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Gaty still sat in front of Two’s door, body numb and mind blank, as if permanently zoned out unless someone was talking to her. She’s sat there for weeks months at this point. Why? Because she blamed herself. She blamed herself for their death, she blamed herself for their bed rotting a year straight, and for her disappearance, even if it was 0N3 who caused it. She hated the contract making number. She despised the mention of the woman. It was her fault all of this even happened. The last thing Gaty wanted was to go back there.
She couldn’t bring herself to die, no matter how much she wanted to, how much she wished she could just die without any form of recovery. But she couldn’t. Her death would probably be noticed by Saw, or Pin, or one of the other contestants that were on The Power Of Two when it was still live, but, if she tried anything, she’d be recovered in the span of a few hours. Over, and over, and over and over again. Then it’d bring up concern. The one thing she’s grown to hate and despise outside of people. She hated the consistency of it. She’d sit by the door, staring at the floor for too long, then someone would come up to her, and try to ask what was wrong. She didn’t mind it. She appreciated that they actually gave a shit to even check on her, but hated it when it was more than once a day.
The show was cancelled by the fact that, well. An obvious one, the host was dead. Four and X would’ve hosted but Four was still in the moon and the two were like a pair, a pair of chains that couldn’t be separated or unlocked. She wished her and Two were like that. Unable to be separated, stuck together like cherries, then maybe they’d still be here. Then maybe none of this would’ve happened.
Gaty stared at her arms for a moment, then at a pair of scissors that lay on the nightstand, have those always been there? She wondered, not having seen them within the few times she was in the hosts room. She stared at the scissors for a moment. This isn’t healthy. And she knew that. Tossing her mental health aside like this isn’t healthy. Nothing she was doing was healthy. She supposed that what she was thinking of doing while staring at the scissors would add onto that list of unhealthy shit she’d do and call it a coping mechanism. So she stood up and grabbed the scissors, unsure of how deep it’d cut, or if it’d even cut at all. She was desperate either way. If actually attempting to die without recovery wouldn’t work, then bleeding out to an actual death might.
Who would care if she was dead? Maybe one or two people, maybe more. Maybe less. Maybe nobody would care, maybe after her removal from the timeline, everyone she knew had probably forgotten about her by then, so, after a moment of debate, she opened the scissors and pressed it against her skin with the sharpest sparks she knew that the pair of cutting materials had.. but just before it hit her skin.
She was in a different place. She knew it wasn’t Two’s room, or a different part of the hotel. The hotel wasn’t blue.
“Gaty!” She heard nearby from where she was standing, she recognized that voice like the sting from a bee.
Shit “Why am I back here?” She questioned, shoving the scissors into her pocket out of panic, her hand having a tight grip on it.
“Oh no reason. How’s Two?”
“That’s all you wanted to ask me?”
“Answer my question and I’ll answer yours.”
Gaty was silent, sitting in the chair opposite of One, her body shaking.
“Well?”
“They’re dead.” Her voice was quiet as she tried to choke back tears.
“Is that so? No wonder you’re so pale and messy. You’re usually put together, true?”
“Can you please just send me back.”
“Desperate are we? How about-“
“One.”
“Don’t cut me off” Ones tone sounded as pissed as a child when you steal a toy from their bag. Gaty didn’t care. She felt too numb to care.
“But fine. If you’re going to plead and beg, I’ll leave you off the hook. For now.” One snapped her fingers and Gaty was back in Twos room. God she was so glad to be away from that woman
~
She got the scissors out of her pocket and pressed it against her wrist with the sharpest possible edge she knew about again, waiting for something to happen, for her to faint from cutting too deep, for her to bleed out, start crying, for someone to walk in, just SOMETHING
The blood was coming through the open gap on her skin, and she just stared at it. She’d only put a bandage on it if it got any worse, simple plan, right?
She heard the door open, shoving the scissors under a nearby pillow out of pure panic, covering the spot of blood with her hand
“Gaty?” It was Pin. Again. She didn’t mind it, sometimes the comfort was needed, wanted even, so she could keep her mind off of things, even if she constantly denied the questions about her mental health
“You okay?”
“Uh. Yeah! Yeah. No, I’m fine Pin, thanks for uhm. Thanks for asking though I really appreciate it”
“You’ve been in here for a while now.. are you sure?”
“I’m sure, thank you though, Pin, I really appreciate it”
“Oh..”
Gaty bit her lip, watching Pin leave the room
~
“Ughhhh.” Gaty grumbled as she sat down on the bed, the arm containing the cut right side up.
Gaty.
“Two?” She put the scissors down when she heard the voice. Was she hearing things again?
You shouldn’t be doing this y’know
“I know.”
It’s clear that you don’t. Rotting away in the hotel for months, harming yourself, refusing to talk to anyone about your problems, refusing to do anything in general, making up scenarios of before this all even happened. It’s unhealthy.
“I’m aware, Two.”
Go get some fresh air then
Gaty held her body in the fetal position and grumbled something under her breath, the illusion of Two sitting next to her
“I miss you Two.” She leaned against the fragment of imagination, it felt.. oddly real
I know. I miss you too
The two were silent for a few minutes before Two spoke up
The others care, y’know. That’s why they check in so often
Gaty was quiet for a moment “You think so?”
I know so
“Thanks Two. I really needed that”
No problem Two lightly kissed the woman on the cheek Love you
Gaty froze, unsure of whether to cry, hug the number, or just hope that she’d never wake up if this ended up being a dream “I.. love you too” She leaned against Two again, the feeling of their body on hers still felt oddly real. Wouldn’t she have woken up by now? She glanced around the room. Twos body was still in the exact same spot, and hers was.. on the bed. Where she last was before this happened. Was she dead? She glanced down at where the cut was. It was healed, that’s.. odd. She only cut it 20 minutes ago
“Two..” She clung onto the feeling of her body leaning against them “Can I ask you something kinda, weird?..”
Sure! What’s up?
“Am I dead?..”
Dead?… Hun.. Gaty, why do you ask?
Gaty’s heart fluttered when Two called her ‘hun’, it was insanely comforting to hear.
“I don’t.. uhm. How do I word this? Everything you do is so real even though you’re dead and I probably would’ve woken up by now if it wasn’t real but it doesn’t feel like a dream at all so now I’m scared. Did I bleed out? Did I just.. die in my sleep? I don’t know what else could’ve happened I-“ Her body was shaking again as tears fell from her eyes
Two hugged her It’s okay. I’m here