1Proem: The Girl Named Gray
The human sat across the psychologist, looking at him from across the room pensively, as if he were undergoing the test and not she. She was comfortably spread out on the long leather sofa, biting her fingernails.
The doctor set down his notepad for a moment, "Now Miss Graham-"
"Please, call me Gray." She stated, without looking up.
The doctor sighed for a moment and slowly shook his head, writing carefully down some notes, "Miss Graham-"
"Gray." Came a quick response.
The man, Psychologist Hector Hellding, was beginning to get annoyed. But he eventually decided to simply go along with the game she was playing, "Fine, Miss Gray, you're in here charges." He stated, trying to, as carefully as he could, delicately mention the reason she was here in the first place.
She shrugged, and bit off another fingernail, "It's not likely to have an effect on me, Mr. Hellding, how fast you cut to the chase, I've got all the time in the world. Actually, yes, all the time in the world."
The doctor tried to stifle a chuckle, as it was extremely unprofessional, "We are all aware of circumstances you've brought up."
The woman, more like a girl really, looked up to meet Hector's eyes directly for the first time, "Sir, the constant use of the word 'unusual' is starting to lower my self-esteem, and that's not the positive effect I believe we're striving for. Unless, of course, you're trying to up your pay range by saying we need continuous appointments." She then immediately lowered her head again to her fingernails.
Hector, for the first time, studied the girl. She was a 19 year old, now college drop-out, and had long, slightly wavy black hair, with one sharply contrasting gray streak framing the left side of her face. But it was not the hair, that must've earned her nickname, but her eyes. They were strikingly a shade of gray, one that Hector had never seen in his lifetime, and were the color of molten lead.
Hector himself was slightly less exotic. He was a middle-aged, heavyset, balding man, who had a widow's peak and coke-bottle glasses that looked more at home in the 70's. His blue collared shirt and white lab coat were regulation, but the plaid pants were definitely not. He chewed on the end of his pen tip.
"Miss Grah- Gray, I believe we should get on to the appointment."
"Whatever suits you, doctor, it's your meeting," She said absently. She had been through this drill a thousand times, it was beginning to get old.
"As you know," he sighed, "Gray. You've been here for over 2 years now."
Gray shrugged and looked out the window once more, it was noon, so she couldn't admire the view of the moon. Sad. But at least the sky was blue, just looking at the sky gave her more and more reason to hold on until she would be released.
The place she wished to be released from was St. Lucinda's Mental Care Center, aka, the Looney Bin. She had been commissioned here when she was 19, when she had tried to warn her mother-
"Miss Gray?" interrupted Hellding, making her thoughts scatter, "You haven't been listening to a word I was saying, have you?"
"Nope." She said, with a lack of interest. "And I doubt it was important."
Hellding sighed again, and he cleaned his glasses, "Now, let's get started."
"Grand."
He ignored the comment and continued, "I know this is becoming routine, but for the thousandth time, can you tell me why you're here?"
Gray rolled her eyes, "I'm here because you idiots wont realize that I'm speaking the truth."
"And what is that truth, Miss Gray?"
"That there's an entire world, right underneath us, but you're too blind, or too close minded, to recognize it."
Hellding was silent for a moment as he flipped opened Gray's records, there she was Ms. Lydia Graham, 19 year old-
Hector's eyes widened, and he wondered if he had possibly read a file wrong. His eyes focused on the text
Graham, Lydia H. Height: 5'7" Weight: 130 Lbs. Hair: Black Eye: Gray Date Administered: March 18, 2002 Age: 19 Symptoms: Severe hallucinations, paranoia, schizophrenia, and insomnia. Patient is extremely hostile, high security is priority.
Hector shook his head a little, perhaps he simply misread it? But when he turned a few pages, from the last examination he was stunned.
Graham, Lydia H. Height: 5'7" Weight: 130 Lbs. Hair: black Eye: gray Date Administered: March 18, 2002 Most Recent Examination: February 25, 2004 Age: 19 Symptoms: Severe Hallucinations, Paranoia, Schizophrenia, insomnia, and masochistic tendencies. Patient has been having a more subdued attitude, recommend less security, possibly outdoor recreation. Also scan for depression.
Recovered Status: Non-existent, patient still has full faith in her ramblings.
His eyes widened, could it be a misprint, perhaps? He cleared his throat, "Gray, how old are you?"
Her head snapped up, "21." She answered, "Why?"
Hector scratched out the 19, and wrote 21, it had to be a typo, "No reason. Ok, now where were we?"
Gray rolled her eyes and began the examination.
# # #
Gray lay on her cot, looking at the ceiling, the leather restraining cuffs had been removed, and she was glad, they were itchy things that only got in the way.
But now, of course, she had more regular security check-ins, the idiots thought she was a cutter. If only they knew the truth.
There was a knock on the door, and the eye-latch slid open, "Ms. Graham, you have a visitor."
Gray's interest was perked, she hardly ever had visitors, her mother had basically disowned her, and her brother was-
Well, everyone knew what had happened to her brother.
The heavy metal door slid open, and her day shift nurse, Nurse Jonathan (please, call me Johnny) Johanness entered.
Gray raised an eyebrow, "Where are they?" she asked.
Johnny smiled, "You don't have to meet them in here, you get to go to the greeting room, visitor's request."
"May I inquire as to who the visitor is."
Johnny shrugged, "He says that he's your brother."
Gray's heart stopped in her chest. My brother? How? "Are you positive?"
"Pretty sure." He said, "Why?"
"It's just..nothing." She stated, a morbid hope coming to her, could it really be him?
Johnny grabbed her arm, "C'mon, gotta escort you down."
She walked down the hall with him, making a quick pace. She didn't know why, but an eager anticipation flowed through her as she made her way down. Perhaps it was the thought that it may actually be Neil, or maybe it was simply the thought that she got away from her antiseptic smelling room. But whatever it was, Johnny was beginning to lag behind.
"Whoa, slow down there Lydia." He said.
"It's Gray." She stated, rolling her eyes, but nonetheless slowing down so he could keep pace with her.
"Here we are," He said when they finally reached the Greeting/Guest room. He unlocked the door, and gently pushed her forward into the room.
It was an extremely depressing scene. There was one long, slate table, with two chairs at the ends, and a one-way mirror, in which the doctors could survey the scene to make sure the patient wouldn't become hostile or dangerous in anyway. And when Gray's eyes landed upon the table to the smug looking man in the other chair, her face fell.
"You're sick." Was all she said, bitterly, and through clenched teeth. Her hands curled into fists.
"Says the one in the Looney Bin." Stated the other man, who was most definitely not Neil.
The man was Spink. A 22 year old with emerald colored eyes, shaggy blonde hair, and a stubbled covered chin. He was a tad over six feet and two hundred pounds, most of it muscle. He had ripped jeans and a flannel shirt on.
"I may be crazy, asshole, but I'm not the one using a dead man as a cover- up." She stated resisting the urge to punch him in the jaw and wipe the smug smile off of his face,
Spink feigned hurt, "Ouch, hun. That one really stung." He looked her up and down, "Are you going to sit there? Or stand there? Because by all means, I'm beginning to feel some hostility between us."
Gray carefully sat down in the chair, glaring at Spink as if he were a cobra. "Some hostility? I doubt wanting to rip out your throat counts as some hostility." She said.
Spink let out a chuckle, "Glad to see this place hasn't dulled your sharp tongue." Once again he looked her up and down, "Among other things."
She let the last remark pass by unnoticed. He was trying to get a rise out of her. She needed to keep calm. "What do you want?"
He straightened in his chair, "How about a 'what do you want?' please."
"I can end this meeting whenever I want." She threatened.
"Well then, on to business."
Gray snorted, "What business? I can't stand to look at you, let alone have a discussion that involves more than 40 IQ."
"I understand we got off on the wrong foot, hun." He said, pulling out a single sheet of paper. "But read this later, if you're still interested, don't be afraid to call." He dug in his pocket, "Here's even the money to do it." he said, placing fifty cents on top of the paper and passing it across the table.
Gray couldn't help the feeling of doubt grow on her, "Why are you contacting me now?"
Spink's eyes got the dangerous look about them, as if an unwanted memory had come up, "We lost Blade." Was all he said bluntly.
There was an awkward moment of silence between the two as Gray stared at him, trying to uncover a falsehood of some sort. After some time, Spink uncomfortably shifted and stood up. "Well things to do." He said, getting out of his chair and picking up his bag, "You know what tonight is." He got up and left.
Moments later, Johnny the nurse escorted her back to her room, "Did you have a nice visit with your brother?" he asked.
"Hardly." Came an annoyed response, "Let's just say he's changed a lot since I've last seen him.
"Sorry to hear that." Said Johnny, "Well, goodnight."
Gray went into her room and lay on the bed. She had forgotten what tonight was until Spink had reminded her. She waited until she heard the tumblers clicked, signifying that Johnny had locked the door and she was on her own. She carefully took the paper that Spink had given her, curiosity overcoming her repulse.
Scrawled on the paper was one word.
Freedom. Freedom.
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AN: I may take a bit between updates. lol sry, this is my first piece of original work that I actually outlined, so I'll need to double check everything to make sure it fits ^^ anyways, feedback (bad or good) is ALWAYS appreciated
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