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“There we go!” Lana said excitedly, “You like it? I know it’s not my best job ever, but I think the color really suits you!”
Julie looked down at the black nail polish on her nails for a bit. Lightly curling her fingers, she admired their shimmer as the light above reflected off of them.
“They’re perfect!” She exclaimed joyfully, “They look so cool! Oh, thank you, Lana! Thank you!”
“I should be the one thanking you,” Lana said, lightly tugging at a strand of her long, wavy brown hair, “I haven’t been able to do anyone’s nails since I got here. Thank you for letting me do yours.”
“Oh, it’s really no problem,” Julie said joyfully, “It was worth the risk of getting in trouble.”
Technically, patients weren’t supposed to have bottles of nail polish on hand. Julie had to smuggle it in. The hospital banned anything that could potentially have poisonous chemicals in it. Julie could understand that reasoning; they wanted to prevent the risk of people here taking their own lives.
But honestly, who the hell would try to overdose off of nail polish?
Besides, Lana was under Julie’s supervision the whole time anyways.
Lana closed the bottle and slid it back across the table to Julie. Quickly, Julie slipped it back into her pocket.
“Alright,” Julie said, standing up, “I better get going. I need to check in on some other patients.”
“Aww,” Lana said, disappointed, “I wish we could hang out for longer.”
Julie sighed. “Me too. If I had more time, I’d love to try to do your nails! I can’t garantee I’ll be anywhere near as good as you, though.”
“Eh, how good they are doesn’t matter,” Lana said with a shrug, “Anything you do for me is perfect in my eyes.”
Julie felt her heart flutter upon hearing those words. She wanted to scream with joy, those words made her so delighted.
But she had to keep herself composed; she had to remain professional.
“Next time, I will,” she promised Lana, “Now, I’ve got to go. I’m already starting to fall behind schedule. I’ll see you later, Lana!”
“See you!” Lana replied, smiling softly up at Julie.
As Julie left the room, she kept gazing down at her nails. She just adored the sleek black nail polish. God, her nails were just perfect. Perfect like the person who’d done them.
She walked down the hall, approaching a room which she somewhat dreaded entering. The girl she now had to check in on was generally a good person to be around, but could be insanely stubborn at times. Some days, she was relatively easy to deal with. Other times, she made Julie’s job a whole hell of a lot harder.
Julie took a breath and entered.
“Hey Lina,” she said, tentatively stepping inside, “I’m here to check on you.”
“Ugh, again?” Came the groveled response. Reluctantly, Lina turned the seat she’d been sitting in to face Julie, “Your frequent check-ins are honestly starting to annoy me.”
“Sorry,” Julie said quickly, “It’s just required that I check in on all the patients every few hours. I need to make sure everyone’s alright.”
“Do you think I’m going to spontaneously combust or something?” Lina asked, crossing her arms, “I don’t even have anything on hand that could be remotely harmful. They took away my hair ties, for God’s sake.”
“It’s just an extra precaution,” Julie said, “We’ve had incidents in the past. It’s important to keep a strict watch on all of our patients.”
“Whatever,” said Lina, “What do you need to do?”
“Just the usual,” said Julie, stepping forwards, “Take your heart rate, measure your temperature, stuff like that.”
Lina let out a long sigh. “Fine,” she said, lifting her arm to the nearby table to make it easier for Julie, “If you must.”
Julie took a seat beside Lina and began her work, rolling up the girl’s sleeve and strapping a heart rate monitor onto her arm. Lina just watched with an annoyed expression. She’d never particularly liked these check-ins. But in the very least, she was acting somewhat cooperative today.
When Lina had first arrived, she was a nightmare to deal with. She arrived not long after Lana had, and immediately the two girls had it out for each other. Originally, the two shared a room, but they’d get themselves into frequent arguments, some of which turned into actual fights. The two eventually had to be placed in separate rooms for their own safety.
Over time, both girls calmed down, and nowadays they got along decently enough. They weren’t really besties per-se, but they were friendly enough with each other.
Lina also tended to be a bit of a troublemaker. Early on in her stay, she stole other people’s stuff like her life depended on it. One time, she’d stolen Lana’s journal, and it took Julie forever to coax Lina into handing it back.
But after being around Lina for so long, Julie had honestly become desensitized to Lina’s behavior. Hell, even if a little blunt at times, Lina could be a pretty nice person when given the chance.
“Say,” Lina said curiously, peering down at Julie’s nails, “Who did your nails?”
“Oh, Lana did them,” Julie said eagerly, showing them off, “Do you like them? They’re so pretty, aren’t they?”
“They look nice,” Lina said, “But I thought patients weren’t supposed to have nail polish and other stuff like that.”
“Yeah, not really,” Julie sheepishly admitted, nervously twirling a strand of her hair, “But it was worth it! Lana is amazing at doing my nails. Honestly, if it weren’t such a hassle, I’d have her do them more often.”
“You’d really do anything for Lana, wouldn’t you?” Lina asked, “I mean, you’re risking your whole internship over that girl.”
“I mean, maybe not anything,” Julie said with a shrug, “I just want to make her time here as good as it can be. When she first got here, she was just so miserable. All I wanted was to see her happy. She’s just so beautiful when she smiles; I’d do anything to keep that smile on her face as much as I can.”
As Julie spoke, her cheeks grew warm. She thought back to the way Lana had smiled at her earlier. Her smile was so sweet, and her voice… oh, it was like an angel’s.
She loved having Lana in her life.
“Sounds like you’ve got a bit of a crush on Lana to me,” Lina teased.
“What? No, don’t be absurd!” Julie snapped back, “She’s just a friend to me, nothing more.”
“Suuure,” Lina said, rolling her eyes, “Not like I can tell that she’s your favorite. I mean, you’re always giving her shit that you never bring me! You constantly sneak her snacks from the vending machine, but never once have you brought me any. You clearly favor her.”
“That doesn’t mean I love her!” Julie barked back at Lina, face flushing red, “Besides, I bring you things too! Lana’s not any different.”
“You’ve only ever brought me my meds, Julie,” Lina said bluntly.
“That’s Nurse Julie to you.”
Lina rolled her eyes. “Whatever. Also, you’re doing a terrible job at hiding your crush on Lana. I mean, you’re blushing right now just talking about her.”
“Shut up!” Julie yelled. She honestly hated how upfront Lina could be.
But Julie couldn’t be too mad at Lina.
After all, Lina was right.
Julie did have a crush on Lana.
Julie had been warned against getting too close with patients. She had to remain professional with her patients, and being in love with them got in the way of that.
Oh, but Julie couldn’t help but love Lana. What wasn’t there to love? She was so beautiful, like a goddess sent down to earth in human form.
Besides, if the hospital staff truly wanted to keep her from getting close with patients, they wouldn’t have placed her in the wing specifically for people around her age.
“You know I’m right,” Lina went on, “Just admit it: you like her.”
Julie wished she was able to argue further with Lina, but she honestly didn’t have the energy to fight back anymore.
“Fine,” she admitted with a deep sigh, “You win; I’m in love with Lana. But don’t you dare tell a single soul!”
“I won’t,” Lina promised, “I’ll keep my mouth shut about it. I’m not about to go around spilling your secrets everywhere.”
“Thank you,” Julie said graciously. As difficult as Lina could be, in the very least she was good at one thing: keeping secrets.
*****
She hid behind a bush, intently watching the girl walking past. The girl’s eyes seemed distant, as though she was deep in thought.
The girl looked different than she had long ago. For one, she had switched up her outfit. She wore a deep blue sweatshirt and a flowey skirt, with her hair neatly held back by a matching headband. Completing her outfit was a pair of combat boots.
And second, she appeared to be older now. She was taller, and had clearly grown into her once childish features.
Yet despite how different she looked now, she was unmistakable.
Lina had known that girl, many years ago.
The two had been friends, over a decade ago.
But that girl was also in the way of Agamemnon’s desires.
Lina had known that Julie was in love with Lana, long before Julie had admitted so. And Lina had known that Lana felt the same way back. Back in the hospital, the two were nearby inseparable. Every moment they had to spare, it would be spent with each other.
The two were precious to each other, which just made it easier for Lina to manipulate the two into bending to Agamemnon’s will.
Julie was willing to do anything for Lana. Even if it meant being turned into a monster, Julie was willing to let that happen if it meant keeping Lana safe.
Admittedly, it stung a little, destroying her own friend’s life. But Lina knew what had to be done. She knew that the two had to be split apart.
In a way, Lina somewhat admired Julie’s bravery. Not many would be willing to play along with this game the same way she had.
But now Julie was free again. She and Lana were happily living together now, free from Agamemnon’s control.
Lina hated seeing the two so happy. She hated seeing all the plans she and Agamemnon made crumble to the ground.
She had to find a way to get close with Lana again so she could carry on Agamemnon’s plans.
But she knew that Lana would refuse to even give her the time of day.
So first, she’d have to reconnect with someone a little easier to get through to.
*****
Julie wandered along the walkway, admiring the flowers lining the path. They danced in the gentle breeze, in hues of pink, yellow, and blue.
The past few months had been… rough, to say the least. It was difficult, trying to get her life back together after everything that had happened. She’d lost the life she originally had planned for herself, so now she had to find a new life for herself. Once, she’d had everything lined up before her, but now she just felt aimless; she had no real direction to go in anymore.
Memories from the time during which she was possessed had also begun seeping back into her mind. Each memory flooding back was another cruel reminder of what He had done to her.
Over time, she’d begun to remember more and more about the wicked creature she’d been turned into. She remembered all the innocent people she’d clawed her way into. She remembered all the blood she had spilled.
She killed so many. She took away so many lives with her own two hands.
She destroyed the futures of many others, just as her own had been destroyed…
She was a monster…
But she tried her best not to let it get to her. She had to forgive herself at least a little; it wasn’t entirely her fault.
It was Him who had been pulling the strings.
She was just glad to have Lana by her side every step of the way. Ever since their reunion, Lana had always there for her, no matter what. She didn’t know what she’d do without Lana.
Honestly, Lana was a goddamn saint for helping her through everything.
Sometimes, she wished she had someone else to confide in. She wished that her story didn’t have to remain a secret between her and Lana.
But she had no one else to speak about it with. If she dared speak to a therapist, she’d surely be locked up in an insane asylum.
She’d be seen as crazy if she dared tell her tale.
Much the same way people had thought that Lana was crazy…
That Agamemnon had ruined both their lives.
But regardless, they were both trying their best to keep moving forwards.
Today, Lana had brought Julie to her job and had begun teaching her the ropes. Lana wanted to give Julie at least something to do. After all, Julie’s dream of being a nurse had been crushed; she needed a new path to now.
Lana was hoping that someday, Julie would take the role of her assistant. While Julie wasn’t against this idea, she wouldn’t say she was completely satisfied with it either. She just didn’t know what else was out there for her yet.
But she needed at least some sort of job soon; she couldn’t be a freeloader forever. Even though Lana was perfectly content with providing for her, Julie still felt a little bad about it, even if it wasn’t exactly her fault.
She’d been thrown into this situation against her will, and it was taking her time to adjust.
While Julie had enjoyed learning about what Lana did for a living, she needed to take a quick walk to clear her head a little bit. Everything was just so overwhelming for her; she needed a short break to calm down.
Walking along the pathway, she rejoiced in the warmth of spring. It had been a bitter winter, so it was nice being outside without a bulky jacket for once.
At one point, she stopped by the side of the path. Kneeling down, she admired a small flower blooming in the nearby grass. Its golden petals shone in the afternoon sun.
Carefully, she picked the flower and tucked it into her hair. She’d always loved flowers; back in the hospital, she’d always bring flowers inside to brighten up Lana’s room. Even now, flowers brought her a strange sense of comfort. Sure, in the winter, they shriveled up and died. But come spring, they’d all bloom once again.
Perhaps the same could be true for her, too. Perhaps she, too, could find a new life.
She struggled a little pulling herself back up, as she was still getting used to the new prosthetic on her leg.
After being freed, she’d known her left leg was in bad shape. Whenever she placed any weight on it, it would burn like a wild flame.
But she didn’t know just how bad it was until she went to a doctor to get it checked out. It was only then she found out that half her leg was straight up just bone. It was a miracle she’d even been able to stand on it.
The new prosthetic was stiff and heavy; she didn’t like it at all. But it was her only way of walking around on her own, so she was willing to put up with it, even if it was quite annoying to deal with.
As much as everything sucked, she was trying her best to get through it all.
When she was about to keep walking, someone intercepted her path. It was a girl who hid her identity with a hat that shadowed her face and a cloak which covered her body.
Despite this person concealing their identity, however, this person felt rather familiar to Julie; she had the feeling she’d seen this girl before. She had a feeling she knew who it was.
As soon as the girl lifted her hat to reveal her face, Julie’s suspicions were confirmed; she knew exactly who it was.
“Lina…” she started, voice trembling.
That girl she’d known long ago glared right back at her.
“Julie!” Lina began with a dubious grin on her face, “It’s nice to see you again. I’ve sure missed you!”
Julie felt her body grow tense. She stepped back, legs trembling beneath her.
She’d never really hated Lina. Sure, back at the hospital Lina annoyed her easily, but the two had always been on good terms with each other.
But after Lana told her about everything Lina had done to her… how Lina was working with Agamemnon… how Lina had tried to replace Lana…
Any trust Julie had in Lina was shattered.
All those years ago, she’d considered Lina a good person. Maybe even a friend.
But not anymore. Not now that she knew Lina’s true colors.
“What are you doing here?” Julie sharply asked, clenching her fists tight. It took all her strength not to run up to the girl and strangle her right then and there.
“Why, I just wanted to reconnect with an old friend of mine. Is that really an odd thing to do?” Lina asked, all innocent sounding, “I haven’t seen you in over a decade, Julie. I wanted to know how you’re doing.”
Anger boiled through Julie’s entire body. Lina’s audacity to act all naïve and innocent was sickening.
“You worked with Agamemnon,” Julie said coldly, face darkening, “Lana told me all about you. You can’t fool me into trusting you.”
“You’re really still mad over what Agamemnon’s done?” Lina asked with a slight laugh, “You’ve got to move on eventually. You can’t dwell on Him forever.”
“I can’t just move on when He’s destroyed my entire life,” Julie snarled at Lina, “And I won’t let everything you’ve done slide either!”
Lina fell into silence for a second, hesitating a little bit. Her face almost seemed somber as she thought of what to say next. Then, in a softer tone than before, she started back up again. “I know what I did with Agamemnon is… regrettable. But you have to understand, I barely had a choice in the matter.”
“Oh, don’t try to act like the victim,” Julie said bitterly, “You know exactly what you were doing. Just admit it.”
“Okay, maybe I should’ve known better,” Lina admitted, stepping forwards, “But no one’s perfect. And I’m sure you’re no saint either.”
“I may not be perfect,” Julie said, shivering thinking back on all the people she’d killed, “But I’m an angel in comparison to the likes of you.”
Lina didn’t reply; she just took Julie by the hand and said, “You know, we’re not so different, you and I. He had both our souls in his clutch. We were both nothing more than pawns in His game. Neither of us had any other choice. But now we’re both free. The same forces that freed your soul, they freed mine as well.”
As much as Julie hated to admit it, that much was true: Agamemnon had control over both their souls. They were almost like two sides of the same coin. One who wanted this, and one who never asked for this.
“Julie, you’re the only person who I can speak to about this,” Lina continued, “No one else would ever believe me. There’s a reason Lana and I were locked up in that hospital in the first place. No one would believe us then, no one will believe us now.”
Listening to those words, Julie admittedly felt a little bad for Lina… after all, she felt the same way. Having someone else to confide in would be refreshing.
“Lana doesn’t want to even associate with me anymore,” Lina droned on, “So you’re my only other option, Julie. You’re the only person I have left.”
Julie somewhat related to what Lina was saying. She, too, wished she had someone else to relate to.
But even still, she remained weary of Lina. Who knew whether Lina was being genuine or not? Sure, maybe Lima was telling the truth. But at the same time, Lina could very well be twisting the narrative in her own favor.
Julie looked up, locking eyes with Lina, trying to gauge the woman’s expression. Lina’s eyes almost seemed sincere, there was just one thing that seemed off. For a moment, Julie struggled to place her finger on it.
Then a realization hit her like a brick.
Lina’s eyes looked oddly familiar. Sure, she’d seen Lina plenty of times before. She was perfectly familiar with the way Lina looked.
But she’d seen those eyes someplace else too.
Julie’s mind flashed back to that fateful day when she was possessed. She remembered feeling her own consciousness slipping away, watching her vision fade to darkness as Agamemnon took control.
But right before everything went blurry, she saw something:
Those eyes, intently watching her with a murderous resolve.
Julie looked at Lina, realization slowly dawning upon her.
Lina had been there that day. Lina had seen her possession occur.
Lina had aided Agamemnon in turning her into a monster.
Anger boiled hot through every fiber of Julie’s being. The life she’d had planned out for herself was shattered, and now she was stuck putting the pieces back together. And now the girl who was behind it all was standing right in front of her.
Lina had never wanted to know how Julie felt about Lana out of curiosity. Lina had never stolen Lana’s journal just to mess with Lana.
No.
Lina had done it all to find who she should rip out of Lana’s life next.
Lina had seen Julie as nothing more than an obstacle to be discarded of, and honestly Julie felt sick to her stomach knowing that she’d even been willing to listen to Lina ramble on for so long.
She couldn’t let this monster get her way again!
“So it was your fault!” Julie screamed in fury. Anger taking control of her, she lunged forwards, grabbing Lina by the wrists. She simply couldn’t believe that Lina had the audacity to try and gain her trust again knowing every way she’d wronged her.
Julie wanted to murder that bitch who’d ruined her life.
She tightened her grip on Lina’s wrists. If her grasp grew any tighter, she’d surely snap the woman’s wrists. And honestly, that was the least she wanted to do to this monster.
But then she stopped herself.
What was she doing?
She’d taken countless lives as a merciless monster. She’d spilled so much blood in an uncontrollable thirst for vengeance.
If she did the same to Lina now, then she wouldn’t be any different from that creature.
She couldn’t let anymore blood stain her hands.
Reluctantly, she let go of Lina and pulled herself away. She couldn’t let her anger take control; that wouldn’t get her to the truth.
“Why…” Julie started in a shaky voice, “Why did you help him turn me into a monster? Why did you ruin my life…?”
“I…” Lina began, then paused, as if trying to find the right words. Then she restarted again. “Yes. It’s true, I helped him turn you into a monster. He wanted to take you away from Lana, just like anyone else in her life. But you have to understand, if I didn’t comply, he would’ve done the same to me. You may have been willing to sacrifice yourself for her… but not everyone has the strength to do that.”
Julie listened to those words, but didn’t say anything. Sure, maybe Lina truly did feel regret for her actions. But who could tell for sure? Lina could easily be feigning remorse to trick Julie.
Besides, no matter how bad Lina supposedly felt, that didn’t change the harm she’d caused.
“You were braver than I am,” Lina went on, “You were willing to do anything to keep Lana safe. Honestly, I sort of envy that bravery.”
Bravery? Sure, Julie was willing to let Agamemnon have his way to keep Lana safe. But she hadn’t been completely fearless. She was fucking scared the entire time.
She was anything but brave.
“Besides, none of that matters anymore,” Lina went on, flashing a small smile, “Because we’re free now. He no longer has control over us.”
Sure, maybe Lina was telling the truth; maybe she was truly free as she claimed.
But she could also very well be lying. Perhaps she was still secretly working with Agamemnon. Perhaps she was trying to rope Julie and Lana back into His game.
If she fell for Lina’s lies, she could very well become that monster again…
If she fell for Lina’s lies, Lana could easily end up at His whims again.
Julie couldn’t let that happen. She couldn’t let Him have His way again.
“Maybe we should get to know each other again,” Lina suggested, “Maybe once we clear up our misunderstandings, we’ll finally learn to trust each other once more. Maybe you could even help me get back on good terms with Lana…”
That was where Julie had to halt the conversation in its tracks.
“Oh fuck no,” Julie sputtered bitterly, seething with rage, “Whether you’re lying or not, I can’t just let you back into Lana’s life. Not after all you’ve done to hurt her. Honestly, you’re lucky I’m even willing to talk to you right now.”
“I just want to see both of you again,” Lina pleaded.
“And you won’t get to,” Julie growled, unable to contain her anger any longer, “I’m never letting you anywhere near Lana again! Now leave me alone! I don’t want to speak to you anymore!”
“But-“
“LEAVE!”
Lina looked at her with a strange mix of shock and disappointment, which honestly just pissed Julie off even more.
Then she let out a sigh.
“Fine then,” she said in defeat, “I’ll respect your wishes and leave you be. I just wish you were willing to hear me out at least a little longer.”
And when Lina turned to leave, Julie felt relief trickle into her heart. She’d heard enough from Lina to know that she didn’t want that woman back in her life. And nothing Lina could say would get her to change her mind.
Her trust with Lina had been broken far too many times to be fixed.
Turning away, Julie rushed back to the salon; this walk had gone on long enough.
*****
“There you are!” Lana exclaimed joyfully upon Julie’s return, “You were gone for so long, I was starting to wonder where you were.”
“Sorry,” Julie said quickly, taking a seat beside Lana, “I just got a little lost. I’m not exactly used to this place yet.”
“Well, I’m glad you’re back!” Lana said excitedly, “I was wondering if you wanted me to do your nails.”
“Really?” asked Julie, “Don’t you have other people’s nails to do right now?”
Lana just shrugged. “Not really. It’s been a slow day; I have time.”
“Well, why not?” Asked Julie, splaying her hands out on the table, “Can you do gold? To match the flower in my hair?” She pointed up at the flower for Lana to see.
“Of course!” Lana said, smiling brightly as she pulled a bottle of shimmering gold polish from the nearby rack, “How’s this color for you?”
“It’s perfect,” Julie replied, then in a softer voice, “Just like you.”
Lana blushed a little. Anxiously tugging at a strand of hair, she said, “Eh, wouldn’t exactly call myself perfect. I’m far from the best person ever.”
“Oh, but you are,” Julie insisted, “You’re nothing short of perfect. You’ve done everything to help me since I was freed. God, you’re like an angel sent down from the heavens above…”
“I’m no angel,” Lana said as she unscrewed the bottle’s cap, “An angel wouldn’t be an ex-cult member.”
“But you’re an angel to me,” Julie said, placing an arm around the girl she loved, “Thank you for everything you’ve done… truly, I love you for it.”
“And I love you too,” Lana said, giving Julie a small kiss on the cheek before adding, “Now, let’s get started on your nails.”
Julie smiled softly. “I’m sure that when they’re done, they’ll be just as perfect as you.”
*****
Lina walked away, bitter with the way her conversation with Julie had gone. She’d thought that getting Julie to trust her would be easy, but it seemed that Julie was going to make things far harder than they had to be.
Whatever. Lina would find a way to make her plans come to fruition, no matter what Lana’s little rat wanted.