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Unexpected Arrangements May 23, 1983 ꕥ
The long foreboding halls were nearly silent. Only the steady, uniform buzz of the fluorescent lights overhead made any semblance of a noise. The hush atmosphere was tranquil, yes, but also strangely creepy. It felt like the opening moments of a scary movie, and the opening moments were slowly unfolding into a full story.
A woman tramped down the corridor. A tall, thin woman with a slim frame and a swift walk. It was like that of a boss or a CEO. As though she was always on her way to something of utmost importance. Cold blue eyes set on reaching their destination.
Her black heels hit the tiled floor harshly with each tread of her foot as she walked down the hall to a large set of double doors. Her tight bun bobbed up and down rhythmically until she reached the thick and heavyset doors with a small keypad to the right of them in order to get through. The woman reached her slender hand towards the pad and began to press the numbered buttons. Each one beeping quietly as she pressed her fingers against them.
The doors clicked, allowing her to push past. She reached a long door-filled hallway. Every door featuring a number. She passed one through eleven before stopping, abruptly turning towards a larger door. She focused on it, her blue eyes enlarged slightly by the large, circle glasses covering her face.
Across the door, in bright red letters, there was a warning: Authorized personnel only : DO NOT ENTER.
The woman ignored the sign, her hands reaching towards the small pocket within her small white coat. She pulled out a silver card and held it to the panel to the right of the door, causing a beep to emit from it. The door opened slowly and the woman walked swiftly inside, shutting the door behind her. The broad door was thick all the way through, as if to keep something out...or to hold someone in.
Inside was a compact room, like that of a box. No windows or other doors; there was only the white tiles covering the ceiling, walls, and floor. It smelled of bleach and detergent, as though everything had recently been thoroughly scrubbed.
In the middle of the box sat a small bed with the small figure of a person bundled tightly beneath the barren covers. The women came closer to the bed, approaching the scrawny figure. She perched herself near the edge of the cot while laying a skinny hand on them.
"Hey..it's time to get up," slender hands nudged the small body, waking the child. Groaning, the girl rose her head..
Messy chocolate stands flew in opposing directions, and slowly but surely the hair was rubbed out of the eyes. Her face was that of a young girl, chubby and freckled with a beauty mark above her right eyebrow. She had a lean, almost frightening, figure, which was being drowned in an over-sized hospital gown.
