The Girl With Two Faces

Diagnosed - Lily Black

“Lily Black.”

I woke up to see the bright sunlight shining on my face. I covered my eyes with my palms trying to black the light. My head felt heavy and eyes were blinding.  I gradually took time to open them and they got accustomed to the light. My head still felt heavy and I wondered why. I did not remember anything from the previous night except that Richard came to meet me. I yawned loudly and put back a strand of hair behind my ear.

“Lily Black. Come here you” I heard Lila calling. I groaned and got up. My hair was messy and my white frock and turned black overnight. I was covered in filth. I went to Lila and looked at her.

“What are you standing there for?” she replied her hair tangled and her red painted lips pouted. Lila was beautiful but did not show it. Her face was fiery and her eyes were almond shaped. She applied a thick layer of black eyeliner highlighting those eyes.

“What Ma?” I asked.

“Go to your friend. He asked you to come yesterday” she said smirking.

“Richard?”

“You have other friends?”

I was walking through the forest to the doctor’s place. I did not understand why everybody called me a retard. I mean there was nothing wrong with me. I just sometimes felt I had another person inside me and that person always remained my best friends and the bitterest foe.  I had learned to wear the mask perfectly. No one, no man would ever be able to look through the eyes and the smile. I am my friend and foe. I had always lived with two faces and will always live with them.

I was playing with my top and my skirt blew to the light breeze. The forest was my friend. I knew it like the back of my hand. I walked slowly enjoying the view but suddenly something pinched me from the inside. “Faster” my inner conscious throbbed.

“Shut up” I screamed. My head was reeling.

“Faster” the same vicious voice whispered again.

I walked faster and reached the doctors house. An immense sense of relief crept over my chest.

As I walked inside I saw Richard sitting on the stool and reading some book in the far corner of the room.  There were two people sitting opposite each other. One was massaging her head and the other was coughing. Both the ladies looked disinterested in the place. It smelled of medicines and injection. I felt nauseated.

“Richard” I called and he looked up. His thick black hair fell over his face. There were slight shades of gray near his ears. His kind face looked up and he smiled, gentle. His spectacles had gold rimmed edges and he looked through them like a professor.

“Hello princess” He greeted.

“Hey. You asked me to come? Why?” I asked surprised. A voice inside my head told “Because he knows it too. You are a retard”

I did not like the voice. It was high and girlish. The voice had a tinge of cunningness and evil to it. But I felt it was me who was talking. I was talking to myself. My friend, my foe.

“Yes. Will you meet the doctor?”

All I did was nod my head and he took me inside. The doctor was an old man who walked with the help of a stick. He reminded me of Gringoire, the old sorcerer. Gringoire was one of the greates doctors I ever knew. His potions worked very well.  I suddenly remembered Eva. The voice inside my head laughed.  A victorious laugh.

The doctor scratched his head twice and diagnosed me with some medicine. It tasted sour but I managed to swallow it. The voice inside told me that I had to get to Eva. I shook my head. I was never going there. Eva was my friend, a best friend once upon a time. She was a witch nobody knew of. Nobody even knew that I was once into witchery and all. She was also the best herbalist in town.

Richard told me outside that he’d drop me home and I agreed. The route to Eva’s home was very long journey.

“You idiot. Don’t take him with you.”

“Shut up”

“What?” Richard looked at me perplexed.

“Not you” I smiled battling my eyelashes.

The voice kept telling me not to take Richard and I listened to it again.

“I can go from here” I said after we reached quite a distance.

“No” Richard shook his head. “You take me along”

“It’s okay Richard” I scowled.

Richard was being persistent. He caught my hand and did not let me move. I needed to meet Eva to ask her what was wrong with me.

“Richard please?” I begged. “I need to meet Eva alone”

“I’ll let you go on one condition” he said raising his eyebrow.

“What?”

“When you are coming back, you’ll let me know and then go home” he said.

“Yes, sure” I sighed. He hugged me and I pushed away. I did not like men touching me.

I went deeper into the woods and opened my pouch. The pouch was little and was made of elephant skin. It had a black string tied to it. I opened and found ‘Adire licet’. It was green magical powder used to find your way.

I sprinkled it on the wet ground in the forest. The particles rose a few feet above the ground and formed a green sparkle in the air. Suddenly it all fell and remained on the ground as before.

“Expired” I sighed. I had to find my way on my own. I looked around trying to remember the route. Eva stayed in a small cottage somewhere in this huge forest.

Concentrate.

The voice kept whispering slowly at first and then it was shouting literally in my ears.

“Shut up” I screamed. Who was this? What was this? Will Eva tell me?

I have to find her, I said to myself determined. “Do you know?” I whispered to myself and closed my eyes.

Keep walking. She’ll find you.

The voice spoke again. I opened my eyes and before me was a whole new understanding of the situation. I had to keep walking and then I would find the road myself. I just had to keep walking.

I smiled to myself satisfied and walked.

I walked almost the whole forest. The trees were getting thicker and greener. My head was aching and my feet were swollen. I was hungry. I looked back from where I came and all I saw were trees. I caught my head with my hands.

Where was I stuck?

“Lily” a sweet voice called from behind me. I looked around to find the prettiest girl. She was wearing a long pink gossamer gown and her hands were full of leaves.

“Eva” I cried but suddenly my head hurt and my eyes burned. I shivered. My whole body was trembling.

“Lily Black?” she asked suspiciously.

“No” I sneered.