Part Three. Asher.

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I've never seen this girl before. Now, I know that not knowing someone should be a normal occurrence, but it's not. Not a whole lot of people come through the residence, at least not someone who has everyone's attention like this girl does. And even if there was, she's different. She has a sense about her that just draws everyone's eyes, even in a place like this. She has long brown hair and large brown eyes, her expression reminding me of a faun, innocent.

I watch her as the doctors move their hands over her delicate body, like I've watched them do millions of times.

I want to study their motions, but one of the doctors catches me watching them and shuts the door, locking me out.

"Asher." One of the nurses says, "You know you aren't supposed to be out of your room while you're doing your treatment."

"Jenna," I say, smirking. "I was just welcoming the newcomer."

She glares at me, grabbing IV pole and dragging me back to my room. That's the worst form of torture, the feeling of the needle pulling at my skin, hurts. So. Freaking. Bad.

I would like to pretend I won't have to worry about IV's for much longer, that I'll be going home, but I probably won't ever go back home. 

They've given me a year to live, that's it. I could die from malnutrition, fainting and hitting my head too hard, cardiac arrest, all of the above. I have multiple conditions that could easily kill me at any time. 

I don't even know how I'm still alive at this point.

Jenna leads me back to my room, making me promise that I'll stay here before leaving. 

I guess we haven't been properly introduced.

Hi, I'm Asher Laurier and I'm dying.

I know what you're thinking. "wow, can you be any more negative?"

The answer is no, you cannot. My nurses say that someday my pessimism will kill me, but I don't care. I'm going to die anyways.

My mind wanders back to the girl who I was so rudely dragged away from. I want to watch her forever, but obviously, that's weird. Something about her though, I don't know, I just want to know more about her.

I'm startled from my thoughts by the beeping of my treatment finishing.  One of my nurses comes in and disconnects the IV tubing and gives the tube and nice cold flush. Wonderful.

"Hey Rachel?" I ask as she hangs a new bag of fluids. "Who's the new girl down the hall?"

She smiles at her, wiggling her eyebrows "The new girl? Her name's Portland. They just brought her in this morning, she's about your age too."

I try not to smile, but the thought of not being alone made me a bit happier.

"Don't get your hopes up." She says, pulling away at the rare spot of hope in my pitch black world. "You know better than anyone that unlike you, most people don't stay for long."

I nod, biting my lip. "Thanks for reminding me."

She gives me one last pitied glance before leaving me alone again.

The room is silent again, leaving me alone with the thoughts, which were never good, but today I thought about her.

"Portland." I whisper to myself. "What kind of stupid name is Portland?"


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