Lauren hated her job. No, that wasn't quite right. Lauren hated doing her job. What she liked was hiding behind a stack of papers and observing the people in the waiting room, listening in on their conversations, learning their secrets. Stamping papers and scheduling appointments? Not so much.

Like the majority of twenty-somethings, she'd expected her degree to guarantee her a nice cushy job somewhere. Instead, she was stuck sorting papers for Mr. Big-stuff. Not that Dr. Reynolds wasn't a nice man, but he gave her the creeps. He always seemed to know more than he let on. She had to watch her words with him, there were some secrets she'd rather not spill.

The bell chimed as a woman and her son entered the private clinic. Hoping to get this over with as soon as possible, she asked the standard question. "Do you have an appointment?"

The woman nodded dully, a protective hand never leaving her son's shoulder. Protective of what? "Yes. Elijah Leslie Pepperjack. Four o clock?"

"Ah," Lauren recognized the voice. The woman had called a couple days ago demanding an appointment. Apparently, she and Dr. Reynolds had been friends in college. At least, that was what the psychiatrist told her when Lauren was rearranging his schedule. Friends, enemies, lovers, Lauren didn't care. That woman had made her stay an hour late with the paperwork. That made her worse than a cranky old mother-in-law in Lauren's book. At least they gave you fudge before they told their son he should have married someone else.

Of course, Lauren could hardly say that out loud if she wanted to keep her job. "Of course. He should be right out."

Pretending to write something down, she peered over to the waiting area. A little girl rocked in the corner, refusing to sit in a chair. She recognized the man with her, a social worker. He came often with different kids. Lauren knew the man well, and she hated toddlers, so she moved onto the only options left.

The woman- Madeline Fischer - and her son were seated in the front of the room. She flipped through a magazine, eyes not registering the words even the slightest bit. She stopped abruptly, glancing to her left as though in realization. There was a seat in between the two, creating an impenetrable wall. Her son made a point of not looking at her, arms crossed in front of his chest. He resembled a toddler, pouting because his mom didn't buy him a lollipop.

Then she met his eyes. She only held his gaze for a fraction of a second before he reached for his backpack on the ground, but she could see the odd combination of anger and hurt. Betrayal.

Lauren could understand the look in his eyes, she could still feel the indignation coursing through her after Dr. Reynolds…

"Eli." Madeline sighed pinching the bridge of her nose. "Why do you have to be so childish?" She gestured to the empty seat.

Eli chose to ignore her, unzipping his backpack.

"What?" Madeline breathed in confusion as pulled something out of his bag. Lauren's eyes widened.

Eli gave a sideways glance to the social worker who was currently offering the girl crayons. "Eli, what are you doing with a horseshoe?"

Lauren's mind was reeling. She remembered the list of instructions that the Boss slipped to her over a month ago. Things to avoid if she wanted to keep her secret.

"Just in case." He answered cryptically.

Lauren bit her lip. This wasn't good. This really wasn't good.

Eli made to stand up. Lauren scrambled out of her chair, a manilla folder still in hand. She rushed out from behind her desk, quickly snapping the folder around the iron horseshoe and effectively wrenching it from his grasp. The boy spun around, looking at her with wide terrified eyes. She took a deep, shaky breath. How to explain this?

The boy reached for the horseshoe, enclosed within the folder. Papers flew out as she quickly brought it up above her head. The mother stood up. She didn't speak, but her eyes demanded an explanation. Lauren quickly opened her mouth, words tumbling out.

"S-sorry ma'am. It's just that it's a trigger for… well, I mean it could be a trigger." She closed her eyes, composing herself. "What I mean to say is that we get many people with many forms of trauma here. You never know what could be a trigger. Especially for the little ones." She gestured to the little girl scribbling in the corner, faking sympathy. "You can never be too careful."

Madeline nodded in understanding. "Of course, I'm sorry for causing a scene. Honestly, I have no idea what he was doing with that in the first place." That last part was directed at Eli. "What could he possibly want with a horseshoe?"

Lauren closed her fingers tighter around the folder, the only thing separating her from the Gaggletack. "Yeah." She faked a laugh, ignoring the heavy stones that had settled in the pit of her stomach. "What could he possibly do with it?"

I'm kind of hating Madeline right now, but if I told my mom that my town was overrun by trolls, she'd probably take me to a psychiatrist too. Psychiatry costs a lot, and the fact that she isn't just ignoring the problem says quite a bit. It's actually a truly caring thing she's doing. She's in the wrong of course, but she's doing the best with the resources and knowledge she has.

By Deya's Grace, I loved writing this. Lauren is definitely not what she seems.

And you lot have absolutely no idea.