"Good morning, Aria" The man says, entering her room.
"Good morning" She replies, putting her doll down on the bed, continuing to brush it's hair.
"It's time for your medication" He tells her and she sighs.
"I don't want any" She looks over at him with the corner of her eye.
"You have to take these if you want to get better" He dumps four pills out of the bottle into his hand and places them on the side table.
"What if I don't want to get better?" She asks, finally making eye contact with the man.
"Why wouldn't you want to get better?" He questions, handing her the small cup of water.
She takes it and looks down into the cup. The water was so clear that she could see her own reflection, almost like a mirror. They didn't let her have mirrors here at the Radley. She might break the glass and slice her wrists, just like last time.
"There's nothing to live for" She replies.
"There is always something to live for" He says, picking the pills back up in his hand and sitting on the side of her bed. "Please take these. Your parents would want you to"
She winced at the thought of her parents. The same ones who were dead from the car crash. The same crash she should have died from with them.
"You don't know what my parents would want. You don't anything about them or me" She snaps back.
"Aria, I know I don't know much about you, but I'm going to guess" He starts. "I believe you had a nice family and a nice group of friends, correct?"
She nods. "Yeah"
"Well, I suppose you had a hobby or two. Maybe a sport?" He shrugs his shoulders.
"Photography" She mumbles, but just loud enough for him to hear.
"Photography, that's nice" He replies
"You don't have to be nice to me. We all know you could care less about me and you're only doing this because you get payed everyday to do it" She rolls her eyes.
"I do care about you, Aria. Anything else?" He questions.
"I used to write too" She finally tells him after moments of hesitation.
"I know it's against policy but I'm going to get you something I think you'll enjoy" He tells her, getting off the bed and walking to the door. "Your pills are there. I expect them to be gone by the time I get back. I'm trusting you to take them"
She watches him exit the room and the door shuts behind him. She leans over and grabs the pills in her hand, squeezing them as if they'll just disappear and she'll go and see her parents again. She finally slips the pills into her mouth, one by one, letting them slide down her throat.
"Mom, Dad" She looks out the window where everything looked so bright and lively. "I miss you so much. I can't do this anymore. I can't do any of this without you. I only took the pills because the doctor told me that it would make you proud of me and that you'd want me to have a life. I don't think I'll ever have a life without you. I don't think I'll ever be able to live again"
She looks down at the doll and then closes her eyes, imagining her smiling parents in their kitchen. They would dance to the music while they made breakfast or dinner while she would sit at the counter, writing or looking at her pictures. They were the ones who liked that she wanted a pink stripe in her hair and that she wanted to have a big family one day. They liked everything about her, except they wouldn't like what she'd become.
"Aria" Someone's voice called, which snapped her out of her day dreams. "I have something for you"
She opens her eyes and looks up at the doctor who was holding a paper bag in his outstretched hand.
"For me?" She questions and he nods his head.
She takes the bag out of his hand and opens the bag slowly. She pulls out a disposable camera and inspects it.
"I thought that since you like photography that you could take some pictures and I'd get them developed for you maybe once a month" He tells her and she smiles.
She couldn't remember the last time she'd smiled. Next, she pulls out a small journal and some pens.
"Since you like writing, I got you a something to write in" He looks over at her with a small smile.
"Thank you so much" She replies, smiling again. "I really appreciate it"
"No problem" He says, glancing over at the side table and noticing the pills were gone. "Did you take them?"
"Yeah I did" She bites on her bottom lip.
"Well, I'll leave you alone. I guess I'll see you tomorrow" He motions towards the door.
"Hey, what can I call you?" She asks.
"Ezra. Ezra Fitz" He replies, before shutting the door.
