I've been too busy with my own exploring and venturing to give any updates about the asylum family. I just didn't care too much about them to check up on them and see what stupid things they were up to.
However, today I was bored enough to decide to see what entertainment I could find there. Whether it was the girl, or the parents, I didn't really care, I just wanted to see something interesting. Maybe I could even try to get acquainted with the girl, seeing as how she was the only kid my age within at least 20 miles.
So, after a while of flying over the mountainous woods and seeing the aesthetic sights, I turned around and headed toward the asylum. I wasn't too far but it was still quite a while before I reached it.
I arrived nearly an hour or so later and I apparently arrived at just the right time to see something going down on the front steps. The girl was standing out in the open while her mum practically ganged up on her and cornered her without a corner to do so. The mum was yelling about something, I couldn't quite catch it from the distance I was at.
The mother suddenly shoved the poor girl into the large rubbish bin that sat out front of the place, earning a cry of pain from the frail girl as she collided with a piece of dirty metal. The sudden attack threw me off and I flew closer in order to see what was happening better. I knew the parents were off, to begin with, but I never could've expected them to be this abusive. It suddenly made more sense why the girl seemed so much smaller than she should've been.
The girl was yanked to her feet again by her mum and given a harsh slap across the face before being dropped into the dirt again like some old ragdoll. The mother yelled some more and grabbed her husband by the wrist; she dragged him to their van that waited in the dirt driveway and within a quick few seconds, they were driving away and leaving their poor daughter in the dirt.
I strangely felt bad for the girl. In a way, I somehow felt the pain that she felt and it made me feel bad. I flew down to her and landed not too far away; I wasn't sure what I would do but I knew I wanted to do something. The girl had tears in her eyes that she was struggling to contain and her lip quivered.
I cawed softly to get her attention, and the girl managed to blink away her tears when she heard me. She turned her head to look at me and when our eyes met, she smiled with a hint of relief in her eyes.
"It's you..." she muttered weakly, extending her hand to me to reach out and pet me. I leaned my head against her hand and she gently massaged the back of my neck with her fingers. It seemed to comfort her enough, so I let her pet me for a while like I had the first time she met me.
"You're such a nice bird..." she said calmly and pushed herself up into a seated position. She winced painfully as she got up and I could see from my spot on the ground that the wound she obtained from hitting the rubbish bin was bleeding. It concerned me but it didn't seem to bother her too much so I didn't bring attention to it.
"What's your name?" she wondered as if I would answer. It was clear that even though she was injured and traumatised by her parents, her imagination still ran strongly. Her imagination was probably what kept her going on hard days so it seemed only fitting that I help make that fantasy just a little bit more real for her.
"I'm Edgar," I answered her and the girl's previously calm features widened into a look of shock and awe. She gave me a wide smile that seemed to light up her face despite the dirt smudged across her skin and the tear streaks that left trails down her cheeks. It let me know that I was doing good so far.
"Are you magic?" she asked excitedly and leaned closer to me.
"I guess you could say that," I responded casually. I obviously knew I wasn't but with my necklace, I technically was and as far as the girl knew, I came straight out of a Disney movie. The girl's excitement only grew and she extended her hand for me to step up. Not wanting to ruin her better mood, I obliged and sat in the palm of her hand. She pulled me closer to her and with wide, hopeful eyes, she asked, "Are you here to save me?"
I paused at her question at first, taken aback by the sudden odd remark. I didn't plan on saving her, I just wanted to say hi mostly. However, as I was about to say no, that I wanted to just be friends, the realisation dawned on me that she was probably more disconnected from reality than I thought because of the abuse. So she probably thought I existed just to take her away to a magical land where she could run around the forest all day. It made me sad, honestly.
"... If you want me to, sure," I responded kindly. The girl's smile remained and finally, it reached her eyes. She seemed genuinely happy and I was proud of myself for cheering her up. The girl climbed to her feet, wincing from the pain in her side and standing shakily for a moment; all the while, I remained on the palm of her hand and watched her struggle without knowing how to help.
"I'm Ally," she stated once she was steady on her feet.
"It's a pleasure," I responded with a nod. Ally cradled me on her arm as she slowly made her way up the steps to the asylum. She was limping and holding her wound with her free hand but, still not knowing what to do or say in regards to her injury, I just remained silent until she spoke again.
"I hope you don't mind if it's messy inside... we're renovating the place," she commented as she pushed open the door. I nodded and remained quiet as she entered and made her way through the dim foyer. There were boxes sitting on a tarp in the middle of the room and a few were opened as some items had been taken out to be placed elsewhere. Everything else, although much cleaner than the last time I was here, still appeared grey and filthy and it creeped me out how lonely it felt inside.
Ally pressed on, unbothered by the atmosphere and staring at the different graffiti artworks that littered the walls. I strangely felt protected in the crook of her arm so, while I was unnerved, I wasn't disturbed enough to fly away.
"So, where are you from?" Ally wondered and I looked up at her.
"Where do I sound like I'm from?" I answered her question with my own because I thought the answer should've been obvious.
"... are you from a fairytale...?" she asked hesitantly and knocked my train of thought off track. A fairytale? Really?? I stared at her for a moment before simply answering, "No-"
"I'm from England," I continued and Ally's expression fell.
"I'm sorry... I didn't know," she said softly.
"Oh! No! I didn't mean to sound offended, don't be sad!" I quickly tried to correct the situation so she didn't feel bad again. She only nodded and didn't say anything more until we had arrived at the barbaric room she used as a bedroom. She opened the door and the familiar sight of the cremator sitting at the back of the room greeted me.
"Why did you choose this room to sleep in? Isn't it uncomfortable?" I wondered as Ally sat down on her newspaper bed.
"I didn't. My mom put me here because it was out of the way of the rest of the building and the farthest from her," she answered and grabbed her box of things to find the first aid kit. I watched quietly, standing across from her and silently wondering if she knew what she was doing.
"Isn't it a bit... dirty? Shouldn't you clean it first...?" I asked after a while and Ally only shrugged.
"It'll be fine," she answered casually. I wasn't convinced that it would be fine. The wound was pretty deep and the cause of it had been outside for days and covered in Lord only knows what. I may have been uneducated about a lot of things but I still knew a thing or two about germs and infections.
I didn't say anything more about her lack of disinfectant and I watched as she gently taped a large gauze pad over the wound and tossed the wrappers to the side. After that, she carefully pulled herself to her feet and announced that she was going to grab a quick meal and asked if I wanted to come with her. Naturally, I said yes because I would never turn down an opportunity for free food.
I flew to her shoulder and the girl made her way through the dim lonely halls once again to find the kitchen. This walk was much shorter than the journey from the front door to the Crematorium but it still felt long because of the girl's slower pace. I only ever spoke if Ally asked me a question; which mostly consisted of questions relating to mythical creatures or places that didn't exist. I guess she thought that where I came from, there were dragons and fairies. I had to word my answers very carefully so that I was honest but very vague so as to not burst her imaginative bubble.
Finally, we arrived at the kitchen and Ally made a quick bowl of cereal for herself to enjoy. She gave me a piece of buttered bread to munch on and I wasn't complaining despite the meal being small. It was quiet while we ate, and I think it was because Ally was more focused on listening for any sudden sounds that may indicate that her parents were home. She was very tense while she ate and it made me feel as if I should've been scared as well.
However, the anxiety of listening intently to every single sound that occurred eventually spiked to unimaginable heights when we both heard the front door slam in the distance and two muffled voices speak firmly to each other. The girl gasped and hurriedly scooted out of her chair to return everything to its place. Alas, before she could get anywhere, she stumbled over the chair's legs in her rush and spilt the leftover milk on the floor. My anxiety spiked with her and a terrible feeling of nausea built up within me as I anticipated the yelling and scolding that would surely occur if they saw her.
"Shit!" Ally cursed frantically and rushed to the sink to grab a rag. I forced myself to move simply to put the bowl in the sink but my help wasn't enough for her to finish cleaning quickly. Her parents still heard her frantic footsteps and came over to investigate.
When they came into the kitchen to find out what the noise was, they stopped dead in their tracks, as did Ally. The poor girl was frozen in fear and I was still simply from the anticipation of what was about to happen. My wings twitched from the itching urge to just fly away to safety. I wanted absolutely no part in this fight.
Her mother was the first to yell about Ally being a dirty thief and the words she used were far more demeaning and terrible than the words I thought she would use. Ally seemingly became smaller in size as the woman yelled, she kept her head down and her arms pressed against her body. I, meanwhile, could feel the anxiety and anger building within me as if the words were directed toward me as well. I hated it.
"Daniel! Take her to one of those empty rooms in the back!" she ordered her husband, who had said nothing since the fight started. He seemed taken aback that his wife would address him and when his feeble mind registered the words that were spoken, he hesitated. His wife glared at him until he finally relented and made his way over to grab Ally.
I acted on pure instinct; I leapt off the counter and flew towards the man, outstretching my talons and digging them into his skin. He yelped in surprise from the surprise attack and frantically tried grabbing for me to throw me off. I remained in my place, pecking and scratching him with all my bird-like strength. I didn't know why I was fighting but it felt as if I were defending myself.
Ally's mother screamed in confusion and yelled indecipherable curses while I attacked the man. I paid no mind to her yet, I wanted to finish my attack on her father first before going after her mother. However, the man finally managed to land a hit on me and I went flying into a cabinet. Ally gasped and through my sharp, struggling breaths, I heard her get up to go help me.
She quickly picked me up and held me protectively against her chest, staring in fear at her parents. Her mother screamed at her husband to grab Ally while he winced in pain and held his bleeding face. He didn't move so the woman was forced to do everything herself. She stormed up to Ally, who scrambled backwards to escape her but it was no use. Her mother grabbed Ally by the arm and pulled the girl towards her; her free hand grabbed me by my wing and yanked me from Ally's arms. I landed on the floor again and scrambled to my feet despite still not being able to breathe.
The trio stormed off, dragging Ally, who screamed and resisted her parents' pull, out of the kitchen and down the hall. Weakly, I followed, pathetically hopping and flapping my wings to try and take flight. I eventually caught flight and flew down the hall to follow the group, but I was too late; by the time I found them, they had already locked Ally in an old solitary confinement room and were walking away like nothing happened, with Ally's father lingering ever-so-slightly behind his insane wife.
The moment they turned a corner and disappeared, I landed and turned into my normal human self for the first time in months. I hurried to the room Ally was in and took hold of the complex doorknob, pulling on it and trying to wrench the heavy door open with all my strength. Still, no matter how hard I tried, the old locks held strongly and the thing wouldn't budge.
"Hold on, Ally!" I yelled and gave the door one more tug. It still wouldn't open, even after I gave the lock a few good solid kicks.
In my anger, I kicked the door and growled before simply giving up and sitting against the door. Ally's sobs were muffled by the heavy metal and it made me upset with myself that I couldn't help her even just a little.