Author's note:  READERS BE WARNED.  This chapter and the rest of the story starts to take a very, very dark turn, leading Jani to have some close calls, and probably some emotional scarring.  Read at your own risk.

I went inside my room and immediately began to research the net yet again for multi-personality disorder. They now looked like they preferred to call it dissociative identity disorder. It was made to better understand this state of mind, this splintering of the soul that was destroyed and scattered beyond repair. Usually, this happened at a very young and tender age. Sexual abuse was a possibility, but not a constant. Abuse in some kind or form was very common. I began to wonder what happened to him, and to Maria too.

I also had random thoughts in my head, such as if I was making the right decision or not. Who was Alejandro Jones away from all the hype and the lime lights? Was he dangerous? I believed that parts of him were. There were also parts of him that were very comforting, soothing, just like Marie used to be, and I missed her so.

Also, what exactly did I want from Alejandro? I knew I wasn't ready for sex yet. Would he be okay with that? The kind one, I believed he would. The others, there was reason to question their integrity; and yet, I had just gone over in my head, how to continue to see him, in secret. I knew this wasn't a wise choice. Was I truly that starved for human affection, that I would accept it even from a grown man that's practically a stranger? I thought of the two people that I called my parents. I thought of the people that attended my school. Yes, I was desperately alone. I believed that Alejandro was as well. Was there anyone in his life that just wanted to be his friend, not caring about getting something from him, or what he could do for them? What happened to him, to the young Miguel before he was famous? What happened to Maria?

I got a call shortly after.

"Hello, Jani."

I recognized him immediately.

"Hello, Spock."

"Spock?"

"The logical one."

"I would prefer it if you called me Hugo."

"Okay."

"How many of us do you know?"

"Well, there is you, and there is the friendly one. He is the one I spent the most time with so far. He came from the crowd, and he comforted me backstage."

"That would be Romeo. He does most of our public speaking."

"Not all of your public speaking," I said.

I heard that weird giggle again.

"Are you referring to me?"

"Who are you?" I asked.

"That would be Loki," said Hugo. "He likes to think that he's the one in charge.

"Is he?"

"Only when he takes me by surprise."

"Are you the dominant one?"

"I try to be. Unfortunately, I am a shepherd of a herd where all of us wish to be dominant."

"Are you the original?"

"No, in fact, he has not been present now for many years."

"You mean Miguel is gone?" Maria's son. He couldn't be!

"Not gone, dormant. Now, tell me how you know him."

"I never did. I knew his mother. She used to cry and call out his name while she was sleeping, and I put two and two together."

"How did you know her?"

"By accident. My parents just happened to hire her to be my nanny one day."

"Nothing happens by accident, Jani. Have you ever wondered what your parents do for a living?"

"I don't know. I know my dad has a diamond mine and several other projects he is invested in."

"One of those investments is in mind control. It encourages the development of altered personalities. It makes the individual much easier to manipulate, and control. Many movie stars and secret spies have been made this way. Some have even been turned into assassins. Some were volunteers. Others were kidnapped, or bought or sold."

I was terrified.

"Did my father.....hurt you?"

"Not directly," said Hugo. "Miguel's father was an alcoholic, among other things. He sold his son into the project, thus, the birth of Alejandro."

"But.....Maria. What happened to her?"

"I don't know, but it is easy to assume that your father kept her as his maid to keep a watch on her."

"What do you think happened when my mother fired her?"

"Well, in certain circles, your mother has a well-known reputation for hiring to kill."

"Nooooooooo!"

I began to weep. It all made sense now. All the whispers and the stares from the hired help, why nobody would ever get too close to me, and my mother's leering, ever watchful eyes. How many people did she kill because of me?

"I'm afraid it gets even worse," said Hugo, heavily. "Alejandro is only one of many. You are also one of these children."

"What!"

"Yes, Jani. You were specifically bred, and sold by your original parents, and raised by the ones you now know to be trained and given to Alejandro as payment for all of his services given."

I began to tremble. This all seemed so unreal, but he was telling the truth. I could feel it.

"You were expected to be given to us at a much younger age; but, given that Alejandro was also used in this manner, this idea did not sit well with most of us. It was insisted that you be older before this was even considered."

"Older?" I asked. I was only fifteen. "How young were you?"

For just a moment, I could feel Romeo return. "Too young."

"Romeo is the most compassionate of us," said Hugo. "He wanted you to have as normal a life as you could, but I'm afraid the odds are no longer in your favor, and not Romeo, or any of us, will be able to protect you for much longer."

What was going to happen to me?

"Do you ever recall any therapy sessions that involved hypnosis?" Hugo continued.

"I did for a little bit, but the doctors started complaining that it remained ineffective. When they said that they were going to drug me, and started giving me pills to induce the brain waves, that's when I first started faking."

"You were faking?" He almost sounded like he didn't believe me.

"Yes. I didn't really trust anyone to close my eyes: figuratively, metaphorically, or otherwise. So I just started going along with it."

"You mean to tell me after all of these years, you managed to fool everyone into thinking you were under their thumbs?"

"I guess. I never actually went under their spell or anything. I never had any one of those black-outs, or moments of memory loss that they keep talking about; but every once in a while, I'll say I have anyway if I sensed that was what they wanted to hear."

"Have they ever given you any drugs outside of their sessions?"

"I don't even take their so-called vitamins. They made me ill. I also learned how to only appear to swallow the pills."

"Were your parents aware of this?"

"No. When I was finally aware they weren't paying any attention to me, I would only pretend to take them when they gave it to me at home."

"Those pills were a crucial part of your experiment. Combined with the mind waves of that contraption they put on your forehead, it was made to induce complete submission and obedience. If anyone were to find out that you have been faking this entire time, your very life could be in danger."

My whole world was spinning. My entire body began to shake.

"Jani, do you recall any certain words or phrases that led to odd commands?"

"Yes. Flutter by, butterfly. They would tell me to do weird things, like purr like a cat and lick myself."

"That would be known as the sex-kitten."

"Sex WHAT!"

"You were born to be a sex-slave from a chosen breeder."

I felt like I was going to throw up.

"I know that none of this is what you ever expected, or wanted to hear, but you have a choice to make. I cannot say that I would recommend you spend your life with us. Alejandro is not a stable person, and parts of us are just as cruel and dangerous as we are kind. I, Hugo, do my best to keep everyone under control, but we are an unpredictable lot, at best."

I was thoughtful for a moment. "What's going to happen to me if you don't want me?"

Just as I asked, I heard a knock on my door.

"Jani?" I heard my father say.

"Just a minute." I ran to my bathroom and closed the door. "My father is here. What do I do?"

"Jani." It was Romeo. His voice was much more tender. "Dry your eyes, wash your face, and put this cell phone on speaker phone. Leave it nearby where we can hear. Do not mention anything we have spoken of, and keep acting as you have all along."

I did that. Very quickly, I went back to my room. I sat back at my computer, had my cell phone nearby, and my resting bitch face and usual sulky demeanor back in place.

"Come in," I said coldly.

My father came in with his usual evening wear. "Why are you dressed like that?" he asked.

I looked down at what I was wearing. I had already changed into my fuzzy pajama pants.

"Wouldn't you much rather change into something nice and join the evening with your mother and me?" My dad took a step closer with every word he spoke.

"Not really," I said. I wasn't feeling like he was acting like a father at all, and now that I knew what I knew, my skin was already starting to crawl with his nearness.

"No matter," he said. A malicious grin passed his face. "Flutter by, butterfly. Time for our fun in the sun."

This was the moment I had no idea I was training for. My resting bitch face was firmly in place. No emotion. No feeling. He put his finger in my mouth, and said, "Suck, my kitten."

I sucked and made mewling sounds on cue, just like I had been taught to.

"Darling, if Alejandro decides that he does not want you, I just may keep you all to myself."