Ｅａｒｌｙ １９２０
Mary Alice sat on one of the window seats in the day room of the asylum she was committed to. She wasn't really paying attention to anything in particular, her attention loosely held by the light drizzle of rain that was starting to pour outside rather than anything that was taking place inside.
She had been here for a few months now, maybe even a year— she honestly couldn't remember how long. Of course, that small amount of time was enough to render Mary Alice Brandon into someone unrecognizable to those who knew her before her metaphorical (and sometimes literal) imprisonment. Shortly after being admitted, there was a large outbreak of Typhoid within the walls of the asylum and all patients were required to shave their heads. So, with a heavy heart, and without much choice, Mary Alice was forced to depart with her long, dark locks and now dawned a much shorter hairstyle. It had grown out some by now, leaving the young woman with a perpetual bed-head that she never even took notice of due to the lack of mirrors around. Even if she could see her hair, it would be the least of her worries.
Being brought in for treatment of her precognitive 'visions' meant that she was forced to endure electroshock therapy. They started off mild and on an infrequent basis, but as Mary Alice spent more time within the facility and showed no signs of improvement, the treatments became more dangerous and occurred much more often. These frequent sessions caused the young woman to lose all of her memories, being left a shell of who she once was. However, even with all her struggles and strife— even with the predicament she was in now— Mary Alice Brandon continued to flourish and have a bright, refreshing personality. That, and the treatments never rid the young woman of her visions, which she was grateful for.
Pale, creamy skin with a smooth complexion.
Brown, curly locks that were windswept and tangled, but still managed to fall gracefully.
Beautiful, blue eyes that were such a bright shade, it was as if the clearest summer skies were captured in her irises.
A shy smile accompanied with dusted cheeks and the softest of touches.
And one name to match the face—
"Delilah..." Alice whispered, her eyes still a million miles away as she seared the young woman's features in her mind. She was the most beautiful woman Mary Alice had ever seen in her life and she felt a warmth bloom in her chest when Delilah smiled at her in her vision. If her body was reacting physically, then certainly it was important.
She couldn't wait to meet Delilah for real.
~~~
For the following three days after her first initial vision of Delilah, Mary Alice had seen nothing else but herself and the beautiful brunette. Both during the day, and at night. Alice loved sitting there and watching them; Both of them looked so happy and she found these small snippets of the future bringing her hope. She loved looking at and observing Delilah's features and searing it into her memory; It was her favorite way to pass the time. But today's vision brought a little bit of pain to her heart.
A vehicle slowly rolled up the front lawn and stopped in front of the doors to the facility. The orderlies walked around to the back and pulled out a familiar figure with curly, brown locks. Delilah was struggling to break free from her restraints and even went as far as to spit in one of their faces. For her insubordination, she wasn't allowed to meet the others, instead she was thrown into her room and locked in.
Room 585.
Mary Alice knew how lonely isolation could be, so when Delilah was brought to the facility in the afternoon, she watched everything play out as she saw with a racing heart. She decided that it would take some time for them to get her settled in before they finally leave her alone, so she would wait until after supper to finally meet the mysterious brunette.
Delilah paced back and forth in the room she was thrown into, her fingers curled around her hair in distress. She had been left here all afternoon and she had seen no one other than the doctor who would be treating her for her 'ailment'. Her room was dirty and the air within it was musty and hard to breathe in. There was only one small window up at the top of the wall that was covered with metal bars and with the day gone, no extra light was being provided.
She felt like crying because she knew that this is where she would remain for the rest of her life, but instead she found her body filled to the brim with fury. How dare her mother send her only daughter away just because she had a preference for female company? She was sent here under the guise of getting better, but Delilah knew the truth— Annabelle Brooks was ashamed of her daughter.
In a vain attempt of ridding herself of her anger and betrayal she faced the back wall and began to pound her fists into it. The pain of her knuckles helped ground her and focus on something other than the anger boiling under her skin.
"You're going to break your hand doing that." A light voice came from the window in her door.
Delilah spun around and frowned, cautiously walking towards the door until she could press her face against the glass and peer down. Standing right outside the door was a small girl, around her age, who didn't even hit the five foot mark. Her smile was bright, taking up a majority of her face and she was bouncing on her toes. Delilah had to wonder what exactly landed her in a place like this.
"Will it get me out of here?" Delilah mumbled.
The girl shook her head, some of her locks swaying with the motion, "No, in fact, it'll actually get you in more trouble. They'll move you to a different room... probably put you in restraints." She said sadly.
However, just as quickly as the frown appeared, it was gone and replaced with a bright smile once more. In a quick movement that caused Delilah to jump away from the door, the slot at the bottom opened and the girl's arm stuck in. In the middle of her palm was a small roll of bread.
Mary Alice patiently waited, glancing around her shoulder to ensure that the coast was still clear. After a few moments, she felt the roll slowly leave her hand.
"Why are you giving me food?" Delilah asked, Mary Alice could hear the distrust in her voice.
"Two reasons." She chirped, standing up and peering up at the window. She was happy to see Delilah move back to the door so they could see each other. "One, they normally don't feed new patients on the first day. Second, I want you to know that you have a friend here." She gave the taller girl a toothy grin.
Delilah's eyes flickered back and forth as she studied the girl and tried to find an ounce of deception, but nothing was there. It was confusing; Surely, this girl had some ulterior motive, no one ever did anything purely out of kindness.
"My name is Mary Alice Brandon. I've been here for about a year. I know how hard it can be to trust people in a new place, but I promise, I just want to be your friend." The small girl said when Delilah didn't answer her.
"Aren't you going to get in trouble for this?" Delilah asked, holding up the roll to the window.
Mary Alice shook her head, "It was from my tray, they'll just think I ate it."
"You gave me your own food?"
"Well, if I was on kitchen duty, I would've grabbed a couple of your own, but..." She trailed off, shrugging her shoulders.
The brunette looked down at the roll and frowned. Mary Alice could see the inner turmoil freezing the girl in place. This Delilah was a lot different from the one she had seen in her visions. She was more closed off, suspicious of her, and she frowned more than Mary Alice liked to see.
Finally, Delilah tore the piece of bread in half and kneeled down, leaving the other half on the other side of the door by Alice's feet.
"I want you to have all of it." Mary Alice said, attempting to push the piece back into the room. Delilah quickly closed the slot and sat in front of it, preventing it from opening again.
"I don't want all of it." Her voice was muffled around the bread she was chewing on. It was going stale and it was far too dry for her already parched mouth.
Mary Alice sighed with a frown, "Delilah, you need all of this food. They'll most likely be taking blood from you tomorrow morning, before breakfast. You won't have a chance to eat–"
A loud bang startled her and she looked up through the window to be met with Delilah's furious face, "How do you know my name?!"
Mary Alice hesitated; It was obvious that telling Delilah about her precognitive abilities right now was a bad idea— she wouldn't believe her anyways. But she also didn't want to lie to her.
"Please, just trust that I want what's best for you." Mary Alice implored. It remained silent on the other side of the door and when the girl heard a set of keys jingling down the hall, she knew it was time to leave. "Please, Delilah, don't push your luck here. They don't take kindly to insolent patients; It'll only make things worse." With that she slipped away and left Delilah to think about what she had told her.
It was two days after their first encounter that Mary Alice and Delilah ran into each other once again. Mary Alice had just come from kitchen duty and was playing a game of checkers with another patient when Delilah came in.
Mary Alice's hand froze over a black piece as she watched the girl amble in and hastily sit in a chair in the corner of the room. She had turned her back to all the other occupants and everyone around her understood the silent cue that she wasn't up for conversation. All but one that is.
Mary Alice took one last look at the board before skipping over 4 of her opponents pieces, effectively ending the game. She bid them farewell before slowly making her way over to Delilah.
Her head snapped back when she heard her approach and Mary Alice was met with an exhausted and irritated glare. Her harsh welcoming didn't deter her and she grabbed another chair, setting it beside her and silently sitting down.
"What are you doing?" Delilah mumbled after they sat together in silence for a few minutes.
"Keeping you company." She replied.
"I didn't ask you to."
"I know." She nodded.
It was silent once more as Delilah began to fiddle with the sleeves of the cardigan she wore. It gave Mary Alice a moment to observe her. She looked as if she had been here for two months, not two days. Her hair was disheveled and tangled, she was hunched over on herself and her voice sounded defeated. Her skin was slightly paler, dark bags taking home beneath her blue eyes; the contrasting shades made her eyes appear even brighter than before. Lastly, Mary Alice noticed the slight bruising on her temples and the subtle tremors that shook her hands.
She didn't even realize what she was doing until it was too late. Mary Alice reached forward and brushed a lock of curly hair out of her face, her fingertips brushing against the dark spot on her temple when Delilah flinched back and the smaller girl found her wrist trapped in a vice grip. Delilah's grip wasn't enough to bruise her skin, but it was a very clear warning that she was pushing her boundaries.
She didn't let the aggressive move bother her, "It's okay... they do it to me too." Mary Alice whispered empathetically, "The tremors will go away in about a day."
Slowly, Delilah released her hand with a whispered apology and went back to looking down at her lap. "How often do they do it...?"
"Those treatments?" The brunette nodded, "Well, I guess it depends on how useful they find them. I used to get those treatments once a week, but things changed and now I get them once a month."
The frown on Delilah's face deepened as she clenched her hands in her lap. Once a week? This was the Hell that her mother left her in; The one that was supposed to help her set her on the right path? How the hell was shocking someone until they couldn't properly speak supposed to help fix her? How was this humane and considered medical treatment?
How was she supposed to survive this?
She didn't notice the tears slipping from her eyes until Mary Alice held her palm out to her; An open invitation for comfort if desired. As much as Delilah wanted to push her away, she couldn't deny that what she really needed right now was a friend. After all, that's what Mary Alice had been offering since they met.
Delilah looked up at her with teary eyes, her expression defeated as she hesitantly reached out with a shaky hand and placed it into Mary Alice's palm. The girl gave her a gentle smile and wrapped her own hands around hers, caging it in her warm grasp.
She gave it a comforting squeeze, "It's okay, Delilah. I'm here."
With those five words, Delilah allowed herself to break down and finally feel something other than anger.
Ｌａｔｅ １９２０
After a few weeks of being stubborn and continuing to be suspicious of the tiny teen, Delilah allowed herself to give in and fully accept Mary Alice as her only ray of sunshine in the dreary asylum. She had plenty of time to think it over and she knew that she was going to need someone to lean on and talk to unless she really wanted to lose her mind and give the medical staff a real reason to keep her locked away from society.
Mary Alice was delighted with the progress that they had made and a few of her visions that she had seen had come true and it felt more euphoric to actually experience these joyful moments with the brunette rather than watch them from an outsider's perspective. They had come to learn more about one another, such as why they were there.
At first, Delilah didn't believe her when told about the smaller girl's premonitions, but then, one day, Mary Alice had warned her that her treatment was going to be different. Obviously, she had questions and the psychic had told her that she would have a session of Hydrotherapy rather than Electroshock. She took in all the information with a grain of salt, but then was unpleasantly (and pleasantly) surprised when her premonition came true.
From that day forward, Delilah believed in her ability to see the future.
Of course, this revelation brought many answers, but it also brought a lot of questions to the brunette that Mary Alice was happy to answer as best as she could. Delilah learned snippets about Mary Alice's life, such as her sister, her mother, and the visions she had been seeing since she was a small child. But, after all the electroshock therapy sessions she endured, Mary Alice found herself with amnesia and what she was once able to recall at the drop of a hat was now blurry and unclear, but everything that she could remember about herself and her life, she shared with the blue-eyed girl.
Delilah knew that any healthy and substantial relationship was built on a foundation of give and take, so she shared her own life story. Delilah's mother and father were happily married, the two birthing herself and then, twelve years later, her younger brother named Theodore. She told Mary Alice about how her father was drafted during the Great War and died in France just a few weeks before it ended; How his death impacted the family and left her mother heartbroken. And ultimately, what led her to being admitted into the same asylum as Mary Alice.
After the death of their father, the family moved to Mississippi seeing as their old hometown of Baton Rouge, Louisiana left too many painful memories for her mother. It was just before they left that Mrs. Brooks was made aware of her daughter's startling behavior of being caught kissing another female student in the bathroom. Believing that her child's behavior was just due to the grief of her father's death, she left it alone and warned her daughter to never do it again.
One year later, she was called to her daughter's new school and was told about how Delilah was found in a rather nefarious situation with another girl. Believing whole-heartedly that her daughter was mentally ill, she sent her off in hopes of being cured of her homosexuality.
While Delilah was happy to have found someone in such a shitty turn of events, she also found herself startled by just how much she relied on Mary Alice's presence. When the smaller girl was around, Delilah didn't feel as angry anymore; Her exuberant personality was just too contagious. She didn't feel the need to lash out at staff members as frequently. She would occasionally hold small conversations with some of the other patients and would sometimes play a game of chess or checkers with them. She was overall a better person when Mary Alice was with her.
Along with that, Delilah found herself developing feelings for her friend. Mary Alice was such a sweet, bubbly, and accepting girl that it was hard for anyone not to fall in love with her— especially the brunette. She knew that her stay at the asylum would worsen if she revealed her feelings, so she kept them locked up tight and close to her chest.
Unbeknownst to her, Mary Alice was also harboring secret feelings for the brunette. Being so consumed with her visions, Mary Alice never really had time to explore her sexuality before being locked away. She knew she never took a liking to boys, but it wasn't until her first vision of Delilah did she understand why. She couldn't deny that Delilah was beautiful, her shoulder length milk chocolate locks, her bright blue eyes that changed in hue depending on her mood, her smile that left butterflies fluttering within Mary Alice's belly, her laugh that made her heart sing with happiness. Just being within Delilah's presence left her bursting at the seams with unadulterated joy. But what really won her over was the fact that Delilah wasn't bothered by Mary Alice's visions, even when she spaced out in the middle of conversations— she was more curious about what she had seen rather than being disturbed by her behavior.
Such as now, Delilah was patiently waiting for Mary Alice's brown eyes to refocus on her and discuss what she had seen. Most of the time, Mary Alice's visions were about the two of them, and Delilah found it fun to tuck away the information and wait for it to actually happen; Delilah had never felt a sense of déjà vu as often as she does when spending time with the other girl.
"Hello, girls." A voice greeted from behind Delilah. She glanced back and was met with the friendly gaze of one of the custodians. His name was Booker, and he was a middle-aged, white man with peculiar mannerisms and even more peculiar eyes.
When Delilah had first met the man his ruby red eyes put her off, but Mary Alice had vouched for him and told her that she could trust him. When he explained that he had a rare form of albinism that only affected his eyes, Delilah knew that he was lying to her— he refused to look her in the eye and his hand clenched in his lap. She decided that she would simply tolerate the man for Mary Alice's sake, but that didn't mean she had to trust him.
"I see Mary Alice is a little preoccupied." Booker commented with a small chuckle. He took the spare seat that was at the table. He carefully sat down and made sure to sit slightly closer to Mary Alice.
"Yeah." She replied shortly, keeping her eyes on the frozen girl, but always keeping Booker in her peripheral vision.
He lowered his voice to keep the conversation private in the open dayroom, "Has she been gone long?"
Delilah's eyes flickered to the clock on the far wall, "About 2 minutes."
Booker hummed, "A little on the lengthy side." Delilah didn't respond. He understood why the girl was merely cordial with him instead of friendly. She had no idea of his true nature, but humans were naturally compelled to stay away from his kind. "I brought a flower for her today; A Louisiana Iris." Booker liked to play a game with Mary Alice in order to test her abilities from time to time.
"Where'd you find the time to go to Louisiana?" Delilah asked suspiciously.
He gave her a calm smile, "Over the weekend. I have some family living there and I went to pay them a visit."
Delilah's eyes remained narrowed, "And why a Louisiana Iris specifically?"
"It's a beautiful flower." Booker opened his right hand to reveal the purple flower gently resting on his palm, "Don't you agree, Delilah?"
The brunette felt nostalgia run through her as she gazed at the flower. She remembered going out into the woods behind her old family home and picking large bouquets of flowers to bring back to the house and bring color into the rooms. After Theodore was born, she would pick the best one of the bunch and personally give it to him as a gift.
She didn't have the chance to answer the man's question before Mary Alice let out a startled gasp. Her dark eyes were wide and frightened and she had her hand placed upon her chest, right above her racing heart.
"Alice?" Delilah called out in concern. She got up from her seat and kneeled by the girl, taking her shaking hand into her grasp and squeezing it tightly. Booker watched silently as the brunette coached Mary Alice's breathing back into a regular rhythm. However, what he didn't expect was for the psychic's eyes to remain on his figure.
"Are you okay, Alice?" Delilah asked quietly.
Despite what she had seen, the teen smiled at the nickname. Only a few weeks into their friendship, Delilah had brazenly declared that 'Mary Alice' was a mouthful and that she would simply call her 'Alice'.
"It certainly suits you better than Mary." Was her brief explanation.
"I'm okay." Mary Alice breathed out, "But... I do need to talk to Booker."
"Alone?" Delilah asked with uncertainty.
She gave the brunette a comforting squeeze of her hand, "It'll be alright."
"How long will it take?"
"Not long."
Delilah sighed in defeat. She had no valid reason to keep her friend away from Booker, "Fine, I'll be here when you come back."
Mary Alice gave her a smile that was supposed to be reassuring but it came out uneasy instead. It certainly didn't help ease Delilah's nerves.
"I don't know who he is, but I do know that he's after me and he isn't going to stop at anything." Mary Alice said. She had just explained her vision to the immortal; Another one of his kind was hunting her down and every vision ended the same way.
"Do you know how long it'll be until he gets here?" Booker asked the distressed teen.
She shook her head, "Not for certain, but I know he's already in the South. I'd say two... maybe three days."
"That's not much time..." Booker commented, placing his hand on his chin in thought. It was certainly a dangerous situation and with no one else in the facility like him, Mary Alice had no choice but to come to him for help, "And he actually did it... He killed you?"
Mary Alice shuddered and wrapped her arms around her stomach. Right now she just wanted to confide in Delilah and feel the comfort that she easily provided. "I watched it happen, Booker. I saw him... I felt it." She brought her hand to her neck.
Booker took a small step forward and placed his hand on the girl's shoulder, "We'll figure it out."
"How?!" Mary Alice exclaimed, slapping his hand away, "I just told you, it always ends the same way! I can't outrun him or kill him, I'm only human. The only one who could even stand a chance against him would be someone like you-" She froze and stared up at the immortal with a glimmer of hope.
"No, no, Mary Alice, as much as I want to do that... I don't know if I could actually defeat him. I'm not much of a fighter, never have been." Booker denied, vehemently shaking his head.
"No, that's not it." Mary Alice said, "I... He wants my blood, but what if there was none for him to take?"
"You want me to kill you?!" Booker hissed in disbelief.
She shook her head, "I want you to change me."
"What?!"
"Shh!" Mary Alice placed her hand on Booker's mouth, which was difficult given the height difference.
Booker moved her hand out of the way, "Have you officially lost your damn mind?"
"I don't want to die, Booker, and this is the only way I can even out my odds." Mary Alice explained.
"You won't be able to defeat him." Booker replied.
"Then I just need to outrun him."
"For the rest of your immortal life?" Booker questioned, his ruby eyes were now black with frustration. "This is not something you can take back Mary Alice, once you do this, you are forever damned."
"As if this place is any better!" Mary Alice growled. "It's either you change me and give me a fighting chance, or you leave me here to watch the sand in my hourglass quickly disappear."
Booker could see the determination in her eyes, the unwavering stance she took but there was one thing she was missing. "What about Delilah?"
"What about Delilah?" Mary Alice repeated.
"Are you really going to leave her here, on her own?" Booker asked, hoping to get through to her that this was a bad idea, "I see the connection you two share... She'll be devastated if you leave."
Mary Alice turned away from him and bit her bottom lip. She knew he was right, but... "Delilah doesn't even know about what you are. We have very little time and you saw how long it took for me to reveal my visions to her. She isn't going to believe me."
"She believes what you tell her about your visions now. What makes this any different?"
"This one is about vampires!"
"She's already suspicious of me." Booker commented, "I think she would believe you if you told her what I am."
Mary Alice shook her head, "No, she wouldn't. She's suspicious of everyone she first meets; She didn't even trust me at first."
"She's known me for 3 months now and she still doesn't like being in the same room as me unless you're there." He nodded in understanding, but he still wanted her to reconsider.
"I can't, Booker." Mary Alice whispered brokenly, "I can't be selfish enough to drag her into this."
"You're being selfish by leaving her with no answers." Booker responded.
"I... I can't take the risk." Mary Alice hung her head in despair, "I can't risk getting her killed by involving her in all of this. It has to be this way."
Booker placed a firm hand on her shoulder and gave it a small squeeze, "Take the night to think it over."
With that, Booker departed the room to start any potential preparations. He wasn't happy with the plan, but he couldn't think of a better one. And Mary Alice was right, this facility wasn't any better than a life on the run. At least out there she had an opportunity to explore the world and with supernatural abilities, Mary Alice would be able to defend herself should this other vampire ever catch her by surprise.
Mary Alice took a few deep breaths to recollect herself before leaving the room and heading back towards Delilah. As soon as she was met with the sky-blue eyes she had learned to love, Mary Alice knew that she made the right decision— No matter how heartbreaking it was for her.
~~~~~
(A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you enjoyed this first chapter. If you are a re-reader and saw my first version, I hope you enjoyed seeing all the changes 😁 Please, don't be shy and let me know what you think about it! Stay safe! ❤)