The Broken Crystal

Chapter One

"What's your name?" asked Dr. Miraiah and took a sip of her coffee. 

Crystal tried really hard not to look at her. God, she was thirsty. The water they had given her just a second ago, made her nothing but ill. She reminded herself that she was lucky. Talking was a hundred times better than lying on a cold metal table while people did things to her she couldn't control.  "C- Cry- stal."

The subject stammers while speaking, noted Dr. Miraiah.

Everything in the white room began to move, like it was performing a dance for her. The thirst became unbearable.

"Your last name." 

Crystal couldn't help herself: she looked at Dr. Miraiah, her eyes meeting the woman's hazel ones. The girl quickly lowered her head when the hate in the doctor's eyes became too strong for her to handle.

"I- I don't remember," Crystal said and frowned, looking down at her hands. She had remembered it perfectly a few minutes ago.

The subject does not know.

"Where are you?"

"I-well, I'm-"

The subject is confused.

"Do you know what's happening?"

The subject has started to cry.

"And that, Crystal, is the reason why you need to take your pills. Without them, you're going to be even more sick than you already are."

Crystal tried to stop her sobs, but putting her hand over her mouth did nothing to mute them, nor make them disappear. She felt embarrassed of her display of weakness, and also because of forgetting something so important as taking her pills.

"I apologize, madam. It won't happen again." She couldn't see any shapes anymore, everything became one big, colorful blur. A wolf with terrifying red eyes invaded her vision and all Crystal could do was scream and try to shield her face with her hands.

"Calm down," said Dr. Miraiah. She sounded highly irritated. Crystal instantly felt ashamed and lowered her hands. "I know that the hallucinations are worse than usual, but that's just what happens when you forget about the only thing you need to do here. You take your pills, and we do the rest."

All the tears that Crystal had managed to hold back surfaced and ran down her face in an unstoppable motion. There was nothing she could do but let them fall.

"I'm sorry. Thank you for trying to fix me," she breathed out between her sobs. "Thank you so much."

And that was the first time Crystal saw Dr. Miraiah smile. Well, not really smile. It looked more like a one sided smirk, where the left side was smiling, but the right remained expressionless.

"You're welcome," she replied and turned her head to the door, where two guards were standing. "Lead Crystal here back to her cell, and make sure she takes her pills." They nodded as they walked over to Crystal, grabbing her and lifting her off the chair she had been sitting on. She stumbled to her feet, the weight of the chains around her wrists throwing her off balance. One of the guards pushed her from behind, a sign to start walking. She did, sniffling slightly, still recovering from her moment of weakness. The guards opened the door and Crystal moved towards it.

Just as she was about to go through, Dr. Miraiah said: "Oh, and Crystal?"

Immediately, Crystal turned to look at her. "Yes, madam?"

The doctor brushed a black strand of hair behind her ear and Crystal couldn't help but think how beautiful Dr. Miraiah would've been, had she only smiled a little more.