Are We Alone?

Therapy

TW: mentions of blood, tell me if there's anything else

Virgil's POV:

My fingers tapped against my pants as I hit my bottom lip. The iron taste of blood stained my mouth a bit, but I'm not anxious. Promise.

"So... how's it been with Mx. Tol?" Thomas asked as he drove. Trees whirled past us, blending in the background.

"Good, I guess," I mumbled. Truth was that I barely trusted them. I hated the way they smiled a bit too wide, showing teeth that seemed a bit sharper than it should be. "How's Mom and Dad?"

Thomas' fingers clenched the wheel as he forced a smile on his face. I suppose you could say that's what he and Patton had in common. Forcing smiles on their faces and believing the rest of us didn't notice. We did.

"Oh, they're fine. They've been wondering why I've been gone so lately, but they've been okay." He relaxed his hands, releasing his death grip on the wheel. "What do you think of me changing my last name?"

Thomas Sanders. I thought it fit him. At least that's what I thought before I realized that he had powers. "To what?"

"Aelfrun? Your last name?" He said, more of a question than a statement. I remember changing my name when Remy and Emile had rescued me. I didn't take their last name, but one I had found in a magazine.

I thought it was cool at the time.

"What will you tell them? Mom and Dad I mean." We were nearing the therapist's office.

"That I found you?" He suggested in his statement-but-not-really tone. He pulled up to the building, gripping the steering wheel again. If you paid attention, you could see all the different shades of green that flashed in his eyes for every emotion.

"I don't mind, I guess. You be you, but don't tell them where I live, 'kay?" I opened the car door stepping out.

"Alright, Vee. See you in an hour," he called as I closed the door. He drove off, a big goofy grin on his face.

I gave a small two-finger salute and walked inside. There was a lounge, a brown couch against the wall with encouraging posters slung  everywhere.

"Mr. Aelfrun? It's nice to see you again," Mx. Tol called. Brown curls laid gracefully on their forehead, directly above his thick, black glasses. Their brown sweater vest reminded me of Emile, while their slightly torn jeans reminded me of Remy. Their dark skin clear between the small rips.

"Hi, Mx. Tol," I said, shrinking into the depths of my sweatshirt. I waved a little, my black fingernail polish shining slightly in the light.

"It's nice to see you again, Mr. Aelfrun." He smiled a bit too wide for my liking, his teeth strangely more... pointy than one would expect.  "Please, step into my office."

I walked through the door, instantly feeling a cold chill run down my back. Their white walls were not calming. I would change the color a tad bit to a more grayish color, but that made me more nervous than sitting a room with plain white walls.

I sat down in a couch, a light orange tinted it. The most color this room had, if there was no people in it. A window was closed, but the budding flowers were still obvious.

Mx. Tol sat down, their hair springing slightly with each step. They looked at me, their gray eyes pierced me with fear as they sat down. "How have you been sleeping, Virgil?"

I flinched at the sudden use of my name. "It's been... the usual I guess?" I hated how simple it sounded, but, in the truth, it hadn't been getting better. My eyes always felt heavy and my chest felt empty, withdrawn from any emotion.

"Elaborate, if you will Virgil."

"I keep forgetting things, and I think the depression is getting worse, if anything," I mumbled into my sleeve.

Mx. Tol looked up from their notepad— they were taking notes. "Okay, Virgil, how do you feel now?" They asked, pushing their glasses up their nose.

"I'm decent, I guess." I was trying to keep my mind off my personal demons. I pushed my very faint purple strays of hair out of my eyes. "I've been better, but I've been worse too. It evens out."

"Virgil, we need to think with more positivity."

"Sorry."

They smiled, teeth barely showing. I cringed a bit. "It's quite all right. Do you have any plans for Easter?" They asked. I couldn't look them in the eyes anymore, their eyes looked so empty. Hungry, kind of.

I stared at their brown sweater vest, laid over an orange dress shirt. "I- uh, I was planning to spend the weekend with m- um my boyfriend, Logan."

"Not your uncles?" They peered at me, looking up from their notepad. I froze for a moment because not in the month had I been going to him had I ever mentioned my uncles.

"Do you know them?" I asked as I tried to compose myself. I felt uneasy, afraid. They were my personal life. I never really did mention them. Logan and Patton? Yes. They were more essential, especially since I interacted with them everyday.

They stared for a second, a frozen fake smile stuck on their face. "I believed you had mentioned them, had you not?"

"I don't believe so," I muttered. My cheeks were growing warm with fear. I hadn't mentioned them at all.

"Oh, well, you must have–" they gestured towards me, "–otherwise I would not have known that about you." He looked at me with reassuring eyes. "I believe it's about time for you to go, correct? Let's hurry, now."

I stood, pulling my hoodie sleeves over my hands. "Uh- Bye Mx. Tol." I waved leaving the building.

"Goodbye, Virgil."

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Hey, I know it's been a while, but I hoped you enjoyed that. I should have the next chapter out by the end of the day or tomorrow. ILY💜🖤💜🖤