ANATHEMA

chapter fourteen: ride

A week passed, and everyone was buzzing about the trip into town.

"We should get each other presents," Ashley exclaimed one day at breakfast. "We can hide them from Dr. Urie and we'll give them to each other on actual Christmas."

"Yeah!" Josh cried, a smile breaking his features. "Yeah, that sounds nice."

"Well, what do you guys want?" I asked the three of them.

"No, no no," Ashley stated, putting up a finger. "You have to guess what we want, no telling anybody what you want, okay?"

I let out a sarcastic sigh, groaning, "Fine."

When the weekly group session came around, Dr. Urie skipped us talking about our feelings and started distributing warmer clothes than the thin ones we were given.

"Make sure you keep these on, alright?" Dr. Urie called to everyone, sounding like a worried mother. "We may be in sunny California, but it's a cold one out there today."

There weren't many of us who were going; the hospital had many tenants, but Dr. Urie was only responsible for the few who weren't criminally insane and dangerous. I guess that's sort of comforting.

We still had to take two trips. The hospital only had one van; it was big and white and filled with soft, gray seats, with the Metropolitan State Hospital logo stamped proudly across the side.

"We'll get on the first one," Ashley said, wrapping her arm around Josh's. "So, we can get a head start." She sent me a wink and a giggle, then dragged Josh onto the van. Josh tried to twist around and wave with his free hand.

"I'm, like, 98% certain they have a thing," Tyler said from behind me.

"Oh, I have no doubt. They don't hide it very well," I laughed, turning to face him. He was grinning, too.

"So, what are you gonna get me?" I asked him, crossing my arms.

"I'm not telling you! Who do you think I am!?" Tyler exclaimed, crossing his own arms right back at me.

I sighed sarcastically, saying, "Well, I was gonna tell you what I'm getting you, but I guess I won't now." Tyler just groaned and pouted like a toddler. I laughed at his child-like expression and said, "Come on, let's go."

The ride into town felt almost like a dream. I hadn't been in a vehicle in so long, I had forgotten about the rumble of the spinning tires I was sitting over and the scenery that would flash by as we drove past and how every time we would drive around a corner, I would either lean onto Tyler or he would lean into me and my skin would tingle wherever his would graze mine and I don't know why but I just let it happen.

Soon, we were dropped off at a little town square.

"Alright, guys," Dr. Urie said, clapping his hands together to get everyone's attention. "Just a reminder that the town is surrounded with guards, and there's one in every shop, every restaurant, every park bench. Running will be met with a heavy consequence."

Looking around, I noticed that Josh and Ashley were nowhere to be seen. The guards were doing a real good job, then.

"If you look in the right inner pocket of your coats, you'll find enough money for lunch, dinner, and whatever else you need or want to purchase," Dr. Urie directed. Sure enough, I pulled out a shiny, blue credit card. "There's also gloves and earmuffs in the left pocket for when it gets later and colder. But, that's all I've got to say, so go, have fun!"

Everybody dispersed, ducking into different stores and restaurants.

"So, what do you wanna do first?" I asked Tyler.

His response was almost immediate, "Taco Bell."

"Really?"

"I haven't been in awhile, man."

"Alright, then, let's go get Taco Bell, you weirdo."

/~/

"Is that Dr. Ross?" I ask suddenly, pointing. Tyler and I had sat at the little bar in front of the large front window, able to see anything. "There in front of that motel."

"Huh," Tyler said, squinting to try and see better. "I suppose so."

"And is that...Dr. Urie?" I asked. "Wait, are they..."

We watched the two doctor lookalikes duck into the motel they were standing in front of.

"Oh."

"Oh."

We left promptly afterwards.

Luckily, we found the music store we were praying for fairly close to the Taco Bell.

I felt like I was in heaven.

The walls were literally covered in instruments, ranging from Gibson guitars to basses to ukuleles to banjos to mandolins to any other stringed instrument you could imagine. In the far back was a drum set, complete with a giant gong behind it and tambourines scattered around it. There were little displays in the middle of the store, holding smaller instruments like harmonicas and kazoos and things like picks and tuners and music books. There were even stands holding CDs and vinyl records and radios and record players.

"I think I'm in heaven. I think I've died and gone to heaven," I murmured, completely awestruck at the sight of everything.

"Me, too," Tyler said, looking like he was in a daze.

I left his side and made my way to the records. Flipping through them, I found all of my old favorite bands' records; Nirvana's, 'Nevermind', Green Day's, 'American Idiot', Sum 41's, 'Chuck', Joy Division's , 'Unknown Pleasures', the list going on and on.

"You know, I wanted to be in a band," Tyler said, walking up next to me. "I wanted to make music and help people."

"You still could," I try to encourage him. "You could get out, get started, I don't-"

"No, I'm stuck here," Tyler said with a sigh. "I lost that dream years ago, anyways."

"Well," I said, turning and facing him. "You can still make music. You can still help people. I know from experience that you can do both of those things. You may not be able to get out into the world right now, but I don't think the world would be ready for your kind of music, anyways."