Her office was a large room, paneled with dark mahogany and dimly lit by two small desk lamps. Dr. Grayson explained that this was to provide a calming atmosphere for her patients but Lilah saw rats and beetles darting in and out of the shadows cast by her desk, and the chairs and sofa. For her, it was not calming at all. Dr. Grayson sat with calm poise in a high-backed chair, just like one you would expect to see a psychiatrist sitting in. Lilah sat opposite of her in a similar chair and beside her was a fainting couch, slightly raised at one end with no arms or back, to lie on if she ever was feeling too emotionally distraught, which she sometimes did. All three pieces of furniture were covered in a very soft, deep red fabric. There also hung two large mirrors on two different walls of the office.

 

"How have you been since our last visit?" Dr. Grayson inquired. Lilah, stared at the ground and playing with a lock of hair, only shrugged in response. Lilah was of average height, with thick curly dark hair that she often swept to the side, and dark green eyes. She was a young woman, 23 years of age, and extremely skinny for her height but with perfect perky breasts and an equally perky behind. Suddenly, Lilah's eyes widened and began to dart back and forth wildly, as if watching something on the ground moving very quickly. "Lilah, master your delusions. They only have power over you if you give them that power." Lilah brought her eyes back up towards Dr. Grayson, but could still see the rats in her peripheral vision, scurrying underneath the desk. "Lilah, how do you think you have changed since our sessions began?"

 

"I'm functioning, I guess," she shrugged again sarcastically. When Lilah began seeing Dr. Grayson, about six months ago, she was constantly seeing rats run along the walls and beetles crawling up her arms. She would see the beetles shells shine in various hues of green and blue climb up a stranger's arm and into their mouths. She often opened closet doors and cabinets to find a swarm of bats flying out of them chaotically. There was more though. Lilah constantly saw dark figures in the corners of a room or in an alley way, and sometimes at the foot of her bed at night. Sometimes the shadows were bolder, and she would see them trying to disguise themselves as normal humans at the grocery store, at the mall, or walking down the street. These figures appeared as both men and women with pale white faces, deep purple lips and dark menacing eyes. They would watch Lilah intently as they walked past her, because they knew that only she could tell who they really were, or rather, what they really were. When their purple lips curled into an equally menacing smile, long, sharp incisors were revealed. These frightening creatures were Lilah's worst fear: vampires. Since her counseling sessions began, Lilah still saw the beetles and rats but she was better at ignoring them. The vampires however still followed her everywhere, but she had since stopped warning people of their presence.

 

"I've noticed that you've started dressing differently that you did before," Dr. Grayson commented. Lilah crossed her legs and leaned forward in her chair. Her button down blouse had more buttons unfastened than would normally be appropriate, and even though Dr. Grayson tried to resist looking, she couldn't help peeking just for a second, down past the jeweled necklace that hung lowly between Lilah's braless firm breasts.