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Melanie had to do this. She had to escape the Institute, this was the only way.
There was only one problem.
If she escaped the Institute by gouging her eyes out, Georgie would feel the pain as well. Because they were soulmates…weren't they?
But she had to do this anyway. She knelt in the Archives library with an awl in her hands now. Her hands were shaking, but she didn't care—at least, she didn't want to care.
"C'mon," she muttered to herself. "You warned Georgie already…"
Melanie felt guilty with every passing second that she was hurting Georgie by doing this.
But did she really have a choice?
She brought the sharp awl up to her eye and dug it into the socket.
—
Everything was dark, and it would be for the rest of Melanie's life.
She was surprised she was still conscious through the horrible, horrible pain.
Melanie was being carried in someone's arms. She knew these arms, she knew the cold yet soft hands and the strong grip.
Georgie. Her soulmate.
"Georgie…"
"I'm…I'm calling an ambulance, Mel, please just stay alive…" Her voice was laced with panic, and yet…no physical pain.
This confused Melanie.
"Didn't…didn't you feel it too…?" Melanie mumbled, barely able to speak through the pain. "We're soulmates…aren't we? We feel each other's pain…"
Georgie was quite for a few seconds, and suddenly, Melanie had a horrible realization.
She had only assumed she and Georgie was soulmates…but she had no proof.
She realized now that Georgie hadn't felt the pain that Melanie had inflicted upon herself.
Right before passing out from pain, Melanie had one last thought.
If Georgie didn't feel the pain, who did?
—
Helen didn't remember what she had been doing before a horrible, horrible agony shot through her eyes. She howled at the feeling, the sound almost shaking her corridors as she clutched her face in pain—it felt like she was being stabbed.
At first, Helen didn't have a clue as to where this pain was coming from. But then, it occurred to her that soulmates existed.
Helen had assumed all her life that she had no soulmate. They were rare, after all—and the thought terrified her too much to seek one out, anyway. Even when the Distortion had become Helen, there was no thought about a potential soulmate. Why would delusion incarnate have a soulmate, anyway?
But today, Helen had been proven wrong.
She had a soulmate. And whoever it was, they had just gone through a horrible amount of pain in the eye region.
—
Through the immense pain, Helen found herself nearly getting lost in her own corridors—an extension of herself. Pathetic.
Eventually, though, she did manage to find a way to the Magnus Institute. She had a burning question for a certain Archivist.
Jon had just been finishing a statement—hands shaking and eyes glowing the green of the Beholding—when Helen entered his office through her yellow door.
"Hello," Helen said. This seemed to quite startle Jon, he flinched and yelped before turning around to face Helen.
"What are you doing here?" Jon asked. His eyebrows furrowed. "Why do you seem so…serious?"
"One is usually serious when facing a lot of pain," Helen said. "And I have a question for you, Archivist."
"Pain…?" Jon muttered. "Can you even feel pain…?"
"Soulmate pain, yes, apparently," Helen said. "Do you happen to know anybody who went through a lot of pain recently?"
Jon blinked. "You're going to have to narrow that down."
"Pain in the eye region? Perhaps…gouging their eyes out?"
At hearing this detail, Jon's eyes slightly widened. "Yes. Yes I do."
"Tell me."
Jon glanced over at the still-running tape recorder, before heaving a sigh.
"Melanie," he said. "I assume she's your soulmate…?"
Helen tried not to let her surprise show on her face. "Yes, I suppose so."
Jon turned away from Helen. "A match made in heaven…good luck."
"Thank you, Archivist."
And with that information delivered, Helen walked through her door and out of Jon's office.
—
When Melanie regained consciousness, everything was, once again, dark. That was to be expected, though.
She was disoriented at first—before feeling that she was in a bed. Not a very comfortable one, the mattress was hard and the sheets were somewhat rough.
It was probably a hospital bed, judging by the beeping sound of a heart monitor nearby.
Other than that, however, it was quiet.
This put Melanie on edge.
"Georgie?" she called out, voice weak and raspy. "I…I'm awake…"
No answer. Melanie sighed.
She then remembered that Georgie wasn't her soulmate. Georgie hadn't felt the horrible pain that Melanie had inflicted onto herself—somebody else had.
A hint of guilt flickered in Melanie's heart— and it disturbed her that it was only a hint. Shouldn't it be more?
Melanie had no time to linger on this, however. Because, suddenly, she felt static in the air, and a slight aching in her head.
This feeling…this presence…it was familiar.
But that was impossible.
"Melanie," a voice said. A voice that shouldn't have been here.
"Helen," Melanie muttered. "What are you doing here?"
"Just to visit you, dear," Helen said. Melanie didn't like the way her cheeks heated up at the pet name.
"After all, we are soulmates."
Melanie felt her stomach drop, and her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She gripped the sheets of the hospital bed tighter.
"W-what are you talking about?"
"You gouged your own eyes out, correct?" Helen said.
"I never told you I was doing that."
"Did some prying and found out," Helen answered, ignoring Melanie's rising anger. "I felt that pain too, you know."
Melanie's stomach was trying itself in a knot now. Her heart was pounding in anxiety—and disbelief. And anger.
"No. No you didn't."
"Why would I lie about this, Melanie?"
"You lie all the time. That's kind of in your nature."
"Not about the first pain I've felt in ages."
Melanie sighed. For the first time, Helen actually seemed…somewhat sincere. She wracked her mind for reasons why Helen would lie about being her soulmate, but no ideas came.
"So…you're my soulmate. The fucking Distortion is my soulmate."
"It seems so~"
Melanie didn't like the playfulness in Helen's voice.
"I thought Georgie was my soulmate," Melanie muttered. "For the longest time…I can't believe I didn't—"
"This soulmate thing messes with your mind, dear~"
"Don't call me that."
"It's a creation of the Mother of Puppets, you know. Making you think you finally found the one you're destined to be with, only to tie you to the person you'd least expect."
Melanie sighed. She didn't need Helen's lecture on the nature of soulmates. "Do you even count as a person?"
"That's up for debate~"
A debate Melanie didn't want to have right now. She didn't like any of this—the worst part was that Helen didn't even seem to mind being Melanie's soulmate.
"Why are you like this?" Melanie grumbled.
"Like what?"
"So…twisted." Melanie turned her head in the direction she believed Helen stood in. The subtle aching in her head increased.
Helen laughed. That laugh…why did it make Melanie feel so…strange? The same way she felt when Helen called her dear. It made her cheeks heat up and her stomach flutter…maybe that was a Spiral thing.
Melanie ignored that this was the way Georgie made her feel, too.
"It's in my very nature to be twisted, Melanie. Don't you know that~?"
"You don't even care that we're soulmates."
"I mean, the eye gouging was painful, but I think I'm quite a lucky woman."
At that moment, Melanie heard the door open. She heard footsteps—and then, a familiar voice.
"What the fuck are you doing here?!"
"We're soulmates," Melanie and Helen said simultaneously.
Georgie was silent for a few seconds, and Melanie could practically feel her surprise filling the whole room.
"You…" Georgie said, referring to Helen, "are my girlfriend's soulmate?"
"It was a surprise to me, too," Helen answered.
"This doesn't mean we have to…break up or anything," Melanie said. "I would never leave you…especially not for her."
"Why wouldn't you want to be with your soulmate?" Helen said, a hint of flirtation in her voice. Melanie ignored the way that made her blush more.
"Because you're a horrible, twisted monster," Melanie growled. "You're the Distortion, for fuck's sake. It's your job to trap people, to make them go insane before you devour them. Why would I ever want to be your soulmate?"
Silence again. The static in the air was stronger now, as was Melanie's headache.
"I could say the same thing about you, Melanie King."
Melanie felt Georgie take her hand, the coldness and the softness comforted Melanie a bit. Only a bit, though—nothing could distract Melanie from the hypocrisy of Helen's statement.
"It's okay, Mel," Georgie said. "You don't have to do anything about this bond."
"But I'm stuck with her forever…" Melanie muttered.
"Doesn't mean you have to be her lover."
Melanie then heard Georgie snap at Helen.
"What are you still doing here? Leave."
"Fine," Helen said, irritation in her voice. Melanie heard a door open.
"But I'll never let you forget our bond, Melanie~"
Then Helen's door slammed shut, and Melanie's Spiral-induced headache disappeared.
—
Helen paced back and forth in her hallway, eyebrows furrowed. She couldn't stop thinking about the exchange she had just had with her soulmate.
Melanie. She hadn't been too pleased to find out she and Helen were soulmates—but then again, who would want to be bonded with a monster like the Distortion?
The anger in Melanie's voice, however, made Helen almost wish she didn't have a soulmate. That the Web would just leave her and Melanie alone.
But deep down, Helen was glad that she was bonded to such a beautiful woman. For ages she had tried to deny the way she felt around Melanie, but now, that fluttery feeling was too much to ignore.
Maybe someday, she and Melanie would actually get along. Maybe someday, the two soulmates would hold hands together, and maybe even kiss.
But for now, Helen had to harbor this love for a woman who wanted her dead.
The fate-spinning Mother of Puppets was quite cruel, it seemed.
—
Part of Melanie was relieved when Helen finally left the hospital room. Part of her was finally allowed to somewhat relax, to savor the feeling of Georgie's soft hand in hers.
But the other part of Melanie…kind of wanted Helen back. She was actually kind of excited that she was her soulmate, that the Web had decided they were a match, that she would maybe get the chance to kiss such a horrifying, beautiful monstrosity—
"Are you okay?" Georgie asked.
Melanie sighed.
"Of course I'm not okay."