Phasing recovery

She lays partly sitting up while having small spoons of weak strawberry jelly. Sharing the only TV with the other half of this ward of sick and injured children. A movie on a vhs tape was on. Land before time, emotional dinosaur movie for kids. The empty bowl was as disappointing as the films climatic ending. She enjoys it in the ways that child's over see but really her mental age was finding it mind melting. Her overall opinion was that it was a cute movie with a lovely moral. Needs only watching 3 times, anymore and the spark looses fade.

Her mask spends more time overhearing the drama among the staff more. It has more spicy to track and she always enjoys the life dramas. To her it was like being on the tv show set for some hospital drama. Listening to the diagnosis of some patients and the things they don't tell the children directly.

The interesting thing that she still chewing over in her mind is, she wasn't the only child from the same car incident. It is in fact much bigger then that. A child drug ring or something, they cant tell. They flop between cult or just trafficking. It being a on going criminal case with detectives and lawyers seeking answers. She has been deemed unfit for questions as she has totally lost all recollection of everything. This was seen as a natural coping strategy in response to extreme conditions. She will not be able to provide good enough answers. Simply the photos and samples from her was plenty. As for the other Seer children. There is five others. Each has drugs symptoms, healed old fractures on ribs, poor nutrition and levels of Stockholm syndrome. She is the only one not willing to return while the others lean as a group. Messed up is the understatement.

To be fair she can see that she caused harm to herself in the past which is likely her instability. She doesn't now. She doesn't act like she did before at all. Like the big bump to the head knocked the other person she was out. She completely lost her voice from recover issues. If the TV wasn't on, she would be drawing or practicing writing. She mostly was writting conversations from between children or radio stuff. Christmas mayhem and santa fever as really set in. The radio plays constantly of jiggles and Christmas favours. As always her drawings were places from her dreams. Like that school in several layers of decay or in full use like her glorious study time there. She draw the house she lived in her first life. The animals. She write lists of candle smells.

She can't speak, so no one tries but the staff. They asked mundane stuff like food, drink or needing to go to the loo. She appreciates the care but is sick of not being able to do stuff herself alone. Like going to the loo.

"Yay!" The children's TV was paused and some sort of party game is being sorted. It must be Christmas if they are bothering with this stuff. Pass the present. Everyone got a candy and the wellest child got the big chocolate bar. They planned it all put with music timing. Movies are swapped to some sort of clay animation Christmas storytelling. They mostly talked over it. The sort of things they look forward about Christmas.

She would like to say her piece but they weren't patient to listen to her whistles breathy voice. The more normal kids stated about gifts that santa brings. The mature set talk about missing family stuff, the dramas and laughter created by it. She happen to be attempting subconscious sketching, to let the body draw without putting her mind to it. It was quiet horrific, a bit to realistic of a sketch. A dinner table of heads on plates as masked spirits sit unamused of dying in such manners. It was assumed she was thinking of family dinner while her body was in fear of returning back to the nightmares she forgotten. She puts this paper away and starts again with some stay away from horror. She softly stops at considering the candy she got from the present game. Any other kid here had already ate thiers. She worried about being starved again, that this small candy was easy to hide and could be keep for emergency. She had even considered it her private Christmas Dinner if they let her out earl back to the nightmares.

"Miss Dahlia." The nurse came over and lowers to whisper to her, "I have a gentleman from the police here to ask if you wanted to see your family." She pockets her candy instantly from hearing that and pulls a paper that wasn't draw on.

'I don't remember my family well. Maybe seeing them will help me.' She wrote and the nurse nods.

"I need to take you to have your brace checked with the doctor." She nods accepting that. They did say they were going to put a cast corset on her to not only protect her tummy stitches. It will hold her back in place and hopefully slip discs back without surgery again. They already risked enough that emergency treatment. There is still chances for feeling to return to her feet and lower half.

They move her bed out this fun ward. Not before long, they literally drilling plastic to her. The team of four people managed to keep her straight during the process while making sure everything went smoothly. 4 hours went into being dressed in actually clothing then a hospital gown. The cast underneath with padding. To be seated in a wheel chair properly. She was even able to finally fix her own hair and enjoy being in a new lower veiw.

"I am going to take you to this gentleman first." The nurse waited for her to respond. She was lost at thought in patting for her paper sketches and that candy. The lovely nurse realise what was being looked for, had a little plastic bag of the papers and indeed that candy was there too. The relief and finally nod to go see people.

The walk through the hospital grounds was must further then expected. Leaving the children's ward. Elevator near the emergency station and intensive care. She was there herself not long ago. Blinking at the sounds of someone new screaming from pain and suffering. That ward is always scary. She gets accustomed fast to scary things or just adapts to it. The reflective elevators doors show that she is wearing her mask with that scowl of sorrow looking on at the wards beyond. She able to see her mask in this reflection, brush it at the tips of her fingers. She knows that no normal person sees it. Even still she took it off and hide it carefully in her shirt. She may look strange for a brief moment but she manages it before the door opens again. She smile sweet as the nurse got them out.

She been quiet observant of the signs they followed and the buttons pressed at the elevator. They had even passed the emergency floor plan for in case of a fire. This hospital was also an university ground for learning doctors. There are annex building nearby for class rooms and researching cancer drugs. This place isn't state of the art. Far from it but the level of care goes a long way.

"I am here with Miss Dahlia. The detective wanted to have her." The slow stare and drained state of the receptionist at this department desk, "I will look after her while she's here. She still a long way to go from recovery. She only been out of the spine surgery for only 4 weeks." The receptionist flinched at that.

Dahlia can only really just smile and wait. Her eyes flickered at watching the many spirit people passing among living folks but she is for the most part fully part of this conversation. She is deeply more aware of that off snarl, that she tilts. the nurse glare.

"She is a good girl. She always had manners." Its true. She has been nice to everyone since being here.

"The visitor is at the waiting lobby around the corner." She gestures thanks in sign language. This was something that they taught her as the worse she struggles with her voice. She can ask for water, snack or help in gestures. That's just about it. Her neck doesn't move as freely as before, move slightly was her only way to nod. They got her to stop using her neck in fear of her spine. She relies on her mask to look corners or lot at things from the side. She carefully left her mask to hung here at reception, it be following slowly behind once they move.

"Ok. You have to sign into the ward. Can you do that?" The nurse shows this book and the space she had put her name down already. Halley. Dahlia signs underneath with her initials and thanks nurse Halley for letting her do that, "Its OK." She puts the sign book back to the counter and Dahlia to waves the desk person, using her left hand only. The desk person softly returns and fanes doing desk work, but really watched seeing them off for good. Clearly the stress of the others has made quiet the reputation.

"The gentleman over there is the guy in charge of you and the others care. Your sibilings are staying here for mental tramas. You were the unluck one with the life threatening and changing injuries." Nurse Halley softly speaks. Dahlia noticed that the detective is the only visible being to the nurse. All these others sitting around were ghost. They all been commenting on Dahlia since wheeled into veiw. She really is small compare to them. Then again, none are the after mentioned sibilings. This group were something else, not even demons. Unless this universe changed how angels, demons and understand look like. Pin the thought aside.

"This is Dahlia. She can't speak well since the life support made her throat sore. We are looking into that, considering possible allergy to something. I am going to be close by for her needs. She isn't to use her neck or back. She still paralysed from the waist down, so no getting out of the wheel chair without express permissions by a doctor. Her spinal injuries are still considered critical and the stomach area is still open in places." The nurse kneels with sorting the breaks and wheels, "Its a miracle that she even awake. Most are in coma from that." She stands in just checking the detective followed that well. Glaring at him as he also had that judgement stare to Dahlia.

"Does she sleep?" She nods softly and the detective widen at shock that she's responsive. For sure was nervous with the nurse giving death glare.

"Dahlias able to answer her own questions. She is suffering from memory loss. She asked what her name was when she woke up." The detective nods at that. Dahlia stays to focus on this guy while normal people like Halley is here.

"Gladly I don't have much to ask." He sits across as the breaks are finally set to parked and she is forced to listen to what he has to say. She tilts more that her mask was exploring behind thier backs. Avoiding touch of her shadow on these others. She manages to have her mask hang around nurse Halley.

"Do you still understand what I am saying to you?" She nods at that but she can tell that this detective didn't do a living thing. That voice is the mask language, "Do you talk like this?" She makes her no gesture with her left hand, "No. OK. That's fair." He looks about, "Do you see them?" She nods gently, "Do you have a face like that?" She sort of glares at him for that, "The masks of your sibilings were broken during the incident. They mentally took impacts from that." She soften at understanding, "You managed to not break your mask."

She can only give expressions, mull over his words and maybe give some gestures. She doesn't have much to add even if she did know. She just has this back of her mind feeling that this guy wasn't right in someway. She knows she not either, but different levels. His lesser then her but still poses some tricky aspects. It crossed her mind he might be a mind reader, then again. She is eight... everything is written on thier face.

She doesn't remember that accidents and when she tries, her body doesn't want to. So she chooses to let thoughts trickle about as she puzzles it together.

She is an somewhat educated lady underneath being a little girl. She knows that nothing simple. This guy is the tip of the iceberg. There is a reason her five sibilings aren't home yet or were allowed to see her. A reason they are in the mental patients ward. The tempers everyone has from meer mentioned sibilings. She really turns things around, she had changed.

"How do you feel about seeing them?" She is asked and she makes her concerns clear. She took out a pen and paper.

'how old are they? how many are there? Do we get along?' She asks. She knew there is five sibilings but it's 'a does he know that she does' game.

"You really lost your memories?" He asks in that voice again, the one the nurse can't hear. She points at a question at a time. He adjusts his voice for Halley to hear, "The oldest is 17. Your brother. The second oldest is your only sister, she's 16. There is the middle lad and his 10. The twins are just slightly older then you, both 9. I don't know the dynamics between you lot. Your are not a polite family for sure." She makes that into notes, "Why write that?"

The peer to see what she is writing. Nothing exciting. She doesnt reply only that she was paused when he did. She makes some thoughts and then adds them to. 'abusive family? or just doesn't look after us? Dirty clothes because we are kidnap victims or careless? Morals. Values.' She thinks deeply ans stops before having a headache.

"I don't know how they will react to seeing you. They kept asking about you, a lot but I don't think it is for the best intentions." He slips and for sure the nurse glares from across the room and he adjusted his subject, "You all don't go to school. You have no registered doctors. We know your Seers because you family declared you all as either runaways or been kidnapped. Even in questioning the estate they give little." Estate... so rich or owns worth in something. Spoiled brats or were treated like dirt for being born. Can't tell. She has somewhat of a picture of what this man thinks and quiet possible for what the rest of the world assumes. Bullying each other is likely a product of the treatment they have. Bullying others is how to lash out for help or what they only know.

'I would like to see them. If it can help me recover some lost memory.' She shows that and he frowns.

"They will attempt to hurt you." She blinks at this, "You can view them from a window if you want." She disagrees.

'They can walk through walls like other shadows. I suspected they been looking for me in this hospital for quiet some time. They will eventually with or without you.' She wrote and he stares at her like she was the freak, 'What are you really? Your more then you seem too. Is there a sort of guardian watching over you or are you a man in a lot of pain inside?' He dislikes her for sure but he covers it up with the nurse in sight of them, 'If you were in pain, they would have driven you mad already. These masks... this part of us. A darkness that feeds on negativity. You should smile and think happy thoughts when they upset you. You will find they will stop bullying you.' Her advice had the detective eased off at that. She was being nice in actually telling him something useful about her sibilings. That even if she is a weird freaky kid, she will have learnt to cope somehow. He may not understand if she is serious but he can put that advice to the test.

"I thought you don't remember anything."

'I know stuff, it just personal things that are fuzzy. I am actually a changed person. The blade through me had changed me. I was never blind but I am no longer weak and naive enough to be childish.' She puts stuff away once he was done reading. She has nothing to say.

"Do you remember anything else important?" She paused at putting the pen back. She has a slip of paper back to something she wrote before. The same sort of conversation she heard before.

'There is nothing we can take from an 8 year old. We have no evidence that can uphold in a court. The two eldest that couldn't give anything, they stay loyal to the family. This case is going to fall cold with injustices.' She wrote this from her mask hearing the arguing between folks. Folks that came to interview her but were given a medical diagnosis of her memory loss. The detective takes that paper and reads the other noted conversations she wrote. She writes things that were private behind close door conversation, all in the comfort of a bed in a ward. He slowly passes it back, slipped glance of her to real to be true drawings from her dreams. The one that was visible is the map layout of the undertakers realm, complete with painting doorway notes. He was really watching her hands closely then too, how she used her right hand but always left as she spoke. He knew her left hand is the one she waves around a lot.

"I don't think you should see them but if you believe it helps put your mind straight." He wants to be sure that she was OK with seeing them, she was workable compared to them. She nods gently certain. Halley came over and undoes the breaks. She the one that makes checks that Dahlia was OK. They talk of how to go about this. To prevent physical contact of them attacking her on sight, they agree to letting her see from a distance with space between.

Before the next ward, the rooms off this corridor here was a lot of equipment and storage. A spare ward for emergency over spill. Mostly empty here. Through double doors the sounds change. Smell too. Many muffled rooms of wrapped armed people. The waiting room here was with a lot of patients with a carer each. She is parked and Halley sits with her. Certainly blended in among the patients woth carers. The detective nods and walks away.

"No one wants to tell you because they don't think they are qualified, it's not their responsibility or for a moral reason. But I am going to do so. Please... Just listen." Halley takes Dahlia hands, "They think your family is part of a dangerous group. No sure if they mean to bring harm the the wider public or not. We aren't sure about returning you all to your family because of this. Your safety and legal stand point is that there isn't a reason for us to not reunite you with them. But morally knowing that you children will end up doing things. Although your not to perfect in health, we haven't any legal responsibility to prevent you. Clearly you don't get along. They don't with each other. You have been the only nice mannered one, and you have been in the other ward with spinal injuries." She is worried, "Things are not simple."

Halley has a big soft heart. She hurts because she can see the pain Dahlia might face once slipped between fingers. Dahlia sighs and pats Halley in sort of thanking her in the most human way possible. She may not totally understand, her childish expression of confusion and concern. But it does get through to her, that she does inside know exactly where Halley was getting at. It's quiet a big thing of trust for Halley to say those things when others fear to. Actually telling this to a 8 year old is somewhat morally wrong but this was needed. Even if it is wrong in from a society veiw. Halley frowns in worry but Dahlia gives that soft sort of worried smile back. She does sort of get it. They weren't even comfortable of having her see them. She insisted to at least see them. Halley softly directed a direction but she tries to act not to be looking that way. She softly turns Dahlia to see better but without being to obvious.

The detective is returned and crowded by these five children. They all fit the ages and looked exactly like those she went to school with in that other life. Some folks seem to follow everywhere, 'small world'. All of them were giving him a earful for bringing the hope up for nothing. Halley can also see the masks of these five, that weren't damaged at all. A lie the detective said, maybe the illusion they tricked him with. To that extent, they all weren't talking human. He was struggling with responding to them fast enough. He was listening to them and would have to pose a hand blocking a scrap happening. They were very bit rude and uncaring to those around them, stomping or pushing past. The masks look around desperately and one slows in seeing her in the wheel chair. She has not moved an inch, she can't turn her head to stare directly. She looks at them from her mask hovering behind Halley, sort of using her as a shield. It's a wonder if they will react to seeing the mask or not. Do they brave thier masks leaving thier sides far enough?

Whispers... the youngest whisper to all of them eventually. The annoyance of the detective was less and they are all leery in looking around at people. Still not any kindness but space aware at least.

"Why she in a wheelchair?" They dragged him close this way but held a distance from her like that would ever even prevent her hearing them. No... its away from the shadow distance. They don't want to touch her even at a shadows reach. They make their glares and frowns. The twins actually putted faces and waited for her to respond at all. Once there was tell that she wasn't interacting at all, they whispered between them again.

"Dahlia, these are your sibilings." The detective has to roll with it. The majority of the room is moving around to evade the nuisance cloud of mentally traumatised kids, "Starting from youngest to eldest. Vince and Victor. Jack. Sarah. Lastly Christopher." She waved at them now with the introductory course knocking the wind out the five, "Do you remember them a little more?" She flutters her left hand at being uncertain.

"How dare you!" Jack hissed and pushes the twins, "This is your fault." The three squabbles about. It was Sarah that approached and then went to hug over Dahlia. Even went to squeeze her but Halley pulls apart in time and checked instantly thar Dahlia was fine.

"Dahlia isn't only got memory loss and is unable to use her voices. She still in critical condition for her back." The detective explains to the others, "She wanted to see your faces to try to remember better." Sarah frowns at how dull of a response Dahlia has been this entire time. Little does most of them realize that she was pick pocketing them all and playing up their nerve with her own shadow tricks. She was brave to have her mask leave further then they have thiers. She stares at thier reactions and rake in thier face features. She certainly doesn't like their vib. They all hate her for some particular reason but she is no longer exhibits behaviour that made them hate her. She was collected and calm as the worse they are. Halley had enough of the annoyance this must have been and wheels Dahlia out. Dahlias mask stays... seated in a chair behind them. Watching.

"Gah." She freaks someone out beside her that walked away quickly. More people can see her mask side then the masks the others have. That one minor interaction was noticed by the five, they slowly stare to her. She narrows at them, poses in sort of thinking about them. She gently stands and fades away. Back to the body, returned to her right hand wiping it back to her face.

"Just what sort of up bringing is that." Halley gets them safely back to the visitor room, "Are you really OK? Did something pull or was the cast broken?" Dahlia pats her tummy, "Was it one the stitches?" Halley good at this and Dahlia nods. They swiftly return back to the team that dressed her and have her stomach checked. The surgical bandage skin peels off and a new one placed. She shows such an extreme amount of patience that 8 year old don't have typically. She was quiet tired... sleeping while they finished adding cast back.