Welcome back, readers. I know what you're thinking, so let me save you the time. Flavour of the Month is not dead. I just took a break from it and felt some other inspiration.
If you are offended by swearing or mild adult themes, feel free to stop reading now, for you may be offended. I do think the language used is justified in the situation, but, well, you were warned.
I tried to write a short first chapter to test the waters, but I just couldn't seem to manage it.
Be patient with this one, especially the first chapter. Some people will wonder what's going on. I hope the more astute will get some of the clues that I have left.
Well then, on with the show.
Where Sanity Begins
Chapter 01
"What're you in for?"
"In for…?"
"Yeah, you know…"
"I…"
"Oh sorry, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Emily," declared the frizzy haired girl in a very matter of fact way. Her grin caused her silver braces to catch the diluted sunlight causing an involuntary squint from all who were caught by it.
"Christ, take those fucking things out," scolded the fitting owner of an irritable, throaty voice to the left. A look of distain shot from the dark eyes of an apparently malnourished blonde teenager.
"Settle down girls." A black, middle aged woman looked up from the clip board she had been studying for the past two minutes to call them to order with a carefully honed series of intonations and inflections. It was important to learn the correct level of confidence to exhibit; too much and the girls could become resentful and rebellious while too little may well lead to disrespectful behaviour. The group responded, settling into an uneasy calm.
"Whatever," snorted the scrawny blonde in a final act of defiance. She slouched into her chair and folded her arms, assuming the well practised posture of least respect for a figure of authority.
"That's Crystal," whispered Emily.
"So," announced the older woman after a brief interval, "who wants to go first?"
The uneasy calm quickly became a dead silence, punctuated only by the owner of one irritable throat and the squeaking wheels of an ill maintained trolley passing by in the adjacent corridor. Dianne, for this is how her name tag identified her, knew that the girls would be perfectly happy to just sit in silence for the entire session. It was the same as last Tuesday and would most likely be the same next Tuesday. Nobody much cared for the weekly group meeting, even Dianne on one of her rare bad days, but it was on the schedule so it would go ahead come hell or high water, or a reduction in government financial allocation. Besides, these girls needed a steady routine. It was good for their mental health, as was talking about their problems. "Anyone?" she prompted, scanning round the shying faces. They never did volunteer, but it was always good to give them the option. Who knows, she thought, someday someone might.
She stopped chasing faces when she happened upon one which did not retreat so readily. In fact it bared almost no sign of discomfort, or anything else for that matter. She pondered whether or not a response would be forthcoming. Either way, it might trigger others to participate. "Rose was it?" she asked gently.
A growing gap made itself felt between the question and anticipated response, drawing increasing levels of curiosity, boredom and impatience in equal measure from the group.
"I'm…. not sure why…" came the eventual weak reply.
"It's alright if you're not ready to talk yet," assured Dianne before taking some considered notes.
"It's alright," Emily added with a characteristic warm tone.
"Don't get too close to her Rose," sneered Crystal. "Funny things sometimes happen to people that do. Right Emily?"
Emily's hand suddenly tightened around the almost unused pencil she held, straining it almost to breaking. "There are a lot of things I could say right now that I won't," she said between gritted teeth.
"Oh come on," challenged Crystal with an almost playful malice. "We're all friends here, right?"
"Crystal, why don't you start?" interrupted Dianne, setting the conversation back on the intended track.
"Aw come on, Dianne. This is bullshit!" protested Crystal.
"Why is this bullshit, Crystal?" she asked, feigning ignorance.
"Come on," she complained, raising her hands, "I had to talk when I first came. Why does she get out of it?" Her hand switched to an accusatory point at the stranger.
"Maybe she's doing some 'favours' already," muttered the rotund form of a girl sat to Crystal's left.
"So Crystal," prompted the older woman, consciously ignoring other comments and attempts to avoid the question.
"What?" she asked honestly. "What do you want to know?"
"Have you been eating your meals this week?"
"I already told Frank that-" launched Crystal into a clearly prepared defensive line before she was cut off.
"Don't want you pilin' on the pounds. If you turn into a fat bitch, I might not love you anymore," mocked a dark skinned girl who sat over to the right of the group with a wink of false seduction.
Crystal came to her feet instantly, fire giving her worn eyes new life. Her clothes, which hung loosely over her frail structure, served to show any doubters that her food intake was minimal at best and thusly destroy and defence she may have offered. "What the fuck did you just say?"
"Sit down Crystal," Dianne ordered firmly, waving away a sturdy looking gentleman who had started to approach from his former position by the exit doors.
Crystal lowered herself down, not breaking eye contact with the other girl. "Please continue."
"Yeah, right. So I told Frank on Thursday that I wasn't hungry or anything, but he wasn't taking any of it, so-"
"So you threw the food on the floor and told Frank to…" Dianne checked her notes quickly, "go and 'fuck himself'."
There was a crackle of muted laughter from several of the girls. "Yeah well," shrugged Crystal, "he wouldn't take no for an answer."
"Just the way you like 'em," jeered the previous antagonist.
"Fuck you," yelled Crystal, jabbing a finger in her direction.
"Litanya, please. Crystal, you've really got to get back to eating regular meals," Dianne advised earnestly. "It's for your own good."
"Right…" Crystal folded her arms, assuming the scalded child position.
"You know I don't want to have to have you force fed through a tube again."
"Right," she repeated, not listening.
"Well, as long as we're clear."
"Uh-huh." Dianne probed for some opening, but the barriers were up. The conversation was over until Crystal decided otherwise.
"Hmm. So, Emily," she switched focus, raising her eyebrows and taking a fresh breath.
"Yes?" smiled Emily nervously in response. Her eager to please attitude caused Crystal to groan, but her turn was over.
"How's the painting coming?"
"Oh, it's going pretty well," she beamed, "but there's something I need."
"To get laid," muttered Litanya from behind the hand that shielded her mouth. Crystal cursed herself for not jumping onto that one herself, but instead decided to respond with an expression which read, 'was that supposed to be funny?'
"What do you need?"
"Well, the paint set you lent me doesn't have a blue," Emily informed hopefully, rolling the pencil between her fingers.
"I'll see what I can do."
"What the fuck?" burst out Crystal with a strong indignation. "How come she gets stuff when she asks for it? I never get anything I ask for."
"It helps that she makes reasonable demands," responded Dianne calmly.
"Yeah. Notice how she didn't ask for hard drugs," interrupted Litanya scornfully.
"One time, that was one fucking time," Crystal grumbled.
"Well maybe you would like to take up a creative pastime?" suggested the older woman.
"Nah, that's not for me, Di."
"Dianne."
"Yeah. Dianne. That's what I said."
"Right." Dianne moved on from Crystal once again, daring to hope it may be the last time. "Karen. Did you sort out that problem you had with your medication?"
"Don't worry," assured Emily with a cheerful whisper. "It's pretty much always like this. Crystal gets all defensive about her weight or her hair or some other thing, and Litanya teases her about it. It's a regular cycle. They're both as bad as each other." She seemed genuinely excited to be imparting her version of events on someone who wouldn't tell her where she could shove it. "The one talking now is Karen. She says she lost her medication last Thursday, but I have it on good authority that she flushed it."
"Maybe you should give her whatever Rose is on," suggested Crystal. "She seems fairly out of it to me. Shit, give me some."
"You know I can't do that," replied Dianne with a distinct lack of humour.
"Say," said Karen to Crystal, "wouldn't that make this your second request for hard drugs?"
"Hey fuck you," Crystal retaliated above various sniggers. "You know I was just fucking around." She crossed her arms and scowled, angry and self conscious that the group would laugh at her.
"Okay. Anyone else?"
No response.
"Alison?"
Nothing, save for the familiar clearing of an irritated throat.
"Alright then." If they really didn't want to talk then she guessed she couldn't force them. She knew better than that. "Well if anyone does need to talk, you know where my room is, right?" A half hearted series of coughs and groans denoted a loose acknowledgement, if only to hasten her departure.
Dianne slowly came to her feet, steadying her portly frame. The aged wood of the chair creaked in discomfort, but witty remarks of the like that might be aimed at Melanie, the group's resident eating disorderly, were markedly absent. Anyone who felt clever enough, or brave enough, to venture such a comment would not only earn the displeasure of the one woman who exercised total power over their lives, but would also earn no friends within the group itself. Even Crystal knew better than to call her on that one.
She nodded to the unexcited man, whose name tag identified him as 'my name is Harold', and pushed through the uninspiring hospital issue double doors.
A pressure almost audibly hissed from the room, moving bodies and mouths to more easy positions. "Phew," murmured Crystal ejecting a breath which fell somewhere between an unconvincing yawn and disappointed sigh. She reached into her jean pockets and fumbled around before producing a half empty packet of cigarettes and an inexpensive, blue plastic lighter. Flicking the cigarette into her mouth with a clearly well practised manoeuvre, she sneaked a glance around to see if anyone had noticed; particularly if anyone was impressed. On finding no clear evidence to that end, she returned her attention to lighting her cigarette. The lighter was cheap and certainly not the type of thing she would have chosen had she the choice, but it served the purpose. She could still tease a flame from the aged lighter; a trick lesser smokers seemed to have trouble with.
Emily watched Crystal lighting up her cigarette. She wasn't sure if it was her first of the day, although guessed it probably wasn't. Either way, she was at least looking less tense now, which usually meant she was less tense. Might make her easier to handle, Emily thought. Crystal flicked her dyed locks over one shoulder and turned to face her. The Crystal studying so far lead Emily to believe this wasn't going to be a confrontation, or even an insult. Was she going to spark up a conversation? That lack of malice in her eyes was a refreshing change, and one Emily was happy to keep for now. "Think she wants a drag?" she asked, holding forward her cigarette and nodding to the newcomer.
"Um, actually, I don't think she smokes," informed Emily with a soft, acquiescing tone. She didn't much like pandering to Crystal, but sometimes it offered the path of least resistance.
Crystal looked the unfamiliar body up and down, rolling her tongue around inside her mouth. It was hard to tell what was going on with this one.
"Whatever," she shrugged, retracting he arm and her offer, returning to her own thoughts.
Emily waited for a moment, making sure Crystal's interests were elsewhere before taking the new girl's pale hand and stroking it comfortingly. "You know, when Dianne, the black lady who was sat there before," she gestured to the central chair, "says 'room', she's not actually a resident here."
"No shit," added Crystal, who was contentedly creating and observing rings of smoke with a child like curiosity.
"They just say that so we feel like there's less of a barrier between us and them. So it's easier for us to communicate our issues and problems, you know?" she added with a smile.
"Yeah right," added Crystal once again, a familiar edge having returned to her voice.
"That is why they do it though," informed Emily, feeling maybe a little brave in the presence of her new friend.
"Yeah, I know," responded Crystal, turning her attention back to Emily. "But it is bullshit, you do realise."
"No, I did not realise that."
"Man, I never knew they put people in here 'cause they were stupid," she said, rolling her head around mockingly. "If we're all so friendly with them, why doesn't she like me calling her 'Di'?"
"I'm sure there's a good reason," asserted Emily. She was aware that her apparent faith gave Crystal a good source of derisory material, but maybe that was why they were different, aside the obvious reasons. "It's for our own good."
"Right. Yeah." Crystal gazed around the small, faded white room. The walls were bland, the door was bland, even the 'attendant' looked pretty bland right now. As if that weren't bad enough, the bars on the windows were starting to look pretty ordinary now, too. She hated that she had gotten used to that. She would sit and stare at them sometimes, to try and remind herself how this wasn't normal. Not for 'normal' people at least. Unfortunately, all she ended up doing was staring at the space between the bars and finding some distraction. She tightened her fingers slightly around her cigarette as the feeling of being trapped moved through her body. She didn't really like it since it wasn't a pleasant feeling. In fact, the tightness of the chest was pretty uncomfortable, but it was a friend somehow. It helped her really focus on her situation. This was not normal. "Whatever," she replied dreamily, absorbed in thought, watching the wispy forms of smoke escape.
Emily observed her for a few moments, making sure she was as docile as she looked. "So, Rose," she said in a lowered voice and turning her attention, "I didn't catch what you said you were in for. I mean don't tell me if you don't want to. I don't want to be nosy or anything…"
"I…I'm not…" came the feeble reply.
"You're not what?" prompted Emily.
"Not in any mood to talk with you, I guess." Crystal had snapped back to reality, and was now interested once again.
"No, I don't think that was what she was going to say," responded Emily firmly.
"No shit, eh? Well maybe not. How about 'I'm not getting enough good drugs'?" Emily gave a disapproving look, but Crystal continued regardless. "Because, when I was on the good shit, I knew that if I could feel anything, I wasn't on enough." She took a brief pause to take another drag from her cigarette allowing her right sleeve to drop slightly, showing the unavoidable signs of a troubled mind wearing on a troubled body. She caught Emily looking and quickly pulled up her sleeve, half heartedly pretending she was rubbing some pain on her wrist. "I got downgraded to the blue pills last week. I don't remember what they're called," continued Crystal in her heavily one sided conversation. "They told me it was more like an upgrade, since the less heavy drugs I need, the better I'm getting. I don't see it that way, obviously. I could definitely go for a hit of whatever you're on though. That looks like some really good shit, you know?"
"I doubt she'd share it with you," said Emily, making sure her opinion was heard.
"Hey, you hear something Rose," asked Crystal, leaning a little closer. "Like… hmm," she waved her smoking hand around a few times, trying to come up with the right words, "like someone you really don't like butting into a private conversation?"
"She's my friend, you know."
"Hah," snorted Crystal. "Like fuck she is." She gestured an arm toward their all but mute acquaintance. "She's so far off her tits she doesn't know where she's at, never mind what day it is. How could she be anyone's friend right now?"
"Well, at least I take care-"
"Oh right," butted in Crystal, tapping her head as if having hit upon a revolutionary idea. "It's because she's so drugged up that she would be your friend." She took a deep drag on her cigarette and smiled with a smug satisfaction. "Make the most of it while you can because she's gonna drop you like a stone the second she knows what's what."
Emily seethed, almost involuntarily grinding her teeth together so as not to rise to the provocation. "Oh… why don't you just go and cut yourself some more?" she growled.
Crystal fixed her gaze on Emily, who tried to avoid it. She knew that was a stupid thing to say, but it was said now. No taking it back. The edges of Crystal's lips curled upwards and formed into a smug grin. It wasn't always easy to make Emily lose her temper, but trying was a hobby of Crystal's; and it was always worth it. It reminded Crystal that Emily wasn't any better than her, no matter what she said. In fact, she was probably worse because she couldn't even acknowledge how she really was, even to herself. "I'll do that. I'll make sure to cut a big 'E' right along here," she said, sliding up her sleeve and pointing out an unscarred region, "just so you know it was for you."
Crystal watched the two faces for a moment. One squirmed with unease while the other showed virtually nothing. Suddenly this was very boring. "Well, fuck you freaks," she said with as little venom as such a phrase can be delivered while taking to her feet.
"Just ignore her," advised Emily, watching Crystal approaching another group of girls. "Oh, look at this," she said in a very mothering fashion, waving away the smoke that had invaded their common personal space.
"She's just an angry person who strikes out at the world because she's not happy with herself. Oh, I know what you're thinking," she continued, combing some stray hairs from the sedate girl's face, "but I'm not like her. No, I'm here because my parents think I have a problem adjusting to new people. Like there was this thing at my boarding school, but it really wasn't my fault… but we're getting along fine, right? Me and you, I mean. And I'm nice to Crystal even if she isn't nice to me. Well, most of the time. I guess Dianne will see that I'm fine sooner or later and tell my parents to get me out. I know it's not fair to leave you all alone so soon after meeting, but people are only in here if they need help and I don't, so… well, just so you know."
Emily rocked forward on her chair while trying to balance her pencil on her top lip without the use of her hands. "Hey," she began as another thought came to her, "do you like to paint? Or draw? Or anything like that?" Ordinarily she would have given more of a chance for a response, but she doubted she would get one. "Well, I do. It helps me pass the time. Plus it helps me develop my hand eye skills and my creative side. Plus," she leaned a little closer and lowered her voice, "it shows Dianne and the other staff that I'm well adjusted and can get on with normal activities. I mean," she exhaled and leaned against the back of her chair, "I'm not saying I'm more normal than everyone here, but definitely most. I know we're all supposed to be not all with it mentally in here, but there are definitely different degrees. In fact, Dianne was saying that there are some people where you can't even tell they have any mental disorder at all."
"That's fucking retarded." Crystal was back from her turn about the room. It seemed the rest of the crowd was equally inept at providing for her entertainment today. At least the new girl presented something of a novelty.
"And what do you think?" Emily tried to disguise the smugness in her voice. She didn't like trouble with Crystal, but she liked Crystal as a whole even less. Besides, if she could be baited into making a fool of herself then Emily wouldn't have to make fun of her, she'd be doing it all by herself. As far as she knew, Crystal didn't know anything about the subject, whereas she had read several pamphlets and talked to Dianne on numerous occasions.
"I think if she can't tell if some people have mental disabilities or whatever, maybe she's in the wrong line of work."
"Well her point seemed pretty clear to me." She tried to play down her air of superiority, but Crystal could read the signs a mile away.
"It seemed pretty clear?"
"Yes…" Emily wasn't sure where Crystal was going with this, and her non confrontational approach only served to add to the confusion.
"But she didn't say that."
"Well, not exactly…"
Crystal placed a hand to her lower lip and rubbed it thoughtfully. "But that would mean that maybe some people might be in here who shouldn't be."
"I don't know what you mean," replied Emily flatly, having seen now where Crystal had been going. They'd had this conversation countless times and never had they once reached agreement. Mainly, Emily thought, due to Crystal's inability to have a conversation without resorting to mockery or sarcasm.
"You mean that I know something you don't?" Crystal piped, clearly finding this whole conversation to her amusement.
"No," clarified Emily hoping she could, and quite faithful that she would, be able to utilise her superior skills of debate in wiping the look from Crystal's face, "what I meant was-"
"Shit," interrupted Crystal, noticing her cigarette had come to the end of its short but purposeful life.
"What I meant to say was that I didn't follow where your argument was going…" She tailed off as it was clear she had lost Crystal's admittedly short attention. "Are you listening?"
"Oh yeah sure," Crystal lied, moistening the business end of her next cigarette.
"You're not are you?" pressed Emily, eager to not have her point trodden into the ground by a hopeless nicotine addiction.
"Jesus Christ," complained Crystal sharply whilst attempting to coax her lighter into life once more. "I'm listening, alright?"
"Fine," huffed Emily. "I was just making the point that I wasn't admitting I didn't know something that you did."
Crystal narrowed her eyes in distain. "We're still on that?"
"Well, I thought it was important to make sure-"
"To make sure you feel like you're smarter than me," jabbed Crystal, cutting straight to what she perceived to be the point.
"That wasn't it at all," denied Emily, visibly flustered.
Crystal, now satisfied with her fresh cigarette, took another good look at the new girl. "I just meant that…" continued Emily.
"She said anything new?" she asked, waving her cigarette holding hand the stranger's general direction.
"Uh," stumbled Emily, adjusting to the sudden change in flow of the conversation. "Well, I asked her what she was in here for."
"And?"
"She didn't really say anything," said Emily vaguely. She did seem to recall her saying some words, but nothing that was worth mentioning.
"Hey," called Crystal, clicking her fingers in an attempt to raise some sort of reaction. "Who d'you suppose colours her hair?" she asked half to herself.
"I guess she colours it herself," shrugged Emily, quite displeased with the continued interest Crystal was showing in her new friend.
"I think she likes me," declared Crystal gleefully as the distant figure slowly rotated its head in her direction.
"Hmph, well she did that earlier with me…"
"Rose, right?" asked Crystal rhetorically. "Why are you in here?" She spoke slowly and deliberately, as if this new arrival were hard of hearing or not in total possession of her mental facilities. The irony flashed across her thoughts for a moment, but she let it pass before it came to a vocal conclusion.
Scanning carefully over the blank, expressionless face, Crystal found herself somewhat disconcerted. It was just strange, she thought, to have someone not react to you at all, no matter what you do. She could probably put her cigarette out on her hand and she wouldn't so much as flinch. Well maybe she would flinch, she pondered, but she wouldn't be mad about it or anything. "Kinda creepy," she observed, seemingly transfixed on the unfeeling eyes which gazed effortlessly through her. "I haven't even seen her blink once," she muttered with a curious awe. Was that even healthy, she wondered. Surely it couldn't be. "That can't be healthy."
"Um, I don't know," replied Emily uncertainly. "I think I saw her blink earlier. Maybe it's just-"
"Hold it," ordered Crystal, holding up a palm to Emily whose response was an offended folding of the arms. "She's trying to say something."
Crystal leaned forward, eyes squinted and presenting her nearest ear. She could have sworn she just heard something; a croak or a gurgle, accompanied by the slightest shifting of lips.
"I didn't hear anything," dismissed Emily.
"Did you say she said something earlier?" quizzed Crystal sharply.
"I said she didn't say anything in particular," Emily corrected, feeling that there were very few occasions on which making Crystal look, and feel, less than herself was not a good idea.
"Yeah, real clever time for a fucking argument," she snapped in response. "So she did speak?"
"Yes…"
Crystal sat back and pinched her nose, sizing up the situation. "It doesn't seem right."
"Maybe she doesn't want to talk," suggested Emily.
Crystal exhaled heavily from her nose in distaste. "Maybe," she mumbled, grudgingly conceding the point. It was possible, she supposed. "No, that can't be it," she said, shaking her head. "She definitely just tried to talk."
"Even if you did hear something, it could just have been a cough or something like that."
"I know what I heard," said Crystal flatly.
"Well… alright, maybe she needs a drink or something," ventured Emily. It could be that Rose was trying to tell them something. After all, she had tried to say something earlier. And it wasn't like she was agreeing with Crystal anyway. Instead, she was just showing that she was able to rise above their petty disagreements and put the well being of someone else first.
Crystal looked over at Emily with an expression that walked a fine line between grinding vexation and mildly impressed. Crystal was always at pains to admit when Emily made a useful suggestion. Emily was tempted to tease out an admission, but then she remembered that she was setting those thoughts aside for now. Crystal could be as immature as she liked, she thought, but she was going to have to act-
"Well go and get her one then," ordered Crystal impatiently.
"Actually," sniffed Emily, getting up and brushing down her thighs, "That's just what I was going to do anyway." She turned on her heel and strutted over toward the door.
Crystal watched her leave before returning her attention to the mesmerised figure. "I know you probably won't take this from me, but you really don't want to be friends with that," she advised, sitting back and flicking her now spent cigarette to the floor. "Rumour is," she proceeded, grinding the cigarette unceremoniously onto the featureless grey carpet with her heel, "she killed someone with a kitchen knife in a fit of rage. I don't know if it's true for sure, but she seems like the type, don't you think?"
She paused for a moment, as if expectant of a reply. "You know, if you keep staring at me like that, people are gonna think you play for the other team. Besides," she relayed in half seriousness, "you'd have competition."
"You know," mused Crystal, stretching back into a yawn, "they don't sedate everyone so heavily when they come in. I mean sure, they did me, but I was kicking and screaming a riot. Nothing I would dream of doing now," she smirked, adding a knowing wink. Surely this pale, inoffensive looking girl couldn't be as bad as she had been. "Well," she aired to nobody in particular, "they say it's the quiet ones you gotta look out for."
Crystal sat still for a moment, exhaling out of tedium. "You're one hell of a conversationalist, I'll give you that. Still, I suppose it's better than talking to-" She paused as the all but lifeless girl started to shift her focus. "Well shit," she exclaimed as she watched the head turn and hair flop down around the face. "If I'm that boring to listen to…"
"A…" uttered the girl in scarcely so much as a whisper.
"Now I definitely heard that," asserted Crystal, edging herself closer. "Do you need something? Like the bathroom?"
Another utterance escaped from her dried out lips, which Crystal did catch. "Er, sure thing Rose," she nodded uncertainly, looking a little perplexed. "I'll get right on that."
Her attention was drawn back to the door when Emily reappeared. "You didn't get the water," observed Crystal.
"Well I thought about it, but then I realised that Rose might not be able to drink it in her state," she explained in what was clearly a previously considered response. "So I went to Dianne," she continued, drawing only a rolling of Crystal's eyes, "and she said that we have to be careful when giving her anything to eat or drink."
"Yeah, yeah," butted in Crystal impatiently, "but what is Dianne actually going to do about it?"
"Well, if you'd have allowed me to finish, I would have told you."
"Urgh," groaned Crystal, raising one hand to her face. "Whatever."
The impasse lasted for an extended and uncomfortable interval before Crystal realised that she had one card yet to play. Her hand dropped to her chin and her expression turned to one of cloaked amusement. "Well that's too bad," she said with as much regret as she thought she could get away with.
"What is?" responded Emily, taking the bait.
"Well, Rose was feeling a little more talkative while you were on your trip."
Emily's face betrayed her excitement, transforming into an elated smile. "What did she say?"
"Now there's a thing," replied Crystal casually, attentively inspecting her fingernails.
Emily's face slowly returned to the cynical expression she had worn previously. She saw what was going on. "Well, if you're just going to play games…"
"What?" responded Crystal innocently. "I'm not playing any games."
They locked eyes for a several seconds, each attempting to read the other. "Fine," growled Emily finally, realising Crystal was going to draw this out. "It's not that important anyway. Dianne just said she's going to send one of her attendants round in a minute to take Rose to her room."
"I see," breathed Crystal, returning to her nails.
"Well?" prompted Emily.
Crystal's eyes raised slowly to meet hers. She seemed to consider something for a moment before returning an intent expression. "Did you ever hear of a drug called Azarath?"
