AN: First and foremost I want to apologize that this chapter is on the shorter side. I debated adding it to the next chapter but decided against it and am leaving it as more of a filler chapter. The next chapter will be longer for sure due to some requests that I lengthen my chapters in this story but I'll leave it at this for now.

Be prepared for shit to really start hitting the fan after this chapter and more backstory reveals!

Enjoy and let me know if you have and requests or suggestions for me!

Two days after her detention stay, Johnnie couldn't help but think of the boy in the barrette. She liked to think she'd made a new friend although they hadn't exchanged numbers and she hadn't seen him again since. She'd asked around about him but people seemed reluctant to talk. Her two best friends Shianne and Mercedes even warned her to 'stay away from the freak'. All of the negativity only confused her. Barry had seemed like such a nice guy.

Johnnie fiddled with the hall pass in her hands, keeping close to the wall for support as she tried to fend off the massive headache beating against her skull. She whimpered as she stumbled into the nurses office. It was currently time for B lunch of fifth period if you had A lunch and Johnnie was supposed to be in English class.

Nurse Jenn was currently assisting a student by the medicine cabinet that she couldn't see so Johnnie waited patiently by the door for her to finish up. When the nurse moved out of the way, Johnnie beamed when she saw a boy with closely shaven hair pushing a needle into his arm. Today he was wearing a pink sweater with black leggings and black Ugg boots. That seemed a little odd to her but never being one to judge, she didn't question it.

"Hey Barry!" she said with a wave but the boy gave her the side eye and scoffed.

"My name is Jade, dummy. Do I look like a Barry to you?" She gestured down at herself and rolled her eyes. Her voice was highly pitched, sounding almost like a valley girl of some kind. "And I didn't come to the nurse's office to make friends," Jade added, "I'm here to get my insulin and that's it. K? K." She put the needle in the red bin and pushed past Johnnie, who looked beyond confused, and left. Nurse Jenn looked at Johnnie with sympathy.

"You don't know do you?" she asked, gesturing for her to sit down on the cot, which Johnnie did.

"Know what?" she replied, her eyebrows knitted together. Nurse Jenn opened her desk and flipped through her files, producing a pamphlet.

"Kevin has Dissociative Identity Disorder," she explained, handing her a bright blue trifold paper with the words she'd just said printed on it. "Or DID for short," she continued, "Barry and Jade are two of his alters. Marvelously enough, he has twenty-three total. I understand that this is a lot to take in. Everything you need to know is in that pamphlet and if you have any questions, feel free to come and see me."

Johnnie took the information home that night and read it front to back three times, then took to the internet to learn even more. She was determined to understand this if it killed her. She understood the name-calling and the warnings now but was she going to heed them? Hell no. Kevin needed a friend and she was going to be that friend.

Hedwig had been the one to serve her dinner that evening and had stuck around to play ball with her, but was caught by Patricia and drug away from the light. She'd been alone for what felt like hours but she had no real way to tell time in this place either. Hedwig had left his ball since he'd been pulled away so abruptly and since sleep currently alluded her, she passed the time by bouncing the toy against the back wall at catching it with her free hand when it shot back in her direction. She was still bored out of her mind but it kept her mind off other things. She threw the ball a little too hard and missed it when it came hurdling back at her, causing it to roll away. She sighed heavily and rested her head against the bar, closing her eyes. That's when hushed whispers caught her attention. At first, she could have sworn it was two separate people talking but upon further evaluation, she realized it was Dennis and Patricia arguing back and forth. She held her breath and stilled her breathing so she could hear them better.

Dennis: You can't seriously fault her for this!

Patricia: I find it concerning that you would compromise our mission for the sake of one girl. Besides, I am not the only one holding her accountable.

Dennis: A girl I know, Patricia. A girl you know. A girl we all know! She isn't impure. She's been broken. You know that!

Patricia: Again, this isn't our decision to make. You have to realize that Dennis and make peace with it.

Dennis: You can't ask me to make peace with that. She doesn't deserve to die. The Beast can't have her.

Patricia: Neither can you Dennis.

Patricia had said those last four words so calmly and after that, everything went quiet. Johnnie's mouth went completely dry. Surprisingly she wasn't upset about the whole death aspect of this. She'd already figured that was the alternative to freeing her. Patricia's words rang loudly in her head. What did she mean neither could he? That was nobody's decision but hers, and losing the ability to choose wounded her more than any threat on her life.