When Liv woke up, she had no idea where she was. The room didn't look like the room she had been assigned to yesterday. Actually, what had happened yesterday? The last thing she remembered was finding Vera in the water two months ago. . . .

"Oh, are you awake?"

Liv looked up when the door opened and a nurse walked in. She looked to be in her late twenties, and her red hair was tied up into a high ponytail.

"Hello, I'm Karen; your nurse for the rest of this week," she said as she stepped into the room. "You surprised all of us yesterday, when you weren't in your room. Here, you can't run off whenever you want. Someone needs to know where you are at all times. Now, let's get you out of that bed; Breakfast is in five minutes."

Nodding, Liv lifted the blanket off of her legs and saw that she was wearing green scrubs. She looked up at Karen, trying to figure how she could ask her about her clothes.

As if able to read her mind, Karen smiled and spoke again. "Your clothes are in your room," she told Liv as she helped her stumble out of bed. "Don't worry, you'll be going back there tonight. We placed you here just in case, considering what happened yesterday." She led Liv by the arm outside, as she tried to remember what had happened.

There was a boy. . . . Liv was certain of this, although she didn't know who exactly he was. All she knew was that he had reminded her of Vera, and she . . . had screamed. Loudly. That must have been why she was . . . wherever she was.

"Oh, Kris, are you leaving with Connor already?"

Liv glanced in the direction Karen was facing and saw two males coming out of the room next to Liv's. One was wearing light blue scrubs similar to Karen's, most likely the nurse, and the other one wore red. When Liv took a closer look to the one in red, she noticed that he was the boy from yesterday. She was wondering why he was also here when he looked up, so his eyes matched Liv's.

She turned slightly red, embarrassed by the accidental eye contact, but the guy seemed to literally see red. His eyes narrowed when he saw her, a scowl forming on his lips. He then looked away sharply, surprising Liv.

"Oh, Connor is a little different from most others here," Karen explained when she saw Liv's surprised expression. "Anybody in red scrubs isn't allowed anywhere without supervision, and he doesn't mix well with girls. It would be best for both of you to stay away from each other."

"I'll see you later, Karen," the male nurse, probably Kris, said to them. "We'll be leaving first, if you don't mind. You have a good day, Liv," he added, surprising Liv for the second time that day.

She blinked as the nurse gave her a smile before turning back to Connor and leading him out of the hallway first.

"Kris is my brother," the nurse said to Liv as they waited for the pair to leave. "We're two of the full-time workers here, so you'll be seeing us often."

Liv didn't respond, too busy wondering why Karen had said it would be best for her and Connor to stay away from each other. It wasn't that she wanted to be friends with him, but everybody always wanted to know why.

A slight tugging signaled Liv to begin moving again, and she allowed herself to be led out of the hallway into the lobby, where things looked a little familiar.

"Now, the cafeteria is to the right, here," Karen explained, pointing at a sign that read CAFETERIA. "The Recreational Room is on the opposite side, where you can go after meals or when you have a free period."

A sign that read REC. ROOM hung above the entrance of the open doorway Karen pointed to. From her standing point, Liv could see a TV, ping pong and Foosball tables, and a bookshelf with books and board games on its shelves. However, none of them piqued her interest.

Karen began moving again, making Liv focus her attention on the cafeteria, where loud laughter and voices could be heard. Once they stepped into the loud room, Liv felt slightly overwhelmed as she felt like the new girl at a high school.

"Hey, Liv!"

A loud voice from the corner made Liv jump. She turned around and saw Dani standing on a chair, waving her arms around.

"You must be lucky to be so popular," Karen laughed. "Dani's going to break her neck trying to catch your attention. You should go."

Liv headed in Dani's direction with her usual indifferent expression, although one of Karen's sentences kept repeating in Liv's head.

You must be lucky to be so popular.

What was so good about being popular? The popular kids at Liv's school went around acting as if they were better than the rest of the school, causing more damage than good. If she could have the chance, she would go and punch every popular kid in the face. None of them deserved to be "popular" or "respected." Especially not her.

"Hey, Liv!" Dani jumped down from the chair and ran over to Liv so she could drag her over to a table. "Sit here, these are my other friends."

Other friends. She considered Liv to be a friend? Even though they barely knew each other?

"Liv," Dani announced proudly, "meet Krystal, Sierra, Michael, and Percy."

"You brought another girl?" one of the guys groaned. "It's already three girls and two guys. Now it's going to be four girls and two guys?"

"Ignore him," the boy next to him said. "I'm Michael, and the idiot over here is Percy." He then lifted an arm out as if to shake, but Dani shook her head the fraction of an inch, and he withdrew it.

"So, you're Liv Marshall?" A girl in the center sat back in her seat with her arms crossed tightly across her chest. Although they were all wearing the same green scrubs, the outfit looked different on her, in a better way. It was clear that she was the queen bee of the group. "What's that short for, Olivia?"

No, it's not short for anything. Although Liv only thought this answer, pure venom was laced through these words. Part of it was because she was asked the same question numerously, although it was mainly because it was obvious that they would not get along.

"Um, I'm Krystal," the last girl said timidly. "This is Sierra. Welcome to Auxilius!"

Liv blinked at Krystal. Was she welcoming her to a care center right now?

"A little rude, aren't we?" Sierra pointedly picked up a piece of toast with one arm still wrapped around her chest as everyone at the table turned to stare at her.

"Sierra," Michael said in warning tone, though Sierra waved him off with the hand holding the toast.

"What, am I wrong?" she asked with an innocent expression. "Krystal's suffering enough. She's only trying to be polite, but Olivia isn't responding in any way. No nod, no smile, and God forbid she actually talks."

Liv's eyes narrowed at the girl. She didn't like Sierra at all, and it wasn't just because she was insulting and mocking her so plainly. Despite this, she managed to keep in the insults she was ready to throw back at the smug bitch. However, it became increasingly difficult for Liv to keep her poker face as Sierra kept smirking with a victorious expression.

"Hey, aren't you hungry?" Dani quickly stood up, grabbing Liv up with her. "I'll show you to the Breakfast Bar; it's really great."

Although Dani pushed Liv in front of her, Liv still saw her give a warning glance to Sierra before they went to stand in line.

"You'll have to forgive Sierra," Dani told Liv as they waited for the line to move. "She usually has a hard time trusting people she just met. Although," Dani added as an afterthought, "she wasn't as harsh with Michael or Percy when they first met. I wonder why she's so cold to you."

Liv thought she had a general idea, but she wasn't going to share it with Dani, even if Liv were speaking. Instead, she began surveying the food when it was her turn. 

She held her tray in her hands as Dani stood next to her, still talking about Sierra -- "She's actually really sweet, I swear. Just give her a little time." -- when she spotted two people sitting away from the crowd, isolated. Upon closer look, they seemed to be Kris and Connor.

"-- almost leaving soon, I think. . . . Oh, that's Connor. Yeah, you're not going to have a chance with him, no offense. But don't fret too much, no one can."

Liv looked at Dani when she mentioned Connor's name. Did she know about him? Although Liv tried not to care, she still wondered why he "didn't mix well with girls." From the way Karen had said it, he didn't sound gay. Liv tried to shrug Connor out of her mind as they went back to their seats, although Dani's continuous talk of him made it difficult.

"You guys talking about Connor? Is he in the same place?"

"Always is," Dani answered Percy as she and Liv sat down. "Have you ever seen him sit anywhere else?"

"Hey, did you notice how he came in from the lobby, where Level One is?" Sierra asked as she stabbed a grape with her fork. "Didn't you say the ones who are bat-shit crazy go in there?"

Krystal winced at Sierra's blunt words. "I didn't say they were . . . that. Level One is for the people who go backwards instead of forwards."

Percy shrugged as he also added his own two cents. "I mean, Sierra isn't completely wrong with her description, though," he told them.

"Ignoring the fact that saying that is not polite," Matthew said with a glance to Sierra and Percy, "I think --"

"Do you think he'll go back in after Breakfast?" Sierra interrupted. "I'm voting yes. Kris looks like he'll tackle Connor if he even breathes in the wrong direction."

Liv watched the entire table gossip about Connor. So far, all she got from them were personal opinions and speculations, not facts. This place -- at least, this table -- definitely made Liv feel like she was in high school again. A place where the higher-ups gossiped about everyone not worthy enough to be in their clique. In a bad way. There was definitely an hierarchy here that Liv had hoped to get away from. She kept her gaze on the tray in front of her, trying to concentrate on the food. It was going well, until she felt someone tapping her arm.

"Liv, are you alright? If lasers existed, your food would have disintegrated a long time ago."

Liv looked up, her gaze softening, as she stared into Dani's concerned face.

"Wait, you came from Level One, too. And you were involved with the incident from yesterday afternoon, weren't you?" Sierra leaned forward in her seat towards Liv. "You probably met him this morning as you came out of Level One. What did you think of him?"

Why should I tell you? Why do you care? How do you benefit from knowing about mine or Connor's life?

"Oh, it looks like Miss Quiet can have more than one emotion," Sierra sang with a smirk. "Are you mad? Then say something. You should speak up for yourself." She leaned towards Liv as she said the next sentence. "You should always speak up for yourself."

Liv forced herself to look away from the staring contest they were having. She didn't want to do something she would regret. She had a reason for deciding not to speak, and this Miss Bitch in front of her wouldn't make Liv change her mind about it.

"Let it go, Sierra," Dani said gently, standing up to push Sierra back into her seat. "Don't force her to talk."

"I don't get it," Sierra said loudly, so that people from other tables looked over at her. "Why would anyone not want to talk? At all? You should tell people what you think."

That's exactly why I'm choosing not to talk.

Liv stood up from her seat, not wanting to stay near Sierra any longer. What right did she have to pick on Liv like that? It wasn't as if Liv were pointing out all the flaws Sierra had. However, with every step she took away from Sierra and the others, the more her fast heart rate slowed down, and the more Liv realized that she deserved this.

The thought hit Liv like a tidal wave. The way Liv had been spoken to was the way Vera had been spoken to. Sierra, the queen bee at that table, had already judged Liv in her mind before verbally attacking her. The queen bee at school had already judged Vera in her mind before physically and verbally attacking her. And Liv could have stopped both of them, but she didn't.

She was afraid of the consequences of helping Vera, and she deserved what Sierra was doing to her. Liv had chosen not to help Vera, and karma was biting at her in the name of Sierra whatever-her-last-name-was.

"Um, hey." A hand tapped Liv's shoulder gently. Turning around, Liv saw Krystal standing in front of her with a nervous expression.

"The others are talking to Sierra right now," she said while not meeting Liv's eyes. "You don't have to leave. I'm not saying Sierra will apologize to you, but she won't try to make you talk again, or anything. She won't talk to you or about you at all."

No, Liv wanted to say. Don't stop her. Don't help me. I didn't help Vera; nobody helped Vera. Nobody should help me.

"Dani told us that you're not here for an eating disorder, so you should at least finish your breakfast," Krystal said. "They only give out snacks on special occasions, and Lunch is four hours later. If you were in Level One since yesterday afternoon, you wouldn't have had eaten anything in around twenty hours."

Liv hesitated before answering. She wasn't as hungry as one would expect her to be, so she looked over at the table. Sierra had lost the hard glare in her eyes, although her arms were still crossed tightly across her chest again, and she had a deep scowl on her face. Dani saw Liv glancing over at them and began waving her over ferociously.

"Well, let's go, then."

Krystal turned around and made her way back to the table. Liv still lingered in her spot, although the face Dani made at her made Liv force herself to follow suit.

"Look who decided to return," Percy said with a huge grin, although it quickly disappeared after Michael gave jabbed him with his elbow.

"Listen, Liv," Michael said to Liv calmly as Percy silently howled in pain next to him, "I feel like we didn't start off with the best first impressions. So, let's restart, starting now. Hi, I'm Michael Dander, sixteen. I've been here since last year of March, and I'm here because I have schizophrenia sometimes, although it's been happening less, as of late." He then slapped Percy on the arm.

"Ow -- I'm Percy Baden, seventeen. I'm in for, uh, binge eating, if you couldn't tell." He gave a nervous laugh, lifting his arms up as if to show his body off. "I came here, uh, winter of two years ago, and I've also been getting . . . better, if that's what you want to call it."

Next to him was Sierra, who only crossed her arms even tighter and glared sharply at Liv.

Before the silence could get more intense, Krystal decided to speak up. "Ah, this is Sierra Franco. She's sixteen and came here last September because she --"

"Don't you dare tell her."

Krystal cleared her throat at Sierra's interruption and began introducing herself. "I am Krystal Estafanous. I am sixteen years old and I came here when I was fourteen years old. I'd also rather not say what I'm in here for."

"Oh, come on," Percy said loudly as Krystal looked down. "You didn't even tell me, and we're the ones who have been in here the longest."

"Dude, we talked about this literally two minutes ago," Michael deadpanned. "Let Dani talk."

"Well, you already know me," Dani said to Liv. "Danielle Parker, a 'drug-addicted whore' according to my lovable father. Seventeen. I came here exactly eleven months and eight days ago. No offense guys, but I'm counting down until the days I can leave."

Liv observed the table as everyone joked and argued about what Dani had just said.

Sierra, Michael, and Percy had all come when they were fifteen. Dani had come at sixteen, and Krystal had come at fourteen. Now, none of them were over eighteen. Was it just a coincidence? If it weren't, Liv could leave Auxilius by December. She hadn't cared about going to Auxilius before, but now that she knew how similar it was to high school, she couldn't wait to get out.