I hang on to those words as I go through the motions of bathing and dressing. Hazel is right. Didn't Ebony take her trip alone? Lily too? And they never returned no matter how hard I cried. Why must I be the baby of the bunch? I open the bottle of pills. There's just above half left. I pack them into my mouth before I change my mind then wash my last meal down with a bottle of water.
Ruby swims closer to me, her glow pulsating like an increased heart rate. I open the bottle and dump all her food in too. Why not? She's been begging for it ever since we met. On rote, I reach for my makeup and dip for my miracle in a tin, but come up empty. I stare at myself in horror. What now? Does this mean you postpone your homecoming yet another time? Or do you leave the world unmasked? I run fingers over a face I will never see again then smear the blood that springs up on Ruby's bowl and stand. Inhale. Exhale. My other self stares back at me with an expression not yet on my face. Then her silent companion lowers its head. I don't quite understand what that means. And right now I really don't care. Still, I address them one final time.
"Thank you," I murmur between the tears. "Thank you for being my true friends."
YOU ARE READING
NINE TIME MACHINES: Do you want to undo your entire life on planet earth?
FantasíaThere is a war coming! In it, Lilith and the impostor God must battle for all human minds on earth. But one girl can stand in the gap for all humanity. However, to prove worthy for this feat, Mary must begin shadow work to take the mark upon herself...
