"Free huh?" I asked peering over the stuffed animal's head at the now visibly nervous man.
"Of course not, your friend here won it," The man says his voice dripping with warmth, I nearly gagged.
I turn my head to look back at Triston, nodding my hea...
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Opening Scene: Therapist's Office
"Schools are reopening in a bit and I'm not sure if you'll keep coming to our sessions on the weekend Miss Blackwood", Madeline said crossing her grey wool-clad legs and leaning back in her seat. I looked away from her and sighed, laying back on the lounge chair I looked up at the ceiling.
"I've never noticed how there was a large dent right there, how did that happen?", I musedtrying to imagine how the people who built this place missed such a big imperfection and how fitting that this be Madeline's office, the only female therapist in the district, some dark part of me wanted to bring it up, to make her feel something other than the fulfillment I saw in her opal eyes every day. I needed to---
"Miss Blackwood you need to be responsive", she said the warmth of her words further irritating my already aggravated mind. "Do you ever feel angry for no reason?" I asked her pulling down the sleeves of my oversized sweater, it's color identical to the plain wallpaper that the room was plastered in.
I bunched the soft beige fabric in my hands making small makeshift boxing gloves. As I continued to play with my sweater Madeline spoke, "Yes, sometimes, but it really helps to talk it out". I scoffed at her words, "Of course, you'd say that", I said sitting up and crossing my legs.
"You seem very irritable today, did you have another nightmare?", as soon as I processed her words I froze.
"I guess you are worth the five hundred dollars an hour huh?" I said with a small humorless laugh looking into her eyes.
"I'll take that as a yes", she said sitting up straighter and taking out her pen from the left pocket of her pants suit.
"I was drowning again", I said quietly feeling cold all over again as memories of last night flashed through my mind.
I looked down at my lap tracing the small intricate patterns of my blue jeans with my eyes, "It was cold and dark, I was sinking very slowly, it was as if everything was in slow-motion and I could hear this loud thumping noise like something was trying to break out of my head, my throat was on fire and I couldn't move, I--, my breath hitches and it's suddenly hard to breathe, I clench my fingers into fists trying to lessen their shaking.
"Here", Madeline says gesturing with her index finger at the box of tissues on the mahogany table to her left resulting in the box floating off it and gently hovering in front of me. Raising my hand to my face surprised to find my left cheek wet with tears.
"Thanks", I said taking out a couple of tissues from the box and dabbing my cheeks and the underside of my eyes.
After a couple of seconds of silence and me trying my best to dry my eye off the excess moisture, Madeline set the box back on the table and wrote down something in her notepad. "What about this dream is different from the others?" she asked setting her pad on her thighs.
"Why do you think that?" I asked her leaning against the wall behind me causing my black-socked feet to dangle off the lounge chair.
"You've never cried in any of our sessions before", "Well there was someone there in this one", at this Madeline sat up straighter, her expression a mix between surprise and weariness.
"Who was it?", "I didn't see them but I knew they were there and they were trying to help me I could feel it"
"Well this is quite the development, it seems as though your memory is improving", Madeline said jotting down something in her notepad intently.
"After two years that's all I can remember, great", I replied scoffing at the pitifulness of it all. "You went through something very traumatic Miss Blackwood, it's understandable that your mind is recovering slowly, it's a coping mechanism"
"Still this is ridiculous, you're the third one so far and all I've remembered was that there was someone there trying to help me", I stood up and began pacing trying to get out my inner frustrations by moving. "If only I could remember his face, even a name, I...
"He?" Madeline asked breaking me out of my stupor.
"What?" I asked her confused at what she meant.
"You said he," she said jotting down something in her notepad, "Did I?" I feel a headache coming on. I massaged my temple trying to ease some of the pain sitting back down.
"How many hours of sleep did you get this week Miss Blackwood?" "I don't know, maybe 24, 14?" "So the nightmares have been constant?"
I nodded, not really wanting to talk anymore due to the pounding in my head. "Do you have any paintings for me today?"
Yes but I don't want to show you.
I shook my head slowly not wanting to make my head ache any worse. "I think upping your dosage is the most reasonable option at the moment," she said yet again writing something down in her notepad.
"Since the headaches have returned and for insomnia," she said looking up from her writing and giving me a sympathetic smile.
