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"So, you're just gonna walk down this hall, and stop to visit everyone. And I mean EVERYONE. Doesn't matter if they suck eggs, ya gotta atleast drop in and say hi." Emma explained.
The two girls finally made it to the first room.
Emma scanned her clipboard.
"So, this is Timothy Kotten. His sister Sarah Kotten is in the next room. They haven't been here very long. Just got here two days ago, actually."
Alex peeked in the small window.
She saw a simple room that resembled a very boring bedroom. The walls were grey and the bedsheets were white. There was a little boy sitting in the corner in a white T-shirt and white pants. He only had socks on, no shoes, and he had dark brown hair. He looked to be about eight or nine years old.
Alex looked back to Nurse Emma.
"Why are they in here? If his sister's like him, they seem totally normal... and I thought sanitariums had rooms with like solid white walls and squishy white floors, and straight-jackets, and what-not."
Emma just smiled sadly.
"The rooms actually never look like that. They all are like this one... boring and with calm, soothing colors." she said.
Alex nodded in understanding.
"As for them..." Emma looked in the little window with a frown on her face. "Their father was an alcoholic. He'd abused these kids for years. A couple days ago, he came home and killed their mother. He tried to kill them, but this little guy locked himself in the bathroom with his mom's cellphone and called the police."
Alex felt horrible for them.
"What about his sister?" she asked.
"Sarah got a pretty bad beating from her dad that night. She's younger than her brother, only six. He's nine." she explained. "Neither of them will talk to any of us, really. Timothy told me his name and age when he first arrived, but since then... nothing."
She shook her head.
"Poor kid." Alex mumbled.
"Yeah..." Emma suddenly seemed to perk up. "So... You wanna come in and greet them?" she asked.
Alex slightly smiled. "Yeah."
They walked in the room.
Timothy looked up at Emma and then glanced at Alex before his head shot to the floor. \
"Timmy, you remember Trisha?" Emma asked with a gentle smile plastered on her flawless face.
The boy nodded slightly, still refusing to look at the nurse.
"Well... This is Alex. She's a volunteer just like Trisha, and she's gonna be keeping you company from now on." Emma said in a quiet voice.
The boy looked up at Alex, who gave a cheery wave in his direction, and muttered a simple "Hi."
Emma's eyes widened at the fact that he even talked, and she glanced at her new friend.
"I think I'll leave you two to get to know eachother." she said as she made her exit.
Alex watched her leave, nervously, and then looked back to the small boy.
She made herself smile just so he wouldn't be aware of her feelings of pity for him.
"So, Timmy... Can I call you Tim?"
He nodded.
"I bet this place gets really boring, huh?"
He nodded again.
"Well, is there anything you'd like to do today? Anything at all!"
He remained silent for a few minutes, and then...
"Well," he said in a hushed voice. "I like drawing."
"Hmm." Alex replied thoughtfully. "I was thinkin' we could do somethin' bigger... How about painting? I love painting! Do you like to do that?"
He grinned from ear to ear and, suddenly, the shy little kid wasn't shy at all.
"Last year, at school, we had to paint a reeaally big picture. Mine was the best!" he began to ramble.
Alex chuckled.
"What was it a picture of?"
"It was a giraffe." he said. "I ran out of orange, so then I used yellow and brown, and Ms. Henny- Ms. Henny said that it was a smart thing, using yellow and brown, cause sometimes giraffes are yellow or brown and not orange." he said.
Alex smiled wider.
"That's so true! I bet none of the other kids thought to do that." she complimented him, making him even happier.
He nodded vigorously.
"Mine was the biggest, too."
A thought popped into Alex's head.
"It was? Well, how about you and me paint the biggest picture in the whole world?" she asked eagerly.
His smile widened even more and he nodded.
Alex knew that their painting wouldn't be anywhere near the biggest, but she assumed he didn't know that. Honestly, it seemed like an easy activity to her, and that's why she did it. She'd get Emma to get a big piece of craft paper and some finger paints, and they could have at it.
Standing up and grabbing Tim's hand, Alex walked over and opened the door.
Emma was standing outside patiently waiting.
She smiled when she saw Tim.
"Well, hello, my little superhero." she said to him, then looked at the girl. "And where might you two be going?"
Alex raised an eyebrow, and took Emma's key from her hand.
"Alex..." Emma began sternly, but the other girl just waved her off.
"Relax, nurse, I'm just letting him see his sister."
She opened Sarah's door, and motioned for the little boy to come over to her.
"I have to get the paints and stuff, so while I'm doing that, can you get your sister ready to come with us?" she asked.
He was beaming, now.
"Sarah's painting with us, too?" he almost yelled in excitement.
Alex smiled and nodded.
"Of course! She's gotta have some fun too, right?" she said happily.
Tim nodded and ran into his little sister's residence.
Emma walked over to her friend.
"What in the world did you do to him?" she asked, raising a skeptical brow.
Alex just laughed. "I told him we could paint a picture together, and then I said his sister could join us." she replied casually.
The nurse was baffled. After countless times of her trying to get him to speak, and all it took was a newbie volunteer and promises of arts and crafts!?
"Um, sooo... paints. Right? You need paints, and some paper?" Emma said, snapping out of her thoughts.
Alex nodded.
"Thanks, Emma." she smiled.
"No problem."
AN: Tell me what you thought! Give me some reviews!