"He is going back to elementary school...Alex needs a fresh start as the person he wants to be. But you can stop by whenever you want." She pulled up in front of Karyn's house and turned off the ignition. "Why don't I walk you in? I'm curious to see where you live," she said.
It was an innocuous enough request, but after what Karyn had seen she no longer trusted her judgement. Suddenly every sensation she felt was tinged with a cloying suspicion. She was constantly aware of the weight of her new hair and breasts, a stranger in her own body. And now she couldn't even trust her thoughts and feelings. Was Miss Fine being honest when she said she thought Karyn wanted to be Sarah? Karyn had been jealous of her, she had to admit, but to go that far...was it an unconscious urge she'd always had, or had Miss Fine put it in her head, just then?
Miss fine noted her indecision. "You don't know if you can trust me, do you?"
"Actually, I know that I can't."
"But you took the drive anyway. Brave girl. After all, how could you stop me without knowing what I can do? And how can you know what I can do without exposing yourself to me?"
Was that what Karyn had been doing? It sounded right, but now that Miss Fine had said it, she couldn't be sure it was her own thought at all.
"But now that you've exposed yourself to me...you can't trust yourself, either." Miss Fine gave her a pitying smile. "You know, I really do like to help people. Let me help you."
Karyn backed towards the door.
"No, that's fine. I'm fine."
"Really? You look pale. You're afraid I'm in your head. I'm not though, and I can prove it."
Karyn tried to steel her voice. "How?"
"By showing you what it would be like if I were. You're going to open the door and let me in. It's unlocked."
Karyn did. She didn't fight, protest, or deliberate. She hardly noticed she was doing it until it was done. It was like a reflex. Some reptilian bit in the back of her brain simply had to do what Miss Fine said. But as disturbing a feeling as the realization was, she still noticed something important.
This wasn't her house.
"Yes, I lied. I drove us to Sarah's house. No, you didn't notice, but that's not my fault. Your mind was elsewhere. Now we're going to go inside and take a little tour."
Karyn's skin was pimpling. She did want to do this. But...no. This wasn't part of the plan.
"The eagerness you're feeling right now is mostly me, by the way. For the length of our session I'll let you know whenever I engage my talents as a therapist. Then, at the end of the tour, you can tell me the difference. And as an added bonus, maybe get a better idea of what the real Karyn Black want."
Karyn couldn't see a way out, or take it even if she could. This was bad. Miss Fine's warm smile did nothing to defuse the chill crawling up Karyn's spine, the chill that was mixed deliriously with...excitement?
"Can...can we start with Sarah's room?"
