Song: Inner Demons- Julia Brennan

I never asked for therapy...ok I know I need it but really I would rather not talk to anyone. No one will ever be able to understand me so why do they all think this doctor can help. I'm sitting in this office waiting and honestly I wonder if I could walk right out, would anyone even notice. I'm contemplating if I want to leave when a taller woman enters the room. She has long brown flowing hair and she has very little make-up on. She is dressed in black pants with a colorful shirt on. She holds out her hand to greet me with a tender smile. So I assume she must be the doctor.

"I'm Sarah Donavan...you can call me Sarah if you wish everyone else around here does. So I assume you are Coralie." She looks down at the file folder in her hands, opening it up to papers onto her desk. She scans over everything and then looks up at me.

I should be nice and shake her hand but I don't. I stay seated in the over sized chairs with my hands folded up under my arms against my waist. I try hard not to look at her directly in the eyes afraid that she will make that eye contact with me and figure me out in seconds. But Cora reassures me that no one would ever know our deepest darkest secrets. 

"So do you know why you are here?" She looks up at me with a bright smile as she sits down at the desk between us.

I shrug. "You know why I am here." I say with no facial expression.

"But do you know?" she asks again. She glance down at something in the file and back up at me waiting patiently for me to respond. It's all there laid out in front of her however she has to ask me anyway as if she needs to make sure what I say and what is in that file match up. 

I look over to a painting on the wall and nod my head yes.

She leans back in her chair and folds her arms in from of her. "So tell me...why are you here?"

I look around the room trying to avoid eye contact with her. "Apparently I overdosed on pills...I almost died so I guess everyone thinks I need help." I roll my eyes.

"Why did you do that?" She leans back against her desk and picks up the pen to write something down. "And do you think you need help?"

"I don't know...I wanted...wanted everything to disappear...to vanish," I let out a soft sigh.

"Why?"

"I don't know..." I throw my hands up in the air and then rest them back down on my knees.

"Coralie...I'm here to help. You know why you did it...let's try to talk about it."

I huff, "I did it because I didn't want them to see who I have become."

"What do you mean?"

I huff again and I close my mouth for a few minutes, not wanting to say anything but then I just blurt out, "I'm not their little girl anymore. I'll never be her and I didn't want to hurt them...I didn't what them to see the girl that I am."

"Your parents love you so much...you will always be their little girl. Nothing will ever change that."

"You don't understand; I haven't been her in a while now." I bring my knees up close to me and burry my head.

"What do you mean by her?"

"Coralie! Coralie the perfect little girl. She has everything she could ever ask for. She has friends well had friends and she is so young and naïve. She believed nothing could ever hurt her. She tried so hard doing it all on her own but she needed help. She is nothing like me."

That gets her attention as she leans forward placing her elbows on the desk and holding her head up with the one hand to get a deeper understanding of what I am, who I am. "Who are you?"

"I'm Cora...duh!" I say casually. 

She looks at me confused. Even if I explained it to her she would think that I have lost my mind and for sure going crazy. However I am no crazy, far from it. It's just when Coralie can't handle shit, I take over.

"So...Cora...uhm...tell me about yourself then."

"I'm not like her. She is so weak. I'm stronger than her. I can take the heat. Her friends don't like me that well however I have my own friends. I love parties and getting high. It helps so we don't have to think about things...the bad things. There are even boys who really like me if you know what I mean. They see me different than the way he saw her. He didn't really love her; he just wanted to use her. See I don't care what anyone thinks...I'm living the life." I lean back in the chair.

She writes something down in her folder and then looks up at me with a confused look. "Who didn't love who...sorry you lost me."

Of course I did. I roll my eyes. "Derrick...he pushed her over the edge...I really don't need to be talking about him."

"Why not?"

"Because they don't want me talking about him," I emphasis on the word 'them'.

"Is it just the two of you or is there more?" She pries into my head more.

I shake my head no.

She's not going to give up on the topic. "Talk to me...who else is in there with you two?"

I shake my head. "I don't want to talk about her."

"Why not?"

"She's mean. She doesn't play nice and she doesn't like me too well because I don't care about anyone but me."

She writes more stuff down. "Is she the one who burnt the pool house down?"

I nod my head yes.

"What is her name?"

"I really don't want to talk about her."

"Okay...so tell me more about Coralie."

"What do you want to know?" I raise my eyebrows at her.

"I don't know for starters what is she like?" She leans back in her seat again giving me her full attention.

"I told you already...she is just young, naïve and well...she is lost and can't find her way out."

"Where is she?"

I glance up at her. "She's hiding because she is afraid."

"It's just me here what is she afraid of?"

"Everyone...she's ashamed of her life. She believes she caused everything."

"Why?"

I don't say anything. I start playing with my fingernails, digging out the dirt under them. I'm a little surprised how much dirt has found its way up in there considering I haven't really been anywhere.

"I see...so what about Cora? What is she like?"

"Ahhh...she is carefree, loves attention, mostly from boys but loves to be loved. She knows how to get what she wants."

"Oh...like what?" She sounds really interested in what I have to say.

"I don't know...drugs, alcohol, sex... any kind of attention, just as long as she gets it. She wants to be loved."

"Does Coralie like her?"

I shrug. There are days that Coralie hates me. She has these whole conversations in her head and I hate when she listens to the darker side of her. "Some days."

"I take it...I'm talking to Cora now."

"Yeah...Coralie can't handle being here. She will go crazy within those four walls. I mean have you seen those rooms?"

"Well guess it's a good thing you are here to help her."

"Yeah I guess so."

"So why do you help Coralie...how long have you been a part of her life?"

"I haven't been here that long. Well I if I have to give you a time, I guess a good two years maybe a little less. Coralie can't handle anything so I take over and help her forget things when the going gets tough."

She looks down at her watch and looks back up to me with a slight smile. "Maybe we can talk again tomorrow."

"Maybe."