The Vanishing Complex

Chapter 9

A sharp ringing bell pierced Sofia's slumber. Her eyelids refused to open, but the sound was too fierce to ignore for long. Anger burned through her muscles and propelled her to grab her pillow and toss it against the wall. Her eyelids finally lifted and the stark whiteness of her surroundings proved to be disorienting again. The malicious ringing didn't help bring her into the present. A hand touched her arm earning a marked reaction. Sofia looked at the owner of that bold hand with cutting eyes. Harper. Right. She was not at home. Sofia quickly softened her edges and apologized. Her ears found sweet relief when the ringing finally ceased. Her ears now felt hollow and sensitive to what little sounds were tickling at her eardrum.

Harper grinned widely and welcomed Sofia to her first official day at The Nest. Sofia groaned, holding her head. The drilling alarm had given birth to an awful headache. Sofia rolled out of her bed, planting her feet to the floor as the bedroom door was unlocked. On the other side was a nurse with a bright smile and cheery voice.  The sight unnerved Sofia and she made a mental note of the overly friendly staff. She'd always considered asylums or sanatoriums to be run by corrupt evil people who took advantage of their patients, but she had yet to see an instance of physical abuse. However the overly caring behavior was equally as unsettling. She and Harper exited the room, falling into line with other emerging patients. Sleepiness veiled the group as they shuffled their way to the bathroom block.

Sofia recoiled at the sight of prison showers, everyone out in the open. She became fully aware of the tattoos on her thigh, back, and shoulder. Teenagers still secretly got tattoos without their parents' consent, right? And there was still such a thing as early bloomers? Sofia had been well endowed, making her body appear like the 23-year-old that she was and not the 18-year-old she was pretending to be. A young girl appearing to be fourteen, bumped into her. She cast Sofia an irritated glared as she shuffled through. Sofia was too busy worrying about the next moments to notice. Several showers turned on around her, quickly filling up the space with steam. A shoulder nudged hers. Harper made a joke about checking her modesty at the door. Sofia lightly smiled then stepped up to a shower head and began to pull her clothes off. Within five seconds she was exposed and eyes were turning towards her as whispers rippled over running water.

On her back was a full color peacock whose feathers stretched down the length of her back. The head of the peacock rested on her left shoulder and depicted elaborate detail of the bird's face, including its feather crown and amber eyes. All of her life she'd been advised against tattoos, but the moment she'd moved to Canada, the choice was clear. This was a new life, a rebirth, and that's what the peacock symbolized. On her thigh was the darling face of a red fox, its body coiled along the curve of her leg. Flanking its sides were two vibrantly colored red roses. While there were many negative connotations with a fox, for Sofia it represented energy and radiance. Lastly on her right shoulder was a Celtic knot, symbolic of eternity.

Sofia reached for her bar of soap overhead and rubbed her hands together to work up a lather. Water squelched under a pair of feet as they walked towards her. Anticipation made the damp hairs on the back of her neck rise. She whipped around to find Harper and another girl standing there. Harper pointed at the tattoo on her thigh, admiring the wicked amount of ink. The girl beside her chimed in then the pair turned to reveal large tattoos of a lion and a dragon on their backs. Sofia giggled in relief. Teenage rebellion was alive and well. Showers didn't last for much longer and soon towels were handed out so the young ladies could return to their rooms without giving the boys a thrill. How about you just blindfold them? Sofia thought. There was a ripple of giggles. Okay, maybe she hadn't just thought it. At the end of the hall, Harper was waiting for her, then together the girls walked to their rooms and shut the door. On their beds were freshly pressed and folded uniforms. As Sofia slid the garments over her body, a strong scent of disinfectant attacked her nostrils. Her eyes watered as she shut them to protect against the assault.