Legacy (Supernatural) [Rogue Trilogy] {3}

12. Pretend Therapists

12. Pretend Therapists

I feel like I'm changed on the inside too as I step out of the Impala. My brothers look like different people in their button-up shirts, knit sweaters, and ties. I opted for a flattering sweater dress, and I couldn't resist switching my appearance up a bit with a pair of fake glasses.

"Good," Dean mutters. "The Bert and Ernie pretext. Awesome."

"Dude, you didn't have to come," Sam reminds him. "We didn't hold a gun to your head."

"You know, this whole imaginary friend thing was dumb then, and it's dumb now."

"Yeah, you've made that pretty clear."

"You didn't think to tell us he was real?"

"Well, Dean, I didn't think he was. You saw the lore book too. I mean, maybe when I was nine years old I thought he was real, but I grew up. Or grew out of it. Whatever. I left it."

"And what did you need Drop Dead Fred for in the first place?"

"I was kind of a lonely kid, Dean."

"You weren't lonely. You had me and Jo!"

I push the glasses up my nose. Not necessarily true, Dean. I'm not sure what Dean remembers from our younger days, but I know for a fact we weren't around Sam much when Dad thought we were old enough to hunt. We left Sam alone much of the time, even when I insisted that I stayed behind to watch out for our little brother.

The three of us walk up to the door, I ring the bell. A distraught Ms. Berman answers.

"Can I help you?" she asks us.

"Ms. Berman, I'm Doctor Strummer," says Sam. "These are my associates."

"Doctor MacGowan," says Dean.

"Doctor Channing," I say smoothly. "We're trauma counselors with child services. We're here to follow up on a police report filed yesterday?"

"Oh, that was...Come in." She leaves the door open for us to walk inside the house. "My daughter Maddie, she's the one who called. Uh, she has an active imagination. She made up this unicorn man, Sparkle. But, um, she thinks he's dead. In her room."

"So, Sparkle is a unicorn and also a man?" asks Dean.

"Yeah."

"So, a manicorn."

"I...I guess?"

I nudge Dean hard in the ribs. "May we...?" I begin to ask.

"Yes, please. Thank you."

The four of us enter the room to find Maddie. She looks warily at us. Sam and I look at each other before he's the one to approach the little girl.

"Hey, Maddie," he says softly. "My partners and I would like to ask you about last night. About Sparkle? Your mom says you don't want to go back into your room? How come?"

"All the blood," she says quietly.

It's then that Ms. Berman leads us into Maddie's room. I see no tampering of the room whatsoever. No blood like Maddie claims to see. But she had to have seen something real. She looks so traumatized.

"This has been her room since she was a baby," Ms. Berman explained. "She's loved this room. And then, last night..."

"Do you mind if we take a look around?" I ask.