Mind Games (lxngdon and MaryGold)

m a r i t z a
The night had been spent with Maritza attempting to pick the locks on her gloves. She had thoroughly investigated the room and she couldn't find any cameras, but she was paranoid, so she had laid in a way so no one could see her hands. But that meant that she couldn't see them either, and picking the locks proved to be exceptionally difficult. There had been no success for her.

So she hid the pin in her mattress and went to sleep.

After showering, she was taken to the cafeteria since she had not been prescribed any medication yet. She was dreading that day, and she knew she had to find a way out before then. After collecting her food, Maritza spotted Quinn, and the tiny Hispanic girl went to sit beside the one person she'd dare call a friend.

"Hi," she said in greeting, before looking up at the tall girl suspiciously. What was her deal?

Maritza leaned in to Quinn and murmured in his ear, "Couldn't pick the locks," before pulling away and cutting up her bacon.
 
Q U I N N
"Too bad," Quinn noted. He wasn't surprised at all and he surely didn't look it either, it seeped onto his voice. Still, he was disappointed a little. He had been hoping she could somehow open up the lock and find a way out, it was an impossible task, but he didn't want to damn anyone to this place. Especially not a sane person, which he knew for a fact that Maritza was.

Of course, it really didn't matter. There was a lot more sane people who entered this place than one would guess. Sadly, most if them weren't sane anymore.

"The security on this place is very heavy."


"That's an understatement. It's scary honestly, there's more hidden security than there is obvious." Leah pitched in, keeping her rich English voice low.

"This is Leah, she's been her for a little over half a year. "
Quinn pointed to the English girl. "She talks to birds."

"Animals."She clarified, frowning slightly. And clearly a bit offended."I talk to animals."

"Sorry."


"So, what? Is she the one who 'caused a scene upon first arrival?"

"Yep. That's Maritza. She wants to break out."

Leah snorted, almost laughing. Quinn sighed and pushed his empty plate away.
 
m a r i t z a
Maritza scowled at the girl who laughed at her, her chocolate brown eyes narrowing. "I'm sorry, do you have a fucking issue?" she hissed, keeping her voice low as she gave the girl one last threatening look. If Leah had seen her come in, she would know that Maritza had no qualms with getting aggressive.

Maritza wasn't hungry, but she was in a lit room, so she took the time to study the locks on her gloves. She had been able to wedge the pin in there, and she suspected that if she had been able to see the lock, she would have been able to open it.

"Maybe in a couple of nights," she murmured to Quinn before sipping on her orange juice.

Maritza's eyes traveled over the patients -- or inmates, as she felt they were --- who sat in the cafeteria and chattered among themselves as if they had not a care in the world. That honestly scared her, the idea that these people had just adjusted to being in prison. Didn't they want out? Didn't they want to escape.

"Apparently I'm seeing my shrink today," she told Quinn, obviously trying to nudge Leah out of the conversation.
 
Q U I N N
"Frankly, everyone has an issue," Quinn mumbled underneath his breath, setting his chin in the palm of his hand as he intently listened to her speak.

"Then, for your sake, I hope to God Quinn's mother doesn't choose to see you over herself," Leah grumbled, standing up from her seat and taking both her own and Quinn's tray as she did. "Also, Quinn, you better not fucking help her. And good luck on your endeavors to break out, shorty."
She glared at the boy and rolled her eyes at Maritza before stalking off.

Quinn watched her go, biting the corner of his lip gently and slightly nervously. He knew what Leah was saying to him, and why she said it. The last time he helped anyone e do anything remotely against the rules ... His mother was a woman to be feared. And he didn't want anything bad to happen to Maritza, but stopping her was obviously not going to happen.

"Maritza,"
He began, looking at her carefully. "If you really want to get out of here, I suggest you do it wisely. You should probably start by getting your temper under control, if only slightly. And being friendly. That will get you far."
 
m a r i t z a
He was right, of course. Maritza knew that if she was to break out, she'd have to be careful in doing so, because if she got caught, she'd suffer immensely and she'd never have a chance of release. And she also knew that it would be smart to try and make friends, since she had no idea what kind of connections and ties her fellow patients had with the staff, or even the outside world.

But social skills weren't exactly a dominant part of Maritza's resume. She had never needed to make friends with people as she had always had her brothers, sisters, cousins, nieces, nephews -- her family. She had never needed to meet new people and win them over because she wasn't a dealer, and she never would be.

She sighed heavily. "Yeah, I know," Maritza murmured, scratching the side of her nose with her gloved finger. She hated those gloves, so much that she hit her fist against the table irritably.

"Behave yourself, Fuenta," a guard leered. Maritza resisted the urge to flip him off.

"So what do I expect from my shrink?" Maritza asked Quinn. She had never been forced to see any form of psychiatrist before, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't slightly intimidated.
 
Q U I N N
"They'll talk to you for a little while, ask you questions, try and figure out your game and source of your issue." Quinn told her, twirling his finger in the air boredly in a small gesture as if he had explained this many times, each the same. A small Huff escaped his lips and lowered his gazebfrom above and to her brown eyes.

"And then, they'll prescribe you with just enough medication to dope you up so you can hardly think straight. That's only the beginning though."
He finished, feeling slightly sick thinking about it.

And he knew for a fact they'd really give Maritza the hook up. She had a short temper, a tendency towards violence and was always testing the guards patience. It wouldn't matter if she didn't need it or not. They didn't care about them or their feelings which made no sense at all considering their jobs. Or, at least, that was what Quinn saw in them.

"That's how it goes."
 
m a r i t z a
Interrogations, she could handle. Incarceration, she could handle. Solitary confinement, she didn't like it, but she could handle it.

Medication, Maritza would not handle.

Her eyes widened in genuine terror at the idea of being doped up, not being able to think straight. No -- if she had wanted that, she'd be a junkie or a dealer or actually involved with the business her family worked in. She had gone her entire life without even touching alcohol. Actual medication would kill her.

"No," she said, frantically shaking her head and causing her brown curls to bob. "No, no, no, no, no, they can't. They can't! I don't need them."

"Fuenta," said a guard warningly, coming over to see what was wrong. "Calm down."

"NO!" She wasn't yelling but her voice had a sense of urgency that the guards didn't like. She went off on a tangent in Spanish, obviously terrified words that set the guards on edge.

One of them grabbed her by the arm, but her sleeve had been hiked up a little, meaning he touched her bare skin. And he leaped away, yelling out in pain. Maritza knew what it was -- the fire, the fire that burned beneath her skin.

More guards came and ushered her out without directly touching her skin since they seemed to know what was going on. Maritza wished she could get these gloves off.
 
Q U I N N
Quinn had instantly hopped up from his seat when the guards arrived to subdue. Though, he was still confused as to why she would freak out so much about the medication. Sure, it was entirely unpleasant, but she looked absolutely frightened by the idea. Or maybe he had grown so used to it, that the who concept of it didn't upset him as it should have.

But what actually caught his attention and true interest was when one of the brawny guards pulled away hissing. She hadn't hit him or caused him any physical harm of the sort, so he was left puzzled. And he didn't fancy being confused. So, he stepped away from his seat and table, ignoring the other patients who had watched the scene play out and were now heading back to their own business, and followed them as they tried to escort her out.

"Excuse me -"
He had only just started to talk to one of the men holding her captive when he paused, hearing the clicking sound of heels hitting the hard marble floor. His face paled slightly and he turned to see none other than his mother looking radiant as ever for a woman who worked in mental hospital.

The guards straightened their backs and posture while Quinn gave a completely unsmiling face.

"I knew there would be trouble." The doctor tsked, looking more amused than annoyed. "Take her to my office. You come too, Quinnlan."

"I didn't do anything."

"Come to my office." She said more firmly and didn't wait for anything else to be done or said, she turned and started walking the the guards dragging Maritza in tow with Quinn quietly following.
 
m a r i t z a

Maritza was too shaken to even notice that Quinn's real name was Quinnlan (though she'd laugh at that later) or that his mother appeared to have arrived on the scene. She hugged herself and threw the guards off as they tried to grab her arms. "I can walk myself."

And she did. She let them lead her to the woman's office and sat down in one of the chairs while Quinn sat in the other. Maritza kept her eyes on the floor, her brown hair hiding her pretty face. She absently fiddled with the cuffs on her wrist. God, she hated those things.

One of the guards was murmuring to the woman just outside the door, probably explaining the incident with Maritza's warm skin. She hadn't meant to burn the guard but she knew she was going to get punished for it later.

"It was an accident," she blurted out to the doctor when she came inside the office. "I don't need medication. I won't take them."
 
Q U I N N
"Shut up." Quinn whispered to her through clenched teeth. His voice was harsh and he hadn't meant it to be, but her constant mouth would only proceed to make things worse. And honestly, he didn't need worse and nor did she, he shouldn't even be in the same room with his mother right now.

Doctor Evans glanced at Maritza only once with a slightly bored expression and ignored the Hispanic girl. She moved over to where her drawers were. She took her sweet time digging in one only to pull out a file. Once she had it in her hand she then came to acknowledge the their existence.

"Would you like a glass of water?" She asked politely, gesturing to the pitcher and glasses on her desk. "It's fruit water, orange."

"Can I just go?"
Quinn begged of her sweetly. "I have literally done nothing."

Doctor Evans only held a finger to her lips, shushing him, though he was reluctant. "Maritza De La Fuenta, 'causing your own little trouble since day one." She clicked her tongues, flipping through the file, presumably Maritza's.

Her eyes moved to the girl's gloves and cuffs. "We'll have to get you much better restraints, I see. But once you are on your medication, we can loosen it."
 
m a r i t z a

Maritza's bottom lip trembled like she was going to cry, which she would not do under any circumstances. No, she would not cry in front of these people. Her instincts were telling her not to even show emotion, but she was afraid.

She hadn't been afraid when she had been kidnapped by the other cartel. She was only afraid when she was confined and when she was threatened by powers who could take her own power and confidence away. And Dr Evans was definitely capable of doing that.

Maritza glanced at Quinn out of the corner of her eye before turning back to the boy's mother. She wondered how Dr Evans felt, to be the director of a mental institution her son was incarcerated at. Maritza couldn't imagine she liked it all that much.

"Please," she said quietly, pleadingly, leaning forward slightly. "You can't -- it was an accident, I really didn't mean --"

"Quiet, Fuenta," a guard barked. Normally she would have argued back but she really needed to behave herself now. So she quieted down.
 
Q U I N N
"I know it doesn't seem like it with all the guards and rules, but here at Horizon, we do care about our patients and only want the best for them." The older woman folded her hands, giving the sixteen year old a sympathetic look. She was all fake. Or as Quinn liked to say, all plastic. There was nothing genuine that came out of this woman's mouth unless she took of the concerned professional mask. And she didn't seem to care that her façade wasn't convincing enough.

"You've been quite disruptive, seeing that you are new, I will let you off with a warning this time."
Meaning the next time she would be punished. How so? Well, Dr Evans was not one to reveal things so easily. Why just tell them when you can show them.

"As for you, Quinnlan, why is it that whenever there's any sort of trouble I find you involved one way or another?" She asked calmly, glancing at her firstborn child. "You've been here a long time. Will you ever leave? I'm afraid not with that behavior."

Quinn clenched his jaw, feeling a mix of slight anger and fear. How long was he supposed to stay in this place? How long would she keep him locked up.

"I don't think I ... "
He began, though was unable to finish, clenching and unclenching his fist. He was gaining a heavy headache, feeling slightly weak and disconnected.

Quinn shut his eyes and tried breathing, completely blind to the fact that his mother's desk was trembling softly, but gradually started to shake in a violent manner. It didn't last very long because with a snap of her fingers, he was focused and it was over.

"Give them a xanax and send them to their rooms." She scribbled down something on a piece of paper before standing and giving it to a guard. "This is Fuenta's prescription, send it to the nurses office directly after. And don't hesitate to have her sedated if she stirs anything more up." She kept her voice low as she instructed the guards.
 
m a r i t z a
Maritza might not have gone to school, but she wasn't an idiot and she could tell that Dr Evans was as fake as a Barbie doll. Maritza was tempted to slap that plastic smile off the woman's face, or at least call her out on her bullshit, but she was being let off with a Xanax and a warning, which was more than she could have asked for.

She knew she should have been thankful, but still, she was angry. And sad.

"Thanks," she mumbled anyway as she stood up and allowed the guards to usher her outside. She had noticed the table shaking, of course, because she wasn't a moron but she had just assumed someone had been shaking it with their leg or something. Something normal.

Even though she literally had pyrokinesis, Maritza didn't like to accept the idea that other people could have had powers. She didn't even like to think she had powers, because they just caused more trouble than what they were worth.

"I'm sorry you got dragged into this shit," Maritza mumbled to Quinn as they were ushered back to the dorms. Quinn had been nothing but nice to her and now he was being treated as if he had done something wrong. "I didn't mean for this to happen at all. It was an accident, I swear."
 
Q U I N N
Quinn shrugged his shoulders and glanced at the enforcements behind them, pushing them along. There wasn't much he could say to her without getting in some sort of trouble. Like how he was still curious as to how the guard who had grabbed her had been burned.

He had saw the mark and it wasn't as if there was any fire or heat around. And even if there was, he had touched her, not the actual element. He supposed he'd have to save his inquiries for later.

"Don't sweat it,"
He kept his voice lower than a whisper, glancing back at the guards. They could only hear them if they were to lean over and train their ears. But he was certain they wouldn't bother."It wasn't something you could help."

He pursed his lips. There was no way he would be spending his entire rim in his room, his cell. But he also knew it was best to be cautious.

"Will you be up tonight?""
The fact probably wouldn't be of any insignificance to her, but he had plans.
 
m a r i t z a
Maritza nodded. She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep at all that evening. Not after she had come so close to losing whatever level of freedom she had left after that altercation with Dr Evans. It was honestly terrifying, to know that someone could just control your life like that.

Of course, there had been strict rules at home but that was different. She had still been free, just not allowed to touch any drugs and not allowed to socialise with other cartels. Simple.

This? This was traumatic.

"Why?" she asked Quinn softly, barely moving her lips. "What have you got planned?"
 
Q U I N N
The corners of his mouth curved upward, plastering a small smile onto his face. Evidently, he had plans and he had no doubt in his mind that Maritza would love to be apart of it. Sadly, it did not include breaking out of the hospital like she wanted, that would be and is absolutely impossible. But it still involved some freedom all the same.

He sucked in a small breath, "Just be patient. And wait up, too." He told her just as he halted before his security escort.

"This is my stop, Sir."
He addressed the brawny guard, showing zero resistance when he was shoved into the room after the doors had been unlocked for him.

He sighed lightly at the thought of staying in his room all day. He hadn't had to do that in a long time. "See you soon."
 
m a r i t z a
Maritza frowned when Quinn was somewhat viciously shoved into his cell but she said nothing. She also said nothing when her own escort pushed her in, though, he was considerably less aggressive after seeing what had happened to the guard who had touched her before. Good, Maritza thought.

She was handed a glass of water and told to take a Xanax. She almost burst into tears before she was yelled at to do it and she threw back the pill without further hesitation. Then, the door was closed and she was alone.

Maritza wasn't used to being alone.

She was already drowsy and she stumbled over to the bed, but she forced herself to stay awake by continuously slamming her wrists against the bar of the bed -- not hard enough to make noise but just enough to keep her awake due to the pain. She didn't want to get in trouble but she didn't want to miss whatever Quinn had planned.

So she stayed awake.
 
Q U I N N
It felt like forever until nightfall came. In actuality it was only hours, but in his dozen state, lying in his bed while his blue eyes were trained on his ceiling where a galaxy had been carved into it, time had passed by agonizingly slow. Luckily, the Xanax he had been given was not a strong dosage, so by the time the clock hat hit twelve AM, he was on alert again

And soon he was on his feet pacing in front of his door to get the blood pumping through his veins, to clear his hazy mind, to have all his senses up and working to their fullest potential. Finally, the lock to his door turned and he was met by not the face of a guard or doctor or nurse, but a friend another patient.

At this time of night, or day to be exact, all was quiet, all was asleep. Well, "all" only meant the authorities and a majority of patients. But Quinn and a handful of others had been staying at the hospital so long, they had worked a little system of their own, working together to have some sense of freedom and try to figure other things out ...

Soon, he found himself walking down the hall where Maritza's room was located. He quietly walked down the hall, not wanting to wake other patients, until he came to her door. He pushed in the key, unlocked the door and gently and slowly swung the door open.

"You awake?"
He softly asked.
 
m a r i t z a
When the door swung open, Maritza's first instinct was to hide, because it could only be a guard, probably here to give her medication or take away her freedom in some other heinous way. She scrambled up to the corner of her bed and looked with wide eyes as the figure entered her room.

Then, she heard that familiar voice.

"Quinn?" Maritza whispered through the darkness, not believing it for a second. Had she fallen asleep and he was here in her dreams? No, Riza was pretty sure she was very much awake and Quinn was very much there.

Slowly, the Hispanic girl got to her feet, tiptoed over to the door and peeked just outside to make sure this wasn't some kind of sick ambush. She wasn't taking any chances, even if this was her ticket to freedom.

Once she had determined she was safe, Maritza slipped out of her room and into the quiet, dark, hall.

"How the hell?" she asked Quinn with wonder in her eyes.
 
Q U I N N
Quinn only put a finger to his lips, shushing her gently. He didn't want to wake any others up, it could lead to potential trouble. Getting in trouble in this type of situation would be absolutely painful. The authority, his mother, would be completely unforgiving. And truth be told, he didn't know what she did exactly to those who did too much 'wrong' to be forgiven in his time at the hospital, but he knew it wasn't something they'd like to find out.

His blue eyes looked away from her momentarily to look down the empty, dead silent hallway. It brought a slight smile to his face. During the day the hospital was roaming with patients, nurses and doctors alike. Now, here, at night, they could be free of that if only for a little while.

"I have my ways," He finally answered her, turning his smile back on her, a mischievous grin he didn't dare show to the authorities for fear of them assuming trouble he would cause. Which they would be right to assume. "Right now, let's head to the courtyard, yeah?"

He figured they could both use some fresh air after being locked up in their cells all day. They could talk there too. And they had a lot to talk about

Quinn reached for her hand but quickly came to remember the cuffs she was wearing along with the gloves. He clicked his tongue and sighed. Sadly, there was nothing he could do about that. Maybe someone else could.

"Come on," He instead gripped her elbow loosely and led her out after closing her door softly.