Mental

Chapter 1 - Psychologist

"How are you feeling these past few days?"

"Is NOW included?"

The former paused for a moment, invisibly stared at the latter and flashed another one of his friendly smiles and gestured, "Of course, it is."

"Fine" was the only response.

Another vague and fruitless answer. This had been going on for a week, twice a day by now. He sighed and scribbled his recent observations in his jotter and planning about comparing the new one to his past entries hoping for any improvement - if there is.

"Thank you for your time, Miss Crescente. You may now leave." Finally dismissing his session with a patient. He looked up and smiled at her, distinguishing her response as a simple nod and left the room with apparent poise and grace, closing the door with a soft click. And finally, after an hour of questioning and observing, he is now alone, the tension finally gone; he let out a heavy distressing sigh.

From vicious psychopaths to suicidal teens, this fifteen year old girl - Alona Francine Crescente - is the worst and hardest to crack. Of course, being a psychologist, you got to have the tolerance and patience needed to last for more than nine hours a day, six times a week. Not to mention the choice of words to be used in dealing with a patient, since it simply takes one word to commit a mistake, - mistake that may lead you to your death, even - when trying to convince and persuade them in correcting their mistakes that they would usually deny. He even have to always look friendly and approachable since there are timid and wary ones who chooses who to talk to and those are the nice and kind looking ones. Such strategies never cease to fail him. Not a single patient left his care unrecovered of their illnesses and disorders, but this Crescent girl, might actually just be the first.

Just as expected, no improvement - at all. He tried so many strategies: Mini Fieldtrips, recollection, meditation, motivating conversations and stories, even through literary pieces and... you name it. But it still leads him to a dead end. Nothing. All those efforts for nothing. So it concludes that she is just stupid or not participating at all. They have been spending at least two to five hours a day together for a week now and he still does not seem to gain the child's trust. For such qualm, he think that this girl knows more than she talks.

She may truly seem like a moron; unable to comprehend a simple instruction and ask questions specifically all the time, as if unsure of her future response but for observing her during her stay in this facility, he noticed her cunning and sly attitude; her little schemes that went unnoticed because of her moronic façade, she manages to unconsciously dominate a person's mind and get what she wants. She can easily influence people with a simple talk and her manners are quite refined unknowingly hooking up the hearts of the opposite sex. She may not be truly be ugly but not that beautiful at all. She possesses her own unique trait, beauty that no one has. It is indescribable in fact, since most are scared to confess or express their attraction to her fears of being rejected since she still possess the heart of a child and having a lover is not in her plans yet. She usually have a straight face when she is bored and tends to unconsciously give people glares - another reason as to why only few dared to confess which usually end up with an ignorant rejection which is more painful since she never noticed the hints being sent to her at all.

She is a silent type - too silent, actually - and an average loner, since many are too scared with her intimidating aura. A top student, the best in her class, in her school - the main reason that makes him wonder; how does this child's brain work?

She seems pretty normal, really; a school nerd and a loner, nothing else. Kind of intriguing how she got involved with a psychologist. And now, he rereads her record, how she got here; the answers to anyone's questions.

Name: Alona Francine Oscurita Crescente 

Age: 15 

Birthdate: CONFIDENTIAL

Suddenly attacked a classmate during a laboratory activity. According to the witnesses, the victim leads a group that insults the patient on a daily basis whom she usually ignores as if they never existed. It is quite a surprise that the day where she would finally snap came. No one expected her to be that violent at all. It took three of their custodians to finally restrain her. The victim received several bruises on different parts of her body, a broken nose, swollen eye, three broken ribs, lost two incisors in her upper jaw, and an inflaming scalp. 

She remained silent with a passive expression throughout her conversation with the school disciplinary officer and refused to give a statement. 

After some tests, she is further diagnosed with EBD, Asperger's Syndrome, and Aleximathrea.Such diseases are not contagious nor harmful but requires further observations and treatment to avoid repetition of the said incident.

That is to be expected. Seems that this child just kept her resentment inside until it became rage. Well, at least he is lucky to get her to tell him the reason why she hit her.

"Your classmate, Alex Singer, why did you hit her that time? Do you know why?" he hesitantly asks, silently praying not to receive the reaction the said student had.

"I don't know, I just felt like it." his new patient wholeheartedly answered with a shrug.

"You just...felt like it?" he unbelievably repeats. Confirming her answer.

"Yeah. There's this heavy thing in my chest...I think and my fist really felt like landing on her nose and as if I did, I would feel better," She suddenly pauses, looking around the room, as if something is missing then back at him, straight in the eye with a smug smile, "And I did."

That is the first time he ever received a more-than-one-word response from her, and probably the last. Such a very stressful patient he have. He is really tired of thinking up new ways to at least entertain her during their sessions and another approach on how to get her trust.

Looking at his wall clock just above his door - 15:03 - it says. He's over-timing. Again. He had been making this a habit since this patient's arrival. Standing up and preparing his things to leave, a sudden idea struck him. Why not? Its worth a shot. Maybe this can help her open up. Getting back to packing, he finally leaves his room and lock his door behind him, silently rotating the silver metal through the slot and pulling it out when he heard an audible click, confirming that it is locked by tugging at it, for a week ever since he was charged with this girl, he finally left the mental facility satisfied.

Alona Francine Oscurita Crescente, he will definitely help out this child.