The Chosen One

Chapter One-1

Chapter One

Six months later.

Elise Colby sat in the darkness on the edge of her son's bed, holding his small hand, whispering soothing words to help lull him back to sleep, just as she seemed to do most every night now.

She stifled a yawn and rubbed her eyes. Damn she was tired. A glance at her watch showed it was after midnight. Once again Matt had been talking in his sleep. Normally, that wouldn’t be a big deal since millions of people probably talked in their sleep, but her son spent most of the night mumbling. No, it was more of a whispered chant, and it was spoken in a language she had never heard before.

Listening to it night after night never helped her get used the unearthly prayer-like words. It still made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end and goose bumps to spring up all over her arms.

She had recorded the strange mantra and taken it with her during Matt’s last visit with the psychiatrist. Dr. Loggins had said it was nothing but gibberish, and felt that Matt’s recent bouts of strange behavior were due to a belated effect of his father’s death, an attempt to reap in all the attention Frank had neglected to give his son.

Post-traumatic stress disorder was one label Matt's behavior had received, though she had a hard time believing it was as simple as that. Yet, she didn’t want to think about his other analysis of Matt’s weird behavior: Dissociative Identity Disorder—multiple personalities.

Dark sadness gathered in her chest and her eyes filled with tears as her heart fought against the possibility of it. The doctor’s words played over in her mind daily. Elise shivered deeply and rubbed her son’s hand.

When something traumatic happens, the conscious mind may remove itself from the present while another part of the mind takes over and holds on to the painful memory. That way the weight of the event doesn't smother him, and he can go about his normal life. This other personality is the one that deals with the negativity, in this case, the death of his father. Sometimes the other personality comes out. This could be what your son is experiencing. If so, he may recover in time with therapy and psychoactive drugs. And he may not.

As Matt drifted into quiet sleep once more she kissed his silky hair, breathing in the scent of his favorite Berry Blast shampoo. Smiling sadly, she looked around at the Star Wars paraphernalia decorating his bed and walls. Becoming a Jedi Master was his ultimate goal; to find answers and peace of mind was hers.

Silently she slipped from his room and walked across the hall, eager to fall into bed. Luckily, tomorrow was Saturday and she could sleep in.

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