Midnight Ruling Read Free

being ignorant again. Wouldn’t that be nice? The trip only lasted a half hour, but it made the time go faster.
    Aidan slowed as he neared the opened gates leading to the Windmane Asylum and turned into the parking lot.
    The institution was a series of five large, squared buildings. It was the largest psychiatric ward in the west. Each bricked building looked as if it’d been constructed in the 1940’s and painted a hundred times over. I doubted a hurricane could tear the sturdy buildings down. A well-manicured lawn and shrubbery tried to cast away the foreboding nature, but it didn’t do it well. At least not well enough for me. Neither white-clad patients nor staff could be seen. It was an eerie lack of activity for the sunny day.
    Pulling into the nearly vacant Visitor’s Parking, Aidan turned the bulky station wagon into an open space.
    The main building loomed before us.
    Aidan and I peered out the windshield at the white sealed doors separating us from insanity. Overhead, I half expected to see dark clouds rolling in, probably because my mood demanded it. However, the weather wasn’t cooperating.
    Aidan reached over and took my clammy hand, giving it a gentle squeeze in his warm, dry palm. He didn’t pull away when that little jolt zapped between us on contact.
    I squeezed his hand back, feeling the space between our hands grow hotter. I attempted a weak smile. “I hate this.”
    He smiled back, not showing teeth, and nodded. “We can do this.” It was the we that helped.
    Opening the passenger door, I slip my fingers from Aidan’s. Slamming the door shut, I stood at attention, hand shielding my face from the sun.
    Aidan shut his squeaking door and moved first. He nodded at me, and I followed like an obedient dog.
    I lengthened my strides to catch up to him, my hand snatching his. “Thank you,” I whispered, not looking at him and ignoring the zap .
    The white double doors were getting closer as my heart began to beat louder.
    My hand gripped Aidan’s so hard that he shook his wrist to get my attention. “Be brave, Nora. This is for our friends.”
    Taking a deep breath, I tried to relax my grip on his hand. My other hand twisted the bottom of my shirt, wrinkling the new fabric with the sweat of my palm.
    We stepped onto the sidewalk. My rubber knees threatened to knock me askew, but thankfully, I made it to the front doors.
    Aidan opened the first one for me, and my foot paused. I knew that if I hesitated too long, I might not move at all.
    For your friends , I thought, hearing the anger in it and letting the guilt pull me forward.
    Stepping through the threshold, I was reminded of the Challenge. There, each door represented a step closer to freedom or something very, very bad.
    We shuffled through automatic doors and approached the horseshoe-shaped desk that dominated the waiting room.
    Three women looked up, all still busily tapping at their computers.
    The one nearest us offered a polite smile. “How may I help you?”
    I opened my mouth, but to my horror, nothing came out.
    Blushing, I stepped closer to the desk and cleared my throat. “Sorry,” I said, embarrassed, my voice still squeaking as I fumbled for my ID. “I would like to visit my aunt.”
    “Name?” The nurse, probably in her mid-forties, kept that polite smile plastered, making me fidget.
    “Eleanor Fuller,” I said.
    “Eleanor Fuller?” the second young woman draped in a nurse’s uniform parroted. “Are you family?”
    Aidan and I nodded together, and I felt the heat of controversy summoning itself. Here’s where they’d tell me ‘no’ and send me on my way with a pat on the butt.
    “She’s in the high-security building,” the young nurse said to the one attending us.
    “Oh,” the older one said as if this were significant.
    I glanced at Aidan, eyebrows raised.
    “Please fill these out,” the young nurse said, passing us two clipboards. Before we could ask, she explained. “Because you’ve never been here before,