I wanna s t a n d up, I wanna let go,
You know, you know - no you d o n ' t, you don't,
I wanna s h i n e on in the hearts of men,
I want a meaning from the back of my b r o k e n hand.
x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x X x Destery Louis Lark }}
-- Seven-thirty had rolled on in when the nurse strolled in yet again. It was the morning routine, and seven thirty on the dot, a staff member would come in to be sure the young teens were rising for the day to come. Granted, for most, this was a time of disdain. Destery certainly didn't want to get up and face yet another day. He wanted to go home, to sleep in, to be in a place where everything was as familiar as his own two hands. The boy didn't take change all the best, but he put up with them slowly but surely, and this was one change, he was ever gradually beginning to cope with. Des was awakened by a far too friendly voice, drawn out from the other side of the sheets. However the nurse did not speak to him, rather his room mate, Angel. Destery had to admit, he hadn't really gotten to know the boy at all really, he was pretty much a stranger that shared the same four walls. Des didn't mind it though, especially when he was the one dealing with the nurses instead. At this point in time, the young boy was still too sleepy to be all that functional anyway.
-- Before the older woman could come over to him and rouse him from his failed effort of a slumber, Destery wove a numb hand out of the tangled labyrinth of sheets with the slightest of wave gestures before letting it drop. A simple but effective enough movement, something to that said he was following and up to speed, but not so much as to actually move just yet. Des buried his face into his pillow, remaining ducked beneath the covers. In most cases, it might have felt a little claustrophobic, but today, it felt like a little pillow fort, a sanctuary from the real world. Destery did not move after that, fragments of thoughts drifting distantly within his skull. The boy didn't lift his head to peak from his kingdom, or see what Angel could have been up to, or even if he was still in the room. Des was next to dead, so to speak. Heh, not quite, he just hadn't the will power to get up just yet.
-- It wasn't until the ever slight foot steps of his room mate distancing themselves from Des, did the boy know he was at last alone. Granted, you were never alone in this place, there was always some sort of staff member near by. And with a sigh of defeat, the non-existent pillow fort would have to come tumbling down. Twisting vainly to free himself from the restraints that were his sheets, the boy breathed an unenthusiastic yawn and lulled to his feet. For a moment, the room spun and twisted around him, a black haze advanced upon the edges of his vision, and the disorientation set in. There was a split second of natural born panic, and finally the world swam back into place. Swallowing, Destery shook his head and numbly found his way over to his belongings. Pawing through his clean cloths, Des settled for a simple pair of blue jeans, slate gray t-shirt, and pale blue hoodie. Grabbing hold of the cloths, a towel, and his toothbrush and paste, the boy set out for the bath room.
-- It didn't take long until all was said and done, the teeth, the shower, the hair, the dressing, all that fun stuff. And at last, Des, being as leisurely as he was, wound his way back to his room, returned his supplies, and set out for the cafeteria. Damn was he hungry, granted, the boy wasn't much to admit it. But what boy didn't like to eat? Destery certainly wasn't about to starve himself, even while stuck in this place. He'd only been here three or four days, who was counting, but he had to admit he was rather thankful for the pills. They helped, slowly but surely. Sure, the taste was vile, but they were only to better his problems. They stabilized his moods little by little, which brought comfort to the kid. And slowly but surely, Destery would begin to grow used to the new asylum. Already, the kid was beginning to find his direction, the people to know, the people to avoid, you know, the whole package. He'd taken a liking to Layne and Katelyn. Wonder why. Then again, when would Destery ever admit such a bizarre thing? The others were amazing too, they were stuck here just like he. And the people to avoid? Well, that was easy, the therapists. It just didn't fly with mister Lark here.
-- The voice of the enthusiastic nurse rang in Destery's ears now, he could have very well jumped a foot in the air, in his surprised and baffled state. Damn, it was too easy to let your thoughts trail in this place. Of course, the nurse was only going to be sure he got his meds for the day. Pulling himself back to reality, Des snickered at himself as he regained his composure. "Thank you kindly." The boy responded absentmindedly as the nurse handed him his own drugs. Forcing a swallow of the pills, Des shook his head and shrugged farewell to the woman. "What's to stop someone from getting hooked on all these drugs anyway?" Mouth twisting into a grin, Destery stole a glance back at the nurse. Of course, he didn't stick around long enough for a reply before finding his feat carrying down to the first floor.
-- Slipping now into the cafeteria, Destery found himself pausing for just a moment, drinking in his surroundings. Vincent and Himeko were talking not far from he, about what, Des was oblivious to. And most of the others were already by a table, trays at hand. With a mental note, the kid was able to find his way to the breakfast line. When he was up, as usual, the boy would become a little uneasy. He was always the kid that would much rather prefer his friends do the talking rather than he, even something as simple as ordering food. "Um, I'll just have a, uh, yogurt, I guess. And, uh, orange... juice." Destery's voice rang with uncertainty, even to his own ears. There was a moment of hesitance, and at last he nodded, half to himself, as though confirming the statement. Equipped with yogurt, juice, and a spoon, Des gave a weak set smile to the lunch lady and murmured a quiet thanks. Spinning around, the boy swallowed any uncertainty that rose in his chest, as though to shake off his own unease, and set forth to the table.
-- Hoping for a more believable smile, Destery nodded greetings to the others, and found himself a seat at the table near Katelyn. "Good to see you're eating well." The boy mused lightly with an approving glance at the generous plate of food given to the girl. Sure, they'd tried to be ninjas and make a break for it once or twice, but Destery had to admit, the place was hopefully doing her good. At least, in his current state of mind, the place was out to help them, despite their reluctance. Banishing his thoughts from travelling further, like the way he'd snapped at her-. Stop. Dammit, lets try and stay positive today, shall we? With a silent pep talk, Des conveniently busied himself in openning up the cup of yogurt. "So, anything new?" The boy asked generally, glancing up at Layne and the others that followed before trailing his gaze back to his own breakfast. It was obvious he wasn't the most social kid around. Hell, Destery's own warped nature was to be naturally shy, but in a place like this, he had to at least try. Try to gain friends and bonds, as cheesy as that sounds. Try not to make enemies, as hard as a raging personality could make it. Just try. That was the key, right? And before he knew it, Des would be well again.
And my affection, well it comes and goes,
I need direction to perfection.
