Dead Leaves [Discontinued]

[3] New People

When Liv woke up, she had no idea where she was. The room didn't look like the room she had been assigned to yesterday. Actually, what had happened yesterday? The last thing she remembered was finding Vera in the water two months ago. . . .

"Oh, are you awake?"

Liv looked up when the door opened and a nurse walked in. She looked to be in her late twenties, and her red hair was tied up into a high ponytail.

"Hello, I'm Karen; your nurse for the rest of this week," she said as she stepped into the room. "You surprised all of us yesterday, when you weren't in your room. Here, you can't run off whenever you want. Someone needs to know where you are at all times. Now, let's get you out of that bed; Breakfast is in five minutes."

Nodding, Liv lifted the blanket off of her legs and saw that she was wearing green scrubs. She looked up at Karen, trying to figure how she could ask her about her clothes.

As if able to read her mind, Karen smiled and spoke again. "Your clothes are in your room," she told Liv as she helped her stumble out of bed. "Don't worry, you'll be going back there tonight. We placed you here just in case, considering what happened yesterday." She led Liv by the arm outside, as she tried to remember what had happened.

There was a boy. . . . Liv was certain of this, although she didn't know who exactly he was. All she knew was that he had reminded her of Vera, and she . . . had screamed. Loudly. That must have been why she was . . . wherever she was.

"Oh, Kris, are you leaving with Connor already?"

Liv glanced in the direction Karen was facing and saw two males coming out of the room next to Liv's. One was wearing light blue scrubs similar to Karen's, most likely the nurse, and the other one wore red. When Liv took a closer look to the one in red, she noticed that he was the boy from yesterday. She was wondering why he was also here when he looked up, so his eyes matched Liv's.

She turned slightly red, embarrassed by the accidental eye contact, but the guy seemed to literally see red. His eyes narrowed when he saw her, a scowl forming on his lips. He then looked away sharply, surprising Liv.

"Oh, Connor is a little different from most others here," Karen explained when she saw Liv's surprised expression. "Anybody in red scrubs isn't allowed anywhere without supervision, and he doesn't mix well with girls. It would be best for both of you to stay away from each other."

"I'll see you later, Karen," the male nurse, probably Kris, said to them. "We'll be leaving first, if you don't mind. You have a good day, Liv," he added, surprising Liv for the second time that day.

She blinked as the nurse gave her a smile before turning back to Connor and leading him out of the hallway first.

"Kris is my brother," the nurse said to Liv as they waited for the pair to leave. "We're two of the full-time workers here, so you'll be seeing us often."

Liv didn't respond, too busy wondering why Karen had said it would be best for her and Connor to stay away from each other. It wasn't that she wanted to be friends with him, but everybody always wanted to know why.

A slight tugging signaled Liv to begin moving again, and she allowed herself to be led out of the hallway into the lobby, where things looked a little familiar.

"Now, the cafeteria is to the right, here," Karen explained, pointing at a sign that read CAFETERIA. "The Recreational Room is on the opposite side, where you can go after meals or when you have a free period."

A sign that read REC. ROOM hung above the entrance of the open doorway Karen pointed to. From her standing point, Liv could see a TV, ping pong and Foosball tables, and a bookshelf with books and board games on its shelves. However, none of them piqued her interest.