Stonebrook High School

Chapter 73

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Apparently, her appointment with the therapist the next day was deliberate. Due to her unexpected, rapid recovery, it was the day she was marked for release, so the doctors decided it would be good to also include time with a therapist once she was free.

She was being led down a hallway by a nurse, a little zoned out from the lack of windows. What time was it? Not once had she been allowed a full peek of the outside world since she awoke, feeling disconnected from what went on the other side of these walls.

"Here you are," the nurse said, opening the door for her. "I know you'll like them."

"It's a little early to say that..." Jess mentioned, trying not to suggest that she wouldn't like whoever it was. The nurse simply smiled. "I believe you will. Enjoy your hour, Miss Ryder."

The nurse closed the door, leaving Jess alone in the light blue room, decorated with a couple plants here and there and a comfortable sofa by some bookshelves and paintings. She scanned the room, amazed by the large, open window by the chair. She went up to it, pressing her face and hands against it. The sun, partly up in the sky, rained light on her, looking much more bright than she had remembered.

Outside the window were flowers and bushes circling a tree in the center, butterflies floating from branch to branch. Jess gasped at the beautiful sight. How did you get to that place? She was going to find a way to that garden somehow.

"Hello, Jesse," a voice behind her said. "Do you like the garden? The Director frequents it a lot herself."

She turned around, unsticking her hands from the window, slightly embarrassed. There, in front of her, was a female with beautiful and clear skin, her curly locks framing her face with a delicate touch. "Are... are you my therapist?"

The woman smiled, setting down her folder. "Yes, I am. My name is Mya. Mya Fennoy." Fennoy. Where had Jess heard that before? Mya continued on, saying her name was spelled M-y-a and pronounced "my-yeah". "Hi, Mrs. Fennoy. It's nice to meet you," Jess responded, nodding her head in acknowledgment.

"Oh, please, call me Mya. No need for formalities here." Mya sat down and held out her hand. "So, you're the female Jesse? The one who took down the Witherstorm?"

"I- uh, yeah. I was."

"I've heard you've gone through quite a bit in your lifetime, such as memory altering. Wanna just relax and tell me what you've gone through?"

Jess smiled. "Yeah, actually. I have some things I haven't been able to talk to my brother about. Oh, and call me Jess. It's easier that way."

For the next hour, Jess spilled her life story, detailing the beginning of it all from preschool, when she had first met Lukas, all the way to the present day, where she was struggling to hold it all together. Mya continued to nod and make small comments as she actively listened.

"Very interesting. Do you feel as if you feel a need for something else, too?" Mya said when Jess finished with her spiel.

"What do you mean?"

"Do you crave social interaction? Seeing the outside world? The need to hold someone and be held?"

"Uh," she mumbled, "I don't know... maybe a little bit of everything. I just feel really left out, you know? I've been out for a month. Of course, I'm going to miss out on normal everyday stuff, but I feel weird not having been there for my brother or my friends."

"And what about this Lukas?" The name coming out of Mya's mouth caused Jess to flinch. "What about him?"

"I... He's..."

"Why do you think you reacted so poorly to him when you met him again in high school and after getting Wither sickness?"

Jess froze. "I- I don't know."

"Maybe you remembered him subconsciously? You were upset at him not helping you and your friends when the other Ocelots bullied you. Or maybe you were associating him with something else?"

"I don't know!" The twin grabbed her head in frustration. "Perhaps. I'm not sure. I just... I'm so confused now. When I think of Lukas, I feel really warm but also can't separate the idea of him betraying us and arguing with me at the cave. When I think of Aiden, I'm happy for a few moments but then think of him and the other Ocelots bullying us. My memories are all mixed up now and it's tiring to think about it."

"It would make sense, considering you went under the needle twice," Mya said. "I think you need to override those negative thoughts of them with something else. Maybe have a heart-to-heart?"

"I would. But I'm too anxious to speak to Lukas right now. And Aiden? That would just be super awkward. Not like both conversations wouldn't be awkward, but- you know."

Mya stood up from her seat. "Have you tried meditating?"

Jess raised an eyebrow. "Meditation? No. Why?"

"It might help you decide on a path to take with this dilemma. Here, we don't have to go into full Nirvana, but we can try this small exercise. Come, lay down on the ground with me." Mya unrolled some yoga mats and laid down on one, keeping her palms up.

Jess followed the woman's example, trying to relax her whole body. "Now," the therapist started, "breathe in through your nose for four seconds." The twin inhaled deeply.

"Hold it for seven seconds - then, exhale through your teeth for eight." She continued to follow Mya's instructions, feeling her back somewhat collapse in. "Now, close your eyes and do it again."

Jess closed her eyes, breathing in for four seconds. Holding it for seven, she hissed out for eight, feeling the tension magically exit her body through her fingers and her back. What the heck? She felt so much more relaxed now - and a little sleepy.

"This is called 4-7-8 breathing." Mya's voice made Jess's eyes open. "It calms you down, clears out your head. It can help during moments of anxiety, stress, and restlessness. It won't create a magical fix for your problems, but it can definitely assist with reaching a better headspace to work on the solutions. I'm sure Lukas will understand. Aiden will, too; he just might take a little longer to accept it."

Jess took one final breath, hissing out through her teeth. "Thank you, Mya. I needed this."

"I'm glad I was able to help. Dave and Gabriel told me so much about you two."

"Gabriel? And... Dave?"