Tainted: Origins of a Psycho

Visitation

Collective gasps echoed through the room when I shoved her away.  "Stop pretending that you're so innocent!  All you ever did was make my life terrible, and you know it!"

Sister Veronica placed her hands back on my shoulders.  "Calm down."  She said, "You don't have to resort to violence to make your point."

"And what exactly is his point?"  Victor scoffed, pulling Violet into his arms protectively. "To break his sister's heart?"

I crossed my arms.  "She doesn't have a heart."

Victor bolted up from his seat and wrapped his hand around the doorknob. "I knew coming here was a mistake. The boy won't change."

He turned the doorknob to leave the office, but Father Stuart was quick to leap from his chair and grab his arm.  "Wait a moment, please, Mr. Graves.  Emotions are high right now, but we must push past them and look at what is best for Vincent.  Won't you sit back down?"

Victor looked back at me with a frown before sitting back down in his chair.  "Fine."  He said, "Tell me what you think is best for my son."

Father Stuart heaved a sigh of relief and sat back down as well.  "I believe Sister Veronica will be more equipped to tell you.  She has been working diligently with Vincent since the day you brought him."

Grandma finally spoke up. "Please, Sister, tell us what kind of progress he has made."

Sister Veronica cleared her throat and looked at my family intently. "Vincent has made a lot of progress since he arrived. His temper has improved immensely, and we were able to take him off of the antidepressants he was on for the first couple of months."

"Splendid!" Grandma said, clapping her hands together. "Does that mean he can come back home?"

I held my breath as I awaited Sister Veronica's answer. She looked at me assuringly and said, "I believe Vincent would benefit more if he stayed here for the remaining six months."

The smile on Grandma's face collapsed, and was replaced with an unnerving glare.  "What makes you think he's better off here!?  Vincent needs to be back at home with me."

Father Stuart stood up again, raising his hands in front of him.  "Please, don't get excited.  I'm sure that Sister Veronica has a good reason for wanting to keep him here longer."

"Yes, I do."  Sister Veronica replied, "I don't want Vincent to leave prematurely and fall back into his old habits."

Victor chuckled and shook his head.  "Hmmph, you know as well as I do that he belongs in an asylum.  You just don't want to admit that you couldn't cure the boy."

"That is not true!"  Sister Veronica protested, taking a step towards him.  She started to say something else, but Father Stuart intervened.

"Sister Veronica, calm yourself."  He said, "You mustn't let your emotions get the best of you."

Victor looked at Sister Veronica with a sly grin on his face. "Sorry, Sister. I didn't mean to upset you.  Let's take a step back and discuss this carefully."

"You're right, Mr. Graves."  She said, "This is a very delicate situation, and I would like to see that everyone is satisfied."

Grandma was still frowning.  "Okay, so let's go ahead and say that you keep Vincent here for the next six months.  What do you suggest we do with him afterwards?"

Sister Veronica folded her hands in front of her and calmly answered, "To be perfectly honest, I feel that Vincent would be better off living with someone who can keep him away from all of the conflict he has endured. Do you have a distant relative he could stay with for awhile?"

"A distant relative!?"  Grandma roared, "Why in the hell would you even suggest that!?"

"Take it easy, Ma."  Victor said, "I think Sister Veronica is on to something.  Maybe we should let the boy have some distance for a while."

"But he's already been away from us for six months!"  Grandma cried, "How much longer do I have to be without my grand baby?"

Victor took her hands into his.  "I know you miss him, but don't you want him to heal?"

My eyes widened and my mouth fell agape at his concerned behavior.  What was he up to?

Grandma glanced at me and said, "Yes, but-"

"Let me handle this."  Victor said, returning his attention to Father Stuart.  "May I please have a minute alone with Sister Veronica and my son?"

"Certainly."  Father Stuart said.  "Take all the time you need.  We will be out in the hall."

Grandma hesitantly followed him into the hall, with Violet trailing closely behind.  When the door closed behind them, Victor sat back down in his chair and looked at Sister Veronica with a smile.  "What has my son told you about his home life?  If you don't mind me asking."

"I cannot disclose that information.  What he says to me is completely confidential."

"Uh-huh..." Victor muttered, "I understand that, but I wanted to make sure he hasn't told you one of his outlandish stories."

"Outlandish stories?"  Sister Veronica said.

"Yes, ma'am.  My son has a tendency to stretch the truth every now and then.  I'm pretty sure he does it for the attention."

"Well, Mr. Graves, I can assure you that he has never told me any outlandish stories."

"Uh-huh..." Victor repeated before looking over at me.  "Alrighty then, I suppose you can keep him here for as long as you want, and we will figure out where he can go afterwards."

"Thank you, Mr. Graves."  Sister Veronica said, and I could see the relief on her face.  "You are making the right decision."

"I'm sure I am."  Victor said.  The grin returned to his face and he kneeled in front of me.  "Let me give you a big bear hug before I go."

My body tensed as he wrapped his arms around me, his warm breath against my ear causing me to shudder.  "I know you told her about Jordan."  He whispered, "You never did know how to keep your fucking mouth shut."

"N-no..." I whispered back, "I swear I didn't."

Victor ignored my lie and stood back to his feet.  "Thanks again for taking care of my boy, Sister. I'll have to make it up to you somehow."

"Victor, wait-" I begged, but he was already walking out the door.

****

AN: Hey guys! I wanted to get this out as fast as I could since you had to wait so long for the previous chapter. I typed this up pretty fast, so forgive me if there were any typos! Hope you enjoyed it! :)