The Institution from Hell Series

The Institution from Hell [1]

~Prologue~

"So that's it, you're going to Sunnywell Institution for teens with special needs," my mom informed me during our usual Sunday brunch.

"What?" I just stared at her blankly.

"Maxene, please, honey, don't geek out," muffled my mom over her muffin.

"Mom! How can I not 'geek' out?! Institutions are for crazy people," I whined.

"This institution is specifically for what you need, guidance in your special... ability."

2 years ago, on my fifteenth birthday, I told my mom that I am a shape shifter. All I know about it is that I can transform into an owl, an arctic wolf, and a leopard. My anger is uncontrollable considering I have animal instincts running through my veins. My mom didn't believe me when I told her, and when I showed her, she thought she was crazy. My mom is the only one who knows of my secret.

"So... you mean..." I trailed off. 

"There are more of your kind, yes. This institution will teach you how to control your ability," she said matter-of-factly.

I suddenly felt lightheaded. More like me? How is that possible? All this came in so fast. When I tried to speak, I just fell down on the floor and everything went black.

I woke up in my bed with my Mom watching over me.

"Hey, sweetie, you OK? You fell pretty hard," my mom said, while feeling my head, checking my temperature.

"Yeah, I just had a crazy dream that I was being sent to an institution," I sighed.

My mom smiled weakly and stood up. "That wasn't a dream, that actually happened." She paused for a moment and opened my door. "You're leaving in 2 days, on Saturday morning." And with that, she left my room.

That was the beginning of a long horrific nightmare.

~Chapter 1~

I woke up in the car seat I was lying in. It was Saturday morning and my mom insisted that she drive me there instead of taking a bus (Institutions have buses?). Sunnywell Institution was 5 hours away from where I live. We left around 11 a.m. The whole ride I've been listening to my IPod, taking short naps here and there. I haven't said one word to my Mom, out of pure resentment for this.

Finally she broke the silence, "We have 30 minutes left till we get there."

"Great," I muttered.

"Maxey, would you at least try to be happy? I hear they have great programs here, and you get your own room," my mom coaxed.

"Lovely."

"You never give up, do you?"

"Never."

She shook her head and continued driving in silence. I looked out my window, seeing nothing but thick forest. That's what I would be doing right now, walking through the New England woods, enjoying what nature has to offer. Instead I'm stuck in a car with the last person I want to speak to at the moment.

30 minutes passed, and we arrived at the Insitiution. It was 4 stories tall and was clean looking, with all sorts of flowers planted along the sidewalks. My mom and I got out of the car and continued up the sidewalk and opened up the front door.  We found ourselves in a small lobby with a receptionist.

My mom walked up to the desk and said, "Hello, I'm dropping off Maxene Richards."

The receptionist looked up with drowsy looking eyes that said, loud and clear, that this was her least favorite place.