Take Me To Church » Kit Walker

† The Green-Eyed Monster

12.

"Just James?" I asked him, raising my eyebrow. "Don't you have a last name?"

"Nope, my parents never gave me one. they never told me why though, so I'm trying to make one up myself. So far, no luck so..." James replied with a small grin. "Just James for now."

"Oh, interesting. Why not use the last name... Lockwood? It fits nicely with your first," Lana said to him and he shrugged. "So what are you in for, Just James?" she asked.

"Maybe, I guess. Well, my parents sent me here because I kind of went... Mad as the hatter himself. That's what the wardens told me when I was admitted here."

"Really? So did I," I replied and he looked at me again. James gave me this sexy lopsided smile, showing his pearly whites. Man, he was sure attractive. I was bought back to reality when Lana shook me as if I had been staring at him far too long. I cleared my throat and readjusted back in my chair.

"Did you murder your younger sister and smother your mother with her blood?" he asked me, and I became silent. Oh... So he meant that kind of mad. I see now.

"Um, no. Just an overdose..." I said, and my eyes darted down at my cards. This conversation had gotten sure awkward. "Lana, it's your turn," I said to her, trying to take the subject off of myself. I hated talking about my attempt in front of other people. It made me feel even more uncomfortable and insecure about myself.

"Wait, really? I'm pretty sure it's yours," she replied and I exhaled a sigh. I let Lana win the game since my mind was pretty much elsewhere and I lost all of my focus. I was too deep in thought that I decided to give up. Lana smiled happily, knowing she had won, and took the cards into her hands, handing them to me.

"May I play this round?" James asked me, as I shuffled the cards once more.

"Sure," I replied simply and began to deal out cards to Lana and him. I was caught by surprise when I felt his cold hand on top of mine. I looked over and up at him, confusion washing over me as he gestured for the cards.

"I actually wanted to play with you. Sorry, Lana Banana."

"Nah, it's fine. Have fun you two. I'll go check on Kit." Lana stood up from her chair to let James sit down. She leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Don't have too much fun," she said with a small wink and I whacked her arm with the back of my hand. I watched her walk out of the common room, just before the door closed then turned my attention back to James who was trying to shuffle the cards on his own.

I laughed out a small laugh when he failed to do so, so I stopped him and he handed me the stack. I shuffled the cards, just the way my dad taught me when I was little. I never remembered him. My mother told me he had abandoned us when I was younger. It made me wonder why, why he would leave me. Was it something I did wrong? Did he hate me? I wasn't sure. This happened all before my mother was killed.

"So, Hope. Tell me, what's so bad about this place? I mean, I expected worse. It seems kinda decent."

"Excuse me?" I said to him and stopped shuffling the cards just to look at him. I had mixed feelings about what he just said. It made me a bit angry yet also sad that he already felt that way about this place. Briarcliff Manor is nothing close to decent. It's the worst place anyone would want to be in. It's torture, that's all.

The therapists hardly ever did their jobs, and I swear some of the patients are literally the spawn of Satan. We are locked up in cells as if we were caged animals. Even the food is so rotten... It smells like shit. Some people are stuck in here for nothing. Like Lana. this was James' first day here. He didn't understand the pain and sorrow that went on in Briarcliff. When he gets used to this place, and when his eyes are opened to the truth, he'll regret saying that.

"You don't understand, James. Yesterday my friend was beaten forty times for nothing."

"Forty?" His eyes widened.

"He had mine added onto his."

"Oh."

"I'm just saying, you shouldn't think of Briarcliff as heaven. It's hell. You'll understand someday. And man, do you need some teaching if you're ever gonna survive in here."

"Mind showing me around then?"

"Okay, but first, let's get back to our game."

\\

Kit's POV

I groaned when I got a knock on my door. If they think they can drag me out of my bed, then I will-- My thoughts stopped when Lana entered. I smiled up at her, and she walked over to me.

"Hey, Kit. How are you feeling, bud?"

"Better, much better. I think I'll be out of this rotten cell soon. Where's Hope?" I asked her.

"She's out in the common room playing cards with the new guy." What? New guy? He must be the new inmate Hope told me about, I thought.

"What's his name?"

"James, and I think he's sure taken a great liking to Hope. Man, he's really attractive too. I bet he could win her heart in a heartbeat," Lana responded. "You better step up your game, Kit Walker. He's already having her take him on a damn tour of this place!"

"Wait, wait, wait-- What?!"

"Don't you dare think Hope didn't tell me what happened," Lana replied, her lips were pressed into a straight line. I was almost positive she was referring to the other day. When Hope and I...

"So.. James is his name," I said. I couldn't help but let a wave of anger boil up in me. I managed to stop myself from slapping Lana across the cheek. All of a sudden, I got this feeling. A horrible feeling that I never wanted to feel. Jealousy. I was jealous of something that wasn't mine. It stabbed me hard in the chest and I felt as if my heart was about to jump out of my chest.

If he is really like Lana said, Hope could have already fallen head over heels for him. But I mean, the guy just got here. She couldn't possibly have feelings for him now. I had to see for myself if all this was true. I sat up and stood up from my bed with a wince.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Whoa there Kit. I thought you were gonna rest for some more time?" Lana said, and I looked at her.

"I need to meet this James character," I replied with a grunt. I limped out of my cell down the corridors and into the common room. I pushed the doors open and my eyes immediately darted over to the place Hope usually sat. But this time, she wasn't alone. And guess who sat right next to her? James. They were talking indistinctly to one another and I saw Hope let out a laugh. A true laugh.

She couldn't stop even herself without putting a hand to her mouth. I tried to think of the last time she smiled and laughed that much for me. I walked over to them and approached her from behind. She turned around, and smiled, giving my waist a light hug. I hugged her back and pecked her forehead.

I wanted to prove to this newcomer that Hope belonged to me. But she didn't, so I couldn't. Just yet. I wanted to ask her so badly, but there was no time in between. I knew I had to make time for that before this James guy would ruin my chance. But I had to admit, I was scared. I never felt this way towards anyone before. What if I mess things up with us so badly that she'd never want to see my face ever again?

"Kit, meet James." Hope introduced us and he stood up from his chair. James really was an attractive man, just like Lana had told me. Was everything she mentioned true about him?

"You must be Kit Walker." He held out his hand for a shake and I shook it loosely. "Hope has been raving about you."

"Nice to meet you, James. Welcome to Hell," I said with a smile.