1,460 days. Nearly four years before you were admitted to Paragon Psychiatric Hospital for your schizophrenia diagnosis. You never really believed in the truth of your diagnosis, to you it was just another obstacle in your already hectic life. The hallucinations were just your version of an imaginative fantasy.

Your most common hallucination was of a male figure who had presented himself as Reed Nightingale. His ghostly appearance in your life was eerily comforting. He kept you safe and protected from the outside world as well as your own mind. The symptoms of your illness had slowly spread across your mind that you slowly developed into your false perception of reality.

Your delusions + hallucinations had consumed your senses of what reality was like before your illness but having Reed was the ultimate experience. Staying confined in your own home with your mind and thoughts wasn’t healthy but Reed always had a way of manipulating your senses to work in his favor and keep you under his control.

It was another night. Another breakdown. Another bad episode. Sitting on the floor of the destruction you had just caused was an all too familiar sight. Glass shards were everywhere, fabric ripped, your hands badly bruised and bloody. You patiently waited for Reed’s arrival, you knew he’d be upset but he was all you had. All you needed. All you dependent on.

Minutes passed before you heard the familiar footsteps of Reed. Each step echoing louder and louder the more he grew closer. Finally the steps stopped in front of you and his voice echoed through the room.

“Tch. You look pathetic, mijn liefde.” He spoke up sternly but there was a hint of concern underneath. He took in your broken form before rubbing his face and sighing.

“Come on. Let’s get you cleaned, fed and into bed. You need it.” He spoke up again, this time in a softer tone and slowly helped you up onto your feet. He was careful to avoid the pieces of glass on the floor and any other injuries to your hands.