Le Cirque Des Cassés

Chapter Eight: Switch

"Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID); a disorder characterized by the presence of two or more distinct personality states."

Switch wasn't fond of people. No one saw him talk with anyone besides Flame and Ringmaster and even then, they were both always worried about other people before him. He didn't mind though, he enjoyed the solitude of being alone. And when being alone was too much, there were others that preferred being alone he would be around. Most commonly he would find The Twins, however the three of them don't talk in front of the others. Due to them not talking in front of the others, Switch is the only person that has heard a complete sentence from one of them without the other talking as well. It was a memory he cherished. 

Today was one of those days when the solitude he would enjoy in his trailer went from being alone to being lonely. He carefully stood up and walked out of his trailer. In his search to find The Twins, he started at the main tent. They both enjoyed sitting in there and watching the others rehearse, but this time Switch could not find them there. Next stop was their trailer. Usually everyone has their own trailer, except for the couples. However the Twins refused to have separate spaces, and Switch enjoyed that sense of loyalty to each other they had. 

Switch knocked on the door of their trailer. "Who?" He heard the two respond in unison. 

"Switch. Am I allowed in?" He asked.

"Feel free to enter," he heard Boy and then Girl say. Switch turned the handle and entered their trailer, shutting the door behind him. He enjoyed their trailer and the unison in it all. 

"Yo," Switch calmly greeted. 

"Hello Switch," they said in unison. Switch had gotten so accustomed to their speech together. He enjoyed it to be honest, it made them easier to hear because when they don't speak together they speak much softer. 

"I got bored and chose to come visit you guys, I hope you don't mind," Switch said, smiling. He knew they didn't.

"We adore your company, Switch." Switch smiled. He liked how well their voices fit together. Both had fairly middle of the road voices, Boy's was high for a male voice, and Girl's was low for a girl voice, they blended together nicely. However, there were differences that only Switch was able to realize. Girl's voice was more elegant, and smooth while Boy's wasn't. His voice had more of a grit behind it. 

"Glad to know," Switch said, "Did you two hear about what was going on?"

"What do you mean?" Boy asked. Another thing only Switch was allowed to cherish, their voices separately. 

"Apparently, Ringmaster was talking to Target alone in her and Blade's trailer," Switch started, he received a puzzled look from both of the twins, "I Overheard Poison telling Flame, Lion, Blade, and Wolf about it. Blade seemed concerned but Flame kept telling him to quit worrying."

"Do you think it's something bad?" 

"Not sure, it could be. I've never seen Ringmaster address someone alone in fou- all my time here," Switch said, cutting himself off before he could give an actual amount of time. It was another rule of the cirque. Tell no one how long you've been in the cirque. 

"I hope not," Girl said. She was always the more anxious of the two. Switch shrugged and sat in a chair by the pair's dresser. No one knew why they had that chair since it could only fit one person and the two refused to even sit separately, the chair was specifically for Switch. 

"I'm sure he'll explain it all soon. I mean, the word about his private conversation is spreading fast. He doesn't want to risk issues, not with Child just arriving," Switch said. 

"I suppose so." With that a silence fell over the three for a while. Boy and Girl were both working on stitching together a new costume for their acrobatic act, and Switch was dissociating. 

"Danial, ask them their real names. They should tell you. After all, you are their friend," A male voice, Cliff, said inside his head. 

"Be quiet," mumbled Switch out loud. Boy ignored the sudden noise from Switch, and Girl merely glanced up for a moment before she recognized what was going on and returned to her task. 

"Danial, He is right. Just try asking if they remember their names, or offer your's in return. An eye for an eye situation," A feminine voice, Savanna, interrupted next.  

"I said be quiet," Switch said, slightly louder this time. 

"What's wrong, Switch? Usually you don't respond as loudly to them." 

"What do you mean them?" Switch said. Girl and Boy quickly exchanged looks. "Is this about that DID shit again? I told everyone I don't fucking have it!"

"You have told us there is a male and female voice, that's why we said them," was their response to Switch. Switch sighed softly. 

"Okay, sorry for lashing at you guys. Didn't mean to. I just... I'm not broken like that," Switch said. Boy and Girl both nodded and set down their costumes they were stitching together. "The voices want me to ask your real names." Boy and Girl both sat up some at that. 

"Why?" Boy asked.

Switch rolled his eyes, "I don't know. They are mad mental!"

Girl giggled some at that, "If you wish to know Switch, we are fine telling. Right Boy? " Her twin brother nodded in agreement.

"I can't deny that I'm curious, but we aren't supposed to. Ringmaster has said to never use our real names."

The twins shrugged, "What Ringmaster doesn't know won't hurt him." Switch chuckled some, he was a bit older than the twins, so they were like siblings or close friends to him, so that line from them amused him. 

"If you both are sure you want to tell then go ahead," Switch said. He heard cheers from the voices residing in his head. 

"Hunter and Hannah." 

"Why does the matching names not surprise me," Switch chuckled. He noticed their intensive glares, "An eye for an eye?" He asked. The two nodded rapidly. Switch sighed, "Danial." Just then there was a knock on the trailer door.