"Logan! Logan!"

The 16-year-old Side turned around to see his friend Janus running up to him, one hand clapped over his left eye.

"How may I be of assistance, Janus?" Logan asked, putting his book down. Janus whimpered, his eyes full of tears as he carefully took his hand away from his eye. Logan let out a minute gasp.

There were bright green scales covering the left side of Janus' face.

"What on Earth happened?"

Janus shook his head as tears started running down his cheeks. "I don't know. I woke up to Remus being annoying but he stopped and stared at my face. I checked in the mirror and I had scales. Logan, I've got scales!"

"I can see that Janus." Logan checked his watch and sighed. "Look, I cannot assist you right this second, Thomas needs to study for a test, but I will try to find a solution as quickly as I can."

Janus took a breath, trying to calm himself down. "Okay. No thanks, Logan." His eyes widened as he clapped a hand over his mouth.

"That was rather uncalled for, Janus." Logan said curtly.

"I-I didn't mean to say that. I was trying to thank you but I-"

"Janus, I really cannot chat. Hopefully, whatever this is will resolve itself."

Before Janus could say anything, Logan sunk out. Janus looked down at his hands and then conjured a small mirror, worried about the left side of his face. Before his very eyes, scales appeared on his face. It didn't hurt, they just appeared. Looking down at his arms, he saw scales starting to grow on them as well. Janus let out a strangled scream and sank out, going back to his room.

***

"Janus?" Virgil asked, knocking on his friend's door. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Virgil."

"Will you open the door? I need to tell you something."

Virgil heard shuffling and moving about before the door burst open.

"What is it, Virgil?" Janus asked, pulling a bowler hat over the left side of his face and fixing his gloves.

"Janus, why are you wearing so much? You've never been one for accessories. That's more Princey or Remus' thing."

"Virgil, what do you want? I'm busy."

Virgil played with the strings on his hoodie. "I've been accepted." He whispered. "Janus, Patton said that I could join them in the Light Side Mindscape now." Virgil refused to look at Janus' horrified face. "And, and I said yes, Janus. This is a chance of a life time and-"

"Get out." Janus hissed, his voice dangerously low.

"What?"

"Get out!" Janus yelled, looking Virgil in the eye. Virgil reeled back slightly. The whole left side of Janus' face was covered in green scales that travelled down his neck. His left pupil was merely a black slit and the iris had turned yellow. Janus felt Virgil scanning the left side of his face and laughed quietly. It wasn't his normal laugh, it was sinister and dark.

"Horrid, isn't it? I like it, however. It gives me power." Virgil could hear the pain behind Janus' lies. "Get out, Virgil. I never want to see you or your racoon looking ass ever again."

Virgil was about to protest, maybe Janus and he could talk things though. But Virgil stopped himself. This wasn't Janus. This was a completely different Side.

***

"3rd of February, Remus. The time I make myself known to Thomas." Janus said, smirking and fixing his cardigan, ready to pretend to be Patton. The lying Side turned to the Dark Creativity.

"How do I look?" He asked, waving a hand over his scales, making them disappear.

"Like Patton." Remus mumbled, wanting his old friend back. "Janus-"

"It's Deceit now, Remus. My name's Deceit."

"Deceit, why are you doing this?"

Janus paused, surprised that the other Side had asked the exact question he'd been asking himself for years. "Because Sides like me won't be accepted." He thought to himself. Straightening the cardigan around his shoulders, he turned to Remus.

"Because I have to."