Chapter 1

Delirium

"Chastity Madeline Harris!"

Crap. She used my whole name. I'm in trouble.

"If you want to go see Serenity today, you'll do as I say! Get out of bed!"

Well Mom's obviously not having a good day. I bring my palm to my face. Of course she's not having a good day. My parents divorced last year. My Dad cheated on her.

Today was supposed to be their anniversary.

"Fine, I'm getting up!" I call down to her as I drag myself out of bed. I grab my phone and call Layla. She picks up on the third ring.

"Hello?"

"Hey Layla, it's Chastity. I'm going to go see Serenity today, are you coming?"

She lets out a sad sigh. "I don't know Chas, I hate seeing her like this."

Serenity has suffered from Delirium for as long as I can remember. She hadn't been admitted into the Asylum until just recently.

A month ago, Serenity was attacked by an animal in the woods. She suffered major blood loss from a wound in her neck. The police classified it as an animal attack, but Serenity had different ideas.

The doctors decided to admit her into the Asylum. They said she must have been having a hallucination during the attack, because there was no way what Serenity thought could be the truth.

Serenity's mother was heartbroken. She had been doing so well, and then she had another hallucination.

It had been the first one in years.

I look down at the wooden floor of my bedroom as water fills my eyes.

"I know Layla, but we should be there for her. She's got to be upset."

"Yeah, okay."

"I'll pick you up in half an hour." I smile and hang up the phone before she can change her mind and dial Summer's number. She picks up on the first ring.

"Hey Chas!"

"Hey Summer, are you coming-"

"Yep!"

I laugh. "Okay, great I'll pick you up in about a half hour."

"Kay, see you soon!" She hangs up the phone and I chuckle at how bubbly she always is.

I sigh as I launch myself into another chaotic day.

· · · · ·

"Hello Chastity." The receptionist at the desk greats me and my friends and writes us all visitors passes.

"Thanks Ms. Clarell!" I say and stick the visitors pass to my shirt.

"I'm going to get a coffee." My Mom says and goes to the cafeteria.

Summer, Layla and I make our way to the visiting area and wait for her nurse to bring her out to visit with us.

Layla sighs and kicks her feet up on the table in front of us. Summer starts to tell a story of how she went on a date with a really nice guy, but stops when the nurse walks Serenity out. Summer spots her and jumps to her feet. Serenity folds Summer into a hug and they laugh with each other.

I stand up and hug Serenity before she sits down.

"I wonder when the day you stop visiting me will come. I don't want it to come." Serenity says sadly.

I grab one of her hands and shake my head. "It's not going to come."

Summer backs me up. "We could never stop visiting one of our best friends!" Summer looks back at Layla, who's trying hard to focus on her frayed shirt. "Right Layla?"

Layla sits up and nods weakly. "Right." Her voice wavers. I can tell she's about to cry, so I change the subject.

"How are things lately? Any hallucinations?" I ask Serenity.

She looks down. "No..."

"Hey, it's okay! You're going to get through this! I believe in you!" Summer says supportively.

"Summer, stop trying to sugar coat it!" Serenity bursts out.

Summer looks taken aback. "I was just trying to help-"

"I know." She sighs and puts her head in her hands. "I'm sorry, it's the mood swings. They happen at the most random of moments."

"It's okay." Summer says with a small smile.

"So when was your last hallucination?" Layla asks.

Serenity sighs. "Last night." She sounds disappointed. She probably is.

"Will you tell me about it?" I ask her cautiously. She could have another mood swing at any moment.

"It was basically the same as the one that got me back in here." She plays with her brown hair.

Layla sits up even straighter and puts her hands on the table. "Serenity, vampires do not exist!"

"Layla!" I chastise her.

"Don't you think I know that?!" Serenity says to Layla, her voice growing louder. "I can't help what hallucinations I have Layla!" She gets looks from all around the room, so she lowers her voice. "I can't change the fact that I have Delirium."

Layla sighs. "I know, I'm sorry."

"How's the wound?" Summer asks.

Serenity pulls aside her scrubs attire so we can see. The two punctures in her skin are almost healed, but there will definitely be a scar there for the rest of her life.

"It does look like a vampire bite..." Summer mutters. I quickly slap her leg as I dismiss the statement, making sure she doesn't give Serenity anything to stay up over at night.

Summer is never the first to knock a completely impossible idea. That's why I need to make sure she doesn't say anything like that again.

"Serenity, it's time to take your medication." The nurse calls to her. "I put the pills on your pillow, there's a cup of water on the nightstand. I can trust you to take them right?" The nurse throws her a teasing smile.

Serenity giggles. "Right. Thanks!" She calls to the nurse before she leaves. "I'll be back in a minute." She says before standing up and going down the hall to her room.

Summer flips her long brown hair and her brown eyes reflect the glare of the sun as she smiles. Always happy.

A scream comes from down the hallway. I immediately get up and run to Serenity's room only to find her on the ground halfway down the hallway. She didn't even make it to her room. I immediately kneel by her side.

"Serenity it's okay, it's okay." I try to help her up, but she doesn't want to stand.

"No it's not! I saw him! I swear, it wasn't a hallucination! He was there, he was real!"

I look down the hallway and see nothing. I turn my head back to her, then catch something at the corner of my eye.

A man with dark black hair and all black clothing peeks around the corner. I straighten up and knit my eyebrows together. He smirks and then disappears.