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It was almost time for the blood moon. It was almost time for the sacrifice to commence.
The doppelgänger walked aimlessly about; there wasn’t much to do for now. Everything was already set in place; all there was to do now was wait.
She wandered by the cage, peering down at the girl trapped inside, whose face was almost a reflection of her own. Whenever her gaze brushed past the girl’s face, she was met with eyes that looked exactly like her own.
The girl sat there, sulking in the corner of the cage, tears streaming from her eyes. She honestly looked defeated; it seemed as through she’d given up on trying to escape long ago.
Hovering over the girl, watching intently, the doppelgänger found it hard to believe that this was the very person her entire existence stemmed from. Even though their faces were the same, their similarities were merely surface-level; deep down, they were completely different people. The doppelgänger was strong and resilient; this girl, meanwhile, was nothing but pathetic and weak. The two were absolutely nothing alike.
The girl seemed to notice the doppelgänger’s gaze upon her, as she looked up, her own gaze locking with the doppelgänger’s eyes.
“What are you here for, other me?” She asked. Her voice carried an almost spiteful quality to it as she slipped that question out.
The doppelgänger didn’t give an answer. Frankly, she didn’t want to. She didn’t give a shit about this girl. All the doppelgänger cared about was this girl’s soul being sacrificed to aid in fulfilling Agamemnon’s goals.
The doppelgänger honestly didn’t know why she’d wandered by the cage in the first place; it was just that, well, part of her almost felt drawn to the girl, in a strange way.
Rather than giving the girl an answer, the doppelgänger posed a question of her own. “How does it feel knowing you’re about to be sacrificed, Lana?”
She could almost feel a bitter taste on her tongue as she spoke the woman’s name aloud. It was the name both girls shared, yet deep down, the doppelgänger despised it; it simply didn’t feel right for her. After all, she knew the name didn’t truly belong to her.
And yet there was no other name she had to call herself by. She had no choice but to forever be known by a name that wasn’t her own.
“Not great,” Lana murmured in a low, tearful voice, “You’d feel the same way if you were in my shoes, I’m sure.”
“Doesn’t matter, because I’m not in your shoes,” the doppelgänger spat out coldly, “You’re the one he wants, not me. And once your soul is his, then our plans will finally come to fruition.”
Lana was silent for a moment, blankly listening to the doppelgänger’s words as she anxiously ran her fingers through her hair.
Then she said, in nearly a whisper, “You don’t seriously believe he’s telling you the truth, do you?”
“Why shouldn’t I believe him?” The doppelgänger asked. She honestly couldn’t believe Lana had the audacity to question her trust in Agamemnon. “He’s done nothing but support me. He’s made my life better in so many ways.” She thought back on all the times she’d met with Agamemnon and Lina. The two were there for her, no matter what.
Even when she was overwhelmed by the demands filling in at the salon brought about, the two gave her nothing but words of encouragement. And when she was in desperate need of a break near the end of summer, Agamemnon had convinced Lina to to fill in for her so she had time to rest. And now she was back, and she was better than ever.
In a way, Agamemnon was almost like a father to her…
So who was Lana to question her trust in someone who clearly cared so deeply for her?
“Because we’re not so different, you and I,” Lana said, quieter this time, “We’re like two sides of the same coin.”
“We are NOT anything alike!” The doppelgänger snapped, “You may think I’m just like you, but you have to accept that I’m the superior version of you. You must be insane to imply we’re anything alike.”
“But we are,” Lana insisted, voice firmer this time, “Even if you are the better version of me as you claim… at the end of the day, both our personalities stem from the same core traits. Nothing can change the fact that the person you are is a reflection of the person I am.”
The doppelgänger just scoffed; as if they were similar by any means.
“And who’s to say that when he’s done with me, he won’t target you next…?” Lana questioned. “He can’t be trusted. He doesn’t care about you the way he claims he does.”
“He won’t target me!” The doppelgänger said sharply, “You’re his sacrifice because you’re completely useless to him. I, on the other hand, am useful to him. I serve him dutifully. I give him everything I am. I do what you could never dare to! And once the blood moon rises and your soul is in his grasp, maybe you’ll finally understand the truth.”
Lana just let out a deep sigh, ripping her gaze away from the doppelgänger’s eyes as she mournfully whispered, “If that’s what you truly think… then don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
*****
Everything had seemed to be going according to plan.
That was, until a pesky little human had wandered in, threatening everything Agamemnon, Lina, and the doppelgänger had been building up to.
The doppelgänger watched the battle play out before her eyes. Her gaze remained fixated on Lina as she battled the pathetic little human.
Lina needed to win. She needed to defeat that stupid imbecile so Agamemnon’s plans could go undisturbed.
And yet that wasn’t how the story played out.
Somehow, the human being had gained the upper hand.
Somehow, Lina was defeated.
“NO!” Lina desperately called out, her voice full of pure horror, “PLEASE, AGAMEMNON, FORGIVE MY WEAKNESS! I PROMISE I CAN BE USEFUL! PLEASE!”
But Agamemnon didn’t care for her pleas for mercy; nothing Lina cried out could change Agamemnon’s mind as he contorted her body to his whims.
The doppelgänger squeezed her eyes shut; she couldn’t bring herself to watch the scene unfold in front of her. The sound of bones twisting and snapping sent shivers down the doppelgänger’s spine.
Lina had failed to prove her use to Agamemnon.
She was going to be punished for her weakness.
In a way, the doppelgänger felt sorry for Lina. She knew, deep down, that this wasn’t entirely Lina’s fault.
The doppelgänger was just glad it wasn’t her who had to suffer the consequences. After all, she hadn’t failed Agamemnon. She was still useful to him.
Right…?
Just then, a force knocked her backwards, sweeping her right off her feet. She didn’t even have a second to react as her body slammed against the wall behind her. She coughed up blood as she fell to the ground, her body formless, almost like a ragdoll.
As she hit the ground below, her mind spiraled into a panic.
No…. no no no, she thought frantically, feeling her whole body buzzing with pain. I didn’t do anything wrong!
She tried to pull herself back up, desperate to somehow escape the darkness quickly overtaking her sight. But whatever force was fighting against her slammed her right back against the ground. She felt warm blood gush out as the stones below cut her skin open like a sharp blades.
Please, don’t do this to me! She pleaded, reaching out to the sky, as if Agamemnon was right there before her, You care about me, don’t you?! You can’t possibly do this to me…
And yet Agamemnon’s voice echoed out in her mind, sounding completely unconcerned as he said coldly, “You were a fool for believing I truly cared about you… and now you must face the consequences.”
The doppelgänger’s heart raced. No… this couldn’t be! Lana was wrong! Agamemnon still cared about her; he loved her like a daughter. He wouldn’t lie to her!
And yet the truth was undeniable.
Agamemnon truly didn’t care for her well-being whatsoever.
She was nothing more than his pawn.
The doppelgänger weakly craned her head upwards, her mind misted by a thick haze as she glanced back at the cage once more. She looked back at Lana. The real Lana. The person her entire existence was based upon.
The last thing the doppelgänger saw before her vision went dark was the sight of the cage‘s bars dissolving, setting the real Lana free.
And as the doppelgänger felt her consciousness slip away, her belief that she and Lana were nothing alike only grew stronger.
While the real Lana was destined to live free, the doppelgänger was doomed to die by Agamemnon’s hands. And it was far too late for fate to change its mind.