Frail Tears

Chapter Five : In the Wrong Fun House

Gideon and I walked down multiple corridors discussing what happened last night. He gave me his theories, and spoke highly of my sudden progress. He was an analytical type of person. He seemed to always be looking for the next thing to learn. I've got to admit, Gideon's enthusiasm was giving me the wiggins. I felt like I was under a microscope as soon as I said something.

Interested in my experience, Gideon kept asking me questions while leading me down into a separate wing of the hospital. I answered as best as I could. This hallway we were in looked a bit different from the rest. There were plenty of doors on both sides. Florescent lights burned really bright, and no windows led outside from this point. I walked up to the first door I came across, and looked into the tiny peep slot. It had security bars on it, making it look very prison-y.

There was a man sitting in the middle of the room facing the left wall. His eyes were fixed on a spot in the top corner. He looked angry. Half of his head was shaved, and he looked to have sores all over his arms. He didn't seem to notice me. I concentrated so hard on what the man in the little room was looking at that I didn't see Gideon move toward me. He placed a hand on my shoulder, making me jump.

"We can do this one first. You can show me what you did first, and then I'll show you the correct way."

"Hang on, we're trying this on people? What about what Olivia said?" I raised my eyebrows at him, surprised that he would suggest this.

'I know what was said, but I've been doing this a lot longer than she." He announced, a little proud of himself. I guess I trusted him this far, and he seemed to know what he was doing.

"Okay, we can try it, but if anything goes wr- ," He raised a finger to silence me, and walked through the door.

Rude, but maybe his confidence was well placed. Something felt off about this though, and I wasn't planning to totally rule out my suspicions just yet.

"There is a cause and effect for everything in this world. If there is something you need to get better at, then get better," he said. I suddenly didn't like the look in his eyes. It seemed like he was angry, and amused at the same time. He carefully placed his palm on the nape of the man's neck, and closed his eyes.

It only took a few minutes before the patient was uncomfortable. He started visibly sweating, with an upsetting look on his face. Gideon stretched out a hand to me with his eyes still closed. In response, the man he was using for our lesson plan was starting to shake, his eyes wide as he was staring at the wall.

I took Gideon's hand, and I regretted it. The image that flashed into my mind was a disgusting one. The man Gideon was grasping was alone in a dark abyss. There were faint lights coming from nothing that spotlighted him. I noticed the terror on his face before anything. He was breathing heavily, and watching things move in the shadows. He was on the verge of a panic attack.

I felt Gideon's hand tighten on mine, and all hell broke lose. All types of bugs, roaches, beetles came running full speed at Gideon's guinea pig, and started crawling on him. They bit, and scratched, and violated every bit of his flesh that was exposed. I couldn't watch. I wouldn't.

I yanked my hand away from Gideon, breaking the connection he linked all three of us with. The man in the white scrubs twitched in full blown panic, patting himself down, and scurrying to a corner in the room. I was distraught. Is this what he's been doing here? How long has he been doing this to people? He was hurting these people that were probably fine to begin with.

I stared at his smirk in horror. I backed out of the room, giving one last glance at the unfortunate man cowering in his small room. I turned, and took off down the hall. I couldn't believe the crap I just witnessed . I guess now I understand why Olivia was so quiet earlier. I was ready to get out of here. I took a few turns back the way we went, and looked for exit signs. I was looking for the front door.

Glancing over , I spotted the little boy from earlier . He clutched his toy , and watched me walking toward the door . He didn't have much of an expression on his face . He waved to me . I was taken aback by that , and faltered in my steps just enough to wave back to him , saying bye . I doubt I will come back here , but there's a chance I may visit my new tiny friend .

I made my way down the steps , and looked up . Beyond the parking lot , there was an entire forest in front of the asylum . Trees covered the winding road leading into town ; there was only so much you could see . She said it was only a little bit away , so maybe I could just walk there . I covered my forehead with the palm of my hand , thinking .

How does she evaporate ?

I slowly took my hand down to rest over my heart , and took a deep breath . I've seen her do it enough times . I feel like I should have it down by now . I squeeze my eyes shut as I think about the place I want to go . I could feel a warmth in my chest as my mind raced through all the people I could visit despite the distance . My mother was at work . My father was across the States . I have no idea where my boyfriend is , or Olivia either .

As my mind drifted away , I could feel myself floating like petals on the wind . The sensation was like a soft breeze tickling my skin , and giving me goosebumps . It was light , and feathery . There wasn't much I could see . It was as if T.V static was in front of my eyes . But the feeling was marvelous . No wonder this is Olivia's favorite way to travel . I was distracted by the emotions filling me that I lost where I was headed .

Somehow , the extra senses stopped abruptly , and the static was removed from my eyes . I was in... a crypt ? I was in a crypt . The walls were stone, and cold . There was a sconce on the wall , lit to brighten the room a bit . How did I end up here ? There were two stone coffins in the middle of the room . The surrounding walls had wrought iron bars on the windows , and the same for the only door connecting to the outside .

Looking harder through the darkness , I could see small tables lined with books. I could see a bench on the far wall , and faded golden tapestry hung for decoration . It looked like someone's hang out spot . Who could possibly be here though ? I don't know anyone that likes cemeteries .

I saw a tiny light in the darkest corner of the crypt . I took a step forward , and squinted , hoping to get a better look . I realized there were two tiny lights , and they were following my steps . They looked a lot like cat eyes in the dark come to think of it .

"You really shouldn't sneak up on people while they're sleeping ." A voice echoed on the walls , making me jump . The little sparkles of light started moving toward me . I took a small step back , alarmed .

"I didn't know where I was going," I said in a small voice . My eyes wouldn't focus any further . I took another step back as the lights advanced . I could hear small growls .

"Then maybe pay attention next time ." The deep voice demanded . I took another step back , and pressed against the wall . Why couldn't I go through the wall ? I was ready to get out of here .

"It's consecrated . You should go out the way you came in ." The voice was a deep purr this time as I realized who it belonged to . The face that matched the voice seeped out of the dark . His eyes flickered one last time before the sconce exposed him . Sebastian watched me intently , not looking very friendly .

"Oh , it's you . I'm so sorry ." I whispered.

His glare softened when he saw the fear on my face. Realization dawned on him , and he made a few quick paces to the wrought iron door. He unlatched the bar , and pushed it open. His pale hands were steaming on the metal. He gave me another glance , and gestured with an open hand to leave. I nodded my head , and took off . I jogged through the graveyard , not looking back.

I had no idea where I was. It wasn't familiar to me. My long hair whipped around my shoulders as I sprinted to the gate at the end of the cemetery. I could feel eyes on me while I ran. It wasn't important enough to me to pay attention to who they belonged to. I flew past headstones and trees, trying to get my mind off of my embarrassment.

Was that Sebastian's home?

I saw an orb fly past my view. It looked like it was trying to keep up with me. I made it out of there, and slowed down to a walk. I was done with graves, forever. I'm a ghost, but I'm not gonna hang out with corpses and coffins. There was absolutely no way that going to the cemetery was on my mind .

When I popped in, Sebastian looked very angry, territorial, I guess. It was frightening. My mind wandered back to what he said, Consecrated. His living space had been blessed to keep monsters out. I thought about my back against the wall, not being able to escape, and Sebastian's hand burning on the door. I guess I should learn everything I can about the new rules for my world.

...

It took me an hour to find my way back into town. I thought about trying to evaporate once more, but I didn't want to chance popping into where I shouldn't again. I'm going to need a lot of practice with that one.

I noticed the little orb from earlier was following me again, circling , and dancing. I tried to shoo it away so I could concentrate on getting home. Maybe I should check on Vince again? I haven't seen him all day. We would spend most of our time together before..

I flick my curls over my shoulder , and make a few turns. I've finally reached my house with its white walls, and forest green shutters. It was home, but it felt far away. Alienated, I guess. I remember it being my home, but it doesn't exactly feel that way anymore.

The orb was hot on my heels. I turned toward it when it started shifting form. I was on my porch when Olivia appeared with me.

"Hi, did you learn anything new?" She asked cautiously.

"I learned not to go there again." I said, begrudgingly.

It was a terrible thing to witness. I can only imagine what it was like to experience it. That poor guy, I wonder how long Gideon had been practicing on people.

Olivia placed a hand on my shoulder, snapping me out of my thoughts. She seemed to have read them knowing the look on her face probably matched mine.

I reached up to grasp her hand, "Yeah, it was a horror movie there. I don't want to try that if I have to practice on people. It's not right."

She nodded, agreeing with me. We walked through the wall of my childhood home, and came out to the living room on the other side. My mother was sitting on the couch with her legs crossed, and a blank expression plastered on her face.

My sister was lying on the floor listening to music on her headphones. My brother was probably in his room playing video games. I'm sure my dad was at work. My family looked fine on the outside, but little tendrils of blue escaped their silouettes. They were doing their best with what they had, and you'd have no idea.

If my family is known for anything, it's not showing how they feel. It was heartbreaking, all that sorrow floating around the house. I wasn't sure I wanted to be here. I wanted to do something fun. I wanted to drive around town, or watch a movie, or have fun with Vince. It sank in deeper that I wouldn't get that chance again.

I took a minute to compose myself before heading down the hall into my room . The door was kept shut , which I never did. All of my things were there , nothing moved , nothing touched. My bed still sat in the corner, unmade. My books were still on my end table open to the biology notes I had taken the previous night.

I crawled into bed , thinking about all those poor people from the hospital. I wasn't brave enough to even try, and now I have to limit myself on seeing Vince. I decided to lie here until morning. What exactly was I supposed to do now?