I observe the captivating nature intently , I breathe in the fresh air for it to penetrate to the deepest of my chest feeling the renewal on my soul.

I sit before a tree which I deem as pointless ... yes pointless as it bears no fruit , I watch it everyday in hopes of seeing it bloom or sprout but to no avail.

Just the sunlight burning my face uselessly .

Alright , speaking of breathing the air and the ' renewal on my soul ' ... that's just nonsense!

I saw my childhood friend , Nina , heading towards me with a bright smile as usual , for me to send her a friendly one back.

I really love this girl! Did you know that she's the only person who understands me ... she's my close friend and I hope our friendship strengthens even more as time passes.

Finally , the day has started to get better!

" Ian , my lovely friend , how are you?" She beamed at me with a sparkling face filled with enthusiasm , making me grin automatically and mimic her tone as I answered her " Great! What about my pretty friend ?" . I noticed that a shy smile placed itself on her features , which made me raise my eyebrows teasingly.

Real talk , she is beautiful!

" great , as long as you are!" She replied sweetly and then clapped her hands in excitement as she was about to say her catchphrase , but I took the words out of her mouth - exclaiming jokingly " how about a snack? Okay!" I answered myself to which she started laughing .

I think it's about time that I tell you; Her smile is one of the reasons behind my happiness.

I called one of the workers in this splendid camp ... or rather , the one that becomes splendid only when she's present . A middle aged woman advanced towards me with a plate abundant with food , placed it near me then left.

I saw the man in charge of this place passing from afar as I glared daggers at him , because this fool banned Nina from food only because she sneaked into my room.

It's true that everyone got sent here by their parents , but that ,by no means, suggests that we can be banned from a nice meal.

Thank god he hadn't seen her eating , or I would've been a dead meat!

" I'm full!" She announced as she wiped her mouth with one the napkins placed near the plate . I smiled in satisfaction as she did.

" Good! Now next time , try to be more discreet when sneaking to my room " I advised her playfully which got me a faint punch from her . We both giggled immediately .

We sat observing everyone around us till our eyes fell on a rookie who just got recruited into this distasteful camp . He looked really miserable but what caught my attention the most was his mum , who was ugly sobbing . She looked terribly defeated.

" what a pity " commented Nina while I refrained from adding anything.

Okay , if his mum really cared about him , she wouldn't have thrown him in this disgusting place ... that's what I thought , that's why I just remained silent.

Passing by me was one of the punished people in here , as he seated himself next to Nina.

What's wrong with this moron?? Can't he see I'm right here??

I would've slapped him if it wasn't for Nina who would've minded . " let's go back to my room" I whispered to her , simultaneously pulling her out of her seat.

" but it's not permitted for me to go to the guy's section of this camp" she said , confused. Me nodding in comprehension . However , this doesn't mean that we won't break the rules like we always do .

" since when did we care about the curse of the rules , honey? " I asked mockingly while her lips formed a mischievous smirk when she pushed me and ran off , as she challenged " ill race you back to you room , only if you can that is !"

And I couldn't help but chase after her , avoiding drawing attention to us.

After not so long , I entered my room and found her sitting waiting for me . I went to get the chess with a sly grin .

Because we got used to playing this game and whoever loses does what the winner wants with no argument .

I remember when she once made me take five sleeping pills and after I took them uneasily , she told me it was just candy ... I recall that after that I woke up in the hospital !

You know, she always requests the weirdest stuff like telling her how I feel or to narrate the most despair-inducing moments of my life involving my parents who neglected me in this encampment , since I was a " disobedient son " if I was to quote them. But I took a liking to this punishment ... mainly because she's here.

" the loser does whatever the winner wants !" She shouted eagerly as she claimed a chair from the corner of the room and located it in front of me.

I nodded in agreement and we started playing immediately .

" my gosh! you won ! " she yelled in a fake defeated tone , while I smiled triumphantly .
" so what do you want me to do?? Please don't tell me to iron your clothes like last time!" She complained and I couldn't contain my laughter ... I really am bad at ironing.

" how about....cleaning my room?" I joked and she hit me softly as she screamed " thats not fair!!!"

" don't make me request something that you won't like at all!" I followed devilishly as I tried to resist the urge to laugh at her surprised facial expressions .

Right after she heard those words , she started cleaning right away .

I was just watching her with a smile ... I'll tell you a little secret .. I asked her to do this solely because I wanted her to stay longer with me.

" So .. do you not want to see your parents?" She questioned nonchalantly as she carried on sweeping the floor.

" of course not! I hate them! What about you? Do you still want to see your family after they ditched you ? " I responded harshly and questioned further.

" actually ... yes.. yes I do.... I mean , haven't you missed them?" She proposed calmly .

" no! Not in a million years!" I replied furiously.

" woah there , relax boy , I hate them too but I can't help but kinda miss them " she finished and before I could add to her sentence we heard footsteps heading towards my room.

" Hide quickly !" I warned her in a rush and she followed by hiding under the bed just as the door opened to reveal Mr Stefan.

Ok ,, for real... I really hate this dude.

" Greetings ,glue-stick " I mumbled under my breath as I looked at him . This guy has been glued to me since the first day I landed a foot on this camp. As if he's in charge of monitoring my every move.

" pardon?" He enquired perplexingly , for me to say through gritted teeth " Hello, Mr Stefan "

" Hello, Ian" he pronounced clearly and pulled a chair just few steps away from me.

" So!" He started , seriously , for me to roll my eyes in boredom . He is really your average dull guy! I know he's going to inquire about my behaviour in this place to decide if I'm allowed to leave or not.

" so!!" I exhaled wearily from his prosaic attitude while he cleared his throat to start firing his questions and usual speeches " are you feeling better this time round?"

" Yes , much better" I replied , fabricating concentration for him to add , in an enquiring manner " what do you say you meet your parents?"

" I don't want to see them and I prefer not hearing anything about them " I stated , nervously because I can barely stifle a laugh when imagining Nina's gestures.

I noticed Mr.Stefan's surprised looks as he asked , clearly confused " is there something wrong?"

" N-No.." I stuttered while he stared , puzzled.

Oh my god I'm going to get caught !

"Alright Ian, I'll come and visit you tomorrow , now take this " he said as he handed me one of the tablets that was in the box in his hold. I complied as I swallowed it immediately , no complaining nor questioning . I did it mainly to distract him from Nina, but truth to be told , I don't know why does he always shower me with sleeping pills ... I think he would rather have me asleep than put up with my attitude .

Screw him and everyone in this place!

He checked on me again and then he left the room.

" finally!! I was on the verge of death down there " complained Nina as she got out from under the bed while I fell into a fit of laughter as soon as I saw her . She knitted her eyebrows together in frustration and spat out in a fabricated infuriation " this is the last time you see me here! Goodbye you douchebag !" and then she took off as well.

" we'll see about that later , darling " I cried out so that my voice reaches her , and fell into deep slumber.

I woke up the next day upon hearing strange rustling around the room , so I straightened up anxiously , till I detected Nina's brilliant smile " Wake up you sleepyhead ! I'm sure you don't want to be scolded nor punished , right??"

I chuckled , adjusted my position and asked "
How did you manage to come here without nobody seeing?" She rolled her eyes to state proudly " you're talking to The Great Nina , and you dare to ask such a question ?? Have you lost your mind??" She finished and I just chucked my pillow at her, for both of us to roar in laughter.

We went downstairs to acquire our seats , however , we were faced with an unpleasant surprise as the depressed guy or , ' the rookie ' , was filling it.

" Slow down dude!" Nina whispered to me as she sensed my anger, but I didn't care and just faced the guy and shouted , full with rage" alright you! , this is our place so I will ask you politely to leave before you lose the features of your face!" I really tried to be as nice as possible for Nina's sake , but I guess I ended up looking dumb and arrogant.

He did not move a muscle , he merely kept staring ahead , absent-minded . What's wrong with this moron??

" I think I'm talking to you here!" I chided as I tried to maintain the last ounce of patience I had in me . Nonetheless , he payed me no mind till one woman of the staff came to collect him.

I think she's the one who's in charge of him.

" And now we are free to sit down , your highness " I murmured sarcastically to Nina and turned around to face her ...but she was nowhere to be seen...where did this klutz go??

Oh boy are you going to regret this , Nina.

I sat alone and saw Mr Stefan , the one responsible for me , heading towards me with a friendly smile while I rolled my eyes and huffed and puffed in annoyance.

It can't get worse than this ! First Nina's disappearance and now the embodiment of boredom himself appears.

" how is my friend doing?" He asked with a faked kind tone. I shrugged " as usual ... bad after seeing you "

He knitted his eyebrows to look at me with the most shocked expression his face wore , and I fumed " you know what?? I detest this place and everyone in it including you! ... what keeps me in check is my friend , Nina, or else I wouldn't have spent an extra second in this place !" I finished and saw frustration marking his face , then he took off - appearing puzzled.

" dumbass" I muttered and then I went back to my room to have a rest.

^**********************

I left him alone and headed towards my office , I entered calmly to sit and think of a way out of this critical situation.

A knock on the door was heard and I gave permission for the person behind it. The door revealed Mr and Ms Somerhalder.

I stood up and greeted them with a faint smile
" please have a seat" I gestured for them to sit down and they did as told , silently , while anticipation dominated their facial expressions.

" So? What's the matter? You asked us to come.... Is Ian alright??? Did something happen to him?!" Mr somerhalder asked worriedly and I shook my head in denial .

Whereas his wife added ,nervously " Please tell me that he's gotten better?"

I swallowed hardly as I tried to maintain my composure to avoid concerning them from what I'm about to utter.

I sighed deeply for me to say " honestly , I have no idea how to phrase this...but two weeks ago , he tried to commit suicide by swallowing an extremely dangerous dose of his medicine that's enough to kill him ... he did so without explanation . That's why I started supervising the amount of dose given to him to guarantee that such thing will never be repeated"

I remained silent for a bit to give them enough time to absorb what I just said. Then , I exhaled deeply and continued " also , he still seems to imagine this 'Nina' girl and refuses to accept the fact that she's long since gone. Moreover , he still insists on believing that this is a camp and he's being punished.

His mum shivered and was on the verge of breaking down while her husband bowed his head in contemplation and added desperately " he will get better by time though , right??" . I reassured " of course he will! I will do my best !even if I had to transfer his file to the most professional therapist of this clinic !" Both of them nodded and thanked me with a faded smile and opted to leave after I comforted them again.

I lolled my head backwards and arched my back to rest my fatigued spine , and then I roamed the sky of my thoughts to ask myself , " what shall I do about this dilemma? Ian is not responding to me at all nor to his medicine . He's not even giving me a chance to converse with him!"

Maybe i really am just a beginner when it comes to handling these complicated cases.

After a long journey in my train of deep thoughts mixed with bitterness , I was finally determined on passing his case to one of the most known experts in this hospital .

I opened the drawer of my desk to obtain his file , placed it in front of me and sighed in despair as I scanned it one last time .

Name : Ian
Surname : Somerhalder
Age : 20 years old
Explanation of condition : The patient suffers from delusions , and hallucinations in which the sufferer sees and hears things that do not actually occur in reality. Only bound to the patient's imagination. Mainly caused by the patient's exposure to a severe shock/impact during a young age. He is currently in a moderate phase where the possibility of his treatment is quite likely.

*The End*
16/8/2019

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Your opinion regarding the story?? I wish that it received your appreciation :)

Any criticism ? Question? Enquiry ? You can put it here.

Leave a comment , because maybe your comment remains a memory between us.

And now I'll tell you briefly about few facts concerning this mental disease :

- psychosis is a threatening mental disease which is caused by major disturbances including loss of connection with reality and delirium fits ( sudden delirium ) or irrational and illogical thoughts ( insane thinking) and the sufferer does not know that he/she is suffering from psychosis . Most of the time , the victim cannot differentiate between what's real and genuine from what isn't. He/She may also suffer from optical or auditory hallucinations.

- the psychosis attack could cease automatically ; it's also possible for the patient to be cured from it.
The treatment should be compatible with the symptoms and causes of psychosis. The treatment generally involves medicines and psychological therapy. Sometimes, may require the patient to reside in hospital.

In conclusion , I would like to say :

Special thanks to anyone who read the story and supported it and I hope that you share the link of it on your social media , for more people to read it.

Note :
Ian Somerhalder as himself
Nina Dobrev as herself