I sat quietly behind the desk of the institution, my fingers tapping silently out of sheer boredom. Before me were sprawled wrinkled and ripped stacks of paper, all left unfilled and unorganized by my dear friend. Had she expected me to complete such a daunting task for her, she hadn't mentioned it to me. It wasn't as if she'd notice, either. With each passing day she seemed to fall deeper into a world all her own. I was beginning to fear for her sanity, really. Maybe it was just the stress of the job, or the fact that she was isolated in such an empty, silent building day in and day out, but it was apparent that Jisei was loosing her mind. Apparent to everybody, that is, except herself.
With each passing day, she would be caught daydreaming more and more. She began to grow stubborn and impatient, sometimes even going off in front of her least favorite of patients. The worst thing of all, however, was her temper. Each day I came in seemed to hold new arguments. It frightened me, in a way. Sometimes, I found myself wondering what possibly could've brought about such a change. She was nothing like she had been when I first met her. Nothing at all.
That day had been a comfortably warm day, with just a hint of a breeze billowing through the large green trees all around me. I had been walking through the open fields, admiring the scenery and minding my own business as usual. The events which followed seem to have taken place all in a brief second. In fact, sometimes I wonder if I had simply imagined life before the painfully slow days of working in such a facility. One moment, I had been kneeled down near a bed of flowers, reaching out to pick one of the yellow daffodils that was obviously ripe in age. Just before my fingers met the petals, however, I felt a thin hand clamp against my shoulder. I gave a start, fear coursing through my every vein. It wasn't as if I knew anybody here, for I had just moved to these parts. So, who could the owner of this hand be? Nervously, I turned around, only to meet the powder-white face of my future boss. All fear fled from my scrawny frame, and I must admit I nearly fell over laughing at the sight of such a pitiful creature; Neon green hair and near-glowing clothing isn't something you see everyday. Yet, something stifled my laugh. For the first time, I realized that she was shaking something awful. Even beneath all that warm, soft fur, I could feel her skin, chilled to the bone. And the most unique thing of all, her eyes, were staring at me with so much fear and loneliness that I almost felt bad for having mistaken her for some circus freak. Those eyes, one of the most vibrant gold and the other of fragile silver, seemed to haunt and attract me at the same time. For a moment, I could have sworn I was dreaming.
"…You are coming with me…" I was snapped back into the reality of the situation by her shaking, stammering voice. Not very demanding, really. Not even in the least bit creepy. She sounded more like some unsure child than a kidnapper. Yet, something about the words she said had sent a chill down my spine. 'You are coming with me'. It resounded over and over in my head, mixing and drowning out every other sound that may have flooded the park on that faithful day. For a moment, I could just stare, watching her as she frantically searched for some unseen being, not even bothering to shield her sensitive eyes from the sun as her gaze staggered to trace the very horizon. And then, as if expecting her words to have been enough, she turned around and began to walk, her shuffling gait seeming to stiffen as her strides grew faster and longer by the second. Still, I did not follow.
"Oh, you're going to love it…" she had paused, finally realizing that I had not come. Reluctantly, she raced back towards where I stood, still staring off into the distance in some absurd shock. "…Please! I beg of you!" She pleaded suddenly, eyes widening even more (if that were physically possible). "…N-no." I managed to stammer out. "Why should I?" With each word, my confidence grew stronger. It was obvious that this paranoid young adult was definitely not one of great self-esteem, and she didn't seem at the least dangerous…
"…Because, I need you."
"NEED ME!" Shock and dismay raced through me. What on earth did she mean? Was this some sick pervert, luring children off to some secret place where she would later discard their remains? I could feel myself again begin to sweat. Somehow, I managed to continue. "…GET AWAY FROM ME YOU PERVERT!"
"..Wha? Oh geeze!" She moaned, looking around yet again. "…Really now, child. Come on!"
Child? I was fifteen years old now, and I really didn't appreciate being called a mere child, especially by some paranoid young freak such as this. "No." I demanded again, stomping my foot. Arms folded across my chest, I turned away. Yes, I was stubborn. And it was this very stubbornness that was going to harm me in the long run.
"…Very well then. I'm sorry, but you leave me no choice." The wavering tones of her quiet, pained voice were again not very threatening, yet as she attempted to make herself sound intimidating, she reached over and grabbed my wrists between her fingers. And off we went. I struggled, screamed, kicked, threw my weight around- everything I had been formerly taught to avoid being kidnapped. Yet, as thin and weak as she was, I was even moreso. Somehow, she managed to keep enough control of me to make it up the winding pathway and into a large, shady building.
As we entered through the doors, I gasped. It was as if the whole world was spinning. The white walls and white chairs, and even the bright white overhead lights above seemed to mesh into one, eternally void scene. And I was about to fade right into it.
"Well then. That wasn't so bad, now was it!" She chuckled nervously, releasing my wrist. Had I been in my right mind, I would have turned around and ran right back out through those double doors. I would have ran right back into the joy of being a teenager. I would have ran right back to freedom. Yet, the white cloud of light swirling around the room was dizzying, and I found myself unable to move. "Welcome to the Furcadian Mental Institution! My name's Jisei… er… just Jisei. I hope you will enjoy your stay here and…" she continued, but she was interrupted by my suddenly frantic realization of what was happening. "My stay here! What! I'm not crazy! Why did you bring me here!" It was hard to know if she understood my frantic comments, having uttered them so quickly that even I had jumbled over a few of the words. My hand snapped towards my cellphone. Of course, her reflexes were much more developed than mine. So much more, in fact, that she had snatched the phone away before I had even had a chance to touch it.
"No, no, no! I cannot permit you to have this here! No! You'll call them! They'll find me!" She screeched, again beginning to shake. It was about this time that I began to wonder if perchance she was one of the patients in this asylum. And I was going to say something along those lines too, except for the fact that by the time I had opened my mouth, she had already set my phone on the floor and stomped on it.
Anger filled me. I had finally earned enough money to buy that stupid phone, and she had just crushed it under her oversized boots. "…YOU FOOL!" I surprised myself, screaming at her. "I can't believe you just did that!" Though my fists were clutched, I threw my hands up in exceeding emotion. "That was my prized possession! No, no, wait! My only possession! You imbecile!" I took a step forward, ready to beat the living daylights out of her when I finally noticed that she was cowering. Cowering like some abused puppy before me- Me! A mere child! She whined pitifully, and her entire body was shaking and pleading. A hurt look beseeched her eyes, yet no tears fell from them. All about her held an air of extreme disappointment, a strong, thick feeling which stopped my hand in its tracks. This poor, poor creature… I could only wonder what kind of past had brought her to cower like this, even before the powerless hands of a mere child.
It was then that I resolved to use this power to my advantage.
It was also then that I threw myself entirely into her hands.
"…I'm sorry…" I said softly, placing my pale hand on her shoulder. "It's just… I spent so long earning the money for that phone. It's as if you just broke the past year of my life." At this, she began to loosen up again. And it would seem I had only blinked once before I noticed the incredibly joyous smile painted merrily across her face. And those eyes, those haunting eyes held some mysterious glimmer of satisfaction. Yet, behind that satisfied layer, I caught a hint of some dangerous, sly idea that suddenly formed within the boundaries of her limitless imagination. "…I'm terribly sorry. Really I am…" She sighed, rising to her feet. "Let me make it up to you. Stay with me. I'll give you a job, and even pay you under the table. Then you could just… buy a new phone." She shrugged. "…It shouldn't take too long."
I had missed the entire point to this offer, her well-played sincerity taking me by surprise. I could not again believe that my kidnapper intended to keep me here against my will. And as if reading my thoughts, she responded with "Of course… you are free to leave whenever you choose. Though, I don't see why you'd want too." And with that, she handed me a stack of papers and a pen. "…If you need me, I'll be in the back room."
Had I said something, maybe I wouldn't be in this situation now. Maybe I would now be free to do whatever I wanted, without having to sit in this painfully white room in silence for the rest of my days. Yet, had I said something… I would possible have also lost out on the best friend I could ever have wished to have.
