The Deceased

Chapter One: The meeting

High up on her throne
Dark, cruel, and isolated
Ahead of the rest
Not realising that she is but
a lonely shadow

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"You can't bring those in," an impatient female voice says from behind me.

I turn into a womans light grey eyes. She's a young looking woman-younger than the others i've met last week- a white coat covering her like a poncho. She squints at me, but not in a curious way, in a blind way. She must have trouble seeing.

Then i look back to the empty lunchroom where i had expected to find my mother, sitting in the table beside one out of the two windows overlooking the mist and treetops in the distance. I realise im early, but i am her only visitor. Usually, shes too excited to be on time. So why isnt she here?

"Excuse me, Miss," the lady interupts my thoughts once again, waiting for my attention before pointing toward the roses i hold tightly to my chest, not realising the thorns were pushing against my skin. "You cant take those in with you."

"Why not?" I lean in to read the small writing on her name badge, "Dr. Parks."

Her arms extend to the bouquet which i look at for a minute in disappointment, before shoving the roses into her arms.

"It's because of the thorns," she tells me, placing them behind the small plastic window for safe keeping and turning around to look me up and down slowly. "Are you carrying anything else?"

I shake my head no, and glance back out to the lunch room. Nope. Not there yet.

"I'm going to have to search you, love." Dr. Parks sighs, rubbing her eyes. 

I freeze in place. Search. As in what they do to visitors in jail. "I'm not hiding anything up there," I burst out, cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

Dr. Parks raises an eyebrow before understanding what i mean, giving a relaxed smile and shaking her head, "do you think i'd give cavity searches without gloves? I just need to pat you down. Please take off your coat. It will be returned to you as soon as you leave."

Slowly, i do as she says, removing my favourite trench coat from my shoulders, watching as she goes through every pocket. She pulls out my Blackberry and taps it, chucking my phone behind the plastic window with the roses i bought for mum. 

"Nice coat," she lightly holds my shoulders and turns me around, " bet it cost a lot."

"$160," I whisper, alittle breathless as she pats me down, even opening my mouth and glancing inside before shes satisfied i havn't hidden anything in there. Nodding, she works on patting down my leg. This is rediculous. I know those roses never would have made it to mum, as ive tried many times, but ive never been suspected of hiding anything. Dr. Parks strikes me as strict. She must be new because the ladies ive met before have never followed the rules like this.

She whistles, "half my phone bill right there," she jokes standing and nodding, "you're clean. Sorry about that, love, i know it can be abit... violating. Who are you here to see?"

"Audrey Raven," i start to walk through the door, feeling strangely naked without my trench coat. Dr. Parks suddenly reaches out to stop me.

"Uhm, i almost forgot. Whatever jewellery you have on you needs to be left here. Youll get those back with your coat and phone."

Supressing a sigh, i reach up and unhook the three small earring studs on my left ear, doing the same with the right. I had thought that was enough after giving it to her, since those were the only pieces of jewellery i have that are sharp, but Dr. Parks looks at my ring. The ring dad bought me when i was a little girl, the one i had grown into. White gold hearts with a small turquoise-coloured diamond in the corner; my birthstone.