Mouth To Mouth

e l e v e n

natalia

mattia showed me to my room. it looked like a prison cell. there was a bed, a walled off bathroom, a bucket full of paper, markers, colored pencils, and a towel.

"thank you mattia" i said as i walked into my room.

"of course natalia" i smiled.

"you don't have to call me natalia. you can call me nat, lia, whatever you want" i said with still no emotion in my voice.

"i'll take that into consideration. please take a nap or rest or something. i don't want you to be sleepy all day okay lia?" he talked to me while standing under the door frame.

"no promises" i smiled at him.

lia. i liked that name for me. especially coming from mattia. i have never had any friends. i haven't even had a family. i jumped around foster houses every two to three weeks. i'm 17 and i've 'lived' in 34 different houses with different people.

i couldn't tell if i considered mattia a friend yet. i know he's just doing his job. i'm probably just another stupid 'patient' that takes up time on his schedule. i probably just look like a fucking paycheck to him.

i laid on the bed and let my thoughts flow, like water, right out of me. my brain was fried, i was so tired. it felt like the second i turned over and closed my eyes, i was out like a light.

mattia

my alarm went off to go wake natalia up at 8:55 i walked to her room and knocked on the door. she didn't answer so i unlocked it and opened the door. i saw her laying on the bed, eyes closed, passed out. she was definitely sleeping.

"lia" i said. "natalia" i touched her shoulder.

i grazed her shoulder with the lightest press of my finger and she flinched. her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at me.

"is it 9?" she asked tiredly.

"yes lia it's time for breakfast" i stood back up and headed for the door.

"coming" she said, and followed me out of the room.

•