A/N- a word of warning. I am aware that mental health services do not work like this and are indeed responsible for improving and saving lives. I wrote this when I was much younger and the more "Victorian" ideal fit the plot far better. 

If you need help never be afraid to get it. Mental illness can be just as debilitating as physical illness and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. 

That said I hope you enjoy the next few chapters but please treat them as pure escapism.  

In the morning she woke got dressed and set about packing her things. Her father eyed the holdall when she brought it downstairs at breakfast, but did not say anything. Her mother seemed extremely agitated and nervous. Chattering away to her and avoiding any mention of her delusions. Chihiro could not blame her. 

She raided the kitchen for all the goodies that her friends would like. She took 4 boxes of coffee and three tins of chocolate pudding. She could not find any vodka; she would have to buy some before she left that afternoon. She was tempted to bring her parents along so they could see her disappear through the barrier that they refused to admit existed.

However, she thought better of it, they were scared enough already. By lunch, Chihiro was fully packed and her father himself had taken her to the next town and back to buy vodka. She also picked up twenty slabs of chocolate so she could make pudding for everyone else to. (Though she knew she would end up eating it.) She also bought another box of coffee. Her father said nothing about her odd purchases.

Chihiro was watching TV and having a last catch up on world affairs when there was a knock at the door. Her mother jumped.

"That will be them," said her father. He opened the door and a woman in her forties entered, followed by two large men in strange uniforms.

"Mistress Ogino," said the Woman and bowed politely. Chihiro stood and returned the bow, puzzled. The woman smiled. "Your father tells us that you are planning a trip." Chihiro glanced at her father.

"And you are?" she asked a little rudely.

"I'm Doctor Tanaka." Chihiro felt cold. "We would like you to come to the hospital for a few days; just to check you out." Chihiro gasped.

"You want to throw me in the loony bin?"

"A vulgar term." said the doctor, "but we would like to take you in for an assessment."

Chihiro folded her arms.

"What if I don't want to go?" She said.

"I'm afraid you have no choice in this matter, Miss Ogino. The committal papers have already been signed by your next of kin." Chihiro stared at her parents. Her mother dropped her eyes; her father gave a weak smile.

"It's for the best. You are not well."

"I'm not mad!" she hissed to the room at large. "It's all real and I'm going home."

"I know it may seem very real to you," said the doctor. "But schizophrenic type delusions are difficult to deny, they are very realistic. We just want to help you." It was then Chihiro noticed the two men had to been edging closer to her. She gave a sharp laugh and bolted up the stairs.

She dashed into her bedroom and placed a chair against the door. She then opened her window and thanked Haku's Gods that her mother was a gardening fanatic. Half the house was covered with trellis. They were banging on her door now and her father was demanding she came out. 

She scrambled out the window and down the trellis ruining her mother's prized clematises. She jumped the last four feet and hit the ground running, something she would never have been able to do without her sisters spells, she felt like an athlete. She bounded down the road, her eyes fixed on the woodland below.

There had been more of them waiting outside. They came after her in a car which accelerated past her and skidded to a halt. Four men got out blocking her way down the hill. She dodged and weaved past two of them and practically leap-frogged the third, after kicking him in the shin. 

The fourth must have been in the police or something because he knew how to fight. He dropped her with a punch to the stomach. Linca's spell prevented injury but it could not stop the wind being knocked out of her.

It was all over. They had her arms behind her back and were dragging her up the hill. She would not give up. She bit and kicked against them, it took two of them to hold her as the doctor came down the hill with her parents.

"Mistress Ogino please calm down, or I will have to sedate you." Chihiro spat at the doctor and screamed with rage. She was so angry.

"You're my parents!" she yelled. "How can you do this to me?" Her mother was crying but her father looked at her with cold eyes; only seeing an embarrassment.

The doctor was filling a syringe.

"If you put me away you won't cure me. It won't make me the perfect daughter you wanted. I'm telling the truth and that won't change with drugs and doctors!"

Her blood burnt like fire in her veins, her vision seemed to have a reddish tint. The syringe bit into her skin. "I won't be in that place long!" She hissed realising they would be thinking suicide rather than escape. "I hope you're happy, I hope you both sleep well tonight, especially you Daddy!"

The drug was starting to take effect, she tried to say something but it came out as nonsense.

She heard the doctor trying to reassure her mother but Yuuko kept saying.

"This is wrong; we should not be doing this. Look at her, she is terrified!"

"Not terrified!" Thought Chihiro. "I'm angry, angrier than I've ever been. They may not know what they are doing to me but that is no excuse." But as the drug took hold of her mind her thoughts slowed.

"Pleeth" She whispered as her mother kissed her goodbye. "Pleeths leth mme gooo."

"I'll come and see you." She promised. "I'll bring you home as soon as I can." She touched her face and then they dragged her into the back of an ambulance."

When they had her strapped down on the gurney, the doctor took her blood pressure and listened to her heart. The ambulance moved off.

"Miss Ogino there is really nothing to be frightened of." She said soothingly. "Once we assess you we will probably move you to a medium security ward. This will only happen if you behave. We are not monsters who lock you up and throw away the key. We want you to get better and leave. We can only do this if you help us."

Chihiro did not reply. As she drifted off into a drugged unconscious she felt the pendant grow cold against her chest.

She was beginning to come back around when she arrived on the ward. A very friendly but patronising nurse wheeled her around in a chair that she was strapped to. The nurse showed her around the ward; Chihiro could think of nothing but escape.

"This is the TV lounge; you'll like that won't you? This is the games room..." Chihiro saw very little to give her hope. Everything was either locked in cupboards or bolted down. All the windows were barred.

Most of the patients were in the same state she was, heavily sedated. Linca's spell seemed to also counteract the drugs somewhat. Chihiro was aware of what was going on but her body was still unresponsive.

"Now this is your room..." continued the nurse. Four featureless white tiled walls and one tiny barred window, a bed and one air vent so high up the wall she could not reach it even if she stood on her bed.

"So we will put you to bed and let you sleep..." The nurse and an orderly moved her limp body from the chair to the bed and strapped her down with leather wrist restraints that were attached to the bed.

The orderly left and the nurse beamed at her. She turned Chihiro's head so she was facing the ceiling, and then put pillows either side of her head so it would not roll to one side while she was sedated.

"Now let's get rid of some of this jewellery, would not want you to hurt yourself." After removing a ring and her earrings, she looked at the band on her wrist almost hidden by the restraints.

"We can leave this on, it's only string." She said with another syrupy sweet smile. She then moved to the pendant.

"I'll just take this..." Chihiro jerked violently forcing the nurse to stagger back. The pendant was burning against her chest. 

"You will not... be taking that!" she spat, speech sluggish. The nurse stared at her and then her eyes seemed to mist over.

"Oh okay," She said in a dreamy voice and left, she did not even seem to notice the hair sticks. The door clicked shut and Chihiro was left to herself. She collapsed back on the bed her muscles turning to rubber once more. She tried to sleep, she knew she would need her strength but sleep refused to come. The lights all went out an hour later and she was injected again not long after. She did not struggle this time.

Only then, on her own with the sinking feeling in her stomach that meant the drugs were taking effect, did the tears come. She made no noise as the tears rolled down her face; they were bitter tears of disappointment.

"I would be back home now," she whispered into the dark. "I'm sorry I did try, I really did." The dark pressed down on her and eyes fluttered closed. "I'll keep trying." She sighed and slipped into a dreamless unconscious.

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