CHAPTER 5
Everyone filed out of the group room and Julian had nowhere to go but his new, unpadded room. He quickly made his way over to the door and slipped inside, hoping nobody tried to talk to him. He jumped when he saw the Mexican boy already sitting on his bed. His name was Brian, wasn't it? Brandon? Brent- it was Brent.
"Hey." Brent had a friendly smile on his face. Julian didn't answer and sat down on his bed. "You don't seem too crazy." Brent continued, still smiling.
"I'm not crazy." Julian got up off his bed and went into the bathroom. To his satisfaction there was a square mirror on the wall. He took a deep breath and stepped in front of the square to see- someone almost like himself. Instead of white his hair was pale blonde and his eyes were a less powerful shade of blue. Other than that he looked the same. He sighed with relief, though he missed the features that had made him look immortal.
"I bet you're wondering what on earth's wrong with me." Brent just wasn't giving up.
"How many of you are in there?" Julian gave up trying to ignore him and sat back down on his bed.
"Just two others."
"Don't you have to be abused to get that way?"
Brent's face went from bright and happy to dark and serious. A frown pulled at the corners of his mouth and suddenly, his voice was different- deeper. "Brent can't talk about his past. He's too weak and scared. You were an idiot for asking him, though. Honestly, have some common sense. Yes, Brent was abused terribly. His father beat him all the time and once he threw him in a pit in the woods and just left him there for three days."
"Oh." Julian didn't feel much sympathy for Brent or for whoever it was sitting in front of him.
"There's something wrong about you, you know that? You don't belong here. I don't think you belong anywhere."
"Shut up."
"Are you sure you're not here for suicide? I don't see how you keep from...."
"SHUT UP!" It was a good thing Julian had no powers or Brent would be a pile of ashes on the floor. Suddenly Brent's eyes went wide and he sucked in a breath.
"S-sorry." The real Brent was back. "I guess Wayne took over. They do it all the time without warning me."
"Whatever." Julian was starting to feel very grouchy.
"Hey, it's time for lunch." Brent was staring at a clock on the wall. "Let's go get in line."
Julian would have much rather skipped lunch and stared at his new ceiling but a nurse stuck her head in the door and ordered them out. Grudgingly he followed Brent to a line near another locked door, where most of the other kids on the ward were queried.
"Gaywad." Amanda started giggling as though she'd said something hilarious.
"Just ignore Amanda."
"Quiet, MP3! I see you looking at other guys all the time."
"Oh, yup, I'm sooooo gay!" Brent waved his hand in the air in a girly way and raised his voice. "Come'ere Julian! Let me give you a big ol' kiss!"
"Get away from me."
Everyone in the line was giggling madly now, and a large black man walked down the hall with the keys to open the door. Once they got out of the A ward everyone trooped down a flight of stairs and waited for the man to unlock another set of doors. After that Julian followed everyone else to the cafeteria, a large room with blue walls that was lined with tables and chairs. A serving line stood on one side of the room and everyone lined up in front of it unevenly, somewhat like a herd of cattle.
Julian stared in disgust as the serving woman plopped some turkey and dressing on his plate and shoved it at him. He figured he'd better get some mashed potatoes, too, or they would start saying he had an eating disorder.
"Come sit with us!" Brent was all smiles again and he motioned for Julian to follow him to a table on the left side of the room. Amanda, Shelby, Kelsen and Mitchell were already sitting down, most of them picking at their food. Shelby just stared at her tray, looking horrified at the thought of eating.
"Hey." Mitchell was the only one who made any effort to acknowledge their existence.
"Hey." Brent gave Mitchell one of his big smiles. Julian said nothing. After several moments of eating in silence, Kelsen raised her dark head and stared at him.
"So, what did you do?"
"Huh?"
"What'd you do to get in here? Talk to yourself in public? Throw your shoes at people?"
Julian took a deep breath. "I attacked a bunch of policemen butt naked in the rain."
Kelsen stared at him for several minutes and then smiled. Mitchell started laughing. Pretty soon he was laughing so hysterically that a nurse had to come over and escort him back up to his room. Julian felt like breaking something. How could he even survive a few more hours in this crazy place, much less days or months? He should have just made something up.
Soon lunch was over and they were going back to their locked up little ward. It was apparently TV time, as nearly everyone crammed back into the glass room, turned out the lights and stared up at the small TV in the corner.
"Mrs. Kana, tell them I get to pick the movie today!" Amanda stuck her head out of the room.
"Mitchell already picked the movie yesterday, Amanda."
"But Mitchell isn't even here!" Amanda whined.
"IT'S TRASH!" Mitchell was standing in his door across the hall. "How can you all rot your brains out like that?"
"Please go back into your room, Mitchell." Mitchell frowned and slammed his door shut.
In the end they watched *Girl, Interrupted,* which was a movie about a bunch of girls in a nuthouse in the sixties. It was so ironic that Julian just about cried.
Everyone filed out of the group room and Julian had nowhere to go but his new, unpadded room. He quickly made his way over to the door and slipped inside, hoping nobody tried to talk to him. He jumped when he saw the Mexican boy already sitting on his bed. His name was Brian, wasn't it? Brandon? Brent- it was Brent.
"Hey." Brent had a friendly smile on his face. Julian didn't answer and sat down on his bed. "You don't seem too crazy." Brent continued, still smiling.
"I'm not crazy." Julian got up off his bed and went into the bathroom. To his satisfaction there was a square mirror on the wall. He took a deep breath and stepped in front of the square to see- someone almost like himself. Instead of white his hair was pale blonde and his eyes were a less powerful shade of blue. Other than that he looked the same. He sighed with relief, though he missed the features that had made him look immortal.
"I bet you're wondering what on earth's wrong with me." Brent just wasn't giving up.
"How many of you are in there?" Julian gave up trying to ignore him and sat back down on his bed.
"Just two others."
"Don't you have to be abused to get that way?"
Brent's face went from bright and happy to dark and serious. A frown pulled at the corners of his mouth and suddenly, his voice was different- deeper. "Brent can't talk about his past. He's too weak and scared. You were an idiot for asking him, though. Honestly, have some common sense. Yes, Brent was abused terribly. His father beat him all the time and once he threw him in a pit in the woods and just left him there for three days."
"Oh." Julian didn't feel much sympathy for Brent or for whoever it was sitting in front of him.
"There's something wrong about you, you know that? You don't belong here. I don't think you belong anywhere."
"Shut up."
"Are you sure you're not here for suicide? I don't see how you keep from...."
"SHUT UP!" It was a good thing Julian had no powers or Brent would be a pile of ashes on the floor. Suddenly Brent's eyes went wide and he sucked in a breath.
"S-sorry." The real Brent was back. "I guess Wayne took over. They do it all the time without warning me."
"Whatever." Julian was starting to feel very grouchy.
"Hey, it's time for lunch." Brent was staring at a clock on the wall. "Let's go get in line."
Julian would have much rather skipped lunch and stared at his new ceiling but a nurse stuck her head in the door and ordered them out. Grudgingly he followed Brent to a line near another locked door, where most of the other kids on the ward were queried.
"Gaywad." Amanda started giggling as though she'd said something hilarious.
"Just ignore Amanda."
"Quiet, MP3! I see you looking at other guys all the time."
"Oh, yup, I'm sooooo gay!" Brent waved his hand in the air in a girly way and raised his voice. "Come'ere Julian! Let me give you a big ol' kiss!"
"Get away from me."
Everyone in the line was giggling madly now, and a large black man walked down the hall with the keys to open the door. Once they got out of the A ward everyone trooped down a flight of stairs and waited for the man to unlock another set of doors. After that Julian followed everyone else to the cafeteria, a large room with blue walls that was lined with tables and chairs. A serving line stood on one side of the room and everyone lined up in front of it unevenly, somewhat like a herd of cattle.
Julian stared in disgust as the serving woman plopped some turkey and dressing on his plate and shoved it at him. He figured he'd better get some mashed potatoes, too, or they would start saying he had an eating disorder.
"Come sit with us!" Brent was all smiles again and he motioned for Julian to follow him to a table on the left side of the room. Amanda, Shelby, Kelsen and Mitchell were already sitting down, most of them picking at their food. Shelby just stared at her tray, looking horrified at the thought of eating.
"Hey." Mitchell was the only one who made any effort to acknowledge their existence.
"Hey." Brent gave Mitchell one of his big smiles. Julian said nothing. After several moments of eating in silence, Kelsen raised her dark head and stared at him.
"So, what did you do?"
"Huh?"
"What'd you do to get in here? Talk to yourself in public? Throw your shoes at people?"
Julian took a deep breath. "I attacked a bunch of policemen butt naked in the rain."
Kelsen stared at him for several minutes and then smiled. Mitchell started laughing. Pretty soon he was laughing so hysterically that a nurse had to come over and escort him back up to his room. Julian felt like breaking something. How could he even survive a few more hours in this crazy place, much less days or months? He should have just made something up.
Soon lunch was over and they were going back to their locked up little ward. It was apparently TV time, as nearly everyone crammed back into the glass room, turned out the lights and stared up at the small TV in the corner.
"Mrs. Kana, tell them I get to pick the movie today!" Amanda stuck her head out of the room.
"Mitchell already picked the movie yesterday, Amanda."
"But Mitchell isn't even here!" Amanda whined.
"IT'S TRASH!" Mitchell was standing in his door across the hall. "How can you all rot your brains out like that?"
"Please go back into your room, Mitchell." Mitchell frowned and slammed his door shut.
In the end they watched *Girl, Interrupted,* which was a movie about a bunch of girls in a nuthouse in the sixties. It was so ironic that Julian just about cried.