Notes

"You know, this isn't my first time dealing with all of this mental facility bull-"

"Language, Mr. Cross. We understand that you've been in and out of places such as those back where you're from, but I can assure you, this is an entirely different scene."

"And how is that? You'll actually keep me longer than three months? Maybe long enough so you can run as many tests on my screwed-up head as you please? It wouldn't be the first time, at least."

"We aren't like your old doctors and nurses. A patient such as yourself has seen many of the newer treatments, I'm sure."

"From that DBT crap to shock therapy, yeah."



He couldn't have looked any more like he wanted to get out of there--from the way he was tapping his sneaker to the fact that he constantly turned his head here and there to stare at something after giving an answer. He wasn't new to any of this, and was, in fact, practically considered a veteran compared to everyone else.

It wasn't helping that two orderlies, both twice his size, were guarding the door behind him. If they weren't, he would have ran right out of there and probably gone back home. He hated home, but it was better than the stuff that went on at places like these. At daytime, there was group therapy and coloring, and at night, there was medication and treatments and screaming. How could he forget any of it from the last place?

It started when he was just ten, in the Child Psychiatric Ward of Olympus Hope. Back when Mommy was healthy and he and Dad didn't fight. Back before he met the people he grew to love. Back before he became who or what he was.

Not too long after he turned fourteen did the things really become visible. It didn't matter where they came from--they just did. They ate away at the light until rooms became darker than they would have with no windows and a closed door.

Their eyes, soulless, for sure, and their teeth...God, their fucking teeth...-

"Mr. Cross?"

"Hunh?"

Jack finally managed to bring himself back to his senses after realizing he must've been staring at his feet for the longest time. The first thing he looked at were his wrists, then up to the woman behind the desk.