Mental

Chapter One

Having to adjust to a new way of living is not always as easy as it sounds. there are obstacles you need to overcome in order to find peace within. I already had this once in my life, I did not want to relieve it, but I guess the universe had other plans for me.

With my suitcase all packed up and a fear growing in my chest I left my room in Saint Louis' Mental Hospital. Well, at least what has been my room for the last year. Without my stuff all over the place and my photos on the walls, it looked kind of... empty. Like nobody ever lived there. I guess that's the thing with those rooms. Once the person that lives there finaly goes home, it stays cool, like nothing ever happened.

I shut the door behind me, daring to look one last time and made it to the entrance with no problem. I gave my file to Lisa, the middle-aged lady who has been the only one to keep contact with me since the first day I got here. I signed, tokk back my shoe laces and some other stuff that I had left there on my first day, waved at her and got out. My mum and step dad were in the car waiting form me. My step brother, Joe, was at the front seat, not even looking at me as I approached our parents.

"Mum?" I said. She seemed ready to start crying, but somehow she managed to take control again. She hugged me and stroked my hair. "Hey, Kevin" I said after that, looking at her new husband. We just shook hands. I was never too close to my syep father and never wanted to be. Ever since my brother got killed, our relationship went from typical, to none existing. My relationship with Joe, on the ther hand, stayed put. He hated me. I wasn't such a huge fan of him either. He shook his head from the front seat, and when Kevin told him to come and seat next to me on the back seat, he looked at me like I was some kind of a bug. My mum took Joe's place and he sat next to me, barely making eye contact. 

"Nice to see you too, Joe" I said. 

"Nora" my mum whispered. "Let it go".

"This is pretty much what I'm doing my entire life, mum. Letting it go".

"There she goes again" Joe said. "And now she will go on by saying that it wasn't her fault. Come on, Nora, say it. I know you want to".

"I'm not even talking to you, Joe, hope you noticed" I said looking outside the window.  

"You wanna know what I noticed, Nora?" he asked aggresivelly. "I noticed that as time goes by, you get even crazier. I wonder why they let you go. I was fine without you, we were fine without you!"

Kevin stopped the car. He got out, opened the door and pulled his son out. "Nora, come here" he said. I did as I was told, only because my mum told me to, with a head tilt. 

"Joe, apologize to your sister. Now". Kevin's voice seemed like it was coming from a cave.

"She is not my sister" Joe answered, looking at me. 

"I married her mum. She is your sister, whether you like it or not. Now apologize. And mean it".

"Let it go, Kevin" I said. "It doesn't even matter. Forget it, let's go home". Wtith these words, I got back in the car. I had no idea what happened between father and son, but I could swear I heard Kevin saying something like "Nora needs our help". I have to admit, I never thought of him taking my side. He just gained himself a tiny "thumps up". 

On our way to the house, no one was talking. a silent covered the car, so present I could feel it. Joe was looking ou of the window, his red hair practically covering his entire face. He had his father's eyes, green and his mother's hair, at least that was what I was told. Me on the other hand, I have nothing. My natural hair color is light brown - but it won't be for too long, I'll go back to being brunnette - and my eyes are blue. My mum has brown hair and green eyes. But people say that I look like my mum and sometimes, I can see the resemblance myself. I avoided my mum's hug when we got out of the car and I just got into the house. Nothing had changed, thw living room was just like I remembered. Now I could see Joe's thing all over the place. Apparently he thought that with me out of his way, he could be the only child he always wanted. When my mum and his dad first got together, he was just as bitter as he is now. He never liked Trevor either. My brother was always getting on his nerves, because he was standing up for me. That was driving Joe insane.