Uncaging Alice

Chapter 7: William

I wasn't in the best mood when I walked into the asylum to start my shift. James and Victoria being in town was worrying me... and slightly annoying as well. It did not help my mood that Marguerite was waiting for me.

"You need to keep an eye on that Alice girl." She said.

I hid the fact that I was concerned. "Why?" I asked, hanging my jacket up on the coat rack behind the front desk.

"She had an episode earlier but said she just missed her family."

"Since when is missing her family something to worry about?"

"Maybe you didn't hear me when I said she had an episode."

I ignored her mean reply and sat down behind the desk, folding my hands in my lap. "What happened?"

"Well," Marguerite leaned on the desk and lowered her voice as if she was gossiping with one of the other nurses. "I walked past her room about an hour ago and she was sitting on her bed hyperventilating basically... She had this look on her face like she wasn't here, like she was somewhere else. But all she said was that she missed her family, but I think she was lying. I offered a sedative but she said no."

"Why would she lie?" I asked, getting even more annoyed with Marguerite's love of starting trouble.

"Honestly, William, did you not read her file?" She was exasperated. "The girl claims to have visions." I hadn't read her entire file so this surprised me, and at the same time answered the question I'd been wondering: why she was here. When I didn't say anything, Marguerite grabbed her coat and put it on. "So you're going to have to give her a sedative later." She pulled a small bottle of sedatives from her pocket and handed it to me.

"What? Why? I thought she was fine now?" I did not want to give her a sedative, especially if she didn't want one.

"Just do it, William. Don't be so difficult." She huffed. I nodded and put the bottle in my pocket. "Good. See you in the morning." Marguerite turned and left, slamming the door behind her.

Once I was alone, I went over to the small area a few feet away and bent over the table there to clean up the chess pieces that had been left out. Marguerite had told me her version of what happened but I was curious to know Alice's side. I started to put the game pieces back into their box, checking to make sure everyone was asleep as I did so. All the patients were sleeping except for one heartbeat that I had become familiar with the night before.

Staring at the chess board, I thought to myself for a long moment before taking the pieces back out of their box and setting them up on the board. After that was done, I walked down the hall to Alice's room and knocked on the door. It opened a little so I pushed it farther open and found her sitting on her bed. "Alice, would you like to play some chess?"

A smile spread over her small face. "Okay."