The Asylum Chapter 13

Once again, Ariadne sat as a prisoner before them. The seating was less formal, but the atmosphere was more so. Pete was gone – had left Wolvercote House, and was living in a rented flat, waiting for the others to join him.
But she wasn’t sitting with her friends, ready to talk and laugh with them. And this wasn’t Wolvercote House any more. It was Wolvercote Prison, and she was the prisoner. As usual, Amelie took the lead.
“We are the staff of Wolvercote Prison, and we all have things to tell you before you take up residence here. I think I’ll let the prison psychiatrist speak to you first.”
(“We can’t be Ariadne’s friends doing this to her. We have to have a different persona each. And we don’t use her name any more to her, as prison staff. She’s just going to be a number.”) Elise’s eyes were kind and understanding, and her tone was calm, but the message was still a hard one for Ariadne to hear.
“The Wolvercote family had to pay their debts to society, before more innocent people were hurt – in this case it would have been Pete Wainwright, and yourself. In sentencing you, as their heir, for their crimes, we have re-directed Pete’s mind away from thoughts of revenge and into thoughts of justice. When you leave prison, you will be an extremely rich young woman. You will have earned that wealth fairly, by preventing Pete from ending up in prison himself.” “But I didn’t do any of those things!” Ariadne’s little-girl-lost look tore at Elise’s heart, but they all had to go through with this.
“Pete saved all of our lives.” She looked round at the other three. “We’d probably have been dead from thirst before you arrived – but more than that, if he hadn’t insisted on us staying here, we’d none of us be alright. We won’t let his life be ruined – or yours be lost – for Dr Wolvercote has changed him as surely as he changed the rest of us.” Olaf spoke next. “I’m the duty officer, and I’ve planned your timetable for you. You will rise, eat, sleep, exercise at set times each day. The locks on every door are electronic, and programmed to open and close at certain times – the kitchen, for example, is only open at meal times. Your cell door will lock every night, and not open until the 6 am rising bell. You will listen to all announcements over the tannoy system, and comply with them immediately, or suffer loss of privileges.” “And I’m head of security. You are going to be microchipped. Every door you pass through it will be noted – time of entry, time of exit. These will be logged onto the main computer, and all deviations will be noted. There are webcams everywhere, and you will be watched, at any time, by any member of staff. We are looking for your compliance with prison rules, and also ensuring your safety. The prison chaplain would like a few words.” “This won’t be easy,” Jonas said. “And it’s not meant to be. But nor is it meant to be unbearable. You will have to learn how to adapt to your new circumstances, but you will find the strength and resilience in yourself to do that. I do know what I’m talking about.” He paused and then went on.
“You may supplement your diet with anything out of the prison gardens – you have three hours each day scheduled in the gardens, so there will be time for you to grow your own food. An automatic irrigation system has been installed for you.”
This was real. They were going to do this to her. She was crying again, and she felt as though something deep inside her had been frozen and died. Prison hair, prison clothes. They’d micro-chipped her, inserting it under the skin on her back. “Don’t worry,” Elise said, as she injected the local anaesthetic. “I did train as a nurse before I went into psychiatry.” And she had been deft and quick. Then Elise and Jonas had left, to join Pete in his flat.
“You can’t – obviously – spend any of your money while you’re in prison. But as soon as you’re allowed to receive mail, I’ll send you updates on how your investments in Olaf’s company are doing. And also the state of the contingency fund.” “Did we do the right thing?” Jonas asked Elise as they finally walked away from Wolvercote Prison. But they both knew the answer was yes. That building might be holding Ariadne’s body captive, but it also still held Pete’s soul. Prison hair, prison clothes. Olaf and Amelie were her prison guards, no sign of her former friends to be found. She’d been drilled in the rules and regulations until she knew them backwards.
06:00 Rising bell. Bed must be made.
07:00 Kitchen opens, and must be left clean and tidy.
09:00-12:00 Garden duty.
12:30 Kitchen opens.
There were webcams everywhere. Someone would be watching her – and at the start, they’d none of them have much else to do. Jonas had to acquire a new identity before he and Elise could get married. Amelie seemed to think that would be manageable. Prison hair, prison clothes. The timetable played on in her head.
14:30-16:30 Gym time. You will follow the training routine.
17:00-19:00 Library open – Wednesday and Saturday only initially. You will be allowed to borrow one book each time.
19:00 Kitchen opens.
21:00 Return to cell.
22:00 Lights out
. The library and gym are privileges and can be extended for good behaviour or rescinded for bad. They had come for her, were taking her out of here. And into what?
Pete would be watching this, Ariadne knew. This was what he’d wanted.
This was the event the others were hoping would swing his mind back to sanity, break the pattern of thinking that had taken him over after his exposure to Wolvercote’s machine. Prison hair, prison clothes. And that was what she walked into. It was Wolvercote Prison. Up the main stairs to the first floor, and all she could see was rows of cells, gates, bars, harsh strip-lighting. Actually, most of the changes had been cosmetic only – Wolvercote had been built like a prison in the first place. Prison hair, prison clothes. There was now a way through to those secret back stairs from the first floor, and that was where they were taking her. Back up into those attics. “This is your cell. Should your behaviour merit it, the review board might consider moving you to a larger one at a later date.”
All it contained was a bed and a hamper for her dirty clothes. She would be allowed to use the washing machine at the weekend. Prison hair, prison clothes.
“You are now prisoner number 126.”
Prison number.
“Normal routine will begin tomorrow. For today, you will be allowed out of your cell for mealtimes only.” Prison hair, prison clothes. Prison number, prison cell. The door was shut and locked on Ariadne. She heard them walking away, gates closing and locking behind them. Through the little window in the door, she could see the clock on the wall, ticking away the first hour of the next ten years. Prison sentence.