Tally could hear her own heartbeat echoing below Scylla's words loudly, so loudly that she feared the older girl she now knew to be a Spree agent might hear. She held her breath as she watched the balloon float where Scylla's reflection ought to be in the mirror. Tally couldn't believe Raele had been dating a Spree agent for almost as long as they had been at Fort Salem. She held her breath until Scylla left the room.
Tally couldn't to one hundred three times, and when no one else came into the bathroom she walked quickly feigning normalcy and looking for anyone she actually trusted enough to tell about all she had just learned. She saw Anacostia pass by, and almost went to her, then Raelle and Abigail entered her field of vision. Tally broke into a light jog then sliding past the throngs of people to reach her unit.
"I need you to promise not to hate me." Tally spoke breathlessly, gripping Raelle's shoulder like a vice and staring deep into her eyes.
"I wouldn't... wait, what?" Raelle had been smiling and laughing with Abigail, and that expression began to falter slightly at Tally's urgent and somewhat fearful tone.
"I am about to tell you something awful but true and I need to know you aren't going to hate me for it." Tally began to pull them away from the crowds where they wouldn't be overheard.
"Just tell us, Tally. There is no way we could ever hate you." Abigail had gone into leadership mode and reached out to Tally's forearm as the redhead slowly began to be reassured by the presence of her unit.
"I need to hear it from you, Rae." Tally's eyes were still worried, but determination and resolve that hadn't been present in her before only weeks prior began to lace through her features and posture.
"What Abigail said. We're a unit. Family. Now, tell me what's going on." Raelle took Tally's other arm so the three women stood in a triangle, blocking out the rest of the world.
"I was in the bathroom when Sclla came in. I was crying and iI didn't want her to know I was there so I hid. Then, she started talking to the mirror and when I looked out, there was a balloon where her reflection should have been. I am so sorry Raelle, but they were talking about you and some plan involving you." Tally's rushed words spilled out of her. She could hardly look at the blonde witch. She knew that what she was saying was going to break her heart and didn't want to watch it happening. "That thing you can do... with the healing... look into my head and see that it's true."
Raelle inhaled sharply sounding like she had just been punched. "That can't be true. You saw wrong. You heard wrong. Scylla is good. I know it. She has to be good." She shook her head emphatically as denial set in. "there's an explanation for all of this."
"Tally. Where exactly did Scylla go? We need to find her right now." Abigail decided, ignoring Raelle and speaking in a few low and urgent tone. "She could pose a threat to Raelle or any number of high-ranking government officials that are here."
"We can't hurt her. I won't let anyone hurt her." Raelle said firmly, snapping suddenly back into focus at the word 'threat'.
"I can't be sure, but at the very least we need to get answers out of her. We need to know what she wanted Raelle for and why. I didn't hear anything about any other plans or attacks. I'll keep Raelle with me, just in case." Tally said as she took Raelle's shaking hand in her own, blue eyes filling with tears and some other emotion that Tally couldn't name.
"I hate this. I hate everything about this." Abigail muttered and released Tally's arm to duck back into the crowd. Her expression was a pained grimace much like the one she assumed she also now wore.
"It's not true." Raelle continued to argue as Tally tugged her along. "Scylla can't be Spree. There's no way. She wouldn't. She couldn't."
"I am so, so sorry, Raelle." was all Tally could say, over and over again as she suppressed her own tears, trying not to let them fall as she looked for the other woman.
