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Post by Kitty Allen on Sept 2, 2010 19:49:16 GMT
The twins were sick of this. They were collectively sick of the panic attacks, the separate classes, the having to get out of bed constantly, the not knowing what was happening to each other, the adults telling them what was best for them… Adults had never known what was best so far, none of them even cared. They were only here because they made a fuss and had to be got out of the way.
So they’d decided to be proactive.
They were lying in a field in plain view of the school, watching the clouds. Kitty was making a daisy chain, almost on automatic. Although she appreciated some time just the pair of them, with no other kids or security poking their noses in, Kitty was this close to simply falling asleep. She was so tired.
Getting up at all hours of the night, resulting in no sleep and then being escorted back to bed by the pissed off security guards was having an effect on Chris as well. Reaching out an arm, they arrived at the mutual agreement that a bit of kip would do neither of them any harm. They didn’t have as many nightmares when they were together. If any sleeping had to happen, they’d rather it was together than apart. As if they slept at all when they were apart… Their foster parents finally gave up the fight after the first night of shouting and throwing things, and a fair few hundred of Kitty’s tears. And the complaining neighbours…
Kitty curled up next to him, leaning against Chris and closing her eyes. Soon she slipped into a doze, safe in the knowledge she was safe with her brother. Chris had also fallen asleep, only seconds before his sister. It was the most peaceful the twins had looked since their arrival about a week ago, and the new hard line regime of their being separated for sleeping, some classes and therapy was taking it’s toll. Kitty was almost used to the cramped, painful feeling in her stomach when they took him away and Chris, far from learning to control his anger, had lost control of it completely.
But for now that didn’t matter. They were completely at peace, skipping class and sleeping in a field instead. To them it made perfect sense. Hadn’t they got this far without a proper education?
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Post by Dr. Josephine Hudson on Sept 5, 2010 11:13:36 GMT
Jo glared at her radio. Then she reminded herself that it wasn't her radios fault, and glared at the camera instead, where the security guard would probably pick up on it. 'Girl and boy lying in the field, look like they're about to shag.' This would throw her schedule off balance, for sure... Standing up, she wondered what kids it was. If it was Morph and someone, she would be forced to hit something. Preferably his face. Hopefully, it wasn't Francesca and someone - that'd indicate Multiple Personality Disorder - so...who did that leave? If it was one of her patients, it'd be Rio, Layla, Morph or.... Ah.
Before she left the room, she took one of the sedatives from her desk drawer, and then thought about it. If it was the twins, they wouldn't let the other be sedated without a fight. She took two, and then another, to be on the safe side, slipping them into her pocket and locking the office door behind her. She didn't approve of using sedatives, but she did ultimately prefer to use a sedative than to be attacked by angry twins that didn't want to go to different classes. Jo wasn't sure what would happen if she tried to make them, but it would most likely involve Chris shouting and Kitty crying. Maybe she'd let them stick together, after all.
She walked quickly, not wanting to waste too much time, and arrived at the field within a few minutes. It wasn't hard to spot the twins; they weren't making an effort to hide, apparently. She headed towards the pair, not realizing they were asleep until she was right next to them. Interesting...how was she supposed to wake them up? Should she just shake them and demand that they went back to class? No; she'd never do that. Sighing, Jo stuck out her arm and tapped Chris on the shoulder lightly, hoping that he wouldn't reflexively punch her. She didn't touch Kitty; it'd be better if Chris woke her up. Mainly because Chris was so protective of her, he'd probably punch Jo if she touched his twin.
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Post by Chris Allen on Sept 5, 2010 21:24:21 GMT
Chris’ eyes sprang open and for one disorientating moment he wondered where he was. Remembering, he sat up and yawned, deciding that even if he hadn’t woken up on his own, he’d still had a good almost thirty seconds of sleep. Which was still better than what they’d collectively managed to glean over the past… however long they’d been in this hell hole.
He turned around to see who’d woken him as he rubbed his eyes, and was surprised to see Doctor Hudson –Kitty’s Doctor Hudson, not his – instead of some security goon. He sighed and turned to his sister. “Kitty…” he put his hand on her shoulder. She sighed a little in her sleep. “Come on, Kit. We’re in deep shit again. At least I think we are…” he observed Jo’s face and decided she wasn’t likely to take their skipping classes lightly. Which was a shame to be honest. It would make life so much simpler.
Rubbing the back of her hand across her eyes, Kitty turned and saw Jo. Shit was right, she was pretty sure her shrink would not take kindly to her missing the one class she was actually here for. She squeezed closer to Chris, his arm around her shoulders, and clenched her jaw. No way was she going to just wander off to class like a lamb to the slaughter. She and Chris shared a look.
“Go on then.” Chris said tiredly. “How much trouble are we in? Seeing as we can’t even nap undisturbed any more…” He glared. They were both just tired. “And it wasn’t as if we were doing anything.” That was true. They’d been dreaming and that was it. She wondered if Chris had similar dreams to her. It wouldn’t surprise Kitty if that was true. She curled her legs closer to her and watched Doctor Hudson. Why was it so hard for these people to just let them be together?
“Why is it so hard for you people to just let us be together?” Chris demanded, all sleepiness gone. Now he was just annoyed. “We’re not hurting anyone. There’s no reason why we shouldn’t be together.” He glared at her. Attack could be the best form of defence and he and Kitty knew that down to the core. Going down without a fight was simply not an option. What was so wrong with everything that they couldn’t even sleep any more?
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Post by Dr. Josephine Hudson on Sept 8, 2010 19:28:38 GMT
Jo watched as Chris woke his sister, sitting down beside the pair. It felt weird standing over them; she'd have been scared if there was someone (even a fairly small woman) glaring down at her. She bit her lip at the ' we're in deep shit again ' but let the swearing slide. It wasn't like she didn't hear it every day - occupational hazard, really. Still, she never understood why people swore. It was meant to increase your tolerance for pain, she knew, but she didn't think Chris was in pain. Well, maybe he was. She couldn't just go around assuming people weren't in pain. Closing her eyes for a brief second, she tried to focus on the twins being out of class, and now their language. Or Chris' language.
" Um... Are you in trouble? " She blinked, confused for a minute, before she realized. " Oh, yes. Um... " What did Chris want her to say? No, that wasn't right. Chris wanted her to say no trouble at all, now carry on napping in a field. But what was the truth? " Not much? " It sounded more like a question than a statement, but she couldn't be bothered to repeat herself. Sighing, Jo lay down beside the twins. " How come you're sleeping out here, anyway? Don't you have dorms? " She was aware that the two had frequent fights with the security over having to sleep in different beds, but she didn't see why they couldn't just go to one of their own dorms during the day and sleep, rather than a field. It'd save her - and them - a lot of trouble...
Jo turned her head to look at Chris, a little confused. What was he feeling? She analysed his expression - a slight frown, not smiling or crying - and decided that he was probably Not In A Good Mood. To be more specific, he was probably pissed-off. She edged away slightly, feeling a little nervous. He was sounding like he was quite close to shouting which would not be good. She remembered the last time a student shouted at her - just a few weeks ago, now - and winced. That hadn't turned out well, not at all. Hoping that she wasn't going to end up sleeping with Chris (or Kitty, even though she wasn't shouting and Jo didn't understand the logistics of that), she thought carefully before asking. " Well... I'm not 'you people' really... But I think it's because there's a worry that your mutism -" with a gesture at Kitty "- might be caused, in part, by Chris. " There. She'd told the truth. Closing her eyes, she smiled to herself, enjoying the warmth of the sun. Things were always so much less complicated when you didn't lie...
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Post by Kitty Allen on Sept 8, 2010 20:41:18 GMT
Chris raised his eyebrows. “Not much? That’s a nice surprise, what with us skipping class and everything.” He kept watching her, carefully. This could be tricky. Now she was sitting down, she looked a little less teacherly and a little more like a kid skipping class with them. There was something about her that just didn’t seem to… understand.
“Well, if we’re in a dorm some people think we’re doing… things, you know?” he wasn’t about to say what it really was. He was sure Doctor Hudson could work it out. “Besides. It’s a lovely day…” It was a weak excuse. But he and Kitty were so tired their brains weren’t really working. As such they’d picked a pretty bad place to sleep. He listened a bit more to what Doctor Hudson had to say… and turned sharply.
“They think what?” Chris’ shocked voice came out louder than he intended, Kitty knew that. The thought that other people might think Chris was bad. How could they, how could they even think that? Chris was the only person who’d ever protected her, ever been nice to her, ever loved her. What was wrong with people?
Standing up quickly, she walked over to where Jo was lying and kicked her in the side. Not too hard. It wouldn’t bruise. But she needed Jo’s attention. She was angry enough to punch someone, but that wasn’t allowed. Not that she much cared… Pulling her pen out of her pocket, Kitty rolled up her sleeve and began to scrawl on her arm. She was clearing this up once and for all. She felt Chris’ hand on her shoulder and didn’t bother shrugging it off. She knew what he meant. Finally she capped her pen and held her arm right under Jo’s nose. She was reading what Kitty had written whether she liked it or not. Chris patted her shoulder, and she felt her face, red with anger, begin to lose that colour.
Reading over her shoulder, Chris’ face remained impassive. Hell, he was angry enough to kill something, but Kitty had this. This was her battle, he was sure Doctor Hudson wouldn’t believe him on this issue.
I am not being manipulated, Kitty had written in her scrawled, almost illegible handwriting. I am happier with Chris than anyone else. WHY do you insist on our relationship being a bad thing? We’re close. We enjoy each other’s company. We take care of each other. That is all there is to our relationship. No manipulation. You can stop trying to separate us now.
He hoped it worked. Every word was true, but whether Jo believed it was another matter.
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Post by Dr. Josephine Hudson on Sept 9, 2010 21:35:23 GMT
Well, if he hadn't reminded her they were skipping class, she wouldn't have had to tell them off about it, would she? Hmm. Well, the typical defence of 'I forgot' didn't really work for her if security, Peter or Gabe asked her why exactly she hadn't sent them back to their lessons. Photographic memories weren't all good. " Well... " Honestly: always the best policy. " I don't really care. Your teachers might, though, so it's sorta up to them. " Jo stared blankly at Chris' ' some people think we're doing...things, you know? ' Doing things? Like sleeping? " It is a nice day. But...people don't mind if you sleep together in your dorms. " She smiled happily, slightly confused as to why he'd think that, and - Oh. Well, that was the mother of all mis-phrasings. " I mean, you can't sleep together, as in...that. But you can... " Wow. Maybe she should start listening to the things she said before she let them out of her mouth. Deciding it was best to just leave that topic alone, she blushed but went quiet.
When Chris shouted, she started, her eyes flying open and her mind trying to process what he had just said. When people yelled, she tended to not understand that actual words - it was so loud, her brain worked on making her ears not explode from the sound, rather than listening. " Um... " Jo saw Kitty, standing beside her, and was confused for a second before the girls foot made contact with her side. Yelping in surprise, and pain, she glared up at the child. " Ow! " It was sad that that was not the first time she had been assaulted since arriving here. Another occupational hazard - you might get attacked (and raped) by the kids here.
But it would probably put people off applying if she put that in the job description.
Jo sat cross-legged, shuffling away from the pair and hanging her head slightly. That was mean. From that little act, she guessed that Kitty was upset with her allegations. Upset because she was protecting Chris? Quite likely. Of course, there was always the possibility that she genuinely wasn't being controlled by her brother. Still, she wasn't inclined to believe that one. When an arm was shoved in her face, she had a sudden urge to turn her head away, like a surly schoolchild, but forced herself to read the words slowly. Kitty was obviously angry. She didn't even have to look at the girl to realize that; the kick had summed it up. After reading and re-reading the poorly-formed handwriting a few times, she looked up at the girl, carefully weighing up the pros and cons of her idea. Oh, sod that. She'd just go for it. " I'm sorry, I can't understand your writing. Can you read this to me? " She looked at Chris sharply, wondering if he was going to take over for his sister and read the words. If he did, she'd just say that she couldn't trust him to read it... Might result in another kick, but it was a good way to establish that she didn't want a non-verbal relationship with Kitty.
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Post by Chris Allen on Sept 11, 2010 21:41:27 GMT
Chris snorted as he saw what she said dawn on her. She hadn’t meant it, it was ok, but it was also mildly hilarious. “The other Doctor Hudson doesn’t.” he said, returning to being serious as he exchanged a glance with Kitty. “I think the gist is, we can’t sleep in the same dorm unil we share one. And he’s never going to let us…” Kitty touched his arm and gave him a look. Oh… Chris got it. “Unless of course, you said we could.” It was a long shot, both twins appreciated that, But it was better than nothing. They were desperate, and sleeping on a toilet floor… they both knew there was only so long before one or both of them ended up ill.
Kitty glared. Yeah, well, ow is what you just did to us, Lady… Kitty gritted her teeth out of sheer annoyance. If she could, she would have screamed. She shared a look of pure exasperation with Chris, then picked up her notebook, transferred the pen to her right hand and painstakingly slowly wrote out the message again, in careful, childish letters, printed all rounded and wobbly. One of her S was backwards. She noticed it and her heart missed a beat, as did her breathing. She hated this. She hated Doctor Hudson. All the doctors…
As she wrote, Chris read out what she’d written on her arm word for word. They were both aware, on some level, that this was a test, but neither was about to do it her way. Kitty was fully aware that Jo really wanted her to read it and she would have if she could. Honestly, she would have. What was wrong with everyone?
Chris read slowly and carefully. He too was aware of what Jo was doing. While Kitty’s handwriting was still appalling – as in she’d been given handwriting exercises to do at school, which she’d flatly refused to go along with – it wasn’t so bad that a person couldn’t read it if she put her mind to it. And Jo was putting her mind to something. He was willing to bet they wouldn’t like it. He knew Kitty was ready to scream in frustration. She hated writing with her right hand, it made her feel all wrong and took her back to their childhood, somewhere neither of them wanted to be. Normally he would have put his arm around her, but… after what Doctor Hudson said, he thought it best to leave her to it. Hopefully, this would convince her. And with any luck he and Kitty could sort each other out later. Who needed psychiatrists anyway?
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Post by Dr. Josephine Hudson on Sept 12, 2010 6:29:48 GMT
Jo blushed but pretended that nothing embarrassing had happened. If you did that for long enough, people (usually) stopped laughing. Not always, but most of the time. For a second, she was confused as to who 'the other Doctor Hudson' was, before it clicked. 'Your husband? Yeah, him.' Why wouldn't Gabe let the twins share a room again? Probably because they were dependent on each other, and letting them be together all the time wouldn't help that at all. When Chris spoke, she half-smiled at him, wondering if she was being manipulated in some odd way. " Um... Why do you want to share a room? " Hopefully, she wasn't going to agree to the two sharing a room by mistake, although that was the sort of idiotic thing she'd do.
Glaring right back at Kitty, Jo watched as the girl re-wrote the message. Apparently, the twins knew what she was trying to do. It was pretty obvious; she'd admit that. Well, she could be pretty insistent when she wanted to be. Looking at the paper, she frowned. It was half-faked - she wanted the children to believe she genuinely couldn't read it, although there was a reason she was a psychiatrist and not an actress, besides stage fright - and half-genuine. She'd noticed a flipped letter, which just messed with her eyes.
She smiled at Chris as he read, waiting until he'd finished before shaking her head slightly. " I'm sorry, Chris, but how do I know that you're not just making it up? " Jo edged away from the two slightly, not wanting to be kicked again, which reminded her. Should she yell at Kitty? Violence wasn't tolerated at St. Dympha's, although that didn't stop it happening. Frequently. She decided to let it go, although she'd make a note in the girls file later. Jo wasn't in the mood to yell at kids. Well, she was rarely - never, actually - in the mood to yell at kids (what would that mood be called, anyway? Happy? Sad? Kid-yelling mood?) but she especially didn't feel like it today.
It would be nice if she could just get Kitty talking, go back to her office and have some hot chocolate, and then have a nice therapy session with Francesca. It was a pity she didn't have Laura as well... She'd ask to have the girl transferred over, but Gabe might not approve of hot-chocolate therapy. As useful as it was.
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Post by Kitty Allen on Sept 12, 2010 21:43:06 GMT
Chris blinked. No one had ever asked them why they wanted to share a room. They’d assembled an argument, of course. Just in case, it never hurt to be prepared. “Well... We want to actually get some sleep. Without the nightmares and everything… And we want to feel comfortable and happy, especially at night. Night time is difficult, you know? It’s dark and scary…” Chris shuddered, only semi theatrically. “And our room mates aren’t getting a whole lot of sleep either. We seriously piss off the security guards… and where we end up… well, one of us is going to end up sick sooner or later, so…” Chris shrugged.
How did she know Chris wasn’t making it up? Because the woman could read the damn thing. She knew she could, Kitty wasn’t stupid and neither was her brother. She put her forehead on her brother’s shoulder and screwed up her face in sheer exasperation. Why would Chris make that up? As if she couldn’t convey it herself if he had! Kitty could have screamed in frustration. She knew the teacher wanted her to talk. Hell, SHE wanted her to talk, but it wasn’t about to happen. Kitty knew it, Chris knew it, and everyone else had not a clue.
“Why would I bother making that up?” Chris snorted. “As if Kitty wouldn’t slap me if I hadn’t said the right thing. In case you haven’t noticed, we’re not exactly averse to that.” It was true. They were forever playfully smacking each other. Their other shrink had had a problem with it, but they were alright. It wasn’t as if they were beating each other up or anything. “We know you can read it.” He looked at Jo very seriously, holding Kitty’s hands as he helped her sit on the grass with him. “You can stop pretending. Our last psych tried all that and nothing worked. Try something else.” He stroked Kitty’s hair softly, feeling her trying not to cry, the lump in his throat so near it was almost his own.
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Post by Dr. Josephine Hudson on Sept 17, 2010 5:41:09 GMT
They had nightmares? Jo began to feel sorry for sorry for the twins. Nightmares were scary. She'd had some before, and they usually involved being chased by something she couldn't quite escape. Or being touched and not being able to get away. She'd never analysed her dreams, or mentioned them to the other psychiatrists here. It probably meant that she had parental issues of some description. That, or she had some sort of bizarre sexual fetish. Of course, she could always analyse it as just a dream, which sounded better. As Chris continued to speaking, she (figuratively) melted, feeling guilty. They'd been keeping these poor kids apart... "Um... Well, hypothetically, if you did share a room, where would you go?" They'd have to vacate an entire dorm just for the twins...
Jo watched as Kitty rested her head on her brothers shoulder, looking pretty annoyed. Another sign of dependency, she guessed. "You might bother making it up because you're controlling Kitty, and you don't want to get found out." Again, she inched slightly further away from the two, hoping she wouldn't get kicked again. "I haven't noticed," in answer to his 'in case you haven't noticed. "How do you know I can read?" It was possible that she couldn't. Not likely, but certainly possible.
Shifting her attention from Chris to his sister, she regarded the girl with interest. "Do you want to be able to talk? Because most of the other mutes I've worked with wanted to. They all had trouble starting, though, like I think you have." It was quite rare that someone genuinely didn't want to talk. She thought back, and couldn't remember any patients that didn't want to talk. Schizophrenic ones were told that they couldn't, by their voices. Sexually abused children were scared of what they might say, but had a desire to reach others. And extremely shy children - like she had been, when she hadn't talked - wanted to be braver, but couldn't work out how. Kitty fit under the sexually abused category, Jo thought.
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