Maria didn't have anything to do for the morning. They just amped up her medication and added a few more therapies and some more powerful sleeping pills. Maria was rather glad that she didn't have a full schedule filled with talking with the doctors about the voices in her head and the people who were always there but wasn't really and the nightmares and the"-Time to come home-". She let out a sigh as the PA system buzzed to life. Huh, IT 2? Maria wasn't going to torture herself through a horror movie. Especially that one. "-Not comfortable with clowns?- not really-" The chef sounded nice. Maybe the lesson would be able to distract her enough.

Ah. So another one was gone. This time it was Bethany Pierce. She didn't know the woman very well but she was just one among the people that had left the institution. Graduated, essentially. They've been cured of their illnesses and is now back at their own homes living their normal lives. At first, Maria had the dreams of becoming one of them. To leave. But then came the doubts. The voices that told her that it was dangerous - that something was wrong. "-Getting out is impossible-" But also that it was a sweet reprieve. But she felt like it would be hard to get out - one way or another. She'd been there for nearly a year and she hasn't been cured yet. A crash. Still, it was rather worrisome that she hasn't ever heard from any of the other patients who have left before. "-Bethany wasn't better the last time I saw her-"

Maria stared at the cup of coffee in her hands. The voices were starting to get weaker until they were white noise that she could barely understand. The muddier, the better. She brought the cup of coffee to her lips as she watched a woman - Sienna, she remembered - leave the lounge. She let out a sigh before grabbing the pocketbook she had borrowed from the facility before. It had been her third time reading it but it was to-

Something dashed from one end of her vision to the other. A black silhouette. Typical really. She was certain it wasn't real. Kind of. The patients don't dash like that. Nor do they sit ominously to the side with a black shadow over them. She blinked once. Twice. Thrice. Ah, there we go. They were gone. Oh, Sienna came back. She looked sick. After weighing her options, she stood up and headed towards her. She jerked back for a moment as something passed by right in front of her. Shaking her head, she continued her walk towards Sienna.

"Sienna." Maria called out softly and her eyes seemed to unfocus for a moment before sharpening again. "You seem unwell. Do you need anything?"

_{Time - Midnight to early morning
Interactions - N/A}

Most nights were bearable enough for Olivia to get some sleep. Sometimes she needed to see Dr. Gaston to get her sleeping pills. The pills usually did the trick and knocked her out in a matter of minutes, if she was lucky — not tonight. The voices were louder than ever tonight. They whispered right next to her ear. They cried out and begged. Until a scream shook Olivia to her core. One scream, then another and another until everything around Oliva was nothing but this woman's screams.

Olivia didn't sleep that night. She pressed her pillows against her heads and begged for the woman to stop, but she wouldn't. She was in pain. Olivia could feel the pain, too, in her head. It felt like it was going to explode.

Then it went silent for a second.

Maybe Olivia died. It was all silence then she heard her name being called. It all felt like a dream now. Like she was floating around in a black lake with soft, the voices being muffled by the water in her ears. She couldn't figure out what they were saying to her, but she could hear them. All of them belonged to the woman who had been screaming just minutes before. She wasn't sure, but Olivia recognized that voice. It seemed oddly familiar to her. The raspy and corse voice that was so often spoken in a soft tone. No, it couldn't be the same voice. This voice was rougher and scarier, and it wouldn't shut up.

The woman didn't stop speaking to her in fast rapid words that Olivia couldn't understand. The words were all whispers and mashed together into a big word soup that Olivia couldn't swallow. They didn't stop until the sun began to rise, and the rays crept into her room from the window. Even when her alarm went off the words kept coming. The woman whispered her name and screamed for Olivia to pay attention. There was urgency and fear, but Olivia's mind was already fried.

Olivia, please... Help! ... please just listen... danger... Help! ... leave...

Olivia covered her ears, knowing well that the action wouldn't help her situation. The lack of sleep from that night was not helping the massive headache that she had, and the voices were just not leaving. Even after her morning meds, they just kept repeating the same things. There was little Olivia could make sense of, but she didn't even want to listen. All she wanted was silence.

Peace. Quiet.

When the PA's message finished, Olivia was sitting on a corner of the lounge with her head between her keens. Alice? She had been the nice lady who had tried to talk to her over group therapy. She usually complained about headaches, and Olivia sympathized with her over that. Something in her gut made her feel like Alice wasn't really gone, and Olivia didn't know what.

... Olivia!

"Shut up!" Olivia finally shouted and pressed her hands harder against her ears in hopes of quieting down the voices. No. Just one voice. One very familiar voice. "Just shut up! Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Please." With one hand, she began to hit one side of her head until one of the nurses finally took notice and rushed to Olivia's side and stop her from hurting herself anymore.

Dr. Gaston was called, and Olivia was taken to her office shortly after. Just a few minutes later, Dr. Gaston was seen escorting Olivia out of her office and back to the lounge area.

"Please come to me if it happens again," Dr. gaston whispered to Olivia, who simply nodded and stared at the black screen of one of the televisions. "Good, we don't want anything to happen to you okay?"

"... Thank you." Olivia pulled up her knees up to her chest and continued to stare straight forward. The voice was quiet now. Just mumbles. Like white noise. Olivia closed her eyes and let her chin rest on one of her knees. Maybe she could catch up on some sleep before her therapy session today.

Sarah was sitting on a chair near the window staring outside with her headphones on. This time she had chosen the view near the front desk. The music she was listening too blocked out most other sounds. When she wasn't staring outside she was silently looking at the lady behind the desk. She still didn't know the name of the front desk lady and she didn't care either. Sarah sighed and stared outside again. She had just had her meds and she hoped they wouldn't have any side effects. The music in her ears helped her, it always had. But the annoying messages always came trough.

With another sigh, Sarah lifted one side of the earphones to listen. Great, a horror movie or a cooking lesson. Sarah really just wanted to go to her room or sit somewhere quiet. And some girl, she hadn't known at all, left. Good for her.
But the therapist had urged her to seek contact. To socialise. If she wouldn't go, more therapy sessions would follow for sure and again she would have to explain why she was not seeking any contact.
Maybe she would do the cooking. The therapist had said that if she'd cook herself it might give her more appetite. The little amounts she ate had been concerning the staff. On the other hand, in a movie she could just slip on her earphones and listen with her eyes closed to the music. No one would notice and she wouldn't have to talk to anyone. Sarah shook her head. The cooking thing probably was the smarter thing to do.

Sarah's eyes were drawn to the front desk when one of the other residents slapped her hand on the desk. That was a bit odd. And if Sarah had to be honest it wasn't the only odd thing going on around here but she couldn't put her finger on it.
Sarah got up and followed the other woman, maybe give a word of encouragement. One could become best friend in 6 months.
She glanced towards the clock. Sarah had taken her medication during breakfast at 7 am, which meant somewhere between 9 and 10 the meds should work at their best. Last time she spoke to her doctor about he said he would fix it. But Sarah wasn't so sure.

Sarah stopped when she heard someone talk to Sienna and looked at Sienna. Sienna didn't look well indeed. Sarah hoped it wasn't a stomach bug or the flu going around. "Perhaps some water?" Sarah offered. This should count as being social Sarah wondered what the therapist would see as an adequate level of socialising before she could mind her own business again.

Hearing the announcements from her room, Gwen pulled a pillow over her head and groaned. “It’s too early for this,” she muttered. All she wanted in that moment was a few more minutes to enjoy the blank abyss of sleep. In the end though, she sighed and sat up, admitting defeat against the voice from the system. They are all too cheerful for this place, she thought, a bit envious at how seamless it seemed for them.

Gwen pulled the blanket back as the voice droned on, noting the cooking class in very mild interest before her eyes landed on her legs. Correction. Her one leg and the lack of the other. That disfigured stump seemed to taunt her as it did every morning. Sometimes, Gwen felt like her left leg was still there beyond the grotesque scar but, other times, it was a painful reminder of the crash that stole it from her. The crash that stole everything from her. The crash that-

Enough.

Inhale. 1… 2… 3…

Hold. 1… 2… 3…

Exhale. 1… 2… 3…

Focus on the voice. Focus on the brush of the blanket and the stillness of the air. This is the present moment.

Gwen continued her routine after a moment, focusing on her prosthesis next. First, the liner. No air? Check. Then, a sock to help it fit better. Finally, the leg. As Gwen stood, there was an audible hiss as air escaped the prosthesis. Step, pss. Step, pss. Step, pss. Over and over as the vacuum mechanism attached the fake leg to her appendage. Oh. The announcements ended, she noticed. Well, at least one of us was able to get better. Now if only I could do the same.

Finally having dressed in a simple white skirt - a much better alternative than pants with her prosthesis - Gwen was ready to leave her room. She grabbed her notebook and pen, a wonderful commodity in a place that felt perpetually consistent, and headed to the lounge to enjoy some blissful writing.

"Just shut up! Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. Please."

Ah- Olivia? That was her name, right? Why was she- It’s not my business what she’s going through. Even still, Gwen could not help but worry about the girl with dazzling blue hair. The nurses had come to her aid quickly, but being trapped in one’s own mind was the worst possible feeling. Maybe there was some way she could help?

Gwen settled into the corner of a couch, flipping to a page scrawled with numerous story ideas and world settings. The pen connected, and words flew from the ink to the page, adding to the edits from before.

Grr…

“I forgot breakfast,” she muttered to herself as her stomach sounded a low rumble. By this time, Olivia had returned to her place on the other couch in the lounge and, as Gwen glanced at her, a brilliant idea sprung forth. Well, it would be brilliant if Olivia accepted anyway.

“Hey. Olivia, right?” Gwen provided a gentle smile towards her as she approached, notebook in hand. “I haven’t eaten yet, and I didn’t really want to eat alone. Would you like to join me?”

Sarah wrinkled her nose at the mention of food. She wasn't hungry at all. But the therapists were watching her like a hawk when it was time to eat. Maybe a little snack would be a smart move. After all, is she ever wanted to be deemed healthy enough to leave she would have to prove that she could manage on her own and keep good care of herself. Sitting and staring out of the window was not helping her case. Sarah straightened her back a bit before she nodded.

"Sure, a snack." she said at an indifferent tone. "I hope there is fruit. I think I could eat some fruit" she thought.

Sarah hoped she wouldn't go unresponsive or even catatonic when the drugs were at its peak because that state scared her. It wasn't just like staring outside and boom a couple of hours gone, no she felt actually trapped inside her body then. The lucid dreaming was a welcome change. At least she thought it was a lucid dream. What else could it be? She definitely didn't want that to happen on the table with others present. They would worry and call the nurse. She didn't want that at all.

"I'd love to join" she said a bit more friendly now.
"Which activity are you going to do today?" Sarah asked after a small pause as she waited for the other two to be ready go.

_{Time - Morning
Interactions - @Mystress Nyx}

---

Oliva had almost fallen asleep when she heard a voice in front of her. A real voice. It made her jump a bit on her seat as she opened her eyes and looked up at the girl in front of her. A girl with long blonde hair and big blue eyes. Gwen? That was her name, right? Olivia had seen her here and there for the past months but had never really talked unless it was just a greeting. Olivia didn't have many friends here besides those that were in her group therapy. She didn't even know if they were her friends to start with.

Maybe therapy buddies? That didn't sound right.

"Breakfast?" Olivia brought up a hand to cover her mouth as she yawned then rubbed some of the wetness off her eyes. Breakfast sounded good right now. She could ask for some coffee to help her stay up a bit longer while she tried to shake off her sleepiness. "Ah, sure" she gave Gwen a small smile as she stood up from the couch. Some food with another person wouldn't hurt. It was a nice change of pace for her since she tended to stick along most of the time.

Olivia...

"I hope they are giving french toast." Olivia glanced over at Gwen as they made their way to the cafeteria. Eggs alone were getting boring after five months in the place. She had even added keptch to spice things up but gave up on the third day. "Oh, um, Gwen right? I'm Olivia by the way." She pulled on the hem of her shirt a bit and suppressed another yawn. She really needed a nap.

Stop lying.

The disheveled blonde was brought to an unpleasant awakening as the comms crackled to life, announcing the departure of one of the residents in Spring Hill. Bethany, her name had been.
"...She is hoping to finish her college degree and pursue a career in psychology, she wished us to tell everyone who knew her that they can also finish their rehabilitation and find a good life for themselves," the voice declared as the announcement went on, and Rory had to roll over in her bed to cover her ears with her lumpy pillow. There was a sharp stab behind her eyes, growing more insistent the longer the speaker went on. They are lying. Why won't they just shut up?

Aurora hadn't slept so well. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary, though. Her medication helped her some, aiding her into a dreamless sleep which honestly was much more welcomed than the nightmares that would follow normally. Still, it felt like she had barely slept at all. The blonde could feel the strain behind her eyes, the burning dryness and gnawing hunger in the pit of her stomach. The hunger that never left, a constant reminder to Rory that she deserved this. That if no one else punished her for her actions, she'd do it herself.

Filtering the dim morning light with her bony fingers, Rory stared out of the window while still lying on the mattress, paralyzed. What's the point? she found herself thinking.
Oh, fun. It was one of those days, then.

------

"So, Aurora--"

"Rory," the blonde interjected. Dr. Gaston smiled apologetically, nodding.

"Right, Rory. So, I see that... it seems you've harmed yourself again," the soft-faced doctor said, gesturing to the fresh bruises along Rory's arms and chest.
"Have you been taking your medication regularly? Or is this... do you want to talk to Mrs. Seething about it? Your recovery is our first priority, but you can't recover if you're unwilling to do so." Dr. Gaston's voice sounded concerned, almost maternal. Rory stared at her, expression blank, feeling a stab of pain behind her eyes at the doctor's words. She didn't think much of it. Obviously the doctor was lying. Their first priority wasn't her, it was money. She didn't really expect anything else.

"I haven't harmed myself," Rory sighed, annoyed, rubbing her sore arms with chilled fingers. "The bruises just seem to appear out of nowhere. And I feel really sore," she explained. Rory decided to leave out the headaches. They weren't that bad, really. She had a thousand problems, some dumb headaches weren't really at the top of her list.

Dr. Gaston nodded, turning to her computer for a second to type something in. Rory waited. Her whole being felt heavy with exhaustion, low energy slowly buzzing through her body. It was kind of cold.
"You know, Rory, the staff has noticed you haven't been conversing with the other residents or even taken part in any of the activities we provide. We are worried about you," Dr. Gaston said as she turned back to Rory. She wasn't done talking, either.
"We don't want to push you to do anything you aren't comfortable with, but staying in isolation is not helping you recover. I'm afraid it's actually doing the opposite," the doctor continued. Her voice seemed concerned in the way a medical professional's voice should - it seemed almost like she really cared, but Rory found it hard to believe. To them she was just a patient. She was nothing personal to them.

"So you're saying..." Rory drew out, jittery fingers tapping at her forearms impatiently.

"So I'm saying -- while we don't wan't to force you -- we have enrolled you into one of today's activities. You will attend the cooking lesson later today. In addition to that, you will be eating your breakfast in the cafeteria like the rest of the residents. I know lately we've been allowing you to take food to your room because of your... situation, but it is becoming apparent that it isn't helping you. So from now on, you'll eat at the cafeteria like the rest of the patients. As per usual, the staff will make sure you have eaten and keep you under surveillance for thirty minutes afterwards."

Rory scoffed, her brow furrowing at Cecile's words. That was a lot to digest, literally and figuratively. The blonde groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose. It was okay. She didn't deserve the special treatment anyway, not that it made her any happier to hear she'd have to be around others.
"I might have an eating disorder, but I'm not a fucking bulimic," Rory spit, annoyed, "I'm not gonna go throw up after eating, that's desperate... And cooking? Really? How do you know I won't snatch a knife or something?"
The doctor cast a disbelieving look at Rory's crude words, her blue eyes big and serious.

"You know it's just protocol. And, the patients aren't allowed to handle knives. You will be cooking something that doesn't involve sharp objects. Now I really wish I could talk longer, but you need to go eat and I have to continue with the morning check-ups."

-------

On her way to the cafeteria, Rory felt she was being watched. She was allowed to walk around on her own, all the way from the doctor's office, but Rory knew better than to believe no one was monitoring her. They were making sure she was actually going where she was meant to. It didn't annoy the woman any less, though.
She felt a bit light-headed, not that it was anything new. It was probably the low blood pressure. Rory would have to watch out for that. Last time she got up from her seat too quickly and suddenly the world had been spinning, turning into a black sludge right before her open eyes. Fainting wasn't fun. Rory still had a huge bump in the back of her head from that.

During her walk Rory spotted two young women walking in the same direction as her. She'd seen them before, but had never really talked to them. She had never really talked to any residents here, not apart from some off-handed comments that were easily forgotten.
The teal-haired woman Rory surely remembered. She was pretty - really pretty - and her name was apparently Olivia or something. Rory didn't know why she was here, but she didn't really care. They were all here for a reason.
The girl Olivia was talking to was someone Rory didn't remember the name of, but Rory knew her as the person with the prosthetic leg. It came without saying that she was very beautiful as well. It seemed everyone here was young and good looking. That was a bit weird, but Rory decided she shouldn't care.

Arriving to the cafeteria, Rory's mouth watered at the smell of breakfast. Fuck.
There weren't that many people at the cafeteria, much to Rory's relief. Or was it relief, really? Either way, it took the blonde a painfully long time to decide on what to eat. It felt like she'd been staring a hole into the bread collection at the food line. Finally moving, Rory picked up a banana. She also took a delicious looking blueberry muffin after a long consideration. She wouldn't probably eat it, but at least it looked like she had taken something more than a fruit.

Walking off, Rory took a seat at one of the tables in the cafeteria, the large table a stark comparison to how alone she looked sitting there alone.

Upon the reassurance, Maria gave her a nod - taking a step back to give her more space. "Well, in any case, don't be afraid to call out for help. Just not... well..." She trailed off as she turned her gaze towards the nurses who were up and about, observing them. She wouldn't say anything out loud but the time she had spent in this institution had only risen her suspicions about it. There were many who were released - which meant that they supposedly had succeeded - but something bugged her. Why hadn't she gotten better? She'd been in the institution for far longer than most of the people there, a fact that she was not proud of. And yet they couldn't seem to cure her?

Pulled out of her thoughts by another person, Maria idly turned her gaze towards her. She had to take a moment to remember what her name was. Sarah. Right. She suggested some water and Sienna had agreed before inviting them to some snacks. "-I hope there is fruit. I think I could eat some fruit-" She could agree with that sentiment. "A snack sounds good about now." She wasn't particularly hungry but it wouldn't really do her any good to just be sitting around and waiting for the next big thing to happen.

"-patient is showing signs of-" Maria's gaze sharpened towards the nurse who seemed to be paying them a bit more attention than usual. For a moment, she just stood there and stared as if the nurse had done something horribly wrong. But she didn't. The nurse definitely didn't do anything wrong - it was just the voices in her head saying that. Piano music. She let out an aggravated sigh as she ran a hand through her hair. "Perhaps the food would do me some good." She muttered to herself with a small shake of her head.

"Just the cooking lesson. I cook, sure, but maybe the chef will give some better tips than what I know." She admitted as she took the lead to head towards the cafeteria where they can get something to munch on. She stumbled for a moment, glaring at the empty space before her before moving on. It wasn't exactly a rare occurrence to see Maria acting like that. Most of everyone knew that she suffered from hallucinations of some sort. "I'm not a big fan of horror movies." She continued, readily honest with that. "-clowns are bad-" She then waited for the others expectantly to hear their plans.

The moment Olivia agreed to eating breakfast with her, Gwen let out an internal sigh of relief. Glad to know I don’t look like a fool now, she thought, walking in stride with Olivia towards the one thing that could quiet her stomach.

As Olivia introduced herself, Gwen smiled and nodded. “Yeah, my name’s Gwen. Meaning white, blessed, fair, etc. Though I wouldn’t really consider myself blessed.” She chuckled lightly at her own joke, if it could be called that. “Anyway.” She paused as Olivia yawned, providing a soft smile in understanding; it was not her business to ask what caused her to be so tired after all. “Do you have any plans today? Are you going to see the movie or go to the cooking class?”

Sarah followed Maria. She listened to what Maria said, Sarah knew she wasn't that good of a cook. "It's been so long since I have cooked, I hope I don't burn anything. Or burn the place down." Sarah thought. "Cooking," she replied with a sigh. "The lesser of two evils," Sarah added with a shrug. "And it might show the therapists that I progress, hopefully." she continued inwardly.
The stumble and glaring was a bit odd but not the weirdest behaviour she had seen around here.

When they were in the cafeteria Sarah felt the urge to put on her headphones and listen to the music again. Her fingers stretched to the headphones but she saw a nurse looking in their direction. Sarah's jaw tightened and she resisted the urge to put them up. She didn't want the nurse to put in the observation report that patient Sarah didn't socialise again by hiding behind her music.

Sarah took a plate and had a hard time deciding what to eat. None of it seemed very appealing to her. She settled with some grapes and a glass of water. She waited till Maria and Sienna had grabbed something to snack before sitting down. She didn't know where to sit anyway.

@Allycat @Polaris North
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Keith woke up when the announcement started. He glanced at the clock and groaned, it was still way too early. At least for him it was, he could hear the business of a very awake institution. He glanced again and sighed, he should get up probably but the bed was so very comfortable. So he could choose between relaxing and watch a movie or work hard during cooking lessons. It2 it was.
Keith looked surprised when he heard about Bethany. He knew her, he had talked to her quite often. Keith knew almost everyone, he was always talking and socialising to everyone. He hadn't seen much improvement in Bethany but he wasn't a doctor so what did he know. But it was weird that Beth hadn't said anything to him. At least he assumed they were friends because, let's be honest, who wasn't a friend of his in this facility.

Keith got up and got dressed. He looked at the clock again and decided it was best to hurry to grab some breakfast.
The lecture of the doctor the day before was still fresh in his mind. "Punctuality." the doctor had said. Keith had grinned and said that he was very punctual. The doctor had looked at the clock meaningful and Keith had lifted his shoulders briefly. It was true he had been fifteen minutes late for the appointment. But he wanted to let the staff see he could be on time somewhere and not stumble into the cafeteria just minutes before the breakfast was put away again.

He hurried outside and quickly made his way to the cafeteria. He quickly loaded his plate with bread, cheese, fruit and grabbed some yoghurt and a glass of milk. Looking around he decided to sit down next to a woman sitting alone at a table.
Keith looked at Rory.
"Mind if I join you?" he asked as he sat down without waiting for a reply.
He looked at Rory smiling friendly. "I've seen you around a bit before but we never talked before. Hi, I'm Keith."

@Cio

Rory had been turning the unpeeled banana in her hands for some time, staring at it blankly, when a voice interrupted her.
"Mind if I join you?" asked a blonde, fairly attractive young man with bright eyes and a plate full of entirely too much food for Rory to comprehend. Of course his breakfast was more appropriate in size, but to Rory it felt like a feast given her own sparce diet.

Who the fuck is this dimwit? was Rory's first thought. Her brows furrowed in annoyment as the man didn't wait for a reply, merely sat down and made himself comfortable. Rory's tired eyes were sharp.
"Apparently not," she bit back, her chapped lips forming a thin line as she placed the banana down on the table with just a little too much force for it to be controlled.
The man - Keith, he introduced himself - continued and said he'd seen her around before. Rory didn't much like that, being seen. If she had it her way, no one would even know she was there. Alas, it wasn't up to her.
Rory shot a foul look at the man from behind her stringy, damaged hair. She opened her mouth to say something - to sneer, to insult, probably tell him to go fuck himself - but a person in the back of the room caught Rory's attention. The staff member met Rory's eyes steadfastly, shaking his head as if he knew what Rory was thinking. It wasn't too hard to figure out, anyway.

Rory grunted, a sound that almost sounded like a hiss coming from her mouth.
"Rory. Has it crossed your mind that there might be a reason for why that is?" Rory answered to Keith's statement, her bony fingers fidgeting the paper mold her blueberry muffin was nestled in. The paper didn't crinkle much, having absorbed some of the grease from the muffin. Soon Rory's fingers began to pick at the edges of the delicious looking muffin, picking out tiny crumb sized pieces and shedding them on the table. She took a breath. Inhale, exhale.
"So what's your deal, anyway?" Rory asked, blunt as ever. She met Keith's eyes with her own, piercing teal against light blue. "You don't look too sick to me," she specified with a dry smirk, "nor that deranged. Aside from the fact that you thought I'd be good company, apparently."
Rory didn't remember talking to any resident here as much as she had just talked to this man. She probably had, but not in one go. It felt odd, a tad annoying, and a tiny bit satisfying. She had missed talking to someone, was it that?
Not that it would last, it never did. Rory had realised she had quite the skill for driving people away. Maybe she thought she got some sort of high from being rude, but really it was a bittersweet satisfaction that only lasted for that one second. It didn't fill anything, and Rory knew it. She just liked to pretend she didn't care.

_{Time - Morning
Interactions - @Mystress Nyx}

---

Olivia almost laughed at Gwen's little joke. No one was blessed in this place. Far from blessed. At least they weren't in the streets or dead. Though, the latter sometimes seemed like the only way she would find some quiet. Olivia shook that morbid thought away as they got a plate each. It was the usual oatmeal with fruits, eggs, and some cardboard looking pancakes. Olivia liked the oatmeal the best, especially when she poured a ton of sugar over it.

Olivi-

"I was going to go see the movie." Olivia took a seat and waited for Gwen to sit down before she poured about five or six packages of sugar into her oatmeal and mixed it with her plastic spoon. "But I think I'll catch up on my sleep. I do have group therapy later." She was not looking forward to it. Her little episode earlier had been probably reported. They'd probably have to talk about that with the group. While Olivia knew she wasn't the only one who saw hallucinations or things like that... it still felt weird talking about it.

To see and hear things that weren't real was scary. It made her feel stupid and cursed.

We are real-

"But I don't think I'll be able to sleep. And you?" The voices were coming back again, and Olivia kept trying to keep her thoughts busy with her conversation with Gwen. Concentrate on the real, Olivia. She kept telling herself as she spotted a woman in a red dress. The same woman she always saw: black hair, black eyes with no whites to them, and a gentle smile. The woman never got close to her; she just stood there. The voices told her she wasn't real, but the voices weren't real either. It was like her own mind was fighting against itself, trying to figure out what was real or not. None of it was real.

Olivia turned her head away from the woman and looked at Gwen's hands, trying to ignore the ache in her chest. "I wouldn't mind going... to you know, a movie or the class. Anything to keep me off my mind." Olivia said quickly, ignoring the red of the corner of her eyes.

---

Jules had slept through the announcement in the morning. Like he often for almost a year since he had admitted himself into Spring Hills. It was a luxury after living on the streets for months. While the bed in his room wasn't as soft as he would like it to be, it was still a bed. There was also the food. Jules always looked forward to the free food and strong coffee they gave in the cafeteria. He had been glad that the doctors allowed him to have some actual coffee while others were stuck on decaf. He had to suck up to Dr. Seething in order to get some real coffee.

Today was no different from any other day. The first thing he did was slip on his sunglasses, get ready, and head down to the cafeteria while trying to see if he could flicker on the lights on the ceiling on and off. Sometimes it worked, other times it didn't. Jules still wasn't so sure if it really was him or if he was just going crazy. He was sure crazy wasn't contagious.

"Morning, Claire." Jules grabbed his tray and slid it down the metal surface as he greeted the nice lady behind the counter and smiled at her.

"Good morning, Jules. Nice seeing you again." Claire was the main cook in the cafeteria and usually greeted the residents with a warm smile. She was a woman in her mid-thirties with grays lining her black hair. Claire was an amazing baker. Jules always looked forward to Wednesday when she would bake coffee cake and other bake goods for the residents. Jules wished she was the one giving the cooking classes.

"You too, Claire. Thanks for the food." Juled gave the woman a smile before heading to a table. It looked like he had woken up later than usual since there weren't many people around. Or it probably had something to do with the announcement in the morning? He had missed it, but he could always ask around.

But breakfast first!

---

The brunette clicked her pen twice, tapping her foot silently on the floor repeatedly. "Eridania," she rubbed her temples as a crisp sigh escaped her lips. "You promised me that you'd share your problems," Heather rubbed her palms together before continuing, "but you haven't spoken a single word since we sat here." Eridania's eyes stared tiredly at the glass window, rubbing her finger tips along the frame as she watched the gloomy weather take place.

“It's been my experience that you can nearly always enjoy things if you make up your mind firmly that you will.”

The seated girl turned to face Heather, a smile rising to her eyes. "Don't you just love how you can sit still for hours and hours and hours--even days! Or months! Or years! And never get bored." Eridania grabbed her strands of hair, wrapping them around her face as she kept rambling on. "An imagination of a person can sure keep the person busy! I know because I've experienced such delighted situations of said imaginations! Oh Ms. Chang you have to try it."

It was one thing after another that escaped the full lips of Eridania. As if her tall lanky figure and the disheveled long hair didn't already tarnish the impressions many had of her--the talkative mouth of her's added more to the list. Heather leaned back into the chair, a third click to the pen as she pushed it down on her clipboard. "Well, you'd have to tell me how. Not many can have such amazing imaginations as yours, Eridania." The girl giggled, letting the hairballs that filled up her clutched hands fall to her calves. "I could go on and on!" She leaned forward, resting her elbows on the armchair. "I'm so glad I've found my own kindred spirit! Kindred spirits are not so scarce as I used to think. It's splendid to find out there are so many of them in the world!"

Sparkles swam their way out her brown eyes as she went out of her way to grab the therapists hands, "Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it? There'd be no scope for imagination then, would there?" She paused before Heather could respond, turning her attention to the window. "However, with such an interesting world we have--our imaginations sure can't compare to the reality we face." Eridania hands let go of Heather's, slumping back down on her chair with a disappointed face, "What boring weather."

And, with that, their session was done. No words were exchanged as Heather got up, giving Eridania's shoulder a squeeze before heading out.

With each click and tap to Heather's heals, Eridania closed her eyes and felt lost in the world she confided herself in. As if time went on for years, the last tap to Heather's heals ended off to a slam to the door.

As if on queue, Eridania bolted out of her chair and with a dance to her steps--she grabbed the hems of the curtains and wrapped them around her. "Oh sir Ronalds! Listen to the chirps of the trees as the leaves sing wonderful notes to us! Isn't it wonderful! Oh, how I love the weather of a sunny morning."

It wasn't sunny.

It was fall.

Eridania twirled as the white curtains hugged themselves on her waist, catching the stray strands of hair that fell from her shoulders. She giggled in delight, raising her hands in a princess manner, gleeing and blushing when the so-called-Sir-Ronald's lips kissed her fingertips.

She let the curtain fall to her side and with a skip to her step, Eridania left the room, heading her way to the cafeteria.

---

The adventure towards the cafeteria consisted of her humming tunes with a flow to her steps. Eridania's dark hair fell like a curtain of silk to the top of her ankles where the deep brown eyes captivated her sleepless nights. A tall slender build skidded to a stop of the entrance of the cafeteria, where her eyes traced each table; a thought racing through her mind--where should I sit?

Immediately, Eridania spotted out a figure in the distance. The sunglasses had caught her attention and her not being hungry, Eridania marched her way towards the person. She loudly pushed the chair back, hopping onto it and sitting down with a wide smile.

It was Friday, the universal end of the week, which meant very little for Anahita being that she's residing at Spring Hill until the end of time. It had its perks, of course; for one, she didn't have to go to work daily. But it was also very restricting and she wasn't being allowed to be her best self (which usually meant being someone else.) Anahita sighed as she made her way through the winding hallway towards the cafeteria. Usually she makes sure she's presentable before interacting with anyone, but this morning Anahita woke up to a raging fever that refused to recede. She thought she was beginning to get used to them, like she did with the rashes, but there was something uncanny about the fevers that just didn't sit right with her.

Oh...My...God. Anahita stopped dead in her tract, her attention going immediately to her reflection on the window she had been passing by. "I'm obviously dying.." She whispers harshly, not out of fear, but with sheer amazement in her tone "Why didn't I realize sooner? I can't wait to tell Dr. Gaston!!"

But first came breakfast. Anahita continued onwards to the cafeteria, ideas already spinning in her head as to how she was going to break the news to Dr. Gaston about her untimely death. It's always best to be prepared, after all; she figured a Friday wasn't the best day to announce her upcoming passing away so at least for the weekend she would have to keep it to herself. However, if someone were to notice how sickly she looked....from some uncontrollable small hints she may let off....it wouldn't be so bad at all.

As she entered the cafeteria, Anahita made a direct bee-line for the food and picked up a tray. She figured, with some broken logic, a big breakfast would help with her fever so she took as much as possible. Her eyes scanned the cafeteria for a table to sit in and familiar faces; aside from the completely new face, she didn't know anyone personally to sit with them so she made her way to an empty table. She was sickly and possibly dying, sitting by herself would be the perfect addition to that. Quietly, Anahita sat down, picked up a fork and began working her way through her sausages with fervor.

---

Jules had a piece of bacon in his hand when a girl with very long black hair practically threw herself next to him. He had jumped on his seat and almost dropped the crispy bacon from his hand. Almost. Jules was used to being surprised like this out of nowhere. It was usual here with everyone's unique problems.

Eri... something. Jules didn't really know her name, but he knew who she was. She had been here almost five months now, but they had never really talked. She always stood out with her long hair and slender figure, but he had never gotten the opportunity to talk to her other than a passing hello.

"I do miss some things," Jules smiled and offered the girl a piece of bacon. "But I'm just tired of seeing all the pretty blue lights around me." He wrinkled his nose a bit at the mention of the lights. He didn't hide the side effects from other residents in Spring Hills or to his doctors. He knew that they knew. Or something like that. Jules just thought it was bothersome keeping something like this a secret. Besides, he needed a good reason to request the glasses in the first place, and saying something along the lines of "the lights hurt my eyes" was not going to be enough.

"I'm Jules, by the way. You must be Eridenia? Eridania!" Jules smiled to himself when he finally remembered her name correctly. "I've seen you around." Seen her dancing and talking to herself, too, something that was not unusual in Spring Hills. Or the streets.

Jules didn't judge. He understood people's troubles. Inside and out. He wasn't in a place to judge anyway; after the things, he had done while on the streets, everything seemed so normal.