Desperately she screamed and kicked. They couldn’t do this! It was her life! Frantically she tried to escape, managing to knock one of the men over. Twisting herself around she ran away, feeling their grip slip. Pale blue shutters winked at her in the pale light of the street lamps. A few more feet and she would be home free. The knife was right there, sitting alone on the stoop, just waiting to be buried within her chest. Reaching out to grab it she found herself yanked back by strong arms. Turning in her captor’s arms she gasped. With another cry of anguish she beat upon his chest, crying tears of anger and sorrow.

                “Traitor!” Her voice was a broken rasp due to her screaming. “You lied to me! How could you? Get off of me!” Again she tried to get away only to have him lift her off her feet and drag her back to the car. Her hair stuck to her face, crossing her vision. A woman in a dark bathrobe came up to them, attempting to touch her arm. Irritably she pulled away, almost biting her. The woman covered her mouth, tears falling down her cheeks.

                “I’m sorry Alexia, please forgive me. It’s for your own good.” Alexia scowled at her, wrath burning in the depths of her dark blue eyes.

                “If you were sorry you wouldn’t let them do this!” As the pushed her into the car she managed to speak to her one last time. “You’re not my mother! I hate you!” With that they stuck her in the back seat, shutting the door quickly behind her. Alexia glowered at her mother and turned away, disgusted. Grasping the metal screen in front of her she screamed again.

                “Let me out! I don’t belong here!” Her rage boiled to a new level and Alexia found she was curled up on the back seat, feeling sick to her stomach. This wasn’t happening to her. How could things have gotten this out of hand? What had she done wrong? Tears rolled off her cheeks and fell to the cheap plastic of the police car seat.

                Jason was sitting in his usual seat by the window when they brought her in. She was screaming and kicking savagely, her short-cropped hair flying wildly about her pale face. He could make out a bandage on her right arm, soaked with blood. The officers holding her pressed closer together in the hopes of restricting her movement. With a smirk he watched their mistake play out. The young girl kicked them both simultaneously, making them fall to the ground. Jumping over them she ran for the door, near where he was sitting. For a moment he thought she would run him over and braced himself. Instead the officers picked themselves up quickly and grabbed her arms, pulling her back. Briefly he got a glimpse of her tear stained face as they yanked her away. Her eyes were so sad and desperate that he wanted to reach out and hold her.

                By now a crowd had gathered and nurses were trying to help the two struggling officers. The girl screamed as new tears fell down her face. Her hair clung to her damp face, making her seem even paler than she truly was. Finally they attained control of the situation and one of the nurses came over with a needle. The girl stopped screaming, fear flashing across her features. With a new found strength she began to kick feverishly. Nurse Aggie gazed at the girl sadly before grasping her arm and injecting her with the sedative. Gently stroking her head Aggie whispered soothing words to her.

                “Please don’t put me in here, please.” Tears ran down her face as she pleaded with the officers. “It’s her fault, not mine. She made me like this.” Aggie smoothed the strands of damp hair off the girl’s face, still holding onto her arm just in case.

                “It will be all right Alexia. You’re in safe hands now. No one can hurt you ever again.” Alexia turned away and shut her eyes. Jason caught the glint of anger building in her eyes before her body went slack. “She’s under. You may bring her to her room now. Second door on the right hand side of wing five.” Aggie stood up as the officers lifted Alexia to her feet and dragged her away. The crowd of patients began to disperse, quietly talking among themselves.

                For a moment or two Jason sat, watching the corridor that the men had taken her through. Those poignant eyes had made their mark upon his soul and he found he couldn’t stop thinking about them. She was angry and frightened, like a lion cub without it’s mother. She wanted revenge on the people who had done this to her, he could see it in her eyes. With a slight shake of his head Jason turned back to the window and continued to watch the other patients using a telescope to look at the moon. He wasn’t allowed to go outside just yet. They feared what he might do once out in the open.