Insane

Chapter 8

There was no banging on my door to wake me up. I woke up to the sound of people talking. I kept my breathing even and eyes shut as I listened to the hushed voices that carried from the hall and into my room.

"Are you sure? She could be faking it."

"What, do you want me to hook her up to a bunch of wires? Or sentence her to death in the electric chair? I honestly don't want to be responsible for a fifteen year old child being put on death row. That would make me a monster."

"But what if she did all those horrendous things and is perfectly sane? She'll get away with so many deaths."

"I'm sorry, but who's job is it to understand and read people's emotions and body language? Who here can tell immediately if someone is lying? I'll give you a hint. Not you. You didn't see her breakdown yesterday. She's not... mentally stable."

They were talking about me. One of the voices, the one calling me crazy and talking about my breakdown, was Doctor Stienmentz. The other was a gruff sounding woman's voice, one I didn't recognize. I sat up, shuffling over to the door.

"Hello? Doctor?" I whispered hoarsely. I clear my throat.

"Oh, Charlotte, you're awake. One moment." I step back, and the heavy door creaks open. The doctor smiles, but I examine the lady next to him. She was, to put it nicely, well fed. She wore a leopard-print dress with a black- I kid you not- a black feather boa. She looked like she stepped out of a bad low-budget film. I bit the inside of my cheek, fighting back a snicker.

"Hello, dear." The woman, who wore enough make up to be a clown, spoke. Her voice sounded similar to a long-time smokers', it was very masculine and gravelly. Her smile revealed yellowing teeth, and it looked like a pathetic grimace.

I smiled back softly, hoping she couldn't see how forced it was. Her brown eyes- caked in a hideous blue eye shadow that traveled up to her thin, drawn on eyebrows-  looked over to the doctor, disgusted with me. "So, doctor..." her man-voice said and, possibly in a pathetic attempt to seduce him, her creepy-long red and sparkly acrylic fingernails trailed down his upper arm. She left the sentence unfinished.

Doctor Stienments leaned away uncomfortably, but held eye contact with me. "Charlotte, I'm going to send you to a... hospital."

"A hospital?" I asked, voice cracking. My voice must be bad from crying last night."What kind?"

"An... A helpful one. With people like you, and people who can help you." The doctor says carefully, watching my reaction carefully.

My body became cold, but not from fear. Was there a draft? There couldn't have been, in this windowless room. But from the tips of my toes to my scalp, an almost scalding cold took over my body. Words tumbled from my mouth quickly, rushed. "Do not send her there." My voice was clearer. But the words weren't mine. The cold left, but in it's absence was fear.

"Pardon?" The man-lady, who at this point I think is some drag queen or something, asks, taking a step away from me.

"I... I..." But I just cried again, something that was not rare anymore. I fell to my knees and buried my face in my hands helplessly. The doctor rubbed my shoulder softly and asked, "Do you want to go to the hospital?" and I nodded. Anything to make this end. Please.

"Char, don't..." Johnny's voice was faint, like a fading echo, but I heard it.

Between my breathy, silent sobs I managed to whisper "Please..." voice wrecked like before, and more scared then I have ever been.

"Okay, hun. It's going to be okay." Doctor Stienments said, hauling me to my feet. "Let's go."

And just like that, my life from before as the normal country girl who almost nobody knew, was ruined, smashed into bits like a cracker beneath a boot.