I Need a Hero

I fidgeted in my seat as we passed the bare trees in the forest surrounding the empty road. It being winter there were no leaves on any of the trees. It was silent besides the police radio that would cut through once in a while with updates in the local area. After a while the cop in the passenger seat flipped it off.

“Are you guys still completely serious?” I demanded. They ignored me as they began talking to each other. I slunk down in my seat, continuing to watch the scenery -or what it the bare trees excused themselves for- for lack of better things to do. Rachel and Joseph had to just be kidding, right?

-Flashback-

“Do you know why you’re here Brenda?” I looked up from picking under my nails to see my therapist, Ms. Hoy, staring intently at me.

“Obviously I did something wrong,” I spoke with a ‘duh’ tone. I was sitting in an uncomfortable metal chair in a police interrogation room. They had called in my therapist who sat across from me. She drove me insane with her high pitch voice.

“What do you think you did wrong?” I just shrugged my shoulders. “You think you did nothing wrong?”

“Nope.”

“So this is nothing?” She opened a folder that sat in her briefcase, placing a picture down in front of me on the table. I picked it up with boredom written all over my face. It was a picture of our old shed that had sat in the backyard, engulfed in flames might I add.

“We never used it. It was taking up space in the huge field back there. I like bonfires so I figured, who would care if it’s gone?” I explained. Mrs. Hoy shook her head, placing the picture back into her briefcase.

“Brenda, your parents would like to talk to you,” the voice of the officer who brought me in buzzed through the speaker. Moments later the door opened and Rachel and Joseph walked in. They sat down while Ms. Hoy stood and leaned on the two-way mirror.

“Can I go home now?” I asked them with a hint of desperation. They shared a look before turning to me.

“Brenda, we think it’s in your best interest to go somewhere more qualified to take care of you,” Joseph spoke hesitantly. I blinked at them in disbelief.

“What do you mean?”

“What we mean is-” Rachel paused, letting out a sigh, “You’ve inflicted pain on yourself too many times to count and you set things on fire, Brenda. You lit a rat on fire!”

“He killed my hamster! He deserved it!” I snapped.

“This is it Brenda, we can’t take care of you! We’re sending you to Bridgeview,” Joseph exclaimed.

“What’s Bridgeview?” I demanded.

“A mental hospital,” Ms. Hoy interrupted. My face went blank before I began to laugh. A mental hospital? Seriously? This was the best joke ever. After I was laughing for a minute I realized no one else was laughing with me. Looking up I saw that the three adults had serious looks on their face.

“…You’re kidding, right?”

“No, we’re not Brenda. We were crazy to think we could change you when we adopted you. You are just like your real parents. We cannot help you,” Joseph spoke. I glared, standing to my feet and slamming my hands on the metal table.

“Are you fucking kidding?! You are not my parents anymore! I fucking hate you!” I shouted.

“We don’t want to be your parents,” Rachel snapped. My eyes narrowed and I tried to jump the table to attack her. It was just then two cops grabbed my arms and held me back. I began to yell profanities as Joseph and Rachel scurried from the room.

“I’m sorry Brenda, but you have to go.” With that I was handcuffed and pulled from the room.

I rested my head on the window as I slid them shut. I bit the lip ring that jutted out the left side of my bottom lip as I tried to hold back the cruel tears. I always knew I was adopted, but to be sent off to live in a mental hospital by my adopted parents was just hurtful. I opened my eyes just as we passed a sign.

Welcome to Bridgeview: Home for the Mentally Insane