Royally Inbred

Chapter 1 - Dr. Turner Will See You Know

"So, how are the nightmares?" her shrink asked her as she took out her notebook and pen.

Dr. Violet Turner was her psychiatrist as well as her mom's friend at their practice in LA. When her parents got divorced, her mother advised or insisted on going to therapy. Nadira wasn't very fond of talking about her feelings, or feelings in general. So, most of her session time was used up on them talking about the latest gossip.

Today wasn't one of those hours.

"I'm fine, Violet."

"I know you're fine." She looked up from the paper and tucked a fallen lock of her curly hair behind her ear. "But that wasn't the question I asked you, Nadira."

She sighed and looked around the all too familiar room. She had spent hours studying the furniture, from the blue couch to the wooden built-in shelves. Big chunks of valuable time had been spent on analyzing the tiniest details in the room. All of those wasted minutes, just so she wouldn't have to answer her shrink's questions.

"Manageable."

Dr. Turner stood up from her chair and walked across the room, to sit down next to her. She flipped through the notebook, turned written page after written page, until she reached the right page.

Nadira got the blue fabric wrapped bundle of paper pressed into her hands.

On the first line stood, 'Manageable'.

On the second line, 'Manageable'.

The third, 'Manageable'.

Eleven pages filled with the word 'Manageable'.

She gave back the notebook. "So, what about it? They just are."

"And yet you look like you died a long time ago."

"Hey! That's just rude." She knew her shrink was right, part of her died a long time ago, but that didn't matter. She was fine.

Absolutely, utterly, perfectly fine.

Dr. Turner sat back on her own spot on the across of the couch she was sitting on. "Nadira, your dad died."

"No, really?" She rolled her eyes at the woman next to her. "I didn't know, thanks for telling."

"Your dad died," Dr. Turner said a little sterner.

"Well, yeah, are you gonna tell me something new... or?" She lied down to make herself more comfortable. She had spent a lot of time on the damn thing, so she knew exactly the spot and angle to choose for optimal comfort.

"Nadira, your dad died."

"Saying it more often isn't gonna get him back to life."

"Nadira, your dad died."

"On the other hand, he might be turning in his grave at the moment," she turned her head to the shrink. "Because he will haunt you down for annoying me."

"Nadira..." – there was a pause – "your dad died."

She shot up. "I know."

She walked closer to the doctor. "I know."

She now stood above her, with the woman looking up at her. "I know!"

For a moment she thought Violet was going to push her back, but of course she didn't, she would never do that. Instead, the shrink passed her a tissue. Nadira hadn't even noticed that she had started crying, but now she realized she could barely see anything in the room with her tear covered eyes.

After the accident Nadira's life went downhill. Just like her step-mother, she had a hard time coping with his death. She had promised him that he would be fine, but he hadn't been. She had promised him he would come home, but he never did.