"Alexandra!" Graysen called out, slipping on his jacket.

She bounded out of the kitchen, "What?"

Graysen frowned at her. "I told you I wanted to introduce you to Ryder, remember?"

Realization sparked in her eyes as she recalled the original reason she had come over to his apartment that night. Graysen warm hand grabbed hers, causing the breath to get stuck in her throat as he led her down the long flight of stairs. His eyes were lit with emotion though his face was still impassive. He had opened up bit by bit, playfully joking with her and growing more passionate in every little thing he did. She grinned up at his excitement, feeling it transfer into herself.

The reached the empty alley. Alex, noticing the fact that they were alone, turned to face that messy graffiti on the stone walls. The cracked stones were coated in layers over colorful paint, hiding the true broken state of the wall. Pulling a hand from the warmth of her coat, she gingerly traced the cracks and the designs covering them. When she heard Graysen speak, she jerked back from her pastime, turning to face Graysen.

"Hey Ryder!" The singular voice of Graysen bounded against the walls.

Only silence answered him, but he still began to chuckle. His broad form sheltered who he was talking to from Alex. Moving around him to see better, her stomach twisted.

No one was there.

Graysen stood alone in the alley chuckling at nothing and holding a casual conversation with the chilly air in front of him. A cold sweat broke out over her body as he turned towards her, reaching for her to introduce her. "Alex, meet Ryder." In shock, she walked forward, waving lamely at the air to appease him.

Alex shot him a side glance, watching his every expression carefully. His eyes had grown lighter, happier as he talked to his "friend." As much as she had come to care for darker personality, she was more terrified than she had ever been. A chill settled over her skin as she watched the ghost exchange between a boy created out of fear and his own creation.

The calm before the storm, she feared.

Within seconds, his laughter faded out into horrified screaming. The loud wails echoed off the stone walls surrounding them.

"No no no no!" He wailed, startling Alex from her terror-induced trance. The noise was so agonized it cut into her every cell. She turned towards him in a panic, expecting to see someone hurting him, but still, they were alone. Not a single person was in the area, only the two of them. "Ryder, help!" Graysen screamed at the air, trying to shove off an invisible force.

Before Alex could step forward and try to calm him with her trembling hands, he lifted one of his hands in a fist, driving it into his own face. Blood splattered from his nose, covering Alex with little drips of warm red liquid. He sobbed before repeating the action until he was coated in his blood.

"Please, Ryder, stop!" He believed someone was hurting him, but the only person harming him was himself. "Alex, run, please!"

Blood dripped down his cheeks, covering his white shirt with the red liquid. Unsure of what to do, she broke down on the ground, sobbing into her hands. Alex had always prided herself in keeping calm and always finding a way to work through whatever the issue; but she was finally faced with a difficulty with no answer. I-I have to turn him in. He continued to sob next to her, his entire body trembling on the freezing pavement in a pool of his own blood. He isn't okay. Forcing herself to be strong for the breaking boy, she stood, wrapping her arms around his convulsing form. His breathing was labored, interrupted constantly by dry sobbing. There they stayed until the sun rose and light replaced the corrupted darkness.

Devan blinked, taking in his surroundings and the blood covering his sight. Reaching up a single bruised hand to his face, he wiped away a bit of the blood before bringing it into his line of vision to examine. He turned to see Alex and slowly assessed his bloody features. "What the hell happened? Did I sleepwalk down some stairs again?"

Alex struggled to calm her uneven breathing as she addressed her boyfriend. "What?"

"My father used to tell me that I sleepwalked and would run into things and injure myself constantly." Devan's happy laughter echoed through the alley. "God, I have two left feet."

Guilt over-ran her, forcing the words out of her mouth. "You have a split personality, Devan." The second the words broke free, she covered her mouth, as if that would take away the fact that she had just outed Graysen.

Devan's careless smile instantly faded, replaced by a shell-shocked look. "Stop joking, Alex. It's too early for that." He watched her, not a hint of amusement on his face, instead, he looked on the verge of tears.

Unable to look at him any longer, she turned to face the graffiti, hoping that she would wake up and this would all just be a stupid dream. A really long dream.

"His name is Graysen Black."

"Alex, stop."

"He's scared of human touch."

"Alex!"

"His name came from your childhood best friend, Grayson. Graysen, the other personality, was abused by your father." Slowly, she turned to face the pale boy, "You created him."

Devan observed her, fury in his eyes. She had seen the look in them before when she had first met Graysen. It felt like someone had stabbed her to see that look once again on the face both Devan and Graysen shared. "I'm going to the mental institute if that's true."

Alex's stomach dropped as she realized what he meant, he would get rid of Graysen. Panic flooded her at the thought of Graysen disappearing with only her to remember him. "N-No!"

"He's part of me, is he not?" Devan's face was impassive, not the same boy who had beamed while running down the field. Not the same boy who had helped the flustered server.

Something deep within Alex shattered, "He deserves to live!" Tears streamed down her face as she shrieked at Devan alone in the dark alley, covered in blood.

"I deserve to live." Devan roared. "This is scary, Alex." This time, his voice was softer as he spoke to her, looking up at her from where he sat on the pavement.

"Please just a few more days, I need to say goodbye." Her voice broke as she whispered the words to the boy she had once loved.

He nodded, closed off to her completely.

When Graysen stood up, Alex launched herself off of the couch, wrapping her arms around his form and breathing in his scent. Graysen. He didn't say a word, obviously lost in the train of events, but returned the gentle embrace. "Let's explore."

Graysen gently pulled back, watching her inquisitively. "Explore?"

Alex, holding back the tears threatening to fall, nodded. She grasped his hand in her own, smiling at the small shock the contact delivered to the both of them. The universe trying to punish us, perhaps? The teenager dragged him out of his apartment, trailing him behind her. When they reached the stairs, Graysen began to walk forward, only to be stopped by the girl next to him. She shot him a quick glance before sliding down the steep railing. When she reached the end, she turned around, a radiant smile clear on her features. At the signal to follow, Graysen hesitantly followed, slipping down the railing with ease. When he reached the bottom, he bent over, covering his face.

Concern creeping into her mind, Alex placed a hand on his back. She frowned when she felt him shaking. "Are you okay, Gray?"

The shaking increased before he stood up fully, revealing his face. His cheeks were flushed a happy pink, high off the laughter. After standing a moment in silence, confused by the happiness, Alex couldn't help but join in. Both Graysen and Devan shared the contagiousness of their happiness, it was undeniable. Alex began running forward, sliding down every rail with Graysen behind her, happy. When they reached the outside of the building, she released his hand and began to sprint down the street.

Few lights sprinkled the streets, giving everything an eerie touch in the moonlight. Graysen sprinted after her, quickly matching her pace. He smirked at her as she outran her and even went as far as to run backwards which sent Alex into fits of laughter. She led him down the streets to the lake which she had nearly drowned in. When they reached the shore, Graysen turned to her, confused. "Why are we here?"

Alex's happy expression melted almost instantly. "I need to tell you something." She then flung herself forwards, pressing a quick kiss to his lips. She felt him jerk in surprise and try to farther the kiss, but she pulled quickly and began to speak in a rush, "Graysen, you are part of a split personality."

He halted, visibly whitening as the smile left his face leaving his blue eyes looking shattered and wounded. He eyed the ground, his pupils dilated in fear, refusing to meet her gaze. "W-What?"

She forced herself to look away, refusing to watch his trembling form. "I bet you split when your father began to," She forced herself to choke out the last words, "hurt you. Devan, the other... personality... must have subconsciously split to protect himself." The words came out as a hiccup, rushing from her shaking mouth.

Looking dazed, he fell back onto the sand, staring up at the star-filled sky. Silence filled the air. "Do you know him?"

"Yes" She wiped the tears away that fell from her eyes.

Graysen didn't bother to guard his emotions as he once had. The agony and fear was clear as day. He stared at the girl in front of him, unguarded. "Is that why you were here the first times?"

"Yes."

"Is that why you still visit me?" He turned to face her, his eyes pleading, "Are you just here to protect him?"

Biting her lip, she stared into the floor. A part of her wondered that herself, if she was just here for Devan still. Still watching out for the playful football player. Alex cut a glance over to Graysen, seeing him staring at the water.

"No." As the words slipped free, she realized just how true they were. The words nested themselves deep within her, filling a void. "At first, it was. He was my boyfriend, I cared for him." Was... the word was seemed to fit.

She crossed the small space, leaning into him, just to feel close to him before he melted away. The sun would be there, chasing out the darkness. In the broken silence that followed, Graysen whispered, "That dent on the wall in my apartment was made by me." He drew in a shuttering breath, "My father slammed me against it. I killed him. His name was Landon King."

She drew away, staring into his eyes. His eyes flitted down, refusing to make eye contact with her. Alex didn't question why he had done it, already knowing the answer. He had done it out of hatred, out of defense for his current self and his past self who had been constantly hurt. He had done it for freedom of the greatest kind. "Let's meet someone who knew him."

A sharp intake of breath filled the silence and his timid voice spoke, "Why?"

"You could learn more about your mother... and maybe even get the closure you need."

Their gazes met and he watched her for a minute before slowly nodding, "I'd like that."