May 15 202X

23:22

@kai has joined the server.

23:30

@mr-drake: fresh meat, man. yo @kai, you a fan of Sandra?

@modthebod: Welcome @kai. Before you join us, you have to tell us how you found out about Sandra and why you are her fan. Then I’ll give you member rights.

23:32

@kai: I saw her in person. Liked her fashion sense. She seemed cool, so checked her out. Turns out she was a singer, part-time model. Loved her pics.

@sansan4ever: Yay new people! Welcome @kai!! Your profile pic is like so cool. You’re gonna love it in here!

23:35

@modthebod: Ok. Granted you rights @kai. Only rules here are no insulting of Sandra, no claiming of Sandra, and whatever I say goes.

@kai: Got it. Thanks.

@mr-drake: welcoming your new ass with the customary sandra wave gif. enjoy

 ~ ~ ~ 

Will cleared his throat as he regarded the young girl seated across from him over his owl-rimmed glasses. Hunched over in the classic armchair with her hands in her lap, she avoided eye contact with him. Will smiled at her and closed the file in his hand, pushing it to one side of the faux marble table.

“How have you been, Kyler?” he asked.

The girl shrugged and mumbled, “Normal.”

“I see.” Will clasped his hands together and leaned back in his leather swivel chair. “Doing okay in your schoolwork?”

Kyler nodded.

He knew that of course. All her teachers reported that her grades were excellent, that she was hardworking and diligent, and caused no trouble in class. Her dressing was immaculate and followed the school’s dress code, unlike her peers who toed the line with short skirts and rolled-up sleeves. She was the perfect student.

But that level of perfection hid an undercurrent of bottled emotions and unfulfilled desires. And he knew the clue to getting her to open her up to him.

“Written any poems recently?”

Kyler lifted her head an inch, revealing soft, round eyes. Her lips curved upwards in a smile and she said in a soft voice, “Yes. Do you w-want to read it?”

“I would love to.” Will leaned forward as Kyler slipped her hand into the pocket of her skirt. She fished out a neatly folded piece of paper and, with a slight tremor in her fingers, handed it to him.

He accepted the paper with a warm smile. “Thank you, Kyler.”

She huddled back in her seat while he unfolded the paper. On the white sheet were five lines, written in beautiful cursive.

the bond of blood

over time

dilutes, yet

strings of bits

strengthens

“It’s beautiful, Kyler. This is my favorite one so far,” Will commented as he handed back the paper.

The blushing girl murmured her thanks. Will watched as she folded the sheet of paper with care before placing it in her pocket. Reading her poetry was akin to a glimpse of her emotions, her thoughts. Twelve words told him ample.

“Why don’t you show your poem to your sister?” he gently probed.

Kyler stiffened. She lowered her head, her straight shoulder-length hair covering her face like a curtain. “I tried.”

“And?”

She wrung her hands in her lap and remained silent. Will waited until she let out a short breath. “Valerie was busy on her phone.”

Bitterness laced her tone. “She didn’t even look at it.”

Sighing inwardly, Will made a mental note to try and get Valerie into one of his counseling sessions. “How about showing it to other people? Like your friends?”

Kyler perked up and nodded, a sweet expression adorning her face. “I did. They liked it. One of them even suggested I submit it for publishing. B-but I don’t think I will. It’s not that good… I think.”

Pleasantly surprised at how talkative she turned, Will chuckled. “I agree with them. Maybe you can try submitting it somewhere.”

“I-I don’t know,” she murmured and looked away as pink dusted her cheeks.

“So are your friends from our school too?” he asked.

Kyler shook her head. “No. I don’t know where they are from.”

Brow lifting in puzzlement, he thumbed his chin. “Oh. How did you get to know them?”

“Online chat forums.”

Will frowned, crossing his legs as he ruminated on her words. He wasn’t comfortable with someone as vulnerable as Kyler spending time with anonymous strangers. She seemed close to them - possibly even trusted them. He wanted to cut her off from dangerous contact as early as possible. But if he simply said that out loud, she would not be receptive to the idea.

Instead, he took a different tact. “Do you have any friends in real life then?”

She dropped her gaze and shifted in her seat. “Just one.”

“That’s good,” he encouraged her. “Who is it, if I may ask?”

Kyler bit her lips before replying, “R-Ray. From my class.”

Ray. Will noted the name and reminded himself to check this person out after his sessions. “Have you shown Ray the poem?”

Her eyes widened and her fingers tightened into a ball on her lap. Red bloomed on her cheeks as she shook her head vigorously. “N-no. It’s a bit.. embarrassing?”

The young girl’s reaction was so obvious that Will had to hold back his laughter. Seeing such youthful love warmed his heart. And more importantly, there was someone real in her life that she could talk to, even if she hadn’t shown that person her poetry yet.

There was hope for her, still.

Author's Note: If you're interested in other crime mystery novels, do check out my ebook Butterfly Delusions! Available on Gumroad and other bookstores (Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, Smashwords, etc). Check out the link below to get it!