"What are you in for, new kid?" a girl asked, lying on the couch sipping on what looked like orange juice. I'm not sure why, but at that moment, I remembered that one line from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air about drinking orange juice out of a champagne glass and almost burst out laughing. I remember the most random things constantly; I once recalled the song Toxic Love from FernGully: The Last Rainforest in class and nearly sang it out loud from how good it was. This one time, I had When You're Hot, You're Hot by Jerry Reed play in my head for about four hours straight while I was taking my finals. Just try focusing on your work when all you can hear is "La la la la la la la, when you're hot, you're hot." For the record, the only time I'll ever be hot is when they burn me at the stake.
What a way to introduce yourself!
"Uh... mania. I remember nothing about it, though," I said, frowning. Sometimes I wish to forget certain things, but there are also times where not remembering something can be incredibly painful.
"Nice, I'm here for psychosis. Anyways, there are Rice Krispies in the back, if you're interested," she said lazily, stretching.
Don't mind if I do!
I grabbed one of the Rice Krispies at the speed of light and wolfed it down. It had been so long since I've had actually good food. It was probably the most delicious thing I had ever eaten at that moment; that's how hungry I was.
"Woah, when did you last eat?" she asked, laughing.
"Uh... yesterday maybe?" I replied awkwardly. My memory had been incredibly awkward ever since I went into the hospital. It's like time travel killed half of my brain cells.
"I'm on antipsychotics, so it's nearly impossible for me not to eat. Ever heard of Risperidone?" she asked, sitting up. She moved about twelve times a second.
"Can't say I have; what is it like?" I asked, getting a second Rice Krispie.
"It's horrible; it makes you a literal zombie, and you just want to sleep all day. It's supposed to lower your emotional threshold or something, but it just makes me feel like I'm sedated most of the time. Plus, the metallic taste in my mouth isn't exactly the best," she said, yawning heavily.
Man, I'm so sorry.
"How much do they make you take for your psychosis?" I asked as I finished the second Krispie.
"You won't believe this, but two milligrams. It's not even supposed to be that heavy of a dose. Oh, well, it beats losing my mind and talking to people that don't exist, I guess..." she said, shrugging.
"You talked to people that didn't exist?" I asked curiously.
"Yeah, like I was talking to my friends and family, but they were never actually there. It's crazy 'cause I could have sworn that they were actually there because of how realistic it all was. I would also keep hallucinating this ninja in my closet who would stalk me and throw his shuriken at me whenever I looked at him. Eventually, my parents realized how bizarre my conversations had become and took me here. I thought I was making perfect sense. I wouldn't wish anything like that upon my worst enemies," she said, frowning.
"Neither would I. Hey, what's your na-"
"Group time!" an instructor interrupted as she entered the room.
It better not be knitting. If it is, I'll knit myself a coffin, I swear on it.
YOU ARE READING
The October Amaryllis
Science FictionClive Andrews is a typical 16-year-old boy who never had anything out of the ordinary happen until May 16th, 2020, when he was struck by several feet of ball lightning and nearly killed. After being discharged from the hospital, he realizes that he...
