Neighbour

xix

I woke up in a room that I could not recognise. I was lying down on a bed with a white bed sheet and a thin white blanket over my body. I put my feet on the cold, silver tiles and walked around the tiny room, feeling my thighs. I was wearing a thin, light blue jumpsuit. I walked over to the other side of the room where there was another single bed, but it was empty. In the middle of the two beds was a nightstand, which had nothing on it yet. There were no windows, only one brown door. I held the cold knob and turned it, slowly.

There were other doors in the hallway, which was filled with people. A woman in a purple dress came up to me with a gentle smile.

"Hello Maya, I am your nurse. My name is Rita." She said.

"My nurse?" I asked in disbelief.

"We found you unconscious on the doorstep with papers stating your condition. Don't worry, alright? We'll take good care of you." Rita said.

"Look, I don't have a problem. Look at the papers carefully, you'll surely find some fault, they're fake." I said.

"Let me give you a tour of Brooks Hospital." she said calmly.

"No thanks." I said and went back into the room that I came out of. I wanted to lock it but it didn't have a lock. I had to use the bathroom and the room wasn't connected to any other rooms, only the hallway.

"Maya, follow me." Rita said gently.

We walked down the hallway where I saw other people in the same blue jumpsuits, both men and women. I saw other ladies in the same purple dress that Rita had been wearing too.  After the hallway, there were five bathrooms. We walked downstairs after I took a bathroom break and Rita showed me the cafeteria, where I quenched my thirst and picked up a bowl of green grapes. Then, the nurse took me outside. It was a warm day. The sun was shining, which felt a little weird on my skin, but I disregarded it. There were little, colourful flowers surrounding the building but a grey, tall boundary wall separating us from the rest of Portland.

Rita showed me the basketball and tennis court, which did not interest me. I was interested in how to escape from the hospital. Rita took me back to my room once I saw the entire premises.

"Lunch will be ready at noon." She said pointing at a clock above the door which I had not seen before.

"Just remember Maya, if you behave well with us, we will behave well with you." She said sharply before closing the door behind her.