Interestingly, this was the chapter that came first. I'm trying this new thing where the story is only a conversation, without descriptors almost at all... Similar to a movie/television script. We'll see what happens.
Cracking
"Insanity is often the logic of an accurate mind overtasked... a time comes when the line between fantasy & reality disappears."
Hello.
...
My name is Dr. Wilkins.
...
Just so I know who I'm talking to, would you like to tell me your name?
...it's on the file you've got in front of you.
If it's okay, I would like to hear it from you.
...does it really matter?
It certainly does matter. A name is important.
...
...Okay then. If you don't have a name, what would you like me to call you?
...leave me alone.
You want me to call you 'Leave Me Alone'?
I really don't care what the fuck you call me.
There is no need for harsh words like that.
...don't lecture me. You aren't my mother.
May I call you Robin?
No.
Why not?
My name isn't Robin.
Then, what is your name?
...
Okay. Can you tell me who it was you were talking to when you came in here a little while ago?
...I wasn't talking to anyone.
Robin, you most certainly were talking to someone.
No, I wasn't. He isn't real.
If he isn't real, then why were you talking to him?
...
Robin. Why do you talk to someone who you know is not there?
...because it's the only way to make him stop.
Let's talk a little about what you're feeling right now.
...
Are you feeling anything?
I'm in a mental hospital. How do you think I feel?
You seem rather angry to me.
No shit, Sherlock.
Why are you so angry?
...
Robin?
...I'm angry because I'm not crazy. I don't belong here.
I don't think you're crazy at all. But, you've been talking to someone who isn't real. That isn't exactly healthy.
...he says that you're wrong. He's very real.
Robin, is he here right now?
...
What is he saying to you?
...he's saying that you can't help me.
Hello again, Robin.
...
How are you feeling today?
...
You seem a bit subdued today. What are you thinking about?
...what am I supposed to be thinking about?
I don't know. You tell me.
...
Well, we need to get into some of the deeper stuff today.
...
You know, talking about these things will help you.
...why do you care?
Because, I want to help you get better.
...I'm fine.
Are you really?
...you don't know anything about me.
Quite the contrary. I know everything about you.
...
Let's see here... I know that you witnessed your parents' deaths as a child, nearly killed the man who murdered them...
...
As a young child, you worked alongside a man who calls himself The Dark Night-
Stop-
Worked against an evil man by becoming a villain yourself-
No-
You were put under the control of that same evil man, were forced to work and steal for him, and even had to hurt your friends for the sake of their lives-
Please, please stop-
You watched another one of your friends fall under his control and witnessed her eventually lose her life-
STOP!
You experience violent outbursts of anger, have obsessive-compulsive tendencies, have depressive coping mechanisms, and now-
NO! STOP-
Now, you are hallucinating that the evil man is alive... You have physically and emotionally destroyed yourself, and you even threatened to destroy your friends.
...please...
Now, I know this is hard to take. I know you're scared... But, you need to understand that you have been through much more than any average teenager, any average human being, really.
... (sobbing)
You have endured so much in your young life. The fact that you are finally cracking under all that pressure does not make you crazy or cowardly in the least.
... (more sobbing)
It makes you human. There is more to you than just a mask, more to you than just Robin, The Boy Wonder. You are not only a hero.
...
Robin, I know that you are a good person, a wonderful person, actually. You have just had a lot of really bad things happen to you.
...
You have maintained such a strong, confident persona for so long. Somehow, the uncertain, dark part of your mind has began to take over.
...
I am here to help you take control of that darkness... to help you bring back that brave, noble hero that is Robin.
...my name isn't Robin.
Then, what is your name?
Dick. Dick Grayson.
Good. What can you tell me about Dick Grayson?
...I don't know. I haven't seen him in... a long time.
Author's Note:
Yes, Dr. Wilkins is my own creation... we'll learn more about her later.
Did you catch the Harry Potter reference in there? ;)
Thoughts...?