What, You never seen a vampire before??she snarled. Trying to justify myself, I replied, ?I?m sorry, Patty. I like your nails. I didn?t mean to stare.? This would be the first in a long series of lessons I was to learn. Do not ever look at anyone for over two seconds, and if you do, be ever so humble. There are a wide array of problems you may face if you aren?t. For Heaven?s sake, and your own, you must keep to yourself. I was stuck living in a hallway full of teen-agers with severe emotional problems. Some of them didn?t like to be looked at. Most of them couldn?t handle being touched. Even the slightest gesture of a handshake could set off an explosion of rage. There were, of course others who were more similar to myself. My problems were more closely related to depression and family problems. I didn?t mind contact with others. As a matter of fact, I think I could have used a hug pretty frequently during those two months.
The night I arrived at the Mt. Sinai Hospital I was petrified. I was brought in by a gurney to the emergency room. I was given my own room there, until I was to be transported upstairs to the psychiatric ward. The doctors ran several tests on me to see if I had overdosed on codeine. More accurately, they wanted to know if they were going to have to pump my stomach. My entire family circled around me like vultures. They were scared, embarrassed, and feeling guilty. They pawed at me and gave me an interrogation suitable for well trained detectives. ?How could you do this?? my father asked. ?Are you happy now??my mother grumbled. My step-parents hid silently in the corner by the sink. I found it odd that they looked as if they were children waiting to be scolded by the principal. The head nurse looked like a line-backer for a professional football team. She made no effort to comfort me as she rushed me numerous times to the toilet for another try at a urine test. I had on only a hospital robe, so the...