Roux, Madeleine - Asylum 01 - Asylum by Roux Madeleine

Author:Roux, Madeleine [Roux, Madeleine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2013-05-29T04:00:00+00:00

“What would you know about it? You’re not an artist, Dan. You’re— I don’t know what you are. You hold things in. You never share your own opinions. Do you really believe me about my aunt? I don’t even know. You get some weird email and a threatening note, and you say you want answers, but you won’t even go down to the basement with me. What are you, Dan? Whose side are you on?” She turned and stomped away, not giving him a chance to respond. He wanted to answer, to say something, but she was already with her friends at the art table and the last thing he wanted was to have an audience while he tried to explain his worth.

Anyway, what would he say? She was right—he did keep things to himself. He didn’t like to take risks; he was cautious. He was closed in. There was so much he hadn’t told her and Jordan. But she’d seen something in him before. Was that gone?

What was he? she’d asked. He was many things right now. And he felt like he was being pulled in a million conflicting directions. He definitely wanted to be with Abby, and that felt like the strongest, clearest direction. But fear of what awaited them in the old wing flooded his body. When they went down to that place, something bad happened to them—and to their friendship.

Dan cleaned up the table, his face hot with embarrassment. He took his tray and walked out of the dining hall without looking at Abby and her new entourage.

Outside, the crisp air felt like a blessing. He paused and glanced over his shoulder, through the windows and into the dining hall. Abby had her back to him, but he could tell by the shake of her shoulders she was laughing.

Dan walked slowly back to Brookline, his thoughts heavy, his heart even heavier.

When he got to his room, he slipped into his bathrobe and trundled down the hall to the bathroom. One of the showers in the cubicle behind him dripped, the droplets pinging the drain with an uneven rhythm. As he washed up, he remembered what the warden had written about “twisted roots.” Where did insanity begin? With paranoia and insecurity like Jordan’s, or with a strong-minded obsession like Abby’s? Should he be worried that their behavior marked the first signs of something more serious?

They are walking the line between genius and insanity. You know the line well.

When he lowered his hands from his face, Dan saw he had scrubbed his skin almost raw. He dried off with his towel, and then paused in front of the mirror. He always chose this same mirror. It had deep black scratches in the upper right-hand corner that looked vaguely like a word, and each night he’d decide it spelled something different. Tonight, it looked like HELP.

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