I walked into the old church, sandwiched between two doctors. The hospital was allowing the patients to go to church each Sunday, only if we were accompanied by doctors. I've never really been very religious. I'm the kind of person who believes in more than life itself, you know? No creator gods, just...somewhere after death. We were seated in the wooden pews. We'd been allowed to wear real clothes, instead of the old hospital gowns we had to wear. I hadn't been to church since Mother had died. Being here made me feel depressed.

"Deus habito intus nos totus." God dwells within us all. The mass was only in Latin. I couldn't understand a thing, at least not until I was who I am now. I've had decades to learn new languages, such as Arabic, Korean Sign Language and, of course, Latin. It was still better than Biloxi Asylum, though.

I looked at the people around me. I vaguely knew some of them. Mr. Cedar, a teacher at my school, Mrs. Glenburg, the crazy cat woman. People gave the asylum patients very much space. It was as though we had a large, invisible bubble around us that nobody could penetrate.

I turned my attention back to the sermon. The priest was droning away in Latin. At least the music was pretty.

"Benedictus qui venit
in nomine Domini,
Benedictus qui venit
in nomine Domini.
Hosanna, hosanna,
hosanna in excelsis!"

After several minutes of this, I began to study the people around me. They did not look crazy. Was it possible to look crazy? Though they all looked different, there was something eerily similar in each of them. They all had wide, vacant eyes as if they were looking, but they weren't seeing. Subconsciously, I wondered if I looked like that. The thought saddened me. I had barely been here for a day and already they were changing me? I did not want to be changed... I had always been quiet little Alice with the never-ending blue eyes. That was me, it always had been.

Suddenly, a warm tap on the shoulder brought me out of my reverie. I spun around, expecting to see Dr. Reilly. But it wasn't. Standing next to me was an elderly man with eyes the color of liquid gold and a face draped with wrinkles. He seemed to radiate kindness, and he was... beautiful, almost. He had to be at least 80 years old, but his charm pulled me in at once, like the grandfather that I had never had.

"Alice," he muttered, being the first person to get my name right on the first try. I grimaced, taken aback by his soft, tender voice.

"Yes, I'm Alice," I replied, though he seemed to know that already. The man grinned, holding out his hand politely. For an elderly man, he was astonishingly agile.

"My name is Rudolphus Blairdorf," he said good-heartedly. "But you can call me Rudy." I blinked, shaking his icy-cold hand.

"Who are you?" I asked, too amazed to be polite. Rudy let out a light laugh that made me smile inexplicably.

"I apologize," he responded. "I'm Dr. Blairdorf. I do not like to use my official title, you see. Quite stuffy, I think. But anyway, I stumbled across your records the other night and, though I'm not assigned to you, I must admit that it peaked my curiosity." I blushed, glancing down at my tiny hands. Great. Now I was a "curious" freak show.

"What were you curious about?" I demanded, slightly annoyed. Rudy seemed to find great amusement in my aggravation.

"Just you in general," he explained. "Would you like to go discuss your situation in the parlor?" I was taken aback by his offer.

"Shouldn't I see some sort of identification first?" I asked. Rudy smiled genuinely, pulling a faded ID card out of his breast pocket. Damn.

"So is that a 'yes', Miss Alice?" he persisted. I pursed my lips and nodded, following the strange man out into the hallway.

In the parlor, thankfully, there were no other people. I waited.

"Alice," he began. "I've noticed many people don't take you seriously when you talk about your visions."

"Of course they don't. I'm crazy, aren't I?"

"Well, I for one, believe you."

Shock pulsed through my veins. Nobody, nobody had ever actually believed me. They just thought I was crazy. Could this man really be telling the truth?

"I do not want to 'fix your problem' as many other doctors do. It's not a problem, it's a gift. Tell me, what are these visions like?"

"I-well- they're all different," I spluttered. "Usually I see people or places I've never seen before in my life. A short time later, the visions come true."

"I see," he murmured. "I believe you have had an extraordinary talent placed upon you. It's almost...supernatural." He placed emphasis on that last word, his golden eyes boring into mine.

"What do you-" The congregation started filing out of the church.

"I have to leave now, but I will talk to you again soon," Rudy said hurriedly.

A person bumped into me. I turned to glare at them.

But when I turned back to Rudy, he was gone. As if he never was even there.