Effie

Chapter Twenty

Effie stared wide-eyed at Miss Arkwright. "How do you know Linsey?"

Miss Arkwright stared down at her feet and sighed. "Because I can see them too."

Effie began to feel hopeful. If she could see the dead people as well and no one thinks she's crazy, then she can help her escape this place. Effie opened her mouth to ask her a question. "Since you can see them too, can you help me convince everyone I'm not crazy?"

Miss Arkwright shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry, dear, but it's not that easy. You see, I got the ability to see them when I was much older than you. Because I was older I was able to ignore them better and not talk to them out loud. Sometimes I would space out, but my parents would just think that I was day dreaming." She looked at Effie and saw the disappointed look on her face. "I'm sorry. I really am! But I can promise you one thing: I will help you in a way that you won't get in much trouble."

"How?" Effie was disappointed about not being able to escape, but as long as she didn't get in trouble and didn't end up like the girl that she witnessed not too long ago, it'll be better than before. Maybe, if she didn't get in so much trouble, she could go home sooner.

Miss Arkwright gave her a small smile. "I'll watch over you. Just trust me." She got up to leave before Effie stopped her.

"Thank you, Miss Arkwright." Effie gave her a smile.

Miss Arkwright gave a tight nod and walked out of her room. Effie laid back on her bed once the door was closed and stared up at the ceiling. She began to wonder about the girl in the tube. What had she done that caused her be punished like that? How long must she stay in that tube? Will she recover from that torture?

Effie knew for certain that she never wanted to feel what that girl was feeling. She began to feel eternally grateful for Miss Arkwright's offer of help. How she truly managed to avoid this place boggled Effie's mind, but she was determined not to think about it too long. She needed to trust Miss Arkwright and the only way to do that was not to question her.

Effie let her eyes close for just a second before the door slammed open. She bolted up in bed and looked at the intruder. It was Miss Murphey. Her hands were on her hips and her eyes bore into Effie's.

She marched towards Effie and grabbed her arm. She yanked her out of bed and out of her room. They walked down the stairs and outside the asylum. They walked down a path lined with browning plants and through a gate. She was stopped when they came to a tiny shed.

The shed was made of wood and was leaning a little to one side. The door had a large lock on it that was becoming rusted. It's windows were small, dirty, and cracked. It looked to Effie as if this was the only building that they didn't take care of.

Just like us, Effie thought to herself.

Miss Murphey pushed Effie towards the shed and took out a ring of keys. She walked over to the door's lock and began to switch between keys trying to remember which one unlocked the door. Once she found the right key and unlocked the door, she opened the door wide and pushed Effie deeper into the shed.

She pointed to some clippers in the back. "Grab those and begin to trim the hedges. Mistress Humphries likes them to be completely even. Mess up and she won't be happy." Miss Murphey turned and walked out of the shed. "I don't care how long it takes. Do it right."

Effie waited until she couldn't hear Miss Murphey's footsteps before she walked out of the shed with the clippers in hand. She walked towards the hedges and began to snip away at the excess leaves sprouting out of their uniform. She looked up towards the sky and noticed the sun was already halfway down the sky.

Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she hasn't had anything to eat yet. She placed a hand on her stomach and sighed. Maybe if she gets this done faster, she can be ready for dinner.

Wait, do they serve lunch? The thought occurred to her. Apparently not if the suns already halfway down and no one said anything about it.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and went back to cutting. An hour later, she was almost done. Just one more hedge to trim and then she'll be done and will hopefully get something to eat.

When she walked over to the last hedge, she began to have a strange feeling that she was being watched. She looked up above her to notice a long, large window. Her eyes widened slightly when she noticed Linsey looking down at her. She stared into Linsey's lifeless eyes for a while until moving her attention back to her work.

Once she clipped the last leaf, she looked back up at the window. Linsey was gone and so was any sign that the apparition had been there. Effie shook the strange feeling away and went back to the shed. She noticed Miss Murphey standing next to the shed with her arms crossed. Effie avoided eye contact and placed the clippers back into their respected spot and walked out of the shed.

Miss Murphey told her to stay put and went to check the hedges for any kind of mess up. Effie held her breath the whole time and waited for the disapproving voice. But it never came. Instead, she heard a sigh and looked up to see Miss Murphey nodding. She stared with wide eyes at her, but never made eye contact.

She motioned Effie to follow her and she did. She led her back into the asylum and into two double doors. Effie's stomach growled when her nose met the smell of food. She was sat down at a secluded table at the far end of the room and was given a bowl of some kind of soup. It was grey and had some kind of vegetables in it. Or so she thought.

Effie didn't care though. She was so hungry that she just dived into the soup and finished it quickly. Her stomach was now settled for now.

Miss Murphey came back a few minutes after Effie was done and led her back to her room. Effie was pushed inside and the door closed behind her. Effie looked out the window and noticed that the sun had finally set and the outside world had become dark.

Effie smiled at the warmness of her stomach and cuddled up to the stuffed animals on her bed. She closed her eyes and soon drifted off to sleep.