It was a lovely day. Blue skies, singing birds, and not a cloud in sight. Everything was peaceful. Except for one teenage girl. Alyssa hummed quietly to herself as she walked along the empty street to her new school and tried to ignore her inner turmoil. She wasn't looking forward to this. She had never liked the idea of school. Going to a place so full of people was her worst nightmare. Every time she interacted with someone, even if it was nothing more than a simple 'hello,' something bad always ended up happening. She stopped humming as her chest tightened up at the thought of her last school. All the other students treated her so horribly. They bullied her, told her she was a freak of nature that didn't belong, and some even made death threats. Her father eventually removed her and enrolled her somewhere else. Again. This was the fourth time. And that was only for high school. She was lucky she hadn't been taken from her father yet. Although aside from the new setting, she probably wouldn't notice the difference. He was hardly ever around, always going to 'work' and not spending any time with her, even on the holidays. She was always so lonely.

Alyssa sighed deeply. She wanted to fall to the ground and cry. Her only company was her father, who was never really there, and Bates, whose presence still terrified her. Her alter ego was the cause of all her sufferings at school. He was the reason why she was expelled or had to transfer. Sure, her shyness wasn't helping but if Bates hadn't always been lurking in the shadows ready to leap at a moment's notice then none of this would be happening. He'd always threaten to emerge during school and she'd have to fight him off. This usually resulted in a lot of talking to herself followed by awkward silence and stares. Then there were times when he actually did take over even with the amulet in her possession. Once he had control he usually took the opportunity to attack anyone in his path.

"No! That isn't going to happen anymore," she said to herself. Her father and her had taken tons of extra steps in preparation for her new school. He had the amulet's power strengthened, she practiced meditation and every form of self-control she could think of, and she'd even spoken to Bates and begged him not to ruin this for her. She had been in tears but Bates didn't seem to really care that much. It wasn't until she had collapsed to her knees crying that he began showing the slightest bits of sympathy.

"Ok, Ok! I'll stay quiet. Just shut your dumbass up already," he snarled. There was nothing more aggravating for him than staying dormant. It was boring. Sure, he could still see and hear what was happening but that wasn't enough. He wanted to actually do something. Alyssa never did anything exciting and she sure as heck didn't stand up for herself. If there was one thing that genuinely irked him, it was the fact that she would take such shit from those people. It would be so easy for her to just fight them off and make them stop. He tried telling her that but she refused. It was her morals that got in the way. Her stupid, naïve, and pointless morals.

"Bates, please. I don't need this right now." Alyssa had stopped crying and was wiping away the last of her tears.

Bates didn't know what she meant at first but then realized that she may have heard his thoughts. That was the major downside of their arrangement. If one was thinking too strongly on something it sometimes allowed the other to hear. "You know it's true. You don't need to take everyone's shit."

"What would you know? Your solution is to just kill them all."

"Well, yeah. How else are you gonna get someone to shut up?" he chuckled.

"Whatever! Just promise me you won't try anything. I'm already labeled a freak, I don't need you to reinforce it. Just for once I'd like things to go my way." Bates laughed. "You know, you're always saying you'll protect me but what'll it mean if I get taken away from my father? He won't be able to help me anymore."

"Ha! You're still putting so much faith in Hale? As if he really cares. He isn't even your father, Alyssa. I'm more family to you than he is."

"You say that like you do know my family," she mumbled. He always seemed to suggest that he might know something about them. Although he was probably just trying to get under her skin.

"As if you would believe me..." he whispered faintly.

"What?" she asked, startled. She received no answer though. Alyssa often wondered what sort of things Bates kept hidden from her and if the things he did tell her were really the truth. She hadn't wanted to believe it when she was younger but now that she was older it was beginning to make some sense. Well, it was really more of a possibility. There was no reason-at least not one she could think of-for why her father would want to do such horrible things like Bates said.

"Hey! Move!" Someone shoved her roughly from behind and she gasped and stumbled. She had really zoned out there. Already she had made it to her new school and she hadn't even noticed. She spun around to apologize but the person was walking away with two others, muttering rude things about her.

Alyssa sighed again that day and lightly shook her head to clear her thoughts. She had to keep herself together. She hadn't even made it into the building and she was already leaving bad impressions. Steeling herself, she fished in her pocket for the amulet and gripped it tightly before taking a breath and making her way inside. As she walked through the halls to the principal's office people gave her strange looks. Eventually she heard whispers about her and everyone soon began glaring at her as she passed. Despite the change in schools everything was still the same. By now nearly everyone had heard of her and her 'insanity.' She didn't need to stay there for the whole day because she already knew what was coming. They'd hate her, think she was a possessed freak. She could see it perfectly. Spiteful faces would surround her and horrible insults would assault her from all sides.

"Freak!"

"Demon! Get lost!"

"We don't want you here!"

It would all be the same. Unfortunately, her father wouldn't be coming to her rescue anytime soon. He was, as usual, too busy to help her with any of her problems. She reached the principal's office and knocked.

"Come in," said a muffled voice. Alyssa did so and sat in the chair he gestured to. She honestly wasn't sure why she had to come here. She could've just gotten her schedule from the counselor and been on her way. Speaking of the counselor, what was she doing there? She'd only been in the school for roughly ten minutes and she was already getting a bad feeling.

"Alyssa Hale?" the principal asked.

"Yes." She didn't like this.

He gave a nervous cough before continuing. "My name is Mr. Green. As I'm sure you're aware I'm the principal here. This is the guidance counselor, Mrs. Flynn."

Mrs. Flynn nodded and offered a light smile. "You're probably wondering why you're here, Miss Hale," she said.

"Um, yes..." Alyssa tried to swallow the lump in her throat. She had a pretty good feeling where this was going.

"Listen," Mrs. Flynn continued. "You aren't in any trouble or anything. We just wanted to make sure you could easily adjust to this school. We know how difficult changes can be and..." She trailed off, trying to think of the right words.

"Since you've had to switch schools so much getting used to them is probably still a new experience to you." Mr. Green picked up where Mrs. Flynn had left off. "You were only at your last school for a week."

"It's only natural that we help you adjust to the way things work around here." They were both smiling at her, but Alyssa still felt uncomfortable. Their faces held the sort of false and uneasy kindness you'd give someone you didn't particularly care for and didn't feel like fighting with.

"Is this about... what happened at my other schools?" There was no way Alyssa could hide her worry. She had a pretty good hunch that this was all about Bates. Well, in their eyes it was more likely to be about that 'condition' of hers or 'split personality' or whatever term they came up with for it.

Mr. Green and Mrs. Flynn shared a look before he started talking. "We aren't going to lecture you on your, erm, problems," he said as kindly as possible. Despite this Alyssa still felt a pang of hurt. Calling Bates a mental disorder was somehow much less insulting than referring to him as a 'problem.' Even though it was a more accurate term and he was nothing but trouble it still bothered her deeply that the principal had used such a word in describing him. In describing her. It just didn't sit right.

"I don't know if I'd really call it a problem..." she chuckled nervously. She was only trying to clear the air, not open up a new can of worms. The somewhat troubled looks the two adults gave each other unsettled her even more than what she already was. "Is something the matter?" she tried.

"Um..." Mrs. Flynn clearly had something she wanted to say, but she was either too afraid or didn't know how to word it. Finally she said, "Miss Hale. Your last schools have listed that you've been a very... concerning student. You've gotten into plenty of fights and have actually hospitalized a few students. From the information we have here this was all due to your, uh, second personality?"

"Bates," Alyssa sighed. "I'm not crazy or anything. Honest. It's just that sometimes..." She trailed off because there were no words to describe her situation. No one would believe it anyway. Not even her own father could fully grasp the truth or reasons behind it. Maybe there was nothing to it but the fact that she really was insane and everyone had been right about her. Crazy people don't know they're crazy, right? "I'll be fine," she said meekly. She wanted nothing more than to be out of this office and in her new classroom. "I promise I'll keep myself in check. I won't be any trouble here. I swear." It nearly tore her to shreds on the inside having to pretend it was all her fault. She was only reinforcing everyone's views of her.

"If you ever have any trouble, anything at all, you just come to my office, okay?" Mrs. Flynn gave a genuine smile and for the briefest of moments Alyssa could act like the whole conversation had never happened.

"I will. Thanks." The counselor handed her a paper with her schedule printed on it before leaving.

"I want you to know that you're always welcome to come speak to me on any matters as well. If you get into any trouble with other students, don't hesitate to speak with either of us. Understand?"

"Yes, Mr. Green. Thank you." Alyssa was already at the door.

"Hope you enjoy your first day," he said with a smile as she closed the door behind her.

Alyssa sighed in relief now that she was safely out of the office. Any longer in there and she might have suffocated. Both the principal's and the counselor's fake friendliness was beginning to weigh down on her to the point where she felt like she would stop breathing. No matter how hard they tried she could still see through the façade with ease. They didn't want her there. Anyone with a record like hers would be seen as a liability. Maybe that was why her father wouldn't allow her to attend Ashley's school. Even if that were true it was still unfair in her eyes. Her cousin was the closest thing to a friend she had. Where everyone else saw her as some demonized monster, Ashley seemed to genuinely care. Sure, she was still somewhat cautious about Bates, but other than that Alyssa's magnetism to the weird and unnatural never seemed to really bother her. Uncle Philip and Aunt Katherine were a little wary around her, but they never seemed to hate her or anything. At least she had someone she could hang out with without too many fears. Alyssa usually had to be careful about who she spoke to because she was constantly worried that Bates may attack them. With Ashley though, he didn't seem to really care. At her previous schools there were even some students that he didn't seem to want to kill. It was a pain basically having him pick and choose who she could hang out with or speak to, but it was better than nothing she supposed.

Alyssa, having finally reached her first class and only vaguely aware of the walk to it, pulled herself out of her depressing thoughts. It wouldn't do for her to walk in while spacing out like that. Everyone would think she was even more of a freak. When she walked in, the teacher, a middle-aged woman who wore round glasses and had her raven hair done up in a bun, merely glanced at her before telling her where her seat was. It was in the farthest back corner of the classroom, slightly pushed away from the rest. She didn't even bother to question it.

About five minutes of painful silence later the other students began filing in. They all took their seats without a word but made sure to glare at her before doing so. This day was getting worse by the second. Once everyone was settled in the teacher began the lesson. She was quickly writing notes on the board and the class was quickly copying them into their notebooks. Alyssa had to squint ever so slightly to make out what she was writing. Math equations were rapidly taking over the board's once clean space, and her voice clearly wasn't stopping for breaths anytime soon. This was the first major warning bell for her. The teacher hadn't even taken the time to tell the class of her arrival, explain what was going on to her, or even tell her her name. So far all this school was doing was revealing its hidden animosity towards her.

"Excuse me." Alyssa sat with her hand raised and waited patiently for the teacher to finish huffing and look at her.

"Yes?" she asked, hardly polite.

"Um, I'm new so I'm not really up to date with the lesson. I was wondering... if you could maybe explain what's going on to me?" Her nerve was slowly dying as she scanned the room of annoyed people glaring at her.

"Come speak with me after school," was all she received before the teacher returned to writing and rambling. Alyssa bit back a sigh. It was no surprise to her that this would happen but it still hurt. A balled up piece of paper suddenly found itself on her desk. Already used to the routine she opened it and wasn't shocked-or pleased-to see the word 'DIE' written in all caps with bright red ink. She crumpled it up and pretended not to notice the snickers and sneers surrounding her.

The rest of her day went like this. People made fun of her, called her names, and a few times she had to fight off Bates which, as usual, only made it worse. When the day was finally over she trudged home alone, knowing that it'd be a while before she could vent about her day to someone. Her dad had gone on yet another one of his 'business trips' and probably wasn't returning for another week or so. She didn't expect that to be how long she lasted at this new school.

"Hey freak!" Someone was calling her, but she ignored it. If she got involved Bates, who'd been increasingly difficult to control lately, would only try to take over. She couldn't risk that happening. Alyssa kept walking, trying to ignore the shouts until a hand latched onto her shoulder. The hand then shoved her roughly into the lockers. One of the handles dug into her back and she had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep from crying out.

The group of four laughed. It was always so easy to torture this one and get away with it. "What's the matter?" a girl asked. Alyssa winced at the sound. Bates was easier on the ears than these people. She mentally cursed herself for thinking that coming to school nearly an hour early would let her avoid any bullying forever.

"Aw, I think she's too scared to talk." A boy, who was either held back a few times or raised next to radioactive waste, towered over the group. He seemed to be the leader to the other two boys standing beside him. They all wore equally grotesque grins and were likely plotting something horrible. She didn't want to stick around long enough to find out.

"I'm just trying to get to class," Alyssa said, silently praying that nothing bad would come out of this. Bates was already making it clear that he had had enough of this. She could feel her heart beating rapidly in her chest and was starting to wonder if they heard it.

"No one's here yet," the girl emphasized. What her words really meant was that they could beat her if they wanted. There was hardly any staff here this early.

"Please. I don't want any trouble." Alyssa was holding her head trying to push back the darkness that was Bates. The other students laughed at this.

"There she goes again," said one of the boys.

"Better watch out, man. She might go psycho on you."

"NO! Just stop it!" They all stopped after her sudden outburst. Then, the tallest perked up.

"Hey, you think if we keep pushing her she'll really lose it?" He said it with enthusiasm on the edges of his voice. Clearly he did not care about the stories or the facts of why you should leave Alyssa Hale alone. Smiling evilly he shoved her back into the lockers again.

"Stop!" Alyssa cried. Bates was almost impossible to hold back now. Her safety was in danger and he wasn't taking it.

"Hey. What's this?" The girl had noticed the string to her amulet hanging out of her pocket. She snatched it before she even had time to think. "What kind of ugly thing is this?" She scrunched up her face until Alyssa tried to get it from her. She then grinned while tossing it to the nearest kid. "Looks important. You want it back?" she taunted.

"Give that back! If you don't-"

"You'll flip out? What are you gonna do? Attack us? Ha! Like you're even scary. Right guys?" They all started to laugh, not noticing how Alyssa's head suddenly dropped.

"I heard about a time she lost this thing and went ballistic," the girl said, only now starting to regret her actions.

"Please. That's just a rumor. What's a girl her size gonna do? Kill us?" The tall boy then noticed Alyssa glaring hatefully at him. Before he could say even one word her leg shot out and connected with his groin. He instantly dropped to the ground.

"Actually, shithead," said a voice that was definitely not Alyssa's. "That's exactly what I'm gonna do." She suddenly lunged at the boy nearest and broke his arm before slamming his head into the wall with such force that he was knocked out instantly. The other three didn't even have time to run.

Ms. Mary, who had been preparing the class's next math lesson, came running into the halls when she heard screaming. She had to adjust her glasses just to make sure she was seeing everything right. There was Alyssa Hale, standing before a small heap of students with her hands on her hips and nodding her head lightly. When she heard heels clicking she turned around to face her.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" she screeched. This was unforgivable! These students were lying brutally beaten in the middle of the hall and-was that blood?! One of them had a couple of pencils lodged where they shouldn't be while the rest had limbs bent at disturbing angles and Ms. Mary, despite all of her anger, took a step back.

"What's the matter? Did you really think I'd let them get away with this? They had it coming. And so do you!" She was so stunned by the demonic voice emitting from the girl that she had no time to react.

Allen Hale exhaled sharply upon walking in the front door. It had been a painfully long week but at least he was certain that his plans were still in motion. Now he could sit back and relax for a short while. "Alyssa," he called, expecting to see her emerge from her room. He became slightly worried when he got no answer. He tried to reason that maybe she was asleep, tired from a long day at school and homework. He knocked once and waited a moment before opening the door only to discover that she wasn't there. Now he was really worried. Her room or the small kitchen would've been the only places she would have been. It was too late for her to still be out. Something must have happened. Maybe Bates took over and-

It was then he noticed the red light on the receiver flashing. Someone had left a voicemail. Hoping it was Alyssa saying she was at some friend's house he played the message.

"Allen Hale, this is Jeff Coleman of the police department..." Allen paled as the message continued, saying that his beloved Alyssa had been arrested for three counts of murder, but because of her mental instability they were going to place her into a mental institute. There were several other messages of the same degree; they had been trying to get in touch with him for a while. Stopping the recordings' torment he rushed back out the door, feeling even worse than when he had come in. Maybe this was some mistake, a sick joke. Maybe he could get her out of this. Anything, he'd do anything to fix it. Somewhere in the back of his mind he could hear the horrid laughter of George Maxwell and cursed the man despite knowing that he had nothing to do with it. It was still his fault though; he was the reason behind Bates's existence wasn't he? If it wasn't for his family's damn curse then none of this would be happening.

Allen had to stop himself there. If it weren't for that curse or Maxwell's paranoia then he'd never have adopted Alyssa in the first place. He still refused to call the curse real though. Even with all the obvious signs he wouldn't acknowledge it. Believing in it was going to Maxwell's downfall, while denying it was going to be Hale's.


Another long chapter finished. I wasn't originally planning on this one, but I wanted to give Alyssa a little more backstory before I started on the game's events. I think it came out pretty well, hope you like it!