if I just didn’t care, I think. Sometimes I am envious of Toni’s limited emotions. It’s not like me caring helps, it just makes me feel upset. I mean, it doesn’t serve any purpose, does it?
“Doesn’t it?”
“Well, obviously not. All it got me was a threat of being bashed from Demise.”
David seemed thoughtful, and Linda gave him some space to mull things over. When he spoke again, he was obviously choosing his words. “I think it does serve a purpose.” Linda looked up, surprised. He continued “I think possibly you caring gives the Collective a different perspective.”
Linda must have looked puzzled, as he tried to explain “Without you to question their actions, to bring a…” he struggled to find the right word, his hands gesturing “…a more humanistic view, then maybe more decisions would be made that didn’t take empathy into account at all.”
Linda thought about it, but it didn’t really help her feel better. David chuckled, “I know, it doesn’t help right now, does it? But maybe, once you have thought about it for a while, it may.”
Dammit, he knew her so well. It often took a while for the things David said to sink in and make a difference.
Inner Life
Jordan was just flicking through Netflix, trying to find something worthwhile to watch, when she felt the pull to go within. This didn’t happen very often. Usually things could wait until she was not out here – but obviously this was either more urgent, or a group meeting.
Finding out it was a meeting, she groaned (not very quietly). “Fucking meetings,” she said under her breath.
They met in the large room which was just beyond the dining room. Jordan joined Toni and Linda who were already on one of the sofas. It reminded Jordan of waiting for the principal at school – feeling anxious and not sure why they were even there, but feeling like they must have done something wrong.
Sam walked in, and Jordan scooted along on the couch so Sam could sit next to her. Once she was seated, Trudi and Demise walked in. Now the fun begins, Jordan thought. She respected the job that Trudi and Demise did and, unlike Linda, she did know violence and the threat of it was necessary.
Both Demise and Trudi looked solemn, but then that was nothing new. Demise had a permanent scowl etched onto her face and a blackness in her eyes that could be truly terrifying and Trudi didn’t hold any emotions, so the looks on their faces didn’t give anything away.
Trudi didn’t waste any time exchanging pleasantries.
“As you are aware, through her actions Jo put the Collective in grave danger. It was decided the only way to ensure this did not happen again was to put her in solitary confinement for the indefinite future.” Trudi paused and looked at Linda, who wisely kept her mouth shut.
Trudi continued, “However there has been a… development. Just after she was put into confinement, Jo fractured.”
“What?” Linda said, clearly shocked. “What do you mean, fractured?”
“She has split off a new entity.”
“Oh, no.” Linda could scarcely believe what she was hearing. It had been years since they had a new member, at least that she could remember.
“Fuck!” Sam couldn’t believe what she was hearing either, but for different reasons than Linda. She just couldn’t believe they had to deal with yet another new person. She had been around for more than her fair share of people, members of the Collective coming and going.
At one time, there had been many more of them, 16 adults at one point and numerous teens and young ones as well. But the doctor had spent years with the adults and gradually their numbers had dwindled. Nobody knows exactly why or how. Some who were less formed seemed to come to the front, say what they needed to say or work through a traumatic event, and then were gone, fading into the background. Others (like Mary who specifically existed to raise Jo’s son) performed their function and then were no longer needed, so also simply seemed to fade away. And then finally some others decided to merge into one who then held all their memories and emotions. So over the years, they had gone from 16 to just 7 adults.
“Where the fuck is she?” Sam asked. “This new one?”
“She has just taken to another room, where hopefully she will recover and…adjust.”
“Is she…ok?” Linda asked.
“You mean is she traumatised or depressed like Jo?” Jordan said quietly.
“Great, that’s just what we need, another basket case.” Sam muttered.
“At this stage, we do not know.” Trudi answered, ignoring Sam’s retort.
“Is she considered just a shell, like Jo? Is she a member of the Collective?” Linda noticed as she spoke, Demise was shifting in her seat, starting to glare at her. Linda was obviously starting to touch on something she wasn’t supposed to – yet she wasn’t sure what it was exactly.
“As stated, it is only early days. We don’t know anything as yet.”
“So, what do we do now?” Toni asked.
“We do nothing. It is regrettable this has happened, however there is nothing we can do about it. And so we continue on as per usual.” Trudi answered, in her diplomatic yet detached manner.
Without another word, she turned around and left, with Demise following her.
The four main alters were silent for a few moments, all trying to take in this knowledge.
“Y’know, they are dodging the big question here,” Sam interrupted their thoughts.
“Which is?” Toni queried.
“Who the fuck is gonna tell the doc about this?”
Dianne
“Dianne, it is a pleasure to see you, I haven’t seen you in quite a long time.” David said, when he realised who was with him. “I take it the mother has been around, if you are out here? Did she come down for a visit?” The doctor knew that Di was specifically created to interact with the mother and rarely came out now, except for when there was contact with the mother.
“It has been a trying few days, Doctor.”
“How so?”
“Well, we have had big things happening, and so I have had to be out here more than normal, babysitting the body. As well as that yes, the mother has been contacting us again.”
“I am interested in hearing about both those things. Can you tell me about them? Either of them?”
“Well, the mother has been trying to see us, trying to arrange a time to come down. I feel like I am trying to juggle too many things, with keeping the Collective safe yet also dealing with the mother. And as I am sure you can understand, the two things do not go together.”
David clucked sympathetically. “No, I can imagine they don’t. So, how have you been handling it?”
