Halden remembered the first time he had met Doctor Marcus Levan and had seen his daughter, Emelia. He'd met the Doctor while interning at Rutledge, several years ago. Many patients had been let go while Marcus was head, thanks to both him and his staff of capable, kind psychologists. He chuckled, remembering how much he had idolised them - how badly he had wanted Levan to accept him, and he tried hard, studying more than anyone else and accompanying many doctors to sessions in his spare time, until finally, he had gotten Levan's attention. Only, it wasn't the type he'd expected. One day, the doctor had led him to a room that Halden had never seen before.
He had been asked to name several items, which he did with ease. Then, he was asked to name several techniques, which he did. Marcus had gazed at him, contemplating something, which turned out to be him. "Now, James," he said, in his quiet way. "Why do you try so hard?"
Halden had been at a loss for words. "What do you mean?" he'd asked, when he found his voice.
"What I mean is, that when I did this test with the other interns, they did well, but they didn't answer every question correctly, at the drop of a hat."
"I only want to do well," he said softly. He knew at this point that anything he said would probably make Marcus displeased, but instead, he looked Halden straight in the eye, and asked him, in no uncertain terms, if that was it.
Halden had buckled, and he found himself confessing this strange drive he had, this mocking voice that drove him constantly to succeed. It seemed to come from this... cat, he said, that was always grinning at him and tormenting him. Marcus had smiled at him, not as though he were condescending to the insane, but as though he had just confirmed a theory.
"Pardon me, sir, but... why do you ask?" Halden finally blurted out.
"You talk in your sleep, James," Levan had smiled. Halden had blushed, very badly.
"Y'know, Halden, I believe that there is this... drive in every human, this need to achieve and succeed. Some people get lucky with encouraging... 'inner voices,' while some, like you, get something akin to the grinning cat." He laid a hand on Halden's shoulder and smiled. "Don't push yourself too hard, son. You're doing great as it is, I saw that in your grades before the internship was even announced."
Halden smiled, nodded, and turned to go. "Halden," Levan said suddenly. He turned back, his intelligent blue eyes questioning, friendly. "If you ever want to talk to anyone, that door is always open to you."
He and Levan had grown to be close- practically father and son. Unbeknownst to Halden, Levan had included him in his will, and had, after repeated warnings, finally took the bulk of the share away from Emelia, his own daughter, and put it into Halden's. He hadn't been able to help that, as his old friend was dead when he'd found out.
He shook himself out of his musings, and concentrated on his journal, which he was very behind on, listening to his recording of a particular session.
'I arrived one day, only to have a shoe thrown at me the moment I walked into the room. It connected with... areas I'd rather not remember at present. I almost made a hasty departure right then, but Faith instantly cried out, apologising profusely as she helped me to the bed, and sat on the floor while I recovered.
I asked her why she had been armed, and I suppose that she could not help but giggle at the way my voice sounded (rather hoarse and a little higher than normal). Nevertheless, she explained:
"Shortly before you arrived, Lucy was in here, cleaning up a little," at that point, I had to interrupt and ask who Lucy was. "She's one of the nicer nurses here in the asylum; Emelia is the meanest. Anyway, Lucy was cleaning up when Emelia stepped in."
"What happened then?" I asked.
"Well, I told Emelia that I didn't want her in there, but she laughed at me, asking me if I really knew if that was what I wanted. I told her yes, I knew perfectly well what I wanted concerning her and Reynald. She asked me what, and I told her that I wanted her and Reynald to leave and not ever bother me again."
I smiled at that point.
"She told me that I had a lot of wishful thinking, and she kind of smirked at me like this," Faith said, twisting up her face into a comical sneer. "Then I told her that I'd had over six years to do that, and she got really mad. I'm not really sure why."
She shook her head a little. At that moment, a shy, pretty nurse walked in, smiling at us, with two nice lunches on trays. She apologised that we couldn't eat in better circumstances. Then Faith introduced us - this was apparently Lucy. She left, but on her way out, she gave Faith the stuffed bunny that she'd had with her when I first saw her.
"Lucy picked up the rabbit so that she could sweep a little, and handed it to me. Just as I had it, though, Emelia snatched it away and laughed at me for having it. I told her that it was my brother's.
'How quaint,' she said, and laughed. I grabbed at it, but she pulled it away from me, and a leg tore off," Faith said miserably. "She laughed at me and threw it on the floor, then stepped on it."
Faith gave a somewhat derisive laugh at that point, for reasons I wasn't entirely sure of. "Then I tackled her. If she hadn't been wearing those shoes, she probably wouldn't have fallen. But she has these five-inch stilettos, and she wears micro-mini skirts a lot, so she didn't keep her balance. She got up, but I got both shoes and wouldn't give them back. When she left, I almost threw one at her. But anyway, Lucy took up the rabbit and told me she'd fix it. I thanked her and she was really happy."
I remembered that Faith ignored many people there.
"Then Reynald came in, and gave me this long lecture about respecting Emelia, and told me to give him the shoes. I ignored him, and he got really mad and started to leave. I suddenly shouted that he was a cur, and he turned around... the shoe hit him about where I got you," she confessed.
I have to admit, even after that experience, I don't feel sorry for the man.'
With that, he finished writing and took out a photograph of his wife, Jessica. He had to call her, but not now. Not quite yet, when he was still angry, with thoughts of Reynald in his mind.
As Cat hunted around the town for Mara, he noticed a peculiar stir near the entrance of the mine. There were masses of people gathered around a fruit stall, and all were shouting and crying. Cat leisurely strolled over, surveying the goings-on, and finally asked a woman what had happened.
"Well, there was this one girl, and she was walking around town asking where the mine was, and no one wanted to tell, for all the good reasons. You know, the Queen, her guards, the traps, all that."
"No, I hadn't known," he said sarcastically. "What has happened here?"
But the woman couldn't say. The best one to ask was the baker, who lived across the street and had seen everything.
"Well, the young girl stopped to talk to the fruit woman, and when she was done, she checked a few things in her pocket."
"And?"
"And she was looking, and looking, and then she got bumped from behind and turned to look at what it was."
Cat prayed that it wasn't what he had feared it to be.
"It was the Queen's caravan, and you know how cranky the Queen gets when people dare look at her."
Cat did know. Mara, not knowing what it was, had looked, and the Queen, to show her dominance, killed one of her acquaintances.
"How are they all taking it?"
"They're a little peeved at the girl, but Morag keeps saying that she's a foreigner and doesn't know all this."
Cat could have hugged Morag at that moment.
"Is anyone else broken?"
"Nope, we're all fine. Her daughter's gonna need a few drugs, but other than that, she'll be okay."
Cat nodded his thanks and walked to the entrance to the mine, where there was a surprisingly small crowd. He vanished to go find Mara, wherever she was in there.
He had been asked to name several items, which he did with ease. Then, he was asked to name several techniques, which he did. Marcus had gazed at him, contemplating something, which turned out to be him. "Now, James," he said, in his quiet way. "Why do you try so hard?"
Halden had been at a loss for words. "What do you mean?" he'd asked, when he found his voice.
"What I mean is, that when I did this test with the other interns, they did well, but they didn't answer every question correctly, at the drop of a hat."
"I only want to do well," he said softly. He knew at this point that anything he said would probably make Marcus displeased, but instead, he looked Halden straight in the eye, and asked him, in no uncertain terms, if that was it.
Halden had buckled, and he found himself confessing this strange drive he had, this mocking voice that drove him constantly to succeed. It seemed to come from this... cat, he said, that was always grinning at him and tormenting him. Marcus had smiled at him, not as though he were condescending to the insane, but as though he had just confirmed a theory.
"Pardon me, sir, but... why do you ask?" Halden finally blurted out.
"You talk in your sleep, James," Levan had smiled. Halden had blushed, very badly.
"Y'know, Halden, I believe that there is this... drive in every human, this need to achieve and succeed. Some people get lucky with encouraging... 'inner voices,' while some, like you, get something akin to the grinning cat." He laid a hand on Halden's shoulder and smiled. "Don't push yourself too hard, son. You're doing great as it is, I saw that in your grades before the internship was even announced."
Halden smiled, nodded, and turned to go. "Halden," Levan said suddenly. He turned back, his intelligent blue eyes questioning, friendly. "If you ever want to talk to anyone, that door is always open to you."
He and Levan had grown to be close- practically father and son. Unbeknownst to Halden, Levan had included him in his will, and had, after repeated warnings, finally took the bulk of the share away from Emelia, his own daughter, and put it into Halden's. He hadn't been able to help that, as his old friend was dead when he'd found out.
He shook himself out of his musings, and concentrated on his journal, which he was very behind on, listening to his recording of a particular session.
'I arrived one day, only to have a shoe thrown at me the moment I walked into the room. It connected with... areas I'd rather not remember at present. I almost made a hasty departure right then, but Faith instantly cried out, apologising profusely as she helped me to the bed, and sat on the floor while I recovered.
I asked her why she had been armed, and I suppose that she could not help but giggle at the way my voice sounded (rather hoarse and a little higher than normal). Nevertheless, she explained:
"Shortly before you arrived, Lucy was in here, cleaning up a little," at that point, I had to interrupt and ask who Lucy was. "She's one of the nicer nurses here in the asylum; Emelia is the meanest. Anyway, Lucy was cleaning up when Emelia stepped in."
"What happened then?" I asked.
"Well, I told Emelia that I didn't want her in there, but she laughed at me, asking me if I really knew if that was what I wanted. I told her yes, I knew perfectly well what I wanted concerning her and Reynald. She asked me what, and I told her that I wanted her and Reynald to leave and not ever bother me again."
I smiled at that point.
"She told me that I had a lot of wishful thinking, and she kind of smirked at me like this," Faith said, twisting up her face into a comical sneer. "Then I told her that I'd had over six years to do that, and she got really mad. I'm not really sure why."
She shook her head a little. At that moment, a shy, pretty nurse walked in, smiling at us, with two nice lunches on trays. She apologised that we couldn't eat in better circumstances. Then Faith introduced us - this was apparently Lucy. She left, but on her way out, she gave Faith the stuffed bunny that she'd had with her when I first saw her.
"Lucy picked up the rabbit so that she could sweep a little, and handed it to me. Just as I had it, though, Emelia snatched it away and laughed at me for having it. I told her that it was my brother's.
'How quaint,' she said, and laughed. I grabbed at it, but she pulled it away from me, and a leg tore off," Faith said miserably. "She laughed at me and threw it on the floor, then stepped on it."
Faith gave a somewhat derisive laugh at that point, for reasons I wasn't entirely sure of. "Then I tackled her. If she hadn't been wearing those shoes, she probably wouldn't have fallen. But she has these five-inch stilettos, and she wears micro-mini skirts a lot, so she didn't keep her balance. She got up, but I got both shoes and wouldn't give them back. When she left, I almost threw one at her. But anyway, Lucy took up the rabbit and told me she'd fix it. I thanked her and she was really happy."
I remembered that Faith ignored many people there.
"Then Reynald came in, and gave me this long lecture about respecting Emelia, and told me to give him the shoes. I ignored him, and he got really mad and started to leave. I suddenly shouted that he was a cur, and he turned around... the shoe hit him about where I got you," she confessed.
I have to admit, even after that experience, I don't feel sorry for the man.'
With that, he finished writing and took out a photograph of his wife, Jessica. He had to call her, but not now. Not quite yet, when he was still angry, with thoughts of Reynald in his mind.
As Cat hunted around the town for Mara, he noticed a peculiar stir near the entrance of the mine. There were masses of people gathered around a fruit stall, and all were shouting and crying. Cat leisurely strolled over, surveying the goings-on, and finally asked a woman what had happened.
"Well, there was this one girl, and she was walking around town asking where the mine was, and no one wanted to tell, for all the good reasons. You know, the Queen, her guards, the traps, all that."
"No, I hadn't known," he said sarcastically. "What has happened here?"
But the woman couldn't say. The best one to ask was the baker, who lived across the street and had seen everything.
"Well, the young girl stopped to talk to the fruit woman, and when she was done, she checked a few things in her pocket."
"And?"
"And she was looking, and looking, and then she got bumped from behind and turned to look at what it was."
Cat prayed that it wasn't what he had feared it to be.
"It was the Queen's caravan, and you know how cranky the Queen gets when people dare look at her."
Cat did know. Mara, not knowing what it was, had looked, and the Queen, to show her dominance, killed one of her acquaintances.
"How are they all taking it?"
"They're a little peeved at the girl, but Morag keeps saying that she's a foreigner and doesn't know all this."
Cat could have hugged Morag at that moment.
"Is anyone else broken?"
"Nope, we're all fine. Her daughter's gonna need a few drugs, but other than that, she'll be okay."
Cat nodded his thanks and walked to the entrance to the mine, where there was a surprisingly small crowd. He vanished to go find Mara, wherever she was in there.