Jasper

I struggled to sit still as I eagerly tapped my fingers along the side of the maroon leather chair I was plopped into, "Come on Doc, can't you up the dose?" I questioned avoiding eye contact.

"Jasper, you've been on a new dosage for only a week, you can't expect results yet." The therapist paused as she crossed one leg over the other, "What happened that has worked you up like this?"

I slumped on the cushion and rested my head back, I began to trace imaginary lines in the ceiling tile. I knew I would sound absolutely insane on this one, I wouldn't even believe myself. How am I supposed to explain that I followed a dead girl- my childhood friend into an alley and just somehow stumbled across a bag that contained body parts?

A sigh loudly left my throat as I couldn't think properly, am I really losing it?

"What happened Jasper?" The therapist asked once more, "If you want my help then we need to talk about it."

I fixated my vision to the right of me where a neat-looking green lamp was placed, it had crystals dangling and it shimmered. As I counted each gem silently in my head, I spoke, "I was on my way over and I saw her." The soft sound of the pen against the paper soothed me, "And who is she?"

"Charlotte."

Her name rolled off my tongue and sent shivers down my spine, I heard a sigh as I glanced toward the professional, she smiled and met my gaze before saying a sentence that made me cringe.

"Do you blame yourself?" The boxy black-framed glasses were pushed up by her fingers as she held my stare.

"If I were there that night, things would have been different. . . " I mumbled resting my head back once more, "If I were there that night, Charlotte would have been alive still."

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"There's nothing you could have done Jasper-"

I cut her off quickly as anger lit up inside like a match, "That's where you're wrong Doctor Richmond, I could have snuck out!" My voice was louder and more clear, "If I wasn't so afraid of my father. . . She would still be alive."

The room fell silent as my body relaxed, "It's my fault." The words barely came out audible, but I know she heard them.

After thirty minutes of my raw emotions being exposed, I was exhausted. I felt sick still from this morning, images flashed through my mind.

The skin was decaying and some had maggots going through. The scary part of this all was that there was more than just one body being held captive in that bag, there were multiple limbs of the same part. Some were a different color and oddly shaped. At one point, it even looked like there were someone's teeth.

Chills raced up my spine at the memory.

"Everything is going to be okay Jasper, give the medication some time to adjust to your body and continue taking the other pills as prescribed. I'll see you next week at the same time."

I nodded and began to turn when she spoke once more, "Oh wait!"

"I will be going on vacation in two and a half months and wanted to give a heads up, my schedule is a little packed but I'm sure I could still fit you in." A warm smile paved its way onto the middle-aged woman's lips, "That is if you decide to keep the same schedule?"

"I do."

Without another word, I was turning down the hallway and heading down the spiraled wooden stairs.

The medication isn't working, the coping skills aren't coping anymore, what am I going to do?

My thoughts were interrupted when I felt something bump into my arm.

Looking down, stood a short petite girl. She had long raven hair that fell to her waist, porcelain shining skin, plump pink lips, almond-shaped eyes which were more on the slanted side, dimples, and bright honey-colored orbs.

"Excuse me." She said in a hushed tone as she walked past me.

She had a tote bag slung over her shoulder with her phone in her hand, her eyes were fixated on the text she was reading.

What an idiot.

Is everyone really that focused on their devices they can't set them down for a minute to walk upstairs? How annoying.

As I continued to watch her, I really took her appearance into mind. She wore long black pants, a huge heavy coat, a scarf placed neatly around her neck, and a hat with a tiny pompom sitting on her head.

Her footsteps were quiet on the carpeted floor as she headed to her destination. I watched her disappear from the top corner and turned on my own heel out the door.

I shook my head, I don't need any more distractions today. I just want to lie down and sleep. My sleeping pattern has spiraled outrageously.

My mind kept going back to this morning, how much more is going to happen?