An Institution

This is the place where the exit door is always locked. There are many sleeping rooms, a large day room, several activity rooms, and a deck with a basketball hoop and several potted plants. You'll be assigned a roommate and given one of the two beds. If deemed necessary, you'll be placed in your own room and watched by a security camera in the corner. The restroom is private, but there are a maximum five minutes for using the toilet and ten minutes for taking a shower.

You won't alone in this place; there will be others your age. You'll see yourself in some of them, but only in a few. Two of them tried to die - at least, that's the story passed along in whispers. One will have a horizontal scar across his neck. He's always followed by a cop because, as the rumor goes, he's bound for jail when this is all over.

The other will have several small vertical scars on his wrists and forearms. One day, he comes to class with long strips of cardboard taped to his arms like some kind of a robotic suit. At first, you won't know what to make of it. Then, you'll learn he somehow snuck a paperclip into his room and stayed up all night cutting. Needless to say, the staff won't be pleased.

The first day of your life in the institution will be disorienting and scary. But slowly, over time, you'll get used to it.

Yard with Lunatics. Francisco Goya. 1794