Stuffed

Chapter 2

Slamming the door on his rusted truck he strapped himself inside organizing his things. Despite the terrible condition of the trucks exterior, the inside was clean and smelled like fresh pines. Mr. White stored his case underneath the passenger seat, and then set the small cat in the seat next to him. Soon after he was ready, he jabbed the key into the car and began to roll away.

Maurice White even though a tidy gentlemen never sought to get a nice vehicle. The thought of spending so much time on a machine made him feel nauseous. He remembered distant memories when all his father cared about was his car, it was his life to him. All of Maurice's accomplishments were always drowned out as he came home every day, his father with a beer in hand near his long boat of a vehicle. Shaking his head clear of the sour memory he pushed his focus to the road.

The sun peaked over a distant hill, its rays spread across the long grass making light ripples. Driving around its corner Maurice could see the mental health hospital nearby. Its blank walls seemed so depressing in contrast to the brightened fields of lush green grass. Turning into the property he sought out his usual parking spot, winding in perfectly to make space for others. His eyes adjusted slowly to the darkness of the parking lot and he stepped out of the truck as it creaked wearily.

As he gathered his things he slammed the truck door without care as it shifted from the impact. Before he began walking he checked all his pockets and adjusted himself to a proper stance of confidence. In his right hand was the arm of the dangling cat that was named Raina, and in the left was his suitcase full of papers and files. Sure of himself he set off to the buildings front door, he pushed through swiftly and made his was to the punch clock as usual.

In his regular schedule he swiped his card through and returned the lanyard back to his pocket. However he felt a sudden feeling as if someone had been watching him. Mr. White slowly turned himself around to see a higher ranking psychologist perched right behind him. He leaped into the air out of the surprise giving a weak smile almost directly afterward.

The woman was quite frail and thin in stature, yet she still stood as tall as he did. Her eyes were a piercing blue accompanied by fresh sandy blonde hair that had obviously been curled. She returned his smile with bright white teeth, and he was drawn to her eyes that were surrounded by a lot of black makeup. It wasn't difficult to see that she took pride in her looks, even her nails were fake. This in itself made Maurice feel unpleasantly nervous as if he expected her to lie.

"Sorry I just need to get to the punch clock!" She spoke like silk moving past him.

Maurice not wanting to make a bad impression tried to make conversation, "It's alright, I don't believe I've seen you around?"

The blonde turned and smiled, "My name is Stacey, you're that new guy right? Been here for a month or so?"

"Yes, my name is Maurice White" He replied putting out a hand.

Stacey ignored his gesture for a shake but teased playfully, "You're definitely a formal one aren't you?"

"Well I do love my job!" Maurice stuttered anxiously.

"I see, well what exactly is your field if you don't mind me asking?" She asked with wide eyes.

Mr. White gulped in, "I just transferred from another place down south, I was there for a few years and wanted to move somewhere quieter. I'm a general therapist, my only patient so far is Isabelle Johnson. She's very sweet though, so I think I'm going to get along quite well here!"

Stacey's grin dropped and her face went white, "Isabelle Johnson, the one that killed her parents and multiple children?"

"Well the case was never proven as there was only remote evidence" Maurice raised a brow curiously, "Is something wrong?"

"I was the first to deal with her case" She gazed at him sternly, "I can't believe they have you, out of all the experienced workers taking in therapy for her. Unless they already went through everyone else..."

Maurice could feel a cold shiver move up his spine, "They told me I was qualified and things would go just fine, right?"

Stacey bit her lip nervously, "That girl is a monster. I seen things, weird things. The higher ups don't believe it, so they just continue to keep her here" The woman's eyes darted back and forth, "I wish you luck but I need to go, stay safe Moe."

Mr. White flinched at being called Moe, he hated that nickname. Although he was more disturbed by the fact that a full grown mature woman would call an innocent girl a monster. Isabelle by no means was a normal teenager, and she was almost and adult, but she wasn't by any means terrible from what he could see. Yet something in his gut told him one meeting couldn't judge someones complete personality.

Trying to shrug off a slight fear he had now he walked into his office closing the door tightly behind him. Since he hadn't been on many appointments or patients, he mostly did paperwork and organization of files. As he set his case down and placed the toy on the table he pulled out his inbox for his usual morning routine.

He found himself eerily glancing back at the stuffed saber cat as if he expected it to move. Deep in his gut however he knew that it was silly, so he shook away the fear and continued to move through his papers. Most of the things were boring reports on other patients he'd never had a chance to meet. The clock ticked away at time as usual and he finished his work within the hour, just in time for his meeting with Isabelle.

Collecting her file and the girls cat he started towards the door slowly twisting the knob open. He took his usual route down some long hallways, they tried so hard to make this place comforting but it always seemed like a prison. It probably didn't help either that they used metal bars on the windows instead of digging out money for something of better quality. Maurice found himself wonder how this made the patients who had to live here felt, it must be terrible. As he knew however, the only people forced to stay here were those who were a harm to society or themselves.

As he reached Isabelle's confinement he dug out his key and quickly unlocked the door. Pushing through the door he was pleased to see her doodling away on some paper to pass the time. At least she wasn't bored to death in here, but someone who had been here for ages at her age could not be very happy. No doubt she must have dreamed about getting out and seeing the real world, she probably didn't even know what it was like to socialize with friends.

The girl raised her head as she pushed back her bright orange hair, "You brought her back!"

Her beautiful ice blue eyes sparkled in sheer excitement, it was at that moment he realized she really was a child still on the inside. Mr. White made note in his head to get her out, to try and see how he can get her to mature. It would certainly help her deal better with reality, and be able to really see the real world.

"Do you you remember all their names?" Izzy questioned him in a childish way.

He cocked his head bewildered by the question but he answered, "Raina is the stowaway that somehow ended up with me, then there's Buster the dinosaur, Floppy the dog, Raum the deer, Patchi the rabbit, Betty the Bat, and Squeaker the squirrel."

Lifting his hand up he placed the stuffed cat gently on the table so not to make Isabelle Johnson upset. As he lifted his head back up he was greeted by Izzy with wide eyes and a huge grin spread across her face. It made him slightly uneasy, but he knew she was probably just happy that he remembered their names. Maurice had an excellent memory, he could recall a lot of his life and made it important to remember birthdays. However people never gave him the same luxury, while he would love his family they would forget he was even around.

Isabelle ran up to him excitedly and gave him a hug in which he accepted awkwardly. It was not professional to hug patients, especially when they were younger than you. Maurice even though he pitied Izzy, he absolutely did not want to have any physical contact between them other than a handshake. However he was treading lightly for her sake, so he could help her, rejecting her would just make things worse and he didn't want to loose the slight trust he gained.

Letting go she bounced back to sit in the chair at the table, "No one has ever remembered their names. Nobody but me, I didn't expect you to remember them all I know it's hard. All I wanted was at least one, but now I know you really care!"

"It mattered to you, so it mattered to me" He placed her file on the table, "Do you trust me?"

She paused for a few moments and then shook her head, "I first have a question to make sure, where did I find my friends?"

"In a box in the forest, I left your journal at my place so I can read it at home" Mr. White answered with a stress of pride in his memory.

"That's okay, I want you to keep it. Can I ask you another question Maurice?" Izzy met his eyes with a meaningful glance.

The sudden change of nature surprised him and he cocked his head, "Sure, what do you want to know?"

"How old are you?" Isabelle asked with a bitter sweet smile.

He could feel a nervous rise in his chest as he wondered, "Why would you want to know that?"

"Just curious, also Squeaker wanted to know" She answered with a bright eyed gaze.

"I'm twenty four" He replied without thinking.

Izzy cocked her head curiously, "That's really young for a therapist, almost everyone here is old."

"That's a little mean don't you think?" Maurice found himself chuckling, "I passed through my education quickly, I also haven't been in the field all that long. Not everyone who's a therapist is old!"

"Okay" She shrugged satisfied with his response.

"Alright now, I read some sensitive things so far in your diary" He claimed as he gained back professionalism, "Is there anything you would like to talk about involving that past? It might help to get some of it out."

Isabelle lowered her head as her hair covered her eyes, "There's a lot of things that hurt me, but things changed when I met my friends."

"You can start wherever you feel is necessary" Mr. White consoled her as he readied a pen and paper.

She huffed out a deep sigh, "Well..."

******

I trod out of the school doors, other kids ran around with their friends around me. The sun high over me I began walking home from a tiresome day of school work. As I approached the usual road I took home footsteps stomped from behind me. with curiosity I raised my head to be startled by some older kids, the bullies I knew as Lenard and Conner.

Lenard stood tall over me as a sixth grader, his body was thin and ghostly like a skeleton. He snickered down at me as I peddled backward, but before I could run he snatched me up with a bony hand. Lifting me close to his face his breath stank as if it were rotting, and his eyes seemed to be pitch black. His eyes locked on me I squealed in fear, he was Lenard the zombie to everyone as he always smelled as to be rotting and seemed like he was the living dead.

His stooge Conner was next to him, almost equally as tall, yet he was fairly plump and what you thought would be jolly. A memory from this afternoon pierced me, his dumb fat mouth gorging down my food that I made myself. Knowing what was to come to me I could feel hot tears drain down my face, I sobbed in fear and pitifully closed my eyes.

"What are you crying about you baby?" Lenard mocked as he dropped me on the ground, "All you do is cry, stop being such a whiner. That's why you have no friends!"

He sent a kick flying into my side and yelped pathetically, I yearned for it to stop but no one came to help. I opened my tear soaked eyes to see the kids ignoring me, as they always did. Lenard put his foot down on my torso motioning to stomp, but he didn't as I cried louder he laughed at me. Conner picked me up next and sent me flying into a dumpster that had been nearby, I sobbed weakly as I could hear them walking away as trash stung my nose.

I spent a good hour trying to wiggle free, and finally tumbled down smacking the back of my head on the cold concrete. My head spun at the impact and I struggled to get to my feet through the pain. My eyes dizzy I accidentally wandered into the nearby forest instead of my usual path. When my vision returned I realized I was lost I could feel the fear rise in me as I screamed for help. Nothing had came to my aid and I sobbed pathetically planting my butt in the dirt.

Rubbing my eyes I saw a flash of black dart through the thin trees and I got up to follow it. Another flash followed in the corner of my eye and with no other leads I stomped through the mossy soil towards it. At last I was left to see a little brown box sitting in the middle of a soft grassy clearing. I could no longer see any movement in the forest so I approached the box in fear. The silent forest made only the soft sounds of a breeze blow through.

Opening the box I viewed a collection of little stuffed animals. I've never had toys before, my body was immediately filled with joy and I packed them away safely into my back pack. Once I zipped my pink backpack back up I could finally see the sidewalk once more, relief filled me as I went back onto the route.

"You'll be safe with me!" I cooed to the teddies in my backpack.

Skipping along the walkway I smiled brightly at the sun overhanging above me, I imagined it smiling back down at me. My house just around the corner I sped up into a run, it's brown body becoming more visible. A window in the top was shattered still and the house itself was not in good shape, but it was home. I approached the step in my pink little boots, the door was a bright red and I knocked three times to let my mommy knew it was me.

Noise clattered and the door finally opened, "Kid what are you doing out so late get in here!"

"I got stopped by some-" I began to explain myself.

My scraggly mother rolled her eyes, "It doesn't matter get in here!"

I walked in scraping my boots off on the mat, she turned around a cigarette hanging out of her mouth. Coughing I peered up at her trying to get attention but was continued to be ignored. Her hair was long and orange like mine, but was never brushed so it always curled grossly. I skid past her and into the kitchen to see Tommy waiting around, his dark brown eyes dug into my soul tearing at it.

"Tom is going to babysit tonight, I have a thing I need to get to okay?" My mothers voice echoed across the other room.

I grumbled nervously staring up at him, "What about dinner?"

"You can pop in some poptarts or something, my god you're six years old you can feed yourself" She snapped at me furiously as I watched her struggle out the door.

Her body halfway out the door I quickly yelled, "I love you!"

I stood there in silence with no reply and the man behind me. Gazing back at him I met his stare, his short black hair was in a mottled mess. His tanned skin was fairly visible as he wore a torn up t-shirt from a band I didn't recognize. Before I had a chance to speak up he grabbed my arm arm turning my fair skin into a bruise.

"I'm in charge okay? I don't want to see you open that mouth again!" Tom smacked me hard across the face, "Go to bed, don't come down the rest of the night."

My eyes watered slightly and my face stung fiercely. I ran up into my room with a shattered window lightly closing the door behind me. Resting a hand on my cheek I cried quietly to not alert him to come up into my room. Still peering through tears I unzipped my pack and brought out the box full of stuffed animals. Their stitched smiles and bright colored button eyes looked back at me cheerfully.

"I can't let mommy know about you, I don't have toys..." I whispered to them while unpacking them all, "How about I give you all good names?"

******

Mr. White was engaged in her story, his eyes wide with curiosity and pain felt for her. He slowly put his notes taken back into her file and placed the pen on the table. Gazing up at him see frowned, it seemed like this wasn't the easiest topic for her. He could see why however, and he sympathized with her. His parents never seemed to hear him, but he never went without food or care which is what made him feel much worse.

"That sounds tough" Maurice cooed at her softly.

"It's alright now, it's been a long time since then" Isabelle glanced over at the barred window, "I only wish I could be outdoors again, but I'm afraid of being hurt again. Maybe it's best if I stay here."

He shook his head at her rapidly, "No, no, don't ever blame yourself! There are tons of people out there that would love you!"

"Really?" She lifted her head with hopeful eyes.

"Yes, I truly believe that we can get you out there again. It seems to me we'll just need the approval once we work through some things" He contemplated out loud, "In fact if we really make progress this week I'm sure through supervision I can take you out for a little bit, how does that sound?"

"That would be nice... Can I get a haircut?" Izzy asked in a soft voice.

"Of course, alright well my time is up for now so I'll be back tomorrow Izzy. It was nice talking doesn't that feel better?" Maurice smiled hopefully giving her a booklet, "Also I've noticed you seem anxious, I want you to work on these breathing exercises whenever you feel stressed okay? Then we can go out and see if it helps."

"Okay... I'll try" She nodded at him with a blank stare.

Getting ready to leave he opened the door but she stopped him, tugging lightly on his shirt. Izzy not much shorter than him handed him a drawing. It was of her stuffed toys, it must of been what she was drawing before he'd arrived. She smiled at him weakly and then returned to her desk, Maurice as well as her turned around and locked the door behind him once more. Feeling good about progress he grinned to himself and strutted back to his office.