"Edward had to be sedated last night." Henry sighed as he matched my stride the two of us arriving to work at the same time.

"Did he?" Henry nodded a solemn look on his face.

"He was quite upset that you'd be working with, well according to him, 'low life scum'" Henry shook his head in dismay.

"It's simply my job." I shrugged as we both exchanged our overcoats ,as always, and dressed for work. "How bad was his fit?"

"Horrible really. Guards said he destroyed everything after waking up from a brief slumber." Henry explained making sure every strand of his hair was in place. "Do I look professional?"

"Yes except for this." His collar was stuck up in an odd manner making it look as though her were a four year old who'd dressed himself. Quickly and carefully I fixed it so that it was crisp and neat. "There."

"Thank you. That's rather embarrassing." He laughed. "Well, please tell me how Eddie is after you check on him. He used to be my patient you know and I do his physical exams. I like to consider us friends."

"Of course." Henry smiled once more before walking off his shoes sounding on the tiles with a rhythmic pace.

"Good morning Helen." I made my way over to the front desk where she'd already rested my charts and report papers on the counter.

"Morning. Ready for day two?" She asked smiling brightly as always. She was full of such childlike glee you couldn't help but smile back.

"Ready as I'll ever be." She laughed lightly as I walked, making my way down the halls to where Edward's room inevitably waited. Nodding at the guards in recognition I opened the door . "Morning Edward."

"Morning." The voice that responded was not what I recognized. Looking up I noted that it belonged to the same person it always had. His light and educated tone was now raspy and tired. Dark circles rested under his eyes and I noticed he had a rather nasty split lip.

"Why Edward you look like you haven't slept in ages." I was unable to keep the worry out of my tone upon seeing his appearance. His eyes shifted nervously around the room from behind his glasses and his lips moved in silence forming phantom words only he knew. "What happened? Henry told me-"

"Henry." Edward shook his head a light smarting in his eyes. "Giving you disgusting patients like that-that nutcase Victor."

"It's my job Edward I can't just have you as a patient you know." He didn't seem to like my chiding much and rolled his eyes.

"Of course I know that. What did he say to you? Victor?" Edward asked clambering to his feet. I noticed that his room was much more bare than before. No table or chairs or even books.

"He said nothing." I assured him.

"Victor always says things. They always mean something." Edward insisted,his hands which shook slightly adjusted his glasses.

"What do you mean? You don't talk to Victor you're in separate wards." Confused I waited patiently for his response.

"I just-I have. I think, I don't know how or when but, I have." Edward frowned rubbing his eyes. He leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees. I noted a bruised mark on his neck that peeked out from the collar of his shirt.

"Edward what happened to your books?" I asked changing the subject not wanting to distress him.

"I-well I ruined them." He said flatly. "I was tired of the same two stories."

"Well I suppose they'll give you new ones then." He didn't seem very reassured by my words.

"Did you bring any clippings?" He asked tapping his foot anxiously.

"I didn't." He looked at me in surprise. "I'm sorry Edward I forgot."

"You aren't the type to forget." He pressed his lips into a tight and thin smile. "Oh well."

"Edward what woke you up last night?" He contemplated my question.

"I don't know. A dream? Something startled me." He sniffed wiping his nose on the back of his sleeve. "Yeah that was it. Something spooked me."

"Well if that's the case then next time don't ruin your room." My words were a tad harsh but his fits could be a bit tiring at times. I'd have to arrange refurbishing his room. It was a hassle that wasn't needed, if it had been a simple nightmare that had invoked one of his fits.

"My apologies." Edward said looking down. "I suppose you have someone else to see."

"I do. However I might stay and play a game of chess with you in the yard after I finish my rounds." His expression lit up and a light smile shifted his features.

"We haven't played since-"

"Christmas last year, I know. I got into trouble for that one but I'm sure they won't mind it much now." None of the staff members here were supposed to interact with the patients outside of our job obligations. I'd been fairly new to my job when I'd decided to play a game of chess with Edward.

Needless to say the former head of the institution, the man who taught Henry, was not pleased with me. I was nearly fired for such an outrageous act but he'd been talked out of it by other staff members. They claimed I was young and inexperienced. It was just my kind heart that got the best of me.

I figured I at least owed Edward the pleasure of one game. Otherwise he'd play against himself for the rest of his time here. Besides he had been my first patient and I hadn't brought him any news paper clippings.

"Well if you get caught again I'm sure they'd fire you." Edward had calmed down since when I'd first entered his room and straightened his glasses. The same gentleman appearance as before resurfaced.

"Maybe. But Henry doesn't seem like the type of person to do such a thing." Edward nodded and turned away from me. I took it as my hint to leave. Stepping outside I paused for a moment or two to record what had happened. Once the sheet was nearly full with information I moved on.

Down the hall to the girl's room. She rested on her bed leaning back against the wall eyes half lidded. Features passive and soft compared to previous times I'd seen her.

"Hello." I smiled stepping inside and closing the door only to realize I'd forgotten a chair. "Oh darn it I forgot the chair."

Sighing I simply leaned on the wall instead. The girl sat up straighter and observed me with her typical curiosity. An idea occurred to me as I recalled what I'd heard the previous night. The rhyme she'd sung quietly. I might be able to get her to speak.

"I have another patient I just saw. Edward, I'm not sure if you know him or not, but I was trying to teach him a rhyme. I couldn't quiet remember the words." Setting the papers down I tried to impose a less threatening appearance. "Something about oranges and lemons."

The girl tilted her head a new look appearing on her face. It was foreign and shifted her features into a new arrangement. Her expression was guarded, eyebrows furrowed, mouth turned down at the corners, and her eyes glinting oddly.

"I used to sing it all the time as a kid." I continued talking. "I believe it goes oranges and lemons say the bells of Saint Martin's-"

"Clement's." I paused a bit surprised she'd taken the bait. She seemed much smarter than that.

"Ah that's right." I laughed lightly.

"Oranges and lemons say the bells of Saint Clement's" The girl replied her lips hardly moving at all. Her voice was so soft and quiet yet it sounded like thunder in the quiet space.

"Yeah that's it." I nodded. "How'd you learn it?"

"A boy." Came the soft reply. "In the yard."

"I see." I nodded pausing and trying to think of something else to say. "What's your name?"

She didn't answer this time and stared at the wall instead.

"It's okay you can tell me. Clearly you already know my name." She glanced briefly at me before looking away. "I'm not entirely sure how."

"He told me." She said at last ending the long moment of awkward conversation.

"Henry?" I questioned a bit surprised. He was always the type of person to follow protocol except for occasional things. He'd never distribute information like that to a patient.

The girl shook her head furiously. "Benny."

"B-Benny?" My head reeled and the walls seemed to close in around me. My legs felt weak and it became hard to stand. "H-how do you know him?"

"He was here." She whispered.

"Oh God." Trying to steady my breathing I sank to my knees. So that's what had happened to him. He'd been taken here. "Is he still here?"

The girl's face saddened and her eyes studied her toes with an intense interest. "He's gone."

"Where did they take him? Do you know?" My moment of surprise was replaced with one of dire urgency. If he was somewhere else maybe I could find him. I could see him again!

"He never came back." The girl's hands began to shake and I studied her with caution. Her breathing picked up and her chest heaved with violent gasps for air. Her eyes widened and tears welled up glossing them over. "I-I do-on't know wh-w-what happened to h-him!"

"Shhh shh." Instinctively I made my way over and sat on the edge of her bed taking a hand of hers in mine. "Calm down."

"He left. He said he'd come back!" She wailed. Her entire frame shook with violent gasps for air mixed in. "No. N-no he didn't l-leave."

"What do you mean?" I asked trying to gather as much information as I could from her while she was speaking.

"He was taken." She said suddenly grasping my arms with her hands. Her grip was surprisingly strong and though I tried to tug away I couldn't.

"Who? Who took him? Where was he taken to? How long was he here? What happened?" But the girl who I still didn't know the name of was losing it. She could no longer form words and looked very much like a fish gasping for air. Her breaths were nearly nonexistent until finally she went slack in my arms from hyperventilating.

I sat there for a long time in silence. My brain thinking of a million things at once. Glancing down at the girl who'd collapsed in a heap partially on my lap I began to ponder something. She knew my name because he'd told her about me. She knew who I was before I knew who she was.

Something warm stirred in my chest at this thought. Even in here he hadn't forgotten about me. There was one thing I didn't understand though. How come this girl hadn't talked to me after all the months I'd visited her? Why hadn't she trusted me?

A knock on the door jolted me from my thoughts. Carefully I moved the child from my lap and rested her comfortably on the bed. Standing I collected my papers and left pausing outside the door for a moment. Raising my pen to write I found that I couldn't. For some reason it seemed wrong to write what had happened.

It occurred to me that as soon as I'd set the report papers down the girl had talked. Sure it took a bit of prompting but still. Sighing I refused to write anything and turned in what I had to Helen. She shook her head and sighed.

"Still nothing from the girl?" Came her question.

"N-no." I mumbled shaking my head. Helen raised an eyebrow and ran her eyes over me.

"You don't look so good. A bit pale if you ask me. Maybe you should go home and lay down." Helen spoke gently as if afraid to startle me.

"No I'll be alright. All I need is a secret game of chess with Edward." Mumbling I straightened my coat.

"You know it's against the rules." Helen chided.

"I also know you won't report me." I countered.

"Only because you're the one staff member who makes conversation with me, and because I know you won't listen due to that kind heart of yours." Helen smiled. "Try to calm down a bit miss. There's nothing to fret about."

She had no idea. Of course there was something to fret about. I now knew that the girl I'd been seeing for months knew my brother. Maybe even more, that he could have been here when I was. That I'd never even known it.

Forcing a smile on my face I turned to head to the yard. Shaking my head I tried to clear my thoughts. Chess with Edward. Right. I had Chess with Edward.