The words for the chapter are: Improv, inadequate, insane
In a small white room, a small, pale teenager was sleeping fitfully on a bed. The boy wakes up with a gasp and he curls into himself with shuddering sobs. He stays like that till morning, with dark thoughts dashing through his mind. A knock is heard on the door.
"Jack? It's time for your medicine. " a nurse said as he walked into the room with a small cup of water and a few pills. "Here ya go." he said with a chirp in his voice. The teen, Jack, took the pills and the cup and swallowed them with a quick sip of water.
The nurse left the room and Jack left his room after he made his bed three times and tapped the wall in a specific pattern. He wandered the halls waiting for breakfast to start. A loud ringing sound was heard that signalled it was time for breakfast.
In the cafeteria sat many people but Jack grabbed his tray of food and sat in an empty corner. Soon he was surrounded by people. "Good morning Jack." said a short, extremely thin girl as she sat on the other side of the table.
"Mornin, Tooth."
"How did you sleep?"
"Same as always."
"Jack! You had nightmare again. Yes?" said a large man as he sat down beside Tooth.
"Yes, North."
"I knew it!"
"Goody for you mate. Now budge over to make room for Sandy." said a tall man followed by a short blonde man as they sat down.
The conversation quieted down once the two most recent additions sat and they began their breakfast and were soon ushered out of the cafeteria into a large room with a circle of chairs.
"Not this again!" the tall man said towards Jack.
"I definitely agree with you there, Bunny. This is like, the fifth time this week and it's only Tuesday!" he responded.
At one part of the circle, a woman stood telling everyone to sit down in their chairs so they could begin.
And so the group therapy began. A dreaded time in the hospital but participation was required. They all were expected to share something but many never did. After the hour and a half was over they were given free time or went to individual therapy sessions.
Of course, Jack was subject to more therapy before he was set free. The therapist , Dr. Cannenta asked her usual questions, "Did you have the same nightmare? How are you doing? Do you still feel the pull to tap the walls and other behaviors?" and Jack always gave her the same answers and that was it.
Personally, he believed she wasn't very good at her job but he kept it to himself. At least she snuck him candy sometimes.
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In her office, Dr. Cannenta looked at her extensive notes on Jack. She carefully observed him even when he was not in her office. She was close to figuring out a way for him to deal with the supposed guilt he suffered. She leaned back in her chair and placed her feet on the chair while wrapping her arm around her legs.
She thought of her notes and then she was struck with an idea. Quickly she jotted it down and left to find Jack. And on a small piece of paper was written Dramatic Therapy.
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"You want me to act? With other people? With an audience?" Jack responded with a curve to his voice.
"No audience. Just you, Tooth, Sandy, North and Bunny. It'll be good for all of you. Plus it's not really acting. You get to make it up so really it's playing pretend." she responded.
"Fine. But you get to tell them."
"Of course Jack. They already know. Go on over to the rec room. It is relatively empty at this tie of day and they are there already. Have fun!"
A simple groan was the response she got as he walked towards the rec room.
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North took the lead which was good because Jack wanted nothing to do with it. They were given access to the computer for an hour and they researched improv and discovered improv games.
To Jack's surprise they were a lot of fun. They did this improv thing everyday for a while until after two months have passed, all five them were told they were going to be released. The therapy worked for them.
Jack's OCD was almost nonexistent. Tooth ate all her food but brushed her teeth like crazy however, it was a start. North no longer said he was Santa Claus. Bunny got over his extreme paranoia and Sandy began talking so he could be a more active participant instead of a human prop.
They all had their stuff gathered and they went back to where they lived before coming to the mental hospital but not until they gave each other contact information. Then they all went their separate ways.
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"Who's ready for the show?" a female presenter asks. In response, a small crowd cheers.
"All right now! Please welcome, The Reluctant Pretenders!" Cheers follow as the group comes on stage.
"Hello, how you all of you doin' tonight?' asks Jack dressed in a simple blue hoodie and khakis. A chorus of goods and wells are heard.
"Glad to hear it. Are you ready to laugh your guts out?" Loud yeahs are the response.
"Let's get this show started then!" From behind the curtains comes North, Bunny, Sandy, and Tooth.
The improv show went on without a hitch and the audience laughed so much that there were even some tears.
As the show ended, the improv group went backstage and congratulated each other on their great lines and witty comebacks. As one group, they left the theatre and wandered home, with thoughts of their hard times playing consistently but glad to have met each other.
A/N: Here's another chapter. It is one of my worst. The FACEBOOK PAGE HAS BEEN DELETED. I REPLACED IT WITH A TUMBLR. THE URL IS identicality-fanficion. The link is on my bio page and it can be found by adding tumblr dot com to the end of it. You know how it works. I'm sure. Sorry it took so long. I get terribly distracted. I hope you enjoyed it! I still take suggestions so if you have an idea, give it to me. It will registered and chances are it will be used because I love your ideas. The next chapter will be out before the end of the year hopefully.
Read, review, and enjoy!