To see disclaimers check out the earlier chapters.
Authors note: Thanks a ton for the reviews. I think I finally have an idea of whats to come in this fic. Please review, I really want to know what you guys think, this fic is really fun to write and I hope to have the next chapter up sometime soon
Buffys POV
The men slowly drag Faith away and I still can't move. Why couldn't I move to help her? Its like I froze... I never freeze up.
"We've got to cut those nails", I hear the woman that's called Val say. She turns back towards me and I manage to scramble backwards on the bed. She takes a couple steps toward me and kneels.
"Hey your ok. No ones gonna hurt you here", she says softly. And for a moment I feel myself believing her, but I catch myself. I've got to stay on my toes. I look around the room, where am I anyways?
"Do you know your name?", she asks, again in that trusting voice.
"Buffy...Buffy Summers", I say with a hoarse voice.
She gives me a small smile. "That's good. Do you know where you are?"
"No", I quickly respond.
"Ok, well Buffy what I tell you might be hard to believe", she pauses and a thoughtful look spreads across her face as if she were reconsidering.
"Try me", I say wanting her to tell me what the hell is going on.
She sighs, "well Buffy you're a patient in Claymoore, an institute designed to help people with their mental disabilities or handicaps."
see other chapters for disclaimers.
A/n: Hey thanks a ton for the reviews I finally have an idea of where this is going. Please review cause I'd like to know what you guys think of it so far. This is a pretty fun fic to write and I hope to update sometime soon.
I gulp, "you mean a mental institute?"
"Yes. Buffy for the past four years you've been living a life in your head. To the outside world your body was a lifeless shell. Your condition is called catatonic schizophrenia. The only reason we knew you still had brain activity was because your mother had tests done, back in California. Because of the tests they could only hope that one day you would wake up."
This is too much. Someone must have done something. A spell! That's it! Wait the demon...he must've infected me or something.
"Where's Giles?!", I ask, hearing the panic in my voice.
"Buffy, Giles doesn't exist."
What? I need Giles. I... can't do this alone. Faith, she's here! I need to find her to figure out what's going on.
"Where's Faith?", I ask trying to control my shaky voice.
She looks at me questioningly, "You mean the girl that was here? She'll be moved to another room. You don't have to worry about her."
I nod. I'll find Faith later. She's here, at least I'm not alone.
Buffy's POV
The day went by slowly. They ran tests, asked questions, and kept notes on everything I did. I couldn't help but grin when they were amazed that not only was my brain running in tiptop shape but my body was incredibly mobile for being still for four years. Of course my body does feel a little sore and weak but my slayer healing must be doing something right. They talked to me about eventually seeing my parents, but not to soon incase it would stunt my progress. My parents? Huh, I wonder if they could still be together?
Finally we finish with the test and I meet up with Val for a tour of the place.
"Stay close to me, its easy to get lost.", she says and I nod. I follow her into the first room.
" This is the art room" I look around.
guitar string pulled noise
I jump and look at a girl sitting by where the musical instruments are locked up.
"What are you doing here, Polly?", Val asks the girl.
She turns around, "I'm feeling very musical today"
"Polly", Val says as if they've had this conversation before.
She gets up off the floor and I notice her face. The skin looks disfigured.
Suddenly, I'm all too aware of where I am. A mental institute. Locked up with the loonies.
Polly nods and attempts to hide her face as she leaves the room.
"That's Polly", Val says looking around the room one last time then leaving. I follow her back out into the hallway.
"Margy, Polly was in the Art room alone again", she says to a passing nurse.
"Sorry Val, it wont happen again"
"Ok", Val replies smiling.
"Here's the living room", she says as we pass by a fancy room that looks like it was decorated for a bunch of Giles clones.
"Everyone hates it", she says trying to lighten the mood. We continue down the hall and a door closes slowly with a girl with short dark brown hair glaring at me.
"These are the phones. When you want to make a call talk to the nurses at the nurse station and they're re-direct you. And this is the tv room"
I look around the room. There's a lot of girls that look to be around me age in here, most watching tv. Some slightly zoned out, and some severely zoned out.
"I want my fucking clothes", one of the girls shout at Val. The girl is obviously unnaturally skinny and is probably there for some eating disorder.
"Then you'll have to eat something, wont you?" Val responds in a light manner. She shakes her head and turns her attention back to me.
"If you want to go off the grounds, you need to sign yourself out and write your destination", she says directing at a white board.
"Well that's the tour, if you need me I'll be in the nurse station", she smiles and walks into the nurse station, leaving me alone with the mentally unstable people. They don't even seem to notice me as they all watch the tv. I find a chair and sit, watching the black and white scene on the tv. I think it's on some news channel.
"Meds", a nurse with an Irish accent calls. Everyone around me starts to make their way over to the nurse as she starts to call out names. I get up also and follow the rest of the girls.
"Buffy Summers", the nurse calls and I make my way to her. When I reach her I find out that she's holding a try with cups of pills on it. She picks up one and hands it to me.
"What are they?" I ask looking at the pills.
"They'll help you sleep"
"Oh, I don't need-" "We'll have to agree to disagree" she interrupts me, adding, "you can talk to you doctor in the morning"
"Jesus Christ, just take them", the girl I saw in the hall urges me. I raise the cup to my lips and down the pills hating the feeling of them slide down my dry throat.
I decide to head back to my room. I think Val said something about a new roommate earlier... I start down the white colored hallway, feeling the affects of the drugs almost immediately. The voices of the girls still waiting for their medications fading into silence. Finally the drugs are to much and I stop to steady myself on a door frame of someone's room. My eyes dart to the room across the hall and I can see Faith. She's sitting on the floor with her head lulled forward, her beautiful brown locks now a tangled mess in her face. I see a nurse come into view as she raises Faith's head to check her eyes, letting her head drop when she's done. My eyes start to close against my will. I struggle to keep them open, wanting to make sure Faith will be ok...
TBC...