InsaneJournal

Innocence Lost
Who: Keagan & Wendy
Where: Keagan's Office
When: Thursday, late morning



Keagan had always been a creature of dichotomy. When he realized that there wasn’t a lot that he could do for his dad, to help the man overcome that intense fear that he had about the creature that he had become in spite of the help that was always there for him, he ran. He ran to overcome his own fear of failure. The fear that he felt because he failed to help his father in a field that he should have had some success in. And yet, what was the first thing that he did when he heard about demons? Got on the first plane to John Wayne Airport and headed home. Being in Southern California while the world dealt with the death of the King? Yeah… that was something totally unintended. And there were some freaks out there. People who made Dove Lady look, well, sane.

Once the initial worry wore off, he let himself slide back into old habits. He was a brother and a son. He’d been one much, much longer than he had been a psychologist. It was easy to fall back into the routine that he had when surrounded by a group of people who knew him better than just about anyone else in the world. His birthday was but a few weeks away. Keagan wouldn’t be back home for that, so they celebrated prematurely. He came back with an extra couple of pounds in the bag, but, even approaching 30, presents were still quite the treat.

The day after he returned from his time in Southern California, Keagan returned to Ann Arbor, and then back to Scarlet Oak. The world didn’t seem quite as intimidating, since he saw that his family could weather that particular storm without much of a problem. Indeed, it felt like there was quite a burden lifted from his shoulders.

It was going to be a busy day for him. He’d had to reschedule appointments, although he remained available via his cell phone if someone really needed a person to talk to. In fact, a small handful had called him. The time difference meant he woke up at 5 in the morning once. That wasn’t fun. The demon thing seemed to be a common thread amongst the conversations, with people worrying that it was just one sign that the world was coming to an end.

From his desk, Keagan picked up the phone and buzzed the secretary. “Let the next appointment know that I’m ready to see them, please.”