The Bellevue Program

part 12

Sydney sat at a steel picnic bench, deep in thought she barely noticed the others starting to sit around her. She began to adjust to the noise, low talking, soft rubber soles walking over the polished concrete floor, the hum of the UV lighting

"Its the drinks. You're on green yes?" A womans voice beside her broke the deep concentration. She noted an accent, Spanish. the voice was velvety and soft "you can talk, it's ok" 

Sydney nodded

"This is your first day out. You must have been a good girl" the woman soothed "better that way.. I'm Anabella" 

"Sydney" She spoke without hesitance. She had already knew Anabella was somehow not an enemy, internally she sensed it.

"Im allowed to guide you through this, they have asked me to. You must have so many questions - "

Anabella was cut off when an inmate, dressed in blue scrubs with an apron and chefs hat served breakfast to them, moving along to the next person with different meals for each, almost as though ordered in a restaurant

Sydney waited until he had moved down the table and quietly asked "where are we?"

Anabella half smiled "here" she said, "we don't know, somewhere far away from anything else"

"great, thanks for your help" she sighed

"let me guess, you have no family, no friends?"

Sydney looked at her without answering

"You went to jail for something almost insignificant - Almost like the system tried to make sure you were prosecuted to the full extent? How long were you in there?"

"three months"

"wow" she said "they got you fast"

"What is this place? Why are we here?"

"They call it the facility" the woman to her other side said as she cut into her pancakes with her silverware "we call it the womb"

Sydney sat quiet, the woman had long straight black hair, and a small but apparent pregnant belly. Sydney eyed it but said nothing.

"Thats Jen" Anabella said, indicating the woman across the table "shes been here three years, me i have been here eight years"

"Three years and 5 babies" Jen choffed "expert level"

This statement made Sydney look at her wide eyed "five - babies?"

Anabella put a hand on her "Its what they do here, its why we are here"

"Why? This has to be a joke, it cant be real" Sydney began to raise her voice, her body tensing and reactive

"Dont" Jen quickly said "trust me, control yourself"

Sydney heaved breaths in and out, her chest pounding. She felt a panic come on, she needed to stand, to get out

"Please Sydney, you have to calm yourself" Anabella whispered "trust me please!" she pleaded 

Sydney closed her eyes tightly and listened "I know this is all, un-real" she said "so much to know" her gentle accent calming "but you have to remain calm, you don't want to end up in the depths, it is much worse down there"