The Institute for the mentally unstable

Lockie stumbled as Adan pushed past him, the grin faltering slightly. 'Well that was totally rude! Call me aye?' He called after him, adjusting his jacket again and fingering the box of matches in his pocket. They were a source of comfort for him, his fail safe. in all honesty, without them he'd probably be as nuts as the rest of them. 'Eh.. i'll apologise later.' He shrugged, wandering around the garden a while until he spotted a girl not far off. looking completely terrified. She looked like she hadn't seen a good night's rest in months. (Tamarin) Sidling up to her he reached out a hand to tap her on the shoulder. 'No offense, but you look like someone hit you with a dose of those crappy fifties movie vampires or something.'
 
Lyla heard the banging and reached out for her hand, finding her shoulder she grabbed her hand and said "I know, I don't know why I'm here either, it's fine though your not alone." She said rubbing her shoulder and she said "I'm here" she said trying to calm her down. She really wished she could see, she just... Uhhhhh. She kept a hold of her hand for a moment a squeezed it and got up, walking to her tea and cookie jumped up and licked at her tears. Lyla made charamile tea and brought it over, feeling her way against the wall over to the girl. She handed her the cup and said "here, it will help more than vanilla an lemon" she said "it calms you down, but not like drugs. It doesn't make you sleep though" she added so she didn't freak out.
 
Iris took a deep, rattling breath as she tried to calm herself and took the teas. 'Is that what they have you doing to stop you going nuts like us? You just make tea?' Iris asked, burning her tongue on the hot liquid but drinking it anyway. She felt more secure now. Less insane. She was safe in her cell, she knew that. Safe until the attendants came in. You'd think after months of her being there that they'd learn that she didnt like men. but apparently not. 'Why ARE you here?'
 
Lyla laughs and shook her head, "oh no, no, no. I was shot, through my head. Missed my brain, but took out my eyes." She sighed at sat next to her, continuing "they think I'm delusional, that things I hear arnt there" she shook her head and said "you wouldn't believe me if I told you" she added and said "they think its safer for me in here." She rolled he eyes
 
Iris shivered slightly as a draft reached her from beneath the door. 'Safer for you in a place of mental patients who might just gauge your eyes out with a plastic spoon? Yup, they've got it figured out don't they?' She said, shaking her head and finishing the tea. Now that she was fully awake and away from any trouble she felt safer, more secure, able to talk properly. She wondered why she hadn't bothered to talk to anyone before now. Then she remembered. No one ever thought she was worth the time.
 
"None taken," Tamarine said automatically before even turning around. Someone had talken to her and the last thing she wanted was to do something unforgivable, like not forgiving the boy for making a joke. She smiled warily at him as she imagined the scene of vampires in black and white overdramatically feasting on her blood. "I'm not allowed to socialize very often, so I don't get out much," she explained. She tried to remember to keep eye contact when possible, not to use too many conjunctions in her sentences and keep her tone even. Nothing would ever get her to admit it, but she had lately been considering the idea that it was due to her mother, a nazi when it came to manners and how people thought of Tamarine and herself, which had caused her to become obsessed with such things to a psychologically delusional state of mind.
 
Lyla had to laugh at that one, it was true "I suppose so. Why are YOU here?" She asked. She had been here a while. She barely remembered what is was like outside, although some of that would be due to her wound. She put a hand up the her chin and she said "but none if them are bothered by the blind girl" she shrugged, she didn't mind not getting attention
 
Lockie flashed her a grin, dropping his hand as she turned around. 'Well I don't suppose you would being here. Not many people socialise much do they? I think talking to the sane people is harder because they're convinced we're nuts. In fact I tried talking to that Aden fellow and he just got pissy and stormed off. Weird right?' He said, grinning and stretching in the sun. 'I'm Lockie.' he added, flashing her another friendly grin.

~
Iris froze at Lyla's question. What should she say? There wasn't much point in lying she supposed. But the more she thought about it, the harder it was to avoid panic attacks. 'I... was abused.... continuously.. then one day.. I just.. snapped..' She stammered, staring at her shaking hands, seeing the blood that had once coated them all over again. 'I.. i grabbed the knife.. to protect myself.. and he came at me... so I stabbed.. and stabbed.. over.. and over.. and.. he dropped..' her voice cracked and she started shaking, rocking back and forth.
 
Lyla heard her distress and nodded, she had killed someone due to excessive trauma. He put a hand on her arm again and said "its fine, it's fine. I'm not going to run off because you did that, and it's not your fault" she said calmly, ironically, lyla used to be a shrink. Then she got shot and she needed one, she knew all about how emotions and brains worked. She worked with the police for trauma victims.
 
Slowly Iris calmed again, her breath coming out in shudders. 'I think.. I need some sleep.. My head hurts and.. I haven't slept properly in a while.. Maybe.. maybe i'll sleep properly now.. you're the first person I've told about that.. Other than the police.. but they don't fully believe me..No one believes me..They don't believe he touched me.. that he did those things...' She trailed off, gripping her knees and trying to calm herself again. The memories scared her. 'I.. was sold for profit.. for pleasure.. and now.. now I can't be near them.. they terrify me.. Even if they just walk by..' She began to cry.
 
Tamarine thought about the statement for a moment before responding in her rarely spoken opinion, nodding slightly as she spoke. "The crazy ones at least have an excuse for why you can't talk to them much," she reasoned, "but the sane ones are harder because they have less of a reason to talk with one another; they each think the other is nutso." She giggled quietly, deciding to risk it and look up at the sun which she so rarely ever saw. "I haven't met anyone named Arden yet, so I can't really judge him. However, seeing as how you seem nice, I would say Arden is probably very... touchy." She looked back down from the sky and smiled again, although she did feel guilty. So long as Arden didn't find out what she had said though, she wouldn't need to apologize to him for his forgiveness.
 
Lockie grinned. 'I like you, you're smart. Funny too.' He flashed her a friendly, crooked grin and scanned the area for anyone listening in. 'Want to help me find the weak point in the security so we can bust out of this hell hole? i mean, sure i only just got here, but its already boring the hell out of me. hey, you didn't tell me your name. if i'm gonna have an accomplice I need to know your name.' He grinned at her, studying her carefully. He hoped she wouldn't go and report him or something.
 
Leda nodded and began to get up, but when the girl sobbed she pulled her to her and hugged her "of course I believe you" she said letting the girl sob on her shoulder. colkie had defended her. That ment he sensed real fear. She tried to comfort her and she said "once your calm, do you want me to stay or go" she knew that women even men that had trauma sometimes needed someone to be there to relax, someone who wouldn't hurt them.
 
Iris leaned into her embrace, the sobs wracking her body violently. She hated her weakness. It made her sick. She wanted to be normal, like other people, yet no matter what she tried she came out worse than she went in. 'I don't think they'll let you stay.. They're strict when it comes to me.. They won't even let me use proper cutlery for fear I'll stab them... all because I tried to attack the first orderly that came to 'assist' me on my first day here..' She laughed a little, sarcastic, nervous laughter.
 
Lyla nodded and said "but would you like me to. Do you it would help you sleep?" She asked. If they put up to much of a fight she would get the shrink down here to tell them how it worked. She was almost sound of mind, well completely. They just thought that she was almost. She hugged her again and said "I know my stuff. Used to work with trauma victims." She said
 
"Tamarine." Inside, she was secretly beaming at the compliment. No one had ever called her smart or funny, only thoughful and that had been when she was very young. Thinking of when she was younger reminded her of a vague, half recalled memory of a former alias. "You could call me Tammy though, if you like." She hesitated though when she thought about the idea of trying to escape. Of course she wanted to get out as much as anyone else here, but the fear of what everyone would think about her and the attempt made her nervous. Then again, friends' opinions were much more important than strangers', right?
"How can I help?"
 
Lockie beamed at her, a genuine smile more than his regular grin. 'Well, we need to find the blind spots. Every place has one. At least, every one I've been to has.' He flashed her a curious glance. 'Tammy.. it's a cute name. Suits you. Oh hey, how long have you been here for?' He asked as he crept along the grass, keeping close to the wall of the building. He knew they wouldn't have much time. Normally they only got an hour or so of yard time, or at least that was what he had found out from the other patients.

~
Iris shook her head. 'I don't want any trouble.. i should be fine.' She reached down to pet the dog, rubbing its soft silky ear between her fingers. 'She's beautiful.. The dog.. what's her name again?' She asked Lyla, petting the dog gently with even strokes. 'I wish I was allowed a pet.. I always wanted a guinea pig.. I'd name it Marshall.. I wanted one ever since I was a little girl. But I was never allowed a pet.. I brought home a stray kitten once.. my foster father.. fed it to the dog.. It was this horrible creature.. massive teeth.. brutish red eyes.. It terrified me..'
 
Lyla smiled and nodded "ok" she smiled, assuming she was patting cookie "He is. I'm only allowed her because of my sight. His name is cookie" she said smiling "that is horrible." She shuddered at the thought. "Sounds like a brute if a dog." She frowned
 
Tamarine followed Lockie's lead and carefully strolled close to the wall, but far enough away that she wouldn't set any alarms off. Her eyes were continuously moving from one place to another, trying to take in as much of the surroundings as possible without making it seem as if she were searching for cameras. "This would be my third year..." she admitted sheepishly, getting nervous. What if he thought that she was lazy or stupid for not having escaped by now? So far, the cameras that she could see were well choreographed to keep from allowing blind spots.
 
Iris sighed, leaning back. 'he kept it so I wouldn't run away.. If i went against his wishes he'd bring it inside and chain it outside my room. Whenever I opened the door.. it was there..' She shuddered, shaking her head of the memory. 'I don't like big dogs.. Don't like men either. I'm just terrified of getting close to people.' She shrugged. 'I've been here three months.. three months and it's already sending me crazier. I was in other institutions before this one. And then I threatened the orderlies.. and they had me transferred. They're a bunch of wimps.. I was there for two years before that..' She shook her head. 'People confuse me. Animals are easy to understand.'

~
lockie looked back at her with interest. 'Three years? And they still haven't helped you? Well, that proves it. This place makes you crazier. We'll bust out as soon as we can.' He flashed her a grin and then pushed her to the wall gently as an orderly walked past, barely noticing them luckily as they were concealed conveniently by a tree. The moment the attendant was gone he released his hold on her. 'Sorry about that. I don't want to be put in solitary confinement on my first day.' So saying, he grinned and pulled out his matches. 'Let's see their response time shall we. When I drop the match, we run the other way okay?' He pulled out a match and struck it on the box, watching it burn a moment before looking at her carefully. 'Ready? Three. Two. One. GO!' He dropped the match and sprinted away just as the tree lit up.
 
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