Acquaintances

[Rosemary-Louise]

Rosemary stared at her food in utter disgust, not at all pleased that she had to eat it. The thought made her stomach churn. She would have refused it, but doing so would in turn have her force fed, and that was much worse. With a sigh, she began to eat. At times like these, she especially yearned for home, wanting nothing more than to curl up in bed with her child and just sleep.

The girl was taken out of her thoughts by another inmate sitting in front of her, and she looked up, smiling a little. "Hello."

[Flora Selene]

Flora sat across from an older woman, perhaps she was in her early twenty's. Flora was eating whatever it was the curators called "food." She heard a faint and "hello," and lifted her eyes to look towards the one that had spoken.

"Hello," Flora said innocently. Flora had been in the Asylum for a couple of months, and already gained a horrible reputation. She was often in trouble, and all the other inmates knew. For some unknown reason, Flora had not met this woman before.

[Rosemary-Louise]

"I don't believe we have met before. I'm Rosemary-Louise," Rose introduced herself, more quiet and drawn-in than usual. For some reason she didn't understand, her medication had been changed, and the new stuff she was on effected her mood. "I don't know why that is. I feel like I have already met every one here. You're new," she guessed, sure this was the case. "It's nice to meet you, though it would have been better under much...different circumstances."

[Flora Selene]

"I don't believe we have met before either. I'm Flora. You may have seen me briefly I reckon. I've been in much trouble while I've been here... been kept up from the rest of you." Flora smiled slightly, and resumed eating. She glanced at the girl again. She had very pretty hair, and fair skin.

Flora could hear the voices of the other girls around her, most of them sharing with their friends what the curators had done to them this time. She knew all too well that the Asylum workers convince the public that this god forsaken place is the best place for all girls of England.

[Rosemary-Louise]

Rosemary chuckled quietly. "Haven't we all?" she questioned, a bit bitter, and shrugged. It was impossible to not get in trouble in the Asylum. It was as if the doctor's purposely provoked the girls just to rile them up and then punish them. "But yes, I do recall seeing you know. I was there when you came in, saddened by the presence of yet another girl." Rose took a bite of her food and watched the girl curiously, a hundred questions running through her mind, wondering what her story was and why she was here.

"They've kept you away from the rest of us for two-months, though? That isn't very fair. What did you do?" she asked, tilting her head slightly to the side in unashamed nosiness. The new girl, Flora, was pretty, and Rosemary found herself liking her. Yet another person to talk to besides herself.

[Flora Selene]

Flora shrugged half-heatedly. "I've been in much more trouble than most. Been spending over time with the curators here. Many of them have taking a liking in me. Not sure why though...." Flora trailed off, and sighed to herself.
"I didn't do much of anything while I was kept away. They tried to break me even further. I'd say it worked. All the nurses are keeping an eye on me, making sure I don't do anything." Flora couldn't hide the scars and bruises she had, but she didn't dare look at them to explain each incident.

Flora was glad that she had made a new friend, but knew that if her friendship was seen largely by the Asylum staff, things could be much harder than what she thought possible. She smiled again towards Rosemary, thinking of so many questions to ask her, but not wanting to upset her in anyway. Flora didn't do well in social situations, but she did try to her fullest.

[Rosemary-Louise]

"Well, sooner or later, they'll get theirs, and you'll be free to do as you please," Rose assured, never as hopeful as she seemed, but always wanting to be uplifting for all the other girls, especially the younger ones. "We all will. And I'll be sure to be as discreet as possible whenever I talk to you from now on." Rosemary finished the little bit of the meal she had left and pushed her plate away from her, feeling sick. She sighed. "I've gotten into a lot of trouble. A lot of painful trouble...I'm as broken as any other girl here," she admitted, shrugging.

[Flora Selene]

"They are all going to hell." Flora whispered to Rosemary. "They are all going to burn for what they have done to us, for what they do to us." Flora looked around to make sure that no worker heard her, and then continued in a quiet voice.
"I'm here because I have schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder. I'd rather kill myself then receive 'treatment.' So many innocent girls," Flora said shaking her head nonchalantly.

"We've all gotten in a lot of painful trouble. They all need some phony excuse to rape and torture us. Some stupid excuse. One day, vengeance will be ours." Flora said with a menacing tone. Her facial features began to harden, but quickly softened, remembering that she was being watched quite carefully after what had happened only days ago.

"What excuse did they put you in for? Or were you merely just an orphan, sent here to die by the most infamous orphanage in London, like I?" Flora had a bitter taste in her mouth, and this time it wasn't the food. She loathed the persons that decided to send her here, the ones that were willing to send her here to die. She shook her head, while saying:
"Such a pity that so many lovely girls will be broken sooner than they know it."

[Rosemary-Louise]

"God, I hope so, and soon. What goes on here...I cannot understand how they can justify the things they do here as 'helping the sick and the mad,'" Rosemary mumbled just as quietly, looking down for a moment as she recalled the horrible things that had happened to her so far. The horrible things she was beginning to think she deserved for her...unholy ways, as her mother would so eloquently phrase it. "I think we all feel that way, dear. That's what saddens me the most--all the girls placed in here, most under false pretenses just because they were no longer 'wantable."

At Flora's questioning, Rosemary hesitated and blushed softly before answering, "Um...I was placed in here for my whorish ways. I like sex...a lot. I can't help it. And I throw 'tantrums.' That's what my parents say, anyway. I'm just a lot more sensitive, a lot more emotional, than others normally are or are comfortable with." Rosemary shrugged loosely again and nodded in agreement, sighing. "I wonder how many of them come here being told that this place will help them and keep them safe."

[Flora Selene]

"As far as I know, we are all invaluable. We've been dumped here to die. This is it, this is where we are all going to die. Whether it be by hand, substance, or medical procedure." Flora bit her lip, hiding back the tears that tried to invade on her. She had missed her parents, she missed her childhood friends. Her parents would not have let anyone do this to their daughter if they'd be alive. Flora was disgusted and appalled, had she not any family that would have wanted her? She remembered that her mother had a step sister, why had she not taken care of her?
Flora averted her thoughts back to the woman in front of her.

Flora noticed that her facial expression showed that of embarrassment. "I'm truly sorry," Flora said quickly adding, "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, really. Oh I'm truly sorry." Flora went on. She knew that using "sorry" would not always work for her here in the Asylum, but she did her best. Flora couldn't believe this woman's parents would send her here for liking sex.
"What you were sent here for is no crime or deviation. You are not insane like some say. I hope you break free of this wretched place so you can live your life free. I won't be seeing the light of day anymore. No, they know all too well of my plans. It's like they can read into your mind, you know?" Flora rambled on and tried to make sense of what she was saying. She honestly didn't know why she was sharing such useful information to someone she had just met. She shrugged it off and smiled at her again.

[Rosemary-Louise]

"Well that's just...really depressing. So true, and so sad," Rosemary replied. At the tears welling up and her kind words, the redhead took the other girl's hands when she was sure none of the chasers were looking and squeezed them softly. "Thank you. I'm not uncomfortable, just...more understanding, accepting, now, you see. And don't worry. If there's hope for me, there's hope for you," she assured the girl, smiling and pulling her hands away quickly when a nurse walked by. "And, yes, I know. They are fast to use that little power against you, aren't they?" she whispered.

Rosemary smiled, and her broken heart warmed just a little as she looked at the girl. "You remind me of my love Lenore," she explained, not wanting to put the girl off by her sudden fondness. "Lenore was not easily broken, not at all. I..don't know what happen to her, or if she's even alive. A doctor and his chaser took her away from me a little over a month ago," she informed the girl, visibly upset.

[Flora Selene]

"It is the truth. We've been dumped her to die. It's really quite inhumane what they do here. I'm only of 17 years, and I still have a bit of mind." Flora whispered, and then continued: "They'll do anything to break anyone they can... quick to use their power." She sighed and looked at the peeling wallpaper that surrounded the dining hall. Switching her gaze to the other girls around, she tried to search for Rosemary's love.

"I'm very sorry to hear about your love, Lenore. She must be here somewhere." Flora grasped the woman's hands in her own and whispered, "do not lose hope. They feed on despair." Letting go of the woman's hands, she resumed eating, knowing that if she were to get into trouble again, it would be ages before she would be able to eat again.

"You have a chance to escape," Flora continued again. "I haven't got a hope in the world. Nurse Lightwood and the new nurse have already reported my doings to the Doctors. Such a horrid person I am to have made such foolish of mistakes. I had not wanted this, it was River who had attacked. Oh, someone save my soul. Save us all from the hells that we call life." At this moment, Flora's eyes began to line with tears. Quickly she wiped them away before anyone could see.

"You still have a chance, darling. But if you break free, remember me, won't you? You mustn't use your real name, and you mustn't look as you do now. They'd find you, and bring you back to endure more hell. It's a shame that your beautiful soul is here in such a horrid place." Flora sighed, and smiled towards her. A chaser walked by with an angry inmate. His grip on the girl's arm was strong, and she was sure it would leave a bruise. The girl continued to struggle, until another chaser joined in taking her away.

[Rosemary-Louise]

"I wouldn't forget you, I promise. I couldn't. I'm sorry. I feel like I should be the one saying all this because I'm older than you, and older people as supposed to take responsibility and look out for all the people they care about..." Rosemary trailed off with a quiet huff as the chaser and the girl walked past, furious with the way they treated them all and at just how powerless they truly were.

Staring at Flora for a moment, Rosemary decided then that, yes, she really does like the girl. She seemed like she would be a good friend, and an even better ally. "Another reason why I am here is because, back home, all I wanted to do was die. I tried to several times, eventually gave up, though, and still got put in here. This place isn't helping that feeling. It's making it worse."

[Flora Selene]

"It's alright, darling. I know I'm going to be here until I die. I haven't any chance to escape. I tried to explore, to find all the exits and entrances. I tried to figure out all of the rooms, but it's impossible. This place is too large. But, they say wisdom comes with age, and I trust you have much more knowledge than I. I have been kept away from all much too long to know anyone. Age is but a number, and I care for you. I care for all in this forsaken place, who could possibly call this home?" She sighed again, and watched as another inmate was roughly taken out of the dining hall. She hadn't seen any reason why the chasers would need to do such thing. The girl didn't put up a struggle, and it astounded her.

"I would not call this living, life. We are not free, we have no rights. Basically animals is what we are. Or so they say. They put anyone in here for any reason. All the mentally ill, the sane, the aged, the new. We truly mean nothing to these people. And my god, I hope they all get their just deserts." Flora smiled one finally time before turning back to her normal neutral state.

"You know, I haven't met many people to call friends. But, I am glad to call you friend. If you don't see me often, I've been locked away again. Sometimes I'm forgotten, but never for punishments. Never could I be forgotten for that."

[Rosemary-Louise]

"I'm happy to call you my friend as well," Rosemary said, smiling. With that, she was ready to change the subject. She was exhausted, and their topic choice wasn't helping. It made her ache inside just thinking about it. She also didn't want to be overheard, afraid they'd both be next to get taken off somewhere by the chasers. "So...what was your life like before you came here? Exciting I hope. Mine was pretty fantastic up until about a year ago."

While she waited for her answer, Rose sipped on her juice, the only good thing given in the cafeteria. She wanted so badly to be in the library right then, or maybe go for a short walk around or something with her new friend.