I'm back from vacation! Now on with the story!

Chapter Twenty-One: Therapy Doomed to Failure

"Therapy!?" Todd shouted. Todd had just been told about the Brotherhood's counseling plan, although he wasn't exactly wild about the idea.

"We thought it would help you to open yourself." Fred said.

"I'd liked to break open something. One week in therapy with you lunatics, and I will need counseling."

"Oh stop complaining." Tabitha scolded. "You're going to have separate sessions with us everyday for a week. And if that doesn't do anything we'll just toss you into the loony bin and see how that works out."

"All we ask for is your cooperation." Pietro said.

"I'm fine. I'm perfectly fine. Not crazy. Nope definitely not crazy. 100 certifiably sane." Todd said crossing his arms.

"Look," Tabitha said losing her patience. "you are depressed, you have lost interest in things you previously liked to do, your appetite is much less or much greater than usual and you've lost weight, you have a lot of trouble sleeping, you're so agitated, restless, and slowed down that we have begun to notice. You are tired and have no energy, you feel worthless and excessively guilty about things you have done or not done, you're having trouble concentrating, thinking clearly, and making decisions, and you feel you would be better off dead. You are depressed and you are going through this therapy!"

"Alright alright, geez yo." Todd muttered.

"Well since you suggested this why don't you go first Pietro?" Lance said as he an the others edged out of the room.

"What?" Pietro said in surprise.

"Have fun." Lance waved before slamming the door shut and locking it.

"Unlock this door!" Pietro pounded his fists continuously on the door.

"Get on with the session already Speedy." Came Tabitha's voice from the other side of the door. "We're all gonna have to do this eventually."

Pietro started mumbling things that sounded like they would belong in an R movie. He picked up a bunch of flash cards with black stains on them.

"Not this." Todd moaned. "Of all the treatments why this?"

"Oh hush." Pietro snapped. "Now tell me what you see."

"I see a black blob." Todd said with disdain.

Pietro shook his head. "You just can't make this easy can you?"

"No I can't."

"Would you just go with this you little worm?" Pietro asked angrily.

"Schizophrenic maniac!" Todd shot.

"Wart Boy!" Pietro shot back.

"Quickstupid!"

"Long-tongued Loser!"

"Would both of you shut up and get on with the session?" Lance yelled. "Don't make me come in there."

"Please just what does it look like?" Pietro asked.

"Oh alright, it looks like you spilled ink all over Tabby's science notes."

"Be serious!" Pietro snapped.

"I am being serious." Todd said. "Those are Tabitha's science note cards."

"No they are…" He looked at them and then paled. "Uh-oh."

"SPEEDY I'M GONNA KILL YOU!" Came Tabitha's shriek. She blew up the door and busted in.

He backed away from her. "Now Tabby let's talk about this."

"Eat feathers you jerk!" She yelled and she gave him a hard whack on the head with the pillow.

"OW! Tabitha! It was an accident!" He screamed.

"Accident nothing! Do you know how long it took me to finish those notes for my science class!?" Tabitha chased Pietro around the room whacking him with a pillow occasionally.

Todd grinned cheerfully. "Maybe therapy won't be so bad after all."

A half hour later it was Tabitha's turn to diagnose Todd. Since she blew the door up the others just waited outside in the hallway.

She sat down. "Okay Toady, we're going to play a game."

"What kind of game?" Todd asked.

"I say a word and you say the first word that pops up in your mind."

"Alright."

"Flowers."

"Death."

"Birds."

"Death."

"Food."

"Death."

"Friends."

"Death."

"Love."

"Death."

"Death."

"Despair."

"Why do you keep saying death about everything?" Tabitha asked frowning.

"Because all things in this world die." Todd explained. "It doesn't matter what it is, it will eventually die. And death brings despair."

Tabitha came out. "That was fast." Pietro said.

"Faster than you were running." Lance remarked. "How'd it go?"

"He does some critical thinking." Tabitha shrugged.

Pietro turned to look at Fred. "Your turn Freddy."

Fred walked into the room. "Okay little guy this is what we're gonna do."

"Does it involve me escaping to freedom?" Todd asked hopefully.

"Uh, no I don't think so." He pulled out a sock puppet. "Remember me?" He spoke through the sock puppet.

"Oh no." Todd groaned.

Fred handed him the sock puppet. "Just stroke the puppet while saying good things about yourself."

"Are you serious?" Todd asked him contemptuously.

"Well I'm not joking. At least I think I'm not." He said scratching his head.

"There is no way I am gonna…"

Tabitha poked her head in. "Todd for the love of gaud just do it."

"I am more and more happy in every cycle of my life." Todd murmured to himself stroking the sock puppet. "I enjoy living on this planet. From day to day I am better and healthier in every way. I love myself unconditionally, for myself. I am in full control of my body, mind, and spirit. From day to day I am stronger and happier in every way. I release the past. I am living peaceful and secure. I can express myself freely and peacefully. I relax into the flow of life and let life flow through me with ease. I feel tolerance and compassion and love for all people and myself. From day to day I fulfill myself in every way. From day to day all my personal problems dissolve until they disappear. I am… really sick of saying all this corny crap!" He took the sock puppet and started mangling it.

"Don't do that to Mr. Socky!" Fred whined.

"Sounds like it's going really well." Pietro said sarcastically as the sounds of a struggle were heard.

After a few minutes Fred came back out holding a mangled cloth that was once his sock puppet. "He ruined Mr. Socky."

"Your turn Lance." Pietro said snickering.

Lance gave a deep sigh and walked into the room with a feeling of forboding. He sat down in front of Todd. "Okay, describe to me exactly how you feel."

"Huh?" Todd asked.

"I know it's a corny question but it's all I can think of." Lance explained. "So just tell me how you feel during the day."

"You really wanna know?" Todd asked. Lance nodded. "Fine, I'll tell ya. I wake up at 3 A.M. feeling absolutely rotten, desperate, and agitated. I turn on TV but can't watch, pick up a book but can't read, try soothing music but feel irritated by it. I return to bed-but toss, turn, and fret in the endless hours before dawn. As the sun rises, I begin pacing around the house but feel no relief or comfort and finally go back to bed. I feel worthless wasting time in bed but I am too washed out to get up." Todd explained this while pacing back and forth across his room. Lance just listened attentively.

"My mind is filled with self-criticism, ruminations, catastrophes, and worries. As the day progresses, I feel a bit better. By late afternoon I am relieved enough to eat a light meal and get dressed. The evening is not fun, but it is not an agitated torture. By 3 A.M. the next morning, however, I am back in the lowest circle of hell." He turned to Lance. "There are you happy?"

"Is that how you really feel?" Lance asked quietly.

Todd nodded. "Yes, that's exactly how I feel."

Lance sighed. He knew Todd was feeling bad. He knew he was having serious troubles. But he had no idea it was this bad. What happened to the spunky troublemaker always cracking jokes and pulling pranks? What happened to the smart-mouthed frog kid that would always try to look for a good time that Lance first met when he had joined the Brotherhood? He was gone. Asleep inside maybe. There was only one thing Lance could think of.

He stood up slightly smiling at the short, scrawny teen. "I might know something that will help you unwind."

"And what's that?" Todd asked skeptically.

Lance grabbed his arm and pulled him out of the room and into the hall where the rest of them were waiting. "It's time to go on the nature walk."

"I don't wanna go on a nature walk." Todd said trying to free his arm.

"Nonsense, you'll love it." Pietro said pushing his down the stairs and out the door followed by the rest of them. They led him down the street much to the dislike Todd was feeling. They led him to the park and had him sit down on the grass.

"Guys I really don't wanna…" Todd began.

"Shh. Look." Lance pointed.

Todd looked and he saw something that made him forget everything else. It was a sunset. They all sat there quietly in the park and watched the sun go down. The clouds hovering above the sun had a bright, golden lining. The colors of orange, pink, and light blue blended smoothly together. Some clouds were bulging and fluffy. Others resembled a smooth, pastel smudge against the sky. The rays of the sun reached up touching whatever they could reach causing everything around them to have a glowing, ruby tint. It caused some clouds to be bright orange on one side and a light grey on the other. Some clouds the sun's rays engulfed entirely transforming them into pink and orange looking fire. It was the prettiest thing Todd had ever seen. Well, almost the prettiest…

"It feels so familiar, sitting here watching a sunset." Todd whispered to no one in particular. "I felt like I've done it before."

"Everybody's done this at least once in their lives," Pietro said. "even if they don't remember it."

Todd rested his head on his hand. "It just feels so relaxing yo. Makes you forget all the bad things going on."

"It looks okay I guess." Pietro said casually.

"All those clouds remind me of cotton candy." Fred said smacking his lips.

"Oh brother." Tabitha said rolling her eyes.

"So Toad, aren't you glad we brought you out here?" Lance asked him.

Todd gave a slight shrug. "Yeah I guess. I can't say that I forgive you. Don't take it personally or anything, but I'm not ready to. Until I can figure out what's wrong with me, I'll still have this grudge against you guys. But don't worry. I mean I have to forgive you sometime right?"

Tabitha shook her head. "No, you don't have to forgive us at all."

"Yeah, go ahead and hate us if you want." Lance reached over and ruffled Todd's hair. "But just remember, we're still here for you if you ever need us."

Todd gave a slight grin that was lit up with the warm glow of the sunlight. "Thanks guys."

"No prob." Lance said as he got up. "Now let's go home before it gets dark."

As Todd walked home with his friends he sensed he wasn't the only one watching the sunset. Someone else, someone close, was watching it too.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Please review!

Oh and Person, if you really hate my writing that much then just don't read it. No one's forcing you to. If you want to make any suggestions then feel free to send them in.