A New Life: The Facility

Well, I’m on my own now. I’m walking with this woman, leaving James behind me. It’s up to him to figure out where Carter is. Apparently, I have an appointment with the facility’s Psychologist.

The woman walks me down the hall, after a few twists and turns, I find myself in a secluded hallway where not a lot of people are. On the side of a hall is the office for the building, and taking the spot of the principal’s office, is a sign that says “Dr. Bartholomew Thorn” taped over where the sign is.

“He’s already waiting for you.” The woman says, “Just go in, it shouldn’t take too long.” The woman smiles, and then steps out of the office. Leaving me alone. Standing in front of the door is one thing but thinking about what’s going to happen when I go inside, is another.

A lot has happened, not only have I woken up like this, but I also got into a fight. Based on what Paul said to Carter, they’re going to be looking for ways to keep us in here, so trusting this guy would be a bad choice. What’s going to happen when I go inside? Is this going to be a conversation? Or an interrogation? What does this guy actually know? Looking behind me, I can still see the woman, watching me from outside of the door. She may have left me alone, but I don’t think she’s going to let me skip out on this one. I have no choice. I have to enter the door.

I place my hand on the door, and slowly twist the handle to open it. The door makes a noticeable creak as I push the door open and peer inside. Right across from the entrance is a desk, ladened with stacks of paper, and a computer. Dr. Thorn, the guy I’m supposed to be here to see, is sitting at the desk, typing on the computer. The rooms well kept, the guy’s really made it his home away from home. It’s adorned with awards, and other pictures of him shaking hands. Across from his desk is a couch, the classic therapist furnishing.

Thorn looks up from his desk, and sees me poking my head in.

“You must be Lyla. Please, come in.” He says before looking back to his computer. “I’ve just got to send this report, and we should be all good to go, please, take a seat on the couch, I’ll be right with you.”

I slink into the room, and take a seat on the couch, waiting for this guy to finish whatever he’s supposed to be doing. Thorn stops typing on the computer and rolls his chair from behind his desk, and in front of the couch. He grabs a clipboard from the desk, and a pen from his lab coat. He clicks the pen, and then starts talking.

“Well, I don’t think we’ve properly met. My name is Dr. Thorn, pleasure to meet you.”

Thorn extends a hand, I reach out and shake his hand. His grip is firm, a tough squeeze, but not enough to feel like my hand is being crushed. “It’s uhh… a pleasure to meet you as well.” I say.

Thorn gives off a slight smile, and then leans back in his chair, readying his pen to write. “You seem, nervous, something going on?” he asks.

“Been a while since I’ve spoken to a shrink, that’s for sure. But, I’m fine, it’s just been a long day.” I reply.

Thorn nods. “Understandable, Today’s the third day you’ve been lucid, correct?” He asks.

“According to your uh… doctor, yeah.” I reply.

“I see, well, the doctor, and some of the people who have been taking care of you while you were out said that you’re in good shape physically. However, when you’re unresponsive vocally, we can’t see if you’re doing okay up here.” Thorn taps the pen to his head.

“Please, feel free to be open with me by the way, I am a licensed psychologist after all, making sure you’re sound of mind is kind of my job.” Thorn chuckles.

“Gotcha, what do you want to talk about with me then?” I ask.

“Well a lot of things, but let’s start out small. How’re you feeling?” He asks.

“Well, I suppose I’m feeling fine. I’m not particularly thrilled about my… new look so to speak. I’m still getting used to it.” I respond.

“I see, I see.” Thorn says, “I may not know how you’re feeling, but I can assure you that’s something I’ve been told a lot. Getting used to your new “look” as you call it, is very normal. Have you been struggling with that?”

I pause. “Well, it’s only the third day, so of course. I still remember what I used to look like, but when I looked in the mirror for the first time, I felt, scared? Is that the right word?”

“Is that an accurate way to describe what you were feeling? You sound unsure.” Thorn asks.

“Well, I don’t know, I know I felt scared. It’s not every day you wake up in another body. It’s weird. It still looks like me. I can recognize myself in the mirror. Not just because I’m the one looking at me, but because I know it’s me. So, seeing something that’s both me, and not me in the mirror, I guess could qualify as scared.”

Thorn starts writing down on his clipboard. “Hmm, interesting way to put it.” He says, scribbling onto the clipboard. “Now, on the topic of being scared, do you feel yourself tensing up and losing focus of things?”

I pause. He’s right, I do. But this question is one that’s not geared towards people like me, It’s directly towards me. Carter’s mention of what they found me like is probably something that Thorn knows about, so now, I’m going to have to answer my questions very carefully.

“Not all the time, I used to do it before all this. So, it’s been something I’ve dealt with for a while.” I reply.

“That’s good and all, but this is more of a now kind of thing.” Thorn replies. “Since you mentioned it however, that makes things more interesting. Let me rephrase the question for you. Compared to before your change, do you find yourself seizing up in situations where you’re uncomfortable?”

I breathe in and reply. “It’s about the same, yes.”

Thorn scribbles down on their clipboard once more. “Interesting, interesting. Okay, so lets move onto another one. Do you still feel human?”

“Yes.” I reply.

“Good, good.” Thorn says. “How about your eating habits? Have you found yourself craving anything that you normally wouldn’t eat?”

“No.” I reply.

“Alright.” Thorn mutters under his breath. “Good to know. Now, lets discuss something else.”

Thorn writes more on his clipboard. “What’s your first thing you’re planning on doing once we let you go?”

“Go home.” I reply. “I didn’t ask to come here, so I’m hoping to get out soon.”

“You didn’t ask to come here?” Thorn asks, quizzically.

“Yes, I don’t know how I got here.” I lie through my teeth. “I woke up here.”

“Ah, that’s what you mean.” He says. Setting his clipboard aside. “You were brought in by someone on their way here. Two of my colleagues. In fact, you asked to come with!” Thorn replies, a smile on his face. “I… I did?” I reply. This doesn’t add up, Carter said differently. “I wouldn’t have asked to come to some place I don’t know about.”

“Well you said that during your amnesiac state, it’s no surprise you don’t remember.” Thorn says. “You were brought in, and you mostly sat in your room since the beginning of this whole debacle. Until yesterday that is.”

Thorn leans forward in his chair. “You’ve been making some interesting friends Miss Hagen. That chameleon, James. Carter, Paul. Quite a way to start your stay here, it was only a matter of time before you came in my office anyhow.” Thorn’s expression turns from jovial to smug.

“However, your little stunt, standing up for Carter, it caused quite a stir in the rec area. We’ve got good medical staff here. Should’ve backed off when you had the chance.”

“That… Paul guy, was picking on Carter, I’m not gonna let him do that.” I pick my words carefully, it’s clear he knows more than he’s letting on.

“His fight was with Carter, not you. Or your friend.” Thorn says. “It’s very unlike… you, to do something like that anyhow. Not in your, nature… I suppose?”

Thorn stands up. Starts pacing. “You see, throughout the first three weeks of this whole ordeal, we’ve learned a lot of things. One of them is that this change isn’t just a physical one, Miss Hagen. It’s more than that. It changes you from the inside. It worms its way into your brain, and you start to develop… tics of sort.”

Thorn taps on his clipboard. “Sometimes, people don’t have those tics for a while, but they do happen. Now, we don’t know how severe it is. But the working theory is that every person’s sub species is tied to a tinge of their personality. Some more, introverted people, like your friend, James. They’ll literally blend into the background when they’re threatened. Like during that fight of yours.”

It’s like he enjoys this, he’s practically showboating his knowledge of the fight in front of me.

He turns around and stares me down. “You see, word spreads fast here. I know a lot of things, it’s my job after all. To take care of you guys. However, for that to happen, we must make sure that we don’t get into trouble. Someone like Paul running away, that’s bad for the facility, but we can recover from it.”

Thorn walks up to me. “Did Paul say anything? Before he ran off?”

I go to open my mouth to answer, but Thorn cuts me off. “I know what he said, Carter spoke to me about it. Said that I used his words out of context, said that Paul wasn’t having an episode during the night he tore off part of his wall. That’s right, isn’t it?”

I nod. This guy is starting to weird me out… But I can’t leave, not now. If I try anything, he’ll use it against me.

Thorn laughs. “Carter’s not right, perhaps he’s losing sight of the mission. To make sure you guys are rehabilitated, so he’s making sure that we go easy on you. Thing is, anything happening, Paul’s nightmare, your friend’s invisibility. Those are the tics we’re looking for. We asses them, and we make sure that you guys can overcome them, and function without relying on inhuman instinct.”

Thorn walks up to me and stares me down. “I’ve always been really good at figuring people out. So, what’s your tic Lyla?”

Is… is he testing me? He must know about what’s in the files, but he doesn’t know Carter told me about it. So, I can’t ask him directly if he knows. Worst part about this, I can feel that freezing sensation again. I’m starting to lose my ability to move. Chills run up my spine. With every second he stares at me, I feel like he’s peering right into my head, like he’s reading my thoughts.

The silence is deafening, It’s just me, and Thorn. Him staring me down. Me, sweating, frozen in place, trying to not make eye contact with this guy. He’s intimidating for such a lanky guy. What he lacks in strength, he makes up for in smarts. A single tear runs down my face.

Thorn chuckles to himself. “I figured it out.” He sits back down on his chair and starts scribbling onto his clipboard once more.

With him not preoccupied once again. I finally have some room to breathe. I let out an exhale and manage to speak again. “You… do this to everyone who comes in here?”

“Only the squirmy ones.” He says. Not looking up from his clipboard. “Sometimes, people have a façade of being strong, and with you being quite the troublemaker lately, I had to see if you were all talk and no tango. Sorry bout that.”

Thorn looks up from his clipboard. “It may be a little intense, but you guys are just as much of a threat to the public as someone like Paul. We had a guy come in a couple weeks ago, hit by a car on the first day, you know what animal he was?”

“Uh.. a deer?” I respond jokingly.

Thorn snaps his fingers giving me a clever nod. “Exactly. Poor sap was crossing the street and froze up when a car came. Luckily, he wasn’t injured too bad, just a busted leg. We fixed him right up and he’s here. Works in the kitchen, I’m sure you’ve seen him. I talk to him ‘bout every week since I got here.” Thorn sets his clipboard down. “Sorry again to spook you like that, but it’s a necessary evil, especially with something as strange as what’s happened to you.” Thorn stands up and looks at me once more. “Just, don’t go causing anymore trouble from now on, okay?” I stand up, and head to the door. “Sure thing.” I reply. I go to open the door and leave, but Thorn’s voice makes me turn around. “Oh, I almost forgot.”

I turn around. “What is it?” I ask.

“How’s your sight?” Thorn says.

“It’s, Fine?” I say.

“No I mean actually, I know your sub species has constant dilation in their eyes, I assume it’s not pleasant. Things are a lot brighter than expected right?” Thorn says, with a warm smile.

“I mean, I’ve noticed that, yes.” I respond.

“Here.” Thorn tosses me a pair of round sunglasses. “I’ve had these extras sitting around in my office for a while now, and one of my employees brought me a new pair today, they’re a little bent. Consider it a token of good will, something to show you I’m not your enemy.”

“Thanks…” I say, putting the glasses on top of my head like I normally would.

“Of course, I wouldn’t be doing my job if I wasn’t looking out for you.” Thorn says flashing a smile, the most genuine thing I’ve seen him do so far.

I go to leave again, but Thorn stops me one more time.

“Oh one more thing.”

“Okay?” I respond.

“Just… Don’t let the door hit your tail on the way out, several other people here have had it happen to them. ‘said it wasn’t pleasant.” Thorn says, with a cheeky grin.

“Gotcha.. Thanks.” I say, making sure that I’m all the way out of the door when it closes.

Walking out into the hallway, I have a sigh of relief. That guy, I don’t know what to say about him, he’s scary sometimes. I don’t want to talk to him again. Walking back out into the hallway, I work my way back to where my room is. As I’m walking down the door, I hear a familiar voice. “Lyla!”

I turn around, and it’s James, followed by that girl Kellie, and Carter.

“Oh, hey guys.” I say.

“You don’t look so good.” Kellie says.

“That psychologist guy… He knows a lot about all of us. It’s… scary.” I say.

“All the more reason to find a way home.” Kellie responds. “What’re you talking about?” I ask. Carter puts a hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay, we can trust her.” He says.

I scan Kellie up and down. While I’m doing so, she smiles at me and says, “I want the same thing you guys do, I’m… I want to apologize again about getting so excited while meeting you. I didn’t know you were that new.”

I sigh. “It’s fine Kellie. I appreciate your apology.”

“That’s a relief, I thought you were going to be super upset with me.” Kellie says, mimicking wiping sweat from her brow. “Cool glasses, she says, pointing to the glasses on my head. “Where’d you get em?”

“That Thorn guy gave them to me.” I reply. “I guess he trying to get on my good side.”

“Well, it also means he’s watching you.” Carter says. “He doesn’t give out many gifts, not that I know of.”

“Never gave me anything.” James says.

“Anyhow,” Carter proclaims, getting the conversation back on track. “We need to talk about the phones.”