Lila

The streets were quiet as Alex approached 1408 West Ashfield Street. The building stood shrouded in darkness, its crumbling brick facade and boarded-up windows giving it an eerie, abandoned look. A faint mist clung to the ground, swirling around his feet as he walked, the only sounds his steady footsteps and the occasional rustle of distant leaves.

Alex stopped at the edge of the cracked sidewalk, squinting up at the peeling numbers nailed to the doorframe. He frowned. The place looked like it hadn't seen life in years. His grip on his jacket tightened, his fingers digging into the worn fabric as doubt gnawed at him.

This is a mistake, he thought. It's probably a prank.

But something deeper, a quiet insistence in his gut, told him he needed to see this through. Taking a slow, steadying breath, he stepped closer, his boots crunching against shards of broken glass. He tried the door handle—it creaked but gave way, swinging open with an unsettling groan.

Inside, the air was stale, heavy with dust and mildew. His eyes darted around the dim interior, adjusting to the faint light spilling in from the streetlamps outside. The space was empty, save for a few overturned chairs and a shattered table pushed against one wall.

"Hello?" Alex called, his voice echoing faintly in the stillness.

Nothing.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. His frustration mingled with unease, the silence pressing down on him like a weight. He turned, ready to leave, when he heard the faintest shuffle of movement behind him.

Before he could think, Alex spun around, his body tense and ready, his hands half-raised.

"Whoa!" A voice broke the silence, light and teasing. "Easy there, no need to panic!"

A figure stood just a few feet away, her hands raised in mock surrender. She was petite, with short, spiky black hair and sharp blue eyes that sparkled with mischief. Her lips curved into a smirk, and she tilted her head, looking him over like he was an amusing puzzle she'd just stumbled upon.

Alex exhaled sharply, his shoulders relaxing as he dropped his hands. "What the hell was that for?" he muttered, his voice tinged with irritation.

She shrugged, the movement casual, almost lazy. "Just trying something out," she said, her smirk widening. She stepped closer, her boots barely making a sound against the dusty floor. "You're quick. That's good."

Alex's brow furrowed as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Quick for what?"

Ignoring his question, the woman extended a hand. "Name's Lila," she said, her tone casual but confident.

Alex hesitated before shaking her hand, his grip firm but guarded. "Alex."

"Yeah, I know," Lila replied, pulling her hand back and shoving it into the pocket of her leather jacket. Her gaze lingered on him, sharp and assessing. "You're the guy with the... situation."

"What situation?" Alex asked, his tone defensive.

Lila raised an eyebrow, leaning against a nearby wall and crossing her arms. "Don't play dumb. You wouldn't be here if you didn't think something was seriously wrong." She paused, her smirk softening into something almost sympathetic. "Dissociative Identity Disorder, right?"

Alex's breath hitched, his jaw tightening as he stared at her. "How do you know that?"

"Because I've seen it before," Lila said, her tone matter-of-fact. She pushed off the wall, pacing slowly around him. Her movements were deliberate but not threatening, like a cat circling prey it wasn't sure it wanted to pounce on yet. "You're not the first, Alex. And you're definitely not alone."

His chest tightened at her words, but he masked his unease with a skeptical frown. "What does that mean? Are you some kind of therapist?"

Lila snorted, stopping in front of him and shaking her head. "Not even close." She gestured around the empty room. "Look, I'm not here to coddle you or analyze your feelings. I'm here because you're asking questions you won't find answers to online."

Alex hesitated, the tension in his shoulders easing just slightly. "So what, you're here to help?"

Lila's smirk returned, sharp and full of something Alex couldn't quite place. "Help? Sure. But first…" She stepped closer, her voice lowering as her expression turned serious. "I need to know just how far you're willing to go to understand what's happening to you."

Her blue eyes bore into his, and for a moment, Alex felt like she could see straight through him. He swallowed hard, the weight of her question pressing against him like a physical force.

"Far enough," he said finally, his voice steady despite the unease swirling in his chest.

Lila's smirk widened, a spark of approval lighting her eyes. "Good answer," she said. "Then let's get started."

Lila turned on her heel, gesturing for Alex to follow. She moved with a purposeful stride, her boots thudding softly against the floorboards as she led him deeper into the building. The faint beam of a flashlight appeared in her hand, illuminating a narrow hallway that seemed to stretch endlessly into the dark.

Alex hesitated at the threshold, his instincts screaming at him to turn back. His fists clenched and unclenched at his sides, the tension in his chest growing with each step Lila took. She glanced over her shoulder, catching the hesitation in his expression.

"You coming or what?" she called, her voice casual but laced with challenge.

Alex swallowed hard, his jaw tightening. "Where are we going?"

"Somewhere we can talk without the walls listening," she replied cryptically, her smirk barely visible in the dim light.

He frowned but forced his feet to move, following her into the shadowy corridor. The air grew colder the deeper they went, the faint smell of damp earth and rust making him wrinkle his nose.

"This place looks abandoned," Alex muttered, his voice low.

"It is," Lila answered without looking back. "But it's not as empty as it seems. Places like this are perfect for staying off the radar. No one pays attention to ghosts."

Her words sent a chill down his spine, but Alex kept his focus on her silhouette, her movements fluid and confident.

After several minutes, Lila stopped in front of a heavy, rusted door at the end of the hallway. She pulled a key from her pocket, the metal glinting briefly in the flashlight's glow, and inserted it into the lock. The mechanism groaned as it turned, and with a sharp shove, she pushed the door open.

The room beyond was stark but functional. A mismatched assortment of furniture cluttered the space—a battered couch, a folding table covered in papers, and an ancient desk with a flickering monitor. A single overhead bulb cast a pale yellow light over everything, making the shadows dance.

Lila motioned for Alex to sit on the couch as she tossed her flashlight onto the table. "Welcome to my office," she said with a mock flourish.

Alex glanced around, his brow furrowing. "This is your office?"

"For now." She shrugged, dropping into a chair across from him and kicking her feet up onto the table. Her demeanor shifted slightly, the teasing edge giving way to something more serious.

"Okay, Alex," she said, leaning forward and resting her elbows on her knees. "Let's get to the point. You're dealing with more than just DID, aren't you?"

Alex tensed, his shoulders rising slightly. "What makes you say that?"

Lila tilted her head, studying him with a sharp, knowing gaze. "Because I've seen it before. The way you reacted when I startled you, the way you're carrying yourself right now—you're not just confused. You're scared. Something's happening to you, something you can't explain. And you're afraid it's going to get worse."

Her words hit like a punch to the gut, and Alex looked away, his hands gripping the edges of the couch. His throat tightened, the emotions he'd been suppressing threatening to surface.

"Look," Lila continued, her voice softening slightly. "You don't have to explain everything right now. But if we're going to figure this out, you need to be honest with me. What's going on in that head of yours?"

Alex hesitated, his gaze fixed on a crack in the floor. For a moment, he thought about getting up and leaving, walking out before this stranger dug too deep. But the weight of the past few weeks—the blackouts, the strange abilities, the memories that weren't his—pressed down on him like a suffocating blanket.

"I don't know," he said finally, his voice barely above a whisper. "I don't know what's happening to me. One minute I'm fine, and the next…" He paused, his hands tightening into fists. "The next, I'm someone else. Someone I don't recognize."

Lila nodded slowly, her expression unreadable. "And these… other versions of you—are they just acting differently, or do they… do things?"

Alex glanced up at her, his eyes clouded with guilt and fear. "They do things," he admitted. "Things I can't explain. Things I don't think I'm supposed to be able to do."

Lila leaned back, exhaling through her nose as she processed his words. "Like what?"

He hesitated again, the memory of flames dancing at his fingertips flashing in his mind. "I can control fire," he said quietly, the words tasting foreign in his mouth.

Lila's brows shot up, her smirk returning, though it carried a trace of something deeper—curiosity, maybe even excitement. "Now that's interesting," she said, leaning forward again. "You're a latent."

"A what?" Alex asked, his tone sharp.

"A latent," she repeated, gesturing vaguely. "Someone with abilities that usually stay dormant. But for you…" She pointed at his temple. "Your fractured mind is pulling those abilities to the surface."

Her words sent a shiver through him, and Alex's eyes widened. "So it's because of the DID?"

"Partly," Lila said, her tone turning more serious. "But DID isn't the cause. It's just… the catalyst. Whatever's inside you, Alex, it's been there all along. The question is, what are you going to do about it?"

He stared at her, his mind racing. He had no idea how to answer that.