Kage's p.o.v.

"So why are you here?" I asked Erika while watching her trace the pattern on the floor.

"I don't want to go into detail but my dad is a dick and my mom put me in here to protect him.." She said, not looking up at me with the confidence she had just a few moments before. I didn't want to pressure her or anything, so I just nodded and tried to change the subject.

"What are you in here for?" She asked me. I bit my lip and thought for a bit before answering.

"Almost killed my ex-girlfriend; they wanted to put me in prison but after they supervised me, they realized I was just crazy and put me in here" I explained. She is the very first person I've told why I'm here. After that, we just chatted about random stuff like favourite color, animal, the meaning of life...

After talking to Erika for a while, I realize she's actually really down to earth and has no idea why they would agree to lock her up in here. This isn't exactly a 'safe' place when I'm around in case I have an outburst... I really like her and don't want to hurt her at all so hopefully, I could try a bit harder to control it when she's around. Just maybe though.

"So why are the rules so strict? Girls in the boy's ward and vise versa, no tank tops or shirts outside your ward.." she started and I shrugged.

"Mrs. Banks made those rules; honestly, she thinks we fuck like rabbits around here" I chuckled a bit at my own words.

"But there are only like 6 people in this section; 3 of which are under the age of 16" Erika said like it was obvious. I shrugged knowing she was right.

-a small time skip of talking-

"Do we get grounds privileges?" Erika asked, looking up at me and I nodded.

"Yeah, but you don't have a buddy yet."

"Well... who is my buddy?"

"It has to be one of the girls" I answered. Her face frowned as she thought.

"But the girls are each other's buddies.."

"Yeah, all the boys are taken too.." Maybe they'll let us be buddies?

"Do you want to be my buddy?" Erika asked confidently and reading my mind.

"Uhh me? Y-you trust me?" I said, confused. Didn't she hear I was dangerous? She shrugged.

"Well, who else can I trust?" She answered. Fair enough.

"Yeah I'll be your buddy," I said and smiled. She stood up and waited for me to follow her. I stood up beside her and realized just how small she was; a petite, small frame. I wonder why she needed two men to drag her in... She must be pretty strong. Erika asked the head nurse, Ms. Miller, if she could go outside.

"You need a buddy before you can go out" She replied, not even looking up.

"Kage is my buddy," Erika said and all the nurses listening turned to us in shock, their eyes as wide as saucers.

"Oh, n-no ms. Daniels, we recommend you find a new-"

"No. Kage is my buddy... now can we go outside or not?" Erika cut her off with a stern tone. The confidence paired with stubbornness in this girl is amazing. Ms. Miller gulped and nodded, handing her a whistle.

"Blow this if he gets violent with you... we've had to tranquilize him before" Ms. Miller said, trying to scare her away from me. Erika looked at me and nodded her head to the side, signaling we should go. She pulled me towards the back exit, which was just down a flight of stairs.

~~

Erika's p.o.v.

The way I felt about Kage was like hitting the gas pedal and going from 0 to 100. I was instantly drawn to him and clung on.

When we got outside, I took off my socks to walk on the dirt with my bare feet. There was a huge electrical fence around the building. Kage had a frown on his face as he walked beside me. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he mumbled under his breath.

"She had no right, she was being a bitch, why would she say that," Kage said over and over. I stopped him and looked into his eyes.

"Is this about what Ms. Miller said?" I asked him and he looked down at the ground.

"She had no right.." Kage said under his breath, just enough for me to hear.

"You have a past of hurting people..." I said. Suddenly, without a second to process, Kage pinned me to the brick wall.

"It's not like that! I don't want to hurt people!" He yelled and punched the wall next to my head. He was panting heavily from what I assume was anger and frustration. I stared straight into his eyes, showing no amount of fear. He bit his lip and let his hands fall to his sides.

~~

Kage's p.o.v.

"That's amazing..." I mumbled. I didn't want to hit or hurt her, I felt weak around her. It's like she looked at me and my breath was caught in my throat. She has an effect on me that no one else has, I don't understand what's going on...

"What's amazing? That I'm not scared of you?" Erika asked. I shook my head in disbelief at my own realization.

"No that I don't want to hurt you," I asked, sitting down to process it. "How did you do that?" She shrugged.

"I don't know... I guess I'm just talented" She joked and sat down next to me. She put her hand on my shoulder. "Why am I different from everyone else?" She leaned forward to try to look me in the eyes but I kept looking at the ground.

I had no answer to give her. I've snapped at friends, family, everyone; but as soon as I snap on her... I can't do it. She has this power over me and I can't explain it...