INSTITUTION OF THE ILL AND FORGOTTEN

CHAPTER TWO

(Elijah's POV)

Flashback

Ring...Ring...RINGGGG. The phone was ringing in Leonardo's office. Leonardo answered, "Hello, this is the Institution for the Ill and Abused, Leonardo Russio speaking."

"Hello, this is Caroline James. I am a social worker," said the person on the phone. "I was checking if you have any more space in your institution."

Leonardo replied, "Yes, we do. May I ask what's the situation of the person being placed?"

"Yes, his name is Skylar Jacobson. He has just been hospitalized for attempted suicide, and his foster parents are being arrested for child abuse. He's 17 years old," she said.

They then talked for a couple more hours to address all the important details that needed to be dealt with for Skylar to be placed with us. Leonardo then told her that I would be the one to pick him up from the hospital and bring him to the institution, as he needed to talk to the other boys and inform them of the new resident who would be joining them.

One day later,

I was just arriving at the hospital where Skylar was admitted. I entered the hospital and met up with Skylar's social worker,

who briefed me on the important details that I should know.

We then made our way to Skylar's room. When we arrived, all I saw was a pale and fragile-looking boy, yet he was beautiful. My heart ached as I saw someone as beautiful as him lying in a hospital bed when he should have been showered with care and love.

While I was lost in my thoughts, two police officers entered the room. I snapped out of my thoughts when they said that they came to question Skylar about what had happened that led to this situation.

I told them that this was not the... but just as I was about to finish my sentence, we heard the shifting of sheets and a groan. Everybody in the room shifted their

attention to the boy lying on the bed.

His social worker then asked him if it was okay for the police to ask him a few questions. He cautiously said yes.

Time skip

After the police asked their questions, then they exited the room, leaving only me and the social worker in Skylar's room. She then informed him of what was going to happen during the next few days. After that, she left the room, leaving Skylar and me to get acquainted.

"Hi Skylar, my name is Elijah King, and I am the co-owner of the institution in which you are going to be staying," I said but did not get a reply.

"After your discharge, we will be going to your house to pack up everything you want to take with you, and anything you don't have, we'll stop on the way and buy," I said, but still no reply.

So, after I figured he wasn't going to talk to me, I just briefed him on the important information he should know.

After I finished talking, I left the room with the belief that Skylar's case was going to be challenging...

Time skip

We were in the car, on our way to the facility. The atmosphere was filled with an uneasy silence, and I was aware that speaking would only exacerbate the situation. Hence, we endured a three-hour journey in silence, punctuated by occasional stops.

Upon reaching the institution and stepping out of the car, he was just standing there like a statue, staring at the doors of his new home.

After a brief period, while I was retrieving his luggage from the car's trunk, I called out to him.

"Skylar... Skylar... SKYLAR..." Startled, he snapped out of his reverie and met my gaze with a terrified expression but then quickly masked it with an emotionless face like it wasn't even there.

"Skylar, let's go inside. It's getting chilly out here," I said slowly, which made him tense a little bit. Just as I was about to knock on the door, it swung open, and someone collided with Skylar, causing him to let out a piercing scream. He was so overwhelmed that he ended up hyperventilating and not moving from where he fell while sobbing.

My heart raced as I rushed to Skylar's side, kneeling to check on him. Panic surged through me as I tried to assess his condition. His breathing was shallow, and his skin was clammy to the touch. It was clear that the sudden collision had triggered a severe panic attack.

Swiftly, I instructed one of the boys to calm Alex down as he was shaking and crying while muttering sorry over and over inconsequently. I focused on calming Skylar down. With gentle reassurance and soothing words, I tried to alleviate his distress, hoping to bring him back from the brink of unconsciousness but I could not and he ended up passing out.

I held Him and carried him to the living room and set him down on the couch after I felt that it was wrong to keep holding him, and the thought of him waking up and panicking because of being held made me set him down quickly but gently.

I stood by anxiously, my thoughts consumed by concern for his well-being. The fragile state of his mental and emotional health weighed heavily on my mind, a stark reminder of the challenges that lay ahead.

After what felt like an eternity, Skylar began to regain consciousness, his eyes fluttering open to meet mine. Relief flooded through me as I saw the flicker of awareness return to his gaze. Slowly, he struggled to sit up, his movements shaky and uncertain.