The world is a screwed up place. There was no way around that. The world was burning and somehow Rene kept being forced into the flames. Truthfully, even with Kai and Karo's "words of wisdom", she may never understand her place in it. However, at least the reason the world burned was simple. It was screwed because humans are screwed up creatures...and Karo liked to burn stuff. So from the ashes of her old life she danced, only to find more kindling waiting. Ironic that the pyro was the one making it difficult to just torch it all.

The faces mocked her. Their stupid faces with their stupid still breathing mouths and noses. The bodies of the cargo personal were strewn across the warehouse lawn. Each alive, thanks to Michael.

"They kinda look like when I used to play tornado and throw my sister's dolls all over the floor." Danny shrugged at the various emotions of the group. "What, I always saved them at the end. I was way better than any Red Cross or Superman."

"Why?" Rene growled.

"Uh...Cause it was fun?"

"She means me." Michael walked towards her, his smile etched in place. "I already told you."

"That's not good enough. Cassie could have died. You could have and probably should have died for these people. These people that wanted to take Karo and Kai away from me to Doctor Frankenstein."

"First, for the record, I did not agree to that villain name and I think we should re-vote. Second, it's not that simple and you know it. These people have lives and families waiting for them. They don't deserve to die for something they didn't do."

"Yet." Rene went over to kick one over to keep from suffocating in the grass. "Something they didn't do yet."

Cassie came up behind and hugged her. Rene didn't move. She was angry. Angry at the world, at the people, at herself.

"Do you wish them dead Fledgling?" White death glistened with the fading sun as Karo pulled back his mouth. "Because I would oblige."

Her eyes flickered to Michael, his face stretched with positivity only revealed false by the darkening of his eyes. Rene extracted herself out of the small arms trying to hold her together, like always. Cassie looked at her, her eyes alight with an unnatural energy.

The world deserved to burn.

"Let's just go."

Declan pulled out a phone, taking her resignation as a signal. His deep voice drifted through the eerie silence of the ravaged docks, calling the authorities to get the people help. Danny hovered over him the entire time, his fingers twitching and hands lurching towards his precious work. Danny had modified a cheap track phone to get them something that theoretically wasn't traceable. It was his newest pride and "proof" of his genius. Declan though always carried it, much to his dismay. Declan after all was the only one of them technically still alive, so it was registered under his name. He gave a quick nod of confirmation they were coming, meaning it was time to leave.

A cheery hum erupted, escalating to all out singing.

"Thank you for blessing me with a mind to rhyme and two hype feet." Michael rang out, dancing behind the retreating group.

"You suck at dancing." Rene muttered.

"You're just jealous." He spun, shaking his shoulders out of rhythm. "You can't touch this."

"Highly unlikely."

"Plenty of people love my dancing. You just have no taste Sparky."

Danny walked backwards, a hitched eyebrow at the spectacle. "Your mother doesn't count."

Michael pause mid-move. It appeared almost a dramatic emphasis. A flickering passed through his brown eyes. Rene felt something in her chest tighten at it. The moment disappeared though with the re-ignition of cocky, carefree attitude.

"Can't touch this. Oh-oh oh oh-oh-oh." He sang.

It was probably just a misread.

Shadows danced across the ground, enveloping them only to move and re-bath them in light. Karo soared overhead, incredible as ever. They would have ridden him, but Michael always refused. Probably smart on his head. Plus Karo could be more maneuverable in an attack if he didn't have to think about losing passengers...okay, a passenger.

A bright chirping interrupted Michael's serenade. The entire group tensed, fearful. Declan brought back out the, now glowing, phone from his pocket. His face twitched for a second, before relaxing upon reading the name on it. He showed them. In all caps, it read "LORA".

"Hey, what's up?" Declan answered, striding away from the group.

It wasn't that he didn't trust them. After all the crap they had been through, it would be...stupid if he didn't. It was more that, well he knew Rene didn't want to hear it. They would be discussing the Asylum and its residents, how the world they fled was doing.

Rene leaned back, watching Karo circle them.

What bothers you, Young One?

"Life." She muttered out loud to Kai's gentle prodding.

"Hm?" Cassie questioned, before recognition crossed her face. "Oh, you're talking to them."

Her green eyes bore into ones almost as familiar as her own.

"Why?"

That one simple word that seemed to consume her existence lately. The word that scorched deeper into her soul with each desperate repeat when everything around her burned. She hadn't questioned much of her life before. The Asylum was...well it was that the Asylum. She lived there and although she might have hated it, she didn't question it. Not until the end at least. However, once the questions started, they didn't stop.

Cassie braided a chunk of teal between her fingers. The ends too short to stay with the rest sticking out everywhere the more she wove. Her usually perfect makeup was smudged and dripping down her face. She looked a bit like a doll some child tried to give a makeover too.

"Why what?" She popped.

"Rene." Danny's voice was low and full of warning.

She didn't care though. Because despite almost dying, Cassie was grinning and bouncing about with untainted energy. Cassie's eyes glistened, shifting away from Rene to watch the horizon. Abruptly, she started running.

"Shit." Michael was the first to react, chasing after the sprinting pixie.

Cassie was making a mad dash back towards the wreckage bobbing in the water. Teal hair was flung back to catch the wind, the braid being ripped loose from its fragile hold. Her small feet stuttered out of pace as she kicked her shoes off. The next to follow was the flowery kimono that had so delighted her when picked off the thrift store rack...then her pink tank top...

The wind whistled through the building, lifting the skirt Cassie was struggling to remove. She tipped forward, tumbling and rolling through the grass and dirt. Michael tried to use the moment to catch her. Danny huffed and puffed a good twenty feet behind where they were. Rene...Rene remained frozen.

"You have new roommate, Rene." Miss Rachel clicked beside her, as they walked down the hall. "Seventh one since you've gotten here. This doesn't exactly reflect well on you."

Rene shrugged, looking away to trace the groves in the wall. They paused as a small door was buzzed open for her, an invitation to a party she didn't want to attend. Miss Rachel tapped her foot impatient on having to escort her to ensure she didn't do anything to this one. Rene stepped in. Any semblance of keeping her world separate and safe from... this intruder, this roommate's encroachment was sealed off with the shutting of the door. Miss Rachel's tight lips and narrow eyes screamed not to mess this one up. It's not like Rene had tried to get rid of her roommates...most of the time.

A small force plowed into her, causing Rene to stagger. Looking down, a tiny girl with long black hair clung to her. Her skin was a smooth caramel, perhaps Hispanic?

"Don't touch." Rene put a hand on the girl's face and pushed away.

A giggle erupted from beneath the hair, peering up to reveal a pretty done face. "You got it. I'm Cassie by the way."

Weeks passed and the girl, Cassie, didn't give up on Rene like so many before. If anything the more Rene pushed, the harder she pushed back.

Rene shoved her feet against the underside of the top bunk. Cassie screamed a weird giggle as her mattress, and her, were jostled about. Her head had popped over the edge, hair swinging down and long enough to tickle Rene when she leaned out to look at her too.

"So what are you here for even?" Rene muttered a slight annoyance in her voice.

"Bipolar disorder."

"Meaning?"

"That I have manic and depressive states. I'm here cause they supposedly have new medications and treatments to help control it better. As my mother always says, I have bipolar disorder but it is not me. I shall overcome!" Cassie smiled at her own dramatics.

Rene became quiet for a moment, lost in thought before venturing deeper into this odd girl's world. "What's it like?"

"Being bipolar? For starters, it's exhausting. When I'm high, I'm indestructible and can save the world. I don't need anything or anyone. I hardly eat or sleep, riding on a wave of...power and confidence. My mind is overflowing with thoughts and grandiose." Cassie hopped off the bed, whipping out one of her sketch books to flip through magnificent artwork in a furry. "I draw because I can't not in that moment and everything is beautiful."

"That doesn't seem too bad."

"No perhaps not, but when it switches." She paused, her eyes watering.

RIP

Pages fluttered to the ground.

"It hurts Rene. My body, my mind, my emotions are suddenly all back on and aware of what I've been doing to them. Worse, then it comes."

Rene cocked her head. "It?"

"The depression. It's...it's a terrible demon. This thing in your head that eats and shreds what you used to be....and suddenly there is nothing but this empty numbness and despair, so much so, I never want to move again."

Papers became a storm of colors, the sketches whirling through black and white and rainbows, inspiring images and retching, painful drawings.

"It's passion and then nothing. Puts you on top of the world only to shove you off it and say you don't deserve not only it, but anything at all. It's an outpouring of creativity, painted across life and giving the world color, then turns into a paint stripper to wash it all away."

"There's no gray." She finished quietly, standing amongst her mind spilled out onto pages.

Rene stood up, feeling something besides anger or indifference for the first time ever since arriving at the Asylum. "Will you be my friend?"

Cassie smiled. "Don't be silly. We already are. Now want to help me cut my hair?"

It seemed so long ago. A different world trapping two very different people.

It had been a long time since Cassie had been in a full blown manic state and seeing it...it hurt, a bullet to Rene's heart that bleed out more with each pump. She was helpless. Her friend was climbing the hill of emotions...and worse soon would come the fall.

A/N: Hey Wattpad People,

Sorry short chapter, and for the delay in getting it out, but I thought this was important enough a moment that it deserved to be impacted by ending here. Thanks for reading and, as always, love to hear what you all think. =)