Why couldn't she just listen to me?

Now Lucy saw her. What am I supposed to say to her? It doesn't look like Lyssa remembers her.

And worst of all, I don't care. All I care about is getting her away from Lucy.

I know she wouldn't hurt her, but...there's a but.

"Lucy please." I wanted to get closer, but I was afraid something would happen and it would trigger something in Lyssa that would cause something to happen to Lucy.

She didn't seem to hear me at all, but Lyssa sure did.

She looked at Lucy around her waist but said nothing. She didn't speak yet, and she didn't even hug her back.

"I..." She finally wanted to say something but stopped herself. "I can't." She moved and pulled Lucy's arms away from her body. She took a few steps back with her gaze still on her. But this time she looked almost scared.

She opened the door with one movement and ran away.

I managed to catch Lucy before she did the same. "Lucy, no."

"But..." She started, but I cut her off.

"I said no. Not now. Stay with Kai, you understand?" I didn't wait for her answer and shouted Kai's name. A few seconds later he appeared in the doorway. "Take care of her." I let go of Lucy and without another word started running after Lyssa.

Maybe I should've stayed with Lucy and explained to her what happened, but it's probably too late.

I expected to have to run after her all over the city, but she was standing with her back to me, in the middle of an empty road, a few meters from the house.

I don't know why she stopped, and it didn't bother me either. I walked up to her slowly so as not to scare her and stopped right behind her. "Lyssa?"

"Why did she call me her mom?" She spoke.

"It's complicated."

"You don't say." She snorted. "I can't have kids." She turned to me. "It's impossible, so who is she?"

"Like I said, it's complicated."

"So make it not complicated, before I go back there and get it out of her myself." She said in a warning tone and something inside me snapped at her words.

"I'll kill you the second you take a step towards the house." The words were out of my mouth before I could stop myself.

I wasn't the only one caught off guard by these words. Lyssa paled slightly.

I don't know if I could do it, but I know I wouldn't let anyone hurt Lucy. Even if it was Lyssa.

"You wouldn't kill me." Her shoulders relaxed. "I know everyone wanted to kill me a long time ago, but you didn't. You wouldn't do it now." She said confidently.

"Then take a step." I challenged her and hoped she wouldn't do it.

She was carefully examining my face, probably wondering if I was really capable of it. I myself don't know.

"Take a step or let me tell you about her."

"Why would I want to know anything about her? She's not...mine." She hesitated before finishing.

"Her name is Lucy Laurent and she's six, almost seven. You adopted her when she was five..."

"Stop it." She interrupted me, but I continued.

"You took her in because she had no one and you saw yourself in her. You didn't want to leave her in the orphanage after the white snakes took her from there."

"I told you to stop." She swallowed hard.

"She loves bedtime stories and can't sleep without a lamp on and a goodnight kiss." I took a few steps towards her and stopped right next to her. "And she loves you. The woman she considers a mother. The woman she mourned all year because she was taken from her before she could say goodbye."

"Why are you telling me that, huh? I don't care." She said between her teeth.

"Then why are you crying?" My gaze fell on a tear running down her cheek, which she probably wasn't even aware of.

Confused, she ran her hand over her face until she bumped into it. She looked at the wet spot on her fingers in surprise.

"Maybe you can't remember right now, but somewhere inside you know that I'm right and that you miss her."

"No, that...that's not true." She shook her head and took a few steps back from me. "You're playing with me and manipulating me. You're lying." Her voice trembled.

"Why would I do that?"

"I don't know!" She screamed. "I...I...I don't know what's going on." She wrapped her arms around herself and her chest began to heave a little faster. Her breath caught in her throat. "I don't have a daughter. I don't know the child inside that house. I don't know you or anyone else. My name is Eris and..." She stopped. "And..."

"You know everything you said isn't true. Someone put that in your head, but they couldn't erase everything. Try to remember who you are, please." I grabbed her arm, which was around her. "Please, Lyssa."

"Someone put that in my head? Do you know how crazy you sound? It's not possible."

"You're starting to remember. Little things like Odin or the food we made together. You're talking about similar things like you used to. You're slowly coming back, if only in bits and pieces."

I thought she would believe me, but she slowly pulled her hands out of mine. "I'm sorry. You're wrong. Let me go, Killian. For the love of God, let me go."

"I can't." I breathed heavily. "I just can't."



I have a feeling of emptiness inside me. I don't even know why, it's just...there.

I don't think I've ever felt this way. I don't know what it is.

The sight of that little girl was etched in my memory. Every time I close my eyes, I see her in front of me. It's killing me.

I've been pacing up and down the room for some time now, trying to put everything in my head back to where it was.

As if I was fighting with myself. My head is filled with words that I don't remember saying and images that seem vivid.

You can do whatever you want, but if he breaks your heart again, I'll be the one to tell you, I told you so.

My voice. It's my own voice, but I don't remember when I said it.

Can I clean your face?

Blurry images of my hands and blood on someone's face, but I can't see who it is.

That's what Lucy does. She brings light to dark places. I don't know how she does it, but I want it to stay that way.

It's a lot. Images that stick in my memory and make me feel weak.

But stay where I can see you.

Children's laughter echoed in my ears as if it were real.

"No, no, no." I squeezed my head, trying to banish everything that appeared in my head. "It's not real. It's not real." I repeated.

I told you to leave it alone. Why can't you listen to me?

This voice was different. It wasn't mine, but it was so familiar.

It's okay, I promise. It's just me. Just me and you, no one else.

A feeling of safety swept over me. As if nothing could happen to me.

"Shut up." I hit my head with my palm. "Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. It's not real." I spoke to myself with a shaky voice. "It's not real." I whispered and fell to the ground next to the wall. "It can't be."

I was scared that something happened to you. I was ready to burn all of New York to ashes just to find you.

Don't worry. I'm not going anywhere.

You are beautiful.

I love when you laugh. And especially when it's because of me.

I feel like my head is going to explode. Again. It hurts like a bitch.

I tried to breathe deeply, trying to calm down.

Obviously, it wasn't helping.

My hands started shaking and I was unable to stop them.

"Come on. Really?" I laughed desperately.

"Damn, you look like shit." I heard a voice from the door and looked up at blondie.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." I faked a smile.

"Are you okay?"

"Like you care." I snorted and tried to stand up. I leaned against the wall and clumsily got to my feet. "What are you even doing here?"

"Your heart rate jumped quite a bit, I came to check on you." So they're also checking my vitals through the bracelets, great.

"Really? So you didn't think I was dying and wanted to look? I'm surprised and oddly disappointed." I carefully walked over to the bed and sat down.

"Do you think that's what I want?"

"What do you think?" I snorted and looked up at her. "Do you think I don't see how you look at me? With what disgust? I turn around and already two daggers fly into my back."

"It's not true." She frowned. "I just..."

"You just what? Please finish your sentence." I crossed my arms over my breasts.

"You don't see it, do you?"

"See what? Those daggers? I can see them pretty clearly."

"God, you're even worse than you were years ago." She let out a frustrated breath. "I never thought I'd miss that Eris. Because this one," she pointed at me, "is worse."

"Thank you?" I frowned. "I'm sure it was a compliment in some way."

"You're unbearable."

"If you feel that way, why don't you just let me go?" I stood up. "You know I don't belong here so why keep me here?"

"You think it's up to me whether you stay or not? Think about it. It might be hard for you, you know, to think." She shrugged.

"Then help me get out of here. You obviously hate me. You'll do us both a favor."

"It's only a matter of time before Killian lets you go. After today's fiasco with Lucy, it won't be long before he realizes you're no longer Lyssa. Look at yourself." She snorted.

"What?" I walked closer to her. "Something you want to tell me?" I stopped right in front of her. "Come on, talk."

"For so many years I thought that if anything happened, we'd be there for each other. But now I look at you and I don't know the person standing in front of me. You may have her face, but that's about it."

"I take it as a success." I smiled. "I am who I am. You can't pretend all your life. And if you don't like who I am, that's not my problem. I kill, I torture, and I don't care. It always has been and always will be. Get over it."

"So I guess it's true. No matter how many times a snake sheds its skin, it will always be a snake." She shook her head. "Killian was wrong. There's nothing here to save. Lyssa Laurent died in the explosion and who are you? Nobody I know." There was pain and hatred in her eyes. One fighting the other.

And me? My chest hurt for some reason. As if someone was squeezing all my insides.

"You are not my sister. No matter how much I wish you were. You are a stranger and quite possibly an enemy. Congratulations Eris, I have no more hope for you. I'm done. Do you hear me? I'm done." She laughed, tears on her face. "I hope you're happy." She backed away slowly and turned towards the door. She started walking away from me.

As if he slowed down time.

For Christ's sake, of course you can stay with me. You're my best friend.

Did you see...Of course you haven't seen it. It's called Harry Potter and they are one of the best movies ever made.

You don't get it, do you? I don't care if anything could happen to me. Eris, you're like my sister, even though you might not see it that way. I'd do anything for you.

Please don't do it, I don't want to say goodbye.

"Luna." I almost whispered. "Luna." I repeated when she didn't stop, a little louder. "Aceso!"

She stopped suddenly but didn't turn around.

"Don't do it. Don't leave me, please."

Her head slowly turned in my direction.

"I don't know what's wrong with me. I feel like I'm going crazy. I'm literally hearing voices in my head. I'm seeing things that seem too real for them not to be. But you can't expect me to believe all of you all of a sudden. I don't know you right now, think about that."

"What things...What things do you see?"

"Some of it isn't obvious, but I'm seeing places I've never been to. People I don't know, but I feel like I do. And I hear your voice. And for some stupid reason, it bothers me when you're mad at me. I don't know what's wrong with me. For the love of God, can you say something?" I said, already frustrated.

She turned to me, a smile on her lips. "So you care."

"Fuck you." I laughed and she laughed with me.

"Don't worry, I'll only point it out twenty-four hours, seven days a week."

"I regret saying anything already."

*****

Hope you enjoyed. <3