On the next page was a very intricate self-portrait depicting her at the age of ten—the kind of drawing that took real talent to produce. Underneath was written the name Dora. Dora had gone on to draw portraits of Serene and Sahana. In each representation, she looked a little different. Whereas Dora's gaze was level and mischievous, Serene's eyes were bigger, radiating sadness. Sahana's expression was challenging. The last picture was labeled Little Girl, and it was of herself as a very young child, sitting in a dark corner, legs drawn up, face a mask of fear. As she stared at this last self-portrait, competing emotions played out in Dora. She was amazed at the artistic ability, the detail and depth perception that went into the creation. The fear was palpable. It shot through Dora's system, a visceral reckoning of a muscle memory buried deep inside of something horrific. Her brain could provide no details or images; she only knew that Little Girl suffered. Dora sank back down to her bed, hand trembling as she turned the page.
More entries by ten-year-old Dora. Daily events recorded, days that were lost to Serene for two years when Dora took over. Interspersed are more incredibly detailed drawings––drawings of the land she lived on, their house, Sahana the dog, the ocean and various tropical flowers. Amongst the pictures, one is labeled Shangri-La, spelled Shangrela. It is a very detailed layout of the property in Oakland, with black crayon scribbles all through it. A fiery burning sensation filled Dora's throat as she stared at the drawing. Sprouting out of the scribbles, also in black crayon, are several crudely drawn long cylindrical looking things spewing something explosive.
Little Girl ruiened my drawing of Shangrela. She doesnt like it becase the master hurt her with his wand.
Dora's heart rate picked up and she wanted to shut the book, but she couldn't seem to stop reading it, stop reading the horrible things she had logged in this entry. The things Master did to Little Girl. The things Master did to her. The next page was another drawing by Dora of what Little Girl suffered at the hands of Master, a picture that made Dora feel faint and like she might be sick at the same time. A hot liquid shot up her throat and she threw the journal down, running for the tiny bathroom that was a part of the office. The bile shot out of her mouth before Dora could get to the toilet. Sliding to her knees, she lifted the toilet seat, heaving over and over again. More bile, all of her breakfast. Vomit spewed from her nostrils and she inhaled chunks, choking, coughing, gurgling, crying, a tiny voice far away crying with her. “No. No!” No, no, no. She couldn't control the growling rage erupting from her throat. She didn't hear her name being called or the knock on the door. She didn't even notice when a gentle hand was placed on her back, a soothing voice trying to calm. Dora couldn't make out the words then, not with all that growling and crying, a little girl crying until it was all she could hear, so loud that it drowned out all other sounds.
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Counselor: Claudia Lipstein, Session Date: March 4, 2020
Time: 2:00 PM, Session #28
Client Name: Dora Jones/Serene Hokulani
(D) The client has expressed a desire to be called Serene Hokulani. Serene seemed stabilized when she came in for her appointment this afternoon. She was able to answer questions and follow the trajectory of normal conversation, a significant improvement from forty-eight hours ago.
She arrived at this afternoon's appointment with a battered diary from her childhood, which Erica brought to her at the hospital. It had split record keeping between Serene and Dora's personalities. There were many drawings produced by Dora, quite advanced for a ten-year-old. Some of the artwork graphically displayed sexual abuse of a personality called Little Girl. It appears the diary was lost years ago when Serene was still a child and reappeared March 2. On the night of February 29, Dora made a brief appearance, ordering clothing samples for her business, Dora's Closet.
Although Serene began calling herself Dora only seven years ago, Dora may have lived out the adult years of Serene's life. Serene's last memories are from the year 1996, specifically of leaving the house to see a Detective Greiner about a friend, Taylor Davis, who was found murdered the week before. Serene was a suspect in the case.
(A) Today, Serene wanted to talk about this case and has confided in me that maybe she knows more than she can recall. We did try to access some of the other personalities. We were possibly unsuccessful, although I am putting a pin in that. Serene cried throughout the hypnosis and the crying sounded very young, like a small child. When I tried to engage her and ask questions, she continued to cry. The crying only stopped when I took her out of the hypnosis. I did look at all of the pictures in the diary with Serene during this session. The last two drawings are of a man and woman labeled Mom and Dad, respectively. There are also drawings of Ramani and Aarav, who Dora calls “Serene's parents.” I asked Serene if she knew who the people in the drawings labeled Mom and Dad were. She pointed to Dad and said he was Jai, her biological father, but that she didn't know who the woman was. The picture of Mom looked very much like Ramani, and Serene did mention that. The
