The Girl in the Ward
Okay! Yesh, a new story! Hooray!
I got a needle today… :'(
Now… you may have seen the story 'In the Mental Ward' by VampireKnight16. When she announced she was discontinuing her story, I thought to myself: "Why waste an idea so original (I think) and brilliant?" So, I asked to take over.
BUT, as things turned out, it was actually her "brother" that hacked onto her account and said that story was to be discontinued, and allowed me to make a spin-off. Therefore, she canceled our agreement.
Do I believe that? … The question remains unanswered for fear of offending.
Not only that, but I was ¾ done with this chapter, and THEN, one of her reviewers decided to indirectly flame me in an anonymous review on her story, saying that she shouldn't let me have the story because I sounded mean and mine would probably suck. You don't know me, person! So stop acting like you do!
So, in the end, I decided I WILL be making a story using this idea, except instead of having Rin and Len share a room for no apparent reason, I actually GIVE one, and it will be actually Len, Rin, AND Mikuo sharing one room. I haven't yet decided the main couple (Mikuo x Rin or Len x Rin?), but it will mostly turn out as a non-cest Len x Rin.
So, yeah. Original idea by VampireKnight16.
Although this story here is different in many ways, you may find a resemblance here and there, because I only partially modified my plot lines n' stuff, and I was basing it mostly on her ideas. So yes, Meiko is still yandere.
Chapter 1 – Care to introduce yourself?
I watched my feet as I walked through the never-ending hallways of white. How I still could was beyond me... you'd think I'd be too weak to do so.
"There's also a big cafeteria, and they have a vegetarian special for you if you need it!" Megumi Megpoid rambled on cheerfully. I tried my best to tune her out. Besides… I'm not vegetarian.
Could she not understand I wanted to keep the depressing silence hanging? After all, what happiness could you gain from being locked up? To only be let out to eat, get therapy, and school?
I don't belong in one of these rooms, with the metal sealed doors and the child-proof everything. Or do I? As an artist, these plain white walls are punishment enough just to look at. Oh, the murals I could paint on these walls… but no, they'll most likely insist it's for my safety that they keep them blank.
So maybe I slit myself a little too much this time. Maybe I should've stopped the bleeding. Or maybe I should've locked the door so no one could get in. Now all I'm doing is convincing the people that evil runs in my blood. After all, I am a sinful child, born from a sinful mother. I am devil's spawn.
"There's been a slight misunderstanding, however..." Megumi trailed off, interrupting my thoughts.
"What is it, miss Megumi?" I asked, sounding pure and innocent. Surely, she'd realize I didn't belong here.
"Please, just Gumi!" she beamed.
"And...?"
"Right... Yes, well... your grandparents forgot to check off one of the questions... I suspect they may have done it on purpose, since we only have one room left." she said, then added, "We're under renovation. Although I wouldn't blame them much; we are, after all, one of the best mental facilities in the province! (1)"
"Alright... so what is it?" I asked, impatient with her stalling.
She bit her lip. "You ARE female, right?"
I nearly choked. "Y-Yes!"
She silently cursed. "Your grandparents left that question blank... Are you sexually active?"
This time, I really did choke on my own breath and spit. "Excuse me?" I asked in bewilderment, once I'd caught my breath.
"Are you a virgin?" Gumi asked.
One of the guards behind me snickered, but a quick glare from the green-haired young woman got him to shut up.
"No- I mean yes! I mean-" I swallowed, and tried again. "Yes, I'm a virgin."
Gumi seemed slightly relieved. "Good... Well, it turns out that you were put into the male pile, and..." she pressed a button on a control panel, and after scanning her identity card, a beep sounded.
She opened the door, and I gasped, horrified.
The walls were completely white (no surprise), save for a poster or two taped onto the wall. There was a bunk bed on the left side, and a regular on the right.
There was also a cushiony mat beneath the bed, as if to prevent anyone who fell to break any bones.
There was a door on the left side, which I guessed was a closet, judging by the sweater hung on the door knob. Another door was on the right side. A bathroom? Hopefully.
But the scariest things were my new roommates; two young boys my age.
"Oh, hell no!" I yelled, and tried to leave, but the guards blocked the way.
"Let me go!" I yelled, weakly punching the guards, even though I knew it had no effect. The guards only chuckled.
"Look, Rin, I know this may be shocking, but unless you want to be restrained, you have to calm down!"
I fell to my knees, and stopped beating the guard. "What's going on...?"
"There are only certain rooms with 3 beds. These, we give to those who are doing fairly well, and have a likely chance of leaving soon." Gumi explained.
"I'm leaving soon?" I piped up.
"No." Gumi said. "But due to renovations, this is the only room left. A boy's room."
"So why not ship me to a different place?" I pleaded.
Gumi watched me with pity. "Your grandparents signed a contract. We can't give you up. I'm sorry, Rin, but this is only temporary. It's only until renovations are complete, or another room is freed."
I lay there in shock.
"But don't worry! We are one of the best psychological centers in the province! You'll be fine in no time!"
I blacked out after this.
Alright, allow me to introduce myself.
Hello, my name is Rin Kagene. I am 14 1/2 years old, born December 27th, 1997.
My mother's name was Lily Kagene. Does that not sound familiar? In my hometown, she was like a celebrity- but not in a good way. She was like Charlie Sheen, if you wanted to compare her to someone rich and well-known.
You see, mother was famous in our town for her lack of sanity.
She murdered her own father-in-law (although who wouldn't want to?), claiming he was abusing her, touching her in places he shouldn't.
But of course, she was always an odd one. No one believed her.
So off she was sent to an adult mental hospital.
Apparently, she has completely forgotten about me now. But the town villagers haven't.
I was constantly ignored. If someone saw me walking down the sidewalk, one would pull his or her child close, and walk to the other side of the street. After all, no one was sure sin wasn't contagious.
People seemed to think I'd curse them- or worse -if they got near me. So no one shoved me in the halls. No one talked to me, ever. No one even dared to cheat on me during a science quiz.
I was completely ignored. All except the bravest, meanest girls who would stick notes with mean things onto my locker.
It shouldn't have surprised anyone when I 'accidentally' cut myself too deep this time. It's a shame Grandpa walked in just then. I would've finally been freed...
But now I was locked up even more securely than before.
With two boys.
I don't like boys!
"So... that's gonna be pretty awkward now... with a girl here, n' all." the first one said.
The other only nodded in reply.
"Guess we won't be able to go in the bath together anymore, huh?" the first one said, with a smirk.
The other boy glared at him. "We never EVER did that."
"Poor Lenny can't admit he likes boys!" the first one teased in a sing-song voice. The second one was fuming.
As for appearances... most would consider themselves lucky.
The first one had short teal blue hair. His eyes glowed sapphire with mischievousness. His ears, though, strangely reminded me of the pointed ones of an elf.
The second one was blond, like me. His hair went down to his shoulders, I assumed, although it was up in a short ponytail. He had ocean-blue eyes, sparking with anger. He seemed very easily annoyed, this I could tell. And, wow, just his luck, his roommate seemed to be very annoying! A perfect match!
But yes, even I had to admit they were very good-looking. A normal girl would be thrilled, but I think I'd prefer it if they were ugly.
I secretly wondered why they were being kept here. What did they do?
"Oh yeah, forgot about you!" The attention was brought back to me. Oh, jolly.
"My name's Mikuo." The teal-haired one spoke. "That's Len." he pointed to the blonde. Mikuo held his hand out for me to shake, but after a few seconds, realized I wouldn't and awkwardly put it away.
"So, you're Rin, right?" Mikuo asked.
I didn't do anything.
"Hey Len, I think you two would both get along great! You both don't talk unless Gumi comes by, or I mention skinny dipping!"
Len only glared at him. Mikuo was right after all; he was quiet.
"So... are you going to say anything?" he turned back to me.
Just ignore him... find a spot on the wall, and focus... ignore any human life form present here...
"If you don't say something, I'll have to kiss you."
"What?" I stumbled out of the way, as Mikuo chuckled.
"Works every time!" he said. "It's how I got Miku to talk again, remember?"
Len grunted. I was guessing that meant yes.
I scowled. "Fine, I can talk, okay? Now leave me alone."
"Oh, I already knew you could talk. All the screaming before kind of gave it away. You sure seemed desperate to get away from us! Do we smell, or something?"
"Yes." I answered, completely serious. I caught a ghost of a smile on Len's face, but it disappeared as quickly as it had appeared.
"Tsk, tsk, how rude!" Mikuo said, scolding me. "Gumi'll get us for lunch soon; you'll be able to meet the rest of us!"
"Oh, goody." I said sarcastically. "More crazy people."
Mikuo seemed very offended by this. "We're not all crazy serial killers or rapists, okay? And... just a heads up... but starting today, you're officially a crazy person too."
Len only stared at the ceiling, deep in thought, ignoring us two. And, for maybe the 10th time since I got here, I wondered what he'd done to be sent here.
... I'm a crazy person. A freak. ...Why does this seem like old news?
"Over here!" Mikuo waved me over to a table.
A girl with long teal-colored ponytails sat beside a dark-blue haired male. Across from them sat a girl with silky pink hair running down to her waist and a guy with long purple hair tied in a single ponytail.
Mikuo sat beside the pink-haired girl. I reluctantly sat beside him. Len sat across from me, beside the dark-blue haired one.
"Everyone, meet Rin!" Mikuo announced. "Rin, this is Gakupo", he pointed to the purple-haired man, "Kaito", the blue-haired one, "Miku", the sensitive looking girl with the long pigtails, "and Luka." he concluded, gesturing at the pink haired girl.
Miku waved with a small yet sad smile. "Hi..." she said, her voice barely louder than a whisper. I waved back at her. That's when I noticed the way Kaito kept glancing at her.
Alright... so I'm a girl. Forgive me for liking sappy little love stories. I think it's alright to fantasize about things most likely not to happen, is it not?
"Rin's our new roommate!" Mikuo announced.
Luka stopped eating her top-class cafeteria food. "What?"
"I said, Rin's our new roommate!" Mikuo repeated.
I just sat there staring down at my lap while everyone stared at me.
"How?" Gakupo asked. "I mean... from what I can tell, she's a girl."
"There was a misunderstanding..." I mumbled, wishing I could be back in my room at home, in the attic.
They all stared at me silently, while I awkwardly prodded some 5 star meal of mashed potatoes, peas, and grilled chicken. None of it suddenly seemed very appetizing.
"Huh." Kaito said in a curious manner. "Funny."
"Yeah, I think so too!" Mikuo exclaimed. "Not too thrilled about sharing my room with a girl, though. I mean..." he shrugged. "It kind of complicates things."
I nodded silently.
An awkward silence loomed over the table, until Mikuo asked a question that - although I was sure everyone wants to know the answer to - nearly made me choke on my first bite of peas.
I coughed, spitting the green mush into my napkin. "What did I do? You mean, to get sent here?"
Mikuo nodded like it was obvious, slightly rolling his eyes. I had a tempting urge to glare at him until fire was literally burning in my eyes, but unfortunately, I resisted.
The others were watching me expectantly. I noticed that, even though Len hadn't said a word this entire time, his eyes were focused on my face, analyzing every blink of an eye, every twitch of my lips.
It sent shivers up my spine.
"I-Isn't that supposed to be private information?" I asked, suddenly wishing Megumi - or, sorry, it's just Gumi now - were here to stop this.
Mikuo again rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well no one ever follows that rule." If I weren't so nice, I'd have punched him.
"Yes, well not everyone is completely open like you, Mikuo." Kaito said in a collected voice. "Which means, we won't try to pry. Understood?"
I find Kaito would be a much better director than Gumi for this place. Apart from whatever had him sent here, that is...
"I just don't see what the big deal is!" Mikuo complained. "Either you're an attacker, a victim, or suicidal! What's so hard to tell?"
Kaito narrowed his eyes at him. "Sorry, Rin, Mikuo's a little more... eccentric than the rest of us."
"Well what's there to keep secret? We're all going to find out eventually, so why not now?" Mikuo continued his rant. "It's just like Miku! She eventually told us the truth! It'd be easier to just tell us in the beginning!"
Seeing my confused expression, Mikuo leaned in. "Don't worry, she was a victim, not an attacker. Her house was invaded by druggies. They killed her parents and raped her, is all. Left her with some trauma issues."
Miku freezed. Kaito murmured reassurances in her ear, but it was already too late. Miku covered her ears with her hands, and whimpered.
Who knows what was going on in the alternate world in her head? Most likely, she was reliving old memories.
Mikuo smirked mischievously, still leaning in. "I, on the other hand, was an attacker."
My eyes widened as my brain processed this.
Gakupo glared at Mikuo. "Watch what you say!" he gestured at Miku. "Look what you did now!"
Miku was trembling now, the poor girl.
Kaito sighed, and pushed a small button on a silver wristband he was wearing.
A tear slowly slided down Miku's cheek, when suddenly, two guards and a doctor burst through the doors.
The doctor injected a needle into Miku's arm, but her trembling only got faster.
One of the guards's lifted her fragile body, and left without any words said. The doctor was about to leave too, when Kaito grabbed him.
He spun around looking alarmed, fumbling for another needle, but Kaito only said in a calm voice: "Whatever you're giving him," he jabbed a thumb in Mikuo's direction, "you might want to prescribe a little less."
The doctor seemed relieved Kaito didn't attack him. He nodded, and left.
No one seemed to want to talk much after that. Even Mikuo kept his mouth shut. Not that I minded. In fact, I didn't mind at all.
I would've minded even less, though, if Len would stop staring at me.
Being the new kid, Gumi told me that, although normally I'd be required to follow the daily schedule, for today I'd be able to rest, and get used to things.
As if I would've been able to do that with Len watching me.
Naturally, to make sure I didn't have some sort of mental breakdown, Gumi thought it best to leave me with my 'rehabilitation partner'.
Basically, since they assume teenagers interact better among each other, not only do they have you spend time with the licensed therapists, they also provide you an extra half hour alone with another patient of the opposite gender.
And mine just so happens to be Len.
According to Gumi, Mikuo spends extra time with his therapists, since he has slightly more complicated issues than Len and I.
It makes me wonder, if he is one of the nearly-healed patients, then how bad are the rest?
But now, Mikuo's gone to 'Artistic therapy', and I'm alone with Len.
I put my clothes away, while he lies on his top bunk, staring at the ceiling.
I was so very relieved he wasn't staring at me anymore. It made me incredibly uncomfortable.
He was still staring up, when he suddenly spoke. "He's normally not this bad."
I flinched, dropping the hanger I was holding. "Who?"
"Mikuo." He turned, looking me in the eye now. "He's not usually this bad. They've just drugged him up."
I sat there gaping at him.
"No, they won't drug you that badly." he said, seemingly reading my thoughts. "He has bad depression issues. You'll understand some day."
I looked away, irritated. "Stop acting like you know me."
"I never said I know you." I could imagine him shrug. "It's just obvious you wouldn't get it, no matter how much I try to explain. You'll get it after a while, though. Maybe."
I ignored him, and focused on the bandages wrapped all over my arms. Because I was wearing long sleeves, no one else noticed.
I peeled them off, not caring if Len saw me.
Under the creamy white bandages, man-made ugly red scars ran across my arms, criss-crossing in random patterns.
I scratched at one on my wrist, sighing when blood started to ooze out.
Physical pain can often make you forget emotional pain.
After around five minutes, I heard Len swear under his breath.
My arms were flowing with dark red liquid, running down and creating a small puddle around me.
Dark spots filled my vision, and I think I may have laughed. Laughed in glee with the thought of leaving this place, leaving this life.
But I knew it wouldn't last when the metal doors burst open, and I was put onto a stretcher. Oh, but it wasn't coincidence; I knew what happened. Len pushed the button on his wristband that saved my life.
And I hated him for it.
Oh the irony… hating someone who just saved your life… But come on, Rin. If I let you die, there wouldn't be much need to continue this story now, would there? Oh well…
Next chapter, you'll meet Kiyoteru and Meiko! Yay!
Is anyone wondering what the characters in this story did to get to the Mental Ward? …Anybody? …No one? …Oh well. I DO need help though! I need someone to help me figure out what:
-Kaito did
-Luka did
-Gakupo did
-Teto did
-(possibly) Yuki Kaai did
-(possibly) Miki did
-(possibly) Neru did
And, I need you to tell me which Vocaloid out of them ALL (apart from Mikuo, Rin, Len, Miku, Lily, Rei, Rui, or Kiyoteru) seems most like a psychotic murderer. Because I'm itching to write about a psychotic murderer. XD Now, let me repeat: NOT Mikuo, Rin, Len, Miku, Lily, Rei, Rui, or Kiyoteru! Comprendo? Good!
Question of the chapter: What do you think Mikuo did? What do you think Len did?
Okie dokie, so please, please, PLEASE review! I'm so excited to see what people think!
(1) Yes, American readers, I said province. A province is basically what states are called in Canada. This story takes place in British Columbia, near Vancouver, because… well, I don't know. I'm Canadian. Let's just leave it as, it's easier for me.