Doctor Doctor! Give Me The News! (Dr. Neville)

[Angela Chambers]

Angie’s stomach was in knots. She hadn’t thought the day would pass so quickly. Normally, when there’s something she doesn’t want to do, the day drags on slowly. So whatever it is is just looming over her head the entire day. Not this time though. In the blink of an eye, the morning had passed and it was time for her appointment with Dr. Neville.

The worst part of it was that she had to blow off Bell. Spending time with him would’ve made her feel better. He would’ve had her smiling and laughing in no time. But she said she couldn’t. And he pouted at her and asked her please. She could’ve told him why she couldn’t, but she didn’t. It was embarrassing to her.

And actually, come to think of it, the worst part was right then. Angie was standing in front of the door, staring at it. It was probably the most terrified she’d ever been. And it was as if her stomach was angry with her for having the audacity to even be standing here. And in an attempt to settle it, she had on arm wrapped around her stomach. The other would’ve been too, but she was too busy chewing her nails to shreds.

Glancing at her watch, she realized she was late. She should’ve been in there five minutes ago. He was waiting on her. And it was more tempting now than before to turn and leave. Perhaps she could go find Bell? Most likely he was in his room or the student lounge. At first he’d kind of sulk, then she’d apologize. And everything would be fine again and soon enough they’d be laughing.

But that’d leave Dr. Neville still waiting on her… And despite everything in her telling her to turn around and run, that kind of rudeness was unacceptable. You didn’t make appointments and then not show up. Her mother and father would’ve been furious enough at her if they knew she was even late.

Begrudgingly, she put a stop to biting her nails and knocked on the door. “Dr. Neville? Sir? It’s Angie. Chambers.”

[Dr. Sean Neville]

In his office, Sean had an eye on the clock while he reviewed paperwork. His next appointment was late. She was only a few minutes late, which was hardly an egregious transgression. There were many reasons for a student to be late, given class schedules and locations, as well as the general unexpectedness of events in a secondary school occupied by teenage meta-humans. Of course, his next appointment was also standing outside of his office, not delayed in the halls somewhere. The telepathy made Sean aware of this. It wasn’t uncommon for patients coming against their will.

Angie wasn’t the first student to contemplate running from a session and hiding somewhere with the hope that she wouldn’t be found. She also wouldn’t be the last student to do so. However, as large as the school might appear, it was quite small when one tried to hide from faculty, Sean Neville included. He would find her. And while he wouldn’t chase after her over a single missed session, since she wasn’t here in a disciplinary fashion, he would find her nonetheless.

He would find her because he had to find her, because the reasons for her sessions were the pinnacle of necessity. Sean knew about her discomfort with her powers, something he sympathized with from his time as a student. More concerning, however, he also knew about her family’s behavior, of the way she had been treated. Such treatment left scars, and he couldn’t allow that to fester simply because she was worried about a first session.

Fortunately, a knock came, followed by her announcement of her presence and identity which rendered such contemplation moot. The psychiatrist glanced at his watch; she was only six minutes late, not too bad at all. They could easily make up for that lost time.

“Please come in, Angie,” Sean called out in reply. He set aside his papers and waited for her to enter.

[Angela Chambers]

When he spoke, telling her to come in, Angie realized some tiny bit of her had been hoping there’d be no answer, allowing her to turn and run and never look at this terrifying door again. But his voice crushed that hope and, more than earlier, she felt as if she were going to be sick. Slowly, she turned the knob and pushed the door open, revealing a distinguished looking man. Very intimidating. Though, she found every man, even in passing, to be intimidating.

Wishing her stomach to soothe, she wrapped her arms tight around her midsection. “Sorry for being late sir. I-” she hesitated, not wanting to lie, but how would it sound if she said ‘I was contemplating turning around and not showing my face’? “I got tied up.” The girl finished vaguely. Though, she wondered if he’d even heard her she’d spoken so quietly.

She looked around the room, trying to get her bearings. This was her first time doing something like this. And if he couldn’t tell she was nervous… Well, then, perhaps she’d need to find somebody else to help her because it was plainly obvious. Even to her.

“Is anywhere fine?” She asked conflicted by the numerous seating choices the room presented to her. Of course, she’d already started to slowly move to the bigger armchairs towards the back. They looked comfy. And the fact that they were towards the back was also appealing to her.

For the first time, since this appointment was first made, she was actually curious. Not about the actual appointment it self or working through her problems. But she was wondering exactly how somebody started these kinds of things? Would he be abrasive about it? ‘Tell me about your parents?’ Or would he more ease into it? Though, she wasn’t sure how somebody eased another into telling all of his or her deepest darkest secrets.

Once seated, her leg began bouncing. As if it wasn’t obvious just how uncomfortable she was. Like the fact that she had yet to actually make eye contact with him. Or that she was still holding her stomach. Or that she’d been almost inaudible when she spoke to him. Nope, with all of those things, he’d never be able to tell she was nervous. Yeah right.

(Yes, I did in fact stalk Sean’s other threads so I could know the basic setup of his office. XD)

[Dr. Sean Neville]

The psychiatrist nodded in affirmation that she was allowed to sit in any of the available chairs or on the sofa, if she so desired. He had arranged his office so as to offer as many options as possible to set patients and guests at ease. The only rule that Sean maintained was that nobody else was allowed to sit behind his desk. Not all conversations and sessions took place with someone behind his desk – after all, if she chose to sit on the sofa at the back of the office, then he would sit in one of the chairs nearby. But, if anyone was to sit behind his desk, it would only be him; that was about propriety and maintaining privacy. “Sit wherever you like.”

The psychiatrist would take his cues from her and move accordingly to facilitate conversation. He waited for her to sit down, and then he made himself comfortable as well. Long sued to sessions with students who were less than enthusiastic about seeing him (and were sometimes downright hostile), Sean did what he could to come across as non-threatening as possible. Yes, he was in a position of authority, and yes he was older than her by several decades, and he was physically larger, and his powers were notorious in some circles of the school, but he was fairly non-threatening. He certainly was no threat to her.

He only wanted to help. And from her file, and confirmed by her body language and quiet speaking voice, she was in need of it.

Once she was seated, he offered her a reassuring smile. “How has your day been so far?”

Sean intended to ease her into this.

[Angela Chambers]

‘I don’t wanna be here I don’t wanna be here I don’t wanna here.’ That was the only thought in Angie’s head. To her, the easiest way to deal with, well, everything would be to pretend she didn’t think her power made her a freak or that what… happened never actually happened. And that option was a thousand times more appealing than sitting here having to talk to somebody about those things.

And the sudden thought that he might be offended occurred to her. Angie thought of herself as a freak because she was Meta. But that didn’t mean she thought he was or that any other Meta was. It was more than a little difficult to explain. And probably even more difficult to understand.

“Um… It was ok I suppose?” The way she said it made it sound more like a question than an answer. But that was generally how she spoke, as if asking what she was saying was acceptable. At least to authority figures. “Nothing really happened. Nothing bad at least. So I count that as a win.” She felt as if she was rambling. So, to shut herself up, she began chewing on the inside on her cheek.

Again, she thought of Bell. And how she would so much rather be with him at that moment. She wondered if having him here with her during the session would’ve made her more relaxed. He made her feel safe. But she would be mortified if he knew. Knew that she was seeing Dr. Neville… Or the reasons as to why in general.

Realizing she was being rude, she asked, “How has yours been?” Manners weren’t her only reasoning though. People, most people at least, like talking about themselves. Asking was in the vane hope he’d become distracted and talk about himself. But he was a professional, so she really doubted it would work.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Angie’s desire to be elsewhere was duly noted, and the psychiatrist could hardly fault her for not wanting to have to sit in his office. However, it was necessary because he was concerned about her, and the initial discomfort was collateral, as unfortunate as that was.

That didn’t mean that he wanted her to be nervous, and to that end, he offered her another soft smile. It was important to try to develop a rapport, to help her to relax and open up about her life with him. Slowly but surely.

That would be easier if she felt comfortable speaking to him without pressure of judgment. He heard her thoughts, and while those were to be expected, it was also counterproductive. He wanted her to talk, and more importantly, to feel comfortable talking; thus, curbing speech was the opposite of what he desired for this appointment. “Nothing bad is certainly a start. Do you have anything that you’re looking forward to this weekend?”

Simple, not quite personal questions were the way to start.

When she returned his initial question, the psychiatrist offered a slight shrug. “It’s been fine. Most of my weeks tend to follow the same routine, and so everything is fine unless there’s a break in routine.” Because a break in routine indicated a massive problem. “Winter can be a bit busy despite the winter recess, because of how many students don’t go home. Thank you for asking.”

That was as far as he could go when discussing his personal life with someone who wasn’t, for instance, Emma or Ann. “You don’t need to be nervous,” he added, “I don’t bite. And most of the depictions of psychiatrists and therapists in movies and on television aren’t that accurate, so you don’t need to worry about my asking you to tell your life’s story in thirty minutes.”

[Angela Chambers]

Asking about her plans was a good way to ease her into things. It distracted her a bit from the overwhelming feeling of not wanting to be there. After shrugging her slender shoulders, she said, “Um… I suppose I’ll be spending time with Bell. He’s a friend of mine… I was also thinking of going into town to see somebody I met the other week. Um… Riley. That’s his name.” She did leave out the fact that he was just a tad older than she was, unsure of what he’d make of that.

She had intended to go see him before this point… But the fact that he was so much like her father, physically speaking of course, was more than just a bit off putting to her. Speaking more to herself than Dr. Neville, she said quietly as her eyes dropped to the floor, “I was just going to swing by… But perhaps I should call first. That is why he gave him his number after all.” She could’ve continued working through the logistics, but she was being rude. “Sorry…” Angie said with an apologetic face, looking back up at the doctor.

The girl hadn’t realized that her leg had stopped bouncing or that her hands weren’t shaking… Well not nearly as much anyway. And the nerves in her stomach that were making her feel sick had somewhat lessened. He was a professional. He worked at Hammel. He was a Meta. There wasn’t anything to fear. And logically speaking, she knew that. But the simple act of talking about weekend plans just made him seem… More personable she supposed. Nodding, both as a ‘your welcome’ and in understanding that some students didn’t go home for the holidays, she simply added “Yeah…” because she couldn't quite think of what else to say, but felt as if there needed to be something there.

When he commented that she didn’t need to be nervous, her cheeks turned a bright red. Of course, she’d known that everything about her at that moment was screaming that she was nervous. But actually mentioning it was rather embarrassing to her. Dropping her eyes back to the floor as if she were being reprimanded, she only looked back up once his words had come to an end. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to be. I wish I weren’t. But… It’s just so weird.”

Alarm clear on her face, she backtracked. “No. Not this. I didn’t mean it like that. I just meant… It’s unusual... For me! Not in general.” Sighing, her eyes quickly found their way back to the floor and her back slumped against the back of the chair in defeat. “I’m sorry.”

[Dr. Sean Neville]

“Tell me about Bell,” the psychiatrist requested. He was somewhat familiar with him, because he was familiar enough with all of the students due to his keeping up with files. But he wanted her perspective on her friend. At the mention of Riley, he smiled. “Riley Adams? He’s about my age and owns a landscaping business with the power to summon pies from nothing?”

The telepath shook his head, waiving off the need for an apology. “You needn’t apologize. You aren’t being rude at all; I asked you about your plans, and this is part of them. If you want my opinion, calling couldn’t hurt since Riley is a popular man, although I know he generally doesn’t mind having visitors just drop by.”

The psychiatrist lifted one hand, making a gesture intended to convey that she shouldn’t worry about how she sounded. While Sean’s long-term goal was to help her come to terms with her status as a meta-human, and accordingly with her powers, he didn’t expect for her to have a sudden shift in perspective during her first session with him. He also took no offense to anything that she said, and he wanted her to understand that in order to grow comfortable with him. “Don’t worry about it,” he assured her gently. “I know what you mean.”

He waited for her to absorb that before he added, “It can be difficult to get used to the idea of being meta. Particularly if we don’t have a family history that would cause us to expect to manifest.” The psychiatrist offered her a patient smile. “I’m the only meta in my family, so it came as quite a surprise.”

He hoped she would be able to take from that the fact that he empathized with her. Of course, his family had been nothing like hers. Different politics and religious beliefs aside, certain discomfort with the idea of his specific powers aside, his parents had been gentle people.

[Angela Chambers]

The smile on her face should’ve told Dr. Neville that perhaps he’d made a mistake in asking Angie to tell him about Bell. This she could do. She could talk about her friends, well friend really. But she’d most likely prattle on about him until he told her to stop. “Bell’s my first friend here. Um… He’s really nice. Older. About two years. He’s really energetic. And funny. He’s always doing something… Kind of ridiculous. But not bad ridiculous.” There was so much she could tell Dr. Neville about Bell, she wasn’t quite sure what to say next about him.

“Oh! He has a blog. He likes to play pranks on his friends and take pictures and then he posts them.” After taking a breath, she continued. “The other day I was at the pond and he jumped out at me and sprayed me with um… whipped cream I think. And I ended up falling into the pond… Though, that was my fault entirely.” To Angie, those things didn’t sound as if they were mean. She knew Bell hadn’t meant any harm and that it had all been in jest. But because Angie knew he hadn’t meant to upset, she didn’t see a need to mention that Bell had given her his jacket to wear to keep warm or that he’d bought her hot chocolate.

Angie realized she hadn’t exactly gotten Riley last name. Or age. Or what exactly it was that he did, except for owning a business. Or really anything about him. Except that his first name was Riley. And an incredibly nice person. But her lack of information was slightly embarrassing to her. “Um… Well… He looks about your age I suppose. But I can’t speak much about the piiies.” Shrugging her shoulders. “But he is really nice. I was lost in town and he fed me and brought me back to the school.”

Recently she’d been hearing that phrase more than she had in her entire life. ‘Don’t worry about it’. But she didn’t know how to not worry about things. Worrying had always been a constant in her life and telling her not to was so much easier said than done.

She dropped her eyes to the floor when Dr. Neville said that it was hard getting used being an only Meta in an otherwise normal family. And it was. She knew that better than anyone, at least she thought she did. But her family situation was a bit different than most.

For the duration of their conversation Angie hadn’t really felt one way or another about Dr. Neville. He was nice it seemed and that had been enough for Angie to not be so entirely nervous and talk a bit more freely than she might have if he had been rude to her. But when he said he was the only Meta in his family too, Angie thought for a fraction of a second that just maybe somebody could actually understand, maybe he knew exactly what it was like to have gone through what she’d been through. After all… He was older. Metas weren’t as widely accepted when his powers should have developed, right?

Glancing up at him without lifting her head up, she asked him quietly, “Am I allowed to ask how your family took the news?” She wasn’t sure what she wanted his answer to be. On the one hand, she didn’t wish her parents reaction on anybody. On the other hand, talking with somebody who’d been through the same experiences, she thought maybe they’d better understand.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

The telepath smiled softly and listened while she went on about her friend. He had assumed she might gush a bit, and he had asked the question fully aware of that possibility; he was happy to listen, because it pertained to her, and Bell provided happy memories and a support network. However, with the pranks, one had to be careful that they didn’t turn vicious; the psychiatrist was sensitive to that. “I hope that you weren’t hurt,” he said, his tone quite serious. It did help that, with the telepathy, he heard the epilogue to that story, which provided context. “And a blog you say? Is it public?”

Considering the population of Pilot Ridge, it was highly unlikely that there was another Riley in Sean’s age bracket who matched the personality description that Angie provided. Thus, the telepath felt confident in assuming that she had met Riley Adams, irrespective of the fact that she knew nothing of his skill and propensity for baking pies. “From the sound of it, you met Riley Adams. In that case, I’m sure you both will have a lovely time this weekend.” It was quite difficult not to have a lovely time when Riley was involved.

The psychiatrist answered her question with an affirmative nod. “You are allowed to ask; it isn’t rude since I brought it up.” He smiled at her, assuring her that he took no offense to the inquiry. He then folded his hands before him and explained, “In several ways, my situation was different from many others’ were and are now. Meta humans were far less well-known, and so there were fewer points of reference. These days, many more people have a meta neighbor, or a friend with a meta relative somewhere, but not back then.”

In his little cul-de-sac, there had been no meta parents or meta children, none before his telepathy had manifested. He continued, “I don’t have a physical ability like yours or like the students with pyrokinesis or flight or phasing have, and so the discovery process was different. There was a certain degree of relief involved when I was recruited, because we had an answer for what was happening. It didn’t make the notion any less foreign, because nobody in my family had experience with this. But at least we had an answer.”

Sean hadn’t agreed with everything his parents had done in their lives; he and his parents had argued over religion, over politics, over his romantic partners and his extracurricular activities. However, his parents had been proactive in his education and had put forth no resistance to his transfer to Hammel; they had encouraged trips home when he could, and they had come up to visit him, had written letters and had taken his phone calls. In that regard, they had done everything right. Even if they hadn’t ever truly understood just what his telepathy did to him.

“Not everyone accepts it the same way, of course. Many people back then, as well as now, remain uncomfortable with my power. I don’t let that bother me, because it’s part of who I am, and I like who I am.” That confidence and inner-peace had taken years to develop.

[Angela Chambers]

When Sean’s voice became serious, Angie realized just how her words sounded at what had been innocent fun. It made her fear that perhaps her friend would be in trouble. “Oh I was fine. Not a scratch. And the fish in the pond were fine too.” Which had been Angie’s main concern when it had happened. But they had scattered away, swimming what she had believed to be normal. Admittedly though, she wasn’t a fish expert. “Only a few people know about it. And he only puts friends up there. Those of us who are good humored enough about it.” Assuring Dr. Neville that Bell’s pranks weren’t harmful emotionally or physically, or at least not intentionally, was something she’d do until she was blue in the face if need be. “I promise… Bell is one of the nicest boys I’ve ever met. He wouldn’t hurt a fly.”

It was nice to know what the man’s full name was. And that Dr. Neville knew of him. “I think we will too. He seems… He rather nice.” Thinking about the older man made Angie smile softly. He’d been really nice to her when they met. And that was something she hadn’t experienced in a very long while.

Angie listened to the older man as he described what it was like to be Meta back when not many people at all knew what that meant. She couldn’t imagine not knowing what a Meta was. Or discovering your ability without knowing what it meant or what it made you. Being afraid because you didn’t know anything about those things. She supposed it was better to be one now. For a lot of reasons. Most importantly, more and more people were starting to know Metas and accept them.

The young girl took comfort from Dr. Neville’s experience. She had never imagined being Meta when she was younger. And when she discovered that she was… Well Dr. Neville phrased it best. It was foreign. Foreign. And scary. And sometimes (most times in her opinion) horrible. When he said his wasn’t a physical power, Angie wasn’t quite sure what that left, still be new to the Meta world. She did imagine him being able to move things with his mind. Though, to that kind of seemed physical. An object was moving after all. Though, it was being done with ones mind. Perhaps it was a kind middle ground?

“I can’t… Even imagine. Did you parents think you were crazy?” She doubted that was probably the correct term. But, in her young mind, it seemed to sum up the description quite well. “I’m sorry, excuse me. Um… Mentally ill.” She’d hate nothing more than to get off on the wrong foot with Dr. Neville simply because she lacked common knowledge in his area of expertise. “If you don’t mind me asking.” This time Angie only added it because… Well if she hadn’t, it would’ve sounded rude. And her parents didn’t raise her to be rude. Especially to her elders. But, that probably would’ve been the last thing on their minds in this kind of situation.

She felt a pang of jealousy towards the doctor. It was clear through his words that Dr. Neville had a certain confidence that many people worked years or even a lifetime to gain. And it wasn’t simply his words, but the way he said it too that made them ring true in her ears. While she appreciated and admired his confidence, she doubted it would be something she’d achieve.

“What is your power?” Her head naturally tilted slightly to the left as she asked. This time Angie felt no need to ask if it were ok that she asked such a question. Just as before, he’d mentioned it. And she was also beginning to forget that she was here for a reason. She forgot Dr. Neville was supposed to be helping her for issues that she kept secret from the world. Instead, she felt as if they were simply discussing things.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

Sean nodded his understanding as she went on to explain that she hadn’t been hurt in the incident; after working with teenagers for so long, he did understand how their pranks went. He’d also seen far worse than that in his time at Hammel. “As long as you were all right,” he said, content to let the matter drop. Likewise, he didn’t pursue information about the blog, because what she described made it sound like any other blog that a teenager might have, particularly with the qualification that only friends served as the subject matter. Far better than a rumor blog, which he knew the IT staff was still investigating. At her assurance that Bell was so nice, the telepath offered her a smile. “I’m glad to hear that you have such a good friend.”

The psychiatrist found the words “crazy” and “insane” to be pejorative, even when they weren’t intended to be; he also took particularly notice of when they were intended as pejorative, and, as with profanity, it was an area where he had no qualms offering a subtle correction. Fortunately, that proved unnecessary because Angie corrected herself.

“It’s all right to ask,” he told her, because he didn’t want her to feel uncomfortable, and he wasn’t offended. This wasn’t an aspect of his childhood that he discussed in detail, because it was highly personal. High personal, and at the time, it had been so very distressing. There had been some discussion with Josh, who knew him best, and of course, there had been discussions with Robert when he had been a student, but Robert had been his trainer, and they had had no secrets. He took only a brief moment to reminisce, before he met her eyes and replied, “My parents didn’t know what to think, because it was unheard of. Hallucinations were a theory; neurological problems because of the migraines was another theory.” A brain tumor had been yet another theory. There had been so many theories but no answers, not until his priest had gotten involved, not until his blood test and then the subsequent intervention by Hammel.

The psychiatrist took no offense to the question. He had made references to it during this conversation, and if she didn’t learn from him now, she would certainly hear from other students later. Besides, he saw no reason to hide his powers, even if he no longer felt the need to give advance warning to anyone he might encounter. As such, he reached up to tap his right temple lightly with his right index finger. “I’m a telepath,” he explained. While he knew that the terminology was new to her, he assumed she would at least have passing knowledge of that word, entirely because of its common usage in the vernacular.

“It took some adjustment, as you might imagine, and not everyone was comfortable with the notion, but Hammel helped me, and I turned out quite fine.” The implication in his words was that she would as well, if she was able to strain her family’s poisonous beliefs from her self-image.

[Angela Chambers]

Nodding, Angie assured Dr. Neville that she’d been fine. “Yeah, I was completely ok. Not a single scratch.” And with a smile, she added, “He even got me a hot chocolate to make up for getting my clothes all wet.” The only reason she told him was because it spoke more to Bell’s kinder, gentler side. The side that gave Angie his jacket afterwards because she’d been cold and held her hand in a room full of crowded people she didn’t know because she was scared. The nice side of Bell. “Thanks. I am too.” She said with a little smile. It was true; she was slowly warming up to Hammel. And perhaps in time, she’d start to think of it as home. But she wasn’t just ready to share that with the doctor.

As the girl listened to the older man tell her a little bit about what the discovery of his power had been like her eyebrows had managed to pull together. And for the first she was thankful for her own. Well… Kind of. She was thankful that hers was a physical power. It had to be hard, she imagined, having a power that nobody could see. At least she would be able to prove it if anybody called it into question. She imagined him having to be at a hospital while they did test after test, not a one answering the question of what was wrong. She didn’t realize that her wrinkled at the thought of it. “I’m sorry Dr. Neville. That must’ve been difficult.” That was all she offered and she didn’t ask anymore about it. If he had wanted to share more, he would’ve. Much like herself.

That word she did know. A telepath. Dr. Neville could hear her thoughts? Her eyes grew slightly larger, failing at trying to hide her surprise. And the only thing she could think was ’On god, he’s heard everything’. Which was followed immediately with, ’Oh god, he heard that too’. Adjusting in her seat, Angie’s cheeks flushed a dark pink. After she cleared her throat, she offered a quiet “Sorry.” It was unsettling to her, somebody knowing her thoughts. Things she didn’t want people to know. Things she wanted to forever stay buried. “Do… Do you hear everything?” Her eyes had fallen to the floor again. It figured that when she started seeing a shrink to talk about things she didn’t want to that he’d be able to read her mind. She would’ve found humor in that if it weren’t happening to her then.

Guilt filled her when the doctor said it made people uncomfortable. And it was clear she was comfortable with it too. But… So far it had been going alright? So she thought. Glancing back up at him, but her head still down, she apologized again. “Sorry… It… took me by surprise?” She tried to offer as an explanation. And while she’d do her best to become comfortable, or not think about his power at all, for the moment the only thing she would think about was how to sign the alphabet. “I suppose it’ll take a little getting used to, but…” The young girl shrugged her shoulders. She knew to continue their sessions, she would have to learn not to mind it.

But she did catch what his intent was with what he said. And it made her bite the inside of her cheek. While she appreciated, and she said “Thank you” after a moment, that he was telling her that she’d eventually get all the help she needed and would be fine, it reminded her that there were people at this school who already things she desperately wished they didn’t. “Are there many telepaths at Hammel Dr. Neville?” It would be obvious to a person who wasn’t a professional why she was asking.

[Dr. Sean Neville]

The psychiatrist overheard her thought regarding power manifestation, and it was one with which he was quite familiar. During his years at Hammel, many people had privately shared the same sentiment; very few people wanted to be telepaths, particularly when they considered some of the broader ramifications such as manifestation, practical applications, and side effects. It was a natural result of viewing other people’s powers. Sean loved being a telepath, but beyond that, even he had a short list of powers he wouldn’t have wanted. At her expression of sympathies, the psychiatrist offered her a slight smile. “That’s kind of you, but it was decades ago, and everything is fine. Additionally, times certainly have changed with more focus given to the signs of power manifestation.”

Inwardly, Sean chuckled at her reaction, although he didn’t allow his expression to change or for any sounds to pass through his lips. The panic that set in almost immediately after realization was quite common. So many people were concerned with the notion of their secrets being learned and then potentially revealed; this was why as a young man, Sean had tried to give fair warning, and then as an older man had discarded the notion entirely and didn’t go around announcing it preemptively. Although he never concealed it. “You don’t have to apologize,” he informed her, since outside of blatant bigotry or pointed thoughts, he didn’t take offense to what people thought; certainly, she was young, insecure, and surprised, and he wouldn’t judge her for that. He wanted to encourage candor, and thus he answered her question with, “I hear a lot, yes, but I don’t monitor people, and anything that I do hear is confidential.”

That he could promise her.

“And I understand; most people react the same way.” It had been far more disconcerting as a student than it was now, as an adult with decades of experience. Sean understood that it could take others by surprise and that a certain level of panic was to be expected, even if not everyone reacted that way (like Josh, who had instead been fascinated). “And it does get easier for people to get used to after a little while.” He offered her a smile. “It isn’t even that interesting after seeing me a few times; there are far, far more interesting powers out there.”

As for her other question, it was to be expected. “There aren’t,” the psychiatrist replied. “It isn’t that common a power, and we tend to be few and far between. However, if you do run into another telepath, we don’t bite, and there isn’t anything to worry about.” It was important to make that point, since Sean didn’t want any current or future Hammel telepath to face the same isolation that he had when he’d first arrived at Hammel those decades ago. He offered her a smile of reassurance. “There’s more to worry about from general gossip than there is with mental powers.”

Usually, depending on the psychic. Certainly of the current batch of students and the faculty.

[Angela Chambers]

Her apology, well she felt it was absolutely necessary. She saw the fact that she was made immensely more uncomfortable by the fact that he could hear her most private thoughts to be… almost shameful. Though she doubted she was the first to be made uncomfortable by it. But she also knew that the doctor couldn’t help it. And while she didn’t realize it at that moment, later she’d come to realize that feeling that way almost made her like her parents. Not nearly as bad granted. And she’d be wrong with such a comparison. But she would make it.

The young girl couldn’t hide her cringe when he said that he did in fact hear a lot. She’d been hoping it was some kind of form where he heard only specific things. She didn’t even know if that was actually possible, but she’d kind of hoped so. Staring at the floor between them, she tried to distract herself by finding patterns in the carpet. But it wasn’t successful. So, as embarrassed as she was by it, she resorted to thinking nothing. As in nothing of significance. ’Don’tthinkanythingdon’tthinkanythinglalalalalanotthinkinganything’.

The fact that her thoughts would remain a secret though was comforting. Only a very little though. Because she’d still prefer to keep them entirely private. From everybody. But there wasn’t anything she could do about that. “Thank you for that.” Whether it was because he was an adult and found sharing peoples inner thoughts to be catty or because he was a doctor and ethical or possibly both she didn’t know.

“No offense Dr. Neville, but I don’t think it’s the whole interesting factor that have most people focusing on it though.” He most likely didn’t have to be informed of that. He was intelligent man, so proven by his profession. “No offense.” She repeated, in a softer voice, glancing up at the older man. Sure, some were probably fascinated by what the doctor could do. And perhaps if Angie were the person she was, hiding more than her fair share of things, she would be too. But at the moment, she only found it to be worrisome. Despite her feelings about it, she didn’t want Dr. Neville to think she was being rude. After all, it was his power. He knew better than she.

And it did comfort her knowing there weren’t many telepaths at the school. But, that still meant there were some. And chances were she wouldn’t know whom, unless they went around advertising it. For only a moment, she played with the idea of asking Dr. Neville for specific names. So she could easily avoid them and not have people knowing things about her. But for one, that’d be rude. Incredibly so. And two, she doubted that was allowed anyway. His joke about telepaths not biting did push those thoughts into the back of her head as she smiled slightly at him. “Well as long as you promise there’s no bloodshed from either.” She responded with her own.

“How often will I be coming to see you?” The process of… this, whatever it was actually called, was still a little confusing to her. Were all the sessions going to be like this one? How long would she have to come to these? Until she was ‘better’? How long would that take?