Page 80 of A Haunting at Keystone Manor

“So, um, I don’t have access to my usual therapist out here. She doesn’t do video or house calls, and I kind of don’t want to leave right now. Would it be cool if we did a group session? Or if I like, went after you?” He looks down at his cast and bites his lip ring, nervous.

“If Lisa’s cool with it, yeah. We can do a group session. You already know most of my issues anyway,” I shrug.

“Cool, cool,” he says and rubs his uninjured hand on his jeans. I’ve noticed that since his attack he doesn’t wear his silk robe anymore.

“You’re not looking like much of a psychic these days,” I tell him. His necklaces are gone, he’s not wearing his rings, the only jewelry that’s left are his piercings. He looks almost normal. Well, normal for a goth guy.

His Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows hard. “Yeah, I’m just not feeling it right now, I guess. I feel less exposed in regular clothes, less noticeable.”

I know exactly how he feels. “Are you nervous for your date tonight?”

He nods his head vigorously. “Very. I know it’s just to see a movie, but what if he expects more, after?”

“Sasha doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy to push when people say no.”

“Yeah, no, I don’t get that vibe, either. I’m just too in my head, I guess. It’s hard to trust myself right now, you know?”

I pat his shoulder, trying to comfort him. “Everything will work out. If it doesn’t, we have a house full of people ready to avenge you.”

“Thanks, man.” We sit in comfortable silence until Lisa shows up.

“Hi, Lisa. Is it okay if my friend Seth joins us for this session? He doesn’t have access to his usual therapist out here.”

She looks between us, pushing her glasses up her nose. “Typically, I would see a patient alone unless they were family or partners… What are you seeing a therapist for, Seth?”

He looks down at the ground, cheeks turning red. “Um, probably the same things Jake is here for…” He holds up his cast, and Lisa’s gaze turns knowing. “The same guy that hurt Jake did this to me.”

“I understand. I can see how a group session could be beneficial. Let’s give that a try today, see how it goes. You both are okay speaking openly today?”

“Yes,” Seth and I say in unison.

“Okay, we’ll start with you, Seth. Can you tell me a bit about what happened?” she asks, voice soft but steady. I can tell her presence is putting Seth at ease. He leans back on the couch and crosses his legs on the cushions.

“Well, recently Jake was kidnapped. I guess he told you that. The guy who did it, Andrei, he took me too. He, um, kept me tied up in a shed for a few days, asking me all these questions about ghosts and shit. Paranormal stuff. And about Jake and Alex. When I first saw him, I thought he was just a normal dude, you know? He was really chill at first, super friendly, but then he got weird. By the time I picked up on his vibe, it was too late. He, um, broke my fingers when I wouldn’t answer his questions the right way.” Seth looks over at me, apology written all over his gaze. “I tried not to say anything, but he… did things. And, um, I told him everything he wanted to know, and Jake got hurt.” He runs a hand through his messy hair. “I feel so fucking guilty about that. He almost died because of me, you know? My other therapist says it’s not my fault, but I can’t help but feel like it is.”

“Do you blame Seth for what happened to you?” she asks me.

“Never,” I say immediately. “Seth, it wasn’t your fault, I promise you that. With or without you, he would have come for me eventually. He was a psycho, and I’m just sorry you got hurt too. I hate that you have to feel that pain because of the shit I brought into your life. But I have never and will never blame you for any of it.”

He watches me intently as I speak, and I silently beg him to believe what I’m saying. He nods. “I guess I just need to convince myself.”

“Are you taking any medications for anxiety or depression?” Lisa asks him.

“Nah, my granny doesn’t really believe in that stuff, she’s always been more into herbal medicines. I, um, smoke weed with Brandon a lot. It helps my anxiety, especially now. Please don’t tell the cops. Brandon and I spent the night in jail once, and it was not fun. That’s actually how we met.” He gives a nervous laugh as he rubs the back of his neck, and Lisa smiles.

“Don’t worry, Seth, your secret is safe with me. As long as it’s helping you and not disrupting other areas of your life, I’d like you to continue doing what works best for you.”

He just nods and chews his lip ring, staring at his cast.

“I killed him,” Seth whispers. “Do you have to report that to the police? Technically, he was already dead, so…”

She looks at him in confusion for a minute before responding. “I’m not reporting anything to the police, Seth. Everything you tell me here stays between us.”

“I’ve never killed anyone before. I burned his bones. He was trying to hurt Jake and Alex, and I stopped him. But I still took a life. I don’t know how to reconcile that.”

She takes a deep breath. “Well, I can’t tell you how you should feel. But it sounds like you protected your friends, and yourself. Learning to live with that is a process, but at the end of the day you survived, didn’t you?”

Seth is quiet for the rest of our session, as I talk more about the night terrors that still get to me every once in a while, taking the shape of both my father and Andrei, like my brain can’t decide who the bigger monster is.