Enter the Shadows: Book One of the RTS Series (First Full Draft)

Chapter Eleven

Robin

The two had to depart sooner than Robin wanted to, as Doctor Blanche was expecting him for another session.

When Robin entered her office, the doctor was sitting at her desk. She looked up as he opened the door, and smiled. "Welcome back, Robin."

"H-Hello..." He nodded a bit.

"Go ahead and take a seat wherever you wish and we'll get started."

Robin sat down in the same chair as last time, and after a few moments the doctor got up and sat in the chair across from him.

"So how have things been since the last time we met?" The doctor put her pen to her clipboard.

He froze, having no idea what to say. There was no way he would be able to explain the Nadir in the park, Arsene and Eidolon, or the figure from the stairwell. Surely, the doctor would not believe him. "W-Well, I've been sleeping a bit more."

"Just a bit?" The doctor made a few notes.

"I've been able to fall asleep, but after a few hours I suddenly wake up and can't fall back to sleep until dawn."

"Well, it's a start." She nodded. "How about Leala?"

Robin rubbed at his tired eyes a bit. "We've been hanging out a lot more. We actually just hung out this morning."

"Oh? What did you two do?"

"J-Just go to that tea house downtown. The one in the alleyway."

She smiled. "I know that one. Potter's Tea House, right?"

"That's the one." He nodded.

"Very nice place. That's wonderful to hear the two of you hanging out more." The doctor's hand went still a bit. "So Robin, I recently got a call from your guardian. He said you were up a few nights ago and said you thought someone had broken into the house."

A knot formed in Robin's stomach. "Wh-What?"

"Well, that's what he told me."

Robin felt a jolt of anger. He felt betrayed that Mike had brought that up to the doctor. Surely now Blanche thought he was crazy.

The doctor looked up at Robin. "But that's something we can talk about later. I wanted to ask you something else."

"Like what...?"

The doctor leaned back in her chair. "Can you tell me how things are between you and your guardian? Are things going alright or do you think something could be improved, or...?"

Robin was... unsure of what to say. How could he describe their relationship? Talking about it now, things seemed fine. But he knew that there were things wrong, things that could change, but he had no way of explaining.

"Let's start with something simple." The doctor began. "How long have you been living with your guardian?"

That was an easy one. "Three, almost four years now."

"Alright then. Last time you said you lived with your guardian and his daughter?"

"Mindy, yes. She's practically my sister." Another easy question. "We've... our families have been friends for years. Mike and my dad were friends back when they were in college. Both of them were exchange students in the United Kingdom, and they were neighbors for a while too. I still remember walking to the Karter's house with Mindy and my sister Amy." He felt his throat go dry. "Some of my fondest memories are from the time when we lived in the UK..."