"Pssst...Pssst..." I looked up from the desk directly into a pair of dark brown eyes. I recognized their owner immediately.

"Chandra, how are you today?" Glancing down the hallway, I thought it was odd she was out of her room without someone by her side.

"You're not like the others." She reached out and touched my hand with her fingers. "I can tell you care about us." She quickly pulled away and her eyes darted in both directions, afraid of who might have seen her gesture.

I had been working at Wheaton County Psychiatric Center for only six weeks, but I had heard the stories about Chandra several times. A few nurses found it amusing to ridicule her when they talked about her pathetic story. I found it heartbreaking.

Twenty years ago, during a raid on a drug house, the police discovered Chandra chained to an iron bed in a windowless room. The story was she went wild when the officers tried to touch her, scratching and clawing at them. It took years of drugs and therapy before Chandra would even talk to anyone at the hospital. When she did start talking, the staff labeled her a first class "nut case". Everyone considered her stories the ranting of a neurotic, unbalanced woman.

"Chandra, where's Amy? Isn't she supposed to be with you?"

"The guy she's got the hots for showed up a while ago. She told the new one to stay with me while she took a break." Chandra nibbled at her lip and primped her hair. "I don't need any little girl standing around watching me dress so I told her she could leave. Didn't think she'd listen to some crazy lady, but she up and left." A low chuckle escaped her lips. "I took the opportunity to take a stroll."

"You know that's against the rules." I scolded Chandra, but it was obvious  my heart wasn't in it. Whenever she walked with Amy, she couldn't say much more than hello before Amy would nudge her to continue walking. In my opinion, Amy was in this profession simply for the paycheck and not because she cared about the patient or their suffering. "I was about to take a break. Why don't I walk with you back to your room?" I smiled and extended my hand toward her. To my surprise, she clasped her fingers around mine and nodded her head. We walked hand in hand down the hallway.

She looked over her shoulder, assuring herself no one was listening. "I was a princess."

"A princess?"

"Shhh...don't let anyone hear us talking. They'll put me back on those horrible pills and I won't be able to think again." Her hand was tense in mine and I could see fear in her eyes.

I lowered my voice. What harm could there possibly be in letting her talk about her fantasies. "You were a princess. How wonderful."

"I lived in the mansion across the lake. I wore fancy clothes. My daddy always called me his princess." Sadness crept into Chandra's voice, "I had a family once. We were so happy together." Her eyes glistened with tears and she swatted them away, determined to reclaim a bit of dignity.

Reaching Chandra's room, she released my hand and walked to the window. She looked so sad, standing there staring out at the lake. Walking over to her side, I followed her gaze, before speaking, "I've always loved the water. It's so beautiful, isn't it, Chandra?"

A sigh escaped her lips. "My name isn't Chandra. It's Raven." She stood staring directly at me, belligerently waiting for my accusation, prepared to argue.  Something in her eyes stopped me from questioning her.

"Raven, that's a beautiful name." I waited, somehow sensing she wanted to tell me more.

She walked to her dresser and pulled open the top drawer. Her hands rummaged through the cotton underwear until she found what she had been searching for, a locket. As she turned back toward me, her fingers caressed the treasure she had found. She pressed her lips tightly together, hesitating before walking back to stand by me.

"When I was a princess, my daddy gave this locket to me. He told me it was a symbol of his lasting love." She held the chain with her fingers, letting the locket dangle in the air. A smile crossed her face and her chiseled cheekbones softened before my eyes. Years of misery slipped away from her face and I could envision the beauty that was once there.

"Chandra!" Amy had returned from her recent rendezvous and her anger was quite apparent. Startled by her abruptness, Chandra let the locket drop from her hand. The weary mask slipped back over her face. "Did you think you were clever sending the new girl away? Maybe we need to restrict you to your bed again." I couldn't believe the transformation taking place right in front of me. Chandra's entire body was shaking, refusing to raise her eyes and look at Amy.

"It's my fault, Amy. I told Chandra I would sit with her on my break.  I didn't mean to cause any problems." I continued to stare directly at her, hoping she'd accept my response as true.

"Humph...she's always bothering people with her stories and I figured she thought she pulled a fast one." Amy wasn't sure she believed my story, but she didn't have the courage to call me a liar either. Spotting the locket, Amy stepped in our direction. "What's that there, Chandra? Did you steal that from someone while I was gone?"  She snatched the locket from the floor. Chandra's lip was quivering as she watched Amy with the locket.

"It's my locket. I was just showing it to Chandra." I reached out and removed it from Amy's hand. Chandra's eyes met mine only for a second, but it was enough for me to know she was relieved. "Well, I have to get back to work. It's been nice talking with you, Chandra." As I headed out the door, I could hear Amy's gruff voice telling Chandra it was time for a nap. My heart ached for her, disillusioned or not, she had lost her family, her life, and all hope.

The front desk was busy for the remainder of the day and I soon forgot about Chandra and the locket. At five o'clock, I cleared my desk and headed home for a quiet dinner, a glass of wine, and a good book. My one bedroom apartment wasn't much to brag about, but it was an escape from the misery at Wheaton Center.

While my morning cup of coffee brewed, I shuffled to my front door and retrieved the newspaper. After pouring myself a steaming cup of black coffee, I settled into my favorite overstuffed chair with the newspaper. The headline read, "Winston Mansion to Reopen". As I continued to read the article, I learned that after Theodore Winston and his wife had been bludgeoned to death, no one ever lived there again. Two thirds of the vast estate had been donated to Wheaton with the restrictions that one parcel would be used as a park and a County Hospital would be built on the remaining parcel. The mansion was left to Winston's only living child, Haven Winston and she was finally returning home after twenty years.

Reaching the bottom of the column, I turned the page to continue reading about the mansion. I found myself staring directly at a picture of a woman in her late thirties or forties, chiseled cheekbones and dark brown eyes. It was evident this woman had lived a comfortable life style. A fur coat draped her shoulders. Around her neck was a silver necklace, a locket with the letter W engraved on it. I froze!

I grabbed my purse and pulled Chandra's silver locket out. Could this really be possible? Chandra's necklace matched Haven Winston's locket. Was it a coincidence or was Chandra actually Raven Winston?  I needed to speak to Haven Winston.

The next few hours were a blur as I waited for any opportunity to enter the mansion. The property was a buzz with maintenance crews and decorators.  Finally, walking close to a group of decorators, I slipped into the mansion.  I was overwhelmed by its beauty.

Haven Winston's picture hung above the fireplace. I couldn't stop staring at it. I had rehearsed what I would say, but now my mind was filled with doubt. What if I was wrong?  Would I be opening old wounds?  What if Chandra had found the locket? 

"Can I help you?"  Her voice startled me and the locket fell from my hand. She stared at it before bending to pick it up.  "Where did you get this?" Her words were barely audible.

"I believe your sister gave it to me."

A gasp escaped her lips as she crumbled to the floor. I had found my answer...Chandra was Raven Winston and maybe she could be a princess again.