2.

'He is getting worse' Nurse Jones told Doctor Rankin.

'Another new personality coming forward today?' he asked.

'Yes.'

'Who was he today?'

'He claims to be a sixty-year-old man named Albert.'

Thinking that it could be worse, Doctor Rankin began to make his way into his office where Noel was waiting when the doctor was interrupted by nurse Jones continuing 'he also thinks that he died last night and was sent back having been giving twenty-four more hours to live in which he has an opportunity to alter his life, make amends.'

This additional information gave the doctor a more direct line of questioning.

Doctor Rankin made his way to his seat in his office but before sitting he would speak an 'hello' then introduce himself or reintroduce himself since he might be confronting a new personality, and then he shook Noel's hand. Noel had already been sitting in the office a couple of minutes before the doctor's arrival.

'Will this take long doctor? I don't have much time unfortunately; I really need to get going.'

'No, shouldn't be long, Albert? Isn't it?'

'Yes ... Albert Hoffman.'

'Well Albert, if it is alright with you, I would like to ask you a few questions.'

Noel being Albert nodded in acceptance.

'Albert, I'd like to know what it was like for you when you were growing up.'

The older sounding raspy voice that Doctor Rankin had never heard being used prior to now suddenly altered and became more like Noel's original voice with the exception of being more forceful than what Noel would regularly speak.

'Look doctor, Albert is not going to tell you anything about what growing up was like, I have to be here in this place, I get that, but anything after that I don't have to do or say anything.'

'George, I presume.'

'You presume correctly, now if we are done here, I would like to go back to my room.'

'Was your childhood a bad time for you?'

Noel now going full on George oddly sat in silence. Before anything else could happen, Nurse Jones knocked and entered the office. Being fully aware of the situation and aware of the change Nurse Jones would speak.

'Excuse me doctor, George you had a visitor in the green room.'

Noel looked at the doctor and the doctor gestured with his hand that it was fine to go on out to the green room. Noel had reverted back to his usual shy quiet self when he saw Suzie waiting at a table. It was a surprise for him that he had a visitor and even more so of a surprise when he realized that it was Suzie.

It always came this way; she was the only person who ever did come visit and whatever mood he was in, Noel always return to himself in her presence. Suzie stood up and greeted Noel with a hug and she could instantly tell that Noel was indeed his regular self.

'You are surprised to see me' speaks Suzie.

'Yeah, I didn't think I would ever get any visitors in this place, but I am glad you came, thank you.'

'I am glad I am here too, but you do know I have been to see you before, right?'

'Yeah, I know that.'

Suzie had brought a pad and coloured pencils for Noel, and she couldn't help but notice that as they talked, Noel kept writing the same word on those sheets of paper. The way in which he wrote the word altered and the colours he used changed but the word remained the same and that word was Actung.

The doctor did notice the calming effect that Suzie's visit was having on Noel, so he invited her to make her visits a more regular occurrence to which she was only too happy to agree to, and the doctor always kept Suzie informed to how Noel was progressing.

Over the following number of weeks more personalities began manifesting and showing themselves, among which included personalities who claimed to be vampires by the names of Gabriel Grimmel and his son Seth, both of whom claiming that they could survive a certain amount of time in the daylight as they claimed to be day walkers.

'How are we today?' asked the doctor.

'I am fine doctor, but I will need a dark place to go to soon, there is a lot of sunlight coming in from the windows, I was lucky the last time I spent a lot of time out in the sunlight?'

'What happened to you on that occasion?'

'Well, I fell asleep in the shade of an old oak tree on school grounds, I was lucky that Professor Edwards found me when he did.'

'So, Seth, right? Can you tell me who Mister Edwards is?'

'It is Professor Edwards, and he is a teacher, an instructor at school and takes good care of our group.'

'Your group?'

'Yeah, it is more like a group of good friends at school.'

'Are they all special like you?'

'Just one of the others, he is special but not like me, he was special I should say, and I have a sneaky suspicion about the professor too.'

'What happened to your friend?'

Noel's voice became deeper and there was something in his new demeanour that made the doctor sit up and take notice.

'I need you to take good care of my son doctor. He is in constant danger especially at night-time.'

'I can assure you Mister Grimmel, Seth is in good hands here.'

'Call me Gabriel; I prefer to be called by my first name.'

Noel's demeanour changed once more, and he slumped back into his chair closing his eyes and becoming unresponsive. Noel was breathing well, and it appeared to the doctor that Noel had simply fallen asleep, so he had Noel returned to his bed and had his room darkened in case he awoke as either Gabriel or Seth.

Noel did awake to complete darkness; however, he did not awake as either Gabriel or Seth, nor was he himself, George or even Albert for that matter. He awoke in a cold sweat and was panicked to find himself in a darkened and locked room. Claiming that his name was Roland and that he was eighteen years old while also having a need to get back to an island. Noel would be sedated and would go on to sleep for a further eight full hours.

Having been kept updated about Noel, Suzie had some important information to tell the doctor.

'Recently I brought a notepad with coloured pens in here for Noel to have, I guess I was hoping to get something out of Noel that might help him, and I definitely think I have found something.'

This seriously intrigued the doctor, so he asked Suzie to continue.

'Noel kept writing the same word over and over. It spelt ACTUNG. Now the word achtung is a German word which means either warning or attention but Noel wrote it without the 'h' so I done some checking online and came across a short story website where someone using the pen name Actung has posted a number of short stories.

One story features a sixty-year-old man who dies and is given an extra twenty four hours in which to live and make changes to his life. The title of that story is also the man's name which is Albert P. Hoffman. There is also a series of vampire stories which start with a story entitled Vampire Weekend which features Gabriel Grimmel, followed by Son of a Vampire which features Seth.

There is yet another story called Beast, and this one follows an eighteen-year-old, named Roland as he tries to survive on an island where a reality show has its contestants fighting and killing for survival.'

'Is there any mention of anyone by the name of George?' asked the doctor.

'Yes, but it is not the George with which we are familiar with. A story called The Little Boy with The Big Heart is about a six year old boy who is required to help his nine year old ill sister.'

'Does she die?'

'Not by the end of the story, but who knows what may have happened if the story was to have continued.'

The doctor wondered as to if Noel could be this Actung person. A chained Noel was brought to the doctor's office.

'Why am I in chains doctor?'

'It is only precautionary.'

'They will be removed before I go back out to the island?'

'Yes, but for right now I need to talk to either Noel or George.'

'Noel or George, who are they?'

'I need to talk about a big sister one or both may have had a long time ago.'

Noel's head lowered and when it raised again there were tears flowing down his cheeks. The voice of a child then spoke.

'I could not save her. I was told that my sister would be alright', the voice grew angry, 'but she is not alright, is she?'

'George, what happened to your sister was not your fault, you were excellent in your help, and she survived for much longer than she would have thanks to you.'

'But she still died.'

Noel cried hard and uncontrollably.

Over the next couple of years, Noel showed no signs of being anyone but himself. Not even George would make any further appearances. It even got to the stage where Noel began to go without medication. After five years under Doctor Rankin's care, it was decided that Noel would be free to be released without having to face any further charges for the robbery which 'George' committed, but he wasn't quite sure in himself if he should be released, but a visit from Suzie would aid his confidence.

'I am not sure if I should leave here, I could always stay here voluntarily.'

'Noel, you are not sick, you are perfectly fine.'

'I know Suzie, but where would I go? And where would I stay? I don't have any friends.'

'You always have me; besides I know where George hid the money from the robbery.'

'I hid the money? ... I mean George hid the money.'

'Yes, you or he did. I won't tell anyone if you won't.'

At first Noel felt that the money should be returned but upon looking into Suzie's eyes he just couldn't help but smile ...