Important note: Writing this story is fantastic, but it is also the kind of story that can lead to burnout in multiple different ways. We also need to focus on making sure we produce work that is up to our standard, and that is increasingly difficult to do as our work has been slowing more and more (As of today at 1:55 PM CST chapter 28 still has to be fully drafted.) That's to say we're falling really behind. So in order to keep up the level of quality and to get some much needed emotional rest, we will be taking a one week break. After that time we will return and continue with our usual schedule.

It's not all bad news though. We've started up a discord server! If you are interested in getting updates about the story, or even just to ask questions or talk, then we'd love to have you here!

https://discord.gg/6VmQ4mkHsh

Another thing to note: This chapter contains self harm and blood.

---

I woke up in the middle of the night to Zach talking to himself. When I sat up to see what was going on, he was twisting and turning in bed.

"No. Don't…"

"Zach?"

He tugged and pulled on his sheets. "Stop!"

The sudden shout made me jump up to try and wake him, but Pern's vines stopped me. 

 

We don't know what's going on, so we should get a nurse instead.

 

I rushed out and jogged up to the nurse. "Something's going on with Zach and I don't know what."

She got up from behind the counter and stepped into my room to check on him. 

"Stop...Please…"

She quietly walked back out. "He's having a night terror, so try and get back to sleep."

"Shouldn't we wake him up then?"

"That'll only make him panic. He won't remember it when he wakes up in the morning, so he'll be fine. Try and get some sleep when you can."

I watched her go back to her counter before I crept back into the room.

"Don't…"

Watching Zach like this paralyzed me. I'd never seen anything like it, and this was going to be burned into my mind for a long time.

I climbed into bed and faced the wall in an attempt to block out the sound as best I could and slowly drifted off back to sleep.

The next morning I was still tired, but not as tired as I was for most of yesterday. I stretched and twisted myself around to see Zach on his bed writing something in a notebook. "Morning," he said.

"Hey…" I sat on the edge of the bed and rubbed my face as I looked at Zach.

"Need something?" he asked as he side eyed me.

"No, I just-"

 

It may not be a good idea to tell him what we saw last night.

 

What am I supposed to say then? It feels like anything could set something off and I don't know what's safe and what isn't.

 

"I guess you saw something last night?" he asked as I stared off while talking to Pern.

I nodded, and he seemed calm enough to bring it up, so I took the chance. "That was the first time I saw someone have night terrors."

"Sorry you had to see that." He put his notebook aside and sat against the wall to look at me. "I know that probably spooked you, but it was like it didn't even happen for me."

"Yeah, the nurse told me that."

With a chuckle, "You went to get the nurse just for that?"

"Well, yeah. I thought something big was going on."

"Nah. That's just how I get sometimes. I should've warned you though, so sorry about that."

I stretched out across my bed. "It's fine."

He looked at his notebook and he seemed a lot more down this morning than yesterday. "They're going to come and wake us up soon. We might as well get up now," Zach said as he put his notebook away and got out to walk out the room. I followed shortly behind him as my stomach rumbled.

"So when's breakfast?"

"Pretty soon. For now we can just hang out." He fell down on the couch and put his arms on the back of the seat. 

Trish came out not long after and took a spot next to Zach, "Hey you two. You're up early."

"That was probably the earliest I got up in a long time," I said as I sat next to Zach as well, "I like to stay in bed for a couple hours before getting up."

"Good you got up early," Trish said, "They would have woken you up soon anyway."

 

This would be a good chance to ask if there was anything we should avoid asking.

 

"Hey guys." I leaned forward to look at them. "I don't want the same thing to happen last night. Is there anything I should avoid saying with you guys and Susie?”

"Well you already probably know mine. Just don't point out stuff to me about why I'm here. And don't try to pressure Trish into anything."

"I can tell him myself," she said as she shot him a glance, "But he's right. And I know you wouldn't do this, but I ask that you don't gaslight me. It's really specific, but since you asked."

"Um...What does gaslight mean?"

"It's when someone makes you think what happened didn't actually happen. Like if you walked out of a room and you turned off the lights, but then a person yells at you for leaving the lights on. Even if they know you turned them off. It makes you question yourself."

"So just lying to someone?"

"No," Trish shot that down immediately and with a lot more emotion than expected, "It's lying to them and making the person think they're at fault. To the point where you start doubting everything around you."

"Does that really-"

 

Shut it.

 

Trish eyed me as I shut my mouth and began to sweat. "Finish that sentence."

"Trish," Zach cut in, "Now who's being the dick? He's just trying to understand it, and we both need to calm down around him."

"I know, but I want him to finish that sentence." she looked at me just like Kendall used to, except with a lot less hatred.

 

She's demanding it…

 

Then say it.

 

"...Does that really work?"

"Yeah, and it's a hell of a lot easier than you think."

"Right, sorry..."

"You done now?" Zach asked.

She crossed her arms. "Yeah, sorry. I just don't like people questioning it. Sorry."

"If anything, this made me even more unsure about what to say..."

"Don't be. Trish and I lose focus when certain stuff comes up. We don't mean anything by it, and I hope it doesn't make you uncomfortable around us."

I let out a sigh and stretched out again. "It doesn't make me uncomfortable. Just unsure."

"Well we'll try our best to help you," Zach said as the conversation started to drift off into random small talk until breakfast, but there was still no sign of Susie.

"Where's Susie?" I asked.

"In our room still," Trish said, "She'll get brought out by the nurse soon enough." 

I watched as everyone seemed like they were just as hungry as I was. "Hope she's okay."

"Not sure," Trish said, "I've got no clue why she's even here, so it could be anything. She usually just sits there on her bed in silence when she's awake. All we can really do is hope, but this morning she seemed worse."

 

At least we're not completely alone with not knowing everything.

 

Not like that helps us.

 

It got to serving time and as we went to get our food. A loud, violent scream came down the hall that made my heart jump. I looked over to see a couple nurses run into a room, and the screaming only got louder.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Trish, isn't that your room?" Zach said as she was already running up there. Zach and I were right behind her, but by the time we got there, three nurses were holding Susie down. Her arms were covered in blood as her screams grew louder  until one of the nurses stuck a syringe in her and she passed out.

Pern rushed in front of me to block the view, but that image was burned into my head already, and was making it hard to focus on anything.

 

Stop looking at her!

 

The three of us froze solid until one of the nurses came up and ushered us away. "It's breakfast time, go and eat. Susie will be fine."

 

What...What just happened?

 

She looked like she was trying to hurt herself badly.

 

But I thought you were supposed to get better here…

 

His vines wrapped around me gently.

 

Guess just being here isn't enough to help some people? We really have no idea...

 

We walked back to the main area and the thought of eating just made me sick.

"Don't worry," Zach said, "This happens sometimes with people…"

That didn't do much to help.

 

---

Susie's arms covered in blood.

---

 

Before I even got my food, a lump in my throat shot up, forcing me to run to the garbage and puke. Zach and Trish tried to talk to me but I was too terrified to pay attention.

 

What the fuck's going on!?

 

Those had to have been very deep marks to get that much blood on her. We're having a hard time figuring it to be anything except she was trying to do something drastic.

 

---

Standing on my window and looking down.

--- 

 

Since we've got here, we've been avoiding what happened. We let this pass because this place had been doing a good job of getting us to a better place, but we don't have that luxury anymore so now we needed to face what happened.

 

I stood up straight when I was done and walked over to the couch to sit down before my desire to break everything in the room got even worse.

 

---

"Say you're a mistake."

---

 

My entire body tensed up with silent rage. "I want to go home." 

 

---

"They're lying when they say they love you."

---

 

I tried to hold back crying.

 

Stop trying to hold back our emotions. We're tired of doing that! All this time we've been doing it with Kendall. Let us get pissed off and cry!

 

---

“Aww Robbie, don’t cry just because you’re useless.

---

 

With those thoughts and Pern pushing me to cry, I stopped trying to fight it and let myself go as Trish and Zach sat next to me. "I know it's shocking if it's your first time seeing something like that, but she's going to be fine. I promise," Trish said.

"I just want to go home and be done with all this. I want to beat the shit out of the person that sent me here." My heart pounded all over the place as I lost more control of myself. "That stupid bitch. I bet Susie's probably dealing with someone like I did. Someone who likes to make your life a living hell. Just because they can." All my anger and hate for Kendall came out through my voice. "They don't even care if you tried to be nice to them at first."

One of Pern's vines rested on my head.

 

Good. Get out as much as we can.

 

"Is this the girl you told me about yesterday?" Zach asked.

"Yeah. I tried to be nice to her. When I first saw her she was alone at lunch, so I went up to ask her if she wanted to sit with me. She just threw her milk at me and laughed." I quickly became a sobbing mess as I gripped onto my legs. "Then she started attacking me every chance she got. And that stupid fucking smile. Forcing me to the ground. Not letting me go until I said I was a mistake. But that stupid bitch is going to get what's coming to her." I covered my eyes to wipe up the tears. "She thinks I'm the mistake. I'll show her who's the fucking mistake." I stood up and marched back to my room, took my pillow and screamed as loud as I could into it.

 

What did I even do to her!? I tried to be friends with her!

 

Pern joined me in screaming our lungs out and flailed his vines all over the place. 

 

We don't fucking know!

 

What kind of fucked up asshole only attacks a person trying to be nice to them!?

 

Pern stood up with his vines and tossed himself around the room in a fit of emotion.

 

And she doesn't get to just say sorry and make it all disappear!

 

I collapsed onto the bed and screamed into it more.

 

We're not going as far as you wanted, but I'm still going to get her back for everything she did to me!

 

That's-

 

He raised up all his vines.

 

-fine!

 

And slammed them all down. We both screamed some more before Pern's vines slapped me on the back.

 

Robbie!

 

I looked up at him.

 

What!?

 

We're a really awesome person and we don't deserve to have to deal with this shit!

 

Thank you!

 

We're fucking welcome!

 

Moments later, we both went limp.

It wasn't all gone, but holy fuck. My shoulders felt so relaxed that I just had to move them around some. It was on a whole other level than how I normally relaxed, and I was tearing up again, but it wasn't from being depressed or angry. 

 

What just happened?

 

Pern started laughing. It was a small laugh, but still.

 

That was us getting rid of some of our pent up anger. It was only some, but that was the first time we've ever done that.

 

What about what happened back in my room with breaking stuff?

 

That was an overflow of emotion that got out, so what was being pushed back didn't actually get any attention. But this? This is the good stuff! Finally managed to clean some of that anger up around here because of it.

 

Pern stood back up. At least as well as a giant plant with vines for legs could stand and settled down next to me.

 

It's still going to take work to clear out all that anger, and we still want to beat the fuck out of Kendall, but now we know we can handle this. We should make the most of this place that we well.

 

I looked over at him.

 

Alright, and thank you. I get a feeling I wouldn't have gotten that out if you weren't there to push me along.

 

That's what we're here for. Let's use this time to just relax now.

 

Sounds good.