I See You

Escape

The roof was leaking. Amelia watched from her bed, the motion at which the droplets left the ceiling and fell into the metal bucket. She flinched ever so slightly from the sound it created.

Looking underneath her pillow, she stared at the spot that she hid her drug the previous night. She cursed at herself for not finding it a tad bit suspicious that the head nurse walked in and simply placed it on her side table, expecting her to take it on her own. She should have known it would be a trap- which it was, for when she woke up, her hands and feet were bound and the head nurse stood above her, syringe in hand and a sickening smirk on her face.

The sun, being the only form of light from the tiny window, illuminated the small room but Amelia still felt dark on the inside.

Her heart yearned for someone her body and mind repulsed. She was tired of the voices that rang in her head every hour, her throat was raw from all the screaming and shouting she had done. She was tired of trying to convince herself that she would get better because as the days went by she felt herself get weaker and weaker and weaker. Her own life was a foreign town.

Amelia was tired.

And she accepted it. Maybe this was what her life would be till she returned to the ground but why?

Why didn't she deserve love? Why didn't she deserve happiness? Why couldn't she go back to her life? Why her?

The clock struck 12

It would be the first time she went down to the cafeteria and sat amongst other people. The thought of mingling didn't cross her mind, she just wanted to get it over with.

And it wasn't just lunch she was talking about.

Lily had been awfully quiet since that morning, she was walking with Amelia to the cafeteria and noticed the brown-skinned girls silence. The sight somewhat broke her. Was it because the love she saw between the patient and the doctor was no twilight story? Or the fact that she knew what was going on behind closed doors and couldn't say anything because......well because she needed her job.

Either way, no one deserved to go through what Amelia was going through.

Lily continued to steal glances at the girl until they arrived at the canteen and she helped Amelia to the line.

"Well, here we are," She said cheerfully "Just pick up a tray, follow the line and you will be attended to" Her smile didn't falter and she kept it as wide as she could in hope of receiving one back.

She didn't.

Amelia picked up her metal tray and walked until it was her turn to be served.

The variety wasn't a lot but Amelia found it that way because she barely ate, that and she never left her room except she had to.

A chicken salad and a bottle of water sat nicely on her tray as she walked to the bench and table at the back of the canteen.

Amelia picked at her food for a while before she heard someone clear their- his throat.

Not in the mood for people, Amelia looked up, a resting b***h expression plastered on her face but she let it falter when she saw who stood before her.

It was a guy, older than her, a good 5-year difference if she were correct. He had brown hair and blue eyes.

The man had a rugged look to him. A scar that ran through his left eyebrow and a stubble. He looked like a psychopath and Amelia had to admit she found him a bit attractive.

He continued to glare at her, hoping she'd get the hint that she was on "his" seat but the girl just looked down and continued playing with her food. He quirked a brow at her antics before sighing and sitting down.

"You know, if you didn't want to eat, you could've just stayed back" His voice was deep and smooth and it caused Amelia to snap her head up at him and when she met his questioning eyes she wanted nothing more than to stare back at her food and continue the action he had just called her out for.

Instead, she played with her fingers which seemed to piss the man off even more. His silverware fell from his hand and he folded his arms and stared at Amelia.

"What are you deaf or something?" He could feel his temper rising but he tried to control it. Hazel eyes met his blue ones.

Amelia sheepishly smiled and signed to him

"I'm not deaf, I simply cannot speak" His brows shot up in realization and he cleared his throat before leaning closer to her.

Amelia's speech had been getting better.

She could say a few words now but she preferred not to say anything at all even though that was the opposite of what she was meant to do.

"I'm sorry" He apologized, Amelia waved him off and continued playing with her food but stopped when the man stopped her and she was shocked when she looked at him and saw he was signing to her

"I mean it, i'm sorry, I should've thought before I spoke" Amelia smiled and looked everywhere else but at the man before her.

When she finally did meet his eyes, he had a goofy look on his face and the expression cause her to laugh out loud, a laugh so loud she had to slap her hand over her mouth as her eyes widened at how loud she laughed.

It was a refreshing laugh and she thought how she didn't remember the last time she laughed.

Days

Weeks

Months

No, it had been years since she laughed a whole-hearted laugh like the one she just let out.

"What is wrong with you!?" She signed aggressively but he only laughed as she glared at him

"My name is Damien. I haven't seen you around here Amelia, what changed?"

Damien, Amelia made a mental note to say his name as much as possible when she got her voice back.

Her hands began to reply him but then she stopped herself and narrowed her eyes at Damien "How do you know my name?"

Damien froze like he had been caught with his hand in a cookie jar, his hand went to the back of his neck and he averted her gaze and scratched his neck. He looked back at her hoping she'd sense his unwillingness to speak and drop the case. Instead, he was met with a pouting Amelia who had her arms folded.

Damien sighed "Not to make you feel bad but you are the most talked about patient here"

Amelia's brows shot up at that and she signed to him "Is that so?"

Damien nodded his head and stabbed the chicken breast on his plate and put it in his mouth. Judging by the facial expression he made, it wasn't the best thing in the world

"I mean, it's not every time a patient has her fiancé working as a fake doctor just so he can be around her" He shrugged but didn't know he had just ignited something in her

That's true, Dean was her fiancé but.....

Amelia's gaze drifted to the other patients who sat eating, some were being helped to walk around the canteen and it was then that she realized

"Why are you here?" She signed to Damien, instantly regretting it though because of the pain that flashed through his eyes so she rephrased "I just noticed we were the only young ones here. Every other person in here is pretty old"

Damien visibly calmed a little and it was his turn to begin playing with his food but he did answer her

"We're in ward C"

Ward C?

Damien saw the confusion make its way to Amelia's face so he continued to speak "There are three wards in this institution. A, B and C" Amelia listened attentively

"Ward A, is what some might call the 'normal' ward. The patients there don't really suffer from anything serious. Some like to call it a retirement home. Ward B consists of the usual, bipolar, schizophrenia, AIWS also known as the Alice in Wonderland Syndrome. W-ward C" He paused

Damien looked around as if he were scared someone would hear him.

That was exactly what he felt because he leaned closer to Amelia and she suddenly felt the need to lean away

"This is the testing ward" His voice was hoarse and Amelia's brow shot up

Testing ward? She thought to herself

"Testing? On what?" Damien leaned back

"Not 'what' Amelia 'who' " He began clawing his nails on the table, the screeching sound cause Amelia to cover her ears with her hands.

She noticed his long fingernails

Damien stopped abruptly and his eyes looked to the window at the far end of the hall. The look one has, that expression that is plastered on your face when you hear something.

Something faint

Distant

And you strain your ears so you can try to hear it again because you're not exactly sure if you really heard it.

That look, was fixated on Damien's face and Amelia already regretted coming down for breakfast.

People are always a bad idea

Damien grabbed Amelia's hands in his own and squeezed them tightly

Almost too tight

"Listen to me" He began, his eyes now bloodshot "You need to get out of here. The people here, they are not normal. None of this is normal. I've seen things"

Amelia struggled to release her hands from his vice grip but to no avail. She looked around and it suddenly seemed like all the staff had walked away at this moment.

"They will test on you Amelia. Use you as a lab rat. You're never going to leave here. You have to find a way out before they get to your head and you're stuck here forever" Someone's plate fell to the floor.

An old woman walked up to them, her skin pale and wrinkly. Amelia's gaze fell on the woman

She looked to be decaying

"Wh-what are you doing boy?!" Her voice was that of every witch children watched in fairytales.

High pitched and sickening

"Get away! I'm trying to warn her" Damien's body started shaking and Amelia wanted to scream so loud for help but she could not.

The old woman walked up to Damien and hit him continuously. A useless attempt for her hits were futile.

"Can you not see you're hurting the girl? Stop! Stop! Stop!" The old woman continued to chant for Damien to release his hold on Amelia.

Suddenly, all the patients in the canteen went mad

Throwing their plates, screaming, wailing.

All the noise at once made Amelia cry, Damien released his grip on Amelia and she rushed to a corner in the canteen.

A nurse stormed in and grabbed Damien but Damien was stronger than him and fought his way of his arms. Another nurse came in and both men began dragging Damien out of the hall with him kicking and screaming at the top of his lungs.

"No! No! No! You don't understand! I have to save her! I have to warn her!"

And then he was gone and the canteen returned to the peaceful place it was.

Like nothing ever happened

But no-one came for Amelia

She let it linger in her mind as she brought her knees up to her chest and rocked herself back and forth telling herself everything was going to be okay.

Amelia didn't know when she fell asleep or how she got back to her room but she was somewhat glad.

She didn't think she could've mustered up enough strength to move from that spot.

Amelia looked at the tiny window in her room, the sun had set and the moon shone brightly. She walked to her bed when she noticed a light at the corner of her eye.

She stood up and turned around

A mirror

She could swear there was no mirrors placed in her room when she was put in here , for obvious reasons.

Curious, she walked to it.

Nothing fancy the reflective thing, it was a simple rectangular mirror and for the first time in a long time.

Amelia saw her reflection.

Her hand reached out and her fingers traced every curve of her face, she could see her hair and she appreciated the 4b strings that dangled from her scalp.

She appreciated her eyes. Even though she could see the sadness and confusion they held, she appreciated them.

She giggled to herself and yes, she appreciated her smile.

"Amelia" It was whisper but she heard it.

And she knew who it was

Amelia turned around swiftly and in the corner of her room stood the one person her heart had been aching for

Dean

He was in a black v-neck shirt that hugged his body perfectly and navy blue jeans

Amelia didn't know when her tears fell but when she felt them, she didn't bother wiping them away.

Without thinking too hard, she ran to him and hugged him but he faded like ashes in the wind.

Amelia's heart skipped a beat and she frantically scanned her surroundings.

He was here. She saw him. He called her name

So where was he?

Amelia contemplated on screaming but ran back to the mirror for it was when she looked in it he had called her.

She looked at herself hard and looked back to where she had "seen" Dean

When she whipped her head back to the mirror, there he was, staring back at her.

Amelia gasped as her eyes widened.

"Dean?" She called out but received no answer "Dean! Talk to me" She said louder this time.

Amelia was beginning to think she was running mad all over again but her body began to heat up, as if she were burning.

She looked at the mirror in front of her and it had fogged up.

Wordings appeared on it.

'This isn't real'

This isn't real she repeated to herself.

The burning sensation got to her and Amelia fell to the floor and started screaming in pure agony.

Her wails for someone to help her drifted into thin air as she continued to writhe and claw at the ground.

"HELP!" Amelia screamed but for the first time in two years.

No one answered.

◽◾◽◾◽◾

Amelia's eyes were fixated on the white ceiling that sheltered her.

It was morning and the burning was long gone. When Amelia woke up, she noticed the mirror was gone.

Gone as in, it was never there.

She waked down to the canteen and her breakfast in peace, no complaints, no strange, attractive man and definitely no wrinkly, old, witch sounding ladies.

Now, with her arms folded across her chest, Amelia thought.

Am I in ward C?

If I am, is what Damien said true? The man was mad but then again, they were all mad here

Except for her

Well she wasn't exactly sure if she were mad or not but she liked to believe she wasn't

Just like every mad person.

What tests were run exactly? What did they do to the people here?

Amelia knew she had gone through several operations but she wouldn't necessarily call them "tests".

At the end of the day, she needed them.

Didn't she?

Amelia got up from her bed, it was Sunday, meaning she got to walk in the garden.

She would go earlier than others, she appreciated the solitude.

Just as she were about to ring the bell next to her bed, a paper was slipped under her door.

Amelia walked to it and picked it up.

Before she read it, she peaked her head to look out the square transparent glass on her door. There was no one there.

Strange

Mails normally come from the nurses.

Amelia unfolded the paper.

It read; 'Face your fears. sick bay. '

from 'D.A'

Not everyone is built to understand riddles but Amelia needed to force herself, force her brain to comprehend it.

One thing was for sure though,

Amelia needed to escape.

⚫⚪⚫⚪⚫⚪⚫⚪

Run Away,

But we're running in circles

.

Don't forget to cote and please leave a comment.

Love,

Ada