She sat at a desk in the front row of a classroom. It was small yet at the same time seemed spacious. The teacher sat at her desk in the front of the room. Words were written in pink chalk on the blackboard that said ‘Assignment due at the end of the hour’. All the kids were silent around her as they worked busily on their essay. Alyssa was working it as well, but was having difficulty concentrating. Shouting was coming from the front hallway by the secretary’s desk. Her classmates were also starting to look towards the door in curiosity as well as the teacher. The woman stepped got up from her chair and stepped outside to see what was going on.

A few minutes went by before the girl realized it was her father’s voice that was shouting. He wanted to take her home. Getting up quietly from her desk she walked slowly to the door and peered around the corner. Her teacher was up there as well trying to figure out what was going on.

Everything turned deadly when her father decided he would suck the life from the secretary. Alyssa could feel something churning in her body as she looked at her father in horror. It was an awful feeling boiling with her blood and soul. The feeling frightened her as much as her father killing someone right in front of her. Heat seemed to start radiating from her body though nobody else could feel it. It felt like she was on fire and her eyes were burning more than anything else as she walked towards her father. Things became hazy suddenly as if she didn’t realize what she was doing or controlling herself any longer.

The next thing she knew her mother was screaming in agony as she was griping her father’s arm tightly to the point of almost breaking it as the energy flooded her system; his life that she was sapping away. The feeling revived her and only increased the burning feeling and the entity that was screaming within her. No. What was she doing? She had to stop? But she couldn’t. The feeling of power was enticing her to continue with what she was doing. Turning to her mother she grabbed hold of her as well after her father’s rigid body fell to the floor and proceeded to do the same thing, sucking the life out of her and more energy flooded her body. And then sirens could be heard. Alyssa felt she was screaming so loudly that the place could explode from the sheer power of it and yet nobody seemed to notice her screaming.

The girl shot up sitting straight up in her bed and screaming bloody murder. She was soaking wet from a cold sweat and her face was burning as if the flesh was melting away. Gregory came bolting through the door a few minutes later with a frantic look on his face.

”What’s wrong?” Obviously he thought somebody had managed to break in and steal her away from him which, of course, was his biggest fear at this point in time. He seemed to become increasingly more paranoid about the girl and keeping him around her at all times.

”I had a bad dream, about my parents. And….and something bad happened.” She was crying horribly now, tears streamed down her face making it glisten. Gregory was obviously even more panicked now. The idea of she may or may not be remembering things about her past before he found her was not something he would tolerate. If she knew where her home was and decided to go back or locate her parents….no. No he wouldn’t allow that.

”It was just a bad dream. Tomorrow you’re going to get some help from a therapist. They should be able to help you stop this bad dream.” Even though it was only the first bad dream she’d ever had that made her awake with such a fright he wasn’t about to have another one come through. It was better to squelch them before they got started.

He helped her get settled down and waited till he was for sure she was asleep again before he left her alone.

---

The next morning while Alyssa was eating breakfast he called up the therapist and told her of his situation; basically that his ‘daughter’ was having nightmares that won’t let her sleep and he needs her to do something about making them stop the nonsense. He tells her that if Alyssa says anything about what’s going on other than school and family time that its nonsense and she should probably be given some sedatives or something or other. Needless to say no sound of concern or caring was in his voice towards the child, but more of anxiety that she get back to normal. He schedules and appointment for 4 that afternoon and then hangs up. Looking over at Alyssa for a bit he debates if this is such a good idea. If she happens to decide to talk he could lose her as well. She was so hard to keep under his control and not slip away it seemed.

---

Ten till 4 and Gregory walked in the door of the building holding Alyssa who was following a bit behind him. He was dressed in nice khaki work pants and a blue polo shirt as he just came from work. Do I have to say what Alyssa is wearing? The usual of course; white semi baggy overalls, white t-shirt and white tennis shoes. The golden necklace with the ‘A’ charm on the end and three diamonds was worn as well around her small neck. Gregory walked straight over to the secretary’s desk.

”I have a four o’ clock appointment with Dr. Lane.” She hands them the forms to fill out and with a rather bitter look on his face towards the woman took them and went to sit down at one of the chairs. Alyssa was sat down in the chair beside him. Feet were being kicked silently back and forth as she looked at the ground. Gregory was mumbling under his breath with the stupid forms. He hated filling out forms.

Fives minutes later he had finished them since he filled it out rather hastily. Getting up he walked back over to the desk and gave her the clipboard and forms.

”If you just sit down over there the Doctor will see you in a moment.” With another curse under his breath he walked back over to sit next to the girl, crossed his muscular arms and tapped his foot agitatedly.

Jordan walked her Three O'Clock out at Four Oh Two. He had wanted to ramble today, ramble about the down side of being a clown. Disturbing, the werewolf and the Pyro had been so much easier to deal with than the clown. She sighed and picked upt the clipboard on the counter reading off the name for her Four Oh Clock and asking them to come on back to her office.

An eyebrow was raised to the man that was walked out at 4:02. He had already taken up two minutes of their time with the doctor. As she told them to come on back he grabbed Alyssa by the arm and he hurried down the hallway after her.

Stepping into her office he sits Alyssa down in the chair in front of the desk and then sits down in the chair besides hers. At least now he can monitor what she does and does not say. Well, in fact, he’ll just do all the talking. That will simplify things a lot for the tyrant.

That's what he thinks. Jordan doesinvite them both to sit and she does indeed listen to what Gregory has to say too. Then when he's done, she sends him back out to the waiting room to talk to Alyssa. She does in fact recall seeing the girl at the theatre more than a week ago when Wally had come to pick her up. She could remember what Wally had told her about the girl too.

Gregory had stomped out of the room rather irritated that he had to leave. He warned her that Alyssa wasn’t much for conversation and so she should be surprised if she says anything at all. With one last look at Alyssa he left the room and closed the door behind him.

Alyssa had watched him go until the door shut and then she turned sheepishly back around to face Jordan. She probably should remember the woman from last week, however it had been dark and she couldn’t make out what she looked like too well. She sits there and stares at her.

"Alyssa, do you think you can tell me what this dream is about? " Jordan asked simply after watching Gregory storm out in a huff. In her proffessional oppinion he was the one who had problems. Just his body language gave away tension, and that he was lying.

Alyssa thought about it for a moment. The idea of telling her about her dream really did appeal to her and yet at the same time there were so many draw backs to actually talking about it. For one, the woman would realize that Gregory wasn’t her real father and would rather make him quite an unhappy person if she tattled. So instead she shook her head ‘no’ and then continued to sit there in silence.

"Why not will you get in trouble? He doesn't let you do much at all, does he?" Jordan asks the girl. She's already fairly certain Gregory isn't the girl's father but she says nothing. For the moment her concearn is the girl in front of her and determining if she has any real problem besides Greg.

She shrugs her shoulders, unsure of what to do or say or how to respond to the questions other than a shrug. Feet kick back and forth as she sits there with her hands underneath her legs that don’t even touch the ground yet. Jordan was probably going to regret thinking that the clown was her hardest case so far. Alyssa was definitely a hard safe to crack open. Gregory had wound her so tightly around his finger that she didn’t what to do anymore.

The clown was not her hardest case, just in todays batch of patients he had been, he was rather annoying really. The idea of leaving him in a dark pit with Greg appealed to Jordan.

"Well then let's start small, what do you like to be called Alyssa, is there a nickname you prefer I use while we talk?"

Small. Small was definitely good. She was small in fact and baby steps were necessary for her to make any head way with anyone. Zoe had done that until, well, that night in the park when bigger steps were made. It was the most she had told anyone about the situation she was currently in. Of course Zoe had seen something that Ally couldn’t even comprehend and had already almost forgotten the entire ordeal.

”Ally.” She whispered out as she looked down at the ground, feet still kicking back and forth silently.

"Ally, very pretty. Would you prefer to call me doctor Lane or Jordan then Ally?" Jordan asks. Give and take, she's very good at the gradual drawing out process. She is glad Ally is her last patient for the day, she has a feeling this may be more than an hour.

”Doctor Lane.” She went with the more formal address for her as Ally was around doctor’s most of every day of her life in the past five years. It was only normal for her to start calling people Doctor before their first names. Zoe had been the exception to that rule and for what reason she didn’t know.

"Alright now we have names worked out. Tell me, Ally, what do you like to do?" Jordan asked. This was going to take a while, buit she had to build a foundation first in this case thay had to build upward from some where.

What did she like to do? More like what could she do at all? Nothing popped into her mind at the moment. All she got to do was sit at the hospital until Gregory needed her and then it was back to more sitting after that if she hadn’t passed out. But wait. Something did pop into her mind.

”Swinging in the park.” That was probably the only fun thing she got to do. Gregory took her to the park sometimes to relax.

"Alright, do you think you can tell me all about swining in the park then?" Jordan asks, it sounds odd, but perhaps the girls explanation will illuminate something.

Of course Alyssa was deprived of an imagination or to even discuss what might go on in her brain. The only sensation she got when she was swinging was the yearning to swing as high as she could, spread her wings and fly away from Gregory’s grasp. But she wasn’t about to tell her that.

”I’m just swinging.” What else could she possibly answer to that question without spilling too much? She hoped Jordan wasn’t getting agitated with her, but she couldn’t help remaining quiet. Eyes began to wander around the room at this point.

"Well do you think about anything while you swing. Does anyone push you, or do you just swing?" Jordan asked.

”Just swing.” She completely ignored the first question for obvious reasons only to her.

Meanwhile Gregory was getting rather cranky out in the waiting area for his paranoia of what they were talking about was getting the better of him.

" I see, so you do most things alone? Is that right Ally? How do you like that, that's very independant. Some children don't have parents that allow so much independance." Jordan says still talking in a casual tone.

She nodded yes to the first question but got lost with the rest for a moment. The idea of being independent wasn’t exactly the first thing that came to her mind. What ever she did was usually controlled by Gregory like he was the dictator over his one person country. She merely shrugged unsure of what to think about the idea of ‘independence’.

"Do you like being alone, or is it someone else's idea?' Jordan asks the girl.

Her hands kind of clench into fists and she looks away from Jordan when the question is asked. Discomfort was obvious with the girl on the subject. She didn’t like being alone and yes it was another person’s doing, but she couldn’t say it. She couldn’t. The girl remained silent.

"I see, you don't like it. It must not be your idea, if you don't like it. What would you like to do that you can't do Ally? Is there something?" Jordan asks.

She's pretty sure Wally's crazy theory about the girl being kidnapped might be true. She could do nothing with out proof though and the girl was just so keyed up Jordan wanted to be careful not to unhinge her. "Ally do you know what kind of doctor I am? she asks. The option of changing the subject is there since the girl seems to be squirming. Jordan waits for an answer.

Indeed the questions are making her squirm a bit in her chair and she actually looks to the door to see if Gregory might come in or if he might be listening on the other side of the door. Hands were gripping the front of her overall pants now as she sat there.

The subject was changed, thank goodness. Attention was drawn back to the woman and she looked her over. She wasn’t completely sure what kind of doctor she was. The only ones she knew about took care of sick patients and such. So she shook her head no.

"Well doctors make people feel better, of coarse you know that don't you? There are different kinds though. I'm the sort that talks to people who can't talk to anyone else. Because very often talking makes us feel better. Any thing you tell me is what's called confidential. That means Only you and I know about it. That's why I asked you know who to leave." Jordan explained in very basic terms.

She listened as Jordan explained what she did and that she was there to help her in a sense. ”Oh.” It was all she could think to say at that point. Her gaze still kept looking back to the door every now and then. Perhaps Gregory’s paranoia was starting to rub off on her as she kept worrying that he was listening right outside the door.

Jordan sighed softly. Gregory was not to be trusted at all so far as she was concearned she believed he was keeping entirely too much control of the child....rigid stifflign control. "Where did you move here from?" she asked, a stab in the dark, but she didn't believe Alyssa was from Bayfield.

Her attention was once again brought back to Jordan as she spoke of where she had moved from. That was one of the things she could not remember. All she knew was when she ended up here.

”I don’t remember.” Her voice was still very soft and whispery.

"Hmm, but you didn't always live here, I see. Well how long have you been here?" in other words how far back can you remember....but Jordan isn't too direct with the child as she would be with an adult. After all she isn't grilling the girl.

She was looking down at the ground and debating if she should say how long or show her with fingers. Of course if she just showed with fingers then she wouldn’t know if she meant years, months, days or even hours. However she goes with the vaguer way anyways. She holds up one hand and has up all five fingers to show her much like a child does when an older person asks them how old they are.

"Ally do you mean years? Can youu tell me how old you are?" Jordan asked.

She shook her head yes for the first question before she answered the second. ”Twelve.” Alyssa was very young for an angel.

"Alright, you had a bad dream last night, was it about before or after you came here?" Jordan asked.

As soon as the dream question popped up again she stopped talking what little she had. She wasn’t that coaxed out of her shell yet and knew that talking about it would get her in trouble. But the problem was she couldn’t even tell if it was really a dream or just parents she thought she had. Had it been a real memory? Her parents had indeed died, but she wouldn’t kill them would she? She couldn’t have. That would make her a monster and Ally couldn’t live with knowing she had indeed done that to them.

"Ally, you do know not all dreams are real, were you like you are now in the dream or younger? Can you tell me?"

Eyebrows furrowed as she debated inside her head for a bit. ”Younger.” That was safe to say right? Nothing really given away in that one word hopefully.

Regression therapy could certainly be in order here, but Jordan would need a lot more time to work with Ally. Meanwhile she's reached no concrete solution and Gregory want's the child medicated.....Sigh....."Have you ever had to take medicine Ally?"

She shook her head no. Before she looked away at the many books along the doctor’s shelves. ”I don’t get sick.” And it was true. Her body made sure of that. As she could heal others, it subconsciously healed her as well and killed off any potential illnesses before they even had a chance to get going.

"I'll take that as a no, You know your guardian wants me to give you medicine so you won't have bad dreams. I don't really want to, because meicine can sometimes do as much harm as good. What do you think about that?"