The Account

Two-Faced

"I wrote some now will you FUCK OFF!?!" I demand.

"OK OK," Edgar replies, "chill. Take a deep breath. Write some."

"You don't get it! We're running out of time OK!?! We need help!"

"Your therapist can handle that right?" Edgar asks, "has she appeared in this book yet actually?"

"I'll write that after I see her," I reply, "and listen Edgar, I realized something. I had this horrifying thought."

"What's that?" Edgar asks.

"What if the masked... can't be reasoned with?"

"What do you-"

"I've seen it countless times. Many of my friends who no matter how sound my argument or unsound theirs just couldn't be convinced. What is not even my therapist, not even RM, can help us there? What if we can't save K? What if I'm really to worthless to save anyone?"

"Easy kid," Edgar reassures me, "take a deep breath. Most of those cases are more our phobias than actual threats. You know that's the main reason. Calm down. Deep breaths."

"What about K?" I demand.

Edgar sighs and facepalms. "OK listen kid," he explains, "you've tried handling this as you, and you've tried it as me, and Gen doesn't have it in him to confront people about this. Could we try it as... someone else?"

"What do you mean?" I inquire.

"Oh you poor kid," Edgar chuckles, "we both know about our other options."

"You don't mean making a deal with..."

Edgar nods. "It's your choice," he reminds with a smug smile, "but we both know your masks keep slipping off your face and you keep defaulting to anger and fear. Without a self, without a personality, you're a wild animal, and it's becoming harder and harder for you to keep a mask on. We need to make them an offer. One they can't refuse."

"I understand," I sigh, "Jackal, I wish to bargain."

"I'm interested," The Jackal begins, an aparation of them appearing.

Wait, no! I can't do this! To make the Jackal a writer would be-

"Listen kid," The Jackal begins to sing to a soft tune, smiling at me, "you have a choice.
An offer. You can refuse.
One mask isn't enough.
So I'll teach you to wear two.

Come on kid."

Edgar steps in making the song more forceful and energetic.

"You've been through,
All of this shit before.
We're not enough,
We need to be more.

It's time to become two faced!"

Jackal sings back up, "Two faced!"

"Put me back into the running!" Edgar exclaims.

"You're gonna have to be two faced!" The Jackal adds.

"Don't worry about, which of us is real," Edgar smiles, "take me back as an option, and take the deal!

We gotta become two faced!"

"You gotta become two faced!" The Jackal adds.

"But I've made so much progress in stopping you and becoming my true self," I explain, "am I really going to throw that away again like in By My-"

"Come on kiddo!" Edgar exclaims, "I'll cut you some slack. Stay just a mask! As much as I wish this could benefit me, there's more important things you see! We only have one last shot..."

The song becomes slower and calmer as I see an aparation of K walk by, without her mask.

"To save K," Edgar smirks.

"Save K," the Jackal echos.

"Save K," the duo sing in harmony.

"Save K.

Save K no matter what!"

I take a deep breath.

"So real me is still just between me and Gen?" I ask.

"Well I get to serve as a second layer, back up, until you're strong enough to chose one true self. It puts me in place to become your back up self. Like a runner up prize for me. If you still need two masks."

I sighs and turn away as I sing to a sad tune, "I already tried to, help her as me.

Maybe I should try, learn what's it's like,

To save someone.

I know I'm not special.

But we're only doing this until we're done saving K.

Until then I'll be two faced."

I shake The Jackal's hand.

"I don't give a damn what you write!" I exclaim, "as long as saving K goes right! Edgar come on! We're two faced! Edgar we are two faced!"

Edgar goes on my face under me, serving as my backup.

"I'm not going to fail!" I exclaim, "I'm doing this right this time!"

"About being a writer?" The Jackal asks.

"Let's start with the basics," I begin...