The Devil's Bride (Book 1)

Chapter 12- Free Spirit

The group counsellor stopped in his movements and looked towards him only, his own frown forming. "Thank you, Brady. Thank you for sharing with us." For once, he lifted his head to smile, but it soon faded away, and he was left there, the frown seeping over his face. The leader turned towards me, his head lifting as he looked me head to toe. Most days, I'd show up in a short dress and heels, but today was an exception. It was my mother's anniversary, so I thought I'd remember her. When I was younger, she told me how she'd love to see me get married one day, and she'd smile every time I'd mention wedding dresses. Her and father never had much of a big white wedding, it was always meant to be a small ceremony for them, she'd claim. She wanted mine to be spectacular, so in tribute, I wore a black dress that reached just below my knees. She will always be in my heart.

He nodded towards me, awaiting a reaction. "Hello, my name Elise Bennigan, and...and today, today is the anniversary of my mother's death. They say...they say that when you lose someone.... your whole world...changes. Mine has. It's...it's hard for me to forget... forget her, but I'm surviving, so that's what matters, right? I'm living my life with her...with her in my heart, by my side. I know this place is for recovery, and...and I'm ready to recover, but...but I'm finding it hard to forget what I'm becoming without her." I pause, staring over towards Brady. He sat, listening intently, the frown glued to his cheeks. "I decided to dress nicely for today's meeting, not because you all wanted me to, but because she would have liked me to. My mother...she would have loved seeing my life...span out, but that won't happen." The group leader focused in, tilting his head.

"You can always change, Elise." He spoke, his calming voice carrying throughout the room. He picked up his pen and wrote silently in his notepad.

"No. No, I can't. I'm only forced to be a stripper." The room was filled with silence, my sudden outbreak leaving the others frozen and motionless. "I'm so sorry." The room was filled with a mutter of words as I slumped back in my chair, stunned. I had made a mistake coming here on her anniversary.

"Can I talk to you at the end, Elise?" The leader spoke, turning his head towards mine. I nodded simply, hoping someone else would soon speak and the room would forget about me. Am I forced to be a stripper my whole life? Will I be sleeping around when I'm forty? My life is struggling to keep up with the constant threat of losing out. A girl I hadn't seen before stood up, nodding her head towards the counsellor. She smiled, straightening out her light blue mini skirt. She flattened out her feet on the wood flooring, facing forward.

"Hi. My name is Faith." She spoke, her angelic voice whispered throughout the small room. She combed her chestnut brown hair back with her delicate fingers, and she drifted her gaze towards mine, smiling for a second towards me, before focusing her attention on the wider circle. "I'm lying to my best friend. It's plain for me to realise. For the past year, I've kept her in the dark about everything." She caught my gaze and smiled. "You must be wondering why I'm here, why I want to recover. I want to get over the lies, because I know better. I shouldn't be keeping this up." She frowned, pursing her lips. "I can't tell you what I've lied about." She mumbles, barely audible.

The leader sat forward, leaning his head into the conversation. She was free from the suffering I felt, I could see it. She hasn't lost someone she cared so much for. She hasn't been pushed away, or at least not that I can tell. She, however, has someone to lean on. Whatever she's done to her friend, she needs to work it out, because having someone with you is enough to keep you from falling into the pressures of loneliness. She sat down, comforting herself on the chair after she had finished speaking. The group leader nodded. The session continued.

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The session soon ended, and I was walking towards my car when he stopped me. "Elise, we needed to chat." His soft voice filled my ears as he pulled me around, stopping me in my tracks. "Can you tell me why you decided to blurt all of that out to us today in our session?" I froze, watching eyes dart around mine. I had been a fool to scream at this session, especially when I knew she would rather see my happy and free. I can't help it that I'm tied down to the same job while I'm free to change anything else in my life. This is how it will be.