Lost Horizons

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Chapter Thirty Nine

"Something more than a steady hand

Is what I need to borrow

Just to level it out and make a new plan" –Crooked Colours

Sienna felt lost. She was utterly lonely. She wasn't used to the severe silence. Ever since she'd been cured, the voices had quieted down in her head. She still had her own 'normal' thoughts to fill the void but it still felt like something was missing now and then. She hadn't noticed it that much in the past because there were always so many things going on. Tristan also played a huge role in distracting her from the emptiness inside.

But he was gone now and she didn't know what to do next.

He was usually the one who came up with the plans. There were so many things going on, so many things to discuss and figure out and yet he'd chosen to leave. She hadn't even gotten a chance to tell him about herself, how the medication had cured her. Then again, he'd probably be back at some point later on. They could discuss that after.

She wondered if Ana could be cured as well. She'd have to remember to talk about it with Mrs. Hale at their next meeting.

That was another concerning issue. Mrs. Hale wanted her to join the team and help the institute but what if Tristan was right? What if they couldn't trust anyone here? Could this all be a trick to get them on their side? What if all Hale wanted in the end was the formula for the medication?

If everything Mrs. Hale had said was true though, that changed everything. Sienna would have to help them. When she'd heard about the Institute's mission, something had clicked inside her. She almost felt as if that were her life purpose, to help the Institute help others get cured. To eradicate mental diseases from the world.

She didn't know what to do. She didn't want to choose sides. She hoped Tristan would share her vision at some point. She didn't want to do this without him. She couldn't. He'd become such a big part of her life that she couldn't imagine one without him.

Sienna decided she'd sulked enough. She ran a hand through her long hair and tied it into a ponytail. She checked her appearance in the small bathroom mirror. It wasn't her best day but she didn't look like a complete disaster either. She left the room in search of something to distract her mind.

'Maybe I can go for a walk outside,' she thought. Anywhere was better than being stuck in that room.

She quietly closed the door behind her and walked down the hall.

Just as she was reaching the glass sliding doors that led outside, a voice stopped.

"Hey! Miss?" Sienna looked back to find a young man standing behind her. 'Was he following me?' she asked herself in paranoia. Maybe she'd been so lost in her thoughts that she'd failed to hear his footsteps.

"Yeah?" she answered hesitantly.

"Are you Sienna Maddison?" he inquired. At first she didn't know if she should confirm or deny this fact, but from the look in his eyes it seemed he already knew who she was. He was staring at her in wonder.

"That's me," she said shyly. What did he want with her?

"Wow! It's a pleasure to meet you. I never thought I'd meet a living breathing miracle. It's incredible," he rambled on excitedly as he shook her hand rapidly. What was he even talking about? Sienna starred at him in question. "Oh I'm sorry. Where are my manners? I'm Oliver Evans. I'm an intern here at the Research Institute and we've been studying you for quite some time now. You're a legend here in these halls. The first person to ever be successfully cured of Schizophrenia. Amazing," he said in admiration.