I am so sorry for not updating for a really long time. This story is getting harder and harder for me to write. It also doesn't help that I've never actually been to a mental hospital...
Anyways, Ib finally speaks in this chapter! Even though it isn't really in character for her, she finally has a conversation. But you should all know readers, that there is two different sides of Ib. It shall be revealed in this chapter. I hope you all enjoy this one.
I don't own Ib, nor will I ever.
My Problem: Chapter 3
No Going Back
~Mary~
Mary sat in one of the plastic chairs in the lobby of the Lylia Mental Hospital, swinging her legs and humming a song she just invented. She had an impatient frown planted on her face. It felt like she had been waiting here forever.
A woman with waist length brown hair and yellow eyes entered the lobby. She looked slightly disheveled, but she wore a white lab coat with an I.D. tag signifying that she was a doctor.
The woman approached Mary cautiously. "Are you Miss Guertena?" she asked.
Mary looked at the doctor with distrust. "I'm Mary."
The doctor smiled. "It's nice to meet you, Mary. I'm Dr. Yellow Hall, but you can call me Dr. Yellow. I'll be your doctor and your caretaker while you are here."
Mary didn't respond. She didn't care about the doctor. She wanted to make friends, and Dr. Yellow was too old to be her friend.
Dr. Yellow gave an uncertain cough. "Well then… Follow me Mary. I'm going to give you a tour and a schedule. Come along now." She prodded gently.
Mary disliked the idea of this strange doctor dictating her life. She was acting too formal. With a frown, they young murderer followed her doctor.
Dr. Yellow brought Mary to the huge cafeteria first. "This is my favorite place here. They serve awesome cherry pies. Did you have breakfast yet?"
"Yeah. Gruel." Mary answered, crinkling her nose in disgust at the memory.
They lady doctor nodded unhappily. "Lunch with be served at 11:30 to 12:30. I think today is grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup."
Mary's frown deepened. "I don't like tomato."
Dr. Yellow glanced away from Mary with a sigh. She could tell the child was being difficult on purpose. It was a typical reaction for a patient who didn't want to be there. Hopefully Dr. Yellow would be able to ease Mary into the therapy without too much trouble.
Dr. Yellow led Mary down several halls to a group of big rooms. The rooms had doors between them and windows so they would be visible from the hall Each room had tables, chairs, bookcases, a couch, and T.V.
"These are the commons. This is where you'll hang out in the evenings. You'll be expected to study, but you may use your time however you wish." Dr. Yellow smiled at Mary kindly. All Mary saw was a smirk of superiority.
With a frown, Mary followed the yellow eyed doctor to the elevator. She was already getting sick of the hospital-like place.
"My office is on the second floor. You will be coming to room 214 every day to see me unless I tell you otherwise. Your room is on the fourth floor. It is room 422. Dr. Yellow handed Mary a schedule and a lanyard with a key card and a yellow I. D. card attached to it. "Come to me anytime you need anything."
Mary stared in awe at the yellow card. It had her name and room number as well as Dr. Yellow's office number. She automatically followed the doctor as her brain worked.
"There's no going back now, is there?" Mary asked quietly.
"Now Mary, think of this as a vacation. I'll be here to help you." The doctor paused outside the door marked 422. "This is your room, Mary. Now the lock is a bit tricky, so I'll explain. Your key card will open the door at any time except from 11 at night to 7 in the morning. All the doors automatically lock at that time. Being outside your room at night is against the rules and you will be punished if you break that rule. Also, all the staff of the hospital can open the door if they need to. The lock is to protect your safety and privacy from other patients. Not that you won't be safe…"
After listening to the confusing and boring explanation, Mary raised her hand. "What if I have to pee in the night?"
"There's a toilet and a sink in your room. Anymore questions?"
"What if there's a fire?"
"The doors will unlock if there's an emergency. Anymore questions?"
"Hmmm nope. Can't think of any."
"Well then, I'll leave you to settle in. I'll be expecting you at my office by 1:00." Dr. Yellow left Mary at the door.
Mary slid the key card in the lock and entered the room. The room had a dresser that was too big to move, a bed that was attached to the floor, a toilet, and a sink with a mirror over it. Her suitcases were set at the foot of the bed. She knew they were full of clothes, color books, and textbooks because she had to look through the stuff to make sure the police didn't forget to pack something. For some reason they didn't want her to have her palette knife.
Mary was already regretting her decision, but as she realized earlier, there was no going back for her.
~Garry~
The purple haired pyromaniac explored the halls of the hospital with a blue I.D. card hanging from his lanyard. After Dr. Blue Hall gave him a tour of the place, she left him at his room, similar to Dr. Yellow with Mary. But Garry wanted to explore the area instead of staying in his room. The doctor never forbade him from wandering, so it must be okay.
The door of the elevator slid open on the first floor and the pyromaniac started down the hall. He listened outside doors for sounds before peeking inside. He was only brave enough to look in empty rooms.
Garry hadn't known so many sights and sounds could exist in a mental hospital. From behind doors came sounds varying from sobs to animalistic groans to screams of terror. Some rooms were walled with pads and others had metal cabinets with strange symbols marking them.
He walked into an especially quiet room and was surprised to find a fancy little library. Movable bookcases filled with books created rows along the walls. The floor was carpeted in stylish rugs. A few comfy chairs were beside the bookcases.
Garry walked into the walked into the room, thinking he was alone. He took one look at the books and was immediately interested. He turned into a row of bookshelves and almost smacked into a younger girl. The girl hadn't noticed him yet, but he didn't want to get in trouble for entering the unknown area.
So Garry turned to escape quietly… and tripped over the chair next to the bookcase. He landed face down on an ornamental rug, bringing the girl's unwanted attention to him.
She was a short teenager with straight brown hair and solemn red eyes. She approached Garry's fallen figure with curiosity. "Are you okay?" she asked in the softest voice Garry had ever heard.
"Y-yeah." Garry hastily got up, brushing off his tattered coat in embarrassment. "I'm sorry I disturbed you. I'll just be on my way-"
"Don't go!" The girl's solemn eyes were welled with fright and concern. Even though her words were soft, they were intense from emotions. "Please, sir, I'm lost."
Garry's heart melted a bit. He would never deny a damsel in distress, especially if she had fire-like eyes. "Where are you heading?"
The girl went silent with what Garry assumed to be uncertainty. She wrung her hands in front of her, occasionally glancing at a painting on the wall. "I-I'm not s-sure where I belong." she finally admitted.
"Didn't your doctor give you an orientation tour?" Garry asked a bit irritated. She should at least know where she was heading before declaring she was lost.
"I forget things like that a lot. And this place is so big…" she trailed off in embarrassment. Garry felt a slight tug at his heartstrings for the girl. She needed his help.
"May I see your I.D. card?" When she gave him a confused look, he lifted his own for her to see. The girl nodded before handing him the red card attached to her lanyard.
'Ib Jule: room 423. Dr. Red Hall: room 256' Garry read off the card.
"Why is your card blue when mine is red?" the girl whose name was Ib blurted.
"I'm not sure. It might be to identify which doctor we're assigned to. Or it might just be random. It is kind of elaborate for a mental hospital…"
"..?" The girl stared back at him in confusion.
"Did I lose you? Nevermind then. I can take you to the elevator, but I can't got to the floor where your room is. I don't want to be caught on the girls' floor on my first day."
"Thank you sir."
"Please don't call me sir, it makes me feel old! My name's Garry."
"I'm Ib."
"It's nice to meet you, Ib. Now let's get you to your room before we get in trouble for wandering."
Ib followed Garry out of the small library after giving one last look at the painting of a red rose that hung on the wall. She didn't really forget her way, but she didn't want Garry to realize that. She needed to stay under the radar by being the clumsy shy girl she is a school. She needs to pass her mother's test at any cost.
Based on what we know about Ib so far, there are two sides to her. There is the shy-and-innocent Ib and there is the observing-art-thief Ib. And just so you know, Garry is not attracted to Ib. He simply is overwelmed by her cute charm and "vulnerability". I don't think there will be romance in this story, but if there is, it will have to be with either a painting based person or an OC. Thank you readers. Have a great day!