Catch you on the rebound

Chapter 2

Victoria was slowly following the warden, " Why are you sweating?"

"What have I done? Why has the dean called me?" Victoria asked the lady in her 50s

"Well, that's for you to know and him to tell," the elder woman replied.

"I have heard things..." the birthday girl counting off white floor tiles blurted out.

"You shouldn't assume hearsay a fact and always give the benefit of doubt to what you see." perspicacious assured her with a kind smile, observing the girls' nervousness.

She put her hand on the adolescent's shoulder. "Look up at me!" Victoria obliged." I am stationed here for a reason honey... you'll be alright trust me. OK?" The lady looked directly into her eyes to find any remaining fear. Still, she found uncertainty. Nevertheless, a got a positive nod from the girl. She smiled at her." You got this.", and with that, she knocked on the dean's door. They both perceived a deep voice.

"Come in." the warden pressed her thumbnail on the open sign printed on the left door, gave a gentle push to Victoria inside, and silently pulled the door back. Victoria turned abruptly, panicking slightly, not knowing what to do. She banged on the door loudly, “Open the door”.

“Why did you lock it from outside”, the young man was watching her, putting his folded palm on his mouth, supporting his chin as well, squinting his eyes, waiting for the newly 18-turned girl's acknowledgment.

“Open the Damn f*****g Door, You Liar.” She screamed, “you got to watch your tongue here.” finally the girl directs her attention toward the man, her eyes bulging out.

“Who are you?”

“Hello to you too”.

“Isn't it the dean’s cabin?”

“No! It's mine, I have green-leafed this office”.

Victoria’s nose and forehead scrunched up; one eyebrow higher than the other. She thought the dean was someone in his 60s or 70s.

“I'm kidding, it's the dean’s office, I’m the newly assigned dean. Be more gullible”. After listening, Victoria felt somewhat relieved. Even so, he could be worse if the previous dean was bad, except he doesn’t allocate such vibes.

“Take any seat you want.” he motioned her to sit.

“Okay, thank you!” she was about to sit when he stated.

“Except that one”.

She threw him a questioning look, and catching her emotionless face, she attempted to reach for another floor-attached chair.

“I'm kidding. Sit down.” he broke out laughing.

‘Cinthia is accurate about outsiders, they are crazier.’

“What is your name?” the man inquired the youngster.

“Victoria.” she darted her name right back.

“Beautiful name,” he commented. “So, what did you learn just now?”

She kept looking at him with no idea what he was asking about or if this was another stupid witticism.

“You are not smart, if you were. you could have answered that ‘good sarcasm is hard to distinguish between normal speech’”. She tucked her lower lip under his upper one in his unsuccessful endeavor.

"Okay, my bad I learned that from a comedy television show",

He caught her smiling, "so now you are at ease?”

“Maybe.”

“What do you think? Why did I call you here?”

“You tell me, and where is the former dean?”

“He is...expelled for the same reason you were trying to break that door”. She gasped at the latest information,

“Makes sense they were blowing money on the outer security while the inner was terrible "she chuckled bitterly.

“You don’t sound mentally upset to me. Why are you still being monitored?”

“Brilliant question.” silence engulfed the cabin.

”We’ll run tests on you. If everything comes out positive, you’ll be out of here”.

“No.”

“and why not?” because those whom I considered mine are the reason for my agony...

"Because I think I have not yet recovered from my trauma due to which I was admitted here.”

“In my opinion, you look perfectly fine”.

“Where do you think I should go back to, after getting out of here?”

“As far as I know, this is not your private property. There are other people who are suffering mentally as well, who need this place more than you now.” the silence began to push back into its place, and he made a call to the warden to inform her of Victoria's departure from the office.

“You may go now. The test schedule will be provided for you in the morning. Good night miss Armstrong”. she gave a simple nod to the new dean, not bothering to utter a word, she abandoned her chair, watching the flat white marble unblinking, tight-lipped, standing by the door to get out of there.

Noah wrestled with his thoughts to hug her tightly or give her more time to recall him. She was underaged when he last visited her, in her mansion. Her father was alive at that time. She was one unfetter bird, in her daddy’s garden chirping all day, so innocent, purest no one could detect sole splotch on her.

She was reading her favorite book which Noah had sent especially for her when he went to Spain for his medical internship in psychology. He bought it at a book fair, and he was serendipitous to see that she was actually reading it. “You sent this book to me?” she asked him wide-eyed, “Yes little birdie”. She giggled “thank you for a new name. My dad calls me firefly” she exclaimed .4 years have passed, what got you here? My birdie.

, the Warden took Victoria to the corridor, looking apologetically at her, anticipating for her to say something, but kept moving towards her ward. This time the warden was catching up with her pace, "I knew I said I would be there for you and I was there outside the door, I wasn’t allowed to disrupt your conversation”, 'and this is how you were going to save me if something went wrong.'

She smiled at the lady,” I hope you understand I'm bound by some protocols,”, she explained additionally to the new adult. However, she couldn't figure out her sudden dim eyes. She felt uneasy and obliged to elucidate something further. Victoria weighed up her ongoing circumstances, “I'm sorry I know I shouldn’t do this but I don’t want to go outside just now”, “wh... what do you mea..” before the woman could make 4 words in a coherent sentence. Victoria banged the lady’s head on the nearest fire extinguisher, which was placed on the front right wall. Fire sirens started echoing throughout the whole asylum. She took her time to apologize to the warden, prognosticating her time for staff members to arrive. She pretended to be terrified. The irony was she was afraid, but the agenda was to demonstrate her whole new level of fear. She began yanking staff who were trying to get a hold of her. She was aware of the force she used on the warden, so nothing serious happened to her but her (Victoria's) extension here was surely extended.

Noah was watching her on CCTV. All beguiled and amused, wondering what she had grown up to. No one can mess with her easily. He left his cabin to witness a live show and to test the waters.