The Games We Play

Key to the Heart

Ellie stared at the shut door. Whoever lurked their way upstairs hadn't found her... For now. Out of the corner of her eye, Ellie spotted a white little dresser next to her aunt's bed. Even though she knew it was wrong, Ellie walked stealthily over to the night dresser. She yanked out the dresser drawer and cringed. The dresser was so old it sounded like nails on a rusted chalkboard. Ellie darted her eyes around frantically. She hoped nobody heard that. Inside the drawer was many papers. Some of them were just phone numbers and useless junk, but there was an envelope at the bottom of the useless pile. Ellie picked it up. It felt slightly heavy, but light. For no particular reason, Ellie put the crinkled envelope up to her nose. It smelled of wet cigarettes and a strong musty perfume. It was defiantly her aunt's. Ellie wrinkled up her nose and carefully unfolded the flap on the envelope. She pulled out a tea stained piece of notebook paper. She skimmed over it and then finally read it carefully.

"How does one escape? How does one feel love even though they've only been shown hate? The answer is simple. Stop the heart. Rip the emotions into shreds and tear the body apart. One by one you throw it down. The love, the hate, make them drown. But how does one reach the heart? Simply find the key and make it restart. They have to be punished. Even if it's not their will. Something has to be done, I won't hesitate to kill."

Ellie grimaced at the letter. She knew her aunt had written this. It scared her that it looked somewhat recent... And to think that the poor souls from the hospital were here. Ellie got the chills. She hoped she wasn't referring to them. Ellie looked at the poem closer. This was a clue. She looked around. Heart and a key. She shook her head. She didn't know what it meant. "But how does one reach the heart? Simply find the key and make it restart." She read aloud. She had to find a key to reach the heart. Ellie looked around once more in the drawer. No key there. Ellie tucked the envelope into her pant pocket and reentered the closet. Ellie got an idea and sprinted down towards the file cabinet. She double checked everything, but there was no key. Ellie sighed and then turned around. Her eyes lit up and she felt all over the nurse dress. She opened the pocket on the left hand side. She did it. There was an old rusted skeleton key in the pocket where someone's heart would be. Ellie smiled. She knew that it must've lead to a door. Yet another room she wasn't aloud in.

Ellie slipped the key into her pocket and jogged over to the bedroom door. She opened the door just a crack and peered through. Nobody was out there. Ellie tiptoed over to her room and entered. She jumped onto her bed excitedly. She had figured out a clue. She opened up her phone to see that it was already noon. That meant she had spent about a good hour in that room. Ellie sighed and remembered about the stupid laundry bag that she had forgotten in James' room. She got up and left her room quietly, but stopped dead still in the hallway. On the locked door in front of her, had a wooden heart carved into the door frame. She had never noticed it before. Ellie touched her pocket. She had the key to another forbidden room in this prison.

Ellie could hardly contain her disbelief. Even going into James' room, she felt distant. She wondered what she would do next. Obviously she had to go in the room... But when? Tomorrow she would go into the sacred room. When entering, James made a halfhearted noise. Ellie shook her head to empty her previous thoughts. Ellie grinned and walked over to James. He was laying down on his side, bored out of his mind. Ellie sat on the bed and ran her fingers through his hair. "How is it going?" She asked. James' just laughed and closed his eyes. Ellie loved his laugh. It was like a child being tickled. "I hope you are alright." She sighed. "But I'm sure my little Jamie is!" She messed up his hair and he giggled softly. He yawned widely and shifted in the bed. Ellie smiled warmly, leaned over, and kissed his forehead. James smiled thinly. Ellie picked up the bag of laundry and turned off the lights.

Walking out into the hall brought those thoughts rushing back to her head. She tried to push them further. Ellie decided she needed to focus on the task at hand, and then come up with what to do with the heart room. She found herself wandering downstairs. Clark sat on the couch reading a book. He looked up and smiled. Ellie smiled back. 'Sorry about earlier.' He apologized. Ellie shrugged. "It's alright! To be honest, I would've done the same thing." She paused. "Can you show me where the laundry room is?" She asked. Clark nodded. He stood up and set the old withered book on the couch. He began to walk in the direction of the entertainment room. Ellie followed. He lead her through the hall and past the piano room. He entered a small room with a duck carved on the door handle. Inside the cramped room was two washers and two dryers. There was a tiny white shelf with soap and dryer sheets. "Thank you!" Ellie chirped. Clark nodded and left the room. Ellie sorted the clothes and put them in the washer. She walked out into the main visiting room. Clark sighed. 'I will be out working in the garden.' Ellie nodded cheerfully. "Need any help?" He shook his head and disappeared down the hall. Ellie sat on the couch. She took a glance at the book he was reading. "Lord of the Flies?" She read aloud. Ellie shrugged. All of a sudden, there was a spine chilling knock on the door.