Author note: Hey guys! Updating sooner than normal cos I promised 'Psychic101' that I would. Hope you guys enjoy this chapter and please let me know what you think.
Disclaimer: I do not own Psych.
"Bye Shawn" Henry whispered and suddenly Shawn threw himself at his father, embracing him in a big hug. Henry hugged him back a little surprised and remembered not to touch his hair.
Shawn didn't let out a tear, confident that his dad would come and visit him soon. Gus would be there soon too, he had promised and Gus always kept his promises. Henry slowly pulled away, blinking away the unshed tears and gestured for Mrs Adams to take him away.
"Come on then Shawn, I'll show you your room" she said soothingly. Shawn walked away without looking back and Henry stumbled awkwardly as he made his way out, watching his son being led away.
"He's never going to visit you" Ross told him as Henry walked away. "He tried to kill you remember?" Shawn looked at him doubtful unwilling to take his word as truth yet; he had yet to be wrong.
"We had to confiscate a letter opener and a penknife." Daniel informed her.
Shawn didn't make any movement, and they thought that perhaps he hadn't heard them. The door closed quietly but Shawn snapped round. Noticing that his suitcase was there with his box of toys he rushed over.
He searched for his penknife but couldn't find it. His dad had given him that penknife when he was four. Well maybe not given, Shawn had stolen it. His dad had always boasted about it. Gave the impression it was some magical device that could save you from chains and protect you from harm. Shawn had nicked it when he was little and with his dad's amazing detective skills, he had never figured out who had stolen it. Shawn began to get annoyed and angry. They had stolen his penknife… and his letter opener come to think of it. Now how was he meant to open his letters? And break stuff?
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Suddenly there was a knock at the door and Mrs Andrews came in smiling warmly at him. She glanced around the room and studied the wall with a curious gaze. She didn't seem repulsed as any normal person would have done but instead she just made a mental jot of the way Shawn had organised his room. She noted the draws that were stuffed full of clothes and the clutter of toys before announcing.
"The bell is about to ring for lunch" and Shawn turned his head eagerly. He was really quite hungry and she noticed and smiled at him warmly.
"Come on, I'll show you the cafeteria"
Shawn got up quickly and followed her. He soaked up every detail of his surroundings. It really was quite dingy. The wallpaper was beginning to peel of the wall and it was a mouldy green colour. However the building was safe and deemed fit for living. Plus, donations were made every year which were dependant on how many patients they had and with two additional patients this year, the donations were hopefully going to increase.
Shawn arrived at the lunch hall and looked at all the other patients who were sat there. Shawn was well aware that this couldn't be everyone. There were only about seven people here. Shawn assumed that some people had their lunch at different times so the food didn't run out. That's what happened at Shawn's school… old school. It was the reason why his class had to have packed. Only the lower years were fed from the cafeteria as the food ran out quickly and it was more important to make sure the younger years had a balanced diet and were fed everyday so early development was not stunted. Shawn thought it was stupid to be honest but their parents didn't have to pay for it so they were happy.
Shawn noticed the occasional people in a white uniform handing out pills and turned round to ask about them.
"Mrs Andrews, will I have to have those?" he asked with an obvious tone of disgust in his voice and Shawn noticed Ross recoiling at the sight of them, he looked scared as if they could potentially harm him and Shawn silently vowed not to take them.
Mrs Andrews sighed, feeling that Shawn would never take his pills willingly.
"Not right now" she replied and she realised that Shawn would probably be a hassle. Shawn looked around and noticed that everyone in the room was much older than him and it made him miss Gus already. Shawn wondered if Gus was going to visit him soon but then again, it had only been a day since he had seen him and that didn't count that phone call.
Shawn noticed some of the other's giving him an interesting look, examining the new arrival. Shawn guessed that it had been some time since they had a new person arriving, especially as he was just a kid and he knew that he was the first kid they had ever had as usually, not many children developed mental problems at such a young age. Shawn found himself wishing for another pineapple and when Mrs Andrews gave him a tray with food on, he was very disappointed to see no yellow pieces.
Mrs Andrews noticed his sighing, "What's the matter Shawn?"
Shawn glared at her before looking over her shoulder into the distance. The kitchens were behind her and there was a counter where every patient had their own tray of food, personal to their special diet. Shawn had only just noticed the fruit bowl and a huge pineapple sticking out from behind it.
"Pineapple! In the fruit bowl! Can I have some pineapple?" Shawn pleaded. Mrs Adams turned round to see where Shawn was pointing and looked slightly confused.
Fruit bowl? She thought. There was no fruit bowl. Every meal was prepared individually with the individual person in mind. Additional fruit was not provided as it was included on the tray.
"Shawn…." She began.
"I want some of that pineapple" Shawn whined.
"Do you know what a hallucination is Shawn?" she asked, her voice laced with sympathy.
Shawn froze, that word had been bugging him for a while and he was eager to know what it meant. He shook his hurriedly.
"It means that sometimes… you see things that aren't real" Mrs Andrews explained.
Shawn frowned confused. "You're saying the pineapple's not real?"
She nodded, "There is no pineapple, Shawn"
Shawn looked over her shoulder again, his eyes wide.
"How can there be no pineapple?" he shouted, "I can see it! I can SEE IT"` Shawn hit the table with his hand in annoyance before holding it with an obvious pain in his eyes.
"You alright?" she asked concerned, leaning towards Shawn to inspect his hand.
Shawn snapped his head up and gave her a cold look before marching over to the fruit bowl and grabbing the pineapple only for his hand to pass through it. Shawn stared at the spot where the bowl had been only moments ago.
"It's gone" he whispered to himself and Mrs Adams directed him back into his seat calmly.
"Eat up Shawn. Then I'll introduce you to Charlie" she told him.
Shawn looked down at his food, it didn't look as nice as the Chinese he had the other night. Shawn picked up his plastic fork and studied it. Did they not trust him with proper cutlery? He looked around and noticed the others eating with plastic knives and forks as well and every patient was accompanied with a person wearing white and there were several of them walking around the place. Shawn assumed they were the staff.
Shawn stabbed his food and ate it with a vacant expression. Ross was just sat there watching Shawn eat and Shawn looked at him, before offering him some of his food.
Ross looked at him with raised eyebrows. "No thanks"
Mrs Andrews looked at him again, "Shawn?" she asked, hoping to snap his attention back.
Shawn looked at her sharply before looking back down at his food. Shawn didn't like the attention which was very rare for him. At school, he loved being the centre of attention as whenever he was home he received none. Shawn was very glad for Ross. Ross had been there for him through thick and thin. He had kept him company most nights when his parents were fighting. He provided the comfort Shawn desperately craved. Shawn met Ross when he was very little and Shawn immediately befriended him. It was even better that he was invisible so no one else could see him and Shawn was so glad that Ross had picked him. It was like his own little guardian angel that had come to save him. From then on, Shawn never once felt alone as Ross had always kept him company.
Shawn finished his food in silence and Mrs Andrews only hoped that he would become more talkative as the days went on as he adapted to the new surroundings. Little did she know that she would come to regret that wish.
Mrs Andrews then took Shawn to see Charlie who they found in one of therapy rooms.
Charlie was dressed in a white uniform and organising some papers on her desk. She was a very young woman and barley looked 18. She was the very definition of inexperienced.
"Shawn, this is Charlie." Mrs Andrews introduced them and Charlie smiled at Shawn. Shawn instantly took a liking to her simply because of her age. She looked like she was the youngest person here and she was very pretty with her hair tied loosely by her ear.
"Charlie, Shawn" she said again.
"Shawn, Charlie is going to be your new carer, it's her job to comfort you and be your friend and take care of you" she explained and Charlie smiled at Shawn again.
"I'll leave you to get acquainted" Mrs Andrews said again, filing in the silence and she walked out of the room shutting the door behind him leaving just Ross, Shawn and Charlie.
"So…my name is Charlie, I've just finished studying mental health at University and I have been paired with you as I am the youngest carer here at the hospital. I like horses, I hate bored games and my friends all think I am crazy for coming to work here. What about you? What can you tell me about the Shawn Spencer?" she asked jokily after she was finished introducing herself.
Shawn regarded her for a moment before answering, thinking he might as well engage in conversation and so moved over to the sofa in the room and stood by it awkwardly.
"Uh….I'm Shawn and this is my best friend Ross. By other best friend Gus is at normal school. I like pineapples, lolly pops and pizza and I don't like anything pointy. My friends also think I'm crazy which is why I am being forced to come here"
She smiled at him again, actually taking an interest in what he was saying that only made Shawn more interested in her.
"So who are Ross and Gus?" she asked keenly, her eyes sparkling.
"Ross is my best friend. I met him when I was really little and he stayed with me when everyone else went away. Gus goes to school with me and he said he would visit and he said that I was crazy cos normal people don't paint their faces green, or set rats in the kitchens or freeze their pet rabbits" Shawn explained, ending on a slightly sad tone.
Charlie pondered this for a moment.
"So why did you paint your face green, set rats in the kitchens or freeze your rabbit" she asked.
"Cos I wanted to" Shawn explained, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.
Charlie sighed before smiling slightly, trying to connect with Shawn she asked, "Did your face go all itchy after?"
Shawn gaped thinking that she must be psychic., How did she know?
"Maybe she's done it herself" Ross suggested and Shawn burst into giggles.
"What?" she asked innocently.
"Ross said that you know it itches cos you've painted your face before!" Shawn laughed and Charlie laughed for a second alongside Shawn.
"Is Ross here now?" she asked in a near whisper.
Shawn giggled to himself and nodded his head.
"Where? I don't see him" she commented, pretending she was ignorant with a grin.
"He's invisible" Shawn explained with a mysterious vibe and still giggling madly.
"I see." Charlie smiled again giving a knowing look.
"What about Gus? Can he turn invisible too?" she asked, pretending for now that Ross was real as to not upset him. She knew she shouldn't immediately deny his existence as otherwise he would never learn to trust her. It had to be done slowly so he would begin to question his powers and his existence before realising and truly believing that he wasn't real.
Shawn scoffed at her. "NO! Gus doesn't have super powers! He's very smart though, he said he would come visit me soon"
"Oh good. Is your mummy and daddy gonna come too?"
Immediately she could tell that she had hit a sore subject.
"Mummy's gone, she left in the middle of the night and didn't even say goodbye… at least daddy said goodbye when he abandoned me. He said he would visit?" he said almost questioningly.
"Well I hope he does" she told him with sincerity, knowing about his parent's situation from the others but she wanted to know his opinion on the matter.
"so what sorts of things does Ross say?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Huh?" he asked confused.
"Does he ever tell you to do stuff you don't want to?" she asked soothingly, wanting to know whether this 'person' could be a danger to Shawn.
"I think she thinks I could be a danger to you?" Ross clarified and Charlie sensed Ross was talking now.
"He tells me the truth." Shawn explained, "He's my friend. He stays with me when everyone else goes away. He even stayed with me every night when mummy and daddy were shouting at each other all night. He covered my ears and talked to me to block out the noise"
"What does he tell you the truth about?" she asked again
"Uh... He told me not to eat the blue fuzzy bread that my dad gave me cos it would kill me. He said that my daddy won't visit me…" Shawn admitted glumly.
Charlie paused; this was both good and bad. It sounded as if this identity was in a way protecting Shawn from danger however it was also taking advantage of his insecurities without Shawn noticing.
"I'm not going anywhere Shawn. You're stuck with me" she smiled, "Your daddy won't be allowed to visit for a few weeks anyway Shawn. You have to settle in here first"
"I'll give you the tour shall I?" she suggested changing the subject again.
Shawn smiled, "Yeah ok"
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Later that night, Shawn was lying in bed still awake troubled after the whole day and the challenges it had presented him. He really liked Charlie, she was nice. She wanted to talk to him and looked genuinely interested in his responses which had never happened before. Shawn knew that Mrs Andrews and Miss Jones were just doing their jobs but Charlie was different. In a way she had just been dumped with him. She had the option to just leave is she wanted and she could go back to University. She was new at this and so was Shawn.
Suddenly Shawn heard noise outside and he sat up with nerves, clinging to the bed sheet.
Did I imagine that? Shawn thought before Ross sat up beside him with a panicked look in his face.
"I heard that too" Ross told him and they both crept to the door. Shawn attempted to open it but discovered himself to be locked on.
Shawn groaned in annoyance and stomped his feet a few time before he was hushed by Ross.
"Listen" Ross told him and Shawn pressed his ear to the door.
"It's that new woman being moved here" Shawn realised.
"Go back to sleep then Shawn" Ross told him tiredly and Shawn was only too happy to obey.
Thanks for reading and reviewing! Hope you enjoyed. Please let me know your theories and what you thought on this chapter. What do you think of Charlie?