Lisa gazed at her reflection in the mirror, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. A plain white hat sat atop her head, holding the bob in position. She hated having to wear the damn thing, finding that it never stayed in place.
Clipping her badge to her cardigan, the teenaged nurse heaved a deflated sigh, fiddling nervously with her green earrings. A pair of white pumps shaped her feet, making soft scuffing sounds upon the floor.
She'd only been in training for a few months, yet already she found herself growing tired of the job. Despite constant efforts to prove herself, it seemed the elder staff regarded her as nothing more than a liability, giving her all the horrid jobs that they didn't want to do.
How many times had she emptied bed pans that day?
Washing her hands in the bathroom sink, Lisa inhaled the thick scent of vanilla soap, letting the silky warmth of hot water rinse away the suds. Drying her hands on a paper towel, the nurse dropped the soggy paper into a nearby bin, her teal eyes laden with sleep.
'Smile and look happy.' She told herself, gripping the basin with both hands. 'That's all you have to do, just smile and look happy.'
Smoothing down her collar, the strawberry blonde stared at her reflection in the mirror, assuring herself that she looked professional and prepared. Forcing her lips into a cheerful curve, the woman reached for the doorknob, stepping out into the vacant hall.
A cold breeze blew in from the open windows, erecting goosebumps along her pale skin. It was another grey day, and despite being a notable tourist attraction, Silent Hill suffered from bouts of thick fog that rolled in from the surrounding lake.
Rubbing at her cold arms, the nurse made her way across the marble floor, gazing vacantly at her dull surroundings.
Despite being a hospital, Alchemilla was drab and depressing, with dingy corridors leading to dingy rooms, a dark stairwell that seemingly led to nowhere, and lifeless staff who shambled around like zombies.
Posters were here and there, detailing the danger of teenage pregnancy, unprotected sex and drug abuse. Even the decor was subdued, with that typical sterile theme Lisa had come to despise. Bland and uninspired.
The trouble with white was that it was difficult to keep clean. The whiter it got, the filthier it seemed, coated in layers of thick grime and dust. No matter how hard you scrubbed, or how often you bleached, the stubborn dirt still remained.
Alchemilla was still relatively young, being something of a small hospital compared to the much larger Brookhaven. There was also Cedar Grove Sanitarium, which dealt specifically with contagions and the mentally unstable.
Despite it's age, five generations of Garland women had already worked under it's roof. This tradition had led to Lisa becoming a nurse herself, though only out of respect for her mother. In truth, she had very little interest in such a career.
I only want what's best for you. Her mother had insisted, pleading with her young daughter. Don't you love me?'
'Of course I do,' The nurse whispered, recalling painful memories.
If that were true, then you'd do as I asked. Why must you continue to be such a disobedient little girl!?
Tears formed in her mother's eyes, a look of disappointment directed at her child. Guilt welled up inside the girl. She only wanted to please her beloved parent.
I'm sorry mama, She cried, clinging to her mother's arm. I'll be a good girl, I promise. I'll do whatever you want me to do, just don't look at me like that!
Shaking her head, Lisa broke free from her dazed stupor, having already arrived at the elevator doors. She'd been so lost in thought that she hadn't even realised where she was.
Blinking away the remnants of her past, the intern stepped into the small cube, listening to the familiar clink of doors sliding shut. Pushing the button for the second floor, she leaned lazily against the far wall, staring at her distorted reflection in the shiny surface.
Folding her arms across her chest, the nurse let out a low breath, shutting her eyes to counter the dizzying vertigo. She'd have taken the stairs if it weren't so tedious.
When the lift stopped, Lisa waited impatiently for the doors to swing open, her fingers twitching with the urge to leave.
As she stepped into the corridor, a man brushed against her shoulder, slightly startling the unsuspecting girl. Glancing back, she watched as Dr. Kaufman entered the elevator behind her, his expensive shoes clacking upon the floor. A briefcase sat between his fingers.
'Good Morning.' She tried, throwing him a weak smile.
'Good Morning.' He replied, face as hard as it ever was.
The doors shut, the lift departed, and Lisa found herself utterly fed up with the man's arrogance. Forever rude, manners were something that he'd apparently never heard of.
At first the young girl thought she'd done something wrong, wondering why the doctor had taken such a dislike to her. Yet according to the rest of the staff, Michael Kaufman was like that with everyone, having something of a stern and jaded disposition.
Lisa often found herself pondering why someone so bitter and cold would aspire to become a doctor. He obviously didn't find it very rewarding, making no attempt to mask his distaste and indifference towards those in his care.
A private man, Kaufman would always lock his office door, refusing to be disturbed unless there was an emergency. On the rare occasions he was seen in public, the man would do little more than fill out forms and give orders, acting in his usual stoic way.
Maybe there was some psychological reasoning behind his actions? The nurse doubted that very much, yet still she wished to know.
Upon entering the nurse's room, Lisa was greeted by an empy jug sitting on the table. Once again she found herself the common dogsbody, forced into performing menial tasks that served no purpose other than to keep her out of trouble.
A soft noise of displeasure escaped her lips, yet the intern had no choice but to oblige. It had been awfully quiet as of late, with some days producing little work for the trainee. She'd take whatever she could get.
The majority of her lunch breaks were devoted to homework, skimming through thick medical books and heavy folders. At home she would study until the early hours of the morning, determined to prove her worth.
So why was it that she never seemed to do anything beyond change beds and sweep floors? They had a janitor for the latter, but somehow the broom always ended up in her hands.
None of her superiors made any attempt to properly teach her what she desperately needed to know, and whenever she queried the elder staff about it, they merely got angry and shooed her away. Lisa's mother did the best she could to train her daughter, but without the correct medical supplies, it often proved fruitless and frustrating.
Once the jug was full, Lisa turned off the tap and headed for the door, feeling soft drops of dripping water leak onto her shoes. She'd been repeating the same task for some time now, aimlessly wandering from room to room, ensuring the patients were fed and watered.
Fed and watered. They made them sound like plants, as though the people under their care were nothing more than trees in need of preening. It disgusted the girl, who found remarks such as that to be demeaning and unprofessional.
There were times when she'd considered having a word with the director, but upon discovering that Kaufman was the director, Lisa suddenly didn't feel so inclined to complain. In the end she decided it was better to avoid the disagreeable doctor.
The less she had to see of him, the better her life would be.