Stockholm Syndrome

Chapter 8: Thunderstorms

"I fell in love"

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*Back at the mental hospital*

"What happened to Hannah? Where is she now?" Cherry asked. She had been quiet throughout the whole story. I turned to look at the pink-haired girl who sat next to me on the bed. She had an intense look on her face.

I took a deep breath and fiddled with my fingers, "she's fine," I mumbled, "She is home with her parents. Every now and then she comes here and visits me. Hannah is the only one I allow to come".

"What about your parents?" Cherry curiously asked.

I closed my eyes and sighed, "I don't want them here".

"Why not?"

"I don't know I-" I paused, "it's just that - they think I am crazy. My own parents don't have faith in me... so I don't want to see them. I'm fine on my own".

"You don't look crazy to me," she stated. I gave her a dry laugh, "well thanks. I'm not crazy though - but everyone else thinks so"

"Why?"

"They think I have the Stockholm syndrome," I explained to her. The pink-haired girl looked confused at me, "the Stockholm syndrome?" she asked.

I nodded, "Yeah. That is what it's called. I don't understand why it is a syndrome though, it's a natural thing"

"I'm sorry for being stupid here, but what is the 'Stockholm syndrome'?" Cherry questioned. She looked at me with her big brown eyes and tucked a stand of hair that had fallen in her face behind her ear.

"It's a capture-bonding. A psychological phenomenon where hostages express sympathy and have positive feelings toward their captors, sometimes to the point of defending them," I explained.

Cherry stared at me, urging me to continue.

"The victims will often get negative thoughts about the people who tries to save them, such as the police. The captor might have moments where he can be kind and sympathetic. Stockholm syndrome is like... when you form an emotional relationship with your captor. You often share thoughts about family, friends, happiness and worries with each other, which will bring you closer".

Cherry nodded in understanding, "so that is what happened with you?" she asked. I nodded, "Yeah. That is why I am here - I fell in love".

"With who?"

"With Justin"

Cherry furrowed her eyebrows, "how did you fall in love with him? He was nothing but an ass to you". I laughed at her choice of words and nodded, "at first yes - but then, one night, something happened," I looked up at the ceiling, "we kind of connected that night".

"What happened?"

"Hannah and I had been captured there for almost three months. The door had stayed unlocked, so we could walk around in the house as we pleased. We had been outside in the fresh air four times during that time. One time, the boys brought us down to the lake behind the house to swim. It was summer after all, and we wanted to feel the nice weather"

"It was late August, and autumn was approaching. That night, there was the biggest storm I have ever experienced. I have always been afraid of thunderstorms, and that night I was terrified. I guess the lightning was the worst; I always thought it would hit me even though I was inside the house"

*Back to the story*

The thunder went off again, making the walls shake. I had woken up for over an hour ago because I had to go to the bathroom, and now that I heard all the thunder, I could not fall asleep again. Hannah was a heavy sleeper, and had not heard the loud noises the sky was making outside.