Subject 116

11

I really, really didn't like that doctor. Something about her made me feel uneasy, and wary. She was too trustworthy to be trusted. I shut myself in the bedroom, nobody went in there during the day anyway, and I needed to be alone. I kept thinking about my dad, it had been so long since I had seen him, which was starting to scare me. The longest I had ever been away from him before all of this, was when he went on a week long business trip. It had been longer than a week, I knew that much. Hell, I didn't even know the date.

He must be really lonely in the house by himself. I was worried he would start drinking, he does that when he's stressed. A bad habit, of course, but it wasn't a major issue, it never caused any problems around the house, just for his own health. I didn't know what it was like to be a parent, but spending a large portion of your life raising a child the best you can, just to have her stripped away, and held in a secluded facility miles away from home, must be an excruciating thing to witness. He was willing to strangle the man in charge, just to make sure I was safe with him. That was undeniable love.

The closest thing I had to that sort of bond was Lydia. She needed to be protected, under any circumstance. This place was creeping it's way into my head, and my main objective was to get home, and bring her, and the others with me. Peyton and Monica both had futures ahead of them, they made it into college, and if that was still an option for them, they would become fine adults. Lydia was just a child, there was so much she hadn't seen or done, and based on where she lived, new opportunities were waiting for her. I wanted to make that happen for her, somehow. Finn may not know anything about his past, but what I knew for sure, was that there was someone out there aside from us who knew he existed, and that was enough. He had to start somewhere.

Dad always told me not to take responsibility for everything, I couldn't make everyone happy. I knew that, I saw myself as a pretty logical person. I did advocate for myself, but others came first. Finn, Monica, Peyton, Lydia, they all meant something to me. Which meant I had to get them out of here somehow, including myself. But they were my priority. Whatever was going to happen, they came first, no matter the cost.

I was holding my knees closely to my chest, keeping all my thoughts to myself, almost like I thought someone could read them. Who knows? I didn't know everyone's abilities, so it was possible. But I was in the room by myself. It was just like back at home, when I had to hide in the closet. Exact same position, but I had nothing to hide from anymore. They already got me, but I felt vulnerable if I was doing anything else. I was like this any time I felt scared. I was scared, no, I was terrified. I promised myself, and my dad, that I wouldn't let this place get to my head. But it all made me sick. This system was horrific, we all needed to get out of here.

Staying in this room for too long was going to give me an intolerable feeling, so I concentrated on leaving the room, rather than all the gross thoughts infesting my head. I breathed heavily, and opened the door to go back into the main room. Monica, Finn, and Lydia were all together, and Lydia's head jerked up as soon as she saw me. The biggest smile came across her face and she started running towards me, the way little kids do when they want to go somewhere, it was like a little waddle. She really melted my heart. She stopped once close enough, and grabbed my hand with her little, stubby fingers, guiding me back to the other two. I scanned the room, not finding Peyton anywhere. He was usually the center of attention, lively everywhere he went. The only explanation was that he was still in therapy.

"Is Peyton still in therapy?" I asked, just wanting to make sure. I had been alone for a pretty long time after all. Monica looked back over towards the hallway, concerned. She was pretty outgoing herself, so to see her so unsure was scaring me.

"Yeah, but he's been gone for a while now, longer than usual. Maybe he's giving the doctors a hard time, he did that back in high school to all the teachers. He's a dick, really." she said that, but I could tell something was wrong. Though, she was probably right. I couldn't think of any other reason why he wouldn't be here. She had every right to be worried, they had been friends since childhood, and the fact that they were both caught in this whole thing must have enforced a closer bond between them. If anyone I knew had survived and came here with me, I would surely want to keep them safe at all costs. And even now, I hadn't known any of these people until I first arrived, but I felt so close with them already.