Vigil couldn't bring herself to rise out of bed the next morning. Couldn't bring herself to open her eyes. She could still feel the electric currents running over her skin, could still feel her muscles twitching uncontrollably. It was burned into her memory, perhaps forever.

After walking mechanically into the dining hall, she again sat alone at one of the tables. Her gown stuck like velcro to the wooden bench, and she could feel the prickles poking through the thin material.

Her stomach felt hollow, but she could not eat.

She missed Clarence. She missed Margaret. She missed her parents.

That evening, as she sat motionlessly on a cot, eyes dead and unblinking, yet another nurse approached her, carrying a clipboard. The woman must have said something, but Vigil neither heard nor cared what it was. She simply stood and followed the white coated person through several halls.

As they walked, Vigil passed a mirror, and stopped. An alien face stared back at her, black rings framing large, brown eyes, and sharp bones protruding from white cheeks. Dark curls had grown past scrawny shoulders, dirty and wild.

Somebody tugged at her arm, and she blinked. The nurse was scowling down at her, urging her on. Vigil turned from the mirror and stumbled after the woman, staring at her naked feet as they scuffled over the green floor. A patch of moss had grown against one wall. Reminding her of somebody—James Lancaster.

Her heart felt emptier than her stomach. Throbbing with an ache for the gardener's presence. She wanted to board his green ship, she wanted to see something other than whitewashed walls, to smell something other than sweat and mold. The desire was overpowering, almost uncontrollable. A sob was suddenly building in her throat, and she gave a strangled gasp. The floor rocked beneath her as the voices suddenly started booming through her, ordering her to jump.

The nurse grabbed her arm as she started to wobble, and Vigil stared at her pleadingly.

"Please," She begged. "I have to jump. Then I'll be cured. I have to obey the voices."

The nurse didn't answer, only rummaged around in her pocket, still gripping Vigil arm. Vigil was suddenly rambling, unsure of what she was actually saying, only tugging weakly away from the nurse and rubbing a palm over her forehead.

And then something pricked against her neck, and she was out.

~~~~~

Give up. Give up. Jump, or I won't stop. Give up. Jump, and then I'll stop.

"I want you to stop," She was murmuring, gathering the stiff sheets in weak fists. "I want to jump."

Give up, it was replying. Jump, and then I will stop.

"I want to jump," She whispered shakily, writhing sluggishly on the mysterious bed she had woken on.

Give up, or I won't stop. The voice slowly began to crescendo over her mind, until she was sure her ears were ringing and her brain had imploded.

"I want to give up," She sobbed helplessly. "I want to give up so bad."

Jump from the roof. Give in and jump. You won't hear me. I won't stop until you do. The voice was roaring, piercingly high-pitched but deep and booming at once. It rang her ears and vibrated her teeth.

"Leave me alone," She hissed, squeezing her eyes against the soggy sheets and kicking at the empty air. "I want to give up."

Then, suddenly, another voice joined in. It had never happened before. It was always just that one voice, but now there was another. One other, totally and utterly different voice. One that resembled mossy logs and green fishing boats and scattered sheet music.

A calloused hand ran through her tangled hair, and her scalp tingled at the slight touch. She smelled something, like sea salt. She could feel a breath on her cheek.

"I'm always chasing rainbows. Watching clouds drifting by. My schemes are just like all my dreams ending in the sky." The voice was humming quietly, barely audible.

Vigil cracked her lips apart just enough for a soft murmur. "Some fellows look and find the sunshine. I always look and find the rain."

"Let's find the rain together," The voice whispered to her. "No matter how much rain we find, we can find it together."

She didn't want to open her eyes. Didn't want the dream to end. Didn't want to open her eyes to screaming patients and moldy wallpaper.

"Will you take me to see another movie, James?" She muttered. "Will you take me sailing?"

"Open your eyes, Vigil," James said gently. "Look at me."

Vigil shook her head, panicked, clamping her hands over her eyes. "I can't."

"Look at me, Vigil. I'm not going anywhere." She could feel his hands closing around her fingers, firmly but softly peeling them away.

She squinted at the sudden light of an overhead lamp, but she could make out the shape of a head. She slowly allowed her lips to turn to a smile as her vision cleared.

"I love you," James' voice was becoming more audible. "And I want—"

Before he could finish, there was a faint shouting. His eyes shot up, his face still fuzzy and dim.

"What are you doing in here?" A females voice was ordering. "Are you a guest?"

James quickly stood up from the mattress, and Vigil inhaled sharply. Where was he going?

"I was just visiting for a moment," James explained.

"We only allow parents and guardians to visit, and this area is reserved only for patients and employees." Her voice was still faint.

"Look, I've come here to negotiate," He said, fumbling through his pockets.

"We will do no such thing," The woman snapped. "Security!"

Vigil was now weakly lifting her head up, but she could hardly think straight. She could just make out a man coming up behind James and grabbing his shoulder. She watched as he ripped himself from the man's grip and pulled out a roll of money from his pocket.

"We do not sell our patients off like pigs!" The woman shrieked. "Escort him away!"

The man came with more ferocity this time, seizing both James' arms. He was pulled out of Vigil's line of sight, and she looked around desperately. He couldn't leave now.

Vigil pushed herself up a bit, her head clearing somewhat. "James!"

She managed to lift herself from the bed, her knees almost buckling. She looked around the room, but he was gone.

"No. 146!" The woman cried. "Stay in your bed!"

Vigil ignored her, sprinting toward the double doors and pushing them open. She found herself in a long, wide hall, and she whipped her head back and forth, searching desperately.

She suddenly spotted James a few hundred yards from her, being pulled through another set of doors. He twisted his head back to look at her when she screamed his name, and the pain in his face was unbearable. He started to struggle more fruitlessly than ever, staring at her helplessly.

"Please," He begged, pulling from the man's arms. "Just let me talk to her for a moment."

Vigil tore through the hall, yelling his name. He couldn't leave so soon. He had just come to her. He was going to take her away, and now he was being taken away from her.

"I promise I'll come back." He shouted as he was hauled out the door. He twisted his head out the door before he disappeared entirely. "I'll take you away."

And then, like water on a scalding sidewalk, he was gone.