Reese

“Talk to me.”

He drops his head and presses his forehead against mine.

“I know at some point out there, Glitch will step in.”

He doesn’t say anything else for a minute. I wait, knowing the others are listening too.

“He’ll do everything he can to keep you safe. I may not remember things when he’s in control, but I know he’ll protect you until our body is broken and there are no beats left in our heart.”

“I’m sorry,” I whisper, feeling like I’ve dragged him into this. Unlike everyone else, he couldn’t just walk away because Glitch won’t.

“No, don’t be sorry. It’s the way it’s supposed to be. I know he’d lay down his life for you because I would too. But…” He chews his lip and stops for a minute, taking a deep breath before he finishes.

“He’s protected me my whole life. I don’t know what will happen out there if you or I get hurt while he protects the other. It’s stupid. All I ever wanted was to be normal. And now, when I think about him going away like Tilly and Brookes did…” He shakes his head, but I see the fear in his eyes. DID has defined him his whole life. It marked him as different and made him stand out from others. But now that he’s finally come to terms with who he is, he might lose the one alter who has always been with him.

“Okay, first off, you’ll never be alone. You have me and Blink, Vega, and Law. We’re not going anywhere, I promise. Truth is, I don’t know what’s going to happen out there, but I do know Glitch. He’s next level protective.” I smile, giving him an inside to the alter he only knows through others and the pages of his journal.

“Like Law?”

“Like Law on steroids.”

He laughs, making me smile.

“He cares for me. It’s in the things he says and the things he does. But you? He loves you, Graves. He will never not love you, even if he slips away and rests for a while.”

I don’t pretend to know all the ins and outs of DID. I know nothing in the grand scheme of things. Movies often depict one of the alters being evil, which is just fucked-up and misleading.

I’ve scoured the internet, trying to find stories from real people and their alters about what their lives are like. It’s so different from what I had thought. The other thing I noticed was how different each case is. Each person and their alters, their experiences, and their support system all impact how they cope. Graves has been doing it alone for a long time. He’s only as aware as he is because of the extensive therapy he has had.

“You don’t think I’m fucked up?”

“I think you’re fucking amazing.” I lift up onto my tiptoes and press a kiss against his lips.

“I’m proud to have both you and Glitch at my back out there.”

The horn sounds again, and this time the crowd goes insane. I swallow and look into his eyes.

“It’s time,” he says softly.

“It’s time,” I agree with a whisper.