Chapter 11
Katana
The office smells like leather polish and stale coffee. Dr. Vale’s oak desk gleams under the fluorescent lights, every pen lined up like soldiers. He motions to the chair across from him.
“Katana, please. Sit.”
I sink into the seat, my palms damp and my heart thudding. I’m terrified of how this will go. I can’t reveal what I did. He’ll know I’m a monster if I do… and then, who knows what will happen to me?
He folds his hands, a practiced smile curving his lips. “Now, why don’t we start with—”
The intercom on his desk crackles, a clean, ordinary sound that breaks the room’s little bubble.
“Dr. Vale? Ward B needs you. Emergency. Timmy’s acting out.”
Vale’s jaw tightens. His hand hovers over the receiver. “Can’t someone else—”
“There’s blood. He—”
“I’m on my way.” Vale snaps to his feet, his earlier composure splintering. “Stay here. I’ll be right back.” He grabs his white coat and yanks the door open, muttering, “Of all the times—”
Then, he disappears out the door, his footsteps fading in the corridor.
Silence expands until it fills the corners. My hands ball in my lap. The office feels too small, the air too thin.
Part of me wants to leap up and run after Vale, curious about whatever mess has exploded in Ward B. Another part hopes this delay will last so he won’t come back and pry me open. I’m terrified of his questions. Terrified of what he’ll say if I tell the truth of why I’m here.
I sit frozen, while the hum of the lights and the distant clatter of the institute grind against my nerves. The name Timmy echoes inside my head. I remember the faces in Ward B when I first arrived. Staff move faster when someone screams in those hallways.
The intercom’s words replay: Timmy’s acting out.
I wonder what set him off?
A chill crawls up the base of my spine. What if Micah had something to do with this? He knew I had an appointment with Vale after breakfast. He was close enough to overhear Marcy speaking to me in the common area.
My brows furrow as I stare out Vale’s office window, a thought circling inside my head.
Why would Micah want to disrupt my session?