ཀ

Bryce licks her lips to bring some sort of life back to them as she heads back to her room, agitated. Taking pills always makes her feel that way, no matter how long she's taken them.

She drags her feet, enjoying the luxury of taking her time as she's finally been allowed to escort herself to and from her room, big step. She wasn't sure what they thought she'd do to and from the bathroom other than maybe bash her head into the wall, but they have them soft for a reason.

As she approaches her room her footsteps falter at the sight of one of the people she knows is in charge. Caution overwhelms her senses as she comes to a stop.

"Bryce Forbes?" The woman asks, who she believes is either the director or assistant director of the facility.

Her brows pull together. "Yes?" Her voice comes out crackly, the rush of the pain of dry swallowing her pills still fresh on her throat.

"Come with me please." The woman says, not looking Bryce in the eye.

"Why?" Bryce asks, spine tensing. "What's going on?" Nothing like this has ever happened to her since she's been admitted, so the unease flooding her body was warranted.

"Come with me please." She repeats, her tone tightening.

Bryce clenches her back teeth, trying to fight through the haze to remember everything she's done recently while following the woman's loud clicks of her heels.

Each step echo's Bryce's brain, bouncing from one side to the other causing her temple to twitch. She knew she did well this week during her sessions, lying through her teeth about her nightmare two days ago that's caused her to be awake for forty eight hours straight.

She managed to mix two of the paints together during recreational time to act as concealer to cover up the purplish-blue forming under her eyes, making its permanent mark, and she had choked back her screams and sobs until it made her so sick that she puked, that it was an undeniable success.

So what was this about?

Her fingers rub against the palms of her hands, a habit she's formed when her fingers turn so cold they go numb from lack of blood flow and forces herself not to dig her nails into the skin right behind one of them. She knows better, she's learned better.

The short walk felt excoriating by the time they make it to the very front office. The woman scans her badge waiting for the ding and opens the door, stepping aside for Bryce.

"Go on in," She nods. "Director Raj is waiting inside."

Bryce stares at her. So she is the assistant director Bryce thinks to herself, making note of it as she slowly enters the office.

"Bryce Forbes?" Direction Raj greets tiredly. Her peppered hair is pulled back so tightly into a bun it made her eyes look stretched, her glasses are slipping down the bridge of her nose exposing her tired eyes, and her bony fingers type away as she stares Bryce down. "Have a seat." She nods towards the large leather chair in front of her desk.

"I'm okay." Bryce says, staying planted next to the door. She's not sure what good it's going to do since the door is locked, but it made her feel better.

Raj clears her throat. "I'll make this brief." She takes off her glasses, tossing them onto the desk calendar beside her. "You're being discharged and checked out tomorrow"

Bryce keeps her expression stoic, but if one looks closely they could see creases in her forehead form.

"I don't think I understand..." Bryce responds. She's supposed to stay the entire school year and it was only February. Sure her false progress was looking stellar on paper, but that's the deal.

That was the doctor's order.

That was the argument that her father and mom continuously had, and her father wouldn't back down on.

He got his wish... though he was part of the problem.

"We were contacted tonight that your sister is in the hospital and being taken into surgery." Director Raj informs Bryce and suddenly her blood runs cold.

The deafening sound of ringing fills her ears while her lungs feel like they just collapsed.

Your sister, hospital, surgery.

The words haunt plague her mind until all that's left is the voices screaming.

Your sister, hospital, screaming.

No-

Your sister, hospital, surgery.

"Bryce. Bryce." Her name being called at a distance finally reaches her ears.

"What?" Bryce snaps out of it, focusing back on Director Raj.

Director Raj eyes here warily and Bryce knows she let her guarded mask slip for too long.

"You'll be kept under suicide watch for tonight, meet with one of the nurse's in the morning to go over the discharging process before you pack and leave."

Suicide watch is all Bryce takes away from that. Because why would they drop a bomb like that and expect any different?

Why. Why would it?

But more importantly, Bryce was right. And her nightmare came true.

Literally.

ཀ

"Can you walk me through your dream?"

"I didn't have a dream."

"Can you walk me through your nightmare?"

ཀ

Bryce stood frozen on the side of the road as she watches in horror. She tried to scream, she really did. She tried to run in front of the car, she tried motioning for someone to move and stop the car, nothing. Like she wasn't even there.

"Stop." She yelled. "Stop! Please! Somebody, stop them!" She screamed as loud as she could, hot tears streaming down her face as she watched her sister panicked in the front seat trying to stop the car from swerving out of control.

She screamed until her own voice became nothing but a raw noise, and she ripped at her hair, pulling groups of strands out at a time.

"Please." She sobbed, yanking at her roots as she sank to the ground, her knees cracking against the asphalt. "Please! Please!"

She gasps loudly, shooting up out of bed, gripping the sheets on her bed for dear life. She lets out choked, dry sobs as she claws at her chest and neck, desperate for some relief of air as the sound of the metal crashing into the fence plays over and over again in her head like a tortured symphony.

She scratches until her nails break the skin, causing inflamed, beads of red to form under the shredded skin.

She collapses back onto her pillow, burying her head in it to muffle her cries for help.

"Make it stop." She begs. "Please God, make it stop."

She hiccups uncontrollably while hyperventilating til her body can't take the stress anymore and she dives to the toilet, drooling the salty saliva the forms in ones mouth before they puke.

"Can you walk me through your dream?"

"I didn't have a dream."

"Can you walk me through your nightmare?"

She saw it. Days before Tyler lost control of the car due to the Gilbert device, Bryce saw it.

She knew—

And there was nothing she could do about it.

ཀ

𝟶ʙᴜᴛᴛᴇʀʙɪsᴄᴜɪᴛ𝟽 sᴘᴇᴀᴋs!

Hello, hello!! As promised & delivered (even tho I stressed out about it the whole evening & literally did nothing else lmao) NEW CHAP OF CARDIAC CRAVING IS HEREEE <333

Thank you guys so much for 80+ reads on it so farrr!!! I couldn't think of a better time to feed y'all with the first chapter than on Halloween, which is SO TVD coded!!

So I hope y'all enjoyed!! I can't wait to hear y'all's thoughts, theories, predictions, & reactions so please don't be afraid to comment your thoughts, questions, & reactions!!

What are we thinking of Bryce so far??? Have we guessed where she's at currently??? *grippy sock vacation... whatttt* Anywaysss, very proud & excited about this chapter & can't wait for the next!! Until next time, & HAPPY HALLOWEENNN, mwah!!