Cotard Curse (#Wattys2016)

Chapter 4

"I originally called you up here for a good reason, but seeing you just then showed me that I need to mention something else. Would you like good or bad news first?" 

Nichole was slightly taken aback. She sat taller in her seat, feeling smaller across from Jared. Was he always this intimidating? 

"I guess I'll take the bad before the good," Nichole replied, choking on her own words. 

Jared stood up, walking back to his desk as he started talking. "That's good, the bad is the quickest. I heard when you dropped Number Nine off at the cafeteria you called him by his real name. I have already told you, so this'll be your last warning about the subject. I don't care what you believe, this is the way it is. Have I made myself clear enough about the issue?" 

Nichole disagreed with all her heart and there was no way she would call him by anything but 'Alec'. However, she was smart enough to know that she would be fired if she ever said this aloud. "Did I? I'm so sorry, it must've been a slip of the tongue. I'll make sure I don't do it again, the last thing I want to do is look like I'm disrespecting you or the ward," Nichole lied. 

Jared looked extremely pleased with her answer. All feelings of intimidation he gave Nichole melted away as he smiled and sat back down across from her. "That's good to hear! It happens to the best of us, remember to just be a little more careful. Now, onto the good news!" 

Nichole smiled in relief and he continued. "Joy, from the cafeteria staff, came to me and told me all about how you were able to convince Number Nine to actually eat his food. Joy was extremely impressed. She told me that her and other staff were bewildered to why you hadn't been hired as actual staff yet. And while it's against my beliefs to hire someone so quickly..." He paused. "It's in my... best interest that I'm going to hire you." 

Nichole could tell the man wasn't pleased at this and that she was only being hired for the sake of his appearance to the other staff. While it displeased Nichole that she wasn't being employed on her own merits, she would take the job any way she could get it. 

"Thank you so much! You have no idea how much this means to me," Nichole started, but Jared waved her off. 

"Yeah, yeah; what are your bank details?" Nichole stuttered before bring out her credit card and giving him all her information. He was in a flurry and quickly pushed her out of the room. 

"Cafeteria just finished, time for community group. Head straight to the community hall," Jared told her before shutting the door. Nichole looked around the hall, expecting something more. Nothing happened. 

She sighed, smiling before quickly making her way to the community hall. There was a series of chairs with patients scattered around the circle. Some sat on the floor even though there was an empty chair right behind them, but Nichole didn't notice it to be out of the ordinary.

A psychiatrist who sat in the circle started going around and introducing everyone and Nichole silently took a seat near Alec. He didn't see her come in, he was too busy staring out the window to see her sit down. Nichole sat, watching the session in wonder as the psychiatristgot the patients to start talking about their worries, while the others listened to their stories. 

One little girl started crying in the middle and she was escorted away for a glass of water. Nichole saw a boy and girl hold hands the entire way through the session, only holding on tighter when the social workers tried to pull them apart. A boy started touching another boy's hair and they giggled. 

However, Alec didn't see any of it. He did absolutely nothing, the circle quickly skipping him when it was ever his time to join in. A few times Nichole had to focus on him to see if he was even breathing.