tough | b.swan

08 - Eclipse: Part Two

Blake hums as she brushes her hair out, finally allowed access to a flat iron and decent clothes. She wears a short black dress with a white collar, some simple black heels by the door for her to put on. She checks she looks okay, that she looks healthy - and for the first time in a while, she checks if she looks happy. Which she does. And she is. For now.

"Blake Swan, are we ready?" An orderly says as he knocks on the door.

"Yes!" She shrieks, slipping her shoes on as she spritzes herself with perfume quickly. She grabs her little cap and follows the orderly down to the hall, a few others joining. There's only about 10 of them graduating today. Butterflies fill her stomach as she peaks into the hall, smiling wide as she sees Alice and Charlie sat close to the front. There's less that 60 people there, maybe no more than 50.

As rehearsed, the students go one by one to the stage and accept their diploma from the head councillor and the warden of the facility. Blake is last, and she makes sure to hurry down the line of hands she has to shake, running right to her dad's waiting arms as she makes it off stage.

She holds him tightly, hanging onto him like a child. "You're here!!"

"Course I am kid. Look at you! Holy crap you're an adult!" He says.

She giggles and hugs Alice who was not so patiently waiting. "Hi... I'm so glad you came." She whispers.

Alice holds onto the girl for a little longer than Charlie did, her eyes closed. "I'm so glad you're here. I'm so so glad you're okay."

"All thanks to you." Blake smiles small as she pulls away. "I literally owe you my life... And Embry. And Carlisle. But you, you thought and acted fast."

Alice waves her off. "I'd do it again any day. Not that I expect to or want to, but you know my point."

Blake giggles small and shows them around. The care facility is in 3 wings; her wing is stage 3 and the less severe patients. Stage 2 is patients who are a risk to themselves and stage 1 is high risk patients at risk to everyone. She started on stage 2, but within 2 weeks she moved down to stage 3. Though there's a lot of freedom, she was still searched daily, her room searched twice weekly; her letters and emails were checked, her packages and things too. She wasn't allowed long charging cables, anything sharp or pointy. And there always had to be an orderly with her except in her room.

She shows her dad and Alice the library, the computers. A few of the classrooms, the kitchen area where she learned to cook a little. And then her room, which is simple but cosy. "It's going to be weird to go back to a double bed." She teases. Her and Alice are sat on her bed while Charlie is sat on the desk chair.

"Oh what a bummer." He rolls his eyes. "Any idea when you'll be sprung free?"

"I can answer that." A British voice says. "Doctor Flynn, you must be Charlie Swan?" He holds his hand out to Charlie. Doctor Flynn is a younger gentleman, no older than his later 20s, early 30s. He's got chin length blonde hair that's slicked back into a pony tail and he wears a black shirt and grey trousers.