The nurse, Miss Grace as they were asked to call her, was right about one thing. Kim Yongseok completely ignored Takuya, even when the Japanese man stood right in front of him staring at him for ten minutes. Shin didn’t seem to like Takuya very much either, for god knows what reason the jittery caffeine addict had it in for him since he arrived here. Though between all the staring Takuya was unsure if the other was planning his death or just spaced out as Nurse Grace told him Shin tended to do.

It was towards the end of the day that Takuya got his first glimpse of what was considered treatment here. Seyoung and Yongseok had been approached by guards who led them back to their rooms (cells) waited while they started putting on their straitjackets. Seyoung had drawn all over his in an array of colored markers, and Yongseok had somehow made his look very reminiscent of the white rabbit, he’d even managed to get away with a pocket watch. Once the two had been completely strapped into the jackets they were jabbed in the neck with a syringe of containing a clear liquid, instructed onto hospital beds and wheeled down the hall opposite the direction of reception and through a set of windowless double doors.

A few minutes later Nurse Grace followed through the doors. Takuya glanced around the room. The light coming through the windows was rapidly fading from orange to a dusky grey and although the windows took up a large portion on one wall he couldn’t see outside. He wondered if they’d put a cloth of some kind over the windows that allowed the light through but obstructed them from seeing the outside world.

Takuya was startled out of his thoughts by someone poking him repeatedly between the shoulder blades. Kim Sangmin continued his poking even as Takuya turned to face him.

“Your name isn’t Korean” Sangmin announced poking the side of Takuya’s face.

“I’m not Korean” he snapped, slapping Sangmin’s hand away when the other tried to poke his nose.

“You’re from Japan” Sangmin replied folding his arms behind his back and rocking from his toes to heels.

“Yes.”

“Why are you here?”

Takuya glared. Normally that would send people stumbling back a few steps but all Sangmin did was continued his absent rocking and waiting for Takuya to respond.

“If you find out let me know” the Japanese man scowled and shoved past Sangmin to sit at an empty table.

The next time someone approached Takuya he looked up at find Shin crouching in the middle of the table staring intently at him. Takuya scooted back slightly and stared back at Shin. This continued on for a few minutes before Shin leaned forward.

“Mine” he hissed, before jumping lightly off the table and padding back towards his one man tea party.  Takuya pulled a face, whatever Shin had declared as ‘his’ Takuya was pretty sure he wasn’t interested in.

Seyoung returned just as everyone was being hustled back to their rooms for dinner. They blond was lifted off the hospital bed, placed on his own, stripped of his straitjacket and given a new box of crayons that seemed to make him very happy indeed, if the way he immediately started drawing on the bed frame was anything do go by. Dinner was served in an orange translucent plastic container and contained lukewarm brown sludge, beige sludge and green sludge with a cup of water. Takuya guessed the brown sludge was supposed to be some sort of puréed meat, the beige was supposed to be mashed potatoes and the green peas. It all tasted like cardboard, but Takuya hadn’t eaten all day and it was preferable to the sludge tasting the way it looked, which was gross.

After their dinner trays were taken away they were supplied with a larger cup of water should they become thirsty during the night, blankets were distributed as patients weren’t allowed to have anything on their bed but a pillow and a bottom sheet during the day. Takuya noticed a cup of water and a blanket being placed in the room opposite his.

Nurse Grace gave them all a five minute warning to lights out. Takuya set about observing his room, ignoring the sound of someone repeatedly telling Shin he wasn’t allowed anymore coffee and another person arguing with Casper about whether or not he should be allowed the exercise ball in his room.

The room was six feet by ten feet. The bed was the same as Takuya had seen in numerous prison dramas and placed directly in front of the door which was simply metal bars set into a frame. A metal shelf was set into the wall next to the bed at waist height. There was no window but a small light bulb was hanging from the middle of the ceiling. In the corner diagonally opposite the head of the bed was a four foot by four foot shower area and toilet both closed off by the same dreary grey shower curtain. You could sit on the toilet and still get hit by the shower spray (dribble). The water for the shower was once every two days for seven minutes before dinner. Everyone else’s room was exact the same layout as Takuya’s with some personal additions. Whoever owned the room opposite his that was currently empty had drawn music all over one wall and a picture of a playing card above the shelf.

One of the staff had compromised with Casper that he was allowed one dumbbell in his room after free time but only if it was the lightest weight.

“Light’s out” Nurse Grace’s voice echoed down the corridor before all the lights blinked off leaving only the eerie blue tinted lights above the door’s at either end of the corridor and the free time room. The blankets were surprisingly thick and warm and although the mattress was thin the pillow was comfortable.

Takuya rolled around for a while trying to get to sleep before he gave up and lay on his back staring at the ceiling. Down the all he could hear Casper making dramatic noise as he lifted the small weight, and there were slurping noises from next to him that he assumed was Shin pretending to drink a cup of coffee. Eventually listening to the noise of the others who were still awake began to lull Takuya into a half asleep state.

Takuya was woken up at least two hours later by the sound of one the bar doors to the rooms closing. Footsteps retreated up the corridor and the heavy double doors to reception banged open and closed locking with an echoing beep. Takuya sat up blinking rapidly until his eyes were used to only the dim blueish light. The room across from his was no longer empty. Yongseok was sitting at the very end of his bed, head slightly cocked and staring directly at Takuya.

“The little mice keep trying to land on your head. It’s very funny.”

Ok so I tried fiddling around with a Korean name with the nurse but it was diffucult, and an alias fits with the direction I want the story to go so I went with Grace. I know the chapters are kinda boring but I'm just trying to get all the details out of the way before the main section of the plot begins. Thanks for reading :)