The Shattered Soul

The Car Ride

Amy never minded catching the school bus home.

Apart from some slight whispers, the school bus was the only place where she could close her eyes and rest. Especially since sleeping at night had become nearly impossible. So when her mother offered to pick her up today after school, she felt a little annoyed but assumed it was because her mother wanted to talk.

"Hi hun, how was school?" Her mother asked when Amy got in the car and buckled her seatbelt.

"Fine." Amy lied.

It was anything but fine, if anything it was worse now. The whispers in her head and the nuns that followed and watched her, it was all starting to drain her. Today she even went into the bathroom at lunch time and ended up in a basement. It was only for a few minutes, the basement was full of burning victims that she assumed didn't make it out alive of the fire that happened at school in the late 60's. It was enough to scare her again.

Silence filled the car as her mother pulled out the parking spot and started to drive away. Amy didn't want to talk, she just wanted to close her eyes and rest.

"Amy, you know you can talk to me, about anything."

She heard her mother say, but Amy didn't reply, she was too tired. Even trying to form words seemed like too much effort right now.

Amy heard the rain come down, splatting against her window, it felt soothing and relaxing. Some time passed and Amy thought it was strange that they hadn't pulled up to Judy's school yet, so she opened her eyes and saw that her mother was driving a different route.

"Where are we going?" she asked, but her mother didn't answer, she just kept driving.

"Mum?" Amy tried again, looking around to see if she recognised anything "Mum where are we going?"

But her mother stayed silent.

"Amy.." the woman whispered as she appeared on the back seat "there's a suitcase here, she's taking you to the mental hospital."

Amy quickly turned her head to check for the suitcase and then turned to her mother.

"Mum! answer me, where are we going!?"

"I can't do this anymore Amy, it's too hard. Your father and I have given you so many opportunities to talk to us and you continue to push us away. So, we have decided you need help, professional help." her mother finally replied, turning the car onto a long road with big black gates. There was a sign on the side of a brick wall that read: "Monroe Psychiatric Hospital"

"No! Mum, I'm not crazy!" Amy yelled in panic but her mother just drove.

As they nearly pulled up to the building Amy saw two nurses and a doctor waiting near the front door.

"Mum, please!" Amy desperately tried, begging her mother to turn the car around.

"Amy?" her mother let out as Amy opened her eyes and gasped.

She looked at her mother and then out the car window, they were at Judy's school.

"I'm going to get your sister, I'll be right back." her mother smiled and got out the car.

Amy's eyes followed her mother as she walked through the car park and onto the school playground. She lifted her skirt up a tiny bit and dug her nails into her already marked skin and dragged them along her thighs. "I'm awake." she whispered to herself.

"I told you Amy, she wants to send you away." the woman appeared on the back seat.

"No, that wasn't real." Amy replies, keeping her eyes on her mother who just started talking to one of the mums.

"Then why is there a suitcase on the back seat?"