Chapter Two: Family
"How about this question. Have you gotten along with your family?"
"Sometimes. Everyone is always fighting. I play referee most of the time."
"Do you like playing referee?"
"No. There was an accident one time, and everyone hated each other more. I couldn't understand, because he was still alive – he wasn't gone forever, like my mom."
"Who was in the accident, who is 'he'?"
"My brother Jason. His brain kind of got switched and everyone hated him when he woke up. They couldn't understand why he was different, why he didn't know who they were. He even changed his name."
"Were you mad at Jason? Were you mad at the person who put him in the accident?"
"No. I was a little angry at A.J., he's my other brother, but then everyone else was too. He was driving drunk at Jason was trying to talk to him. They went into a tree and the car wrapped around it. I wasn't mad at Jason though, not like everyone else. I didn't really know him, because I had just gotten there not that long ago."
"So what happened then?"
"Jason changed his last name to Morgan, my grandmother's maiden name. He rebuilt himself, made himself into a new person with a new job for life. I told him it was okay, that he could be however he wanted."
"Would you like to rebuild yourself, just like Jason has?"
"Yes. Maybe. I'd like to learn not to burden myself anymore, how to let go of things. Nikolas yelled at me because I told him I couldn't…lo…care for him."
"Why is that?"
"I don't know. I guess that's why I am here."
"Well, over the next few months, we can help you with that. You just have to be willing to talk."
"Okay."
Emily followed the therapist out of the room and down the hall. She went into her room and opened a book. After reading a few chapters, she slowly fell asleep.