December 5th 1958
I barely made it alive to my new job thanks to that moron driving in his Station Wagon down the wrong side of the street. The rich thought that they were Gods.
I was born and raised in this little town called Stockbridge in Massachusetts, and I couldn't wait to leave. I got a scholarship to study medicine at Harvard and somehow it led me to employment at Savannah, Georgia. I took the job anyway, because who else was going to support my mom and little brother? Certainly not my father.
I pulled up to the large iron gates of the Sword and Cross Psychiatric Asylum. They radiated a chill that passed through my bones and secured me to my seat. I gripped onto the steering wheel until my tanned knuckles turned white; I didn't think that I could do this. I could have always called in sick until they would forget about me. I had to be honest with myself, I was nervous, but the picture of my mother and my brother, smiling together in the glove compartment always motivated me.
Do it for Jerry and mom.
I breathed in deep and drove through, the crunching sound of the wheels of the stones making goose bumps rise on my skin. I breathed once again as I drove up to the entrance, where I saw two Nuns waiting for me, grinning together as my car approached. I put the car into park and climbed out, and the eldest of the two approached me.
"Good afternoon, Dr Grigori, I assume?" Her black eyes twinkled as she smiled and her wrinkles gathered together on her face.
"Uh, yes." I cleared my throat. "Yes, I'm Daniel Grigori." I attempted to smile back as I took her small in mine to shake.
"Welcome to Sword and Cross, Mr Grigori. I am Sister Sophia, and this," Sister Sophia indicated the second Nun to come forward. She wasn't the most pleasing to the eye but she looked kind enough, with her small and round body, the purple glasses on her wide happy face and the mess of brown hair peaking through her headpiece. I had no idea how old she was, but I guessed around nineteen, too young to become a Nun in my opinion. "Is Sister Pennyweather."
"You can call me Sister Penn. If you would like." Sister Penn grinned widely, which made my own smile grow bigger.
"It's very nice to meet you, Sister Penn." I shook her chubby and sweaty hand.
"Come inside with us, and Randy will take your things and park your car." Just as the name was mentioned a very masculine looking person walked out of the building, with their hand out to take my keys. The reason why I say 'person' is because I couldn't tell if they were a man or woman, but I gave them my keys none the less, they nodded their head and made their way to my car. I raked a hand through my blonde hair, if that was gone I would have been stuck here forever.
"Now, let us show you around." I pulled my grey eyes away from the car and followed the two inside.
Sword and Cross was almost like a castle, grand staircases and wooden interiors that had been modernised slightly, everything was darkly coloured and looked gruesome against the fluorescent white lights. I wasn't listening to a word that Sister Sophia was saying, until she went quiet and was staring at me expectantly.
"I'm sorry. Can you repeat that please?"
"I asked how old you are, Dr Grigori." She smiled.
"Twenty-five." I replied and her grey eyebrows rose.
"So young, I hope that you have a solid stomach Dr Grigori."
"W-why?"
"We are going to visit the patients now."
My eyes widened in alarm and I swallowed down a hard lump. I had seen many hospital patients before whilst I was studying but none psychiatric. My mind raced with possibilities of what they were going to be like. Smearing shit on the walls, screaming until the staff knocks them out? Would they attack me? I wiped my sweaty hands on my trousers and tried as best as I could to keep up with the fast paced duo, which only brought my drumming heartbeat to palpitations.
We stopped at a pair of large oak doors and I let out a shaky breath.
"There is so need to be nervous Dr Grigori," Sister Penn said. "I assure you that no harm will come to you." I knew to believe her, but my shaky hands weren't convinced.
The door creaked open and I was drowned in a strange buzz of energy. There was no commotion. No shouting. Barely any movement. Only two people. There was no need for a strong stomach, because nothing was happening.
"How many people are um." What was the word for it?"
"Admitted? Eight." Sophia replied as a matter of frankly.
I passed my eyes over the few patients in the room, there was one woman who was curled up on a torn up armchair, small and emaciated, staring off into space with a jagged and ugly scar on her collarbone. I held in a gasp as she looked in my direction and smiled, the Sisters didn't seem to notice.
"That's Arriane." Penn smiled to me then turned her attention to Arriane, who immediately tuned back into space. Oblivious Penn placed an arm on her shoulder and whispered something to her quietly; a small twinge of an unreadable reaction crossed Arriane's face.
Next we crossed a man with a shaved head and dark skin, carelessly flicking through a book without a title in his hand.
"Hello Roland," Sophia politely asked, "What are you reading today?" Roland just shrugged and turned away from us. Sophia just seemed to take it as normal.
"He doesn't talk a lot. Very cryptic." Penn told me as we headed to the end of the Common Room. Just as we were about to reach the door, they flew and crashed open revealing a beautiful panicked blonde behind them. She was stunning, with blue eyes and illuminating skin that I just couldn't take my eyes away from.
"What is it now Gabbe?" Sophia sighed.
"Well," Gabbe began to speak with her voice shaking, I even caught a hint of a southern accent." I-it's just that-"
"What is it?" Sophia raised her voice at the blonde, who seemed to have becomed even more panicked.
She gulped, "It's her again." I had no clue who she was referring to, but by judging the looks on the faces of the Nuns it had to be someone import.
"Oh Lord. Sister Pennyweather go and find Randy, and Dr Grigori, come with me." Sophia said and walked ahead with Penn leaving in the direction that we came. I nodded to Gabbe, who seemed to cower and I followed Sophia.
For an old woman, she had a supernatural quick pace; I even found it difficult to keep up with her. I was going to ask who her was, but by the looking of sheer determination engraved on her face I decided against it and attempted to keep up in silence.
I heard the screaming and crying from fifty metres away, it broke my bones and I found it harder to keep up with her. But, I knew that if I was going to keep this job I had to keep walking, no matter how much my legs were shaking.
"Lucinda!" Sophia said through the slat in the door, "Please calm down! Randy is coming." I awkwardly stood a foot away from the door whilst Sophia was trying to soothe the crying girl, her screams were ear splitting, my heart fractured and everything seemed to blur into one moment. Sophia sighed and took an aggressive deep breath, "Would you like to see her?"
"Excuse me?" I asked with shock.
"You have to meet all of the patients before you begin the job."
"I um-"
"Now, Mr Grigori!" She snapped.
I startled to attention and nervously peeked through the slat.
Lucinda was rocking back and forth on her bed, pulling her half-singed half-long raven hair in her hands. Under her dirty and baggy dress I could see the healed burns on her delicate porcelain limbs; she was in such a state and yet she was oddly fascinating. She finally revealed her face and my heart dropped into my stomach. The girl possessed an unfathomable amount angelic beauty to her, her eyes were a mysterious hazel and they were staring right at me. I couldn't take mine away and we held the gaze until she started wailing again.
Lucinda widened her eyes and gave a primal cry and scurried to the end of her bed. "Go away! Tell him to leave!" In a panic she began to scratch at her burns until they leaked bright red blood against the dark black wounds.
I wanted to help her, to hold her hands and tell her it was going to be okay. But I was pulled out of the way by Randy before I had the chance. I fell back against the wall and scrunched my hair in my hands; suddenly exhausted. Penn was there too and she looked at me with such sympathy that I felt like small child.
"Don't worry, Mr Grigori," Penn said, "It will get easier."
I nodded numbly as the girl continued to scream.
Hey guys! I really wanted to do a Fallen fic since the movie is coming out this year and the books mean so much to me. Please leave comments of what you think, I am 94% sure that I want to turn this into a full story so thank you for reading it!