Madness ➮ Harry Styles AU

A5

Harry

The clattering and clanking of the trays at my feet were not enough to pull me out of my trance. Even as I felt the drinking water soak into my shoes I could not stop staring before me.

All arcoss the once blank wall were drawings sketched in ink. I almost belived it was simply my outragous imagination, but even as I blinked many times, the drawings were still there. They were astonishing, an amazing piece of artwork you would think to be hung in a weathy museum. Although, as beautiful as it seemed, the design was perplexing. So complex that I could not completely grasp the idea of what is was supposed to be, all I knew is that it was stunning. With more time admiring and inspecting the mural, I noticed a reoccuring pattern.

A pair of eyes.

It was all over the artwork, just interpreted in different forms. But, one could see that even though all of the pairs inherited their own unique properties, all of them were created to look like a single set of eyes. Not many pairs that you would take from many different faces, but just one pair from one face that was drawn a multitude of times, and differently each time.

Shyly standing on top of a white metal bed was a girl, looking surprised and at the same time shameful that she had been caught red-handed. At the sight of me, her glowing smile morphed into a frown and her knuckles turned white around the black pen cluched in her left hand.

Reconizing the oddly familar instument, I felt in between the crook of my ear, noticing that the pen she held was - in fact - my pen.

"Harry." She stated, disappointment evident in her charming voice.

"Ashley." I replied.

She drew back for a couple of seconds, obviously surprised that I had known her name. The horrified look on her face sent me yet another pang of guilt to spreading throughout my chest.

The poor girl, I felt so much sorrow for her and the situation she is in. She can't help who she is, for she was born mad and there is simply nothing she can do about. It nearly killed me inserting a needle into her, and to top it off; she was beautiful.

So gorgeous, that her astonished face was permanently etched into my brain. She looked horrified, and to be completely honest, I was horrified of what I had done to her.

Seeing that someone insane could be so beautiful amazed me, let alone that she could create something just as beautiful as herself.

"I-I-I'm sorry..." Ashley stuttered from the corner of her room, making her seem as small as a mouse.

I had no idea how to respond. What she was doing was against the rules and it is my duty to stop her. She is not to be in possession of any sharp object that is capable of harming her. Also, for some reason, this patient in particular is forbidden to speak to speak to any of the employees unassigned to her, and to do anything out of the ordinary schedule. The extra rules put on Ashley is a question to all the staff members here, but no one has the courage to ask the headmaster.

On the other hand, she doesn't looked injured in any way, and what's so bad about expressing yourself? I cannot scold her for creating something so breathtaking, even if it is against the rules.

"Did you draw this?" I asked, but I already knew the answer.

"Um.. yes." Ashley replied so quiet I could barely understand what she was saying.

Hypnotised by the misunderstood beauty of the wall I walked over to it, skimming my fingertips over the smooth surface. I traced the intricate lines with the pad of my index finger in attempts to memorize the astounding pattern, but due to the complexity of the design, I couldn't. How was it humanly possible to draw this in the short period of time since my last visit?

"Now... why eyes?"

She looked deeply confused. Probably as to why I am not disciplining her, or even drugging her for what she had done.

"Well... that was what I was thinking about whilst I was drawing."

What?

Why the hell would she be thinking about someone's eyes? She hasn't seen anybody outside of the institute for the last 2 years. Unless of course, it was herself.

"Are they yours?" I pondered over the overall possibilities.

"No." Ashley flatly responded.

It was then where she began to walk towards me, very slowly, but still noticeable. She didn't stop until she was mere centimeters away from my face. It wasn't until she was standing extremely close to me to me that I begun to notice the small details of her face, which made he seem even more angelic. The paper white patient's gown made her seem even more so.

She cocked her head to the side, and her gaze was concentrated. She looked deep in thought about something, just the way I looked at her. Almost as if she was analyzing me. It was amazing how we both seemed intrigued by one another.

Then, quickly and quietly she tip-toed off back onto off her bed. She clicked the black pen still in her palm and raised it against the wall.

Delicatly, she began to sketch onto the wall, this time editing an already drawn eye. She added more lines and more dots within the pupil, making the figure seem even more realistic... and even more beautiful.

She stared at it for awhile, admiring it. Ashley then clicked the pen and flung it across the room, leaving it to lie inches before the points of my sneakers.

"Why did yo-" I began to ask.

Why would she give me it back after what she created with it?

"If you are going to drug me, then do it." Her voice was cold and emotionless in contrast to the weak voice she possessed a few minutes ago, interrupting my words and throughts.

"I wasn't goi-"

"Do it!" Ashley yelled at me, this time taking the time to face me.

I could see the pain in her dark brown eyes behind the walls of tears she held. It was devastating how she expected this from me, after I went out of my way to see her.

"Look, I didn't come here to hurt you! I don't want to hurt you!"

I shouted in order for her to hear me.

My voice came out louder, and more harsh than I hoped it would, but how else could I calm her down?

For an extensive amount of time, the room was completely quiet. The electric buzzing of the light above became prominent whilst the silence hung over us.