Slayer Stars

O N E

TWO YEARS HAVE passed now since that awful day. It still haunts me.

When I sleep or just close my eyes, I can still see Jackie's face...before and after.

I haven't let on how much it has affected me and everything I do. I've now been moved yet again to another Bromly House - one further away.
I haven't been near my own house since then. No doubt it has been destroyed or graffitied by all the students, and her family.

I spent seven months in Juvenile Prison. It would have been longer if it weren't for Jan seeking mental health issues after yet again, I lashed out after the Voice told me to. I didn't kill, but permanently injured my cellmates.

I found it easier to go with what was told of me than to hold it back.

It said many things while I was there; it knew names, secrets, reasons for their sentences on everyone in my Block. Some who were the ones 'in charge' were trying to get out on good behaviors, so pretty much blackmailing them with the information I had kept me from being bothered further, until Jan picked me up today.

Straight from Juvey, to a new Bromly House - that was the new deal. We always made deals. She picked me up and right now we are headed for the B-House, the new name I gave it.
We've sat in silence since we left the center, we're currently on the D13 highway, the Highway that leads us from Riccado, to Rose Valley City.
I wonder if Demmy won the competition and went there.
I wonder what she thinks of me now...would she still be terrified?

"You should count yourself lucky, Ace, your sentence could have been a lot worse." Jan slit the air of silence.

I knew we were going to have this talk, I'm thankful she didn't mention why I was there first. I assumed we'd have this talk after the meeting, but whatever - I'm so fed up with everything.

I leaned on my hand on the door watching the world go by without my problems, "oh yeah," I started, "it was a real walk in the park being jailed on the 'mentally challenged list'. I don't think you realize just how many of them there are."

She really didn't, my Block consisted of about forty young girls who have either stolen, badly injured, or murdered - like me, I keep reminding myself - who all had to share one segment of Juvey under the same roof. Share a cell with two others and dine together. Fights broke out either by instigation or by an 'episode'. It was absolute chaos at times.

I roll the window down and catch a strong breeze, checking the side mirror to make sure I was still me. I still looked like me - completely sane. It has become a habit now.

"It was chaos ninety percent of the time."

My hair flicked behind me as I look back.

Jan clicked the blinker on to turn off to a sublane, "I grew up with your father...I know."

I can't believe what I just heard - this whole time she thought he was...insane.

That I'm insane too?

I swung to look her right in the eyes, "he wasn't PSYCHOTIC!"

He wasn't, if it is anything I've felt and gone through then I know for a fact it is not being psychotic...not of our own volition anyway.

Or is that how 'insane' works?

She kept her eyes on the road, "Ace, he was NOT okay, and you know that!"

She was fidgety, but I can't argue this point.

I sat back and put my head back on my hand, leaning pretty much out the window, "I know how he lost it," I replied, "it's not easy acting like everyone else when you can't think for yourself most of the time."