Long story short, I woke up in a open space, with metal bars and no windows. I appeared to be in a cell. 'Am I a criminal?' I thought. Maybe.
I scanned the room, hoping to find something that could give me a clue to where I was. All I saw was a rocking chair and some red paint splattered on the floor.
At least, I had hoped it was paint.
There was a lady, dressed in all white and had a nurses cap on, that scurried past my cell. She had what looked to be tranquilzers in her front pocket.
"Excuse me? Ma'am? Could you tell me where I am?" I asked. I made sure to smile and talk in the most nicest tone of voice. She sighed loudly.
"Lennon, you're in the mental asylum," she said. I stood there. 'Lennon?' I thought. 'That's my name? I don't remember that.'
"Uh, okay. Thank you, miss. Can you tell me why I am here?"
"Lennon, I have to go to Henley's room. Please ask the doctor when it's your time to see her." She scurried away, barely picking her feet up off the ground.
'Henley? Who's Henley?'
A mental asylum. That's where this is. 'I thought mental asylums had doors and such?' I looked outside the bars again, but no one was there. There was a clock, ticking away. For some reason, I wasn't scared to be there. I'd imagine any person who wakes up in a strange mental asylum would be terrified, but not me. I was curious. I wanted to know why I was there, and how I got here.
After several ticks of the clock, I heard someone talking to someone else.
"Joy, please. Calm down. Do not pesture Lennon. He just arrived here." I didn't know who was talking, but someone said my name. I started to walk towards the bars, and saw a lady in a dress suit and a girl who was wearing the same clothes as I. There was also a boy next to her, wearing the same clothes. He had green hair, and a sad expression on his face. They walked up to my cell, and the lady in the dress suit smiled. She had an abundance of keys, and unlocked my cell. I think they were expecting me to run and go crazy, but that's not what I had planned. I planned to go with this lady, and find out what I should know already.
"Lennon, you're safe here. Please do not try to escape. There is no use. We are here to protect you - from the public, and from yourself. We will not let you leave, you understand?" the lady said. I nodded.
"Ma'am, I wasn't thinking about leaving," I replied. She tilted her head sideways, and then smiled.
"Oh, alright. Glad to see someone is cooperative." She motioned for me to come with her. I stepped outside the cell, and looked at the others more closely. The boy still had a sad expression on his face, and the girl seemed to be smilng. Maybe she was recovering. I walked with them, and the two others went in a seperate room. The room had other people in there. Some were held by a doctor or nurse; others were completely free, reading magazines and conversing. The doctor led me into a room. It looked like a principals office. She told me to sit down.
"So," she said, as she sat in her professional chair, "how are you, Lennon?"
"Uhm, great, despite the fact that I have not a clue as to why I woke up in a mental asylum." She nodded.
"Yes, that would definitely spike my curiousity a bit. Do you remember anything about before your arrival here?" I shifted in my chair. My white uniform was itchy.
"No. I do not remember anything. I didn't even know my name until that nurse told me. She told me to talk to the doctor. I am assuming you're the doctor?" She nodded.
"Would you like to know why you were here? I could refresh your memory a bit, if you'd like."
"Yes. If you don't mind," I said. She walked over to big filing cabinets and took out a file that said Craft, Lennon. I shifted in my chair again, itching with curiousity.
"Let's see. Your name is Lennon J. Craft. You lived in Arizona before you were sent here. You liked to play the drums in 8th and 9th grade. You had a very few amount of friends when you hit middle school. You are currently in the 10th grade. You entered a stage of depression in 7th. You became lonely, and you were antisocial. Your parents were worried and got you help - a counselor and some medication - when you told them about the voices inside your head. You were diagnosed with depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. You said it had a name, and refused to tell your parents it's name. According to the hospital, you have been self-harming for a while, is that correct? You were sent here when you tried committing suicide. Does anything ring a bell?"
I sat there, silent.
"Yes. I do remember some things now. Not quite clear, but I do. My mom's name was Angela. How I loved her. And, my dad's name was Frank. He was my best friend. They didn't have to find out this way. I could've left them without a burden. Why didn't the paramedics let me die?" A single tear rolled down my cheek, followed by another, and another.
"Because, Lennon. No one wants you to die. They want you to get better. Your parents would've suffered day and night knowing you were gone if you were successful. At least they know you're safe here. Please, trust me." I nodded, and wiped my face. I always knew I was crazy. I never thought I had to live to see recovery, though.
She got up and showed me the door. There were two nurses waiting outside the door for me. I guess no one is allowed without supervision. They took me to my cell. As I walked in, I looked at the clock. A schedule hung above my bed, telling me when free time was, when breakfast, lunch, and dinner was, when I met with the doctor, when I took medication, and when it was time for bed. I sighed and flopped on my uncomfortable bed. 'It's like school,' I thought. 'Only we learn to be sane.'
Haha, you're in a mental hospital, loser.
I looked around me, searching for a body to match the voice I had heard.
No one was there.
You're crazy, stupid.
I kept searching around me, hoping to see someone playing a trick on me. There wasn't anyone present.
Stupid. Lennon, it's me. The voice inside your head. My name is Calamity.
