Our Perfect Insanity

ChApTeR ElEvEn

"Each nightmare depicts a life, much less harsh than reality."
~Anonymous

I paced nervously around the room, thinking, planning, and trying to figure out where Ariel could have taken June.

Kathryn watched me nervously, sitting quietly in the armchair, her hazel eyes following me as I paced. She was quite a beautiful woman, with bright hazel eyes and long, black hair that was usually kept back in a tight, professional looking bun.

Her eyes were usually covered with glasses, that, if anything, made her look smarter and brought out her beautiful eyes even more.

She had quite a good build as well. I’m sure that if Kathryn wasn’t a psychiatrist, and a fine one at that, she could be a model. I paused in my pacing, before frowning and sitting down on the couch and holding my head in my hands.

I heard movement from the armchair, and within a few seconds I felt the couch sink at my side, telling me that Kathryn was now beside me.

I felt her soft hands on my arm, and looked over at her, smiling lightly.

“It’ll be alright, Jonathan. We’ll figure out how to get June back, and how to stop Ariel. It’ll be okay.” Kathryn assured me, and I sighed, shaking my head.

I don’t think it will be okay, that’s the problem.

I couldn’t think of anything, I couldn’t understand what Ariel was really after, or what I could do to get her to leave June and Kathryn alone.

“But… what if it’s not, Kathryn? What if… what if I fail to save her? What if I fail to save you? What if Ariel will get what she wants? I’m afraid of that.” I told her, my voice quiet.

Kathryn gave me a sympathetic smile and took my chin gently, turning my face so that I was looking at her.

“You won’t, Jonathan, it will be alright, I know it will.” Kathryn told me, before her soft lips met mine. I smiled, feeling blissful for a moment before everything changed.

The lights cut out.

“Get your hands off him!” A livid voice hissed, and I pulled away from Kathryn, clutching her close to me as she let out a startled sound.

I looked around the room blindly, the darkness of the room impairing my vision as I looked for Ariel, whom I knew was here.

“Ariel? Show yourself.” I said calmly, and the lights flickered for a moment, seemingly hesitating, before turning back on.

I looked towards the balcony doors, where Ariel stood, anger flashing in her different colored eyes, her fists clenching at her sides.

“Jealousy is not an attractive emotion, Ariel.” I told her, smirking ever so slightly as her eyes flashed again.

“Jealous? Of her?! Why would I be jealous of her? In the end, we all know who’s going to win!” Ariel growled, she seemed to be trembling with rage as she glared hatefully at the two of us.

“You’re not going to win, Ariel. I will stop you, I want my daughter back, and I want her and Kathryn to stay safe.” I told Ariel coldly.

She looked hurt at my words, before she merely sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

“You think you’re going to win, hm? Well, you’ve yet to find out where I’ve hidden your daughter. If you don’t figure it out by midnight, Jonathan, its ‘off with her head’.” Ariel told me, and made a slicing motion with her finger across her throat.

“…could you give me a hint?” I asked politely.

Ariel smiled, amusement in her eyes as she nodded.

“It doesn’t have a taste and yet it is sweet. It is where I will retreat.” Ariel said, and my brow furrowed in confusion. A riddle? Ariel was giving me a hint in the form of… a riddle?

“A riddle, that’s not very helpful…” I trailed off as I realized Ariel was gone, the doors of the balcony wide open again.

“It seems Ariel has a hard time grasping the concept of closing a door.” Kathryn joked, trying to sound confident, but her voice wavered, causing her to sigh.

I nodded at her and stood up, walking over to the doors and closing them, locking them even though I knew it wouldn’t stop Ariel from getting in.

I froze, when I saw something on the ground. Knealing down I plucked it off the floor, quickly realizing it was a file.

A light, cream colored file that had the tag ‘O’Neil Asylum’ in the corner.

I recognized it as the file I had brought home when I first found out that I was working with Ariel. What was it doing on the ground, near the door?

Picking it up, I turned and walked back over to the couch, sitting down next to Kathryn and ignoring the confused look she gave me as I began to flip through the file.

Finding a certain page, I began to smile as I read through it again, beginning to piece together some details.

Patient was found in the basement of her home on 127 Casey St. Records stated that the patient was almost always left in the basement, that her father was deceased and her mother was extremely abusive. When found, patient was beaten and starved, almost completely dead. When reported that the young patient, having been found at age four, was mute and seemed to be suffering from mental illness, the patient was transferred to O’Neil Mental Asylum.

While reading this, I couldn’t help but feel slightly sorry for Ariel. The reason for her insanity was an understandable one; clearly she wanted someone to love her.

But, the way she was attempting to get it, wasn’t the right approach.

Looking over at Kathryn, I smiled.

“‘It doesn’t have a taste and yet it is sweet. It is where I will retreat.’ I think I’ve figured it out. Home sweet home. I think Ariel’s at the house where she was trapped for the first four years of her life.”