Tree of Wishes

Sleeping Beauty Syndrome: An Emma Perspective

"What does this mind control do exactly?"

He glanced over to the room and sighed. "It causes the victim to become infatuated with the patient to the point of obsession. Age, gender, none of that matters. Anyone is susceptible of being afflicted, and soon enough they convince themselves that they can save the patient through ludicrous means. We've had to stop staff from assaulting the patient for weeks..."

I grimaced at the thought. I couldn't imagine going to such lengths for a stranger I knew nothing about. Even so, this patient wasn't doing it out of malice, so they had to be protected at all costs.

"Well I sure hope I'm not one of those people. Not really ready to settle down yet," I said half-jokingly. "Is there anyone else immune to it?"

"His mother," he said. "She comes in every day to visit him, yet she hasn't done anything out of the ordinary. It would be nice if it meant family members were excluded, but at the same time I'd rather not take the risk."

I nodded, understanding the sentiment. "Fair enough. Let's see this patient then."

When we entered the room, there was merely one patient resting in bed, likely isolated from other patients to prevent issues. It was a young man, a high schooler to be exact, who was peacefully sleeping away while the machines surrounding him kept him alive. Despite having been in the hospital for weeks, there was little sign of his health deteriorating. His long, blond hair was as clean and smooth as silk, and his slender body still had the muscles and curves of a youth in his prime. On his right wrist was a tattoo that read 'Sleeping Beauty'. This alone explained everything.

"Let me guess," I said with a bit of snark. "Everyone kept saying they could wake him up with a true love's kiss?"

"To some extent, yes," Dr. Galen answered. "It was cute at first, but it's gotten to be ridiculous at this point. And if you're wondering... no one's kisses have actually worked."

I rolled my eyes. "Guess I have my work cut out for me then."

"I suppose so. How are you feeling at the moment? Symptoms associated with 'love at first sight' would be present if you've been afflicted."

I raised a hand to my chest, yet my heartbeat seemed to be beating at a normal pace. "Nothing. No heartbeat, fever, or any particular feelings towards the patient."

The doctor grinned. "Excellent. Then I made the correct choice after all. If anything changes, do let me know."

The good doctor left me to my own devices after that. I greatly respected him due to how kind and patient he's been towards me since I first arrived, so I was willing to go along with this odd request. However, when I decided to pull up his files, my heart immediately sank. This was no ordinary comatose patient. This was Francis Nordin, the boy who attempted to commit suicide by jumping off a roof.

It's due to him and a few other incidents that there's been a major strain between those with and without powers. To be more specific, parents have been more reluctant to let their children anywhere near the tree, even if doing so would improve their lives greatly. I requested a transfer to this hospital because I was fed up with the discrimination in other hospitals. Many clients wouldn't trust those with powers to get near patients, assuming they would be dangerous and cause harm. If the patient had powers, some people refused to have them go to the Sylvan Hospital because 'it went against their beliefs' or 'they should be treated like a normal person', ignoring the fact that most other hospitals lacked the proper equipment to suit their special needs. I despised such ignorance.

Not that I'm saying everyone is like this, of course. Being surrounded by those with powers is a norm in Gradmid, and everyone accepted it as such without question, yet the moment things like life and morality came into question, some people changed their attitude. It's a minority thing, I suppose. Or maybe not because it's a choice rather than a birthright like other minorities suffer through in other countries? I don't know. I'm no expect in politics, but at least I'm better at changing a catheter than most politicians.