1 Chapter One

When I got the job at Pentory State Mental Institution, I didn't know exactly what I was getting myself into. The ink on my degree in therapy had barely dried and I was kept in the shadows about the institution all the way up until I walked in the doors. I was hired to 'get the patients to open up and heal', which sounded great. I mean, that's the point of being a therapist.

But it was unlike anything I had ever seen.

I was told I would be living in a small cottage next to the institution. This didn't bother me. I was fresh out of college and they'd be paying me to stay there. I was very excited, eager, and mildly naive, thinking I would be able to change all of them.

In a way, they weren't the ones that needed to change.

I pulled up to the institution in early spring. The dirt roads were soft and muddy from the rain, which had been snow the day before. There was still a thin layer of snow in some patches, but it was quickly melting. There was no sun.

Nevertheless, my spirits were up. I was so ready for a project. When I asked why they wanted someone so inexperienced, they said it was often nice for them to meet with someone their own age. They wouldn't be as intimidated that way. I agreed, although shocked they were all roughly my age. The oldest patient was twenty-eight. I was twenty-three myself.

On the outside, the institution was castle-like, almost creepy with the current overcast. The stone was dark and cracked, but still looked sturdy. There were barred windows as well. I could see one of the patients at the window, staring at me as I pulled up.

The person who ran the place, otherwise known as the Headmaster, (who I will be calling HM from now on) met me at the front doors.

"Hello, Miss Whittaker?"

"Hi, yes," I replied, smiling softly at him. "But please, just call me Jane."

"Ah, Jane." He shook my hand. "Did the drive out go smoothly?"

"It did," I agreed.

"Wonderful. Would you like me to show you around?"

"Sure."

We started on the main floor and worked our way up. He showed me a living area, somewhere the patients rarely got to be. He said it was quite dangerous, considering all of their mental states. When put together, it was much more dangerous for the workers. I tried to ignore my nerves as I nodded.

There were many empty rooms and some dusty rooms filled with books or furniture. A meeting room that seemed deserted. There was even a game room that looked like it hadn't been touched in ages. When I commented on the thick layers of dust, the HM said: "They haven't been up to it in a long time."

When we headed upstairs, I started noticing the doors with bars over the small windows. Next to each door, on the right, were the names of the patients. I counted eight names. "Is this all?" I asked.

"Yes, there are eight patients," he agreed, but chuckled. "They can be quite the handful."

I wanted to ask what he meant by that, but I held my tongue.

"A few of the patients have special conditions," HM told me. "I will give you a list of the things you will need to remember for each person."

"Excuse me, sir? Why are they here, exactly? I mean, what happened to them?"

He didn't really give me an answer. He just said: "We were there for them when they needed us. They were much worse before you were hired."

I peeked in one of the rooms, but saw nothing.

"You will need to do daily check ups with each person, and hour long appointments with each of them every other day. Four on one day, four on the next, and you'll just keep with the pattern. You'll also need to adjust to our style of discipline."

That definitely confused me. "Discipline? You punish them? They're adults, sick adults."

"Well, if they lash out, then yes," he replied. I glanced up at him as we walked back to the stairs. "Don't worry, it helps."

I gulped a little.

"You will become quite familiar with them, and hopefully they end up liking you. The last therapist left without a word with the patients."

"I hope so too," I told him. "And why?"

"Couldn't handle the pressure, I suppose."

"Ah..."

"Tomorrow you will only meet them all so they know who you are, then on Wednesday you will begin the therapy sessions."

I nodded.

After this, he showed me where I'd be staying. It was a small cottage to the right of the institution. I was really excited because the house was so quaint and perfect for me. When I arrived, it had been quite late, around seven, so he told me tomorrow I would be introduced to all of the patients, and I would start talking to them immediately. He gave me a list for each person. Some were labeled 'A', and some 'B'. These were the days I'd be meeting with them.

"Alright," I said, sitting down at the small table in the kitchen of my new cottage. "Let's see what I'm in for."

I opened the file for the first 'A' Patient.

Name: Jo Jinho

Age: 28

Disorder: Claustrophobia & PTSD

Under tips, the following had been written.

Don't be alarmed if you find him in the bathtub frequently. He finds comfort there.

It also said:

If he attacks you, immediately turn on the metronome. This does not happen often.

My heart had started racing. Would they attack me? I had been trained to react in such situations, but training was different than the real thing. You had to be on your toes.

Next was:

Name: Lee Hoe-Taek

Age: 26

Disorder: PTSD

Tips: He doesn't like yarn/rope of any kind. Try not to bring any around.

How interesting, I had thought. What happened to him?

Next up on the list was:

Name: Koh Shinwon

Age: 24

Disorder: Anxiety Disorder

Tips: Shinwon likes to scratch. Try not to induce any panic attacks.

I rubbed my eyes and continued on. These were all quite extreme. His file didn't say much about why he had this anxiety disorder, which I found strange.

Name: Yeo Changgu

Age: 24

Disorder: PTSD

Tips: Don't use fire around him.

I had been interested in their stories. What happened to put them in this institution? I hoped to find out, and I hoped it wasn't as bad as my imagination was coming up with.

I opened the next folder. This was the start of the 'B' patients.

Name: Yang Hongseok

Age: 26

Disorder: Bipolar Disorder

Tips: He has what seem to be two personalities, so be weary of his inner dark emotions.

I noticed then that these tips were quite vague. It made me a bit nervous, but I guess they were paying me to figure out their issues. I mean, they must know their stories, but they were still trying to heal them of their hardships.

I remember my nerves starting to get to me. This was a big deal. Eight patients all at once. I kept reading, wanting to get at least the basics on everyone.

Name: Adachi Yuto

Age: 22

Disorder: PTSD & Nyctophobia

I had no idea what Nyctophobia was, but the tip made it a tad more clear.

Tip: Don't ever turn the lights off.

So he was afraid of the dark. Interesting.

Next up was the one that intrigued me the most at first glance.

Name: Kang Hyunggu

Age: 22

Disorder: PTSD & Haphephobia

Hmm. Another phobia. After reading the tip, I could only assume one thing.

Tip: By all means, don't touch him.

My mind was swimming with different possibilities. I almost didn't see the last folder, but after checking the name, I saw I hadn't read up on him yet.

Name: Jung Wooseok

Age: 22

Disorder: Chronic Depression

Tips: His depression is severe. Do not insult, and be cautious of bringing up his parents. It could unleash something difficult to handle.

Oh boy, I thought. A lot of them had PTSD. And trying to get people to heal is difficult as is, so trying to understand them all would be such a terrifying challenge. I remember taking out my laptop and looking up the different phobias that Yuto and Hyunggu had. I wanted to read up on them. I'd learned about phobias, but there was nothing wrong with going into depth on those in particular.

After this, I took the liberty of looking around the cottage a bit more. They had stocked the fridge with food and there was a couple stacks of water bottles. The kitchen was small and had an older stove, minimal counter space, and the table I had been sitting at. There was also a microwave next to the sink, which made me a tad nervous. I ended up moving that to the only other counter spot, and, just as I was about to lose hope, I found an outlet for it behind the fridge.

Besides the kitchen, there was a small living room, then a small bedroom branching off that. The bathroom was next to the bedroom, but not attached.

Well, it was good enough for me. It was actually quite cute.

The HM told me to be in his office at eight. I'd be brought to each person and supervised, then the following day would start the sessions.

I decided to get my first impression outfit together that night. I didn't want to seem threatening or too professional, so I decided on a nice blouse and jeans. I hoped the HM was okay with this. He seemed alright, but the discipline thing was making me a tad nervous. What does he mean by discipline?

I hadn't figured it out yet, but thinking back, the place was a little off. Institutions were few and far in between, especially ones deemed as 'insane asylums'. I never liked that term much. It was so derogatory. It didn't help that the doctors tortured the poor people and never gave them a chance to get better. I was hoping this one was different. That had all been outlawed, so I didn't want to assume my new job was anything like those old asylums.

I went to bed, but couldn't sleep until around midnight.

My alarm was set. My outfit was laid out.

Here we go.