Where The Monster Dwells

Chapter 6

I woke up in a car. A cop car. I didn't have the courage to open my eyes. I didn't hear a siren or anything, so I figured that I was in Graham's car. My head was resting on the window. I could feel the heat of the blazing sun on my face. I opened my eyes slowly. I lifted my hand to look outside. I didn't recognize anything, but I was never the best for knowing where I was. I barely knew how to get to my house. At this point, all I knew was that we were about to turn to the left. I sat up and looked at graham through the mirror. He was focused on the road, so he didn't know that I had already woken up. I debated on whether or not I should get his attention. I knew, however, that if I was to get his attention I'd be force to deal with the events that recently occurred. I didn't want to think about the possibility that my actions ended a life. I felt torn and confused. I was trapped in a never ending cycle of highs and lows. I was swimming through the rapids without any form of protection. The worst part was that I feared everyone would just let me drown. Eventually, I came to the conclusion that I had to know what happened. No matter the outcome, I had to try my best to not let myself get so low. I cleared my throat.

"You're awake." He said it more like a statement than a question.

"Yeah," I looked down at my wrists. The cold hoops that coiled around them were beginning to irritate. I could faintly see a red ring forming on my wrists from where the handcuffs were. "I-um Did I–" I began, but I didn't know how to finish. Graham knew what I had meant.

"We'll talk when we get to the house."

"Okay," I said quietly.

I focused on what was outside my window. I was a ticking time bomb. At least that's how I felt. It seemed like I was always waiting for the next time I'd fail. I hated this. I hated myself. I had become a natural disaster. A tornado. I destroyed everything in my path whether I wanted to or not. I felt helpless. I glance down at the handcuffs for the rest of the ride home. Home. I honestly wasn't sure what that meant anymore. It used to be a broken place until Hurricane Carver passed by causing me to wind up at a group home. Now, I had attacked a pregnant woman. I closed my eyes and wished that all this would stop.

When we arrived the guys and Dr. Whitfield were gathered in the living room. It looked like they were having a meeting.

"That was quick" Whitfield said as he opened the door to let us in. I sat in the living room farther away from the other five guys while Graham took Whitfield aside. I tried to not focus on their conversation. They weren't really that quiet. Thankfully, Graham was being vague about all the details. I didn't want these six strangers to know the truth of how messed up my life was. I heard a crash come from the kitchen. I looked around the living room and noticed that we were all in here. Even Bree was out here which begged the question: Who was in there?

"That's the new kid. He was supposed to come later, but he got in trouble again." Whitfield explained to Graham. He got up from his chair and walked to the kitchen. I could see bits of broken glass on the doorway. Apparently, the kid had dropped a glass cup. Whitfield help the guy clean it up. I didn't see the guy's face until he got up. I wasn't prepared to see this person. I looked at him as he looked at me, and it instantly became clear as to why he had dropped the cup. I was staring at Trevor Knight.

Whitfield instructed for all of us to find a place to sit. Graham excused himself and said that he was going home. Something about this being his day off. He was going home. I felt jealous and abandoned. When would I go home? When would I be happy with what life has thrown at me.

"Since we have two new people joining us, why don't we go around and tell each other something about ourselves." He said calmly. He sounded very fatherly to me. "I'll start. I'm Dr. Aiden Whitfield. I'm a psychiatrist. I've been at this house for a few years now. I do give sessions outside of the group home. Trevor and Carver, you'll come to know that I'll often be out of the house working. When that happens, Zachary, the eldest of you all, will be in charge."