A young woman exited the bus that had come to her house to pick her up early that morning for the phobia study lab. She had sat alone the whole way there, and had spoken or looked at no one. She didn't want to be noticed. She tucked her brunette hair behind her ears as she glanced around the premises. It was huge! It appears that the scientists had rented out an antique mansion as their study grounds. She hoisted her bags onto her back, swallowing as she looked over her shoulder at the bus again, for some reason, the patients hadn't been allowed to drive here. She shook her head, and then turned, walking up the long, long driveway before her, and stepping onto the crisp, green grass of the front lawn, before moving to the white walkway that led to the cherry set of double doors.

Here, on the stoop, was a man in a little white lab coat and a set of bottle cap glasses. He smiled, his hands folded together in front of him,
"Welcome to the Lithuania General Phobia Laboratory. I am Dr. Van Waldenburg. This is going to be your home for the next couple of weeks, and I daresay you'll find yourself perfectly comfortable with everything the establishment has to offer. Please, head upstairs and enter the first door on the left. This is the dormitory. Here you will be sharing a co-ed room with the other subjects, and you will learn to love them. It will be a family here. I must remain out here to greet the fresh patients as they arrive while you un-pack." He said.

Bridget swallowed, and nodded, offering a weak smile to the Doctor as she preceded past him. Living with others? The possibility of physical contact was quite high...but that was what she was here to combat...so...it looked like the time to begin practicing would start upon the arrival of the other patients.

Applying for the ad for this 'phobia study lab' had not been Anthony's idea. His parents had been the one's to find and suggest it. Recently the young, skinny lad had been a little more distant than usual and the cause had been determined as yet another failed attempt at treatment. This most recent, systematic desensitisation coupled with anxiety-reducing drugs had rendered him not only incapacitated through total terror, but also through an adverse reaction to the medication. The result was ... Disturbing, even to the medical professionals. A state of near-paralysis in which Anthony only sat and screamed had given him a turn for the worse and resulted in him, if possible, being even more attentive to detail. Which is why he now sat on a bus which, given it's dues, had been meticulously tidied and cleaned, on his way to the lab.

He, like others there, sat alone, growing steadily more nervous the further from home he got. However when he arrived he found that just for a moment his nerves simply fell away. The driveway, the lawn, the manion, it was staggeringly beautiful. And it was here that they were met by a man who identified himself as Dr. Van Waldenburg. It was not a name Anthony was familiar with and so not one who was well known within the field of anxiety disorders. He'd done his research before coming.

No matter how stunning the grounds and the building, Anthony was thrown straight back into his uneasy state of mind after being informed he would be sharing a dorm with others. this was [/i]not[/i] what he had expected. He couldn't, just couldn't, live with anyone else unless they were all Ataxophobic, or suffered with some other disorder that would complement his own. Obsessive Compulsive would be ideal. Other than that, he could think of nothing else which would help him in the slightest. Perhaps we all have the same phobia he thought. Although he doubted it. His was one of the rarer ones and the ad had not specified a particular fear when applying. Maybe the beds will be partitioned off he thought, mind now whirring with ideas of how he could avoid a full blown freakout during his time here. Maybe I should have a word with the Docter.

Bridget tugged her luggage behind her, moving up the stairs, being careful to avoid the banister where other people's hands had been. She turned in through the first door on the left, and came to a stop at the person with a clip board. She was a rather bored looking nurse, who's expression did little to help her equally boring features. The nurse glanced at the clipboard,
"Name, and phobia, please." She said flatly. Bridget swallowed,
"Bridget Bulgaris, Haphephobia." She answered, trying to quell her nerves. After all, since the nurse knew her phobia, perhaps she wouldn't be roomed with another person. That would certainly help her get settled into the place more easily. Instead the nurse finally grinned, a grin that clearly said she enjoyed giving bad news. She looked at Bridget with those dull, gray eyes of hers,
"Room 1A. You will have a roommate suffering from Ataxophobia. Be sure to watch the Entrance Tape with them when they get there. It's important." She said.

Bridget's stomach jolted, So she WAS going to have a roommate? Ataxophobia...what does that even mean? She wondered to herself. In her mind's eye she saw someone with something of a reverse phobia, clinging all over her, their skin melting into her own. It took all of her strength not to cry out. She did however, gasp as she pulled her luggage around the nurse, and to room 1A. Gingerly, she opened the door, to reveal a tiny room with a small bathroom attached. The furniture was crammed into it, so there was literally no space for nearly anything else. 2 beds, 2 dressers, and a tv mounted on the wall. With a tight stomach that threatened vomit, she pulled her suitcase inside and moved it to her bed. Bridget wanted to unpack as quickly as possible, and not take up too much space in the room. After all, the smaller she was, the less of a chance she had of being touched. Inside, her suitcase was organized, each piece of clothing, each seperate article, in it's own bag, to avoid "touching" the other articles in the suitcase.

Luna wasn't sure why she applied to the ad,but she was just sure that once it happened she couldn't take it back. She so wanted to take it back. She began to realize as panic sank in that she would be required to converse with people on a daily basis. She couldn't even remember the last time she spoke to someone other then Quest. As the bus pulled up at her home, she was frantic with anxiety. As she boarded the bus with Quest, she said nothing to the driver and kept her head down as she headed for the very last seat in the back.

As she felt the bus slow to stop, she finally looked up and out a window. The mansion was beautiful. It would perfect if I were the only one here she thought. She rushed off the bus, clutching Quest in her arms. As she neared the steps, she saw a man seated there. She could feel her breath becoming quicker and her fight-or-flight response was going to kick in. In times like these, she found petting Quest helped greatly, and so that's what she did. She tried to sidestep the man entirely, hoping he would ignore her, but that wasn't the case at all. She could hear him ,as if through a tunnel, introducing himself as Dr. Van Waldenburg. She nodded as if in a daze and followed the directions he had given to the dormitory as quickly as she could.

Her eyes darted everywhere, taking notes of good hiding places in a pinch, as she climbed the stairs. She reached the landing and could see a nurse down the hall. She was certain this is where she was meant to go and walked towards her with caution.
"Name and Phobia." she said in a bored voice, as if she had somewhere better to be.
"L-L-Luna Th-Thorne,...um..uh...A-Anthropophobia" she answered while keeping her eyes sternly on the floor.
She hoped she would be roomed alone, though it would be counterproductive. The nurse spoke again.
"You'll be alone," she said in a way that sounded clearly disappointed. "Be sure to watch the Entrance Tape"

Luna was clearly relieved that, thus far, it would just be her and Quest. She entered the room, and sat her belongings on the table. Her room had a spectacular view of the gardens. Luna unpacked her sketchpad and began to sketch the grounds.

Once the initial introduction had been made, Anthony was directed inside and told to head upstairs. He pulled his case along behind him as he started his journey, feeling for the first time that this was going to be a substantial challenge. He hadn't lived with anyone else since his parents, but they had been extremely accomodating and made absolutely sure things were just the way he needed. To now share a room with a stranger was a very daunting prospect. Still, he was here and he had to make the best of it.

At the top of the staircase on the left stood a door already open, through which Anthony could see a woman in a nurse's uniform. He raised a hand in greeting and managed a small smile.

"Hi there, am I going the right w-"
"Name and phobia?"

Charming he thought as the woman, who clearly couldn't give a damn, cut him off completely.

"Anthony Turner, Ataxophobia." He expected a pause while the nurse checked her clipboard for his name but was surprised when she didn't even glance down before answering.

"Room 1A, you just missed your room-mate." She said nothing more, simply looked down at her notes and scribbled something on the paper, now ignoring the skinny man completely.

"Thanks." His reply was as halfhearted as the nurse's attitude and so he turned his back on her and strolled down the hall, searching for the room he would be calling home for the foreseeable future. It didn't take long, the door was ajar and through the gap he could see movement. Expecting the worst, Anthony braced himself and knocked twice before pushing open the door.

"Hello?" he asked, catching a glimpse of Bridget for the first time. "I think I'm your room-mate." He was rather taken aback at first and hoped it didn't show on his face. Not knowing what to expect, he hadn't anticipated being teamed up with someone quite so pretty through all his worry. Maybe this won't be so bad after all he thought, noticing that she had yet to mess the place up. Then he spotted her open case and almost squealed with delight. Everything was seperately packaged and very organised. Jackpot.

"Uh, my name's Anthony" he said after a second, holding out his hand to shake in greeting after realising that he'd stopped speaking when he noticed Bridget's luggage, which at that moment he believed to be more beautiful than the girl herself.

Bridget heard the timid "Hello...I think I'm your roommate..." over her shoulder.She flushed, turning, and leaping onto the bed immediately. There really wasn't enough room available to allow him to slide by without touching her if she were still on the floor. She gave him a weak smile,
"Uh...h-hello Anthony...It's a pleasure..." She lied, becoming more uncomfortable than ever. She glanced down at his hand, and her stomach jolted, and a knot rose in her throat,
"I...um....Bridget...Bulgaris...I...I can't touch you..." She murmured, not even being able to reach towards his hand. She tore her terrified eyes away from his outstretched hand, and reached over the end of her bed, closing the last drawer there,
"Y-You must think I'm crazy...But then again that's why I'm here....I have a fear of being touched, or of things touching each other..." She said. She was rather embarrassed at her reaction, but that WAS why she was here...to combat episodes like this. She then reached over her bed, turning on the TV, and glancing over her shoulder,
"I'm...I'm gonna play the Entrance Tape, while you unpack...okay?" She asked, pressing the "play" button on the VCR, and sat back on the bed, having just about finished un-packing just before Anthony had walked in.

A grainy image of Dr. Van Waldenburg appeared with a rather creepy smile on his face, his eyes enlarged by this bottlecap glasses. He just stood in the middle of the frame, before clearing his throat,
"Why hello again my patients! I am glad to see you have made it to your rooms without incident. I'm here to tell you about the program. There are no TV's, no Radios, No patient access computers, or no cell phones on the premesis. Even if you brought one, the walls are aligned with lead due to the high amount of radiation you may be subjected too, and therefore none of those aforementioned items will recieve a signal. You are here to get away from your friends, family, co-workers, and stress so that you may concentrate solely on getting better. You will not be allowed to leave the premesis, unless myself, or Dr. Freeman allow it. There are bars on the windows, and sentries at all exits. Get to know your roommates, as they are part of your team which is dictated by your room number, as well as get to know the people across the hall, in room 1B. They will help make up the other half of your team. So that one person does not advance further in the study than the others, anytime anyone in your group receives stimulation, planned or accidental, the rest of the group will recieve the same equivalence of stimulation. So, if your roommate/teammate is Haphephobic, don't touch them, if they are Ataxophobic, don't leave things lying around on the floor, and, if your teammate is Anthropophobic, don't force them to converse with you. You don't want to be the one to blame for your group recieving a joint experiment. Meals are served three times a day, and must be eaten in the cafeteria during those times. Breakfast is served at 8 a.m., Lunch is at noon, and Dinner will be served at 4:30 p.m. Now I'd like to introduce the second doctor you will be meeting, a colleague and close friend, Dr. Walter J. Freeman." He said. He stepped off-screen, and the screen panned to a table that showed what looked like an ice pick and hammer. Then a man stepped on screen who donned a thick white beard, and dark eyes, He looked almost like Santa Claus, but his word were chilling,
"Hello. My name is Dr. Walter J. Freeman. I attended Yale University, and I graduated with an undergraduate degree, and continued my study in neurology at University of Pennsylvania Medical School, and I eventually graduated with a PhD in Neuropathology as the head of the Neuroscience department at George Washington University in DC. I am also a member of the American Psychology Association. Therefore, as you have guesed, I am extremely qualified. My treatment methods have been seen all over the US. I perform lobotomies, and there is a good chance you wll get the priviledge of receiving one from myself. Lobotomies are ground-breaking surgery in the field of mental illness. i look forward to working with you, and repairing your mind." He said. And with those chilling word, the tape stopped and automatically began to rewind.

Bridget was speechless, her eyes widened, and her breathing almost non-existant. She pointed towards the now blank TV,
"D-Did he say a lobotomy? I thought those were illegal! They didn't mention that in the pamphlet! Anthony...could he just be joking?" She asked, her voice betraying her fear once more, though she did little to hide it. She leapt to her feet, and looked at him,
"We gotta see if our teammates have watched this yet, and if not, we gotta warn them!" She said, unable to move from her standing position on the bed due to the close proximity of Anthony.



{I know we have an OOC thread, but I dunno how often we need to use it. I just wanted to let you guys know that Dr. Walter J. Freeman is a real person, and all those credentials are real, and he traveled around America in a van, giving house-calls to do at-home lobotomies, as well as at mental institutions. He pretty much revolutionized the ice-pick labotomy, preferring using that method over using a genuine leucotome. Also, Luna, we gotta recruit you a roommate girl!}

{OOC: Ugh, I've read about him, he's ultra-creepy. Also I would love a roomate :)}

Luna decided she should go ahead and watch the tape that was given to her. She turned on the TV and there sat Dr. Van Waldenburg in all his creepy glory. She decided she wouldn't have to look at the TV as long as she could hear what was being said. She listened as Dr. Van Waldenburg droned on about what isn't allowed, the other patients, and the schedule for eating. She jotted the times down on a small piece of paper so she wouldn't forget them. She listened as he introduced the other doctor, Dr. Freeman. She glanced up at the TV as Dr. Freeman showed on the screen. He didn't look very creepy, but she could tell with one glance that his motives for this program were entirely impure. She stroked Quest and listened as Dr. Freeman named off his list of credentials. Her head jolted up as she heard the word "lobotomies".

She had read nearly everything she could about mental illnesses, and "Lobotomy" came up more than a few times. She remembered reading of irreversible brain damage and ice picks. She had no desire whatsoever to be used as a lab rat. She jumped up as the tape finished and grabbed her sketchpad. She had every intention of drawing Dr. Freeman as she really saw him, a sadist.

{I'd love to see that guy's business card - 'Dr. Freeman: Putting the fun back into lobotomies!'}


Anthony slowly drew his hand back as his new room-mate seemed to grow more and more uneasy by the second. And then when she explained he felt guilty and started rambling.

"Oh, God, I'm sorry, I didn't know. I mean, I wouldn't have, if I knew, sorry. I'll just... A video? Sure, that sounds..." He trailed off and slid past, lifting his case above his head and placing it down at the foot of his bed.

The room was small and it's contents cramped. The longer Anthony spent in there the more anxious he seemed to become. Surely he could shift things around a little to give some more space and order to the room? Well, maybe that could wait a while, he didn't seem like a complete nutcase right from the off.

He opened his case and let out a breath of relief as he focused on the contents. Everything was meticulously laid out. A frame had been built and placed inside to keep everything from shifting around and even his clothes were colour co-ordinated. For most people this would have been an arduous task but it had taken him no longer to pack than it would anyone else. And unpacking would be a similarly simple task as he remembered where every item was placed, right down to the last sock. What the case lacked, however, was the kind of materials one would usually bring from home for a potentially stressful and lonely time away: Personal items. There were no photographs, no sentimental junk and nothing extravagant. There was only clothes, toiletries, a couple of towels and a few books. Anthonny had found that reading was a wonderful way of relieving him of worry and stress when he was in an environment that was not to his personal taste. Which was about to happen.

As he unpacked and loaded his belongings into drawers he listened to the tape, noting with satisfaction that mealtimes were strictly set to a routine. Bars on the windows and sentries seemed a bit much to him but again there was some slight joy that crept into him at hearing the news of everything being kept to such skillful organisation. And then Dr. Freeman started talking and he looked up at the screen, gobsmacked at what he was listening to. A lobotomy? You have got to be kidding!

When the tape finished and Bridget sprung to her feet, Anthony gripped the edge of his bed. He was terrified even at the prospect of chaos and he knew well that fear, if left untreated, would always cross that gap. And so it was that Bridget's sudden movements and unexpected fear started him onto his own path of shallow breathing and a rapid pulse, as well as the fact that he couldn't help but notice that she'd messed up her sheets by standing on her bed.

"Hold on, calm down, please calm down" he said quickly, trying desperately to control himself. "They can't do that, it must just be some sick joke. I mean, we're here for revolutionary treatment, right? Not outdated practices."

Nonetheless, he shifted along towards the door and opened it, happy for an excuse to leave the room at this point. "We can check 1B, I bet they'll say the same thing." 1B was situated, handily enough, right across the hall so in a matter of seconds he had crossed over and knocked briskly on the door, hoping he would not be met by a messy room.

Luna's head jerked up as she heard knocking at the door. Oh please just go away, go away,go away. was the mantra being repeated in her head. She stroked Quest a little harder and earned a claw on her hand in protest. "Ouch!," she yelped in pain. "I'm sorry Questy, Mommy didn't mean to hurt you." she said gently as she picked him up from off of the bed. She stroked him gently to reassure him and herself and stopped at the door.Come on Loony, this is what you're here for, so just take a deep breath and answer the knock. She opened it just a crack, and said. "Y-Y-Yes?" She could hear the fear and panic in her voice as her heartbeat thumped wildly in her chest. She could just make out a young, tidy-looking man through the crack."Ar-Are you th-the pe-people from across the h-hall?" Her only thought as she waited was her silent mantra of Go away, Go away, Go away!

{Sorry it's a bit short. It's heard to make dialogue for a person with anthropophobia :P)