CHAPTER 4
"Okay, Julie! We're getting you out of here!"
"Did you just call me Julie?" Julian glared at the cheerful woman standing in his doorway.
"Oh, sorry, Sweetie. Come on, get your stuff together. Dr. Moore says it's okay to move you to the A ward today."
"I don't have any stuff." There was nothing in the room Julian could really take with him, unless he was supposed to bring his own toilet.
"All right then. Let's go!" The woman held the door open for him and he could hardly believe he was finally getting out of the white box, just like that.
Cautiously Julian stepped out into the bright lobby. One of the nurses smiled at him. Besides the nurses, nobody was around. It creeped him out thinking about how there were crazy people behind all the metal doors, though. He felt like skipping through the halls, but he managed to retain his joy and follow the woman up the hall.
Besides a few people banging on their doors when he walked by, the journey to the A ward was uneventful. The nurse unlocked one set of doors, then locked that set and unlocked another set and they were in a completely different place. The walls were purple and white and there was carpet on the floor. Wooden doors lined the hall they were in, and some had signs with things like "Jeanie's Room" written on them. The nurse led him up the hall and into an open lobby.
"Is this our newbie?" A large woman at the desk gave him a toothy grin.
"Yeah, May. Fresh out of the D ward."
"Why doesn't he join group? They're having one right now. You can show him his room, too, Amy."
"That's not a bad idea," Amy said. "Come on, Julie. I'll show you your room."
Julian decided that killing the nurse for calling him Julie wouldn't help his progress, so he restrained himself from tackling her. She brought him to a door with a Metallica poster taped to the outside and knocked. No one answered.
"Brent must be in group." Amy opened the door and motioned for Julian to come inside. He found himself in a small room with two beds lined against one purple wall. One bed had a mass of black blankets piled all over it. The other bed was bare. Two small desks sat against the other wall and there was a restroom with a *door* near the entrance of the room.
"I'll get May to get you some sheets and things later. Brent has multiple personalities, but none of them are too violent so he shouldn't give you much trouble. Now, let's see if we can get you in group."
Julian wasn't really in the mood to associate with a bunch of lunatics, but Amy was already pulling him out the door and into the hall. She led him to a room with large, glass windows and a glass door, letting him see the group of kids sitting inside. Amy knocked on the door and opened it.
"Sheila, this is Julian, our newcomer in ward A. Do you think he could sit in group for a little while?"
"Sure!" Sheila was short and blonde, and her smile was so bright it was almost blinding. "Come on in, Julian!"
Julian reluctantly walked into the room, suddenly having the urge to go on a mass killing spree.
"You can sit over there next to Mitchell," Sheila said, pointing to an empty chair.
"He's gay!" a girl with short, red hair shouted as he made his way to his seat.
"Amanda thinks everyone and everything is gay." a boy with long, blonde hair said as he sat down. "I'm Mitchell."
"Julian." Julian didn't look at Mitchell.
"We were just in the middle of discussing Shelby's family life, Julian. Perhaps we should introduce everyone before we continue." Groans echoed throughout the room. "Everyone say your name, your age and why you're here. We'll start with Brian."
"I'm Brian," a boy with sandy hair said, looking at Julian. "I'm fourteen and I'm here for depression."
"I'm Brent" a Mexican boy said next. "I'm sixteen and I'm here for....um....multiple personality disorder. My other personalities are John and Wayne. Maybe you'll meet them sometime." Several people in the group giggled.
Mitchell was next. "I'm Mitchell. I'm fifteen and I'm here for manic depressive disorder."
Everyone stared at Julian. "Uh- I'm Julian. I'm um....seventeen and I'm here for.... paranoid schizophrenia." Most of the people in the group continued to stare at him for several minutes before the red-haired girl spoke.
"I'm Amanda. I'm fourteen and I'm here for doing waaaaaay too many drugs."
A very skinny black girl went next. "I'm Shelby. I'm seventeen and I'm here for an eating disorder."
The last member of the group was a tiny girl with long, black hair and almond eyes. "I'm Kelsen." she said very quietly. "I'm thirteen and I'm here because I tried to kill myself."
"Very good!" Sheila gave another blinding smile. "Well, we're about out of time today, so let's just call it quits here. Shelby, we'll get back to your problem tomorrow. Everyone can go to your rooms for quiet time."
Julian walked slowly out of the glass room, wondering if he should of come out of his white box after all.
"Okay, Julie! We're getting you out of here!"
"Did you just call me Julie?" Julian glared at the cheerful woman standing in his doorway.
"Oh, sorry, Sweetie. Come on, get your stuff together. Dr. Moore says it's okay to move you to the A ward today."
"I don't have any stuff." There was nothing in the room Julian could really take with him, unless he was supposed to bring his own toilet.
"All right then. Let's go!" The woman held the door open for him and he could hardly believe he was finally getting out of the white box, just like that.
Cautiously Julian stepped out into the bright lobby. One of the nurses smiled at him. Besides the nurses, nobody was around. It creeped him out thinking about how there were crazy people behind all the metal doors, though. He felt like skipping through the halls, but he managed to retain his joy and follow the woman up the hall.
Besides a few people banging on their doors when he walked by, the journey to the A ward was uneventful. The nurse unlocked one set of doors, then locked that set and unlocked another set and they were in a completely different place. The walls were purple and white and there was carpet on the floor. Wooden doors lined the hall they were in, and some had signs with things like "Jeanie's Room" written on them. The nurse led him up the hall and into an open lobby.
"Is this our newbie?" A large woman at the desk gave him a toothy grin.
"Yeah, May. Fresh out of the D ward."
"Why doesn't he join group? They're having one right now. You can show him his room, too, Amy."
"That's not a bad idea," Amy said. "Come on, Julie. I'll show you your room."
Julian decided that killing the nurse for calling him Julie wouldn't help his progress, so he restrained himself from tackling her. She brought him to a door with a Metallica poster taped to the outside and knocked. No one answered.
"Brent must be in group." Amy opened the door and motioned for Julian to come inside. He found himself in a small room with two beds lined against one purple wall. One bed had a mass of black blankets piled all over it. The other bed was bare. Two small desks sat against the other wall and there was a restroom with a *door* near the entrance of the room.
"I'll get May to get you some sheets and things later. Brent has multiple personalities, but none of them are too violent so he shouldn't give you much trouble. Now, let's see if we can get you in group."
Julian wasn't really in the mood to associate with a bunch of lunatics, but Amy was already pulling him out the door and into the hall. She led him to a room with large, glass windows and a glass door, letting him see the group of kids sitting inside. Amy knocked on the door and opened it.
"Sheila, this is Julian, our newcomer in ward A. Do you think he could sit in group for a little while?"
"Sure!" Sheila was short and blonde, and her smile was so bright it was almost blinding. "Come on in, Julian!"
Julian reluctantly walked into the room, suddenly having the urge to go on a mass killing spree.
"You can sit over there next to Mitchell," Sheila said, pointing to an empty chair.
"He's gay!" a girl with short, red hair shouted as he made his way to his seat.
"Amanda thinks everyone and everything is gay." a boy with long, blonde hair said as he sat down. "I'm Mitchell."
"Julian." Julian didn't look at Mitchell.
"We were just in the middle of discussing Shelby's family life, Julian. Perhaps we should introduce everyone before we continue." Groans echoed throughout the room. "Everyone say your name, your age and why you're here. We'll start with Brian."
"I'm Brian," a boy with sandy hair said, looking at Julian. "I'm fourteen and I'm here for depression."
"I'm Brent" a Mexican boy said next. "I'm sixteen and I'm here for....um....multiple personality disorder. My other personalities are John and Wayne. Maybe you'll meet them sometime." Several people in the group giggled.
Mitchell was next. "I'm Mitchell. I'm fifteen and I'm here for manic depressive disorder."
Everyone stared at Julian. "Uh- I'm Julian. I'm um....seventeen and I'm here for.... paranoid schizophrenia." Most of the people in the group continued to stare at him for several minutes before the red-haired girl spoke.
"I'm Amanda. I'm fourteen and I'm here for doing waaaaaay too many drugs."
A very skinny black girl went next. "I'm Shelby. I'm seventeen and I'm here for an eating disorder."
The last member of the group was a tiny girl with long, black hair and almond eyes. "I'm Kelsen." she said very quietly. "I'm thirteen and I'm here because I tried to kill myself."
"Very good!" Sheila gave another blinding smile. "Well, we're about out of time today, so let's just call it quits here. Shelby, we'll get back to your problem tomorrow. Everyone can go to your rooms for quiet time."
Julian walked slowly out of the glass room, wondering if he should of come out of his white box after all.