Chapter 7 Hopelessly Separated

I continued wandering the town, all while trying to piece together everything that had happened to me. A very difficult thing to do, as I still hadn't the slightest clue what that was. I knew I was a fragment, a fragment to what was originally a greater whole. Perhaps this whole was a person? Someone who lived and breathed and walked this world, just like everybody else had? I don't know. I mean, I'm pretty certain that is the case; almost one hundred percent positive, as a matter of fact. But… gah, I don't know! I don't know anything! And… and the truth is…

I almost shed a tear. It just seemed so hopeless! Here I was, a fragment without any memory of the whole that I used to be a part of. Here I was, wandering this world with nothing save for a very dark, lingering gloom in my heart. Oh, how I longed to get those answers, how I longed to make the hollow aching in my chest and the dark dark void in my mind go away. But I knew that both those things wouldn't happen. Those answers were nowhere to be found, and I knew that it was beyond my power to make this very dark feeling go away.

When I had these thoughts, I sighed and took a seat down on the burning hot sand. I put my head in my heads. What could I do? Was there anything I could do? If only there was a way for me to reconnect with the other parts of my whole. Maybe if I did that, and got acquainted with them, I would remember who I once was. My identity wouldn't slip through my fingers like the sand covering this scorching hot floor. It would be solid, a solid fact that could provide me with reassurance that everything would be better. Oh, how I wished things would get better.

With this thought in mind, I decided trying to reconnect with my other parts wouldn't be that bad of an idea. So, I took a deep breath. I sat up straight, closing my eyes tightly. I allowed the beating of my heart to act as a sort of focal point in this interesting, experimental form of meditation. The sound washed over me. Ba bump, ba bump, ba bump. I let it be my guide, my sentinel. Sure, I didn't even know for certain if this… very strange method would work. But I felt like it would. Despite the dark gloom in my soul, I held onto the belief that this method would produce the results I sought to find.

I squeezed my eyes even more tightly shut. I… I thought I could see something. It's faint, but… yes, yes! Something is there, something is most certainly there! Dirt. Black, ashy, dusty dirt. It isn't much, but it actually causes me to smile. The dirt looked familiar! It looked like something that I was well acquainted with! Or should I say, something that my whole was familiar with. It…it had that feeling, a very strong feeling that welled up within me. It felt of home, of safety, and of warmth; three things that my aching heart longed to experience. I concentrated harder, trying to get more of a solid grasp on what exactly I was seeing.

Before long, I heard a voice. It was faint, sure. But at the same time, it was still there. It… it almost sounded like my own voice. I heard it saying things as it stared around the ashen landscape that laid before it.

Ugh. It's so much work to walk across these hills to get back home. I just… I just wanna sleep. Yeah, sleep. That would be… *yawn* perfect right now…

And with that, the scenery went black. I cursed out loud, feeling frustrated. I was so close! I was so flipping close to actually receiving answers! I saw something! I know some people might call me crazy over believing in something that I saw with just my mind. But I know it was real! I wasn't just imagining it; I was actually seeing it! I was right there experiencing the landscape with another one of the parts I had been separated from! I knew from the bottom of my heart that I needed to find out more, and trying to get back to that particular part was the way to do it…

I concentrated even harder, so much that my body covered itself in sweat. Unfortunately… nothing came. Absolutely nothing. Sure, I heard the faint sounds of snoring, but no images came back to me. Nothing showed up in my mind that allowed me to see what I used to be, and what I longed to return to.

So, I opened my eyes. I sniffled, now feeling even more hopeless. This was just how things were for me, weren't they? No answers, no comfort, not even a light at the end of the tunnel. No, there was darkness. All darkness, only darkness. Even though the sun shined down on me as I thought about this, my being was submerged in the deepest, darkest pit that anybody could possibly and feasibly experience. I wanted to just lay down and die, allowing the sands that covered this town to bury me in a very dusty yet very effective grave.

"Hey!"

I blinked. I sat up, allowing myself to come face to face with a person. Like the merchant who had sold me sorbet from earlier, they were short and had a skull for a face. They also wore some of the brightest colors I had ever seen on various parts of their skeletal body.

"Estas bien, mi amigo?"

I didn't need to speak Spanish to know what this person was asking. I lowered my head. "No. I'm not okay." A tear fell out of my eye and landed on the ground, evaporating the instant it came in contact with the sand. "I don't know what's going on… I don't know who I'm supposed to be… I don't know anything!"

"Oh, bebe," the skull person said, their brow furrowing. That got down on their knees and hugged my overly big, overly meaty form. "It'll be okay. I know it doesn't seem like it, but it'll be okay. Prometo."

I hugged him back, even though part of me was questioning why something like this was happening at all. "Why are you being so nice? To a stranger, no less?" I just couldn't wrap my head around this, how someone would take the time to notice me. I felt… I almost felt like not going noticed was just part of my existence, a component of what I was that nobody and nothing could fix.

"I do not want to sit by and watch someone suffer in the sand, even if they are a stranger." He hugged me tighter. "You deserve to be checked up on." He let go of me, staring into my eyes with an expression so earnest that I questioned whether or not this scenario was one I was just imagining in my head. "Do you have a place to stay for the night, Senor?"

I paused. "Uh… well, no." I had been so absorbed with trying to find out more about myself that I didn't even stop to think about my physical needs, like water, food, and a place to sleep. Looking back, I felt stupid for not really taking the time to consider them. So stupid…

The skeletal man smiled. "Well, then come with me!" They extended their hand, which I gingerly took. "I have a guest bedroom in my house; it's perfect for you!" They allowed me to stand up before leading me off to another part of the vast, colorful town. "I also have chili cooking in the pot tonight; it'll be perfect for you to eat!"

Chili. My mouth watered thinking about that. I supposed that there were worse things in the world than accepting the kindness and chili of a stranger, so I just went along with him.

…

Iggy lifted a rock, an action that some might view as stupid, but one that he felt was necessary. After all, it was feasible that one of the Mortons had left some kind of clue, some kind of DNA sample that would indicate their presence in this area. Unfortunately, he saw no such sign. He grit his teeth as he put the rock back down, berating himself over the impossibly difficult task that he and his siblings had been forced into. All because of him.

"This garners a great amount of visceral frustration," he said as he shielded his eyes with his hands and looked all across the miles of ashy black ground that stretched before him. "I despise it."

Sarcasm smirked. "Wow. And here I was thinking that you were too brainy to bother yourself with silly things like emotions."

Iggy gave him a sideways glance. "That's where you are wrong. I do not have a problem with admitting to and feeling my emotions. They are just a natural part of the living experience. Sure, they can be difficult to deal with if one does not have the self control to manage them. But I believe I can do so, in my humble opinion."

Sarcasm shook his head, all while the smirk remained on his face. "That's a humble brag if I've ever heard one."

Iggy sighed. "Forget it; block out this conversation from your memory." He continued walking, all while his brother's personality trait followed after him.

The next twenty minutes or so were spent searching in silence. And unfortunately, nothing served as any sort of sign that Iggy and Sarcasm were getting any closer, a fact that once again caused him to become frustrated. This shouldn't be too hard! They knew Morton; finding his five parts shouldn't be too terribly difficult! Sure, Iggy and Morton weren't the closest… in fact, it had taken a while for Iggy to identify that his brother such a serious affliction as chronic depression…

He shook his head. He was a bad brother, wasn't he? To think that he was like this when Morton clearly needed moral and emotional support. Iggy promised himself right then and there that when he found the Mortons, and figured out a method to use that will put them back together, he was going to go out of his way to be better. He wasn't one to not take mental illness seriously. He took it very seriously! He was one of those people who believed that those who needed help should definitely get it! And he was going to encourage Morton to do that! Most definitely!

"Do you even know where we're going?"

Iggy blinked and did a double take as his thoughts were interrupted. "What was that?"

"Do you even know where we're going?" Sarcasm crossed his arms. "Knowing you, I would imagine you planted some sort of tracking device on Morton that might help us locate his traits."

Iggy shook his head. "No, Ludwig, I did not do anything of the sort." He stopped and smiled. "Although, that wouldn't be that bad of an idea." He chuckled. "It would be relatively easy to do as well! I just need to come across Morton when he's asleep and…"

"Woah woah, hold on there Dr. Frankenstein!" Sarcasm glared at him. "I wouldn't recommend doing that. Even sarcastically, and I'm the personification of a person's sarcastic streak!" he narrowed his gaze. "That doesn't sound like a good idea. In fact, it sounds like a terrible idea, not to mention an unethical one!"

Iggy considered this before sighing. "Perhaps you're right." He continued forward. "Besides, even if you weren't, focusing my energy on that idea as opposed to locating our younger brother wouldn't be appropriate."

Sarcasm snorted. "Look at you, finally considering doing things based on how appropriate they are."

Iggy glared at him. "What are you implying?"

Sarcasm opened his mouth, clearly just about to say something, before shaking his head. "Never mind."

"Good choice." With that, they continued on their trek. Iggy couldn't speak for Sarcasm, but to him, it felt as though the seconds dragged by like eons. Never before had he been so determined to reach a goal. It probably had something to do with the fact that the well being of a loved one was on the line. Man, if Iggy had known that using the Personality Splitter would put everyone in this sort of excruciating scenario, he would never have used it in the first place.

His heart sank. Yeah, he was really regretting using it now. Maybe he should've listened to his siblings when they tried to get him to stop and think. Sure, he didn't believe they had valid points very often, but when they did…

"Iggy look!"

Iggy lifted his head. He squinted in the direction that Sarcasm was pointing in. When he saw what had ignited the trait's interest, his heart pounded in excitement and a smile grew on his face.

"We found one of the Mortons!"