I was working day-shift again. Verain prowled around the day room like an impatient tiger and that made me want to punch him in the face. He was startling the patients. Erik coolly watched him from a distance. I could tell he was planning something. He had that look in his eyes that just screamed 'I'm about to make trouble.' and honestly speaking I felt Erik needed to watch his step if he wanted to remain in the hospital until Angeline had been discharged. My next night shift I planned on trying to convince Erik to get himself on Angeline's visitor list. I wasn't sure how that one was going to work out.

My adrift attention finally settled on the chair that Erik was very subtly scooting out into Verain's path. What a child. It was going to be freaking hilarious when he tripped though. My gaze switched to Verain, hovering over one of the male patients, clearly making the poor thing uncomfortable. Quin entered the day room, spray bottle hanging from a belt loop and he swung his cleaning rag around like a propeller in front of him. Erik's gaze drifted to the janitor and he nodded. Quin sent a gaze to the superintendent and his free hand disappeared into his pocket and reappeared with a rubber band. Quin's pale green eyes flitted to me and he jerked his head towards the break room as though to say "Make yourself scarce."

Considering I was the closest to the rubber bands I took the warning and got up from my seat to go get a quick drink of water. Upon exiting the cubicle I heard a yelp and a growl. I wanted to send a glance over my shoulder to see what was happening but I didn't take the chance. There was a loud scrape of a chair sliding across the linoleum floor and a gasp of air as Verain hit the floor. Erik's voice broke the voiceless air and I vanished into the break room. I grabbed a small paper cup and flicked the switch that released the cold water and took a drink. I had a smug smile on my face because I knew things like this were going to keep happening to Verain.

Someone entered the break room behind me and I turned on my heel while taking a drink from my cup to see a rather disgruntled Verain. He was in a state of confusion and anger. I personally found this hilarious. I kept it to myself though.

"Are you alright, sir?" I asked, making my way to the door. Verain didn't say a word only let me pass and my skin crawled as I did so. I seriously did not trust this guy. Re-entering the dayroom, Quin was gone and Erik was just setting the chair back in it's proper place. It was tiny and insignificant, tripping over a chair. But that was Erik's thing. Little tiny things that people overlooked and if they lost their temper they were in the wrong. Asher was in the cubicle. I smiled at her and sat down.

"What's up, girl?" I asked her as I set my cup on the counter.

"Nothing. Did something happen?" Asher asked. I shrugged.

"Verain tripped and fell, he's sulking in the break room, I wouldn't go in there until he's gone if I were you." I warned her. She grinned.

"A lot of stuff has been happening to him here lately… Maybe he's just bad luck." Asher said. I nodded wordlessly. We continued work quietly. It was a quiet day I suppose.

"Hey, after work do you want to grab something to eat?" Asher asked, it was about three fifty-two and our shift would be ending in about two hours.

"Yeah, sounds good. Where do you want to go?" I asked.

"Anywhere's good." She told me. I nodded. My phone alerted. I looked at it in my bag, an email from Erik. He had vanished to his room around ten in the morning and hadn't come out since. I wonder what he wanted.

Supper was at a quiet little roadside restaurant somewhere between Paris and the asylum and I got home around seven-fifteen, finally opening the email Erik sent.

Leamera,

I've heard rumors that Verain is switching yours and Nautia's shifts. I snuck a look at Angeline's file and saw that she has at least three months left. That is if Verain has the nerve to run the hospital before the beginning of Autumn. I know I cannot get the Blackwaters the hospital back. I can however reawaken my marionette skills. I assume you wish to know what I mean by that and you will come to learn in due time. I don't know why Verain has chosen you to relentlessly hunt but what I do know is that I will put a very swift stop to his madness. I wish I had more to speak with you about but unfortunately I do not.

With love,

Erik

Most of the abysmal information he had given me was pretty much cancelled out by the way he signed the email. But the thing that ticked me off was the fact that there were rumors of me getting started on dayshift. The thing about rumors was that there was usually a truth underneath. I gritted my teeth and growled.

I got a call around seven and upon answering I heard Peyton trying to stifle laughter.

"You won't believe it." He simply said. I could imagine the tears leaking from the corners of his eyes.

"What?" I asked.

"Verain. Someone slipped ink into his coffee. His lips are green. He is furious. He threatened the entire staff but he has no evidence that it was any of them. No evidence at all as a matter of fact." Peyton told me. I myself nearly started to lose my mind laughing so hard.

"You know who did this right?" I asked him. Peyton grinned.

"I'd be an idiot not to think it was him. Verain doesn't know what the hell he's started. It's going to be an all out war here soon." Peyton said. I picked at the finish on my coffee table.

"Yeah, but you know, the patients could suffer because of this, staff too." I replied. Peyton hummed and was quiet for a moment.

"Alright, I've gotta go make sure Erik's alright. He hasn't came out of his room since this morning according to Quin." Peyton said.

"Make sure you aren't followed. Erik has some contraband that will get him and me in a hell of a lot of trouble." I said.

"What did you give him?" Peyton asked.

"Laptop, so he wouldn't be in for culture shock when he got out." I replied simply.

"Are you insane? Getting him violin strings is one thing but that?!" Peyton spat.

"I know, but still… He's been there for over a century, Peyton." I answered.

"While you have a point you still shouldn't have done that." He said. I ran my hands through my hair.

"I know." I replied, sounding to myself like a child.

"Like I said, I've gotta go, see you later, okay?" Peyton told me.

"Yep, talk to you later." He hung up and I threw my phone on the table and went to my laptop. I opened my email and clicked Erik's tag and started an IM.

Leamoo13: Hi, I still hate you for choosing this email. And Peyton's coming to check on you.

I switched on the television, then heard the little be-bloop of the IM.

User59670: I know you do. I'll get back to you when Peyton leaves.

I wondered why he didn't have an IM username. I'd have to ask him about that. The French television was kind of boring so I decided to pop in a movie

User59670: I have returned. I used to spend all my time here and he never came to check.

Leamoo13: Well you're socializing now. How did you get the ink in Verain's coffee?

User59670: I used to sneak around an opera house for twenty plus years, Lee. Don't you think I can sneak around an asylum without getting noticed?

Leamoo13: I suppose not. But how did you get the ink?

User59670: Stole an ink cartridge from the supply closet.

I rolled my eyes. Once more, he was such a criminal… If Erik didn't have plans to settle down once he left the hospital I would have been extremely concerned.

Leamoo13: You know you can't do stuff like that outside the hospital, right?

User59670: Of course. Technically speaking I'm not supposed to even in the hospital. Stupid sass master.

Leamoo13: Why don't you have a personalized user ID?

User59670: I haven't thought of one yet. What's your favorite precious metal? That was random. I narrowed my eyes in suspicion.

Leamoo13: Silver.

E_Destler: Better?

Leamoo13: Not that it was bothering me in the first place. But we need to talk about what you do to Verain.

E_Destler: What about it? It's what's best for the hospital.

Leamoo13: Maybe you shouldn't do so much… If memory serves you though what you were doing for the opera house was what was best for it…

E_Destler: I understand your concern, but I have met men like him before. He's a predator. Lee, either I chase him out or he gets thrown out because he sexually assaulted the wrong person. People like him do not need to be in places of power especially not in a mental hospital.

I see he figured out how to bold font…

Leamoo13: Are you sure?

E_Destler: Yes. He is going to hurt people if he doesn't leave soon. I'll be damned if its you or Angeline.

That was the end of that topic. Even over the internet I could tell he was done with this part of the conversation. After we finished talking I decided to just go to bed. I had to work tomorrow night. But what Erik had said kept me awake. He was battling with Verain for more reasons than just possible shift changes… I had known that much. But Erik thought this man was actually capable of harm.

Violin music played as I entered the hospital. Verain was in the room, leaning against the cubicle's counter. I tried to walk past him but he grabbed my arm and the ugly shriek of the violin made us both jump and look to the violinist in front of the giant glass window. Erik's face was calm and mellow, his eyes shut.

"My apologies, I've hit a rare sour note." He nonchalantly told the crowd.

"Where did he get those strings from? They're dangerous, they could be used to choke someone if he has a mental break." Verain told me, sounding a little bit nicer than usual.

"I think he brought them with him." I told Verain.

"Don't lie to me he's been here since he was a child strings can't last that long!" Verain spat. His kind facade vanishing in the blink of an eye. The sweet and calming music suddenly changed to something quite foreboding and dangerous.

"You act like I was the one that gave them to him!" I spat jerking my arm from his grip. "You grab me like that again and I will slap you with an assault charge so fast your damn head will spin! You have absolutely no experience in this field and evidently you can't see that playing the violin helps him and the other patients. This is a mental hospital, not a prison. Have some respect, they're people, not money bags!" I growled at him hotly. Verain stared indignantly and I went into the cubicle, Quin appeared out of nowhere with a duster and followed me in, he started to dust as I sat down.

"Be careful, Miss Archer, he has the ability to suspend you. Don't ruffle his feathers too much." Quin warned.

"I know." I said. Verain stormed off towards his office and my heart picked up pace.

"It'll be fine." Quin said. "Erik has this covered." He told me. I nodded wordlessly. Erik was putting away his violin as the patients applauded him. He glared out of the corner of his eye in the direction that Verain had vanished to. His eyes were cold as the ice they resembled. The sun was setting on the horizon, catching the sky on fire. I felt this was the end of a peaceful era at Blackwater Asylum.