Sprites Amulet

CHAPTER FOUR: You have custard with apple pie not chips.

  Jude continued on his way to the exit.

  “This really is a mad house.” He said out-loud.

  “We’re not all mad, you know.” Said a quiet but bubbly voice from down another side corridor.

  Jude jumped and turned to see who had spoken and was relieved to not see another pair of mad staring eyes. These eyes were green and sparkled with amusement. They belong to a girl of about Jude’s age with long red hair in a curly profusion about her head and shoulders. Although she was also wearing blue, cotton pyjamas, teamed with sparkly red slippers, and was obviously an inmate. He had to admit she didn’t look mad, in fact she was very pretty in a lively sort of way. Jude could feel his neck and face getting warm; he hoped he wasn’t going red.

  “Hi,” he said awkwardly. “Sorry about that, I didn’t think anyone was around.”

  “It’s okay,” she shrugged. “Where are you off too?”

  “Just outside.”

  “It looks a nice day out there today,” she replied. “I’d love to go outside and feel the sun on my face.”

  “Can’t you go outside?” asked Jude puzzled, he thought Dr Anderson had said the patients relaxed in the gardens.

  “Not today apparently,” she said sadly. “Unless….”

  “Unless what?” Jude asked eagerly.

  “Well you’re not a patient, so they’ll let you out, and if I pretended to be with you…”

  “Hey, you’re not asking me to help you escape or anything are you?” asked Jude suspiciously.

  “No, no, of course not. I just fancy a bit of fresh air and the wind in my hair.”

  “So as soon as we’re outside you’re not going to run off or do something nuts are you?”

  “Is this your way of inviting me to walk around the garden with you?” she asked coyly.

  “Erm,” Jude blushed.

  “If I promise not to escape, will you help me get outside?”

  “Erm, okay, I guess”, said Jude hesitantly.

  The girl stood up straight with her hands behind her back and said very primly, “I promise not to try and escape. Okay?”

  “Yeah, okay,” said Jude with misgiving, but she was really pretty and she seemed to want to spend some time with him. Jude was still unravelling the mystery that was girls; he didn’t usually feel this comfortable talking to them. Even though she was obviously a patient of a mental institute, she didn’t seem crazy, not like the staring eyes guy.

  “My name’s Ruby,” she said putting out her hand.

  Jude shook hands with her; she had really warm hands and a firm handshake. “Jude”, said Jude.

  “Pleased to meet you, Jude.”

  Jude was waiting for the Beatles comment, but it never came. That must be a first he thought.

  “How are we going to get you past the nurses in your PJs?” asked Jude.

  “If I borrow your jacket, it shouldn’t look too obvious that I’m a patient.”

  Jude gave her his jacket; it had a hood, which she put up to hide her hair. Jude didn’t think they were going to get away with this, but it wouldn’t be his fault if the nurses spotted their ruse, Ruby would still know he’d tried. He certainly wasn’t worried about getting into trouble if he was found out trying to help a mental patient get out of Ravenscar. It felt good to be getting one over on Doctor Anderson. My God, this place had really turned him into a sulky teenager; he was even rebelling against it. Ruby had smiled at him when he’d said he’d help her. It gave him a good feeling.

  They came to the desk at the entrance; the receptionist was having an intense conversation on the phone while scribbling furiously on a pad of paper. Jude knocked on the glass, smiled and pointed to the door. Ruby stayed a couple of steps behind him out of sight. The recptionist glanced up at Jude an annoyed expression on her face at being interrupted when she was obviously busy. But she buzzed the door open and turned away from Jude to continue her conversation. Jude and Ruby slipped through the door and out of the building. Jude was expecting a shout and an alarm to go off when the receptionist noticed he wasn’t alone. But neither came, she never looking up once. Jude couldn’t believe they’d gotten away with it.

  Ruby giggled with glee and grabbing Jude’s hand ran towards some trees dragging him after her. When they’d nearly reached the cover of the trees she let go of his hand and did a back flip shouting with laughter. One of her sparkly red shoes went flying; Jude picked it up and gave it back laughing with her.

  “We did it, we got outside,” she said with glee, jumping up and down.

  “I don’t believe we got away with that,” said Jude laughing, her mood was infectious.

  Ruby’s hair had come loose from the hood and she shook it out, it looked like a red mane around her face. Jude didn’t think he’d ever met a girl quite like her, all the other girls he knew and had tried to have a conversation with, were so self-conscious of their appearance and what their peers thought of them. But she just didn’t seem to care.

  The trees screened them from being seen from the Institute and they walked through them together.

  “I like the colour of your hair,” she turned to him. “Were you born with it that colour?”

  He laughed. “No, I dyed it. I thought it was cool.”

  She reached up and stroked his hair gently. “It doesn’t feel cold,” she said with a mischievous smile on her face.

  “You don’t seem nuts, what are you doing in that place?” Jude asked tentatively.

  “I don’t know,” she replied.

  “What do you mean, you don’t know?” Jude asked confused. “They must have told you what’s wrong with you.”

  “Oh that. I’ve got amnesia.” She said matter of factly. “I don’t know because I can’t remember.”

  “Amnesia! So you can’t remember anything at all?”

  “Oh I can remember things. Like I remember that my name is Ruby, that the moon only comes out at night; that chocolate is just the most delicious thing ever, and that you wear hats on your head not your feet, and that you have custard with apple pie not chips, stuff like that.”

  Jude laughed, slightly too much. Ruby smiled at him.

  “I remember all of those sorts of things, and my likes and dislikes and what interests me, but I can’t remember how I got to this place or what happened to me before I got here.” She said in a slightly puzzled voice. “I can’t place myself where I’m supposed to be or what I’m supposed to be doing.”

  “Wow, that must be really tough.” Sympathised Jude. “Do you have any family or friends who knew you?”

  “They haven’t been able to find anyone who’s missing me, so I don’t think I do.”

  “I’m sorry, it must be really hard for you.” Jude felt a strong urge to hold her and try and make it all better, but he didn’t dare put an arm around her. “So are you just waiting here until your memory comes back?”

  “Yep, just waiting.” She looked at him and smiled. He was looking at her in a concerned way. She reached out a finger to each corner of his mouth forcing them up into a smile. He laughed.

  “Don’t worry about me,” she said. “Things are about to change, I don’t know if it’ll be for the better, but certainly a change for the different.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well I’ve got a secret,” she whispered. Leaning in closer towards him she said, “I had my fingers crossed.”

  “You had your fingers crossed?” he asked confused. “What do you mean?”

  “When I promised not to escape.”

  Jude suddenly had a bad feeling creeping in tingles up his back.

  Ruby suddenly took his head in both of her hands and kissed him on the lips. She then ran away down the path, waving her arm behind her shouting, “Thank you and good-bye.” She nimbly climbed over the fence on the boundary of Rqvenscar and disappeared from sight. He could hear her laughter in the distance.

  Jude knew he should be really worried because he?
??d just helped a vulnerable girl who was obviously ill escape from somewhere where she was safe and looked after. But all he could think about was the feeling of her warm lips on his. His face still felt really hot where her hands had been and his lips tingled. That was the most amazing kiss he’d ever had.

  He could hear his mother calling to him and he went in the direction of her voice feeling like he was walking on air. He smiled at his mum when he met up with her and she smiled back.

  “You look happy,” she said cheerfully. “See I told you talking to Doctor Anderson would make you feel better. I’ve been to pick up your medication, I’m sure you’ll be back to yourself in no time.”

  Jude groaned inwardly, but he was pleased his mum seemed happy and he didn’t want to upset her anymore. Her wouldn’t mind as much if she just shouted at him and sent him to his room that would be easy to cope with. But the silence and sad, disappointed smiles were just awful.