I never saw another butterfly

Daniel, Daniel, Daniel. When will you learn.

Shade sighed and said "Fine. If you don't eat then I don't eat. I can keep this up as long as you can." She pushed her tray of food away reluctantly. She was so tired and hungry from last night. If he only knew....

Daniel moved and she heard the jingling. "What the hell is that noise?"
 
Sighing in defeat when Shade refused to eat as well, he lowered his voice and answered her question, "I've got, uh, about ten dollar's worth of change in my shoes...In case we, you know...get out." The last two words were hardly a whisper, and he looked to her seriously. Ten dollars couldn't get either of them very far, he knew, but it was better than nothing.
 
Shade laughed at his response. She laughed really hard though she didn't mean to. She stopped when it suddenly hurt. The pain caused her to jerk a little forward and put her hands on the table to steady herself.

"Change...in your shoe? Daniel, we aren't going today. It takes time to plan these things." Shade chuckled at the thought again and winced. "I think it's adorable that you have change in your shoe."

Shade dug around and found her empty pencil bag that never managed to hold her writing utensils. She handed it to him. "Use this for your change. Don't make yourself uncomfortable cutie."
 
"You never know!" protested Daniel. "If the opportunity presents itself, I'll be out of here like that!" He snapped his fingers for emphasis. However, instead of saying more like he intended to, he caught sight of a mark on her arm. "What's that?" he asked, taking her wrist and pulling it towards him. Pushing her sleeve up, showing her the infinity symbol, he asked, "Where did this come from?"
 
Shit the bandage must have fallen off.

"Oh I had that from the night before.." Shade lowered her eyes trying to act as normal as possible. "It was there yesterday. I am surprised you didn't notice. I...I assumed you didn't have a comment."

Shade tugged her arm back but Daniel's grip was firm. "Dan! They could be watching. They'll notice any moment now." She tugged harder and manged to remove her arm as he loosened up. Shade tugged at her sleeve again hoping he wouldn't notice the healing barely noticeable various shapes on her skin. He would throw a fit. Shade promised herself that she'd telling everything later. There would be no more of this. Shade wasn't a liar. She simply wanted to protect one of the good things in her life.
 
Not liking it, he let her arm go, frowning. Biting the inside of his cheek, he sighed heavily, cradling his head in his hands, the pencil case still on the table. Feeling the coins with his toes, he closed his eyes, sighing heavily. He wished he had a way to escape that place forever, finally go back to being 'normal.' It was obvious that his overloads wouldn't cease, but he hoped that he could be like other people, get a job, buy a car, have a girlfriend. Obviously, in here, he couldn't, not really, never knowing who might be watching.
 
Shade slipped her hands under the table and squeezed his leg before proceeding to get up go to her classes. "See you after class somewhere? I'll miis you dearly if I don't!"

She slipped off to class determined to figure out where the damn blueprints are. There was person who knew where things were in the school and it wouldn't be pretty because he wanted things-unpleasant ones. She would be risking a lot for it and it wasn't exactly the easiest thing in world to hide from the staff at the school. He somehow managed. Daniel wasn't gonna like this.
 
"Yeah, sure," Daniel replied, watching her leave before standing up. Rolling his shoulders, he ran a hand through his hair before leaving, going to his first hour class and sinking into his chair. Yawning, he already wished class was out or he had a free period, because at least then he could have an engaging conversation with someone.

As classes began, he got out his notebook and pencil and idly began doodling on the paper, resting his head on a hand, his elbow propping him up.
 
Shade waited outside of Daniel's class - she had seen his new schedule the day after he got it. Shade had asked to go to the bathroom and the teacher allowed her to take her books with her since there was only five minutes left. hurrrryyyyy uppppppp I bell. Hurrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy upppppppp!

The bell finally rang and she waited for him to exit. He took forever. Sitting in the back. Ugh really.


Shade was restless when she had something to say. When she saw him she immediately walked in line with Daniel's footsteps waiting for him to notice it was her. Mannnnn he's out of it!

Shade casually said, "I know who we can get the blue papers from for our project." She didn't want to give away to anyone what she was actually talking about so she made it sound like an school project which they almost always have.
 
After the bell rang and he was dismissed, Daniel took his time gathering his things, returning a paper to the instructor, not looking her in the eye and escaping as quickly as possible. As he hurried to his next class, it took him a moment to recognize Shade right next to him, walking in step. That moment was right when she spoke to him.

Starting, he looked to her, surprised. "Oh," he tried to answer casually. "Good. Where?"
 
Shade lowered her voice so only Daniel could hear: "Yeah but he wants something in return. You're not gonna like who is.... It's Bryan. He's joining us for lunch."

Shade pushed Daniel in front of her in the food line. She forced him to get food. She was so so so so very hungry. "Eat please?"

They sat down and waited for Bryan. "Why are you so quiet? Tell me what you are thinking!"

Shade didn't like the fact he was quiet at all. She knew Bryan was a very cruel student here. He had the habit of being able to acquire what you needed, but the price was often steeped. His price depended on how much he liked you on how hard it was to get the item that you wanted.
 
"What?" Daniel asked, incredulous, as Shade told him who was going to get them the blueprints. "No, Shade, not him." He absolutely hated Bryan. Both for his personality and the color of his voice. It was a seedy green and tasted like the most bitter coffee out there.

Sitting down, he was actually glad that she made him buy food, because eating it might distract him from the coffee taste. "Okay," he said, holding onto one of his utensils angrily. "I really, really don't want you to be making a deal with Bryan. You know what he's gonna do. It's not right."
 
"I want out and I'm looking for another way and I can't find it!" Shade really wished he would reason. "No matter what I do, he has the information, where to find them, what we need to get past, everything. Each request is another price, but together is one. I'd rather he'd ask once than many times. We aren't even sure what's he's gonna ask. Promise me, will you please consider it. Do you not want out?"

Please understand please.
 
Daniel set his jaw. "Fine. But seriously, don't go too far with anything. If you need to, I'll find it out myself, okay?" Reaching over, he discreetly squeezed her hand, pulling away quickly when he saw a teacher walking by. "I won't like it, though, having you..." he trailed off into grumbles, holding his head in his hands, frowning to himself.
 
"I don't know if we can...." Shade said just as she saw Bryan walk into the lunch room.

Shade tensed up automatically. She didn't like him either. He was a sketchy character. Bryan sat down next to her too close for her comfort, but then again she preferred him on the other side of the room. He slid his hand on to her and squeezed. Shade resisted every urge to punch him and pushed his hand off. He chuckled as reached over and grabbed Daniel's drink.

Shade looked down in anger. She hated that she had to go to him. He was one of the few students that strayed from the 'norm' for this place-whatever this place was. Shade knew part of going to him was convenience, but at the same time she really did not what else to do. Neither herself or Daniel did not know this place well enough to sneak around. It was gonna be a hell of a time trying to sneak out.

"Well," Bryan said as he chugged down his soda. "I can obviously do it, but there's a price. Here it is. No negotiations." He looked at Daniel and then down at Shade. "This one looks like a fun one."

He slapped down a piece of paper and chuckled while he left to go to the food line.

Shade stared at the note in the middle of the table. "I don't....I...Daniel? What does it say?"
 
Daniel was, in a rare moment of anger, gripping the edge of the table, his knuckles turning white as he gritted his teeth. The taste of coffee still lingered in his mouth, and he immediately wished he had gum or something to get rid of the taste. Only looking up when Shade spoke to him, he took a deep breath, steadying himself.

Reaching over the table, he took the piece of paper, hating that he had to touch something that Bryan had. Hesitantly, he flipped over the piece of paper reading it. Immediately, he stood up, a new-found anger coming to the surface. Striding over to Bryan, as soon as he was within arm's reach, he grabbed the front of his shirt, balling his hand into a fist and sending a punch to the boy's jaw, feeling a sort of gratification when blood appeared in Bryan's mouth.

He had been about to continue, but two teachers had grabbed him, holding him back from the boy. "No!" Daniel shouted, "Let me hit that little shit!" He was surprised with even himself; he hardly ever cursed, but this was obviously worth it.
 
Shade stared in shock at the whole scene. What the? How...Why? Daniel!!!

Shade snapped out of it when Daniel hit Bryan. She got up and tried to run over to him, but teachers had him. "Daniel! No!" No! No! No! NO!! Why couldn't he just waited for later and beat the shit out of Bryan? Jesus. I can't get him out of this one. Shade looked at him as he passed with tears in her eyes. She wouldn't be able to sleep tonight.

She knew it was something on the paper, so she began looking around for the paper. She couldn't find it. Where was it? Shade began to panic when she couldn't find it. Did Daniel take it? Fuck fuck!

Bryan came up to her from behind and said to her: "That little fuck almost ruined it, but you're lucky I like you. See you tomorrow night."

What the hell? Fuck.

Shade went to all her classes in a daze and panicking about the paper. She was often scolded by the teachers for being distracted and mumbling the wrong answers. When it was all over she took to her room and cried. Her roommate looked at her with looks of sympathy and then proceeded to ignore her. Even same sex touching wasn't exactly smiled upon here. Shade couldn't wait here any longer. She had to go somewhere. Shade grabbed her hoodie and snuck into the boys dormitory, she almost got caught, but somehow she managed to slip away in time. Shade walked into Daniel's room-clearly marked on the door. It was odd being here.

She laid under the bed and waited for 4 am.
 
Though Daniel had been trying to keep a brave face on for Shade when he was led past her, but he couldn't help the fear in his eyes. What will they do to me? he wondered as they lead him away, knowing about what had happened with Shade.

They didn't let him wait in the room like they had with Shade. Instead, they worked immediately, strapping him to a table. He could still feel the piece of paper crushed in his pocket, and was immediately grateful and hating of that fact. He was left for several minutes, but almost immediately his ears were assaulted with the voices of what must have been hundreds of people mixed with static and feedback while the room seemed to pulse with different colors.

It didn't take too long for his mind to overload. Just as he was coming down from the seizures and pain, the colors and noises seemed to calm down slightly. Feeling himself calming down slightly, the stimuli returned with a vengeance. Promising himself that he wouldn't scream, he soon broke that. It was the first time he had ever screamed during an overload, and it surprised him, but not enough to break the seizing.

It seemed like an eternity when he finally blacked out, and even longer until he woke up on the floor of his dorm. Moaning softly, though it was more like a whimper, really, he tried to push himself to a sitting position, finding it harder than he had thought. "God," he muttered, his voice weak from the screaming.
 
Shade waited for them to leave. She crawled over to him and wrapped him into her arms. "I'm so sorry. What did they do to you? You look so beaten down."

After a little while, Shade lifted him up and helped him into bed. Shade finally got angry. It was the worse time possible to get angry, but she didn't care. "Why the hell would you punch him. Seriously. What. Were. You. Thinking?"

Shade pushed herself away from the bed and paced a few times. Daniel had his room to himself because a roommate overloaded him in his sleep once. It was convenient at the moment. "Why couldn't you just told me first. Now someone might find out our plans! I couldn't find the damn piece of paper!"
 
Daniel was surprised by her sudden appearance, and almost struck out at her, thinking that she might be Bryan or someone else, but when he heard her voice, the color and taste giving him a mother of a headache, he shook his head when she asked what they did to him. He was still drenched in sweat and breathing heavily when she helped him onto his bed, trembling slightly. His voice was a mumble when he finally answered her second question, counter-acting her loud words. "I...I couldn't let that piece of shit touch you," he forced out, frowning.

"I'm...sorry, though. Here." He shoved his hand into his pocket, taking out the piece of paper. Thankfully, he hadn't ruined it in his fits, and it was more or less exactly the same as it had been hours ago. After handing it off to her, he forced himself to his feet, moving to the light switch. Flicking the lights on, he said, "I'm changing," right as he was taking his uniform shirt off, his fingers fumbling slightly with the buttons.
 
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