APOV
We're going to an insane asylum. Not that I mind. Much. Jazz is holding my hand, because, though I can lie to myself, I can't lie to him.
He parks pretty close to the door and in a few moments we're in, my heels clicking along on the tile floor. Rose and Emmet join us next, then Edward and Bella.
"Hello, ma'am. We'd like to volunteer here for two weeks" Edward says, getting straight to the point with a polite smile on his face. The fat lady at the desk nods and gives us name tags.
"Just write your names in" She says, sounding really bored. We take the pen she offers us and take turns filling in the blanks.
Mary Alice Cullen. I write carefully. I don't know why I've decided to use my full name, but it seems like the right thing to do.
We put the name tags on and the woman rises, motioning for us to follow her down a poorly lit hallway.
"You will be taking care of our calmest patients. If anyone knows how to cook, they'll be welcome in the kitchen"
"I do!" Bella said. Charlie had decided Carlisle's idea was great, and now she was stuck with us.
"Great. You start now, lunch's in an hour" The lady said, pointing at a white door. Bella squeezed Edward's hand and walked in with a huge grin on her face. Guess she likes cooking.
Gretta- or so the fat woman told us she was called- led us through a door into a hallway. There were many doors, each one of them with a number on it.
"You look like a nice girl" She told me. "You'll be taking care of Kimmy. She's six years old and she thinks she has superpowers, but what she really has is a super-temper. Her parents couldn't afford the therapy costs, so she's been stuck with us since she was five" Gretta unlocked a door with the number 4 on it and handed me a key. I smiled at Jasper and walked in.
A little girl sat on the bed, staring blankly at the wall. She had sweet little curls that made her look like a porcelain doll. Her big blue eyes met mine and she smiled.
"Hi. I'm Kim, what's your name?" She said.
"Hello, Kimmy. I'm Alice, and I'll be visiting you for a while. What do you want to do?" I asked her, my eyes prickling. If I could cry, my eyes would be full right now. This is what I must have been like.
"You mean I get to choose? Great! I'd like to play with dolls. My mommy and I used to. But she doesn't visit anymore, and I'm not allowed to have toys in my room"
What kind of mother would leave her little girl alone in this place? I thought. Then the answer hit me like a brick wall. Mine did. My mom did this to me too.
I forced a smile for Kimmy's benefit.
"You know what? I'd love to play with you. Just wait for me a minute and I'll come back with lots of stuff, OK?" She nodded and I turned around. Locking the door, I looked around the corridor. It was empty. I ran at vampire speed to the nearest Wal-Mart. Knowing Carlisle would approve, I bought four Barbies and lots of different clothes for them. I quickly paid and five minutes later I was in front of Kimmy's room again, and I hadn't even used the car.
I swear, her grin lit up the room.
"You brought them! And they're new!" She cried, standing up and rushing to take the bag off my hands. Sitting down on the cold floor, she slowly emptied the bag and spread its contents on the floor. I grabbed some scissors and helped her take the Barbies out of their boxes. She looked at them almost reverently.
"They're so beautiful" She whispered, stroking a brunette's hair.
"They're yours, darling. You can keep them. Even after the summer ends, you'll still be able to play with them" I promised.
"Really? They're mine?" Her eyes were wide as saucers. I nodded earnestly. "Thank you so much, Ally! You don't mind if I call you that, do you?" I shook my head and Kimmy wrapped her arms around me. I hugged her back, careful not to hurt her.
"No one has ever been so nice to me, you know? Sometimes strangers came to visit me, but they never stayed very long. You're the nicest one" She was struggling to put some jeans on the Barbie. I took it from her and then gave it back, with the doll fully dressed. She went on talking.
"There was one stranger I didn't like. He was really mean, and he hurt me" I looked up from the doll I was dressing and took Kimmy's hand.
"What did he do to you, honey?" I asked, staring into her eyes. She looked away.
"He touched me. And then he took pictures. He came back every day, until he left three weeks after, saying he was tired of me now" I gasped and wiped her tears away.
Suddenly, I realized the security in this place was terrible. Gretta hadn't even asked for our IDs, she just gave us name tags and let us in. And what if it hadn't been a rapist? What if the next time it was a murderer, or a psycho, or…
I stood up, startling Kimmy.
"Where are you going, Ally?" She asked as I walked towards the door. "Don't leave me!"
"I'll be back soon, dear. I'm just gonna go talk to Gretta for a second, OK?" She nodded and grabbed the doll I had been dressing, arranging her hair in an untidy bun. I quickly locked the door and strode towards the desk, fury coursing through me. If I were a human, my blood would have been boiling.
Gretta was on the computer, playing a game of solitaire. She quickly closed it when I entered, flushing guiltily.
"What do you want, child? I'm busy"
"Busy how? You don't have anything to do; you didn't even ask to see our IDs! Do you have any idea what that little girl has been through?" She shook her head, intimidated. "Well, I'll tell you. She was raped, raped by a man you let in! And since you probably don't keep any records of who visits who, there's no way the police will ever find him. What do you say to that, Gretta?"
She stuttered and I went on.
"He visited her every day for three weeks. Three weeks! Can you imagine what that was like for her? And he took pictures, the bastard! You should be sued by that little girl's parents. What if the next time, it's an axe murderer, or a psycho, or a drug addict? Huh? What will you do then, Gretta?"
Jasper appeared out of thin air and laid a hand on my shoulder. The woman was shaking. Edward was dialing Carlisle.
"It's alright, love. It's fine" Jazz murmured, pulling me into and embrace. I sobbed dryly; the tears wouldn't come when I needed them the most.
My husband kissed me, and I knew he would make everything OK.
