The morning sky was still bright blue, very lightly speckled by clouds. It was surely a nice day, although Lydia found it hard to enjoy while she was being half-dragged by Alice, headstrong as she trudged along the stone path that was lined with hedges. They were going around the east side of the manor.

"It's just over here!" Alice chimed. "Almost there!"

Lydia glanced to her right, seeing the open country plane. What still baffled her was the fact that it was an 'open' country plane. There was no wall, fence, or anything to separate the manor from the country.

We're forced to stay at this manor, or so they say, and yet what's there to stop us from running away?

Lydia blinked hard.

Huh...What is there to stop us from running away?

Alice broke Lydia from her thoughts. "I see you staring. It's beautiful, isn't it? Yet another great thing about the manor; the building itself is grand enough, but the place around it is just as amazing!"

"What's there to stop patients from running away?" Asked Lydia.

Alice stopped, turning back to face Lydia. At first, she seemed curious, but then she wore a wry smile and 'tsked' her.

"Getting some mischievous thoughts, are we?"

"No, it's just-"

"I'm only teasing! I won't blame you; I had the exact same thought when I first came here. However, think of it this way. It's not just the Aetheriuses that keep us here, its professional doctors and the police reinforcing it. If we leave, they'll catch us regardless and put us somewhere a lot worse. Not to mention, it's a half-hour to the city by carriage. That's double by foot! The country has a lot of beasts, too, so you might get eaten on the way. In other words, stay at the manor. It's much better than jail or a bear's stomach."

Lydia looked down, hiding her anger.

Dammit, she's right. Even if I got to the city, the police would be a major problem. I couldn't even return home without being dragged back out and thrown to some godforsaken containment facility...There really is no escape.

Alice chimed on, "Now, let's get back to work!"

Lydia flinched when the cheery girl unexpectedly grabbed her wrist and continued to drag her along the path.

"The manor has a lot of things to offer," she explained. "If you don't like this stuff, there are options! You could do some work in the gardens, help Edwin in the kitchen, maybe put the piano to use, or the art supplies. Oh, maybe Hinata would lend you a custom Aetherius rifle! You and she could do a bit of shooting at the range behind the gardens!” She cringed. “Well, actually, probably not that. I don't know how she'd react to a patient wanting to use a gun. Maybe under strict supervision, although we could still do better than gunmanship."

No, I'd take the gun. Just to blow my own head out if you don't shut up.

Finally, Alice stopped when they were at the east side of the manor. Across from the ivy-coated wall were several pens enclosed with fences made from several black iron rods. They went in a row, following the curved stone path as it led to the back of the manor. Each enclosure had its own small barn to house whatever was held within it. From here, Lydia could only see what was in the first one. A couple of pigs.

"Here we are! I take care of the animals, and Hinata even lets me name most of them. I come out here to feed them, play with them, groom them, and so on. There's a good amount of the precious things, too, such as four pigs, eight chickens, a goat, three lambs, four horses, two cows, and even a llama. Isn’t that great?”

"Sure," Lydia blankly responded.

"Come on, I'll show you everything!"

Lydia couldn't help being slightly vexed as Alice continued to drag her about, not once ceasing her cheery rambling.

Alice began showing her every animal and giving names that she forgot seconds later. Lydia was contemplating over the concept of just leaving, but Alice looked thrilled to have someone to talk about this with. As such, Lydia bit the bullet and let Alice lead her about, silently praying for this not to become the norm. The words went in one ear and right out the other, and she didn’t even want to hold onto any of this worthless information.

If my time here is just a lot of this, I think I’ll beg Ann to throw me in the asylum...Still, I shouldn't ignore Alice. If I'm on her bad side, then the others won't like me, either. Not that I really care, but Hinata wouldn't like that. If I want to keep her happy, I need to keep these ones happy.

With everything Alice said, Lydia tried to respond politely or not at all, but the truth was that this both bored and annoyed her. Everything smelled horrid, and the animals themselves could've been better. The pigs were gross after rolling in mud and what she was sure was faeces. The lambs and chickens just ran away from her, and the goat kept trying to eat her dress. The cows just lazed about like oversized slugs. ‘Not interesting or cute in the slightest,’ or so Lydia thought. As for the llama, while Alice made it sound foreign and interesting, it just tried to spit at her whenever she got close.

It seemed like the only tolerable ones were the horses. They didn't run away or try to eat her, and they seemed so graceful as they grazed and pranced about the pasture with flowing manes and shiny coats. They were the only creatures that Lydia could appreciate.

As of now, Lydia was sitting on the fence of the horses’ pasture, while Alice brushed out a bay horse’s dark mane.

"So what do you think, Lydia?" Asked Alice. "I can tell that this might not be your passion, but aren't they just great?"

"Uh-huh," Lydia absent-mindedly replied.

Alice chuckled, "Maybe you'd like horseback-riding? This one seems to like you."

It was true that this horse kept moving its head toward Lydia, practically begging to be pet. Lydia only shrugged her shoulders after being asked the previous question.

"Maybe. I don't know. For now, with all due respect, I don’t care about anything. I appreciate your efforts to...spur me, I suppose, but it’s just not going to work right now."

“I understand, of course,” Alice responded. “We just like to make sure you find your place soon, so as to provide more opportunities. And you never know; some patients simply like a sooner, straightforward response. You arrive, you get your job and role, then little by little heal yourself.”

While Alice went back to her work, continuing to ramble, Lydia looked toward the bright sky.

The autumn sunlight was nearly blinding her, making her use her hand to shield her eyes from the sun just so she could continue to gaze about the overhead space. Only a few clouds speckled the blue sky. Lydia thought it looked like the same country plane she'd been seeing. The sky itself looked to be composed of several rolling blue hills, while the clouds were cotton trees to break the pattern. Only this, here. Not a tinge of grey, or even a bird to break the peace. Just this open celestial plane.

It's so much clearer, out here. There’s no kind of city lights or pollution to ruin it.

She mentally sighed.

This natural sky is nice, but...

The thought of the city was starting to make Lydia homesick. She quickly dismissed the thought, though something else popped in her head when she felt the distant thought of running away, even though there was no escape. As usual, Lydia didn't want to converse anymore than she had to, but she also wanted to know.

"Alice, when I said that I was thinking about running away, you said you had the exact same thought.”

Alice looked distant, then. "I did, indeed. That was the biggest mistake I ever made."

"That's what I'm curious about," said Lydia. "If you're so fond of the manor now, what made you opposed in the first place?"

Alice seemed to grow a bit distant. "Well, it’s mainly because I was an entirely different person, at the time. After my accident, I was just so frightened and unnerved by everything. When I heard about the manor, I imagined a place with barred windows, flickering lights, no life or colour, and horrid treatments. Once the first day passed, I began coming to my senses, but not much. I figured that I wasn't insane, so I tried to leave out of the belief that I didn't belong here. Jonathan, the butler, caught me before I could get very far, though."

"What made you so fond of this place?" Asked Lydia.

"Hinata, of course!" Alice happily responded. "See, I thought I was going to be in much trouble when I was caught, enough to be sent away, but I wasn't. And the way she talked to me finally made me realize that we must've been long-lost sisters! She was just like the 'me' before the manor. When Hinata grew on me, the manor and other patients started to, as well.”

Lydia arched one brow. “All of it? There’s nothing bad or strange, out here?”

Alice seemed hesitant. “Well, there are creaks and groans, and typical vermin, but that’s very normal. As for the other patients, I get along very well with Elizabeth and Esther, but I just…” She blushed. “I just don’t get along well with boys. Silas is very sweet, so I tolerate him well, but the others...I don’t hate them, but they’re not likeable to me. You may think otherwise, but that’s my personal opinion, and I don’t know if it’s a normal one.”

Lydia just grunted, hardly listening at all. Although, after this conversation, she couldn’t help imagining herself as some juvenile girl, gossiping with her friend about all the boys they knew. Then again, it wasn't as if the other female patients were very interesting to discuss. In the hour or so that Lydia had known them, Elizabeth said one sentence, while Esther said one word. However, thinking about this made her like them. Finally, she found some people who didn't want to talk her ear off.

And yet while Alice is oddly annoying, I seem to like talking to her. At the same time, I feel absolutely nothing for her...I like it. Someone to talk to, and yet I hold no care for her. Just when I thought such a person wouldn't exist.

Alice looked happier. “I guess I can't say I hate anyone, here. Even though they're all misfits, like you and I, there's still the reason to feel sympathy for them. Someone may have told you already, but everyone here has seen a bit too much of the darkness. Bad pasts create strange people."

"So I've heard," Lydia replied. "Both the police and Hinata talked about it."

Alice sprang up. "Oh, speaking of which, I just remembered something I was going to ask you!"

"What?"

"You did here the main rules, yes? There are three."

"No, I think Hinata was trying to end the introduction early. She never said anything about the rules, except that we had to stay off the third floor."

Alice nodded. "Hinata probably doesn't want us to pester Lord Victor. As for the rules, the concept of the strange others is what brought it up. That's rule one. Minor rivalries are typical, but you have to play nice with others. No matter how annoying or strange they are, don't let that get to you. As I said, and will say again if needed, these are good people who've been through a lot."

"Even if they don't act the part," Lydia muttered.

"Yes, even if they don't act the part," Alice said. "That's why Hinata makes sure there are no big rivalries. We've all developed such intense emotional reactions toward random things; fear, anger, sorrow, you name it. Even though some others find it stupid, it runs a lot deeper. So before you can settle here, you'll have to drop your judgemental side and keep an open mind."

Hmm...And what makes these loons tick? Lydia spoke aloud, "What kind of fears?"

"Simple, really," Alice explained. "I won't say names, but you'd be surprised. The right scenarios can turn the most simple things into a kind of weapon. Masks, water, reflective surfaces, even mere ribbons. While some around here make sense, it's ones like those that are a little strange. That's why I like making sure all new people know rule one at the very least; know just how odd the oddities are so you can brace yourself."

"Thanks for the warning," Lydia remarked. You really weren't lying, there.

"No problem! Anyways, rules two and three are much more simple. Rule number two; no one leaves the manor without consent, but you already knew that. As for rule number three, if he ever makes an appearance, don't talk to Victor unless told to. I don't want to say anything bad about him, he's really a good man, it's just that he's as strange as us. I've only seen him twice in the year-and-a-half I've been here, and both times, he's resembled a corpse more than a person."

"Then how do you know he's good, if you've only seen him twice?"

"He has to be. After all, if he was a bad person, then why would he let us into his home? He could've easily overruled any of Hinata's suggestions, but he didn't. He was willing to share his home with strangers; loony strangers, no less."

I suppose that's true, but why the 'corpse' part? And the upstairs was so dark...Is Victor a vampire?

"Well, you know the three rules, the people, the manor- I think you'll be alright from here on out. Don't let that stop you from asking any questions, if you're confused on anything."

"No, I think I understand," Lydia replied. “It’s…”

Lydia trailed off as Alice suddenly gained a disapproving expression. “Slumming again, Soloman?”

“Piss off.”

Lydia flinched, glancing over her shoulder. It was there that she spotted a strange new patient; a tall man, older than the other boys (perhaps in his early twenties), with a black trench coat, blue eyes, and a noticeable scar across his right cheek. His hair was dark in colour, choppy but neat, except for the one stray piece standing in front.

“Who’s this?” Lydia interrogated.

Before the new patient could even speak, Alice butted in.

“This is Soloman, Lydia. He was the very first patient here, and has been an elusive pain in the arse ever since he was taken in.”

Soloman sneered, “I can manage my own introductions, thank you very much. New girl, would you care to introduce yourself.”

“My name is Lydia,” she responded. “As far as I see, that’s all you need to know.”

Alice sighed, “Well, that’s six out of seven other patients crossed off the list. Soloman, what happened to Trancy? He has yet to meet our newest patient, and I haven’t seen him anywhere.”

“He’s somewhere in the garden,” Soloman answered. “Instead of wasting time hunting him down, just wait; he’ll appear sooner or later.”

“Suppose so,” Alice murmured. “Alright, then, you can go.”

Soloman gained a tone of prominent sarcasm. “Thank you so much for the permission, Lady Ariet. Good day.”

As he sulked off, Lydia couldn’t help getting a mixed feeling about that first encounter. On one hand, she liked anyone who was quiet and had enough ‘bark’ to tell off the annoying girls like Alice. On the other hand, she also didn’t like his strange appearance, and some kind of sign he gave off that implied trouble.

Alice sighed, “He’s not too bad, but I’d be lying if I said he was just some innocent bystander. He’s one of those people who doesn’t really do anything harmful or annoying, but you just don’t like them anyway; something about them throws your senses off, regardless of your tolerance. Does that make sense?”

“Perfectly,” Lydia agreed.

Alice brushed out her dress. “Now, why don't we go back inside? Even better, we can get some tea! Nothing's better than tea at noon, right?"

Lydia decided to agree, as she just wanted to go back inside. "Sure, why not?"