Chapter Text
"Am I a monster?"
Kevin Barnes, an orphan that lives in playtime orphanage is right now still lying in the bed, blanket covering his whole body. He knows that soon, he'll have to get up since some kids are already being nosy and gathering before the rooms and on their way to the cafeteria where they have breakfast, but he doesn't feel like getting up soon. He shares room with four other kids, two being older ones and the other two being around his age, 12 years old but only one of the kids, a girl named Danielle is actually his "friend" or what she calls him whenever the other ask her about him. He never really considered her that much of a friend since she only talks to him whenever they are in their room or in privacy. Kevin most of the time spends either by himself or getting picked on by the others since some kids like to provoke him because of his title being "The problematic child". He struggles with anger issues and others provoking him doesn't help. Stella Greyber, the head of playcare did notice this behaviour and tried to tell some doctors to check up on him but no one cared and they neglected it.
Kevin grumbles and rolls on the other side of the bed, hiding under the blanket as the lights suddenly lightened and there's Stella with Danielle, standing in the doorway. "What do you want.." Kevin says into the pillow. Stella walked into the room and looked around before her eyes locked onto his form, lying in the bed. "Kevin, it's past 9 am and you're still in bed? Are you not feeling well?" She asks, her gentle voice ringing through the room. Kevin hates it because the gentle voices never to anything. He can scream, yell for help but no one would come to help him. "No, I just slept in. Now can you leave me alone?!" He barks out as he turns his head to look at Stella. Stella sighs and Danielle steps in next to Stella "You're going to miss the breakfast you know." "Yeah, and lunch time is in more than 4 hours. You're going to be complaining about being hungry. Come on" Stella says as she attempts to take the blanket off just for Kevin to immediately hold it and fight back.
It took them a while to get him out of the bed but after a few minutes of struggling, they managed to convince him to get the breakfast. Kevin is sitting in the cafeteria, eating a sandwich. Danielle was sitting next to him, sipping on her tea. Other kids in the room were either talking together, eating or some even glaring at Kevin and the youngest ones being afraid of him because even tho he's just 12, he can be quite strong in fights because he really doesn't play about it. He was thinking about what to do today. If no one will bother him, maybe he can go check out playground and see if he can do something there. They don't have school today since it's Sunday but truly said, he never cared about school much. He doesn't really listen to what the teacher says or anything. He either just draws something on the paper or just zoones out. He has a cast around the arm since a few days ago, he fell down pretty badly and his arm was hurting so Stella sent Dr white to look at him and he told Kevin to keep it unmoving for Atleast two weeks so during classes, he mostly just draws on it sometimes. He's chewing on the sandwich and he feels a slight nudge from his side. Danielle was nudging him since she was talking about something but he clearly wasn't listening "Kevin, did you hear what I was talking about?" She asks and leaving rolls his eyes, as well shoulder to stop the nudging. "No I wasnt listening, you see that I'm eating." He says "well I was talking about how today, we are going to the game station! Don't you remember that Stella told us this morning- oh you were still in bed when she was talking about" she sighs but quickly regained her energy "Well basically, after like 10 am, we're going there and we have to meet up before the train station!" Kevin finishes his sandwich and looks at her "Whatever. Atleast it wont be another boring day." He says as he stood up. He put the plate on the counter where the kids put the dirty plates and he walks away.
It's nearly around 9:45 and Kevin is sitting on a slide that is in the playground. No one's really that here but he knows that few minutes before 10, it will become crowded in here. Danielle was somewhere off with her friends so he didn't have much to do. He rubs his own fluffy brown hair and he noticed that they're already long to his shoulder blades "Dammit, I should probably cut them soon." He mumbles to himself before he got startled by someone. "Sorry to bother you-" Kevin flinches and immediately looks behind him, seeing a taller boy who he didn't recognise much, light brown short hair. "GODDAMIT, WHOS BOTHERING ME and who even are you?" Kevin shouts but calms down surprisingly after a few seconds. The boy sat down on the ground next to the slide where Kevin was sitting. "Sorry again. I didn't mean to startle you. I'm Matthew." Matthew says as he looks at Kevin with a kind smile. Kevin looks at him, confused a bit. "I've never seen you around here. You're new?" He asks and Matthew chuckles a bit before shaking his head. "Not really. I've been here for years. I mostly spend time with younger kids so perhaps that's why you've never seen me much." He says. Keving thinks for a while, trying to recall in his memory if he has ever seen him but nothing comes to mind "How old are you? You look like you're about to be adult." He says, not caring about how it sound. Matthew smiles "Well I'm 15, but many people tell me I look older." He says confidentially. Well for around minute, they were sitting in silence, Kevin not being used to talking other kids besides his roommates "You're going to the game station too, right Kevin?" Matthew asks and Kevin looks at him "yeah, otherwise I wouldn't be here, dumbass." He says, leaning his head on his hand before something clicked in his head "How do you know my name?" He asks, looking at Mathew who again, just chuckles "Everyone knows you of course. 'The kid who beat everyone who gets on his nerves' they call you. But I've figured out you won't mind your name." He explains. Kevin just shrugged his shoulders and closed his eyes back. Matthew was just quiet but well after a few minutes, he got up once he saw more children arriving "Lets do our best on the games." He says before walking away. Kevin just sighs. "He's way too kind and quiet, was he planning on something or what" he thought to himself before getting and walking to the others too.
The games were pretty easy, nothing new to Kevin or to others. He did notice some "doctor" looking people but he didn't care, he just did what he could. The musical memory was easy, Whack-A-Wuggy, nothing new he just has to be reminded to not grab the wuggies and the statues were just too easy. He kept noticing the "doctor" people kept writing something down on the notes.
"Kevin Barnes." Harley Sawyer said to himself as he kept watching Kevin completing the games. He kept scrubbing something down on the notes and kept looking at the boy. Stella and Bruno White were standing behind him. Stella was fidgeting with her fingers. "Doctor Sawyer, I don't think he's fit for it. He has issues with his anger and-" she was cut off by Sawyer "and? Does that make any difference? Personalities don't matter. I'm expecting him in my lab by tomorrow." He says as he turns to look at Stella. She took a deep breath and nodded as "alright". She didn't like it much, knowing how much Kevin can get aggressive and she doesn't know how he will react. Most of the time, when a kid is being sent to the lab, they tell them that they are going to he adopted. But will Kevin trust this? After all, he will have suspicions about it because no one would ever adopt him if she was being honest.
By the next day, Kevin was told by Stella, that she will need him for a "checkup " in the early morning. She plans on taking him to the lab, where Sawyer will take over and she'll tell the others that he got adopted. As much as she hates this, she knows she has no choice. She has to do this. She's waiting near the exit door and noticed Kevin walking to her, clearly tired from having to wake up at 6 am. "So?" Kevin starts. "Just follow me, don't worry." Stella says brightly as she leads him towards the labs. "Remember to be brave alright? There's no need to-" she got cut off by him "yeah yeah, as if it's not the same thing over and over again. Just a checkup on my arm." He says as he has his hands in his pockets while following her. They arrive at a weird door that Kevin doesn't recognise or remember. "Just go on inside, the doctor will be waiting for you there, alright?" She says as he steps inside. He was met with a white room, many tools that sone look way too sharp and with a doctor he saw yesterday who was watching him. "Kevin Barnes. Just sit down on the bed, alright?" Sawyer said, turning at him slightly before moving to table where he kept notes and needles. He took a syringe and puts some liquid in there. Meanwhile Kevin sits down on the hard, white bed and looks around. This does not look good to him. He pushes the slight fear down as he refuses to show some and most of the time, his anger shows up in times like these. Sawyer walked up to him and without asking or warning Kevin, he took his healthy arm and cleaned it. Kevin immediately pulls his arm back "What do you think you're-" "Your arm, please." Sawyer cuts him off, holding his hand, expecting that Kevin will give him hiw arm back. Kevin looks at him, mad but gives him his arm. Sawyer injected him with some liquid. "Lay down on the bed. You'll start feeling dizzy in a while." He said and Kevin looked at him confused. He's being put to sleep? But he was just here for a checkup. He lays down after a few seconds because he feels his head shaking and it felt weird.
after that, he doesn't remember anything