#james mcavoy split

Iris didn't get the chance to respond before a familiar voice called from the front desk. "Miss. Mayfair?"

Iris turned from her soulmate to catch the eyes of Montez, who looked momentarily surprised at her pin-straight hair and eyes surrounded in red-gold colour. Felicia placed a comforting hand on her leg before Iris stood up, her coffee pressed to her chest as she walked over to meet with the officer from the previous night.

"You're looking much better, Miss. Mayfair. It's good to see," he offered kindly, smiling as he spoke.

"Thank you," Iris mumbled back shyly before her eyes fell on the folder that held her statement. He didn't wait a moment more before he opened the folder and placed her written confession on the table. Her writing was messier than usual, a testament to her shock as she attempted to write. "So I just need to sign at the bottom?" she asked quietly as she placed her coffee just to the side, freeing her hands.

"If you want, you can read it over and make changes. If you sign it, that means that this is final," he answered calmly while sliding the paper closer to her. Iris shook her head, knowing that she was careful enough to repeat each detail the night before as carefully as her muddled brain could. Montez placed a pen on the sheet for her to use, before he patiently waited as Iris picked it up with a much steadier hand and scrawled her loopy signature on the bottom.

"Is that all?"

"Yes, Ma'am, you're free to go. We may contact you in the near future if we have any more questions. I have your cell number, is it alright to use if I need to speak with you?"

"Yes, I always have it with me," she answered easily, reclaiming her coffee as he recollected the sheets. "Have a good day, Officer Montez," she added on with a small smile, happy to be leaving the station. He smiled back before his eyes shifted to look over her shoulder; Felicia had stood up and was waiting for Iris.

She watched his eyes flick down to her hand, where he had caught the flash of her mark on the back of her hand, before he smiled again and nodded to her. Nodding back, Iris turned and headed over to Felicia with a hand outstretched already. Taking her soulmate's hand, the two women slipped from the station without waiting another moment and turned in the direction of Iris's apartment.

"Anything you want to do while we both have the day off?" Felicia finally asked once they were on their way, glancing down at Iris as they dodged people on the sidewalk.

"Honestly? Not a clue," Iris admitted with a slight laugh in her voice. "But considering how cold it is out here, preferably something that's inside?" Felicia laughed as she nodded in agreement, glad that she had pulled on a warm, dark blue hat before they had left—Iris had complimented the colour as soon as she spotted it, saying that it would bring out her soulmates eyes beautifully.

Pretty soon, the two women had crowded themselves into Iris's small apartment with her little heater cranked up to warm the space. Felicia gushed about how small and cute it was, reading the spines of Iris's book collection, then her tea tins, and finally ended at her miniscule wardrobe. She tutted over the oversized, covering clothing but didn't actually say anything against her choice in style. Iris was almost certain that all of her soulmates, even the ones she had yet to meet, were most likely aware of the scars on her body and why she preferred to remain covered.

"You need to buy some colour!" Felicia commented finally, noticing that mostly everything Iris owned was either black or dark grey. "It's so…blah! And you're already my little Snow White, no need to make you look even paler."

Iris huffed a laugh from where she was sitting on her bed, legs crossed comfortably as she watched Felicia card through her small amount of clothes. "Snow White? That's a new one."

Felicia spun with a grin, one of Iris's oversized sweaters in hand. "Oh, my dear Snow, you're basically a walking Disney character. And you can sing! That's even better!""

Iris snorted a laugh, quickly covering her mouth when the sound registered. "If you start calling me Snow, I'm gunna call you Cinnamon." Remembering her first words to Felicia made her smile; it was something sweet and memorable. She felt that she needed to make up for some of the less than kind or sweet remarks that had been left on her soulmate's body thus far.

Felicia gasped comically as she took in the nickname. "Cinnamon? I love it!"

She bounced up on the bed then, nearly tipping Iris over from the exuberance of the action, but both women simply laughed at the action as Iris quickly caught herself with outstretched palms. "Does my closet pass your approval?" she asked after a moment, nodding her head toward the corner of dark clothing hung up meticulously on cheap hangers.

Felicia made a face while glancing between her soulmate and the closet. "We definitely gotta go shopping once it warms up; you need some colour in your life. But, for now, it'll have to do." Iris laughed again, rocking her body to the side to give Felicia a slight shove.

As silence fell between them, Felicia glanced at Iris as a question sat on the tip of her tongue. Iris had mentioned the light earlier that morning, so she was picking up on things they said when talking about the other alters in Kevin's body, but she wondered just how much Iris understood. She was a smart woman, so Felicia was almost certain she'd done her own research on the subject, but to ask one of them would provide her with the best answer to anything she didn't understand.

"So, Iris," she finally started, deciding that she would at least give her little soulmate the chance to ask. "I understand that the…situation with me and the others—Barry and BT, all that—can be kinda confusing, so I was wondering if there was anything you wanted to ask?" Iris's soft gaze turned to her, eyes widened with surprise. "I know there's some stuff out there that explains D.I.D, but I'd be happy to give you a first-person explanation if you want it."

"Really?" Iris asked after a small pause. "You wouldn't be…offended?"

"Because you don't know everything?" Felicia asked, appalled. "No! Iris, none of us expect you to have full knowledge about us. Even when compared to other people that have multiple personalities, we're a whole other story. No one else in the world has ever had so many alters in one body—at least not that has been recorded. And you're proof that we're all real. Every mark on your body proves that we're not just a…glitch in the brain."

Iris reached out and caught Felicia's hand, the action so fast it was as though she was flinching. "I never thought that," she was quick to assure. "I know you're all as real as me or another other living person. I never doubted that, and it makes me sick to think that other people don't believe you are." Shuffling around so she was facing Felicia, Iris lifted her free hand to stroke her cheek. "Our bond is nothing like another out there, and I love that."

Felicia smiled back, pleased to hear how Iris had fully accepted her bond with them, as strange as it may be.

Iris looked down at Felicia's hand, cradling it between her palms in her lap. "I'm learning, bit by bit, each time I meet a new soulmate. I tried to research D.I.D, but even Dr. Fletcher's research was…biased? It was scientific, not reality. I felt like it was dehumanizing the people that I had met, so I stopped trying to read about it and decided that I would…go with the flow?" she explained carefully, not quite sure how to phrase it.

"Is there anything you want to ask me?" Felicia offered again, calmly waiting for Iris as she closed her eyes in concentration. It looked like she was trying to decide on which question to ask. "Ask me anything, Iris," Felicia continued, turning her hand over to hold one of Iris's smaller ones. "Anything and everything, if that's what you want."

Opening her eyes to meet Felicia's soft blue gaze, she took a steadying breath before nodding along. "One thing I wondered about was if you are all aware of what happens with whoever is in the light? You mentioned earlier that Barry being in the light made it possible for everyone to feel my fear…"

"We don't see or hear what the other alter experiences when they're in the light," Felicia assured. "I could talk to the others right now; I could tease Barry-"

"Don't you dare!" Iris laughed, seeing the teasing grin that had lit Felicia's expression before she continued.

"I can talk to the others, but they don't experience what I see or hear or whatever. I can show them if I really wanted, but we don't do that very often. Since only some of us have met you, when those people are in the light the sensations from the soulmark are…amplified."

Iris nodded along as she listened to her explanation, her fingers tracing Felicia's hand mindlessly. "Can more than one of you be in the light at the same time?"

This time, Felicia hesitated. "Not exactly at the same time, but there's been times when some of the others have switched who uses the light at a speed that it makes it seem like they're sharing it. Like, they can have conversations aloud with each other. We don't usually do that, though, since we can converse without doing it."

Iris noticed that she had offered the explanation without any names, so she took Felicia's hesitation as being trying to avoid revealing names of soulmates that Iris hadn't met yet. The others didn't seem to care about slipping names into conversation, but that didn't mean everyone else was the same. Felicia probably didn't want to confuse Iris by bringing up people she hadn't met yet.

"Do you guys have a fixed…schedule?" Iris hesitated a bit more this time, worried that the question would come across rude.

Felicia, however, answered it easily and without a care. "Not really. For work there is, but that's just because not everyone can actually do maintenance. I'd probably get us fired, so…"

Iris laughed at Felicia's attempt to cheer her up, feeling the worry she carried steadily ease. Once she'd calmed down, she glanced over toward the kitchen. "So, what do you want for lunch? I can make us some soup, and a fresh coffee?"

"That sounds fantastic," Felicia agreed, glancing over toward the window where Iris's heater was humming away, warming them up. It had begun to snow again shortly after they'd reached her building, the two breathing a sigh of relief to have escaped the sudden return of the storm. Iris shuffled off the bed and slipped into her small kitchenette, pulling out a large pot and some cutting boards. Felicia slid to the edge of the bed as she carefully watched Iris's trained motions.

Living on her own, she'd developed a routine when it came to preparing her meals and was glad that Felicia stayed back and out of her way.

She started the coffee first, before she began the prep work for the soup as the coffee brewed loudly in the corner. Their conversation turned to lighter topics as Iris hustled from side to side of her tiny kitchen to the other, Felicia's eyes followed her avidly as she asked about her soulmates reading habits, preferred music or movies.

At one point, Iris admitted that she'd once cut her hair short in a pixie cut years back—Felicia had eyed her meticulously straightened hair and pursed her lips. The brunette had laughed at her soulmate's expression before she shook her head. "Don't worry, I know it looked terrible on me. I plan on keeping it long from now on."

Felicia sipped her coffee as Iris finished putting everything in the pot and left the soup to cook as she moved over to sit on the edge of her bed, next to Felicia, as she took her own hot coffee back in hand. "So, have you gone to school? Any of you?" Iris asked once she'd gotten comfortable.

Felicia shrugged. "Kinda. I mean, we've taken some courses that would give us some advantages, but we don't have a diploma or a degree. We all have such different hobbies and likes, it would cost a fortune for us to all take something that we wanted. So, we took courses that would give us a leg up for a job. Like a business and management course. You?"

Iris shook her head immediately. "I love to learn, but everything I pick up is self-taught—except for some music lessons I paid for to get my footing. I love reading and I usually pick up whatever I want to know from that. Books are my favourite, but I'll get the odd ebook or online resource if I need to. I was so shocked when my bosses hired me on as a manager. I mean, I'd been there for a while but I'm sure they had more educated people they could've hired."

Felicia smiled in assurance as she bumped her soulmate's leg with her own. "Sometimes experience is better; I mean I'd rather have someone that had already been working for a while than someone straight out of school with no actual experience. It's unfortunate, but true."

Nodding in agreement, Iris tucked the soft strands of her straightened hair back behind her ear. It was so much silkier and easily fell in her face once it was straightened.

"Want me to braid that back?" Felicia offered once she'd spotted Iris do the same thing for a third time. She'd been trying to keep it out of her face desperately while she'd been cooking, but that had been a necessary thing; now, it seemed like it was beginning to bother her. After all, it wasn't something she usually had to deal with.

Iris flushed at being caught. "Oh, no, that's okay! It's just my curls usually stay where I put them-"

Felicia scoffed before she took both of their cups and placed them aside. "Relax, honey, I won't take it personally. Besides, I need some practice with braiding! Turn around, and scoot over here."

Knowing it was futile to argue, Iris turned her back to Felicia and pushed all of her hair over her shoulders. It worked out well, since Felicia was a bit taller than her while they were sitting and enabled her to see the top of Iris's head.

Beginning to section the beginning of the French Braid, Iris found herself once more leaning back into the gentle touches against her scalp. It was blissful and relaxing, causing her skin to prickle with sensitivity. She'd never thought that something as simple as someone stroking their fingers through her hair and along her scalp, a barely-there caress, would cause such a powerful and immediate reaction. Felicia hummed at the soft strands of Iris's hair, never touched with heat or chemicals to make it brittle or unhealthy.

"I love your hair," she sighed wistfully, wishing that she had hair like her soulmates. "You know I'm going to enjoy long hair vicariously through you, hm? If I'm in the light that day, you've gotta let me do your hair."

Iris just hummed in agreement as she leaned her hair back against Felicia's dextrous fingers, getting a giggle in response before she returned her concentration to making the braid even and straight.

The small apartment was beginning to smell strongly of vegetables and broth, a mouth-watering smell that made Felicia realize it had been a while since she'd—they'd—eaten something home-cooked. Patricia would sometimes make nice, fresh meals, but she wasn't in the light often enough for all of them to get the chance to eat the wonderful food.

"I haven't even tried that soup yet and my mouth is already watering," she admitted after a couple quiet minutes of silence, Iris continuing so sigh contentedly as Felicia took longer than necessary to do her hair. She was passed the base of Iris's skull now, meaning that the remainder of the braid didn't give her the excuse to stroke Iris's scalp or run her fingers through the soft strands near the roots.

"We also haven't eaten yet," Iris tried to explain, sounding sleepy.

"That's not why," Felicia argued. "It smells fantastic! I could have just stuffed myself with chocolate and whatever else and I promise you, I'd still be drooling over that smell. And debating whether a bowl would make me pop or not and if it's worth it."

"I need to stir it," Iris mumbled tiredly, her eyes closed as she basked in the sensation of her hair being played with for a second time that day. She had many years depraved of physical contact to catch up on.

Felicia tied off Iris's hair and gently guided her soulmate to lie down. "I'll keep an eye on the soup. Why don't you take a nap?"

Whiskey eyes opened to look up at her, a protest already on her lips, but Felicia gave her a look and lifted a finger to her lips in a gesture of silence. "Uh-uh, rest. Even if you slept well last night, you've got some catching up to do. Sleep!"

Fighting a smile as she nodded in defeat, Iris rolled onto her side, tucking her legs up from where they'd been hanging off the bed. Felicia snatched the throw that was folded up and placed along the middle of the bed, shaking it out, before she draped it over Iris's already-dozing form. The brunette's eyelids barely fluttered at the sensation of the blanket covering her, her relaxed state aiding her in falling asleep that much faster.

Felicia crouched next to the bed's edge as she watched her soulmate's peaceful expression, a blissful smile on her face as she thought over the past several hours since she'd woken with her soulmate in her arms, cradled against her chest. Barry was one lucky bastard to have Iris's love, but Felicia couldn't bring herself to be jealous when she knew that—in their unique way—she was Iris's as well.

The small woman's heart was almost too big, especially for someone who'd been put through so much in her younger years.

Brushing her bangs aside, Felicia leaned in a pressed a ghost of a kiss against Iris's pale forehead before she stood up and went to manage the steaming soup.

There he was. Laying beside you and wearing a tight black shirt, with the yellow light beside his head revealing his fine lines, Dennis quietly read a thick book with a frown adorning his features. His retangular glasses contrasted with his severe look and made him look cute in your eyes, like an angry baby with a pout. He breathed deeply, absorbed into the words he was reading and flipped a page, the mere movement making you sigh in contemplation.

That’s when he noticed you. Dennis placed his finger on the page he stopped his reading before closing the book, loking at you right after. His light blue eyes were intense and you felt the blood rising to your face as you endured it. He shifted uncomfortably at his position, probably not enjoying being watched by you in the middle of the night.

“Are you okay?”

You nodded at his question and bit your lower lip to hide a smile. It was actually quite embarrassing that you got this excited from just having his eyes on you.

Dennis looked back at his book and was about to open it when he stopped again. “Did I wake you up?” He quietly asked, not looking at you directly.

“No, I just woke up thirsty.” You saw relief calming his eternal frown.

Dennis went back to his reading with a low “okay” and you watched as he clenched his jaw. It was already past midnight and he couldn’t sleep. And you knew the reason.

Many unpleasant memories kept him awake at night, his OCD acting up whenever he saw something out of place. He wouldn’t talk about it, not wanting to bother you, but you already knew enough: Kevin’s abusive mother and his want to protect him.

Your heart ached whenever you saw Dennis like that, so stressed he couldn’t even rest. The other personalities were more optimistic about life but not him. He had a mission: to guide and protect the others, even though he wasn’t really sure how he was supposed to do it.

A soft yawn could be heard from your part and you moved towards him. Passing one arm around his middle, you rested your face against his strong chest and breathed into his scent. He smelled of soap and cologne, a mix to which you grew addicted.

You heard his heartbeats increasing and his muscles tensing up at your sudden closeness, and prayed it wouldn’t be too much. Dennis wasn’t the kind of person who showed lots of affection. Of course, he hugged and kissed you just like any other boyfriend would, but he almost never took the initiative to touch you in bed. Even if it was just for cuddling, he always waited for you to ask.

But he didn’t push you away. Dennis cleared his throat and readjusted his position underneath you, his heartbeats slowing down a little. He flipped another page and you felt his left arm falling to your side, his hand lightly rubbing your waist. Your own heart felt like bursting out of your chest as his thumb drew circles on the fabric under your left breast.

You closed your eyes and enjoyed the quiet moment. You loved how you felt safe on his arms, how his presence always calmed you down. Long, lovely minutes passed as you two laid like that and sleep finally got back to you. You had to let go of him before you started drooling over his shirt, it makes him go crazy.

With a long yawn, you looked up at your boyfriend. He had the same focused expression as before, but this time his eyes looked tired and you could see he was fighting his sleep. A gentle smile appeared over your lips as rested your chin on his chest.

“Dennis?” The word danced on your tongue and caught his attention immediately.

The man looked at you with curious eyes, his hand laying still just above your bum in a intimate way. Maybe you were too sleepy, distracted by the beautiful blue orbes looking deep inside your soul. Maybe it was the feeling of his gentle, attentive touch on you as he gave you his full attention.

But the next thing you heard was you own voice saying — in the softest tone you could ever make — the three words “I love you”.

Dennis arm froze still and his eyes widened a little, his mouth opening slightly. “Wha-What?”

It took everything you had not to facepalm yourself. God, you were so stupid. You just said you love him for the first time and at the worst possible time. You should apologize and go back to sleep already.

But his eyes were still on you.

“I love you, Dennis.” You bit your lower lip and mentally cursed yourself for repeating the words. Why couldn’t you just shut up?

But you were so intrigued by his reactions. Dennis was taken back by your sudden confession, opening and closing his mouth several times as he tried to speak. When nothing came out, he averted his eyes from you, quickly adjusting his glasses on the top of his nose.

You felt butterflies in your belly as you sat beside him, placing one hand on his chest to catch his attention. For a moment, when his gaze fell upon you again, you felt like you couldn’t breath. Were those tears in his eyes?

“I love being by your side, Dennis.” His heart beated loudly under your palm. “I love the way you care and protect not only me, but all the other personalities too.”

You felt his trembling hand slowly going on top of yours as he listened carefully to each word you were saying. You licked your lips before continuing.

“I know you sometimes care too much about dirty and is really harsh about it...” You chuckled lightly. “But I don’t blame you. You’re fighting your OCD everyday, little by little, and I love you for that.”

You raised your hand to his cheek and he closed his eyes at your touch, leaning against your palm with a deep sigh. A tear fell from between his eyelids and your thumb brushed it away in an instant.

“(Y/N)...” He whispered weakly.

“I want you to believe me when I say you’re good.” He looks back at you with red eyes. “You’re the best man I’ve ever met and I don’t care about what others will say. I love my boyfriend. I love you, Dennis.”

You felt your cheeks burning and sweat forming on your palms. It was so embarrassing saying all of this, opening your heart to him like never before. But it was so, so relieving as well.

Dennis looked down at your connected hands. His whole body was trembling and he avoided eye contact, tears trailing down his cheeks. “I... (Y/N), I...” he stuttered as he searched for words.

“It’s okay, Dennis.” You placed a finger on his lips and gave him a small smile. You ignored the pain in your heart as you formed the next words. “You don’t have to say anything, I just wanted you to know. That’s all.”

The man nodded quietly and you felt like you were about to cry. It was really hard not hearing a “I love you too” from your own boyfriend, and you didn’t notice you wanted it until now. But you couldn’t just ask him to do it, all you could do was wait for the day he’d be able to say it himself. It was sad and you wished it wasn’t so difficult for neither of you, but it just was.

And that’s okay.

You lowered your head so he couldn’t see the tears in your eyes as you swiped them away. When you looked back at him, he had already placed his book and glasses on the nightstand. He rubbed a trembling hand over his shaved head nervously and sighed deeply. His light blue eyes avoiding yours as he tried to look at you.

“Can we... C-Can we go to sleep now?” You never heard his voice this soft.

You managed to smile at the question and looked at the clock on his nightstand. It was 00:56 am. It was time.

You laid down next to him one more time and he turned off his light. The darkness engulfed you two and you felt anxious. Your back was facing Dennis, since you were too embarrassed to look at him after all you said. You were scared of your own words, scared of never hearing them from his mouth. Well, that’s just part of it, right? 

Your heart jumped as you felt one strong arm embracing your waist. Dennis’s warm body slowly approached yours from behind as his fingers caressed your belly. You closed your eyes at the feeling, enjoy his rare bravery moment.

“I’m sorry, (Y/N)...” He whispers against the back of your neck. “I love you too.”

Maybe it was just your tired muscles screaming for sleep, but you felt your whole body melting at the words. A shiver ran down your spine as he buried his face in the crook of your neck, placing soft kisses on the skin.

“No one... ever told me that. I think I panicked a little.” He paused for a moment and you felt his wet cheek against your neck. “But I really, really love you.”

You couldn’t suppress the joyful giggle that escaped your lips. You turned around to face him and, despite all the darkness around you two, you could distinguish his unique silhouette. You could feel his intense stare on you and suddenly your body felt hot.

It was the first time he ever heard someone confessing their love for him. It was the first time he tgenuinely felt loved. You assumed it was also the first time he said those three words too, and you were so happy to hear them.

Your hands cupped his face in a gentle, protective way and you felt his cheeks curving as he gave you a small smile. You pulled him in for a kiss you had been longing for; a passionate, loving one that took your breath away. His hands gripping your waist and bringing you even closer to him.

He pulled away to catch his breath and his forehead touched yours in a sweet gesture.

“Can you say it again?” You can only smile at innocent his request, your heart feeling content.

 She turned on the hot water before stepping back and beginning to strip off her clothes, which she had left on for too long. Her hair was oily from her hands running through it relentlessly all night, and she was hoping that a nice, steamy shower would help her to get rid of the haggard look she had acquired. Refusing to look in the mirror—already knowing how disgusting she would look—Iris pushed her clothing aside with her foot.

 Stepping into the shower, water hot enough that her skin stung momentarily upon contact, Iris let her forehead come to rest on the tiles of the shower.

 She needed to check that email; it was a no-brainer, and she knew that it was something she couldn’t delay on any further. There was nothing more that she hoped for that to open that email and find that it was from one of her soulmates.

 Iris wasn’t sure she could take her mother or father stepping into any more parts of her life.

 Sighing against the steam, Iris tipped her head back into the water and let it cascade through her hair. Weighing it down immediately, she simply stood beneath the spray for a moment as she let the feeling of the water wash away the stress she had carried through the night. The fatigue wouldn’t wash away, she knew that, but the water helped her to feel…clean. Like her troubles, her fears, were washing away with every drop of scalding water; burning them off her skin.

 Picking up her bottle of soap, she dutifully began cleaning her hair. The movements were robotic, mechanical and heavily rehearsed as her body ran on auto-pilot.

 More than ten years had passed since she’d left her parents behind; she thought that she had rid herself of the greatest fear, greatest pain that would ever come to her. Yet…they were back. And they were the same. They felt the need to control who she was, to take hold of her life and use her like a puppet hanging from strings.

 Tipping her head back under the spray of water to let the thick suds of soap rinse out, her slender fingers began combing through the soft, tangle-free strands.

 She was not a puppet.

 Turning to look through the glass door of the shower, her eyes fell on the mirror that was steadily fogging up around the edges, steam taking over every surface in her bathroom. Water cascaded down off her chin, her hair plastered down to her neck and shoulders, with her makeup making the shadows beneath her eyes that much more prominent.

 Along her torso, shoulders, arms, hips—all over her body—the dark writing of twenty-three soulmates, twenty-three identities, proved that she was not alone anymore. She didn’t need to face her parents by herself. Barry had explained that he and the other alters had been created for the soul purpose to protect Kevin. Turning her eyes away from her reflection, Iris took a moment to remember his arms around her when they had returned to her apartment.

 She’d been honest with him; exposing her deepest secret that she was so ashamed to admit. Living as a homeless teenager, having left before she’d finished high-school, fighting for herself and sharing beds with strangers in women’s shelters. He’s just held her, and supported her as she fell apart. It had felt…liberating. Telling someone her story and feeling his acceptance, listening to his promises as he calmed her sobs.

 Ain’t nothing going to get you now. You’ve got us on your side, and we protect our own.

 That was a new concept.

 Protection. Parents were meant to protect their children, yet they were the ones that she needed to be protected from now. And the ironic thing was that they were going against the soulmates that they had always told her would never want her. After all, who would want to share one, useless girl among twenty-some odd people? She almost wanted to laugh—if only they knew the truth.

 Reaching up to caress Barry’s words coiling her bicep, she knew that his words rang true. He was not the kind of person to make a promise and not follow through. Whether she’d known him a lifetime or a day, she could see that trait in an instant.

 Turning off the water, Iris stepped from the shower and stood in front of the mirror, still able to see her reflection through the faint layer of moisture. Turing around and twisting her torso just right, neck craning so she could see over her shoulder, her whiskey eyes fell on the black writing in the center of her back. Luke’s kind words and sweet nickname stared back at her, bold and confident to match the speaker.

 Facing her left side toward the mirror again, Iris smiled faintly as her fingers came to trace BT’s words, etched over her ribs as they followed the natural curve of her breast. He’d been so open with his marks, no fear of showing them to her.

 To the world.

 Thinking about his body, the body of all of her soulmates, covered in her writing like a brand of ownership caused her to flush with something akin to pride. They were hers. She’d never thought the day would come that she was able to say that someone was hers. And BT was one to flaunt it happily, proud to show that he had a soulmate—they all had a soulmate—and they had finally met one another after so many years of ‘almost’.

 Snatching her towel, Iris steeled herself and marched from her bathroom. She was not going to say that she wasn’t afraid—her parents terrified her more than anything else. Yet, she wasn’t alone to face them anymore. Drying off and pulling on her clothes for her shift, the whiskey eyed woman snatched her phone from her bed as she stepped up into her kitchen to begin preparing a small, light breakfast.

 Sliding down the notification tab before she could stop herself, she let out a shuddering, relieved sigh when BT’s email address came up with the title ‘Everything Alright?’ just above it. Tapping on the icon as she picked a packet of oatmeal from the cabinet, Iris leaned back nervously as his email loaded on her phone’s screen. The hot shower had helped her somewhat, but she was still dead-tired and her stomach seemed like it was against her trying to eat at that moment.

 Hey Doll,

 I just wanted to check to make sure you were alright? I don’t really know how to explain it, but I got a bad feeling while I was walking home and I just wanted to check to make sure you were okay? I’m no expert on all this soulmate stuff, but that kind of thing happens, right? Like, a connection that we have?

 I’m totally overreacting, right? Get back to me when you can, please? I’ll feel better and put it down to heartburn if you tell me you’re fine.

 Have a good night, Doll, sweet dreams.

 -BT

 Exhaling a shuddering breath, Iris could feel the deep pit of fear in her stomach alleviate somewhat. It hadn’t been her parents. Knowing for sure that it had been BT made her feel like she’d been a fool, not opening the notification all night, and when BT had seemed so worried, too. Guilt and embarrassment fought in her as she opened a new email to him, but paused before actually typing.

 Morning, BT

 I’m so sorry for not replying sooner, it’s been a bit of a bad night. I found something at my apartment when I got home that scared me a bit, but I’m alright now. I’ve read about connections between soulmates that allow for sensations like that, but I never knew anyone personally who have experienced it. I’m sorry that you were so worried, and I’m sorry if I ruined your night with it.

 Iris paused again as she read over what she had said. He’d be worried now, but she didn’t want to lie to him. She wasn’t that kind of person, and she refused to become that kind of person with her soulmates of all people.

 I’m scared, BT. My parents found me; my father left a note on my apartment door and a voicemail on my phone. He wants me to keep my marks covered, like I used to before I first met Barry.

 But I don’t want to. Not anymore.

 I have to go to work soon, but I’ll talk to you again.

 -Iris

 Hitting send, she dropped her phone on the counter as her hands trembled. She’d never thought that she would actually admit to that. But now he knew—which means that they would probably all know. If one of them thought that she was in trouble, she didn’t doubt that it was going to be told to the others immediately.

 Huffing softly, she turned to replace the packet back into the box. She’d never be able to keep food down at the moment. Instead, she started going through the motions of making herself a soft, herbal tea that would hopefully control her anxiety. She popped the kettle on the stove and placed her diffuser, filled with tea leaves, into her travel mug before she moved to pick her phone back up.

 Scrolling down to Barry’s contact and selecting a new email, she hopped up onto the counter as she considered what to say.

 Good morning, Barry!

 BT’s let slip that you had a meeting today; I don’t know if it’s too important or just a regular thing but I wanted to wish you luck either way. Good luck, have a great day at work, and I hope to hear back from you soon.

 -Iris

 Double-checking the email for errors, she soon sent that one out as well.

 Rubbing her eyes tiredly and rotating her sore neck—sitting up so many hours was beginning to come back to haunt her—she sat patiently on her counter as she waited for her water to finish boiling. Pulling her schedule up on her phone, Iris spent the last few minutes going over what shifts she had, and who was going to be working with her for each of them. There were also a few shipments coming in throughout the week, so there would be a lot of work to do to keep her busy.

 Letting her mind go over everything she had to do that day, she went through the motions of making her tea to take with her.

 Less than an hour later, Iris had her travel-mug in one hand, her scarf wrapped around her neck and her bag slung over her shoulder. Hair brushed and makeup applied, she felt somewhat better about how she looked. She’d barely spared a glance at the tear of tape and paper that remained stuck to her door before she pulled it off, folded it, and tossed it aside for the cleaners to pick up later. She’d deliberately left her gloves sitting on her unmade bed, leaving her hands bare and her mark exposed to the world around her.

 Her marks gave her strength.

 Her soulmates gave her confidence.

 Her parents gave her purpose to defy those who would judge her.

 Taking a deep, steadying breath as she stopped at the base of the stairs, Iris tried to prepare herself for what was to come. This was the decision she was making for herself; she would defy her fears, and those who caused such fears, if it meant that she had a chance to chase her happiness. Transferring her travel-mug to her other hand, she looked down at the writing on the back of her palm, so small and perfect.

 Sh, sh, shh, quiet now.

 Pressing a kiss to the back of her hand, using those words to draw whatever strength and courage she had left in her, Iris pushed open the stairwell door and made her way down the small corridor to the front entrance. Her keys were safely tucked in her pocket, easily accessed in case she ran into her father. Whether or not she would actually be able to use any of the self-defence techniques taught to her by the other girls of the shelters, she didn’t know. But he was officially a threat once more, so she needed to be prepared for that outcome.

 The cold morning air greeted her as she stepped from her old building, her scarf protecting her delicate neck from the chill as she turned around and let the door shut with an assuring click. She couldn’t watch out for every person that entered her building, even though there was a lock at the front door for a reason, but it somehow helped her to feel better by knowing there was even just that small security.

 Turning in the direction of her work, eyes lifting from the dew-covered pavement to check if there was anyone else up so early in the morning, she gasped as her eyes landed on the darkly dressed figure standing a few feet from her.

 “Barry!” she huffed, her heart racing in her chest as she turned back to the door and leaned against it to try and relieve the shaking that had suddenly taken over her legs. “God, you scared me,” she muttered, probably too quiet for him to hear, and rolled her head against the glass to watch as he approached her. His expression was pinched as he walked up to her trembling form, her hand clutching her travel-mug against her chest.

 “Iris,” he started carefully, gently taking her upper arm to pull her away from the door and face him fully. “BT told me about your email,” he continued after a brief moment. His voice was hoarse and he sounded tired, the faint appearance of shadows beneath his eyes causing her to frown. Reaching up with her marked hand, she gently traced a fingertip beneath his soft blue eyes.

 “I kept you up again,” she realized. BT had said he’d felt something was wrong; of course he’d stay up in worry for her when she never answered him. “I’m sorry.”

 Bowing her head as shame gripped her, the brunette leaned into Barry as he automatically opened his arms to her. Feeling him around her again, strong and secure, let her relax as she inhaled the scent that was unique to him—different from another other man out there, even Luke and BT, same body be damned.

 “Iris, I want you to know that if anything ever happens, no matter how small, we are here. Send a text to the number I gave you, or call, and no matter who has the light we will come for you.” Barry’s assurances helped to sooth her guilt, but she couldn’t entirely shake the feeling that came with knowing she had caused them such worry.

 Pulling back from her, Barry’s hands came to frame her face as he looked down at her and took in the tired look of her eyes. She’d spent the entire night in fear, and it made him feel sick with regret that they hadn’t known better and had come for her. “Next time, I promise I’ll call.”

 Smiling faintly, the expression not quite relieving the sadness in his eyes, Barry nodded. “You better. Or we’ll be showing up uninvited.”

 Iris mirrored his archaic smile. “You better,” she offered teasingly. Then her smile disappeared as her eyes grew worried. “Your meeting!”

 “No, don’t worry,” he interrupted, not giving her time to fret. “The zoo doesn’t open for a few hours, I’ve still got lots of time before my shift. I just couldn’t not see you. I was too worried—we all were.”

 Iris winced again, the guilt gripping her heart. “Sorry.”

 Barry shook his head with a smile. Of course she’d feel guilty about them being worried. “Stop apologizing,” he ordered with a faint laugh. The tenseness around them dissipated as he leaned forward to press a lingering kiss against her forehead. “So, want some company on your walk?” Stepping back and offering her his arm, the gentlemanly, cliché action was enough to have her laughing as she looped her arm through his. Her hand cupped his bicep as they began walking, her mark on display to anyone out on the early-morning streets.

 “Will you be okay, Iris?” Barry asked in all seriousness as he looked down at her. He didn’t want to bring up her parents, especially her father, but he couldn’t just let the topic slide away. She’d confessed to BT that she was scared, and they had felt her fear all through the night like a hand was slowly squeezing their life away.

 Sighing softly as she leaned into his side, her hand tightened on his bicep and her head fell to rest on his shoulder for a moment.

 “I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “My father is the most terrifying thing in my life; the monster in my closet and under my bed. Knowing that he was…so close, all this time, it terrifies me. And I don’t know what he’ll do. I’m not his child anymore, he can’t just pull me off and lock me in a room like they used to. But…what will he do? The not knowing is what scares me most.”

 Barry’s head came to rest atop hers as he supressed the urge to tense up and punch something. He wasn’t a violent person, not usually, but her parents were driving his thoughts to darker places. “I can walk you home, or to work, when I can—I know it’s not much but-”

 “It’s perfect,” she assured. “But you just said you have a couple of hours before your shift. I’m not making you and any of the others get up so early because of me. You all have lives as well, and I refuse to ruin that.”

 “Doesn’t count if we’re offering,” he countered. “And believe me, any one of the others would be more than happy to walk you to work, or home at the end of the day. Everyone wants to meet you so badly, and those that have are vying for a bit of attention.”

 Iris flushed after his confession. “Thank you, Barry, for coming here this morning…and for just being here, period.”

 Smiling in assurance, he leaned over to rest his forehead against hers, pinching his neck slightly in the process but by no means regretting it. “Always, Sweetheart. Always.”

That’s when she noticed there was more lighting in the room than there should have been. Only the small lights on the backwall were on, leaving just the faintest glow above the heads of the other girls.

 Casting her eyes to her left, she kept herself carefully emotionless when she came face to face with the body of Dennis and Patricia—because it was clearly not them—smiling at her almost manically. Wearing what seemed to be a black and yellow tracksuit, the zipper of the coat undone enough to show a plain white shirt beneath. Legs were crossed and he rested his back against the doorframe so he could face her.

 “Hello,” she greeted quietly, trying not to wake the other three.

 How many personalities did this person have? Which was the original?

 “I’m Hedwig,” he responded. The lisp that altered his words slightly caused her a moment of shock—a child? “How do you sleep like that?” he inquired a moment later, tipping his head to the side as he regarded how she was sitting against the wall—actually quite similar to him, since her legs were crossed, and her hands were tucked together in her lap.

 His voice was slightly louder than hers. Doubtless enough to wake the others soon. “Practice,” was her calm response.

 Before he even opened his mouth, Adelais lifted a finger to her lips to convey his need to be quiet. He paused at the commend, his smile dimming as his expressed became a mix of a frown and a pout.

 “You’ll wake them up,” she explained quietly, using the same finger she had shushed him with to point over to Marcia and Claire.

 The scoff he released as more like air pushed between his bottom lip and his top teeth, like someone blowing a raspberry. “So?”

 Ducking her head closer to him, like a secret was being shared, Adelais kept her eyes carefully trained on his. “I don’t want to wake them; they’re mean to me.” His expression hardened, finally looking similar to Dennis. “They say I’m crazy.”

 Hedwig sucked on his lip, maintaining the sour look on his face. “The others used to be mean to me,” he responded in a much quieter tone. “But Miss. Patricia and Mr. Dennis keep the others away. Now, Miss. Patricia sings to me sometimes—she’s not mad at me anymore.” He smiled, but it wobbled slightly as he tried to mask the turmoil of emotions welling to the surface.

 Adelais’s answering smile was sad. “It must be nice to have someone who takes care of you.”

 “Who-who takes care of you?” Hedwig shuffled forward, separating from the doorframe to put less space between them.

 She shook her head. “No one, I take care of myself.”

 With the innocence only a child could have, he frowned at her words. “That sounds lonely.”

 “It is. Mr. Dennis has been keeping me company. When he can. I’m sure he’s very busy so he usually has to leave. Does he know you’re here?”

 A look of panic came to his face and Adelais knew she had asked the wrong question. “No-no…no, he’ll be angry if he knows I took the light.” Pulling back abruptly, the shifting of the keys next to him on the floor was enough to alert Marcia and Claire, who jerked up with dual gasps of fright.

 Hedwig looks over at them, panicked again.

 “I was quiet!” he declared to Adelais, his voice still in a whisper. He looked upset, afraid—it was how she used to look when she was younger and had displeased her mother. Waiting for the yelling or lashing to start, punishment for disobedience. “I-I was quiet!”

 Nodding her head calmly, she hoped she conveyed assurance with the small smile she allowed. “You were. It’s okay. You did nothing wrong.” Thankfully, the devastated look on his face softened before there was the threat of tears.

 Marcia and Claire were whispering Casey’s name, trying to wake up the other girl as well. It drowned out what Hedwig and Adelais were saying to one another, keeping the quiet assurance between the two of them. She half expected Hedwig to leave now that the girls were awake—Casey jolted up with a gasp once she realized there was someone else in the room—but he just turned himself around to lean on the side of the doorframe closest to her.

 The upset already forgotten.

 Silence stretched for a moment as he smiled at the others. “I’m Hedwig,” he finally declared, so similar to his introduction to her. “I have red socks.”

 The simplicity of youthful minds.

 His expression shifted then, the smile disappearing as he bit at his lip like someone dying to tell a secret. “He’s on the move.” Looking over his shoulder to where Adelais was still leaning against the wall, the manic smile returned as he ducked his head while supressing a laugh.

 Casey’s voice was raspy from sleep. “What?”

 The giggle escaped, Hedwig turning his head away. Excited to know something they didn’t. “He’s…on…the…move,” he repeated slowly, drawing out the last word like the last note of a song.

 “Mr. Dennis?” Adelais asked quietly, though she already suspected he was talking about someone quite different.

 “Nope,” he responded, popping the ‘p’ as grinned at her. Ducking his head, he turned the grin on the other three. “Someone’s coming for you, and you’re not gunna like it.” Next, he faced Adelais. “They make noises in their sleep. I thought you were dead.”

 Marcia interrupted quietly, “Tell us.”

 He looked like he wanted to, opening and closing his mouth like he couldn’t quite decide what he wanted to say. Instead, he declared “I’m not supposed to say” while turning his head to look out into the other room, where Dennis and Adelais would stand for the few minutes of quiet. “But!” he continued, turning back, “He’s done awful things to people and he’ll do awful things to you. I have blue socks, too.”

 “We’re his food?”

 Hedwig extended his arms in an ‘I dunno’ gesture, making a face while doing so. He nearly smacked Adelais with his hand as he stretched back but she quickly lifted her leg until her knee was drawn up to her chest. The rush of blood back into her feet set them aflame with pins and needles. She dutifully ignored the sensations.

 Casey leaned forward, dawning with realization. “How old are you?”

 “Nine,” he declared proudly.

 “So you’re not the guy that took us?”

 She’s as hopeless as the other two.

 Adelais resisted the urge to roll her eyes as Hedwig scoffed at her. When she confirmed that he wasn’t Patricia, either, he made a face. “What are you, blind?” Then to Adelais, slightly quieter, “Is she?”

 “No, just ignorant,” she answered just as quietly. “But be careful, she’s smarter than the others.” Hedwig leaned closer to her, nearly falling from against the doorframe, as he met her gaze. Her whispered warning was so quiet, she knew the others couldn’t understand her. He frowned with concentration. “She lies.”

 Casey spoke over her, almost drowning out Adelais’s whispered warnings. “You don’t know how they think?”

 “No, they don’t tell me much. I just had a hot-dog.” Adelais wasn’t sure if it was the shortness of his attention, or a smart trick to throw someone off the current topic, but the random bits of information was actually clever. Not enough to deter the three teens, but still clever.

 “Could you help us, Hedwig?”

 Similar to her question earlier, Hedwig recoiled. “No, I’m…I’m not even supposed to be here. I stole the light from Mr. Dennis, but he’ll be back real soon and…I can’t steal the light for too long for he’ll know and get angry.” His concern was real; he knew he would get in trouble for doing someone he was told not to. Yet, the curiosity of a nine-year-old was a powerful thing. “Et cetera.”

 Looking between the three on the cots, his eyes darting back and forth, he suddenly reached back and gave Adelais’s leg a playful shove—it was stronger than that of a child, using the strength housed in the adult body he lived within. “See ya!”

 “Wait,” Casey blurted out. Hedwig stopped while still crouched at the door, reaching back to grab the doorhandle as he prepared to close it behind him. His attention was caught, however, as he glanced back at Casey.

 “Be careful, she’s smarter than the others.”

 Looking first at Casey, his eyes eventually drifted over to Adelais. The green of her eyes caught slightly in the light spilling into the room, constricting her pupils to show the ring of hazel around their center. Her lips were slightly thinned, one of the small shows of emotion she allowed. “We heard something,” Casey continued while he was paused in the doorway. “We didn’t understand it before, but now we do.”

 Carefully sliding off the cot, she situated herself in the center of the room. Still far from the door, but now in Hedwig’s direct path. The child noticed when Adelais’s eyebrows twitched down—such a small motion it was almost unseen—and remembered Dennis’s face doing the same thing when there was something he didn’t like.

 “Do you know what we heard?” Casey asked quietly, baiting him forward.

 Adelais knew what she was doing. Hedwig was a child, more easily manipulated when compared to Dennis or Patricia. Dennis scared them too much, and they had only had one encounter with Patricia. Therefore, the nine-year-old made the easier target. It was a sound strategy to try and escape, but the thought of manipulating a child made her stomach clench with discomfort.

 He wasn’t just someone pretending to be a child, this was a personality that knew nothing else. It was the same as if she had actually manipulated a little boy that had the body to match the personality. It was clear that he feared the anger of both of the adult personalities, and Casey was setting him up to take the brunt of that anger.

 The only reprieve was that they shared a body, there was no way to physically punish him.

 But she knew all about emotional and mental torture.

 Unfortunately, Hedwig was too young to see those signs and his attention was caught. “What’d you hear?”

 “Come here,” Casey prompted. “I’ll whisper it to you.”

 Giggling to himself, Hedwig cast one last glance at Adelais before he released the doorhandle. “Okay.” Keeping himself crouched down, he waddled forward on his feet while his hands cradled his knees. Adelais wanted to call him back, to stop what Casey was planning, but perhaps this could be to her advantage as well.

 Hedwig stopped just shy of Casey, ducking his head down so she could whisper into his ear.

 She couldn’t be sure if it was done on purpose, but Casey’s whisper was too low for Adelais to hear. She was probably mimicking what Adelais had done just a minute before, whispered to Hedwig about Casey. Green eyes keenly watched Casey’s face—trying to read her lips unsuccessfully—and Hedwig’s back. Whatever she whispered was short and prompted Hedwig to lean back.

 “You’re a big fibber,” he accused, the playfulness gone from his tone.

 “I never lie, Hedwig.”

 “She lies.”

 His panic was back, bringing with it the slight stutter in his words. “But…but Mr. Dennis said that he followed those two girls for four days, and he said that he knew that they were the ones that-that-that he would want.”

 Adelais knew exactly what Casey had told him. It was risky. Casey continued to whisper to him, her voice low and staying between her and Hedwig. But he wasn’t as subtle; listening to Hedwig’s reactions allowed Adelais to piece together what was whispered to him. What lies were spread.

 How to counter them.

 With the same low, waddling steps, Hedwig backed up a few paces. Putting distance between him and Casey. “N-no…Miss….Miss. Patricia said she’s not mad anymore!” His voice rose with the swell of emotion Casey’s words caused. “She-she sings to me!” Looking to Adelais caused an abrupt swell of anger at Casey to almost choke her. His face was broken and distraught, a tear tracking down his cheek. She wanted to console him.

 How often had she cried alone because she had displeased her mother? As a child, she could never understand why they hated her so much.

 “I was quiet!” He was yelling now, emotions getting the best of him. “I-I didn’t wake them, you said-you said I did nothing wrong!”

 Her body moved before she made the decision, lifting her hands toward him. He waddled forward, still babbling about being quiet, and being good, until Adelais’s chilled fingers gently stroked across his cheeks to collect the tears that fell. She shushed him softly, meant more as a calming sound than to warn him he was being loud. Sniffling strongly, he leaned into her hands as she continued to stroke her thumbs across his cheeks.

 “You’re okay, Hedwig. Don’t cry. She’s lying.”

 Casey wasn’t about to give up, assuming that the emotional response from him meant that he believed her lie. “I think Miss. Patricia’s still a little mad at you. But if we hurry, we can all get out.”

 He pulled from her hands so suddenly they remained in front of her, holding only air. “You lie,” he accused. “She said you lie, you lie!” Adelais only hoped the girls assumed he was talking about Patricia. If they knew she had put the idea in his head, the tension between them would come to a breaking point. “Mr. Dennis made this room safe—it took forever without those nosey-bodies who work here finding out. You can’t get out of here!”

 The upset had turned to panic again.

 “I have to blow my nose,” he announced before rushing from the small room with the door slamming behind him. Adelais retracted her hands as Casey called out for him, desperately trying to stop him so they could escape. But the lock clicked into place, sealing them inside. She beat Casey to the door, having been right next to it, and watched as Hedwig rushed to the other door and used the set of keys he had been carrying to unlock that one as well.

 “Who’s coming?” Marcia was the first to ask, she and Claire getting up from their cot as Casey came up behind Adelais to watch him disappear out the other door.

 “No one’s coming,” Claire tried to assure.

 “Oh, shut up,” Adelais snapped, glancing over her shoulder as Casey started to pace to the wall near the bathroom. “Clearly someone is going to come here, why else would he follow you two for four days? This wasn’t spur of the moment.”

 Claire looked ready to argue again, though there was a distinct hesitation after Adelais’s last enraged reaction. “He said something,” Casey interrupted first, placing her hand on the bare drywall. “He said something about making the room safe.”

 Finally understanding Casey’s train of thought, Claire looked around the room. The wall of the bathroom and the ceiling were both covered in bare slabs of drywall, the screws holding them in place still visible. “This is all new drywall.”