Page 6 of Demon Rejected

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The asylum for crazy girls.

The bus drove through a forest, and I admired the foliage. They moved me from the city to this special ass place located somewhere in Washington State. I never left the city before, and woodlands so thick and lush looked like a creation of my overactive imagination.

As I woke up from my dream, my first reflex was to look down at my hands and see if my fingers were on fire, too. The policeman sat in the front of the bus now. He must have moved. This bus was too much for one prisoner. I felt so much more badass than I was.

“Are we there yet?"

The guard turned towards me. “Yeah, soon."

“Hey, why do I get the VIP treatment? It’s not as if I am such a threat to humanity?"

“It’s regulations."

I shrugged. He was a middle-aged chubby man. I could have attacked him and escaped, but where could I go? I could try this mental asylum. Living on the street didn’t appeal to me at all. I considered running away before, only without friends or money life didn’t look so appealing. Oh, well. Mental loony bin it was in that case.

An elegant fence made of stone appeared on the right side of the bus. This was the fence of a mansion, not a mental place. The natural stone looked as if it just appeared from the ground. Ivy and vines grew over the walls. The green was in harmony with the grey of the stone walls. I can’t remember when I saw such a lush deep green, the leaves saturated with moisture ready to burst at the slightest touch.

“Is this it?" My mouth was hanging slack as I looked towards the impressive mansion hidden behind the large door.

That gate costs probably more than most of the foster homes I lived in. It had a beautiful, wrought iron gate with leaves. On each part of the gate, a stone lion stood vigil. The gatehouse had a red roof and a smoking chimney. Colorful plants surrounded it. Vines climbed close to the round painted window.

A woman who looked not much older than me and wore green nurse scrubs and a jacket on her shoulders waited for us at the gate.

“Wait here until I call you," said the guard as he took a clipboard and walked out of the bus towards the young woman.

She had warm auburn-colored eyes, short hair, and a warm smile. She grabbed the clipboard and signed. The entire exchange took less than thirty seconds. Guard guy didn’t seem happy as he returned to the bus.

“You can go now."

As I walked past him, I could feel his eyes moving over my curves and staring at my ass. Yeah, this one was an ass man.

I had my long red hair pulled back in a sloppy bun, strands of it hung out, and the gust of wind made them rise like flames in the air. I didn’t realize how chilly it was and felt the need to shrug back inside my thin hand-me-down jean jacket.

“Hi, you must be Scarlett, welcome, I am nurse Annie Smith, but you can just say nurse Annie." Her smile reached from her mouth up to her eyes and lit up her entire face. She was one of those people you end up liking right away, warm people that would embrace you without reservation.

Nurse Annie... What’s behind your act?

“Let’s get you installed, shall we?"

“How old is this place?"

“This house belonged to the Yassy family. They turned it into a sanatorium for girls after their youngest daughter committed suicide. The family wanted to create a safe place for young women who had a difficult time fitting into society."

I threw my head back and used my six-foot frame. Why not make sure that I look intimidating?

Nurse Annie smiled again. “Are you cold? We have a uniform, and a thick jacket is part of it. It looks as if you could use it. You come from a warmer area. I wait for the standard question."

I looked around. “I don’t know what you mean. What’s the standard question?"

She stopped and looked around. “Most girls ask about vampires."

“Well, according to my record, I have problems with fire but no signs of delusion. Why would you want me to add that to my record?"

“All girls here like fantasy novels. We have a large library."

We walked up to the gravel path. It crunched under the soles of my boots.

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