The Secret

“Can I tell you a secret?” She whispered, leaning towards me so the guard on the other side of the bars wouldn't hear.

“Um...” Secrets were risky, especially in here, so I knew this could go either way. Considering the petite young woman was brought in by no less than three of the high-security prison's guards, intuition told me this secret was going to be particularly dangerous. But I was bored and had nothing else to pay attention to at the moment, so...“Sure.” I replied.

“I have multiple personalities.” She said, quietly. Humph, not what I was expecting, I thought. “One of them stole something very important and hid it away, now these people want it back and she won't tell me where she hid it.” Now that's more like it.

“That's quite the dilemma,” I commented, looking her in the eyes. She appeared to me like a scared little doe, one who was sure to be eaten up by the world's most vicious wolves, some of whom were already starting to stalk their prey. I'd be surprised if she made it through the night, but won't be telling her that.

“Yes, it is, actually. I've asked her repeatedly but she's won't say a word. She doesn't care what will happen to me or any of the others, she's going to take us all down with her this time. Ugh, she's just so selfish! I...” she stopped mid-sentence. I watched as her eyes rolled back into her head and she abruptly settled into a new position. In a matter of moments, her posture, face, and body language had all changed drastically.

“Shut up!” She hissed to herself. A new voice too, I noted.

“Hello,” I said in acknowledgment when she looked at me. Never having known anyone with multiple personalities, I wasn't sure of the level of awareness between them and knew better than to make assumptions.

“She talks too much,” complained the new personality.

“Terrible habit,” I replied. This was getting interesting.

“The amulet is not theirs. I will never give it to them.” She told me. Immense strength and determination shone in her eyes and through her voice, reminding me of a warrior in a heated battle.

“Of course not. Why would you?” I replied and watched as she once again switched personalities, her eyes rolling to white while she took on another way of being in the same manner as before. As she settled, her altered demeanor told me that she was taken over by a new personality rather than returning to the little doe.

“Ooh! Did you talk to her? Wasn't she just awful?” The new personality quizzed me. Seemingly a child, and a terrified one at that, she was either on the verge of hyperventilating or in need of an asthma inhaler, gasping with each breath.

“She seemed cool,” I responded with a shrug. Not one for children, I quietly chastised myself for taking the chance on this conversation.

“Cool? No, ma'am! She is NOT cool! Not even a little bit. But, maybe...did she tell you where it was?” She asked and I shook my head.

“So, what is it anyway? This amulet that's causing all the trouble.” I prodded. The child vanished, in her place came another.

“The amulet is an artifact and the subject of a long-term conflict between two opposing groups: the Barrenese tribe and the Order of the Light. Recently, a judge decreed the amulet be returned to the Barrenese tribe, from whom it originated. The Barrenese are the sole inhabitants of Barren Island in the Andaman Islands and are the most isolated tribe in the world. They are very protective of their land and will attack anyone who attempts to come near. The amulet is used in one of their more controversial ceremonies, which not only makes use of human sacrifice but also often utilizes young orphans as the victim.” When she saw my expression, she explained further, “without a family to provide for them, the burden falls to everyone in the tribe. One would imagine it is an effort to relieve some of that burden.” She'd misinterpreted my concern as confusion. My problem was with what she was describing, I understood it just fine.

“The Order of the Light, on the other hand, is a group of religious zealots with a good deal of influence in the states and across Europe. They're vehemently opposed to the barbaric practices of the Barrenese tribe, which is what led them to seize control of the amulet in the first place. A court ruling won't be enough to sway them into tolerance. They will not stop in their efforts to recover the amulet, and will employ any measure necessary to do so- even murder the innocent, which is, of course, not so unlike those who they are trying to correct.” Though knowledgeable on the subject, she relayed the information in monotone, making me question whether she had any interest in what she was describing. “Needless to say, they also share striking similarities to those who inhabit this prison.” She surveyed the nearby inmates, “including a lack of respect for the law and order required for proper social hierarchy, choosing to separate themselves from decent, law-abiding citizens to serve their own nefarious purposes. As such, it is my opinion that the Order is not fit to walk among the rest of us any more than you.” She looked at me with a blank expression and I sensed that, despite her obvious intelligence, she was unable to recognize her faux pas.

I briefly considered giving her a lecture on the importance of tact, or simply backhanding her, but decided against it. I was intrigued by the story and wanted to learn the warrior's place in it. So, I suppose listening to this pompous know-it-all is a means to an end, and was still a far better option than the scared child. “It sounds like you think the Order is worse than the tribe who is killing orphans,” I observed.

“While I find their practices to be inhumane, the Barrenese are simply following the beliefs and practices that have been passed down for generations. There are no laws in place to say they can't. The Order, in contrast, are breaking many in their efforts.” I found I was not surprised by her answer, she had an obsession with following the rules.

“Why did the other personality get involved with all this? What does it have to do with her? And what is she going to do with the amulet?” The questions poured from my lips. She just shrugged, uninterested in my queries. My frustrations with her grew to new limits but I couldn't stop myself from asking one more, “well then, do you at least know how she managed to steal it?” She changed personalities again. Well, she is just the rudest...

“I woke up on the back of an old, dirty boat with that strange amulet thing in my hand. I was crouched inside a wooden crate and it was really smelly and gross. I didn't know what had happened but I was hurt, wet, and cold. It was just awful...” Oh no, it's the child again. I took a deep breath and tried to make sense of what she'd just told me.

“So, what you're telling me is that she went to this far away island, fought to steal the amulet from the Barrenese right after it had been returned to them, then she chose to hide it away instead of selling it to the highest bidder?” I asked with disbelief. She could get a lot of money for that sort of thing.

“Mm-hmm, she did and now we're all in big trouble...I'm so scared! I want to go home!!” She started to cry.

“I see. Well then, was it worth it?” I asked. My response irked the child, as intended. She ceased her sobbing to offer me a look of shock, which quickly turned to disgust, before retreating to the recesses of her shared mind.

The warrior regained control to answer my question. “A thousand times over.” She offered me a fierce smile before another took her place. Too bad, I think she's my favorite, I mused silently. As she went through the motions of changing personalities, I prayed that the child wouldn't return to the surface again.

“You seem to have formed a connection with our feisty friend. I implore you to coax the location of the amulet from her. We must all respect the rules of society to have any hope of freedom and a return to normalcy. We are seven, she is one. Majority wins. That is the best way to exist simultaneously, the only way for us all to share this body in harmony as one. Please,” Ah, so the intellectual has come back to present her case. Very logical, and quite convincing, unfortunately for her, the only one I'm willing to talk to any more is the warrior. I made it my goal to get her back on top.

“Okay.” I agreed. The warrior came raging back to the surface.

“No!” She screamed. Thought so, I smiled, that would have gotten my attention too.

“There you are,” I said to her, “Now, why did you throw yourself into this mess in the first place?” I'd never intended to coax anything from her, of course, I just wanted her to fill in the details.

“I've been trapped with these other personalities for as long as I've existed. They are very different from me. We never agree, at least they do not agree with me. They are concerned with shallow endeavors, each with their own focus but none of them real, nothing with any meaning. Day after day it's the same; nothing matters. To escape from it, I've stayed quiet and remained deep down in the darkest, hidden parts of our mind and it served for the good of all. Until one day, I was made aware of a wrong. One that was in my power to correct, and so I did. I took the opportunity to do something that had meaning, finally. It turned out to be more difficult of a task than I expected, and the consequences far greater, but I would do it again if given the chance. It is better to be of substance, there is no point to life without it. We had been merely existing as our sad, pathetic souls withered away to nothing. I couldn't stand it anymore and anyway, I have just as much right as the others.” The warrior's words touched my soul as only a kindred spirit could.

“Well, I can understand that,” I said, and I did. The warrior looked at me and saw that my words were true. “So what now?” I asked her.

“The amulet stays hidden. No one will have it.” She asserted. I nodded respectfully.

“I hope you picked a good hiding spot,” I murmured as I saw the warden of the prison walking towards us with two armed guards by his side. She smiled mischievously and whispered the location in my ear. I couldn't help but laugh at the audacity of her choice. The warden stopped before us, gesturing for her to accompany the guards to the room designated for interrogations. As she left with them, a man stepped out from behind the warden whom I hadn't seen before. He was wearing a strange uniform with a symbol on the breast pocket. The symbol was intricate, but I saw that a cross lay within it and felt it was safe to assume he was a member of the Order of the Light.

“Did she tell you where she hid the amulet?” The warden asked me, “I assure you there will be something in it for you if she did...” I studied him as I considered my answer. As the head of the prison, he could truly give me anything I wanted. All I had to do was speak the truth. But in so doing, I would betray the woman, more specifically, the warrior that I had just formed a connection with. It didn't feel right, even though I doubted that I'd ever see her again. She would most likely be locked away in seclusion and tortured until she gave up the location of the amulet. Not to mention the fact that we'd only had the one conversation and I certainly didn't owe her anything for it. I don't know her fate with certainty, but I do know mine: I'm going to be stuck in this prison until the day I die. Why not make myself a little more comfortable?

“Amulet? What amulet? I have no idea what you're talking about,” I lied and lowered my head. Though his expression suggested he didn't believe me, he nodded and walked away in the same direction that the guards had taken the woman. Oh well, what good was a couple of extra blankets or dinner rolls going to do me anyway? Give 'em hell, warrior, I thought as I stared at the blacked-out windows of the interrogation room.