Broken Pieces (Adopted by 5SOS)

Destination Permanent Vacation

Reject's POV

"You beat me!" Luke made a pouting face as he picked his checkers off the red and black board. 

"I did!" Alex said happily.  "Twice!"

"Rae, do you want to play next?" Luke asked me and formed his red checkers into even stacks.  Alex didn't bother organizing his, they were strewn around the tabletop.

I shook my head, "No thanks.  You guys can play another round."  I looked at the entrance to the room again, hoping that someone would come in.

"I'm sure that the meeting went just fine." Luke assured me, "They'll find a place for Rain.  She's a cool kid.  You have nothing to worry about."

I exhaled a deep breath and returned my attention to the table.  Luke is right.  The meeting probably went just fine.  They'll find a place for Rain.  She'll be okay.

What if they took Rain to experiment on her?

I rolled my eyes and disregarded that comment.  I've been here for almost two weeks.  They wouldn't do that.  They aren't here to experiment on people.

"Hey."

Rain sat down in the child-sized chair next to me.  The expression on her face was unreadable.  Her leg bounced up and down under the table.  Something was troubling her, I could tell.  Maybe the meeting didn't go well.

"How did it go?" Luke asked her.

"Fine." Rain said sharply.  Something else took over her mind.  I could read her face now.  It was a mix of nervous and angry.  She put her head in her hands and breathed deeply over and over again.

"Uh, are you okay?" Luke said unsteadily.  I could tell that he was nervous too.  Rain didn't answer him, she just continued to breathe heavily. 

Alex caught my eye and barked.  He only barks when he's scared or anxious.  Something is going to happen.  And it's not going to be good.  My fingers started to twitch.  The tension at our table was as thick and tall as the gate surrounding the building.  It would take a jackhammer to even cut through the surface.

All of a sudden, Rain stopped her rhythmic breathing.  She looked up at us.  For a minute I thought that the climax wasn't going to come.  She was just having anxiety and the breathing was to help calm down.  Everything would be alright.  We would continue on with our day like normal.

Rain took the checkerboard and threw it against the wall in an uncontrollable rage.  From there she turned into a hurricane, obliterating everything in her path.  Books were torn from bookshelves, blocks hurled across the room, she even flipped the table upside down.  It took three staff members and one shot of tranquilizer to subdue her enough to go back into back rooms.

Most of the kids had been in here for a while.  This kind of thing was a norm to them.  But it was different for Alex and I.  We weren't used to violence like this.  As soon as Rain had threw the checkerboard we fled to the other side of the room.  I covered my ears with my hands.  The voices were getting loud.  Really loud.

She's going to hurt you.  Look at her, she's out of control.  Just like your father.

"C'mon guys, let's go back to your rooms." Luke said and guided me and Alex away.  "Alex, where's your room?"

"No.  I need to stay with Rae.  I have to protect her." Alex's voice was remarkably calm.  Why isn't he freaking out?  I'm scared.  He was scared before.  Why isn't he scared now?

"That's my job." Luke told him, "You have to go back to your room."

"I'm staying with Rae." Alex put his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to him.  It felt slightly comforting.

"Okay, buddy.  You can stay.  C'mon."

We went back to my room.  Alex kept close to me the whole time.  I couldn't tell if this was his real personality, or just one of his other ones.

You can't be friends with Rain.  She is going to hurt you.  Everyone will.

"Is everything okay here?" Allison came over to the room, "Alex needs to go back to his own room."

"He's not going to go back." Luke informed her, "He wants to stay with Rae."

Alex scooted closer to me and laid his head against my shoulder, as if to prove Luke's point.  My hands were still clutched tightly to my ears.  The voices were still talking.

Allison sighed, "Okay.  I'm only doing this since they're good friends.  But if anything odd starts to happen, you come get me."

"What happened?  Where am I?" Alex suddenly let his arm drop and pulled away.

"You're in Rae's room.  We came from the recreation room.  You're okay, buddy."  Luke said softly and sat beside us. 

Alex still seemed incredibly nervous.  He told me that sometimes he forgets what he's doing and where he's at.  It's sort of like amnesia, but for short periods of time.  He says that's happens a lot when his alters switch.

He looked around, "This is Rae's room."

"That's right!" Luke praised him, "This is Rae's room!  See, you're okay."

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"Alright.  Let's talk."

We were in the small office in the hospital, all four of us.  Since I'm leaving in a few days they were having another meeting to discuss my treatment for when I'm back home.

"Reject needs to take her medication every single day in the morning.  One pill from each bottle." My therapist (Dr. Haines) placed a small paper bag on the table, "This is enough to get her through about three weeks.  Just call us when you need a refill and we'll send it to the nearest pharmacy."

"What about talking therapy?" Michael asked him.

"Since you guys are going to be on tour, I would suggest possibly having a video chat with one of her therapists every other week or every week if she feels that she needs it."

Ashton wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer to him.  I leaned into his chest and he laid his chin on the top of my head.  It felt comforting.  They made me feel safe.

"Where is Rain?" I asked Dr. Haines.

He gave me a confused look, "Rain?  Who is Rain?"

"Sokanon." I clarified.

"Oh, Sokanon." Dr. Haines said and snapped his fingers, "She's in the high risk ward because her manic episode this morning."

"Rain said she had a meeting with the caseworkers about her home after she gets out of here-" I started.

"Rae, it's okay.  You'll see her soon.  Don't ask questions." Luke said quickly.

I ignored him and continued on, "Did she get a family?"

The room was silent for a moment.  Then it dawned on me.  Rain didn't get a family to stay with.  That's why she was so upset.

"There was nothing we could do." Dr. Haines said softly and looked me in the eye, "Unless there's a family that is willing to take her in, she's going to have to go to a group home."

Ashton stood up, jolting me off his chest.

"Is there anything we can do to help?"