His father was mostly working, the time he spent at home he spends it on long calls, so he had to stay alone for days at a time, he learned the hard way to not cry for any thing, to not cry at all. He had to grow up even though he was only eight.

the room was silent this early in the morning, the only sound being the snoring of gem, the orphanage care taker, who only takes care of himself of course. He was sleeping outside the room on a wooden chair that was barely holding his weight, threatening to break any second. He spent the night guarding the room, he feared that Adam would once more find a way to escape.

Adam tried to move but he felt sore all over his body. he ignored the pain in his hands and legs as usual, and tried to set up only to feel a sharp pain in his head. For a kid his age, Adam was too familiar with pain, but this pain was too much for him, yet he didn’t scream or cry, for the pain disappeared in a moment.

he looked at his left arm and found it was wrapped in bandages all over. His right arm and legs were the same. when he looked at his right hand he was shocked, the memory of last night’s events all came back to him.

In the palm of his right hand there was a black circle the size of a ping pong ball. his heart raced, he rubbed it with his other hand but it wouldn’t come off.

He sat up on the bed, discovering that his left leg is cuffed to the bed’s frame with a long thin chain that was about as tall as him. He tried to pull on the chain to break it, or at least, break the bed’s frame to free himself. Unfortunately, the only thing he succeeded in was making allot of noise. some of the children sleeping on the other beds started to wake up.

“Adam! I swear if you are trying to escape again I’ll kill you! Stop making this damn noise.” Said gem, from behind the closed door of the room. Then he immediately started snoring again.

With a saddened expression, Adam laid back on the bed. ‘I need to get out of here!’ he thought to himself, ‘I need to find my father! When is this nightmare going to end!?’

[synchronizing protocol restarted…

Scanning host…]

He was shocked, his heart beating as if it would explode any second, Adam focused on the voice trying to locate the source of it while pretending to be asleep.

[scan complete…

Available energy source in low energy mood identified…

Nutrients consumption required…]

Adam looked at the palm of his right hand, he realized that he wasn’t hearing any sound at all. It was all in his head, ‘what are you?!’ he asked in his thoughts hoping he would find an answer.

[Insufficient data…

Synchronization incomplete…]

His eyes widened, the thing in his head reacted to his thoughts, even if it didn’t answer his question. He felt the need to know what it is, and if it can help him escape this place. ‘can you help me escape this place?!’ He asked.

[Insufficient data…

Synchronization incomplete…

Energy is required…]

It wasn’t an actual voice, it was like a foreign thought in his mind. When he focused on it more he found it to be like having an idea pop up in his head, it didn’t require time to speak, it just appears.

Adam tried asking a few more questions, he got the same answer every time. His fear replaced with curiosity, ‘maybe if I charge this thing it would have more things to say’ a thought crossed his mind and he started searching for a way to charge it.

[recharging method identified…

Nutrients consumption required…]

Still not used to a thing reacting to his thoughts he was surprised. ‘food! So I need to eat to recharge it?!’ Adam was surprised at how convenient this solution is, he started planning for a way to get a good amount of food.

A while later, as Adam was laying back on the bed thinking and planning. every one started waking up as the sound of the morning’s loud piano music indicated 9 o’clock.

“hey! Birdy! Can you help me with something” Adam called on the kid that jumped down from the bed above him. “I need to get this thing off! Its too tight on my leg, its hurting me!” he pointed to the cuffs holding him to the bed.

“I don’t want any thing to do with you Adam. You only know how to get everyone punished!” birdy complained with a scared expression, as he raised his hands stepping away from Adam like trying to avoid evil. “yesterday we didn’t get to eat the third meal because you escaped again… where do you think you can go out there?! We are miles away from any thing! And even if you somehow reach the town you well get caught again! Did you forget th…” birdy kept talking like he deserved his name as Adam interrupted him.

Birdy was a thin short kid, with dark skin, hazel eyes, and curly, black hair. He was the only one Adam would talk to or ask for help, even though birdy always thought they were playing together whenever Adam told him to do anything.

“hey stop talking! Hold this part.” Adam gave birdy a part of the chain and birdy held it as if he had no other choice. “now throw it that way, ok bring it from there… good.” Adam kept giving him instructions as the chain kept tangling around the bed frame.

“I’m going to be punished for helping you…” birdy started crying while doing what Adam says. “every time I play with you, you make me do things that gets me in trouble… what did I ever do to you to des…”

“hey! focus.” Adam slapped him on the back of his head shutting him up, he then stood on the bed, his plan was to pull on the side bar of the bed frame to break it, and then insert it in the middle of the knot he created between the chains and the bed frame to create leverage and break the chain. However, he didn’t get to see it to the end.

There was a sound coming from the hallway, and Birdy started running away from Adam the moment he heard steps behind the room door. Adam then untied the knot and laid back on the bed, pretending to be asleep with an innocent expression on his face.

The sound of high heels clacking reverberated in the hallway. “gem! Why are you still asleep?!” Sydni Arevik yelled at gem who instantly stood up from the chair he was sleeping on, the chair squeaked back to its original form. “take the children out for the morning routine, and leave Adam be! Don’t wake him up if he’s asleep, I will come to him later.” Sydni ordered with a stone cold expression.

Sydni Arevik is a tall, caramel skinned woman, She has a wide face, aquiline nose, small lips, and her alert light brown eyes are wide. She usually wears clean, high-end clothes that are mostly black. And heavy makeup that makes it hard to define her facial features.

However this morning she barely has any makeup on, and her clothes seems to be picked in a hurry.

“yes, ma’am. Right on it!” gem answered half asleep, as he struggled to find the room key out of the heavy Keychain. He finally opened the door under the unsatisfied gazes of miss sydni, he disappeared into the room closing the door behind him, leaving miss Sydni standing in front of the door in anticipation.

“alright! Its morning routine, get up! I don’t want any lazy as… kid sleeping.” Gem corrected himself when he remembered that miss sydni is right behind the door, as he slapped any kid not standing beside his bed, and dragged down on the floor any one still asleep.

Between the cries and complains of the kids and Gem’s unpleasant loud voice, Adam still pretended to sleep as he held his laughter at Gem calling someone lazy, ‘can’t he see his floppy Billy! I doubt he knows how his toes looks like.’ Adam chuckled inwardly, every time he escapes, they leave him be the next day, yet when he wakes up they usually have a punishment prepared for him.

To avoid Gem’s slaps, the kids started arranging themselves in two lines in front of the door. Gem then led them out while yelling army slogans, even though its obvious he never served any one other than his belly.

When Gem got out and locked the door behind him, sydni understood that Adam was still sleeping. She went back to her office.

Adam opened his eyes when he heard the door being locked, and got back to his plan. he felt so much pain in his stomach, he didn’t eat any thing yesterday, but he never felt this much hunger.

After a painstaking effort, he succeeded in breaking the chain with the side bar of the bed frame, which was a meter long steel yellow pipe.

Taking the steel pipe with him and leaving the bed unstable, Adam sneaked to the door and looked through the key hole, he saw no one, he got down on his knees and looked out from the opening under the door to be sure. After he was positive that no one is in the hallway, he started his next plan.