Alters

Nine

~Lyric~

Falling is a feeling too. Sometimes you feel you can fall into the deepest of holes, or into a frigid body of water without physically falling. It takes a while to understand this feeling, but once you feel it, it takes a while to climb or swim out. We all sort of just fell into Caspers' hole, and I can feel everyone tempted to say their own stories on how they ended up with their illness. Some of them don't really know what to do because they were born with theirs. I know my story is just as horrific as Caspers', but I really don't feel like talking about my past, even though it's not very vivid for me. Everyone who's talked to the alters about my past tell me how horrific I had it, but I don't remember; I wasn't mentally there to experience any of it. Everyone else here, on the other hand, didn't and doesn't have any alters to hide behind. I know they never have and probably never will. I'm the odd one out in this situation. They already know the hospitalization story with Endora, so there isn't many interesting things I can share exactly to the group.

"Well," Michael suddenly says. "Now since we got to know Casper and his story, how about we all share how our weeks went. Rachel, why don't you start us off?"

"My friend Suzie and I had a slumber party on the weekend, and we ate lots of Nutella. She's so funny and we had lots of fun!" Rachel smiles.

"Lovely!" Michael exclaims. "Damon, you're next!"

Damon looked up at all of us, then smirked, his grey eyes glistening in the light of the room.

"I went to that Asking Alexandria concert the other day with my friend Kyle." He said. "The lights were trippy, but the people were pretty rough in the audience. The concert was sick, man!"

"Damn, you're lucky." Roslyn said. "My mom hates the death metal."

"I could get a ticket for you when another good metal band is in town." Damon smiles, and Roslyn lets a soft smile escape her frown for a brief second.

"Thank you." Roslyn says. "That would be nice."

"Oh god, when Warped Tour comes, I'm gonna be psyched!" Damon practically shouts.

"Warped Tour, oh gosh." Casper smiles, though it looks like it almost pains him to smile. "If only MCR was to be there."

"Ugh, I will never get over how they broke up." Roslyn frowns.

"We could probably all go together!" Damon smiles. "Everyone in our circle. Casper, you seem cool with it already. Lyric, you in?"

"Of course! Anything with you guys sounds fun." I smile.

"Alec, you in?" Damon turns to Alec, who still looks down.

"Um, yeah." He responds.

"Melina, Krystal?" Damon asks, turning to the pair of girls.

"I'm not a fan of lo-"

"Of course we're in!" Krystal retorts, cutting off Melina, who just sighs.

"Luke?" Damon asks.

"Sure." Luke says in a flat tone, then bites his lip.

"Jakob?" Damon turns to Jakob, who seemed to suddenly calm down, his eyes turning from sparky to sudden surprise.

"Alrighty." Jakob simply says.

"And Rachel?" Damon asks.

"I'm probaly too young." She says with a disappointed tone. "But maybe."

"Michael, would you mind? If we all brought in money, could you take all of us?" Damon asks.

"Sure. It seems like a good bonding experience." Michael smiles. "Rachel, it may be rather loud for you. There's a lot of yelling."

"I don't like loud things." Rachel frowns. "Maybe some day."

"Yes, some day. Luke, care to go next on sharing your week?" Michael asks.

"Okay." He mutters. "I stayed home most of the week 'cause I was 'sick'. I was actually in the hospital."

"Oh, how come?" Michael asks.

"I don't want to talk about it." Luke crosses his arms, looking down.

"Is that all?" Michael asks.

"Yeah." Luke mutters.

"That's okay. Melina, your turn." Michael says.

"I went to the zoo with Krystal." Melina smiles. "We saw two prairie dogs 'wrestling'." She puts quotations around it, as her, Krystal, Damon, Casper and I snicker at what she was hinting at. Michael smiles, though I can tell he was trying to conceal his own laughter.

"Well that's lovely." Michael says as a small chuckle escapes. "Krystal, have anything to add to that?"

"Yes, I managed to gain TWO pounds this week!" Krystal exclaims happily, and we all clap for her. "Melina and I attended my cousins wedding and they had SO much food, it was crazy! The cake was so good, and we played loads of games. I forced myself to eat as much as I could, and Melina kept encouraging me to eat more without purging. It was so fun, and it was good to keep the taste of cake in my mouth without feeling the urge to puke it up. Melina stayed the night to make sure I didn't, cuz I never have the urge to throw my food up with her."

"That's great!" Michael smiles. "Roslyn, you're up!"

"My week was shitty." She says, not bothering to look up. "Some slut called me out on my weight and laughed, walking away. The eyes that stare at me just get worse and I'm almost done with this world."

"Rossi, don't say that! We love you!" Rachel vociferates.

Roslyn looks up at everyone. Only now do I see her sharp blue eyes popping out as a bold turquoise from the swollen red colour her eyes are. Tears streamed down her face, her auburn bangs looking greasy and facile, though it looks like she didn't even try. Her white Black Veil Brides sweater-shirt has some red stains on the sleeve. Only now did I realize what the thing she was fiddling with was; a small blade from a pencil sharpener. She hides it in her pocket and looks down in the quick second I observed her in.

"Well, looks like it wasn't everyone's week this time around." Michael sighs.

"Rossi, would you mind talking to me after everyone is done sharing things?" I ask Roslyn, who looks up at me with just her eyes.

"Okay." She says, though her eyes speak that she already knows I know what's up. She keeps her arms folded so nobody sees.

"Alec, mind sharing next?" Michael asks.

"Life was boring." He mutters. "Like always. Went to school, talked a bit to some people..." Alec suddenly looks up with wide eyes, then stands up.

"Alec-"

"They're after me." Alec cuts off Michael as he stands in the centre of the circle, desperately trying to look for the entrance. I suddenly realize that my chair is in the direct way of the exit.

Alec comes bolting, and I feel a hand come in rough contact with my shoulder.

My head hits the ground hard.