The Altercations With Distance

Birds of a Feather

Dedicated to EmilyCorn2 for placing second in my mini competition and for being a good friend. Emma Mayfield is her original character and I own no rights to her. I am just lucky enough to write her character.

Casey sat in her room at the insane asylum and and watched the nurses prepare the bed next to her for her new roommate.

 "I'm sure you'll like her. You need to be surrounded by people." The kind lady nurse told her. Casey wasn't in the mood to make this nurse cry, so she just stayed silent and watched her. "Alrighty, all set. Your roommate will be here soon. So be nice."

Casey rolled her eyes at the nurse. "Don't worry. I'll make sure Crazy feels right at home here." Casey told her in a sarcastic tone. The nurse gave her a disappointed smile. 

"If not for you, then for your child. It would be unfortunate if she attacked you." Casey glared at her and put a hand on her stomach. She had a small four month bump already that was easily noticeable.

"Fine. When is Psycho arriving?" Casey asked. Just as she said that a girl with hair as red as a fire truck walked in. 

"Wow. Thanks for the warm welcome." Casey turned to the door way and gave her new roommate a look over. She was of average height with green eyes, pale skin, and a slim figure. Casey could see scars on girl's forearms from where she cut herself. 

"Sorry. You'll understand my attitude once you've been stuck here with Nurse Optimism."

The girl have a small chuckle and went to sit down on her bed. "Okay, then." The nurse said. "I'll leave you two alone now. Behave." She said, talking directly to Casey with that last word. Casey gave her a smirk and waited for her to leave. Casey then turned to introduce herself to the new girl.

"I'm Casey. Yes, you've seen me on the news. No, I will not discuss where I was for a year. And if you call me fat, I'll kill you." The girl scoffed at her new roommate's bluntness. 

"Okay. I'm Emma. I didn't know you were on the news. And I kind of figured you were pregnant." 

Casey could grow to like this girl. But if she didn't, she had a few months to at least get used to her. "So. Emma. What's your diagnosis? Why are you criminally insane?"

Emma was unsure if she should tell this stranger what landed her in this dump. Her story was personal, and always brought a tear to Emma's eye when she thought about it. But this girl was apparently missing and on the news, so was she really in the position to judge?

"I'm more curious to hear why you were on the news." Emma responded, buying herself some time. Casey knew what she was doing, but spoke anyway. 

"Police thought I was kidnapped with these other girls, but they found me alone a year later. I won't give them the answers they want, so as a punishment, they sent me here." Emma was incredibly confused. 

"You want to elaborate?" Emma asked, hoping she would. 

"Nice try, red head. Your turn." Emma sighed in defeat and decided to get this over with. 

"Um. I killed my step father." 

Casey raised her eyebrow. "Really? A little thing like you? Please explain." 

Emma took a deep breath and slowly released her breath as she thought of what to say. "My step father was abusive. He would... beat me. Rape me. One day, I just snapped. Took a chainsaw to his.... private area and he died of blood lost. Court took pity on me and sentenced me here."

Casey felt that all too familiar pang in her heart when she heard of what that girl went through. It reminded her of herself and her uncle. All the years of abuse she went through. "At least you got to kill your abuser." Casey told her. Emma searched Casey's face and she could have sworn she saw pain. Recognizable pain. Pain only a family member could inflict.

"Who was he to you?" Emma asked, taking a shot to see if she was right. 

"My uncle." Casey responded after a few seconds pause. "He took me in after my father died. Took advantage of me before that. Didn't stop until I left." Casey felt all the memories creep up on her and squeezed her eyes shut to stop them before they flooded to the surface.

 "Is that why you ran away?" Emma asked.

Casey opened her eyes and gave a shrug. "It's complicated. And I'm not giving my life story away to a complete stranger. We should get to know each other first. See who is crazier." Casey sat back against the wall on her bed to get in a more comfortable position. She liked this girl. She was pure and relatable. Casey never really talked to anyone besides the Beast about what had happened to her, and even then she hadn't told him everything. Casey had never had a friend before, but this sort of felt like the beginnings of a new friendship.

Emma didn't let people in easily and she always kept her guard up against new people, but Casey wasn't​ like the regular people. She was a bird of the same feather. Emma could relate to this girl in more ways than one, which was a first for both of them. This was a scary unfamiliar feeling, but somehow the girls didn't shut down around each other.

They spent the rest of the day talking about their lives before the asylum. Casey didn't mention anything about the personalities or where she was for the year she was missing. Casey did like this girl, but she wasn't stupid. She wouldn't trust anyone enough to talk about them with. Emma didn't push the issue, but she knew Casey was hiding something big. She didn't mind, there were still skeletons in her closet she wasn't ready to give up yet.

"So. How long are you in for?" Casey asked Emma. "Can't imagine castrating and killing your step father with a chainsaw comes with a short sentence." 

Emma shrugged nonchalantly. "It doesn't matter how long I'm sentenced to be here. I know how to break out of this joint."