The Thing About Timing (The Becoming of Elliott Goode)

Chapter 28

Upon returning to the coven, Elliott had decided that the best way to avoid hurting someone with her nightmares was to not sleep, which was considerably difficult considering Cordelia was watching her like a hawk. While the idea of just not sleeping seemed bad even in theory, in real life it was much, much worse. The first and even second day where relatively easy, Elliott didn't really take into consideration just how tired her concussion would make her. In the beginning she was able to use it to her advantage by saying she was going to bed early, that way she could slip into her own room while Cordelia was busy and she wouldn't be forced to stay with the supreme. But as the days dragged on the harder it got for Elliott to even function, and suddenly she went from spending time with Mallory in the greenhouse to sitting in the library all day, trying desperately to keep herself awake.

By the time day three rolled around Elliott was basically a zombie, something everyone took notice of. The girl tried to counteract the sleepiness by drinking obscene amounts of coffee and napping in hour long increments throughout the day, but she soon got rid of the naps after she overslept during one of them, waking up in a cold sweat with a scream ghosting on her lips.

By day four Cordelia had called Elliott's therapist for an emergency session, she knew something was up. She had tried to chalk Elliott's distance from the girls and tired expression up to the concussion, but Elliott had also stopped eating completely, saying her stomach was upset. That day alone she had caught Elliott falling asleep twice, once when she went to check on her in the library and another when she forced the girl to go out in the greenhouse for a lesson, where Elliott had practically fallen asleep standing up. Cordelia had told the girl to go lay down in her room and take a nap, but Elliott refused, instead just grabbing another cup of coffee, which was the only thing she would drink these days.

"So how have you been doing?" The therapist asked, noting Elliott's disheveled and empty appearance.

"I'm fine." Elliott responded sleepily, not making eye contact with the woman. The therapist noted how frantic the girl looked, her eyes darting around the room rapidly, like if she stopped moving them they would close.

"Have you been having anymore nightmares?" The therapist asked quietly, knowing about the one in the hospital.

"Just one, otherwise I've been fine." Elliott said rapidly, shifting from sitting back on the couch to perching on the edge of it, not wanting her back to rest against the seat.

"Do you remember anything that happened in that house? I know when it first happened you couldn't remember much." The therapist tried again, trying to get Elliott to start a conversation.

"Yea, I remember now. It's fine, not any worse than what's happened before." Elliott said dismissively. It was obvious she was opposed to this session, which was a telltale sign that she actually needed it.

"Well it might not be any worse but that doesn't mean this didn't affect you worse than the other places, especially considering you went from a stable, good home to a nightmare." The therapist offered, peaking Elliott's curiosity.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Well, pain and trauma is relative. When you are in a string of bad homes, you're used to the bad so it doesn't affect you as much. But when you go from a good home to a bad home, it's a bigger change so you feel it more. Just because it wasn't your worst home doesn't mean it's not your worst trauma." The therapist explained.

"Oh, I'm fine, really. I'm handling it." Elliott said, trying to dismiss the woman.

"Cordelia says you haven't been eating." The therapist retorted.

"My stomach's been upset; it's not like I've been doing it on purpose." Elliott said, slightly offended.

"Well, how much did you sleep last night?" The therapist asked, knowing this session was just heading for a disaster.