Chapter Six: Missing Personalities
Harley and Jess were on the swings, bickering so loudly that if the others were still around then they’d tell them to shut up already. “No listen, bugs are Hemiptera while insects belong to the class Insecta, so therefore they are different” Harley said, swinging herself as high as she could.
“Yes, but they are all still insects! Look at it this way Harley, a daisy and a rose are in two different families, but they are both still flowers and can be called such, just like insects can be called bugs and vice versa”
Harley stopped her swing and raised an eyebrow “Have you even been listening to me? All I said was that they are different not that you can’t call-” her argument had been cut off by a needle like pain and the numbing of her right arm as it faded to a translucent limb. Harley stared through her arm, at the grass beneath wondering if this was the beginning of tonight’s nightmare. She hated that the only way her and the others were able to see each other was through these night terrors, but she couldn’t wallow further for Jess started gasping for air as she clutched her head, body shaking like an earthquake. Harley reached for her friend, “Jess! You need to breath slower, take deep breaths, calmly, do it with me!”
Once Jess had calmed down, the two just stood there in a daze. Harley was lost, her arm was a ghost limb and Jess just had a panic attack. “…It’s Eloise… all of her memories just seeped into my head…” Jess said breaking the quiet spell.
“What!?, but she was here only moments ago… no, no she can’t be gone! I would have felt more than a needle pain if she had left like Maya had” Harley said getting up and pacing, she hadn’t been around when Maya dead, but still, she knew the void that Eloise had felt, the dark emptiness of missing a piece of yourself was a feeling that Harley knew because she had been feeling it for Eloise since the moment of her existence. Harley had been created to feel the pain and sorrow that Eloise couldn’t let go of… like the absence of Maya.
“Then why do I now have all of her memories! And you weren’t even there when Maya had died” Jess said, throwing her arms in the air.
“I don’t know why you have her memories, but Eloise is not dead, she can’t be” Harley said, ignoring Jess’ remark about her absence during Maya’s existence. Jess opened her mouth and then closed it again as her eyes turned to saucers, shock and fear plastered on her face… “Harley. Behind you. The wolf…”
“What?” Harley asked as she turned around and froze, for there stood the wolf, his fur striking awe and fear as Harley watched the grass fade, as everything but the wolf faded and reappeared as a snow-covered field that blended with the wolf. “Eloise is sleeping now,” said the wolf. “Rest assured, she isn’t dead… but she will be reborn as someone different” and with that the wolf, the dream world, all vanished.
Harley had just woken up to find herself in her old childhood bedroom that was freezing cold because the window was open, why did she wake up here and not at the hospital? she thought as she went to close the window.
Our life sure is difficult, Harley thought, still living the events of last night, Harley was Eloise’s best friend, and yet she and Jess had been so busy arguing that they didn’t even notice what was happening to Eloise, when she had disappeared and why. The wolf said she would be reborn, what does that even mean? and who would she become now if Jess has her memories. Harley sighed as she walked out of her room, perhaps she would see if her parents were home and if they could tell her why Eloise had slept here.
At the kitchen table, Harley found her parents and Dr Vains whispering in a hushed tone, She was surprised to see the doctor, but still walked towards them. “Mum, Dad, Doctor Vains” Harley said announcing herself.
“Eloise, how are you feeling?” Dr Vains asked as he turned to face her.
“It’s Harley right now, may I speak to my parents alone for a moment Dr Vains?”
“Yes, of course, I’ll just be in the living room” Dr Vains said as he got up and gestured for Harley to take his seat.
“Harley…” her mother said putting a hand on her daughter’s shoulder “How are you feeling?”
“Confused, why am I here?” Harley said hoping her parents would have answers.
Her father sighed, gave her a sad look and said “Eloise had tried to escape the hospital last night” like a knife slicing confusion, Harley realised what happened, Eloise had tried to kill us last night! Like she herself had once tried a long time ago. “Oh… did Dr Vains tell you anything else?” Harley asked, deciding that she won’t tell them about Eloise just yet.
“Just that we were to wait for you to wake up and that Dr Vains wanted to speak to you in private first” Mrs Parker said
“Are you ready to speak to him now dear?” asked Mr Parker
Harley sighed, she didn’t like Dr Vains very much, but she needed answers, so she agreed and Dr Vains walked in.
“Harley…what I am about to say may be upsetting but I want you to remain calm” Dr Vains said after Mr and Mrs Parker had left the kitchen.
“I know Eloise tried to kill us in our dream last night” Harley said cutting right to the chase.
“...Okay, can you tell me what happened then so that we can work through this together?”
Harley looked at the doctor and saw his eyes shone with the same curiosity that was often present during their sessions no matters how hard he tried to hide it, it always made her wonder if he had accepted them as a patient because he wanted to help or was it really just to satisfy his own curiosity. But she decided that this time, she would tell him, but only because she desperately needed answers.
“I see.” Dr Vains said, “I think there is a possibility that Eloise may have just merged with Jess, seeing as she now has Eloise’s memories, although what the wolf had said suggests something different… a partial merge perhaps?”
“What do you mean Jess has merged with Eloise?” Harley said in response.
“It’s called a fusion, where two or more personalities merge together to form a new personality who retains the memories and personalities of both the previous personalities. In this case, Jess and Eloise may have merged to become a new Jess who is now both of them simultaneously, or in a partial merge, mostly Jess and some parts Eloise… the rest of Eloise may be sleeping as the wolf had said, which in technical terms would be dormant”. The doctor gave Harley a moment to process this before speaking again “Would you be able to speak with the wolf again in your dream world?”
“No, only Nia is able to call on the wolf” Harley said immediately
“Nia, right, you didn’t mention anything of Nia in last night’s dream, are you still able to sense her?”
Harley was stunned. How had she not noticed, yes, she could sense a very faint Nia, but Mattie and Bobby were gone... did Eloise kill them?
Previous Chapters:
https://theprose.com/post/420725/prologue
https://theprose.com/post/421017/chapter-one-eloise-s-perspective
https://theprose.com/post/427386/nia-s-perspective
https://theprose.com/post/429289/chapter-three-the-world-outside
https://theprose.com/post/431146/chapter-four-the-first-interview-prague-2006
https://theprose.com/post/431422/chapter-five-to-kill-the-unliving