Page 7 of Demon Rejected

As I looked around, I did my best to take everything in. The air tasted different. The building was beautiful, covered with vines that crawled up to the second level.

“There are no bars at the window.

“No, this isn’t a prison. It’s an all-girl institution. We are here to help, not to keep you girls captive."

“Do you have restraining jackets?"

She smiled. “You’ve watched too many movies. Sometimes we have to restrain a girl for her wellbeing to assure that she isn’t hurting herself. We’re here at H House."

“What’s H House?"

“Hyperfysikos Institution sounds a bit long and old fashion. We all say H House."

I shrugged. I didn’t care much to like it here. “Why is no one outside?"

“Some of the girls are at school. Others learn here until they are stable enough to be out there."

“Are they just allowed to leave?"

“Yes, why not?"

“Because I am here by court order, that’s why!"

“If the doctor decides you are stable enough to leave H House and go to school, we can override court order."

“Hm."

I shrugged again. As a “guest” of several mental institutions, I expected the familiar smell of bleach, fear, and urine to hit me as soon as Nurse Annie opened the door.

Damn, this place looked more like an upscale boarding school than a mental institution.

“The girls don’t like to be called mental patients. We consider you all guests here."

Not only was the entrance door beautiful, made of solid oak, but it didn’t squeak. One more point for them.

Nurse Annie kept talking while I craned my head around to see everything better.

“Let me get you settled. You get your own room. We value privacy. You don’t have to tell other patients things if you don’t want to, only please don’t ask them questions either."

I nodded. I was always poor, grew up poor, and didn’t get new stuff as a foster child. The schools I went to were located in poor areas. We barely scraped by. This was something else. I lowered my guard, a mistake I should not have made.

Nurse Annie walked me towards a large corridor with rooms on each side. The carpet was thick and muffled the footsteps. She opened the door for me. Room 17. It was like a dream come true. Large windows and beautiful antique furniture decorated my room.

“Welcome to your room. I hope you like it. We can make changes according to your wishes. There are clothes in the closet; you are welcome to use them as they are part of our school uniform."

I walked into the room. My heart was melting. I could like this place. This could become home in a way. The only strange thing was that there were no other voices. My hearing was delicate. I could pick up noises. This place succumbed to silence.

“Make yourself comfortable. I’ll bring you dinner and your schedule later. Okay? By the way, you have a private bathroom right there."

I was in heaven. I didn’t wait for Annie to leave. I opened the door to the bathroom. She was right. A gorgeous modern bath, all marble with golden faucets, awaited me.

“This must be a luxury hotel and not a mental house.”

I turned on the faucet at the tub, happy, dreaming about soaking in a long, hot bath. How could I be so stupid? I should have jumped out of the window and run.

Just as I peeled the clothes off me, I noticed the silence that surrounded me again. There should be others, teachers, doctors, nurses, students, someone. Growing up in orphanages and foster houses, I know silence is a luxury that you never receive when sharing a home with others. I can even hear a mouse crawling through the walls, only here the silence was all-encompassing and swallowed me like a dark mouth.

“You crazy, girl, it’s all good. Your paranoia kicked in."

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