Beautifully Insane

Chapter Three

       I've spent almost an hour in court listening to snobby, expensive lawyers going over the evidence to the twelve-person jury. The only thing I cared about out of this whole thing is would I be going to jail or a mental hospital and for how long? After the jury took about twenty minutes to agree on guilty, the judge announced, "Paige Bailey will be sent to Angelwood Asylum to serve her eight-year sentence."
I didn't know to be relieved or terrified. I guess in all reality there isn't much of a difference, I compared the two.
Don't worry. We will be there to protect you, Charlie reassured me.
      I'm scheduled for transportation from the local police station to Angelwood Asylum at three o'clock, thirty minutes, to be there for four o'clock. I placed my forehead on the cold, metal bars. "Chris, can I have half of that bagel your eating?" I asked Daly as I felt my stomach growling, "I haven't eaten anything all day."
"It's officer Daly to you Paige," Daly corrected me while giving me half of his bagel.
"Oh come on. I thought we were friends."
Daly shook his head. "Wrong," he smiled.
"Then why did you tell me that you were going to purpose to your girlfriend and ask if it would be too soon?"
Daly chuckled, "Alright you got me, but it's still Officer Daly to you."
"Yes sir," I saluted whole biting into the plan bagel with cream cheese.
I took a seat down in the metal bench on the side of the brick wall waiting to be moved to the Asylum. An officer switched the TV on to the news channel. A picture of a young man, no older than a few years, appeared on the screen. Short, jet black hair that made his fair skin seemed pale with his cornflower blue eyes made him look wicked. "After the brutal murders of countless people here in Green River, police finally arrested the man accountable, Mitch Wright, just a few hours ago. According to Dr. Price, Wright is mentally ill and is most likely going to serve his sentence in an asylum under heavy lock and key," the woman finished her segment with a big, fake smile. He's a handsome one, isn't he?" Shelly observed.
Yeah, I answered, but it's very unlikely I would see him face to face.
Daly unlocked my cell and slid the door open to the left of him. He put handcuffs on my wrists before escorting me out of the station and into his car. I couldn't help but worry about Angelwood Asylum, there is some real scary, insane people out there. I'm glad I have Charlie and Shelly on my side to help me through every step of the way.
     The traffic is backed up terribly due to construction, causing Daly to stop on the freeway. I could feel the people's eyes in the car to the left and right of me, staring into the tinted black windows. "Officer Daly, promise me you'll visit when you can. It will be good to see a familiar face every once in awhile," I confessed to him as I looked up at the grey, cloudy sky. "I promise. I can't believe I'm escorting a seventeen-year-old to one of the most dangerous asylums. Be careful would you. You're most likely going to be the youngest and the beautiful lest girl in the place."
"Don't worry Chris. I'm a lot tougher than I look."
Daly agreed and pressed his foot slightly on the gas petal to inch the cruiser forward.
    Daly drove up a long, narrow road that curved to the right up a small hill. My eyes widened at the sight of the beautiful, enormous, Victorian castle-like mansion that stood wide and tall. Everyone in town could fit inside here and then a seventy-person family. I hope it's even more appealing when I get inside, I wished.
The closer Daly drove, the easier it became to see bars attached on every higher-up window. The greatness of the building soon faded away once Daly stopped the engine. Daly helped me get me out of the car and onto my feet. "It's not too late to go to jail is it?" I asked not wanting to step foot in that place. "I'm sorry I got jealous and angry when I saw Jeremy kiss Lizzie and that he was cheating on me, I'm sorry I killed him and I'm sorry I even kind of liked it, just don't make me go on there," I rambled, "you think I'm crazy now, wait a couple months and I'll be insane than ever before," I added as Daly shut the door to the backseat of the cop car.
"Remember Paige, I'm going to visit you. Does every month sound good?" Daly asked while taking my bag of clothes from the trunk.
I took a deep breath and held it as I nodded. Daly chaperoned me to the door and rang the doorbell. A loud buzzing came from the other side of the double doors and the sound of a lock disengaging. Daly opened the door for me. I stepped inside to see a heavy man in a security uniform sitting down behind a computer with a cages door in front of me. I let out my breath. "You're going to be fine," Daly assured me as the cage door automatically opened with another loud buzz.
Daly knows what he's taking about, Charlie spoke.
"Alright," I whispered to the both of them and walked through the door.
Daly and I walked into a nicely decorated main foyer. As we stood in the middle, a grand, wooden staircase was in front of us, bright lights placed all around. The air smelt of sweat and urine masked by flowers. Daly walked behind me and removed the cuffs from my wrists. I heard heels tapping on the floor as someone approached Daly and I from the left of us. Daly and I looked over to see Dr. Rosario. "Follow me," Dr. Rosario told us as she started to go up the stairs. She looked at me. "I know this place seems scary, but I can assure you that you will be happy here."
"Paige will be safe here, correct?" Daly asked.
"Very, and considering her age and how fragile she is, we will take extra precautions," Dr. Rosario answered as she opened a door while looking at me, "this is your room."
I took a small step inside the white painted room big enough for a bed, a dresser with a small mirror above it, and a desk. Daly handed me my bag. "I got to go. I'll visit soon," Daly promised before leaving me alone with Dr. Rosario.
Dr. Rosario gently took the bag away from me, "We need to make sure that everything in this bag is safe for you and the patients, such as strings, wires in the bras, things like that."
    A couple of minutes before it was time for dinner, Dr. Rosario showed me around on our way to get myself something in my stomach. They had what was called the 'play room' where patients can go to play board games, cards, checkers, and chess. Bingo is every Thursday. Winner gets an extra hour of TV time. A library with all kinds of books by all kinds of authors from around the world. A movie room where they show a movie every Friday night and serve popcorn and gummy snacks, and a gardening room. Dr. Rosario showed me the dinning room. "I'll check up on you after lunch," Dr. Rosario informed me.
I took a deep breath to keep myself calm from being in a room with mentally ill people, and there was a lot of them. I inched my way over to the counters that separated the dinning room and the kitchen. "Aren't you a pretty one," I heard a man creepily compliment me in a low, whispery voice.
I pretended not to hear him as his voice made my heart beat rapidly out of fear and faxed on the counter to see pasta made. "Would you like sauce or butter?" An older African American man asked me with pearl white teeth.
"Butter please," I answered. "Sauce makes my stomach upset."
The man put butter on top of the angel hair and mixed it for me. "There you go," the man trailed off unsure of what to call me.
"Paige," I introduced myself while gently taking the plate into my hands.
"Philip," the man acquainted himself.
"Do I take a seat anywhere?"
"Anywhere you like," Philip answered.
I thanked Philip before walking away to sit in the farthest seat to the right. I picked up my fork and twirled it around for the noddles to wrap themselves around each other. I smelt it. It smells okay, I observed as I poked the buttery pasta with my tongue. Do you think it's safe to eat? I asked Charlie.
They will save their murderous attempts for when you act out, Charlie answered.
Remind me to never get on their bad side, I told him and took a bite.
    A plate was put down in front of me as I was half way finished with my meal. I looked up to see a woman with dark brown, messy hair and bold, brown eyes. "I'm Jan," the woman introduced herself to me.
"Pa—"
"I wasn't talking to you; I was talking to the man behind you."
I looked over my shoulder to see no one there.
"Got you! As you were saying?"
Does this person have a mentality of a five-year-old? I asked myself. "Paige."
"It's nice to meet you. I'm Jan. Do you want to play chess with me?"
"Don't you want to finish eating?" I asked chewing the last bit of my food.
"This isn't mine. Come on," Jan said grabbing my hand and pulling me out of the dining room.
      Jan is a kind, lovely lady, but playing chess with her is a joke. Jan kept forgetting where she had moved her pieces or moved them carelessly. It made me thing that Jan liked the idea of playing chess, without know how it all worked. I gave Jam props for trying. Jan moved the farthest pawn to the left up a space, leaving her queen wide open. I didn't want to be harsh and so I decided to move my bishop close to the queen trying to give Jan a warning. Jan did the opposite of what I hoped she would do, she moved the queen closer to the bishop. Oh my goodness! I wanted to scream.
Just take her queen, Charlie suggested.
There would be no way of taking the bishop or any of my pieces for that matter if I do take her queen, I observed and took Jan's queen off the board. Jan put her king and moved him one space diagonally. This game was tortured. I located my knight in the Jan's king's place in order to claim victory of the match. "Good game," I politely lied to Jan before standing up.
"Want to go again?"
"That's alright. One game was enough for my brain," I responded honestly and made my way back to my new room. 
    I stared out the window as I laid on my left side. By the lighting of the night sky, I could have guessed that it was about eleven o'clock. As mush as I tried to sleep, my body wouldn't let me. My mind was clear, my stomach was full, my bladder was empty, and the bed is surprisingly comfortable. What's the matter?" Charlie asked me.
"Nothing is bothering me," I truthfully answered him. "It's probably because I haven't fully adjusted to this place."
Could be.
"What's the point of an asylum anyway? The longer you stay, the more insane you'll get from stepping through the door. It's not like the people here actually care about what happens. Well maybe everyone beside Philip, he seems like he genuinely cares."
Sounds like you made a few friends in the short time you arrived, Charlie observed.
I smiled and shut my eyes. My ears started to pick up muffling cries coming from both sides of the room. "I hope I get used to it I don't hear it anymore," I whispered tiredly to myself.