Project 0: The Institution: Project 0, #1

By Irsah Rosaf

Silas Keri is a fourteen year old boy who was placed in a mental institution when he was twelve. Ever since then, Silas was diagnosed with schizophrenia and has been watched constantly. 

 

Someone new is introduced into his life and he finally starts expressing his emotions. Making new friends, they all gather to make an escape plan. 

 

With the help of friends and foe, will they succeed? Maybe, maybe not, but if one thing was for sure, nothing would ever be the same again. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Irsah Rosaf
• Release date: Nov 22, 2023
• ISBN: 9798223969471

Book preview

PROLOGUE

SOME PEOPLE SAY I'M mentally ill and will eventually get better. Others think I'm incurable and a waste of time. It doesn't matter though, because all things come to an end at some point, even humans. I'm just waiting for my time to go; it isn't like anyone else would want to spend the rest of their days wasting away in a dingy, alabaster room that's supposed to 'protect you from yourself' when what they really mean is that it's a prison with no hope of escaping.

Families send their children here in hope that they will get better when the real problem is that the Institution itself is what causes the patient's insanity. Miraculously, the government has never questioned the management of the Institution neither the conditions or improvements that any patient has developed.

As for myself, I was sent here by my struggling

mother in order for her to get money. Here, they have

a system where if we are curable, they actually do their jobs and help the patients which is rarely the case. When the patient shows signs of an incurable mental illness or difficult mental illness to cure, then the parent or parents of the child get a certain amount of money depending on how bad the illness is. Soon enough, the white walls drive patients to either suicide attempts or insanity. When that happens, the patient is sent to the 'Black Zone'. The Black Zone is the point of no return where the patient is completely isolated from the world and others. Once you get sent there, you have absolutely zero chances of getting out.

Hello, the names Silas Keri. The reason I was sent here was because I suffer from an illness called schizophrenia. It causes me to see illusions that seem like a fake reality to me. To others, it looks like I'm losing my mind and talking to myself. Schizophrenia usually affects the way I sleep too. I either sleep and wake up after a few minutes or don't sleep at all. I find it easier to just not sleep at all.

I picked at my food, not wanting to eat it. At the same point in time, I was also trying to stop myself from dozing off. If I were to sleep, I don't think I'd ever wake up.

Today was just an ordinary day, just like the others. Nothing new- Oh! Today, they're bringing in someone new! That's why the dinner hall seemed livelier.

‘I heard she has psychosis,’ I heard someone say from behind me.

‘I heard she's been to five other Institutions before coming here. Apparently, she started off fine until she moved to her third Institution,’ someone else replied.

Someone else spoke up, ‘Damn, she sounds even more psycho than that Silas guy.’

I turned around to look at the people and they immediately shifted in their seats before getting up to leave.

I sighed and ate my food. Pushing my dark brown hair away from my hazelnut eyes, I could finally see the number of guards that were stationed at the exits.

'There seem to be more than usual, probably has something to do with that new girl,' I thought to myself.

Everyone was then staring at me and I wondered why. They were whispering something about my eyes until a guard came up and told me what happened. Apparently, my eyes did that weird thing that they always seem to do in the present of sunlight. According to others, they would shine like the sun.

‘Alright, everyone listen up! As you all must know, we have someone new joining the Institution after a long time, make her feel welcome, she will be in the same room with, ah, Silas Keri,’ announced a female voice from the entrance. I wasn't really paying

attention till she mentioned my name.

The lady's name was Dr. Asteria Vale, she's the crazy psycho who traps everyone here. In simpler words, she is the owner and creator of the Institution.

Continuing on, I practically jumped out of my seat when I heard I was sharing my room with someone. The Institution had never paired me up with anyone when I came and within my two years stay there were only three new comers. Why was this time any different?

Dr. Vale spoke again, ‘Silas Keri, please come up here so you can meet your new roommate.’

Hesitantly, I rose from my seat as everyone's eyes followed me to the front of the room. Along the way, whispers had started to fill the room but stopped when the guards told them to continue with their breakfast.

I was led down a long corridor before we stopped in front of my room's door. Stood there was Nurse Fiona, a sweet woman with strawberry blonde hair tied up into its usual ponytail. Her ocean blue eyes carried kindness and love within them. Her plain black top was tucked neatly into her white pants, her lab coat covering her arms was an unusual cream colour rather than plain white. On her left hand, she wore her gold ring that her fiancé had gifted her as a sign of their engagement but they would receive the actual wedding ring when it happened. I believe that Nurse Fiona said it was only a few weeks away from today. She had told me that she would invite me if

she could but the Institution refused to let me go.

‘Silas!’ she happily yelled and ran up to hug me. I never really liked being touched but Nurse Fiona was an exception.

‘Hello Miss Fiona, do you know what's happening with me getting a roommate?’ I asked, hoping she knew the answer to my question.

‘Well,’ she began, ‘her name is Selene Calista and she's diagnosed with a severe case of psychosis, a mental disorder in which thoughts and emotions are so impaired that contact is lost with external reality. She has been to five other Institutions and they say if we can't help her then she will have to be executed.’

‘But, Miss Fiona- ‘I started but was cut off.

‘I know you don't like people you aren't familiar with and if we could we'd give here a separate place to stay but we don't have any single rooms available. The Institution figured that considering how similar your cases are, they paired you two together,’ she tried to explain.

I sighed and replied, ‘Well if there's nothing that can be done about it then it's better to get to know her instead of ignoring her existence all together. Where is she right now?’

‘I knew you'd understand!’ she exclaimed happily. ‘She's in the room and is due for a tour later on, they

thought it would be good for you to conduct it as they see it as an opportunity for the both of you to know each other better.’

I just walked into the room and saw a girl sitting on the unoccupied bed beside mine. She looked around my age and a tiny bit shorter than me. Her chestnut hair was tied into a