Inside the Asylum (Book 1)

Chapter 13 - Unlucky for some. Lucky for us.

I awoke to the familiar sound of the lock clicking and the door opening. I panic. The clip-clop of the nurse's heels on the floor and a mumbling of voices. The door to my room swings open and in come Grace, her mum and another nurse. Max, still asleep lay peacefully in a ball next to where I was sitting. He has been here for what feels like a few days, maybe longer. I can't tell.

Grace walks over and wakes Max up. He sits up looking around in terror. His mum looks at the floor. Staring so hard like she wanted the ground to swallow her. While Grace had tear stains on her cheeks and couldn't look away from her brother.

"What's wrong?" I ask feeling lost. Grace looks at me but stays silent.

"M... Max... You have to stay here now. Okay? You live here now. They have said you can stay in this room. So, you at least have each other for company." Grace sobs.

"I'm so sorry son. I have failed you. I'm so sorry." His mum cried.

The moral in the room had dipped dramatically. Max was silently staring at the wall. Grace and her mum leave without another word. I sat down in my corner thinking. Although I was happy to have Max here for company, I hated that he was now stuck here. He didn't deserve this! I look at him from across the room and see a shell. He was sat crying with his head on his knees and I honestly couldn't think of anything to say. So instead I just watched him. Feeling useless.

A week later

Max is sat counting the squares of padding, I was sat beside him silently, when the door opens, and Grace comes in clearly excited.

"I have news." She almost sings. I watch her as she gives Max a massive hug then sits in front of us. She smiles.

"Okay. So... I just overhead mum asking if it was okay to take you two out for the day.... And they said yes!" I stare at her dumbfounded.

"When?" Max asks with a smile on his lips for the first time in a week. Grace smiles.

"Tomorrow!" She giggles clearly as excited as she was the first time, she got to take me out into the 'real' world. Max looked super cute. He was so excited to get to go outside of this shithole.

In all honesty the past week was quiet. No-one had really come in to bother us. Apart from to give us food. I think they just assumed we were fine. Grace and her mum had come in a few times to check on us both, I'm pretty sure they were just checking in to check on Max more than me, but I loved the fact I had people to talk to now.