𝕃𝕚𝕗𝕖 𝕨𝕚𝕥𝕙 𝕒 ℂ𝕒𝕟𝕟𝕚𝕓𝕒𝕝

Chapter 4 - Hannibal

     After entering Dr. Lecter's office, I couldn't get the feeling off of him constantly staring at me, I remembered that Will told me he liked to analyze people, so I brushed off his gaze. I was quite nervous. What if I broke down and started crying about what I experienced? I couldn't handle that vulnerability, but it was too late to go back. I would be quite embarrassed, even though I knew that psychiatrists probably dealt with that kind of stuff daily I don't think I could handle it.

  Dr. Lecter offered both of us a drink but we both politely declined. I sat in a seat opposite of Dr. Lecter while Will stood beside me. Dr. Lecter had a notebook and pen on his lap, ready to take notes about me. The setting of this felt like what I always imagined a therapy session would look like, there was some comfort in that.

"Why don't we start this off with an introduction?" Dr. Lecter started as I looked at him with a blank expression, "I'm Dr. Lecter, but you may call me Hannibal."

Hannibal... that's an interesting name... I thought as I tried to read the man. He was attractive, I had to admit. That would be the death of me.

"I'm (y/n)."

  Will's phone rang which made Hannibal and I break eye contact, both of us trying to listen to what the conversation was about. Will hung up and slid his phone into his coat pocket.

"They need me at a crime scene," Will sighed as he looked over at Hannibal, "I don't want to ask you this, but would you mind if (y/n) stayed here for the day?"

  Say what now? I was taken aback by his question. Stay here with this man?

"I wouldn't mind.," Hannibal said without hesitation.

  We're they even going to ask me for MY opinion in the matter? Guess not.

  Will said his goodbyes and left quickly, leaving me flabbergasted. Hannibal resumed talking to me and I turned my attention back to him.

"Before we get into any negative memories, I would like to first start with the positive ones," Hannibal said as he wrote something in his notebook, "Now tell me... what do you enjoy doing? What makes you happy?"

  Hannibal was surprisingly patient, and I was relieved by that. Bill was never patient so Will and Hannibal being so was refreshing.

"That's a difficult question..." I finally spoke, "Ever since I was kidnapped, I never was given time to do anything I enjoyed. But when I could have time to do anything I would read."

Will didn't even know what happened to me. The words dripped out of my mouth like poison, every sentence bringing back bad memories.

"I might as well tell you all of this now before I start crying and look like an absolute wreck," I said, wanting to get this over with as quick as possible, "It started when I was playing in the woods, building forts with my friends. One day we stayed out too late. Everything happened in a heartbeat. This unfamiliar man slaughtered all my friends, but he needed one kid to get across the states. And so, he kidnapped me," I tried to keep my blank expression, "Everyday was weird and sometimes felt like hell. If I didn't do what he said he'd abuse me. oddly enough that bastard had lines he wouldn't cross, like he would never rape me. I was supposed to be his adopted daughter," I said while air quoting, "And so he wanted me not be mentally disrupted. I had to have some sort of sanity for his plan to work. Maybe I'm grateful for that, I don't know."

The memories still were quite fresh in my mind. I knew I wouldn't be able to erase them.

"I had been with him for a whole year," I continued, "By then I knew a lot about him, we were still captive and captor of course but he was like an open book now. He started trusting me, I made him believe that I wouldn't run away, that I enjoyed being around him. In the past he threatened to kill my family if I ever returned to them. Little did he know my family was visiting America and he wouldn't be able to find them. He's a serial killer amongst other things."

"You speak of him in a present tense as if he's still alive?"

"Yes," I stated, "That's why I was hiding in the woods. He left me alone at the rental house, which was a stupid mistake, I had been formulating an escape plan for awhile and finally put it in action. I escaped and that's how I ended up in the woods, days after walking and running as far away from the place as possible."

Upon finishing speaking, I watched as Hannibal wrote down some notes. His handwriting was pretty much perfect, from what I could see upside down.

"That is quite an interesting past you have, (y/n)." Hannibal looked up at me," Would you mind if I ask some questions?"

"I'm an open book." Almost an open book... I thought.

"You say he was a serial killer," I nodded, "did you see any of his victims?"

"Numerous times."

"Did you see them alive or dead?" Hannibal asked you.

"Both. It was a bloody mess."

Hannibal wrote some more notes down as I tried to keep my breathing steady.

"This is starting to feel like an interrogation," I narrowed my eyebrows, feeling skeptical now.

"If you have seen... numerous dead bodies that would mess with you mentally," Hannibal said, "Are you not bothered by them?"

"Blood does not bother me," I told him, "The killings did. He was a monster."

"Interesting. Well, that's all the time we have today for this short session," Hannibal said after he wrote a few more notes down, "Until Will comes back you may explore my office, I have a few more patients coming today."

I nodded as I stood up and saw the array of books on the second floor, a little happy that he didn't expect me to talk with him for the rest of the day.

"You may go up there if you want," Hannibal said while he put away his notebook. He was beginning to like me which puzzled him, perhaps it was just because he hadn't figured me out yet.

I climbed up the ladder and browsed the vast variety of books. I saw one that spiked my interest which was called "Understanding a Killer's mind", I took the book, sat down, and began reading it.

An hour went by while I was reading, noticing out of the corner of my eye that Hannibal would occasionally glance at me. I laid down on my stomach to read my book so that Hannibal couldn't see me. I soon became drowsy because of my lack of sleep last night and dozed off after placing the book to my side.

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Words: 1194
This is the longest chapter I have made so far! I'll try to write longer chapters 
Thx for reading my froggies 🐸