Restless Soul

10

   The plain white walls seemed even sadder than usual. Amanda's gaze moved down to the lines between the tiles. Time moved at a strange pace when confined between four walls in a tavern of solitude. The weather's capricious tendencies also made it harder to see the sun. Judging by how dark it was, she wondered if it'd even bothered to show up this morning.

   As the light dimmed, so did her vision. When the lines on the floor no longer ran like a black current, she looked up to the window stationed a few feet above her head. The glass cried endless tears, the long streaks made the outside blurry. There was nothing for her to see from that angle anyway. Not bothering to put in the useless effort, she focused on the rain as the rumbling of her stomach got smothered by the sound of the roaring thunder.

   The cries of her empty stomach gave her an estimation of how long had passed. Her last meal was the night she was taken away. Since then, they'd only succeeded in making her swallow a spoonful or two. She stayed vigilant, refusing any drugs and only eating to give her stomach something to work with, in fear they'd use that trick again.

   Amanda squirmed in anguish, tired of watching the droplets pool at the rim. She tugged against her restraints. The leather cuffs were rough against her skin, digging into her wrists. For a while, she'd forgotten about them. Her spirit was in limbo and nothing other than the sounds around her seemed to go through.

   She pressed her head into the pillow while her hands balled into tight fists. Looking back up to the window, a new haze was added to the scenery. Her vision was glossed by unshed tears, tears that she held back as though trying to prove her strength. But what good did it do her to hold on when she was already tied down?

   She grimaced as her stomach roared again. If it was possible for it to digest itself, she was certain that she was living through that process. Before long, whines tore from her lips and she bellowed, screaming like a caged animal, resilience still in her voice, but her pain even louder.

The gut-churning sound ricocheted through the vacant halls. When the double doors spread apart, Sheryl paused as she heard it.

"I thought she was sedated?" she mumbled, eyes fixed towards the door far down the line.

"She was this morning. She bit one of the nurses that tried to feed her. She also refused the medication."

"Can't you inject her if she won't take the pills?"

"The patient must be awake for the efficacity of the medication to be noticed. Besides, it's only been two days. She'll break eventually."

   Sheryl's eye twitched. With determination in her steps, she marched to Amanda's room. Her heels rang loudly against the floor, the rhythmic thumps announcing her arrival. She couldn't afford to waste any time. Questions were already flying around town and Amanda's absence didn't ease things in the slightest. When she reached her room, she peered through the glass at the door.

The darkness didn't hide her disheveled state. Sheryl cursed under her breath. She looked the furthest from mentally stable. No one would believe the story she'd concocted if she didn't look the part.

"Open the door," she ordered.

"Mrs. Fulwood..."

"Open this door right this instant!" she barked making Dr. Fletcher flinch and gulp back his words.

The rough jingle of keys tore Amanda's gaze away from the window just in time to watch her mother walk in. Dr. Fletcher switched on the lights and she could now see the furry in her eyes.