Smiling Oak's Academy for the Insane.

Richard offered to take us to Jeffery's Bagel shop uptown. Though Skull decided to throw a fit about how bagels suck, he managed to reason with her that if she manages to clean up her attitude, she could have a muffin instead. It didn't hurt that "Innocence" popped her across the head.

So as we sat at the table with two extra chairs pulled up to it, I nervously picked at my bagel.

"Is everything okay, Lydia?" Richard's quiet voice said from across the table.

I nodded without looking up.

"Did you want to talk?"

I looked up at "Innocence", who was giving me an eye.

"I-I don't know." I stuttered.

"Lorenna." Richard looked back at "Innocence", who was chowing down on a bagel. "I'm only going to ask her one question. That's all. Quit it."

She stared blankly. "Fine."

Richard pulled me aside, to the unisex bathroom. "I sense a terrible energy from you." He touched my upper arm with his finger tips. "Did somebody harm you?"

I was not going to answer him. Hell, I didn't know him. For all I knew, he could've been harvesting secrets for "Innocence".

"Then I'll have to do this the hard way." He lowered his fingers to the palm of my hand. "You don't trust anymore."

"Stop." I said, trying to snatch my hand away.

"It's too late for that." He let go. "You were raped."

"Get away." I tried to walk away, but he blocked me with his arm.

"I'm not here to harm you."

"Then why do you care?"

"You seem pretty cool. But you're so distant."

"Well, what am I supposed to say?"

"Anything. I just don't want you to try to kill yourself again."

"Did 'Innocence' tell you?"

"No." He smiled. "I have a little impulse. An intuition, if you will." he lifted up his sleeve, and exposed a long, dark, pulsing mark running along his wrist and the veins of his forearm. "It's hyper-sensitive. You know the girl at the register? Her grandfather died in Nam. She and her grandmother live with her mother. Her name is Beth, I mean, it says on her name tag, but I've never met her. Never heard of her."

"...How couldn't you have? Prove it."

"You had severe asthma when you were three."

"True, but how do I know--"

"You can't stand your mother's side of the family."

"...Could be a wild guess."

"You're a lefty."

"No I'm not." I lied.

"Yes you are. You idolize Johnny Rotten, you can't stand the 'scene' kids, your favourite band is Underoath, you've got a nickel and a penny in your piggy bank at your father's house. Emilio stole your $21.95 last week. "

"...Are you one of Emilio's friends?"

He growled in frustration, but with a smile. "No. Emilio's twenty. I am... Let's just say, I've seen history.

"Whatever." I tried to walk past.

"You know Jack the Ripper? I witnessed the murder of Dark Annie. Annie Chapman, you know. I had no part in it, but I digress..." He had my attention. "The Salem Witch Trials? I could tell you the story of The Crucible by personal experience. The first rocket launch, the Berlin Wall going down-- I'm a witness."

"...Are you speaking in metaphors?"

"Lydia." He grabbed my wrist, gripping tightly. "Watch." He closed his eyes, and so did I.

Suddenly, we were at CBGB's, watching the Ramones play, and Richard and I were front row for it.

Though it was the most awesome-est thing since the stereo, it was also the scariest thing since the Zodiac killer, or even "Innocence". "What the fuck, Richard!" I yelled over "Beat on the Brat".

"Come on! Enjoy it!" He said.

I snatched my arm away, and I was back in the bathroom, alone.
About a second later, Richard re-appeared.

"Why'd you do that? Didn't you want to see the Ramones?"

"You're creepin' me out." I crossed my arms. "Don't touch me again."

"But are you convinced?" He said, more of a statement than a question.