"Hallucination is a fact not an error, what is erroneous is the judgment based upon it"- B.Russel.

Chloe's POV:

             It's been a total of five days since I woke up from my coma and struggling to do my best in recovering. I exhale a tired sigh, turning around lazily in my covers.

I glance at my attire, feeling uncomfortable to lie down on these new jeans.

I was surprised the jeans fit me perfectly with the sweater that the staff gave me.

Today is a big day for me.

I was informed yesterday by the doctors that the police are going to come attend me for some investigation. It didn't really matter because I don't even remember my name to begin with.

The thing that got my attention was its going to decide where I'm going to stay next. Since morning I've been walking around my room dressed up, panicking where is my next destination.

Earlier today, Dr.Cathy came for my check-up and I suddenly asked her if I could borrow her smart phone for a while and she accepted the request but on one condition.

I shouldn't go around reading her messages or other private stuff.

Not that I was planning to do it.

I guess its natural human tendency these days that an individual gets anxiety when others look into their phone, but I'm not up for sneaky work but something else.

I'm just grateful that I didn't forget how to use a phone.

I yawn, stretching my arms and gazing at the smart phone. For past few minutes I've been trying to search for a lake that got me curious after a weird dream I had few days back.

'Huge lake'

'Lake and forest'

'Lake in Marley's town'

It didn't show any such results I was looking for. I let out a frustrated groan. I'm in no luck with Sir Google today. I even tried typing Marley's town -where I'm right now- to check if this place has any lake nearby but nothing came up.

I knew it was a dumb idea..

I started feeling down, possibly worse after this.

Another reason I took the phone is because I wanted to search about the massacre of Hilton's town but ended up getting my stomach almost sick seeing the gruesome pictures on net.

I even got to learn few common things about the Trxyonate drug.

The serial killers who discovered drug were basically mad scientists in their past. Till today, no cure or antidote has been found for this particular drug.

Moreover, before searching for some lake I tried looking for some details about myself on the net.

How ironic. Asking Google about my own identity.

Few articles showed up stating a girl found wounded and it was reported to alert the towns in case she's missing to no avail. The articles stopped within a year I was found.

I close my eyes and try to clear the negative thoughts.

Switching the phone off, I roll myself into the covers to get a nap. Might as well need this more for what is to come ahead in a few hours.

---

My vision first comes out blurry but slowly adjusts itself to the small room I'm standing in.

I frantically look around to find myself standing in the doorway of a small hospital room.

I must be dreaming again.

My gaze wanders lazily in the dull room till it stops on a stretcher. My breathe hitches at the sight of it.

There's someone on the stretcher covered by the white sheets, head to toe. The machines I failed to notice before are beeping around the body, few pipes running into the patient.

Following a particular pipe that is passing red liquid, my eyes land on the hand that's hanging limp out of the white covers, down the bed.

I take small unsteady steps towards the bed unsure if I should be here, then again it's just a dream.

At least I hope so.

I stand few inches far from the stretcher now. From a closer view, the hand looks more feminine and pale. There's a faint blue color patch over the skin where the needle is injected, allowing the tube to supply blood.

Slowly my gaze wanders up to the patient and I freeze.

Blood...

Not the one that's being supplied.

There's blood all over the white sheet that's covering the head of the patient.

Is she even alive?

Curiosity gets better of me.

I lift my hands, noticing that they're trembling in fear. Closing my eyes shut, I quickly pull off the covers aside to make it quick and look less scary, but I was wrong.

Dead wrong.

I stand there petrified at the sight before me.

The color from my face drains off completely and my heart stops beating. The patient lying on the bed isn't any random stranger.

I stare at 'myself' in horror.

The patient is 'me' or should I say my younger version with blood oozing from a deep wound at the side of the head, face so cold and pale with tubes running into the nose.

I stumble backwards, feeling nauseous. I'm most probably looking at the time I was in coma.

Is that even logically possible?

I felt my knees were about to give up when someone rushed past me towards the body lying on the bed. I blink at the figure who doesn't seem to notice me, standing right in front of her.

She is dressed as a nurse with a surgeon mask along with its uniform hat, making it harder for me to study her features.

The woman looks around hastily as if she is trying to hide something and ignoring the fact I'm right here.

Before I can process anything, she injects a syringe into the patient's hand and within a second draws out a small amount of blood from the arm.

I stare at her dumbfounded. What is she doing to my younger version?

"Hey, you! Stop right there."

I almost yell, but she seems to be deaf or ignoring me before quickly taking the syringe out of the skin, placing it in her pocket.

That's when I realize, she can't see me.

To proof my theory, she walks right through me like I'm a collection of dust particles.

My eyes widen as it clicks me. The stranger just stole my blood. I can't think of any other possible reason. Or maybe she's just a nurse who came for blood test?

I turn around swiftly to chase her but a voice calls.

"Ch...."

"CHLOE."

My eyes snap open and I sit up straight. My breathing comes out ragged and short. I can feel myself sweating. A hand touches my shoulder and I flinch immediately.

"Shh..Chloe it's me, Sarah."

I look up to find myself looking into the vast green eyes showing pure concern. Blinking few times, I realize that I was dreaming.

No lunatic vampire sucking my blood. I sigh out loud in relief.

"Bad dream? Do you want to talk about it?" She asks in her soothing voice and I shake my head at her.

Oh no...I slept again at an odd time.

Sarah seems to notice me and understand my jumbled questions. She chuckles," I came here to inform you that the police has arrived just a minute ago, they want to meet you but here you were napping."

"Oh my God, since how long was I out? Are they outside the room? No wait, my ha-hair is it a mess? Wait I think I should brush them, right? Do I look okay, sensible?"

Bombarding her with my questions, I look at her worried only to find her trying to stifle a laugh and the moment our eyes clash, she bursts out laughing.

"WHAT'S SO FUNNY?"

"Your *haha* face *hahaha* it-its priceles-" She grasps for her breath, laughing without a second thought.

Her eyes sparkled with amusement making it even more beautiful.

No Chloe, not again.

I huff at annoyance jumping off the bed, leaving the lady behind to laugh clutching her stomach and walk quickly to freshen up in the washroom.

"Your humor is just broken." I scream back, shutting the door.

"Please do brush your teeth as well." She yells back ignoring my comment. I smile inside the washroom, hearing her soft laughter continuing.

Few minutes later...

Everyone in the room was quiet except for me and the Inspector Roy.

I'm answering the questions with Dr Sarah seated next to me on the sofa. There were two constables with loaded weapons hanging to their side, guarding their Head Mr.Roy.

"Miss, do you remember even a slightest thing about your past?" He asks for the third time in a monotone voice. His black eyes scan my face for answers.

For a second I felt his eyes could read my soul and find the answers by himself.

All my replies were short without much energy.

No. I don't know. I don't remember.

That's all it took for me to mouth.

I shake my head at him. I really feel ashamed about how unaware I'm about myself. But there's nothing I can do about it.

The third constable next to Mr.Roy keeps scribbling my statements in his notepad who stood behind the sofa listening. Mr.Roy sighs and his expression changes to a serious one gripping my attention.

He has read all of my medical reports before entering the room. It sort of made me nervous knowing he is aware about my absurd behavior and hallucinations.

"I'm sorry to tell this, your case can be an attempt of murder or maybe hit and run case or something worse from the night of chaos in Hilton's town. However in these two years, nine months of investigation we haven't found your family or your residence. In fact none of the five towns have reported you missing."

I don't feel anything but numb. He's telling me something I already know by now. I hum at him softly to continue, trying to stay cool.

He continues observing me. "We even checked the orphanages yet you never belonged there. In total, we have scanned five towns keeping your condition in mind. Since you were critical the day you were brought here, it shouldn't be somewhere far that you came from. This case just became a mystery over the years. We kept the search on even though we got the permission to close it from higher authorities."

Dr Sarah placed a hand over my shoulder for comfort but it didn't really help the thundering heart inside me to slow down a little.

Again, I was told something I already figured out.

"Maybe if that day there wasn't a power cut in the hospital, we would have caught the person who brought you here, but there is no such luck. Besides from our unsuccessful attempts we kept an eye over you. You have serious case of hallucinations and medical disorders as a side effect. It's reported, you have even tried to attack the staff few times." He breathes in before looking right into my eye and continues.

I hope my embarrassment isn't visible on my facial expression. I gulp slowly, trying to eat away what I was feeling right now.

"We got the permission to shift you in the mental asylum for a better treatment, at least for four months. Once you are all fit you can leave to go to an orphanage. An year later, you will be eighteen years old and can move on in life legally as you please."

Wha-

I blink twice registering his words just in case I'm hallucinating but that isn't the case this time.

I open my mouth but close it, unable to word anything.

Mental asylum is where people suffering disorders beyond tolerance or mental disabilities by birth are admitted.

My hallucinations got so worse that I didn't realize I'll be considered mental.

"Sir please, she's trying hard. I don't see the need for her to be in the mental hospital. Sure, she has her disorders but they can be avoided with better care." Dr Sarah breaks me from my trance, in a hope to change his mind.

Mr. Roy shakes his head in disapproval.

"Still if the patient denies we can try asking for-"

"No wait..." I whisper cutting him off. I felt their heads snap at my words. Looking downwards, I clench my fist tightly on my lap.

I need the treatment, because I need to move on in my life.

I don't know what happened to me, but the future lies with my actions done today. If I reject to go there, where will I stay with such disorders? The orphanages will draw me out calling me crazy. I don't have any family or relatives to stay either.

What if I try to attack others?

I shudder inwardly at that thought. It will be just four months, and I have to improve with my conditions.

I try to blink away the tears forming in my eyes. There's not much I can do. My case has nothing to do until I regain my memory back, till then its dead as a corpse.

Suddenly I don't feel any pain of being without a family, being loved or even scarred not to have them.

Because I've no memories to hold onto.

I look up at the Inspector, who's already staring at me with unreadable expression. I can feel Sarah mimicking his actions. They're waiting for me to say it.

"I think I'll move to mental hospital right away."

My voice came out lot bolder that I imagined it to be.

Good thing is I feel no second thoughts running in my head after my statement. It feels oddly good, more like relieved.

Maybe I belong there...

The inspector nods and takes out his phone to inform about it to the concerned people. Doctor looks at me trying to figure my motive. She wasn't pleased by my decision but even she knows I don't stand a chance in the fast-moving world yet.

I give her a reassuring smile, she just sighs and nods in agreement.

She respects the decision I made, that made me respect her more.

"You will be picked up today in an hour. The asylum is a few miles away from here. Since you are doing well, you are ready to be discharged. I'll get a confirmation from your doctors and fill the forms." I nod at him curtly.

"Can I have a word with you in private?" He asks hopeful and I just nod unsure, taken aback from his sudden change in tone. It was more low and soft than earlier.

Others leave the room along with Dr.Sarah. The tension in the air seems to just grow for me. I gulp not knowing why I'm tensed.

"Here take this. I want you to keep this card with you."

I furrow my eyebrows in confusion to see him holding out a card at me.

I take it slowly to find it to be some sort of card with mobile number along with a address. I cock an eyebrow at him, confused.

"If you ever find yourself in danger, don't think twice before hitting those numbers. I'll be there to help. Even if you ever wish to talk about your past once you recall, I'll be just a call away and keep that safe with you."

His features turn soft with a calm voice. He gestures at the card with his head for my confirmation.

I smile at his genuine concern, "Will do Mr.Roy."

An Hour later...

"I'm going *sniff* to miss *sniff* you." I say it for the hundredth time, hugging both Dr.Sarah and Dr.Cathy.

I thought I'm not a cry baby, but here I'm crying out my eyeballs. I even went and personally apologized every poor victim I attacked. They were scarred just by seeing me, but later somehow forgave me. I hope so.

I thanked every doctor who worked themselves up for saving and preserving my life for two years.

"I'll miss you too." They wished back in unison.

I hop into the jeep with Miss Rachel, who's my company to the asylum. She glances at me with a wide smile, her black hair shining under the sunlight.

She is one of the doctors in the mental asylum and came to pick me up.

Rachel is extremely kind, loving and with a carefree nature. She insisted me to call her Rachel. I didn't find myself even a bit hesitant in her company.

I can say her soft blue orbs carried concern for all her patients and her actions spoke softness. Not to forget, she cried hugging me upon discovering how I was in a coma and my existence became a mystery.

"Ready, Chloe?"

Rachel asks gripping the wheel of her jeep. I was sitting next to her in the front seat with my luggage at the back seat. I nod at her. I'm excited to see the outside world after so long.

I cherished everything that my eyes could capture. The trees came rushing past us as we passed them one by one. It is almost noon, I can see every object painted under the celestial body of sun.

"Everyone there will be happy to meet you, just you wait!" She chirps smiling widely. I chuckle causing her to glance at me before she adjusts her gaze back on the road.

"I'm not sure." I mutter.

With excitement comes nervousness.

"Oh come on, that place is a different world. Each of them accepted the way they are and are striving to be better. They would love your company Chloe". She winks. I can't help but smile.

My heart does a somersault at the feeling of being accepted as a member.

"Let's hope so." I grin widely, once again looking around the surroundings and gaping at the beauty of nature.

It truly is a blessing to be able to see.

****

Chloe is now set on her journey where things are going to get excited. :P

Love,

Cadance