Pure Intentions

Chapter 4

"Almost eighteen," I replied and he smiled a little, probably glad that I finally spoke.

"And how's school going for you? Any problems with any subjects?" He questioned.

I thought about it for a minute. "No not really... I mean chemistry is pretty hard, but I can handle it," I shrugged and he nodded.

He wrote a few things down which made me wonder what he was writing. "What's your favorite subject?"

"Math." My answer was immediate. His eyes widened slightly.

"Interesting. Usually people say that's their least favorite," he chuckled a little.

He wrote a few more notes and I gulped. He must've heard it because he looked up and smiled. "Don't worry Lila. I'm just writing some stuff down to get to know you better."

I felt myself relax slightly. "Okay," I smiled a little.

He talked to me for a little while longer asking me questions about myself and he even cracked a few jokes. I felt myself slowly relaxing and growing more comfortable around him. I was grateful that he was so easy to talk to, it made me warm up to him easier.

After about thirty minutes of get-to-know-you questions, he paused and I knew what was coming next. He was going to ask me why I was here and I would have to tell him.

He will think I'm a freak, I thought to myself.

"So Lila, I know you're a little nervous to be here. Before we get to what you're here for, I just want you to know that this is a safe place. What we talk about will be between just you and me, okay? And I'm not one to judge. That's kind of why I got the job."

I laughed a little. I had only ever told my mom in detail what's happened. And even then, it was hard for me. I was scared that my mother would think I was crazy. And she probably did, but she was pretty good at hiding it.

"Alright so take a deep breath and tell me what's going on," he smiled at me kindly.

I did what he instructed, taking a deep breath in through my nose and letting in slip through my lips while my eyes were closed.

I opened them slowly and looked at Dr. Beagly. He was giving me a curious look and he had his pen raised and ready for action.

"Well it started when I was eight. I started seeing these... Shadows," I started. My throat felt like it was tightening with every word and I swallowed hard.

"Shadows?" He raised an eyebrow.

I nodded. "Yeah."

"What do they look like?"

"Well... They are pitch black and usually pretty tall." I stopped for a minute as I pictured it. A shiver ran through me and I continued. "Sometimes they have really long things coming out from there backs. And whenever they're around, the air gets really cold."

"How frequent are the sightings," his pen was moving rapidly across the paper.

"Mostly every week. They've been getting more frequent as time passes." I let out a long sigh.

He wrote it down.

"Has there been a recent sighting?"

This question hit me. I felt the air being swept out of me. I nodded slowly. He gave me an encouraging smile.

"It was last night. There was one in my room.." I explained to him all that I saw and felt. It was hard to say it, because it was as if it were happening again.

Dr. Beagly kept a calm and intrigued look on his face as he listened intently. When I ended he started writing.

About five minutes later, he looked back up at me. "Have they ever made physical contact with you?"