Page 108 of Vicious Behaviors

“Yes?” she responds on autopilot, turning to face me. “Can I help you?”

“I hope so,” I reply, trying to keep my voice light and upbeat. “I’m Isobel Graham. I’m doing my thesis on the criminal mind and enjoyed your lecture very much.”

“Oh, yes. Professor Burns’s star pupil. I’ve heard much about you.” She smiles brightly at me.

I should feel grateful for the praise, but that’s not why I’m here.

“Do you mind if I ask a few follow-up questions about your lecture?”

She glances at her watch. “If you don’t mind walking me to my next class, I’d be happy to.”

“I don’t mind,” I say gratefully as she packs her books into her messenger bag and starts walking up the auditorium stairs beside me. “When you were discussing alters, you mentioned that sometimes the host is aware of what’s happening. That they know they are living with a split personality disorder.”

“Not in the early stages of the disorder but as their self-awareness increases, they may begin to recognize the presence of alters and even learn their names, roles, or triggers,” she confirms. “As I explained, the trauma the host suffered doesn’t always make it obvious that the alter is a direct byproduct of said trauma. In most cases, it takes years for the host to even realize it’s happening. They often attribute memory lapses or blanks to other factors, such as intoxication or drug use, since substance abuse is quite common among individuals with dissociative identity disorder. Their desire to escape the so-called voices in their heads makes them more prone and vulnerable to experimenting with illicit narcotics. When this happens, it becomes unclear to them what came first. Are the drugs making them erratic, or is it the disorder that prompted them to act this way?”

“What if the hosts don’t take drugs? What if the patient leads an absolute clean life?”

“Then those hosts would probably be more in tune with the changes in their personality. Having said that, in the cases I’ve personally monitored, all my patients suffered from some kind of unhealthy addictive behavior.”

‘Just like Marcello’s manic need to work out every day and beat some poor guy’s face to a pulp every night,’I think to myself.

I prompt Professor Montgomery to explain more about DID, while furiously taking notes on my phone.

“Is it possible for a host to have conversations with their alters?”

“Great question. And yes, co-consciousness can happen in some cases. The host is aware of what the alter is doing in real time, like watching from the back seat, or through a fog. Some hosts even make internal agreements, giving consent to the alter to break through when they aren’t equipped to handle certain circumstances or events.”

“Agreements?” I repeat, confused.

“Yes,” she confirms. “Every alter is different, of course, but some abide by the host’s unwritten rules as a form of survival. Subconsciously, the host has set certain boundaries or rules in place, forcing the alter to work within those lines. It’s also the safest way for the alter to protect itself and remain hidden from the world.”

“Subconsciously? So the host has no idea of what those rules even are?”

“I’m afraid not. Again, these are rare cases. Most of the time, the ones making the rules are actually the alters, not the hosts.” When she sees me typing frantically into my phone, she laughs. “Fascinating, isn’t it?”

“Yes, very. Can I ask another question?” I probe as we walk the halls. “Is it possible to eradicate an alter completely?”

To this, she frowns. “In all my cases, I haven’t seen that happen, no. Alters linger, even if only in the back of the host’s mind. With a solid daily routine and medication, it can be manageable but never eradicated.”

“Even if the alter… is a sociopath?”

Her laugh starts lightly but dies when she sees I’m dead serious.

“Well, psychopathic behaviors don’t usually originate with the alter. It’s the host who must have had those tendencies all along.”

“What if the host never showed any signs of psychopathic behaviors before? What if their environment was filled with such personalities instead?”

She pauses, considering my question. “It could be a plausible explanation for it, yes. If the host lived in a toxic environment, the alter could have absorbed those characteristics to protect the host.”

“So the alter is protecting him?”

“‘Him?’” She raises an eyebrow.

“I mean the host,” I quickly backpedal.

“Within the parameters you’ve described, I’m inclined to say yes. Though I’d need to actually have a few case studies to say for sure,” she says thoughtfully.

“Thank you, Professor Montgomery. This talk has been immensely helpful.”