"Right here." The guard grunted, his dark blue eyes seemed bored and uninterested.

"Thanks." I whispered, ducking past him and into my room. The door shut as soon as I walked through the threshold, the buzzing sound ringing through the room.

Sighing I collapsed onto my bed, fighting the urge not to lie down on my back. The painkillers were strong, but touching the slashes on my skin in any way brought back waves of nauseating pain. Getting ready for bed was a hassle as well. It was already lights out so I had to maneuver in the darkness of my small room. After stubbing my toes more times than I cared to count, hitting my knee on the bed frame, and biting my lip in pain as I changed into my sleep overalls, I was ready for bed. I fell asleep easy enough, but staying that way proved to be a challenge. My dreams were littered with images of my parents, the moment they told me I would be on my own after I finally got out of this place replayed over and over in my mind. Drifting in and out of consciousness I heard the distant buzz of a door. Falling right back asleep I was sure it was part of a dream.

I woke up the next morning, uncomfortable with the increasing pain in my back. The painkillers were definitely wearing off, though I would have to stick it out until after breakfast. Slowly I started getting ready, being very careful while changing into my everyday clothes, though the movement still caused stabs of pain throughout my back. While carefully maneuvering through the crowded hall, I began to notice that a lot of people were staring at me, they whispered behind their hands or outright pointing at me. I dropped my head, looking at my feet as I tried to stay calm.

Not a moment too soon we finally reached the cafeteria, which was right next to the recreation room and also connected to the kitchens. The room was large enough to hold all 200 of us, which was quite impressive. The round metal tables were scratched and lopsided, but sufficient for eating. I stood in line, got my food, and sat down at Olive and I's usual table. I was still struggling to swallow a bit of the thick oatmeal when a loud clatter caused every head to turn to the center of the room.

Two girls were standing next to a table, one had thrown her metal tray onto the floor, spilling thick clumps of oatmeal all over the gray tiles.

"I'm not lying!" Hale was yelling, her tall, lanky frame seemed to be shaking. Her eyes flashed pure white as she glared at the girl in front of her. "I'm telling you, that's what happened."

"Oh please." The other girl scoffed, running a hand through her short green hair. "You're just out for attention, admit it! He never touched you!"

Hale glanced around, the skin around her eyes were red as though she had been crying. Her gaze landed on me and suddenly it was as though I was unable to look away. My heart began to ache and though I had no idea why she was so upset, it was as if I could feel the pain echoing through her. She suddenly looked away to once again face the other girl and the pain vanished, the weight lifted from my shoulders. I had no time to ponder how strange that had been when she took another step closer to the purple haired girl.

"Listen, bitch_"

"Oooohhh, burn." The girl taunted, earning a few laughs throughout the cafeteria. "You are just a sad, pathetic little attention whore, whose own parents didn't even want her. No wonder they dropped you off here, you_" Her words were cut off as Hale had grabbed a metal tray from the table, moving so fast green haired girl didn't stand a chance. Hale hit her right on the side of her face, a sharp squeal coming from her mouth. Hale again zoomed right behind her, the beeping of her IDtag lost in the yells and cheers of the crowd forming around them. Not able to stop myself I step onto my chair to get a better view.

Green haired girl was trying to get away from Hale, but the tight circle of fired up teenagers around them made it almost impossible.

"You're dead." Hale spat, venom dripping from her mouth. She once again became a blur as she rushed towards green haired girl, grabbing her by the hair and throwing her onto the floor. She grabbed the tray again, beating the girl with it as she was lying on the ground. She was crying for help, begging those around her to save her. Her begs were met by cheers and encouragements for Hale.

I climbed down from my chair, quickly losing my appetite. Within seconds the guards stormed into the cafeteria, their weapons in hand as they yelled at everyone to line up against the wall. While a group of guards were aiming at those following instructions, the rest tried subduing Hale. She was still hitting green haired girl, who seemed to be out cold on the floor. Blood was slowly pooling around her, caused by a large gash in her head. It took four full-grown men to pry Hale away from the girl, which they only managed to do after clicking a Restriction Collar around her neck. The beeping of the device caused us all to go quiet, we watched in morbid fascination as Hale was slowly stripped from her powers. Her abilities had now been taken, but she didn't stop fighting. Her screams and yells could still be heard as they dragged her further into the building. Another guard picked up the green haired girl, as though she weighed nothing, and took her away as well. The rest of the guards didn't budge, still aiming their weapons at us. Then we heard the familiar clicking of heels approaching the cafeteria.

"This ought to be fun." A guy close to me whispered, just as Ms. Hester strode in.