Asylum For Aisling

Chapter 7

As Rylie and I made our way down the hall, I couldn't help but let my mind wander.

What was she going to do this time? How harsh was my punishment going to be? The questions swirled around and attacked my thoughts. I began to picture and relive all my past reprimands, anxiety building with each one. The panic started to trickle through every fiber of my being. My muscles were tensing in apprehension and my breathing picked up quickly. I didn't want to face her. I couldn't.

"Aisling, are you okay?" Rylie asked calmly. He was probably still shaken up from the scene back in Harry's room.

My breathing kept catching in my throat as I attempted to form sentences, "I-I yeah. I'm totally fine. No, really. I'm good."

"You don't sound that way..." He trailed off.

I glance over at him to see his eyes glued to the ground. He probably knew that I was staring at him, but wouldn't lift his head. I still made him uneasy. Good.

"Rylie, have you actually met Sister Elizabeth yourself, or did Doc tell you to retrieve me for her?"

"Doc told me that she needed to see you." He muttered.

"So, you do not have the slightest clue just how fucking psychotic she is? I mean, you're never going to have to feel her wrath for anything, so it's not like it makes a difference. Let's just say when you pick me up from her 'office', I will be a totally different person." I didn't sound mad or upset, just accepting.

It took me quite a few trips to her 'office' to really understand that there was no fighting it. You had to take the punishment and go. After a while, I accepted my fate when I was called down to her 'office'. Of course, I fought them kicking and screaming the whole trip there, but as soon as the door was closed behind me, I went limp.

Rylie's voice was barely audible when he said, "I really am sorry, Aisling."

His eyes lifted from the ground to lock onto my astonished face. Doc said similar things to me, but Rylie sounded sincere. Not only sincere, but he also said it not to try to convince or comfort me, but because he truly meant it.

It was a pleasant change.

He stopped walking and looked at me expectantly. A tiny frown graced my lips and my eye brows drew together. I turned my head to the left to see the words: Sister Elizabeth. Her plaque was just to the side of her door, and I knew that my journey ended. Rylie tried to conjure up a reassuring smile, but I only grimaced in response.

Time to face my doom.

I bounced on the balls of my feet for a minute before doing the inevitable.

I placed my hand on the knob and twisted it until a click alerted me that I could walk through. I took a deep breath, and stepped inside. I glanced back at Rylie over my shoulder and he nodded, eyes glued to the door. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair, tugging at the ends frantically. Maybe if I got around him, I could make a break for it and hide in a room somewhere. They would never find me in some random patient's room, and if they did, it would take them hours. I just had to get around him...

"Aisling..." He was warning me. Of course I couldn't get around him now. He knew I was scheming, so I had no

choice.

I pushed the door open, unnecessarily slamming it against the wall. My nerves were at an all time high, ceasing all normal functions. My breathing was more like gasping, I couldn't stop bouncing on the balls of my feet, and my eyes scanned over the room worriedly.

"Ah, Aisling. I'm glad you could make it." Sister Elizabeth's voice sounded inviting, but her face read 'I am so ready to rip your throat out'.

With my eyes still darting around the room, I noticed a metal tub that was surrounded by a wired fence. In case you were wondering, the room was huge. Her 'office' could take up the space of about six rooms. Like I said, huge. This room was referred to as her 'office', but it was more of a torture chamber. She had various tools that lined up the walls, inflicting different levels of pain. None of them looked that serious, but that was just for show. I flinched at the sight of a few of them, knowing just how painful those specific ones could be.