15 San

Sounds from the dullest movie Ali has ever been made to watch was close to lulling her to sleep. It was taxing to focus on the movie, instead of glancing about her at the listless faces - ones that were quite matching her own one.

She recalled back to when another one of the 'troubled young adults', had made the mistake of laughing during a scene of the movie, they had been watching previously. Her stomach churned at the images of the said person, being beaten and dragged out of the room, their blood made a path behind them.

She inwardly shuddered, and her mind calmed when she felt a familiar presence sit beside her. It was San: the guy she had met, the first time she had arrived at the institute.

After she had gotten past his intimidating appearance, she had discovered that he was a bubbly guy. If they weren't stuck in a place like the one they were in, he would have been like any other regular guy. Except, this place had tried to suppress his true personality and wanted to make him into someone they could control.

Everything they did was monitored. What they ate, the activities they took part in, even when they were sleeping. And if a person tried to run away or did something, the wardens didn't like, they would be hauled away, only to be never seen again.

Ali had never been more scared in her life, and the only person she could turn to for comfort in this hellhole was San. He was comforting and tried his best to make sure she was always cheerful and smiling.

With a slight turn of her head, she could see bruises on his exposed skin, and she noticed how he was favouring one arm over the other. Instantly, she knew that something bad had happened between him and the wardens, but she didn't dare to question him right now. Not when there were so many eyes watching over them. She would have to wait until they were alone.

Once the wardens were nowhere to be seen, San and Ali went to their usual hideout. Luckily, they had found a place that was far away from everything else in the institute. They had been meeting there a few times a week and were thankful that there were no cameras around to catch them out.

☽

At this moment in time, Ali was checking the wounds on San's arm, and her brows furrowed in concern. "Sannie, why did you try to run away? You knew they would catch you." She stopped herself from rolling her eyes. Scolding him wouldn't be the right thing to do, despite how worried for him she was. A piece of cloth found itself in her hands, and she wrapped it about his shoulders, and then she used it to elevate his arm. "Why aren't you answering?"

"I'm sorry," he said in almost a whisper, and he genuinely looked upset. It was a look Ali had never seen him wear. "I just couldn't handle being here anymore."

Ali's heart broke at seeing the usually strong San, sobbing in front of her. She threw her arms around him, being careful not to jostle his arm, and she held him until he had calmed down.

"I have to ask, though, how were you able to come back? Usually, the people who try to run away, end up disappearing."

"Well..." He hesitated and looked down at the ground; he was avoiding her questioning gaze. "My father... He's the reason I'm here."

San took in a breath and closed his eyes, as though he was trying to control his emotions.

"He's rather influential in the outside world, and because of that, he didn't want a son like me embarrassing him or a son who would make things difficult for him, so he sent me here," he explained further. "Despite me being one of the 'troubled', the wardens can't do anything too bad to me. They still beat me like the others, but not to where it'd kill me." He shrugged his shoulders, nonchalantly.

He looked up when he heard snivelling, and was shocked to see Ali, with tears pouring down her cheeks. "Hey... Hey... Don't cry!" He shook his hands and sat up further, as he tried to find some way to comfort her.

She pushed him slightly on the shoulder and said, "how can you say those things so casually? What your father did was horrible, and you act like the wardens' hurting you was nothing!"

San drew her into him with his uninjured arm and rubbed her back. "It's ok, Ali. They're just things that I've grown used to." He soothed her with a soft voice, and started to explain, "before coming here, living with my father wasn't the greatest, and it was a relief to be away from him."

"Even if that meant being in a place like this. And I can endure the wardens' fists if it meant that they're more focused on me than anyone else here. As long as they have one person to vent their frustrations on, everyone else would be safe."

"So, you sacrifice yourself for the sake of others?" Ali leaned back and looked disbelievingly up at him.

"Yes." He closed his eyes and a small smile graced his lips. "I would do it anytime and anywhere."