"I'm really glad that you're okay, Chloe."

Mark embraced Chloe in a hug, and he was indeed genuinely relieved to see her unharmed. As promised, Satsuki stood next to the wall of the cafeteria, promptly watching over the green haired girl. Yet, Chloe was the uncomfortable one in the situation.

Why? Well, it was simple. Mark believed that Hibissiciss was a 'devil' that Chloe herself couldn't control. While he was more or less correct, Chloe didn't really agree. Like Satsuki had said, Hibissiciss was still part of Chloe. Even though she didn't want her to be, that was the truth. She knew Mark was very religious and into those sort of ideals. He would not be very accepting of Chloe's realization. She wanted to remove Hibissiciss' murderous intentions, Mark wanted to get her exorcised.

"Mae told me I'm next," Mark said quietly as he let go of her, rubbing his palms together. Chloe gasped, her blue eyes wide but he quickly finished his sentence. "But she only said it because she wanted to see what I would do. She said she was impressed. She thought I would scream."

"B-But what if she really did see that?" Chloe whispered, upset at the thought of Mark's demise. "She's so strange, maybe she's playing you for a fool!"

"No, I trust Mae," Mark admitted, reassuring her. "She's certainly eccentric, but she said that she just wanted more information. I don't quite understand, but she has a right to be suspicious of everyone. You know, just in case."

"W-Well, if you believe her, then I will too," Chloe nodded, folding her arms from the cold. "Besides, Mae has been reliable. I trust her even though she's strange."

"Yeah, she helped us with most of the cases."

It was silent for a moment, and then Chloe finally took a deep breath. She couldn't keep going on like this, Mark needed to know the truth.

"I...Um. Mark... You're not going to like what I'm going to say," Chloe began, and Mark immediately shook his head.

"No, Chloe, it's going to be okay."

"B-But you won't like this!" Chloe responded tearfully, really not wanting him to know. But she had to come out with it, she couldn't have him pretending any longer. "Hibissiciss is part of me, Mark. I-I want to work with her to get rid of her murderous motives-"

"Chloe, can you hear yourself right now?" He asked, not to mock her, but he was genuinely concerned. "She's insane! She tried to kill Evie, and yes, Evie's hotheaded... But there's no reasoning with...it. That's not part of you, Chloe. That's the Devil, and as soon as we get out of here, we'll make sure you're no longer affected by it."

"B-But that's not true...She's always been with me," Chloe admitted, refusing to make eye contact with Mark. "E-Even as a kid... We're not split personalities, Mark. I only refer to her as Hibissiciss because that is my middle name. She is my desires, my urges that get bottled inside that I manage to control... until I can't anymore. I don't hold a devil back, I hold myself back. Blind rage just piles up, and I wake up without control of my own actions..."

"No, you're being controlled-"

"Mark, I'm trying to be honest!" Chloe screeched, shutting him up. Of course, she was forgetting how Satsuki was also still in the room, but she ignored the redhead anyways. "I've never told anyone this because everyone assumes that it's my 'split personality'.. I don't have one. I just have urges that lead to death and injuries... I do my best to control myself but I can't."

"...So you're telling me people almost died because you can't control yourself?"

"Mark-"

"No, Chloe!" He finally lashed out, hurt from the realization. "That's an excuse. No one is ever forced to do something. You could easily tell your mind 'no'. But you gave in."

"I don't have control of my actions at that point-"

"I'm sure you do. Stop making this up, Chloe... Please."

Chloe shook her head from side to side, she refused to stand down. Mark was offering her a last chance, a way to make things right if she just agreed, but she knew that her secret had been plaguing her thoughts for far too long. Someone needed to know, even if they didn't agree.

"I-I'm not making this up... I am her, and she is me."

"...You lie to yourself, Chloe."

He turned around, promptly barging out of the room without another word. Satsuki watched as Chloe fell to her knees, the tears starting to fall from her blue eyes.

"I-I finally told someone and-and he didn't... he didn't accept me..."

"What else did you expect?" Satsuki said, making her way over to the girl. Chloe finally acknowledged the redhead, her eyes wide and blurry with tears. "...Chloe, you tried to say the truth. Not your fault he wouldn't listen."

"But he wouldn't accept me.."

Satsuki was no good at comforting, and said nothing else and Chloe was left to her thoughts. No matter how many different directions she tried to think in, her mind always led back to one thought.

Mark hated her.

hey everyone, hope you enjoyed the chapter. lemme know your thoughts. i'm being so productive ish with updating!

question of the chapter: do you agree with mark or chloe?

note: we close to a death chapter :)

thanks for reading!