Rhi

The duffle bag wasn't the only thing I brought with me; I had a backpack, an additional backpack filled with my art supplies and the tattered old teddy bear with way too many coloured stitches to count, his name is Pax, it means peace.

I've been down these corridors more than I can count and I don't wanna say that that's necessarily bad because it isn't at all. I walk past the nurses station on the third floor as I head towards the secret elevator that lets me off a few feet from my room on the fifth floor. Jaclyn is busying herself at the nurses station and I duck past it so that she doesn't see me just yet. I lug my bags along past an open door and I peak in to see Rya sleeping soundly under her pastel coloured sheets with her cannula running down to connect with her oxygen tank. I walk in and ruffle through my duffle bag before placing a new oxygen tank bag on her desk, before I go I add a heart on the notice board on her door to show that I was there. I continue walking down the corridor and as I walk I notice room 325 has now been occupied, the occupant is a boy with unruly hair, a cannula and oxygen tank, and a notebook. He sits on his plaid sheets with a notebook in hand, with a pencil in his hand and a pen tucked behind his ear. I continue walking and soon I'm on the elevator, just a few steps from my room.

I walk into the stark room with white walls, white bedsheets, the old-fashioned plush chair that looks out of the window and sterile scent. The desk in the corner is empty and the med-cart is empty, there's no sign of life since the last time I was here and packed up all my stuff to go home. I place my duffle bag onto the bed before tossing my backpacks onto the desk and chair. I unzip the duffle bag with intentions of settling in but before I can do anything Jaclyn walks in with a clipboard in her hands and her bright purple scrubs; she's such a contrast to the hospital scene most of the nurses here are.

"Would you look at what we have here," she said as she sarcastically gestured to me. She gives me a run down of what exactly should be happening throughout my stay here and I swallow up all the information. "Also, there's someone in room 506 who would very much love to see you," she said suggestively and a smile made its way onto my lips.

"Abby?" I asked with enthusiasm.

"You're only allowed to see her as soon as you've settled in, no room visits until you're unpacked," she said sternly but she still walks over to the window that separates room 505, mine, and 506.

She draws the blinds open and the blinds on the other side have already been drawn and I'm met with Abby sitting on her bed typing something in her laptop. I frantically wave at her and when she sees me she jumps off her bed to come to the window. We both align our hands on the glass as if touching each other. I blow out a breathe to fog up the glass, drawing a heart in the fog before it disappears. Abby smiles and holds up her arm to show off the many friendship bracelets I've made for her; one from when we first met when we were 12, one from a year ago when she had a fall out, one from our last visit together here, one from a few weeks ago when I went over to her house to see her. I hold up my arm to show case similar bracelets. Abby gestures that she should get back to her laptop and I turn back to Jaclyn.

"Strictly no visits, you hear me?" She asked and waits for a nod; I nod. "She came in a few days ago from another suicide attempt, I'm just glad you came in. You being here might actually be good for her although you being here is still very concerning." Jaclyn cares, for everyone of us as if she were our second parent and that's how it's always been. "Charming is also here," she adds with a chuckle.

"Are we still calling him that?" I ask, laughing at the very old nickname we'd given to a boy who was on this floor. Jaclyn nods as she wipes the tears of joy at the corners of her eyes.

"I know I said that I missed you but this is not what I meant. I thought you were better," she says softly as she looks over at me with a concerned look.

"I am better, in here I'm better. Out there it's too toxic."

"I should go. I'll bring around your timetable for the week; therapy sessions and school. I'll also come with all the pills you love so much, to fill up that med-cart," she says and I cringe as she talks about medication; I hate that. Jaclyn leaves me at my own devices and I start unpacking.

I start by folding up the white comforter from the bed and shoving it into the top shelf of the closet in my room. I take out my own teal coloured comforter and sheets, and start making-up my bed. Once I'm done with that I just transfer all my folded clothes into the closet before shoving my duffle bag somewhere it can't be seen.

. . .

I hang up the last of the few drawings I've decided to put on my wall. This one is a hand sketch of me and Abby from a few weeks ago. I stick Polaroid pictures on the wall along side the letters I put up earlier. Once those are up I'm officially done decorating my room and I collapse dramatic onto my bed before grabbing my phone to text my dad that I was at least okay, mom would never text him herself.

There's a knock on my door and before I can answer Rya struts in modeling the new oxygen tank bag I bought her. She doesn't hold off long enough and soon she throws herself at me, tackling me with a hug which Abby laughs at on the other side of the glass. Rya thanks me before moving over to greet and chat to Abby through the glass. I'm nearly beat and I haven't done anything today, that's what not eating does to your body.

Rya calls in Abby and we all sit on my very small hospital bed but we somehow fit. "There's a new boy on my floor, I don't know what his name is but I've seen him in the corridors when it's time for dinner. Jaclyn also doesn't take a liking to the boy, he got in trouble the same day he came in and Jaclyn threw a fit," Rya dishes out and Abby and I listen intently. "He came in 'round about the same time as this other girl, her name is O'Rein, she's pretty cool. I think they're part of the new drug trial for Cystic Fibrosis." Rya goes on for a while until her phone interrupts her to tell her to take her midday pills. Rya takes time to leave but when she hears Jaclyn's voice approaching our corridor she puts on her mask and bolts back to her respective floor. Abby doesn't stay either and she soon has to leave for her individual therapy session.

I don't make it a habit to stay in my room so I slip on a comfy pair of shoes before tying my hair back and leaving my room. The door to room 515 is slightly open, propped open by a small stack of translation dictionaries. I peer in to look for the blonde who occupies the room but the room is empty so I keep walking down the corridor to the common elevator. I walk past the nurses station and greet most of them that I know. I go up a floor, down the east bridge, take a left into the lounge room which had the largest aquarium tank in the whole hospital adorning one of its long walls. The most unlikeliest of people I could find in here was Amsterdam, also known as Charming, but there he sat draped over one of the beige couches with his guitar in hand, a guitar pick in between his fingers, a notebook on his lap and a pencil pursed between his lips with his blonde hair falling in his eyes.

"Oh, would you look at what Depression dragged in..." he drawled out as he gestured at me before giving me one of his charming smiles. "I see that the gang is back together, are we also recruiting some new bandits?" He asked, probably with reference to the new teenagers from the third floor.

"I'm going to disregard the first statement because I missed you and about recruiting, I don't think Jaclyn would really agree to three CFers being in the same room doing god-knows-what," I said and he shrugged.

"When have we ever followed the rules?" He asked and gave me a wink. The conversation didn't continue as the aquarium captured my attention and Amsterdam went back to strumming his guitar and making up inane lyrics. Amsterdam and I met in December two years ago after he had moved from Australia to have a better education; total bummer that he was diagnosed right when he got here.

I make my way out of the lounge with intentions of going to the atrium. But my mind is still on the footsteps that have been lagging around behind me, they belonged to the new boy on the third floor I'd seen him enter the lounge right after I did. The atrium was the best place to catch him stalking because it was an empty quad with no hiding spots. The crunch of his heavy boots on the fallen leaves is a clear indication that he's still there. Just as I reach the center of the atrium, I sharply turn around to see him stop walking as his eyes meet mine.

"Why are you following me?" I ask him, already choosing the angry road instead of the calm one.

He blinks at me as if I didn't just ask him something so I repeat myself, a little more irritated.

"I'm not following you."

"Yes, yes you are. You walked over the east bridge just as I got off it, thinking you were keeping an unnoticeable distance. You walked into the lounge and sat in the furthest corner thinking I hadn't noticed. And if you're gonna stalk someone at least wear a pair of lighter shoes because those are loud," I finished, pointing at his black boots.

"Well you have it all figured out, little miss I-know-my-way-around, maybe you're just imagining seeing all of those, seeing as you don't even have your oxygen tank with you," he said with a smirk. I wish I could slap it off his face.

"Firstly, I didn't imagine any of that. Secondly, I don't have an oxygen tank because I don't need one. Thirdly, why are you still here?"

"I just wanted to introduce myself to the girl who was looming in my doorway with three bags and a freaking stuffed animal. I really don't believe I was the stalker, you did it first," he said and I glared at him. I wasn't looming, I was simply peering into the room because it's been vacant since I had been at the hospital.

I think I've lost enough brain cells just by talking to him so I turn away and start walking to a bench situated under a tree. I sit silently as he continues to try and talk to me but I remain silent solemnly. But as Jaclyn's colourful scrubs come into view he becomes silent as I watch them stare each other down like in a typical cowboy stare off. "Artemis, what are you doing here?" Jaclyn asks and the boy puts on his once discarded mask.

"You've got a name to put with your stalker's profile," the boy, Artemis, speaks just before Jaclyn drags him away back to the third floor where he's meant to be.