"She's crazy. Store bought muffins and books don't help the clinically insane."
My chest tightens as I remember the words Johanna spoke just a few hours ago. I'm not crazy. I tie and untie the rope in my hands faster than I would have thought possible, resulting in some pretty bad rope burn. But I don't mind; in fact I welcome them. The burns help me stay in reality. The pain reminds me that though I'm in the worst emotional pain I've ever been in- and ever will be- I am still alive and I will find out who caused this. I will escape this wack- job hotel they're taking me to and I'm going to kill whoever is responsible for my family's death.
I say "hotel" because as far as madhouses go this one is very near opulent. Though I have yet to arrive, Gale and Johanna hoped to convince me just how nice it was by showing me their website and all the pictures of what used to be a mansion belonging to someone named Cornelius Snow. (The story was on their homepage.) Apparently Snow's grandmother "fell ill in the mind" (as the old timey story stated.) He'd loved his grandmother and dearly and didn't want her to have leave the place that had been her home for nearly ninety years so Snow, the legal owner of the home, turned it into an lunatic asylum and dedicated it to his grandmother; though when he was asked why he didn't name it after her he answered "I don't want this to be as any other asylum, named after someone no one knows about. I want this place to be a shining light of hope in such days of trials." I rolled my eyes. It was probably all a hoax. Just publicity.
We are all here. Finnick, Johanna, Gale even Vick, Gales younger brother but no one speaks. There isn't much to say. I manage to only think of the bizarre story for the rest of the silent car ride. When the car is stopped I stare down at the rope willing Gale to change his mind and keep on going. Vick, who was sitting in the front of the car with Gale, opens my door. I stare at the rope.
Someone rests their hand on my shoulder. I jump. "Katniss." Vick.
I look up at him but all I see is the sign high above him.
Evergreen Forest Mental Institution.
A very unassuming name as far as funny farms go. Regardless of that fact a shiver runs down my spine. I look to the faces around me. My friends. The ones leaving me here, not wanting to be responsible for me anymore. I look to Vick, a child of only fourteen. He had nothinges to do with this.
His eyes are soft as he offers me his hand. The little gentleman, I think to myself. He helps me from the car and, him being tall for his age, we are eye to eye. I throw my arms around him. He hugs me back.
"I don't think you're crazy, Katniss." I smile through some tears and take a deep breath.
"Thank you." I pull away and brush his hair back from his forehead and realize these are our goodbyes. "Tell Posy..." I pause. I don't know how much she knows of the situation, being only ten years old. "Tell her I love her and wish I could see her?" He gives a nod.
Next Finnick wraps his arms tightly around me. "Remember, I have a friend inside. He'll look out for you, okay?" I nod against his shoulder. "He won't be working today but you'll meet him tomorrow."
When it comes time to say goodbye to Gale I just stare at him. He does look sad. I think he senses that I wouldn't welcome a hug from him right now because he keeps his distance.
"Katniss..." He wavers a moment then picks up where he left off. "I really do think that this is the best thing for you." His hands are shoved deep in his pockets, his eyes look intently into mine.
I ask, "Does Rory know?" Rory enlisted straight out of high school and is stationed somewhere around District 2.
"Not yet. We're planning to tell him tonight." I nod. They want to get me inside and settled before he can convince them not to follow through. He was always a persuasive one. I smile for the first time in weeks though I'm still on the brink of tears. I love these people like my family, Vick, Rory, and Posy especially. I wish the latter two where here as well.
This is as far as Finnick and Johanna go. Gale and Vick accompany me inside. At the front desk there is a woman with an orb of bright pink hair and a tan dress. As Gale speaks with the woman at the desk Vick leans toward me and whispers, "She looks like a strawberry ice cream cone!" I know he is just trying to lighten my spirits but he's right. I snicker. How could something so ostentatious be allowed? I find myself wondering.
"Katniss?" I look at Gale. "Are you ready to see your room?" I nod. Briefly, I wonder what my roommate will be like. Likely a screwball. Hopefully she won't be a violent one. We ascend one of two lavish, white stone staircases that lead to the same large overhang that allows you to look over the massive entryway. The woman from the desk veers left and Gale follows, Vick and I following suit.
What if I am crazy? What if I never get out of here? My fingers start twitching nervously against my legs. Apparently, Vick noticed because I feel his fingers slip through mine. Vick has always been so different from Gale; where Gale was oblivious, Mr. Masculinity every moment, Vick was finely attuned to the people around him, picking up on nearly everything around him. It was like a superpower.
The woman stopped and opened a door motioning us in behind her. I stop at the threshold. Vick releases my hand and enters the room giving me a few seconds alone and I'm grateful. Irrationally it feels like if I enter the room I've been assigned it will become mine. The thought is terrifying. I can't stay here long. Maybe if I pretend to believe that I'm imagining a conspiracy they'll let me out sooner.
"Catnip?" Gale breaks into my thoughts. I finally step into the room. "What do you think?"
The room has doubles of everything. Two twin beds, two dressers, two desks. There was also a small window by one of the beds. I just nod in approval.
The woman's hand flies to an ear piece that I hadn't noticed she was wearing. "I'll be back in just a moment. Katniss, your roommate has arrived; I'll bring her up in a moment. If you three would wait here?" She smiled and closed the door behind her effectively eliminating our choice in the matter.
We stand awkwardly in the middle of the room. Anxious, I search in the pockets of my sweats for my length of rope. I search in my pockets three times before allowing myself to panic. "It's gone." I look frantically around the pristine floor and seeing it nowhere I look back and forth between the boys. "Did you take it?" I am bouncing on the balls of my feet in my anxiety.
They both just look at me, stunned. I run for the door and jerk it open. I scan the floor still seeing it nowhere.
"Katniss!"
I run down the hallway wishing I'd payed more attention to where we were going. I randomly pick a direction all the while scanning the floor for the rope. Nothing. Not even dust. Reaching a dead end, I turn and dodge Gale who tries to grab me as I backtrack. Where is Vick? Are they planning to ambush me?
Then Vick appears and I skid to a halt. In his hand is my rope.
Gale's POV
Katniss snatches the rope from a frozen Vick and procedes with the simple poacher's knot I taught her when we were kids.
"Katniss?" I say warning her of my presence before resting my hand on her back and guiding her back to her room. "Vick, c'mon." I don't turn to see if he follows, just gently push Katniss forward.
From the look of it we arrive just after Effie does. "Mr. Hawthorn! Where have you been?" My throat is tight with un-shed, and very un-manly tears.
"We- uh... had a little mishap. It's been resolved now." I usher Katniss into her room where there is a girl with red hair and green eyes sitting on one of the two identical beds. I feel like a father dropping his daughter off at kindergarten for the first time. The girl stands up seeming remarkably together to be in here.
"Hello, I'm Annie Cresta."
A/N hope you enjoy. Please review :) The name for the assylum came from: #.WCv3zehOmf1