Chapter 20 : Four rules for life

“Well where is she then Ingrid. We are all so anxious to meet her; tell her what beast you all are to us." Bella’s voice was joking but somewhere in it A crack of reality broke through it. After all, though you could believe otherwise with her chirpy little voice, She was in here for a reason too.

“No scaring her Bella, you hear me. She is a timid little thing bless her heart.” I smiled. Not because Ingrid had said something nice about me, but the fact that she saw me as timid.. I liked to give off that impression. It bought me some time. If they thought I was timid they wouldn’t be expecting my explosions and they wouldn’t be able to deal with them. Inside I laughed sinisterly. I could and would show them all.

“Ingrid, I am an angel.” Bella protested. How could you even think something like that?” Ingrid huffed in obvious disagreement to Bella’s argument.

“So who’s she with then?” Bella persisted, not willing to back down. “Who’s doing her obs? Lauren, Emmet or have you been really nice to her and put her with Esmee?”


“Nope I’m doing her Obs, the same as I’m doing yours,” Ingrid said, “Now scram; I have to check on her.”

“What, no fair!” Bella protested whole heartedly about something I wasn’t sure about. “She’s never been admitted on green. I was on red for two days before they put me down to green!”

“It’s different for everyone, you know that Bella. Dr Jordan’s happy for her to be on Green for now but of course we are monitoring her to see if she could do with a bit of extra help.”

I listened intently to the conversation about obs from behind the door while replacing my top for another one that looked very similar to the one that was now blood stained. I screwed that one up into a little ball and planted it at the very bottom of my suit case under the lining. At that moment my door opened.

“Checks,” was all Ingrid said with a warm smile in my direction unstill she noticed I had yet to put any of my belongings away and was sitting on the edge of my bed looking dazed. “ Are you alright Mi? Do you want some help unpacking?”

“Bella seems… nice.” I said ignoring her question about unpacking, she had gone through my things one more time then I would of liked all ready.


“Oh you heard her. She isn’t nothing to worry about Mi. She’s just being friendly. She respects boundaries though, you just have to tell her to leave you alone if she’s annoying you.” I smiled sweetly back at Ingrid. That was what I had trained myself to do; smile sweetly, never speak, be small and never complain. Those four rules got me through life.

“ All right,“ Ingrid said giving up trying to get anything out of me. “I will be back in ten Ok, don’t worry about the obs Mi, you’ll get used to them, you won’t even know I am coming in after a while and as Bella has made so clear, these are quite low for your first day.” Ingrid waited a few more seconds for a reaction, realised she wasn’t going to get one and walked away.