Hello everyone, sorry for the long wait on a new chapter. I just wanted to warn you before you ready any further, that I have changed the rating of my story to T. For some obvious reasons, I needed to do this because I finally found an outlet of how I was going to continue this story, and it will contain some triggering themes such as self-harm, depression, and eating disorders. I do not claim for everything to be completely accurate in these instances or scenarios, but I am going to try my best. It mostly happens this way because of some other ideas I have. I just had this image of Tia in a padded cell, and talking to Merlin while in there, but no one can see him, and there is a reason why the story is going to take this turn. Please bear with me. Thank you so much for reading this story, and feel free to comment or offer some constructive criticism. I admit I am just writing this story out till it is finished, so at some point I may go back and do some editing. Y'all get the raw content I produce. Also, another warning, her personality, may be a tad different when in this world, so be ready to see some major character development later.
I glare at the timid orderly. His glasses slip down his nose, while the tip of it gleams, and the polished thing makes me chuckle. Considering where I am, it only makes the new and inexperienced young man shakily land my food on the tray at the center of the room. Bored, I look away from the kid as he leaves, out the barred window. Today is crisp, with mist exhaling from the grass.
"You should eat today." The voice in the corner of the room, eerily familiar to me, states with authority. I blink at the empty angle of my padded cell. I study outside again.
"I don't feel like rabbit food today, thanks."
"You are wasting away in here. The more you refuse to eat, the more they have cause to keep you longer." He decided to show his face at last. Lunch is the hardest for him to feel motivated to become visible to me. "You hate it when they sit here until you stuff your face, why put yourself through it again?"
"I've been thinking," I chuckle as if I made a joke. "Maybe I actually belong here. Maybe I like having a solitary box all to myself."
"On exception of nurses shining a flashlight on your eyes every hour?"
"Yes." Distracted, I notice a yellow Volkswagen Beetle park near the curb. An exceptionally rare groan in my stomach breaks between our conversation. I hold my belly in astonishment. I haven't felt hungry since...ever really. The man in the corner rolled on the floor, laughing.
"Oh, don't go thinking I want to eat the car!" I yell at him, annoyed at his antics. Minutes pass by as I attempt to plug my ears; he refuses to stop. I can still hear his shrieks. I rush towards the tray of salad and grab a handful of leaves drenched in Dorothy Lynch dressing. I even take my pills, swallowing them whole. A guzzle of stale water, and I throw the plastic cup onto the floor.
"There, I ate something, happy?" The laughing diminishes the second the lock on the door clinks. I stand there with dark dressing all over my face and a water-soaked pantleg. I roll my eyes when my daily therapist struts in, and lick all the flavor from my fingers. The woman's eyes dart towards the mess I made. I ignore the pensive grin she gives me, and lay back down on my stiff little bed, curled away from her.
"I'm glad to see you enjoyed your meal, Teagan," I hear her nyloned legs rub against each other as she takes a seat in the weighted chair, and can almost see her shimmering raspberry lipstick curve upward towards my back. My lips tighten in frustration before I sit up with ferocity.
"How are you feeling today?"
"Annoyed." I hug my legs.
"I see, and how is Merlin doing today?" The woman is, of course, referring to the "hallucination" I talk to hourly. The black-haired man wiggles his eyebrows before I give an answer.
"Quiet, now that you're here, so I guess that is one perk to having you bother me again."
"I'm sorry about that, do you think-"
"Please, can we not do this today?" I sigh, exasperated, and wind a loose string on my knee around the tip of my index finger. I look up into the calm of the woman's face. Her face appears often in my dreams. Merlin insists she is a dark witch known as a "High Priestess", but I don't really pay attention to anything he says. He IS a hallucination after all.
"Your mother wants to visit you this afternoon." The therapist, Mercy Quinn, says. My liver boils, then my stomach lurches, producing a vile taste in my mouth. I am to be invaded by every threat imaginable today aren't I? What did I do to deserve this?
"Okay." It's the only stupid thing I think of to say. I avoid Mercy's gaze.
Mercy flips back a sleek lock of onyx hair from her shoulder, her green eyes dazzling with a cold mystery I still don't understand after all these years. The bold chicken scratch on her notepad made by a red pen triggers anxiety within me.
I soar when Mercy leaves, but afternoon impends a dark shadow across the sky. I enjoy the murk of gray and white right before the clouds regurgitate thick raindrops. The patter mirrors a tranquility in my mind, soothing all the scrambled images I carry inside me. I didn't sleep at all last night even though I am always exhausted. My sleeping patterns are all wrong, and I feel like they should have at least improved a little since being in a mental hospital, but I still remain plagued by insomnia. The room threatens to crystallize all the moisture in my skin, and the floor could give a person frostbite. Merlin seems to mind more than I do. He never moves from his corner though, only cups his hands to blow hot air into them with his mouth. I sit quiet, as to slow my breathing.
"You say she put you here when you were eight years old, and now you are calm when she suddenly wants to talk to you after ten years?" Merlin's voice interrupts my concentration. I was so happy to just enjoy the peace, and he had to go and destroy it.
"Don't worry, she won't actually come," I say as a matter of fact. "She always bails out last second. I don't care anymore."
"You know she adopted a little boy shortly after she brought you here?" The question strikes an odd sensation within me. I almost foam at the mouth, but in the end I slump down, too bleary-eyed to let the emotion penetrate deeper than a thought.
"Cool."
"His name is Henry." He says.
"An where exactly are you going with this my delightful companion?" I snap.
"He claims that the entire town consists of story characters, brought here by the Evil Queen," He answers. "Your mother."
It can't be true. The reason she threw me in here as a child was because I was "insane", and now she welcomes insanity with open arms? It makes zero sense! "I suppose he isn't a harm to himself or others correct?"
"No, he isn't."
"That explains everything then."
"What do you mean?"
"Oh, don't deny after all this time, you haven't noticed these." I lift up my sleeve to show him the permanent scars along my forearm. I frown at the sight of them. I haven't really taken the time to notice them for a very long time now. I almost feel proud of them, showing me how far I have come, yet how far I have also fallen. "An eight-year-old shouldn't be dealing with that struggle."
The door cranks open, and my jaw heaps into my lap. My mother walks in, Regina Mills, in all her regal glory. The perfume she wears is just as potent as I remember.
"Hello, Teagan, my daughter." She says in a gentle voice.
My mouth shuts in an instant with a *clatch* sound. "I prefer to be called "Tina," actually," I scan her from head to the points of her boots. "...mayor."
"I see." She nods, before leaning against the table, allowing her ruffled purse to sit unattended. I wish I had a live snake in here. A venomous, live snake. The brown eyes my mother gifted me, snap their attention back onto her with suspicion.
"Tina, I know I have made mistakes, and not visiting you was one of them."
"Oh, don't worry, it's only been a decade." The quip flies from my chest in an instant. My cheeks must surely be crimson by now.
"I know!" She flares. "Alright, I know, but what is done is done!" The fury in her countenance triggers all my memories of her. They jumble and gallop till they rotate in my head quicker than a hurricane. My glare matches her own, and I refuse to back down. I may be the mental patient, but I am stronger and more stubborn than she will ever be. The poison in the air dissipates when my biological parent concedes.
"I only came here to ask you if you wanted meet someone."
"Henry?" I tilt my head with a smirk. "I've heard of him, but I suppose a condition is that I am not to addle his practical side too much."
Regina huffs with indignation. "If you can spare enough sanity to do so, I would appreciate it. I have it arranged for you to come visit me and your brother next week. You will have Dr. Mercy Quinn with you at all times, do you understand?"
"Yes, your majesty." A nervous bang of her fist shakes me to my core. Silent, yet lethal warnings spring from Regina's eyes as fear slithers around my spine.
"Don't call me that," I watch her grab the doorhandle, and then knock on the tiny window when she notices it's locked. "Especially around Henry." And just like that, her demeanor switches to a sugary smile. "See you later darling, love you." The door opens and thunks behind her, not fully latching. I hear murmurs of a conversation between the nurse and the mayor. Merlin shakes his head, telling me it's a bad idea. I creep toward the hinges anyway. Concealed behind the door, I take a few moments to remove the emergency knob on the wall. The voices quiet down, and I hear footsteps next. They are heavier, and I think it may be the orderly from before. The boy rushes in with my dinner, and notices me standing awkwardly by the door. I try my best to cover the part of the wall that is missing a piece.
"Is everything alright miss?" The bloke is still terrified from before, so I make it worse by walking up to him, distracting his gaze from the wall behind me. I get so close to him, I can smell his breath. A plesent scent of a Snickers bar. His heart rate is through the chimney, and I offer him a wild smirk, meanwhile, bringing our lips far too close.
"Enjoy your dinner." I say before I quickly dart out the door, shutting it hard behind me. He should be able to bang against it, but not be able to use the alarms for help. I duck down a hall and scamper until I see a label on another door reading "Laundry" on it. I have never tried escaping, but it is quite fun so far. The adrenaline pumps through my veins like a pack of feral wolves. I am not sorry I left Merlin behind either. I rustle through some of the laundry in the cart, casting aside useless hospital gowns and looking for clothes belonging to a more recent resident. I manage to glean a pair of torn jeans and white hoodie with a weird logo on it. I tried on the jeans. They fit loose on my hips, but it is better than nothing. The hoodie is perfect, but I wish it looked better. Next, I tear a long strand of fabric from one of the hospital gowns, and tie my hair up in a ponytail. The fabric is so thin, it is a wonder they give us any clothes at all. I now can hear an alarm blaring outside the door. Rapid taps of multiple pairs of feet, and breathless male nurses all echo past the laundry closet. When they pass, I immediately check to see if the coast is clear behind them, which it is. I smile at the sight of them all rushing to find me, but giggle at the resolve to have an adventure. If I get caught, no biggie. If I escape? The things I shall do! After a couple unplanned dodge moves from the sight of the secretary, I wait till she is distracted. My luck fountains before my eyes as her I.D. card falls to the floor when it catches on the edge of the desk. Noticing it, the nurse ignores it for a couple minutes while she helps someone the desk to understand how to fill out info forms. I am pretty sure people can get into this department, but not everyone can get out, so I will need a key card. Hesitation is far from my body when I ensure I will not be seen picking it up off the floor with grace and hide it in my sleeve. My hood is up. When I stand, hearing voices and more alarms, I glide ceremoniously over by the line of people to make it look like I am waiting to be helped. When the man and his daughter leave, I walk up to the female secretary.
"Hi, what forms would I need to fill out in order to be admitted for a few days?" Orderly's burst into the waiting room. I make it seem like I am greatly surprised by the huge ruckus. The girl with her father begins to cry crocodile tears. Testing my career as an actress, I plan to make my features simple to read. An expression of concern and fear washes over me in buckets.
"I think I have changed my mind ma'am. I should never have come here."
"Oh, honey, I promise they are not here to come for you." She consoles my racing heart. I begin to start taking a couple deep breaths to simulate the beginning of a small panic attack. I actually find it quite tiring because I begin to feel light-headed.
"Who are they here for then?" One of the men looks over in our direction, but moves on with the other two to continue searching in another area.
"A patient who is trying to escape; she has been here for many years, and some people are afraid of her. Rightly so, sometimes." That is interesting to hear. The woman bends over with me as I rest my hands on my knees. "Oh, dear, do you want to step out side for a bit sweetheart?" The plan is working. I wait for ten seconds before I answer her, nodding slightly.
"I am only a secretary, so I don't have a whole lot of experience," She states. "But I wager that it would be a good idea if you take one deep breath at a time." I try it, watching her, watch me, following her lead. With no one around, I begin to realize I am almost there. The secretary slowly leads me up to a locked door, requiring a key card to get in.
"Oh, rats!" She exclaims. "I dropped my key on the floor by the desk.
"Oh, well, actually, I have it." I sigh a little making it look like I am feeling a little better. Good enough to speak. "I found it on the floor, and I was going to give it to you when it was my turn in line," I lie. "Forgive me for forgetting to give it back...I was a little freaked out by the scene in there."
"Oh, well, thank you dear." She smiles, showing off her radiant teeth. "Are you well enough to go back to fill out the forms?"
"Actually, I still would like to just spend a couple minutes outside, catching my breath again of that's ok. The smell of rain calms me. I forgot my umbrella in the lobby, but I don't mind getting a little wet." The nurse turns hesitant, as if she is about to figure out all my secrets, but then her face softens, using the key card to let me out the back door into freedom. "Thank you. I'll only be fifteen minutes." I figure that is a decent time frame for me to run like my life depended on it, so I stand in the rain for thirty seconds to ensure she has left, before I book it. Wet and icy wind bites my cheeks, making them sting a little as I slip and slide deeper into the woods. My clothes are all muddy, but who cares? This is the most excitement I have experienced in my lifetime. My muscles ache and burn from overuse. I am not accustomed to this much physical activity, and my frail body wants to collapse from fatigue. I should have eaten all those days that Merlin told me to. I almost miss him as my bones threaten to snap in two. When I run, pictures flicker ahead of me, peering from behind various walnut trees, snapping along with the pine cones on the forest floor. I can hear a voice calling out to me. The voice of an old man.
"The first pledged allegiance with her heart..." The voice hammers in my ears along with hot blood, throbbed at my temples.
"The second with her soul..." A dreadful cough scratches at my throat, as if the words are attempting to choke me.
"The third with screams and a window to the monarchy..." I notice a fair maiden with dark skin behind a wall of stones which guard a slope down into a gully. I don't let myself stop, because the closer I get, her features melt into air. Just another one of my hallucinations. I think to myself.
"The fourth will soon be brought to her knees...and give her life...one night of feasting before all is well." The old man's voice is replaced with a young one. A voice I will always recognize. A voice I have heard every day for twelve years. Merlin.
"Tia." What did he call me? The name echoes against every raindrop, overpowering every ounce of energy I own. I find myself beginning to fade, nothing but light and darkness surrounding me all at once. With one weak tumble, there is a sensation of slipping in the mud, hitting my head while sliding down onto the stone path within the gully. My eyes closing in resignation.
I try to reach for the smeared face above me, but in the end, my arm faints.