THE INFIRMARY, THAT NIGHT
Disclaimer: I don't own Juliette or any of the charactors, only in my dreams!
Authors Note: Thanks for all the great reviews! =) I hope you like the ending!
She laid sound asleep in the bed, unaware of the outside world. She floated through her dreams, where she was just a child again with all of her dolls lined up perfectly, and with two parents who kissed her goodnight. She never stopped smiling.
Peter stood in the doorway. Sophie approached him and whispered.
"The kids are all settled in their dorms for the night."
"How did they seem?" Peter asked, arms crossed staring at Juliette.
"Confused, and scared. They're afraid for Juliette." Sophie replied.
"It will be hard on all of us." Peter paused. "It always is."
"What will?" Sophie looked confused.
"Sending her home." Sophie took Peter by the arm and pulled him to another room where they could talk.
"You can't send her home Peter! Can't you see what her parents have done to her?!"
"Soph, it's out of my hands now. Juliette needs more help then me, you, Frank, or anyone else at Horizon can give her. I should've seen this coming. What with the other problems she's had over the last nine months."
"Yea Peter but all the kids here have had outbursts and rebelled just like Juliette did today. It's normal!"
"It's not normal Sophie! Juliette has shown symptoms of psychotic illness for a while now. When she fell into the cave she claimed to have seen the dead girl. And on several occasions she's talked of seeing and talking to her mother when she wasn't there. Now this...there's just no better way for me to help her then to send her home." Sophie became quiet. There was a silence that lasted about two minutes.
"So how do we tell the kids?" He sighed.
"We tell them the truth. Juliette cannot benefit from Horizon anymore, so the best option for her is to leave. It will be traumatic at first, but they'll understand."
"How do we tell her?" Sophie looked through the closed door at Juliette.
"Same way. I've had cases like this before Soph; its never easy for anyone involved. I'll go call her mother. I'll try to convince her to send Juliette to a psychiatric hospital, where she can be monitored more closely. If they rule that she's ok, maybe she can come back here."
"I hope so Peter, for Juliettes sake."
GIRLS DORM
Shelby walked into the room to find Daisy sitting on her bed, brushing her hair aggressively.
"You can relax now...your hair will be tangle free for years to come." She joked. Daisy realized what she was doing and stopped.
"Its not fair. Our parents screw with our heads our whole lives, then we look like the crazy ones!" She snapped. Shelby sat on the bed next to her.
"If there's one thing I've learned in life its that nothing is ever fair. I know I tease and make fun of Juliette a lot, but we've had our share of Kodak moments. I know first hand that she's not as weak as we make her out to be. She'll get through this just like she has everything else." Shelby consoled her.
"There was just so much blood..." Daisy cringed.
"Ms. Daisy Graves is afraid of a little bit of blood?" Shelby said.
"Ironic isn't it? I don't know...its just different here. Its real when you see someone you know so well in that condition."
"Yea I know." Shelby thought about Patty.
"You guys ok?" Katherine sat on the bed next to Daisy's.
"Define ok." Daisy said sarcastically.
"I'm worried about Juliette too. It really makes me think. I want to be a counselor at Horizon, but I didn't even know that Jules was so upset." Katherine explained.
"Its not your fault that Juliette is a good actress! If she wanted us to know she would've whined and pouted just like she always did." Shelby shot back.
"Listen to us! We're talking about her like she's dead." Kat interrupted. "Peter and Sophie will take care of her and make her better. They made us better."
"I always thought it would take a miracle to make me talk about my step-father and what he did. I guess miracle's can happen more then once." Shelby said.
"Well I'm going to go to bed and pray for a miracle right now. That's the best way we can help Juliette." Katherine turned around and pulled the bed covers up around her.
"Pray? I haven't done that since...I can't even remember." Shelby said, jumping into her bed.
"Do it for Jules Shelb." Katherine persuaded.
"I'll do my best." She mumbled under her breath.
"Daisy?" Katherine asked. But Daisy was already lying down in her bed, staring blankly at the empty bed next to her. When all the lights were shut off and Shelby and Katherine were motionless, Daisy said her prayers.
"Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me I once was lost but now am found was blind but now I see.."
BOYS DORM
Scott sat on his bed twiddling his fingers and staring at the pictures of the Cliffhangers hanging on the wall. Juliette was smiling in all of them. He wondered how many of those smiles were real.
"Hey Scott, shut off the light man. I'm tired." David walked in and collapsed onto his bunk.
"How can you sleep after a day like this?" Ezra asked as he twisted and untwisted his shirt for the fifteenth time.
"Its easy Friedkin, I simply lie down like this.." David laid on his back. "Close my eyes, turn off the light, and..."
"Man don't touch that! I'm trying to finish this assignment." Auggie yelled.
"Homework? Your doing homework at a time like this?" Ezra said in amazement. "I don't even do homework on a normal day."
"Would you all just shut your mouths!" Scott shouted. They all stared at him.
"Hey meat don't get all trippy on us! We're all worried about Jules ok?" Auggie stood and shouted.
"Worried? Man you don't know what worried is?! She's messed up in the head! Should've known that the day she chose you over me..."
"Step off man, that's my girlfriend your talking about!" Auggie defended.
"Your girlfriend? Then how come I'm more worried about her then you are?!" Scott shouted. Ezra and David watched from their bunks.
"You think I'm not worried?! I love her man! Do you know what love is? Love is constantly worrying about somebody no matter what...that's what love is!" Suddenly Scott and Auggie were silent. Scott sat down on his bunk and Auggie sat across from him on another bed.
"I worried about Shelby every moment that she was at home. I know what love is. I'm sorry man, I'm stepping off." Scott apologized.
"Love sucks sometimes, doesn't it?" Auggie replied.
"Yea man, definitely." Scott offered his hand and Auggie shook it.
"Aw...this is so sweet I think I'm gonna hurl!" David made a gagging noise and rolled off his bed.
"Just make sure you flush after your finished." Ezra joked. He moved and sat next to Scott and Auggie. "Seriously guys, I really hope Juliette is ok."
"Us to EZ." Auggie replied smiling.
THE NEXT MORNING
Opening her eyes, the first thing she noticed was the sunshine pouring through the window onto her face. She felt its warmth and felt secure in its light.
"Morning Juliette." She turned her head and saw Peter sitting in a chair.
"Hi Peter." She looked down and noticed her heavily bandaged arm. "I'm sorry I cut myself." He sighed.
"It's ok Juliette. How are you feeling this morning?"
"I feel better. I think I'm much better now. My head doesn't hurt anymore." She smiled in encouragement. Peter smiled back.
"That's great. I, um, talked to your mother on the phone last night." Juliette frowned.
"She was probably angry. What did she say?"
"She was worried about you, so was your father." Peter swallowed.
"You talked to my father?" Juliette became confused.
"Yes Juliette I did." She turned her head and stared at the corner of the room, where her father stood.
"Don't believe him Julie, its all lies." She swallowed and blinked.
"Juliette...your father was worried too. He wants you to come home with him." Peter explained. She continued to stare at the man in the corner.
"I don't want to go home. Daddy wouldn't make me go home." She turned back to Peter. Soon she could see her father over Peter's shoulder.
"I'm sorry Juliette, but there's nothing that I can do. If I could keep you here I would, but I think that you would be much happier and better taken care of somewhere else." Peter was having difficulty explaining and he noticed that Juliette wasn't really looking at him. "Juliette? Are you ok?"
"Remember your promise Julie, don't tell him about me. I don't want to leave you." Juliette felt tears forming in her eyes. She could no longer hold in her pain as she realized the truth.
"I'm really crazy aren't I?! Your going to put me away in a mental hospital with other crazy people, is that what your saying?!" Peter felt tears forming in his eyes.
"No Juliette, your not crazy..."
"Yes I am!! I am crazy! I see him! My father is here in the room with me right now! And your telling me that he was never really here at all!"
"Julie, how could you do this to me? I thought you loved me." Her Father pleaded.
"NO! Go away, get out of my head!" She screamed and Peter tried to hold her down as she trashed around in the bed. The nurse ran in at the sound of her screams and held her arm down long enough to sedate her. Juliette slowly faded off into a dream world again.
GROUP THERAPY
A staggering silence filled the room as the seven remaining Cliffhangers met for group. Sophie gathered them into their normal chair circle and attempted to start the meeting.
"So guys, who wants the talking stick first?" She offered it out. There was no answer. Moments later Daisy spoke up.
"I don't feel much like talking."
"You know the rules Daisy..." Sophie handed her the stick.
"Oh right, the rules. What I said was...I don't feel like talking." Daisy replied. Sophie shot her a warning glare.
"I've got something to say." Scott grabbed the stick from Daisy. "Just tell us straight, is Juliette leaving?" The others joined Scott in staring at Sophie. She cringed.
"You guys know that's not my decision." Shelby grabbed the stick.
"Right, its Peter's. But we all know who he confides in."
"I assure you that Peter had not decided anything for sure yet. Ultimately its up to Juliette's parents." Sophie said, holding the stick. Auggie took the stick next.
"Yo Juliette's parents don't care what happens to her! Who's gonna decide, her mother who caused her to throw up her food or her father who never keeps his promises?!" The group all nodded in agreement.
"Yea, Juliette's much better off here with us." Ezra held the stick up proudly.
"OK guys, I know that you all want Juliette to stay. And frankly, so do I. But sometimes things don't go the way we wish they could." Sophie explained. Shelby pulled the stick from her grip.
"So make them go the way you want them to! Don't tell me you can't convince Peter to let her stay. You wouldn't want her to go back to her hell like I had to go back to mine would you?" Shelby became angry. David grabbed the stick.
"Yea have a heart Sophie..." David added and passed the stick to Auggie.
"Man send me home if you have to get rid of somebody! I messed up. Juliette never did anything to deserve this." Auggie preached. Sophie took the stick before anyone else could grab it.
"Quiet down guys. Auggie, this isn't a matter of getting rid of somebody. This is about where Juliette is going to get the best care. Right now, as much as I hate to say it, Horizon might not be that place. Its Peter and Franks choice, but no matter what we must remain supportive to Juliette. She needs her friends now more then ever." There was another silence.
"She's right. Jules needs us. She was always there for us, now we have to be there for her." Katherine said.
"Yea, if it weren't for Jules I would still be failing. She taught me how to read right." Auggie explained.
"She taught me what being a Cliffhanger was all about." Scott said.
"Juliette is always cheering me on when I have trouble with the ropes or kayaking." Ezra added.
"Juliette accepted me immediately when I was a newby. That means a lot." Daisy said smiling. Sophie smiled and listened as the group told stories of how Juliette had influenced them. She knew then how difficult Juliette's departure would be.
THE INFIRMARY
Juliette awoke to am empty room. She almost wanted her father to be there, even if he wasn't real. Moments later, Auggie entered the room.
"Hey Jules." She smiled excitedly.
"Auggie! I missed you." He sat down next to her bed and handed her a plate of food.
"I missed you too twig. Peter told me I could eat lunch with you."
"That's great, I hate being alone in this room." She frowned. "Are you mad at me Auggie?"
"Na Jules, I ain't mad. You scared me though." He began to eat his food. Juliette's remained untouched.
"I scared myself. Tell me the truth Auggie, do you think I'm crazy?" She studied his expression.
"No Jules your not crazy. We're all a little mixed up here, you'll get better. We're all here to get better." Juliette smiled. Auggie always makes things better.
"Thanks Augusto." She began to slowly eat her food. Suddenly, there was a familiar voice.
"Mr. Scarbrow I cancelled a very important lunch to come pick my daughter up...I have to bring her now." Juliette winced. She put down her fork and put her hand to her forehead. I'm not crazy. I'm not.
"You ok Jules?" Asked Auggie. She nodded and smiled, trying to make him feel better. Go away mother!
But suddenly there was a knock at the door, and it was a real knock. It wasn't in her head. Juliette looked up to see two people walk in, Peter following behind.
"Mother?" She gasped.
"I'm here to take you back home Juliette. Once again your behavior has forced me to cancel an entire afternoon of plans with Hal."
"Home? I don't want to go home. Please Peter do something!" She shouted. Peter just hung his head.
"I'm sorry Juliette, there's nothing I can do." Her eyes began to well with tears.
"I'm sorry Julie, there's no other way."
"Daddy? What are you doing here?" She asked, half wondering if any of this was real. Her father came and sat in an open chair next to her bed. All the while Auggie watched in agony.
"Mr. Scarbrow called me at the office and told me what happened. I was scared so I called your mother right away."
"I think you need to go pack your things Juliette. Your father and I will be waiting for you by the car." Said her mother. Juliette looked to Peter for confirmation. He nodded in agreement.
"I'll walk you Jules." Auggie stood from his chair. Slowly, Juliette lifted herself from the secure bed and put on her coat. She then followed Auggie out the door.
"I can't believe there gonna make me go home Auggie! I won't leave, not with her." Juliette complained as she and Auggie walked towards the dorm.
"I think you have to Jules." Auggie almost whispered. "Peter will do everything he can to get you back at Horizon though. He did it for Shelby, and he'll do it for you." Juliette stopped short.
"Your agreeing with them? I thought you were on my side!" She shouted, anger in her eyes.
"I am on your side Jules, but I want you to get better. So you can come back here and we can be together again. I'm worried about you." He said in a stern voice. Juliette pouted.
"I am crazy. That's why Peter's sending me away. I don't want to leave you Auggie!" She threw her arms around him and began to cry. Auggie held her closely.
"We can write to each other, and talk on the phone. Before you know it you'll be back here again. No ones going to forget you Jules."
"You promise? That I can come back and things will be the same again?" He lifted his hand and wiped a tear from her cheek.
"Yea Jules I promise." She hugged him again, tighter this time.
"I'm going to miss you Auggie. I'm going to miss everybody."
"I'll miss you too Jules." He paused. "Want me to help you pack?" She thought.
"No. That will only make it harder to leave." She turned and opened the door.
"I love you Twig." Auggie said. She turned and smiled.
"I love you too Augusto."
Girls Dorm
Juliette leaned against the closed door and felt the tears stream down her cheeks again. Looking around the room, she realized how much she would miss this place. Every inch of the room had a memory of laughing or crying or smiling. Juliette sighed.
She pulled her suitcase out from under her bed and began to fill it with her belongings. Just seeing the suitcase reminded her of her life before Horizon. Her mind filled with memories of toilets and razors and her ultimate enemy, food.
She struggled to fit all her clothes into the suitcase that seemed so small. Tears fell from her eyes as she folded each garment. What will the others think? They'll know that I'm crazy and a freak. They already know. She looked up to see a figure in the doorway. She recognized it and jumped back immediately!
"Only a few more pounds Juliette....just a few more pounds. Then you'll be perfect." The figure in the doorway was herself. For the first time ever she recognized what everyone else had seen in her. Bones jutted from every angle and her hair was thin and frail. Her cheeks were sunken in and her eyes looked like hollow holes in a skull. "I'm disgusting and fat. Look at me Juliette, look at me!!" The figure shouted at her and began trudging towards her!
"No GO AWAY!" She screamed at it! But it continued to approach her, its boney hand touched her shoulder and she cringed.
"Juliette! Snap out of it!" Opening her eyes Juliette realized that the hand on her shoulder did not belong to the skeleton.
"Daisy?" Daisy sat eye level with her, fear in her eyes. She's afraid of me. Juliette looked at Katherine and Shelby standing behind Daisy. They all are. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to scare you. I'm scared too." She began to cry again, harder this time. Daisy hugged her tightly and Shelby and Kat joined in comforting her.
"Its ok Juliette. We just came to say goodbye. We're going to miss you Jules." Katherine said. Juliette calmed a bit and smiled.
"And we hope you get better fast so you can come back. We need you here." Daisy added.
"Really?" Juliette asked. She looked at Shelby and seemed to also be on the verge of tears.
"Yea...who will I fight with ? Ezra might do but he's no Juliette." Shelby joked. Juliette smiled.
"Thanks guys."
"Ah..don't mention it. All in a days work." Daisy said and winked. "Need some help packing?"
"Sure." She hugged them all. "I'll miss you guys too."
HORIZON PARKING LOT
As Juliette neared the car, luggage in hand, she noticed that the group was gathered in the parking lot. She took a long deep breath and decided that she would not cry anymore.
"Hey Juliette." Ezra's smiling face appeared in front of her first. "I, um, just wanted to give you this." Ezra handed her a video tape. "Its the video Daisy and I made about Horizon. Just so you don't forget about us." She almost cried as she took the tape from him.
"Thank you Ezra, I could never forget you." She hugged him. Next she came to Katherine. Katherine immediatly hugged her.
"Take care of yourself Juliette. We all love you." Juliette felt her eyes watering. As Katherine pulled away Juliette noticed she was crying too. Daisy approached her next.
"Well...I'm not going to say goodbye because this isn't goodbye."
"How do you know?" Jules asked.
"The cards say so. They're never wrong." Daisy hugged her. "But I will miss you until you do come back." Daisy began to cry and stepped back as Shelby approached her.
"I, uh, know we haven't exactly been best friends but I think that was mostly my fault. So I'm sorry that I gave you a hard time." Shelby fidgeted nervously.
"Don't be. Thanks to you I'm a stronger person." Juliette said. Shelby hugged her and whispered in her ear.
"You were always strong." Juliette began to cry again. Shelby turned and Scott approached her.
"Hi Scott."
"Hi Juliette. I'm, uh, really not very good with this goodbye stuff. But I'm going to miss you. You may not be my girlfriend anymore but your still my friend."
"I'll miss you too Scott." She hugged him. "I'll be back so tell Shelby to be prepared for a fight!" She joked.
"Come on Juliette! We have to leave now...I have a very important meeting in the morning." Her mother sounded from inside the car.
"Coming Mother." Peter and Sophie came towards her.
"Hi Honey, you ok?" Sophie said, smoothing out Juliette's hair.
"No, but I will be. Thank you Sophie!" Juliette hugged her tightly.
"You'll always have a home here at Horizon." Sophie cried. "I'll see you soon ok?"
"OK." She turned to Peter. "So I guess I should give this back for now." She started to take off her Horizon bracelet.
"No, Juliette, you can keep it. I know you'll be back. I called a friend of mine who works at an institution and he's going to register you there starting next week. Its a great place Juliette, its a place where you can get better."
"Thank you Peter, for saving me again." She hugged him.
Turning back towards the school, she took one last look at the campus. Wiping a tear from her eye, she got into the car and closed the door. She squinted and looked down at the floor. I already miss them.
Suddenly there was a loud knock on her window. Juliette jumped and looked up to see Auggie.
"Juliette we need to leave NOW!" Her mother yelled.
"Just one more minute Mother." She rolled down her window and smiled. "I thought we already said goodbye."
"We did. But you forgot something." Through the window he handed her the finger bowl she had been working on in art class.
"Thank you Auggie. Its finished." She said.
"Yea, I finished it. Well good luck Twig. I'll see you when you get back." He turned and left. She blinked away tears.
"OK Mother, we can go now." Her whole body shook as the car began to pull away. Through the rearview mirror she watched as the school faded into the distance, until it was out of sight. She looked down at the clay bowl in her hand and ran her fingers over the beautiful colors. She felt a rough spot at the base of the bowl and turned it over. She was surprised to find that Auggie had carved a message into the bottom.
Thank You for being my inspiration
I love you Jules.
Auggie
Juliette smiled. I love you too Auggie. I'm going to get better for you. I promise.
THE END
Disclaimer: I don't own Juliette or any of the charactors, only in my dreams!
Authors Note: Thanks for all the great reviews! =) I hope you like the ending!
She laid sound asleep in the bed, unaware of the outside world. She floated through her dreams, where she was just a child again with all of her dolls lined up perfectly, and with two parents who kissed her goodnight. She never stopped smiling.
Peter stood in the doorway. Sophie approached him and whispered.
"The kids are all settled in their dorms for the night."
"How did they seem?" Peter asked, arms crossed staring at Juliette.
"Confused, and scared. They're afraid for Juliette." Sophie replied.
"It will be hard on all of us." Peter paused. "It always is."
"What will?" Sophie looked confused.
"Sending her home." Sophie took Peter by the arm and pulled him to another room where they could talk.
"You can't send her home Peter! Can't you see what her parents have done to her?!"
"Soph, it's out of my hands now. Juliette needs more help then me, you, Frank, or anyone else at Horizon can give her. I should've seen this coming. What with the other problems she's had over the last nine months."
"Yea Peter but all the kids here have had outbursts and rebelled just like Juliette did today. It's normal!"
"It's not normal Sophie! Juliette has shown symptoms of psychotic illness for a while now. When she fell into the cave she claimed to have seen the dead girl. And on several occasions she's talked of seeing and talking to her mother when she wasn't there. Now this...there's just no better way for me to help her then to send her home." Sophie became quiet. There was a silence that lasted about two minutes.
"So how do we tell the kids?" He sighed.
"We tell them the truth. Juliette cannot benefit from Horizon anymore, so the best option for her is to leave. It will be traumatic at first, but they'll understand."
"How do we tell her?" Sophie looked through the closed door at Juliette.
"Same way. I've had cases like this before Soph; its never easy for anyone involved. I'll go call her mother. I'll try to convince her to send Juliette to a psychiatric hospital, where she can be monitored more closely. If they rule that she's ok, maybe she can come back here."
"I hope so Peter, for Juliettes sake."
GIRLS DORM
Shelby walked into the room to find Daisy sitting on her bed, brushing her hair aggressively.
"You can relax now...your hair will be tangle free for years to come." She joked. Daisy realized what she was doing and stopped.
"Its not fair. Our parents screw with our heads our whole lives, then we look like the crazy ones!" She snapped. Shelby sat on the bed next to her.
"If there's one thing I've learned in life its that nothing is ever fair. I know I tease and make fun of Juliette a lot, but we've had our share of Kodak moments. I know first hand that she's not as weak as we make her out to be. She'll get through this just like she has everything else." Shelby consoled her.
"There was just so much blood..." Daisy cringed.
"Ms. Daisy Graves is afraid of a little bit of blood?" Shelby said.
"Ironic isn't it? I don't know...its just different here. Its real when you see someone you know so well in that condition."
"Yea I know." Shelby thought about Patty.
"You guys ok?" Katherine sat on the bed next to Daisy's.
"Define ok." Daisy said sarcastically.
"I'm worried about Juliette too. It really makes me think. I want to be a counselor at Horizon, but I didn't even know that Jules was so upset." Katherine explained.
"Its not your fault that Juliette is a good actress! If she wanted us to know she would've whined and pouted just like she always did." Shelby shot back.
"Listen to us! We're talking about her like she's dead." Kat interrupted. "Peter and Sophie will take care of her and make her better. They made us better."
"I always thought it would take a miracle to make me talk about my step-father and what he did. I guess miracle's can happen more then once." Shelby said.
"Well I'm going to go to bed and pray for a miracle right now. That's the best way we can help Juliette." Katherine turned around and pulled the bed covers up around her.
"Pray? I haven't done that since...I can't even remember." Shelby said, jumping into her bed.
"Do it for Jules Shelb." Katherine persuaded.
"I'll do my best." She mumbled under her breath.
"Daisy?" Katherine asked. But Daisy was already lying down in her bed, staring blankly at the empty bed next to her. When all the lights were shut off and Shelby and Katherine were motionless, Daisy said her prayers.
"Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me I once was lost but now am found was blind but now I see.."
BOYS DORM
Scott sat on his bed twiddling his fingers and staring at the pictures of the Cliffhangers hanging on the wall. Juliette was smiling in all of them. He wondered how many of those smiles were real.
"Hey Scott, shut off the light man. I'm tired." David walked in and collapsed onto his bunk.
"How can you sleep after a day like this?" Ezra asked as he twisted and untwisted his shirt for the fifteenth time.
"Its easy Friedkin, I simply lie down like this.." David laid on his back. "Close my eyes, turn off the light, and..."
"Man don't touch that! I'm trying to finish this assignment." Auggie yelled.
"Homework? Your doing homework at a time like this?" Ezra said in amazement. "I don't even do homework on a normal day."
"Would you all just shut your mouths!" Scott shouted. They all stared at him.
"Hey meat don't get all trippy on us! We're all worried about Jules ok?" Auggie stood and shouted.
"Worried? Man you don't know what worried is?! She's messed up in the head! Should've known that the day she chose you over me..."
"Step off man, that's my girlfriend your talking about!" Auggie defended.
"Your girlfriend? Then how come I'm more worried about her then you are?!" Scott shouted. Ezra and David watched from their bunks.
"You think I'm not worried?! I love her man! Do you know what love is? Love is constantly worrying about somebody no matter what...that's what love is!" Suddenly Scott and Auggie were silent. Scott sat down on his bunk and Auggie sat across from him on another bed.
"I worried about Shelby every moment that she was at home. I know what love is. I'm sorry man, I'm stepping off." Scott apologized.
"Love sucks sometimes, doesn't it?" Auggie replied.
"Yea man, definitely." Scott offered his hand and Auggie shook it.
"Aw...this is so sweet I think I'm gonna hurl!" David made a gagging noise and rolled off his bed.
"Just make sure you flush after your finished." Ezra joked. He moved and sat next to Scott and Auggie. "Seriously guys, I really hope Juliette is ok."
"Us to EZ." Auggie replied smiling.
THE NEXT MORNING
Opening her eyes, the first thing she noticed was the sunshine pouring through the window onto her face. She felt its warmth and felt secure in its light.
"Morning Juliette." She turned her head and saw Peter sitting in a chair.
"Hi Peter." She looked down and noticed her heavily bandaged arm. "I'm sorry I cut myself." He sighed.
"It's ok Juliette. How are you feeling this morning?"
"I feel better. I think I'm much better now. My head doesn't hurt anymore." She smiled in encouragement. Peter smiled back.
"That's great. I, um, talked to your mother on the phone last night." Juliette frowned.
"She was probably angry. What did she say?"
"She was worried about you, so was your father." Peter swallowed.
"You talked to my father?" Juliette became confused.
"Yes Juliette I did." She turned her head and stared at the corner of the room, where her father stood.
"Don't believe him Julie, its all lies." She swallowed and blinked.
"Juliette...your father was worried too. He wants you to come home with him." Peter explained. She continued to stare at the man in the corner.
"I don't want to go home. Daddy wouldn't make me go home." She turned back to Peter. Soon she could see her father over Peter's shoulder.
"I'm sorry Juliette, but there's nothing that I can do. If I could keep you here I would, but I think that you would be much happier and better taken care of somewhere else." Peter was having difficulty explaining and he noticed that Juliette wasn't really looking at him. "Juliette? Are you ok?"
"Remember your promise Julie, don't tell him about me. I don't want to leave you." Juliette felt tears forming in her eyes. She could no longer hold in her pain as she realized the truth.
"I'm really crazy aren't I?! Your going to put me away in a mental hospital with other crazy people, is that what your saying?!" Peter felt tears forming in his eyes.
"No Juliette, your not crazy..."
"Yes I am!! I am crazy! I see him! My father is here in the room with me right now! And your telling me that he was never really here at all!"
"Julie, how could you do this to me? I thought you loved me." Her Father pleaded.
"NO! Go away, get out of my head!" She screamed and Peter tried to hold her down as she trashed around in the bed. The nurse ran in at the sound of her screams and held her arm down long enough to sedate her. Juliette slowly faded off into a dream world again.
GROUP THERAPY
A staggering silence filled the room as the seven remaining Cliffhangers met for group. Sophie gathered them into their normal chair circle and attempted to start the meeting.
"So guys, who wants the talking stick first?" She offered it out. There was no answer. Moments later Daisy spoke up.
"I don't feel much like talking."
"You know the rules Daisy..." Sophie handed her the stick.
"Oh right, the rules. What I said was...I don't feel like talking." Daisy replied. Sophie shot her a warning glare.
"I've got something to say." Scott grabbed the stick from Daisy. "Just tell us straight, is Juliette leaving?" The others joined Scott in staring at Sophie. She cringed.
"You guys know that's not my decision." Shelby grabbed the stick.
"Right, its Peter's. But we all know who he confides in."
"I assure you that Peter had not decided anything for sure yet. Ultimately its up to Juliette's parents." Sophie said, holding the stick. Auggie took the stick next.
"Yo Juliette's parents don't care what happens to her! Who's gonna decide, her mother who caused her to throw up her food or her father who never keeps his promises?!" The group all nodded in agreement.
"Yea, Juliette's much better off here with us." Ezra held the stick up proudly.
"OK guys, I know that you all want Juliette to stay. And frankly, so do I. But sometimes things don't go the way we wish they could." Sophie explained. Shelby pulled the stick from her grip.
"So make them go the way you want them to! Don't tell me you can't convince Peter to let her stay. You wouldn't want her to go back to her hell like I had to go back to mine would you?" Shelby became angry. David grabbed the stick.
"Yea have a heart Sophie..." David added and passed the stick to Auggie.
"Man send me home if you have to get rid of somebody! I messed up. Juliette never did anything to deserve this." Auggie preached. Sophie took the stick before anyone else could grab it.
"Quiet down guys. Auggie, this isn't a matter of getting rid of somebody. This is about where Juliette is going to get the best care. Right now, as much as I hate to say it, Horizon might not be that place. Its Peter and Franks choice, but no matter what we must remain supportive to Juliette. She needs her friends now more then ever." There was another silence.
"She's right. Jules needs us. She was always there for us, now we have to be there for her." Katherine said.
"Yea, if it weren't for Jules I would still be failing. She taught me how to read right." Auggie explained.
"She taught me what being a Cliffhanger was all about." Scott said.
"Juliette is always cheering me on when I have trouble with the ropes or kayaking." Ezra added.
"Juliette accepted me immediately when I was a newby. That means a lot." Daisy said smiling. Sophie smiled and listened as the group told stories of how Juliette had influenced them. She knew then how difficult Juliette's departure would be.
THE INFIRMARY
Juliette awoke to am empty room. She almost wanted her father to be there, even if he wasn't real. Moments later, Auggie entered the room.
"Hey Jules." She smiled excitedly.
"Auggie! I missed you." He sat down next to her bed and handed her a plate of food.
"I missed you too twig. Peter told me I could eat lunch with you."
"That's great, I hate being alone in this room." She frowned. "Are you mad at me Auggie?"
"Na Jules, I ain't mad. You scared me though." He began to eat his food. Juliette's remained untouched.
"I scared myself. Tell me the truth Auggie, do you think I'm crazy?" She studied his expression.
"No Jules your not crazy. We're all a little mixed up here, you'll get better. We're all here to get better." Juliette smiled. Auggie always makes things better.
"Thanks Augusto." She began to slowly eat her food. Suddenly, there was a familiar voice.
"Mr. Scarbrow I cancelled a very important lunch to come pick my daughter up...I have to bring her now." Juliette winced. She put down her fork and put her hand to her forehead. I'm not crazy. I'm not.
"You ok Jules?" Asked Auggie. She nodded and smiled, trying to make him feel better. Go away mother!
But suddenly there was a knock at the door, and it was a real knock. It wasn't in her head. Juliette looked up to see two people walk in, Peter following behind.
"Mother?" She gasped.
"I'm here to take you back home Juliette. Once again your behavior has forced me to cancel an entire afternoon of plans with Hal."
"Home? I don't want to go home. Please Peter do something!" She shouted. Peter just hung his head.
"I'm sorry Juliette, there's nothing I can do." Her eyes began to well with tears.
"I'm sorry Julie, there's no other way."
"Daddy? What are you doing here?" She asked, half wondering if any of this was real. Her father came and sat in an open chair next to her bed. All the while Auggie watched in agony.
"Mr. Scarbrow called me at the office and told me what happened. I was scared so I called your mother right away."
"I think you need to go pack your things Juliette. Your father and I will be waiting for you by the car." Said her mother. Juliette looked to Peter for confirmation. He nodded in agreement.
"I'll walk you Jules." Auggie stood from his chair. Slowly, Juliette lifted herself from the secure bed and put on her coat. She then followed Auggie out the door.
"I can't believe there gonna make me go home Auggie! I won't leave, not with her." Juliette complained as she and Auggie walked towards the dorm.
"I think you have to Jules." Auggie almost whispered. "Peter will do everything he can to get you back at Horizon though. He did it for Shelby, and he'll do it for you." Juliette stopped short.
"Your agreeing with them? I thought you were on my side!" She shouted, anger in her eyes.
"I am on your side Jules, but I want you to get better. So you can come back here and we can be together again. I'm worried about you." He said in a stern voice. Juliette pouted.
"I am crazy. That's why Peter's sending me away. I don't want to leave you Auggie!" She threw her arms around him and began to cry. Auggie held her closely.
"We can write to each other, and talk on the phone. Before you know it you'll be back here again. No ones going to forget you Jules."
"You promise? That I can come back and things will be the same again?" He lifted his hand and wiped a tear from her cheek.
"Yea Jules I promise." She hugged him again, tighter this time.
"I'm going to miss you Auggie. I'm going to miss everybody."
"I'll miss you too Jules." He paused. "Want me to help you pack?" She thought.
"No. That will only make it harder to leave." She turned and opened the door.
"I love you Twig." Auggie said. She turned and smiled.
"I love you too Augusto."
Girls Dorm
Juliette leaned against the closed door and felt the tears stream down her cheeks again. Looking around the room, she realized how much she would miss this place. Every inch of the room had a memory of laughing or crying or smiling. Juliette sighed.
She pulled her suitcase out from under her bed and began to fill it with her belongings. Just seeing the suitcase reminded her of her life before Horizon. Her mind filled with memories of toilets and razors and her ultimate enemy, food.
She struggled to fit all her clothes into the suitcase that seemed so small. Tears fell from her eyes as she folded each garment. What will the others think? They'll know that I'm crazy and a freak. They already know. She looked up to see a figure in the doorway. She recognized it and jumped back immediately!
"Only a few more pounds Juliette....just a few more pounds. Then you'll be perfect." The figure in the doorway was herself. For the first time ever she recognized what everyone else had seen in her. Bones jutted from every angle and her hair was thin and frail. Her cheeks were sunken in and her eyes looked like hollow holes in a skull. "I'm disgusting and fat. Look at me Juliette, look at me!!" The figure shouted at her and began trudging towards her!
"No GO AWAY!" She screamed at it! But it continued to approach her, its boney hand touched her shoulder and she cringed.
"Juliette! Snap out of it!" Opening her eyes Juliette realized that the hand on her shoulder did not belong to the skeleton.
"Daisy?" Daisy sat eye level with her, fear in her eyes. She's afraid of me. Juliette looked at Katherine and Shelby standing behind Daisy. They all are. "I'm sorry...I didn't mean to scare you. I'm scared too." She began to cry again, harder this time. Daisy hugged her tightly and Shelby and Kat joined in comforting her.
"Its ok Juliette. We just came to say goodbye. We're going to miss you Jules." Katherine said. Juliette calmed a bit and smiled.
"And we hope you get better fast so you can come back. We need you here." Daisy added.
"Really?" Juliette asked. She looked at Shelby and seemed to also be on the verge of tears.
"Yea...who will I fight with ? Ezra might do but he's no Juliette." Shelby joked. Juliette smiled.
"Thanks guys."
"Ah..don't mention it. All in a days work." Daisy said and winked. "Need some help packing?"
"Sure." She hugged them all. "I'll miss you guys too."
HORIZON PARKING LOT
As Juliette neared the car, luggage in hand, she noticed that the group was gathered in the parking lot. She took a long deep breath and decided that she would not cry anymore.
"Hey Juliette." Ezra's smiling face appeared in front of her first. "I, um, just wanted to give you this." Ezra handed her a video tape. "Its the video Daisy and I made about Horizon. Just so you don't forget about us." She almost cried as she took the tape from him.
"Thank you Ezra, I could never forget you." She hugged him. Next she came to Katherine. Katherine immediatly hugged her.
"Take care of yourself Juliette. We all love you." Juliette felt her eyes watering. As Katherine pulled away Juliette noticed she was crying too. Daisy approached her next.
"Well...I'm not going to say goodbye because this isn't goodbye."
"How do you know?" Jules asked.
"The cards say so. They're never wrong." Daisy hugged her. "But I will miss you until you do come back." Daisy began to cry and stepped back as Shelby approached her.
"I, uh, know we haven't exactly been best friends but I think that was mostly my fault. So I'm sorry that I gave you a hard time." Shelby fidgeted nervously.
"Don't be. Thanks to you I'm a stronger person." Juliette said. Shelby hugged her and whispered in her ear.
"You were always strong." Juliette began to cry again. Shelby turned and Scott approached her.
"Hi Scott."
"Hi Juliette. I'm, uh, really not very good with this goodbye stuff. But I'm going to miss you. You may not be my girlfriend anymore but your still my friend."
"I'll miss you too Scott." She hugged him. "I'll be back so tell Shelby to be prepared for a fight!" She joked.
"Come on Juliette! We have to leave now...I have a very important meeting in the morning." Her mother sounded from inside the car.
"Coming Mother." Peter and Sophie came towards her.
"Hi Honey, you ok?" Sophie said, smoothing out Juliette's hair.
"No, but I will be. Thank you Sophie!" Juliette hugged her tightly.
"You'll always have a home here at Horizon." Sophie cried. "I'll see you soon ok?"
"OK." She turned to Peter. "So I guess I should give this back for now." She started to take off her Horizon bracelet.
"No, Juliette, you can keep it. I know you'll be back. I called a friend of mine who works at an institution and he's going to register you there starting next week. Its a great place Juliette, its a place where you can get better."
"Thank you Peter, for saving me again." She hugged him.
Turning back towards the school, she took one last look at the campus. Wiping a tear from her eye, she got into the car and closed the door. She squinted and looked down at the floor. I already miss them.
Suddenly there was a loud knock on her window. Juliette jumped and looked up to see Auggie.
"Juliette we need to leave NOW!" Her mother yelled.
"Just one more minute Mother." She rolled down her window and smiled. "I thought we already said goodbye."
"We did. But you forgot something." Through the window he handed her the finger bowl she had been working on in art class.
"Thank you Auggie. Its finished." She said.
"Yea, I finished it. Well good luck Twig. I'll see you when you get back." He turned and left. She blinked away tears.
"OK Mother, we can go now." Her whole body shook as the car began to pull away. Through the rearview mirror she watched as the school faded into the distance, until it was out of sight. She looked down at the clay bowl in her hand and ran her fingers over the beautiful colors. She felt a rough spot at the base of the bowl and turned it over. She was surprised to find that Auggie had carved a message into the bottom.
Thank You for being my inspiration
I love you Jules.
Auggie
Juliette smiled. I love you too Auggie. I'm going to get better for you. I promise.
THE END