Her family had been worried sick about her. Since she left the hospital three months ago, no one had heard from her or seen her. Her friends had been a very select few. They tried not to talk about her disappearance. Her sister had gotten one letter from her.

Dear sis,

I am writing to let you know about how happy I am. I have my own apartment now. I’m so glad that they let me out of the hospital. I miss all the friends I made there though. Did I tell you I was the most popular person there? I think so.

How is everybody there? I hope you all aren’t too worried about me. I am doing fine. I am off of the medication. I know that you told me to stay on it until the doctors said I could stop but they make me feel dead. I don’t feel like my real self when I take those pills. Besides I’m not crazy. I told you guys that I didn’t cut myself. It was an accident and I wish you would all believe me.

I’m not mad that you guys put me in that hospital. I know you think it’s where I belong but I don’t. I belong out in the real world, without the nurses and the doctors and their stupid medication.

I have made so many new friends. I even have a roommate, sort of. And I have a boyfriend. His name is Bob. He is so nice to me. He knows about everything that happened and he doesn’t even care. We don’t go out much, just stay at home and eat tv dinners. You know me and tv!

Anyways, I need to go and if I don’t finish this now and mail it I’ll forget to. I love you all!

Catherine

The letter didn’t reassure her sister. No one could believe that little Cat had broken out of the hospital until they heard the story. Her roommate, Julie, had helped her escape for fifty bucks. Julie liked the hospital and thought it was doing her good, but fifty bucks is fifty bucks. So she led Cat to the outside and then went back to the hospital. Everyone knew that if Cat was gonna do anything it would be to pay someone else to do all the work. That was just the way she was. Extremely unmotivated but willing to pay anyone to do stuff for her. The story would make them smile in later years, to know that she still had some of her personality until the very end.