I woke up in my own room. A doctor or nurse or somebody must have taken me to my bed after they sedated me.
Almost everything of the past day came back to me in an instant.
I sat straight up and jammed my hands into my pockets, searching for the scrap of paper I had shoved in them when I left the ward yesterday. I felt the crinkled paper come in contact with my fingers, instantly taking it out and rereading it a thousand times.
'I will tell you, "I love you," but the muffs on your ears will cater your fears.'
I picked up my pillow and squished it against my face. I could practically scream from how happy I currently was.
Tyler loved me.
I don't know how, why, or when, but he loved me. That's what he said when I though I heard him say something when I put my earmuffs on.
I had always felt a certain...warm feeling when I was with him. I just thought that was what happened when you were with a friend; you were happy and ecstatic just to be with them.
But, I didn't feel the same way when I was alone with Josh or Ashley. Yes, they made me happy and I loved hanging out with them, but I didn't feel the exact same.
My thoughts were interrupted by a loud knocking on my door.
I stood as Kenny opened my door, saying that I'm required to go to every meal now. He said Dr. Ross wanted me to eat more, but I knew it was because he wanted me taking the pills.
I followed him outside my own room, trudging slowly to the cafeteria.
When I arrived, I saw Josh and Ashley were just dumping their trays.
"Oh, hey, Ophelia!" Ashley called to me when she saw me.
"Hey, guys. You done eating?" I ask them.
"Yeah, we're going for a walk outside. Do you want to come with?" Josh asked, gesturing to a door that apparently was the exit to an outdoor area (yet another place that Dr. DeLonge failed to show me).
"I can't," I sighed. "My doctor wants me eating more, it'll probably help me."
They nodded in understanding and waved goodbye.
No mention of Tyler ever came up.
I sat in my spot with a new tray of food and a cup filled with different (most likely stronger) pills. I sat in thought as I ate my breakfast.
I jumped when I heard somebody slam their tray down in front of me. Looking up, I saw someone new sat in front of me. Well, I didn't know if he were new to the hospital, but he was new to me.
"Hi," he chirped. He smiled widely, showing dull teeth but practically shining with...friendliness.
He seemed like he genuinely wanted to talk to me.
"U-Um, hi," I muttered slowly. I took in his appearance; he reminded me of a mouse, honestly. He had a pointy nose and messy, brown hair and beady eyes.
"Oh, sorry," he said, leaning back and holding up his hands. "I'm Mark, your new illusion."
I could feel my heartbeat come to a stop, my senses becoming numb.
"I-I'm sorry?" I asked him, my voice breaking.
"Mark, my name's Mark," he said. "I'm introducing myself, so you-"
"No, I got that," I snapped. "What do you mean by, 'new illusion'?"
"Exactly what it sounds like," Mark said. The smile left his face and he straightened. "First, there was Melanie. Now, it's me. Who knows who the next one will be."
My mouth fell open.
"B-But...S-Strings, I-"
"We're all Strings. Can't you see that?" he taunted.
"Prove it," I demanded. This Mark guy could be another crazy person that was admitted to the hospital.
'And he somehow knows all of my previous hallucinations?' a voice in the back of my mind whispered. I chose to ignore it.
"Alright," Mark said with a shrug. He held up his left hand.
Black puppet strings sprouted from his finger tips and wound their way up to the ceiling.
Every nerve in my body was telling me not to look up, not to look at where the strings were leading up to.
I did, anyways.
The ceiling tiles were gone. They had swung upwards, like the lid of a box that had opened.
A giant Strings was looking into the box that was the cafeteria, laughing their horrendous laugh. In their hand was a marionette puppet control. They twitched and threw and swung the control, making Mark's fingers do the same.
Strings laughed once more, their voice booming, "Loony Lia, Loony Lia."
They dropped the ceiling back to where it was supposed to be, creating a loud bang of noise.
I jumped...
and then I woke up.
It was just a dream.
"Oh, my God..." I muttered to myself, running my hands over my eyes.
"What's happening to me?"
/~/
I decided to skip breakfast; my appetite had surprisingly left me.
I made my way to the medical ward, only really wanting to see one person.
I had hoped maybe Tyler wouldn't remember what he had said or what he had given me last night; he was a little delirious and exhausted when we last spoke.
I entered the ward without being stopped, which I was thankful for. The curtain that had surrounded Tyler was gone, as well, so I was able to see him almost immediately when I opened the door.
He was the only one, sitting up in his cot with his notebook in hand and his pencil in his other.
He looked up when he heard me enter, softly saying, "Ophelia? What are you-"
I cut him off, saying, "I'm not sure what's real anymore, but I am certain about one thing."
"Wh-What do you mean...?" he asked when I had reached the foot of his bed. His eyes were widened and he looked...excited. He knew what I meant, that fucker.
I closed the distance between us, planting my lips on his, silencing his next words.
/lmao anyways
i'm changing the story's title to, 'anathema'!! don't be alarmed if u see an aesthetically pleasing book in your library that you don't remember putting in your library, it just me.
also this story is coming to an end and i'm not sure what i'm gonna do next lmao we'll see!!!
YOU ARE READING
ANATHEMA
Fanfictionwon't you go to someone else's dreams? won't you go to someone else's head? haven't you taken enough from me? won't you torture someone else's sleep? a tyler joseph fanfic