Realistic or Modern Saint Teresa's Asylum (OPEN AND ACCEPTING) (Horror Feel/Realism RP)

[BasDorcha]

The building was dark, per normal, with the only natural light being that weak beams that filtered in from the ceiling so high above they had never even been cleaned. Damien sat in his cell, reading another random library book, flipping through the last few pages. It was almost over. This brought a sigh to his lips. He hated endings – they made him think of his mother’s end. Putting it down, he left the last five pages of the last chapter unread, and closed the cover, heading for the library room down below. As he stood in the entry way of his cell, the door propped open by a tower of books, he put it on top, examining the view in front of him.

Below various patients roamed, from cell to cell, from floor to floor, or guided by orderlies to places above. It was business as usual. The young man headed down to the ground floor, each floor’s walkway circular with a flight of stairs at the start and end of the circle, one going up and one going down. Between them an elevator, but it could only be used by the orderlies and doctors, with a flash of their badges to get in. He didn’t like them anyways, they made him feel claustrophobic. The one time he had been in them, they were bringing him back from his first ‘checkup’ and he had nearly thrown up on them. Since that time, they had forced him up the stairs when they bothered with him at all. Mostly, he made sure to stay out of sight, out of mind, and under the radar as much as possible.

Finally reaching the ground floor, he paused again, this time looking up at the giant white marble statue of an angel, with open arms that had greyed with age. Some took solace in the statue, but Damien felt nothing. He did like to look upon it, but only for the sake of art itself – someone had painstakingly carved in every detail, every line, every feather. Someone had cared once. A few minutes slid by, and a rumbling stomach drove him to the cafeteria. It must have been about midday, judging by the almost bright light that was lifting some of the darkness at the bottom of the tower, and the spread that had been placed in grab and go containers on the counter. He picked up a stale bologna and cheese sandwich and a bowl of mushy broccoli, and a glass of water – the milk was always warm, and he couldn’t stand milk even cold. Making a face he left the line and sat down at one of the few tables.

A few familiar faces milled about, but not anyone he had spoken too – not that Damien ever spoke. He hadn’t spoken in years. Still, there were ways to speak, without speaking. You could write it down, plus there was a whole range of body language most people never learned read. Damien was a reader. He could read it.

Outside the cafeteria, in the common space came a ruckus, Damien felt the vibrations in the tabletop. Furling his eyebrows, he turned in his seat looking out the door. A patient was being chased by the orderlies, screaming, and throwing things. With an interested eye, he stood, taking the sandwich, and leaving the rest, to watch the scene in front of him.

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[SugarBiscuit]

As the nurses and doctors made their stations that morning, the irritated groan of a male who had been woken one too many times sounded. Grayson picking his head up to blankly stare at the mess his belongings were in how…original. He had been through this same set up many times before all they did was look into his items see nothing was wrong then leave. The black haired male turned onto his back as he faced up to the white ceiling that was reflecting the little button shaped lights as they couldn’t have anything that could…ya know seal the job.

As he sunk into his brittle and thin mattress the guy could only hope of seeing the sun and hearing the voices of people who weren’t criminally insane or mental like a certain blonde that kept being a nuisance with being loud. Once gaining enough motivation to move his sore body out of the place he call a room and bed, Grayson rambled about how dull this asylum truly was. Everything was pretty much dull in color and lacked anything fun to do as the people really couldn’t care less of who was in here.

As he took a step down the corridor followed by one after another, his gaze happened to linger inside of cells who’s door was wide open for the day. Some people he had no clue about others were familiar faces he had dealt with for a long time but something just seemed…off today perhaps it was his nerves from the new medication he had been prescribed to take. Whatever it was the guy had decided the best way to try and calm it was to go to a table and color his nerves away or until it was time to eat.

His hand traced the lining of the pads on the wall as he walked down the set of stairs, some idiots had thrown themselves against it causing the staff to well…essentially baby-proof the entire place. “Hopefully someone new shows up it’s getting boring in this place again.”

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Pipsqueak Beckspace BasDorcha

 

[Pipsqueak]

The hum of conversation downstairs was what woke Eline. Despite being bleary eyed and groggy, she couldn't complain much. It beat being woken by the orderlies crashing your place or worse yet, the sounds of certain patients having a terrifying break in reality. The night hadn't gone smoothly for her either. Plagued by panic attacks and the strong urge to calm herself with crackling flames of a fire that she no longer had access to, it had been quite rough. Today would be different however! If Brutus had gotten what she'd asked for, she wouldn't have to rely on that stupid grounding technique anymore. With a newfound skip in her step, Eline hopped out of bed and slid downstairs into the cafeteria, where most of the patients had congregated already.

"Good morning my little chickadees!" Her voice rang out over the chatter, but there was little attention received apart from the annoyed glances from a few people. Not deterred whatsoever, the brunette scanned the area instead for her friend. Unfortunately, Brutus didn't seem to be present today. Perhaps his room had gotten checked? If that were the case, the man was probably somewhere getting "talked to"... Yikes. Frowning, Eline made her way over to a random table scattered with a few familiar faces.

"Have you guys seen Bru- er, Nick today?" The few people who knew Eline either shook their heads or shrugged, completely unaware of the pair's deal. Letting out a dramatic huff, she plopped down uninvited in one of the seats, finally letting her exhaustion take over. So much for her good day.

"Ya look tired El." One of her acquaintances drawled, obviously not too interested in the topic but clearly trying to be polite. They knew she would have brought it up anyways.

"I AM tired! I had a terrible night, and now B- Nick isn't here! Today is the worst day ever. Like how am I supposed to be nice to people today if I'm tired? When I'm tired I'm grumpy, and when I'm grumpy I don't make friends." The others nodded in faux sympathy as they picked at the morsels of food being handed out this morning. Eline let out another unnecessary sigh, draping herself over the girl sitting next to her.

"It's ridiculous really! I'm not asking for much, just-" Before she could continue the sound of people running in the hallway cut her off. Sitting up the pyromaniac sneaked a glance out of the doorway just in time to see one of the patients making a fuss in the common room, the orderlies right on his tail screaming for him to calm down.

"We're starting early today I guess." The girl beside Eline mumbled. Eline herself was about to get up to get a better look, but the girl gently pulled her back down, shaking her head.

"Best to just let it happen."

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Beckspace BasDorcha SugarBiscuit

 

[Beckspace]

Jane Blackcreek​

Mornings always look the same at Saint Teresa's Asylum. Perhaps it's due to the geological location that days always begin if grey cloudy skies, or maybe it's due to the solemn work that must be done there. Either way, as Jane likes to tell herself, clouds never stay in one spot, always moving and making room for the sunrise.

The sunrise. That's what coaxed Jane out of bed in her small cottage home just outside the main building but still on the property of the asylum. It's difficult to see the sunrise in the asylum, which is why Jane made it her mission to bring it to the patients, metaphorically of course. It was her utmost belief that usage of the library will raise patient moral and help them become well enough to one day leave this asylum as model citizens. After all, these patients all have mental injuries, so what better cure than to feed the brain with knowledge?

This morning, Jane was putting in motion one of her plans to cure patients in her own way. She rushed across the grounds and to the gloomy building, she had a key because the door is always kept locked for the safety of the patients. Already patients were making their way into the cafeteria for breakfast, but she wasn't heading there just yet. Jane first went to unlock the library doors just across the way, and grabbed the small pile of posters on her reference desk. Her original plan was to hand out pamphlets, but since some patients are not allowed to have paper, she resorted to posting up as many signs as possible in the hopes that they will be seen and read. The sign was a very simple pale yellow with stock photos of big piles of books along the sides of the text. It read as follows:

Book Club at the Library
ALL ARE WELCOME!!!
We will read a chapter together and discuss.
Every Day at 3:00PM
No Sign Up Required
Inquire with Ms. Blackcreek for more information.​

Jane was very proud of her signs, but more so of the fact that she was able to borrow enough copies of the club's first book for every patient to tae back to their rooms if they wished. It took a lot of convincing other libraries to send their copies to an asylum. She hoped that her hard work would pay off and she would get as many patients as possible involved with the club, or if not, at least interested in seeing what the library had to offer. Maybe if this worked out, she could possibly convince her father to allow her to do more programs, maybe a game or movie night. Pizza party? A lot was riding on this club working out.

Jane was just leaving the library with her pile of posters when she saw what most all of the patients were now watching. A patient in the common room right outside the cafeteria was screaming and kicking as a group of orderlies tried to subdue him. The patient was not one of her library regulars, but she did remember seeing him pop in once or twice. What was his name again? Well whoever he was, the orderlies were getting rather impatient now, and unfortunately for the patient, Eddy was one of the orderlies on duty.

"Keep screaming, kid, you're only going to make things worse for you," Eddy said with a laugh. He was one of the senior orderlies, a balding middle-aged man with a god complex. Jane never liked him. He seemed to like his job just a bit too much, but not the part of his job he should be liking.

"Don't take me up there! I won't go up there!" The patient cried as finally one orderly grabbed him by the arm and twisted it behind his back. The patient screamed in pain as he was brought down to his knees. Jane couldn't stand by any longer.

"Hey! Not so hard! Can't you see you're hurting him?" Jane exclaimed. Eddy turned to look at Jane, smiled, then jabbed a big needle into the patient neck. Whatever it was sedated him, and he fell to the ground, finally quieted. Jane flinched and looked away.

"Do yourself a favor, princess," Eddy said as he walked up to Jane. "Keep that pretty little nose stuck in those books of yours, cause it don't belong nowhere else."

Eddy smacked posters out of her hands and she watched as they flew in all directions across the common room floor. BasDorcha SugarBiscuit Pipsqueak

 

[BasDorcha]

Damien Jump​

Looking about, Damien started to see a few more familiar faces. Breakfast had come and gone, and the Librarian was now out defending patients like normal. Ed was busy telling her to shove off. Shaking his head, he watched as Nick was dragged off. He had to learn to keep out of sight. The poor kids arm was probably broken after that twist, from the look on his face when it was inflicted. It was going to be one of those days. Best to hide in the Library.

As he crossed the common area, a silence had fallen as everyone watched Nick being drug away. One floor. Two floors. Three floors. Four, five, six, seven, eight, nine... ten. A lump lodged itself in his throat. Tenth floor was the floor of no return. Rarely did one return from the Headmaster's lair. In his mind he pictured floor ten as a nest, fire being breathed down into the round and round of levels and stairs below, with orderlies being the little minions enslaved by the dragons magic. Once, he'd gotten close, he'd been taken to the ninth level for electroshock therapy, they were at the point of trying anything to make him speak, and while even his screams were silent, he could hear to tormented cries from above, before the sound of a saw silenced everything. It was his goal now to simply stay away from the upper levels as much as possible.

Looking up, he saw the newest signs from Ms. Blackcreek had put up. Bookclub? That sounds interesting. Picking up a flyer off the floor, he began picking up more. One. two. Three. Four. Five... One more, can't stop on an odd number. His hand touched one the librarian was reaching for at the same time, and he retracted quickly. Touching at all set his nerves on end. His eyes quickly found the last one on the floor and picked it up, the rising panic settling as he found a sixth paper to pick up. Handing them to her, he kept one for himself. Thin fingers pointed at the flyer, specifically at the spot that said, "Inquire with Ms. Blackcreek for more info".

I want to join. He didn't speak, but he hoped she picked up on the intention none the less. Looking up, his eyes landed on a female figure in the cafeteria, who had been watching the scene like him. There was a moment of eye contact before he shifted his eyes away awkwardly. Another form was coming down the stairs, tracing the walls. The three of them and him were the only ones in eyesight at the moment, as most had cleared the common room when the commotion started. Easier to hide with more people about, right now he felt put on display. His body swayed left, then right, foot to foot, before he nodded to the library and took a few steps towards it. He wanted sanctuary behind the closed doors, away from the open space every orderly, doctor, and patient could see from any floor.

 

[SugarBiscuit]

GRAYSON.​

As the incident with Nick broken out, Grayson watched from the middle of the stairs to watch it as it was about the only real gossip in the pod people talked about. “There he goes into isolation for god knows how long.” But as they passed him going up each floor the guy could only shake his head when they stopped at the very top. It was the headmaster’s level and everyone knew once you went up there it was all over. Part of him wanted to know what the issue was but then again…he didn’t fancy trouble all he wanted was to get out and return home.

As his hand dragged on the wall, taking each step until he had gotten to the bottom Grayson quietly walked off into a part of the main area to be alone and find the coloring book he had stashed away but upon going to his spot the guy had come face to face with a poster to which he read over. “A book club huh?” A nagging voice stirring up that it was a bad idea in his head then again…was it? Nobody here really would go and likely they would mock him for being too smart just like all the others did. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt afterall I work there.”

The male shrugged his shoulders as he sulked off to go and find the library again, it was best to stay out of sight. Some nurses or doctors actively provoking some patients to get granted access for human experimentation or so the rumor had it. As his steps were quickened to a new pace, out of the corner of his eyes he could faintly see the librarian and another interacting. Hopefully it meant more people cause Grayson knew that if it was just him, he wouldn’t hear the end of it.

Apart of him actually hoped for the company of another, it was getting quite lonely and being near the top floor meant he had to deal with some screaming patients who didn’t understand the concept of ‘quiet’ then again how could you in a place like this? The male being lost in thought as he was recalling the titles of the books he had read. His favorite so far has to be ‘The Outsiders’ yeah sure it was a old child book that most schools read but it still was his favorite due to the world building.

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[Pipsqueak]

Eline Barbarose
Location: Library
Interactions: BasDorcha
Mentions: SugarBiscuit Beckspace
​

It had gotten quieter in the cafeteria after the fiasco in the common room, and Eline began to get antsy. A few people, including some familiar faces, had taken the liberty to help the poor librarian with her stuff. The nice deed seemed to be contagious, because soon after the brunette had hopped from her seat despite the insistent warnings from her acquaintance to just leave it already, to go and help as well. The flyers were scattered everywhere along the hall, and Eline felt a twinge of sadness for the girl. She didn't know her very well as she had never been one for books and the like, but she DID know the librarian was a lovely lady. Probably one of the few, if not the only person in this whole asylum, to actually care about the patients here.

Grabbing a stray flyer from the ground, curiosity quickly took hold. What was this? It seemed Ms. Jane had been busy coming up with a new event! Some book club meeting starting today... Pursing her lips, Eline glanced over to the others who seemed to have also taken an interest in the club. Against her dislike for reading, she couldn't help but feel the need to go. It wasn't because of the books, of course. She couldn't have cared less about that. It bothered her that the people who took interest, the ones who were so kind as to help a Jane in need, were also the ones who Eline recognized. They had been here for a while and she had never taken the opportunity to introduce herself! It had been her mission since day one to make as many friends as possible. When she had first arrived here against her will, the one thing that terrified her the most was not having anyone to talk to. And although she had fallen into a comfortable group of people, it wouldn't hurt to see if she could expand that list, would it?

Solidifying her thoughts with the question, she too made her way for the second time ever to the library. Her eyes avoided the top floor where the man had been dragged. Just looking in that direction gave the pyromaniac chills. Forcing herself to stay calm, she made her way into the library. It was a cozy part of the asylum, if one could use that word to describe anything in this place. It was quiet as well. None of the more restless patients never made their way around this part, unlike the cafeteria. There were a few tables scattered around the room, more than enough seating for the ones who enjoyed spending their free time here. Opting to introduce herself to the man she had locked eyes with a few minutes ago, she skipped over and plopped herself right on top of the table, giving the biggest, warmest smile she could muster.

"Hello guy! I'm Eline, it's nice to meet you! I've never gotten to introduce myself before, and I think that's terribly rude of me considering we've seen each other around. You can be my friend if you want to. Do you like books? I've never been one to enjoy them much, but if you like them maybe you can show me your favorite?" She knew the fastest way to make a friend was to show an interest in similar topics. Of course interest had nothing to do with this, but she didn't mind if it meant acquiring someone new to talk to. The man had always been pretty quiet as far as she remembered, but something about him seemed tame compared to the dangerous patients during one of their quiet moments. He just seemed like he didn't want to get involved as much, which only made Eline even more curious about him.

"You're here for the book club too, right? Poor Ms. Librarian, that orderly can be so rude sometimes. You ever talk to him?"

 

[Beckspace]

Jane Blackcreek​

Jane was paying so much attention to collecting her fliers, that she didn't realize she was being assisted until her hand accidentally reached for the same one as Damien's. She looked up in shock, but then smiled as he had collected 6 for her. Then she noticed that all around the common area, patients were grabbing a flier and looking at it. At the very least there was interest, which means this could work after all!

She looked back at Damien, and it looked like he was trying to tell her something, perhaps that he wanted to join the book club? Jane smiled again and helped herself up.

"It starts at 3PM today, Damien, but please feel free to come to the library any time before then. I hope you'll stay and join us," Jane said. All the leftover fliers were back in her hand, so she continued on into the cafeteria to post a few on the walls. This was going to be a good day, she could already tell.

After posting up the fliers and going talking to some patients about possibly coming, she made her way back to the library. Jane was surprised to find that a few patients were already there. Most were regulars, like Damien Jump, but Eline was a newcomer. Jane was a bit unsure about this patient, though she tried not to be. She had heard that Eline likes to play with fire. Fire isn't really a book's best friend, nor a librarian's. However, as is her code, she was not about to deny anyone access to the library. She greeted a few and made her way over to her desk to sit beside the computer. She had to get the books ready to be handed out this afternoon. Jane had chosen one of her favorites to kick off the book club; To Kill a Mockingbird By Harper Lee. Many have claimed this book to be the Great American Classic, and Jane agreed. Most of all, she felt the message would pertain to the patients, the message that every human deserves to be treated with dignity.

 

[BasDorcha]

Damien Jump​

As people began to filter into the library, he watched his a mild curiosity. Two of the patients he had seen in the common area followed in Ms. Jane, one - Eline - even sat down and began speaking. A silent expression of, Uh, hello, crossed his face, an eyebrow perked as he listened to her. In his free hand he carried his notebook and pencil, used for both drawing and writing out the far and few conversations he had. Trying to remember all the questions she had asked, he used the pencil to tap on his chin, before scribbling down his response and sliding the book over to her.

"Damien. Yes I like books. Yes, here for book club. Never talk to the orderlies." Never talk to the orderlies was triple underlined with heavy hand, bolding the statement. When another fellow patient joined them, a guy that lived on the top floor, he decided it would probably be easier for Ms. Janes to have everyone in one place, so he lifted a hand and waved a small, beckoning wave. Then he patted the table they were at. Maybe he would join them.

Once she had a chance to read the first message he wrote, Damien wrote another, "Favorite book... Ready Player One. Or Brave New World."

(Sorry y'all work is seriously sapping my brain energy. This is stupid short for me)

 

[SugarBiscuit]

Grayson Smirov​

As he headed down the hall towards the library, one thought in mind came to pass which any common sane one would have. How many would show up? Would their even be a group or would it just be a small handful? The thoughts bounced around his mind trying to estimate the best possible outcome to try and avoid a over extend of those who would come to his little silent space. Once Grayson had arrived, the guy had taken notice of how many people had started to huddle over at one distinct place perhaps this was the so called boo club?

Slowly he approached with a hesitant smile, his hands getting a bit shaky as he never really had much interaction with the others in this place. “So uh….are you guys also here about the book club flyer? Thought that maybe I could join as I read…um…a lot of books on my spare time.” Clearly his hesitation had built up,it sucked but due to some of his problems it triggered a response like this didn’t help that the voice in his head was practically screaming at him to leave by now.

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BasDorcha Pipsqueak Beckspace PolishTwinky

 

[Pipsqueak]

Eline Barbarose
Location: Library
Interactions: BasDorcha SugarBiscuit
Others: PolishTwinky Beckspace
​

Eline sat criss-crossed on top of the table, staring wide eyed at the man with the notepad. She tried to lean in to get a better look, but much closer and they would've bumped heads so she opted to wait with an impatient huff. Finally he flipped the paper around so she could read it, and instantly her eyes grew wide.

"Ohhhh, I get it! You're mute! No wonder I never see ya talkin' around this place! Erm- no offense. Can I say that? Is the M word ok?" Eline clasped her hands over her mouth in mortified shock until both were simultaneously pulled from the conversation when another entered the library. Again, she recognized the face but couldn't place a name. He seemed unsure, as if he shouldn't even be coming here in the first place. Social anxiety maybe? Damien was the first to take action, offering the man a seat next at their table.

"Awesome! Welcome to the cool kid's table." The brunette smiled, winking at him. He seemed lovely enough, just a bit awkward. That was ok. Eline would just have to pull these two out of their shell!

"You're in luck kid, because that's what Damien's here for too! Look at that, already have somethin' in common! See?" Grabbing the notepad after her new friend had written down his favorite books, she showed the paper to the newcomer, tapping the words 'Yes I like books. Yes, here for the book club.'

"Already like two peas in a pod the both of you! Oh, I'm Eline by the way, and like I said this is Damien!" She giggled with excitement, happy that this seemed to be going so well.

"I'm not a fan of books, but let me tell you that Ms. Jane is just so darn convincing with her fancy posters I just couldn't say no!" Spotting the librarian at her desk, the pyromaniac waved enthusiastically at her. The other few people who had filtered in here (Some sitting alone, others mostly in groups of two) stared at her with an odd expression. Oh, right. Libraries were supposed to be quiet. After composing herself and deciding to not stick her tongue out at the others like any good patient would, she slowly turned back around until she was facing her friends again. Showing them she could be on her best behavior in their favorite place, she mimed zipping her mouth closed, clasping her hands in her lap so as not to be tempted into messing with anything. It wouldn't hurt to let them take the reigns in the conversation a bit anyways...

 

[Beckspace]

Jane Blackcreek​

Jane finally finished processing the books just in time for book club to begin. She looked over at the table where the book club was to be held and only saw three patients sitting there. She frowned and looked around the library. She frowned and looked around the room from her desk. There were several patients about, some relaxing in chairs with books, others browsing the shelves, others staring at the shelves as if they forgot what they were doing or just didn't have anything better to do. She picked up her big pile of To Kill a Mockingbird books and visited each of these patients.

"Book club is beginning in a minute or so. Please feel free to sit and join us," she told each of the patients. Some nodded at her, others ignored her completely. She told herself that this was just the first meeting. Perhaps some patients were running late. Perhaps some haven't seen the fliers. Perhaps some would become interested once rumors of the first meeting being a success goes around. Even so, she had three to start off with. Three's a company and already more than what her father and the orderlies thought she would get.

With the new mustered confidence, Jane walked over to the little formed group.

"Hello everyone. Welcome to Book Club. I think you all know me, but just to make it formal, I am Ms, Jane Blackcreek, but please you can call me Jane as I believe we will all become good friends," She said with a bright smile as she passed out the books.

"Now, I know a new-formed club can often be a bit awkward at first, and I want you to know that that is ok. Once we all get to know each other and start discussions, I'm sure all that awkwardness will go away. How about we break the ice by introducing ourselves? I already said my name is Jane Blackcreek. I am the librarian here at Saint Teresa's. My favorite color is purple and, fun fact, I absolutely love peppermints. Anything with that peppermint taste, really. Which is why, give me one moment-" Jane walked briskly back to her desk, grabbed a small clay bowl, and then went back to the table. "-I always have peppermints here at the library for me and my patrons to enjoy. Just don't tel the doctor though, he doesn't like me handing out food. Please help yourselves."

Jane placed the bowl of round peppermint candies in the center of the table, then sat down right next to Damien. "There, now you know all about me. Now it's your turn. Your name, favorite color, and fun fact. How about you go Damien. You can write it down if you wish," Jane offered. Damien was an interesting case. Jane was no doctor by any means, but she always felt Damien would want to talk again if he had a reason to. She hoped he would want to talk in Book Club, once he was comfortable.

 

[BasDorcha]

As the new man - come to think of it, Damien was pretty sure his name was Grayson - joined them, he made sure there was plenty of space and patted the open chair again, Have a seat. Damien's body language seemed to speak for him, he wasn't saying anything complicated to say the least. He offered a smile and nodded, indicating joining them would be more then fine. He certainly didn't mind. He may not talk much, but Damien was actually pretty fond of company - it was just sometimes hard to express that when you couldn't speak.

When Eline started talking again, and called him mute, then immediately looked like she might have offended him, he gave an awkward sounding laugh that came more through the air being pushed through his nose than throat. Thumbs up - It's fine. He waited patiently while she spoke to Grayson, and rolled his eyes at "cool kid's table" comment playfully. A quick shake of his head was a jesting poke at them not being cool. When the notepad went out of his hands, he gaped slightly, surprised. Then he shrugged. He offered a hand, in case Grayson wanted to shake it, before taking back his notebook and setting it down in front of him. While they chatted, he sketched their pictures, along with the setting of the library, listening to them until Ms. Jane came over.

Damien looked up at Eline and made a talking mouth with his hand, looking at her quizzically - why had she stopped talking? Looking around he saw others looking at them, and rolled his eyes again, sticking his tongue out at them. He didn't care if they didn't like it, he did. As the books arrived, he took three and handed one to each of them, then kept one for himself. He'd read this one a few times, but he would happily read it again. Lovingly he flipped through the pages, then closed it. He hoped they wouldn't call on people to read out loud, because, well, obviously he couldn't.

As Ms. Jane started talking, he looked up and listened, nodding along and agreeing with what she said. He did hope to make friends here. It was hard to keep your head down and make friends, but maybe the library was a good place to do it. After she finished speaking and she asked Damien to start first, he flipped back to the page he was writing on previously and quickly scribbled out an answer.

Damien Jump, color green, fun fact....... He paused, tapping the pencil against his teeth. He turned the page back to the sketch he was doing, which surprisingly looked a lot more complete then one might think for such a small amount of time. He flipped back and wrote I like to draw. He smiled, and looked at Grayson. After a moment, he pointed and nodded, as if to say your turn.

It had been a while since he felt this relaxed around others, maybe it was the library, or just their aura feel, but it was a comfortable little group.

 

[SugarBiscuit]

Grayson watched and took note of how the others were interacting but came a bit tensed at how open everyone was here. He wasn’t much one for small talk let alone massive discussions due to being isolated for being ‘normal’ well…too normal from what others said. When gestured for a hand shake the guy could physically feel himself curl into a ball, he hated the idea of being in this place but guess he had to deal with what he had. “Names…Grayson.” Pushing down all fear in his throat, the dark haired man smiled back.

When he had gone to try and read upon being called a interrupted voice sounded rather loudly. “IM HEREEEEE!!!” Anton screamed which made anyone who despised the boy roll their eyes. Grayson had even run into him and absolutely hated Anton with a passion at how loud he was. “This is…Anton everyone the same kid who’s on my level for being..” Grayson having paused at the end of his sentence as he was unsure of how to word the matter. Afterall he didn’t want to publicly offend anyone especially the…nurses they could get mean and the last thing he needed was to get sent to what he called ‘the chamber’. It was just a matter of time before everyone ended up on the chopping block.

Anton finally taking a seat next to the group just a bit off into his own world until snapping back into reality with a chuckle. “So I heard it’s book club that means new friends!!” The kid as far as he knew seems the most ‘sane’ despite not physically being sane instead mentally unfit as far as it could go. He could be calculated when needed but most of the time Anton’s behavior was more..erratic then anything and sometimes violent when provoked.

—————————
BasDorcha Pipsqueak PolishTwinky
Beckspace

 

[Beckspace]

Jane Blackcreek​

Jane had jumped at the sudden loud voice entering the library. Her head snapped around to see the new arrival who had come to upset the calm, and found that it was a patient she wasn't familiar with. Grayson luckily knew who he was and introduced him as he sat down to join the Book Club. Based on Grayson's and some of the other patient's reactions, Anton wasn't a favorite of most peoples. This, however, did not deter Jane. Her goal was to welcome all patients to the library to offer solace and hopeful healing in ways besides medicine.

"Welcome, Anton. You joined us just in time. I am about to distribute the books. And please, feel free to take a peppermint," she said, standing up to start handing out books. The copies of To Kill a Mockingbird were all old and worn, yellowed pages and ripped covers. Jane assumed this was due to the fact that the other libraries didn't yet trust her and her patrons to take care of newer copies in their collection. She hoped once they were all returned safely then they may consider sending her better copies in the future.

"So the first book we're going to read together is To Kill a Mockingbird. I have enough copies for everyone to take back to your rooms and read at your leisure. I remind you that these are library books, so please do your best to keep them safe while in your care as I do need them back once we're done. But on to more exciting things. To Kill a Mockingbird is considered by many to be the Great American Classic Novel. While we read this through, I'd like you to think about why this might be."

Jane finished passing out the books and sat back down in her seat in the circle, holding the book she would be using in a close embrace. "More importantly, I hope you will connect to each of the characters. Maybe try putting yourself in their shoes. I think you'll find you can actually find something you have in common with yourself and most of these characters, even the 6 year old Scout." She closed her eyes and just soaked in the joy of starting a new book.

She quick opened her eyes again and blushed, realizing she had a group of patients waiting on her. "Sorry, I get carried away sometimes when it comes to literature. Book Club will take place every day, as I mentioned in the flier. We'll read a chapter a day, then come back here to discuss the chapter, our thoughts, and anything else that comes to mind. I figured, since we haven't read any chapter for this meeting, we could start by reading the first chapter together. Do we have a volunteer to read the first page?"

 

[BasDorcha]

Damien Jump]
Damien was feeling a bit overwhelmed with all the activity, but smiled anyways as the others spoke around him. When Ms. Jane over looked him to read the first page out loud, he was happy that she didn't look at him. He would have loved too, but couldn't. Instead, he started quick sketching what he thought some of the scenes might look like. The first picture he drew was of Finch’s Landing, the farm on the banks of the Alabama River. Next he drew up the Finch brothers, Atticus and Jack, in the town of Maycomb.

It was lucky for him that he had read the book a few times before, but what wouldn’t stop him from reading it again with the book club and maybe getting a chance for a new perspective. Next he drew the kids in the book, Jem, Scout and Dill. A lot of what he drew was just how he imagined them after reading the book himself. All the sketches were rough line sketches, detailed but not finetuned. After he finished each picture, he took it out of his book and slid it towards the center of the table to let the others view it. Finally, he drew a picture of the Radley house, laying it with the rest

Damien always liked adding images to his favorite books, it helped them feel more alive. Maybe it would help the others as well. He listened as the chapter was read aloud, and followed along in the book, enjoying this new found companionship with the other patience of Saint Teresa’s. For many years he had been here without really interacting with others and it was kind of nice to have a change up in that.

As the chapter wrapped up, Damien leaned over and picked up a peppermint, in no real hurry to leave the library. For starters, he spent a lot of time in here just hiding from the orderlies and outside noise, but today because he had also made some new friends. It seemed the headmaster had implemented some unspoken rule about the library being off limits to the orderlies and doctors, so it was one of the few safe places for one to go.​

 

[Angelofwishes7]

Ryan Thompson
Location: Library​

---

Sitting in the corner of his room, his eyes blank as he stared at the walls as if there was a window or hole in the wall leading to the outside world in front of him. Ryan sat there for many hours oblivious to the world outside of the safe space his mind created. It was if he wasn't even in his room anymore. As time passed, occasionally Ryan would chuckle or softly speak as if there was someone sitting right beside him. He'd have full conversations with his unseen "friends" for multiple hours of the day and night, it was how he passed most of his time, lost in his own little world, not even noticing time was passing right by him.

After a very long period Ryan swung his head to his doorway, seeing an orderly standing there, just barely blocking the light from the hallway going into Ryan's room. They were probably there because he had again forgotten to eat. Even though the orderly's lips were moving, Ryan didn't hear a single word come from them before they walked away. Ryan's eyes stayed on the area the orderly was in for another minute or so before looking back at the white wall.

"Well... I guess you are right." he nodded to the wall as if agreeing with someone. Standing up from the spot on the floor he slowly made his way to hall. Peaking out of his doorway, much like an animal looking for danger, or a new meal, before stepping out and slowly heading to the stairway.

Each step, he took he counted in his head, it took around 267 steps to make it to the cafeteria, about 294 to make it to the library from his room. So instead of looking where he was going, Ryan looked at the floor as he walked, hardly every looking up to see if anyone or anything was in his way. He knew the layout of almost each floor by heart and no longer really needed to look where he was going. Instead he just counted steps, gave his mind something to do as he walked and it's not like he was worried about walking into people anymore. Almost everyone tended to move out of his way if they notice him going down the halls, and if he did bump into someone he just kept going like nothing happened, even if he knocked them over, he didn't stop if he set his mind to getting somewhere. So by now, most people he did bump into just let it go, like it never happened. Even more so since his last incident with an aggressive patient a few years back.

As Ryan made his way to the cafeteria, he snapped back to reality for a very short moment, mumbling something under his breath as he looked over his shoulder as if he had someone following him. Taking in that the place was nearly empty, with only one or two other patients in there, he figured he had missed this meal and would just wait till the next. He paused as he turned to head back to his room before noticing a pale yellow sign in front of the library. Walking over to it he looked it over and over again. Looking closely at the lettering trying to make out words from the letters that just looked like nonsense in his own mind. Though he could figure out two or three words, he didn't have the slightest clue of what the sign actually read. Ryan looked over his shoulder, and smiled, as if someone had said something to him before he entered the Library.

Walking in he noticed a small group of patients and Ms. Jane reading over a book. Curious, he stood back a good twenty or so feet from everyone and listened to the group read. It was a book he had never heard of before, or at least, one he didn't think he heard of before. But he couldn't really tell, as at the same time the voices in his own head fought to be heard over the voices of those who were reading. Even as the chapter came to an end, Ryan stood, watching in silence as people began to move or get ready to leave, the voices in his head droning on and on as if someone was still reading the book.

 

[SugarBiscuit]

Grayson Smirov.​

It was rather surprising to see so many take interest in the book club, the refreshing amount of faces he could bond with over said love of books was always a pleasant feeling. The type of feeling like a kid getting a present or a worker getting a massive promotion that type of stuff. When the club had finally wrapped up for the day despite his anxiety telling him not to, the guy went over to the remaining group and sat next to them. “So is them library going to be our normal hang out spot or are we going to find other places to host the club at within the facility? I know there’s limited spaces but I’m sure we could find something instead of being stuck here.”

As if the guy wasn’t already shaking nervously while speaking, the voice in the back of his head kept telling him that interacting was the wrong thing to do. Grayson didn’t know these people but he had to eventually get out there if he wanted to make the time tick by faster. It was better sitting in the library then in his empty cell so might aswell make something out of it even if he didn’t quite like or understand it.

————
BasDorcha Beckspace Angelofwishes7 Pipsqueak

 

[Beckspace]

Jane Blackcreek​

As the first chapter came to a close and most everyone who wanted to had a chance to read, Jane placed a bookmark in her copy and gently closed her book. She noticed that Damien had already drawn some of the scenes and characters, and indication that he was enjoying the book so far, which made her brim with joy.

"Well I hope you all enjoyed the book. Now that you all have your own copy, I would ask that you al please read Chapter 2 so that we can discuss tomorrow. You are of course welcome to come even if you don't want to discuss or haven't read the chapter, although we may give some information away in our discussion. Damien, I want to see more drawings from you for next time, they're wonderful!"

Before she stood up, she listened to Grayson's suggestion and thought about it. "Well... I did have the intention to have our meetings here in the library as I do not wish to get in the way of the orderlies and other staff in say the cafeteria or some of the other possible locations. But I do think it might be nice to have a session or two outside in the grounds perhaps. I'll talk to father-I mean- the headmaster for permission, but for next time we'll meet right back here. I hope you will all come back, and please tell your friends! The more the merrier! I have plenty of books."

Jane stood up, smiling and saying goodbye to a few of the patients as she collected the remaining copies and headed back to her desk. She was about halfway across the room when she saw Ryan Thompson, a patient she was familiar with, him being resident here for a very long time and one who often visited the library, staring at the slowly dispersing book group. She changed course and walked cautiously up to him, not wanting to break him out of the trance he often goes in.

"Ryan..." She said hesitantly. "You may join the book club if you wish. I've never seen you read before, but since you're always here I assume you're interested." Jane gave him a big smile, not knowing if he was actually paying attention to her but continuing anyway. "We're reading Chapter 2 for tomorrow. If you'd like, I can help you get through it." Gently, she placed the book into his hand. "You know where to find me. I'm always here."

Satisfied, she resumed her course back to her desk to put the remaining copies of books away, giving herself a mental pat on the back or a job well done today.