asylum [kai parker] editing/rewriting

One

edited 03012017

S I M O N E
Like one would think, I was not the same since that night. Listening to the sirens approach after waiting for the fire to take over my house was more detrimental as opposed to a learning experience. They could have escaped. I know even now that they could have lived. it was all too much. Just the thought was sickening. Mom, sitting there drinking as she let the flames take her to my real dad.

Sheriff Alexander, or 'Dad', had done so much for me since that night. Upon finding me, the man felt as if he held responsibility. I was lucky for that, because the likeliness of someone like me getting adopted was slim. Throughout my life, he went through great lengths to enroll me in school within Salem, Oregon.

School, on the other hand, was not remotely beneficial for me. We didn't move anywhere after the fire, so word spread like fire, pardon the pun. The media went crazy with any information regarding my life. They talked and allowed headlines to travel the papers. They said that I burned them. They claimed that I was a dark child, and it felt as if I was soon gaslighted into believing that was the truth. In turn, the lack of friends came easily throughout my educational career.

As I was walking down the halls, I heard words thrown at me like knives. Pyromaniac, Murderer, and words like the previous flooded my ears when I headed through the halls. Like the movies, my school seemed to contain the worst people. It's hard to explain exactly why they acted as they did. The resentment was something out of an outrageously exaggerated movie.

When I had made it to my locker, I went out of my way to rush as much as my body would allow.

"Maybe you should join the Parker family." For the first time, that sentence was thrown at me.

The Parker family. There had been something about them in the newspapers a while back, perhaps months ago. This article was particularly memorable due to the gruesomeness of the situation; a son murdered his parents and carried through with the act until nearly every sibling was killed. But that was on purpose. My situation was different. However, no one was around to see that.

In class, I decide against participating. After hearing the remarks from when I once did, I had decided it was better that I kept my mouth shut.

The kids who tended to not mess with me were the ones deathly scared of angering the head of law enforcement, the man who I was forced to call Dad, who I eventually resented over the course of my life.

Later in the afternoon, when the bus dropped me off at one of the few stops, I decided to make my way to the police station. The bus always dropped me off in an area near the station, figuring I could walk the rest of the distance. They were correct with that assumption, and I was grateful for it. It was a time that I could properly dissect my feelings to the fullest.

By the time I walked through those doors, I was greeted by an all too familiar face. It was the attractive face of the youngest deputy, Nick.

"Good Afternoon, Sim." Nick Adams smiled, falling into step with me as we passed through the lobby.

"Hey, Nick. How are things holding up?" Exhaling, I glanced over to him as we neared Dad's office. Nick, unlike most of the town, knew well a lot about that night; despite not even seeing the incident, he still seemed to take a liking to me. Sure, there was a requited, peculiar friendship, but I am glad that never succeeded. Overall, I had tried to stray away from dating or doing anything of the sort.

"Sheriff has had a long day. Nick sighed and looked at me with bright green eyes. "We found a man wandering the woods in the heart of Salem. Your dad was the one to track him down officially after a few reports, I guess. The guy won't talk though."