The Space Between

Chapter 2

    A wooden door slammed behind Amelia. The sound only rose slightly above the fans and white noise machines, before reverberating down the long hallway. Amelia tensed at the sound; Joshua didn't. He refused to look up from his weathered novel, or even acknowledge Amelia. Emotions bubbled and ebbed around her, until they suddenly crashed.

   Without thought, Amelia paced, her hands falling into a pattern of wringing each other in frantic motions. Fire poured through every vein, drizzling along her gangly arms. The sounds of her feet got lost, but the vibrations radiated. Grumbles fell from her mouth, but her feet took her to his side. With a tight jaw and clasped lips, she waited for him to respond.

   "Fuck you," She finally spoke, looking down in his angular face. Warm breath fell from her mouth and drifted into his hair. 

   "Welcome to the basement," he closed his book without a mark, "I see you met Torres."

   "Fuck him. Fuck all of this. It's bullshit."

   He nodded, eyes still fixed on the cover of his book. Joshua looked almost relaxed, his posture hid any agitation she may have caused. With fingers tapping a gentle melody against the faded bench, he took his time forming words. "Are you still hungry?"

   "Yes."

   Suddenly, and without any grace, Joshua tried to stand up. His legs fell asleep, too tired to uncurl fast enough, which made him stumble and slide. His lanky body, marked with patchy hair and faded bruises, shuddered inwardly. With one shoulder digging into the scratched wall, his body slowly rose to a standing position. Amelia couldn't stop the smile, letting it stretch her chapped lips.

   "You look like a zombie," She shook her head, "I'm sorry I said-"

   "It's not a first day in the basement without some profanity. Welcome."

   His hand dangled in front of him in an unassertive gesture. The walk to the cafeteria wasn't far, but for her weak body its distance went on forever. Without the floodlights, she would have fallen asleep on the linoleum floor.

   "You can always sit by yourself. Some patients have an issue with food so they like to not be bothered during meals. You'll figure out what you like, but for now, I want to introduce you to the girls you'll be with."

   "For how long?" She furrowed her eyebrows.

   "As long as it takes."

   As soon as they entered the room, a rush of sensations assaulted Amelia.The smell of mixed foods and old grease tickled her nose.  A few distinct memories of terrible food and childhood crushes surrounded her. Tapping sounds and garbled conversations neatly found themselves in her brain. She lost herself in the atmosphere, happy to see so many people.

   "Smells like a school cafeteria," She commented, her words distant.

   "I guess so. Sit there. I'll bring you some food." He pointed to a table with one girl and a menagerie of markers.

   The girl, lost in a sketch pad, was almost too fake to be human. Her vibrant red hair faded to brown at the roots, frizzy and unmanageable. Thick layers of orange marked her face, appearing to be unfortunate dirt rather than a conscious makeup choice. Every bone on her lanky body stood out, marked by spare freckles and scars. She was almost a monster, if not for her shiny blue eyes.

   "Hey," Amelia felt pathetic, unsure how to greet the redhead, "Can I sit here?"

   "Sure," the girl barely took her eyes off her work before returning to an elaborate sketch.

   The room bustled with many people, but most of the conversation came from staff. They laughed against the walls and behind the counters, carrying on in a half hearted manner. Amelia envied each and every one of them.

   "Here's you go," Joshua slid a thick tray in front of her, "and I'm supposed to make sure you drink this," He pulled a plastic cup from the crux of his elbow before he slid it to the redhead. She took a careful sip before sliding the glass away from her.

   "Thanks," Amelia dug her plastic spoon into some instant mashed potatoes with a smile.

   "Amelia, This is Loren. She will be one of your roommates. Loren, Amelia."

   "Hi," She glanced up again, but only long enough to roll her eyes.

   "Loren doesn't talk much. We try not to force conversation in common areas. Also, we're never allowed to ask anything like weight, age, or reason for being here."

   Loren didn't say anything and Amelia ate with too much ferocity to respond. The food tasted bad, but it felt so good to get something in her. Amelia could feel every pair of eyes on her back, but she pushed the feeling away. A comfortable silence blanketed the table. Everybody focused on themselves, holding their distance between each other. Before long, Joshua's head slumped into his arms. He couldn't sleep, but his mind drifted into a world beyond this one.

   "Joshy?", A tan girl with bushy brown hair and crazy eyes bubbled, "You must be Amelia! I've heard so much about you. I'm so excited to be with you. How're you feeling? Is this the first food you've eaten? It's gross isn't it?"

   "Lily, sit." Josh motioned across the table. He barely kept his head up enough to see watch the brunette take her place.

   "Amelia is your new roommate. I was hoping you could show her around."

   "Yeah, of course. How long have you been awake? God it's so weird waking up after being out for so long, isn't it? I'm so happy to see you! Welcome!" She almost forgot to take a breath between rambles, only giving herself enough time to turn toward Joshua, "How long have you been awake, man? No offense but you look like hell! Jesus!"

   "He was here when I woke up." Loren chimed in.

   "Wow, Joshy. That's like five in the morning. Why are you still here?"

   "I wanted to make sure Amelia settled in. It's not big deal."

   Amelia tried to glare, but she sent a thankful smile at him. Somewhere below her skin, a warmth pushed its way to her face.

   "Go home. I'll be okay." Amelia whispered, her voice almost too soft.

   "Yeah. I'll show her around. I'm awesome at that stuff. Leave it to me!" Lily pleaded with him.

   "If that's okay," He paused to check each face, "Then I'll get going. See you tomorrow, girls."

   "This is going to be so much fun!" Lily let out a high cackle, barely drowning out the creak of the large oak door.