Felix smiled back to them. "Of course, if any of you need me, just ask." He checked his watch. "I really need to go, see you around!" He rushed off. Making his way through the cafeteria, then the halls, he made it to the office. He sighed seeing that the boss was out of the office. So he placed the papers in the 'mailbox'. He sighed, leaving much slower than before.
“Why is he always in such a hurry?” Charlie complained. “I don’t get it.”
Alice shrugged. “Many he has stuff to do or something. You wouldn’t know what that’s like.”
“Well some of us like to relax once in a while,” Charlie retorted with a smirk. “Speaking of which, wanna sneak out tonight after lights out? I found some pretty cool stuff.”
“Charlie, your bad habits aren’t going to make your mental health any better,” Chessidy warned. Coming from anyone else, Alice was sure the comment would make Charlie a bit mad, but from Chessidy he didn’t mind.
“So what?” Charlie countered with a shrug. Chessidy rolled her eyes.
Maddox slid into the seat next to Charlie. “Hey guys.”
“And where have you been?” Charlie asked him, raising his eyebrows.
“Oh, here and there,” Maddox said mysteriously. Maddox was always a mystery. None of them even knew why he was here, though he acted pretty crazy sometimes.
“You missed some exciting stuff,” Alice noted.
“Like the cute new nurse guy,” added Charlie. Chessidy rolled her eyes.
“Alice is into him,” she said.
“I am not.”
“Are to.”
“Am not!”
Felix slowly went through the halls and back to the cafeteria. He went to the water and got a cup filling it up once only to gulp the whole thing down and fill it up again. He looked around the cafeteria making sure everyone was behaving. All the other nurses seemed to have left or they didn't really care. He felt bad about that, but at least he was trying.
Maddox laughed. “Okay, then. Sounds fun.”
Alice shook her head but she was smiling. She stood up. “I’m gonna go toss my tray, be right back,” she announced before heading off to throw away what she hadn’t eaten. The conversation continued at her table as she walked across the room.
Apparently, Jake had decided that since Felix wasn’t looking their way, he could do what he wanted again. As soon as Alice’s hands were empty, he appeared as if summoned. She glared at him. “Didn’t the new guy tell you to leave me alone?” she scowled.
“Did you tell him about my secret?” Jake demanded.
“No,” Alice replied firmly. “Now leave.”
“Or what? You’ll sic your new friend on me?”
“We aren’t friends.”
“You seemed pretty friendly.”
“I said just leave me alone—“ she repeated, going to walk off when Jake grabbed her wrist. “Let me go, Jake.”
A mad glint flickered in Jake’s eye as he tilted his head, pretending to consider. “Let me think—no.” She tried to look over to where Felix was as if she could let him know what was happening telepathically.
Felix finished his water and threw away the cup. He didn't see Alice or Jake in that time. He kept his eyes on another group he was skeptical of. He leaned against the wall so he wasn't in the way. He had finished what he needed to for the day so that's why he wasn't in a rush this time.
Jake followed her gaze and smirked. “Oh, you think he’s going to come save you,” he taunted her. “Well that isn’t going to happen.” She opened her mouth to try and get either Felix’s or her friends’ attention. “Don’t even think about it. They’ll just think you’re crazy. You know that several of the staff like me and hate you.” Unfortunately, that much was true.
“What do you want?” Alice hissed. Jake only smirked in response and yanked her towards the door, which was only a few feet away. Alice was much shorter and thinner than Jake, so she was easy for him to pull. Once they were around the door, Jake put his arms on the wall on either side of her, pinning her in place. “What do you want from me?”
Meanwhile, Chessidy had noticed Alice’s disappearance. “Alice is gone, you guys,” she said urgently.
“Did she have another Wonderland episode?” Charlie wondered, looking around for her with a bit of worry.
Felix finally turned his head in the direction that Alice and Jake had been in, he noticed her friends scanning the room and looking worried. He did the same and he didn't see Alice. Patients weren't supposed to leave the cafeteria until dinner ended, so this worried him as well. He started roaming around casually in an attempt to find Alice. He nervously tapped his fingers against his thighs head turning to look at each table.
Maddox stood up. “I’m going to search for her,” he announced.
“You’re not going alone,” Chessidy added, following his lead and bringing Charlie with them.
Meanwhile, Alice looked up into Jake’s face fearfully. “I won’t tell anyone what you and Nurse Grace do when no one’s looking,” she said angrily. “I already told you that. What else do you want?”
“Tell your little friend to leave me alone. For good,” Jake replied. Alice could smell his sour breath in her face.
“Okay, fine! Now let me go!” she protested. Jake leaned in with a manic gleam in his eyes again.
“I don’t think I will.”
Felix saw Alice's group of friends stand up and start looking around. He speed-walked up to them with a smile. "What are you guys doing?" He asked even though he had an idea of what they were doing. He was still very nervously tapping his fingers, one could think he was a patient instead of a nurse.
“Alice disappeared,” Charlie informed him. “We’re looking for her.”
“Yeah, I haven’t seen Jake either,” added Chessidy. “That’s not good. Jake thinks he can get away with anything because he’s so chummy with a lot of the staff, especially Nurse Grace, as I’m sure you’ve figured out by now.”
“He’s a psychopath,” Maddox mumbled darkly. “The staff here is shit. Well, most of them, anyway.”
Alice tried to hide the fear she felt by continuing to glare at Jake. The look she gave him was her coldest, but it didn’t seem to faze Jake.
“Admit it, you’re only spreading rumors about me because you’re jealous,” Jake purred, his nose only inches away from Alice’s own.
“What the hell, Jake?!” she sputtered, both outraged and terrified.
“Admit it.” His eyes narrowed.
“What?!”
“You heard me. Admit it.”
Felix sighed, looking around again. "Yeah. I saw that she was missing as well, and if Jake is missing then… I don't know… it's just not good." He nodded at Maddox's comment in agreement. "I'm going outside to check, you all aren't allowed out there so stay in here and look around for her, okay?" He sped to the door and went through it. He went through a different door than Alice and Jake had, be he was on the same side as they were.
“I don’t care whether we’re allowed out there, if he doesn’t come back in two minutes with Alice, I’m going,” Maddox replied once Felix had left. “Like I said, staff is shit. They won’t notice.”
The three of them split up and searched around inside of the cafeteria, glaring at Jake’s goons.
“No, I’m not going to admit it,” Alice spat, her anger beginning to override her fear. “It’s not true!”
That only fueled Jake’s psychopathic intensity. “Fine then.” Before she could react, his mouth was on hers. Unable to think of anything else, she kneed him the groin, causing Jake to lean back and groan in pain. He glared at her, all fiery rage now. Then Alice spotted Felix down the hall.
“Felix! Help!” she called, right before Jake slapped her. “Let me go!!”
Felix heard his name and flicked his head in the direction of the sound. He saw Alice and Jake. He ran through the hall, trying to think of something to do. Once he got there, he got in front of Alice and glared at Jake. "Hey, buddy, didn't I tell you to stay away from Alice is she didn't like it? I doubt she enjoyed this and you know better than I do if she did or not." He couldn't think of anything better to do. He should've brought him inside the cafeteria, but that somehow didn't cross his mind.
Jake glared at Felix. “What are you going to do about it?” he demanded. He had a good six or seven inches on the other boy. The crazy gleam was still in his eyes.
“You’re outnumbered, Jake,” Alice added. “There’s two of us and only one of you.” A red mark was fading into view on her cheek from where she’d been hit.
Jake laughed. “You’re not going to do anything.”
"Oh but I will. You don't want to go to the detention chamber, do you?" A small smirk appeared on Felix's face. That, he was told, always scared the kids. He himself didn't like the room anyway. There was no outside contact, not even nurses except for the one that put the patient in the chamber. It was a rough place overall.
All of the blood drained from Jake’s face. “You wouldn’t…” he snarled, but without conviction. Even Alice looked slightly surprised. It was rare for kids to be sent there, though she supposed Jake probably deserved it. He was pretty awful to her and her friends, though this was the first time he’d gone this far. Both of them looked at Felix apprehensively.
"Oh I would, don't underestimate me," Felix said. He was glad that it did actually hold leverage against them, but it did sound awful so it makes sense. "I can either take you there, or you leave Miss Alice and her friends alone."
“It’s only temporary, what’ll you do after I’m out again?” Jake taunted, his bravado back. Alice blinked, looking back at Felix. It was a fair question. She knew it would most likely become worse once Jake got out.
"I'm sure I can come up with something by then, especially if I extend your stay in there. But don't worry, it won't be too bad." Felix smiled. Inside he was panicking like heck, this was the most involved thing he has done, and I bet most of the other nurses haven't dealt with this either. "So what's your choice?"
Jake seemed to realize that Felix was panicking. “Oh yeah? And who’s going to help you?” he asked with a raised eyebrow.
“Certainly not Nurse Grace,” Alice couldn’t resist mumbling.
“Can it or I’ll slap you again!” he snapped at her. She glared back.
Would this kid never give up? "You are not slapping anyone, especially not Alice. And I do not need any help. You may think I'm a weak new employee, but you will soon find out that I can be quite the opposite." Felix was running out of ideas and things to say.
Jake was actually quite nervous, but he was used to covering it up with bravado. If only Alice and Felix could find a way to convince him to give in…
Suddenly, the door to the hallway slammed open. “Reinforcements have arrived,” Chessidy announced, holding her head high. She, Charlie, and Maddox surrounded Jake. “What are you going to do now, Jake?” she taunted.
Felix's small smile grew as Alice's friends came in. "As I said, what's your choice?" He was so glad the had come, it gave him a small surge of confidence. He was surprised none of the other nurses had noticed this, Maddox was definitely right, most of the staff at the center were shit.
Jake glanced around at them, glaring. “Fine,” he growled. He folded his arms across his chest. “Whatever.”
Alice smiled triumphantly, shooting a thankful glance at her friends and at Felix.
"Thank you so much, Jake, but don't think that hasn't left my mind. Next time you do something like this, you will not have a choice." Felix gave Alice a slight nod and a smile to her friends.
Jake gave Felix a surly look. “Are you going to stand there blathering about how much of a bad boy I am or what?”
Charlie noticed the mark on Alice’s cheek, whispering to the others, who all looked concerned and then even more angry at Jake.
"Actually no, no I'm not. Let's all leave… peacefully may I add." Felix moved and turned to Alice, his eyes widening once he saw the red on her face. He checked his watch, there were only 10 minutes left of dinner. "Jake, you should go. Your friends are waiting."
Jake glared at them one last time before walking back into the cafeteria. The others all clustered around Felix and Alice. “What happened?” asked Charlie. Alice didn’t speak.
"Miss Alice, are you okay? That looks bad…" Felix's eyes were still wide. What was wrong with that kid, it is definitely a good thing he's here. "I'm not completely sure what happened though."
Alice felt like she was on the verge of tears, trembling. She swallowed the lump in her throat, trying to respond. “He…he slapped me,” she whispered, not mentioning anything else.