"...Childhood is measured out by sounds and smells and sights, before the dark hour of reason grows..."
-John Betjeman
(A/N: okay, Michael Myers isn't shown until later in the second chapter, so if you want to skip this long and boring part, just wait for the second chapter to come up. The timeline is the first Halloween, a few months before Michael Myers breaks out)
"Who's that?"
"You're new aren't you?" A stocky middle-aged lady says as she hastily places the used plastic dishes into her cart.
"Yes Mrs. Callahan."
Mrs. Callahan, the head nurse at the facility, shakes her head good naturedly. The new ones always ask too much.
"So...who's that?" The new nurse, whose name was Margaret, asks again.
"New kid." Mrs. Callahan replies. "They got her in a couple of weeks ago, but this is only the third time she's been let out of her cell."
Margaret stares at the patient at the other end of the canteen. The patient was unmoving save for the hand that picked lazily at the food, her face obscured by a mop of dark, messy hair.
"Isn't she...you know..." Margaret leans in closer, "too young for this place? I mean...all the others are adults..."
"So? If the family pays for it, then I don't see why not." Mrs. Callahan stuffs the rest of the plates inside the cart and she moves along, brushing Margaret off. "You can't be caught talking with other staff; go do your rounds."
Margaret shuffles off, her curiosity unsatiated. A janitor who was mopping the hallways nearby had overheard their short conversation, and having nothing better to do, beckoned the new nurse closer.
"That new kid." He nods over to the patient's direction. "Callahan doesn't like it when people ask too much. Killjoy."
"I know, right?"
"Yeah." The janitor looks around for a bit. "But she isn't the first kid to be sent here lately, you know."
"Really?"
"The first one was sent in some sixteen, seventeen years ago i think. Got in for killing his sister or something..."
"Oh! That Myers kid..."
"Can hardly call him kid anymore, though."
"Oh, i see. And this one? The new one?"
"Ah, that one?" He stops what he's doing and leans on his mop, looking thoughtfully at the ceiling. "She's older than Myers when he first came in; he was what, six? Seven? This new one's nine i think. Or ten."
"What's she in for?"
"Aw, I dunno. They won't tell me." But he grins, "But from what I hear, she killed one of the kids from her class. Beat the shit outta him apparently."
Margaret scowls, but is immensely excited.
"You two. Get back to work." A voice over the intercome says and the janitor and new nurse part ways.
In the canteen, the patient looks up for the first time and stares blankly into space.
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Interview with Mrs. Julia Chase
Patient's Foster Mother
as conducted by Dr. William Gray
(Two days into patient's admission into the Smith's Grove Sanitarium)
Dr. Gray: How are the children getting on?
Mrs. Chase: (pauses; takes some time before answering. She looks drawn and exhausted) Well...they're obviously shaken. Especially Jimmy. Most especially Jimmy. He...he gets nightmares about what happened...
Dr. Gray: I hear they were quite close; Jimmy and--
Mrs. Chase: Yes they're very close (a ghost of a smile hints at her lips, but vanishes quickly). They're the same age and share the same room, go to almost the same classes. They do everything together. You could say they're best friends.
Dr. Gray: And after the incident...?
Mrs. Chase: He's...obviously traumatized. But he keeps asking me when she's coming back home. He...he thinks she's just gone away for a kind of...extended detention. (She laughs weakly).
Dr. Gray: All right. (He speaks gently) Let's talk about Vanessa.
Mrs. Chase: (Whimpers)
Dr. Gray: What was she like, from your perspective? At home? Had she ever displayed any...odd behavior?
Mrs. Chase: (Pauses again, clears her throat) When she first came to the house, she was just...oddly quiet. We first thought she was deaf because she never said a word and never responded when we call her. I thought this was just a...a side effect from changing families and houses all the time...
Dr. Gray: But she speaks, yes?
Mrs. Chase: Yes. Yes she does. She...she used to just talk to Jimmy and then within a month, she began interacting with us. (she smiles faintly).
Dr. Gray: How can you describe her behavior prior to the incident?
Mrs. Chase: She was...like any average kid, when she got used to us. She did everything she was told. She liked animals and took care of the dogs often. She liked playing out in the yard with Jimmy and do crafts with him...Jimmy likes doing crafts. (she zones out for a bit, probably having a flashback).
Dr. Gray: Did she ever exhibit any strange or disturbing behavior?
Mrs. Chase: (Her eyes dart from side to side, as if she is uncomfortable with answering the question)Well...um...I don't know, doctor. Looking back, she was just so normal, and...and she was a sweet, sweet little girl and when it happened, I...I didn't--I couldn't believe it. She's always been so gentle...
(Dr. Gray nods and makes a note of it, while Mrs. Chase fidgets in her chair. Then she pauses suddenly, eyes wide.)
Mrs. Chase: Come to think about it, doctor...
Dr. Gray: Yes? Feel free to divulge any information...
Mrs. Chase: (Takes a deep breath) Actually, there are times when she...when she frightens me. (She and Dr. Gray look at each other and he jots it down then motions for her to continue). And it's not becuase she displays any hostility, but...there are instances when I think she...switches off.
Dr. Gray: Switches off?
Mrs. Chase: (Nods furiously) There are times when she just stares off into space and...you know when children stare into space usually means they're sleepy or whatever else...It's just that when she switches off, she stares and she looks around with only her eyes. As if she's seeing beyond us...like we're not there or like she's not really there. Like...like she's planning something. I mean...you see that in adults...but not with nine year old girls.
Dr. Gray: Yes, what else...?
Mrs. Chase: And when the family gets together Sunday night to watch a scary movie...it's a Chase family tradition that we watch one scary movie every Sunday...when we watch scary movies...she isn't even scared. It's...it's not even plausible that I consider it strange, it's just that...She seems like she doesn't realize it's supposed to be scary...like it's no different from watching me cook, or watching any random event take place...like she's so used to it. I don't know, doctor, maybe it's from one of her past families.
Dr. Gray: Are you familiar with her previous families?
Mrs. Chase: Somewhat...she has had four families before was first handed over to the agency when she was six...but before that, i was informed that a car deliverer found her inside one of the cars he was delivering as he was on his way to Illinois, and he handed her to the agency and...I don't know what her origins are, doctor.
Dr. Gray: Mrs. Chase, it is usually normal for a child lacking exposure to consistent environment to exhibit erratic, unconventional and similarly inconsistent behavior...
Mrs. Chase: No, doctor. You don't understand...she doesn't display unconventional behavior, at least when we're looking. At times she's too...behaved, too nice, too sweet, too obedient, but i don't think she means to...Like, like an empty shell.
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Interview with James Chase
Patient's Foster brother
as conducted by Dr. William Gray.
Jimmy: Are you the teacher?
Dr. Gray: No, Jimmy. I'm a doctor.
Jimmy: Sure...but you're the one watching Sam when she does detention, right?
Dr. Gray: (chuckles) You can put it that way, Jimmy, yes.
Jimmy: Is she coming out soon?
Dr. Gray: That I don't know, Jimmy. It depends.
Jimmy: I hope she gets out soon. I know Michael Myers does detention there too and I hear he's a psycho. I hope Sam gets out soon so Michael Myers won't be able to hurt her.
Dr. Gray: Michael Myers has not done anything remotely dangerous in the past fifteen years, Jimmy. He won't hurt anybody. And who is this Sam?
Jimmy: (Ignores the question completely) She isn't really bad. Danny Hunt was the bad guy. Ask all the kids in school!
Dr. Gray: All right...But first Jimmy, let's talk about Vanessa...
Jimmy: Sam. Her name's Sam, not Vanessa.
Dr. Gray: (looks at his notes and other papers) Well, it says in her papers that her name is Vanessa, not Sam.
Jimmy: Yeah, that's what they would say. But that isn't what Sam says. She says her name is Sam, like her old mom, not my mom...her name is Julia.
Dr. Gray: Jimmy, i hate to tell you this, but Vanessa's papers do not show any record of her biological mother. She has been asked several times and has never come up with an answer.
Jimmy: Well maybe because they suck at asking, because she told me.
Dr. Gray: What did she tell you, Jimmy? Tell me everything.
Jimmy: She didn't tell me everything. It's like i keep asking and i guess and mosta' the time she just says yes or no. She 'tole me her old mom's name was Sam, and after her mom got really sick she had a new mom who had a dad with her and two brothers and a sister. But she drew them once and i asked her what happened because in the drawing they were sitting at a table with three new people and in another drawing, her new mommy and daddy and brothers and sister were gone...Says the cook didn't like them so someone named Bubba took them downstairs and sent them away with no clothes on.
Dr. Gray: No clothes?
Jimmy: Yeah. Sam says she saw their clothes left in the basement.
Dr. Gray: Well, well, Jimmy....there are no records of Sam ever having stayed at such a family of your description.
Jimmy: (shrugs) well she says so. She also 'sez the guy called Bubba taught her how to make masks. She taught me too; we made our own masks for Halloween.
Dr. Gray: I see (jots down) All right, Jimmy, tell me about what happened with Danny Hunt.
Jimmy: (for the first time, he looks troubled) Um. See, that day it was past three and I was supposed to meet Sam on the stairwell. The Fire emergency stairwell. We weren't s'posed to be there, but i was the safest place to hang out without the bullies. (he gulps) So I was there and she took so long i took a peek outside and Danny Hunt and Mickey Rollins saw me and held me up in the stairwell...(he suddenly looks ashen)
Dr. Gray: And...?
Jimmy: I...well (he looks anxious) well they hit me around first because I'm in a third grade crafts class and they're big and in the sixth grade. And Danny tells Mickey something then Mickey holds my head to the floor with his foot then....then (he shakes visibly) then Danny tells me to take my pants off but I told him I didn't want to.
Dr. Gray: (looks horrified) And what else happened, Jimmy?
Jimmy: That was when Sam came and hit Mickey with something. I think she missed and hit him with the handle, but he and Danny go to beat her up but Mickey kind of runs off after a bit, because Sam keeps hitting Danny with what she was holding. It was the thing we saw janitors use on old, jammed doors... Then she 'tole me to wait by the school statue so i did.
Dr. Gray: You didn't see what she was doing to Danny Hunt?
Jimmy: I saw she was hitting him, and I can tell it hurt really bad because I heard Danny screaming. That's because she was put away, wasn't it? Because she hit Danny?
Dr. Gray: Yes, Jimmy, but...
Jimmy: But why? That was the only time she hit Danny Hunt. Danny hit me and lotsa other people more times, how come he isn't doing detention with Michael Myers? Sam isn't a bad person! Danny Hunt is!
Dr. Gray: Jimmy...I know you're upset, but what Sam did was...
Jimmy: Right. What she did was right. She...she was only trying to protect me.
Dr. Gray: I'm sure she was, but she ended up hurting Danny probably more than she meant to (he considers this, as she might have really meant to hurt Danny).
Jimmy: Let her out (he begins crying) she didn't do anything wrong! She didn't do anything wrong...
Dr. Gray: I'm sorry to say, Jimmy, but she did. And in most cases, when you hurt people with an axe even just once, it is much worse that doing it more times with your bare hands.
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(A/N: part one clears all gaps, but i'm not yet finished with that one yet. Im starting this too early because im getting blocks with the first one because of planning the sequel too much, so here :D post your comments, suggestions, constructive criticisms, violent reactions and flames as R&R, thank you kindly :D)