(What is Wrong With My Mind?)

Korri POV

In the morning I see wooden walls, and my first thought is:

Someone kidnapped me.

But then I remember the events of the night before, a night I won't soon forget.

I smile at the memory.

And my rage dims for some reason...

My mind is broken ain't it?

I check my watch, 9:51am

I overslept.

"Lola..." I mumble.

"She's in the other room," a familiar accent says from the corner of the room.

I sit up.

Mars is looking out of a window, and his scars are gone.

"Thanks," I say, not as smooth as I'd hoped.

"Well, um, this is very awkward, I'll let you be?" he shrugs and leaves the room.

I get out of bed, and walk around the room taking it in.

I didn't really see it last night.

The room is slightly smaller than the one back home (Can I really even call it home? Will I ever go back? Why am I asking myself this...?).

It has two windows, a twin sized bed, and a mahogany dresser with a stack of plain paper and a cup of pencils.

"Like it?" Mars asks from behind me. "It was mine when I was a kid,"

I turn and see a plate of thick pancakes on a plate and...

"Lola's box!"

"You dropped it last night..." he blushes. "These are for you, and um..."

I smile. "I'll see Lola after, right?"

He nods.

And I notice that his eyes aren't as dark, and hard as the night before.

But his symmetrical expression gives nothing away.

He nervously rubs his arms as he stammers, "Um, sorry I'm so awkward, I haven't really talked in a while, um..."

I shrug. "I don't really talk much either."

I only talk when giving out comebacks.

Or sarcastic retorts.

I rarely just... talk.

Like a normal kid.

One who has friends...

He lets out a sigh of relief. "Yeah,"

"Will you eat breakfast with me?

"Sure..." he mumbles and walks out of the room.

He comes back a few seconds later with a small bottle syrup, and another plate of the same meal all precariously balanced in his hands.

He sits on the floor next to me. 

"I like this new found goo..." he mutters, as he screws off the lid of the syrup bottle and looks at me, and pushes the bottle towards me.

(I'm pretty sure he's the god of weird...)

I smile, and shrug. "Sure,"

When I taste the meal, my mouth feels like it's up in heaven, but when Mars eats it, he makes it look like he eats it every day and he's starting to get sick of it.

Then I realize: he might.

"Like it?" he asks.

I grin. "This is easily the best thing I've ever tasted."

"Oh," he smiles and blushes bright red. "Your welcome?"

After a few-second silence Mars asks, "Are you ever embarrassed?"

Welp, this is an odd topic of conversation...

I shrug. "No, not really-"

He shakes his head. "Sorry, I should have been more specific. What I mean is, are you ever embarrassed of your scars?"

I have to admit. I'm surprised at the question.

"Um,"

He looks away. "You don't have to answer."

"Um, kinda," I finally say. "I'm kinda embarrassed, but also proud of it. It means I've SURVIVED." I look away. "It means I've survived my hellish life, it means I've survived through FIVE YEARS of it. Of that torment."

And it's true.

I hate it,

I love it.

"Oh..." Mars checks his watch. "Wanna follow me? I-I'll give you the grand tour?"

I nod, and start to pick up the cleared dishes.

"You don't-"

I look at him. "I know, but I wanna do it anyway."

But... I kinda owe you.

I owe you a lotta shit, dude.

He shows me the way to the kitchen, and after I clean the dishes and put them away, Mars shows me to Lola's room.

"I'll, um, let you be," he says, smiling slightly.

I nod in thanks.

And he leaves the room.

"KORRI!" Lola says as she bolts up from her lying position.

I grin. "LOLA!"

I hug her.

"Korri, why am I so tall and where am I and-"

I freeze. "Wait, what? You can't remember anything?"

"Last thing I remember is... we were riding our bikes to the bakery for Mom and Dad's anniversary," she replies. "OH YOU'VE GOTTEN TALLER TOO!"

"Lola," I say slowly, my head feeling like it's about to pop like a balloon. "That happened FIVE YEARS ago. We're eleven."

"It was just a few minutes ago..." she insists.

An idea pops in my mind.

"I can prove it," I say calmly. "Did, did I have these scars that day?"

"No," she whispers, as she traces her hand along my face. "Who did this?"

"A pile of crappy jerks."

"NO NO NO!" she screams.

Mars asks as he barges into the room, his gaze flickering between me and my sister.

"WHO ARE YOU?!" Lola shouts.

Mars holds his hands up defensively. "I'm just a friend of Korri's, right Korri?"

She looks at me with wonder, and amusement in her eyes as she asks, "Is he lying?"

I shake my head. "Nope, it's true."

My jaw drops slightly at my own answer.

What duh...?

Lola nods. "Okay," and she lies back on the bed, aimlessly staring at the ceiling.

She's out.

"What?" I mumble, then glare at him. "What did you do?"

He sighs. "Nothing,"

"She didn't remember anything," I murmur.

"That's a side effect of the disease. Memory loss."

"Oh..."

"Well, while she's knocked out, I'll give you the full grand tour? If you're staying, that is."

I smile. "Sure,"

WHY AM I ACTING LIKE THIS?!

MY SISTER JUST PASSED OUT!

THEN THERE'S SIR WEIRDY OVER THERE-

Mars asks me a few questions, and I answer them.

He stays quiet for a while.

After a few seconds I tap him on the shoulder and he sniffs.

"Mars?" I ask, and I step in front of him.

He's crying.

I feel everything tense at the odd scene.

He looks away and stomps down the hall.

I follow him cautiously and when I turn a corner, I see Mars standing in a puddle of dark liquid...

It's blood.

Tears are dripping down his face, washing the makeup off, making his scars reappear, like magic.

He collapses on the couch, his head in his hands.

"Mars are you-" I ask, but he cuts me off.

"Nope." He grumbles. "No, I am not okay, will you go?" He laughs darkly. "I shouldn't even have to ask. Go away."

I nod, and leave the room.

I sit at the dining table, and a few minutes later Mars comes into the room.

He is back to spotless, though there are bloody footprints leading into the room. He looks more composed, though not all the way and he looks LIVID. All caps LIVID.

And it's clear he isn't expecting me to see me here.

"I'm sorry," I start, but he shakes his head.

He starts to say something, but realizes that he was tracking in blood and groans.

I nod softly and leave.

I feel bad, (I have no clue why though.)

I know, I know, I barely know him, but I do anyway.

I sit on what I oddly think of as my bed, and a few minutes later Mars comes back into the room all the way back to the normal composed way he normally is.

"I'm sorry for how I acted," he mumbles, looking away from me. "But don't ask about the blood, or ANYTHING else that just happened."

I pat the spot on the bed next to me and he accepts the invite.

"I won't ask," I say. I have my own theories. "I'm just glad you're not broken anymore."

"Thanks... I guess," he cringes as he gets to his feet and realizes that his socks are dripping a dark liquid. "I'll clean it up," he mumbles and walks out of the room.

When he comes back with wet paper towels, his hair is wet and the cuffs of his shirt and socks are stained and sopping.

He winces. "Um, I'm gonna clean myself up, so um..."

"Okay, I'll clean this up," I say, and he thanks me and after an awkward silence he leaves.

I finish cleaning it up before he comes back, so I pull a book from the shelf and start to read with my legs crossed.

I nearly finish the first chapter just as Mars comes back into the room with an average sized box in his hands.

He sets the box next to me and he sits next to it.

"This is for you," he says as he pushes the box toward me, and taps it. "And, um, sorry."

My eyes meet his...

And somehow separate.

"It's okay, everyone has their demons," I say quietly. "Even me,"

He frowns. "Look, I freaked out because you were answering questions that I had ASKED, and you think that's okay? Man, you're crazy." He crosses his arms. "A-and I thought I was the only one. With demons I mean." he says something else, but I can hear it, but for a second I think I hear it wrong.

"Um, yeah?" I lick my lips. "EVERYONE has a demon in some way. You're not singled out, dude."

"Ohh," Mars winces, and laughs nervously. "Yeah that's not what I thought you meant."

I look at him. "Wait, you thought I meant ACTUAL demons?"

He glares at me.

Shit, he IS serious.

And he is probably a lunatic if he believes that.

"Oh."

"You know where to go," he mumbles.

I start to say something, but he cuts me off.

"Just go,"

I leave the room with a nod, and head toward Lola's dimly lit bedroom.

I hope he won't have this pity-party for the rest of the night.

(Why am I thinking THIS?)

(I should be thinking of ways on how to escape with Lola.)

(Man, I'm messed up.)

"Hi," Lola says tiredly.

"Hey, how are you doin'?"

"I feel sleepy," she admits.

"Do you remember anything?"

"Everything's kinda fuzzy." she mumbles. "How are you?"

I shrug. "Fine,"

Her eyebrows knit together. "You're not lookin' so good."

I sigh, and rub my forehead. "A, a little dizzy, but I-I-I'm fine."

But that is before I tumble to the ground and my chest explodes in agony.

Everything spins, and I realize:

I'm not making a sound, aren't I?

I hear a scream.

I hear someone crash through the door, and hear Mars curse under his breath—which doesn't surprise me as much as I think it should, for some reason.

As the world goes into darkness...

...as it drags me down with it.

☪

Nightmares are bad.

I can't remember them.

But the emotions are still there...

Burning.

Hot.

Raw.

Infected.

I shiver in the dark of this...

Hell.