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Chapter Text

She must have fallen asleep from pure exhaustion because her eyes are slowly opening to a room she isn’t familiar with. She appears to be on a bed covered up with a blanket. From the looks of things she’s in Hedwigs’ room between all the drawings and stuffed animals she can see. Even the little hamster tank gives it away that this has to be Hedwigs’ room because she doubts Dennis or Patrica would keep a pet like that. That and the fact that toys are scattered everywhere is a dead giveaway. There is no memory of her making it back to this room. The last thing she remembers is looking into the Beast’s eyes as he announced to her a frightening fact of all 24 of the entities living inside Kevin’s body being her soul mates, including the Beast himself. The information plus the fact that she was running on pure adrenaline must have made her pass out not long after that.

Movement from the doorway catches her eyes and as she glances in that direction she sees that it is Hedwig judging by his blue jumpsuit. He’s biting his lip as he fidgets and looks her way. Seeing that her eyes are open and she’s looking at him he slowly walks towards the makeshift bed she’s laying on. She takes note of a nervous look is in his eyes as he kneels down to her level, face inches from her. For a moment she’s afraid he’s going to try and hit her with the bat again but she banishes the thought as soon as it comes. If he wanted to hurt her he would have.

Taking a deep breath he begins to speak. “I’m sorry I didn’t recognize your name Casey,” he whispers quietly with that lisp of his. “And for trying to hit you with the bat. I was just so worried yous were gonna get us found out that I didn’t realize you said your whole name. That you’re Kevin’s Casey. That you’re OUR Casey Cooke. Had I realized it I wouldn’t have tried to hit you at all. I’m so sorry. Please don’t be mad. I would have told the others who you were had I realized it.” The tears dripping from his eyes tell her he’s honestly sorry. He may be a little shit but this personality was still of a nine year old, easily frightened and emotional. It’s easy for her to remember she was like that at her age because she was living with uncle John.

It wasn’t easy finding something to say. While his words were honest Casey was having a hard time trying to find the balance between being nice and being honest with him. While she was sure that now he and the others knew she was their soul mate and wouldn’t hurt her on purpose, she was not ready for another round of ‘dodge Hedwig’s bat’ or ‘stay away from the Beast’. On the bright side, she could try for some middle ground between the two because the way he was inching closer on his knees made her feel not too comfortable with him too close and if she said something he might stop.

Deciding on something to say she began to sit up. Instantly he stopped inching forward and waited. “I’m sure you’re very sorry Hedwig. I can see that you are. It’s not every day you meet someone important, right?” she questions carefully. She doesn’t want to say the wrong thing and give him some sense of false hope. Forgiveness isn’t in the cards right now because the Beast did just kill three people. Let’s not forget he took a nice bite out of her leg as well. The ache is still lingering on her leg. The memory of the Beast making it very clear that she was never going to leave them  didn’t give her much hope for anything other than survival. If anything, the look he gave her on just how happy he was to have found her as his soul mate then she was screwed on freedom. From one prison to another it seemed.

Wiping the tears away with his sleeve he gently smiled and nodded at her. “Yeah, it’s not. I mean, out of all of us I’m the only one who still believed one day we’d find Kevin his soul mate and he’d be happy and safe then. But we’ve been looking and waiting so long that the others gave up but not me! I’ve been waiting for you for a LONG time. I didn’t think you’d be my soul mate too though. Does this mean you’re gonna marry all of us now?”

Casey blinked for a moment. Then she blinked again. The question provoked absolute honesty from her. Marriage was out, never gonna happen. “I’m not going to marry you.” Thoughts of jumping into a pit of poisonous snakes seemed less insane than marrying a man with so many different identities inside one body.

“But Miss Patrica says in all the stories that soul mates get married and live happily ever after. Then maybe one day have kids. We should get married though, you could be pregnant after that kiss,” he says earnestly with a few nods of his head.

Laughter is almost hard to fight for Casey at this point because with the look on Hedwigs’ face he is completely serious. He still thinks that kissing leads to pregnancy. Sooner or later she’s going to have to correct him on that train of thought but right now she’s going to let that little bit slide until she can actually explain sex to him…which was something she didn’t actually want to do. If anything she hopes one of the others could explain that bit to him because then he just might get some ideas that she was not ready to deal with. Instead she chose to direct the conversation elsewhere. This bit was something she actually wanted to know because the Beast only said as much. “So wait, how many of you live in Kevin’s body actually?”

The look on Hedwigs’ face is one of surprise, but then he smiles. “Duh! You should know that one since you have all our names, at least the Beast said so before he gave Mister Dennis the light to bring you here but I stole the light so I could talk to you first. There’s 24 of us now that the Beast is here. There’s the Beast, me, Mister Dennis, Miss Patrica, Barry, Kevin, Orwell, Jade, Heinrich, Norma, Kat, Ian, Mr. Pritchard, Goddard, Bernice, Polly, Luke, Rakel, Felida, Ansel, Jalin, B.T., Samuel and Mary Reynolds. I saw my name on your back on the bottom above your butt while you were sleepin but I promise I didn’t peek! It was just there for me to see. I’m so happy you’re here! Now we can be together and get matching socks, etcetera. I’m hungry, do you wanna hot dog?”

Twenty four. There were twenty four identities living inside the body in front of her and she had only met, after taking a second to mentally count them all out, nine personalities. It’s a shock to her system. Of course thinking back to that moment when she was on his computer she recalls all the names on the desktop that were video files. If the first three she clicked on were some sort of video diary for three then it stands to be that the other videos were for the others. Every name she glanced at had the name of one of her soul mates and she didn’t even realize it. Of course she didn’t put the two together because she was desperate to live and find a way out of the prison she found herself in but her soul mate situation was very different than the average person.

Normal people are born with one name on their body that lets them identify their soul mate because even if they were just a Dennis like one of the names on her body, it would be the first Dennis you ever met. In some rare cases people were born with two names and even a few studies showed several cases where people had three names but those cases usually ended up with one of the soul mates dying before meeting the others. In Casey’s case, it was unheard of and a scientific wonder.  She was born with 23 names and it was only through some very private practice and favors her father called in that no one beyond her mom, dad, uncle John and the doctor that helped deliver her knew she was born with so many marks. Her father made sure she would never become a lab rat because of her abnormal soul mate count and as horrible as her uncle was he too made sure of it when he became her guardian. Of course his views on her “being owned by so many” as he called it made him think she would end up a whore. She had her doubts on how she’d ended up with so many soul mates but never imagined this would be the case. In the end even uncle John was wrong about who she “belonged” to.

Banishing the whole idea even revolving around her uncle she decided Hedwig was worth more thought than him. His too blue eyes were still waiting for her answer on if she was hungry. “I- yeah actually. I am a little hungry,” she answered him.

Possibly the most happy smile she’d seen him give planted itself on his face. “Great! Let’s go to the kitchen and eat. I’m not allowed to work the stove but I can microwave the hot dogs. Do you need help walkin’?” He didn’t even give her a chance to say anything before he removed the blanket from her and started to help her stand. Of course that’s when the pain in her leg became very noticeable and released a loud yell of pain. Instantly he sat her back down and backed up while putting his hands in the air in surrender. “SORRY! I didn’t know it was hurt that bad. I know Mister Dennis bandaged you up pretty good and gave you some medicine before I stole the light but I don’t what kind. I think he might be better at takin’ care of you right now since you’re hurt, etcetera. I’m gonna let him have the light now. He can make you somethin’ tasty to eat too.”

The thought of coming face to face with Dennis again shot a jolt of fear up her spine. Dennis was the personality she was most afraid of (prior to the whole soul mates incident) because he was the one that didn’t need a knife like Patricia did to get you to do what he wanted. His whole demeanor gave off that aura of control that you just did not want to fuck with. That and he was freaking strong and could probably snap a person in half.

It was unfortunate that Casey could not voice her concern about Hedwig giving he light back to Dennis because he ran out the room as soon as he was done speaking. At the moment she was fairly certain she would even prefer Patricia or the other personalities she hadn’t even met so long as it wasn’t either the Beast or Dennis that showed up. Again, it was unfortunate for Casey because now she was stuck waiting in Hedwig’s room for the guy to show up, most likely in his ‘Dennis’ outfit and he would probably start wanting her to take more clothes off because of all the sweat and dirt she collected from running from the Beast. She wouldn’t put it past him at least.

A few minutes went by before she finally heard footsteps approaching the room. Not ready to face him she looked down at her lap but her eyes couldn’t help but stray to the newest mark on her body. It was unheard of to gain marks after birth. It was widely accepted that before you’re even born fate decides who you’re paired with and sets those names on your skin and once you’re born it’s final. Even having more than one soul mate was a bit on the freak side for humanity to handle but not unheard of. This, right there on her stomach, the new name, was something that shouldn’t have happened. If anything she should have already had the name since birth but once more, fate has decided that Casey Cooke was to be destined for neither a normal life nor normal circumstances.

The sound of footsteps grew louder until a pair of black shoes stopped right at the edge of her vision. It was obvious he had changed clothes because Hedwig hadn’t even been wearing shoes when he left. A throat clearing made her look up into the face of Dennis with his glasses perched up on his head. He appeared to be slightly uncomfortable from the way he was standing but that could have been attributed to the tray of food he was holding. “Hedwig said you were hungry and that your leg is hurting. I brought food and some pain killers.”

Not comfortable with the situation Casey merely nodded and looked down again to avoid eye contact and hopefully make it clear she did not want much conversation right now. Of course Casey never gets her way because he brought a chair closer and set the tray of food and pain killers on it and then decided to sit next to her on Hedwigs’ makeshift bed, avoiding her injured leg. “I’d also like to talk to you for a little while.” Of course she didn’t have much say in anything. Just because he was one of her soul mates didn’t change the fact that she had any say in what went on in her life now. So she waited for him to begin.

Chapter Text

It didn’t feel so hard for Dennis right now to try and be good like it usually did but there was an air of tension in the room between him and Casey. On his part he didn’t actually have the desire to see her dance like he usually did with young girls but he attributed it to the fact that his soul mate was sitting right next to him after all these years of loneliness and she was injured and he had no desire to cause her more harm. Sitting in Hedwig’s messy room made him more uncomfortable than he believed Casey would understand but he’d make do with what he had to do to keep her as calm and comfortable as possible. Her comfort outweighed his right now, especially with her injury. Even if his discomfort gave off the vibe that it was her that was causing it when it was just the state of the room. It would be something easy for him to simply lift her into his arms and take her to his cleaner, neater room to tend and care for her but seeing the tension in her body at his nearness alone closed that option off instantly. His intimidating posture was making her uncomfortable and since he couldn’t suppress years of learned proper posture he decided that her reaction was valid because even he knew he made her uncomfortable. It’s not hard to guess since she won’t even look his way.

But he had questions and he just wanted to mend what bridges he could with her because they were going to be together from now on. Even if he wanted her to be free to leave, which deep down he didn’t really want since she IS their soul mate and wants her company forever, he couldn’t risk it. This girl is smart and she’d probably find the police and then everything would be ruined. He and the other alters would never see her again. Even if the Beast tracked her down this girl would run and hide and everyone would try to stop them from being together. That was a mess just thinking about it so it was simpler just to keep her.

Taking a deep breath he closed his eyes to block out the mess in front of his eyes so he could concentrate on the questions he has himself. The other identities would eventually get their turn to talk to her and spend time with her so their questions could wait. Right now he had the light and he was going to enjoy this time with Casey. It was up in the air on when he’d get his turn again since there were 24 of them total that had to share her.

Choosing to open his eyes but not look directly at her seemed the best route to start. Pretending the mess in front of him wasn’t there wasn’t as easy. His fingers were itching to clean Hedwig’s mess up. “Did you know it was our names when I brought you here?” he asked in a non threatening voice as he could manage. “On your body I mean,” he finished after a second of quietness.

His ears were practically straining to hear her speak. Out of all the days she’s been here he had never once heard her speak to him directly. She’s talked to Patricia and Hedwig but Dennis himself hasn’t heard her voice yet and he is wondering how she’ll sound. Will she be more quiet and reserved or scared and jittery when she speaks? Will she try and talk him into letting her leave? Patiently he waited for an answer.

After about maybe twenty seconds of counting in his head he finally heard her speak. “No,” she said just above a whisper. It was a simple answer and he waited for her to say more but after about a minute he realized she wasn’t going to elaborate on her answer like he hoped.

Deciding to try another question he hoped for more of an answer out of her. “How did you get those scars?” Of course it was a question he would have rather waited to ask since it was so personal but he figured it was one that would require her to speak more about. Right now he simply wanted to hear her voice because all this time his soul mate was right in front of him (admittedly because of him and his kidnapping) and not once did he know. This was the person that was supposed to understand him and not judge him because fate decided they would be paired up because of experiences and such. At this very moment he wanted to connect with her and know what made her the way she is to make them fit so well.

Casey took a deep breath as she thought about the answer to his question. She would rather not talk about that topic at all because that would lead to questions about her continued abuse and rape over the past decade. If she could banish ever speaking about her abusive uncle then she would. She didn’t want to talk about him or why he decided to mark her body with scars. In fact, she would rather go back into that little cell of a room and be locked up than have to bring up that man in conversation.

However, one quick glance at Dennis’ face showed he was trying to be patient and waited for her answer. She decided that she would give him as little as possible and just say the straight truth. “My uncle gave them to me.”

From the corner of her eye she saw his head snap in her direction, a pained expression on his face as he stared. She wasn’t sure if he was giving that look because of what she said or the fact that her shirt appeared to be slightly dirty from hitting the ground and her sweat. Knowing how he’s acted in the past based on just a crumb on her shirt she wouldn’t bet against either. Those blue eyes behind his glasses pinched shut as he rubbed the bridge of his nose as if to restrain himself from just jumping the gun with a million questions.

Instead he opened his eyes and folded his hands into his lap as he breathed slowly. “You were abused for a long time then judging by the age of the scars. Kevin’s mother, she knew how to torment a child from an early age of three, that’s when I came along. I figured if I could keep everything nice and in order since she suffered from OCD she’d leave Kevin alone. If I missed cleaning up even one speck of dust or left one crumb for her to find she’d come at us with the hanger sometimes. Other times she thought it would be fitting to try and ‘make’ Kevin a girl by getting the scissors out since she thought boys were distrusting messes and say she was gonna cut it off. Then sometimes she decided to get creative with whatever objects were nearby.” It pained him to admit that to a stranger, but this was his soul mate. If he couldn’t admit his secrets to her and she to him how were they ever to move forward from here on?

Casey could see Dennis visibly swallow as he took a moment to relive those horrible moments. At the moment she didn’t know what to think, let alone say because she was surprised that he was being so open with her about this kind of thing. At the same time she didn’t think this entitled him to hear her life story about all the things her uncle did to her because the look on Dennis’ face was how she was feeling inside about just the IDEA of telling him about her pains. As her mind slowly thought about what he was saying she realized that Dennis was trying to tell her that they weren’t that different, that they’ve both suffered. Before she could come up with anything else to comment Dennis went on. “Other times, when she thought she was being a good mother she decided that SHE should get rewarded as well as Kevin and proceeded to touch him in ways a mother shouldn’t do. Make him touch her too. Kevin didn’t deserve any of it, none of us did and the rest of us arrived in the light when he needed us most in his life.”

Looking away Dennis caught the horrified look in Casey’s eyes as he told her about Kevin’s and all the past pains him and the others went through. He wanted her to understand that he understood her pain. More than anything he wanted her to know that from now on he and the others would never let anything hurt her again because like the Beast believed, they, the broken, were more evolved for all the suffering. They were more adapted for living harsh life in a world full of sleepers and abusers. “I want you to know that no one will ever hurt you again. That man that put those scars on you won’t touch you again. The Beast has already decided that he will be his next meal just because of what he put you through. I hope you’re comforted by that.” (She couldn’t say she felt disturbed at the thought of her uncle getting what he deserved.) Glancing at her untouched food, drink and medicine he picked up the tray and turned to face her holding it out to her. “Please eat and take the medicine. I don’t want you in pain or hungry.”

Quietly she took the offered food tray. Taking a look at what was on it showed a small cup of baby carrots with a roast beef sandwich on a clean white plate. There was a tall clear glass of water next to it on the left side with the pills on the right side of the plate. Noticing that he was still watching her she took up a carrot and decided to slowly chew on it. Deciding he wasn’t going to poison her since she was his soul mate and all she took the medicine and downed it with the glass of water as well. As she was about to grab another carrot Dennis spoke again. “Please say something to me.”

The desperation in his voice surprised her for a moment. She didn’t think  he would be that desperate to hear her story. “What do you want me to say?” she asked carefully. As much as he seemed to try and swap sob stories she didn’t want to say the wrong thing to this guy. If he got mad he could easily throw her against the wall.

As he faced her the pained expression on his face morphed into one of understanding. “You’re afraid of me, aren’t you? Even after knowing who we are to each other?” he asked.

She decided that she didn’t have the energy to stop her filter anymore since he wasn’t going to murder her anytime soon. Being on the defensive was always so exhausting. After hearing that he was practically going to protect her from now she decided to say what was on her mind. “You did take a nice big chunk out of my leg not too long ago and I know you can pick me up like I’m nothing and hurt me if you wanted to. Soul mate or not you don’t exactly give off the welcoming rainbows, unicorns and care bares kind of vibes. Not to mention you killed three people today.” At the mention of dead people she lost her appetite. She carefully put the try back on the chair. “I’m not hungry right now.”

“You don’t have to be afraid of me. And I didn’t all those things, the Beast did those things. We all thought you were like them, the impure. But you’re so much like us instead. Your heart is pure and you’ve suffered greatly. We would never hurt you, especially since we’re soul mates. I would never hurt you. You have to understand, even though we share a body all twenty four of us are different people. ” His last line was more of a declaration than anything. Seeing she was going to say more against him he decided to add more. “You don’t know what it’s like for all of us that aren’t Kevin. Knowing that you’re living proof we are real and have souls if you have our names is amazing. It’s like everything makes sense now that you’re with us, your soul marks prove we were meant to exist. If we had to live it all over again to meet you we would, know that Casey Cooke. That is something I swore if the chance arose I’d never do but all of us agree that you’re worth it.”

Deciding that he made his point across and that right now he wasn’t going to get much farther with connecting with her any time soon he stood to leave. Looking down at her simple attire that he purposefully ignored until this moment he decided that the next one to speak to her needed to be someone who hasn’t threatened her and might get her something clean to wear. It was also going to have to be someone that hasn’t actually threatened her in any shape. That meant that Patricia was going to have to wait a little longer for her turn. He was not looking forward to that conversation.

Noticing how she subtly covered herself up with the blanket as she laid down he took it as she had nothing more to say. “I’ll leave you to rest for now and think about what we talked about. I’m sorry if I make you uncomfortable, I don’t mean to. I never actually did this whole time. Please eat the food though. One of the others will check on you soon and see if you need more things. I’ll make sure you have some clean clothes to wear when they come visit you.”

With that he left to go back to the changing room and sit in the chair as he discussed with the others who got to see Casey next. It bothered him that he scared her into not trusting him but he understood her reasoning. He had kidnapped her and held her hostage and the other three didn’t help much for all in making her believe anything other than her looming death was near. But now that she knew things about him and the others he had hope she might come to know how much her existing means to them all.

Back in Hedwig’s room, all Casey could think of was that was both uncomfortable and an insightful conversation. While she was being honest about being afraid of Dennis, overall, what he said did bring some comfort to her. She would never have to go home to her uncle and if what he said was true, all twenty four of her soul mates would do whatever it took to protect her, even if she had to stay their prisoner to do it. Before the pain killers kicked in she took a few more bites of food and right as the drowsiness hit she wondered who she was going to talk to next.

Chapter Text

The inside of Kevin’s mind was in chaos now that Dennis had returned and everyone wanted to take the light. However, being the most intimidating one, aside from the Beast who sat in his own recliner (he’s too huge for a regular chair) off to the side of the room, nobody wanted to push their luck with how far Dennis was willing to go to make sure who he chose next would take the seat. Doing a little bit of thinking Dennis decided on the next logical choice that wasn’t Patricia and faced Barry. “You can go next.”

“I demand to know why I can’t be next to tending to the poor dear! It’s not fair that Barry get’s to go before me,” Patricia argued as they all stood in the room next to their chairs in a circle. The chair in the center of the circle was recently vacated by Dennis and after some short thinking he figured at least Barry might know what to do with Casey’s clothes since he’s a designer by hobby and would make Casey presentable. Patricia stood next to her chair fuming, her blue eyes almost on fire. “He doesn’t even like girls! How would he know how to take care of one?” she spat at Dennis. Raising an eyebrow at that, Dennis decided he didn’t need to comment on that.

Both shocked at Dennis being willing to let him have the next turn with Casey and irritated at Patricia’s assumption that he knew nothing of girls or that he didn’t like them he decided to set the record straight. It simply wouldn’t do to have any of them assume anything about him just because none of them had the balls to actually ASK him these kinds of things.

Quickly standing he walked over to Patricia and shoved his pointer finger into her blue blouse colored chest. “Now you just listen here sister. I don’t know why you think I don’t know how to take care of a girl, but being “gay” as you seem to think I am has nothin’ to do with that! And for the record since you don’t seem to know me as well as you think you do, my door swings both ways.” As an added bonus to his declaration he even moved his hand back and forth in a swinging motion to demonstrate. “It’s not my fault there are usually more cute guys around me than there are girls. But that poor girl lyin’ down in Hedwig’s room is hurt and my soul mate too if you hadn’t noticed. I, unlike you, have not gone out of my way to frighten the poor thing. I think she’d react a little more positive if I got a turn next.” Taking a breath for a second he turned to face Dennis to confirm his words. “I assume that’s why I’m next, right? You know I attract people to me in positive ways like at work.”

Shuffling on his feet and putting his hands in his pants pockets Dennis nodded his head in agreement. Then he cleared his throat as he adjusted his glasses. “Yes, for the most part you’re right. But I also decided that you would at least give Casey some clean clothes wear that would make her more presentable. She doesn’t seem to like having her scars exposed and I noticed you were working on some kind of new blouse right?”

Smiling in happiness Barry nodded his head, extremely pleased that Dennis noticed the new high end designer shirt he was making. Generally nobody but Hedwig commented on his clothes since the kid spoke his mind but it was nice to be recognized for his individual skills from someone that wasn’t nine years old. It was a simple design overall but it was to be made with silk to give it that delicious soft feel to it and make it to where nobody would want to take it off. The best part about it now was that he actually had someone to try it on. If he thought about it a little harder he could almost make himself believe that he was making the shirt for Casey this whole time because he couldn’t actually imagine anyone else wearing it.

Overall it was a black and white striped shirt but the stripes were in an upside down v-shape position while the collar of the neck was lined in black faux fur and the bottom of the shirt was lined in white faux fur. It was long sleeved and meant to look almost like a mini dress since it would go down to Casey’s knees if he guessed her measurements right. A simple design but one he realized would look wonderful on his soul mate. “I have just the thing for her! It’s almost done too! I’m so excited; she’s going to look absolutely beautiful in it with that long dark hair of hers. I’m going to go finish it before she wakes up.”

He thought Patricia might try to stop him as he made his way to the center chair but when he looked back to her she was merely sitting in her chair with her arms crossed and her face looking displeased as she stuck her nose in the air. The fact that she was looking slightly to the side only made it more obvious that she was upset with not getting her way. She didn’t like how he had put her on the spot like he had for calling her out on her assumptions of him. In his opinion it served her right after all the crap she did to Casey.

Glancing at the others before taking the seat to have the light he noticed that while the others were upset that it wasn’t their turn to talk to Casey they were at least patiently waiting for their turn as they went back to their respective chairs. Some made grumbling noises to each other but that was as far as anyone went in objection to who was next. As he prepared to sit down he noticed Jade was waving to get his attention. She was wearing a bright pink sweater with some dull grey pants and her brown hair was done up in a pony tail wagging as she bounced in her seat. The clash of clothing almost made him shudder.

Looking directly at her he motioned for her to say what she wanted to say. “I just wanted to say that since we all now know that you’re not gay, try not to think about how hot she is. I mean, I only had like maybe ten seconds to be with her but she was really pretty from what I remember. Remember, she’s recovering and you can dress her as pretty as you want but no hanky panky Barry!” At that she even winked at him. She decided painting her nails was a good way to let him know she was done speaking to him. He decided he wasn’t even going to go think in that direction, not until at least he had the light and was alone to think out loud.

Barry could practically hear Orwell cough in surprise and yell “JADE!” he took the center seat finally and went into the light.

Blinking his eyes he noticed he was in the changing room and instantly started removing Dennis’ glasses and clothes to replace them with his own comfortable wardrobe. Once he finished dressing he looked at his reflection in the small mirror they kept in a drawer and deemed he looked presentable enough for at least starting to work.

Quickly he headed over his work station where the blouse Dennis had been talking about was safely tucked away. Unlike his other works, this one he had slowly been working on for a while just to make sure he had it perfect. Every black and white stripe was delicately cut by his hand and carefully stitched together. Making sure the width and length of each stripe was cut perfectly to match the others was something that took many tries, especially with how many mess ups he had when he wasn’t paying attention. Since all he had left to do was attach the faux white fur to the bottom of the shirt since the rest of it was already assembled he figured he could get it finished before Casey woke up…so long as he didn’t fuck up on that either. It had to be PERFECT for her. It would be his first gift to her and if he couldn’t get it perfect he swore he was going to throw a tantrum. Getting everything set up he proceeded to finish his next masterpiece.

***

Casey woke up to the sound of movement going on around her. It wasn’t a quick wake from the dreamless sleep she had, more of that feeling you get when you’re coming up from water as you get closer to the surface where you can tell how much light there is. She was slowly coming from the depths of her sleep and opening her eyes at the same rate to see the man going about Hedwig’s room picking up various toys and stuff and making the room look a little cleaner. The muttering coming from him sounded suspiciously like frustration at how messy kids were and he was hoping Hedwig would get better at making the room look neat.

At first she wasn’t sure why Dennis was even bothering to touch any of Hedwig’s stuff with his bare hands, but as the seconds drew on she realized that not only was he not dressed as Dennis was but that the tone of his voice wasn’t as deep. He didn’t wear those glasses that sat upon Dennis’ face and the dark neat clothing that was Dennis’ choice of style was also absent. Instead what donned his body was a very loose long sleeve blue shirt. Covering his legs was a pair of brown cargo pants that, as much as she didn’t want to admit it, they made his bottom look good when he was bent over. Covering his hands were some fingerless grey gloves and the only accessory he wore was a string necklace that had what appeared to be a single white shark tooth on it.

She wasn’t sure who she was looking at but she could at least safely assume that it wasn’t Dennis, Patricia Hedwig or even the Beast. No, this man (and she was merely guessing based off the 30 seconds she’s observed from him that it was a male identity) was someone else she hadn’t met yet. Though she was really glad it wasn’t Patricia standing in front of her since that woman was frightening. She at least she somewhat knew how Patricia ticked. This stranger she knew nothing about. Trying to think back to the names on the computer she saw Casey couldn’t even remember the majority of them. It didn’t help that she didn’t have time to watch the videos more and study each individual on how they functioned independently from the others.

A sudden treacherous yawn escaped Casey’s mouth, giving her present company a sign that she was awake. ‘Damnit,’ she thought with an edge of frustration. ‘Nothing ever goes the way I want it to does it?’ If given the chance she would have preferred to silently observe whoever was in the room with her. The more time she got to observe who was in front of her was more precious information to assess how to deal with them.

As if on cue the moment she finished yawning the man’s head was facing her as he continued to pick up various scattered clothes and toys on the floor. What surprised her was the genuine look of happiness he seemed to be displaying at her and it threw her for a loop. Then a waterfall of words just kept coming out of his mouth. “Oh my god! I thought you’d NEVER wake up. I half wondered if Dennis accidently gave you some tranquilizers instead of regular pain pills. Between you and me baby girl, I wouldn’t put it past him to accidently do that if he wasn’t so anal about everything being meticulous. However, he is and so I know he didn’t do that. But you were sleeping for like, at least ten hours straight! On the plus side, that did give me plenty of time to finish a present I have for you. Unfortunately I don’t have any bottoms to go with it, at least in your size sweetie, because as fit as this body is I know you and I don’t match up in pants. NOT THAT I LOOKED AT YOUR PANTS OR ANYTHING! Oh good god I’m talking a lot aren’t I? I’m so sorry, I should let you get a word in. Everyone at work says I can talk an ear off but I didn’t realize it was true until now that you’re looking at me like that…yeah I’m going to take a second and let you absorb all that word vomit I just spilled at you, ok?

Taking a deep breath Casey watched as he calmly sat next to her on the makeshift bed she was on. Quietly he reached over onto the floor by his white sock covered feet he picked up a white long, thin box that had a single red bow on it and set it on top of her lap. Other than that he patiently waited for her to say something and kept his hands to himself folded in his lap. After another second of thinking over the things he had said and sorting them out she decided that, again, this was one of her soul mates and they didn’t want to kill her so it was safe to at least talk to them.

Deciding to cut to the chase she needed to figure out which one she was talking to. Just because she temporarily met a few of the others that weren’t the four she definitely knew doesn’t mean she actually can recognize who was in front of her. “Which one are you, if you don’t mind me asking?” she asked as politely as she could muster. It couldn’t hurt to be nice if what she remembered from her encounters with Hedwig and Dennis were like.

At her question she noticed his smile dimmed a bit but he seemed to understand why she was asking. “I’m Barry. We met VERY briefly before Hedwig took the light from me…you were getting the shotgun if that helps jog your memory.”

She did remember now that he mentioned it. The way he talked and expressed himself was the same as in the one video log she was half listening to before breaking out of the office like room. She nodded her head as the memory came to mind. However, still weary of this identity, she figured she might as well try and see what her chances of getting out of here were. “I don’t mean to sound rude or anything since it seems that you guys like taking care of me, but since we haven’t properly met and I don’t know you, I figure I can ask you this question. What are my chances of getting out of here?”

He looked stricken for a moment, almost as if she splashed a drink in his face. Then he gave a sad smile. “That’s not rude at all honey. If anything, that’s very logical of you to ask. If it was really up to just me and I didn’t selfishly want you to stay with us myself I’d help you out of here. But all of us made a deal with each other after the Beast found out who you were to us. He said that as long as we kept you with us and kept you safe and fed and as happy as you could be that he’d let us equally have the light to be with you. The Beast also said that if any of us try and help you leave he’d never give the light back just to make sure you stayed and that he’d continue to do what he was meant to do while making you join in on his hunting.”A shiver ran down her spine at the thought of being near the Beast again, let alone being forced to go out with him as he hunted for people to kill.

Hoping for much in this situation didn’t seem like a good idea when all she was met with was disappointment when it came to leaving. So it was surprising that she didn’t even realize that she was hoping this identity would help her escape until he told her that it wasn’t happening. Even if he had wanted to help her he couldn’t but he admitted to wanting to keep her too. After all the fucked up shit she’s gone through in life she simply didn’t understand how anyone could possibly want someone like her to keep. These identities literally mean to keep her captive with them. It almost made her feel like she was their pet. If anything, it was slightly disturbing and made her just think of her uncle and all the harsh things he’s told to her about her soul mates and what they might want with her since they had to share her. “What is it with all of you wanting to keep me? There’s nothing special about me at all. Just because we have each other’s names on our skin doesn’t mean shit. I’m just another brick in the wall, easily no different than someone on the street.”

“THAT’S BULLSHIT!” he yelled making her jump. He seemed surprised at himself for even yelling. Clearing his throat he composed himself and calmed down. Barry couldn’t believe how she saw herself as simply nothing special but what made it sad was that he saw by the look on her face that she believed she wasn’t worth the effort he and the others wanted to put in with being with her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell. I know you’ve been through some traumatic things and stuff these last few days but I truly don’t believe any of that. The Pink Floyd reference was smooth by the way but I and the others don’t see you as that. We’ve been waiting for you our whole lives Casey, waiting and hoping for someone that just…gets us, you know? You actually believe we are all real inside this one body. Tell me you didn’t believe that you had 24 different soul mates that had their own bodies before you discovered the truth. You expected 24 people and you have them, just not in the way you expected. We know abuse. We know how to take it and we know how to fight it. I’m not just talking about the 24 of us; I’m talking about you too. Each identity emerged with whatever Kevin needed to survive but you simply adapted for survival without that need. I hate to make you uncomfortable about it honey, but fate made us paired up for a reason and I like to believe that’s it.”

He took a moment to himself and thought about calming thoughts and how to proceed without making her uncomfortable, at least more than she already was. It was true he wanted to keep her like all the others did but he did feel for her about her dilemma of feeling trapped, especially with someone who hosted the identity of a murderer. It would have been fantastic if he or the others could have met her before this whole “The Beast is coming” thing and none of this mess would have happened. Unfortunately there was nothing he could do to change how things have come to be. If only….

Then an idea planted itself in his mind. What COULD he do for her? Other than letting her go what could Barry himself do that would make her trust them all more and learn to be at least comfortable staying with them? The answer seemed simple: give her free reign on whatever else there could be. Simply ask her what she wants. If they could all work together to make her happy, get her what she desires then maybe slowly she’d believe that they really meant no harm toward her. Eventually she might even believe in her own value to them. For Barry himself, he would give her the universe to make her happy if he had god like powers to do so. She is his soul mate and he wants nothing more than to love her and hope she loves him and the others in return.

With that thought in mind he turned his eyes towards the present she still hadn’t touched yet and decided after she opened that he would get to work on making her happy. He seriously hoped though that she enjoyed the love and dedication he put into that shirt for her. “I know you don’t believe us that we care for you but I hope you come to learn that over time that we do. We always wanted you Casey, even if it was only for Kevin. All of us never dared to hope for a soul mate of our own because we weren’t “born” like you or Kevin, we just came to be in the world one day. But you make us happy with being our soul mate, even if we have to share you. Do you think that at least over time you might come to like us, just a little?” he asked. Before she answered he decided that he was going to give her the freedom to choose anything from this point on short of her leaving. He needed her to know that she wasn’t strictly a prisoner. ‘Jeeze just thinking of her as a prisoner is horrible,’ he thought.

“Before you answer that I want you to know something. Short of giving you the freedom to leave I want you to know I will get you whatever you need, whatever you want. I want you as happy as you can be in your situation. If there’s something you want I want you to tell us, we’ll do our best to give it to you. To even go further in that vow, I’m going to talk with the others on this bit but I want to offer you the choice of whoever you want to speak to that that’s who you’ll speak to. I’m not sure I’ll be able to convince them to do that seeing as we all want to spend time with you but if you want that I will let them know and work on that, ok?” He tilted his head in the direction of the boxed gift he continued on. “I’m not even going to make you open that present up if you don’t want to but I want you to know that I made that by hand. Every inch of it was something I did thinking it was going to have to go on someone special before I finished it and I want you to have it. Personally I think it’s one of my most simplistic masterpieces but if you don’t really like it I can always get you something else to wear.”

Having heard what he had to say she took it all into consideration. Out of the four she’s talked to since they discovered they were each other’s soul mates, Barry seemed to honestly want to help her if he could and she believed that he would have liked to have met her under different circumstances. He was also the only one so far that offered her any sort of real choices other than the obvious one she wanted. As she continued to get to know who her soul mates were she slowly could see WHY they wanted her (scars and mental abuse and all), it was just that she didn’t fully believe any good would come of it. But there was the lingering feeling that, as much as she wasn’t going to admit this either, that even though she was smartly weary of each alter that she met she also could almost feel how much they wanted to protect her from anything that might hurt her more in life.

Once she read an article about abuse victims and soul mates and it had varying results based on interviews done but one thing was consistent with it all: the soul mates that were the victims of any form of abuse always felt a sort of drawn protectiveness from their other halves once they met. Of course she thought it was a crock of shit since she didn’t believe anything about HER soul mates could possibly even come close to the normal things of life but right now she can almost feel how protective each one of these soul mates were of her. Dennis had said the Beast planned on making her uncle pay for what he did to her and while murder in her name wasn’t something she liked the idea of it was the thought of the Beast eliminating her living nightmare that touched her. Hedwig wanted them to be friends and possibly family (again, she was not going to marry anyone here). When Hedwig saw that she was in pain he truly only thought of getting ‘one of the adults’ to help take care of her and make her better. While Barry hasn’t strictly said anything about avenging he spoke more about wanting what was best for her to keep her alive, healthy and happy. That was something she wasn’t expecting in life but she couldn’t deny that while she believed that THEY thought they wanted that she could only see how things played out.

After sorting out all her thoughts on the matter on her situation and what Barry has told her, Casey decided to both tread carefully but also not let her fear dictate her completely. Just because she was definitely weary of her soul mates doesn’t mean she can’t take the cards life dealt her and figure out how to win, or at the very least, break even with the game. If this was her life from now on she needed to learn to adapt to it like she has everything else. Right now, she figured playing nice with the one soul mate she isn’t quite afraid of is a good start. So picking up her ‘gift’ she looks at Barry’s face quickly to see that he has an encouraging smile on his face for her to go ahead and open it.

Once the lid is removed from the box Casey isn’t quite sure what it is until she takes it out. The material is silk and soft through her fingers as she feels its texture. While she see’s that the faux fur is a little flashy for her taste she can definitely see that it is a handmade blouse that had many hours of love put into it. The simple black and white design of the entire shirt was something she felt she could wear comfortably since it didn’t scream “I’M FLASHY!” but it did say “I DON’T WEAR WALMART!” To be completely honest with herself it was probably the most thoughtful gift she was ever given that she could remember.

Her silence must have been driving Barry crazy because he started to fidget as he asked her, “Do you not like it? I can always get you something from Jade’s clothes if you like something more plain. Nevermind, it was stupid of me to think you’d even..” he trailed off. He started to reach for the shirt but Casey was already attached to it and she didn’t want to let this beautiful gift go. Plus, it would make her feel so much better if she could wear it to cover her scars.

“No!” She yelled as she clutched the beautiful fabric to her chest and stared into Barry’s blue eyes. “I really like it. It’s so beautiful. It’s the most thoughtful thing someone’s ever given me because I can see how much love you put into it. Thank you, Barry.”

“You really want it?” he questioned. He seemed surprised at her reaction.

She nodded her head. “Yes, I really do. Besides, I really also need a shirt that isn’t my tank top and I think this is a much better top than anything I actually have ever owned. Again, thank you Barry.”

Stunned at the positive feedback he was getting from her he just gaped at her for a second before closing his mouth. Then a small smile made its’ way to his face. “You’re welcome then.”

The moment was a peaceful one but was interrupted by Casey’s stomach growling, which only served to make them both start quietly laughing. She didn’t even know why it was funny but she couldn’t stop giggling and her giggles only seemed to stimulate his own. Casey can truly say she hasn’t laughed like that since her father was alive and it actually felt good. The feeling of actually being safe like Dennis and the Beast told her she would be finally started to feel like it was possible.  Of course she and all her soul mates were going to have to talk about the negative things like the murders and stuff but for now she’s going to take this one safe moment she’s got with Barry and run with it. Okay, she’s going to crawl with it because trust takes time and effort between people but right now all she has is time.

After Barry finally manages to calm himself down and stop laughing he looks at her brown eyes and see’s himself actually falling in love with her in due time. She’s suffered so much but he can see just what he’s always wanted in a soul mate: a beautiful soul that is just waiting for the chance to feel free enough to shine a little brighter. He wouldn’t have cared if she were a man or woman but he’s just glad that she’s also his along with the others. “I can make you something to eat if you want. I went shopping and we have quite the selection of food now. Would you like me to make you something to eat and bring it to you?”

Deciding that was a good idea she nodded her head. “Yes please. That would be great.”

“Anything in particular baby girl?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I’m not picky. Anything sounds good right now.”

Nodding his head he thought of a few options. “Okay then. I’ll surprise you. Be right back.”

As he was about to go through the doorway he paused and turned back to her, this time he was biting his lip as he gave her an unsure look. Casey wasn’t sure how to take that but decided not to just jump to conclusions. “Would it be okay if one of the others got to meet you next? I’ve already had the light a long time and they’re asking me if someone else can have a turn now.  Remember, I said I was going to try and give you the choice on who you wanted to talk to from now on but eventually we all have to share the light and meet you. Do you have a preference on who you want to meet when you get your food?”

As much as Barry wanted more time with her he knew that Dennis, Hedwig and the Beast didn’t even get much time with her as it was when they were last in the light. It was only fair if they all got small bursts of time with her so they could all meet her but they had to understand she needed to be comfortable with it. Her life was here now with them. If there was anything he could do to make it easier for her transition from “food captive” to “soul mate being kept safe captive” then he would do it, but the thought of her being a prisoner still left a bad taste in his mouth.

Casey hesitated on the choice in front of her. She liked Barry so far, he was nice and considerate as far as she could see. But she understood the dilemma he had put himself under. If she choose to see him again when the food was brought back to her the others might get mad at him for not being fair and it might unsettle those who she wasn’t too keen on seeing so soon (a.k.a. Patricia). She has the choice here on who she gets to spend her time with and she’s going to use it but the question is with whom. The only name that stuck out from all the names she remembered seeing was Kevin’s. “Can I talk to Kevin?” she asked timidly.

Nodding his head he thought about it and decided if anything might ground Kevin to reality without feeling weak or anything then it would be finding his soul mate. It was just a matter of waking him up from his chair and letting the others agree to it that was a little bump in the road. For Casey though, he think the others will agree to Kevin waking up. “I’ll see what I can do, he’s sleeping right now but I know he’s wanted to meet you too. Just, please, be kind with him. He might want you to shoot us again if he remembers what happened with Doctor Fletcher and I’d really like to not die. None of us want to leave you.”

With that he left her to prepare a meal for her and leave a note for whoever came next. It wasn’t a guarantee he could talk the others into waking Kevin but she was Kevin’s soul mate first and foremost. He deserves to meet the girl whose name has been on his body since birth. After all, they had a lot in common.

Chapter Text

Kevin was asleep. At least, he thought he was. It was hard to figure out what were dreams and what weren’t the days the others actually let him have the light. Taking in the smell of stir fry in the air he deemed he was definitely awake and that one of the alters had cooked something good. Blinking his eyes to get his vision right he realized where he was. He was sitting in the kitchen at the table with two plates of food and a note on the table in front of him. He also notices the two pill bottles of his that are muscle relaxers and pain narcotics with several pills next to one of the plates. 

Blinking slowly he picked up the note that was a simple white piece of paper and read what was on it. Based on a quick glance at the fancy letters he could tell it was Barry’s handwriting that had left the note. Nobody in the system but Barry would be so ‘artistic’ with their writing.

 “Kevin, I know things are fuzzy right now but stay calm. I promise things will go smoother if you do. As you can see there are two plates of food. One is for you and the other is for Casey. Yes, THE Casey, Casey Cooke. Also, the pills are for her since she needs them right now. She’s in Hedwig’s room waiting to talk to you. I know you don’t remember even waking up in the room with the rest of us but that’s because we put you in the center chair before waking you up. We thought it was best if you talked to her first before talking to us but I do have to point out a few new rules that you absolutely CANNOT ignore Kevin. It’s for everyone’s and Casey’s safety and sanity that you follow them. The first rule is that you acknowledge the Beast is real because he is. He is being patient but watching our every move.

“The second rule is that no matter how much we all want to, no matter how much Casey asks, we can’t let the poor girl go. If we try to help her escape the Beast will hunt her down and keep her with himself in the light and never let us come out again. For her safety and sanity she must not be allowed to escape because I can’t bring myself to let him be alone with her for the rest of our lives. She would go insane. He scares her even though she hasn’t outright said so.

“Other than that the last rule is that after much talking the others and I agree that in her situation Casey shall have as much freedom to choose anything she wants in her situation. That includes what she eats, what she wears, if she wants us to adopt unicorns or to even who she talks to! Baby girl is trapped here with us but we want her to be as happy as we can make her under all the circumstances. So I implore you Kevin, please follow the rules and go from there.

Talk to you soon buddy! –Barry”

After finishing the letter Kevin could feel his heart start to race. She was here? His soulmate was here? Of all places she was sitting in his home and waiting for him? After all his thirty six years (he was guessing it was thirty six years, hard to tell after being out of the light for so long) of having the name Casey Cooke on his thigh since birth and after giving up any hope of ever meeting her she was practically here and waiting for him.

The last time he was even in the light was very brief and that was when he had asked that poor, unknown girl to kill him. That girl couldn’t have been more than 17 years old. Just the thought of what possible things the horde had put her through (he was 99% sure the others had hadn’t anything to do with it) was unpleasant. He couldn’t bear the thought of what ‘he’ did to Doctor Fletcher, let alone anyone else. That poor girl was in tears and looked so afraid. He hoped that she had managed to get away from the Beast because he’s sure that’s who killed the good doctor. God only knows how much blood was on his hands now.

At the sight of the two plates he was reminded of why the others let him out in the light. According to the note, if Casey had the choice of who she wanted to see then it was a rational thought process that she specifically had asked to see him. It made him wonder just how long he’s been out of the light since he saw that poor dark haired girl. If Jade hadn’t taken the light from him in that last moment then he wouldn’t even be here to know his soul mate was here waiting for him. For all he knew, it could have been weeks or years since he was last in the light.

Closing his eyes for a second he decided that he wasn’t going to keep Casey waiting. He’s waited so long to meet her but if he was honest he had actually given up on it happening. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure why she would even want him as a soulmate. Just because they were destined to be together doesn’t mean she actually had to accept him. In accepting him she accepts the others in her life. How was she even coping with the alters being in her life inside his body? Different people inhabiting one body, both male and female is a strange idea alone. He can’t imagine it’s easy for her unless she suffers from D.I.D. as well.

Gathering his courage he takes note that at some point Barry actually put Kevin’s clothes on before giving the light to him. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt that said a Forrest Gump quote of “Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get!” He was wearing his black house slippers with no socks and a pair of blue plaid pajama pants. It was his outfit he usually wore to bed, which made it seem ironic since he literally just woke up from who knows how long. After a few more seconds of inspecting his body to see if there were any changes (he remembers Jade’s offhand comment once about getting a tattoo) and finding none he gathers the plates, his courage and gets ready to meet his soul mate.

After assorting the food and some orange soda he’d found in the fridge on a tray he carefully leaves the kitchen and heads towards Hedwigs room. If he’s honest, he feels his heart pounding so hard in his chest he’s afraid that it will leave his torso and run off like a chest burster from ‘Alien’. He’s got a slight jitter in his arms from being nervous but he can’t help it. The entire minute it takes to get to Hedwig’s room feels like an hour to him because he’s thinking of so many things at the same time.

The color of her eyes, her hair, how tall she is, how old she is, weather she is pale skinned or dark or somewhere in between is all a mystery. Will she be bulky or a twig like person or again somewhere in the middle? Will she blame him for everything since it’s apparently obvious she’s being held captive because if the Beast won’t let her leave? How do any of them expect her to even get past being held against her will? Will she find him attractive or ugly or just plain? Does she find him freaky already from knowing that he’s got NOW 24 people living in his one body? All of these questions ran through his mind over and over again with various side thoughts on things he hasn’t quite thought of but were not as important, like if Jade hid his diary again for shits and giggles.

There is only two feet separating him from the base of the small staircase that led to Hedwig’s room. Just around that small corner was his soulmate who was literally waiting for him. She wasn’t waiting for Barry, Dennis, Patricia, Jade or Mr. Pritchard, she was waiting for Kevin Wendell Crumb. This girl had asked specifically for him and that’s why he had control of the light right now. It was literally a few steps to get to her and here he was standing at the base of the stairwell stuck on the thought of someone actually wanting to meet him and not the others. It’s possible that she had already met all the alters but from the way Barry’s letter was worded he was thinking that maybe that wasn’t the case yet.

Finding the strength to be brave and not run from the unknown Kevin took a deep breath then ascended the few steps while keeping his eyes on the tray. Once he was in the room he raised his eyes and nearly dropped the tray on the floor but kept it in his grip instead since half of it was hers and she did need to eat. A deep sadness ran inside his heart as he gazed at the girl whose eyes he had last seen when in the light. He had hoped she had gotten away but if life taught him anything, it was that Kevin didn’t get what he wanted.  She sat there on Hedwig’s bed with a sketchbook and pen in her hand looking both scared and determined.

Now he understood Barry’s letter a little more and the urgency of the rules. From what he gathered in the short time when the alters were all grasping at the light when she had called his name it was that (he) the Beast had killed Doctor Fletcher and that it was possible she was next. She had gone from prey to soulmate and had never had the chance to escape. Who knows how long she’s even been down here before one of them realized she was Kevin’s soulmate. He wanted to ask her so many things like “are you ok?” and “did anyone hurt you?” or even “did you know we were soulmates?” but the thing that decided to become his first thing to say was “You should have shot me.” He mentally cursed himself for such crude words but he couldn’t take them back. Besides, it was the truth. He didn’t feel like he even deserved a soulmate after everything. Faintly he heard the others scolding him for being so selfish about his life but he ignored them.

Slowly she closed the sketchbook, put it to the side and gave him a half smile. “I guess it would have been easier if I had. But with how things are turning out versus what I had to go back home to is another mess I’m not happy about either. I’m Casey, but I guess you might know that already?” she asked in a soft voice. She still looks uncomfortable but not so scared. Her eyes land on the tray he’s holding “Are one of those plates for me? Barry said he was getting food.”

“Yes! I’m sorry. I’m not used to having people here with me. It’s been a long time since they let me have the light.” He quickly looks around the room and noticed the spinning chair and the one by the door. Quickly placing the stationary chair near her he sets the try down and sits in the other chair before handing her one plate and a fork. She slowly takes it as if it would spill all over her without the utmost care. “I’m Kevin by the way, but I assume you already knew that. Barry’s note said you asked to see me specifically?” She reaches for the pills first and downs them with some of the orange soda before digging into the food.

He noticed that she begins to eat without being suspicious of it being drugged or poisoned but he reasons that she’s confident she’s at least safe from him health wise. Why would the alters want to kill her now if they went through the trouble of keeping her happy-ish and healthy after all? He decides that he doesn’t want to beat around the bush because if this girl was in control of who gets the light then he didn’t really have time to waste if she wanted someone else to talk to. “You seem pretty calm about your situation. I’m sorry for that by the way. But I seriously have to ask, ARE you okay? Did any of the other’s hurt you? Why didn’t you get away? Did you know you were my soulmate when I saw you last? How are you so calm about all this? I can’t imagine what they’ve put you through and if I could I’d help you but from what I understand the Beast is watching for one of us to help you escape. Again, I’m sorry, I don’t mean to ask so many questions at once but I don’t know when I’ll get the light again.” He says it all in a rush he’s worried that he might have upset her.

Looking at Kevin she can tell he’s a right mess with all his questions and his worries for her. Like the other alters she doesn’t put much faith him just trusting him but with how he’s worried for her she softens a little towards him. She wonders I he knows he’s not her only soulmate but concludes he doesn’t if he’s questioning her so much about everything. Deciding to try and be civil with him she takes another bite before deciding on what to answer first. She likes how he’s not beating around the bush before trying to find answers out of her. She’s the same way.

 Swallowing her food she takes a drink of her soda before answering. “Well, considering I was literally going to die before the Beast saw his own name on me I’d say health wise I’m fine.”

At his confused look she answers the biggest question he doesn’t know he’s asking. “I have all 24 of your guys’ names on my torso and legs. I was born with 23 but the 24^th one came and I’m not sure when. And before you even ask, I’m going to tell you the long explanation of my life in the shortest way I can so you hear it from me and not the others. I also don’t want to have to ever speak of it again if you can be so kind as to not mention it in the future. I’ve been sexually, physically and mentally abused since at a very young age. It happened shortly before my father’s death and continued when I got placed in the custody of my abuser slash uncle. Ever since my father’s death all that man has done is make every name on my body something I chose to ignore since he made physical scars on them. Everything about them that he could make negative into he did and it got to the point where on some level I even forgot the names themselves, at least consciously. Any name associated with my soul marks I blanked out on as a sort of coping mechanism since all it reminded me of is my uncle’s sick abuse and use of those names. So to answer one of your questions, no I did not know any of you were my soulmates right away. Even looking at the names of the video diary’s didn’t trigger to me because of my coping mechanism. That, and I was trying to stay alive so that helped in ignoring the obvious.”

She takes another bite of food to give him a moment to let that entire explanation sink in. When understanding, then more sadness covers his face she knows she can continue since she’s painted a good enough picture for him. “To finish your questions: yes I did try to get away but that didn’t work out so well since I’m still here. So far the only way I’ve been hurt is that,” she takes a second to remember that THIS isn’t the person who bit her in the leg and has to correct herself, “the Beast bit my calf trying to eat me. That was before he realized I was his soulmate too. I’m actually pretty well medicated right now thanks to the drugs from Dennis and Barry so its more of an ache right now. I’m not sure what kind of drugs you guys gave me but they’re pretty good. You must have great insurance for that stuff,” she mentions offhandedly. She takes more bites and savors the flavor of the food and the chance to not have to talk.

Aloud she won’t admit to it, but mentally she knows after all the pain pills Dennis and Barry are supplying her with slowly she’s a little loopy and at the moment she’s completely fine with that so long as no one touches her. It’s a safe assumption that by the look on Kevin’s face that he in no way wants to violate her space. Good. She can work with that. Or at least function without having to worry about her uncle trying to stick his hand down her pants to “see if she can feel that” while doped up.

“I’m so sorry.”

It comes after several bites and with the haze on her mind it takes her about 5 seconds to realize he was saying it to her. “At least with you guys I don’t have to worry about him.” Taking Barry’s request to heart about being gentle with Kevin she decides to not focus on the negative of her situation and ignore the past of her abuse for now. Best not to mention anything more thought provoking. “I’d say don’t be sorry but I have no control over how all of you feel. Right now, between you and me, if you just don’t touch me we can get along fine. We can talk about you if you want or even sit here and not talk but I’m done talking about me for today Kevin.”

Taking note of her relaxed state and her words he decides she’s right. After all, if the system agrees that she’s pretty much the boss then he should go along with what she wants. He does feel sorry for her and he can definitely sympathize about abuse from supposed loved ones so he knows why she doesn’t want to speak of it. On the inside though it hurts him to know that she had been put through so much that she actually had to block all thoughts relating to her soulmates names. That too surprises him but it also makes sense that his soulmate would have had to suffer like he did to be able to even POSSIBLY love him. Each alter is a part of him and has different purposes so it makes sense that his soulmate would have to have their names too and not just his.

After a minute he decides that just sitting there watching her eat without touching his own food must be uncomfortable for her so he remains quiet while he eats. For about another 20 minutes they sit there in the room with not even the ticking of a clock to make noise. Only their chewing and the slightly awkward glances to each other as they drink and eat are the sounds made. This gives him time to think of things to talk about because he’s sure that she’s getting sleepy from the drugs but she’s not quite ready to go to bed yet. She wanted to speak with him specifically and he was going to make sure that she got to at least know Kevin a little more before someone else came to take care of her at her request.

Food finished he takes both their plates and places them back on the tray and looks towards her again. She sits there patiently waiting for him to say something or be silent. He goes with the former. “I’m open to talking about general things so we can at least know each other a little better. What do you say about that, Casey?”

Shrugging her shoulders she agrees. “I’m good with that.”

Chapter Text

Every breath she took Casey could feel the heaviness of her limbs as the extra drugs kicked into her system. She wasn’t exactly sleepy but the drugs her soulmates were providing her with on a regular basis made her drowsy. At least the pain in her leg is practically gone because of said drowsiness. It would be a shame to be this doped up and still feel like a chunk of her leg got chomped on.

Deciding that she needed to lay back down for this conversation Casey adjusted her pillow a little bit and rested her head upon it. Reaching for the cheetah print blanket by her feet she opened it up and covered her body with it. Once laid down she turned her eyes towards Kevin and took in his appearance as he finished eating his meal.

Knowing that her soulmates were all in one body did help her understand why she had so many but she had to remember that they are still different people, only they share a body and only pop up one at a time. While Dennis has a more formal work in the office kind of dress code she noticed, Barry was pretty much the opposite with his flashy clothes and bubbly personality. Hedwig seemed to love track suits and always looked ready to run. Patricia obviously had a thing for dresses or skirts that looked like they got stolen from a grandma’s closet. Kevin on the other hand seemed dressed for comfort. The white shirt with a quote on it that sounded familiar yet she couldn’t place why was definitely a contrast from what she noticed compared to the others she met. Maybe Hedwig would wear something like that but it wasn’t something she was sure on. The pants were obviously pajama pants and the blue pattern looked good on him. This unfashionable, relaxed outfit seemed to just be “Kevin”, not any of the others. It did seem the least threatening at least but she didn’t fully put her guard down just yet. Just because the wolf was wearing sheeps clothing didn’t mean it wasn’t a wolf anymore. Her uncle once wore sheeps clothing too.

After a few minutes of silence it became clear to Kevin that Casey wasn’t going to be the one to start talking. Considering how drowsy she looked and her willingness to consume pills that she had no clue what they were he figured that she possibly didn’t have the energy left to even think on just WHAT they would talk about. Dragging his eyes to the direction of her covered legs he wondered just how big of a bite his mouth left on her calf if the Beast had really bit it. He couldn’t taste any blood but he would bet whatever money was in his bank account that Dennis would have seen to brushing his teeth as soon as he deemed was safe. It was possible she was in a lot more pain than she let on but he wasn’t a mind reader and didn’t think he wanted to ask her about it. They did agree to just randomly talk after all.

Thinking about some topic that might be relevant he came up with something possibly more interesting than the current weather for her to answer. “So, I’ve been out of the light for a while. You said it wasn’t September 18, 2014. What is the date?”

It surprised him that her dilated eyes actually traveled from some spot on the wall (or possibly nothing) to meet his. Casey looked almost reluctant to tell him, possibly fearing his reaction. That only made both his guilt at her situation worsen and his fear of just HOW LONG he was gone to sleep deepen. He did his best to hide just how nervous he was of her answer but he wasn’t sure he could hide it well since her eyes moved to his hand right which he didn’t notice was twitching in his lap. Immediately he stopped the movements of his twitchy hand. Her eyes traveled back to his.

“It was October 2, 2016 the day Claire had her party…the day we were taken. It can’t have been more than a few days ago.”

Two years. His life had two years missing from it. Had he really been out of the light for so long? Would the others really have done that to him? ‘Yes,’ he answered his own internal question. ‘They would have, if they thought I was a threat to myself,’ he continued on inside his head. It was oddly quiet inside his head he suddenly noticed as he thought those things. Sometimes, not all the time, the others would be able to peek in on the conversations that whoever had the light would have with other people. It didn’t work in the sense that they could read his mind, those thoughts were his own. However if he was speaking and they all were quiet and sitting in their chairs they could hear what he was saying since whoever was in the light would be whispering while in the chair. In return, if they weren’t silent sometimes their voices would be heard in different degrees of loudness, similar to a schizophrenic. But the voices were absent which meant they were all listening in to whatever came out of his mouth to Casey.

He couldn’t help the distraught lacing his words. “TWO YEARS?” he questioned the others inside him, not realizing that his growl at the words made Casey flinch. “I’ve been asleep for two years? How could you guys do that to me!” he growled while rubbing his head as a headache began to form. The fact that Casey jumped as he said that caught his attention and he noticed the carefully masked look on her face. She was hiding her fear of him, expecting him to lash out at her in some collateral damage to whatever was going on with him.

Taking a deep breath he forced his eyes closed and attempted to calm down. He really didn’t want to frighten the poor girl more. “I’m sorry Casey, I’m not yelling at you. I’m nowhere near upset with YOU at all. It’s just been so long since they let me have the light. I’ve got two years of my life gone because they took it from me. It’s like being forced in a coma and a never ending circle of loosing time and one day I’ll wake up and will not even recognize my own face in the mirror. Or in our real case of I’ve got my soulmate trapped in my home and I’m powerless to help her. Not to mention that not only is Doctor Fletcher dead but that I killed her. The Beast inside of me killed her. I kidnapped you and…wait…” he paused in his ramblings as something else she’d said occurred to him when he asked about the date. She had said “WE were taken”…as in there was someone else trapped here.

Shaking his head as if to clear the horrible thought from his mind he opened his eyes and saw no change in her expression. That just worried him more. He did his best to speak as calmly as possible. “You said ‘we were taken’ when I asked you the date. Is someone else here? Did I kidnap someone else too?” he asked carefully.

Eyelashes fluttered as a few stray tears left her eyes. Her breathing deepened slightly as she composed herself as best as she could in her intoxicated state. “Not anymore. He…killed them,” she whispered. “I don’t feel like talking anymore Kevin. It won’t bring them back and I’m just done with it all for now. Can I get some privacy please? I just want to rest and forget for a little while. It’s hard to look at your face and not see the monster that was going to kill me before he realized who I was.”

Casey was done with the drama of the past god knows how long she’s been here. She just wanted to take enough drugs to be able to have dreamless sleep since she knew that she was just going to have to face another alter. All the alters were too afraid to let her go but she knew after this little conversation that Kevin might just break that rule and if he did…she was stuck with the Beast forever. She didn’t want to see that deranged look in his eyes again. That hungry glare that faintly reminded her of her uncle when he looked at her in a similar way. Dennis may have issues with liking girls but she thought that he seemed desperate to control it around her. The Beast didn’t seem to have any restraints on what he wanted and if he wanted her for anything of that nature she didn’t want to be near it. She’d rather take Patricia’s cold, calculating eyes and demeanor over that. Luckily she had other choices of a companion but she knew she had to let them take turns so no Barry or even Hedwig for a while. It was the safest way to prevent the Beast from getting too jealous with waiting for his turn.

She looked away trying to be civil but making her point across. She wasn’t a cruel person by nature. “I’m not blaming you either Kevin. But I really need time alone. I do want to get to know you better because you seem nice but I don’t want you to just go to sleep like you said you were. And like Barry said, you all need to have a turn. So I want to take a nap again because these drugs are really strong and I really need a little alone time while I’m still awake. But let’s give someone else a turn. Any recommendations?”

He was going to try and point out that technically he was indeed the one to blame, at least in the eyes of the law, but he saw that Casey understood his situation. She knew there was more than just ‘Kevin’ occupying his body and she was willing to give him a chance. It just wasn’t going to happen as quickly as he dared to hope. Soulmate or not, they both needed time to adjust separately and even he knew he wasn’t going to make their situation with each other better. Just the last 2 minutes showed that he needed to digest the information he learned and she didn’t need his freaking out.

Again trying to remain calm he nodded his head in agreement with her needs and thought of which one of his alters might be able to help. He thought about Casey’s possible feelings and needing someone who might be able to at least verbally coach her through this rough patch that they all have to go through now. Orwell was the oldest among them at the eternal age of 56 and has an intense knowledge of how the world works. He’s actually a kind man but using the VERY historical references he likes to use might not be the best at communicating. She’s going to need someone she can talk to but not feel so threatened by. That kind of leaves out the boys since boys might be intimidating to her. He doubts she wants Patricia though since she’s more arrogant than he’d care to sit around with either.

Jade is a possible candidate though since she’s the only teenager too at the wonderful (terrifying) age of 15.  She’s a bit of a drama queen unfortunately but she has a heart of gold. There were less stray animals on the streets and more in shelters or pounds because she couldn’t stand  the idea of those darn things being homeless. She’d probably be a safe bet.

Letting out a long sigh he stood up and headed over to the door. Without turning around (because he was afraid he’d not have the strength to leave his soulmate of all people) he answered her. “I get what you’re saying. I do. I’m in no state to be fit company. I don’t take offense about what you said about looking at my face. I understand it can be hard to separate us from each other. If you’re not opposed to it I might suggest Jade. I don’t know if you’ve met her yet. She’s a teenager like you but she’s actually nice under her saucy attitude. She might be able to take your mind of this mess a little bit. Does that sound good?”

“I have met her. I guess she’s fine.”

“Then I’ll leave you to rest. She’ll come check on you in a couple of hours.”

As he was about to step out the door she called to him. “Kevin?”

Not able to resist he glanced over his shoulder but her eyes were closed now. “Yes?”

“Thanks.”

He left it that as he walked away. He was determined to at least not be put under like a dog this time when he lost the light. He’d rather endure sitting in the chair waiting for his turn and sort his shit out before he lost his nerve again around Casey. His soulmate deserved better than that from him.

Chapter Text

After heading back to his room (he hoped that it was still in the state he last had it in) he decided to simply lie down on this bed and go inside himself and talk to the others. Once he entered the room he noted it looked virtually the same as last time, if not a little cleaner since no clothes were on the floor. The room itself was the same size as Hedwig’s if not just a tiny bit bigger and had an attaching bathroom to it with the same yellow theme walls as the rest of his home. The bed was still a full size bed with his familiar grey heavy blanket and matching pillow cases. The plain black dresser was on the side that still had a few various books on it and he had a closet for his clothes. The scent of lavender air freshener gave the room a fresh smell and must have only recently been applied; he assumed it would have been Dennis to keep the room clean since they all slept there.

The only thing to decorate the walls was a single poster that had those Escher stairs because they reminded him of his own situation in his head with the others. Overall his room was plain and he liked it that way. It was more of a relief for him than he had hoped it would be. The rest of the house didn’t have more than the living room, a spare room with a small bathroom, Hedwig’s room, a couple of closets and his office room slash workshop. Several years ago he demanded that HIS room be left alone other than for sleeping in since everyone else made space for themselves where they could. Touches of everyone were all over the living room and Hedwig had his own room, he demanded his own space and that it remain simple if he was ever out of the light. The world scared him enough as it was, he didn’t need overcomplicated when he wanted his space. Such simplicity helped calm his nerves as he began to lie down and thought of the chaos he was willingly going into. This time he couldn’t just go back to sleep and hideaway while the others lived his life for him. Casey was counting on him and he was determined to protect her like his alters were determined to protect him.

Taking a deep breath he closed his eyes and opened them to see the room with everyone in their chairs quietly talking to each other but quickly notice him. The murmur of their speech died when everyone noticed he was back and looking at them all. All the familiar faces looked on at him as if waiting for him to shout at them. It was a tempting idea really. After being forced to sleep a dreamless sleep inside his own mind for years and then waking up to find his deceased psychologist on his floor and a scared girl next to her in his living room he really wanted to have words with what they were all thinking. Then they put him back to sleep and wake him up again with RULES and his hostage soulmate who is said girl. As frightened as this entire episode is for him (which is currently outweighing his fear of the world) he can’t bring himself to go back to that emptiness while his soulmate is with them and trapped. He also needed to figure out just WHO this Beast was that the note warned him about. He had a vague idea based on the letter and his conversation with Casey but he just wasn’t sure.

The quietness wasn’t quiet for long. There was a heavy like panting coming from the darkened corner of the room that virtually had no light to it. When his eyes scanned that area they widened as a slight horror overcame him with what he COULD see. There was a faint outline of a massive creature that was covered almost completely in shadows. It appeared to have a mans’ shape but was much bigger than Dennis and Dennis had a body built like Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. It looked almost the size of Hagrid from those Harry Potter films. While he couldn’t see the color of what it was he just knew who it was. The only real defining feature that his eyes could make out were the eyes that were almost a golden green ring like a cats’ eye around black and glinting teeth in the darkness. This was no man and that frightened Kevin enough to momentarily forget what he wanted to say.

So struck with fear Kevin didn’t notice that Patricia had come up to him and placed her hand gently on his shoulder. It made him jump so fast that she withdrew her hand immediately as he stared at her, hoping she’d start explaining things. The woman didn’t disappoint him there. “That’s the Beast Kevin and don’t you worry about him. He’s here to protect us and now Casey as well.”

“FROM WHAT?!” he yelled. “What on earth is he protecting us from!? And when the hell did he show up? AND WHY THE FUCK DID HE KILL DR.FLETCHER???” He was guessing this was the entity that killed the doctor though it wasn’t a hard guess considering he was the only animal like creature here. Kevin started to rub his head in hopes of trying to relieve some of the stress. It didn’t help.

There was a low growling coming from the direction of the Beast but this time it was Barry, smart sensible Barry who made him not look in that direction but at his own face. While each alter did look different as any person would from another they all maintained the same color of Kevin’s eyes and he was looking into Barrys’ blue eyes that matched his own. Barry’s bangs were almost long enough to cover said eyes but his beanie kept them from having a mind of their own. Those gentle, glove covered hands kept Kevin’s face in Barrys’ direction. “I know it’s a lot to take in and you have a lot of questions buddy, but we are going to try our best to explain everything. But in order to do that you need to calm down please! Yelling at him will only agitate him and right now we all need a calm and civil conversation that includes you. Can you do that for me please? Can you do that for Casey? Baby-girl really needs us to keep it together!”

“Please Kevin; we are only trying to help you. The girl needs all of us to work together or none of us will ever see the light again. Surely you can do this for her if not for us and yourself?” Patricia added.

It had been so long since Kevin heard such a caring voice from Patricia. Usually her calm coldness about the world reminded him why he didn’t want the light, why he didn’t want to be in a world where his mom existed. Patricia didn’t always used to be that way and would usually be the one who could comfort him after a visit from his mom and be the one that would be more of a guide to him and help him believe there was more worth his time than believing anything that woman ever said or tried to do to him. But the more visits his mother had the deeper his desire to escape reality became and the more Patricia viewed the world as unworthy of their time. She became the colder version he’s become accustomed to seeing lately. This niceness Patricia was displaying was reminiscent of better times with her and made Kevin give her words some thought. He WAS awake for a reason now. That reason was currently in Hedwig’s room.

Closing his eyes he took a deep breath as they led him to his regular chair inside this mental room. It felt so real to be there and touch them that he could almost fool himself and think that they weren’t all inside his head about to have a conversation about what has been going on for so long and what’s happening now. But just because it was in his head didn’t mean it wasn’t real, no matter what the outside world thought. D.I.D. was some serious shit to deal with if you had it. It just sucks that a lot of people that didn’t have it thought it was all made up crap.

At the feeling of someone placing a blanket on his lap he noticed Jade was crouched in front of him giving him an small smile. It felt like forever since he’d laid eyes on her. She wasn’t as bad as she tried to make herself be sometimes but she got frustrated easily. “Hey Kev, it’s been a long fucking while hasn’t it? Look, I know you’re stressing the fuck out but try to calm down okay? There’s a fucking ton of bullshit we probably have to go over with you but we’re here for you, remember? We always have been.” With that she walked back to her chair and sat down after patting his knee.

After glancing around once again he noticed that Barry and Patricia had returned to their seats and everyone was glancing at him every few seconds before eyeing Patricia or Dennis or even little Hedwig again. He purposely tried to ignore the other presence in the room though his low growling had returned to a panting. Just the thought of those glinting teeth biting poor Casey’s leg made him want to shudder but he kept himself in check. Barry and Patricia were right, he had to try to be strong for Casey. He wasn’t the only one that needed protecting now.

Of course he didn’t think it would be Hedwig of all people who would start this much needed conversation off. He was nine for crying out loud! “Okay people, are we ready to talk now, etcetera?” asked in a tone that implied he was very impatient. His lisp remained the same as it always had, never changing. “I wanna talk about Casey already. I can’t believe she’s actually all our soulmates! How cool is that? I think we should all get married to her and have the big wedding like in the stories you tell me Miss Patricia.”

There were several groans that followed that statement and Kevin had to remind himself once again that Hedwig was only nine. Nine and impulsive and seriously needed to stop being told those fairy tales about soulmates and marriage. Several comments were being voiced of their opinions of said statement but Kevin could already tell this was going to be a very long and possibly intense conversation. He just wondered how long it was going to take before he really got caught up on things. So far he was betting it might take a while before he mentions that Casey wanted Jade in the light next.