Cognitive Deviance

32. Pressure

May 24, 2045 - 12:15 PM

Margo sat at her desk, the Philadelphia skyline towering over her on the other side of the glass. A soft gray haze blanketed the sky, and she could still see piles of snow melting on the rooftops. Her old patient, Iris Cruz, had returned for another session. On any other day, she would've been happy to see an old acquaintance, especially one who had improved since the last time they'd met.

But while Iris grew more comfortable beyond the boundaries of her comfort zone, Margo felt lost outside hers, like a hiker wandering off the trail.

Iris didn't have a hood over her head like last time. Her lovely red hair was free to sway about her head like a curtain as she excitedly reviewed her day. She still wore that same baggy, blue hoodie that she wore the first time she met Margo, and her mom sat on a couch on the far-right edge of the room, a smile stretching across her face as she witnessed her daughter's progress make itself evident. She hopped up and down with excitement as the events of her day spewed out like a serene little waterfall.

"...And I got second place in my school talent show for singing 'Creep' by Radiohead!" she spoke at rapid-fire speed, "And then I went with my friends to a dance and ate frozen yogurt with them and..."

Margo was happy to see Iris finally come out of her shell, but too many horrifying thoughts plagued her mind as she studied her cheerful little guest. She felt like she was drowning in ice-cold water, trapped in a glass container as the flowing feeling of death rose quickly to her head and consumed her. And it was all because of one little thing catching her eye.

Iris had a spark rose planted firmly in her hair.

"But I'm just glad I'll finally be done with eighth grade on Friday," she declared with a smile, brushing her hair out of the way. "And once school is done, my friends and I plan on going to the Mental Health Awareness rally!"

Those few words were like a punch in the throat for Margo. The worrisome daze she was trapped in only moments ago vanished in an instant, and she arrived back in reality with a thud, her fingernails digging into her desk.

"Iris," her mother Madeline said in a cautious voice, "remember what I told you the other day. We need to discuss it further with your father before we allow you to go. You know how much tension has been going on lately between the offline neighborhoods and Psych..." She cut herself off as she nervously glanced at Margo. "I apologize, Miss Sandoval. I should've been thought more clearly about my choice of words. I'm just concerned about my daughter's safety."

Margo slowly rose from her seat, still gazing at that beautiful mark of death resting on her patient's head. "Where did you get that flower?" she asked.

"The spark rose?" Iris replied, nudging it with her fingers. "Someone at school was passing them out. Do you like it?"

"Who gave it to you?"

"Oh, well...sorry about this, but they were being passed around by MindLock activists. Even the founder was there! Wendell Asch? I think that's his name."

"I'm sorry, Iris, but I think it's best if you stay away from him. And the rally."

Iris frowned. "What's wrong?" she asked Margo.

"Asch isn't a trustworthy man. We've had several former members of MindLock take sessions here, and all of them claim he's been manipulating people into following his orders, and he'll go out of his way to break anybody he feels is against him. In fact, a woman was put on suicide watch because of what he put her through."

Iris covered her mouth in shock, and Margo was worried she might have gone too far. She flinched when Madeline jerked from the chair onto her feet.