Redemption

two

"What time is it now, huh?"

Anne shifted her position on the bed and lay on her back staring at the ceiling of her room which had holes in it.

It was still bright outside, maybe four o'clock, she thought. Anne had fallen asleep because she was too tired to think. When she woke up, the handcuffs on her hands have been removed. Her clothes have also been changed to a pale blue hospital uniform. The size is too big, so she had to fold her arms a few times. Luckily, her pants fit right up to her ankles. Then the shoes she was wearing earlier disappeared somewhere. The warden perhaps took it. Maybe she just came in to do her work and the room was locked again.

Anne was tired of being locked up here alone doing nothing. Since then, she had just rolled over on the bed despite the unpleasant smell. At first, she wanted to lie down on the floor, but her body shivered after a few minutes.

At least the guards could let Anne roam out there. Just take a breath of fresh air or enjoy the view of the cherry blossoms that are just blooming. Little things like that gave her more zest for life, than the medicine they offered her. 

There was nothing she could do.

There was nothing she could hear.

It was so quiet throughout the hall that Anne thought no one else was stationed here.

Anne took a deep breath. She got up from the bed and touched her stomach which was screaming for something to be filled. Anne was starving, really. No one has fed her since she arrived here. She began to wonder if the inmates weren't really being fed? Was she deliberately locked up here, then left to starve to death until her corpse rotted?

The last time Anne put something in her mouth was this morning. It was just a piece of bread and a glass of milk. After that, on the way here, which lasted for hours, she was given nothing.

Anne was about to lie back down when the door behind her opened. Her head turned quickly to the source of the voice. A middle-aged woman in a white coat was seen walking in with a young girl carrying a tray of food in her hands. Anne's stomach immediately rumbled at the smell of the soup she was carrying.

"Hello, Miss Roseanne," the woman greeted cheerfully, her smile widening. "Introduce me Doctor Diana who will treat you here, and she is my assistant, Cindy." Her fingers pointed at the assistant who was storing food on the nightstand.

Anne just nodded, not knowing what to say. She is more interested in the food beside her. In addition to soup, she also brought mashed potatoes and vegetables stir-fried with sliced ​​​​meat. The menu turned out to be much better than what Anne had imagined. She had thought she would be given dry bread and tasteless soup.

"Okay, let's check your physical condition first," said Doctor Diana. She motioned for Anne to sit on the edge of the bed while taking out some equipment from her bag.

"I don't think I have a mental breakdown," murmured Anne as Doctor Diana began to check her blood pressure. The woman's movements stopped for a moment, but she didn't say anything. Instead, a small smile graced her lips. 

Anne looked at her seriously. "I'm really not as crazy as the prisoner here," she said with a bit of emphasis.

This time Doctor Diana looked up, one eyebrow raised at Anne's face. "If you don't have any distractions, then why were you brought here?" She asked then pursed her lips as if she wanted to laugh. Is this woman making fun of her?

"That's because... er... I..." Anne tried to answer, but she couldn't continue her sentence. What reason must she give for this woman to believe?

"Miss Anne, don't worry." Doctor Diana interrupted, her voice deliberately softened. The look in her eyes was clearly mocking at Anne, although her lips curved into a beautiful curve. "I'll help you recover your mental state, however long it takes."

Really?

Anne rolled her eyes in disgust, not liking the pretense that Doctor Diana was putting on. Especially that sweet-ass smile. But of course, she couldn't argue with that. Besides, any excuse she tried to give would end up in vain.

In this place, it was certain that no one would think she was sane. Anne let Doctor Diana do whatever she wanted to do. While she just kept staring at her lightly swinging legs.

"You're in pretty good condition even though you've overdosed on drugs," she said moments later.

Anne frowned. Overdose?

"You still can't remember anything?"

Anne shook her head once. Doctor Diana nodded and told Cindy to take notes on her clipboard.

"The reason you lost part of your memory is because of the antidepressant you're taking. So besides your name and age, what else do you know?" asked Doctor Diana.

"I live in Powhatan with my parents and two sisters," answered Anne. She tried to remember what the officer had told her. "I work as an employee at a property company."

"Only that?"

"Yes. The hospital staff told me. But I'm not even sure if that's really my identity?"

Doctor Diana laughed. “That's true. I actually have the file here."

'So why are you asking?' Anne sighed in annoyance, but didn't speak her mind.

Doctor Diana took the clipboard from Cindy's hand, flipped through some papers. "Well, Miss Anne, there are a lot of bad notes on you here," she said. "Excessive anxiety disorder. Antidepressant drugs. Stelosy pills. Bullying at work. All of this is so traumatic that it affects the way you think."

Doctor Diana paused for a moment and looked at Anne who was frowning in confusion. Anne did not understand what the Doctor was talking about. She continued, "Usually, people who are bullied have two choices. The first, allowing herself to be oppressed until there is nothing left. Or the second option, retaliate until it gets out of control. And you, Miss Anne, prefer the second option."

"What do you mean?" Anne asked with her hands clasped together. As she began to digest what Doctor Diana had said, horror slowly ran through her body.

"Withered roses need watering, Miss Roseanne." Doctor Diana deliberately emphasized her name, which was used as a metaphor. "In times of bad luck, of course you need support from your family. But what if your own family doesn't care about you? Exclude you? Think of you as a burden because you have so many problems?"

No way.

Anne shook her head. Staring in disbelief at Doctor Diana who looked back seriously. Her hands were shaking, and she stuttered as she tried to speak, "So you mean... you mean... I massacred my own family. As a form of revenge for their neglect?"

Doctor Diana nodded once and Anne suddenly found it difficult to breathe. It felt like a big rock had hit her chest hard. Tightness. It hurt. She couldn't accept that fact.

She is a killer.

She really is a criminal.

"Miss Anne, reality is hard to accept, but you need to know it. This will help you adjust to therapy ..."

Doctor Diana's words were no longer heard in Anne's ringing ears. Her head was spinning, her breath was getting short. The surroundings suddenly became blurry.

She felt the presence of Doctor Diana and her assistant walking away, followed by the sound of the door being locked. Anne's body immediately slumped to the floor. She curled up and hugged herself in the waves of sadness that came over her.

She is a killer. How could that happen?

Anne was curious—wanted to know how much her family didn't care that she committed such a heinous act?