Perspective of Dr. Berkingsten

 The girl walked with a depressing slouch. Her expressing was one of emptiness and hollowness. Her skin was deathly pale and the bags under her eyes were startlingly dark in contrast to her pale complexion. Her eyes were stone-like, lifeless and red-rimmed. She was wearing a far too large shirt for her willowy frame and it reached down to her knees. Her long, wavey, dark chestnut coloured hair was pulled into a messy ponytail.

 She sat down slowly, keeping her head down. Her honey coloured eyes looked everywhere but at me.

"Hello! You must be Allyson Harper," I smiled at the girl. "I'm Dr. Berkingsten. But you can call me Paul, alright?"

"Alright..." Allyson mumbled. She would be very beautiful if not for the overwhelming sad vibes oozing out of her skin. Even with them, there was a sort of alluring, tragic beauty to her.

"How are you feeling today?" I asked casually, like I always start a session with a new patient.

Her eyes wandered the room, and she looked unimpressed. "Fine?"

"Really?" I inquired, pushing a little more than I would normally.

Her beestung lips pursed, "yes. I'm fine."

"Tell me about yourself, Allyson."

"I prefer Ally."

"How about Alice?"

"No." She snapped, then shook her head slowly. "Never Alice."

"What's wrong with being called Alice?" I pushed.

She laughed bitterly, "that's just not me. I'm just not an Alice, okay?"

"Did he call you Alice?" I asked her gently, "did Aaron call you that?"

A quick flicker of emotion coursed through her features and brought them to life, but then it died just as quickly as it had come. "What's that got to do with anything, Paul?"

"What's why you're here, isnt' it?"

"Because of Aaron?" She shook her head quickly, "oh, no. I'm here because I have no choice in the matter. If Aaron were here, he'd never want me to do anything that I didn't..." Her face crumbled and tears pooled in her eyes, droplets of water got caught in her thick eyelashes. They looked like tiny diamonds. "I'm not here because of Aaron."

"Tell me why you're here then, Ally."

"I'm here because I'm a complete wreck and I can't control my emotions and my friends and family are sick of me being so miserable." She fiddled with a ring on her left hand.

"What has caused all these unruly emotions?"

Her sad eyes blazed with emotion, "I lost someone very important to me."

"And who was that?" I leaned in closer.

"Aaron Brady Becker. He was my fianceé." Her voice was quiet and small.

"I'm very sorry, Ally." I said truthfully. "How long were you and Aaron together?"

"Almost four years, not long enough." She bit her bottom lip. "I met Aaron when I was just fifteen..."

"What was Aaron like? How did he treat you?"

She smiled slowly, "oh, God! What was he like?"

I nodded, "yes, what made him so special?"

She didn't hesitate, "Aaron was bright like the sun. He was smart, really smart. You know, he graduated at the top of out class, out valedictorian. He was so very gentle, ask anyone who knew him. You could never encounter a person who didn't love Aaron, you know? It just wasn't possible. He was gorgeous, and not in the ordinary way.. He was stunning." She looked wistful as she continued, "he treated me like I was something to be cherished. I was a treasure in his eyes, a gem. I was important to Aaron, like he was important to me."

I nodded, a little stricken by how vivid and tender her words were. "You had something very special with him, very rare."

"Yeah, we did..." Her face was warm and radiating love as she thought back to times when she was so in love and young.

I waited for her to continue, but she was lost in her own world. "Well?"

"What?" Her face pinched in confusion.

"Aren't you going to tell me about it?" I proded, actually intrigued.

She thought momentarily, like this idea never occured to her when she walked into my office. "Do you want to hear about it?"

I laughed, "that's generally what you're family is paying me for." I watched her struggle, while biting her full bottom lip. A habit I pinned as nervous. "Start with the good times," I helped.

She smiled brilliantly, opening a small window to her past beauty, "alright."