I'm sitting in a room that is all too familiar to me. So many people would feel rather sad when they hear that this room is like a second house to me, but I simply do not care. I inhale the air, which smells like flowers – lilac, which is Svetlana's favorite scent – and I exhale. My foot can't stay still, and it is like something has prompted me to put a wall between my emotions and myself. I can't understand why, but something is there.
At last, the doctor asks me something that I didn't know that he was going to inquire about. "So, let's talk about Svetlana today." So that's why he has her favorite scent in the background. He wanted to trigger her. I should've known that Doctor Davenport would've wanted to talk about the Russian Gymnast.
"Svetlana?"
"Yes," he says, sounding a little reassuring. A silence fills these cranberry walls, and he stares at me with his bright blue eyes. They were slightly hypnotic, and that is why I had hoped Svetlana didn't have a crush on my psychiatrist. The doctor looks down and began to speak. "Michael, I think she's keeping things away from me."
"What things?" The last thing that I want to hear is that…
"I think she took some of the abuse."
"What abuse…?"
Another pause illuminates the room, almost as if he was hesitating. Davenport bites his lower lip, hoping that we could communicate without any words. Before I can say anything, Svetlana takes the body over, causing me to go into the Mind.
I can hear them talking. It is a muffled sound, but anyone can tell that Svetlana is experiencing a whirlwind of emotions right now. I suppose it's because she's a girl. Girls have more emotional problems, right? I sigh, then turn around. Manitoba is looking at me, almost as if he wants to say something. He swallows his words – I can tell he's swallowing them – and he walks up to me. "Hey, mate," he murmurs. His large brown eyes examine my face. "Everything alright out there?"
"I think so. As long as Svetlana doesn't speak in Russian again." I sit down and the Aussie decides to do the same.
"Y'know, it's kinda tough when ya' gal's out there talkin' t'some guy."
"You're not jealous… Are you?"
"A lil, I'm not gonna lie."
After blinking, I find myself controlling the body again. Tears are adorning my face, and my throat is burning. My voice crackles as I talk. "What happened?" I realize that I have a headache and no recollection of what has happened moments before I came back.
"…That was something that I thought…" His voice fades, and he stands up. "Our session is over…"
"What'd she say?"
"Svetlana is… an alter that protected you during the abuse."
"What abuse?"
"It's the end of our session." For once, the doctor looks disturbed.
"Oh… Okay." I can still hear Svetlana crying in the Mind. It's as if she has poured out her heart and soul to the doctor. I get up from the seat, and walk out of the office. It is now that I know something is off, and I intend to find it out.