Archive of Our Own

The first thing she ever felt was a hand upon her chest, from which a warm, soothing sensation ebbed out, seeping into her skin. The feeling slowly spread until it engulfed her entire body.

And, for the first time, she truly became aware of her own existence. She could feel her own heart beating in her chest. She could feel the blood rushing through her veins. She could feel the air rush into her lungs with each and every breath she took.

She was alive. She was a human. She was a person.

Slowly, she opened her eyes for the first time in her existence. Craning her head upwards, she locked eyes with a man who stood before her. He looked down upon her with a look of pure satisfaction.

He was her creator. He was the one who’d instilled a soul within her. He was the one who had given her life.

“Why hello there, Lana…” he said, smiling down at her.

As he spoke that name aloud, she knew that it belonged to her. Memories slowly seeped into her brain, memories she was certain were her own. Memories of growing up in a farm in Michigan. Memories of growing ill from an unknown sickness. Memories of being locked away in a creepy old hospital for over a year. Memories of working as an under-appreciated nail tech for five years trying to earn enough money to pay off her debts.

Each memory that entered her brain made her all the more certain that she was who this man claimed she was.

She was Lana, the nail technician at Dress to Impress, and she was going to get revenge on those who’d wronged her in the past.

She couldn’t be incorrect. This had to be her true identity.

Surely…

*****

Walking down the pathway, she tried her best to ignore the sense of pure dread looming over her, but it was impossible to brush aside just how horrified she was. Honestly, if she could, she’d turn back the way she came and leave this place far behind.

But she just kept trailing closely behind Lana, letting the nail tech lead the way. She kept her head low, trying her best not to pay too much attention to her surroundings, yet it was impossible to ignore the slight chill in the air that brought back memories from long ago. Those memories weren’t even her own, yet regardless, they were imprinted inside her brain.

Finally, she and Lana arrived at their destination: Lana’s childhood home.

Looking up at the house, memories of Lana’s past came flashing back into Dove’s mind. The frigid Michigan winters, the illness she’d had to suffer through, the people around her twisting into monsters. All of those memories were from a childhood that wasn’t even her own, and yet they haunted her as though she had lived through them first-hand.

“We’re here,” Lana said, clearly trying to sound optimistic.

But no amount of optimism on Lana’s part could make Dove’s sense of unease come to a halt. After all, nothing but traumatic memories were connected to this house. This was the kind of location Dove would expect to find in her worst nightmares.

“I don’t know if I can do this…” Dove murmured, trembling at the thought of going inside. It took every last ounce of strength in her not to just turn and run away from here.

“I’m sure it’ll be fine!” Lana assured her, “My parents are super chill. They were happy to meet Julie. I’m sure they’ll be happy to meet you, too!”

As much as Dove wanted to believe those words, she could hear the uncertainty in Lana’s voice shine through those sugarcoated words. It was crystal clear that Lana was equally as unsure as Dove was about meeting with Lana's parents. After all, there was no telling how Lana's parents may react to finding out that Dove existed.

Dove honestly wished she didn’t have to worry about this whole ordeal. She wanted nothing more than to hide out in the car and let Lana enjoy a nice day with her parents without having to worry about Dove.

But deep down, Dove knew this was necessary.

After all, Dove couldn’t remain a secret to the rest of the world forever. Her Patrons already knew about her true identity, and word had already quickly spread among the general public about how Lana was supporting one of her doppelgängers.

Hell, things had gotten to the point that models in the salon were now regularly asking Lana about what her doppelgänger was up to. Some simply out of mild curiosity, but others, out of judgement or even malice towards the idea that one of Lana’s doppelgängers could possibly be trying live a normal life.

Both Lana and Dove knew that eventually, Lana’s parents were going to hear about Dove’s existence, and they'd agreed that it would be better off if Dove was directly introduced to Lana’s parents before the public’s highly exaggerated rumors could reach their ears first.

Of course, this meeting wasn’t going to be as simple as just showing up and explaining who Dove was. After all, while the Patrons and most of the models already knew about Lana’s doppelgängers, Lana’s parents had no idea that she even had doppelgängers. Hell, it was questionable how much they even knew about Agamemnon in the first place. Sure, Agamemnon had turned them into monsters for a short period of time, but from what Lana knew, the two had no memories of this time, and the only evidence of the transformation they’d undergone were the scars on the sides of their bodies that they couldn’t quite explain.

So not only did Dove have to meet Lana’s parents, but she and Lana were going to have to explain everything about who Agamemnon was and how he'd ruined Lana's entire life.

Dove was honestly terrified of how today’s meet with them would pan out. After all, there were so many ways in which things could go awry. Maybe Lana's parents wouldn’t believe Lana and Dove. Or maybe they would believe Lana and Dove, but despise Dove. Or maybe, they’d somehow grow to hate both Lana AND Dove.

The negative outcomes simply far outweighed the positive outcomes.

But knowing that Lana's parent's reactions would undoubtedly be far worse if they heard about everything from a third-party, Dove decided that she might as well try and face them herself. After all, what was the worst that could happened? She’d already been murdered and brought back to life before; getting scornful gazes from two judgmental parents was nothing compared to that!

“Come on,” Lana said, gently tugging on Dove’s arm, “Let’s go and see them.”

Dove just nodded and followed Lana up to the front porch. Her stomach hurt, she was so nervous.

But she had to power through, one way or another.

Lana knocked on the door. After a few seconds, the door opened. Dove instinctively tried backing away, but Lana kept a firm grip on her arm, keeping her locked in place.

And out the door stepped the two people Dove dreaded seeing the most: Lana’s parents.

*****

Julie walked down the sidewalk, keeping her eyes peeled on each house she passed by, keeping track of each address as she went along. As she kept going further and further down the walkway, the environment around her began to grow increasingly familiar to her, and she began to feel the sense that she was getting near her destination.

Finally, she stopped in front of an old family home on the street corner, right beside the edge of the nearby woods. This home was the most familiar of all. Even though the blue siding of the home was weathered with age, the shingles on the roof had been replaced, and new flowers and shrubs had been planted in the garden out front, there was no way she could possibly miss this place, for this house was her childhood home.

She hesitated for a moment. Standing on the sidewalk, she began to rethink what she was doing here. Did her family even still live here after a whole decade? 

The car parked in the driveway was new and shiny, a far cry from the beat-up minivan her parents used to drive, the old oak tree in the yard her father had used to build a treehouse for her had been cut down, and the chimney she used to love watching smoke billow out of now had several bricks missing.

There was a good chance that, between the day of her possession and now, her parents had decided to move elsewhere, selling the house off to someone else.

But this was her only lead as to where her parents could possibly be. Even if her parents no longer lived here, perhaps the current owners knew where they’d gone and could point her in the right direction.

And so she trekked forth, heading across the yard and over to the front door. As she walked, she couldn’t help but reminisce upon her childhood years spent at this house. She remembered constantly sneaking out into the woods to collect herbs and wildflowers and pretending to make potions with them. She remembered sitting out on the front porch reading books on herbal remedies and medicine. She remembered pretending to go camping out in the backyard with her parents and grandmother.

Thinking back to her grandmother, Julie’s heart ached a little. It had been well over a decade since she’d last seen her grandmother. The last time she’d spoken with the grandmother was about a week or two before she was possessed. With her graduation just around the corner, Julie was worried about the future, the anxiety from which was compounded by the constant stress she was under trying to balance her schoolwork with her internship at the hospital. And on top of all that, she was feeling so sick, she was convinced that she was on death’s door. So she’d confided in her grandmother about everything that was going on in her life. While her grandmother had tried to assure her that everything would be okay, nothing her grandmother could say prevented what had inevitably transpired not only a couple days later...

Her grandmother was honestly a huge chunk of the reason Julie had even decided to go into the medical field in the first place. Her grandmother was a healer, and when she took notice of Julie’s blossoming fascination in medicine and healing, she decided to teach Julie everything she knew. She’d show Julie how to concoct a wide variety of herbal medicines, she would give Julie advice on where to look for certain ingredients in the wilderness, and she taught Julie about what effects different plants had on the human body. When Julie had begun taking classes for nutrition and medicine in high school, her grandmother helped her study for every single quiz and exam.

When Julie had begun her internship at the hospital, while her parents were extremely cautiously the whole ordeal, noting how the creepy the hospital was and how uneasy it made them feel, her grandmother was all for the idea of Julie interning at that hospital. Her grandmother kept saying that the internship was the perfect opportunity for Julie to expand upon her knowledge and gain new experiences that would be crucial for her later in life.

But as much as Julie had appreciated her grandmother's support back then, nowadays, 

she honestly wished she’d taken her parent’s concerns into account.

After all, if she’d given the idea of interning at that hospital a second thought, maybe she wouldn’t have been separated from her family for an entire decade…

Maybe then her childhood wouldn’t have been cut short so abruptly…

Of course, there was no turning back now. Whether she liked it or not, this was the path she'd taken, and all she could do about it was try and push forwards.

Besides, at one good thing had come about from that whole internship: her relationship with Lana, which had been going strong for over half a year now.

When Julie finally reached the front door, she took a breath. If her parents truly did still live here, then she was ready to see them yet again. After all, she had no idea what they believed had happened to her. Did they still think she was somewhere out there? Or did they believe her to be dead?

Either way, she had to clear there air for them. They deserved to know that their daughter was still alive and well. And with Lana and Dove away for the weekend to pay a visit to Lana’s parents, this was a fitting time to do just that.

Ringing the doorbell, Julie braced herself for whoever was about to answer the door, whether it was her parents or some stranger. Either way, she was prepared.

One way or another, she was going to ensure her parents got some closure…

It took a minute, but eventually, an older woman answered the door. As soon as the woman laid eyes on who was standing out on the porch, her eyes grew wide in shock. She clasped at hand over her mouth, letting out a small gasp.

“Julie…?” She asked slowly.

Julie just gave the woman an awkward smile in response. “Hi mom… I’m home.”

*****

“Lana!” Lana’s mother exclaimed, stepping out the door to give her daughter a hug, “It’s nice to see you again, sweetie! How have things been?”

“Pretty good,” came Lana’s reply, “Work’s been stressful as usual, but I’m managing it fine.”

“I can imagine,” her father said, stepping out onto the porch to join Lana’s mother’s side, “From what you told us, those models you work with sound super entitled.”

“Yeah, a lot of them aren’t the nicest people in the world,” Lana agreed, “Over the years, I’ve had to learn that I really shouldn’t give a shit about what they think of me.”

“Language!” Lana’s mother called out, backing up.

Lana rolled her eyes. “Mom, I’m an adult. I can swear all I want.”

“I’m kidding with you,” her mother said, “I mean, what are we gonna do? Ground you?”

Lana’s father laughed to himself. “We’d be crazy if we tried keeping a 29 year old grounded in her bedroom.”

“Oh yeah, and how’s our future daughter-in-law doing?” Lana’s mother added.

“Mom, you know we’re not getting married anytime soon,” Lana protested.

“But you will eventually,” Lana’s mother said in a sing-song voice, “And your father and I need to be prepared.”

“Well, in case you’re wondering, Julie’s been doing well,” Lana said, “She’s taking a couple classes at a nearby community college right now so she can eventually transfer elsewhere.”

“Hopefully she does better than you did in your high school math classes,” Lana’s mother joked.

“I failed that class 14 years ago!” Lana called out, “I haven’t failed a single math class since!”

“And we still won’t let you forget about it,” said Lana’s mother smugly.

Dove stayed quiet as Lana spoke with her parents. She stepped back, keeping her gaze low, hoping that Lana’s parents wouldn’t notice her standing there.

But inevitably, their eyes eventually drifted over to her. As soon as Lana’s mother looked in Dove’s direction, her eyes widened in a look of confusion.

“Um, who’s this…?” Lana’s mother questioned, puzzled, “And why does she look so much like you, Lana…?”

Dove honestly wished she could disappear upon hearing Lana’s mother’s reaction to her. She wanted to vanish from sight so she didn’t have to be perceived by that judgmental gaze for any longer. After all, she hated being looked at like she was some sort of anomaly when she was just a regular person. Sure, maybe she was a doppelgänger of Lana. Sure, maybe she had murdered her own closest friends. But at her core, she was still a human being. At least, that’s what she wanted to believe.

“Oh, right!” Lana exclaimed, clearly remembering that she had more to worry about than joking with her parents about her high school math grades, “I should introduce her to you, shouldn’t I? This, here, is Dove. She’s my doppelgänger.”

As soon as those words escaped Lana’s mouth, Dove watched as Lana’s parent’s mouths went agape. The looks of shock and bewilderment on Lana’s parent’s faces made Dove want to disappear even more than before.y t

Then Lana’s mother spoke up. “The fuck do you mean she’s a doppelgänger…?”

Lana took a breath, clearly trying to remain calm. “I think it might be better off if I explain all this inside.”

*****

Julie’s mom’s eyes grew wide as her gaze flickered upon her daughter.

“Julie…?” She asked slowly, voice trembling. She stepped back, eying Julie up and down. “You’re… alive…?”

“Uh, yes…?” Julie said, confused, “I mean, I’m talking to you right now, so it would be kinda concerning if I wasn’t alive.”

“But you…” Julie’s mom stammered, “You…” Julie’s mother kept trying to go on with what she was trying to say, but kept stalling.

“I what…?” Julie asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow at her mother.

While Julie knew that her parents likely weren’t aware about the full story of her possession, Julie had a burning curiosity to figure out just what her parents believed had happened to her. On the way over to this house, Julie had brainstormed about the many possibilities. Had the survivors of the massacre she’d caused come froward about what had happened? Or was the full story kept a secret?

Julie had pondered upon how much her parents knew, if anything at all. Had the survivors told her parents about what happened? Or did they keep her parents in the dark?

But based on Julie’s mother’s response…

Had her parents been told she was dead…?

Before Julie could ask another question, her mom ran down the hall, calling out, “You’ve got to come here! You’ll never believe it! Come here!”

Next thing Julie knew, her mother was dragging her father by the arm to the front door. Her father looked rather annoyed with Julie’s mother, but as soon as he laid eyes on Julie, any contempt in his eyes immediately melted away.

“Julie…?” He asked slowly.

“Hey, dad,” Julie said softly, “It’s nice to see you again.”

Seeing both her parents standing in the doorway after over a decade away from them honestly felt surreal to Julie. It was strange seeing just how much they’d both aged. Her mother’s hair, which was once a vibrant shade of red, was now faded with streaks of gray. And her father had deep wrinkles lining his face. Their eyes looked tired, and their bodies were scrawny and weak.

And yet, despite all the physical differences, this was the same loving couple that had raised her for the first seventeen years of her life.

“How…” her dad murmured, in shock, “How on Earth is she even still alive?”

“What do you mean…?” Julie questioned, “What were you both told…?”

Julie’s parents both hesitated for a moment, clearly unsure of how they were supposed to respond.

“Mom? Dad?” Julie asked desperately.

Finally, Julie’s mother spoke up. “See, following the Home of the Doves massacre, the survivors came forward and told us about what had happened to all the victims that had died on that fateful day.”

“And what did they tell you happened to me…?” Julie asked slowly, anxiously awaiting the answer.

“They… told us you were murdered,” Julie’s mother said at long last, “We thought you were dead.”

Upon hearing those words, Julie didn’t know how to feel. She didn’t know whether she should be angry with the survivors for lying to her parent’s faces, or grateful they’d hidden the fact that she was the one to blame for the entire massacre in the first place.

Either way, she couldn’t quite tell which story her parents would’ve taken better.

“That’s not true,” Julie sputtered out, “What they told you is a lie! I’m alive! I’ve been alive this entire time!”

Tears filled Julie’s eyes as she spoke. She couldn’t believe that her parents had to live with the grief of their own child being dead for over a decade now. They had to live their lives believing they’d failed to protect their own daughter. How was that any fair to them?

God, not only had Agamemnon fucked up her entire life, but he'd messed with her parent’s lives, too.

“What really happened, if you don’t mind us asking…?” Julie’s father asked slowly.

Julie opened her mouth to respond, only to pause for a second. How on Earth was she supposed to answer without sounding like a crazy person? How were her parents ever going to believe that a demonic spirit had possessed her and driven her to kill innocent people?

She tried to formulate a story in her mind, but considering she had no idea what other fake stories the survivors had spun over the years, she didn’t even know where to begin.

She had no other choice: she had to tell her parents the truth.

“I’ll tell you what happened,” Julie said firmly, “But before I do, you two must promise me that you won’t think I’m crazy. Okay?”

“Crazy for what…?” Her mother asked slowly.

Julie took a breath. “See, it all began when I met this patient named Lana…”

*****

In the living room, Dove sat beside Lana on the couch, right across from Lana’s parents. She distantly listened as Lana explained the whole story about who Agamemnon was and how Dove was one of the many doppelgängers he’d created. She could barely even listen to Agamemnon’s name being spoken aloud without feeling her entire body go tense. Even if Lana was speaking about the past that Dove had lived through herself, Dove couldn’t listen to it without vivid flashbacks haunting her mind.

All Dove could do was sit there and tune Lana’s voice out the best she could. She kept her gaze glued to the ground, refusing to look Lana’s parents in the eyes. She didn’t need to know how they were probably looking at her like she was some sort of monster right now. Once they’d heard about all the people Dove had murdered for Agamemnon’s sake, Dove would honestly be surprised if they didn’t absolutely despise her.

On the way here, Dove had begged Lana not to tell her parents about the Awakening, but Lana had insisted that it was crucial that her parents know the full story, saying she’d feel bad if she sugar coated the truth to her parents. While Dove desperately wanted to hide her past mistakes, she ultimately relented. After all, what point was there in hiding anyways? The truth would probably get out eventually, so what use was there in delaying the inevitable?

Still, she hated the idea of Lana’s parents knowing everything she had done. Dove was certain that Lana’s parents would never accept her if they knew about all the crimes she’d committed. Hell, she wouldn’t even be mad if they called the police on her and sent her straight to jail after Lana was finished with her whole spiel.

At long last, Lana finally concluded the whole story by telling her parents about how she and Dove had run into each other in the salon not too long ago and how Dove was currently staying in her home for the time-being. She even mentioned how Dove had come out to her Patrons as a doppelgänger.

“Even though I didn’t want it to become public that I still had a living doppelgänger,” Lana said, “It was inevitable that the word would spread considering how well-known that runway agency has become. I knew that mentions of Dove’s existence would eventually reach the both of you. So I wanted to tell you both about her, before any rumors could reach your ears first.”

As Lana finished speaking, Dove closed her eye; she didn’t want to risk even getting a glimpse of the way Lana’s parents were probably looking at her right now. She could almost feel their callous gazes burning against her skin. She could practically hear their hatred of her storming about in their heads.

Admittedly, her view of Lana’s parents was a little skewed. After all, her recollection of the events of Lana’s childhood weren’t completely accurate. While Lana had brought up some of her positive childhood memories with her parents on the drive over here, no matter how hard Dove tried, she couldn’t seem to recall those lighthearted memories; all she could remember were the less ideal ones. She remembered each and every time Lana’s parents had inflicted some form of emotional harm upon Lana. She remembered how they’d once grounded her for staying up all night drawing. She remembered when they’d yelled at her for being out too late one night. She remembered the time they’d refused to let her go to a Taylor Swift concert all her friends were going to.

And probably the most painful memory of all was when they’d decided to send Lana to the hospital after she'd become ill. All the memories Dove had of that time were full of feelings of abandonment and betrayal. Lana’s parents claimed they loved her, yet when she needed their love the most, they were just going to toss her aside and leave her all alone at some creepy hospital? How could they be so cruel?

No matter how many times Lana had insisted that her parents were good people, Dove simply couldn’t forget about the all turmoil they’d put her through. How could anyone possibly forgive them?

Even if what Lana said was true and they really were good people, they had no reason to trust Dove. What sane person would want to willingly be around a murderer?

Yet somehow, Lana’s parents kept their cool. Instead of exploding in Dove’s face, they remained calm and collected.

“Can we talk with you on your own for a little bit, Lana?” Asked Lana’s mother.

As soon as Lana’s mother slipped those words out of her mouth, Dove sprang off the couch.

“Of course,” Dove said quickly, “Take all the time you need.”

And without hesitation, she bolted out of the room.

*****

When Julie was done explaining the whole story of how she’d fallen in love with Lana and how Agamemnon had tricked her into becoming a monster under the false pretense of protecting Lana, as expected, Julie’s parents looked like they were in absolute disbelief.

“Damn,” her father murmured, “That’s crazy.”

“I know,” Julie agreed, “I'm aware that this definitely makes me sound a little bit crazy, but it’s all true.”

“I mean, as crazy as it sounds, we believe you,” Julie’s mother said in shock, “You’ve never been the type to lie to us. Besides, your side of the story explains a lot about why you’ve been gone for so long. It’s just kinda hard to believe, you know?”

“I know,” Julie agreed, “I just thank you both for listening to me, no matter how much it sounds like I’ve lost my sanity.”

“Honestly, that place gave me the creeps from the very start,” Julie’s mother went on, “I wish we could’ve protected you. If we’d known better, we would’ve never let you intern in that hospital in the first place!”

“I wish I’d known better, too,” Julie said somberly. Even if she was trying to move forwards with her life, she still couldn’t help but mourn the life she could’ve had by now.

She was set up for success. Her grades were perfect; she had experience in the medical field; she’d been accepted into her dream school.

But all that was gone now…

“Even if my life didn’t go as planned,” Julie continued, “At least, through it all, I got to meet the love of my life…”

“True,” Julie’s mother said, “Things could’ve turned out way worse. I mean, you could’ve ended up all alone.”

“Yeah, it’s a good thing I’m not going through all this alone,” Julie agreed.

“Oh, and by the way, you should totally bring Lana over sometime,” Julie’s mother added quickly, “We gotta make sure she’s treating our daughter right!”

“Sometime,” Julie said softly.

“We’re just happy to see you alive” her father said, stepping forth, “For so many years, we felt like we’d failed you… we thought we’d let you die…”

“You two never failed me,” Julie insisted, “If anyone’s to blame for this, it’s me. I’m the one who trusted Agamemnon’s words. I’m the one who accepted his deal. This is all my doing. No one else’s.

“It’s not your fault, blossom,” her mother insisted, “You just wanted to protect someone you cared about. You did exactly what we’ve taught you to do since before you could even talk: to help those in need. You did everything right.”

Julie felt her eyes fill with tears as she listened to her mother’s words. Even though she knew she’d done the right thing, she still despised herself for throwing away the entire future she had planned for herself.

And yet, if she was faced with that same choice again… she knew she’d make the same decision.

She would gladly walk through hell and back if it meant that the girl she loved could smile another day.

“Thank you, mom,” Julie said in a wavering voice as her eyesight grew blurry with tears. And she stood there weeping, her parents gently took hold of her and pulled her into an embrace.

As Julie felt the warmth of her parent’s arms surround her for the first time in a decade, she couldn’t help but start sobbing.

She missed her family. She missed her home. She missed her old life.

But for the short few minutes being held in that embrace, she could almost forget about all the time that had passed.

It was just her and her parents, together once again.

When the family of three finally pulled apart, Julie quickly wiped her tears away, trying to regain her composure.

“Sorry for being a bit of an emotional wreck today,” Julie quickly muttered, “This is so unlike me. Today’s just been… a lot.”

“Don’t even worry about it, blossom,” her mother assured her, “There’s no need to apologize for crying.”

As Julie began to reel herself back to the present day, a thought passed her mind she’d nearly forgotten about until now.

Oh, and by the way,” Julie piped back up again “Where’s grandma?”

“Huh?” Her mother asked, caught off guard.

“I want to know how she’s doing,” Julie continued, “I mean, I haven’t exactly seen her since I was 17.”

Her parents exchanged awkward glances with one another upon hearing those words, which Julie had a feeling wasn’t a good sign.

Both her parents hesitated for a moment, neither knowing how to put what Julie knew they were thinking into words.

But at long last, her mother finally spoke up.

“Blossom, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but… your grandmother is dead.”

*****

Once Dove had left the room, Lana could feel the air in the room grow tense. Her stomach twisted in knots as she anxiously awaited what her parents had to say.

“Lana, sweetie,” Lana’s mother began, clearly trying to be careful with her words, “We love the fact you have such s wild imagination, but… there’s no way you’re completely serious about this. I mean, a doppelgänger created by some ancient evil demon? This has to be some sort of prank. Right…?”

“I’m telling you guys the truth,” Lana insisted, looking down at the floor. She felt a sense of shame wash over her for daring to think that her parents would believe her.

She tried her best to ignore the judgmental looks in her parent's eyes. The looks her parents were giving her right now almost reminded her of how they’d looked at her like she was crazy when she’d told them about the illness Agamemnon had given her. Her parents hadn’t believed her back then, so why did she think anything would be different now?

Lana knew that everything she said was true. Agamemnon really had haunted her for the past 13 years of her life, and Dove really was her doppelgänger.

But how would her parents ever even begin to understand it all?

“And who on Earth is this random girl you brought in?” Lana’s mother went on, “And she’s allegedly murdered people?!”

“She’s not some random girl,” Lana insisted, “She’s my doppelgänger. She’s basically family to me by now. Hell, she’s almost like a sister…”

“You’re fucking insane if you’re calling that girl your sister,” Lana’s mother said in disbelief.

“I’m not insane!” Lana went on, “She really is my doppelgänger! I don’t know what else you want me to say.”

“And how can we know that she’s this artificial clone of you rather than some super good actress?” Lana’s mother questioned suspiciously.

“I don’t fucking know!” Lana called out, “It’s not like I can just dissect her like she’s some sort of science project. That would be fucked up on so many levels. You just have to trust me.”

Lana’s mother just let out a deep, exasperated sigh. “Lana, we thought that by now, you’d be past this kind of stuff.”

“We thought your stay in that hospital would’ve ended these delusions of yours for good,” her fathered piped in, his voice underlined with an accusatory tone, “But clearly, we were wrong. Clearly, that place did nothing for you.”

Hearing her father’s comment on the hospital, Lana just lost it.

“WHY DO YOU BOTH KEEP INSISTING THAT EVERYTHING I SAY IS A DELUSION?!” Lana screamed at them, silencing them both immediately.

She took a breath, trying to calm herself down. “I’m sorry for yelling, but I just can’t take it anymore. Every time I tell you ANYTHING, you both insist I’m either lying or that I’m being delusional. I tell you about my illness, and you tell me that it’s all in my head. I tell you that there’s an evil spirit haunting me, and you insist that I’m making things up. I tell you about my doppelgänger, and you believe I’m a fucking lunatic. Never once do you listen to me. All you do is keep insisting that I’m fucking crazy!”

Her parents were dead silent the whole time as Lana went on her little rant. Both were clearly taken aback by the sudden outburst.

Then, once Lana finally quieted down, her mother tried to speak up once again. “Listen, Lana, we’re sorry you feel that way. But do you honestly think we’ll believe that there’s some evil spirit trying to make clones of you to sacrifice?”

“YES!” Lana yelled, “If you two had just believed me about Agamemnon in the first place, then maybe we wouldn’t be at this point. But here we are, over a decade later, and nothing has changed.”

“We just don’t want to encourage your delusions, sweetie,” her mother said.

“THEY'RE NOT FUCKING DELUSIONS!" Lana screeched, "And if you two won’t believe me, then I’m leaving.”

And with that, Lana stormed out of the room.

*****

Julie followed her parents through the local cemetery. She remembered how even walking past this cemetery used to send shivers down her spine as a kid. Even now, the place made her feel uneasy. Seeing all the gravestones marking the end of countless people’s lives honestly made Julie feel a little existential. Those buried in this soil had once been breathing, living people. They had friends, families, and ven lovers. Each person had their own memories, their own knowledge, their own thoughts, and their own feelings.

And yet, whether through illness, accidents, or simply old age, those human experiences had ceased to exist.

Many of the gravestones in the cemetery had been there for longer than Julie had even been alive. As a kid, Julie used to read the names engraved on each stone and wonder what the person it belonged to was like. Julie remembered coming up with all sorts of fake scenarios about people she’d never get to meet.

But as she neared the back of the cemetery, the death dates on the gravestones grew more and more recent. Until, finally, Julie’s parents stopped in front of one gravestone in particular.

As soon as Julie read the name engraved on the stone, a pang of sorrow shot through her heart.

Juniper Sundhed
1942-2021

“Grandmother…” Julie whispered softly as she reread that name in her head, over and over again.

She just couldn’t believe it.

The person who’d taught her everything she knew about medicine, the person who’d helped her study for every exam, the person who’d listened to every little issue she’d vented about... that person was now dead.

“We’re sorry we didn’t tell you sooner,” Julie’s mother said slowly, “We didn’t know when the right moment was to bring it up.”

Julie didn’t respond. She just kept staring at the gravestone in disbelief.

The voice that used to give her advice, the hands that use to gently guide her own, the mind that used to hold so much knowledge… it was all nothing more than a memory now.

Julie fell to her knees before the gravestone, feeling tears burning in her eyes.

“Why couldn’t she have waited just a little longer…?” Julie whispered weakly, “If she’d lived just a few more years, maybe she could’ve gotten to see me at least one more time…”

Julie sniffled. She kept wiping her eyes, trying her best not to cry again, but more tears just kept forming. “If she’d lived just a few more years, maybe she wouldn’t have died thinking her own granddaughter was gone…”

Julie closed her eyes, seeing her grandmother’s gentle gray eyes and soft, delicate smile in her mind.

God, how she wished she’d gotten to see her grandmother at least one more time. There was so much she would’ve wanted to tell her grandmother if she had the chance.

But there was nothing she could do now. Her grandmother was dead, and there was no bringing her back.

That final meeting with her grandmother back when she was 17 was the last time she’d spoken with her grandmother. Ever.

“She always said that she hoped you were out there somewhere,” Julie’s father spoke up, his voice low and somber, “Even though we were told that you were dead, she still clung onto the hope that you were somehow still alive…”

While Julie knew her father was trying to cheer her up, that effort was in vain. Knowing her grandmother had died without a clue whether her own granddaughter was alive or not just made Julie feel even worse.

God, how Julie wished she’d never taken that internship in the hospital in the first place. Maybe then, she wouldn’t have brought so much heartbreak onto her family.

“I just wish I could’ve seen her one last time,” Julie said slowly, her voice trembling as she fought back a cry.

Her parents were silent for a moment, giving her space with her emotions.

Then, carefully, Julie’s mother began, “You know, if it makes you feel any better, there is something your grandmother said she wanted you to have if you ever did turn out to be alive…”

*****

Waiting out on the front porch, Dove couldn’t stop thinking about what Lana’s parents could possibly be saying about her right now. For all she knew, they were probably going on and on about how much of a terrible person she was and how much they despised her entire existence. And as much as she didn’t want to be seen in that kind of light, she honestly couldn’t even blame Lana’s parents for thinking that way. She kind of did deserve to be seen as a monster.

Honestly, Dove didn’t know why it was so important that Lana’s parents get to know her. After all, the outcome would be the same, whether Lana’s parents met her in person or not: they’d hate her for everything she’d done. There was no world in which they would ever accept the grave sins she’d committed, let alone accept her as a daughter.

God, how Dove wished she’d never come here in the first place. No matter how many times Lana had insisted that everything would be fine, Dove knew better. She knew that Lana’s parents would never care about her. After all, who other than Lana was crazy enough to give a shit about her? Honestly, she would’ve been better off if she’d just stayed at home today.

Out of mild curiosity, Dove placed her ear against the door to eavesdrop on the conversation going on inside. She fully expected to hear Lana’s parents rambling on and on about how terrible of a person Dove was.

But the muffled voice sounding through the door told a completely different story. Instead of Lana’s parents going on a rant, it was Lana herself who was angrily going on and on. Lana kept screaming at her parents, complaining about how they never believed her. Then, when she was done, she stormed off. Dove moved away from the door just in time before Lana stepped out, looking absolutely pissed.

“Come one Dove,” she grumbled, motioning for Dove to follow, “We’re leaving.”

“Right now?” Dove questioned
, "But why?"

Lana just let out a heavy sigh. “Because I’d rather not lay my eyes on those two fucking idiots for any longer.”

Dove was honestly taken aback by that response. Just a few minutes prior, Lana was happily chatting away with her parents, and now she was saying this? While Dove wasn’t exactly fond of Lana’s parents thanks to her fragmented memories of Lana’s childhood, it was strange seeing Lana do such a 180 like this.

Dove glanced through the door, which was still hanging wide open.

As much as Dove wanted to run away from here and never return, she had to get to the bottom of this. She had to understand just what Lana’s parents had said that infuriated their daughter so much.

“Dove, where are you going?” Lana asked sharply.

“I’m having a little chat with your parents,” Dove said coldly before she slipped back inside the house.

*****

Back at the house, Julie’s parents led her into her grandmother’s old library downstairs. Back when her grandmother was little, her father had built a small reading area in the basement for her, which had expanded into a little library over the years with all the books Julie’s grandmother had collected. Occasionally, Julie used to sneak down into the library and steal some of her grandmother’s books, though usually Julie preferred to be outside in nature rather than copped up in the house.

Stepping inside the room for the first time in over a decade, Julie felt a strange mix of nostalgia and grief wash over her. This place looked exactly as she'd last left it. While a thick coating of dust blanketed every surface of the room, and cobwebs hung from every nook and cranny, this place clearly hadn’t been touched since the last time Julie had been in here.

Julie’s parents led her to the back of the room, where a thick leather book sat upon a pedestal. Julie’s parents stopped, gesturing for Julie to take a look at it.

Stepping forwards, Julie carefully brushed the dust off the cover. The dust went swirling around in the air, sending her into a small coughing fit. She carefully lifted the book and flipped through the stained pages, skimming through the writing inside. As she read, her eyes were met with her grandmother’s own handwriting. In this book, her grandmother had written about a wide variety of different topics. On some pages, her grandmother was venting about her frustrations. On others, she was documenting the ingredients different types of medicines she’d concocted. On some, her grandmother had even taped some old polaroid pictures she’d taken.

Reading the words that her grandmother had left behind made Julie feel a little better. Even though her grandmother was gone, there was still a small mark of her left on the world, and Julie couldn’t wait to read every last page and explore the world in her grandmother’s head.

“She left her journal here after the incident at the hospital,” her mother explained, “She said that, if by some miracle you were somehow still alive, she wanted us to give it to you. We never thought that day would come, but… here we are now.” Tears welled up in her Julie’s mother’s eyes as she spoke, which she quickly tried to wipe away.

Julie just gave her mother a hug in response. “Thank you for giving it to me, mom… I’ll keep it safe. I promise.”

*****

As soon as Dove stepped back into the living room, she locked eyes with the two faces that haunted the memories in her mind. Looking at Lana’s parents, Dove recalled all horrible things they’d said to Lana and all the cruel ways in which they’d punished her. Every time they yelled at her over little mistakes, every time they grounded over something she didn’t do, every time they refused to listen what she said, it was all noted in Dove’s head.

Immediately, Lana’s mother narrowed her eyes at Dove. “Why hello there, ‘Dove’, if that’s really your name. What are you here for…?”

“The real question is, what the hell did you say that pissed off your daughter so bad?” Dove demanded, crossing her arms.

Lana’s mother looked offended. “Excuse me?”

“I’m just saying, there’s no other reason why Lana would switch on a dime from being all excited to see to guys to hating your guts,” Dove explained coldly, “So tell me: what the fuck did you guys say to her?”

“We didn’t say anything,” her father said flatly, “At least, nothing that wasn’t true.”

“Nothing that wasn’t true…?” Dove questioned, “So you did say something?”

Lana’s mother just scoffed. “Why are you even questioning us? You’re not our daughter. You’re not even related to us.”

“You two may not consider me a part of your family,” Dove said, “But Lana is a part of mine, whether you like that or not.”

“Who even are you, really?” Lana’s mother went on, completely ignoring what Dove had to say, “And how do you look so much like Lana?”

“I’m her doppelgänger, just as we already explained,” Dove said, tired of all the bullshit she was hearing. What else was she supposed to say? She'd told them the truth: that she was Lana’s doppelgänger. What other answer did Lana’s parents want?

Lana’s mother just shook her head. “That can’t possibly be true. There’s no way any of this is real.”

“It is real,” Dove insisted, stepping closer to Lana’s parents, “Lana and I are telling you the truth. I’m her doppelgänger. Her clone.”

“No you’re not!” Lana’s mother shouted, “You’re both just delusional! Now tell me, who are you, really?!”

As Lana’s mother kept arguing back, something inside of Dove just snapped. She got right in Lana’s mother’s face, looking the woman dead in the eye.

“My name is Dove,” Dove said through gritted teeth, “I am Lana’s doppelgänger. I’m a murderer. I’m an ex-cult leader. I’m a victim of Agamemnon. I have killed people. I have Lana’s memories. I was led to believe I was Lana for months. I share her soul. And yet I’m an entirely different person, completely separate from her. That is who I am. And if you dare to insist otherwise, then you’re the delusional one. Not me.”

Lana’s mother averted her gaze in shame. “But there’s just no way any of this is real… this is impossible…!”

“I’m aware I sound like I’m going insane,” Dove said, backing away, “But this is all real, whether you like it or not, and it’s your choice if you’re going to accept the truth or keep living in ignorance.”

Dove looked down at her own hands, remembering the day she was created. She remembered just how sure she had been about who she was, ignoring any other evidence that dared to contest the worldview she wished to have.

And then memories flashed in her mind of the day when she’d first learned that she was a doppelgänger. It was about a week or two after she was created when Agamemnon had mistakenly mentioned around her how he was holding the real Lana captive.

That was the moment that Dove’s entire identity shattered. Without the belief that she was the real Lana, she didn’t know who she was. She felt like she was nothing without the identity she’d been so certain was her own.

Dove had cried, begging Agamemnon to do something, anything, to give her back that sense of identity she used to have.

And that was when Agamemnon proposed a deal to her: that if she gave him one of her eyes, then he would allow her to forget that she was a doppelgänger.

Looking back, Dove knew that she should’ve stopped to think if accepting that deal was truly a good idea or not. But in the moment, she was desperate to forget that she was a doppelgänger, so she stupidly accepted the deal. The day after, she cut out her own eye and gave it to Agamemnon. Even though burning pain shot through her face, and even though waves of blood poured out of empty socket, she was willing to suffer if it meant she could receive the gift of forgetting the truth.

“For so long, I lived in blissful ignorance,” Dove murmured, deep in thought, “For the longest time, I wanted so desperately to cling onto the belief that I was the real Lana. I didn’t want to accept the truth behind who I was. Instead, I chose to lie to myself. I decided that the weight of living under a false identity was better than the pain and confusion of accepting what I actually was…”

Her mind then flashed forwards to the day she’d finally left Agamemnon and struck out on her own. It was strange to think that the day she’d thrown away the entire life she knew was almost a year ago now.

It had been a terrifying time. Without Agamemnon or her Herd, she was all alone. She had no one by her side. Sure, her Patrons still supported her. But they didn’t know her personally; her relationship with her Patrons was parasocial at best.

But perhaps the worst part about leaving Agamemnon behind was that breaking free from his control meant abandoning that sacred deal she’d made with him. She was forced to finally confront the truth she’d hidden from for so long: that she was a doppelgänger, not the real Lana.

It was nearly impossible for her to cope with that loss of identity again. She tried to keep up the act that she actually was Lana, and was constantly gaslighting herself, telling herself that she was real.

But deep down, she knew that her efforts were all in vain. She knew she was nothing more than a crude copy of the original.

And it wasn’t until she finally met Lana in person when she finally began to accept herself for who she was.

Even now, she still longed to run back to the facade she’d kept up for so long. She often found herself daydreaming about holding another questionnaire where she would denounce what she’d said previously. She was constantly brainstorming ways to reframe the events of that the last questionnaire she'd held to fit with the narrative of her being the real Lana.

And yet, no matter how much she wanted to go back to the comfortable lies, she kept pushing forwards as herself.

And now, she had people who genuinely cared about her, Lana and Julie. Sure, she wasn’t exactly too fond of Julie, but at least Julie tried to be supportive of her.

“But I couldn’t keep lying to myself forever,” Dove said finally, “Just like you, I wanted to believe my own ideas of what was true. But in the end, I had to accept the truth, whether I wanted to or not… I had to accept that I was a doppelgänger.”

She paused for a short moment before she added in, “And all I can hope is that, for the sake of your daughter, you’ll do the same…”

As she finished speaking, she closed her eye, expecting the outburst of anger from Lana’s parents that was sure to come her way. But surprisingly, neither of Lana’s parents yelled at her, nor did they hurl a barrage of insults her way. Instead, they remained quiet.

Dove slowly opened her eye to find Lana’s mother slowly stepping towards her, the look in her eyes beginning to soften as she looked upon Dove.

“I’m… so sorry…” Lana’s mother murmured slowly, her eyes beginning to well up with tears, “I really am…”

Upon hearing those words, any anger Dove held towards this woman began to fade away. She started to feel kind of bad for hurting her feelings. Even if the woman deserved to get a taste of her own medicine, admittedly it did still feel a little harsh.

“If we had known everything you went through,” Lana’s mother went on, “If we had known you were serious about all this, we wouldn’t have gotten all mad at you. It’s just… it’s just hard to believe all this. We want to believe what you and Lana say, but we just can’t help but wonder… how could any of this possibly be true…?”

“This is just a lot to process,” Lana’s father added, “Like, the fact that little demonic spirits and doppelgängers are real? And that you’re a doppelgänger of our daughter? Even if this is all true, it’s still a lot to take in.”

“I mean, I can’t exactly blame you for that,” Dove muttered, “None of this is really easy to accept. I mean, if I couldn’t even accept that I was a doppelgänger, how could I expect you both to accept the same? I just… I have a lot of Lana’s memories of her childhood, and I remember every single time you guys didn’t believe what she had to say.

Dove felt tears forming in her eye as she spoke, which she quickly blinked away. “I especially remember how you two didn’t believe her when she became ill. All you did was sit around while her health got worse. You hurt her by not believing in her. And yet, even now, you won’t believe her…"

“We’re sorry,” Lana’s mother went on, “We really are… maybe we should’ve listened to her. Maybe we shouldn’t have assumed that everything was in her head…”

Lana’s mother took a breath, trying to calm herself down. “But it’s not like we can do anything to change the past. Even if there’s nothing else we can do, we at least want to show her that we’re here for her now. And we want to be there for you as well, Dove…”

“I appreciate the apology,” Dove said, “But you should probably tell all this to Lana. She’s the one who needs to hear all this, not me.”

Lana’s mother just nodded. “You’re right. Where did she go off to? She couldn’t have gone far.

“She’s outside,” said Dove, turning back to the door, “Follow me. Let’s go and speak with her.”

*****

As soon as Lana’s parents emerged out onto the front porch, Lana narrowed her eyes at them, looking as though she was about ready to get into yet another screaming match with them.

“Oh, hey there, mom and dad…” Lana muttered slowly, her voice low and full and spite, “What are you two here for? Are you here to insist that I’m delusional for about the millionth time…?”

“No,” her mother said, “We’d like to apologize to you.”

Lana scoffed. “You’re apologizing? After YEARS of believing your own daughter is insane?”

“We’re sorry we never believed you, sweetheart,” said Lana’s father, stepping forwards, “We didn’t fully understand what was going on… even now, everything is still confusing to us.”

“But we want to at least try to understand,” Lana’s mother said, “Sure, it may be difficult to accept the truth. But more want to support you, more than anything. We may not be able to take back our past mistakes, but we’ll gladly learn to do better if it means we can be here for you now...”

Hearing those words, Lana looked at the ground, trying to hide the tears forming in her eyes. “I just… I wish you’d believed me sooner… maybe then Agamemnon wouldn’t have have fucked up my life… and maybe then…”

Lana paused at that. Dove noticed Lana glancing at the scars on the sides of both her parent’s necks from them being turned into monsters. Lana clearly seemed uncomfortable with the idea of bringing that up to her parents, and Dove honestly couldn’t blame her. It was already enough of a shock for them to find out that Dove existed, let alone that they’d been turned into literal monsters for a period of time.

“…maybe then, we could've been a normal family,” Lana quickly concluded, “Maybe then, we would’ve never had to go through so much pain and misery…”

“I wish we did something sooner, too,” Lana’s mother admitted, “If we’d been willing to listen to you, maybe we could’ve helped. Maybe we could’ve prevented everything that happened… maybe you could’ve lived a normal life. We’re deeply sorry we didn’t do anything, Lana. I swear, if we could go back in time, we would’ve done better…”

“I’m sorry, too,” Lana added quickly, “I shouldn’t have yelled at you the way I did. This is a huge revelation, and I really shouldn’t have expected you both to accept everything immediately.”

“Sweetie, you have nothing to apologize for,” Lana’s mother insisted, "You had every right to feel the way you do."

"Still, it was wrong of me to get so mad at you both like that," said Lana, "And for that, I'm sorry. I really am."

"How about this?" Lana's father piped up, “From here on out, let’s just come to an agreement: that we will listen to what any one of us has to say, no matter how absurd it sounds. After, all, we’re a family; we should be able to communicate with one another without fear of judgment.”

"I second this," said Lana's mother, "And you, Lana?"

Lana smiled softly. "That sounds perfect. Thank you for being so understanding... I love you both."

"We love you too, sweetie," said Lana's mother in response.

“Oh, and that family agreement includes you too, Dove,” Lana’s father added, turning to face Dove.

Dove was caught off guard. “Wait, what do you mean-?”

“You’re a part of the family too,” Lana’s mother said, "So that means that our little agreement extends to you as well!"

Dove frantically shook her head. “You don’t have to include me. I’m just Lana’s doppelgänger. You don’t need to include me as part of your family.”

“Well if Lana considers you a sister,” Lana’s mother said, “Then we’ll consider you our daughter.”

“There’s no way you are serious about this,” Dove muttered.

“We are!” Lana’s mother exclaimed, “Now come on, Dove! Family group hug time.”

Dove just crossed her arms. “I’m not your daughter. I don’t need a hug.”

That was when Lana’s mother got right up in her face, looking Dove dead in the eye as muttered, “You ARE our daughter, and you ARE a part of this family. Got it, Dove?”

Dove just rolled her eyes. “Fine, if you insist, then I’m your other daughter.”

“Great!” Lana’s mother exclaimed, “Now time for a family group hug!”

Next thing Dove knew, she was pulled into an embrace with the rest of the family. She tensed up at first, as she wasn’t exactly used to hugs. She honestly couldn’t remember the last time anyone had given her a hug, let alone make any sort of physical contact with her in an affectionate way. The closest she had was probably Julie reapplying bandages on her hands every few days, and that barely even counted. Dove barely even liked being around Julie. She tolerated Julie at most.

Hell, she barely even had a family. The closest she had to a parental figure was Agamemnon. And he, well, wasn’t exactly the world’s greatest parent. After all, what decent parent would manipulate their own child into running a cult for them?

Anytime Agamemnon got anywhere near her, it was often with the intent of inflicting some sort of pain upon her as a punishment. Whether Dove had spoken out of turn or messed up on a task she was told her to do, Agamemnon was always finding new things to punish her for. Whenever Dove did anything wrong, he’d grab her shoulder so tight that it went numb, or he’d dig his sharp nails into her skin until he drew blood.

But Lana’s parents were nothing like Agamemnon. Sure, they had their moments where they lost their patience.

But while surrounded by their embrace, Dove felt strangely… calm. Their touches were soothing and gentle, caring in a way she’d never felt before.

They loved her, and even though they had made countless mistakes… at the end of the day, they were trying their best. They were doing what they could to be better parents for both of their daughters.

As Lana’s mother pulled away, she asked, “Well, how was that?”

“It felt… nice…” Dove murmured, “I’ve never exactly been hugged before.”

“You’ve NEVER been hugged before?!” Lana’s mother gasped.

Dove shook her head. “Agamemnon wasn’t exactly the most affectionate type of person."

“Damn, we really gotta make that up to you, then,” Lana’s mother said, “Oh, also, one last question.”

“What is it?” Dove questioned curiously.

Lana’s father facepalmed. “Not again…”

“Are you into girls…?” Lana’s mother asked.

Dove taken by surprise by that question. “Uh, yeah?” She said, not knowing how she was supposed to respond, “I mean, I guess so. I mean, there is this one Patron, and well, she’s kinda hot, I can’t lie-“

“TAKE THAT!” Lana’s mother called out, pointing at Lana’s father, “Not only did I win our bet once, but I won it twice!”

“Not fair,” Lana’s dad mumbled, shaking his head, “I didn’t even get a chance to place bets on whether Dove would like girls or not!”

“Well, too bad for you, slowpoke,” Lana’s mom gloated.

Lana’s father just sighed. “Excuse her childish behavior, Dove. She’s just like that sometimes.”

Dove rolled her eyes. “Do I even want to know how she reacted to meeting Julie for the first time?”

“No,” Lana said, “You don’t want to know.”

“Anyways, since you two are here,” Lana’s father then began, “Why don't we have a family dinner together altogether?”

“Maybe we can even make some cookies for dessert, too,” Lana’s mom added eagerly.

Lana just smiled. “That would be perfect. Thank you both for being so amazing about everything today… I’m glad we can just hang out as a normal family now.”

“Same,” Dove agreed, “Now, what are we gonna have for dinner?”

“Lana’s favorite, of coruse!” Lana’s mother exclaimed.

Lana rolled her eyes. “Chicekn Alfredo, I suppose.”

And the family of four headed inside the house together to enjoy their evening.

*****

Julie was bent over the dining room table, reading through her grandmother’s journal. Even though her grandmother was dead, reading through the lively sentences her grandmother had left made Julie feel as though her grandmother was sitting right next to her, telling Julie about all sorts of different tales from her life.

Julie was around midway through the book when the door creaked open, and Lana and Dove entered the house.

“Oh, hey, you two are back!” Julie cheerfully exclaimed, “How was it seeing your parents again, Lana?”

“It went well,” Lana said, “Dove’s officially their daughter now.”

Dove rolled her eyes. “For the last time Lana, I’m not their daughter. I only agreed to let them refer to me as a daughter because they insisted so many times.”

"Oh, by the way, what were you up to today, Julie?” Lana asked, noticing the journal wide open on the table.

“Oh, well, I decided that since you and Dove were meeting with your family, I might as well meet with mine again.”

“Oh, that’s fun!” Lana exclaimed, “How’d it go? I’d love to meet them sometime.”

“It went… fine,” Julie said. She wanted to tell Lana about how she’d learned that her grandmother was dead, but decided against it. After all, she didn’t want to give Lana another reason to worry about her. Lana was already constantly concerned about how Julie was doing, and Julie didn’t want to bring a dead family member into the mix. Besides, she didn’t want to spoil the good mood Lana was currently in.

“They gave me an old family artifact,” Julie went on, pointing to the journal, “I’ve been reading through it all day since I got home. It has instructions on how to make all sorts of herbal remedies and medicines. I’ll have to try them out at some point.”

“I’m glad you had a good day, Julie,” Lana said, smiling lovingly.

“Yeah,” Julie agreed in a strained voice, trying hard to erase the image of her grandmother’s gravestone from her mind, “It was a good day.”

“Now, wanna make this day even better for the both of us?” Lana added with a small wink.

“Oh, obviously!” Julie eagerly exclaimed.

Dove just let out a sigh. “You both better not get too loud up there tonight.”

“Don’t worry, Dove,” Lana said, “We’ll try not to.”

“You better keep it down,” said Dove sharply, “Because if I hear even the slightest whisper of you two scissoring up there, I am going to lose my fucking mind.”

“Trust me, Dove,” Lana said, “You won’t hear a thing. I promise.”

“I sure hope not,” Dove groaned as she headed into the guest bedroom for the night.

And with that, Lana and Julie headed up the stairs to their bedroom to end the day off with a bang.