The florescent lights in the office made it almost unbearable. Sam was already sweating. Every now and then he would the rub of his neck or wipe his face with his hands. Sarah just sat there trying to smile.
The chairs were high and made of a plastic leather material that squeaked loudly when either of them would change seating positions. The woman behind the desk wasn't helping much.
She was sporting an ensemble straight out of an 80's movie. She had the puffed out shoulder pads, the white puffy shirt with the nice large pendant looking button.
"So we feel that your nephew needs more . .emotional support."
Sarah and Sam looked at each other and then back to the school's guidance counselor.
"What do you mean more emotional support? Ace has plenty of emotional support." Sarah will be damned if someone tells her that she isn't supportive of her nephew. The counselor just smiled before handing her a piece of paper.
"This is Ace's last assignment. He wrote quite a disturbing story. The teacher herself was quite disturbed."
" Will you stop saying the word 'disturbed' please?" Sam now enters the conversation. He grimces ever time she uttered the aforementioned word.
"Healthy, happy children do not write like this. Do you know how his home life was before he moved in with you?"
Again, Sam and Sarah exchange glances before answering. Sam spoke first.
"Honestly? I didn't know Ace even existed until he moved in with us. My brother was- is a good man. He wouldn't hurt anyone let his own family. He was-isn't like that."
Sarah handed the story back not impressed.
"I've read worse." Sarah leans back crossing her arms and legs clearly annoyed.
"We think it would be his your nephew's best interest if he sees a professional once or twice a week. This could help him and steer him away from writing these," She shakes the paper," and writing more appropriate work."
"You think he needs a psychiatrist?"
"In my professional opinion? Yes. Yes I do. If you don't like the psychiatrist idea, Ace could meet with me instead. It won't cost you anything and he will still get help that he needs."
"I don't like this. Ace is fine." Sarah turned her head to the side avoiding eye contact with the guidance counselor.
"If you think's it's best for him he'll do it." Sarah tuned her head to look at Sam in surprise.
"I'm glad you feel that way."
"Sam."
"Sarah it's just talking. All Ace has to do is talk."
"You think he's disturbed now?"
"No. I just- we don't know anything about what him and how he lived with his parents."
Sarah turns back around facing the front and huffs. She says her goodbye and leaves the room and slams the door to the office shut.
-----------
Two years ago, somewhere in California.
The sky was black as coal and the air cold as ice. The wind gracefully moved the branches in the trees. Several locals were camping out in the woods tonight. Father's and Sons surround the campfire.
Four long logs serve as the seats. Two pairs to a seat. A men with a dark red plaid hat eyes Ace out of the corner of his eye. In turn Ace moves closer to his father.
Ace absentmindedly picks up a stuck and pokes the fire, his head rests on his arm as he leans forward. he exhales loudly hoping his father catches his boredom and takes him back home. His father ignores him. Ace leans back and exhales louder and adds a little groaning.
His father rolls his eyes.
"What?" His father asks gruffly.
"I'm bored." Ace whines. His father brings both of his hands to his face and sighs himself. He then begins to rub his temples.
" Then practice." He snaps.
Ace slumps lower in his wooden seat. he scans the crowd of campers looking for a prime target. To one of the fellow camper's he'd think that Ace was casually looking around.
"Him." Ace moves his head slightly in the direction of the man in a hat. His father hands him something. Ace puts the object up his sleeve and stands.
"Wipe off the blood this time."
-----------
Life awakens back into Ace as he jolts up sweating.
Ace wipes the sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand. After he came home from school he took a quick nap. His aunt and uncle were out doing whatever it is that they do. He never asked and they didn't come forward.
They never tell him what they do for a living. He knew from talking with Sarah that her father ran an auction house which she left to pursue a short lived art dealing stint. She didn't talk much about she did now though.
That dose not mean he didn't know. Of course he knew .They just didn't know about him. They were never going to find out either.
There was a brief knocking on Ace's bedroom door before it opened revealing his uncle who seemed upset about something. Sam closed the door behind him before sitting at the end of Ace's bed.
"Something wrong Unc?" Ace propped himself up to make talking easier.
Sam shook his head. He started playing with one of Ace's pillows.
"We just came back from a meeting at your school." Sam took a moment for this to digest into Ace's mind.
"Yeah?" Ace pressed, unsure where this was going.
"They think it would be good for you to see someone. Like a psychiatrist or your guidance counselor. Your aunt and I talked about it and we think it's a good idea."
Everything in Ace froze. He began to sweat and his heart started beating faster and faster.
"But we don't want to force this on you so . .what do you think?" He turned his full attention his nephew.
Ace said nothing. He just sat there lost in thought. Sam snaps his fingers to get a reaction.
"Huh? Oh um sure. Just talking right no biggie."
Sam nodds and ruffles his nephew's hair. He hasn't spent much time with Ace since he moved in but it has only been a few days.
"I'll guess I go and help Sarah with dinner." Sam starts to retreat. He closes the door behind shut.
-----
The next day was another mostly uneventful day. Ace had a schedule for seeing his guidance counslor. Monday's after school. Susie and Ace sat together in class again. Most of the kids in his classs actually were afraid of him now. A simple piece of work can have such strong effect on people.
Right now Ace was zoning in and out of his teacher's current lecture. Several other students had their heads on the desks. Susie was doodling on her notes and Bethany was glaring randomly at Ace.
"All right enough of that now I have an interesting assignment for you all." the teachers from the front of the chalkboard to her desk. She picms upa book and waves it in the air.
"This is Hamlet. Do any of you know anything about Hamlet?" She waited fro a repsone. Bethany raised her hand.
"My brother is reading it. He's in tenth grade."
"That's fascinating Beth but do you know anything about the play itself?"
"Bethany and didn't Shakesprok write it?" Ace laughs loud at this while Bethany glares in his direction.
"Any comments Mr. Winchester?"
"Yeah Shakespeare wrote it. It was about some depressed prince who kills his uncle."
"And why is that?" the teacher pressed.
"Because..I don't know. He's crazy?"
"Ah. We'll get back to that Ace. Every character in this play and in his all plays has a defining moment. In fact everyone in this room has or had a defining moment. Something that tells the world who we are and what we're about. It could be simple or something complicated. It could have come out during a tragedy such as this or something more . .lack of a better word, happy."
The teacher puts the book back down on her desk and sits on the end.
"I want you to pick a character and find theirs. I want to defend your opinions. Tell me why you chose that moment for the character. The school thinks that this is over your heads. We're going to prove them wrong."
Susie looked around the room before rasing her hand. the teacher nodding aprroval thus she spoke up.
"Can we choose more than one character?"
"No. Any more questions?"
Ace raised his hand. He too, got the approval.
"When is this due?"
"Two weeks." Several groans and complaints were heard at once.
----
Ace spun around in his desk chair several times before stopping. he picked up the text book and tossed it behind him.
"What did I tell about schoolwork?"
Ace froze up. His shoulders tensed. He slowly turned around.
"Dad?"