Bent (Merome)

Chapter 19

 We arrived home just before the sun started to set. Jerome ran out from the kitchen, freaking out.

“Cat! Jesus, where were you?!”

He grabbed me into a hug.

“I went out for a walk. Tom followed me. I'm alright, I promise,” I laughed. Jerome smiled at me, letting me go.

“Let's have some steak for dinner?” Tom suggested. Jerome nodded.

“That sounds good. I'll go get on it.”

He lingered for a second, looking at me. I didn't know why, exactly, but I felt like I was floating. The world enveloped me in a warm blanket. I wished I could pause this moment forever.

Then it was over. Jerome turned back towards the kitchen and Tom moved past me, following him. I stood there for a second, just thinking.

“Cat? You coming?” Jerome called. I flinched out of my thoughts, and made my way to the kitchen.

The second I laid my head down on my pillow that night, I was gone. It felt like less than a second before I opened my eyes to the ocean. I was on a ship, and the sun was setting. It was cool enough to be slightly chilly but not uncomfortably cold. Looking to my left, I saw her.

“Oh, hey,” I greeted her casually. She looked at me seriously.

“Mitch. I need to introduce you to someone.”
It was then I noticed the girl sitting next to her, about my age. She wore more casual clothes- a white t-shirt, jeans, and black boots. She had straight brown hair, and her eyes matched the color of the ocean. But I didn't pay attention to any of that. The feature that drew my eyes was the long scar over her right cheek. Before I could ask about it, she spoke.

“This is the one? Really?” She said, crossing her arms over her chest. I looked back and forth between her and the other woman. It took me a second to put it together.

“Lesa?”

The woman I knew laughed out loud.

“No. This isn't Lesa,” she chuckled. Before she said anything else, I interjected.

“I need something to call you,” I stated. “Especially now that there's two of you.”

She rolled her eyes.

“We don't have enough time for that!” She exclaimed. I crossed my own arms across my chest, matching not-Lesa.

“Well, I guess we'll just sit here then.”

She exhaled in exasperation, looking up at the sky.

“Fine. Call me Roselita, or something. I don't care.”

I shrugged.

“Fine. I'll call you Rose.”

I turned back to not-Lesa.

“So, wh-”

“Juniper.” She spoke over me. “Or June. I don't care.”

This girl was getting on my nerves.

“...Okay... June. What are you doing here?”

She glanced at me in distaste.

“Are you sure he's the one? Positive?” She looked at Rose.

“Yes. One-hundred-percent positive. Now Mitch, I need to tell you something. Something I figured out recently.”

I nodded for her to continue.

“There aren't a lot of us, but there are more than two. People like me and Lesa, I mean. People who can control others like we can.”

“Is she one of them?” I interrupted, nodding towards June. Rose shook her head.

“We don't know yet. I know there's something different about her, I just haven't figured it out yet. June looked between me and her.

“Anyway,” Rose continued, “Lesa and I can control anyone's behavior, to put it simply-”

I stopped her again. “And not simply? Can you explain that...?”

She shook her head.

“Not right now. Anyway. The ability to control actions can be used in so many ways, and has been. From me, anyway. And I found out something- Lesa has a short attention span.”

I blinked.

“That's the big thing you had to tell me?” I asked, unimpressed. Rose shook her head.

“Don't you understand? That means that as soon as she gets bored of you and Jerome, she's going to...”

This had already sprouted some questions.

“Do you understand what I'm saying? I'm surprised you've kept her attention for this long. We have to do something.”

I stared at her in shock.

“So what you're saying is, me and Jerome are in danger from this psychopath that we can't see, and we have no idea or signs besides suicidal feelings that we won't know when aren't ours.”

Rose cleared her throat.

“Uhh, yes.”

I ran my hand through my hair, which was back to its spiky normalness. That was partially why I liked these dreams- I got to be me again.

“Well... What am I supposed to do about it?” I asked. Rose shrugged.

“I wanted you to know. Plus, you have to remember. If you're feeling... Um, suicidal, you have to keep your brain tethered to reality. I'll do everything I can to intervene, but if she goes for both of you, there's nothing I can do.”

“Wait, if she can go for both of us, can't you, too?” I questioned. She didn't say anything.

“Umm, I'd better let you go. See you, Mitch.”

“Wait!” I yelled “If you can only go for one of us, you have to swear to help Jerome first. I always come second. Understand?” I demanded. She paused, thinking, then nodded.

“...Okay.”

My eyes flew open in my bed. I sighed. Again, I'd gotten more answers, but they simply led me to ask new questions. I was noticing a pattern with those- I didn't know if they were dreams, or- I didn't know what they were. But I'd noticed that whenever a question came up that Rose didn't want to answer, she'd just send me back. It was probably the most frustrating thing she could do, but there was nothing I could do about it. 

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QUICK FUCKIN TAKE IT BEFORE MY INTERNET IS GONE AGAIN, GOD DAMN. 

-The Moon's Shadow