Disclaimer: No, I do not, unfortunately own this wonderful show. If someone would like to hand me the rights to it, that would be greatly appreciated.
Summary: The gang all get a call from Cat's mother, excluding Jade, who asks them about Cat. Based on their answers and Mrs. Valentine's own experiences, she ships Cat off to a mental facility that is truly just a place for sadistic tortures to happen in the name of 'medicine.' And Jade has a dark history with The House. Can she rescue her precious Cat before she really goes crazy?
"HEY! YOU LET GO OF HER!" I yelled, whipping out my scissors as my only weapon. The men ignored me, and roughly shoved Cat into the back of a white van, the only hint of color being a decal on the side declaring the van, "OFFICIAL TRANSPORT VEHICLE OF HOLLYWOOD HEIGHTS MENTAL INSITUTION."
I ran as fast as I could across the asphalt, racing across the lunch pavilion. The big burly men in white uniforms stood there, amused it seemed by my actions. I'll rip that smirk off his face real soon.
"The hell do you think you're doing assholes?!" I shouted.
"Caterina Valentine has been inducted into the 'One-Month' program," one of the men said, looking down at me. I glared right back, shooting daggers at him and planning a lovely death for him and his oaf of a partner.
"There's obviously been a mistake retards. Cat doesn't need a mental ward. She's fine," I growled, knowing that last little part was a lie. Cat really wasn't fine, but she wasn't mental. Immature, terrified, and slightly common sense challenged, but not mental.
"This report here says she does," the guy in white uniform said. A crowd was beginning to gather, curious as to what a 'mental institution' van was doing in our lot.
I scowled. "Well your report is wrong," I offered, a mock sweet tone to my voice.
Just then, the big oaf partner leaned over and whispered something in retard's ear. Whatever he said, retard smiled, sadistic and psychotic. It actually made me want to look away, not that I did. But there was a part of me that wanted to.
I gave the scissors a resounding snip at my side, daring him to make a move. And he did.
"Nice to see you again Jadelyn," retard whispered, leaning down to speak right into my ear. I froze. No one calls me Jadelyn. No one.
"The hell do you think you are-" I started.
"Don't pretend to not remember me Jadelyn. We had some fun times at the House," he continued. I willed myself not to shake, clenching my hand hard around the scissors.
"We have a new doctor now Jadelyn. He's just been dying to meet you."
"Don't talk to me like that-" I tried to say again
"You're a bit of a legend around there still," he chuckled darkly. "Aw well," he said, almost sadly, "I guess we'll just settle for Caterina," he sighed.
I stayed silent, my mind in a thousand different places, my pulse racing. I knew there were people around, I had to stay strong, right here, right now. Nothing bad could happen to me, I'll deal with all of this just as soon as I get to the janitor's closet-
"Please do it," he suddenly begged. "Please, bring those scissors up and give me a reason to haul your ass back to the House so we can have some pretty music."
A couple seconds passed. No one breathed. No one moved an inch.
"No? That's alright then," he straightened up, "Guess we'll be on our way. Let's go Arthur," he said to the oaf. Adrenaline knocked sense into me and I grabbed the man's arm. He looked around, surprised.
"Changed your mind?"
"I will come for Cat," I snarled. He just looked on down at me, senseless pity in his eyes. He shrugged.
"Maybe you'll walk in on your own two feet this time."
And with that, they were gone, driving across the lot and out, Cat in the backseat, and my heart right there next to her.
The crowd stood there watching still, like a bunch of idiots. They were gonna catch flies, their mouths hanging open like that.
"What're you all looking at?" I demanded, slicing my glare through the crowd. Many of them disappeared, but the braver ones stayed, stunned. I stormed into the building. I needed Beck. I needed Cat. She was mine. I had to find Beck.
Where could he be? My head whipped left and right, pivoting endlessly. I found the group finally, all of them excluding Trina, which was actually normal because I didn't count Trina as part of the group.
"Jade? What's wrong?" I heard the concern in his voice immediately, and had to clench my fists together. Jade doesn't cry. I don't cry. Not alone, not with Beck, and most certainly not at school.
"They-they-th-they, they took her Beck!" I growled, averting my eyes down. Did I stutter? Jade doesn't stutter. I was glaring at the floor, trying to will the tears from my eyes. I could feel them, sneaking into the corners, trying to escape.
"We know Jade," Beck said softly. I looked up at him, half because of the sadness in his voice, and half because I thought maybe by looking up the tears would roll back inside. I looked at the group. They had their heads bowed, and looked, almost… ashamed.
"What did you do?" I whispered. They turned most of their heads, not meeting my gaze. Even Beck looked down.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" I screamed. They jumped, startled at my change of voice, and were shocked into looking at me. I must've looked a wreck, my face one of agony. Andre, Beck, Vega, even Robbie, they were all looking at me pitifully.
"She was only doing what she thought was right Jade-" Andre tried. I rounded on him.
" 'She' who?" I demanded, deadly calm. Whoever is was, I swear I'm going to rip their head right off their body and stomp on it with my boot.
"Cat's mom." I felt my world spinning. My head should have felt heavier, shouldn't it? I swayed slightly, and Beck caught me, babbling words that I didn't focus on.
"How do you know?" I asked, and squirmed at how broken and frail my voice sounded. It was lacking my usual cut, my typical edge. They all gathered closer, like if Beck dropped my they'd be there. Not that he ever would.
"She called all of us individually. She asked us about Cat," Vega started explaining.
"You said she needed to be in a mental ward?! You guys told her that Cat was dangerous!?" I had wanted it to come out biting and harsh, but instead I sounded weak. My voice was more of a whimper, a whisper.
"No, NO!" Vega said instantly, shaking her head. "We just talked about how Cat was at school. We had no idea Mrs. Valentine would do this!" she insisted, eyes burning with tears already. The murmurs of consent from the rest of the group backed up Vega's story. I felt Beck's chest rumble behind me.
"Did she tell you for how long? Did she call you back at all?" I begged one of them, looking at each of their faces. They were grim, not a good sign.
"Jade," Beck began. I shook my head. The tears I'd been trying so hard to hold in got the best of me. A couple shot out before I could close the gates, but by then, it was too late. They'd seen, they'd all seen.
"No, no-no-no-no-no-no! Beck, what did she say?" I pleaded, looking up at him. I'd never seen him so hurt, so sad. And I bet he'd say the same thing about me right now, eyes red-rimmed and tired looking.
"She called Tori and we put her on speaker. She said that she'd signed Cat up for a one-month trial period at the hospital," Beck whispered, trying not to cry himself as my eyes widened and two more tears wormed their way down my pale skin. Beck hugged me closer to his chest, hiding my face from the others. I had my hands dug into his flannel, holding onto him for dear life. I felt him kiss the top of my head, gently rocking me side-to-side.
"Jade," he whispered, even quieter than before. "She said that there was a two-week strict 'No Visitation' ban, to see how Cat would do without distractions." Beck's voice cracked at the end, and my heart broke into two. No ten. No, a hundred different pieces. My breath was caught in my throat, my eyes deceiving me. I couldn't hold any more tears in.
"Janitor's closet," I whimpered. Beck knew what to do instantly. I felt him carry me to the closet, having scooped me up bridal style, away from prying eyes. I buried my face in his neck, already sobbing as Beck closed the door behind us. I squeezed Beck, practically suffocating him, as he slowly sat down, taking me in his arms. Beck rocked my back and forth, cooing, but I couldn't focus on anything.
"Its ok jade, everything is ok," He whispered, but I shook my head. No, everything was so very far from ok.
"They-th-they took my Cat Beck!" I wailed, the weight of my words crashing down on me. Cat was gone, my best friend was gone! I wanted to scream and shred and rip everything that wasn't Beck apart. I pounded my fists against the concrete floor, throwing a full-out tantrum. Tears raced down my cheeks, made my eyes puffy and red, staining my skin. I felt like I couldn't breathe, couldn't get enough air.
"Stop that Jade," Beck had demanded. When I didn't, he grabbed my wrists, pinning them to his chest. He held my slender things in one hand, and used the other to force me to look at him.
"I won't let you hurt yourself." Beck looked straight into my eyes with one of those 'I-know-all' looks and knelt his head. He put of soft kiss on my lips, one I didn't return. I felt him sigh, and he cuddled me under his chin, resting back against the wall. I hiccupped every now and then, but for the most part pulled myself together.
"They want me back Beck," I whispered, so low I wasn't sure he'd heard me. But Beck knows me, knows me almost too well, and so of course he'd heard.
"What are you talking about?"
"One of the guys that took Cat. I don't remember him, but he recognized me. He said there's a new head doctor, and that he's read over my files and wants me back," I rushed, trying to get everything out in one breath. I could feel Beck's chest tighten with a breath he didn't let out.
"They aren't going to touch you Jade," he said. There was no waver to his voice, no hint of doubt. He was sure. Positive. But it wasn't me I was worried about.
"But they'll touch Cat." Beck nodded solemnly. I hiccupped once more, fingers fiddling with the collar of his shirt.
"We'll convince Mrs. Valentine that nothing's wrong with Cat. We'll get her to let her out early, and as soon as those two weeks are up, we'll go see her, ok?" Beck said.
"I'm not sure I can do two weeks without her," I whispered gravely.
"Me either babe."
I had no idea where I was going. One minute and I was sitting there with Mr. Purple, my purple giraffe stuffed animal, and the next two big men are throwing me in a van! I whimpered as the slammed the doors shut, the dark scaring me a little. I could hear yelling outside, but there were no windows, so I couldn't see.
Terrified, I tucked myself into the farthest corner from the door and gave Mr. Purple a squeeze. I was shaking, but I couldn't help it. It seemed so lonely in here, even though the only thing separating me from the entire school was one dumb door.
It seemed like whoever it was outside were fighting forever. I could've sworn I heard Jadey's voice a couple times too. I hoped and hoped they would let me out, but no. The fighting stopped. Doors opened and shut, and the van rumbled to life.
A tear slid down my cheek, then more, and more. I was helpless to stop then. I cried silently for the whole ride, whimpering and praying this was all a dream. Was I being kidnapped? It seemed like it should've been quicker than that.
So where was I going?
It seemed like a million years before they opened up the door again. Sunlight blinded me for a second, and I squealed, hiding my face. I could see two big figures standing the sun, who I guessed were the two that had taken me. There was a smaller one too, though.
I didn't run to the door like I had wanted to before, back at Hollywood Arts. I tried to squeeze myself as far back as possible, Mr. Purple clinging to me.
"Caterina Valentine?" It was a lady's voice, soft and sweet. I looked toward her, the open door, the sun.
"Come on out here hun, nothing bad is going to happen," the lady called, giving a little giggle. I still didn't move.
She sighed, and said something else I didn't catch. One of the men, the silent one, clamored into the van and unbuckled me, picking me up. I just closed my eyes and let him do it, not wanting to get in trouble. He carried me out, the sun still warm on my skin.
"Caterina, you're okay!" The lady said, trying really hard to make me happy. I peeked an eye open, then the other.
I was on a huge lawn that seemed to go on for miles! The only thing there was a big white complex type of building, with huge gates and a couple spotlights on top. I shrunk back into the man holding me, wishing for once that I was back in the van.
"Where am I?" I asked the lady. She had short, dark brown hair and a big, almost too happy smile.
"Caterina, you're where you're going to get better," she lady said softly. I saw her name tag said 'Morgan' and had a smile face sticker next to it.
My eyes continued to look around, the man having put me on my own two feet. Morgan took my hand gently, tugging my forward. The two men followed behind us, at a distance.
"You're at Hollywood Heights Mental Institution Caterina," Morgan began. I stopped, almost tripping. Morgan looked back, concerned.
"I-I-I'm, I'm where?!" I squealed, wrenching my hand back from Morgan, cradling it to my chest. I shook my head back and forth, knowing I had misunderstood her.
"Caterina, its ok!" Morgan said, but I kept shaking my head. I didn't want to listen to her. I drew my hands up to my hug myself, one still firmly clamped around Mr. Purple, and shut my eyes tight, like I could make the huge building in front of me disappear.
I felt someone grab my wrists again, standing right in front of me.
"Caterina! Look at me!" It was Morgan. Her voice was so demanding, so strict. I opened my eyes slowly, seeing Morgan looking down at me. I hadn't realized how much taller she was than me. She had maybe a whole head on me!
"We are going to make you better," she told me seriously. She never stopped looking me in the eyes.
I sat in my little, tiny room. Everything was white and boring, nothing on the walls, no carpet, not even a window. They had taken all of my clothes that I came in and given me a ton of these grey, very dull sweats and scratchy tee-shirts. They had even taken Mr. Purple!
I was just now starting to stop crying about them taking Mr. Purple when there was a knock at my door. I yelped, scrambling into the corner of my bed, farthest from the door. I didn't understand what they were there for- Morgan had already showed me around.
"Caterina?" I cringed inside. I had already told them to call me Cat, but they wouldn't listen.
"Caterina, what are you doing all the way over there?" Dani, another nurse asked with a smile. She had short, black hair and scrubs on. She smiled invitingly, but I didn't trust her.
"What?" I asked, hoping to sound biting, like Jadey had taught me, but it just sounded bland and scared.
"C'mon, we're going on a walk," Dani said, opening the door completely and stepping in.
"Why? Morgan already took me," I asked suspiciously, hugging my knees to my chest, tying my fingers together. Even she looked pale in this white place. I didn't like it.
"Caterina," Dani said, voice growing stern. "We are going on a walk." There was no longer any softness or kindness in her voice. It was a demand.
I looked at Dani, who now looked angry that I wasn't doing what she said. I turned my eyes away, shutting them softly. I could hear her moving towards me, and I jumped slightly when she touched me.
"You always make everything so difficult Caterina," I heard her mumble as she gently lifted me off of my bed, uncurling my legs and setting my feet on the floor.
"Where are we going?" I asked in a whisper as she led me out of the room. Dani walked swiftly, her good mood gone because of me. I trailed behind her, apprehensive. I didn't like this place. I didn't like this place at all.
"Ah, good morning Caterina!" As I looked up, I realized this place must not like me, either.
A/N: So, this idea just popped into my head and I had to run with it. Jade will be in later chapters but fair warning; the will be torture, mentions of abuse, and maybe self-harming in chapters-to-come.
As always, read and review!
Love you all, XOXO
Taylor