iridescent ↠ grayson dolan ✓

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Lauren didn't know how some people managed to be nice and friendly all the time.

How exhausting.

"So, Lauren. Tell me about yourself." Said Kate, clutching a clipboard and pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

Lauren hated when people asked her that question. She never knew quite exactly how to answer it. Her mother always advised her that whatever her therapist asked, she should say the first thing that came to mind. Often that was the most honest.

"There's not much to tell." Lauren said with a shrug. "I don't usually leave the house."

"Your mother said so. Could you tell me more about that?"

Lauren hated explaining her condition.

When Lauren was five, she started to get sick an awful lot. The doctors found something strange in her body, a rare disease that weakened her immune system and made her susceptible to more diseases. While it wasn't at an extremely concerning stage, the doctors predicted it would only get worse if she was exposed largely to environments that weren't properly sanitized.

That's when the paranoia began with Mrs McAdams, and when Lauren's life became very much like Rapunzel, minus the handsome prince and the awesome pet lizard.

She was to be kept indoors at all times, and everything and everyone that came into contact with her was to be sanitized. She was forbidden to open any windows, or put the air conditioner on; and various other silly rules her mother would stress every day.

Of course, this didn't stop Lauren from rebelling just a little against her insistent mother. On some occasions she'd open her large window in her room just enough for her hand to fit through, and feel the breeze dancing through her fingertips.

"You don't have to feel different, Lauren." Kate said, breaking her train of thought. "One day, everything will fall into place and you'll have the life that you want."

Lauren looked up suddenly. "Why am I even here?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why am I going for therapy?" Lauren said. "The doctors say I'm responding to treatment, and it's most likely that in less than a few years I'll be able to actually interact with the human race. So if I'm responding and I'll be seeing people and going places, why am I here?"

"Lauren..." Kate trailed off, tasting her words carefully. "I can't imagine how hard this whole situation must be for you. But the doctors said that they suspect you're responding to treatment. The truth is, they have no idea."

Maybe they would if her mother would just let the doctors do some tests. But Mrs McAdams would rather drive her daughter off a cliff than let doctors test how her body behaves outside.

"Now," Kate said, "Your mom is sending you for therapy because she's afraid of your anxiety skyrocketing the second you come into contact with someone you don't know."

"My anxiety isn't skyrocketing with you." Lauren replied indignantly.

"That's because you know I can be trusted. Your mom has reassured you and you already knew who I was beforehand. But I can see your nervousness just in the way you're sitting. The way you fidget with your hands or twist your hair around your fingers."