Goner

Chapter 7: Testing

     Cara made her way into the West wing where she immediately found who she was looking for. Stopping at the table where Richard and Sylvia sat, Cara smiled gently at the drawings made by the patients.

"Sorry to interrupt but would right now be a good time to have a quick assessment?" Cara asked Sylvia politely. Sylvia looked at Richard who seemed not to care about the situation.

The sound of keys on a keyboard was the only thing breaking silence other than the light clicking of the black and white clock that hung above the entry to the room. Cara turned to Sylvia with a polite smile.

"So Sylvia, do you have any allergies?"

"Yes."

"To what?"

"I have a slight peanut allergy."

"Right-handed or left handed?"

"Right."

"Were you on any previous medications?"

"No, ma'am."

Cara paused from asking questions as the sound of keys of a keyboard could be heard clicking against each other. Pulling her hands gently from the keyboard she turned back to Sylvia with her usual polite smile. "And why are you here?"

Sylvia hesitated to answer the question as she fiddled with her fingers due to her lingering anxiety. "W...what do you mean?"

"What did you do to get sent here? Everyone has to have done something to come to this place. Trust me everything is confidential unless you are threatening to hurt yourself or others and in that case, the only other person I can tell is my boss." She said Softly, her accent humming along nicely as she waited for Sylvia's response.

I didn't do anything." Sylvia began, hesitating before she continued on with her story. "It all started with me waking up late. An hour and a half late at that. I was forced to watch my three nephews the night before and I couldn't seem to put them to bed until around one in the morning. Then I was re-awoken by my stepfather at one-thirty with him drunkenly wanting to know why I was sleeping when I should be watching my nephews. The bus ride to school was as usual, peaceful. Once I got to school I was already stressed after having my EOCs and testing on the mind. Then, as usual, a girl began to spread more 'amazing' rumors about me. Already being stressed out, I begin arguing with her."

"And has this been a constant thing? The girl spreading rumors ?" Cara asked as she began writing in her notebook.

"Yes. But this certain time what she was saying really," She paused. "got under my skin."

"What was she saying?"

"I..." Sylvia hesitated to speak. "I don't really want to say." She said lowering her eyes to the clean marble floor, nearly drawing tears to her eyes as she began to recall the memories from that day.

"Well, I began to argue with her. That's when one of her friends came in and started arguing. Then another. And another." Sylvia's eyes connected with Cara's "That's when they started hitting me. Of course, I didn't swing back."

"Why not?" Cara asked raising an eyebrow curiously.

"And why do you think she made these assumptions?"

"Because in the journal I was writing a song. The 'voices' I was hearing was the words of the girls that seemed to just be echoing through my head. The things I was seeing wasn't me being 'delusional' I actually did see the things I said I did." Sylvia continued to explain.

Cara looked up to the clock that still sat above the door then down at her computer to start typing. "Well Sylvia, I think that's all I need from you for now. Do you remember those three words I gave you in the beginning?"

"Okay, I'll lead you back to the commons. She said with a gentle smile, soon getting up and leading Sylvia back to the West Wing where Richard was nowhere in sight.