Ashes of the Innocent || Esmeralda and London
Life was clinging to London like a disease. Usually it was a disease she wanted to rid other people of, but never herself. Lately however it had been a parasitic thought, curled up at the back of her mind only to stretch itself out in feline manner on occasion, raising its head just to remind her that it was there. A possibility, that was all.
Her interest in death had started some time before she had ever been the cause of it-- a fascination that begun with the passing of her mother. It was unanswerable, unknowable, and most interestingly, irreversible. Ouija boards had been a regular part of London's life since then, and she often forgot that some people found that strange, or unbelievable. She liked to think that she could talk with the spirits of those she had killed, to find forgiveness. If anyone tried to tell London that it was her own finger moving the pointer, she wouldn't be pleased.
She had forgiveness. She was sure of it.
Since her friends had very often tended towards the gothic, she had spent a great deal of time sitting around the board, watching the little pointer and allowing, forcing, herself to believe it. Making a ouija board at Belvedere would be a little different, but as it happened, it wasn't too challenging.
The letters and numbers, the yes, no, hello, goodbye, were all scrawled in London's peculiar, spiky handwriting across a sheet of paper lifted from the art therapist. The pointer had been even easier-- one of the little white paper cups they handed the pills round in turned on its head worked perfectly.
With those in her pockets, London wandered down to the first level at the beginning of her free hour. Room 103, as suggested. She had a strange distrust of level one patients, because for the most part they behaved so innocently. They must be hiding something, surely. Esmerelda wasn't exempt from this distrust, although London had no grudge with the girl. She was nice enough. Offering to bring a ouija board may have seemed like a friendly gesture, but it was given more out of boredom than generosity. It had been a while since she had used the board, and Esmerelda seemed impressionable, that was all.
Tapping gently on the door, she slid quickly inside. If the staff saw her entering any of the level ones' rooms, there would probably be trouble. "Alright?" she asked, cocking her head. "I brought the stuff, if you're good to go,"
