Here's another chapter. Thank you, for those who followed. :)
Oh, sweet insanity! You take my hand and walk me out into the dark.
We walk this road for hours and hours.
To the white hills and the oceans!
On a collision course, to Hell we march.
Oh, the irony! If I'm going down, I won't go down alone.
You're doomed to this one...
Hold your breath, my dear.
We're going under. (We're going under.)
~Dear Insanity-Asking Alexandria
EVER'S POV:
I felt the wind penetrate my thick, white coat. The snowflakes fell, softly brushing against my skin.
I looked up at the white building. It was a perfect square, dotted with plexiglass windows. A high, wrought-iron fence wormed it's way around the building, keeping anyone from escaping. It didn't look too bad; it looked relatively new. The lawn was a bright green, and at the entrance, there was a revolving door. I couldn't keep the surprise from my face when I looked at it in full.
The crunching of tires behind me caught my attention.
Turning, I watched the police car pull up. The officer hopped out. I winced when he stepped near me, I still wasn't -and will never be- comfortable around the police.
He opened the door so a handcuffed man could step out. The officer spoke to the man, removing his handcuffs in the process.
I froze when I saw him. He looked exactly like... me, except male. He had alabaster skin and messy black hair, but there was one thing that scared me : His eyes.
Like mine were green, his were a bright crimson, looking around the building like I was. I had to admit, he was quite attractive.
I heard Grace chuckle behind me. You like him, don't you?
I turned and scowled. I'm not a whore like you are.
A small hand smacked me across the face. I couldn't decipher whether I imagined it or not, but if it were real, who could it have been that had slapped me?
Footsteps caught my attention. I turned my head to see the police officer leading the man to me. My eyes widened and thoughts raced through my brain. Why are the police here? Did he kill someone? Will he kill me?
They stopped in front of me. "Ma'am, are you a member of the staff?"
"...Uh, n-no." I stammered. "I'm a patient.
He raised an eyebrow. "If you're a patient, why are you outside of the grounds?"
I avoided his eyes. "I'm new." I whispered softly.
"Oh," He turned to my look-alike.
My look-alike walked up to me. "...I'm Beyond. Beyond Birthday." He hesitated, then smiled a creepy grin at me. That was when I noticed something on his shirt: multiple splotches of blood.
I became even more stiff than before. He must have killed somebody, why else would there be blood all over his shirt? And why was he smiling like that?
"And your name?" He asked, walking closer to me.
"Ever. Ever K-Kellis." I took a step back.
As my feet shuffled backwards, his followed. Our noses were almost touching.
My breathing was heavy and uneven. The fear chilled my bones, and it didn't help that it was snowing.
I closed my eyes as tight as possible. His warm breath blew on my pale face.
The warmth retreated, finally letting my muscles release.
I opened my eyes to see the officer scolding Beyond, and how that wasn't appropriate behavior for his first day. The grin on Beyond's face never faded.
A staff member came out to open the gate for us. "I'm sorry! I didn't see you guys there. Next time, it will help to ring the bell." She gripped Beyond and my hand's tightly, dragging us to the front desk where a dark skinned woman sat on the phone. "Annie, these are our two new patients." She gestured to us.
Annie flicked her hand, waving her off. She put her hand over the phone speaker and spoke. "Sorry, I'm busy right now. I'll check on you two later."
Our nurse walked to the elevator. When we stepped into the metal box, the staff member stopped to speak. "I'm Julie, both of you two's nurse. Both of you will be staying in the same room," I tensed again. Staying in a room with him? He'll kill me in my sleep! "Your rooms are on the second floor, but we will be going to the third floor the check in and change your clothes. I take it that you brought personal hygiene supplies and whatnot?"
We nodded.
"Okay, I will leave you here and you will go get checked in. See you later!" She was...unusually nice.
We stepped into a pale blue room with chairs lined along the walls.
"Sign in here and we will be there shortly." A woman snapped through a glass wall.
I scribbled my name on the sheet and sat down.
As I sat, I felt something strange. I turned to see Corey's piercing glare from across the room.
Where's Grace? I asked nonchalantly.
Corey rolled his eyes. Where do you think?
Someone's sassy.
You called her a whore!
It's because she is. Before she was with me, she was a prostitute.
It's because she needed money! His scowl changed to a smirk. You're gonna pay. Someone's time is up.
I-I...Uh...W-What? You're going to make me kill again?
He didn't answer. His form shimmered, fading into nothing.
A voice interrupted my thoughts. "Do you always talk to yourself?"
I turned to the sound of the voice. Beyond's eyebrows were raised, his crimson eyes bright.
"Uh..." I tried to think of a catty comment to counter his question with. "...Is your shirt always bloody?" That was weak, it was just plain stupid.
He raised his eyebrows. "Actually, it is." He grinned again. I tried hard to hold back my shudder.
"Beyond Birthday." A monotone voice called.
Beyond leaned up to me. "See you later." He breathed in my ear. He walked up to the the woman, who was shuddering. She was just as freaked out as I was.
"Stay here until I'm finished." The woman told Beyond as he stepped out of the room. The clothes that they gave him looked quite funny. His clothes before were baggy and loose, and now they were fairly tight. The white clothes caused my attention to be focused on his eyes.
The woman looked at me. "Are you Ever Kellis?"
I nodded and stood up on my wobbly legs.
I followed her into a white room with padded walls and a foam floor. A pile of clothes plopped on the floor. "I will go into this room while you change."
She doesn't seem happy to work here. Grace whispered into my ear.
Grace, you're back! I went to hug her, but my arms went through her body. She was a phantom, a figment of my imagination. I'm sorry for what I said.
It's okay. I'm sorry for what I said.
I would have continued talking to her, but I needed to hurry up and get dressed..
I stuffed my legs into the white skin tight pants, which were thicker than leggings, but not as thick as jeans. I finished with a simple white tank top.
I knocked on the door to the room she was in. A moment passed. I rested my hand on the doorknob to open it, when she came out.
"Okay. This is just the basic protocol for new patients. Pardon me if I get too...touchy." She patted me down, making sure I had no weapons on my person. "The last thing is just to draw blood and do a weight check."
She finished with the check ins and sent me back to the waiting room. Beyond sat there, fiddling with his fingers.
"The nurse should be back soon." The woman said, turning her back on us and doing God-knows-what. Probably shagging her boss.
Beyond turned to me. "So..." He made a strange face, it kind of looked like a duck. "Why are you here?" He leaned back in his seat and rested his hands behind his head.
"Um...If you tell me, I'll tell you."
He chuckled. "Okay. I'm here for," He paused, decided what would be the best thing to say. "Homicidal tendencies." He smirked.
I froze. I was almost certain that that was why, but having it confirmed still made me scared.
"You?"
"Sch-Shizophrenia and assault." I blushed, even though it made no sense to be embarrassed. He was just as crazy as I was.
"Knock-Knock!" Julie sang, coming into the waiting room. "Time to see your room! All of the groups are over now, so you can just stay there until morning."
We walked down the narrow hallway, following her into an elevator.
She walked us down even more hallways, so many that they seemed endless.
Finally, we stopped at a plexiglass door.
"This is where I leave you guys. Tomorrow you will meet with your psychiatrist and therapist. There is a schedule hanging on the sticky board in your room, so just follow that, and you'll be fine. I'll come at seven o'clock to wake you up for breakfast at eight. Each meal is thirty minutes and after every meal, there will be thirty minutes downtime to do what you please. At nine, the most important group starts, which is Goals Group. For you, well...They'll explain it when you get there."
When she walked out, I flopped onto a bed, relieved. I haven't even been here for two hours and I already am sick of this place. And I'll have to be here for ten freaking years.
A weight landed next to me on the bed. I turned on my side to face the person. I was welcomed with blood-red eyes framed by a curtain of dark hair.
"...Hi." I tensed. I was less than two inches away from a murderer.
He smirked and rubbed his face into my hair. "Hi."
My eyelids eventually became heavy. I fell into the depths of sleep too afraid to ask Beyond to move. Someone doesn't understand the boundaries of personal space.