The Mental Institute

Her hands trembled as she pushed open the heavy doors to the mental hospital, expecting white rooms filled with metal furniture packed with druggies and psychos. But what Tambrey Mason got was a big comfortable room with beige couches, a black coffee table, a spiral staircase and a big desk in the corner reading; “Receptionist”.

Tambrey walked over to the desk and rang the bell, and instead of a frail, grey-haired lady, a young, beautiful, blonde-haired woman came out, sided by two hard-faced men.

“Shoe laces, belts, and drugs, anything that’s a possible harm.” One of the men said, placing a box in front of her. Tambrey sighed, placing everything “dangerous” into the box.

“You’re in a doubles room, it’s upstairs to your left, second door. Here’s your schedule and your bags are on your bed. Welcome to Hoffman’s Institute for Teens,” The doe-eyed receptionist greeted her in a monotone voice.

Tambrey made her way to the spiral staircase dragging her feet to every step. A dimly lit hallway greeted her. It had three doors on the right and two on the left.

“Second door on the left,” she repeated to herself, walking down the narrow walkway. At the end of the hall, the door was slightly ajar; she pushed it open and quickly saw two beds on opposite sides of the room. The room was messy on one half, and perfectly clean on the other. It was like there was an invisible wall between the two sides. The clean side had her two pink suitcases laid neatly on the bed. Tambrey started unpacking hastily, putting her clothes neatly in the wardrobe. When she was done, she crossed her legs on top of the bed, and placed her face in her hands, the tears sprinting down her cheeks.

She jumped almost off of the bed when she heard the door creak open. A boy about eighteen or nineteen stepped inside and stared at Tambrey, his mouth making a slight “o”. His black hair mostly covered his grey eyes and his hands dug into the pockets of his faded black skinny jeans. He was looking for something, and once he found it, he looked up again, looking at her like he knew her, like he hated her.

“Tambrey…” he whispered.

“How do you know my nam-” she started to ask, but he cut her off by slamming the door.

So many thoughts started racing through her head.

What’s his problem?!

What did I do to deserve that?!

These questions crowded Tambreys mind as she fell asleep, not bothering to get under the covers.

Tambrey woke up to the sun peering through the window. Looking at the clock, it took her a few minutes to actually realize the time. 7:53… Slowly she crawled out of bed and stepped onto the cold floor. She walked to the shared bathroom and looked straight into the mirror. She started fixing her jet black hair, so black it was almost purple. It was knotted beyond belief so she decided just to hop in a shower. Before she got in, her flat blue eyes stared back at her in the mirror, seeing how truly empty she is. Tambrey’s gorgeous, yet she doesn’t believe it when people tell her. She just picks herself apart, piece by piece.

Her hair; too frizzy.

Her mouth; too thin.

Her cheeks; too chubby.

Her eyes; they lie.

But her scars, oh her scars.

They’re beautiful.

They’re her battle wounds.

Tambrey gave up and turned the water up as high as it could go.

As soon as she stepped in and felt the warm water hit her back, she felt way better. She poured her vanilla shampoo and conditioner in her hands and washed up slowly. As she got out, she grabbed a towel and dried off, grabbing her blow dryer and her straightener.

She looked back into the mirror, placed a bow in her hair, and smudged her eyeliner perfectly. She switched off the light and started to head downstairs for breakfast. Down the spiralled staircase, watching each step she takes. As she got to the kitchen, she almost walked straight into a boy with a tall, lime green Mohawk and a boney face. She looked in the cupboards and found her favorite cereal, grabbing a bowl, some milk and a spoon and continued to the dining room on her left to eat. She sat down alone on the opposite side of the other three sitting at the table, hesitant to make friends. One of the girls and the only boy came over to introduce themselves to her.

“Hey, I’m Lissa; this is Benjamin, what about you?” The ginger-haired girl said sweetly.

“Liss! I can introduce myself! Hey sugar,” Benjamin said, winking at Tambrey. “You’re beautiful, babygirl.”

“Hey! I already called dibs!” shouted the other girl from across the table. “I’m Holly by the way,” she said, blushing.

“Hey guys. I’m Tambrey. So why are you guys here?” she asked shyly.

“Well,” Holly started, “I’m here because of depression and bulimia, but I’m currently in rehab, so I only have a month left if I’m lucky. My family always called me fat, my mom especially, and my father always told me he hated me. One day I took it too far, ate a lot out of anger after starving myself for a few days. I made myself throw up, hoping they’d notice what they’ve made of me, what a monster I’d become. I got addicted and voluntarily placed myself here.

Suddenly, Tambrey found new beauty in Holly’s face, seeing who she was.

Benjamin opened his mouth and everyone turned to look at him and hear his story. His brown hair and green eyes shone in the sunlight. “I’m schizophrenic. I don’t know how, but I am, I also have severe anxiety. I can’t go out in public without worrying about every little thing. That’s why I’m so cocky, it’s a defense mechanism. I can’t deal with people destroying my self-confidence. I have breakdowns and burn myself. I’m here for 6 more months and I don’t want to leave, I actually fit in here. I’m not alone.” He smiled at the last sentence, kind of proud in a way. “Your turn, Lissa.”

Lissa’s eyes were filled with tears as she started her story. “I was abused by my ex-boyfriend. I still don’t like to talk about it, but we were at my house, fooling around… I wasn’t ready… so I told him no,” she continued, tears starting to fall. “He hit me…and I wouldn’t break up with him because I thought I could change him, I stayed with him and he kept hitting me. I tried over-dosing three times.” Benjamin wiped the tears off of Lissa’s cheeks. “What about you, Tambrey?”

“I cut… got addicted, it started scaring people. I started passing out in public, so I quit and started coke. I started cutting because my parents; they kicked me out, and then I tried to hang myself with a belt and my friend came over just in time. She brought me here. My story is so much better than yours… I don’t belong here…” She finished.

“Yes you do!” Tambreys three newest friends chorused.

Before she could argue, the door opened. “Ms. Tambrey? It’s time for your daily check-up.” She followed the grey haired doctor out of the room, waving a short goodbye to her three newest friends.

The doctor, who was surely not any older than forty-five, led her to a small room to the right of the institute. She sat down on the black leather chair in front of his desk as he started with the usual questions.

“So, Ms. Mason, have you been taking any painkillers, opiates or any other prescription drugs to help with your depression.”

“I smoked weed, but it stopped making me happy, so now I just smoke.”

“What happens when you’re depressed?”

“Well I have these episodes when I get depressed, I’m happy one minute and sad or angry the next. Sometimes I’m on the floor crying for hours, unable to move. It scares me.”

“Well Tambrey, that’s classified as Cyclothymia, a type of bipolar disorder. It could stay with you for your entire life, or it could go away. I’ll give you some painkillers we can try you out on for the next few weeks.” He handed her a bottle with “Lithium, 2 a day” plastered on the front.

“Can I leave now?” She said, anxious.

“Yes Tambrey, go ahead.” Tambrey stuffed the pills in her pocket and walked out of his office, into the main room where Lissa and Benjamin were sitting, watching TV. Tambrey walked over and quietly asked; “Can I ask you guys something…?”

“Sure, boo” Benjamin answered, tearing his eyes away from the TV, “What’s on your mind boo?”

“The emo kid in my room, who is he? Does he treat everyone like he treated me?” she wondered.

“Oh, that’s Connor…” Lissa answered.

“He was pretty nice to me, quite quiet though,” Benjamin stated.

“Me too,” Holly said.

“Ugh, well I’m going out for a smoke.” Tambrey answered, and walked out into the backyard, grabbing her lighter from the security guard. She put the smoke in her mouth and lit it, inhaling deeply. Finally some peace, she thought to herself. She lifted her head and looked around, noticing she wasn’t alone. The same boy with the black hair and grey eyes was staring at her.

“Do I know you?” she said smugly.

“Uh, I guess not. Not anymore.” Connor replied and walked back inside. Tambrey dropped her smoke and stormed in after him.

“What do you mean by that?” She questioned.

“I mean, you really don’t remember me, do you?”

“No, I have no clue who the hell you are!”

“Well that’s surprising. You always told me you’d never forget me. And then it happened.”

“What happened?!”

“You’ll find out, but I’ll see you later, we both have class… Bye beautiful.” He left without anther word and she stared after him.

“Students, get to your classes,” an announcement blared from the speakers. Tambrey finally looked away from Connor’s path, to look at her schedule. Advanced Math… She made her way to her class, and sat down, her violet black hair in her face.

“Everyone get in partners. This is who you will trust for the rest of this entire course.” The teacher announced. Tambrey didn’t bother trying to get in a group, as her mood has been ruined.

“Tambrey, go with Connor, you’re the only two without a partner.” The math teacher started discussing what they were doing, but Tambrey and Connor just looked in each other’s eyes, not speaking a word. The world seemed to revolve around them, as their eyes met for what seemed like eternity, but in reality was only a short minute. Connor reached for her face and leaned in to kiss her. She slowly closed her eyes and caught her breath. Their lips touched and sparks flew. It was like nothing she’d ever felt before, but in the back of her head, there was a faint memory of happiness surrounded her. Before she knew it, Tambrey was on the floor, waking up to Connor whispering in her ear. She couldn’t make out what he was saying, but her eyes fluttered open.

“Ms. Mason, do you need to go see a nurse?”

“Uh, no… I don’t think so… What happened?”

“Connor, take her to the nurse and explain what happened on the way.”

“Take my hand, Tambrey.” He whispered. She reached her hand up, and he pulled her to a standing position, and led her out the door.

“What happened?” she wondered. “The last thing I remember is you… kissing me… and feeling happy.” Her face flushed with pink.

“You fainted… I don’t know why…” he responded as they entered the nurse’s office.

After they explained the situation to the delicate brunette, she told Tambrey that a bit of rest would help.

“Watch her,” instructed the nurse to Connor.

Connor looked at Tambrey and picked her up, carrying her to their room.

“Let me down,” she squirmed weakly. “I’m gonna break you!”

“Get used to this.” He smiled and set her down on the bed.

He went over to his own bed and grabbed a book, starting to read.

“What book?” Tambrey asked, shyly.

“It’s Edgar Allen Poe, his collection…your favorite.” He answered.

“How did you know that?” she asked.

“I told you, you’ll find out.”

“How?” she said and yawned.

“Go to sleep sweetheart.”

“Don’t call me that.” She said defensively and rolled onto her side, falling asleep quickly.

Tambrey’s eyes closed but her vision was flooded with vivid images. Her normal dreams, all about living in the Victorian era, meeting a masked man, and falling in love, never knowing his true identity.

“Tambrey…”

“What do you want?” she asked grumpily.

“I was wondering if you had the dream yet…”

“What dream…?” she asked.

“Never mind.” He stumbled. “Go back to sleep…”

Tambrey awoke at four, and she searched for her phone. She finally found it under her pillow. “Oh, four pm.” She thought to herself.

Tambrey sat up in her bed to see Connor sleeping in his own bed. She stared at him for a few minutes, and then stepped off her bed, the floor creaking under her feet. Connor sprung up, realizing Tambrey was awake.

“You’re up!” he smiled.

She nodded and walked over to him, seeing the book on his bed. One page was folded and she opened it to that page. “Spirits of the Dead”

“It was always your favorite.” He said, smiling.

“How the hell do you know all this about me, yet I don’t even know your last name! You’re freaking creepy. Have you been stalking me??!”

“Tambrey, no… that’s not it at all…. Listen to me baby.”

“Don’t call me that! I don’t even know you, freak!” she yelled.

“Tambrey, I love you.”

Tambrey’s heart sunk. “No you don’t, you don’t even know me.” Somehow it hurt her to say it.

“You didn’t have a problem kissing me!” He screamed back.

“I didn’t really have a choice.” Tambrey stormed out of the room, crying, and slammed the door. She ran downstairs and outside, grabbing a smoke. “I don’t know what to do…” She thought. The tears ran down her face and she opened the door to go back inside.

Tambrey’s mascara stained her cheeks as she walked inside. She went into the kitchen and grabbed some dinner and brought it back upstairs. She opened the door, hoping he wasn’t there, and her luck came through. She sat cross-legged on her bed and switched on the TV, watching some program she couldn’t even pay attention to with all the thoughts racing through her mind. About Connor… about which dream he was talking about. These thoughts crowded her mind as she fell asleep on her bed.

When she woke up, it was two am, and she couldn’t fall back asleep, so she got up and drew a candle-lit bubble bath. She tested the water with her toes, and decided it was perfect. Tambrey stepped into her bath and warmth spread over her body. She was enjoying the candle light view when somebody knocked on the door.

“Tambreeey. Let me in. I gotta pee.” Benjamin whined.

Tambrey stepped out and wrapped herself in a towel, and then opened the door to let him in. Benjamin stepped in and used the bathroom as Tambrey got dressed and drained the tub. Benjamin washed his hands and came over to Tambrey, took her face in his hands and kissed her, pushing her against the wall, taking her breath away. She kissed back eagerly, her lips demanding his. Her nails were digging into his back and he pulled her close into his arms. He lifted her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist, their lips only parting for a short breath. Benjamin carried her into her room and laid her on the bed, getting on top of her.

His hands trailed along her body, and she didn’t argue, as her hands did the same to him.

“What the hell, Tambrey…” Connor whispered.

Neither Benjamin nor Tambrey heard the door open, but there he was, standing in the threshold, staring, his mouth wide open. “I can’t believe this…” Connor stormed out of the room, a single tear on his cheek.

“Are you guys together?” Benjamin asked as she pushed him off of her.

“No” Tambrey said as she ran out the door after him.

He got to the living room when she caught up to him. “Why did you follow me?” Connor demanded.

“I don’t know.”

“Then don’t bother, go back to Benjamin. If he makes you happy, go for it.” His voice broke at the end.

“But he doesn’t! We were just having a little fun… It meant nothing…” She turned towards him, her eyes wide. Taking his hands, she pulled him close and kissed him. His body melted into hers and their lips slowly intertwined. Tambrey stood on her tip-toes to reach his lips, and he bent down slightly, almost naturally. Tambreys hands reached up to his face and she drew away from his lips, moving his head to the side. She glided in and her teeth softly nibbled on his neck. A low moan bubbled at his lips.

Connor picked her up once again and led her to her bed, no sign of Benjamin. He put on a movie and came over to her bed, wrapping his arms around her.

“How did you forgive me so quick?” Tambrey wondered aloud.

“Well you’re the love of my life, I have to.” He replied with a smirk.

“How do you know?”

“Well as I said; we’ve met before, you just don’t remember.”

“Why though?”



“We met a few years ago, you don’t remember, the doctors don’t know what happened, they think you repressed all your memories because of something tragic that happened, I can’t tell you what, you need to figure that out… that’s why I ask about the dream, there’s two you need to have. So go to sleep cupcake.”

Her eyes were fighting to stay open, and she finally just gave in and snuggled into Connor, closing her pale blue eyes.

The same dream started; her and a masked figure in a ball room. The walls were yellow with paintings lining it. A bunch of girls in floor length gowns, a boy on many of their arms. A young man in suit came up to her, taking his mask off, and revealing his face. For the first time, she saw that this man, was really Connor... A sudden flash showed a darker version of the same room, with two men, one blonde and muscular, and one who was a brunette and had very subtly defined muscles. The room was lined with whips instead of paintings, guns in their pockets and her whole body ached. Bruises blanketed her arms, and a few cuts shimmered on her bare legs. And there he was, right beside her, his hands over her mouth to keep her from screaming in pain. He, too, had scars and fresh wounds, but he kept calm, yet protective.

The blonde man walked up to her, his face twisted. A camera was in his hand, a green light flashing in her face. It’s recording… What’s he trying to record? He pulled out a stiletto switchblade, flicking it open, and coming closer. A laugh escaped his tight lips and he lunged forward, the blade digging into her leg. She screamed, the blood trickling down her thigh.

“Did I just hear you scream?” He yelled.

“No…” Tambrey sobbed uncontrollably, not knowing why she said it.

“I think you did,” He screamed. “You know the consequences, angel face.”

“I’m sorry…” She mumbled through the sobs.

He took a whip off the wall, and she cowered back as it slashed across her face.

She woke up the next morning, her hand in Connors, his back facing her.

“I love you,” she whispered, thinking he was asleep. It felt so right….

He heard but her pretended not to and turned to face her 10 minutes later, opening his eyes and yawning. “Good Morning, gorgeous.”

She smiled, and blushed.

“Good morning, lovely.”