♣○◘A Twist◘○♣ discussion

((Sorry about the delay!))

Christopher walked down the paved streets, staying careful not to walk down any major streets. He didn't want to draw any attention to the three of them; it was obvious that they didn't belong here. From their clothes right down to the way that they walked around and looked about, anyone would know that they were new.

He spotted an old house down a particularly dark alley way and looked over his shoulder at the other two, happy to find that they were still there. "How about here?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "It's not much, but it's better than nothing."

Nicholas gazed up at the house the other boy was talking about. It was medium sized with dark gray paint covering the exterior panels. Dead grass and flowers surrounded the house. There were only a few other houses that surrounded it, but otherwise, the so called 'neighborhood' looked empty. For a moment, Nicholas worried if someone was already living there. Then he realized that the house looked practically untouched. Staring at the house for another moment, he shrugged again and nodded silently. The boy was right. It was better than nowhere.

Besides, he was tired of the looks they were getting. They hadn't seen too many people when they had walked down the streets, but it was still kind of annoying. Nicholas ran a hand through his dark brown hair. His eyes darted from corner to corner, paranoid that they could run into a scientist, and get sent back to the Lab. He curled his left hand into his fist, his nails digging into his palm. He didn't want to go back. These few moments that he'd been outside of the Lab had been the best of his life.

Ginger followed them. She looked at the house in front of them. She nodded.
"Yeah let's just stay here for the night. This is the best thing we'll find anyways." She tells them. Ginger sighed. She walked up to the door cautiously.
The door groaned when she opened it. She took a step in and she held the door open for the others. Ginger looked around. It's defiantly been abandoned for a while. There was dust everywhere, cobwebs, and animals that made their home here. She scrunched her face together but didn't say anything. Ginger glanced back at the others.
"I'll check the upstairs." She says walking to the stairs.

Christopher walked inside, looking around the building with a look of appreciation. While it definitely wasn't the nicest place he had stayed in, it was definitely better than being stuck in the labs. This was the first place where he wouldn't be verbally or physically abused, experimented on or treated like crap. He looked around at the two kids around him - the three of them made the biggest band of misfits he had ever seen, yet he felt at ease when he was around them.

"Be careful with the stairs," he cautioned, looking ahead at Ginger. "This is a really old house, for all you know the stairs might be rotting. We don't want you to fall through and get hurt."

Walking inside, Nicholas nodded in agreement. They could stay here for however long they needed. After that...he didn't really know. What did normal people do? Looking around the old house, he saw that almost every inch was covered in a thick layer of dust. When they walked in, they're footprints made faint tracks across the floor. It was dark, the only light coming from the sun filtering through the small dirty windows. Nicholas closed the door behind them, which seemed to just make it darker. Nicholas sighed. At least it looked more comfortable than his cell back at the labs. As long as he was away from there, he didn't care where he went or with who.

The wooden floorboards seemed to creak with every small movement each of them made. Nicholas walked across the entrance hall, and peered into another room. It looked like a living room with small chairs that surrounded a small metal fireplace covered in rust. Walking over to one of the cushioned chairs, he brushed his hand across the top absentmindedly, only to have his hand covered in dust. Brushing it of, he looked over to a spider web over by the corner wall. With having spent years of living in a cell at the Lab, spiders always found their way in somehow, so he was used to them.

The stairs creaked as she took cautious steps up them. She looked upstairs to the hallway and it was very dark. She frowned and slowly made her way up to the top of the stairwell.
Ginger turned to the left side of the hall. It was pretty dark up here and all the doors had been closed to the rooms. Ginger suddenly stumbled on her own feet and caught herself on the wall instead of crashing to the floor.
Ginger let out a hiss of irritation. She shook her head and stood up straighter again. Ginger turned and found the knob on the door in front of her. She twisted it as she took a step in. Ginger heard scurrying around the room when she opened the door. Ginger hoped to god that none of the rats decided to run over her feet.

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((Really sorry guys! Getting used to the new schedule with school and homework and working out how to fit Goodreads into it all. Honestly, I probably won't be able to post a response until late tonight.))

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Christopher stalled for a moment, insure which direction he should go in - he wasn't even sure if he wanted to go explore the house. Part of him wanted to go find the nearest dust covered, moth eaten couch and throw himself onto it so that he could finally get some rest. The other part of him, however, was curious about this place and wondered what they'd be able to find here. With a resigned sigh he began walking through the halls of the house.

He ended up in the kitchen, and as Christopher walked in he had to pause for a moment. The layout of the house had almost seemed all too familiar - all houses had been designed this way when he was younger. He began to grit his teeth, immediately regretting his decision to walk around. The house reminded him too much of his own as he was growing up.

Nicholas walked back to the entrance hall after looking around the small living room once more. Finding it empty, he wondered where the other boy went. Hearing footsteps from one side of the house, he could only assume it was the boy. Nicholas gazed up at the rickety steps. Well, there wasn't any screaming, so he supposed Ginger was fine. He walked down one of the short halls, and came to a door that was already opened. Glancing inside, he saw the boy. He looked...unhappy, for lack of better word. Like he was remembering something.

For a moment, Nicholas debated whether or not he should go in and talk to the other boy. Deciding against it, he walked further into the house. He learned a long time ago that talking got him nowhere. At least, that's what the scientists taught him, though he should know by now that he shouldn't listen to the 'advice' those sadists fed him. Still, he began to realize that he was sort of scared to talk to other people. Whenever he tried to speak in the Labs, the guards and scientists would beat him for it, just because they didn't 'give him permission'.

Ginger walked into the room. She saw a hint of light behind a huge curtain draped a crossed the window on the far side of the room. She carefully made her way over there. Studying the floor carefully making sure she wouldn't step on glass, loose nails, or anything harmful to her bare feet.
Ginger stopped when she made it a crossed the room finally. She reached out a hand and pulled the curtain aside for light. A huge wave of dust flew out towards Ginger's face. She took a quick step back swiping the dust away with her hands and coughing. After the dust finally cleared she looked around the room with the new light she had. In the corner was a rusty old bed frame with a ripped up mattress laying on top of it.
Ginger frowned and turned. There was a closet at the other side of the room. However Ginger didn't want to open it pretty sure there would be other critters at the other side of that door. Plus she doubt anything useful would be I it. Seeing the last owners of this place kept this abandoned house quite empty.
After looking around the room once more she left it and went back out into the hall and down the stairs again curious to see what the others had found.

Christopher forced himself to walk out of the kitchen, trying to shove down the memories that this abandoned house was bringing back. It had never occurred to him that life outside of the labs would cause him to remember the bad parts of his life before, but then again, he had never thought that life outside of the lab would be possible. The fact that he was walking around this abandoned house was reason enough to smile, and so he did so. The corners of his lips turned up only slightly, but it was still more than they had been a moment ago.

Walking around he didn't find anything interesting, and he had to resist the urge to run his fingers along the edges of the few pieces of furniture that he did find, knowing that they'd be covered in dust if he did so. He walked back to the front room, making his way towards the stairs as he heard Ginger make her way down.

"Did you find anything worth while?" Christopher asked her curiously.

Just as Nicholas was about to go into a different room, he heard talking from the front room. Ginger must have come back down the stairs. Turing around, he shuffled back to where he came. When the front room was in view, he stopped. Nicholas leaned at the entrance of the hallway watching as the two spoke. So far, the inside of the house looked as empty as the outside. That was good. They didn't need some random person walking in on them.

For Nicholas, it was his first time being inside of a house. He only knew what it was because of what the scientists taught him when he was younger. Nicholas was still kind of surprised that the scientists had decided to teach him anything at all. He could only guess it was for communication, or something like that. Anyhow, he was glad that the scientists had still done something little like that. When he was younger, he had never imagined he would need information about the world outside the Lab. He was convinced that he would be stuck there forever. But now, he was where he never thought he would be.

Ginger looked up as one of the guys came over to her. She shrugged reaching the bottom of the stairs.
"Nope, just a old beds and dust." She says with a sigh. Ginger leaned against the wall unsure what to do now. They weren't in any hurry to do anything. And they weren't particularly in any danger at that moment. So now they could just sit back for a little.
Ginger glanced up at the guy again. She crossed and uncrossed her arms.
"Did you find anything? Anything interesting in this place?" She asks him. Ginger glanced to the other standing at the entrance to the room. She frowned. He looked like he was lost in his own thoughts. Which she couldn't blame him. It could be his first time ever outside of the labs. His first time being free.
Ginger shook her head and pushed herself away from the wall an walked across the room. She glanced out the window. Seeing no one there she sighed. Ginger wanted to talk to the others but she didn't know if the others really wanted small talk at this moment. However her mouth opened anyways.
"Nice place isn't it?" She says sarcastically with a unsure smile.

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Christopher merely shrugged and followed her into the next room, moving so that he was near a window. "There's not much down here. Not that I saw anyway," he said casually, hesitantly moving the frayed and dusty curtain away from the window. He didn't move it too much, afraid that someone down below might notice and stop in to see what was going on. He couldn't ever remember anyone caring about the abandoned houses on the edge of the city, but he didn't really want to take any risks.

Outside the window it was dark and he couldn't make out any moving figures on the streets. He didn't know what time it was, but figured that any sensible person would be at home by now. No one liked walking around this part of the city at night. Out far ahead Christopher could make out the city lights as they seemed to shine bright against the night sky.

"It's not all that nice in here," he replied with a smirk. He turned to look back at her, letting the curtain swing close as he did so, "But it feels like heaven knowing that I'm out of the lab."

Nicholas guessed that this house really was deserted. He followed the other two into the next room. Seeing a light switch near the door, he tried flipping it up to see if there was any power. As he expected, the room stayed dark. Oh, well. He flipped the switch back down to its original position. Nicholas listened quietly to the boy and Ginger's conversation. He had to agree with the boy's words. He's take this place over the Lab any day.

Ginger nodded to him.
"Yeah I take it too. It's better then what I had before the lab too." Ginger tells him. She smiles and shrugs. Leaning against the wall she looks at the curtains that hide the windows from view. She missed her parents. The memories of them got her through the lab. And now here she is. Free again. However not completely safe. Ginger isn't sure how she'll stay on the run forever until the scientists give up. But she'll have to try her best.
Ginger let out a small laugh a thought hitting her.
"I can't believe this is the longest conversation I had in years. Usually I say one word and next thing I know I'm getting punished by a guard." She explains.

Christopher let out a short laugh, although he wasn't quite sure if he was more amused or sad by her statement. "That's sad, don't you think?" he asked her with a raise of his eyebrow. How terrible it was to think that they had been locked away for most of their lives - possibly all of the other boys life from the way he had acted - and kept away from the world. And for what? So they could run experiments on them for what seemed to him to be no real reason.

Christopher looked at the other two, curiosity suddenly sparkling in his eyes. "So what are your powers?" he asked them with a small smile.

((I'm so sorry for the last few posts. I know I'm probably the worst pain, but I've finally gotten a little more time on my hands. I'll try to post as fast as possible the next time.))

"Ice." He said quickly and quietly, unintentionally jumping into the conversation. Nicholas didn't usually like anything that had to do with his powers. Apparently, people who were raised outside of the Lab didn't have any. Nicholas wanted to be as close to normal as he could be. Talking about his power also meant remembering the place the three of them had just escaped from. Of course, it seemed better than talking about getting beaten by guards.

Nicholas looked at Ginger. Earlier, he'd seen a little bit of what she could do, but he didn't have a clue what it was. Thinking back, he was grateful that the other two didn't attack the guards out of revenge. He didn't really think that they would stop, but they both did, and possibly for his own sake.

Ginger shrugged.
"I know others been through worse." She says. Ginger waits a moment and glances back and forth between the two. The one guy was quiet and stood farther away. Ginger didn't remember him saying much other then telling them he didn't want to get revenge on the guards.
However, the thought of her going back and finally getting revenge from the guards and scientists still tempted her. One side of her knew she was dropping as low as the scientists if she did, but the other didn't care and just wanted justice. It was like she was having a battle of what was right and wrong all over again inside her.
Ginger tore herself away from her thoughts and glanced back at the other and listened. She opened her mouth to respond when the other guy beat her to it.
Ice, she thinks.
That would make sense. Thinking back to the moments when they were in the vents. Ginger glanced down at her hands before speaking.
"I can absorb energy from around me and kinda shock people with it or project it as a kind of shield." She explains.

Christopher looked over at Nicholas, his eyes slightly widening in surprise. He wasn't surprised by the power that the boy possessed; in fact, thinking back to when they were in the vent, it made a lot of sense. He had already known that one. He was more surprised by the fact that this quiet boy had finally decided to give something to the conversation, had decided to engage rather than just sit back and continuously observe and listen.

He looked over at Ginger as she spoke, nodding his head slightly as she did so. He remembered having gotten a glimpse of her powers earlier when they were running from the guards. It then dawned on him that neither of them had any idea what his power was, and the thought of it made the edges of his lips curve up into the faintest smirk. Not that it mattered all that much, especially considering he was about to tell them what it was.

"I can make others feel pain," Christopher said quietly, the whisper of a smirk now gone. Even surrounded by others who had powers like him, he still felt like the freak. Like the outcast. How could his powers ever be used for good? "And I have the power of illusion. I can show you guys if you'd like. That one doesn't hurt, I promise."

Nicholas averted his gaze to the dusty carpet below him. He silently listened to the other two speak after him. He suddenly felt like an idiot. After speaking, he subconsciously waited for the blow to follow. He mentally berated himself. He was no longer in the Lab. He didn't know why he was worrying so much. That still didn't ease his nerves very much, as he just gave a small shrug to the older boy's suggestion.

Nicholas thought about the other two's powers. Ginger could absorb energy- It sounded interesting enough. The other boy's power though; bringing pain. It unnerved him slightly. Nicholas looked back up at him. He noticed the way the boy seemed to talk about his power. It was like he didn't feel all to comfortable talking about it. The boy's second power; illusion. For a second, it didn't seem like that one would be all that harmful. Then, Nicholas remembered that the power of illusion could turn out to be much worse than it probably sounded.

Nicholas looked over at the girl to see what she would say. In the back of his mind, he felt himself begin to regret coming into the conversation. Nothing good ever came out of the conversations he'd ever had, so why start now?

sorry to make you wait but I'm busy now. I'll post later tonight.

Ginger listened to the guy. Hearing him say he could affect pain in someone her eyes widen slightly. She nodded slowly unsure how to respond. Ginger defiantly never wanted to make him angry knowing what kind of outcomes she could have. Then he added that his other power was to make illusions.
"Illusions? Like you could make me see whatever you want me to see?" She asks him slowly. Curiosity sparking in her mind. At his suggestion she hesitated. It seemed interesting enough. However she wasn't sure if she wanted to experience what he might show her.
Ginger finally nodded. She smiled nervously.
"Show me. I want to experience it." Ginger glanced at the other guy to see what he said. However he was quiet again. She gave him a small smile and turned back to the other waiting to see what he would do next.

"Exactly like that," Christopher replied, now grinning broadly. There was a mischievous gleam in his eyes as he looked from Nicholas to Ginger, trying to think of what it was that he wanted them to see. He was a bit hesitant to use his power on Nicholas because he hadn't actually responded, but decided it would be okay if it was just for a brief moment.

He had noted the reaction each of them had to his first power, and he couldn't blame them. He would make sure that he wouldn't scare them with his second power, although he could definitely make them believe they were in a far worse place than the abandoned house or even the labs. "Ready?" he asked with a grin.

Without waiting for either of them to respond Christopher began to work his magic. To Ginger and Nicholas they would no longer appear to be in the old and abandoned house that they were now. They'd be standing in a sunny field where the grass had grown quite long and nothing could be heard but the sound of the wind rustling through the tree leaves and the occasional chirping of a bird.

Nicholas mentally braced himself at the other boy's words. He involuntarily shut his eyes, not knowing what to expect. At the sudden sound of birds and the rustling sound of leaves, he opened his eyes. His eyes widened as he saw the illusion the boy had created. What surprised Nicholas even more was that he could even feel it, too. He could feel the tall grass brush up against his skin. He could also feel the heat of the sunlight, and for once, it wasn't uncomfortable.

Nicholas looked around the seemingly endless field. The amazement he felt reflected on his face. He'd never seen or been in a place like this. Somewhere in his mind, he knew it was still an illusion. But it felt real to him. He turned to look at the other two, who still stood in the same place.

Ginger waited for the illusion to take effect. She blinked and then she saw that she wasn't in the cabin anymore. She could feel the soft breeze on her cheeks. She looked up to see the sun shining down at her brightly.
A smile formed on her lips. The warmth of the sun on her skin made her feel wonderful. After being trapped in the lab for so long she had forgotten what it felt like. Ginger blinked for a second a thought hitting her. This wasn't real she reminded herself.
Ginger's smile dropped in disappointment. She felt happy here. The long grass brushing gently against her legs. The breeze blowing through her hair. It was paradise, but in an illusion. It would end as soon as it started, and she would be back in the real world. Where there wasn't any relaxation or comfort.
Ginger sighed and closed her eyes. At least she could enjoy the moment right now. Even if it was just and illusion.

Christopher smiled as he saw the shock on their faces. It was nice to see that his power could bring people joy, even when all his other power did was take it away. Being tested in the lab when under such stressed and harsh home conditions seemed to manifest the worst in him, resulting in his morbid powers.

He noticed Ginger's face fall and understood immediately how she felt. It was sad to think that within a moment all of this could be - and would be - gone, and they'd be left in the abandoned house.

"Maybe we could stay like this for a little bit," Christopher murmured, sighing despite his best efforts not to. "It's much nicer here than it is in reality, eh?"

Nicholas had to agree with the other boy. This definitely beat reality. He wished he could stay here forever with the heat on his skin and the wide open space. But he knew that they couldn't do that. Nicholas had no doubt that those stubborn scientists were looking for them right now. Especially after the attention they attracted back on the beach with Ginger using her power. This old abandoned house wouldn't hide them for long. Nicholas also felt as if they weren't far enough away from the Lab. He could already imagine the scientists scouring the streets, looking for them, until they broke into the abandoned house and ruined this illusion. Nicholas face dropped into a frown at the thought.

Ginger nodded.
"Much better then reality." She agrees. Opening her eyes again she looks at the other two. One of them seemed deep in thought. Ginger looked back down at her feet in the grass. She brushed her fingers against the grass.
The cool grass touched her fingertips. She wished deeply that this wasn't a illusion. That this was reality. The peace she feels here would be real. She wishes the warmth would be real. The comfort she felt standing here in the tall grass.
However none of that was even close to her reality. Reality was them stuck in an old abandoned house with scientists tracking after them to bring them back to the lab. Reality was her always looking over her shoulder to make sure she was in the clear. No peace or comfort was in her reality. It was only chaos everywhere, and no matter how much she tries. She'll never be able to free herself from it.

Christopher looked between the two of them, trying to read and judge their emotions based on their facial expressions and body language. It was easy to tell that all of three of them desperately wished that the illusion could be real. He wondered how realistic it all seemed to them. The illusion - though convincing - was a clear illusion in his mind, mainly because he was the one creating it. Every breeze that brushed past him and every bird chirping in the distance was slightly fainter than that of reality, and the edges of his vision showed the torn and tattered place he was actually stuck in.

As badly as he wanted to keep the illusion going for the sake of the other two, Christopher was tired. Usually creating an illusion was an easy task for him, especially if he was drawing a place from his memories as he was doing now. However, the events of the day were starting to catch up to him, and the pain in his stomach reminded him that he hadn't eaten dinner. With a tired and hungry body, there was no way he could keep up the illusion for much longer.

Christopher slowly let parts of the illusion fade away one by one. The chirping birds were the first to go, as was the sound of the wind. Slowly they could see the grass waving in the breeze, but they could no longer feel the wind or the grass as it rubbed against them. Even slower still the image of the field faded away until eventually they were back in the dusty old house.

"Sorry," he said a bit breathlessly, leaning against the wall near him for support. "I can't keep that up in this condition."

Nicholas watched in slight sadness as the illusion began to fade away. He looked up at the bright sun one last time before it changed back into the cobwebbed filled ceiling. Nicholas knew it wouldn't last forever, so he didn't know why he felt so much disappointment. He understood why the other boy couldn't keep it up longer, though. They were all exhausted, and using their powers more would probably wouldn't help.

"Thank you." Was all Nicholas said. It was genuine. He'd never seen anything like that. It didn't last long, but it was still one of the most amazing things he'd ever seen. Nicholas fought back a yawn. He looked at the other two. They all looked pretty tired. What they all needed at the moment was rest.

Ginger slowly saw the illusion fall away until it wasn't there at all. It was like it never existed. She thought for a second that it was her imagination. However by the others reaction she reassured herself that it was real. Ginger looked around the old abandoned room. She sighed and smiled slightly trying to mask her disappointment.
"Thank you. I needed that." She tells him. Ginger leaned back against the wall again. Exhaustion started to settle in. She yawned and glanced at the others.
"I'm going to get some sleep. I'm beat for the the day." She tells them. However she wasn't quite sure what their sleeping arrangements would be, like who would sleep where. Ginger crossed her arms and tucked a stray piece of hair behind her ear.
"Do any of you have and preferences to where you want to sleep?" She asks them.

Christopher watched everyone's reactions as they were forced to come to terms with the fact that what he had created had only been an illusion, and the poor reality was that they were stuck in this house. He felt slightly bad as their faces dropped, but was glad to have given them even a minute of relief and happiness. "You're welcome," he murmured quietly in response to their thanks.

He yawned again and ran a hand through his hair, resisting the urge to look out the window once more. "It doesn't matter to me," he replied. "As long as I get to sleep I'll be happy."

Nicholas shrugged tentatively. As long as he didn't sleep in a dark cell, anything was fine with him. He wouldn't mind taking the floor if it came to that.
"I don't care, either." He said quietly. There was a couch in the living room; Someone could sleep there. And from the sound of it, there was a bedroom upstairs. Nicholas clasped his hands tensely behind his back, looking in between Ginger and the boy warily.

Ginger raked a hand through her hair. She glanced up the stairs and to the couch.
"Well there are some beds upstairs. They aren't in the best condition, but they are at least something. I can take the couch if you guys want the beds." Ginger explains. Honestly Ginger didn't care where she slept. She just needed her rest. Not knowing what will happen tomorrow she needs her rest and strength. Ginger sighs and moves over to the couch and sits down. She removes her shoes and places them on the floor.
Ginger glances up at the others and smiled shyly. "Well I hope you guys get a goodnight rest." Ginger says. Then she leans back on the couch and closes her eyes. Trying to push the haunting thoughts in her head so she could fall asleep.

Christopher nodded and offered Ginger a small smile before making his way towards the stairs. He slowly climbed the stairs, resisting the urge to run his hand along the dusty banister. It was an old habit he had picked up when he was younger and he remembered his mother yelling at him about it when she was actually around and aware of what was going on around her. He gritted his teeth together and hurried up the stairs, hoping that they would be able to leave the house soon. Everywhere he went there seemed to be some sort of reminder of his crappy past.

Once he got to the top of the stairs he hesitated, unsure which room to take. Christopher turned to see if Nicholas had followed him up the stairs, planning on asking the boy if he cared which room he slept in.

He watched as Ginger claimed the couch and promptly began to fall asleep. He guessed that meant there was no room for objections. He turned to see the other boy nod and walk out of the room. Nicholas reluctantly followed the boy out of the room and up the stairs. The old stairs creaked under his feet, and for a moment, he was afraid they would collapse under him. He stopped at the top of the stairs, standing just behind the boy. He remembered that he still had no idea what his name was.

Nicholas sighed. He'd ask tomorrow. Besides, he felt as if he were too tired to remember anything like that. The upper floor had a long hallway with a few doors leading to different rooms. He took a few steps forward and turned the knob to one of the doors. When it opened, he saw that it was a small bedroom. Before walking in, he looked down the hall at the other boy.
"...I'll be here." He said, but didn't know if the boy could hear him. He shrugged lightly to himself and walked inside.

There was a small bed in the corner with a wooden dresser standing next to it. The bed didn't have any covers or sheets and the mattress looked old and beat up. The was a circular, red carpet in the center of the room that was covered in a thick layer of dust- like every other thing in the house. Despite the condition of the mattress, Nicholas practically collapsed down onto it. It was the most comfortable thing he'd ever been on. He closed his eyes and tried to drift into sleep.

Ginger heard the stairs groan and creak as the others went upstairs. She winced at the noise. Ginger thought the stairs would collapse with all the noise it made, but it held. Ginger let out a big breath she hadn't realize she had been holding. Ginger closed her eyes once again drifting off into a deep sleep.
Nightmares of the labs and scientists took over her dreams again. Ginger sat up with a start. Sweat covering her. She rubbed her head. In her dream the scientists were dragging her back to the labs and strapping her down on a long metal table. Starting to do their experiments on her again. Ginger took a deep breath and stood. She crossed the room to the window. she peeked through the curtains to the sky.
Stars filled the dark sky and a full moon casted light over the darkness of the forest. Ginger leaned back against the wall letting the curtain fall back into place. Finally after a moment she laid back on the couch and curled up to stay warm. Ginger then drifted off into a deep sleep.

"Okay," he murmured in response, glad to have the issue of rooms taken care of so quickly. Christopher opened the door to a room not too far from the other boys and was relieved to see a bed inside. He quickly entered the room, closing the door behind him.

Christopher was glad to see that the bed was right next to a window, meaning he could look right out if he had any trouble falling asleep. He quickly walked across the room and threw himself onto the bed, the old bed frame creaking under his sudden weight. He was vaguely aware of the dust that came up the moment he had hit the mattress, but at the moment he was too tired to care. The entire room was filled with dust, and he couldn't afford to be picky about his living conditions at the moment.

Christopher quickly drifted off the sleep, never having noticed how tired he really was. His dreams were a blur of figures, blurred faces, and indistinguishable voices, and he didn't wake up even once in the middle of the night.