Crynn Damini

This doesn't make sense, why would my brother of all people visit me? How did he even know I existed? I thought all records of me outside of these walls were destroyed? Nevertheless there he stood, my replacement, approaching my cell cautiously.

Crynn Damini stood in front of my cell in the dim light holding a notebook and pencil. His long, spiky hair was a dark purple and his light brown eyes were scanning my messy black-purple hair, brown eyes that are the same shade as root beer, my smudged pale face, and tacky clothes. Crynn wore the clothes a rich teen would while trying to fit in with the "poor kids". He had a grey t-shirt with a cat on it and grey jeans hanging low on his hips so they sagged over his grey tennis shoes. He cocked his head and his pile of hair waved with his movement. How did he have so much hair? I abruptly noticed that he was the same age as me, not three years younger. How does that work? Did I have a twin? No, I would have remembered and he would have remembered me, plus we didn't look similar at all.

"Are you Raylee Damini?" His sudden squeaky teen boy voice startled me and I nodded,

"That's me." My brother nodded absentmindedly.

"Cool." He suddenly remembered his manners, score one for Mother and Father, "Oh, uh, I'm Crynn." He stuck out his hand for me to shake then remembered that a wall of bars was separating us. He pulls his hand back awkwardly and smooths his shirt.

"You don't have to do that you know, there's no one here to impress." Crynn jerks slightly at the sound of my voice again.

"Uh, what?"

I stand up and brush the small pebbles out of my clothes. I look my brother in the eye and notice I'm taller than him by about an inch and a half, not for much longer though, he seems on the cusp of puberty.

"You don't have to clean yourself up, there's no one to impress here. Seriously, I slept on the floor last night."

Crynn winces as if the thought of sleeping on the floor is beneath him.

Why is he even here? What purpose does a little rich boy have in an Asylum? Though to be honest, I am curious to get to know my-little?-brother more. When Crynn doesn't reply I just stand there with my arms crossed, watching him look around the hall and into the empty cells. He leans over to peer into the cell next to mine and almost drops his pen.

"Oh yeah!" I lift an eyebrow, Crynn clears his throat, "Erm, I have some questions I need to ask you for school. We're, uh, doing a project about our families and while I was looking through Mom and Dad's closet for my birth certificate I found yours and was like, "Wow I have a secret older sister!" and then I talked to Mom and Dad about it but they were super cagey and all like "Oh no! Mr. Candice is going to be so mad that we kept the certificate!" and then I Googled who Mr. Candice was and found out that he owns Illwood Asylum and then I thought, "is my sister crazy?" but then I was like, "no she's not crazy, the stories would have been all over the place! Of course maybe they-"

I zoned out and ignored the rest of what Crynn was rambling about. Only one thought remained in my mind, they kept it. My parents kept my birth certificate! Maybe that means they still care! Did they send Crynn to get me out of here? Does this mean that they'll visit one day too? Will they-

My train of thought is interrupted when I notice Crynn staring at me expectantly, uh oh he asked me a question. I cross my arms and scowl,

"I feel like I'm being interrogated," Crynn's face falls and I feel mine fall slightly too, weird.

"Uh, okay how about this, every question I ask you I'll give you my answer as well! What do you think?"

"Sounds like 20 Questions," Crynn's jaw drops,

"You know about that game? I was trying to explain it in a way that you would understand!" I frown, I'm not dull! I've played with the other pris-I mean patients.

"Yes I've played before," I roll my eyes at him, "And you explained it wrong, I can ask you any question I want after I answer." Crynn frowns.

"That's not how I've played."

"Well, we're playing it my way."

"But I'm the one with the assignment."

"But I'm the one who knows almost nothing about you."

"But I'm the one with the notebook and pen."

"But I'm the socially-deprived patient."

"But you're behind bars."

"But it's a free country."

"But you're in the loony bin."

"But I'm older!"

Crynn smiles at me,

"Aw! Look at us! Bickering like siblings!"

My lips twitch into a small smile, I guess we were.

"We'll do it your way but I get to go first."

I sigh then lean on the bars on the door so I'm closer to my brother, I almost don't hate saying that, he's a cool kid.

"Okay, first question."