With her father on a fast track to political stardom, Anna's quirks and "out there" personality have always been looked down upon. After years of struggling with her stifled emotions, she ends up institutionalized, surrounded by strangers and lost i...
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Anna's phone chimes, piercing their ear drums, her and Harry's only a few inches apart. They've been sharing the queen-sized mattress. No decorative pillows, forbidden for sleeping on. Not even a bed frame. Some nights, Harry would sleep on their springy, green futon. But those days became fewer and farther between. Unless they'd gotten in a tiff or one of them had worked a late shift, they usually opted for a platonic slumber beside one another. Sharing the mattress on those creaky floorboards and rug with questionable stains, they cling to one another as they would with their favorite stuffed animal. It's out of pure instinct. Solely for comfort. An anchor to keep them in the deep waters in a comfortable slumber.
"Bloody hell. Why is your alarm going off? Don't we have the day off?" Harry smothers himself with his cheap near-featherless pillow.
"It's not an alarm. Someone's ringing me." Anna clears her throat as she slaps her hands against the charcoal gray sheets, sans comforter. "It's Adam..."
"Adam?" Harry's voice is muffled from under the mass of fabric. He throws the pillow off his face quickly, slamming it on his lap. His face is distraught. An ex boyfriend? Someone from the bar? "Who's Adam?"
"He's... um... he's my brother..." She scrolls through the menus of her phone. "Shit. I have three missed calls from him."
"Wait, you have a brother?"
"Yes," she says directly. She's short. She hopes less explanation will mean less questioning. Less burdened answers.
"Why didn't you tell me?" He sits ups. The early morning sun spills through the cracks of the halfway-opened blinds, streaking his face. He's briefly upset about the secret but also remembers he hasn't been completely upfront with her either.
"I mean... I haven't seen him in a while. He and my dad got in a pretty big fight a few months ago and Adam sort of... disappeared? I guess that's fair to say."
"Well, what does he want?"
"I don't know. He texted. Hold on." She clicks through her phone and finds iMessage.
Adam: Mom's been calling me. Where are you, Na?
Anna: I'm fine. She didn't tell you already? She's ridiculous. Couldn't take it anymore, you know?
Adam: I get it. Where are you? Can I see you?
Anna: I'm fine. No need to worry.
She locks her phone and sets it to the side to rub her temples.
"Y'okay?" Harry turns on his side to face her, folding the pillow under his head to prop it up higher and look at her more directly. His arms and chest flex with concern. He grits his jaw, the muscles protruding with every bite down.
