I Hate Myself but I Love You

Chapter 56

Carmilla's POV

I watch Perry with wary eyes. She's blinking rapidly, still bound and on the ground in the middle of the circle. She seems slightly dazed, and I can practically feel the hope radiating from LaFontaine and JP.

Her body jerks slightly, and she looks down at herself, confused. The words that come from her are muddled by LaFontaine's disgusting yet effective sock gag. I'm not certain who's in control, so I don't get up to remove her gag. I also don't know if getting up would break the spell or rip a hole in the fabric of reality, so that's another reason.

Perry begins moving, or trying to at least. I don't think she's grasped that she's tied up yet. I can see the exact moment she realizes. The confusion fades slightly and annoyance overpowers all other emotions on her face. I can hear her sigh and say something that sounds like "LaFontaine".

Then her body freezes for a moment (she's so still I think the world held its breath) before she shudders almost violently and curls into fetal position.

I can see how alarmed JP and LaFontaine have become, but he stays silent, though the worry doesn't fade from his features.

"What's wrong with her?" They ask, taking an automatic step forward. JP rests his hand on their arm, stopping them in their tracks.

"The spell is working. Stay back." Mattie's voice is still deep and guttural, but I can hear the pride in her voice. Her spell worked. "Do not remove your hands."

A bright light nearly blinds me, emanating from the center of the circle. It's almost as bright as Lophii's was when she was luring Laura and others in first semester. I force my hand to stay down, resisting the urge to use it to block the light. It's a pale white in color, but instead of it being comforting and beautiful, it feels wrong. When it fades and my eyes adjust, Perry's standing in the center of the circle, hands and ankles unbound and the gag isn't between her lips. There's a scowl on her lips that sends a bolt of fear down my spine. I glance around her, but don't see the rope or sock anywhere. Did she vaporize them?

Her back is straight in a horrifyingly familiar posture as she looks at me. A malicious smile spreads across her face. "Hello, my glittering girl."

My body's trembling and I don't know why. My breath's coming in loud gasps and I can't seem to suck enough air in my lungs. Gods, I'm going to die. I'm going to die again. I'm-

"Carm." A voice slices through my panic. "Carm, you have to calm down. Listen to my voice, okay? It's going to be alright. You know the good guys always win."

I ignore the fact we both know that last sentence is a lie and let Laura's voice sooth me. My breathing is under control. I'm okay. I'm okay.

"I have to say, you and Matska have surprised me. I never thought that my diamond would turn her pet." She smirks. "Though I'm certain there were circumstances out of your control that drove you to do so. And Matska." Perry (she's Maman. She's no longer Perry, Karnstein) clucks her tongue. "You have disappointed me. I thought that you would not betray me."

"Betraying you means saving the world, and I happen to like this one."

She seems unimpressed with Mattie's explanation. "It is full of imbeciles and vermin. They are not worth saving. Rejoin me and-"

Maman's head snaps to the side, a snarl on her face. "Get out of my body, you old hag."

That's not Maman.

Laura notices this, too. "Perry?"

  Ooh, cliffhanger (cackles evilly). Is it Perry or not Perry?
Also, I just realized that if I let a chapter end where Laura was in the crater, it literally could have been a cliffhanger (not a cliff, but a ledge but close enough)
Thank you amazing humans for reading and stay awesome!