I'm sitting in the waiting room and shifting uncomfortably on the chair. I can hear an air conditioner whirring in the background but the room still feels stuffy. There's a clock ticking. It's making my pulse race.
"Lavender Monarch?" A woman sticks her head around the corner and I stand awkwardly. She beckons for me to follow her. She leads me down a corridor and I smooth down my skirt. She stops in front of a door and knocks twice. "Avery will see you now," she tells me.
I walk in tentatively and see another woman standing inside. She adjusts her black frames and beams at me.
"Hello Lavender, welcome." She shuts the door behind us and gestures to the blue armchair. "Please make yourself comfortable."
I'm anything but comfortable. I glance around the room and rest my sweaty palms on my lap. She sits in the other armchair across from me. I watch her cautiously, this seems too casual and relaxed.
"How has your day been?" she asks me.
"Not bad," I mumble.
"Did you get up to anything interesting?"
"Why do you care?" I snap and then bite my tongue back. I don't know why I'm so on edge. "Sorry."
"No, no. It's fine. You don't have to talk about anything you don't want to. Okay?"
"Okay."
"And everything you tell me will be kept confidential, I won't even tell your parents the details of our sessions. It's just a chat between you and me. You can be honest." I relax a little. She actually seems nice. "Did you want to talk to me about what's been going on?" I nod my head.
An hour later I step out onto the street feeling refreshed. I see my parent's car parked outside. My mum is sitting in the driver's seat with a newspaper open. She smiles at me as I climb in.
"How was it, honey?"
"It was alright," I say.
"So not terrible then?"
"No. She was really nice and understanding actually."
"I'm glad to hear it." She reaches over to pat my knee.
"She said I should talk to you about," I pause and look out the window avoiding looking in the mirrors, "possibly taking some medication." I bite my lip. I know it'll probably help but medication just seems like an even bigger jump. In my mind, medication equals crazy.
"Okay. We can discuss that," she says without taking her eyes off the road. I let out a small sigh.
When everything in my life feels like it's falling apart, there is only one thing left to do. Ask my sister for advice.
"Mackenzie!" I call out as soon as I burst in the door. She comes running down the stairs with a look of bewilderment.
"What's going on?" I usually flat out ignore her.
"I need your advice," I say simply and drop my bag on the ground.
"Huh. That's a first."
She makes us both a jasmine tea which supposedly promotes honesty according to my dad but who knows whether that's true. She actually lets me into her room to my surprise. Everything is so neat in there and she doesn't like other people coming in and messing it up. She has crisp white sheets and a tapestry of the ocean above her bed. It's really quite peaceful. She has one of those weird diffuser things too that makes her whole room smell like roses. It kinda makes me want to clean my room for once.
"So?" She asks taking a sip of her tea. I cup my hands around my mug and let the warmth seep in while I gather my thoughts.
"Did mum and dad tell you about where I went today?"
YOU ARE READING
Lavender Monarch has Exactly Thirteen Fears
Teen FictionLavender Monarch has exactly thirteen fears. She knows this because she has them written down on a list she carries with her everywhere. Lavender has made a promise to herself that she will face and overcome every one of these fears. That is, excep...
