ANATHEMA

chapter thirteen: message man

The next day was group session day. Dr. Urie had explained beforehand that it was going to be a very important meeting, and he wanted to see everybody there.

He had looked pointedly at Josh and Ashley when he said that part. The two had been caught skipping and hiding in a broom closet during the last meeting and were put in solitary for a couple days.

"So, what do you think the oh-so-important meeting will be about?" Ashley asked at breakfast.

"I hope it's about Christmas. We haven't been able to take a trip in so long," Josh said, spooning cereal into his mouth.

"Wait, is it already December?" I asked. My sense of time had been seriously messed up in here, but I didn't think I had been in here for that long.

"Nah, it's next week," Ashley said, stealing some of Josh's biscuit. "I think, at least. It's been awhile since I watched the news."

Dr. Urie answered that question in the first sentence he said, saying, "In three days, the month of December will start. Does anybody know what special holiday December holds?"

"In twenty-five days, the Sun shall expand and explode, engulfing our world in flames, bringing about the death of all," somebody across the circle from me said.

"Now, Pete, we've talked about this," the doctor chided. "The world isn't going to end."

"Alright," the man sighed, leaning back in his chair. "But, don't come crying to me and begging me to enter my secret bunker when fire starts raining from the sky."

"Alright, I'll keep that in mind," Dr. Urie said with a slight smile. "Anyways; The answer is Christmas!" At this, everybody started murmuring.

"Calm down, calm down," the doctor laughed. "As some of you older patients may know, we here at Metropolitan State will occasionally leave the hospital and go into town to go shopping! We've had to put that on hold for a few years, since we've had some unreliability, but I believe that we should be able to do so for Christmas this year."

The murmurs grew into excited babbling, with people already shouting out what they were gonna buy for themselves.

"The catch is," Dr. Urie said with a smirk, holding up a finger, "you have to purchase something for a friend or family member. We're not technically allowed to let you buy yourself things. We'll be mailing them out a week before actual Christmas."

Everybody sighed, some grumbling at the loss of possible cigarettes or hidden weapons.

"Sorry, guys. Shall we actually start our group session for this week?"

Everybody mostly complained about their Christmas present loss.

/~/

"Are you going to get anything for anybody?" I asked Tyler as we walked back to the music room together.

"I'm not sure," he sighed. "I haven't actually seen any of my family since I came here, and I didn't have any friends out there, anyways."

"Yeah, same," I say, sitting at the piano bench like normal.

"Maybe I'll go just to get some fresh air, you know?" Tyler said, sitting right next to me, like normal. "Get some inspiration for a new song."

"Yeah, I'll probably do the same," I said, slowly wiping the dust from the cover over the keys. "I don't think my parents care that I've gone. They're probably celebrating, to be honest."

Tyler looked to me with a sad expression, then laid his head on my shoulder.

"I'm sorry your life kind of sucks," Tyler states suddenly.

I laughed through my nose, and replied, "I'm sorry yours kind of sucks, too."

We stayed like that for a while, brainstorming different present ideas.

"Do you think they'll have a music store?" Tyler asked me.

"I hope so," I said with a slight smile. "I'd stay there the entire time, honestly."

"I would, too," he said. "We should, like, buddy up, or something. Like how they do in elementary school, you know?" I laughed and nodded, feeling his hair brush against the skin of my neck.

"Yeah, we'll do that," I said.

"Josh and Ashley can come with us if they want to, but they'll probably buddy up and run away to a bar, or somethin'," Tyler said quietly.

"Do you want to invite them with us? Or-"

"N-No, they've probably already planned something out," Tyler stuttered, sitting up and looking to his feet.

"Alright," I said, glancing over at him. His face was burning red, and his brown eyes were wide and staring at the ground.

"Ooh!" I exclaimed, trying to break the silence and change the subject. "Do you think there'll be a bookstore?"

/~/

Sure enough, the next day, Josh and Ashley began planning their day out of the hospital.

"Okay, so, if we have to, we're gonna skip a town over to find a shitty bar and get drinks. I haven't had anything
but water for an entire year, man, I need alcohol," Ashley moaned, slumped over in her seat.

"Didn't you just turn twenty-one a few months ago?" I asked her.

"I mean, yeah, but I obviously don't follow the rules very often, considering I'm here," she said.

"Touché."

"I feel you, man," Josh said, nodding at everything she said. "Yeah, and maybe they'll even have something like, uh, go karts or laser tag or something, I don't know."

"We're just going into town, Josh, not Disney World," Ashley laughed.

"I know! I'm just saying!" he cried out, throwing up his hands.

"I hope you don't mind me saying I'll skip on the bar-hopping," I sighed, smirking at the two across from me. "I've had some bad experience with alcohol, I'd like to not see that repeat."

"Ophelia, that's perfectly okay," Ashley said seriously, her soft hand reaching across the table and holding my own. "Tyler doesn't drink, either, so you two will stay together. Just don't snitch, alright?" I let out a small giggle, but nodded anyways.

Josh and Ashley kept talking of all the things they wanted to do on their one day out. Josh kept going extreme, talking of concerts and roller coasters, with Ashley denying his every request.

I soon felt a piece of paper float onto my thigh. I looked down to see Tyler's hand go back to his lap.

I picked up the scrap of paper and read, 'Music store?'

I smiled to myself, and wrote back;

'Music store.'