I'm sorry for the huuuge disappearance! I lost heart in this story for a little while but after playing the game again, I'm back at it! Thanks to the two or three people that check in on this story for updates!
The title of this chapter is named after the song "Strange and Beautiful" by Aqualung.
Chapter Four- Strange and Beautiful
"Here, I bought you coffee."
Catalina blinked in surprise at the paper cup held in front of her face. The smell of the bitter drink had dragged her out of her own smugness she couldn't help but feel after the receptionist had rushed away from her desk. Being confronted by the detective had obviously embarrassed her. It was amusing to witness how rapidly her short legs moved in order to escape!
"Are you going to take the coffee or am I going to stand here all day while you stare at it?" The gruff voice seemed to echo within her ears and make her feel strangely happy despite his harsh tone. She reached out her hand to grab the cup.
"Watch it! It's hot stuff."
Catalina glanced up at the man in front of her. Detective Sebastian Castellanos. He'd told her that he was following a lead he had on a missing persons case; a detective and a couple of patients from this very hospital. This was all the information she could squeeze out of him though. She'd tried to ask for a bit more detail but his eyes just glazed over and a pained expression crossed his face.
Catalina took the cup from his hands, her cold fingers lightly brushing his warm ones as she did so, and he took a seat next to her on the dull green couch in the lobby.
"So, will you tell me now? What was all that commotion about with that nurse earlier?" Sebastian quizzed, gazing into her eyes for a second before turning his attention to the cup of steaming coffee he was holding in both hands, contemplating whether to risk taking a sip of the 'hot stuff'. The smell of cigarette smoke from his clothing was fresh and made Catalina's nose wrinkle up in disgust. She had once been used to the smell back when she was a little girl after her father came home at night from work. He used to sit on the front step outside the door and smoke a cigarette or two just to relieve his stress. Thinking back to it, Catalina couldn't put her finger on what her fathers' job actually was. After all these years she'd started to forget about her parents.
Sebastian's shoulder brushed gently against Catalina's and her eyes snapped back into focus. He was staring at her, his brows furrowing, waiting for her answer. This man, this perfect stranger, was wanting to hear her problems. Was he just hoping to get information on the case he was pursuing? Whatever his reasons were, Catalina felt a rush of relief wash over her. She wanted to tell him everything. She didn't know why she felt she could trust him even after everything she'd been through but she sensed some sort of goodness in him. He felt familiar to her whenever she met his eyes. They housed a supressed anguish she was so used to seeing every time she had passed by her own reflection.
"I wanted to see my files…" She began before hesitating once more.
"Well I could tell that much already." The detective grumbled while taking a quick glance at his wrist watch. Catalina could see that he was wanting her to get to the point and rightly so. He was a busy man after all and here he was; taking time out of his schedule to sit and listen to the ramblings of a mental hospital patient. Taking a nervous sip of the coffee she had clutched in her clammy hands, she sighed "You're going to think I'm crazy. That I'm just some little psycho girl that's forgotten to take her medicine today."
"I'm not so quick to judge." He reassured her, "A lot of sane people are made out to be crazy by bad men."
Catalina nodded in agreement and, taking a slow, deep breath, began to tell him her story. She told him about her life before Beacon, the kidnapping, the testing she had to endure and the suspicious behaviour of Jimenez. She left out the parts with Ruvik. It wasn't like she was trying to protect his reputation or anything, he was as much a part of this nightmare as Jimenez was, but the thought of recalling the events that took place between the two of them on her first day here for the hundredth time made her heart flutter. She had vowed to stay away from him and that included her memories of him too.
When her story caught up to present day, she met Sebastian's eyes once more with the expectation of finding an expression of disbelief. Quite frankly, who would believe such a wild and convoluted story such as hers? But to Catalina's surprise Sebastian's face gave no hints of doubt, rather a mix of emotions Catalina couldn't quite pinpoint.
"Do you have any proof?"
"That's what I was trying to get my hands on. One of my doctors said I had files with information regarding my circumstances and the reason to why I'm here. But I was kidnapped so those files shouldn't exist in the fir-" Catalina was cut off by what sounded like someone's shrill ringtone. She glanced up at Sebastian and almost flinched at the intensity of his stare. He believed her, she knew it. He slipped his phone out of his coat pocket and accepted the call.
"Joseph, what is it?... No I'm not… Can it not wait?...Well why can't you-? Fine, Fine. I'll be there in half an hour." Sebastian hung up, slid his phone backing into his pocket and with a heavy sign he pulled himself to his feet.
"You're not going, are you?" Catalina whimpered as a sudden wave of panic washed over her. She didn't want him to leave her. Not here. Her face began to flush and she could feel her eyes sting with fresh tears. She knew she was acting childish but she just couldn't help it. She shut her eyes tights to fight back the welling tears and as she did so, a warm hand lightly rested atop her head, calming her instantly.
"You don't have to worry." Sebastian let his hand slide from the top of her head and down the length of her golden hair, "I won't leave you alone here. I will come back and help you get those files, I promise." He flashed her a tired yet reassuring smile before turning towards the main entrance and disappearing behind the two big wooden doors. As she watched him leave, Catalina caught herself with a huge grin plastered across her face. It felt like an eternity since she last cracked a smile but after meeting Detective Castellanos, it felt like the winds of change were blowing her way once more.
That one happy moment, however, was over before it even truly began. As Catalina got up from the slightly dusty green couch, something white and stationary she could see in the corner of her eye attracted her attention. She didn't know why but she had a sneaking suspicion that she would regret it if she looked but curiosity got the better of her. And there he was, standing stock still opposite her. Ruvik. She had completely forgotten that up until recently Ruvik had been following her. Although they were at opposite ends of the foyer, she could still make out his cold emotionless eyes boring into her skin. Although he was staring at her so intensely. Were his eyes really that void of feeling? Was it just Catalina's imagination or could she sense a hint of frustration flickering about his features? Whatever it was, it made her blush.
"Rise and shine Catalina!" Her usual doctor's voice filled her small chamber and rang in her ears like some sort of alarm.
"Oh, go away Doc!" Catalina rolled over in her bed and pulled her covers over her face. Doc, as she liked to call him because she didn't actually know his name, was fast becoming someone she enjoyed seeing. He was easy to get along with unlike the vast majority of the staff at Beacon. He had such a laid-back personality and his scruffy brown beard and unkempt hazel hair together with his thick-framed glasses made him look like quite a docile figure.
"Don't give me that, Cat!" Doc chirped while tugging at her covers, "I've had a request to take you to Ruvik's office…" His tone had quickly changed from chipper to sombre at the mention of Ruvik.
"Ruvik? Why?" Catalina sprung from her bed, almost whacking Doc in the face with her hand and turned on him, "Don't I have a session with you today as usual?"
"Not anymore. I'm not sure whose order it was but you have been transferred into Ruvik's care. But don't worry! I'll come and check on you regularly to make sure you're alright."
"To make sure I'm alright? Why, is something going to happen to me?" Catalina joked.
"Let's hope not." Doc replied ominously and, before Catalina could question him further, he had quickly made an escape out of the door.
Cat jumped to her feet and lunged out of the door after him, paying no attention to the aching cold of the tiled floor underfoot. As she followed Doc through corridor after corridor in silence, he came to a halt in front of an old wooden door, the only one in sight in the deserted hall they found themselves in. Doc reached for the doorknob but hesitated. He turned back to Catalina, a look of pity washing over his usually cheery face, and whispered "You're a good kid. I'm sorry."
Catalina opened her mouth to question him but once again Doc was too hasty for her. The door creaked open, she was given a powerful shove on the back that nearly sent her flying face first into the floor, and the door slammed shut behind her.
"Dammit Doc, at least give me a chance to breathe next time." She grumbled to herself as she listened to his heavy footfalls fading into the distance. It took her a minute to take in the atmosphere of the room she had been forced into. The first thing that hit her was the putrid smell of what seemed like a mix of chemicals and rotting meat. As she searched for the source of the stench, her eyes rested upon the sight of a long operating table in front of her. What looked like a filled body bag stretched across its surface and a dark liquid oozed from the corner of the bag, trickling down the table leg. She sucked in a gasp of air and did her very best not to let out a cry.
Is that…blood?!
Despite her better judgement, Catalina couldn't help but approach the table, her hand outstretched for the zip of the bag as she took slow, shuffling steps. What was she going to find inside? A corpse? And if so, is it the corpse of a patient?!
"Miss Severo!"
The familiar gritty tones that belonged to Ruvik made her leap back towards the door in shock and her head snapped towards the far end of the room. Directly opposite the operating table, a few meters away, stood a solid oak desk with a mountain of books, papers and what appeared to be x-rays of skulls piled high at one end while the other end was spotless. Behind the desk stood the bandaged man himself, hunched over slightly with his hands planted firmly on top of it. His milky eyes, as emotionless as the day they were introduced, burned into her skin and made her blush with embarrassment. Whenever they met, it felt as if Ruvik was examining every inch of her body, etching every curve and every line into his mind. It was like he found her fascinating. But despite the mild hope that Catalina clung to that his dispassionate air was just a façade, she knew deep down that his interest in her was only the interest of a doctor to his test subject. At that moment, a fear began to build in the pit of her stomach and churned up her insides. Would she end up like whatever…whoever was on that operating table now that she was in Ruvik's care? Did Doc know and that was why he was acting so mournful?
"Sit down." Ruvik ordered, motioning with his head towards a small metal chair at the clean end of the desk.
"What are you going to do to me?" Catalina tried desperately to stop her voice from quivering but she had failed. The rancid stench of the room began to make her feel nauseous and lightheaded and only added to her fear of what was to come.
"Sit down!" Ruvik hissed with a glint of frustration twisting his stoic features. This time Catalina obeyed his command without hesitation. She knew that testing his patience wouldn't be a smart move. She lowered herself into the seat and noticed the Ruvik was doing the same, his steely-eyed expression relaxing a little. They sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity before Ruvik cleared his throat, giving Catalina a scare, and announced "From today onwards, you are to sit here with me until I tell you otherwise. I am…conducting an experiment and your presence is necessary."
"What is the experiment about?" Catalina asked, drawing out the last word as her stare rested upon the head x-rays. Ruvik followed her gaze and hurriedly gathered up the x-rays, stuffing them into the drawer of his desk and closing it with a loud thump.
"This isn't an experiment involving the brain. Not this time. It's more an observation of the heart." He pulled a tattered leather journal out from among the pile of books and set it open before scribbling away. Catalina watched his hand moving elegantly across the pages and squinted her eyes to try and make out what the swirling words said. As her eyes traced the page closest to her, the only thing that she could understand was that it was like some sort of scientific diary about himself and…his feelings.
Just then, a book whizzed along the desk and fell into her lap. She looked up to see that Ruvik actually looked somewhat flustered! A bit of colour speckled his cheeks and his eyes would not meet with hers. Was he embarrassed?
"Read that and don't disturb me. My work is not for your eyes." He muttered before turning his attention back to his journal. Catalina examined the book in her hands and scoffed "You expect me to read 'A Collection of Theses on Contemporary Neuroscience'? I'm supposed to be a lunatic remember, not a genius."
"Aren't they one in the same?" Ruvik casually replied before setting his pen down and bringing his hands together to rest under his chin. "That man you were talking to yesterday, he's a detective, correct?"
"That's right."
"I have been informed that he called reception last night, requesting to have your files sent to him. He's going to try and take you away from here."
Catalina's eyes widened in shock before her face took on a look of contentment. She was practically radiating happiness from such news. She was right to trust in Sebastian after all. Unexpectedly, Ruvik leapt out of his seat, grabbing Catalina's wrist and hoisting her out of her own before turning her around and slamming her against the wall, both wrists pinned by his crushing grip above her head. The stink of the room was now masked by the overpowering scent of ointment as Ruvik moved even closer.
"Why do you show such a face at the mere mention of that man? Does the thought of him make you happy?" Ruvik probed, staring into her eyes with a crazed fire she would never have imagined he'd show.
"You're hurting me." Catalina cried, wriggling under his pressure in a hopeless attempt to escape. He was so much stronger than her.
"I'm hurting you? Good!" He mocked, "I know you'll never smile for me like you do for him but he's not your master, I am! Jimenez bought you for my entertainment. I own you!"
Catalina panicked and started to thrash about. He's gone mad! He was mad with a jealousy that she couldn't comprehend. The indifferent man was becoming possessive of her because he mistook her smile for one of love, not of the relief she was actually feeling. Before she could react, Ruvik leaned in and fixed his lips forcefully onto hers. His tongue entered her mouth uninvited and began to aggressively yet sensually explore, entwining itself around her own tongue. She felt like she was about to melt away at the searing heat of his every touch and it scared her. After more struggling, Catalina successfully managed to kick him away. Her eyes blurry with tears and her head fuzzy with distress and confusion, she made a hasty retreat to the door. Escaping the office and running down the empty corridor, Catalina was followed by the haunting echo of Ruvik's roar- "You'll never leave this place! You're mine!"
Let me know if you enjoyed this chapter and I'll upload the next one. Again, thank you to anyone who is still reading this story! I have big plans for the direction in which this story will go and I promise there will be regular updates again!
