CHAPTER 3
Okay, I've forgotten to do disclaimers, so here's one: I don't own L.J. Smith or any of her stuff.
Julian woke up suddenly for no reason. It was hard to tell if he had even been asleep, save for the heaviness in his limbs. He sat up on his mattress and discovered a pile of clothes at the end of his bed. He picked them up and inspected them. There was a white shirt and a pair of khaki pants and- to his great amusement- a pair of silk boxers. He threw off the robe and quickly put the clothes on. Not his style at all, but they would have to do.
He couldn't remember dreaming anything. Maybe he had retained a few of his old qualities. His voice sounded the same, and though he had at one point controlled the dreams of others, he had never had one himself. He wondered if he looked the same. His hands and feet looked normal but he had no means of seeing his face. He ran his hands through his hair, which was the same length it had been when he "died." It was just too short to pull a strand of it around to see its color.
Feeling restless, he strolled to his window and stared out into the lobby. The nurse's station was quiet and manned by only a few women with their hair pulled into buns. A large woman was sitting in a green chair near the wall that wasn't occupied by cells for the craziest of patients. She was wearing raggedy clothes and a large, orange bag sat at her feet. She didn't move for the longest time and Julian got bored with her and went back to his bed.
Since he had nothing else to do, he began to plan out what he would say to the doctor when he came in again. They obviously wouldn't believe that he was a Shadow Man sent there by his evil, magical elders. He was going to have to make something up. Some reason for his bizarre behavior. He was about halfway through an entire conversation when the doctor did come in again.
He knocked first. "What?" Julian grunted.
"Mr. Julian, would you like to talk this evening?"
"Yeah, whatever." He figured he'd gotten far enough to pull this phase of getting out of the white box off.
The doctor unbolted the big door and came in. He was tall, with dark hair and glasses, but he didn't look anything like the greasy man who'd given him food. His hair was neatly combed and he had a moustache and long sideburns. His glasses had thin frames that made him look sophisticated. "All right, Julian. Where should we begin?"
"I don't know. You're the doctor."
"All right. Why don't you tell me some things about yourself? About your life?"
"They made me do it."
"Who made you do what?"
"The demons. They made me act weird. It's....been happening since I was little, just not as bad."
"Do you see demons, Julian?"
"No, but I hear them. They talk to me all the time. They tell me to do weird things and say they'll hurt my friends if I don't." As if he had any friends now.
"Indeed," the doctor scribbled on a clipboard he was carrying.
Julian paused, his wheels turning. "I don't hear them much in here." he began, wondering if this would work. "I don't think they like this place. It scares them."
"How interesting." The doctor scribbled some more. "Julian, were you abused as a child?"
Julian pulled a long, painful silence. "Well, Dad used to get mad sometimes....he's dead now, though, that moron."
"Have your parents ever taken you to get help for your behavior before?"
"Nah, they don't care. Dad was never around and Mom was too busy cleaning to notice me much."
"Cleaning?"
"Yeah. She scrubs stuff down all the time. Has this thing about germs."
"I see." More scribbling.
"Can I have some food? I'm hungry."
"It will be dinner time soon. You did miss lunch. You were sleeping for the first time in two days and they didn't want to wake you."
"Really. It's really boring in here."
"We're working on that, Julian, I promise you."
At that moment screaming erupted from down the hall. "Oh, dear." The doctor ran a hand through his hair. "Ms. Wayne must be angry again. She can get so mad for no reason at all."
"Is that the black-haired chick?"
"Yes, yes it is. Well, Mr. Julian, I suppose I'd better go straighten things out down the hall. I'll be back to see you in the morning."
"Okay."
The doctor hurried out of the room, obviously rushing towards Ms. Wayne's most recent outburst. That girl just didn't give up. She obviously didn't know how to play her cards. It was horrible, kissing up to humans and pretending to be submissive and eager for help- but it seemed to work. She would never get anywhere if she kept screaming like that- and banging on the door, as he could hear her doing.
He walked over to his window to see if he could catch a glimpse of the girl again- if maybe she would end up back in the hallway, screaming at the nurses like she had earlier. No such luck. The screaming continued for several more minutes and then slowly dribbled to a stop. He hoped they hadn't given her a shot. He remembered the shot they'd given him when they loaded him into the ambulance. It hadn't felt very good.
Julian walked back to his bed and took up his favorite hobby of staring at the ceiling. Maybe tomorrow they would let him out. He hoped so.
Okay, I've forgotten to do disclaimers, so here's one: I don't own L.J. Smith or any of her stuff.
Julian woke up suddenly for no reason. It was hard to tell if he had even been asleep, save for the heaviness in his limbs. He sat up on his mattress and discovered a pile of clothes at the end of his bed. He picked them up and inspected them. There was a white shirt and a pair of khaki pants and- to his great amusement- a pair of silk boxers. He threw off the robe and quickly put the clothes on. Not his style at all, but they would have to do.
He couldn't remember dreaming anything. Maybe he had retained a few of his old qualities. His voice sounded the same, and though he had at one point controlled the dreams of others, he had never had one himself. He wondered if he looked the same. His hands and feet looked normal but he had no means of seeing his face. He ran his hands through his hair, which was the same length it had been when he "died." It was just too short to pull a strand of it around to see its color.
Feeling restless, he strolled to his window and stared out into the lobby. The nurse's station was quiet and manned by only a few women with their hair pulled into buns. A large woman was sitting in a green chair near the wall that wasn't occupied by cells for the craziest of patients. She was wearing raggedy clothes and a large, orange bag sat at her feet. She didn't move for the longest time and Julian got bored with her and went back to his bed.
Since he had nothing else to do, he began to plan out what he would say to the doctor when he came in again. They obviously wouldn't believe that he was a Shadow Man sent there by his evil, magical elders. He was going to have to make something up. Some reason for his bizarre behavior. He was about halfway through an entire conversation when the doctor did come in again.
He knocked first. "What?" Julian grunted.
"Mr. Julian, would you like to talk this evening?"
"Yeah, whatever." He figured he'd gotten far enough to pull this phase of getting out of the white box off.
The doctor unbolted the big door and came in. He was tall, with dark hair and glasses, but he didn't look anything like the greasy man who'd given him food. His hair was neatly combed and he had a moustache and long sideburns. His glasses had thin frames that made him look sophisticated. "All right, Julian. Where should we begin?"
"I don't know. You're the doctor."
"All right. Why don't you tell me some things about yourself? About your life?"
"They made me do it."
"Who made you do what?"
"The demons. They made me act weird. It's....been happening since I was little, just not as bad."
"Do you see demons, Julian?"
"No, but I hear them. They talk to me all the time. They tell me to do weird things and say they'll hurt my friends if I don't." As if he had any friends now.
"Indeed," the doctor scribbled on a clipboard he was carrying.
Julian paused, his wheels turning. "I don't hear them much in here." he began, wondering if this would work. "I don't think they like this place. It scares them."
"How interesting." The doctor scribbled some more. "Julian, were you abused as a child?"
Julian pulled a long, painful silence. "Well, Dad used to get mad sometimes....he's dead now, though, that moron."
"Have your parents ever taken you to get help for your behavior before?"
"Nah, they don't care. Dad was never around and Mom was too busy cleaning to notice me much."
"Cleaning?"
"Yeah. She scrubs stuff down all the time. Has this thing about germs."
"I see." More scribbling.
"Can I have some food? I'm hungry."
"It will be dinner time soon. You did miss lunch. You were sleeping for the first time in two days and they didn't want to wake you."
"Really. It's really boring in here."
"We're working on that, Julian, I promise you."
At that moment screaming erupted from down the hall. "Oh, dear." The doctor ran a hand through his hair. "Ms. Wayne must be angry again. She can get so mad for no reason at all."
"Is that the black-haired chick?"
"Yes, yes it is. Well, Mr. Julian, I suppose I'd better go straighten things out down the hall. I'll be back to see you in the morning."
"Okay."
The doctor hurried out of the room, obviously rushing towards Ms. Wayne's most recent outburst. That girl just didn't give up. She obviously didn't know how to play her cards. It was horrible, kissing up to humans and pretending to be submissive and eager for help- but it seemed to work. She would never get anywhere if she kept screaming like that- and banging on the door, as he could hear her doing.
He walked over to his window to see if he could catch a glimpse of the girl again- if maybe she would end up back in the hallway, screaming at the nurses like she had earlier. No such luck. The screaming continued for several more minutes and then slowly dribbled to a stop. He hoped they hadn't given her a shot. He remembered the shot they'd given him when they loaded him into the ambulance. It hadn't felt very good.
Julian walked back to his bed and took up his favorite hobby of staring at the ceiling. Maybe tomorrow they would let him out. He hoped so.