CHAPTER WARNING: Mentions of suicide are in this chapter, read to your own digression.

Saturday: 9:00AM

Lucy Hope sat in Dr. Norman Dexter's office nervously. After Dr. Norman had declared that she would become Dr. Lucy, she hadn't expected to take over his office altogether. She sat on his chair behind his desk. It felt rather comfy, though she supposed it had to be. She couldn't help breathing in his scent that was very noticeable, a nice lemony smell intruding on her nostrils. She couldn't help smiling giddily to herself, she felt like she was finally worth something after working for Dr. Norman Dexter for a few years.

He truly was a wonderful man.

Hearing her door opening, she noticed Jane entering briskly, her face flushed as she slammed some paperwork onto Dr. Nor- No, her desk. Lucy gulped slightly. Ever since Dr. Norman had announced her as the new Doctor of the facility, Jane had been in a foul mood. Lucy had originally entertained the idea that she was jealous, and she took slight joy in seeing her co-worker flustered. Afterwards she learned of the origin behind Jane's mood. With Lucy becoming the Doctor and no other co-workers around, Jane had to do twice as much work since it was run by the two women.

"You have three patients today: Jules Farran, Arash Jalil Madan and Harold Thompson. I would have a look over their files I managed to gather, Mr. Farran should be here in about an hour's time so don't take too long."

Lucy inwardly sighed, not at all missing the bitterness Jane held towards her. It wasn't her fault that Dr. Norman favoured her over Jane Hart right? She felt disrespected, but knew Jane would kick up a fuss if she spoke out.

"Could you get me a coffee?"

She winced, knowing from Jane's sharp look she had pushed her boundaries.

"I'm busy."

Jane said flatly, her heels tapping on the floor as she exited the room. Lucy couldn't help huffing, a disgruntled look on her face as she tried to remain composed. She couldn't let Jane get under her skin, she wasn't worth it. All it boiled down to was jealousy. That's all it was! She had rather the mind to complain about the sour woman, but decided she wasn't worth her time whatsoever! What does it matter to her if Jane wants to stay bothered? It didn't bother Lucy Hope! Not one bit!

Not one bit.

Picking up Mr. Farran's file, she skimmed through the details and cringed at its contents. While there was a detailed document of the abuse the man had suffered in his life, Lucy knew she would not be discussing everything in this file. There were two pieces of information she had to keep in mind during her meeting with Mr. Farran. He was blind and would be accompanied by his guide dog, the other was that he was suffering from "Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" a nasty thing to have wasn't it? He was stable at the very least, and that's the condition Lucy hoped she would be able to keep him in.

Leaning back she was thinking different strategies in her head to make an impression on Mr. Farran. According to Dr. Norman, the only reason he had made her Dr. Lucy Hope was because she would leave an impacting impression. Should she tackle his problems immediately? Butter him up? Or keep it at his own pace? Ultimately she decided on the third option as it seemed the safest.

Lucy blinked as she heard the sound of a door opening, and Jane entered again. In her hand was a caramel latte. Lucy's eyes sparkled, any feeling of resentment towards Jane disappearing as her friend went out of her way to get a gift for their reconciliation!

"Jane-"

"This is for Mr. Farran when he arrives, don't drink it."

Those feelings of resentment quickly returned. Lucy could feel her eye twitching, but forced a smile.

"Of course."

With the acknowledgement in place, Jane had placed down one bowl containing water and another bowl containing food. Finally, she placed a dog bed near the therapist's chair. Lucy couldn't help commenting, wanting to make some idle chit chat.

"Isn't this a little excessive?"

Jane narrowed her eyes, causing Lucy to raise her guard instinctively. Why was she so hostile?

"Your job is to use the power of persuasion through words. I'm only doing everything in my power to enhance your success."

Bitch.

Lucy gulped, keeping her temperament together and quickly dismissing any other nasty thoughts entering her mind. Despite her inherently objective the sentence was, she hadn't liked the phrasing whatsoever. "Power of Persuasion" What was the underlying message she wasn't understanding?

"Why are you acting like this?"

Jane seemed mildly surprised at the straightforwardness, though she quickly donned her neutral face.

"Don't bring this up now, I'm not in the mood. For now our relationship needs to remain professional and I need you to respect my boundary."

Boundary.

Lucy couldn't help thinking what a sickening word "Boundary" was. It felt like an intentional rift, one she wanted to penetrate, but with each attack Jane's defences would only become stronger.

"We have a job that cannot accept failure."

Lucy rolled her eyes after hearing that. She didn't like serious Jane. Serious Jane was Plain Jane. There was an instinct within her that wanted to provoke her, an attempt to break the monotony of Jane's façade. However, before the woman could attempt a retort, there were voices heard outside causing both women's eyes to widen in slight panic. They stood up, despite Jane's insistence that Lucy remain in her seat, she denied and exited the room to see two men holding hands, one of the men holding a lead with a dog.

The sharp looking man had noticed the two women and bowed respectfully, much to Lucy's slight disbelief.

"You must be Dr. Norman's staff. My name is Emory Farran, and this cutie besides me is Jules, my husband. He's a little shy."

"E-Ems…"

Jules was a well-kept man. He was relatively tall, slender and decently toned. Jules has slight subtle curves at his hips and narrow set shoulders with a soft oval shaped face portraying a warm peach complexion. His eyes are softly rounded and almond shaped, irises appearing glassed over and misty, with slightly long eyelashes and gently arched eyebrows. A small upturned nose, thin pale red lips and a pair of small rounded ears make up the rest of his facial features, whilst his honey brown hair hangs loosely to frame his face. Two longer strands falling in front of his ears, whilst his fringe is neatly parted in the centre, strands swept evenly to each side. A few out-of-place wispy strands hang free and separate here and there, whilst a single copper coloured highlight streaks down his parting at the right.

Jules wore a crisp white blouse with the collar folded back and the top buttons undone, sleeves rolled back to his elbows and worn underneath a knitted sweater vest shaded a soft lavender blue, tucked into a pair of comfortable denim blue loose jeans with embroidered pockets at each thigh. A pair of light grey socks decorated with a cute Dalmatian doggy pattern and smart tan flats.

Jane was quick to address Emory, inadvertently ignoring Jules.

"My name is Jane Hart. I am the receptionist and supervisor to this facility. If there are ever any concerns you bring them to me and I will address them as swiftly as possible."

Emory nodded approvingly, a handsome grin on his face.

"I see, I see."

Lucy took this as her cue to introduce herself, but rather than speak to Emory she was pointed in making sure she addressed Jules.

"My name is Dr. Lucy Hope. I'm looking forward to our session Jules, may I shake your hand?"

Jules nodded, a small smile on his face as he felt the texture of Lucy's hand. He felt the palm of her hand, then her fingers, the index of her fingers before finally reaching the fingertips. His smile widened as a sudden realisation came to him.

"B-by chance, a-are you a p-pianist, good lass?"

Lucy laughed a little in surprise, she could feel her shoulders relaxing.

"Yes, I've played piano for as long as I can remember. I'm impressed you could tell just from feeling my hand, I heard it was possible but to experience it is something refreshing."

Jane nudged Lucy hard, a disapproving look on her face. Lucy's eye twitched again, the temptation to glare back strong. But with Emory's watchful eyes she was careful to remain composed. To continue being friendly, and to aggravate Jane, she crouched down and stroked Jules' guide dog, a golden retriever.

"Who would this good boy happen to be?"

Jules beamed at the question.

"T-this is Sullivan! Aye! H-he's been so g-good to me!"

Sullivan barked in that moment, causing Lucy to smile in delight.

Jane coughed into her hand pointedly, sending Lucy a signal to hurry things up. Before Jane's rudeness could cause either of them to have any doubts, Lucy took initiative.

"If you would like to enter my office we can begin our session."

Emory interrupted with a sharp edge to his tone causing Lucy to flinch in slight surprise.

"Wait. I thought this was a session with Dr. Norman Dexter? Where is he?"

Jules ended up frowning, not liking his husband's tone.

"E-Ems its f-fine… I l-like Lucy."

Inwardly Lucy couldn't help smugly grinning to herself, sending a wink to Jane who seemed to be resisting saying something rude. Despite that however she was not about to be the cause for a couple's fight, so she quickly intervened.

"Dr. Norman Dexter has been overworked recently and is on vacation. However we felt it was inconvenient to shut down this facility, I am taking over in his stead for the time of his absence."

This was a downright lie of course. Dr. Norman was not at all on vacation, but this was the agreed upon story. With his reputation, his leave on vacation seemed like the most plausible excuse to pass off. She awaited Emory's response with slight anxiety.

"So you are not permanent?"

Lucy smiled to herself, understanding Emory's worries. It wasn't at all linked to Dr. Norman, much to her relief, but a simple desire for Jules to have a consistent confidant.

"We anticipated this might be an issue, so we're working on renovating this building so that both I and Dr. Norman will have our ongoing sessions with our patients if they so desire to have them."

This was a flimsy excuse Lucy had come up with on the spot. She had no idea if the building would be renovated or not, but again it was a plausible story she had to come up with. She couldn't help feeling giddy though. A facility where she and Dr. Norman were the doctors? What a power couple they would be! Emory smiled, much more relaxed.

"I understand, have a good session alright love?"

In a heart melting moment, Emory gave Jules a quick kiss on the lips, causing Jules' peach cheeks to blush red in embarrassment.

"E-Ems, y-you k-know what I've s-said a-about… That!"

"But I can't help myself! You taste too sweet!"

Lucy yearned for the day her relationship with Dr. Norman could be like that. Normal. Wholesome. Pure. She enjoyed the sexual pleasure he gave her, but she wanted something more permanent, more… Genuine. She side eyed Jane and thought about her boyfriend, Mark.

Despite being in a room with people, Lucy couldn't help feeling lonely.

"I hate to interrupt, but I'm afraid I need to steal your husband for a few hours."

Emory laughed at Lucy's joke, finally letting Jules go as he exited through the reception doors. Lucy allowed Sullivan to guide Jules into her office, shutting the door behind her. Before fully closing it, she saw Jane breathe a sigh of relief.

Strange.

"Here Jules, this is the chair you'll be sitting in. I promise it's comfy! We also have a dog bed for Sullivan if he decides he wants to take a nap. Finally have this caramel latte, your husband mentioned it would calm your nerves."

Typically caffeine wasn't supposed to calm your nerves. Nevertheless, Jules drank it, pleasantly surprised.

"I-I have to s-say! I've n-never been to a c-clinic so g-generous!"

Lucy modestly laughed, trying to remain friendly while at the same time professional. For whatever reason Dr. Norman had entrusted her to gain Mr. Farran's trust, and if that's what he wanted, she was going to get it.

"I'm glad you approve, would you like to be referred to as Jules or Mr. Farran?"

"J-Jules is fine l-lassie."

She made a mental note of that.

"So Jules, what is it you would like to talk about?"

According to Lucy's file on him, Jules was transcribed here under 'Intense Nightmares'. While it was ultimately her goal to get to that topic eventually, she first had to ease him into it. Any feelings of obligation could alter Jules' worldview and she needed his perspective as clear as possible so as to implement a proper diagnosis and get him the treatment necessary.

"Well, I…"

Jules seemed hesitant. Lucy remained patient, keenly watching his body language. Though he tried to remain relaxed, she could tell he was nervous. He seemed pale, clammy almost. If she had to describe what he was feeling, it was probably fear. This seemed consistent with her file so far.

"Y-you… Won't tell Ems anything?"

That was an interesting remark.

"Of course not, you are my patient Jules, anything you wish to confide in me will be met with strict confidentiality."

Lucy had every intention of upholding that vow. When Dr. Norman had refused to indulge in any of Enid's troubles, she was a little frustrated, but having a session with her own patient made her realise why he refrained from telling her anything. Confidentiality was such an intimate relationship because you dive into someone's thoughts, feelings and memories that are precious to them.

"I've been thinking about killing myself."

She hadn't expected that. When he didn't continue his sentence, she prodded him gently.

"I have bad days, but then those bad days keep getting worse and worse to the point where I don't feel like I have anything to live for when I clearly do. Emory, Wren, Willow; my sons, my dog, my family, my students. There is so much evidence to suggest I have everything to live for and yet… I feel like I don't."

Jules was getting upset as he buried his face into his hands, most likely feeling shame and embarrassment.

"S-sorry lassie, that was… Too deep."

Lucy made sure to reassure him at once.

"Don't be sorry. This is a safe place for you to speak your thoughts out honestly without judgement. Let me learn more about you, what do you do for a living?"

While she normally wouldn't change the topic abruptly, she recognised that Jules was delving into his heart too quickly, so she needed to reel him back a fair bit.

"Oh! I'm a primary school teacher, I teach the wee little ones! They're raptors, those little monsters! But they're my raptors!"

And thus the session remained safe. Lucy used the opportunity to learn as much about Jules as she could. How difficult being a gay parent could be, how difficult it was to teach a class blind, how he felt his relationship with his mother felt distant. Though he spoke of good things too! How he likes listening to the sound of raindrops, or how he likes the smell of scented candles. Lucy had prepared a mental note to suggest creating a sensory room for the disabled. She figured that would be a wonderful implementation into the facility!

She decided that she rather quite liked Jules Farran.

Saturday: 1:12PM

Lucy had a very successful first appointment. While she knew there were tougher clients to come, Jules had significantly boosted her confidence. Standing next to Jane, they were this time prepared for their next client: Arash Jalil Madan.

This time, three people entered through the reception doors. Two noticeably aged adults, and one young adult, presumably Arash. The father was a well built man wearing a black suit. Lucy assumed he was a businessman of sorts. The mother was shorter than both her husband and son, though noticeably curvier with an apron? Possibly a housewife?

"Make sure to be respectful and polite."

"Yes mum."

"Be open and honest about your struggles too."

"Yes dad."

"But don't feel pressured into saying anything that makes you uncomfortable/"

"Yes mum."

"And make sure to always be on top of your studies."

"Jalil!"

The mother, known as "Ramin" on Arash's file, looked noticeably flustered as she scolded her husband, known as "Jalil". Without a second glance, this simple exchange told Lucy enough of what Arash's main struggle was. Arash looked completely embarrassed with his parents, and even more so when he saw Lucy and Jane had witnessed the entire thing. From his expression it seemed like he wanted the hole beneath him to open up and swallow him to save him from the embarrassment he felt.

"Excuse me? Mr and Mrs Madan?"

Jane took pity on the poor boy and interrupted.

"It's lovely to meet you, my name is Jane Hart. I am the receptionist and supervisor to this facility. If you have any questions or concerns not relating to your son's health you can come to me and I will answer to the best of my ability."

This had gotten Ramin to lose focus on her husband, pleased with Jane's manners. Lucy, always keeping her client in sight, stepped forward and held a hand out to Arash.

"And I am Dr. Lucy Hope, pleased to meet you Arash."

Arash was a tall, slim young man with pale skin and sharp, angular facial features, softened somewhat by his eyes-oval in shape, slightly downturned and a gentle silvery-grey colour. His hair is tousled, wavy and a light purple long enough to be gathered into a short high ponytail. His fringe is thick and part of it is held back from his face with hair-slides but otherwise it covers his forehead.

Arash wore a pale blue button-down shirt, worn untucked, sleeves rolled up to his elbows with dark grey denim jeans, thin black jumper worn with the sleeves knotted around his shoulders like a cloak. He wore white socks and dark blue trainers with white laces. Finally, there was a camera loosely hanging from his shoulder.

Arash looked at the hand with skepticism and a sullen expression, but not wanting to be on the receiving end of his parents watchful eyes, he shook it.

"Thank you ma'am."

Lucy then addressed Arash's parents, Jalil and Ramin.

"If you have any concerns with Arash's progress you can make an appointment with me and I will answer any questions I can."

"I thought Dr. Norman Dexter was the therapist?"

This came from Jalil, who had noticed a discrepancy with the information he had received. Ramin scoffed at this, not at all bothered by the change.

"Does it matter? I'm sure Dr. Lucy Hope will be just as competent or even better than Norman sweetheart!"

Ramin went on a slight rant about how Jalil was always uncomfortable with women in the professional field, much to Arash's embarrassment as he began turning noticeably red in the face. Lucy interjected, recognising that she needed to get Arash into her office as soon as possible.

"If I may, Dr. Norman Dexter isn't available because he has taken leave on holiday for a few weeks. However, we couldn't afford to shut down the facility so I'm here in his stead. And please don't worry, I consider myself just as qualified as Dr. Norman Dexter for this job."

Jalil clicked his tongue, his eyes scrutinizing her.

"I assume Dr. Norman Dexter has more experience than you?"

"Jalil!"

Before his parents could get into another argument, Arash intervened, already unhappy with his parents' behaviour.

"STOP IT! I'm fine with Lucy! Just go away, the both of you!"

Ramin looked appropriately sheepish, looking down at the floor. Jalil however was not as tolerable with his son's tone of voice and made a move to scold him, causing a flash of fear in Arash's face. Jane however had seen enough and stepped in.

"Sir, we are here for your son's appointment, not for you and your wife to argue in this workplace's lobby. You can continue to waste all of our time, or you can leave now and Arash can make the most of his appointment. What will it be?"

Being the practical man he was, the ultimatum worked as he cleared his throat and simply walked out of the reception doors. Ramin rolled her eyes, she walked over to her son, hugged him, apologised, and kissed him multiple times on the cheek before hurrying after her husband.

"After you Arash."

Lucy welcomed Arash into her office where she made her way over to a fridge and pulled out a smoothie Jane had gotten a few minutes before the Madans' arrival.

"I hope you like strawberry flavours? Seems like you need it."

Arash nodded, his sullen expression back on his face as sipped his smoothie.

According to his file, his parents had enrolled Arash into this facility because the university he was going to have called his parents and said he was falling asleep in more than one class despite Arash's insistence he was fine. Lucy could take a guess at what was happening, but she couldn't jump into it, she needed to make sure Arash felt comfortable.

Before Lucy could begin to make an inquiry, Arash's eyes perked up as he noticed something.

"I haven't seen that flower before, do you know what it's called?"

Lucy looked over to where Arash was looking. It was a vase with flowers with them on her desk.

"I believe they're called Sweet Williams? Despite their silly name they are rather beautiful aren't they?"

"Can I take a picture of them for my collection?"

"Of course you can!"

Lucy sidestepped from the view of Arash's camera lenses as he snapped a photo, happy with the addition. She decided this was a good opener to begin asking him questions.

"Are you a photography student?"

Arash shook his head, his shoulders relaxing as he allowed a smile to make his way onto his face.

"Nope. This is just a hobby of mine, I'm actually an architecture student! I find this building rather interesting too. Is it only you and Jane working here? Seems like a small staff-load for a rather serious occupation? What happens if you deal with anyone prone to fits of violence?"

Arash was rather chatty.

"Yup! It's only Jane and I here for the time being, although Dr. Norman Dexter is also staff here too. That's the beauty of it here, we make sure our facility is a safe space for our clients so they don't feel suffocated. Typically we keep our clients calm, but when they lose themselves Jane is usually enough to keep them at bay."

Jane's skillset was very versatile.

Arash hummed in thought at the explanation as he took another sip of his smoothie.

"I appreciate that. I think I would have felt more embarrassed if there were other people to witness…"

Much to Lucy's despair, Arash's friendly demeanour began clamming up as he talked about his parents. He quickly checked his phone, and then glanced at the computer and pointed at it.

"Is that on?"

Lucy nodded her head.

"Can you turn it off?"

Lucy obliged. It was a strange request, but she needed to earn her client's trust and if that meant turning off her computer she would do just that. After Arash had personally made sure to check Lucy had turned off her computer, he began to speak.

"Sorry, my parents can be painfully involved in my life, so I'm a little paranoid about them listening in."

Arash seemed to be picking at the skin of his lips with his fingers. Lucy raised a brow at the implication, sitting back down and trying to seem relaxed.

"I assume that's not a first time offense?"

Arash laughed bitterly.

"I've done nothing but be a good kid my whole life and yet it's never enough for them to leave me alone. They wouldn't let me come here by myself even though my dad had to go to work. I'm an adult! I should be able to go to these things myself! Yet they still hijacked into my phone!"

Lucy cringed, though she prodded on, realising this was her opportunity to get the most out of Arash's openness.

"How many times have they done it since then?"

Arash shrugged.

"Just the one, but it's the only thing I can think about! My parents don't even act like my parents! They act like my security cameras! Like anything I do is being recorded into some, some, some… LOG! I'm so sick of it!"

Arash could feel the tears stinging into his eyes as he quickly wiped them away, realising he was being too open with Lucy.

"Have my parents bribed you to tell them anything I say here?"

Lucy shook her head.

"Of course not! This is strictly confidential. I take my job very seriously, anything discussed here will never be leaving this room."

She omitted the part where his father had tried to bribe her into giving him records of her sessions with his son. She rejected this bribe forcefully.

"Okay, okay, I'll stop thinking about it then!"

Arash was rubbing his temples. It seemed that his parents potentially eavesdropping seemed to stress him out. Not that she could blame him, she had seen first-hand how his parents could be. She didn't want to think how Arash was coping with it everyday.

After that exchange, Arash had remained friendly, but closed off. He talked about how he was enjoying his architecture course and how he liked hanging out with his friend, Aanahita. How he took pictures of pretty things because they helped remind him that he didn't always have to be thoughtful. He could just look at an image and appreciate its simplicity. Though there were a few more talks of his strained relationship with his parents, particularly about his love life, Arash seemed reluctant to open up so Lucy let it go.

Lucy ended up feeling sorry for Arash Jalil Madan.

Saturday: 5:56PM

Lucy ended up rubbing her temples. Being a therapist was a lot harder than she had anticipated, but only one more patient for today and she was done! Jane herself was working on a sudoku puzzle while sipping a milkshake. Lucy, desperate for normal conversation, asked a question.

"Are you not getting anything for Harold?"

Jane shrugged dismissively.

"As far as I know, Harold isn't one for pleasantry. Just make him some tea or something. Fair warning, call him Hal, he's a bit weird about his name for whatever reason."

Lucy mentally noted that.

"Can't we go back to being friends?"

Jane glanced up at Lucy for the first time, looking genuinely conflicted and uncomfortable.

"We are still friends! This is stressful for me too, okay!? I'm sorry I haven't been at my nicest but this isn't… Easy! Background checks, profile making, attention to detail; it's been a lot! I'm just really stressed and I want to go home without a headache, just… Let me get through this entire thing without being nagged."

Lucy nodded, trying not to feel too hurt by Jane's rant.

Nag.

It seemed Jane viewed Lucy as an annoyance. With a straightforward answer like that, Lucy would make sure not to be an inconvenience for her.

From this point forward, Jane was a co-worker, not a friend.

Two men walked through the receptionist doors, catching both Lucy and Jane's attention. They seemed to be arguing, but by no means was it heated.

"I don't see why this is necessary."

"I'm just concerned for you, can you just do it?"

"For what? I could be getting on with some work right now."

"It doesn't hurt to go in for a check up."

Jane coughed into her hand, causing both men to pause. The shorter, plumper man seemed embarrassed, coughing into his own hand as he looked away. The taller, more apathetic man, was almost certain to be Hal Thompson.

Hal was a slim lad with a pale complexion. He doesn't have much definable muscle mass on his body, though he seemed fit. He appeared to have a slight burn mark on his wrist, though whether it was more severe was unknown. His facial features are sharp and thin, and his eyes hazel brown. His hair is a short buzz cut and jet black in colour.

Hal wore a black long sleeve sweater with a white undershirt. He also wore a pair of black, grey, red, white cargo pants with black work boots. His wardrobe wasn't very extravagant, it seemed.

Hal was immediately curious with just the two women there.

"I thought Dr. Norman Dexter was the therapist?

Seemed like they were getting it out of the way immediately. Lucy decided to take initiative, her professionalism taking over and holding out her hand.

"Dr. Norman is on holiday. However we felt shutting down was an unfitting solution, so I've taken over in his stead. I am just as qualified as Dr. Norman so I reassure you that you have nothing to worry about. I'm Dr. Lucy Hope, pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Jane took a moment to step forward as Hal lazily shook Lucy's hand. She spoke directly to Hal's uncle, Carson Sparks.

"I'm Jane Hart, I am the receptionist and supervisor to this facility. If you have any concerns just come to me and I will answer to the best of my ability."

Carson nodded approvingly, nudging Hal.

"These two women seem capable, just try it out."

Hal stood silent, a critical look on his face. Entering he had seemed apathetic, but conversing with Lucy and Jane appeared to have peaked his interest. He shrugged.

"Fine. Lead the way."

Lucy nodded, walking into her office as Jane stayed behind to speak with Carson Sparks some more.

"If you want to sit down and we can talk about whatever is on your mind."

Hal took the opportunity to sit as awkwardly and rigidly as possible in the chair, much to Lucy's disbelief.

"Well presumably, I'm here because my idiot of an uncle has decided I have the potential to become a danger to society despite going twenty eight years without committing a single crime."

Considering she was alone with him, Lucy was concerned immediately. According to the file she had received, Hal was largely suspected to be a dangerous sociopath. She understood why Jane had been dismissive about getting any briberies, they probably wouldn't work.

"Elaborate?"

"Well I've had a few fantasies. There was this one time I was a boy, I was out hunting with my dad. I ended up shooting a deer, but I didn't kill it immediately. It was suffering, writhing in pain on the floor. I just… Stared at it. It was interesting, how stupid something could look in its final moments of life. What was it thinking in that moment? How stupid it was? How much pain was it in? Could it think at all? It was all very curious. I just happened to document this experience and my uncle found it. So that's why I'm here. How are you going to fix me?"

Lucy kept a pensive look on her face, but on the inside she was panicking like tomorrow. He had told that story with no remorse on his face. He seemed almost excited at the prospect of the suffering he had witnessed. She gulped as she said:

"There is no fixing to be done Hal. You're not broken. From your story, it seems to me you aren't properly stimulated, perhaps some new hobbies are in order? What do you like?"

"Weaponry."

Lucy should have expected that. Thinking back to Dr. Norman's own hobbies she suggested:

"Why not try out archery? I hear the practice of archery is beautiful and therapeutic in its own way. You might reach an epiphany!"

"But I like guns."

Lucy was completely exasperated.

Lucy spent the remainder of her appointment with Hal Thompson discussing hobbies he could divulge in that weren't as violent such as video games, dog walking, painting, listening to music! He seemed to disagree with every single suggestion, much to Lucy's chagrin. By the time they had reached the end of their appointment, Lucy felt like she hadn't made a breakthrough.

Lucy decided that Hal Thompson was a very strange man.

Saturday: 7:57PM

"Finally!"

Jane seemed to be in a better mood as she waited for Lucy to finish locking up.

"Today took forever, I cannot believe Dexter's asking us to do this, he's such a git sometimes."

Lucy smiled, any previous conflict with Jane forgotten as she was just happy to see her co-worker more lively. It was a nice familiarity after such a strange interaction. Suddenly, her ears perked up as she heard the clicking heels making pointed sounds on the concrete ground.

Turning around she witnessed Lindsay Morris making her way to the entrance.

"Fucking hell…"

Jane couldn't help muttering, though Lucy silently agreed.

"Greetings Ma'am! Is there an issue?"

Lindsay paused as she stopped in front of Lucy and Jane.

"Umm, I have an appointment with Dr. Norman, why on earth are you locking up!?"

Lucy's eyes widened in panic, completely forgetting to cancel the appointment. She looked sheepish as she explained the situation:

"Well you see, Dr. Norman isn't actually available right now, he's on a holiday. I a-am deeply sorry about not notifying you at all, this is completely my fault."

Lindsay scoffed, not at all feeling generous.

"Damn right it is your fault! How could you not let me know of this sooner!? But it's also Norman's fault too, such an incompetent man! Honestly I've never met a more unsavoury man in my life!"

And Lucy Hope hadn't met such an unsavoury woman in her life before now.

"Ma'am… If your concerns are urgent… Would it be beneficial to have that discussion with me? For the time being I am the therapist to this facility…"

She hated how her confidence wavered at the end. Lindsay gave her a dirty look, before laughing pettily.

"Sure. We'll see if you're even aware of what Norman's doing to my daughter."

With restrained anger, Lucy unlocked the reception doors, telling Jane to head on home. Jane was appreciative, but said she would wait in the car till Lucy was done. Entering her office, Lucy sat behind her desk as Lindsay sat on the edge of the patient's seat.

"What seems to be your concern ma'am?"

"Well, my Enid is being haunted by her shit stain of a father, pardon the language, and he is encouraging her to talk to this spirit! The same spirit that is actively telling her to kill herself every single day! Don't you see? Norman isn't providing any solutions to my daughter's wellbeing, but actively making them worse! There are some days I have to sleep with Enid just for her father to piss off! I'M PISSED OFF! Now how do you intend to remedy this?"

Lucy bit her lip. This had been the most nervous she's been all day. If she was telling the truth, she realised that Dr. Norman had put everyone's reputation on the line, his, hers and Jane's. She needed a solution that actively went against Dr. Norman's advice.

"Well ma'am, perhaps Enid could have her sessions with me instead? From what you've told me, this 'spirit' has taken the image of her father? Was her father ever abusive towards her?"

Lindsay shook her head, calming down as her face looked red faced.

"Of course not, Earl, Enid's father, was the kindest man I had ever met. He would never intentionally hurt Enid."

Lucy's next words were the biggest gamble of her life.

"Then we need to convince her that the spirit is not her father. Once she comes to terms that the spirit is not her father, the spirit should go away."

Lucy was lying through her teeth. She had no way of knowing whether it would go away or not, but one complaint from Lindsay would shut the facility down and she needed a plausible solution to delay it for as long as possible.

Lindsay was quiet for a long while, pondering over Lucy's solution. After a while, she stood up, and threateningly got in Lucy's face, much to the woman's discomfort.

"Norman had six weeks. No progress was made. You get three. If I don't see any improvement I'm suing. Do you understand me?"

Lucy nodded timidly, feeling like a small child herself. Lindsay stood up and composed herself after she felt satisfied.

"Well then, I do wish you luck. Have a good evening sweetheart."

And Lindsay's infamous heels could be heard stomping on the marble floor. Lucy hid her face in her hands, trying to control her sobs as she struggled to keep composed. It wasn't Lindsay that had made her cry, it was Norman.

Her beloved Norman had made her cry.

When Lucy had entered Jane's car, Jane was concerned and tried asking her questions, but Lucy could barely respond. She was simmering with quiet rage. Convincing a child to talk to a spirit intending to harm her?

She was going to have a long chat with Norman.

A/N: Well I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! I had a lot of fun writing it! This is an unorthodox way for the characters to be introduced, but I feel this is a better way to introduce the characters. The psychology of these characters is very important so I hope that's coming across well.

I would like to thank Orlando Butler, Abitat Eco and TheRoseShadow21 for submitting Hal, Jules and Arash respectively as well as any additional characters in your OC's lives. I hope I was able to do your characters justice!

Unfortunately I don't have enough characters and I'm assuming this is because I made this a mature story immediately? I'm going to briefly change the rating to "T" to catch more readers' eyes, but once I have a full cast I will immediately be changing the rating back to "M" so do not be mistaken. This is going to be a "MATURE RATED STORY"

I will be extending the deadline for characters till the 21st of June. If I don't have enough characters by then I will be creating the rest of the cast and continuing the story as normal. Additionally I put the OC form on my profile as this was recommended to me in a PM. Thank you for that!

Roster:

Males:

1. Jules Farran - Abitat Eco

2. Arash Jalil Madan - TheRoseShadow21

3. Hal Thompson - Orlando Butler

4. ?

5. ?

6. ?

7. ?

Females:

1. ?

2. ?

3. ?

4. ?

5. ?

6. ?

7. ?

Have an awesome day everyone! Thanks for reading!

With love - Quillegy