As I walked along the sidewalk, closer to the forest's edge than I should be, I held onto my side. Not that it was injured or anything, but I believe that maniac had something to do with it. My side hurt, it didn't feel like it was bleeding but it was sore. He probably did something to me that I hadn't realized because of the chokehold and my panic.

   I trudged on, and I was going to need to go to a place where I never thought I'd go to. Mainly because Ryan had taken care of my wounds if I had gotten hurt any of the time.

   I... had to go to the hospital.

   I had to go to that wretched place because I needed to see if there was anything in my bloodstream, if the wound on my head was serious, or if there were any more than I could feel, but there wasn't. I didn't notice them if there was any, because I was in a state of panic. 

   A psychotic man had broken into my house, killed my father figure, and tried to kill me while threatening that I wouldn't be safe any time soon.

   Every person I passed, when they saw me, they went into a short state of shock that quickly turned into worry. They asked me if I needed help but I just told them to fuck off. I didn't need anyone to worry about me right now, I didn't need anyone to slow me down, because if they slowed me down, I knew I wouldn't make it to the hospital in time, and thank goodness the hospital was only a couple minutes away from the house because I couldn't go on any longer after that.

   Whenever I got to the parking lot, I could tell because I could smell exhaust-fumes and oil throughout the area, and whenever I passed behind a car, I could feel someones calm, cool mind pass by. But then they saw me, and they ran forward.

   "Oh my God! You need help, let's get you inside-"

   "No, leave me alone. I can get inside by myself. Where's the emergency room?" I threw back at them.

   They took a few moments before responding as I faced them. "But... You're blind. Anyone smart enough can see that." I realized this person was female and I cursed. The last female I had actually talked to had threatened to basically kill me. I didn't have a good relationship with anyone, and this was going a bit over the edge. I was never good with socializing.

   "No, I'm not," I said, using my ability to see through her eyes. "You'll stay beside me and look where I tell you to," I glared at her. My glare was strong, but the woman didn't look away. "But don't get in my way. Got it?"

   She stood there for a moment, looking at me, and I realized how bad I looked. My pink hoodie was stained with blood, the same as my jeans. The top of my head was basically split open and steadily bled, and my bangs were crusted with blood. My glasses had come off during the fight and were probably inside the house, so you could see my foggy eyes. That made me shiver. I looked like shit.

   She sighed heavily and went to gently grab my elbow to bring me along, but I stepped back. "Don't fucking touch me!" I gritted out. I started walking towards the hospital entrance, and the woman looked down at my feet as I dragged them along the concrete, struggling to lift them back up again. I didn't realize that.

   "Hey, look up and follow me! I can't see where I'm fucking going!" I yelled behind me, and the female looked up and jogged to me before settling at my slow, slow pace to the hospital entrance. 

   "How'd you get hurt? Did you get hit by a car? A car can do that kind of stuff if it isn't going too fast, but it can still cause a lot of damage-"

   "Don't say anything else. If you do, I swear, I will fucking kill you." I gritted out.

   "At least let me help you, you aren't going to make it by yourself." She said, looking at me.

   "LOOK FORWARD DAMN IT!" I shouted at her as I turned around, my eyebrows creased and my eyes narrowed even though I couldn't see her. I was slouched over with my right hand over my left hip, my other arm hanging beside me because I wanted it to be.

   "You can carry me bridal style, I don't fucking care. Just get me into the emergency room because I don't know what the hell is wrong with me." My voice shrank as my words continued. I suddenly realized how much using my ability for this long took a toll on my energy. "Dear God..." I mumbled as I stopped my ability and slumped to the ground.

   "James!" I heard the woman scream. "James, get me a hand over here! We need to bring this kid to the emergency room!" I felt heavy footsteps coming towards me and I tensed. I didn't like people with big builds, I don't think I ever have. I was swept off the ground and I yelped, pushing against whoever held me, but they held me tighter to them as they ran.

   I didn't like not having the ground beneath me. It was the only connection to the world that I knew of, and that terrified me. I stopped pushing against this James person as the strong smell of the hospital hit me, and hit me hard. I cringed back a little bit, my face scrunching up. 

   "I need to get this boy to the back. Is there room, Layla?" James asked from above me. I couldn't feel his conscience anymore... Why couldn't I feel it? I couldn't feel anyone... I couldn't feel any living thing's mind or presence, and I started freaking out.

   "What did he put in me?" I mumbled, eyes open wide. "What the hell did he put in me?" My breathing picked up. I tried to reach out to anyone, or anything, but I couldn't feel anything. I can't fell the trees outside or all the minds around me. I didn't know if it was day or night, because I couldn't tell if anyone was sleeping or not.

   "Yes, James, there's rooms open. Bring him there and calm him down on the way, he's freaking out." The person, who I thought was Layla, answered. I felt James turn and start has way somewhere, most likely to whatever room he was bringing me to. But I didn't want to be in a room.

   Not like I was before.

   With Him.

   Or in that facility.

   I didn't want to be in a hospital room.

   "I don't want to go into a room," I whispered because that was all I could get out.

   "It's for your own good, kid. You look like shit, so we're going to help you. 'Kay?" He asked as his deep voice rumbling in his chest. He turned once more and continued on.

   I shook my head, "That's what they said last time..." I barely even got out. I don't think I could speak anymore. Fatigue pulled at my mind, making my eyes slightly burn and my eyelids droop. But I pulled them open again. 

   "Well, we aren't whoever you're speaking of. We're... We're better than them." He told me before he kicked something open. "I just need you to get some rest before we get started, alright?" He asked. He reminded me of Ryan. So gentle but firm, and so caring. Like whoever was in front of him was the one he needed to take care of. 

   I relaxed but tensed up as he bent over and placed me on some kind of bed. I arched my back to try and get away, but he pushed me back down. "Rest, you need it." He told me before I drifted off into the one place that felt like it'd actually get me away from reality for a while. 

   "Resume test four." The anonymous voice sounded out. 

   I woke up in the same exact room I was in earlier. White walls, white ceiling, white floor, no windows, one door, always locked, and a speaker. There was no mirror or anything. No camera. No... Nothing.

   I guess you could say that my previous test hadn't gone so well since we're resuming it whenever we should really be starting a new one, but that isn't the case. 

   Earlier I had woken up in this room and been told to eliminate the target. And out of nowhere, this latch opened up and this poor, poor humanoid thing came barreling out of it. Scars were placed all over their body, brand new wounds that were still bleeding and burn marks. 

   There was nothing that I had in the room that I could eliminate this person, unless...

   "You're kidding me, right?! YOU WANT ME TO RIP THEM TO SHREDS!! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!" I turned around and screamed towards the speaker, my arms out by my side, fists clenching. I was only six at the time...

   "Eliminate the target." They said emotionless-ly once more. I was starting to get frustrated.

   I huffed and turned around. I clenched and unclenched my fists by my sides multiple times as I stared down at, what I was assuming, the male on the ground who was curled up in a ball, whimpering from the pain as tears streamed down their face. I felt horrible... But if I rid them of this world, it would end their pain. That was one thing that my mama had taught me. One of the very few things I could remember of her...

   "I'm so sorry... But it's better this way... For me, and for you." I mumbled before bringing my fist to face the boy. He was older than me by a couple of years. He seemed like he'd be ten. I focused on him and opened my fist quickly while shutting my eyes and turning away. 

   The boy had basically exploded and I made sure I wasn't looking because my tiny heart couldn't take it. I start sobbing as I dropped to my knees. "I'm so sorry! P-please, forgive me!" I yelled out while placing my hands over my eyes and dropping my head down to my knees.

   "Ending test four." The voice rang out and I couldn't help but scream. I screamed out my pain, my anger, sadness, and regret. I didn't want to do that, but I'm not in the right state of mind, currently. I've been here for... four weeks, I think. I couldn't really tell the time because I never learned how to use a clock, but I knew that when the sun was at it's highest, it was the middle of the day. But it changes time-to-time, and I don't understand why.

   The lights turned off around me and I prepared for the worst.

   Machines beneath the floor and in the walls started turning and I heard some kind of latch open behind me. I didn't pay much attention to it, but I brought my head up. Then I heard a p-thooo, and something stabbed itself in my back and released something into my system as my world went dark.

   I woke up in a cold sweat and opened my eyes, expecting there to be light, but I was met with darkness and no sense of anyone beyond me. I felt something in my arm, something wrapped around my head (tightly secured as well), some kind of bandage on my hip, bandages on my legs, my arms, and some other places. I was still lying on that hospital bed that I had been placed onto earlier, and I could hear the beep of the monitor going wild. 

   My heartbeat... I thought.

   "Okay... Just, breathe, Elian. Breathe." I mumbled to myself as I took a deep breathe and let it out, repeating that twice before the monitor slowed down and steadied. I almost felt better already.

   The door opened and I tensed, trying to scoot back in the seat, but barely moving caused my head to pulse. I groaned and held my hand up to my temple, rubbing to try and stop the pulsing.

   "Hey, kid. I see you're awake." I barely recognized the voice. I was still in a daze, though, so I wouldn't be able to remember anything too easily after the incident with that psycho...

   I hummed in agreement, my voice crackly and broken, like a cat's broken purr almost. 

   I heard him shuffle in his seat as I brought my hand over to my left arm where I felt that thing in my arm. I didn't do anything other than poke whatever it was and feel around it a little bit, but otherwise, that was it.

   "Uh, we got the tests back, and there's some unidentifiable substance in your system. I believe that this substance was what pulled you into your unconsciousness yesterday, but that's not my say in it. I believe it affected you but didn't take a serious toll. It should be out of your system by tomorrow-"

   "And what time is it now?" I asked, interrupting him.

   I heard him roll up his sleeve and check his watch. I still hadn't gotten the hang of reading clocks or anything of that sort. "It's fourteen-thirty." He replied.

   "I don't know what that means," I told him. "I didn't learn time. I know that it's hotter in the day than at night."

   "Damn. You are one sad kid, you know that?" 

   "Asshole!" I retorted, turning my head to him. "Don't you dare talk about things you don't know."

   He didn't say anything after that. Not for a long time, anyway. I had to break up the silence because I kept trying to bring up memories after escaping that yellow-visioned psycho.

   "What's your name?" I asked. My head was tilted down as I played with my thumbs, there wasn't much else to do.

   "Hmm? Oh, my name's James. What's yours, kid?" He recast back.

   "Elian." Was my simple answer. I didn't feel like saying much more, so that's all I had.

   The door soon opened again and someone else came inside. "S-Sir, I'm g-going to need you t-to step out f-for a moment. I have some b-b-business with the kid that I n-need to take c-care of." The new person said.

   But... I knew that voice. They sounded so familiar.

   "James, I swear, if you leave, I'm going to fucking kill you," I growled out, reaching my arm out to the side and gripping onto James' arm. "Don't fucking leave me here alone with this psychopath." 

   "Mmm, y-you aren't w-wrong. I-I believe that y-you c-could k-kill him." I heard the grin in the psycho's voice. "T-too bad I-I've gotten to him f-first." 

   Then James dropped to the floor.

   "W-we're gonna have s-some f-fun now." He laughed a laugh that most psychos like him would have. Oh, how I seriously didn't need this right now.