The nurse eyeballed us all, warning us silently to be on our best behavior. We’d gotten our usual lecture to not scare off the new patient. Drake had grunted in acknowledgment, the extent of communication our resident neanderthal offered. Layne was having a good day, so she had asked questions, though, of course, they’d refused to tell us anything other than she was joining our floor. Crew was excited, but that was his usual reaction to anything new. I was curious but holding out hope she’d be a good addition.
We didn’t need more anger or drama here.
Drake absently shuffled cards from his spot on one of the worn couches. Layne was propped on a table, rolling a set of dice in her hands. She never stopped fidgeting. Crew was sitting next to me at another table. He was kicked back in his chair, the picture of casual with his jeans and faded graphic tee. The bored expression on his face wasn’t genuine, and his eyes were trained on the elevator.
We didn’t even bother to put something in front of us to make it seem like we were busy, which made me feel even more anxious. Would she think it’s weird? Did we look intimidating because of it?
Overthinking would drive me crazier one of these days.
By the time the elevator opened and the nurse rushed to the new girl, all pretenses of fake business were gone and all eyes were on her.
What I didn’t expect was for her to look likethat.
Tragically beautiful.
There was a pain in her eyes, one I’d seen in enough patients to know what caused it. Her expression was guarded, but not volatile, and that was a start. She had a vulnerability about her that wasn’t jaded by years of bullshit. Because I wasn’t naive enough to think this world was kind to those of us with a diagnosis.
Hell, I’d lost friends and family because of mine.
Dissociative identity disorder.
Just uttering its title was like a curse. One mention of it and everyone looked at me differently.
But I didn’t ask for it.
Roman didn’t ask to die.
That night changed me forever. Just the thought of it had that dizzy feeling starting, and I breathed several times and locked it down before Roman came out to play. I didn’t want protection, I wanted to meet the new girl.
“Everyone, this is Harlow Devoe. She’s our newest member of this little community. Treat her well,” Nurse Drew said absently as she took a paper from Harlow and walked away. Talk about feeding her to the sharks.
“We don’t bite,” I told her. Everyone turned to look at me, surprised to hear me talk. It took everything in me not to roll my eyes. “I’m Hiro.”
“Sometimes,” Layne muttered.
Her snark wasn’t anything new. And in all fairness, I did avoid them all on most days. But something in me couldn’t let her talk to Drake first. For some reason I didn’t want her to think we were all assholes like he was.
“I’m Crew.” The pyromaniac of our group was already giving her a flirty smile, but she didn’t return it even though her full lips twitched in an attempt. Her eyes were numb, dead, and I didn’t like that. I could already imagine how great a smile would look on her.
“He lights things on fire,” Layne provided her running commentary. She tucked her shoulder length black hair behind her ear, and her smile was feral. It seemed like we were in for a manic day. But knowing her, it wouldn’t last long before she plunged into anger or depression, whichever came next this round. With herBorderline Personality Disorderwe had to gauge when to avoid her or stay quiet for your own sanity. Or whatever you had left of it.
“Who wouldn’t?” Crew said with a snort. His deep brown eyes lit up at the thought alone, his fingers tapping his legs like he did anytime he got excited or anxious. A bead of sweat formed on his brow and trailed down his temple. Another sign he was fighting off the intense impulse of his own disorder. We were a chaotic group, and Harlow already looked overwhelmed.
“Nice to meet you.” Her voice had a sexy rasp to it, and I felt my chest clench, wishing she’d talk more, but she didn’t continue. Instead, she dropped into the empty chair that was waiting for her. Nurse Drew had dragged it out in front, ensuring she was the center of attention. It was a bit cruel. Especially when I knew every one of us was studying her, not only to see what kind of person she was, but to see if she’d received the same ‘welcome’ that we all had. Or some variation of it at least. Roman hadn’t told me the details yet, but gossip in the cafeteria always threw it around anytime someone new moved in. It was a mostly unspoken horror of Dark Haven, an initiation that none of us asked for.
“This is everyone on the third floor. I’m Layne. Crew introduced himself. Captain Broody over there is Drake. Don’t piss him off, he turns into a demon, and Hiro over here shares his head with another personality... well, one so far, you never know what will happen next. What’s yours?”
When Layne stopped talking, silence hung heavy between us all. Harlow stared at each of us in turn as if she was weighing our worthiness before giving us any sort of answer. Who could blame her.
Outside of this floor, I trusted no one here.
“Schizoaffective,” she finally answered, her voice empty of all emotion. There was a dare in her gaze now, begging for us to say something and ready to fight us if we did. I liked that she was strong, it’d keep her alive here.
Dark Haven wasn’t for the faint of heart.
The walls had ears. Every nurse here reported to someone else. The doctors watched everything unfold, taking notes all the while. There were cameras in every corner except our rooms and bathrooms.
And the sounds that filled the halls at night?