The Broken Crystal

Chapter Two

When Crystal finally returned back to the real world, she realized that her eyes were fixed on the stranger. She had probably been staring at him for a while now. The awkwardness she was feeling over being such a creep multiplied when she realized that the boy was perfectly aware of her gaze. Still, she couldn't lay her eyes of him. There was something different about him, he had a special spark, one she had never seen in any of the other patients she had encountered.

The boy finally decided to look up at her and when he did, Crystal almost gasped at the intensity of his eyes. They were green, shining so bright she felt like covering her face.

When he saw her, his green orbs lit up with hope. He began to crawl towards the bars separating their cells. The closer he got, the more Crystal pressed herself backwards, as if the wall would fall if she just gave enough pressure. "Hey, you! Do you know what's happening? Is this some kind of joke?"

Crystal's eyes widened, but she kept her promise and said nothing. The boy frowned a little at her behavior, but then he laughed, as if he just had realized something. "This is a joke! My mates are trying to fool me aren't they?" He looked up to the ceiling like someone was watching and said: "Haha! Very funny, guys, you can let me out now."

What is he doing? Crystal eyed him cautiously, afraid he would start banging the walls again. He didn't, though. Instead he just sat there, grinning at the ceiling. After probably two minutes, his smile washed away. It took him some more time to finally replace it with a frown. "Shit, this isn't a joke."

His next movements were unusually quick. The stranger jumped to his feet and curled his hands around the bars that separated his cell from Crystal's. His eyes looked crazed as he spoke. "Where am I? How do I get out?"

Crystal didn't answer, which seemed to make him more agitated. He slammed himself against the bars. "Answer me!"

Although she truly wanted to do anything to stop him from screaming again, Crystal wasn't capable of uttering a single word. Instinctively, she covered at his demanding voice, a small whimper escaping her mouth.

The stranger stood still for a moment, but it didn't take long until he spoke again: "It's okay, sorry, I'm not gonna hurt you." His tone turned soft, as if he was talking to a child. He seemed to have realized that screaming was the wrong approach. The boy continued on, hands in the air. "I just want to know where I am. Do you think you can tell me that?"

Crystal still didn't say anything.

The sudden realization that he most likely wouldn't get any answers out of her seemed to drag him down. He looked so different now, sitting in the corner of his cell with his shoulders hunched.

"Please?" he said, his eyes pleading. This was the last attempt to make the girl say something, anything. "I just want to know what's happening."

Crystal knew this feeling all too well. It overwhelmed her every single time she lay on that metal table. Besides, the stranger looked so miserable that Crystal began to wonder if he really was clueless of where he was or if it was just a way to get her to talk. The thought made her reconsider breaking the promise she had made. It wouldn't hurt to inform him?

Making up her mind, she cleared her throat and said: "You're in a mental institution."

His head perked up, had she spoken to him? Then the words registered in his mind and his brow furrowed. "What? Why? I'm not insane."

Crystal cocked her head to the side, frowning. "You wouldn't be here if you weren't."

The boy's fists clenched by his side and Crystal could practically feel the anger pulsing in him. "Then they must have made a mistake!"