Walking down the hallway of the Asylum, nerves crept through my veins, what if Piper got caught?! What if the Nurses took her away!?

I had never been this scared before, she seemed so nice and…I had done it, I had saved someone….

The fears that bubbled in my chest caused me to only walk faster through the halls. 

It was my first time meeting a girl from the Asylum, we usually are separated by gender so I never see them, and her battered body….

Biting my lip, I remember the bruises all over her. 

Who would do that to a girl? 

“Hey now, slow down kid.” A deep voice said. 

Looking over, I see Doctor Ryans, he was a tall man with heterochromia, one eye was a soft brown, and the other a yellow, like a cat. 

He stood tall in his dirty lab coat, and he smelled of coffee and misery. 

I didn’t mind him, he seemed nice, but something about him always scared me, I didn’t know why, call it a hunch. 

“Sorry! I just want to hurry and eat so I can get back to work! I’ve been fixing all my clothes.” I said, showing off my newly stitched pockets. 

I always added pockets to my clothes, I couldn’t help it, a pair of pants without pockets just wasn’t right. 

“Your creative tendencies never cease to amaze me.” He laughed. 

And with that, I waved goodbye and began walking down the hall again. 

My shoes tapped across the ground, the asylum was old, yet clean, since we had to do all the cleaning. 

Speaking of cleaning, I really wanted to find something to help Piper clear her wounds, they must hurt, her legs were all cut up and I think she twisted her ankle. 

She said she was fine but….

She’s a girl! And it’s a man’s job to keep girls safe!

That’s what mother would have said! 

Ducking into the kitchen, I swerve around and pocket a bunch of bread, the Nurses never notice thankfully.

I needed to get a tin next time, she’ll probably be hiding in my room for a while. 

Panic began to settle in again. 

How do I even take care of a girl?! Does she have everything she needs?! I’m so unprepared—

Shaking my head, I take what I can and scurry on back.

What if she hates me? Did I not bring back enough?!

I’m not the best with girls…

Standing at the door, I took a deep breath to quell the anxiety and knocked before stepping in. 

And there I saw her, smiling at the little flower pot that was growing a Lupine stem without blossoms. 

“I hope it blooms soon.” She said, and all my anxiety fled. 

“Yeah, I do too…..”