mental » n.h.

03

first off just this week mental hit 1k reads!! and 100 votes! haha! now here is chapter 3:

[03]

The morning sun was setting slowly, rolling behind the rolling hills in a silent, slow path. Shining streaks of gold and orange rays of light tumbled through the musty, stained windows of the institution. Cora was sitting on her bed, head down, reading a book she was allowed to bring with her. It was one of the few possesions Jordansonn Mental Institution had originally let her bring with her, but only after much probbing and patting to make sure no dangerous items concealed brought in by any of the patients.

The pale sunlight cast uneven lines of contrasting, uneven streaks across Cora. Her light brown hair shone blonde in the sunlight, her pale face in shadows. Her small hands white, her legs, concealed in the thick, white uniform, immersed in the darkest shade.

Niall sat on his own bed, staring at the black socks that covered his feet, which were pressed against the chillingly cold plain gravel of the 2nd floor of the surprisingly large building. The familiar clatter of large bells from the speakers hanging in every corridor informed that 2nd floor was now having lunch.

Niall looked up, his eyes meeing Cora's. She let an accidental gasp fall from her pink lips, shocked by what she saw before her.

Niall's left eye had a large, black circle around it- a black eye. And both had enormous bags underneath. When he tried to smile cheerfully at her, his mouth made an unpleasent turn downwards, a twisted look of pain taking over his features. As their guards let them out of their cells, Cora immediately hurried up to him, silently preparing her confrontation.

"Niall, What happened?"

"Oh, it's nuh-ing," he began, trying to assure her. But his words came out as a jumble. He tried once more.

"C'mon, Coruhh. It's no pruhblem!"

Her eyebrows creased, her mouth making a straight line as she sighed.

"Niall." her voice trembled. She rested her hand on his upperarm, her eyes fixed on his.

"What. Happend?" she said slowly. They entered the lunch room. Or- should we say- dungeon. Sunken faces surronded them. The other patients sunken faces matched the tired, dirty gray mess of their formerly white uniforms.

He hesitated, ran his fingers through his hair, then scratched the back of his neck, a nervous habit.

"Nothing, really C." he protested as they sat down in seats opposite eachother, at their own small table.

Cora sighed again. "Fine, Whatever you say, Niall."

"That reminds me!" he said, jumping up from the chair suddenly.

"What?"

"I found something...disturbing..." he said nervously.

"What is it?"

"A kinfe."

Now Cora leaps up from her seat, her eyes wide, her lips forming a wide, pink "o" .

"Where?! When?"

"Well, Yesterday, when Joseph- my guard- sent me to take a shower for washing time at around 8, I came across the water fountain on my way and there was a knife in there. Like, where the water falls when you press it." he continued.

"So I was sorta freaked out, because well, its not a good sign to find a knife in a hospital for people supposedly insane, right?" Cora nodded.

"I shrugged it off, because if I didn't take a shower then, I'd get in trouble and be punished. And I didn't want that to happen. So I made my way to the bathrooms, looking down right, because if you make eye contact with any of the higher staff, you also get punished. And then I noticed...."

"What? You noticed what?"

" There was blood on the

floor."