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artificialqueens · 7 years

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I Look Spooky but I’m Really Nice; the Saga Continues (Vatya/Sashea/Katlaska) - Remény

If this somehow gets posted twice, I’m sorry!!

If you want to read where the story all began, which I suggest, you can find it here. If you want to read the first part of this continuance, click here.

TW: illicit drugs by names, character death (well technically she is already dead but I’d rather put it in just in case) blood, hospitals

Just a few words of thanks, if you’ll bear with me, and then we’ll get back to Sasha being possessed by a HOMOcidal (hehehe getit?) maniac

Thank you to Tiff and Vixen for tirelessly running this blog, it’s really appreciated and I don’t say it as often as I should.

Feedback really makes my day, I really love talking with people, so I wanted to say thank you to @civonumist and @leelovesbelli, sorry for scaring the crap out of you Lee! Well I’m kind of sorry but I’m glad you liked it!

Thanks for the constant encouragement from my squad of awesome nerds who write about drag queens and play ACPC with me.

Ok I’m done, not back to the story!

Love and Glitter,

Remény

I just laid there for a moment, trying to process what had just happened. Then I remembered Aja, they still weren’t moving. I pulled myself over to them and shook their shoulder, “Aja! AJA! Wake up!” I put my hand on their chest, thankfully they were still breathing. I lay flat on the floor so my mouth was beside their ear. “C’Mon Aja!”

They sat bolt upright, coughing and breathing like the wind had been knocked out of them and looking around frantically and hugging themselves around the middle. I made them jump when I said, “over here Aj!”

They looked at me, blinking a few times in confusion. “Where’s your chair?” They asked in a gravelly voice, grimacing and rubbing their neck.

“Sasha…er Sharon took it!”

Aja mouthed the word “BITCH!” and let out a grunt of frustration.

“Aja, we got bigger fish to fry. I need your help, we have to warn Katya, can you find my cellphone? It should be on my bed.” Aja tried to scramble up and fell back with a cry of pain. They tried again, gritting their teeth. “Easy Aj! You’re injured. Just stay down! Do you have your phone on you?”

They shook their head, “no, I forgot it. Otherwise I would have called you before I showed up.” They tried to get up again and grunted in pain.

“Just stop it! Lay down! You’re gonna hurt yourself worse. I have an idea.” I dragged myself over to my bed and yanked on my blanket until it fell, my phone clattering down with it. I reached for it, fumbling it before getting a better grip. I managed to roll myself onto my back, jabbing in Katya’s number.

Aja laid on the floor again curled on their side, pulling in ragged little breaths as they tried to control their breathing. I didn’t know if they were hyperventilating from shock or if Sharon had done some kind of damage to their throat.

Katya’s number rang and rang and finally clicked to voicemail. “Hey Kat! Listen, this sounds crazy but trust me, DO NOT tell Sasha where you are! Call me back please, it’s an emergency. I’m so scared. I love you!”

I hung up and texted her, Don’t tell Sasha where you are! It’s important! Trust me! Please call me!

I wiggled my way the few feet over to Aja. I put my hand on her back and she jumped, “it’s just Violet, she’s gone Aja.” They nodded but didn’t say anything. “Where are you hurt? Do you need me to call an ambulance? Oh shit, you’re bleeding.” I don’t know why I didn’t see it before except that side of their head was turned away from me before they had laid down again. There was a slick dark puddle by my bed that was slowly seeping into the lavender coloured blanket I had pulled to the floor. My stomach lurched. I reached over and pulled a dark T-Shirt out and pressed it to the side of Aja’s head, they let out a little hiss of pain. “Sorry! Sorry! Shit! Hold that!” They raised a shaky hand to hold the cloth in place.

I reached up, barely reaching the bed bar as I labouriously pulled myself to sitting, switched on my bedside lamp and then dragged myself backwards over to my large closet, pulling the folding door open. I swear I heard the hallelujah chorus go off in my head as the light shined onto my old beat up chair that I used to play wheelchair basketball.

I was pushing it out of the closet when my phone buzzed. I abandoned the chair and scooted back to my phone.

There was a text from Katya.

Katya - Why? It’s too late anyway, she offered to drive me and whoever else could fit in Shea’s car back home. She was acting kind of funny, like she might be drunk or high, she refused to speak in Russian. Was she drinking? Is she unsafe to drive? I’m confused because I thought she was supposed to be taking care of you! Did you guys have a fight?You didn’t kick her out, did you?

I hit redial and it went directly to voicemail. “Dammit Kat, call me back!” I threw my phone in my hoodie pocket and went back to Aja, who was still laying on their side, mouth open and staring blankly ahead but their unblinking eyes weren’t focusing on anything. “Hey Aja, what can I do? Do you need me to call an ambulance? AJA!” They didn’t respond for a second and I had pulled out my phone to dial 911 when they shifted and took a deep breath, eyes darting all over. “Shhh hey hey hey, easy Aj! Are you ok? Talk to me? Do you need me to call someone?”

“No sis, I think I’m ok, I think the wind got knocked out of me. I’m just in shock. I got a wicked headache and my neck is killing me.”

“No wonder!” I opened a drawer and grabbed a few of the instant ice packs Katya insisted I keep on hand after my foot injury. I smacked them and passed them over before going back over to my chair and hefting myself into it. I rolled over and held a hand out to Aja, “do you think that you can sit up? Slowly!”

They nodded and with many grunts and moans, we managed to get them propped against the side of my bed, both of us out of breath.

I was just passing Aja a wet cloth for their bleeding head when my phone rang, making us jump.

“Hello? Katya is that you?”

“No it’s Shea, how ya feeling?”

“I’ve been better but much better than this afternoon. Listen, I have to leave the line open because Kat is going to call me about one of our friends who was in surgery.”

“Oh ok, no problem. It’s just…” she paused and I expected her to hit on me or something, “is Sasha there? I’m sorry for calling so early but I’m kindof worried, she’s not answering her phone and I was hoping if you were feeling well enough, that Sash could run out real quick and drive me home. I hate working nights and I’m exhausted because I worked a 14 hour shift. If I go on the bus, I’m gonna fall asleep and miss my stop.”

“N..n..no she had to go grab a few things at the store for us. Maybe her phone died? I mean she was probably on it when she was bored out of her mind during the day while I was sleeping.”

“Good point. When she comes back, can you have her call me?”

“How about I do you one better, I’ll go on my Lyft app and get you a ride? I’m happy to help since you helped me this afternoon. I don’t know when Sasha will be back, she just said she had to pick up a few things and was going to grab me some soup and ginger ale. Does that work?”

“The good ol’ you wash my back, I’ll wash yours kinda thing?” She purred and then yawned loudly. “Yeah, just text me the deets, I know you need to get off the phone, I hope your friend is ok!”

“Thanks Shea! Bye!”

“Bye gorgeous.”

@@@@JAX@@@@

“Do you have anything for pain?” Aja asked.

“Yep. Are you sure we shouldn’t get you to a hospital?” I passed them water, a bottle of Advil, a bottle of tylenol and then passed over my percocet. Ok I know I shouldn’t share meds but one of my best friends was just thrown across the room like they were a rag doll, some of the most gruesome bruises I’d ever seen were blooming around their neck from a friend possessed by a sociopath.

“Nah sis, I’m fine. Just a little beat up. Ask me again when the adrenaline wears off. Holy shit! That was unreal!” The somewhat rye look on their face slid off to be replaced by a look of sheer panic.

“What?”

“If Sharon’s soul or whatever is in Sasha’s body, where is Sasha’s?” They asked in a high pitched squeak.

I ran my hand through my hair, “shit, I don’t know! I’m calling Katya again.”

I fished my phone out and pulled up my Lyft app and quickly ordered Shea a ride before I could forget. Just as I finished, my phone rang, startling me so bad that I almost dropped it.

“Katya, is that you?”

“Da is me! Vhat is wrong? Vhat happened?”

“Ok listen, I’ll explain it but first you need to know that you CAN’T let Sasha see or talk to Alaska! Do you still carry around that little bottle of holy water?” I always teased Katya about carrying it but she promised her devout Christian Orthodox Mom that she would keep it on her and I hoped with every fibre of my being that she had kept that promise.

“Yes, of course! I promised my Mama. Vhy?”

“Ok when Sasha gets there, you need to throw it at her.”

Katya laughed, “vhat are you even talking about?”

“Ok this sounds crazy but Aja is my witness that this really happened!”

“Oh Aja’s there? Tell her ayo sis!” Katya giggled.

“Kat FOCUS!” I snapped.

“Ok, ok!”

“So the girl in the mirror came back.”

“Vi, you had really bad fever today, are you sure that you didn’t dream it?”

“Yekatarina no. Listen to me! Unless it’s some kinda weird shared dream bullshit it happened! So Sasha and I were sleeping and Aja woke us up when she knocked on the window.”

“Why vas Aja at house in middle of night?”

I sighed in frustration, “Pearl kicked her out for the night but that’s besides the point!”

“Ok! Ok! Take deep breath love.”

“There is no time for breathing!” I said panicky, “so Sasha had brought her Ouija board and we were talking to the girl in the mirror and then Sasha said she would just channel her because she had done that before for her aunt and then Sharon, the girl from the mirror, kinda jumped Sasha and took off! She said she had to reach Alaska but I don’t know if she wants to hurt Alaska or not!”

“I know it’s October but it’s not hallowe’en yet.” Katya said with a little chuckle.

“IT’S NOT A JOKE! If you don’t believe me, can you at least trust me please!” I begged, “she is really strong, I mean Sasha is a twig but it’s like Sharon is strong. She threw Aja across the room by their throat and hit me and knocked me out of my chair and she stole my chair so I couldn’t come after her.”

“VHAT!! And you are promising me that this isn’t a joke?”

“No it’s not, I swear to you! You have to trust me Kitty Kat, please believe me!” I started crying in frustration and panic. “I really want to make sure you and Alaska are ok. I’m so scared,” I sobbed.

“Ok shhh love, please don’t cry, I believe you. Are you ok? Did you do your checks to make sure you didn’t hurt yourself when you fell? Is Aja hurt?”

“She’s pretty banged up,” I looked over at a slouched over Aja, I think they may have fallen asleep, “I’m worried that they are really hurt. Sasha…I mean well Sharon technically really threw them and they have some really nasty bruises on their neck and they split their head open, I haven’t been able to see how bad it is. I’m just really more scared she’s gonna hurt you or Alaska so you have to hit her with the water when she gets there and keep her from Alaska but be careful! Promise me that you will videochat me when she gets there?”

“I promise, go look after Aja, call an ambulance if you think you should! Do your checks please and don’t forget, you have a spare chair in your closet.”

“ I will, I promise, I remembered about my chair. Please be careful and keep you and Alaska safe. I’m so scared. I love you!”

“I’ll go to Alaska’s room now. I will keep her safe. I’ll tell you when she gets here.”

“By the way, where are you?”

“We’re in San Mateo.”

“That’s only 25 minutes away so she will be there soon! Get to Alaska Kat. Right now! Lie and say that you’re her sister if you have to to get in to see her because I guarantee Sharon is going to fight dirty. You will know Sasha is back by asking her what her nickname for me was today. She called me kukolka.”

Katya let out a little giggle but quickly got somber, “I’m on my way to Alaska. I’ll video chat when I get there. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

I went to Aja, they were asleep but there was still a trickle of blood seeping through their light purple hair. They stirred when I slipped the cloth out of their hand and parted their hair so I could get a better look at the cut. It was only about an inch across, about an inch and a half above their right ear. I grabbed the water bottle off the floor and poured some in the cut, using the cloth to catch the drips.

“What are you doing?” Aja whined, pulling her head away to give me a dirty look. “Did you get a hold of Katya?”

“Stay still!” I commanded, putting pressure on the cut, making them grimace. “Yes I got a hold of Katya, she is going to call back once she gets to Alaska.”

“Good! Do you have to press so hard sis?” Aja complained.

“Yeah I do because you won’t stop bleeding SIS!”

Aja yawned, their eyes were drooping, “I’m so tired.”

“Do you think you can try to get into my bed?”

“I can try.” they took a deep breath and turned so they were on their knees, holding themselves up with one arm, letting out a little grunt.

“Use my chair.” I said, throwing on the brakes so they could grab the side of my chair to heave themselves up, they crumpled on the bed. “You ok?”

“Yeah,” they panted as they struggled to stay awake, “I’m ok. Wake me up when you hear from Katya?” I nodded and their eyes fluttered and closed.

So I sat silently, waiting and worrying with my phone in my lap, clutched in my hand so hard that my knuckles were white. What was taking Katya so long to call me back and should I take Aja to the hospital?

My facetime rang, Aja didn’t even stir so I let them sleep. Katya’s face popped onto the screen, she had an arm around a shaking Sasha.

Alaska was sobbing in the background and screaming “YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE DONE THAT! DAMN YOU KATYA!” Monitors were going off and several medical people rushed in. It was sheer pandemonium as they punted Sasha and Katya out of the room. Sasha needed to be supported to walk and she slid down the wall outside Alaska’s room. Katya followed suit and I got a brief glimpse of Alaska, red faced and sobbing while the nurses tried to calm her and hold her down.

“Hello Kukolka.” Sasha breathed, wiping at the steady stream of tears that cascaded down her face.

Katya was just opening her mouth to speak when a deep male voice said, “you have to move ma'ams, you’re upsetting the patient in there and I’ve been asked to escort you to the waiting room. Is she ok?”

Katya rattled off a string of Russian to Sasha who responded shakily. “Da, I mean yes, she is ok. Just upset. Can you help me get her up?” A big black mountain of a man in a dark blue security uniform came into view on the other side of Sasha as they heaved her up. The blinds in Alaska’s room were drawn but I could still hear her raging, although she seemed to be winding down like a toy with a run down battery.

Katya and the security guard sat Sasha down, she was still shaking so violently that her teeth were clacking together.

“So what happened?” I asked after a moment of stunned silence.

It looked like the waiting room was virtually abandoned but Katya’s voice still dropped to a whisper. “Vell vhen I go to Alaska’s room. Sasha or I guess Sharon was standing over bed. Sharon vas saying something to Alaska. Her eyes were really wide, she looked taken aback at vhatever Sharon vas saying. I said something in Russian and vhen Sasha did not respond but she just kind of growled at me and turned back to Alaska. So I dumped the bottle of holy vater on her head and told Sharon to leave in Jesus name. Sasha fainted but I caught her. Then-” Katya trailed off for a minute, looking nervous because the guard was back but he had just brought Sasha a blanket that he draped across her shoulders and set a styrofoam cup of steaming tea on the table beside her. Sasha smiled sweetly and thanked him and he left again. “Then Alaska started to freak out, I tried to explain that Sasha vas not herself, that even though it sounded unbelievable that she vas possessed by girl from mirror of room 121 and then Alaska just freaked out more! I mean you saw her, she was enraged. I do not understand what happened.”

Sasha was quiet through this explanation, just sadly staring off into space. A nurse came over to them and asked, “Is one of you Sasha? Are you ok Miss?”

“Yes, I’m Sasha.” Sasha responded, smiling slightly at her. “I’m ok.”

“Um Alaska is asking for you to go see her, but she made it clear that she wants only you. She’s a little drowsy because we gave her medication to calm down but she insists that she won’t rest until she can talk to you. It’s really important that she rests so if you could come see her for a moment, I’m sure it would set her mind at ease to make sure you are ok. Do you know what got her so worked up to begin with?”

“I think that she vas maybe upset about the bus accident?” Katya offered.

“Maybe, don’t worry about your friend, I’m sure she’ll be fine in a few hours. Sometimes anesthetic can have the side effect of making people feel angry for no reason. She may be asleep by the time you get to her room but she was quite adamant she needed to see you first.”

Sasha looked pale, she turned to Katya and they had a quick conversation in Russian and Sasha pulled the blanket off herself. She was still very shaky so the nurse put an arm around her waist and slowly walked Sasha away.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea for her to go in alone Kat?”

She nodded, “Sashinka said she had to go and hear her out, find out vhy she was so upset. See if she could get the story of vhat happened between Alaska and Sharon out of her.” Aja stirred and let out a little whimper behind me, making me jump as I’d completely forgotten they were there. “Is Aja ok? I haven’t told Sasha about vhat she did to you both, she just seems so shaky and upset already and everything happened so fast.”

“Tell her once she calms down a bit, it wasn’t really her, we both know that. I think they are ok. I’m not entirely convinced that I shouldn’t take them to a doctor to be honest.”

“Vait a minute, isn’t one of Aja’s friends doing a med school residency? Maybe he could come over and check them over?” She let out a little noise of frustration, “We met him that one time but I forget his name. Charles? Chandler? Chad?”

“Charlie, that’s a good idea. They forgot their phone at their house but maybe I can get his number from Pearl. I don’t want to wake Aj up if I can help it. I’m just worried they did some damage to their throat, the bruises are horrible,” I fretted. Aja had turned towards the wall so I couldn’t see their face and but their sides were rising and falling with their breath, so at least things were not swollen so much that it was cutting off their ability to breathe.

Sasha came out, still unbearably pale but looking reticent and reserved as she took a sip of her waiting tea with only slightly shaking hands.

We both just gaped at her but Katya was the first to break the silence, “vell? Vhat happened?”

“Well, I spoke to Alaska and she made a convincing argument so I said yes.”

Katya’s look of confusion mirrored my own. “Yes to what exactly Sasha?” I asked wearily. I was feeling weighed down and I was sure that the fever I’d been too preoccupied to notice was raging once again.

Sasha remained stoic and announced like it was the most normal thing in the world, “when Alaska is well enough to return home, I am going to channel Sharon again for her so they can talk.”

“WHAT? NO!” I shouted. Katya was immediately red faced with anger as she started yelling and swearing in Russian. I knew she was swearing because I had gotten her to teach me some of them when we first started talking.

Aja sat bolt upright, wheezing out, “Wazappenin’?” and letting out a grunt of pain and a cough. Their wide eyes darted around the room.

“Nothing Aj, go back to sleep.” I said calmly and patted their knee. They noticed I was on video chat and sat up and swung their legs so they were sitting on the side of the bed.

“M’ok! You were supposed to wake me up!” They mumbled. The bruises on their neck were turning deep purple. “Ayo sis’!”

Katya and Sasha stopped arguing for a moment, they both gasped, Sasha’s hand raising to her mouth. “Aja! Wha…what happened to you!? W…who attacked you?” Sasha stammered.

“Didn’t you tell her?” Aja said, sounding miffed and giving my shoulder a little cuff.

“Sorry, we hadn’t got there yet!”

“Tell me what?” Sasha asked, worry furrowing her brow so deeply it was almost a unibrow.

Katya reached over and held Sashinka’s hand and gently spoke in Russian. Sasha blanched even paler and her hands covered her mouth in shock as tears pooled in her eyes and trickled down her face as she let out a little sob. “I…I did that?”

“No Sasha, it wasn’t you. We both know that.” Aja said softly.

“I actually threw you across the room? How? And I don’t know where your chair is Violet, I hope it’s not lost. What have I done?”

“This is vhy you can not do that again Sashinka!”

“But I have to. I promised! She needs help.”

“WAIT! Hold up sis,” Aja waved her pointer finger in the air, “you mean to fucking tell me that you are thinking of letting Sharon highjack your body AGAIN? Naw sis! No! That is NOT okay!” Aja said, immediately incensed.

“I never meant to hurt anyone but I made a promise to Alaska,” Sasha dropped her hands and then put them over her heart, “there’s so much heartache there, such loss, I can feel it. How can I not help if I have the ability to? I AM so sorry! Next time, maybe it can just be Alaska and I but I have to do this! My heart. My heart. I can’t say no! I can’t tell her no. I just can’t!” She sobbed and Katya pulled Sasha in for a hug as she blubbered onto her shoulder.

“Don’t cry Sasha, ve’ll figure something out.” Katya soothed, cupping Sasha’s little bald head in her hand as she held the distraught girl close while we exchanged worried looks. Katya murmured in Russian and then looked at the camera, “Vi, vhy don’t you take care of some things there,” her eyes momentarily flicked over to a groggy looking Aja who was barely staying upright,” and then ve vill touch base soon. My phone is going to die anyway so I vill have to find a plug in. I vill let you know vhen ve know anything about Alaska or vhen ve vill be home.”

“I have Shea’s car here,” Sasha offered as she sniffled. “Oh dammit, Shea!!” She smacked her head, “I don’t know where my phone is, she’s probably worried sick! I don’t even know where the car is!” Sasha puffed her cheeks out and blew out a breath of air.

“You are in no condition to drive silly Sashinka. Vell, ve vill just go have a look around and see if ve find it. You can call Shea from my phone. Violet, ve vill keep our eyes out for your chair. Let us know how things go there.”

“Ok, I love you both!”

“Ve love you too.” Katya said with a small lopsided smile, Sasha was back to crying.

“I’m so sorry! Please forgive me!” An anguished Sasha pleaded and then Kat’s battery must have died because the screen abruptly went black.

I opened up my texts and sent Shea a text.

Me - Shea, Sasha went to go see Katya and bring back some of the girls on the team, she said she can’t seem to find her cell so I just wanted to let you know she’s ok.

Then I turned and passed my phone to Aja, who just looked at it dumbly. “Call your friend Charlie and see if he can come and check you over. Your neck is looking gruesome and it needs to be checked out.”

“I don’t want to bug him.”

“Ok, you have two fucking options Aj,” I said firmly while I glared at them, “you can call Charlie and see if he can come check you out or we can go to the hospital where they likely have to report it and I don’t think they will take the whole my friend was possessed plea.”

“Riiiight!” Aja sighed and tapped away at my phone while I pulled up my fuzzy pant legs and hastily checked my lower limbs over. I had good sized bruises blooming on my knees, which must have hit first. My wrists were a bit sore from taking the brunt of my weight when I fell to protect my face and head. My ribs hurt and I wondered if my knees ran into them on my way down, I couldn’t remember how I fell because it happened so fast. I lifted up my shirt a little, sure enough I had two faint bruises.

“You still in one piece? What happened after she tossed me?”

“I think I’m ok, my wrists are a bit sore from bracing myself when I fell. I tried to stop her from leaving, she said she didn’t want to hurt me but she would if she had to. Well apparently she felt she had to because when I wouldn’t move she backhanded me really hard which caused me to fall out of my chair and then she grabbed my chair and said she was taking it so I couldn’t stop her. That she was unstoppable.” Goosebumps multiplied on my arms and down my neck, making me shiver and wrap my arms around myself.

“Hopefully your chair is just in Shea’s trunk. It better be!” Aja grumbled. “Charlie said he’ll be here in 15 minutes or so, I was kind of vague so he’ll probably bring way too much stuff until he knows what he’s dealing with. Does Sasha wear rings by any chance?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You might wanna check out your face sis.” They suggested with a grimace.

I sped over to my vanity and sure enough there were 3 long angry scratches across my red and purple cheek. “Fuuuck! Now how the fuck am I gonna cover THOSE up?”

“I dunno sis, how the fuck am I gonna cover THIS up?” They said, flailing their hand at their neck before going back to hugging themselves like they couldn’t get warm. They had a point.

“I have some scarves, I mean most are bandanas from my neckerchief phase.”

“I remember that!” They said with a little chuckle, “not your best look sis!”

I pretended to be shocked, “how DARE you!! I was young and stupid back then! I didn’t know any better!”

“Back then? Biiiiitch, it was like a month ago!” They laughed and then screwed up their face in pain, pulling the ice packs up to their neck.

I was opening my mouth to ask if they were ok when there was a soft knock on the door, it reminded me of the tap, tap, tap on the mirror and a shiver ran through me. I couldn’t help glancing nervously at the mirror, Sharon wasn’t there. I didn’t think she would be but it never hurts to check. There was a more insistent knock and I realized I was probably too busy staring at the damn mirror. I shook myself like a pissed off cat that got stuck in the rain and opened the door.

Aja was not joking about Charlie bringing a shit tonne of stuff! He had a bag in one hand and a red fucking suitcase on wheels with a giant white cross on it. Subtle. Reeeal subtle!

“Hi Violet and Aja.” Charlie said with his faint british accent. He was a bit older than most of the other students but he had a ready smile and a certain charm about him. “Bloody hell! What happened to you Aja?!” He exclaimed, he grabbed their chin and turned their head to get a better look at the side of their head where the blood was a stark contrast to their light purple hair.

Aja sucked air, they let one of their ice packs go to whack his hand away. “Jesus! Easy Charlie!”

Charlie sat down hard on the side of the bed, “what the hell happened to you Aja?!” We were both silent, “no, I need to know who did that Aj, what happened to you? What happened here?” Charlie looked from Aja to me and back.

Aja and I both spoke at once.

“Rough foreplay?” Aja blurted.

“Their ex!” I babbled.

Aja thought quick, thank God! They tried to keep their face serious but the corners of their mouth twitched, “Yes ok, I have an ex who’s into some rough shit. We just got carried away? Vi’s just a giant worry wart and made me call you.”

“She was right to! And this cut on your head?”

“Wellllll, I kinda passed out and they’re a bad catch?”

“Hmmm.” Charlie said but didn’t say anymore.

He cleaned Aja’s cut and used this weird glue to shut it which made them yelp as they exclaimed that it stung like a bitch. He noticed they were holding their arms against their stomach, “may I?” Aja nodded, biting their lip as they pulled up their shirt to reveal a long bruise across the same side they fell on. Charlie felt around while Aja tried and failed to hold in their whimpers of pain. I had a sinking feeling in my gut and felt like I might throw up, I didn’t think they were hurt anywhere else and cursed at myself for not noticing. No wonder they couldn’t get up.

Charlie had a deep look of concentration as he listened to their chest, getting them to breathe in and out a few times. He sighed, “You definitely bruised or possibly broke a few ribs. I think you are ok all things considered but I would lay off of that stuff. ” Charlie said with a disapproving glare at Aja, “you’re going to be hoarse for the next few days or you might temporarily lose your voice all together. I wanna check in on you in a day or two or sooner if anything gets worse but I’m glad you called. Now what happened to you Violet?” Charlie turned my scratched face so he could scrutinize it in better light.

I brought my hand up to my cheek. Once again Aja and I spoke in unison.

“Jealous ex!” Aja spat out.

“Bar fight?” I interjected but it was more like a question than a statement, now it was my turn to think fast, “yeah I guess my ex didn’t know I was dating someone new and kinda lost it and backhanded me across the face.”

“Hmmm,” he said again, “well make sure that you put something on it at night to keep it from drying out. There will be less chance of scarring. I have to go but” Charlie shot a dark look at me but sternly spoke to them, “Aja tell your ex to knock it off.” He turned his withering glare to Aja, “and Violet, I would recommend you stay away from your ex too. Do you need a ride home Aja?” He added gently.

Aja and I looked at each other, finally cottoning on to what he was talking about. We both burst out laughing.

“He thinks…” I giggled.

“We’re each other’s exes!” Aja wheezed and coughed, holding their side as they laughed.

“No?” Charlie asked looking simultaneously amused and confused, a cute little flush of pink creeped up his neck.

“Charlie, I like boys! And I’m pretty sure that my good sis over there is not a boy. And Vi is totally not my type anyway!”

“Ditto!” I squeaked out, still trying to hold my laughter in, “I mean about Aj not being my type, not about boys, ew!”

“More for me!” Aja teased.

“Ok, answer me one question.” His face turning worried as his voice dropped to a whisper, “are you both safe?”

Aja grabbed Charlie’s hand and looked at him seriously, “it’s a really long story we don’t to get you involved in it because it’s a dramatic mess right now but we’re both safe. I promise. That person can’t hurt us again. They’ve left and they’re not coming back.”

Charlie gave us some parting instructions and sighed deeply again, “ok, I’ll check in with you later,” before wheeling his suitcase back out with a dorky little wave.

We both let out a breath of air. I went over and grabbed a few more ice packs, “lay back and put these on your ribs fool.” A whine crept into my voice as I grabbed their hand, “why didn’t you tell me you were hurt so bad?”

“I was worried that you would make me go to the hospital.” They panted as they laid back with a loud groan.

“God!” I exclaimed, “now I know what you and Katya must feel like when I’m too much of a dumb ass to go to the doctor!”

“I know right?”

“The emphasis is on YOU being a dumb ass right now, just to make it clear!” I cracked.

They giggled and then sucked air like the wind had been knocked out of them. “Well at least you know what it feels like now!”

I grabbed the throw pillows at the bottom of my bed and lifted their legs a few inches to shove the pillows underneath before setting them back down slowly.

“Thanks sis.” Aja mumbled, sounding half asleep.

“No problem sis,” I chuckled, “go to sleep!”

They lifted their head up, “wait, where are you going sleep? Get up here,” they patted the bed beside them.

“Don’t worry about me. I’m fine.” I reassured them, wiping a hand across my sweaty forehead, “I don’t want to make you sick!”

“Sis, I just got thrown across the room by a fucking supernaturally charged Twiggy. Perspective bitch.” They chuckled and grunted in pain again.

I guffawed, “True! True!” I went over to my nightstand and pulled the anti-nausea meds over, hoping to calm my rolling stomach. “What if I lay with my head down at the bottom, maybe that will help you not get the plague? I don’t mind sleeping on the floor! Actually I could just sleep in the ugly orange chair, it reclines,” I looked over at Aja, their face was relaxed with one hand resting across their ribs, soundly asleep already. They looked so young as I pulled a fleece Stanford blanket over them.

I grabbed a hoodie out from my drawer for a pillow and pulled my bathrobe down from the hook to cover myself with. I didn’t think I’d be able to sleep with my whirring mind but as soon as I leaned back in the chair, my eyes drifted shut.

I woke up to a key being put in the lock of my door, I felt my eyes get huge as the handle of my door seemed to turn painfully slow, they flicked over in Aja’s direction but they were still knocked out.

The door creaked open and my chair was rolled in, I expected to see Katya peek her head in and was surprised at who it was.

“Max? What are you doing here?”

The long grey haired beauty put a hand on her chest, saw Aja and whispered, “gracious! You scared me! I’m sorry that I just let myself in but I heard you weren’t well and then someone found your chair in the quad and I got really concerned. I was going to knock but I didn’t know if you’d be able to get to the door, I suppose I should have knocked though. I’m sorry! Did someone take your chair? Are you ok? You look awfully pale,” The classic beauty fretted and looked completely scandalised, but to be honest, she looked like that a lot!

“Someone must have taken my chair! I didn’t notice!” I said dumbly but Max’ eyes flicked to my beat-up chair beside me and she pressed her lips together and gave me a look. Well fuck!

Max sighed as she hovered in the doorway with a hand on her cocked hip, “may I come in?”

I waved her in, “of course!”

She pushed my chair in and picked the chair Aja was sitting in up from the floor where it had fallen when Aja stood up so abruptly earlier and sat down facing me.

“So what happened? Gracious! What did you do to your face girl? Is someone harassing you? Did someone attack you?” She exclaimed, bringing a hand up to her pearls. She looked over at Aja, her eyes widened and she did a double take, staring at their neck and then down at the drying puddle of blood that I must have rolled through at one point as there was now a gruesome tire track of crimson across my floor. Well shit! Max’ brow furrowed, she wrung her hands and murmured gravely. “It’s clear that we should be speaking with campus security and the police Violet. When they tracked me down to bring me your chair, I said I’d take care of it but I think that you need more help than just I can provide and you both need to see a doctor!”

“We both got checked out by a doctor and I’ve seen two doctors in the past like 12 hours, you know how anxious they make me, please don’t make me!” I begged, hoping I looked the right enough amount of pitiful for her to relent but not pitiful enough for her to insist.

“I know you don’t like them but it’s clear that SOMETHING went on here. Anyone horrendous enough to attack two girls in their dorm and steal someone’s wheelchair should be arrested and brought to justice!” She said, passion igniting in her eyes. “Did you fill out a police report when you got checked out?”

“No, I had a friend of a friend come here to check us out. They’re in their last year or two of residency. It’s hard for me to get around in this old clunker of a chair, it weighs like 3 times my normal chair.” I was purposely vague as the last thing I wanted was for Charlie to get into trouble over all of this.

She crossed her arms, “well thankfully, you have your chair back so you can go.”

I knew what I had to do, I am not proud of knowing Max’ weakness. I burst into tears, I had been through a bunch of shit the past day. I was worried about Katya and Alaska and Sasha and this crazy idea of hers that she should pull that shit again. I was worried and scared and so it wasn’t hard and my breakdown was only partially fake. “Please Max? I can’t! I just can’t. I can’t explain what happened, I can promise that it won’t happen again and I can promise we’re safe. Can’t that be good enough?” My stomach lurched and I managed to get out an “uh oh” and then promptly ralphed all over the floor.

I don’t know if it was the crying or the barfing but Max seemed to relent, her face softening as she handed me the bucket, “shhh it’s ok! Don’t work yourself up so much Vi! Deep breaths.” She disappeared out the door momentarily and came back with a bucket, rag, dish gloves and cleaner and started to clean the floor.

“Max, you don’t have to do that!”

“It’s no bother! I don’t mind at all! But I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t worried about you Violet and I’m not someone who lies.” She said primly, “Did you want me to take this to the laundry?” She asked in a whisper, holding the bloody lavender blanket out at arm’s reach, giving it a dirty look like it had offended her.

“No, I don’t think it’ll come out and it’s making me nauseous just looking at it. Just throw it in the closet please, if you don’t mind. I’ll take care of it later.”

“No it’s ok, I’ll take care of it.” Max disappeared out of the room again with the bucket but returned in a moment. Max still looked worried, her angular face looked pinched. “What else can I do for you? What do you need?”

“Can you pass me my meds please?” I asked, pointing to my bedside table, “I think there might be a ginger ale in the back of the fridge too, if you don’t mind.” I felt bad asking her but maybe if I could keep her busy, she wouldn’t over think not calling the police. I let my head flop back and turned to look at Aja who was still out cold. Max looked down at them for a moment with pity in her eyes before rustling around in the fridge, finding a ginger ale and handing it to me.

“Thanks, ugh I’m sorry Max,” I said, as she handed me everything.

“You can’t help it love, are you sure I can’t convince you to report this? I’m worried.”

“I know you’re worried, I don’t want you to get into trouble and I know you don’t like to lie but can we just say my chair being out in the parking lot was a prank or something? I dunno…or anything?”

She pursed her lips and looked unhappy but sighed, “I truly don’t think that anyone will ask me about it, I reassured the girl that found it that I would make sure it was reported if it wasn’t an accident.”

“It was definitely an accident, the person wasn’t in their right mind when they did it.”

Max hurrumphed, “so it was someone you know?” Oh shit!

“Not really, I mean only in passing, I spoke to them today and they were very remorseful and I just don’t want to get them in trouble for something they really didn’t have control over.”

“Are they ok? Because someone who is sick or an addict is more likely to get help if they get reported.”

“Max, would you please just let it go? We’re safe, I promise you that. Okay?”

She sighed, “okay but if you change your mind…we can always report it. Do you want me to stay with you?”

I shook my head and yawned, “no I’m ok, I’m just going to go back to sleep I think. I’m so tired.”

“Well I guess I will check in on you in a wee bit, you have my number so please use it if you need anything. Do you want me to get you some soup or tea while you’re still awake?”

My stomach lurched at the mere mention of food, so I shook my head. “No, I don’t think it’s a good idea to give my stomach anymore ammo if you know what I mean?”

“True, true. Well I hope you feel better,” Max leaned over and kissed the top of my head, “take something for your fever and tell your friend I hope they feel better.”

“Yes mother,” I said sweetly and batted my lashes.

“Smart ass,” Max mumbled and chuckled on her way out, closing the door softly behind her with a click.

I must have passed out again, the next time I woke up, the door was being unlocked and turning again.

The door opened a bit and then paused, people whispering out in the hall, “come on in Max, I’m awake.” I called.

A familiar blonde face appeared, wearing a giant grin, and whispering, “hey! Sorry, ve vanted to peek in and see how you vere. You look terrible love!”

“Gee thanks! Please don’t come any closer. And we?”

Sasha poked her head in, she looked like she’d been crying her eyes out. “Hi,” she said in barely a whisper, she looked from Aja to me and burst into loud sobs, running into the bathroom and locking the door.

Aja stirred and let out a little moan.

“Oh dear, Sasha’s been doing that all afternoon.” Katya shook her head.

“Any news on ‘Lasky? Is Farrah ok?”

“Farrah is well drugged, Kimora is taking care of her. Hopefully she’ll be nice but if she isn’t Farrah probably won’t remember it anyway. Alaska should be back tomorrow, she has a bit of a hard road ahead of her with the pins in her leg. She can’t even put any weight on it for a few weeks, she’s actually going to be moving in two doors down in the accessible room for a bit since she’s on the 2nd floor of her apartment and there is no elevator. It’s kind of lucky that girl dropped out.”

“Poor ‘Lasky! That’s horrible,” I frowned.

“Hey you found your chair! That might help cheer Sashinka up?” Katya put her mouth up to the door and said in a slightly sing-song voice usually used to calm the very young, “Sashinka, they found Vi’s chair, I told you that it vould turn up. Pleeease stop crying dear. It’s not your fault.” Sasha seemed to cry even harder and louder.

“Oh shit, mother fucker!” Aja exclaimed with a groan. “Ouch!”

“Good morning sunshine.” I said in a bright sunny voice, “Kat, can you give Aj these please?” I handed Katya my prescription pain meds and she gave me a questioning look but took them over, helping Aja sit up seemed to be difficult but Katya pulled a bunch of pillows behind them so they could sit up before taking one of the pills gratefully from her.

I dragged my carcass out of the orange chair and into my own, going over to the bathroom door and putting my hand on it, “Sash, please come out. Please? I can’t talk to you through a door.”

“Ayo sis, get out here!” Aja tried to yell but it came out a gravelly, squeaky mess. It seemed to have some effect because the door slowly creaked open and Sasha hesitantly peeked her red, tear streaked face out. Aja smiled and patted the bed beside them, Sasha took a deep breath and then slunk out of the bathroom like an animal that got caught doing something wrong. Aja pulled one of Sasha’s hands away from her face, I rolled over and patted her knee. “Listen sis, I know I don’t know you well at all and half of that time, you were possessed by an evil, raging, bitch-monster.” That earned Aja a little watery chuckle from Sasha, “bottom line, we both know that this wasn’t your fault. I gotta be honest though, the idea of you putting yourself or us through that again is pretty damn scary to me.”

“Ve have a plan for that!” Katya announced triumphantly. We gathered around like a football team while Katya shared her and Sash’s plan.

Needless to say, I did not stay in my room after dark for the next 2 nights. I slept at Katya and Trixie’s, who’s new nickname was Tracie since old Professor Tempest couldn’t seem to remember her name.

We helped a miserable and pale looking Alaska move into her new digs the day she was released from the hospital 2 days ago. She was using a wheelchair and had to keep her leg propped up on pillows. I showed her a few tricks to getting around, just in case she wanted to go out. Alaska was pretty much despondent when she did reply and I knew nothing of what anyone said to her before tonight’s gathering with Sasha would sink in.

We went out with Sasha and Aja for a late night snack before we were due to meet Alaska at 2 am. Aja looked horrible when they joined us at this greasy lil diner we’d discovered the other day, they were still walking slightly hunched over. Thankfully between some theatre grade foundation and powder, the cold snap and a guilty Sasha’s very ample turtleneck sweater collection no one seemed to see the dark bruises on Aj’s neck. Some of them were fading out to shades of green and yellow. As Charlie had predicted, Aja was completely horse still. I also had on a thick layer of foundation and I’d been wearing my hair so it hung over that side of my face instead of my usual ponytail.

Sasha was chasing her Julienne salad around her plate with her fork but not really eating any of it but a few pieces of tomato and a bit of the chicken, she was wearing a long thick cable knit grey sweater and red tights with little rhinestones on them. It was strange to see her head covered by a matching grey cap when it was normally so proudly and defiantly on display. She had dark bags under her eyes and a sallow tone.

“You know the food works better if you actually eat it, right?” Sasha didn’t appear to hear them, so Aja raised their voice, “AYO SIS!” Sasha’s head snapped up, “did you stone those tights yourself?”

Sasha smiled and shook her head. “No Shea’s friend Val made them. She’s obsessed with AB stones.”

“Vhat’s wrong Sashinka?” Katya put her hand on Sasha’s arm and she jumped out of her skin.

Sasha sighed, “Sorry. I am just worried that this won’t work, that somehow I won’t be able to do it or it will go wrong. Or that I will hurt someone again. Or Shea will find out, she already knows I’m upset about something and she keeps apologizing like she has something to be sorry about. Did you turn up the heat in your room Vi?”

“Sash, you’re not going to hurt anyone, our plan is good. It wasn’t your fault the first time either. And yes, I turned up my heat.” I smiled at her.

Sasha managed a weak but queasy looking smile and nodded, she pushed her plate away, “I can’t eat anything. I’m just too nervous.”

Katya pushed the plate back, “how about you eat some protein? Just eat egg or meat or cheese, c’mon 3 more bites? Please Sashinka? Shea said you haven’t eaten much in days, I’m vorried. Ve are all vorried.” Katya needled her just like she’s done with me countless times, Sasha sighed and picked up her fork, skewering a tiny piece of cheese but with a look from Katya she added a half a boiled egg.

Katya and I had gotten a slightly panicked facebook call from Shea yesterday.

“Hey guys, has Sash been acting weird lately or is it just me? I know she’s been hanging out with y’all a lot since I’ve been working so much and spending such long hours at the studio getting ready for the show and I’m glad that she is! Don’t get me wrong! But, has she been eating with you? The groceries in our apartment have hardly been touched, she hasn’t used her meal card in days either. I went to see if I should put some money on it since I got paid and it was still full. I made her her favourite sandwich the other day and I found it in the trash without one bite taken out of it!”

Katya and I exchanged looks, Sasha hadn’t been hanging out with us much.

“Uh…you know that she looked after me the other day when I had the stomach flu, maybe she picked it up? I hope not! I would feel so bad.” From what I’ve seen of Sasha, she didn’t seem sick. Withdrawn and stressed, yes, but not sick.

I think she had been spending a lot of time with Alaska, who did nothing but stare out the window. As far as I know, she hadn’t told Sasha much about who Sharon was to her or what the story was, just that something happened and she needed to talk to Sharon.

We couldn’t do the seance thing until tonight because Sasha insisted we wait for a night when Shea was for sure working and not just at the studio where she could leave and pop in at any point. For some reason Sasha was adamant that Shea not find out, it had taken some pleading with Alaska but what could Alaska do? It’s not like she could MAKE Sasha get possessed or whatever.

“Hmm I don’t know,” Shea scowled. “I mean you were completely out of it when you had it Violet. I don’t think they’ve had a fever, I would have noticed.” Shea chewed her bottom lip, she did look really worried and I wondered, not for the first time, why she flirted with me or anyone else when she seemed to really love Sasha.

“I promise, ve vill keep a better eye on her.” Katya said from over my shoulder.

I nodded, “we will make sure she eats something.”

“Ok, thanks. Just let me know if she says something, I mean, I feel like she’s keeping something from me. Like she’s upset about something? I don’t know, maybe I’m bugging out about nothing? I mean, I’ve never hoped I was bugging out about nothing til now.”

“Ve vill keep our eyes and ears open.”

“That’s all I can ask, I gotta jet but I’ll talk to you guys soon? Take care of my girl for me ok?”

I guiltily looked away, but I heard Kat murmur “ve vill,” before Shea hung up.

Katya nudged my ribs, bringing me out of my memory, “you need to eat something too Missy!” Sasha and I rolled our eyes at each other, a small but genuine grin turned up one side of Sasha’s mouth. Another nudge and I sighed and picked up my own fork, Aja was staring at me.

“What Aja?”

“Nothing. It’s ok sis!”

“No say it.” I stabbed a fry with so much force that the fork scraped across the plate, making us all cringe. “Sorry.”

“Maybe I’m just used to you having your hair back but you just look like you’ve lost weight.”

“Gee thanks! Anyone else wanna tell me I look like shit?” I asked sharply, throwing my fork down with a clatter that made Sasha jump. “Maybe I did lose weight, three days of barfing can do that to a person!” I knew I was overreacting but I couldn’t seem to do anything about it.

Aja pouted, and flailed a chicken wing in my direction, they rolled their eyes, “no sis you’re right!” Then they added sarcastically, “you’re perfect, you’re beautiful, you look like Linda Evangelista, you’re a model! Everything about you is perfect!”

I let out a little surprised bark of laughter and it seemed to break whatever mopey spell had been cast on our table. Even Sasha looked up from pushing her food around her plate and let out a little chuckle.

“Smartass,” I muttered, nibbling at the corner of a chicken strip.

“Are you feeling any better kukolka?” Sasha asked quietly.

I nodded, “definitely but I still have no appetite. But I haven’t had a fever in the past day or so.”

“Glad to hear it.” Sasha pushed her plate away again and said something sharply in Russian to Katya when she opened her mouth to tell her to eat more.

A cute girl came to our table to give us the bill, we were the only ones left and it was obvious that the staff were wanting to close up for the night. They were upturning chairs onto tables, sweeping and mopping the floor but leaving a path of dry floor for us to leave by.

Katya had to drive Shea’s car after we decided Sash was too distracted to drive when she tried to get in someone else’s car. On the way back, Sash kept nodding off.

When I opened my dorm door, the stifling heat was like a smack to the face.

“Jesus!” Aja exclaimed, immediately peeling off their sweater.

“I think you’re thinking of the other direction!” Katya joked as she striped off her own sweater.

“I should go change, Alaska will be here any moment. Do you have the…uh…things Vi?” Sasha sighed yet again.

“There’s a bag in the bathroom, there are a few to choose from. There’s a housecoat on the back of the door but I doubt you’ll need it with it being this warm. At least I know the heat works!” I unravelled my scarf and took off my hoodie, putting my hair up in it’s usual ponytail.

There was a chair in the middle of the room, the beat up ouija board box on the table beside it. There was a soft knock on the door, Katya answered, swinging wide the door to let a pale and slightly green Alaska wheel through.

“Hi.” She said but it was little more than a puff of air, “thanks for doing this Violet, I really appreciate it.” She smiled weakly.

The door to the bathroom opened and a bashful and red faced Sasha poked her head out. “Oh good, you’re here Alaska!”

“Mmhmm, thanks again Sash but uh why are you in a bikini? And why is it so fucking hot in here? Someone should open a window for God’s sake!”

“You didn’t tell her the plan?” Sasha said, looking between the other three of us in the room. When none of us said anything, Sasha sighed and sank into her seat in the middle of the room, she had her hands splayed to hide as much of herself as possible.

“So I really hurt Violet and Aja last time when Sharon…uh…borrowed my body and I just don’t feel comfortable putting you all at risk again. So the plan is Katya, Aja and Violet have super soakers filled with holy water. So if it seems Sharon is going to get physical again, they can pull her out of my body.”

“She won’t hurt you again, Sharon would never! She was just worried when she heard I was hurt. Sharon wouldn’t hurt a fly.” Alaska said, scandalised at the very thought that Sharon could be violent.

Aja strode over to the vanity and plucked up one of my makeup wipes, removing the thick layer of cake makeup and powder and going over to Alaska and craning her neck so Alaska could see the full extent of the damage. Alaska grimaced and looked away. “She threw me across the fucking room so buzz, buzz, mother fucker because here is proof that she can and will hurt a fly. She could have killed me!” Sasha opened her mouth to apologize yet again but Aja brought up a finger and shook it in her direction, “and stop saying you’re sorry Sis! It wasn’t you. I know that and so does Vi.” Sasha closed her mouth again.

“I still don’t get why Sasha is in a bikini though.” Alaska mumbled.

“We need the largest amount of skin available to shoot at because we are all bad aims.”

Alaska’s eyes were already brimming with tears and a fat one splashed onto her lap. “Please just give her another chance?”

“So what is the story between you two?” Aja asked, sitting carefully on the edge of my bed.

The lights flickered and Sharon appeared in the mirror, her face totally changed at the sight of Alaska. Her face softened and lost it’s hollowed out look and her eyes sparkled. She put a hand flat on either side of the glass, a glowing tear trickled down her face.

“Ok let’s go. Vi, I think you need to start at the ouija board since it’s your room.” Sasha said, letting out a breath of air from her puffed out cheeks as she swirled the heart shaped wooden planchette around the board while Alaska and I rolled over to the table. Katya stood by the door and Aja stood opposite with their water guns pointed at Sasha.

We added our fingers to the board, Alaska hesitated for a fraction of a moment before adding her long, spindly fingers as Sasha said, “we invite communication from the spirit world, specifically from the girl in the mirror of room 121.”

The planchette almost sprinted around the board, “she just spelled out I’ll be good.” Sasha said, she looked up at Sharon sternly, “you better or I won’t be doing this again.” Sharon nodded emphatically. “Ok let’s get this over with.”

I backed up and grabbed my own gun from my bed as Sasha lowered her head to her chest. There was a moment of still before Sasha took in a huge inhale of air and lifted her chin.

The three of us with guns shifted, I couldn’t talk for the other two but I felt a jittery energy sweep through the room.

Sharon slowly lifted her hands, palms out. “I am not going to hurt you.” She said calmly, it was eerie how much Sasha’s voice changed into this high pitched whine. Sharon turned her eyes to Alaska, “Lasky?”

“Hi,” Alaska breathed, pulling Sharon’s hand into her own and asked in a small voice, “why did you have to leave me all alone? I’m sorry, it should have been me. It was my stuff, it’s all my fault.” Alaska wailed.

“Stop it!” Sharon barked and squeezed Alaska’s hand, shuffling the chair closer. Then her voice softened, husky with tears. “You didn’t know it was bad. I’m glad I got to it first. You can and have and WILL do so much more good in this world than I ever could.”

“But the last thing I ever said to you was that I hated you. ” Alaska sobbed and flung her hands in the air, “and then I just left you. I was so mad but if I hadn’t left, you’d still BE here. I could have saved you, I could have. I should have stayed.”

“No,” Sharon shook her head, “I hate you isn’t the last thing you’ll ever say to me. We have this chance, right now. I love you so much but you have to stop blaming yourself. You have to let yourself move on because that is the only way I will ever get to.”

“I love you too but you…you forgive me? You should hate me, you have every right to! I wouldn’t blame you. I killed you!” Alaska looked down at her lap and broke down, crying harder than I’ve ever seen anyone cry. She looked like she might come apart with the force of her shaking.

The three of us with waterguns gasped at Alaska’s confession.

Sharon’s head snapped up and she looked surprised to find us there, like the only thing that existed in her world was Alaska. “She didn’t kill me.” Sharon scooted closer, lifting her chin with a crooked finger to make Alaska look her in the eye, tears streaming down her own face. “You didn’t. There’s nothing to forgive. NOTHING! I need you to do some things for me.”

“Anything. I would give anything to go back in time and change things.”

“But you can’t Alaska! You can’t! I wish I could too but if it meant you would die, I wouldn’t do it. You can fulfill my dying…er…dead wishes.”

“Anything.” Alaska murmured again.

“I need you to stop wishing you were dead, I need you to NEVER try to kill yourself again. Promise me!” Sharon said firmly, running her hands over Alaska’s collarbones.

Alaska nodded and sobbed out, “I promise, I’m sorry. I can’t help it, I just get so sad and I miss you so much.”

“I know you do babe, I miss you too but you have to realize you’re supposed to be HERE! I’m so, so proud of you for getting sober, I wish we could have done that together. I just want you to know, when you’re ready, that it’s ok to move on. You deserve to love and be loved by someone as special as you are.”

Alaska shook her head and mouthed “no. I can’t.”

“You can! I need to know you’re going to be ok. Promise me?” Sharon pulled Alaska into a hug, running her hand down Alaska’s platinum hair. Aja, Katya and I had all lowered our guns, I swiped at the tears cascading down my face.

“I…I promise, I’ll try but I don’t think I can ever love anyone like I love you. I can’t put my whole heart in it because you took a piece of me with you.” Alaska wailed and held onto Sharon harder, blubbering into her shoulder.

“Shhh I’m so sorry baby. Shhh. I love you so much but I can’t stay. You won’t be able to move on and I need that for you. I need to know you are going to be ok. Shhh. I’m so sorry beautiful.” Sharon cooed, pulling back to cup Alaska’s face in her hands, pressing a kiss onto the sobbing girl’s forehead before pulling her back in again.

We sat there, paused, frozen in time while the two girls in the middle of the room held onto each other and cried out their heartbreak together. We didn’t know the whole story but you didn’t have to know it was a catastrophic loss for both of them.

“Dawn is coming. Can you do one last thing for me?” Sharon asked with a wobbly voice, sniffling and wiping at Alaska’s face with the pads of her thumbs. “Can you sing me to sleep one last time?”

“I can’t. I haven’t sang since you left me all alone.” Alaska whimpered.

“You have to share that gift with the world Lasky and I’m…I’m so tired,” Sharon’s voice cracked and she ended with a sob, sounding child-like, “please? Sing me to sleep.”

Alaska looked conflicted, a gamut of emotions running across her face. She would obviously want to help Sharon find peace but would feel like she was losing her all over again. She finally sighed and nodded, between sniffles she asked, “can you help me onto the bed please Katya?”

While Kat and Aja helped a sobbing Alaska who grunted in pain onto the bed, Sharon came over to me. She looked nervously at my gun so I set it down on the table beside me. Sharon got down on her knees and pulled me into a strong hug, whispering in my ear, “can you please tell Sasha thank you? The words thank you are not remotely strong enough to voice my gratitude but it’s all I have. She’s let me finally rest. She’s given my girl peace. I’m so sorry for hurting you and Aja, when I heard Alaska was hurt, I guess I just lost my damn mind for a minute.”

“Shar?” Sharon’s body stiffened against mine at the sound of Alaska’s broken voice, “I’m ready as I’ll ever be.” Alaska patted the bed beside her.

Sharon sat beside Alaska, a wry smile on her lips as she looked over at me, “also tell Sasha’s girlfriend I’m sorry.” I was about to ask her what the hell she was talking about when she wrapped her arms around Alaska’s neck and pulled her into a long, passionate, open-mouthed kiss as tears streamed down their faces. I looked away, thinking that maybe the two girls would want some privacy in their last moment.

“I don’t think I can do this. I’m scared, I don’t want to let you go.” Alaska admitted tearfully, I turned my head to look at her, Sharon was laying on her side, head in Alaska’s lap, curled around Alaska carefully to avoid her injured leg. Alaska was stroking the back of her fingers down the side of Sharon’s face as she sobbed.

Sharon caught her hand and pulled it to her lips to kiss it and then whispered “please baby? Let me finally rest in your arms, sing me to sleep Lasky?“ Her eyes pleaded with Alaska as she repeated, “I love you but I’m so tired. Please don’t forget me.”

“I could never!” Alaska swore, leaning down to kiss Sharon’s forehead. “I love you so much.”

When Alaska started to sing, my mouth flopped open with surprise at the rich tones of her voice.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night

Take these broken wings and learn to fly

All your life

You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Black bird singing in the dead of night

Take these sunken eyes and learn to see

All your life

You were only waiting for this moment to be free

Sharon let out a sigh, a small smile on her lips. Sasha’s body went slack and Alaska let out a mournful, keening cry. She cradled Sasha’s limp body against her own and screamed and wailed.

Sasha’s eyes fluttered a few times before they opened. She sat up straighter in Alaska’s arms and pulled the still inconsolable Alaska into a tight hug. “She’s gone, isn’t she? Oh Alaska,” she breathed, “I’m so sorry. Shhh darling.” After a few moments she looked around the room at us, “Katya, I think Alaska could use a nice cup of tea from the cafeteria. Aja, could you run down to Alaska’s room and get her a warm sweater, she’s shaking like a leaf. Vi…uh…”

I could tell Sasha was trying to get rid of us to talk to Alaska alone but was uncomfortable ordering me from my own room, “I will do whatever you need me to, but I have to go to the bathroom first.” I offered.

“Yeah, no that’s good. Yeah go do that.” Sasha stuttered out, giving me a sweet little thank you smile.

We scattered and I pulled the door shut. I wasn’t trying to listen. Occasionally I heard a word or phrase here or there, Alaska was wailing again at one point and I winced. I turned the tap on to drown out what Sasha was almost having to yell to be heard over Alaska but I still heard Sasha repeat the phrase, “you loved her enough to let her be at peace. There is no greater love than that, no greater gift that you could give her Alaska!” Minutes that felt like hours ticked by and Alaska was slowly winding down.

There was a knock at the door to my room and I heard Aja say they got the sweater and then ask if they should come back. Sasha said no so I took that to mean they were done their talk and it was safe to come out, so I poked my head out.

Sasha was sitting cross-legged beside Alaska, her arm around the lanky girl who was rubbing her red rimmed eyes. They both looked absolutely exhausted.

Katya came in shortly after with 4 large paper cups of hot water, pulling milk and sugar and a plethora of different tea bags out of her coat pocket. “I forgot to ask vhat kind.”

For a few minutes Alaska stared at the tea she held in her trembling hands while we all stared at her. She cleared her throat and whispered, “I can feel you staring at me, I’m going to tell you. I just need a minute.”

Sasha patted her hand, “you don’t have to tell us anything you don’t want to dear.”

“No, you especially out of all people, deserve the truth. I just ask that you not judge me too harshly once I’ve told you the whole story.”

“We wouldn’t do that.” Aja promised somberly and Katya and I murmured sounds of agreement with them.

Alaska sighed, “ok, so before this was an accessible room, it was our room. Sharon and I were roommates, I kind of hated her at the beginning to be honest. She was all doom and gloom and grumpy exterior and I was an independent, overachieving, tightly wound gymnast and cheerleader prone to temper tantrums when I didn’t get my own way. But when I hurt my foot, I saw a whole different and gentler side of Sharon, she took care of me without being asked to. At first it was annoying to me but she kept taking care of me and I eventually admitted to myself that I liked it. I liked being taken care of.” Alaska admitted as if it were a crime to want to be cared for. “I got better and Sharon and I went our separate ways…well…as much as roommates could anyway. Sharon hung out with a different crowd than me but we somehow managed to land at the same pharm party.”

“What’s a farm party? Is it held in a barn?” Sasha asked innocently. Aja let out a snort.

Alaska looked down and turned red. “No no, Pharm with a PH, it’s a party where you go and the entrance fee is usually a couple bucks and whatever prescription meds you can get your hands on. They put them all in a fishbowl and then you take some.” Sasha gasped. “Yeah it’s dumb because you don’t know what you’re getting but I never claimed to be smart. Whatever I took, fucked me up, bad, and Sharon rescued me yet again. She probably saved my life that time too. She made me throw up and watched me through the night even though she was tripping balls herself. When I woke up or came to or whatever, she was in the corner of the room, hugging her knees to her chest and rocking back and forth, muttering to herself that she was a horrible person and I was dead. Not the most amazing time for a first kiss but it calmed her down.” Alaska let out a little chuckle. “I wish I could say that we were never that stupid again, that we vowed to never take drugs again and lived happily ever after but that would obviously be a lie. We did swear off pharm parties, sticking to the drugs we knew so to speak, pot and E, meth a few times but we had the best time with coke so we started to do coke exclusively, somehow trying to convince ourselves we weren’t really drug addicts if we didn’t do the supposed hard stuff or start injecting. It got so bad that I would cut out of class early to do a line before the next one, my grades started falling, I got put on academic probation. I was still secretly chasing a bigger high to avoid my problems. The high from snorting coke could no longer fuel my need and so I started sneaking behind Sharon’s back to inject amphetamines, which were great for my grades as I studied frantically but I wouldn’t sleep for days and Sharon was anything but stupid. Our regular dealer got busted, I had to search this other guy out. I was the one that got the drugs because I figured that way Sharon couldn’t find out how much I was doing or that I was veering from our coke-only plan.” Alaska sagged, “she came home early after I had just picked up a new supply, she walked in our room to find me laying on the bathroom floor with a needle in my vein, half of the drugs still in the syringe. Her walking in on me was the second time she saved my life, I woke up the next day to all my stuff packed and by the door and an irate Sharon who had had 18 hours to think while I lay unconscious on the bed she dragged me onto. I was going into withdrawals at this point and feeling the worst physical pain I’ve ever felt which seemed to go with the worst emotional pain I’ve ever felt. Sharon wasn’t an angel, she had a temper as you two both saw, but I’ve never seen someone so angry.”

Alaska shuddered and held her tea to her chest while Sasha covered her in a blanket. “You can stop Alaska, it’s ok.”

Alaska shook her head and gritted her teeth, “no I’ve come this far. I have to finish it. Sharon gave me an ultimatum as I lay shaking in a pool of my own sweat, get clean or get out. Things were said that shouldn’t have been but in the heat of the moment, I couldn’t take it back. I screamed at her I would do one better and leave without the drugs. She could have them. That I hated her and then I threw the 3 bags of coke in my pocket at her and left. I didn’t take anything with me so I didn’t get her texts. I didn’t know she was in trouble! I would have come back!” Alaska broke down as she pulled up her phone and passed it to Sasha who read it and passed it to me, she had saved the messages from Sharon.

9:42pm Alaska, baby please come back. You’re sick, you can’t spend the night on your own. At least tell me you are somewhere safe, that you aren’t out on the street. Come home.

11:32pm I tried not to do it, but I used some of the coke you threw at me. I think it was cut with something, I feel different.

11:35pm I’m scared something is really wrong ‘Lasky, my heart feels like it’s going so fast it might stop. I think I need to call for help but I’m scared. Can you?

11:40pm HELP ME!

11:41pm I will always love you.

I spent the night at a friend’s house getting wasted, I went back to the room to get some things when I knew Sharon would be in class except she wasn’t. She was laying on the floor dead with one hand over her heart. I’ll never forget how dim her eyes were without their usual sparkle, she was gone.” Alaska stopped for a minute to drink her tea.

Aja, Katya and I all had tears trailing down our faces. I folded in on myself and Katya came over and held my hand. Sasha was weeping loudly, her breath coming in ragged little gasps.

“I freaked, I called 911 and tried to revive her while they got there but she was pronounced dead at the scene, she’d been dead for hours, there had been no chance for survival. Our room was a crime scene until they could figure out what happened. They tested the coke and it came back that Sharon was right, it wasn’t even coke, it was white heroine which looked like coke but was much more potent and since Sharon often did at least two lines, she didn’t have a chance at survival, it stopped her heart and breathing after 10 minutes. The drug dealer didn’t know what he was doing, he was caught and charged with involuntary manslaughter and possession with the intent to traffic. I moved out of our room, Sharon’s memory was everywhere. I spent the first 6 months after Sharon’s death getting coked out until my friend and new roommate nicknamed Jinkx was forced to call 911 because I purposefully ODed. I missed Sharon too much, she was gone and it was my fault so I felt it was only right for me to die too.”

“Oh Alaska,” Katya whispered from right by my ear, making me jump.

“My parents made me go to rehab, I got out and relapsed within 12 hours, confirming my worst fears that I was worthless, hopeless and should be dead. I almost drowned coked out in the bathtub one night, I think maybe Sharon saved me that time because I made sure Jinkxy was out for the night before I did it. I remember going under and feeling at peace but I woke up freezing with the water drained out of the tub. I got thrown in rehab again but this was a different program, they recognised that they needed to help me with underlying problems not just sober me up for 30 days. A year and 3 months after her death, I was sober. I still struggle everyday with cravings and the guilt, which I’m going to try to forgive myself for. It was a horrible accident. When I heard about the girl in room 121, I was glad I wasn’t living in there because I was afraid of what Sharon would say. I knew it was her, of course it was. After graduation, I left the country for a few years, trying to run as far away from this room and the memories it held. When I got offered a job, I was reluctant to take it but I felt like I had to, i was being called to. That there was a deeper purpose and I was right, I just wish I wasn’t such a chicken because I would have been able to give her peace earlier. Thank you Sasha, for giving us both peace.” Alaska said, punctuating the end of her sentence with with a yawn, “if you guys don’t mind, I think I should go to bed.”

“I’d like to come with you and watch over you, if that’s ok.” Sasha asked timidly, “I just have the feeling maybe you shouldn’t be alone tonight.”

Alaska thought for a moment and I recognised that internal struggle between independence and allowing someone in. She smiled a little and nodded, “ok, I’d like that.”

Aja decided to head out too until it was just Katya and I laying in bed with our arms wrapped around each other.

“I love you so much, I don’t know what I’d do or who I’d be without you.” I whispered when I thought Katya was asleep.

Katya pulled me closer, “I love you too. I don’t ever vant to find out how I’d ever live vithout you.”

I relaxed in her arms and let sleep carry me away.

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