As the months went on, I grew used to shifting the reins to my counterpart, finding that the more I relinquished the control, the more I craved the freedom. The primal nature of Veronica bled through me, making my reactions faster and my senses sharper. Time lent a hand in shaping us to perfection, its heat melting the weak and forging the stronger parts of me. With every kill, I grew hungrier. My heart was hardening.
Liquid life seemed to pour into me, the closer Veronica and I drew. My frizzy and tangled hair grew silky and thick, the split ends fusing back together. My nails strengthened and my teeth sharpened. Smooth, scar-free skin stretched the expanse of my body and my Lichtenberg figure retreated below its surface, doomed to emerge only when Veronica came out to play. Surprisingly, she hardly did as she seemed to enjoy the warm comfort of my inner mind and watching through my eyes. Like a young wolf, she was impulsive and needed guidance to the world; a tour I offered her from within. Harmony was yet to be reached as we still grappled for the ropes at times, but the tension never lingered.
𝒮𝑜 𝒻𝒶𝓇 𝓈𝑜 𝑔𝑜𝑜𝒹.
After the first night of testing, Andy drew as close to me as the clothes on my body, never failing to pick me up when it got too dark for me to see. Flirting with madness was a daily occurrence I had become intimately familiar with, one that only he could save me from: the descent was like jumping into a pit of boiling tar.
His presence was like air on my body and I could sense him eons away, pinpointing his exact location like a finger to flesh. It was a tingly sensation that I suspected he shared, even though I assumed he was human. We were connected with tunnels, tethers, ropes and vines. No matter how far I threw him, I would follow. I couldn't help myself. It was in my nature.
That was the reasoning I gave to us seeing each other more, that tickling tingle made it irresistible. Hearing his heartbeat was the only solace I got, the only calm in the tempestuous mess that the Benefactor had thrown me in. One that hadn't yet proven successful. Without an affinity three months later, I found myself on an island surrounded by an angry sea. People were getting impatient.
Staring at my ceiling, I found the crater-sized hole in my chest deepening. My warm breath condensed in the freezing air as a white cloud a little way away from my blue tinted lips. The seasons were changing. 𝐼 𝓃𝑒𝑒𝒹 𝓉𝑜 𝒽𝓊𝓇𝓇𝓎 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝒻𝓊𝒸𝓀 𝓊𝓅 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝓀 𝑜𝒻 𝓈𝑜𝓂𝑒𝓉𝒽𝒾𝓃𝑔 𝒷𝑒𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝓈𝓃𝑜𝓌 𝒷𝑒𝑔𝒶𝓃 𝓉𝑜 𝒻𝒶𝓁𝓁. 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝒹𝑒𝒶𝒹𝓁𝒾𝓃𝑒 𝓌𝒶𝓈 𝓃𝑒𝒶𝓇𝒾𝓃𝑔.
Time was running out.
A whisper, soft and soulful, danced on the silence: my head snapped to the sound. It was like a siren, a mermaid's call to death in the deepest depths of the oceans. A haunting call that came from the mirror echoed as it bounced off my cell walls. I gulped harshly.
𝒟𝑒́𝒿𝒶̀ 𝓋𝓊.
Slowly, I approached the noise. It was a seemingly regular mirror with no frame, bolted onto the wall with large pieces of silver. Its normalcy gave me confidence. I peeked inside, only seeing a reflection of myself in the right hand corner. Taking in every inch of the glass, I decided that there was no way the sound could be coming from its surface. 𝐼𝓂𝓅𝑜𝓈𝓈𝒾𝒷𝓁𝑒, 𝓇𝒾𝑔𝒽𝓉?
𝖂𝖗𝖔𝖓𝖌.
Like lava expunged from a volcano, the song reached a crescendo, screeching like hell's bells. The hair on the back of my neck stood to attention as I braced myself. Holding my breath, I raised my hand and touched the glass, watching in horror as colours changed and smiles turned sinister. Shocked and choked up, I stared as my reflection morphed into a persona I was forced to claim. The darkness that ran through her veins discoloured her skin like charcoal, as her red eyes drilled into my skull.
"Finally. I've been trying to get your attention for ages now." Veronica huffed, rolling her eyes at my clear discomfort.
"What the hell is this?" I whispered, my voice catching on the air. Looking behind me, I found there was no one there, so I dragged my eyes back to the splintered glass.
"Eyes are the window to the soul, are they not? I just had to find a suitable glass door." Veronica giggled, slithering her forked tongue along the glass.
I gulped, realising that this was another firm step into the darkness. This only solidified that the end result was nearing. I didn't have long left.
"I hear the Benefactor is getting inpatient. Time's ticking, X. If I don't find my affinity, by the time the sand hits the bottom of their hourglass." Veronica trailed off as she paced in the mirror, knowing that we both knew the truth of the matter.
"No, they can't. They need me." I whispered, frantically clutching at straws that promised salvation.
"Maybe the scientists do but until you start making money, the Benefactor doesn't give a shit." She snapped, her voice turning her eyes to slits.
I knew the truth in her words was real, but I couldn't admit defeat before exhausting all my options. Sensing my upcoming stubborn refusal, she continued her tirade.
"We are an investment that none of them understand. We are what has never been before and you know what that means." She pressed firmly, making me squirm slightly. I knew very well what it meant, but I couldn't give up.
"I know. Veronica, I understand all that, but we don't have all the facts yet. Give it a couple more days to decide. We can't be rash because once I let you out there's no going back." I sighed exasperatedly, bristling at her tone. I hated being told what to do. 𝒪𝓁𝒹 𝒽𝒶𝒷𝒾𝓉𝓈 𝒹𝒾𝑒 𝒽𝒶𝓇𝒹.
"Xero, we are out of time. Fear makes people do hauntingly beautiful things. Desperation makes people impulsive. A combination of both? You'll have hell fire. I am warning you. They will come for us and I won't be able to stop them."
𝕬𝖓𝖉 𝖓𝖊𝖎𝖙𝖍𝖊𝖗 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖞𝖔𝖚.
Slowly, my reflection's blood red eyes began to fade back to my intricate blend, and I found resolve steeled in my expression as my face stared back.
𝐼𝓉'𝓈 𝓉𝒾𝓂𝑒 𝓉𝑜 𝓁𝑒𝓉 𝓎𝑜𝓊 𝑜𝓊𝓉.