"Daddy! Daddy! Look at what I made!" A young girl no older than seven came running into the kitchen waving around a drawing she just made. However, the man she was looking for was not where she last saw him. Before she went into her room he had been sitting at the table muttering things to himself and hadn't really paid much attention to her. So, like any young child, she thought it might cheer him up if she gave him a surprise. However, he had left again without warning. Already used to the routine she climbed onto the chair and grabbed the note off the table.

'Alyssa, I had to leave for some work. Don't worry, I won't be gone for too long this time. I've left you some dinner in the fridge. Be a good girl for me, okay? Love, your father'

Young Alyssa Hale sighed. It was always like this. Her father was always leaving to go somewhere and never spent a lot of time with her. One time she asked him where he was constantly going but all he said to her was that it was 'adult stuff' and that she'd understand one day when she was older. Looking at the picture in her hands she sighed again before walking out of the kitchen and heading down the short hallway to her father's room. She cracked the door open and peeked inside as if he would somehow be in there waiting to surprise her. He wasn't though so she opened the door all the way, stepped inside, and then shut it behind her. Alyssa placed the drawing on his desk where he'd see it when he got home and turned to leave.

"Ah!" She clutched her head and fell to her knees. "No! Please... don't..."

"There's nothing to be afraid of, Alyssa."

"No! Leave me alone!" She shook her head to try and clear it but to no avail. The dark voice that often tormented her would not leave.

"Why are you so stubborn? I'm not trying to hurt you." If Alyssa didn't know any better she would've thought it was a little offended.

"Just go away!" She gasped when she remembered the special amulet her father got her a little while ago. It was supposed to stop the voice from harming her. Running out her father's room she quickly went to hers and threw open the dresser drawer. Inside it was a small red and yellow amulet with special markings on the front. Alyssa snatched it out of its resting place and sighed in relief when she felt the voice and its dark influence subside. Her father had told her countless times to keep the thing on her or else bad things would happen but she just couldn't help it. She was already enough of a freak as is-everyone told her so. The last thing she felt she needed was to carry around a strange charm from a shrine and say, 'It's to keep me from hurting anyone' or something. The voice, Bates, it said its name was, would always tell her to do horrible things. One time she blacked out and when she woke up she found herself clutching a bloodied knife with her father standing over her holding bandages on his arm. That had been the reason behind the purchase of the amulet.

Alyssa had asked her father about the voice before. Questions like, 'What is it?' and 'Why is it here?' were the biggest concerns for her. He tried to explain it to her, he really did, but with her being so young she hardly understood it.

"It's not something you'll understand so easily, Alyssa," he had said.

"But Daddy. I have to know. How am I supposed to make it go away if I don't know what it is?" Five-year-old Alyssa Hale was close to tears as she hung off her father's pant leg and begged him to tell her about the voice. It frightened her to no end and, despite all the promises it made about not hurting her and swearing to protect her, she wanted nothing more than for it to go away.

Allen Hale sighed. How could he tell her anything about it when he didn't fully understand it himself? He debated admitting that to her but glancing down at down at her now while she was hanging onto his pants for dear life, he decided against it. Instead, he settled for giving her the best explanation he could. "Alright, alright. I'll tell you. Just please let go of my leg. I need it." She giggled and released it, and he couldn't help but smile a bit.

"So what is it?" she asked as he lifted her up and carried her into her bedroom.

"Let's just call it a sort of split personality."

"What's that?"

"It's... it's um... I'm sorry. I'm trying to put this in terms that you'd understand." He reached the door and pulled it open, still pondering how he'd describe it. Setting her down on the bed he continued. "A split personality is a time when you aren't quite feeling or acting like your normal self. You might do things that you wouldn't normally do, say things that you wouldn't normally say, and sometimes you might even black out completely. In that time you might be a totally different person to those around you." Seeing the dumbfounded look on his daughter's face he knew he didn't exactly clear anything up for her. "Look, what I'm trying to say is that the voice you keep hearing is like another version of yourself."

"A very mean version," she said as she snuggled under the covers.

"Yes, well, don't worry." He leant down and kissed her on the head. "I'll figure out how to make it go away." He turned and headed to the door.

"Goodnight, Daddy."

"Goodnight, Sweetheart," he said as he turned off the light and quietly latched the door. Standing outside of his daughter's room he sighed a bit. It hurt him to have to lie to her like this but he couldn't bring himself to tell her the truth. It would ruin the small ounce of security the girl had if she found out he had no idea how to help her. Taking off his glasses he rubbed his eyes and then made his way to his room for another late night trying to figure out what to do about that voice.

As his footsteps faded away Alyssa couldn't help it anymore. Letting a few tears slide down her face she mumbled, "But you didn't tell me why it's here," before drifting off into an uncomfortable sleep.

Coming back to the present, Alyssa sighed once more before sitting down on her bed and bringing her knees to her chest. Her father still hadn't told her the voice's-er, Bates's-reason for existing. She was beginning to suspect that maybe he didn't know. "No," she told herself. "He has to know. Maybe he just doesn't want me to?" Nothing scared her more than the thought of her father keeping secrets from her. Especially on important things like this. She reassured herself by saying that there was no reason for him to lie. He was her father, so why should he? Still, sometimes Bates whispered things to her. Things like how he wasn't her father and he was only using her to get back at someone. That he didn't love her at all.

"It's true..."

She gasped. Even with the amulet he could still get through sometimes. Getting up, she took a risk and headed into the bathroom. She pulled the small stepladder she used to reach the sink out of its place and stood up on it. Steeling herself she peered into the mirror and saw none other than Bates staring back. She stifled a small gasp. It freaked her out how she always saw him in her reflection. It was that reason alone why she constantly avoided mirrors. Her dad had taken hers out of her room after she startled him awake one night by screaming bloody murder. They shared the same face, except her alter ego's was much darker and more sinister-looking. Perhaps the most notable difference between them was the cynical, all-hating look in Bates's eyes. However, that hate never seemed to be directed at her.

"What did you say?"

"I said, it's true. Everything you believe in... Your 'father,' your life... It's nothing but a lie." Her reflection smirked but she knew she was frowning.

"I don't believe you. Why would dad lie to me?" The second she said this, she regretted it. Bates's smirk turned into a full-fledged grin and a sick gleam washed over his eyes.

"Well, for starters," he said, "'daddy dearest' isn't either of those words. You're not his child. And more importantly-"

"No!" Alyssa covered her ears block him out but it was pointless. He was in her head after all.

"He doesn't love you. All he sees you as is a tool for revenge, not a daughter."

"That's not true," she whined.

"Alyssa?" Hearing her father's voice she jumped down from the stepladder and quickly put it back just as he reached the bathroom door. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"Oh. Nothing. I was just, uh, brushing my teeth." She couldn't tell him she'd been talking to Bates. He always told her not to because he was a bad influence and very dangerous.

"I see," he said, eyeing the bone dry sink and toothbrushes. He decided not to press the matter. "That's a good girl. I saw the picture you drew. It's very nice. Why don't you come help me decide where to hang it?"

"Okay!" She followed him out the bathroom and to his room, still trying to forget what Bates had told her. It had to be a lie. It had to be. Alyssa didn't know what to do with herself if it wasn't.

Allen Hale was trying his hardest to stay focused on his daughter and not drift off into his own thoughts, but it was becoming increasingly difficult. While she was running around his room talking excitedly and placing the picture on any place she thought it might look cool, he was thinking back on his conversation with Philip. He had already taken the next step in his revenge on Maxwell six years ago. The statue had been in Philip's care for some time now and from what he said during their meeting, he still believed that the Maxwell Curse was real. He even went so far as to hide the statue in his basement. Allen had to chuckle at the man's paranoia. Although given the current state of the statue, the paranoia was rightly placed.

"What's so funny, Daddy?" Alyssa had stopped her frenzy to look at him.

"Oh, nothing. Just remembering a little joke." He hadn't meant to laugh out loud. "Hey, how about we put it over there?" He took the drawing and placed it on the wall above the desk, right by a photo of the two of them.

"That's perfect!" Allen smiled. That wasn't the only thing that was perfect.

"So Maxwell's not acting any different? He's not doing anything out of the ordinary?"

"I've told you a thousand times. He's the same he's always been." Allen Hale and Philip Tate were seated at the latter's kitchen table. Philip's wife had taken their children, Michael and Ashley, out to go see a play and he would have gone with them had Allen not called and asked to speak with him. To avoid any suspicion he feigned illness and told them he'd make it up once he was better. Sitting here talking with the man across from him when he could be spending time with his family was beginning to grate his nerves, however. "Why are you so interested in his behavior anyway? Shouldn't you be more concerned with what he's doing?"

"Have you managed to get anything we could use as proof?"

"...No..."

"Well then... I guess I can't make it my concern," Allen said rudely.

"You were so determined before," Philip responded.

"I was able to search around because I worked there. You're the Lab Director; you do something. Unless, of course, you're still helping him with something."

"If by that you mean I'm helping him with those experiments of his then you're completely wrong!" Allen tried not to laugh. He'd never seen the other man get so worked up before.

"I didn't say anything at all about experiments," was the amused reply.

Philip froze completely for a moment. Then more calmly and slightly nervous he added, "N-neither did I. I mean-well, what I meant by that was I've got nothing to do with whatever he does to those people."

"No. You're only supposed to act like you don't know anything about it, right?"

"Y... yes... I'm supposed to ignore the fact that hospital patients occasionally go missing."

"Isn't that enough ground for you to go to the police?"

"You don't understand!" Philip slammed his fists on the table. "That man's got everyone there under his control, even the guards! If I speak up I'll..." He trailed off and Allen felt a twinge of anger. Only a man like Maxwell would go to such lengths for something so evil. He still couldn't figure out what he'd said to Philip to make him so obedient but guessed it was along the lines of hurting his family. If there was one way to make a man break, it was to hurt the ones he loved most. Good thing Allen Hale had no family.

"You won't have to worry about it for much longer, Philip. I'll make sure Maxwell falls." And you too, he thought.

"If you say so..."

"You still have the statue, right?"

"Hm? Uh, yeah. It's hidden away in the den. It's in a closet. Laugh all you want," he said once he saw the smirk form on Allen's lips, "but I'm not taking any chances. That thing gives me the creeps."

"The curse isn't real and the statue probably has absolutely nothing to do with the Maxwells' magic."

"You say all that but with 'probably' thrown in there I'm afraid I won't believe it. There's just something about that thing that makes me uncomfortable." Philip glanced at the clock and then stood up. "Kathryn and the children will be back soon. You should probably get going." Allen stood and made his way to the door. "Are you really certain that you want to get involved with Maxwell again? Don't you remember what happened the last time?" he asked just as the other man was about to leave.

"I remember," he said. "That's the entire reason why I'm doing all of this. I've nothing to lose now." You, however, have everything, old friend.

"If you say so." Philip shut the door and Allen smiled. If only the man knew what was coming. That statue would find its way out the closet one of these days and when it did, his revenge would be complete. All he had to do in the meantime was wait for Maxwell to tumble and eventually everything else would fall into place as well.


A/N: Thanks for the reviews MadameMirage77. I'm glad you like the story so far. Updates are gonna be much less frequent now though because school's starting back and I always take care of my schoolwork first. Hopefully I'll be able to write on the weekends. Thanks again and I hope you liked this chapter.