Dirty Secrets

Part 9

Lyla had been awake for hours. She lay in her bed, staring at the cracks in the ceiling. She'd managed to drift back to sleep after Clover was removed from the ward. Now, with the morning sunlight illuminating the room, random thoughts filtered through her mind in an orderly fashion. In an hour or so, after pill time, she'd once again be slogging through her swampy consciousness, fighting to find a pathway between the heavy veils that partitioned one thought from the next.

 The day nurse entered the room, went to Shaniece's bed and shook her shoulder. "Let's go. Eight o'clock."

As usual, Shaniece struggled to dig out of her deep sleep. Lyla theorized that she was probably over-medicated.

"Shaniece. Come on." She shook her again. "Let's get moving."

Shaniece waved her away and groggily opened her eyes. "I'm not really a morning person."

The nurse said sternly, "Lyla. Let's get in line."

"Okay. I'm going."

The nurse quick-stepped into the hall to complete her rounds, ensuring that all the girls were out of bed and getting into the shower line with towels and shampoo in hand.

Lyla propped herself on her elbows and looked at the empty bed by the window. Clover's jeans, shirt, and underwear were scattered across the blanket.

"Wonder where they took her?" said Lyla.

"Got enough of my own problems." Shaniece was always salty first thing in the morning. She yawned then glanced at Clover's bed. "Why'd she strip down?"

"She scared the shit out of me last night," Lyla replied as she got out of bed.

"I know. Same."

Lyla grabbed her toothpaste and toothbrush from the drawer in the nightstand.

"She totally went off. Something must have triggered her."

"She seemed fine making out on the couch with Eric. Something flipped her switch. That's for damn sure."

"I'm gonna get into the shower line before the hot water runs out."

"How does that even happen? They only give us five-minute showers. That's some straight-up bullshit right there."