The Hunt: Chapter 1; I get a psychopathic goldfish

Ok, for starters, I didn’t want a goldfish for my seventeenth birthday, but I got one anyway. I’m not good with animals at all, much less a goldfish. And this goldfish was quite...unique.

Let me introduce myself. I am Rowan Hawthorne. A soon to be seventeen year old juvenile delinquent with ADHD, OCD, and dyslexia. Oh, and I spent the last three years in a mental hospital because my family thinks I’m crazy. Yup, that’s my life.

Let’s create a mental picture; a young, auburn haired, seven year old girl getting dumped on the streets because her mother disappeared and her father was an alcoholic. Her aunt doesn’t want her, her grandparents are dead, and so then she had to move in with her uncle. However, the uncle exploited the poor girl by using her natural ingenuity. She was put on radio shows, whiz kid shows, the whole nine yards. The uncle made a lot of money off of his niece, but treated her horribly at home. This went on for another seven years or so.

Then she’d started seeing things, like huge shadows in the middle of the day and lights in the woods in the dead of night. Her uncle thought she was crazy, but tolerated it with a few warnings to the girl. Then came the final straw. The girl saw a huge bear the ‘size of a mountain’ in the middle of a show being performed live. Her uncle was so embarrassed and angry, that he sent her away to a mental hospital at the age of fourteen.

As you can probably guess, that girl was me. I’m completely sane, trust me, it’s just everyone thinks I’m not. I did see that bear, and I know I did! I sniffed and brushed off my favorite pair of jeans. I hate this place. It's too dirty and it smells terrible. 

“Rowan Hawthorne, report to room 708. Rowan Hawthorne, report to room 708.” The metallic voice rang from above. Everyone didn’t seem to notice the announcement aside from me. I made my way to the elevator and pushed the button for the seventh floor. The elevator zoomed upwards and I checked my watch. It was 5:15 pm, June 3rd. I was one of the only people in the mental hospital to own a watch. It’s probably because I’m more sane than the rest. I sniffed. More sane. I’m perfectly normal, I swear. 

When the elevators opened on the seventh floor, two guards were waiting for me. I was startled.

"Woah, what's going on?" I asked, stepping back. The two guards grabbed my arms and started to drag me towards room 708. I kicked and screamed, trying my hardest to get free. I managed to split the one of the guards helmets, revealing his glinting eyes. I swung my fist around to the other guard. Unfortunately, he caught my fist and wrenched it behind my back. I screamed.

"Let me go you-!" Suddenly, the door to room 708 opened and the guards shoved me inside. The doors closed be hind me with a click. I ran to the door and shook it. Locked! I tried the window. Locked again! I searched around the room and came up with a chair. I threw it at the window, attempting to break it, but it just bounced off harmlessly. Of course, I thought, Who would put glass windows in a mental hospital? It's obviously plexiglass or some other plastic. 

I slowly surveyed my surroundings. I was in a white room with white carpet and a white table. The chair I'd thrown was white as well. The room was quite bright, due to the window (which I decided was plexiglass).  I went over to where the chair was laying and picked it up. It was surprisingly light, and I carried it back to the table. I set it down at the end and straightened it. Then I brushed it off and sat. 

For a few moments, there was a silence as thick as molasses. I looked around the room again and noticed some things I didn't before. White cameras were present in each corner and... was the wall moving? I shook my head. Is this another hallucination? No. No it wasn't another vision. The wall was legitimately moving. I stood up so fast, the chair tumbled backward. I swiftly moved toward the opposite wall.

I felt terrified and curious at the same time. I inched forward slowly and looked into the cavern the wall was hiding. No light. Nothing but endless black. I crept closer, but retreated back to the far wall as something glinted in the dark. No, two somethings. Eyes, I realized, a shiver traveling down my spine, small, beady, black eyes like-like... 

A goldfish. An oversized lump of fish meat covered with shimmering scales. I relaxed, then stiffened again as another question bombarded my brain. What is keeping that thing alive? I stepped nervously out and headed towards the goliath of a goldfish. Now that I looked closely, I saw the glint of glass and the slight reflection of water.

"What are you?" I whispered. The goldfish came closer and bumped against the glass.

"Isn't he beautiful..." I murmured to myself. The goldfish drew back, as if offended.

"I am not, and I repeat, am not a man," said the goldfish in a southern accent. I screamed and jumped back.

"Oh dear, you are really not one to talk to," said the goldfish,

"Let me introduce myself. I am Brittany Colcimone Fishfatius Goldfish the twenty second. NOT-" she drew herself up,

"- the twenty first. That is my great aunt Sally Colcimone Fishfatius Goldfish. My dad is Jermy and my mom is Sue. My grammamy is Emily." I blinked. Did this goldfish give me a brief description of her family tree?

"So, who are you young one?' Asked Brittany Colcimone Fishfatius Goldfish the twenty second (you know, I'm just going to call her Britt).

"Rowan," I stammered,

"Rowan Hawthorne."

"Pleasure." The goldfish, ahem, Britt, looked around her watery home and sighed.

"Oh, I wish I could live in the ocean again," she said dreamily,

"Once I escape, I'm gonna MURDER EVERY SINGLE FISH FLAYING HUMAN BEING ON THE PLANET AND THEN BATHE IN THE RED WATERS OF THEIR BLOOD." I stared at her, shocked. Oh, wonderful, I thought, a psychotic goldfish with a long name and complicated family history. Not to mention she wants to murder the entire human race and use their blood for her bathing purposes.

Britt regained her calm composure, her moment of crazed murder leaving her face.

"Now," she said,

"Why are you here Rowan?" I looked at her a long moment, trying to judge if this was a trick question or merely a curious one.

"I don't know," I replied carefully. Don't get her mad, don't get her mad. Don't get the oversized psychotic goldfish mad at you... Britt looked down at me and tutted with disapproval.

"They all say that," she sighed,

"Pity."