Chapter 40

My footsteps echoed down the long hallway on the second floor. I was already feeling comfortable walking through, having come from Dr. Newman's office. This floor looked a lot like the first and definitely not creepy like the third. There were patients walking around freely, but there were also some closed doors like on the third floor. I assumed there were more stable patients than others.

After passing by a skinny girl with greasy hair who was whispering to the walls, I looked up and stopped dead.

Mason.

I stopped breathing as I watched him walk in my direction. No straitjacket, no restraints. I'd never seen him standing, and I was struck by how ridiculously tall he was. He was thin but not skeletal, and his black hair still looked messy, as if he ran his hands through it constantly. The difference in the color of his eyes always surprised me. His face, however, made me frown. He had a large bruise under his left eye, and his lower lip was split. What happened?

I remembered