Chapter 1:

"Your degree is absolutely dependent on this work placement which makes it mandatory. 80% of your final mark relies on this case note so make sure it's a good patient." Professor Collins stresses the point for maybe the 11th time in the past hour.

"Your seminar is now over. You may leave."

Oh thank god. Lexi sighes whilst packing her things into her bag.

It wasn't that she hated the seminar. Nor did she hate Professor Collins. No Siree. Alexa Reid was not a hateful person. So the only word she could use to convey her feelings towards her Psychology Professor was dislike.

She disliked his 'unique' teaching methods, as the college prospects puts it. Oh it's 'unique' alright. 'Uniquely disappointing' more like.

Lexi disliked the way he would talk too fast so she couldn't get down all the relevant notes and she disliked the way he would put students on the spot on the first day of class when they knew jack shit about the subject.

She simply disliked Professor Collins.

"Are you wondering if it's too late to do an easier degree, like chemical engineering or Astro physics, instead of psychology too?" Scott, Lexi's best friend asks in a bitter, but playful, tone.

Lexi can't help but giggle at the comment, followed by the stink eye given by Scott to Collins on the way out of the seminar room.

Collins clearly doesn't notice.

Let's just say Scott shares the same, if not more, dislike for their psychology professor.

"Oh shut up, Scott. He's not that bad." Re, Lexi's other best friend, but not for quite as long, chimes into the conversation after offering a small wave and a shy smile to the professor on their way out.

Again, he quite clearly doesn't notice.

And let's just say that Re desires the man passionately, romantically and some would say sexually because of his apparent good looks but we won't go there.

"That's just because you want to fuck him, Re." Scott yells loudly in order to embarrass the girl. He could be a complete tool sometimes but Lexi's learnt to love that about him. Or rather, still learning.

"Shh, he can her you! Dick." Re snarls, smacking him on the arm. Lexi cringes at the mere thought of her professor and best friend together, in that way.

"Guys, language." Lexi complains, chiming into the conversation once they're outside of the building. "And he's so old, Re. What the hell is wrong with you?"

Re scoffs. "He's not old. I looked him up on Facebook, Twitter and the college website. He's only 35 and he tweets about football so he's athletic." She explains in a matter of fact, paying no mind to the weirded out looks sent her way by Lexi and Scott at her stalker-ish behaviour. "Besides, love has no age." She performs dramatically causing Scott to make gagging noises and Lexi to cringe further.

"And anyway, you can't hate him already. The assignment hasn't started yet. At least wait until you meet your patient." Re says when she knows both Lexi and Scott are exchanging eye rolls behind her. "What better way to start our degree than with actual, real life, psychotic patients as our assignment?"

This was true. Lexi may be new to the field but there's no doubt that this experience will benefit her in the future both academically and personally. She could just imagine the endless career options she would have from this assignment alone.

Though the reasons behind her choosing this particular major were far from the basis of academic passion, she could learn to love psychology in the coming years right after she's used the knowledge for her own personal reasons, as selfish as it sounds.

But...it also scared her half to death

Lexi chose this degree because she wanted to know how the minds of the criminally and clinically insane worked. She needed to know.

But honestly, she was frightened by the thought of observing a psychotic patient for six whole months. The thought of being in such close proximity with someone who is labelled and deemed psychotic sickens her.

But she would have to put away those personal feelings and approach the assignment with nothing but positive steps for the purpose of her college degree and therefore replies in complete determination. "Where do we start?"

Okay, maybe about 79% determination as her voice comes out a little shaky but thankfully the others don't notice.

Scott replies with a disgustingly loud burp that ends with an equally loud yawn. He clearly doesn't share the same enthusiasm for the assignment as Re and partially Lexi, so he doesn't ever bother lying about going home to start the assignment. Instead he bids the girls farewell after a brief lecture on how important his beauty sleep is and: "I'm just going to fake the whole thing."

And with that, he heads back towards their dorm rooms.

The girls on the other hand get straight to work by searching nearest sanatoriums on google. Unfortunately, there weren't many in Westwood but they went with the first one that came which happened to also be the closest. The sanatorium looked interesting to say the least.

Riverfield Sanatorium.

There wasn't much information about the sanatorium itself online but the search provided an address and a contact number followed by an exterior photograph of the place.

Once they read through all the relevant information about the Sanatorium, both Lexi and Re agreed to meet the following morning to ask for their placements at Riverfield. But what Re didn't know was that going into a Sanatorium was harder for Lexi than she makes it out to be.

Lexi wouldn't tell her that for now.

For now, she would try and get a decent patient for her assignment and she would try and make sure that they weren't too...psychotic.

• • • • •

"I'm sorry, but there's nothing we can do. There are no placements available for students." The vexed receptionist repeats for the third time to a very stubborn Re.

Lexi loved Re but she could be a little embarrassing at times. "Come on Re, let's just go." She attempts to pull her away but Re wasn't having any of it.

"Look, if you don't give me a patient right now then I swear to-" Re starts to threaten the displeased receptionist before she's cut off by an important looking someone in a white coat sauntering into the reception area, looking slightly daunting.

"Assign them to 201 and 472." The man cuts off which makes the receptionist jump. His voice is deep and dripping with intimidation and authority.

The older man certainly looked strange and had an weird sort of aura about him. He was built tall and in pretty good shape for a man that clearly in his 50's. The receptionist shoots him a confused narrow of the eyes but he doesn't quite catch it, too busy sparing a glance towards Re and then narrowing his own eyes at Lexi in particular.

The look alone made Lexi shuffle uncomfortably and she averts her gaze down to her shoes so she hears rather than sees the doctor leave without another word.

"Of course, Dr Riverfield." She calls out as he leaves and grabs two files from the filing cabinets, handing both Lexi and Re a file each.

Lexi and Re glanced at each other wide-eyed when they realise who exactly the man was. Doctor Riverfield is the founder of the sanatorium. Of the limited information given to them thanks to google, it was apparently founded by a man who had just recently become a senior doctor.

Lexi hears Re make a noise that sounds an awful lot like holding in a squeal as she happily takes the file and immediately starts flicking through it. They actually got the observation placement.

"I'll show you to your patient first." The receptionist says to Re with an eerie calmness to her voice as she manoeuvres herself around the desk and towards us. Re nods and follows her through the white marble corridors.

The staff in this place are weird, Lexi decides. Something seems off about them but she brushes it off. Working in a mental asylum would do that to someone she thinks.

Lexi finds herself a seat and decides to go through her file. She would rather not have any surprises when she meets her patient in a few moments. She flicks it open to the first page and sees the words '472- CASTILLO, CALEB.' Written across it.

The next page has a detailed psychological report but Lexi skims through it, she doesn't have time right now. And the only words that she really needs to know is: "Special Unit. Male. 26 years old. Leeds UK. British. Psychopathic Schizophrenic. Drug/Alcohol abuse. Medication: Anti psychotics & pain relief. No Verbal communication. 2 months since admission. Psychological murderer."

Lexi feels internally heavy all of a sudden and her stomach twists and she barely manages to push aside the feeling when the receptionist comes back. "Are you ready?" She realises that the receptionist is already heading down the hallway expecting her to follow.

"472 is a good one. He's new so we don't know much about him. Apart from the obvious of course." She says lowly whilst walking through more clinical looking hallways. "He doesn't talk to anyone so you probably won't get much out of him. He mostly sleeps all day."

Lexi had many questions swarming around in her head about this man. But somehow, she couldn't form sentences and that sickening feeling gets worse as she's lead further down the hallway.

"If anything at all happens. You must press on this and we'll come running." She says handing Lexi a small remote looking device with a red button.

Once they were stood in front of a large white door with the number 472 written on it, the receptionist turns to look at Lexi and smiles sardonically. "Any questions?"

Unable to form words, Lexi just shakes her head. "Great." She opens the door and gestures her in. "Off you go. Good luck."

Lexi reluctantly takes a step into the room and has a look around. She can see a large figure laying on the bed in the corner of the room with his face away from her and her breath hitches.

She's in the same room as a murderer. The fingers she has around the small device tightens. She takes a shaky breath and gulps. "M-Mr Castillo"

• • • • •

Word count: 1760

A/N: First chapter is up. Hope you like it! :) x