Everything she accomplished within the pain was slowly done. Like trudging through the knee deep snow while carrying something heavy, only ten times slower than that. She managed to silence her screams and clench her jaw shut every time another scream wanted to escape from her. She was determined to be silent. Eventually she managed to grasp onto silence and she felt like she had climbed a mountain in that task. Sort of like that Miley Cyrus song that she listened to occasionally when her iPod's shuffle brought it to her ear buds and she was too lazy to switch the song.

She was still wincing and thrashing on the floor and she wasn't quite sure how she was going to stop from moving. She wasn't cuffed to the chair anymore she had eventually realized and that in itself was startling because they had been so tight before and she wasn't sure how she had managed to get out of the grip they had on her wrists and ankles.

She stretched out but it felt vaguely different she realized and she was unsettled by how strangely different it actually was. It felt as if she was in a completely different body and she wasn't familiar with it at all. At the same time though it was comfortable to be in this new form whatever it was even if it was disconcerting.

She held herself out straight as a board and she held back her screams as the pain continued to grow inside of her body. If it seemed like the pain couldn't get worse before she had been wrong. It was much worse than she would have thought it could possibly be. She wanted nothing more than to scream as another crack shattered the silence of her room and she felt her bones doing the reverse of what they had done earlier.

She remained silent but she heard other cracks and screams that seemed to echo down the lengthy halls just outside of her door. There were shouts and the sound of feet running past her door and inside as she battled with her agony she recognized what must have happened to someone down the hall. There was a kid who had died because of this and the worst part of the entire thing was that she felt personally responsible for every death that occurred in the Center even if she had done nothing to cause it directly.

The pain grew steadily for a long time and it was all Ever could do to keep her vow of silence and stillness unbroken. She noticed gradually that she began to feel more comfortable and familiar in her own skin and she knew that the thing that had changed was gone and she was back to her normal self. Not that she was quite sure of what had happened. The pain was still excessive but she found that she was feeling it slowly recede and she knew that by the time it faded completely it would be an ache all over her body that would take some time to go away.

If anything it would be next to impossible to do the training they probably had planned for her tomorrow. She felt the pain fading quickly now and she was confused as to why it had built up so much just to disappear rather quickly. She was wondering why they had left everyone in the room used for injections because that rarely happened. They were usually brought back to their room while they were unconscious but if they hadn't had the time it meant that there were more kids than usual that didn't make it through the process.

She blinked her eyes open wearily and she found her eyes facing the bottom of the metal chair that she had slipped off of. She glanced up at the cuffs on the chair finding that they were still intact and set to still be holding her down made her nervous. There was no apparent reason for her to have gotten out of the cuffs and yet she had as was evident by the fact she was now lying on the floor trying to figure out what had happened.

She pushed herself up by her hands and the aching feeling had already set up in her bones so moving like that made her feel extremely sore. She stood up painfully and she stretched gingerly managing to crack her back, and it sounded nasty with all the pops that came from it. She made a face and chuckled a little bit at the fact that it was so gross.

Saying that Ever wasn't quite sure what to do was an understatement. The doors to the rooms on the hallway she was in didn't lock and so they kept a person inside the room with every experiment at all times but Ian had left and she found herself alone in the room with no clue what was expected of her. She wanted to know how many kids had died and they always left the doors of the room they were in wide open when the kid died. It was an easy way to see that no one was in the room so Ever decided to look and see if she could gather any information about how many kids had been lost to this new injection that had actually managed to intensify her already heightened senses.

She shuffled to the door feeling like an old man with the way she was moving. She had never been sorer than she was at the moment and she was suddenly sure that any other injections they tried to give her she wouldn't be accepting after the weekend was over. It was too much to be expected to face the pain she had experienced earlier and she knew that she couldn't go through that again. She managed to reach the door and even turning the door handle made her arms ache with the effort. She pulled the door open and had to shuffle around it to be able to see out into the hallway.

What she saw made her heart break as she covered her mouth with one hand the other gripping the door handle. The door diagonal to hers on the right side of her body was one of the only ones still closed. There were about fifteen other doors closed near her and then as she looked out both ways more and more of the doors on the seemingly never ending hallway were open. It was horrifying.

By her count there were about three hundred open doors that she managed to count before she lost the will to continue. That was so many lives lost, and yet she could hear cheering coming from one of the offices that were situated about every three hundred feet down the hallway and she was certain they counted what had happened as a success. She looked at the door to her right as it started to open and she was afraid it was yet another death.

Ever waited as the door opened and she was relieved when she saw a guy her age look out and she was certainly thrilled that he was alive and he seemed to have the same reaction to the deaths as Ever had. Ever hadn't noticed the tears that were coursing down her face until she saw the guy look out into the hallway. She gently lifted her hand to draw the heel of her hand across her cheeks and directly under both eyes. It was painful to lift her hand to do that but she ignored the pain because at least she was still feeling something. There were kids that would never feel anything again, and although Ever hated her life at the Center she was grateful she had a life and now there were kids who would never get that because of the people that worked at the Center, and because of her.

Her movement must have caught his attention because suddenly his gaze flashed over to her. They both stood frozen and silent for a moment as they realized they were the only ones who had ever seen another living experiment other than themselves. That was when Ever realized that something about him seemed familiar and as she stared at him longer she realized she had seen him before and that she needed to get back in her room, or away from him before he recognized her.

"Ever, is that you?" he asked and his voice was gentle, a lot like flowing water, but she knew he was confused and slowly putting the puzzle pieces together.

She backed up from the door and her eyes were wide as she looked at the guy from her school. She couldn't remember his name, but she didn't know practically anyone's name at her school. She tried to keep her distance so that no one ended up hurt like all the kids that had died. She glanced around at all the doors that were open and back at him before slamming the door closed as he took a step towards her.

She had slammed the door on purpose because it would mean that the attention of the scientists cheering would be caught and they would realize that everyone who was still alive would be waking up from the injection. Ever let the tears start to slip from her eyes and soon she was sobbing as she buried her face in her hands. It was impossible that they counted this injection as a success; she didn't want to believe anyone could be so evil.

It wasn't soon enough that one of the scientists came into the room to check her over. She just wanted to get away from the place that she was locked in and she wanted to never go back to the Center. Ever knew that every time she came back to the Center she would see those open doors and imagine the lives that had been lost. It was painful, and it would certainly scar her deeper than anything else she had experienced in her life.

A thing like what had happened to those kids was why Ever kept her emotions hidden. She didn't get attached or let herself care because pain was the only thing that came out of that. She was fine with physical pain though, most of the time she could deal with physical pain but emotional pain was the worst thing in her opinion. There was no real way to fix emotional pain and she didn't like that. Everything had to have a way to be fixed and the fact that she hadn't found anything for emotions wasn't a defeat she was willing to except.

Things like trust and love were words Ever was fairly certain she wouldn't ever really use and mean because she couldn't bring herself to let someone know every single part of her. It was too painful to have people know her past, and then there was the Center and everything they had done to her. She was a freak and no one can ever love a freak. They couldn't even accept that something like her might exist and if she ever went and told someone she could see and hear, and smell better than a human they would probably lock her up. It was the way the world was and Ever had gotten used to it.

It didn't mean she wasn't afraid of being hurt because she was and she kept everything to herself to prevent it from happening. People at her school had tons of rumors circulating around about her but she didn't feel any pain from those. She knew they weren't true and so they couldn't hurt her because she had no emotional ties to anyone spreading them. They were all grasping for straws because they didn't like to have things unexplained and Ever was unexplainable to them.

She knew for certain that the guy from the hallway had tried to talk to her a couple times but after that he stayed away because Ever wasn't the type of person he had wanted to hang around with all the rumors. She thought that maybe she owed something to the girls starting rumors because all she wanted was to be left alone and no one talked to her for fear of being included in the rumors.

The scientist who had come in her room looked her over occasionally poking at a sore spot causing her to let out a small groan when he did. He had her do a couple stretches that made her wince and then the whole time he was writing on his clipboard as he circled her like a vulture.

"Do you get dizzy when you do that?" she asked him sarcastically with a roll of her eyes and he pushed against a severely sore spot with his pen before laughing and causing her to bite her lip to keep from crying out in pain.

She hated the way that they acted more than anything. They treated her like a disobedient animal and she might have been disobedient but she certainly wasn't animal. Her thoughts flashed to the cheering she had heard as she looked at all the empty rooms of those who had died and her eyes flashed with anger. They were truly the animals, because no human being would ever be happy about treating someone, or something else like that. It was honestly inhumane and there was no excuse they could make that would make her see it differently.

She wanted revenge for those kids that had died and for all she had suffered at their hands. It was wrong that their parents would be given a small piece of paper saying that their child had been too weak to continue with the training and that they had died for a truly noble cause. They deserved more than that in Ever's opinion. She wanted them to know that their children had been murdered and that they were strong not weak, more than that she wanted to let them know that the people who had hurt their children wouldn't be harming anyone else. She wanted them dead, and she knew that after all the deaths in one day, it had to be sooner rather than later.

The man, once he had finished with his assessment of her grabbed her upper arm and Ever bit back a sound of pain as her sore muscles were squeezed in his death grip, she didn't want him to have the satisfaction of knowing that his very touch hurt her it was a weakness she refused to show to him after what he had done. She had no problem letting him know that it appalled her though. She yanked her arm away from his grasp and she turned to look at him so she could stare directly into his eyes.

"I can walk on my own. I would prefer not to be touched by you, or anyone else who works at this place. I don't want to be touched by murders." she hissed her eyes were cold and something about them must have startled him because he stepped back and held his hands up in a mock surrender.

"Very well, I shouldn't have to touch an animal anyways. You will be punished for speaking to someone who's above you like that though. It won't be tolerated by us anymore; we've been far too nice thus far."

He seemed smug and Ever wanted nothing more than to punch him in the face. She couldn't believe he had said they were kind; this place was hell and nothing more. His choice of words in saying they had been kind was like a slap in the face to her and she was almost positive he understood that. It was infuriating to have to be around people such as him constantly.

Then there was the fact that he had called her an animal and that made Ever freeze where she stood and glare at him. Her hair lifted from her shoulders slightly, as if there were a wind and Ever looked at her shoulder in surprise there was no wind in the Center and there was no need for air conditioners which made her wonder where the wind had come from. She decided to brush it off as having come in through her open door from the hallway as they slowly opened and closed other doors along its length.

She turned her glare back to the man who was smiling smugly as if he had just won some sort of contest between them that Ever wasn't quite aware of. He walked past her and out into the hall expecting her to follow him so he could take her back to her room. Had she not been sore, and exhausted and shaken Ever would have insisted on being difficult and not have followed him out into the hall. As it were though she was all of those things so she slowly started after him walking proudly and confidently despite the pain it caused her to do so. Everyone at the Center expected all of the experiments to be broken down and hopeless but Ever didn't want to succumb to their expectations. It wasn't fair to all those they had killed if she didn't have hope now then she would never avenge them.

She looked briefly inside some of the rooms as they passed wondering if any of them broke the overall uniformity that was present inside the Center. She was disappointed by what she saw and they were almost all exactly the same with only minor differences that no one except for someone with her type of eyesight would have caught in passing. They walked for what seemed like forever and she became aware of walking in circles. She knew it was the man's way of getting his own form of revenge on her aching body.

She would receive a real punishment later but he was walking her around in circles to make her body hurt more and he wanted her to notice. She could tell by the way he turned to look at her briefly every once in a while to see if she would say anything. She was almost tempted to ask if he was stupid but she knew it would earn her nothing but an additive to the punishment she was already bound to receive. It was actually two punishments because she was certain the guy who had accompanied her and Ian would have arranged for her to be punished for what she had said that morning. Two punishments in one day and according to the clock that was on the wall they continued to pass it was barely one in the afternoon. It was a well behaved day for her after all.

She smiled at him next time he looked back and when she heard him curse under his breath she knew he was now aware he wasn't getting any reaction out of her for what he was doing. He took a left turn when they reached a split in the hallway where they had been taking rights and Ever shook her head slightly at his so called "plan" to hurt her worse. She was definitely sorer because of it but nothing she wouldn't get over she was certain.

Within minutes they were at the door to her room and she sighed in relief inwardly. The sigh within her spirit changed to a groan as soon as she saw who was coming down the hallway towards her. She had realized she would be getting a punishment but she had hoped to have some time of rest between the injection and the punishment. Apparently they weren't planning on granting her that luxury and as her eyes searched the sharply dressed man about a good five hundred yards away she felt her heart clench when she saw what was in his hand. It wasn't a surprise but they always whipped her and she couldn't stand it. She wished they would give her any other punishment besides that.

The punishment they were planning on giving her didn't disturb her half as much as the man who planned on distributing the punishment. He was the president, so-to-speak, of the Center and if Ever believed everyone else at the Center had no heart and wasn't human, they were saints compared to him. The relationship that the two had was more complicated than any math problem Ever had encountered in her life and she was sure that any unsolvable equation would appear easy next to trying to figure out what was going on in the President's head and the way Ever reacted to him and everything he did.

She walked into her room before he could reach them and she sat on the edge of the bed they provided. It was simple with only the necessities and like everything else in the center it was characteristically white. Ever wasn't really a fan of the color white and when she wasn't at the Center she normally wore dark colors finding the dark more comforting than it's light counterpart. When at the center every experiment was forced to wear the same thing and it was an easy way to tell who was an experiment and who was a scientist.

They wore white outfits that almost looked like jumpsuits just so that the total uniformity of the place wouldn't be ruined but Ever had always thought it was quite stupid. With her pale skin and hair she could probably lean against a wall and disappear being dismissed as part of the scenery. When she was younger she had said so to someone when they commented on how much better everyone had looked wearing all white, it had earned her fifty new scars on her back and a serious amount of back problems. Being hit with a whip like they did to her when she was so young had messed up the muscles in her back and occasionally she got bad back pain from the abuse.

Ever tried to push all the thoughts of white, and clothes and bad backs from her mind as she watched the door from the corner of her eye just waiting for him to walk through her door because she knew it was inevitable. She wondered idly if she should pray that he wouldn't hurt her but she knew that if there was a God he wouldn't help her. She had done nothing to deserve it and all those kids had died and it had been her fault. There was no way around the fact that ultimately it was her choices that had brought all the others pain, and for some death. She sighed and closed her eyes; no she didn't deserve God's help. There was the more pressing issue with the fact she didn't believe there was a God. If there were a God, none of those kids would have died, he would have protected them. That's what she would expect though, the Christians said that God loved everyone and protected them but so far all she had seen was death taking over the lives of all the kids at the Center. That wasn't love, that wasn't God, he didn't exist.

When she opened her eyes he was leaning in her doorway, the President of the Center not God, and he was smiling at her coldly and she could tell it was a smile meant to inspire fear not to comfort. It did neither; all it did was spark that hatred that burned inside of her just for this man. He walked further into the room and her eyes glanced at the whip that was coiled in his hand before rising back to his face revealing nothing of her feelings except for her hate which she was certain he saw constantly from her. She wasn't the type to forget to give him a glare whenever she saw him. She was better than that at remembering things. She would never forget him though, not with what he had caused.

"Can't you go a single day here without causing some type of trouble Ms. Williams? I love our little visits but you are becoming quite a handful I'm not sure what else we can do to make you understand that you're nothing. You're below everyone else, and you will never be my equal."

He said it coldly, and with such a matter of fact voice that had Ever not known him better she would have maybe assumed he was joking. It wasn't a joke though and she knew all too well that was exactly how he thought. It was appalling and he thought he was better than everyone. He fancied himself a genius and the father of the future, an exalted inventor. He was deluded and crazy yet there was no hope for getting through to him, he would always believe he was right.

"Like I would want to be your equal, I would have to drop down from where I am to achieve that. I was raised to never go backwards, and to never regret doing whatever it takes to get to the top."

The words were out of her mouth before she could stop herself and she wasn't looking forward to his reaction to that she was grimly satisfied with herself for saying it. She knew it wasn't her smartest plan to antagonize the person who would be whipping her in a few moments but she couldn't help herself it was simply the way she was. She was used to the pain that came from being whipped anyway, it wouldn't be so bad.

"We're starting. I suggest you keep your mouth shut from now on and that's extra hits. Lay on your stomach I'm done with the pleasantries." said practically hissing like a snake as he did so and Ever was satisfied that she had made him lose his cool it was normally a hard thing to do.

She figured if she was going to be whipped she might as well take her time getting ready because after all, it wasn't like he had anything better to do. He had already killed off over half the kids in the experiment his attention wasn't spread among hundreds of kids, now it was down to about one hundred and his staff wouldn't have nearly enough work to do because of that. It would actually probably mean most of them would be fired. Ever didn't have a problem with any of them being fired and wished she could see the looks on their faces when they were relieved of their positions at the Center.

She knew the President well enough to know he wouldn't tolerate everyone sitting around for very long either. The laying off of workers would probably begin on Monday after every one of the kids who were still alive left to go to their homes. That way everything could return to proper function in his eyes before the next weekend. He was a perfectionist like that, and it showed in the all white atmosphere of the Center. If anything were to be a different color it would no doubt bug the President to no end until someone got around to fixing it.

She stood up from the edge of the bed where she had been sitting as she smirked at his impatient expression. He could never wait to torture people, and she knew it was one of his sick satisfactions. Everything about him made Ever want to be sick whenever she thought about, or saw him. She felt like the room was always colder with him in it and she chalked it up to his heart being covered in ice. She hated being near him with a passion and whenever she was moving about alone in the center she went out of her way to avoid him even if it meant being a little bit late or getting a slap from a scientist for walking into them, it was all worth it when she didn't have to see him.

Ever moved her hair away from her back and pulled it over one shoulder. The back of every jumpsuit dipped down exposing almost her entire back and it was simply for moments like this when they were being punished for one thing or another. She lay down on her bed on her stomach with her hair pressed against her front baring her back. Her entire back was covered in scars and she turned her head to look at the President with a smirk.

"Ready when you are, Father."

Ever kept her mouth tightly shut through the entire whipping but she knew she would need knew blankets. By the time he was done there was blood staining the once pristine white sheets that graced her bed. She could feel the blood flowing down her back and onto the bed and she didn't like the feeling of being covered in her own blood. She couldn't wait to have a chance to get it all off of her. She just wanted to sleep and it was early in the day which meant that she was losing a lot of blood.

She was even more uncomfortable with the fact that the President was still in the room. He was hovering in a corner watching her and as such Ever didn't want to move. It reminded her of a T-Rex and her being the prey. It made her lips twitch up in humorless smile thinking about it but she just wanted him gone from her room, or better yet gone from her life.

It was frustrating to know that he was her father. Everything he had done to her and yet no one could take the title away from him because by flesh and blood he was her father. She knew that he was only there watching her because he was angry with the fact she had withstood his punishment. She had held in all her screams and remained perfectly still as he brought the whip down on her back again and again until the whip was slick with her blood and there were sure to be new scars covering her back when the cuts left behind actually healed.

She knew he got off on hearing the screams of those who became prey to his desire for pain and he wanted to see her writhe in pain because of what he was doing. It was sick and disturbing and it was his fascination. The fact that she had denied him of his fascination made him angry and she was certain that he had given her extra lashes in an attempt to fulfill his desire. Now he was just standing there waiting for her to do something. She had her suspicion that he wanted to see her pass out from the blood loss as compensation but she just stayed still and waited for him to leave. Ever knew that if she moved she would feel some serious pain from her back but even that wouldn’t be so bad. She would be able to cope but she wasn't going to take a shower while her father lurked in the corner of her room like the monsters every little kid believed were in the shadows at night.

Ever hadn't believed in monsters like that when she was younger, only because her monsters were real. Her father was the monster that lurked in her life and as a little girl she had no time for invisible monsters when she had to deal with the ones right in front of her face. She thought about it all as she lay there and her mind switched over to the guy from her school. She sort of felt bad that she didn't remember his name because he obviously remembered hers.

Part of her was glad that it was only Saturday and they had to stay another day because there was just a slight chance that in the middle of the training and everything else they would be doing on Sunday he might forget he had seen her. Even better he might pass it off as having seen someone who looks like her but wasn't actually her. If he remembered her, it was going to be bad for her come Monday. She knew she couldn't let him confront her on Monday during school but he seemed to be stubborn and from what she had seen of him at school he seemed to get exactly what he wanted all of the time. She didn't want to be the one with the information he wanted, and more than anything now she wanted to know exactly what that injection had done to her, and what had changed that killed so many of the others.

It dawned on her that the man who invented all of the serums was in her room at the moment and it might be a good idea for her to ask him what was going on with all of the kids dying. The only issue was that he was unlikely to give the information to her, especially after she had taken away his sole joy in whipping her. She knew that she had to try though because she didn't have any plans on coming back to the Center anymore so she was going to have to do everything she could to learn while she was here.

Ever sat up carefully noticing that when she did so, even more blood fell onto her bed, it was honestly gross but it was the only place to sit in the entire room and she wasn't sure if her sore muscles would allow her to stand up anymore. She felt her back tighten and the pain from her lashes made her back throb in pain as she turned her head to face the stony faced man in the corner who was looking at her like he was sizing up a piece of meat that he was considering having for dinner. She wasn't sure how to phrase her question so she decided she would just blurt it out. If anything, she might catch him off guard with her suddenness.

"What did you change with that serum?" she said quietly but steadily as she looked at him with her eyes focused in on him and nothing else.

He raised an eyebrow at her and she didn't change her expectant expression as she watched him for any reaction he might have that would give her a clue to the answers she was seeking from him. Slowly a smile spread across his face and he pushed away from the wall to walk closer to her. She didn't move as he stopped in front of her and she just looked up at him knowing he was that close to her for the sole purpose of having her look up to see him. Ever guessed that it probably made him feel like he was above her if she had to look up in order to see his face, he was so narcissistic in that sense.

She didn't like having to look up but she didn't stand because it would put her even closer to him and she didn't want to be in the same room as him never mind so close that they were practically touching each other. So she would put up with looking up because anything was better than touching him.

"Why would I tell you Ever? You ran away from me, and changed your last name so no one could connect you to me. Besides, I'm sure you'll figure it out on your own, you simply need a mirror to see the difference, I would focus on your eyes," he reached out to touch her face and she pulled away from his fingers but he managed to brush his finger tips just under her eyes, "then there's your ears," he touched her ears and Ever wanted to get away from him, "I'm sure you'll notice the difference to your teeth as well. When you figure it out you won't need me to explain things to you anymore. How stupid does one have to be to not feel the difference, I suppose none of you will figure it out though. How could I expect that of you?"

"Oh? We're the stupid ones in this place?" she asked mocking him slightly, "Last time I checked, it was your brilliant serum that killed over half of the kids that you were training in this place. Don't you have consolation letters to write to parents?"

He simply smiled at Ever and she felt uncomfortable under his gaze but she made sure it wasn't showing on her face at all. He turned and he walked out of her room closing the door behind him as he went and she heard the lock click into place. That was how she knew there wasn't anything new for her to do during the day. The door could only be opened when it was locked once a day as part of some schedule. It had been opened from being locked that morning so now she was alone in her room for the rest of the day and no one could get in which was comforting despite the fact she couldn't get out.

Ever peeled the blood stained comforter off of the bed and folded it placing it under the bed because she wasn't going to sleep on that after her blood had been covering it. Just bending down to put it under the bed made pain spike through her entire body but she did her best to ignore it by taking deep breaths. She knew she had to shower but she wasn't exactly looking forward to the water hitting all of the open cuts on her back. With a sigh she moved to the bathroom that was attached to the room. It only made sense for there to be bathrooms attached to the rooms because they couldn't get out of their rooms and with all the training people got sweaty and the Center didn't like messes or sweat so everyone was required to shower at least once a weekend. Ever liked to shower everyday though and not just because she got a whipping almost every day and she needed to get the blood off of her back.

She stepped into the all white bathroom and peeled the now bloody white jumpsuit from her body as winced when she had to bend once again to get it off of her feet and then to throw it in the trash. It was ruined, of that she was sure and there was no way the blood was going to come off of it. She had no plans of wearing something bloody for the rest of the weekend. She got bandages and rested them on the edge of the sink as she started the shower.

Ever stepped into the warm water hesitantly because she knew the stinging that occurred from the water hitting the cuts and the sore skin, she also knew if she didn't wash it out cuts like that would easily get infected. She vaguely wondered how many little kids had gotten infections from not knowing they had to wash out their cuts. The thought was pushed from her mind as the water fell on her back and she let out a small hiss at the stinging sensation that rushed through her and she groaned in pain as the bottom of the white shower ran red with her blood.

Ever got out of the shower and ran the bandages all around her torso just trying to cover them up and keep the bleeding contained so it didn't show through her clothes when her foster parents came to pick her up tomorrow. She didn't want them to worry because they had already done so much for her. Ever was eighteen now and they could have kicked her out but they insisted that she stay and continue with high school. They had offered to adopt her but Ever said it wasn't necessary and they said they would pay for her college and she could continue to live with them. She knew she was lucky to have gotten such good foster parents and she was grateful for what they did for her.

She pulled on an oversize sweatshirt that she had worn to the Center last night and she pulled on a pair of shorts before curling up on her bed. It was still early but she was tired even so, there wasn't anything to do in the room so she got up and grabbed her iPod from her bag which was simply sitting in a corner because there was no other place to put it. As she walked back to the bed she pulled the shades down on the window after glancing outside for a moment. The windows were about four inches thick and as such the view to the outside was slightly distorted but she felt a little freer as she glanced outside. Her window gave her a view of the back of the Center and she sighed as she closed the blinds and flicked off the light switch. There was a field out in back and a distance away the edge of the forest could be seen from her window.

Before Ever learned what the field was used for she had always imagined running around out there. It was beautiful to say the least and she knew that right behind the first hill that hid a small valley from her view there would be people out there digging into the soft earth. They buried those who didn't make it back there and then they covered the graves with new grass and wildflowers. Ever felt a straining sadness for them and their families as she made her way back to the bed.

She was shuffling again rather than walking normally because since the whipping her aching had grown and she had no one to be strong for in the empty room other than herself. She lay down and slipped in her ear buds turning on a random song at a low volume and she looked back at the now covered window through the now dark room. She had them to be strong for, she thought about all of the kids whose parents wouldn't get to bury their bodies and she felt a single tear trace the contours of her cheek as it fell landing on the pillow and making a small damp mark that she stared at for a little bit.

She eventually closed her eyes and she fell asleep with her iPod still playing in her ears as she slept. In her dreams fields with wildflowers kept popping up but she knew they were different from the one that was out in back of the Center. There were no bodies in these fields and in her dream she ran through them like she was a little kid. It was a slightly comforting dream for Ever because she had never really had a childhood and so it was like freedom and childhood all wrapped up in one thing.

The only thing that would have made it better was if it were a real thing rather than a dream. She knew it wasn't real even as she was trapped inside the dream because she wouldn't ever let herself do something like that. She was too tense for something like that to occur to her. She wasn't sure though, maybe if she were free she would change that.

She let herself enjoy the dream and she imagined being free from the place that caused so much suffering within her life. She just wanted to be free and then she would be happy.

When Ever woke up she knew it was either very late at night, or very early in the morning. She wasn't sure which though because there was no clock in her room. She checked her iPod sleepily and winced as the sudden bright light practically blinded her as she attempted to tell the time. It was about four in the morning and Ever was surprised at how long she slept. She figured she had fallen asleep about two in the afternoon so to sleep from two to four was astounding for her. She decided to give the credit to losing so much blood the day before but she knew that someone would be by shortly to get her for training and she wanted to be ready for that.

Things never ended well when the scientists had to wake someone up. It was another punishment on top of having your training increased in levels of difficulty during that day. Ever had only made that mistake once and she had regretted it the entire week after that, because when she got back to the Center the weekend after that she had still been sore from the training session. It seemed to Ever that she was either constantly sore or in pain and she was kind of tired of that daily routine. She knew for certain though that she wouldn't be coming back to the Center after the weekend was over because she couldn't take the pain and the deaths anymore.

No one had never gone back to the Center but Ever was certain that they would try and send someone after her to bring her back if she didn't show up. She was prepared for that and she was willing to take the risk that came with that. The scientist hired people to teach them everything about fighting and using guns and hacking, so Ever was fairly certain that she was trained rather well and she was ready to test out her fighting style against whomever they might send to try and bring her back. All she was certain of was that she wasn't going to return.

She thought about this as she waited for an idea of what to do to hit her. She was well rested so falling asleep wasn't an option for her anymore. She eventually decided to play some games on hr iPod and she unlocked it squinting against the light so she didn't get blinded again. She played nonsense games for a little bit and by the time she was bored with those it was four-forty-five. Ever got up and paced across her room for a few minutes, from her door to her bed and back again as she think about what her father said the night before. There were no mirrors in the Center so she knew she would have to wait until she got home but she was curious as to what he meant by her ears, eyes, and teeth changing. She didn't feel like they were any different other than the sharp increase in her senses but she was drowning out her sense of hearing with the iPod because it made her feel more relaxed.

She checked the time again and found it was five thirty which was strange because the doors opened at five o'clock sharp every morning which made Ever nervous that they hadn't opened yet. She walked back to her window and lifted the blinds which were still down and peered outside. She could see a glimpse of the driveway of the center off to the left if she stood in the far right part of the window and she was surprised to see there was a steady stream of cars coming up the drive like it was nine instead of five. She wondered why they were bringing all the parents so early but if it meant she was getting out early she was all for it.

Ever changed quickly into the clothes she had brought instead of searching the room for another white jumpsuit. She slid on her skinny jeans and carefully changed into a dark gray long sleeved t-shirt before pulling her sweatshirt back on. She almost always wore a sweatshirt because she like having the hood up in school it helped to keep people from talking to her; it kept people talking about her though. She pulled on her shoes and put her hair up before turning the music on her iPod back on. She sat down on the bed and sighed as she glanced every once in a while towards the window. It was taunting her now, to be so close to the outdoors but unable to get out there until someone let her go. It was only four inches away and yet it seemed so much further and impossible for her to reach it.

She heard footsteps coming down the hall even with her music blasting in her ears and she frowned as she pulled out one ear bud. She then realized she had only heard it because there was a lot more than one person walking. She heard them stopping occasionally and then her door clicked open and she looked over at the door as someone slid it open. She was so ready to go and she was hoping this was the message that would tell her she was getting out of the place earlier than planned.

She smiled a little bit when she saw it was Ian who was standing in her doorway and he gave her a small wink, "Everyone's going home early due to the nature of the shot and all of the deaths that occurred yesterday." he told her before walking more into her room, the thought made her close her eyes for a minute, picturing all the open doors.

Never the less home was home and Ever was glad to grab her bag and walk out into the hallway to go meet her foster parents. She headed down the hallway and that's when she realized that there were other kids in the hallway as well. It took a moment for her to process that because now they were seeing each other for the first time. It was the only time she had ever seen another experiment before other than the one boy earlier and it struck her as weird that they didn't care that they were now all seeing each other it meant something was changing and that in itself was a scary thought.

She searched the crowd of weeping parents for her foster parents and found they too were searching frantically as if they weren't sure they would find her. She winced at the weeping and then gasped when Jessica's arms went around her squeezing all the air from her lungs and causing pain to shoot up her back and through her sore muscles. Michael fell upon the both of them with a group hug and Ever felt like she was going to die from the pain. She looked over Jessica's shoulder; her eye's watering to see the boy from her school pushing through the crowd his eyes locked on her. She cursed silently and pulled away from the hug to look at a teary eyes Jessica and a silent Michael who seemed to be looking her over for injuries. Not that he would find any with her covering them up.

"Hey, you ready to go? It's kind of crowded in here and I just want to go home." she said shouldering her bag and looking at her foster parents expectantly.

They nodded and Michael took her bag as they headed outside to the parking lot. Ever walked in front of Michael knowing he would block her from sight and she just wanted to get out of the Center before that kid reached her. She would hope that in school he would stay away from her for the sake of appearances but she had a feeling come Monday she would be searching for a way to explain to him. She didn't like that idea because it would draw attention to her. She vaguely wondered how he managed to be around people with his senses being so acute. She could barely stand it and she didn't talk to anyone.

Ever worked hard to alienate herself from other people and she found it was easier on her to just continue to avoid people as the opportunities presented themselves to her. Even at the chance of rumors she would avoid people to the point where someone had made a joke that she was like leper that wouldn't let other touch her no matter the cost. She supposed it was fitting but she didn't want to be around other people because it hurt. She wore her hood up so that the bright lights wouldn't hurt her eyes and she did her best to drown out noise with her iPod. She hadn't even thought there was another way to do it but she didn't know how that kid managed. He was always surrounded by his friends and she knew that for her it would be too painful to bear.

She stared out of the window as Michael started up the car and she noticed the boy come out of the Center and his eyes were on her car and more specifically he seemed to have zeroed in on her in the back seat as she attempted to listen to Jessica ramble on about what she had missed over the weekend. Ever kept her eyes on the boy who watched her leave before turning in and facing Jessica, with just the three of them and the radio off Ever was able to turn off the iPod but she kept one ear bud in like she always did and she listened to Jessica talk comforted by the gentle lull of her voice.

"Ever, what happened? All those parents, they were crying and some were talking about it aloud." she paused biting her bottom lip and Ever knew it was the question she had hoped to avoid; "They were saying their children died?"

Ever's eyes hardened and she sighed slightly as she remembered all of the open doors. She wasn't sure how to explain it to Jessica and Michael without telling them the truth about the entire thing that had occurred during every weekend when she had gone to the Center. She didn't want to tell them that much about it because if she wasn't going back she would have to leave them and she wanted them knowing as little about the entire thing as possible. Ever didn't want to be the reason they were hurt or killed.

"Ever, are you listening to her?" she heard Michael ask breaking into her reverie and she looked up to see him watching her in the rearview mirror.

"Yeah, sorry I was listening; it's just so hard to believe. I never would have imagined that all those kids could have died. I'm not sure what happened to them but it's sad don't you think?" Ever said looking up at them her eyes sad as she tried to fake innocence about the entire thing which she usually did around them so they wouldn't suspect anything she felt bad about lying but she consoled herself with the knowledge it was necessary.

She did everything she could to keep them from getting suspicious but she knew they would certainly suspect something when she came home from school Monday. That day wasn't going to be any good and she knew that she would most likely be acting off character after he confronted her. She had half a mind to confront him but she knew that it would never happen even if she wanted to know what he had experienced in his own time at the Center. After not seeing any other experiment in about fifteen years she was rather curious about what he thought of the entire process. It was a strange feeling to know that there was someone else who had gone through everything she had and yet he had dealt with it in a completely different manner.

She wondered what he thought of her now that he knew why she was keeping herself apart from everyone. Ever was surprised to find she was wishing to talk to him now. She wasn't even listening to Jessica anymore after she had been placated by her answer she had gone back to rambling about this and that randomly and Ever had turned her music back on at a low volume so she could actually enjoy the music rather than her usual apathy towards it. She just had it turned on high so that she could drown everything out and she rarely actually listened to the music anymore.

She felt eyes watching her and she turned her head to meet Michael's gaze in the rearview mirror before he turned his eyes back to the road. She had come to think of Jessica and Michael like her mother and father but it was hard to actually think the words mom and dad in her head even if she called them that when she was speaking to them. She knew that Michael was suspicious about something and she guessed he had heard her gasp when they both hugged her and that combined with her reaction to the question had caught his eye. Ever knew enough about him that he wouldn't confront her about it until he figured more out but she knew she would have to tread carefully when he was involved until he was placated and no longer suspicious.

Ever looked away from the rearview mirror feeling almost sick to her stomach as she thought about lying even more than usual to them, they did everything for her and yet she continued to hide things from them. It was for their safety that much was true but it still felt wrong and Ever was rather depressed by the thought of it all. Ever sighed a little but she just turned up the volume on her iPod and went back to looking out the window.

When they pulled into the driveway Ever was almost surprised and she was definitely surprised to find she was tired again. She had slept so much she figured she would have more than enough energy for the entire day but it seemed that dealing with Michael and Jessica had worn her out past what she had energy for. She got out of the car and grabbed her bag from the trunk before having it lifted from her hands by Michael. Jessica had already rushed inside to make something for lunch and it was just the two of them which made Ever slightly nervous.

Jessica was more air headed but what she lacked in attentiveness to detail Michael made up for with plenty to spare. He always had known when Ever had an issue in the past and she figured that of course even now things hadn't changed when so much had. She met his gaze evenly and she just stood there as he searched her face for some silent clue that Ever hoped she wasn't giving out.

"You seem tired today; did you sleep well last night?" he asked after a moment and Ever relaxed slightly.

Michael draped his arm lightly over her shoulder and pulled her in for a one armed hug against his side gently with his other hand holding the bag. Ever was always happy with moments such as this when she felt like an excepted part of an actual family. She had been shocked when Michael and Jessica welcomed her into their house as if she had always belonged there and they were just waiting for her. It was a moment before Ever realized she had yet to answer as Michael let go of her and gestured for her to precede him towards the house.

"Yeah, I think I might have over slept but by some miracle I am actually tired again. I fell asleep at two in the afternoon and woke up this morning at four. I don't even want to do that math mostly because I'm afraid to know how long I actually slept." Ever responded laughing slightly as she started up the walk way towards the front door.

She walked next to Michael on the walk way up and he glanced at her with a wry smile, "Don't tell your mom that you slept that long, she'll say I'm becoming too much of an influence on you. But I'm proud it means you do pay attention to what I do."

Ever laughed because she could easily imagine Jessica saying that about them, especially in regards to sleep, Michael's sleeping habits were one of Jessica's pet peeves and Ever knew it well because when she got up early with Jessica she was prepared for one of her rants about Michael's sleeping. In all matters of truth Michael was one of Ever's biggest heroes and if she were normal and he was actually her father she most likely would have strived to be just like him in everything that he did. She was proud to be part of his family and had she made any friends then she would have made sure that they knew how amazing Michael was in her opinion. When she had turned fifteen he had given her the very first driving lesson she ever received in an empty parking lot, it had been quite the adventure for them both.

It was in moments like those that she felt like a normal teenager and she was truly grateful for Michael making her feel that way and she suddenly felt sad again when she realized he would probably never know that. Ever smiled again at Michael though as she opened the door and went inside holding it open behind her for him, she could hear Jessica walking around in the kitchen making lunch for everyone muttering about ingredients under her breath, Jessica mumbled when she was cooking and she was a bit bossy if you tried to help her but she was an amazing cook and that much was undeniable. Ever had often asked Jessica why she didn't become a caterer but Jessica had said she preferred to stay at home.

Ever certainly understood her wanting to stay at home because if the opportunity for her to never have to work she was certain she would seize it without a second thought. Michael was a lawyer and he also had inherited a lot of money from his father at his death and so as a whole they were well off. Anything Ever had wanted was given to her pretty much instantly as a child and though they chose not to flaunt their money Ever was amazed at the amount they had. With her senses being all out of whack Ever hadn't ever made any move to get a job and she was grateful that Michael and Jessica didn't press her to. They bought her a car, offered to pay for her college and they bought her anything and everything that she needed no matter what it was. Ever tried not to ask for much because she already felt like she was taking advantage of them but they insisted that if she needed something she shouldn't hesitate to ask.

They were some of the most compassionate people she had ever met and she knew that not many people would have done the same in their position. Ever stood smiling in the doorway like an idiot for a few minutes before Michael shook his head slightly smiling and pushed her more inside the house coming in after her. Ever looked back at him rather sheepishly but he didn't ask for an explanation. He set her bag down at the foot of the stairs and motioned for her to follow him into the kitchen which she did willingly. Jessica looked up with a smile as she told them that she would have lunch ready in a few minutes. Ever knew better than to offer to help Jessica because she knew she would be refused and even if she was accepted she would be kicked out within minutes.

It always happened with Jessica and Ever found it rather funny even though Jessica was afraid she was being mean and would often times apologize profusely afterwards with Ever telling her that it was perfectly fine and she wasn't mad. Ever sat at the island with Michael as they laughed at his bad jokes and his colleagues at work while Jessica finished lunch, it was a very homey feeling and after everything that had happened in the Center, Ever was glad for it all.

Jessica slid plates in front of them and Ever sighed shaking her head slightly at her foster mom. Jessica had a bad habit of making food fit for a restaurant rather than a simple sandwich and this was no exception. Ever smiled over at Michael who was pulling Jessica into a hug and telling her she really could have made a simply ham and cheese and it would have been fine. There were so many different choices of food on the other side of the island and Ever wasn't sure what to take, there was probably enough food to feed about twelve people and it was just the three of them.

"I could not have made just a ham and cheese. Ever's home and she's never home on Saturday's it's a special occasion so I decided to treat it like one." she said smiling over at Ever who just smiled back wondering why they were so excited to have her.

"You shouldn't have gone through all of that trouble Mom, it's just a Saturday." Ever said laughing lightly at Jessica's tendencies to get carried away, it was sort of endearing.

Ever figured that Jessica had started the entire meal last night when the call went out that everyone was being sent home early. There was no way that she had made all of it in the ten minutes they had been home. The ride from the Center was about two hours and Ever couldn't believe she had stayed up so late to make her food and then taken a four hour journey to bring her home. They were good people and she didn't want them to get hurt because of her. She just had to keep reminding herself of that thought every time she felt guilty for lying to them. She couldn't let anyone else be hurt because she couldn't be strong for them. It was wrong and weak and Ever was done being weak now, it was the past and she had to be strong for those who died.

They ate; well mostly Michael ate, while Jessica and Ever watched in amazement at how much food he could consume in one sitting. Ever didn't feel very hungry because her mind kept wandering back to the kids that had died, and by the time they were done with the meal Ever's back was radiating pain and all she wanted was to go lay down in her room. Her room was the exact opposite of the Center's color code and she liked it that way no matter what Jessica said about it.

"I'm going to go upstairs, I don't want to be around when dad explodes from eating so much." she said poking his stomach hard and earning him trying to whack her hand away.

She laughed and hugged them both one last time before heading out of the kitchen and making her way to her room. She stopped only to grab her bag from the bottom of the stairs and she climbed up the stairs letting out a groan as soon as the door to her room was open. The walls were black, all black and then there was one accent wall that was a dark gray. She reveled in the dark colors and her lights were set on a dim setting so that she could make it even darker but still have some light to see by. She dropped her bag on the floor and went to dig around in her drawers for her comfiest pair of sweat pants. She pulled them on quickly before pulling her hair up into a messy bun and she knew that her back was in some serious trouble when a wave of pain made her temporarily freeze unable to move at all.

Ever pulled off her sweatshirt and then her shirt as she turned on the music in her room using her remote and hurried into the bathroom that was attached to her room. She didn't look at herself in the full length mirror that was on the door to the closet in the bathroom but turned as she expertly unraveled the length of bandage covering her entire back. The lashes were still bleeding slightly and it just looked disgusting. Her entire back was red and it appeared to be swollen which was an odd sensation for her.

She gingerly reached around her body and touched her back lightly; she let out a cry of pain and pulled her hand away cursing like a drunken sailor. She stumbled out of the bathroom and pulled on a tank top before collapsing face down on her bed. She pushed herself up off her overly comfortable bed and she walked back into the bathroom her father's words ringing in her ears. She brushed her bangs away from her eyes when she was face to face with her reflection and she gasped slightly startled by her eyes. She quickly glanced behind her and sure enough the lights in the bathroom were off something she hadn't noticed before. Her pupil was gigantic and the regular colors of her eyes were just a ring around the outside.

She flipped the lights on and her pupils retracted to slits and it made her look even more like a cat. Ever was more than confused as she glanced at the colors in her eyes and noticed that her regular gold eyes had hints of green and amber in them which gave them an even more animalistic sheen. Quickly, almost frantically she checked her ears to find that they were pointed which made her want to freak out. Then she remembered he said something about her teeth and she opened her mouth but what she saw seemed normal enough to her. Ever ran her tongue over her teeth and that caused a tingling sensation to shoot through her mouth. As she watched in the mirror her canine teeth elongated and they curved slightly coming to rest on her bottom lip. She panicked and ran her tongue back over her teeth trying to get them to go back to normal.

Ever was more than relieved when her teeth returned to normal after another wave of tingling. She turned away from the mirror and lay down on her bed trying to figure out what was going on with her body and all of the things that had changed. She couldn't believe that they had given her the traits of a cat. For a brief moment she wondered if she could turn into a cat completely but she didn't want to think about that so she pushed the thought from her mind. She lifted the bottom of her tank top up so that there was only a small portion of it actually touching her back and she gasped at the cold air on her heated skin. Ever always kept an air conditioner on in her room no matter what season it was because she loved the cold temperature in her room.

She couldn't believe what they had done to her this time and she felt sick knowing that the kids had died for the sake of gaining a couple animal traits. It was horrible and now she had something even more to hide from everyone. She wondered how Michael and Jessica hadn't noticed her eyes but she supposed that they would look normal enough if she was used to the lighting. She just wanted it to end, everything, she wanted to be a normal teenager that lived with Michael and Jessica and she wanted to not be haunted by her father. More than anything she wanted the pain in her back to go away and she knew she had promised to be strong so she held back the tears even though there was no one to hold them back for besides herself. She just lay on her bed without moving and she stared at her wall not sure what to do.

The knock on her door surprised her because with her music on and her face buried in a pillow she hadn't heard any footsteps. Ever jumped and then reached for her tank top to try and pull it down but she realized her door was already open and she was sure that it had been for a little while. She let her hand fall back by her side as she turned to look at which one of them had found out about the secret she kept hidden and who would be the one to find out more of the secrets that she was hiding from them.

Ever wasn't surprised to see Michael leaning against her door looking at her, and her back with a look of sadness in his eyes. She wondered if, once she told them they wouldn't want her as part of their family anymore. The thought made Ever sad as she looked back at Michael wondering if he expected her to say something or if he was just waiting for the proper time to say something. Michael didn't say anything but he walked into her room, before turning to go into her bathroom. Ever heard the closet door open and then the water running before Michael came out with a damp cloth. He sat down on the edge of her bed and Ever looked back at him.

"This looks bad Ever, so I'm going to do this, and then you're going to explain everything you've been keeping from us. I'm not mad I just want to know what's going on."

Ever laid her head back down on her pillow and she sighed slightly, "I can't when I don't go back they're going to come and try to bring me back. I don't want to leave here and have you and mom get hurt because I told you what was going on. They're not merciful people and they won't think twice about killing you if you have information about them." Ever said quietly and she felt Michael press the cloth against her back which caused her to close her eyes in pain.

"I understand, now tell me anyway. It won't be your fault I'm making you tell me and don't worry I won't tell mom any of this. I'm glad to hear you don't want to go back because I wasn't going to allow it anyway Ever." he said pressing the cloth against her back again in order to wipe up some of the blood and help to wash it out.

Ever gritted her teeth to keep from screaming at the pain but she was still reluctant to tell Michael what had happened to her. She knew that he was asking now and he wouldn't give up trying to find out. Ever just wanted him not to worry about that but he was going to persist and she knew that very well. She groaned slightly as he laid the cloth over a particularly sore spot and the pain was tremendous.

"Shh, it's going to be alright Ever. I think its infected honey, we might have to take this to a doctor but we won't tell him what it really is don't worry." he said gently and Ever shook her head, well as best as she could with it laying on a pillow.

Ever had no intention of going to the doctors or the hospital and she knew that when it got infected it was severely painful but she had dealt with that before with no one's help and she didn't want anyone else to know about her back. Ever knew that if they didn't explain in detail how she hurt her back it would be suspect child abuse and she didn't want to cause Michael and Jessica any trouble because of her.

"Go get mom, I want you both to hear this so that you're prepared for what's coming." Ever said weakly, she knew that she couldn't say it twice and the pain was making her unable to think.

Ever wouldn't have been surprised if she passed out from the pain but she had to hold on in order to talk to Michael and Jessica. It was only fair to them that she warn them about what was going to happen soon. When Michael returned Jessica was trailing after him and Ever could see the confusion on her face. When Jessica got a clear view of her back she gasped and Michael just sat back down next to her picking up the cloth again which Ever was already dreading and he hadn't even touched her with it yet. Jessica dropped to her knees next to the bed close to Ever's head and took her hand in hers as she looked in her eyes.

"Alright Ever, what's going on and what happened to your back?" Jessica asked and her eyes looked scared and Ever felt bad for putting Jessica through this but she knew that it had been necessary to keep it from them and now it was necessary to tell them.

Ever closed her eyes and took a deep breath before opening her eyes again. There was a lot of ground to cover and so she thought it would be best to start at the beginning. She told them everything and they were good about not interrupting her as she spoke but she could see anger on Michael's face and shock on Jessica's. Michael continued to press the cloth to her back and she felt like she was going to be sick as the pain rolled through her. Ever was afraid that they would no longer want her in their family and she knew it would make things more complicated between them especially because she had lied to them for so long and now the truth was coming out.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to put either of you in any danger, and you've done so much for me." she murmured feeling like she might pass out as Michael pressed the cloth against her back once again.

"No, Ever, it's alright. I just can't believe we sent you back to that place every weekend. Did you get whipped like this often?" Jessica sounded distraught and Ever felt bad for that fact she was feeling like that because of her.

"Yes, usually two times a weekend and I would just heal before I went back only to have my back ripped up again."

She was reluctant to tell her all of this but now that she knew Ever figured it was best to give them everything that she could. She didn't want them to die now because of her and still be lying to them. Ever knew that she wasn't going to be able to leave now, even when she didn't return to the Center for the weekend because they would be in danger and she wanted to be able to protect them.

"You should have come and told me Ever, I might have been able to help you." Michael said and she heard the anger in his voice but she knew it was pointed at the people who he had delivered her to every weekend rather than her.

"You wouldn't have been able to do anything dad, they would have made sure I returned even if it meant killing you. The only reason I had for staying alive was you guys. It was the first time I felt like part of a family, I had never felt loved before I came here."

Her voice was getting fainter and fainter as she went on and she knew that she would be passing out soon. She still felt pain rolling through her like there was nothing to stop it. She pressed her stomach into the bed trying to get away from Michael's careful cleaning and he sighed lightly probably assuming she couldn't hear him. Ever groaned as he pressed again even as she tried to get away and Jessica squeezed her hand and Michael shushed her gently. Ever shut her eyes tightly and let the air hiss in between her teeth. She buried her face in the pillow while she clutched at Jessica's hand.

"You are, and will always be part of our family. You weren't born our daughter but you were always meant to be part of our family Ever." Jessica murmured but Ever couldn't respond because she was in too much pain for that.

It wasn't long before Michael was satisfied that he had done all he could do and he stopped pressing the cloth against her back and laid it on his lap before leaning down and kissing her head lightly, "I'm done now, you're going to be alright, but why don't you just sleep for now. You must be in pain."

"I that I'm going to pass out anyway, thank you for everything." Ever managed to get out as she shifted slightly and she felt Michael pull a blanket up over her legs and he was careful not to touch her back with it.

Ever was warm enough that not having it on her back wasn't too much of an issue for her. Michael went to leave her room but Jessica stayed on the floor by her head holding her hand. Michael asked her if she was going to go and her response made Ever feel warm.

"I'm going to stay by my daughter until she falls asleep, I'll meet you in our room later but I want to be here for her."

Michael nodded and walked out and Ever was filled with gratitude as she smiled at her foster mom gently. She was so relieved to know that they still wanted her in their life and that despite everything she had hid from them they still loved her. It didn't take long for Ever to slip out of consciousness and fall into a dreamless sleep. She was so exhausted from the stress of having to tell them, and the pain from her back that she didn't even have the will to put up a fight against unconsciousness she just let herself slip into the black oblivion.

By the time Ever woke up it was already morning and she was still tired which she figured would fade as the day went on. She had slept for a long period of time twice in a row now and she didn't want it to become a habit sleeping so long wasn't going to be healthy and she needed to figure out more about what had happened. She slid slowly out of bed and she noted that her back was very stiff and still sore. She moved to her bathroom slowly and painfully before removing her tank top completely and wrapping her entire torso in bandages that she had been storing up in her bathroom for her back.

She got dressed quickly and her pants were an issue as she bent over and she felt pain ripple through her. Ever pulled her pants up and instead of slipping on her sneakers she slid into some flip flops because they didn't require her to bend down at all. After she pulled on a clean dark gray sweatshirt she grabbed her iPod and she headed out of her room to grab something to eat before she had to drive to school. She wasn't really looking forward to leaning her back against the seat so she thought about walking to school instead because it wasn't as if the school was far away from her house, it was actually rather close compared to other places.

Ever got down to kitchen and she held back a groan from the pain in her back. She had never gotten a whipping that was so bad and she knew that the infection had a lot to do with it. She sat down at the island and laid her head on the cool marble counter top as Jessica came into the kitchen nursing a full coffee mug in her hands.

"Good morning Ever, you look like you're going somewhere." Jessica narrowed her eyes and Ever sighed having guessed that Jessica might not want her to go to school.

"I'm going to school mom. I know that you might not want me to go but I have to. There are already enough rumors going about, besides I have to talk to someone at school today. I'm sorry but I have to go." she said noticing how Jessica set her coffee cup down and put her hands on her hips.

"Ever Selena Williams, you are not going to school today. Your back is infected not to mention cut up worse than anything I have ever seen, I don't care about the rumors and anything that needs to be discussed can be taken care of at a different time."

Ever didn't want to argue with Jessica but she could tell by the use of her middle name that she wasn't going to be getting out of the house easily. She gave Jessica a pleading look and she stood up from the island before grabbing her keys and shaking her head slightly.

"It can't wait and I have to go now or I'll be late. Please just let me go mom, I'll be back as soon as my classes are over, you know, senior privilege." she said turning and walking towards the door and grabbing her backpack.

She heard Jessica call for Michael and suddenly she was running past Ever to stand in front of the door, "I'm sorry sweetheart but you're injured and I'm not letting you leave the house."

Michael appeared behind Ever and he frowned at Jessica, "Jess, let her go. Ever's plenty capable and she's been dealing with this for longer than we have. I would guess she knows what she can and can't handle." he said and Ever could have jumped for joy at his support.

Jessica didn't move though and she just crossed her arms over her chest attempting to stand her ground. Michael walked around Ever and put his arms around Jessica's waist and pulled her out of the way of the door ignoring her protests.

"Go ahead Ever, I'll see you when you get home." he said over Jessica's increasing arguments.

Ever shot them both an apologetic look before walking out of the door. She got in her car and as her back touched the back of the seat Ever had to do everything she could to keep from crying out in pain. She knew that sitting through classes was going to be a pain and she knew that was what her agenda for the day was full of, pain. She knew she had to go though because as she had told Michael and Jessica everything she had thought back to the boy from her school and the more she thought about him the more she found she wanted to talk to him and ask if he knew what was going on with the injection. His guess was as good as her and she definitely needed a second opinion on what was going on so she didn't feel like she was losing her mind anymore.

She parked in her assigned parking spot at school and she sat in her car for a moment dreading the day ahead of her. As she got out of her car she put her headphones in and turned her music on. She left her hood down for once and people were casting her glances in surprise. She still brushed her bangs in front of her eyes. She walked into school and she glanced around her uncomfortably. People were talking about her and she realized that with her habit of keeping her hair in a ponytail underneath her hood many people hadn't seen her hair before.

She kept looking for him, the boy from the Center but he seemed to not be anywhere. She wondered if he had skipped school and she hoped she hadn't missed her chance to talk to him. She walked to her locker and no one tried to talk to her for which she was grateful. She might not have been hiding anymore but she wasn't sure how much she could deal with. She would definitely still be wearing her headphones but she was going to make an effort to become a more outgoing person.

She got what she needed from her locker and she paused a moment making sure she had everything before closing it. She jumped in shock to find someone right behind her and she cried out in pain gasping for breath before strong arms helped her stay on her feet after her knees got a little weak. She looked up at the face of the person holding her and she was glad to see that it was the boy.

"Thanks, I think we need to talk." she pulled out one ear bud and looked at him stepping back slightly when she was sure she could stand on her own.

"You're welcome, if you think that we need to talk then why did you keep running away from me Ever? You were the first experiment that I had ever met and you freaked out and then after we were let out you ran away from me too." he said and his voice was so low that Ever was certain she was the only one who could hear it.

Ever looked over his shoulder as someone said his name and he turned to shake his head which they took to mean don't disturb him now. He turned back to her and Ever bit her lip slightly yet she was grateful to the person who had called him because it meant that she wouldn't have to ask him his name which would make it less awkward for them later on when they talked.

"We can't talk about it here Ryder. After class please, I promise that we'll talk then. I'm sorry but I can't do this right now. Do you have any Advil on you?" she asked rather desperately as she felt pain shoot through her back.

She saw him get really confused and then his eyes widened as he nodded and fished through his back pulling out a small bottle of Advil much to her relief. She accepted four of the small pills because the pain was that bad and she was certain that she would need the extra boost. Ever swallowed them and she felt Ryder's eyes on her the entire time.

"If you need any more let me know, I always carry them in case I got a really bad punishment over the weekend. I'm taking it that you got into more than your fair share of trouble?"

Ever nodded wincing slightly but she didn't say anything. She just wanted the day to be over and she had the feeling it was going to last longer than she was willing to work through. She fully intended to take Ryder up on his offer and she knew that she would need more painkillers by the end of the day.

"I have English first, I think you're in my class am I mistaken?" he asked and Ever thought about it for a second before realizing that he was right.

"Yeah, we are. I know that you probably don't want to walk with me though. I'm sure that there are more than enough rumors that would make that obvious." she said laughing a little bit bitterly.

"No, I don't mind, besides you look like you're in a lot of pain I don't want to leave you alone when you could pass out at any moment. I've been there before." he said and she felt his arm wrap around her waist as he pulled her to their class before the bell sounded because she still didn't want to be touched by other people.

His arm around her waist was more than she was used to having and she didn't trust Ryder at all even if he had been in her position before. He sat next to her when they got to class and Ever found herself sitting on the edge of her seat in order to avoid letting her back touch her seat. She kept one ear bud in but she turned her music down as told her a little bit about himself she stayed quiet and only gave him a few details about herself when he asked preferring to just not say anything to him about her until she learned to trust him a bit more.

Out of everyone she had ever met she trusted him more than most people because she knew what he had been through. She kept them off the topic of the Center for now but she just wanted to learn about him before she started talking about the Center because it was hard for her to talk about at all even with Michael and Jessica never mind a stranger that she had just met.

"Alright, I've told you more than enough information about myself and it's time that I learn a little something about you, let's play twenty questions, I'm starting here." he said leaning across her desk.

Ever noticed that there was only like two minutes until class started and she wasn't sure what they would learn in the short time they had for him to ask. She decided it would be a fair bet to take so she would let him start his game and ask his questions because she knew that he would most likely forget about him wanting to ask questions by the end of class.

"Alright, fine you can ask your questions but I have a right to refuse anything that I so choose." she said feeling tired already and wishing she could lean back by knowing it would kill her back more than anything.

"Oh Yay! Let's start off easy, what's your middle name Miss Ever?" he asked and Ever rolled her eyes at him.

"Selena, my middle name is Selena." Ever responded simply not wanting to elaborate on her middle name much.

"Alright, next question. I guess I'll still keep it easy for now. What's your favorite color?"

"Black, not because I'm Goth or anything but it's just different from the colors at the Center, or the lack of colors I should say." she murmured.

She felt like she had to explain it to him for some reason but she wondered if he would understand the thought process or if he would think she was strange for her life being so determined by everything at the Center. She should have been able to move on from what had happened to her but everything in her life had been about hiding what she was so it was rather set into her mind that the Center was important in some way and it affected everything.

"I understand that, don't worry black is my favorite color as well. What's your mother's name?"

Ever was certain he didn't understand what kind of question that was for her but she hesitated in answering not sure which answer to give him. She knew he probably meant her birth mother but she had never known her so her mother was Jessica and she thought for a minute about giving him just her name instead of her biological mother's name.

"Their names? Well there's Jessica, and then Selena, my middle name was my mother's name. In case you're confused, I'm in foster care. Maybe I'll tell you why some day but I'm not sure, I guess we'll see." she said gently looking down at her hands.

"Oh, I'm sorry that was a stupid question wasn't it in that case. Who is your favorite superhero?" he asked her and she sighed wondering where he was pulling these questions from.

"Superhero, let's see, Spiderman. Don't ask me why because I'm not sure." she said looking over at him calmly, holding her emotions in to herself.

The Advil was starting to take effect on her now and her back was starting to feel a little better. She pulled her knees onto her seat and hugged them to her chest as she waited for his next question. There was only fifteen seconds to the start of class and she was curious as to if he would manage to get another one in. Ever could hear whispers from the students around them and some out in the hall as they talked about the fact that Ever and Ryder were talking to each other. They were excited to see if Ever would talk to anyone else by the sounds of their whispers and Ever was certain that she most likely would not talk to anyone else unless absolutely necessary.

"What's your favorite-" he was cut off by the bell and Ever was rather glad for that because there was a mischievous glint in his eyes that she wasn't sure she wanted to find out what was causing it.

Ever looked forward at the front of the class as the teacher immediately began his lesson without waiting for those who were late to get into the classroom, it was typical of their English teacher. Mr. Collins hated to wait for kids and he figured that had they been responsible enough to be in class on time they wouldn't have to worry about missing anything and if they did miss something it was their mistake to fix.

As he went over proper pronoun use, something Ever could never fully grasp, kids drifted into the room occasionally sitting in the only open row of seats which happened to be the front row and gaining a glare from Mr. Collins as he paced in the front of the classroom. He was always animated which she found comforting in a way because she could sense the passion behind his speaking and she knew he really loved his work.

He made jokes constantly, often at the expense of other kids but so often it would go over their heads and Ever would be the only one chuckling silently in the back row as kids got made fun of without realizing that someone was poking fun at them while they, passed notes, or texted or talked. It was no less than they deserved though and she knew that and so did Mr. Collins. She glanced at Ryder in the middle of the lesson and she was surprised to see him laughing slightly as Mr. Collins made another joke at the expense of some stupid flunky who was reading comics in the front row right in front of Mr. Collins.

It was disrespectful and Ever hated people like that even though she tended to be disrespectful when she was at the Center. She knew it was different though. The people at the Center were vile murders and her teachers were there to help. Ever realized that she must sound hypocritical and if other people could hear her thoughts they would probably be amazed. Ever sighed and frowned slightly even as she rested her chin on her knees. She closed her eyes briefly because she could feel the pain setting in across her back.

When she opened her eyes she could feel Ryder staring at her and she looked over to meet his worried gaze. His look surprised her because it was so rare that someone bothered to worry about her. It seemed there was just no escaping the pain that decided to pester her. She turned away and she heard Ryder moving in his seat slightly. There was the scribbling of a pencil on paper and then Ryder placed a slip of paper on the corner of her desk. Ever reached for it slowly and even that movement hurt her back immensely she had to bite her lip to keep a cry of pain from escaping her mouth.

She casually opened the note and when Mr. Collins turned his back she read it over quickly. She shook her head before she had even finished reading it and turned to look at Ryder to make sure that he knew she was saying no to him and his plan. He frowned at her and gave her an insistent look that Ever ignored. She wasn't going to miss class even if her back hurt more than anything she had felt before in her life. She turned back to the front and she decided it would be best to ignore Ryder for now. She wanted to trust him more than anything else because she needed someone to turn to. She wasn't sure if she could trust him yet though even if he seemed to trust her.

No one knew more about the Center than Ever did. She had been the first experiment and the very reason the Center was even built was so that after she ran away her father could find a way to get her back. She was responsible for so many deaths and the only way she managed to not drown in the guilt was to stay distant from others. It was easier that way, to not trust, to not care. She supposed it was the reason she wouldn't let herself even think of Michael and Jessica as mom and dad. She was certainly grateful for everything they had done for her but she convinced herself everyday that she didn't honestly love them. She would care if they died but she would do her best to make it feel the same way it had when she had learned that all of the kids in the Center had died at the hands of the injection.

She did her best to remain apathetic because love and trust hurt too much for her to bear. She wanted to be strong, and she acted like she was in order to keep people at bay. Inside she was probably more fragile than anyone else on the face of the earth. She had faced rejection and hatred and discrimination at a much younger age than most people and it had scarred her in more ways than just the physical.

She mulled it over as she took notes mindlessly for Mr. Collins trying her hardest to pay attention but she knew that it was a lost cause for today. Her mind was so wrapped up from thinking in circles and she was too focused on trying to figure herself out that she didn't have time for English at the moment. She finished the notes and she started to doodle in the margins. She didn't want to think about Ryder but every so often her thoughts travelled back to him and she found herself wanting to be able to trust him because at some point everyone needs someone to trust and Ever just didn't want to put her trust in the wrong person.

When the bell rang Ever stood up slowly so that she didn't hurt her back and make it obvious to everyone that something was wrong. She ran a hand through her bangs in an attempt to brush them in front of her eyes and out of habit she did pull her hood over her head and turn her iPod up in volume.

She saw Ryder shake his head slightly and she knew he was disappointed but her ears were ringing with the amount of noise and her eyes were just a freak show now. It made her wish that she had looked into wearing the type of contacts that changed her eye color. She had two more classes before lunch, one of them being calculus and the other being music which was a wash. Everyone got a passing grade in music simply for showing up and it was pretty much a free period because the aging teacher had no desire to try and win a fight with about twenty teenagers who needed another period to get their homework done.

Ever was slightly relieved that she had music as a free period because she could rarely finish her homework on Friday night and the weekends were occupied which left a large amount of her work undone. She was a straight A student but mainly because she had Music class in which to finish her homework. Ryder was in her music class but not her calculus class so she left him at the door to the English room as she waited for the warning bell to ring before she attempted to get to her class.

Stepping out into the halls immediately after a class was like a death wish. Kids were horsing around and it wasn't uncommon for people to get slammed into walls as a result of the rough housing that went on in the brief moments of freedom that ensued after class. Ever kept her eyes on Ryder as he made his way to his friends and she heard them asking why he was talking to her. She wasn't sure why she cared but when he said that he was just taking pity on her and asking for her English notes she felt a little angry. It was like backstabbing in a way, and Ever moved from her spot in the doorway into the hall as Ryder turned around and tried to catch her eye. She knew that she really had no reason to be mad but she was.

It was better that his friends didn't know that she had something in common with him because they would most likely insist on knowing what it was. She tried to comfort herself with the knowledge but it didn't work and she had been mad enough to enter into the pandemonium of the halls before the warning bell. She ended up getting slammed into a wall on her back and she let out a small cry before hurrying to the nearest bathroom. She threw up from the amount of pain in her back and after catching her breath she left the bathroom and headed for her classroom. Ever got there rather early and managed to snag a seat in the far back corner. There were tears in her eyes and she attempted to brush it off but she could feel the faint trickle of blood flowing from her back once again.

She turned the chair around so the back rest was facing her desk and she sat down like that with her legs on either side of the chair. She could lean forward that way and her back wouldn't have any chance of accidently pressing against something which she was undeniably worried about. She leaned forward and rested her head on her arms which were folded on the desk to make a pillow for her. Ever hated the feeling of vulnerability that she had with her back and she knew that she would have to find some way to fix it soon.

Ever thought back to Ryder's note and she wondered what he had planned to do. He had told her to go to the bathroom and that he would meet her at the door because he had something he wanted to try in order to make the pain in her back stop. She didn't know what miracle he was hoping to achieve because the Advil had worn off after about two minutes of helping her. She wiped her eyes swiftly and raised her head off her arms before folding on leg under her and playing with a piece of her hair as the warning bell sounded and kids started to file in slowly. She kept her hood up and she just looked down at her desk avoiding everyone's eyes.

She noticed that a couple of people were looking at her and she recognized a few of them as being Ryder's friends that he had been talking to earlier they glanced at her and snickered.. She pushed her hood back and looked up at them surprising them with the fact she knew they were staring. They continued to look at her and Ever glared coldly back, she was tired of them labeling her as something when they knew nothing about her. She turned her iPod off and pulled her ear buds out as she listened to what they were saying.

"I can't believe Ryder tried to talk to her, he's going to be caught up in everything weird about her." one guy said glancing at her, she continued to glare at them because she was angry, and not just at them but at Ryder for giving them the idea that she needed to be pitied.

After a few minutes of them talking she saw another one of them face her full on as she was in the middle of rolling her eyes because they said something stupid. She saw his face contort in confusion and she knew that they might have caught her listening but at that point she didn't really care anymore. Her back may have been affecting her judgment but she just wanted them to realize that she wasn't everything they labeled her as. They honestly knew nothing about her and she was annoyed that they thought they knew her better than anyone.

"Have you guys been watching her? It's almost like she can hear everything we're saying. Just her reactions they seem to be geared towards what we're saying." he whispered to the group after looking away from her only to look back at her along with everyone else.

She just watched them one eyebrow raised and soon they were arguing about whether one of them should go over and confront her or not. Within seconds the guy who had pointed it out became nominated to go and talk to her. She just waited curious as to whether or not he would do it. She was used to people daring each other to talk to her and it so rarely actually occurred. He seemed confident though as he walked up to her and sat down on her desk. Ever laughed slightly at his act of bravado because she could see that he was nervous in his eyes, and the way his hands would twitch every now and then.

"Can I help you?" she asked quietly and he seemed shocked to hear her voice, she must have sounded different than he imagined because her voice was melodious and she had heard many people say they expected it to be rougher, even Ryder had told her that earlier in the morning.

"Yeah, I think you might be able to. I'm friends with Ryder-"

"I'm perfectly cognizant of that fact and unless you have something of value to tell me or ask me then I suggest you go talk to someone else you pity because your 'charity' isn't appreciated or needed here. Oh, and yes I can hear all of you." she said looking up at him and she was pleased to see that he looked shocked as he stumbled back to his group of friends who were looking at him expectantly but he just shook his head and sat down facing the front.

Several of them looked over at her but she wasn't worried about it. None of them had the freaky ability to hear all the way across a classroom when other kids were talking and so until he got over his shock they wouldn't know what had just happened in between him and Ever. She looked away from the group as the teacher came in apologizing for being late and promptly assigning a couple of kids detentions. Ms. Wilson was probably the most boring teacher that Ever had and she wasn't a fan of the subject she taught either.

She just hoped that the class would be over soon because she wanted to get home as quick as possible. Especially after the hit to her back and the vomiting because the after taste from that was one she found rather disturbing. She just tried to pay attention and then as soon as the homework was assigned and Ever had written it down she mentally checked out. She didn't want to handle anymore calculus than she had to and Jessica for some strange reason adored the subject and so she acted as Ever's personal tutor when there was something she didn't understand which was pretty much everything.

The class passed pretty quickly which Ever was grateful for considering she had felt like the clock was going to slow down simply to spite her when she began wishing for the class to be over. She noticed the boy she had shocked being passed notes by his friends which he ignored. Ever couldn't help but feel like he was overreacting. She had simply spoken her mind and he had never heard her say anything. The teacher's didn't call on her at all and she sensed that they were almost as intimidated as the kids that were her peers.

When the bell rang Ever was out of the door before anyone else had even moved and she was the only one in tha hallway for a second. She moved through the hall quickly in an attempt not to get hit again but someone was pushed into her back and she wanted to scream in pain. She kept going though only relaxing once she was in the music room and she felt a lot like she was on the run from something as she sat down on the floor of the big room because the music teacher didn't believe in chairs. He much preferred to let them sit on the floor or the tables that were in the back of the room. Ryder was the second one in the room and his face lit up in a smile as he saw her. Ever was still mad at him though because it was his fault that she had to deal with his friends in her other class. She kept her face expressionless as he sat next to her.

"Hey, you look mad, what's wrong?" he asked and Ever just shook her head hoping he would get the message that she didn't want to talk about it, "C'mon, I just want to help here tell me what's wrong please. Is it your back, 'cause I think I might be able to fix that for you?"

Obviously the message was lost on him as he continued talking. Others came into the classroom and she noticed that they were sitting closer and closer to her and Ryder. She assumed it was in an attempt to hear them but Ever was beginning to feel rather uncomfortable surrounded by so many people. It felt to her like they were trying to close her into a corner and the only thing she knew how to do in a situation like that was fight her way out. It didn't help that she was slightly claustrophobic and they were taking away her personal space more and more as they strained to hear her conversation.

"I don't want to talk, I can't sit here anymore, they're too close and I'm going to freak out."

She went to stand up but Ryder was offering her his hand to help her up and she accepted grudgingly only because she knew it would be hard on her back to get up on her own. He pulled her up and when she was straight she found that she was standing almost pressed against Ryder's chest. She moved away from him and walked to the other side of the room before sitting down on the ground away from all of the other kids. The music room was the third largest room in the building after the auditorium and the gym so she was far away from the other kids by the time she sat down on the ground again. Much to her frustration Ryder sat next to her again and looked at her expectantly.

"I thought I said I didn't want to talk about it."

"You and I both know that by the time the school day's over whatever happened is going to be all over the school, in fact I heard some guy accidently knocked you into a wall. There was a girl saying she heard you throwing up in the bathroom earlier, so you can tell me now what's upsetting you or someone else will tell me later your choice."

As much as Ever wanted to ignore it what he said was true and she figured that before he heard some story from anyone else she might as well talk to him about what had happened. She was in too much pain to want to be mad at him anymore, it was too much effort for her to handle. She looked up at him and he reached out to brush her bangs back from her face. She froze as his fingertips brushed against her forehead with the gesture and she looked at him in surprise.

"Well, I did throw up in the bathroom if that's what you're curious about. I also freaked out one of your friends in calculus, I appreciate that you want to keep them out of what we're going through but don't make anyone think I need your pity. I'm tired of people talking about me like they understand and I'm sorry if you don't get that." she said sighing and trying to ignore all the other kids in the room. It was hard considering the fact that ther were staring at her like they had never seen a human being.

"Ever, I'm so sorry I didn't think that they would think anything of it." he placed his hand on hers and she just looked at him in surprise but she didn't move her hand like her first instinct had been to do, "I'll fix this with them and I'm sorry to hear that particular rumor is true. I don't think you need anyone's pity I just thought that maybe you would prefer it be more secret like that."

"Its fine, I guess that with my decision not to go back I just figured it's time to try and live my life instead of sticking to the background." she said to him looking back down at his hand which was still on hers.

He didn't say anything for a little bit and Ever had the feeling that he had no intention of moving his hand from hers. She wasn't all together comfortable with the contact so she casually moved her hand away and stared at the wall across the classroom before looking around and noticing that her teacher was asleep at his desk and she smiled

"I'm not sure how he keeps his job every time I leave this classroom I've learned nothing new about music, of course I spent most of my time in this class staring at you, and in English, and at lunch, and a couple other classes."

Ever looked at him incredulous because she was sure that he was just joking but when he looked back at her she only saw honesty in his eyes at the statement he had just made. Her eyes widened because she had never noticed that he was paying her any attention. She felt bad that she had never noticed and she wished that she had made an effort to pay more attention to her surroundings before.

"In fact, that's why I'm not doing so great in those classes, so if you want to let me borrow your notes I would be in your debt forever." he gave her a winning smile and she rolled her eyes a little still in shock at what he had admitted, "Do you remember the time I tried to give you my number?" she nodded and he continued, "Well, you turned me down because you heard someone daring me to do it didn't you?" she nodded again curious as to where he was going with this, "I wanted more than anything to give you my number that day. I had been trying to get up the courage to try and so when someone dared me I was in heaven, well until you walked away from me."

Ever chuckled slightly and he blushed which she noticed with surprise was rather endearing, "I'm sorry, maybe I could have used a friend then, that weekend they gave me five hundred lashes each day." she said quietly remembering how at least that weekend her back hadn't hurt nearly as much as it did now.

"Holy shit, I can't believe they did that!" he sounded horrified and Ever gave him a grim smile.

"Don't worry I'm used to it. At least they didn't get infected then it hurts more than anything else they've ever done." she said looking away from his face.

"Ever, that's not okay; I can't believe I never noticed that you were in such pain. I barely noticed today when you got to your locker you seemed perfectly fine to my eyes. I guess that shows what I know."

"No seriously, I guess you could say I've had more practice than most at hiding pain. Besides, I started the experiment when I was three, that was before the cut off was five years old." she said but when he turned suspicious she regretted saying that.

"Ever, the Center didn't exist until I was five. I think we have a lot more to talk about than just our experiences at the Center. Alright, I'm going to give you my number right now, this time I want you to take it." he said and though his voice turned teasing at the end Ever was anxious she didn't relax even as he put his number in her phone and texted himself so he would have her number.

"Don't worry about it Ever, I promise that you won't have to tell me more than you're ready to tell. Do you think we could meet up at one of our houses after school?" he asked and although Ever was still anxious she knew that it might be a good idea for them to meet up so they could talk about everything.

"My foster parents are expecting me home right after I get out of school so I guess you can come to my house if you want. They know everything so we don't need to be careful around them." she murmured knowing that it might be of concern to him.

Ever was used to talking quietly so even when she was talking to him half the things she said were below a whisper. She just didn't want to talk louder because other people would hear and she could hear herself perfectly and she knew that he could too. Anything louder than a whisper as close as her own mouth might have been too much for her ears to handle, and she was all about making herself more comfortable with her surroundings.

"You're so quiet and gentle I'm amazed that the Center turned out a girl like you. When I had a crush on you, it was the worst when we were freshman, I always knew there was something about you that was different, and you just seemed more real than all of the other girls that were in school with us. I knew you were special but I wasn't sure why now I know."

Ever still had trouble believing that he had a crush on her but she gave him a smile anyway. It was kind of flattering that he cared for her in any way at all and that he cared for her romantically. It was shocking because every time she looked at Michael and Jessica she had never thought that she would ever have what they had and the fact that he had liked her gave her some hope to hold onto.

"I'll follow you to your house after we get out during our study period. They won't mind that I'm there will they?"

"Who, my foster parents, no they won't mind, they're laid back, well Jessica might be a bit overprotective but you can just ignore her Michael and I usually do when she gets like that." Ever said trying to ignore the blush that had been on her face since he told her that he knew she was special, she wasn't used to talking to guys and he was so straight forward that she wasn't quite sure how to deal with it.

Ever could be a completely different person all depending on who she was talking to, when she was talking to Ryder she felt like she could be the person that she truly was, the only ones she had ever felt that way around were Jessica and Michael. It was strange to find that feeling when she was with someone she had been afraid of yesterday.

"Alright, well since we have some time before we have to go to lunch let's resume our twenty questions game." he said and that mischievous twinkle was back in his eyes which made Ever hesitant to agree but she did anyway.

"Do you think I'm attractive?" he asked and Ever's eyes widened as she looked at him not quite sure how to answer.

"Well, I mean you're certainly not ugly, that's not to say I have anything against ugly people or anything! I- um, what answer were you looking for here?" she asked after seeing him chuckle at her attempt to explain herself.

"Just say 'yes.'" she blushed a little and mumbled the word yes really low hoping he wouldn't make her say it louder.

"Aw thanks Ever, I appreciate that." he said batting his eyelashes at her and she laughed at him pushing him away from her.

Ryder fell over onto his side and he looked at her in mock sadness and she bit her lip to keep from smiling at him. He sat back up quickly and crossed his arms over his chest sticking his nose in the air facing away from her. She rolled her eyes and tapped him on the shoulder gently.

"Come on Ryder, what can I do to make it better?" she asked him as she faked comforting him and he turned to look at her with puppy dog eyes but she saw there was another emotion under that.

"You can only kiss it better Ever." he said and she was a little taken aback as he smiled.

"Well, I don't know, I think I would rather let you feel pain than kiss you." she teased smiling at him and she lay down on the floor on her stomach.

He gave her a wounded look and lay next to her but on his back before looking at her. She traced patterns on the floor and she was lost in her thoughts about what they would have to talk about later. It was nice to have someone at school to talk to but everyone was watching them and talking and while Ever was used to the rumors she wondered what he was thinking about them. Ryder didn't seem, to her, to be the type of person to care about rumors but she wasn't exactly sure because she hadn't known him very long, even if he did seem to know her she hadn't known his name in the morning.

She thought about how he said he had a crush on her and she wondered how he would feel if he knew she only knew his name because his friend had called out to him. She thought that it might be funny to tell him sometime but she had no intention of doing so at the moment because she was grateful just to have him as a friend for the moment. He was nice enough and he had experienced much of what she had, even being around him made it easier to forget the pain that was shooting through her back every two seconds.

The bell rang suddenly and Ever jumped a little because she had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she had forgotten that the class had to end sometime. Ryder stood up and then helped her up; she smiled at him feeling happy that she had come to school in order to talk to him. She was very glad that Michael had taken her side in the matter and she was glad that he had managed to keep Jessica from coming after her. Ever had half expected to see Jessica come through the door of one of her classrooms and drag her home.

"Do you mind if I sit with you at lunch? I much prefer your company to anyone else's at this school." Ever shook her head as they headed towards the cafeteria because she knew that she probably wasn't a very desirable person to sit with.

Her day continued to follow its trend of being better than most days. Ever knew she owed it to Ryder, he talked to her all day and he sat next to her during their classes that they shared. Ever finally managed in their last class to ask him if he cared about now being part of the rumors and his response had been no less than she expected from him.

"Of course I don't care, I never thought that I would get a chance to talk to you, now that I am and you're even more amazing than I would have guessed, I mean I'm thrilled that I'm part of rumors as long as they include you."