Welcome to the Nest! Thank you for considering The VC Sanatorium as an option to treat your Vanishing Complex.
You never have to feel sadness or pain ever again, we'll make it all go away. We're here to receive you with open arms and when you're rea...
Dr. Flores watched Sofia's reactions as they unraveled before her. She was strong, had been strong for too long and now her walls were crumbling. The emotional outburst that Dr. Flores wanted was, however, not going to makes its debut today. Sofia reined herself in by clenching her fists and shutting her eyes. The memories of her sister were resurfacing as a rapid rate and the wound was reopened inside of her. A deep pain seared through her chest and into her gut. It was a pain so powerful; she'd locked it away under a tough exterior for so many years. It was a pain so severe; she could feel it physically weakening her body. Dr. Flores made note of every second that ticked by. Perhaps if she prodded Sofia like one would prod cattle, the reaction she was hoping for would erupt.
Sofia took in a deep breath releasing her fists. When she reopened her eyes, Dr. Flores was shutting her notebook and rising to her feet. She called out to a Falconer that was standing outside of the door and ordered him to escort Ms. Valdez to her new room. Sofia resisted the grip of the Falconer and threw herself on the floor. Dr. Flores flicked her eyes down but was sober in her expression. She walked confidently towards Sofia and extended a kind hand to her.
"It's tough, I know. But you're exhibiting classic symptoms of Vanishing Complex." She said.
Sofia refused her assistance and got herself to her feet.
"I don't have Vanishing Complex. This is a mistake." Sofia insisted.
"The blot test revealed a deep seated trauma. You mentioned your sister, and that elicited a rather strong reaction. How long have you been feeling Vanishing Complex?"
"I'm not!"
Dr. Flores absorbed her shout and flipped open her notebook.
"Your blood work revealed traces of Fluoxetine in your system."
"Blood work? You can't do that!" Sofia cried.
"We can, and we did. Where have you been getting Fluoxetine? That is no longer available in the US, or legal, for that matter."
Sofia closed her mouth and bore her eyes into those of Dr. Flores'. That particular line of questioning would get her in trouble. Antidepressants were only available outside of the US and had become a hot commodity on the black market. Canada's biggest illicit business was smuggling antidepressants into the States.
"You know what Fluoxetine is, don't you?" Dr. Flores asked.
Sofia remained quiet; eyes trained on the woman in front of her.
"How long have you been on Fluoxetine?"
Silence from Sofia.
Dr. Flores nodded and shut her notebook again.
"I see. Well, we're going to have a lot of work with you." Dr. Flores. said.
"What does that mean?" Sofia asked.
"You will be undergoing testing to identify the severity of your Vanishing Complex. Then, we'll be able to provide a proper treatment for you. Who knows? You might even be a viable candidate for our release program."
That struck a deep cord with Sofia. That's where she needed to be, that was her ticket to breaking the story wide open. Dr. Flores called out to the Falconer again, and as he drew nearer, asked him to take Sofia to her dorm. She resisted before the Falconer could even touch her again, but he was much stronger, and very easily slung her over his shoulder. She hung there, defeated, though secretly rejoicing. It had worked! The doctors all believed that she was a teenager exhibiting Vanishing Complex. However, now that she was in, she had to plan properly.
The guard set her down outside of a white door, although considering that everything in that building was a stark white, that wasn't much of a description. The lack of details disoriented Sofia for a few seconds. It was as if she were in a room full of mirrors, every one of them reflecting the exact same image.
The door in front of her was opened, with a young girl, somewhere around 17 years old, on the other side. She lowered her eyes to her feet, as the guard introduced the two girls. Harper Murphy meet Lily Valdez. Sofia politely extended her hand, but Harper seemed too timid to accept the gesture. The Falconer didn't appear to take in the awkward situation and gently pushed Sofia inside her new room. Harper shut the door and whipped around.
"Sorry, they like to see you meek and miserable." she said, reaching out to shake Sofia's hand.
Sofia was at a loss for words. There had been such a shift in the demeanor of the young girl she had known for no more than 10 seconds. The light had returned to Harper's eyes and her expression was playful and friendly.
"So, they caught you huh? What drug were you on?" Harper asked, hopping back onto her bed.
As Sofia had expected, everything inside the room was white as can be.
Must be some kind of sensory deprivation tactic, she thought.
"Um, Fluoxetine." she answered, still standing awkwardly at the door.
"Hmm, Prozac. I was on that for a while, then it became illegal. So, I switched to sertraline hydrochloride." Harper said.
"What's that?"
"Zoloft. It's easier to get than Prozac, but also very illegal. You must have a great supplier if he got you that."
"Yeah..." Sofia trailed off.
Harper grinned, inviting Sofia to sit down.
"Don't be so awkward, you're gonna be in here for a while." she laughed.
"How did you end up here?" Sofia asked, finally giving into some comfort on what she assumed would be her bed.
"My dealer was a narc and ratted me out. Falconers picked me up at school and hauled me away. This is the 'druggie' unit, by the way. Everyone in this block has been caught using 'drugs,' in other words antidepressants."
Sofia made a mental note of it. A ward for those who had tried to help themselves. That contradicted the mission of the organization. They wanted to help right? Why not let people help themselves?
"So," Harper continued, trying to fill in the silence. "Regale me with stories of the outside. Is everything white out there too?"
Sofia smiled, shaking her head.
"You know, for someone off their meds, you sure are chipper." She observed.
Harper spread herself out dramatically on her bed, making a pillow underneath her head with her arms. She brought her knees up and extended a leg into the air. She flexed her foot then turned to look at Sofia.
"Humor, sarcasm, dramatics, silliness, do you know what all of those things have in common?" Harper asked.
Sofia shrugged. "Um, they're all characteristics of a clown?"
Harper cackled, dropping her leg down. Sofia felt her cheeks heat up. She hadn't meant to be funny or in any way solicit such loud cackling. It bounced off the walls and assaulted her ears.
"They're cloaks for depression. You better find one, because you're never getting out of here."
Sofia pressed her lips together studying Harper's expression. Her eyes held such seriousness yet her facial muscles twitched in amusement. A cloak to hide behind, but Sofia wasn't looking for a cover, she was looking for a spotlight.
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Hello! So, you might recognize this as a chapter you've already read. I moved it one down and updated Chapter 7, so there is new content!
