A/N Okay, so we had a couple of questions about venom last week. For the purpose of this story only venom that is injected (with teeth, obviously) purposely into the veins can change a person in to a vampire, feeding is a different process and involves a different kind of bite. The world would soon be over run with vampires, or there would be no humans left otherwise. I know I haven't explained that clearly but it's the best I can manage.

Thank you again to my Beta, MissAlex

I OWN NOTHING

Chapter Nine:

This is the Life

I still hadn't moved from my perch on the windowsill. It was nice, just sitting here, looking out at the outside world, even if it was just the grounds of Danvers. I loved the luscious greenery. It was a glorious day, warm enough for my short sleeved cotton jersey. The sun's warmth was magnified as it penetrated through the window and heated my bare skin. But I didn't move it. I liked how it felt.

The hundred year old oak trees stood perfectly still, framing Danvers' surroundings. Birds fluttered from tree top to tree top. I watched them, amazed at their beauty. I wished every day could be like this. I hadn't been outside yet, but I really wanted to. I wanted to smell the fresh air and feel the grass between my toes. I'd heard from a couple of the nurses that it was possible to spend some time outdoors. And I had often seen the odd patient or two wandering the grounds. I decided that I would ask Laurent about it next time I saw him.

Sighing, I rubbed my aching eyes with my fists. I rested my head on my forearm and let the warmth on my cheek soothe me, reminding me that I was alive. My stomach growled loudly, signalling it was nearly lunch. I looked up at the clock to confirm.

Twelve-thirty.

My stomach flipped.

Yes, lunchtime.

Yet, I still didn't move. I stalled even though I was hungry. Three times a day, I had to go through the hell which was the dining hall.

The dining hall was open to everybody, but seating was arranged by ward. This meant my ward dined with the male ward across the lounge and one of the back wards, where some of the less able where housed.

Sliding off my seat, I made my way to the hall. Even though I knew there would be a queue if I didn't get a move on, I still didn't rush my steps.

I heard the commotion of the lunch patrons as rounded the corner, and right on cue, my stomach started its usual somersaults. Clenching my fists in my pockets, I braced myself as I entered the hall.

My eyes scanned the room, looking for a familiar face, but like always, I saw not one. I was disappointed. I wanted to see Jasper. I would have to look for him tomorrow because there was no way I would be able to later, after my treatment. Curled up in my bed was the only place I'd be this evening.

The hall was already warming due to the excess body heat. I felt flushed and my palms were sweaty as I approached the lunch queue and stood in line. The stench assaulted my nostrils and I almost gagged. I wished I'd worn my cardigan, at least, then I could have blocked my nose by burying it in the sleeve. I heard a little splash as I came to a stop at the end of the line. Automatically, I looked down at my feet, then back to the old lady in front of me, then back to my feet.

I stood in a dark, yellowish puddle.

Urine, I thought with a sigh.

Nothing fazed me in this place anymore.

I moved to the side and prayed for the line to reduce in numbers quickly. The noise level rose as knives and forks clattered, pot and pans clanged, and the patients chatted all around me.

This was my idea of hell.

The sounds echoed off the plain, white washed walls. These walls were covered with a fresh coat of paint once a month to cover up the food splatter.

The line of people shuffled forward. A patient howled near the front and aides hurried over and carted him away. I just kept my head down, avoiding eye contact with everyone.

I ate in record speed, finishing within ten minutes of finding my seat. That left me enough time to briefly visit my room before my treatment. After leaving my room, I made my way to the nurse's bathroom. This room was reserved especially for ice bath treatments.

On my way, I met the aide who would be supervising me. Sadly, it was not Laurent this time. It was Sarah, a female aide whom I 'd met before. Once in the bathroom, I stripped to my bra and knickers, and then eyed the aide until she turned around. I knew the drill, but it didn't mean I liked it. Once her back was turned, I slipped out of my undergarments, and quickly covered my naked body with a terry-cloth dressing gown. I sat on a cold mental framed chair until I was told to get in the tub.

The bath was half-filled with cold water. Once I got in, it would be filled to the top with ice.

"Alright, Alice. All ready."

I let the dressing gown fall from my shoulders and land in a heap on the floor. I was used to being naked in front of the aides and nurses by now since I'd had so many baths under my belt, but that didn't make it any less discomforting. I truly hated this part, the first moments of getting in. I quickly sunk to my knees. My teeth chattered at an alarming rate as I gripped both bath handles and dunked the rest of my body under the water.

I was in.

The water bobbed around me as I slowly froze. I tried to concentrate on the aide who stood across from me, tidying up my dressing gown on the wicker chair for when I got out. She checked her watch, and then began pouring buckets of ice in the bath.

"Alice," she spoke. "I'm just stepping out for a moment. You'll be alright, won't you? Just sit tight, I won't be long."

I wanted to laugh. Where was I going to go? I was sure that my legs wouldn't work, even if I wanted them to.

I knew that as much as she assured me she wouldn't be long, five minutes would become fifteen as she stood outside smoking a cigarette and then came inside to make a pot of tea for herself. She was one of the nice ones, so I didn't really mind. There was a lot of rule breaking in this place.

Whether she was here or not, I still had to remain in this bath, so it didn't matter to me how long she took.

I looked around the familiar room, looking for a distraction as my brain grew sluggish, but I found nothing. I knew every inch of this room so instead, I let my mind drift. I thought of Laurent, and of Jasper. I also thought of my parents and wondered if they would ever come to visit. I'd sent them few letters home and had received a handful in return, but they had still to answer my question of when I could come home. I asked them that very same question in each and every letter but received no reply. They refused to even acknowledge that I inquired about it.

I had a dark and brooding feeling that I would never get to go home again. Even without my visions, my gut feelings were usually right. That thought made me sick to my stomach.

By the time the aide returned, I couldn't feel my body. I was numb. I had many iced baths before, in order to wake me up from my comatose state, but only a few where a vision hadn't been involved. These baths were worse, much worse than the other baths because my mind was clear, unmuzzled from a vision or depression. My whole body shook, so much so that I couldn't stand up. The aide left for a moment and came back with a male aide and instructed him to lift me out. He scooped me out of the water and sat me down on the metal chair, still dripping wet.

I was so cold that I didn't care I was naked in a man's arms. It didn't register because I couldn't even think straight. My eyes rolled back into my head so I couldn't see. I was helpless. Something soft covered my trembling form and someone rubbed me semi-dry. My body relaxed as strong arms stood me up once again and placed me in a wheelchair, which they always had waiting outside the bathroom to transport patients back to their rooms. My head rested against the hard frame as he pushed me along the corridor.

Later that night, as I recovered in my bed, I heard rattling along the corridor. I recognized the noise immediately for every day the medication trolley came to my room. When I first arrived at Danvers, it came in the mornings before my morning shower. Now I took my medication at night because of my newly prescribed sleeping pills.

I loved taking a shower each morning. The showers were easier to get to now that I'd been moved from my temporary room up in the attic, to my new one, not long after I'd recovered from my first vision here. Now, I was a patient on Ward B, the main communal ward for the more able patients. It had both a male and female corridor connected by a lounge which was locked at ten o'clock sharp every evening to prevent the different sexes from mixing during the night. We were only trusted to mix in the waking hours when we could be properly supervised.

A sudden knock on my door make me jump, which was silly as I knew what was coming. But I was so lost in thought and I blamed the presence of cold in my brain.

"Good evening, Alice," Nurse Hilda sang as she opened the door and stepped inside. She held a plastic cup filled with water and a smaller one containing two tablets. Hilda was one of the nicest nurses here at Danvers. She always had a big smile on her face and a kind word for everyone she came across.

"I hear you're getting a roommate tomorrow. How nice, Alice! I bet you'll be glad to have company after being on your own for so long."

A roommate?!

"Oh, I didn't know. Really? I would've thought someone would've mentioned that to me." My words come out choppy, like I'd only just learned to talk, because my body and my mind were still thawing from my ice bath.

I scanned the room in a panic. They rested on all my familiar things. Alright, so they were few and far between, not as many as I would have liked, but enough so that the room looked lived in and...well...mine.

The thought of having to share my space with someone else didn't seem very appealing.

"At least you'll make a new friend," she exclaimed. "I don't think I've seen you talk to anybody since you got here."

I smiled at her enthusiasm, knowing she meant well. I took the cups from Nurse Hilda, and awkwardly swallowed the pills down. My throat was tight and they were very big. Handing her back the empty cup, I coughed and spluttered a little. My eyes watered as the pills scratched my esophagus on the way down.

"Thank you," I managed "What time will my roommate arrive tomorrow? Do you know?"

She patted my back gently and chuckled. "Don't worry, child, you'll soon get used to swallowing them foul tasting pills. As for your roommate - I'm not sure, dear - not long after lunch, I suppose."

She stepped towards the door. "Well, good night, Alice. Don't let the bed bugs bite," she giggled. "Oh, and don't forget - lights out in thirty minutes."

The door closed behind her and I laughed. How could I forget? The lights went out automatically. I snorted through my nose.

Although I was nervous about a stranger staying in my room, now that I gave it more thought, I was also a bit excited to have a roommate. Nurse Hilda was right. I hadn't spoke to anybody but the Danvers staff since my arrival. I didn't count James or Jasper because those conversations were mostly one-sided. I wondered if my roommate was the girl in the red cardigan.

I really hoped it would be.

Now, it seemed, tomorrow couldn't come soon enough.

A/N A double pov chappy next week. You readers who reply own me, thank you :)