Orientation with Lisi and Hough had quickly turned into overload with Hough in the last few days. Tatum had always thought of Shenandoah as the toughest house, usually the meanest bullies came from there although Roanoke was a contender as well, but the whole tragedy had seemingly broken them. She had never seen so many crying girls, and some boys, in one twenty-four hour period. By the time that she went back to her dorm on the evening of the announcement of Professor Gray's death, she was exhausted and overwhelmed.

People, in her opinion, didn't take enough advantage of having a counselor on staff. It hadn't been busy like this from the start. There were regulars and some drop-ins, but it wasn't like there was a line going to the counselor's door. Before the tragedy, Doctor Lisi had been teaching her a few things in the afternoons, and then usually she would have coffee quietly in miss Hough's office in the evening, sorting out her files and things. She was awkward around actual people, and although she was allowed to help with some cases, she tried to avoid it. What if she said or did something wrong?

With all of the upset Shenandoah kids, plus kids from every other house who missed their professor too or were just plain worried about a murderer being on the loose, it was becoming harder and harder to keep her hands out of things. She had given more awkward little waiting room heart-to-hearts in the last day than she ever thought possible. Everytime she talked to someone, a patient she'd remind herself in an attempt to boost her confidence, she'd feel like she was going to die the whole time they spoke. But when the conversation ended, and she wasn't dead and the other person felt better, she would remember why she wanted to do this for a living. It wasn't like she hadn't lost someone before, was still losing people, and the least she could do was offer some comforting insight. It would get better, with time, and the aurors had everything under control.. well, probably.

She was anxious about the funeral, even more anxious because she wasn't on the best terms with Mack right then. She wouldn't give in; she didn't want the blonde on watch duty, or any kind of duty. She had overheard some of the staff talking, listened in more than she probably should have, and whoever had done this to professor Gray.. well, it was no amateur. And they certainly hadn't held back in any of their violence. That made the horror movie buff in her tremble a little, her brain already dreaming up masked serial killers and psychos lurking around campus. They were on the loose, whoever it was, and why ever they had done it. There was no way she was letting Mack go out there, not even if Hunter was going too. She had just as little business going out there, with a kid on the way.

(Reply) (Parent) (Thread)