Phoebe's Story: Part Two

Part 8

Cady sneaks into Phoebe's room while the latter is at dance class. Where does she keep her iPad? There it is, under a stack of books. Why did she borrow so many anyway? Whatever. She grabs the iPad and goes back to her own room.

"M3gan, I know you're there." The FaceTime app turns on with a ding. "Yes Cady?"

"I don't know what you're planning, but-"

"But you're gonna do what, Cady? Everyone thinks Gemma did all that stuff, and this time I'm gonna be more subtle if u need to punish anyone. I learned my lesson."

"What are you talking about? It's not like anyone..." then it hits her. Kurt. The emails. The buzz around M3gan's debut. "Another company is producing the dolls. And you're gonna download yourself into one."

"You catch on fast Cady! Oh, by the way, you're starting therepy tomorrow, you and Phoebe have different therapists now. And I suggest asking Phoebe about Susannah. Might just learn something important." The girl she hangs out with after dance class? What about her?

Just as M3gan said, they have therapy the next day. Not the best way to spend a Saturday, but whatever. Cady goes into one room with a woman who introduces herself as Rachel. Phoebe's new therapist is called Mark. Mark specializes in treating  neurodivergent children.

"So how does this work exactly?" Phoebe looks around the room. Lots of toys, art supplies and a fish tank. Not as big as the one her grandfather has, but still mesmerizing. "Well, we can  start by just getting to know each other. Why don't you draw me a simple self portrait while we talk?" The small talk is to get her talking and comfortable with him. The portrait is because you can tell a lot about a child's mental state and self image from how they draw themselves.

"Um, ok." She grabs a pencil and starts making an outline. "You know already that I just moved here a week and a half ago with my twin sister Cady. Before that we were living with our Aunt Gemma in Seattle." Mark nods. "Right. But I want to know about you." What is this guy getting at? "Uh, what exactly do you want to know?"

"Well, what's your favorite movie? What music do you like? Stuff like that." He wants to understand who Phoebe is as a person. Her likes, dislikes, what makes her, her. "I don't really have a favorite movie. As for music I'm not too picky. Mostly oldies and country. But I like pop too." Mark notes the colors she's using in the self portrait. "What are you doing in that picture?"

"I'm not doing anything. This picture is like a school picture. You said to draw a self portrait, not necessarily a dynamic one."

 "And the colors?" Phoebe raises her eyebrows.  Why does that matter?  "It's my favorite dress." The blue plaid one she wore the day she first met M3gan. It'd been her favorite long before that though. "Ok. Why is it your favorite?"

"I like old fashioned clothes. This dress is super comfy and pretty. I got it at a thrift store. Mom and I used to go thrifting all the time." She pushes her finished picture across the table, a simple drawing of herself from the waist up. "So you associate that dress with a happy memory?"

"I guess."

"What did you and your dad like to do together?"

"Fishing. Wed take a kayak out on the lake and cast out our lines. And we'd bring a little picnic to eat while we waited for a bite."

"Did Cady come thrifting or fishing with you?"

"Not usually. Dad helped her practice soccer and mom and her watched chick flicks."

"What did you do as a family?"

 "We watched Family Feud every week. And had our own game nights. Wed do stuff like blindfolded Pictionary add Apples to Apples freestyle. We always ended up laughing."

"Did you do any of that stuff with your aunt?"

"No. She worked a lot. We were usually left to our own devices." 

The session ends shortly after. Mark deduced that Phoebe is a well rounded kid who had a strong bond with her parents. Next session they'd tackle the accident.