Well that's odd...

So this piece is a little longer obviously. I wrote it for my creative writing class back in 08. It definitely has some issues but the class seemed to like it. I'm still not sure what I want to do with it. I've thought about leaving it as a short story but I've also wanted to take it in a different direction and make it the first chapter to something. I've also liked the idea of making it a one act play or something because it has so much dialogue.I'm oddly attached to it. I've had a couple titles but none of them seem to fit anymore so this will have to do for now. Anyway, tell me what you think!

“So Casey, why are you here today?” Dr. John Dyson asked, examining the young girl sitting before him. Really, he knew why she was here or at least, why her mother had brought her. He was more interested in what he saw before him. Her black pinstripe pants, black shirt with some angry band on it, black nail polish and black eye make-up would be laughably stereotypical if not so out of character for her. Casey’s mother had been his patient for many years and while Casey herself had never been his patient, he had met her plenty of times. He had always found her to be pleasant and kind, if a little shy. The girl now sitting before him was entirely different. However it was not so much her physical appearance that bothered him but her countenance. She was completely cold and closed off.

She sighed. “You know why I’m here John.” she picked up a mallet and plunked a few notes on a small xylophone on the table in front of her. “Mom thinks the divorce has driven me to madness right?” It was said sarcastically, but he could hear the desperation that crept into her voice.
He replied carefully, “I wouldn’t exactly put it like that, though she is worried about you. What do you think she told me?”

“I assume she told you I’ve been talking to myself or that I have and imaginary friend and I’m much to old for that sort of thing.” Again she tried to make it sound as though she couldn’t care less but she couldn’t keep just the slightest break out of her voice.

“Does it hurt your feelings that she doesn’t believe you?” The doctor asked the question because it was the psychiatrist thing to do but he thought he could anticipate her answer before she gave it.

“Please don’t start the psycho talk on me John, you know me better than that. My
mother’s a counselor for christ’s sake.” She angrily wiped away the hot tear that had started to drop from her right eye. Clearly it did hurt her feelings though she was clearly not inclined to admit it.

John tried a different tact, “Okay, so what does Sam have to say?”

Casey snorted quite genuinely at that. Her voice dripped with all the contempt a sixteen year old girl could muster, which was quite a bit, “You know my dad, he said he ‘understands that everyone deals with things in their own way and I can always talk to him about anything.’ Right. He’s too occupied with that stupid bitch to pay me any attention.”
“Your father loves you, you know.”

Casey finally met his glance with her own skeptical stare, “More than himself?”
This time it was John who sighed. He could understand why she felt this way. Divorces are never easy on children, let alone hormonal teenagers, and when you factor in that her dad had left her mom for another women, it was not surprising that she was taking it badly. It wasn’t strictly true that he ‘knew her dad’ though he had obviously met him before. What he knew was Casey and her mother’s point of view and that certainly wasn’t good. He was sure both would admit that the marriage had been over for years but taking up with another woman had probably not been the best way to end things officially. The doctor knew they would have to get back to this but he wanted to get to the root of why her mother had brought her today. “Casey, who is George?”

She crossed her arms defiantly, “He’s a dragon.”

“A real dragon?” Dr. Dyson asked writing on his clipboard.

“Not exactly,” she muttered looking away, “He’s the dragon tapestry that hangs over my bed.”

“And he talks to you?” He had already gotten this much from her mother.
She nodded.

“For how long now?”

She looked up, as though in thought, “I think He woke up the first time mom went on a date and left me alone at the new house.”

Trying not to sound mocking, he asked,”Doesn’t that seem convenient to you?”

“Why yes,” she smirked, “It has been very convenient.”

John pursed his lips in mild annoyance. “You know what I mean Case.”

“Well what do you want me to say?!” she burst out, more upset than either of them had expected, and stood up throwing her arms in the air, “Oh thank you doctor, I had not thought of that at all! You’re right I made him up out of loneliness. Praise God I’m cured!” She rolled her eyes and flopped back on the couch huffing loudly. Her jaw jutted to the right and her lips curled into a sneer that could have rivalled Elvis.

The doctor hoped he had not gone too far in upsetting her and that he would still be able to get something out of her. “ Calm down my dear, we can get into that later. What do you and George talk about?”

The young girl rummaged in her purse, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it. “Oh, things. He’s a good listener being attached to the wall and all.”

John took off this glasses and rubbed his eyes. “Casey, you know you can’t smoke that in here.” He had a feeling she did know that and was doing it just to prove how tough she was. She doused the cigarette in the cup of tea he had brought her at the beginning of the session. “Does your mother know about those?” he asked pointing at the cigarette.

Casey shrugged. “I dunno. Maybe. I’m certainly not gonna tell her and you know you can’t.”

The doctor wondered if he was imagining the look of fear hidden behind her defiant expression. “No, I wasn’t going to tell her. It was just a question Case.”

“Whatever,” she muttered rolling her eyes.
John decided that laughing at that cliché might stop what grudging output he was getting from her so instead he said,“Why don’t you talk to your friends about ‘things’? Your mother tells me you’re very popular.”

She rolled her eyes again,”I have friends, but I wouldn’t exactly say I’m popular. Besides I’m not comfortable sharing personal crap with people.”

“You’re sharing with me,” he pointed out.

Casey closed her eyes and sighed in the way of someone explaining something for the
millionth time, or else giving an explanation she had been developing for a while but was now expressing for the first time, "First off, in case you haven’t noticed, I haven’t been terribly forthcoming. Second of all, my mother is paying you to listen. Average people don’t really care what is going on in anyone else's life.”

Dr. Dyson was slightly saddened by Casey’s lack of faith in humanity. Not that he was surprised; she was a teenager after all, “We should get back to George. So he listens to you. And what, Gives you advice?”

She seemed reluctant to tell him the whole truth, “Yeah. He’s very wise. He knows things.”

“Like what to do in certain situations?” he coaxed.

She refused to meet his gaze, “Sure that sort of thing, but he also knows stuff. Like, stuff other people don't...and ...mumble mumble.” She spoke the last words so low he could not quite make them out.

“Excuse me dear, what did you say?”

Her voice was barely audible when she replied, “He can kind of predict the future.”

John was surprised; he never would have seen Casey as being this delusional. According to her mother Casey was a skeptical person, much like her father. Putting on his best psychiatrist face he asked, “Well. Can you give me an example?”

Casey bit her lip and ran her fingers through her recently dyed black hair. She seemed unable to speak at first but once she started it was like a dam breaking. “Well...one morning he told me things might ‘get a little heated’ at school. That day there was a bad fire in the science building -”

“Well that -”

“Then, a few days later, he said I should take some chocolate to my best friend Janice in case she had a bad day and then her boyfriend broke up with her for his ex -”

“Ok, but -”

“Then, another night, when my dad was coming to pick me up, George said to brace myself for an ‘unpleasant surprise.’ My dad took me to meet his girlfriend that night!” Casey finally managed to stop talking. The doctor noticed that the hands clasped in front of her were shaking. He rested his hand on her knee in the most comforting way he could manage.

Before he could say anything she looked up at him and he could tell she was holding back tears. “I’m not crazy.”
She looked so scared. He felt a rush of paternal affection he had not experienced in years. His own children were grown and gone.
John had gotten used talking to average people, with average problems. He was known for his ability to make people feel better about themselves. Casey’s mother for instance, had terrible self esteem and was terrible at standing up for herself. It had been years since he had dealt with this sort of problem. The only possibilities here were that Casey was doing this for attention, she was really going insane, or the world had suddenly changed quite a bit. Before he saw her today, he had hoped for and assumed the first but he was less and less convinced and the last option seemed unlikely. Unfortunately that only left one option. he decided to try every option before he made a rash decision

“Casey,” he said slowly and carefully, “how would you feel about taking a mild antidepressant? Itmight help you deal with all the things going on in your life.”

Casey jumped off the couch and started pacing. “Dammit I knew you wouldn’t believe me! I’m not crazy! At least...I don’t think I am.” She ran both shaking hands threw her hair.
“And I don’t think I’m comfortable with drugs.” This was another thing John had heard that she inherited from her father, although her current anger at him probably wouldn’t let her admit it.

“Well,” he replied trying to convince her, “I’d really like how to see how you react to these. I think they will help you.”

She lowered herself slowly back onto the couch. “Well maybe. John?” she asked nervously, fidgeting, “I’m...not sure I want to get rid of George. I’ve never met anyone like him. He’s always there to listen to me.”

“I understand. That’s why I’m here now.” He couldn’t help offer something he normally wouldn’t; he was already more invested than usual. “Casey I want you to call me any time you need to talk. If you can’t talk to you parents, I’m going to help you get through this.”

Dr. Dyson knew he had to be content with that and handed her the prescription as he walked her to the door. She was about to walk out when she bit her lip and turned around. She had an odd look on her face.
“You’re going on a trip tomorrow right? ” By the look on her face she seemed to be wishing she was wrong.

John was a little startled. “Well yes...but how did you-”

She interrupted him quickly as though she needed to blurt out what she had to say before she lost her nerve. “George wanted me to tell you to catch another flight.”

“Wha..?” He wanted to ask her what she meant but she was already gone; out the door as quick as possible without another glance back. He shook himself a little. It was silly to be worried about the warnings of a prophetic piece of cloth. He reminded himself that he still had packing to do. He would discuss it with her when he returned from New York.