“Cody, why don’t you introduce yourself first and tell us why your here?”

     The counselors voice was soft and cheerful, giving the boy a smile that most people would probably consider fake. His eyes were tired, like they always seemed to be when dealing with groups of mentally ill kids. He yearned to help each and every one of them, but he tried not to get too attached to them. Sometimes, kids can’t be saved.

     A tiny sigh pushed past Cody’s lips as he ran one of his hands through his short blonde hair. He was small for a boy his age, something that other males would probably call scrawny. He had a pair of large glasses that framed his face, and he wore a sweatshirt big enough that it covered his hands.

     “Hi,” He started, his voice deep and slightly gruff, as if he wasn’t used to talking. “My name is Cody. I’m sixteen and....” Another sigh left his lips and he looked down. “And I was born a girl.”

     When the room was silent for a moment too long, another boy spoke up. “Do you want a cookie? So what, ya had tits. Good for you.” His voice was deeper than Cody’s, and his stance was slouched and bored in his seat, as if he couldn’t wait to get out of here. He was bigger than most males, broader too as if he spent a lot of time working out.

     “Dale, that’s enough.” The counselor, Dr. Rae said softly, giving the male a look that caused him to roll his eyes. “Would you like to go next?”

     Dale grumbled for a moment, running his hand through his jet black hair before crossing his arms over his chest again. “Whatever. Name’s Dale. Seventeen. Antisocial personality disorder.” He probably saw the look of confusion on Cody’s face before he scoffed and elaborated. “It’s a fancy title giving me permission to act like an asshole.”

     Another girl scoffed this time. She was positioned right next to Dale, taking a similar slouched stance as him with her arms crossed over her chest. She refused to look up at anyone, with a curtain of thick brown hair covering her face. “You’re such an idiot. Stop degrading yourself. That’s not what it means.”

     Dale’s face twisted into a scowl as he turned to look at her. “Sorry, mom, I thought I knew myself pretty well.”

     “Obviously not if you’re calling yourself an asshole.”

     “Oh, I thought I was just being honest.”

     Finally the girl looked up, but only to glare at Dale. “Keep it up. Imma kick your ass.”

     Everyone except Dale snickered at this, considering the fact that that girl was even smaller than Cody. She was what people would consider petite, barely standing at five feet tall with curves that made her seem more fat than anything else. There was no way she could take him in a fight.

     Dale rolled his eyes. “I’d love to see you try.”

     “Would you like to go next?” Dr. Rae said, directing his eyes to the girl and raising his voice a little to make sure he was heard and not ignored.

     The girl’s jaw clenched, her hands tightening into fists before she shoved them in her pockets and looked away again. No one noticed the way Dale’s expression softened and he shifted over slightly to brush his knee against hers. “Lynn.” She muttered, her voice considerably softer and gentler when she wasn’t addressing Dale. “Turning seventeen. Avoidant personality. It just… Sorta just means…” She paused, her cheeks turning a dark shade of red as she stumbled over her words.

     “She’s shy.” Dale spoke up, turning his eyes to Cody and watching him steadily. “It’s sort of like social anxiety, but more severe. She fears being ridiculed and looking foolish in front of other people.”

     Lynn’s jaw clenched again and she turned her head to the side, not looking at anyone this time. She burned with shame. She couldn’t even talk the right way.

     The next person down the line was another boy, this one with bright red hair and an abundant amount of freckles covering his face. His knees were bouncing up and down on the ground, his fingers fidgeting together on his lap. But when Dr. Rae directed his gaze to him, he brightened immediately. “Hi!” He exclaimed with a wide smile. “I’m Alexander, but you can call me whatever you want. Lynn calls me Alex, Blaer calls me Xander and Micah calls me Lex. But Dale calls me Fly and Avery calls me Red. So, I’m always open to new nicknames!” His voice was quick enough that he was barely breathing, the words meshing together a lot. “I’m fifteen and I have ADHD!” He sat back, his knees beginning to bounce again.

     Dr. Rae blew out a sigh, rolling his eyes slightly before directing his gaze to another female. She was tall, but really skinny, looking like a skeleton with skin. Her eyes were hollow and her hair looked lank, but she managed to give a smile when it was her turn. “Hey, my name is Avery and I’m sixteen.” She spoke slowly, as if it took too much effort to speak. “And… I have anorexia.”

     Dr. Rae smiled in encouragement and nodded once before turning to the next patient. This one was a little boy, curled up with his knees drawn to his chest and his cheek resting against them. But his eyes fell shut when he was looked at. “Micah.” His voice was low, cold and emotionless. “Eight. Attachment disorder.”

     “I am Blaer.” She spoke up, wanting to get this over with to get the attention off the poor boy. “I just turned eighteen, and I am here because I have clinical depression.”

     The room was quiet for another moment, obviously trying to let Cody collect his thoughts.

     “Blaer would you like to give an introduction on what it’s like here?” Dr. Rae asked kindly.

     Dale grunted. “Why does she always get to? Why can’t I introduce this hell hole?” His eyes were light with humor, a tiny smirk on his lips as if he knew exactly why he wasn’t able to talk.

     “Because you give everything an angry, pessimistic twist.” Lynn spoke, giving her friend a sarcastic smile. “And no one likes you.”

     Dale grunted, leaning back. “Bitch.” He grumbled.

     “Dick.” She countered.

     “Whore.”

     “Ass.”

     “Jerk.”

     “Meanie.”

     “Liar.”

     “Cheat.”

     “Loser.”

     “Player.”

     “A-”

     “That’s enough,” Dr. Rae spoke again, raising his voice to be heard. Everyone’s faces were lit with amusement. There was no way anyone could keep a straight face when listening to these two banter. They spoke so quickly, as if they knew what the other would say before they said it.

     Blaer sat up and directed her gaze to Cody, tilting her head to the side a little. Yeah, he looked like a boy but now that he pointed it out, there were subtle things that showed him looking a little more feminine. “This place is just like being in a hospital, except you’re not being treated for a physical illness. You’re being treated for a mental one.”

     She was silent for a moment to let that sink in, and Dale took that time to talk. “That was a good one.” He murmured, nodding appreciatively. “Did you think of that just now?”

     “Shush, Dale.” Lynn hissed, and even though he smirked, he did keep quiet.

     “There are three different main groups here. Black, grey and white. The white group is mainly full of older patients who developed a mental illness because of their genes. They are here for a few weeks and get replaced quickly. Then, there’s the grey. They are mainly here because of a sudden event that caused the disorder. For example, if you just got out of the army and have a severe case of PTSD, you will more than likely go to the grey group. And then there’s us. The black’s.”

     Alexander snorted, grinning up at her. “That’s racist.”

     “Our group is filled with the most… severe cases of mental illnesses. Usually it’s because it’s grown over the years, caused by everything that went on in our childhood. We are the most monitored, the most worried about and the most cared for. We are the ones that are feared because everyone thinks we are seconds away from a mental break down and slitting open a vein.” She paused for a moment, sighing and shaking her head. “We have been here longer than anyone else. We are the ones who want to change but can’t do it on our own. We are as broken as anyone in this hospital can get.”

     She rose an eyebrow as she looked at Cody. “And you’re one of us.”