DAGON MANSION

CHAPTER THIRTY: RAW EMOTIONS

When Ryan heard Theolinda's remarks, he felt as though an abyss extended beneath his feet. Is Mia kissing that disgusting little shit wolf? Ryan had forgotten everything: his marriage, where he was, his daughter, the goodness of the world... For a brief moment, the monster, as Mia called him, reappeared. A monster bent on annihilating the werewolf. But on that particular occasion, the monster vanished quickly. Ryan was forced to reconsider by his conscience. He wasn't a murderer anymore. But that didn't mean the situation wasn't painful. Ryan rested his hands on his chest. Theolinda approached gently, fearing he was having a heart attack. But she came to a halt when she noticed Ryan's lost expression. He yelled and began hitting the jail walls, lacerating his knuckles. He ripped the blankets off the bed, tossed them into the air, and eventually collapsed to his knees, defeated. He could no longer kill his opponent, but he could shatter the planet, ruin the universe and all its dimensions, and then die.

Theolinda was in tears. She understood Ryan's love for Mia was unrivalled and chose to depart without saying anything.

"Theo, forgive me," Ryan said unexpectedly.

When Theo turned around, she noticed the defeated man. She knelt next to him and sat.

"I'm sorry, Ryan. But this really stung."

Ryan leaned her head against Theo's legs.

"Please help me," Ryan begged.

Ryan's face was touched by Theo. He was the scared child who just needed someone to love him. And Theo had a lot of love for him.

The next day, Mia took Scarlett to therapy with Georgiana Key. Mia was able to contact her the night before and persuade her of the importance of the consultation. Mia envied the office's space and elegance in comparison to her office's simplicity.

When they walked in, they met Georgiana. She was a 40-year-old blonde with prominent features who was both attractive and stylish.

Mia said:

"You're going to stay with this lady, Scarlett. I'll return straight away. Be a good girl, sweetie."

Scarlett replied:

"Yes, Mom."

Georgiana asked Scarlett when they were alone:

"Do you like to draw?"

Scarlett smiled broadly.

"Yes, I like it a lot."

"You can draw anything you want on that table. You can draw your family, your feelings. Do you understand what feelings are?"

"Yes, it's being happy, or sad, or angry."

"Have you been feeling angry lately?"

Scarlett smirked.

"Yes, a bad boy said horrible things about my Dad, and I was furious. But then I did bad things, and my mother was upset."

Scarlett bowed her head. Georgiana stated:

"We all get angry from time to time. The essential thing is not to do negative things because of that. Go draw something and then show it to me."

Mia returned a half-hour later. Scarlett was overjoyed. She was playing with a doll. Georgiana said to Scarlett: 

"Continue playing there. I'm going to speak with your mother."

"OK," Scarlett agreed.

Mia inquired:

"How do you see the girl?"

Georgiana explained:

"The girl is filled with violence. Take a look at her drawings. Furthermore, it's extremely difficult for the girl to be separated from her father. I understand that being in contact with the supernatural realm makes it impossible for the girl to escape the violence, but we must act. I'm going to start therapy right away. First, we will boost the child's self-esteem. We will assist her in improving her communication abilities. When someone attacks her, she does not have to use violence to communicate. We must promote healthy, normal development and help Scarlett develop an appropriate emotional repertoire. Finally, we must strengthen the child's emotional vocabulary. It may appear difficult, but we can do it."

"I am willing to do whatever is necessary," Mia replied.

"On the other side, I believe Scarlett has to give away her powers. You must find out who could take them away or, at the very least, ensure that the girl does not have access to them."

Mia then left Scarlett at home with Xena. The girl was happy with Xena.

Mia arrived at her office to see Randolf waiting for her. He said somewhat embarrassed :

"I apologize for yesterday, Mia. I really shouldn't have kissed you."

Mia replied:

"Randolf, you are excused. I have more pressing issues. But please, no more kisses."

Randolf responded:

"I promise you."

Randolf thought to himself. 'I promise not to kiss you unless you ask me to. I also promise to make you want to kiss me.'

Mia went to Ryan alone a few days later. She had to inform Ryan of everything that happened.

"Where's Scarlett?" Ryan inquired worried.

"She is exactly where she needs to be. She's in therapy. We're all driving her insane." Mia burst out crying.

Ryan approached Mia and grabbed her shoulders gently.

"Please don't sob. What's the matter with my princess?"

"She's extremely violent, Ryan. She arrived at school and attacked a boy."

"Why?"

"Because the boy told her that you are a murderer."

Ryan let go of Mia's arms. He felt the weight of the world bear down on him.

"How can someone say such things to my daughter? I know it's true. She is, however, only three years old. What fucking school did you pick that doesn't have security to prevent these things from happening?"

Mia reacted with trepidation.

"It's a new school, which they said was the best in town."

Ryan burst up laughing:

"Well, that's a shit! Mia, I can't take it any longer! You needed to focus on the girl and not waste time kissing shitty wolves!"