Brain surfing

[Gifted]

Stephanie walked to the door and looked out at the hallway that ended in the shrine. She was biting her lip, her eyes full of worry. She took a deep breath, steeling herself to finally, after all this time, step out of her prison and take control of her own mind again. Then, hesitantly, she took a single step over the boundary line.
Her adult self appeared at the other end of the hall. She looked critically at the younger one, who looked even more nervous now that someone had shown up to stop her.
"Decided to try to come out again, have we?" The coldhearted Stephanie asked critically. Underneath that, she was also kind of impressed. It was quite astonishing Kailen had managed to get the emotional Stephanie to listen to him when she was so terrified of him coming back to take revenge.

[Raven]

Kailen took her hand in an attempt to calm her down. "Don't worry." His eyes drilled into the older Stephanie, narrowed.

[Gifted]

The young Stephanie gulped and held his hand tightly. She nodded. "I'm taking my life back." She started to walk forward.
The older Stephanie rolled her eyes. "So what? So you can set yourself up to be cut down again?"

[Raven]

"To prove she's not just a shattered mess because her parents can't stand her being happy," Kailen snapped. "Or anyone who made her that way."

[Gifted]

"What he said." Young Stephanie agreed. His encouragement seemed to make her a little stronger. She stood up straighter.
"Lovely. What do you think is gonna happen this time, huh? Maybe they'll burn the room down." Her voice was biting and harsh. Young Stephanie flinched. They were almost level with the elder one.

[Raven]

"I'll burn them if they try, and I know just how to do it," Kailen said, smirking.

[Gifted]

"Just because you beat mental constructs of them doesn't mean you could stand up to the real deal. My father will have you killed. He won't even bother coming himself." She looked back at her emotional side. "Is that what you want? To have him killed?"
"Of course not-"
"You think after everything that I've been though that's not going to happen? You think he'll stand for you rearing your ugly head again? You think the world will stand for it?" Now it was her advancing on the younger one, who seemed to have frozen up. "They want me, Steph. The only one the worlds ever wanted was me! You're worthless!"

[Raven]

"Luckily, I won't be coming when I make sure they're out of the way either. You aren't real! You're some stupid front she put up to keep them happy, but it doesn't matter what the world wants! The world eats up scandal and lies, and Stephanie Clark deserves to be happy!"

[Gifted]

"Happy?! I am happy!" The older snapped. She was in the more emotional ones face now, and seemed to tower over her. "I'm more happy than she'll ever be! What do you think you're going to do if you take back your life, huh? You think he's gonna help you?" She pointed at Kailen. "You think he's going to teach you how to start over? Look at him! His nicest clothes make him look like a construction worker! He showed up looking homeless! Is that where you wanna go? To the bottom?"
"I don't care where I end up. Anywhere's better than leaving you in charge." Young Stephanie answered, but she couldn't meet the manipulative Stephanie's eyes.
"You say that until you starving and without a job because all you've ever learned is what I do! Get rid of that and you know nothing! You are nothing!"
The younger one stepped back a step, but she was shaking. Terrified, she was sweating like crazy and just for a moment, the sweat looked like blood.

[Raven]

"Stephanie, don't listen to her. You aren't going to end up on the streets, and there are reasons you don't understand that I'm this way. This isn't happiness, and you should know she's only saying this to subdue you."

[Gifted]

Young Stephanie didn't react for a second. Then, finally, she managed to strike her own blow. "Congressman Colin Brooks." She spoke quietly but firmly.
"What about him."
"You ruined his career!" Young Stephanie snapped. The man in question had been disgraced by a sex scandal several months prior, and had lost his spot in the presidential race to Stephanie. In the long hallway room, his picture had been cracked. "He has a wife! And children! How's he going to support the lifestyle they've grown up with? You caused two childrens parents to divorce and you don't even care!"
"He shouldn't have been running around with prostitutes and mistresses."
"Oh please like half the politicians you meet with aren't doing exactly the same thing. You couldn't beat Brooks fighting fair, so you used your trump card and stabbed him in the back, ruining his life. That's all there is to it."
Older Stephanie had taken a step back while Stephanie was speaking. She looked shocked, and just a little frightened. Young Stephanie still looked scared, still uncertain and hurt, but she was glaring accusingly.

[Raven]

"That's not the kind of person you want to be... And anyway, if you're so happy, why did it take killing my mother to get you to go back? Why did you leave in the first place?"

[Gifted]

"That was nine years ago Kailen." The elder one snapped, but she'd lost her composure. "I'm a different person than I was then. A better, smarter person. I left because I thought there might be a better future somewhere else. I was incorrect. I returned to my parents."
"That's not how it happened and you know it." Young Stephanie retorted.

[Raven]

"Clearly keeping every part of you your parents don't like is better, yeah?" Kailen asked. "Living with people who scare you to death is better."

[Gifted]

"My parents have been grooming me for success since I was in the cradle! I never would have gotten anywhere without them!" Despite her defensive words, older Stephanie looked almost as flustered as the younger one had. Kailen thought he saw blood on her too. Then, all at once, her face grew calm. Her whole demeanor shifted back to one of pure confidence. "So." She said quietly. "You think that by letting you out, you'll be happier than if you were kept locked up? That you'll be happy once you have control?"
Young Stephanie looked very wary. She knew an explosion was coming. Agreeing would set it off. But what choice did she have?