Asylum

Group Therapy

"Hey, I'm sorry about the morphine." The nurse says apologetically as I blink myself awake.

"I guess I understand." I reply hazily. I can see a bee buzzing around the room, but it doesn't bother me. I must be a little high, I think. I'm seeing things.

"Doc says you can go back to your room now, sugar plum." She reaches down towards my wrists, and as the bonds are released, it is as though I've had a knife in my chest, and my murderer is finally taking it out. I sigh.

The nurse and some bodyguards lead me back to my room, as if I didn't already know where it was.

"Group therapy is in one hour, Chloe. Get ready." One of the body guards says. Back at home, get ready would have meant out on your nicest clothes, do your hair, and slab some makeup on. But here, I have only two jumpsuits for clothing, and sure I have a hairbrush, but that's about it in the hair styling department. And makeup? That's a long gone dream. Fading away through the years, just as I apparently have.

When the guards come to knock on my door, they find that the only preparation I've done is to lie in bed for sixty minutes. I couldn't fall asleep though. I didn't want to. I wasn't in the mood to wake up in a different room as a different person. Because then, even I would believe I was insane.

The guard and I share some chit chat as we head towards the courtyard. It's a particularly lovely morning, and so the guards have decided that it would be alright for us to head outside for today's group therapy. In the distance, I can see my group sitting in a circle with our therapist at the head, in the biggest chair.

I take a seat, and look up at our therapist with fearful eyes.
"Hello there, Cynthia!" She says, and I scream at her exaggerated perkiness.
"Remember what we talked about?"
"Inhale, hold, exhale." Cynthia says, rehearsedly. She does as she sas, and the world comes back into focus.

"Alright, inmates." Begins the counselor, attempting to amuse us with her failing humor. "We've got a special announcement today!"
The groans from my group mates make me laugh. Special announcements are never fun- she's probably going to tell us that our family members will be visiting soon, and that's anything but fun.

"Chloe. You can be cured."