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CHAPTER EIGHT | BROTHERHOOD OF THE DAMNED
─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───
RILEY WAS RELIVED THAT ELIJAH HAD ACCEPTED CAMI'S OFFER TO TALK THROUGH HIS FEELINGS. The pair had decided to arrange their first session that morning and Riley wanted to make sure that she gave the two space, considering she knew that if she were in the same situation, she would want space, too.
Riley remained in the kitchen, preparing herself a coffee as she did every single morning. She carefully stirred the boiling hot drink before her attention was taken by Elijah, who appeared in the doorway. "How're you feeling?"
"Uneasy." Elijah hummed, almost chuckling slightly. "To open myself up to someone is a bizarre feeling."
"But, perhaps it might give you a better understanding of what you're feeling, too." Riley offered him a sympathetic smile before she placed the spoon into the sink and picked up the cup. "I'm gonna give you some space, I'm sure the last thing you'd want is me listening into your therapy session."
The Original vampire shook his head in immediate disagreement with Riley's prior statement. "That is exactly what I want. I would feel better having you sit in— slightly more at ease."
"If that's what you want, then sure." Riley gave him a smile before he led her into the living room, where Cami had already sat down and prepared herself for the session. "Really getting into character, aren't you, Cami?"
"I take my role as Original Vampire Therapist very seriously." The blonde chuckled softly, but her attention soon drifted toward Elijah. She could see from the moment he had sat down beside Riley that he was tense. "Okay, Elijah, our goal here is to confront your subconscious. An element of my thesis is on suppression of past trauma and how it can manifest in aberrant and often violent behaviour."
"You know, I believe it was 1897 that a dear friend of mine, let's just call him the Godfather of modern psychoanalysis, mentioned something similar to me over tea in a Viennese cafe." Elijah offered the blonde a lingering smile, whilst Riley rolled her eyes and sipped her coffee.
"Are you namedropping Freud right now?" Cami laughed. "Okay. Well, here's something I know that even Freud didn't—"
The Original adjusted himself in his seat, preparing himself to listen. "—Oh, do tell."
"What it's like when someone takes away your deepest, ugliest pain without your consent. It is both a blessed relief and a complete violation." As the blonde human spoke, Elijah's face fell. "Sound familiar? Good. Let's start with what you've referred to as The Red Door."
Riley's breath hitched in her throat as she recalled Elijah's explanation what it means for him. "That's an imagine from my past. My youth. It was the door to a slaughterhouse. Sometimes it appears to me in flashes. It's a memory, but it's also a metaphor. It's a place where unspeakable deeds dwell in darkness."
