Psychotic Tendencies

Chapter 2

New people.

New faces.

Lacey hadn't had to deal with these things for more than seven years. Lacey hadn't had to deal with winding hallways, with buildings that had more than three stories, or with thousands of people all cramped in one school.

Lacey was lucky though, her mother had hired Lacey her own driver to take her to and from school, nowhere else.

Lacey's mother had hired people to do everything for Lacey. To pick her clothes out in the morning, to tell her what to eat, to tell her how to exercise, even to stay with her during the day to tell her what she can and can't do. Lacey's mother told her she had to have a bodyguard with her anytime she wasn't at home, and that even when she was home he had to always be near her, no more than ten feet away at all times.

Lacey hated that.

She felt like she was back in the first few years of the hospital- when they wouldn't let her out of their sight, when she wasn't hardly allowed to leave her small room.

Lacey hadn't felt free in years. She hadn't felt like she could breathe, like she was comfortable, like she could live in years.

And she felt the chances of feeling free slipping away by the second.

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Aiden was sitting on his roof when he first saw her.

He had climbed up for some fresh air, to get a reprieve from the stench of cheap cigarettes and alcohol that seemed to follow him everywhere in the small house.

It was the day before school started up again after winter break, and he knew he wouldn't have many chances like this in the coming weeks.

He sat quietly for a while, slowly breathing in the clean air before exhaling softly, little puffs showing in the cold winter air.

It was quiet outside for once. No car horns, no screaming, no moans... just quiet.

Then, he heard a high-pitched scream.

He didn't recognize this one.

He sat up quickly, looking around to try and pinpoint the noise, almost worried for the person, whoever they were.

He heard it again, a scream of fear straight ahead of him.

He jumped off the roof of the single story house, running towards the noise.

He didn't bother to try and listen to tell whether it was male or female, or attempt to hear any distinct features, he just kept running towards it.

He knew he had to do something.

When Aiden arrived to the source of the noise, he couldn't see anything.

He was somewhere on the edge of the woods near his house, in an alley between a dirty motel and an old dive bar.

He knew where he was, and he hoped that what he thought might have happened hadn't.

Aiden knew this alley.

Aiden knew this alley all too well.

This was the last time he had seen...

He shook his head. He had locked away those thoughts for a reason.

He looked around quickly, wanting to leave the goddamned alley as soon as possible.

Not seeing anything, he started briskly walking away, when he heard one last scream.