Chapter 1 of a New Novel Idea

“Who are the subjects?”
The addressed psychologist turned around sharply lowering his clipboard.
“Oh, hello Mrs. Johansen, I’m glad you’re here.”
“Hello Dr. Gray,” Mrs. Johansen said taking the clipboard from him.
She studied the page in front her for a while. The doctor waited for a while, turned to look at her page, then looked back at her.
“We have six teens altogether,” he said.
Mrs. Johansen looked up from the clipboard as Mr. Gray continued.
“Two are troubled from drug abuse; one boy, one girl; two from physical abuse, both from the parents; one boy, one girl. Then we have one boy that lost his parents in a car accident and didn’t take it too well.”
“How so?”
“Well, he tried to resist one the people he was staying with, with a baseball bat.”
“Well, that’s nice,” She said looking back down at the clipboard.
“Then we just have one more girl who liked taking everything she saw that she wanted; eight cases of shop-lifting. The first five were items no more expensive than thirty to forty dollars, so no big deal right? Just pay for it, or return it and don’t do it again. Well, her last attempt was a six hundred dollar diamond necklace, and she got better too, wasn’t caught until after she got home and her mother found it in her dresser.”
“Some just never learn I guess.”
“I guess.”
“Well, this looks like a fun two weeks.”
The doctor just smirked and nodded.
“So,” Mrs. Johansen said, putting on her jacket, “are you sure that this will work? Six troubled teenagers all alone with two adults in the middle of nowhere?”
“I have every confidence,” the doctor said, slipping on his coat, “I know it’s a new method, but maybe seeing the problems in each other and with the correct guidance, they can see the problems in themselves.”
Mrs. Johansen followed Dr. Gray outside the one-story building into the pouring rain. The doctor slipped on his wide-brimmed hat while Mrs. Johansen pulled out an umbrella.
A large Volkswagen waited outside for them. The doctor opened Mrs. Johansen door as she scooched into the front seat. He ran around to the driver’s seat and climbed in. He rummaged around in his pocket until he found his keys then started up the car. After starting the wipers, he pulled out of the old parking lot and onto the interstate.
“Are we picking them up?” Mrs. Johansen asked.
“No,” Dr. Gray said, “they will be meeting us at the house.”
“Oh yes, what is this house we are going to?”
“Well, we had a few choices, but this one is nine miles away from a town called Claudia upstate and is on a secluded road. No traffic at all, but yet not too far from help if we need it. It’s a small town, but the house is massive; one of those old Victorian mansions. Funny too, no one has lived in it for years.”
“Why not?” Mrs. Johansen said, checking the list of supplies on the clipboard, “Sounds like a perfect place for one of those rich movie stars to buy as a vacation spot.”
“Well,” Dr. Gray said, “after I rented it for the two weeks, I found out that it apparently has a legend of a haunting.”
Mrs. Johansen shot her head up. She looked at him with quizzically.
“It isn’t like officially reported, but apparently in the 30’s it was a place where some satan worship took place or something. Anyway, I thought it would add another factor to the teens’ reaction to the situation. It may help. I know some will react differently to it but I see no harm in a local superstition.”
“Yeah well,” Mrs. Johansen said looking back down at the clipboard, “Are we going to have to clean up the house?”
“No, I hired a few housekeepers last week to go in and prepare it. There are eleven bedrooms and they all needed new sheets and pillows and such. They phoned me yesterday and told me it was ready. They said they would wait until we got there to leave since some of the teens might get there before us.”
“Then we’re all set.”
“Yep.”
“Those kids are going to be having a few of the most interesting weeks of their lives. I hope we are up to it.”
“Don’t worry Jamie,” Dr. Gray said with a smile, “they’re all troubled, the worst that could happen is that they leave the house the same as they were before.”
“Ok then,” Jamie replied, “just wake me up when we get there.”