Max followed behind the sunglasses wearing man. He lead him down a series of halls Max wasn't very familiar with, though the art on said walls were about the same as everywhere else in the clinic. Pj, ever the worrywart, was glancing around nervously as if he expected the babies in flower costumes to try to jump him.

Max weaved past a couple of ghosts, probably old clinic patients who just got too attached to the place or something. He tried not to make it obvious, as it was a little embarrassing to be seen interacting with nothing. But, Spender looked back at him just in time to see him pushed up against the wall trying to stay out of the way of a large blue cow with a feathered hat.

Weird sunglasses man smiled at him in a weirdly understanding way that made Max want to follow the hat cow back to the lobby. He moved away from the wall just as Spender took in a breath and started talking, joy.

"So, tell me about yourself, Max."

Max eyed the man suspiciously, what a freaking weirdo.

"Why? Haven't you read my file already? You should know everything you need to already."

Spender deflated a little, turning around and trudging down the hall, arms swinging like an angry toddler. "I left them at home in my rush to get here." He muttered.

This place is ridiculous, how have they made it this long. Max thought angrily. He saw Spender's profile as he went around corner, face distorted into a huge frown that warped his face weirdly. He looked just like his dad when he found out that they couldn't sell mystic amulets in the corner store. Some random city law forbid it, he cried for like a whole hour.

"Well," He started, Spender perking up in front of him excitedly. "I have schizophrenia, or at least that's what people assume it is. It's a little confusing to explain, since it's a very extreme case and goes through all five senses. But i'm not dangerously off the handle, i just see and experience things that most people don't? i guess?"

Spender nodded, "I see, do you have any other disorders that i should know about?"

Max stopped for a second, staring down at the floor.

"No, nothing else."

They stood in silence for a moment before Spender slowly nodded and continued walking, Max following silently.

"Sorry that i have to ask you outside of an office, but I really do need to know and i wouldn't want to put you on the spot with the kids at the first meeting."

"well, if we aren't talking about our situations, what are we doing in the first meeting?"

Spender paused. He spun around violently, pushing his glasses up, catching the light and smirking. "Group bonding."

Oh my god, Max thought, He is such a loser.

Spender spun back around and turned another corner before stopping in front of a door covered in paint, stickers and maybe a little blood. Max thought about asking what that was about but honestly he probably didn't want to know.

"Welcome," Spender said suddenly and loudly, pausing after the outburst.

Is he… pausing for dramatic effect.

Oh my god, he totally is.

"To the "Activity Club" support group." He pushed open the door.

And a tidal wave of paper flew out, completely covering Spender and knocking him to the ground. Max jumped back to avoid the tsunami.

"What the heck is going on!?" Max screeched. Spender clawed himself out of the pile of papers, glaring into the room at the two kids snickering into their hands.

The two kids were about Max's age, the taller one was a darker skinned girl with hooded eyes, the shorter a blond boy with glasses. Behind them, laid out on an old couch, was a boy with spiky orange hair playing a DS. Spender made some unbecoming and annoyed noises as he pulled himself out of the papers, cursing about paper cuts.

"Isabel, Edward, i'm assuming this is your handy work?" He muttered, stomping through the doorway. Max followed behind apprehensively, keeping an eye out for any other nasty and unconventional surprises.

"Ha! You should have seen your face Spender!" The glasses kid exclaimed, laughing outright with the girl.

"Clean it up!" Spender huffed, moving to the unoccupied couch.

"Worth it." The girl, Isabel, said to her friend, moving to the doorway full of printer paper.

"How did they do that?" Max muttered, sitting on the arm of one of the couches.

"You don't want to know, it was basically witchcraft." The red hair muttered back. He sat up from his slouched position, setting his DS aside. He held up a hand that Max hesitantly took in his own. "I'm Isaac, you must be the new kid in the group."

"Yup, that's me, names Max."

"Nice to meet you Max."

"Back at you, I guess."

Max slid down from the arm of the coach to sit next to Isaac, watching the other two kids as they finished cleaning up the sea of papers.

The two mosied on over after setting the haphazardly stacked papers onto Spender's desk, sitting down beside Spender on the couch.

Spender sat up a little straighter and clapped his hands together. "Alright kids, time to do a little meet and greet with our newest member."

"Alright, newbie, I'm Isabel, queen of this here group. Mister weird hair over there is Isaac, but you already know that. But i bet you don't know that he's the residential electrophile."

"Don't call me that Isabel, it sounds weird."

"Alright electromaniac, whatever you fancy. He's obsessed with electricity, can't get enough of it, he's even had to be taken to the as-" She cut was cut off by a glare from Isaac. "Oops, sorry, over sharing."

"Hey, i remember you, you're the kid who short circuited the whole clinic's power line. You're the reason they had to put on those stupid child locks on all the outlets. You know how many times i've been stuck with nothing to do because they wouldn't unlock them so that I could charge my phone. Too freaking many times dude."

"Whatever, I can't help it. I was … born this way." Isaac muttered, looking off into the distance all melodramatic as he opened up his bright pink DS to continue playing.

"Anyways, this is Ed," Isabel wrapped her arm around the short blond boy. "He's my little buddy." She ruffled his hair as he snorted.

"More like partner in crime." Spender said good naturedly. Isabel nodded, continuing to ruffle the boy's hair more and more aggressively.

"Spender, my DS is gonna die, can I charge it?" Isaac asked, trying to look innocent, but Spender shook his head sternly.

"No way am i falling for that again, you can do it at home with parental supervision." Isaac groaned and slumped into the couch.

"His DS charge is fine." Came a small, young voice from beside Max. "The light is green."

Max moved his glance from PJ to the DS in Isaac's hand. The light in the corner was green. He shrugged it off, eyes shifting to look over at the three people sat on the couch across from him.

"If Isaac is here for electromania what are you two here for?" Max asked.

Isabel scooted off of Ed, whom she had in a choke hold.

"I'm in for anger management and Cynophobia."

"What's that?"

"Well, i get angry easily so people tell me 'don't do that' and-"

"No, Cynophobia." Isabel rolled her eyes and smiled.

"I know, it's the fear of dogs."

Max nodded, "gotcha." He turned his eyes to Ed.

Ed smiled, "I'm like the mascot."

"He started coming here for his autism, for social skills and such. Edward here doesn't really have to go to therapy as often as he does, but him and Isabel are quite close so he goes when she goes." Mr. Spender explained. He looked a little miffed about having their reason for attending group therapy come up so fast, but at least they were getting along.

Pj shuffled beside Max, lefty drumming softly on the sofa. Max turned to them and whispered, "You don't have to stay if you don't want to."

Pj smiled at Max and nodded his head, he always got a little antsy when he couldn't get involved in the conversation. Max watched as the two ghosts floated out the closed door, jumping a little when a voice broke him from his reserved moment

"So what are you in for?" Isaac asked, trying to seem uninterested, but his eyes flashed excitedly over the top of his DS. Spender sent Max a look that said you-don't-have-to-answer-yet-if-you-don't-want-to. Max shrugged at Spender and turned to Isaac.

"I have schizophrenia."

"Freaking called it, who were you talking to just now?" Ed butted in.

Max's face heated up a little at the thought of being caught talking to "nothing".

"Don't worry about … it…" His voice trailed off as he noticed a figure in the corner of his eye. He turned to look but it was gone in a blink, but the silhouette was terrifyingly familiar. A large snake with 3 long slits on its face had been coiled up in the shadow of Spender's desk. Max shivered at the memory of it's eyes peaking out at him, blood red this time.

He shook his head and focused back on the support group in front of him, which was currently yelling over what was cooler; motorcycles or jet skis. Max threw in his suggestion that jet packs were cooler and thought maybe this'll be a good fit for him.