Surf's Up
I had not been without a roommate long before the construction began. The construction that effectively was meant to take me from the hormonal crazy teenage wing to the psychotic young women wing. That is to say I stayed where I was and the walls all moved around me. It took a while of me leaving my room and running into the walls before it really clicked.
On top of that I was on meds, so running into the wall was a pain, literally, but I was too groggy to remember about new halls... Or the new schedules I had to get accustomed to. Whatever stuff I didn't miss I ended up being escorted to just so I showed up; and it was a rough start.
Breakfast lunch and dinner were now all at different times. Breakfast was earlier, lunch was later, and dinner was even later still. When my stomach was telling me it was time to eat (as it had its own schedule) I would begin my way down to the cafeteria only to be brought back. If I were lucky, or lost, I would wonder into the kitchen and sometimes they would sneak me something to snack on.
When I did finally get to dinner I found my normal spot to already be occupied. I carried my dinner around the room until deciding to just sit at the opposite end of my table. At the other end of the table were two girls, matching in almost every way conceivable, with the only difference being their hair. They chatted away at each other not even taking a moment to notice me sitting down; I was glad. However, in my normal spot, a spot where I felt quite left alone, sat a girl, just a bit older than me, wearing sunglasses. She was the first to speak. "Fresh meat," she said. Her trey was oddly all vegetables; maybe she forgot her meat.
"Girls!" Scolded my escort as he found me sitting down already. "These two will show you around, teach you, rather re-teach you the ropes. Basically help get you acquainted to the new routine and all." He said that and left, with little more than an introduction.
"I'd sure like to taste your rainbow," said the blonde. I tried to ignore them, but my presence at my table seemed oddly distracting to me.
"Mmmm, skittles sure do a body good. And I SURE do want to do that body good!"
"Hell yeah. I bet her skittles taste great."
"I can smell her cherry from here; I bet her lemons taste just as sweet too."
"Girl. Hey Girl, come here. How're we gonna teach you anything with you all the way down there?" The blonde said; I ignored. "Hey!"
"Mel, she's ignoring us. We should slide down there."
As they got up to move, the girl in the sunglasses put her hands out. "Girls wait." She craned her neck in my direction, "Hey, what's your name."
Without looking up I mumbled, "Shelly."
"Shelly," she said, "why are you sitting there?"
"I always sit here." I shot back. I just wanted to eat my pudding in peace.
"Well Shelly, there is a problem with that…." The sunglass girl began.
"Yeah, we charge to sit there." Said the blonde.
"Payment is… Payment is… Say, what's payment?" asked the brunette of the blonde as the two sat on each side of me.
"Payment is, Miss Betty, that we part her seas and see how many likes it REALLY takes to get to the center of her tootsie pop."
"Girls, that's enough. Get lost!" Said the one in sunglasses. The girls soon left my side and sat at another table without so much as a question. "I'm so sorry about all of that. Sometimes they get carried away a bit."
"Uh huh." I glared.
"That's why I call 'em my Lost Girls. I'm always telling 'em to get lost. Now, what did you say your name was again?"
"Shelly."
"That's right. Shelly. I'm Milli. And those girls - don't let those girls bug you. They both have brains the size of a gnat and libido's the size of an elephant. Funny thing about those two, those naughty little girls…. They were born on the same day; same hospital, same room, same time even, but they never knew each other until a few months ago. Ever since then they have been inseparable twins. They are so close now you have you have to use a knife to separate them. People tend to not do that because often times they are spooning or forking each other."
"Aren't I supposed to be with them?"
"Well, technically, but rules are only rules when they are imposed, right?" I'm not really sure what that meant.
"Are you done eating?" Mel said, rushing back to the table. "We can't go off without you! Hurry up, We're gonna show you the ins and outs!"
"I SOOOO want to show you ins!" Chimed Betty. "And maybe after we show you around, you can help me find something I lost. Actually maybe both of you can help me retrace my steps."
"What did you lose Betty?" Mel asked in sincere worry.
"I – I'll tell you all later. I'm kinda embarrassed about it."
"What's the deal with Milli? Sunglasses and, well she's weird." I asked as we went to the commons area.
"She doesn't really like meat." Said Betty.
"But when I sat down, I swear…"
"Oh she meant you. Being new here and all…" She conjectured. "She hasn't had a roommate since, well, before we came here. Something happened to her last one, it's a hush hush type thing, you know?"
"And let's not forget to mention that she's well, blind, kinda." Said Mel.
"Kinda?"
"She's, hard for me to explain. I never really understood. Betty is much better at explaining."
"She has rods in her eyes,"
"And that doesn't hurt?" I asked.
"No, they are supposed to be there. Rods… um. Rods help you see at night. Cones help you see in the day. Normal people have both, she's, well like you said, weird. She only has rods. So she can't see in the day. It has to be dark, and even then she's limited. Sunglasses help dim the light, make daytime tolerable"
"Oh and she'll hang on your arm. She does this thing where she'll feel your arm and if she likes it, you become her newest bestest friend," interjected Betty. "What really works against her, being blind and all, are the doors."
"What do you mean?"
"Well she uses the wall for guides somewhat, and every now and then a door isn't closed all of the way so it's a bit off its hinges. There are a few of those around here," said Mel.
"That makes perfect sense," said Betty.
"Does it?" I asked.
"Not at all." Of course not. Commons was rather boring. I can only deflect the advances of two overly sexual beings so long before I get too frustrated. So after about two minutes I went to my room. There, I discovered something else new.
"Hi, I'm Claudia. I'm your roomie, roomie. So what do you wanna do?" Someone's just a wee bit chipper for nearly bedtime.
"I'm gonna lay on my bed and mind to myself!" I retorted in my best valley girl imitation.
"Doing what?" She wouldn't stop!
"My journal!" I imitated on!
"But what's in it?"
"Hey there are these two girls in the commons room, and my GOD, they will SOOOO be your bestest friend, like forEVER! Tell em hi for me, it's that way." I said shoving her down the hall. Finally peace and well, quiet as much as this place would allow. Gratefully I didn't see her again that night; I decided to go to bed early.
Its time to escape this womb of deceit
And cut the cords that puppeteer my actions
To shove my emotions through boards concrete.
Its time to stop nursing on the sanctions
That bleed from the succubus that's dispersing
When I woke up, I groggily shuffled to breakfast. I made it on my own, somehow, and didn't really wake up until I heard the words "best unicorn ever." What on earth does that mean? I thought.
"Hey girlfriend. You don't have to help me find what I'm missing, Claudia helped find it last night."
"I'm sorry? Find what?" I was groggily very lost.
"My virg- say! Where is Claudia?" Asked Betty. "She was awesome last night. Did she wake up yet?"
"Who?" I was still in a stupor." "Oh that new girl. I don't know I'm not her keeper. If she's up she'll be here soon enough."
"Why can't you be more fun like her? She's been here like not even a day and she's already the coolest girl here," Mel claimed.
"Oh, I'll bite. What do you mean?" I asked, only half-curious while unsuccessfully squeezing strawberry jam on my breakfast.
"Betty gave her her very first unicorn tail to floss with, and let me tell you, never before have I seen a girl flossed so much. I'm sure she's worn out from all of the excitement. Gotta love Mexican Unicorns." Betty claimed.
"Mexican Unicorns? And how is flossing exciting?"
"Well after you eat tacos, you've gotta get the floss out between your teeth, you know? Said Mel.
"Um, not really. In fact, I'm not sure I want to know."
"Miss Shelly, can you please come with us." It was staff. What did they want with me? I begrudgingly went along with them, after all, I never had a chance to eat my breakfast and was still a tad confused with this whole Mexican Unicorn and flossing ordeal. "Can you please explain what happened last night?"
"What do you mean?"
"What you and your roommate were doing?"
"Nothing! I went to bed and she left to, well I don't know. Betty and Mel's room I guess."
"Then can you explain how she's not moved out of her bed yet?"
"Well according to them."
"Who is them?"
"Betty and Mel. Um, they said something about flossing wore her out and she's exhausted from the excitement."
"How is flossing exciting?"
"That's what I asked, but I never got answered, you pulled me away from my breakfast."
"We'' Shelly, we have a sort of predicament here. You see, Claudia is now in the doc ward, and she's, well, not doing so hot." My therapist spoke up.
"What's goi-"
"Now is not the time for you to talk. Now is the time for you to listen. We have reports that she came back to her room last night, but that she never left in the morning. When we entered to check, there she was. We also noticed there was, well, blood, on your bed, and it appears to be on your night shirt too."
"Oh that, No that's strawberry," I said as I was licking it to make sure, "jam. It's the oddest tasting strawberry jam. In fact, I'm not thinking this is strawberry jam. It tastes like-"
"Like what? Blood?"
"Actually yeah. How did that get there?"
"We think we know how it got there. We need you to come with us. You may grab some linens to bring with you but not many."
"Where am I going?" I asked as I grabbed some clothes to change into and my towel. Its rather hard to judge how much to pack for when you don't know how long the vacation is.
"Can you please tell me what is going on?" I asked as I was escorted down all of the halls past all of the girls being carried by my arms.
"Now is not the time for talking. I told you this already once. Now is the time for listening."
"Can you at least tell me what's wrong with Cla- I mean can I at least listen to hear what is wrong with Claudia?"
"I think it's a bit late to show concern about her now, not after what's happened."
"What happened?!" I asked forcefully when we hit the last room.
"This is where you will be for a while. You will stay here and only come out when you are escorted. You will be assigned rest room breaks and eat by yourself when no girls are present. Do you understand these rules so far."
"Yes, but –"
"Yes but is not an answer. Do you understand these rules? They are fairly simple."
"Yes." He opened the door to show me a room where all of the rooms looked like a couch. I was not too lightly nudged into the room and the door was quickly closed behind me.
"Now is the chance you have to ask one question." The therapist said, still rather coldly.
"How long with I be in here?"
"Until we figure out what happened and see if charges are going to be pressed."
"Charges? What for? Why charges? I don't understand."
"You don't listen very well either. You were allowed one question. You have asked many more.' He said as he began to turn.
"Can I at least have my journal? I asked with one last attempt.
"You certainly may not. That journal we need to go through for evidence to see how long you have been planning this. You seem to be so keen on it, that I feel its best to hold out on it for right now."
"But it's mine."
"No ma'am. You are incorrect. Everything here is the property of the Center. Nothing here is yours." He quickly escorted himself away from me. I have become accustomed to being in isolation, but it had been a while; and not since I have had my journal had I really needed to spend a lot of time here. That has been taken away from me. EVERYTHING had been taken away from me. I was not left with nothing but a change of clothes, a towel, and no hope to leave.
Life's agony. I need to feel the strength
That will break this cycle of rehearsing
The freedom that never exists. The length
Of coercing is infinite. The change
Will leave me starving, but I must agree
Hours, days, weeks had passed. It's hard to tell when there is no frequency of schedule. I had nothing to do, nothing to write in, nothing. All I had were four padded walls and a ceiling, and let me just point out running from wall to wall, into the walls just because you are bored, is not a healthy thing to do; but it will bring more people around to check in on you.
It only took 10 minutes of running into the walls for the new therapist lady to visit me. "Miss Shelly, my name is Mrs. Gabrielle Van Cronos. I am the director of this Center you have been residing in these past few months. I'm sorry for your frustration, believe me I am, but running from wall to wall will only exacerbate your situation."
"Please by all means, tell me, what is my situation."
"This thing happened before, and we thought we caught it then. One girl bites another, that girl passes out due to loss of blood, the first girl moves on to the next victim. This is nothing new to any of us."
"Bite a girl! Claudia!? I didn't bite her!"
"I'm sorry Shelly but lying will not be in your best interest at this point. We have examined your journal and found some fairly interesting things. Needless to say we have found some patterns in your behaviors. Since the incident, and since you have been in this room, no one else has been victimized. This points us back in to your direction. Anyone knows that anyone with the vampire desire will attack for as much blood as they can get their hands, or in this case teeth, on. Since you have been cut off from the rest of the center, this problem has been taken care of. No other girl has been attacked, or bitten. No other girl, aside from one, and now yourself, is even aware of the biting incidents we have had here. The other, a Miss Carmilla, as you know, cannot see, let alone bite people."
"Carmilla?"
"You may know her as Milli. So from here we have decided that you can still get the therapeutic benefits of being in the Center, and we feel we are more qualified to turn this vampirism out of you before its gets too ingrained in you. You have, after all, survived without blood for, lets see, a couple weeks since you have been in here. Your desire to bite has been lessened. Claudia is slowly getting better, so you shouldn't worry about that any longer. This room will be yours, permanently, effective today, and possibly you will be able to rejoin your peers on the floor, but that will be a long and slow process due to the safety concerns we have for the other girls on the ward." That was so much information to take in all at once, all I could do was stare at her in amazement. Biting? Me?
"Your therapeutic benefits will begin tomorrow, as we have now drawn several correlation's between your biting or other people to your cutting of your legs when you attempted suicide."
"But I never attempted suicide, I-"
"I completely believe you. I think you were just, thirsty, and that you hit the wrong spot. It just took this long to recover. I am just glad that we caught on to this before any one else was severely injured. However, like I said, tomorrow I will be seeing you on a daily basis in my office. We will become the bestest of friends."
The door suddenly opened and in flew 2 other staff members. "Mrs. Van Cronos, we have a situation. She's... She's getting cold. Can you check this out?"
"You wait here and don't leave this room." She said and flew out of the door. What I thought was odd was that neither of the staff stayed. Was she talking to me? How can I leave a locked room?
To not be deceived anymore. This strange
Mistrust will no longer make me angry.
And of course no one comes back to check on me. I was once more forgotten about and stuck in my room. What sucks most about this is that I really have to pee. Being as late as it is, I'm guessing no one is going to bother checking on me. "Hello!" I yelled at the door. "Hello, I need someone!" No one replied. I grabbed my towel laying on the other side of the room, in case of emergency cleanups, and starred at the door. "Hello?" I yelled once more in frustration.
None of this was working. People must not be near this area at this time of the night and I'm really about to burst. "I need someone!" I yelled pounding on the door. With each pound, the door creaked ajar just a few cm at a time. They left it open this whole time? I didn't have to wet myself?
I scurried to the first bathroom I saw, trying to not to make the bricks yellow and lead right to me, and when I got there, let out a huge sigh of as a relieving geysey of urine erupted out of me, twice. I really had to go! Relieved I was pee free and finally realizing that I have successfully broken out, I took my time returning to my cell. After all, what was my hurry, no one else was out. I can just mosey around and clean up any puddles I may have left behind.
As I made it near my still open cell door with a successfully dry towel, I heard a strange noise behind me, like something was rustling. Since I was still on my relieving high from peeing, I decided I had plenty of time to go investigate. I quietly sulked and prayed around the corner, like a lion hunting a gazelle, where I heard the noise. Being as dark as it was, it seemed very silly to be crawling on my stomach through passageways that I'm really unfamiliar with; and of course I had to slither into something wet. Ew - lucky me for bringing a towel. The noise, however, was getting louder. It sounded a bit more like footsteps or someone stumbling into things to be a tad more precise.
I followed the footsteps right into the kitchen where I thought they had become louder. The kitchen was darker than the halls, and having been locked up in my room for weeks, I walked right into a table knocking over what could only have been large pots and pans, judging by the clambering sounds. Crap, that will surely wake someone up. Seconds later, the door closed.
"So you thought you'd like to hunt me out…" A strange hauntingly familiar voice rang in the darkness. "And feel the warm thrill of satisfaction, no doubt." The voice grew louder as I stood frozen in fear, and I have to pee again. "Well I've got some bad new for you deary, This isn't going to be well for you. You shoulda stayed - locked up in your room - with no hope to break loose. Cause now you are mine and now you will see what a naughty little girl you've turned out to be." I recognized the voice now, but how was it her? "I came to this kitchen cause I was hungry. A night prowler like me found free reign of these halls, and I came to this kitchen because I was hungry, and lunch, coincidentally, strolled in behind me." Or did it, I thought. "Or did it. Maybe I lured you in, all this time, from day one. After all, it's not often I get the chance to suck out the juices of some fresh meat, eh, Shelly." My heart jumped out of my chest and across the room; she said my name.
"I – I… What do you want with me?" I fumbled.
"With you? Oh my, nothing my dear. From you… I want FROM you."
Anxious about where this was going, I mumbled, "What from me."
Then she gently wrapped her hand around my arm and began to squeeze, tighter and tighter, until I couldn't move other than how she wanted me. I was nothing more than a puppet in her hands. She threw me across hard onto the table and got on top of me, pinning me down with all of her force. "Your blood. Haven't you figured anything out yet? I'm a vampire, and you are my dinner."
"Vampire? But when we first met-. Are you a vegetarian vampire? Do you suck the juice out of a ketchup packet and call it tomato blood?"
"Your indiscretions are unappealing. Do you remember that day well? You only lay here now because I didn't climb the top bunk."
"So you-"
"Yes, I sucked the ever loving life out of your roommate and she was sumptuous. Now it's your turn - finally." My heart, which was now back in my chest, was beating fast enough to play a small percussive orchestra. "It's fairly simple," she said with what I only could assume was a sheepish grin in this morbidly dark room. "It's quite painless really. I take this needle and inject you." She let go of my arm to show me the needle by rubbing it down my arm. I quivered. "The stuff inside will paralyze you, numb you, and altogether make my job easier, less messy, and I eat more. After the injection and a couple minutes wait, I bite, you bleed, the end."
I didn't know if now was the time to cry or not. I couldn't scream for help as she had my own towel covering my mouth from talking. "It's like, well, surfing in a way. It's all about the anticipation, the surge, the sudden rush as the waves overcome you, guide you, transcend you higher beyond any high you have ever been. Floating, on that which was created creature to ever be on, but only in, or under. Being on top of the water, gliding through its mystifying clutch on the fabric of life, existence, to look out upon it all… it's the most glorious and fearsome thing I have ever seen."
Her words trailed off, taken from her, floating away. "Have you ever been on top of the water?" She finally said coming back to reality. With the towel still wrapped tightly around my head I shook my head, murmuring underneath.
"Of course not, now quit squirming, it only makes things worse on you." She soon began humming this darkly soothing lullaby. "You don't mind if I sing a little Brahms, do you? I always get stoked just before I eat," She said as I could sense her arm raising higher in the air about to thrust the long metal of the needle in me.
Someday I will be free from this womb's range
The dream wakes me and I am still hungry.
I murmured again, this time with more force. "What?" She asked taking off the towel.
I had maneuvered my towel into my free by this point, out from being in any way. "Don't you think some surf music would be best?"
"Why?" She asked, irritated that she had to wait a few more minutes for dinner to be ready.
"Cause its surf's up for you." With a quick motion I flicked the towel towards the doorframe, hoping to flick on the light switch.
After two failed attempts, I could feel the needle piercing my skin. With a last ditch effort I tried once more and flicked the towel down. Nothing but more humming. I could feel the syringe emptying inside me. Then the flickered. They had to charge first.
Soon the lights were fully on. Milli, who was still straddling me let out a loud blood-curling scream that rang through the kitchen as the lights blinded her, and began losing her balance. I took advantage of the timing to pushed her the rest of the way over. She fell hard on the floor, slowly moving around, and a bit in shock, giving me enough time to find my towel and come back to her. By the time she got up, I was standing behind her, ready and waiting to wrapp my towel around her hands, cuffing them together, and leaned her over my execution table. And the wait began.
Quicker than I expected, staff was rushing through the door, pushing me back, barking questions at us. As I was being pulled away, Mrs. Van Cronos came flying it. "Milli! What are- take her away, back to her room." She interrupted herself pointing at me.
As I was being dragged away, all I could yell was 'Look at her teeth! Look at her teeth!" Soon I had been returned to my cell and another wait ensued, this time it seemed like hours. I had no idea what kind of trouble I was in until my old therapist came in the room.
"Shelly," he said. "You have done a brave thing tonight. You single handedly found and stopped the Centers phantom vampire. She can hurt no one any longer."
"And you are-"
"The interim director." He interrupted. "You see, Milli was Mrs. Van Cronos' niece. No one knew that until tonight, again thanks to you. They are both now gone and going to- well, they are gone that is what's important.
"I am truly sorry you had to go through all of this, with the accusation, and the padded walls," he said looking around, "but we knew a while ago you weren't a threat. The door had been unlocked for some time now." I was partly in shock. They forced me in a padded room, restricted my everything, isolated me, and knew I wasn't the danger. What other lies were there.
"And Claudia?" I asked.
"Progressing much better. You on the other hand need to be checked out. There was enough tranq in that syringe to knock out a circus, we're all impressed how active you are."
"Then what?"
"Then you are free to go back to how you were before this mess. I am also prepared to return your journal," he said handing me my notebook.
"Super!" I exclaimed sheepishly while gathering my things. The hospital ward checked me out. I was fine; or will be after a while. They said the shot wouldn't do much to me but I might feel weird for a while. I didn't care. I wanted to go.
As I walked out into the hall, I began to tie my cape around my neck. "What are you doing?" Asked my escort.
"SuperShelly knows a couple of naughty girls to that she needs to play heroes and villains with," I replied as I came to Mel and Betty's door. "And the games are about to start!"