Song: Broken and Beautiful by Kelly Clarkson

"What...don't tell me that I am not getting out of here...and please don't send me back to that place."

She looks down and stands up to walk over to the window. I watch as she bites her bottom lip and I know she is trying not to cry. "Sophie...I never wanted you to be there. The judge makes the rules, not me. I don't want you to go back there either."

"So then...take me home or send me back to college. I mean how hard can it be to just tell the judge to butt out of my life."

"I wish it was that easy." She looks over at me. "Look I have been talking with the lawyers and the judge alright...I am trying to work something out."

"And..."

"They think you belong in the home. Look I can't take care of you and you sure can't do it on your own."

"Mom...I can...I will show you...really I can."

"Sophie...please. I have been doing a lot of contemplating the decisions on this it's either going back to the mental facility or...or..."

"Or what?" I sit on the edge of the bed and take the towel off of my head to start brushing my hair out.

She walks over and takes the brush from me so that she can brush it just like she use to when I was little. "There is this other place...it's a home that takes in people kinda like you. They can watch over you, make sure you take your meds...and care for you in a way that I am no able to."

"You want to toss me to someone else...let someone else deal with my problems." I feel my eyes starting to fill up with tears. I am trying not to let any of them escape but I can't stop them from flowing. She has never wanted me...not since I have been talking to the voices...seeing them. She just doesn't understand that I have no control over them. "Stop trying to fucking fix me...you can't change who I am."

"Sophie language please...I love you...you know that. This is just as hard on me you know. I would like for you to try the place out see if you like it...if it doesn't work then we will have to see what to do."

There is a light knock at the door and then walks in Andy. Our eyes meet and he looks over at my mom. "Is everything all right?"

"Yes." She says as if we were not just talking about my life.

"No...everything is not alright. She just wants to send me off...get rid of me like I mean nothing to her."

"Sophie...you know that is not what I want. I want the best for you but I can't give that to you."

"So just let me walk right on out of her and then you will never have to deal with me again since I am so much trouble."

"Looks like I came at a bad time...I will swing by tomorrow for therapy if that is alright?"

"If I'm even here...she might send me off by then." I glare at her with tears still in my eyes.

"Andy...she will see you tomorrow alright...sorry about all the commotion."

He just nods his head and turns back around to leave the room.

Due to our argument, she has someone watch the room all night just to make sure that I don't escape. Dear lord...she would die if she found out I was gone in the morning.When I do wake up...it's already going on nine and the light knock on the door woke me up. Andy walks in with a half-hearted smile on his face.

 "Is it clear to come in?"

"Whatever...you're going to come in anyway what difference does it make what the hell I want?"

"Sorry...I don't want to come between you and your mom. You know she does really care for you though...I mean she was here every day, even on days that she was really sick she still came to see you."

"And...what does that prove?"

"Nothing I guess...I know you think she doesn't care but she really does."

"Are you going to talk about her the whole time because if you are you can go?"

"Ouch...nope I won't say another word. Finish eating and we will go work out."

I take a few bites and then push it to the side. I stand up and walk with him down to the therapy room. Once there he helps me work out on some of the machines. He never says a word.

I huff...knowing he wants me to tell him what the hell was going on."She wants me to go live at some place...just dump me off and let someone else deal with my problems."

"Oh...have you looked at it...it might be fun."

"Yeah right...fun my ass...she doesn't care she just wants to get rid of me. Ever since she caught me talking to Emily she has treated me different. Emily is nice you know...she always has been. I can't help that she can't see her or Ava."

"Emily and Ava?" He gives me a look.

"Yes...they are like my best friends. They are always there for me. I mean Ava can be a little mean at times but they have never really tired to hurt me. I am the only one that can see them and she hates that."

"Oh..."

"Yeah...oh...I'm fine as long as I take the meds but somehow I forget and then I forget again and again until I just stop taking them and that is when he comes. He only comes when I'm not in control of my body."

"He?"

I stop lifting the weights to look at him. Why in the hell am I even telling him all of this? Great he looks at me like I have lost all my marbles, shit maybe I have. Who in the hell would ever believe any of this shit.

"The dark shadow...he tells me thing, makes me do things to hurt myself."

"But if you take your meds the right way he doesn't come around."

I nod. "I know it sounds crazy but it's true and I don't like when he is in control."

"I see...so just take your meds."

"It's not that easy...like I said I forget. I think he wants me to forget and he finds ways to make me forget. My mom is right...she can't help me...no one can...she thinks I can be fixed. What if I don't want to be fixed...what if this is just the way I am; what's so wrong with that?"

"So this place...why does she think you will be better off there?"

"I don't know...I don't really know much about it because I was too upset about going that I didn't even give her time to really talk about it."

"So...why not see what it's all about...you might just like it."

"That is what she said...but I know it will be like everywhere else. People will judge me...they will see me talking with Emily and Ava and then I will be known the crazy girl like I was back in school...I don't want to go through that again."

"Maybe they won't....maybe you should at least try it out."

"Are you on her side?" I stand up and walk away. He follows right behind me and then he is eventually at me side.

"No...I didn't say that...I said you should check the place out."

I look over at him and try to smile. "I guess anything is better than going to the physic ward....right."

"Yeah...I hate those places myself." He acts a little odd today. There is something different about him on his facial expressions but I don't ask because it's really none of my business. "I can't tell you what to do...but I think you should at least look into this place your mom is talking about."

"Maybe I will...but even if I do, it's not like they can fix me like she thinks they can."

 When we get back to the room I flop on the bed. He walks around the room and looks down at the side table where she had left pamphlets about the place. He opens it up and starts to read it and nod his head... "Sounds like fun if you ask me."

"I didn't ask you." I mumble and sit up to look at him.

He smirks and hands me the pamphlet. "Just look it over...honestly it doesn't look that bad...I mean heck they have horses and a few other animals and damn....look at that view."

I look at it and so what they have horse...I don't like horses. And animals, you got to be kidding me. I can only imagine the smell of being on a farm. However when I flip the page over there is the view and I will say it is breathtaking. Whoever took the picture made sure to get the sunset just right glimmering over the body of water and then the hills in the background.

"Uuuuhhhhh!!!" I gasp out and toss it back on the table. "Fine...I will check it out...but it's not because of her and it's for sure not because of you practically throwing the whole idea in my face."

Suddenly a smile spreads along his face and his eyes sparkle. He knows he got to me and he is eating it up.