Just a Dream

“Welcome to the Domonation Institute for the Mentally Insane,” a woman said to my sister. I looked at her, noticing the dark bags that were under her eyes. I didn't think I was insane, though, I guess crazy people didn't think they were crazy, and I don’t think my sister did either. I looked back at the woman in a white dress and tugged on my sister’s sleeve.

“Why do they wear white?” She turned to me, her brown eyes matching mine. She was my twin, you see; we were one person split up because we were too much for the world. She had the same hair color as I did; a rich brown color, and the same dark brown eyes. She and I had dark, freckled skin thanks to my mother being Italian. She and I were about the same height; 5’7. She shrugged her elegant shoulders and looked at the woman.

“I think so that they don’t upset anyone.”

“What if white upsets people? Does that mean they go around naked?” She smiled and shook her head.

“I think they have special kinds of people for that.” I nodded a little and looked around the place I was going to live from that day forward. It was a large place; walls towered high above my head and there were many stairs and many shadowed places. It looked very easy to get lost in.

“Do you think that they put us here so that we’ll be lost to society?” I asked my sister. “All these corners and dark staircases are like the trash bins they want to throw us in.” She smiled a little but looked away, unsure of what to say. I heard voices, just so you know, and she didn’t. That’s why they were locking me away. They said I was crazy because I could hear people talking in their heads. I suppose I would have been crazy if I didn’t talk back. I mean, if someone is talking to you, you should answer them, right? I did. “You don’t like it here,” I said to her. She looked back and shook her head.

“It’s very….hinky.” I smiled at my sister and she looked at me. She put her arm around my shoulders and hugged me close. “I don’t want to put you here,” she whispered.

“So don’t. I can live by myself.”

“They don’t want you living by yourself,” she said softly. “Mom and dad don’t think you’re cut out to live anywhere but here.”

“I was living with you,” I pointed out. She nodded and swallowed hard.

“They don’t think I’m good enough to help you and your condition…” She thought.

“It’s not that bad a condition,” I said looking at her. “It’s only a little one. I’ve gotten used to it.” She looked at me again and sighed.

“You always seem to know what I’m thinking.” I smiled a wide, happy smile.

“Isn’t that the reason I’m in here?” She smirked and let go of my shoulders. Her warmth lingered in the pale blue dress they gave me. My feet were bare, though they told me to wear the slippers, and the tiles were cold under my feet. It seemed to crawl through me, the cold that is, and slithered up my legs, over my stomach and chest and into my arms and cheeks. I was freezing cold but I didn’t dare say a thing.

“New person…”

“Pretty person….”

“No shoes….”

“Crazy person…”

The thoughts of others ran through my brain and I looked through the windows on the doors at the people staring at me. There was one door that caught my attention. It was locked heavily and there was no one in the window. I walked over to it, the silence of the hallway making my skin crawl. I wasn’t sure if it was the eerie silence or the frigid temperature that gave me goose-bumps but I liked it. I liked adventure.

“Connie,” I said, looking over at my sister. She turned to me, looking at the woman who was leading us, then looked back at me.

“Vick, we have to go.” She said as she walked over to me. I was already at the window, my hands clasped around my face. She stood next to me.

“Pretty lady…” I heard from within its walls. “Her blood must be very pretty.” My eyes narrowed and as my sister pulled me back, a face appeared in the window. His face was handsome; chiseled and covered in a small layer of hair. His eyes were a deep and dark brown and as they met mine I smiled a little.

“It is a pretty color,” I said to him. His smile made me shiver but he nodded his head a little and stepped back. I nodded as well and turned my eyes to Connie. “Let’s go,” I said.

“He’s very dangerous,” said the woman, who was behind us. She hadn’t made a sound and I was too focused on the man behind the door to hear her thoughts. “It would be better if you don’t do that again.” I nodded and left the man’s door quickly.

“I hope I see her again,” I heard him think.

“She’ll be trouble,” the woman thought.

“Vicky, what have you started?” I smiled at my sister, that knowing look in my eyes. She shook her head and we quickly proceeded to my room. My room wasn’t like the man’s. It was just a regular room, the door opened and closed and locked on the outside. There was one window, bars closing me in. I looked at my sister and the other woman who was sitting on her bed.

“What are you here for?” she asked me. “Will she take my things? I like my things. She can’t have my things. I’ll kill her if she touches my things. My things…”

“I can hear voices,” I told her. “The voices from your head are the voices I hear. I won’t touch your things, I promise.” Her eyes grew wide before she looked away. “My name is Victoria. Call me Vicky.”

“Vicky….that’s a nice name…”

“Thank you,” I replied. “What’s your name?”

“Can’t you hear it in my mind?”

“I’d rather you tell me,” I said sitting on my bed. Connie was staring at the girl, worried, I think, that I might not make friends. I smiled at my roommate and she held out her hand.

“April. I…I don’t like people touching my things.” I nodded and shook her hand.

“I’ll keep my hands to myself.” I promised, crossing my heart with a finger.

“You won’t read my mind okay?” she asked. I nodded.

“I’ll try not to. It’s not something I can control.” She nodded a little before looking at the woman and then looked away.

“Will she be allowed to write to me?” asked Connie.

“She can call you every other day, if you would like that.”

“Alright,” Connie agreed. “Is that alright, Vick?” I nodded and smiled.

“I’ll call, don’t worry.” She walked over to me, glancing at my roommate and at the woman.

“God I hope you’ll be alright,” she said in her head.

“I will be,” I replied softly. She hugged me tightly. “I love you, Connie.”

“I love you too,” she whispered. She could hear my voice but no one else’s. I wondered why she stopped hearing other people’s voices. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow okay?” I nodded and waved to her. She left, waving back a little. The door closed and I heard the door lock. I looked back at the woman, my head turned.

“What’s she like?” asked the woman. I thought about it, turning my head to the other side.

“Fun,” I replied. “She’s a very fun sister.”

“I don’t have siblings.”

“That’s okay,” I said. “Being an only child is okay too. That way, no one confuses you with someone else.” She smiled at me and nodded.

“I’ll show you around when it’s time for dinner.” I nodded and thanked her kindly before looking out the window.

“There’s a man,” I said. “He’s down the hall a bit and he has blue eyes. Do you know him?”

“Joseph? He’s not a nice man. He’s scary. He doesn’t like people. They say he sees demons.” I nodded a little, not looking from the window.

“He must be very scared,” I said softly. “Seeing demons is a scary thing.” She nodded a little. I stood up and stood at the window until the woman came back in, letting us out for dinner. April showed me around the institute and introduced me to all of her friends. Many of them were very dull and didn’t think much and were very sick but I smiled at them and did my best to join in on their fun. They played cards, which was nice and I won with a smile.

“They are so loud…” I heard. I turned my head to look at a boy who sat in the corner of the institute. He was about thirteen or fourteen; his hair was a messy brown. I walked over to him and he jumped at the sound of my feet. “You don’t have shoes on,” he said softly I shook my head.

“I don’t like shoes.”

“Why not?” he asked, his dark hazel eyes looking up at me.

“They make hearing peoples thoughts harder.”

“You can’t hear their thoughts.”

“Sure I can.”

“What am I thinking right now?”

“You’re thinking about what you just said. Replaying the words actually.” He smiled at me and nodded a bit.

“My name is Joey.” I looked at him and frowned. The name sounded so familiar but I had no idea where. I nodded a little and sat next to him.

“Is it alright that I sit here?” I asked. He nodded and looked up at me.

“Pretty…”

“A lot of people in this place think that,” I muttered to him.

“Because it’s true,” he complimented. “Not many people here are as pretty as you and if they are, they’re very crazy. It’s not a good thing to be pretty, Miss. There are very crazy people here who don’t like the pretty people. You look too normal for this place.”

“You seem pretty normal,” I said.

“I’m too young to be here,” he smiled at me. “I don’t know about you but there aren’t many children here.” I smiled a little and shrugged.

“All little kids are crazy to me.” He laughed a little and held out his hand.

“It’s nice to meet you,” he said. I shook his hand and smiled.

“My name is Victoria.” He smiled and let go of my hand. “How long have you been here?” I asked.

“A few years.”

“How old are you?”

“Fourteen.”

“Why are you here?”

“They think I’m crazy.”

“Why?”

“My father was murdered and they think it’s turned me crazy.”

“That’s a silly reason to put you away forever.”

“I suppose it is,” he said shrugging.

“Has it made you crazy?”

“I don’t like talking to people anymore. They make me nervous.”

“What about me?”

“You’re different. Something about you seems familiar.” I looked at him and his hazel eyes stared up at me. I nodded a little and chewed on the inside of my cheek.

“Something about you is familiar too, Joey. I don’t know how, but I feel like I’ve met you before.”

“New girl…and the brat…” I looked up and saw the man from the locked room.

“Joseph,” I said, not moving from where I sat next to Joey. He nodded and looked at the little boy, who had an uncanny resemblance.

“Child,” snapped the man. Joey didn’t say anything, his hand wrapping around my arm. I looked down at him and then back up at the man.

“What can I do for you?” I asked.

“I want to know your name,” he said.

“Victoria,” I replied. The man smiled a little and looked at the others. They were staring at us but their voices were too quiet. I could hear faint sounds but the only sound I heard was silence. It was like someone was covering my ears and saying I couldn’t listen. It was the first time I didn’t hear the voices of other people.

“That doesn’t seem to fit your face.”

“No?” I asked.

“You look familiar. Do I know you?” I shook my head, watching him.

“I haven’t seen you before in my life.”

“Funny,” he said smiling. “You’ve never seen me before and I’ll be the last face you see.” I frowned and he jumped toward me. Joey pushed me aside and jumped out of the way. Joseph slammed into the wall and looked back at us. Joey grabbed my hand and pulled me to my feet.

“Let’s go,” he said, his hazel eyes staring into my soul. “I just found you; I can’t let you leave me just yet.” I blushed, thinking that this fourteen year old boy thought that way but followed him none the less. He pulled me and we ran. We ran while Joseph followed after us. The institution became dark, the sound of people’s screams ringing through the entire place. Their voices bounced off the walls and yet, not in my head. I only heard my own thoughts. I hadn’t heard myself think in a long time.

Run. Run and he won’t get you. Run and you can save Joey. Run. Left, right, left, right, left, right. Move your feet faster. Joey seemed to run faster than me, which was strange. He was shorter than I was, maybe by a few inches, and he didn’t look back. He was focused and he was certain about where he was going to go. It was like he knew where we would be safe. Joseph was not far behind us and before I realized what was going on, he jumped on me. I was taken to the ground and something sharp pierced my skin. It didn’t go far because Joey kicked Joseph in the face. Joseph stared at the little boy and ran at him, the knife in his hand poised to put Joey out of existence for a long time.

“Now Joseph,” said a woman from behind us. Joseph’s wild brown eyes turned to me and then behind me. A woman stood tall and lean, her dark brown hair curling around her dark tan skin. I stared at her and her eyes were larger than her head and were a large green. It was an odd combination, her face and her eyes and hair, but it seemed to work. “I don’t think teasing this girl is something you want to do.”

“I find it entertaining,” said the man, his voice dark and deep. He ran at the woman suddenly and she threw off her large black coat. They began to fight and Joey ran to me, grabbing my hand tight. I scrambled from the floor to my feet and ran with Joey. He pushed me into a room and slammed the door behind him. He sighed, trying to catch his breath. It hurt to breathe, the deep gasps I had to take stinging my lungs. Joey walked over to me and smiled a little.

“We’ll be okay,” he said softly. I nodded and pet his head gently.

“You’re really brave,” I said.

“Brave? Hell, I ran away.”

“He was trying to kill you,” I said softly. “You risked your life to save me.” He blushed and I smiled more at him. He looked up at me and then behind me. He pulled me behind him and put his arms out to protect me. There were tall men in white jackets and they were trying to put us back in our rooms. I looked at them and then at Joey. I had no idea why he was so worried but it didn’t really matter, I suppose. The men came forward and grabbed my arm after pushing Joey aside. I tried to tell them to be gentle but they were too busy shoving me toward the door. The door was being banged against and it made me gulp. I looked up at the two men who were dragging me toward the door.Joey suddenly came out of nowhere, jumping on the two men. He punched them and pulled them down to the ground.

“Run, Victoria!” snapped Joey. I ran, trying to climb a large staircase and heard Joey and the men fight. I didn’t want to hear it but I had to. I had to hear the sound of groans and punching. The stairs seemed to be too hard to climb. Just as I got to the top, someone followed me up the stairs. I looked back to find Joey smiling at me, following after. He smiled at me and as he got to me, I gasped. He was bleeding from the forehead, and his lip. I shook my head and brushed his hair away from his face.

“You look like a mess,” I muttered, looking at him tenderly. He smiled and for an instant, he looked older—maybe 16 years old. I wasn’t sure why, though. He smiled a little and he was suddenly taller than me.

“I think it makes me look dashing.” He said softly. I smiled at him and nodded.

“Most definitely dashing,” I said. As Joey leaned forward, the door burst open and in the door, a woman stood. I bit my lip, holding Joey by the arm and put him behind me.

“Oooh, hiding the man who tried to kill you? That’s peachy,” she said grinning. “You are a lucky woman, Victoria. As are you, Mr. Joey. You will be a good man now and you should be grateful to this young woman. She changed your entire future.” He nodded and looked at me, his hand in mine.

“I’ve very grateful,” he murmured. I smiled a little and as we looked back at the woman, she was gone and the world was suddenly sucked away. I stared up at the white ceiling in my bedroom. I sighed and rubbed my eyes.

“Come on, Vicky,” said Connie from the door. “We have to get you to that job interview.” I looked at her and nodded. “Another dream?” she asked.

“Same exact thing; the hearing of the voices, the killer guy, the little kid, the name…I don’t know what it all means,” I muttered. She sat on the edge of my bed and pet my hand. I looked at my twin and she offered me a smile.

“It means nothing, Vicky. It’s just a dream.” I sighed and nodded, smiling at her a little as I rose from my bed. All just a dream….