"Today you'll be undergoing a psychiatric exam where you will be asked some questions about your thoughts, feelings and behaviors. With your permission and cooperation we would also like to ask some family members some questions that may be helpful to your cause", Matilda rambles on like a robot.

Jesus Christ!

"Is this why you woke me up so early?", I ask the two of them with a sleepy eye as I lean my chin on my palm trying to stay awake

"Yes. The brain is usually focused and responsive at this hour" Margaret says not even looking up from the book she's writing in.

"What the actual fuck guys. It's like five in the morning. My brain will certainly not respond"

"Focus!" Matilda demands.

"Go torment some other patient" I mumble and place my head on the table ready to doze off.

Bang!

I jerk my head up to Matilda banging her fist on the table.

"Ugh!", I groan in a very frustrated manner.

"Now that we have your attention we need you to relax and focus. Yesterday you went through the physical examination but today will be more of a psychiatric examination", Margaret says.

"So when does the psychotherapy begin", I ask trying to rub away the left over sleepiness off my eyes as I yawn.

" It has already begun. Now the psychiatric exam is more like the physical examination but this time I'm not just trying to talk to you. I'm going to talk to your alter ego"

"What's that?", I ask giving them my full attention.

I see them smiling as they've gotten my attention.

"Well according to psychology, an alter ego is a second identity or aspect of a person that exist metaphorically as his or her substitute or representative, with different characteristics" Matilda joyfully explains.

I just stare at them very puzzled, trying to wrap my head around what she just said.

I open my mouth to ask questions but no words come out.

"I'm sure you're wondering if it's a good thing or not", Matilda says.

How did I get from running away from the FBIs and Mi6 to being diagnosed with having DID and possibly an alter ego?

"In and out slowly", Margaret says

"Hmm", I say looking really lost.

"You're not breathing"

I mouth an 'O' and slowly take deep breaths.

"Just relax okay we have patients like you year in, year out", Margaret says in a matter of fact tone and tries to give me a relaxing smile.

"Okay so back to this alter ego thingy. Is it bad?" I ask while running my hand through my hair.

"Just as every good thing has a bad side so does alter egos. It has the good side and the bad side. A well thought out alter ego can help you bridge the gap between where you are now and where you want to be. It can allow you to step out of the box that you've created for yourself and do something that's totally out of character for you. Your alter ego can help you get out of your own way", Matilda explains.

"Most alter egos are created as coping mechanisms due to some bad circumstances that must have taken place in your life. A person can have an alter ego and not be aware of it while another person can be aware of it. One person can have up to five, ten alter egos with different roles to play. For example, superman is the alter ego to Clark Kent. Spider man is the alter ego to Peter Parker. Even our famous Beyonce has her own alter ego, Sasha Fierce. These people have alter egos that help them in one way or the other", Margaret adds.

"While these alter egos can be very dangerous, others are very calm and act as a protective shield. Sometimes you even learn to live with them. Just like in your case.", Matilda concludes.

"My case?", I ask feeling very flabbergasted and overwhelmed.

"Yes, we've noticed the way you act and talk to yourself and Yes you have Dissociative Identity Disorder and this has created an alter ego to keep you from harming yourself", Matilda says

"Although most people confuse DID with alter ego, the two are incidentally different " Margaret adds.

"Stop", I whisper more to myself than to them.
This is just a lot of information to process in sixty seconds. I place my left hand on my head and the right hand on my chest in an attempt to calm my racing heart and mind.

I don't even understand what they are talking about.

They're trying to tell you, you're crazy.

"No! Just stop!", I say to my subconsciousness or my alter ego or whatever.

I stand up and walk away from them and towards the window. I look across the city and see so many houses around. I take a deep breath before returning to my seat.

"So now what?", I ask

"She's talking to you again isn't she?" Matilda asks and I just simply nod my head.

Maybe Nicholas was right all along. I do have multiple personality disorder.

Technically it's no longer called multiple personality disorder.

"Before we go on, do you fully understand the difference between an alter ego and a DID alter?" Margaret asks and I just shake my head because this doesn't make any sense at all.

"Well An alter in a DID system is short for ‘alternative state of conscious’, this is because the childhood trauma has separated the memory off from the alter that takes care of day to day life and usually lives life without being crippled by the trauma they went through. When the separation of memory happens, the alter then starts to develop their own sense of self through being in control of the body and exploring what they like and dislike as well as their perception of the world and how they fit into the system", Margaret tries to explain.

"Is Multiple personality disorder same as Dissociative Identity disorder?", I ask completely way out of line. Trying to get them to slow down.

It's like they've stopped speaking English and my brain is trying to understand what they are saying all at once.

"Yes but it's no longer called Mpd", Matilda says.

Told ya!

"Mpd is more like the archaic term for Did", Margaret adds.

"Besides alter egos aren’t necessarily a disorder and in some cases you could have proper control of your alter ego like spider-man and Clark Kent(Superman) but then people who have DID are not in control of their other dissociative personalities because it’s like a defensive mechanism type of stuff like, nerve reaction and um reflexes"

"So someone who has DID can as well have alter egos but only due to trauma?"

"Yes! Because DID patients are trauma induced beings"

"Okay okay okay okay! So can I go back to my cell now orrrrrr..."

"We've not even started", Matilda says with a smile as they stand up and gesture for me to follow them.

I mean why not right?

"Say Lucia, have you ever tried having a one on one conversation with this subconsciousness you talk about?", Margaret asks as they lead me towards a stairway beneath their office.

"No not really" I say distractedly as I observe my surroundings trying to see if there's any possible exit.

"Young lady", Margaret says clapping her hands to get my attention

"Where did you go?" She asks placing her hand or their hands on my head.

"Hmm? Oh me? Um no where", I answer

"Listen Lucia, I know this can be scary but we assure you we'll be with you every step of the way. You're not alone okay and you can always talk to us whenever you need to see us as your friends because all we are trying to do is help. Now we may not know what you went through before coming here but now you're here, you're our responsibility" Matilda says in a very comforting manner.

I just give a tight lipped smile and nod it'd take some time to open up or talk about anything at all.

"Alright here we are!", Margaret says in a sing-song manner.

"And where is this?", I ask taking notes of the extremely bright light in the room with a bed and three chairs.

A man wearing white is already there, probably waiting for me I guess.

"Hello Lucia!", He says with the most charming smile I've ever seen and I've seen a lot of smiles. I genuinely smile back feeling all the colors heat up my face, suddenly feeling aware that I'm in nothing but a hospital gown sort of.

"This is just a room where we will try to summon your alter ego", Margaret says gesturing for me to lie on the bed.

"And this won't hurt?", I ask feeling a little bit scared.

"You have nothing to worry about love", Matilda encourages as they place their hand beneath my neck to help me on the bed properly.

The white looking man comes close to me and places some sort of medical helmet on my head.

"Focus on this pocket watch darling", he says very soothingly.

Damn! This guy was sent from heaven direct.
I study his features, thick black beards and jet black hair, with eyes as brown as honey and nose shaped like button. Jaw so well chiseled and skin as smooth milk.

This is my milky man I say dreamily.

"He said to focus on the pocket watch Lucia", Margaret says.

"Oh right! Sorry" I say breezily and focus all my attention on the pocket watch.

Left, Right! Left, Right! It goes and I watch it intently trying to see if there's any detail I missed from it. And for about 90 seconds this goes on and suddenly a spiralling video is placed in front of me and in a matter of minutes I'm in some sort of like trance...

Third Person POV

As Sam watches the video intently, she starts to drool and looses sight of time.

"Lucia! Oh Lucia! Can you hear me?" The milky doctor calls but no answer.

He looks at the Siamese twins and nods his head.

"She has been fully hypnotized now, ready to initiate phase two"

"Go ahead Louis and please be gentle. This trauma of hers that she must have gone through must be really huge", Margaret says as they stroke Sam's hand.

The milky man whose name is Louis nods. Louis is a middle aged hypnotherapist. He is the best at what he does but has a very short temper.

"Up and down the Country road,
In and out the times square,
That’s the way the shillings goes,
Pop! goes the rabbit.", Louis attempts to sing the popular nursery rhyme in a very wrong manner.

Samantha moves a finger, then clenches her jaw and tightens her fists. She moves her head sideways as if having a bad dream.

"What are you doing?", Matilda asks

"In the CCTV footage you showed me, I saw Lucia humming to this rhyme but it didn't seem like she was the one actually humming it"

"But..."

"Let the man do his job Matilda", Margaret opines.
Louis nods in appreciation.

"I know you're in there. It'd be easier to just come out and correct me yourself or I keep singing the wrong thing" Louis states to an  almost lifeless Sam.

"Half a pound of rice,
Half a penny of treacle
That's the way the..."

"Stooopppp!!!" Samantha screams and breathes in and out rapidly.

"You're singing everything all wrong. It's
Half a pound of tuppenny rice,
Half a pound of treacle,
That's the way the monkey goes.
Pop! Goes the weasel! And everything you said was just wrong, even the intonations and my name is not Lucia, I'm Stacy"

Everybody in the room looks at the body bewildered. Matilda and Margaret look at each other, then at Louis for explanation.

Louis just smiles and nods his head in self appraisal.

"Well nice to meet you Stacy. I was kind of expecting your name to start with an 'L' since your hosts name is Lucia"

"Well her name is not Lucia and you're bothering me", Stacy says.

"This is new", Matilda mutters

" I hate to break it to you Stacy but it's time for you to go"Louis says

"No! I am going nowhere. I have been the best thing to ever happen to her. I have protected her ever since she thought she killed her brother. She couldn't bear the thought of she being a murderer and I was born"

"You were born?"

"Or I became very prominent rather. I was born when she was 5"

"And what happened when she was five?"

"She was in kindergarten and there was this her teacher who'd molest her"

"Oh my goodness" Matilda says feeling very green.

"I know right. It's sick", Stacy says.

"And nobody knew about this teacher?"

"No. The lady would always take her to the bathroom or the infirmary depending on how free it was and would get the deed done"

"Jesus Christ! Lucia's molester is a she?", Margaret exclaims.

"I believe I wasn't speaking Latin"

"Please go on", Louis urges on.

"When this repetitive behavior of the teacher went on. Lucia as she calls herself now went into chronic depression and was having major suicidal thoughts and in order to cope, I was born. I shielded her from everything that's happening but mother felt something was not still right with her daughter and decided to move us to Spain"

"Who's in Spain?" Louis asks

"Maternal grandma. She always sang Lucia the song and taught Lucia how to speak Spanish. We didn't stay there for long though. Just about two years. And when Lucia clocked 8, we came back to England and that is how the whole teacher issue was forgotten. It was like as if it never happened but I always remembered, I never forgot and I kept my distance.

"Until she was 15?" Louis asks again

"Yes. Her brother had slipped into the well but she didn't go after him to help because she was angry and he drowned or so we thought and then I had to come again"

"Why wasn't another alter ego born?", Margaret asks looking at Louis

"My guess would probably be that she wanted to face this trauma herself?" Louis replies with a question while looking at Stacy.

"Your guess? Aren't you the expert here?", Matilda asks almost feeling frustrated.

"Well, Lucia did try to run away from the trauma, she tried to forget it but there was nothing that could be done. She had matured very well at 15 and had a very brilliant IQ. My job was to just prevent her from harming herself from the point she was 15-17 and that I did. But, I never left after then, I started speaking to her and I became her logical and practical self but she always called me subconsciousness. Sometimes when I take over of her body, she's aware other times she's not but when she feels she does or says something she'll not normally do or say, she says something like 'not now subconsciousness' and that's how it has been"

"This is really intriguing and quite fascinating. I've never really seen an alter ego as open as you are", Louis admits.

"I'm the sensible and mean one, she's the sarcastic and nice one. We make a great team", Stacy says with a smile as the body of Samantha wiggles and Samantha rubs her eyes and yawns.

"Oh darn it! I fell asleep didn't I? I told you this was absurd", Samantha says.

"Welcome back Lucia", Margaret says and hugs her happily.

"Um?"

"Do you remember anything that happened?" Louis asked sizing her up

"I was looking at that dumb pocket watch and I dozed off, apparently I also drooled", she says wiping off the spittle on the corner of her mouth.

"Well that'll be all for today. I'll send in your reports and you'll be called for when you're needed", Louis hurriedly says and urges them out of the office.

"I know right", Samantha says to herself and giggles. She looks around and rolls her eyes at the people staring at her.

"Oh Lucia", Matilda sobs which makes Samantha feel very uncomfortable.

"What's going on?", Samantha asks and is answered with a very deafening silence.

She is carried out of the white room and into the office. She is given glucose and is escorted to her cell.

"My life is just filled with so much drama. All I want is one moment of relief" she murmurs as she dozes off.

A/N:
Author: Samantha really has an alter ego? I know, I surprised myself there too.
Don't worry, all the answers to your question will be answered (hopefully) in the subsequent chapters but for now what do you guys think about this chapter?

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