I don't know how long I've been here; it could have been decades for all I know. I can't measure the time by the sun so I just sleep when I'm tired. The only reason I am aware that it has been a long time was because I came to this place when I was very small and now, to put it simply, I'm not. I don't know who I am or how I came to be in this place. The only thing I know for certain is that my parents sold me to these people because I was unwanted. My friends tell me this everyday.

They are also like me, locked up in this room without windows. They have been here since I came here and I'm glad because I have no one else to talk to. When I cry and scream they are the ones who hear me and come to my aid. No one else does. The people here never care about me. I'm tortured by them and have scars up and down my arms- little pinpricks from tools that pierce my skin over and over again without justifiable cause.

I am shaken awake each "day" by tall men and women in white. They are dangerous and my friends tell me not to cooperate with them-so I don't. Each time I struggle the punishments get worse and more painful. But I still have to try my best to stop them because my friends told me they are bad people and I always believe my friends.

Today is going to be different. I can feel it. My friends whisper to me as the people in white grab me, "You belong to us. Don't let them take you from us." I begin to panic and kick and scream and do all I can to stop the people from taking me. It doesn't work because it never does.

This time they strap me down tightly with the leather digging into my already bruised skin. The people in white are all wearing masks and all I see are their eyes as they tell me, "This will all be over soon." They place something over my mouth and nose and then...the all too familiar blackness comes.

Mommy wakes me up today because today is special. I excitedly zoom out of bed and find the clothes mommy picked out for me especially for today. I point to my hair and smile hopefully at her. "Mommy, can you put my hair in piggy-tails please?"

"Alright," she says, "because you only start third grade once." I cheer and run over to sit on her lap giggling as she brushes out my hair.

"Mommy, I wanna make so many friends."

"Everybody will love you sweetie and you can invite all your new friends to have a sleepover here soon."

My face lights up with joy after she told me that. "Oh mommy, thank you." I give her a gigantic hug then turn back around so she can finish my hair.

When everything is ready we go downstairs to my kitchen and mommy pours me apple juice and some cereal. I love my mommy she just helps me with everything. My new pink and blue polka-dotted lunch box is right next to me and I grab it after I finish eating and put it in my new matching backpack and I follow mommy out into our car and she drives me to school.

"Bye sweetie, have a great day."

"Bye mommy, I will."

We hug and I run off into the school ready for my first day.

I can't wait.

I am in my room again when I come to. My friends surround me like always. Just being around them comforts me. They came to me when I was all alone and now I'm never going to be alone again.

The people in white don't come in for a while after they messed with my head. And yes, I do know they messed with my head because there is a throbbing there that wasn't there before. It never stops along with a buzzing sound that makes it harder for me to hear. Those people just need to let me and my friends go home where we can be happy together.

I may not know where or who I am but one thing is for certain: the people in white are getting worried. At what I don't know but they are. I almost allow myself to hope that maybe they are worried enough to let me go. But I can't hope. Being here for so long doesn't allow thoughts of hoping and wishing.

They come for me again after a few days. I never understand what they say around me. It's as if they speak in another language. They never understand me either so that makes us even I think. My friends follow me this time on our trip to the table with the straps. They grab at me but the people in white are walking too quickly for them to catch up. I cry and reach for them too. The people in white just stare at me ignoring my pain.

They strap me in just like before. Everything is the same. The same people are there with the same masks and with the same glowing eyes. I want to rip those masks off their faces but I can't, though I keep trying, break through the leather that binds me to the hard slab of metal.

For once I know what's coming. The people ready their tools and the facemask gets placed on me. The blackness greets me like an old friend.

"Hi, my name is Michelle and my favorite flavor of ice cream is vanilla!" Every person in class had to say their name and favorite flavor of ice cream. I was the last one and now we get to go to recess. I hope I remember everybody's name so we can all play together. I wonder what things people like to play. Do they want to play jump rope, or soccer, or just sit around and talk? I don't mind doing any of those things. I just want to be friends with everyone.

I am on of the last people to head outside and when I get out there I take a breath and look around. Who should I talk to first? I turn to my right and see a group of girls from my class just sitting around talking. I go over there and smile brightly.

"Hi, can I sit here too?"

They all slowly look up at me taking time to respond. Finally a girl with long red hair and freckles answers me.

"Um...no," she replies. "There's obviously not room for you."

I look over and see empty space next to her but she acts like it's not even there. She continues her response.

"So go on and take you and your stupid pigtails away from us because their ugliness might rub off on us."

Tears beginning welling up in my eyes as I try not to cry. "Well I didn't want to sit with you guys anyways." I quickly turn around and run off with their taunts floating behind me.

"Stay away Michelle," they seemed to say.

I wake up again just like last time. Only this time one thing has changed and when I realize this change my heart and lungs tighten up and it feels like a weight is pressing hard on top of me.

My friends are nowhere to be seen.

I call out for them despite knowing that they couldn't possibly hear me. Did the people in white take them too? They never have bothered my friends before but they did seem like they were changing.

I can't live without them not being here with me. They understand me and know me even though I don't know who I am myself. They don't show up at all-not after I sleep and not after each torturous experiment the people in white subject me to. I need my friends. Which is why I have to make the hardest decision of my entire life in this isolated world.

I have not spoken a word aloud since my parents sold me to these people-my friends understand my thoughts. But in order to get my friends back I must speak to the very people I vowed never to communicate with.

But my friends are worth it.

I would do anything for them.

I ran and ran across the field through the boys playing soccer and other sports to somewhere where I could be by myself and cry. I found a spot next to a tree and just curled up with my knees hugged against my chest and sobbed.

They don't like me and I don't know why. I was really nice and stuff. Why? My thoughts circled around those phrases over and over again without pause. I don't stop even when I hear the teacher calling us into class. They don't want me there so why can't I just stay here until school is over?

I slowly start to get up because my mom would be worried if I didn't go to school. But then I hear the voices of people talking a little closer to the school so I go over to see who it is. A lot of people are just sitting there. Some look older than me and others look my age. I don't even have to say anything for them to understand me. I sit down in a spot that seemed to be waiting for me to sit there. I belong there and there I stayed until school was over and I had to go home.

The next time they took me out of my room for the torture was when I made my move. I needed to talk to them-to tell them to give me my friends back. I have to sound as calm as I possibly can. If I'm not calm then they might send me back into the darkness. I don't let the fear show on my face. I stop and turn to face the people escorting me and speak:

"Where are they?" My voice comes out in an almost whisper and I don't think they heard me but I have to try again.

"Where are they?" This time they all turn around to look at me and the astonishment was clearly distinguishable on their faces.

"You speak?" Their faces seemed to say.

They began to murmur in excited tones not bothering to acknowledge my presence. I hear words like "progress," and "worked," and "hope," but just hearing those words was what scared me the most. I don't "hear" them like I do with my friends. My friends and I talk to each other in our heads. But it's different with the people in white. I hear their words through my ears. Their words are not just transmitted into my head like how my friends and I talk to each other.

The people are all staring at me now, waiting for me to say something. I must stand my ground though if I ever want to see my friends again.

"Where are my friends?" I have to ask them until they give me an answer.

They look at me with pity on their faces and I begin to get worried. "Please just tell me where they are and I'll cooperate with you when you torture me.

"Torture," they say. "What are you talking about? We don't torture you. We try our best to heal you and after all this time it finally worked."

I am outraged by their suggestion. "People who heal don't stab people with needles and hurt their heads. People who heal don't take my friends away from me!"

"What "friends" are you talking about? There is no one else here but you."

"No, that's not true! You people have to give me my friends back. Right now!" I run frantically around with no clear goal as they chase me. If they can't find them then I need to do it myself. They are going to catch up to me soon though. I can hear their shouts behind me.

They scream for me to wait for them but I don't.

Months passed and my friends were with me every day. I don't think I could have lasted this long without support from them. My mom was worried about me on that first day of school since my teacher called her to say that I did not show up to the last half of school. I just told her that I had bad day so I sat next to a tree. I didn't tell her about my friends. I don't want anyone to know about them so they can be my special friends and no one else's.

I was being made fun of again today. They always make fun of me. I never asked my mom to put my hair up again after that first day. But they still found things to mock me for. My friend's talked me through it and for that I am forever grateful.

Before I could go to our secret spot behind the trees during recess the teacher asked me to talk to her after class. I impatiently wait for her to begin talking to me because I really want to hurry and go and meet my friends. The teacher finishes organizing her desk and turns over to me.

"Come here Michelle."

I walk over to her desk and look at her. "Did I do something wrong?"

"No Michelle, you didn't but I'd like to ask you if you have made any friends yet. I've never seen you play with any of the other boys and girls." When she says that she looks at me with a mixture of pity and sadness. I hate it.

"I don't need them. They don't like me so I won't play with them."

"Of course they like you. Who told you that they don't?"

"They did."

"I'm sure they didn't mean it."

"Yes they did." I cross my arms defiantly across my chest. "Can I go now?"

She sighs feeling frustrated and looks away from me. "Sure go on ahead."

Happily I take off running towards the trees and to my real friends. They wonder where I've been and I tell them my teacher was saying that I had no friends. It made them angry and it made me angry watching them.

"We are your friends," they tell me. "You don't need any other."

"I know that and I love you guys and would do anything for you guys."

All of a sudden the grass behind me rustled and as I turn around to see who it is I see the kids from my class are all laughing at me.

"We wouldn't let her be our friend and now she has imaginary ones. What a baby." Their laughter gets louder and louder making my head hurt. "Stop," I want to scream at them. "My friends are real and they're right here." But I can't. I curl up into a ball as they come closer laughing at me and taunting me.

I silently cry waiting for my friends to help me. They come like they always do-a whisper in my head-and tell me that there's only one solution to make all this pain stop once and for all.

I have to burn them all to the ground.

The people in white were worried because apparently I'm almost of age and then they'd have to let me go. They said that this was a place for people like me-people who are crazy. But I'm not. They are the sick people keeping me locked up here. But without my friends I can't live here anymore. Those people took them away from me.

I have one last friend that is still with me no matter what.

I take one last look at the vial in my hands and for the last time the blackness swallows me whole.

My friends are there waiting for me.

The sirens are blasting and the people are screaming. Everyone needs to suffer and feel pain. My friends say they deserve it so I believe them. I sit on the ground watching the school burn down.

Suddenly some people in uniforms grab me and lead me into their vehicle. I'm not afraid because my friends are with me. When we arrive at the destination they ask me about the fire. Their words are kind but their eyes are not.

"Why," they ask me. Why did you set the fire? Fire is not something to play with. You killed people Michelle."

"They laughed at me." I say simply.

My mother is there in that room silently sobbing. I look at her and she looks at me and we stare at each other.

"Officer," she calmly says. "I give my permission for them to take her."

I don't like these people that came to grab me. I yell, kick, and scream for them to let me go. My friends don't like them either. But I'm not strong enough. They take me to a sad looking building and roughly bring me inside.

The people in white throw me into a room without windows and don't even glance at me.

Nobody ever liked who I was so I'll just have to forget.

I don't know how long I've been here; it could have been decades for all I know. I can't measure the time by the sun so I just sleep when I'm tired. The only reason I am aware that it has been a long time was because I came to this place when I was very small and now, to put it simply, I'm not. I don't know who I am or how I came to be in this place. The only thing I know for certain is that my parents sold me to these people because I was unwanted. My friends tell me this everyday.