In Love With an Aven

You bend down and touch her shoulder gently. “Don’t hurt much baby!” She screams and you flinch away from her.
“What’s wrong ma’am?” You ask her gently. She blinks as if coming out of a daze.
“Who are you?” She asked me, her eyes now dull and void of emotion.
“I’m Emma.” You respond “I just got here.”
“Where is here?” She asks quietly, rubbing her pregnant stomach worriedly.
“The mental institute.” You tell her, worried You'll upset her again.
“Why am I here?” She asks, frightened.
You shrug, though you’re beginning to have an idea.
She suddenly stops rubbing her stomach and looks down in fright. “Why am I pregnant?” She asks. You shrug again.
Suddenly another figure appears at the door, this one a man. He takes me out for questioning and the frazzled pregnant woman behind me returns to bed.
“What happened to her?” You ask him. He looks at you sideways and then, apparently against his better judgement, he tells you.
“Her husband was abusive to her. He would lock her away, sometimes for days, in his closet and when he let her out he would threaten her if she told anyone. When she found out she was pregnant she broke down and escaped, running nearly 30 miles to escape him until the police found her screaming on the side of the road. They took her here and ever since she’s been stuck reliving her memories. When she comes out of it she loses all of her knowledge of herself and her surroundings. Her sleep is the only time she gets to rest.” He tells me sadly.
“What is her name?” You ask quietly, trying to absorb this.
“Violet Shale.” He replies.
“When is she due.” You ask.
“Any day now.” He replies “We’ve never had a pregnant woman before so we had a special room put together for her, not wanting her to leave the facility. She won’t stay still for an ultrasound so we have no idea what’s coming for us or how she’ll react to giving birth. Custody will be a challenge too.” He sighs “She’s one of the biggest problems we’ve ever had.”
“If you don’t mind me saying so ma’am,” he says as you walk through the barren halls, a man pounding on one of the doors startling you, “You don’t seem insane.”
“I don’t think I am.” You tell him. “I just got fired today and I think I was just a little delirious.” You lie, knowing what you saw was real.
“I can’t blame you ma’am.” He smiles and you notice for the first time how handsome his bright smile is against the backdrop of his chestnut skin. His jaw is beautifully sharp as he grins.
“I’ll let you go against my better judgement if you’d like” He responds, surprising you.
« Go Back