience—but she’d encountered these visions so many times that she thought she’d grow used to them by then. Her heart pounded like a jungle drum in her chest, and she suddenly feared what Adam would think. She was temporarily blinded by the visions and flashes, she just couldn’t see a thing. And for some reason, she didn’t want to inform the doctors of this occurrence—she didn’t want anybody to worry. Her hands trembled a little, and she turned.

“S-sorry, Adam. I think… I think I left something behind in my room. You can go on ahead, I’ll be down there soon.” She managed to gasp out before stumbling down the opposite way. Luckily the hall wasn’t complicated with a bunch of turns and corners, she just felt the need to get away as soon as she possibly could. The last thing she wanted was to make Adam feel concern for her—and she also didn’t want to have to explain what was happening to her.

When she could tell she was far enough away from Adam to be seen, she managed to calm herself a little. But the images wouldn’t stop. Like a quickly paced slideshow, the flashes depicted images of broken windows, fists and legs lashing out, guns, gory scenes… Things that she didn’t want to recollect. She didn’t want to think of unpleasant things like those, nor did she want to see them. But they wouldn’t go away, not even if she closed her eyes. It wasn’t fair, and there was nothing she could do about it. She just had to get better—she’d have to make it stop somehow.

------------------------------------------------------

Fiona pressed her glossed lips together in a thin line as she listened intently to her brother’s response in her head. It was always nice to hear him respond, it was nice to know that he could hear her voice, even when they were apart. Declan was her heart and soul, he was literally her other half. She couldn’t even imagine living a life without him by their side. He was there for her when she needed him, and she returned the favor as well. They had each other’s backs, and that really meant the world to her. Her brother was probably one of the only people on the whole planet that believed she wasn’t a total basketcase.

‘Ew, a doctor infested kitchen. Alright. I’m on my way over now to save you from the awkwardness.’ Fiona thought back flightily. She laced her fingers together as she stretched her arms out in front of her, glancing around the rec room for a mere moment before eyeing the door. She exited the room silently, looking back at the couch where she managed to hide her sketchbook before finally moving down the hall that stretched before her.

She walked carefully, afraid that any false or oddball-like moment would reveal her secret. She was still slightly hungover and drowsy, and she hoped with all her heart that no one would notice. She could already tell that both Holly J and Declan were worried for her—though both were hesitant and fearful to confront the problem. Fiona was pleased at this, as she could carry out with her self-medication habits without having to fret over what her brother and current best friend thought of it. As long as her little champagne addiction was kept a secret, everything was cool.

[DracoMalfoy]

Declan was hesitant to speak, which was definitely a first for him. As far he knew, he had not particular talent besides always having the right words to say resting on his lips. But now was entirely different; this moment in time was shaking his foundation and threatening to disrupt the stability of his core. Anxiety was a rare case in the teenager; but now, the presence of silence was so thin that he feared Holly J and even the doctors could hear his heart, pumping rapidly as if trying to escape the confides of his chest. Oxygen was being inhaled into his mouth at an excessive rate. What was it about sitting here that was throwing him so far off balance? There were many girls in the past he’d fancied; all of them were uptight, elegant and nearly impossible to tame. If anything, a girl like Holly J Sinclair would be much easier to court, but, something about her very presence was causing Declan to lose his calm demeanor. Perhaps, the heir to the Coyne fortune thought, it wasn’t just the strawberry blonde sitting next to him causing him emotional discomfort.

Hearing his sister’s voice in his head was a normal occurrence; there wasn’t a single thing wrong with that. It was just, as every day passed, his concern for his twin grew. He and Fiona talked often of course, but she never revealed any secrets, concerns or lies to him. According to her, she was getting along in this home just as well as he was. But, Declan was beginning to discover that appearances and words weren’t always as they seemed. Every morning, Fiona was late for breakfast. Had the doctors noticed her frequent tardiness? The adolescent had driven himself to paranoia regarding the doctors. He feared one small mistake would sentence him to some form of radical punishment. He’d heard stories of patients transferred, and he didn’t want to be separated from Fiona. A recurring nightmare for him was Fiona being taken away because of refusal to show up when called. Also, sometimes she seemed dizzy and a bit out of touch with reality. Declan could offer no excuse of explanation for this. More often than not, he was worried for his sister. Call it genuine care of suspicion, but without Mother and Father to watch over them, they were responsible for each other.

A realization then hit him. Holly J and Fiona were as close as two patients could be in this home. Perhaps there was something his twin was telling her that she hadn’t told him. In the past, Fiona had often had trouble making friends; that was no secret. But, both girls seemed to be close friends. They shared a room, spent most of their free time hours together and even studied together. So, Declan’s genuine care/suspicion tempted him to ask Holly J about his sister. Turning his head to face her, he opened his mouth and muttered a single syllable before snapping his mouth shut. Was he mad! Probably. The doctors were merely a few feet away. If something was truly wrong with Fiona, they’d send her away before he could blink his cesious eyes. And he’d be to blame.

Embarrassed and now worried that the doctors were suspicious of him, Declan turned his head back to face his disgusting oatmeal shamefully. Before Holly J could voice any concern and tempt him to continue the subject, he swallowed the lump in his throat and muttered a “never mind,” probably with his tone icy and filled to the brim with shame. Suddenly, the telepath remembered that the strawberry blonde had mentioned having an older sister. He was going to reply to her words, agree with her that he was lucky to have Fiona, but, now, the air between them was far too awkward, he feared.

And also, he heard Fiona’s voice in his head. His words made him smile and chuckle under his breath. Declan didn’t care much of what the doctors thought of this; they were convinced that everyone in this house was mad anyways, and they knew well about his “connection” with Fiona. So hopefully, his actions wouldn’t land him in any trouble. He was overjoyed to have this connection with his younger twin. She seemed to complete him, in a way. They were close; probably too close for other’s comfort, but that didn’t bother him in the least. In general, he viewed the brunette as his closest friend. ”Thanks Fifi, I owe you one! Careful though; the doctors seem upset this morning.” It was best to warn her. The doctors seemed to watch her carefully. And, Declan could just feel their beady penetrating his skull. If his senses were correct, they were already judging him and Holly J strictly; there was no telling how they’d examine Fiona, Eli and Fitz this morning. They also seemed to have taken a keen interest in Clare. Sending a hand through his chestnut hair, he groaned quietly. What were these doctors up to? Their intentions didn’t seem as black and white as they claimed.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

Adam cocked his head and raised an eyebrow; his mind was swimming with both confusion and curiosity. Out of everyone here, he was almost positive he knew Eli the best and as far as he knew, his roommate had never taken an interest in anyone else here as he had just done for Clare. In private, he spoke of her often, but he didn’t seem like the type to let her know that. The stare he’d given her was almost vampiric. But, hearing Clare’s words made him smile lightly. Little did she know that Eli probably wouldn’t mind that, but he wouldn’t be the one to tell her. Oddly, the misfit had discovered he was skilled at keeping secrets. What wasn’t his business was simply that, and nothing more. But, the misfit thought others would expect otherwise of him as he did often enjoy talking. Pushing the thought away, he turned to Clare, but, his smile quickly faded.

She’d taken a step forward, but something seemed off about her. It appeared as if she was almost in pain. Adam normally wasn’t good with diagnoses, but it seemed like someone was flashing a bright light in front of her, or something along those lines. His pale face was instantly painted with panic and he was about to run down the hall to alert a doctor. What else could he do? But… he hesitated when she spoke. Something inside him triggered and he felt that she wasn’t being honest. She seemed upset or in pain, but, he kept himself from questioning her retreating figure. If it had something to do with why she was here, he wasn’t allowed to ask anyways. Feeling sympathy for Clare, and also somewhat guilty, he turned his head and smiled sadly towards her, though she didn’t seem to be looking. “O-okay,” he called to her, still unsure about this ordeal. “…See you down there.”

The oddball was about to turn and head back down the hall. The stairs were only a few feet away, but, he was hesitant to head down to breakfast. Knowing the other patients well enough, he was sure only Declan and Holly J were downstairs eating breakfast. It wasn’t that he disliked either of them, it was just that sometimes he feared they disliked him. Holly J almost always seemed to be giving a look of disgust and being a Coyne, Declan seemed unapproachable. That wasn’t how his sister Fiona seemed though; judging by the brief glances he often made at her when she wasn’t noticing, she seemed fun and easy to speak to. As if by coincidence, his cerulean gaze that had been focused on the retreating Clare caught sight of Fiona. Like his saintly friend, she seemed a bit off as well. The brunette seemed to be walking carefully and slowly, as if afraid of falling.

He was probably caring a bit too much, but that didn’t bother Adam. He’d never gotten an opportunity to talk to Fiona; Declan and Holly J were literally with her at all times. But, now was the time to officially meet her, and Adam knew he shouldn’t think so selfishly; it seemed as if she needed some help, or something. Finally making the decision to try and help her, the misfit walked quickly down the hall until he stood next to her.

“Fiona, are you alright? You seem off,” Adam said to her calmly, with a look of concern on his face and worry in his tone. After the words left his mouth, he debated whether or not he should’ve said them. Perhaps Fiona wanted some alone time, where she didn’t have to deal with anyone else. If that was the case, he hoped he hadn’t ruined it. “Or, I can go…if you need some space.” Great, he was probably making a terrible first impression with the younger Coyne twin.

…………………………………………………………………………………..

Mark Fitzgerald, or “Fitz” as he preferred let out an annoyed groan as he finally forced himself out of bed. The wakeup call for this place was much, much too early for his tastes. It was probably too early for everyone’s tastes. But, that didn’t stop the doctors from scheduling their wakeup times. If you asked him, they woke up too early, took too many pills, had classes for too long and went to too early. The tall, threatening young man hated absolutely every last thing about this place, from the medicine, to the people. It didn’t take a genius to figure out that Fitz wasn’t the type for social interaction. No, no, he preferred his privacy and his personal space. Lucky for him, the snobby Coyne kid didn’t enjoy talking to him either. Just another loser in this place, but, the bully enjoyed him over that pussy, Adam. Someone needed to set that bastard straight; well, a more suitable word for him was bitch, probably. The thought made the pale boy laugh, as he moved to his side of the closet he shared with Declan.

Not really caring much for what he wore, Fitz pulled out a t-shirt that was probably dirty; he didn’t wash his clothes as often as everyone else. And, then, he picked up a pair of jeans from his floor that were old and ripped. He changed quickly as he felt his stomach rumble. In annoyance, he sent a hand through his brown hair. Though he was starving, he was in no hurry to head downstairs. All they served was goddamn oatmeal which was disgusting, if you asked him. And then, they forced them all to swallow huge pills. And normally, the doctors watched them eat. All of them glared at him as if he was about to shoot or stab someone at the table. God, they were worse than his parents.

But, his stomach seemed to be getting the better of him. Oatmeal was vomit, he swore to God it was, but, eating it would probably force his stomach to shut up for a few hours. Fitz stepped out of his shared room with Declan, cracking his knuckled and neck. Not too far down the hall, he spotted Adam talking with Declan’s sister, but, he paid no mind to them. Starting trouble was normally his specialty, but, the way the doctors disciplined them all here, his moves always had to be minor; nothing too big that could land him transferred. But, his first day in this mental house, the bully had silently sworn revenge on Adam for getting him thrown in here. The second those creepy doctors turned their backs, he’d make that freak of nature wish he was never born.

Fitz was left with his self proclaimed “pleasant” thoughts down the hall, but a sound tore him from the solitude of his mind and back into reality. His eyes caught sight of Clare who was only a few feet away. For some reason, she seemed upset. It was almost as if something was going on inside of her. Normally, he wouldn’t give a shit about what was going on with the other kids in this place, but, he’d learned that all of them had some problem or another. And, Clare seemed to be the nicest person here. What had she done to upset him, besides making friends with Torres? Nothing much, really. So, deciding to be kind for once in his life, he ran over to her. She seemed lost in another world, as he often was. So, curiously, he waved his big hand in front of her face, curiously. “Edwards, you okay?” he asked, his tone rough, but the closest thing he could get to caring.

[AppleMistress]

Fiona warily bit her lip as she registered Declan’s words. If the doctors were going to study her narrowly, she’d be in trouble. They’d know something was wrong if they watched vigilantly enough, after all. And for some reason, the eccentric brunette felt as though the doctors kept watch on her just a little more than they did everyone else. That was probably just paranoia getting the best of her, though. Everyone probably felt as though they were being watched intently. The doctors’ beady eyes were hard to ignore, after all.

She watched her shoes as she walked. They were expensive boots that her mother had recently gotten her. She knew that her mother had good intentions when she sent her to this house; but Fiona couldn’t help but feel as though everything about this strange house was a lie. The doctors’ emotions were always confusing—she sensed some discomfort and secrecy from them. The only thing that really kept her sane was the champagne in the cellar, and Declan.

Fiona then realized that she drowned so deep in her thoughts that she was basically ignoring Adam, who was walking alongside her without her even comprehending his presence. She blushed slightly, feeling a little bad. Her told her she didn’t look well. If he noticed and Holly J noticed, she was sure everyone else would too. She needed to cheer herself up somehow. Of course, Adam’s bashfulness just then managed to bring a shy smile to her features. Adam was a really sweet guy, after all. It was a shame that she couldn’t speak to him as often. If she wasn’t with Declan, Holly J was usually by her side. Clare, Fitz, Eli, and Adam received the least of her attention. But as she’d been at the house for quite a long time, she knew by then that Adam was undeniably sweet. If Holly J wasn’t around, she would’ve probably taken the chance to get to know him a little better.

Talking to someone else was probably better for her than listening to her own meandering thoughts. Adding a little bounce to her step, she tried to look a little more casual as she jumped at her chance to distract herself from her troubling thoughts.

“I’d stay in my room if I needed any space, Adam.” She informed him in the cheeriest sounding voice she could manage, hoping that she was coming off in a friendly manner. “Thanks for the concern, but I’m fine. Just tired. Sleep deprivation seems to be a huge problem in this house, after all.” This was true, anyway. Her encounter with Clare earlier, along with her experiences through the weeks and weeks that she’d stayed at this house were enough to prove this theory true. It was hard to get any sleep when you knew you were sleeping under the same roof as those creepy doctors. That was how Fiona saw it, anyway.

“I wish we kept some kind of pet in this house.” Fiona trailed off the subject quickly as she thought of the kitchen that they were approaching. “I’d feed it all of my oatmeal from under the table. We should sign a petition or something—I think we all deserve real food, don’t you think so?”

The brunette was sure that she was jittery just because she was trying way too hard to get over her drowsiness. And being around Adam just but her in high spirits—something about his kind attitude was contagious. Plus, she was trying hard to diminish every doubt that screamed that she wasn’t okay. She needed to make casual and light-hearted conversation; she needed to feel happy enough to shape a mask that would please the doctors. And she needed to do this quickly; considering they were nearing the kitchen faster with every step they took. Her stomach did back flips of nervousness as she neared the door, waiting apprehensively beside it. She’d let Adam answer her question before they ventured on inside, after all. If the doctors heard her complaints about breakfast, they’d probably claim that she was being moody or something along the lines of that. The last thing she wanted to do was to raise the doctor’s suspicions even more.

Growing a little uneasy with her question in the air, Fiona decided to say something more. “Before I came to the house, I had a pet pig named Porcelina. She was such a sweetheart.” Fiona swayed gently, holding her arms out in front of her as she smiled at Adam gently. Weirdly enough, it seemed so easy to talk to him.

///////////////////////////////////////////*\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Clare swallowed the bile that began to rise in her throat as she let out ragged breaths. She squeezed her eyes shut tighter, wishing that the images would fade away. There were footsteps… a voice… Was someone standing in front of her? She turned her head away from the direction of the voice, cringing in fear that one of the doctors had approached her.

She opened her eyes slowly, and to her relief, the last image began to fade away. Black dots danced before her eyes, and then slowly scattered away, revealing the blurry view of the hallway. She turned her head towards the figure that had approached her, only to notice that it had been Fitz all along. Adam had told her several times to stay away from him… But something about his tone made him sound concerned. Had he approached her out of kindness? The taller young man had absolutely no reason to be nice to her, but he chose to do so anyway. She blinked a few times, dumbfounded at her situation. What were Fitz’s motives?

Panic quickly swept across her gentle features, her heart pounding in her chest like a jungle drum. “Please, please don’t tell the doctors.” She started worriedly before biting her lower lip. While studying his features, she could see that Fitz seemed kind of… curious. And for some reason, she just felt the absolute need to explain to him what had just happened to her. But she couldn’t. The doctors didn’t approve, and she knew well that Adam wouldn’t approve either. Of course, she wasn’t going to treat Fitz terribly just because he had a bad past with Adam. Considering he showed her the slightest bit of concern, she was convinced that he wasn’t half the bad person everyone thought him to be.

She swallowed, shifting on her feet nervously. “T-this happens… um… from time to time. It’s nothing, really.” She attempted to explain herself, fearing that he’d ask her more about what had just happened. Fitz didn’t seem like the type to rat her out to the doctors, though. The good-natured brunette inwardly told herself to stop worrying so much about it. She was probably just overanalyzing the situation. He probably found her frightened behavior annoying.

The jumpy girl looked down sheepishly as she fiddled with her forefingers before looking back up at the taller young man with her innocent pale blue eyes. She managed a crooked and somewhat nervous smile. “Can we just say this never happened?” she inquired with anticipation, hopeful that the brown-haired young man standing before her would agree to her proposition.
Clare took time to take in Fitz’s features when he was standing in front of her. Within the week she had stayed there, he was probably one of the people aside from Eli that she’d never really talked to. He was tall and had large hands—she could see why he’d seem intimidating to most. His expression was usually firm and somewhat irked—but weirdly enough, he seemed just a little inquisitive when he looked down at her. That struck her as strange, and it almost gave her a little faith that he was a better person than everyone thought he was.

She sighed as she awaited a response from him, thinking back to those dreadful images. The things she saw almost always happened—did that mean something dangerous was approaching? And then she’d picked The Tower from her tarot deck earlier that morning as well. The house wasn’t giving her good vibes—neither were the observant doctors. She couldn’t help but feel a little suspicious. She hung her head, closing her eyes as she let out a defeated breath. What could she do about any of this? She was a newbie—a mouse of a girl who always followed the rules. The others would probably laugh at her if she told them about her visions. Perhaps they’d think she was exaggerating her visions to get more attention. Just thinking about their reactions lowered her spirits.

[DracoMalfoy]

Adam kept silent for a few moments; he wasn’t almost too frightened to speak. He’d never held an official conversation with Fiona Coyne, so, he inwardly feared he’d say something to mess up this moment. Not only was she a beautiful girl, but, from afar, he’d concluded that she was kind too. She defied the stereotypes of a rich girl and her eccentric personality was amusing and wonderful to him. Since his first days at the house, he’d wanted to speak with her; it was odd that he’d suddenly gathered up the courage to do so. Her actions left him curious though. Every morning, she was a few minutes late for breakfast; what priority did she have that came before reporting to the doctors? Adam knew it was wrong to stick his nose in other people’s business, in fact, it was strictly forbidden here, but, the misfit felt curiosity swirling up inside his mind. He wouldn’t ask her though; Fiona seemed as if she was trying to keep something from him anyways.

He lacked her hidden skill of perception, but in that brief moment of time, he wished he could secretly pry into her thoughts and see what the brunette was truly thinking. He’d trade his.. ability, if it could be called that, away for anything. But, Adam remembered they were all here for one reason or another. He wasn’t the only one with a problem, per say. The young boy just harbored this feeling that no one, not even the doctors were being completely truthful about everything. Deceit frightened him; it was always used to cover up a skeleton no one wanted to burry.

A smile came to his small face as he noticed an extra cheerful bounce suddenly in Fiona’s step. Had he done that? The outcast didn’t want to think so; a cocky head would only bring him down in the future. Still, it was nice to see her cheerful. Fiona’s joke lightened up his mood significantly. He laughed and a bright red blush appeared on his pale cheeks just for a minute. A pet and some good food would make this place seem more like a home and less like a haunted mansion. This place was eerie in every sense of the word. Sometimes, Adam feared he’d open a closet and find a dead body. Though not much took place here, it was almost like starring in his own horror movie. “I could definitely go for a pet!” he replied ecstatically as the two walked side by side. His mother wouldn’t have it; she’d deem it a distraction and scold him for having the idea. But, the glimpses he’d gotten of Mrs. Coyne when she came to visit her children told him she wouldn’t mind it in the least. He just wondered if the doctors would be against having a house pet.

And edible food… oh God, what he wouldn’t give for some. The doctors’ oatmeal was disgusting; the only thing it was good for was covering up the bitter taste of those giant pills with its own poisonous flavor. Then, their snacks were fruit and vegetables. Healthy choices were okay now and okay, but, he was a teenage boy. Eli said his parents didn’t believe in healthy choices; pizza and fast food where all he used to eat before coming here. Adam could barely remember eating junk like that. It’d be nice to have…just once. “If they got bored of treating people like us, the doctors could open up some kind of health clinic,” he remarked with a role of sky blue eyes. “I’d sign any petition that argued for our rights.” Fiona and her brother were probably used to sushi, caviar and all kinds of extravagant dishes from around the world. Oatmeal, carrots and celery were a leap down for everyone, he presumed.

Adam suddenly couldn’t help but smile. Talking with Fiona was better than he ever thought it’d be. Like she’d said only moments ago; insomnia was a common disease amongst them all. Sleep hadn’t been so willing to meet him last night. Everyone was tired, and Fiona’s light hearted conversation took his thoughts off how tired he was, or how eerily creepy everything about this place was. The Coyne daughter was a ray of sunshine that could even brighten a mental institution, he supposed.

As the two of them approached the door to the kitchen, the misfit was a little nervous. The doctors’ had eyes like hawks and under their suits, he assumed they had talons fit for eagles. Just being under their gaze while he ate made him want to be sick. They knew everything about him; vulnerability wasn’t a comfortable state for him to be in. Adam didn’t trust a soul in the world with what the doctors had learned about him in ten minutes. The only thing he enjoyed about their creepy supervisors was that they were often silent. The outcast lowered his voice, also fearing the doctors had heard his complaints about the food. If any of them showed any form of displeasure, they were scolded in some way. He hated to admit it, but his time in the house and with the doctors had just about scared him into submission. The only ones who weren’t left intimidated by the doctors’ observing gazes were Fitz and Eli. Truthfully, that was the only thing he envied about the two.

He was pulled from his thoughts as he heard Fiona speak again. Her words caused him to snicker and his ocean painted eyes brightened at her words. Adam hoped she wouldn’t take his laughing the wrong way, but something about what she said was almost…cute. No, strike that, it was cute. “A pet pig?” he asked her, making sure he’d heard her correctly. His mother had never really allowed him to have a pet in the past. And something about the name Porcelina was oddly hilarious, but adorable at the same time. “Well, it’s official, I envy you now,” he joked, offering her another friendly smile.

It was suddenly that a thought popped up in his head. When he’d first saw Fiona in the hall, she looked as if she were dizzy or sick. But suddenly, she was cheerful and starting casual conversation with him as if they’d been friends since his first day at the house. Their conversation had done a fantastic job of wiping his memory of his first sight of Fiona Coyne this morning. Had that been her intention? Adam Torres wasn’t one to be paranoid often, but this house did crazy things to its residents. Maybe, just maybe, Fiona was hiding something from him.

…I should have known it was all a Lie…

Fitz always kept a low profile around the house. He only left his room when he absolutely had to, he never did his homework or participated during their school lessons and most people kept their distance from him. Every now and then, the doctors would ask him to talk to them, open up or some other crap like that, but he never complied of course. It wasn’t that he was scared, just incredibly pissed at all hours of the day. Being stuck in the same house with someone like Adam drove him up the wall. Maybe that was his bias speaking, but, all of the others pushed his buttons in unique ways. Declan and Fiona…they were creepy twins. The bully didn’t have a sibling to speak of, but their bond was what one could call inappropriate. Eli just aggravated him for no reason. But Clare wasn’t so bad.

She was a sweet girl, one he thought they’d placed here by mistake. But, judging by what he’d just witnessed, Fitz concluded that she belonged here, just like they all did for one reason or another. Her panic had caught him off guard and the emotion in her voice actually caused him to flinch. Had he adjusted that much to silence? Apparently so. The only noise he heard daily was music blasting from his headphones. Social interaction wasn’t his forte. Any other day, the aggressive adolescent would’ve just walked right past Clare. So now, his own actions left him lost and curious. Why had he stopped to see if she was okay?

He most certainly wasn’t kind. Anyone who implied that would find their foot in their mouth. Perhaps this house was getting to him. It did strange things to people, or so he’d heard. But, Fitz kept silent as the grave as the small brunette in front of him spoke. He took all that she said in, his face showing no trace of emotion. Finally, he nodded and shrugged his giant shoulders. “You haven’t done a thing to me, why would I tell?” he responded with a rhetorical question. In general, he wasn’t one to run to an authority figure to tell. Most of the time, they wouldn’t believe him anyways. But, realistically speaking, Fitz made decisions judging on how much they’d profit him. Reporting Clare to those damn doctors wouldn’t profit him in the least. In fact, she was friends with Adam; getting her in trouble would only make that pussy even madder at him.

Her explanation aroused more interest in him though. Sharing stories was strictly forbidden here. And that was one rule that Fitz was determined to follow. He wasn’t interested in telling others how he landed in this hell hole, and he didn’t care how the others had gotten here as well. Her explanation was short and left much still to secrecy, which the bully assumed was fine. It was probably all he was going to get from Clare regarding the topic because she said next that she wanted him to forget it happened. The brunet didn’t care for others’ well being; if the doctors were being honest with them, they’d probably want to know what happened to Clare. But, if they ever did find out, it probably wouldn’t be from him. It wasn’t that he was going soft or anything like that, but the way the small brunette begged him to help keep her secret made him feel a tad guilty. She’d only been here a week now; she didn’t deserve any trouble with the doctors this early.

“As far as I’m concerned, I didn’t see a thing,” Fitz said to Clare with his voice lacking emotion like it usually did these days. He tried to judge the look on Clare’s face as he spoke, though. She was close with Adam, that wasn’t a secret. There was no telling what that freak had told her about him. Most of what Adam recollected about their past was exaggerated anyways. Fitz was curious if Clare was afraid of him because of what Adam had told her. She didn’t seem frightened with him the least, much to his surprise. It seemed that she was still focusing all of her energy on what had just happened to her. And, if she wasn’t scared of him, then Fitz had little reason to complain. He wasn’t looking for friends; no, not in the least, but, it was… refreshing to have someone here who didn’t watch him as if he were some starving cannibal. Clare was nice, maybe too nice for his tastes, but, this was the first civil conversation he’d had since arriving at this house.

The towering bully felt that he should just turn and walk away, leaving Clare to herself. He’d be true to his word if he did; he’d never speak of what he saw again and they could pretend like they’d never even spoken to each other before. But, the adolescent wondered if the small l girl was okay. Alright, this house had done a real number on him. Caring and feeling bad for people was a load of bullshit, but, in this madhouse, things were different, he presumed. So, he remained silent as if he were statue for a moment as he tried to conjure up something, anything to say to her. Adam wasn’t in sight, so, Fitz was glad his nemesis wouldn’t just show up and start a problem. Maybe he could afford to care just this once. No one had to know.

“So, you should be fine?” he finally asked, hating himself for sounding so concerned and kind. Someone might as well stamp ‘pussy’ on his head, but no one else was around to see. And both he and Clare promised to forget this ever happened, so what was the big deal? He remembered her saying just a moment ago that this happened often. Fitz hoped that meant she would be fine and didn’t need any help. As awful as it sounded, the bully wished he could just head down the hall for his nightmare of a breakfast and truly forget he saw anything. Seeing this only confirmed his suspicions that this house, and its patients just weren’t right.

[AppleMistress]

“Oh, no. No one should envy me.” Fiona started somewhat quietly, diverting her gaze in slight hope that her newfound companion didn’t hear what she’d just said. She chewed at her lower lip anxiously, her head spinning once more as an affect of the intoxicating liquid she ingested the night before. She perked up upon sensing a little confusion from Adam. The feeling made her look down at the ground in shame.

In order to hide her weary mistake, she wore a slight grin. “I really do miss her. I get lonely sometimes.” She says this solemnly before turning to the door, staring at it almost fearfully. Her heart tended to pound faster and faster when she thought of encountering the doctors in her discomfited state. “They said I was crazy. Sometimes it seemed like she was the only friend I had.” She added this for no particular reason without looking at Adam. Sighing, she pushed the door open, taking a few cautious steps inside the room.

The scent of oatmeal and medicine was uncomfortably strong now, making her wince in disapproval. But upon noticing Holly J and Declan sitting next to each other in awkward silence, an expression of relief washed over her pretty face.

“How’s breakfast?” she asks this casually in effort to ease the tension lurking in the air, ignoring the critical stares of the doctors as they immediately focused on her. She pulled out the chair next to Holly J, taking a seat next to her closest friend. Fiona directed her set of azure eyes at Adam for a moment before gesturing to the seat next to her, inviting him to sit next to her if he wanted to.

Holly J sent the brunette a look as though to ask ‘are you seriously asking us about how the oatmeal tastes?’ Fiona merely shrugged smiled innocently in reply.

“It’s great… Like it always is.” Holly J’s voice lacked enthusiasm; but it was enough to keep the doctors from knowing about how much she dreaded the steaming substance sitting in the bowl before her.
Fiona nodded her head, watching the large pill sitting in front of her for a moment. She pressed her lips together, taking a discreet glance at the doctors to make sure they weren’t looking at her before hastily slipping the large pill in her jacket pocket. Holly J, who was sitting next to the somewhat eccentric adolescent, noticed this. The blonde was somewhat taken aback, but said nothing about it.

Fiona could sense the what Holly J was feeling-- and she was afraid to deal with what sorts of questions her friend would bombard her with later on. Honestly, Fiona hated the pills. And they weren't doing anything to help her... She didn't trust those doctors either. She had her reasons for not taking the disgusting medicine.

Fiona looked up as soon as the pill was hidden well enough in her pocket, appearing to be completely ingenuous of the simple act she had just committed. She took a shy glance at Holly J, seeming to suspect her unease.

___________________________________________________________________________
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Clare lifted her head. She opened her wide set of pale blue eyes, which were glimmering in appreciation. She coiled one of her curls around her forefinger anxiously, still a little shaken by her vision. She shifted on her feet, looking down at the ground for a moment before looking back up at him.
“Thanks…” she sounded just a little lost, offering him a pleased and exasperated glance. He wasn’t going to bother her—he wasn’t so bad. Sure, he probably wasn’t the most polite person in the world, but he certainly had some decency. It was somewhat heartwarming to see.

The mousy adolescent offered Fitz a sideways smile after he inquired whether she’d be all right or not. She decided against mentioning that it was kind of him to show concern for her, deciding the last thing she wanted to do was embarrass him. He would stay out of her business, so it was best that she would stay out of his in return.

“I’m just a little shaken. I’ll be just fine in a few minutes.” She says this bashfully, rubbing the back of her head in a sheepish way as she looked off to the side. “You can go on ahead if you want. I’ll be on my way down soon anyways.”

Plus, if they entered the kitchen at the same time, it’d probably arouse a few questions. She was sure Fitz would want to avoid that. It’d be best if he went down first.

Fitz truly wasn't the bad guy that everyone thought he was. If she of all people could notice this, why couldn't anyone else? She noticed that the doctors tended to be on their guard whenever he was around-- and then Adam also seemed to have something against him. Now, Clare wasn't about to go picking sides, but she couldn't help but wonder about how both Adam and Fitz's stories intertwined. Of course, she didn't know him enough yet to paint an exact picture of the guy she thought of him as... But part of her almost hoped that she'd get to talk to him again. Of course, she'd never admit this little fact out loud. He just seemed rather ingenue... he seemed like he was misunderstood in some way or another. Perhaps it had something to do with his ability...

She shook her head. She couldn't be thinking of things like this... It was against the rules.

[DracoMalfoy]

Adam debated saying something to Fiona before she entered the kitchen. Among friends, he was quite social, but around new people and strangers, he preferred to keep quiet. He kept the emotions on his face neutral; he had heard her first words, but, quickly decided it was best to pretend he hadn’t. In this house, what people said often came back to haunt them in one way or another. He wouldn’t be responsible for causing Fiona any more turmoil. For a moment, he remained still and lifeless as if he were stone. He watched her enter the kitchen with cerulean eyes glazed in pity and curiosity.

“I don’t think you’re crazy Fiona.” His voice was nothing more than a whisper. She probably hadn’t heard it, and truth be told, the misfit hoped she hadn’t. They’d only began talking a few minutes ago. One opinion from a freak she met in a group home probably wouldn’t influence her. An awkward moment passed until Adam finally followed the Coyne sister into the kitchen. Like always, he kept silent. His entrance earned him a few glares from the doctors, but he disregarded them, as he did every morning. He noticed Eli was present, sitting at his usual end of the table. But then, he noticed Fiona offer him the open seat next to her. This made him smile like a child receiving a gift. Sending an apologetic glance towards Eli, Adam took the seat right next to Fiona and offered her a small smile.

He heard Holly J and Fiona exchange words and for a moment, he admired Holly J’s ability of voicing her hate for the oatmeal without telling the doctors so. Then, he felt a bit envious. The girls were so close; much closer than he could ever be with Fiona. Their friendship was probably simple. Two girls who just…clicked. But with him, everything would be complicated. Adam knew that was something he couldn’t change. He was pulled from his thoughts when he noticed Fiona slip her pill into her jacket pocket. He was too frightened to sneak a glance at the doctors, and he tried to keep his face plain. It was a shocking sight; none of them enjoyed taking the pills, but he didn’t think Fiona was the type to skip them.

The misfit knew Eli always skipped his pills; he was clever enough to get away with it. Adam didn’t think the medicine did anything to help them, but he took them anyways. He didn’t pay much attention to Fitz of course, but he paid enough to know that even his frightening enemy normally took them. He wouldn’t be the one to land Fiona in trouble, though. He kept silent, deciding that was possibly best. He didn’t even glance at the younger Coyne twin. He focused on his own disgusting pill sitting on the table right in front of him. Adam always dreaded this part of the morning. The pills tasted bitter and the disgusting oatmeal did nothing to help banish the taste. Still; if his mother found out he wasn’t taking his pills…well, he didn’t even want to think about that.

So, the adolescent grabbed the large pill, shoved it into his mouth and washed it down with his cup of water. He took a deep breath after he felt the pill land in his stomach. Wanting to replace the bitter taste of chemicals, he took a spoonful of oatmeal into his mouth, not caring in the slightest of its temperature. Even though he’d finally spoken to Fiona, Adam felt that this day wouldn’t be great. Breakfast was always terrible and their classes seemed to drag on. Then, he’d have to do his chores and homework. Despite being locked up in this home, the doctors still thought it was a good idea to work them a bit harder than normal kids in school.

Finally, the taste of the pill was replaced by the awful feeling and aftertaste of oatmeal. It was better; not by much, but it was better. He looked up, away from his bowl and over his friend Eli. The seat between them was open, and the misfit hoped Clare would take the spot, instead of Fitz. Thinking of his new friend, Adam wondered where she was and what had happened to her.

As if reading his mind, Eli spoke softly, hoping the other three wouldn’t hear him. “Where’s Clare?” he asked. The adolescent rolled his eyes playfully. Eli did often ask about her; sometimes though, Adam wished his Goth friend would just make friends with Clare instead of constantly asking about her.

In response, Adam just shrugged his shoulders and swirled his spoon around his bowl of oatmeal, creating the illusion that he was actually enjoying it.

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Fitz simply nodded his head in reply. If she was going to be okay, that meant he’d probably never have to speak to her again…right? It wasn’t that he didn’t find Clare to be pleasant, he just enjoyed his privacy. And it was forbidden to pry in the business of others here. Outside of this place, the tall bully couldn’t care less about what those in authority said. Until he’d been sent here, Fitz had done whatever he pleased, without caring about those who were affected. But, the doctors here had redesigned his entire outlook on life. Now, he was forced to live in fear of what these people could do.

Returning to reality, he shook his head from side to side. Had he just admitted that he was scared? Perhaps that was an exaggeration. This place put him on edge, but it certainly didn’t frighten him. Oddly, Fitz was beginning to grow paranoid. Staring suspicious at Clare with eyes like the sea, he wondered if she was in his mind. Everyone had an ability of some sort here. Hers seemed to be upsetting her. If she could somehow pry into his thoughts, he’d have to alter them quickly. So instead of questioning this place and growing more paranoid, he placed lyrics in his head. The last song he’d listened to was now blasting in his mind and distracting him.

“Alright then,” Fitz replied, his tone showing some of his reluctance. He’d be the first to admit that he wasn’t the nicest guy around, but if something was indeed wrong with Clare, it didn’t sit right with him, just leaving her here. But, if he walked into that kitchen with her, it’d definitely turn some heads. Adam wasn’t found o f him; the feelings were mutual of course, but Fitz didn’t need that…girl on his butt again. And the doctors knew he was reserved and they’d be suspicious if they saw him with someone else. As much as he wanted to be sure that Clare would be alright, the adolescent didn’t want the strife that could come with assisting her. “Feel better.” He turned and started down the hall, before stopping and looking back at her. “And I’ll keep quiet as long as you do.” The warning sounding a bit more…fierce than he had intended, but he had no intentions of fixing it.

He had no reason to report what had happened. And he certainly wouldn’t, as long as she didn’t go off telling Adam about it. Their feud had cooled down here. Being the bully that he was, Fitz missed tormenting the freak, but it just wasn’t worth it here. Banishing these thoughts and replacing it with a song once again, he continued down the hall and down the creaky steps until he faced the door of the kitchen. Taking a deep breath and shutting his celeste eyes, he pushed through the old door and entered the kitchen. Just as he had suspected, everyone besides Clare was here.

No one gave him any attention which was just the way he liked it. The doctors lifted their gazes from some of the others to him, only for a moment before returning them to some of the other…inmates. Taking the seat on the far end of the table, next to his roommate Declan, Fitz faced the large, poisonous pill in front of his bowl of oatmeal. Without thinking, the bully slipped the drug into his mouth and swallowed it down with water. He then stared at his breakfast as if it was going to lunge at him. Yep, just another regular morning in the madhouse.

[AppleMistress]

The strokes of Fiona’s pen were elegant and carefully structured. A v-necked design for a dress covered the page; she was working on the greatly detailed floral design on the hem. She stuck the tip of her tongue out of her mouth as she worked at it, her attention completely captured. These designs were also a method of self-medication. It was a healthier tactic than resorting to alcohol—which she could only do when she was on laundry duty in the cellar. Sure, the old basement had a slight draft and it was rather bleak; but it was her haven. It kept her away from emotions and away from the doctors.

She could sense immense unease from Holly J. Ever since her Yale-obsessed friend noticed that she hid her pill away, she’d been giving her questioning glances. And she could literally feel the excessive confusion emitting from her strawberry blonde haired friend—it pained her on the inside, and made it tough for her to completely gather attention for her design.

Fiona bit her lip as she focused her concentration on her design once again. She turned over so she was lying on her back on the carpeted floor, holding her sketchbook above her head to get a better look at it. It took her a moment or two before she finally frowned at it, huffing in exhaustion. It was hard to make a dress look appealing when all of this stress was piling up on her shoulders.

She even noticed some form of perplexity and sympathy radiating from Adam that morning. Although he did a splendid job of hiding this on his facial features, she knew very well that he was probably wondering about what she’d said in her moment of weakness. Why did she admit that everyone thought she was crazy to someone she’d barely even talked to in the house? Why? Perhaps… perhaps it was Adam’s personality. He seemed so honest compared to other guys she met. It was almost unnatural.

Breakfast and class took forever, Fiona recalled. There was a little reluctance in Declan’s behavior that morning—she was unsure if it was because of the doctors, if something had happened with Holly J before she arrived, or if he was wondering about her behavior. Holly J and Adam both seemed confused over her behavior. Eli’s emotions were strange and almost unreasonable sometimes; they always managed to give her a headache when she thought of the way he felt at times. She felt pain when she read his emotions—pain and a mysterious form of curiosity. Clare seemed paranoid, as she always did. She came to breakfast late, which was definitely a first. She seemed so edgy and nervous, Fiona felt as though her head was going to explode. And then Fitz… He seemed a little different today. As though he was scared of something, but stubborn about it. Of course, Fiona didn’t know enough about Fitz to think any further of his situation. Teenage emotions were the worst—they drove her up the wall. And sitting with these confused teenagers for hours and hours was really hard for her to take.

Champagne. She wanted to sigh in absolute delight when she thought of her beloved alcoholic beverage. She took an inconspicuously fleeting look at the clock, watching as the secondhand ticked unhurriedly. A few more hours, and she’d be on laundry duty. She’d escape these emotions, and she’d have a night of total and complete ecstasy.

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Holly J stepped into the recreational room cautiously, peeking in quietly in order to see who was inside. Fiona was evident, lying on the carpeted floor. She seemed so mystified by whatever it was that she was sketching that she didn’t even notice that the blonde adolescent walked into the room. Declan and Adam occupied the worn, yet somewhat comfy seats on the other side of the room. Holly J watched Fiona wearily as she inaudibly made her way over to the two.

She felt bad. She didn’t want to talk about her best friend behind her back—the last thing she wanted to do was make her mad. But if there was something wrong with her, she had to help in any possible way that she could. She was sure that the news would upset Declan. And Adam… He and Fiona seemed as though they were on friendly terms—along with the fact that Fiona wouldn’t stop rambling about her short conversation with him after breakfast had finished. That may have been Fiona’s way of avoiding the subject of the pill, but she still seemed rather bouncy and lively when she spoke of the somewhat feminine misfit. If anyone could tell her more about Fiona, it was those two.

What made it harder, though, was that Fiona was in the room. She didn’t want to talk about her friend behind her back; but the overachiever felt as though this was essential for the eccentric brunette’s wellbeing. If Fiona wasn’t taking her pills, she wouldn’t get any better. And she also stumbled into their room around midnight or so, knocking into shelves and tripping over her own feet before she finally made it to her bed—and then she’d have massive headaches in the morning. Holly J didn’t want to accuse her good friend of being crazy; but she was genuinely concerned that something bad was happening to her. And she felt uncomfortable, being the only one to notice these things. She didn’t want Fiona to get in trouble with the doctors—and if anyone could convince her out of doing something unwise, it was Declan.

Holly J reluctantly took a seat in the vacant chair next to Declan, biting down on her glossy lower lip as she ran her fingers through her fair locks. She watched Fiona for a little while, pondering what she would say. Her friend seemed as though she was lost in her own world, luckily enough. Hopefully she wouldn’t notice her presence long enough for her to explain her fears to Declan.

Lowering her hands so they were neatly folded in her lap, she looked over at Declan. “Declan.” She said his name in order to get his attention, softly, though, so Fiona wouldn’t catch wind of the conversation. After testing his name on her tongue, Holly J looked over to Fiona to make sure that she wasn’t looking over in their direction. When the blonde felt that it was safe for her to speak, she continued. “I’m worried about Fiona.”

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Clare stared blankly into the soapy water as she cleansed the smooth surface of a glass plate with an old dishrag. Her chore in the house was to clean the dishes, which she didn’t really mind. As lunch had just finished, she decided that she’d get a head start on washing as much as she could before class started once again. That’d give her a little more free time to just relax later on. And honestly, rest was what she needed. She was tired before—and she was especially drained because of her disturbing vision early on that morning. She felt paranoid and edgy, shifting around on her feet while her hands quivered just slightly.

She felt bad that she had to keep her situation a secret from Adam—after leaving him abruptly in the halls, she felt that he had every right to know why she acted so strangely. But of course, rules were rules. She also felt guilty about keeping her encounter with Fitz a secret. But she would, just because she promised him that she would. And plus, saying that she thought Fitz wasn’t that much of a bad guy would most likely set Adam off. The last thing she wanted to do was upset her friend.

After drying the plate, she set it gently on the rack next to the sink. Digging her hands through the foamy lukewarm dishwater, she managed to find another plate. Carefully, she began to scrub once again. She could hear Eli from behind her—he was still finishing his lunch. And that left them alone together. He sparked her interest, but she was afraid that he wouldn’t want her to talk to him. But knowing that Fitz wasn’t really as bad as he seemed gave her a little bit of hope. She might as well try and talk to Eli when she had the chance to… right?

She opened her mouth, and then froze. What would she talk about? What could she talk about? They’d barely exchanged a word since she’d arrived at the house. Sighing, she looked up at the ceiling in exasperation as she continued to rub the rag against the surface of the glass plate. There was nothing to talk about of the outside world, considering neither of them had been out of the house for very long… That left very little possibilities for an interesting conversation. Adam was sort of his friend, and he’d mentioned Eli only a few times in their conversations. Maybe if she talked about one of his interests…

“So, I’ve heard from Adam that you like Dead Hand…” Clare started to say this offhandedly as she cleaned her dish, inwardly fearing that she was making a fool of herself in her choice of a route for a conversation. She gulped, not even bothering to look back at him. She was honestly scared to. His emerald eyes were so very captivating that she was afraid they’d leave her speechless. “I-I don’t know that much about their music, but… i-if I recall correctly, my friend’s older brother was a fan of their work.”

Clare was so nervous of making any foolhardy mistakes that she dropped the plate she’d been washing, cutting her finger on a blade of glass that had broken off of it. She targeted herself with sarcastic insults in her mind, inwardly cursing herself as she looked down at the broken glass by her feet. Paying no mind to her bleeding forefinger, she brought herself to her knees in order to clean the smashed glass.

She waved her stinging finger about, trying to ease the pain as she collected the broken fragments of the glass into her free hand as carefully as she could. She brought herself up to her feet before disposing of the glass in the wastebasket.

Embarrassed, she checked the floor for any other pieces of the glass she might have dropped before grudgingly looking up at Eli. He probably thought she was a clumsy fool who always said and did dumb things. Blushing at the thought, she turned her head away before paying mind to the blood seeping out of her finger. Wincing at the sight of it, she glanced at Eli once again as she let out a tense laugh.
“Do you happen to know where I could… uh… find a bandage for this?” she lifted her finger, wearing a pained and somewhat innocent smile.

Her spirits fell. She actually wanted to be friends with him… And she’d just stained her first impression on him, she was sure. She looked at the ground, disappointed in herself.

[DracoMalfoy]

Declan hated routines. No…perhaps hate wasn’t a strong enough word; he actually loathed routines. Standing still for long periods of time, repeating the same processes constantly, it all drove him insane. Some could classify it as a disorder of sorts, but the privileged adolescent blamed his lifestyle. Never did the Coyne family live in one place for too long. He was only seventeen and he could easily say he’d seen almost the entire world. And it wasn’t just the constant traveling. It wasn’t something he paraded about, but even romantically, routines irked him. In his life, he’d had many explicit, but short affairs with girls. Never had he actually sat down and made a long term commitment to anything. Well, anything except this house. Declan had lost count of the days he and Fiona had been here. All he knew, it was much longer than the time they’d spent at some schools. But, the same meals, the same classes and people, it was enough to drive him mad.

He had no means of passing the time, so, he just sat on the couch in the recreational room, staring at the wall. Every so often, he’d fidget in place, trying to satisfy his short attention span. But alas, nothing seemed to please his hunger for activity. Adam was sitting next to him, but the younger boy was in another world it seemed. With headphones in his ear, Adam seemed to be enjoying his music. And, he was enjoying it rather loudly. Regardless, Declan didn’t complain. Instead, he kept silent; silent as the grave. With oddly placed curiosity, he watched the hands on the clock moving ever so slowly. When a few minutes would pass, he’d send his crystal blue eyes towards his twin. This whole time, she was fascinated by her drawing it seemed. He considered communicating telepathically with her, like they normally did, but Fiona also seemed…on edge. He didn’t want to bother her.

Suddenly, he noticed a third presence on the couch. Holly J was here and she seemed to have her attention on him. Wait, when had she gotten here? Actually, that didn’t matter to him. After the awkward moments known as breakfast, Declan was afraid he’d frightened her off. He’d certainly misjudged her and overestimated his flirtatious abilities. The strawberry blonde seemed certain that she wasn’t interested in him. But now that she was here, his hopes were restored.

When she said his name, Declan was already prepared with a deck of flirtatious greetings and comebacks, but something about her voice seemed urgent. She seemed worried and rushed in a sense. He watched her eyes travel to Fiona and because hers did, his did too. Still, his twin seemed focused on her drawing, which seemed to relieve Holly J. A moment passed and the overachiever spoke again. This time, her words caught him even more off guard. She was worried? About Fiona?

His hopes sank to the floor, just as they had during breakfast. So, she really wasn’t interested in him after all. Then, the Coyne twin fired a graphic sling of curses at himself in his mind. That was the single most selfish thought every to pop up in his mind. Holly J was worried about his sister and all he could think about was pursuing a romantic relationship with the blonde. Normally he and Fiona were thicker than thieves. Throughout life, they were all they’d had. So, it was only natural that their bond grew to be strong and almost unbreakable. But now, Declan was questioning his sanity. In any other situation, he’d put Fiona’s safety and well being before anyone else’s. Now, he was concerned about getting with a girl he barely knew? He definitely needed to reevaluate some his thoughts.

He decided to keep his mind silent. Fiona was skilled in the art of reading minds and emotions. It was obvious to him that Holly J wanted to keep her concern a secret. If Fiona detected her friend’s worry in her brother’s head, well…he doubted the possibility of that ending well. He realized that a few moments had passed and he’d left Holly J without a response. Clearing his throat, the rich adolescent finally spoke. “Why?” he asked her, keeping his tone hushed. Like the Yale-bond overachiever had done earlier, he turned his eyes to face his sister only for a moment. She still wasn’t listening. A bit more confident now, he returned his attention to Holly J.

“I know she’s a little…different, but if there was something wrong, I’d know.” This probably wasn’t the answer Holly J wanted, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary about his twin. Everyone knew Fiona was a bit eccentric, but that wasn’t unusual behavior for her. If there was something truly troubling her, Declan was sure he would’ve sensed it in her thoughts.

“She didn’t take her pill this morning.” A new voice joining the conversation caused Declan’s heart to stop. Had Fiona discovered them? Turning his head to see, the handsome adolescent sighed with relief when he realized it was only Adam. The younger boy had removed his headphones and was looking at both him and Holly J intently. Curiosity seemed to cover Adam’s eyes. And his words had caught Declan off guard. He knew Fiona hated it here, but she hadn’t told him this. Had she done it before? How often was she skipping it?

Declan had never spoken much with Adam. And his words angered him a bit. What did he know about his sister? He’d only first talked with her this morning. If there was something wrong with Fiona, Declan was confident that he’d know. “You guys don’t know her like I do,” the elder Coyne twin spoke up, still keeping his voice low. “She…’acts out’ but there isn’t anything wrong with her.” The tone of his voice was defensive. Declan refused to believe that something was wrong with Fiona. It just wasn’t true.

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Eli was glaring at the food on his plate as if it was going to be the death of him. Like most of the others, he didn’t care in the least for the food the doctors served them. It was…healthy. Most teenagers didn’t care to get their daily servings of fruits and vegetables and the rebellious Goth was certainly one of them. Celery and carrots always made him want to be sick to his stomach. And that was why they lied on his plate, untouched. He wasn’t sure why he didn’t just dump the food out like he normally did and just go about his day. There were some chores that needed to be done and he’d already been assigned some homework before lunch. Still, Eli didn’t move. He felt drained, physically and emotionally. If one asked him why, he wouldn’t provide an answer. He didn’t want to and he certainly didn’t have one to give, not even for himself. So instead, the misfit just kept silent and pushed some of his celery and carrots back and forth on his plate.

Something not being alone was actually a bit comforting for once. Though Clare said nothing, her presence was a bit soothing. He’d only spoken a word or two to her in her time here, but like there was a chain between them that always kept them close. This wasn’t the case, and you could call Eli crazy for thinking it, but still, he wouldn’t care. He just watched her back emotionlessly. She seemed intent on keeping quiet as she washed the plates in the sink. The Goth actually did want to exchange a friendly word with her. Adam often told him she was nice. But, he just didn’t know where to start. Making friends wasn’t his forte.

But, when Clare spoke, he was caught off guard. The noise occupying the previously quiet kitchen had actually scared him. Silently, Eli winced, but quickly regained his composure. She was asking him about Dead Hand. Oh, listening to Dead Hand was part of his daily routine. He carried his iPod with him at almost all times. Whenever stress or the visions of…her popped into his head, he’d shove headphones into his ear and blast Dead Hand until the ghosts decided to shut up. It was a great way to relax; for Eli, it was the only way to relax in this madhouse. Her attempts at starting conversation made him smile. When pleased, the Goth normally just smirked. A genuine smile was a rare sight on his face.

“Their screams of numbing pain and gruesome deaths are like poetry,” he finally responded, spicing up his words with his famous Goldsworthy sarcasm. Despite the sarcasm in his tone, there was truth to his words. The singers in Hollywood were mostly crap in his opinion. Dead Hand was one of the true artists that still existed. Eli was about to recommend Clare listen to their music, but he stopped himself. The way she dressed and acted…that cross necklace she always wore; she was a Jesus freak. If her parents actually allowed her to listen to Dead Hand, she’d probably be scarred. Eli normally kept away from Christians; they just weren’t his scene. But Clare…she seemed different.

He was instantly at his feet when he heard a plate crash to the ground. His nightmares were always full of screams of terror and breaking glass. Not even he could explain it, but the sound actually frightened him. He calmed himself down when he realized Clare had only dropped a plate to the ground. As she bent down to pick up the glass, Eli approached her, wanting to offer his help. She seemed to have most of it, but a cut on her finger caught his emerald gaze.

Blood…normally Goths loved that stuff, but seeing Clare bleed made him want to be ill. It was only a small cut on her finger and still, he wanted to help her patch it up. In the outside world, he would’ve jokingly offered to lick it up or something, but not that he was here, in this place, everything had changed.

“Um…yeah, one second,” he said, scanning the drawers in the kitchen. He’d never needed a band aid here, but, Adam had cut himself by accident once or twice. Remembering the drawer the doctors kept the band aids, in case they were needed, the misfit stepped over to it and opened it, in a rush to find a band aid for Clare. The gothic rebel pulled one out, shut the drawer and handed the band aid to the bleeding brunette. “Will this do?” he asked, feeling the need to keep some form of conversation going between them.

When a temporary silence engulfed the kitchen once again, Eli started hearing the voices again. He didn’t know whom they belonged to or where they came from. But, if someone wasn’t making noise, he could hear screams of fright and voices muttering warnings like “get out.” The pale adolescent didn’t know how to banish them from his mind. Bullfrog and Cici had told them whenever he heard creepy voices, they belonged to souls trapped in limbo, or something like that. Eli wasn’t one to distrust his parents, but he didn’t want to believe it was true.

Before his parents had told him what he was, death and horror had always fascinated him. Werewolves, necromancers, vampires, they were all cool! At least, they were until he started seeing Julia every night before he went to sleep. The thought made him physically shiver and he felt weak and dizzy again. Needing a temporary escape from it all, his olive eyes widened as he focused back on Clare. “Do you need any help…with the dishes?”

[AppleMistress]

Holly J glanced at Adam, surprised at his input. She hadn’t expected him to join in on the conversation—but he did seem genuinely interested in what they were talking about. The strawberry blonde reminded herself that Adam’s mother was very controlling—if he heard something, she didn’t want it to be repeated or given to the doctors. Fiona was one of the only friends she had in this hellhole, and there was no way she was letting her go. And she was sure Declan would be upset if he was separated from his twin as well.

She looked at her hands, contemplating a reply. Declan seemed so distressed over the thought of not knowing what exactly was going on with Fiona, she inwardly wondered if he was jealous that she was suddenly getting closer to new people in the home. The Coyne twins always had some sort of creepy bond—it was kind of sweet, in a way… But it was still kind of peculiar.

“But if ‘acting out’ gets her in trouble with the doctors, what will happen then?” Holly J suggested, keeping her voice quiet but stern. “I’m not trying to say that Fiona is crazy or anything—I just want to help her. She seemed a little… off this morning.”

Holly J decided to keep Fiona’s nightly trips downstairs a secret, though. She was sure if she said something about it, it’d cause some sort of an argument, and Fiona would eventually tune in. She wouldn’t expose all of Fiona’s secrets, even though she felt that it would be essential for her wellbeing. The blonde wanted to say that Fiona was drunk every time she stumbled inside their room—but the idea seemed so very uncanny. Where in the world would Fiona retrieve alcohol in a place like this?

Holly J racked her mind for an idea, but couldn’t think of anything. Fiona usually had laundry duty… was it possible that the doctors hid alcoholic beverages down there? The blonde secretly feared the creepy old cellar, but she’d never admit it out loud. But if she had to investigate to see what was going on with her eccentric friend, she would.

Desperate to continue the conversation before Declan could protest once more, she turned her attention to Adam. “Did she act strangely this morning when you talked to her? I know it wasn’t for very long…” Holly J started, hoping that she was making her question clear enough for him to answer, “She had a headache this morning. I’m not sure if you noticed or not.” She pressed her lips together, turning towards Declan once again.

“You’re right when you say you know her best, Declan.” She tried her best to comfort him before he could get upset over her assumptions. “But aren’t you at least a little worried? Do you sense anything from her?”

She let her questions settle, hoping that she’d get a little more information from Declan about the subject. Fiona was her friend, she would never think of her as delusional like several others had. Sure, the brunette had a few problems. But really, they all did. They were all in the same madhouse, after all. Fiona just seemed to be… reacting the wrong way to her problems. As much as Holly J wanted to help, she knew that she wouldn’t be enough to convince her to give up whatever it was that she was doing. Declan was the only one who probably had the power to do something like that, she assumed. He could get into her mind if he wanted to; their telepathic connection was confusing to Holly J, but she believed that it was real. Hadn’t Declan felt anything unusual yet?

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Clare could literally feel the blush on her porcelain cheeks as she opened the little package the band-aid came in; throwing what she didn’t need into the wastebasket. She chewed impatiently at her lower lip as she dressed her bleeding wound appropriately before looking up at Eli. Shoot. He was standing so close—she couldn’t help but feel a little uncomfortable. But if he disliked her, he didn’t show it. He even asked to help with the dishes… that was like asking to spend more time with her, right?

“Thanks for the band-aid…” Her voice trailed off a little.

Deciding to think optimistically about this, she lent him a half-smile, feeling a little less humiliated about her little incident. Clare couldn’t explain the feeling, really. She just felt as though Eli was a little more interesting than everybody else. That, and he seemed smart. Deep. A little mysterious…

She shook her head, deciding to dispose of those thoughts. He asked her a question, and she hadn’t answered it yet. Well… Not verbally, at least. She directed her innocent azure orbs at the bubble-filled sink. There were quite a lot of dishes. She was used to washing up for her parents, and her sister when she was home. But now there were several other people; and there was little time after breakfast to clean up. So she had to wash the breakfast bowls and the plates they used for lunch—it could be quite a handful. Clare couldn’t help but feel like the doctors wanted to occupy her free time as much as they possibly could, for some reason. Perhaps it was to keep her out of trouble? But really… What trouble would she cause? It didn’t make any sense.

“If… you want to, you can. I… I mean… I don’t want to force you to.” Clare started, cursing herself for how panicky her voice seemed. She certainly wasn’t afraid of him—she just tended to act like this when she was lost in her thoughts and stuck in a conversation at the same time. She offered him an apologetic smile. “Well, if you don’t mind getting your hands wet, you can. I’ll just warn you now that the leftover bits of oatmeal in the bowls smell terrible.” She tried to make her voice sound a little more comfortable and playful as she turned back to her work.

She dug her hands through the foamy dishwater to find another plate to wash. She’d probably have to explain the broken plate to the doctors… Hopefully the plates weren’t that expensive. Clare hated to admit it, but with the disgusting food they served in this place, she was sure they didn’t waste a bundle of money for their cause. She sighed at this thought, lost in her head for a moment before she realized that Eli was still standing nearby.

She looked down at the plate she was caressing with the dishrag, concentrating enough on it so she wouldn’t drop it—and also doing so in order to avoid his enchanting stare. Something about his eyes made her heart race faster and faster to a point where she couldn’t take it anymore. And she had her vision soon after looking at him that morning… She feared it would happen again if she made any risky decisions.

“That was insightful. What you said earlier about Dead Hand.” Clare decided to keep up on a topic they’d be a little less awkward with, “I’ve never really listened to it myself… It sounds… kind of interesting when you put it that way.” Clare was always a little scared of hardcore music like that, and the thought of death freaked her out. But she was actually quite guilty of being a fan of darker subjects and topics. Especially in the time of her little vampire phase. People don’t usually expect it from her, being the goody-goody she is. Music regarding pain and loss actually managed to help her through the nights as she blocked out her mother and father’s heated arguments. It was oddly soothing, in a sense.

That seemed to be the way Eli, Adam, and Fitz faced their discomfort too, she noticed. She’d caught all three of them with headphones stuffed in their ears. Remembering the mP3 player she left on her nightstand, she couldn’t help but feel a little regretful. She should have brought it over with her when she had the chance to.

[DracoMalfoy]

Declan nodded his head a few times as he listened to Holly J speak. The overachiever wasn’t stupid in any way, and she didn’t seem like the type to lie. If she was concerned for Fiona, perhaps there was something wrong with his twin. The elder Coyne child just wondered why he hadn’t sensed it. Fiona’s aura was coated with eccentricity. She was far different from any other person. Peculiar behavior was her home front; perhaps that was why. Before the house, she’d had problems. Everyone always seemed concerned for her and it broke his heart. No one thought of her as crazy; just…troubled. He sent his hands through his chestnut hair, shaking those thoughts off.

He kept quiet for what seemed like an eternity; truthfully, Declan was debating on what to say next. He still didn’t want to believe something was wrong with his sister. But, Holly J made a good point. The doctors were vicious predators, in their own way. If Fiona hit one too many strikes, who knew what could become of her? The thought made the tall adolescent shiver, but quickly, he attempted to regain his composure.

“I can talk to her,” he finally said, offering the suggestion to the air in a quiet voice. “Fiona doesn’t like hiding things from me; if something is going on, I think she’ll tell me.” Declan wasn’t all too confident in his words. His bond with his fraternal twin was strong, but even this house seemed to be trying to strain their relationship. This house did things to people. It drove them insane; paranoia is always quick to conquer the mind; at least, he’d heard. Despite the few months he’d been here, he didn’t feel much of that at all in his mind, but he wasn’t sure about Fiona. Not even he was sure as to what she was feeling.

Adam had kept quiet also for the time being, deeply considering what the two older adolescents were saying. He knew very little of Fiona; how was he fit to offer his judgment? Declan seemed so protective of his sister and Holly J was her best friend. Did he even have any business intervening here? As the other two on the couch spoke, he twiddled his small thumbs together nervously, debating whether or not he should leave this to them.

He was relieved when Holly J turned to him. There was an extreme difference in what he wanted to do and what he thought he should do. The misfit wanted to help his new friend; she did seem troubled this morning…or at least, off. But, he was still worried that this wasn’t his affair to meddle in. Adam’s bright blue eyes widened when he felt Declan’s stare on him. Maybe it was paranoia, but he was beginning to fear that the Coyne brother didn’t want him involved much either. Still, Fiona had acted differently this morning. If there was something to report, that was it.

“This morning-“ he started with hesitance in his voice. “She seemed strange; as if she was out of it.” His words were jumbled together as he spoke quickly, afraid of their responses. Fiona was a peculiar girl; maybe he was just reporting the ordinary to them. The way Fiona had acted…there was one way that Adam knew to describe it. Taking a deep breath, the misfit finally spilled the contents of his mind. “It was like she’d been drinking.”

Like Adam feared, Declan was outraged by the thought of Fiona drinking, and this was written all over his voice. “How could she be drinking?” he asked, his voice rising slightly above a whisper. “What? You think she’s having wine with the doctors! Don’t be stupid.” The player’s words had venom in them that had been intended. Fiona had had struggles with alcohol in the past; it wasn’t even funny to suggest these problems were haunting her again.

Canceling Adam out completely, the tall teenager turned back to Holly J and tried to regain his composure. “I don’t sense much of anything about her; she’s far better than perception at me,” he told the overachiever, his voice falling back down to a whisper. He sent his ocean blue glance back towards his sister, hoping his outburst hadn’t attracted her attention.

Adam sunk into his seat, feeling defeated and a bit hurt by Declan’s outburst. He hadn’t meant to upset the older boy, but he feared he pinched a nerve. He himself doubted Fiona was drinking; like Declan said, how could she even have access to alcohol? He wanted to escape the room now and just be alone. That seemed impossible as he didn’t want Declan or Holly J viewing him as a coward. So instead, he focused his gaze onto the nearest wall and tried to tune everything else out.

-~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~-

Eli knew Clare was a calm and composed girl, but truthfully, he hadn’t expected her to be so kind. Adam could make friends with just about anyone, so seeing their friendship develop wasn’t shocking to him. It was proving to be difficult removing the smile from his face. He’d never tell her, but she seemed fragile; he was far from a rough person, but he felt the slightest misstep could cause her to break. Yet, she also seemed strong and independent. He’d offered his assistant to be kind of course, but she didn’t seem to need it. Despite dropping that one dish, she was doing a great job.

The Goth shrugged his shoulders at her thanks, not feeling it was required. “Don’t mention it,” he said in response, still happy to have been a help to her.

He returned her half smile with his whole one, instantly regretting it afterwards. Her half smile was calm and friendly, while his large smile had no business being on his face. Feeling self conscious for the first time in years, his smile awkwardly dropped until his normal look of plainness was back on his face.

Cringing at the thought of this morning’s old oatmeal, Eli tried to push those thoughts out of his mind. Dish washing was a gross chore; he felt lucky not to be stuck with it. But, the breakfast and lunch dishes were probably a bit overwhelming. It’d be rude to just stand here and watch too. Stepping forward, he took a dishrag in his pale hands and found a dish through the water in the sink. “I wouldn’t wish this food on anyone, but for once, I wish we’d all eat our oatmeal,” he joked. He wiped some of the unfinished breakfast off of the bowl, stealing every free second to glance at Clare.

She was different from everyone else here. Even though there was much you could learn just by glancing at her, he detected something hidden deeper inside. The misfit felt there was some mystery to her; he wanted to know why she was here. It was forbidden to ask, of course, but Eli was just entranced by all the possible paths he could travel while trying to solve the mystery. Clare was new, but, she seemed sane; far more than they all were. The thought of the house driving her insane as it did to some terrified him. The Goth blinked his emerald eyes, realizing he’d been staring at her for a few moments. Chuckling nervously, he returned to washing the bowl in his hand.

He tried to keep a few feet between him and Clare as they washed their dishes in silence for a few minutes. It was hard to read her current expression. She seemed almost…frightened of something. The doctors could always be a tad intimidating, but what could someone like Clare have to fear? Then, the thought clicked in his differently wired brain. Was she scared of him? Eli knew his appearance could frighten most, but he’d assumed she was comfortable, judging by the way she spoke. Feeling guilty, he tried focusing on his task at hand and finally finished cleaning his first bowl.

Eli was shocked when she broke the silence. Clare seemed willing to keep a casual conversation with him going. If he frightened her, he wondered why that was. Perhaps he didn’t; he wasn’t sure what to think on that subject. Pushing it out of his head, the misfit then remembered she’d spoken. Not wanting to seem rude or leave her dangling, he smirked before choosing his words. “Well Bullfrog, my dad, really likes them. Their songs were my lullabies, you could say. My parents are insightful when it comes to music, so I guess I just learned it from them. Any music in particular that you enjoy?”

Darker music was a passion of his. It was inspiring; he couldn’t write without Dead Hand blasting in his ears. He remembered Julia had been very much the same. Eli then cringed at the bittersweet memory. He took a few deep breaths of oxygen, trying to calm himself before he heard her. The chorus of whispers that had begun to erupt in his ears quickly silenced, much to his relief. He couldn’t see a ghost; not here, not now.

[AppleMistress]

Holly J hid her exasperation at Declan’s sudden change in perception at Fiona’s situation. She knew that Adam’s accusation must have pinched the older Coyne twin’s nerves, and she didn’t want to anger him further. There was only so much that she could do in one day, after all. Still, though. She knew they needed Declan to help Fiona, and he couldn’t be oblivious and blissful for long. If the doctor’s noticed Fiona’s peculiar behavior and something happened to her in result, Declan would be in for a cruel awakening. She understood that he didn’t want to hurt his sister, but by trying to defend her in this case, he was probably hurting her more than protecting her.

The strawberry blonde haired adolescent snuck a glance over at Adam, who looked a little distraught because of Declan’s outburst. She gave him a somewhat sympathetic glance. He hit the nail on the head when he said he thought she’d been drinking. Fiona’s stumbling into their room around midnight, her glazed eyes, her intoxicated breathe and her massive headaches in the morning were just enough to tell her that that was the problem.

Holly J hated feeling like a useless bystander. She wanted to help Fiona as soon as she possibly could. She could tell that her friend was suffering on the inside—but was wearing a well-crafted smile to mask those emotions. It was hard for her to handle.

Holly J closed her eyes, sighing. This was too much for her to handle right now. She pinpointed her gaze at Fiona, watching as her best friend sketched for a moment. Fiona looked as though she was lost in her own world, she appeared as though she could be far away from this wretched place. The overachiever suddenly envied her for that abnormal ability.

She let her thoughts disperse as she brought herself up to her feat, smoothing the creases in her shirt. She directed yet another glance at Declan. “Well… if that’s how you feel about it, fine.” She tried her hardest to hide the slight aggravation in her tone. Her gaze softened, and her voice sounded a little more sincere when she added, “Just… Can you try to talk to her? Please?”

Holly J decided to leave after making that statement, just to let him think it over rather than respond with something around the lines of ‘there’s nothing wrong with her’ on impulse. She walked past Fiona with care, being careful not to wake the sketching brunette from her daydream.

When she made it out into the hallway without detection from Fiona, she sighed with relief. She began to make her way towards the stairs. Perhaps she could study a little bit before taking one of the tests scheduled for one of her upcoming classes…

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Clare found herself a little taken aback at how direct and friendly Eli was acting. She never thought of him as mean or anything, but he seemed as though the only person he was only willing to open up to was Adam. And now she found herself with him as he joked a little and opened up about one of his interests. And the smirk that graced his features was so entrancing; she found it very compelling, in a sense. Her felt her stomach flip and instantly gripped tighter to the plate she was washing to keep herself from dropping it.

She could feel his eyes on her every once and a while and inwardly wondered if she was doing something strangely. She found it hard to look back at him, considering she felt as though she’d stare for much too long if she did. She set her plate on the drying rack before letting her hands meander through the forest of bubbles in the dishwater, reaching for a bowl to clean.

Clare looked at the clock on the wall on instinct. Class would probably start in fifteen minutes or so. She decided to pick up her pace on the dishes, hoping that she’d have a little more time to tackle her homework later on if she had less to wash later that night.

When Eli responded to her comment about his taste in music, she grinned. However, when he asked her about what she liked, she couldn’t hide the obvious vermillion blush from spreading on her cheeks. By the way he spoke, it sounded like he may have gotten along with his parents quite well—and at the mention of parents, she couldn’t help but remember her own.

She chewed at her lower lip, a little conflicted as to how she should respond. If she said she liked darker songs, Eli would probably think she was just saying that to earn some extra points with him. She didn’t want to seem as though she’d lie just to be his friend.

“I…” she started, pausing as she reached over to place the bowl she’d been washing on the drying rack. “I used to like a few Christian bands.” With her hands free from washing, she couldn’t help but let her fingertips brush against the delicate chain around her neck, moving them down so she could finger the familiar cross shape in the center.

She pulled herself out of her little trance, moving her hands back down into the soapy water. “But after a little crisis of faith, my interests have changed a bit. I’m not as hardcore as Dead Hand… but I do like some of Paramore’s songs.” Clare inwardly wondered why she gave him so much information. She looked at the soapy water as though it had hypnotized her for only a second before realizing something.

Eli had been in the middle of eating his lunch before she intervened—wasn’t he hungry? Was he too polite to offer some help without mentioning his hunger? She suddenly felt bad. She looked at him in concern for the first time in a while.

“Thanks for the help, I really appreciate it.” She offered with a genuine smile—just to tell him that she wasn’t intentionally asking him to go away, “But aren’t you hungry? Do you want to finish your lunch before class starts? I don’t want to keep you from it, after all…”

Clare’s voice trailed off when she realized she was rambling a little, and blushed. She couldn’t help but curse herself for acting so flustered. She knew that her little incident earlier was what was making her act this way—hopefully she’d feel a little better after class ended.

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