Asylum - The Case of Sophia Rourke

Chapter Eleven

Later that night, I was feeling better and I wasn't in a bad mood. It was a rather quiet night- all the patients went to sleep early, except the ones who didn't sleep at all. I was awake, writing in my grandfather's journal. I hadn't seen him or any of my other dead friends in time.

There was a knock on my window, causing me to jump out of my seat. I could see a hand on the glass. I'm so far off the ground! Who could possibly have climbed up here? I panicked internally. I walked over to the window. I saw a girl, looking to be only a few years younger than me, staring directly up at me. There was blood dripping from her forehead, which caused me to open the window by instinct.

I pulled her inside, her weight being barely anything. Right away, I knew one thing- she was not from the asylum. She had long, brown hair and blue eyes, and the first thing that came to my mind was that she looked very similar to me. She had a thin frame and was very pale. She was wearing what looked to be a dress, but I couldn't tell. As soon as her body hit the floor, she scrambled to her feet, out of breath.

"Who are you?" I demanded. The girl looked at me, fear in her eyes.

"I'm from the children's asylum downtown," she replied, shaking.

"What is your name?" I asked, ignoring her statement but keeping it in my mind.

"M-My name is S-Sophia. Sophia Rourke."

"Why are you here?"

"They hurt me there," she whimpered. "They hurt me like I'm some sort of toy."

I wasn't even concerned to the fact that I had no idea who she was. The only thing on my mind was the name- Sophia. It rang a bell in my brain, but I didn't know why.

"Why did you come here, though?"

She shivered. "I'm an orphan. I don't know my mom, but I know my dad. He left me at the doorstep of an orphanage, but I was diagnosed with some schizophrenia crap and they put me in an asylum." She spoke very fluently and passionately.

"Schizophrenia, huh?"

"Yeah. I'm going to be sent to the adult's asylum when I turn twenty-one. What... What about you?"

I wasn't expecting her to ask anything about me. "Adelaide Fortman. I own this place."

She jumped backwards.

"I don't abuse my patients, Sophia."

She relaxed.

"I was a patient at Kingston Asylum," I told her. I took a cloth out from a drawer and wiped the blood off her head. She flinched, but I could tell she was slowly trusting me.

"R-Really?"

"Yeah. They hurt me few times."

"They hurt me a lot."

That made me want to get that asylum shut down immediately- and I knew I could do it. I decided not to say that at the time. "You are welcome to come here anytime you're in danger. Now, tell me a bit about why you're in the asylum."

"Because I'm crazy, I guess."

"That's what they said about me." I paused. "Do you see shadows?"

Her face lit up and her eyes widened. "Yes! Do you?"

"To this day, yes."

"Wow... I'm not alone," she smiled.

"Never. You're never alone."

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After hours, I was still talking to Sophia. It was like we'd known each other for years. It was to the point that we knew almost everything about each other.

We got on to the topic of our childhoods.

"My mom was pretty, that's all I remember," Sophia told me. "I look like her."

"My mom was great, but she abandoned me. I hated my father. He killed animals for a living, and he's the biggest asshole I've ever met."

Sophia laughed. "My dad was strange."

The journal fell off my desk, causing the room to go silent. I picked it up, then put it in my lap.

"What's that?" Sophia asked.

"My grandfather's journal." I opened it up. A new page started to fill.

Good evening, my darling. I see you have met Miss Sophia Rourke. You might as well lay this book on the floor so I can tell a story to the both of you.

My eyes were wide as I set the book down. Sophia looked at me like I was crazy. Then, the words on the page began to be read aloud by a voice I recognized well- Grandpa.

I know neither of you remember it. I also know that you both are wondering why you feel as if you've known each other your whole lives. You do have a connection that you do not know of- and that's what I'm here to tell. Adelaide Fortman, your mother had an affair with another man years after you were born. Sophia Rourke, your father had an affair with a married woman. That is your connection. You are half-sisters. Both being sent to asylums is bizarre, yet it happened. You both have the same mother, who obviously wasn't satisfied with Adelaide's father at the time. You both see the shadows. You both were abandoned. You both thought it was all over- you'd lost your families, friends, and lives.

Adelaide, it is your job to assure that Sophia escapes the asylum. Sophia, you must trust her. The 'insane' runs in our family.

Sophia, if you do not know who I am, I am your grandfather who passed away in Kingston asylum many years ago. I won't go into detail about my death, because I'm sure that that scene has been included in your dreams.

Yours and Adelaide's brains are programmed very similarly. She, too, sees the shadows.

The book slammed shut on its own. Sophia's expression was a mix of confusion, fear, and sadness. I was used to all the spirits speaking to me, especially Grandpa, but I certainly wasn't prepared for what he had to tell us. Because of my friends and I, Kingston Asylum shut down. Could I do that again?

Sophia stood up, and I did too. Without a moment of hesitation, we hugged each other. It was like a missing part of me was finally renewed, just like how I'd felt when I kissed Thomas. I guess that's when I realized that the feeling I was feeling was love.