The Fearful Institute

Aleks' Arrival

The lunch room is filled with students wearing white everything; shirt, pants, and shoes. It's a bit odd to have the color white as the dress code; it usually represents angles watching over you. Well...it is a Christian school and they obviously believe in God. Aleks walks into the lunch room and examines every table; he's not hungry, not even thirsty. He's gone without food for over thirteen hours, along with water. Most of the tables are already full and is left with little or no space for him to sit. If he has to sit on the floor he should just go outside and get some fresh air, he's not going to eat anyways. Aleks turns to head back out, but two guards dressed in all white as well step in front of him, blocking the only exit.

"No one passed this point until lunch hour is over." One of them says and gives Aleks a quirky smile which he doesn't take in the kindest way. He turns and looks at all the tables again and notices Eddie sitting on the end of the last table, closest to the stage. He can only smile when he looks at him; he loves how Eddie is the outsider...just like him. He's not wearing, he's wearing the same clothes as yesterday; he must have not changed. Aleks walks over to Eddie at a fast pace and he makes him look up from his drawing of a motorcycle on fire.

"Hey Eddie," Aleks smiles and scoots him over so he can take a seat. Eddie looks almost annoyed, but his expression softens when he touches with Aleks's shoulder.

"Hey, any opinion on my sketch," he asks and pushes his yellow notepad toward his new friend and notices the bigger smile on his face.

"This is really good for a sketch; all you have to do is give it some color." Aleks moves his finger around the lines of his drawing and takes a quick glimpse at Eddie and his eyes fall into the brown shade of Eddie's. Eddie was already staring at him before he caught the glimpse of him, with a big smile on his slightly scared face.

"What happened?" Aleks asks nervously as he runs two fingers against a scar on the side of Eddie's head. The scar looks like someone took a knife and drug it down, ear to chin. Eddie flinches when his fingers touch his scar and Eddie lets Aleks continue to touch his old scar.

"Nothing you need to know about." Eddie looks up and notices the nun staring at the two of them. He gives her a dark look and she scurries off into the kitchen with the cooks. Eddie is getting real sick of the same nun staring at him like he's murderer.

"Sorry for asking," Aleks apologizes and looks down at his fingers, he's picking at them again and he's going quite deep right now. Deeper than usual and he starts to feel sick to his stomach, he's finally reaching the first stage of being abandoned; depression.

"You look sad," Eddie says as he looks at the side of his friend's face, Aleks nods and looks up into Eddie's eyes with his brown crystal balls.

"I am."

"Me too." Eddie says and sets his hand on Aleks's leg, his leg twitches and he scoots away from him. Aleks doesn't know what to do; all he can do is just move away, for someone he can't deny him.

"Why?" Aleks asks in a soft whisper and Eddie just looks at him with a questioning expression.

"The same reason you are, the feeling of someone abandoning you, leaving you in a place so you can rot." He explains and takes a hold of Aleks's hand and guides him to the boy's restroom. Inside there are two stalls to use and one sink, and one large mirror to let the individual take a good look at themselves, to figure out what they did wrong.

"Why are we in here, I don't have to use the bathroom, do you?" Aleks looks at him with a confused look on his face and Eddie rubs the scar Aleks once felt a minute ago and he flinches even when he touches it himself.

"No, but it feels good to get away from the people that are polluting my heart by the second. I don't know why or how they are, but it sucks." Eddie explains as he rubs the other side of his face which has an identical scar.

"Is the scar deal going to be a secret just between you?" Aleks asks as he holds his hands in the air and eventually drops them back to his sides. Eddie shrugs and his eyes still focus on each side of his face equally in time.

"Depends on my mood, if you ask me when I'm at my weakest there's a small chance I'll tell you." He smiles and looks at Aleks with a suspicious thought in his mind that he can't put a finger on.

"It's like you read my mind about what's making me sad." Aleks admits.

"Don't let the sadness consume you, think of it as an ocean, keep your head above the water until you can't take it anymore. I'm not positive the world will understand your actions when you start to sink, but I will." Eddie looks over at the younger boy, he takes his hand and squeezes it tightly; he admits it...he really doesn't want to let go of his soft and warm hand.

Aleks takes in a breath and nods his head; he has no words to describe how touched he is. He only met Eddie yesterday, but the connection they're already having is electric. They're just two lost kids in an institute, and one doesn't know how bad it is. One is clueless of the actions the doctors make on their examining table. And one is already in the deep and dark hole of nothingness, they're gone, their sanity is drained to the last drop, and their heart is shriveled to a prune.

"Why do you care?" Aleks asks and moves his fingers around in Eddie's tight grip.

"I'm not sure," he looks in the mirror as his eyebrows pull together; he's confused, he doesn't know why he cares about this particular boy. Eddie has never cared about anyone in this institute in the past, he wasn't even sure that he cared about himself. Being a homicidal maniac since sixteen kind of ruins his emotional contact with people, other human beings, and the touches they can create.

"All I know is that I don't want to leave your side, and I would do anything for you..." Eddie takes a deep breath and lets go of Aleks's hand. He crosses his arms and doesn't take a glimpse at the boy that's changing him somehow; he doesn't know what's changing and it's driving him crazier than he already is.

Eddie backs away from Aleks as he stares into the mirror and he starts to think about his actions in the past and how they are going to affect his future. He's a monster and he knows that, he knows that in the past he took many lives.  Aleks looks pack confused and Eddie runs out of the bathroom and through the guards blocking the doors.

Aleks narrows his eyes and shakes his head trying to figure out what just happened. Confusion has kept his mind in a cell ever since he laid eyes on Eddie, he's confusing and sometimes a little concerning, even a little terrifying in a way he can't explain; he almost likes it. Aleks walks out into the cafeteria and sees that the guards are gone; he rushes outside and to the second floor of the institute. He doesn't know why he's going to look for someone that scares him in the most confusing way possible, but...he is.

Eddie sits on his bed facing the wall with the same notepad in his hands and he's drawing something dark. Aleks takes slow steps toward him and he swallows down his saliva. "Eddie..." Aleks whispers. Eddie doesn't turn around; he keeps his eyes at the wall and his fingers scribbling on the notepad.

"Eddie, what's wrong?" He asks and sets a hand on his shoulder. Eddie quickly turns and throws Aleks onto the bed on his side and his eyes are wide in fear.

"Are you scared of me?" Eddie asks in a whisper and he notices Aleks staring at the drawing on the notepad. It's Aleks's name in black bold sharpie, but the only odd thing about it is that red eyes are drawn all around his name.

"Should I be?" Aleks asks.