𝐂𝐔𝐑𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐖𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇 ━━ KLAUS MIKAELSON

2

"GOOD EVENING, EMERY," The woman greeted, a small smile at her lips as she stared at the eighteen years old sitting across the table in front of her.

Emery couldn't help but feel nervous. She felt as if several pairs of eyes were on her, judging her every move when there was actually no one in that room. There was only her and the woman sitting in front of her— her therapist.

She toyed with the wires of her earphones anxiously, her combat boots tapping on the ground on repeat as she passed time. She couldn't wait to get the hell out of there.

"Emery." Her therapist, Linda called out her name making her hum without looking up, "hmm?"

"Are you okay?" Linda asked her usual questions, "How do you feel today?"

"Fine."

"Look at me," Linda demanded making the eighteen year old let out a soft sigh before looking up. "I told you I'm fine. I don't even know why she keeps sending me here—"

"— Stop lying to yourself. You're far from being fine." Linda interjected, "it shows."

"What shows?" She questioned through gritted teeth, raising her brows, "that I'm a depressed person?"

"No." Linda shook her head, "I'm not here to bring you down, sweetheart. I'm here to help."

"Yeah, no—" Emery couldn't help but scoff, "I don't need your help."

"I've known you for months, Emery."

"I don't wanna be here, do I?" She asked earning a sigh from the older woman.

Linda tucked her blonde hair behind her ears before she spoke, "you have no choice. Your legal guardian, Jenna thinks that there's something wrong with you."

"No, there's nothing," Emery shook her head, "me being here is wasting both your time and mine so why don't you tell them that I'm completely fine so they would leave me the hell alone?"

Ignoring her words, Linda took a deep breath before asking calmly, "show me your hands."

Rolling her eyes, Emery held her hands forward with a blank look on her face. Linda raised her brows, "your sleeves. Roll them up."

Her whole body became rigid at that before she quickly retracted her hands on her lap.

"You did it again, didn't you?"

"They know, don't they? That's why I'm here—" She paused, "—again."

"Jenna said she saw blood on your sink." Linda explained, leaning back in her chair, "she's worried about you. She thinks you might do worst. She's tried talking to you but she knows it's useless."

"So she decided to send me to some stranger because if her— the only person I actually am close to won't be able to talk to me— you, a random stranger who by the way I don't think I like— will be able to get through me," she pursed her lips, nodding to herself sarcastically, "how smart."

"Like I said, I'm here to help." Linda spoke, "I have studied the human mind. I know how these things work. I know what you think, I know why you do what you do. I know you need time but think about your family, about your friends."

"Why should I think of them?"

"Don't you care about them?" The therapist questioned with genuine intrigue. Emery shrugged, "do I? I don't know— why should I? I don't think they care about me."

"Why do you think that?"

"Things happened." Emery mumbled, frowning as she thought of Elena— her adoptive sister, the reason why they were in such a deep mess with supernatural stuff. She knew about them. Jeremy told her as he'd always share everything with his sister although Emery was adopted, they were really close. She wasn't that close with Elena though. The doppleganger has always been acting weird with her but recently, she has been acting weirder. Elena has not been her usual self.

"What things?" Linda asked, "your aunt, Jenna, told me that you and Elena's relationship has worsened. Is there any reason for that?"

"Just because she's older, she thinks that she can control me." Emery began rambling, "I don't like it. And not just that, she has the audacity to drag her boyfriend into my personal life and—" she cut herself off. She couldn't say the last part because she was not about to tell Linda about the supernatural world. That would be stupid.

"And?" The therapist urged, wanting to know.

"And... nothing." Emery dismissed, glancing at the clock before standing up from her chair, "time's up. Goodbye, Linda. Thank you for your help." Without giving the woman the chance to say anything, she walked out of the door hearing a loud sigh from her behind.

On her way back home, her mind drifted back to Elena who asked Stefan to compel her to forget about her past because apparently, she didn't want to see Emery suffering. Elena didn't know what happened in her past. All she knew was that it was bad. Nobody except Jenna knew of what happened. Emery was furious when she found out through Stefan who told her what Elena had asked of him. She has been keeping her distance from Elena ever since.

She was walking on the street when her phone beeped with a message from Caroline, “don't forget the decade dance tomorrow.”

Wishing she was compelled to forget that, she began walking her way back home.