The Asylum

Chapter Six: He's Back... And He Has Stories To Tell

      I awoke the next morning uncomfortably under my covers. 6:45 was flashing bright red on my alarm clock that I had chosen to snooze numerous times, finding sleep was the only way to escape from my thoughts filled with questions and guesses as to what would happen between Aaron and Luke when I was forced to choose between them. Hopefully I wouldn't see Luke for a little while longer while I contemplated my thoughts, but a part of me hoped that his familiar smile would return to my presence soon.

Groggily and with little effort, I managed to pull myself from my warm blankets and set my bare feet on the chilly linoleum floor. I got dressed slowly in a warm sweater with a tank underneath and some black running capris. I had decided even before making my way out into the hall that I could wait until lunch to eat something, as I didn't seem to be extremely hungry anyways. I instead chose to shuffle out to the grove and hopefully get the quiet I had hoped to have before being interrupted yesterday.

Arriving outside, I noticed the breeze was making it considerably cooler outside as summer was just beginning its annual fade into fall. Not very many people were out after breakfast because of the shift in temperature, So I could clearly see the figure through the trees at the other end of the courtyard. It looked to be male, so i figured maybe Aaron had chosen to wait outside for me to talk once more. Getting prepared to utter my first raspy words of the morning, I walked at a slightly faster pace than normal to my special place.

Weaving through the trees, I kept an eye on the figure, who, as I got increasingly closer, turned out to not be Aaron as I had expected. It was Luke. I knew that he could sense my presence as I emerged into the small clearing, but he didn't move to greet me like he usually would. His face was a pale color, his normally bright blue eyes clouded over with pain. He had dark circles under his eyes as if he had been unable to sleep for days. I knew these symptoms all too well, and it broke my heart to see one of the only beings I cared about so emotionally negative.

Carefully, I moved to sit next to him, looking at him with care as I spoke softly. " Lukey? Do you want to talk?" His eyes were glazed over as he turned towards me, his words coming out as raspy groans as his vocal cords struggled. "I know what's on that third floor, Alex. I-I've seen it all n-now. Is that what you were trying to hide from me? Have you b-been in that p-place?" I scooted closer to him, acknowledging that I wanted to touch him. I knew that if I went in without leeway he would surely panic. That's what the Slammer did to someone as innocent as Luke.

I had been in there numerous times before when I had an extreme panic attack or I had tried to cut myself really deep and the doctors were unable to get me under control. They would take one to "The Slammer", as the patients called it. That's what the third floor was. It was a darkly lit floor where you were shoved in tiny, cold rooms until the headmaster thought you were well enough to go back downstairs. The worst part wasn't how little they fed you or how you got no social interaction, it was the testing. Everyday, they would rotate patients out in the Slammer for two hour periods of testing. Many painful procedures are performed, and the others are forced to hear the screams and cries of the one that' being tested, heard throughout the whole floor. Why they did the testing no one knows, but everyone never wants to get near that steel door that leads down the dark halls. As one of the few patients who has had to spend many nights up there, I would know the pain that Luke must have gone through.

Finally, I slowly nuzzle my head in his chest, answering his original question with a small nod of my head. "Is that why you left so quickly the other day, when I told you all those things?" I ventured daringly, knowing that I may not get an answer yet. "N-not originally. Your story brought back horrible memories. I had tried to swallow the attack at first, as I wanted to be there for you, but it eventually got too overwhelming. I didn't want you to see me in such a state so I ran back inside. When things got out of hand and I sent a nurse to the infirmary, they took me up there." The pain swallowed his last few words, and I could tell the tears were running down his cheeks as he let me know the truth.

" You see, my past is sort of like yours Alex. I was abused when I was younger by my father. He was always getting drunk and beating me for pleasure. I-I don't know what he got from it. Hearing my screams and cries for help at 14 years old would make most people cringe, but he kept going until he saw blood. And my mother, her crime was just as bad. She wouldn't step in and take me away, she would just watch in horror. Something about him always made her stay, leaving me to get beat up more and more." The rate of his breathing had increased significantly and his arms tensed as he spoke through clenched teeth. I set my hand gently on his and he relaxed slightly before finishing his story. "But that's not it Alex, that's not why I'm insane." I looked up at him with a tenderness that he hadn't gotten in too long, asking him to finish. The tears once more started on their path down his red cheeks as he finished, not bearing to look me in the eye.

"I got so fed up,Alex. So fucking fed up with them. So I grabbed one of my father's hatchets and killed 'em. I-I killed them both. The funny part was, I didn't even feel that bad- I was relieved that I would finally be able to breath again. Well, when word got around, I was sent away to an asylum that couldn't handle me, and now here I am." He looked at me finally, searching my matching blue eyes in hope that he would find some sort of understanding. I started crying as he stared at me, for one reason and one reason only. " Me too," I whispered morosely. "When I was raped, they finished up and turned around to leave. I had a small pocket knife in the back pocket of my shorts. I reached for them and grabbed it before charging at them." I chuckled slightly, an insane chuckle as I recalled the memory. "They weren't expecting anything, and I killed them all. When my mom came searching a few hours later, she saw me covered in their blood. Now, just like you, I'm here." I sighed, finally relieved to get it off of my chest.

Without warning, Luke picked me up bridal style and started to carry me farther towards the back of the grove. Startled,I immediately questioned his actions that were totally out of the blue. With a small smile, he explained, "I want this to be a bit more romantic." Romantic? What the hell were we doing that had to be romantic?! Trying my best to push aside my thoughts and trust in Luke as always, I just relaxed into his arms as he carried me back to the trunk of a giant old oak. He sat down in between two of its large roots protruding from the ground and situated me so I was straddling his waist comfortably.

At six feet tall, he still had a few inches on me when we were sitting like this, but I enjoyed looking up into his eyes as he flashed that first charming and genuine smile I had fallen in love with. He laughed a little as I a shot a slightly confused look back, still pondering his cheeky little surprise that he obviously had in store for me.

Then he really did surprise me. He leaned down and forward, his lips gently landing on mine. My eyes widened at his sudden forwardness and I felt him smile into the kiss. After only a few seconds of his encouragement, my eyelids fluttered closed and I kissed back. Now having my fully in his trance, he cupped my left cheek with his warm hand, guiding the other down my side and to the small of my back as he pushed me closer into him. The kissed deepened with each passing second, working its way into a small make out. Reluctantly, I pulled back for breath, deciding I did need air more than the kiss. "I love you, Alex." Luke breathed out as he too took a moment to catch his breath. "I love you more, Lukey." I played, pecking the end of his nose lightly before pulling away to snuggle into his warm chest, listening to the rhythmic sound of his steady heartbeat.