Portia heard the door to her room unlock. She looked over to see Seth enter. Behind him she saw Elias exit his room. Elias' concerned eyes reached her before Seth closed the door behind him.

"How did you sleep?" He asked.
"Okay. It's not my bed but it's not too bad," she said.
"Play nice and you'll be home in bed with me soon enough," he said.

Elias' face turned up in the small window behind Seth. Elias made a face and Portia couldn't help but smile. She tried hiding it but Seth caught on. He turned around and saw Elias there. He opened the door and stared at the other man.

"Can I help you, Elias?" Seth asked.
"You can get naked," Elias answered.
"Not one of those days," Seth chuckled. "Go get breakfast."
"Shouldn't the new girl eat too?" Elias asked.
"I'll bring her soon. I just need a quick word with her," Seth said.

Seth closed the door again and turned to look at Portia.

"I think he has a crush on you," she said.
"I'm already taken," he grinned. "Elias is harmless. The few times another gay guy has been through here, he's been hiding in his room. He doesn't have any game. He'll try flirting with the staff though. That's as far as he goes."

She nodded. Only one day in this place and she already knew Elias better than Seth did. She was pretty sure the naked comment wasn't even meant for Seth. It was meant for her.

"I'm hungry," she said. "Can I get breakfast?"
"In a moment," he said. "You got therapy today. They need to figure out in what box to place you. Of course I'll steer them in the right direction but you need to do your part too."
"How?" She asked.
"I'm not allowed being your therapist due to you being my girlfriend. Fucking stupid when I read the notes afterwards. Not that they know I read them. Sami doesn't know I have his password for the system, so I made sure to push for him to be your therapist. You know what to say and how to act. If you mess up, I will know," he said.

There was an unspoken threat in those words. She couldn't tell Sami what Seth had done. Seth would know before Sami even got a chance to tell someone else. Seth could do things. Things she had no control over.

"Alright, breakfast," Seth opened the door. "You got therapy in half an hour. Hurry up and eat first."

She walked to the common room where trays with food were lined up. Elias waved her over. He had saved her a seat. She quickly grabbed one of the trays with food and walked over to sit next to him. He smiled and started playing with her hair.

"Can I do your hair again today?" He asked. "I dream about being a hairdresser. I would be so good at it."

She glanched sideways to see Seth watching them. Elias was playing up the fake gay story for everyone to hear. She knew Seth bought into the stupid stereotypical ideas of gay people, and apparently Elias knew too when he talked about doing hair.

"Sure," she said. "You can even make me look like a princess if you want to."
"That requires bobby pins. We're not allowed to have those. We'll figure out something else," he said.

She nodded and started eating her food. He left her hair alone and concentrated on his own food as well. They sat in silence among the other patients until it was time for her to go see Sami. Seth escorted her all the way to the door, and he didn't look happy at all when he closed the door and left her in there with Sami.

"Hi, Portia," Sami said. "How are you feeling today?"
"Better now that I've eaten," she said.
"Has your memory returned?" He asked.
"No, it's still foggy. I don't remember what happened," she said.
"It'll come to you. Maybe we can help forcing it with the right medication," he said.
"Medication?" She asked nervously.
"Not right now, of course," he smiled. "First we need to see if we can figure out what is wrong with you. Maybe therapy will be enough for you. Time will tell. It's not like we're putting pills in our patients just for the fun of it. It's not 1960 anymore."

She breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at him. Sami seemed like a good guy. She wasn't going to tell him anything that Seth could use against her, but at least she knew Sami wasn't trying to hurt her in any way. He really believed Seth's lies and wanted to help her get better.

"Today we're gonna take it easy. We'll just talk about you. I'd like to get to know you," he said.
"Are you married?" She asked.
"Yes, I am," he answered.
"Tell me about her. You don't have to get personal, but just tell me something about your life and what you like to do when you're not here. How is the world treating Sami when he's not at work?" She asked.

He smiled and placed his pen down. She put on her best smile and listened when he started talking. He wasn't saying much, and she had to keep asking question to make him keep talking. She was used to this game with Seth. She knew how to play someone to make them keep talking to keep the focus away from her.

"Oh my, look at the time," he suddenly said. "Here I am babbling away. We didn't even get to talk about you."
"There's always next time. It's not like I'm going anywhere," she said.
"True," he chuckled. "Alright, Portia. I'll see you again the day after tomorrow same time. I can only see you every other day but don't worry. I'm here for you."

She got up and left the room. She walked towards the common room in hopes of finding Elias. She looked inside the room but he wasn't there.

"Portia!" She heard his voice.

She turned her head to see him look around the corner. He grinned and waved her over. He disappeared from the corner, and she started walking down the hallway towards it. She turned it and saw him further down, waiting for her by his room. He waved again and walked inside his room. She walked down and stopped in the open door. He stood waiting with his hairbrush in his hand.

"Come inside," he said.
"Is this wise?" She asked.
"Still gay," he shrugged. "And there's a camera. I'll play it up."

She walked inside and sat down on a chair he had placed in front of the bed. He sat down on the bed behind her and started brushing her hair.

"My room is far enough down that we'll hear them coming before they get here, but play it safe. Keep your voice low. We're not allowed to close our doors," he said.
"Fuck, I hate it here already," she said.
"We all do," he said.

He hummed a little behind her and then let out a sigh.

"I had a record deal lined up," he said.
"What?" She asked.
"Just before they took me away. My parents didn't want me to become a musician. I was ready to conquer the world, but I never got the chance," he said.

He placed a hand on her shoulder. She reached up and patted it. She heard him sniffle behind her, and then he started brushing her hair again. She remembered the camera. They couldn't have a moment now. Seth could be watching.

"I should have traveled the world instead like I thought about. I should have just picked up my guitar and left without telling anymore," he said.
"So why didn't you?" She asked.
"I was scared," he admitted. "The world is a scary place when you're alone. I was young. I didn't know what to do, or if I would be able to even make enough to feed myself."
"I should have run too," she said. "When I left Seth, I should have moved to another state. I had the money. I got a great amount saved up. But like you, I was scared to be alone. Money doesn't get you friends. At least not real ones."

He placed the hairbrush down next to himself and started braiding her hair in a French braid.

"Can't you steal a key to get us out of here?" She asked.
"What makes you think I haven't already?" He asked.
"You have?" She asked.

There was a moment of silence before he started talking again.

"Maybe I have it, maybe I don't," he said.
"Elias, I'm serious," she said. "We need a key. Do you have it?"
"I'm just messing around," he said.
"If you ever get one, I need to know. I need to get out of here before they start filling me with pills to fuck up my brain. I can't let Seth win," she said. "I was out, damn it! I got away from him. It isn't fair. I can't get away from him. I can never get away from him."

He tied an elastic in her hair and wrapped his arms around her from behind.

"I'm sorry," he said.
"It's not your fault," she said. "At least I have you in here. If they ever fry my brain, try and find me in there. Don't let me slip away."
"I won't," he said. "I'll find you. I swear."