“So, schizophrenia, huh?” Caitlyn trailed her fingers along the dusty pane of the abandoned greenhouse. A rivulet of sweat meandered down her nape and under her collar. She tried to ignore it, not sure if the humidity in the enclosure sparked it or anxiety. After all, what do I really know about Devin? A drifter, and now this revelation – She fought her imagination from working overtime, but she wished they chose a less abandoned venue for this conversation.

“See, just like I said. You can’t even look at me.”

Indignity flared until she realized Devin was right. She turned to look at him. The thick green glass cast an eerie light over his features, deepening the shadows around his eyes and mouth. She began to deny the accusation, but thought better of it. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I guess we all have our biases.”

“I’ m used to it. I don’t need your pity any more than I need your fear, and I don’t expect understanding. It is what it is.” He looked away.

“I want to know more though.” Caitlyn laid her hand on his arm. “I really do.”

“Not much more to say. I was seventeen when diagnosed, although there are indications the problem existed long before.”

“Medication?”

Devin laughed, but it only served to deepen the tension between them. “Funny thing about meds – they suppress everything – the good and the bad. It robs me of my self.  Thus, I wander.”

“But if you settle down somewhere, let people get to know you. . . ”

“I screw up, eventually. I always do, and the pressure to be normal is suffocating.”

“What is it like?”

“Like? Here I can show you.” He led her to a section of the greenhouse. The outside foliage blocked the translucent windows on either side, turning them into mirrors illuminated from the sun streaming in overhead.

“Look.”

The glass reflected their images into the pane on the opposite side. This, in turn echoed back into the original pane. The process continued until they were replicated into infinity.  Disoriented, Caitlyn wanted to close her eyes, to shut out the sensory overload. She tightened her grip on his arm. 

“What is the reality? How can you tell?" He pulled his arm away and pointed.

The motion, multiplied in the panes, made Caitlyn dizzy.

"This is what it is like.” As he lowered his voice, she strained to hear. “Only worse.”