Madness was a knife edge to be danced upon. There was no way to move without it cutting back.

Blood dripped and stained the world. Michael's head snapped back with sickening crunch that set his insides rattling. Groaning he leaned over to continue grappling the perpetrator, a tiny little teal-haired girl. He can't believe he let her get that good a hit in. Dang, Cass was strong. Well, at least him and Rene were gonna match. That'd be fun later.

Heavy breathing came up behind him, signifying Danny had finally caught up.

"Grab her feet." He grunted, struggling to not crush Cassie's small frame but still keep her from bolting.

Her legs stopped flopping as Danny pinned them. His shaggy hair coated with sweat, clinging to the scared face beneath.

"Cass, it's me. Come on, it's okay."

That was the thing though, the thing that screamed inside his head telling him to run. Fear...Danny was scared. If he was being honest, so was he, but in a different way. There were all these movies where people with mental illnesses were shown as crazy psychotic beings that are a danger to themselves and everyone around them. It was all about the extremes and a warped perception from people who had never experienced it, most likely. It wasn't real. Still, in that moment, he had to remind himself of it. He had to remind himself that the girl he was trying to help was Cassie not some demon from the movies. She was a girl struggling with her mind and most important his friend.

The Forest's Embrace Bordering School for Trouble Youth was not the first 'mental institute' Michael had been placed in. He had been in many in fact. They were a good location to find new recruits after all. However, it had taken him many placements to realize the truth about madness. He could never admit it to any of them, but there had been a time he would have written them off for a label they couldn't control. Judging them for something that was part of them, but not their entire being.A time when he believed the movies and had been terrified of those he couldn't understand. In fact, there was a time he had done something terrible because of it.

Cassie looked at him, her eyes a slight glaze with a fever of adrenaline. She snapped her teeth playfully at him. Michael froze as he felt her move beneath him, no longer in an effort to escape. She licked her lips, bringing a shine to them. He fell back in surprise.

A dark shadow passed over the three, followed by the solid presence of Declan as he reached around him to press something into the pulsing skin of Cassie. Her eyes fluttered, struggling against the drug before passing out limp, her body sinking into the grass. Her flush face taking on a look of peace, Sleeping Beauty.

Michael got up carefully. He muscles twitching beneath his skin, a nervous flame threatening to be put out.

"Is she okay?" Rene's voice drifted from her behind them.

Her feet were dragging across the ground, trailing long scuffs behind her. It was obvious how upset she was at the incident.

"She's...she'll be fine." Declan sighed, standing up to rub at his temples. "I only have two vials left though of the mild anesthetic I just injected her with. I used up most of them when we ran into those local cops the other day."

"I said I was sorry." Michael grumbled.

They had been hunkered down in an abandoned barn when a little mix up with some fire and leftover straw had drawn unwanted attention. To be fair, it wasn't his fault that he had sparked. They had asked for a fire to keep warm by, and they had definitely been toasty...probably not cozy though.

"How long do her mania episodes usually last?"

Rene looked over at Declan, her face scrunched up, a mixture of thought and distress. One of the few times she showed emotion, when it involved her friends. "Week and a half to two weeks? It's been a while since she's had a really big episode. The therapy and medication had been helping a lot." Her voice dropped. "I shouldn't have let her come with."

"Yeah, let her." Danny said, his fingers curling to quote 'let'. "You're acting like Cass would have ever let that happen."

A pain settled in Michael's stomach. He wished he could do more to help. If only he could have gotten Rene to agree to go with him. He was sure they would have had some medication or something. His flames cackled, urging him on.

"I think..."

Declan cut him off, already pulling back out the phone. "I'm calling Lora back and we are finding Cassie's doctor."

"Is that even safe? I mean we are..." Danny sliced across his throat. "legally dead and all that."

"It doesn't matter. If it'll help Cass we're doing it." Rene finality echoed with all of them as they looked at each other and the small girl so full of life and yet so mute in that moment. Yes they would do anything to help her.

"I'll take care of it."

______________________________________________

Madness was her knife, her weapon of choice. And though it could harm others, it could also harm her.

A smack woke her up.

"Son of a..." Rene muttered, rubbing at her head.

Michael's laugh only intensified the headache. "Good thing you got a thick skull their Firecracker."

"I'll show you a thick skull."

Fledging if you are trying to threaten the little fire-boy you should allow me.

Maybe later, Karo. I don't need you to cook him just yet.

Karo rumbled his disagreement.

Trees blurred past her outside the window that had just attempted to crack her skull. She could imagine herself out there running alongside instead of trapped within the stinking bus. There was the overwhelming smell of human body odor and gasoline, making her want to gag. She had demanded the window seat to be away from any people on the packed transportation. Deciding to glue herself to it and all its sticky, grime glory over sitting by the aisle and constantly having people brush up against her. As it was, she still shrugged closer to the wall anytime Michael shifted and touched her by accident. Not that Michael was necessarily worse than the wall, it was just that feeling, being touched.

Turning her head, she looked at Michael again. He gave her a ridiculous grin. His face was a tad puffy with a bruise forming around his nose. Cass had really got him good.

"Twinsies!"

"I told you to stop saying that." Rene hissed, hunching down into the seat to disappear from any curious, judging eyes.

Her own nose throbbed painfully, as though to remind her she had been kidnapped and beaten. Pathetic, that's what it was. She was supposed to be some totally awesome bearer of ink. The keeper of the dragons of chaos and order and yet she couldn't even defend herself. An ambush and all her work over the past couple months was useless. Seriously, how bad a heroine was she? She never wanted this crap.

Slam.

Rene shoved and kicked the bus seat in front of her. Michael stared at her like she had grown a second head or something. She liked kicking things. He should have known that by now.

Dark, angry eyes peered over the seat to look at her. A small boy glared at her. Rene just stuck out her tongue.

"I'm telling my mom."

"Go. A. Head." She punctuated with kicks.

The boy opened his mouth to scream. Though the fact that his mom wasn't with him in the first place should have been a far bigger concern. There were crazy people on public buses, herself included.

"No, no need to tell your mom. She's sorry, right Sparky?"

Rene rolled her eyes at Michael's attempt to play peacemaker. He pulled out a five dollar bill and snapped it in front of the kid.

"All forgiven?"

The green was snatched away and the little tattle-tail disappeared. Rene frowned, pulling her legs to her chest. Her mother was right, she most certainly wasn't perfect.

She rotated onto her knees, so she could check on Cassie. Spinning and leaning over the back of her seat, she was greeted...well, not with Cassie. Instead a man in a business suit lay sprawled across the whole aisle. No fair, he got his own and she had to share with Michael. Wait...

"Where's Cass?"

Michael smiled, "Hm?"

"Don't play stupid with me ya idiot. Where is Cassie?"

"Um...well, the thing is Cassie kinda sorta went with Declan and Danny to go see her doctor." Rene narrowed her eyes at him, scowling as he continued. "And they got off a couple hours ago."

"What?"

Now may I show him true fire? Karo growled.

She was so tempted to let Karo melt him.

Do not jump to conclusions Young One. You may have been asleep, but we are always aware.

You! You knew about this too? Traitors.

"Sparky?"

"You have one minute to give a good explanation for this."

A paper plopped onto her lap, deep creases split it in quarters. Rene picked it up, bringing the black lines into focus and a familiar face with it. It was a file on her mother. She was gonna be sick.

Her stomach revolted against her and the world swooped in. Darkness encroached upon her vision. Rene grasped the seat in front of her, searching for a physical life raft. Her fingers squeaked against the plastic covering as they attempted to dig into it. She needed to breathe. Dear God, why couldn't she breathe? She was dying. Her heart thudded in her chest a bass drum whacking at her emotions.

Mother....Mother...Mother....Mother...

The word a painful spike to her soul. Michael was saying something, but she couldn't hear it. Everything was too close. Her body trembled.

Five things.

Rene froze up before curling into herself tighter.

Fledgling, five things. Name them. Five things you can see.

Five things she could see...she couldn't see anything. Just black and that word, Mother.

Five things, Young One. Remember the book. Kai flowed through her.

The book...that stupid book Declan had gotten her on anxiety.

One.

"There is a...a ink spot on the seat in front of me."

Two.

"Crack in the window."

Three.

"Michael's black t-shirt with the band ACDC."

Four.

"The couple in the aisle next to us holding hands."

Five.

"My mother's picture."

Mother...Mother...Mother

Now four things you can feel. You are strong. Remember to breathe. Kai encouraged.

Ground yourself, Fledgling.

Rene continued calling out four things she could feel, three things she could hear, two things she could smell, and one thing she could taste. Her breathing mellowed to a uneven rasp over the choking restriction of panic. The pounding of her heart slowed, the end of the race, trying to recover. Everything trembled with exhaustion and fear.

Again. Karo instructed.

So she did, muttering different things her senses took in until, finally, it passed.

"I'm sorry." Michael whispered, pain and worry lacing his words. "I didn't think that would hit you so hard."

"Screw you Pyro." Rene shoved her way out of the row, making him wince as his legs were banged about.

Stumbling, she dragged herself to the bathroom where she hurled.

This is necessary Young One. You can not face the horrors of the world if you are still battling those in your head.

Kai isn't not like it's even going to help. I'm not gonna go knock on her door and have a heart-to-heart with my...with my Mother.

Then don't. You don't have to forgive her. Karo gruffed. You can't keep running from this though. She's a mortal, a mere human yet you let her terrorize you like a beast.

"That's cause she's far worse than any monster that could be hiding under my bed." Rene sighed, leaning against the sink.

A splash of weird smelling water on her face made her feel more sound within her body...even if it made her feel gross as well. This was horrible. Cassie was off who-knows where and in who-knows how much trouble while she was off to see her mother. The world sucked today.

She hated being a hero.