Sane

14

"Good morning." I looked away from the barred window and watched as Yimani carried in another tray of food. It felt like a warmth radiated off of her everytime she set foot in the room. I muttered back a quick 'good morning' and stood up from the smaller bed and made my way over. Now would be the best time to try and get her to understand my case.

"I hope you enjoy today's breakfast, I gave you a little extra since I noticed you didn't eat dinner lastnight." She placed the tray down and scooted the two older ones closer to her to take back.

"May I ask why?" I remembered the images of the woman getting stabbed in the eye and immediately tried to rid any thoughts of it. I cleared my throat feeling uncomfortable with the topic.

"I-uh, saw something I wish I hadn't yesterday in the game room." I tried my best not to speak too much of it in fear of my appetite and thoughts being ruined by it.

"Ohhh, say no more. I completely understand." I mentally breathed a sigh of relief from not having to speak further on the topic.

"Not to impose or anything but do you just serve food or do you have access to anything else like maybe an information file about someone." She squeezed her brows together from curiosity of my question, yet she still answered.
"I carry trays to the cart to go around and serve them, when it's James's turn to serve I cook while he does my job. Nothing more." It was worth a shot. I shrugged my shoulders, trying to think of another question that she could possibly have the answer to. While thinking, it dawned on me that she cooks while James serves so either he puts it in her food without her knowing or she's allowing it to happen.
I wanted to know so much about the place, yet I wanted to figure a way out and focus on leaving this place. The atmosphere and secrets intrigue me in way where I wanna know more and more and the past of it seems deeper than I probably will ever know.

"Why do you ask?" Her thick accent resonated throughout the small room.

"I think I've been ki-" The sound of the door opening swiftly almost startled me out of finishing my sentence. I looked over to see the doctor walk in before looking between Yimani and I. He lowered his head in expectation signaling for her to leave which she immediatly grabbed the two trays and made her way out the door.

"Well look who it is..." I rolled my eyes not surprised one bit he decided to show up of all times. A sharp breath escaped through his nose as he found me amusing.

"And why do you grace me with your pathetic presence." I spat wanting to sound as mean as possible. I wasn't here to be friends with him and being friendly to him definitely wasn't on my list of things I planned on doing before getting out.
His stupid smirk remained as he began his reasoning.

"I couldn't help but notice you haven't attended any of the group sessions we organize twice a day."
Out of everything of course he had to bust in to tell me something as small and uninteresting as that.

"You're gonna keep noticing because I'm not going." I sounded firm with my decision.

"You really should cooperate, it makes everything a whole lot easier."

"Yeah you wish." Easy is the last thing they're gonna get and I'll make sure of that. The room was quiet for a few seconds and I actually started to believe he would be the bigger person and leave... of course I had to be wrong.

"Just like you wish you could figure out who put you in here am I right?" His smirk looked even more annoying than usual now.

"You've known haven't you?" He chuckled deeply.

"I know everything around here." His face looked more serious.

"Things you wouldn't even dare to think about." He started making his way towards me and I found myself backing up towards the wall.
"Tell me why do you think you're in here? What would you do to possibly be put in a place like this. Hmm..." He put his index finger on his chin and looked up as if thinking out loud.

"Maybe it's-" The door opened quickly to nurse Browning scowling towards his father's direction. The woman at the front desk pushed herself past him and urgently tried to calm down the situation.

"I tried to tell him you were busy with a patient sir." Her breathing was heavy as if she had ran a marathon.

"I need to speak to you doctor."
Dean placed his fingers to his temples and rubbed then soothingly while holding an annoyed look.

"Now is not th-"

"NOW!" The doctor glared at his son while clenching his jaw. They both held eye contact which didn't help the tense atmosphere floating around the room.
Once he realised Nicholas wasn't going to back down he he looked at me with the same serious face.

"I'll be back." His words were harsh as he began for the door. Once he was arm length away he stopped and waited for his son to exit first before he did the same along with the receptionist.

Confusion was being mixed throughout my head as I tried to process everything that just happened.

So the doctor knows who placed me in here? Why was nurse Browning so mad at his father?

"All patients make your way to the leisure room for visiting day."

Feeling even more confused I made my way out into the pale hallways to see everyone filing out like the day before. We made our way back to the room with the carpet still stained red in front of the TV except it was different this time. Inside were more adults but most of them looked a lot older. Other patients in the line filed out and ran with extended arms towards people they knew, others sat down with the visitors and began talking or playing cards with them. Then there were the other patients like me who didn't recognize anyone.
I scanned the room, hopeful that Sam or my aunt and her husband would show up but it seemed no one unfortunately had. It suddenly dawned on me that no one was probably looking for me and a wave of sadness had washed over me. It almost got the best of me and I felt my eyes begin to tear up slowly as I made my way around the room one last time with my last bit of optimism.
Here I am, the girl who hardly ever gave a care in the world crying all because I didn't get a visitor. Instead of finding ways to get yelled at, vandalizing property, or sneaking out here I am feeling alone in a room full of people crying. I've changed so much in the amount of time I've been here. This place definitely isn't made for kids, because it matures everything that has to stay in it. It's like it sucks everyone in and doesn't stop till it drains you whether it be from money or being a patient. The thought alone made me shiver.

I ultimately decided to sit down in a chair farther from everyone else. It's not like there were a whole lot of options to sit anyways with people chatting on the sofa and at the table. I just sat there and watched everyone go about their time, shamefully evesdropping in on a conversation every now and then.

I seemed to be the only loner in the room everyone else was busy finding something to do while I was just sitting there watching. I noticed people who didn't have visitors like Kyra from that 'groupie', she was sitting with a few other patients playing cards and completely ignoring the fact that no one came to see her. The more I looked at her the more I noticed something about her is missing. If there's one thing my mother taught me it was how to read people. I couldn't fully read Kyra though, it's like she's hiding a past behind her that she's trying to forget or supress.
She must of noticed eyes on her cause within seconds she looked at me. It wasn't a rude glare or a snobby eye roll, instead it looked like pity or sadness; like she knew how I was feeling. In that moment we shared an understanding before we glanced in opposite directions...