After she had finished adding a few more details to the tree, and had finished her salad, she heard a rough knocking at the door. She was expecting the door to open to emit Crane, but instead the small slot on the door opened and something that was obviously pretending to be food was shoved in and dropped on the floor. Amber crinkled her nose at the sight of it, and walked over slowly to examine it. It appeared to be noodles, and she poked it warily. It didn't smell like much, and she examined it further to find that it had peanuts in it; the only food that she was allergic to. Amber decided to leave the food sitting near the door as she paced around her cell. Anna's plan was certainly wonderful, but how could she act upon it if Crane was going to ignore her? And speaking of Anna, where was she? It didn't seem like her to make her bed so neatly. She paced around the small cell, thinking about these things. She was delighted to hear a tapping on her cell door.
"Ms. Larks? Do you know a Mr. Penning? He came here to visit you." Amber heard Frank ask from the other side of the door.
"C'mon Larks! I told you I'd bail you out of jail, but the damn asylum is pushin' it." Brian said in his usual dry tone. Amber was pleased to hear the photographer that she worked with at the New York Observer. The door opened cautiously as Frank let the tall man in.
"I'll be back in about ten minutes for you." Frank said to Brian.
"Whatever…" Brian replied, bored. Frank narrowed his eyes at Brian's tone, but didn't comment as he turned on his heel and walked out. "So what the hell did you do to land your ass in here?" He asked Amber as she sat down at the table.
"Me? I didn't do anything! That Crane asshole that I'm writing my article on shoved me into the damn road!" Amber replied, mimicking his swearing. She could tell that Brian thought that it was funny when she spoke with the typical filthy New York language.
"Yeah right, Larks. We all know you went off the deep end years ago." He said. Amber rolled her eyes.
"So, you've come to get me out, right?" Amber asked him nervously. Brian grimaced.
"Uhh, actually, they kinda told me at the front desk that only family or Crane can spring you. Sorry." He told her quietly. Amber felt like screaming, but inhaled deeply to avoid it. She worried that if she made too much noise that Frank would come to drag Brian off again.
"Damn. You know I don't have any relatives around here…" Brian nodded. "And there is no chance of Crane letting me out… So what's going to happen?"
"I guess you're kind of, fucked." He replied simply. "Mark said that it looked like you'd lost it when he came with that other shrink, but I think he still wants that article. I brought you some writing stuff and better paper. Although it really doesn't look like you've used any of the stuff they brought…" He grinned as he looked around at the walls. "Nice."
Amber smiled in return as she took the pen and paper from Brian. "Think that you can come by tomorrow to pick it up?"
"You think that I can get in here tomorrow? The only reason that I got in here is probably because Crane doesn't know about this!" He asked her in disbelief. "I could probably swing by sometime next week though. You'll have it done by then?"
"I've already written up one copy. Crane took it though. And it's not like I have anything better to do here anyway."
"Are you saying that you actually had a life before? Maybe you should stay in here for a while." He told her. She mock glared at him. They turned their attentions to the door when they heard a rough knocking at the other end. "Looks like it's time for me to leave. Have fun, Larks." Brian said as he followed the large orderly out. Amber sighed and got to work on her article.
Around noon, Amber heard another tapping at the door. Sighing with irritation at being interrupted in her writing, she hastily shoved the unfinished article underneath her pillow. A different asylum worker opened the door.
"Don't move. If you do move we will restrain you." He said simply as he walked in slowly. He had a can of Mace poised to shoot her. She followed his instructions and sat where she was. The man glanced around the cell quickly, glaring at her mural. Finally he spotted her plate that she had shoved in the corner. "Why are you not eating?"
"I can't; I'm allergic to some of the stuff in it." Amber said. He didn't answer her as he picked up her plate quickly, never taking his eyes off of her.
"Dr. Crane will be informed if you do not eat this plate of food. Do you intend to eat it?"
"Maybe if I actually can…" She muttered. The man stared at her for a moment, and then walked out carefully. Amber hurried over to the door after he shut it and opened the small slot. She made sure that no one was in the hall before she got out the article again. She finished the article and edited it briefly. She looked out the window after she was done and to her surprise, the sun was already setting.
Her stomach growled loudly as she eyed the food. She walked over and poked the food once again to find that it had the dreaded nuts in it. She glared at it, and threw it against the wall in frustration. Luckily, she missed her painting. She stalked over to the door, and opened the slot. "Excuse me. Hello?" She called out from the small opening carefully. She looked across the hall from the window in her door and saw that the occupant of the cell across the hall from hers was staring at her with wide eyes. It made her uncomfortable and she hoped that someone would give her attention soon. "Hello?"
"What do ya want?" A loud and slightly irritated voice replied from the end of the hall.
"I'm hungry." She said.
"Meals have already gone out." The voice replied loudly.
"But I can't eat it!"
"What's the matter with it? The aliens do something to it again?" There was a sarcastic tone in the voice this time. Snickering followed this. Amber sighed in frustration.
"No. I'm allergic to peanuts." She replied, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice.
"Dr. Crane wouldn't have said that you were supposed to eat that if you were really allergic. So close your mouth and shut your window or we'll lock it."
"I want to talk to Dr. Crane if that is alright." Amber replied.
"He's not here. Shut up and close your hole!" The voice was finally aggravated with her. Amber closed her slot slowly; it was better not to have the speaking slot locked incase she saw Crane walking down the hall. Amber started slamming her cot against the wall in frustration, something she hadn't done for a while. She only had to do it a few times before big men in white outfits came in to her room without knocking.
She screamed as they grabbed her roughly, handcuffing her and putting her in shackles so she couldn't resist them. They dragged her out of her room and down the hall. The person who she assumed that she was speaking with before glared at her from the office, but didn't say anything as the men took her into a room across the hall from the office. They took the shackles off of her feet and secured them to a table like thing with secure leather straps, then took off the handcuffs so that they could strap those on the table as well.
"You've been quite a problem lately. You want to talk to Dr. Crane? You can wait for him in here." She glared and opened her mouth to reply harshly, but the men forced a face mask on her that kept her mouth shut.
"I think she need's the shocks." One of them said thickly.
"No. We'd be in so much trouble!" The one who gagged her replied.
"Why? She's just a crazy! Crane wouldn't find out…"
"You can give her them. This one's different; I think Crane actually cooks for her. There are plenty of other people in here that we can get tomorrow." After the guard said this, Amber was horrified. She couldn't believe that these people would actually still give the patients here shock therapy. And only for their own sick amusement as well. She watched as they lumbered out and shut the door behind them, leaving her in nearly complete darkness. It was interesting that the reason that she had been eating so well here was because Crane had been cooking for her himself; she thought as she lay in the darkness.
"Mr. Crane?" A maid called to Jonathan as he watched the moving van load up Annabel's many clothing items. He turned to her after the last piece was loaded and looked at the maid. She was new, and he could tell by the way that she didn't meet his icy blue gaze. He waited patiently for her to speak further. "The chef wanted to know what you would prefer to have to eat; he says that there is a lovely salmon in the freezer, or some fresh steaks have just been delivered." She said quickly.
"The steak sounds delightful." Jonathan replied. The maid nodded and scurried away. He watched her and was slightly amused when she shuddered after she believed he couldn't see her anymore. He looked over the lawn and saw a black Mercedes pull in the driveway. Jonathan didn't recognize the car, but had a sinking feeling when he saw the driver get out.
The woman who got out of the car was tall, with dyed black hair and contacts that made her eyes appear red. She was dressed in black baggy pants that had many zippers and patches on the legs, and her top was a deep blood red. She looked around the yard and at the house before spotting him next to the large fountain and walking over slowly. Jonathan noted with distaste that she wore large black combat boots with bright red shoelaces.
"Do I want to know where you bought such ridiculous clothes, Roxanna?" Jonathan asked the woman when she finally reached him. She grinned at him, and he noted that she had some of her teeth filed into points.
"Hey! It's Roxi now! And these are custom made, actually." She met his bright blue eyes with her own crimson ones. Jonathan rolled his eyes and nodded. "What? You don't like them, Little Brother? I'm hurt."
"I never liked that style and neither did our parents when they were still around. It makes you look scruffy." He said the last word with extreme distaste. "What are you doing here anyway?"
"Just thought that I'd drop in for a nice chat. See how your new patient was at the asylum…" Roxi replied carefully while looking at his expression. Nervousness flitted across his face to be quickly replaced with confusion a moment later. Jonathan looked at her quickly and he knew that he had not fooled her, but persisted anyway.
"I wouldn't know which patient you're speaking of. We have gotten many new ones in the past week…" Jonathan said innocently. He opened the door to the house without looking at her and walked inside quickly.
"Bullshit. You know what one I'm talking about. The reporter chick." Roxi told him. He looked at her carefully and wondered which one of his employees had been talking to her. Most likely Frank; he thought with slight anger.
"Ms. Larks is doing quite well." He replied carefully. Roxi looked at him suspiciously and opened her mouth to say something but his cell phone rang suddenly and he snatched it out of his pocket.
"Hello?" He answered while his older sister glared at him. He raised his eyebrows as if to suggest that he had no idea of what he had done to annoy her. She flipped him off and stalked into the kitchen.
"Dr. Crane, so sorry to bother you at home, but we have a slight problem with a patient here. Amber Larks? She has been repeatedly disruptive and is refusing to eat. She says that she wants to speak with you." His receptionist said quickly. He sighed.
"Where is she now?"
"We have been holding her in the heavy confinement area for about half an hour now. Do you think that you could come down and calm her down? She won't speak to the physiatrist on duty now."
"Of course. I'll be down in a moment." Jonathan replied coolly.
"So, what's she puttin' in the papers?" Roxi asked him when she walked out of the kitchen with a red apple. "She going to tell how you're completely and totally off your rocker and need to be locked up yourself? And speaking of needing to be locked up, where's that model you've been dating?" Roxi asked, looking around.
"We aren't seeing each other anymore." He replied simply, ignoring his sister's comments with difficulty.
"Damn, she was fun to mess with. So, seeing anyone new?" Roxi asked him.
"That is really none of your business, Roxanna." Jonathan was pleased to see that using her full name irked her greatly. "Now I need to leave. If you are hungry, you can eat something. We're having steaks for dinner." He said while walking out the door.
Amber had mixed feelings when she saw Crane walk in the small, dark room. At first, she was relieved that he was finally here and that she would probably be let out if she behaved nicely. But then she thought about who was really saving her from her misery in the room and she felt apprehension. In the end, relief won when she heard her stomach growl loudly. He frowned at her when he heard the noise as well.
"Haven't you eaten since I left? I'm touched that you can't eat when I'm not around." He said. Her reply was muffled by the gag that they had finally tied carefully around her head so that she would stop screaming at the asylum employees. He eyed her suspiciously before speaking again. "Now, I would be very happy to remove that for you; but you will not bite me, or attempt to bite me when I do so. Is that acceptable?" He asked her. She nodded quickly, wanting for the gag to be removed as soon as possible. She nearly flinched when she felt his hands on the side of her cheek, but didn't show it as he untied the knot. "Please answer my question."
"Of course I haven't eaten! What, you expect me to eat that stuff that they shove through the hole in my door? It smells horrible, and then, it has peanuts in it!" She said quickly, happy that the cloth was finally gone from her face.
"You are allergic to peanuts?" Crane asked her, surprised.
"Oh, don't pretend like you didn't know!" Amber said, narrowing her eyes.
"I did not actually…" He muttered.
"Uh-huh."
"Perhaps it would do you well to stay in here for a while." Crane said, smiling coldly at her. She felt a twinge of fear when she looked at his cold blue eyes. She didn't see any emotion in them. Amber looked at him, clearly terrified of the thought of staying in the room for longer. She shook her head.
"Jonathan! You aren't supposed to be upsetting the patients! I thought Daddy told you not to do that before he left!" A woman said sharply from the doorway. She jumped in surprise, and was happy to see that Crane didn't know that she had been there either.
"Roxi…" Crane said tiredly.
"Always lovely to see you too, Jonathan! Is this the reporter? Can I be in your article? I want to be presented in a good way though." The woman who Amber assumed was Roxi seemed to represent the common stereotype of a Goth that she could imagine with her black hair and red eyes. "Well?"
"If I ever get to publish my article, I guess I could put you in it…" Amber said slowly. Roxi looked delighted.
"Wonderful! You can come for dinner then!" Roxi said excitedly. Amber looked over at Crane curiously. He was glaring at Roxi. Amber wondered who this woman was to just walk into the asylum as if she owned it. "Don't you dare look at me like that, Jonathan."
"She absolutely cannot come home with us." Crane said stiffly.
"And why not?" Roxi asked. Perhaps Roxi was Crane's new girlfriend? Amber wondered as she watched Crane glare at her further.
"Because she is emotionally unstable." Crane replied calmly. Roxi frowned.
"No she's not. She isn't babbling on about some conspiracy plot, or screaming at me. She has good reason to scream at you from what I understand." She added thoughtfully. "Do you want to come to dinner? You would be my guest." Roxi said cheerfully. Amber looked at Crane and saw that his look clearly said that she was certainly not welcome.
"I'd love to come to dinner!" Amber said in the same happy tone. Crane sighed quietly, but Roxi heard it and narrowed her eyes.
"You are going to be polite. If you think that you're too big to be locked in a room, you're sorely mistaken." Roxi told him seriously. Amber tried not to grin.
"Fine. She will be transported in a straight jacket, though." Crane said in a defeated tone.
"She's riding in my car. I won't have it any other way." Roxi looked at him stubbornly.
"Roxi, I really don't care anymore. But if she escapes while you are responsible for her, you will find that I still have a few tricks of my own. And make sure that the jacket doesn't lock!" And with that statement, Crane walked out quickly. Amber expected Roxi to untie her immediately, but instead, Roxi had her head tilted to her side, obviously listening intently for something. She grinned when she heard tires squeal pulling out of the parking lot a minute later.
"Oh, Mrs. Baxter wouldn't be pleased if she heard how he drove that car of his…" Roxi muttered as she untied Amber. "Well, I don't think that you're 'emotionally unstable' but we must do as my little brother says; most of the time." Roxi said. "You know where they keep the straight jackets?"
"No." Amber replied. She was amazed at how much trust Roxi was putting in her. Crane would make sure that she was at least in handcuffs before he let her out of her room. The hall looked so promising, but Amber knew that she wouldn't get anywhere with the orderlies around. Not only that, but she would feel terrible if she got Roxi in trouble. The red-eyed woman seemed to be much nicer than Crane, who was apparently her brother. Amber watched as Roxi looked around until she found one of the white jackets, and put it on her quickly. "Uh-oh" Amber heard her mutter as there were three snaps in the back of her jacket.
"What?" Amber asked with apprehension.
"Nothing! Don't worry about it. Creepy…" Roxi said in a dark tone that had more than a hint of appreciation. "Would you try on the face mask too?"
"Sure." Amber held still as Roxi secured the face mask behind her head.
"Seriously, you look so weird. See!" Amber looked in the CD that Roxi took out of a case from her large pocket and she was shocked at how different she looked. The mask was white, and had small holes for the eyes and a wide cut for a mouth. There were metal bars secured in the fabric to ensure that Amber couldn't bite. She imagined that with the straight jacket, Roxi's assessment of her total appearance was correct. "Alright, my car's this way." Roxi said while walking out. Amber walked quickly behind her, looking around at the cells. Some of the occupants were staring at her with a vacant look.
"Always stay in the center of the hallways; even in minimum security." Roxi warned her when she trailed to one side of the hall.
"I didn't think that they could reach out of their cells." Amber said, hastily moving to the middle of the hallway.
"Usually they can't, but some have gotten so thin from being force fed, they can reach through their food slots." Roxi replied coolly. Amber shuddered at the thought and hurried into the elevator behind Roxi. Once they reached the first floor, Roxi ignored the receptionist's squawk when she saw Amber, and walked out.